Tar match, different view of great match

[poke&hope]

Maybe I have a different view but the 5x10 made safety play a far more important aspect of the game. It was just if not more entertaining and amazing tlhan the shot making imop.

Both players played safeties from everywhere with engineering precision from positions to places that I didn't know was humanly possible.

Before this match I was under the impression the phillipinos were the best but Shane and Earl made me believe I may have a skewed view.

Although there is a lot I have not seen in pool I was mesmerized at the safety battles,accuracy, ingenuity,and outcomes they produced.

Day 2 was especially notable. It was just amazing and I was shocked at Earl. I had no idea he could play safeties of this level over and over again.

I don't like Earl but he might be right when he complains about the way the game is played. It makes you think the rules and equipment might make a difference in which star shines the brightest.

Thanks Tar for a wonderful stream. Liked John Shmidt added to the booth and the railbird approach to commenting.

 

[Tokyo-dave]

To add further to your observation about being impressed with the level of safetly play, I found myself in awe of their kicking. And I don't mean being able to make contact with a hidden ball just to avoid giving up ball in hand, but clearly kicking with the intention of hitting the ob on a particluar side and kicking a safety right back!
For me, too often I find myself just trying to make contact with what I'm kicking at. Simply amazed!
dave

 

[SLIM]

You're surprised??????????

have you ever watched either of these guys play before?

They both can consistantly place the cue ball pretty much any where on the table that they want to.
I think people see them escape from safties & pocket difficult shots so often that they forget that there only a few people that play on that level.
Then when they foul or miss a shot by a few inches it seems unbelievable.
I felt that their safety play was pretty much the same as i have seen them shoot before.

Slim

 

["CaliRed".]

one thing to keep in mind too, about the top quality safety play, is they were doing this on a 10 ft table. Shane has thousands of hours on a bar table, a 9 ft table, but how many hours on a 10 ft table... 25? Earl for that matter too, he might have put in a little more time recently and might have had some in his early days... but these guys were pulling off freeze up safeties welding the cueball to another... leaving the cueball on the rail and the object ball behind another ball froze to the other rail, 10 feet away. All on a table that neither one of them has hundreds or thousands of hours of time locked in their brain, like the bar tables and 9 ft'ers.

I was impressed too and enjoyed the safety and kicks alot.