You have to believe they didn't even watch it.
MARK WILSON Phase3 and Phase 4
- Thread starter pro9dg
- Start date
Euro Capt. Chamet down 2 to 4 vs Niels Feijen at the 2015 World Pool Masters.
https://youtu.be/kaClHA6zlKg?t=1832
https://youtu.be/kaClHA6zlKg?t=1832
Wilson actually got out of the chair a few times and rubbed shoulders, I thought I was seeing things.
We will win when Europe takes to the heat and the pressure of being expected to win and the US plays over their head with nothing to lose.
Not because of Mark Wilson.
Mark Wilson gives off about as much energy as a mummy.
Next year he could bring in the Cardinals, Astronauts, Snipers, Seals, maybe Babe Ruth from the dead. Pete Rose could use some work. A pig in a tuxedo is still a pig.
If he was any good Shane would not be looking like he lost his best friend and would have been practicing short stroke technique for a year now. Shane had a negative smirk on his face for most of the event. Dechaine would be steadier in his mechanics; Corey would be under a doctor's care.
A good coach will sit down and show champions where they are weak and help them correct it.
A good Champion who respects that coach will accept the constructive criticism and work on the weakness.
I have not seen any of this, it would clearly be noticeable. If Wilson did, he did not do a very good job in that department.
The US will win when Europe is ready to lose, not before and most likely not due to the coach.
Knowledge doesn't make you a great teacher or coach.
Leave Shane and Corey home.
Mike can be fixed; Justin and Sky are good to go as of now. Grab a few players like Sossei and Oscar or the likes of and put them to work. Had Sossei been on the team last year instead of Schmidt he would have had experience for this year. Players like Jeremy and Oscar are hungry and solid players, but Schmidt was chosen who knows why.
Otherwise let the top 5 finishers in the points system play and don't look back, or however it works next year.
Don't agree with much of this. In Phase I, the team core was chosen in March with three of the chosen eight to be cut later on in the year. All eligible players had both strengths and weaknesses that could have easily been identified by June and each should have been urged to work on their weaknesses. This was not done and defensive and kicking weaknesses were allowed to linger. Phase I should also have been moving in the direction of youth, but Coach Wilson "went old", going with Schmidt and Deuel among his five wild cards. Neither of them had a good year in 2014, and both were well past 35 years old and both were years past playing their best pool. This approach had disastrous consequences in an 11-5 loss and a failure to get some of the young improving American players some much needed Mosconi experience. It was a wasted year from my vantage point, and shocking at that, as Wilson's greatest skill is in working with teams consisting of young players.
In Phase II, building for the future truly began. Mark did a great job this year, using his two wild cards on Bergman and Woodward, who were the two best performers on the 2015 Team USA. By going young and fielding a team of three twenty-somethings, Mark began to build for the future, and is to be commended. He did not, however, get his team, which embarrassed itself in defense and kicking in the 2014 Cup, to address these glaring weaknesses, and the result was that the team was every bit as bad, perhaps worse, in these areas of play as last year. Mark, in my opinion, needs to hold his players accountable for developing the right skills. That is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of coaching staffs in all sports.
That said, I'm optimistic entering Phase III. We lost 11-7 with a team that had two second time Mosconi Cup team members and a rookie. That's something to feel good about. Had we lost 11-7 and the team had guys like Rodney Morris, Earl Strickland or Johnny Archer on it, there'd be far less reason for optimism, but now we're moving forward with a young, improving team.
Mark is a leader, a man of great integrity, and a forward thinker, but he is a professional instructor and now that he has us moving forward, he needs to develop the solid talent he's assembled. If Phase III doesn't entail a recommitment to the moves game, we're already in trouble for next year.
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Mark told me an interesting stat -- if you go by total balls made, that is the one stat that will determine a winner of a match like this. Doesn't matter if one team pocketed 20 more balls than the other, they would still be the winner. Two years ago, the USA lost something like 590 - 460. This year, they were down 70 something balls going into the last day and by virtue of having all 3 matches go hill hill, closed the gap to being down by 40 balls made for the entire match.
I believe also, as SJM eluded to, this year the USA missed 7 kick shots to Europe 1. A difference in 6 ball in hands, you lose. You simply can't give your opponent ball in hand in a race to 5, alternate break.
To the critics and know it alls like SmoothStroke that continue to criticize Mark, this is not a football coach that has a spring practice, a summer practice and then weekly practice leading up to a game. He is given less than 2 weeks with the team -- and really only 3 extra days in Vega$ prior to the start of the event. Any more days than that, someone besides Matchroom has to foot the bill. Then once in Vega$, there are pictures to take, meetings with officials, Sky Sports, pre cocktail party, etc etc. There isn't much time to correct a flaw in Mike Dechaine's stroke that comes out when he is under pressure.
Once again - just because it is the internet, doesn't give you the right to take shots at someone over something you know nothing about.
I believe also, as SJM eluded to, this year the USA missed 7 kick shots to Europe 1. A difference in 6 ball in hands, you lose. You simply can't give your opponent ball in hand in a race to 5, alternate break.
To the critics and know it alls like SmoothStroke that continue to criticize Mark, this is not a football coach that has a spring practice, a summer practice and then weekly practice leading up to a game. He is given less than 2 weeks with the team -- and really only 3 extra days in Vega$ prior to the start of the event. Any more days than that, someone besides Matchroom has to foot the bill. Then once in Vega$, there are pictures to take, meetings with officials, Sky Sports, pre cocktail party, etc etc. There isn't much time to correct a flaw in Mike Dechaine's stroke that comes out when he is under pressure.
Once again - just because it is the internet, doesn't give you the right to take shots at someone over something you know nothing about.
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Point well taken. I don't take a position for or against Earl The Pearl, but I do agree that some consideration should be given to a player's ability and disposition to fit well into the team. Not pure standings alone.
RL
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Management 101: brainstorm; all ideas are relevent.
AZB is FULL of them.
it's been incredibly INSIGHTFUL for me, both personally and professionally (plus my pool game), for the past 4 years. this board has value.
what the promoters and coaches and players choose to do with it - is entirely up to them.
AZB is FULL of them.
it's been incredibly INSIGHTFUL for me, both personally and professionally (plus my pool game), for the past 4 years. this board has value.what the promoters and coaches and players choose to do with it - is entirely up to them.
yea, i know. i spit my drink across the cocktail table & had to pick KK9 up off of the floor!
SHOCKED - doesn't even begin to describe what we felt.
&
IMPRESSED - yes.
The days of the lone gunslinger are long gone.
Good post Doug Gordon!
I'm all for Mark Wilson remaining captain, just as long as we continue to see improvement each year.
This year, we saw improvement in multiple areas.
We are still sorely lacking in kicking skills. I noted this on Facebook EARLY ON in the Mosconi Cup. Our best players had trouble coming close to hitting the object balls when they were kicking at them. The new, low friction cloth on the tv table with the hot lights continuously flummoxed just about every American player. It could have been the main reason that we lost those matches where we were hill-hill.
I would like to see the USA Mosconi Cup players PAY for a bona fide Sports Psychologist (who has a track record of teaching mental skills to athletes) to teach them about team camaraderie, how to handle inner and outer distractions and maybe polish up on their already accomplished visualization skills.
Yes, I would like to see the Mosconi Cup players pay money out of their own pocket to attend multiple sessions with a qualified Sports Psychologist. I don't want to see the money for that coming from philanthropists, fans, the Captain or anyone else. It is apparent to me that this is another area that our team needs help in.
The USA Mosconi Cup players must learn how to change their thinking when adversity raises its ugly head. Right now, they are looking for more bullets when they are already running low on ammunition. It's time for the players themselves to want to learn additional mental skills and techniques to help improve their physical skills and they MUST have some skin in that acquisition. EVERY USA Mosconi Cup player must be all-in on this! If I were captain, I would make sure that each player understood the importance of improving their mental skills and would work feverishly all year on this point. Mental skills aren't acquired in two weeks.
In fact, if I were captain, I would ask any potential player that thinks he might have the ability to earn a spot on the Mosconi Cup Team of 2016 to participate (AND PAY OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET) for a year-long program of developing mental skills and a better understanding of how teams assist one another in competition and away from competition.
JoeyA
Good post Doug Gordon!
I'm all for Mark Wilson remaining captain, just as long as we continue to see improvement each year.
This year, we saw improvement in multiple areas.
We are still sorely lacking in kicking skills. I noted this on Facebook EARLY ON in the Mosconi Cup. Our best players had trouble coming close to hitting the object balls when they were kicking at them. The new, low friction cloth on the tv table with the hot lights continuously flummoxed just about every American player. It could have been the main reason that we lost those matches where we were hill-hill.
I would like to see the USA Mosconi Cup players PAY for a bona fide Sports Psychologist (who has a track record of teaching mental skills to athletes) to teach them about team camaraderie, how to handle inner and outer distractions and maybe polish up on their already accomplished visualization skills.
Yes, I would like to see the Mosconi Cup players pay money out of their own pocket to attend multiple sessions with a qualified Sports Psychologist. I don't want to see the money for that coming from philanthropists, fans, the Captain or anyone else. It is apparent to me that this is another area that our team needs help in.
The USA Mosconi Cup players must learn how to change their thinking when adversity raises its ugly head. Right now, they are looking for more bullets when they are already running low on ammunition. It's time for the players themselves to want to learn additional mental skills and techniques to help improve their physical skills and they MUST have some skin in that acquisition. EVERY USA Mosconi Cup player must be all-in on this! If I were captain, I would make sure that each player understood the importance of improving their mental skills and would work feverishly all year on this point. Mental skills aren't acquired in two weeks.
In fact, if I were captain, I would ask any potential player that thinks he might have the ability to earn a spot on the Mosconi Cup Team of 2016 to participate (AND PAY OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET) for a year-long program of developing mental skills and a better understanding of how teams assist one another in competition and away from competition.
JoeyA
There is plenty of it for free, I have been studying it for 10 years and have not paid a penny. Sky looked lost on a few kicks, a 30 min lesson could solve that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdFQp0TnDFs&feature=youtu.be
A quick look through my notes shows the following kicking fouls:
USA -- 12 (Woodward 4, Bergman 3, Dechaine 3, Deuel 1, and Van Boening 1)
Europe -- 4 (Feijen 3, Boyes 1)
[I haven't checked total balls pocketed by each team (yet).]
Edit -- in 15 of those 16 fouls, the OB was missed. In the other one, the OB was hit, but no rail was contacted after the hit.
Edit2 -- Correction: make it 3 for Dechaine and 1 for Deuel rather than 2 and 2.
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I, too, heard the 7-1 stat during Mosconi Week, but I believe it was through Day 2.
Perhaps it was the Day 2 only stat, but I learned this stat from Jay Helfert. Guess it's possible it included safety play errors. Just saying that the stat, which we must concede is possibly erroneous, did not come out of thin air.
Ill take your word for it. I don't remember Bergman missing 3 kicks - one for sure.
Just shows that perception and the facts sometimes greatly differ.
At Large's stats jive with my memory of what I saw live. I remember Bergman missing at least two kicks. One came in Match one, the team game, and another came later on day 1 when he tried to bend a kick with draw off the long rail. Think he also missed on a masse, but that may have been someone else. If it was him, that's the same as a kicking error.
Day 2 I've got 6-0. I'm sure someone there was keeping track and had it 7-1 at some point, but that didn't happen. When Feijen committed his second kicking foul, USA had 4 (all on Day 1).
Feijen's first two came in Game 6 of Match 1 and Game 7 of Match 3.
Yup, it's easy to be way off on stats if you aren't watching with an absurd level of attention and keeping track somehow.
Bergman's 3 kicking fouls (all 1-rail kick misses) were in Game 8 of Match 1, Game 5 of Match 3, and Game 2 of Match 11.