Class Acts

lizford

lizford

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Silver Member
I was at a tournament today where there were many instances of low/no class behavior, including one opponent of mine who cheered "Yes!" when I scratched on a six ball (of course I gave him "whatfor").

It made me want to give a shout out to the players who are consistently cheerful, respectful and positive.

So, if you know someone (banger or pro or somewhere in between) who deserves attention for being a great sportsperson, let's hear it!

One person whom I would like to mention is Tony Eglesias, a player on the Tri-State tour (I believe he was in fact named Sportsman of the Year!)
Tony - you always have a smile, you are a class act and I enjoy playing you!

ps. I too have my occasional petty grievances, bouts of whining and/or emotional outbursts. For instance, later in the match with my afore-mentioned opponent I hung the 7-ball and I turned to him and screamed "YESS!!" :)
 
a guy i play against quite often always yells "get in there" any time the cue ball even goes near a pocket. i know i shouldnt stoop to his level but i just cant help it. if a player shows class in victory or defeat i treat them with the same respect i would want, if they whine about the game, i mock them lol.
 
Liz,

I watched Shawn Putnam get beat 7-4 by one young gun named Adam Smith at a Viking event in 2003 or so. Both players were very gracious in victory and defeat.

Jimmy Wetch was playing in the semis of the DCC in 2004 and had only one kick shot against a fellow names Efren Reyes and suffered a lopsided defeat that would have devastated a lesser man. Jimmy was very gracious in his defeat, knowing that "there ain't no shame being beaten by a master".

One of the favorite matches I have watched was Max Eberle vs. John Smidt in that same tournament. It was one of the few matches I have seen where both players played perfect pool. I believe John won due to Max coming up dry on a few breaks. Both players were well dressed, well behaved and made me proud to be a pool fan.

Off topic a bit but one of the pool players I think has the biggest heart is Liz Ford.

The first time I attended the Peoria tourney when we walked in you were playing someone you were not not an odds-on favorite to beat, but I could tell by your demeaner that you were not intimidated at all.

Keep stroking Liz and good luck
 
I'm a silent player, and I hate people who try to mess with my cue-ball by asking it to jump in the hole.

Just to annoy them, I shout equally loud, "GET IN THERE!" even though it's my own cue ball that's about to drop in.

Slime-balls like that make me play even better, cos I want to beat them even more.
 
Great post Liz Sorry to hear you had to deal with such an idiot but it sounds like you handled it quite well. ;)

Luckily there's more good ones to mention than bad so I couldn't possibly mention them all. Liz, you're definitely on that list. You've always conducted yourself in a very professional manner every time I've seen you play.

I'm going to mention two people that I really enjoy watching.... 14 yr old Richard Barney and 16 yr old Chris Futrell. Both of these young men have great games and are constantly taking down players twice their age, but the best part about watching them is their demeanor. Mr. Barney especially impresses me. He never shows any emotions, is quiet and polite. I've seen Chris get really tough breaks and bad rolls while being ahead only to lose in the end and be a perfect gentleman all the way through the downfall.

The majority of adult men could take a lesson from these two young men. If you guys ever get the chance to watch them at a tournament, you won't be disappointed in their game or their demeanor. :)
 
One of my favorite players is Shane VanBoen. Always a gentleman. Jeff Beckley is another of my favorites..:D
 
I was lucky enough in my pool career to play better every year and be able to play with the top players of my day. This arena had its bad apples, but on the larger scale the respect of another player and their game was more prevalant, this I liked. Hopefully in my lifetime the top players will be respected like the greats in Golf.
 
I like to remember the nice, considerate players I've played like Bob Maidhoff, Jack Calovito, and a host of players no one would recognise. There have been many jerks, but they don't deserve the hard drive space in my brain!:D

I do remember one instane where I was a jerk. I chose to forfeit a match against a VERY slow player. The guy was, and is a friend of mine, but I just could not bare playing him that day. I was in dead stroke all day, and chose to go through the losers side and on to win. No one took it badly, we chatted about it and he totally understood, but it just stuck in my crawl over the years.

Other than that, I consider myself a nice guy to play.....maybe TOO nice!:D
Gerry
 
lizford said:
ps. I too have my occasional petty grievances, bouts of whining and/or emotional outbursts. For instance, later in the match with my afore-mentioned opponent I hung the 7-ball and I turned to him and screamed "YESS!!" :)
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OMIGOD!! I can picture this so vividly in my head, too!! LOL!!

Barbara
 
I can only wish I was around considerate, smart players some of the time. It seems that, lately, league play around here has created cliques or groups of different-thinking players who seem to try their best to get under each others' skin with childish rule interpretations, complaints, and such. Witnessing these actions is disheartening, to say the least.

I'd like to give a name of one of the good guys, but can't think of any right now. Not a one.

Do something for THE game, not just YOUR game...it might pay off someday. nah...what was I thinking?...pool players thinking about the future? lol

Go cue ball go...YES!!!!...scratched!!! ha ha ha....MY shot!! nyah nyah nyah. No fun being an arse.

Jeff Livingston
 
I was playing the room loud mouth some six-ball for $5 a game. He had been ahead for the first ten or so games when the bad rolls started coming his way. He was cursing and banging his cue on the side of the table and everything else you can think of that a four year old would do when not getting his way. When I was up $30 I said to him "Are you ever going to make a ball...even the pockets are laughing at you." With that he broke his cue in half, threw $30 on the table and stormed out of the room. Johnnyt
 
On the other hand...

Wally in Cincy said:
Liz,

I watched Shawn Putnam get beat 7-4 by one young gun named Adam Smith at a Viking event in 2003 or so. Both players were very gracious in victory and defeat.
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I had Adam Smith leave the room in the middle of a game in a match against me without saying a word to anyone. I had just won three games in a row and turned the momentum of the match to tie it at 5, and I looked up after running the table and he's nowhere in sight. This was the semi-finals and no other match was going on. The tournament director, the crowd, and I all just stood around waiting for him to return.

When he returned he acted like he thought there was nothing wrong with walking out in the middle of a game and not saying anything. He also sat there wiping his cue up and down with a white towel whenever I had a shot and my line of sight was in his direction. I lost the match and afterward he still claimed he had done nothing wrong.
 
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those of you who from the DFW area and those who frequent the fast eddies tour have all heard of Robert Newkirk.

Newkirk is always smiling and cracking jokes with everyone. He seems to put everyone in a better mood. Plays lights out (strong shortstop speed). Is a good loser and winner. Good all around guy.

On the other hand another player from Dallas, Fat Ralph. This guy is a major ass.
He plays very strong, good cue ball, breaks great, and pockets balls like theres no tommorow. He is rude, always starting fights and when he loses to a lesser player he always wants to spot them and play for cash, and when they decline he walks around with his chest puffed out talking SH*T about that guy.
 
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kilojo420 said:
On the other hand another player from Dallas, Fat Ralph. This guy is a major ass.
He plays very strong, good cue ball, breaks great, and pockets balls like theres no tommorow. He is rude, always starting fights and when he loses to a lesser player he always wants to spot them and play for cash, and when they decline he walks around with his chest puffed out talking SH*T about that guy.
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Reminds me of Norman Wines, whose last name suits him perfectly.
 
I remember a tournament in arlington where Fat Ralph had lost his first match to a young kid about 18yrs old. Ralph almost made the kid cry by calling him out in front of everyone. At the time ralph was the best player int the room and was talking very loud about how no one could beat him especially not that kid.

Well, in walks Joey Barnes. Ralph is going on and on and Joey is sittin there smilin, he walks up behind Ralph and taps him on his shoulder. The look on Ralphs face was priceless. Joey tells him to leave the kid alone and come play someone with skills. Ralph is still in the tourney and uses that as an excuse not to play Joey.

Joey offers him a ball or two in one pocket, Ralph doesnt say another word the entire day. It was great!
 
PoolBum said:
I had Adam Smith leave the room in the middle of a game in a match against me without saying a word to anyone. .
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Sorry you had that experience PoolBum. He seemed like a nice kid the only time I met him.
 
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