Well, I'm going to have to preface my remarks with this. I like John Schmidt a lot and I'm always pleased to see him. He has always treated me with respect and friendship. He's a quality guy for sure and I'm always happy to offer some sponsorship money to both the Derby City 14.1 Challenge and the World 14.1 event every year to see the best straight pool players, and John is one of the ones I most look forward to seeing play each year at these events.
.... but seriously, John's selection as one of the Mosconi 8 in March came as an absolute shock. How, I wondered, could somebody who did nothing at the 2014 Derby City Classic and who earned just $675 in rotation pool in 2013 per the AZB records, and who hadn't been much of a factor in rotation pool events for about four years, have even been a candidate for the team at all?
Apparently, he was not only chosen for the Mosconi 8 in March but also the Mosconi 5, for as his play since then (per the AZB records) in rotation pool tournament play didn't earn him a single penny, he certainly didn't climb into the Mosconi 5 on competitive merit.
John didn't beat a single player of note in rotation pool this year, and his sporadic participation in tournaments this year spoke volumes about how much he hoped to move forward during 2014. By comparison, in competition, Sossei has wins over Vandenberg, Ouschan, Eberle, Dechaine, Van Boening, Strickland, and some other top players in 2014.
I'm not sure John is one of America's top 20 in rotation pool right now. FYI, here is a list of nineteen guys I'd favor over him:
Shane Van Boening
Mike Dechaine
Jereny Sossei
Robb Saez
Donny Mills
Max Eberle
Shawn Wilkie
Brandon Shuff
Justin Bergman
Rodney Morris
Justin Hall
Corey Deuel
Josh Roberts
Chris Bartram
Sky Woodward
Ealr Strickland
Tom D'Alfonso
Joey Gray
Dennis Hatch
Incidentally, I'd put a Joss Tour Team of Dechaine, Sossei, Strickland, D'Alfonso and Shaw againt this Mosconi 5 and expect a pretty even match. All five of these Joss Tour regulars cashed in the US Open and three of them had top 5 finishes at Turning Stone. Yeah, I know, one of them is from Scotland.
Personally, I find the omission of all Joss tour players from this team to be an insult to pool in the Northeast. These are some of America's best, and many of them play both the Joss and Predator Tours. Where in the country do you find players who compete this often? The answer is nowhere, and that's a big part of why they were all ready when the US Open 9-ball event came along.
And, in case anyone thinks otherwise, Sossei is every bit the team player that John Schmidt is. Jeremy is a quality guy who is very well liked. I'll wish the Mosconi 5 the best of luck, but the inclusion of Schmidt, whose competitive resume is unimpressive in this decade, is a joke as I see it, unless John's superb US Open commentary somehow figured in the process.
To Shane, Bergman, Hall and Deuel, congrats on making the team. You were all very deserving. To John, good luck, too, but this was an opportunity you didn't earn --- try to make the most of it. If you do, I'll be one of the first to congratulate you.
