ironman said:
Oh really? Name someone besides Efren. I can get in touch with Marlon if you want to set something up, and I am dead serious.
Player of the year for 2005???
- Thread starter recoveryjones
- Start date
Oh really? Name someone besides Efren. I can get in touch with Marlon if you want to set something up, and I am dead serious.
I think Reyes is the most logical choice. Other champions will agree. There would be lots of arguments if another one is picked. Not one really dominated 2005, although Manalo barged in with a big bang and Wu won 2 word championships, Reyes is still ahead of everybodys game and money earned.
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cuetechasaurus said:
I don't know any of the players personally, but I would be really surprised if Yang wouldn't play Manalo even. What is Manalo's money match reputation?
You can only look at the major's to decide who's the best player of the year. It is quite clear that there are only a handful of stand out candidates. I was fortunate to see most of them play throught the year and this would be my top few:
1. Wu
It's widely accepted that the 9 ball WPC is the toughest tourny in the world to win. Winning this alone in any year would almost gaurantee the POY award unless another player won almost everything else. The fact he went on to win the world 8 ball as well makes it a no contest.
2. Manalo
In my eyes manalo is only a fraction behind wu, if wu hadn't won the world 8 ball chaps I think Manalo would have edged him. In his first trip to the US he win's reno (coming back from 6:0 down in the final!). He then goes on to win Hard Times, the ring game and also robbed Trex for 3.5k earning him 35k in two weeks! He then has a very good WPC and was absolutely robbed against Wu, who knows what would have happened if he had beat him. He does ok in US Open but makes up for it winning the jersey straight pool champs. Add to that his astonishing feat at the KOTH (where he was unlucky again) and the 100k win then I think most will agree that it's only wu's exceptional acheivment that kept Manalo from taking the prize!
3. Efren Reyes
Efren has had a very poor middle part of the year by his own standards. However he dominated DCC at the start of the year, I think he won the Japan Open and of course came storming back to win the KOTH event. It's great to see him back playing well again but he hasnt done enough this year to be ahead of wu and manalo
4. Alex P
Anyone that wins the US Open as the second strongest field in world 9 ball deserves a mention. And this years 256 strong field despite its lack of Asian players was exceptionally strong. Alex also won a few of the second tier tournys and had decent showings at the WPC etc.
5. Hohman
The BCA event is one of the majors but its still an invite only event with a restricted field. None the less hohmans performance to whitewash Archer 7:0 in the finals was very impressive. Other than that he's had a fairly quite year compared to the above.
Honourable mentions:
Bustamante
He had a purple patch during the last half of the year, winning the joss finals, carolinas and a few other smaller events. Only to top it off with his great 3rd place finish in the US Open. He also came close in the KOTH. Good to see him back in form
Feijin, Chamet, Engert, Immonen, Van Den Berg
These great european players have had some impressive results and always seem to finish high wherever they play. Feijin won the big apple and chamet won the world summit. Engert went close too. Immonen won the korea open and they all have done well on Euro Tour. Van Den Berg of course had high finishes in both the WPC and US Open.
Earl has had somewhat of a resurgance in form in the latter part of the year with some high finishes. If he only had wu's coconut!
Sorry if I missed a few out but thats my impression of 2005 from what I saw/read.
1. Wu
It's widely accepted that the 9 ball WPC is the toughest tourny in the world to win. Winning this alone in any year would almost gaurantee the POY award unless another player won almost everything else. The fact he went on to win the world 8 ball as well makes it a no contest.
2. Manalo
In my eyes manalo is only a fraction behind wu, if wu hadn't won the world 8 ball chaps I think Manalo would have edged him. In his first trip to the US he win's reno (coming back from 6:0 down in the final!). He then goes on to win Hard Times, the ring game and also robbed Trex for 3.5k earning him 35k in two weeks! He then has a very good WPC and was absolutely robbed against Wu, who knows what would have happened if he had beat him. He does ok in US Open but makes up for it winning the jersey straight pool champs. Add to that his astonishing feat at the KOTH (where he was unlucky again) and the 100k win then I think most will agree that it's only wu's exceptional acheivment that kept Manalo from taking the prize!
3. Efren Reyes
Efren has had a very poor middle part of the year by his own standards. However he dominated DCC at the start of the year, I think he won the Japan Open and of course came storming back to win the KOTH event. It's great to see him back playing well again but he hasnt done enough this year to be ahead of wu and manalo
4. Alex P
Anyone that wins the US Open as the second strongest field in world 9 ball deserves a mention. And this years 256 strong field despite its lack of Asian players was exceptionally strong. Alex also won a few of the second tier tournys and had decent showings at the WPC etc.
5. Hohman
The BCA event is one of the majors but its still an invite only event with a restricted field. None the less hohmans performance to whitewash Archer 7:0 in the finals was very impressive. Other than that he's had a fairly quite year compared to the above.
Honourable mentions:
Bustamante
He had a purple patch during the last half of the year, winning the joss finals, carolinas and a few other smaller events. Only to top it off with his great 3rd place finish in the US Open. He also came close in the KOTH. Good to see him back in form
Feijin, Chamet, Engert, Immonen, Van Den Berg
These great european players have had some impressive results and always seem to finish high wherever they play. Feijin won the big apple and chamet won the world summit. Engert went close too. Immonen won the korea open and they all have done well on Euro Tour. Van Den Berg of course had high finishes in both the WPC and US Open.
Earl has had somewhat of a resurgance in form in the latter part of the year with some high finishes. If he only had wu's coconut!
Sorry if I missed a few out but thats my impression of 2005 from what I saw/read.
bottom line wu deserves it. can you imagine the poise and nerves
he displayed at 16 to go out and take the world 8 and 9 the same year.
what kinda statement is that wow! hes telling the world im here!
now the statement i made about him being the next efrin. if i ever was going out on a limb i would do it on a guy like this. everything must be earned agreed.
because i know for a fact efrin even before the age of 20 didnt go out and win
2 worlds in 1 year! has he even ever did that? i dont know if anyone has?
it might even be a record?
he displayed at 16 to go out and take the world 8 and 9 the same year.
what kinda statement is that wow! hes telling the world im here!
now the statement i made about him being the next efrin. if i ever was going out on a limb i would do it on a guy like this. everything must be earned agreed.
because i know for a fact efrin even before the age of 20 didnt go out and win
2 worlds in 1 year! has he even ever did that? i dont know if anyone has?
it might even be a record?
yeah ok well this manalo guy ive never heard of him everybody talks about him like hes a god is this guy serious about him backing manalo against reyes?
i would like to see that match.
i would like to see that match.
Well, Wu's the only person ever since there's a WPC 9 ball and 8 Ball in the same year to own both titles at the same time. I know Efren has won both titles, but he did it in different years. So Wu set 3 records this year. 1 for being the youngest 9 ball world champ, 2 for being the youngest 8 ball world champ, and 3 for being the only person to be world champs in 9 and 8 ball in the same year.
Manalo does gamble, he beat Tony Chohan for $3500 8 ahead in about an hour in Reno in June. To be fair they had played a 10 ahead set for hours before and Tony had been 8 up at one point but couldnt get over the line.
As for not hearing of manalo? Well despite what some people will have you beleive it is only in the last couple of years that he has started playing pool on the international stage, before that he was a snooker player. However ANYONE that follows pool could not possibily have heard of Marlon.
As for him playing reyes, its too close to call. Before the KOTH Marlon said he'd never lost to Efren (he actually knocked him out of the 2004 WPC), although I think Efren did beat him in the 2004 8 Ball WPC.
As for not hearing of manalo? Well despite what some people will have you beleive it is only in the last couple of years that he has started playing pool on the international stage, before that he was a snooker player. However ANYONE that follows pool could not possibily have heard of Marlon.
As for him playing reyes, its too close to call. Before the KOTH Marlon said he'd never lost to Efren (he actually knocked him out of the 2004 WPC), although I think Efren did beat him in the 2004 8 Ball WPC.
I don't think there should be any caveats (age, most improved, etc) to the Player of the Year award. Should go to the player who had the best year, taking into account money won, tournements won and how tough the field was, and, to a lesser degree, impact and contribution to the game. IMO, it's gotta be Efren.
As long ...
as People are bringing up money, which to me is not the
barometer to measure player of the year as far as making
an impact on the Pool world, has everyone forgotten about
the $400,000 that the Taiwanese government gave to Wu
after he got his $60,000 for winning the world 9 ball championship.
I would consider that money won, since he got it for winning.
Also, does anyone know if the the Taiwanese government gave
him additional money for winning the world 8 ball championship?
I suppose one could argue that the field for the world 8 ball was
soft for competition compared to other tournaments held, but the
fact still remains that, I think, he is the only Pool player to win both
in the same year, and he is only 16. Plus he won the world 9 ball
in great style, a 5 pack for the win. And winning the 8 ball when
he only knew the game a few days. How many players could have
done that with such excellent results?
as People are bringing up money, which to me is not the
barometer to measure player of the year as far as making
an impact on the Pool world, has everyone forgotten about
the $400,000 that the Taiwanese government gave to Wu
after he got his $60,000 for winning the world 9 ball championship.
I would consider that money won, since he got it for winning.
Also, does anyone know if the the Taiwanese government gave
him additional money for winning the world 8 ball championship?
I suppose one could argue that the field for the world 8 ball was
soft for competition compared to other tournaments held, but the
fact still remains that, I think, he is the only Pool player to win both
in the same year, and he is only 16. Plus he won the world 9 ball
in great style, a 5 pack for the win. And winning the 8 ball when
he only knew the game a few days. How many players could have
done that with such excellent results?
cuetechasaurus said:
Well that's where you're wrong.
I'd play him even 9-ball if the price was right. Of course I'd do so expecting to lose everything I bet, but if that doesn't add up to more than I could afford, I'd say the experience would be worth it. Maybe I'd get lucky and win a game (note that I say game, and not games, and certainly not set).
-Andrew
yeah scott the shot good im glad someone agrees
wu is only a damn kid who did something i dont know if anybody at any age has done. if this isnt a sign of his amazing talent. if he has a problem getting out of where is it taiwan or where ever he is. if i was a rich man i would pull him and take him on the road to all the tourneys feed him, hotel the whole nine yards
and be his manager and make money. and for manalo i hope he comes to dcc and plays for big money i would like to see it. since i dont know who he is.
wu is only a damn kid who did something i dont know if anybody at any age has done. if this isnt a sign of his amazing talent. if he has a problem getting out of where is it taiwan or where ever he is. if i was a rich man i would pull him and take him on the road to all the tourneys feed him, hotel the whole nine yards
and be his manager and make money. and for manalo i hope he comes to dcc and plays for big money i would like to see it. since i dont know who he is.
My pick for player of the year would definitely go to Wu....with Efren coming in a close second. The two world championships that Wu won were two of the three toughest fields of the year with the US Open being the third IMO. Hohmann certainly deserves a nomination with his BCA Open win and a slew of wins at invitational events, 7ball and WPL. Manalo certainly made a name for himself in 2005 but never came up with that major victory that the other names being mentioned in this thread have to their credit.
In the end my choice goes to Wu, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Efren wins it, both are deserving players.
In the end my choice goes to Wu, but I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Efren wins it, both are deserving players.
how old is this manalo? is this the only great year hes had nobody hears about him. he doesnt win us opens or worlds or even the derby. ok great for him to have a good year yeah!
TheOne said:You can only look at the major's to decide who's the best player of the year. It is quite clear that there are only a handful of stand out candidates. I was fortunate to see most of them play throught the year and this would be my top few:
1. Wu
It's widely accepted that the 9 ball WPC is the toughest tourny in the world to win. Winning this alone in any year would almost gaurantee the POY award unless another player won almost everything else. The fact he went on to win the world 8 ball as well makes it a no contest.
2. Manalo
In my eyes manalo is only a fraction behind wu, if wu hadn't won the world 8 ball chaps I think Manalo would have edged him. In his first trip to the US he win's reno (coming back from 6:0 down in the final!). He then goes on to win Hard Times, the ring game and also robbed Trex for 3.5k earning him 35k in two weeks! He then has a very good WPC and was absolutely robbed against Wu, who knows what would have happened if he had beat him. He does ok in US Open but makes up for it winning the jersey straight pool champs. Add to that his astonishing feat at the KOTH (where he was unlucky again) and the 100k win then I think most will agree that it's only wu's exceptional acheivment that kept Manalo from taking the prize!
3. Efren Reyes
Efren has had a very poor middle part of the year by his own standards. However he dominated DCC at the start of the year, I think he won the Japan Open and of course came storming back to win the KOTH event. It's great to see him back playing well again but he hasnt done enough this year to be ahead of wu and manalo
4. Alex P
Anyone that wins the US Open as the second strongest field in world 9 ball deserves a mention. And this years 256 strong field despite its lack of Asian players was exceptionally strong. Alex also won a few of the second tier tournys and had decent showings at the WPC etc.
5. Hohman
The BCA event is one of the majors but its still an invite only event with a restricted field. None the less hohmans performance to whitewash Archer 7:0 in the finals was very impressive. Other than that he's had a fairly quite year compared to the above.
Honourable mentions:
Bustamante
He had a purple patch during the last half of the year, winning the joss finals, carolinas and a few other smaller events. Only to top it off with his great 3rd place finish in the US Open. He also came close in the KOTH. Good to see him back in form
Feijin, Chamet, Engert, Immonen, Van Den Berg
These great european players have had some impressive results and always seem to finish high wherever they play. Feijin won the big apple and chamet won the world summit. Engert went close too. Immonen won the korea open and they all have done well on Euro Tour. Van Den Berg of course had high finishes in both the WPC and US Open.
Earl has had somewhat of a resurgance in form in the latter part of the year with some high finishes. If he only had wu's coconut!
Sorry if I missed a few out but thats my impression of 2005 from what I saw/read.
The four who strike me off hand that you left out are Shawn Putnam, Santos Sambajon, Archer and Gabe Owen.
Terry
johnrp2005 said:
I am suprised how many people say they hadn't heard of manalo. He has been well known in the Philippines for awhile. In 2004 WPC he beat Yang, Bustamante and Reyes back-to-back-to-back at the World Pool Championships in Taipei, and took second place to Reyes at the World 8-Ball Championships, despite it being his first time playing 8-ball.
There is a good article here:
http://www.azbilliards.com/vbulletin/upload/showthread.php?t=22129
gregory said:
Some people think that he is the best player from the Phillipines right now.
He comes from a Snooker background and I think that(his strong fundamentals) might have something to do with him coping with the tighter pockets at the WPC. His showings at the last two WPC'S have been better than any other Phillipino.
RJ
Tbeaux said:The four who strike me off hand that you left out are Shawn Putnam, Santos Sambajon, Archer and Gabe Owen.
Terry
True, Puttnam in particulary has had a good year. Just goes to show how healthy the top pro scence is at the moment.
Manalo, Wu, and Reyes def stand out from the rest this year though.
I would back Manalo to make more pressure pots than any other player