sneakynito said:

Hard to be certain from the picture but i believe i have cue #6 in your top picture. No markings on butt, no signature, rounded pin.
When did they get produced?

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that cue was originally part of the 8 cue willie mosconi collection and then after some time labeled as bu-1. Idk why as lou butera tributes where lb-1 through 4. Early 2000s around 2003-2007

jbart65 said:

Woodward was poor defensively the past two years as captain, taking big risks (bank shots) when a good safety was the better play.

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Woodward is probably America's best 9ball defensive player of the past decade. That doesn't mean he always gets it right. I realize that he's not in the conversation with a Reyes, Pagulayan, or Varner, but who is?

I believe he reached Day 6 a few times in a WNT major, and was twice Mosconi MVP. His excellent defensive play was always a big part of the reason. Matchroom playing conditions and equipment specs always favored Skyler because of his fine tactical skills.

garczar said:

A bunch of rambling is all i see. Just WTF is this guy trying to say?

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Everything is rambling to you, Garczar!

This thread was clearly not aimed at you. Best you do as you usually do and skip to something else. I frankly don’t understand why you wasted your time to respond in the first place. So unlike you!

DeeDeeCues said:

Over chalking is what's makes tables dirty.

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I would have said that chalking over the table makes tables even dirtier than overchalking does.

Jaden said:

Why on earth would you tarnish a staple of pool with even the suggestion that someone would take a dive. Yes, we know you hate american pool players and that this is likely just an attempt to have an excuse if the US wins this year. Pathetic.

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LOL, I have been an ardent fan of Team USA at the Mosconi for about 20 years, and I count some American pool players among my closest friends. I have socialized with them, even vacationed with them on occasion. Believe me, I am as pained by our losing streak as anyone. I was elated to be there in 2018 when we broke the losing streak and the trip report I filed at the time made that abundantly clear.

Maybe it is our turn in 2026. I know I'll be in attendance and I'll be rooting as hard as anybody for Team USA. We'll soon know who is on the team, and I can't wait to find out.

And no, I did not suggest someone would take a dive. I merely noted, facetiously, that it doesn't really serve Europe well to win year after year and that I worry that if things don't get more competitive, the event could disappear.

As far as fastening a cue tip to a bridge that is normally used without a cue tip fastened to it?
This is not it.
I have a hard time imagining, however, any normal bridge that has a cue tip fastened to it that could match the performance of this wheeled unit. A major problem, though, is that the unit below does not raise the cue stick high enough over opponent's ball to hit your object ball. I suspect it has a problem, too, of moving laterally to line up the shot.

jbart65 said:

I said the deal with ESPN served three Matchroom goals. The third goal is to make pro pool seem more respectable.

Frazer hopes people seeing the event on ESPN, particularly parents of young U.S. pool players, will help remove the sport from the shadow of its shady American past. Perhaps young players and their families will start to see pool as a potentially solid way to make a living.

The new junior events feed into that. They take place alongside major pro events, offer surprisingly decent money and are organized in a very professional manner. The ties to ESPN can only help.

Making the WNT appear as professional as possible is a big emphasis for Frazer. That’s why the tour does not allow jeans and has a dress code, among other things.

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I think both the WNT and the Predator PBS are starting to make some headway in making pool more respectable, but I think the bigger issue is the culture of the poolroom itself. Until the typical poolroom is a place where parents are comfortable leaving their children to play, participation among juniors will disappoint, and I do not think we have accomplished this yet in America. It will help if televised pool causes parents to have more respect for the game, but unless they come to view the poolroom scene as respectable, it may not be enough.

JamesK41 said:

The 526 was mosconi high run, I was told the mosconi family got the first numbered set of 8 cues, I was offered the number 2 or 3 set years back but didn't feel like putting up that amount of money. I've heard less than 20 sets were made, I've seen 3 full sets over the years. The mosconi collection featured 8 cues in a collectors case. Some of the other hof cues just have the face and initials on them. I personally don't think more than 25 of the each cue was ever made in that short time they were available as they were expensive to make and hard to sell a tribute at that price also.

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Hard to be certain from the picture but i believe i have cue #6 in your top picture. No markings on butt, no signature, rounded pin.
When did they get produced?

fastone371 said:

The players of yesteryear would have topped 50mph on their breaks on current tables, the rack would have really exploded.

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Not!

jbart65 said:

Which brings me back to the Mosconi - sorry for the diversion.

In repeated interviews, Emily Frazer has stressed the Mosconi Cup is by far the biggest event in pool. From a money standpoint, of course, and a publicity standpoint.

We at AZB all know that. Nothing new there.

What is critical to understand is that the Mosconi is behind everything MR does in pro pool. Everything.

No Mosconi, Frazer has implied, means no real future for pro pool beyond what now exists. And flatly, imo, no future for Matchroom’s continued involvement in the sport.

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Right on. The Mosconi needs to remain the climax of the pool year and getting on the team must remain a goal of top players in both Europe and America.

While it may not be an issue at all this year, in previous years, favoritism has been too prevalent in the selection of Team USA and some of the young players I have spoken to in recent years wonder whether Matchroom will ever permit young American pros to find their way onto the team as wild cards. The omission of Lukas Verner in 2025, America's best young player who had greater WNT earnings than Billy Thorpe, reinforced this message. I, for one, was in shock when Team USA went to bat in Europe in 2025 with the exact same team that had failed miserably on home soil a year earlier. Fewer young players will play in WNT events if the perception that Mosconi selection is not based on merit persists.

Nick B said:

View attachment 927696

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Why does my uncle want to kill a horse?


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