What's the Best Way to Select the Next US Mosconi Team?
- Thread starter KoolKat9Lives
- Start date
Tell him if they play 'Two Shot Shoot Out' I'm his "huckleberry".
Last two-shot/push-out was the 2003 Trumps 10-Ball Challenge in A.C., promoted by North Carolinian Gene Hooker, his son, et al.
We were all snowed in the casino, and they had to delay the tournament a day because of a brutal blizzard. I think Keith and I were the last ones in. EVERYBODY was there. I mean, EVERYBODY. It's a shame that the blizzard hurt the attendance.
Driving into Atlantic City, they had billboards advertising the tournament, which is really cool.
Earl got kidney stone problems and had to go to the hospital emergency room, but he still showed up for his match and played, poor fellow. He was so sick.
Grady Mathews lost all his cheese on the dice table, and Randi was fit to be tied.
Me and Bustamante became good newfound friends at this tournament. He was so cool!
Dee Adkins won a ton at the OTB, and he gave Keith and me a tip, and we won too. Dee knows how to pick his horses. :wink:
One of the casino bosses came up to Keith and asked him if there was anything he could do for him. Keith immediately said he wanted to be comped, and the casino guy in the suit said no problem. At that time, I was embarrassed that Keith asked this guy for a freebie. It felt like we were asking for welfare cheese, but I was a little green back then about casino culture. Now I get it. :wink:
Canadian Danny Hewitt won it, with King James Rempe coming in second place ---> HERE
I'll tell you one thing, C.J., we'd be seeing some new names in the winner's circle if they played two-shot/push-out. No more break mechanic/rack-rigging luck games. It would be a game of shot-making skills instead.
Here's Jim with Gene Hooker at the event, photo by Diana Hoppe.
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I like the Battle Royal idea, but what if it was picked the same way they pick the Heisman winner. Let the writers vote, maybe the APA gets a vote, the BCA gets a vote, Retired Players that you might consider "Pool Royalty", People that are recognized pool people that have opportunities to see the players on a regular basis, Scott Lee or CJ type people. Something like that.
satellites
Have satellites. Every big city has a tourney. Take top two to state tourney. Top two then go to national tourney where it would be either double or single elimination to you get the desired amount of people. As far as captains take a consensus of votes. Most votes win.
Have satellites. Every big city has a tourney. Take top two to state tourney. Top two then go to national tourney where it would be either double or single elimination to you get the desired amount of people. As far as captains take a consensus of votes. Most votes win.
Include Canada, make it team America vs Europe, get Alex. The USA needs Alex badly, you drop off the weakest link and get another player the calibre of SVB. Plus as much pool as we have seen Alex play vs SVB I think the fans would love seeing Alex and SVB playing on the same side for a change, they would make for a dynamite doubles team.
If you stick to USA only then the whole thing is becoming fairly pointless. The only way the USA would have a chance to win against team Europe would be if Matchroom picks a weaker Europe team on purpose to give the USA a chance and seriously, is that what anyone wants to see? At that point it is simply embarrassing.
Even with Alex and picking from the rest of Canada (the only other player I could see maybe making the Cup from Canada would be Klatt) I think team America would still be the underdog, but at least they would have a fighting chance.
SVB
Alex
Klatt
Deuel
Bartrum
That there is a young team that I think could catch a gear and would have more fire then teams of recent years.
Bartrum could surprise people. His focus and ability to play when the pressure is on is something that the USA has clearly lacked of late. I think his desire to win might make all of his teammates shoot better and with more focus and thus his inclusion on the team would actually add more then just his own skill.
I think the above team would actually be way tougher to beat then they look on paper. Europe won't beat on the above team like they did the 2013 Team USA.
If you stick to USA only then the whole thing is becoming fairly pointless. The only way the USA would have a chance to win against team Europe would be if Matchroom picks a weaker Europe team on purpose to give the USA a chance and seriously, is that what anyone wants to see? At that point it is simply embarrassing.
Even with Alex and picking from the rest of Canada (the only other player I could see maybe making the Cup from Canada would be Klatt) I think team America would still be the underdog, but at least they would have a fighting chance.
SVB
Alex
Klatt
Deuel
Bartrum
That there is a young team that I think could catch a gear and would have more fire then teams of recent years.
Bartrum could surprise people. His focus and ability to play when the pressure is on is something that the USA has clearly lacked of late. I think his desire to win might make all of his teammates shoot better and with more focus and thus his inclusion on the team would actually add more then just his own skill.
I think the above team would actually be way tougher to beat then they look on paper. Europe won't beat on the above team like they did the 2013 Team USA.
Plus they would probably pick Archer and we know how that team would turn out. We would get Archer, Putnam, Charlie, Rodney, and SVB would be the rogue odd man out of the inner circle that they simply could not explain not adding to the team.
Even if you pick someone that is more of a rogue as the captain they would be under huge pressure to bend to the will of pro pool in the USA and put Archer on the team or else face the repercussions of the players associations, ect... And once Archer is on the team I cannot fathom he would not be putting pressure on the captain for the other choices.
Pool in America is WAY too political at this point to let captains choose.
Yeah, those two are interchangeable for sure. I am not sure who is shooting better atm but they are very close in skill.
I think Morra might shoot a little straighter but I actually think Klatt has more of a pressure game and would handle the Mosconi Cup better. I could see Morra maybe cracking under the lights, I am not sure I can see Klatt cracking, he seems to be one of those guys that get tougher when you put him under the gun.
Let Keith tell everyone about TWO SHOT ....he likes to Roll Out
I knew Hooker and "Plowboy" from (I think) Grifften NC...or maybe Aden. Buddy Huggins was from around there too.
Yes, the 'Two Shot Shoot Out' rules are by far the greatest, it's how the game is supposed to be played. They changed them to "even out the field" to get more entries in tournaments. People say it was for "TV", but the TV people don't care what rules we play, they edit out the "fluff" anyway.
Let Keith tell everyone about TWO SHOT ....he likes to Roll Out rather than "kick" for his dough......and everyone played that way for the cash...one foul was looked down on by the serious players/gamblers.
I knew Hooker and "Plowboy" from (I think) Grifften NC...or maybe Aden. Buddy Huggins was from around there too.
Yes, the 'Two Shot Shoot Out' rules are by far the greatest, it's how the game is supposed to be played. They changed them to "even out the field" to get more entries in tournaments. People say it was for "TV", but the TV people don't care what rules we play, they edit out the "fluff" anyway.
Let Keith tell everyone about TWO SHOT ....he likes to Roll Out rather than "kick" for his dough......and everyone played that way for the cash...one foul was looked down on by the serious players/gamblers.
gee, what a CONCEPT?!?!
I wish MORE people would TRY this game before they pass judgement on it. It seems that TODAY's players are AFRAID of trying it for FEAR of realizing what a "gaffe" game one-foul is.
The guy I play with on Sundays keeps saying the SAME thing when I mention playing 2F9B. He says something to the effect that he DOESN'T like THAT GAME because then "ONLY the BETTER players will WIN"!
ISN'T THAT THE WAY THE GAME SHOULD BE PLAYED? Should games be "gaffed" in order to make the lesser player have a better chance?
Whether 2 shot push out or not rotation pool is terrible for the game. It takes away most of the variety and shot selection from the game. Yes you get more shot making in 2-shot pushout 9-ball then regular 9-ball, but you get as much shotmaking in Chinese 8-ball such as the tournament we just had and you ALSO get a massive amount more variety in shot types that are played and far more balance between shotmaking skills and knowledge.
Rotation pool suffers because it is ultimately boring, there is no secret what is being shot next, the fans are left with wondering if the player will make the shot and get shape on the next ball. In games like 8-ball, straight pool, snooker, 1-pocket and others there are options and ultimately that makes the games more interesting to watch.
Pool should be a blend of chess-like though and knowledge and shooting skill. It should balanced on making both valuable and needed to be a champ. It should not be little more then throwing darts. Rotation pool (including 2-shot push out) leans WAY too heavily towards the shotmaking and not enough towards the chess aspects of the game and pool suffered because of it.
8-ball is and has always been the game that pool "should" have pushed at the pro ranks. It is the game that the general public know and it is the game that they have a chance of accepting. Trying to fix the rules of 9-ball is a losers path, you are slightly improving a game that will still not get this sport where we want it to go.
8-ball on properly tough tables such as we saw at the Chinese event should be the future of pro pool. It WILL be the future of pro pool, whether the USA cares to come along for the ride or not.. Chinese 8-ball has come a long way in a short period of time and actually has a chance to get huge.
I agree, and the person to pick the team should be the one that posts the most on the main AZ forum that year......what could be more fair?
With this combination we will win for sure! ....or.... at least we'll do better than last year for sure.