Sportsmanship poll Redone: opponent is @ to shoot wrong ball -you sayin sumthin?

[KoolKat9Lives]

There's been a few sportsmanship threads lately and I thought a poll might be timely. You can choose more than one option, please choose 3.

I'd like to preface the poll by stating the following:

assume you are playing someone that you respect, not some butthead you wouldn't give the time of day to.

 

[TimKrazyMon]

If it's practice or fun or just cheap stuff, yeah I'll say something. But if it's for a nice chunk of change or a tourney, not a chance.

 

[qbilder]

How about just a simple yes to sum up all situations. It'd have to be an awful lot of money with my kids starving in order for me to sacrifice my integrity & character. Even then it'd be hard for me to not say something. It's a pool game. I don't wanna win because my opponent accidentally shot the wrong ball. I wanna win because I performed well.

That said, i'm not a pro player depending on money from pool games. I gamble & play tournies for the enjoyment of competition and because I can afford to. If I lose money because I tell the guy he's shooting the wrong ball then so be it, he wins because he played better.

 

[sjharr]

Personally, If I am paying close enough attention and notice, always, always. Just seems the right thing to do.

Steve H

 

[KoolKat9Lives]

If it's practice or fun or just cheap stuff, yeah I'll say something. But if it's for a nice chunk of change or a tourney, not a chance.

That's what I am wondering, where do some people draw the line, and why? Or do some people not draw a line betweent the 3 scenarios in the poll...


Me, if I see someone shooting the wrong ball, my instinct has always been to immediately say something (unless the opponent is a butthead that I KNOW would not reciprocate).

I may want to rethink that in the case of a tourney, and maybe even for a decent gambling session.

I'm not sure... And I'm pretty sure there's not one 'correct' answer for every personality.

Thanks for the input Tim. :thumbup:

 

[s'portplayer]

I tell 'em, whether it's action or not.

If they're not in the game enough to know which ball to shoot, they're probably not much of a threat to beat me anyway.

 

[ShootingArts]

automatic if I respect the person

Real clear as you define the situation here. It is automatic if I respect a person. Playing One Pocket I sometimes tease a person into a high risk shot by keeping offering shots that are risky but on the edge of makeable. There you are setting them up to make a mistake just like a feint in boxing of chess. However if I see somebody I respect or even a stranger making a bone headed mistake on their own such as not shooting the lowest numbered ball in rotation I tell them. A great puckered smelly *******, I tell them afterwards! :thumbup:

I don't really have any strong feeling about the ethics of telling them or not telling them, it is more about winning. In my mind I chalk up victories against tough competitors when we are both playing well. If they are playing poorly or were to make a mistake that was simply a mental lapse, while I will take the victory it isn't worth remembering.

Hu

 

[mikeyfrost]

This happened to me and I was sick. At the Valley State tourney this year I'm hill-hill with a guy that I am friends with and is in general a good guy. I break make 3 balls and I like the runout. Long story short I make the 4 ball and line up the 6-8 combo. I take a minute or two on this shot. Finally I get down make the combo, the 6 stays by the hole and the 9 is hanging at the adjacent corner pocket. I think he's shaking my hand to say good game but he's telling me I didn't shoot the 5 ball. I swore it went in and to be honest that ball was underneath me for the whole run out so I never saw it. He waited for me to shoot the wrong ball just to call foul. He ends up getting 2nd place in the tourney.

I asked him why didn't he tell me. He said he thought I was just lining up the combo and he didn't want to shark me. I actually believe him though and I blame myself.

 

[shamadam]

How about just a simple yes to sum up all situations. It'd have to be an awful lot of money with my kids starving in order for me to sacrifice my integrity & character. Even then it'd be hard for me to not say something. It's a pool game. I don't wanna win because my opponent accidentally shot the wrong ball. I wanna win because I performed well.

That said, i'm not a pro player depending on money from pool games. I gamble & play tournies for the enjoyment of competition and because I can afford to. If I lose money because I tell the guy he's shooting the wrong ball then so be it, he wins because he played better.

Perfectly said Mr. Crisp. I totally feel the exact same way. I will always
tell my opponent. Then again, I dont remember the last time I played for
a bunch of cash.:embarrassed2:

 

[KoolKat9Lives]

Oh, the guilt...

Poll results so far indicate a decent % of players draw the line between funzies and money/tournies.

A question for those doing so (ie. voting they won't say something with something tangible on the line):

How do you rationalize your decision to stay mum? Do you feel bad afterwards when you say "foul"?

 

[TimKrazyMon]

How do you rationalize your decision to stay mum? Do you feel bad afterwards when you say "foul"?

To answer your question, to play at any reasonably high level requires focus. If you can't stay focused enough to know what balls are on the table, you deserve to lose. Early on in my playing days, I lost a match because I shot the wrong ball. Some friends were mad at my opponent for not telling me & I told them it's not his fault I didn't pay attention.

And no, I don't feel bad at all after I call foul.

 

[Koop]

how about just a simple yes to sum up all situations. It'd have to be an awful lot of money with my kids starving in order for me to sacrifice my integrity & character. Even then it'd be hard for me to not say something. It's a pool game. I don't wanna win because my opponent accidentally shot the wrong ball. I wanna win because i performed well.

That said, i'm not a pro player depending on money from pool games. I gamble & play tournies for the enjoyment of competition and because i can afford to. If i lose money because i tell the guy he's shooting the wrong ball then so be it, he wins because he played better.

+1
............

 

[iowa_player]

Playing for fun I would always say something but when playing
for cash or tournaments. I feel it is your own responsibility to pay
attention to the game at hand . Its not my job to help you win !

On a diff. subject I have called unseen fouls on my self in cash games
and in tournaments I would and do feel that would be cheating but
in competition you should know what ball to shoot at all times !!!

Once in a tournament I failed to hit the lowest ball playing 9 ball
my opponent didn't see it and went to the table and got down on his
shot . I stepped up and said hey I fouled you have ball in hand !
I lost the match but gained some respect .

Larry

 

[cuesmith]

There's been a few sportsmanship threads lately and I thought a poll might be timely. You can choose more than one option, please choose 3.

I'd like to preface the poll by stating the following:

assume you are playing someone that you respect, not some butthead you wouldn't give the time of day to.

IMHO this is not a question of sportsmanship or integrity. It's a game! Part of the game is for you to know what balls you're supposed to be shooting. I seldom pay that close of attention to where my opponent is aiming and have made the mistake of "butting in" in situations like this, only to find he had a different plan than I assumed and was doing exactly what he intended to do, and I was actually sharking him by the interruption. I sometimes overlook fouls by my opponent because of this but I've found that I play better if I don't try to get into my opponents head during a match. I play my game when it's my turn at the table, when it's his turn, I sit and wait. This is especially true if the player plays on the slow side. I get "out of stroke" if I watch them closely!

This reminds me of something that happened many years ago at a big tournament in Columbus Ohio. I was walking down the aisle, looking for a good match to sweat. Grady came up to me and asked if I was busy. He told me he had a match with Charlie Williams and needed some help. I said "sure Grady, how can I help?" He turned his chair around facing me on the sidelines and had me watch the match and let him know when it was his turn to shoot. He told me that watching Charlie play ruined his rhythm and made it difficult to play up to his speed. I did as he asked, unfortunately Charlie played very well that match.

 

[edd]

If it's practice or fun or just cheap stuff, yeah I'll say something. But if it's for a nice chunk of change or a tourney, not a chance.

Agreed. I would certainly let him/her know, if its a casual game.

 

[MaxEnglish]

I agree, that one should always pay attention to the game, at least that much that you know which ball you're supposed to shoot... This reminds me of a World 9-ball championship in 2006(?) when Steve Davis shot at a 3-6-combo when the deuce was still on the table... Can't remember who he was playin', but I think he didn't even have the opportunity to say something, being that the match was refereed and all...
If I was playing someone I deeply respect in a tourney, it would propably make me sick to call a foul on him, but I feel I have no choice... It is the player's own responsibility to be aware of what's going on on the table...

 

[cuesmith]

I agree, that one should always pay attention to the game, at least that much that you know which ball you're supposed to shoot... This reminds me of a World 9-ball championship in 2006(?) when Steve Davis shot at a 3-6-combo when the deuce was still on the table... Can't remember who he was playin', but I think he didn't even have the opportunity to say something, being that the match was refereed and all...
If I was playing someone I deeply respect in a tourney, it would propably make me sick to call a foul on him, but I feel I have no choice... It is the player's own responsibility to be aware of what's going on on the table...

I think it was Allison Fisher's first US TV appearance and she was playing very well. She played a safety on her opponent and received "Ball in hand" where she shot the 3 ball in getting very good position on the 2 ball! lol She was quite embarrassed but went on to win the match.

A buddy of mine from West Va was playing a one pocket match at the DCC one year. He shot 2 balls in his hole and then the next one in his opponents hole! Oh, I might add he had shots at his hole and the ball he shot in his opponent's hole wasn't a hanger he shot as a defensive move. I tease him about it to this day. I've seen a lot of people shoot at the wrong pocket playing one-hole, but that was the only time I ever saw someone change holes in mid run!

 

[catpool9]

Shooting the wrong balls

Well, I may shoot the wrong ball alot, but you can bet your As$ it's a legal ball to shoot, I can only remember once or twice in my life shooting the Wrong Ball !

Snooze you Loose!


David Harcrow

 

[NewStroke]

I wouldn't feel right if I didn't say something.

 

[ShootingArts]

I'm impressed

Poll results so far indicate a decent % of players draw the line between funzies and money/tournies.

A question for those doing so (ie. voting they won't say something with something tangible on the line):

How do you rationalize your decision to stay mum? Do you feel bad afterwards when you say "foul"?

Matt,

I'm impressed that you seem to be getting honest answers. Many times people just throw out "feel good" answers instead of what they are more likely to do. A serious "kudos" to all that are taking time to consider and give truthful answers.

Hu