Mosconi Shot Clock

[the scorpion]

For the first time in the events history there will be a 30 second shot rule in effect for more info go to http://www.mosconicup.com.

My personal opinion is that this will be a very annoying thing and might detract from the excitement of the event if you have some nutter in the background squealing when there is only 5 seconds left on the clock, this is just my 2 cents though.

What do you think?.

 

[Colin Colenso]

i dont understand why the rule was needed, who makes these decisions,why isnt it a players vote thing. they are the ones out there doing all the work.maybe they will make a 3 foul rule on the nutter, 3 loud mouths and your outa here.hopefully a player can stay focused and just be zoned out to the nutters and not let them effect their game.i guess like its been said time is money to some ,and taking to long cost some people money, forget about the players forget about the supporters there here to make money lets keep them balls a rollin.i wasnt there but from what i hear the IPT let em play pool without all the head games and paid them well, "now thats what im talkin about"he might have put on the King of the Hill show but i think right now he is King of the Mountain.i think everyone got a nice slice of his cake and got to eat it too.anyways thats what i think "the scorpion", and of course i wish you a happy and safe holiday season, you dont need luck, you got skill.so i just hope all the balls roll your way.

The decision was probably made by Barry Hearn, the organiser / creator of the Mosconi Cup. He has also been using a 30 second shot clock in the Premier League Snooker events. The players are allowed a few extended time outs during a match.

It works to some degree with TV production but with players forced to race through some critical periods some tension may be lost.

btw: Players voting to determine how events are managed makes as much sense as the laborers voting on management policies in a company. It would put it out of business.

They players do not do the work that creates the value i these events. Just leave players to their own to manage themselves and you'll see they cannot create the kind of value that Barry Hearn or KT can produce through their business knowledge.

 

[Gregg]

Am I the only one who thinks that top players actively rooting for top shooters at the table is exciting?

I think it makes the game fun, and attractive. I understand it may not be conducive to top flight pool, but, so what?

 

[Craig Fales]

I like the cheering in the stands at Mosconi Cups...makes me think I'm in a soccer match...LOLz
________

 

[AuntyDan]

Am I the only one who thinks that top players actively rooting for top shooters at the table is exciting?

I think it makes the game fun, and attractive. I understand it may not be conducive to top flight pool, but, so what?

I agree with this and this is one aspect that makes the Mosconi Cup (And other team events) so much more fun than regular singles tournaments.

However I absolutely disagree that a shot-clock is unecessary after having to sit through Johny Archer's performance at the 2003 Mosconi. He's a magnificent player but NO ONE should be able to take 5 bloody minutes over every bloody shot. I've seen videos of him from the 1990's shooting gloriously at a fast, confident pace and it is so much more pleasurable to watch than his "look at the shot, get down, stroke, get up, move balls, get down, stroke, get up, remove fluff, get down, stroke, get up, look at the shot, get down stroke, get up, grow beard a bit, look at the shot, get down, shoot" routine.

The worst moment was when he spent 10 minutes lining up a clearly impossible jump shot after having hooked himself and then when he finally pulled the trigger he hit the blocking ball and scratched.

To be fair a lot of the players on both teams were spending a lot of time on shots at that tournament and taking it very seriously but Archer was definately the worst offender. When players like Rodney Morris came on it was like a breath of fresh air. Suddenly the game was actually being played with joy and fluidity.

A player has a right to pace themselves to a speed they feel will get their best game, but a promotor has a right to set rules to keep the game attractive to their paying customers and if the promotor can't make money because the pace is sending the audience to sleep there will be no more tournaments.

 

[vagabond]

30 seconds is too long. In Mosconi Cup ,this year it is changed to 25 seconds.Real players do not need more than 15-20 seconds.

 

[Cameron Smith]

I agree with the shot clock. Usually I prefer the singles events to be untimed because a shot clock with one extention per game, (sometimes per match) presupposes that there will only be one problem per rack, which is not true. However after watching the doubles match of Archer/Owen vs. Engert/Ortmann I think that the mosconi cup should be timed. That was the most EXCRUCIATING match I have ever seen! In a 1 hr highlight package I think I saw three racks. 30 seconds is plenty of time for them. There is no reason to be taking seven to ten minutes between shots.

Regards