The Mosconi Cup - Much more than "Just a Pool Game" CJ Wiley
- Thread starter CJ Wiley
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Welcome back, CJ. Thank you for coming on here and sharing your thoughts on this great event.
Job well done, C J and Team USA!
No matter what the outcome you all represented the USA in great style. And you guys played your hearts out. Thanks C J Wiley and Team USA for a great showing! Congrats are in order for all of Team USA Mosconi Cup players, and captain C J. Thanks.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
No matter what the outcome you all represented the USA in great style. And you guys played your hearts out. Thanks C J Wiley and Team USA for a great showing! Congrats are in order for all of Team USA Mosconi Cup players, and captain C J. Thanks.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
Thanks CJ for sharing your thoughts here.
You had a great team on paper, and as a lot of observers said, it was going to be a very tight result.
The Mosconi Cup is a four day event and Johan Ruijsink has always trained his teams to play better with each of these four days. USA seemed to run out of gas after day 2, even if in the end, three points were scored in the singles by USA. The same kind of thing happened in 2011 when on day 4 Van den Berg and Appleton lost with Europe on the hill.
What was great was your line-up on the last day, with Dennis pulling off the unlikely win that was needed to keep things interesting for everybody ! But Brandon and Mike were just not ready to beat Chris and Nick, probably because of MC experience and goal settings in the first place. I don't mean to be offensive but just stating my point of view.
Great effort by all ten players and both captains, I had a blast shooting all these pics as usual. The Mosconi Cup is unique, as it is without question the best pool show and the best showcase to bring our sport to the masses.
Can't wait for 2013 already ! Las Vegas
You had a great team on paper, and as a lot of observers said, it was going to be a very tight result.
The Mosconi Cup is a four day event and Johan Ruijsink has always trained his teams to play better with each of these four days. USA seemed to run out of gas after day 2, even if in the end, three points were scored in the singles by USA. The same kind of thing happened in 2011 when on day 4 Van den Berg and Appleton lost with Europe on the hill.
What was great was your line-up on the last day, with Dennis pulling off the unlikely win that was needed to keep things interesting for everybody ! But Brandon and Mike were just not ready to beat Chris and Nick, probably because of MC experience and goal settings in the first place. I don't mean to be offensive but just stating my point of view.
Great effort by all ten players and both captains, I had a blast shooting all these pics as usual. The Mosconi Cup is unique, as it is without question the best pool show and the best showcase to bring our sport to the masses.
Can't wait for 2013 already ! Las Vegas
Team USA did very well under the conditions at York Hall. Most players on here would have trouble holding thier cue still, including me. You can tell the new players to the MC how hard much the pressure is going to be on them, but really they don't get it until the go through it.
Great job by the whole team. Good sportsmanship and respect for the other team. Oh yeah, Europe please bring your very best team next year as we want to say we beat the best when we win it. Johnnyt
Great job by the whole team. Good sportsmanship and respect for the other team. Oh yeah, Europe please bring your very best team next year as we want to say we beat the best when we win it. Johnnyt
Did everybody see those two kicks that Melling connected on, that last one on the 6ball was just crazy, the cue ball curve about 3-4 inches on the way down table just enough to pocket the 6ball with perfect shape on the 7, Shuff got beat, but those 2 kicks shots that Melling pulled off did Shuff in, i guess that stuff cant happen if Shuff didnt get out of line and allowed Melling to the table, but come on that was a brutal thing to take with the score all tied up at 2 apiece going to five.
The crowd is what made the mosconi cup very interesting to watch. It added a lot of excitement to the pool match. When Us fans start getting more vocal pool on Tv will take off. Noone wants to watch a silent chess match on tv anymore. Society has changed thanks to reality Tv and hopefully american poool will too.:thumbup:
I've had a couple of days to reflect on the Mosconi Cup and these are my thoughts about it. First of all it's a great experience for me to be part of and to work with so many people who are dedicated to showing pool in it's best light. I want to number one acknowledge my two co-commentators, Jerry Forsyth and Jim Wych. These guys are two of the best and make it easy for me to do my thing in the booth with them. We all have mutual respect for each other and are friends off camera as well.
Also I marvel at our Mosconi Cup "presenter" Andy Goldstein who opens and closes every show and each match. He is a pro's pro, never missing a beat and always coming up with the right questions to ask. I truly enjoy listening on my headset to his opening remarks, as they better prepare me for what's to come. The arena announcer, John McDonald, is simply the best I've ever seen. He works the audience beautifully and has a gift for gab that is always entertaining. He makes the players feel special as well with his booming intros.
I can't say enough about the Matchroom people who orchestrate everything from behind the scenes. Sharron Tokley and Luke Riches make sure everything ties together seamlessly and keep a watchful eye on all that is taking place. The two players marshals, Paul and Renier make sure all is well with our players and no one gets into the arena that shouldn't be there. Believe me they had their hands full this time out, with several of the more rambunctious fans trying to get into the act. That was handled efficiently and promptly by these two gentlemen. And let me not forget the brains behind all the Matchroom events, Mr. Barry Hearn (I so want to call him Sir Barry). He was right there enjoying the festivities along with the rest of us. A true fan of our sport.
Our two referees, Michaela Tabb and Nigel Rees are without doubt two of the best in the billiard world. They had their hands full this week keeping order and subduing the mob mentality that sought to take over York Hall. Nigel can be tough when he has too and Michaela is one lady you don't want to cross. She shut the crowd up more than a few times and even put some drunk rowdies in their place. My hat is off to them for officiating probably the most difficult event in the pool world. And getting all the calls right at the same time!
The Sky television crew knows their stuff, all of them with years of experience in both pool and snooker events. We had good camera angles all week and all the important shots were showcased for the audience to see from more than one point of view. Superb work all the way around!
Now for the hard part. The crowd - They were definitely the loudest most boisterous pool crowd I've ever seen, even one notch above the York Hall audience from 2010. Was it bad? In my opinion no, with a few exceptions. Most of the time they quieted down while a player was shooting. The few times they didn't they were admonished by our referees. No question this is a knowledgeable crowd who knows good pool from bad and they weren't shy about showing their emotions. All in all I think it made for compelling TV and pumped the ratings to all time highs. In the long run this is good for all the players and the sport in general. In conclusion I do not think the crowd was the reason for the failure of Team USA to win the Cup. That happened on the table and no where else.
The actual event and the players - We once again had ten great players representing their respective sides. And once again it came down to who could hold it together best under pressure. Yes there is pressure, lots of it. It's the Mosconi Cup after all. But these guys are conditioned to playing under pressure and all of them have felt what it's like to play with all the chips on the line. These are all guys who have won major tournaments by beating someone in the final match with all eyes on them. Most of the shouting I heard was between shots and games, not while someone was actually shooting. It may have happened once or twice but certainly not enough to change the outcome of the event. The same pressure was there for Team Europe players as well. They were feeling it to. But they handled it better than some of Team USA players who faltered under fire. Even in the final match Dechaine had open racks that he could and should have run. Every time he missed it served to buoy the confidence of Van Den Berg. Perhaps this will be a learning experience for him and he can grow from it. I certainly hope so as he is one of our best players, and the youngest one there this year.
I would have loved to see it go down to a Captain's pick match to decide the Cup. We were all speculating on who should play. I was guessing it would be Johnny, who never let the pressure get to him, saving his best pool for the matches that counted the most. But others felt that Shane would get the nod, being how he is so confident when playing a big match. Everyone pretty much agreed it would be Darren going for the other side. Alas it was not to be, the great USA comeback stifled first by a red hot Chris Melling and then completed by a shaky but stubborn Nick Van Den Berg, who won the deciding match for the second year in a row.
Until next year, Europe reigns supreme!
P.S. I overlooked one thing, the Captains. I think CJ did a good job in his first year at the helm, but I must say I was impressed when Johann showed up at the U.S. Open in support of his players. For him it's not just a one week gig, it's more than a month of preparation with constant communication with his players. It's not an accident that his teams win every year. He takes his job seriously and does all that he can to prepare his players beforehand. It is a balancing act when you have five different personalities to deal with. Perhaps in time, given the opportunity, CJ will figure out a way to break the losing cycle that we're on now, losing five of the last six years.
Also I marvel at our Mosconi Cup "presenter" Andy Goldstein who opens and closes every show and each match. He is a pro's pro, never missing a beat and always coming up with the right questions to ask. I truly enjoy listening on my headset to his opening remarks, as they better prepare me for what's to come. The arena announcer, John McDonald, is simply the best I've ever seen. He works the audience beautifully and has a gift for gab that is always entertaining. He makes the players feel special as well with his booming intros.
I can't say enough about the Matchroom people who orchestrate everything from behind the scenes. Sharron Tokley and Luke Riches make sure everything ties together seamlessly and keep a watchful eye on all that is taking place. The two players marshals, Paul and Renier make sure all is well with our players and no one gets into the arena that shouldn't be there. Believe me they had their hands full this time out, with several of the more rambunctious fans trying to get into the act. That was handled efficiently and promptly by these two gentlemen. And let me not forget the brains behind all the Matchroom events, Mr. Barry Hearn (I so want to call him Sir Barry). He was right there enjoying the festivities along with the rest of us. A true fan of our sport.
Our two referees, Michaela Tabb and Nigel Rees are without doubt two of the best in the billiard world. They had their hands full this week keeping order and subduing the mob mentality that sought to take over York Hall. Nigel can be tough when he has too and Michaela is one lady you don't want to cross. She shut the crowd up more than a few times and even put some drunk rowdies in their place. My hat is off to them for officiating probably the most difficult event in the pool world. And getting all the calls right at the same time!
The Sky television crew knows their stuff, all of them with years of experience in both pool and snooker events. We had good camera angles all week and all the important shots were showcased for the audience to see from more than one point of view. Superb work all the way around!
Now for the hard part. The crowd - They were definitely the loudest most boisterous pool crowd I've ever seen, even one notch above the York Hall audience from 2010. Was it bad? In my opinion no, with a few exceptions. Most of the time they quieted down while a player was shooting. The few times they didn't they were admonished by our referees. No question this is a knowledgeable crowd who knows good pool from bad and they weren't shy about showing their emotions. All in all I think it made for compelling TV and pumped the ratings to all time highs. In the long run this is good for all the players and the sport in general. In conclusion I do not think the crowd was the reason for the failure of Team USA to win the Cup. That happened on the table and no where else.
The actual event and the players - We once again had ten great players representing their respective sides. And once again it came down to who could hold it together best under pressure. Yes there is pressure, lots of it. It's the Mosconi Cup after all. But these guys are conditioned to playing under pressure and all of them have felt what it's like to play with all the chips on the line. These are all guys who have won major tournaments by beating someone in the final match with all eyes on them. Most of the shouting I heard was between shots and games, not while someone was actually shooting. It may have happened once or twice but certainly not enough to change the outcome of the event. The same pressure was there for Team Europe players as well. They were feeling it to. But they handled it better than some of Team USA players who faltered under fire. Even in the final match Dechaine had open racks that he could and should have run. Every time he missed it served to buoy the confidence of Van Den Berg. Perhaps this will be a learning experience for him and he can grow from it. I certainly hope so as he is one of our best players, and the youngest one there this year.
I would have loved to see it go down to a Captain's pick match to decide the Cup. We were all speculating on who should play. I was guessing it would be Johnny, who never let the pressure get to him, saving his best pool for the matches that counted the most. But others felt that Shane would get the nod, being how he is so confident when playing a big match. Everyone pretty much agreed it would be Darren going for the other side. Alas it was not to be, the great USA comeback stifled first by a red hot Chris Melling and then completed by a shaky but stubborn Nick Van Den Berg, who won the deciding match for the second year in a row.
Until next year, Europe reigns supreme!
P.S. I overlooked one thing, the Captains. I think CJ did a good job in his first year at the helm, but I must say I was impressed when Johann showed up at the U.S. Open in support of his players. For him it's not just a one week gig, it's more than a month of preparation with constant communication with his players. It's not an accident that his teams win every year. He takes his job seriously and does all that he can to prepare his players beforehand. It is a balancing act when you have five different personalities to deal with. Perhaps in time, given the opportunity, CJ will figure out a way to break the losing cycle that we're on now, losing five of the last six years.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this fantastic event, it's really something one has to experience in order to understand it fully.
I had the pleasure of visiting the event for the first two days, my friend and Greek champion Nikos Economopoulos played with the team, it was so special for us Greeks that eveyone who could pull out a few days from work just went.
Last night we were at the "Different" club of Nikos in Athens celebrating and Nikos mentioned the huge pressure he felt from the crowd as well "some 300 people DEMANDING you make every long shot like the object ball is hanging close to the pocket".
He also mentioned that "if you don't have enough high level tournament experience already by the time you approach the table you will just collapse"..
I too was sceptical about the crowd atmosphere before I got there, but it really isn't what it looks like. The mentality of the fans over there is purely sarcastic, and I can assure you there were no intentions other than fully supporting their team.
The key is not to respond to it, they will drug you into their game where there is no chance of winning. In the end they are without doubt part of Mosconi cup's success..
Mr Archer is truly a legend, he guided his doubles exceptionally.
All players performed from textbook pool to phenomenal shots and we're so proud of our friend Nikos beating SVB.
I highly recommend everyone to be there at least once, it's really a unique experience.
Gongratulations to both teams!!
Petros
I had the pleasure of visiting the event for the first two days, my friend and Greek champion Nikos Economopoulos played with the team, it was so special for us Greeks that eveyone who could pull out a few days from work just went.
Last night we were at the "Different" club of Nikos in Athens celebrating and Nikos mentioned the huge pressure he felt from the crowd as well "some 300 people DEMANDING you make every long shot like the object ball is hanging close to the pocket".
He also mentioned that "if you don't have enough high level tournament experience already by the time you approach the table you will just collapse"..
I too was sceptical about the crowd atmosphere before I got there, but it really isn't what it looks like. The mentality of the fans over there is purely sarcastic, and I can assure you there were no intentions other than fully supporting their team.
The key is not to respond to it, they will drug you into their game where there is no chance of winning. In the end they are without doubt part of Mosconi cup's success..
Mr Archer is truly a legend, he guided his doubles exceptionally.
All players performed from textbook pool to phenomenal shots and we're so proud of our friend Nikos beating SVB.
I highly recommend everyone to be there at least once, it's really a unique experience.
Gongratulations to both teams!!
Petros
This is just my opinion on the "break factor" based on what I saw and what I heard
Thanks "Lock N Load" ... I have no regrets about any of the strategic decisions I made and coming down to 9/9 the last day was as exciting an outcome as possible. We all know that in any match or any tournament you can only win 50% of the time. Those last two matches could have went either way, as could any of the precious matches.
The key is to give always give yourself a chance to win and let nature take it's course. In the races to 5 there is more luck {and pressure} than normal and from my experience you have to play a race to 15 to have the "luck factor," truly even out. With that being said I believe over the course of the tournament Europe played more consistently with all things considered.
After taking in to consideration the breaking rules I felt we were an underdog after talking to the players and seeing the results of the first two days. More than anything it just takes us out of our element and the "cut break" is something we feel uncomfortable performing.
If you ask the USA players about the break they would ALL say they would prefer the one racked on the spot and break squarely. If you ask the European's they would ALL say they like the 9 racked on the spot and the "cut break" utilized.
You can come to any conclusion you like about what I just said, however, if the one is racked on the spot I would bet very high on the USA team, and with the 9 on the spot I would not. The break is directly connected to a players confidence and I think it had a negative effect on Mike D. more than anyone. Mike's break makes him a feared player in 9 Ball and 10 Ball, and making him hit the "cut break" takes this weapon from him.
I'm certainly not taking anything away from the European's victory and I've made it crystal clear that they were the best team last week. This is just my opinion on the "break factor" based on what I saw and what I heard from the American players. I feel like we adapted pretty well to the "cut break", and I know none of the American players enjoyed doing it.
Maybe we can have a 10 Ball version of the event based out of the USA to add some variety. I still think it would be very close and equally exciting.
Thanks "Lock N Load" ... I have no regrets about any of the strategic decisions I made and coming down to 9/9 the last day was as exciting an outcome as possible. We all know that in any match or any tournament you can only win 50% of the time. Those last two matches could have went either way, as could any of the precious matches.
The key is to give always give yourself a chance to win and let nature take it's course. In the races to 5 there is more luck {and pressure} than normal and from my experience you have to play a race to 15 to have the "luck factor," truly even out. With that being said I believe over the course of the tournament Europe played more consistently with all things considered.
After taking in to consideration the breaking rules I felt we were an underdog after talking to the players and seeing the results of the first two days. More than anything it just takes us out of our element and the "cut break" is something we feel uncomfortable performing.
If you ask the USA players about the break they would ALL say they would prefer the one racked on the spot and break squarely. If you ask the European's they would ALL say they like the 9 racked on the spot and the "cut break" utilized.
You can come to any conclusion you like about what I just said, however, if the one is racked on the spot I would bet very high on the USA team, and with the 9 on the spot I would not. The break is directly connected to a players confidence and I think it had a negative effect on Mike D. more than anyone. Mike's break makes him a feared player in 9 Ball and 10 Ball, and making him hit the "cut break" takes this weapon from him.
I'm certainly not taking anything away from the European's victory and I've made it crystal clear that they were the best team last week. This is just my opinion on the "break factor" based on what I saw and what I heard from the American players. I feel like we adapted pretty well to the "cut break", and I know none of the American players enjoyed doing it.
Maybe we can have a 10 Ball version of the event based out of the USA to add some variety. I still think it would be very close and equally exciting.
Well 2 years ago I felt the same way.
I wished we had a York Hall for our home field advantage.
I thought of the Blue Horizon but it has been gone now for years.
I just think when we take it to the casino venue there just isn't the same type of atmosphere. Too many distractions maybe.
I think the Blue Horizon would have given the blues to many a Euro player if we could have taken it there !
CJ, your thoughts !
I wished we had a York Hall for our home field advantage.
I thought of the Blue Horizon but it has been gone now for years.
I just think when we take it to the casino venue there just isn't the same type of atmosphere. Too many distractions maybe.
I think the Blue Horizon would have given the blues to many a Euro player if we could have taken it there !
CJ, your thoughts !
Seating in the Bue Horizon (pictured) was 1500 !
You couldn't fill an 18,000 seat arena for an event like this. Not in our current pool climate.
Bruce,
I know, but the idea is to get our own Rooster Fighting Pit type arena.
If CJ is the captain again, I doubt that he'll be thinking small, but the 'sponser' will have to go for it.
We keep loosing sight of the fact thatit is a sponsored entertainment event that just happens to be a 'competition'.
Best Regards,
I know, but the idea is to get our own Rooster Fighting Pit type arena.
If CJ is the captain again, I doubt that he'll be thinking small, but the 'sponser' will have to go for it.
We keep loosing sight of the fact thatit is a sponsored entertainment event that just happens to be a 'competition'.
Best Regards,