Turning Stone Classic XXXI Thread: photos, predictions, updates, etc.
- Thread starter Cardigan Kid
- Start date
FWIW, one announcer yesterday I believe said the same thing but then the other said well you can go if it is an emergency toilet break but you can't abuse it....
Shaw might as well take one after his because he was probably sick of Sossei's racking BS.
I just want to congratulate Jayson on a huge win at turning stone 31. He tied Johnny archer with 6 Turning Stone victories.
His family showed up on Sunday to watch the finals and you could see Jayson transform into a man on a mission. It was pretty amazing to watch.
Shane had a wonderful undefeated run if you count the last turning stone, the he went undefeated to win it all, and then went undefeated again to get to finals with the loss yesterday to Jayson
Very impressive and dominant play by him as well.
Have to also give thanks to the unsung heros....
Mike Zuglan -- to run such a streamlined major tournament twice a year without a hitch, Mr. Zuglan can make it look easy and we all know it is anything but that. I always make an effort to catch him at some time and thank him for what he does. Not only is there a great display of pool at turning stone, but it's a chance for the community to get together and say hi. Life moves pretty fast and we rarely have time to catch up with those we know. Turning Stone Classics offer so much not just for the sport and players but for the community as well. Thanks Mike.
Upstate Al -- if you have followed the TS Classic live stream from the start to what we saw this weekend, the advancement and presentation is very impressive. Multiple camera angles, gorgeous HD video, guest appearances by Pat Fleming and others. Behind it all is Upstate Al who is working the levers behind the curtain for 5 days to ensure those who aren't here can watch the action...but more importantly, some of the dynamic moments can be captured on video and watched for years to come. Just think where the infamous Jayson Shaw 20 minute victory over Mika would be if it wasn't for upstate Al. Just a legend. Instead, we have access to it forever. Thanks Al.
Mike Howerton -- the live scoring feature and brackets are priceless and I am reminded how special they are when other tournaments have just a piece of paper to go by. Mike runs a great site and I sometimes need to pause and appreciate the work and effort he puts in to get us all on the same page during this tournament. Even while there and watching live, the live scoring page keeps everyone updated and makes the experience of this tournament one of the best in pool. Then of course, there is this forum, where we can all get together and dissect what we just saw. Pool lovers have never had it so good. Thanks, Mike.
His family showed up on Sunday to watch the finals and you could see Jayson transform into a man on a mission. It was pretty amazing to watch.
Shane had a wonderful undefeated run if you count the last turning stone, the he went undefeated to win it all, and then went undefeated again to get to finals with the loss yesterday to Jayson
Very impressive and dominant play by him as well.
Have to also give thanks to the unsung heros....
Mike Zuglan -- to run such a streamlined major tournament twice a year without a hitch, Mr. Zuglan can make it look easy and we all know it is anything but that. I always make an effort to catch him at some time and thank him for what he does. Not only is there a great display of pool at turning stone, but it's a chance for the community to get together and say hi. Life moves pretty fast and we rarely have time to catch up with those we know. Turning Stone Classics offer so much not just for the sport and players but for the community as well. Thanks Mike.
Upstate Al -- if you have followed the TS Classic live stream from the start to what we saw this weekend, the advancement and presentation is very impressive. Multiple camera angles, gorgeous HD video, guest appearances by Pat Fleming and others. Behind it all is Upstate Al who is working the levers behind the curtain for 5 days to ensure those who aren't here can watch the action...but more importantly, some of the dynamic moments can be captured on video and watched for years to come. Just think where the infamous Jayson Shaw 20 minute victory over Mika would be if it wasn't for upstate Al. Just a legend. Instead, we have access to it forever. Thanks Al.
Mike Howerton -- the live scoring feature and brackets are priceless and I am reminded how special they are when other tournaments have just a piece of paper to go by. Mike runs a great site and I sometimes need to pause and appreciate the work and effort he puts in to get us all on the same page during this tournament. Even while there and watching live, the live scoring page keeps everyone updated and makes the experience of this tournament one of the best in pool. Then of course, there is this forum, where we can all get together and dissect what we just saw. Pool lovers have never had it so good. Thanks, Mike.
Wow, just got home and it was one hell of an event. I saw the last two days of the event. Some very fine pool was played at Turning Stone, but racks weren't being strung very often through completion of Saturday's play by anyone not named Van Boening.
Saturday's Play
SVB was dominant. He wiped the floor with nearly every opponent. Jeremy Sossei was also very impressive, but had to work much harder to stay undefeated. Tommy Tokoph also managed to stay undefeated, with his best moment being a solid win over Estonian Dennis Grabe. The Finn Petri Makkonen played well, too, and managed a fine win over Jayson Shaw. The aforementioned six players would join Danny Hewitt and Zion Zvi in Sunday's action.
Eventual champion Shaw was grinding but certainly not steamrolling anybody. Hatch was about to go up 8-7 on him before an improbable error cost him the match, Makkonen put him on the B-side and Jayson had to survive a double-hill thriller against John Morra just to get to Sunday.
The way I saw things at end of day Saturday was that SVB was playing at a level where he looked completely unbeatable. Nobody looked ready to give him a stiff test.
Sunday 's Play
Shaw and Grabe easilly eliminated Hewitt and Zvi and the field was down to six. In winnners-side action, SVB and Sossei scored convincing victories over Makkonen and Tokoph. In the next round, Shaw won easily over Tokoph to eliminate him.
Makkonen and Grabe produced a classic. My guess is that they both shot over .900 and the quality of play was simply breathtaking. Grabe came from 6-3 behind and found himself 8-7 ahead before a three rail inside english follow on the eight ball scratched to bring the contest to double hill. In the end, Makkonen had to bet the match on a difficult shot on the four ball. In a shot that I feel he rushed a little, he missed and sold out the match, with Grabe moving on to play Shaw in the quarterfinal.
SVB crushed Sossei in the hot seat match, and it still looked like he'd cruise to the title. There was still no hint of what was to come, as the level of play of the other three still standing (Sossei, Shaw, Grabe) just wasn't that high.
Grabe and Shaw had a really good match and, if my memory serves, Grabe led 6-5. After Jayson won the next rack to tie it, he snapped the nine on the break for a 7-6 lead and went on to score the victory. Good match for sure, and Grabe settled for a fourth place finish. Shaw was still grinding, but there was no hint of the Shaw we saw in 2017, and unless that Jayson was going to show up, SVB would surely cruise to the title.
Before the Shaw vs. Sossei semifinal, Mike Zuglan announced a half hour break so Cardigan Kid and I chose to use the break to grab a meal together. By the time we returned, Sossei and Shaw were tied at 3-3, but this match turned on a dime. Sossei missed a virtual hanger on a five ball at 4-4 and it not only proved the defining moment of that match but of the entire event. After finishing out that rack for a 5-4 lead, Shaw broke and ran the next four to eliminate Sossei. Moments later, his wife arrived with his two daughters, so Jayson's mood could hardly have been better.
It appeared, based on the Sossei match, that the Shaw of 2017 was back, but could he sustain this level of play in the race to 13 final? As it turns out, the answer was yes. Shane went wrong in rack six. After a Jayson scratch on the break, Shane had a routine out to pull even at 3-3 but butchered it and Shaw punished him with that rack and three straight break and run racks. It was 7-2 and every indication was that Shaw was in dead stroke. It was really something to behold. Shane would not come back and Shaw won his sixth title at Turning Stone.
No doubt, many will feel that this was the chalk final, but the real story was that SVB had cruised his way there, while Shaw overcame a lot of obstacles to get there and really only found his best game in the very closing stages of the event.
It is the overpowering Jayson Shaw that comes to mind for most of us when we think about him, but this past weekend, we saw Jayson the grinder for most of the tournament. The overpowering version of Shaw showed up just in time!
Well played, Jayson, and congratulations,
Saturday's Play
SVB was dominant. He wiped the floor with nearly every opponent. Jeremy Sossei was also very impressive, but had to work much harder to stay undefeated. Tommy Tokoph also managed to stay undefeated, with his best moment being a solid win over Estonian Dennis Grabe. The Finn Petri Makkonen played well, too, and managed a fine win over Jayson Shaw. The aforementioned six players would join Danny Hewitt and Zion Zvi in Sunday's action.
Eventual champion Shaw was grinding but certainly not steamrolling anybody. Hatch was about to go up 8-7 on him before an improbable error cost him the match, Makkonen put him on the B-side and Jayson had to survive a double-hill thriller against John Morra just to get to Sunday.
The way I saw things at end of day Saturday was that SVB was playing at a level where he looked completely unbeatable. Nobody looked ready to give him a stiff test.
Sunday 's Play
Shaw and Grabe easilly eliminated Hewitt and Zvi and the field was down to six. In winnners-side action, SVB and Sossei scored convincing victories over Makkonen and Tokoph. In the next round, Shaw won easily over Tokoph to eliminate him.
Makkonen and Grabe produced a classic. My guess is that they both shot over .900 and the quality of play was simply breathtaking. Grabe came from 6-3 behind and found himself 8-7 ahead before a three rail inside english follow on the eight ball scratched to bring the contest to double hill. In the end, Makkonen had to bet the match on a difficult shot on the four ball. In a shot that I feel he rushed a little, he missed and sold out the match, with Grabe moving on to play Shaw in the quarterfinal.
SVB crushed Sossei in the hot seat match, and it still looked like he'd cruise to the title. There was still no hint of what was to come, as the level of play of the other three still standing (Sossei, Shaw, Grabe) just wasn't that high.
Grabe and Shaw had a really good match and, if my memory serves, Grabe led 6-5. After Jayson won the next rack to tie it, he snapped the nine on the break for a 7-6 lead and went on to score the victory. Good match for sure, and Grabe settled for a fourth place finish. Shaw was still grinding, but there was no hint of the Shaw we saw in 2017, and unless that Jayson was going to show up, SVB would surely cruise to the title.
Before the Shaw vs. Sossei semifinal, Mike Zuglan announced a half hour break so Cardigan Kid and I chose to use the break to grab a meal together. By the time we returned, Sossei and Shaw were tied at 3-3, but this match turned on a dime. Sossei missed a virtual hanger on a five ball at 4-4 and it not only proved the defining moment of that match but of the entire event. After finishing out that rack for a 5-4 lead, Shaw broke and ran the next four to eliminate Sossei. Moments later, his wife arrived with his two daughters, so Jayson's mood could hardly have been better.
It appeared, based on the Sossei match, that the Shaw of 2017 was back, but could he sustain this level of play in the race to 13 final? As it turns out, the answer was yes. Shane went wrong in rack six. After a Jayson scratch on the break, Shane had a routine out to pull even at 3-3 but butchered it and Shaw punished him with that rack and three straight break and run racks. It was 7-2 and every indication was that Shaw was in dead stroke. It was really something to behold. Shane would not come back and Shaw won his sixth title at Turning Stone.
No doubt, many will feel that this was the chalk final, but the real story was that SVB had cruised his way there, while Shaw overcame a lot of obstacles to get there and really only found his best game in the very closing stages of the event.
It is the overpowering Jayson Shaw that comes to mind for most of us when we think about him, but this past weekend, we saw Jayson the grinder for most of the tournament. The overpowering version of Shaw showed up just in time!
Well played, Jayson, and congratulations,
Last edited:
Oh, it wasn't that fast. Maybe 23-24 min. from lag to end. And the end was Mika conceding the final game after he scratched on the break. And Jayson even missed 2 shots in that match. He missed only once against Sossei yesterday.
[but 23 or 24 min for 9 games plus a break shot in Game 10 is pretty quick
]
Thanks for the correction. In an event in which break and run racks were harder to come by than usual for the field as a whole, this was some mighty fancy shooting.