What is the greatest compliment someone has given you?

Decades ago, when the local bar tournament scene was a social thing more than competitive. I doubt winning ever meant more than $30.

Local hustler: "Paul, you're a lousy player. My problem is that you know it, so I can't hustle you."

To this day, I'll play anybody for a beer, but don't play for money. The game is not about money to me.
 
cool thread...

The best compliment I ever got was from my world beater mentor. I got to the point where I was winning maybe 1 set out of 4 playing him even. I walked into the room one day and a guy I didn't know jumped on me right away to play some. Before I could answer my mentor said "here comes the most improved player in the tri state area!".....I looked over at the guy and he said.......forget it!......the whole place was busting up.

that, and any time I get referred to as "a player" by anyone. around here the term isn't used lightly, and everyone knows what it means.

Gerry
 
I played Jose Parica in 2005 in the final 16 at Shooters in Riverside, CA., in a race to 9. He was up 4-3 and played a safe, leaving a long rail bank on the 6 on very tough tables. I banked in the 6 and ran out to tie it at 4, and he gave me a wry smile as he walked by me to rack and just said, "You miss?"

He beat me 9-6, and about two weeks later he lost in the finals of the U.S. Open to Alex Pagulayan.
 
I was playing a guy that I knew, but hadn't seen me for quite a while. He wins the first set for fifty. ( I was freewheeling ) I asked the guy to bet two hundred and he could get the eight. From across the room, an older fellow that wasn't even involved screams out "NO!" Funnier than hell. One of his buddies overheard him say, "You keep f#&$ing with him and he'll bust ya. That's how good he plays. Any more questions?"

The next time I walked in to that poolroom, I walked straight up to the older fella (who owns a poolroom, by the way) and asked him to play some. I did this pretty much just to be an a$$. I was with my friend, Poke and Hope (on the forum). "F#$* you and your buddy.." was the compliment I received.

You see, I used to look up to that guy and think he could really hit'em pretty good. That was fifteen years ago. Guess I've gotten better.
 
For me, it was probably when my friend and pool mentor Ricky said "that's probably gonna be the only time anyone EVER makes that shot on this table!", after seeing me make a very tight cross-corner bank, left-handed, on our 10x5 snooker table (2.25" balls!).

Fortunately for my ego, the actual shot was caught on tape... It's the very first clip in the video below:

Juanbond drains a sick bank!
 
TATE said:
Applause by railbirds a couple of times during matches. I consider applause to be the greatest compliment.

Chris
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I agree with this as well. It doesnt happen too much that you get applause, especially the kind that seems thunderous at the time.

Beating Paul Turner in the finals in Georgia for ACU-I regionals and then right after I shot in the last 8ball in the finals of the National event really stick out. Its a wonderful feeling, almost surreal.
 
This past weekend I was playing my second ever tourney at college station and I was having all kinds of trouble focusing and finding my game. My first match was against this kid who couldn't of been too much older than me. He had me 3-0 and I said to myself with my face in my hands, "Okay Stew, its time to stop messing around. Give him your real game." So I finish off the rack I was on pretty easy and I felt better, like I always play, really relaxed and patient. Next rack I break solid, run to the 5, which is on the rail, and without thinking I put some top right on the CB, dropped the 5 and rocketed the CB into the 9 which sank into the corner. All the while I was playing about 2 seconds on each shot. Suddenly I hear a voice from behind me say , "Damn this kid shoots strong." I turn around and its the father of the guy I was playing. Suddenly the pressure hit me and I crapped out the rest of the tourney.

Lol, but the point is, his comment made me feel awesome because up until that point no one said anything to me other than "Call it." or "Good game."

I'm ready for tourney #3 though! :D
 
She said something like "OH GOD! That was incredible, my legs are still shaking!!"

:p
 
Rubyron said:
I think mine was from Johnny Archer in 1992. He said "nice shot" when I was playing him. That isn't much but considering he was the world champion at the time it meant a lot to me.
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Second round of the 2000 US Open 1pocket event up in Kalamazoo. During this match I hit a pretty unbelievable string of bank shots. Of course, I also dogged my brains out on some relatively easy shots. I lose the match, 2-4. When it's over, my opponent comes up to me, shakes my hand, smiles, and says in that high, clipped accent he has, "Louis bank good. Miss straight in." Thanks, Efren :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
Non-pool related - My retired C.O. (Commanding Officer) drove 10 hours out of his way to welcome me home after a stint in the Middle East. He had retired right after I deployed, and had moved himself and his family away. We stayed in brief contact during my tour, and when I got back home and walked off the plane, there he stood. He drove through the night...just so he could time his arrival with mine. He didn't say a word (nor did I, at first). All he did was extend a salute to me....followed by a hug and a "Welcome back, sir." To this day, it gives me chills.

Pool related - While on the road for work (which is almost all the time), I've had half a dozen house pros along the eastern seaboard tell me that they'd be willing to kill their own moms for a break like mine. Hell...that's probably the strongest part of my game!!! :) :) :)
 
I've a few, but a couple stand out in my mind. First time was in Dayton at the tournament in the early 70's. I had a Bank Pool match with Willie Munson, and he didn't know me. It was long rack banks, and before the match he asked me to make a "friendly" wager and I accepted his offer. After the match, he quietly slipped me the money and said "I had no idea you played that well."

The second time was more recently in a One Pocket match with filipino Alex and his friend Efren was sweating it. Yes, that Efren! Alex put me in a dead trap on the end rail and he had a ball near his hole, that I couldn't see or hit. I found a shot that was high risk, but I went for it anyway. I went two rails out of the corner into the pack and knocked a ball in front of my hole and hid the cue ball in the pack. Efren looked up at me and said "JAY, quit showing off!"
 
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Jay helfert kissed my hand after I drilled him playing banks,

and now the truth, Archer said nice shot to me a few times while we were beating the balls around together years ago(we heve never played). This was before he blew up big in the 90's and they were nice shots.
 
Getting "banned" from the local C tourney (a long time ago)

Getting told my game has come along way after I haven't seen this pro in ten years or so. Recently overheard someone say about me, "if his heads on straight he plays pretty sporty".

Andy
 
Kiss the ring, not the hand!

Fatboy said:
Jay helfert kissed my hand after I drilled him playing banks,

and now the truth, Archer said nice shot to me a few times while we were beating the balls around together years ago(we heve never played). This was before he blew up big in the 90's and they were nice shots.
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Kiss the ring, not the hand. It's the ring for macho men, the hand for the other guys. :D
JoeyA
 
The best compliment was when I went to a weekly 9 ball tournament in a biker bar and won. After winning I had to track the owner down to get my money and he said that I was not welcome in their tournament again. :D I lost one match that night and then had to play that same guy in the finals and I had to beat him twice and he was a little upset when I did.
 
juggler314 said:
Steve Lipsky said "I can't spot you 180 balls if you are going to shoot 5x better than me" after we played a couple of seasons ago in our weekly league and I won with a score of around 80-81 (he needed to go to 275)! Granted he was tired and not shooting well that day and I was having one of those days when nothing goes wrong. Still it was fun to hear from someone that is LEAPS and BOUNDS a better straight pool player than myself.
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LMAO, that sounds like me on raging tilt ;). Hope I wasn't a jerk about it. :o

Anyway, nice shooting!

- Steve
 
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