I ask the AZ mods to remove this poll. This isn't a poll, it's a witch hunt. OP worded the poll with an extreme bias, reported skewed facts, then posted repeatedly to try to berate people that disagreed with the outcome he wanted. Funny the results STILL didn't work out the way he wanted.
You are obviously biased in the matter, I do however agree with you. the players need to take what the ref said. nothing else they can do about it. I dont disagree with Jayson conceding though.
-The call shot rule is a gentleman's rule. I see this as no different than if someone called the 5 ball, got down on the 5, then stood up, changed their mind, and shot another OBVIOUS shot...but failed to change their call. That shouldn't decide who advances and who doesn't.
That couldnt be anymore different. Earl didnt do anythign like that. He called the 2 and then immediately pull the trigger on the 10. Yes, the 10 was obvious, but thats not what he called.
-What happened earlier in the tournament was earlier in the tournament. I don't have the video of that. Maybe that was a spot in which the call shot rule was more pivotal, such as him shooting into a cluster, making a combo, shooting into a corner with multiple hanging balls, etc. Or maybe it was a bad call by a ref then. Ref's do make bad calls, and if one does we shouldn't have to continue to make bad calls for eternity to be 'consistent'.
I agree with what happened earlier was earlier, but even if this was the first shot of this match itis still very pivotal as this is now the semi final. the ref made the right call based on his lack of attention to the shot. He gave the shot to the shooter when the shooter argued that he was right without evidence of his own to say otherwise.
-Jayson shouldn't have called a foul on Earl. It's a refereed match. He has no business jumping out of his chair and shouting at Earl.
The opponent has every right to call a foul and bring it to the discussion of his opponent and the ref .. Also he didnt shout at Earl. He held his hand up so Earl didnt shoot something else and TOLD him that he called the 2 ball. Shouting immediately occurred after that with Earl slamming his cue.
-I don't have a strong opinion about the ref. I think he saw Earl shoot an obvious ball into an obvious pocket and didn't think anything of it. The only thing I think the ref did wrong was in his explanation of why he was awarding the shot to Earl he mentioned not being able to hear the call. This implied that if Earl DID call the two it would have been an inning ending mistake...but his main point was that everyone knew what the right shot was, and that should have stood on it's own two feet.
It was the refs mistake. He should have confirmation of all intended shots. Everyone knowing what Earl was shooting at and him calling it are two different things. He called the 2 ball, shot the 10 ball. Same thing as the BS rules that apply to league. Have to mark the pocket for the 8 ball. If you just call it and shoot i and not mark it then you should expect the other team to call you on it, especially if it is anythhing more then regular weekly play. One of the many reasons I dont shoot leagues anymore.
-I don't know that Earl 'lied'. Sure, we know he called the 2. And we saw him react. But who knows how he recalled it. He was zoned out, in the heat of battle, and he wanted it to be true so much his brain was probably playing tricks on him. When he said "I didn't call NO balls" I think he believed he was right. But it's anyone's guess. It's 100% that he was incorrect. But it's not 100% that he was deliberately lying. To fine, suspend, or otherwise punish someone you'd better be sure you can prove intent.
Agree, no clue whether he actually knew he called the wrong ball or not.
-The video of Earl calling the 2 ball was not the official stream. I don't think it is a good idea to start a precedent of using spectators cell phone cameras or other third party recordings to make calls regarding a world championship or fines. That is totally going the wrong direction and opens up a huge can of worms in terms of inconsistency.
I dont think we should go back to any recordings for pool matches to confirm or reverse a decision. Ref or no ref. I do like that we have the recordings though to watch after the fact as any drama always has some good debates among the mob here.
-Jayson's forfeiting of the tournament, driving a ball off the table, and getting aggressive with Earl after calling a foul he shouldn't have seemed more out of line. With Earl the shot was obvious and we can't prove intent. With Jayson the intent was absolutely obvious and much more 'ungentlemanly'. If anyone should receive a fine it should be Jayson.
I dont blame Jayson for forfeiting, I'm sure he could have handled it better, but the same could be said for how the ref handled the shot which should have ended the inning.
In the end I think this is pool, and tough situations come up. Whatever the call made by the ref I think the players need to accept it, keep moving, and not look back. And the AZ armies can talk about it, but in the end they need to do the same thing.
I agree with everything in this last quote.
