Examples of tremendous "heart"

I witnessed this moment in real-time. I qualified for the IPT ProAm (Rodney Morris' team) and stuck around for the finals after my "team" was eliminated. I am so glad I did!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU8GnffBmjA

"On November 9, 2008, Charlie "Hillbilly" Bryant faced the hottest player in the world at the moment...the current US Open Champion, Mika Immonen. The event was the 2008 IPT ProAm where sixteen teams of six amateurs (each with an assigned Pro) competed for a winner-take-all prize of $50,000.

Charlie & Mika fought their way to the finals to compete for the $50,000 in a short, race-to-3 match of 8-ball. Both players knew they could not make a single mistake or their team's dream of winning $50,000 would be dashed. It was the definition of "pressure-packed".

From this event, a single moment presented itself that became my definition of "heart". Charlie faced an intelligent safety play from Mika and his only option was to attempt a rediculously low-percentage jump-kick (!) to back-cut his remaining stripe in the side pocket. Not only did Charlie sink the shot (!), but he followed it up with a table-length tough cut on the 8-ball to win that game.

Imagine yourself in this situation. Could you sink those shots with the knowledge that 6 amateurs (and your wife & children back home) are relying on you to win them a share of $50,000?"
 
I would take bets on straight ins all day long for any amount if some one wants to try me.
 
heart

Being that this is a pool forum, I assume the original poster is talking about heart playing pool. It goes without saying that there are many real life examples of people showing more heart. A seventeen year old boy cut off both hands and managed to call 911 for himself and survived. People sometimes survive days and weeks in horrible conditions too. A local man spent an entire day belly crawling through a field full of red ant hills to get help and survive after being ran over by his own tractor, twice! Badly injured and then spent the day crawling on his belly through red ants refusing to just stop and give up? Heart with a capital H!

Most of our soldiers and fighting men show tremendous heart. After all, it is a volunteer operation now. It takes a lot of heart to stand and fight back when you have incoming fire. Most people I have talked to who have been in a gunfight admit being terribly afraid. Nothing wrong with that. What takes heart is to stand and fight anyway.

Hu
 
I always like the golfer Lee Trevino's definition of heart/gamble

Pressure is playing a $500 dollar Nassua with 5 bucks in your pocket
 
Super Mex had big brass ones

The Kiss said:
I always like the golfer Lee Trevino's definition of heart/gamble

Pressure is playing a $500 dollar Nassua with 5 bucks in your pocket
Click to expand...

It took a lot of heart for him to even break into pro golf. I find it strange that his nickname is too unPC to even say anymore.

Hu
 
Lee Trevino

Heart... in competition.. pool players can show a lot of heart.

Golfers do as well..

To test his skills against the pros in the PGA Lee had to play Ray Floyd 3 rounds on Lee's home course. Ray had to eagle the last hole to win by a stoke.

I also heard that Ray shot a 62 to Lee's 63 in one round and a 62 to Lee's 61 in another round. Like I said... I heard... but I like the story.

Heart to me means 'doing what others would be afraid to do'

Taking the chances needed to prove your skills.

In pool, like any sport, you cannot win unless you put yourself in a position to lose.
 
Back when I played in this prison league in San Quinton, it was hill-hill between me and Stan "shank happy" Washington......loser of the match had to be Billy Bob Bruiser's girlfriend the entire next week......I get left tough on the 9, and the only shot is a full table bank on a 9 footer with tight pockets, holes in the felt, and my cue looked like a pretzel.....anyway, I chalked up my cue using my own blood and contemplated the shot.....if I play safe, Stan is gonna shank me for sure....if I miss the bank, Bruiser is gonna make me wish I was never born.....

Yeah, you guessed it......I fire it in a light speed.....and then scratch....

I'll never mentally or physically recover from the brutality of the week that followed....

Ok, so maybe none of that ever happened, but that situation takes heart :grin-square:
 
JB Cases said:
Why does it have to be compared to life in general? I mean when it comes to bravery and courage then there are millions of stories that cover it.

Why can't we just discuss heart as applies to playing pool and leave it at that.

I mean if you're going to lay down the guilt trip then why are we even discussing pool at all as it's really a meaningless activity. We could all be out there serving someone else at the very moment we are typing.

Going up against the nuts is HEART. Even if it's statistically stupid the personal reward for winning in that spot is off the charts.
Click to expand...

I tried to emphasize in my post how it is blown out of proportion, and that I wasn't trying at all to lay down some kind of guilt trip. I'm impressed with someone making a tough shot any ANY situation, whether they can or can't make rent depending on the outcome. Was it a bit more impressive when Boston came back on the Yanks being down 3-0 in the playoffs a few years back (to take the series 4-3), than if they had just swept the first 4 games? Yes, but it had NEVER been done before. Dealing with ANYTHING that is competitive....I have no respect for those who give up, or don't give their all when trailing or in any tough spot. Are some of those moments more pressure packed? Sure. Do they feel GREAT when you come out on top? Again, sure, but that's what competition ultimately is.

So again, to me, some of the reverence given to players who come through in pressure packed moments seems a bit overblown.....that's all I was saying (not that it was MEANINGLESS).
 
Big Perm said:
Back when I played in this prison league in San Quinton, it was hill-hill between me and Stan "shank happy" Washington......loser of the match had to be Billy Bob Bruiser's girlfriend the entire next week......I get left tough on the 9, and the only shot is a full table bank on a 9 footer with tight pockets, holes in the felt, and my cue looked like a pretzel.....anyway, I chalked up my cue using my own blood and contemplated the shot.....if I play safe, Stan is gonna shank me for sure....if I miss the bank, Bruiser is gonna make me wish I was never born.....

Yeah, you guessed it......I fire it in a light speed.....and then scratch....

I'll never mentally or physically recover from the brutality of the week that followed....

Ok, so maybe none of that ever happened, but that situation takes heart :grin-square:
Click to expand...

you winked at Billy-Bob before the shot and scratched on purpose...I saw ya!!! :eek:
 
Original intention

Since this is a pool forum, I was, naturally talking about "heart" in pool situations. But there are those who inject social commentary at any opportunity. They might find a military site, golf site, etc. I just thought we might get to hear some awesome pool stories... and we have...I think we all love to hear about unique pool situations...
 
ShootingArts said:
John,

As usual you are as full of crap as a three legged dog when you are talking about things that happened when you were still sucking on your momma's tit. Danny was "flying" around the country in an old beat up Malibu at the time. Sleeping in it some nights too. That is the real life of many of the road players. They make some big scores, they go bust. All those that don't just trot to big events shilling their wares made by others in sweat shops or factories employing people for pennies an hour know what the real world of pool was like for most players. There isn't anybody alive that didn't book the occasional loser. When the old tales are told these losses are forgotten.

Hu
Click to expand...

Nobody but you seems to know the stories you tell. The thing with pool is that usually there is someone who can say that they were there too.

But not with your stories. No one ever says, "I remember that" I was there too.

You were around all these champions, busting them, and no one remembers it but you.

Didn't you say you "owned" a well known Johnny Archer.

Oh wait you said that he won the first three games and then he never won another? Did you quit after three games? How long did you play? What were the stakes, where did you play? After all if Johnny was well known then someone must remember this. Or did you play in some shack out in the woods? Johhny came in and announced to you who he is and you didn't know him and proceeded to "own" him?

Is that how the story went? If you made it all up you can show some heart now and admit it. We will forgive you.

I wonder if Johnny remembers this "beating" you claim to have given him. That must have been a devastating loss to be "owned" by a no-name hack in the swamps of Louisiana. No wonder it took him several years to get his first big tournament win.

I think I am going to send an email to Johnny and ask him if he remembers this "owning". Those were your words right? You said you owned him? As in you dominated him, beat him down like a slave, completely demoralized him?

For such a "moral" man as you pretend to be on this forum don't you think that using words like "owned" is a bit pretentious? And how do you feel about your continued use of slander and defamation when addressing me?

So are so moral and correct but you resort to lies and innuendo when you are backed into the truth corner as if that will deflect attention enough from your fish tales about your glory days.

How did it feel to "own" another person?
 
JB Cases said:
Danny Medina's wife worked for the airlines and he got to fly all over the country for free.

He didn't have a care in the world as he knew that you couldn't beat him for ten cents because you have NO HEART. But that's another story isn't it?

The story with Bustamante that you just seem to remember is one you SHOULD know being as knowledgeable as you pretend to be.

Johnny Archer and Bustamante were playing at the Glass City Open races to 13 for $2500. Bustamante won the first set and they flipped it and Johhny wins the break and runs out the next set. Bustamante asks to double the bet and Johnny declines and Bustamante wins the next set and the match is over.

I asked Johhny about this in Kansas City one year during the BCA Expo. He said that they were even at that point and it was a good move from Francisco to try to double the bet and rattle Johnny. He said that Francisco could have just as easily ran 13 and out so there was no advantage to raising the bet.

Now here is a story about heart, a couple actually.

And they involve the Lionhearted Alex Pagulayan.

The first is at JOB's in Nashville in 1998ish. We are there doing a tournament with our cases spread out right behind the pit area where two Diamonds are set up. Joe Salazar is there as is Donald Bludworth.

Anyway Alex ends up playing the 10 ball ghost 7 ahead and he beats it and so the people he is betting against make him play the 11 ball ghost. They are betting something like 1500 a set and Alex is getting tortured. I am only half watching this because I am dealing with customers and I am really sick from a bad reaction to the food or something.

Alex loses a couple sets and then it's around three in the morning and he starts another one. By this time everyone can see that Alex is dead tired. He loses the first five games and I am packing it in. Alex is all in on the money at this point but I can't sweat it anymore between being sick and watching this guy struggle.

So I pack it all up and stumble outside and get a taxi back to the motel. I sleep until probably 2pm and head back. When I get there I get all set up and the action is in swing and I ask one of the guys who was sweating Alex's match how he ended up.

The guy tells me that Alex was down 6:0 in the last set and he ran 13 racks to win it and the other side pulled up.

That was Saturday and Alex didn't show up all day. On Sunday he shows up and they try to trap him with the 12 ball ghost and he beats it. And Alex was too young to be allowed to play in the tournament.

At one point when Alex was all-in he "found" another 1500 in his back pocket and said that if he had known that it was there he would have bet that too.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The other Alex=Heart story is when he was down something like 15 games going to 100 on the final day against Shane Van Boeing. Alex comes back and catches up at 92:92 and goes on to win it 100:94 I think.

Alex the Lion gets my vote for most heart in pool. Too bad his heart isn't really in it these days.
Click to expand...

alex has a lot of heart.
i played him over 3 days for a total of 70 hours 12 ahead sets.
he won 1 i won 1
it was a war.
 
ShootingArts said:
The bar was only a few miles from the Baton Rouge airport. Perhaps he flew in on a 727 and boosted the most ragged car he could find in the parking lot as part of his hustle. Those old road players were sneaky! A lot smarter than a case maker I won't name because he gets whiney when his name is mentioned but very very sneaky!

Hu
Click to expand...


I should have rephrased my statement because obviously I don't know know WHEN Danny was able to take advantage of being able to fly where he wanted to for free. I know that Danny himself told me that he was able to fly around and that's why he could go to wherever there was action quickly.

The larger POINT though is that being carefree when you are flat busted doesn't show heart it shows confidence.

Heart is going up against the nuts with everything on the line knowing you are going to have to grind it out and start from zero if you lose.

Now MAYBE Danny was in that spot and was showing a lot of heart trying to outrun the nuts. Who knows because you just make up whatever story you want to and no one ever verifies them.

I have offered to PAY people to stand up for you to verify your claimed ability and no one will.

Don't you think that this is funny that not ONE PERSON will confirm that you can even sink a ball in the ocean much less "own" a player of Johnny or Danny's caliber? You are the last person on this board who should be in a discussion about heart as being a person who will lie and slander others in order to deflect from their own deficiencies is HEARTLESS.

Take that to the bank Hu/Hugh
 
Last edited:
ShootingArts said:
John,

It pleases me quite well that nobody says anything. You said you would come down to New Orleans and play me. You should have it made in a shade since I can't make a ball!


I'm waiting . . . .



and waiting . . . .



and waiting . . . .



But I know I won't live long enough to see you come down here to play somebody you maintain can't make a ball and who freely admits he isn't the player he once was. Not only that, I have never claimed to be better than shortstop speed on my best day. I'll never see John though, he prefers to hide behind blogs.

Hu

John Barton's JB Cases blog (screenshots available on request)
http://jbcases.com/caseblog/
Click to expand...

Sorry I don't chase ghosts. Tell us your real name and provide some verification of your exploits.

You are so moral and righteous that you wouldn't want to STEAL from me would you? You would make a fair game wouldn't you?

I mean you are the one who is always pushing your morality in our faces. Remember when you said that I and Ken were thieves for saying we'd take a deal on a cue in the pool room and you said you'd pay market value for it? Remember how you told us that you are so upstanding that you willingly offer to pay more for cars?

A moral icon like that wouldn't seek to hustle someone would they? You don't want to ROB me and OWN me do you?

Surely you just want to show some heart and play a FAIR game where you are gambling and not stealing.

Right?
 
heart

well i dont know if i would call it heart or gut check[presser]. but i was in similer situation. in germany playing in all europ 14.1 tourny race to 100 by opponent had 99 ball and missed he left 14 ball on table i ran 13 then made the break ball and one out of the rack!!! lo lo i win 100-99 great game i went on and finished6in all europe[1970] long ago!!!!:confused:
 
ShootingArts said:
John,

According to you a fair game would be you giving me the lemon crush! Now you are running like a rabbit and wanting a spot. The game is already made, even.

Surely a person like John Barton with the mighty heart of a bull gerbil isn't afraid to play an old broken down never has been even, or are you?

Come on down to Buffalo Billiards Metairie Louisiana and just ask them to call Hu if I'm not there. They know me by the same name the internet world does. A name is what you make it and I have made Hu mine everywhere I have went for over 40 years. That is a hell of a lot longer than you have been "John Barton"! I'll leave your other AZB handles alone for now. We are only supposed to have one but you brag about having multiples.

Hu
Click to expand...

Don't ever allow yourself to be self-deluded into believing that I am afraid to play you. I personally don't think that you can play pool at all much less at any speed that's a threat to me.

But I find it hilarious that you continue to maintain this little hustler act of thinking that you are hiding your speed and no one will knock you and that you have me stone cold trapped.

I didn't ask you for a spot but if you are going to pretend to be such a great player that you once "owned a well known Johnny Archer" then you should be willing to act the part and give up weight to a B player like me. I mean as I said, you wouldn't want to STEAL would you?

And now the best you can do is rag on my name? I have had several accounts on AZB, Instroke, John Barton, and JB Cases. So what? On all of those accounts I identify myself clearly and don't hide behind ambiguous bullshit like you do. I even have several anonymous accounts so I can interact without hypocrites like you trying to get to me by tearing into every aspect of my personal life.

"We" are not supposed to harrass, insult and stalk other users as well but that's not stopping you is it?

Let's recap, I left you TOTALLY ALONE.

You came back through the rep system to insult me and when I answered that you continued to stalk me culminating with what I guess you think is your coup de grace.

Well you have your answer hypocrite.

And you can bank on it that if I am ever in Metaire then I will certainly look you up and I will bet as much as I possibly can trying to bust you. I am SURE that I will win several side bets concerning your lack of heart and gamble when I do show up.
 
ShootingArts said:
As I said John, I'm waiting. I'm also sure that you will never show. If you found yourself in New Orleans you would find an excuse not to play. You have a track record John and the record is of being a rabbit. I have a track record too, someone on AZB that claimed they were going to be at the same tournament as me in a day or two challenged me to play for $500-1000 a set. I accepted the offer just as it was presented to me. They had a lot of John Barton in them when I didn't negotiate and give them weasel room, they rabbitted too!

Anyone that cares to look a few weeks back can see that you challenged me and rabbitted less than twelve hours apart already and recently. I don't claim to be a player anymore but just the thought of playing somebody even is enough to make you queasy.
Hu
Click to expand...

Not quite. As ususal you take things completely out of context. I said if I am ever there then I will look you up to play you.

I think that I once said that of the AZ posters I had not yet met than you were one of them that I would most like to meet. I said that before you tried to bully me and I took a closer look at your fish tales. So knowing now that you are a liar and a bully I have no desire to meet you.

Don't confuse that with a desire to beat you. That is as strong as ever.

The only history I have on this forum concerning playing is that I have done what I said I would do. I told Eric Hu that we had no game and that I would not play and I did not. Had he frozen the money then we could have seen something else.

I will be at the Derby City Classic in January. If you will freeze up $5000 then I will play you a ten ahead session in one pocket for that amount of money.

I trust Lou Figueroa to hold the money. If one of us does not show up then half the money is forfeit. Only half because I am allowing for delays beyond our control.

This way we don't need to bark ambiguously about a circumstance that may never happen.

My conditions are as follows, you have to provide ironclad proof of who you are with your full name and driver's license and passport. I also want to see pictures of you with your competitive shooting trophies. I have to be certain that the person I am going to play is the same person that is attacking me on AZ.

You see I consider you to be morally bankrupt and reprehensible as a human being. So it's conceivable to me that you would sneak a "player" in on me who is pretending to be you.

Thus I will play you when I am 100% sure of being able to identify you on sight. I will also ask Joey A. to sign an affidavit swearing to your identity before we play.

You have to understand that I can't be too careful with such a great undercover hustler as you claim to be.

So those are my conditions for us to play. 10 ahead one pocket, even no spot, $5000 entry fee, winner take all, Derby City Classic 2011. No pro rate - gotta play it out. Money is to be posted with Lou or someone else we agree on prior to Dec. 1st. Conditional on being able to verify your identity.

Bet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top