Tag Archives: Pool League

Free Pool!

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With a $5 purchase of anything, Sharks is offering free pool(!) Sunday afternoons. Free pool is one of my favorite things in the world. Of course, it’s not technically “free” if you have to buy something to get it, but for $5, several hours on a 9′er is hard to beat.

The GF and I went up there just before 2 to meet another friend of ours. Our plan was to get some Straight Pool in, and generally start to whip our games back into shape. I’d spent the morning elbow deep in geekery building a spreadsheet that takes in the score for the inning, and what caused the inning to end, be it a foul, safety, or a miss, and automagickally calculate all sorts of nifty, but ultimately useless stats. I couldn’t wait to try it out. You know how I love my stats!

Not long after we sat down, the captain of another team I’ve been wanting to play on asked me what my afternoon looked like. They were getting ready to start a make-up match, and were short some players. Of course, at that point, my afternoon cleared right up! I ended up winning three and losing 1. I should have won, but I played the player instead of the table, and relaxed too much. He blundered past me by virtue of too many mistakes on my part. It could have been worse, though. The captain told me to show up Tuesday night ready to play. :)

The rest of the afternoon went pretty well. We shot some terrible 14:1 and put the spreadsheet through it’s paces. It could use some tweaking to make it easier to use while we’re shooting, but other than that, it’s not too bad. I may post it here once I’ve worked out some of the issues.

First Night of League

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Last night was the first night of our second session at Sharks. It’s an ACS sanctioned 8-ball league, though there doesn’t seem to be any participation in the league as a whole, beyond the house we play in. There are 9 teams total, and 7 players on my team, including myself.

Last night showed the best and the worst that league play has to offer. Let’s start with the worst, so as to leave on a good note.

The team we were playing came in first by a large margin last session. Halfway through the session it would have been tough to catch up. As the final night approached it quickly became mathematically impossible to do so. They are all, obviously, good players, at least for what is basically an in-house league. However, that’s not really why they’re in first. There are in first because they cheat. They are in first because they actively “manage” their handicaps. Call it what you will… managing, sandbagging, holding back, planning ahead, playing it close to the vest, whatever… it’s cheating. It’s dishonest, dishonorable and pathetic. It is. Simply. Cheating.

I have some experience with this myself. Through that experience I developed a certain intolerance for those that continue to sandbag. Last night I was pretty vocal about it. I made no secret of the fact that I thought what they were doing was disrespectful and dishonorable. Unfortunately, those words mean little to cheaters. The next time we play them, however, I have resolved to give them the games they so desperately want to lose at the first sign of “managing their handicaps.” I won’t shoot off, or delay the game through unnecessary innings, I’ll just put away my cue and say “Good game.” I will not contribute to their dishonesty.

On the other hand, last night was a great night where my own team is concerned. Sure, we lost horribly to those good-for-naught cheaters, but we had a great time with each other in spite of it. I really do enjoy my team this time around. We all get along, have easy relationships with each other, and could very easily hang outside of pool. That sort of camaraderie makes even a poor performance night of pool feel good.

The Concept of Merit Has No Place on the Felt, or… There’s No Cryin’ in Pool!

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Last night, my second night back in league was … interesting.

First, there was my own performance. While I got a 46 out of 50, winning four out of five games, I don’t feel that great about it. Two of my four wins were good wins. That is to say I played well enough that winning felt like the proper outcome. The other two wins were mine for no better reason that I made fewer mistakes than my opponent. Due to the lackluster playing on my part, however, I wasn’t happy about them. By all objective measurements, I did play better than they, but to say I played well would be an untruth. I simply screwed up fewer times and with consequences less decisive.

On the other hand, the loss was definitely deserved.

Second, there was the most vocal member of the opposing team. He started in on that "I didn’t deserve that" self-pity crap like he was reading from the Color of Money script. Barring the very rare events where faulty equipment gets in the way, what happens on the cloth happens b/c the players make it happen. At the table, the concept of merit simply does not exist. If I lose, it’s because you played better or I not at all. If I win, it’s because I played better or you not at all. It’s that simple. With very few exceptions, none of which were in play last night, my default response to "I didn’t deserve that" is to say "Yes, you did."

That goes both ways. You will never hear me say "I didn’t deserve that" following a loss. Pool isn’t a bank where past performance buys a line of credit for future wins. There’s no entitlement here. What happens does so b/c the players make it happen on a game by game basis. If you lose, you deserved it. If you win, you deserved it. I don’t care how many games in a row you’ve won, or how upstanding a member of the league you are, if you lose a game, you deserved it at that moment for that game.

Let me put it another way. If I had a chance at the table, and I still lose, the responsibility is with me. Period. The buck, as they say, stops here. Responsibility. That’s what it really comes down to. I take responsibility for my performance. Win or lose, I may not be happy about it, but I’m damn sure not going to hold anyone else responsible for it. That’s what people do when they lament the merits of the outcome: they seek to lay the responsibility on something outside of themselves. The only thing that can come of that attitude is a solid lock on mediocrity. That might be fine for some, but it’s not fine for me.

This same fellow, in the game following ours, said to his next opponent, a good friend of mine, "I shouldn’t have lost that last game, now I’m on a rampage." Yes, sir, you should have lost, and no, you’re not on a rampage. You should have lost it b/c you made a mistake that I capitalized on. You’re not on a rampage b/c you’re focused on the rampage and not the table in front of you. He lost his game against my friend, and then proceeded to lose two of the next three games. He’d lost his center. He let us into his head and he couldn’t focus on what mattered. His passions, self-defeating and distracting, got in the way. He was focused on how good a player he is, thinking that past games would somehow carry him through the games of the present. I’ve been there myself. On countless occasions I’ve fallen into the same self-defeating mental traps. It’s an easy place to fall into, and too often you’re past the point of no return before you even recognize you’ve started down the path. Having been there myself, I came to the realization that I’ve never lost a game I shouldn’t have lost, or won a game I shouldn’t have won.

I mentioned earlier that two of my four wins were unsatisfying. I won only b/c I played less-badly than my opponent. Neither of us played well, I just played better. Last night, my nickname could have been "Lucky." I was of too many minds. I had a mind for the other team. I had a mind for my opponent. I had a mind for my own team. I had a mind for how I looked and how I came across to the others around me. My attention was focused primarily on the table but it was divided nonetheless. Too many minds. I lost, or nearly lost, b/c I didn’t have the focus I should have. Sure, my game is still rusty, but that’s no excuse for lack of focus. That’s my weakness and my responsibility. Not my opponents. I deserved my wins and I deserved my losses.

You learn from your mistakes and you build on your successes. If you constantly blame others for your defeats, you’ll never recognize your weaknesses, and you’ll never know them to overcome them.

Last night reminded me of that.

Last night, my second night back in league was … interesting.

First, there was my own performance. While I got a 46 out of 50, winning four out of five games, I don’t feel that great about it. Two of my four wins were good wins. That is to say I played well enough that winning felt like the proper outcome. The other two wins were mine for no better reason that I made fewer mistakes than my opponent. Due to the lackluster playing on my part, however, I wasn’t happy about them. By all objective measurements, I did play better than they, but to say I played well would be an untruth. I simply screwed up fewer times and with consequences less decisive.

On the other hand, the loss was definitely deserved.

Second, there was the most vocal member of the opposing team. He started in on that "I didn’t deserve that" self-pity crap like he was reading from the Color of Money script. Barring the very rare events where faulty equipment gets in the way, what happens on the cloth happens b/c the players make it happen. At the table, the concept of merit simply does not exist. If I lose, it’s because you played better or I not at all. If I win, it’s because I played better or you not at all. It’s that simple. With very few exceptions, none of which were in play last night, my default response to "I didn’t deserve that" is to say "Yes, you did."

That goes both ways. You will never hear me say "I didn’t deserve that" following a loss. Pool isn’t a bank where past performance buys a line of credit for future wins. There’s no entitlement here. What happens does so b/c the players make it happen on a game by game basis. If you lose, you deserved it. If you win, you deserved it. I don’t care how many games in a row you’ve won, or how upstanding a member of the league you are, if you lose a game, you deserved it at that moment for that game.

Let me put it another way. If I had a chance at the table, and I still lose, the responsibility is with me. Period. The buck, as they say, stops here. Responsibility. That’s what it really comes down to. I take responsibility for my performance. Win or lose, I may not be happy about it, but I’m damn sure not going to hold anyone else responsible for it. That’s what people do when they lament the merits of the outcome: they seek to lay the responsibility on something outside of themselves. The only thing that can come of that attitude is a solid lock on mediocrity. That might be fine for some, but it’s not fine for me.

This same fellow, in the game following ours, said to his next opponent, a good friend of mine, "I shouldn’t have lost that last game, now I’m on a rampage." Yes, sir, you should have lost, and no, you’re not on a rampage. You should have lost it b/c you made a mistake that I capitalized on. You’re not on a rampage b/c you’re focused on the rampage and not the table in front of you. He lost his game against my friend, and then proceeded to lose two of the next three games. He’d lost his center. He let us into his head and he couldn’t focus on what mattered. His passions, self-defeating and distracting, got in the way. He was focused on how good a player he is, thinking that past games would somehow carry him through the games of the present. I’ve been there myself. On countless occasions I’ve fallen into the same self-defeating mental traps. It’s an easy place to fall into, and too often you’re past the point of no return before you even recognize you’ve started down the path. Having been there myself, I came to the realization that I’ve never lost a game I shouldn’t have lost, or won a game I shouldn’t have won.

I mentioned earlier that two of my four wins were unsatisfying. I won only b/c I played less-badly than my opponent. Neither of us played well, I just played better. Last night, my nickname could have been "Lucky." I was of too many minds. I had a mind for the other team. I had a mind for my opponent. I had a mind for my own team. I had a mind for how I looked and how I came across to the others around me. My attention was focused primarily on the table but it was divided nonetheless. Too many minds. I lost, or nearly lost, b/c I didn’t have the focus I should have. Sure, my game is still rusty, but that’s no excuse for lack of focus. That’s my weakness and my responsibility. Not my opponents. I deserved my wins and I deserved my losses.

You learn from your mistakes and you build on your successes. If you constantly blame others for your defeats, you’ll never recognize your weaknesses, and you’ll never know them to overcome them.

Last night reminded me of that.

Back in the Game

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I joined a pool league again. When I dropped league last February, it really felt strange… I wanted to free up time for riding, and given the home improvement going on at the time, I just didn’t have the time for all that and pool too. The team wasn’t doing too hot either, and in spite of wanting to play for the sake of the game, rather than to win, it did start to wear on all of us. No one likes to lose all the time. In spite of that, it was a decision soaked in mixed feelings. I wanted to ride and get my house together, and I was tired of losing, but I wanted to keep playing too… Well, now I getting back into it.

Riding has slowed down on account of winter.

Home improvement has slowed down on account of having gotten a lot done and no longer having the deadlines.

A new place to play has been found that may not have a hopeless level of competition.

Thus, pool is back in.

It’s an unaffiliated ACS style league on Wednesday nights at Ace’s and Eights on Shawnee Mission Parkway. I’ll be spending a lot more time up there, getting to know the people and getting my game back on.

End of an Era

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My 4th… maybe 5th season at Side Pockets BCA-style 8-ball ended tonight. We had our pants beat most decidedly and effectively off tonight by a team called "The Untouchables." This has become the norm for the team, aptly named "Used Karma." Our last place status has become almost expected these last couple of seasons, and has admittedly made a dent in the fun-factor of the evenings.

Given that, talking with Chris and Jon tonight, we decided to dissolve the team and use Tuesday nights for cycling. Not everyone on the team knows this yet, but I think everyone will be OK with it, with the possible exception of one. I’ll talk with him tomorrow if he’s at work. This is quite a melancholy evening for me. It’ll be the first time in years that I’ve not been part of a pool team. Going from 5th place at Nationals in Vegas to last place at Side Pockets hasn’t been easy. I’m sure, if I asked, that another team would take me on. But frankly, right now, I’d rather spend that time cycling. Summer is coming up, there are several rides I want to get in on. I can play pool at lunch every day at the Fox and the Hound for free with a meal, and spend my evenings riding instead.

That’s what I think I’d rather do.

It’s still weird, though.

(Temporary) End of a Chapter

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Last night marks the close of a chapter in my life. I played my last APA match last night, at least for the foreseeable future. Moving to KC has kinda put my regular pool schedule in a bit of turmoil until I find some local teams to play on. I love playing on the Lawrence teams, but the drive is a little more inconvenient than I thought it would be. I’ll stay on my Monday night in-house BCA-style league, but I’m going to drop the APA sanctioned leagues. The one is based at the Pool Room in Lawrence, and can’t really be replaced, while the path to Vegas can easily be found elsewhere… if not as easily traversed.

As for the match itself, it was pretty rough at first. It took me a while to wake up. I’m pretty sure my teammates were worried about me. It was a 46-38 race, and he was a few balls ahead of me at 23-24 a few racks in. That’s when I woke up. Actually, I got pissed. I’d been missing easy shots, playing horrid shape, and generally sleeping through the match. I came back, and when they called "Match!" I had him 46-24. At that point, I was completely into the zone, and had no idea how much time had passed, and had it firmly in my mind that I was still catching up from behind. Not so much. I put away almost two and a half unanswered racks. I felt a little bad for him after the fact, when I found out that it was his last APA match also.

Coincidentally, my last APA match was played against the very same guy against whom I have my very first 8-ball break-n-run. Charles is really a nice guy, one of my favorites at the Pool Room. I’ll miss seeing him as often as I used to.

Regional Results

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Our APA 9-ball team made it through the first day of regionals today. I only had to play once at the very end of the night, and by the time I got up to the table, I only had to make 8 balls to get us the points needed to win the match.

If we make it through tomorrow night, the team will be going to Las Vegas. I won’t be going b/c I need to be available for work when the tournament is scheduled. Honestly, that’s fine with me. I’ll explain that later… probably sometime in August after the tournament is over.

Dave’s Good Stuff – A New Session

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Dave’s Good Stuff (the name of this website as well as my in-house BCA-style 8-ball team) is starting a new session in two weeks with the same line-up that won us 4th place last session. Last night was signup, which meant free pool and free beer (for you freaks that like that piss) all night in the back room. It’ll be a bigger session too. Nine teams last session has turned into 12 this time around. 4th place out of only 9 teams may not seem like much, and maybe it isn’t, but for a team consisting of one obsessive, two beginners, and one part-timer, we didn’t do too bad. Somehow, I’m not sure how, we beat out arguably better players. Not that I’m complaining.

Anyway, about last night… While I didn’t have so much of the beer, I *did* have so much of the pool. Craig and I started around 6:15pm, pausing only briefly for the actual signup part of the signup night. He took off around 12:30am or so, which I was going to do, before I was distracted by a friend of mine who roped me into a few more games, which meant I was there for another hour. 7 hours. 7 hours of nothing but pool is the very definition of a Good Thing™ to me. At least when I’m giving my A game, which I most certainly was. To take a moment to boast, I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone call "Bullshit!" on me so many times as was called last night. For games at a time, I just couldn’t miss! That doesn’t mean I was breaking and running, but it does mean that if I wanted to cue ball to go somewhere, it did. My shots were on, my safeties were on, my break was on fire… it was just a great night, no matter how you look at it.

I know from hard experience that such nights really are the exception. The A game, by definition, is the exception. It’s when you’re potential is right out there on the table. No one can play at the top of their game all the time. It’s just a simple fact of the game. But it’s those rare Dead Stroke nights that give us evidence that we are improving, hope that we will continue to improve, and insight into how to do so.

I recall the end of one game where Craig just shook his head and called me "Mr. Position." It’s not really the sort of nickname I’m hoping to cultivate, but it made me think about the game I’d just played. Thing is, I wasn’t thinking about it at the time. I was just shooting. I broke, ran through the table quickly in my head, and then ran through the table quickly with the cue. Everything just came together. If I was ever out of line, it wasn’t by more than an inch or two, and always in the right direction. I made my shots, but far more importantly, I put the cue ball where I needed it to be for the next shot and two or three shots down the line. That happened more often than not for about 3 of last night’s 7 hours. I played relatively well the rest of the evening, but for those 2-3 hours, I was in the zone, and it felt great. Two phrases come to mind. "Don’t think! Feeeeeel…" and "Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try."

Smackdown at Monday Night League

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Ok, maybe it wasn’t a smackdown per say, but given the odds, I’m going to run with it. Our team, made up of myself with only two BCA-style in house league sessions under my belt, Dean, also with two but with far less table time, Matt with no league experience, and Craig also with none, beat the first place team tonight. I didn’t expect us to be anywhere but last place, honestly. I put the team together to have fun, not win. Given the pressure in place on my Thursday night APA 9-ball team, I really just wanted to have a league night where the biggest worry was whether the cute little bisquit of a waitress was going to remember my water. Out of 11 teams, we’re in fourth, bordering on third place. How’s that for a happy turn of events?

Tonights win has an extra special flavor to it also. Two weeks ago, we lost to the next to last place team. When I say "lost", what I really mean is "were hit in the face 18 times with our own cue sticks and left to drown in our own blood and tears." It was horrible. It was shameful, and it was disheartening. To a man, they weren’t as good as we are, but as has been said "the balls roll funny for everyone." They got the rolls, we didn’t. I could wax on forever about who and what is or isn’t to blame, but I’m just going to leave it at that. We had a bad (horrible) night, and we learned from it. The next week wasn’t so bad. We got beat by a similar margin, but it was by the second place team.

Tonight, however, karma and the Gods of Pool gave us a little bit of a handout. It was a bad night for the guys on the first place team. We got the rolls, they didn’t. Hell, my first time at the table was a run out. He broke, I ran. 10 – 0. Just like that. It wasn’t the most difficult of run outs, but after the ast couple weeks, it was a joy to behold. All told, it really was only an average night for us. I only got 40 out of 60 possible points. I won 3 for 30, and got 3, 6 and 1 for my others. Not that great, really. I don’t feel bad about the 1, though. He broke and ran, so there really wasn’t anything I could do, save bodily tackle him and break his stick. They frown on that sort of thing there for some reason, so I held back. As for the others, I made the shots and safeties I wanted, they just got out better than I did. Simple as that. What really helped was the fact that when I did win, I won big. 10-0, 10-3 and 10-3. While I didn’t win everything, when I did I kept their points down. Much to the opposing team’s chagrin, my teammates had similar experiences.

It wasn’t a rout by any stretch of the imagination. If it weren’t for the points given to us each round, we would have only one 3 out of 7 rounds. As it was, we won 4. Take away the handicaps though, and we would have only lost by one point. That’s saying something when they’re the top ranked team, and we’re a team made up primarily of newbs.