Don't be an ass....

[Tommy Tube Sock]

Anyone else tired having to play a!@holes in your local leagues who believe they're "only a step away from the big boys"

It seems to me like these guys are proving they are a long way from playing with the "big boys." I'm the first to admit that I'm probably a lifetime C player. But the people in my league who are starting to step up and play regional tournements, are almost always the most sportsmenlike.

For example, as a skill 5, I played one of the best skill 9's we have in a best of the best. After 4 racks, we were tied 19 -19 in APA 9 ball. You would have never known from his demeanor. He was quite and focused, but he never failed to give me a tap tap tap after a good shot. Of course he then responded to one my safeties with a 3 rail kick to make the ball, ran out that rack plus the next. Long story short, it ended up something like 75-29, but he was as gracious when he won as when he was behind.

I expect he learned a lot of this from the "big boys" With a few notable exceptions, the pros seem to keep their emotions and egos in check and their mouths closed. At least from what I see on TV anyways.

 

[thyme3421]

Big boys and little dogs....

When we started this session the LO asked my team captain if he knew anyone that wanted to start a team. Apparently one of his co-workers had a few friends that were ready to join. So they started about 3, maybe 4 weeks into the session, I don't remember.
Anyway, our team just happened to be the first match the newbies played.
Apparently my Captain and The New team Captain... we'll call him Jack... were barking and side betting a lot about this night's match.

Jack seemed completely sober, but he was very loud and rambunctious... if one of his players made a straight in shot, and just happened to get position, Jack would cheer "That's my boy!! Yeah! That's the way to do it!!" and give them a huge high five and then sit down and keep cheering under his breath. At more than one point he was talking so much that the bouncer actually had to step in and "encourage" him to calm down.
Though out the entire match he was like this, a reeeaaaal Jack A$$. The rest of the team seemed like pretty cool people, just the Captain Jack A$$.
So all this pretty much sharked my entire team, excluding my captain because he was used to this guy. I amazingly kept my mouth shut the entire night. With our entire team rattled, we took 1 point for that night.

About 6 weeks or so later, we go up against the same team.
Beautiful.

Oddly enough, he was quiet the entire night. Barely made a peep unless his guy took an entire match. Worthy for some noise, acceptable. This bothers me a little more because it shows this human is able to act civil, but chose not to that first night.

One way or another, I match up with Jack for a race to 3. It's the last match of the night... teams were 2/2... I needed this win. My team, needed this win.
So we shake hands and place the 1 and 14 for the lag, and he makes some wise crack about wiping the floor with me, or something dumb. I reply "You know what? I think all you know how to do is talk $h^t. That's it... You're all Talk"
The can of worms has been opened ladies and gentlemen.

So through out the entire first rack we went back and forth... he kept trying to shark me and I kept up with rattling him. After I dropped the first 8 he started getting reallly loud and up front, nearly my entire team had to step in and relax the pending hurricane. End result...
He lost...
I won....
3/0
Shark Successful

It's nights like this that allow me to take the things I've learned outside of league, and apply it IN league. 90% of the players on the league are great people, there's only him and 1 other guy on a different team that get kinda loud. The other guy does it in good humor though, he just projects his voice more when he drinks...
Everyone else (skill providing) are considerate, straight forward, let's play pool, type players.