Dechaine loathed?

Mike has his moments at times when he can piss people off, particularly his opponent. But overall I find him likable enough, easy to talk to and having an engaging sense of humor. I do not know him to be dishonest or untrustworthy in any way. He is not a player I worry about in a tournament bring disruptive or getting out of line. We do have several like that who will go unnamed for now.

Mike has the potential to be a great player if he can bring all the elements together. To be a great pool player, there must be a wholeness of mind, body and spirit. A few have it and most don't. That is why we only have a handful of champions in this sport. I wish Mike the best in the future. He is on the short list of top flight American players.
 
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jay helfert said:
Mike has his moments at times when he can piss people off, particularly his opponent. But overall I find him likable enough, easy to talk to and having an engaging sense of humor. I do not know him to be dishonest or untrustworthy in any way. He is not a player I worry about in a tournament bring disruptive or getting out of line. We have several like that who will go unnamed for now.

Mike has the potential to be a great player if he can bring all the elements together. To be a great pool player, there must be a wholeness of mind, body and spirit. A few have it and most don't. That is why we only have a handful of champions in this sport. I wish Mike the best in the future. He is on a short list of top flight American players.
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Well said Jay. I agree 100%.

Ray
 
I don't know Mike personally, but he seems alright by me. Saw him at last years Derby and I didn't hear anyone saying anything bad.

I'm sure he has his moments just like everyone else. That doesn't make him loathsome it makes him human.
 
CJ Wiley said:
Maybe there was some confusion on the correct word, loath or loathe. ;)


Writers occasionally confuse 'loath' and 'loathe'. Their meanings are related as they both relate to not liking something.
Loathe

Loathe is a verb meaning 'to hate'. In fact, many consider it even stronger than 'to hate'. It can also be translated as 'to hate intensely'.
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No confusion. She said something like: "You're the most loathed man in the history of pool." Past participle of the verb "loathe."

If memory serves, she also specified that this was her own question, not one from the audience.
 
AtLarge said:
Justin solicited questions for Shane and Mike from AzB members the morning of the podcast. But, as Justin later said:

"The bad news is the whole damn forum was offline last night during the podcast so I had no way to access the questions for the players. We had to wing it at the last minute and Jen took questions off a Facebook post."​

So maybe that "loathe" question was a direct reading from Facebook. Even if was from Facebook, I suppose she could have stated it a bit differently.
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I just watched the TAR Podcast #34 for the first time tonight, and Jennifer said the "loathe" question was her own. So my speculation that she might have been reading the question from Facebook was incorrect.
 
not loathed

jennifer's question was awful. a lot of her interviewing was awful. and she was answering questions about herself? and when the two guys were playing games at the end, her timing was, well, awful.

she went for a three ball combo and should have gone for the safe,

"So Mike, do you cultivate a 'bad boy' image, or has this been put upon you from the outside?"
 
Maybe a leather coat, and at least one tattoo (preferably on the neck area)

markjames said:
jennifer's question was awful. a lot of her interviewing was awful. and she was answering questions about herself? and when the two guys were playing games at the end, her timing was, well, awful.

she went for a three ball combo and should have gone for the safe,

"So Mike, do you cultivate a 'bad boy' image, or has this been put upon you from the outside?"
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I think looking at Mike as a "bad boy" is a large stretch of the imagination. I've seen him here in Dallas at the "Dallas Open" which he won and at various other tournaments and "Bad Boy" would be far from what I've seen.
Rnjc3.jpg


Maybe he needs to get a weapons charge or at least pull a switchblade on someone to cultivate that image. Maybe a leather coat, and at least one tattoo (preferably on the neck area), and of course some "unladylike"
Mayte_Garcia_12.jpg
companions would spice it up a bit.

I'm still not really seeing it and I haven't heard the word "Loathing" since they referred to Jim Carrey as having that and some "fear" in Las Vegas. ;)
 
I think Jennifer may have not realized the impact of her question. When you are being taped in a real-time manner, once the words leave your mouth, there's no taking them back. She is good person, and I think she would probably retract that question if she could have foreseen the impact it would have.

I am saddened to read the mean-spirited remarks about Mike Dechaine. No matter what any of us think, he's reached a height in pool that is beyond most of our gaze. I admire somebody who is able to accomplish perfection.

Most pool players I have met seem to have a strong ego. I think they must have big egos in order to believe in their own capabilities, to push forward. I can't tell you how many times I have talked myself out of a shot when I'm in the heat of the battle becuase I lack the self-confidence in my own capabilities. Well, professional players seem to overcome this mental stop sign, if you will, and believe they are the best. Sometimes this self-confidence can be misinterpreted, and I think this may be what is happening with the perception of those who don't really know Mike Dechaine.

True champion players each have a streak of greatness, some longer than others. Earl Strickland enjoyed the longest streak of greatness in my lifetime. Danny Basavich enjoyed a streak in 2004, winning everything he stepped foot in, but for whatever reason, he quit, resulting in a shorter streak. Shane Van Boening today is still in the prime of his streak. Who knows how long it will go? Mike Dechaine has enjoyed a streak, I think, and he may not be finished. It is up to him.

One thing I noticed a long time ago about Earl Strickland, Shannon Daulton, Jeremy Jones, and other great players is they will practice, practice, practice before a match. I saw Shannon do nothing but break for a solid 2 hours once, same with Earl. Jeremy Jones did the same thing at the Carolinas Open one year. Without expending hours and hours each week, like it's a full-time job, I don't think even a player with a God-given talent can achieve greatness or streak. Practice, as they say, makes perfect, and in order to be a champion, you gotta pay with hours of practice in order to play. :)
 
Last word....the overwhelming opinion seems to be that Mike is not universally "loathed" albeit he is a confident and highly skilled young man with some of the same characteristics that affect many in the heat of competition. As an aside, I enjoyed Jennifer Baretta's interviewing for the most part (I did miss the humour in her claim to have played three years. It is funny when you watch it again in context) and I would accept that she was not intending to put Mike on the spot the way it turned out.

Thanks to AZ billiards for posting this video and for all the great support that they give to the pool world.
 
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