Mosconi Cup is unfair

JC said:
Of course I'm being sarcastic Mark.

But trust me there's a whole culture of PC assholes who believes what I wrote and is dead serious about it.

The fact you had to ask if I was kidding or not proves that you know that too.:wink:

JC
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Thank God for that. Yes its a shame but you do have to clarify sometimes. :)
 
Instead of a country vs a continent it could be north America vs Europe. Then we could add Morra, Pagulayan, and Klatt.
 
ummm not even close...

pooladdict said:
How many pool players are there in Europe?

How many pool players are there in USA?

I dont have the figures, but I am guessing 10 times more in USA.

This has nothing to do with number of countries - but attitude, work ethics and commitment
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742.5 million (2013)
Europe, Population

313.9 million (2012)
United States of America, Population


Yeah, so they're drawing from a pool more than twice as large...

Jaden

Add Canada
34.88 million (2012)
Canada, Population

and Mexico

120.8 million (2012)
Mexico, Population

And we'd STILL be at a 2-3 disadvantage population pool wise....
 
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Pool's history is littered with unsavory characters, especially in the U.S. Many of our top players from just a generation ago were caught up in pool related scandals that we all know about.

Mark Wilson's vision for a more disciplined, well mannered, and respectable U.S. team is commendable and these character traits are certainly things that I admire about any player. However, I think some people are thinking that creating a team focused around these traits will somehow help the U.S. team become more successful. Unfortunately, I'm not so sure this method will bear any fruit. Instead, it may just turn the U.S. Mosconi Cup Team into pool's version of the Military Academies and we all know how well Army, Navy, and The Air Force do on the football field when they are playing top tier football powerhouses.

Becoming more honest, more respectful, more well-mannered, and the like -- will arguably make you a better person, but I'm not so convinced that it will make you a better player. I’m afraid the U.S. team isn’t continually the underdog in the Mosconi Cup because of their lack of manners; instead it’s because of their lack of talent.
 
Jaden said:
742.5 million (2013)
Europe, Population

313.9 million (2012)
United States of America, Population


Yeah, so they're drawing from a pool more than twice as large...
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You have to learn to read more carefully. He didn't say anything about population advantages (nor did I when I brought it up earlier in the thread). What we said was the pool of pool players is almost certainly larger in US than in all of Europe. Huge difference.
 
BasementDweller said:
Mark Wilson's vision for a more disciplined, well mannered, and respectable U.S. team...

Becoming more honest, more respectful, more well-mannered, and the like -- will arguably make you a better person, but I'm not so convinced that it will make you a better player.
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Being more well mannered, honest, respectful, and the like are being done mostly to make us more respectable as people and sportsman on an international stage (and not the embarrassment to humanity we have been several times in the past). And while those traits don't necessarily make an individual a better player, they do certainly help team performances (anything that contributes to cohesiveness and respect among teammates is good), and this of course happens to be a team event.

As far as being more disciplined not making someone a better player, I think maybe you just didn't think that one out before you typed it because we all know that discipline leads to improved performance and achievement in all endeavors including sports. In fact if you were forced to use only one word to sum up why Europe so heavily dominates the US in pool now, "discipline" would probably be the single best word to sum it up. It also probably the best single word to describe why Shane Van Boening dominates his American contemporaries as well.
 
boogeyman said:
Good perspective, JCIN.
I think the all the gripes and complaints about "unfairness" is a waste of time.

Team U.S.A. and Matchroom's primary goal this year is to bring a semblance of
TEAMWORK AND PROFESSIONALISM back into the team's countenance.

This is no doubt, a business move that will behoove not only the sponsor,
but also will predict the future of this event.

For those of you who continue to present arguments,
such as the competition and selection process being unfair and/or "not right,"
you have little sense of what is currently taking place.

Let this Mosconi Cup take place, watch it,
and hopefully we will see a U.S.A. team that presents itself well.
Who gives a flying F*#! if they win or not—
it's whether the team shows class and professionalism in victory or defeat.

Watch and see because believe me, Matchroom will be watching closely, folks.

And there you have it............
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I still thought it was some of the best Mosconi Cup action when Rodney Morris offered to step out side with Darren Appleton and ...was it Chris Melling, priceless
 
Celophanewrap said:
I still thought it was some of the best Mosconi Cup action when Rodney Morris offered to step out side with Darren Appleton and ...was it Chris Melling, priceless
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And it was really awesome when the players were threatened with having their appearance fees yanked for collusion, betting against themselves and possibly dumping.

Stellar.
 
And I'm calling bs on that...

Poolplaya9 said:
You have to learn to read more carefully. He didn't say anything about population advantages (nor did I when I brought it up earlier in the thread). What we said was the pool of pool players is almost certainly larger in US than in all of Europe. Huge difference.
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I don't think that's the case at all. I also think that even if that WERE the case, the prevalence of barbox only players in the US is MUCH higher relative to people who play regularly than in europe...

Jaden
 
playing this year in London will be an awakening for at least one of the players

There are always going to be the "favorites," and the "underdogs" in any competition.

USA is simply the underdog this year - if it was a football game they'd be "minus 16 and a half" - no big deal. ;) We've all seen bigger upsets on a daily basis somewhere in the world....of course playing this year in London will be an awakening for at least one of the players. 'The Game is the teacher'
 
Mr. Bond said:
And it was really awesome when the players were threatened with having their appearance fees yanked for collusion, betting against themselves and possibly dumping.

Stellar.
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At least it showed the Americans were alive.
So you're saying the Americans were dumping? I hadn't heard that

In the recent past, I don’t think the Americans were taking this Mosconi Cup thing too seriously. Sure I’d like Team America to at least put up a fight, but to me it’s more like the NBA All Star Game, it’s kinda fun, but really, what does it mean to these guys? It's primarily a show.
My thought is, and I could certainly be wrong, is that to the Americans it’s a chance to not only collect an appearance fee, but to work the green room for a few days and set some stuff up for later. I think the Amreicans collect quite a few euros and take the public beating and that part costs them nothing.
So if you didn’t appreciate the Rodney Morris comment, well then that’s you and it is what it is.
Personally, I liked it. To me it added something comical to an otherwise boring event and at least they showed some signs of life. As far as appearance fees go, I didn’t get one, so what did I care
 
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Jaden said:
I don't think that's the case at all. I also think that even if that WERE the case, the prevalence of barbox only players in the US is MUCH higher relative to people who play regularly than in europe...

Jaden
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I think the amount of players playing American pool on American equipment is much higher in America than it is in Europe. If you add in the other cue sports on different equipment (snooker, english 8 ball, etc) you may have more cue sports players in Europe than in America, but not more pool players.

In any case you were responding to the topic of the amount of people playing pool in certain countries and continents with the totally different and completely unrelated and irrelevant topic of the populations of certain countries and continents.

I would be curious to hear the number of Europeans regularly playing American pool though, and even the number of Europeans regularly playing any cue sport just out of curiosity. Anybody have any of those numbers? The American numbers are easy enough to look up and have been done fairly recently.
 
Celophanewrap said:
In the recent past, I don’t think the Americans were taking this Mosconi Cup thing too seriously. Sure I’d like Team America to at least put up a fight, but to me it’s more like the NBA All Star Game, it’s kinda fun, but really, what does it mean to these guys? It's primarily a show.
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To answer the question:

$$$$$$$$$

To some, it also means something more.
 
Banks said:
To answer the question:

$$$$$$$$$

To some, it also means something more.
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Agreed 100%.
But lemme give you a for instance: I was a Pro Rasslin' nut as a kid and when the good guy lost an important match it drove me nuts. But as you watch and become a little more educated you realize this ain't real and then you can have a good time with it as you accept it for what it is: - Kind of a fun soap opera for guys.
The Mosconi Cup, take it for what it is and have a good time with it. It's an all-star game. Celebrate the winner, console the loser, drink lots of beer and talk in your best British accent, and tomorrow go on to something else. When I think it means something more to the players, then it will probably mean something more to me. But I can't imagine the players would care what I thought one way or the other
 
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