14.1 Running a 100 without Qball touching a rail?

richiebalto

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the Qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesom if it was recorded for us to watch!
 
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Who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the Qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesow if it was recored for us to watch!

I've never heard of anyone doing that. Rempe advocated trying to do it for a rack as a good practice drill.
 
I happen to be one of those people who subscribe to the theory that "Nothing is impossible" but in this case.....

That's never happened & it never will.
 
I've never heard of anyone doing that. Rempe advocated trying to do it for a rack as a good practice drill.

I happen to be one of those people who subscribe to the theory that "Nothing is impossible" but in this case.....

That's never happened & it never will.

I agree. While it's possible to run a single rack that way -- which takes a lucky spread of the balls (no clusters that you have to use your cue ball or "object ball bumping" to break up), you're going to be hitting a cushion with the cue ball as a natural result of the break shot, and of manipulating that cue ball out of the way for a subsequent shot. Not unless you're doing a "pop and stick" style of break shot, which is very dangerous for obvious reasons -- sticking to the rack or resulting clusters of balls. And, the cushions are your friend in straight pool -- knowing how to use them to "bounce out" for position -- or to help remove velocity off of the cue ball -- is considered a foundational tool.

Unfortunately, there are tales of <...insert straight pool legend's name here, like Mosconi...> running a 100 without the cue ball ever touching a cushion. It's one of those fanciful tales told by scruffly types to elicit the "wide-eyed gasp" response from less-experienced ears.

-Sean
 
who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesow if it was recored for us to watch!

are you high?
 
Haven't heard of that either but the simple concept was taught to me when I was a kid - "If you don't go to a rail then you can't scratch."

It is useful to run drills in 14.1 that don't allow you to hit a rail. It helps you learn one very important aspect of playing the game at the expert level, namely using cut angle to get position.
 
are you high?

No just a little tired, i guess i never heard that at all, must of been one of those dreams i had, well i told you all i didnt think it was possiable, if i ruin someones day with this thread i apologize.
 
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Someone once claimed to have seen Irving Crane do it while practicing (it was in a thread here, somewhere, can't find it). Sounds like a fish story to me; although Irving was probably as likely as anyone to do it if it's true...
 
Allen Hopkins claims a high run of I think 38 balls without touching a rail. You can ask him about it at the Super Billiards Expo.
 
Who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the Qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesom if it was recorded for us to watch!

I heard or read something about this also. For some reason I'm thinking that Rudolph "Minnesota Fats" Wanderone mentioned someone who did high runs in exhibition this way. In the old days, it was called "poison cushion", and full games would be played this way - runs would stop when the cueball touches a cushion. Though I don't remember anyone claiming a run of 100.

Coming from Fats though, it could all be hot air.
 
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Who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the Qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesom if it was recorded for us to watch!
There are two answers to this. Leon Yonders had a record of something like 150 balls without the cue ball touching a cushion, but he was throwing the balls onto the table at the end of each rack. He was written up in Ripley's Believe It Or Not for shooting behind his back and getting 163 balls in 4 innings. He also claimed to have run 21 balls on a snooker table without touching a cushion and behind his back.

In his book on straight pool, Babe Cranfield remarked that the greatest pool feat he ever saw was when Ralph Greenleaf ran 60 balls and only went to the cushion twice.
 
There are two answers to this. Leon Yonders had a record of something like 150 balls without the cue ball touching a cushion, but he was throwing the balls onto the table at the end of each rack. He was written up in Ripley's Believe It Or Not for shooting behind his back and getting 163 balls in 4 innings. He also claimed to have run 21 balls on a snooker table without touching a cushion and behind his back.

In his book on straight pool, Babe Cranfield remarked that the greatest pool feat he ever saw was when Ralph Greenleaf ran 60 balls and only went to the cushion twice.

i would have to see a video of it for me to believe it and i will go with "NOT" :grin:
 
Who was the late great straight pool player that could run over 100 balls without the Qball ever touching a rail, i forgot who supposely was the player that could do this unbelieveable feat, it just sounds impossiable to me, if it is true it would be awesom if it was recorded for us to watch!

This may well be just the merging of two stories.

When Mosconi was in his prime and criss-crossing the US of A giving
exhibitions at a furious rate, he was alleged to have a standing offer
to bet even money he could do one of the two propositions, if you let him
set up a 'break' shot, on the FIRST attempt:

1. break the balls and run 100...

2. break the balls and run ONE RACK without the CB ever touching a rail.

Also, as the story goes, the offer was good on tables he had
never hit a ball on.

I was told this by a very reliable source - but it was second hand.

Dale
 
100 balls/no rail

This is like pool trivial pursuit.

There was a challenge put out by someone(anyone know?) in the late 50's early 60's. Everyone said no-one could do it, EXCEPT one.

Willie Mosconi claimed he could do it, but as far as I know, he never tried officially. Dunno if it is true, but wayyyyy back when; it was claimed that he got into low 70's preparing for it.

If you think about this: it seems impossible w/o superfluous cue-ball control and forethought. This was before LD's when a 1/4 ball hit sent the CB sailing toward a rail at 45 degrees. Thing was; any ball BUT the cue-ball could hit a/the rails.

Does anyone remember who issued the challenge ?? :cool:
 
Jim Rempe put out a video called 'How to run 100 balls'. On this video he aslo does a drill where he runs ONE rack without hitting a rail.
 
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