handicapped leagues/tournaments are just a contest to see who can sandbag best.
(im opposed to all things handicapped, id rather lose because other person played better, as opposed to losing because other person manipulates the handcaps better)
an open letter to apa haters
- Thread starter lorider
- Start date
handicapped leagues/tournaments are just a contest to see who can sandbag best.
(im opposed to all things handicapped, id rather lose because other person played better, as opposed to losing because other person manipulates the handcaps better)
A drain on pool? It's more like it has kept pool populated and alive.
Look, justaplayer, you and players like you, I hope you feel free to never play in The APA.
You don't like leagues or don't like the rules in the APA, it's ok, I'm good with that and I'll bet the rest of the
pool playing world is too.
You and I, we will probably never agree. There's no need for you to bash it or say we're (APA Players)
are wrong or stupid. You guys go play in the league of your choice or no league, play the game of your
choice with the rules of your choice. It's ok with me if you're always a better player than me, or if you
at least think so.
There's no pushout here, no jump cues, the loser racks, and there are probably
other rules you think are stupid or don't agree with.
You don't need to worry about them because they'll never
effect you, if they do then don't B1TCH because it's your own fault.
The APA isn't for everyone. I would suggest that you never lower yourselves to participate
in an APA event, or play on an APA team because he APA obviously isn't for you.
As an aside, don't you think that blaming Skippy for the state of the country because he is an
APA (or league) player is a little extreme?
Last edited:
No, not everything in sports favors the better player. Being at a greater level of skill and
possessing more experience would favor a better player. Pushing out and making it an
effective pushout would require a decent knowledge of the game, something a lower level
player just doesn't have. Most APA players that are at a lower level are more interested in
coming out for night with friends, having a drink or two, enjoying some friendship and
conversation and not really learning the more technical points and nuances of pool like
like how to execute an effective pushout, though some do. Some will become decent
players, pool nerds, but that's more the exception and not the rule.
APA rules help to even it out. Lower skilled players have to make less balls or win less games,
and they all play with the same tools, meaning that something like a pushout isn't available,
jump cue isn't available. Probably because these are tools that to be used
effectively require a higher level of skill and pool knowlege. The greater skilled player
would already have an advantage, removing the pushout just helps to even it out a little.
The good thing is that if you disagree, or if you think that rule is stupid or something, and
if it's too much to overcome then you never have to play in The APA, but don't bash me or the
league if it's not for you. It's not for everyone.
Last edited:
I guess I am missing something here!..The only difference I can see, between joining the APA or the BCAPL, appears to be which method of torture one prefers!..Like, would you rather have your arms twisted off by a crazed gorilla, or all your teeth pulled, with no anesthesia?
Some may have noticed, gun point, would be the only way I could be forced to play in any league!..Shooting a game, once every 2 hours, (or 8 beers) is not my idea of enjoying pool!..Now if I were to be receiving oral sex, (hot young female only) between games, I guess that would make it somewhat tolerable, and much more enjoyable! :thumbup:
First, if you ever find an oral sex pool league, let me (and only me) know about it.
I have said many times that league pool isn't for everyone, some people love it,
I really happen to enjoy it but from what you say I would suspect that league pool
just ain't for you.
I tried APA for two years.....I did my best to enjoy playing on 7' tables.
Much to my dismay, I disliked playing on 7 fters. prior to APA & more so afterwards.
Aside from the small tables, and please don't lecture me about pros playing on 'em,
the pace of play in APA was atrociously, agonizingly slow....matches never were
played on pace, opposing players would wander off & you had to search to find
them for their matches. The delays in starting a new match seemed excessive.
Then the amount of time between shots for generally most of the players, except the
better skilled ones, was absurd......Gosh, there's not a lot to figure out. APA really
needs a shot clock like in basketball......30-40 seconds clock with 1-2 10 seconds
extension based upon a player's rating. All time outs limited to a max. of 1 min. etc.
Maybe that would render the game a lot faster but probably a lot less popular. Look,
APA offers a socialized version of pool filling a void, it helps parlor operators keep
their doors open, brings new players to the billiard industry and is good for pool.
Much to my dismay, I disliked playing on 7 fters. prior to APA & more so afterwards.
Aside from the small tables, and please don't lecture me about pros playing on 'em,
the pace of play in APA was atrociously, agonizingly slow....matches never were
played on pace, opposing players would wander off & you had to search to find
them for their matches. The delays in starting a new match seemed excessive.
Then the amount of time between shots for generally most of the players, except the
better skilled ones, was absurd......Gosh, there's not a lot to figure out. APA really
needs a shot clock like in basketball......30-40 seconds clock with 1-2 10 seconds
extension based upon a player's rating. All time outs limited to a max. of 1 min. etc.
Maybe that would render the game a lot faster but probably a lot less popular. Look,
APA offers a socialized version of pool filling a void, it helps parlor operators keep
their doors open, brings new players to the billiard industry and is good for pool.
Gosh, you found more things to complain about in league pool, than I did!..Seriously, it is a boon to room owners!..Thank God there are plenty of people like you, who also thoroughly do not enjoy it either, but play anyway just to get out of the house! :thumbup:
PS..My girlfriend is so homely, our dog won't even play with her!..But I'd still rather sit home and stare at her, than play funsy league pool!..Now if it were a 'gambling' league----
Last edited:
Right, because league players can't hit center pocket on any table and you elitist are so good for the game and society in general.
It is amazing how morons like you consider real pool to be what you want it to be all while ignoring that even the game you speak of wasn't considered to be real pool by the people that came before you.
Egos like yours is 99% of the problem with pool in general.
You do realize that the league has little to do with the size of the table right?
Yes they use them at the higher level tournaments because they are the most common in the country, but beyond that there are APA leagues played all over the country on 9' tables.
Besides I understand, some of you 9' people just can't handle the clutter on a 7' table. It's tough having to work the table and get better leaves and breakouts while you want your balls pretty open all the time as you are good ball makers which the bigger table gives you. That is understandable.
A very high percentage of APA across our state is played on 9' tables. Likely 90% or higher.
This is the North East tho.....
Kind of fun to watch people come on here and bash APA players. It used to bother me, but I've come to realize that the sort of folks who act that way in the real world are likely miserable in one way or another. Slamming others makes them feel better about themselves. There's a lot of that going around in this country these days, pool is no exception. Civility has long since departed our society.
I can't play worth a damn, and thats ok. (Well, no it isnt, but thats a function of my available time to practice and learn.) The folks that I play with vary from worse than me, to quite good. We have some A players in our league. Yes, they gamble too. But they dont make a big production about how awful APA is. They aren't fans, but they play, because of the people. We have a great group here. We're all friends or at least friendly to each other.
Try to have some fun, folks.
This is the North East tho.....
Kind of fun to watch people come on here and bash APA players. It used to bother me, but I've come to realize that the sort of folks who act that way in the real world are likely miserable in one way or another. Slamming others makes them feel better about themselves. There's a lot of that going around in this country these days, pool is no exception. Civility has long since departed our society.
I can't play worth a damn, and thats ok. (Well, no it isnt, but thats a function of my available time to practice and learn.) The folks that I play with vary from worse than me, to quite good. We have some A players in our league. Yes, they gamble too. But they dont make a big production about how awful APA is. They aren't fans, but they play, because of the people. We have a great group here. We're all friends or at least friendly to each other.
Try to have some fun, folks.
What about individual leagues where you play a match and go home?I guess I am missing something here!..The only difference I can see, between joining the APA or the BCAPL, appears to be which method of torture one prefers!..Like, would you rather have your arms twisted off by a crazed gorilla, or all your teeth pulled, with no anesthesia?
Some may have noticed, gun point, would be the only way I could be forced to play in any league!..Shooting a game, once every 2 hours, (or 8 beers) is not my idea of enjoying pool!..Now if I were to be receiving oral sex, (hot young female only) between games, I guess that would make it somewhat tolerable, and much more enjoyable! :thumbup:
But isn't that what all games and sports are about?
I'm an APA player, and you have the 7 ball if you want it.
Good grief some people just don't get it in regards to leagues (APA in particular).
I wasn't bashing the league. I'm even a member. I'm just saying that I feel there should be pushouts.
APA isn't necessarily played on 7 foot tables. There are APA leagues in the NY area that play on 9 footers in pool rooms. One example is Sunday afternoon at BQE Billiards in Queens.
Maybe as a median change they can make it so that when certain skill levels or higher matchup, a push rule can be put into an affect.
For example if 2 "4"s or higher matchup you can push. If any player is a lower a lower handicap i.e. 3 or less, a push out is not allowed since it will help even out the match with the lower level player who doesn't possibly know how to push out yet (well at least).
I would say 5s or higher sounds fair enough if that were put into effect.
I know people complain about the match being close and they break and cannot see the ball. They end up losing and blame the lack of pushout. You can usually point out at least half a dozen mistakes that had a bigger role in losing the match than an unlucky break.
In a local BCA league, there is a 3 foul rule unless a D rated player is in a match. The D player cannot win or lose by 3 foul. The ratings go from AAA to D.
I started a pool precisely because these threads about people "hating" the APA pop up from time to time. Very few people hate the APA but there are valid reasons why a lot of people don't play in it or other leagues. My career in the APA lasted 3 matches and then they raised my handicap so high my team couldn't use me any more. I didn't hate it, just a reality. I was in another in house league which I quit for a couple reasons. One was all the petty nonsense which happened. People who can't run 3 balls acting like their life depends on a match and arguing constantly - for nothing. If you are lucky you break even at the end of the session. I don't want to argue with some loser who can't run 3 balls, I just want to play pool. Another was some of the people who showed up.
I was playing a guy who was 5'0" tall and maybe 250 pounds in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat who was high as a kite on something - a teammate said it looked like the guy was high on meth - in a league on a Sunday night. I asked myself would I rather be home with my wife or down here playing 9 ball with an overweight midget meth head cowboy. I finished up that session and quit the league.
It doesn't mean I hate the leagues, just my personal preference. If I'm going to put up with something like that I want to get paid better
I was playing a guy who was 5'0" tall and maybe 250 pounds in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat who was high as a kite on something - a teammate said it looked like the guy was high on meth - in a league on a Sunday night. I asked myself would I rather be home with my wife or down here playing 9 ball with an overweight midget meth head cowboy. I finished up that session and quit the league.
It doesn't mean I hate the leagues, just my personal preference. If I'm going to put up with something like that I want to get paid better
Yeah it would probably be close between the 4/5 level to be where to start it. I would also love to see a 3 foul rule put into effect for higher handicaps (say 7 and up assuming both are at least that high). If you 3 foul your opponent you get the ball count that is left on the table
.
Yeah it would probably be close between the 4/5 level to be where to start it. I would also love to see a 3 foul rule put into effect for higher handicaps (say 7 and up assuming both are at least that high). If you 3 foul your opponent you get the ball count that is left on the table
But wouldn't be that much impressive if there were on 2 balls left on table ☺
I've heard on the east coast, there are 9 ft. table APA leagues.
To the best of my knowledge, APA nationals are on 7' tables.
It was my assumption most APA leagues would therefore be 7'.
Personally, the harder the table, the more I enjoy playing on it.
If I could play strictly on 10' tables with 4 3/8" pockets..."Nirvana".
The next best is 9' tables with the same pockets or even 4 1/2".
I enjoy the added difficulty of not only pocketing object balls but
the higher skills required to control and position the cue ball for
shape. It's just a plain fact that lesser skilled players will struggle
more on that set-up than when they perform on a 7' table with its
generally more forgiving pocket size.
As I stated, 7 ft pool tables are just not my cup of tea and I avoid
playing on them but obviously with the advent of pool leagues,
7 ft tables have a important role in the socialization provided by
APA and other pool leagues. That's good for pool because it is
a recruitment tool to bring new players to the game of pool.
Additionally, it is a lifesaver for pool room operators and is the
foundation for cultivating customer patronage for the room owner.
My gripe is the pace of play.....it is absurdly slow......if you made
all matches start right after the last match ended......say within
two minutes......incorporate a shot clock & limit the length of the
timeout for advice, then I might be able to give it a try again but
not until then because slow play is just horrible as far as I'm
concerned. It's as bad as playing golf on a muny course.....Slow!
To the best of my knowledge, APA nationals are on 7' tables.
It was my assumption most APA leagues would therefore be 7'.
Personally, the harder the table, the more I enjoy playing on it.
If I could play strictly on 10' tables with 4 3/8" pockets..."Nirvana".
The next best is 9' tables with the same pockets or even 4 1/2".
I enjoy the added difficulty of not only pocketing object balls but
the higher skills required to control and position the cue ball for
shape. It's just a plain fact that lesser skilled players will struggle
more on that set-up than when they perform on a 7' table with its
generally more forgiving pocket size.
As I stated, 7 ft pool tables are just not my cup of tea and I avoid
playing on them but obviously with the advent of pool leagues,
7 ft tables have a important role in the socialization provided by
APA and other pool leagues. That's good for pool because it is
a recruitment tool to bring new players to the game of pool.
Additionally, it is a lifesaver for pool room operators and is the
foundation for cultivating customer patronage for the room owner.
My gripe is the pace of play.....it is absurdly slow......if you made
all matches start right after the last match ended......say within
two minutes......incorporate a shot clock & limit the length of the
timeout for advice, then I might be able to give it a try again but
not until then because slow play is just horrible as far as I'm
concerned. It's as bad as playing golf on a muny course.....Slow!