The exception to a 'fun night out' are the "serious" teams that sandbag and are in the APA with a mission to make it to Vegas, willing to trample on everyone else's fun along the way and do whatever it takes, legal, illegal, ethical, unethical, sportsman or unsportsmanlike. Many have the same traits. Abusers of the rules, while at the same time, they are fanatical sticklers for the rules against your team. They gear up for league night with a "killer" type of mindset. Nothing wrong with competitiveness, but this is a whole other level. Because part of this competitiveness and desire to win leads to highly anti-social behavior such as never talking to the other team all the way to hostility in various forms and a general atmosphere of tension and animosity. Their team is less of a team, and is very clannish.
This is a major turn off, and not even for all those reasons listed above, but due to the extra injury and insult of realizing that such people and teams exist in an amateur fun league like the APA. You look at what the APA is, and then to think there are people that fanatical in such a banger/newbie environment is just pathetic.
Be competitive and improve. No doubt. But such behavior seems so misplaced to me. For example, before I would ever get that way, I would first seek out higher level more competition focused environments. In other words, I wouldn't put in so much effort, energy, time and that kind of mindset just for the APA. I would never do anything unethical or sleazy ever, but to kick it up to that type of level and determination to win would require there be bigger rewards. "A fun night out" is lost on many in the APA.
It's the equivalent of 8 year olds doing steroids to get an edge in the quest for superiority and dominance during dodgeball games at recess.
I think there's another factor in play here. The APA has too many underachievers. Winning and succeeding in the APA, is to them a reflection of their own life. From my observations, I really honestly believe a lot of people base their self worth on their APA pool performance. They failed throughout life, they want to kick ass in the one thing they've clung to as an opportunity. When they win, they are on a euphoric high for a week, when they lose - you see an abnormal response. Disproportionate disappointment, misery, anger and frustration. Their emotional tie to the league, positive or negative outcome, is unhealthy and abnormal. This kind of thing is the motivation for the killer/hostile hypercompetitive nature some teams bring to a night.
I've seen some people derive an excessive amount of gratification and elation from winning or coming in first, it just seems to me like they are making up for something, compensating if you will. Again, I'm not talking normal joy people have from winning, or team successes. I'm discussing those nutjobs and those teams composed of nutjobs that plague and infest the APA and ruin it for others.
Most know what I'm referring to. We've all seen those teams that no one wants to play or be around. These teams often self-destruct when things don't work out. Such as, failure in regionals. All the effort and it falls apart right before the goal is achieved. These nutjobs then, for the first time, truly realize it's a team format. Except, not from the perspective of accepting responsibility as part of a team, or accepting that is how team formats work and that over personalizing something that is team-based is wrong. No. None of that. Instead, it is rationalized as a way to blame a teammate or teammates. For they, in a team format, caused a personal failure for them. So they lash out. It was really a group of fanatics all of whom were in it for the purpose of satisfying or servicing their emotional and psychological problems. It becomes obvious at the lack of "team" when failure comes along. The lack of compassion and thought for others within their team. How selfish, self centered they are. A lot of "I" and "my" flying around. No regard for their own teammates who are also feeling the disappointment. Only anger and hatred because personal goals were, in their view, thwarted by others.
I choose not to be around such scumbags and nutjobs which is one of the various reasons I quit the APA. Unfortunately, some here think I'm attributing this to everyone it the APA. Far from it. Don't flame me or jump on my nuts. I'm not bashing you, unless you feel I described you above. Anyway, these types are a minority. However, for me it's too much. I can't enjoy the 80% of decent people when 20% are as I described above. Life is too short to spend interacting with the losers and scumbags. It only takes a few bums to ruin a party. For some reason, likely the very amateur nature of the APA, it attracts and is a target of quite a few of those people. To them, it's a place where they think they can finally be dominant at something in life.
Well, that sums it up for this installation of my usual APA rants. I leave you folks with yet another attempt to define the APA in a short way....the APA is the manifestation of poorly adjusted children in a sandbox turned into intoxicated adults.
Bank junkie although i know there are more players in adams county and some dang good ones but ill always talk up the one's I know best. You also know I love the game, dont be a hater a league is a league. You know me i know you hehehehe,, you also know im the mouth from the south. Gutshot dont know if i know you or not good luck buddy lol. Reno you sandbagger I prolly did mis understand him, you 8/jk. Listen People just sturing it up and laughing at the desk its funny to see the madness in words. Almost good------lied and hustled? how about played and won. Just remember those players on that team are all my friends and people I really respect. So when they won, they won together. When they lost (which was'nt often) they lost together. Thats a team and thats what its all about so if you say one "lied and hustled" they all did, and they didnt do anything more than what some other teams are doing or have done. You were not lied to you were a sandbagger you liked it your team won but you got screwed by the system, dont blame the wrong people. Those people you did respect, I still do respect. 
But in the end I just wanna PLAY POOL like almostgood said earlier.. so lets get it boys and if u really wanna solve this crap lets go to the pool hall this weekend 
and in the same sense is the main reason i joined and still play apa, FRIENDS! I play BCA, tournament, and gamble for competition. I wouldn't be doing any of it if it wasn't for the friends i met through the apa first. I wouldn't be going to vegas this year if it wasn't for some of you guys :thumbup: And in all honesty even though i might not be playing with you guys in the teams i'll be rep'n in the mini's