.................................
John ran 626
- Thread starter ctyhntr
- Start date
(Illustrating the absurd by being absurd.) CONGRATS to Mr. SCHMIDT!
But...but...but...there was no signed afadavit to ensure it was all on the legit.
But...but..but...videos can be faked and doctored.
But...but...but....it wasn't an 8 foot table, Schmidt did it on a 9 footer which makes the balls spread wider and easier, so it isn't the same.
But...but...but...he practiced too much and 'all he did' was work on breaking the record so it isn't the same.
But...but...but....he has advanced modern equipment so it isn't the same.
But...but...but Schmidt is taller than Mosconi so it isn't the same.
But...but...but there were no railbirds hassling him so it isn't the same.
But...but...but it wasn't the same day, the same month, or the same hour so it isn't the same.
(okay dissenters, now you can add your stuff..........see who cares)
But...but...but...there was no signed afadavit to ensure it was all on the legit.
But...but..but...videos can be faked and doctored.
But...but...but....it wasn't an 8 foot table, Schmidt did it on a 9 footer which makes the balls spread wider and easier, so it isn't the same.
But...but...but...he practiced too much and 'all he did' was work on breaking the record so it isn't the same.
But...but...but....he has advanced modern equipment so it isn't the same.
But...but...but Schmidt is taller than Mosconi so it isn't the same.
But...but...but there were no railbirds hassling him so it isn't the same.
But...but...but it wasn't the same day, the same month, or the same hour so it isn't the same.
(okay dissenters, now you can add your stuff..........see who cares)
I believe Predator had some good incentive for John breaking his personal best (which he did 2-3 times before breaking the record) and something HUGE for the world record itself, I think John mentioned it himself on FB or in some vid.
I believe Predator had some good incentive for John breaking his personal best (which he did 2-3 times before breaking the record) and something HUGE for the world record itself, I think John mentioned it himself on FB or in some vid.
Hope so, he worked sooo hard for this record, and anything good that comes his way is well deserved.
This has increased my thinking about buying a Revo. I can't be the only one.
I wouldn't be surprised if Predator comes out with a John Schmidt P3 edition, complete with a tweaked Revo shaft.
Tried to find the 490 video, and it's gone. I had originally commented on it something like, "Looks like you'll need to print up Mr. 500 shirts soon." I wanted to go on and add "Good thing you didn't get those shirts made!".
Congratulations to John, I hope this offers up a lot of financial opportunities for you.
Just awesome. Congrats John!
New York Times picked up on this.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/sports/john-schmidt-straight-pool-record-mosconi.html
By Victor Mather
May 28, 2019
Every game has its so-called unbreakable records, like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in a single N.B.A. game or Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.
In pool, one of those records is the run of 526 balls pocketed without a miss by one of the most famous players of all, Willie Mosconi, in 1954.
That total was surpassed on Monday by John Schmidt, a professional player who dedicated much of the last year to trying to top the mark.
Playing a game known as “straight pool” in Monterey, Calif., Schmidt, 46, started pocketing balls and did not miss for nearly four hours. He sailed by Mosconi’s 526 total, finally reaching 626.
“It’s something I’ve been trying for over 20 years,” he told KSBW. “I had my doubts on breaking it.”
He added: “I’ve tried thousands and thousands — probably I would estimate 10,000 innings, which is a single attempt. The 10,000th inning finally came together."
Straight pool has lost some popularity, as faster games like nine-ball emerged, although it is enjoying a minor renaissance. In the game, the 15 pool balls are racked, and a player sinks them until one is left; then the 14 sunk balls are put back on the table, and the player keeps going, as long as there is no miss. All shots must be called.
Sinking that last ball, and at the same time breaking the newly racked balls, is the most challenging shot in the game.
Schmidt, the 2012 straight pool world champion, had made a run of 403 balls in 2007. A year ago, though, he began a concerted, dedicated effort to top Mosconi’s 526.
For a month at a time he would shoot six to eight hours a day, filming the sessions for verification. His latest monthlong attempt, beginning May 8, was his fourth.
The tally sheet for his effort shows a load of 112s and 171s and 289s, with an occasional score over 400. On May 15, he set a personal best of 490, still 36 short of Mosconi. Finally, on Monday, he opened with a 126, then recorded his big 626.
Mike Panozzo, the publisher of Billiards Digest, praised Schmidt’s “focus and the perseverance to run 380, and then you miss and start over again.”
Mosconi was one of the greatest to play the game.
“There will never be another one like him,” said his wife, Flora, at the time of his death in 1993. “He reminded me of a ballet dancer going around the table. He was so quick, so smooth.” His rival over the years was Minnesota Fats, perhaps the only pool player with more name recognition, even today.
Mosconi’s 526 happened under circumstances somewhat different from those that Schmidt faced on Monday. Mosconi, then 40, was playing in an exhibition match with a man named Earl Bruney in Springfield, Ohio. After defeating Bruney, he just kept shooting until he reached 526. In contrast, Schmidt was purely playing for the record, with no opponent, starting anew each time he fell short.
Mosconi also played on a smaller table, 4 feet by 8 feet, like a typical home table. Schmidt’s run came on a 4½-by-9-foot “professional table.” That made his performance “a lot more challenging,” said Doug Desmond, an organizer of the record attempt, because of the longer shots that had to be converted. (Desmond, who racked the balls for Schmidt throughout his record bids, was also a link to history; he played Mosconi in 1967, losing, 150-17.)
Panozzo of Billiards Digest agreed that a long run would have been “a little easier” for Mosconi on the 4x8 table. Still, that opinion is not unanimous in the pool world, and there is debate over which table leaves players more challenging angles.
Another complication is that the Billiard Congress of America normally validates only records that come in tournament play, not on a repeated record attempt like Schmidt’s. But Shane Tyree, the organization’s communications manager, said that Schmidt’s 626 “was absolutely amazing” and that he expected the governing body to approve the record after vetting the video.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/sports/john-schmidt-straight-pool-record-mosconi.html
By Victor Mather
May 28, 2019
Every game has its so-called unbreakable records, like Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in a single N.B.A. game or Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.
In pool, one of those records is the run of 526 balls pocketed without a miss by one of the most famous players of all, Willie Mosconi, in 1954.
That total was surpassed on Monday by John Schmidt, a professional player who dedicated much of the last year to trying to top the mark.
Playing a game known as “straight pool” in Monterey, Calif., Schmidt, 46, started pocketing balls and did not miss for nearly four hours. He sailed by Mosconi’s 526 total, finally reaching 626.
“It’s something I’ve been trying for over 20 years,” he told KSBW. “I had my doubts on breaking it.”
He added: “I’ve tried thousands and thousands — probably I would estimate 10,000 innings, which is a single attempt. The 10,000th inning finally came together."
Straight pool has lost some popularity, as faster games like nine-ball emerged, although it is enjoying a minor renaissance. In the game, the 15 pool balls are racked, and a player sinks them until one is left; then the 14 sunk balls are put back on the table, and the player keeps going, as long as there is no miss. All shots must be called.
Sinking that last ball, and at the same time breaking the newly racked balls, is the most challenging shot in the game.
Schmidt, the 2012 straight pool world champion, had made a run of 403 balls in 2007. A year ago, though, he began a concerted, dedicated effort to top Mosconi’s 526.
For a month at a time he would shoot six to eight hours a day, filming the sessions for verification. His latest monthlong attempt, beginning May 8, was his fourth.
The tally sheet for his effort shows a load of 112s and 171s and 289s, with an occasional score over 400. On May 15, he set a personal best of 490, still 36 short of Mosconi. Finally, on Monday, he opened with a 126, then recorded his big 626.
Mike Panozzo, the publisher of Billiards Digest, praised Schmidt’s “focus and the perseverance to run 380, and then you miss and start over again.”
Mosconi was one of the greatest to play the game.
“There will never be another one like him,” said his wife, Flora, at the time of his death in 1993. “He reminded me of a ballet dancer going around the table. He was so quick, so smooth.” His rival over the years was Minnesota Fats, perhaps the only pool player with more name recognition, even today.
Mosconi’s 526 happened under circumstances somewhat different from those that Schmidt faced on Monday. Mosconi, then 40, was playing in an exhibition match with a man named Earl Bruney in Springfield, Ohio. After defeating Bruney, he just kept shooting until he reached 526. In contrast, Schmidt was purely playing for the record, with no opponent, starting anew each time he fell short.
Mosconi also played on a smaller table, 4 feet by 8 feet, like a typical home table. Schmidt’s run came on a 4½-by-9-foot “professional table.” That made his performance “a lot more challenging,” said Doug Desmond, an organizer of the record attempt, because of the longer shots that had to be converted. (Desmond, who racked the balls for Schmidt throughout his record bids, was also a link to history; he played Mosconi in 1967, losing, 150-17.)
Panozzo of Billiards Digest agreed that a long run would have been “a little easier” for Mosconi on the 4x8 table. Still, that opinion is not unanimous in the pool world, and there is debate over which table leaves players more challenging angles.
Another complication is that the Billiard Congress of America normally validates only records that come in tournament play, not on a repeated record attempt like Schmidt’s. But Shane Tyree, the organization’s communications manager, said that Schmidt’s 626 “was absolutely amazing” and that he expected the governing body to approve the record after vetting the video.
Plenty of veteran status. It's called, It's gonna cost you! And I don't blame them at all.
All the best,
WW
Managed right, this could be the spark to revive pool. If you never played 14.1, it sounds deceptively easy that you can shoot at any ball. Maybe this would get folks to play.