MOSCONI CUP 2023 AZB Watch Party / Master Thread

West Point 1987 said:
The one difference I noticed is that Europe has their whole team seated behind whomever is shooting a match...USA has some, but not all. Shane tends to follow his matches with going straight to the practice table--it's his process. And it's not worked in the MC for him. If I were JJ, I'd insist the whole team sits with the shooter(s) every match. To hell with staying warm, they're pros. It works for Europe. Fedor needs to sneak a Cynergy shaft back in...he doesn't look too confident in his new gear, yet. He can borrow one of Shane's eight shafts. :)
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he could've had the foresight to fit a cynergy to the viking and scrub the logo. corey did that for years with a 314 shaft iirc, i'm sure others did too.
 
I am in London watching the cup live. What I've noticed is, that the attitude between Europa and USA is completely different.

It seems to me that Team Europe is there to play pool, to have fun and to kick some ass.

On the other hand, Team USA seems to be just trying to make the score look respectable and to try to avoid mistakes.

You can best see that in between the racks. The Europeans just have a great time, interact with the crowd and celebrate all the time. Of course, with the current score it's understandable.

In the very first match, the very first rack, Shane tried to do the same thing by smiling at the crowds reaction. And it probably would have worked out if he hadn't missed those two makeable shots. From there on, it was just about compensating for those missed shots and the lost match.

All of us know how it can affect the mindset and momentum if you make some easy mistakes in the beginning of a match. Even though we have many unique matches in the cup, it's basically a race to 11 match. And I think this is what happened here.

I hope USA will start to "not care" anymore and just play the game and start having a good time. If they can do that, they will have a better chance to win some matches. I really hope they will.
 
Mikkes said:
For example in my home country germany there is a junior national squad who trains together regularly in various camps before they go to the bigger tournaments like national, european or world championchips. They are trained by the national coaches like Ralph Eckert, Günther Geisen or Christian Reimering. In their home teams our youth players often have their own trainer or they have the possebility to have training in other billard clubs with pro trainers.
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That type of arrangement with structure and training sounds wonderful and is non existent in USA. Just about impossible for USA to compete with that and is really evident in the US based Predator tournaments where the vast majority of players are foreigners. The few Americans that do participate at those events on home soil typically are all gone by the 3rd round or so, ha. How the foreign players stay afloat financially to afford the travel and lodging in the face of meager tournament winnings is beyond me though, excluding Filler.
 
mattydrva said:
That type of arrangement with structure and training sounds wonderful and is non existent in USA. Just about impossible for USA to compete with that and is really evident in the US based Predator tournaments where the vast majority of players are foreigners. The few Americans that do participate at those events on home soil typically are all gone by the 3rd round or so, ha. How the foreign players stay afloat financially to afford the travel and lodging in the face of meager tournament winnings is beyond me though, excluding Filler.
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AFAIK quite a few int'l players get stipends from their national billiard assoc's. Not a lot but enough to travel/play.
 
garczar said:
You're so off base here. Shane is deaf and is a very quiet introverted guy. Team play has never been his bag. Has nothing to do with him feeling bigger than the Cup or his country. You obviously know nothing about the guy but feel free to reveal your ignorance by running your piehole. BTW, they have won with SVB too.
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So I know nothing about the guy and you do? I don't think introverts would openly invite 60 minutes into his life and show them who he is. I actually know more about him than you do just by watching that 60 minutes interview. LOL he doesn't gamble.

I know everyone likes to think he is some good guy, I cannot confirm he is a good guy nor can I deny it, but good guys do have bills to pay and a brand.

His brand is pretty big to me. I know he is probably your favorite player but you have to be objective about this.
 
Sharivari said:
I am in London watching the cup live. What I've noticed is, that the attitude between Europa and USA is completely different.

It seems to me that Team Europe is there to play pool, to have fun and to kick some ass.

On the other hand, Team USA seems to be just trying to make the score look respectable and to try to avoid mistakes.

You can best see that in between the racks. The Europeans just have a great time, interact with the crowd and celebrate all the time. Of course, with the current score it's understandable.

In the very first match, the very first rack, Shane tried to do the same thing by smiling at the crowds reaction. And it probably would have worked out if he hadn't missed those two makeable shots. From there on, it was just about compensating for those missed shots and the lost match.

All of us know how it can affect the mindset and momentum if you make some easy mistakes in the beginning of a match. Even though we have many unique matches in the cup, it's basically a race to 11 match. And I think this is what happened here.

I hope USA will start to "not care" anymore and just play the game and start having a good time. If they can do that, they will have a better chance to win some matches. I really hope they will.
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Not this year.

They have proven to be mental midgets this year.
 
shooter_Hans said:
So I know nothing about the guy and you do? I don't think introverts would openly invite 60 minutes into his life and show them who he is. I actually know more about him than you do just by watching that 60 minutes interview. LOL he doesn't gamble.

I know everyone likes to think he is some good guy, I cannot confirm he is a good guy nor can I deny it, but good guys do have bills to pay and a brand.

His brand is pretty big to me. I know he is probably your favorite player but you have to be objective about this.
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Shane gambles.
I don't think he's out there hustling amateurs, but he has always played for money.
The cash could have been decided before the match of course, but it's happening.
In fact, I think there was a joke going around because at the time of the 60 minutes thing reporting "doesn't gamble", there was a flyer on here for a good size money game coming up featuring Shane and another pro player.
 
shooter_Hans said:
Not this year.

They have proven to be mental midgets this year.
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shooter_Hans said:
New here and sort of new to the game. I have been playing for 2 years now at my local league while I'm not as good as most but I do enjoy the game. I am more intrigued by the cues, tables and professional players more than I should and really should be focusing on my game.
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Huh. I agree with your self assessment. You really should be focusing on your own games. Good luck!
 
Mikkes said:
It´s really simple. The MC is one thing -> a Show, and SVB is not a show man. He don´t like it and he don´t to play there. You can see it in his eyes, in his face impressions and his body language. It´s more like a "torture" for him to play the MC.
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Agreed. Shane is not a showman and absolutely does not want to be there. It really does show; he can't hide it. I thought he looked more comfortable last year though appears to have reverted back to his typical MC form again this year. It's tough to watch though somehow I do anyway.
 
TLDamian said:
Huh. I agree with your self assessment. You really should be focusing on your own games. Good luck!
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I cut down my frequency to about once a week now. Probably burnt out from it all and I reach my peak levels. I would need to practice hours everyday to improve and that's just not going to happen because of work.
 
Mikkes said:
For example in my home country germany there is a junior national squad who trains together regularly in various camps before they go to the bigger tournaments like national, european or world championchips. They are trained by the national coaches like Ralph Eckert, Günther Geisen or Christian Reimering. In their home teams our youth players often have their own trainer or they have the possebility to have training in other billard clubs with pro trainers.
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This happens in a high school or college experience. However US is denying its history of billiards as a discipline from West Point.

If schools dont offer sports private clubs offer opportunities.

Some parents pay to create a league to promote their champion while other kids get the chance to compete for a limited career.

Thanks Biden
 
JolietJames said:
Shane gambles.
I don't think he's out there hustling amateurs, but he has always played for money.
The cash could have been decided before the match of course, but it's happening.
In fact, I think there was a joke going around because at the time of the 60 minutes thing reporting "doesn't gamble", there was a flyer on here for a good size money game coming up featuring Shane and another pro player.
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I call it the bozo gene and every pool player has this.

He went bozo mode and overdid with the story about getting beat up.
 
Sharivari said:
I am in London watching the cup live. What I've noticed is, that the attitude between Europa and USA is completely different.

It seems to me that Team Europe is there to play pool, to have fun and to kick some ass.

On the other hand, Team USA seems to be just trying to make the score look respectable and to try to avoid mistakes.

You can best see that in between the racks. The Europeans just have a great time, interact with the crowd and celebrate all the time. Of course, with the current score it's understandable.
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If the US team had the same carefree attitude that Europe does while they are getting destroyed, they would get crucified. People always correlate certain behaviors with winning after the fact. The US team has gone down this path many times before, especially with Mark Wilson and guess what? The better team still won. Having 1, 2, or 27 teammates sitting in your corner doesn't put the ball in the hole.

Team chemistry is overrated.
 
skip100 said:
Losing Billy Thorpe to whatever psychological issues have plagued him has been a big problem for Team USA. He has the kind of personality that can be effective in a team setting.

At this point, the only real "team player" character for the Americans is Woodward and it shows.
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Billy Thorpe isn't a world class rotation player either. He's much closer to a Tony Chohan than a Skylar Woodward. At this point, I might take Evan Lunda over him.
 
Only 3 scheduled matches today....

Seems like MR isn't taking any chances... Of course, assuming the near impossible. It will make for a monster day 4 if the US can muster enough to tied it up
 
Day 3 Match Ups
 

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