Justin Bergman going to Mosconi Cup for Team USA

[ibuycues]

Please tell me what qualifications Thorpe and Styer have over Mr. Deuel.., aside from the fact that Mr. Styer won the Moscow Open.

Other than that, did you enjoy the play, Mrs. Lincoln?

Will Prout :thumbup:

 

[sjm]

Please tell me what qualifications Thorpe and Styer have over Mr. Deuel.., aside from the fact that Mr. Styer won the Moscow Open.

Thorpe played well in the 2018 Mosconi Cup and quite respectably in the 2017 Mosconi Cup, too. Deuel was Team USA's weakest link. Still, Billy's 2019 was unremarkable.

Styer's win at the Kremlin Cup over a tough field speaks for itself, but he also greatly outshined Deuel at the US Open 9-ball, which definitely had the toughest field of the year:

Deuel at the US Open 9-ball
beat Angelo Salzano 11-1
beat Martin Daigle 11-3
beat Alex Montpelier 11-8
lost 11-1 to Jayson Shaw
lost 11-2 to Mieszko Fortunski

After three wins over unremarkable opponents, it was time for Deuel to play two of the elite Europeans, and each of them carved him up into little pieces.

Styer at the US Open 9-ball
beat Kelii Chuberko 11-6
lost 11-10 to Josh Roberts
beat Michael Yednak 11-1
beat Zachary Bos 11-2
beat Masato Yoshioka 11-9 (Yoshioka won the bronze at the World 10-ball)
beat Justin Bergman 11-5
beat Chris Alexander 11-8
beat Roman Hybler 11-3
lost to Ko Ping Ching 11-7 (Ko Ping Chung is the World 10-ball Champion)

Styer played against several elite players and really held his own against them.

 

[jasonlaus]

The USA has lost 8 of the past 9 years.

We brought in a new head coach, assistant coach, and instituted some new processes
for making the USA team; the processes have changed each of the last 2 years.
Last year, we brought SVB onto the team “out of sequence” but it made solid sense to do so.
This year, J. Bergman was trying out for the team, but did not make the final candidate pool because he lost in a race to five to Max Eberle (could be wrong here but it is how I remember it).

Then, last week at the International, Bergman shot lights out, leaving a trail of champions on the way to the Final Four.
And prior to the Open, he had been playing world class.

What, stick blindly to a process put in place to determine the best five for the team and leave out a currently peaking American player?
Or use managerial experience to opt for Justin, who is clearly one of the current top five, and field our best possible team.

I absolutely feel terrible for CD and ME, one who was a member of last year’s winning team and another who would have joined the Cup for his first time.
But I must admit, I feel the best player was selected.

Tighten up/revise/evolve the process again for next year. But keep in mind we are trying to win, not just adhere to evolving processes. Everything that has been set in motion is to determine the USA’s beat chance for a repeat victory.

Tough choice, but the right one.

Will Prout

Then why wouldn't we use the Int Open to make the whole team?

 

[CallShotCowboy]

MR - didn't pick up the tab for this - The BCA wrote a check to Johan to support his Team Selection process.

Did anyone pay for the expenses to go to Russia for the five Team USA contenders? I'm just curious.

Wouldn't swear to it but i think MR picked-up the tab.

 

[JazzyJeff87]

Then why wouldn't we use the Int Open to make the whole team?

Anyone can have a bad tournament. Anyone can have a good tournament. I’m not sure what about that post made you ask this but it wouldn’t be a good way to do it that’s for sure.

The way this worked out you have a known, experienced, strong player that’s obviously in stroke close to the time of the action. Displayed at the intl. But it’s a mix of known history and how you’re playing now. If I’d shown up and somehow won the intl open I doubt they’d have picked me for the team.

 

[BeiberLvr]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I don't think this is good for American pool. The contenders had a competition to see who are the final two for consideration; and those two are led to believe it's down to them. They both played well at the International, then they have the rug pulled out from under them. W
ell, I certainly wouldn't believe anything those who made the decision said next time. Why go through the "process" when it means nothing. And for the record, as good as Justin is, he's not going to make the difference. We won last year without him, and we can lose this year with him. Which is what's expected. Those who pick the American team lost any respectability they had, with very little to gain from it.

I agree with this 100%

No denying, that heads up, Bergman is leaps and bounds better than both Corey and Max.

However, as you pointed out, we were able to win last year without him.

No sense in having a process if the process wont' be followed.

At the end of the day, what's done is done though. Go USA!!

 

[Nick B]

Here is Max E's post from Facebook... nicely done and very positive Max

I want to thank Jeremy Jones for inviting me to participate in the Mosconi Cup boot camps earlier this year, to try and earn a spot on the 2019 USA Mosconi Cup Team. He said that he saw I was still playing and hitting em good, and when I got the invite call one morning I was both honored and excited!

Traveling to Texas twice was awesome training with him as he’s a great pool instructor whose game and character I’ve always greatly respected. Winning the double round robin in vegas against the other guys was one of my toughest days of pool but it won me a spot with the USA Mosconi Cup Champions in Russia thanks to Johan Ruysink who invented that event with Vladimir Nikolayev. What an honor and great time it was. I’ll post more pics from Russia soon.

Being a contender for the Mosconi Cup really lit a fire under my a$$ as they say, and at 46 years of age, when all the young guns are the talk of the town, I was able to amass a decent list of tournament match wins against many top young players in the time between being picked in April I think it was and this past week at the Int’l 9ball open. My friend Greg Sabins in Newport News, VA said thanks Max, you’re giving us guys in their 40’s hope! Haha cool, I already know that a pool player hits his stride in his 40s and that Efren, Varner, Strickland, Parica and many others still won into their 50s and 60s. Pool is truly the sport of a lifetime, even more so than golf. My grandfather broke and ran 3 racks of 9ball on a 9 foot table when he was 83!

Here’s some of the notable top players and young guns I can remember winning tournament matches against in 2019 since Jeremy gave me that fateful Mosconi call:

Justin Bergman
Skyler Woodward
Chris Melling
Chris Robinson
Mahkeal Parris
Ko Pin Yi
Chang Yu Lung
Shane Van Boening
Tyler Styer
Ike Runnels
Brandon Shuff
Fedor Gorst
Michael Yednak
Shaun Wilkie
James Aranas
Josh Roberts
Robbie Capito

Of course I’ve gotten beat by several of these guys and other greats this year, but all in all not a bad little victory notch list during the “Race to the Mosconi Cup,” but I tell you this, it sure wasn’t easy and I worked hard every day, week, and month leading up till now. These guys are all super tough to beat!

I’ve been working hard on my game in addition to getting world class coaching from Jeremy and Johan, and I still have room to improve. Got to string more wins together to win entire events, more prize money, and more invites.

At any rate it’s been a fun journey and I want to thank all of my friends, fans, coaches, teammates, backers and sponsors for your loyal support and positive cheers along the way!

#meuccicues
#prophetzgroup
#PoolAHolicApparel
#technodudtips
#masterchalk
#jbcases
#hanshewjumpcue
#goodtimezbilliardslv
#lasvegascueclub
#propoolacademy
#zenpoolbook
#powerfulpooldvdset
#playpoolinthezoneebook
#cuemaxdotcom
#giantbilliarddome
#worldpooltour

 

[garczar]

Here is Max E's post from Facebook... nicely done and very positive Max

I want to thank Jeremy Jones for inviting me to participate in the Mosconi Cup boot camps earlier this year, to try and earn a spot on the 2019 USA Mosconi Cup Team. He said that he saw I was still playing and hitting em good, and when I got the invite call one morning I was both honored and excited!

Traveling to Texas twice was awesome training with him as he’s a great pool instructor whose game and character I’ve always greatly respected. Winning the double round robin in vegas against the other guys was one of my toughest days of pool but it won me a spot with the USA Mosconi Cup Champions in Russia thanks to Johan Ruysink who invented that event with Vladimir Nikolayev. What an honor and great time it was. I’ll post more pics from Russia soon.

Being a contender for the Mosconi Cup really lit a fire under my a$$ as they say, and at 46 years of age, when all the young guns are the talk of the town, I was able to amass a decent list of tournament match wins against many top young players in the time between being picked in April I think it was and this past week at the Int’l 9ball open. My friend Greg Sabins in Newport News, VA said thanks Max, you’re giving us guys in their 40’s hope! Haha cool, I already know that a pool player hits his stride in his 40s and that Efren, Varner, Strickland, Parica and many others still won into their 50s and 60s. Pool is truly the sport of a lifetime, even more so than golf. My grandfather broke and ran 3 racks of 9ball on a 9 foot table when he was 83!

Here’s some of the notable top players and young guns I can remember winning tournament matches against in 2019 since Jeremy gave me that fateful Mosconi call:

Justin Bergman
Skyler Woodward
Chris Melling
Chris Robinson
Mahkeal Parris
Ko Pin Yi
Chang Yu Lung
Shane Van Boening
Tyler Styer
Ike Runnels
Brandon Shuff
Fedor Gorst
Michael Yednak
Shaun Wilkie
James Aranas
Josh Roberts
Robbie Capito

Of course I’ve gotten beat by several of these guys and other greats this year, but all in all not a bad little victory notch list during the “Race to the Mosconi Cup,” but I tell you this, it sure wasn’t easy and I worked hard every day, week, and month leading up till now. These guys are all super tough to beat!

I’ve been working hard on my game in addition to getting world class coaching from Jeremy and Johan, and I still have room to improve. Got to string more wins together to win entire events, more prize money, and more invites.

At any rate it’s been a fun journey and I want to thank all of my friends, fans, coaches, teammates, backers and sponsors for your loyal support and positive cheers along the way!

#meuccicues
#prophetzgroup
#PoolAHolicApparel
#technodudtips
#masterchalk
#jbcases
#hanshewjumpcue
#goodtimezbilliardslv
#lasvegascueclub
#propoolacademy
#zenpoolbook
#powerfulpooldvdset
#playpoolinthezoneebook
#cuemaxdotcom
#giantbilliarddome
#worldpooltour

Class act all the way. A pro's pro. Well stated Max.

 

[trob]

As long max “I’m a flat earthier” isn’t in it I don’t care who’s in lol

 

[garczar]

As long max “I’m a flat earthier” isn’t in it I don’t care who’s in lol

Max does have a few "out there" theories but you won't meet a nicer guy or someone more dedicated to this game. He's been at it since junior pool and is still grinding. I would have really liked to see him on the MC stage but i get the realities of having the hot gun there. ME's response was the move of a class cat in my book.

 

[KRJ]

Johan gets a lot of credit from me for having the balls to make the right decision for the team. There is no question that Justin is playing better than any other U.S. player right now so how can you overlook that, especially if your goal is to have the winning team.

In other professional sports players get traded, cut and sent down all the time. That is the nature of the game. Why shouldn't a pro billiards coach be able to do what's best for his team? Good for Johan and Jeremy too. They made a tough call, but the right one imo.

BAM, exactly. Lot of players think they are about to get the call up to the Big Leagues but then some hot shot rookie is tearing up Double A and he gets the call. The team needs the best team on the field, plain and simple. Does it sting for the folks that get passed over. Yuup. I'm sure we've all felt that at one time or another in our own careers.

 

[trob]

Max does have a few "out there" theories but you won't meet a nicer guy or someone more dedicated to this game. He's been at it since junior pool and is still grinding. I would have really liked to see him on the MC stage but i get the realities of having the hot gun there. ME's response was the move of a class cat in my book.

No matter how nice he is.. he..believes..the ..earth..is..flat.. nuff said

 

[garczar]

No matter how nice he is.. he..believes..the ..earth..is..flat.. nuff said

WTF does that have to do with his pool game? Say he had been picked, you're saying he shouldn't be on it because of this? I hope you're joking, if not that's kinda nuts.

 

[sjm]

BAM, exactly. Lot of players think they are about to get the call up to the Big Leagues but then some hot shot rookie is tearing up Double A and he gets the call. The team needs the best team on the field, plain and simple. Does it sting for the folks that get passed over. Yuup. I'm sure we've all felt that at one time or another in our own careers.

That's not what happened here.

A better parallel would be baseball players wishful of earning a job on a baseball team despite not being at spring training (for those who don't follow baseball, spring training is the preseason tryout). It is as If all the second baseman who came to spring training were told by the manager, we've decided to go with two other guys who aren't even here.

The two Russia events, the Kremlin Cup and the Dream Challenge were the equivalent of spring training tryouts in the case of choosing the last members of Team USA, and Bergman wasn't there for either. In the aftermath of this "spring training" Johann added Styer and Thorpe to Team USA and publicly announced that Eberle and Deuel would settle the matter of who would get the final spot on Team USA at the International.

No, this doesn't happen all the time, and I'm not sure it ever happens.

 

[BRussell]

I think it would be different if Bergman had declined to play, or decided not to participate (I think that might have been the case in previous years). But he was cut by Johann. Later, Johann essentially admitted that cutting him was a mistake.

 

[garczar]

Just my $.02 here; they should either tell all the the possible choices that the final picks will come after Int'l Open or go back to the points system. There are enough big-table events in the US now to do it but there's always a chance not all players would play enough to get points. I doubt that two vets like CD and ME are too broke-up over this but it could be done better. Just my take, nothin more.

 

[KRJ]

That's not what happened here.

A better parallel would be baseball players wishful of earning a job on a baseball team despite not being at spring training (for those who don't follow baseball, spring training is the preseason tryout). It is as If all the second baseman who came to spring training were told by the manager, we've decided to go with two other guys who aren't even here.

No, this doesn't happen all the time, and I'm not sure it ever happens.

And we can argue that is not a better parallel either. Are you saying that JB was not at any events? Sometimes family issues and injuries stop guys from competing in spring training. But, guess what, he comes in the last 3 days and overshadows the guys that have been there all spring, and he might just get the job. So, yeah, it happens. There was a 20 year old playing in the WS this year. He took someone's spot that didn't think it was fair

Lots of different reasons for that and some of them just not fair.

Can it be handled better in the future. Yup. Should it affect our chances of having the best team for MC this year. Nope.

 

[spartan]

Executive Decision

Excellent savvy decision by Johan picking better in form Justin over frontrunner Corey.
Corey was worst performer last year winning only 1 double and losing all other matches.
https://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=485242
Justin only has to better that (which on paper should not be too difficult) and it will look like good decision by Johan whether USA wins or loses

 

[SBC]

WTF does that have to do with his pool game? Say he had been picked, you're saying he shouldn't be on it because of this? I hope you're joking, if not that's kinda nuts.

So is thinking the world is flat. Should send him on a shuttle mission or around the world cruise.

 

[BRussell]

And we can argue that is not a better parallel either. Are you saying that JB was not at any events? Sometimes family issues and injuries stop guys from competing in spring training. But, guess what, he comes in the last 3 days and overshadows the guys that have been there all spring, and he might just get the job. So, yeah, it happens. There was a 20 year old playing in the WS this year. He took someone's spot that didn't think it was fair

Lots of different reasons for that and some of them just not fair.

Can it be handled better in the future. Yup. Should it affect our chances of having the best team for MC this year. Nope.

Yeah, and Johann et al. made the rules to help pick the best group, so they should change the rules if they want to. It’s not the law, it’s not an international agreement, it’s just to play a game.

In Justin’s Facebook post he said he knew he had a chance if he played well, so it must have been understood that it was possible.