SJM Sizes Up the 2021 Mosconi Cup

Stu thx, puts matters in good/proper perspective.

Love your below statement.



''At Alexandra Palace, the European fans go wild, producing a level of energy that I’d really like to see in the United States, but never have. They sing, they dance, and they even write songs. For example, the song they sang about Jayson Shaw, sung to the tune of the KC and the Sunshine band hit “Give it Up,” went “Jayson Shaw, Jayson Shaw, Jayson, Jayson Shaw, na na na na na na na.” The European crowd makes their players feel like rock stars, and I, for one, love it.''
 
Island Drive said:
Stu thx, puts matters in good/proper perspective.

Love your below statement.



''At Alexandra Palace, the European fans go wild, producing a level of energy that I’d really like to see in the United States, but never have. They sing, they dance, and they even write songs. For example, the song they sang about Jayson Shaw, sung to the tune of the KC and the Sunshine band hit “Give it Up,” went “Jayson Shaw, Jayson Shaw, Jayson, Jayson Shaw, na na na na na na na.” The European crowd makes their players feel like rock stars, and I, for one, love it.''
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Amusingly, Bill, many of the European fans were still singing the Jayson Shaw song on the bus ride back from Alexandra Palace to the Underground.
 
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JAM said:
Would love to hear your thoughts on the noise the audience made when a player, USA or Europe, called for an extension.

That is really cool that Emily Frazer, et al., looked out for you and wanted to be sure you were all right. I love that!

Glad you are Home Sweet Home again.
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The "extension" noises, which sounding like chickens cackling, were undeniably unusual but I loved them. It was one of many examples of how the fans found all sorts of things to get excited about at Alexandra Palace. Personally, I enjoyed it and was always looking forward to the next extension.

Crowd noises, from my vantage point, did not distract the teams in the least and fans complied with the referee requests to be quiet once players were over the ball.
 
terpdad said:
I did not see every day, but Tyler Styer seemed to be our best player when I was watching.
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Obviously, I don't know which matches you saw, but Tyler was not nearly the best performer on Team USA.

Tyler certainly had his moments, especially in a singles match win over Filler during Session 2, but he was fairly inconsistent. Chris Reinhold also had some good moments but seemed to lack the knockout punch when his best opportunities arose. Both played roughly to their speed based on Fargo rate and both will likely be found in some future Team USA squads.

To me, Skyler Woodward played at a truly elite level, and looked every bit the Fargo 802 that he is. I guess we shouldn't be surprised given that Skyler came 5th in the 2021 World Pool Championships. My sense of things is that Skyler is continuing to mature as a professional and I've enjoyed watching his continued ascent into the game's highest ranks. I also like the way he conducts himself at pro events when inside the playing area. Having seen Skyler play when he was just a kid, I never thought I'd call him what he now deserves to be called, which is an "established, proven veteran player." Skyler will likely be a mainstay of Team USA for many years to come.
 
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Cool write-up. Glad you had a good time, barring session 1!

I went to the 2019 MC in Vegas and it was an incredible experience. The atmosphere was among the best of ANY sporting event I’ve ever attended, including college football rivalry games with 100,000+ in attendance.

Attending a MC at least once is a must for all pool fans IMO. My wife surprised me with the trip and despite not knowing anything about 9 ball or the players, she was captivated almost immediately and now recognizes them all by sight when I’m watching matches on YouTube.

I think that speaks to the event’s success: it can capture the attention of even non-pool players.
 
BlueRaider said:
Cool write-up. Glad you had a good time, barring session 1!

I went to the 2019 MC in Vegas and it was an incredible experience. The atmosphere was among the best of ANY sporting event I’ve ever attended, including college football rivalry games with 100,000+ in attendance.

Attending a MC at least once is a must for all pool fans IMO. My wife surprised me with the trip and despite not knowing anything about 9 ball or the players, she was captivated almost immediately and now recognizes them all by sight when I’m watching matches on YouTube.

I think that speaks to the event’s success: it can capture the attention of even non-pool players.
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Yup, one has to experience the energy of a Mosconi Cup to truly understand it. The atmosphere is electric and the fans get more excited at the Mosconi than at any other event.
 
I wonder if the absence of Billy Thorpe from the team has any impact on Sky’s performance? Maybe a little more focused on the product and less on the presentation?
 
Scrunge19 said:
I wonder if the absence of Billy Thorpe from the team has any impact on Sky’s performance? Maybe a little more focused on the product and less on the presentation?
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Interesting thought, but history suggests that his is not the case. After all, Billy was there during both of Skyler's Mosconi MVP efforts, and they always seemed to shine together in the Derby City Bank Pool ring game, keeping each other loose.
 
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smj, Howdy;

Thanks for the review. Keep seeing you sitting on the rail at just about every Big Time
match so if nothing else your sense of what is or isn't 'right' about a match and the
surrounding 'everything else' is based on a lot of experience. These are good to read
and help me at last enjoy the event better. Even if by proxy.
Thank you sir.

hank
 
sjm said:
Obviously, I don't know which matches you saw, but Tyler was not nearly the best performer on Team USA.

Tyler certainly had his moments, especially in a singles match win over Filler during Session 2, but he was fairly inconsistent. Chris Reinhold also had some good moments but seemed to lack the knockout punch when his best opportunities arose. Both played roughly to their speed based on Fargo rate and both will likely be found in some future Team USA squads.

To me, Skyler Woodward played at a truly elite level, and looked every bit the Fargo 802 that he is. I guess we shouldn't be surprised given that Skyler came 5th in the 2021 World Pool Championships. My sense of things is that Skyler is continuing to mature as a professional and I've enjoyed watching his continued ascent into the game's highest ranks. I also like the way he conducts himself at pro events when inside the playing area. Having seen Skyler play when he was just a kid, I never thought I'd call him what he now deserves to be called, which is an "established, proven veteran player." Skyler will likely be a mainstay of Team USA for many years to come.
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More than a good enough explanation for me. Cheers.
 
TheBasics said:
smj, Howdy;

Thanks for the review. Keep seeing you sitting on the rail at just about every Big Time
match so if nothing else your sense of what is or isn't 'right' about a match and the
surrounding 'everything else' is based on a lot of experience. These are good to read
and help me at last enjoy the event better. Even if by proxy.
Thank you sir.

hank
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If you ever find yourself at an event at which I am present, Hank, make sure to say hi.
 
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