Yeah, the side pockets are unspeakably difficult, with balls that appear to have been struck perfectly not going in.
I know where you are coming from, but this equipment led, based on At Large's stats, to only 21% B&R and the breaker winning just 54% of the racks. The equipment, combined with the already tough breaking rule, have seemed to trivialize the break.
Personally, I’d like 4.5 templates for the corner pockets made for all pool games…like snooker has for their game.
Some truth here, but amateur baseball players play in smaller ballparks with shorter fences. Amateur football players know the specs of an NFL field, but they play on smaller fields. Amateur golfers play on courses that are much shorter than the courses pros play on. In pool, many play on smaller tables than those in use in pro competition.
That shouldn't mean easier equipment but it seems to imply it.
"Forcing" promoters to do what the players want, eh? Yeah.. Because players have done SUCH a good job in recent decades of promoting the game, eh? Players think the best way to "grow" the game is "Pay me more, biatches!" Most players don't have even the smallest clue as to how to promote the game. As evidenced by the recent Varner/Parica travesty marathon finals match that saw them playing the One Pocket wedge for HOURS a game. Players only care about titles and what money they can win right now. They even do ish that damages the game, to achieve either one of those goals.
Those Monday night tournaments were awesome! I really enjoyed playing on the British style tables with the tight pockets and steel block rails when they came out. It was a challenge at first but once I got used to them it seemed like I was playing on buckets.
Well said, Russ. As you suggest, event producers should not be guided by the players in this matter. The job of an event producer is to keep abreast of what the players want, keep abreast of what the fans want, and then make a decision that maximizes the marketability of the professional pool product.
I loved those Anniversaries at Le Spot and the old Olympia downtown.
There was never a dull moment at Le Spot with all the characters that hung around there .
On the golf courses I used to play, the tips were only 6,500 yards, with the middle tees being about 6,200. Neither is pro length. The home run distances increase as you go higher and higher in the baseball hierarchy. High schools, colleges, minor leagues and major leagues don't all play on the same size field.