Chameleon Rack at 2007 US Open

shinobi

shinobi

kanadajindayo
Silver Member
This year, they used the Chameleon Rack at the US Open.

I watched many different matches. In different matches, different people were doing the racking. In at least one case it was Johnny Archer.

In every match, there were many poor (not tight) racks. It was obvious from the way the balls broke. A ton of movement on the 9, without it being kicked.

If Johnny Archer can't make a consistent tight rack with it, I doubt I can.

It was disappointing to see the rack being such a factor in this year's US Open.

Comments?
 
It seems to me that the rack, no matter what make or method is used is always too large a factor in the game of 9 ball. The gameis the problem,not the rack. 10 ball is probably the solution.
 
I wonder if the rack really is a POS, or if they just didn't properly prepare the cloth and train the players on how to use it. I remember reading the same thing about the Sardo, that players couldn't get them to work and got frustrated when they were first used in pro events. Whereas, I feel that the Sardo is a good device when setup and used properly.

Was the Chameleon used on all the tables, or just for the TV matches?
 
The Chameleon Is The Worst Pool Rack Ever Invented..... I Got One For The Action Table In My Room, And It Lasted About 15racks Before We Threw It Away. (it Only Lasted That Long Because I Wanted To Test A Few Racks Of Each Game It Said It Would Do) Horrible, Cheap Construction, And Poor Design. It Didn't Make A Tight Rack For Any Game, Not Just Nine Ball. I'm Very Surprised The Open Used This P.o.s. It's Amazing What The Advertising Dollar Can Do.
 
FAST_N_LOOSE said:
The Chameleon Is The Worst Pool Rack Ever Invented..... I Got One For The Action Table In My Room, And It Lasted About 15racks Before We Threw It Away. (it Only Lasted That Long Because I Wanted To Test A Few Racks Of Each Game It Said It Would Do) Horrible, Cheap Construction, And Poor Design. It Didn't Make A Tight Rack For Any Game, Not Just Nine Ball. I'm Very Surprised The Open Used This P.o.s. It's Amazing What The Advertising Dollar Can Do.
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That doesn't surprise me, it certainly looks like a plastic hunk of junk with some useless gimmicks thrown on top of it. Personally, I'm perfectly happy with a high quality wooden rack.
 
Cuebacca said:
I wonder if the rack really is a POS
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I have to admit that it certainly does look like a POS and I have to wonder who they're marketing to if they bother to mention that it is able to rack for 7-ball. LOL.
 
I cant believe the amount of money they must pay to advertise this thing. Do they really sell that many that they're making a cool profit? Who's buying them all?
 
i'm still trying to figure out why people keep trying to invent a better mousetrap... nothing beats the good ol' wooden triangle.
 
On this topic, what is a good quality rack? The room where I'm playin bought cheap ass wooden racks that wallow out in a week & its impossible to freeze the front balls. Just lookin for a decent conventional rack that doesn't weight 10 lbs.
 
daniel said:
On this topic, what is a good quality rack? The room where I'm playin bought cheap ass wooden racks that wallow out in a week & its impossible to freeze the front balls. Just lookin for a decent conventional rack that doesn't weight 10 lbs.
Click to expand...

THE DIAMOND RACKS WORK WELL.
 
I think that whoever sponsors an event, their product must be utilized during the competition. This year, I was surprised to see that the Chameleon rack was used instead of the Sardo rack. The Sardo brothers have been a mainstay at just about every high-profile tournament I have ever attended, and Carmine Sardo in particular is always a welcome sight for my sore eyes on the tournament trail.

I remember one televised event where Silver Cup (I think that's the name) chalk was used. At the players meeting, the promoter warned every single player in the event that he better not see any Masters chalk in the vicinity, as Silver Cup chalk was the sponsor.

So promoters and organizers who get sponsors monies want to promote these products, hoping to make their sponsors happy.

One year at the Glass City Open in Toledo, they had a mini players meeting right before the semi-finals. The organizers and others brought out some pool balls and asked the players if they would use these pool balls instead of Aramith for the TV matches.

When Corey, Troy Frank, Hillbilly, and Kid Delicious took a look at them, they came to a consensus and said no way. :D

It was a funny sight, seeing the four of them examine these pool balls, and this picture says it all. Pat Fleming tries to contain his laughter, Corey Deuel is chuckling, and Troy Frank can't believe his eyes as he looks at the black cueball. :p

JAM
 

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In this shot, Pat Fleming loses it and cannot contain his laughter. :D

Troy Frank decides he wants to touch the black cueball at this juncture. :eek:

JAM
 

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Finally, Corey says thanks, but no thanks. :o

So the Aramith balls ended up being the ball of choice for this televised semi-finals at the Glass City Open! :p

Hillbilly won the event, and Kid Delicious came in second. Kid Delicious ran a 6-pack on Corey Deuel, and poor Corey could only sit back and watch the show. :)

JAM
 

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teebee said:
It seems to me that the rack, no matter what make or method is used is always too large a factor in the game of 9 ball. The gameis the problem,not the rack. 10 ball is probably the solution.
Click to expand...

Very good point.
 
Well

How come the BSN website was advertising they were using 'The Club Rack' by Diamond this year for the Open?
 
Snapshot9 said:
How come the BSN website was advertising they were using 'The Club Rack' by Diamond this year for the Open?
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Hmm? You had me second guessing myself, but I just went to the main page:
http://www.billiardclub.net/

immediately saw a banner that said:
"US Open 9-ball Championship, Chameleon, Official Tournament Rack"

then a little further down the same page, another ad:
"Chameleon - Racks Every Game [picture of a chameleon] One Rack...All Games...No Hassles"

Where do you see "The Club Rack" mentioned? I noticed you said BSN, not BCN. We might be looking in two different places. Regardless, my recollection of "Chameleon Rack" was from actual matches I saw, not from any website.
 
Re-Racks

Watching the U.S. Open live on BCN, I can't remember which match, but they had to re-rack FIVE times (in one game) before the player was satisfied and finally agreed to break. Everyone here may not like the Sardo, but when was the last time you saw a Sardo need to be re-racked 6 times?
 
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Speaking of BullS*** products...

Remember the Elephant Beautiful Balls? I can't even watch one of those old matches when they come on ESPN Classic. The balls all look the same color on TV. I actually felt sorry for Mitchell and Allen in the booth struggling to determine what ball was what.
 
Does anyone have one of the wooden racks with the little rollers . Does it work ok? Does it leave tracks on the cloth? Would you advise someone to try it?
 
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