Pool Manners II

Celophanewrap

Celophanewrap

Call me Grace
Silver Member
I was in a match this past summer and something happened that continues to bother me today whenever I think about it. Playing 9 ball, if you notice your opponent is about to shoot the wrong ball, do you say anything?

In my situation, I had just played a pretty good safe and I was assuming that my opponent was trying to line up a kick. She addressed the table and promptly shot the wrong ball. Eventually I won the match and when I approached my opponent to shake hands I was told that my behavior was very unsportsmanlike and were it that she was in a similar situation she definitely would have said something. I kind of got the angry "Earl" hand shake and throw away. I apologized and tried to explain but she would have none of it.

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but I hate being thought of that way. I believe in the old axiom - Treat one as you would like to be treated. But to be honest, even if I knew she was shooting the wrong ball I can't be for sure that would have said something. I know in many situations, if you're unfamiliar with your opponent, it may looked at as being very impolite to say anything, or you get that look, as if to say, "If you are trying to shark me I'll beat you with my cue butt".
So, what do you do? Anyone...?
 
If it is very obvious they are shooting the wrong ball, there are no balls obstructing the view of the ball they are on, I will say something if it were league or something like that. If it is for money or in a tournament I would not say a thing. I guess it would depend on what type of match I were playing.
 
Must've been 4 or 5 years ago now.. something like that..

I wasn't paying attention to my opponent, but turned back to the table to see she had shot at the wrong ball.

She got all pissy and said some stuff to me, even though her own teammate was watching her play. I told her I wasn't watching and she didn't believe me.

A few shots later, she lines up at the wrong ball and I let her shoot it and called the foul again.

...

If I had noticed the first time, I would've said something(weekly league, no big deal). Since she wanted to get on me about it, even though I wasn't watching and her own teammate was, she could line up every shot wrong after that and I'd make a point of not saying anything.
 
If they aren't paying attention to what ball they're playing, how can they expect you to?

I think if you play the wrong ball, the only person you can be mad at is yourself for being an absolute dimwit.
 
SHE is the key word in this story.

She lost, it had to be your fault.

I have had opponents complain that I did not tell them they were shooting the wrong ball, to which(in a tournament) I respond "I did not know what you were doing and once you get down on the shot I can not interrupt you anyway." "Besides that I would be breaking the 'no coaching' rule if I were to tell you how or what to shoot." In a money game I just tell them.......well I don't tell them anything I just smile and put their money in my pocket.
 
I will tell them if I have any respect for them (which rules out a lot of opponents I have faced). However, I would never be upset at my opponent if they allowed me to shoot the wrong ball. I play for the fun of it, but I also understand that others take it more seriously.
 
If it was me I would not say anything. How are you supposed to know she was going to pull the trigger, a lot of people will line up on a shot like that for future cue ball posistioning or just to see how a shot looks before they actually pull the trigger.
 
While I think that Pidge has a point I also like to think there is more to the game. When I am playing I want your best game and will usually help in any reasonable way. I usually tell the other person they are on the wrong ball and may even help in other ways when it is appreciated. However, when I am at the hall I only play with people who have a similar perspective. I guess it depends to some extent on who you want to run with.

But then too it also depends on who the other person is. In league play I have come up against some people who are “out for blood.” When this happens I sit and wait my turn and rely on the current rules.

A few years ago my teammate was playing a jerk. The opponent actually moved a ball with his finger so he had a clear shot on the next object ball. When my friend called him on it the guy said he never moved it. There was an argument and all of our team members saw him move the ball. His team members (four people) said they were not watching. Seems this guy often did things like this to win at any cost. No physical fight ensued. My friend just backed off. And then our team (of pretty nice polite, old guys) proceeded to beat the hell out of their whole team on the table. Calling every foul and taking every legal advantage.

The other team eventually broke up and most of their members quit playing in the league at the end of the session as they took a lot of heat from many teams for their behavior.

Karma works
 
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easy-e said:
I will tell them if I have any respect for them (which rules out a lot of opponents I have faced). However, I would never be upset at my opponent if they allowed me to shoot the wrong ball. I play for the fun of it, but I also understand that others take it more seriously.
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I like this.

Best,
Mike
 
nicksaint26 said:
If it is very obvious they are shooting the wrong ball, there are no balls obstructing the view of the ball they are on, I will say something if it were league or something like that. If it is for money or in a tournament I would not say a thing. I guess it would depend on what type of match I were playing.
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This !

And you're being to sensitive, IMO. Forget about it. She sounds like a, well IDK, but not a very pleasant person. How the hell we're you supposed to know ?
 
I feel like the village idiot any time I holler out wrong ball.

Every time I've done it they replied with I know what I'm doing and proceed to bank or make a kick. Point is if I'm out of turn or wrong I'm in trouble for trying to shark them. If I don't I get in trouble too. Can't win either way. F'it.

My new teammate got in trouble last week for just grabbing the cue after their player clearly failed to make contact. Whatever!

My new girl won and so did I. Congratulations on your win.
Loren
 
Celophanewrap said:
I was in a match this past summer and something happened that continues to bother me today whenever I think about it. Playing 9 ball, if you notice your opponent is about to shoot the wrong ball, do you say anything?

In my situation, I had just played a pretty good safe and I was assuming that my opponent was trying to line up a kick. She addressed the table and promptly shot the wrong ball. Eventually I won the match and when I approached my opponent to shake hands I was told that my behavior was very unsportsmanlike and were it that she was in a similar situation she definitely would have said something. I kind of got the angry "Earl" hand shake and throw away. I apologized and tried to explain but she would have none of it.

Maybe I'm being overly sensitive, but I hate being thought of that way. I believe in the old axiom - Treat one as you would like to be treated. But to be honest, even if I knew she was shooting the wrong ball I can't be for sure that would have said something. I know in many situations, if you're unfamiliar with your opponent, it may looked at as being very impolite to say anything, or you get that look, as if to say, "If you are trying to shark me I'll beat you with my cue butt".
So, what do you do? Anyone...?
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Couple things here:

1. It isn't your resposibility to make sure your opponent is shooting at the right ball
2. You thought she was lining up a kick shot and couldn't have know what her intention was

In the end she may have been mad but how is that unsportsman like? In football if a defensive player lines up in the neutral zone do you think the opposing team is going to wait until they get out of the neutral zone or hike the ball?
 
If you think it is correct of you to say "Wrong Ball", then why wouldn't you also say "Wrong english" when the shooter is using draw instead of follow? You'd agree that that is what they decided to do, let them learn the lesson.

For the shooter to call 'unsportsmanlike conduct' by NOT telling them, I call BS.

No opponent is responsible for telling the shooter 'what to do' during the game. In fact it is considered a sharking move to speak to the shooter while they are down on a shot.
 
TheNewSharkster said:
In football if a defensive player lines up in the neutral zone do you think the opposing team is going to wait until they get out of the neutral zone or hike the ball?
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Great point! Fascinating actually. In football, you are clearly playing your opponent and not the football field. Yet in pool, you play the opponent and the pool table. Some people lean more one way than the other. So I guess it depends on your point of view.

Those that play the opponent will let the other player shoot the wrong ball. Those that play the table will be more likely to tell the opponent they are about to make a mistake.
 
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what to do? what to do?

If I see my opponent is about to shoot at the wrong ball....

I take the high road for sure,I start looking at how I can run out with ball in hand.

Also If I am clearly about to shoot at the wrong ball I would prefer that my opponent say nothing.
 
Thanks for the posts so far. One thing I didn't mention is that this match was an APA 9 ball match in the National Team Tournament in Las Vegas, so it's not like no one was watching. I was playing and pretty focused on the match but I'm reasonably certain that all the players from both teams were watching pretty intensely. I have been feeling guilty ever since, it was like she was sure I blatently cheated, that just doesn't set to well with me.
 
IMHO, you have nothing to feel guilty about. This wasn't happy hour funsies with your friends, but serious competitive play. In what competitive endeavor is a player expected to inform an opponent that s/he is about to do something stupid? She'll be alright.:cool:
 
I think people who expect their opponent to inform them that they're
shooting the wrong ball should move to a communist country......
,,,and let the state take care of them.:angry::angry::angry::mad::mad:

In a free country, you have the freedom of choice.....
...but you are RESPONSIBLE for you OWN decisions.
 
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