APA team captains

[justadub]

I haven't had a 2 for a while, but last time I did, it was a viable option.

We had two different groupings we could use, 7-5-5-3-3 or 7-5-5-4-2. Depending on the team we were up against, I had options.

 

[lorider]

I haven't had a 2 for a while, but last time I did, it was a viable option.

We had two different groupings we could use, 7-5-5-3-3 or 7-5-5-4-2. Depending on the team we were up against, I had options.

believe it or not i am dropping my 2 high level players...not because of the 23 limit either.

one is a 7/9 and the other is a a 6/7. i am dropping them because they are not dependable . the 7/9 only showed up 3 times and the 6/7 only showed up 6 times out of a 14 week session.

we were still competitive without them . 2nd place in 8 ball going into tonight " last week of regular session.' middle of the pack in 9 ball.

i picked up 2 5's to replace them. neither one is as strong of a 5 as i am but i will probably move up to a 6 soon with the roll i have been on the last few weeks.
i have been playing more safties lately which reduces my innings and playing pretty sporty 9 ball. last 2 wins were 38-7 against a 4 and 38-12 against a 5 tonight.

i like my odds with 3-5's and 3-4's and 2 - 3's that are there every week next session vs 1 -5 ... 3- 4's and 2-3's plus a 7 and a 6 that never showed this session.

 

[Celophanewrap]

believe it or not i am dropping my 2 high level players...not because of the 23 limit either.

one is a 7/9 and the other is a a 6/7. i am dropping them because they are not dependable . the 7/9 only showed up 3 times and the 6/7 only showed up 6 times out of a 14 week session.

we were still competitive without them . 2nd place in 8 ball going into tonight " last week of regular session.' middle of the pack in 9 ball.

i picked up 2 5's to replace them. neither one is as strong of a 5 as i am but i will probably move up to a 6 soon with the roll i have been on the last few weeks.
i have been playing more safties lately which reduces my innings and playing pretty sporty 9 ball. last 2 wins were 38-7 against a 4 and 38-12 against a 5 tonight.

i like my odds with 3-5's and 3-4's and 2 - 3's that are there every week next session vs 1 -5 ... 3- 4's and 2-3's plus a 7 and a 6 that never showed this session.

That roster with a bunch of 4'and 5's can be frighting. Most 5's are to inconsistant to be a 6, but if you catch them when they're on a roll they can make it an awful match for a higher ranked player. What I've been told is ome of the worst races for a 7 (in 8 ball) is for that 7 to face a good five thats on a roll. They're giving up 2 games to 5. That 5 gets hot and runs out, you make a mistake or miscue or the 5 plays a good safe the 5 runs out again. Then they are confident and shooting well, or on a roll like that they just happen to get an 8 - snap.
5's can be a very tough match up situation for an opposing team. A good 5 can also make a pretty good 6 or a 7 into a whining little girl, now that can be fun to watch

 

[Ronson]

I agree with you that this is the case for normal league nights. However playoffs, upper level events and nationals are a completely different animal. If my team wins the first two matches and my opponents are forced to put up their strongest player a SL7 then we are putting up the weakest player to maximize our chances in the last two matches.

We actual had this had two years ago at the NTC. We were down 2-0 after two matches. We had a 7,6,3 same as our opponents. We played our 7 and they played theirs. Our 7 won, next they put up their 6 so I played him and won. Finally our 3 beat their 3 to win the match.

Now their 7 played good, he would have been a favorite over me and would have mowed down our 3. If they would have just put their 3 on our 7 they would have won that match. There is no reason to burn your best player when you have a dominant position in the match.

I'm not sure why regular season differs from post-season... but I agree with you. In your scenario.. your opponent should have played their 2/3 while they where ahead... like you said... No reason to match your best player while your ahead.... your opponent screwed up. No reason to save a 2/3 for anchor match..especially if your ahead. Am I drunk again>? probly..

How many times have you captained a team to Vegas?

I been there 2x, nearly 5x. Gotta get lucky... I had my fun.:wink:

 

[justadub]

believe it or not i am dropping my 2 high level players...not because of the 23 limit either.

one is a 7/9 and the other is a a 6/7. i am dropping them because they are not dependable . the 7/9 only showed up 3 times and the 6/7 only showed up 6 times out of a 14 week session.

we were still competitive without them . 2nd place in 8 ball going into tonight " last week of regular session.' middle of the pack in 9 ball.

i picked up 2 5's to replace them. neither one is as strong of a 5 as i am but i will probably move up to a 6 soon with the roll i have been on the last few weeks.
i have been playing more safties lately which reduces my innings and playing pretty sporty 9 ball. last 2 wins were 38-7 against a 4 and 38-12 against a 5 tonight.

i like my odds with 3-5's and 3-4's and 2 - 3's that are there every week next session vs 1 -5 ... 3- 4's and 2-3's plus a 7 and a 6 that never showed this session.

I mentioned in the regular thread how I lost my 7 recently, and my 4 has become unreliable, so I need to add two players for next session. My plan is to try and get two 5's, or a 5 and a 4.

There just aren't that many 7's in our area. That's the first obstacle. Secondly, our team plays out of our Eagles club, and as such anyone that plays on our team has to become a member of the club, as well.

I like the concept of adding 5's. If I got two 5's, we would be 5-5-5-5-5-3-3-3. With one of my current 5's or myself potentially becoming a 6 at some point, we would have lots of flexibility. Playing aagainst lineup of 5-5-5-5-3 would be tough for most teams in our division.

 

[Koop]

Throw your 2's on other teams 6-7 level players. Winning APA is not about matching up. If a 7 smokes your 2, so what?!? But if that 2 manages to win a game its huge for your team.

Free advice from someone whos won several trips to vegas including 2014.

This is actually very smart advice.
To be honest though, I think the toughest matchup for a 7 is a strong 4.
5-2 is a crazy race against someone that has the ability to run out an open table.

If I am not focused and playing my best a strong 4 is definitely my achillies heel.

 

[RoadHustler]

Shhhh...

Dont tell anyone my secret but I always play my worst (ranked by season win percentage then lifetime win percentage) player against their best (ranked by season win percentage then lifetime win percentage) player. Turning two losses into one. then I play my best low ranking (ranked by season win percentage then lifetime win percentage) player against their worst high ranking player (ranked by season win percentage then lifetime win percentage) and I make sure the best player on my team takes every single time out no matter what. If we loose a game with a time out left then we weren't paying enough attention and we have failed our player.

This method allows me to play my best three against their worst three. Also most teams usually let a few of their loudest pushiest player take time outs not necessarily their smartest. By delegating all my time outs to one player and a player who is way better than me and setting up the expectation that all my players are to listen to him we set up a fix the problem mind set. Also I only recruit players who don't drink and practice on their own without my prompting. I cannot make them want to play better but I can help them to do so. So a few weeks in my low players are getting tougher while their low players are getting fatter and drunker. I have the best team ever we have already qualified for the state championship this year after we got back from nationals and finished in 33rd place. This season they were completely disappointed that we finished this season in 5th out of 14. My team doesn't want to give up an inch.
I like winning...

 

[9_Ball_King]

True Dat

This is actually very smart advice.
To be honest though, I think the toughest matchup for a 7 is a strong 4.
5-2 is a crazy race against someone that has the ability to run out an open table.

If I am not focused and playing my best a strong 4 is definitely my achillies heel.

I agree most definitely with this statement........because you have to beat the strong 4 "five games to one".......if they get 2 you lose"

 

[Koop]

I agree most definitely with this statement........because you have to beat the strong 4 "five games to one".......if they get 2 you lose"

No doubt.
I have two strong 4's on my team. If I don't want to risk playing the other 7 then I wouldn't hesitate putting one of them up. Sometimes being a good captain is also knowing when to duck.

 

[Skratch]

Used to co-Capt. My philosophy is you lose and win as a team. In playoff mode, you aren't protecting handicaps. The 2's are there to let the higher rate players play. Play good, better, best. Throw the weaker players in later. If your team is winning by the fourth match, you stand a good chance. If you already losing, doesn't matter. At least you let your better players go. Doesn't make much sense to lose and never let you best players shoot!