Alex's performance in Turning Stone finals

[pt109]

I feel he played poor and got lucky in his match with Dan Heidrich. I don't like his game, he's good for pool, but it is showoff pool as far as i'm concerned. He can do what he wants, but i'd rather watch an amazing choice maker like sigel play any day over an entertainer. I mean, he tried to hook Dan behind the tip of the side on a shot, there were other shots there.... it's like he thinks more about what people will say than the actual best shot. That silly shot brought it to hill hill (ie not shooting that bad shot he could have won the match there). Then he got lucky on a kick shot to win the match after being hooked good.

THEN he took a very poor ball in hand one ball shot hill hill. He should have played straight in on the 2 and drawn straight back off the 2, I think even he would admit it looking at it. It was such a bad choice. But he got out. I know I sound like a doofus giving a guy who makes the final a hard time, but I feel my assessments are correct.

If anybody is interested:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17187001

First of all, thanx for showing this match....I missed it.
Dan Heidrich is one hell of a player.
I saw the thin cut option on that 9-ball but Alex has been playing snooker
lately and the jaw hook is a hanger on rounded snooker pockets.
It also works much better on older cloth where there is a groove to
settle into.

I questioned the choice on the 1-ball also...until Alex mentioned in the
interview after that the cue-ball was heavy...and conditions tend to
be damp at that venue.

Have to disagree about Alex's attitude...he's one of those 'life of the
party' people and like Keith. will never be some professional clone.

..gonna see him later on today...will report back on that 9-ball shot.

 

[The Chinchilla]

Actually, that is a viable option. He already knew he wasn't going to make the ball, his mind already accepted that. He knew he was going to have to let Dan back to the table, which upset him. There was no way he was going to try the bank, he wasn't comfortable with it which would mean a miss for sure.

He didn't want Dan to have any kind of an open shot, and the corner hook was the only way to hook him. He just had to control the speed. You can tell he didn't really like the shot, but felt it was the best option at the time. And, he almost pulled it off! He hit it just a hair to hard. I believe it was a good choice by Alex, but I also believe he had his mind stuck in the wrong place on the shot and should have taken a second or two more to firmly set his mind on exactly what he wanted to do.

No matter what else he did with the 9, Dan would have been in a position to either make the 9 or force Alex to bank it from an off position. Yes, I believe Alex's choice was a good one. But, it's also not one that anyone other than a pro should really expect to succeed at. And, I have seen several pros do the same thing, sometimes from much longer distances!

There can be a ledge there sucking the cb in, or the opposite pushing the cb away. I don't see that shot as viable at all, and I have never seen it done in high stakes pool, but you have. So there ya go. But, what ended up happening? That is a shot a pro shoots 5 times practicing, scratches 2, goes short 2 and executes it once if he's lucky.

Anyway, all this comes down to is you thinking he is a percentage player unaltered in his thinking by his need to get oooohs and aaaaaahs out of the crowd. I happen to think his thinking is affected by his feelings toward wanting to amaze an audience. So we just differ

 

[The Chinchilla]

First of all, thanx for showing this match....I missed it.
Dan Heidrich is one hell of a player.
I saw the thin cut option on that 9-ball but Alex has been playing snooker
lately and the jaw hook is a hanger on rounded snooker pockets.
It also works much better on older cloth where there is a groove to
settle into.

I questioned the choice on the 1-ball also...until Alex mentioned in the
interview after that the cue-ball was heavy...and conditions tend to
be damp at that venue.

Have to disagree about Alex's attitude...he's one of those 'life of the
party' people and like Keith. will never be some professional clone.

..gonna see him later on today...will report back on that 9-ball shot.

Nice post. The gutter point is a good one.

Even with a heavy cb, the only way I personally would not shoot that layout drawing straight back off the 2 was if I felt extremely doggish with my draw stroke -- which, i refuse to ever feel that way, but that is my comment on that. I'd even do it the way i say with a heavy big ball cb, and maybe try to slightly favor the angle hitting the side rail first in that case. Point, I don't care about the heavy cb, same for me, but players are different but alex is shorter than me (= more stretching for that 2), so that may have made a big difference.

Thanks for the post. I missed the post interview. And I agree about Dan, amazing! First time I had seen him play, I'm very very impressed.

Edit, that is awesome, ask alex if he'd shoot that 9 the same way again, i'd be so curious what he says either way.

 

[pt109]

Taking zero away from Rodney's most impressive win, it was hard to ignore the fact that Alex was jumping up on so many shots (and missing some maybe because of it).

I wonder why he was doing this - maybe frustrated with how things were going?

I was only able to watch the final so didn't see any of his other matches to compare.

Did anyone notice this in his other matches?

Great stream and commentary, btw, v-e-r-y much appreciated. :thumbup:

Best,
Brian kc

This was his worst match, KC.
But all tournament it was noted that he played an unusual amount of
safeties....and used a cut break.
He's seeing a doctor for the reason he's wearing that patch.
He's 'leaning' into shots 'cause the arm hurts.

...not very professional, but I think he was relieved to run into his
'horse' in the final and just ran out of steam...yeah, players do 'savers'
but should always play hard.

 

[Aaron_S]

Allegations of dumping in a match where one player played lights out are just plain laughable to me. Rodney shot .900 or better in that match I'm guessing. He only had one dry break, and he had his cueball on a string, so how much stalling does it take to lose to somebody playing like that? Alex had a few unforced errors and some difficulty with the break, but he had a good excuse. He would have needed to play perfectly to beat Rodney, which would have been more surprising than him dogging it considering how long of a day he'd had and the fact that he was nursing an injury.

People who lose money side betting on matches always want to say there was business, but I have no sympathy for them whatsoever. If you are betting the room rent on a one-set finals match between two good friends with only $2k b/w first and second place, you need to have your head examined.

As far as savers are concerned, I personally have no problem with it. I figure these guys are playing to win anyway, and if anything the saver probably loosens up their arms so they can play closer to their full ability. In 2010, only the top 15 players exceeded $50k in tournament winnings, and those 15 would have had huge travel expenses. Savers are going to happen in ANY sport where the money is that pathetic.

Aaron

 

[Jason Koopman]

Personally, I think Alex was just exhausted. He just played a ton of matches, the last one with Putnam went 2.5 hours hill/hill! That will wipe you out. While Rodney had time to eat, relax and completely refresh.

Rodney came out slugging and was running balls center pocket like it was nothing. People had been rattling balls all weekend and Rodney made them look like buckets! I think Alex was just wiped out and happy to get a decent sized check for the weekend. He was done! If the Mosconi points came into play, then it was only as a motivator to Rodney to step up his game. He clearly wanted that 1st place win!


Big THANK YOU to everyone that was involved with making this happen for the fans. I, for one, appreciate it. If it were local, I would have been in the stands watching some world class pool. But thank you to all the sponsors who got us there anyway.

That's the way I see it as well.

 

[Derek]

I was there for the tournament, played in it, got knocked out early, and spent a lot of time watching Alex play. If anyone had seen Alex work Dennis Hatch 9-0, there wouldn't be any question about his ability or desire. I agree with the comments about him being exhausted. Alex was playing back-to-back-to-back . . . , etc. The advantage of being on the winner's side is having that break to collect your thoughts and from what I saw of Rodney during the tournament, he was simply shooting the best out of everyone.

I like Alex's attitude at the table. He will be the first to admit a lucky shot or jokingly chide himself for a bad leave. It's not showboating and it's refreshing compared to some of the guys who build the tension in the room so thick that you need the proverbial knife to cut it. Everyone has a different way to focus and handle their nerves and Alex does it in a playful manner. He was by far my favorite player to watch.

During one of his matches, Alex commented on Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets being a great tool for breaking. Overall, his breaking during the tournament was one of the more controlled I witnessed than a lot of the other top-notch players.

Personally, I didn't think the cue ball was playing heavy. It was very humid and I thought the Simonis was playing like thick carpet. There were not a lot of long draw shots being attempted. I ended up being short on shots rather than long.

As for the humidity, it poured on Tuesday & Wednesday and some of Thursday and the Thruway (freeway) between the casino was shut down over to Albany due to flooding, the only main road going by the casino. Amazingly, 126 players made it on time and I'm not sure what happened to the other two but the tournament was full at 128. The whole time I was at the casino, there were constant flood warnings even after the rain had stopped. So the mugginess in the air was affecting playing conditions.

 

[JCMn]

I had Alex to win over Rodney in the Fury Cue Giveaway, so I was pulling for Alex. Never heard if anyone won the cue.

Regardless, a great match and great tournament.

Jim

 

[The Chinchilla]

I was there for the tournament, played in it, got knocked out early, and spent a lot of time watching Alex play. If anyone had seen Alex work Dennis Hatch 9-0, there wouldn't be any question about his ability or desire. I agree with the comments about him being exhausted. Alex was playing back-to-back-to-back . . . , etc. The advantage of being on the winner's side is having that break to collect your thoughts and from what I saw of Rodney during the tournament, he was simply shooting the best out of everyone.

I like Alex's attitude at the table. He will be the first to admit a lucky shot or jokingly chide himself for a bad leave. It's not showboating and it's refreshing compared to some of the guys who build the tension in the room so thick that you need the proverbial knife to cut it. Everyone has a different way to focus and handle their nerves and Alex does it in a playful manner. He was by far my favorite player to watch.

During one of his matches, Alex commented on Joe Tucker's Racking Secrets being a great tool for breaking. Overall, his breaking during the tournament was one of the more controlled I witnessed than a lot of the other top-notch players.

Personally, I didn't think the cue ball was playing heavy. It was very humid and I thought the Simonis was playing like thick carpet. There were not a lot of long draw shots being attempted. I ended up being short on shots rather than long.

As for the humidity, it poured on Tuesday & Wednesday and some of Thursday and the Thruway (freeway) between the casino was shut down over to Albany due to flooding, the only main road going by the casino. Amazingly, 126 players made it on time and I'm not sure what happened to the other two but the tournament was full at 128. The whole time I was at the casino, there were constant flood warnings even after the rain had stopped. So the mugginess in the air was affecting playing conditions.

I'm not above changing my opinion as I see how many obviously knowledgeable people speak so highly of alex's choice making.

Nice comment on the humidity. I do think there is often a misperception of cb's being heavy when it is only the humidity.

 

[tank69]

I want to take time out to thank AZBTV for the stream as well. I also want to thank tank for the great pix from the SW reg. at the fort. Top notch my friend...except for the goof in the tommy bahama luau shirt shooting southpaw. If he plays like he dresses he is my pick for the 5 and under next year.

Thanks JR...and you're underestimating yourself, a strong 6 all day!

 

[tank69]

The "conspiracy theories" about this finals match is now ranking up there with the 9/11 and JFK cases. I'm not sure that analyzing Alex's break or Rodney's miss percentage is going to prove anything, but have at it. Rodney shot awesome, Alex played for hours and was just wore out, plain and simple.

 

[pt109]

Nice post. The gutter point is a good one.

Even with a heavy cb, the only way I personally would not shoot that layout drawing straight back off the 2 was if I felt extremely doggish with my draw stroke -- which, i refuse to ever feel that way, but that is my comment on that. I'd even do it the way i say with a heavy big ball cb, and maybe try to slightly favor the angle hitting the side rail first in that case. Point, I don't care about the heavy cb, same for me, but players are different but alex is shorter than me (= more stretching for that 2), so that may have made a big difference.

Thanks for the post. I missed the post interview. And I agree about Dan, amazing! First time I had seen him play, I'm very very impressed.

Edit, that is awesome, ask alex if he'd shoot that 9 the same way again, i'd be so curious what he says either way.

Just spoke to Alex.....for the ball in hand on the 1-ball, he'll play it that
way even on a dry cloth...doesn't want to be near the long rail for the
3-ball....(I'd rather play it like you do)

He set up the 9-ball situation....I like the thin cut and froze the 9-ball
first time...he sold out both times.
I can play some straight-rail billiards so I'm used to this hit but Alex says
I'm also 6 ft tall so I can get my head OVER the shot...not for him.

I played the jaw hook, froze him first shot..but the cloth is 6 months old,
which makes it a lot easier. With a deep shelf, it would really be a hanger.

His first choice at the match was to play it in with a masse...but he said
the table was to high for him.Our table is a pro-am Diamond and he said
it's lower than a Diamond Smart table.
He made the 9-ball four times in a row......not for me but he owns that
shot.

regards
pt..<..who loves these post-mortems

 

[The Chinchilla]

Just spoke to Alex.....for the ball in hand on the 1-ball, he'll play it that
way even on a dry cloth...doesn't want to be near the long rail for the
3-ball....(I'd rather play it like you do)

He set up the 9-ball situation....I like the thin cut and froze the 9-ball
first time...he sold out both times.
I can play some straight-rail billiards so I'm used to this hit but Alex says
I'm also 6 ft tall so I can get my head OVER the shot...not for him.

I played the jaw hook, froze him first shot..but the cloth is 6 months old,
which makes it a lot easier. With a deep shelf, it would really be a hanger.

His first choice at the match was to play it in with a masse...but he said
the table was to high for him.Our table is a pro-am Diamond and he said
it's lower than a Diamond Smart table.
He made the 9-ball four times in a row......not for me but he owns that
shot.

regards
pt..<..who loves these post-mortems

Thanks for the reply. I'm very surprised he says that about the one ball. But he's Alex Great post. I feel height really is an advantage in pool. Cheers.

 

[shakey91929]

I was there to watch the finals. When Mike Zuglan introduced the final 2 players Alex said he was a 15 time World Champion for people 4 foot and shorter:smile: Rodney got out of the box 5 games to 1 and Alex kind of gave up. I really think he was just burnt out.

 

[The Chinchilla]

I was there to watch the finals. When Mike Zuglan introduced the final 2 players Alex said he was a 15 time World Champion for people 4 foot and shorter:smile: Rodney got out of the box 5 games to 1 and Alex kind of gave up. I really think he was just burnt out.

A lot of people are saying this, let's just assume it's true. Well, even then, it isn't really the greatest time in the world to burn out. But I have yet to watch this one, so my opinion doesn't count.