steve davis played pool very well, he also finished 3rd in the world 9-ball championship that earl won in the noughties. at the mosconi cup i would assume he had a losing record, given the many years with american dominance. he was in the winning team 2002 though.
Fargo Rating Based on Mosconi Cup Performance Only
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steve davis played pool very well, he also finished 3rd in the world 9-ball championship that earl won in the noughties. at the mosconi cup i would assume he had a losing record, given the many years with american dominance. he was in the winning team 2002 though.
The US team's recent randoms and flyers outside of the core team have not done particularly well - from AtLarge's career record summary:
Oscar Dominguez (3 yrs. -- 2009, 2017, 2022) ..... 0-4 s, 3-5 d, 2-1 t, 5-10 total A (33%), 1.9-6.7 total B (22%)
Chris Reinhold (2 yrs. -- 2020-2021) ..... 0-2 s, 2-2 d, 2-0 t, 4-4 total A (50%), 1.4-3.0 total B (32%)
Shane Wolford (1 yr. -- 2023) ..... 0-1 s, 0-2 d, 0-1 t, 0-4 total A (0%), 0-2.2 total B (0%)
Then again, you could say Tyler Styer was initially one of these randoms who got a chance to prove himself and has done well.
Oscar Dominguez (3 yrs. -- 2009, 2017, 2022) ..... 0-4 s, 3-5 d, 2-1 t, 5-10 total A (33%), 1.9-6.7 total B (22%)
Chris Reinhold (2 yrs. -- 2020-2021) ..... 0-2 s, 2-2 d, 2-0 t, 4-4 total A (50%), 1.4-3.0 total B (32%)
Shane Wolford (1 yr. -- 2023) ..... 0-1 s, 0-2 d, 0-1 t, 0-4 total A (0%), 0-2.2 total B (0%)
Then again, you could say Tyler Styer was initially one of these randoms who got a chance to prove himself and has done well.
Steve Davis played in the Mosconi Cup 11 years, 1994-2004. He won 14 singles matches and lost 13. In doubles he won 8 and lost 17.
Ronnie O’Sullivan played 2 years, 1996-1997. In singles, 2 wins and 3 losses. In doubles, 2 wins and 2 losses.
you never disappoint, thank you!!
my question of course is pointing to
the EXHIBITION nature of this annual contest
and how about when
the whirlwind and
the hurricane teamed up in 1995!
I have no desire to re-fight the nature of the Mosconi with SJM, Garczar etc, but I still puzzle over people calling it an "exhibition."
I've seen plenty of exhibitions in other sports. Usually they are not taken super seriously, by players or the fans.
That's simply not the case for the Mosconi.
Players fight to get into the event thru rankings. They desire to play in it. They want to do well in it. And they want to be able to put it on their resume (Neils "The Terminator" Feijin). The event leads to a lot of public recognition.
The money isn't bad, either. How many players win $20,000 -- never mind $40,000 - at one pool event in any one year.
Clearly the Mosconi means a lot to the players. Fedor Gorst, for one, wrote a long post on FB basically saying he promises do better in the future - something he almost never does. He talked about how much pressure there is. He said the event provides a "unique feeling, but one I wouldn't trade for anything."
Does that sound like an exhibit? I think not.
Mind you, I don't put the Mosconi at the top of the list of great accomplishments. The big majors are clearly all more important. Gorst, for example, would not trade a Mosconi win for the Gorst "Slam." Not in a million years.
Winning those tournaments gets you public attention and goes into the record books. Which is why SVB will go down as one of the all-time greats.
So why, then, does the Mosconi matter to players. My guess is most, though not all, relish the chance to play on a team in a sport in which success is individual. Most of us like to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
Not always, but sometimes. There is always room for gladiatorial combat in some sports. Pool is one of them.
I think players also want to be part of an exclusive group based on success. Those who earn the callup did so by being among the best of the best through the year in the major tournaments.
Most also seem to relish, like Fedor, the unique pressure of the event because of the loud and intense fan interaction. Pool is usual played in quiet rooms in which personalities and emotions are suppressed. Pool players, too, want to let their hair down sometimes.
What does the Mosconi tell me about players?
Not necessarily who handles the pressure best. The big Opens are pressured packed, too, in a different way. But I bet the best players at the Mosconi would handle pressure better at even the big events if all the crowds became more like, say, the one in Vietnam last year.
The short races, what's more, require even more perfection. Just one screwup is costly. The U.S. lost in part because of less effective breaking, less effective shot choices, less effective safety play and more gambling on shots.
The players who thrive in the Mosconi were already successful enough to get there, of course, but I think taking part in the event elevates their game even more.
If you can play in the cauldron of the Mosconi, it makes it easier to cope with the pressure of big events.
I've seen plenty of exhibitions in other sports. Usually they are not taken super seriously, by players or the fans.
That's simply not the case for the Mosconi.
Players fight to get into the event thru rankings. They desire to play in it. They want to do well in it. And they want to be able to put it on their resume (Neils "The Terminator" Feijin). The event leads to a lot of public recognition.
The money isn't bad, either. How many players win $20,000 -- never mind $40,000 - at one pool event in any one year.
Clearly the Mosconi means a lot to the players. Fedor Gorst, for one, wrote a long post on FB basically saying he promises do better in the future - something he almost never does. He talked about how much pressure there is. He said the event provides a "unique feeling, but one I wouldn't trade for anything."
Does that sound like an exhibit? I think not.
Mind you, I don't put the Mosconi at the top of the list of great accomplishments. The big majors are clearly all more important. Gorst, for example, would not trade a Mosconi win for the Gorst "Slam." Not in a million years.
Winning those tournaments gets you public attention and goes into the record books. Which is why SVB will go down as one of the all-time greats.
So why, then, does the Mosconi matter to players. My guess is most, though not all, relish the chance to play on a team in a sport in which success is individual. Most of us like to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
Not always, but sometimes. There is always room for gladiatorial combat in some sports. Pool is one of them.
I think players also want to be part of an exclusive group based on success. Those who earn the callup did so by being among the best of the best through the year in the major tournaments.
Most also seem to relish, like Fedor, the unique pressure of the event because of the loud and intense fan interaction. Pool is usual played in quiet rooms in which personalities and emotions are suppressed. Pool players, too, want to let their hair down sometimes.
What does the Mosconi tell me about players?
Not necessarily who handles the pressure best. The big Opens are pressured packed, too, in a different way. But I bet the best players at the Mosconi would handle pressure better at even the big events if all the crowds became more like, say, the one in Vietnam last year.
The short races, what's more, require even more perfection. Just one screwup is costly. The U.S. lost in part because of less effective breaking, less effective shot choices, less effective safety play and more gambling on shots.
The players who thrive in the Mosconi were already successful enough to get there, of course, but I think taking part in the event elevates their game even more.
If you can play in the cauldron of the Mosconi, it makes it easier to cope with the pressure of big events.
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TPA is a lot harder to keep track of. Imagine having half drunk league players count safety errors or marking miss vs a safe? Both systems have their benefits, TPA is great at short term (per game or a single match) and detailed performance, while Fargo deals with longer statistical performance. For example, Fargo can predict that a 625 vs a 600 player will win a certain % of the time, but TPA can't give you the same information if a .820 average player playes a .800 player.
I have always thought pool needs both types of stats, details about performance in various key areas, as well as just wins.
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I think many view it as an exhibition because of the actions of both players and fans. I don't believe there are any other events where you see the interaction between the two. I've never watched another event where Shaw interacts with the fans like he does at Mosconi. Or an event where the fans are as loud as they are between shots, yelling at the players.
Correct, of course, but there was a move in that direction in Vietnam a few months ago. The fans were more polite and neutral and cheered all players. But they were boisterous between shots and chanted players' names.
Some of it seemed to be the players themselves thinking ahead to the Reyes a few days later. The first match in which fan involvement went beyond what we usually see in a major open involved Jayson Shaw and Ko Pin Yi in the quarters of the Hanoi Open. Both were Reyes qualifiers.
Shaw started gesturing to the crowd like he does at Mosconi, though in a somewhat less ebullient manner. Suddenly Ko, who I've never seen show any emotion outside of winning a major, began doing the same!
That's when the crowd started cheering and chanting the names of the players. They continue to do so thru the finals.
This is well said. The short race means perform now or lose. The "anyone can win a race to five" idea has never really held up at the Mosconi.
By the way, any suggestion that SVB is not a strong short race player must be quickly dismissed. He was just a successful at the Derby City 9-ball in the race to seven days as the race to nine days.
I agree that Mosconi play can elevate one's game, mostly because you have credible opposition in every single match.
Let me add to your excellent post that one thing that makes the Mosconi important is that nine ball was originally an American game, and European players enjoyed closing the gap between themselves and the Americans over the years. Now, as we know, they have only lost twice since 2009, and, in my opinion, reaffirmation of their dominance helps to motivate them.
I like giving team USA a hard time, but in all reality, it's probably a few games that would turn the whole thing around for our side.
We'll get em next year
No we won't haha.
I'm betting your side truth be told
The exhibition thing doesn't really work in this case. If you win, you make twice what the losers make. It's more Ryder Cup than NBA All-Star dunkfest.
Among the 10 Mosconi players, only Fedor, Kaci and SVB earned more money from any other one single WNT event in 2024.
The Mosconi money represented more than half the total 2024 WNT earnings for the other seven players.
So they're not just trying to make 4-railers and full-table draw shots. Pool players in the MC are highly motivated to win.
I've seen him play some sporty 10b. I know 9b is not a fave of his.
He's doing well at Buffalo's WNT points event. Yesterday he beat two top players in 9 ball.
He's very capable, and then isn't. Similar to Corey in that way