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
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
But if I had to pick just one, it would be...
