middleofnowhere said:

It is probably just brass and not brass plated.

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oh, that sounds cool. It does look like a really old cue.

Jaden said:

I don't think you'll see any modern top player that is using old style high deflection shafts. An argument could be made for using wood ld shafts, but there is really no benefit to them over cf except feel and most of those are going to feel deader than the cf because of how ld is achieved.

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the ko brothers have raked in 4 world championships with old school maple shafts.. ko ping chung is the current world 10-ball champion too. there are a few more, like lee van corteza and mickey krause. but i agree in general, and they are exceptions to the rule.

bbb said:

do you have joint protectors of different sizes?
thats an easy way to know what size pin you have
jmho

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Oh, good idea. Just need a pair of joint protectors. Thanks.

I know at least three different definitions of tips of english. The problem comes in when you try to communicate to someone else. A relative newcomer tries to measure literal tips of english. Things can go wrong from the beginning because some measure one tip of english from the edge of the tip, six or seven mm from center. Others measure one tip width from center of cue ball. Before even starting to measure how many tips of english we start with two different starting points. Then some measure distance from their starting point, some measure the effect it has on the cue ball's path.

Things are perfectly unclear!!

Hu

jbart65 said:

Let’s say Hohmann is overtaken on points by Gorst. Or he decides to withdraw given his history of playing for Team Europe (three times). Who should be the two wild cards?

There are only three choices, of course. Skyler Woodward, Billy Thorpe and Justin Bergman.

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I disagree. Of the three, only Thorpe has even one high finish in WNT play. A much more reasonable view would be that none of them deserve to be selected. Hohmann is worthier than any of them, as he has shown more commitment to the tour than any of them. All four are over 30, and none represent the future of American pool. If Johan picked two young players instead of any of these, he'd have my fullest respect and I don't think America's chances would drop much, if any. His choice to go young in 2018, which did not sit well with many, paid dividends as 23-year-old Tyler Styer played well and helped Team USA to a) break its long losing streak, and b) defend the cup in 2019.

In 2026, Bergman has beated Carlo Biado, David Alcaide, Mickey Krause, Felix Vogel and Arsenis Sevastyanov in long 9 ball races.

The percentage of matches in which he has played well to total matches played is unimpressive. I've already conceded that he is occasionally brilliant and that his conceptualization skills remain very elite.

jbart65 said:

He also secured wins in the PLP in races to 5 vs. Aloysius Yapp, Kledio Kaci, AJ Manas and Duong Quoc Hoang.

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Meaningless. He crashed out in Stage 1 of the PLP despite the absence of Gorst, Filler, SVB, and Shaw. As in every major event in which he played, despite occasional brilliance, he was unable to sustain a high level of play.

jbart65 said:

Bergman also beat Joshua Filler, Wojciech Szewczyk and Duong Huoc Huang in at the World 8-ball Championship in St Louis. He and Xiao Fang Fu, what’s more, got to the final of the mixed doubles event in St. Louis. That was more impressive than Skyler’s finish in the WPA World Team Championships.

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This is the one game that Justin has played in recent years. The World 8ball was on looser pockets than WNT specs, too, and Justin played 8ball against guys who only play it once or twice a year. Still, as in every other major event played, he missed the Top 16. All that said, I'd want Bergman on the team if the Mosconi were an 8ball contest, as it is the one game he played during his long-term absence from major 9ball competition.

jbart65 said:

Just as important to me, Bergman is motivated to play.

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Wow, so sitting out 4 1/2 years of WNT play, including the first seven months of 2026, constitutes motivation and commitment. Skyler and Billy have also been similarly AWOL in WNT ranking events, but at least they have played the WNT since its inception. Coming back for a month doesn't change much.

jbart65 said:

He wants to play in the Mosconi. He said it was hard to watch the last few years. He came back this year to try to make the team. He is even traveling for the first time ever outside the country for a major event, the World 10-ball Championship in Vietnam.

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I'd have to say that a high finish in the World 10ball would likely sway my opinion, but for now, he has yet to have a high finish in any major event in any discipline, so I don't expect much. Noone is looking for a win, but even a Top 16 would show me something.

Mensabum said:

I don't understand why those haven't taken off as well as they play. I'm flummoxed!!

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I had filler and dimitris and some other top players asking me about it at Arizona. They'll take off. It took a while for LD shafts to take off when they first came out.

lfigueroa said:

Look, I am not against tech and advances.

But also, I am not a sucker. And when I seen a room full of CF shafts in the hands of dozens of players who could not get out with BIH with four balls on the table all that "progress" you speak of becomes transparent BS.

Lou Figueroa

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You shouldn't be looking at what those types of players are playing with. Bangers will be bangers. You should look at what the top players are playing with. The modern stroke and style lends itself to low deflection. Holding the back of the cue, bridging farther back, these are indicators of where the pivot point sits on their shafts and cues.

I don't think you'll see any modern top player that is using old style high deflection shafts. An argument could be made for using wood ld shafts, but there is really no benefit to them over cf except feel and most of those are going to feel deader than the cf because of how ld is achieved.

jbart65 said:

Who’s going to join SVB and Styer? Gorst is a lock, as you note, even if he doesn’t surpass Hohmann in points.

Hohmann is still a very good player. In interviews, he comes across as a gentleman. Friendly, thoughtful and respectful. I applaud all his effort and hard work to become a U.S. citizen. Impossible not to like him.

Still, I admit: I’m not crazy about two-fifths of the players on Team USA not being native born. Yet If Hohmann earns a Mosconi spot on points, he deserves the right to play. I will cheer for him, too, just like the other players.

My bigger quibble is with the decline in his game. Hohmann, 47, does struggle vs better players. He has inexplicable misses at times that seem to be a clear result of his age. In that sense, he's not at David Alcaide’s level.

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gentleman is an appropriate word for toastie. his pedigree is undeniable, and he was a favorite player of mine, especially in the dragon promotion years when he blazed through the fields.

but playing wise i just don't see how an older player on the decline would add to the US team. if you watch his matches it's obvious he's become yippier with age. he can get away with the twitches in earlier rounds but usually not in single elim when the pressure rises. and mosconi cup is a lot of pressure.

johan probably knows best on the bergman vs sky issue. if sky practices hard for three months he's probably the safer pick, but it would be interesting to see if bergman's inclusion could make a difference. best case scenario i guess is fedor winning the philippines open? or runner up

Patrick Johnson said:

Unless it hits more than one thing (i.e., ball then rail) - although after the first rebound/curve most of the spin is usually gone.

pj
chgo

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Ah so after the cue ball curves once from draw or follow, that “extra” spin from draw/follow is already gone?

Patrick Johnson said:

In my tests 1/3 of maximum tip offset = 1 diamond up the rail, 2/3 of maximum = 2 diamonds and maximum tip offset = 3 diamonds.

pj
chgo

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What is wild is that your measurement uses every possible variable, including the table you happen to be using.

But it isn't your fault... we really have no way to talk about where exactly on the cue ball a specific shot should be hit WITHOUT referring to the outcome, unless we strictly talk about tip contact point, and Percent From Center.

jbart65 said:

Let's turn to Woodward, who recently said he hasn’t been motivated to play pool “since before Covid.”

The best reasons to pick him are his unquestionable talent and his experience playing in the Mosconi. It’s not his performance or attitude.

Woodward didn't just have an off-year. The number of events he’s played in are among the fewest of any year since he became pro. The first time he’ll leave the U.S. this year for an event outside the country is the 10-Ball Championship in Vietnam next week.

As a result, Woodward’s earnings are on track to be the lowest since 2013 if the pandemic year is omitted. And the biggest chunk of what he earned in 2026 was being part of a three-man team at the World Team Championships.

Big wins. None in 9 ball this year. None, nada, zippo. He got knocked out early in the Florida and U.S. opens and didn’t look especially good. He has ZERO wins over a top 100 Fargo player in 9 ball in 2026.

His only good wins in individual play this year were in 8 ball. He beat Justin Bergman, Carlos Biado and Oliver Szolnoki before bowing out in the final 16 at the World 8-ball Championship.

His performance this year was bad enough. But his effort was even worse. He admitted to not practicing much before recent tournaments. Sjm probably didn’t see or read Woodward’s remarks, but here’s what he said during the U.S. Open.

https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/mosconi-reyes-wpm-rankings.589389/post-8501520

Woodward said he is motivated now. He said the other day he hopes he makes the Mosconi team. He knows he is in danger of being left off, missing out on some guaranteed money and perhaps losing sponsors.

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Johan should pick 6-8 players and have a round robin Mosconi type qualifier and so be it for 2 spots.

Mensabum said:

Since I play with earbuds respectively now, I need that tactile sensation, awareness coming down into my hands. My eyes can tell if I hit it good, but the feel is also very important. You know when you've stroked off a difficult shot. You can feel it resonate in the cue.
Since my game currently sucks, pay no attention to any of this.

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I seem to keep buying these pretty hunks of lumber with no visible improvement, but damnit I have hope on my side!

Finally Billy Thorpe. He looked great at the U.S. Open. He beat Tyler Styer, Alex Pagulayan and Yannick Pongers and lost a close one to Robbie Capito. Best I’ve ever seen him play.

There is no doubting Thorpe’s motivation or energy. He brings it all the time.

Still, he is the least talented of any player under consideration. He is no longer a full-time professional pool player - he runs a demolition company now. And he has hardly any big wins this year to speak of aside from his U.S. Open performance.

His sole notable victory in 9 ball this year was a 10-9 win over Konrad Konrad Juszczyszyn at the Diamond Open.

Thorpe has also lost this year to a number of lesser-ranked Fargo players. Good, solid American players, granted, but Thorpe loses to them regularly.

This year they include Matt Clatterbuck, Jonathan Pinegar, Raymond Linares, Brandon Shuff and Chris Reinhold.

Nice.

Congrats to the smarty pants who snapped this one up real quick-like.