Mike Dechaine: Are You Sold Yet?

[sjm]

So I guess the merit of good behavior means zero to you
Mark obviously thought otherwise ,, because this is not a singles event it's a team event and good behavior and team chemistry is important on any team in any game or sport ,

1

Right. Behavior matters, but just a little. What is acceptable behavior? Is it not showing up for a quarterfinal match at the US Open 10-ball? Is is unscrewing your cue mid-match when a ruling doesn't go your way at the Pacquiao event? Or is SVB unworthy .... or, maybe, just maybe, what matters is who is playing well.

Shane chose Mike as his partner at the World Cup of Pool. Obviously, Shane is not too concerned about Mike as a team player. Deuel and Dechaine teamed up at last year's BCAPL pro event to play superbly in their win over Reyes and Bustamante. Mike was the perfect teammate on that occasion.

Mike can be as good a teammate as anyone, but the haters will hate.

 

[actionplayer]

funny thing if MIke is picked many probably wont support because Mike is the most loathed player in the modern game for being such a A-hole

but yes I like his game especially last 2 years he has improved his play and safety play especially, that with his break makes him formidable

last night was brutal neither played well, wasnt a good match

SVB loses again tho another long race 10 ball, apparently he cant lose those oh wait 21 isant long enough apparently has to be 100 lol cant wait for that to come out

 

[one stroke]

funny thing if MIke is picked many probably wont support because Mike is the most loathed player in the modern game for being such a A-hole

but yes I like his game especially last 2 years he has improved his play and safety play especially, that with his break makes him formidable

last night was brutal neither played well, wasnt a good match

SVB loses again tho another long race 10 ball, apparently he cant lose those oh wait 21 isant long enough apparently has to be 100 lol cant wait for that to come out

Im wondering if Shane got a show up fee ,, he wouldn't go up there before when Mike offerd the same race ,, he knows he can hang in that race , in fact it's been proven of late Shane's very beatable in these shorter race matches ,, it really has not been a great yr for Shane, like Tiger once chinks are shown in the armor the ore of invincibility begins to fade
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[(((Satori)))]

Im wondering if Shane got a show up fee ,, he wouldn't go up there before when Mike offerd the same race ,, he knows he can hang in that race , in fact it's been proven of late Shane's very beatable in these shorter race matches ,, it really has not been a great yr for Shane, like Tiger once chinks are shown in the armor the ore of invincibility begins to fade
1

I recall Jay saying Shane would not play Orcullo a race to 100 on Jay's table also. I think he said Dennis offered the game to Shane after Shane beat Dennis in the TAR studio.


He can correct me if I am wrong.

 

[one stroke]

Right. Behavior matters, but just a little. What is acceptable behavior? Is it not showing up for a quarterfinal match at the US Open 10-ball? Is is unscrewing your cue mid-match when a ruling doesn't go your way at the Pacquiao event? Or is SVB unworthy .... or, maybe, just maybe, what matters is who is playing well.

Shane chose Mike as his partner at the World Cup of Pool. Obviously, Shane is not too concerned about Mike as a team player. Deuel and Dechaine teamed up at last year's BCAPL pro event to play superbly in their win over Reyes and Bustamante. Mike was the perfect teammate on that occasion.

Mike can be as good a teammate as anyone, but the haters will hate.

And the huggers will hug ,, however in a society of giving second chances I think he should be given just that last yr was not the time or the place

1

 

[midnightpulp]

He's in stroke right now and might be entering his pool playing prime (28 years old, perfect age where the marriage of your physical skills, knowledge, and experience seem to come together). I think he would've beaten Shaw if that race were longer. He was hitting a gear.

Only issues are: Mosconi race format is pretty much a joke, and can he handle the pressure of playing overseas outside of his comfort zone?

Be interesting to see how he does at the World 9 Ball.

 

[Cracktherack]

Dechaine had his entourage of nut-huggers with him at Turning Stone and I see many of them are AZ members too. I saw his antics against Shaw with the trick racking, but it didn't work. At one point Shaw just scattered the balls, because the rack was so bad.
Dechaine doesn't deserve any respect.

 

[sjm]

And the huggers will hug ,, however in a society of giving second chances I think he should be given just that last yr was not the time or the place

1

Nothing to do with second chances. Mike is twice the player he was when he last participated in the Mosconi.

He's ready for prime time more than all but one American player. Over the past year, he was impressive against the top Europeans on the big tables at both the 2014 US Open and the 2015 Super Billiards Expo event.

Among American players, only Shane has had greater success against the top Europeans than Mike.

 

[AtLarge]

... if Mike’s not on Team USA, I will not attend.

Dechaine heads into the US Open 9-Ball Championship in second place in Mosconi-Cup points.

I expect that he will earn one of the 3 automatic spots based on points.

If he finishes 4th or 5th in the points race, I would like to see him be a captain's pick.

However -- although it is highly unlikely, it's still possible that Dechaine will not even finish in the top 5 in points. If that happens, and with one exception, it would not bother me at all if Mark Wilson picks two other players (who finished higher in the points race) as his captain's picks and Mike is not on the team. And I would certainly not let that eventuality be the reason for my not attending the Mosconi Cup event.

The exception is if Dechaine wins the WPA World 9-Ball Championship 13 days from now. That might, to me, be a strong enough reason to pick him over others who finished higher on the US points list.

But, as I said, I expect him to finish in the top 3 in points and make the team that way.

 

[one stroke]

Nothing to do with second chances. Mike is twice the player he was when he last participated in the Mosconi.

He's ready for prime time more than all but one American player. Over the past year, he was impressive against the top Europeans on the big tables at both the 2014 US Open and the 2015 Super Billiards Expo event.

Among American players, only Shane has had greater success against the top Europeans than Mike.

Twice the player ya ok let's see how he does in the WPA 9 ball ,


1

 

[BRussell]

The exception is if Dechaine wins the WPA World 9-Ball Championship 13 days from now. That might, to me, be a strong enough reason to pick him over others who finished higher on the US points list.

Might?!? Wow you're a hard man.

 

[sjm]

Dechaine heads into the US Open 9-Ball Championship in second place in Mosconi-Cup points.

I expect that he will earn one of the 3 automatic spots based on points.

If he finishes 4th or 5th in the points race, I would like to see him be a captain's pick.

However -- although it is highly unlikely, it's still possible that Dechaine will not even finish in the top 5 in points. If that happens, and with one exception, it would not bother me at all if Mark Wilson picks two other players (who finished higher in the points race) as his captain's picks and Mike is not on the team. And I would certainly not let that eventuality be the reason for my not attending the Mosconi Cup event.

The exception is if Dechaine wins the WPA World 9-Ball Championship 13 days from now. That might, to me, be a strong enough reason to pick him over others who finished higher on the US points list.

But, as I said, I expect him to finish in the top 3 in points and make the team that way.

Even if he goes two and out, he has still proven he is America's second best player. His omission would be a total shock under any circumstances.

 

[Celtic]

Onestroke is right guys, skill and achievements in the sport should not really have anything to do with things.

I think next year if Mark Wilson cannot get the team a win we should switch coaches.

Maybe Harvey Weinstein should coach the team. Players could be Blake Lively, Jessica Alba, Gretchen Mol, hmm, not sure on the other two, guess we would have to have some potential player interviews to see who has the right amount of "merit", anyone have a couch available for player tryouts?

Sure, team America might still lose, but this is not about the skill of the players, this is about merit, and these girls have paid their dues for this chance to play for team America.

 

[gxman]

I'd like to see MD in some action matches with some of the Philippine or Taiwan guys.

 

[one stroke]

Onestroke is right guys, skill and achievements in the sport should not really have anything to do with things.

I think next year if Mark Wilson cannot get the team a win we should switch coaches.

Maybe Harvey Weinstein should coach the team. Players could be Blake Lively, Jessica Alba, Gretchen Mol, hmm, not sure on the other two, guess we would have to have some potential player interviews to see who has the right amount of "merit", anyone have a couch available for player tryouts?

Sure, team America might still lose, but this is not about the skill of the players, this is about merit, and these girls have paid their dues for this chance to play for team America.

Well since the great white north has produced at least one great legend we might want him as a coach of course after he can get his son in law to knock in a a 4 ft putt
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[marknyc]

While I agree that Mike is playing well, I just don't enjoy watching him play. It boils down to the fact that I don't respect him because of the way he carries himself. His attitude, ego, moves to get under his opponents' skin, and the constant rack shenanigans takes out any level of enjoyment for me. It isn't fun to watch - it's annoying. I can't imagine that those things contribute to a great team dynamic.

 

[spartan]

Yes, that's accurate. Last year and the year before that, the team was not chosen on merit. Until we get past that, I'm exercising my right to stay home.

When we start sending our best, count me in, and that doesn't mean it has to consist of the guys I'd pick, but it must consist of players who have earned it by playing well in the year or two leading up to the Mosconi.

Team USA's failure in recent years has been in singles. Especially at singles, I'd hate to have a team that didn't include America's second best rotation games player, Mike Dechaine.

Mike did not do well in his 2 MC appearances few years ago. He has won 1 out of 4 singles.
But MC singles record are never stellar even amongst Euros. The top Euros just win bit over 50% of singles http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=380780
Shane is 9-12 singles including 2014 results . His 5 wins out of 7 over Shane is super strong- he has Shane's number. Winning 5 out of 7 matches is stronger than winning race to 100. If that doesn't get him no. 1 choice for captains pick, something is wrong
Also Mike last appearance was number of years ago and deserves 2nd chance. Mark Wilson just has to keep him on a tight leash. :smile:

 

[spartan]

The exception is if Dechaine wins the WPA World 9-Ball Championship 13 days from now. That might, to me, be a strong enough reason to pick him over others who finished higher on the US points list.

But, as I said, I expect him to finish in the top 3 in points and make the team that way.

Are you kidding Atlarge LOL
If he wins W9B, he is automatically in MC. If Wilson doesn't pick him then, he should be fired
But the reality is Mike is not a favorite , sorry . There are at least few dozen players who are favorite ahead of him. And I am not even counting those unknown killers out of Philippines who may qualify via the qualifiers

 

[Majic]

I posted "Mike has had the edge head-to-head over America’s very best player for 2014 and 2015" so I agree that Mike is not best, but his track record against Shane is impressive. Shane is the best because of his titles, not because of his ability to win long races. Finally, Mosconi event is about who plays well in short races.

how is mikes record in the mosconi......rather poor

 

[AtLarge]

how is mikes record in the mosconi......rather poor

Dechaine's Mosconi Cup record:

2011 -- 1-1 singles, 0-2 doubles, 0-1 teams, 1-4 total

2012 -- 0-2 singles, 1-2 doubles, 1-0 teams, 2-4 total

Both -- 1-3 singles, 1-4 doubles, 1-1 teams, 3-8 total

Another way to look at it (contribution to overall Cup scores) is to count a full point for each player in a singles win or loss, a half point for each player in a doubles win or loss, and one-fifth of a point for each player in a team win or loss. Doing that for Mike, we have 1.7 points on the winning side and 5.2 points on the losing side (winning percentage 25%).

But I think Mike is simply better now, physically and mentally, than he was then.