Lets get that part out there. Johnnyt
Lets get that part out there. Johnnyt
The game needs a fresh look. 10 straight years for the same old thing and its getting stale, we keep rewarming the same dish and it aint tasting any better.
Lets bring in Jeannette Lee. She would bring much needed attention to the game, maybe she's the spark that would get the media interested. She has international appeal, movie star looks, she's smart and a great communicator and she can play.
Jeannette is also well know and regarded by both the BCA and APA players and the Pro-Game needs to grow the audience and she could do it.
Think about what Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova did for tennis. There may never be another great movie about Pool, but this could be a spark that gets the sponsors and ESPN back in the game.
Johnny Archer is the only choice & the likely pick IMO.
Johnny Archer is the only choice & the likely pick IMO.
How is he the only choice? He captained the 2013 squad which not only lost 11-2 but behaved in a way that reflected very poorly on American pool.
If Johnny wants to be on the team, let him qualify as a player. He wouldn't be one of my hundred best candidates for captain.
I vote for Jimmy Mataya.
I think Team U.S.A. is at a crossroads currently.
They got to the crossroads many years ago, took a wrong turn, drove for 200 miles, and then ran out of gas~.
I like Jeanette Lee, but I do not think the male pro players would want her as their captain. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. :grin-square:
I think a good us captain would more or less just treat the players like adults and get out of their way. I don't think you should fight our culture, we are very individualistic and that's fine for these matches, even the doubles. Let the Europeans be the ones who are codependent. I can't think of any real solid American pool player that I feel needs cheerleaders. It works for Europe and I'm not knocking it I just don't see us pool players as ever following a model like that. I do see them as being capable of beating anybody however. Less thinking overall and just let them play they don't need pep talks or anything, but give them incentives, cash incentives hopefully. I say get the team together at least a few nights before the event, let them go out and have fun at a few bars and bond a little then just let them go.
What exactly is the captain or coach supposed to do?
What is the difference between a non-playing captain and a coach?
Why do you need a captain and a coach?
If the coach is supposed to "let the players play their own games" because they are "pros", what use is the coach? It isn't like they are calling plays during the game, like football. Are they supposed to sit in the corner, like boxing coaches, and shout out stuff?
I've said it many times before, and I still say that it isn't that the Americans play worse than their opponents, it is that they play a "different" game and have failed to adjust to what is required for the Mosconi Cup format.
The Europeans have learned to play short-formatted 9-ball, with the 9 on a different spot, alternate breaks, and a totally different mental game. They play the table odds better than what the Americans do. The Americans need to "tighten up" their games to adjust to the format. That doesn't mean they aren't as skilled as their opponents, it just means they have to play the same game the Europeans are playing.
The same goes for playing the Chinese and the Taiwanese. They are better at "sizing up the table" and "playing the odds". Seldom do you see them make unforced errors. They play "calculating" pool...not "fancy" or "gee whiz" pool.
The new formats with different spotting and alternate breaking rules takes away the big break and run packages that the Americans are used to putting on opponents. They will now have to learn to play "ball by ball" odds.