Jay Helfert

Listen, Jay's done more for American pool than almost anyone involved in TD'ing, commenting, running tournaments and so forth for longer than I can remember.

IMO, he's calling just as he sees it. Put yourself in his place... you're asked to call the match and you're live on the air... you see it, you call it.

Having said that, I'd like Team USA to get it! Stay tuned....:thumbup:
 
vladmin said:
Coming from an European fan -

I can tell you that this year's Mosconi Cup commentary has been the worst in the last 8 years. If they're biased, they are towards the word "momentum" if anything. In their views, the momentum shifts from making the 2 ball in the 1st rack of a race. It's been atrocious.
I have the highest respect for Jerry, Jim and Jay but boy, am I tired of hearing the same lines over and over and over again.

As for being biased towards 1 side or another, c'mon. Corey flukes the 9, celebrates like he won a million dollar jackpot and they're not even commenting on his lack of sportsmanship. Same with Niels fluking the 2 against Shane, no word of him acting like "ya whatever"

Darren plays like shit in his game against Bergman and only once I think it was Jerry who said something about it. But no other mentioning of it. And not giving Bergman enough credit for his amazing game. Yet, when Nick played against Corey and they both kinda sucked, he got dismantled for his poor showing this entire week bla bla bla

Not to mention Mike the Failball. If anyone was biased, Mike should've been trashed as, IMO, he is the weakest link this year.

I dont see bias. I just see 3 people who are trying to hype the game for the viewers not thinking that the vast majority of people watching this game have some type of an understanding and that a lot of the shots that they are claiming to be "wow", "so hard" etc are in fact, shots that these players see on a daily basis.
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If they're biased, they are towards the word "momentum" if anything.

Yes , as commentators they are praising the front runners in matches.
 
People expect a lot from basically amateur announcers. Announcing and commentary on an internet pool stream isn't exactly a lucrative position. What is the "pay"? Complimentary rooms and food?
 
Jay is anti-bad-play

Here's the thing about Jay:
He rags on whoever he perceives is playing bad. It's very frustrating listening to him commentate on the MC, because each year we are not playing as well as the Euros.

Go listen to him commentate on a match that has nothing to do with the MC and you will pick up on the same thing.
 
Jay rags on whoever he has bet against. Believe me I know this first hand. His allegiance is to his wallet!
jeffj2h said:
Here's the thing about Jay:
He rags on whoever he perceives is playing bad. It's very frustrating listening to him commentate on the MC, because each year we are not playing as well as the Euros.

Go listen to him commentate on a match that has nothing to do with the MC and you will pick up on the same thing.
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I was almost ready to start a thread with the same point of view. He sucks as commentator. Two years ago he was also sharking SVB in the US open when he was playing Dennis O and Jay was refereeing. He loves everyone else except the US IMHO.
 
TomInFaribo said:
Two years ago he was also sharking SVB in the US open when he was playing Dennis O and Jay was refereeing.
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Jay was refereeing the 2014 US Open Finals AND sharking SVB at the same time? That's strong. I've watched the accu-stats tape several times and did not pick up on it, so I guess you were in the arena. What did he do?
 
jeffj2h said:
Jay was refereeing the 2014 US Open Finals AND sharking SVB at the same time? That's strong. I've watched the accu-stats tape several times and did not pick up on it, so I guess you were in the arena. What did he do?
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He tried to get SVB to buy his book .
 
The last match they said Justin was from Kentucky and then they described him as a fast, crazy player looking to just get out the door. All of which couldn't be farther from the truth. From listening, you would think that they never saw Justin hit a ball before.
 
Baron said:
Maybe he seems pro-European because they're outplaying us and as a commentator his job is to point that out. Just a thought.
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Exactly. The Europeans are playing better, showing much more team spirit and they are a TEAM. A commentators job is to describe what he sees, which is what Jay is doing. If the Americans played like Justin did against Darren I'm sure that the Europeans would say he is prejudice.
 
Baron said:
Maybe he seems pro-European because they're outplaying us and as a commentator his job is to point that out. Just a thought.
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+1

I think Helfert is a pretty good commentator.

If anything he generally shows a slight bias for whoever is winning/playing better, so it's no wonder some of you guys think he's pro-European given recent Mosconi cup history :grin-square:.
 
One thing about Jay Helfert, which cannot be said about many others in this pool world, is that he is honest. It shines through in everything he does. If you are involved in games of stake when Jay is on one team, whether as a stakehorse, player, tournament director, or promoter, there will be no cheating. Whether it benefits him or not, he speaks the truth. He is a gentleman gambler as well.

This is the same flavor he gives in his commentary. If it was slanted and anti-American, I would be the first one on this forum to give Jay hell. Sadly, Jay speaks the truth when it comes to Shane and the Americans in the Cup.

His wisdom of the game exudes in his words. I have a seasoned ear when it comes to voices on audio, and Jay actually has an excellent voice for commentary. It's the straight truth, as brutal as it is to American ears.
 
corvette1340 said:
He should be given honorary European status for sure. I'm not sure if he knows he's doing it and is just trying not to be pro-American for matchroom, but it's making me sick how pro-European he is. He's so complimentary of all of their players but is doing nothing but downgrading ours.
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Perhaps he is just commentating on their performance?

The scoreline reflects this.
 
Amazing thread! My first time on AZ since the Mosconi started. First of all I'M NOT BETTING ON ANYONE HERE! And I'm also not biased for anyone, but covertly I'd like to see USA win for the sake of the event.

Sorry I can't please everyone with my commentary, but my job is to call it like I see it, not play favorites on TV. If someone makes a mistake, be they from Team Europe or Team USA, I will point that out. I also look at the respective way the teams interact and all the body language as well.

I'm not a guy in a diner when it comes to Pool, as I've been playing against and watching all the greatest players of the last fifty years. I do know a little bit about what constitutes good and bad play. And I won't be shy to talk about it. That's why SkySports keeps bringing me back every year. I did point out to Jerry that Justin was from St. Louis and not Kentucky so he won't make that mistake again. It was no big deal anyway.

I think Team USA has been very tenacious considering how they've played overall (.780 TPA). I will say this, they haven't given up by any means and I expect to see them come out swinging today. I especially liked how Shane and Justin played in the last two matches yesterday. Shane fought back to hill-hill only to have Niels luck in the nine on the break. Justin played terrific to take down Darren.

The one thing I've stressed is how tough this Diamond table is with 4.25" pockets, tighter than in previous MC. That's why we are seeing so many missed balls, you must aim for dead center on the pocket or risk having it jar out. That said, there have been a couple of missed nine balls by Team USA that have proven costly and a couple of failed run outs with open racks as well. But for those key errors the score might be a lot closer now.

There is definitely momentum in these matches and Team USA had it going for them on the first day until Mike missed that seven ball to win match two. The tide shifted to Europe after that and it never really turned back to USA since. I can't remember the last time Team USA led 2-0 in a MC.
 
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cashin said:
That's exactly what I hear when he commentates. I'm pretty sure he always bets on Europe and can't hide his bias when he commentates. He should bet who he thinks will win .. but not let it affect his commentary.
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Not true, we had a small sweat bet last year and he took the USA.
 
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