What's the difference??? "It's good" and raking the balls is the same thing and its perfectly fine. They're giving you that game, take it. A skid on the money ball will make you wish they gave it to you.
Raking the balls - unsportsmanlike or not??
- Thread starter Magyar19
- Start date
What's the difference??? "It's good" and raking the balls is the same thing and its perfectly fine. They're giving you that game, take it. A skid on the money ball will make you wish they gave it to you.
Giving someone the game is NOTHING but respectful. I've had people make the 8, scratch and go get the cue ball to make me shoot the 9ball with ball in hand. That's as disrespectful as it gets.
You guys seem to have this false sense of class. That word, class, gets dropped a lot but I don't think many have any clue what it means or what it is... Or have ever seem it. There is nothing classy about pool. That doesn't make it a bad thing, it's just not classy.
NYC cue dude
Banned
There's nothing classy about pool?
Ask yourself why. And then look in the mirror. You wouldn't know the first thing about class, Andrew.
Ask yourself why. And then look in the mirror. You wouldn't know the first thing about class, Andrew.
That the guy in the OP got mad when his opponent raked the balls is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the person raking the balls - if he is doing it in an angry, unsportsmanlike way then of course it isn't right. If he is doing it to concede then I see no problem with it. There was no mention of this being the case in the OP. I make no distinction between mid-game or other.
I wasn't using Earl as an example of sharking or not sharking. I used that match as an example of Keith raking the balls to concede. It so happened he was playing Earl. All I was saying about Earl in that situation is that he didn't take offense at it.
As far as it being a shark move, again I don't see any difference between raking the balls and verbally conceding. So if your issue is that you're keeping your opponent from getting in stroke as in the one example you gave, then your problem is with the concession, not with the method of conceding.
As for the idea of being fair to the competition and other players in the field goes, other players have nothing to do with it - it is match play. Same as in golf - there are no concessions in stroke play but in match play it is perfectly fine. But in any event, it sounds like your problem is with the concession and not raking the balls per se.
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Sigh... I CONCEDE.....lol
*Warning: mega opinions to follow*
I hope you don't take my correspondence as passive aggressive. I'm certain its due to the fact I suck at putting mental thought into written word. Yes, it is a lack of proper education, and I'm doing the bast I can here. If you took anything I'm saying in an argumentative tone, I apologize if I come off that way to you. I do not intend that to be the case.
Yes, I take issue with a concession mid rack while multiple playable balls are still on the table, Yes, I do believe keeping your opponent cold and from playing on the table by any means other than you not missing and running out racks yourself is a shark/cheating method. There should only be a few ways to keep your opponent seated and in cold stroke, and that's by either playing lock-up safe after lock-up safe, or running out rack after rack, or the opponent just can't make a ball. Period.......
To deny the opponent their due turn at the table before the game has officially concluded, is a shark/cheating move. You (not you personally, just using that as a descriptive term of the person doing the conceding) are cheating the player out of his legal turn at the table, fact!
Again, the exception I see as acceptable is if the only ball left on the table is the game *Winning* ball sitting in an overly obvious easy situation. (or in rotation a hanger winning ball, such as your McCready video demonstrated)*.
Phew...I sure hope that clarifies my stance on the issues of concession. I am certainly open minded and willing to listen to anyones thoughts, but it will be a hard sell to change my mind on the matter of concession outside of what I've already mentioned. I'm also not trying to have the last word, or win anything here. Merely just trying to state my opinions on the matter of concession. I look forward to anyones reply.
Dopc.... my fingers hurt
Bad Sportsmanship
I explained the difference in an earlier post. If I'm not warmed up or otherwise feeling a little shaky with my stroke I want to use that last shot as a practice stroke/warmup. The option to shoot it will increase my chances of winning the match. If someone says "it's good" I can apologize that I need the practice and shoot it anyway. I can't do that if they rake the balls.
And again, if it's the match winning game then I have NO problem with it, but people rarely rake the ball(s) when it's for the match.
And I could say the same thing about you, Randy. Look at what you just wrote, would you consider that classy? hmmm...
Maybe we have different visions of "classy" but the last thing that comes to mind is pool. Golf, tennis, skiing... ok. Things wealthy people send their kids off to do. Putting on a vest and calling people "sir" doesn't equal classy, to me. Sorry. But that doesn't make it a bad thing. It's just not what you think it is or what you want it to be. But I'm just poor, white trash that rakes the balls, so never mind me.
It doesn't bother me either way.
I remember on time playing a guy and getting the best of him in 9 ball and every time I got down to the last ball or two he would smack them with his stick. Later when asked by someone why he did that he said "No way am I letting that f 'er shot those balls". He was doing it to try to rattle me.
I welcome that type of sharking, I'll take it all day long. :wink:
When I am playing someone and I feel confident that they are going to win I will say "That's good", and if they stop shooting I will start racking, but I never deny them their shot. It's just bad manners.
I remember on time playing a guy and getting the best of him in 9 ball and every time I got down to the last ball or two he would smack them with his stick. Later when asked by someone why he did that he said "No way am I letting that f 'er shot those balls". He was doing it to try to rattle me.
I welcome that type of sharking, I'll take it all day long. :wink:
When I am playing someone and I feel confident that they are going to win I will say "That's good", and if they stop shooting I will start racking, but I never deny them their shot. It's just bad manners.
I totally agree. Actually, I think sharking is bullish!t and it's an excuse for why you're not playing well or you dogged it. The only person that can shark me, is me.
As with many things, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. There's a big difference between conceding the game and gathering the balls when you've just given your opponent BIH with an easy out and approaching the table while your opponent is shooting and smacking the balls out of the way. Either one is a concession, but I would only consider the second one unsportsmanlike.
During practice, we often concede racks when the out is easy. I have been trying to shake this habit during tournaments; I prefer to just let my opponent run out and hope they will let me do the same.
During practice, we often concede racks when the out is easy. I have been trying to shake this habit during tournaments; I prefer to just let my opponent run out and hope they will let me do the same.
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As with many things, it's not what you do, it's how you do it. There's a big difference between conceding the game and gathering the balls when you've just given your opponent BIH with an easy out and approaching the table while your opponent is shooting and smacking the balls out of the way. Either one is a concession, but I would only consider the second one unsportsmanlike.[/QUOTE]
Of course. When I give someone the game, it's because I know they're out and I'd rather just get the next game going. But if you're an asshole and smacking the balls everywhere, then you're just an asshole.
Of course. When I give someone the game, it's because I know they're out and I'd rather just get the next game going. But if you're an asshole and smacking the balls everywhere, then you're just an asshole.
I think were all talking about raking in a nasty way. Nobody minds if the balls are pushed up softly. Its all about how its done, almost as if something was said.
If its the first set or match of the night, I agree raking can keep an opponent "cold." Cold or not though, I try to shrug it off and take the win. Unless its a top notch player, raking often has a way of backfiring. Raking can be part of the mental erosion process. So I see it as a win, and I also see the possibility of my opponent beginning to break down. He can also cry and whine all he wants to, it only builds my confidence.
If its the first set or match of the night, I agree raking can keep an opponent "cold." Cold or not though, I try to shrug it off and take the win. Unless its a top notch player, raking often has a way of backfiring. Raking can be part of the mental erosion process. So I see it as a win, and I also see the possibility of my opponent beginning to break down. He can also cry and whine all he wants to, it only builds my confidence.
You would have had a better advantage with 2 easy balls to shoot before the next rack.
Banks
Banned
Don't forget, also an egomaniac and an idiot. Next time I don't make my opponent shoot a BIH game ball(or something as easy), I'll make sure to drool when I do it. :withstupid:
That's the problem, we're not all talking about the same thing. There's a lot of miscommunication going on.
oh... oh yea. I nearly forgot.