Got To Know When To Quit

Johnnyt · Dec 18, 2015

I watched the Shane/Earl match last night. Even though few if anyone could have beat Shane breaking the way he was, I still came away from the match very sad. I've been alive long enough to have seen a lot of the great hero's in sports stay in it too long. Babe Ruth, The Brown Bomber, Mickey Mantle, Broadway Joe and I could go on and on. I get why most stay in too long is because they're broke...but it's still very sad to see for me.

I think Shane backed off in the end and I respect the hell out of him for that. Johnnyt

BasementDweller · Dec 18, 2015

I've never understood this mindset.

Why should great athletes stop playing a game they love because of their legacy? It's no big secret that that everyone's skills diminish after a certain age. So what.

If someone still loves to play a game -- any game, they should continue playing it until they no longer want to.

philly · Dec 18, 2015

Johnnyt said:
I watched the Shane/Earl match last night. Even though few if anyone could have beat Shane breaking the way he was, I still came away from the match very sad. I've been alive long enough to have seen a lot of the great hero's in sports stay in it too long. Babe Ruth, The Brown Bomber, Mickey Mantle, Broadway Joe and I could go on and on. I get why most stay in too long is because they're broke...but it's still very sad to see for me.

I think Shane backed off in the end and I respect the hell out of him for that. Johnnyt

I always think of maybe the greatest all around baseball player ever in that context. Willie Mays played for 20 years and went out a shadow of his younger self with the "Amazin Mets" but that's the evolution of it. Look at Kobe. How about Unitis and Tiger? They love their sport and the spotlight so much that they have trouble giving it up. But Ted Williams went out with a home run at his last at bat.

Johnnyt · Dec 18, 2015

BasementDweller said:
I've never understood this mindset.

Why should great athletes stop playing a game they love because of their legacy? It's no big secret that that everyone's skills diminish after a certain age. So what.

If someone still loves to play a game -- any game, they should continue playing it until they no longer want to.

I don't understand your mindset. Johnnyt

ENGLISH! · Dec 18, 2015

I'll just say that they never would have been Great if they were 'quitters'.

I think the Champions Tour in Golf is awesome.

Competitive fire NEVER dies. It just fades to an ember. But blow on an ember & it can Flame back up again.

When we think of the Greats, I think our first thought is of how Great they were & not that they got old and were no longer Great.

It's just that there time to BE Great has past & it's time for another to be Great like them.

Greatness does not die. If ever one were Great, that can not be taken away. It's Eternal. They were Great!

Best Wishes to All.

Get_A_Grip · Dec 18, 2015

Johnnyt said:
I watched the Shane/Earl match last night. Even though few if anyone could have beat Shane breaking the way he was, I still came away from the match very sad. I've been alive long enough to have seen a lot of the great hero's in sports stay in it too long. Babe Ruth, The Brown Bomber, Mickey Mantle, Broadway Joe and I could go on and on. I get why most stay in too long is because they're broke...but it's still very sad to see for me.

I think Shane backed off in the end and I respect the hell out of him for that. Johnnyt

Anyone who watched that match would have see plain and clear that Shane's opponent should no longer be competing. Excuses for him not being able to win were:
1) There are side pockets on the table
2) The accu-rack, magic rack or whichever one that they were using doesn't work
3) The players shouldn't even be racking
4) Shane (and others) are only winning because he's out-breaking him, never mind that Shane shot over a 0.950!
5) The table plays WAY too easy
6) Players should be forced to break from way over on the side of the table playing 10 ball, etc., etc., etc.

I think that Shane broke his last rack from way over near the side of the table as a way to gently poke his opponent. Frankly, I think what Shane's opponent was doing was demeaning Shane's play, even though he meant it to everyone, including Shaw, his previous opponent.

But you are right....it is truly sad to watch. All Danny and Billy could do was to laugh (uncomfortably) at it all....

ChicagoJoe · Dec 18, 2015

Earl's at a definite disadvantage with the break, but he was still shooting very well other than that.

Get_A_Grip · Dec 18, 2015

ChicagoJoe said:
Earl's at a definite disadvantage with the break, but he was still shooting very well other than that.

Oh, he is "good enough" to compete. The reason he should step away is due to his mental problems. He's out there showing his @ss to everyone, and it's uncomfortable and embarrassing to watch. For the other players, the commentators, and fans.

pt109 · Dec 18, 2015

Johnnyt said:
I watched the Shane/Earl match last night. Even though few if anyone could have beat Shane breaking the way he was, I still came away from the match very sad. I've been alive long enough to have seen a lot of the great hero's in sports stay in it too long. Babe Ruth, The Brown Bomber, Mickey Mantle, Broadway Joe and I could go on and on. I get why most stay in too long is because they're broke...but it's still very sad to see for me.

I think Shane backed off in the end and I respect the hell out of him for that. Johnnyt

Johnny, this post is inconsistent with your sig line....
.....NEVER GIVE UP....

Fred Davis, a few time world snooker and english billiards champion, was winning
matches in the WPBSA in his middle 60s....his power shots and long game were
greatly diminished, but he compensated by being more clever.

Earl will have to find a new way to win, 'cause he still hits the ball well.

...and I love how Shane treats him....respect for the old lion.
...Shane is a class act.

RichSchultz · Dec 18, 2015

I get it that pro competitors may want to keep playing as long as their fire still burns. If they qualify, great. But maybe invitationals should focus on those still competitive.

One big difference between pool and other sports; in baseball, football, etc. you really risk injury if playing past your prime. More than your legacy could get hurt. No one wants that.

michael4 · Dec 18, 2015

BasementDweller said:
I've never understood this mindset.

Why should great athletes stop playing a game they love because of their legacy? It's no big secret that that everyone's skills diminish after a certain age. So what.

If someone still loves to play a game -- any game, they should continue playing it until they no longer want to.

interesting point of view, rarely thought about it that way.

I would just make one change, which is "they should continue playing until they no longer want to, or they cant make the cut"........for example, IMHO past champions should not be allowed into tournaments they cant qualify for, just based solely on past glory....

easy-e · Dec 18, 2015

Johnnyt said:
I watched the Shane/Earl match last night. Even though few if anyone could have beat Shane breaking the way he was, I still came away from the match very sad. I've been alive long enough to have seen a lot of the great hero's in sports stay in it too long. Babe Ruth, The Brown Bomber, Mickey Mantle, Broadway Joe and I could go on and on. I get why most stay in too long is because they're broke...but it's still very sad to see for me.

I think Shane backed off in the end and I respect the hell out of him for that. Johnnyt

Check the signature line under your posts. You crack me up sometimes! Maybe you should consider giving up on the forums.

irock · Dec 18, 2015

Were they playing a tournament?

Ken_4fun · Dec 18, 2015

RichSchultz said:
I get it that pro competitors may want to keep playing as long as their fire still burns. If they qualify, great. But maybe invitationals should focus on those still competitive.

One big difference between pool and other sports; in baseball, football, etc. you really risk injury if playing past your prime. More than your legacy could get hurt. No one wants that.

This is my thoughts exactly.

Buddy Hall played in the same pool hall that I went to. Several will say he was the greatest of all time in 9 ball. He has played some "youngsters" and got beaten severely.

But he still played great, and came with some incredible shots, just not as often and for smaller periods of time.

His health, particularly his excess weight, is the cause of most of it.

But who are we to say he should retire.

Ken

spartan · Dec 18, 2015

Get_A_Grip said:
Oh, his is "good enough" to compete. The reason he should step away is due to his mental problems. He's out there showing his @ss to everyone, and it's uncomfortable and embarrassing to watch. For the other players, the commentators, and fans.

+1
Folks are missing the point
Earl should quit not cos he is not at his prime but because he is a bxtch and a jerkass
I am surprised no one has bxtchslapped and given him the smack down eons ago
Shane picked him as his partner for WCOP few years ago and he treated Shane like crap and Shane just took it with a smile. Sure Shane may know him well or is his friend but for someone like Earl to publicly humiliate someone you know in public matches is disrespectful and should be banned

Earl was lucky, Tony Drago should have bxtchslapped Earl years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFmwAvTn3ss

BobTfromIL · Dec 18, 2015

I find it hard to understand how Earl was selected for the event. There are players that at this point in time are playing better than him, unless people are just hoping for the "explosion". I personally did not vote for him since I didn't think he was up to level of his possible opponents.

j_zippel · Dec 18, 2015

"Never give up" your sig says.. Hmmmm.. Well with Earl, antics or not he's a legend of the game. This is a game I love because it doesn't matter if your old, short, fat or even disabled. Pretty well anyone can play this game for a lifetime.
There have been posts about Efren in the past as well, too old, too much chess and no more desire etc. when these legends want to call it quits they can do so on their terms, they've earned that right.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

GreenFeltguy · Dec 18, 2015

Older pool players are in trouble

Guys who have money playing pool are very rare, especially if they are over 50'and have never had to work because they made enough to live on. Cell phones have almost entirely eliminated gambling games and only the top three make more than expense playing tournaments so it is understandable why pool players are starving. If you know a good young player urge him or her to get a decent education,as making money at pool is virtually over . The guys like Buddy Hall and Earl Strickland deserve better, but that's the sad reality of pool.

BasementDweller · Dec 18, 2015

Johnnyt said:
I don't understand your mindset. Johnnyt

Your point of view is focused on YOU and what YOU think great players should do.

My point of view is focused on THE PLAYER and letting them decide what's best for THEM.

It's that simple really. Why should a player's legacy be dependent on how well they play at the end of their career? I think this is an old mindset that's finally being put to bed in the sporting world. You can be the greatest of all time and still play the sport you love while your skills are diminishing. There's no rule against it, nor should there be.

cashin · Dec 18, 2015

Great Post. You nailed it!

Get_A_Grip said:
Anyone who watched that match would have see plain and clear that Shane's opponent should no longer be competing. Excuses for him not being able to win were:
1) There are side pockets on the table
2) The accu-rack, magic rack or whichever one that they were using doesn't work
3) The players shouldn't even be racking
4) Shane (and others) are only winning because he's out-breaking him, never mind that Shane shot over a 0.950!
5) The table plays WAY too easy
6) Players should be forced to break from way over on the side of the table playing 10 ball, etc., etc., etc.

I think that Shane broke his last rack from way over near the side of the table as a way to gently poke his opponent. Frankly, I think what Shane's opponent was doing was demeaning Shane's play, even though he meant it to everyone, including Shaw, his previous opponent.

But you are right....it is truly sad to watch. All Danny and Billy could do was to laugh (uncomfortably) at it all....

Got To Know When To Quit

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