how are ya'll doing in league ?
- Thread starter lorider
- Start date
Banks
Banned
Oh, I thought I said something. That's pretty much how my last few weeks have been going.
Don't worry, I'll cover your table time!
Last night was NAPA Lagger's Choice -- the last night of the session.
I won the lag and for some reason chose 9-ball. It was a 4-3 race, I needed 4.
First rack: my opponent made a nice 3-9 carom. 1-0
Second Rack: 9 on the snap 2-0
So he's on the hill and I'm racking the third game thinking, "I'm going to lose and we've only put one dollar in the table!"
But I settled down, focused on PSR, making a nice stroke, taking my time to see what goes where, playing safe, etc...
Can this story end any other way? I win the next four games to take the match. 4-2 :thumbup:
My team ended up in second place for the summer session.
I won the lag and for some reason chose 9-ball. It was a 4-3 race, I needed 4.
First rack: my opponent made a nice 3-9 carom. 1-0
Second Rack: 9 on the snap 2-0
So he's on the hill and I'm racking the third game thinking, "I'm going to lose and we've only put one dollar in the table!"
But I settled down, focused on PSR, making a nice stroke, taking my time to see what goes where, playing safe, etc...
Can this story end any other way? I win the next four games to take the match. 4-2 :thumbup:
My team ended up in second place for the summer session.
i been telling ya;ll to dump that league and play apa or napa.
i said in an earlier post ...all my leagues are boring compared to what ya'll go through.
I know, it often sounds like the never ending nightmare.
The thing about it is that our UPA league could be a great thing (and most of the time it is). Most of the teams and players are really good people (there are always going to be a few jerks here and there). When there are no problems then everything is smooth and we just play our matches and get into it.
The outlying problem with UPA (at least in this area) is really bad organization and a lack of being managed properly. I don't dislike our LO... but he's no manager. I've spent most of my life in management... worked over, under and beside of countless people who carried such titles. So I recognize the lack of organization here and where (I personally believe) the problem lies. Problems are going to come up and a good manager (in this case "League Operator") should be on top of anything that a team manager or player addresses.
I know of 3 different issues that I addressed last season to the LO and was told each time... "I'll get it fixed" or I'll get back to you quickly on that". Nope... nothing happened or was ever mentioned again. Hell... 4 weeks into the 10 week season, I was asking why I didn't have a member ID number so that I could access my stats online. He took my phone number and said it would get taken care of quickly. Then in week #7 (3 weeks later) he walks in on 8 ball night with a stack of member cards about 3" tall. Apparently no one who wasn't a returning player from last season could access their stats until the last 3 weeks of the season.
I'm a person who will give someone a chance to adapt and build their own system of organization, and since the UPA is fairly new in this area... I've watched and waited. But nothing is being done. When there are problems the league captains are shouldering the load while the LO seems to be clueless to answer anything without hours, days or weeks of deliberation. There are also "conflicts of interest" going on in the background that I won't even get started on or I'll be here all morning.
KK9Lives is a good captain. He's a great guy... a good team motivator... and he's not afraid to speak his mind when it's time to. He is a big part of the reason why I'm still a member. He's also a very talented player when his head is clear to shoot with focus. This is where I fault the LO the most and it's here where the UPA has failed locally. From what I can see the only way that a team captain can function well here is to be a non-playing alternate who can keep score, shoot on rare occasions as a fill-in and always be free to battle the occasional problems (behind the scenes) so that the shooters can shoot with a clear head.
I've already had another league captain a few weeks ago to tell me that he's fed up with the way things are being run and that after this season he's going back to APA. We have built a strong team of players that are always going to be #1 contenders every season... but it's like trying to shoot pool with a looming threat that someone is suddenly going to come up behind you and give you a wedgie.
In my opinion... UPA is run and managed like a profit business only but doesn't care if it's being run properly... as long as it's alive and making money. But I'm not sure that anyone in control understands the true principle rules of "growth and profit". If they did then the majority of people on AZB (within this thread at least) wouldn't keep saying... "I'm not familiar with the UPA". Ah... that's their devious plan of growth perhaps!!! To spread the name of the UPA through negative word of mouth? Smart... (not).
I know, it often sounds like the never ending nightmare.
The thing about it is that our UPA league could be a great thing (and most of the time it is). Most of the teams and players are really good people (there are always going to be a few jerks here and there). When there are no problems then everything is smooth and we just play our matches and get into it.
The outlying problem with UPA (at least in this area) is really bad organization and a lack of being managed properly. I don't dislike our LO... but he's no manager. I've spent most of my life in management... worked over, under and beside of countless people who carried such titles. So I recognize the lack of organization here and where (I personally believe) the problem lies. Problems are going to come up and a good manager (in this case "League Operator") should be on top of anything that a team manager or player addresses.
I know of 3 different issues that I addressed last season to the LO and was told each time... "I'll get it fixed" or I'll get back to you quickly on that". Nope... nothing happened or was ever mentioned again. Hell... 4 weeks into the 10 week season, I was asking why I didn't have a member ID number so that I could access my stats online. He took my phone number and said it would get taken care of quickly. Then in week #7 (3 weeks later) he walks in on 8 ball night with a stack of member cards about 3" tall. Apparently no one who wasn't a returning player from last season could access their stats until the last 3 weeks of the season.
I'm a person who will give someone a chance to adapt and build their own system of organization, and since the UPA is fairly new in this area... I've watched and waited. But nothing is being done. When there are problems the league captains are shouldering the load while the LO seems to be clueless to answer anything without hours, days or weeks of deliberation. There are also "conflicts of interest" going on in the background that I won't even get started on or I'll be here all morning.
KK9Lives is a good captain. He's a great guy... a good team motivator... and he's not afraid to speak his mind when it's time to. He is a big part of the reason why I'm still a member. He's also a very talented player when his head is clear to shoot with focus. This is where I fault the LO the most and it's here where the UPA has failed locally. From what I can see the only way that a team captain can function well here is to be a non-playing alternate who can keep score, shoot on rare occasions as a fill-in and always be free to battle the occasional problems (behind the scenes) so that the shooters can shoot with a clear head.
I've already had another league captain a few weeks ago to tell me that he's fed up with the way things are being run and that after this season he's going back to APA. We have built a strong team of players that are always going to be #1 contenders every season... but it's like trying to shoot pool with a looming threat that someone is suddenly going to come up behind you and give you a wedgie.
In my opinion... UPA is run and managed like a profit business only but doesn't care if it's being run properly... as long as it's alive and making money. But I'm not sure that anyone in control understands the true principle rules of "growth and profit". If they did then the majority of people on AZB (within this thread at least) wouldn't keep saying... "I'm not familiar with the UPA". Ah... that's their devious plan of growth perhaps!!! To spread the name of the UPA through negative word of mouth? Smart... (not).
all leagues are run as a for profit bussiness....talking about national organizations...not local in house leagues.
it sounds like your lo does not have a clue what he is doing.
i dont know about napa but apa lo's have to go through interviews...back ground checks and training in order to obtain a franchise .
i can sympathize with kool kat about being a captain....it messed up my game also worrying about every thing under the sun when running a team.
Another almost shutout night for the father/son duo. I won 5-0 my son won 5-1 we both had to play a 5-2 race.
My son also did something very cool that made me proud of him.
He was playing a player that lost use of 1/2 of his body so could only bridge off the rail or with a bridge. He miscued often or missed hits due to this. One time he did it when my son was on the 8. Instead of lining up a simple straight in shot with BIH he gave himself and angle and shot it without much aim, he almost missed and would have on a real table but the bar table bounced it off the point and in for the win.
I asked him why he would do that and risk a miss, he said "well, he only miscued because of .. you know", talking about his inability to use both hands. He felt bad because it was not a fair shot to the other player and did not want to take a un-earned game. Showed a lot of class which made me think I did well with teaching him the right things if he thinks like that at 14.
After he said that I did a fake slap at him and said "You never let up on a guy for money!" like the scene in Color Of Money when Vincent did not want to beat the guy with a hole in his throat which made him laugh as he got the reference right away
My son also did something very cool that made me proud of him.
He was playing a player that lost use of 1/2 of his body so could only bridge off the rail or with a bridge. He miscued often or missed hits due to this. One time he did it when my son was on the 8. Instead of lining up a simple straight in shot with BIH he gave himself and angle and shot it without much aim, he almost missed and would have on a real table but the bar table bounced it off the point and in for the win.
I asked him why he would do that and risk a miss, he said "well, he only miscued because of .. you know", talking about his inability to use both hands. He felt bad because it was not a fair shot to the other player and did not want to take a un-earned game. Showed a lot of class which made me think I did well with teaching him the right things if he thinks like that at 14.
After he said that I did a fake slap at him and said "You never let up on a guy for money!" like the scene in Color Of Money when Vincent did not want to beat the guy with a hole in his throat which made him laugh as he got the reference right away
Another almost shutout night for the father/son duo. I won 5-0 my son won 5-1 we both had to play a 5-2 race.
My son also did something very cool that made me proud of him.
He was playing a player that lost use of 1/2 of his body so could only bridge off the rail or with a bridge. He miscued often or missed hits due to this. One time he did it when my son was on the 8. Instead of lining up a simple straight in shot with BIH he gave himself and angle and shot it without much aim, he almost missed and would have on a real table but the bar table bounced it off the point and in for the win.
I asked him why he would do that and risk a miss, he said "well, he only miscued because of .. you know", talking about his inability to use both hands. He felt bad because it was not a fair shot to the other player and did not want to take a un-earned game. Showed a lot of class which made me think I did well with teaching him the right things if he thinks like that at 14.
After he said that I did a fake slap at him and said "You never let up on a guy for money!" like the scene in Color Of Money when Vincent did not want to beat the guy with a hole in his throat which made him laugh as he got the reference right away
congrats on both of you guys wins.
kudos to you also for instilling character and compassion in your son.
my tue night money league held an 8 ball tournament for the league players. no entry fee...just play for the calcutta pot. almost 2,000.00 pot for around 30 players it looked like.
i played good... not real good but good enough to go 2-2.
i thought i might have a slight chance to squeek through the losers bracket far enough to get in the money.
my last opponent quickly demolished that idea. 7-2 race ...me going to 2. he put 2 break and runs on me and 3 8 on the break. the other 2 racks he never left me good enough to start a rythym.
he had that 2nd ball break down pretty pat. all 3 8 on breaks he had the 8 ball fell in the top left pocket. 2 other times the 8 was headed there but got knocked away by another ball at the last minute.
i know people say the 8 on break is a lucky shot.....if so this old man has got to be the luckiest player alive with 3 out of 7 and damn near made 2 others that were for sure gonna fall.... all in the top left pocket.
i played good... not real good but good enough to go 2-2.
i thought i might have a slight chance to squeek through the losers bracket far enough to get in the money.
my last opponent quickly demolished that idea. 7-2 race ...me going to 2. he put 2 break and runs on me and 3 8 on the break. the other 2 racks he never left me good enough to start a rythym.
he had that 2nd ball break down pretty pat. all 3 8 on breaks he had the 8 ball fell in the top left pocket. 2 other times the 8 was headed there but got knocked away by another ball at the last minute.
i know people say the 8 on break is a lucky shot.....if so this old man has got to be the luckiest player alive with 3 out of 7 and damn near made 2 others that were for sure gonna fall.... all in the top left pocket.
no updates from you guys ? all of ya'll taking a hiatus or something. ?:grin-square:
i have 2 league nights to post about myself.
new session for double jeapordy sun night. thw opposing team did not have enough players so the captain walked around the pool hall trying to get a few players.
one guy she got i know well . when she threw him against me i told her he aint starting as a 4. she said she did not know how he played and the rules state new players start at 4's. i said i know that but they also have a stipulation about known players and i know him well.
i said he oughta be a 7 but i am ok with starting him as a 5. she said ok. i lost 9 ball to him 38-30 in 9 innings.
i lost 8 ball to him 4-2 in 10 innings. i think he will be a 7 in 9 ball and a 6 in 8 ball next week.:grin-square:
i really dont know how to describe what went down tonight in my apa 8 ball travel league without sounding like all those apa bashers on here.1st night of this session and we faced a brand new team at a new venue.
1st i gotta say this part of town is .....how do i describe it ? lets just say the residents in this area are an eclectric breed.
its a mostly younger crowd with a mixture of yuppies, punk rockers, heavy metal heads. plenty of restaurants and bars with outdoor patios where every one meets after work.
the venue we played at is a hole in the wall bar for lack of a better term. 1 old ass valley table that only took .50 to play. supprisingly the cloth and rails were in good shape although the cloth looked like it had not been brushed in years.oh yea... the balls were not too bad except for the 11 ball. when i 1st looked at it i thought it was another cue ball. the color and stripes were almost gone.they had a shelf on the wall by the table with the biggest damn bottle of baby powder i ever saw.
all the players except 2 were new members and did not have handicaps besides their names so they all started as 4's. the 2 players that did have handicaps were also 4's.
oh yea their names on the roster. waffles....feathers....slick...and last but not least ...vicious. :grin-square:
now our team is the kida team most guys who hate apa is always talking about. we are loose and laid back. we rag each other when some one misses an easy shot and compliment each other when we do good. always laughing and joking during our matches.
well this other team was quiet as a mouse and every one had a dead serious look on their face the entire night.
the 4th match i wound up playing vicious...1 of the 2 guys with an established 4 handicap. oh yea ..he was working the bar when he was not playing.
as our match progressed i saw vicious getting more intense and irate. he never said anything but his facial expressions spoke volumes. guess he was a lil irate that they were down 9-0 after 3 matches and it looked like i was on my way to a shutout also.
when it got to 3-0 i kinda slacked off....not sandbagging ...just trying harder shots and skipping hangers. well we both wound up on the 8 ball in the 4th rack.
he is looking around for something to mark the pocket with. he grabs that big ass bottle of baby powder and set it down by the pocket he was shooting at.
well the clown in me came out and i thought i would lighten the mood a little. i said ...hey i cant see your marker. he looked at me with daggers shooting out of his eyes and said...most people are quiet when some one is shooting. i said you aint shooting ...you are marking your pocket. well he went ahead and sank the 8 and his team erupted with all kind of cheering lol..
well he finally got to break. he ran 6 ball. i was standing by my score keeper when he was shooting. when he missed his last ball i told my score keeper to start marking a lot of safties as i walked up to the table.he never was able to get on his last ball .
when it was all over ...being the gentle man i am i walked over and said to the opposing team....welcome to our league and good luck the rest of the session.
they all said thanks...even vicious. :grin-square:
i have 2 league nights to post about myself.
new session for double jeapordy sun night. thw opposing team did not have enough players so the captain walked around the pool hall trying to get a few players.
one guy she got i know well . when she threw him against me i told her he aint starting as a 4. she said she did not know how he played and the rules state new players start at 4's. i said i know that but they also have a stipulation about known players and i know him well.
i said he oughta be a 7 but i am ok with starting him as a 5. she said ok. i lost 9 ball to him 38-30 in 9 innings.
i lost 8 ball to him 4-2 in 10 innings. i think he will be a 7 in 9 ball and a 6 in 8 ball next week.:grin-square:
i really dont know how to describe what went down tonight in my apa 8 ball travel league without sounding like all those apa bashers on here.1st night of this session and we faced a brand new team at a new venue.
1st i gotta say this part of town is .....how do i describe it ? lets just say the residents in this area are an eclectric breed.
its a mostly younger crowd with a mixture of yuppies, punk rockers, heavy metal heads. plenty of restaurants and bars with outdoor patios where every one meets after work.
the venue we played at is a hole in the wall bar for lack of a better term. 1 old ass valley table that only took .50 to play. supprisingly the cloth and rails were in good shape although the cloth looked like it had not been brushed in years.oh yea... the balls were not too bad except for the 11 ball. when i 1st looked at it i thought it was another cue ball. the color and stripes were almost gone.they had a shelf on the wall by the table with the biggest damn bottle of baby powder i ever saw.
all the players except 2 were new members and did not have handicaps besides their names so they all started as 4's. the 2 players that did have handicaps were also 4's.
oh yea their names on the roster. waffles....feathers....slick...and last but not least ...vicious. :grin-square:
now our team is the kida team most guys who hate apa is always talking about. we are loose and laid back. we rag each other when some one misses an easy shot and compliment each other when we do good. always laughing and joking during our matches.
well this other team was quiet as a mouse and every one had a dead serious look on their face the entire night.
the 4th match i wound up playing vicious...1 of the 2 guys with an established 4 handicap. oh yea ..he was working the bar when he was not playing.
as our match progressed i saw vicious getting more intense and irate. he never said anything but his facial expressions spoke volumes. guess he was a lil irate that they were down 9-0 after 3 matches and it looked like i was on my way to a shutout also.
when it got to 3-0 i kinda slacked off....not sandbagging ...just trying harder shots and skipping hangers. well we both wound up on the 8 ball in the 4th rack.
he is looking around for something to mark the pocket with. he grabs that big ass bottle of baby powder and set it down by the pocket he was shooting at.
well the clown in me came out and i thought i would lighten the mood a little. i said ...hey i cant see your marker. he looked at me with daggers shooting out of his eyes and said...most people are quiet when some one is shooting. i said you aint shooting ...you are marking your pocket. well he went ahead and sank the 8 and his team erupted with all kind of cheering lol..
well he finally got to break. he ran 6 ball. i was standing by my score keeper when he was shooting. when he missed his last ball i told my score keeper to start marking a lot of safties as i walked up to the table.he never was able to get on his last ball .
when it was all over ...being the gentle man i am i walked over and said to the opposing team....welcome to our league and good luck the rest of the session.
they all said thanks...even vicious. :grin-square:
I've played in some, and run a few singles boards before.
With our lack of players interested in playing in them, it becomes a bit of work.
First night of new NAPA session last night. 9' tables with dark blue cloth
Lost the lag and choose 9-ball. 8-4 race, I needed 4. Lost 8-3 but it really wasn't close. First game, I had BIH with a pretty easy 1-9 combination. I don't remember the second win except that I had to stretch to reach the 9-ball and had the sense to get up and find a bridge. I practice on 9' tables so I have a decent stroke with a mechanical bridge. Third game, my opponent missed the 8-ball, left me a looong bank with pretty natural position to the 9.
For the most part, I was a spectator and just tried to pick up a thing or two from a much better player.
Lost the lag and choose 9-ball. 8-4 race, I needed 4. Lost 8-3 but it really wasn't close. First game, I had BIH with a pretty easy 1-9 combination. I don't remember the second win except that I had to stretch to reach the 9-ball and had the sense to get up and find a bridge. I practice on 9' tables so I have a decent stroke with a mechanical bridge. Third game, my opponent missed the 8-ball, left me a looong bank with pretty natural position to the 9.
For the most part, I was a spectator and just tried to pick up a thing or two from a much better player.
Were Back
Four straight seasons we have finished in the final four teams to qualify for playoffs in either 8 or 9 or both (double jeopardy) and the last three we get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Not last night though. Our 4 lead off the the first game with an 8 on the snap and we never looked back. She won 3-1, I won 5-3 and then one of our 3's beat a 5 2-1. Game over, didnt even have to play the final two matches due to points. Finally back to Tri-cup!
Four straight seasons we have finished in the final four teams to qualify for playoffs in either 8 or 9 or both (double jeopardy) and the last three we get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Not last night though. Our 4 lead off the the first game with an 8 on the snap and we never looked back. She won 3-1, I won 5-3 and then one of our 3's beat a 5 2-1. Game over, didnt even have to play the final two matches due to points. Finally back to Tri-cup!
Banks
Banned
No idea where I left off..
Last Tuesday, played a friend(5) that beat me with an 8 on the snap last session. He had also beat me by 1 point the first time I went up to a 9 when another friend messed with me about how many I needed. Well, I started off with 2 bnr on him, he got a game somewhere in there and I finished it 5-1.
Last Thursday was my attempt at starting an in-house(4 team) BCA division at the bar. After herding all of the cats, we ended up getting it going and it turned out well, I think. I ended up getting 4 out of 5 games, getting bih the game I lost, proceeding to make a ball and hooking myself right away. Made up for it by playing the same person in a race to 7 the other night. I don't think he was used to that kind of abuse.
Sunday, it looks like I'll end up being kind of hosed in 9b. As it stands, I can only play if our 2 3's and 2 4's don't move up. One of the 3's is probably ready to be a 4. I ended up playing 8b and got a rackless on a 6.
My buddy that filled in on the 9b side of my Tuesday team asked to take my spot on the 8b side since I was only part-timing it and he's got to be there anyways. So, it looks as though I'm back down to one part-time gig and playing in-house where I hang out anyhow. That's going to be a nice break. Looking forward to more pool tonight.
2-Pack Dave, you jinxed yourself with your previous post! Lo, you've been pretty busy.
Last Tuesday, played a friend(5) that beat me with an 8 on the snap last session. He had also beat me by 1 point the first time I went up to a 9 when another friend messed with me about how many I needed. Well, I started off with 2 bnr on him, he got a game somewhere in there and I finished it 5-1.
Last Thursday was my attempt at starting an in-house(4 team) BCA division at the bar. After herding all of the cats, we ended up getting it going and it turned out well, I think. I ended up getting 4 out of 5 games, getting bih the game I lost, proceeding to make a ball and hooking myself right away. Made up for it by playing the same person in a race to 7 the other night. I don't think he was used to that kind of abuse.
Sunday, it looks like I'll end up being kind of hosed in 9b. As it stands, I can only play if our 2 3's and 2 4's don't move up. One of the 3's is probably ready to be a 4. I ended up playing 8b and got a rackless on a 6.
My buddy that filled in on the 9b side of my Tuesday team asked to take my spot on the 8b side since I was only part-timing it and he's got to be there anyways. So, it looks as though I'm back down to one part-time gig and playing in-house where I hang out anyhow. That's going to be a nice break. Looking forward to more pool tonight.
2-Pack Dave, you jinxed yourself with your previous post! Lo, you've been pretty busy.
Last night was our first night of the last session this year. Then the year end cash tournament. We won our match 203-181 and we had to give up 15 points and it was 8-ball. We play 5 games each on a 5 man team with the best possible score of 250. I won all five with 1 break and run and only missed 4 shots. We are shooting for another 1st place win this session.
So I have a lovely dilemma....my presence has been required to play on 3 valley teams. I have one of my best friends who's team will be soso even with me on there to bump up the curve a bit. Second is a friend of mine that I know will have a competitive team and I am sure they are fun to hang out with. 3rd is another friend who I played with their team a few years back and we got 2nd in the intermediate division, fun people to hang out with. 4th option is no dice on any of them, focus on poker as there is no money in pool anyway and football season is here which takes up too much time/effort (fantasy, bets, watching etc). Yikes!
I sure did :banghead:
One loss won't kill me. Last session, I was 4-2 (12 week session), now I'm 2-1 (16 week session). Plenty more matches to be played. Tri-Cups are in a few weeks, so I have that to look forward to.
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1 loss kills my average :frown:...im barely hanging on 80% mark now that I suck!