The Golden Sombrero - my worst shot ever

[OneHandedBreak]

In baseball a Golden Sombrero is when a batter strikes out four times in a game. Last night I achieved(?) something similar during a game of eight ball for the first time since the '90s (and come to think of it that may have been just a hat trick; see the link to the baseball definition).

It went like this - early in the game with a lot of balls left my only shot was a length of the table thin cut through traffic, with a couple opponent's balls in the way. I had maybe a 1/4" of the object ball to shoot for when I let it fly. The cue ball clipped one of their balls first for Foul #1. Foul #2 soon followed when another of their balls dropped into a pocket, followed quickly by the cue ball dropping in a different pocket for Foul #3.

The capper came during the aftermath with the eight ball rolling back toward the end of the table I had been shooting from and plopping slowly into a corner pocket for Foul #4, and the place went wild. When my playing days are over this will surely be the starting point of the bell curve of shots I've taken, ranked from worst to best.

So what's your worst shot ever? I'm sure there are plenty of threads on here about the best shots ever documented, but can you top mine for the worst shots of all time?

(Oh and back in the '90s I can't recall if I hit my ball first or the opponent's in case you're wondering.)

 

[Mensabum]

In baseball a Golden Sombrero is when a batter strikes out four times in a game. Last night I achieved(?) something similar during a game of eight ball for the first time since the '90s (and come to think of it that may have been just a hat trick; see the link to the baseball definition).

It went like this - early in the game with a lot of balls left my only shot was a length of the table thin cut through traffic, with a couple opponent's balls in the way. I had maybe a 1/4" of the object ball to shoot for when I let it fly. The cue ball clipped one of their balls first for Foul #1. Foul #2 soon followed when another of their balls dropped into a pocket, followed quickly by the cue ball dropping in a different pocket for Foul #3.

The capper came during the aftermath with the eight ball rolling back toward the end of the table I had been shooting from and plopping slowly into a corner pocket for Foul #4, and the place went wild. When my playing days are over this will surely be the starting point of the bell curve of shots I've taken, ranked from worst to best.

So what's your worst shot ever? I'm sure there are plenty of threads on here about the best shots ever documented, but can you top mine for the worst shots of all time?

(Oh and back in the '90s I can't recall if I hit my ball first or the opponent's in case you're wondering.)

I could fill an encyclopedia with my worst shots!!!

 

[jeephawk]

Guess I'm out of touch and to be fair I haven't watched much MLB for a long time but used to watch a lot of it and never heard the term "Golden Sombrero" - learn something every day.

 

[OneHandedBreak]

Guess I'm out of touch and to be fair I haven't watched much MLB for a long time but used to watch a lot of it and never heard the term "Golden Sombrero" - learn something every day.

It's pretty rare I think, so the casual fan probably doesn't get exposed to the term very often.

 

[nataddrho]

Is it because sombreros are associated with blocking the hot sun, and the Hollywood stereotype of taking a siesta under a sombrero, as in sleeping at the plate?

 

[jeephawk]

Is it because sombreros are associated with blocking the hot sun, and the Hollywood stereotype of taking a siesta under a sombrero, as in sleeping at the plate?

I think your teammates pee in your helmet.

 

[OneHandedBreak]

I think your teammates pee in your helmet.

Knowing baseball players that is entirely possible.

 

[OneHandedBreak]

Is it because sombreros are associated with blocking the hot sun, and the Hollywood stereotype of taking a siesta under a sombrero, as in sleeping at the plate?

The Golden Sombrero comes from hockey's hat trick, three goals in a game. Thus a batter who strikes out three times in a game is said to wear the "sombrero". The word in Spanish refers to any type of hat, but in popular culture it is associated with the unwieldy huge hats worn by stereotypical cartoon Mexicans. More grand than a hat would be a sombrero that is gold. It is awarded to any player who strikes out four times in a game. A platinum sombrero for five strikeouts or a titanium sombrero for six strikeouts may be awarded but they are much rarer than a golden sombrero.

I can imagine just the sheer unwieldyness of wearing a giant hat at the plate throwing your whole swing out of whack as being the source of this term. You gotta hand it to baseball players for coming up with some pretty descriptive metaphors for various types of gaffes, including a "sword" (a really awkward swing and miss), "frozen pizza" (a curveball that freezes a batter as it bends over the plate), etc. Must be all that down time during the game.

Also makes me wonder if there's a similar list of pool related terms... hmmm...