Sportmanship at US Open

Island Drive said:
If REAL, consistent, Liveable money was there, if it was an organized tour, if if if, then monthy pro events would be right $$$$$$....and it would be easier to gain control of the animals. Even if and when this does happen, these non condonable actions will still occurr, but fine$ will speak loudly and the Elephant in the room will slowly be quieted by the association and its peers....PGA come to mind?
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Yes, PGA comes to the forefront of my mind.

I'll just get past the fines (or whatever enforcement) for now, because I know it will never happen. But.....

What I will do is consider Nevel an idiot who is unable to control his emotions, especially physically. Further, any "professional" player that behaves like him in front of TV cameras and millions of viewers (as reported in this thread, not sure if true?) i'll feel the same way about.

Maybe i'm in the minority, and that's fine.
 
The Chinchilla said:
Yes, PGA comes to the forefront of my mind.

I'll just get past the fines (or whatever enforcement) for now, because I know it will never happen. But.....

What I will do is consider Nevel an idiot who is unable to control his emotions, especially physically. Further, any "professional" player that behaves like him in front of TV cameras and millions of viewers (as reported in this thread, not sure if true?) i'll feel the same way about.

Maybe i'm in the minority, and that's fine.
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I'm completely with you, people try and justify these actions and say it's "okay"...

Is it okay to keep DOING IT over and OVER?
 
I would just like to further justify my opinion, because I know it is pretty strong, but I meant every word.

The way i see it, there are only two ways Nevel can possibly see things:

1) He does not care at all what other people think about him. I actually respect this, and I have been there. The point though, if he doesn't care, then I can use whatever words I feel necessary to describe his behavior, as he doesn't care. So i'm off the hook.

2) He does care what others think, yet he has a poor perception of how others see him. In other words, he sees himself and his behavior differently
than others do. Well, in this case, i'm here to tell him he looks like an idiot who can't control his temper. People's perception of a people who can't control their tempers are not very favorable -- who knows what people are liable to think.

That's really it, and it is up to those to control their tempers, or face the "consequences."

Note: those who compare COMPLETELY different sports with pool are way off base in their analogies. I think the analogy of a hockey player breaking his stick are about as well founded as comparing a fight in hockey with a potential fight at the pool table. Just different sports.... forget those comparisons.
 
The Chinchilla said:
... Note: those who compare COMPLETELY different sports with pool are way off base in their analogies. I think the analogy of a hockey player breaking his stick are about as well founded as comparing a fight in hockey with a potential fight at the pool table. Just different sports.... forget those comparisons.
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I completely agree, Chinchilla. That being said, I absolutely HAVE to post this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDQl-wKCrnc
 
genomachino said:
Larry Nevel is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet in this pool level.

I'm proud to say that Larry is a personal friend of mine. I'll never forget years back when a guy from Rockford named Phil came walking into the poolroom and talked me into giving this 17 year old kid a big spot for the cash.

I escaped the trap luckily but became instant friends with Larry nevel. I knew he would be something special in this pool world. And yes we have played some and gambled some over the years. Larry was always a perfect gentleman. I'm sure others would say the same.

Not making excuses for Larry but sometimes it is really hard to control your emotions in pressure situations like the US Open. What makes it even harder is being diabetic. If your blood sugar is too high it magnifies your anxiety to a level that is hard to imagine.

When the blood sugar is too high it is really hard to control your emotions. I've learned over the past 2 years to keep my mouth shut and not react to my thoughts to strongly when I don't feel good. But there is nothing you can do once your in this place with the high blood sugar. You not only have to control the blood sugar but you really have to work hard to control your emotions which at times can be almost mission impossible.

If I had a company I would sponsor Larry in a heart beat. Baseball players snap bats in half over their knees on live TV all the time. Throw helmets and break water coolers in the dugout.

Things happen in the heat of the battle. It's kind of the nature of the beast. Competition............

With emotions on high and being in the final 8 at the US Open, being diabetic is tough.
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Are you one of those people who took the Larry lessons - paying him money everytime he wins? Larry may be nice but he is a meathead.
 
nevel

i have known larry for a few years now,and know larry really does not like it when he gets like that. he does have an anger problem sometimes in the heat of battle,doesnt mean he is not a good guy. i have that problem sometimes also,i have snapped a few myself and i am nowhere near the caliber larry is. no excuses but larry is a straight guy,no drugs.i have been around pool a long time, and i can tell you that a lot of the pros are taking something all the time when they are in tough matches,pain killers etc. larry does nothing. once larry realizes that he can be the best player on the planet and can self control just a little better he will be there.knowing he is playing on the square,which most all pros are not,its ok for a temper tantrum sometimes. maybe a lot of you would like it better if he took tabs and zannex to control his temper. not me.
 
paksat said:
I'm completely with you, people try and justify these actions and say it's "okay"...

Is it okay to keep DOING IT over and OVER?
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We ALL....May inadvertently Help him realize the impact his actions have on others by chatting about how his behavior effects others, and the game itself, which is WAAAAAAAAAY bigger than ANY player.
 
Some people have a quick temper. I'm one of them. I try very hard to control it. I feel that I had to state that before I type my opinion of Larry's actions.

I talked with him at a GSBT end of year event held at Diamonds in Chattanooga. He is a good guy who is very likable with a top notch game.

I've watched Larry play three times. Two of those were live and one of those being the US Open stream. He has acted out all three times during a match.

At the DCC this year, during the final eight round, Larry was playing on a table with Glenn Atwell to the left and John "Hennessey" Penagar playing Niels Feijen to the right. John was playing great. He too can let his emotions get away from him at times. John was controlling it well. John would stop, walk back to his chair, take a drink of water, wipe his cue down and then continue. I was impressed with his effort to control hisself. He continued exhibiting self control until Larry started getting angry. It started with Larry hitting his cue on the table and it gradually worsened. At one point, Larry slammed the chalk down on the table causing it to bounce over two tables across the room. The more he amped up the anger the more it affected John's attitude. It caused a distraction for all the players in matches at the time. John ended up losing from the hill to Niels. He lost because he failed to slow down and control his emotions. John became visibly angry and didn't take the time to control his emotions and missed.

One persons actions can set the mood for the whole room. I feel Larry's actions affected the outcome of at least one match that day. Emotional players are exciting to watch, but they do affect the players around them.
 
Marie's husband said:
OK, you brought up a problem that you saw!

Not saying its right what Larry did, but what is your solution for ensuring good sportsmanship occurs and this problem doesnt continue?
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Perhaps it would stop if

First time in a match cost you an extra game

Second time it cost you the match

There would be no third time
 
chevybob20 said:
Some people have a quick temper. I'm one of them. I try very hard to control it. I feel that I had to state that before I type my opinion of Larry's actions.

I talked with him at a GSBT end of year event held at Diamonds in Chattanooga. He is a good guy who is very likable with a top notch game.

I've watched Larry play three times. Two of those were live and one of those being the US Open stream. He has acted out all three times during a match.

At the DCC this year, during the final eight round, Larry was playing on a table with Glenn Atwell to the left and John "Hennessey" Penagar playing Niels Feijen to the right. John was playing great. He too can let his emotions get away from him at times. John was controlling it well. John would stop, walk back to his chair, take a drink of water, wipe his cue down and then continue. I was impressed with his effort to control hisself. He continued exhibiting self control until Larry started getting angry. It started with Larry hitting his cue on the table and it gradually worsened. At one point, Larry slammed the chalk down on the table causing it to bounce over two tables across the room. The more he amped up the anger the more it affected John's attitude. It caused a distraction for all the players in matches at the time. John ended up losing from the hill to Niels. He lost because he failed to slow down and control his emotions. John became visibly angry and didn't take the time to control his emotions and missed.

One persons actions can set the mood for the whole room. I feel Larry's actions affected the outcome of at least one match that day. Emotional players are exciting to watch, but they do affect the players around them.
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Bob,
This is one of the best posts I have ever seen on the subject of distractions, especially emotional outburst distractions. The emotional outbursts can affect not only the two players involved in the match but other matches as well.

I've too have seen how some players have lost matches because of intentional or unintentional distractions and think that your observation deserves far more attention from the billiard community.
 
bboxgrinder said:
Give the sport 10 Earl Stricklands and toss in a few Nevels that had a great run in a spot a lot say he shouldn't be there and show me the ticket count. Then give me 10 Souquets and toss in a couple Appeltons, no disrespect to Souquet or Applelton "obviously great players". Then let's tally up the count. There may be a reason pool don't fill seats when so many think this should be a sport of gentlemen that put their coat over a puddle for the lady but preach rebuilding, image, blah blah to the sport. Fact is however many play the game few understand it isn't a game of trick shots at the bar beered up. So with a mass audience wanted ballet dancers don't fill seats, character does. Sh** happens, welcome to competition and an imperfect world of gentlemen.
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Best post of the bunch IMO.
 
JoeyA said:
Bob,
This is one of the best posts I have ever seen on the subject of distractions, especially emotional outburst distractions. The emotional outbursts can affect not only the two players involved in the match but other matches as well.

I've too have seen how some players have lost matches because of intentional or unintentional distractions and think that your observation deserves far more attention from the billiard community.
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His actions of frustration may be his "Final Hurdle" to overcome....too become the best in his trade. Within lies his toughest opponent.
 
One last note on this, and I will preempt with: this is conjecture.....

But, the irony here is that i would bet my bottom dollar that if Nevel "corrected" this behavioral stuff, he'd be a much better player. In my experience, there is a think i'll call "build-up." It comes in any game, maybe most notably in straight pool. A player is playing great, and it is almost as if he can feel the negativity and a potential mistake coming..... it builds and builds.... and when it finally comes.... like a volcano, it explodes.

Again, I would bet my bottom dollar if he just saw every shot as an opportunity and gave it his all, without the added baggage of being crippled too much about potential errors coming, he'd play so much better. AND, he wouldn't have this embarrassing behavior. It would be win win.

Sometimes you can't see the forest past the trees.
 
Scott Lee said:
JoeyA...I watched the video too. It was poor quality. I was standing right there when Larry snapped the shaft. It was no accident...it certainly was a moment of high frustration. Larry had played well for twelve hours straight, and a sudden turn of events got to him.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Thanks for clarifying the incident as a moment of high frustration.
 
No real suprise of poor sportsmanship at a pool tournament -- whomever the transgressor is. :shrug: But you would hope we could strive to play this great game like gentlemen (and ladies).:idea2:

Thoughts to ponder...

By nothing do men show their character more than by the things they laugh at.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Pursue character before prosperity.
Unknown

You can tell the character of a person by the choices made under pressure.
--Winston Churchill


and my favorite thought on character and one I work to live by:

The way a man wins shows much of his character, and the way he loses shows all of it.
--Knute Rockne
 
Sometimes, I wonder whether the "A" in AZB stands for apologist, for every time a pro pool player commits an indisretion in conduct, the outpouring in defense of that player is boundless.

Whether it's Earl insulting a fan, Charlie Bryant competing in overalls at Derby City, Alex showing up drunk and boisterous to play in the DCC Straight Pool Final, or Nevel breaking his stick into pieces on a streamed match, the fact is that every time one of these incidents occurs, I always hope that no potential corporate sponsor is watching.

AZ apologists are always abundant when it comes to defending the very actions that will serve to scare away any possible corporate sponsor that might be in attendance. At other times, the very same posters wonder out loud why pool garners such minimal corporate attention and sponsorship.

Let's not confuse shows of emotion, which potential sponsors like, for blatantly inappropriate behavior, which reinforces pool's unfortunate reputation as being fit primarily for the unrefined. There are reasons why the demographic groups that interest major corporate sponsors are turned off by pool, and, although there is an abundance of apologists for professionals that make our sport look bad, there shouldn't be.

Golfers in the 1950's made next to nothing, and the Demaret's and the Snead's had to hustle on the side to make ends meet. It wasn't until Arnold Palmer convinced his fellow pros that they needed to clean up their acts that corporate America began to invest heavily in golf.

Who will be pool's Arnold Palmer? One thing's for certain. It won't be Larry Nevel.
 
Scott Lee said:
JoeyA...I watched the video too. It was poor quality. I was standing right there when Larry snapped the shaft. It was no accident...it certainly was a moment of high frustration. Larry had played well for twelve hours straight, and a sudden turn of events got to him.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
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Like Scott, I was watching the match too.

IMHO, Larry snapped the shaft on purpose. The only thing that shocked him was the way the shaft shattered. It broke into many pieces that flew around the area, including the top of the table. I've never seen a shaft shatter that way. Larry was lucky he didn't hurt himself or someone else with the flying pieces of wood.

For those who think the shaft breaking was an accident, which may be debatable, I can say for sure that the ball raking was definitely done on purpose. I was watching that match also.

Larry raked the balls, gave up any possible come back and forfeited the match.

What I don't think anyone has mentioned is that Larry was one of the final 12 players in the tournament and a player auction, with a charity connection, was done with those players. Larry's forfeiture of the match also forfeited any chance of winning for the person who bought him in the player auction. Yes, I know the chances of a win were slim at that point but, as Yogi Berra once said, "It ain't over until it's over." He just gave up and I find that disgusting.

For those that still think this all was an accident, I was also at Turning Stone recently and witnessed Larry slam his cue on the floor. That wasn't an accident either, I assure you. I forget who his opponent was in that match, but I think Larry's action intimidated and sharked him. Larry came from behind and won that match and maybe he thought snapping the shaft would shark Alex.

It's obvious that Larry is showing a pattern of bad behavior. Although some of you think that this type of behavior sells tickets, which it may in some instances, in the end, it is not good for his sponsors and not good for the game.
 
Someone questioned Larrys skill level? Seriously

Larry has been one best bar box players in the world!!! For Yrs. I'd bet not 1 of the fianlists would have said (hey guys lets play on the bar box for quarter finals,semi finals and the finals!! Who jumps up for 6 ahead for 1,000. or more??? answer nobody!! mark
 
Wait, it's not ok to shoot pool in overalls? :confused:

They are comfortable you know. What the hell?

Edit: I suppose next you're gonna tell me the wifebeater is out too? Damn you!
 
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