how are ya'll doing in league ?

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Just finished up my straight pool (14.1) league...finished with a 12-1 record. In my APA 8-ball league, I started the session as a SL5...lost my first match...won the next 4 in low innings...moved up to a SL6...and have won my last 6 matches, beating all other SL6's in low innings for a 10-1 record. I guess it's possible for me to get moved up again with the way I've been shooting. Our last match before the playoffs is this Monday night. It would be my luck that I'll get moved up right before the playoffs.
Maybe I should try to lose Monday ;)................Nah!!! :D

Maniac
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Speaking of patches. I'm gonna be brutally honest.

I enjoy the APA and the patches are a nice way of recognizing accomplishments.
But I saw one guy last night who has like 40 of them all attached to a sort of giant keyring,
which is attached to his case. He won top point scorer, which comes with a little wall hanging,
except instead of the wall he hung it around his neck like a lobster bib. Another dude had patches
sewn all across the upper back of his electric blue rayon turtlenecked zipup shirt/jacket thing.

I'm sorry but holy cow that's goofy.

I am waiting for some kind of League Operator buy-back program where I can sell them back to the LO at a reduced price ($$ for me...saves$$ for them) so they can re-use them.

I was hoping for some kind of program where you could redeem them for a drink/food voucher. I could go for that.

Between my wife and I...we probably have 150 or so patches.

Maniac
 

DAVE_M

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speaking of patches. I'm gonna be brutally honest.

I enjoy the APA and the patches are a nice way of recognizing accomplishments.
But I saw one guy last night who has like 40 of them all attached to a sort of giant keyring,
which is attached to his case. He won top point scorer, which comes with a little wall hanging,
except instead of the wall he hung it around his neck like a lobster bib. Another dude had patches
sewn all across the upper back of his electric blue rayon turtlenecked zipup shirt/jacket thing.

I'm sorry but holy cow that's goofy.

I met a guy, when I was attending at a University down here, in my English II class. He was about mid 50's, perfectly groomed beard, thick glasses, nice dress clothes, and a track jacket that looked like it was stolen from Marty McFly covered top to bottom in every APA patch! I couldn't help but laugh. He turned out to be a really nice guy, but a horrible player.

To each his own I guess!

Edit - Regarding the patches; I'm still owed a Break and Run and Rackless Night patch. I WANT A SWEET DENIM PATCH COVERED JACKET TOO! :rotflmao1:
 
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krupa

The Dream Operator
Silver Member
Regarding APA patches, I think they either should stop giving them out when you reach a certain level or make more relevant patches for higher skilled players: The 4-pack patch for 9-ball or example.

If you stay at a lower SL, they should stop sending them after a while out as well.

I got a couple on-the-snap patches for 9-ball and I thought "well, hit 'em hard enough and don't scratch and it's bound to happen..." I would have liked to have received my first break-and-run patch only because it was my first 9-ball break-and-run ever. Unbeknownst to me, in my area the first patch was free (to get you hooked) and then they jacked up the price (to $1.) So I never paid my dollar for my patch. :( I believe the new LO gives out patches for free.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Speaking of patches. I'm gonna be brutally honest.

I enjoy the APA and the patches are a nice way of recognizing accomplishments.
But I saw one guy last night who has like 40 of them all attached to a sort of giant keyring,
which is attached to his case. He won top point scorer, which comes with a little wall hanging,
except instead of the wall he hung it around his neck like a lobster bib. Another dude had patches
sewn all across the upper back of his electric blue rayon turtlenecked zipup shirt/jacket thing.

I'm sorry but holy cow that's goofy.

when i went to my 1st singles regional 2 years ago i saw a girl with 2 big ring attached to her case with both full of patches.... i thought it was goofy also.

there was a guy who used to post on here frequently a couple of years ago who said he had a jacket that was covered in patches also. it might be the guy you saw ... maybe ? he said he wore it to apa tournaments mostly to intimidate his opponents... lmao !

to maniac.... our lo had a program last session where if you earned a patch , in lieu of getting a patch you could fill out a coupon and enter it in a drawing. now get this ... the drawing is for a free trip to vegas for the singles nationals. i earned 5 patches last session so i filled out the coupons instead of getting patches.

speaking of earning a patch. let me tell you about my trip to vegas. my 1st match there i skunked another 5 by a score of 38-4. when i turned in the scoresheet after the match the lady said i see you have 2 9 on the snaps and said oh my ... you have a skunk also. she gives me 2 9 snap patches and i ask where is my skunk patch? she says we dont have skunk patches at the national level and mentions in the 5 years she has been handling scoresheets there she had never seen someone with a skunk before.

i said you mean to tell me after i been playing apa for 3 years and i earn my 1st ever skunk i dont get a patch for it ? and at the nationals no less ? i said damn ... and we both started laughing.

by the way .. i have 2 cigar boxes full of patches from the last 3 years and never paid a penny for them. if my lo ever started selling them like a few of you have stated he can keep them. matter of fact i would sell him some back lol.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Regarding APA patches, I think they either should stop giving them out when you reach a certain level or make more relevant patches for higher skilled players: The 4-pack patch for 9-ball or example.

If you stay at a lower SL, they should stop sending them after a while out as well.

I got a couple on-the-snap patches for 9-ball and I thought "well, hit 'em hard enough and don't scratch and it's bound to happen..." I would have liked to have received my first break-and-run patch only because it was my first 9-ball break-and-run ever. Unbeknownst to me, in my area the first patch was free (to get you hooked) and then they jacked up the price (to $1.) So I never paid my dollar for my patch. :( I believe the new LO gives out patches for free.

to be honest when i 1st joined apa and got a patch i thought it was kinda cool lol. now it dont really matter.9 on snap or 8 on break is just pure luck and i dont see the need for those patches.

the only patches that i am aware of not having is the 8 and 9 mini slam patches or the grand slam patch. it would be kinda cool to earn any of those patches because it meant you shot your ass off that night.:D i did earn another 8 ball break and run patch this week though.
 

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
Funny how everybody has a box full of patches....

I have maybe 10-12 from four years of playing.

Reinforces how much I suck :p
 

trob

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
our lo is going to start charging for patches at the beginning of the year and to be honest I don't blame him. I've only been playing apa for a year and because I'm a high number I can only play every other week and I probably have 40 patches. Do I really need a patch every time I get a 9 on the break lol The first one I say give for free..after that if you want a collection paying a buck seems fair.
 

justadub

Rattling corners nightly
Silver Member
well dub if you want to earn some patches quit yer sandbagging. :rolleyes:

Or quit sucking :p

Our LO gives you a patch for five or six different things, 8-9 on the break, break and run, rack and run, a couple others. But you only get one of each per session. Not every time it happens.

Not that it would make a difference with me, of course. :)
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Or quit sucking :p

Our LO gives you a patch for five or six different things, 8-9 on the break, break and run, rack and run, a couple others. But you only get one of each per session. Not every time it happens.

Not that it would make a difference with me, of course. :)

the more i read about all of you guys lo's the more i like mine lol.

the only fault i see with my lo is that he is quick to raise a new player but slooooowwwww to lower a new player.

let me give you an example of each.

this session i put on 2 new players.

1. is a very good player that i got off my money league team. i told the lo he should start at a 5 imo. the lo said no..go ahead and start him as a 4 per league rules. i said are you sure? he is that good and i don't want any complaints from other teams. he said yea start him as a 4. 1st week he goes up to a 5...2nd week he goes up to a 6 lol.

2. i added an 18 year old who has never played and don't even know how to hold a cue or make a bridge. i told the lo all this. he starts as a 4 per rules. it takes 8 weeks of blowouts to drop to a 3. 2 weeks later he finally drops to a 2 where he shoulda been after the 4th week imo.

i lost both players the last 2 weeks...:(
 

MaydayMyers

Will break for food
I recently joined an APA 8-ball team again, having not been on one in 2 years my SL3 rank is going to get me a lot of dirty looks haha.

APA 9-ball I've been going strong as a 6 this last session, our team taking second in the division and several of our players, self included, making it to top dog again.

In UPA (money league) eight ball i'm rolling as a five currently, about 50-50 on W/L
 

ShortBusRuss

Short Bus Russ - C Player
Silver Member
to be honest when i 1st joined apa and got a patch i thought it was kinda cool lol. now it dont really matter.9 on snap or 8 on break is just pure luck and i dont see the need for those patches.

Sorry, but I can't agree with this.. Making the 8 ball on the break is a skill shot, and it CAN be practiced...

Side rail, second ball break... Contact the the second ball slightly less that 100% full, smooth, medium power full extension stroke... Bottom outside english.. With the firm stroke, the deflection off the tip will cause the CB to contact second ball nearly full.

8 ball with pop out towards the side opposite from your break.

Find the break line and correct stroke, and you can get the 8 ball to hit within a diamond of the side nearly every time.

I've got the speed down on a table and made the 8 on the break three times in a row.

I would actually consider a bunch of 8 ball break patches to be a decent achievement.

Short Bus Russ - C Player
 

ctyhntr

RIP Kelly
Silver Member
Would love to see a video.

Sorry, but I can't agree with this.. Making the 8 ball on the break is a skill shot, and it CAN be practiced...

Side rail, second ball break... Contact the the second ball slightly less that 100% full, smooth, medium power full extension stroke... Bottom outside english.. With the firm stroke, the deflection off the tip will cause the CB to contact second ball nearly full.

8 ball with pop out towards the side opposite from your break.

Find the break line and correct stroke, and you can get the 8 ball to hit within a diamond of the side nearly every time.

I've got the speed down on a table and made the 8 on the break three times in a row.

I would actually consider a bunch of 8 ball break patches to be a decent achievement.

Short Bus Russ - C Player
 

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Sorry, but I can't agree with this.. Making the 8 ball on the break is a skill shot, and it CAN be practiced...

Side rail, second ball break... Contact the the second ball slightly less that 100% full, smooth, medium power full extension stroke... Bottom outside english.. With the firm stroke, the deflection off the tip will cause the CB to contact second ball nearly full.

8 ball with pop out towards the side opposite from your break.

Find the break line and correct stroke, and you can get the 8 ball to hit within a diamond of the side nearly every time.

I've got the speed down on a table and made the 8 on the break three times in a row.

I would actually consider a bunch of 8 ball break patches to be a decent achievement.

Short Bus Russ - C Player

I agree that the 8-ball can be moved around a lot more with this break...but the percentage of it going in a pocket is still very low. I seen a guy make two 8-balls in a row one night in APA league play using that break, then brag how he knows the "trick" for making it....but he certainly couldn't duplicate the feat (nor come close for that matter) for the duration of the night, during or after his match. I doubt seriously that he's ever done it again.

Also, the second ball break pushes a lot of balls to one side of the table, making running-out more difficult. So, if your 8-ball doesn't fall (and much more likely it will not), you are not going to have an easy time of running out.

I watch the pros play 8-ball and very, very few of them use the second ball break...and they have to win or they don't eat. What does that tell you???

Maniac
 

SKJoss72

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
me Personally I d like to see the 8 on the Break eliminated for the game. All it causes is a mess of a table and I dont believe that anyone should win without shooting the balls in. When i was a seven I cant tell you how many low number mainly 3's and 4's pulled this crap and ended up making it at least once. as you know a 4 is a decent shooter and the race against a 7 is 5-2 so throw in an 8 OB and it really blows.

I d like to see a few more rule changes but I dont see it happening and this isnt the tread for it.
 

ShortBusRuss

Short Bus Russ - C Player
Silver Member
Also, the second ball break pushes a lot of balls to one side of the table, making running-out more difficult. So, if your 8-ball doesn't fall (and much more likely it will not), you are not going to have an easy time of running out.

I think this depends on the speed of the stroke, and the thickness of the hit on the second ball. Of course, if you hit it thin, then force will not be fully applied to the rack, and balls will cluster.

I watch the pros play 8-ball and very, very few of them use the second ball break...and they have to win or they don't eat. What does that tell you???

Maniac

Where do you watch these pros play 8 ball? The IPT and the Bar Table Championships are the only places I see the pros playing 8 ball, outside of regional bar table tourneys.

That being said, I seem to remember in a recent BTC, I believe it was Parica, who was using this break to great effect. I am not saying it is the most effective break on fast cloth, as compared to a head ball break, but get on some worn cloth and see how you like the head ball break versus this break.. :grin-square::grin-square::grin-square:

If I was gambling with a D player, I would definitely use this break, no matter how good my head ball break is.. They are not gonna run out anyways, and I will outmove them on clustered tables.

Short Bus Russ - A D Player's nightmare
 

ShortBusRuss

Short Bus Russ - C Player
Silver Member
me Personally I d like to see the 8 on the Break eliminated for the game. All it causes is a mess of a table and I dont believe that anyone should win without shooting the balls in. When i was a seven I cant tell you how many low number mainly 3's and 4's pulled this crap and ended up making it at least once. as you know a 4 is a decent shooter and the race against a 7 is 5-2 so throw in an 8 OB and it really blows.

I d like to see a few more rule changes but I dont see it happening and this isnt the tread for it.

A strong 7 is supposed to be a near lock to win every game against even a sandbagging 5. Giving them an 8 ball break means they still have to legitimately win a game.

Ummmm... So I have been told by, ummm... Some 7 players I know...

:D

Short Bus Russ - Spotting the world (of D players...) the eight..
 

Banks

Banned
My primary break is probably the second ball break now. It gives a better chance of spreading the balls even with a bad rack. I rarely use a head break on diamond boxes. If I expect the rack to be good on a valley, then I'll probably hammer the head break, though.

It took me a while to get it where the 8 moves well, so I would consider it taking skill to be able to make it off the break, even if the chances are low.

Unless I'm playing somebody that's doing real well for their s/l, I don't expect to lose to anything under a 7 if I'm putting effort into the match. I had a few close calls this last session, but I also wasn't shooting all that great.

Now, if someone wants to show me how to play 9, that would be great! 8's and below can get still get a spot for practice. :grin:
 
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