Question about those who question rules

Da Poet

Da Poet

Pool is Cool
Silver Member
I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

In league, as many of us already know, when you are the captain, you ocassionally have to deal with rule questions with other teams. When these things come up, I am always stunned by how bold and wrong people can be. Why not just look it up and go from there? What is it about rules questions that entices people into going out on a limb dishing out answers without knowing what the hell they are talking about?

My dilemma is not with any other team captain, it is one of my teamates.

Last week, we needed to take a timeout because of an alleged foul called by the other team. I don't want to go into all of the details, but it was an understandable situation and the other team captain and I were cool and just wanted to get it right. I knew the other team captain was wrong, so we went to the rule book and as we were going through the book, a teamate, jumped in and told me and the other team captain I was wrong. Well that just muddied things up for an extra 5 minutes or so, but we were able to get back to the rule book, I was able to show the other team captain the rule, and we finally moved on.

My dilemma is I can't decide which of the following three things to do convince my teamate not to do that again:


1) Should I take his cue and beat him over his head with it. (It's a Meucci, it might not hold up too well)

2) Should I use my converted Cuetech break cue, and beat him over the head with it. (I figure the fiberglass reinforcement would help do more damage)

3) Take a house cue, beat him over the head with it, and pay the house the twenty bucks. (I figure my Cuetech is worth that)

Any advice on this dilemma would be appreciated. ;)
 
Get two other guys and use all three cues at once. :P

Seriously, I'd just point out to your overly enthusiastic teammate that it's part of YOUR job as team captain to handle such situations. Tell him to think of it like a timeout in a game... he can't just rush up and toss in his input.
 
Beat Him Over The Head With Any One And Then Stick The Other Up His But-- That May Be A Bit Harsh. He'll Get The Point.
 
How about this?

Tell your teammates this: "I am the captain. I confer with the other captains. You do not. When I am conferring with another captain, none of your asses are allowed within 10 feet of either of us or your disrespect will immediately cost you a round of beers for all of your team mates and the other team too. When I'm talking to the other team captain, you keep your pie hole shut. Period. 2nd offense and you're off the team."

You can copy and paste this to a word document and pass it around.:)
 
Da Poet said:
I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

In league, as many of us already know, when you are the captain, you ocassionally have to deal with rule questions with other teams. When these things come up, I am always stunned by how bold and wrong people can be. Why not just look it up and go from there? What is it about rules questions that entices people into going out on a limb dishing out answers without knowing what the hell they are talking about?

My dilemma is not with any other team captain, it is one of my teamates.

Last week, we needed to take a timeout because of an alleged foul called by the other team. I don't want to go into all of the details, but it was an understandable situation and the other team captain and I were cool and just wanted to get it right. I knew the other team captain was wrong, so we went to the rule book and as we were going through the book, a teamate, jumped in and told me and the other team captain I was wrong. Well that just muddied things up for an extra 5 minutes or so, but we were able to get back to the rule book, I was able to show the other team captain the rule, and we finally moved on.

My dilemma is I can't decide which of the following three things to do convince my teamate not to do that again:


1) Should I take his cue and beat him over his head with it. (It's a Meucci, it might not hold up too well)

2) Should I use my converted Cuetech break cue, and beat him over the head with it. (I figure the fiberglass reinforcement would help do more damage)

3) Take a house cue, beat him over the head with it, and pay the house the twenty bucks. (I figure my Cuetech is worth that)

Any advice on this dilemma would be appreciated. ;)
Click to expand...

See what happens when you thought "hey lets go have fun playing in a league this fall" and then someone (teammate) pops up their head like one of those things in an arcade that you hit with a mallett and shows their complete personality.
Sounds like your doing too much babysitting of adults at your age and tell 'baby' you charge extra for babysitting on your night out/treble to be exact.
The "know it all" probably had a little liquor talking or just likes the extra attention because that person is such a jerk no one gives em the time of day. My only suggestion is, since you are the team captain, all disputes will go through you and the players will stay out of it unless asked specific questions then "go away" and let you captains come to a fair conclusion, otherwise you'll have a long season ahead of you.
 
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Not only in league play......

In a local bar one night not too long ago, I put my two quarters on the bar box to challenge the winner of the game that was already in progress. Well, the dude that won naturally gets to break, so he did. Nothing went in. I only had one decent shot, a combination consisting of a solid ball pocketing a striped ball. I took the shot and made it. As soon as the ball went in, this dude says "You can't do that, that's not legal". To which I said "Yes it is"! He, a little more adamantly stated again that it wasn't legal to pocket a ball like that. I told him as long as the table is "open" it is. Well then, he proceeded to go into this rant about how he plays in BCA and APA leagues and he KNOWS that this shot is illegal. I told him he'd better go have another look at his rule books. I also told him that if he played for any length of time in either of the aforementioned leagues, he would be very familiar with this rule. I thought for a minute I was gonna have to fight him over this, but he finally relented and accepted the shot (I damn sure wasn't gonna back down on this one). I went on to win the game and sent him packing (probably went home to check his rule book). So, I know what you mean by people running their mouth that THINK they know all the rules!

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
In a local bar one night not too long ago, I put my two quarters on the bar box to challenge the winner of the game that was already in progress. Well, the dude that won naturally gets to break, so he did. Nothing went in. I only had one decent shot, a combination consisting of a solid ball pocketing a striped ball. I took the shot and made it. As soon as the ball went in, this dude says "You can't do that, that's not legal". To which I said "Yes it is"! He, a little more adamantly stated again that it wasn't legal to pocket a ball like that. I told him as long as the table is "open" it is. Well then, he proceeded to go into this rant about how he plays in BCA and APA leagues and he KNOWS that this shot is illegal. I told him he'd better go have another look at his rule books. I also told him that if he played for any length of time in either of the aforementioned leagues, he would be very familiar with this rule. I thought for a minute I was gonna have to fight him over this, but he finally relented and accepted the shot (I damn sure wasn't gonna back down on this one). I went on to win the game and sent him packing (probably went home to check his rule book). So, I know what you mean by people running their mouth that THINK they know all the rules!

Maniac
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Your above situation where the opponent may know the rules but objects to your shot, probably happens in the U.S. about every minute of every day. Its a combination (;) of the alcohol, always wanna be right, my table my house my rules syndrom. There are a 100 more types of situations like this that will come up when you play in the bars, watch yourself when your out of town and you confront the local tush hog with a rule, could be very dangerous to your health.
 
Island Drive, I probably would have let him have it his way, until he mentioned the BCA and APA rules. By those standards, he was totally wrong! We didn't agree to whose rules we were playing by before we started the game. That was a mistake on my part.

Maniac
 
I'm leaning towards the Cuetech

I figure I could wait till dark and get it over with out in the street. ;)

Seriously, this is a good friend who just gets goofy once in a while. I am going to print out the thread and bring it to him in good fun. He was wrong on so many levels and he knows it.

There is just something about a rule question in pool that seems to bring out the idiots in people. Sometimes folks will post a simple rule question here or there will be a question during a match and instead of refering to the rule book or quoting the applicable rule. they just blurt out some knee jerk opinion, and then stick to it like their life depended on it. I never ran into this in any other game or sport.

I think a thorough beating is the only solution. :D
 
I've gone 'round and 'round with this rules thing.

However, I think I have finally figured out what is going on with these players, who insist they are correct and refuse to read the rule book. (Or I find the rule for them in the book, show it to them, and they still refuse to read it.)

All along I have been assuming they can read...

Well I've learned that some of these people *can't* read!

They will go to all lengths to hide this fact as it is embarrassing to them. So it is better for them to insist they are right rather than admit they can't read.

What works is to find the rule and read it to them. Then explain it in different words or by demonstration. This works quite well.
 
That

Da Poet said:
I figure I could wait till dark and get it over with out in the street. ;)

Seriously, this is a good friend who just gets goofy once in a while. I am going to print out the thread and bring it to him in good fun. He was wrong on so many levels and he knows it.

There is just something about a rule question in pool that seems to bring out the idiots in people. Sometimes folks will post a simple rule question here or there will be a question during a match and instead of refering to the rule book or quoting the applicable rule. they just blurt out some knee jerk opinion, and then stick to it like their life depended on it. I never ran into this in any other game or sport.

I think a thorough beating is the only solution. :D
Click to expand...

and whos quarters are next on the Challenge table ... lol

1) Captain handles it. If Captain is not sure, then he should confer privately with the 'anchor' person, as they are usually the best and most knowledgeable player.
2) Still don't know - get out your rule book that you got when you paid your annual league membership fee, and find it.

Many people might get confused between different leagues, BCA vs. Valley or APA, which is pretty common thing to do.
 
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