Category: League Business

League Starts Tonight!

The 2023-2024 season begins tonight!  A few reminders!

Weekly dues are $10 per person.  Team Registration fee is $80 total.  BCA fees are $20 per person.  A 4 man team should be paying $50 a piece tonight, or $200 total.

If anybody believes they have already paid their BCA registration for this season through another league, please include the name of the player and the league they paid through in the notes on the score sheet.

Please write in full names for everyone when its their first time playing.  This week that includes EVERYBODY.   After this week, that includes any regular player or sub whos first night of play it is.  If you don’t write down a last name for a sub, they will be considered a generic sub and stats will not be attributed to them, so if you or they want their stats kept up to date, make sure their last name is included.

If you are putting in extra money, please note what it’s for.  If a sub is playing, please check the box marked SUB on the score sheet.

If the Pea rule is invoked, it MUST be done before the 3rd game is played, and the Pea can ONLY be inserted in the 4th player’s spot.  If you aren’t sure if someone is coming, put them 4th so they can be replaced by the Pea if necessary.

Scoresheets MUST be texted or emailed to Mike after being signed by both captains and completely filled out on the night of play.  Failure to send score sheet images could delay updates for the entire league.  The phone number and email address to send score sheet images to is printed at the bottom of the score sheet.

Both nights have a 22 week season, which means for a player to full pay for the entire season, it’s $220 (weekly dues) + $20 (BCA) + $20 (team registration on a 4 person team) = $260.  You’ll see $960 owed dues next to each team, which includes the weekly dues and team registration fee.  BCA payments are found on the team page’s player roster.  As you pay, the $960 number goes down.

Have fun!

BCA Vegas Tournament and No Shows – Week 18

Some teams were in Vegas this week for the BCA tournament.  Many of these teams did not contact their scheduled opponents to let them know they wouldn’t be available to play their league matches.  Unfortunately, much of this is due to a miscommunication that I – Mike Schwartz – am personally responsible for.  The officers became aware of this situation a few weeks ago, and we discussed rescheduling week 18, but didn’t actually do it, which is 100% on us.  Because I thought this was going to happen, I told the captains of the no show teams who contacted me that we, the officers, would take care of it, which we didn’t.

That said, quite a few teams showed up for their matches last week and didn’t have opponents.  They did nothing wrong and some of them had to stand outside in the rain while waiting for a team that wasn’t going to show up.  This is a somewhat complicated issue, with shared blame to go around.  As such, the officers and grievance committee are discussing options.  There isn’t a single solution that will please everyone.  The teams who showed up expect 16-0 forfeit wins.  The teams who were in Vegas expect that, both because I told them the officers would handle the situation, and the fact that they were playing in the very BCA tournament they pay fees for through this league, that the matches would be rescheduled.

This many 16-0 forfeits will likely be very disruptive to the league.  Teams that had nothing to do with this will suffer as a result.  Due to the obvious extenuating circumstances, the standard no show rules may or may not apply, depending on the decision of the grievance committee and officers.

This situation came about because usually the BCA Vegas tournament is held in the summer, but this year the dates changed.  That isn’t an excuse, as we knew these date changes were to happen, but that’s why it wasn’t originally scheduled as byes.  For future, the officers will make sure not to schedule matches during the week(s) of the BCA tournament.

I personally apologize for my role in this issue, and I hope that whatever the decision is, it’s understood that there are many factors involved, that we realize not everyone will be happy with the decision, and, at the end of the day, this is a recreational, small money pool league where the main goal is fun.  We hope that the majority agree that the goal is to actually play pool.  While we understand the desire to take a 16-0 forfeit win, especially in these circumstances where the people who showed up did nothing wrong, we request that everyone take a look at the big picture, understand that a lot of human error was involved, that we’ve got a plan in place so that this doesn’t ever happen again, and that the ideal situation is that the matches are made up and played.  We are looking at ways to incentivize the teams who met with no shows without a major disruption to the league, and hope to have a resolution soon.

Things To Know For The 2022 Mini Season

Hello Westside 8 Ball League!

We are finally ready to get back to playing pool.  Our 2022 mini season will start March 1st & 2nd and run 9 weeks on Tuesday/7 weeks on Wednesday.  We will qualify for BCA and get back into the swing of things and be ready for a full 2022-2023 season to start at our normal time in September 2022.

Here are some important notes.  Please read them all, it’s all important info!

Due to the shortened season, we are cutting the team registration fee from $80 to $40 for this season only.  This does not include the BCA Registration fee which is $20 per player.  As such, Week 1 Dues are $40 per player, which includes $10 in registration, $10 in weekly dues, and $20 for BCA registration.  All subsequent weeks of play require $10 in weekly dues per player.

We will try to be as COVID safe as possible.  We will have a zero tolerance policy for any sort of COVID shaming.  Bars will be following local guidelines, but if mask mandates are lifted and someone wants to wear a mask, let them.  If they don’t want to shake your hand, it’s not bad sportsmanship, let them be.  Please do not harass anyone for their safety choices.  Erring on the side of caution doesn’t adversely effect anyone else.

As of right now, 90 west is the only scoresheet dropoff location.  We are trying to secure a second location, so watch for updates.  Scoresheets MUST be turned in on the night of play. Reminder that the visiting team is responsible for turning in both scoresheets, and BOTH teams are responsible for making sure that an image of the scoresheet is sent to Mike Schwartz as soon as the match is finished.  We’d rather have both teams send an image than neither, so after the match, as you’re both signing the sheets and turning in the money, get that picture taken and sent immediately.

Please look over the schedule and make sure there aren’t any oddities.  Each team should play every other team one time.

The officers are also cutting their stipend in half for this season so that more money goes to the prize pool at the end, even though Pete and Angela have arguably worked harder this season to make the league happen than ever before.  The only extra cost is the website hosting fees that Mike Schwartz has been paying the entire pandemic, but we will work out the numbers and probably put those fees off until next season so that the prize pool isn’t heavily affected.

We are looking forward to a fun season and a chance to play pool again after all this time, so be good spots and enjoy yourselves!

Website Updates for the 2022 Mini Season

In preparation for the upcoming season, the website has undergone a series of updates.

The 2019 Archives page has been set up.
The Tuesday Schedule and Standings page has been updated.
The Wednesday Schedule and Standings page has been updated.
The Captain’s List has been made current.
The Locations page has been updated.
Team and Individual Standings Pages have been prepared for league data (These will not properly populate until schedules are updated and first matches are played.)
The Officers and Grievance Committee did not change, so that page was left as is.
The Bullpen has no updates currently (if you’d like to add your name to the bullpen, please email djmichaelbasic@gmail.com with your full name, email, phone number and if you can play Tuesday, Wednesday, or Both.
The Schedules have been made current.
All Registered Team pages have been updated for the new season.

The site has also had some upgrades under the hood as well as aesthetically.  As the season progresses, new functionality might be added.  We’ll see.

Signups for the 2021-2022 Season

First, apologies for the lack of updates here.

The league start date has not been set yet, however, we are looking at mid october to see what happens with COVID-19 as schools re-open.  This will give us time to figure out what bars will be open and available to us, and what protocols will be.

Here is the link to sign up your team.  Before choosing a home bar, please confirm with the venue that it is still open and available to host our league on your preferred night of play.

Sign Up Form – Click Me!

We look forward to resuming the league as soon as safely possible!

Website Updates for the 2019-2020 Season

In preparation for the upcoming season, the website has undergone a series of updates.

The scoresheets have been updated to reflect secondary table runs.  They also include details on fees that need to be paid, and a checkbox for when you use a sub.
Teams and players have been added to the 2019-2020 season.  (Note that player lists will not populate until after the first week of play, however, captains have been added to each team.)
The 2018 archive has been created in Past Seasons.
The Captain’s List has been made current.
All Registered Team pages have been updated for the new season.
The Locations page has been updated.
Team and Individual Standings Pages have been prepared for league data (These will not properly populate until schedules are updated and first matches are played.)
The Officers and Grievance Committee did not change, so that page was left as is.
The Rules Page has been updated.
The Schedules have been made current.
The Bullpen has been made current (if you’d like to add your name to the bullpen, please email djmichaelbasic@gmail.com with your full name, email, phone number and if you can play Tuesday, Wednesday, or Both.

 

 

2019-2020 Season Registration Now Open

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScX7BcsLJR68L8mE3-i3g15rAaWFbuKETm15EdfnNOSB8aGwA/viewform

Click the above link to sign up your team for the 2019-2020 season.  The registration deadline is August 31st and we will update everyone with the season start date as soon as we lock it down.  Look for a mid September start date as per usual.

End of Season Event & Tournament Results

Congratulations go out to the following for placing in our Scotch Doubles Tournament:

The following rule changes were voted in and have been updated in the 2019-2020 Rules.
Timeouts:
27. As of the 2019-2020 season, the active shooter or any of the shooter’s teammates may call a foul.  “Teammate” is defined as one of the players designated on the scoresheet on the night of play.  It is still good procedure to ask an opponent if a shot was a foul if the shooter is unclear, and even better procedure to ask players from BOTH teams to watch a questionable shot before the shot is taken.
Rack Your Own:
As of the 2019-2020 season, the breaker of each game pays for the game and racks their own balls.  There is no longer the option to rack your own or have your opponent rack.
Maximum Fine Removed (all references to maximum fine removed in dropoff section of rules):
13. “Gabe’s” and “90 West” are the designated “Drop off’ points, for the 2019-2020 season, for score sheets and fees. Visiting team captains are responsible for dropping off the completed score sheets and fees on the night of the match by the closing time of the drop off point.  Fees need not be paid for “bye” matches.
Accidentally Moving Multiple Balls (plural language changed to singular):
It is not a foul to accidentally touch a single stationary object ball while in the act of shooting. If such an accident occurs, the player must allow the opponent the option to leave the touched ball in its new position or to restore the object ball to what he believes to be its correct position. If the player accidentally moves a ball as part of a shot, and a ball set in motion as a normal part of the shot touches such an unrestored ball, or passes partly into a region originally occupied by a disturbed ball, the shot is a foul. In short, if the accident has any effect on the outcome of the shot, it is a foul. It is a foul to play another shot before the opponent has either elected to leave the table in position or to restore any accidentally moved balls. If the opponent elects to leave the table in position the balls are considered restored, and subsequent contact on them is not a foul. It is still a foul to make any contact with the cue ball whatsoever while it is in play, except for the normal tip-to-ball contact during a shot.  If multiple object balls are moved accidentally via the stick, body, or any other illegal surface, even in the act of shooting, this is a ball in hand foul.
Note that a player who accidentally touches a stationary ball and restores it has committed a foul. This is considered deliberately touching balls in play.  The player must instead ask his opponent if he wants the ball’s position restored and wait for an answer.
New Team Designation to Teams Delinquent Over $100 (added last line):
17. New teams to the league which consists of three or more new players to the league will be required to pay $20 per week for dues during the first half of the season. The new teams will not have to pay any dues during the second half of the season since their team has already paid for the second half of the season. This rule is necessary since some new teams drop out in the second half of the season. Team drop outs have an adverse effect on team standings & financial structure of the league. The Grievance Committee will determine new team status and any other pay structure for new teams on a case-by-case basis.  Any team which was delinquent more than $100 at any time during the previous season will be designated a new team for the subsequent season.
Obvious 8 Balls No Longer Need to be Called (removed language necessitating calling all 8 balls)
Failing to make a legal hit while shooting at the 8-ball or sinking the cue ball results in ball in hand to the opponent, unless the 8-ball is pocketed in the process, when the shooter would lose.  As of the 2019-2020 season, calling the 8 ball is no longer necessary for obvious shots.  An obvious shot, as defined in section 10 of these rules, does not include kicks, caroms or combinations.  As with any shot, if an opponent is unclear about the shooters intended pocket, they may ask, while still following the rules of sportsmanship and etiquette.

Important Info

Missing Scoresheet Images (Visiting Team Responsible for Sending):

Tuesday:
None

Wednesday:
None

Missing Scoresheets and Money (Visiting Team Responsible for Turn In):

Tuesday:
None

Wednesday:
None

Pending Makeup Matches:

Tuesday:
None

Wednesday:
None