This is how pool should be covered, these days are gone.

I agree for the most part.

Big fan of Accu-Stats and a very big fan of Billy Incardonas commentary. In this particular match, however, he comes off as a bit nervous and off his commentary game. I'd love to know if there was some friction in the studio or before the match. He seems uncharacteristically unsettled here. Bill Staton is solid as usual.

I miss the old Accu-Stats. I learned more from these old videos than I have for anything recent. The quality of the commentary was just outstanding for most of the matches, because the commentators themselves were high level players and also knew how to communicate their knowledge. Modern players who commentate do have the skill, but often fall short in relaying it to the audience. And I hate the "airhead" commentators who plagued pool for a long while, luckily they seem to be going away, finally. I also hate the English "no respect for pool and pool players" commentators. They are destroying the value of otherwise great productions from Matchroom.

asbani said:

Nowadays we see crowds that are 2 metre from teh table

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Honestly, I've never seen it this close in all of the major tournaments I've ever attended. Two meters wouldn't even enable cameramen a chance to do their jobs.

Certainly, in lesser events, less spacing might be the case, but those events are rarely the ones streamed by Accu-stats, possibly excepting Turning Stone which is likely the top regional tour event on the American pool calendar. At Turning Stone, unless my memory is failing me, there are just overhead cameras, and not cameramen walking around the stream table, and the tables are, perhaps, a bit too close to where the crowd is situated on one side, leaving the players with little space when they are in the chair.

That said, the 1992 US Open arena, as set up, is spacious, as befits a major tourney like the US Open. FYI, Pat's biggest event today is The International 9-ball in Virginia, and the arena used is probably about as spacious as the one at the 1992 US Open. I think the assertion that today's arenas in the major events are small and cramped is in error.

Certainly, at the Matchroom US Open last year, the arena was much bigger than that of the 1992 US Open.

For fans, attendance is more enjoyable if they are closer to the action, so to me, they should be as close as possible without them being in danger of obstructing the play. In all my years, I've never heard a player complain that the arena was too small to have sufficient spacing from the crowd.

To sum, I'm not so sure the arenas of yesteryear used in the major events were any better than those of today.

asbani said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=herZnSR8vJk

Look at the atmosphere, look at the distance between crowd and table, look at where the chairs of the players are placed in relation to the pool table, the production, the directing, the commentary! Everything about this is just epic.

Nowadays we see crowds that are 2 metre from teh table, pro chair is very close by to shark the opponent, the atmosphere is very very weak.

Let's go back to the epic days shall we? find a real arena just like this, please? Make it happen accu-stats.

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Old times were fun I bet. Mosconi Cup looks like a TON more fun. Being that it is across the pond, should be pretty entertaining this time around..

Watching matches like that would make me fall asleep. No offense, but, HOW BORING??? Lucky MATCHROOM HAS THE RIGHT IDEA!!


TFT

asbani said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=herZnSR8vJk

Look at the atmosphere, look at the distance between crowd and table, look at where the chairs of the players are placed in relation to the pool table, the production, the directing, the commentary! Everything about this is just epic.

Nowadays we see crowds that are 2 metre from teh table, pro chair is very close by to shark the opponent, the atmosphere is very very weak.

Let's go back to the epic days shall we? find a real arena just like this, please? Make it happen accu-stats.

Click to expand...

It's a final!

what i agree with is that the atmosphere isn't as rowdy today in the US open or intl 9 ball. but i wonder if that match is representative.. tommy k was the ultimate underdog, and he was on fire, got the rolls, stoked up the crowd.. hard not to cheer for him, i imagine.