★★ Is Shane in Mike's Head? ★★

one stroke said:
Maybe some but at the end of the day they are 2 different class players I think the day one results were to be expected the question is will Shane lose his focus and let mike creep closer then put the hammer down in the third set



1
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I've seen it happen in the past ... not out of the realm of possibilities for sure.
 
ENGLISH! said:
I think the term 'Seasoned Veteran' might be appropriate. It has a meaning.

Maybe I'm wro...................ng, but it's kind of like the movie The Hustler.

How old is Mike. How many big time matches does he have under his belt.

Experience breeds character.

Some have a 'killer' instinct while others just play & let the chips fall where they may.

Everyone matures at a different rate. On any given Sunday is the saying in fooball, but consistently winning is what 'Seasoned Veterans' do.

Mike might not be quite there yet but he is certainly banging on the door.

Personally I hope he comes back & wins. It would be great for the game for a rivalry to develope.

Just my $0.02 but...I could be wro.........................ng.
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If I'm not mistaken Shane and Mike have matched up before with Shane giving a ball.... Shane didnt like it
Mike just didn't play Mikes speed
 
westcoast said:
Perhaps it is moreso that Shane is just a great player and is capable of beating anybody, including Mike
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Celtic said:
This.

It has been said elsewhere and might as well be repeated here.

There are two remaining elite level professional pool players in the USA, SVB and Archer. Noone else is in that league, Mike included.

The step from SVB/Archer down to the next tier is not a small one and that is being shown this weekend.
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This +1. Some things warrant repeating!
 
westcoast said:
Earl can still play with them when focused,
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I did forget about Earl. If Earl's head is in the right place he is definately in the top tier still.

I don't think Rodney or Corey are, Corey could not even beat Schmidt and Rodney in a TAR match against Shane would be a huge dog.
 
CJ Wiley said:
Neither Rodney or Corey think they're favorites against Archer. Johnny, like everyone else has his ups and downs, however, Johnny plays better than anyone on any given day.

It's about being comfortable, and Shane is comfortable on that table and it's basically his "home court". There's many advantages when you are in this situation and it gives someone a tremendous amount of confidence.
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There is that ... always a factor!
 
shane just gave mike a reality check. you got mike thinking he is a top tier player like shane when he is not. sure he has won a couple of tournaments. but thats not enough, him losing to shane so badly proves how unstable he is, not a top tier pro. remember he barely beat hatch. He also complains about shanes break and how its a break contest. lets not forget Mike has a big break and is only complaining when he plays someone with a better break. Just think how Efren feels.
 
Johnnyt said:
Shane has one gear playing for push-ups and a higher one playing for the cash. Shane has a smooth automatic transmision and Mike has to shift gears manually. That said, Mike played terrible last night. I have seen Mike beat Shane in tournaments a time or two. Johnnyt
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Winning a turny match and a TAR match is 2 totally different things the cream will almost always rise to the top in this format and their is no doubt who the cream is here


1
 
Honestly though I think the answer is yes. Dechaine seems particularly psyched out by Shane's break ad I can't blame him. However I believe that Mike has a strong enough break himself to not be so worried about it.
 
Spimp13 said:
Shane got into Mike's head by saying yes he will play this match.
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I also do not think MD is quite at the top level yet. I am a firm believer that it has a lot to do with comfort, not only skill.

Mike has only been a tit for a couple of years.
 
Some time back, somebody posted here to never bet against SVB...unless he's playing a Pinoy. And if that's the case, don't bet...just enjoy the show.

I still agree with that...:)
 
Two thoughts on the subject...

1. Shane's work ethic and practice regimen are why he plays above and beyond any American player. He's conditioned mentally and physically to play harder and longer than just about anyone in the world for that matter. Dechaine says he plays a couple times a week and might practice once a week....good luck with that Mike. The only thing in MIke's head is how much better mentally and physically Shane is...

2. Lets not forget Shane just went undefeated in the US Open and destroyed Dennis Orcollo in the finals. Shane is playing at an extremely high level...probably the highest of his career.

3. (I lied..one more thought) Its amazing to me the horrible work ethic of most of the top American players. Jeremy Jones hit the nail on the head...the dropoff below Shane and JA is huge.
 
Mike's not there...,

SVB and Archer are clear cut above the rest of the USA players and Earl, Cory and Rodney are there on a given day, but not in the long run.

The sad thing is that the USA players dont have the will to improve or to get to the level of the reast of the worlds top players.
 
One thing that was very obvious to me last night was Mike needs to mature! There is no place for boohooing in big league pool. Shaking your head, snickering, complaining, questioning cues, throwing your hands up all show a lack of mental toughness IMO.

Mike could take a lesson from the Pinoy crew and show "0" emotion, keep a possitive attitude, control what you can<<<your attitude, and accept the rolls....good /bad/neutral...

should be fun tonight.


G.
 
All of you may well be right, but I don't think that's the case.
Mike played bad and I've seen Shane play just as bad.
If Mike brings his A game it could go either way in that length of a race
I think you are selling Mike short
 
I think what's in Mikes head is just that it's a TAR match. He plays at a high enough level that he doesn't start shaking like "OMG I'M PLAYING SVB". but he might be thinking a little bit "omg it's a tar match and everyone's watching". As CJ pointed out, Shane doesn't have that because he's done this like 20 times.

He might not be the better player, but he's not like 40% worse as the score would seem to indicate. towards the end Mike ran 3 racks looking like he was in give up mode. He could reach 27 awfully fast if he could play a hit more relaxed.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android
 
I think what's in Mikes head is just that it's a TAR match. He plays at a high enough level that he doesn't start shaking like "OMG I'M PLAYING SVB". but he might be thinking a little bit "omg it's a tar match and everyone's watching". As CJ pointed out, Shane doesn't have that because he's done this like 20 times.

He might not be the better player, but he's not like 40% worse as the score would seem to indicate. towards the end Mike ran 3 racks looking like he was in give up mode. He could reach 27 awfully fast if he could play a hit more relaxed.


Posted from Azbilliards.com App for Android
 
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