The missed shot that still haunts you....

[Ronson]

Coming up the APA ranks, there was nearly always this player I could not beat. He was annoying and kind of a bully, but I respected him and his game and always enjoyed the challenge. He's been a bca master forever and it took me years just to get to an apa 7. After years of losing to better 7's I was angry, I Started playing 4+ days a week and took lessons. I was determined to beat all the 7's that had tortured me in the past, but this guy in particular.

We start out well, good safeties, good runouts. We exchange wins, the room is buzzing. Back and forth we go the match is 4-3 at this point, I'm on the hill. The work is finally paying off... I'm on the verge of beating this guy for the first time!

He breaks dry, I make a ball and play safe. We get into a safety battle and I eventually get a BIH. He starts *****ing and moaning which I have never seen, meanwhile I wish I could take a picture and hang it on my wall I'm so happy. I run all my balls with perfect shape, get to the key ball and leave myself straight in. Dammit...small mistake I think, whatever draw it back a couple feet and I'm golden on this 8 ball. I don't think I've ever been so nervous for a shot, I freaking miscued and scooped it right off the table!! He runs out, then runs the next rack for match.

That was the last time I played him, he left the division. I wanted to beat him so bad, I finally had him and I blew it. I might never get to play him again.

 

[APA Gene]

2005 US Amateur Championship qualifier

In Sept of 2005 I traveled from Vero Beach down to Bird Bowl in Miami for the US AM qualifying rounds. I hadn't played in Miami in years but knew a few of the top names (Bruce Choyce and Javier Chirino) in the tournament. I knew since there were only 2 spots up for grabs I would need to beat at least one of them. So I get there and find out I have to play Javier in my first match. I'm actually psyched. I figure better to face him now before he gets in high gear! :smile: I start out playing well and take a 6-4 lead in a race to 7. I have the 6 in the corner and a very simple 7,8,9 for the win. I usually spin my cuts a little as I return to the middle of the table. Well just as I start to hit the 6 I think "don't get fancy" and I drive the damn ball right into the side rail. Javier gets out. He B&Rs the next one for hill-hill. We get in a long safety battle in the case game and his experience wins out to take the set 7-6. I am so steamed! I'm on a mission on the loser side determined to get back to Javier. I make it one match before meeting up with Javier and I run into this tall Asian guy that broke like king kong. He thrashes me 7-2 and then beats Javier 7-5 to take the final qualifier spot (Bruce Choyce had gone undefeated to win the other spot). That tall Asian guy? My now good friend Dave Uwate.:thumbup:

 

[Donny Lutz]

missed shots

Well I'm curious if any of you guys have a shot that you missed that still haunts you. The pool shot that cost you the most money, or knocked you out of a tournament.. or even the chance you had to go meet Efron Reyes, or the girl you wished you would of asked out.

this doesn't have to relate to pool.

Three that stand out in my memory.

Missing a very easy shot against Nick Varner in the BCA national 8-ball championships in 1981. If I'd have made it, the score would have been 4-3 Nick with me breaking in a race to five.

Missing an easy shot that was key in my team being eliminated as defending champs at the VNEA International 8-ball championships in '87.

Catching the side pocket ear on a cut up the rail with the OB barely off the rail. If I make it, I'm in the final four of the '92 BCA National Singles 8-Ball event.

 

[9intheside]

I don't miss so the answer is no. :smile-us-down:

Seriously though if it was a tough shot I will not worry about it too much, if it was something I probably should have made I will work on it some more.

 

[KMRUNOUT]

Two really bad ones:

1) I'm playing the APA 9 ball singles. I'm playing some 9 from Canada. He's a decent player, and is up on me 73-37. I can't do a damn thing right. So I end up running out to get to 37...then I chuckle and say "Well, I just need a 4 pack to win lol". So I break and run. Again. Again. Break, balls wide open. running down to where I need like 5 more balls. I shoot the 4 and...right into the rail. It was a hanger. I couldn't believe it. Of course I leave the 4 hanging for him, and he runs his 2 balls for the win. He was going on and on how he never saw anything like that. The whole time I wanted to hang myself. It would have been a pretty epic come back.

2) WAY WORSE: So my friend (a girl) is a brand new player. She was only playing for about a year but met up with me a LOT to practice. She is a total natural. So we play an APA partners tourney. I'm a 7, she is a 3 in 8 ball. We win the tourney to go to Vegas in pretty epic fashion. Excitement level through the roof. Its her first real tournament win, and a nice one! Free trip to Vegas etc. So we play the National tourney. We play pretty amazing and get several rounds in. On several occasions she comes with a shot that no 3 should ever make on purpose lol. She just plays flat out amazing. So I'm on the 8 ball to win the match and advance. Hill-hill. Its a pretty routing cut into the far corner. there are like 6 of the opponents balls between the cue ball and the side pocket. I totally go blind on the shot and butcher it...right into the side rail. But far worse...I look up just in time to see the cue ball miracle its way into the side pocket. To this day I have no idea how it got in there. It was so disappointing because I truly believe we were the favorites to win that tourney. Now she is a 7 in 8 ball. No more partners tourneys haha. Maybe we can still win the BCA lol.

ok 3) APA Masters last year. I am down 6-3 in the semi finals and grind my way back and win epicly. My teammate crushes his opponent and we are in the finals. I play first (always). So my opponent is very strong. He gets up 6-3 on me again. I make a sick jump shot with shape and run out 6-4. Break and run, 6-5. 9 on the snap, 6-6. Break make a ball, get a look on the 1. It is an awkward shot in the corner because I have to avoid the side pocket but get on the far side of it. Well, I didn't scratch. But I missed the 1 ball. My opponent ran out for the win. I was so sick. Again, could have been the biggest comeback of my life in the biggest tourney I got that deep in. My teammate goes up and totally shuts down his guy winning 7-1. Sadly Ken Brisbon was their last player and he pretty much drilled our final guy. My teammate Jon was not losing to anyone. He played one of the best sets of pool I've ever seen in the final. I am certain that had I run out and we went up 1-0, Jon would have taken home the title for us. Pretty brutal because that is a VERY tough tournament to win. So many secret pros in there. Oh God...it kills me just thinking about this...


KMRUNOUT

 

[gatorchad]

It’s the APA national team tournament. We have a good team and are expecting to do well. The team we are playing only has 3 decent players and the match score is 2 – 2. I’m in the final spot playing a 1 game sudden death for the match. I break and proceed to manage my way through the rack like a surgeon. I broke up a few clusters to get the table opened. My plan is to run out and never let this guy out of his chair. When I get to the last 2 balls before the 8 ball, I realize the game is mine. Everything is in the open, and all I have to do is execute. Well….the adrenaline kicked in and I jump down to cut a ball down the short rail without taking my time. The ball hung up and all I could do was watch as the other guy ran out and his team moved on.

 

[railbird99]

Well I'm curious if any of you guys have a shot that you missed that still haunts you. The pool shot that cost you the most money, or knocked you out of a tournament.. or even the chance you had to go meet Efron Reyes, or the girl you wished you would of asked out.

this doesn't have to relate to pool.

Probably the straight in 9-ball on the hill against Ronnie Wiseman, which cost me the match.

 

[macguy]

I don't miss so the answer is no. :smile-us-down:

Seriously though if it was a tough shot I will not worry about it too much, if it was something I probably should have made I will work on it some more.

In most all cases they are not shots that need any working on. It is just a moment in time where you do something inexplicable. You can't believe you did what you did or made the choice of hitting the shot a certain way.

I have seen top players do things that as soon as they do it you can see on their faces a look like, "WTF what was I thinking". We all do it no matter how experienced. It can be kind of fun to look back and recall some of your most mind numbing stupidity.