Clapping for Scratching on the 8ball

Golf........

Here's yet another example. Tiger Woods starts the final round of golf, he is down by 5 strokes. On the 18th hole he finds himself only down by 1 stroke. If he makes his 12ft birdie putt he can win the tounament. He takes his time, waves the cue in a few practice strokes, finally hitting the ball toward the hole. It appears the speed is perfect and it turns right toward the hole. At the last milisecond the ball hits a bump and lips out of the hole.
Does the crowd cheer when he missed or do they just kind of go oooohhhhh? It should be the same in pool but unfortunately there are some that don't have class.
 
"Most" Teams in our local 8-Ball League will hoop and holler when an opposing team member miscues or scratches, especially on the 8-Ball ...

It clearly demonstrates a severe lack of proper "up-bringing" ... However, if you were to meet those same players you would realize that it is normal behaviour for them.

Thankfully, everyone on my Team wins and loses with dignity and grace. We NEVER gloat over any of our wins, and take our losses in stride.
 
I still stand by my comparison. Fans in any sport tend to get involved in the competition, and when their team has success, they celebrate. League play is a team sport. When one of your teamates scores a victory, I have every expectation that the rest of your team will be excited, and it's natural to show that excitement.

I don't think anyone actually celebrates the other team losing, but rather the victory of their own team.

That's life in competition and in spectator sports. I've been on both ends of that cheering scene, and I don't see anything wrong when a player has the support of the rest of their team. I think it would be out of line to applaud a scratch in the middle of a game, but if it's a game winner/loser, the winning team is entitled to enjoy the moment.

(Now if the other team jumped up and held up a big sign that said "BRICK", I might reconsider. )

Steve
 
btoneill said:
Clapping and celebrating is fine, as long as you wait until after your teammate has gone up and shaken hands with the opponent. If you wait until after the handshake is done, you're celebrating the win, if you do it before the handshake, you're celebrating the other person losing...

Brian
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Tap, Tap, Tap.
 
Another one that is similar is when breaking if the cueball leaves the table or scratches it's followed by the inevitable, "go 8!!". Do people really wanna win this way? Sheesh.

I've been hill/hill in a tourney and had a guy make the 8 and scratch on the break....he came to shake my hand, and I asked if he was sure of this tourneys rules in this case. He knew it was a loss, so, I said, "hate to win that way, but nice playing" - and meant it.

I can't think of one time I've thought - miss this putt in golf, but I have friends who do think that way.....don't like that at all!!!!!
 
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trustyrusty said:
Another one that is similar is when breaking if the cueball leaves the table or scratches it's followed by the inevitable, "go 8!!".
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We only do that on our league team when it's our own player who broke...

We also have a $1 rule on our team... You give ball in hand to your opponent you owe a $1. You scratch on the 8 or put the 8 in early, thats $2. Goes into a fund for a party at the end of the session. Now, there are cases when they don't lose a dollar, say you give them ball in hand on purpose to better your position... When someone on our team gives a BIH you'll hear a chorus of "KA-CHING!" from our teammates...

Brian
 
I play in an 8-ball league. One of my teamates is 74 yrs old. I`ve been playing league pool with him for over 18 yrs now. He never gloats or hollers about any game won or lost.
We do alot of joking about the games played after the match in the car on the way back home though. One thing he told me along time ago is opposing players (with any class) will respect you more on how you conduct yourself at these pool matches. Just last year I had someone say that they respected our team more than any team in the league. Just on how we conduct ourselves at the matches. My teamate is pretty wise in my eyes.
 
Clapping is definately a sign of disrespect to the other player. Though they are happy that they won the match, they should still go over to shake their opponent who scratched and tell them good game and move on to the next round, rather than clapping and pretty much spitting in their opponents face without actually doing it. Usually when I scratch on final pot, I smile and take it as it is. One of my friend who is pretty obnoxious when he plays (loud mouth and talks a lot of smack, does a bit of shark moves too) he laughes and points his finger at me when I scratch on 8-ball, but I smile and just rack'em up, because I know I can do better than that. Being a good player is not all about your skills and your ability to pocket the balls, but also the ability to show the game and your opponent respect and sportsman like behavior. Just my .02

Happy shooting! :)

Chino
 
btoneill said:
Clapping and celebrating is fine, as long as you wait until after your teammate has gone up and shaken hands with the opponent. If you wait until after the handshake is done, you're celebrating the win, if you do it before the handshake, you're celebrating the other person losing...

Brian
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Nice insight here Brian. I played in leagues for a few years and was one of the better players in my area. A lot of the time the opposing team was pulling hard for me to lose in any way possible. It did irritate me but also made me more determined to win. I had lots of 5-0 nights because I think the other players put too much pressure on themselves to beat me.
 
I agree this is classless. They should have waited until after the handshake IMO.


I had a similar issue happen to me but it was singles BCA in Vegas a few years ago.

I scratched on a shot and the guy clapped and jumped up and yelled yeah!

I told him to shut up. He looked at me with deer in the headlight look. I told him to be quiet or I will call unsportsmanlike conduct on him. He started to give me a bunch of crap.

Some people don't t have a clue.


SR
 
When faced with unsportsman like conduct, I don't let it bother me. I continue to behave as I always do. Being respectful when in a situation such as this just highlights the classless nature of your opponent.

My Dad always told me "Be the bigger man, you'll sleep better at night" and it's true. Maintain your self respect and courtesy rather than lower yourself to the level of the idiot celebrating your misfortune.

:cool:
 
good call...

satman said:
A lot depends on the situation and the timing. Getting excited because your team-mate got a roll like that, at a big tourney is not poor Sportsmanship in my opinion. For most people it is just celebrating the win. While all people don't look at this stuff the same way, this is quite common in Vegas team events. I've seen it a lot. It would be different if they were yelling at the other guy, calling him stupid, or loser. Just try to give the people on the other team the benefit of the doubt.
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I think you have made the proper assessment of the situation.
People shouldn't take it personally.
Teams are celebrating the win, especially in a big match.

There is no excuse for scratching when making the 8... they did something that could have been avoided, but were either unaware of the possibility or ignored it. No tears for them.

To those that say they "hate to win like that"... I call BS.
 
Shortside K said:
To those that say they "hate to win like that"... I call BS.
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Maybe you like to win anyway you can, but I DO hate to win like that....sorry if you think that is BS. I hate when I'm given ball in hand on the money ball too, but you don't have to believe me on that one either.

I love it when others know how I feel about something....:rolleyes:
 
My opinion

This game is EXTREMELY reliant on the mental portion. Thus simply clapping after a scratch or when your opponent is hooked may be in poor taste...but it is a strategic move nonetheless. This game has long been associated with hustling and sharking. I pride myself in the fact that I feel I cannot be sharked by my opponent. I also feel that I have a lot of heart in that I will stay focused and come back from behind to win if I do find myself in that position. I dont care if you get up on the table and do a dance...I am still focused on making that ball or that safety. I will even talk shit while I am running a rack if my opponent starts the sharking tactics.... Call it "reverse sharking"....The clapping, whooping, and comments are insult to injury and very effective. The fact that you are still thinking about this event prove as much. I have come to accept that this is part of the game. I will not do it if unprovoked but I have no problem dealing with it. I suppose one of the leagues in which I play is notorious for the shit talking while play is going on and this has really sharpened my mental game. Typically the chatter will stop once you get down on a ball but there is no guarantee of it.
 
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