What do you think Mitch Lawrence will say on ESPN????

[bruin70]

Mitch just seems likeable and sincere on tv to me. Not to mention he gets to go home with a smokin hottie that can give most of the world the 5 up.......Gerry

p.s. I think she should drop the "Mataya" thing......come to think of it, there should only be ONE last name for anyone. Keep the Maiden name if you want, but why both?

what's ewa's maiden name?

 

[junior718]

they barely talk about anything thats going on in the rack anyways these days so they are cutting down on mistakes and keep reminding us the calibur of the players over and over and over again. the whole rack consists of what tournaments this player won and how they are prepared to play or their histories against eachother and he will make this easy 8 and roll up for the 9 and now a commercial break.

 

[Tbeaux]

what's ewa's maiden name?

Ewa was a Swenson,Swensson,Svensson or Svenson (not sure the spelling).Great lady.

Mitch is ok, he does his best. If not for him we'd have a lot less pool on the tube (he and his brother own the production company I think).

Terry

 

[Slowhand]

Slowhand has left the building

 

[sjm]

Mitch does just fine. He is a classy guy with a genuine enthusiasm for pool, and is in the booth more as a moderator and advocate for the venue and sponsors than as a pool analyst. In that capacity, he does solid work.

Put him with an analyst willing to be objective about the players' decisions and shots and it works well. I believe that, with the clear exception of his wife Ewa Laurance, his booth partners (all of them WPBA players that played in the event but failed to reach the TV rounds) have nieither the courage nor conviction to assess the play of their fellow pros without rose-colored glasses and excessive diplomacy. That's not Mitch's fault.

Mitch is a good guy and a credit to pool. The merciless pounding he always seems to take on this forum both shocks and disappoints me.

 

[bruin70]

Mitch does just fine. He is a classy guy with a genuine enthusiasm for pool, and is in the booth more as a ,,,

Mitch is a good guy and a credit to pool. The merciless pounding he always seems to take on this forum both shocks and disappoints me.

yeah,,,i may have come off as criticizing his work, but everyone is right,,,it's not necessarilly his job to lend tech insight. and i can see the women not being assertive, but hopkins is just flat out wrong many times.

 

[Williebetmore]

Mitch does just fine. ... The merciless pounding he always seems to take on this forum both shocks and disappoints me.

SJM,
Don't you think we are all just a little spoiled by the Accu-Stats video's? It seems obvious that the hardcore pool fanatics prefer the Billy/Grady/Danny type of commentator. I wonder what the general public would think if ESPN threw Grady and Danny in one of those broadcasts? I wonder if anyone would notice or care in terms of ratings? A little honest criticism never hurt Johnny Miller's ratings.

 

[Rickw]

SJM,
Don't you think we are all just a little spoiled by the Accu-Stats video's? It seems obvious that the hardcore pool fanatics prefer the Billy/Grady/Danny type of commentator. I wonder what the general public would think if ESPN threw Grady and Danny in one of those broadcasts? I wonder if anyone would notice or care in terms of ratings? A little honest criticism never hurt Johnny Miller's ratings.

I totally agree with you Willie. If Danny was in the booth with Mitch, it would be so much better. Once Jeanette Lee was in the booth with him and she was very critical of a shot that one of the players made and I think Mitch was taken back because he's just not used to that. Danny would be super! Actually, I'd kind of like to see Jimmy Mataya in there with him. Wouldn't that be interesting? Wow!

 

[bruin70]

I totally agree with you Willie. If Danny was in the booth with Mitch, it would be so much better. Once Jeanette Lee was in the booth with him and she was very critical of a shot that one of the players made and I think Mitch was taken back because he's just not used to that. Danny would be super! Actually, I'd kind of like to see Jimmy Mataya in there with him. Wouldn't that be interesting? Wow!

i was going to say that i think JL would be very good because i don't see her pulling punches. and mitch was probably taken aback because everyone involved in the wpba is supposed to be supportive in every way.

 

[Rahburt]

i think JL does a great commentary, I find it annoying when the commentator does nothing but talk about how great that one player is and how they never miss a shot. I like hearing what possible shot will be next or how to manipulate the ball to this or that.

 

[BRKNRUN]

SJM,
Don't you think we are all just a little spoiled by the Accu-Stats video's? It seems obvious that the hardcore pool fanatics prefer the Billy/Grady/Danny type of commentator. I wonder what the general public would think if ESPN threw Grady and Danny in one of those broadcasts? I wonder if anyone would notice or care in terms of ratings? A little honest criticism never hurt Johnny Miller's ratings.

Mitch does just fine for the play by play.....A Danny D or Grady M for the color comments is all that is really needed....A women would be fine like they are trying to do, but they just have not found the right one yet....Actually there was one that did a good job, bet she always seems to be playing in the finals so they can't book her...

....I still like the brit.....

 

[Poolhalljunkie]

my rant

I have to add my .02 worth I have been watching some pool on tv lately and have noticed one thing too mucho the action is shot heads up when they are shotig a tough shot why not off to the side from behind to be able to see tip placement and stroke, and play with a real set of balls not those queer T.V. balls that don't show up very well any way with all this neww video technologhy a pink 4 ball should be a think of the Past like a black and white tv. also the comentary really needs a complete makeover especially when they try to be psychic and end up looking and sounding stupid.

 

[Hal]

I think most people are just kinda jealous that they don't get to do what Mitch does...

No shit. Look what he goes to bed with every night.

 

[jay helfert]

Syd Waddel

Yeah, I agree, just can't get enough of Syd Waddel and his polyphonic, polydecibolic warbling during sentences.

It's like 'The Macarana' or Candy Cotton, or fast flashing disco lights, you just never can get enough of them. If only I could have all these things 24 hours a day

I worked with Syd for two years (1999 & 2000) on the World Pool Championships. I sat next to him and most of the time I couldn't understand a thing he was saying. It took quite a few shows before I got the knack of it, just let him talk and then make my comments appropriate to the match.
Off camera he was a great guy and we even had a beer or two together.
And yes, he was still hard to understand. lol

 

[jay helfert]

what's ewa's maiden name?

Ewa Swenson

 

[Bludworm]

i agree BlackJack.
every time i run across Mitch i always make it a point to tell him i really enjoy him on ESPN, and that i am thankful he takes the time and interest to do it for us pool fanatics.

hope mitch sticks around for a long, long time.

DCP

Gotta agree...I too hope Mitch (and Hopkins) get contract extensions and stick around for a long, long time...Futhermore, FIRE Bill Incardona and put Mitch and Hopkins on Accustats also! Granted, Incardona might be able to play one pocket but his commentary is the ABSOLUTE WORST! He sucks! Now we're off the main topic.

 

[LastTwo]

Gotta agree...I too hope Mitch (and Hopkins) get contract extensions and stick around for a long, long time...Futhermore, FIRE Bill Incardona and put Mitch and Hopkins on Accustats also! Granted, Incardona might be able to play one pocket but his commentary is the ABSOLUTE WORST! He sucks! Now we're off the main topic.

What the f*** are you talking about saying Incardona is the worst? He is the best damn commentator pool has. He almost always knows what the right shot is in every situation, he has a vast amount of knowledge, and he used to be a worldbeater. He is responsible for teaching tens of thousands of people who have watched accustats tapes with his commentary. What in the hell is wrong with you? The best commentary combination is Incardona/Grady IMO. Grady is just as good, but that wisp in his voice when he pronounciates any word with "s" in it gets a little annoying sometimes.

 

[Gerry]

I like one Accu-stats match (Grady vs Efren)that has Buddy Hall and Nick Varner, because they both are STILL world beaters, but play different types of 1-pocket, (Offensive vs defensive)so you get both sides of every shot. And they both seem like real nice guys to hang with. I've only met them once, but not socially.

I'm not gonna slam Billy, but sometimes his bravado, and inflexion on words may make him seem a bit harsh. But hey, the guy knows what he's talking about!, he's a road agent, and I enjoy his commentary.

When I get on Accu-stats at the DCC, I'm gonna ask for Grady,Weenie Beenie,Buddy,Nick,and throw in Efren to explain my shot selection because I shoot just like him!!! ....Hey, we can all dream right?.....Gerry

 

[wahcheck]

Tap tap tap

Mitch works very hard at what he does and gets very little respect for it. Whenever I see Mitch he is always busy doing something to prepare for the broadcasts such as taking notes, examining the brackets, interviewing players. He has an excellent rapport with the players and he is a very nice gentleman. He is a very positive person to be around, so is Dawn Hopkins. I think he does an excellent job.

Blackjack, I was glad to read your opinion about Mitch...because yours is one of the more respected voices on this forum....I have been reading the slamming of Mitch for quite some time now, and mostly I don't understand it...I figured it's because it's coming from hardcore pool players but the TV production is aimed at the vast population of the general public....I too, hope the WPBA tv broadcasts go on for a long long time....He might not be a pool expert but he is articulate and a professional at what he does...

 

[Ken_4fun]

Pete I Agree

I was watching last night (ESPN), and Mitch sounded like he was reading of a script, "The best pool players in the world BLA BLA BLA". What the F. Has this guy ever seen pool played before??? I mean if some one gets up and misses a kick (one rail or otherwise), "Oh that was one of the hardest hits to make, she had to hit the ball in such an unnatural way".

And Dawn, she doesn't even know the difrence between a low hit and a high hit. And she's a "Top Pro", she's a joke, and yes I've seen her get spanked before.

Now I'm not saying that the players don't deserve their due, but to try and say the WPBA is the toughest compition for women is a straight out lie. Any woman tyhat wants to put up the entry fee can enter an open tournament, and give it a try.

And part of the reason you see some of them, all the time seems to be that they only have to play a small amount of good players (seeding). The top ladies (and yes it works the same for the men and it's fair) only play the weeker player until there warmed up and in stroke. Look at what happened to Alison, She was on the loser side early and had to play to many matches, so her neck went out (which happens to me, and it sucks to play that way).

The reason I bring this up with my rant is. Well I just got the IPT update with the list of round robin groups. And it seems that all the groups have world beaters in them, and 1 Top Pro from the WPBA. So I wonder if good old Kevin wants to really make the WPBA look bad or good (looking at those lists).

What do you all think (and I'm sure to get alot of fans for this one)???

Pete

I agree with your point on seeding, its bullshit. These nits here can say whatever but I cannot imagine anyone getting excited about a tourneyment where the outcome is encoraged more.

Ray Martin told me that when he won the "World Championships" they were round robin. He said if you won, you won, and you didnt get seeded and your didnt get a lucky draw.

The hair on the back of my neck stand up whenever someone tells me that these women are the best poolplayers in the world, (IF HE WOULD JUST SAY THE BEST WOMEN PLAYERS, (AND SEEDED) I WOULD BE OKAY WITH IT).

I like Jeanette Lee, I have been womans events. I watched her at the DCC and was an eye opener.

LETS SEE THESE BEST POOLPLAYERS IN THE WORLD, compete at the DCC and then MITCH can say whatever he wants.

Sorry but thats how I feel,

I should get over it.

Ken