Billy Thorpe gone wild!

[jay helfert]

Dayton has less than 150,000 people.

I grew up in Dayton in the 50's and 60's. It was a great place to grow up then. Many large thriving factories and anyone could get a good job with a high school degree. There were over 250,000 people living there then, with very little crime. The last time I went back was 2002 and it was sad to see what Dayton had turned into, mostly one big slum. My old neighborhood (Dayton View) of nice homes on big lots with well manicured lawns had turned into something I didn't recognize with barriers in the streets blocking off access, potholes and debris everywhere, and a generally unkempt look to the entire area. Squalor had set in. On the main street (Salem Ave.) I saw one boarded up building after another and places that used to house thriving small businesses were closed or gone. It didn't look too appealing. I never wanted to go back after that. I guess it's true, you can never go back home once you've gone.

 

[chitownnorth]

I grew up in Dayton in the 50's and 60's. It was a great place to grow up then. Many large thriving factories and anyone could get a good job with a high school degree. There were over 250,000 people living there then, with very little crime. The last time I went back was 2002 and it was sad to see what Dayton had turned into, mostly one big slum. My old neighborhood (Dayton View) of nice homes on big lots with well manicured lawns had turned into something I didn't recognize with barriers in the streets blocking off access, potholes and debris everywhere, and a generally unkempt look to the entire area. Squalor had set in. On the main street (Salem Ave.) I saw one boarded up building after another and places that used to house thriving small businesses were closed or gone. It didn't look too appealing. I never wanted to go back after that. I guess it's true, you can never go back home once you've gone.

I went through the same thing with my hometown, Cleveland. I left over 30 years ago for Chicago.

 

[The_JV]

Guy got pissed and went off. Yawn. Move on.

Definitely yes... There's a choice to be made though. Not that I think anyone actually has the power to do this though.

Take an opportunity at the expense of a hot head, or continue down the same path and wonder why the NA game isn't taken more seriously by sponsers

 

[garczar]

I grew up in Dayton in the 50's and 60's. It was a great place to grow up then. Many large thriving factories and anyone could get a good job with a high school degree. There were over 250,000 people living there then, with very little crime. The last time I went back was 2002 and it was sad to see what Dayton had turned into, mostly one big slum. My old neighborhood (Dayton View) of nice homes on big lots with well manicured lawns had turned into something I didn't recognize with barriers in the streets blocking off access, potholes and debris everywhere, and a generally unkempt look to the entire area. Squalor had set in. On the main street (Salem Ave.) I saw one boarded up building after another and places that used to house thriving small businesses were closed or gone. It didn't look too appealing. I never wanted to go back after that. I guess it's true, you can never go back home once you've gone.

Much of the so-called 'rust belt' of industrial cities like Dayton look the same. Some have re-invented themselves and some haven't.

 

[garczar]

Definitely yes... There's a choice to be made though. Not that I think anyone actually has the power to do this though.

Take an opportunity at the expense of a hot head, or continue down the same path and wonder why the NA game isn't taken more seriously by sponsers

The reasons pool is not big here with major sponsors/advertisers is one LONG and varied list. Stuff like this is rare and waaaay down the list on why pool at the pro level struggles.

 

[HawaiianEye]

Thorpe is from Dayton Ohio a city of 800,000 people. I'm from Missouri. I know rednecks. Rednecks are friends of mine. Thorpe ain't no redneck. He is fortunate he pulled that move on Saez and not a local. He could have ended up being hog food and that's not a lie.

I'd advise him to avoid a place named Skidmore.

I grew up in SEMO.

I know plenty of rednecks.

You don’t have to be from a small town to be a redneck.

Redneck is a mentality.

Most rednecks of today aren’t working the fields like they were back in the day.

If he would have pulled that stunt down in the Cardwell Country Club back in my time, he probably wouldn’t have been able to walk out on his own.

 

[Johnny Rosato]

If i was BT i'd hire a good PR firm and milk this for everything i could. "Playing tonight is BadassBilly Thorpe. What's he gonna do this time??" Seriously, in this day-n-age there is no such thing as bad pr in sports. Guy got pissed and went off. Yawn. Move on.

The PR guy could start talking up a Billy vs Earl match. lol

 

[garczar]

The PR guy could start talking up a Billy vs Earl match. lol

And i GUARANTEE you people would buy the stream just to see what happens.

 

[ideologist]

If i was BT i'd hire a good PR firm and milk this for everything i could. "Playing tonight is BadassBilly Thorpe. What's he gonna do this time??" Seriously, in this day-n-age there is no such thing as bad pr in sports. Guy got pissed and went off. Yawn. Move on.

Maybe, but he chose a couple of words that are a pretty big indictment of his character. Most PR firms and many sponsors avoid that sort of language as it alienates a big piece of society.

 

[The_JV]

The reasons pool is not big here with major sponsors/advertisers is one LONG and varied list. Stuff like this is rare and waaaay down the list on why pool at the pro level struggles.

Oh of course... I'm not saying altercations are the biggest problem. However I do think the biggest one is the perception of the game by the general public. Something like Billy's conduct in of itself, is nothing more than a piss poor example of how a 'pro' should handle himself. However it is a gas soaked log tossed into the fire of examples of why parents don't want their kids in pool rooms.

Everytime he plays the game, or any pro plays their game, he/they should either present themselves as a professional or don't consider themselves one.

 

[garczar]

Maybe, but he chose a couple of words that are a pretty big indictment of his character. Most PR firms and many sponsors avoid that sort of language as it alienates a big piece of society.

Its the butt-hurt 'flake world we now live in. You literally cannot say one thing without offending some segment of society.

 

[JayRack]

I grew up in SEMO.

I know plenty of rednecks.

You don’t have to be from a small town to be a redneck.

Redneck is a mentality.

Most rednecks of today aren’t working the fields like they were back in the day.

If he would have pulled that stunt down in the Cardwell Country Club back in my time, he probably wouldn’t have been able to walk out on his own.

Rednecks and let us not forget Missouri is the meth capital of the world. So now you got some redneck hopped up on two grams of meth and Billy boy is not such a badass anymore.

 

[decent dennis]

Here are the two posts Billy made about this incident. The second one contains an apology, but my money is on the first one containing his real thoughts on the matter.

In his mind this is no big deal and we're all just keyboard warriors making a big deal about things that happen when "two guys gamble." So this doesn't strike me as real remorse for what happened, just someone going through the motions to try and limit the damage.

View attachment 584345


View attachment 584346

That where the town bully got capped and no one saw a thing?? 'City Confidential'(great A&E series btw) covered that.

Ken McElroy

 

[The_JV]

If that isn't best example of someone attempting damage control by asking another dude to do something he's really not interesting in, I don't know what good be...lol. "Billy all smiles" and "Ya it's all good Robb"... I don't know either guy so take that with a grain of salt. Just doesn't look like Robb is very interested at all

Only thing missing is the gun mussle just barely in frame...lol

 

[ChrisinNC]

View attachment 584380
If that isn't best example of someone attempting damage control by asking another dude to do something he's really not interesting in, I don't know what good be...lol. "Billy all smiles" and "Ya it's all good Robb"... I don't know either guy so take that with a grain of salt. Just doesn't look like Robb is very interested at all

Only thing missing is the gun mussle just barely in frame...lol

Kind of sad Billy talks about nothing good coming of drinking as he’s confessed to witnessing his entire life, but no mention of any attempt on his part to try to face and deal with this issue.

 

[justnum]

Rack rage is a real thing in pool.

Its the responsibility of the event staff to ensure players know what behavior is not appropriate and what is appropriate.

Please review the following diagram.

 

[westcoast]

Kind of sad Billy talks about nothing good coming of drinking as he’s confessed to witnessing his entire life, but no mention of any attempt on his part to try to face and deal with this issue.

I noticed that too. I don't know him personally so I obviously don't know his drinking habits. However, this is the 2nd time this year he's had a drinking related incident. He and Sky (Sky even more than him) were obviously drunk and rowdy while commentating the SVB-Orcollo match and now this which was clearly much worse.

Did he know his match with Saez was being streamed?

Everybody has lost their cool here and there. Not the worst offense in the world, but he should own up to his mistake and move on rather than making a bunch of excuses for it.

 

[RingKing]

I just want to clarify my "cancel culture" remark. It is not the fighting I am worried about it was the language.

Last time I checked the word "fag" is slang for loud Harley Motorcyclists who rev there engines it order to get attention.

So marginslizing these attention hungry bikers could lead to BT being cancelled thats my concern.

 

[sjm]

I have found this to be a generally disheartening thread.

Certainly, most of us see a problem here, and that's the good part. Most of us understand that Matchroom's growing interest in and increased appetite for investment in pool in America are the biggest breath of fresh air in American pool in years. Emily Frazer at Matchroom has stressed, both verbally and in print, that cleaning up the image of the American pool pro is fundamental to Matchroom's plans and vision to grow the pro pool product worldwide. In the politest words she could find, she expressed just how big a transformation will be needed to bring greater professionalism to those that play pro pool in America.

I don't think the point of this thread is to single out Billy Thorpe, whose behavior was, even by his own account, off base. Has Matchroom been hurt here? Probably not much, but what is sadly apparent here is that the most visible American pros have yet to buy in to Matchrrom's vision for the sport, which compromises Matchroom's chances of bringing pool to a higher level of professionalism. Matchroom did this for snooker some 40 years ago, but on that occasion, the players bought in and conducted themselves with professionalism even before their earnings skyrocketed.

What has been disheartening is just how many posters see what happened here as no big deal. It's seems it's this way on AZB every time any pool professional gets out of line in their behavior. American pool's poor image has, at least to some extent, been made worse over the years by the willingness of so many American pool fans to tolerate such unprofessional conduct.

 

[The_JV]

What has been disheartening is just how many posters see what happened here as no big deal. It's seems it's this way on AZB every time any pool professional gets out of line in their behavior. American pool's poor image has, at least to some extent, been made worse over the years by the willingness of so many American pool fans to tolerate such unprofessional conduct.

Well said.... Deserved more recognition than just a 'like'