Ran 100 unfinished tonight (tired/worn out, not feeling up to going on) on a 8-Pro table (8-1/3 by 4-1/6 feet) with ProPockets shims/washers that bring the pocket size down to 4-1/4 inches if not less (= two balls will not fit into them side by side!) just to prove a point (pun intended!): got stuck in the back of the stack at 99 after I left myself too straight on a break shot on the very same equipment last year.
Contrarily to what some people think, I find it tougher to run a lot of balls on a smaller table mainly because there’s so much traffic on the bottom side of the stack (= there’s comparatively little space between the rack and the foot rail, balls invariably seem to mask each other’s way to a corner pocket) – lot of maneuvering and pinpoint position play.
Got hilariously “lucky” on my fifth or sixth break shot when the force follow made the cue ball hook forward a couple of times (“eat its way into the stack” as we would say in German), and just when it looked like it would get buried in there, an object ball came back “flying off” the bottom rail and kicked the cluster wide open (exaggerating a bit, but no drama, no fun, right?) – would have loved to see how that came about, but sorry, no video…
It’s a little past midnight here now, just walked home and made myself a real vanilla-infused hot chocolate, feeling curiously good about myself: a sound mind in a frail body, so to speak. My life’s been somewhat of an ordeal lately, health problems, not life-threatening, but there’s no cure, been clutching at every straw for some time, increasingly disillusioned/eternally exhausted, and feeling paradoxically mad at myself, although it’s all happened through no fault of my own.
Why am I telling you all this? Just to say, don’t let anyone fool you who believes pool is just a game and as such of little importance (happened upon George Fels’s “101 Tips to improve your Game” earlier today, cf. #23!). As far as I’m concerned there’s a lot to be said in favour of a mere “game” that’s got the power to make one feel at one with oneself!
A heartfelt happy New Year to you all!
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
Contrarily to what some people think, I find it tougher to run a lot of balls on a smaller table mainly because there’s so much traffic on the bottom side of the stack (= there’s comparatively little space between the rack and the foot rail, balls invariably seem to mask each other’s way to a corner pocket) – lot of maneuvering and pinpoint position play.
Got hilariously “lucky” on my fifth or sixth break shot when the force follow made the cue ball hook forward a couple of times (“eat its way into the stack” as we would say in German), and just when it looked like it would get buried in there, an object ball came back “flying off” the bottom rail and kicked the cluster wide open (exaggerating a bit, but no drama, no fun, right?) – would have loved to see how that came about, but sorry, no video…
It’s a little past midnight here now, just walked home and made myself a real vanilla-infused hot chocolate, feeling curiously good about myself: a sound mind in a frail body, so to speak. My life’s been somewhat of an ordeal lately, health problems, not life-threatening, but there’s no cure, been clutching at every straw for some time, increasingly disillusioned/eternally exhausted, and feeling paradoxically mad at myself, although it’s all happened through no fault of my own.
Why am I telling you all this? Just to say, don’t let anyone fool you who believes pool is just a game and as such of little importance (happened upon George Fels’s “101 Tips to improve your Game” earlier today, cf. #23!). As far as I’m concerned there’s a lot to be said in favour of a mere “game” that’s got the power to make one feel at one with oneself!
A heartfelt happy New Year to you all!
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
_________________
„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti
