How do you tell someone you like, that...

Exile

Exile

that definatly rolled....
Silver Member
they are wrong when they have no clue about the bigger picture?

This happened to me last night;

I got a call from my old Wednesday night captain saying that he could do with me making an appearance as some of his players have been playing pretty poorly over the last few weeks. So I turn up to the game in quite a good mood as this was my old team, in my old league and it brings back a few of the old nostalgic feelings of when we won the league a few years running.

So I get there and after a few hello's with old mates I get introduced to "the new guy", lets call him "FRANK". We get on chatting and Frank seems like a nice enough bloke and we share a few jokes etc, etc... He then starts playing a few warm up games as we all do and 2 of my old team mates come over to me and proceed to tell me that Frank is the greatest thing to happen to pool since the invention of the leather tip. So I'm watching him and he turns out to be one of these guys who assumes every shot should be played at breaking pace with little regard for position and his shape is awful, just bloody awful.

So the match starts and Frank's up first and the whole team are whooping and cheering like this guy is unbeatable and the point is already ours. The next 20mins was some of the most predictable, lousy, painful to watch pool I've seen in a long time. Turns out he's the flashy showman when its a practice game then falls apart under even the slightest pressure. There was even a point that he didn't see a ball and was eyeing up to pot the 8 which would have cost him the game and the point for the team.

Still with me at this point?

After the game one of the lads "BOB" is still adamant that Frank is Mr. wonderful and he was "unlucky" for any shot that didn't come off.

Its been a while since I played in this league as I've moved onto bigger and better things, trying to play better players and improve all the time. I just cant believe how everyone has stayed at the same level yet they think they are pros because they win the same poxy league 3 out of 4 times. Now I like Bob but no matter how much i tried to explain to him that Frank was just a higher lever basher and not to put too much misguided faith in him, he just wouldn't accept it. It was like talking to a brick wall but i couldn't explain to him that Frank might be the top at that level but the level itself is pretty poor. They've never tried to move up a level because winning is so important to them that the thought of getting trashed by some real players scares the shi!t out of them. I was totally bewildered at how ignorant Bob was being, and as i said, i like Bob but he was starting to piss me off by just sitting there with a stupid smirk on his face and shaking his head to anything that i was trying to explain to him.

How can you explain anything to some one who has no concept of the bigger pool world ? :speechless:

Has anyone else experienced this? Going back to your old stomping ground and finding that no-one has shown any growth and they are still totally ignorant? I'd love to hear and stories and how you handled it.

Sorry for the rant but the whole thing left me speechless last night and I needed to get it off my chest.
 
Look up the Allegory of the Cave.

You have had experience with the real world and they are still stuck in the cave. You need to remember that when you disrespect Frank's game whom they all admire then you are in effect also disrespecting theirs as they don't feel that they measure up to Frank.

What does it matter to burst their bubble about Frank if none of them want to be better than that? Better you nod and smile and invite them send Frank to your tournaments so that he can donate to the prize fund.

Let them all be his backer for as long as they can stand it. ;-)
 
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JB Cases said:
Look up the Allegory of the Cave.

You have had experience with the real world and they are still stuck in the cave. You need to remember that when you disrespect Frank's game whom they all admire then you are in effect also disrespecting theirs as they don't feel that they measure up to Frank.

What does it matter to burst their bubble about Frank if none of them want to be better than that? Better you nod and smile and invite them send Frank to your tournaments so that he can donate to the prize fund.

Let them all be his backer for as long as they can stand it. ;-)
Click to expand...

Very well put JB :clapping:

Normally I don't let things like this get to me but it was the blind ignorance shown by the guys that got me all fired up. I honestly thought i was in some sort of a wind up sketch show. :withstupid:

I even played the guy and demolished him but apparently I was "very lucky" :wink::wink:. The worrying thing is that I consider myself to be an average player, nothing special, but at least I get it and I'm open to constructive criticism.

I wasn't disrespecting Frank or Bob, I was just trying to give Bob some perspective.

P.S. I've asked them to come to some of the tourney's i play in but that would involve driving more then 10 miles for them....lol
 
Don't sweat it. Like JB Cases already stated, they are stuck where they're at if they realize it or not. I liked JB's suggestion about them being prize fund donaters as well. :)

This is exactly why I'm not playing league this year. I was the top dog on my team for many years and try as I might, even though a few of my players requested help improving their game, when I told them/showed them things to do, they never really took it to heart as they would fall back into their old ways/habits shortly thereafter. As I told a couple of them numerous times, it takes a real effort and commitment and countless hours at the table to even begin to significantly improve your game. They didn't have the time, or want to make the time, to do this I guess.

You have to realize that there is a very small percentage of players that actually love this game deeply enough in their souls to make the sacrifices and effort to go beyond the typical bar league type player. If you are one of the few that do love it enough, don't let those who would try and ride your coat tails in a vain attempt to try to become what you've already become come along for the ride. But, at the same time, if you run across one of those who truly show signs of wanting to follow the right path, take a little extra time and help them on their journey.

Trevor
 
It sounds like they are very comfortable in their small pond(or maybe more like a fishbowl),which is fine. Just give them their tongue lashing if they ever complain about not getting better. I see the same guys playing the same lousy pool 20 years later. They usually are not very concerned about the pool world outside of their little one they are in.
 
All you can do is tactfully try to show how and why your game has made a jump. If they don't "get it", well - they don't "want it" enough. And there's nothing wrong with that, as they obviously love what the game is giving them at this point.

Let them eat hamburger. Maybe some day, one or two of them will develop a taste for steak.
 
duh!

Exile said:
they are wrong when they have no clue about the bigger picture?

This happened to me last night;

I got a call from my old Wednesday night captain saying that he could do with me making an appearance as some of his players have been playing pretty poorly over the last few weeks. So I turn up to the game in quite a good mood as this was my old team, in my old league and it brings back a few of the old nostalgic feelings of when we won the league a few years running.

So I get there and after a few hello's with old mates I get introduced to "the new guy", lets call him "FRANK". We get on chatting and Frank seems like a nice enough bloke and we share a few jokes etc, etc... He then starts playing a few warm up games as we all do and 2 of my old team mates come over to me and proceed to tell me that Frank is the greatest thing to happen to pool since the invention of the leather tip. So I'm watching him and he turns out to be one of these guys who assumes every shot should be played at breaking pace with little regard for position and his shape is awful, just bloody awful.

So the match starts and Frank's up first and the whole team are whooping and cheering like this guy is unbeatable and the point is already ours. The next 20mins was some of the most predictable, lousy, painful to watch pool I've seen in a long time. Turns out he's the flashy showman when its a practice game then falls apart under even the slightest pressure. There was even a point that he didn't see a ball and was eyeing up to pot the 8 which would have cost him the game and the point for the team.

Still with me at this point?

After the game one of the lads "BOB" is still adamant that Frank is Mr. wonderful and he was "unlucky" for any shot that didn't come off.

Its been a while since I played in this league as I've moved onto bigger and better things, trying to play better players and improve all the time. I just cant believe how everyone has stayed at the same level yet they think they are pros because they win the same poxy league 3 out of 4 times. Now I like Bob but no matter how much i tried to explain to him that Frank was just a higher lever basher and not to put too much misguided faith in him, he just wouldn't accept it. It was like talking to a brick wall but i couldn't explain to him that Frank might be the top at that level but the level itself is pretty poor. They've never tried to move up a level because winning is so important to them that the thought of getting trashed by some real players scares the shi!t out of them. I was totally bewildered at how ignorant Bob was being, and as i said, i like Bob but he was starting to piss me off by just sitting there with a stupid smirk on his face and shaking his head to anything that i was trying to explain to him.

How can you explain anything to some one who has no concept of the bigger pool world ? :speechless:

Has anyone else experienced this? Going back to your old stomping ground and finding that no-one has shown any growth and they are still totally ignorant? I'd love to hear and stories and how you handled it.

Sorry for the rant but the whole thing left me speechless last night and I needed to get it off my chest.
Click to expand...

I've posted this before and I'm sure I'll post it again:
"Never try to teach a pig how to sing. You just waste your time and you piss off the pig." :wink:
 
Listen to me...there are League Players, Tournament Players and just Stomp Down Gamblers. You have out grown league play but others have not. It is hard to go back and live in the city of BugTussel once you have seen New York. Live and let die.
 
just the way it is

The folks are right that are telling you ignorance is bliss. You aren't going to make believers out of these guys and you aren't going to enjoy playing with them anymore. Drink beer with them and enjoy them as friends.

Hu


Exile said:
they are wrong when they have no clue about the bigger picture?

This happened to me last night;

I got a call from my old Wednesday night captain saying that he could do with me making an appearance as some of his players have been playing pretty poorly over the last few weeks. So I turn up to the game in quite a good mood as this was my old team, in my old league and it brings back a few of the old nostalgic feelings of when we won the league a few years running.

So I get there and after a few hello's with old mates I get introduced to "the new guy", lets call him "FRANK". We get on chatting and Frank seems like a nice enough bloke and we share a few jokes etc, etc... He then starts playing a few warm up games as we all do and 2 of my old team mates come over to me and proceed to tell me that Frank is the greatest thing to happen to pool since the invention of the leather tip. So I'm watching him and he turns out to be one of these guys who assumes every shot should be played at breaking pace with little regard for position and his shape is awful, just bloody awful.

So the match starts and Frank's up first and the whole team are whooping and cheering like this guy is unbeatable and the point is already ours. The next 20mins was some of the most predictable, lousy, painful to watch pool I've seen in a long time. Turns out he's the flashy showman when its a practice game then falls apart under even the slightest pressure. There was even a point that he didn't see a ball and was eyeing up to pot the 8 which would have cost him the game and the point for the team.

Still with me at this point?

After the game one of the lads "BOB" is still adamant that Frank is Mr. wonderful and he was "unlucky" for any shot that didn't come off.

Its been a while since I played in this league as I've moved onto bigger and better things, trying to play better players and improve all the time. I just cant believe how everyone has stayed at the same level yet they think they are pros because they win the same poxy league 3 out of 4 times. Now I like Bob but no matter how much i tried to explain to him that Frank was just a higher lever basher and not to put too much misguided faith in him, he just wouldn't accept it. It was like talking to a brick wall but i couldn't explain to him that Frank might be the top at that level but the level itself is pretty poor. They've never tried to move up a level because winning is so important to them that the thought of getting trashed by some real players scares the shi!t out of them. I was totally bewildered at how ignorant Bob was being, and as i said, i like Bob but he was starting to piss me off by just sitting there with a stupid smirk on his face and shaking his head to anything that i was trying to explain to him.

How can you explain anything to some one who has no concept of the bigger pool world ? :speechless:

Has anyone else experienced this? Going back to your old stomping ground and finding that no-one has shown any growth and they are still totally ignorant? I'd love to hear and stories and how you handled it.

Sorry for the rant but the whole thing left me speechless last night and I needed to get it off my chest.
Click to expand...
 
Exile said:
they are wrong when they have no clue about the bigger picture?

This happened to me last night;

I got a call from my old Wednesday night captain saying that he could do with me making an appearance as some of his players have been playing pretty poorly over the last few weeks. So I turn up to the game in quite a good mood as this was my old team, in my old league and it brings back a few of the old nostalgic feelings of when we won the league a few years running.

So I get there and after a few hello's with old mates I get introduced to "the new guy", lets call him "FRANK". We get on chatting and Frank seems like a nice enough bloke and we share a few jokes etc, etc... He then starts playing a few warm up games as we all do and 2 of my old team mates come over to me and proceed to tell me that Frank is the greatest thing to happen to pool since the invention of the leather tip. So I'm watching him and he turns out to be one of these guys who assumes every shot should be played at breaking pace with little regard for position and his shape is awful, just bloody awful.

So the match starts and Frank's up first and the whole team are whooping and cheering like this guy is unbeatable and the point is already ours. The next 20mins was some of the most predictable, lousy, painful to watch pool I've seen in a long time. Turns out he's the flashy showman when its a practice game then falls apart under even the slightest pressure. There was even a point that he didn't see a ball and was eyeing up to pot the 8 which would have cost him the game and the point for the team.

Still with me at this point?

After the game one of the lads "BOB" is still adamant that Frank is Mr. wonderful and he was "unlucky" for any shot that didn't come off.

Its been a while since I played in this league as I've moved onto bigger and better things, trying to play better players and improve all the time. I just cant believe how everyone has stayed at the same level yet they think they are pros because they win the same poxy league 3 out of 4 times. Now I like Bob but no matter how much i tried to explain to him that Frank was just a higher lever basher and not to put too much misguided faith in him, he just wouldn't accept it. It was like talking to a brick wall but i couldn't explain to him that Frank might be the top at that level but the level itself is pretty poor. They've never tried to move up a level because winning is so important to them that the thought of getting trashed by some real players scares the shi!t out of them. I was totally bewildered at how ignorant Bob was being, and as i said, i like Bob but he was starting to piss me off by just sitting there with a stupid smirk on his face and shaking his head to anything that i was trying to explain to him.

How can you explain anything to some one who has no concept of the bigger pool world ? :speechless:

Has anyone else experienced this? Going back to your old stomping ground and finding that no-one has shown any growth and they are still totally ignorant? I'd love to hear and stories and how you handled it.

Sorry for the rant but the whole thing left me speechless last night and I needed to get it off my chest.
Click to expand...



What a dilemma. I appreciate what you are saying but frankly have no advice. My few years in league play were at a fairly high level of players. Our team and maybe 5 or 6 others all shot well and we respected each other. Some people don’t know what they don’t know but think that they do know. Your frustration is apparent. I would feel exactly as you did. But I’m not sure what to do if there’s a next time. Probably save myself the grief and not go. Very tough problem.

Paul....of little help
 
Exile said:
they are wrong when they have no clue about the bigger picture?

........
.......
.....

Sorry for the rant but the whole thing left me speechless last night and I needed to get it off my chest.
Click to expand...

Listen my little droogie....you're just pissed because I took over your spot and the team knows I am better than you....last night was an off night - I got a few bad rolls and I just wasn't feeling the table....why don't you stop by again next week and I'll show you a thing or two.....also, I hit the balls hard because I am a man, a real man......I know big time pool - if Fast Eddie ever makes his way across the pond I'm gonna send him home with only a few pennies in his pocket.....:mad:

Oh, and a 5 year old girl can hold her liquor better than you....
 
Big Perm said:
Listen my little droogie....you're just pissed because I took over your spot and the team knows I am better than you....last night was an off night - I got a few bad rolls and I just wasn't feeling the table....why don't you stop by again next week and I'll show you a thing or two.....also, I hit the balls hard because I am a man, a real man......I know big time pool - if Fast Eddie ever makes his way across the pond I'm gonna send him home with only a few pennies in his pocket.....:mad:

Oh, and a 5 year old girl can hold her liquor better than you....
Click to expand...

hehe..there's always one :withstupid::thud:

at least you made me smile
 
Exile said:
So I get there and after a few hello's with old mates................get on chatting and Frank seems like a nice enough bloke..............yet they think they are pros because they win the same poxy league 3 out of 4 times.
Click to expand...


Even on the internet I just love the way you British "chaps" speak :grin:!!!

Maniac
 
JB Cases said:
Look up the Allegory of the Cave.

You have had experience with the real world and they are still stuck in the cave. You need to remember that when you disrespect Frank's game whom they all admire then you are in effect also disrespecting theirs as they don't feel that they measure up to Frank.

What does it matter to burst their bubble about Frank if none of them want to be better than that? Better you nod and smile and invite them send Frank to your tournaments so that he can donate to the prize fund.

Let them all be his backer for as long as they can stand it. ;-)
Click to expand...
LOL, John--rep to you for bringing Plato into a pool discussion. An event I would have bet against ever happening, 5 minutes ago. Priceless!
 
brechbt said:
LOL, John--rep to you for bringing Plato into a pool discussion. An event I would have bet against ever happening, 5 minutes ago. Priceless!
Click to expand...

Plato??? Wasn't she on that old t.v. show "Different Strokes" ???:grin::grin:

Maniac
 
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