What an amazing event! There is really nothing that compares with it in the pool world - the enthusiasm, the excitement, the pressure, the world wide audience, EVERYTHING! What an absolute honor it is for me to be asked to work on this event.
I flew back from the Philippines feeling a little under the weather and jet lagged. The very next day I was off to Vegas for the Cup. The first two days in the booth I was a bit out of sorts and not at my best. Thank God for my my partners Jerry Forsyth and Jim Wych for helping me get through a tough time. They are both PROS and great commentators! It's a pleasure for me to work with either of them. Say what you will about Jimmy, but he never misses a beat and has boundless enthusiasm for the job.
The biggest difference by far was having Dennis Hatch on the American team. What a contrast to previous years when you-know-who was on the team. Dennis brought everyone together and lit a fire that never went out. This Team USA had chemistry from day one and they all pulled for each other in every match. Team Europe had to be the favorites but our side used that as motivation to try even harder. And it worked!
The mood was set in the first match when all five team members played. Team USA never backed down or gave an inch. After they won that match, Team Europe knew they were going to have a battle on their hands. When we set them down 4-1 on day one, the whole mood changed. The great Europe had become the underdogs to this fired up American squad. Day two was more of the same and a 7-2 lead for Team USA. On day three Europe tried to mount a comeback but still trailed 9-5 going into the last day.
I was pretty sure Captain Varner was going to top load his line-up with Archer, Hatch and Shane on top. USA needed only two wins to recapture the Cup and that meant Europe was going to have to win two of the first three matches to have any chance. I was pretty sure it was all over after Dennis blitzed Niels 6-0, but somehow Thorsten found a way to beat Johnny to keep Europe's hopes alive. I felt that Shane had to win his match with Ralf or the USA would be in trouble. Although Oscar had played great in spots, he was obviously nervous and Corey wasn't handling the pressure well either. Europe seemed poised for a huge comeback if Ralf could beat Shane again.
Shane muscled up and played solid pool to clinch the Cup and that was it. No question Dennis was the heart and soul of this team though. He kept everybody pumped up all the way. Johnny was the "defacto" Captain at the table. The job he did supporting Corey during their doubles match on day three was nothing short of amazing. Corey was really feeling the heat and Johnny buoyed him up and kept him going. Johnny made big shot after big shot to pull out the win.
To Team Europe's credit they conducted themselves like champions all the way. They never complained or failed to congratulate their opponents victories. All five of them are true sportsmen in the purest sense of the word. And even though the final score was 11-7, it was closer than that. If Ralf beats Shane a second time on day four, it could have been a different result.
Johnny, Shane and Dennis form a nucleus for a powerful team next year. And give Oscar another year to mature and he may emerge a strong force as well. Corey just had a rough week and I think it was an anomaly more than anything else. He remains a brilliant and clever player who adds a lot to Team USA.
By the way, the support the fans gave Team USA this year was a welcome surprise. Two years ago in the same venue Team Europe had much more numerous and vocal supporters. In this close-in arena the fan support means so much to the players. Sunny Day has to get a pat on the back for all her efforts to support our side. She made great signs for people to hold up in support of Team USA, and went overboard in her efforts to arouse the crowd. It helped a lot imo.
I flew back from the Philippines feeling a little under the weather and jet lagged. The very next day I was off to Vegas for the Cup. The first two days in the booth I was a bit out of sorts and not at my best. Thank God for my my partners Jerry Forsyth and Jim Wych for helping me get through a tough time. They are both PROS and great commentators! It's a pleasure for me to work with either of them. Say what you will about Jimmy, but he never misses a beat and has boundless enthusiasm for the job.
The biggest difference by far was having Dennis Hatch on the American team. What a contrast to previous years when you-know-who was on the team. Dennis brought everyone together and lit a fire that never went out. This Team USA had chemistry from day one and they all pulled for each other in every match. Team Europe had to be the favorites but our side used that as motivation to try even harder. And it worked!
The mood was set in the first match when all five team members played. Team USA never backed down or gave an inch. After they won that match, Team Europe knew they were going to have a battle on their hands. When we set them down 4-1 on day one, the whole mood changed. The great Europe had become the underdogs to this fired up American squad. Day two was more of the same and a 7-2 lead for Team USA. On day three Europe tried to mount a comeback but still trailed 9-5 going into the last day.
I was pretty sure Captain Varner was going to top load his line-up with Archer, Hatch and Shane on top. USA needed only two wins to recapture the Cup and that meant Europe was going to have to win two of the first three matches to have any chance. I was pretty sure it was all over after Dennis blitzed Niels 6-0, but somehow Thorsten found a way to beat Johnny to keep Europe's hopes alive. I felt that Shane had to win his match with Ralf or the USA would be in trouble. Although Oscar had played great in spots, he was obviously nervous and Corey wasn't handling the pressure well either. Europe seemed poised for a huge comeback if Ralf could beat Shane again.
Shane muscled up and played solid pool to clinch the Cup and that was it. No question Dennis was the heart and soul of this team though. He kept everybody pumped up all the way. Johnny was the "defacto" Captain at the table. The job he did supporting Corey during their doubles match on day three was nothing short of amazing. Corey was really feeling the heat and Johnny buoyed him up and kept him going. Johnny made big shot after big shot to pull out the win.
To Team Europe's credit they conducted themselves like champions all the way. They never complained or failed to congratulate their opponents victories. All five of them are true sportsmen in the purest sense of the word. And even though the final score was 11-7, it was closer than that. If Ralf beats Shane a second time on day four, it could have been a different result.
Johnny, Shane and Dennis form a nucleus for a powerful team next year. And give Oscar another year to mature and he may emerge a strong force as well. Corey just had a rough week and I think it was an anomaly more than anything else. He remains a brilliant and clever player who adds a lot to Team USA.
By the way, the support the fans gave Team USA this year was a welcome surprise. Two years ago in the same venue Team Europe had much more numerous and vocal supporters. In this close-in arena the fan support means so much to the players. Sunny Day has to get a pat on the back for all her efforts to support our side. She made great signs for people to hold up in support of Team USA, and went overboard in her efforts to arouse the crowd. It helped a lot imo.
Last edited:
