Mosconi Cup - the keyboard jockeys

P

pro9dg

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I read the comments on other Mosconi Cup threads from posters about 10 Ball, longer races, more teams and I think that there is a basic misunderstanding of what the Mosconi Cup is.

Matchroom produce pool shows that people actually want to watch. In that light the MC is not broke so doesn't need fixing.

So forget about the unnecessary fixes from the armchair keyboard jockeys.
Over half the matches were solved by the deciding rack and some of them clawed back from three and four rack deficits. That is exciting and creates interest.

In addition many of the complaints regarding streaming of the event are levelled at Matchroom.

But the fact is that these streams are parasites preying on this tournament. Who pays the $100,000+ prize money to the players along with their food, accommodation and gets them and their families there. Who pays Michaela and Nigel? The J Team (Jay, Jim and Jerry)? Who pays.......?
Who pays........?

Is the answer to any of these questions …......the streamers?

No it is Matchroom and Sky Sports who pick up the tab.

So viewers who complain of streaming should live with the fact that cheapskate solutions sometimes don't always perform. The Mosconi Cup is sold to broadcasters in many parts of the world but the USA lack a TV mogul with the vision to acquire the event so that those unfortunate to experience the shortcomings of Pirate Pool can see the Real Deal.

The criticism of the partisan crowd ? Well if you prefer your pool to be of the sterile variety then give The Mosconi Cup a wide berth. It is an intercontinental event and in most sports that means that people have feeling and pride in their team. The cacophony is good natured with most of it the work of Bruce and his small, enthusiastic band of
kilt wearing Scots. But they are a great bunch of guys and the
referees have their fingers on the pulse.

Classic quotes from La Tabb:
The next person to shout out while a player is down on the shot will be watching the rest of the tournament at home

or to a helpful spectator,
I'll do the shusshing thank you
 
Good post. You are right. Nobody would watch a TV show with a lot of races to 11. Mosconi would take 2 weeks then. There is a difference between a pool related viewer and a regular TV consumer. Sponsors give money to get exposure, which is on TV. If you want pool on TV you have to accept short races, commercial breaks and entertaining crowds.
 
AMEN, preach on!

pro9dg said:
I read the comments on other Mosconi Cup threads from posters about 10 Ball, longer races, more teams and I think that there is a basic misunderstanding of what the Mosconi Cup is.

Matchroom produce pool shows that people actually want to watch. In that light the MC is not broke so doesn't need fixing.

So forget about the unnecessary fixes from the armchair keyboard jockeys.
Over half the matches were solved by the deciding rack and some of them clawed back from three and four rack deficits. That is exciting and creates interest.

In addition many of the complaints regarding streaming of the event are levelled at Matchroom.

But the fact is that these streams are parasites preying on this tournament. Who pays the $100,000+ prize money to the players along with their food, accommodation and gets them and their families there. Who pays Michaela and Nigel? The J Team (Jay, Jim and Jerry)? Who pays.......?
Who pays........?

Is the answer to any of these questions …......the streamers?

No it is Matchroom and Sky Sports who pick up the tab.

So viewers who complain of streaming should live with the fact that cheapskate solutions sometimes don't always perform. The Mosconi Cup is sold to broadcasters in many parts of the world but the USA lack a TV mogul with the vision to acquire the event so that those unfortunate to experience the shortcomings of Pirate Pool can see the Real Deal.

The criticism of the partisan crowd ? Well if you prefer your pool to be of the sterile variety then give The Mosconi Cup a wide berth. It is an intercontinental event and in most sports that means that people have feeling and pride in their team. The cacophony is good natured with most of it the work of Bruce and his small, enthusiastic band of
kilt wearing Scots. But they are a great bunch of guys and the
referees have their fingers on the pulse.

Classic quotes from La Tabb:
The next person to shout out while a player is down on the shot will be watching the rest of the tournament at home

or to a helpful spectator,
I'll do the shusshing thank you
Click to expand...

WOW!!!
Now this is a post I can say, "sums up a great Television broadcast event!" You've also conveyed here, a good understanding (IMHO) of the difference between, the American pool problem with T.V. coverage and the free streaming video solution, situation.

Now, if only we could get a T.V. sponsor here in the U.S.A., for the upcoming Mosconi Cup, live broadcast, and Accu-Stats to cover the event. That way ,perhaps we all could have some fun with the upcoming Vegas, Mosconi Cup!!!
You English might even enjoy our version!

By the way, Michaela Tabb is all aces in my book! Those quotes were funny and poignant at the time said them. She's a STAR!:clapping:
 
I couldn't agree with pro9dg more ! 100% agree.

It is working very well. Doesn't need any changes.

We need changes here though. Our internet sucks I guess, along with alot of other things.

I knew who was doing the show. Matchroom and SkySports.

Efforts greatly appreciated in my house !

Some people type before they think.:grin-square:

But don't ever forget Willie Mosconi was born and raised in the USA.
And he played straight pool mister !:wink:
 
AtLarge said:
Pretty close. Actually, 9 of the 19 matches went hill/hill (I imagine that's what you meant).
Click to expand...

'Scuse my mathematics - I stand corrected...........................................................................................
Almost half the matches were Hill/Hill (or as we say Damon and Benny) or you might say Faith and Bunker.
That's probably too obscure! So I will not expect a US based guess about what I mean for a couple of hours.
 
Agreed....

There is a reason that Matchroom is "the best" and has the money to continue to be, They get it!!

Short Races = TV Friendly....... I watched every rack of the Mosconi Cup because the races were short, had it been races to 9 or 11 even I as a diehard would have been hard pressed to give my undivided attention for every rack.

Short Races = Every shot means more..... why do you think the crowd lives and dies on every shot and every position?? It means more when the races are shorter.

Drama= Viewers =Ratings= $$$= good for pool

9-ball is a more exciting TV game..... The "Golden Break" rule as much as most pool players hate it, It adds excitement to every breakshot. The Euro's have the easiest way to help the predicability of the break figured out, rack the 9 on the spot, and make 3 balls pass the head string (make them hit it hard) the only thing they should do to make the break less predictable is to use the "break box" to eliminate the siderail cut break that basically makes the 1 most of the time. Make them hit em hard from the center try and squat the cue ball and hope like hell they make a ball with shape.

As much as flukes are annoying to players, They bring drama, take the 10 biggest cheers from this past mosconi cup and I bet 3 of them were after flukes.

I personally loved every minute of the Mosconi Cup, I trully believe that sooner rather than later, some channel in the USA will pick it up, I doubt it will be someone huge like ESPN but someone will and will find out the rewards.
 
Pro9dg,

I am sorry you feel as US fans didn't appreciate Matchroom/ Sky's effort in production of the Mosconi Cup.

I think some people mis spoke just hoping to be able to watch it via live stream...

I hope you don't take it wrong way, but in this forum, there are many people who can fix the world hunger and offer solution to world peace with their keyboards, because it's free! I mean that in most sarcastic way:rolleyes:

S.
 
pro9dg said:
I read the comments on other Mosconi Cup threads from posters about 10 Ball, longer races, more teams and I think that there is a basic misunderstanding of what the Mosconi Cup is.

Matchroom produce pool shows that people actually want to watch. In that light the MC is not broke so doesn't need fixing.

So forget about the unnecessary fixes from the armchair keyboard jockeys.
Over half the matches were solved by the deciding rack and some of them clawed back from three and four rack deficits. That is exciting and creates interest.

In addition many of the complaints regarding streaming of the event are levelled at Matchroom.

But the fact is that these streams are parasites preying on this tournament. Who pays the $100,000+ prize money to the players along with their food, accommodation and gets them and their families there. Who pays Michaela and Nigel? The J Team (Jay, Jim and Jerry)? Who pays.......?
Who pays........?

Is the answer to any of these questions …......the streamers?

No it is Matchroom and Sky Sports who pick up the tab.

So viewers who complain of streaming should live with the fact that cheapskate solutions sometimes don't always perform. The Mosconi Cup is sold to broadcasters in many parts of the world but the USA lack a TV mogul with the vision to acquire the event so that those unfortunate to experience the shortcomings of Pirate Pool can see the Real Deal.

The criticism of the partisan crowd ? Well if you prefer your pool to be of the sterile variety then give The Mosconi Cup a wide berth. It is an intercontinental event and in most sports that means that people have feeling and pride in their team. The cacophony is good natured with most of it the work of Bruce and his small, enthusiastic band of
kilt wearing Scots. But they are a great bunch of guys and the
referees have their fingers on the pulse.

Classic quotes from La Tabb:
The next person to shout out while a player is down on the shot will be watching the rest of the tournament at home

or to a helpful spectator,
I'll do the shusshing thank you
Click to expand...

Good post Doug. You've captured well why the Mosconi Cup "works" on TV. And you gave credit where credit is due. Matchroom and SkySports are all Aces in my book too!

P.S. How many games were won by making the nine on the break? Maybe one or two. Out of how many total games, 175-200 I'm guessing. Anyway my point is that it is a very small percentage.
 
Last edited:
While I have not spent any time being an 'armchair keyboard warrior' regarding this last Mosconi Cup and I have nothing but love for the event and respect for the people who put it on, since this thread was started I will say this...

While I don't think we need longer races or to change to 10 ball, I felt the decision to change the format to a race to 5 for one day and then switch it back to 6 was very unprofessional and disappointing. This is too prestigous of an event to just start changing stuff up during the actual event. If you did this in a normal pool room tourney people would be upset but to do it at the Mosconi Cup?? It makes it seem like they don't give the event the same amount of respect that a lot of us fans do. It put an asterisk next to the whole outcome in my book because how many times did we see someone get to 5 only to lose it when the other team came back on the other days? And now that 5 is suddenly the winning point for one day out of four? Oh, but tomorrow it's back to 6.....really?

Also, I didn't complain about the streaming situation because I knew we were at the mercy of people who were trying to get the show out to the true fans, but I did find the experience frustrating because I would have gladly paid for a feed over the internet from Sky Sports or Matchroom or whoever. I paid $20 to get a high quality local roller derby tournament feed that was put on in my area and this was done by people who do not do streaming feeds for a living and it was a great feed and a great solution for people who couldn't get tickets to the event. I find it hard to believe that a couple of roller derby enthusiests could find a way to do this but Matchroom or Sky Sports couldn't. How come something as big as the Mosconi Cup can not put together the same kind of thing, especially seeing as how they are already recording it for TV? I mean this would be practically free money once you get server costs taken care of.

I'm not normally a complainer, I just quietly read the forums but since people complaining was brought up I thought I would offer up what I think are legitimate concerns that if addressed would make the whole experience better for us. The Mosconi Cup is the only event that I actually take time off of work so that I can watch the whole thing. That is how much I love the event and the drama and excitement it provides. I hope that next year these two things are handled more smoothly.
 
jay helfert said:
Good post David. You've captured well why the Mosconi Cup "works" on TV. And you gave credit where credit is due. Matchroom and SkySports are all Aces in my book too!

P.S. How many games were won by making the nine on the break? Maybe one or two. Out of how many total games, 175-200 I'm guessing. Anyway my point is that it is a very small percentage.
Click to expand...

THANKS JOY

MCAAHNYear

DOUG Gordon
 
It was an awesome event and I loved to watch it.
And off course, Matchroom and SkySports did a fantastic job, like allways. :thumbup:

But I would have loved to see it on EUROSPORT 2 as example, so whole Europe would have had a chance to look it, not only the UK people.

Maybe I am wrong and Matchroom tried to sell it to channels like Eurosport,
but I dont think so - they are with SKYSPORTS and thats it, or not !? :cool:

Eric"h"
 
meximan2469 said:
There is a reason that Matchroom is "the best" and has the money to continue to be, They get it!!

Short Races = Every shot means more..... why do you think the crowd lives and dies on every shot and every position?? It means more when the races are shorter.

Drama= Viewers =Ratings= $$$= good for pool

9-ball is a more exciting TV game..... The "Golden Break" rule as much as most pool players hate it, It adds excitement to every breakshot. The Euro's have the easiest way to help the predicability of the break figured out, rack the 9 on the spot, and make 3 balls pass the head string (make them hit it hard) the only thing they should do to make the break less predictable is to use the "break box" to eliminate the siderail cut break that basically makes the 1 most of the time. Make them hit em hard from the center try and squat the cue ball and hope like hell they make a ball with shape.


I personally loved every minute of the Mosconi Cup, I trully believe that sooner rather than later, some channel in the USA will pick it up, I doubt it will be someone huge like ESPN but someone will and will find out the rewards.
Click to expand...

I could not agree more.. Hence the success of the Mosconi Cup! Well said.
 
mair23 said:
But I would have loved to see it on EUROSPORT 2 as example, so whole Europe would have had a chance to look it, not only the UK people.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but then the date would have to be changed because Eurosport showed live UK Championships snooker. And we wouldn't want Mosconi not to be shown live, now would we?

Strange conflict of dates, Mosconi cup and UK Champs...I don't understand it as plenty of people like to watch both games. I had no choice but to watch both shows at once even though it was slightly annoying...:D
This Sunday night was the best for me ever as far as watching tv goes ever. Europe winning MC and then Higgins producing a miracle come back an hour later never seen before against Williams. Ahh, the good times...:thumbup:
 
The fact there is so much discussion on the Mosconi cup on this forum means it is a success, it has peoples attention, people care

If it isn't broadcast in your country (it was in mine and i watched it live on fox sports), then i see no problem with 'stealing' a stream because you have no choice.

No one chooses to watch an internet stream, it's a last resort

It really is only stealing if your watching a PPV event internet stream (e.g. UFC) which you could have paid for.

I like the format overall, they have been tweaking the format over the years (e.g. i like the fact no two players can play doubles together more than once)
 
Don't Change a Thing!

GREAT POST Doug!

Early on when some people were clamoring for Darren's head because of the pre-match buildup, I said that his statements were good for the Mosconi Cup.

Matchroom Sports does get it. Their unique structure is exciting and fun to watch. I hope that they continue to listen to their own drummer. The beats coming from across the pond by a few are primitive chest thumping and it adds to the drama, although like some of the antics of the fans, can be in poor taste. Unlike the antics of the fans at the Mosconi Cup, our local chest thumping is not a physical part of the MC, thank goodness.

All that being said, we Americans are taking a close look at Matchroom Sports, the European fans and the players, and we'll be heading for the gym and the party shop to find some appropriate ensembles for the next Mosconi Cup and we'll definitely be looking for one of those classic Foghorn, Good-Time Charlie guys for the intermission between games.

I personally like what I saw and am ever hopeful that one of the U.S. sports networks will pick up The Mosconi Cup because it is a great event just the way that it is now.
 
Desmondp said:
The fact there is so much discussion on the Mosconi cup on this forum means it is a success, it has peoples attention, people care

If it isn't broadcast in your country (it was in mine and i watched it live on fox sports), then i see no problem with 'stealing' a stream because you have no choice.

No one chooses to watch an internet stream, it's a last resort

It really is only stealing if your watching a PPV event internet stream (e.g. UFC) which you could have paid for.

I like the format overall, they have been tweaking the format over the years (e.g. i like the fact no two players can play doubles together more than once)
Click to expand...

My objection to the streaming of events is not directed at the guys who stream original material (many of whom are posters on here).
It is the commercial companies who hijack other people's intellectual property for profit.
Still, I see your point about watching on the internet if there is no terrestrial way of seeing it. I keep hearing that streaming is the future. But the Mosconi Cup belies the fact that you cannot beat professionally broadcast pool matches.

Within a short time, streaming will go the same way as Betamax, 8 Track and the dodo.
 
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