Great player but he'll never be surpassed with the 'hand-flip'.
What happened to Mika
- Thread starter Pangit
- Start date
I believe he just beat Biado hill hill a couple of weeks ago in that All Japan tournament that was right before Mosconi Cup. He posted it on Instagram November 23rd. Won with a break and run. Sounds like he's doing just fine!
Mika will always be remembered as the guy who had the 9 ball break rule changed.
No more soft breaking......
Unfortunately, he was on the receiving end of Corey Dueul's break n run fest.
I believe it was 2002? SJM or Jay Helfert will probably know the date and venue better than me....
No more soft breaking......
Unfortunately, he was on the receiving end of Corey Dueul's break n run fest.
I believe it was 2002? SJM or Jay Helfert will probably know the date and venue better than me....
Yes, it was Mika on the receiving end of Deuel's 13-0 win in the final of the 2001 US Open 9-ball, but it wasn't a break and run fest. Yes, Corey nearly always made a ball on the break, but the congested layouts often meant that his turn ended with a defensive shot.
Agreed 100% that it was this match, more than any other, that spelled the end of soft breaking in 9-ball. It was almost unwatchable.
I love Clearly's act before he got down. He KNEW he could do it! I liked it when he asked to buy out and Mika said no.
i counted 40 flips once in a race to 11, it's become more of an OCD thing lately
Shane is a great player but he ant the first player to play great earl Johnny busty efren all played at Shane's level if not better in there prime.
Shane reminds me most of Sigel, who could fire them in from anywhere and find a way to get out. He was a winner too, being almost unbeatable when he reached the finals.
Isn't every 46-year old going to 47?You're right, Mika is 46, going on 47. He's getting really old! I'm going to buy him a cane.
(Sorry, too easy to pass up...LOL)
In my opinion Efren was great because he brought a level of kicking nobody had before. Today many kick as well as Efren. SVB in his era of domination was all that plus nobody could break as well as SVB. Today most players break as well as SVB.
So yes, players before SVB played great, caught gears, and put together packages. But I earnestly believe SVB raised the standard of play higher than it was before him if for no other reason than his break.
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Earl Strickland
Mika is still Mika, and every match his opponent has with em he/she has their hands full.
The depth of the skill in rotation pool is now much Deeper.
Personally I think Earl in his youth, is the best ball pocketing player of ALL TIME.
Having played em four sets race to 11, I have NEVER seen a player ever, NOT miss the pocket opening for over 6 hours, they only rattled because of too much ball speed.
Mika is still Mika, and every match his opponent has with em he/she has their hands full.
The depth of the skill in rotation pool is now much Deeper.
Personally I think Earl in his youth, is the best ball pocketing player of ALL TIME.
Having played em four sets race to 11, I have NEVER seen a player ever, NOT miss the pocket opening for over 6 hours, they only rattled because of too much ball speed.
I agree about Mika. No 820+ FargoRate gets a free ride against a 785. They still have to earn their win. And they still might lose.
I also agree about Earl. His pocketing has always been awe inspiring. But to be honest, he has weaknesses beyond his temper. His cueball control has never been perfect. He’s needed to rely on his pocketing power to get himself out of the jams he puts himself in. And he is expressive enough to do it...often.
But there’s a difference with players that put themselves in recovery situations less often. In that one regard, when today’s top players hit top gear the cueball floats precisely from ball-in-hand position to ball-in-hand position much more consistently. It’s funny how we preach that you always want to come into the line of the next shot, and then see how many times a top pro must go across the line of the next shot and still can land the cueball in a space the size of a dime. But Earl tends to go short or long in those scenarios...and mostly shoot his way out.
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Respectfully, I don't know of any pool player who kicks as well as Efren. It might not even be close. To be fair, players jump much more now so kicking ability has diminished.
I would say the key element is that pre-Efren players would kick to hit the ball. Efren brought a degree of accuracy to choose what side of the ball and how thick/thin to be able escape a safety with a kick-safe of his own or at least in a manner “good things can happen”. Just in that regard all the top pros do that masterfully today when you had to be Pinoy to do that before. I’ll give Efren his dues for his artistry beyond that both in kicking and overall being willing to pull out exhibition shots in high pressure tournament situations.
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It is hard to have the desire to put in 5-6+ hours of practice daily for the umpteenth year in a row.
Approach him wisely, before he impatiently yells you to get off his lawn.
So, in 3 years he would be eligible to play in the Seniors division at Super Billiards Expo.
So, in 3 years he would be eligible to play in the Seniors division at Super Billiards Expo.
You're right, Mika is 46, going on 47. He's getting really old! I'm going to buy him a cane.