what would you do

[NDfan71]

ok here's one...

Thursday night i am playing another s/l 6. While he is on the 8-ball he taps cue ball with his stick causing it to move less than an inch. The score of the match was 4-1 in my favor. Would you tell him to go ahead and shoot or take ball in hand? Does your answer change knowing it is a friend? While it was very unfortunate that this happened on the 8 ball i took the ball in hand to win the match. He was not to happy that i did that. It wasn't COC or Citywide but it was an important match in the team standings and i play the same way regardless of the situation or opponet.

What would you have done?

RJ Sommers S/l 6

[scott13]

It's a foul, plain and simple. I've been on both sides of the coin. When I've accidentally tapped the cue ball, I just stop, pick the ball up and hand it over. I've also called people on it. If this person was a SL6, they should know better then to come that close where they accidentally hit the cue!

[DevilDog]

RJ, you did the right thing, I would always either give ball in hand or take ball in hand on that foul regardless of friend, or not. A foul is a foul.

[dltrunn]

It would have made it easier if it was a friend, but either way I would be taking ball in hand.

[BF032081]

Absolutely a foul. Ball in hand no questions asked. They will live to play another day. Mistakes can be made people need to just suck it up and deal with it.

[kmlpag]

A foul is a foul regardless of who is on the other end of it. Friend or foe, I would take the ball in hand.

[Tonyiso]

It is a foul and I agree that it should be enforced. I have nudged a ball accidentally plenty of times myself, usually when I am not on the 8-ball, and voluntarily picked it up and handed it to my opponent knowing it was a foul. However, I have also let my opponent continue with their shot as well, that is, only if the match was not consequential that session (I know, I shouldn't ever do it and be consistent with the rules but some players make me sad when they do it ). But I agree, that when the match is pertinent to your teams career in a given session, not to mention Playoffs, COC, Etc., there should be a sense of competiton and the foul should be enforced, by both opponents, without anger or resistance. I also believe that as a team, you should always confer if it is ever acceptable for any memeber to let an opponent get away with any inadvertent errors such as these, that are deemed a foul within the rules of the APA. Sometimes your generosity on the table may not be the best option for your team as a whole (I have been guilty of this in the past and payed for it during several matches.)

[slanidrac16]

It's a foul. You did the right thing. In fact if anybody saw you do anything else, they could accuse you of running up you innings.

[Uncle Rico]

It's a foul. You did the right thing. In fact if anybody saw you do anything else, they could accuse you of running up you innings.

Why does every decision someone makes have to come back to running up innings? I have let players continue to shoot before. NO, I am not running up innings. I don't need to, I get enough on my own.

[Joliet_John]

Yes, call the foul. If your opponent has a problem with it, then he's cheating and doesn't deserve a break. I NEVER have a problem calling one on my opponent since, if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't have a problem if he called it on me.

It's the player's responsibility to know the rules and the captain's responsibility to ensure his players know the rules. That's why I tell new players (either ours or theirs) and their captains that if there's a Rules Question to first ask the other player and then get both captains together to discuss the issue.

Example: My guy is stripes and isn't sure if he can hit the 10 into the 2 and have only the 2 hit the rail for a safety. I'd expect my inexperienced player to ask his opponent about it. At this point, both captains should recognize that there's a problem and then hold up the game (no time out!) and see what's what. All four players can then decide what the rules allow or disallow. I've found that that approach will really help to prevent problems and increase the knowledge of your newer players to the APA game.

[slanidrac16]

Why does every decision someone makes have to come back to running up innings? I have let players continue to shoot before. NO, I am not running up innings. I don't need to, I get enough on my own.

I have let players continue to shoot also. But you have to admit there MAY be someone observing the game that could make that claim. The other thing to take into consideration is that it was 2 sl6 playing. If you are a 6 and you foul, pick up the cue ball and hand it to your opponent. It should not come down to your opponent "letting" you continue.

[NDfan71]

I am glad to see my fellow APA'ers agree with me that a foul is a foul.. Being a s/l 6 i have never been accused of running up innings, I have been accused of baggin but i just laugh it off. I have been in the league 10 years 9 of those years( 3 sessions a year) i was a captain. I follow all rules regardless of who i am playing this way i am consistant with everyone. Those that call me a bagger are just upset that i have beaten them before. I was a 7 one time got my A$$ handed to me by another 7, Jim Engles, and went right back to a 6.
RJ

[BF032081]

oh well Jim Engels, duh. If the APA allowed higher than a 7 S/L he would be at least a 9. i have shot him numerous times in tournaments and in league and i have to say the guy is an exceptional shooter. i believe he could hand most 7's their backsides to them in a heartbeat. Not a great comparison there.

[Tonyiso]

I most certainly agree with the statement made by "slanidrac16" . It should come down to the player whom commits the foul, declaring his or her error at the time the foul or error is commited. I have seen many players look around to see if anyone saw them commit the act before declaring it, as if they would have continued on with their shot if no one called them out. I for one, have always been honest and up front about any commited error I have made in a match that is deemed as a foul in the APA rule book. Even the non-foul errors such as accidentally moving a ball with my sleeve or stick during or after a shot. It is only the sportsman thing to do and keeps the confrontational matters down to a minimum. It goes the same for telling your opponent that they have ball in hand even if they don't see that you may have not hit the required sequence ball/rail during your shot. I have seen some people walk away without a gesture to their oponent that they did not execute a "good hit" shot. Honesty is truly the best policy when it comes to the APA. It creates a nice image of you as a player and keeps the fun in the game.

[champkind whammy]

Why does every decision someone makes have to come back to running up innings? I have let players continue to shoot before. NO, I am not running up innings. I don't need to, I get enough on my own.

"How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?... Yeah... Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would've been state champions. No doubt. No doubt in my mind."

since when do we have mountains in the midwest, this saying makes no sense!!!