SJM at the 2023 Derby City Catastrophe

His play was superb but I wouldn't say he played like the Efren of old. A few, including Pijus Labutis, had him beat and let him off the hook. Efren can still beat anyone to the shot at one-pocket but can't execute the offense at the most elite level anymore.

I said little more than hello to Efren. We've never known each other very well.
Scotch 1P:

Let Efren beat them to the shot, then let the fire power run out.

Let either team pick and choose who shoots what shot at anytime during their respective inning.

Efren/Gorst vs “The World”

Fun to think about.


Fatboy
 
I can't see the DCC moving out of the only part of the country in which bank pool is very popular (Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois) and in which one pocket is also very popular.

If they moved the event, I suspect they wouldn't move it far. Still, as much as I hate the Horseshoe, if they fix the many problems in the DCC events, they'll have a great event once again.

The reality, however, is that they probably turned their biggest ever profit this year given the field sizes, number of rounds and number of streamed matches. They did so by compromising the experience of attending fans, fans watching on stream and, worst of all, the players. There's a danger that the producers will take the view that there is no problem, which would imply a willingness to repeat the errors of 2023.
 
Something I wish I'd written is an apology. When I left the tournament room to go to my hotel and pack my bags to be ready for my car service a few hours later, I intended to return, but when I finished packing, I thought it wise to opt for a few hours of sleep, a decision I don't regret. What I regret is my failure to say goodbye to some friends. I also must add that I let down a few with whom I'd promised to sweat a match. They know who they are, and I'm sorry.
 
it isn't the fault of the promoters if the casino has faults. that's on them.

but they can anticipate the problems and at least do something to mitigate them or correct them, and that is on them. if they just sit on their ass and say well we make good money anyway that will kill off the derby in time.

or have another entity put something better on top of them.

what greg needs to do is come on the site here and field questions with good answers. or have a rep. do it for him.
this way he can get suggestions from the people that were there, what is needed for their return business.

it does not have to be adversarial although there is always some of that and that goes with business.
 
Overall, the Derby is a great event and format is awesome. Let's not forget that. What other sport can you pay a small entry fee and play with the best in the world? As said above, only Horseshoe can fix some of the complains here. That's on them. As far as growing the event, that is great as long as it is managed efficiently. This year it wasn't and spiraled out of hand. Mistakes happen, we get that. Greg should know and respond to some of the criticisms here and provide a better game plan for next year. Communication is key. An apology and acknowledgment of the situation would go a long way. We can accept that if it is addressed and handled better in the future. I don't have all of the answers, but as I said before they need a contingency plan. We want to see the best at their best when we get to the finals. We all deserve better.
 
it isn't the fault of the promoters if the casino has faults. that's on them.

but they can anticipate the problems and at least do something to mitigate them or correct them, and that is on them. if they just sit on their ass and say well we make good money anyway that will kill off the derby in time.

or have another entity put something better on top of them.

what greg needs to do is come on the site here and field questions with good answers. or have a rep. do it for him.
this way he can get suggestions from the people that were there, what is needed for their return business.

it does not have to be adversarial although there is always some of that and that goes with business.
Health issues exist with Greg Sullivan per his daughter's. He is slowing down and passing the battan to them.

To my knowledge? They never engage with the pool community and I have never seen any of them engage on azbilliards.

Stu is a top customer in my opinion and his opinion and feelings matter. It will be interesting to see if his plea for a better Derby City Classic falls on deaf ears?

Kd

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk
 
I guess this is the place for all of our complaints.

I don't mind the no jump cues rule BUT it's a very inequitable rule since the players that aren't playing with low-deflection shafts have a considerable advantage when it comes to jumping balls. I can't jump the ball a hair with my Predator shafts, nor would I want to as I'm afraid it may crack the ferrule. For this reason, you should be allowed to jump with your full-length break cue.

I know this won't change, but I want the record to reflect this 😉
 
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If I recall correctly, Fedor was at number 10 before the Derby. He jumped to #2. In my opinion, he will be the world number 1 very, very soon. As filler recently said to Shane, "There is a new King." Well, Josh, step aside because Fedor will reign soon. I was so, so, so impressed with his performance at Derby! This kid is something truly special. As great as Shane, Filler, and Shaw are, Fedor might just be on a different level. That is a scary thing to say. I don't see anyone beating him anytime soon. Opinions?
Gorst was #2 Fargo for some time even before DCC.
The benchmark for "best player" in other sports (like tennis, golf, snooker) is performance in majors. NOT rankings not ratings, not prizemoney won, not money game races to 100000 won :LOL:
And Gorst performance in majors has been lacklustre. He has not won a major since his 2019 World 9 Ball win and his best performance was just semifinal finish in International Open last year. Sure he has not played the majors in Europe but he has played a lot of majors total 6 majors past 2 years (International Open x2, US Openx2, World 8 ballx1, World 9 ballx1).
He is 22 now . At same age, Filler won 3 majors already.
Gorst is arguably the best all round player now but in the pool universe, the majors are in 8B/9B/10B which have the strongest monster fields 128 of best players in world, at least 20 Fargorate 800+ players. It follows that the best player is the best performer in majors. Last year that was FSR. People always forget the other guy Albin who was the best player of past 2 years.
This year my guess is Albin or Filler cos they are big match players with extreme self belief/self confidence and are better closers than Gorst. :LOL:

majors2021-2022.JPG
 
its very subjective who might be the best player considering all the different games. as well as defining the conditions of the ratings.

generally throughout history the best in the world was the guy that stood up at the tournaments and said i will play anyone for any amount.
no takers, and he most likely was judged by his peers as the best.
 
Something I wish I'd written is an apology. When I left the tournament room to go to my hotel and pack my bags to be ready for my car service a few hours later, I intended to return, but when I finished packing, I thought it wise to opt for a few hours of sleep, a decision I don't regret. What I regret is my failure to say goodbye to some friends. I also must add that I let down a few with whom I'd promised to sweat a match. They know who they are, and I'm sorry.
I had fun seeing you Stu!

See you in NYC, I’ll let you know next time I’m there
 
Gorst was #2 Fargo for some time even before DCC.
The benchmark for "best player" in other sports (like tennis, golf, snooker) is performance in majors. NOT rankings not ratings, not prizemoney won, not money game races to 100000 won :LOL:
And Gorst performance in majors has been lacklustre. He has not won a major since his 2019 World 9 Ball win and his best performance was just semifinal finish in International Open last year. Sure he has not played the majors in Europe but he has played a lot of majors total 6 majors past 2 years (International Open x2, US Openx2, World 8 ballx1, World 9 ballx1).
He is 22 now . At same age, Filler won 3 majors already.
Gorst is arguably the best all round player now but in the pool universe, the majors are in 8B/9B/10B which have the strongest monster fields 128 of best players in world, at least 20 Fargorate 800+ players. It follows that the best player is the best performer in majors. Last year that was FSR. People always forget the other guy Albin who was the best player of past 2 years.
This year my guess is Albin or Filler cos they are big match players with extreme self belief/self confidence and are better closers than Gorst. :LOL:

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Yours, as always, is a well-reasoned post, but in 2020, the majors weren't even played because of COVID and in 2022, Gorst had to skip most of the majors because of the WPA Russian ban, which kept him out of the World 10-ball, the WPC, the UK Open, the European Open and the World Games (which is arguably more important than any major other than the WPC). Fedor's performance at the International Open was breathtaking, with a bronze in the 9-ball and a gold in the 10-ball, in which he beat four members of the European Mosconi team in succession. Bemoaning his lack of majors in the last three years is, in my view, unfair.

Finally, if you asked me whether it was harder to win the US Open 9ball or the Master of the Table at Derby City, I'd really have to think about it for a while. His two consecutive Masters of the Table at Derby City put him in very rarefied air, as the only others that have ever accomplished the feat are Efren Reyes, Shane Van Boening and Alex Pagulayan, three of the greatest players that ever lived.

Fedor is a very special player and no player in the world can spot him in any game played on a pool table. I cannot say the same of any other player but Filler.

Fedor and Filler are the best players to come along in our sport in the last fifteen years. Best to enjoy watching them do their thing and thank the pool gods for the opportunity to do so.
 
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I hope you were joking, but I'm not so sure. As Jay stated, who the hell is Dave714? Who f-ing cares!

Who the hell is SJM? Well the guy that started this thread for one. And he is the guy that always gives us his perspective and recap on the Derby. Thanks Stu! If you don't know 714, his name is STU and not SAM. That being said, I still hope you were joking, but if not then you should learn to listen before you speak. Stu is a huge pool fan with a lot of knowledge, attends most major events and usually sits in the premium seats. His perspective and insights are valuable to us. Stu is an asset to our pool community and deserves to be respected.

To address other matters, I wasn't there this year, but yes I agree food options are limited. The hotel/casino doesn't give a shit about the pool players and don't forget that. They are only interested in their own best interest. As Fatboy said, with out a car, you are a prisoner there. They can and will serve the prisoners whatever they want because they can. To digress on this issue, this conversation should focus on pool. Would it be best to move to another venue? Possibly, but that's the call of the people who run the event.

Some of us have been to pool tournaments and been lucky enough to experience the finals. It is usually less than climactic to say the least. We know that there are other factors involved like venue contracts, scheduling problems, shoestring funding, fatigue, plane flights, etc. That being said, there is no excuse for what happened. The DERBY is a MAJOR event and has been run for 20 plus years. It is disgusting that the players were put in this situation. IT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN! My hat is off to Fedor and he looked, well, like the 22 year old fenom that he is. Shane on the other hand looked so tired and beaten. It is not fair to put a 40 year old against a 22 year old in that situation. I guarantee you neither were expecting to play that long. It was literally sad to see and the fans were deprived too. Frankly I'm not sure it isn't or could be considered a form of abuse or at minimum a breach of contract. What other sport or circumstance is anyone required to perform 27 plus hours straight? There are laws that truckers can only drive so many hours a day because fatigue is a factor. Why should we expect pool players to be put through extraordinary situations? This is and all other situations are all the tournament director(s) fault. I'm very aware of the financial motives and contractual obligations associated with their decisions, but this is just not acceptable period. Solutions and contingency plans should be made. I hope this situation doesn't go unnoticed and swept under the rug. Unfortunately, it is likely it will happen again.

Pool players live on abuse, it takes a full blown masochist to make it past the 2nd visit to the pool room. They are better survivors than anything else on the planet, including cucarachas. Show me a guy who makes his living playing pool and I will bet he can sleep standing up, eat Mc Donalds for a hundred days in a row and can still run out , no matter what illness or injury he has sustained. Plus they are never broke, just momentarily out of funds until they can put the bite on someone. Most of the players at Derby only sleep once every 2 or 3 days anyway.
Don't show them any sympathy, or they will all want to move in with you.
 
Any Derby organisors on this forum?

Wonder if they take constructive criticism well or not.
From the horses mouth...

 
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