Mosconi Cup 06 Predictions

MyraCurfs said:
Well... the truth is that the european captain ( Johan Ruijsink) does not make the choices, matchroom does.

Speaking about Sandor Tot. I think he needs to win the WC or else they wil try to figger out a way around him. I think it's called arbitrariness. :rolleyes: Sorry guys but that's the way i see it... after being in the top 3 of Europe a few times he wasn't even invited for the World Pool Masters. I think they are afraid he doesn't look to good at tellivison....
Click to expand...

I also cannot understand this.
He plays just about the most attractive game. Not afraid to take risks. Fast and loose, just like top Filipino players. Likeable fellow too. At the top of his game he's Earl in his prime.

No disrespect to David A., but I think in a longer match Sandor T. would drill him badly.
 
My European dream team would consist of:

Ralf (He's simply a great player!)
Thorsten (Only one of the best players on the planet)
Oliver (A great leader)
Niels (Might not ever miss a ball)
Mika (Proven champion)
Marcus (No one has more heart)

Alternates would include:

Nick (Hard not to put him on here, very close between him and Marcus)
Darren (A rising star, maybe next year)
Sandor (Handles pressure well, often overlooked)

Give me this team, and I'll empty out on their side.
 
jay helfert said:
My European dream team would consist of:

Ralf (He's simply a great player!)
Thorsten (Only one of the best players on the planet)
Oliver (A great leader)
Niels (Might not ever miss a ball)
Mika (Proven champion)
Marcus (No one has more heart)

Alternates would include:

Nick (Hard not to put him on here, very close between him and Marcus)
Darren (A rising star, maybe next year)
Sandor (Handles pressure well, often overlooked)

Give me this team, and I'll empty out on their side.
Click to expand...

hmmm... i would have more alternates the these but ok! There is only one thing i really do not agree on... Oliver a great leader... ? i do not mean this disrespectfull ( really i always joke to him about it) but Oliver is a little bit of an einzelganger... for a leader i would recommend Alex lely or Marcus Chamat because they are able to motivate the others because of the big hearts they have. That said: Johan will do great aswell!
 
Last edited:
MyraCurfs said:
hmmm... i would have more alternates the these but ok! There is only one thing i really do not agree on... Oliver a great leader... ? i do not mean this disrespectfull ( really i always joke to him about it) but Oliver is a little bit of an einzelganger... for a leader i would recommend Alex lely or Marcus Chamat because they are able to motivate the others because of the big hearts they have. That said: Johan will do great aswell!
Click to expand...

Pardon my French, but what the hell is an einzelganger?
 
TheOne said:
a) If it was an easier game then the 9 ball players would have found it easier and dominated, they didn't.
Click to expand...

Again I have to respectfully disagree (keyword there being respect. Not trying to start a fight). Look at the last men standing:

Orcullo, Reyes, Morris, Deuel, Immonen, Ortmann. All of them are 9 ballers or straight pool players.


Then look at the final 18:

Add to the previous list Francisco Bustamante, Danny Harriman, Neils Feijin, Alex Pagaluyan, Ralph Souquet, and Charlie Williams. All 9 ballers and straight pool shooters. In fact, the only 8 baller to make it to the final 18 was Karl Boyes.
 
@ Jay,

you will never ever see 3 Germans in a Mosconi Cup team..... Mr. Hearn runs the show so players are picked by different criterias than ability. It surprises me each year why the European Team is picked that way and the US Team always comes with a strong crew. I don't know how the US guys are picked though. The european Team e.g. always has a British member in it. Regardsless if the guy can shoot top notch nine ball or not. Why ? because it sells better in in th UK TV channels. Why is Earl in the US team ? Because everybody hopes he explodes either due to his personality or due to his game...

To me the Mosconi Cup is a nice fun event but it sure is not anywhere near a true match between the best Europe and US players.

Markus
 
i210mfu said:
@ Jay,

To me the Mosconi Cup is a nice fun event but it sure is not anywhere near a true match between the best Europe and US players.

Markus
Click to expand...

Markus,
Very true. With the very short races, and the significant luck factor in 9-ball; it is hard to consider the Mosconi Cup anything more than an exhibition.
 
pharaoh68 said:
Again I have to respectfully disagree (keyword there being respect. Not trying to start a fight). Look at the last men standing:

Orcullo, Reyes, Morris, Deuel, Immonen, Ortmann. All of them are 9 ballers or straight pool players.


Then look at the final 18:

Add to the previous list Francisco Bustamante, Danny Harriman, Neils Feijin, Alex Pagaluyan, Ralph Souquet, and Charlie Williams. All 9 ballers and straight pool shooters. In fact, the only 8 baller to make it to the final 18 was Karl Boyes.
Click to expand...

No worries but I think Appleton, Boyes, Hill did enough to disprove this. All the Europeans you mention are 8 ball players too, what happened to multiple world 9 ball champions such as Archer, Earl, Sigel etc. ?
 
TheOne said:
No worries but I think Appleton, Boyes, Hill did enough to disprove this. All the Europeans you mention are 8 ball players too, what happened to multiple worl 9 ball champions such as Archer, Earl, Sigel etc. ?
Click to expand...

The only explanation for Earl can be his psychological meltdowns. He tends to take himself out of it.

Sigel isn't much of a player anymore... and let me qualify that statement. I am not saying that he can't play anymore. I'm saying that he doesn't play nearly as much as these other younger, much more capable competitors.

And as for Archer, he is an incredible player. No doubt about that. A World Champion several times over. But nowadays, he is very streaky.

As for that point though, there were scores of 9 ballers who didn't make it to the final 18 or the final 6. But the presence of 9 ballers was felt moreso than that of the 8 ballers. JMO. However, you are right. Karl Boyes proved that he has skills in that game to compete with some of the best out there.
 
pharaoh68 said:
The only explanation for Earl can be his psychological meltdowns. He tends to take himself out of it.

Sigel isn't much of a player anymore... and let me qualify that statement. I am not saying that he can't play anymore. I'm saying that he doesn't play nearly as much as these other younger, much more capable competitors.

And as for Archer, he is an incredible player. No doubt about that. A World Champion several times over. But nowadays, he is very streaky.

As for that point though, there were scores of 9 ballers who didn't make it to the final 18 or the final 6. But the presence of 9 ballers was felt moreso than that of the 8 ballers. JMO. However, you are right. Karl Boyes proved that he has skills in that game to compete with some of the best out there.
Click to expand...


If you worked it out % wise I would bet the 8 ballers did better overall. How many 8 ballers played in it? The best female player was an ex 8 ball pro. Allison and Karen etc were snooker players and now 9 ball specialists, why didn't they do better than SE?

There were many many BIG NAME 9 ball players that just couldn't cut it at 8 ball, why was that given 8 ball is an easier game? :confused:
 
TheOne said:
There were many many BIG NAME 9 ball players that just couldn't cut it at 8 ball, why was that given 8 ball is an easier game? :confused:
Click to expand...

But there were a handful of nine ballers who found the format easy enough to cost their way to the final six (and two to finish in the finals).

Here's how I look at it. Last year, a young sixteen year old kid (Chia Ching Wu) runs five straight racks to comeback against his opponent and win the World 9 ball Championship. Everyone was in awe! Five racks in tournament play! Its not impossible but it doesn't happen every day! That's for sure.

Now, cross over to the IPT and there are actually a number of players who were putting up five packs in qualifiers. Ask Cliff Joyner. He took home an extra $5k just for stringing 5 racks together and he was one of several guys to do this. In fact, Kevin Trudeau even offered an a cash bonus for all players who did it and believe me - Joyner was not the only one to pull it off. Hell! If I can break and run out 3 out of 5 racks, it must be an easier game because I suck!!:D

With 9 ball, sure there are less balls, but you don't have the luxury of changing your course of action throughout the rack. If you get out of line, you'd better find a way to make a hit or a shot because you HAVE to hit that next ball in the rotation. With 8 ball, getting out of line on a planned shot simply means to look for a different shot.
 
I believe I'd have to take the USA this year. If Hohman and Chamat were in the mix, though, I don't know. I also think Ortmann would be an asset to Team Europe. Not sure how good of a leader he is, but to me he has always had this aura of indestructability about him, and I would think that would help to inspire confidence in his teammates.

Personally, I'm not putting too much weight on a player's success (or lack of) in the IPT, though, because I think there are just too many differences. It's not just an 8-ball vs. 9-ball thing, it's the tables, the felt, the venues and the "big production" feel, the field, the format, the purse sizes... etc. I just don't know if you can judge a player's success on one stage based upon their success on the other stage.

What I do know is... if there was a Team Phillipines in this race, I'd bet my 401k on 'em. :D
 
What happened to Charlie Williams? He has been a very strong player for the US squad the last few years.
 
pharaoh68 said:
But there were a handful of nine ballers who found the format easy enough to cost their way to the final six (and two to finish in the finals).

Here's how I look at it. Last year, a young sixteen year old kid (Chia Ching Wu) runs five straight racks to comeback against his opponent and win the World 9 ball Championship. Everyone was in awe! Five racks in tournament play! Its not impossible but it doesn't happen every day! That's for sure.

Now, cross over to the IPT and there are actually a number of players who were putting up five packs in qualifiers. Ask Cliff Joyner. He took home an extra $5k just for stringing 5 racks together and he was one of several guys to do this. In fact, Kevin Trudeau even offered an a cash bonus for all players who did it and believe me - Joyner was not the only one to pull it off. Hell! If I can break and run out 3 out of 5 racks, it must be an easier game because I suck!!:D

With 9 ball, sure there are less balls, but you don't have the luxury of changing your course of action throughout the rack. If you get out of line, you'd better find a way to make a hit or a shot because you HAVE to hit that next ball in the rotation. With 8 ball, getting out of line on a planned shot simply means to look for a different shot.
Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head but got it the wrong way round. If you mess up in 9 ball you are still fav to win the game as you have control of the table and can play safe of hook the other guy. If you mess up in 8 ball with 1 or 2 balls left you're as much as dead. Its not a run out contest, although I actually thinl 8 ball is easier to run out that alone doesn't mean its an easier game.

Interesting thoutgh that with 100k on the line for a player to run out the set NOBODY did it. Yet earl did 11 racks at 9 ball with a million dollars on the line! ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top