I have an issue with the green & purple balls. Is that a 6 or a 9? Which is which? I’m confused.
Hope you enjoyed the tourney Bob, was a great event this year over all.
Best
Fatboy
When Matchroom purchased the U S Open from the Behrman family
- Thread starter alstl
- Start date
Hope you enjoyed the tourney Bob, was a great event this year over all.
Best
Fatboy
Nobody would ever make the nine ball purple. That's just crazy talk. The nine is obviously the green one. In alternating tournaments.
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
I like the final sixteen being single elimination, I'm not sure how they actually seed it, I think having the 8 undefeated players face presumably weaker opponents from the loser's side is good. In most pool tournaments, the final is single elimination, I think shifting that to the last 16 is a good move.
As far as missing the last ball and leaving an easy shot, that's the game. As long as the sets are long enough, I don't think it's a problem. If there was another game that they feel had more entertainment value, they'd be pushing it. Is there another game that you think is a better test of the players' skills and is it entertaining? One pocket is too slow, 8 ball is too easy for the pros, straight pool is not a familiar game to a lot of people and I don't think it's the best for spectators, either.
I agree with most of your post. Except 8B isn’t easy. It’s a very difficult game with many small edges, moves, tricks and traps much like 1P. Don’t discount it as a “easy” game. I’ve robbed guys playing rotation games only to get robbed right back by them playing 8B. Firepower isn’t going to win 8B. Knowledge will, like 1P.
Best
Fatboy
tomatoshooter
Well-known member
You are right that 8 ball has more strategic depth, in some ways, I think it's a much better game than 9 ball but the pros seem to run out too reliably. It's funny, in 9 ball you can luck in a shot but you have to play for more difficult position, in 8 ball you have to make the shot but you can get lucky with position. Calling it easy isn't the best description I could have used, but it seems like the pros can navigate a rack of 8 ball more easily than 9 ball.I agree with most of your post. Except 8B isn’t easy. It’s a very difficult game with many small edges, moves, tricks and traps much like 1P. Don’t discount it as a “easy” game. I’ve robbed guys playing rotation games only to get robbed right back by them playing 8B. Firepower isn’t going to win 8B. Knowledge will, like 1P.
Best
Fatboy
8B is a great game. Not better than 9B or 10B, just different. Black ball in the UK is wonderful too and Chinese 8B. All good games.
Take what you make on the break is my favorite version of 8B.
Express 8B is less tactile and a more fire power type game.
Also the traffic on the barbox makes 8B a great game on the small table.
As far as runouts yes sometimes pros can. I watched Cory break and run a 10 pack once, clean. Thorpe didn’t get out of his chair. In Deluth in 2017 I’d guess maybe 16.
Best
Fatboy
I agree with most of your post. Except 8B isn’t easy. It’s a very difficult game with many small edges, moves, tricks and traps much like 1P. Don’t discount it as a “easy” game. I’ve robbed guys playing rotation games only to get robbed right back by them playing 8B. Firepower isn’t going to win 8B. Knowledge will, like 1P.
Best
Fatboy
next month we'll find out just how challenging it is for the pros. i'm afraid it may become a disappointment in that regard but i'm very happy we get to see it (first WC in many many years)
That’s great. Glad they are doing it. I get bored with rotation games all the time
Not trying to argue here, but they didn't have to change the color of two balls to achieve the goal making the balls easier to see. They could have just changed the 5 (and 15) to pink and left the 4 (and 14) purple, even if it's a lighter shade of purple. My mind is having a very hard time following the balls and numbers now because two ball colors have changed. I also like what Matchroom is doing but I would say Emily went overboard on ball color.
That was my problem too, looking at the runout pattern as I’ve been doing for 80% if my life. I can see the “out” pretty much instantly-with the correct color balls. Watching those matches (I watched more than I expected) I was confused as much afterwards as I was at first. Old habits are hard to break, and this habit I’m not interested in changing.
The pink 4 is fine actually. The purple 5 is the end of the world, and looking 3-4-5 balls ahead of the “out” isn’t clear the 5 always seems to be a problem because it’s in the middle of the 1,2,3,4,5,6,8,9.
If the 1 or 2 was an improper color then it wouldn’t be an issue for long as it’s potted early in the rack. Most trouble in running a rack of 9B is usually in the middle of the rack. Figuring out the routs to get out or to break up clusters.
The cameras are so good, the gray cloth is ok too, I prefer green, but I’ll take the gray over the blue any time. Even the 9 ball looks cool, the CB is cool.
I understand MR wants to have a “look of their own” for their productions-great! That’s just fine, I think that’s a good idea. But the purple 5 is not something I can or ever will get past.
I’ve seen very little opposition to our (the audience) strong feelings about this, we are the majority, we are MR customers. Isn’t the customer always right? Seems I’ve heard that before.
Again zero knock on MR, they are doing great! Karl is brilliant for commentary and the rest of the crew.
I’ll praise them until the cows come home for all they have done/
I’ll plead to make the 5 ANYTHING but purple.
Im off to bed,
Hell I’ll buy all the sets of balls to replace the purple 5 at my own expense and give them to MR for free if that’s what it takes. Try me-im not bullshitting.
Best
Fatboy<——-money where his mouth is
PS: OT but I’ll mention it, I really like the solution for the break this year. Was fair and balanced. Was the best solution I’ve seen in a tourney in a long time. MR is doing a hell of a job
If the governing body of professional pool of North America, the BCA (Billiards Congress of America), doesn't put forth much of an effort to help professional pool thrive in USA, sponsor more professional-caliber players with money instead of product so they can survive with payouts that haven't increased since the 1980s, create a professional tour much like the European Pocket Billiard Federation (EPBF), promote pool like the Hong Kong Billiard Sports Control Council did for snooker when it created a word record for a live audience at the Hong Kong Masters, as far as I'm concerned, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship was for sale to the highest bidder, which happened to be Matchroom.
I remember going to the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship several times when Barry Behrman was owner, and if you peered out into the audience seats, the majority of audience members were players, players' friends and families, and there were not that many paying pool enthusiasts to support the event. People whined and moaned about having to pay the entrance fee back then. When I looked out into the audience of the recent U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Atlantic City by Matchroom, the audience members, once again, seemed to consist of players, players' friends and families, and some interested spectators. Not much has changed in that department if you compare today to 20-plus years ago.
I'm in a wait-and-see mode to see how pool will rise in popularity thanks to Matchroom's efforts to be the change agent for the better. Personally, I cannot see how Matchroom profits at all with the production costs and other associated costs that go into events they are making happen around the world. But then again, maybe that's why pool enthusiasts, even the loyal pool enthusiasts, must pay to watch these events live. I guess DAZN was the highest bidder for pool in the USA. That speaks volumes as far as pool's popularity here, and that's not Matchroom's fault or DAZN's fault. The BCA could and should step up to the plate and put some money into North American pool.
We need new blood in the American lot of professional players. Look at the amount of pro-caliber players we had in the '80s, a sampling of which is in the below-depicted video, compare that to today. And this video is just a sampling, as there were many more pro-caliber American players not shown in this video. Therein lies the problem no one seems to want to address.
I feel like today American pool is on a sinking ship, and some diehard pool enthusiasts are jumping off and moving on to better things. To be a pro player in USA, number one, it is a rich man's high, unless you have a stakehorse with deep pockets or a spouse with money. And to be a loyal pool fan and railbird today, it is also becoming a rich man's high. That's why the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship was for sale to the highest bidder. American professional pool is on a downward slope and has been for some time.
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I'm just going by what was said when they first came out. Better visibility on fone screens was one of the reasons given. Complete BS in my opinion. Emily just wanted MR to have their own set.
I also think a fantastic move for Matchroom would be to partner with Netflix. Matchroom is sitting on so much amazing footage. Expose the public to some drama filled Mosconi Cups!! If they want to build the brand they need to get this stuff in front of audiences they wouldn’t normally have access to.
Or resurrected our broke down, disfunctional, $hit $how of a sport and fixed it (whichever way you would like to look at it).
I myself hope the Brits make American pool resemble Snooker in terms of popularity and payout.
#Orange Balls Don't Cry.
Really??? All we need is WokeFlix trying to promote pool.
MR is not involved with the selling afaik. You have any idea how big a co. MR is? You think they changed the colors in order to make a lil $$ ?? Please. We all hate them btw. Also, KT was/is a COMPLETE pos scam artist. To compare anything he did to what MR is doing is an ALL TIME LOW.
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Jam, the BCA is a trade organization, not a player's organization.
I'm pretty sure Steve DuCoff, the executive director at the time, made the decision to allow the Board to let in Non-Trade entities, Mark Griffin and Rene Pehlman/APA. Which in many ways makes sense, it's NOT a player's organization. I was made up of trade members, like Viking Cues etc.
After that, the BCA wound down it's player/league programs.
Then, a HUGE miscue when the Duke/Ducoff didn't read the fine print, and the BCA guaranteed the E. Coast trade show$ room$ would be filled, like they Always did in Vega$$$$$$$$$$. That started that BCA ship listing, and eventually to become what it is today.
As far as the American Sport of pool is concerned, I would of liked to of seen MR create A true semi-pro qualifying event Tour with points, allowing the SVB Jr Program the ability to evolve, and give youth a steppingstone to a pro career.
I'm pretty sure Steve DuCoff, the executive director at the time, made the decision to allow the Board to let in Non-Trade entities, Mark Griffin and Rene Pehlman/APA. Which in many ways makes sense, it's NOT a player's organization. I was made up of trade members, like Viking Cues etc.
After that, the BCA wound down it's player/league programs.
Then, a HUGE miscue when the Duke/Ducoff didn't read the fine print, and the BCA guaranteed the E. Coast trade show$ room$ would be filled, like they Always did in Vega$$$$$$$$$$. That started that BCA ship listing, and eventually to become what it is today.
As far as the American Sport of pool is concerned, I would of liked to of seen MR create A true semi-pro qualifying event Tour with points, allowing the SVB Jr Program the ability to evolve, and give youth a steppingstone to a pro career.
use a burner email account, no big deal then