Is SVB Best for USA's Mosconi Cup Chances?

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FeelDaShot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Sheesh, watching SVB self-destruct against Shaw over the last few nights has given me Mosconi Cup flashbacks. Since SVB never plays well in the Mosconi Cup, I wonder if Team USA would be better off without him. He's already qualified so the point is moot but I can't stop wondering. I would rather have a 720 fargo who plays good under the Mosconi Cup pressure than a 820 fargo who typically chokes and projects his sour mood on the rest of the team.

It would be interesting to see what SVB's fargo rating would be if it was solely based on his Mosconi Cup performance. The doubles matches would complicate things but maybe he's played enough singles games to establish a rating.

Regardless, I'll be watching the SVB-Shaw match again tonight hoping things start going SVB's way. It's probably too little too late at this point but I would like to see SVB string some racks together and put some pressure back on Shaw.
 
Shane is absolutely baffling. If you watched his races a few weeks ago in the Sharks pool room races he was on fire. Just effortlessly running racks. Then there is his come back on Mika a few months ago. Now you see what is happening vs Shaw, it's so weird. These guys are human so it will always be a gamble, few players can reach that highest level consistently and stay there.
 
Team USA has no chance regardless. But I don’t think it would be wise to keep the current world champion and easily the best American player off the team, even given his past performance.

Shane has been playing great for months. Maybe his best at times. On any given day, any one of the top players can catch a gear like Shaw is doing right now. That’s why they are fun to watch.

Enjoy the Match! Alex and Tony up next.
 
Yes, he's never found his form at the Mosconi, but even the form he has shown is probably 770 Fargo, so he makes perfect sense on Team USA. Also, as a Mosconi spot is a reward for year-long excellence that carries a guaranteed $15,000 appearance fee, how exactly can one not put the reigning World Pool Champion on the roster?

Team USA has often been hurt when its coaches feature Shane in the most matches even when he's clearly struggling. That's what happened a year ago. Hopefully, Jeremy Jones will wake up and realize that Skyler Woodward has been Team USA's best player at the Mosconi for a few years now and is the one that should be leaned upon more than the others.

All that said, any team the USA can assemble will be hard pressed to win. The Mosconi is not the sprint some think. It's a marathon and it's hard to win 11 matches before Europe does unless Europe plays way below their skill level.
 
SEB said:
This post is absurd.
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This topic comes up in the fall of every year and will continue to do so until Shane retires. But the fact is after Shane there's a huge talent gap that is filled with Europeans and Asians until you get to the next best from the USA.

USA's chances with SVB on the team? Slim.

USA's chances without SVB on the team? Slimmer.
 
Also, when any opposing player has him in court, compared to a weaker player, the mindset is slightly different.
 
FeelDaShot said:
Sheesh, watching SVB self-destruct against Shaw over the last few nights has given me Mosconi Cup flashbacks. Since SVB never plays well in the Mosconi Cup, I wonder if Team USA would be better off without him. He's already qualified so the point is moot but I can't stop wondering. I would rather have a 720 fargo who plays good under the Mosconi Cup pressure than a 820 fargo who typically chokes and projects his sour mood on the rest of the team.

It would be interesting to see what SVB's fargo rating would be if it was solely based on his Mosconi Cup performance. The doubles matches would complicate things but maybe he's played enough singles games to establish a rating.

Regardless, I'll be watching the SVB-Shaw match again tonight hoping things start going SVB's way. It's probably too little too late at this point but I would like to see SVB string some racks together and put some pressure back on Shaw.
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Once we get Fedor on the team it will shift. Probably not this year but hopefully next.
 
I think we get spoiled by great players like Shane. We think they should never miss a ball and win every tournament they enter. The fact is he’s human just like the rest of us, some days you just aren’t on. As far as the Mosconi cup team, there’s no way you can keep the best American player off the team.
 
This is just like Tiger Woods at the Ryder Cup. He chronically underperformed but leaving him off the team would still have been a terrible decision regardless.
 
8intheside said:
I think we get spoiled by great players like Shane. We think they should never miss a ball and win every tournament they enter. The fact is he’s human just like the rest of us, some days you just aren’t on. As far as the Mosconi cup team, there’s no way you can keep the best American player off the team.
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Some people are acting like he's played horrible against shaw. He's only down 35-40 on the day yesterday. Yes, he was 19 down the previous day, but so what. He's curb stomped people way worse than that before.

Jaden
 
Would enjoy hearing him talk more and doing some commentary could be very enlightening.
 
Love SFb... but no. But who else are we going to send near his speed. The choices are slim.
 
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