Why are we so obsessive?

[pooltchr]

I love sports of all kinds. I spend a lot of time talking sports with other fans. Some things I never hear in those conversations:
Brady is a great QB. What brand of shoes does he wear?
Babe Ruth was the greatest natural hitter of all time. What brand of bat did he use?
Do the Williams sisters use Wilson or Spaulding rackets?

Why are we so obsessive over what kind of cue, or what kind of tip a certain pro uses?

Is it really important to our personal improvement?

I'm serious. I really wonder why this topic comes up so much when talking about pool, but almost never when discussing other sports.

Steve

 

[Gregg]

I love sports of all kinds. I spend a lot of time talking sports with other fans. Some things I never hear in those conversations:
Brady is a great QB. What brand of shoes does he wear?
Babe Ruth was the greatest natural hitter of all time. What brand of bat did he use?
Do the Williams sisters use Wilson or Spaulding rackets?

Why are we so obsessive over what kind of cue, or what kind of tip a certain pro uses?

Is it really important to our personal improvement?

I'm serious. I really wonder why this topic comes up so much when talking about pool, but almost never when discussing other sports.

Steve

Because everybody already knows except you?

Just kidding of course.

It's pretty commonplace for golfers to be asked what clubs they used during a post match press conference. A little bit different I guess, but somewhat similar.

 

[Big Perm]

Actually, it does.....serious fans of each sport know all kinds of things...they are a sort of stalker in training....

Tennis fans.....they know the shoes their player wears, as well as the raquet, type of strings, tension of the strings, apparel....

Golf......they know the golf ball, swing speed, driver, irons, wedges, bag, tees, clothes...

Football.....the players strengths, weaknesses, family, products they support, charity work, stats in college, previous injuries....

IMHO, serious fans are obsessive :grin:

Jason

 

[JoeW]

Some people will not like my answer but you seemed to be serious in your query so I will give it a shot that may be helpful.

One of my guiding principles comes from Shakespeare, “Methinks The lady doth protest too much.” It is easier to avoid thinking about or acting upon our serious problems in life if we concentrate on problems of little consequence.

Collecting stamps (or any of several other hobbies) is something one can become intensely interested in and may even allow us to ignore the dead body on the floor.

Before anyone gets offended, there are people who simply dearly love stamp collecting. Now you have to figure out which one your buddy is -- the avoider, the collector. Life is interesting and there are many possibilities.

 

[Gregg]

Some people will not like my answer but you seemed to be serious in your query so I will give it a shot that may be helpful.

One of my guiding principles comes from Shakespeare, “Methinks The lady doth protest too much.” It is easier to avoid thinking about or acting upon our serious problems in life if we concentrate on problems of little consequence.

Collecting stamps (or any of several other hobbies) is something one can become intensely interested in and may even allow us to ignore the dead body on the floor.

Hey, I represent that! Nice way of putting it, too. :smile:

 

[ShootingArts]

"if I just had his cue . . ."

I love sports of all kinds. I spend a lot of time talking sports with other fans. Some things I never hear in those conversations:
Brady is a great QB. What brand of shoes does he wear?
Babe Ruth was the greatest natural hitter of all time. What brand of bat did he use?
Do the Williams sisters use Wilson or Spaulding rackets?

Why are we so obsessive over what kind of cue, or what kind of tip a certain pro uses?

Is it really important to our personal improvement?

I'm serious. I really wonder why this topic comes up so much when talking about pool, but almost never when discussing other sports.

Steve

Steve,

Actually tennis players do want to know what racket the winners use. The difference between pool and football or baseball is everybody knows that no amount of gear is going to move us closer to throwing a ball like Tom Brady or hitting like the Babe. On the other hand we sincerely hope that the same tip, same cue, or whatever will bring our play closer to a champion pool players.

Pool players and golfers are equipment junkies, so are race car owner/drivers. I riveted a six inch by six inch by about four inch aluminum box to the inside sheet metal of my race car in plain sight. I told everybody that asked that it was just an empty aluminum box I had put there. Drove them nuts! I had people climbing over, under, around, and through my car trying to find out what was in the box and what it was connected to. :grin: :grin-square: :grin:

Hu

 

[skor]

Unlike most other sports, billiards is a sport of small and accurate motions, hitting the ball a millimeter from where you wanted to and the impact will be big, so is aiming 1mm off line or hitting a little bit too soft or too hard. This is why the cue should feel very comfortable. It's true that a good player can adjust to any cue and good players do so in order to get sponsorship but for the most of us we have the freedom to find the cue/shaft/tip that gives us the best feedback that makes us feel comfortable in our game.

When a baseball player hits a HR from a 90mph peach, the type of wood of the bat won't make much difference...

 

[stuckart]

Obsessed but not Obsessive

I admit, I'm complete Obsessed with Pool. I want to play, read, talk, discuss, think, dream, plan outs, etc. etc....All through the day.

But, I don't feel like I'm in this same category. I have thought about this for quite sometime now. Everytime I hear someone ask, "What kind of cue are you shooting with?", I think to myself "Why do you care?"

Honestly, I could care less what kind of cue people have or how much it cost. I stay out of conversations about inlays, points, ivory, blah blah blah. I really have no idea why, but none of that interests me in anyway. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I like to see how people play and like to work on my own game. I like to pick up shots, patterns, strategy, etc. from other players.

I find this is the same for other sports as well. I've golfed with hundred's of people and never thought once, "Hey what kind of iron's are they using?" Of course I've been told how great their new driver hits and why it's the greatest ever, but I can't say I've ever started that conversation.

Oh, and I'm completely obsessed with pool......

 

[JoeW]

My son-in-law and I have an ongoing competion about golf clubs. I found a three wood at Salvation Army for $3.00. He found a one wood for $2.00. Currently he is winning the best and cheapest golf club contest. Now if I only look with more intensity, I can beat him out.

Some things in life are important you know.

 

[stuckart]

My son-in-law and I have an ongoing competion about golf clubs. I found a three wood at Salvation Army for $3.00. He found a one wood for $2.00. Currently he is winning the best and cheapest golf club contest. Now if I only look with more intensity, I can beat him out.

Some things in life are important you know.

What if I Pay you $1 to take my 1 Wood?

 

[Pushout]

LOL!! Steve, I gave up worrying about that a LONG time ago!!

 

[Neil]

...............

 

[stuckart]

I agree with you. I could not care less about what cue someone is using, or what tip. Give them a couple of months, and it will change anyways. When was the last time you had someone ask you "Hey, how do you make that shot?"

I think, that what it boils down to, is nothing more than the feeling of comaderie with the better players. They know they are not going to spend the time to get good themselves, but they can buy the same equipment the 'good' guys use. Thereby, feeling a little bit a 'part of the club'.

Thank god I'm not the only one. I was starting to think I was being inconsiderate for not ever asking someone, when in reality I don't ask questions that I don't really care to know the answer too.

I do have to admit, that I do ask questions about Tips. Not what they are using so much, but why this tip is good, or how does that compare to what I'm using today. I'm thinking of going away from a layered tip right now.

 

[Apocalypse2017]

.

tennis wrap - - - -- - - $5.00
baseball glove - - -- - $7.99
6lb arm weight - - - -- $18.00

earl's stroke....... priceless

 

[sfleinen]

[...]
Thereby, feeling a little bit a 'part of the club'.

They can also get that feeling when whacked over the head with a 9-iron, and then seeing there's a "part of themselves" on that same 9-iron.

:-D

j/k,
-Sean

P.S.: OK, OK, I know, that was bad.

 

[Fatboy]

I never really cared what kind of cue a pro used when I was comming into pool, I might have asked but it never influnced me. I was more interested in their fundmentals and what made them the player they are.

Now that I have been around pool for along time and know alot of great players, I still pay attention to their cues for no real reason other than curisoity, I do like to hit balls with their cues and feel the cue that they use. I have noticed one thing I'd say 80% of the time what ever their cue is it plays great!!! and feels better than most cues. Cory Dueals wood pecker is amazing, absolutely amazing. Shanes old cue was horrible. Its interesting to me to feel their cues and I dont think its a accident their cues feel alot better than the average cue. Now that I can play I can tell that is the case. I've hit balls with probably 25 top players cues.


I own Ray Martins old Gus and its one of the best hitting Gus cues I have ever played with, Kim davenports Gus is the same its up top of the Gus's best playing cues. did i mention shanes old cue sucks?

 

[easy-e]

I really have no idea why, but none of that interests me in anyway. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I'm with you buddy. I spent $1,700 on my playing cue and $375 on my jump/break cue. I could not tell you the diameter of either shaft! I really could not care less.

I have guys at my local pool hall who ask me questions like "What fingers do you grip the butt of your cue with while shooting"? I literally had NO IDEA! I told him to watch me play and then get back to me with the results.

Same guy later asked me whether I look at the cue ball or object ball last when I shoot. Again I had no clue.

I love playing pool, it relaxes me and I enjoy the competition. However, I can't spend more than one minute in a conversation with someone about pool equipment or stroke mechanics...it bores me to death.

 

[pwd72s]

We are definitely suckers to marketing forces, and yes, the equipment the better players use.

Matt Horner, a local shortstop, is my "honorary nephew". His deceased father & I were close friends. Anyway, one day in the hall, I was playing with a Tiger shaft & tip I'd bought for my Jacoby. Asked Matt to play with it, tell me what he thought.

Cindy had just broken...Matt took my cue, ran the table, said he thought the cue shot okay.

Then he sat down, the three of us chatting family stuff while Cindy & I played.

Matt suddenly said: "Paul, what happened to your cue, did it break?"

That caused me to really eyeball the stick. "Nope, I don't think so, it looks okay. What do you mean?", I asked.

He replied: "Well, it shot fine when I used it, but it's missing now,"

That's Matt...his damned funny way of letting me know that it's not the arrow, it's the Indian...

Damn...wish I had Matt's skill. But he worked for it...over many hours of practice and play. Oh, he shoots with a plain jane sneaky, standard shaft, elkmaster tip, with stacked leather wrap. Nothing fancy...a converted house cue.

 

[Jesse]

I love sports of all kinds. I spend a lot of time talking sports with other fans. Some things I never hear in those conversations:
Brady is a great QB. What brand of shoes does he wear?
Babe Ruth was the greatest natural hitter of all time. What brand of bat did he use?
Do the Williams sisters use Wilson or Spaulding rackets?

Why are we so obsessive over what kind of cue, or what kind of tip a certain pro uses?

Is it really important to our personal improvement?

I'm serious. I really wonder why this topic comes up so much when talking about pool, but almost never when discussing other sports.

Steve

Because the people you're talking to are not players.

Ask a serious golfer what drivers Tiger uses, I bet he knows.

 

[jensen_lover]

Because pool players choose their equipment. Brady and the Williams, I am sure, are paid loads of money to wear this and hit with that. Very very very very few pool players are sponsored. I can only name two.