Ben, I enjoyed this, as well as your guide to Cricket! Any hopes on ever getting one about Rugby? I find myself enjoying Rugby matches, but a lot of times, I feel like I don’t know exactly what’s going on, or that I’m missing some of the finer points. Read more

That guy was good, but he was no Thunder Muscle spokesathlete Steve Davis, he was bigger than Beckham.
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Well written. It was an enjoyable read. Thank you for doing it. Read more

At 3:08 does he use magic? I ask as the cue ball seems to defy newtonian physics. Read more

This is snooker, but it’s not all of it - safety shots (making contact with the target ball, deliberately not potting the ball and leaving it and the cue ball somewhere that the opponent would either miss or not have a potable target) is incredibly skilled too, though somewhat harder to understand. It looks like… Read more

Thanks for writing this. Snooker is fascinating. I think people who haven’t played it don’t understand how damn difficult it is. I used to play pool every week, so I figured I’d be OK at snooker the first time I played. I was completely out of my depths. It’s also very physically demanding. Every time I’ve played,… Read more

This article led to a night of watching big break episodes and listening to Chaz and Dave. Thanks Ben Read more

On History Channel in the UK Ronnie did a 4 episode tour across America doing some history but also playing some US pool stars, most he already knows or had played. Check it out if you can find it. I’ve always been a supporter of his but I like him more after that. Except the episode where they suit up at the 49'ers… Read more

O’Sullivan at his best is truly unparalleled, it brings a tear to my eye. The descriptions in this article of how truly good he is bring a tear to my eye. The emotion I feel when watching him play is probably unparalleled by anything else I can watch on TV. He is that good. Read more

It took not one but two snooker-themed posts on Deadspin, but I finally remember where I first heard of Ronnie O’Sullivan: It was on Top Gear, Series 4, Episode 4. He did a pretty awesome speed-break demonstration towards the end of the interview, albeit while severely underdressed:

I actually got to meet and hang out with Ronnie- a really nice guy Read more

There was a New Yorker piece on Ronnie a couple years ago. Read more

Interesting that he said he was tired before executing a flawless break. Read more

It’s hard to drop the obligatory “oh, that’s a bad miss” reference when the guy hits every shot
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This is what is amazing to me about transcendent performances in sports. I know literally nothing about snooker, but you know something special is going on when you see it. Read more

I had never watched a moment of snooker in my life before that but by the end I was on the edge of my seat. Read more

I know nothing about Snooker and even I am delighted. Read more

I felt the same way. I don’t know any of the rules of the game, but have played enough pool at local dive bars to understand how hard it is to endure the disconnect between where I want the cue to be after this shot and where the cue ends up after this shot. Read more

while that was a fantastic feat, it’s hardly ronnie’s greatest highlight:

Folks, this is what happens when you demand Deadspin stick to sports.
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