JJ Needs some new commentary

Island Drive said:
I'd like to see a professional sports announcer work along side JJ in the booth.
Not another pool player.
Matchroom should do this to improve their production.
Click to expand...
I agree completely. We need the pro player who can explain the deeper nuances of the game, but we also need an average guy that helps bridge the gap between the pro and the viewer at home that is not invested in the game yet. The ESPN matches of the early 90s did this. They would have Buddy Hall, Nick Varner, or Steve Mizerak in the booth with one of their regular sportscasters. JJ is a great analyst but there needs to be non-expert in the booth with him to reach a broad audience.
 
I would like to hear all of them STFU. Stop the constant talking on what shot you would take or would have taken.
They love hearing themselves talk.
You're in the booth, Shane's in the box, STFU about yourself.

I don't care who you are , where you've been.
Most of the viewers are knowledgeable, some more than others.
New viewers need visual aids, not some guy using slang words that experienced players shake their heads at.
It's not Joe's Pool Hall, It's a Professional Production, treat it as such.

I heard this guy George on a recent stream say it's good to let the player see the ball instead of playing them dead lock up safe..Who let him in the building? I let you see the ball so you can play me safe and get ball in hand. WTF

USE A TELEPROMPTER , Survey and analyze players options.
Draw the options a player has on any given shot.
It could take less then 10 seconds to see 4 options, if he chooses # 5,,,ad lib.
It's rotation, how freakin hard is it to draw 3 options before the player finished chalking. (John Madden)
As fast as you can say it is as fast as you can draw it.
You can call the obvious, we've seen how that goes wrong.
The player is doing what you should be doing.
Surveying and analyzing their options, there's enough time, rotation pattern/routes are not rocket science.

Any good player, if blindfolded, then removes the blindfold, should be able to look at a table, in a few seconds know where every ball will be pocketed. If they lose the cue ball its plan B, the pocket or route may change, pool101.
Any good commentator should be able to do the same quickly, explain, and draw at the same time.

Explain their options,,,draw on teleprompter.
He can go 2 rails with outside, or right english.
He can go one rail, straight up, left with inside english ( Reverse)
He can punch it over with just below center ball.
Lets see what he chooses to do, and that's it. Not (I WOULD DO THIS, WHY DID HE DO THAT? STFU)
Perfect hit, he hit nice and clean, beautiful smooth stroke, landed on the right side of the ball to go natural for the 6 ball. Or he caught it too thin, fell on the wrong side of position,, explain recovery options, Draw on Teleprompter.
And continue on and on, get a flow.
Add a pro color commentator, not a player, a professional reader to deliver bios and such.

It's just my opinion on commentating, most of what I hear is wasted drivel. I haven't heard a commentator yet that I think is any good, knowledgeable yes,,, good, not so much.
Drop this crap,,I would do this and that, he should have done that,,, drop it, drop it.
If my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle.

The commentating is far from professional, It's not that they suck, their attempt at a professional production sucks.
TELEPROMPTER , maybe a few communications classes.
 
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SmoothStroke said:
USE A TELEPROMPTER , Survey and analyze players options.
Draw the options a player has on any given shot.
It could take less then 10 seconds to see 4 options, if he chooses # 5,,,ad lib.
It's rotation, how freakin hard is it to draw 3 options before the player finished chalking. (John Madden)
As fast as you can say it is as fast as you can draw it.
You can call the obvious, we've seen how that goes wrong.
The player is doing what you should be doing.
Surveying and analyzing their options, there's enough time, rotation pattern/routes are not rocket science.

Any good player, if blindfolded, then removes the blindfold, should be able to look at a table, in a few seconds know where every ball will be pocketed. If they lose the cue ball its plan B, the pocket or route may change, pool101.
Any good commentator should be able to do the same quickly, explain, and draw at the same time.

Explain their options,,,draw on teleprompter.
He can go 2 rails with outside, or right english.
He can go one rail, straight up, left with inside english ( Reverse)
He can punch it over with just below center ball.
Lets see what he chooses to do, and that's it. Not (I WOULD DO THIS, WHY DID HE DO THAT? STFU)
Perfect hit, he hit nice and clean, beautiful smooth stroke, landed on the right side of the ball to go natural for the 6 ball. Or he caught it too thin, fell on the wrong side of position,, explain recovery options, Draw on Teleprompter.
And continue on and on, get a flow.
Add a pro color commentator, not a player, a professional reader to deliver bios and such.
Click to expand...

Hallelujah and lay your hands upon the radio! You’re preaching to the choir.
 
My general feeling is that ALL COMMENTATORS IN POOL simply talk too much period. Apparently they just hate dead air. Most of the time you've got world class players running out roadmaps. How much commentary does that require in particular in rotation games where you have to shoot the four ball after the three ball? Straight pool is a different animal as the possibilities are far greater. If it's a particularly tricky situation then commentary helps but what's the purpose of guessing how Efren is going to get out of a safety. Just let the man do his thing and comment on how amazing it was once he does it.
 
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hydraulics-
: a branch of science that deals with practical applications (such as the transmission of energy or the effects of flow) of liquid (such as water) in motion

so in pool, spin

and with him i think usually

topspin


jj one of the GOAT

he probably talks too much but if
you are criticizing him
then so do you
 
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Bad players treat the game like it's easy and make it hard. Good players treat the game like it's hard and make it easy.

Good players make the game look so easy it's super simple to say "Yeah, they're all open, just shoot them in, yeah, like that, that's what I would have done". Funny how when these players get those same layouts it doesn't work out so well.

There are a lot of small nuances that separate the greats from the goods. The differences aren't usually the big things, they are the small things. But most people want to work on their power draws or their jump shots. For those who are willing to give the game more respect and start working on tiny details, good things come.

I've learned a lot from JJ and it has helped my game. If others just hear background noise, well, that's ok. That's my competition. I'm good with that.
 
SlateMan said:
Here me out! ;)

I love JJ's commentary during a match. I feel like my pool IQ goes up about 10 points each tourney where he commentates. After the tourney, I can still hear his voice discussing certain shots from the tournament.
"Ya gotta just put top on that one and go back and forth" etc.


And that stuff helps me tremendously, but then I start hearing his voice narrate my practice and it always sounds the same:

"Man, he should not have taken that shot. I dont know what he was thinking"
"I don't think I would have shot that shot quite like that"
"He certainly has a different shot selection than I would have"
"The way he shot that, there was no way he was gonna get position"
"He missed again, I don't think he belongs in this tournament"
"Oh, my. There is no excuse for that"

JJ needs some new commentary cause I need to hear JJ say more positive things when I shoot.

Maybe its just me. :unsure:😜
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You lost me in your first sentence: "Here me out." Good grief, man. If you're going to write an op-ed or a critique, it may be prudent to spell your words correctly before criticizing someone else's words spoken. Just a suggestion. :)
 
Island Drive said:
I'd like to see a professional sports announcer work along side JJ in the booth.
Not another pool player.
Matchroom should do this to improve their production.
Click to expand...
That Nick Schulman from NYC who now plays poker was good at the Cup.

800px-Nick_Schulman_2018.jpg
 
Tin Man said:
Bad players treat the game like it's easy and make it hard. Good players treat the game like it's hard and make it easy.

Good players make the game look so easy it's super simple to say "Yeah, they're all open, just shoot them in, yeah, like that, that's what I would have done". Funny how when these players get those same layouts it doesn't work out so well.

There are a lot of small nuances that separate the greats from the goods. The differences aren't usually the big things, they are the small things. But most people want to work on their power draws or their jump shots. For those who are willing to give the game more respect and start working on tiny details, good things come.

I've learned a lot from JJ and it has helped my game. If others just hear background noise, well, that's ok. That's my competition. I'm good with that.
Click to expand...
Like you I enjoy JJ's commentary. Sometimes he can be a bit too verbiose, but that doesn't bother me. He sees all the little things that make all the difference in a match and I appreciate that. Plus he has the ability to communicate what a player is doing on every shot and why he is playing it that way.

I also don't like it when a commentator says "He's got a road map. He's out from here!" I never said that when I was doing commentary. Even on what looks like an easy out, something can come up like getting slightly out of position that can make each shot incrementally harder. And I've seen ALL players have brain farts and just shoot a really dumb shot or miss a hanger. It happens in pool! Any time you have to run six or seven balls, you better pay attention to the details on each shot or you will get in trouble somewhere.
 
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dnschmidt said:
My general feeling is that ALL COMMENTATORS IN POOL simply talk too much period. Apparently they just hate dead air.
Click to expand...

^^^This^^^

And worse yet is when two commentators constantly speech collide. Usually happens when they disagree.

My favorite JJ commentary is when he’s solo in the booth. Same with Earl.

I’ve said it before, don’t need more than 1 analyst in the booth. One analyst and the other can be the play by play ‘info’ guy.
 
SmoothStroke said:
I heard this guy George on a recent stream say it's good to let the player see the ball instead of playing them dead lock up safe..Who let him in the building? I let you see the ball so you can play me safe and get ball in hand. WTF
Click to expand...
It's somewhat situational. What percentage do you have on ensuring the lockup? On this turn would it be better to play a safe that was automatic, not lock up, but only gave a good shooter a 5% chance of doing anything?

I agree you should leave lock ups as much as you can but there is a subtleness to letting them see something. I call it "leaving enough meat on the bones." You can lead an opponent into making some REALLY boneheaded mistakes if you leave them just enough to peek at. Scratches, breaking clusters with tangent lines on a shot with a 2% chance to make the OB, no hope for shape on the next ball, snookering themselves, etc. If you're better at finesse and safety play you can really toy with someone and force them into an unwinnable position. Sometimes the peek they get at a ball can change the game in your favor. You have to be a decent judge of your opponent and push them to the limit so they have a chance to do something dumb. At times you can even use the info you've gathered by watching them play to make traps more tempting.

Sometimes a rack is unwinnable in it's current state for non-pros. Better to toy around with the table a bit until YOU can run out. Coming to the table on your terms is always the best.

If they get out of the trap, that's fine too, just make sure you appear nonplussed. You've seen it all before and hopefully they will get to questioning if they fell for something. This might not work for pro level play, but it can work well with people within 100 in either direction of your Fargo. Pool is largely mental, if you have your game on point, you can often coax them to get in their own head. A little edge here and there can be powerful. One of the good parts about leaving meat on the bones is that they tend to think it's a lucky/unlucky roll so it can also keep them thinking. Overthinking can be bad, it's their decision if they do it, many cannot resist.

That said, if you can run out with BIH, go for the lockup every time. (y)
 
JAM said:
You lost me in your first sentence: "Here me out." Good grief, man. If you're going to write an op-ed or a critique, it may be prudent to spell your words correctly before criticizing someone else's words spoken. Just a suggestion. :)
Click to expand...
Point taken on the spelling. You should know I graduated at the top of my class from the "cocobolocowboy scole of gramma and sheet"

However, my post was supposed to be a joke. I LOVE JJ's commentary. His commentary really was in my head when I went to go practice. I just suck at pool, so his words (in my head) were not so kind.

( I have edited the original post and I have given you credit for my fix!)
 
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markjames said:
hydraulics-
: a branch of science that deals with practical applications (such as the transmission of energy or the effects of flow) of liquid (such as water) in motion

so in pool, spin

and with him i think usually

topspin


jj one of the GOAT

he probably talks too much but if
you are criticizing him
then so do you
Click to expand...
I saw him use it when the shooter banked a ball cross side and used a lot of top spin to bounce of the rail and skid to a stop. So I think you're right about how he's using it.
 
SlateMan said:

Here Hear me out! ;) (Thanks JAM https://forums.azbilliards.com/threads/jj-needs-some-new-commentary.542333/post-7236695

I love JJ's commentary during a match. I feel like my pool IQ goes up about 10 points each tourney where he commentates. After the tourney, I can still hear his voice discussing certain shots from the tournament.
"Ya gotta just put top on that one and go back and forth" etc.


And that stuff helps me tremendously, but then I start hearing his voice narrate my practice and it always sounds the same:

"Man, he should not have taken that shot. I dont know what he was thinking"
"I don't think I would have shot that shot quite like that"
"He certainly has a different shot selection than I would have"
"The way he shot that, there was no way he was gonna get position"
"He missed again, I don't think he belongs in this tournament"
"Oh, my. There is no excuse for that"

JJ needs some new commentary cause I need to hear JJ say more positive things when I shoot.

Maybe its just me. :unsure:😜
Click to expand...
He loves the sound of his own voice.
 
boogieman said:
It's somewhat situational. What percentage do you have on ensuring the lockup? On this turn would it be better to play a safe that was automatic, not lock up, but only gave a good shooter a 5% chance of doing anything?

I agree you should leave lock ups as much as you can but there is a subtleness to letting them see something. I call it "leaving enough meat on the bones." You can lead an opponent into making some REALLY boneheaded mistakes if you leave them just enough to peek at. Scratches, breaking clusters with tangent lines on a shot with a 2% chance to make the OB, no hope for shape on the next ball, snookering themselves, etc. If you're better at finesse and safety play you can really toy with someone and force them into an unwinnable position. Sometimes the peek they get at a ball can change the game in your favor. You have to be a decent judge of your opponent and push them to the limit so they have a chance to do something dumb. At times you can even use the info you've gathered by watching them play to make traps more tempting.

Sometimes a rack is unwinnable in it's current state for non-pros. Better to toy around with the table a bit until YOU can run out. Coming to the table on your terms is always the best.

If they get out of the trap, that's fine too, just make sure you appear nonplussed. You've seen it all before and hopefully they will get to questioning if they fell for something. This might not work for pro level play, but it can work well with people within 100 in either direction of your Fargo. Pool is largely mental, if you have your game on point, you can often coax them to get in their own head. A little edge here and there can be powerful. One of the good parts about leaving meat on the bones is that they tend to think it's a lucky/unlucky roll so it can also keep them thinking. Overthinking can be bad, it's their decision if they do it, many cannot resist.

That said, if you can run out with BIH, go for the lockup every time. (y)
Click to expand...

Your point is well taken, I understand that side of the game.
I don't play that way. I play lock them up soild. I will try to 3 safe them and take the wind out of their sails, stick a knife in their back, kick them when they are down.
I'm never giving them opportunity to get lucky or some other crazy crap happens.
I won't give a player a chance if they are 4 balls under me. I'm going for lock up, ball in hand, or safe them out.
I was told years ago by a world champion,,,, never let up, give them an inch and there is a chance they could find a yard, bury them everytime. Words I've never forgotten...... The Miz
 
When I've taught others about the game here's a pat statement I've always used. Follows your thinking S.S.

Too win....

More matches are won by great board play and safeties, than great shot making.
 
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