My View on Sandbaggin and Leauge Play Has Changed

[ronscuba]

How come so much is directed to the player and not the league director ? Isn't it the league directors job to accurately assign handicaps ?

Handicaps are assigned based on a players average level of play ? Not their bad nights, or good nights, but their average ?

 

[justadub]

How come so much is directed to the player and not the league director ? Isn't it the league directors job to accurately assign handicaps ?

Handicaps are assigned based on a players average level of play ? Not their bad nights, or good nights, but their average ?

Because the LO can't watch every match, and assess if they think the player is intentionally playing below his true skill, and/or padding innings, etc.

In many cases, the LO isn't even in the same room. (Our league has divisions in approximately 15 towns across a couple hundred miles.)

It won't ever stop. So long as there are rules for anything, there will be those who try to circumvent the rules for their benefit.

I think most handicapping systems do try to account for highs and lows, to get to as close an "average" as possible, depending on various factors. Most should work fairly well, if players don't screw with the system.

 

[APA Operator]

How come so much is directed to the player and not the league director ? Isn't it the league directors job to accurately assign handicaps ?

Handicaps are assigned based on a players average level of play ? Not their bad nights, or good nights, but their average ?

Not in APA. Averages are too easy to manipulate. APA tries to measure ability, as in "how well do you play when you're playing well"? Players can still play above their ability once in a while, so the system does account for that, but it doesn't measure average performance.

 

[ronscuba]

Sorry, my experience is limited to 2 BCA leagues on 9ft tables in NYC. The league operator is in the pool hall during league night. So this is the background to my post.

IMHO, although not perfect, most handicaps in the leagues I play are accurate to +/- one level. I think it's a combination of the league operator watching people play, listening to complaints and reviewing stats. Win percentages are a big factor. Naturally it might take a while for a new player to be rated correctly and it is not uncommon for players who dominate during the playoffs to be raised the next season.

 

[sflguy]

I think, It is "B. Call you a sandbagger because they know they just sucked a big one while taking a but pounding and need to some how make themselves feel like less of a looser".

Why would anyone want to play bad and lose?, there are no prizes for playing bad.

Some people are chronic complainers.

 

[mantis99]

I consider myself a C+ player. On 3 different occasions I have run 3 straight racks of 9 ball, and on several occasions, I have run 4-5 in a row playing the 7 ball ghost. However, if you watched my average game, you would never think that was the case. Part of being a lower level player is inconsistency, so it is not unlikely that a C level player can have some real ups and downs. Heck I have played friends that are D- players that have had 3-4 game series where they looked like a solid C, so people have to be willing to accept some fairly significant ups and down. That being said, I have spoken to league players who have told me that if I played for them, I wouldn't be allowed to win certain matches, and I wouldn't be allowed to run over a certain number of balls. So I am sure it goes both ways.

 

[leto1776]

Just because someone is playing over their head doesn't mean they're in the zone. Also, a 4 doesn't have the game to experience the zone. In fact, a lot of guys never know how it feels. It's the same whether you're a musician or a bricklayer. The zone is reserved for only those with the dedication, experience, and talent. Sorry.

Someone (not sure if it was you or someone else) said something pretty similar in a different thread, and it couldn't be more wrong. "The zone" is nothing more than a trance state one enters when things start going exactly as they want them to. Anyone can enter it at anytime, as long as they're concentrating on what they're doing. I've experienced it in pool (only a 3) and at work at the deli when I got all my products at the exact weighty for an hour straight.
Is the zone the same for everyone? No. It may only last a few minutes, and it certainly doesn't make someone a God at what they're doing. Stop treating like it's some mythical beast. It's just a trance state, and people move in and out of different trance States all the time.