Who do you root for?

Flettir said:
I have a favorite pro player who I root for at all time. But then, I am prejudiced in his favor, and I have good reason to be, I am his Dad.

Mike Davis, from Mike Davis Sr.
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Congratulations on having raised a champion. I've never met him, but I know a lot of guys who have (he still lives in Maryland, right?), and I've never heard a bad word spoken about him.

-Andrew
 
bomber said:
He has taught me a lot about the game of one pocket and I thank him for it. How many other legends will spot you a ton AND play for only 5.00 a game one pocket AND give your pointers along the way.
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I'm jealous. If I could play Buddy Hall getting weight for extremely cheap and he'd teach me things, I'd be there every day. The only reason I'd even want the spot is just so the games could last longer.

-Andrew
 
JAM said:
Redkins have NEVER been the same since Sonny left. :(
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That may be true, but they have won superbowls with other quarterbacks since. One of them who wore #17 is even related to me (by marriage, not by blood). Maybe Jason Campbell will be our savior this time (stranger things have happened).

JAM said:
Gee, that's a toughie! :D But if I had to pick just one, it would be... KEITH McCREADY
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I had a feeling that's what you'd say. I think you may be biased :p

-Andrew
 
I root for Danny Harriman because I consider him a class act and a good friend. Same goes for Tommy Kennedy, Tony Robles, and John Schmidt.

However, in the heat of the battle - I always have to cheer for Ralf Souquet above anybody else. He wants to win so badly, and believe me, he practices so hard and sacrifices so much personally to be where he is at - and I am proud to call him my friend.

Click the link below and see why Ralf is one of my favorite people (even if he thinks I make fun of his hair just a little bit too much)

Ralf Souquet Wants to Win More Than Anybody That I Know!!!
 
Southpaw said:
For me its Stevie Moore. I have known Stevie for a long time and its nice to see him doing well in the bigger events since he gave up the road life. I also like to root for Mike Davis. I have met him a couple of times and he is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He always encourages players who are up and coming and treats everyone the same. JMO.

Southpaw
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I root for Stevie as well. We are from the same hometown, and I have known him since he was about 15 years old. We were also roommates for a while.

As far as rooting for people in general, I am from the old school, and I root for old school players. Johnny Archer was my favorite for a long time. Any player who cut his teeth in a bar should see Johnny as their hero. Johnny has come a long way with his looks and demeanor, but if anyone could have seen him when he first started going around on the road and to tournaments... He was just a skinny, ugly redneck like the rest of us, but just with the best pool game of anyone I had ever seen. He looked like he came up rough, and I appreciated that. Scotty Townsend was another one. He was just a country boy who acted like all of the Mill Hill boys I was raised around. Eugene Browning was another one and I pulled for him every tournament I watched him play.

As for women, I have never let looks play a part in who I rooted for. I think as people who have been in pool room atmospheres (at least the ones fairly successful in pool room atmospheres), we learn peoples character and sincerety with pretty good success. I like the women that I feel are genuinely good people. That's why I rooted for Nikki Benish for a long time. Then it was Kristi Carter, but that was because she didn't take any $hit. In fact, one of the last times I saw her, she was into it with Ming Ng about something. Recently I pull for Sarah Rousey and Alice Rim because I just think they are great people, as well as talented competitors.

Mike
 
Male - pretty much have to pull for Nick Varner, even though it seems like he's cut back on the playing. his cousin Joe works in my building here at the naval base, so i hear all about Nick and the old days. plus, i have Chad Carter work on my cues, and he's from Owensboro, where Nick resides. hate that bridge over the Ohio though.

Female - pretty much always have to pull for Allison. she's treated me pretty well over the years. just wish she would wear her hair the way she did in the finals at WPBA Peoria in 2002. and i can say is WOW!

DCP
 
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Men: Allen Hopkins
Women: Allison Fisher

Although I must say, I've had some of the most fun ever sitting behind Mike Sigel acting as his "corner man." No matter what happens in the match, you learn to say... "Man, is that guy getting lucky or what!? You're really getting f*ed, Mike."

That usually sets the pace for a LOT of entertainment...

Honorable Mention:
Danny Harriman / John Schmidt - two of my favorite recent straight pool players.
 
Who I root for, roughly in order:

Efren - I don't always root for the legends (e.g. I rooted for Jordan but not Tiger Woods) but I can't help rooting for Efren. Always.
Corey - Love watching him play. I think he could be the best in the world, not sure what's holding him back, mental game maybe?
Shane van Boening - How can you not root for Shane?
Busta - He needs to win the WPC or US Open and then all will be right in the world. And he does that weird wavy stroke thing and kicks his leg in the air when he breaks.
Mika - Not sure why exactly. Maybe because he's got a cool name.
Wu - Damn he's good.
Larry Nevel - Gotta love a dude who can draw the ball 25 lengths of the table.
 
I grew up playing sports not really watching it. I didn't see a live ice hockey game by pros until I was 18. So for me I watched it as if I were playing it. And when you watch college games you can see who makes a cocky play or who has no idea whats going on out there.

Its the same when I watch other sports because these pros fill in certain roles of the game. Some are more talented than others and team strategies have to develop with those talents.

I just root for making the right play, if its a pass, a safe, a block or assist.

It was a great pass, block, hit, throw, shot, safe are what keep me interested in the sport. As for who the players are off the court well its interesting but its not why I watch them.
 
MALE- Nick varner 80' 90's today i would say Jesse Bowman on a bar box, Efren is always up high on the list.


Female- Ewa Lawrence, Sarah Rousey, Giy Yung Kim
 
I only have one player that I will always be pulling for and that would be our hometown favorite, Jason Kirkwood.

Steve
 
Favorite All Time [so far]

The King, James Rempe and second Earl the Pearl.
Always rooting for Vivean Villareal The Texas Tornado and Eva Lawrance.:)
 
Flettir said:
I have a favorite pro player who I root for at all time. But then, I am prejudiced in his favor, and I have good reason to be, I am his Dad.

Mike Davis, from Mike Davis Sr.
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Mike
And you should be ---- and proud of him too.
 
Among the men, I generally root for the old school guys - Nick Varner, Buddy Hall, Earl Strickland (sometimes), Keith Mc Cready and others.

In the WPBA I've always liked Xiaoting Pan since she came on the scene. I also root for Angel Paglia. I've watched her improve from the time she was just a kid. I later found out that she learned from, and was friends with, "St. Louis" Louie Roberts - one of my favorite players. Her game seems to have stalled ever since her mom passed away. I'll be rooting for her to get back on track.
 
Men, I root for Troy Frank. I respect him as a player and person.

WPBA, I usually root for a nip slip..just joking. Ever since GYK cried after dogging a nineball against Karen Corr in the Open a couple of years ago, I always pull for her. it's just something that makes her human and I can relate.

Andy
 
interesting thread. I wont answer, cause Im pretty one dimesnional.

As far as the women goes, i root for Jasmine. Even when we played. Lol.
Despite her "icy" demeanor, she is really quite nice, when she finally lets her guard down.

rg
 
I root for Washington and I Like SONNY!

JAM said:
Redkins have NEVER been the same since Sonny left. :(




JAM
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You ain't lyin', dear! I still have my "I root for Sonny" bumper sticker!

It's definitely Earl for me. I"m just hoping for the day that Earl blocks out the crowd and shows us that sweet stroke!

And the Redskins of course! (and Earthquake too!!!).

MM...great thread Andrew.
 
Andrew Manning said:
So if you ask a football fan what team is "their team", it sometimes has to do with geography (I was a Redskins fan before I knew what football even was, growing up in the DC area, with a father who also grew up in the DC area), it sometimes has to do with family loyalty (a friend of mine couldn't marry his then-girlfriend now-wife until he converted to a Steelers-supporter so her family would allow him in), and it sometimes has to do with childhood admiration of a certain player (many 49ers fans are fans just because they were inspired by Joe Montana or Jerry Rice). Very rarely is someone's stated reason for being a fan of a certain team "because they're the best at winning football games".

But in threads on here where people talk about their favorite players, the discussion is all about who's better than who; who's got the best stroke, the best control, the best calm under pressure, the best heart when betting big cash, etc.

So my question is, do you have, separate from your opinions about who's the best, a player you just like to root for? A player who has some X-factor that makes you watch accu-stats or youtube or ESPN hoping they'll do well?

I do. It's Francisco Bustamante. I don't think he's currently the best 9-ball player in the world, although at certain times in his career he may have been playing the best of anyone. But before I was a serious player, I saw him playing 9-ball on ESPN in the challenge of champions, and was incredibly impressed by his control and how easy he made it look.

Now that I know the game better, I know he's just one of a class of several players who make the game appear totally effortless and make their CB look like it's under their hypnotic control when they're in stroke. But I was so impressed by the way he ran the balls on ESPN that day in the 90's, that I still find I root for him when watching video, and I still get a sort of satisfaction when he wins, sort of like those rare occasions when the Redskins do something right.

So, without talking about who you think is the best, who's your favorite pool player to root for?

-Andrew
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growing up as a ravens fan but choosing my team to be the patriots(based on a couple of plays i liked in madden 99) i have been raised to see the redskins as they truely are: as a horrible football team that in the distant past will occaisionally, and purely accidentally perform on a level that barely dignifies the NFL. LOL.

my pool player of choose is Thorsten.
don't ask for i don't know
 
This is my favorite type of thread, one that deals with the various pro players. Good job starting this Andrew.

One of my favorite things about pool is following the careers of the pro players. I really enjoy studying about the various players and their personalities, not just their table exploits and style of play. So with that being said, here's some of my favorites to root for...

Earl Strickland, Shannon Daulton, Fong Pang Chao, Grady Mathews, Oliver Ortmann, Nick Varner, Buddy Hall, Thomas Engert, Evgeny Stalev & Howard Vickery.

If Freddy Bentivegna played more, he would definitely be in my top 5, although he's my favorite author and character in pooldom.
 
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