Mosconi Cup 2024, Nov. 30-Dec. 3, Orlando

I actually think this was our best performance in years. SVB is going to SVB at the Mosconi. Woodward played really well. He just had zero margin for error. Tyler was solid. Gorst may have finally figured it out at the end. So he should play better next year. I didn't watch Billy that closely so not sure about his performance.

There's actually some small room for hope. If we could just get just a couple juniors to rise up we'd be in sort of okay-ish shape.
Gorst didn't figure out shit, he blew it and got saved by a foul with a few balls left.

SVB and Gorst should be left off the team along with Thorpe
 
Gorst didn't figure out shit, he blew it and got saved by a foul with a few balls left.

SVB and Gorst should be left off the team along with Thorpe
How did he blow it? He was playing great and Mickey got some of the luckiest rolls in pool history.
 
The US is still dominated by bar tables and will be for the foreseeable future. Just the way it is. We may never win another one of these.
Nah, show me the champions playing on bar boxes in the US, there aren't any. USA just sucks at pool, period.
 
There are some pretty good American juniors coming up...

We can't compete with government funded European and Asian system/federation models. Our competing framework is leagues, which are actually bars. Our table/cue vendors don't do much to elevate the game and haven't for decades. I'm not sure I blame them.

I would like to see the 2 wildcards replaced with a top junior and a top woman. I think that would make it more entertaining, and maybe even more competitive again.

Blah, blah, blah, government funded, blah, blah, blah
 
Shaw is what the cup is about and we need more of it
We are kind of in a no win situation here. Our Regional and Minor professional scene is very healthy. Guys can eek out an existence playing these events all over the U.S, or at least feed themselves, or they can work a 9 to 5 and still play competitive pool on the side.

If more money gets involved and we move towards a more professional environment, the only thing that happens is we end up welcoming all the best players in the world to come here to play. This squeezes out our home grown players. That might sound a bit xenophobic but 1 - I don't care if it does and 2 - I enjoy watching the foreigners come over to play as much as anyone. Sometimes our welcoming country is a detriment to our success. Guess it's not a bad tradeoff in the big scheme of things.

Because of the above -- I have zero issues with Gorst playing for us. I actually wouldn't have an issue with Shaw switching sides either. They are enjoying life in the US, might as well welcome them to our team. I think people largely misread Shaw. He just understands his villain role and embraces it. I've actually grown to appreciate him.
 
No, you wish you had all your cues back! Just another know it all after the fact, carry-on. Cheers,
Shane sucks in every MC, I say it every year and try to tell idiots like you that there is NO reason to put a proven losing player on the team. Gorst has a worse record than Shane.

As a matter of fact, there was not a single winning record player on team USA. Yeah, takes a real genius to figure that out - you are a prime example of the stupidity in America- you can't do simple math
 
Shane sucks in every MC, I say it every year and try to tell idiots like you that there is NO reason to put a proven losing player on the team. Gorst has a worse record than Shane.

As a matter of fact, there was not a single winning record player on team USA. Yeah, takes a real genius to figure that out - you are a prime example of the stupidity in America- you can't do simple math
I get what you’re saying, but how can you keep off the best American player not only today, but maybe ever? Who,would you replace him with?
 
I get what you’re saying, but how can you keep off the best American player not only today, but maybe ever? Who,would you replace him with?
Literally anybody. Simple math dictates it.

If you have a player that's 45ish% it's a guaranteed loss.

Yes, it sucks, but a guaranteed loss is a guaranteed loss.

What can it hurt? Seriously?
 
How are table/cue vendors responsible for not steering US play onto big tables? You can't force people to play on tables they're afraid of. All leagues and 90% of tournaments are on bb's. I don't see how a equipment maker could induce more 9ft play.
They aren't responsible really, which was kind of my point. If your have European and Asian federations funding the development of players from adolescence on up until adulthood, hard to compete with that.

At least table manufacturers like Brunswick used to help fund major tours in the US. Predator on some level is helping with the junior scene, sponsoring worldwide tours, and sponsoring players. But there is no framework in the US that helps develop young players, help fund travel and tournament expenses, and so on. In my short stint at college, a local billiards supplier along with AE Schmidt made sure a pool room existed in the student union, full of pool tables. They no longer exist there. If there was some sort of government grants or whatnot to help get pool tables in environments other than bars (high schools, YMCAs, Boy/Girls Clubs, colleges/universities, private rooms), maybe we could compete.

I don't have high hopes that any of this is going to happen in my lifetime.

The shame of it is that we really are the largest market. It should be the US market that Matchroom is trying to get and cater to, but they aren't. I think the Ultimate Pool people see the market though, but that leads in the wrong direction as far as I'm concerned.
 
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