Threads I Hate The Most

[Jude Rosenstock]

Hey Jude,
I'm not jumping on you about your post but I would like to point out a few things.

First you bring up some really good points. It would be nice if all of the AZ posters including myself, worked a little more diligently and posted more on topic posts for this forum.

However, you should keep in mind that your skill level is probably a lot higher than most of the AZ members and their goals aren't your goals. Some come here just to pass a good time and seldom take part in serious discussions about pool (and probably never will).

It would be nice to have a sub Forum dedicated only to discussing instruction, patterns, techniques, etc. That way serious players like yourself could stay on topic and have what you come here for. I would probably participate more in such a sub forum and so would our friend Wei Chao, the inventer of the www.cuetable.com

I think you made a mistake about one of the threads that you listed today that were not up to YOUR standards and that was the one about Squirt & Swerve. While you may not be interested in such discussion there are MANY who are and personally I think it was an excellent thread and will help to make one a more rounded player if you fully understand what is taking place, why it is taking place and how to deal with each phenomena.
But that's what this forum is all about. Everyone can make a choice about who or what they choose to read.

I wouldn't object to a sub forum where only serious discussions about pool were allowed. I would enjoy it immensely. But there are other entertaining people who make the forum a well rounded community who do not take pool nearly as seriously as you or I.

While I think the name Googan is kind of funny, it might apply to YOU as much as it applies to any of the rest of us. After all, who in their right mind would want to get on this forum and read and post away until there is nothing left to say except a Googan?

I've been working on my new Bender shaft creating an entirely different taper and I am feeling like I will be playing better pool with each passing day. I can tell that with each tenth of millimeter of removal of wood, I am getting closer to the type of equipment that I need to play my best pool.

Anyway, I hope you keep on posting. Maybe you should send Mike a personal note requesting a separate sub forum for SERIOUS POOL DISCUSSION ONLY. It might be a lonely and small room but I would try to do my part to be a valuable contributor to it.

JoeyA

You bring up some excellent points as well and perhaps that's the eventual direction this forum should take.

 

[sjm]

Good post, Jude. I'll retrace some of what you wrote in offering my preferences.

My least favorite threads:

1) When the title doesn't properly introduce the subject. "You Won't Believe This" would be an example.
2) Any thread in the main forum that is not about pool. Far too many think that their thread is far too important to be in the non-pool-related forum, despite its irrelevance to pool.
3) Threads started on a subject that already has a big thread in significant circulation. If there's already a thread on page one of the main forum with 80 posts about the 314K, why begin another? Even if one has a different slant than that in the original thread, it can be offered in the original thread.
4) Threads in which another poster is asked to empty their PM box. if a poster doesn't bother to empty their PM box, they don't get PMs, and that's the size of it.
5) Threads in which the title indicates that the replies of some are wanted, but not the replies of others. Every thread is fair game for every poster, and that's the end of it.
6) Threads intended for a single poster, such as "Jay Helfert, I Need Your Help". If a message is intended for just one forum member, private message is the way.

My favorite threads:

1) WPBA threads
2) Tournament coverage from attendees
3) Table talk, actual positions analyzed and shared
4) Pool nostalgia, tournament history and legends of the road
5) Players sharing their achievements in league or tournament play
6) Comparison of pool across the different playing eras
7) State of the sport of pool threads
8) Threads comparing American pool to Asian and European pool
9) Pretty much any Efren Reyes thread. Efren is, by far, the most fascinating player of my lifetime, and I never tire of reveling in the way that, through his brilliance, he has advanced the theory of the game of pool.

Still, the forum serves different purposes for different posters.

 

[MikeM]

What a total crock of $+!*

1. Misleading/Incomplete Titles

Please, don't let us wait until we click on the thread to find out you have no worthy opinion. Let everyone know from the main-page from now on so we don't waste our time!


2. NPR

It's amazing how people can relate ANYTHING to pool. Seriously, we are days away from seeing a thread about septic tanks and 9ball. Amazingly, I searched for "septic tank" and got 6 hits. Before you submit, ask yourself, is this what I would discuss with the poolroom's best player?


3. Revisited Topics

Ugh. There are now 158 THREADS with "OB-1" in the title. Unless your thread is about OB-1 versus Godzilla (which I think has yet to be discussed), perhaps you might want to consider reviewing previous posts before starting an entirely new thread about your new love.


4. Player Obsessions

I never thought AZB would become a fan site. From my time on rsb to the Chalk Board and now azb, I always believed we were all pool players. Boy was I wrong. I thought forums would be great places to gain information. People like Wei have devoted an incredible amount of their time to provide us with amazing tools to use and youtube only enhances that experience yet every day there will undoubtedly be a new thread about one of ten players and how someone saw them on tv. I really don't care if Johnny Archer wears Fruit of the Looms. I really really really don't care.

5. Politics

Usually 95% of the people involved in these threads have no financial interest in them whatsoever yet they're always willing to contribute their two cents.



I really do enjoy questions about rules and unusual shot scenarios and amazingly, many of the best contributors of late are relatively new members. I hope members like Klockdoc, uwate, azbluemach1 and a plethora of others continue to contribute to play-related threads. I may not always agree with what you have to say but I'm very glad we're actually talking about pool.


Sigh. I'm done venting.

So I should always think about what I would say to the "poolroom's best player"? Are these the only ones to whom we are allowed to address our questions and statements? What about the worst players in the room? The mediocre ones? The one's who don't play at all?

Thank goodness AZB is NOT like RSB! This is an online pool forum for pool enthusiasts. When you go to the pool hall is pool all you talk about? Sounds boring to me.

My opinions on say, the IPT or the UPA or the US Open don't count because I don't have a financial interest?

From now on I'm supposed to check in on AZ only to see if the fonts of wisdom, (Rosenstock, etc.) have deigned to enlighten us bangers on the finer points of pocket billiards? Oh, and get tourney updates too?

Condescending ass is a start - elitist snob works too.

MM...waiting with bated breath for instructions from the elite

 

[jimmyg]

Who's Boss Here?

First of all, I will absolutely refuse to carry on a one on one debate with anyone. But I will make a few general, constructive, observational comments.

Intelligence, tact, sensitivity, and kindness are not directly proportional to pool skill level, nor does it give someome the ability to dictate who can post, what they post, or the level of importance attached to their posts.
With the exception of Mike, Dave and the other AZ moderators, these things are wholly decided upon by the readers, not the writers. Everyone has the ability to use ignore buttons, and "free will" to avoid any posters that one finds a waste of their precious time.

Maybe "say a prayer for my dying puppy", humor, pictures of one's cars, wives, cigar humidifiers, new homes, children, or anything else personal, that brings the forum closer together as a family should also be frowned upon, or banned completely. If anyone thinks that he should be able to decide these issues, perhaps he deserves to start his own forum, with his own rules... or maybe attempt a coup and declare himself King of Az.

I personally enjoy, and appreciate an assortment of topics including most "what do you do from here", pool threads, they are great. But without the others, this place would be just plain boring. IMHO.

Jim

 

[alstl]

A+. Would read again.

Not that I really care, but I guess the whole issue here revolves around the phrase "pool related". I started a thread today asking who the best ever hustler was. Evidently that is the kind of thread people are talking about not being pool related.

Maybe I'll break out my copy of "science of pocket billiards" and post something from there. The problem with asking a question like "what is the best shaft taper/best tip/best hitting cue/best joint/best ferrule" is you will get 50 responses and no definitive answer.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

So I should always think about what I would say to the "poolroom's best player"? Are these the only ones to whom we are allowed to address our questions and statements? What about the worst players in the room? The mediocre ones? The one's who don't play at all?

Yes, people that don't play at all should join in on azb. Great idea.

Thank goodness AZB is NOT like RSB! This is an online pool forum for pool enthusiasts. When you go to the pool hall is pool all you talk about? Sounds boring to me.

That is the beauty of the internet. You can just type in that little url box and it will take you to an entirely different forum so you can discuss your other interests.

My opinions on say, the IPT or the UPA or the US Open don't count because I don't have a financial interest?

I just think it's amusing that people who do not compete or finance pool have something to say about how it's run. It's ashame that those same voices are actually answered by those that do because it actually gives them credibility. Giving a suggestion is one thing but if you've been witness to some of the name-calling that has taken place, you'd have sympathy for my disgust.

From now on I'm supposed to check in on AZ only to see if the fonts of wisdom, (Rosenstock, etc.) have deigned to enlighten us bangers on the finer points of pocket billiards? Oh, and get tourney updates too?

If you want to use this forum efficiently, go for it.

Condescending ass is a start - elitist snob works too.

I'll accept that but don't start crying when the name-calling goes the other way.

 

[9balllvr]

View attachment 51178

I think this is a googan but I'm not sure... it sure is happy though, or mad

what is wrong with people oh hell, what is wrong with me for laughing at this one

 

[bruin70]

geez, jude.

are we short on rouffage in our diet plan?

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

So I should always think about what I would say to the "poolroom's best player"? Are these the only ones to whom we are allowed to address our questions and statements? What about the worst players in the room? The mediocre ones? The one's who don't play at all?

Yes, people that don't play at all should join in on azb. Great idea.

Thank goodness AZB is NOT like RSB! This is an online pool forum for pool enthusiasts. When you go to the pool hall is pool all you talk about? Sounds boring to me.

That is the beauty of the internet. You can just type in that little url box and it will take you to an entirely different forum so you can discuss your other interests.

My opinions on say, the IPT or the UPA or the US Open don't count because I don't have a financial interest?

I just think it's amusing that people who do not compete or finance pool have something to say about how it's run. It's ashame that those same voices are actually answered by those that do because it actually gives them credibility. Giving a suggestion is one thing but if you've been witness to some of the name-calling that has taken place, you'd have sympathy for my disgust.

From now on I'm supposed to check in on AZ only to see if the fonts of wisdom, (Rosenstock, etc.) have deigned to enlighten us bangers on the finer points of pocket billiards? Oh, and get tourney updates too?

If you want to use this forum efficiently, go for it.

Condescending ass is a start - elitist snob works too.

I'll accept that but don't start crying when the name-calling goes the other way.

 

[ledrums]

I think all the weird posts and such keep me on this site at least 30 minutes longer each day, and I'm thankful for that. My wife thinks I'm obsessed with pool because of how much time I spend here, but she doesn't realize this site is about more than just diagrams of shots, types of cues etc. Let's face it, some of the threads are just plain amusing. While I usually don't participate in many arguments, I really enjoy when everybody goes back and forth on topics in here. Admittedly, some threads ARE plainly stupid and a waste of space. What do I do? I just skip them. So I think the diversity of threads on this site are what makes this place interesting.

 

[BlowFish]

I enjoy AZB for what it is worth. Both educational (Pool shots and the likes) and pure entertainment (Fist fights and tirades).

Very seldom post (Always forgets to hit the Reply Button) and mostly just lurks and read. My Ignore list is empty.

Back to being a lurker again.

(This time, I did hit the reply button. )

 

[thebigdog]

I hate this thread! Who is responsible for such a lame thread!

 

[jdr]

At the very least, many ppl will be more conscientious about the title of their threads. And maybe more ppl will make an effort or be more willing to post some interesting outs or shots. And we'll still get interesting "other" threads that some ppl will skip... All in all, a better forum...

Thanks for taking one for the team, Jude...

 

[bomber]

Well...I have decided after reading this thread to.......

say whatever the hell I want to, whenever the hell I want to, and I do not really give a hoot if Mr.Jude "King of the World" Rosenstock cares of not.

 

[TX Poolnut]

Well...I have decided after reading this thread to.......

say whatever the hell I want to, whenever the hell I want to, and I do not really give a hoot if Mr.Jude "King of the World" Rosenstock cares of not.

Ditto........

 

[memikey]

.....Yes, people that don't play at all should join in on azb. Great idea.....

99.9% of us would take this is a sarcastic comment which would be delivered in a derisory tone if communicated verbally. In the context of the question you were answering at the time it is reasonable to assume that you obviously actually mean the opposite i.e. that non players have no rightful place in the main forum. If this was not in fact a sarcastic comment and you do genuinely mean you would like to see non players contributing in the main forum perhaps a little tweaking of your own communication style might be appropriate.

Hopefully, if you spare a bit of the considered thought which you have freely advised others to give before posting, you would realise that your preference for not seeing any posts by people who do not play would exclude all contributions by the likes of JAM (probably one of the most enjoyable posters on here but who freely admits she no longer plays) and many retired ace players, not to mention several regular sweaters, stake horses, tournament spectators and people temporarily or permanently prevented from playing their beloved game by medical issues. That does not seem to many of us to be a prospective site policy that would gain us any more enjoyment and usefulness of the forum than we would lose by its implementation.

This is not a flame, you have made a lot of sense elsewhere in this debate.
However many of us, like yourself, call a spade a spade and it seems clear that there is every possibility your stance in this particular aspect of the debate is unreasonable, so please excuse the frankness of this post.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

99.9% of us would take this is a sarcastic comment which would be delivered in a derisory tone if communicated verbally. In the context of the question you were answering at the time it is reasonable to assume that you obviously actually mean the opposite i.e. that non players have no rightful place in the main forum. If this was not in fact a sarcastic comment and you do genuinely mean you would like to see non players contributing in the main forum perhaps a little tweaking of your own communication style might be appropriate.

Hopefully, if you spare a bit of the considered thought which you have freely advised others to give before posting, you would realise that your preference for not seeing any posts by people who do not play would exclude all contributions by the likes of JAM (probably one of the most enjoyable posters on here but who freely admits she no longer plays) and many retired ace players, not to mention several regular sweaters, stake horses, tournament spectators and people temporarily or permanently prevented from playing their beloved game by medical issues. That does not seem to many of us to be a prospective site policy that would gain us any more enjoyment and usefulness of the forum than we would lose by its implementation.

This is not a flame, you have made a lot of sense elsewhere in this debate.
However many of us, like yourself, call a spade a spade and it seems clear that there is every possibility your stance in this particular aspect of the debate is unreasonable, so please excuse the frankness of this post.

Up until now, I have yet to direct my accusations at anyone in particular and I'm not going to start. I'm not going to get into the value of JAM's posts and I do this out of respect for her since she isn't even involved in this thread. However, I would like to note, at least her threads are properly titled.

I mean, I know I'm going to get slammed all over for stating what has become painfully obvious. Everyone thinks it's fun to put in their two cents but the fact is, I know so many great players who lurk here but think it's crazy to post anything. The board is now no different than a 1970s New York City subway facade in the sense that people post for the sake of posting. There's no value in what they say. They revisit topics that have been visited dozens of times, ask questions they can easily get answers to by searching and discuss matters that have little to do with pool.

I play poker and also participate in poker forums and on those threads, all we discuss is poker strategy. It's nice. There is this sense of a greater conversation, one that never ends and one where all of us become better at the game. Here, there seems to be a greater need to just get everyone's attention for a moment. Gossip, graffiti & flaming. That's what azb has become. What sucks is, I have a number of good friends here who have spent a great deal of time on this place trying to make pool knowledge more accessible. It's insulting to them.

So here we are today. We have this GREAT forum with these GREAT tools where we can not only accurately diagram a shot but we can take it a step further and post video of it to boot. We have access to some of the more articulate experts in the country and yet, what do we decide to flood the front page with? WE CAN'T EVEN POST A PROPER TOPIC HALF THE TIME!

Some people have taken a moment to voice their opinions for and against. I wish they really didn't see it that way. I mean, proper topic wording or keeping things relatively relevant should be fairly obvious, in my opinion but that's only my opinion.

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Well...I have decided after reading this thread to.......

say whatever the hell I want to, whenever the hell I want to, and I do not really give a hoot if Mr.Jude "King of the World" Rosenstock cares of not.

It's this attitude that permeates the site that I speak of. Do you really mean this? You're a Government teacher so I wonder, if someone went before Congress to discuss their girlfriend woes, would you immediately cite freedom of speech?

 

[memikey]

Understod Jude, thanks for that fuller explanation which again for the most part contains a lot of accurate descriptions and reasonable contentions IMHO.

Credit to you for having the courage of your convictions to confirm that you did in fact mean that in your ideal envisaged main forum anyone who does not currently actually play pool should be disqualified from posting.

It's an interesting viewpoint and not without merit, but have to say that to me it looks too much like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut

 

[Jude Rosenstock]

Understod Jude, thanks for that fuller explanation which again for the most part contains a lot of accurate descriptions and reasonable contentions IMHO.

Credit to you for having the courage of your convictions to confirm that you did in fact mean that in your ideal envisaged main forum anyone who does not currently actually play pool should be disqualified from posting.

It's an interesting viewpoint and not without merit, but have to say that to me it looks too much like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut

I'm sorry, I never said anyone should be "disqualified from posting". My point is, we should keep things more pool related. I would like to think the threads here are intended for pool players. That's it, in a nutshell. I don't understand why someone would want to start a thread that would attract people who have no interest in pool, which was really my point.

The initial comment was related to talking to persons in a poolroom. MikeM was simply saying that he'd like his experience at azb to mimic his experience at the poolroom - he wants to be able to interact with an assortment of people from players to non-players.

Perhaps there was a disconnect in understanding at this moment but to me, "non-players" are those that have absolutely nothing to do with pool. I'm not saying they should be "disqualified" but why would we even care about their opinions in this forum?