this why you complain about apa ?

[lorider]

WARNING !!

long post but i will try to keep it interesting.

we just had a qualifying tournament for the cities yesterday. for some reason no one on our team knew we were eligible for it until our lo reminded one of our players 10 clock fri nite.

this tournament was called the best of the rest. it was held for all the teams that did not go to the tri cups. i guess you could call it a last chance tourny. you only needed 3 players and it was a single elim. 2 out of 3.

it was hell getting 3 players there on such short notice. we managed to get me and 2 others to go.

they throw out a 6, their highest player so my captain throws me out, i am a 5. now remember it was already short notice for us but this is where the shit really starts hitting the fan. i have never played this guy since he plays in a different division but i have heard his name often as the biggest sandbagger in town.

well it starts off with us having to lag 3 times , each time the lag was so even that the lo could not determine which ball was closer to the rail. i won the 3rd lag. i break and run 5 balls, he makes a couple and plays safe. i kick and hit my ball, he runs a couple and plays safe. i miss my ball and he runs out.

let me shorten this thing by saying i change my strategy and after 4 racks it is 2-2.

here is my 1st mistake, i ask my scorekeeper how many safes he has marked on this guy. he says 2. i am pissed because i know that is not right. i go ask their scorekeeper and she says 4, hell that aint right either. i tell my scorekeeper the other team has 4 marked and to pay attention .

my 2nd mistake. getting out of my game thinking about no wonder he has a reputation as a sandbagger.

5th rack i make the 8 early.

6th rack i choke on the 8 leaving it hanging in the corner pocket, it was the easiest shot i had that rack. he gets outa his chair and comes running to the table and runs out. now he is on the hill with me needing 2. i win the 7th and he wins the 8th . i beat myself by letting lousy scorekeeping get to me. my scorekeeper had 12 safes marked for him so i dont think he will be a 6 after this.

now more shit comes up.

we throw a 4 and they throw a 2. i am thinking we got the next 2 games with no problem. b during this match a friend comes up and says buddy you cant play your last player he is a 6. i say why not. he says this is a 14 handicap tourny. i go wtf ?. us 3 make 15. i get on the phone and finally get a 4 who was on last sessions team to come. he walks in just as our 4 wins his match.

now it gets interesting .

they throw a 5 against our 4. our 4 is playing his ass off but their 5 is no slouch. after my guy is up 2-1 their 6 who i played comes up to the lo who is standing behid me watching this match. he starts complaining about how our 4 is underated. i start laughing my ass off. our 4 wins 3-2.

our next opponent we dispose of with no problem. our 4 who just got there beats their 3 , 4-0. i beat their 4, 4-0.

our double jeapordy 9 ball had already qualified for cities and now we going to the 8 ball event as well.

this is the most drama i have faced in playing apa for 2 years now and it all worked out in the end.

i should not have lost my game because i usually let shit run off me like water off a duck. i think it is hilarious that a guy who has a reputation for sandbagging was complaining about our guy who i know is not a sandbagger.

i think if scorekeeping was done correctly all the time my opponent would have been a 7 all along and would not have a reputation as a sandbagger. sandbagging is the biggest complaint people seem to have against the apa, aside from slop:smile:

sorry for being so long winded but i just wanted to share something i have never encountered in apa until now.

 

[Johnnyt]

It seems like you all do too much B&Moaning instead of playing the games. Glad I never joined. Seems like eveyony walks around with a rule book and a cell with LO on speeddial or speed text or whatever ya call it today. Sounds like a bunch of pool lawyers.:smile: Johnnyt

 

[lorider]

It seems like you all do too much B&Moaning instead of playing the games. Glad I never joined. Seems like eveyony walks around with a rule book and a cell with LO on speeddial or speed text or whatever ya call it today. Sounds like a bunch of pool lawyers.:smile: Johnnyt

you got me all wrong. if you are ever bored go through my posting history concerning leagues and apa in particular. you will find that i am a staunch supporter of all leagues in general and the apa in particular.

most of my posts are upbeat about league play and i believe they usually always will be.

i just wanted to share my experience this weekend and bring up a few points.

1. when people post on here about the apa it always leads to the subject of sandbagging. i for one have never complained about an opponents handicap and i sure did not do it in my post above. i simply stated what i have heard. i also stated with proper scorekeeping i believe all people will be correctly handicapped.

2. people post on here about the importance of the mental aspect of the game. i brought up where i was guilty of being distracted because of innaccurate scorekeeping. i lost focus causing me to not play as well in the latter part of the match. i stated that was the reason i lost my match.

3. people always post complaining about a**holes in leagues. while i am not going to call my opponent an a**hole, i thought him complaining to our lo was uncalled for and quite funny at the time.

those 3 points are what most people complain about the most when they play apa. being the 1st time having an encounter like this after playing apa for 2 years i have to say my experience has been pretty enjoyable.

sorry if you took my post as bashing or complaining in anyway.

 

[RRfireblade]

Honestly I can't tell if this is pro APA or con. I don't hardly see anything worthy of a thread.

That's not a slam or anything. I just mean you got a chance to qualify you didn't even know you had. That's good. You pulled a team together last minute. Good. You won. Good.

You seemed to be obsessed over a sandbagger, by rumour only, thereby looking for any excuse to find 'something ' on him. Not so good.

The rest just seemed like typical league. Good (enough) if your me, not so good if your league is typically more like a children's birthday party.

 

[Celophanewrap]

First, scorekeeping is not an exact science. The sheets may not agree. Since it's not required to actually call a defensive shot what you see as a safe I may not think of as a safe and so we mark accordingly. Sometimes our innings may not agree, but more to the point, especially during a match, why do you care? It sounds to me like this guy was in your head and had you beat before you all even bothered to lag, and as a 6, how much can he really be sandbagging? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but just what can you do about it 60 seconds before your match? If you just play and don't worry about the stuff out of your hands I think you'll increase you chances of winning, unless of course you want to stay a 5......

 

[miscrewed1989]

typica...

Typical APA crap. Sounds like it's time to graduate to real poolplaying. The APA will survive without you. There are plenty of new suckers buying cues every day and being told the same lies that were told to you that made you join in the beginning...

 

[lorider]

Honestly I can't tell if this is pro APA or con. I don't hardly see anything worthy of a thread.

That's not a slam or anything. I just mean you got a chance to qualify you didn't even know you had. That's good. You pulled a team together last minute. Good. You won. Good.

You seemed to be obsessed over a sandbagger, by rumour only, thereby looking for any excuse to find 'something ' on him. Not so good.

The rest just seemed like typical league. Good (enough) if your me, not so good if your league is typically more like a children's birthday party.

does any post about the apa or any league for that matter have to be pro or con ? all i was trying to do in my 1st post was share an experience out of the ordinary i had this weekend. i apologize if you dont think it is worthy of a thread. next time i start a thread i will try to make it a lil more controversial, maybe bash the bcapl or something, that should pique some interest dontcha think

there were several things out of the ordinary league experience for me and i wanted to comment on it.

1st. getting some players together at the last minute.
2. finding out in the middle of the 2nd match we were over handicapped for this event.
3.getting another player there before the 2nd match was over.
4. letting something as simple as inaccurate scorekeeping interfere with my focus.
5. having someone complain about one of our players handicap to the lo.

i think you have taken some of my post out of context. in no way am i obssesed with my opponent who is a rumoured sandbagger. again this was out of the ordinary. he is the 1st person i have faced that is accused of sandbagging. do i honestly think he is a sandbagger ? no. i will say he is the best playing s/l 6 i have ever faced.

again speaking about it being out of the ordinary for me was the fact that neither scorekeeper had the correct number of safties that he played marked. i was just pointing out that accurate scorekeeping determines accurate skill level.

as for the childrens birthday party remark, no comment :smile:

i think you would find me the non-typical league player.

i always shake my opponents hand before lagging and wish them good luck.

i never b or moan about someones slop or good rolls.

i sit and keep my mouth shut while my opponent shoots

after the match is over i always shake my opponents hand.

if they win i say good shooting

if i win i always say something positive about their game, such great shot on that 14 in the side in the 1st rack or something to that effect.

i always watch better players and try to learn something from them. whether it be what patterns they select, what kind of english they use on certain shots. i also ask questions of better players if they are willing to share their knowledge with me.

oh yea... i am not a drunk either. i will have 1 or 2 beers sometimes, just depends on how i am shooting. sometimes i will go 2 months without a beer. used to be a tee totaler though

 

[jimmyg]

Interesting story, sounds like you got your money's worth and a fun night to boot. :thumbup:

J

 

[lorider]

First, scorekeeping is not an exact science. The sheets may not agree. Since it's not required to actually call a defensive shot what you see as a safe I may not think of as a safe and so we mark accordingly. Sometimes our innings may not agree, but more to the point, especially during a match, why do you care? It sounds to me like this guy was in your head and had you beat before you all even bothered to lag, and as a 6, how much can he really be sandbagging? Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but just what can you do about it 60 seconds before your match? If you just play and don't worry about the stuff out of your hands I think you'll increase you chances of winning, unless of course you want to stay a 5......

you are right, scorkeeping is not an exact science, nor does it have to be. actually it is a pretty simple process. i agree there maybe some discrepancy on some safes but you should always mark the obvious ones.

why do i care about accurate scorekeeping ? it is my one and only pet peeve about playing league. i just cant help it

nah this guy did not get in my head. we were even after 4 racks at 2-2. i was just guilty of losing focus after finding out nobody had the accurate number of safes marked. again that my one and only gripe about playing league i have beat better players than him before, admittedly not too often :grin:

as far as staying a 5... nah i want to be the one everybody hates to face, i want to be the best i can be. you are right about one thing though. i should not let outside distractions interfere with my game. i do realize that is one thing holding me back.

thanks for your input:thumbup:

 

[Banks]

Somebody needs to pay a little more attention to stuff like that tournament, but at least they got ahold of you, you got some people ready and pulled it off! Good going and good luck in cities. :thumbup:

 

[Johnnyt]

you got me all wrong. if you are ever bored go through my posting history concerning leagues and apa in particular. you will find that i am a staunch supporter of all leagues in general and the apa in particular.

most of my posts are upbeat about league play and i believe they usually always will be.

i just wanted to share my experience this weekend and bring up a few points.

1. when people post on here about the apa it always leads to the subject of sandbagging. i for one have never complained about an opponents handicap and i sure did not do it in my post above. i simply stated what i have heard. i also stated with proper scorekeeping i believe all people will be correctly handicapped.

2. people post on here about the importance of the mental aspect of the game. i brought up where i was guilty of being distracted because of innaccurate scorekeeping. i lost focus causing me to not play as well in the latter part of the match. i stated that was the reason i lost my match.

3. people always post complaining about a**holes in leagues. while i am not going to call my opponent an a**hole, i thought him complaining to our lo was uncalled for and quite funny at the time.

those 3 points are what most people complain about the most when they play apa. being the 1st time having an encounter like this after playing apa for 2 years i have to say my experience has been pretty enjoyable.

sorry if you took my post as bashing or complaining in anyway.

No, no. I wasing jumping on you. I was talking about the part that all the players seem more like little lawyers with their rule books/law books waiting for someone to do anything wrong even if it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game instead of just wanting to play pool. Sorry if I came off like I was jumping on you. Johnnyt

 

[lorider]

Typical APA crap. Sounds like it's time to graduate to real poolplaying. The APA will survive without you. There are plenty of new suckers buying cues every day and being told the same lies that were told to you that made you join in the beginning...

well its about time an apa basher crashed the party. real pool huh ? are you one of the guys who bash apa and say get in a league with real pool players, join the bcapl ?

let me tell you how i got in league pool scherlock.

i was a bar banger most of my life. i was playing in a bar one night and a guy i had beat 5or 6 times asked me what league i played on. i told him i had never played league.

he asked me why not . i told him i did not like slop and i did not think i was that good anyway. he told me i was better than anyone on his team and asked me to join.

so i said why not ? it was bcapl 9 ball. i never played 9 ball because i hated the slop but i did enjoy my experience playing with them . i quickly joined a bcapl 8 ball team and was a 7 by the end of the 2nd session. during the 3rd session i encounterd some personal problems and quit playing.

during my time off i suffered an injury to my shooting arm that hindered me playing for a while.

fast forward a couple years. 2 years ago i met a girl who asked me to join her apa team. i reluctantly agreed . i missed pool but knew i faced an uphill battle having not played any pool for 3 years and having a bum right hand.

i enjoy tremendously playing again and have no problems playing apa. bcapl folded in this area or i would be playing it. i am some one that hates slop but loves playing in apa. aint that strange ? i am trying hard to get back to my old speed but am fighting father time and have my good days and bad days with this bum hand.

i would rethink that last line about me if i was you.

 

[lorider]

Interesting story, sounds like you got your money's worth and a fun night to boot. :thumbup:

J

the tourny was free. just the quarters for the matches was all it cost. any night playing pool is a fun night .

 

[lorider]

Somebody needs to pay a little more attention to stuff like that tournament, but at least they got ahold of you, you got some people ready and pulled it off! Good going and good luck in cities. :thumbup:

yea we all dropped the ball on this one. it was a lil hectic and stressful but we pulled it off. our guys played great.

thanks for the well wishes.:smile:

 

[lorider]

No, no. I wasing jumping on you. I was talking about the part that all the players seem more like little lawyers with their rule books/law books waiting for someone to do anything wrong even if it has nothing to do with the outcome of the game instead of just wanting to play pool. Sorry if I came off like I was jumping on you. Johnnyt

sorry i misunderstood you. sometimes it is easy to take words out of context on the internet. i think we all have been guilty of that on here one time or another

thanks for clarifying.

 

[RRfireblade]

No thread needs to have any angle, but you were the one who titled it "This is why you complain about the APA".

I don't see what the APA had to do with any of it, complaint wise or otherwise other than giving you chance you likely shouldn't have gotten.

The out of ordinary things, well I guess I have to say you may have have the best league experience in the history of leagues cause these things are pretty ordinary around most parts.

1st. getting some players together at the last minute. Check

2. finding out in the middle of the 2nd match we were over handicapped for this event. Depending on who shows on a given night , check

3.getting another player there before the 2nd match was over. See #2

4. letting something as simple as inaccurate scorekeeping interfere with my focus. Check, in fact not even league specific

5. having someone complain about one of our players handicap to the lo. Actually this is mandatory, I think it's even in the league bylaws.

No need to get your panties in a bunch though , like I said I was not meaning to slam you in anyway ( Think I said that already) I just didnt understand the APA point.

Now if the title just said like "Mildy interesting story from league last night" then I probably wouldn't have even checked in to what the hubbub was all about.

The APA is full of people just like you (A typical , no not really) but also all the other kind you would expect to go to a bar to shoot pool and have a few drinks. None of that is the APAs fault. And while I'm no fan of league at all for my own interest, I don't see it for anymore or less than it is.

Anyways, I'll add a again, good on you guys for winning. Hopefully the next event proves more enjoyable for you. :thumbup:

does any post about the apa or any league for that matter have to be pro or con ? all i was trying to do in my 1st post was share an experience out of the ordinary i had this weekend. i apologize if you dont think it is worthy of a thread. next time i start a thread i will try to make it a lil more controversial, maybe bash the bcapl or something, that should pique some interest dontcha think

there were several things out of the ordinary league experience for me and i wanted to comment on it.

1st. getting some players together at the last minute.
2. finding out in the middle of the 2nd match we were over handicapped for this event.
3.getting another player there before the 2nd match was over.
4. letting something as simple as inaccurate scorekeeping interfere with my focus.
5. having someone complain about one of our players handicap to the lo.

i think you have taken some of my post out of context. in no way am i obssesed with my opponent who is a rumoured sandbagger. again this was out of the ordinary. he is the 1st person i have faced that is accused of sandbagging. do i honestly think he is a sandbagger ? no. i will say he is the best playing s/l 6 i have ever faced.

again speaking about it being out of the ordinary for me was the fact that neither scorekeeper had the correct number of safties that he played marked. i was just pointing out that accurate scorekeeping determines accurate skill level.

as for the childrens birthday party remark, no comment :smile:

i think you would find me the non-typical league player.

i always shake my opponents hand before lagging and wish them good luck.

i never b or moan about someones slop or good rolls.

i sit and keep my mouth shut while my opponent shoots

after the match is over i always shake my opponents hand.

if they win i say good shooting

if i win i always say something positive about their game, such great shot on that 14 in the side in the 1st rack or something to that effect.

i always watch better players and try to learn something from them. whether it be what patterns they select, what kind of english they use on certain shots. i also ask questions of better players if they are willing to share their knowledge with me.

oh yea... i am not a drunk either. i will have 1 or 2 beers sometimes, just depends on how i am shooting. sometimes i will go 2 months without a beer. used to be a tee totaler though

 

[lorider]

No thread needs to have any angle, but you were the one who titled it "This is why you complain about the APA".

I don't see what the APA had to do with any of it, complaint wise or otherwise other than giving you chance you likely shouldn't have gotten.

The out of ordinary things, well I guess I have to say you may have have the best league experience in the history of leagues cause these things are pretty ordinary around most parts.

1st. getting some players together at the last minute. Check

2. finding out in the middle of the 2nd match we were over handicapped for this event. Depending on who shows on a given night , check

3.getting another player there before the 2nd match was over. See #2

4. letting something as simple as inaccurate scorekeeping interfere with my focus. Check, in fact not even league specific

5. having someone complain about one of our players handicap to the lo. Actually this is mandatory, I think it's even in the league bylaws.

No need to get your panties in a bunch though , like I said I was not meaning to slam you in anyway ( Think I said that already) I just didnt understand the APA point.

Now if the title just said like "Mildy interesting story from league last night" then I probably wouldn't have even checked in to what the hubbub was all about.

The APA is full of people just like you (A typical , no not really) but also all the other kind you would expect to go to a bar to shoot pool and have a few drinks. None of that is the APAs fault. And while I'm no fan of league at all for my own interest, I don't see it for anymore or less than it is.

Anyways, I'll add a again, good on you guys for winning. Hopefully the next event proves more enjoyable for you. :thumbup:

please accept my apology. it was more of a question than a statement. i put a questionmark at the end of the title but i forgot to put the word is in front of the title.

next month will be 2 years that i have been playing apa.

1. have never had to get players at the last minute before.
2. our team has never had to worry about the handicap limit before. until this session i have always been the highest level on our team as a 5.
3. refer to n # 2.
4. not apa league related . just stated what i attribute my 1 loss in this tournament to.5. again this was new to me. we have never had anyone complain about the handicap of anyone on our team.

again my apologies if you thought i got my panties in a bunch. i am usually a laid back kinda guy and it usually takes more than what you posted to get me irate, unless i have one of those bad days where nothing went right

i hardly ever drink nowadays and when i do it is never more than a beer or 2. the majority of my league matches are in a pool hall and i can only recall 1 time i encountered a drunk while playing.

i play on a traveling money league also. that is an entirely different atmosphere altogether. plenty of people drinking in some real dive bars. being an old bar banger i pretty much have encountered it all, nothing much phases me anymore when it comes to playing in bars.

again it was more of a question than a statement.

a lot of people that post on here bashing apa and leagues always complain about sandbaggers , drunks etc. etc.

i guess i am fortunate to play in an area where we have a teriffic lo and most people are pretty civil to each other.

i am just amazed to hear people come on here and state that my un-ordinary event this weekend is pretty much commonplace in other areas.

 

[Celophanewrap]

you are right, scorkeeping is not an exact science, nor does it have to be. actually it is a pretty simple process. i agree there maybe some discrepancy on some safes but you should always mark the obvious ones.

why do i care about accurate scorekeeping ? it is my one and only pet peeve about playing league. i just cant help it

nah this guy did not get in my head. we were even after 4 racks at 2-2. i was just guilty of losing focus after finding out nobody had the accurate number of safes marked. again that my one and only gripe about playing league i have beat better players than him before, admittedly not too often :grin:

as far as staying a 5... nah i want to be the one everybody hates to face, i want to be the best i can be. you are right about one thing though. i should not let outside distractions interfere with my game. i do realize that is one thing holding me back.

thanks for your input:thumbup:

Accurate number of safes according to you. Remember it's subjective, what's obvious to you may not be so to the next guy. I was like you but likely 10 times worse then I realized I could only control what I did. I had to learn to trust the person keeping score at least for my team, and there were times they didn't see things the way I did. The guy is a 6 or a 7, you said you missed an easy 8-ball and left it in the jaws for him and you say he wasn't in your head? Maybe it wasn't him, I suppose it could have been the other teams (or you own) scorekeeper. Control what you can, not what everyone does. Chances are your LO doesn't even know who is who as they put in the stats and doesn't much care anyway, and all they have to work with is what they are given. The sandbaggers will always be there, you can't control that. What I have found is that most of the people I once accused of sandbagging I can now beat anyway. If you've beaten better players that are better than this guy should you also be a 6, or even a 7? Control what you do, how you hit the ball, the safes you play, the sandbaggers will begin to complain about you.

 

[justadub]

Hey, congrats on pulling it together on short notice. And for riding it out, even with a little bit of drama. As you know, there can be times when there is more drama than what you faced, for better and for worse.

I think this is actually good for you, in that it's a series of reminders on how to handle things on your end. You know that you can't control what the other guy (or the LO) does, but if you manage yourself and your team, you'll be on the better end of it.

Good luck!

(P.S. I'm unofficially "racing' you to get to SL6 first! Let the bashers jump on that stuff...hee hee.)

(P.P.S. I fully expect that you'll get there first, based on what I read from you here. I've been shooting better lately, though, so watch out! )

 

[Xnotedgeanymore]

Any pocket?

Yep, sounds like the usual league BS. Best of luck to your team though, outside of the complaining it sounds like you are doing fairly well. Cheers! -Josh