Does Everyone Get a Trophy at the Cup This Year?

[JCIN]

I wrote this on my Facebook page and wanted to see what everyone here had to say:

So by my count the US Mosconi Cup team has three non playing "Captain's" of one flavor or another, two of which their largest qualification seem to be the fact they are buddies with Mark Wilson, an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator and a special shots coach. So we have a team of five players and six coach's/captain's. Anyone else think this is a bit ridiculous?

You want to take the players that didnt get picked no problem. Take them. No need to make up positions for them everyone knows are bullshit. Cause I can see Jeremy saying to Shane " Let me tell you what you need to do on offense here". Its insulting to fans intelligence.

Also making random people official co-captains is cheesy as hell and reeks of cronyism. If Mark Wilson had some buddies help him with the team and wants to bring them great. Come on over. Having five different people besides the main Captain having access and input to the players can not be a good thing. Maybe they wont. In that case the titles really are just bullshit. Either way its silly.

The whole thing just strikes me as a everyone gets a trophy scenario instead of a focused effort to achieve a desired goal. I know most of the guys on the team and they are all good people. I was one of the biggest supporters for having Mark be the Captain and still am. I think the five guys he picked to play are a great team and will represent the USA well.

I just think that this latest announcement shows some poor judgement from whoever made the final calls about the decision to have more chiefs than indians.

 

[StraightPoolIU]

It's not a big deal to me. I don't know why the need to bestow titles, but it doesn't really matter to me. I say the more the merrier. Those guys are gonna need all the support they can get over there.

 

[JAM]

I don't think I've ever heard of that before on a Mosconi Cup team. It does seem a wee bit excessive, not to mention my wonderment at who's picking up that tab for travel to England, lodging, and food expenses, et cetera:

In order to maximise their chances of glory, Wilson will be bringing the whole squad to Blackpool with the three non-playing members filling very specific roles as he leaves no stone unturned....

...Jeremy Sossei is tasked as Offensive Coordinator in the build up and during the event while Oscar Dominguez fulfils the role of Defensive Coach. The eighth member of the squad Brandon Shuff has a technical role as Special Shots Instructor...

...In addition to the eight players and Captain Mark Wilson, Don Wardell MD assists as Vice-Captain while retired Navy SEAL Lt. Commander Amir Pishdad is added to the team as Vice-Captain.

Source ---> HERE [Retrieved 22 October 2014]

 

[The Saw]

Exactly. It all sounds like a bad 80's after school movie, with a telegraphed ending. Oscar had to have thrown up in his mouth when he was given that title. At least show him some respect and call him some Macho shit like "The Minister of Defense".....

 

[JAM]

Exactly. It all sounds like a bad 80's after school movie, with a telegraphed ending. Oscar had to have thrown up in his mouth when he was given that title. At least show him some respect and call him some Macho shit like "The Minister of Defense".....

That one made me laugh out loud. :rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

 

[spartan]

Exactly. It all sounds like a bad 80's after school movie, with a telegraphed ending. Oscar had to have thrown up in his mouth when he was given that title. At least show him some respect and call him some Macho shit like "The Minister of Defense".....

Sorry there is only 1 Secretary of Defense and that position is filled until 2018.

:thumbup:

 

[JCIN]

Some good discussion on the FB thread. Mike Pannozzo of Billiards Digest and Luke Riches of Matchroom chime in.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink....9562307&id=1224656045&notif_t=comment_mention

 

[The Saw]

Spartan, ain't no Dominguez being called "secretary" of anything, that's why I said "MINISTER of Defense".

 

[The Saw]

And Matchroom, I know you're out there lurking, next year give me a crack at captain. It will be American patriotism and exceptionalism, personified. 5 players, myself, and a few "real" American life coaches. The players don't need to be shown shots, they need to learn how to bleed some red, white, and blue!

 

[philfrom]

Mark Wilson very unimpressive

Wilson has shown himself to be very unimpressive in his choice of this year's team members. No need to elaborate its obvious:

 

[sfleinen]

I have to admit when I saw the announcement of all of these non-playing people besides the captain (which btw, must be a first for the Mosconi Cup), my immediate thought was that it sounded very "Fisher Price"-ey. I know, I know; Mark is trying to model from the Navy Seals where every cog has a slot in the wheel. But trying to replicate the idea of e.g. someone in charge of the Saw (a minigun) to someone in charge of "Defensive Coordinator" -- in pool -- comes across very Fisher Price-like. It drips with the "everyone goes home with a trophy" soccer-mom mentality.

-Sean

 

[zpele]

Sorry there is only 1 Secretary of Defense and that position is filled until 2018.

:thumbup:

I'd just like to say that this picture is amazing.

 

[King T]

I agree!

It's not a big deal to me. I don't know why the need to bestow titles, but it doesn't really matter to me. I say the more the merrier. Those guys are gonna need all the support they can get over there.

If they win it will be the upset of the century, they have almost no chance and substituting one guy for another doesn't matter.

EARL, Archer, Rodney, Cory.., you can miss them in and out and we just don't have the players in this country to compete with anybody but ourselves.

Maybe a year or two down the road, but not now, not on the world stage.

 

[lfigueroa]

I wrote this on my Facebook page and wanted to see what everyone here had to say:

So by my count the US Mosconi Cup team has three non playing "Captain's" of one flavor or another, two of which their largest qualification seem to be the fact they are buddies with Mark Wilson, an offensive coordinator, a defensive coordinator and a special shots coach. So we have a team of five players and six coach's/captain's. Anyone else think this is a bit ridiculous?

You want to take the players that didnt get picked no problem. Take them. No need to make up positions for them everyone knows are bullshit. Cause I can see Jeremy saying to Shane " Let me tell you what you need to do on offense here". Its insulting to fans intelligence.

Also making random people official co-captains is cheesy as hell and reeks of cronyism. If Mark Wilson had some buddies help him with the team and wants to bring them great. Come on over. Having five different people besides the main Captain having access and input to the players can not be a good thing. Maybe they wont. In that case the titles really are just bullshit. Either way its silly.

The whole thing just strikes me as a everyone gets a trophy scenario instead of a focused effort to achieve a desired goal. I know most of the guys on the team and they are all good people. I was one of the biggest supporters for having Mark be the Captain and still am. I think the five guys he picked to play are a great team and will represent the USA well.

I just think that this latest announcement shows some poor judgement from whoever made the final calls about the decision to have more chiefs than indians.

My initial reaction was pretty much along these lines.

However, the more I thought about it the more I liked Coach Wilson's thinking and the way he's bringing new ideas to the US team in preparation for the Mosconi Cup.

Being responsible for the team, in the manner I suspect Mark is trying to do, cannot be easy. It can't just be him with Cathy running out for coffee. And while this new approach is easy to mock, I say why not? It cannot hurt and they're going to need all the support (and friendly faces) they can get when they fly to England and walk into the MC arena.

Lou Figueroa

 

[Houstoer]

My initial reaction was pretty much along these lines.

However, the more I thought about it the more I liked Coach Wilson's thinking and the way he's bringing new ideas to the US team in preparation for the Mosconi Cup.

Being responsible for the team, in the manner I suspect Mark is trying to do, cannot be easy. It can't just be him with Cathy running out for coffee. And while this new approach is easy to mock, I say why not? It cannot hurt and they're going to need all the support (and friendly faces) they can get when they fly to England and walk into the MC arena.

Lou Figueroa

I agree. I have no problem with what he is doing and the worst that can come out of it is that these guys will gain additional experience in a worldwide event whether they are playing or not. Will they be coaches? Of course not; but to give each of them an area to really focus on might just help them. Everybody has been saying all along that what we were doing was not working so now someone is trying to do something different. Let's see how it plays out .

 

[bdorman]

This upsets me greatly. Since I read it, I haven't been able to think about anything else and I'll probably not be able to sleep tonight.









Who knows why? More important, who cares?

Isn't it about time for someone to jump in and say "this is what's wrong with pool today!" (sorry, I haven't read all the posts; someone probably has said it)

 

[jsp]

Cause I can see Jeremy saying to Shane " Let me tell you what you need to do on offense here". Its insulting to fans intelligence.

Lol.

Just like I can see Corey going up to Shuff and asking, "Please 'instruct' me what type of 'special shot' I should execute in this situation."

 

[Mr. Bond]

Josie and pussycats?.....nope, already taken.

Bob Marley and the wailers? ....nope, it sounds too Jamaican.

The General and his privates! ....wait, too provocative.


Team USA and the minister of defense.

Ooo I like it...
That's t-shirt worthy

 

[Williebetmore]

From my FB reply:

While I almost always agree with you....not this time. Amir and I are volunteers on our own dime mostly. Mark's efforts have been extremely time consuming; mostly behind the scenes. The assistants are to help; NOT ride some nonexistent gravy train. The non-playing "coaches" have been and will be an INTEGRAL part of the effort. In the hour before a player's match the assistants (Brandon, Jeremy, and Oscar) will set up offensive, defensive, break, and specialty drills for a structured warm up. Their purpose is not teaching; but they WILL be helping and encouraging as any "coach" should do (apologies to the grammar police who think our effort silly because of the specific titles used). Sorry you don't see the value, but it IS there.

Amir and I were recruited as coaches and volunteered our time to help Mark, and to contribute the idea that hard work, dedication, and professionalism are KEY to achieving an elite level of excellence....these are things demanded by our professions. I hope some can see that those attributes are in short supply in the pool world, and if we can get a cadre of players who buy in to that the sport will be better as a result. I think most fans will agree that the sport can and should be better.

 

[Johnnyt]

I love Marks book and 5 MC picks. Johnnyt