A few things I learned on AZ

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
(1) There will never be a good National Tour for the pros that has dues, membership fees, and run by a non-pro.

(2) There are way too many players that call themselves pros that are not. Maybe there are 300 real pro in the US, tops. What's needed is a National Tour that has qualifiers for the best 200 players to compete on the big tour. The rest can compete on the amateur level of the same tour. If some players can't cut the big tour they are sent down to the amateur tour and the replaced with top player on the amateur tour. There should also be qualifiers to get on the amateur tour. KT had part of it right, he just had purses too high (probably 50% too high at least) and entry fees in qualifiers were way too high. If he had handled it a little differently who knows how big it could have grown?

One big problem with pool on TV is not many want to watch it. You have to make appeal to the mainstream. Hard core players are going to tune in or not tune in, that won't change much then it's now. Hat's needed is teams of pros from all over the US. Maybe have two, up to four players on a team? The teams must have catchy names. Players need to do some outrageous things to in the tabloids. Movie stars and famous people have to be seen at the tour events. Let them play the night before the tournament for charity. Cue companies and cuemakers need to give the stars one of their cues just like the dress companies and jewelry companies do at the Global and other awards do. When the mainstream sees these stars and famous people playing with their own cue, they will follow. Pool needs to be cool. Pool needs to be "everybody's doing it". Mainstream sponsors will want to have their name

I believe it's time for the pros to step up and trust someone to start a National Pro Tour. It has to start with them. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
(1) There will never be a good National Tour for the pros that has dues, membership fees, and run by a non-pro.

(2) There are way too many players that call themselves pros that are not. Maybe there are 300 real pro in the US, tops. What's needed is a National Tour that has qualifiers for the best 200 players to compete on the big tour. The rest can compete on the amateur level of the same tour. If some players can't cut the big tour they are sent down to the amateur tour and the replaced with top player on the amateur tour. There should also be qualifiers to get on the amateur tour. KT had part of it right, he just had purses too high (probably 50% too high at least) and entry fees in qualifiers were way too high. If he had handled it a little differently who knows how big it could have grown?

One big problem with pool on TV is not many want to watch it. You have to make appeal to the mainstream. Hard core players are going to tune in or not tune in, that won't change much then it's now. Hat's needed is teams of pros from all over the US. Maybe have two, up to four players on a team? The teams must have catchy names. Players need to do some outrageous things to in the tabloids. Movie stars and famous people have to be seen at the tour events. Let them play the night before the tournament for charity. Cue companies and cuemakers need to give the stars one of their cues just like the dress companies and jewelry companies do at the Global and other awards do. When the mainstream sees these stars and famous people playing with their own cue, they will follow. Pool needs to be cool. Pool needs to be "everybody's doing it". Mainstream sponsors will want to have their name

I believe it's time for the pros to step up and trust someone to start a National Pro Tour. It has to start with them. Johnnyt
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I know of a lot of poolplayers that act like Colin Farrel, Russel Crowe, and Robert Downey Jr.
 
Johnnyt said:
...I believe it's time for the pros to step up and trust someone to start a National Pro Tour. It has to start with them. Johnnyt
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I appreciate your opinions and well-thought-out post. :)

I respectfully and vehemently disagree! :p

It's the old chicken-and-the-egg debate once again.

If there's anthing I've learned on AzBilliards, it's that there will always be those who believe pool players are the reason for pool's demise in the United States -- and I think they are wrong -- and EVERYBODY has an opinion on who's the best pool player in the world. :thumbup:
 
JAM said:
I have learned who is harmless and who's not! :p
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I think I just learned that I should have written "I have learned" instead of "I have learnt" :D Learning something new every day! (I learnt, I have learned. Correct?)

Sorry for hijacking the thread johnny :o

But I actually disagree a little with you too. Get a businessman to run a tour, not a poolplayer.
 
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One thing that I've learned is that the more balls I shoot at, the more balls I miss :sorry: . I suck at pool :( :( :( !!!

Maniac
 
I have learned who speaks because they have knowledge to share and who speaks because they like to hear themselves talk.

I am somewhere in the middle depending on the day and topic. :)

BVal
 
BVal, looking at your avatar makes me wonder if your game has "gone to the dogs" :grin: :grin: :grin: ???

Maniac
 
I've learned (learnt if you're from Europe) that reading 90% of all AZ Posts are worth reading to get to the other 10% that really give you info to reflect and learn.
 
I have learned stuff....

-what kind of stuff to put on a cue ball
-what kind of stuff to put on a table
-what kind of stuff to put on a cue
-what kind of stuff not to put on a cue
-what kind of stuff to read to get better
-what kind of stuff to watch to get better
-what kind of stuff floats peoples boats
 
Maniac said:
BVal, looking at your avatar makes me wonder if your game has "gone to the dogs" :grin: :grin: :grin: ???

Maniac
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As many dogs as we have - my game seems to have gone to S H I T. lol

BVal
 
I have learned that some members don't have a lot to contribute to the forum. Why they come to a pool forum is interesting. Somehow being the forum bully brings them a great deal of pleasure! It is sad to see them continuously verbally assaulting the senior members of this forum time and time and time again.
 
Here we go again! negative post count please....

JohnnyT is saying a lot of the right things. Google the PBA and find out how they got started (in 1959)
40 of the top bowlers chipped in a few bucks apiece, hired a secretary, and a small PR firm, and look where it went from there.
Is there anything more boring to watch on TV, than BOWLING ?
Are there any LESS colorful pro's than pro bowler's. (nobody even cares if they take steroids, or not)
I still think someday the right formula will come along too make pool at least as prominent as bowling. (or more so)
It will take orginization and fresh marketing ideas, such as local or regional teams, where Joe Six-Pack can have some rooting interest.
As always, the hard thing will be to ORGANIZE a bunch of guy's who, by nature, seem to detest the "O" word.
There have been many threads on this subject, and the naysayer's and un-informed seem to flock together and run it into the ground.
Bottom line is an old saying, "There will always be those who whine about cloudy skies. The successful people will learn to dance in the rain".

Dick

PS. Where have you been B.S. Jake ? We've missed you.
 
JAM said:
and EVERYBODY has an opinion on who's the best pool player in the world. :thumbup:
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JAM -

Who do you think is the best player in the world? Who does Keith think is the best player in the world?

Would you mind asking Keith?

Thanks a lot ;)

Dave
 
SJDinPHX said:
JohnnyT is saying a lot of the right things. Google the PBA and find out how they got started (in 1959)
40 of the top bowlers chipped in a few bucks apiece, hired a secretary, and a small PR firm, and look where it went from there.
Is there anything more boring to watch on TV, than BOWLING ?
Are there any LESS colorful pro's than pro bowler's. (nobody even cares if they take steroids, or not)
I still think someday the right formula will come along too make pool at least as prominent as bowling. (or more so)
It will take orginization and fresh marketing ideas, such as local or regional teams, where Joe Six-Pack can have some rooting interest.
As always, the hard thing will be to ORGANIZE a bunch of guy's who, by nature, seem to detest the "O" word.
There have been many threads on this subject, and the naysayer's and un-informed seem to flock together and run it into the ground.
Bottom line is an old saying, "There will always be those who whine about cloudy skies. The successful people will learn to dance in the rain".

Dick

PS. Where have you been B.S. Jake ? We've missed you.
Click to expand...

I moved into a new place with no computer so I can't get online a whole lot anymore
 
competitors in individual events

Dick,

You hit on the biggest issue I believe. Competitors at anything where it is one person against the field are by nature as hard to get moving in one direction as it is to herd cats up a river. All the prior failures just make the pool players even more skeptical. However if they want change I do think that the players themselves or they in conjunction with some of the existing tour owners or large promoters that actually know the game are going to have to come up with something. Clueless outsiders trying to make millions off of the game don't have the expertise to make a pro tour work.

Hu





SJDinPHX said:
JohnnyT is saying a lot of the right things. Google the PBA and find out how they got started (in 1959)
40 of the top bowlers chipped in a few bucks apiece, hired a secretary, and a small PR firm, and look where it went from there.
Is there anything more boring to watch on TV, than BOWLING ?
Are there any LESS colorful pro's than pro bowler's. (nobody even cares if they take steroids, or not)
I still think someday the right formula will come along too make pool at least as prominent as bowling. (or more so)
It will take orginization and fresh marketing ideas, such as local or regional teams, where Joe Six-Pack can have some rooting interest.
As always, the hard thing will be to ORGANIZE a bunch of guy's who, by nature, seem to detest the "O" word.
There have been many threads on this subject, and the naysayer's and un-informed seem to flock together and run it into the ground.
Bottom line is an old saying, "There will always be those who whine about cloudy skies. The successful people will learn to dance in the rain".

Dick

PS. Where have you been B.S. Jake ? We've missed you.
Click to expand...
 
Bad news guys and gals. The pool players did have MANY opportunities over the years to get organized. And to have a pro tour! Guess what, they've ruined it for themselves each and every time. I was a witness to some huge miscalculations and some very bad decisions made by the players. Often times, it was listening to someone who was giving them very bad advice.

I do touch on these subjects, albeit briefly, in my upcoming book. I talk about Richie Florence who organized several 100K+ events in the early 1980's, and how he got shot down by a bad player decision. Who knows what he could have accomplished. I also discuss the Camel Pro Tour and the reign of Don Mackey. More lost opportunities. You may not be aware that I put on a $160,000 tournament in 1993 that most of the top players boycotted, thanks to a certain "commissioner". That was the last L.A. Open.

There were other opportunities that came there way as well, including the recent IPT. I don't know if the players could have done anything different where TruDough was involved. He answered to no one, not even his own conscience.
 
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Maybe tournament viewership would go up if they had bikini models like boxing does...

On a serious note, maybe some real instruction/demonstration...

More viewers = more ad money = bigger prize money = more viewers etc..
 
JAM said:
I have learned that some members don't have a lot to contribute to the forum. Why they come to a pool forum is interesting. Somehow being the forum bully brings them a great deal of pleasure! It is sad to see them continuously verbally assaulting the senior members of this forum time and time and time again.
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I have learned that some people think only their opinions matter and everybody else shouldn't post, also if you're a senior member you must be god and nothing can ever be said against you.......YEAH RIGHT
More of the same broken record. I guess if you're dating a pool player that gives you credibility????
 
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