Topic: Park & Sun Table - Shoot toward the left?

[Toad]

Just inherited a Park & Sun foosball table, but there is something strange about it.  The handle setup is like the one on this table: http://www.parksun.com/images/display/GT-BS-SOC5709-LT.png .  As you can see in that picture, the offensive rod would need to shoot towards the left using your left hand.  I have never seen anything like this before.  Is there a name for this setup?

I reversed all the rods so that they're now shooting the traditional way where you shoot toward the right.  However, the problem is now that the ball comes out on the wrong side of the table; the person who just scored gets the ball on their side.  Are Park & Sun tables just considered bad tables?  Supposedly, these things aren't that cheap.  The table I have is maybe $500 or so and it's made mostly of metal.

[Nosorog]

Never heard of the table, at least you were able to change the guys around.  The ball return to your side isn't so bad because if you practice shooting the ball will be right there for you.

[LarryDavis]

1.  Lucky you inherited it, as anyone who pays $500 for a Park & Sun is getting ripped off -- its resale value can be no more than $50 to $100 at best.  
2.  It's a semi-clone of a mid-70s Tournament Soccer Bluetop, only with the rod configuration "lefty" style.  
3.  No one has played on Bluetop-style tables since the mid-70s, with the exception of a pocket of players in Seattle who continued to play on Mike Dickenson's very-well built Pro Soccer tables through the early 90s.  
4.  "Lefty" configured tables are not used in competition anywhere in the world.  
5.  The ball drop on the side who scores is, as noted in the above post, better for training/practice.  
6.  If it ends up you or your children don't play on it much or its taking up too much space, these tables are best donated to a youth club or something like that; but if donating be sure to buy and include with the donation a supply of extra men and nuts/bolts as they break really fast on these tables.  

As a side note, "lefty" configured tables can be a good training tool for advanced players, particularly for improving concentration and coordination.  At a game arcade that Tom Spear and myself co-owned many (repeat: MANY) years ago in Colorado, we had twelve tables, one of which was set up this way.  The player who dominated most on it: multi-multi-multi-time World Champion Todd Loffredo.  Then again, he was a mutant, but it sure was a crack-up to watch him do reverse brush passes, full-power pull-kicks and more. 

My two cents...
Larry Davis  

[Toad]

Very good info.  Thanks!  Very interesting about lefty tables.  If I ever get good enough, maybe I'll consider switching this thing back to the lefty configuration for practice.