We Need Options... APA all there is?
The following is my letter to the APA league operator. I am so frustrated right now, I just want to start a league that plays by it's own rules. If it's sour grapes so be it. But there are folks out there that share my view, and believe that we deserve more from our league. Thank goodness there are forums and outlets to vent and be corrected if necessary. Any comments or corrections welcomed. Read on: Valerie, I have enjoyed being a member of the APA for a few years now. It's brought alot of wonderful people into my life. While the idea of the APA is great, it is becoming quite clear that the reality of it is less than that. Tonight our team drew the wildcard. In sessions past the drawing was held, and the team was notified. Then the rules changed mis-stream. And while our team was drawn, our captain was not there, due to work. So, the APA rep, Pat Burke calls and lets us know that we drew the wildcard, but because our captain wasn't there, we lost it. Can you imagine how disappointed I feel right now? I don't know which was worse. Losing it, or finding out how close we were. Was a phone call made? Was there any effort to contact the captain prior to selecting another team? I realize it was his resposibility but, come on. This was a change you made at the last minute, and should have not been enforced until next session. I have spoken to the other members of our team, and as for me, I am considering withdrawing my membership. This is not the first revision made mid-season, nor is it the only incident that has created a bit of frustration. The rules do not seem to apply to everyone. Folks openly sandbag, stating you told them to lower their hadicaps, they should lose more. Some of the top teams are there because they have 3's and 4's that are clearly 5's if not 6's. It has become a common practice and I have left 2 teams due to this issue. Which is my only remedy, since the league appears to sanction such practices. And now I am torn with the decision of APA vs BCA vs tournament play only, outside of the APA format. I love the game and again, the idea of a league that truly promotes fair play is great. I realize now how impossible that is, because we are all human. and maybe in a perfect world.... Sadly, it's too late for us and I frankly can not continue to spend my money in support of a league that does not abide by it's own standards. Thank you for your time. Deborah Crawford Lucky 13 Diamonds Billards :twisted: :twisted:

ya know being a captain of an APA team myself what I dont get... if a team was not represented at the meeting they never were put into the drawing to begin with... I get what you saying, and I believe ya, but something just dont add up... We had a captain not there either, and he never even entered into the wild card drawing

ya know being a captain of an APA team myself what I dont get... if a team was not represented at the meeting they never were put into the drawing to begin with... I get what you saying, and I believe ya, but something just dont add up... We had a captain not there either, and he never even entered into the wild card drawing

A lesson in Misinformation!
Well, Pat came clean... he was bending the truth a bit, welllll... there was no truth to bend. He made it all up and watched me go... If he had hoped to get me fired up, he did! He just didn't know how fired up I got and how quickly I was going to respond! And respond I did!! hee hee Well... ask and you shall receive! But be careful what you ask for! You will get it, in abundance usually! I am pleased to say that Valerie called me last night to see if we could resolve the conflicting issues I had about the league! To me that was something. For the operator to call and address this with me, I'm not a captian, I'm just a player, and just a 3 at that. No, really... So I was a bit impressed that it meant something to her, enough to call and talk to me personally. Well here's what we do know... First off: Our names were NEVER in the drawing. That was correct BigOrangeBreak! We weren't there, so no entry. Me 1, Pat Burke 0 Secondly: Only a few teams did not show, according to Valerie. Ours was one of the few that did not have a rep there. SO the story he told next when he fudged on the drawing, was that only one team from Diamonds was there. And we could have had a 50/50 shot. Also not true. Diamonds was represented just fine! Thirdly (if that is a word): The mandatory meeting change for the wildcard drawing was voted on last session, and had been done so to squash the rumor that Valerie just picked whoever she liked to be the wildcard! The teams were notified over the last few weeks to be there or not be in the wildcard drawing. My only arguement there was I paid all session, present or not, I should have had a shot at the wildcard, but I can try and understand.... and last, but most importantly(!): Valerie says she has never told anyone to fudge their game, and lose more to lower their handicaps. She strongly denied anything like that coming out of her mouth, ever. See that was a real point of contention for me, because if the league operator is telling folks to sandbag, then I do not stand a chance! Nor would I support the league with a two-faced policy. Can't judge a league by their reps I guess! In all fairness, I wanted to let folks know that this was addressed as quickly as I had let them know it wasn't right! Karma is my friend! Now, there will always be those that try to manipulate the system. It's just a fact of life. There are just as many players, if not more, that will play by the rules and stand by the system. And what's a good game of pool without a little bit of Hustle thrown in. :twisted: I joined the league to play pool. To play better pool. My first team was all about the manipulation of the system. They went to Vegas. Karma went with them. I didn't miss a thing. I went to my first City Tournament this year and had a blast. I got there fair and square. I am as much of a fan as I am a player, more so sometimes. My captain this year was aware that none of us had played the cities and let us enjoy ourselves. We lost but the next time.... :lol: So the saga continues, On to the next session, I guess it is all there is for now, and it's not all that bad! Thanks Crockett for giving me a place to work all this out! Cheaper than therapy... now about those 9-ball tournaments.... :lol:

This is why I promote two different types of league play. We offer BCA leagues on Monday and Tuesday. Not everyone enjoys playing APA. If anyone is interested in Playing BCA 8-ball on Monday or BCA 9-ball on Tuesday, play starts this week for the 9-ball, and next Monday for the 8-ball. By the way, the handicapped 9-ball tournament on Fridays is pretty cool, come check it out. We are having allot of new tournaments coming up, check the website. Thanks, Crockett