Darren's Mosconi Thread on Facebook

RunoutJJ

RunoutJJ

Professional Banger
Silver Member
If you have facebook and you are friends with him I suggest you go and read it.

Up to 384 post as of right now so its lengthy but you can see how supportive "most" European fans are. They may give a few jabs here and there but mostly they point it out how it is and how much better USA was as a TEAM this time.

So tired of the negative BS that goes on here. Yeah we got beat and yeah the players seemed really nervous and rattled. I think Mark has the right idea and the younger guys are gonna grow from this. They will get better and stronger!!! Maybe not next year or the year after that but it seems to be a phoenix risen. I could be wrong about it all but I have faith in our boys.

Go to Darrens wall and read it. See some amazing comments from the other side of the pond. You may not like to admit it but its all true stories.
 
Well after last year it was only up from there. 11-2 last time and 11-5 this year. Still piss poor though.
 
11:5 sounds like a clear and one-sided result but it really wasn't. And after the first day it could have gone either way.
*
For me it was great to see the first time Team USA did not start anything silly against or with the audience but kept their focus on the table and the job they really have got to do. Play pool.

And yes, Mark Wilson and his Team of coaches are the right people for that job. This is a result of their work.
But you could also see them playing together as a team and supporting each other instead of insulting their own team mates how bad they play and the how better player they are themselves like it happened in the past. How you're gonna play pool --* for a guy and a team that just a second ago told the whole world on national tv how bad you play? You wouldn't.*

In my opinion the 2 Justins did real great. And after witnessing John Schmidt grinding it against Mark Gray the first day, I truly though this is going to be a nail biter till the end. John and Mark played a high class match with a lot of break and run outs and beautifully played shots a long the way.
Corey also played some awesome shots and long pots, which kept him in the game.

Remember, they all did this in front of a crowd that acted like 200.000 football fans inside the Maracanã Stadium in Brazil watching the World Cup Final.

3:2 after the first day is as tight as it could*be.

I don't*like the expression "bad roll" but the last day Shane really got some unlucky layouts after dry breaks or missed balls.* USA didn't lose because of that. They got their chances prior and failed to apply pressure, but it certainly would have become a different story.

On and off the court all players were true gentlemen giving autographs to, and taking selfies with people just a minute ago were yelling at them after they missed a ball. How strong is that?
But that is part of that sport. They are the fans and you are the sportsman.* And this sport is all about being a gentle man, a role model.
USA earned a lot of respect acting like it. And at the end of the mc the complete tower circus* was screaming U.S.A, U.S.A.....
You lose because you simply missed more balls than your opponent did, period. Now it's time to keep your head high, go back to training mode, work on your weaknesses and come back stronger.

And everyone who is talking about this player is better than him and it should have been him playing etc did not understand the concept.*

You win as a team, and you lose as team.
 
Nobody wants to watch one sided matches over and over. People want to see a bit of drama.

As a European, I don't feel like we have won anything special. Would much rather it went Hill Hill or even go in as underdogs and nick it.

It's a bit dull at the moment..
 
iateyourlunch said:
It's just tough to get excited about the 3rd worst Mosconi Cup performance
Click to expand...

I can understand it's never good to lose, but hell, you have to sacrifice something to
get something.
The way I look at it, the past numbers should not be weighed when going forward.
This was a new team with a new philosophy.
NEXT year we can start counting again.

Be patient everyone, good things are coming.
 
greekdeal said:
...usa earned a lot of respect acting like it. And at the end of the mc the complete tower circus* was screaming u.s.a, u.s.a.....
You lose because you simply missed more balls than your opponent did, period. Now it's time to keep your head high, go back to training mode, work on your weaknesses and come back stronger.

And everyone who is talking about this player is better than him and it should have been him playing etc did not understand the concept.*

you win as a team, and you lose as team.
Click to expand...

very well said.
Everyone please read this quote above.
 
greekdeal said:
11:5 sounds like a clear and one-sided result but it really wasn't. And after the first day it could have gone either way.
*
For me it was great to see the first time Team USA did not start anything silly against or with the audience but kept their focus on the table and the job they really have got to do. Play pool.

And yes, Mark Wilson and his Team of coaches are the right people for that job. This is a result of their work.
But you could also see them playing together as a team and supporting each other instead of insulting their own team mates how bad they play and the how better player they are themselves like it happened in the past. How you're gonna play pool --* for a guy and a team that just a second ago told the whole world on national tv how bad you play? You wouldn't.*

In my opinion the 2 Justins did real great. And after witnessing John Schmidt grinding it against Mark Gray the first day, I truly though this is going to be a nail biter till the end. John and Mark played a high class match with a lot of break and run outs and beautifully played shots a long the way.
Corey also played some awesome shots and long pots, which kept him in the game.

Remember, they all did this in front of a crowd that acted like 200.000 football fans inside the Maracanã Stadium in Brazil watching the World Cup Final.

3:2 after the first day is as tight as it could*be.

I don't*like the expression "bad roll" but the last day Shane really got some unlucky layouts after dry breaks or missed balls.* USA didn't lose because of that. They got their chances prior and failed to apply pressure, but it certainly would have become a different story.

On and off the court all players were true gentlemen giving autographs to, and taking selfies with people just a minute ago were yelling at them after they missed a ball. How strong is that?
But that is part of that sport. They are the fans and you are the sportsman.* And this sport is all about being a gentle man, a role model.
USA earned a lot of respect acting like it. And at the end of the mc the complete tower circus* was screaming U.S.A, U.S.A.....
You lose because you simply missed more balls than your opponent did, period. Now it's time to keep your head high, go back to training mode, work on your weaknesses and come back stronger.

And everyone who is talking about this player is better than him and it should have been him playing etc did not understand the concept.*

You win as a team, and you lose as team.
Click to expand...

This was a beating of the highest order. The US got three major rolls before the event even began:

1) Europe showed up with a weaker team than they did in 2013.

2) The break requirements that have befuddled the US in recent Mosconi play were dropped. Break from anywhere in the kitchen and no illegal break rule was huge for the Americans.

AtLarge said:
Here are the final results for DAYS 1 through 4 Combined -- Mon. 12/1 - Thurs. 12/4. The score was 3-2 on Day 1, 3-2 on Day 2, 3-1 on Day 3, and 2-0 on Day 4 -- all in Europe's favor -- for a final result of 11-5.

The U.S. broke 57 times, with the following results:
• Made at least one ball (and did not foul) and won the game -- 29 (51%)
• Made at least one ball (and did not foul) and lost the game -- 17 (30%)
• Broke dry or fouled but won the game -- 1 (2%)
• Broke dry or fouled and lost the game -- 10 (18%)

Europe broke 62 times, with the following results:
• Made at least one ball (and did not foul) and won the game -- 33 (53%)
• Made at least one ball (and did not foul) and lost the game -- 12 (19%)
• Broke dry or fouled but won the game -- 10 (16%)
• Broke dry or fouled and lost the game -- 7 (11%)
Click to expand...

As you can see, the Americans out-broke the Europeans, breaking wet 46 times and dry 11 times (81%), while Europe broke wet 45 times and dry 17 times (73%), so Matchroom's break accommodation was a godsend for Team USA.

3. The races were shortened from 6 to 5. That's always preferable for the underdog.

Yes, the table was set for a US victory, but we were still blown out.

Only the truly delusional will feel that this Mosconi Cup was a competitive affair.
 
sjm said:
This was a beating of the highest order. The US got three major rolls before the event even began:

1) Europe showed up with a weaker team than they did in 2013.

2) The break requirements that have befuddled the US in recent Mosconi play were dropped. Break from anywhere in the kitchen and no illegal break rule was huge for the Americans.

As you can see, the Americans out-broke the Europeans, breaking wet 46 times and dry 11 times (81%), while Europe broke wet 45 times and dry 17 times (73%), so Matchroom's break accommodation was a godsend for Team USA.

3. The races were shortened from 6 to 5. That's always preferable for the underdog.

Yes, the table was set for a US victory, but we were still blown out.

Only the truly delusional will feel that this Mosconi Cup was a competitive affair.
Click to expand...

God, they gave us the break & shorter races, too? :eek: we were wondering about that, but concluded we had lost our minds since we already had 5" pockets.

OP - thanks for posting info from Darren's FB page for everyone! we will check it out.
 
sjm said:
This was a beating of the highest order. The US got three major rolls before the event even began:

1) Europe showed up with a weaker team than they did in 2013.

2) The break requirements that have befuddled the US in recent Mosconi play were dropped. Break from anywhere in the kitchen and no illegal break rule was huge for the Americans.



As you can see, the Americans out-broke the Europeans, breaking wet 46 times and dry 11 times (81%), while Europe broke wet 45 times and dry 17 times (73%), so Matchroom's break accommodation was a godsend for Team USA.

3. The races were shortened from 6 to 5. That's always preferable for the underdog.

Yes, the table was set for a US victory, but we were still blown out.

Only the truly delusional will feel that this Mosconi Cup was a competitive affair.
Click to expand...

I know you aren't referring to "the table" but I do think the actual table conditions nullified one potential U.S. advantage and that was in the kicking/tactical game. Going in to the Mosconi Cup I would have thought that Van Boening, Deuel, and even Hall would have a slight advantage in the kicking and tactical exchanges. However, due to the brand new cloth it looked like many of these players had a hard time judging even the most basic of kick shots.

I know it's been said that pros have a lot of experience playing on brand new cloth but when you consider the thousands of hours spent honing their skills you would have to imagine that over 95% of that time would be spent playing on tables with broken in cloth.

Of course I don't think this was a major reason the U.S. team lost but I do think it played a small part in why many of them didn't play their best.
 
If it wasn't the Mosconi Cup, just some guys playing pool and you saw that 11-5 loss would you be excited about the losing team?

Without naming names a couple of those guys were outclassed. I'm glad to see some different guys get the guaranteed cash and I'm not convinced one or two of the players on previous American teams were trying to win but that doesn't change reality. You can't put good regional players up against world class players and expect to win.
 
BasementDweller said:
I know you aren't referring to "the table" but I do think the actual table conditions nullified one potential U.S. advantage and that was in the kicking/tactical game. Going in to the Mosconi Cup I would have thought that Van Boening, Deuel, and even Hall would have a slight advantage in the kicking and tactical exchanges. However, due to the brand new cloth it looked like many of these players had a hard time judging even the most basic of kick shots.

I know it's been said that pros have a lot of experience playing on brand new cloth but when you consider the thousands of hours spent honing their skills you would have to imagine that over 95% of that time would be spent playing on tables with broken in cloth.

Of course I don't think this was a major reason the U.S. team lost but I do think it played a small part in why many of them didn't play their best.
Click to expand...

Actually, Europe kicks better than we do year after year, and the reason is that they are better kickers. The conditions at the 2013 Mosconi were loose and slidy, so surely that's what our team would have prepared for this year.
 
sjm said:
This was a beating of the highest order. The US got three major rolls before the event even began:

1) Europe showed up with a weaker team than they did in 2013.

2) The break requirements that have befuddled the US in recent Mosconi play were dropped. Break from anywhere in the kitchen and no illegal break rule was huge for the Americans.



As you can see, the Americans out-broke the Europeans, breaking wet 46 times and dry 11 times (81%), while Europe broke wet 45 times and dry 17 times (73%), so Matchroom's break accommodation was a godsend for Team USA.

3. The races were shortened from 6 to 5. That's always preferable for the underdog.

Yes, the table was set for a US victory, but we were still blown out.

Only the truly delusional will feel that this Mosconi Cup was a competitive affair.
Click to expand...

Except Matchroom decided to put brand new cloth on the table so the US players not only had to deal with hostile fans/environment but also had to be shooting under conditions that they were not used to. In my mind, this was the biggest hinderance to the US chances of winning. There was no comfort level to any aspect of their game.

No one wants to be down on a ball shooting and having doubts what the cue ball is going to do or perhaps the object ball due to slide. No one wants to be down shooting and afraid to put a stroke on the ball. 4 out of 5 of the Europeans play with what I call a snooker stroke. They bunt the balls around the table and rely on their shooting ability. American players rely on their stroke.

I think this is why John Schmidt had success the first day as straight pool has many of the same mechanics as snooker in bunting balls. The other 3 days he failed to use that same mentality.
 
watchez said:
Except Matchroom decided to put brand new cloth on the table so the US players not only had to deal with hostile fans/environment but also had to be shooting under conditions that they were not used to. In my mind, this was the biggest hinderance to the US chances of winning. There was no comfort level to any aspect of their game.

No one wants to be down on a ball shooting and having doubts what the cue ball is going to do or perhaps the object ball due to slide. No one wants to be down shooting and afraid to put a stroke on the ball. 4 out of 5 of the Europeans play with what I call a snooker stroke. They bunt the balls around the table and rely on their shooting ability. American players rely on their stroke.

I think this is why John Schmidt had success the first day as straight pool has many of the same mechanics as snooker in bunting balls. The other 3 days he failed to use that same mentality.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the table was loose and slidy in 2013. Why would we have expected a change? Surely, our preparations took the anticipated conditions into account and, for the first time ever, our candidates were announced in March. They had nearly nine moths to prepare. If we were blindsided by the conditions, it's hard to fathom why. Shane succeeded with similar table conditions at the World Pool Masters in November. It's a Matchroom thing.
 
greekdeal said:
11:5 sounds like a clear and one-sided result but it really wasn't. And after the first day it could have gone either way.
*
For me it was great to see the first time Team USA did not start anything silly against or with the audience but kept their focus on the table and the job they really have got to do. Play pool.

And yes, Mark Wilson and his Team of coaches are the right people for that job. This is a result of their work.
But you could also see them playing together as a team and supporting each other instead of insulting their own team mates how bad they play and the how better player they are themselves like it happened in the past. How you're gonna play pool --* for a guy and a team that just a second ago told the whole world on national tv how bad you play? You wouldn't.*

In my opinion the 2 Justins did real great. And after witnessing John Schmidt grinding it against Mark Gray the first day, I truly though this is going to be a nail biter till the end. John and Mark played a high class match with a lot of break and run outs and beautifully played shots a long the way.
Corey also played some awesome shots and long pots, which kept him in the game.

Remember, they all did this in front of a crowd that acted like 200.000 football fans inside the Maracanã Stadium in Brazil watching the World Cup Final.

3:2 after the first day is as tight as it could*be.

I don't*like the expression "bad roll" but the last day Shane really got some unlucky layouts after dry breaks or missed balls.* USA didn't lose because of that. They got their chances prior and failed to apply pressure, but it certainly would have become a different story.

On and off the court all players were true gentlemen giving autographs to, and taking selfies with people just a minute ago were yelling at them after they missed a ball. How strong is that?
But that is part of that sport. They are the fans and you are the sportsman.* And this sport is all about being a gentle man, a role model.
USA earned a lot of respect acting like it. And at the end of the mc the complete tower circus* was screaming U.S.A, U.S.A.....
You lose because you simply missed more balls than your opponent did, period. Now it's time to keep your head high, go back to training mode, work on your weaknesses and come back stronger.

And everyone who is talking about this player is better than him and it should have been him playing etc did not understand the concept.*

You win as a team, and you lose as team.
Click to expand...


This. In every way. Well done sir, a perfectly written summation of this mosconi cup.
 
sjm said:
Yes, but the table was loose and slidy in 2013. Why would we have expected a change? Surely, our preparations took the anticipated conditions into account and, for the first time ever, our candidates were announced in March. They had nearly nine moths to prepare. If we were blindsided by the conditions, it's hard to fathom why. Shane succeeded with similar table conditions at the World Pool Masters in November. It's a Matchroom thing.
Click to expand...

Mark had the tables recoved at Lindenwood for the week of practice/play the team did here in St Louis. But I still feel that the conditions are not what the players normally play on day in, day out and it had an effect on their play.

Certainly a couple of scratches......Bergman had two that he normally wouldn't have had. I remember Schmidt in doubles shooting a 6 ball middle of the top rail and having to go down table for the 7, middle of table bottom rail. He ran the cue ball into the 7, barely leaving Corey a shot. That shot there was John not comfortable with the table and simply hitting to make the 6 and trying to put as little of english on the cue ball, leaving whatever shape that transpired.

And I would agree the tables were loose. I have hesitated from posting this cause someone will be offended, but it reminded me of watching a WPBA match on TV. Big pockets so even the misses would go in. Corey had two 'misses' fall. I can't remember any others for the US. The Europeans had at least 6, maybe more.
 
Man up!!! Team USA got there clocks cleaned "again"!!! and no excuses needed , it was clear cut easy victory just like last year and the year before and will be next year too...i am just saying.
 
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