I hate league pool.....

Pool League

the420trooper said:
What makes it really bad is that the opposing captain knew he was wrong, and admitted it to me.

BUT.... we were ahead in points for the night and he said he was just "doing what was best for his team."


Naw man, don't quit! don't let this one unfortunate situation ( one bad apple spoil the whole barrel ) get to ya!

It seems to me that the team captain was trying to do what was best for his team, but not what was best for the "League", he was being an "ass" for sure!

Keep playin and have fun!


David Harcrow
 
Every league that I have played in requires the players to sign in, or have the team captain write down the players and opponents on a sheet.

I don't see where it matters if you played out of turn unless you played against someone other than who you were supposed to.

I have played in the APA and BCA. Wanted to play in the BCA because I heard and read that it is better that the APA.

I quit the BCA because the one in our area was worse the APA. There was more sandbagging, favoritism, and cheating than you could do in the APA.

The first night I played the last game against the LO. He broke and made one ball on the break and then missed. I ran out and got my points. He said to me after the game "I missed on purpose because our team only needed 1 ball for totals and set and I don't want to raise my average." That changed my impression of the BCA. Something is wrong when the LO would say that to a new member.
 
Now I know I'm new to the Forums and also new to the APA but in the two weeks I've Played and before I've seen People Cheating like you wouldn't believe , Now there's no cheating on are team because are Captin isn't down with that type of play .

But I noticed one team that we play, there Captin has to be up his players waz zoo's and almost seems like he's looking right over his teamates shoulders making sure their doing things right but also coach's from the side lines which I know is breaking the rules but i guess if that's how people want to act and win it's up to them but i play all my games honest .
 
what is a pool team ?

Well ,I started playing again about 3.75 yrs ago , a friend at the
pool room told me about leauges so I got involved .It was fun at
times but I do not think I am cut out for it .I am a only child,single
never married,self employed entrepreneur ,with one dog :grin-square:
need I say more !! I think leauges are good for pool as a whole but may
not suit each individual. I do play one TAP leauge 9 ball team on tues
night and that at times is hard for me to bare . I did play BCA a few
times and it and the 9 ball TAP leauge were the best of em in this area.
Oh and I also discovered why my safety play is shot .I used to play in
places that if you did play a "safe" ya might get shot :cool:
 
I never played in a league, probably because I have read too many horror stories about them!

But... I overheard something about the "Masters", a league (APA?) with no handicapping. Any AZers play in that and does it lend itself to less BS
than the handicrapped leagues?
 
I do not hate league pool

So there are a ton of people who do not like leagues. I completely understand this and definately respect your opinions.

But I do believe that leagues in general are being unfairly bashed in this thread. There does not exist a perfect league in the USA, and there never will be. But everyone here who is bashing leagues needs to understand their purpose, needs to understand their benefits, and needs to understand the flaws before they just start writing off leagues because of their personal bad experiences.

1. Leagues are used to introduce people to pool.

This means that there are a lot of people out there that are interested and trying it out. Before you write off their amateurism as a joke compared to your ability realize that whether you like it or not you are an ambassador to pool and that you should take this position with responsibility and a seriousness to promote pool and encourage growth.

2. Humans are more flawed than leagues.

Most problems that I hear with leagues involve people who are excessively competitive and at time unbearable. Instead of being angry at others, use this as motivation to win. And if you think everyone else just doesn't understand that you are just competitive, maybe you should take a look at yourself and reevaluate how you act on league night (maybe YOU are "that guy")

3. League Players Outnumber Other Players.

Most league bashers have played in leagues. I understand how bad experiences can sour you from leagues. But you need to realize that not all leagues are ran like yours. There do exist leagues out there that are ran properly and with professionalism. Whether it be BCA APA TAP or even local non affiliated leagues, I have seen these create great pool players, great friendships, and great competition. The team component is great for pool and can add a whole different level of satisfaction and disappointment to the game.

I'm not asking anyone to love league play...just respect it. And if there is a problem with a league in your area, what are you doing to fix it?

This rant does not apply to everyone and I understand if you don't agree with me but thank you for letting me throw the "devil's advocate" argument out there.
 
What if you could play in a league that didn't require teams and you were not geographly bound to a specific location. You could play as a single and you could play at any sanctioned facality anywhere in the USA.

Would that make a difference and intice more players?
 
there're some things about league play that i don't like. but even taking all the bad into account i still think that it's a good thing. it's a fun way to get more people playing and who knows someone might go far with their game.

don't sweat the little stuff man. there're a lot of people in league (and not in league for that matter) that would rather work on their arguing skills than their pool playing skills.
 
D C 6 Pocket said:
What if you could play in a league that didn't require teams and you were not geographly bound to a specific location. You could play as a single and you could play at any sanctioned facality anywhere in the USA.

Would that make a difference and intice more players?

For me the ability to play solo would make a huge difference.

My local league is basically closed to me because I don't know 4 or 5 other people that are interested in regularly playing pool.
 
leagues irritate

Leagues irritate me. Sometimes I actually mind being used. ;)

Besides, I like to play pool more spontaneously than that and don't get fired up about bar tables.
 
I play in an in-house league on 8ft tables. The league is run quite well and while there are one or two people I could live without, most everyone is easy to get along with.

I agree with the previous poster who stated most people's issues seem to be with the people not with the league setup. When you're off playing with friends or for money you can choose who you play; when you play in a league you don't really have that choice and so you run into all kinds.

I think the most useful part of playing in a league, at least for me, was using it to get to know other pool fanatics and strong players. As a whole, the league isn't very strong, but there are a handful of strong players, and few more total pool fanatics, none of whom I'd know very well otherwise. Now they're friends and through them I've gotten to know others.

My game and pool network has progressed to the point that I'm weaning off league play and focusing more on concentrated practice, playing stronger players, playing more for money (small stakes still, of course) and playing in more tournaments. But I don't regret all the time I spent playing in league at all.
 
rochwolverine said:
For me the ability to play solo would make a huge difference.

My local league is basically closed to me because I don't know 4 or 5 other people that are interested in regularly playing pool.


How about a league that you play as an individual and it pays back part of the nightly entry fee as well as money set aside for a national year end event.
 
rochwolverine said:
For me the ability to play solo would make a huge difference.

My local league is basically closed to me because I don't know 4 or 5 other people that are interested in regularly playing pool.

Why don't you just ask to be a put on a team that needs players? That's how I started.

Leagues can be frustrating at times, but keep in mind -- at least for APA -- they are really made for the player just above the beginner to intermediate level who don't really have many options to start playing competitive pool. You're not at the level where you're going to be playing tournaments or looking for action.
 
D C 6 Pocket said:
How about a league that you play as an individual and it pays back part of the nightly entry fee as well as money set aside for a national year end event.

That would be great, but for me personally, the largest issue at this point is solo vs. team play.

I also have no illusions about my skill level, and at this very minute I'd need an incredible run of pure luck to qualify for a national event.
 
PKM said:
Why don't you just ask to be a put on a team that needs players? That's how I started.

Leagues can be frustrating at times, but keep in mind -- at least for APA -- they are really made for the player just above the beginner to intermediate level who don't really have many options to start playing competitive pool. You're not at the level where you're going to be playing tournaments or looking for action.

I spoke with the league operator and let her know I didn't mind being added to an existing team, which nights I could play, and what that I slightly preferred 8-ball to 9-ball. I also went to the local registration meeting and poked around.

I'm not trying to claim I'm some kind of knockout player the league would be lucky to have, I hope I didn't come across that way. At the meeting I observed several other players that I knew I would need many lucky breaks to beat!
 
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