Immonen and Appleton are good examples.
Filler Slump?
- Thread starter Island Drive
- Start date
Immonen and Appleton are good examples.
immonen won stuff for 15 years? darren maybe 7-8 years. more than most really
They both had hot streaks that were very short.
I mean being on top of the field not overall consistency. Both won US Opens 2 years in a row but have not been in many large tournaments as winners aside from a year or two.
mika's resume, disregarding all european titles, regional events, straight pool, mosconi cups, world cup of pool:
2001 WPA World Nine-ball Championship
2002 Derby City Classic 9-Ball
2008 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship
2008 All Japan Championship 9-Ball
2009 U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship
2009 International Challenge of Champions
2009 WPA World Ten-ball Championship
2010 Billiards Digest Player of the Decade- 2000s
2010 International Challenge of Champions
2013 Ultimate 10-Ball Championship
All our best players win notable things throughout their careers but some of them have 1-2 hot years where they they make everyone else feel like they are playing for second. Shaw had it. Filler had it. Immonen had it. Appleton had it. FSR has it.
There have been Player of the Decade players but only a few really had it for sustained periods like a Sigel, Earl, Efren and SVB. But that’s not this conversation. That’s more of a GOAT conversation.
The topic of Filler is more that FSR is currently owning the “everyone is playing for second” mantle and people think about whether Filler can reclaim it or whether he’s fully relinquished it. But like anyone that’s ever held “it” they all are champions for life and a threat to win anything.
There have been Player of the Decade players but only a few really had it for sustained periods like a Sigel, Earl, Efren and SVB. But that’s not this conversation. That’s more of a GOAT conversation.
The topic of Filler is more that FSR is currently owning the “everyone is playing for second” mantle and people think about whether Filler can reclaim it or whether he’s fully relinquished it. But like anyone that’s ever held “it” they all are champions for life and a threat to win anything.
dendweller
Well-known member
I saw the John S interview about going from a standard maple to ld, probably not comparable to going from one ld to another.
Assume you mean UK Open 2022. Trust me, the gold at the World Games is a greater achievement than the UK Open.
JJ.... my favorite bite from above
.Since I began playing, I've always said.... "pool is a young mans game''.
Young eyes are key to any marksman.
We've seen a 16 yr old win the Worlds?
When this occurs.... and all play as good as Ghorst + better, the game will be reborn.
Could you imagine a Worlds final with a 16 & and 18 yr old?
Wow!!! Zer
bm
It can't be related to an equipment change, it's not the arrow....just ask anyone on here.
"Ya know ah... one thing I've noticed about all these here ah tournaments.... is ah...that there are a lot of participants and last I checked - there's only one winner."
Now, now let's not rewrite history here.
Yes, Chang drew tough at the LV Open, but his draw was easy by comparison to what FSR had to endure at the 2022 Derby City 9-ball. After a Round 3 loss to David Alcaide, FSR found himself in a position that he'd have to win a huge number of matches in a row to win the title. In his run to the title, FSR drew and beat each of Shane Van Boening, Albin Ouschan, Donny Mills, Max Eberle, Dany Olson, Josh Filler, Roland Garcia, and then Josh Filler again in the final.
FSR was not player of the year in 2022 because the force was with him, but because he found a way to beat the best in the very biggest spots more than anybody else.
This is one of the most awesome comments ever
Yeah, Darren has a resume of wins covering multiple disciples that's just nauseating
Yeah most of us have won everything there is to win and the unfortunate minority probably just hasn't gotten around to it.
I think Filler could be in a real predicament in that his performances are completely optimized for wood. CF throws a wrench into those mechanics.
And SVB.... always tough.
Golf players are always talking about their grip and their new this/that to improve.
WobblyStroke
Well-known member
Sure. He played great. Not debating that. But my point was you can't just play great and have a dominant season like that, you also need the seas to part for you a little bit at times. At the world 9b it def did with the draw and the moment getting a bit big for He who just couldn't put FSR away when he had way the best run of things early. When Biado stormed back on him in USOpen semi, FSR found himself watching Biado break hill-hill, with his break working very well. Biado was def a favorite at that point, but just failed to get one more cooperative break.
I'm not discounting his great play, just acknowledging that a good bit of good fortune at the right times whether in draws or rolls helped him get a stack of great results instead of just a smattering of great results and a couple of tough loss deep runs if the luck hadn't been so overwhelmingly with him.
Agreed, some cooperation from the pool gods is nearly always an ingredient in the recipe for sustained excellence.
Still, it cuts both ways. Look at the 2022 UK Open. FSR, after an early loss, beat a who's who of pool to reach the semis and he then beat SVB 11-4 to reach the final. He was playing the best pool I'd ever seen him play. FSR then played near perfect pool to take a 6-0 lead over Filler and seemed to be cruising to a major title. Then came the best hour and a half of pool that Filler played in all of 2022 and it was Josh who lifted the trophy. Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time, but here FSR was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The ebbs and flows of both performance and luck are what keep people like you and I coming back for more, but the guys at the top have all earned their place among the elite.