Shy but wants to play

Still ill, the z pack didn't work. My ear feels like it's full of cotton and someone is jabbing it with a pencil.

I took my grandson to the ENT for his checkup (tubes), and I asked him to look at my ear, which he did. He said to get some nasal decongestant spray, use it, then lie down with my head over the end of the bed so it can drain into the eustachion tube. I did this. How STUPID can I be?:frown:

It felt like I snorted wasps coated in wasabi!!!!!:angry: For 5 hours, I blew thick bubbly snot, my teeth hurt, my head was POUNDING, I was throwing up, and it burned so bad I almost went to the ER. :crying:

And it did nothing for my ear. I have an appointment on Tuesday.

Anyway, here's Monday's games:

Game 1: Won (YES!!! Did everything right for a change!)
Game 2: 4 balls
Game 3: Won (see game 1)
Game 4: Big Fat Zero, got derbied

I won 2 games legitimately, and that's a record, I think. It sure feels good, even when I'm so sick that when I lean over, my ear and head crackle. :o
 
Skiergirl, first of all hello from 'Sunny' England.

I have read your story for the last couple of hours on a non-eventful night shift and I just wanted to say congratulations on your endeavours so far and good luck on wherever it takes you.

regards

ElMav
 
2 wins out of 4 ~ there's your 50% pool ! Finally ! keep it up !:cool:



practice , practice , practice . Drill , drill , drill . . .
 
Thanks, ElMav.......glad you can keep the boredom at bay during the watch o' the wee hours by reading drivel posted by aspiring shooters/wannabe's.

Hey ridin, I have a new drill to improve my cut shots that a good shooter on league showed me. Line up 5 balls on any diamond, running across the table. Put the CB anywhere you want, but after each shot, put the CB back. Shoot each ball into the same pocket. When you can do them all in a row, move them and do other positions/pockets. I'm getting better.

I need a good drill for shooting over another ball. I muff that up every single time.:frown:
 
drill for that is simple .
set the shot up , and practice it over and over , from different places on the table .
The trick is identifying why you muff it . . .
is your bridge steady on that type of shot ?
is the butt of your cue too high ? too much elevation , and you can unintentional turn it into a jump ~ only has to leave the felt a few thousandths to change everything . . .
are you hitting the exact center of the cueball ? ANY left or right when you're jacked up , and you've just shot an unintentional masse . . . .
some females (OOoops , sexist of me ~ some players ~ I have seen guys do it ! ), when shooting over balls , prefer to shoot with the mechanical bridge turned onto the high side - gives them a stable platform , eliminates the possible wobble in the bridge hand . . .
we just did a thread on shootin over a ball - search key is your friend !
 
I dunno if anyone asked this yet but where are you located? I am sure there is prob some fellow AZers that could help out or maybe give some suggestions. AZers are the best source of all kinds of info including places to practice. I just love the wealth of knowledge here.
 
Getting old Ain't for sissies. Good lord woman you are so right!!!!! I'm 52 and feeling 152. Joints all hurt, have had the remnants of pneumonia for weeks. Tired and just feeling like crap.

Shooting better than ever though. A new Josie and practice that is paying off. I hope you get the crud under control. I've had off and on issues with inner ear problems. Prednezone really helped clear up the symptoms when it got bad. Draining down the E-tubes, constant pressure and so on. Have a talk with you're doc. It is not a regimen to stay on but to clear you up a week or two won't hurt.

I hope you're feeling better. And you're doing better than me this year. So far I've been skunked. Lost tough matches in 8 and 9 ball.

Mark Shuman
 
I've been practicing my 'over the ball' shot. Miraculously, doing it over and over and over has made a difference!

Sunday, in practice, I was Golden. Bank shots, kick shots, long green cut shots......they all went in. Steve, my teammate who is a level 8 BCA, said, "Wow, you can't miss." I beat him a few times in a row.

Great, right?

Monday's games:

Game 1: 1 ball
Game 2: 7 balls (chase the 8)
Game 3: 3 balls
Game 4: 3 balls

Worst night in a long long time. I used up all my shots on Sunday!!:eek:
 
We are in dead last, but moving up in points. We're less than 50 from the next place up, tee hee.

I'm getting an el cheapo 6 foot pool table from a friend who's moving. I'm moving, too, so it will become my dining table since I don't have one o those. I don't know what condition it's in, but will find out on Sunday. I'm going to get better or die tryin.:smile:
 
skiergirl55 said:
We are in dead last, but moving up in points. We're less than 50 from the next place up, tee hee.

I'm getting an el cheapo 6 foot pool table from a friend who's moving. I'm moving, too, so it will become my dining table since I don't have one o those. I don't know what condition it's in, but will find out on Sunday. I'm going to get better or die tryin.:smile:
Click to expand...


What shape is your dining room table in?
 
Well, I don't know yet. I'll pick it up tomorrow. I'll try to post a picture.

Okay, APA fans.....get out your forks and bibs, time to feast on me. I joined an APA league tonight and the first night is Tuesday. I'm already hatin it.
The team captain said, "What level are you?" I'm a BCA level 6. He said, "Well, we need you to be a 3." He means for me to sandbag.:mad:

This team I'm on has already won first place and is in the City Cup this Spring for a shot at going to Vegas. And he wants me to sandbag now. It just doesn't seem right to me to throw a game to some moron who probably won't shoot as well as me.

WHAT SHOULD I DO, APA FANATICS?
 
Conceal your speed to improve your action after league is over for the night. Also, wear a pilgrim or stripper outfit for the hustle you get from it!
 
NEVER let anyone tell you to throw a game .:frown:
ABSOLUTELY never throw a game :mad:
Don't even miss a shot intentionally just to run up innings:(

but you can miss a shot intentionally to benefit YOUR STRATEGY in the game . Just be sure to audibly state "mark defensive" before you pull the trigger . An APA 'safety' and a BCA 'safety' are two very different things !

As a BCA 6 , you really aren't that far from an honest APA s/l3 .

And as a new female APA player , you will start as an s/l3 .

Something that ISN'T sandbagging is opponent selection . Play against some APA s/l 5s & 6s at first , and PLAY YOUR HEART OUT trying to beat them . the odds are that you won't , because the equalizer is broken , but try anyway ! After you do that a few times , THEN try playing against some APA s/l3s , and it won't be as hard .
Just remember , it's only 12 (remaining) weeks til LTC , and you need 10 scores in before then to have an honest s/l , and be eligible - don't miss a week !

Play HONEST , and you'll have a good time ! Good luck !



trust in yourself . hold both hands over your head with your fingers in a "V" pattern and say "I am not a crook" . . . . :cool:
 
What does "mark defensive" mean?

I have 3 days to learn new rules. What's the main difference between BCA and APA rules?I guess I need to find a book, but moving and sittin an readin don't mix!
 
Did he really say that he wants you to sandbag and expects you to intentionally throw games and miss shots - or did he simply mean that what they need on their team is an SL3?

There's a big difference.

Personally, I couldn't play for a team that expected me to throw games or pad innings.
 
skiergirl55 said:
The team captain said, "What level are you?" I'm a BCA level 6. He said, "Well, we need you to be a 3." He means for me to sandbag.:mad:

This team I'm on has already won first place and is in the City Cup this Spring for a shot at going to Vegas. And he wants me to sandbag now. It just doesn't seem right to me to throw a game to some moron who probably won't shoot as well as me.

WHAT SHOULD I DO, APA FANATICS?
Click to expand...

If that's what he really means, by all means don't play for him. I wouldn't.

I love playing in my APA league here, but I wouldn't if that was going on here. Openly sandbagging? It's bull$hit.

If a team needs a three, they need to find a beginner. Since you have never played APA before, you would likely start as a 3. But if/when you play well, you should go up in skill level, tho not dramatically unless you clear tables in an inning or two. You won't know till you play in the APA system, against the people in your area. If you decide to, depending on what your captain really meant by his statement.

The differences in rules? Just a few. This is assuming 8-ball, I couldn't tell from your post. If it's 9-ball I can't help you. (Tho I still think you'd start as a 3.)

- Take what you make on the break, not "open table". Your choice if you make one of each.

- The oft-talked about "slop". If you hit one of your balls first, anything that goes in anywhere stays down and counts. Goofy, sure. For true real beginners its probably good to keep the race from going all night. At SL5 and above I rarely see it happening.

- You have to put a "marker" on the rail next to the pocket that you intend to shoot the 8 into. This causes much distress among "real" pool players, but is really small potatoes. It takes but a moment to pull something out of your pocket and place it on the rail by the pocket, time which is well spent keeping ones cool, in my opinion. Yes, it's goofy too, but it doesn't affect the game one bit. In our regular weekly play here, opponents very often agree to "call it" rather than "mark it", but if/when you go to state/regional/national stuff they will insist. It may work this way where you are too. When in doubt, "mark" it. (I do, whether or not my opponent wants to. I won't force them to or call foul on them, I just want consistency for myself.)

- No jump cues. You can jump, but only using a full length cue.

- Ball-in-hand behind the head string if there is a scratch on the break. BCA gives ball-in-hand anywhere on such a scratch on the break now, if I remember the rule change talked about here.

- 8 doesn't have to go in "clean", it can go in after hitting any other ball on the table, so long as it goes in the pocket you "marked". (I dunno if "going in clean" is a BCA thing or not, but it is required in our in-house games, so it must come from somewhere!)

Those are the biggest differences I can come up with. I'm sure there are more, but these are what come to mind from my experience, and from what comes up regualrly.

The "marking defensives" discussed earlier means when a player takes a shot where they did not intend to make a ball, but to play safe, the scorekeeper is supposed to mark that on the scoresheet. If everyone does this correctly, it helps keep the sandbagging under control, if only a little. The number of innings it takes to finish a game is a factor in how the handicap is determined, i.e. those who win in 1 or 2 innings will be ranked higher than those who win in 8 innings. But if you shoot 6 safeties out of your 8 innings, you really only shot 2 times, so far as determining how many shots it took to winis concerned for handcapping purposes.

Oh well. That's what I can tell you. I hope that it goes well for you, tho I suspect your initial encounter with your captain. Good luck, and good shooting.
 
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justadub said:
The differences in rules? Just a few. This is assuming 8-ball, I couldn't tell from your post. If it's 9-ball I can't help you. (Tho I still think you'd start as a 3.)

In 8ball , non-rated ladies will play their first match as an s/l 3 . In 9ball , non-rated ladies shall play their first match as an s/l2 . APA players with an established handicap in 8ball will begin playing 9ball at the nearest handicap level , and vice-versa . Example : an established 9ball s/l1 would begin playing 8ball as an s/l2 . An established 9ball s/l8 would start playing 8ball as an s/l7


The "marking defensives" discussed earlier means when a player takes a shot where they did not intend to make a ball, but to play safe, the scorekeeper is supposed to mark that on the scoresheet.

another difference is that in BCA , if you call a 'safety' before the shot , and pocket a ball , it is your opponent's shot .
In APA , if you call a safety and pocket a ball , you must continue shooting , OR grant you opponent ball - in - hand . Any time that you choose to give your opponent ball - in - hand instead of taking a shot , you must mark defensive .

If everyone does this correctly, it helps keep the sandbagging under control, if only a little. The number of innings it takes to finish a game is a factor in how the handicap is determined, i.e. those who win in 1 or 2 innings will be ranked higher than those who win in 8 innings. But if you shoot 6 safeties out of your 8 innings, you really only shot 2 times, so far as determining how many shots it took to win is concerned for handicapping purposes.

And if you get into a safety war with your opponent , this can REALLY affect handicaps . If we shoot an 8 inning game , and I shoot safe , he returns the safety , me safe , he safe , me safe , he safe , me safe , he safe , me safe , he finally takes the shot , we have shot a combined total of 9 defensive shots in 8 innings , for a total of -1 innings in that game , although the game box still shows 8 innings . THAT'LL getcha bumped up prematurely ! Especially if the other games in that match were short . . . . :eek:
Click to expand...

But for now , don't be as concerned with the handicapping . And DON'T sandbag , for anyone , ever !!:cool:


Remember , APA handicaps & BCA handicaps are unrelated & cannot be compared , except to the extent that higher numbers play better .
Remember that APA s/l#s in 8ball max out at 7 , so an APA s/l4 is a middle-of-the-road player , kinda like a BCA 6 (sorta-kinda , in an apples&oranges way . )
There's no shame in being an APA s/l3 or 4 . There's only shame in cheating to stay at that level . . . . . :mad:
 
ridinda9 said:

In APA , if you call a safety and pocket a ball , you must continue shooting , OR grant you opponent ball - in - hand . Any time that you choose to give your opponent ball - in - hand instead of taking a shot , you must mark defensive .
Click to expand...

And from the "learn something new everyday" department... :o

That makes all the sense in the world, yet it never occurred to me, nor has it been told to me. Sheesh. Guess I've been sandbagging (or helping the sandbaggers) all this time! :rolleyes: Of course that's for both teams, so I really suck at it!

Seriously, thanks. That's so obvious that I feel silly not realizing to do that.
 
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