Anyone have any information on Babe Cranfield’s 768

[Poolmanis]

And DCC every entry to try high runs also did cost 100$. It is definitely competition then. P.S 3x re-buy
Exhibition and practice runs don´t cost money to try.

 

[lfigueroa]

Points are well taken, Lou. I wish the DCC 14.1 Challenge were still around. It was great!

Yes, agreed.

Maybe we'll see something new to take on those mega 14.1 records.

Lou Figueroa

 

[pt109]

In competition, finishing a run beyond the winning score in competition was extremely rare. As a rule, it wasn't even permitted. The first time I saw it allowed was when Martin Kempter ran 160 in a race to 150 in what I believe was the Dragon 2008 World 14.1. The only other time I saw it happen was the run you mentioned, when Stalev ran 151 and out in a race to 200 in the Dragon 2014 World 14.1 and, about to unscrew, was talked into finishing his run by John Schmidt, ending on 224. With respect to the high run prize in that event, Stalev's run was counted as 151, just as it should have been. When Darren Appleton ran his 200, he was about to continue when Bustamante swept the balls, something I greatly approved of as tournament play should not permit continuation of runs beyond the winning number.

As you note, the longest exhibition runs were typically continuations beyond the winning number.

Pete Margo ran 350 at Weenie’s place in Arlington. The match was to 150 but he kept shooting.

 

[pt109]

wrldpro has posted a few times that Cranfield's 768 was done at an exhibition rather than in practice. He cites a 1997 letter to the editor of Pool & Billiard Magazine by Arnold Silvernail saying that Cue Ball Kelly provided that information in a TV broadcast with Don Crique. Presumably Silvernail meant Don Criqui.

I do not know whether the claim of exhibition rather than practice is true.

One of the top players from the Babe’s area Mike Wallace, saw several parts of the 768 run...but he said no one person sat through the whole run.....and I’m pretty sure it was not an exhibition...it was just the Babe doing his regular thing.

 

[JusticeNJ]

Pete Margo ran 350 at Weenie’s place in Arlington. The match was to 150 but he kept shooting.

Not to nitpick, but for posterity, I think the run was 330.

 

[sjm]

Pete Margo ran 350 at Weenie’s place in Arlington. The match was to 150 but he kept shooting.

Yeah, it happened on occasion, but it was a rarity. It generally wasn't allowed in the biggest straight pool events.

 

[Welder84]

I would check with Danny Harriman. He reviews all the official straight pool records... Fake news! Fake news!

 

[L.S. Dennis]

I wonder how Babe Cranfield felt about Mosconi. According to everything I’ve read about him, his hero was Greenleaf, he liked Carras because of his gutsy style of play and talked about his experience of being Hoppe’s chauffeur and roadie for a whille but little if anything about Willie. He most sure must have played Mosconi over the years but has not much ever to say about him.
Any ideas, just wondering...

 

[mikemosconi]

I wonder how Babe Cranfield felt about Mosconi. According to everything I’ve read about him, his hero was Greenleaf, he liked Carras because of his gutsy style of play and talked about his experience of being Hoppe’s chauffeur and roadie for a whille but little if anything about Willie. He most sure must have played Mosconi over the years but has not much ever to say about him.
Any ideas, just wondering...

Mosconi was a lot like Joe DiMaggio in terms of temperament - no nonsense fierce competitor, and not the most genial of sorts off the competitive field of play. Di Mag did not "pal around" with his contemporaries very much and neither did Mosconi. They were not outright rude; just sort of into their own circles when not competing. Each could be surly and I witnessed that personally with DiMaggio - not so much with Mosconi when I met him, but to say either was genial would be an overstatement - so perhaps Babe did not have the best of rapport with Willie- not uncommon, but not to be overblown or judged either. Here- DiMag reluctantly took a photo with me- after we PAID him to attend!