how are ya'll doing in league ?

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
14.1 week 2

I get one of the lowest ranked players, why he's so low is beyond me, the director knows his game well.

I have to spot him 40 points to 150
He get in rythm and doesn't really run racks but his defensive out plays mine.hebcould he on the rail in the kitchen and thin a ball less than 1/8 and still leaving me on the rail in the kitchen, or from anywhere else.
Every rack we had no break and had to begin defensive. I couldn't fade his.
I lose by 34 points in the end 🙄
I realized as I'll be playing much better players that I have a hell of alot to learn. More than I knew that's for sure.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
14.1 week 2

I get one of the lowest ranked players, why he's so low is beyond me, the director knows his game well.

I have to spot him 40 points to 150
He get in rythm and doesn't really run racks but his defensive out plays mine.hebcould he on the rail in the kitchen and thin a ball less than 1/8 and still leaving me on the rail in the kitchen, or from anywhere else.
Every rack we had no break and had to begin defensive. I couldn't fade his.
I lose by 34 points in the end 🙄
I realized as I'll be playing much better players that I have a hell of alot to learn. More than I knew that's for sure.

Have you considered your handicap is too high as opposed to his being too low? I don't know how long you've been playing 14.1 but you could be a way better ball pocketer than him but he has more experience at 14.1 and they ranked you based on your ability to shoot as opposed to your ability to play 14.1?

Again, I have no idea how long you've been playing 14.1 so that's a total assumption and just thinking out loud.
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Have you considered your handicap is too high as opposed to his being too low? I don't know how long you've been playing 14.1 but you could be a way better ball pocketer than him but he has more experience at 14.1 and they ranked you based on your ability to shoot as opposed to your ability to play 14.1?

Again, I have no idea how long you've been playing 14.1 so that's a total assumption and just thinking out loud.

i wondered the same, but since there are so many new players in the system like myself, its just the nature of things.

ive never been able to play competitive 14.1, ive only been able to practice runs alone so this is very new to me still even playing the game for about as many yrs as i been playing pool, i dont really KNOW the game.

i thought i may have the upper hand pocketing balls but he for sure has more experience at playing this game.

almost felt like he was setting traps for me since he knew as he got more and more into a rythm he would win that battle more than lose.

i learned alot, like to not nip a ball from the bottom of the rack and lay the cueball on the stack on the side, because every time hed skim off and leave me on the rail in the kitchen, no matter if he let a few leak out.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
i wondered the same, but since there are so many new players in the system like myself, its just the nature of things.

ive never been able to play competitive 14.1, ive only been able to practice runs alone so this is very new to me still even playing the game for about as many yrs as i been playing pool, i dont really KNOW the game.

i thought i may have the upper hand pocketing balls but he for sure has more experience at playing this game.

almost felt like he was setting traps for me since he knew as he got more and more into a rythm he would win that battle more than lose.

i learned alot, like to not nip a ball from the bottom of the rack and lay the cueball on the stack on the side, because every time hed skim off and leave me on the rail in the kitchen, no matter if he let a few leak out.

That sounds about like my experience at the last 1P tourney I played in - ok, the ONLY 1P tourney I've played in.

The guy that put me out is a bit older so his overall pocketing skills are down and he probably wouldn't have a chance against me in 9B but he knows 1P WAY better than me. That was by far my favorite 1P match ever. My pocketing, kicking, etc., against his knowledge. We went hill-hill and each game was very close. He's invited me to his house but I haven't had time to get there yet.

Just keep watching and learning 14.1, it won't take long for you to improve given your general experience...(y)
 

dquarasr

Registered
New to posting in this thread. Perspective from a lower-level player: Background: was a 4 in APA 9-ball last year, and a 347 in US 8-ball. Then the lockdown and it was practice at home during COVID-19. A lot.

Started in APA 9-ball Spring season as a 4 based on last year. Won first week 31-20 against a 3. Won 31-8 against a similar SL 4. Moved up to a 5 for this week.

Played a 4 this past week and got crushed 31-15 (I needed to get to 38, so not only did I lose heads-up, I wasn't even close to losing within the handicap spread). Why? Oh, so many reasons.

- I gave away at least two balls per rack by either scratching or rattling balls leaving them hanging in the pocket. Post-mortem: I was probably shooting too hard, and not giving enough attention to CB path with respect to speed.

- I played too much side spin. I had practiced (obviously not enough) handling deflection. I'd place the CB perfectly but I'd rattle the OB or hit the point of the side pocket. So much for overconfidence using spin on whitey to control its position.

- My safeties were terrible: again, too much speed on nearly every attempt.

- Just plain missing. Post-mortem, I realized I was squeezing the cue, while I had been concentrating during practice on staying relaxed.

- And finally (even he admitted it) my opponent was just plain lucky: he had at least six shots where he grossly missed his intended shot but pocketed other balls unintentionally, or attempted a long shot, missed, but pocketed it as a long bank. Oh, well, karma, what goes around comes around, and all that rot.....

Some days you win, sometimes the bear wins. Sigh. Hope to put this in the experience log and remember to relax in future matches.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
New to posting in this thread. Perspective from a lower-level player: Background: was a 4 in APA 9-ball last year, and a 347 in US 8-ball. Then the lockdown and it was practice at home during COVID-19. A lot.

Started in APA 9-ball Spring season as a 4 based on last year. Won first week 31-20 against a 3. Won 31-8 against a similar SL 4. Moved up to a 5 for this week.

Played a 4 this past week and got crushed 31-15 (I needed to get to 38, so not only did I lose heads-up, I wasn't even close to losing within the handicap spread). Why? Oh, so many reasons.

- I gave away at least two balls per rack by either scratching or rattling balls leaving them hanging in the pocket. Post-mortem: I was probably shooting too hard, and not giving enough attention to CB path with respect to speed.

- I played too much side spin. I had practiced (obviously not enough) handling deflection. I'd place the CB perfectly but I'd rattle the OB or hit the point of the side pocket. So much for overconfidence using spin on whitey to control its position.

- My safeties were terrible: again, too much speed on nearly every attempt.

- Just plain missing. Post-mortem, I realized I was squeezing the cue, while I had been concentrating during practice on staying relaxed.

- And finally (even he admitted it) my opponent was just plain lucky: he had at least six shots where he grossly missed his intended shot but pocketed other balls unintentionally, or attempted a long shot, missed, but pocketed it as a long bank. Oh, well, karma, what goes around comes around, and all that rot.....

Some days you win, sometimes the bear wins. Sigh. Hope to put this in the experience log and remember to relax in future matches.
Welcome to the thread. If it makes you feel any better...we all have games like you described every now and then. i seem to have more than my share of those lol.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
New to posting in this thread. Perspective from a lower-level player: Background: was a 4 in APA 9-ball last year, and a 347 in US 8-ball. Then the lockdown and it was practice at home during COVID-19. A lot.

Started in APA 9-ball Spring season as a 4 based on last year. Won first week 31-20 against a 3. Won 31-8 against a similar SL 4. Moved up to a 5 for this week.

Played a 4 this past week and got crushed 31-15 (I needed to get to 38, so not only did I lose heads-up, I wasn't even close to losing within the handicap spread). Why? Oh, so many reasons.

- I gave away at least two balls per rack by either scratching or rattling balls leaving them hanging in the pocket. Post-mortem: I was probably shooting too hard, and not giving enough attention to CB path with respect to speed.

- I played too much side spin. I had practiced (obviously not enough) handling deflection. I'd place the CB perfectly but I'd rattle the OB or hit the point of the side pocket. So much for overconfidence using spin on whitey to control its position.

- My safeties were terrible: again, too much speed on nearly every attempt.

- Just plain missing. Post-mortem, I realized I was squeezing the cue, while I had been concentrating during practice on staying relaxed.

- And finally (even he admitted it) my opponent was just plain lucky: he had at least six shots where he grossly missed his intended shot but pocketed other balls unintentionally, or attempted a long shot, missed, but pocketed it as a long bank. Oh, well, karma, what goes around comes around, and all that rot.....

Some days you win, sometimes the bear wins. Sigh. Hope to put this in the experience log and remember to relax in future matches.

Welcome! I'd be interested in knowing what area of the country you live in? The reason I ask is that there is always talk about how different areas of APA SL's don't jibe and, frankly, the way you speak of pool given your skill level, I have a feeling you are a better player then a local, to me, SL4/5. They simply don't discuss the minute things you did - CB path with respect to speed, squeezing the ball, etc. These are not things I hear come out of SL 4/5's in my area. There are some exceptions of course, and maybe you're one of them, but generally when that SL misses here they just "huh, I suck" and walk away and when you try talking to them about it they have zero clue why they missed. You would be a welcome addition ;)

Welcome to the thread. If it makes you feel any better...we all have games like you described every now and then. i seem to have more than my share of those lol.

LOL, I'm an SL7/9 and I've WAY too many of those days in the last few months!
 

dquarasr

Registered
Welcome! I'd be interested in knowing what area of the country you live in? The reason I ask is that there is always talk about how different areas of APA SL's don't jibe and, frankly, the way you speak of pool given your skill level, I have a feeling you are a better player then a local, to me, SL4/5. They simply don't discuss the minute things you did - CB path with respect to speed, squeezing the ball, etc. These are not things I hear come out of SL 4/5's in my area. There are some exceptions of course, and maybe you're one of them, but generally when that SL misses here they just "huh, I suck" and walk away and when you try talking to them about it they have zero clue why they missed. You would be a welcome addition ;)



LOL, I'm an SL7/9 and I've WAY too many of those days in the last few months!
Appreciate the vote of confidence. I’m in Central Florida. I am only recently serious about getting better since last year’s lock down. Bought Mark Wilson’s book and have watched many Dr. Dave and other videos. I try to be analytical. But I still practice at a 2-3-4-maybe 5-ball run level. I have nicknamed myself “Two-Ball Doug”. :) Only rarely can I run out against the 6-ball ghost; forget about even considering doing a 9-ball run. At least not yet. Still working on it. I can find SO many ways to screw up an out, from missing a simple shot, to rolling too far and leaving myself tough shots, to scratching, to having CB come off the OB in a direction other than what I expect. But I’m doing drills to straighten my cueing, and I think I’ve finally figured out my stance and alignment. Just gotta keep hitting balls and drilling. I aspire to be a 7 in the next 18 months. We’ll see.
 
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Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Appreciate the vote of confidence. I’m in Central Florida. I am only recently serious about getting better since last year’s lock down. Bought Mark Wilson’s book and have watched many Dr. Dave and other videos. I try to be analytical. But I still practice at a 2-3-4-maybe 5-ball run level. I have nicknamed myself “Two-Ball Doug”. :) Only rarely can I run out against the 6-ball ghost; forget about even considering doing a 9-ball run. At least not yet. Still working on it. I can find SO many ways to screw up an out, from missing a simple shot, to rolling too far and leaving myself tough shots, to scratching, to having CB come off the OB in a direction other than what I expect. But I’m doing drills to straighten my cueing, and I think I’ve finally figured out my stance and alignment. Just gotta keep hitting balls and drilling. I aspire to be a 7 in the next 18 months. We’ll see.

Nice, may I suggest, if you're not already doing it, start focusing on pre-shot routine. Sounds like you've got some knowledge building up and now is a good time to incorporate that pre-shot routine so it becomes natural as you start improving other parts of your game.
 

dquarasr

Registered
Nice, may I suggest, if you're not already doing it, start focusing on pre-shot routine. Sounds like you've got some knowledge building up and now is a good time to incorporate that pre-shot routine so it becomes natural as you start improving other parts of your game.
Yup, it’s been an evolution but I have a PSR. I don’t yet treat it as 100%-must-do-this-every-shot but I know I should. Usually involves a more difficult shot where I’ll be hesitant while down on the shot. I try to catch myself doing that, stand up, and readdress the shot and use a consistent cadence of practice strokes. But in the heat of competition, or in practice even, doubt sometimes overrides the PSR. I hope to recognize when it is happening more often but as you already know it takes a certain discipline and experience to get to that level of trust in your stance, alignment, and cueing.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Fellas this same old routine is starting to get to me.

Win 8 ball ...lose 9 ball.

I won 8 ball 4-3 in a 4-4 race. Thus is the first time in quite a while my opponent got to the hill on me. I have been winning most matches by 4-1 or 4-2 at the most. It was a long drawn out match with a lot of saftey play by both of us. When i looked at the scoresheet later it showed me playing 9 safes ans him 6. I think we both played a few more than was marked but at least it showed the scorekeeper was paying attention to the match.

I faced another 6 in 9 ball...well he fluctuates between a 6 and a 7 but is a 6 at the moment. I guess he must have watched a lot of efren videos lately vauae thats who he played like last night. Banks...kicks...2 rails...3 rails...it didnt matter cause he made them all. The one lone time i got to break another ball knocked the cue ball in the side pocket and he ran the table. Speaking of breaks...my opponent made 3 9 on the breaks. Twice the 9 and another ball and once the 9 and 3 other balls. Damn. I have no idea of the points total but when i was tallying up the scores last night i saw that i lost 17-3 so it was bad. Real bad. I dunno...lately its like i already expect to lose my 9 ball match no matter who my opponent is before we even start.

Last session i had a 60 percent win record in 8 ball and 2t percent in 9 ball. 8 ball could have been higher if i had started the session like i finished it..
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
My apa starts again tonight, just 2 weeks after the last finished and the summer season seems to have half the schedule as the previous. Who knows.but we have a by and there's an all new team with all new apa players that gonna do recon on tonight.

They are going to have a huge advantage over all other teams by being all 3s, and if they can play a little , with the short season, could be trouble lol.
 

lorider

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
My apa starts again tonight, just 2 weeks after the last finished and the summer season seems to have half the schedule as the previous. Who knows.but we have a by and there's an all new team with all new apa players that gonna do recon on tonight.

They are going to have a huge advantage over all other teams by being all 3s, and if they can play a little , with the short season, could be trouble lol.
In our area women start as 3's and men as 4's .
 

David in FL

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Once monthly BCA Masters league yesterday. 9-ball on 9’ Diamonds. I’m a bit out of my weight class in this league, but enjoy it nonetheless...

We play 2 separate matches each Sunday.. Our 3 guys play a round robin with your 3 guys, playing 3 games each time. Total of 9 games played each match. 18 games for the 2 matches.

Pretty much got smoked like a cheap cigar yesterday. Only won 7 of the 18 games I played. Last set I got to the table once. My break in the second of the 3 games. Dropped 4 on the break and couldn’t see the next ball. 😑 That was it. Had it not been alternate break, I likely wouldn’t have picked up my cue.

Ah well, that’s what happens when you jump in with the big boys...
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So...my son had locked up MVP for his skill level (3, 4, 5 and this is his first session) with a 71.82% PA (he got 71.82% of the available points) and I was leading my group (7, 8, 9) at 70% (next closest was 60% so I doubt he would've caught me anyways) but needed one match to qualify. Since I have decided to stay on as a sub and would be able to play in the MVP tournament I chose to play last night and I locked it up for my skill level.

Pretty cool to be part of a father/son MVP pair ;)

I'm going to preface this with the fact I have been completely out of stroke for 3 months now so what happened last night was awesome as I finally found my game and it all came together and I won 75-13 and had a rack less night (in 9B), he didn't have a chance. Point being - I'm bragging a bit but only because I've had my ass handed to me for 3 months outside of APA.

Yes, he's a 4, but before covid he was a 5 so I know if he saw an open table and was in stroke he could get some points, he may not run it but I wasn't giving him any chances to slop anything in and I went into full tournament mode. I don't look at the numbers when playing so I can't confirm this but I'm pretty sure at one point I took 3 straight racks without him getting a point. His racking was all over the place so my breaks were not consistent and I only made a ball on the break 2 or 3 times and never made a 9B or had a run (kept getting clusters so kept playing safe - I'm guessing I played 10+ safes), but I did make a ridiculous full length 1-9 combo, think CB 10" off rail near center table - a foot back from the head spot, 1B was about 1 diamond past the side pocket and the 9B was a foot out of the far corner pocket. There really wasn't any other option but to shoot the 9 or play safe - so I did both. As I got down on the ball I saw a cluster of balls to my left and realized if I draw it straight back (there was a very slight angle - less than 5 degrees) I could come off the bottom rail and park it behind that cluster. I focused on the shot, put a good stroke on it and nailed the 9 center pocket, then watched the 1B take off after it and it went straight in the pocket, the CB came back 2/3's the table (7' table), came off the end rail and legitimately locked up on the back side of the four ball. It was magical. The SL8 on my team, who was scoring just looked at me and said - wow. That is how my night went all night long.

As much stress and irritation this session put on me I have to admit, it was my best performing session yet, that I know of, and we're headed to playoff's. I went 5 for 6, ended with 83% win rate, I took over 70% of the attempted points, I had two mini-slams (9OS and a B&R in the same match), I had three rack less nights (I think all three were in the same session, I will have to go check), we're headed to play-offs and me and my son took MVP for skill levels.

I had a smile on face all the way to work ;)
 

MmmSharp

Nudge is as good as a wink to a blind bat.
Silver Member
So...my son had locked up MVP for his skill level (3, 4, 5 and this is his first session) with a 71.82% PA (he got 71.82% of the available points) and I was leading my group (7, 8, 9) at 70% (next closest was 60% so I doubt he would've caught me anyways) but needed one match to qualify. Since I have decided to stay on as a sub and would be able to play in the MVP tournament I chose to play last night and I locked it up for my skill level.

Pretty cool to be part of a father/son MVP pair ;)

I'm going to preface this with the fact I have been completely out of stroke for 3 months now so what happened last night was awesome as I finally found my game and it all came together and I won 75-13 and had a rack less night (in 9B), he didn't have a chance. Point being - I'm bragging a bit but only because I've had my ass handed to me for 3 months outside of APA.

Yes, he's a 4, but before covid he was a 5 so I know if he saw an open table and was in stroke he could get some points, he may not run it but I wasn't giving him any chances to slop anything in and I went into full tournament mode. I don't look at the numbers when playing so I can't confirm this but I'm pretty sure at one point I took 3 straight racks without him getting a point. His racking was all over the place so my breaks were not consistent and I only made a ball on the break 2 or 3 times and never made a 9B or had a run (kept getting clusters so kept playing safe - I'm guessing I played 10+ safes), but I did make a ridiculous full length 1-9 combo, think CB 10" off rail near center table - a foot back from the head spot, 1B was about 1 diamond past the side pocket and the 9B was a foot out of the far corner pocket. There really wasn't any other option but to shoot the 9 or play safe - so I did both. As I got down on the ball I saw a cluster of balls to my left and realized if I draw it straight back (there was a very slight angle - less than 5 degrees) I could come off the bottom rail and park it behind that cluster. I focused on the shot, put a good stroke on it and nailed the 9 center pocket, then watched the 1B take off after it and it went straight in the pocket, the CB came back 2/3's the table (7' table), came off the end rail and legitimately locked up on the back side of the four ball. It was magical. The SL8 on my team, who was scoring just looked at me and said - wow. That is how my night went all night long.

As much stress and irritation this session put on me I have to admit, it was my best performing session yet, that I know of, and we're headed to playoff's. I went 5 for 6, ended with 83% win rate, I took over 70% of the attempted points, I had two mini-slams (9OS and a B&R in the same match), I had three rack less nights (I think all three were in the same session, I will have to go check), we're headed to play-offs and me and my son took MVP for skill levels.

I had a smile on face all the way to work ;)
I just had to say good job here. It is always a great feeling when everything comes together. Bask in it, and take it to your tournament ;)
 

dquarasr

Registered
New to posting in this thread. Perspective from a lower-level player: Background: was a 4 in APA 9-ball last year, and a 347 in US 8-ball. Then the lockdown and it was practice at home during COVID-19. A lot.

Started in APA 9-ball Spring season as a 4 based on last year. Won first week 31-20 against a 3. Won 31-8 against a similar SL 4. Moved up to a 5 for this week.

Played a 4 this past week and got crushed 31-15 (I needed to get to 38, so not only did I lose heads-up, I wasn't even close to losing within the handicap spread). Why? Oh, so many reasons.

- I gave away at least two balls per rack by either scratching or rattling balls leaving them hanging in the pocket. Post-mortem: I was probably shooting too hard, and not giving enough attention to CB path with respect to speed.

- I played too much side spin. I had practiced (obviously not enough) handling deflection. I'd place the CB perfectly but I'd rattle the OB or hit the point of the side pocket. So much for overconfidence using spin on whitey to control its position.

- My safeties were terrible: again, too much speed on nearly every attempt.

- Just plain missing. Post-mortem, I realized I was squeezing the cue, while I had been concentrating during practice on staying relaxed.

- And finally (even he admitted it) my opponent was just plain lucky: he had at least six shots where he grossly missed his intended shot but pocketed other balls unintentionally, or attempted a long shot, missed, but pocketed it as a long bank. Oh, well, karma, what goes around comes around, and all that rot.....

Some days you win, sometimes the bear wins. Sigh. Hope to put this in the experience log and remember to relax in future matches.
Played 9-ball last night as a 5 against a 7. First shot of the match clanged the 1-ball in the pocket and left a hanger. Mr. 7 ran out.

Second rack clanged the 2-ball in the same pocket (nearly the same shot as the first rack). Mr. 7 ran out.

I was down 20-something to 3 soon thereafter.

My safeties were terrible; too short or too long. My shot making was terrible. I don't think I ran more than 3 balls in a row, and then only when the match was already out of reach.

Lost the match 55-13. FIFTY-FIVE TO THIRTEEN!!!

Totally gutted and discouraged. Daydreamed about what I would do with the $ and the space in the house when the pool table and cues have been sold. Sigh.
 
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Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Played 9-ball last night as a 5 against a 7. First shot of the match clanged the 1-ball in the pocket and left a hanger. Mr. 7 ran out.

Second rack clanged the 2-ball in the same pocket (nearly the same shot as the first rack). Mr. 7 ran out.

I was down 20-something to 3 soon thereafter.

My safeties were terrible; too short or too long. My shot making was terrible. I don't think I ran more than 3 balls in a row, and then only when the match was already out of reach.

Lost the match 55-13. FIFTY-FIVE TO THIRTEEN!!!

Totally gutted and discouraged. Daydreamed about what I would do with the $ and the space in the house when the pool table and cues have been sold. Sigh.

Been there done that. Figure out what you messed up during the match and get on your table and practice it. I have found that speed is the first thing I need to practice before a match. As long as my speed is close I have a better chance of playing safe if my shot making doesn't start off well.
 

Texas Carom Club

9ball did to billiards what hiphop did to america
Silver Member
Tuesday
Sub for friends Texas indoor league team, cross between bca and apa rules, bca style scoring and format at big tyme, I do well win 4 of 5, leaving only 2 balls on the table.


Wednesday bca. We play a team that's going to state next week. All 550 and up to 650. They didn't want to play or win so they could keep the rating low enough to qualify for state. Pretty lame throws me off my game seeing these guys miss ok purpose, when they don't care to play, I can't get in that competitive mode. Managed 2 wins only by because they weren't there to shoot, but to lower the rating. 🙄

Thursday 14.1
I just can't get in rythm or offense going, played a guy even in points. Wasn't going my way at all mentally.😑

Apa starts Monday that'll be all I get next week since bca and 14.1 is a by for state.
 

Chili Palmer

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Tuesday
Sub for friends Texas indoor league team, cross between bca and apa rules, bca style scoring and format at big tyme, I do well win 4 of 5, leaving only 2 balls on the table.


Wednesday bca. We play a team that's going to state next week. All 550 and up to 650. They didn't want to play or win so they could keep the rating low enough to qualify for state. Pretty lame throws me off my game seeing these guys miss ok purpose, when they don't care to play, I can't get in that competitive mode. Managed 2 wins only by because they weren't there to shoot, but to lower the rating. 🙄

Thursday 14.1
I just can't get in rythm or offense going, played a guy even in points. Wasn't going my way at all mentally.😑

Apa starts Monday that'll be all I get next week since bca and 14.1 is a by for state.


If I saw someone tanking a game to keep their scores low I wouldn't have made a ball and they would've annihilated me ;)

Do NOT feed the trolls.
 
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