One pocket breaking...

[Bob Jewett]

I have a buddy who goes to the rail first, freezes
the cue ball in the stack, and drives 3 or 4 balls
toward his pocket. Impossible to get out of. I usually
take a scratch. I've tried to tell him it's an illegal break
but I don't think I have a leg to stand on.

You don't, because here's the rule:

At one pocket, the break shot is the same as any other shot with ball in hand except that the breaker must declare his intended pocket, which must be one of the foot pockets. (Often that declaration is implied by the direction of the break.) The opposing player has the other corner pocket.

It is legal, but ineffective, to just roll the cue ball an inch over the line and take a foul.

But here is a question: Should a player be allowed to take a pocket other than one of the foot corners? If you took a head corner pocket, it could take your opponent a while to figure out the strategy. I think Eddie Robin may mention this in his "weird spots" discussion.