Almost Cried Last Night

Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
A buddy of mine came in to town last night from Mississippi - he's pretty well off and his dad was a monster player in his youth so my friend picked up the game from him.

Anyway, last night we went to another friend's house for anime night - and he's got an 8-footer in his basement. Newly replaced Simonis Tournament Blue Cloth and the table was playing amazingly.

So, about an hour into the night, my friend from Mississippi pulls out a cue from his case... and I was awestruck for 2 reasons:

1) It was a custom Russ Espiritu cue
2) It had nicks and dints everywhere.

As it turns out, my friend from Mississippi was so well off that he didn't care about what he played with. He figured that if it broke he could always buy a new one. So, after winning a few games he got angry and started throwing that Espiritu around and I decided to put him in his place (use your imagination here... I'm a 4th black belt in Karate so I took him to joint lock city until he sat down and shut up).

I almost cried when I picked up his cue because the shaft had cracked, and the butt had picked up many more nicks, dints and bruises. I talked to my friend (who owned the table) and told him to have my other friend leave. He picked up his cue, put it back in his case and left.

This is the first time in my life where I ever saw somebody do this to a cue - especially such a beautiful one.
 
JayKidd

JayKidd

Grammatically Challenged
Silver Member
Excuse me. How old are you? Just glad to see new member joining the discussion, double points if it is a young member
 
pt109

pt109

WO double hemlock
Silver Member
Zphix said:
A buddy of mine came in to town last night from Mississippi - he's pretty well off and his dad was a monster player in his youth so my friend picked up the game from him.

Anyway, last night we went to another friend's house for anime night - and he's got an 8-footer in his basement. Newly replaced Simonis Tournament Blue Cloth and the table was playing amazingly.

So, about an hour into the night, my friend from Mississippi pulls out a cue from his case... and I was awestruck for 2 reasons:

1) It was a custom Russ Espiritu cue
2) It had nicks and dints everywhere.

As it turns out, my friend from Mississippi was so well off that he didn't care about what he played with. He figured that if it broke he could always buy a new one. So, after winning a few games he got angry and started throwing that Espiritu around and I decided to put him in his place (use your imagination here... I'm a 4th black belt in Karate so I took him to joint lock city until he sat down and shut up).

I almost cried when I picked up his cue because the shaft had cracked, and the butt had picked up many more nicks, dints and bruises. I talked to my friend (who owned the table) and told him to have my other friend leave. He picked up his cue, put it back in his case and left.

This is the first time in my life where I ever saw somebody do this to a cue - especially such a beautiful one.
Click to expand...
Karate, huh? I guess you don't need people to put the money on the light shade.
:smile:

I've seen a lot of cues with abuse marks, from champs to chumps....
...and most of the abuse comes from unawareness and carelessness.
 
Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JayKidd said:
Excuse me. How old are you? Just glad to see new member joining the discussion, double points if it is a young member
Click to expand...

Only 19 but I know a beautiful work of art when I see one. I'm not as versed with custom pool cue makers as some other AZBers but I certainly know who this guy is.

pt,

Yeah, I had a teammate damage my Players cue and it bothered me for 2 weeks - even if they're so slight that you can't see them without really looking... you still know that those dints are there.
 
our_auctionguy

our_auctionguy

The Wall.....
Silver Member
Zphix said:
Only 19 but I know a beautiful work of art when I see one. I'm not as versed with custom pool cue makers as some other AZBers but I certainly know who this guy is.

pt,

Yeah, I had a teammate damage my Players cue and it bothered me for 2 weeks - even if they're so slight that you can't see them without really looking... you still know that those dints are there.
Click to expand...
One retired poolroom owner in Denver owned his own import business and imported cheap Chinese made cues that looked like high dollar cues untill you really checked them out. He would play bar table for $100-500 races and if he was losing, he would throw a tantrum and take the cue to the front door and sling it as far as he could over the cars out into the parking lot, then go into the office and grab another cue. All of it was an act to unnerve the winning player and it often worked. He would come back and the other guy would lose his concetration waiting for another outburst and end up on losing the race.

Maybe your deep pockets buddy picked up one of those shark tactics because he could afford it...
 
Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
our_auctionguy said:
One retired poolroom owner in Denver owned his own import business and imported cheap Chinese made cues that looked like high dollar cues untill you really checked them out. He would play bar table for $100-500 races and if he was losing, he would throw a tantrum and take the cue to the front door and sling it as far as he could over the cars out into the parking lot, then go into the office and grab another cue. All of it was an act to unnerve the winning player and it often worked. He would come back and the other guy would lose his concetration waiting for another outburst and end up on losing the race.

Maybe your deep pockets buddy picked up one of those shark tactics because he could afford it...
Click to expand...

It's possible, well, I mean I know he can afford it but it doesn't really matter, and it didn't work. We weren't racing for $$, we were just shooting around, and after his outburst we kicked him out of the house.

My only hope is that the cue will end up in the hands of somebody else who can restore it and take care of it. The shaft was cracked and I've got no idea if that's repairable, probably would have to replace the shaft and repair the butt. Such a beautiful flame maple cue.
 
FairladyZ

FairladyZ

The Boss Stooge
Staff member
Moderator
Silver Member
our_auctionguy said:
One retired poolroom owner in Denver owned his own import business and imported cheap Chinese made cues that looked like high dollar cues untill you really checked them out. He would play bar table for $100-500 races and if he was losing, he would throw a tantrum and take the cue to the front door and sling it as far as he could over the cars out into the parking lot, then go into the office and grab another cue. All of it was an act to unnerve the winning player and it often worked. He would come back and the other guy would lose his concetration waiting for another outburst and end up on losing the race.

Maybe your deep pockets buddy picked up one of those shark tactics because he could afford it...
Click to expand...
Morons do this with golf clubs as well....never made sense to me.
 
skins

skins

Likes to draw
Silver Member
Zphix said:
.. I'm a 4th black belt in Karate so....
Click to expand...

4th degree huh...at only 19... WOW! We're did you study? Who was your teacher? Took me 10 years to get to 2nd degree and my teacher said to get to 3rd was another 4 years and 4th another 4 to 6 years so that means you would have had to start around the age of 1... Impressive!
 
Ty-Tanic

Ty-Tanic

Ty-Tanic Makes U Panic
Silver Member
skins said:
4th degree huh...at only 19... WOW! We're did you study? Who was your teacher? Took me 10 years to get to 2nd degree and my teacher said to get to 3rd was another 4 years and 4th another 4 to 6 years so that means you would have had to start around the age of 1... Impressive!
Click to expand...

lol you just couldn't resist taking a poke could you.

As for the cue, it would suck seeing someone destroy a piece of art. Yet it is theirs to destroy. You should have made a offer on the cue. I bet he would have sold it to you for next to nothing.
 
Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
skins said:
4th degree huh...at only 19... WOW! We're did you study? Who was your teacher? Took me 10 years to get to 2nd degree and my teacher said to get to 3rd was another 4 years and 4th another 4 to 6 years so that means you would have had to start around the age of 1... Impressive!
Click to expand...

Takes 4 years for 1st degree, then another 2 years per level afterwards on average. Granted, I advanced a bit faster than most because I was soooo hungry to learn and I picked up on katas and short forms very fast. The issue I had was that it's another 50 hours of teaching in-between ranks so, I really could only advance at about a level per year no matter how much I practiced.

Every Karate system is different though, and I know that it usually takes on average about 12 years or so for 4th degree. My teacher was a 10th degree black belt in Wado-Ryu Karate, a 3rd degree in Jiu Jitsu, and a 2nd degree in Aikido then he merged all of them and created his own system. He advances black belts based on their dedication and credentials so that's how I could move up faster.

I started when I was around 9 though, so in the span of 10 years I've picked up 4th degree.
 
chefjeff

chefjeff

If not now...
Silver Member
Zphix said:
A buddy of mine came in to town last night from Mississippi - he's pretty well off and his dad was a monster player in his youth so my friend picked up the game from him.

Anyway, last night we went to another friend's house for anime night - and he's got an 8-footer in his basement. Newly replaced Simonis Tournament Blue Cloth and the table was playing amazingly.

So, about an hour into the night, my friend from Mississippi pulls out a cue from his case... and I was awestruck for 2 reasons:

1) It was a custom Russ Espiritu cue
2) It had nicks and dints everywhere.

As it turns out, my friend from Mississippi was so well off that he didn't care about what he played with. He figured that if it broke he could always buy a new one. So, after winning a few games he got angry and started throwing that Espiritu around and I decided to put him in his place (use your imagination here... I'm a 4th black belt in Karate so I took him to joint lock city until he sat down and shut up).

I almost cried when I picked up his cue because the shaft had cracked, and the butt had picked up many more nicks, dints and bruises. I talked to my friend (who owned the table) and told him to have my other friend leave. He picked up his cue, put it back in his case and left.

This is the first time in my life where I ever saw somebody do this to a cue - especially such a beautiful one.
Click to expand...

Was it your cue?

Jeff Livingston
 
KRJ

KRJ

Support UKRAINE
Silver Member
So, you chose to use violence against a friend of yours because he was legally destroying his own property that was non of your business, correct?

You chose an inanimate object over your friend?

The smart thing to have done was made an offer on the broken cue, got if fixed, and then flipped it on Ebay or AZB.

Friends can be forever, cues not so much. You're young, but if you want a life lesson, call him and apologize and beg his forgiveness and explain how out of line you were. Yeah, he's a bad sport, but that does not need violence, it only needs a "dude, relax it's only a game" type moment.

And being a 4th degree black belt, you must have forgotten martial arts are used for self defense, not to be used when you are annoyed. You should also pick up the phone and call your Karate instructor and apologize to him as well.
 
Last edited:
chefjeff

chefjeff

If not now...
Silver Member
ChicagoRJ said:
So, you chose to use violence against a friend of yours because he was legally destroying his own property that was non of your business, correct?

You choose an inanimate object over your friend?

The smart thing to have done was made an offer on the broken cue, got if fixed, and then flipped it on Ebay or AZB.

Friends can be forever, cues not so much. You're young, but if you want a life lesson, call him and apologize and beg his forgiveness and explain how out of line you were. Yeah, he's a bad sport, but that does not need violence, it only needs a "dude, relax it's only a game" type moment.

And being a 4th degree black belt, you must have forgotten martial arts are used for self defense, not to be used when you are annoyed. You should also pick up the phone and call your Karate instructor and apologize to him as well.
Click to expand...

BUMP


Jeff Livingston
 
Donny Lutz

Donny Lutz

Ferrule Cat
Silver Member
breaking cues

Zphix said:
A buddy of mine came in to town last night from Mississippi - he's pretty well off and his dad was a monster player in his youth so my friend picked up the game from him.

Anyway, last night we went to another friend's house for anime night - and he's got an 8-footer in his basement. Newly replaced Simonis Tournament Blue Cloth and the table was playing amazingly.

So, about an hour into the night, my friend from Mississippi pulls out a cue from his case... and I was awestruck for 2 reasons:

1) It was a custom Russ Espiritu cue
2) It had nicks and dints everywhere.

As it turns out, my friend from Mississippi was so well off that he didn't care about what he played with. He figured that if it broke he could always buy a new one. So, after winning a few games he got angry and started throwing that Espiritu around and I decided to put him in his place (use your imagination here... I'm a 4th black belt in Karate so I took him to joint lock city until he sat down and shut up).

I almost cried when I picked up his cue because the shaft had cracked, and the butt had picked up many more nicks, dints and bruises. I talked to my friend (who owned the table) and told him to have my other friend leave. He picked up his cue, put it back in his case and left.

This is the first time in my life where I ever saw somebody do this to a cue - especially such a beautiful one.
Click to expand...

I've seen many a cue broken in my time. Hell, I even broke a house cue once when I was young.

I saw a close friend miss a duck in a money match in Vegas and rap his cue on the rail. It didn't break on the first try, so he wound up again and succeeded with try 2! He then grabbed a cue off the wall and ran six racks,!

I had a teammate throw a gutter ball that cost him his first 700 bowling series in 1966. It wasn't a horrible mistake, as we were playing the lanes on the first two boards. But he was so pissed, he took his ball outside and threw it across the parking lot! It actually rolled across the adjacent highway! Of course, it was terminally damaged!
 
Zphix

Zphix

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChicagoRJ said:
So, you chose to use violence against a friend of yours because he was legally destroying his own property that was non of your business, correct?

You choose an inanimate object over your friend?

The smart thing to have done was made an offer on the broken cue, got if fixed, and then flipped it on Ebay or AZB.

Friends can be forever, cues not so much. You're young, but if you want a life lesson, call him and apologize and beg his forgiveness and explain how out of line you were. Yeah, he's a bad sport, but that does not need violence, it only needs a "dude, relax it's only a game" type moment.

And being a 4th degree black belt, you must have forgotten martial arts are used for self defense, not to be used when you are annoyed. You should also pick up the phone and call your Karate instructor and apologize to him as well.
Click to expand...

I won't get into my personal choices about how I decided on who is a friend or not but after all of this he's certainly not somebody that I want to be around. Friends come and go and I always choose to separate myself from toxic relationships, this is no exception.

Also, I don't know about you but when somebody starting "throwing around a pool cue" as I mentioned he was doing in my post I consider that pretty dangerous to the people around. I don't mean he knocked it onto the ground, I mean he was pretty much whipping it all over. Grabbing it by the shaft and throwing it - could he have hit me, or my friend, or broken any number of things in the basement, yeah? It was a pretty obvious choice to subdue him because martial arts are also used to subdue hostility, especially in such close proximity.

As for my Karate teacher - I will explain what happened to him as I had planned to already.
 
sonny_burnett

sonny_burnett

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
ChicagoRJ said:
So, you chose to use violence against a friend of yours because he was legally destroying his own property that was non of your business, correct?

You chose an inanimate object over your friend?

The smart thing to have done was made an offer on the broken cue, got if fixed, and then flipped it on Ebay or AZB.

Friends can be forever, cues not so much. You're young, but if you want a life lesson, call him and apologize and beg his forgiveness and explain how out of line you were. Yeah, he's a bad sport, but that does not need violence, it only needs a "dude, relax it's only a game" type moment.

And being a 4th degree black belt, you must have forgotten martial arts are used for self defense, not to be used when you are annoyed. You should also pick up the phone and call your Karate instructor and apologize to him as well.
Click to expand...
I can see you learned the mental discipline well. Child care!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top