OK, I'll start a new thread on this. The goal is to see if it is possible to reach consensus on what if anything should be done to improve pool in Arizona. I for one think pool is moribund if not already dead in Phoenix and the reason is not the Arizona Rating System but the way the bar owners and tournament directors implement it. Two assertions:
1. The ratings (the numbers) are actually pretty good.
When I think about it I really cannot think of any player who is grossly overrated or underrated. By and large the numbers assigned to the 10,000 or so rated players seem pretty accurate. Sure there are abuses where a player on the cusp may be able to keep his lower rating through cronyism or other devices, or a member of the committee may have a grudge or financial motive to raise someone unfairly. But all in all the numbers seem ok, and there are mechanisms for adjusting or correcting errors.
So I conclude the problem is not the ratings or having handicapped tournaments. I'm sure there are improvements that could be made in how the numbers are set but that is an issue the Arizona Rating Committee can address. (For example, the principal agenda seems to be to raise people without a compensating mechanism to lower others which over time could result in knee jerk "lower everybody" reactions.) But, again in my opinion, the numbers are not at the heart of what's wrong with pool in Arizona.
2. The Arizona Rating System has a fatal flaw.
The flaw (in my opinion) is not the ratings but the way the bar owners and tournament directors misuse them. They use the ratings to keep good players out of their tournaments. So the good players have nowhere to play (except against each other in an occasional monthly tournament) and the weaker players have no competition to improve against. All the good players in town spend their pool time practicing alone or casually with a friend, and all the weaker players have their weekly 12 player $35 added to look forward to. Yes, there have been over 10,000 players rated by the Arizona Rating Committee but I venture that only about 300 or so are actively playing tournament pool around the Phoenix area. I think this is a direct result of a system that promotes players up and out. What successful sport (or business) is based on excluding its best players (or customers)?
I've heard the bar owners' argument that letting the good players in will kill their tournaments. "The 6's and 7's won't play and there's a lot more 6's than 10's that drink our beer!" Four points come to mind regarding this assumption: 1) you cannot kill something that is already seriously dead 2) the number of new players that come out of hibernation may indeed exceed the number of 6's who would rather drink beer than compete 3) maybe the 6's will come and drink beer anyway just to watch these good players and 4) you can still handicap your tournaments using the ratings if you want to create more parity. And while we're on the bar owners here's another thought. Maybe they could form a Arizona Pool and Bar Owners Association whose goal is to promote pool by coordinating tournament schedules, forming a travelling tour, and opening up tournaments to all players.
Does anyone remember the last big tournament at Pappy's in (I think) 2004 or 2005? Over 100 players. All players invited. Nice crowd with girlfriends and wives and entourages all enjoying the weekend activities. I recall Alan telling me it was the biggest business weekend they had since he owned the place.
These are just my opinions. Let's hear what you think.
1. The ratings (the numbers) are actually pretty good.
When I think about it I really cannot think of any player who is grossly overrated or underrated. By and large the numbers assigned to the 10,000 or so rated players seem pretty accurate. Sure there are abuses where a player on the cusp may be able to keep his lower rating through cronyism or other devices, or a member of the committee may have a grudge or financial motive to raise someone unfairly. But all in all the numbers seem ok, and there are mechanisms for adjusting or correcting errors.
So I conclude the problem is not the ratings or having handicapped tournaments. I'm sure there are improvements that could be made in how the numbers are set but that is an issue the Arizona Rating Committee can address. (For example, the principal agenda seems to be to raise people without a compensating mechanism to lower others which over time could result in knee jerk "lower everybody" reactions.) But, again in my opinion, the numbers are not at the heart of what's wrong with pool in Arizona.
2. The Arizona Rating System has a fatal flaw.
The flaw (in my opinion) is not the ratings but the way the bar owners and tournament directors misuse them. They use the ratings to keep good players out of their tournaments. So the good players have nowhere to play (except against each other in an occasional monthly tournament) and the weaker players have no competition to improve against. All the good players in town spend their pool time practicing alone or casually with a friend, and all the weaker players have their weekly 12 player $35 added to look forward to. Yes, there have been over 10,000 players rated by the Arizona Rating Committee but I venture that only about 300 or so are actively playing tournament pool around the Phoenix area. I think this is a direct result of a system that promotes players up and out. What successful sport (or business) is based on excluding its best players (or customers)?
I've heard the bar owners' argument that letting the good players in will kill their tournaments. "The 6's and 7's won't play and there's a lot more 6's than 10's that drink our beer!" Four points come to mind regarding this assumption: 1) you cannot kill something that is already seriously dead 2) the number of new players that come out of hibernation may indeed exceed the number of 6's who would rather drink beer than compete 3) maybe the 6's will come and drink beer anyway just to watch these good players and 4) you can still handicap your tournaments using the ratings if you want to create more parity. And while we're on the bar owners here's another thought. Maybe they could form a Arizona Pool and Bar Owners Association whose goal is to promote pool by coordinating tournament schedules, forming a travelling tour, and opening up tournaments to all players.
Does anyone remember the last big tournament at Pappy's in (I think) 2004 or 2005? Over 100 players. All players invited. Nice crowd with girlfriends and wives and entourages all enjoying the weekend activities. I recall Alan telling me it was the biggest business weekend they had since he owned the place.
These are just my opinions. Let's hear what you think.
