Is IT A BLESSING OR A CURSE

T

tom mcgonagle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So many gifted pool players die at an early age for one reason or another.

You have to wonder, at least I do, if being blessed with such great talent is a curse.

I know first hand, it sucks when you spend hour after hour, in a pool room and nobody wants to play you.

That's when most players get out on the road. Now they're faced with making a living playing the top players from every nook any cranny in the country.

In the old days they had a small chance to succeed. Now with the internet, I can't see anyone sneaking around the country and being successful.

The lifestyle some people adopt isn't the greatest either. When you match up and start playing someone they might stroll into the men's room for a pick me up after playing for several hours. The next thing you know your backer is telling you you need to do the same thing. It's not a healthy situation.

I feel for those players that haven't live their lives to the fullest. Let's hope things get better in this respect.

I feel lucky to have lived to be sixty years old. God knows I did enough foolish things in my life to have joined my friends a lot sooner.
 
Nowadays, I think the big draw for the young guys is gambling/poker. It puts them in a similar setting with the drinking and the drugs.

I understand what you are saying, it truly is sad.
 
good question

After I watched Mr. Murnak's interview with George S., I watched the interview with Stevie Moore. I felt kind of sad about how hard it is for these talented people to make a living. I wish it could be otherwise.
 
tom mcgonagle said:
So many gifted pool players die at an early age for one reason or another.

You have to wonder, at least I do, if being blessed with such great talent is a curse.

I know first hand, it sucks when you spend hour after hour, in a pool room and nobody wants to play you.

That's when most players get out on the road. Now they're faced with making a living playing the top players from every nook any cranny in the country.

In the old days they had a small chance to succeed. Now with the internet, I can't see anyone sneaking around the country and being successful.

The lifestyle some people adopt isn't the greatest either. When you match up and start playing someone they might stroll into the men's room for a pick me up after playing for several hours. The next thing you know your backer is telling you you need to do the same thing. It's not a healthy situation.

I feel for those players that haven't live their lives to the fullest. Let's hope things get better in this respect.

I feel lucky to have lived to be sixty years old. God knows I did enough foolish things in my life to have joined my friends a lot sooner.
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I hear so much about pool players as if they've got a different set of rules confronting them than the rest of the world. How are they any different? There are many gifted people out there that just @#%^ it all away. Part of it is the pressure, part of it is just the way they choose to live.

Some people are successful.. many are not. It is unfortunate, but that is fact. Like with selling drugs, gambling, working under the table.. people can be extremely short-sighted. There is a goal they set of getting money in their hand and they want that goal achieved right now. How many people you know have savings set aside from such jobs? There are some, but there are more that don't. How about medical coverage? I've mentioned before that nearly all stories I've seen about old players end with medical problems that break them, break their bank or both.

I've got a mediocre job with medical insurance. That's the nuts. I can take time off to go to a pool tournament and I get paid either way.

It is sad that such talent is pretty much wasted. Or, how do you say.. "youth is wasted on the young". Tom, my grandmother passed away last night at 107 years old(almost made it to 108). In all of the things that she would ask me, she would always make sure that I was happy with myself and what I was doing. That's all I ask of my friends - support them and hope for the best, for the rest is out of your control.
 
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Banks said:
I hear so much about pool players as if they've got a different set of rules confronting them than the rest of the world. How are they any different? There are many gifted people out there that just @#%^ it all away. Part of it is the pressure, part of it is just the way they choose to live.

Some people are successful.. many are not. It is unfortunate, but that is fact. Like with selling drugs, gambling, working under the table.. people can be extremely short-sighted. There is a goal they set of getting money in their hand and they want that goal achieved right now. How many people you know have savings set aside from such jobs? There are some, but there are more that don't. How about medical coverage? I've mentioned before that nearly all stories I've seen about old players end with medical problems that break them, break their bank or both.

I've got a mediocre job with medical insurance. That's the nuts. I can take time off to go to a pool tournament and I get paid either way.

It is sad that such talent is pretty much wasted. Or, how do you say.. "youth is wasted on the young". Tom, my grandmother passed away last night at 107 years old(almost made it to 108). In all of the things that she would ask me, she would always make sure that I was happy with myself and what I was doing. That's all I ask of my friends - support them and hope for the best, for the rest is out of your control.
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Amen Banks: the rest is out of your control..couldn't have said it better myself bro.My condolences on your loss.
 
A good friend of mine once said, "Being good at pool is the worst thing that could happen to you." We laughed, but there is some truth in there. Maybe not the worst thing, but certainly it leads you down a tough road.
 
something else..

mosconiac said:
A good friend of mine once said, "Being good at pool is the worst thing that could happen to you." We laughed, but there is some truth in there. Maybe not the worst thing, but certainly it leads you down a tough road.
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I also know some people who are really good at pool who don't play anymore simply because they choose to make a living doing something else......so, to me, having a talent and not using it is also kind of a shame.....
 
Yep, our game with its addictive qualities is no different the the lives of many musicians and card players. The game, music whatever grabs our soul, if we don't get caught up in nefarious activites surrounding our choice, goals are possible. Our game tho supports so few great players. An example of my thinking with pool is when a player in the states finally wins the US Open 9-ball event, yes its an extremely happy, validated and special time for that player. On the other side of the coin when I see their picture on the front of a BD or other pool mag my thinking is somewhat negative, to me it's the end of the road because you really can't take yourself much higher in our sport for many reasons. Until our game evolves into a PGA type structure, greats will always struggle with themselves and what could of been, it's sad. I'd much rather see 50 great Efren type players on TV than the Flying Tomato.
 
mosconiac said:
A good friend of mine once said, "Being good at pool is the worst thing that could happen to you." We laughed, but there is some truth in there. Maybe not the worst thing, but certainly it leads you down a tough road.
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I hear being a musician isn't much better. ;) Heck, even sports stars can come crashing down pretty fast.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if more of the mentors/instructors talked more about the financial side with their students. Without discipline, life can easily become self-destructive.

...

Thanks, Ben. My grandmother was one wise cookie. I only hope I can live as fully as she did. You've got to love those around you.. doesn't mean you have to like them or what they do, though! :thumbup:
 
tom mcgonagle said:
So many gifted pool players die at an early age for one reason or another.

You have to wonder, at least I do, if being blessed with such great talent is a curse.

I know first hand, it sucks when you spend hour after hour, in a pool room and nobody wants to play you.

That's when most players get out on the road. Now they're faced with making a living playing the top players from every nook any cranny in the country.

In the old days they had a small chance to succeed. Now with the internet, I can't see anyone sneaking around the country and being successful.

The lifestyle some people adopt isn't the greatest either. When you match up and start playing someone they might stroll into the men's room for a pick me up after playing for several hours. The next thing you know your backer is telling you you need to do the same thing. It's not a healthy situation.

I feel for those players that haven't live their lives to the fullest. Let's hope things get better in this respect.

I feel lucky to have lived to be sixty years old. God knows I did enough foolish things in my life to have joined my friends a lot sooner.
Click to expand...

Tom,

Pool is just one thing. There are many ways to drop out of life through dead-end pursuits. Whether it's on a pool table or with a paintbrush , or a typewriter, or in the gym.

No matter your gift, the curse is allowing yourself to succumb to an unfruitful escape while life passes you by.

Chris
 
TATE said:
Tom,

Pool is just one thing. There are many ways to drop out of life through dead-end pursuits. Whether it's on a pool table or with a paintbrush , or a typewriter, or in the gym.

No matter your gift, the curse is allowing yourself to succumb to an unfruitful escape while life passes you by.

Chris
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Very well said. I love that last line. As difficult as it is, at some point even the greatest players need to figure out a stable way to make a living.

On the other hand, years from now I believe some psychologist is going to figure out that pool is one of the most addictive "sports" there is. The immediate feedback you get when you are playing well and controlling the cue ball, I don't think anything compare to that. It can really be mesmerizing. Now combine that feeling with the excitement some of these guys get when they win some money gambling or win a big tournament and you have yourself one powerful force. Tough to control.
 
Banks said:
I hear so much about pool players as if they've got a different set of rules confronting them than the rest of the world. How are they any different? There are many gifted people out there that just @#%^ it all away. Part of it is the pressure, part of it is just the way they choose to live.

Some people are successful.. many are not. It is unfortunate, but that is fact.
Click to expand...

I think part of the point is that great pool players who work very hard and become genuinely successful can still have little or nothing to show for it. So it's not a matter of not being successful, it's a matter of putting the work in and fulfilling your talent and yet still having no reward. If you succeed on that level in golf, you're set for life, but success in pool can still leave you with nothing.
 
Banks said:
I hear so much about pool players as if they've got a different set of rules confronting them than the rest of the world. How are they any different? There are many gifted people out there that just @#%^ it all away. Part of it is the pressure, part of it is just the way they choose to live.

Some people are successful.. many are not. It is unfortunate, but that is fact. Like with selling drugs, gambling, working under the table.. people can be extremely short-sighted. There is a goal they set of getting money in their hand and they want that goal achieved right now. How many people you know have savings set aside from such jobs? There are some, but there are more that don't. How about medical coverage? I've mentioned before that nearly all stories I've seen about old players end with medical problems that break them, break their bank or both.

I've got a mediocre job with medical insurance. That's the nuts. I can take time off to go to a pool tournament and I get paid either way.

It is sad that such talent is pretty much wasted. Or, how do you say.. "youth is wasted on the young". Tom, my grandmother passed away last night at 107 years old(almost made it to 108). In all of the things that she would ask me, she would always make sure that I was happy with myself and what I was doing. That's all I ask of my friends - support them and hope for the best, for the rest is out of your control.
Click to expand...

That's a great story about your Grandmother.

I knew a man named Henry Redden who lived in one of the worst neighborhoods in the United States, North St Louis. The roof on his house looked like the swayed back of an old horse. He was in his 90's and I asked him one day what the secret to long life was. "I eat and I don't worry".

I knew another guy named Del King who was in my VFW post. He grew up near the old VFW post and as a kid he would watch over the fence as the veterans had cookouts on the weekends. He said the guy cooking the food would bring him a sandwich and a soda. These are his exact words - "Then I got lucky. I got drafted into the army and sent to Korea and when I got back I became a member of the post". A lot of guys would have been bummed out about having been drafted into the army and sent to war, Del considered himself lucky.

There is a saying, It's your attitude, not your aptitude, that determines your altitude.
 
PoolBum said:
I think part of the point is that great pool players who work very hard and become genuinely successful can still have little or nothing to show for it. So it's not a matter of not being successful, it's a matter of putting the work in and fulfilling your talent and yet still having no reward. If you succeed on that level in golf, you're set for life, but success in pool can still leave you with nothing.
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If you're that good at golf, you're guaranteed money, you're not guaranteed success.

For example, look at the people Dippy has been so kind to support. After taking $10-$30k(or more?), how much do you think was put into a savings account, retirement fund or anything? Ask the players on here. The successful ones are the ones that buy an affordable house, stuff a little aside for emergencies or invested some of their winnings(pool halls or other businesses). After taking off a tournament, how many pool players think they're living the high life with that money? A decent payout is a bi-weekly paycheck for half of the people out there. I don't see them(working schmucks) running around like morons spending every other paycheck on lobster, steaks and liquor - ok, well, some do, but at a cost.

People will either make money or spend money.. it's like the playing to win or playing not to lose. Some do one, some do the other.. the may look the same, but there's a difference. Those that make the money will eat sandwiches and drink tap water. Those that spend money will dine out and drink wine. After a few years, the guy that's eating sandwiches is going to be living much more comfortably. Read back over the stories.. many of the road warriors that had money at the end were the ones that were smart about costs. The rest mostly end sadly.

If pool were allowed to be more of the gambling sport that it is, it would be more widely accepted and watched. If people were not allowed to bet on horses, how many would go to the tracks? I don't think nearly as many. Pool is not a big spectator sport, at least not without more people having a reason to watch.
 
It's a blessing, but .....

In every sport, just a few really make it. For example, how easily we forget that most minor league baseball players fail to reach the major leagues and must find a way to make a living outside of playing baseball. In the secondary sports, even fewer make it.

Most of those who do make it in sports have short careers, and nearly all of them must look for another source of income before they turn 40 years of age, and many before they turn 30.

One of the things most of us are taught very early in life is "don't put all your eggs in one basket." It's lesson that far too many who aspire to make a living at sports ignore, and, because of this, far too many retire from competition with no marketable skills fo any kind.

A generation ago, Steve Mizerak taught English, Tom Jennings taught math, Irving Crane sold Cadillacs, Joe Balsis was a meat merchant, Jack Colavita was a machinist/craftsman, a few other pros were bartenders, a couple of pros drove a cab and so many other top players had jobs bcause they knew that pool might not be enough to pay the bills and that having a job to fall back on was just plain common sense. Others, of course, put all their eggs in the pool basket.

To those that aspire to be pro pool players, I beg you:

a) finish high school
b) supplement your pool income by working (part-time if necessary) until/unless you become one of the select few making a substantial income from pool.

Pool talent a curse? No way! A lack of discipline and foresight in managing one's financial future, however, is a curse.
 
tom mcgonagle said:
So many gifted pool players die at an early age for one reason or another.

You have to wonder, at least I do, if being blessed with such great talent is a curse.

I know first hand, it sucks when you spend hour after hour, in a pool room and nobody wants to play you.

That's when most players get out on the road. Now they're faced with making a living playing the top players from every nook any cranny in the country.

In the old days they had a small chance to succeed. Now with the internet, I can't see anyone sneaking around the country and being successful.

The lifestyle some people adopt isn't the greatest either. When you match up and start playing someone they might stroll into the men's room for a pick me up after playing for several hours. The next thing you know your backer is telling you you need to do the same thing. It's not a healthy situation.

I feel for those players that haven't live their lives to the fullest. Let's hope things get better in this respect.

I feel lucky to have lived to be sixty years old. God knows I did enough foolish things in my life to have joined my friends a lot sooner.
Click to expand...

I think the problem with most of the really good pool players is they stop playing for fun.
If there isn't money involved they won't even consider playing.
What ever happened to playing for the enjoyment of the game?
All the great pool players have so much to offer to players trying to get better. They just can't seperate the gambling from the game.

I love playing, but outside of tournaments I might try, I play for fun.
I realize that I'm not going to excel, but I really enjoy playing with people better than me. I think gambling starts making it too much like work.
 
Marcl3954 said:
I think the problem with most of the really good pool players is they stop playing for fun.
If there isn't money involved they won't even consider playing.
What ever happened to playing for the enjoyment of the game?
All the great pool players have so much to offer to players trying to get better. They just can't seperate the gambling from the game.

I love playing, but outside of tournaments I might try, I play for fun.
I realize that I'm not going to excel, but I really enjoy playing with people better than me. I think gambling starts making it too much like work.
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This easily could be the reason the Europeans keep getting better and perform so well. They play, practice, work out and they get better, good ethics, upbringing and all that goes with that give balance to your life and in turn help your game. My feeling (probably wrong) matching up and winning the dough is not the main priority. Ralph Souquet comes to mind. Wonder how many great players in the states have this type of work ethic compared to those over the pond.
 
Banks said:
If you're that good at golf, you're guaranteed money, you're not guaranteed success.
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That makes my point even more clearly. Of course there are those who live wisely and relative to their means, and those who do not, in all walks of life. In pool, though, even success does not guarantee that you'll have anything to show for it, financially or otherwise.
 
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