TAR 25 and the forums

Neil said:
No, what I have difficulty comprehending is that this is no longer a pool forum.
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No, I'm afraid it is no longer an "old school" pool forum....

For better, or for worse. That, I am not qualified to answer.
 
Neil said:
I don't feel that I put any words in your mouth. The first poster was obviously me. The purpose of the thread has been mentioned several times. To re-iterate, I find it rather disappointing that there is so much talk about their little tiffs at the table, and none about the game itself. This is supposed to be a pool forum, not an old ladies chat room to just gossip about who did what to whom with no mention of the actual games. Yet, even this thread turned into nothing more than the same old same old gossiping. Supposed to be the best pool forum in the world, have a pay per view matchup, and nothing said about the actual play.
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Of course you out words in my mouth, you started your previous post "so in your opinion..." and then gave a scenario that was not my opinion and could not possibly have been so from the post I made.

You then completely failed to answer a perfectly clear question I asked.

What you are failing to understand is that MY OPINION is that tha fact that all the comments are about dress, behaviour etc and NOT the game, speaks for itself. The game has been overshadowed.

Neither you nor I can control what people talk about after a match and if they are talking about the other issues rather than the game, then the other issues need to be resolved.
 
Neil said:
I have to say, I am rather disappointed in the forums response to TAR 25. Not just disappointed, but somewhat baffled by the responses to the match. I didn't get to watch the match, wish I could have. The updates on the match were next to non-existent. Wonder why that is?? ...

... As to Dennis, and I really hope you are reading this- Shame on you! You were a road player for many years, you have a ton of experience. Yet you allowed yourself to fall for the oldest tricks in the book?? Come on man, you deserve to get slapped in the back of the head by your dad for what you did!...
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Neil said:
Seems like you totally missed the point. I don't really care how they act out there. If they want the world to see them act like a child or a jerk, that's their problem...
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Neil said:
Now see, that is exactly what I am talking about a few posts up. You, and you aren't alone in this, only want to read what you want to hear. That is, the part where I said it's not that big a deal about how they acted.

What you and others have totally missed, is the whole reason for my post. That is, why is everyone talking about how they acted, and NO ONE talking about the actual game?? This is still a pool forum, isn't it? ...
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Neil said:
Where do I draw the line? Honestly, I much prefer the church atmosphere. No juke box, ect. It's supposed to be a game of concentration. That said, I don't bother saying anything to anyone anymore. I tried for years to fix things locally, and got labeled a complainer. You just can't win no matter what side you take. So, I finally learned that I can't control what my opponent does. If he is bothering me, guess who's fault it is? Yep, it's MY fault for letting him get to me. You have to learn to block all that crap out. If you don't, you will always be a loser. I really can't remember the last time I played that I wasn't sharked by someone. There is no getting around it anymore. You just have to learn to deal with it.

Plus, what some consider sharking isn't sharking at all. I once was accused of sharking because I took a sip of my drink! This guy was so unhinged that ANY movement would shark him. In reality, I wasn't sharking him, he was sharking himself and just blaming me. That's when I knew I owned him. His mind was focused on sharking, not on playing.

Now, if someone is right in my line of sight, I will ask them to move. If they don't, then I accept what they are trying to do, and will block it out and show them that their little tricks won't affect me. Doing that, I am sharking them by getting in THEIR head, making them a little bit afraid that they have to totally rely on just their own skill to win.

Granted, it has taken me years to finally get to the point I am at. In the old days, I probably would have just knocked them on their butt if they got too far out of line.

As far as being streamed and miked, all one had to do is say "really? Live action and you are going to try and pull that crap on me?". Just saying that would have embarrassed the other guy enough to make him stop, and would also have acted like a great legal shark in it's own right. You aren't going to stop all the sharking, it starts the second there might be a match. It's all head games. And, I'm not against a little head games.

Once had a yearly 14.1 tournament around here. Most of us played pretty even, a few a little better but still beatable. Dan Whitten (yes, cue case Whitten) used to live up here. He won it one year. The next year I was already there when he arrived. He had been practicing a lot, and was ready to defend his title. He came in with that look in his eye. I saw it, and walked right up to him. I told him I hope I drew him right away. He looked at me, and asked "why?" I then told him "well, you won it last year." He then replied, "yes, so why would you want to play me first?" I then told him "Well, Dan, we all play pretty even, you won last year. The odds of you winning two years in a row have to be astronomical! I figure you have the worse odds here of winning again!" Needless to say, poor Dan went two and out that year. Am I a cheater for playing a little mind game on him? I don't think so. He lost because he thought about what I said, and it made sense to him. So, he went from a winning confidence to a losing mentality.
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What a scumbag move
 
Neil said:
Your comment only goes to show how little you actually know about playing pool.;)
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What does it have to do with playing pool? I thought pool was about sinking the ball in a pocket. And the next one. And the next one. Silly me.
 
Taco said:
What does it have to do with playing pool? I thought pool was about sinking the ball in a pocket. And the next one. And the next one. Silly me.
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YEAH!!! How dare you think otherwise!! Shame on you!! :slap:
 
Neil said:
Your comment only goes to show how little you actually know about playing pool.;)
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The issue isn't about playing pool; this is about sportsmanship. You've clearly demonstrated that you engage in blatant sharking moves which many people would equate with cheating.
 
Neil said:
You aren't going to stop all the sharking, it starts the second there might be a match. It's all head games. And, I'm not against a little head games.

Once had a yearly 14.1 tournament around here. Most of us played pretty even, a few a little better but still beatable. Dan Whitten (yes, cue case Whitten) used to live up here. He won it one year. The next year I was already there when he arrived. He had been practicing a lot, and was ready to defend his title. He came in with that look in his eye. I saw it, and walked right up to him. I told him I hope I drew him right away. He looked at me, and asked "why?" I then told him "well, you won it last year." He then replied, "yes, so why would you want to play me first?" I then told him "Well, Dan, we all play pretty even, you won last year. The odds of you winning two years in a row have to be astronomical! I figure you have the worse odds here of winning again!" Needless to say, poor Dan went two and out that year. Am I a cheater for playing a little mind game on him? I don't think so. He lost because he thought about what I said, and it made sense to him. So, he went from a winning confidence to a losing mentality.
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In the example above, it appears to me that Neil's blatantly unsportsmanlike conduct amounts to cheating.
 
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Really?????

Neil said:
...Anyone that equates that with cheating isn't a pool player, and will never get to a decent level of play...
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I'll agree that any good player needs to recognize a sharking move in order to combat it. Once a pre-match/tournament verbal sharking move (or any sharking move for that matter) is recognized it should motivate a player to work harder to beat the sharker. Sometimes a move like what you did calls for retaliation. I just happen to believe that, for me, winning is the best retaliation there is.

While all good players need to shark and be sharked, (just to recognize them) most top of the heap players grow out of it and just let their stick do the talking. I certainly don't think SVB, Souquet, Buste, etc. would stoop to that level to win. Yes, maybe at one time, but they grew out of it.

I would hope that that tournament was a growing phase for you. I would hope that now you don't feel that you have to pull a move like that in order to win. But, alas, the way you described the event and the way you are justifying it, leads me to believe otherwise.
 
Cut your losses Neil

Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong, it has nothing to do with pool.

Taking advantage of people is wrong, for your benefit and their loss.

In the purest since of the game, you play the table.

Sportsmanship what does that mean?

In gambling, both opponents are trying to get a spot.
Maybe this is clouding your vision.

You have good posts and you are a good teacher.
Teach us something, Barney.
 
Wags said:
But, alas, the way you described the event and the way you are justifying it, leads me to believe otherwise.
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In another thread, JoeyA said the following which certainly applies to Neil: "You are correct about the opponent who is doing the sharking being AFRAID."

Neil has a lot to learn about ethics, integrity and sportsmanship.
 
Neil said:
Ever heard the phrase "the match was won before the first ball was hit"?? Sounds like you have much to learn about the mental side of the game.
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Yes, I definitely do. But I'd rather lose honestly than win sketchily. I'd like my stick, not my mouth, to do the talking. It's only a game.
 
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