"There's only one Ronnie O'Sullivan"

[William Seger]

This video is just one of the reasons that Ronnie O'Sullivan is considered to be the greatest Snooker player who ever lived. After "potting" a red ball and a black for 8 points, Ronnie asks the referee what the prize is for a "maximum" score.

(Biefly: In Snooker, the player must shoot a red ball first for 1 point and then shoot any colored ball, which is worth 2 to 7 points in a color sequence from yellow to black. As long as there are red balls left on the table, the colored balls are respotted, and when the reds are gone, the player must shoot the colored balls in sequence from yellow to black. A maximum score of 147 is achieved by shooting all 15 red balls each followed by black balls, and then clearing the colors. Needless to say, it's extremely difficult.)

I'm certain there's no sport that requires so many different skills and so much knowledge as Snooker, followed closely by other billiard games, and there's no doubt that Ronnie O'Sullivan is the GOAT.

[ZZenith]

1. Shame he lost to Ding in the U.K. Championship

but it’s looking good for Ding in the final.

[William Seger]

2. Yep

The evening session starts in half an hour. (I broke down and subscribed to DAZN for a month to catch the UK Championship and then the Mosconi Cup 9-ball at the end of the month.)

[William Seger]

3. Oh well, Allen won

Ding played well getting to the final, but Allen caught fire after being 6-2 down.

Anyway, I was hoping to stir up a little interest in Snooker, but it looks as if there just isn't much -- I suppose because most Americans aren't familiar with it. It's a shame, but interest in other billiard games, including American ones, is dwindling. The year, there were only 3 Americans in the final 32 of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Tournament, and none survived that round -- we're just not developing the talent to be competitive.

[ZZenith]

4. I do like Allen, I just wish Ding would live up to his potential.

I wonder sometimes if snooker isn’t too contemplative for the American audience. On its surface it doesn’t offer the excitement of other sports but it’s a deeply strategic and difficult game to play, as you know. There’s only one full-sized snooker table in my state that’s available for the public, and none of the local pool halls survived Covid. Alas. At least snooker’s growing in popularity in other parts of the world but I think the WST is missing an opportunity by making it so difficult to access here.