Dennis Vs. Shane

Tin Man

Tin Man

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OK, I saw the match and just need to put in my $.02.

It was obvious that BOTH players were a bit nervous in the beginning. Dennis won the lag, broke well, and played a good two way shot bank. He missed but hooked Shane. Shane made a good hit but ended up selling out.

Rack 2, Shane broke well, made a ball, but had a very tough one ball. He did miss, and Dennis made a great shot on the one.

OK, now my memory of exactly what happened when gets a little shaky. Dennis ran out the next couple of racks, but what NO ONE HAS YET MENTIONED is that he missed SEVERAL times. TWICE he slopped in a ball when he missed, and once or twice he missed and hooked Shane.

Sure, Shane struggled once he was down 5-0 and made a couple of mistakes, but how big are the several slop shots and lucky hooks Dennis benefitted from early on??? I believe based on the number of misses (and the few balls that wobbled for a minute before falling) that Dennis was nervous too, and had he not gotten some rolls the set could have gone VERY differently.

Shane was nervous, but very hungry to win, and he has a proven track record of being able to use nerves to play well.

I am impressed at how well he handled the multiple slop shots and hooks. Being in your first finals on TV against one of the worlds best players and watching him blow it and get lucky would test anyone, and he modeled very good behavior during and after the match. Pros can't always control the results on the table, but they ought to be able to control their actions, and he did that very well.

Good try Shane!
 
in regards to dennis' miss, the 2 that i remember 1 was a long reverse angle, not a gimme by any means. the other was an awkward combination which he was forced to shoot at because there was no other shot or safety which resulted instead with lucking in a different pocket.
 
Tin Man said:
Dennis ran out the next couple of racks, but what NO ONE HAS YET MENTIONED is that he missed SEVERAL times. TWICE he slopped in a ball when he missed, and once or twice he missed and hooked Shane.
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I'm confused. Did Dennis run out (slopped in shots and all) the next couple of racks, or did he miss and hook Shane once or twice?

Thanks for the report.
 
Although it is true that Dennis slopped in two balls, it is also true that Shane had a poor match in terms of his defense, and Orcullo had a few more good looks at object balls than he should have. I've noted in a different thread that nobody should be deluded into comparing this match with Hohmann's suffocation of Archer in the 2005 BCA final. Orcullo got more rolls than Shane, but Shane did less than he could have with his break and in the moves game, and that's most of why he had little chance to win this match.
 
Helluva week for Shane, you gotta say! If you gotta play Dennis, you want it to be a race to 7. That was a big missed opportunity, but by no means something to be disappointed over.

SJM's aforementioned thread is well worth the read, for those of you you who have yet to...
 
Just wanted to say Congrats to Dennis and Shane. Two of my favorite players made it to the finals. Job well done boys. Another good week for Shane, but I know how badly he wants a big win of his own.
 
Shane rose to this occasion in a big way, and is now a player to be reckoned with at the highest level of competition.

He also showed good sportsmanship and maturity in his after-match remarks to the crowd, thanking those who gave him the spot and those who cheered for him all week.

If he did not win the championship, he still conducted himself like a champion.

Shane's turn to win an important tile will come, probably sooner than later.
 
Dennis O. did play very well this weekend and im happy as walking away with 2nd place in a tough field... last week was probably the best experience ive ever had and will play in the same tournament in the future as well. I considered dennis is one of the strongest player out there and I got alot of respect for his game.... his game is to strong and he is too focused to play anywhere in the world..... good luck to dennis and looking forward battling with you for the next 20 - 30 years.... and I think dennis will be the next world champion.....good luck...;)
 
Southdakotakid said:
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..... good luck to dennis and looking forward battling with you for the next 20 - 30 years.... and I think dennis will be the next world champion.....good luck...;)
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And we're also looking forward to you winning a major. Hope it comes soon.
 
Southdakotakid said:
Dennis O. did play very well this weekend and im happy as walking away with 2nd place in a tough field... last week was probably the best experience ive ever had and will play in the same tournament in the future as well. I considered dennis is one of the strongest player out there and I got alot of respect for his game.... his game is to strong and he is too focused to play anywhere in the world..... good luck to dennis and looking forward battling with you for the next 20 - 30 years.... and I think dennis will be the next world champion.....good luck...;)
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it is nice to see combatants, and poolplayers at that, showing respect to each other.
 
Are we finally beginning to see the next generation stepping up and claiming their rightful place in pool? This week has been a showcase of great pool from the young guns, what with the finals in this tourney and the beating chao got from yang over at the asian 9-ball.
 
Southdakotakid said:
Dennis O. did play very well this weekend and im happy as walking away with 2nd place in a tough field... last week was probably the best experience ive ever had and will play in the same tournament in the future as well. I considered dennis is one of the strongest player out there and I got alot of respect for his game.... his game is to strong and he is too focused to play anywhere in the world..... good luck to dennis and looking forward battling with you for the next 20 - 30 years.... and I think dennis will be the next world champion.....good luck...;)
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Unless you win it first. No ones game is improving more rapidly than yours.
 
Southdakotakid said:
Dennis O. did play very well this weekend and im happy as walking away with 2nd place in a tough field... last week was probably the best experience ive ever had and will play in the same tournament in the future as well. I considered dennis is one of the strongest player out there and I got alot of respect for his game.... his game is to strong and he is too focused to play anywhere in the world..... good luck to dennis and looking forward battling with you for the next 20 - 30 years.... and I think dennis will be the next world champion.....good luck...;)
Click to expand...

Spoken like a real professional. All credit to you.
 
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