smashmouth said:
Irrespective of the merits of both games, I'minterested in what
AZ members prefer after now being able to witness some world class 8 ball.
The funny thing about pool is that it is so easy from the bleachers, and that is not a shot at anyone. I should be a railbird HOFer. I haven't missed a ball from the bleachers in 25 years.
To me, 9-ball is still a tougher game. There are not as many options and once one is out of line, he has to make the shot and get back in line or come with an incredible safety. Then even when one executes the perfect safety, players these days kick like mules and return the safety or just get very lucky. Either way, over the years, the players have gotten so good that it has become to look very routine.
Then comes along 8-ball again and now the players are adjusting and seems that everyone is getting bored already with it. The cnditions are tougher with the tight pockets and slower cloth, but the true players are going to adjust to it. To me, the winner break makes it too routine. I feel alternating break would put much excitement in it and level the playing field even more.
Last week I was in Houston and stopped by Bogys, where Jeremy Jones works out.
They have taken a table and covered it with the Ipt carpet to help him get ready.
I'm a big JJ fan and as I watched him practice, I thought, man, this guy is ready to go, as he wasn't missing anything and his runouts after a while began to look boring.
JJ finished practice and left. I got the balls for the same table and started to knock em around. Granted, I'm no JJ, but I can play a little. The table was so slow, that i began to think I was playing with a trick cue ball or something.
My point, is that pool looks so easy from the bleachers and there are so many more players to make it look easy today than say 30 years ago. Years ago, there were the top 15 in the country and then there was the rest of the field. Today, if we take an honest look, there are about the top 75, maybe 50 more who are very capable, and then the rest of the field. Still there about 100 who are capable of keeping anyone in his seat for several games. This just wasn't the case years ago.
To me, the public has no appreciation as to how tough this game is and what it takes to get to the top 200 in the world and especially how tough it is to stay there. JJ didn't miss a ball and told me that the day before he had run 7 rack and then came back with 9. This week, he went out in the 1st day. That tells me how tough it is today. The man is at peak form, but sometimes the game is very unforgiving.
To me 9-ball is still the harder game, but as Ronnie Allen said years ago, "you will never get an audience with 9-ball, it "LOOKS" to easy.
