Friday, January 21st, 2022 -- We begin a New Year with news of Jayson Shaw, pool player from another planet other than Earth, with otherworldly billiards abilities...an incredible 714-consecutive-exhibition-straight-pool run of the ages, and pool news story of billiards news stories to begin this year.
I was just browsing the internet, talking in messenger, and someone told me in a chat something like, "Meanwhile, you don't even realize that the greatest record in the game has just been broken," and of course I replied with some smart-alec comment like, "Well if you're talking about someone beating Schmidt's 626, that's more like a carnival trick than winning in competition. Winning in competition is where it's at." However, I was a little irritated at the individual I said that to, and also, how am I supposed to know Shaw had just set a new world record? It had just happened after all.
But man! It was all over the internet fast. It didn't take me long to find out with people buzzing about Shaw busting the new world record all casual like, John Schmidt having had worked for months, dedicated hours upon hours of beating Willie Mosconi's 526 that had stood as the World Record straight pool (14.1 continuous) since the 1950's up until recent years.
Well, that didn't last long.
Now? Now, we have Shaw, almost a sheepish grin on his face, pictured with the 714 displayed on the table he executed it on, and assassinated both Willie Mosconi's and John Schmidt's records like slicing through butter with a hot knife!
Just call Shaw King Kong! The man can and does dominate the billiards scene, and is making a case for his pool legacy to ring on long after he has played his last shot at the table, a monster player that deserves a monster name -- perhaps we can call him, Jayson "Eagle Eye" / "Straight Pool King" / "King Kong" / "Mr 626? I Don't Think So! That's Mr. 714 To You!"
Blowing the world record beyond the Stratosphere, into the Ionosphere!!! Blam! Plow! Holy rusted metal Batman!
Here is an article by the New York Times about how long and hard John Schmidt worked to beat Willie Mosconi's 526 world record to highlight how substantial Shaw's recent feat is: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/sports/john-schmidt-straight-pool-record-mosconi.amp.html
Now the New York Times needs a new article on Shaw, who seemed to beat the world record like a kid playing pool on the playground, just having fun. What a Billiards savant Shaw is!
The level of play for billiards players in this day and age is an example of exemplary play of the highest order the world has ever seen.
Also, Shaw didn't train for months to beat Schmidt's record; Shaw just casually walked up, and ran out ball after ball like some kind of billiards robot, and blasted the former world record in lickity split time.
My head is still spinning! I can't believe how easy some players like Shaw make the game appear. He's so good in the game, it's almost depressing for me as a player, but even so, I gotta love it.
Shaw, if you read this, do what you do sir!
Bad.
To.
The.
Bone.