Examples of Bad Sportsmanship?

[allanpsand]

Howdy Folks,

Let's hear some stories about bad sportsmanship.


Here's one of mine:

I was playing in a small doubles 8 Ball league. Basically, our strategy was to setup balls (and block pockets) for the first several turns. We generally ended up blocking four pockets, and then run the balls out to win the game. The match was to 7 and we won 6 of them.

On dropping the final ball, I reached out to pat an opponent on the back intending to utter some words of "You'll do better next time." You can imagine my surprise when he whips around and slugs me.

Since I was about 12 inches taller than he was, he only managed to land a solid punch on my shoulder. He was lunging at me for more when his buddy got a solid grab on him.

The funny thing - I saw him about a year later and he acted like nothing had happened and was a friendly as you please. Go figure.

 

[d.p]

earl the pearl

 

[hang-the-9]

Howdy Folks,

Let's hear some stories about bad sportsmanship.


Here's one of mine:

I was playing in a small doubles 8 Ball league. Basically, our strategy was to setup balls (and block pockets) for the first several turns. We generally ended up blocking four pockets, and then run the balls out to win the game. The match was to 7 and we won 6 of them.

On dropping the final ball, I reached out to pat an opponent on the back intending to utter some words of "You'll do better next time." You can imagine my surprise when he whips around and slugs me.

Since I was about 12 inches taller than he was, he only managed to land a solid punch on my shoulder. He was lunging at me for more when his buddy got a solid grab on him.

The funny thing - I saw him about a year later and he acted like nothing had happened and was a friendly as you please. Go figure.

I have to point out that he may only have seen the motion of you moving towards him with your hand and though you were trying to hit him. Maybe he had a quick instinctive reaction to that.

But then again, I know how annoying it is to play people that don't try to run out in 8 ball and just bat balls around near the pockets for 5 minutes, I may have swung at you too for that LOL

 

[Bob Jewett]

Former world champion playing in a match against another former (or maybe current) world champion: sees that the shot is going to be problematic, and hurries the shot to make sure that no referee is called over. Fouls and continues to shoot. Not a surprise since this player was already known to be scummy, but still disappointing to those who respect the game and the rules.

 

[hang-the-9]

Mike Immonen was shooting at a ball vs Shane, and had a cluster that was up table, don't remember the tourney they were in. He either just missed the shot, or got a bad hit, and then seeing that the cueball was heading right for the cluster to free it up for shane, he blocked the cueball with his stick. No foul was called for that aside from the ball in hand for touching the cueball, it should have really been a loss of game for that.

 

[ChicagoJoe]

Mike Immonen was shooting at a ball vs Shane, and had a cluster that was up table, don't remember the tourney they were in. He either just missed the shot, or got a bad hit, and then seeing that the cueball was heading right for the cluster to free it up for shane, he blocked the cueball with his stick. No foul was called for that aside from the ball in hand for touching the cueball, it should have really been a loss of game for that.

I've wondered what I would say if, for example, the 8 was sitting in a pocket and my opponent makes a bad hit and unintentionally sends the cue towards the 8. Instead of letting it pocket the 8, he picks it up seeing as it was a bad hit already.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I've wondered what I would say if, for example, the 8 was sitting in a pocket and my opponent makes a bad hit and unintentionally sends the cue towards the 8. Instead of letting it pocket the 8, he picks it up seeing as it was a bad hit already.

The rules cover this. Intentionally touching a ball in play is unsportsmanlike conduct. One penalty is to be ejected from the tournament and not get any prize money or ranking points.

 

[ChicagoJoe]

I was playing a guy one time and i was on the 8 ball. He had only one ball that was kissing the 8 close to the rail. He played safe, so i had to kick at it softly. I missed and since my opponent was on the other side of the table, i grabbed the cue ball before it stopped moving and rolled it towards him. A guy on his team jumped up and said that's game over because i was on the 8 and didn't let the cue ball stop. Apparently, its a rule in APA.

I thought that was pretty poor, especially considering i was definitely not scratching and only grabbed it to roll it to my opponent.

 

[hang-the-9]

The rules cover this. Intentionally touching a ball in play is unsportsmanlike conduct. One penalty is to be ejected from the tournament and not get any prize money or ranking points.

Have you seen that actually happen? Aside from getting the ball in hand? I do not think I have even seen a loss of game awarded in ANY tournament or league play.

 

[Bob Jewett]

I was playing a guy one time and i was on the 8 ball. He had only one ball that was kissing the 8 close to the rail. He played safe, so i had to kick at it softly. I missed and since my opponent was on the other side of the table, i grabbed the cue ball before it stopped moving and rolled it towards him. A guy on his team jumped up and said that's game over because i was on the 8 and didn't let the cue ball stop. Apparently, its a rule in APA.

I thought that was pretty poor, especially considering i was definitely not scratching and only grabbed it to roll it to my opponent.

Yes, it was pretty petty of them to call that if the cue ball was not rolling towards any ball. When in doubt, don't touch the cue ball. Technically, even on the nine ball (or eight ball), you have to let the cue ball stop rolling. Touching a rolling cue ball is a foul. Gather the other balls and get your break stick, and then worry about the cue ball.

On the other hand, picky enforcement of nitty rules isn't in the same class of USLC as willful violation of the rules with the intent of getting away with it.

 

[hang-the-9]

I was playing a guy one time and i was on the 8 ball. He had only one ball that was kissing the 8 close to the rail. He played safe, so i had to kick at it softly. I missed and since my opponent was on the other side of the table, i grabbed the cue ball before it stopped moving and rolled it towards him. A guy on his team jumped up and said that's game over because i was on the 8 and didn't let the cue ball stop. Apparently, its a rule in APA.

I thought that was pretty poor, especially considering i was definitely not scratching and only grabbed it to roll it to my opponent.

While the shot is technically not over till the cue ball stops, if the players even kinda know each other and you can tell by where the ball is going it won't scratch, things like this are just ignored.

This falls into a similar rule that was the topic of another post, not pointing out a second foul in the 3 foul rule and the player refusing the loss because the other guy did not warn him. I agree with that, more so than touching the cue ball when it's clear it won't scratch. In fact, most pro tournaments I have seen, the players grab the cueball before it stops after they make the game winning shot, which is technically a foul.

The guy is obviously a member of our exclusive MASSHole founded club of D-Bags.

 

[Bob Jewett]

Have you seen that actually happen? Aside from getting the ball in hand? I do not think I have even seen a loss of game awarded in ANY tournament or league play.

Loss of match is a little severe, but preventing the cue ball from completing a break-out should be loss of game.

One notable USLC penalty was in the 2000 US Open 14.1 when Efren, who was ignorant of the rules in that tournament, took a tap safe with the side of his cue. You are not permitted to play with the side of your cue even when playing an intentional foul. It cost Efren 16 points and a break.

 

[D_Lewis]

Throwing balls when you take them out of the pocket to rack.
Going to the bathroom when it's not your turn at the table.
Making noises when your opponent makes balls like you're in shock or that they aren't supposed to ever run out.
Walking out on your tab.

All good examples.

 

[Pushout]

Acting like a primadonna just because of who you are and then ranting because you were soundly trounced by 16 year old Dennis Hatch.

 

[Cdryden]

Dear God where do I start? I think one of the most memorable ones for me was during a league 8 ball match. (go figure huh? )

I was a 6 playing a 2 and I was burying this guy every time I didn't have a shot. It was brutal, I had him locked up tighter than mother Teresa's chastity belt. He was getting a bit frustrated when I got on the hill and he still hadn't won a game. I broke and got a good lay out and ran it out for the win.

He walks up to the table and kicks it in the side and smacks himself in the forehead, then turns to me and says "Lucky game!" The he walks into the bathroom and we hear a bunch of noise like he's tearing up the place. Next he comes out of the bathroom yelling at himself and walks right out of the pool hall and I never saw him again. ( I found out later he got banned from the pool room and the league)

The funny thing was my buddy was in the stall in the bathroom while this guy was having his meltdown and comes walking out and says, "Y'all ain't going to believe this, I was trying to take a piss and some guy went nuts in the bathroom. It scared the hell out of me so bad I pissed down the side of my pants!"

Another one I remember didn't involve me playing, I was just sweating the match. I don't remember how much they were playing for but I remember it being enough that I kept my mouth shut while they played.
It was a race to 21 in 9 ball iirc, and my buddy Steve was up 12-2 I think. He was really on a roll and the guy he was playing was doing everything he could to shark Steve. He was doing the ole jingling change in his pocket, coughing at just the right time etc. but none of it was working.

The guy called for a break and went outside for a smoke with some girl. After a few minutes they resumed play. All of the sudden Steve's girlfriend goes crazy yelling at Steve, saying stuff like "you promised you wouldn't do that any more" and "I thought you loved me, I'm tired of this ****". And she storms out of the pool room. Steve was completely gut shot and lost the match badly.

Later I find out that the when the guy went out to smoke he had this girl call Steves girlfriend and say that she has been sleeping with him. It was a mess, I couldn't believe someone would sink that low to win a match. Steve lost his money and his girl with 1 phone call. What a *****.

 

[Cdryden]

Howdy Folks,

Let's hear some stories about bad sportsmanship.


Here's one of mine:

I was playing in a small doubles 8 Ball league. Basically, our strategy was to setup balls (and block pockets) for the first several turns. We generally ended up blocking four pockets, and then run the balls out to win the game. The match was to 7 and we won 6 of them.

On dropping the final ball, I reached out to pat an opponent on the back intending to utter some words of "You'll do better next time." You can imagine my surprise when he whips around and slugs me.

Since I was about 12 inches taller than he was, he only managed to land a solid punch on my shoulder. He was lunging at me for more when his buddy got a solid grab on him.

The funny thing - I saw him about a year later and he acted like nothing had happened and was a friendly as you please. Go figure.

And that's why I don't pat opponents on the back! I once extended my hand for a friendly shake to a guy that I just beat and he slapped it! I was starting to blow up when he turned back around and said he was sorry. We ended up friends, sometimes people just loose their cool.

 

[CreeDo]

I hear a particular player in our league, on two occasions, has done the hand slap. Someone reaches to shake, he slaps it away. Somehow he hasn't gotten decked. I guess that would be an overreaction but for a few seconds the urge would be intense.

In VNEA we had a team go to canada for some sort of regional/finals thing.
Playing 8b, you have to mark the pocket, and our player did so.
During his backswing the marker slides off, and the other team calls it a loss of game for failure to mark.
Worse, the ref agreed.

Later I think he called a female player on that team a C-something or other,
so I guess our own sportsmanship was not quite up to par that day.

 

[superflychief]

I play in a VNEA league and had 2 this yr. We were playing a team who we've had issues with before. I'm watching my teammate play. His oponent's ball was half hidden behind my teammates. The oponent shot and half ball hit my teammates ball. I mean it wasn't even close. My guy called a foul 3 times and the shooter didn't agree. Call goes to the shooter unfortunately. It was rediculous.

Then in playoffs I was playing a match where my oponent scratched on the break. In our league that's ball in hand on the head string. It was my first big playoff and I was nervous and for some reason played ball in hand in the middle of the table. The second my cue contacted the cue ball, my openent slapped me on the back and said foul. I wanted to deck him. Yes I know it was my mistake but still.... :angry:

 

[Cdryden]

I hear a particular player in our league, on two occasions, has done the hand slap. Someone reaches to shake, he slaps it away. Somehow he hasn't gotten decked. I guess that would be an overreaction but for a few seconds the urge would be intense.

Yeah I went from 0 -60 on the P O'ed scale. I have been in my share of scraps when I was younger and since learned that you may be bigger tougher and meaner but all it takes is some young punk with a gun and bad temper.

I'm glad me and that guy turned out to be friends, he's actually a good guy. He was just going through a bad time. It took me by surprise since I am 6'2" and around 230 lbs and he is like 5'8" and 110 lbs! I don't think I would have tried that with someone who was that much bigger than me!

 

[Spider1]

Tony Drago at the Mosconi Cup a few years ago was about the worst I have seen. And it was during an Earl match of all things. The worst scummy behavior on a grand stage ever. And Tny was not even playing in the match. Absolutely terrible. He should have had two bouncers toss him out on his face, and yet the organizers allowed him to continue.