SVB's Mosconi Facebook post

MatchroomPool said:
First of all, the entire programme for the US team is the responsibility of the captain, Johan Ruijsink, as he is the one charged with getting a result in December.

What the European team do in preparation for the event doesn't appear to be the issue on the basis that they win the Mosconi Cup each year with what seems to be a minimum of effort.

I'm not sure the budget for training expenses would cover much of a tournament, but that said tournaments like the World Series in the USA, which on the face of it fit the bill, just aren't attended by American players in any great numbers.

Most of the MC training is inside the USA. There is an expenses paid trip to Russia to compete in a major international tournament against players from Europe and the rest of the world, which I would assume is a good thing, and then a training camp in Holland where pool is treated as a sport, which again I would hope would also be a good thing for the team.

Whilst we have a vested interest in the Mosconi Cup, we aren't responsible for the overall fortunes of American pool, although we have shown some commitment by taking over the US Open.
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As an American pool aficionado, railbird, social shooter, and huge fan of pocket billiards—and now snooker—I am so grateful to Matchroom Sport and Barry Hearn for every single thing they do for our sport/game of pool.

Please do not pay attention to some of the disparaging and negative words written by a few members of this so-called "pool forum."

The Mosconi Cup and all of its glam and sparkle is a fun event for quite a few folks here in USA and around the world. I'm looking forward to the Reyes Cup. It's going to be fun!

Thank you for keeping the Mosconi Cup going! I appreciate Matchroom Sport and Barry Hearn very much!
 
jay helfert said:
Once again Lou, although you make some good points, I can't totally agree with you on this. The pressure excuse just doesn't fly with a player like Shane who has won countless tournaments and matches while under considerable pressure. The reality is that Shane has simply played bad, missing many easy shots and making an equal number of mental errors during the MC competition. If you had been watching (as I was) you would know that. He has failed to perform on this stage, plain and simple. He has never needed to carry the whole team, only himself, and so far he has been unable to do just that.

There have been other great players who have found a way to perform under the pressure of the MC, so why should we be making excuses for someone who has not played anywhere close to his skill level. Let's call it the way we see it, okay. I know that when a guy who is one of the world's best fails to get out two or three racks in a row, missing easy shots and misplaying others, I will most assuredly let people know that they are witnessing a player melting down. I won't be making excuses and saying things like, "He could have made that shot if he was somewhere else." Shane chose to play in the MC and after all these years he should have adjusted to the vagaries of this competition. Last time I looked they were still playing 9-Ball, Shane's specialty!

No question Shane is a great pool player and a certain Hall of Famer one day, but his play in the MC has been abysmal. That's the reality for whatever reason you care to label it.
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All players, even SVB, are human.

They all have weaknesses and perhaps, in the case of the MC, Shane has found his. The fact of the matter is that not everyone is wired for team sports, some folks preferring to stand or fall on their individual performance. I’m guessing that’s what’s going on with SVB. Don’t really care if you agree with me or not.

Lou Figueroa
 
I believe Jay made a very valid argument in his first post. I don't see that the US team could not compete (to some degree) on a technical level. They just fall apart mentally. Which is - IMHO - a psychological issue. I can see that Shane seeing his buddies lose for years now has affected his mindset by this constant streak of losing when it matters. I also agree that mental (psychological) coaching would most probably help a lot more than single trips to the Netherlands and Russia.

The new requirement for the players to stay in boot camp won't help at all - IMHO. I would expect other players to drop out if that requirement is really enforced. Even if their costs are paid for they are still losing money not being able to play at other tournaments, stay with their families etc. I seriously doubt that this boot camp thing will get the best US players to join the MC team. Let's wait and see.
 
Tin Man said:
One thing you learn about being a leader is to be very careful about issuing orders that won't be followed.

5 weeks of boot camps sounds dreamy assuming our top US Players participate. But if we need to go down the alternate list too deep we could reach a point at which all the training in the world wouldn't compensate for the champions that backed out.
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You are so right.
The current state the USA players are in they'd probably need 8 weeks of boot camp.
And if they think a lousy 5 weeks for a big multi-day tournament of preparation is "too much" they'll probably also need a serious head adjustment.

Also I read it a very different way.
"I am SVB, I don't care about the most important tournament to represent my country. The pay for 6 weeks of my precious time simply is not enough and also I don't like being part of a team and train on the skills involving that.
I think I'm fine the way I am and I get more money by playing all alone for myself.
Also I think the damn Europeans still will win so why bother.
Also I'm turning slowly into a moody Strickland, forgetting to play sharp and tactical as soon as I start loosing."

I enjoy the World Cup of Pool and Mosconi Cup the most.
And yes, it's also due to the tremendous pressure and that you cannot afford to have lousy attitude or lousy fundamentals, also mind fundamentals.

Cheerio,
M
 
jay helfert said:
Jason, with all due respect, it's all about TV ratings. And as long as Europe vs. USA gets so many viewers worldwide on SkySports, Matchroom will continue to produce this event. Why shouldn't they? They have a winning formula with the MC.

IMO the people at Matchroom are by far the smartest promoters in the billiard world, so who am I to criticize them. I've worked at a lot of their events and they are always first class all the way. I will continue to support their efforts in any way I can, as I see the Matchroom events as being very beneficial to our sport and it's continuing popularity worldwide.
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Nobody watches in the US, the smart money is to play against somebody else who has a base that watches -
pinoys. And that's the Asian countries. They are marketing to one side only - makes no sense whatsoever.
Jason
 
M.G. said:
You are so right.
The current state the USA players are in they'd probably need 8 weeks of boot camp.
And if they think a lousy 5 weeks for a big multi-day tournament of preparation is "too much" they'll probably also need a serious head adjustment.
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Sorry, but you don't have a clue what life as a pool player is like in the US. I have lived in both worlds, Germany and the US. Most US pool players have to work for a living. Pool just does not pay for their families and other expenses. This may be true for most German players, too. However, in Germany you get more than twice the vacation time plus about 2 to 3 times the holidays a regular American enjoys. So - taking four or five weeks off for the MC is a lot harder for a US employee. If a pool player entirely relies on his pool earnings it is equally tough to take 5 weeks off without any money paying the bills. Not everyone in the world enjoys free Saturdays, 22-36 days of vacation (not counting Sat, Sun and holidays) plus a multitude of religious and state/official holidays.

You also enjoy social security and health insurance to a degree not known in the US.
 
M.G. said:
You are so right.
The current state the USA players are in they'd probably need 8 weeks of boot camp.
And if they think a lousy 5 weeks for a big multi-day tournament of preparation is "too much" they'll probably also need a serious head adjustment.

Also I read it a very different way.
"I am SVB, I don't care about the most important tournament to represent my country. The pay for 6 weeks of my precious time simply is not enough and also I don't like being part of a team and train on the skills involving that.
I think I'm fine the way I am and I get more money by playing all alone for myself.
Also I think the damn Europeans still will win so why bother.
Also I'm turning slowly into a moody Strickland, forgetting to play sharp and tactical as soon as I start loosing."

I enjoy the World Cup of Pool and Mosconi Cup the most.
And yes, it's also due to the tremendous pressure and that you cannot afford to have lousy attitude or lousy fundamentals, also mind fundamentals.

Cheerio,
M
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Represent his country??? What does his country do to support him? If I were him I wouldn't go either. Family and friends are way more important than a silly tournament for 10 or 20k. Will the president invite him to the white house if he wins? Hell, his country wont even attempt to get pool in the olynpics.

The Americans are outmatched in every department and anybody that wants to bet on matches played between each teams players outside of MC can get action, but we must bet every match anytime any of them play.

Better yet, you pick your 5 from any americans
Jason
 
If they don’t take the 5 best guys it’s just stupid.Pool isn’t a team sport anyway.
 
We didnt have any boot camps when we drilled Europe year after year! "train for team play?" seriously? lol

MS is just trying to maintain interest pretending this stuff matters and as a result, the USA has a chance. Switch the team to the Pinoys and then have another event where the Americans play the loser. If they ever win, they get back to the 'main event' the next year.
 
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Nostroke said:
We didnt have any boot camps when we drilled Europe year after year! "train for team play?" seriously? lol

MS is just trying to maintain interest pretending this stuff matters and as a result, the USA has a chance. Switch the team to the Pinoys and then have another event where the Americans play the loser. If they ever win, they get back to the 'main event' the next year.
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Rep sent(the good kind):thumbup:
Jason
 
jasonlaus said:
Nobody watches in the US, the smart money is to play against somebody else who has a base that watches -
pinoys. And that's the Asian countries. They are marketing to one side only - makes no sense whatsoever.
Jason
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It's coming Jason - SOON!
 
I was just listening to Shane and Darren on the WPS stream, and Shane said directly that he couldn’t be on the Mosconi Cup team this year because he wasn’t going to do the boot camp. It was much more definitive that he wasn’t going to be on the team than his Facebook post.
 
jay helfert said:
More power to Johann if he can teach them how to be better players though.
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Players like SVB "are as good as their ever going to be......period".

Now, good vs smarter, well, that's another story.

I agree with your entire statement before I took most all out since the rest most know. Not as well as you, but still know in general.

Your last sentence says it all. Nobody can make them better players as in improving ball pocketing, safeties etc...etc..

Again, like you said their problem is a mental approach and they need help "away" from the pool table.

And as most all have mentioned (including myself) they do not need help with their $$$, they have to have it if we (USA) are to "ever" be competitive again. Our competition get way to much support for us to compete with this mentality of it's just a pool tournament.

It's much, much more than a pool tournament. It's not the olympics but in reality it should be given same weight but with compensation to take some of the pressures off the players before they even get in the ring.

It's a lose/lose as it is until things are changed.

Rake
 
Johnnyt said:
If the $ don't add up for Shane...what top American does it add up? NONE. Johnnyt
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I think it’s a matter of opportunity cost. I can see Sky thinking, “Cool there’s 5 weeks of cheap vacation” and Shane thinking “I can’t be away from my side businesses, family and fishing that long. It’s probably not a matter of adding up but rather what else they have going on.


Respectfully, Matt
(I don’t take myself too seriously. I hope you can return the favor.)
 
BRussell said:
I was just listening to Shane and Darren on the WPS stream, and Shane said directly that he couldn’t be on the Mosconi Cup team this year because he wasn’t going to do the boot camp. It was much more definitive that he wasn’t going to be on the team than his Facebook post.
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Shane should hold 10 of his own boot camps where he invites each player from both teams to a big challenge match.
 
For many decades European pool players had to make a decision, go to the US, where the money, the big tournaments, the coaches and the knowledge were, or stay at home and live a normal life, get a job and treat pool more or less as a hobby.
And many of them, like Mika, Thorsten, Allison, Darren, Gerda went there to learn and basically made the final step to become a professional pool player.
It took the Europeans 30 years to go from using snooker players, because they had not enough good pool players, to MC teams with three world champions in them.

Today is the same situation for the US players, they have to decide, if they want to stay at home, or set their eyes on Europe and Asia.
Basically now it is their time to decide between professional pool and normal life.

Admittedly, Shane might be the only US player, who could afford to miss out on such opportunities as training camps, but for the rest it might be mandatory, if they want to close the gap that has opened between them and the European pros.
 
Oze147 said:
For many decades European pool players had to make a decision, go to the US, where the money, the big tournaments, the coaches and the knowledge were, or stay at home and live a normal life, get a job and treat pool more or less as a hobby.
And many of them, like Mika, Thorsten, Allison, Darren, Gerda went there to learn and basically made the final step to become a professional pool player.
It took the Europeans 30 years to go from using snooker players, because they had not enough good pool players, to MC teams with three world champions in them.

Today is the same situation for the US players, they have to decide, if they want to stay at home, or set their eyes on Europe and Asia.
Basically now it is their time to decide between professional pool and normal life.

Admittedly, Shane might be the only US player, who could afford to miss out on such opportunities as training camps, but for the rest it might be mandatory, if they want to close the gap that has opened between them and the European pros.
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You want to get better? Then go play in all the international tournaments you can! Guys like Dechaine, Skyler, Bergman and a couple of others should and could have been doing that for the last few years. Sponsorship (backers) were available if necessary. That is the one way that some of our best players could improve their games, getting in the heat of competition with the world's best. So far only Shane among our top players has consistently traveled to all the major tournaments worldwide. A couple of our lower ranled players have played abroad with mixed results, but even they improved their games by doing so.

Being in tough competition is imo much better than getting lessons or "training" somewhere. Shane dominates in the USA and it's not surprising why. Take a look at the roster of players in New York. It looks like almost all foreign players and only a couple of top Americans cared enough to play. Yes, I know it's expensive to travel to New York but where there's a will there's a way.

I look for another beat down in the MC this year. It should get high ratings in Europe. They love to see the Americans get their asses kicked! :cool:
 
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