I Would Not Be the Mosconi Cup Captain Again! - UNLESS...............

The bottom line in team play in any sport the team has to have chemistry to win. Look at the Yankees for example. Every year the highest payroll but a bunch of overpaid assholes who dont even get along with each other. The Yankees won their titles back in the late 90's when they were developing their farm system instead of trying to buy every World Series.
To win at the highest level every player must know their role. Look at the Miami Heat 3 years ago. They had the most talent by far but lost in the finals because Lebron, Wade, and Bosh were trying to figure out their roles. The Mosconi Cup team this year had more talent than Europe but they got their ass handed to them. Why? Because you got 5 guys who think their shit dont stink and each one only cared about their own performance. To call the U.S. Mosconi Cup Team a TEAM is a frigging joke. It was 5 egotistical individuals.
Until you put a team together which has chemistry you can forget about beating Europe. The U.S. could win years ago with 5 individuals because in the beginning they were playing against Snooker players for christs sake. Now the talent level is way more evenly matched and its going to take a TEAM effort.
 
.it's not the skill level, it's the level of rapport.

thebighurt said:
The bottom line in team play in any sport the team has to have chemistry to win..
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Yes, that's the key difference that the European's have....it's not the skill level, it's the level of rapport.

This is why I would it would be best for the Captain to have a "say so" in picking the team and doing something like the ROPES COURSE would be essential to maximizing "team work".
th
 
CJ Wiley said:
Yes, that's the key difference that the European's have....it's not the skill level, it's the level of rapport.

This is why I would it would be best for the Captain to have a "say so" in picking the team and doing something like the ROPES COURSE would be essential to maximizing "team work".
th
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I think the European team is pick the same way as USA.
Maybe the European team has more respect for each other.
I think the USA team needs to get away from the Me Me Me
and work on the we we we .
 
We live in a Me World these days.

We have a Life magazine, a People magazine. I think maybe even an US magazine. I'm surprised that we don't have a Me magazine now.

I know its old and cliche but there is no I in Team.

And the posters that have been expressing their opinion of what they saw in team USA are pretty much right on the money.

No amount of money and practice will get rid of the Me attitude.

If you can coach the Me out of the current USA players CJ, then I would like to see you as the Captain for another year.
 
thebighurt said:
The bottom line in team play in any sport the team has to have chemistry to win. Look at the Yankees for example. Every year the highest payroll but a bunch of overpaid assholes who dont even get along with each other. The Yankees won their titles back in the late 90's when they were developing their farm system instead of trying to buy every World Series.
To win at the highest level every player must know their role. Look at the Miami Heat 3 years ago. They had the most talent by far but lost in the finals because Lebron, Wade, and Bosh were trying to figure out their roles. The Mosconi Cup team this year had more talent than Europe but they got their ass handed to them. Why? Because you got 5 guys who think their shit dont stink and each one only cared about their own performance. To call the U.S. Mosconi Cup Team a TEAM is a frigging joke. It was 5 egotistical individuals.
Until you put a team together which has chemistry you can forget about beating Europe. The U.S. could win years ago with 5 individuals because in the beginning they were playing against Snooker players for christs sake. Now the talent level is way more evenly matched and its going to take a TEAM effort.
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That's why it's very difficult for top players to be coaches they tend to look for players like them they just don't have the ability or trained eye that someone who spent yrs developing those skills ,, that's not to say it can't be done but its very rare


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CJ Wiley said:
One thing will always be true for all - "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem"......the solution is to train in a way that is similar to martial arts training.....only the strong will survive. I'm from the "old school," if you couldn't play for 30 hours straight, in cowboy boots on cement floors you were considered a "shortstop".

Now days they have 8 hour "time limits" and play "one foul" on super fast cloth with jump cues, bionic break cues and lightning rails that require little or no stroke to play.

Is this the way to make pool popular?

Obviously not, the entire industry is down 50% overall.....without changes it will continue to plummet until there's nothing left by "tombstones" where tables used to be. ;) 'The Game is the Teacher'
otherwise-youre-part-of-the-problem.png
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So what have YOU done to help the game of pool?

NOT to sell DVDs, or to get better, or to win trophies or prize money.

What have you done, for no personal gain, to help the game of pool?
 
'The Game was Our Employer'

dkleather said:
So what have YOU done to help the game of pool?

NOT to sell DVDs, or to get better, or to win trophies or prize money.

What have you done, for no personal gain, to help the game of pool?
Click to expand...

I ran the PCA tour and put in a few hundred thousand of my own money into funding the tour, prize money and TV Production/Air Time. Earl also had the chance to win more money than he's ever won because of the 'Million Dollar Challenge' (over 600k minus expenses). There were also thousands of work hours devoted to the promotion of pool that was donated......"sweat equity" certainly has value.

We also hosted many Pro tournaments at CJ's Billiard Palace adding at least 10k and up to 25K to all the events. 9 - 60 Minute Billiards TV Shows were also produced and broadcast at our expense.

We had 12 Tour Events on the schedule and 4 were televised after the Million Dollar Challenge in Dallas. We went ahead with the one at the Hollywood Park Casino with Jay Helfert and the one in Olathe Kansas with Dan Tull.

We also had a Pro event in St. Louis with Gary Lutman in his pool room, and sanctioned the Men's ESPN World Open and the ESPN Ultimate Pool Championships that put in over $400,000 between 1996 and 1999....I was the Director of Operations during this time and never drew a salary or paycheck. 'The Game was Our Employer'
 
dkleather said:
So what have YOU done to help the game of pool?

NOT to sell DVDs, or to get better, or to win trophies or prize money.

What have you done, for no personal gain, to help the game of pool?
Click to expand...

I guess, since CJ's answer is pretty darn impressive, it begs the question,

who are you and what have you done for pool?

Thanks

Kevin
 
CJ Wiley said:
I ran the PCA tour and put in a few hundred thousand of my own money into funding the tour, prize money and TV Production/Air Time. Earl also had the chance to win more money than he's ever won because of the 'Million Dollar Challenge' (over 600k minus expenses). There were also thousands of work hours devoted to the promotion of pool that was donated......"sweat equity" certainly has value.

We also hosted many Pro tournaments at CJ's Billiard Palace adding at least 10k and up to 25K to all the events. 9 - 60 Minute Billiards TV Shows were also produced and broadcast at our expense.

We had 12 Tour Events on the schedule and 4 were televised after the Million Dollar Challenge in Dallas. We went ahead with the one at the Hollywood Park Casino with Jay Helfert and the one in Olathe Kansas with Dan Tull.

We also had a Pro event in St. Louis with Gary Lutman in his pool room, and sanctioned the Men's ESPN World Open and the ESPN Ultimate Pool Championships that put in over $400,000 between 1996 and 1999....I was the Director of Operations during this time and never drew a salary or paycheck. 'The Game was Our Employer'
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"To help the game".

How did this help the game?

Given where it is now, it clearly didn't.
 
I would like to see CJ be captain again. I think he has some great ideas. Plus he has a good idea what he believes is necessary. I hope he gets what he is asking for and gets another shot at the Mosconi Cup. Goodluck CJ.
 
kvinbrwr said:
I guess, since CJ's answer is pretty darn impressive, it begs the question,

who are you and what have you done for pool?

Thanks

Kevin
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It's impressive if your looking for a promoter but this is about Captain / Coach that skill set is entirely different


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one stroke said:
It's impressive if your looking for a promoter but this is about Captain / Coach that skill set is entirely different


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Now I'm completely lost. Are you explaining to me that dkleather is saying CJ's needs to have done "more for pool" in order to be Mosconi Captain? because I didn't see that at all (and still don't).

I must have seen it wrong because I thought the post I was responding to was just some anonymous guy that had done nothing for the game cheesing on a famous player that actually had promoted the game in some ways.

thanks

Kevin
 
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kvinbrwr said:
Using this "logic" nothing anybody ever did helped the game so why single out CJ?
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The game is "helped" into peaks as it is "helped" into troughs.

However, you are correct and it was not intentional to single out CJ, there's loads of these "boo hoo" threads, this was just the one I replied to.
 
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kvinbrwr said:
Now I'm completely lost. Are you explaining to me that dkleather is saying CJ's needs to have done "more for pool" in order to be Mosconi Captain? because I didn't see that at all (and still don't).

I must have seen it wrong because I thought the post I was responding to was just some anonymous guy that had done nothing for the game cheesing on a famous player that actually had promoted the game in some ways.

thanks

Kevin
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No I'm confused because I thought this was about building a better team not promoting the MC that's someone else's baby


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kvinbrwr said:
Now I'm completely lost. Are you explaining to me that dkleather is saying CJ's needs to have done "more for pool" in order to be Mosconi Captain? because I didn't see that at all (and still don't).

I must have seen it wrong because I thought the post I was responding to was just some anonymous guy that had done nothing for the game cheesing on a famous player that actually had promoted the game in some ways.

thanks

Kevin
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I'm sorry you're lost.
 
'The Game is the Teacher' (we've just been refusing to learn)

one stroke said:
No I'm confused because I thought this was about building a better team not promoting the MC that's someone else's baby


1
Click to expand...

The Mosconi Cup is a great "made for European TV" Show, without a doubt. If it came down to actually representing the USA in pocket billiards the scenario would be very different. There is no actually preparation in getting the team ready for the Mosconi Cup.
There could be, but what's the use, the races are so short that you'd be better off getting each player their own "rabbit's foot". ;)

If we picked the team and trained them in a true {athletic} fashion there's no team on earth that would be favored over the USA. This also means using rules that eliminate the "luck factor" as much as possible.......call shot, 2 foul rules, challenging equipment, etc.

Maybe we'll do something like this on TV here in the US and show what's it's really like to go up against the "best of the best" for Europe, Asia, AND the USA. We have definitely lagged behind the other countries in the last 14 years, however, the reasons are simple. 'The Game is the Teacher' (we've just been refusing to learn) :sorry:
 
CJ Wiley said:
Touche' - I though my eyes were playing tricks on me, my bad. :D I read some pretty strange stuff on here. One time they were going to make a list of 100 players that would play for money......that would be an awesome 3 weeks. ;)
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And who could forget the time one of azb's "elite" coaches barked for the Blue-through & the breaks...

Of course it was not Mr. Wilson and I exclude him from the group of coaches who cant play but make claims players cant teach. Those guys are hustling the only way they know how. There is no better coach for a mosconi cup type situation than someone who understands how to win and more importantly how to win under extreme pressure.

Great thread CJ.
 
CJ Wiley said:
The Mosconi Cup is a great "made for European TV" Show, without a doubt. If it came down to actually representing the USA in pocket billiards the scenario would be very different. There is no actually preparation in getting the team ready for the Mosconi Cup.
There could be, but what's the use, the races are so short that you'd be better off getting each player their own "rabbit's foot". ;)

If we picked the team and trained them in a true {athletic} fashion there's no team on earth that would be favored over the USA. This also means using rules that eliminate the "luck factor" as much as possible.......call shot, 2 foul rules, challenging equipment, etc.

Maybe we'll do something like this on TV here in the US and show what's it's really like to go up against the "best of the best" for Europe, Asia, AND the USA. We have definitely lagged behind the other countries in the last 14 years, however, the reasons are simple. 'The Game is the Teacher' (we've just been refusing to learn) :sorry:
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Ok first stop with the luck factor it's overrated and everybody plays on the same tables I'm all for it being run like a team sport with a experienced coach not a Captain a coach and a team Captain that leads by example

Last time I checked we played here ,, Im sure something like this has some TV appeal because it has the USA tag on it and the us against them would certainly get some viewers certainly not like the Super Bowl or anything close but enough to get some exposure and some sponsor involvement

I will disagree on your thinking of training like martial arts and for long nite gambling
This is short sprits it take the ability to be ready and start there is no time or deep pockets to keep you in a match
There are plenty of players geared to play big sets that can't play short race tournament pool

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