I just got home from the US Open and will share my impressions.
1. Management of the Event
Pat Fleming and his team worked well together. The Behrman family was omnipresent in an event that paid fitting tribute to the late founder of the US Open. The arena was set up better, more fan-friendly than in 2015.
2. The Equipment and Rules
The Diamond tables played well. I don’t know what ball set was used, but there were few skids. As for the rules, I’m no fan of rack your own, especially not on the stream table, but I can just about live with it. My biggest complaint about this US Open was the illegal break rule in use. It was absolutely ridiculous, with a requirement that balls pocketed added to object balls passing the head-string be at least three.
The number of times I watched a break struck forcefully and with good cue ball control deemed illegal bothered me to no end. Worse than that, push out was disallowed after an illegal break, so the penalty was excessive. With respect to disallowing soft breaking, this rule is overkill. It randomized results at times and often got in the way of rewarding excellence in breaking. Referees sometimes struggled calling legal/illegal breaks, but overall the officials were solid.
The Field
This was as strong a field as was imaginable, with most of the elite international players in the mix.
3. The Play
Shane and JL Chang stole the show. Their play was breathtaking. Shane’s loss was to Chang and Chang’s loss was to Shane. In the final, Shane was brilliant to win the title. Still, Shane’s semifinal comeback in the semifinal may have been the defining moment of the event. Jayson Shaw, who had played beautifully all week, led 6-0 and seemed on his way to the final when Shane caught one of those very special gears to pull off the comeback.
Mosconi Cup Implications for Team USA
Shane has been America’s best for years and that hasn’t changed. He’ll lead the Mosconi effort for Team USA.
Jeremy Jones
Jeremy came fifth and played some great pool, especially in his win over Pagulayan in the winner’s bracket quarterfinal. In my estimation, it was too little too late for Mosconi consideration.
Brandon Shuff
Brandon came ninth, but didn’t play especially well against tougher opponents. That said, a top ten at the US Open is no small achievement. Well played, Brandon, but, I fear, too little too late.
Mike Dechaine
Mike’s thirteenth place finish understates how well he played. His losses were to the two finalists, JL Chang and Shane. In fact, he led JL Chang 6-3 when Chang hit him with a seven pack. I didn’t see it, but a friend of mine who watched it confirmed that it happened. SVB beat him at 2:00 AM, when I was fast asleep.
Tough draw, and yet, in another way, it was a great draw for Mike to prove how tough he is against the elite Europeans. Mike drew Darren Appleton and won 11-2. Mike later drew Mario He, ranked eleventh on the Eurotour, and beat him 11-3. Finally, he had to play Mark Gray, the number one ranked player on the Eurotour, and Mike won 11-6. No doubt, the haters will come up with a reason why Mike shouldn’t be on Team USA, but the only ones that shouldn’t want him on Team USA are the Europeans. Mike is third in the points so he’ll likely be an auto-qualifier, but even if Rodney Morris passes him, Mike has surely sealed his Mosconi spot.
Josh Roberts
Josh finished seventeenth. I’ve rarely seen him play, but after his second place finish at the Tornado Open, in which he beat both Orcullo and Van Boening, I made sure to watch him. I was very impressed. He’s one of those to be considered for a Mosconi wild card, and if Coach Wilson wants a guy who is playing well right now, Josh might well get the nod.
Justin Bergman
Justin finished seventeenth and his story is an unusual one. He rode a relatively easy draw into the winner’s round of sixteen, including a win over Siekkinen, the number 52 ranked player on the Eurotour, He didn’t win another match, but that’s not the whole story, I’d have to say that his best pool was played in the two matches that followed. He fought the good fight against eventual fifth place finisher, and Eurotour number three, David Alcaide, bowing 11-9. He next drew Dennis Orcullo, and was solid in an 11-9 loss. Justin is in pretty solid form right now, and has a great shot at a Mosconi Cup wild card.
Other Americans
To my recollection, no other American cashed, but Rodney Morris should get serious consideration for a spot and Skyler Woodward, who was off his game at the US Open, will likely qualify on points.
My Slant on Things
In order, I rate American players as follows: 1) SVB, 2) Dechaine, 3) Morris, 4) Josh Roberts, 5) Justin Bergman. To me, that would be the best possible Team USA.
The Venue
The Sheraton Waterside Hotel is quite nice, although the absence of a gift shop this year was an inconvenience. The food is just ordinary and a bit overpriced, but the waterside view from the main restaurant is pleasant.
In Conclusion
Great event, well run, great field, exciting play, great fun. Darn shame it is over, but there’s always next year.
1. Management of the Event
Pat Fleming and his team worked well together. The Behrman family was omnipresent in an event that paid fitting tribute to the late founder of the US Open. The arena was set up better, more fan-friendly than in 2015.
2. The Equipment and Rules
The Diamond tables played well. I don’t know what ball set was used, but there were few skids. As for the rules, I’m no fan of rack your own, especially not on the stream table, but I can just about live with it. My biggest complaint about this US Open was the illegal break rule in use. It was absolutely ridiculous, with a requirement that balls pocketed added to object balls passing the head-string be at least three.
The number of times I watched a break struck forcefully and with good cue ball control deemed illegal bothered me to no end. Worse than that, push out was disallowed after an illegal break, so the penalty was excessive. With respect to disallowing soft breaking, this rule is overkill. It randomized results at times and often got in the way of rewarding excellence in breaking. Referees sometimes struggled calling legal/illegal breaks, but overall the officials were solid.
The Field
This was as strong a field as was imaginable, with most of the elite international players in the mix.
3. The Play
Shane and JL Chang stole the show. Their play was breathtaking. Shane’s loss was to Chang and Chang’s loss was to Shane. In the final, Shane was brilliant to win the title. Still, Shane’s semifinal comeback in the semifinal may have been the defining moment of the event. Jayson Shaw, who had played beautifully all week, led 6-0 and seemed on his way to the final when Shane caught one of those very special gears to pull off the comeback.
Mosconi Cup Implications for Team USA
Shane has been America’s best for years and that hasn’t changed. He’ll lead the Mosconi effort for Team USA.
Jeremy Jones
Jeremy came fifth and played some great pool, especially in his win over Pagulayan in the winner’s bracket quarterfinal. In my estimation, it was too little too late for Mosconi consideration.
Brandon Shuff
Brandon came ninth, but didn’t play especially well against tougher opponents. That said, a top ten at the US Open is no small achievement. Well played, Brandon, but, I fear, too little too late.
Mike Dechaine
Mike’s thirteenth place finish understates how well he played. His losses were to the two finalists, JL Chang and Shane. In fact, he led JL Chang 6-3 when Chang hit him with a seven pack. I didn’t see it, but a friend of mine who watched it confirmed that it happened. SVB beat him at 2:00 AM, when I was fast asleep.
Tough draw, and yet, in another way, it was a great draw for Mike to prove how tough he is against the elite Europeans. Mike drew Darren Appleton and won 11-2. Mike later drew Mario He, ranked eleventh on the Eurotour, and beat him 11-3. Finally, he had to play Mark Gray, the number one ranked player on the Eurotour, and Mike won 11-6. No doubt, the haters will come up with a reason why Mike shouldn’t be on Team USA, but the only ones that shouldn’t want him on Team USA are the Europeans. Mike is third in the points so he’ll likely be an auto-qualifier, but even if Rodney Morris passes him, Mike has surely sealed his Mosconi spot.
Josh Roberts
Josh finished seventeenth. I’ve rarely seen him play, but after his second place finish at the Tornado Open, in which he beat both Orcullo and Van Boening, I made sure to watch him. I was very impressed. He’s one of those to be considered for a Mosconi wild card, and if Coach Wilson wants a guy who is playing well right now, Josh might well get the nod.
Justin Bergman
Justin finished seventeenth and his story is an unusual one. He rode a relatively easy draw into the winner’s round of sixteen, including a win over Siekkinen, the number 52 ranked player on the Eurotour, He didn’t win another match, but that’s not the whole story, I’d have to say that his best pool was played in the two matches that followed. He fought the good fight against eventual fifth place finisher, and Eurotour number three, David Alcaide, bowing 11-9. He next drew Dennis Orcullo, and was solid in an 11-9 loss. Justin is in pretty solid form right now, and has a great shot at a Mosconi Cup wild card.
Other Americans
To my recollection, no other American cashed, but Rodney Morris should get serious consideration for a spot and Skyler Woodward, who was off his game at the US Open, will likely qualify on points.
My Slant on Things
In order, I rate American players as follows: 1) SVB, 2) Dechaine, 3) Morris, 4) Josh Roberts, 5) Justin Bergman. To me, that would be the best possible Team USA.
The Venue
The Sheraton Waterside Hotel is quite nice, although the absence of a gift shop this year was an inconvenience. The food is just ordinary and a bit overpriced, but the waterside view from the main restaurant is pleasant.
In Conclusion
Great event, well run, great field, exciting play, great fun. Darn shame it is over, but there’s always next year.
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