The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-02
Billiards
sHORTsTOP TOURNEY.

SHORTSTOP TOURNEY.
New York. Nov. IA billiard tour
nament for the 1S.2 balk line cham
pionship OF America will be played in
this city on Nov. 10. and following
days. Arrangements We're completed
yesterday.
1t is announced that the field will
include Charles Peterson Of St. Louis:
Albert G. Cutler. OF Boston: AL Tay-
lor. OF Chicago; Gray Tom" Gala
CHER and Edward Mclaughlin. OF New
York. and Harry Cline. of Philadel-
phia.
Players who have not won a worlds
championship for ten years are eli
gible.
New York, Oct S1.-Prof McLaugh-
lin. whe recently won a billiard game
from Hoppe, and was the referee in
the Hcppe-Schaefer championship
match Wednesday night. has just been
interviewed upon the subject of win
ter billiards" Among other things he
said:
The time has not yet come for
dropping the 1872 play. 1t is BEAU
tiful game, susceptible of much higher
development than it hes yet attained;
and a game of billiards should not be
relegated to the past until it has been
more nearly exhausted than this one
has. Nobody has yet become so pro-
ficient in it as to bore an audience by
excessively long runs. do not doubt
that somebody may run a game out
one of these days. but let US wait at
least until somebody does so before
throwing out play that has so many
still undevelcped possibilities. The
mere fact that one man in match
game and another in a practice game
have made averages of 100 is sufficient
reason. Straight billiards were su-
perceded by the balk-line game, be-
cause the experts had reached point
where by rail nursing. in which one
shot was very much like another. they
could play until they and the audi
ence were tired. Why men could
make 5000 and 1000 points at that
game before it was dropped. Of course
that would bore an audience. But
nothing of that kind has happened in
the 1872 game. The longest run ever
made at it was not in the least tire
some to watch.
Would spot Frozen BnlIs.
Il should much rather see the 1872
game improved than dropped: and to
this end would suggest that the
balls be spotted every time that 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 are now,
when they can save their positions by
banking or making masse shots from
the unfrozen object ball. Moreover,
it would add greatly to the spectators
interest to see the p layer working the
balls again from spot to position. In
deed, that is the thing of greatest in
terest in any game Of billiards. That
is where the greatest mental effort
comes in. After the balls are togeth-
er In becomes more a matter of mere
execution.
THE freezing of the balls usually
comes about by the player trying to
nurse them too closely. He can afford
to take the chance of freezing them il
he can get out of the scrape by an
easy bank or draw or masse from the
unfrozen ball, but if 1t were mandatory
that the balls be spotted every time
they freeze, as it used to be in the old
rail play, he would not take that
chance, but would play little more
openly, thus making the game little
harder for him and considerably more
interesting for the spectator.
1872 Compared With 1871.
Prof. Mclaughlin plays 1872 to Will
lie Hopes 1871. And he was asked
how much of a handicap in points that
difference would exual
Nobody knows" said he. There
are so many things to be considered
that 1t would be impossible to figure
1t out. For instance there Is the ten
dency of the 1872 player to fall into the
1871 game The other night, when
Hoppe played beautiful billiards, sat
and watched his long runs until, when
1t came my turn, l went right on I'M
consciously playing the 1871 game in
stead of taking advantage of my han
dicap. That sort Of thing happens to
all players in mixed styles OF games
You play cushion carroms against an
other mans straight billiards and, in
ninety-nine cases out of one hundred,
he will, in little while, unconscious
ly fall into playing cushion carroms,
even when he might a great deal
better play direct shots. So, too, the
influence works the other way some
times. 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 watch
ing 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
1t. and when a man keeps up that men,
tai strain for two or three hours bis
mind becomes weary. 1t Is not strange
that the best players sometimes for
| get for moment what games they
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