Conceding at Derby City

This doesn't jive with my observations over the years. In the early rounds of the Derby, you have an eternity between matches. By the time you get to about Round 7, when conserving energy matters, you're already in the money and looking for more. Only the top handful of players have the issue of being busy because they remain in several events, and I am not aware of any strategic forfeits from them.

My information is second hand. I recall somebody missing a match on purpose, some not too accidental overslepts too. That is over years so perhaps it isn't the issue I perceive it to be. I don't have more than the occasional snapshot.

Hu
 
most everyone does what they think is best for themselves and that is natural.
the players put up their money and enter a tournament. they get no money for playing, only prize fund money and they have absolutely no control over it. their considerations are for themselves and if they have an equipment sponsor. although most of them get very little back from the sponsors.
most sports streamed or on tv the participants get paid for just playing, not so with pool.
just me but i dont feel the players owe anything to the viewers.
 
My information is second hand. I recall somebody missing a match on purpose, some not too accidental overslepts too. That is over years so perhaps it isn't the issue I perceive it to be. I don't have more than the occasional snapshot.

Hu
Not saying it never happens, but it's rare.
 
This is the old argument that one often hears from the players, which is "when I make more money, I'll present and conduct myself with more respect for my sport." Unfortunately, this is circular logic, for until they present and conduct themselves with more respect for their sport, they will continue to scare off many of those who might help fill their pockets.

Funny story:: <at least from my point of view>

During my engineering career, I went from
a) not being paid enough to care about their standards
to
b) being paid enough to not care what the standard was
almost instantaneously.
 
Funny story:: <at least from my point of view>

During my engineering career, I went from
a) not being paid enough to care about their standards
to
b) being paid enough to not care what the standard was
almost instantaneously.
Yes, that is a funny story!
 
This is the old argument that one often hears from the players, which is "when I make more money, I'll present and conduct myself with more respect for my sport." Unfortunately, this is circular logic, for until they present and conduct themselves with more respect for their sport, they will continue to scare off many of those who might help fill their pockets.

Pay them more and you'll fix their image is no business plan at all. Get them to present themselves with greater respect for their sport so that pool becomes more marketable is a business plan.
Chefs kiss right here
 
Some people I respect a great deal in this thread but as usual, pool is different from a sport that you can count on paying the bills. Pool is first and foremost about surviving short term for almost everyone. Seven year four hundred million or even forty million dollar contracts? A pool player's head would explode if they got a seven year four million dollar contract!

As long as pool survival is hand to mouth players will do what is best at the moment. I can put together great looking five and ten year plans to get men's pro pool off the ground but I'll play hell selling these plans to people whose long term plan is to catch up the rent payments and not be paying them one day short of an eviction notice.

Particularly at the Derby, forfeits are often strategic as the grind gets long deep into the week. "Odds of cashing here are slim but I'll be playing all day." On the other hand, a forfeit, six hours rest, maybe a little cash from action, and ready to get back into the saddle in an event I stand a good chance of cashing in, and at least a chance of cashing big if I am ready to play instead of exhausted from beating this dead horse.

When I pulled a race car around it cost me $400-$500 a weekend to compete two nights locally. One big out of town event was going to cost me three times that or more. I knew my expectations racing locally and I had two strings in my bow. A flat tire or wreck would probably not hurt the other night's racing. Hitting the road, the expenses were pretty much fixed. Running numbers for a typical finish, an unusually strong finish, and a lousy Did Not Cash finish, I had to think long and hard before taking two-thousand out of the piggy bank to go race the big event. Knowing how I operated I can't really blame pool players for trying to maximize income. I think it is bad for the "sport of pool" but for many players it is necessary for survival.

Hu
Strategic Forfeits

Give me a break. Absolutely clueless comment. Completely ruined an otherwise decent addition to the thread.
 
I was blunt. There’s no beating around the bush with this topic. If there is this, in some folks minds, a great circle route way of looking at it, I’m not interested.

This particular topic gets me heated. Can’t help it. Just not gonna ever feed the side that supports it. Sorry
 
I was blunt. There’s no beating around the bush with this topic. If there is this, in some folks minds, a great circle route way of looking at it, I’m not interested.

This particular topic gets me heated. Can’t help it. Just not gonna ever feed the side that supports it. Sorry
Can you share why the topic gets you heated?
 
I just saw a video where Scott Frost conceded a 9-ball match to Morra when he was behind 6-3 in a race to 9. Is this a common thing at DCC? Are we being too harsh on Shaw?
It seem to me, that the issue at DCC is potentially one of format. Expecting these players to play for X number of hours in a row, can't be an enjoyable experience for them, or the fans. In the "old" days, SOME of these folks/players would be jacked up on amphetamines, cocaine, booze, or a combination of God knows what, in order to achieve seemingly inhuman feats of longevity at the table. In the long run, that isn't good for anyone.

Think about the reasons for any sports popularity, or lack thereof these days. It generally revolves around attention span. Golf, baseball etc, all suffer to some degree from the curse of "who the hell has all day for this crap?" Even local poolroom tournaments suffer participation issues from "older" players, because they just don't want to be out until 2 a.m., in order to compete, should they be fortunate enough to advance deep into the tourney. I'm probably combining a few different threads worth of rant here, so I offer my apologies.

In the case of Frost, Shaw, etc, it's hard to say. It could have been exhaustion, illness, etc...Sometimes you just realize that it isn't your day, and that you're being thoroughly beaten. That being said, I'm not suggesting that anyone concede, I'm just offering opinions. It's a tough call. Perhaps Shaw/Frost just felt themselves coming unglued, and decided that a gentlemanly concession was better than an epic, anger filled meltdown. Who truly knows what someone else is feeling at the time that they choose their path?
🤷‍♂️
 
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