The Siberian Express is About to Roll

[mikemosconi]

Well, this has been discussed quite bit here over the past three years. Older guys like me who saw some of Willie's exhibitions and knew and spoke with even older folks who also witnessed some of Willie's 1950s exhibitions have spoken some facts in the past:

1. Willie was NEVER paid by Brunswick to do anything more on a given night than play a 14.1 exhibition match to 150 points and perhaps end the night with some trick shots- period.

2. Willie DID NOT continue runs after the 150 th exhibition or any competitive match point was scored on ANY routine basis whatsoever for years and years of his playing days- something like 40 years of playing in front of the public in exhibition and competition.

3. On one of the FEW times that Willie was asked and AGREED to continue a run in public- he ran 526. It was a random request, he was past his prime playing days, it was in the middle of an exhibition touring event.

4. Let's stay on the topic of Ruslan's attempt for now; but if some folks here want to get sidetracked as to what Willie could of, should of, would have done in terms of high runs - please - let's just leave it that he was the greatest 14.1 competitive player that ever lived- period.

I guess Ruslan is done for now, Thanks Lou Figueroa for alerting us all to this event on Facebook!

 

[skogstokig]

No, I could not have, at least not with a cut. The ball kissed out because the cue ball came straight off the rack and kissed it onto the side rail. Well, maybe I would have been smart enough to play the cue ball off the rack to the carom. Or maybe not.

definitely would have broke them up just as good by caroming off either the 6 or the 1, cue ball was gonna hit the 2 either way. looks like he had enough of the 6 ball.

 

[realkingcobra]

Wrldpro listed SVB's top five runs (308, 295, 257, 241, and 210 I believe) Four of the runs are on video, but the 257 isn't there. I asked if there was another video that hadn't been posted, or if there were runs that weren't done on camera, but didn't get an answer.

Not only did Shane run a 257, he even did it with a borrowed cue. It wasn't recorded, but it was witnessed by those hosting this event, go back to the beginning and read from there.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Not only did Shane run a 257, he even did it with a borrowed cue. It wasn't recorded, but it was witnessed by those hosting this event, go back to the beginning and read from there.

I think the 241 was with the borrowed cue. It was the “practice day”. It is on the FB page I saw parts of it.

 

[measureman]

The details to juxtapose are unending. Balls pocket in a single inning should really be the end of considerations.

Willie grew up playing straight pool when it was a common game. John grew up in a time where many enthusiasts have never seen anyone else local play the game at all.

There have been a few times in the last 10 years where I was practicing 14.1 or in a game with someone and a person watching asked me what game this was.

 

[Black-Balled]

There have been a few times in the last 10 years where I was practicing 14.1 or in a game with someone and a person watching asked me what game this was.

I'm not sure I have ever seen it played at a room around me, unless I was in the game...

 

[Mole Eye]

Anyone know the pocket specs when Thomas Engert ran 491 on a Diamond? If they were standard pockets, that’s probably the greatest exhibition run ever.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Anyone know the pocket specs when Thomas Engert ran 491 on a Diamond? If they were standard pockets, that’s probably the greatest exhibition run ever.

I'm 95% sure that run was not on a Diamond.

 

[JusticeNJ]

If you read the story in his biography, I think you will see that he did have motivation to set a record exactly at that time.

Interesting - thanks Bob. I have not read his biography, but have been meaning to do so for a while now.

 

[Dead Money]

Looking forward to the SE's return. He was ripping it yesterday and think he would have done better each day going forward.

 

[AtLarge]

I think the 241 was with the borrowed cue. It was the “practice day”. It is on the FB page I saw parts of it.

Correct. The 241 was on Sunday, Oct. 31 when SVB was just taking a look at the table for the first time and did not have his own cue. The 257 was the next day, Nov. 1, with his own cue.

 

[lfigueroa]

Not to beat a dead horse but since BC loves to call everyone a World Champion, do they have any WPA World Champions on deck yet?

Still find it humorous being a "World Champion" is one of the prerequisites, but yet...

BC just repeated what he was told by RC.

In the future we will try and vet any claims. And yes, we’re working on getting a few more WCs.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

Well on deck means next , that I'm not sure of who's next , in the hole for sure, you certainly will see a Few of Roys basement players when they are here in between events , I would expect Filler soon ,
Your already seeing world class play by Shane and today day one , Ruslan has 2 266's and a 238 pretty sporty , but today might be his only day , but his backer is working on a game for this weekend that might keep him here for a few more days ,, I hope so !

1

JF may not participate until after the DCC.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

Its your event but you're making shit up. That's not cool. Ruslan is not a 2x WC. Shane is not a WC.

BC didn’t make up anything — his only sin was repeating what he was told by the player without double checking it. We will try to do better.

Lou Figueroa

 

[gerryf]

Not only did Shane run a 257, he even did it with a borrowed cue. It wasn't recorded, but it was witnessed by those hosting this event, go back to the beginning and read from there.

In the lead up to the event, there was discussion about recording every run to ensure transparency.

Ha! Ha! Would have been some red faces if SVB ran that 257 into a 600 or 700 ball run without the camera rolling! Or even a 305.

 

[lfigueroa]

A Brunswick Gold Crown 4 was never built with the throat of the pocket being just as wide as the mouth of the pocket, like the pockets on this table....they've been altered, fact!

I've been working on pool tables for over 39 years, and I'm telling you point blank that pocket is NOT factory built. On a GC4 the pocket facings sit flush to the end of the pocket liners, if you take a look at where the cloth ends on the rails, the pocket facings sit outside of the pocket liners, meaning the throat of the pocket has been opened up to cause the balls to fall deeper in the pockets rather than risk bouncing back and forth across the pocket opening, causing a missed shot.

Take them damn calipers and measure the back throat of the pocket, it might even be wider than the mouth of the pocket opening is!!! Stock pockets my ass!!!View attachment 615890

It’s a GC3, but of course as the Grand Poobah of table mechanics you knew all along it was a 3 and not a 4 ;-)

So the table, from a university student union, had been in storage. The cushions needed to be replaced and that was done by a very qualified table mechanic. I want to personally apologize to you if they don’t meet your standards. But OTOH, we’re quite happy with them and so have the players.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

Wrldpro, what ever was done or not done to the table Willie played on, or the table John played on, that don't exclude your INTENT when you chose THIS table, and ITS pocket openings to be played on. You KNOW those pockets have been altered for the INTENT of giving every play that plays on it a slightly better edge at making balls, hoping someone will break and set a new 14.1 high run record. Deliberately done, then denied having it done, is CHEATING pure and simple!!!

No intent.

The rails needed to be replaced and they were.

Lou Figueroa

 

[lfigueroa]

For the LOPB event,

"invitation only". I heard that from you.
"committee of five persons" selecting who's invited. I heard that from you.
'large cash prizes". I heard that from you and Lou. There hasn't been any information about the prizes, but it was 'prizes' and not 'prize' and that they were large. Do players get a prize for beating their personal high runs? Do players get a cash prize based on their three highest runs? Do players get a cash prize for running 400 balls, 500 balls, 527 balls, or 627 balls?

It's a private event so that's all fine.

But it gets back to Nick's comments that 1) sinking balls is hard work, and 2) top professional players aren't going to spend a lot of time doing it without a payday.

No world-class professional players went after Willie's record in any organized way until John Schmidt did it on his own time. Schmidt had ideas about making money after the fact if he was successful, but he had no idea how long it would take.

Now you're hosting an event with cash prizes to garner enough interest to go after new records. I don't have a problem with that. I agree that it's the only way you'd get top professionals to spend blocks of time doing it.

It’s BC event and he has made the decision not to publish the payouts.

In confidence, he has told me what they are and I can tell you they are substantial. But even more important than that, the numbers are enough to entice the best in the world to participate. Not much else matters.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Bob Jewett]

Is Ruslan going to shoot any today? I need to do grocery shopping.

 

[lfigueroa]

Bobby has repeatedly ignored this, while repeatedly stating the table is stock. I will say having personally taken lots of pictures and video of my own GC4, that the lens can completely change the physical. But BC can put this question completely to rest by putting the calipers at the back of the pocket facings, or using a bevel gage.

So far, posting up calpher readings hasn’t gotten us much more than sniping.

So BC can do what he wants but I’m recommending he not bother.

Lou Figueroa