Why is AZ so popular?

<---whistles and looks up innocently

I have no idea who would act like that


I have heard of a situation where a man and a woman are sitting in a
restaurant....and she is explaining something in great detail...after a few
minutes she stops and says "You haven't heard a thing I've said.
You're thinking about pool, aren't you?"

So the guy starts telling her about a complex one-pocket layout and the
various ways of escaping the trap.

She says "You are impossible!"

He says "Speaking of impossible, here's a 3-cushion problem..."
...he gets out a pen and starts drawing on a napkin....

I've only HEARD about this, you understand....I'm not that OCD myself....
....:embarrassed2:

But it's nice to know there are thousands of people that feel the same way.
:cool:
 
I have wondered for a long time why AZ is such a popular and busy forum yet pool in general has been declining for several years. Can anyone explain this?

Serendipity for one. There were a lot of new web-based forums popping up, and pool had its share. One would be the best. Many of us were on all of the major ones. The fact that Mike Howerton actually cared about the direction of his site is probably one of the biggest reasons AZB has become what it is.

To that end, however,... and I"m going to sound like an awful nuthugger... I can think of one person that when he arrived at AZBilliards, all other also-ran web-based forums died out: Jay Helfert.

This is not to discount George Fels, Fran Crimi or Bob Jewett who have been tied to forums for longer, but Jay brings a different element to forums that has less to do with journalism, instructional or technical (as Usenet's RSB was born out of technology) and more to do with the history and the vicarious connection to the other side of the game (the reality of pool wars).

So when Jay became a major part of AZBilliards, that was the differentiation between this forum and all the other web-based ones.

When Fast Larry effectively destroyed RSB (Usenet Forum), that simply sealed the deal.

Freddie <~~~ reality trumps theory
 
I have heard of a situation where a man and a woman are sitting in a
restaurant....and she is explaining something in great detail...after a few
minutes she stops and says "You haven't heard a thing I've said.
You're thinking about pool, aren't you?"

So the guy starts telling her about a complex one-pocket layout and the
various ways of escaping the trap.

She says "You are impossible!"

He says "Speaking of impossible, here's a 3-cushion problem..."
...he gets out a pen and starts drawing on a napkin....

I've only HEARD about this, you understand....I'm not that OCD myself....
....:embarrassed2:

But it's nice to know there are thousands of people that feel the same way.
:cool:

This made me laugh a bit but not because of a pool thing. Yesterday I was having lunch with my wife and I starting thinking, she noticed and thought I was thinking about her, or something profound like where we were going to invest or what car to buy, where to send the kids for college. So she asked "what are you thinking? You look very focused on something?"

I was actually debating if I wanted to eat the remaining chocolate pastry piece or save it for later to have at work and if the bag of chips should go to her to take back to work or to me if I did take the pastry.
 
Serendipity for one. There were a lot of new web-based forums popping up, and pool had its share. One would be the best. Many of us were on all of the major ones. The fact that Mike Howerton actually cared about the direction of his site is probably one of the biggest reasons AZB has become what it is.

To that end, however,... and I"m going to sound like an awful nuthugger... I can think of one person that when he arrived at AZBilliards, all other also-ran web-based forums died out: Jay Helfert.

This is not to discount George Fels, Fran Crimi or Bob Jewett who have been tied to forums for longer, but Jay brings a different element to forums that has less to do with journalism, instructional or technical (as Usenet's RSB was born out of technology) and more to do with the history and the vicarious connection to the other side of the game (the reality of pool wars).

So when Jay became a major part of AZBilliards, that was the differentiation between this forum and all the other web-based ones.

When Fast Larry effectively destroyed RSB (Usenet Forum), that simply sealed the deal.

Freddie <~~~ reality trumps theory

Good insight as usual Fred. I love the fact that you can connect to the inside people in the biz. Heck I met you through here after seeing your name in some of the magazines and commentating gigs you did, turns out you lived about 10 miles from me LOL.

If not for AZ I would not have been as much into the game, which also means that I would not have gotten my son involved in things and we'd not have our weekly trips to go play pool or heading to Vegas for his National tournament or introducing him to Pro players and all the other things we do.

A place like this is really made by the members and the community we as a whole end up creating, be it with unbiased product reviews, chatting about stuff, meeting new players in the area, finding new places to play, etc...
 
I love it because while I am at work, when obviously I would rather be playing pool, I can connect and feel like I am in the the pool world. It's not quite as obvious at watching utube matches. I don't know who any of you are, but I feel like I'm getting to know you anyway and look forward to reading your posts. Some of your are just hilarious, some of you are very technical and knowledgeable, some have awesome stories to share and then there is the not so subtle sarcasm. Kinda like being in a pool room. I don't get to travel at all (unhappy face), but I like to think of you all in your pool rooms and what it might be like there. Someday I hope to be in a position to go travelling and think it would be great to walk into a pool room and find you there. Thanks for all the 'take me away from work reading, and all the great tips I have picked up here.
 
Finally gave this some thought.

AZB is great because it continues to improve in terms of user friendliness and content.

It's a gateway to everything pool. The new event calendar is phenomenal, and used in conjunction with the forum directs you to streamed pool events all over the world and often gives you results and/or brackets.

I don't agree with Cornerman that one or a few posters are responsible for the quality of the dialogue on the forum. There are dozens of truly great posters on this forum whose posts are always a good read, but the truth remains that the conversation was far more civil in these AZB parts ten years ago when I joined it.

AZB has pros, fans, nostalgists, poolroom owners, pool entrepreneurs, pool historians, league players, pool newbies, equipment experts, cue experts, tournament directors, rules gurus and much much more. It's the variety in our AZB community that keeps the dialogue interesting.

Still, Mike Howerton deserves nearly all the credit for making the content vast, the site user friendly, and the information worthwhile and current.
 
I was thinking about him last night. I wonder how he is doing. Has anyone heard anything about him lately?

Saw LNL last night. He's just taking a temporary sabbatical from AZB since his daughter was killed. He's working a lot right now, keeping his mind off of the thing he can't control. Work can be a good diversion even if it is a grind......

JoeyA
 
Saw LNL last night. He's just taking a temporary sabbatical from AZB since his daughter was killed. He's working a lot right now, keeping his mind off of the thing he can't control. Work can be a good diversion even if it is a grind......

JoeyA

Thanks for the update Joey.
Tell him I said high next time you see him.

He & his family are still in my prayers whenever I think about it or am reminded.

Best,
Rick
 
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