Battle of the Bull Roanoke VA Drama

[j2pac]

Exactly. The problem is, sometimes the pool world has enablers that try to sweep things under the rug, versus getting things out in the open to be addressed and get some help. The first step is admitting it. The second step is deciding to do something about it.

In this instance however, nothing was "swept under the rug." I remember Billy taking a fair amount of public scrutiny for the other incident, and losing a sponsor.
In this case, it's not as if HE doesn't know that he's already paid something of a "price," and/or potentially has a problem.
At any rate, hopefully someone who actually cares about the young man can convince him to set things right. I sincerely wish him the best.

 

[iusedtoberich]

Exactly. The problem is, sometimes the pool world has enablers that try to sweep things under the rug, versus getting things out in the open to be addressed and get some help. The first step is admitting it. The second step is deciding to do something about it.

In my case I didn’t want to say anything because it makes the sport look bad. Nothing personal to do with enabling or not enabling the individual.

 

[KillerWhalePool]

In this case, it's not as if HE doesn't know that he's already paid something of a "price," and/or potentially has a problem.

That’s the worst part, he knows he’s got the skills, he knows going down that road leads to nothing but bad, and he still chooses one over the other. Why, is the root of the problem. If you’re rich, and don’t need sponsors, then you can say F it, I do what I want. But I don’t imagine he’s in that position, like most of us aren’t.

 

[j2pac]

That’s the worst part, he knows he’s got the skills, he knows going down that road leads to nothing but bad, and he still chooses one over the other. Why, is the root of the problem. If you’re rich, and don’t need sponsors, then you can say F it, I do what I want. But I don’t imagine he’s in that position, like most of us aren’t.

Tough question/s to answer. He's going to have to pee on that electric fence for himself.

 

[JAM]

I'm so sorry to read this. Speaking as someone who has been around alcohol abuse, the only person who can stop it is the person themselves. Unfortunately, it usually ends up with a nudge from the judge, hospitalization, or jail.

I used to drink alcohol back in the '70s, mainly beer, but I was not a good drunk. I'd either get angry and start acting like a fool in public or I'd get very emotional and start crying about everything. Not a good look.

When Keith McCready and I used to go to pool tournaments around the country, everybody in the tournament had a bottle of water by their table, except Keith. He had the familiar Budweiser brown bottle. Keith, unlike me, was a happy drunk most times, and it was uncanny how he could play pool at the level he did drinking a lot of beers. And I mean a lot. It's not fun, though, to be around someone who's stone-cold drunk and you're sober as a judge. Not fun at all, in fact,

At the 2003 U.S. Open, Tropical Storm Isabella caused power outages in Virginia, and the tournament went dark for 2 days, which ended up making the tournament go late until 2, 3, and 4 a.m. in the morning the night before the semifinals. That Saturday night after his match ended, at 1:30 or 2 a.m., Keith was really, really drunk. He started talking to Jose Parica, and I could see Jose wanted to get back to his room and get away from Keith's silliness. Niels Feijen and his girlfriend Katrina (now married) were watching this unfold and looking at Keith and then me. I was doing everything I could to get Keith back to the hotel room, but he did not want to go. He wanted to stay in the pool venue, even though almost everybody was gone.

Keith had to play Jeremy Jones at 11 a.m. Sunday for the hot seat. Keith finally got to sleep about 5 a.m. and woke up hungry. I went downstairs to get him breakfast, but he was so hungry that he went in our room fridge and ate bad mayo and bad meat from the power outrage. He immediately got sick from food poisoning, going to the bathroom and throwing up. Needless to say, between the food poisoning and being hungover, Keith lost each match on Sunday and came in third place.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of alcohol at all, and the new pool rooms all have to sell alcohol to stay afloat. I prefer the old-timey pool rooms that just sold pool, good food, and fresh coffee. Gone are those days. In sum, pool and alcohol do not mix.

Keith feeling no pain on Saturday night after defeating Jose Parica on the live stream table and me with a worried look. Hahaha!

 

[Black-Balled]

I'm so sorry to read this. Speaking as someone who has been around alcohol abuse, the only person who can stop it is the person themselves. Unfortunately, it usually ends up with a nudge from the judge, hospitalization, or jail.

I used to drink alcohol back in the '70s, mainly beer, but I was not a good drunk. I'd either get angry and start acting like a fool in public or I'd get very emotional and start crying about everything. Not a good look.

When Keith McCready and I used to go to pool tournaments around the country, everybody in the tournament had a bottle of water by their table, except Keith. He had the familiar Budweiser brown bottle. Keith, unlike me, was a happy drunk most times, and it was uncanny how he could play pool at the level he did drinking a lot of beers. And I mean a lot. It's not fun, though, to be around someone who's stone-cold drunk and you're sober as a judge. Not fun at all, in fact,

At the 2003 U.S. Open, Tropical Storm Isabella caused power outages in Virginia, and the tournament went dark for 2 days, which ended up making the tournament go late until 2, 3, and 4 a.m. in the morning the night before the semifinals. That Saturday night after his match ended, at 1:30 or 2 a.m., Keith was really, really drunk. He started talking to Jose Parica, and I could see Jose wanted to get back to his room and get away from Keith's silliness. Niels Feijen and his girlfriend Katrina (now married) were watching this unfold and looking at Keith and then me. I was doing everything I could to get Keith back to the hotel room, but he did not want to go. He wanted to stay in the pool venue, even though almost everybody was gone.

Keith had to play Jeremy Jones at 11 a.m. Sunday for the hot seat. Keith finally got to sleep about 5 a.m. and woke up hungry. I went downstairs to get him breakfast, but he was so hungry that he went in our room fridge and ate bad mayo and bad meat from the power outrage. He immediately got sick from food poisoning, going to the bathroom and throwing up. Needless to say, between the food poisoning and being hungover, Keith lost each match on Sunday and came in third place.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of alcohol at all, and the new pool rooms all have to sell alcohol to stay afloat. I prefer the old-timey pool rooms that just sold pool, good food, and fresh coffee. Gone are those days. In sum, pool and alcohol do not mix.

Keith feeling no pain on Saturday night after defeating Jose Parica on the live stream table and me with a worried look. Hahaha!

View attachment 725350

Verdict's in: a fine couple pool years for the mid Atlantic!

 

[Hungarian]

I never questioned anyone’s reliability. What I question is, how accurately did they hear EVERYTHING that was said. Were they there the whole time? Did they hear every conversation? Did they hear every syllable uttered by someone who needs help? Or, are they trying to help the pool world not get another black eye by another unnecessary incident that makes pool and Americans look bad? Who knows? Opinions are like agendas are like, well, you know. My point is, if we as a community keep hiding it and making excuses for it, will he ever get the help he needs? I came from an alcoholic family, and I know for a fact that alcoholism lots of times starts away from the home, but eventually makes it home.

Do you think there's more alcohol abuse in golf or pool?

 

[MattPoland]

When he was wild’n out, anyone ask him “Are we not professionals?!?”

 

[dendweller]

Woofing at people to gamble is one thing. That’s what we all do. It’s a trademark of pool. Nothing wrong with that, at all. We have whole fb pages for that very purpose. It’s a good thing. Maybe by saying it was “racist” the person that relates it to me meant that he was only directing it at one certain race, namely the Asian players.

I remember Keith Mcready woofing at some filipinos to gamble at a tournament in CT in the early 2000s. Pretty sure he looked over at us, smiled, and said something about getting these Filipinos to gamble. Didn't think it was racist and didn't think the Filipinos thought so either. Times change I guess, not necessarily for the better.

 

[jokrswylde]

Unless the Europeans continue to take it over and make it respectable.

This is the silliest post I've seem in a while.. and I read justnum's...

The Euro's taking it over and making it respectable. Give me a break. Ever seen a premiere league soccer match? Did you happen to see Darren Appleton pitch a hissing fit and get banned/kicked out of a big tournament? Ever seen Ronnje O and his "professional" outbursts.

C'mon man.

This ain't about the Euro's needing to "save" pool. They made the freaking 5 ball purple for crying out loud.

Give me a break.

Statements like yours do a true disservice to Mark Wilson, Barry Berhman, Mike Zuglan, and hundreds of other true professionals who have dedicated so much to growing this sport...

 

[Jedco]

This is the silliest post I've seem in a while.. and I read justnum's...

The Euro's taking it over and making it respectable. Give me a break. Ever seen a premiere league soccer match? Did you happen to see Darren Appleton pitch a hissing fit and get banned/kicked out of a big tournament? Ever seen Ronnje O and his "professional" outbursts.

C'mon man.

This ain't about the Euro's needing to "save" pool. They made the freaking 5 ball purple for crying out loud.

Give me a break.

Statements like yours do a true disservice to Mark Wilson, Barry Berhman, Mike Zuglan, and hundreds of other true professionals who have dedicated so much to growing this sport...

The UK isn't European anymore though!

 

[Kid Dynomite]

Funny,

No mention of the victim!

Someone got the pointed end of the stick!?

What about them?

Kd

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[KillerWhalePool]

This is the silliest post I've seem in a while.. and I read justnum's...

The Euro's taking it over and making it respectable. Give me a break. Ever seen a premiere league soccer match? Did you happen to see Darren Appleton pitch a hissing fit and get banned/kicked out of a big tournament? Ever seen Ronnje O and his "professional" outbursts.

C'mon man.

This ain't about the Euro's needing to "save" pool. They made the freaking 5 ball purple for crying out loud.

Give me a break.

Statements like yours do a true disservice to Mark Wilson, Barry Berhman, Mike Zuglan, and hundreds of other true professionals who have dedicated so much to growing this sport...

Your examples of the fringe aren’t the norm in Europe. Sure, Euro league has had its issues, as has Darren and Ronnie, but again, that’s not the norm. Just like it’s not the norm in most places for outbursts in sports outside of “professional” wrestling. Your judgment that I’m doing anyone a disservice is your opinion only, I meant no such thing. But if you want to be truthful, convince me that the reason US pool can’t grow is because we eat our own. That’s the real problem. At least one of them. When it’s “every man for himself”, we all drown. And that’s what we’ve been doing for many years, AGAINST the efforts of the people you mentioned. The fruits of their labor haven’t been lasting because of the outright brutal selfishness of pool players in general. There are a very, very few selfless - or at least not completely selfish - people I’ve met in the industry, but they’re few and far between. And the real tragedy of it all is that the selfish masses far, far outweigh the selfless few. And that in a nutshell is why pool will never have the money purses of golf or tennis. We’re just a school of piranha who’ve developed a taste for other piranha, eating our own.

 

[KillerWhalePool]

Funny,

No mention of the victim!

Someone got the pointed end of the stick!?

What about them?

Kd

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

I don’t know who it was, but I did watch a stream of Billy losing to (I think) Jesus Atencio. Whether it was Jesus, Asians, or Latinos, that he was angry at, I don’t know. Nor can I state unequivocally that it was racist or not. Only that it was an angry outburst over money games.

 

[mmwtdh]

I've realized over the years that drinking excessively doesn't change your character, it reveals it.....

 

[Hungarian]

Your examples of the fringe aren’t the norm in Europe.

Pool is the fringe. Boring AF to the vast majority

Sure, Euro league has had its issues, as has Darren and Ronnie, but again, that’s not the norm. Just like it’s not the norm in most places for outbursts in sports outside of “professional” wrestling.

What about your drunk Hooligans?

Your judgment that I’m doing anyone a disservice is your opinion only, I meant no such thing.

To be honest I doubt many care, especially people here who hardly know you.

But if you want to be truthful, convince me that the reason US pool can’t grow is because we eat our own. That’s the real problem. At least one of them. When it’s “every man for himself”, we all drown. And that’s what we’ve been doing for many years, AGAINST the efforts of the people you mentioned. The fruits of their labor haven’t been lasting because of the outright brutal selfishness of pool players in general. There are a very, very few selfless - or at least not completely selfish - people I’ve met in the industry, but they’re few and far between. And the real tragedy of it all is that the selfish masses far, far outweigh the selfless few.

No comment on this

And that in a nutshell is why pool will never have the money purses of golf or tennis. We’re just a school of piranha who’ve developed a taste for other piranha, eating our own.

See first answer..

 

[KillerWhalePool]

It's funny when people claim this is the sort of stuff that's holding pool back when it sadly, may be -- the exact opposite. Characters drive the narrative and get the clicks.

These sorts of issues don't hold back the game, they just hold back the player.

If this was professional wrestling, I would agree. But you don’t see golf or tennis pros getting rich from outbursts and drinking alcohol. Especially not the norm. They have characters, yes. But most of them are straight-laced for the most part. You can’t ride an ignorant attitude for very long, and be successful. It just won’t hold up under pressure and scrutiny over the long haul.

 

[KillerWhalePool]

Pool is the fringe. Boring AF to the vast majority

That means pool players haven’t done enough to make the game well known. Golf is the absolute boring-est game on the planet, yet it has million dollar purses. Why? Promotion. Marketing. Advertisement. The best we’ve been able to do in that aspect is Steve Mizerak promoting f*cking beer. That’s a bad joke. It’s on all of us to make it better. And we’ve sucked at it because of selfishness. Then again, maybe some people WANT it to be the fringe, so it “doesn’t mess up their money” (hustling).

What about your drunk Hooligans?

Fringe isn’t the norm. I watch soccer all the time, multiple different leagues, and I follow the leagues. You’re using old examples of what you think you know about it, to denigrate it in modern times. Swing and a miss. Btw, how many people have been injured or even killed recently in NFL stadiums? More than in soccer stadiums, I know that for a fact. Drunk American sports fans are no better than drunk sports fans anywhere else in the world.

To be honest I doubt many care, especially people here who hardly know you.

Thank you? I guess? I’m not trying to build a name for myself.

No comment on this

Good.

See first answer..

Weak sauce.

 

[Kid Dynomite]

I don’t know who it was, but I did watch a stream of Billy losing to (I think) Jesus Atencio. Whether it was Jesus, Asians, or Latinos, that he was angry at, I don’t know. Nor can I state unequivocally that it was racist or not. Only that it was an angry outburst over money games.

Pete Rose

Banished

Pool needs to start banishing people for cuase!

Pool certainly is not better than baseball in terms of image and integrity!

My point is that Jesus was verbal mistreated! His abuser has zero punishment for his behavior and nothing in the works!

Just my opinion!

Let's not forget the Robb saez situation and the Carlo Biado situation on a critical shot!

History tells no lies!

Kd



Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[KillerWhalePool]

I'm so sorry to read this. Speaking as someone who has been around alcohol abuse, the only person who can stop it is the person themselves. Unfortunately, it usually ends up with a nudge from the judge, hospitalization, or jail.

I used to drink alcohol back in the '70s, mainly beer, but I was not a good drunk. I'd either get angry and start acting like a fool in public or I'd get very emotional and start crying about everything. Not a good look.

When Keith McCready and I used to go to pool tournaments around the country, everybody in the tournament had a bottle of water by their table, except Keith. He had the familiar Budweiser brown bottle. Keith, unlike me, was a happy drunk most times, and it was uncanny how he could play pool at the level he did drinking a lot of beers. And I mean a lot. It's not fun, though, to be around someone who's stone-cold drunk and you're sober as a judge. Not fun at all, in fact,

At the 2003 U.S. Open, Tropical Storm Isabella caused power outages in Virginia, and the tournament went dark for 2 days, which ended up making the tournament go late until 2, 3, and 4 a.m. in the morning the night before the semifinals. That Saturday night after his match ended, at 1:30 or 2 a.m., Keith was really, really drunk. He started talking to Jose Parica, and I could see Jose wanted to get back to his room and get away from Keith's silliness. Niels Feijen and his girlfriend Katrina (now married) were watching this unfold and looking at Keith and then me. I was doing everything I could to get Keith back to the hotel room, but he did not want to go. He wanted to stay in the pool venue, even though almost everybody was gone.

Keith had to play Jeremy Jones at 11 a.m. Sunday for the hot seat. Keith finally got to sleep about 5 a.m. and woke up hungry. I went downstairs to get him breakfast, but he was so hungry that he went in our room fridge and ate bad mayo and bad meat from the power outrage. He immediately got sick from food poisoning, going to the bathroom and throwing up. Needless to say, between the food poisoning and being hungover, Keith lost each match on Sunday and came in third place.

Yeah, I'm not a fan of alcohol at all, and the new pool rooms all have to sell alcohol to stay afloat. I prefer the old-timey pool rooms that just sold pool, good food, and fresh coffee. Gone are those days. In sum, pool and alcohol do not mix.

Keith feeling no pain on Saturday night after defeating Jose Parica on the live stream table and me with a worried look. Hahaha!

View attachment 725350

The one and only pool room I have in my home town sells only beer, and not liquor. It keeps the non-pool activity to a minimum. That, along with careful monitoring of how inebriated a person is and a well-managed establishment can make issues literally almost non-existent.