The Mosconi Cup is NOT about how well you can play but instead it's about how poorly you can. In other words, the Cup is more a measure of a player's B game than their A. This is why year after year after year we end up short of the finish line. When it comes to measuring how poorly a player is capable of performing it is all about their fundamentals.
Up and down the line, year after year, the European team consists of players whose fundamentals prevent them from falling apart. Meanwhile, the U.S. team is consistently plagued with top players who have simple but yet major fundamental issues. It's hard to argue against Shane Van Boening's label as the best U.S. player. It's also hard to argue against him having significant mechanical issues that finally get the best of him every year during the Mosconi Cup. His long and hitchy stroke always seems to let him down at the worst time. He has too much stroke for the lightening fast conditions that are always present during the Mosconi Cup. This coupled with his poor transition from his backstroke to his forward one, causes him to consistently overrun position on these lightening fast tables.
I realize Shane's in a unique position because his A game is as good if not better than anybody in the world and it's helped him win many major titles, so simplifying his stroke mechanics is probably not an idea that he would even entertain but if he doesn't do something -- he will continue to get the results at the Mosconi Cup that he does each and every year.
Mike Dechaine is in a similar position. This past year he's won his share of events and he has solidified his position as the 2nd best player in the U.S. BUT the guy has NEVER been still while shooting. He rises up on nearly each and every shot and he always has. He gets away with this when everything is going his way and he's feeling nice and comfortable at the table, but when things get tense this movement gets the best of him and all of a sudden his B game isn't good enough to get across the finish line.
If Dechaine really is the 2nd best player in the U.S. it will not be for long because Justin Bergman doesn't have any glaring fundamental issues like these two players have. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Justin rise up to become the U.S.'s top player in the near future.
There's another player out there that has a very formidable B game and that's Johnny Archer. I will readily admit that both Shane and Dechaine are favorites against Johnny in a comfortable setting such as a long race tournament match or a gambling session but that's not what the Mosconi Cup is. Johnny has a game that holds up under pressure and his Mosconi Cup results prove it. For this reason alone I think he should have found his way onto this team but I realize I'm in the minority on this one.
The Mosconi Cup is not an A game showcase. It's all about the B game and we are flat out at a disadvantage because our top two players do not have world class B games and all the European players on the Mosconi Cup do.
Up and down the line, year after year, the European team consists of players whose fundamentals prevent them from falling apart. Meanwhile, the U.S. team is consistently plagued with top players who have simple but yet major fundamental issues. It's hard to argue against Shane Van Boening's label as the best U.S. player. It's also hard to argue against him having significant mechanical issues that finally get the best of him every year during the Mosconi Cup. His long and hitchy stroke always seems to let him down at the worst time. He has too much stroke for the lightening fast conditions that are always present during the Mosconi Cup. This coupled with his poor transition from his backstroke to his forward one, causes him to consistently overrun position on these lightening fast tables.
I realize Shane's in a unique position because his A game is as good if not better than anybody in the world and it's helped him win many major titles, so simplifying his stroke mechanics is probably not an idea that he would even entertain but if he doesn't do something -- he will continue to get the results at the Mosconi Cup that he does each and every year.
Mike Dechaine is in a similar position. This past year he's won his share of events and he has solidified his position as the 2nd best player in the U.S. BUT the guy has NEVER been still while shooting. He rises up on nearly each and every shot and he always has. He gets away with this when everything is going his way and he's feeling nice and comfortable at the table, but when things get tense this movement gets the best of him and all of a sudden his B game isn't good enough to get across the finish line.
If Dechaine really is the 2nd best player in the U.S. it will not be for long because Justin Bergman doesn't have any glaring fundamental issues like these two players have. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Justin rise up to become the U.S.'s top player in the near future.
There's another player out there that has a very formidable B game and that's Johnny Archer. I will readily admit that both Shane and Dechaine are favorites against Johnny in a comfortable setting such as a long race tournament match or a gambling session but that's not what the Mosconi Cup is. Johnny has a game that holds up under pressure and his Mosconi Cup results prove it. For this reason alone I think he should have found his way onto this team but I realize I'm in the minority on this one.
The Mosconi Cup is not an A game showcase. It's all about the B game and we are flat out at a disadvantage because our top two players do not have world class B games and all the European players on the Mosconi Cup do.
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