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- Thread starter terryhanna
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I happen to like this choice. I think Jeremy will be a terrific Captain as well. To me he was the glue that held Team USA together last year. Not only is Jeremy a great commentator, he knows as much or more than anyone about the mental side of the game. You know, the stuff that is not defined by safeties, shotmaking or who jumps the best. You definitely need talent to be a top pool player, but if you don't have it together upstairs you will never be a champion.
I think that Chris has the right attitude and mental make-up to be a top player, maybe Bergman's speed some day. From what I've seen he has been the fastest rising young player in this country since Billy Thorpe came along. I also think that Chris will fit in well with the other members of this team. I don't foresee him choking under pressure. I think he is smart enough to play within himself and not take any unnecessary chances. JMHO as always.
One more thing. Tyler will be back! His game has pretty much remained status quo for the last two years and he needs to rededicate himself to his work ethic. I thought he played well for the most part in the last two Cups, but he should be improving each year, especially at his age.
I think that Chris has the right attitude and mental make-up to be a top player, maybe Bergman's speed some day. From what I've seen he has been the fastest rising young player in this country since Billy Thorpe came along. I also think that Chris will fit in well with the other members of this team. I don't foresee him choking under pressure. I think he is smart enough to play within himself and not take any unnecessary chances. JMHO as always.
One more thing. Tyler will be back! His game has pretty much remained status quo for the last two years and he needs to rededicate himself to his work ethic. I thought he played well for the most part in the last two Cups, but he should be improving each year, especially at his age.
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Styer
Hey Jay! I agree with most of what you said but had a little quibble with this last bit. Tyler has been working very hard and is playing extremely well right now.
He won the Kremlin Cup last September, about one year ago exactly. That was a major and included an elite international field. Last year he also made a deep run in the Predator 10 ball open. And for those who think he only has a good break at 10 ball, just this year at DCC he got pretty deep in the 9 ball and I last saw him beating Bergman handily.
Since then we've been on lockdown and we haven't really gotten to see him as much. But he's been practicing. He played the 10 ball ghost and after running the first rack with ball in hand, he ran the next ten in a row without ball in hand. In other words, he ran a true 10 pack! Yowsa! He practices hard every day, works on all parts of his game. To top it off, last week I had the chance to talk to him and it was very late (1AM), and guess what? He was running on the treadmill during our entire conversation. True story.
I don't know anyone that is out working this young man and only a very few can say they are playing stronger right now. Mosconi Cup captains can build whatever team they want for whatever reasons but I really feel this was a strange move. In the end TS doesn't have to take it too hard, because when his pool career wins are tallied up at the end this won't mean squat in the scheme of things. He's got big plans for pool and I don't see anything stopping him from the highest levels.
Hey Jay! I agree with most of what you said but had a little quibble with this last bit. Tyler has been working very hard and is playing extremely well right now.
He won the Kremlin Cup last September, about one year ago exactly. That was a major and included an elite international field. Last year he also made a deep run in the Predator 10 ball open. And for those who think he only has a good break at 10 ball, just this year at DCC he got pretty deep in the 9 ball and I last saw him beating Bergman handily.
Since then we've been on lockdown and we haven't really gotten to see him as much. But he's been practicing. He played the 10 ball ghost and after running the first rack with ball in hand, he ran the next ten in a row without ball in hand. In other words, he ran a true 10 pack! Yowsa! He practices hard every day, works on all parts of his game. To top it off, last week I had the chance to talk to him and it was very late (1AM), and guess what? He was running on the treadmill during our entire conversation. True story.
I don't know anyone that is out working this young man and only a very few can say they are playing stronger right now. Mosconi Cup captains can build whatever team they want for whatever reasons but I really feel this was a strange move. In the end TS doesn't have to take it too hard, because when his pool career wins are tallied up at the end this won't mean squat in the scheme of things. He's got big plans for pool and I don't see anything stopping him from the highest levels.
Thanks for correcting me here. The trick, as you well know, is being able to take your practice game into the tournament arena. Tyler did have some problems under fire in the MC, but nothing that experience can't overcome. I fully expect to see both Chris and Tyler together on future MC teams. I think Jeremy had a reason for making the choice he did this year. Like you I was surprised but not totally. Hopefully the Cup will take place and we will see how wise his choice was.
I suspect the wisdom of the decision will be a sleeper. Like Mark Wilsonβs wisdom in investing in Justin and Sky. I wouldnβt measure its success on the 2020 outcome.
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Just an FYI, Corey pulled out end of last week because he didn't want to deal with the travel time due to quarantine time and the practice time all in England.
As it was already mentioned such choice might be a good "investment" for the future though I was surprised a bit. At the same time it really could be a good motivation for Styer. At least it worked impressively for Filler and Gorst who were not picked at the time but won at the WPC 9-ball just after MC.
To tell the truth I hardly see team Europe fail on a third consecutive year at the MC. With those 4 players already on board the pick of the fifth does not seem to be all that decisive.
Honestly it looks like it will be either Kaci or Feijen. Both of them haven't managed to show their best last year. Kaci being #2 on eurotour ranking seems to be the right choice but as it is a wildcard and young Kaci most likely is going to make the team in the future MC's I won't be surprised if Alex gives a chance to his compatriot-veteran to have a major note on the MC team. Niels is definitely working hard to be prepared as his practice sessions streamed on FB show.
So as there was a joke earlier about Kazakis ... to tell the truth even with him on board I see the chances of team Europe not so bad to say at least
.
As usual let the real game at the arena define the best team.
To tell the truth I hardly see team Europe fail on a third consecutive year at the MC. With those 4 players already on board the pick of the fifth does not seem to be all that decisive.
Honestly it looks like it will be either Kaci or Feijen. Both of them haven't managed to show their best last year. Kaci being #2 on eurotour ranking seems to be the right choice but as it is a wildcard and young Kaci most likely is going to make the team in the future MC's I won't be surprised if Alex gives a chance to his compatriot-veteran to have a major note on the MC team. Niels is definitely working hard to be prepared as his practice sessions streamed on FB show.
So as there was a joke earlier about Kazakis ... to tell the truth even with him on board I see the chances of team Europe not so bad to say at least
.As usual let the real game at the arena define the best team.
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To truly define the best team, all match races would not be to 5, but I realize it creates a better more exciting product for the viewing audience.As it was already mentioned such choice might be a good "investment" for the future though I was surprised a bit. At the same time it really could be a good motivation for Styer. At least it worked impressively for Filler and Gorst who were not picked at the time but won at the WPC 9-ball just after MC.
To tell the truth I hardly see team Europe fail on a third consecutive year at the MC. With those 4 players already on board the pick of the fifth does not seem to be all that decisive.
Honestly it looks like it will be either Kaci or Feijen. Both of them haven't managed to show their best last year. Kaci being #2 on eurotour ranking seems to be the right choice but as it is a wildcard and young Kaci most likely is going to make the team in the future MC's I won't be surprised if Alex gives a chance to his compatriot-veteran to have a major note on the MC team. Niels is definitely working hard to be prepared as his practice sessions streamed on FB show.
So as there was a joke earlier about Kazakis ... to tell the truth even with him on board I see the chances of team Europe not so bad to say at least
As usual let the real game at the arena define the best team.
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We were at this discussion so many times...well I hope at least we'll see the better team at a specific moment in time in these specific circumstances at this year's MC if it takes place).
This is not accurate. Though the majority of the stars of Europe were there, virtually all of the stars of Asia were not present at the 2019 Kremlin Cup. I'm not sure there was even one Filipino or Taiwanese player there. It was a solid win for sure, but in terms of difficulty, I'd put it on a par with a Eurotour event win, no more than that.
I really tire of this argument. The Mosconi is a marathon, not a sprint, which is why it's very rare that the favored team doesn't win. It takes 55 racks won to lift the trophy, and it's a very tall order if you don't have the stronger side.
This is awesome. Got a good laugh to start my day....this would be a great tv show, like Big Brother or some such. Not the best choice for our MC team, but wow, wouldn't it be fun to watch
I agree with Stu here. In fact, we had done the below comparison (in something we hadn't shared publicly).
Kremlin Cup was a race to 8 in which Tyler faced no opponents over 800. His 3 wins against opponents 775-799 were all 8-7 or 8-6.
While it was a great win (you can't reasonably ask anything more of a competitor in an event!) that earned him 4,800 WPA points, there are for sure tougher ways to get those points.
Consider Max Lechner's 3,900 points here. These are blood-points....
11-1 over Justin Martin (747)
11-3 over Phuc Long Nguyen (747)
11-4 over Sky Woodward (797)
11-4 over Ping Chung Ko (813)
11-7 over Dennis Orcollo(816)
11-8 over Joshua Filler (825)
11-10 over Shane Van Boening (827)
22 to 26 loss to Jayson Shaw (823)
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I wouldn't risk the 2020 outcome on a sleeper. Mark Wilson was starting from scratch and could afford to pick Justin and Sky.
Thanks Mike. Tyler is, quite obviously, a very strong player that can put a scare into the elite from time to time. His trajectory is impressive, his future promising. Tyler has more competitive credentials than Chris to this point of their very young careers, and I'd have been fine with it had he rounded out Team USA, but from the flavor of his thread, you'd think Tyler was a pro and Chris an amateur.
As we know, this year, Mosconi Cup participation is not based on merit, but on the feel of the two captains. That's why Klenti Kaci, #1 on the Eurotour a year ago, presently #2, and who went 2-0 in singles at the last Mosconi, is still waiting to see if he's on Team Europe. Alex Lely went with his gut, and in 2020, that's how it's being done.
Chris and Tyler will find themselves together on a Team USA soon enough. Youth will have it's way.
Next year, the merit system will resume, but for now, Mosconi selection is what it is.
I'll trust Jeremy Jones on this one.
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Well, itβs not like they have a sure thing to bank on instead.
Team USA has a 5th man issue.
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Well, itβs not like they have a sure thing to bank on instead.
Team USA has a 5th man issue.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
The Bergman pick in 2014 was no sleeper pick. During the months leading up to his selection, Justin won the Hard Times event over a killer field, including a win over Carlo Biado in the final. That year, the Bergman pick was a no brainer.
I stand corrected. The Kremlin cup wasn't a major. I was able to find the list of players entered and it didn't include the top Asian players. I think I jumped to conclusions when I saw Filler, SVB, Kaci, Albin, and a number of other top players from the US and Europe. So it wasn't a major. But it was a heck of a tournament and was outside US soil.
This wasn't meant to say he is out of Chris's league. I was just replying to Jay's comment that he hasn't improved much in two years and needs to put more work into his game. I was building the case that he has been working hard and playing great.
Now, I also happen to believe he is a better player than Chris and has put more into the game (both in terms of practice and travelling to tournaments, I didn't see Chris's name on the Kremlin Cup). So I did find it odd that Chris was picked. But it's not a black and white issue.
In the end I hate judge's decisions and popularity contests. The entire reason I play pool competitively is because I loved that the results are the results. Others can have more bluster or bravado, may be bigger, may be more confident, may shoot straight, may have flashy strokes, may make amazing trick shots, etc. But if I find a way to get the balls to go in then I win. Doesn't matter if people don't like my style, or think I play slow, or don't want to buy me in a calcutta, or want to back someone else against me, or think I'm overrated. Doesn't matter. A win is a win is a win, and nothing else matters. Results are paramount.
So I'm a results guy, and when I see judge's decisions that don't make sense to me it reminds me why I am better off sticking to pure contests of skill and not to get emotionally invested in subjective political arenas.
This wasn't meant to say he is out of Chris's league. I was just replying to Jay's comment that he hasn't improved much in two years and needs to put more work into his game. I was building the case that he has been working hard and playing great.
Now, I also happen to believe he is a better player than Chris and has put more into the game (both in terms of practice and travelling to tournaments, I didn't see Chris's name on the Kremlin Cup). So I did find it odd that Chris was picked. But it's not a black and white issue.
In the end I hate judge's decisions and popularity contests. The entire reason I play pool competitively is because I loved that the results are the results. Others can have more bluster or bravado, may be bigger, may be more confident, may shoot straight, may have flashy strokes, may make amazing trick shots, etc. But if I find a way to get the balls to go in then I win. Doesn't matter if people don't like my style, or think I play slow, or don't want to buy me in a calcutta, or want to back someone else against me, or think I'm overrated. Doesn't matter. A win is a win is a win, and nothing else matters. Results are paramount.
So I'm a results guy, and when I see judge's decisions that don't make sense to me it reminds me why I am better off sticking to pure contests of skill and not to get emotionally invested in subjective political arenas.