how are ya'll doing in league ?

lorider said:

Reading your post makes me glad I have the apa lo I do. The usapl lo aint bad but he apparently is going through some growing pains. He is a lil slow getting schedules out but is easily accessible when you have problems.

My spa lo and I have just spent the last 3 hours texting back and forth about a lot if stuff. Some league related and some not. Very easy to get a hold of just about any waking hour. Heck we have texted each other at midnight a few times or league related issues ...and no we aint best buddies or anything like that.

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*RUMOR ALERT* I don't know this for a fact - but my understanding, at least from what I've heard, is that our LO bought up a bunch of the local areas/counties as an investment for income. I can see where it would be a lot of work - so I"m not casting stones. I would say that his law degree likely helps a lot in how he organizes things.

And as I said - his secretary really is a sweet girl. She's always been pleasant and willing to do her best to help out. Maybe I just seem a bit overwhelmed because at this time last year I was just looking for one 8-ball team to play on. Getting thrust into being captain of both 8 and 9-ball after 1 short summer session kind of caught me off guard. Of course there are things I just don't agree with - but I am glad to be playing, so I don't whine about it too much. One thing did catch me off guard though - it's posted that they frown on anyone keeping their own records. Now personally - I do what someone mentioned above - and take a picture of the score-sheet before I send it in. I don't have a NFL playbook yet - but I'm trying to get better at matchups and such.

We won last night 11-2 against the 2nd place team. We were tied for 4th a couple points back but its still really early as we just played week 3 of 14.

Nice to have an enjoyable team to play with too.

Small issue with getting enough matches in for a few of us.
I have to play 10 this session to be eligible for regionals if we are lucky enough to make it. I have another players as well that has to play 10 times. Doesnt leave much room.

Other guy needing 10 only played 9ball until now.

We took down 1st place last night 15-10. Wish I could use a linr-up that strong every night.

Linr, lol.

lorider said:

Apa 9 ball last night. I hardly ever make any ball on the break let alone the cue ball lol.

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lorider, if you hardly ever make a ball on the break in 9-ball then you seriously need to change your approach to your breaking method. In my case, it's hardly ever that I don't make a ball on the break.

Making a ball on the break and getting that first shot on the table can mean a huge point swing in a lot of cases. Of course in the APA where there is no push-out rule, it sometimes hurts to make a ball on the break.

My team got accused of sandbagging to keep our levels down before the tri-cups next week. I personally have never taken a shot, off nor have I asked a teammate to do so. I am done with league play after this session. I play pool for relaxation and competition, not for the constant drama that arises with all of these prima donna sob's.

I played horrible in 8 ball tri-cups this weekend. Really ashamed of myself. I played pretty much flawless pool for the first 2 racks and then fell apart.

I know I am better than this. That performance really makes me wanna just give up. I am hoping it motivates me to try harder. But that loss is really killing me inside.

CGM said:

My team got accused of sandbagging to keep our levels down before the tri-cups next week. I personally have never taken a shot, off nor have I asked a teammate to do so. I am done with league play after this session. I play pool for relaxation and competition, not for the constant drama that arises with all of these prima donna sob's.

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Don't let 'em piss you off. They're just mad 'cause they lost, sand bagging accusations
are a convenient excuse for an inferior team or player. I think just about everyone gets
accused of that and just about everyone accuses, it's all in how you respond.

Come up with something clever and if you're feeling feisty let 'em hear it, it'll be fun.
"you bunch of sandbaggers!"
Geez, you guys played so bad I figured you all were the sandbaggers" or
"I know, don't you just hate that"

A couple of years ago we're in Las Vegas playing 9 ball. The match was a match up of a
couple of S/L 3. Our 3 put a pretty good whoopin' on the other 3.

There S/L 3 after the match says, "3 my ass, that's the best 3 I've ever seen" so I pipe up, "Nah..., she's
kinda mediocre for our area. Are you a good 3 in your area?"

It was a reflex, it just came out, even their team laughed and this only made her madder.
Her face turned red. I don't know if she knew not to speak or if she couldn't speak, it was pretty funny.

Later we all had beers together, turns out she was just a very passionate person. :grin:

Maniac said:

lorider, if you hardly ever make a ball on the break in 9-ball then you seriously need to change your approach to your breaking method. In my case, it's hardly ever that I don't make a ball on the break.

Making a ball on the break and getting that first shot on the table can mean a huge point swing in a lot of cases. Of course in the APA where there is no push-out rule, it sometimes hurts to make a ball on the break.

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I can't consistently make a ball on the break in 9-ball to save my life. It got to the point of being comical at our Tri-Cup recently. I played two matches, broke quite a bit, and maybe made a ball twice. (I won both matches tho.... One vs a SL7 and one vs a very tough SL3, both ends of the spectrum for me)

I tried changing where I was shooting from every time. I've tried really muscling it, and I've tried relaxing and not trying to crush it. We play on 9' Diamonds, so that makes it a bit tougher for any ball to fall, of course, but it eludes me.

Maniac said:

Well....it went better than I had expected. Started back into APA 8-ball last night after a 4-plus year layoff due to health/caregiving priorities. I went back in at my old skill level SL6 (of course) knowing full well that I can no longer shoot up to that speed because of non-playing/eyesight/medications issues.

It came time in the match to where they put up their SL6 so I was paired against him. To make a long story short(er), I lost the lag and first game then went on to win the next five in a row to win the match 5-1 in 18 innings/with five defensives shots. Two of the games went zero and one inning, so I was more than pleased that I overcame my jitters and actually shot well. Really, I only missed two shots in the match that I felt I had a good chance to make.

My wife (SL3) also shot well and won against a guy that was a SL4 in a hill-hill match, so we were BOTH surprised and happy that we started back so well.

I realize that it can only go downhill from here, so I'll keep y'all posted.....

Maniac

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Just call me the "Never Say Die Kid". Once again I came from behind to win my match. Played the other team's captain, a SL5. It was a race to 5 for me, 4 for him. I started out not shooting so well and found myself losing 3 games to one, him on the hill. I had just missed a nearly straight-in shot in the side pocket with a wide open table and a chance to tie it up at 2 games apiece, and I just got determined to bear down a lot more after that miss. I ended up winning the last 4 games and the match in 27 innings and our team won the night 9-4. Both my opponent and I had some layouts on the table that were just plain difficult to manipulate.

My beautiful and amazing wife (SL3) had a rackless night against another SL3, so things are going way better so far than we ever expected them to.

Maybe now "only downill from here"?

I must add that the two teams that we've played so far have both been exemplary in their friendliness and sportsmanship. Makes the night a LOT more enjoyable that way.

Maniac

Lost a tight match tonight. 8-6. Having been around athletics as a profession for 20 years, it is interesting to see grownups having the same issues as many high schoolers. It is a really cool study of peoples mental makeup...example-

I have a sl 7, who I am convinced that if I threw him against SVB, he would make it competitive (okay, slight exaggeration) point is he has a high gear. BUT, he has lost 4 of his last five matches against sl 4's and 5's...making silly mistakes, trying silly shots...he just laughs and shrugs it off...no killer instinct whatsoever.

Another guy is a SL 4, but would be a weak 3. He is playing a solid 4 last night (race to 3) and getting smoked 2-0. He looks rattled so I call timeout and and go talk to him. I let him know to calm down, relax and that he doesn't have to win the match, but if he could find a way to grind out a single game, it gives us a chance going into the final match. He looks at me and says that he is just ready for this to be over and that his opponent is a sandbagger and is really a SL 6 (he's not)... anyway my guy completely falls apart and doesn't make a ball the last game...No Competitve Desire

Ah the joys of being a captain.

Anyway, my match was strange. Playing a SL-5 in a 3-4 race. Close first game, I missed the 8 and he won, proceeds to make the 8 on the next break, and the third game two was 2 innings with him slopping in 3 crucial balls to get to the 8. I am down 3-0 in just over 10 minutes !!!

Anyway, I buckle down and fight my way back to hill-hill, run down to the 8 in the last match and miss...but alas the pool Gods were in a playful mood! He tries to break out a cluster and knocks the 8 in. So after all the slop, the 8 on the break, I win when he makes an early 8.

Still wasn't enough to salvage the overall win. Had a ton of fun, good food, drinks, and friends on a cold Monday night!

No Limit Leage in San Diego - Week 3

I have no idea what place we’re in and I’ve only played once. But we welcomed our new player last night. She’s just s girl, and she’s new to this league. I’ll be sure to teach her everything, and give her all kinds of unsolicited advice.

Oh, and she just moved back to San Diego after a couple of years in the DC area, picking up a few State Titles out there.

So tournament play? This girl won 1. Or a hundred.

Freddie <~~~ feeling blessed to have his friend back in San Diego

Team Work

I play in an un-handicapped unsanctioned BCA format with 7 players per team. Although our team is average, we play over our heads against the top teams. It's great to be on a team of giant killers.

Tonight is our season end match against our sister team. The league ends in a local tournament without a trip to Vegas Trying to get on a sanctioned team, but BCA format is dying against the APA, which is very popular in this area.

I like that we can call for a coach 1x per game. It pulls the team into the individual match. But please call before you get into trouble, while you still have some choices.

Another tough week for our APA team. We won 3 out of 5, but tied at 7 points each. We are still solidly in last place at the halfway point of the season.

I had a stressful match. I (SL4) played a SL6 who was 5 of 6 this season. We were the last match of the night and he jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after several errors on my part. I started to get it together a little and won the 3rd game. I handed him the 4th game with a terrible shot on the 8-ball to leave him an easy runout. With us each needing 2 games, I was able to bear down, limit my mistakes and play some pretty dang good pool (in comparison to my ability). I had a few good safeties, and I think my methodical approach and patience started taking their toll on him. I was told after the match that he went and got a chair to sit in for a bit and was also shooting balls on another table while I shot. I manage to get through the last to games to pull a 3 to 3 upset.

I'm very happy with how I played, and this is two straight matches where I've played well. I'm now 4 of 6 on the season, hopefully I can keep trucking.