You attitude is great! you enjoy the game and it means something to you. I'm not sure what issue is affecting your game here. Is it your emotions during play, or your motivation in the game?
I agree with the other poster here that having fun and socializing can slice into your performance. In that your motivation for the game you rely on may get choked off by your socializing.
Lets get down to brass tacks here: Your in this league to compete, and to compete well. You obviously have set your sights to try and finish top five or so in the league. So for motivation your trying to achieve this goal amongst other similar goals. Socializing with the competition that threatens that goal is not the same as the socializing you do with people at a kegger on a labor day picnic. Not if your serious about your goals. Lose your motivation your play becomes... just going through the motions.
Now I suspect it is the emotions that play into it (getting pissed.) Emotions are like a old carburetor in a automobile. If you have no emotion going into play it's like your not getting enough fuel in the fuel oxygen mix and your engine sputters. Too much emotion is again like too much fuel and again your engine sputters. You need the right mix and the only one that can regulate that mix is you.
Anger at failure of a specific result is adding fuel. Adding emotion,be aware of that. You become less of the machine you want to be at the table when you let anger dictate a roll. Watch a pro's response to failure, its there but its like water off a ducks back. Read up a little bit on Joes column it's a good read.
http://www.azbilliards.com/joewaldron/joe1.cfm
Here is how I view emotion before a league match: You should feel anxious before hand because it lets you know that you are emotionally involved and this match does mean something to you. Only you can gauge if it's a little higher or lower than normal at the time. Within your conscious you have to decide on how to tune up that emotion with self talk.
BUT BE WARNED! Do not spend too much time boosting up the fuel mixture with self talk. Results from the mind in the emotional venue are slow in responding to this self talk. (Much like waiting in the shower for the hot water to arrive, you know just because you turned the knob to the proper position doesn't make the water warm and you can just step in... you must wait.) Come crunch time or the middle of the match your emotion could be on overload if you invest to much and you'll find yourself sputtering along.
To summarize I believe you are plenty motivated, but do not let go of that motivation as a way of relaxing yourself during play. Motivation is many different goals you set for yourself in play (by definition.)
Emotion is different and overlapping in some aspects to motivation. In the past we have been bitten by the, "I just cant get it together tonight bug." It can be motivation certainly, but if you aren't emotionally involved or overly involved you get the same results. You just can't get it together.
Do yourself a favor. When you play very well pay attention to the details of the night. If you can't remember (and most don't) keep a journal. This is a good indicator to what optimum performance is about. Sometimes we tweek things the right way and have a good night. Other times we don't. Remember them too.
Your heart and attitude is in the right place, just fine tune whats under the surface in your game.
If I am wrong in all of this, or on the wrong tangent, all I can say like Rosana Sana Dana is, "Never mind!"
