Or am I just too naive/nice for my own good? Here's the situation:
I carry an extra cue with me, a Keith Kustom Kue..I guess it's worth about $1500-$2000. I used to use it for a break stick.
There is a big guy who used to rent an apartment from us who plays pretty decent. He's a massage therapist and always dead broke. So I have let him use my Keith at the last 2 tournaments. It picked up a tink that I haven't figured out where it is located, and I suspect, even though I asked him not to break with it, he hits the balls hard and may have damaged it, because I haven't used it in awhile.
He always said he would throw me a massage in return for the last 2 times I let him use it, but he always gets mad and leaves in a snit when he loses, so I have never collected.
Today, I didn't really want him to use it, but he asked me point blank and I didn't feel I could be ungracious and say no, so I let him use it. And when he was done, he would carry it back to me, so I would have to babysit it too.
He is so broke that he made a deal with a guy in his first match to split and neither one of them had to make it into the money.
My first match, I was on the hill against this 'road player' and he had a chance to tie it, but he miscued on the 8, so I won that.
My next match, was against a guy that was really good, he didn't miss much, but I was playing well too, so I stayed even until 4-4 and he pulled ahead to 6-4. He missed the 9 on the next rack and left me a long tough back cut with whitey on the end rail, but I made it and then broke and ran 2 racks to finish the set, 7-6. They were tough runouts, too, so I felt pretty good.
Guess who I play 3rd round on the winner's side? Yep, our ex-renter. Now, is it really fair for you to get beaten by your own equipment? Should I have made him use a bar cue? He breaks like a monster, hits everything hard and slopped in a 9 ball, and 2 other balls during the match to continue runs, so I lost.
I don't think I was thinking much about it during the match, but it sure felt unfair when it was over. I did collect on the massage afterwards, but I still didn't feel good about it. I just lost, one out of the money, to a good player, so he won't get to borrow it tomorrow.
What would you have done? Am I just too soft for my own good when it comes to pool?
