well RRick33 nice post but WRONG. That was NOT a shot inside the rules on the 9 ball but yes the one pocket example was with in the rules. If the player had shot the 9 in with the cue ball that would be spot the 9 and ball in hand.
BUT he shot the nine with his cue stick. Since only 1 ball was disturbed it is placed back as close as possible to the original position and the player made to play a shot with the cue ball.
OR in the judgment of the official, the TD, it could have been conceding the game. In some venues and leagues conceding can cost you another game as well.
But it was handled incorrectly by spotting the 9. Even if awarded ball in hand the 9 should have been replaced as close as possible to it's original position.
I have always contended that the action had to be inline with the rules so I can't be wrong if the rules dictate the outcome. If you foul, then the opponent gets ball in hand......that's what happened here, nothing more. If a ball needed to be replaced then the error is upon the referee...You can call him wrong if you like but since his opinion carries the day and yours does not I'm siding with him.
The question under debate has nothing to do with right or wrong since the rules in effect are the only judge. What we're really debating is weather the action qualified as unsportsmanlike conduct and therefore required a more severe penalty. If the rules stipulate that cueing the 9 ball or any ball other than the cue ball and pocketing it qualifies as a loss or unsportsmanlike conduct, then the rules carry the day.
Here, we have a case where the rules apparently did not stipulate a "loss of game" and even the referee gives the opponent BIH for the infraction according to his interpretation of the rules.
You could argue that it was in the rules; however, it seems that under the same rules the referee must observe it for the loss of game to apply and therefore all rules have been adhered to. No debate.
Why does everybody want to impose their own set of rules to apply to everyone else's tournaments?
Hell, they change the rules every year to remove or clarify some aspect of the game and in the end the American rules are nor necessarily aligned with the European rules.
I prefer to let the rules in effect speak for themselves.
Haven't you ever played in a tournament where they modified the rules?
Why do so many think that their interpretation of the rules is the only one that matters without exception? Is it just Ego?