Topic: Best players I havent heard of...

[chance37]

I guess this is an oportunity for many of you guys and gals to claim your greatness...but I have heard a lot of stories about local guys throughout the years that could play with anyone...I have seen some great players that if they were to enter a tournament they would be considered a rook,    they just choose not to play in the tournaments to get the pro status...and they really dont care for it either....

I realize there is a difference from a pro to a master..but have any of you known anyone who could play an even win against the top players...and when they left the table had the masters and pros say who the hell is that?

I think it would be very difficult to be that good without playing against top level players on a regular basis to stay sharp.......I have heard of local pool players that could play against anyone in the world at anytime and was just thinking are there any foosers out there like that?   Or is it just folk talk....   

[foosinaround69]

Well to be honest with you  if they have not played the best players in the world or the pros for that matter than they probably think they can beat them and can't. (unless your some kinda prodigy)lol... You need to play at that level to be able to get the experience. Otherwise you are just playing at the level of your competition. I would like to think that I am a damn good player. I should be a pro no doubt and when I go to a tournament I do pretty good. I should not be a rookie I have been told but as you said I really don't go to the big tournys cause it takes alot out of you first of all. It takes money to go to these tournys for entrie fees and rooms and food and so on. Personally when you reach that status you end up sitting there for long hours to wait for the other players to finish their events before you can begin yours and you can only play in so many events that you qualify for. As a rookie you can ply in alot more events. Sure it isn't as a promaster or anything but you get to play none the less. I have been to many state tournys as well as local ones and seen many players who should be pros and are not and the competition is good even at that level. But when it is all said and done they won't beat the pros cause they play weaker players. Hence the saying "You only play as good as your competition". When I play in our local event I usually win or get second no problem but as soon as I go to a place where better players are I don't do as well. Why? Well cause the players I play are good but not as good as the guys who play alot more than us. We play once a week and I know these other guys play in leagues and go to the big tournaments. I know my abilities are just as good but You can't expect to play once a week and do good at the bigger tourneys against the pros. When I say you I mean anyone not YOU. Don't get me wrong I have beaten pros and even pro-masters at tournys, but not on a consistant basis. I am still damn proud of it though LOL...

I was at a tourny in Iowa and seen a guy I thought "Great ,I have to play this guy cause he is a rookie"  He was shooting a pull shot and was going dead bar It was quite something to see. he was doing it the whole time as a pro would. But when it came time to play in open he didn't do as good as he did against the lower level players.   Anyway I just thought I would give my 2 cents worth!!!   Happy Foosinaround!!!!

[EDGEER]

Here in North Texas we have a few that come arround from time to time.  Tony and AL Turner, Lane Hunicutt, Skip Clark, Kenny Jewel and a few others.

[Old Meister]

Bar players who can play out of this world sometimes have a problem with the controlled pace and the unforgiveness of mistakes in tournament play. I remember how my game was totally reliant on immediate reactions to nonstop play, but when I went to my first legitimate tournament, that style went nowhere. You only get as good as the caliber of your competition. How else can you measure yourself?

[bbtuna]

of course you have heard of me

[EDGEER]

Bar players who can play out of this world sometimes have a problem with the controlled pace and the unforgiveness of mistakes in tournament play. I remember how my game was totally reliant on immediate reactions to nonstop play, but when I went to my first legitimate tournament, that style went nowhere. You only get as good as the caliber of your competition. How else can you measure yourself?

I have met guys at tour type tourneys that live out in the middle of no where.  They never get to play anyone but still come to an event like Las Vegas and clean house in the lower ranks.  So I would change your statement to "You only get as good as the caliber of your skill and talent. How else can you measure yourself?"  LOL

[bbtuna]

didn't i hear that John Smith basically never played dyp's or regionals and just came out for Worlds mostly and he did very well...I heard that on Insidefoos before...don't know how true it is but that has always meant something to me because I don't get out

i think the new guy can present problems to the pros if they are unique enough...if they are unique, but can also be methodical and consistent, I can see a person doing pretty well who comes from the outside

but it is definately the exception to the rule

[Old Meister]

Fair enough, I guess I'm relating to the spanking I got at the 1977 super singles. Very humbling experience at the time. Some good lessons though,,, Coming back to the game now kinda puts me in that position where I could play as low a rank as I wanted. Vegas huh,,,,, And Bbtuna, where do you live? I'm still motivated by that "American Idol" insinuation

[bbtuna]

hey, i didn't say you couldn't sing/play, I said you just need to check in the mirror because it is human nature to fool ourselves

i grew up playing ping pong a bit and every person i have ever met thinks they are good a ping pong...I am not great, i know my limits, but i have a story from early in my life which really iced that for me when I couple of my friends played each other site unseen for money...my longer term bud (Jim) thought he was a stud and tore people up all the time and he was pretty good for a basement scrub but the other guy, unknown to any of us, was a tournament player (Bob)

we all went over to Bob's house and he had a table in his basement and we were lead down there by his mother and she called for Bob...a mintue later Bob emerges from his bedroom in shorts, tennis shoes, Golf/Tennis shirt, etc...this all made us giggle and my friend had lost no confidence at all (very ***y still and loved to bet on everything...he is a Golf Pro someplace in CA these days)...anyway, they stepped up, and Bob had the overhand oriental grip and that made us giggle more

then they started to play...lets just say it wasn't close and everyone in the room knew Jim got schooled except Jim...he thought it was that his backhand was just a little off so they played again for money ($10 bucks each time which in 1976 wasn't chump change)...anyway, the second was worse than the first and we were brutel to Jim and had to give Bob and his shorts his credit...he knew what he was doing and he would school any of us for quite some time

so, nothin personal, i could be doin it too

by the way, i live in kc

[Old Meister]

Oh Bbtuna don't fail me now,,, C'mon bud, don't you love the whole thing about competition. I'm not getting down on you, you gave me a gift in that reference. Really! If there is one thing about Foosball  it brings out the bare bones competitor in us. In my day I hitchhiked all over northern Wisconsin just to play somebody who was suppose to have game, true story. I kicked ass usually but there was maybe a couple of times I was schooled. I took those as lessons. I love this game and I hold anyone with skill with high regard. So when I challenge you it is out of respect. I don't doubt but what you play a vicious game and that is exactly why it would be fun to play you. I understand that todays game has probably passed me by, but I tell you what, in my day I threw stuff at my opponents that they never saw coming and I kicked ass! So here I am, loving the game, in my 50's, and still doing my shots. I don't even have a clue how it measures up with today's game. I haven't played anyone for almost 20 years, but my shots stilll work. When I was young I didn't fear playing anyone, I sought them out. I like the spirit I hear coming from you and hope that the good natured challenge I throw your way is accepted in the same light. I may never end up in your neighborhood but if I did it would be pretty cool for us to play our game, have some beers, talk foos.

[Billings Semi-pro]

bbtuna & Old M.,  I got winners!  I have a no look shot waiting for y'all.  (-:

Hey, we have local player who is 56 and I bet our old guy can beat your old guy.  Hey, that sounds like a good topic.  Who is the best old guy in your local scene.  As far as best players I havent heard of, I think a quality player has to have some tour experience and massive talent to be able to just show up a at local tourney and completely dominant to the point people are just dumb founded.  Hear is a good story, a pro player showed up at our local dyp talking smack.  He said, "first guy who beats me gets this foosball t-shirt of mine."  The first guy (50ish yr old rookie) who put is quaters up beat him.  Funny stuff!

[foosinaround69]

I can remember when I first started out playing back in the day. I had just won my base tournament in the army (FT Sill,OK) and I thought I was pretty good  So I decided to go to Oklahoma City....and find me someone to play.....So I go to this place I think was a pool hall.  They had a couple of tables (tornado too,which I had just started to play on..I liked Dynamo at the time) so I go in and start playing . A few minutes later this kid about....14-15 years old comes up to the table......Well lets just say I was not the player at that time I thought I was...LOL  He put me in my place let me tell you. Many years later I found out that there are alot of good players in OK

From that time on I knew I had to get better or get embarrassed..Foosball is so competitive. That is what I love about this game... I had not had the exprience I needed to play yet even though I thought so.  I had to go to the School of hard knocks...lol oh well...that's what it takes huh?

[Old Meister]

Billings, you're on the way to my old stompin grounds. Don't think I forgot about ya cuz I didn't. 56 huh? Geez he must have some serious arthritis by  now,,, lol. That's my kind of people, nothing to prove just lot's to share,,,

[Billings Semi-pro]

OM,

You will have a good time here in Billings.  Let me know when you when your going to be in town.  Remember you are never to old to play.  Andy Wilson is our 56 year fooser.  He plays like he was in his early 20's.  I always tell him to relax, settle down, take it easy, but he can't, it is full throtle foosball or nothing.

Jeremy

[bbtuna]

OM,

you didn't even ruffle my feathers, its all good, I am not sayin, I am just sayin

i love the "Whos the Old Guy in your area" ... for us it is me at 50, I am the young old guy and then there is our 54 year old Pro-Master Kent Rhodes...Kent is a very competitive wiley player and wins probably 90% of the time...a few of use are given him fits now a days and stealing the dyp more often but Kent is still king...for now

well, actually, now that I think about it, we have a couple other good 50 or very near 50 players

you know, Todd Loffredo is only a couple of years away from 50 so you can still be quite good at that age

I remember I went to Worlds in 1977 and saw Todd win at 17 and I thought I was already too old and I probably passed my peak for foosball age (applying ideas from other sports like track Sprinters)...we are still in the first generation of competitive foosball players and we haven't really found the age wall or ceiling for players

people's pop and lateral speed slow down (maybe near their 40's give or take a couple of years?) but they retain all their power and mental acumen - most can make up what they lost in speed with experience

some people loose a ton of speed and others only a little...watch Todd at 48 and it is hard to see what he has lost on the other hand, look at our PM Kent (no offense to Kent) and you will see how much speed can be lost