Who played in the match that ended 14.1 being shown on television?

[Slim J]

As a Straight Pool lover, I have always thought the kiss of death for 14.1 being broadcast on TV (and the birth of 9 Ball as the new popular game for TV) was a championship match played in Atlantic City, NJ around 1965 on 'The Wide World of Sports' on cannnel 7.

It was played in a big armory type building. there was a heavy rain storm and the wetness and humidity made the cloth terrible to play on. I think the high run was less than two racks and match was so slow the networks decided 'never again'. I know Steve Mizerak was one of the players but I don't know who his opponent was. Anyone out there have any ideas?

 

[Josh Palmer]

Haven't seen it, but would like to. I did read that it was Luther Lassiter who was the opponent, and they both played horribly. The final was something like 4 hours long and really 'boring' as ABC put it.

 

[McKinneyMiner]

The year was actually 1973. Mizerak v Lassiter in a rematch of the 1970 finals.

Here is a great article about the death of straight pool that has a small section about that 1973 final.

http://www.billiardsdigest.com/current_issue/aug_05/

 

[Slim J]

Wow, thanks for passing this article along!

 

[mnShooter]

When they say the Mizerak and Lassiter match lasted 22 innings, does that mean they each had 22 turns or they each had 11 turns?

 

[Bob Jewett]

When they say the Mizerak and Lassiter match lasted 22 innings, does that mean they each had 22 turns or they each had 11 turns?

Each had 22 turns, probably. I'm surprised the game took so long (4 hours!?) with that few innings. I've seen three 3.5-hour matches to 150 and there were special circumstances in all three.

The 1973 Open was not the only Open to go two final matches. I saw the 1969 Open which Lassiter won and it also took finals. Keith Jackson who was doing the announcing for WWoS looked tired and irritated when they had to start the second "final."

Double elimination is just plain broken. It should never have been used for major events. I much prefer the current standard of pools followed by single elimination.

 

[bruin70]

i have no history of that time, except remembering pool being televised with mosconi doing some color.

there's no where to blame except what is intrinsic to the sport. it IS boring to just about everybody who doesn't play the game.

while the 50's gave birth to tv, the 60's was the decade when tv really spread its wings. my guess is that in the quest for sports entertainment, pool simply lost out. back then, EVERYTHING in sports was televised, and tv was merely weeding out the bad stuff. there was a shake-out and pool got shook out. i am a huge track and field fan, and there was tons of it back then. NOW look at it today.

the US is a big sport nation. the small sports trade places with each other. last year's cheerleading competition is this year's poker championships.

pool is just filler, and the demographics never wanted it.

 

[Cornerman]

As a Straight Pool lover, I have always thought the kiss of death for 14.1 being broadcast on TV (and the birth of 9 Ball as the new popular game for TV) was a championship match played in Atlantic City, NJ around 1965 on 'The Wide World of Sports' on cannnel 7.

The 1986 World 14.1 Championship was broadcast on regular TV.

Fred

 

[sjm]

The 1986 World 14.1 Championship was broadcast on regular TV.

Fred

Right you are, Fred. That tournament, which I attended in Philadelphia, is considered by many to be the tournament that sent the straight pool era to its final resting place.

Also might add that a segment of the Steve Mizerak vs Steve Davis challenge, telelvised on ESPN, was straight pool. Late 1980's, if memory serves.

 

[StraightPoolIU]

Right you are, Fred. That tournament, which I attended in Philadelphia, is considered by many to be the tournament that sent the straight pool era to its final resting place.

Also might add that a segment of the Steve Mizerak vs Steve Davis challenge, telelvised on ESPN, was straight pool. Late 1980's, if memory serves.

Now why don't they show that on ESPN Classic. It would beat the pants off watching greats of the game like Crane and Mosconi playing 7-ball which seems to be all they show.

 

[macguy]

Each had 22 turns, probably. I'm surprised the game took so long (4 hours!?) with that few innings. I've seen three 3.5-hour matches to 150 and there were special circumstances in all three.

The 1973 Open was not the only Open to go two final matches. I saw the 1969 Open which Lassiter won and it also took finals. Keith Jackson who was doing the announcing for WWoS looked tired and irritated when they had to start the second "final."

Double elimination is just plain broken. It should never have been used for major events. I much prefer the current standard of pools followed by single elimination.

I went to four or five of the US opens and I was at that tournament. Lassiter played very slow taking frequent breaks, (More then seemed should have been allowed.) When he won the first match just before shooting in the game ball he turned to Miz and said, "It looks like I'm going to beat the young whipper snapper". After he made the ball Miz who was really annoyed the way the match went said, "Well, you are going to have to do it again". At the start of game two Lassiter started out with a run in the eighties and was about to shoot the break shot.

He took like a dozen strokes and then set the cue down and asked for a break. When he came back he stepped to the table and promptly missed what was an easy classic side of the rack break shot. It was unbelievable and Miz ended up winning the tournament. Lassiter was a strange guy to watch play, especially up close. He seemed to have his own ideas of how to run the balls, I even saw him bank balls with other balls open to shoot.

Earlier in the tournament Miz won a match from Crane that sent him over the edge. Crane had played a safe on Miz putting him up table. Miz shot a backwards cut from the end rail and ran like 80 on Crane. Crane was going nuts. After the match Crane was saying Miz didn't know the game and was not supposed to shoot the shot, Crane felt cheated. In another match Charlie Cachapoglia (sp) after losing his match when Cue Ball Kelly brought the sheet over he was to sign. He said, "You want me to sign it" He then proceeded to tear it up and threw in on the floor. Strickland has nothing on some of those old time players when it comes to attitude.

 

[freddy the beard]

Good memory Mac

I went to four or five of the US opens and I was at that tournament. Lassiter played very slow taking frequent breaks... When he won the first match just before shooting in the game ball he turned to Miz and said, "It looks like I'm going to beat the young whipper snapper". After he made the ball Miz who was really annoyed the way the match went said, "Well, you are going to have to do it again". At the start of game two Lassiter started out with a run in the eighties and was about to shoot the break shot. He took like a dozen strokes and then set the cue down and asked for a break. When he came back he stepped to the table and promptly missed what was an easy classic side of the rack break shot. It was unbelievable and Miz ended up winning the tournament.

I was at that match Mac, and pulling for Wimpy. What probably happened, and it's not well known, Wimpy was a raging hypochondriac and had an incredible assortment of pills and medicine. Those breaks he was taking were for medicine reloads. He did a lot of mixing and matching and he probably over-amped when he got back to shoot that break shot. I always believed if he would have just got down and shot rather than go to the bathroom and up his medicinal intake, he would have beaten Miz that day. When he came back from the John he was wild eyed. Give the great Miz credit though, for coming back to beat him. (See Grady, I guess you're right. I talked bad about another champion. I just can't help myself.)

the Beard

(Mac, don't forget I need a good photo of my mentor, The Fullerton Kid, Gene Skinner)

 

[dmgwalsh]

. In another match Charlie Cachapoglia (sp) after losing his match when Cue Ball Kelly brought the sheet over he was to sign. He said, "You want me to sign it" He then proceeded to tear it up and threw in on the floor. Strickland has nothing on some of those old time players when it comes to attitude.

Charlie Cacciapaglia, from Rockford, Illinois.

 

[thecardman]

The 1986 World 14.1 Championship was broadcast on regular TV.

Anyone got any of this on VHS or DVD?

Also might add that a segment of the Steve Mizerak vs Steve Davis challenge, telelvised on ESPN, was straight pool. Late 1980's, if memory serves.

That was 1987 - I got the video that came out with some highlights from that match signed by The Miz at last year's US Open (all I need to do is get Davis to sign it for the complete set). Unfortunately, they only showed Davis playing Straight Pool - no Mizerak!