What time is too late to play pool on a weeknight?

Gregg said:
I'm know I'm becoming an old head, but my league night started at 7:30, and ended...at...11:45 at night. On a Tuesday. I have a family at home. Work.

I really don't want to be out late at night, driving around town with paperwork to drop off before heading home. And once, I'm at home, it's not like I walk in, put on my PJs and fall asleep like a rock. I need at least twenty minutes to wind down. My schedule for the next few days is full, and I'm dragging though work and whatever else.

Is it common for league nights to end this late, or is it just my particular league?
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Unfortunately, it's common, and it's crap.....used to happen in our normal APA league all the time....stupid timeouts, people taking forever, just beat me down....at least once a month, we had two tables going at 11:30 just so we could finish around midnight.....

So I decided to just play Masters, friend said it was a good alternative, and quicker...same crap....somehow, three matches that would end 7-4, with simple 8 and 9 ball matches, could still end at 11:30.....4 hours....I just don't get it....

And that's why I don't play league anymore....maybe I'm just becoming a grouchy old man, LOL.....:D
 
Da Bank said:
A team that I just quit had a captain who is a 4 who would sit down every time her opponent was shooting and start chatting away, not paying attention to the game. When someone alerted her that her opponent was done shooting, she would finish a conversation, take one long last drag of her cigarette and walk to the table. This is when she "took her time" to figure out the new layout of the table and a plan of action. Her pre-shot routine down in her stance consisted of about 10 strokes, and once she finally decided to take the shot she would miss about 50% of the time... only for her opponent to do something of the same nature.

I cannot count the number of times her matches took over 1.5 hours in a race to 2 or 3.
OK, so he said it better, rep to you amigo (if I can).....league, tournament, regardless.....stand up, take a few seconds to assess the table, and get it done.....rediculous pre-shot routines and endless looks at the same shot, gawd....mad just thinking about it.....need a vacation :D
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ScottW said:
I was going to bring this up as well - but in Gregg's case, they may not have a second table available for them to split *to*.

Having two tables available per pair of teams can be huge.
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I find it may help, but not often. Not everybody wants the night to end before 11. There is always a percentage of people present who view league night as a night out to socialize. I'm very cool with that, and do understand. I was there. Once.

And I do agree, last night, bless them, were two SL3s, race to two. Total of three games, max. Three games of eight ball on a bar table took over 40 minutes. Our shooter lost one, and "won" two games without ever even pocketing an eight ball! No I'm not kidding.

Whatever, I don't want to complain, and I'm sure if my life were in a different place, I wouldn't mind, and may enjoy my nights out. I think the answers to the questions I have are right in front of me. It's just that I enjoy playing so much.
 
Old people need less sleep. Sleep is for the young, lazy or apathetic. You can sleep when your dead.
;)

Ok, complaining about having to stay up late doing something you enjoy doing is like complaning about sex. IMHO

If your match runs late just blame the Somoli Pirates.
 
supergreenman said:
Old people need less sleep. Sleep is for the young, lazy or apathetic. You can sleep when your dead.
;)
Ok, complaining about having to stay up late doing something you enjoy doing is like complaning about sex. IMHO
If your match runs late just blame the Somoli Pirates.
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Wow....I think I am broken....

At 20, 3 hours a sleep a day was great, now I need 7 to function....but you are the opposite....

At 20, sex for 2 hours was the best thing in the world.....now, after 45 minutes, I am ready for a nap, if I can last that long....

I think Gregg's issue is that a match that should last 3 hours is taking 5.....I love pool, and would gladly stay up late for a great match on TV....but sitting through 2 hours of commercials to get 3 hours of play is bs.....same thing with golf....love a great sunny day with friends on the course for a nice 4 hour round.....but a 6 hour round, with 2 hours of standing around on tee boxes, is not my idea of fun....

Oh well, different strokes for different folks....
 
Gregg said:
And I do agree, last night, bless them, were two SL3s, race to two. Total of three games, max. Three games of eight ball on a bar table took over 40 minutes. Our shooter lost one, and "won" two games without ever even pocketing an eight ball! No I'm not kidding.
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40 minutes? Is that *all*?

I once watched a similar match take close to two hours.

:(
 
ScottW said:
40 minutes? Is that *all*?

I once watched a similar match take close to two hours.

:(
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Maybe I'm being nice. It sure felt like two hours. Really, it may have been longer.

I've heard of a 2 1/2 hour match between two SL1s in nine ball on a full size table playing nine ball.
 
In our league, the split tables rule is strictly enforced. If they refuse, you simply leave and file a sportsmanship complaint and you should win the remaining matches by forfeit. If you league op lets that happen a few times, I suspect teams will follow the split rules. Of course, this only works if there's a table.

In the old days, we used to usually have most of the team there for the entire duration. Now that we're older and have kids, we organize shifts and rotate on a weekly basis.

So we'll usually designate 2 people to be there on time and 2 to finish up, with the closers usually arriving after 8. There's no formal schedule, we just work it out by email the day of the match. We lose a little flexibility, but it makes it a lot easier to have the late nights spaced out a bit. Then in the playoffs, we go back to having everyone there for the whole time.

Cory
 
Gregg said:
I've heard of a 2 1/2 hour match between two SL1s in nine ball on a full size table playing nine ball.
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Those sort of matches should be "whoever makes a ball first, wins" :P

But anyhow... I can see getting bent over long league nights - but these are amateur leagues (especially APA). They are what they are. If anyone is really gets that worked up, chances are you're a better player than most of the folks around you in the league, and should consider moving up - either to a stronger league (TAP is same format, but often draws a stronger player on average, BCA/VNEA both have formats that don't take as long by design).
 
We start at 7:30 and regularly get done at 11 or so. I have to be up at 4:30, sometimes it really sucks. I guess its what I get for playing hillbilly last pocket league.
 
ScottW said:
Those sort of matches should be "whoever makes a ball first, wins" :P

But anyhow... I can see getting bent over long league nights - but these are amateur leagues (especially APA). They are what they are. If anyone is really gets that worked up, chances are you're a better player than most of the folks around you in the league, and should consider moving up - either to a stronger league (TAP is same format, but often draws a stronger player on average, BCA/VNEA both have formats that don't take as long by design).
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I've played TAP for a year and a half. The matches were over by ten or so. Better players and shorter races = quick matches.

An APA SL5 can be a TAP or SL4 or even SL3, so in essence a game can between two APA SL5s becomes a two to two race.
 
I get complaints at least once a week what an a**hole I am kicking people out at 3am.


I also have at least one night a week where I do not have a single person playing pool after midnight.


You do the math.
 
I have to go into work on wensday at 4:30 in the am and i still play in the local tuesday night tournament which starts at 7:00 depending on how i do i dont usually get out intill 1am, when you love pool you have to make sacrifices.

but then again im 19yrs old so i can handle it better than the older players.
 
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