en-us Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:45:52 -0500 info@indyapa.com 60 APA Of Indianapolis Member Blogs http://indyapa.com/forum/blogrss.asp APA Of Indianapolis Member Blogs http://indyapa.com/ http://indyapa.com/common/forumimages/APALogoLrg.jpg APA Of Indianapolis RSS Feed 200 148 2 SL difference. RonH http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=645 Member Personal Blogs! Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:03:35 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=645 Break and Run vs. Run Out streightpool http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=633 Member Personal Blogs! Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:10:42 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=633 over whether the odds of winning are
at the break (by break and run)
or shooting 2nd and running out at
the bottom half of the inning.

Just as a matter of fact
I'm really wanting to know
the answer - at least for myself.

Since Eugene and Tom put in my table a couple
of months ago I've been able to practice
a lot more (20-30 hrs/wk)

soooo

Just for fun... I think I'll make
myself an 8 ball guinea pig (and
anyone else that doesn't mind
eating pellets and running on a wheel).

I'll start keeping track
of my 0 inning practice games (I shoot about
50-100 a week) and have been
averaging a break and run at
the rate of 1.5 out of 10 (that's about 15%).
I'll keep track of how many 0 inning
games are won with the break and run
versus the "Second Chance Run Out" and
eights on the break.

Be interesting to see the results after
a very, very large number of games (1000 or more).

WARNING - I do have bad nights just like
the rest of us. I'll be sure to note
these games as well so we have a very
scientific sampling. Please be sure to
do the same. I would really like for
this to be as accurate and unbiased as possible.


Score Sheet

Skill Level - ____

Where do you think you rank within the range of this skill level?

___low (just promoted) ___mid (a solid 6) ___high (on the verge of going to 7)

Table Size - ____

Games Played - ____

Scratches at the break - _____

0 inning games - ____=____%

Break and runs - ____=____%

Run Outs - ____=____%


Be interesting to see what other players are doing too.

Note:
In my practice games, I never play past the first inning. If I don't get out with at least a Run Out, I rerack and start a new game, that's how I'm able to complete a large sampling of 0 inning games. It's a lot of racking, but it's excellent practice on my weakest part of the game - the 0 inning.

I'll update the post as I accumulate more games, and would be interested in seeing your honest results as well.

Please cut and paste the score sheet above to post your results.

Good Luck!

A safety is only a slight pause before an all out offensive assault!
]]> WIN FROM TABLE NOT CHAIR Calcutta Mafia http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=637 Member Personal Blogs! Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:13:49 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=637
After watching the Olympics, where the speed skater was disqualified after taking the inside track as opposed to the outside track, I have been thinking about it. If this were a sanctioned APA event would the APA have crowned him Gold anyway?? He was clearly very far out in front and would have easily won had he chose the right lane.

This brings up many questions and scenarios that I have in the back of my head. League nights are one thing but higher level tournaments are another. Where do you draw the line between socializing and competing and to what extent??





"It is not what you have, but what you overcome"]]> and so it begins: frustration. nrremington http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=642 Member Personal Blogs! Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:41:57 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=642 now, i'm sure there are those with actual lives to lead and families and all that nonsense, but there are those of you i see whiling away the hours in various pool halls and dens of sin around this city without a word of encouragement or advice. i do realize that walking up to a complete stranger and giving some helpful tips about stance or technique may be a lot to ask, but i'm sure you had a crappy start to your stroke as well. and i'm also sure that someone stepped in and pointed you in a direction towards pool greatness. that's all i'm asking for.
as a neophyte with no direction, it would mean a great deal to me. sure, i've met drunkards in bars willing to teach me a trick shot for $20, but the actual application of that does nothing in a league match. likewise, i've been told what books i absolutely need to buy, but have no one to work through them with me to point out why it is i'm failing.
more or less, i'm merely asking those of you that find themselves in a hall or bar with tables and see someone struggling, offer a guiding hand. i know damn well i'd pay for games if someone were there watching me play and offering me real advice. it's a frustrating game to try and teach yourself, so any help along the way would be appreciated. just think back to when you had your humble and meager beginnings and attempt to relate to us younger players.
gracias.]]> I love this game! streightpool http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=638 Member Personal Blogs! Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:57:54 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=638 are in need of a new dog for their unit
there is an almost fool-proof method of
selecting an appropriate pup for the job.

First: They don't look to recruit full
blooded animals. Pedigree is no guarantee
the animal will have what it takes.

Second: They head out for the local pound
with nothing more in tow than a ball.
I'm not kidding. A ball. A rubber ball.

While walking down the aisles of the
kennels, the trainer bounces that ball.
Slowly, casually. Interested in only one
thing - the dog's fixation on that ball.

They are looking for that one dog who cannot
take his eyes away from that bouncing delicacy.

"I'll take that one", is their comment. "He
has what it takes."

Many players have experienced a similar
fixation for a white 2.25" ball that rolls
on a cloth covered flat surface.

Tom Simpson, master instructor of the National
Billiards academy once put it this way when
asked what the difference between a pro and
beginning player was...

His reply: "About 250,000 shots"

That's a fixation.

Granted shooting 250,000 shots is by
no means a guarantee to an invitation
to The Derby, but I think we would all
agree, that's a true love for the game.

Keeping our priorities in proper order of course
is important, but think how strong our
game would be if we just turned that TV
time into training?

I'm old fashioned when it comes to defining
what it takes to make a good player.
Granted, God given talent plays a part,
but I believe that focused, concentrated
training can go a very long way to quenching
our domination of that illusive sphere.

It is a game that will never be completely
dominated by any professional or money player.

Perfection.
It's a worthy aspiration well outside human
attainment, but it's balanced pursuit is a shining
jewel of the human spirit.

A safety is only a slight pause before an all out offensive assault!
]]> Session End - A few thoughts dplumlee http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=594 Member Personal Blogs! Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:36:07 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=594
quote:
Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake, with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. Being a "good sport" involves being a "good winner" as well as being a "good loser".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sportsmanship

I have to say that for the vast majority of people I have encountered in this league, they not only meet the very definition, they exceed it! It’s amazing how no matter your skill level, everyone is treated with respect…and I am always amazed at the willingness cross-team for help and support. I thank Gary Plumlee and Bret Swinford for all they have done for our team. Both of these gentleman, though on our team have always went above and beyond to help me and my fellow teammates. This I realize is something you would come to expect from a teammate, but not required…and I see this across all the teams. It’s people like Ron Gibson, someone you cannot argue against being a truly great player…yet when you step up to him, even if you’re an SL2, your just the same to Ron (a lamb to slaughter) I kid, I kid. You are the same to him, a lover of the game…someone who is either striving to be better, or appreciative enough of the sport to get out and play every week.

Thanks to everyone in the league for showing me, and several of my newbie friends a wonderful experience. As I said, this has been a great first session! We came out with two of our team members being MVP’s, and we won the 9-ball championship. I don’t think we could have asked for much more, but truly all of that would have meant a lot less if it wasn’t for the true sportsmanship of all the league players.

See you all next session
]]> Top Reasons Why the Cowboys Will Lose gbarberio http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=585 Member Personal Blogs! Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:55:26 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=585 Romo rhymes with homo.
Pacman Jones is going to “make it rain” in Minnesota.
Jerry Jones’ plastic surgeon wasn’t available to give the team a "lift".
Jason Whitten & Romo already plotted to keep the ball away from TO.
Brett Farve said so. No he didn’t. Yes he did. No he didn’t.
They built a stadium with a hole in the roof.
Jessica Simpson put a hex on the team.
The Cowboys put Nate Newton in charge of vitamin supplements.

And finally….
The Cowboys didn’t rest their starters….


]]> slow play ScottH http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=569 Member Personal Blogs! Tue, 12 Jan 2010 13:12:42 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=569 Peter King on the Colts Resting Players RonH http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=576 Member Personal Blogs! Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:12:39 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=576 "I think if records don't matter much to the Colts, why did Indianapolis play Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark only long enough to get to 100 catches? It's fine that they did; I want a player to want to leave his footprints on NFL history. But to say Reggie Wayne or Dallas Clark catching 100 balls, or to say the record of consecutive regular-season wins by a team, is more significant to a franchise than becoming the first team ever to go 19-0 (and only the second team in modern pro football history to go undefeated for an entire season) is just flat wrong. And that's what the Colts have said.

This is likely my last word on the Colts' decision to bypass the chance to go for the unbeaten season, but I couldn't let president Bill Polian's comments to Rich Eisen on NFL Network the other night pass without a challenge. Polian said the perfect season "we did not feel was a historic achievement.'' But, Polian said, winning more games than any team in a decade, and winning the most consecutive regular-season games are "historical milestones that were worth going out there and risking everything for.''

I categorically disagree those milestone are more significant than 19-0. In my mind, they're not even close. Every football fan knows there's been only one 17-0 team, Miami in 1972, and never a team better than that. No football fan can tell you (with certainty anyway), nor does any football fan care, which team won the most games in the eighties, or nineties. The consecutive regular-season wins are certainly nice, but it's not imprinted on the brain stem of any football fan. Now, 19-0 ... that's immortality right there. And if you don't want to go for it because you don't want to risk injury, please say that. But to say it has no historical significance -- as Jimmy Johnson would say, "Puh-leeeeze.'' "

-Peter King, si.com

]]> Time limit when shooting - Question jgroover http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=565 Member Personal Blogs! Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:08:53 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=565 what to do what to do....? john http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=574 Member Personal Blogs! Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:28:58 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=574
Ignore him...possibly? Educate him....impossible? Try to reason with him...pointless? Laugh at him...regardless? Banish him...now there's a thought? Create a special room for him and Fluff...hey webmaster...

You wonder about the sportsmanship picture? He put it on there so he can constantly be reminded what his goal is...]]> Then And Now TheMattRay http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=562 Member Personal Blogs! Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:54:24 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=562
Less than a year ago, I would have rated my ability to trash talk my buddies at the bar as my best pool skill. I could only hope to get them rattled and luck my way through. With a lot of patience and assistance, my teammates this session have taken me under their wing and shown me a great deal of best practices and tips that I try to implement and maintain every week. While I am a level 3 in 8-ball, I still rely on my fair share of luck from time to time, but I don't focus so much on trying to rattle the opponent to my favor.

When I joined the APA, I ran out and bought the best cue that I could afford - a SportCraft for about $15 at Walmart. At the top of the year, I will be upgrading, though I am a firm believer that you only do so when the equipment is truly holding you back. After 11 games of breaking and shooting with that SportCraft cue, I have managed to warp it a bit and feel quite confident that I could shoot a bit straighter if I get something new and never break with it again!

Of all the changes, the most profound for me so far is in strategy - something that was absent from my game before. Our team this session was called "The Dipstix" and it was quite appropriate to hear me be told several times a night to, "think with your dipstick," based on a popular motor oil commercial. People like Gary Plumlee and Bret Swinford gladly stepped up and have shown me strategy as it can be interpreted and implemented by someone at my level. Every match played under their tutelage has helped me grow.

I would be remiss, as I am recounting my first venture into the APA, if I were to not mention Dan Plumlee. This longtime friend and the very person I always tried to rattle (as mentioned above) was quite influencial in asking me, "Why not?" when I said I didn't think I was good enough to be in a league and encouraging me to grow as a player.

So, playoffs are coming up and our team seems to be doing well. I spent a short minute tied for 1st place in my skill level's MVP list. I have learned a lot, but still feel there is a lot to go - and I am looking forward to the journey to get there.

Thanks to all those that have been and continue to be involved.]]> Introducing Avatars & Blog Enhancements!! Bob Swauger http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=544 Member Personal Blogs! Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:31:11 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=544 AVATARS!

Yes, we heard you!!! We've heard those calls to further personalize the forum and allow members to have an avatar appear when they post. Until recently we've resisted the idea for a number of reasons; the primary being members could not upload images and cross linking slows down page loading because the website has to go out and get the image.

Well now everyone has the ability to create their own personal gallery on the website and post their own member blogs. We thought "What better way to encourage the use of these features!!"

You'll notice both the forum and blog now show avatars for the poster and the those who reply. Clicking on the photo will bring up a full size version without taking you away from the page! The arrows below the picture will allow you to scroll through the Avatars of other members. Now you can get a visual of who is posting... put a face to a name... get a glimpse of who they are and maybe find out if it's someone you know or have seen... or someone you WILL know the next time you see them.

The avatar is actually your profile picture, and while you can still remotely link, we suggest you create your personal gallery and upload an image for your profile. Once uploaded you'll see an icon below the image to set it as your profile picture. You can also use the regular photo gallery the same way. Simply search for your member number and use the same icon.

BLOGS!

To further enhance the blog module we've given members the ability to control the blog a little more. The Author can now lock their blog, and not allow comments (they will have to unlock it to edit it too, but they can prevent members from posting to it!). Members can also delete posts from other members (not admins or moderators) if they don't like them. The blog is yours!!! You can also delete a blog once it's been replied to (the only caveat is you have to delete the replies first - if there are any). Yes, we know there are some limitations here, but they were necessary. We hope you understand.

You can also easily link images from your member gallery into you blog! In the post Format: Options look for the () Icon. You can also post YouTube Videos in your blog using the() icon.

When reading a blog, at the very top to the right you'll see a few more icons and a list of websites you can share the blog on. If you find a member's post interesting share it on your favorite website or email it to a friend. You can also search for blogs by specific players and get a list of blogs by date.

Comments, questions and bug reports are always welcome!

Enjoy everyone!

Bob Swauger
Indianapolis APA Web Admin

]]> New Features! Bob Swauger http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=533 Member Personal Blogs! Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:45:21 -0500 http://indyapa.com/forum/log.asp?log_id=533
Aside from the obvious visual changes to the site there are quite a few new features for you to use and enjoy... and there could be many more on the way, so stay tuned!!!

Here are just a few of the new features:

Personal Photo Galleries - use the link in the left menu and click the folder icon in the upper right to create your own gallery and upload images. Each member has 3 megs of space, or approximately 85 images! You can even use one of these uploaded images in your member profile!

Member Friends list - Integrated into the private message system you can now invite members to be your friends, similar to Facebook. At present it isn't much more than a list that will appear below in your member profile, but there are big plans for this feature, so stay tuned! Simply find the member you're looking for using the member search feature and click the 'Send Friend Request' link. If they accept they'll be add to your friends list.

Restyled Stats Area - At present there are no new stats. The stats are just re-organized into collapsible tables that are printer friendly (just use your browser's built in print function).

Member WebLogs - You can now blog about your team and your APA experience in your own personal weblog! Your blog has it's own RSS feed that anyone can subscribe to it and post comments as well... you can even link it to your MySpace or Facebook account. We all know lots of interesting things happen during league play! Now you can share those experiences with others; we just ask that you keep it positive. Enjoy!

... and there are many other changes. Please take some time to look around and let us know what you think!

Enjoy everyone!

Bob Swauger
Indianapolis APA Web Admin

]]>