Thanks for the compliment. There is a huge difference in the way Pool is treated and televised in Asia and Europe. Over there it is a major sport. In the USA, Pool is filler material on ESPN, and is treated like a second rate sport.
Mitch is a good guy and a pro at what he does. I have watched him work and he can do a perfect interview the first time. And he knows how to warm up the crowd as well. True, he is somewhat lacking in his knowledge of the game, but I don't think the honchos at ESPN really care.
I greatly prefer to work overseas where Pool is given top tier coverage. For example, this years WPC was shown LIVE all over Asia and Europe for SEVEN to EIGHT hours a day. For NINE days in a row! And you got to see the ENTIRE matches while they were being played. Now that's Major League coverage! Unlike ESPN, where you already know the winner of every match being shown (and it is edited to fit the time frame).
In Manila, it was clear to me that the Producer and the Director were conscious that what they were airing was important to the viewing audience (a huge audience by the way). They continually strove to make the programming interesting and exciting. All the fellow commentators I worked with were PROS at what they did.
I only wish the US audience could see these shows in their entirety (while they were happening too). You would all be glued to your TV's. I promise you. To see the best players in the world, battling on tough tables for all the marbles. I got excited both while commentating, and when I was out of the booth I still watched matches. You see I appreciate the skill it takes to play this game well. It really is the way Pool should be aired over here. Then we WOULD get good ratings.
It's a damn shame that ESPN in the USA does such a crappy job of televising the sport we love. I'm sorry I have to say this. I wish all of you could see the shows we made over there (in their entirety). I'm proud to have been a part of something good for Pool. And I want to publicly thank Jerry Forsyth for bringing me back on board. I hadn't worked a WPC match since 2000. After 9/11 I wouldn't fly for nearly three years.
This is something that needs to be said. So that you guys know that Pool is popular on television in most of the world. It is only over here that we must suffer with this second rate coverage. I personally can't stand to watch these shows. I'd much rather watch an Accu-Stat match.
Maybe if enough of you wrote to ESPN, they would wake up and show some real Pool, live, full length, with expert commentary. And yes, I agree Mark Wilson could do an excellent job if given the chance. And I'd love to be in the booth with him.