Disrespect?
- Thread starter The Captain
- Start date
That would be perfect....and when you call.....and ask him if he prefers CTE or TOI.....
....and does he think static electricity causes skids?
Telling him you got his number from a washroom in a gay bar may be going too far.
Most APA 7's don't care if they win or not. Win a few, lose a few, it keeps their won-loss percentage somewhere in the middle.
And it wouldn't bother me unless it got to the point where he was talking and not shooting when he's at the table.
And it wouldn't bother me unless it got to the point where he was talking and not shooting when he's at the table.
One of the few sports, professionally and amongst the amateur ranks, that you can drink alcohol while playing. Heck, you can be high as a kite, and still play in a professional tourney, or any other drug for that matter.
But, my Gawd, someone took a phone call during a recreational pool league. My Gawd, what is this world coming too. You know what, he probably has more important things to worry about than pool, wife, kids, job, etc. He's a good player, so if he wins or loses a match, he's not that worried about it.
Why would I think for a second it was disrespectful to me. Heck, he kept shooting so he would NOT be disrespectful of my time. And if he's willing to make a mistake, however small, by having not having his full concentration at the table, I'm good with that too.
The only folks that could be upset, not that they should be, would be his team mates. But then again, I'm thinking he wins a LOT more than he loses, so they cut him some slack as well.
But, my Gawd, someone took a phone call during a recreational pool league. My Gawd, what is this world coming too. You know what, he probably has more important things to worry about than pool, wife, kids, job, etc. He's a good player, so if he wins or loses a match, he's not that worried about it.
Why would I think for a second it was disrespectful to me. Heck, he kept shooting so he would NOT be disrespectful of my time. And if he's willing to make a mistake, however small, by having not having his full concentration at the table, I'm good with that too.
The only folks that could be upset, not that they should be, would be his team mates. But then again, I'm thinking he wins a LOT more than he loses, so they cut him some slack as well.
Am I the only one that kind of gets a laugh out of the whole "respect the game" crowd? It's a game filled with degenerates, and hooligans. Even at the pinnacle of the sport, the "pros" are barely what you would call professional. Heck, the so called "glory days" of pool were a coked out blurr of gambling and getting high as a kite for 5 days to try and make the biggest score you can....
I get that we all love the game, but the purists don't support the game. For every one serious "respect the game" type of player, there are 50 bangers, that just don't give a crap. (there's absolutely nothing wrong with it either.) We don't have a very popular game. Just enjoy that you even get to play in a league, tourney, etc. I know several people that have to drive 45-60 minutes one way to participate in even basic pool activities...
I get that we all love the game, but the purists don't support the game. For every one serious "respect the game" type of player, there are 50 bangers, that just don't give a crap. (there's absolutely nothing wrong with it either.) We don't have a very popular game. Just enjoy that you even get to play in a league, tourney, etc. I know several people that have to drive 45-60 minutes one way to participate in even basic pool activities...
Then don't complain when there's no money in the game.
It's his inning. If he wants to play with a phone on his shoulder.....good for him. How does that reflect on his opponent?
If the opponent took offence, I suspect it is only their perception of the meaning behind their opponent using a phone.
I'm willing to bet there was much more history prior to this event that led the OP to think this was a disrespectful action.
Only the player and the Op know if previous events led up to the "perception" of disrespect.
If the opponent took offence, I suspect it is only their perception of the meaning behind their opponent using a phone.
I'm willing to bet there was much more history prior to this event that led the OP to think this was a disrespectful action.
Only the player and the Op know if previous events led up to the "perception" of disrespect.
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Talking on the phone while shooting during a league match is not a 'perception.' It's wrong and shouldn't be allowed. There's a very easy fix. Create a league rule that states it's not allowed. Not everyone was raised with the same values. I understand that but it's never too late to teach through example.
I'm not complaining. If you didin't notice, it was you and the OP complaining about lack of respect...
The game is a joke. I love it, but I've also learned not to take it to serious, as no very many people do. The only time I take pool very serious, is if I'm gambling.
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Regardless of anyone else's actions, each Person has a choice to help increase the game's respect or not.
Jeff Livingston
It wouldn't bother me at all.
I personally don't mind bc I use it as an excuse for a free break to go smoke a cigarette. But I would be pissed if it happened during an important match. Either way you feel about it is not necessarily wrong.
You say it's wrong but you don't say why.
If it's not disallowed in the rules then by omission it is condoned and becomes nothing more than a matter of perception.
Who decides what is right and wrong and where do we draw the line?
I see players listening to music through their phone jacks all the time. Is this wrong? Is this disrespectful? If so, what level of disrespect is the player trying to convey?
Is there some universal meaning that can be concluded from talking on a phone while playing? I don't think so.
I can't see any level of disrespect unless the player is so far ahead in the match they are trying to convey that they can beat their opponent with one arm behind their back. Perhaps that was the case here with the OP. I can't say.
Perhaps the player knew his opponent would get rattled and he was using the phone incident to gain an edge. If it's wrong to do crazy things to get under your opponent's skin then Earl the Pearl has been a poor ambassador for the sport and yet it seems most people love his antics. Like John McEnroe was for tennis.
If anything, talking on the phone would be a distraction that should give their opponent an advantage.
If I'm playing a much stronger player, I want every advantage I can get....If he wants to play head games talking on the phone, I'm going to capitalize on the opportunity.
If I'm winning because he can't get off the phone, I'm certainly not going to complain.
Hell, I may even play head games back by breaking his rhythm with questions like: Are you calling 911 for help? or ask if he needs a time out, and offer to get his team captain's phone number.
Pool is a social game that deserves to played on all levels, not just what you see on the felt.
Perceptions of right and wrong are very subjective ideas. They only take on objective value when we spell out the expectations and apply them to the rules.
If it was clear that this behavior was unacceptable, disrespectful or wrong, then it would be in the rules for that league.
Like you said. It would be so easy to fix this by making it a rule......and yet, it's not a rule.
I will say that on some level the use of a phone during a match should be disallowed in much the same way they don't let poker players talk on the phone while playing. It has nothing to do with disrespect but rather it could be that someone is assisting the player and this is definitely against the rules.
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GoldenFlash
Banned
Who me? Why worry...just shoot the balls in the hole.
The thing I'd be concerned about is if he had someone watching the game and telling him on the phone about which shots to play, where to play safe, which shot is a pure half ball hit, which combos are dead to blow open the clusters, or stuff like that.
Whether the opponent 'respects' me or not doesn't have much to do with the way I shoot. I shoot just as bad under those conditions as I do under any other conditions. I still somehow manage to win a lot.
Excellent post!
The thing I'd be concerned about is if he had someone watching the game and telling him on the phone about which shots to play, where to play safe, which shot is a pure half ball hit, which combos are dead to blow open the clusters, or stuff like that.
Whether the opponent 'respects' me or not doesn't have much to do with the way I shoot. I shoot just as bad under those conditions as I do under any other conditions. I still somehow manage to win a lot.
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The men pros showed they could clean themselves and their acts up on the IPT. Of course they had big money on the line and those were the rules.
As far as the phone while shooting, I would feel disrespected, unless it was Hatch. Dennis will try to shark you any way he can. Johnnyt
As far as the phone while shooting, I would feel disrespected, unless it was Hatch. Dennis will try to shark you any way he can. Johnnyt
I completely know how you feel. One situation years ago I was playing AAA player small money after a small local tourney one time on a small little trip. With this player I knew I was going to loose but it was small money. Early on in the set he was giving me his best game and I was actually playing him closer than I thought I would. But then the last game where I had to win like the last three he jumps on his phone. Lots of people were watching, and it seemed to be as if he were saying, yawn, I can even beat this guy on my phone. That is exactly what he was trying to say too. I guarantee it. And that is more than likely the signal he was trying to give his room. It is a lack of respect, I agree.