Why Do I Bother Playing Anything Else ?

ForumGhost516

ForumGhost516

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I dont understand it, all it does is frustrate me. I understand that luck is a massive part of nine ball when your name isnt johnny archer or shane van boening but it still gets me. Its extremely frustrating when your opponent kicks a ball and it travels 97 rails and yes I just said 97 and somehow manages to find a pocket and he laughs it off as though its the funniest thing in the world.

How is it that professional pool has let our incredible game of champions be relegated to side events like the derby and valley forge when it should be the forefront.

So what if its not good for TV im not being funny what was the last thing you saw on tv aside from the women that was pool related? Trick shot magic? Give me a break. If i hear one more person say hey I saw that black widow woman on tv im going vomit.

It sickens me that this incredible game of champions is currently in the state that it is in now. But hey so long as oh i saw that guy Mike Massey gets his air time I guess the pool word can keep on trucking.

Please do not mistake this little rant for me being angry with Jeanette or Mike it has nothing to do with them but rather people's perception of pool in general now and more importantly 14.1.

How is it that Sigel or Mika's 150 ball runs were not on sports center. But i guess so long as that 400 pound linebacker stood there and hugged another 400 pound linebacker for 17 billion dollars a season the world can keep on spinning.

Guys you know where I am coming from with this lol.

Sorry for my rant just had to get it out there.

14.1 is the only game that matters PERIOD. OK and one pocket and banks lol.
 
Very good Rant charlie, my feeling to the T and i am sure all of us here feel exactly the same way !
 
I'm coming around to 10 ball, however, the rotation games in general are quickly becoming routine and boring for me. On the other hand, my break and kicking abilities are not strong, so perhaps I'm not well rounded enough in my abilities to play 9 or 10 at a high level.

I have always loved straight pool, however one pocket has stolen my heart of late. I feel that it is the one game that if you really learn it, you have a chance to compete at the highest levels.
 
All smiles here I LOVED your post!!

All great points and exactly how I feel. Now... if only I could play 14.1... :)
 
Good Rant, and vent it out. When Mike Sigel runs a 150 balls and out, he makes every shot look easy and thus boring. The average TV viewer doesn't know, appreciate the difficulty of making position and being in line. Where as when Efren makes a triple bank kick shot, its apparent how difficult the shot is. If you try to play a safety on a non-pool player, they'll think its dirty pool.
 
I Agree

ctyhntr said:
Good Rant, and vent it out. When Mike Sigel runs a 150 balls and out, he makes every shot look easy and thus boring. The average TV viewer doesn't know, appreciate the difficulty of making position and being in line. Where as when Efren makes a triple bank kick shot, its apparent how difficult the shot is. If you try to play a safety on a non-pool player, they'll think its dirty pool.
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Excellent point. TV only cares about the number of viewers. The "Average Joe" out there has no idea what 14.1 is. They want to see that jump shot hitting the object ball and then the cue ball or object ball slops something else in.
It is not like the 60's anymore. When I was a kid back then, there were many 14.1 tournament matches on TV. People understood the game. I never seen a 9 ball game on TV, no such thing.
I too hate 9 ball but I play it in the league b/c that is what they play during the summer. I believe that there are so many good 9 ball players b/c they are only dealing with a few balls on the table when they step up to it. They also know how to jump balls, make contact and slop something in to stay alive. 9 ball would be so much better if they changed the rules to 'Call Pocket" like in 8 ball. 8 ball is a so much better game since they cleaned it up from the past. Take away that slop shot from 9 ball & call pocket. It then would get some respect from me.
 
I kind of think it can make a comeback someday, when i was little I would love it when Mosconi came on wide world of sports, fats mouthing off the whole time. cosell calling the action. This was good tv. someday the right set of personalities will come along and put this game back on track. I think the people can and will appreciate the game for what it is, the best game one can play on a poot table
 
14-1StraightMan said:
Excellent point. TV only cares about the number of viewers. The "Average Joe" out there has no idea what 14.1 is. They want to see that jump shot hitting the object ball and then the cue ball or object ball slops something else in.
It is not like the 60's anymore. When I was a kid back then, there were many 14.1 tournament matches on TV. People understood the game. I never seen a 9 ball game on TV, no such thing.
I too hate 9 ball but I play it in the league b/c that is what they play during the summer. I believe that there are so many good 9 ball players b/c they are only dealing with a few balls on the table when they step up to it. They also know how to jump balls, make contact and slop something in to stay alive. 9 ball would be so much better if they changed the rules to 'Call Pocket" like in 8 ball. 8 ball is a so much better game since they cleaned it up from the past. Take away that slop shot from 9 ball & call pocket. It then would get some respect from me.
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Mike:

You'd probably appreciate 10-ball (played by WPA rules -- which as you know, are call-shot rules) much better. I hate 9-ball. No, let me clarify that. I HATE 9-BALL. For the same reasons that Charlie and others shared, I despise it. Now I know what the readership are going to say -- "Sean, how can you 'hate' a pool game? That's such a strong word!" The answer is that I walk away from 9-ball games. Not even for funsies -- I get no fun out of playing it. (And that's not coming from a "crybaby loser" either -- I actually possess quite a stout 9-ball game.) It's just that after playing 10-ball on Tony Robles' Predator Open 10-Ball tour -- WPA rules with called safeties and option to turn the table back over to the opponent after he/she misses (which is the way I remember 10-ball being played from old times) -- I haven't looked back.

When someone offers to play me 9-ball, I substitute 10-ball. And I make sure they know it's WPA rules, *NOT* Texas Express. Yup, the "you'll pry my Texas Express rules from my cold, dead fingers" 9-ballers balk, and usually slide their way out of the bet (if we're gambling). Or, if I see them racking 9-ball, I'll sneeringly say "oh, we're playing short-rack banks? Cool!!" :D

Like Charlie said -- there's only two games that hold a candle to 14.1 -- One Pocket and Banks. One Pocket for the sheer strategy (which can exceed 14.1 in its ability to "strain your noodle"), and Banks for the aspect that it's the PUREST and CLEANEST form of pool there is. (I.e. your bank has to go in clean, no caroming off of other balls, and if you say "cross corner" -- that's exactly how it has to go in -- if it goes back and forth 3 rails and into the pocket you called, it doesn't count, and gets spotted).

So, for me, this is the order of preference:

  1. 14.1 straights
  2. One Pocket
  3. Banks
  4. 10-ball
  5. 8-ball
I avoid 9-ball at all costs. I'm serious.

-Sean
 
If luck bothers you, I suggest you should try the 10-ball WPA-rules which means all balls called and no slop, even the 10 from the snap is spotted. IMHO the best rules there are. When people cry about the non-existence of 2-way shots like in 9-ball, I have to remind them that there are no 2-way shots in 14.1 or 8-ball either. Unfortunately people tend to search for entertainment value and gambling instead of good hard labour paying off in the end. I think it's a good way to describe the 9-ball loving people versus the 14.1 enthusiastics.
 
Why Do I Bother Playing Anything Else ? Reply to Thread

Rant on, Charles.
14.1 Continuous is the Championship Game, period. I was lucky enough to see Irving Crane and Cisero Murphy "in the day." P.S. Oliver, Mika, and Thorsten would have beaten them.
 
I Did Not Know

sfleinen said:
Mike:

You'd probably appreciate 10-ball (played by WPA rules -- which as you know, are call-shot rules) much better. I hate 9-ball. No, let me clarify that. I HATE 9-BALL. For the same reasons that Charlie and others shared, I despise it. Now I know what the readership are going to say -- "Sean, how can you 'hate' a pool game? That's such a strong word!" The answer is that I walk away from 9-ball games. Not even for funsies -- I get no fun out of playing it. (And that's not coming from a "crybaby loser" either -- I actually possess quite a stout 9-ball game.) It's just that after playing 10-ball on Tony Robles' Predator Open 10-Ball tour -- WPA rules with called safeties and option to turn the table back over to the opponent after he/she misses (which is the way I remember 10-ball being played from old times) -- I haven't looked back.

When someone offers to play me 9-ball, I substitute 10-ball. And I make sure they know it's WPA rules, *NOT* Texas Express. Yup, the "you'll pry my Texas Express rules from my cold, dead fingers" 9-ballers balk, and usually slide their way out of the bet (if we're gambling). Or, if I see them racking 9-ball, I'll sneeringly say "oh, we're playing short-rack banks? Cool!!" :D

Like Charlie said -- there's only two games that hold a candle to 14.1 -- One Pocket and Banks. One Pocket for the sheer strategy (which can exceed 14.1 in its ability to "strain your noodle"), and Banks for the aspect that it's the PUREST and CLEANEST form of pool there is. (I.e. your bank has to go in clean, no caroming off of other balls, and if you say "cross corner" -- that's exactly how it has to go in -- if it goes back and forth 3 rails and into the pocket you called, it doesn't count, and gets spotted).

So, for me, this is the order of preference:

  1. 14.1 straights
  2. One Pocket
  3. Banks
  4. 10-ball
  5. 8-ball
I avoid 9-ball at all costs. I'm serious.

-Sean
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Thanks Sean.
One is never too old to learn something. I did not know about the rules for 10 ball. I thought it was played like 9 ball.
That is very good.
Most of the players down here just want to play 9 ball. I never complain about it, just go along with it and I am happy to just play some pool. I figure that 9 ball is the best game for them to have a chance at winning. I can not tell you how many games I have lost b/c a player misses their shot and it hits another ball and something falls in. Then they run out the last three or four balls and act like they are the best player in the world......
I grew up playing 14.1 and I will always consider myself a14.1 player, even when I get my tail handed to me during a match. Love that game.
 
I agree, would love to see some 14.1 on TV. Bored watching 9-ball. I'd also love to see some real 8-ball action, would be more interesting than 9-ball.

It's so depressing to see what ESPN puts on. I have my DVR set to grab anything "billiards", so it will get some 9-ball, and lots of trick shot nonsense, and then last weekend I saw something I have never seen or heard of--it recorded something called "speed pool", where the goal is apparently to clear the table as quickly as possible. I couldn't believe it when I checked it out. It's ridiculous that something like that gets aired and 14.1 is ignored.
 
I have a buddy who everytime he kicks a ball in tells the other guy if they played a better safe that wouldn't happen. Did he get lucky to make the ball? Sure. Lucky to hit it, not so much. The part with no luck though was a bad safety, so sometimes when it feels like the luck is ruling the game, think about all the skill things you dogged.
 
Do Not Agree

"I have a buddy who everytime he kicks a ball in tells the other guy if they played a better safe that wouldn't happen. Did he get lucky to make the ball? Sure. Lucky to hit it, not so much. The part with no luck though was a bad safety, so sometimes when it feels like the luck is ruling the game, think about all the skill things you dogged."
QUOTE: Mikeyfrost


I do not agree at all with that saying. Unless he kicks at the ball and states the pocket that the object ball goes in. Most of the time, the safety that one takes is the best available and there is no way to get the cue ball stuck on another ball. So, when a player makes a one, two or three rail kick and makes contact or makes that great jump shot and makes contact.
I give them a hand and they deserve the applause for making the hit. When a ball slops in after wards, then it takes away from the hit. To me the game becomes useless. I do not appreciate slop and there is no excuse for it.
 
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14-1StraightMan said:
"I have a buddy who everytime he kicks a ball in tells the other guy if they played a better safe that wouldn't happen. Did he get lucky to make the ball? Sure. Lucky to hit it, not so much. The part with no luck though was a bad safety, so sometimes when it feels like the luck is ruling the game, think about all the skill things you dogged."
QUOTE: Mikeyfrost


I do not agree at all with that saying. Unless he kicks at the ball and states the pocket that the object ball goes in. Most of the time, the safety that one takes is the best available and there is no way to get the cue ball stuck on another ball. So, when a player makes a one, two or three rail kick and makes contact or makes that great jump shot and makes contact.
I give them a hand and they deserve the applause for making the hit. When a ball slops in after wards, then it takes away from the hit. To me the game becomes useless. I do not appreciate slop and there is no excuse for it.
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That mentality is one where all shots should be called then. So when you call safe you need to execute it right just saying theres always going to be a little luck in there. Its very lucky to make the ball even when you are trying it, very few kicks can be done with anything over 20% accuracy in making the ball. The rest of the time of course you have a general plan but still leave it to 14.1 forum to knock on the other games.
 
mikeyfrost said:
That mentality is one where all shots should be called then. So when you call safe you need to execute it right just saying theres always going to be a little luck in there. Its very lucky to make the ball even when you are trying it, very few kicks can be done with anything over 20% accuracy in making the ball. The rest of the time of course you have a general plan but still leave it to 14.1 forum to knock on the other games.
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Mikey:

Who let you out of the "Update on the Des Moines pool scene" thread? Just kidding!

Seriously, though, you mention "...knock on the other games." The only game we're knocking here, is the luck/crap-infested 9-ball. All the other games here, like One Pocket, Banks, 10-ball, 8-ball, et al. are actually getting a boost. I support Mike (14-1StraightMan) in the support for call-shot/call-safety, as well as supporting his disdain for "anything goes."

You'll find that us 14.1 guys actually play a bunch of other games (and as my moniker states, One Pocket is a fave of mine). We just support the notion of "say what you mean, and mean what you say" -- except substitute the words "call" and "shoot" for the words "say" and "mean" respectively. :)

-Sean
 
Attitude

mikeyfrost said:
That mentality is one where all shots should be called then. So when you call safe you need to execute it right just saying theres always going to be a little luck in there. Its very lucky to make the ball even when you are trying it, very few kicks can be done with anything over 20% accuracy in making the ball. The rest of the time of course you have a general plan but still leave it to 14.1 forum to knock on the other games.
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I agree with you for once.... Yes, that is my mentality... All shots should be called in 9 ball just like it is in 14.1 & 8 ball.

I am not sure if I understand your point about safety play? When one shoots a kick shot or attempts a jump shot. They should have a good idea on the spot that the cue ball is going to make contact with the object ball. Then I believe that they should call the pocket that the object ball has a chance to go into. If there is no chance at a pocket, make contact and attempt a safety from it. It is a simple thing to understand.

As for the 14.1 Forum "knocking other games"
I do not agree with you. We are just pointing out how 9 ball can be made into a better game like 14.1 & 8 ball.
If you like the slop & the luck that is great. I am happy for you. That is most likely the way 9 ball will be played for a long time to come.
 
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