U.S. Open rules discussion

[justadub]

Players knew everything about the rack in the old days too, and they did check every time before breaking.
There was even Mike Sigel's tape about 9ball racking, available way before rules were changed.
Rules were not changed because everybody started breaking well, rules were changed at a period when participations declined, since most players couldn't keep up any more with the best players (better breakers and run outers), bad prize money distribution played a part too.
In the beginning, they made the break too easy....
After that, came the internet era and wide distribution of total pool knowledge, thus leading to a total level increase and less gap between top players and the rest.
Then they made the break harder, which is reasonable, but eliminating the break factor in any way is overacting, leaving better players unprotected, taking out completely the spectacular part of the game, thus leading to another decline in participations now.
9ball is on the wrong path now, and this has to be dealt with.

You didn't have players of old taking 5-10 minutes fussing with the rack before breaking, re-racking, lather, rinse repeat... at least to my limited knowledge and recollection of what I've read over the years.

 

[Petros Andrikop]

You didn't have players of old taking 5-10 minutes fussing with the rack before breaking, re-racking, lather, rinse repeat... at least to my limited knowledge and recollection of what I've read over the years.

There was no rack your own, it was always rack for your opponent, and it was much better.
Today there's another reason to aplly this easier, the use of membranes. They allow rack for the opponent in now time, making sure there is a fair environment when no referees are available.

 

[Celophanewrap]

Most of the players won't accept any more neutral rackers, unless it's really professionaly organized. But they won't accept racking from their opponent too, even with a membrane used, which would be the best solution for creating a fair environment without referees.
That's the result of another parody of today's era in 9ball, the rack your own one.
That parody was applied in order to "make things smoother", eliminating the only defence one has against his opponent's break.
One could not help wondering how were the big events in the past completed in a fine way, when players racked for each other without membranes and participations were much more than today........

Won't accept? if they don't have a choice will they just not play.... and not have a chance at the purse?

 

[Island Drive]

Players knew everything about the rack in the old days too, and they did check every time before breaking.
There was even Mike Sigel's tape about 9ball racking, available way before rules were changed.
Rules were not changed because everybody started breaking well, rules were changed at a period when participations declined, since most players couldn't keep up any more with the best players (better breakers and run outers), bad prize money distribution played a part too.
In the beginning, they made the break too easy....
After that, came the internet era and wide distribution of total pool knowledge, thus leading to a total level increase and less gap between top players and the rest.
Then they made the break harder, which is reasonable, but eliminating the break factor in any way is overacting, leaving better players unprotected, taking out completely the spectacular part of the game, thus leading to another decline in participations now.
9ball is on the wrong path now, and this has to be dealt with.

As far as I remember (here's when I first saw/heard about it, at Shooters in KS) during the early days of the McDermott tour. John McChesney got soooooooooo tired of the whining at certain tables, he implemented that new Rule . John at first, racked the rest of the whiner match...but. While racking for the complainers, he might get called to ''watch a hit or deal with another table of whiners''. He had enough of that and implemented ''rack your own'' to REMOVE that toxic addition to match play. I don't remember Any other event during that period that did that, the McDermott tour was very successful for quite some time and John was one of the Great TD personalities of our sport, he also used to sell guns, and he also ran all the calcuttas, so he was making good enough back to remodel an build out an 80K motorhome.