FWIW MMike became a granddad on the stream. Corngrats...
Griff's 2026 US Open events
- Thread starter jax_joe
- Start date
You mean like Grady and Billy, the most celebrated commentary team of them all.
One other thing worth mentioning. It's often said that Shane patterned his game after his friend and mentor Earl. In truth Shane plays far more in the Buddy Hall style of play, KISS. Buddy always seemed to know the shortest and easiest path to success. He made position play look simple, which it was for him.
One other thing, I see more missed shots by guys overhitting the cue ball when it's not necessary. They like to shoot hard and stun the ball instead of just softly rolling into position. And I'm not talking about stop shots, which are different. Efren played slow roll almost all the time and it worked out pretty well for him, fewer missed shots.
Filler seems to be on another level. No mental errors and 100% focus on all shots. Rarely misses anything, ala Mike Sigel. That sets him apart.
One other thing, I see more missed shots by guys overhitting the cue ball when it's not necessary. They like to shoot hard and stun the ball instead of just softly rolling into position. And I'm not talking about stop shots, which are different. Efren played slow roll almost all the time and it worked out pretty well for him, fewer missed shots.
Filler seems to be on another level. No mental errors and 100% focus on all shots. Rarely misses anything, ala Mike Sigel. That sets him apart.
jax_joe
Well-known member
LMFAO, that guy collin is a complete narcisstic a-hole on every stream. He is a legend in his own mind. The only thing he has going for him is the quality of his cameras. Too bad he doesn't know how to use them. Constantly screws with the angle and zoom during the middle of play, switches around for the fun of it, shows his ugly mug, has all the stupid overlays including multiple chat boxes, and on and on. Thank god for mute. Too bad when I close the chat box full of morons that eventually he pops it up as an overlay on the screen. A "chill dude"? Wow. LOL
Neither a fan nor detractor of Collins. I'll listen to him if I want to watch a match. If he goes off the rails a bit, I turn the sound down.
Molina Mike seems like a decent guy, but I find him quite annoying. Doesn't know the game as well as Collins and he simply can't play it straight.
That said, my view of Molina Mike is colored by his podcast. I used to listen for industry info. Sometimes I still skip thru the podcast. But he spends way too much time bemoaning and belittling Matchroom/WNT/Frazer because they/she are not his idea of pool perfection.
I get it. And some, even much, of his criticism is spot on. But he just goes on and on about it every show.
I think Molina Mike is an acquired taste for some, but I also don't think he gets enough credit for how he's grown into his role as one of the most listened to pool podcasters. If I am remembering correctly, he started out as an oddsmaker for matches and focusing on the gambling side but his interviewing skills have drastically improved (I'm thinking having Panozzo around has rubbed off on him) and I think his knowledge has improved as a result.
I can see that, but he talks too much. I'd rather he ask more questions, of Panozzo or guests, and not do most of the talking. Panozzo is far more measured and he tries to keep MM in line, but he doesn't get enough words in.
Scrunge19
Registered
Molina Mike does far too much talking in his interviews instead of listening to what the guests have to say. At the end of the day, he’s just a guy. I think he’s fallen into a common trap among podcasters: Get big enough (at least in pool terms which is saying something) and you start thinking you’re the expert and people want to hear what you have to say on a subject. When in reality, you’re just a platform for the truly experienced and knowledgeable to share that knowledge and experience.
i always respect your analysis jay, but maybe it's more reasonable to say that shane's positional play is between earl and buddy? because to me he has always relied on hero shots from bad positions of his own making. i rarely see a match where he doesn't fugg up somewhere in this regard. of course he makes the hero shots because he's such a good shooter / jump player.
In that regard good commentary also should subscribe to the KISS philosophy. I learned early on to keep my comments as succinct as possible. I was not on there to do a tutorial. I did not enjoy working with co-commentators who droned on and on trying to give pool lessons and show off their vast pool knowledge. Often times I disagreed with them but bit my tongue and said nothing. I was busy trying to actually talk about the match and what was happening out there on the table.
You just described Oklahoma legend James Walden to a T. He constantly got out of line but always came with 'that shot' when needed. Never a dull moment watching James play. From late 80's to late 90's he booked VERY few losers.