Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-21
WOULD IMPROVE
THE 1872 GAME
Mclaughlin Discusses the Work
of Expert Billiard Players.

NEW YORK, October 20.-Prof. McLaugh-
lin, who recently won billiard game from
Hoppe, and was the referee in the Hoppe
Sehaefer championship match Wednesday
night. has just been interviewed upon the
subject of winter billiards" Among other
things he said:
The time has not yet come for drop
ping the 49, play. 1t is a beautiful game,
susceptible of much higher development
than 1t has yet attained; and a game of
billiards should not be relegated to the
past until it has been more nearly ex-.
hausted than this one has. Nobody has
yet become so proficient in it as to bore
an audience by excessively long runs L
do not doubt that somebody may run a
game out one of these days, but let us
wait at least until somebody does so be-
fore throwing out play that has so many
still undeyeloped possibilities. The mere
TACT that one man in a match game and
another in a practice game have made
averages OF 100 is not a sufficient reason.
Straight billiards were superseded by the
balk-line game because the experts had
reached point where by rail nursing,
in which one shot was very much Ike
another, they could play until they and
the audience were tired. Why, men could
make 5000 1000 points at that game
before it was dropped. OF course that
would bore audience. But nothing of
that kind has happened in the 1872 game.
The longest run ever made at it was not
In the least tiresome to watch.
Would Spot Frozen Balls.
Il should much rather the 1872 game
improved than dropped; and to this end 1
would suggest that the baMs be spotted
every time they freeze. This would make
the game a little more open, because players
would be much more careful then not to
freeze the balls than they now, when
they can save their positions by banking
making maSse shots from the unfroZen
object ball. Moreover it would aod great
ly to the spectators interest to the.
player work the balls again from spot to
position. Indeed, that is the thing of
greatest interest in any game of billiards.
That Is where the greatest mental effort
comes in. After the balls are together it
becomes more matter of mere execution.
THE freezing of balls usually comes
about by the player trying to nurse them
too closely. He can afford to take the
chance of freezing them If he can get out
of the scrape by an easy bank or draw
or masse from the unfroZen ball. but IL II
were mandatory that the balls be spotted
every time they freeze, it used to be
in the old rail play, he would not take that
chance, but would play a little more OPEN
ly thus making the game a little haSer
for him and considerably more interest
ing for the spectator
1872 Compared With 1871.
Prof. Mclaughlin plays 1872 to Willie
Hopes ISL. And he was asked how
much of a handicap in points that differ
ence would equal.
Nobody knows said he. There are
many things to be considered that il
would be impossible to figure it out. For
instance, there is the tendency of the 1872
player to fall into the 1871 game. The
other night, when Hoppe played beautiful
billiards, l sat and watched his long runs
until, when II came my turn, l went right
on unconsciously playing the 1871 game
instead of taking advantage of my handi-
cap. That sort of thing happens to all
players in mixed styles of games. You
play cushion caroms against another mans
straight billiards and, in ninety-nine cases
out Of a hundred. he will, in a little while.
unconsciously fall into playing cushion
caroms, even when he might great deal
better play direct shots. So, too, the in
f1uence works the other way sometimes
though naturally, not so often, since the
one who is handicapped has no choice.
but must play in the more difficult way.
while his opponent may play either way.
However. Willie Hoppe, the other evening.
after watching me make rather long run
at 1872 forgot for a moment that he was
playing 1871 and made his first shot for
an 1872 position. Mixed games of this kind
are very confusing to the players. The
only way to play good billiards is to put
your whole mind to it, and when a man
keeps up that mental strain for two or
three hours his mind becomes weary 1t is
not strange that the best players sometimes
nod and for the moment forget what games
they are supposed to be. playing