[Ryuichi]

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but here goes.

I live in campus housing for upperclassmen. There's no pool table, so I had one of the ladies at housing services that placed me here write the head of another housing buliding a note saying I could check out the billiard supplies and practice. I've been doing so (played there for about 11 hours today), and some dude they call 'the shark' decided to play me.

Well, he asked if I wanted to play for some cash, after I won a game, and I said I only had $.75 (hehe, I wanted a pop). I lost the change, and he wanted to play for more. I just got paid, so I have a fair amount in the bank right now, so I said sure. $5 game.. I won. Doubled, I won. Doubled, I won again (anybody see a pattern here?)

I got up $20, and refused to play for more until he got me the cash Sunday. Fine (everybody knows this guy, so it's all good. I'm not really worried about the money, but I think I may get it).

He still wants to play to prove his superiority. Kept saying "You know I'm better than you!"

My response to this was, "I've never played you before, how should I know?" I might have played him last year in another dorm, but that's beside the point. I'm short, have long blonde hair, and I'm generally not very intimidating. People make that out to mean that I'm not good at what I do. He racked them up, and I broke...

He kept saying he was better, and there was a croud (a bit of an exhibition match for the dorms, if you will. I stayed very calm and didn't gloat about anything), and I wasn't handling that too well. I put all of my strength into the break (with some tips from Larry a few months ago, and having a powerful break to start... it at least sounds rather impressive). With him bragging like that, I had to put on a bit of a show. I broke, ran 5, and missed. he made two, then lost shape, and missed again...

I banked a couple balls throughout the game because, well, I can, slammed in most of them, and ended up with perfect shape on the 8. Potted it no problem, and he started yelling "That's Bullsh*t!" Over and over again. I know the lack of anger management is a common trait to a cocky arse of a kid, so I was relatively prepared for this. He was put in his place, with 5 balls left, and about 5 people watching. He took his Meucci, and *gasp* slammed it against the wall.

The butt shattered into three pieces, and he stormed out of the room. The shaft to mine was stolen in the mail, and his was still in decent (I think) shape. I haven't looked it over, but even if he doesn't give me the $20.. I ended up with a replacement shaft for now. The cue's at home, but at least I have it... I've been shooting with a cue from WalMart.

Moral of the story: People get what they deserve (him out of a $300 cue for a hissy fit)?

Comments?


As a sidenote, the graphite cue I got from walmart, sanded down to remove some of the glossy coating that gets sticky, and a talisman S (only one I had) sloppily (but very solidly) glued on, plays very similar to a Meucci. The tip that comes on them is horrid, and I'm sure it's subpar wood that's coated, but it's quite whippy, and lets me put massive english on the cue ball and keep control. Might be worth checking out if you can't afford a decent cue right now. Mine's sort of glittery dark blue with white lines for 'inlays'. Not too bad looking, and it works for now.

Edit: It might not sound modest like I usually do... but I sure love letting my shooting speak for itself. As long as I don't get hurt afterwards, anyway.

Edit2: Sorry if I sound like a jerk.



[ Edited by Ryuichi on 2005/10/6 14:23 ]

[Ryuichi]

Turns out the ferrule is cracked, I checked it this morning.

[gian323]

great story man

sounds too bad about the ferrule but what else is there to do you know?

I know what it's like to play with a wal mart cue.. lol I had one of the 3 piece butt cues with washers in between the joint and the pin stuck out of the shaft. My friend sanded the cue down for me and my game went up instantly and I play with bangers with decent cues such as lucasi and mcdermot and i usually win . I had a triangle tip installed and I loved the cue. I retired it after getting a cheap sneaky (imitation dufferin) and gone through a few cues after that.

Well I got off the point (if i ever had one) and all i have to say is good for you whopping that cocky mofo's ass with a walmart cue. Insult to injury baby. AND you did it with tips from fast larry, good job!

have fun and happy shooting

-Gian

[Pelican]

I have never understood people that sincerely believe they can beat someone they have never seen play before. I could take Larry into some of the local redneck bars and because I know no-one there would know him I guarantee the resident "hot-shot" would be willing to bet everyting he had against Larry, and he has no idea who Larry is or how he plays. For one thing, his ego among his friends would get him killed. Wouldn't that be fun to watch.

Great story Ry, congrats.

Pel

[Ryuichi]

Come to think of it... I think we played in the dorms last year. I get people mixed up, but if we did and I remember correctly... he wasn't any better than me then, either.

If I'm playing well and I'm in pretty good financial shape, I'll put $5 on a game against an unknown guy. Mostly because I'll lose at most $10, and then quit. With bar rules without fouls, a decent player can hook a very good player rather easily, and as long as you get out in 2-3 rounds and play smart, you have a good chance. It also forces everybody to not just plink around, and play seriously. This is important to me, to accurately judge my skill level against others. Not to have bragging rights, but just to prove my progress.

This isn't necessary playing against most people, as most of the people I play with are quite friendly and honest about their game, but you'll always have people watering down there game so you're not intimidated. I still do this occasionally when I'm playing with one or two people, and I know it's not really a good thing, but what are you going to do? If someone steps up to the plate, and takes the game seriously, that's one thing. I've got friends that can keep up, and play relatively even with me, and with them I don't hold back much at all. However, if you're playing with two buddies that just want to have fun, I'll play only at the skill level required to win pretty consistently. This makes the game more enjoyable for them, as they don't have to worry about getting schooled, and I keep playing because they don't mind putting up more quarters . I don't try to hustle anybody, as I do my best not to take advantage of people unless I see them doing the same to somebody else... and I'm not much of a fighter. I'm not really scared of fighting, as I will defend myself through any means necessary, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be cautious. I'm not sure if I can say it's only a game, due to the time you have to invest to get any good, but it's not worth fighting for.

Just something I've noticed:
I do believe that people who can/have played a fairly good game forget that they can't shoot that well without warming up for a while. They'll gamble starting out cold, and then you usually definately have a chance to beat them. You can make shots, but at least for me, I have to get in the rhythm of things, and get my aiming down. I'm not sure if this is because I'm blind in one eye, or only human.

I guess my fundamentals are starting to get grooved, as I've been breaking down my stance, stroke, preshot routine, and aiming system, and your game goes down the crapper as you move from playing by feel with bad habits to playing mechanically for a while, until that becomes second nature, and you start to play naturally again. Larry is definately on to something when he says to plant and shoot within 3 seconds, though. Once it all started to click, I would pretty much plant and shoot, and just glance at the pocket and object ball, and the aiming point would be just... there. It's a weird feeling, as sometimes I would plant to put english on the cue ball to throw an OB in, and as long as I trusted myself, it worked. I understand the physics, but compensating for throw in banks and cuts is difficult to do mechanically, but it just all..works by feel. When I doubt myself, I miss. It's mostly a confidence issue for me, it seems.

The reason I said it must be starting to get grooved is because when I played the guy, I just slammed them in, and everything dropped. The pockets there are rough, and will reject a pot that isn't quite close to pure. When you can slam them in with force that's almost equal to a normal person's break, that's saying something, I think. Before I started to restructure my stroke, if I tried to put a lot of force on the ball, or spin, I would jerk, and the OB would miss the pocket by a fair amount.

Lately I've been practicing by hitting hard (not a good habit, but as a training tool, I think it's a good way to test my stroke and aim), with a small to moderate amount of english, and when my stroke feels pure, and Mars is aligned with Jupiter, they mostly pot. When I warm up, I'll slow roll in a few, and try to follow through (I still have a hard time following through automatically, but I'm working on it), and then I'll work my way up until I'm launching them in the pockets. Then when I go back to hitting soft... it feels almost like I'm in dead stroke. I'm not sure if this would help or hurt you guys, but you could give it a shot.

It really is about letting your subconscious and muscle memory do the work. I thought Larry was a little goofy when I first joined, but after putting some of what he teaches to work, most of what I've read is really sound advice. Now, just to stop rambling...

Sorry for the long post! I may edit this down or break it into different subjects, but there's no sense in one person starting 10 different threads.

Ryu

[Ryuichi]

Well, I go down to try to collect today... in about a half hour. Hopefully there will be a crowd.

I think playing with noisy guys that talk way too much with bad habits is actually helping me steel my concentration for the game.

[Ryuichi]

Or even worse, insist on only 5 a rack :-D

I think that's what I'm gonna do. Just got done doctoring up my tip (just found my ultimate tip tool), so I'm gonna go whoop some. Thanks for the advice bro.

[gian323]

good luck and do let us know how you do

[Ryuichi]

Dude never showed up. I did get about 6 hours of practice in, though.

[Ryuichi]

Well, things were finally resolved last night. I went down to the dorm to shoot at night like I usually do... he came down, paid me, and when we played for a while. He had been drinking a bit before we played the first time, and this time around he was a very nice guy. I think I'll be shooting with him fairly often this semester.

[coolcuedude]

I saw this posted on another forum today, looks like the reports we have been seeing on Meucci are correct.

J.F. Shaffer
Registered User Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 1
vCash: 500

Meucci Originals...tread cautiously...!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On September 1, 2005, I purchased a Meucci Original Custom Cue (Model BMC-1i) which was being promoted on Meucci's web-site. I spec'd out several customizations, including cue length, shaft diameter, and weight...all of this was done via a direct phone call with Bob Meucci and his daughter jointly discussing, and ultimately confirming, the order.
When the cue arrived (3 weeks later than promised), there were a number quality issues, including an incorrect overall length of the cue (+ 3/16"), a noticeable imperfection (depression in the wood) on one (1) shaft, the diameter taper dimensions were NOT as Bob Meucci personally quoted, and last, but not least...the promoted BMC Custom cue which was to be signed, dated, and numbered by Bob Meucci himself was, in fact, NOT signed, dated, or numbered...!!! This element alone speaks volumes about the lack of attention to detail, not to mention the fact that it nullifies the commercial value of a "Meucci Original".
Now, after discussing these concerns by phone directly with Bob Meucci, and confirming said conversation with an E_Mail, I agreed to "try" the cue, but with the open option to return the cue for a refund of the original price minus a 15% re-stocking fee...ultimately, the cue was returned and delivery confirmation received via UPS on October 13th.
However, upon inquiring by phone about my refund on October 27th (two (2) full weeks after it had been returned/received at Meucci), Bob Meucci's story now is that he won't refund any of my $$$$ until he "sells the customized cue", a condition that he absolutely NEVER brought into any prior communications...and, as of this writing (November 5th), Meucci not only has the returned cue, but he's still holding my $$$$.
So, AZ Billiards Forum readers...what do you think and do you have any creative ideas about how I might "accelerate the process of my promised refund" short of costly legal action...????
P.S. In the meantime, I'd highly recommend that you look elsewhere if you're in the market for a custom cue with redeeming quality of workmanship and lasting commercial value (particularly if you prefer NOT to deal with irresponsible, unreliable service and integrity issues from the manufacturer).

[Pin]

On the subject of taking the edge off your game to allow friends to keep pace:

I have the same problem sometimes. You're playing with guys who are only out for a bit of fun, and it just feels wrong to walk over them.

I guess you have two approaches -
1) Don't play seriously, just knock them around
2) Play seriously, but take on overly difficult shots, positions and ball sequences (playing 8-ball)

The problem with the first one is that it's probably going to have some adverse impact on your normal game, if only slight. You're grooving yourself to play badly.

The problem with the second is that your ability will probably shine through in some aspects of your game, and the guys you're playing with will still feel awkward about playing with you.


Perhaps if you tried for the finish every time, so that if you missed near the end of the planned run you'd be left with few balls on the table, and thus in a poor position...


How do you think is the best way to play it?

[WebDude]

Lately I've been to the 8 within the first three rounds at school, so I've been trying to bank the 8 two or more rails unless I have a straight in shot, or the opponent is within 1-2 balls of being on it. That lets me play my game, and keeps it fairly even with friends.