John Morra announces hiatus

Hard to blame him, no money in pool. He will be successful in whatever he does.
 
sjm said:
No problem with this. John is moving on to some other of life's challenges.

John's in his late twenties, and some will feel that he's leaving the game too early, but not me. They said the same of Jean Balukas nearly thirty years ago when she retired in her late twenties. While noone can suggest that John's accomplishments are even close to being on a par with Jean's, it's easy to overlook that these two players had long, not shot careers, for each competed as a junior and went on to play for many years at the game's highest level.

John was a fine player and a positive role model for all pool players and, for those reasons, he will be missed.

Whatever comes next for John, I wish him the best. If he applies himself in future endeavors the way he did as a pool player, good times surely lie ahead for John.

Good luck, John.
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Love that kid watched him as a junior at the Xbo and playing for big cash there , I can understand it following him on FB and in the pool world last yr of so might have been his best and at some level I think that's part of the reason , he got to prove to himself he can play with the first tier players and he can leave it as that , and go one to something else I tip my hat to him

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No doubt a wise decision. Thanks for all the great pool John, and best of luck in whatever you do.
 
Bank it said:
Has anyone considered if how Sunday went at Turning Stone in both his A side/B side matches went gave him pause that led to this shocking announcement?
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He was considering this before it's not new , he's got a nice girl and great parents that supported him even though I don't think they wanted it to be his path in life at least I kinda gathered that talking to him yrs back .
He's making a smart decision IMHO he can get grounded in something else and come back and play part time stuff he's a very talented pool player

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Bank it said:
Well, pool breaks another mans heart. At least he figured it out now while he's young.
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This news saddens me .
He's worked so hard to perfect his stroke and up his game.
Even stayed in the Philippines to build his game up.

I wish him all the best.
Too bad pool is just not a great sport to be good at.
 
John is truly one of the good guys in our game, never been a question about that. He has always handled himself with dignity and class and it will be the games loss to see him go. John I know this must have been a very hard decision for you to make but I believe that you made the right decision to leave because I believe in you as a person. Good luck in whatever you do, but something tells me you won't need luck.:wink2:

It was nice talking with you in Edison, good luck.

Bill Incardona
 
Good for him!

He sounds like a smart man. There are many easier ways to make a living and support a family then playing pool and that is just the truth and the way it is.

I will be surprised if Shane or Darren are around in 10 years.
 
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I consider myself fortunate to have watched the Turning Stone stream. John Morra will remain one of the best in my mind. Pool is indeed a cruel mistress. It says much when one of the best is making this wise decision.
 
Little John

I think his dad played at TS, Perhaps John sir and jr spent some quality time together and realized how much that meant for jr to be home with his family and made the decision to take a break from his pool career that involved much travel away from home...

Not saying I know facts but thats a good reason I can think of such a shocking announcement would be made.
Whatever his reason.... power to him, He's a bright young man.


Rob.M
 
Best move he's probably ever made in his life. He now has a promising future!
 
Cameron Smith said:
The pressure for these guys must be just enormous. I mean, playing for your paycheque each week and having to either win or place high just to cover expenses and maybe squeak out a profit?

They talk about the pressure of Wimbledon, The Open or other majors/Slam's in other richer sports. But at the top echelon, they are playing for their pride and legacy and when they lose, they sulk in whatever luxury villa/penthouse they feel like sulking in.

I can't blame anyone for choosing a different career path, and John is still young enough that he can pursue just about any career really.
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Yeah, you make a great point. I hope that what ever he decides to do, that he will be happy.
 
Cameron Smith said:
The pressure for these guys must be just enormous. I mean, playing for your paycheque each week and having to either win or place high just to cover expenses and maybe squeak out a profit?

They talk about the pressure of Wimbledon, The Open or other majors/Slam's in other richer sports. But at the top echelon, they are playing for their pride and legacy and when they lose, they sulk in whatever luxury villa/penthouse they feel like sulking in.

I can't blame anyone for choosing a different career path, and John is still young enough that he can pursue just about any career really.
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In Wimbledon you have thousands in attendance and millions watching across the world. That alone is enough to create an enormous amount of pressure.

I'm not sure how you can even compare the two.

A better comparison might be a pool player and a sales rep that works solely on commission.
 
BeiberLvr said:
In Wimbledon you have thousands in attendance and millions watching across the world. That alone is enough to create an enormous amount of pressure.

I'm not sure how you can even compare the two.

A better comparison might be a pool player and a sales rep that works solely on commission.
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I guess that would depend on how good of a product the sales rep has, and how good of a sales person they are.
 
Terrible news for us, his fans. Great news for John.

He has been my favorite player to watch recently. His form and demeanor at the table were top notch. Hopefully both of those things help him in his future endeavors.

Best of luck to him!
 
One of the players I've always looked up to (although he's younger!). I'd like to look at it glass half full, and think he found something even more worthwhile than pool. Good luck, John.
 
As most have already stated, this is probably a very wise move. The lifestyle and pressures of a "professional" pool player has to be tougher than nails.

Poor payouts for the most part, constant traveling, no insurance as well as many other detriments seem to far outweigh the glory of playing at the highest level.

Best of luck to JM. I'm sure he will do just fine.
 
Did anyone else feel like his goodbye note was depressing and didn't really make sense?

He said nothing brings him greater joy than pool,
and pool makes him feel like everything's gonna be ok.
So he decides to quit it, possibly forever?

Doesn't compute.

He seems to be doing well professionally and he's still young.
Seems to me that if you can make $40k+ a year playing pool
you should ride that as long as you can, until age causes you to lose a step,
then look for whatever you're gonna for the rest of your life.

I guess though that I wouldn't want to be looking for a new career when I'm
feeling older and worn out, and a non-guaranteed 40k isn't great if you
want to raise a family.
 
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