Who will be Europe's 5th Mosconi player

Kaci is most deserving compared to rest. World 10 Ball champion this year while Gorst has not won anything major for past couple of years. Plus Kaci is slightly better player than Gorst. Has best mental game together with Albin in Team Europe. He is fearless unfazed when playing elite players. At this level especially in Mosconi Cup, very little separate their technical skills so the difference is their mental game. :)
Alcaide is a shocking inclusion- Gorst or He would be better choice
 
Nick B said:
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Click to expand...
That was Joni Mitchell's ode to the Peoples Park riot at Cal Berkeley in 1969. People's Park was a popular gathering place for all the hippies of that era and the powers that be hated them, so they decided to remove the park and replace it with a faculty parking lot. That didn't go over so well with the students who tore down the fences that had been erected around the park and fight with the police who were trying to evict them. The kids had the cops way outnumbered.

I know all this because I was there, hustling pool at Kip's Billiards right off campus and close to the park. I was staying in my hotel overlooking the park, stuck in there with the flu when the riot came down. I had a ringside seat from three floors up, watching it all unfold right across the street. I even heard the gunshot when Steve Rector got shot off the roof of a nearby building, after he threw rocks down on the cops. He was the only fatality that day. It was an unbelievable thing to be watching from my safe perch above, almost like watching a movie live. I described it in more detail in my book.

I ventured out late in the day after the crowd had all been dispersed with tear gas, only to find out that squads of cops in full riot gear were patroling the streets and firing gas canisters at any groups of students they saw. I was in the entranceway to Kips with a group of pool players when they shot gas into the hallway leading to the entrance. We ran back inside but the gas got in there too, and our eyes were burning for a long time afterwards. We were all afraid to go back outside. I sneaked back to my hotel after dark, being careful to avoid the cops that were still out there, and got the Hell out of there in the wee hours of the morning. Sayonara Berkeley. Crazy times!
 
Last edited:
Congrats to Kaci. any choice but him or Gorst for the fifth spot would have been hard to justify. Once again, Team USA will face a very tall order in December.
 
sjm said:
Congrats to Kaci. any choice but him or Gorst for the fifth spot would have been hard to justify. Once again, Team USA will face a very tall order in December.
Click to expand...
Like climbin' Mt. Everest in tennis shoes. It could be ugly.
 
jay helfert said:
Makes one wonder what happened to pro pool in the USA. As recently as 15-20 years ago we were the dominant force in world pool, with most of the top players coming from our shores, with a handful of Filipinos and Euros mixed in. Where have all the flowers gone, long time ago? :oops:
Click to expand...
Is too bad USA does not have a better current culture for this great, American of games.

I'm a bit surprised USA has any decent younger players (I suppose the argument could be made that we don't) at all given the scarcity of options. There is no pool in high schools and middle schools. No academies. The number of pool rooms is steadily diminishing and few of them are kid friendly to begin with.

I think high school billiards teams would be great for the sport and participants. How great would it be if every high school had a four table (full size) room ala Lindenwood University and competed against other local high schools, hosted tournaments, etc.

How are youth players in this country developing, tables at home? I can't see any other way.
 
mattydrva said:
Is too bad USA does not have a better current culture for this great, American of games.

I'm a bit surprised USA has any decent younger players (I suppose the argument could be made that we don't) at all given the scarcity of options. There is no pool in high schools and middle schools. No academies. The number of pool rooms is steadily diminishing and few of them are kid friendly to begin with.

I think high school billiards teams would be great for the sport and participants. How great would it be if every high school had a four table (full size) room ala Lindenwood University and competed against other local high schools, hosted tournaments, etc.

How are youth players in this country developing, tables at home? I can't see any other way.
Click to expand...
It's not for lack of trying. I offered to start a HS billiards team at the local HS in Geneva, IL. Spoke with the Athletic director and offered to pay all costs, including 2 pool tables, all cues, balls, chalk and uniforms. Would not cost the school one dime other than giving us about 500 square feet of space somewhere to practice and leave the tables unmolested. They thought about it, then said no.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top