Just got home from the Mosconi Cup and I would like to share my experiences and my thoughts on the event.
1. The Pool Itself
Europe outplayed Team USA in almost every aspect of the game other than the break, which was about even. Europe pocketed better, played position better, played better safeties. The kicking was about even, but Team USA did fairly poorly in the push-out portion of the game and was outmaneuvered strategically far too often.
The rolls had absolutely nothing to do with the 11-2 result. In fact, the pool gods did everything in their power to help Hatch beat Souquet, with a 3-9 combo and two golden breaks landing in Dennis' lap in the race to six, but even that level of help wasn't enough, as Souquet beat him anyway. Both teams got their rolls, but Europe knew what to do with those rolls when they came.
Europe got at least to the hill in all 13 matches played, won 11 and appeared to have won another when Earl banged the double hill nine ball into the rail but it somehow, even to Earl's surprise, went in. Van Boening was the one US player whose play was, in my opinion, solid, but Europe had five guys who were performing at that level or higher.
To this viewer, though, the biggest difference in the Mosconi Cup was position play. I'd guess that Team USA made twice as many errors in position play as Europe.
Racking the nine on the spot with a break from near the center ensured that everybody got to play and control of the rack often had to be earned through excellence in the moves game. This is the only way that rotation pool should ever be played, in my view. The seemingly annual, and usually false, excuse of Team USA that "Europe out-broke us but didn't outplay us" will likely not be heard this year. This was some of the most interesting and entertaining pool I have ever watched, and I thank both teams for that.
Congratulations to Team Europe on its exceptional play. Well done!
2. Sportsmanship
Europe conducted itself with continual dignity and Team USA did not. Earl aside, American players sometimes moved in the chair and sometimes talked to teammates while Europe was shooting. As for undeniable legend Earl Strickland, I'd favor a permanent ban of him from Mosconi Cup play. He isn't, as some suggest, a character, he's just a jerk who routinely shows disrespect for the game, his opponents and even tournament officials (Ken Shuman had to keep repeating to Earl to shut up and sit still while in the chair). Earl gave a reminder to all why, over the years, American pros have often preferred having him off of the team. He is so disruptive, even to his doubles partners, and the saddest thought is that he may one day be invited to coach Team America. Heaven help us if that ever happens.
3. What Does the Result Say About the State of American Pool?
America used to dominate the Mosconi Cup, and for good reason. Americans played pool at a much higher level than their European counterparts, and contrary to the opinions of some, the Mosconi Cup is a marathon that almost ensures that the better team will win. Best of twenty one races to six is very hard to fade if you have the less talented team.
Now, Europe is dominating the Mosconi Cup, winning six of the last seven, and for all the same reasons that America used to dominate. They are much, much, better players than their American counterparts. To some extent, it's because the Europeans play the full international pool schedule, thereby competing far more often and against tougher competition than the Americans.
American pros may choose to live in denial for yet another year, or they can take a good, hard look at American pool and commit to a new era of excellence.
World 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann and US Open 9-ball bronze medalist Jayson Shaw, neither of whom even made the team, serve as a reminder of just how tough it is to make it onto Team Europe. It seems to me that Team Europe will be fantastic for another decade with a nucleus of Appleton, Hohmann, Shaw, Melling and Boyes complemented by veteran legends like Immonen, Feijen and Souquet.
Although they deserved to win 11-2, the Europeans are not 11-2 better than the Americans, but some things happened in the weeks leading up to the Mosconi that changed the likely outcome and I was quite surprised that the Billiards press didn't pick up on it.
Niels Feijen and Darren Appleton both reached the final in the World Pool Masters in a killer field. Darren beat Shane along the way in that one. Niels reached the final of the World Cup of Pool with his partner Nick VanDenBerg. Karl Boyes won a bronze medal at the World 9-ball championships. Ralf Souquet won the November Euro-tour event in Italy, and Mika Immonen, of course, won the Ultimate 10-ball this summer. To me, Team Europe came in with five in-form players, so, to me, the demolition that occurred always seemed a possibility, but it wasn't what I expected.
Anyone who thought this match was "even on paper" was either ignoring the recent excellence of the European team members or riding a wave of blind faith in Team USA.
Finally, many will speak of Europe's team unity and the fact that they have "the John Wooden of the Mosconi Cup" in Johan Ruijsink and that does, in part, explain this result. FYI, John Wooden is the best coach in American college basketball history, at one point winning ten national championships in a twelve year period.
4. The Quality of the Entertainment
This event provides great entertainment and is one of the highlights of any pool year. I had a fantastic time and both the atmosphere and the pool were great. The arena was set up superbly and every seat was a good one. Well done, Matchroom Sports!
5. Socially
As always, the social side of the event was part of the story. A highlight is always meeting new AZers, and I was very pleased to get to hang out with each of Cuebuddy, Pink Lady, and Koolkat9lives. These guys are awesome and I hope to continue to build on my new friendships with them.
I also had the pleasure of catching up with AZers I already knew including Lou Figueroa, Chicago Player, Vagabond, Jay Helfert, Sunnyday, Jerry Forsyth, Bob Jewett, Mark Griffin, and a few others. It was great seeing them.
Of the non-AZers whom I count as friends, the ones I got to catch up with at length were HOF inductee Jeanette Lee, Jimmy Wych, Ken Shuman, Pat Fleming, Karen Corr and Paul Brienza. I was both shocked and delighted when I ran into former Team Europe member Marcus Chamat, an old but valued friend, but he greeted me with great sincerity and we spoke for at least ten minutes. I was also surprised that the great HOFer Eddie Kelly remembered me, for Allen Hopkins had introduced him to me almost a decade ago and Eddie and I hadn't chatted even once since. I even got to meet both Barry Hearn and Michaela Tabb for the first time this past week, and they are very down-to-earth and friendly. Last but not least, I was pleased to catch up with my old NYC friend Jason Kane on several occasions.
Pleased to note that I got to play some three cushion billiards on Tuesday with fellow AZers Lou Figueroa and Cuebuddy and on Wednesday Cuebuddy and I shot a little pool together. Good times and, oh yeah, these guys play pretty sporty. Next time I'll bring my cue, guys.
6. In Conclusion
So that's my slant on this year's Mosconi Cup. To those of you that I saw, it was truly a pleasure. To the rest of you, I hope to catch up with you somewhere down the road we call "the tournament trail."
1. The Pool Itself
Europe outplayed Team USA in almost every aspect of the game other than the break, which was about even. Europe pocketed better, played position better, played better safeties. The kicking was about even, but Team USA did fairly poorly in the push-out portion of the game and was outmaneuvered strategically far too often.
The rolls had absolutely nothing to do with the 11-2 result. In fact, the pool gods did everything in their power to help Hatch beat Souquet, with a 3-9 combo and two golden breaks landing in Dennis' lap in the race to six, but even that level of help wasn't enough, as Souquet beat him anyway. Both teams got their rolls, but Europe knew what to do with those rolls when they came.
Europe got at least to the hill in all 13 matches played, won 11 and appeared to have won another when Earl banged the double hill nine ball into the rail but it somehow, even to Earl's surprise, went in. Van Boening was the one US player whose play was, in my opinion, solid, but Europe had five guys who were performing at that level or higher.
To this viewer, though, the biggest difference in the Mosconi Cup was position play. I'd guess that Team USA made twice as many errors in position play as Europe.
Racking the nine on the spot with a break from near the center ensured that everybody got to play and control of the rack often had to be earned through excellence in the moves game. This is the only way that rotation pool should ever be played, in my view. The seemingly annual, and usually false, excuse of Team USA that "Europe out-broke us but didn't outplay us" will likely not be heard this year. This was some of the most interesting and entertaining pool I have ever watched, and I thank both teams for that.
Congratulations to Team Europe on its exceptional play. Well done!
2. Sportsmanship
Europe conducted itself with continual dignity and Team USA did not. Earl aside, American players sometimes moved in the chair and sometimes talked to teammates while Europe was shooting. As for undeniable legend Earl Strickland, I'd favor a permanent ban of him from Mosconi Cup play. He isn't, as some suggest, a character, he's just a jerk who routinely shows disrespect for the game, his opponents and even tournament officials (Ken Shuman had to keep repeating to Earl to shut up and sit still while in the chair). Earl gave a reminder to all why, over the years, American pros have often preferred having him off of the team. He is so disruptive, even to his doubles partners, and the saddest thought is that he may one day be invited to coach Team America. Heaven help us if that ever happens.
3. What Does the Result Say About the State of American Pool?
America used to dominate the Mosconi Cup, and for good reason. Americans played pool at a much higher level than their European counterparts, and contrary to the opinions of some, the Mosconi Cup is a marathon that almost ensures that the better team will win. Best of twenty one races to six is very hard to fade if you have the less talented team.
Now, Europe is dominating the Mosconi Cup, winning six of the last seven, and for all the same reasons that America used to dominate. They are much, much, better players than their American counterparts. To some extent, it's because the Europeans play the full international pool schedule, thereby competing far more often and against tougher competition than the Americans.
American pros may choose to live in denial for yet another year, or they can take a good, hard look at American pool and commit to a new era of excellence.
World 9-ball champion Thorsten Hohmann and US Open 9-ball bronze medalist Jayson Shaw, neither of whom even made the team, serve as a reminder of just how tough it is to make it onto Team Europe. It seems to me that Team Europe will be fantastic for another decade with a nucleus of Appleton, Hohmann, Shaw, Melling and Boyes complemented by veteran legends like Immonen, Feijen and Souquet.
Although they deserved to win 11-2, the Europeans are not 11-2 better than the Americans, but some things happened in the weeks leading up to the Mosconi that changed the likely outcome and I was quite surprised that the Billiards press didn't pick up on it.
Niels Feijen and Darren Appleton both reached the final in the World Pool Masters in a killer field. Darren beat Shane along the way in that one. Niels reached the final of the World Cup of Pool with his partner Nick VanDenBerg. Karl Boyes won a bronze medal at the World 9-ball championships. Ralf Souquet won the November Euro-tour event in Italy, and Mika Immonen, of course, won the Ultimate 10-ball this summer. To me, Team Europe came in with five in-form players, so, to me, the demolition that occurred always seemed a possibility, but it wasn't what I expected.
Anyone who thought this match was "even on paper" was either ignoring the recent excellence of the European team members or riding a wave of blind faith in Team USA.
Finally, many will speak of Europe's team unity and the fact that they have "the John Wooden of the Mosconi Cup" in Johan Ruijsink and that does, in part, explain this result. FYI, John Wooden is the best coach in American college basketball history, at one point winning ten national championships in a twelve year period.
4. The Quality of the Entertainment
This event provides great entertainment and is one of the highlights of any pool year. I had a fantastic time and both the atmosphere and the pool were great. The arena was set up superbly and every seat was a good one. Well done, Matchroom Sports!
5. Socially
As always, the social side of the event was part of the story. A highlight is always meeting new AZers, and I was very pleased to get to hang out with each of Cuebuddy, Pink Lady, and Koolkat9lives. These guys are awesome and I hope to continue to build on my new friendships with them.
I also had the pleasure of catching up with AZers I already knew including Lou Figueroa, Chicago Player, Vagabond, Jay Helfert, Sunnyday, Jerry Forsyth, Bob Jewett, Mark Griffin, and a few others. It was great seeing them.
Of the non-AZers whom I count as friends, the ones I got to catch up with at length were HOF inductee Jeanette Lee, Jimmy Wych, Ken Shuman, Pat Fleming, Karen Corr and Paul Brienza. I was both shocked and delighted when I ran into former Team Europe member Marcus Chamat, an old but valued friend, but he greeted me with great sincerity and we spoke for at least ten minutes. I was also surprised that the great HOFer Eddie Kelly remembered me, for Allen Hopkins had introduced him to me almost a decade ago and Eddie and I hadn't chatted even once since. I even got to meet both Barry Hearn and Michaela Tabb for the first time this past week, and they are very down-to-earth and friendly. Last but not least, I was pleased to catch up with my old NYC friend Jason Kane on several occasions.
Pleased to note that I got to play some three cushion billiards on Tuesday with fellow AZers Lou Figueroa and Cuebuddy and on Wednesday Cuebuddy and I shot a little pool together. Good times and, oh yeah, these guys play pretty sporty. Next time I'll bring my cue, guys.
6. In Conclusion
So that's my slant on this year's Mosconi Cup. To those of you that I saw, it was truly a pleasure. To the rest of you, I hope to catch up with you somewhere down the road we call "the tournament trail."
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