Topic: St.Louis Nationals

[snake eyes]

I have to say after seeing Spree only a couple of times at majors that he looks more crisp and focused than ever...GREAT Open doubles between Todd/Spree vs. Gummy/Tracy M. could have went either way and Dave and Tracy tightened it up to clinch. WOW i got to watch that 10 feet in front of me!! Inspiration motivates me to step up to the next level of play....Good to see everybody there..

Kent

[bbtuna]

I think I am getting close at times and then i see them play in person and am reminded at the size of the gap

I watched Todd play a really good AM/Semi type in Open Singles and it was a clinic on Todd showing you everything that can be one on a table...the nameless player, could have been me, you or any number of people we know, was lucky, literally, to score one misexecuted pull in 3 games

he shot rollover, euro pin, push kick dink, euro reverse pull kick, and of course several rolling pulls that rocked the place...oh, and a sort of rolling euro thing into the pull position but spinning straight

also smoked a pull from the back, scored on a couple transitions, and just dominated

he said in the last 4 years he has only lost 4 or 5 singles matches because he has deferred to Rico...but, and this is a side not of interest, he said, "Why not, he splits with me when I do that"...now that is a no brainer, let Rico pass and get to split is first place winnings...sweet

anyway, it was just a reminder of what it takes to get to that level...

Ryan Moore was there but seemed to be no factor...wonder if it was a table thing War vs Tor or something

very interesting weekend even with attendance so low

[Old Meister]

How did you do Bbtuna? You never talk much about your game and I can't help but know how the back pin produced for you.

[bbtuna]

okay, well, that is load...I don't talk much about my game because it isn't my way...lot of reasons I am not sure I want to get into right now but I will give you as unbiased an assesment as I can

this tournament was a real bust for me...the worst, from playing perspective, I have ever had

lot of reasons...first I was only going to play AM and Semi doubles with a good friend because money is an issue for me and we were trying to save money yet still compete and get some Reg experience

this is someone I have played with before, terrific late 20's player, strong front and back, real strong 5 bar (he is lefty and it shows)...he has been in KC a couple years now but came out of MI and won National Rookie doubles at one point early in his career...we are a very good team, equal 5 bars, both have real strong 2 bars, my 3 bar is a little better than his and his defense is a little better than mine but we mix and switch well at times...I expect to compete very well with him any time we play

however, he canceled on me on the Friday before the tournament and that started the trouble

the other thing is, I have been working on a pull shot now for about 2 months...sounds like a short time but I have a lot of previous learning to draw from and some foundation work over the last 18 months or so

I have been VERY happy with the progress and my choice of reading defenses and it has been a nice break from the complexity of the backpin

I was determined to shoot the pull going into this tournament...however, I messed up in a couple of ways

first, I negelected by 5 bar for 2 months...my 5 bar has gotten very good and I miscalculated thinking it didn't need work - I realized within the last week and a half that I need to get it back to top form but still didn't work on it enough...bottom line is, my 5 bar was maybe 80% of what it has been and that hurt

I also negelected my backpin...I new it would impact it some but I was okay with that because I wasn't really planning on using it except as sort of surprise once in a while

even with my bud bowing out I decided to go but I didn't pick up last minute partners and only ended up playing in a draw and Senior doubles...

when I first got there, my pull was everything I wanted and I was trying desperately to get my 5 back

however, my 5 didn't come back except a couple of games in Senior doubles and at that point it was much too little too late

AND I started second guessing my pull and I wasn't even shooting it and tried to warm up my backpin and bottom line is I got myself sort of caught between the two doing neither well

it made the little I played very frustrating...with that said, even when my 5 was off, I had the ball in all games enough to win each easily if I scored even 50%

I was by far most disappointed and very mad at Senior doubles...7 teams for two tables...if I hadn't messed with my game/head there wasn't a team there I shouldn't have mowed down...smart crafty vets but if I played my game, it would have been, should have been, 2 new tables...never a better easier senario for 2 tables I will ever see again (or anyone)...very mad at letting such a great opportunity get away..still makes me a bit angry as I write this

[gitablok]

he said in the last 4 years he has only lost 4 or 5 singles matches because he has deferred to Rico...but, and this is a side not of interest, he said, "Why not, he splits with me when I do that"...now that is a no brainer, let Rico pass and get to split is first place winnings...sweet

Sorry BB, but I will disagree with you. This is not SWEET. This cheapens the entire event. The act of splitting should not happen at the highest level of competition. At a local at 150 in the morning with the final still to play when the bar closes at 2 is understandable. But not at a major because your buddy who you are about to play has a better chance at winning so you make a deal for cash. Not cool at all.

Where is the pride in winning a tourney when you know you were allowed a free pass by someone who has the potential to beat you, especially when that someone was your mentor and knows more about your game than anyone in the room.

Think about it, you bust your butt on the table practicing and honing your skills. You lose to someone and then you wish him well because I always want the person who beat me to win the tourney because it means he was the best on that day. But then you find out that he gives his buddy a free pass, a buddy you have a very good record against. You see my point.

I have been on the unfortunate end of this situation once. One year at Texas state, semi doubs, we lost a match to get to the final so we got third. Highly upset, I left the venue and went home. I came back later and asked who won. One of the guys that beat us to go to the final said oh we won the title. But then he said but everybody is pissed. He said we split, one of the guys from the king seat team needed the money so we didn't play, we gave them first place money and they gave us the title and the jackets. The team that had the kingseat, I have never lost to. I couldn't believe my ears. I told the guy to get the hell out of face. And by the way, he never wore that jacket....EVER.

It's about competition, not cash.

This I guarantee, because I know Todd well enough. If he had known you were going to post that, he would have never told you. I know that goes on, it happens all the time. But it is surely not right and it surely not SWEET, IT SUCKS.

Sorry for the rant but that kind of stuff cheapens  the sport of the game.

Iceman.

[bbtuna]

Ice,

sorry, I should have said that differently...that was not an evaluation of what I thought of splitting...I think you are 100% right and I am behind that completely...I find it, well, insluting to the game...I was not commenting at all on what I thought of the practice I was commenting that it was a sweet deal for Todd to get to split with his partner who wins 90% of all the singles he enters

you saw the thread where I called out top players saying they didn't practice and so forth, I haven't changed my mind and I find this spillting thing, which I have heard tons about many threads over the past few years, and do NOT like or agree with it and if it was up to me it would be illegal and people found violating it would be dealt with severly

when writing the rules for Johnny Lott and the WTSA I insisted on this...see below and this represents how I really feel about splitting

1.   CODE OF ETHICS:   Any action of an unsportsmanlike or unethical nature during tournament play, in the tournament room, or on the grounds of the host facility, is a violation of the Code of Ethics.  Mutual respect between all players, officials, and/or spectators is a requirement of attendance.  It is expected that anyone in attendance of a WTSA event will treat the event with respect and appear in public in a manner that represents table soccer in a positive light.

1.1.   Guidelines: will consist of but are not limited to the following.
1.1.1.   Clean professional appearance.
1.1.2.   Adherence to the rules of the tournament
1.1.3.   Submission to directions of the tournament’s official representatives
1.1.4.   No arguing or fighting of any kind
1.1.5.   No illegal or unauthorized gambling
1.1.6.   No verbal abuse, cursing, or trash talk
1.1.7.   No manipulation of the rules regarding tournament format
1.1.8.   No fixing of matches
1.1.9.   No unauthorized splitting
1.1.10.   No illegal drugs
1.1.11.   No performance enhancing drugs including but not limited to steroids and human growth hormones
1.1.12.   No smoking in the tournament room

1.2.   Penalty: The penalty may be up to or including forfeiture of a game or match, expulsion from the tournament room, a fine, temporary suspension, and/or more.  The WTSA Sports Commission will determine if the Code of Ethics has been broken.  If it is determined that there has been a violation, the Committee will determine if there is a penalty and if so what the penalty will be.

1.3.   Rendering a Decision:   If the WTSA Sports Commission is not present, a decision can be rendered by the Executive Tournament Director or if not available by the Tournament Director or if not available by the Head Official.  As representatives of the Sports Commission their decisions are final and binding regarding forfeitures, expulsion from the tournament room, and loss of any winnings, trophies, or other incentives already earned at that tournament.  For suspensions and fines see Suspensions and Fines.