I find it amazing that 9 ball has been around for a very, very long time in tournaments and gambling, played by many legends of the game for amazing sums of $ & no one ever felt the need to change anything involving the break, no whining over the rack, no break boxes, no if the nine goes in the bottom 2 pockets it's spotted, no alternating break, no magic racks, no whining about any of it & in the last 15 years all of this crap has come out with talks of being fair, better matches to watch, blah, blah, blah. Pool has always been a game where you stay at the table until your inning is over & that is when you miss, foul or play a safety, period, end of discussion. Players accepted it & it makes for better pool, packages being strung and has always been a huge part of the psychology of the game, can you keep the heat on at the table or maintain your composure when strapped in the electric chair waiting for a chance. Lastly do you have the nads & the heart & most of all the talent that when you finally get a shot after somebody just strung 4 or 5 on you to come to the table and fire back, that's pool, the way it always was, also the way it should be. Everything else is a byproduct of the everybody gets a chance, everybody gets a trophy generation. Holding serve in an alternate break format isn't pressure & doesn't show the mettle of a player. Being stuck 5 dimes at 3:00 in the morning after 36 straight hours of play & having a guy put a package on you & then when you get your chance you rise to the occasion & snap it right back in his face, that shows a players mettle, all the true greats have been there & done it, those are pool players. Today's players are soft. It's not about everybody having a "fair" chance under optimum conditions. It's about being able to respond and fire back when you get your chance, even when you're tired & feel like you have sand ground in your eyes, that takes not only talent, but guts & when this sport was respected & revered that's what it was about, having both & having no need for a crying towel if everything isn't perfect. I'm sure some will say its not fair, those days are over, pool is changing, yada, yada, yada. My response to those people is that you should go down to Walmart, dresses are on sale, I think they sell trophies there too. Just grow a set, quit whining and play