It is available for public consumption. When John does a show he presents the video and talks about the run.
Well respected members of our community here, Bob Jewett, Freddie Agnir and others have seen the video and written detailed accounts of it and have all validated it.
The idea that the public is entitled to a person's work for free is odd.
John made the video available to those who keep the records. It was validated.
Given that there are no table specifications for high runs the table specs don't matter in terms of whether or not John ran 626 balls. The Billard Congress of America is the only official body in America which can validate such records. They have done so.
Either they are incompetent or complicit in a fraud if they were presented with a faked run. What are the odds that all of the people involved are going to deliberately risk their reputations as well as possible criminal fraud charges to stand behind the validity of an obscure record that the majority of skeptics seem to claim isn't worth anything financially anyway?
Too low to bet on. Danny isn't willing to bet against it, the self-proclaimed millionaire isn't willing to bet against it. The spin guy isn't willing to bet against it. None of these people are willing to bet anything significant against it.
I don't even have to believe John but I certainly believe the honorable people I know who wouldn't stand behind this if they had any doubt.
So faced with the choice between John went for it and broke the record through really hard work and John+a whole group of people with way more to lose are running a con on the billiard world....I go with did break the record and I am willing to bet 100k on it.
Half-assed accusations and deliberate defamations suck. The ignorance that pervades this sport is sickening. The depth of depravity in terms of people unashamedly lying about prominent people and brands is astounding to me. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
Nature abhors a vacuum and any sport where information is super sparse is probably going to be filled with deliberately bad and ignorant statements. Especially in a sport that idolizes the con artists and hustlers.
I can also understand being skeptical. But when people who are honorable and knowledgeable vouch for something like this it ought to be enough to accept it and move on.
Yes it would be great if anyone could watch this historic feat for free on demand. But none of us have the right to the product of someone else's work for free.
And before someone makes the inevitable welfare/taxes remark...... Happy to defend that policy with the underlying logic but not in this thread.
John ran 626 balls. The official record was 526 and now it is 626. If anyone wants to create standards and equipment specs and categories they certainly can and lobby the BCA to adopt those guidelines. Until then John's record has only one category, 14.1 Continuous Straight Pool high run - 626.