Hi John:
I respect your opinion, but respectfully, I have to disagree. Short-rack rotation games -- in general, and this is merely a general statement -- get EASIER as you remove balls off the table. Straight pool, on the other hand, is the opposite -- it gets progressively more difficult as you remove balls off the table, to the point that, if you don't know how to properly handle the "last five" (the last five balls -- a crucial point in any straight pool rack), you'll easily pooch your position on the break ball.
That's why your average player -- a short-rack rotation player, no doubt -- can probably run a few racks of 9-/10-ball, but ask them to put a couple racks together in straight pool, and they can't do it, even with "all that cue ball muscle." This can be seen at any 14.1 challenge -- 9-ballers with faulty (non-existent) patterns trying to save themselves with cue ball heroics, only to overrun position on their break ball, and have no hope to get into the next rack. (This observation, btw, only applies to your average 9-baller. When you get into the upper echelon / pro players, *obviously* things play out a little differently, because these are students of all things pool, and've played more than just 9-ball -- some probably even play 14.1 in practice.) Die-hard 9-ballers find it easy to say things like how it's always position on that one-and-only-one ball on the table, but that is an altruistic (and often proven unrealistic) comparison.
What is the governor in the short-rack rotations games, is not the "one-and-only-one object ball on the table at any given time you must get position on," but rather, the break. Whereas the break in 14.1 is a carefully controlled entity that, done properly (with good patterns, and with good speed) gets you into the next rack guaranteed; the "smash 'em up" short-rack rotation break (again, a general statement) is a VARIABLE that isn't guaranteed you'll 1.) sink a ball, and 2.) get position on that lowest-numbered ball on the table.
You'll most likely not want to compare the games in the manner you have (above) until you've put up a couple 40-ish runs (i.e. beyond 3 racks). You'll find out it isn't so easy if you don't practice 14.1 often. Try it.
Again, respectfully disagreeing,
-Sean