Is 9 ball on a 9 footer too easy for Mosconi cup?

Kim Bye

Kim Bye

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Should Mosconi cup continue to be played on a 9" table? and should the game be 9 ball?

Being the highest profiled event, I would like to see 10 ball on a 10 foot table.
Today`s players are so good, a 9" table is too easy.
 
There have been plenty of misses so far.

Gray and Schmidt are making it look easy right now, but at this point they're the exception not the rule.
 
9 ball should not be being played by pros. It's like a chess champion playing checkers. Call shot 10 ball it should be.
 
Unless and until all the players start breaking and running every rack, its OK as is in my opinion. From the match and a half that I have watched so far, thats not whats going on! Personally I dont have a favorite between 9 and 10 ball.
 
Of course it is. But a match has to last no more than one hour to be television-made.

The game should be 10-ball, race to 13, but no TV station would air it.
 
Kim Bye said:
Should Mosconi cup continue to be played on a 9" table? and should the game be 9 ball?

Being the highest profiled event, I would like to see 10 ball on a 10 foot table.
Today`s players are so good, a 9" table is too easy.
Click to expand...

I think so,.... With the pressure and the crowd being what it is. Then again when someone hits a good break they are playing 6 ball
 
These pockets are so loose that I don't feel a switch to ten ball would make any difference at all.
 
the emphasis is on excitement

The Mosconi Cup is a "made for TV" event.....the emphasis is on excitement - they want the games to be played quickly, with as many "5/4" matches as possible. Loose tables with short races is the best way to assure these type results.


sjm said:
Anything close is going on, even some balls that are a couple of diamonds up the long rails.
Click to expand...
 
CJ Wiley said:
The Mosconi Cup is a "made for TV" event.....the emphasis is on excitement - they want the games to be played quickly, with as many "5/4" matches as possible. Loose tables with short races is the best way to assure these type results.
Click to expand...

I understand that sir, but how many non pool players do you think watches.
I think most of the audience are pool or snooker players, and to them, fast n' loose isn`t what they want.
 
CJ Wiley said:
The Mosconi Cup is a "made for TV" event.....the emphasis is on excitement - they want the games to be played quickly, with as many "5/4" matches as possible. Loose tables with short races is the best way to assure these type results.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. Still, this table seems a bit looser than the one used at the 2014 World Cup of Pool.
 
Actually what the first day shows is the Matchroom has it right! Even in these super short matches there can be several twists and turns involved in each match. Every game becomes that much more critical and the pressure is amped up. It's a little like bowling in that you need to make strikes, which for us are break and runs. If you fail to break and run out, you stand a chance to lose your serve so to speak. Alternate breaks keeps it fair.

I think this is shaping up as a memorable Mosconi Cup. I found myself yelling at the computer screen several times. Since I'm not commentating this year I can openly root for team USA. I just would like to see them reverse the trend of the last few years.
 
Its not the pockets

sjm said:
Anything close is going on, even some balls that are a couple of diamonds up the long rails.
Click to expand...

Its not the pockets, its the new cloth. The table would play tighter if the table and the balls were a little dirty for chalk and powder and usage.
 
jay helfert said:
Actually what the first day shows is the Matchroom has it right! Even in these super short matches there can be several twists and turns involved in each match. Every game becomes that much more critical and the pressure is amped up. It's a little like bowling in that you need to make strikes, which for us are break and runs. If you fail to break and run out, you stand a chance to lose your serve so to speak. Alternate breaks keeps it fair.

I think this is shaping up as a memorable Mosconi Cup. I found myself yelling at the computer screen several times. Since I'm not commentating this year I can openly root for team USA. I just would like to see them reverse the trend of the last few years.
Click to expand...

So true, Jay. Every year I take note of the same thing. It's NOT the team format that makes the Mosconi Cup work ----- it's the SHORT races. There are so many big shots and the pressure and the tension are maximized because of it.

It's there to be won this year. Close means nothing --- seventeen of our twenty Mosconi team won at least eight matches. We can win this.
 
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