Hmmm...
I seem to remember winning more games than I lost. It is probably more accurate to say it is a good thing for you we did not play a tournament that night, the way you were playing (why did you walk away from the table for about 45 mins?). J/K
I do not put much credibility in that "Top 20 Finishers" thing anyway. The one and only reason I am #2 on that list is because the few times I have played, everyone else tries too hard to beat me, which throws off their real game. Nervous excitement takes over, and their game goes to pieces. My skills have obviously taken a big hit by not playing, and I am no longer one of the better players at the towner, but as long as you guys want to crush me soooo bad, I will probably always be competitive at least.
As rarely as I have played in the last several years, you guys should be able to thrash me regularly, but I think the head game you guys put yourselves in is self destructing sometimes, (although I help that out at times with a few comments just to stir things up).
Clay said something the other night, that I have a lot of table time over the years. While that is true, and it does help, not playing for so many years has taken its toll. The player base at the Uptowner now has played in more big tournaments than I ever did. I only played in the 2005 Vegas Int.but that does not count as sick as I was.
I think one of the biggest things the Uptowner player base needs to do is to look at their basics. Too many players are not practicing brush and stick passes, and the pull shot, and Euro shot, and the snake shot, and when they are, they are not practicing "pro master" form. They are pro masters for a few reasons:
1) The natural ability to read most situations.
2) The hand eye coordination to do something about those situations. (The older players lean more on experience as well as #3 here)
3) Proper form and a winning attitude.
Those are the basics, anything else (passes and shots), are to be used rarely, to ensure the defence does not get comfortable.
These are just my thoughts, and I am sure I have left out a few things, but I think I have the basics.
Mr. Perfect