Mosconi Cup Meltdown
- Thread starter Bigjohn
- Start date
I would have to say that the temptation might have been too much
You gotta think that after that ass whooping that USA put on Europe on the first day and the odds went through the roof at 20-1, that there was a lot of temptation to lay off some bets and throw it. Then when it looked too much like they were throwing it, all of a suddent they start to make the comeback of the friggin century. I'm not saying that that is what they did, but someone with a brain has to think and be willing to admit that the temptation must be there.....
Bigjohn said:
You gotta think that after that ass whooping that USA put on Europe on the first day and the odds went through the roof at 20-1, that there was a lot of temptation to lay off some bets and throw it. Then when it looked too much like they were throwing it, all of a suddent they start to make the comeback of the friggin century. I'm not saying that that is what they did, but someone with a brain has to think and be willing to admit that the temptation must be there.....
Jaden said:
Interesting point...interesting indeed...
Jaden said:
Because team USA would risk losing all respect for themselves and our country for a few thousand dollars? Genius.
They should have used low def shafts and professional aiming system.
Now, if we could only win the world cup of soccer.
Now, if we could only win the world cup of soccer.
derekdisco said:
But do people really see this as PLAYING FOR THE HONOR of the U.S., or some such thing? Who's watching? Who's pulling for them? Is it the World Series, the World Cup, even the Davis Cup or Ryder Cup?
I could not blame anybody for thinking of it as a fun and a little over-hyped exhibition. Put that next to 20-1 sure money ... laid down by a friend of a friend.
Hell, even if you didn't want to get involved in something like that as a player, wouldn't you know for an absolute certainty, if not for an actual fact, that people you know, not wanting to be suckers and pass up an easy payday, would be jamming the window to at least take a flier on it?
If nothing else, the situation could drain the team's desire and energy ...
Not saying anything... just making an observation...
First off, it wouldn't have been just a few thousand dollars... IT could've been tens of thousands of dollars...
Second, I noticed the distinct possiblity of this long before the USA got their asses handed back to them on the second day. I conjectured about the possibility of it when I first heard that the odds went to 20-1. I have to say seondlyu that I watched them play and there was little aside from bad rolls and a few mis timed safeties that led to the USA's defeat, so I doubt very seriously that it was really thrown, but the odds makers are rarely off by much and it just seems kind of funny to me that they would happen to take a nose dive right after the odds went through the roof. If you think for one minute that point shaving doesn't occur in every sport on earth then you are naive or stupid.
Boro Nut said:
First off, it wouldn't have been just a few thousand dollars... IT could've been tens of thousands of dollars...
Second, I noticed the distinct possiblity of this long before the USA got their asses handed back to them on the second day. I conjectured about the possibility of it when I first heard that the odds went to 20-1. I have to say seondlyu that I watched them play and there was little aside from bad rolls and a few mis timed safeties that led to the USA's defeat, so I doubt very seriously that it was really thrown, but the odds makers are rarely off by much and it just seems kind of funny to me that they would happen to take a nose dive right after the odds went through the roof. If you think for one minute that point shaving doesn't occur in every sport on earth then you are naive or stupid.
Jaden said:
So as a team, Johnny, Shane, Corey, Rodney, Earl, and Kim Davenport, maybe got together as a group, and said hey, we can make some good money here, we just need to lose on porpose!
Maybe some group of shortstops might attempt something like this, but this group of CLASS human beings, no way. Europe has a team of champions, and they had a bad first day. 100% sure not one person on the usa team had a nickle on the Euro team.
Jaden said:
there was no lay-off, they got beat. I was there with full access credentials, saw more than I can talk about. But I will state for the record it was 100% on the square, some guys had $$$ on the Team USA -2 points and lost hard, that $$$ was gone yesterday so today they needed the win even more. I wont name names but thats what happened. No one was happy afterwards except Earl because he won his match, but thats a streach to say he was happy about losing-he wasnt either. They were all sick. Not all pool is fraud or dumping.
BPG24
Banned
derekdisco said:
I think at 20 to 1 odds, a few thousand is way off....
Imagine what you could win with those odds... Nobody respects pool players anyway, and 6 figures is alot to anyone... I'm not saying it happened, but you have to wonder... Money causes alot of people to do alot of things they would have never imagined...
Someone also said that Team USA was made up of CLASS individuals... Earl Strickland is the farthest thing from Class, where I am from... Maybe where you are from things are different...
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Boro Nut said:
Tap, Tap. Tap!!!
IMO, The Americans have forgotten how to win and seem to fold under any pressure anymore.
We have on infantile ego maniac on the team who should step down, but, never will. He is so consumed with excuses that he never thinks about how to play the game. He has excuses in line before he misses the shot.
Earl is an emotional basket case and the US needs to quit making excuses for him and his childish behavior.
How pathetic is it that people don't understand in this and any other sport that there is always a winner and a loser. Europeans always think it's some kind of major dominance when they finally win one. It has nothing to do with dominance. It has to do with a few players at that time. They are only who represent their respective parts of the world at that particular moment. I'm sure that no one in this forum thinks that the teams fielded are exactly who they would have picked. Anyone who thinks this means any thing for either side is definitely in need of a reality check.
leehayes said:
I think you have definitely hit the nail on the head, Leehayes!
After watching the Mosconi Cup unfold through the lens of the Internet, as opposed to being at the Mosconi Cup in person, I came away with a reinforced belief about pool that, in a way, I have always believed, and Fatboy's tale of excellence on a field of green -- the topic of another thread this morning -- that special moment in front of a group of onlookers where he exhibited brilliance, is timely.
The professional competition only touches a minute few. We readers of this forum are familiar with professional pool and all of its sundry characters, but in reality, pool represents something quite different to much of the pool-playing public.
It is a relatively inexpensive game to take up, when compared to golf and tennis. Baseball, basketball, and football are games most of us enjoyed growing up, as these games are played in most of the K-through-12 school environments, but professional baseball, basketball, and football are not games that many pursue, unless they are especially gifted, of course.
Playing pool, the leagues, the weekly tournaments at the neighborhood pool room, and even the weekend regional events keep pool alive and well as a recreational game. I have a pool table in my basement, though I rarely use it today, but it's down there in case I have some friends over. The most fun I have had in my life when it comes to pool was when I did play. I enjoyed the rivalries of beating my peers, who at one time were the "regulars" at the tavern I used to frequent, and when I made a good shot, similar to the one Fatboy described, man, did I enjoy that natural high. This was pool at its finest for me.
I have a few memories of when I displayed brilliance on a field of green, like the time I won the hill-hill match for my Busch League team. They all came running over to me, giving me the high-fives and hugging me. What a feeling of joy! I think we all have a few moments like that in our memory banks.
Through the years, I somehow dropped pool as a daily supplement to my recreational activities. One day, I found myself on the tournament trail, after meeting a high-caliber player. I was instantly transformed into an enthusiastic railbird and was fascinated with the professional world of pocket billiards. Seeing the legendary players, past and present, was a world that was quite exciting for me, but I never had as much fun as when I was playing my old rivals back at my neighborhood tavern.
At the end of the day, I believe pool should represent exactly what was conveyed in Fatboy's "Cool Story" thread. It is supposed to be fun. I have no certainty about professional pool as a sport. Maybe it will never rise to the level that other professional sports figures and celebrities enjoy. However, the game of pool is here to stay. It's affordable, it's doable, it's available in every region, and most importantly, it is fun. That is the direction of the future of pool, maybe more so than professional pool as a sport.
If you are not having fun, if it is not exciting, then why shoot pool, or in the alternative, why watch professional pool at all?! JMHO for today, FWIW!
JAM
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