Here I go......
First: no one said that the APA system is perfect. It is however, when USED PROPERLY, a very very good system. It does depend on people doing what they are supposed to. By that I mean NOT ONLY the players themselves when playing - but also the opponents WHO ARE KEEPING SCORE. I don't think that anyone here can argue that if a player wants to sandbag - REGARDLESS OF WHICH LEAGUE THAT THEY PLAY IN - they can and will do it. The difference is what happens if they get caught.
If a player is complaining that other teams are not ranked properly - and they have played this team before - then it can be just as much their fault as it is the players who are trying to sandbag. If your team is playing a match against one of these teams, you should be marking EVERY SINGLE shot that you don't feel was an attempt TO POCKET A BALL as a Defensive Shot. If you are not (which most will admit they don't), then you become a part of the problem. The system depends on AT LEAST ONE of the teams in a match keeping score properly. If you let them get away with it and next weeks team let's them get away with it, then there is where the problem lies.
Now, having said that, I will restate what I said earlier: if someone wants to sandbag, they will. Is that the fault of the system? No. It is the fault of the players who continually look for a way to beat the system. This is the same reason Vegas has to have so many cameras. Even though there are laws against cheating there - people still can't resist. Does that mean that they should close Vegas down? No, they just do the best they can to catch the thieves so that the other 20 million that visit can have a good time. No matter how hard you try - someone will always gain an advantage - you just have to try your best to keep up with their tactics and keep changing your system to catch them.
Second: Does anyone think that there is not sandbagging in the other leagues (BCA, VNEA, TAP, others)? Of course there is..... People blatently shoot the 8-ball in out of turn - knock other players balls off the table, etc... in an effort to #1, hold their handicaps down and #2, boost the handicap of other players. It isn't quite as noticable since you only play the five games per night against five different players, but it is there. The main difference between those leagues and APA is that most - if not all - APA league operators have policies in place to deal with those players when they find out what they are doing. The National Office certainly has ways to deal with them....... but I have yet to see one thing happen to a player in one of the other leagues who does this repeatedly. There is a player in our home town who is always on the winning VNEA team who is WELL known for sandbagging. Yet nothing is ever done and their team wins every single year. So, why doesn't anyone do anything about it?
My point is that NO league is going to catch every sandbagger, but APA at least tries.
If every player tried their hardest to win and if every team kept score properly, the Equalizer system would work extremely well. The fact is that there are both players who won't try their hardest and there are teams that don't keep score properly. It is not the fault of the APA - as this is not a perfect world. I do say that for the average Joe/Jane - who this system is designed for it is the best system.
For those of you out there that are continuously saying that they are "better players" and that the APA is not for them, I say go for it! If you feel that you have outgrown the APA in skill level, then go pro or join another league. The APA has a great singles program for the higher skill level players as well as a Masters Division. If you feel that you play better than the players in APA, then the other leagues may be a better fit, but don't cut off your nose to spite your face..... there is plenty of money in APA. (here we go down that road again....check out the other posts)
I recently had the pleasure of running into one of the better players from our area. When I asked him about playing APA on my team this summer, he began to tell me how he was "too good", etc... and ranted on how he didn't want to be "held down", didn't want to play slop, there isn't any money, etc...... I assured him that he was free to play his very best every time he played (he is definitely a skill level 7) and explained how there was over $150,000 in our area up for grabs). Now, he really doesn't know me from Adam (or in this case Eve), so I asked him if he would like a friendly game. I said if you win, no APA - I won't ever bother you again. If I win, however, you have to play with my team this summer. Not gambling, you understand, but more of a test.... I wouldn't have made him play anyway, just wanted to prove a point.
Race to 5, 8-ball. I win 5-1. He immediately begins telling me how he can't play because he has school, work, ball, etc.... excuses.....
My point is this: he did not want to play APA to begin with. I knew this, but thought I would offer him a slot on my team where he could play as a 7 and play as hard as he wants every week and play as often as he wants. If he didn't want to play, he could have simply said, "No, thanks." But, like most of the "better players" - at least in my area - they feel that they have to bash APA at every opportunity. When he began telling me about why he didn't want to play I just let him go on and on - hence the match. No one is too good to play APA, unless they are a professional. There are benefits in APA FOR ALL PLAYERS.
And, last but not least..... if you don't want to play - don't play, but please don't bash something that you either don't understand or for whatever reason don't like. A very simple, "no, thanks" will usually suffice. Some people DO like the APA (over a quarter of a million of them) and why do some people feel so pressed to ruin the fun for those people.
If you don't like it, don't play. Period.
(and, OP - I am not talking about your post - you stated appropriately, that it just isn't for you! - thanks)
