crawfish said:Maybe Alex just caught a gear and won. That's pretty much all there is to it. If the race was to 80? "If's" and "buts" really don't go down in the record book.
Keep score this way. W Or L. Who got paid?
smashmouth said:of course he choked, choking means to lose when you're supposed to win, if you're up 15 racks, then you're supposed to win
THere's a difference in upset and choking though.rossaroni said:With all due respect, I don't know if I would define choking how you did. That would mean that every underdog that has won, won because the other player/team choked. I would not say that the Colts choked against the Jets in 1969 or that Sonny Liston choked against Muhammad Ali. They were both "suppose to" win. I know Shane had a huge lead and it looked like he would run away with it, but Alex played great and never gave up. Shane did make some mistakes that he normally wouldn't make, but he was sitting in his chair a long time when Alex went on his great comeback. If you want to see someone choke and dogg-it, watch me play some time.
JoeyInCali said:THere's a difference in upset and choking though.
The Oilers choked agains the Bills in the second half after being ahead 30+.
Greg Norman choked in the final day of that Masters.
Choking is when you can't close the show when you are supposed to. And sometimes with multiple opportunities.
Yankees ahead 3-0 against the Sox might have been the worst case of choking ever. Sorry for the Yanks fans.
rossaroni said:If you want to see someone choke and dogg-it, watch me play some time.
smashmouth said:lol, I used to get my fill of that from 80's Blue Jay teams and pre-steroid Barry Bonds, now I just watch A-Rod
rossaroni said:They got nothing on me!Every time I actually get to the 9-ball, I pause for a second and pray that my opponent gives it to me.
JoeyInCali said:![]()
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I know this guy who had $10,000 riding on this 9-ball one time. He was on the hill. 9-ball was inches from the pocket while the cueball was almost frozen to the opposite side-rail.
He tried to show everyone in the poolhall who bet against him. Milked the shot. Chalked up excessively and walked around the table a few times.
Got down and shot. Miscued, missed the 9 ball completely.
Lost 10k.
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Folding and choking, I dunno the difference.gopi-1 said:Choke is when you're 10 games to 1 up and breaking, on a race to 11, AND with alternate breaks and still lost, that's choking to me (Hopkins vs. Reyes).
SVB didn't choked, he just got frustrated and it showed. This was the first time he felt that kind of heat. He's usually on cruise control when getting that kind of a head start and his opponents usually self destructs (Deuel and Earl) and he'll just cruise his way to victory. I've never seen SVB slam the CB or his stick on the table, his action says a lot. He was on tilt after losing such a big lead after using up his bakery of rolls, plus playing nearly flawless pool for two straight days. When Alex caught another gear and got his turn to use his own rolls, SVB just can't stop the bleeding, specially Alex' turn came on the most opportune time, the homestretch.
There's a fine line between winning and losing, and that's the finish line, were heart counts the most...
branpureza said:haha, how is it irrelevant when you're trying to figure out why someone won or lost? The fact that Alex played better in the end is exactly why he won... and for those who think SVB choked, well that's a direct result of what? Alex playing his ass off, that's what... if Alex just folded up like a lawn chair when he was down, which is what most players would have done, Shane would have coasted to victory... instead Alex stepped his game up like a true champion and showed everyone including Shane what heart really was.
Tin Man said:Shane didn't choke. He was just frustrated at the way things were going. Choking is due to being scared. He was just a little tilted. Why? Obviously Alex made a huge comeback, but he needed and got some good rolls along the way. As Grady always says, the balls know who's winning. Many things could have gone just slightly differently to launch Shane across the finish line.
Don't get me wrong. Alex made the comeback of the decade and it is a match I will always be glad that I witnessed. When you are down that much you have to play great just to give yourself a chance and hope for a little help from the pool gods along the way. He deserves to win for doing that, and I would certainly never bet a nickel against Alex.
But I don't think I will ever bet against Shane again. With his firepower and break I felt that Alex had to play perfect and get a little lucky to win that set. Give him credit for playing perfect. He certainly deserves the win. But there is no question that he wasn't parking whitey and playing shape on the one like SVB, and came up dry much more often. That means that all match long Shane had many more opportunities to shoot which accounts for his lead and his confidence. When you run three racks an inning it takes a little heat off of your game when your opponent is fighting to make balls or get a shot at the one.
Alex found that the only way to stop SVB's endless break and runs was to not let him break. After winning many games in a row he finally succeeded in getting Shane out of stroke and rode his wave to the end.
In summary, it could've gone either way, and I will never bet against either of them again. They are both world champions in my book, and if I were Shane I would be proud that I got a player like that down 22 games not ashamed of losing to a historic performance.
That's a pretty good assessment. Shane will gradually get more seasoned over the next few years. He's just 24, and has been in the large limelight for only a year or two; whereas Alex has been at or around the top for 10-12 years. Alex knows how to win. Shane will learn with more bigtime exposure how to manage a big lead, and to hold up during circumstances when fortune seems to be reversing. I believe that his career is right on target.Tin Man said:Shane didn't choke. He was just frustrated at the way things were going. Choking is due to being scared. He was just a little tilted. Why? Obviously Alex made a huge comeback, but he needed and got some good rolls along the way. As Grady always says, the balls know who's winning. Many things could have gone just slightly differently to launch Shane across the finish line.