The Action Report & Keith McCready

[wincardona]

keep it real

I agree, you will need to bring Dennis in to give Shane a match. I think JAM indicated that Keith would play Shane with 10 on the wire the last night of the Shane/Earl match -- but IMHO, Keith would need at least as much weight as Earl would need to win -- if not more.

The question is, who would win a 10-ball race to 100 between Keith and Earl (there would be no contest between Keith and Shane of course) -- and right now....I'm thinking that I would probably take Earl in this match up.

Keiths game today is no where near where it once was, and to think that keith would have a chance with 10 games in a race to 100 is,well,sorta like wishfull thinking. I like the idea of challenge matches with a handicapp ,and also would like to see Keith in one or more of them.I believe that with Keith playing his best game, which incidentally will add to the entertainment value and overall enjoyment of the match will give both what TAR ,and the viewers will want to see. Based on the first 2 challenge matches we are now clearly understanding the true speed of Shane"s game, and for it to be both competitive and entertaining the handicapp should be between 25 to 35 games.I believe thats a pretty fair assessment of where it lays.Let the games begin.

 

[kennyratt]

Kieth

If you were to say that to Keith's face, I am not sure how he would react. He, like most pro players, have strong self-confidence in their skills set, and as such, he believes he can compete against the best of them on any given day. At the Joss event in Turning Stone, he defeated both Ralf Souquet and Mika Immonen, two of today's top guns.

Another characteristic of Keith's style is that he brings a little extra "something" to his game:

He is known to comedically interact a la Minnesota Fats with the audience. It is the fuel which ignites his engine, and the more engaged the audience is, the better McCready plays. Accu-Stats Video Productions recorded a match when McCready defeated Filipino Champion Jose Parica at the 2003 U.S. Open Nine-ball Championship and describes it as: "The most entertaining match that Accu-Stats has ever offered. Keith steals the show and the audience approval." Because of his ability to engage the audience, McCready has always been a fan favorite.

Keith McCready may not be a pool purist's cup of tea, but I can assure you that when he steps up to the plate, his table will always be crowded with fans, pool enthusiasts, curious onlookers, and even the players themselves.

And I don't think he's ready to go out to pasture just quite yet! In fact, I am 100-percent confident that he still has a little fire left in his jug!

JAM

I couldn't agree more!!! Regards, Kennyratt

 

[Johnnyt]

Keiths game today is no where near where it once was, and to think that keith would have a chance with 10 games in a race to 100 is,well,sorta like wishfull thinking. I like the idea of challenge matches with a handicapp ,and also would like to see Keith in one or more of them.I believe that with Keith playing his best game, which incidentally will add to the entertainment value and overall enjoyment of the match will give both what TAR ,and the viewers will want to see. Based on the first 2 challenge matches we are now clearly understanding the true speed of Shane"s game, and for it to be both competitive and entertaining the handicapp should be between 25 to 35 games.I believe thats a pretty fair assessment of where it lays.Let the games begin.

I don't think Keith is going to be playing SVB. I think it will be someone else. Johnnyt

 

[Fast Lenny]

I don't think Keith is going to be playing SVB. I think it will be someone else. Johnnyt

I agree it wont be SVB,Jimmy Mataya does sound like he would be a good choice,put his money where his mouth is.

 

[JAM]

Keiths game today is no where near where it once was, and to think that keith would have a chance with 10 games in a race to 100 is,well,sorta like wishfull thinking. I like the idea of challenge matches with a handicapp ,and also would like to see Keith in one or more of them.I believe that with Keith playing his best game, which incidentally will add to the entertainment value and overall enjoyment of the match will give both what TAR ,and the viewers will want to see. Based on the first 2 challenge matches we are now clearly understanding the true speed of Shane"s game, and for it to be both competitive and entertaining the handicapp should be between 25 to 35 games.I believe thats a pretty fair assessment of where it lays.Let the games begin.

I agree that we should keep it real.

First off, Keith never stated he wanted 10 games going to 100 with Shane on the LIVE CHAT of the Earl vs. Shane match. That was me who said that, not Keith.

When Keith read it, he said he'd take 20 games, and then immediately added that he would want to play Shane on a bar box with a BIG CUEBALL. Why? Because that is Keith's specialty.

I will add that I was, and still am, extremely disappointed in the comments made about Earl Strickland when he was playing Shane. Some of them were off the wall, in my opinion, and I felt ashamed to even be in the same chat room with some of the posters.

In fact, it makes me question why any player would want to put themselves in the pit, only to be ridiculed and torn apart viciously. I came away from the Earl vs. Shane match a little sad, not because Shane won, but because of the reaction that transpired while this match was in progress.

JAM

 

[JAM]

Ok, I've got a real interesting/entertaining idea for the match-up.....^_^

......The one guy who can keep up with Keith in yapping is Jimmy Mataya, but to make it even more interesting, I propose a scotch doubles match : Keith and Jam (Jenny) against Jimmy Mataya and his older brother !....for those of you who don't know, Mataya's brother is a high roller gambler who plays pool, but not good - about like an APA rated 4.....

......What do you think Jenny ?.....^_^.....My money would be on your team, by the way.

- Ghost

It would be a great match with Jimmy Mataya and Keith, but not me as Keith's partner. Jimmy's brother can play a little, but me, I haven't picked up a cue stick in years.

Keith loves Jimmy like a brother. The two of them together at the same table would be great comedy.

In fact, maybe Keith and Ronnie Allen versus Jimmy Mataya and Danny DiLiberto would be a fun partners match. All four of them have no shortage of words and definitely have the gift of gab.

JAM

 

[Fast Lenny]

I agree that we should keep it real.

First off, Keith never stated he wanted 10 games going to 100 with Shane on the LIVE CHAT of the Earl vs. Shane match. That was me who said that, not Keith.

When Keith read it, he said he'd take 20 games, and then immediately added that he would want to play Shane on a bar box with a BIG CUEBALL. Why? Because that is Keith's specialty.

I will add that I was, and still am, extremely disappointed in the comments made about Earl Strickland when he was playing Shane. Some of them were off the wall, in my opinion, and I felt ashamed to even be in the same chat room with some of the posters.

In fact, it makes me question why any player would want to put themselves in the pit, only to be ridiculed and torn apart viciously. I came away from the Earl vs. Shane match a little sad, not because Shane won, but because of the reaction that transpired while this match was in progress.

JAM

I agree Jenny,its sad that people will kick others when they are down and ride others when they are up,but thats the world we live in unfortunately.People like Keith and Earl will always be heros to me and i idolize them for their contributions to the game.A year ago alot of people on here didnt even know who SVB was,he was under the radar,alot of people have jumped on the VB bandwagon,im happy that he is representing the US as its top dog but lets not forget our older players and their accomplishments and give them the respect they deserve.

 

[JCIN]

I agree that we should keep it real.

First off, Keith never stated he wanted 10 games going to 100 with Shane on the LIVE CHAT of the Earl vs. Shane match. That was me who said that, not Keith.

When Keith read it, he said he'd take 20 games, and then immediately added that he would want to play Shane on a bar box with a BIG CUEBALL. Why? Because that is Keith's specialty.

I will add that I was, and still am, extremely disappointed in the comments made about Earl Strickland when he was playing Shane. Some of them were off the wall, in my opinion, and I felt ashamed to even be in the same chat room with some of the posters.

In fact, it makes me question why any player would want to put themselves in the pit, only to be ridiculed and torn apart viciously. I came away from the Earl vs. Shane match a little sad, not because Shane won, but because of the reaction that transpired while this match was in progress.

JAM

JAM,

I was able to view the chat room on and off throughout the various matches and I agree that some of what was said was to say the least rude. Matter of fact some of the comments pissed me right off. It seems some people feel they have the right to denegrate others because they paid the price of admission, I disagree, but at the same time I liken it to a fan at a baseball game that sits in the stands and says things about he opposing team and the umpires. It is just a part of the experience, the difference with us is, you can turn it off by logging out of the chat room or watching the feed full screen.

We had plans to put a laptop in the commentators booth for viewers to interact with the various commentators, but 2 factors stopped us from doing it. The first was how it would play on the DVD, it would not make sense for a DVD viewer to listen to a commentator interact with questions and comments from a chat room months or years after the fact. The second factor was that we did not want someone who was doing their level best to commentate to have fade snide comments and critics while they were trying to call a match.

The chat room can be pretty brutal but at the same time it can provide valuable information to the people watching. I guess the answer may be moderation on some level and in the future that is probably what will happen.

 

[Tim-n-NM]

I agree that we should keep it real.

First off, Keith never stated he wanted 10 games going to 100 with Shane on the LIVE CHAT of the Earl vs. Shane match. That was me who said that, not Keith.

When Keith read it, he said he'd take 20 games, and then immediately added that he would want to play Shane on a bar box with a BIG CUEBALL. Why? Because that is Keith's specialty.

I will add that I was, and still am, extremely disappointed in the comments made about Earl Strickland when he was playing Shane. Some of them were off the wall, in my opinion, and I felt ashamed to even be in the same chat room with some of the posters.

In fact, it makes me question why any player would want to put themselves in the pit, only to be ridiculed and torn apart viciously. I came away from the Earl vs. Shane match a little sad, not because Shane won, but because of the reaction that transpired while this match was in progress.

JAM

I have to agree with Jam on this. The live chat was hard to read really. I really enjoyed watching both players play and would purchase TAR matches again but the chat is over the top to me. Between all the sexual references to the fflat out bashing of players and posters was a little to much. Lets not forget pool is suppost to be fun. I turned a friend on to TAR and he paid and watched the match. The first thing out of his mouth the next day was, Boy there sure are a lot of idiots on that live chat huh? I agreed.

Tim

 

[corvette1340]

I agree that we should keep it real.

First off, Keith never stated he wanted 10 games going to 100 with Shane on the LIVE CHAT of the Earl vs. Shane match. That was me who said that, not Keith.

When Keith read it, he said he'd take 20 games, and then immediately added that he would want to play Shane on a bar box with a BIG CUEBALL. Why? Because that is Keith's specialty.

I will add that I was, and still am, extremely disappointed in the comments made about Earl Strickland when he was playing Shane. Some of them were off the wall, in my opinion, and I felt ashamed to even be in the same chat room with some of the posters.

In fact, it makes me question why any player would want to put themselves in the pit, only to be ridiculed and torn apart viciously. I came away from the Earl vs. Shane match a little sad, not because Shane won, but because of the reaction that transpired while this match was in progress.

JAM

$20,000????

 

[JAM]

$20,000????

Money is great, and 20 dimes is a nice chunk of change.

However, a person's pride and self-respect may be worth a whole lot more than winning money playing pool.

If money was the motivating factor for pool players to devote their entire life to the sport, they would have quit playing before they had a chance to achieve excellence.

You could ask this question to veteran players today, if they got into this racket because of the money to be made. Most of the players I know do it for the love of the game. Money is the icing on the cake. The almighty WIN is paramount. In today's pool world, it amounts to a little bone with not much meat on it when you take into account the expenses related to playing pool full time on a professional level. Even $20,000 in today's world doesn't stretch very far.

Me personally, my pride is worth a hell of a lot more than 20 grand.

JAM

 

[hemicudas]

If the Big Guy, etal, don't match up Keith and Scotty Townsend it will cost them money. Scotty vs. Keith will SELL OUT your live capacity. People who didn't know Scotty before the ring game fell in love with the guy. The rest of us who have known him for ages appreciate any opportunity to sweat him play and gab. Do an AZB search for threads on Scotty Townsend. Virtually all of them exceed 100+ replies with stories of his prowess at everything from reverse inside English 4 rail kicks to alligator wrestling to bridge jumping. Chad, you guys do us and yourselves a favor and match up Keith and Scotty. You will never regret it.

 

[corvette1340]

Money is great, and 20 dimes is a nice chunk of change.

However, a person's pride and self-respect may be worth a whole lot more than winning money playing pool.

If money was the motivating factor for pool players to devote their entire life to the sport, they would have quit playing before they had a chance to achieve excellence.

You could ask this question to veteran players today, if they got into this racket because of the money to be made. Most of the players I know do it for the love of the game. Money is the icing on the cake. The almighty WIN is paramount. In today's pool world, it amounts to a little bone with not much meat on it when you take into account the expenses related to playing pool full time on a professional level. Even $20,000 in today's world doesn't stretch very far.

Me personally, my pride is worth a hell of a lot more than 20 grand.

JAM

If pride and self respect were worth more than the money made playing pool then I suspect that more pool players would find real jobs. However, this is not the case. I agree that the money is not what it should be, but the bottom line is that pool doesnt generate income for sponsors. Why would Joe Businessman put his advertising dollars into something that the majority of the general public has no interest in? This is a grim fact , but a fact none the less. If a pool player CHOOSES this as his profession then surely he or she would be responsible enough to find something different to do when pool doesn't pay the bills.

Addressing the chat room topic in this thread, I feel that the chat room makes it almost like being there on the rail sweating the match. I had seven different bets on the Earl/Shane match and most of the people I bet with were in the chat room. I made one "out of line" comment to Jam and the rest I made were fine. I appologize for the one comment that was in response to her ignoring the fact that I offered to bury the hatchet by purchasing the PPV for her and then taking a shot at me when the match was almost over. The comments referenced here about people taking cheap shots at the players is really overblown. If any of you are ever at a live match the commentary is basically the same as it was in the chat room. 99.9% of what was said about Earl, Grady, Landon, etc.., etc... was said in jest to make people laugh and most intelligent people realize this. The fact that so many people criticized Earl is a testament to his antics and actions over his career. Even the commentators and Chad of TAR stated he was out of line, but when someone in the chat room says something then its "he's berrating a champion, how dare he". It doesn't make sense, IMO.

 

[gulfportdoc]

Scotty vs. Keith will SELL OUT your live capacity.

I think you've hit on something there, Hemi! Just about anyone who has anything to do with cuesports would want to watch that matchup. Those are two of the most entertaining guys ever to play pro pool!!

Doc

 

[iba7467]

I do not have an internet connection until I move in to my new home soon, therefore I have not purchased any of the previous action challenges. However, I would purchase Scotty v Keith whether I could watch it or not. Great idea.

Scotty was at a tournament in Montgomery, AL a few weeks ago. There is not a more entertaining character currently touring. Scotty is always willing to crack a joke or show another player a thing or two. After trying to get a proposition bet with a few of us sweating his match, he showed us how to do it despite none of us letting him get a bet. Turned out he couldn't do it anyway, he had to get a slightly different prop, but he showed us. Great guy and a terrific character.

This match could be a lot more genuine than the Shane v. Earl was as well. Maybe, get them to lock up an amount and guarantee that neither discuss the game before-hand. This way we could all see the barking and game-making on the live feed.

 

[JAM]

If pride and self respect were worth more than the money made playing pool then I suspect that more pool players would find real jobs....

Incredibly, you will NEVER get it.

BUT, as long as these champions are still capable of performing, giving it their all, they are only mere unemployed monkeys, in your eyes, dancing for your benefit.

Addressing the chat room topic in this thread, I feel that the chat room makes it almost like being there on the rail sweating the match. I had seven different bets on the Earl/Shane match and most of the people I bet with were in the chat room.

"Dance, monkeys, dance."

I made one "out of line" comment to Jam and the rest I made were fine. I appologize for the one comment that was in response to her ignoring the fact that I offered to bury the hatchet by purchasing the PPV for her and then taking a shot at me when the match was almost over.

You speak with a forked tongue.

The comments referenced here about people taking cheap shots at the players is really overblown. If any of you are ever at a live match the commentary is basically the same as it was in the chat room. 99.9% of what was said about Earl, Grady, Landon, etc.., etc... was said in jest to make people laugh and most intelligent people realize this. The fact that so many people criticized Earl is a testament to his antics and actions over his career. Even the commentators and Chad of TAR stated he was out of line, but when someone in the chat room says something then its "he's berrating a champion, how dare he". It doesn't make sense, IMO.

Your opinion is duly noted, and so is mine!

JAM

 

[corvette1340]

Incredibly, you will NEVER get it.

BUT, as long as these champions are still capable of performing, giving it their all, they are only mere unemployed monkeys, in your eyes, dancing for your benefit.



"Dance, monkeys, dance."



You speak with a forked tongue.



Your opinion is duly noted, and so is mine!

JAM

Jam,
YOU dont get it. If it weren't for the people paying to see the match then who would the monkeys dance for? If you want them to get paid then they are in essence "dancing monkeys" as you call them. The same can be said of NFL, MLB, and NBA players. They are all entertainers and the general public is the reason they get paid. You constantly contradict yourself. You say there is no money in pool, but you get upset when people want to be entertained by the players and voice their opinions. How many negative comments are said on a daily basis about Barry Bonds? Did he bring these on himself? yes. The public that wants to be entertained drives the sports industry. If the players cant take the criticism then it might not be the line of work they need to be in. Earl has brought these comments on himself. Shane and Corey don't conduct themselves the way Earl does, hence there were no negative comments about them in the first challenge, but you wouldn't know that because you failed to support American pool with your $25 to purchase that match.

 

[JAM]

Jam,
YOU dont get it. If it weren't for the people paying to see the match then who would the monkeys dance for? If you want them to get paid then they are in essence "dancing monkeys" as you call them. The same can be said of NFL, MLB, and NBA players. They are all entertainers and the general public is the reason they get paid. You constantly contradict yourself. You say there is no money in pool, but you get upset when people want to be entertained by the players and voice their opinions. How many negative comments are said on a daily basis about Barry Bonds? Did he bring these on himself? yes. The public that wants to be entertained drives the sports industry. If the players cant take the criticism then it might not be the line of work they need to be in. Earl has brought these comments on himself. Shane and Corey don't conduct themselves the way Earl does, hence there were no negative comments about them in the first challenge, but you wouldn't know that because you failed to support American pool with your $25 to purchase that match.

I support American pool more than you will ever know, but I will not justify my stance on how I support American pool to you on this forum.

I am pretty sure -- in fact, I am confident I have devoted more of my time and money into supporting AMERICAN POOL than you, and it is not only American pool, but pool in a global scale.

Again, your opinion is duly noted, as is mine. It is difficult for me to read the disparaging comments about pool champions, comments that are deemed in my opinion as cruel and vicious, and if it means me staying away from LIVE CHAT, then that will be the ticket for me in the future.

JAM

 

[frankwhite]

I agree, you will need to bring Dennis in to give Shane a match. I think JAM indicated that Keith would play Shane with 10 on the wire the last night of the Shane/Earl match -- but IMHO, Keith would need at least as much weight as Earl would need to win -- if not more.

The question is, who would win a 10-ball race to 100 between Keith and Earl (there would be no contest between Keith and Shane of course) -- and right now....I'm thinking that I would probably take Earl in this match up.

Kieth has not played in over six months, I don't like it.............Let us gear up and you got action, "GRIP".......
Frankie

 

[iba7467]

Now, now

Sorry to step in here where it is certainly not my business, but this is a public forum.

It is apparent to everyone that your opinions differ. So be it. Please do not push this issue by posting any further. Both of you make valuable contributions to this forum. There is no reason to prod one another this way, of course it is better than taking it out outside the forum.

Forget it .... ding, ding, ding ... Round 2.

Just kidding.