An American disgrace
- Thread starter bowiebill
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Pathetic Shark
Banned
Really? What point?
Pathetic Shark
Banned
Wait for the corpse before conducting the post mortem.
Pathetic Shark
Banned
Pathetic Shark
Banned
Lol. Are you suggesting Dennis Hatch is a better player than Darren Appleton? Factless trolling indeed!
Appleton would wipe the floor with Hatch today.. That match was several years ago before Darren came into his own.. And by your own admission Hatch isn't as good now as he was then and still isn't close to being Americas best.....
Right now Shaw is destroying all comers for the cash... But he is one of the youngest of the Euros and has no responsibilities to anything but himself and the game....
For the most part it's not part of their culture.. Maybe it has to do with the snooker bylaws which forbid unsanctioned gambling matches... Maybe it's the OOC rules coming down from the EBPF and other organizations...
None of the Germans seem to gamble either... Maybe they think it cheapens the sport... The gambling side of the sport does tend to always be the seedier side of it....
Chris
It is unfortunate that our Americans our losing - and I've been frustrated with our players throughout the week. But I don't think that us American fans have a right to call it a disgrace.
Around the world, it seems pool is a growing sport. However, in the states it carries a "dying" mantra, and has for sometime. And it is true - it is a lot tougher to own and operate poolrooms in America these days; especially in metropolitan locations where rent prices are exorbitant and owning property is about as rare as me running out - leading to many poolrooms closing down with nowhere to reopen.
Its tough to watch us get beat, but it is just as much a reflection of our culture here as it is of the ability of those playing for us on the table. I mean those guys are legends in their own right, and have brought us some glorious wins. But many of them probably don't feel the pride of a country pushing them on like some of those European players do - I mean, yes, during the Cup we support them - but next week they fall back into dimly lit shadows.
I wish I had a solution to change that; I mean, who knows, maybe someone in the 1% will fall in love with pool and realize its okay invest in this sport and its okay to take a fiscal loss to gain the enjoyment of it. Besides that, who knows - but I hope in the meantime those here in the states regain our fighting spirit - America always has performed better when it was an underdog anyways.
Around the world, it seems pool is a growing sport. However, in the states it carries a "dying" mantra, and has for sometime. And it is true - it is a lot tougher to own and operate poolrooms in America these days; especially in metropolitan locations where rent prices are exorbitant and owning property is about as rare as me running out - leading to many poolrooms closing down with nowhere to reopen.
Its tough to watch us get beat, but it is just as much a reflection of our culture here as it is of the ability of those playing for us on the table. I mean those guys are legends in their own right, and have brought us some glorious wins. But many of them probably don't feel the pride of a country pushing them on like some of those European players do - I mean, yes, during the Cup we support them - but next week they fall back into dimly lit shadows.
I wish I had a solution to change that; I mean, who knows, maybe someone in the 1% will fall in love with pool and realize its okay invest in this sport and its okay to take a fiscal loss to gain the enjoyment of it. Besides that, who knows - but I hope in the meantime those here in the states regain our fighting spirit - America always has performed better when it was an underdog anyways.
Maybe you're right . I just hate to see what I'm watching in every area in America.. Including pool and American pride!
Its amazing how everyone is on SVB nuts like hes the only American worth a damn. i watched most of the matches (not all) and Shane did his fair of dogging shots he should have made, From what Ive seen Earl was the one who played better in the Strickland/ Boening partnership. by a noticeable margine. yet people keep saying he doesnt belong on the team. True he acts goofy, but to me it shows a desire to win. Id rather see someone who give a $hit. than someone who is a Robot. Just my Opinion.
The Hippie
Registered
You said some very insightful and intelligent things here..I vote for you as our pool ambassador!
Very true. People like to bang on Earl, but he has been the best player so far on our team by a wide margin. Not to mention that he is also the only player that looked like he had any desire to win. SVB did a few times, then, it seemed to go away again.
Earl played very well, despite missing two balls he never should have missed. Most of the time he was right in line and on the correct side of the ball. The others seemed to be on the wrong side of the ball more often than not. The Euros flat out out-shot our guys both days. Niels Feijen played truly professional pool today. Then yet, he is the one that believes in doing drills and hard work too. It does pay off in time. Half our team doesn't even believe in practice, and hardly ever match up with anyone of equal caliber. Shane will step up, as will Earl when given the chance, and both hold their own. The others just seem to sit back and wait for someone to give them something. That doesn't work on the world stage anymore.
Another thing that shocked me, is that our team pushed for the change in the rack and the break box, yet, none of them seemed to know how to break from there. ??? Niels was the one that seemed to show everyone else how to do it. That break has been around for a long, long time. The cb just has to be one balls width off the center line, and then a very solid hit on the one. The back ball will kick the 9 up to the corner every time, and you will often get an early game if you control the speed of it. Why did our guys not even know that?
Why did all but one of our guys look like they didn't even want to be there? Any potential sponsors seeing their attitudes would be turned away immediately by it. The only time Hatch showed anything was when he slopped in the 9 on a break, then he strutted around like he really did something.
A lot on here won't like it, but our guys just flat out don't deserve to win. They have to get their act together. First step is to at least act like a team and act like you are grateful to be there and want to win.
Strange to see team USA being so uncomfortable, it`s afterall their home turf.
Shane and Earl play decent though. Mike Dechaine continues to look like a chump and he`s chalking drives me mad!
Not trying to be unfair or anything, but i have noticed that the European players look a lot more fit than their American counterparts.
Shane and Earl play decent though. Mike Dechaine continues to look like a chump and he`s chalking drives me mad!
Not trying to be unfair or anything, but i have noticed that the European players look a lot more fit than their American counterparts.
Really shaw is destroying everyone for the cash???? he can't find a game without everyone asking for weight.. The fact is as the mosconi cup is all political bs!! An hopefully next year it will be without Johnny archer!!! Mayb they will go by points like it should an people who lay it all on the table like dechaine an sossei will be selected
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Probably a lot easier to NOT gamble when the prize money is enough to make a living when you are one of the best.
This whole thread is totally flame bait, but what the heck...I'll bite...
The way the American's "play pool" is just different than the way the Europeans tend to play.
The European players approach every shot pretty much the same, with the same focus, intensity, etc. They are consistent, consistent, consistent. This leads to great performances in tournaments and that type of shorter race, multiple set, gambling scenarios.
The Americans on the other hand are more "high gear" players. They might miss 3 silly shots then turn around and hit you with a 9 pack out of nowhere.
This works great in long gambling matches because you can always catch up, stretch a ridiculous lead very quickly and sometimes just flat out run over your opponent physically and mentally.
Unfortunately, with the level of play being so high and the talent pool being so deep today in most tournaments, it doesn't always lead to the best tournament performances unless you're capable of doing that EVERY match. As opposed to every other match.
You can argue all day about which style is better...really it just depends on what you put more stock in.
I personally would be tempted to argue that "he who has the most money at the end of the day, regardless of whether it is acquired through gambling OR tournament play, wins" but that's just me. :smile:
And yes, of course there are exceptions to this for both groups, and this is obviously an oversimplification to some extent. But, by and large it appears to hold reasonably true.
The way the American's "play pool" is just different than the way the Europeans tend to play.
The European players approach every shot pretty much the same, with the same focus, intensity, etc. They are consistent, consistent, consistent. This leads to great performances in tournaments and that type of shorter race, multiple set, gambling scenarios.
The Americans on the other hand are more "high gear" players. They might miss 3 silly shots then turn around and hit you with a 9 pack out of nowhere.
This works great in long gambling matches because you can always catch up, stretch a ridiculous lead very quickly and sometimes just flat out run over your opponent physically and mentally.
Unfortunately, with the level of play being so high and the talent pool being so deep today in most tournaments, it doesn't always lead to the best tournament performances unless you're capable of doing that EVERY match. As opposed to every other match.
You can argue all day about which style is better...really it just depends on what you put more stock in.
I personally would be tempted to argue that "he who has the most money at the end of the day, regardless of whether it is acquired through gambling OR tournament play, wins" but that's just me. :smile:
And yes, of course there are exceptions to this for both groups, and this is obviously an oversimplification to some extent. But, by and large it appears to hold reasonably true.
