TAP SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Presented to J. P. Whitaker
November - 2011
Every so often, one of our TAP players shows such extraordinary sportsmanship that they deserve to be recognized and applauded for their efforts.This is the case for J. P. Whitaker.Below is the nomination by his opponent, Gwen Kaiser.
“I would like to nominate JP Whitaker for a sportsmanship award. I had the pleasure of playing a match against him at Skip and Jan's in our Thursday G division.”
“He was a true sportsman all the way around. He showed interest in the game even though I wasn't a great deal of competition. He complimented certain shots that I made. You could tell that he truly enjoys the game and wants everyone else to enjoy it also.”
“There came a point in our match when he was talking to me about his previous shot and said the words "ball in hand." When I heard it I thought he meant that I had ball in hand but knew I was mistaken by the look on JP's face when I picked up the cue ball from the table! I laughed, apologized and handed the ball to JP. He took the ball, put it back on the table, and insisted that I shoot. I refused. He said, "I can sit here as long as you can." To which I replied, "Are you a Taurus?" Well, it turned out we both are and of course anyone knows no good can come of two bulls with locked horns! We finally agreed to re-rack and start the game over.”
“JP is a skilled and exemplary player and I am going to keep practicing and hope to have the opportunity to play against him again someday."
“Thank you” J. P., from Phoenix TAP for giving the game of pool the respect it deserves; and, “Thank you” to Gwen for her appreciation, recognition and nomination.
Sportsmanship Award Recipient
Tim Lass by: Gary Donahoe
Division D (West Side Tuesday In-House) had to move from SixShooters to River City Pockets while the lease was under negotiations. The space was very cramped at most of the tables. There were many times that cues, team members and chairs had to be moved to be able to make unobstructed shots. The situation was not good, but, for the most part, everyone had been patient and cooperative.
On May 6, 2008, I (Gary Donahoe) played Tim Lass. He is a "3" handicap and I am a "4" - a 2/3 race. Tim won the first game. During the second game, we were both down to the 8-ball. Tim missed and then I had a shot. It wasn't an easy shot, but one that I was confident I could make. Unfortunately, the cue ball was in a position that my stance and cue were obstructed by a table, cue case and other players' cues. We were able to move some of the things, but my stroke was still obstructed by a table that could not easily be moved. I proceeded to play the shot by altering my stance and grip. The result was that I completely missed the 8-ball. Tim had every right to take a ball-in-hand and could have won the game and match simply by pocketing an easy shot on the 8-ball. Rather than doing that, he conceded that it was likely that I could have made the shot if not for the obstructions and, therefore, gave me the win. He did not have to do that, but he said it just didn't seem fair to win in that fashion. This was a great display of sportsmanship by a player who is always a gentlemen.
Congratulations Tim - It's players like you who make all TAP players have an enjoyable experience playing the game they love!
COMMENDATION FOR LEO BERRIOS
Sportsmanship Award Recipient
January, 2007
Leo Berrios displayed a true act of honesty and sportsmanship that makes him deserving of this award. Leo plays in two barbox divisions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays nights. His stats came back for Tuesday and he had moved up to a handicap 7. When the Wednesday stats came back, he was listed as a handicap 6. Rather than trying to play as a six for one more week, he e-mailed the TAP office to find out if that was a mistake and if he should play as a 7. We checked with the corporate office and due to a computer glitch, the handicap on the Wednesday division did not flip over to a 7 when it should have. The result was that Leo played as a 7 both nights. Leo's main concern was that he played at the correct handicap with no other concern other than being fair. For that, we are proud to give him the TAP sportsmanship award.
Mario Herrera Receives Sportsmanship Award By His Peers!
Congratulations to Mario Herrera, who plays on Thursday's at Dukes in Scottsdale, for being nominated and receiving a sportsmanship trophy for his honesty and courtesy while playing another team in his division.
During play, Mario called a "ball-in-hand foul" on himself after realizing he hit a ball that was frozen. The other team didn't even notice, but Mario said, "I don't want to win by taking a foul" and handed the ball to his opponent. The other team appreciated Mario's high level of integrity and wanted to make sure that he got the recognition he deserved.
Congratulations Mario! It's players like you who make it a pleasure to play in the TAP organization.
Chris Furbish Awarded The Phoenix T.A.P. Sportsmanship Award For Exhibiting The Ultimate In Sportsmanship At The Phoenix Masters
by Robert Mallen
Chris' team was in the final round fighting for a win and shot at the Las Vegas Nationals. He made his shot and the other team called a ball-in-hand foul claiming the cue ball grazed one of his opponent's balls. This started a controversy between the two teams. I took Chris off to the side and explained it was his call because the other team did not request a third party to watch the hit, and the ruling goes to the shooter. He could have easily said: "No foul" and continued shooting. Instead he said: "I'm not sure if I hit their ball or not and I don't want to cheat if I did hit their ball, so I will trust their call and give them ball-in-hand." I don't remember the outcome of that match, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that Chris made his decision in the true spirit of the game with tremendous risk to his team. It was the most impressive display of sportsmanship imaginable. My hat goes off to you Chris. Outstanding!
Note: The Sportsmanship Award is an honorary award presented randomly throughout the session to players who exhibit exceptional ethics and behavior as a T.A.P. member.
