New-York tribune., 1916-02-06
Cassignol Not Likely to
Take Any LaurelS from
the American.
THREE CUSHIONS
HOLDS INTEREST
Much Of Best Work In Balkline
Game Seems Too Simple TO
Please Average Spectator.

Firmin Cassignol. who is, let US say
AZ the outset. n French billiardst. has
come TO the United States. presumably
20 wrest from the brow Of Willie
Home the various balklino laurels
that have resided there for a number
Of years in more or less passive state.
Cass. cnol is said TO have played
impressive billiards in HE native land.
Probably he IS nov now so good a
blHardist as was Maurice Nignaux
g. decade ago. when the distinguished
Partisan was champion Of the world
IN Isl circles. But Cassignol IS step
ping along, and with the cumulative
improvement Of sincere practice he
may 80 further than any foreign bill
iardist who has been before the Amer
lean public in some years.
But the case OF CassignoI Us. hoppe
seems hopeless for the plaintiff IN
the important matter Of lnvulneraoll.
ity Hoppe is to-day the champion or
champions. Sport fans. and more par
clined TO the BELIEF thai Hoppe IS the
champion OF champions Of all time.
Certainly the young New oIker IN
all his career never has played more
brilliant billiards than he has been
demonstrating dug rg the l9l5-16 sea-
son In the recent handicap tourna-
uent in New York he proved that
there is not a balAline billlardist IN
the country who is capable Of giving
him even an entertaining practice
match.
Yamada. sutton, Slosson. Cochran.
Cline. Cation ct al. are hopelessly out
classed Even in a handicap tourna-
ment. In VIII ch the handicap commit
tee was Predetermined 70 put Hoppe to
a genuine test, the young balkline
champion rode roughshod over all
competition, topping on an excellent
week by beating Welker Cochran,
hailed By ChicagoGns as second
Hoppe" by the ludicrous score OF zoo
20 IS. Il seemed 20 be a bad week Tor
second Hopes"
In conception and in the arithmetic
precision OF his execution Hoppe has
carried billiards fsr beyond any stand
ard that ever has been attained with
due consideration for the pTowess OF
the late Jake Schaefer. Recently, IN
q match in ST. Louis. he made the as
founding average Of s3.3 for l,00O
points at 1872. Such billiards Is un-
baralleled That the coterie of billiard
lists trailing IN Hopes wake 10 not
discouraged enough to quit the game
entirely is remarkable. They might, Il
told that in his s38 average for 1000
points, played In two blocks Of 400
POINTS and one o. goo. Hoppe made one
unfinished run Of 275 and another OF
162. The play was against Iamadai
who seems 20 be rrofting by his asso-
citation with the champion, as Indicated
in a 30-odd average which the Mon
gol!an made.
Cossignol, whose best match aver
age has been under 80. plainly enough
would not furnish even so much as in
teresting exercise for Hoppe.
Champion boxers are surprised and
beaten on of days and champion ball
teams disinteerate and are demoralized
by slumps. but such q thing as q slump
or an off day seems entirely eXtraneous
10 Hopes billiard Vlaying. He is the
one champion VINO nes standardized his
game. At least he has standardized II
TO the extent that bis followers will
wager he will average above 80 al 1872,
end if pressed at that figure the his
tory Of Hopes match playing has
proved he will DO considerably better.
Hoppe is making IN round figures
some $4,000 az billiards. but he IS
forced to make IL in exhibition and not
match play The lack OF suitable oppo-
nents has diminished his earning power
in title matches. but his indubitable
superiority has made him a great card
in the United States as an exhibition
player AS Hoppe seems tempera-
mentally imperious 70 the conditions
under which he is forced 20 play in
come of the smaller cities. and always
gives all edifying exhibition, he has be-
come very popular and widely fol-
lowed champion.
Nevertheless the prominence OF the
young New Yorker in his chosen Geld
Is not a good thing for balkline bill
iards. and professionally the game
seems TO be inclining 20 the three
cushion plsy There IS now a national
league of three-oushion play, and De
Oros successive defences Of his three
cushion title are a matter Of much in
terest 20 the b.lliardist, and more fol
lowed by the billiard gambling cognOs-
cent? than any match in which Hoppe
participates
The popularity Of three-cushion bill
iards rests upon two points. One Is its
simplicity and the other its spectacu-
larity. Every one can understand three
cushion billiards. for one has only 10
count the cushions and behold the vari-
Gus queer Quirks Of English 20 have at
least d working knowledge OF the game.
by comparison the voluminous science
OF balkline billiards is almost entirely
unappreclated by the casual billiard
TN''nUuar fn at.a n. ~, t,,o. =
cushion billiard along the top rail. in
which the cue ball. by the process Of
reverse English, is made 70 take an un-
natural angle. This is spectacular and
pretty and also basically simple. But
70 the lay billiardist u looks far more
difficult than Hopes celebrated short
table play. In which he gathers the
balls az the top of the table and reels
of as many as 100 points without driv-
ing any one OF the worries out Of the
throe-balk areas at the end Of the table.
IN reality the practice and science nee
essary 10 such a game as Hopes far
transcends that OF executing spectscu-
lar three-cushion shots, but % the spec
tator IL does not seem so. 1t IL. in
deed. a paradox that what seems 10 be
simple r. highly intricate Hopes bill
isrds and what is seemingly intricate
- comparatively simple the play OF
The three-cushion expert.
But because there IS more real com
petition in the three-cushion class that
game az present seems 70 have bright
future. Kieckhefer. Of Chicago; Ne
Court. Of Pittsburgh; Maupome, Of ST.
Louis. and Jevne, Of Boston, are sngle
shooters. any one Of whom might on
good day trim De Orc for the three
cushion title. invincible as the veteran