Worst Pool Crowd Ever!!!!
- Thread starter BallBuster
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The worst crowd is the one who never show up.
You'd expect the Filipino crowd to be a bit looser than a Tawaianese one. I for one, from what I've seen at the Wu-Alcano match, think such excitement is good for the sport.JoeyInCali said:
Granted, billiards takes lots an inhuman amount of concentration. But, like Joey says, better a genuinely excited crowd than the kind of stuff you get in the U.S., or, worse, the coreographed excitement of the WPBA.
For those who prefer pool events to be like snooker events, you're stuck in the mud! Pool is pool and even if you check the very grassroots (APA or any other weekly league in AnyTown, USA) of its tournament atmosphere in the USA you'll see the audience cheering in the sidelines on great or flubbed shots of either players on the table.
Pool's popularity here in the Philippines can be credited to the participation of the audience and the kind of excitement that these people generate. Corporate Marketing Divisions like seeing this and makes them want pool as a vehicle for the public's recognition of their products. More sponsors=more pool!
One thing I agree with though is the banning of the use of cellular phones and flash photography when a match is in progress. Before the lag and after the winning ball is sunk...ring and click away!
Pool's popularity here in the Philippines can be credited to the participation of the audience and the kind of excitement that these people generate. Corporate Marketing Divisions like seeing this and makes them want pool as a vehicle for the public's recognition of their products. More sponsors=more pool!
One thing I agree with though is the banning of the use of cellular phones and flash photography when a match is in progress. Before the lag and after the winning ball is sunk...ring and click away!
Bustamante was distracted twice and it cost him the match and his chances of winning the WPC in his home turf. i think the offending party should be stripped in front of the crowd and shot in the knees!!!
some people are just plain stupid and can't even follow the rules of etiquette. how hard can it be to turn off the ringer of your cellphone or the flash from your cameras or to stay in your seat until after a rack???
about the cheering, though, i think it's great! all the players thought so, too (well, maybe excepr earl
), especially steve davis. he enjoyed himself and the crowd liked him all the more for it!
some people are just plain stupid and can't even follow the rules of etiquette. how hard can it be to turn off the ringer of your cellphone or the flash from your cameras or to stay in your seat until after a rack???
about the cheering, though, i think it's great! all the players thought so, too (well, maybe excepr earl
), especially steve davis. he enjoyed himself and the crowd liked him all the more for it!
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arian dacongan said:
You are so right! We'll have a mardi-gras excitement for pool in the Philippines whether it be a game in a 1 table street corner joint or the World Championship! Everybody else who prefers the wake like setting for their tournaments can go have a funeral for the sport in their country.
On ball positions - The rack is supposed to be random (At least by BCA rules, don't know what rule set the used for the WPC). However I have noticed a common problem, which is whatever balls end up in the foot end pockets tend to always get racked last, as the habit most people have is to rack the balls down from the middle and top pockets in the rack first as they are on the thrown out onto the table by the player, then pull out the balls from the bottom pockets. (Assuming no ball return of course and excepting for the 1 and 9.)
This tend to lead to the balls made in the foot corner pockets being repetedly put into the 3rd (wing ball) and 4th row positions in the rack. I recally Johnny Archer complaining about the repeated identical positioning of a ball (The 2 ball again, interestingly) this to Michella Tab during a Mosconi Cup match. Her response was words to the effect that "I'm the referee and I can rack the balls where I want".
As for the crowd - Note that in many televised sports events there are production staff who specifically tell the crowd to act enthusiastically and nosily, and will prompt people off camera to do this. For example this always happens in WPBA televised games because they think it makes for a more intersting program, especially for casual viewers.
This tend to lead to the balls made in the foot corner pockets being repetedly put into the 3rd (wing ball) and 4th row positions in the rack. I recally Johnny Archer complaining about the repeated identical positioning of a ball (The 2 ball again, interestingly) this to Michella Tab during a Mosconi Cup match. Her response was words to the effect that "I'm the referee and I can rack the balls where I want".
As for the crowd - Note that in many televised sports events there are production staff who specifically tell the crowd to act enthusiastically and nosily, and will prompt people off camera to do this. For example this always happens in WPBA televised games because they think it makes for a more intersting program, especially for casual viewers.
(ironman) <Our problem in the USA is different. We have no crowd. You are lucky to have a problem.>
TAP..TAP..TAP. I believe the sport needs a shot in the arm in the form of audience partication and commentary. Ever see those televised dart tourneys with the crowd whooping it up. Hell, they can't even see the dart board hardly much likely where the darts are landing. They have to wait for the announcer to say the score. A player throws a "ton" and the crowd goes wild. The commentators not only sound excited but are excited and are not afraid to say something interesting when someone is getting ripped a new one. A lot more fun to watch than a quiet pool match that looks like its being played in a morgue. Some are as exciting as watching paint dry. Still, the cell phones and flash cameras have got to go!
TAP..TAP..TAP. I believe the sport needs a shot in the arm in the form of audience partication and commentary. Ever see those televised dart tourneys with the crowd whooping it up. Hell, they can't even see the dart board hardly much likely where the darts are landing. They have to wait for the announcer to say the score. A player throws a "ton" and the crowd goes wild. The commentators not only sound excited but are excited and are not afraid to say something interesting when someone is getting ripped a new one. A lot more fun to watch than a quiet pool match that looks like its being played in a morgue. Some are as exciting as watching paint dry. Still, the cell phones and flash cameras have got to go!
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I thought the filipino audiences were great. Very knowledgeable fans who cheered for good shots whether by a local or foreign pro. They were enthusiastic and appreciated the skills of these top players. Only problem was the use of cell phones and flash cameras. The emcee John McDonald announced that they should be turned off before each match, but still some people ignored that warning (or maybe came late).
The referees were terrific, especially Michaela and Nigel. These are two of the best in the business, and they lend professionalism to any match they work. I also felt that the commentators all did a good job. I know that I'm biased, but if I didn't feel that way, I would say nothing. Anthony handled a variety of roles in a very professional manner. He did remote set-ups that were informative and frequently quite amusing. He also handled interviews before and after matches, and always seemed to ask the right questions.
Uday was the guy who did the Opens and Closes and he never missed a beat, pronouncing all the difficult names while giving the updated scores. This guy is a PRO! He even got my name right the first time, and no one ever does. The man I worked with for four days was from England, Nick Halling, and he is a regular face on British TV sports programs. He had to leave early to do NFL Europe on Sunday.
I would venture to say he was the best co anchor I've ever worked with. He really added to the shows and always seemed to know when to talk and when to hold up. He had a real feel for pool and the players. I feel fortunate to have worked with someone so competent. It made my job that much easier. And these comments extend to the entire TV crew headed up by George Greene the Producer/Director. First class all the way, and it showed in the quality of the programs that went on the air each day. They could spot the U.S. ESPN crews the 7,8 and 9 when it comes to putting Pool on TV.
How does it compare with the drivel that the IPT puts on Versus? It's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes. The IPT/Versus goes out to a handful of viewers (maybe a few thousand people actually watch these shows). The matches are chopped to pieces and what you see is old news. The WPC goes out over ESPN Star and ESPN Asia and is seen in over 50 countries LIVE!! Total audience is in the tens of millions every day. No pool show generates these numbers except the WPC. In the Philipines alone, when Efren was playing Dennis, half of all people watching TV were watching this match. That would be a 50 rating in the U.S. Super Bowl numbers!
I am proud to have been a part of something historic for Pool in terms of television coverage.
The referees were terrific, especially Michaela and Nigel. These are two of the best in the business, and they lend professionalism to any match they work. I also felt that the commentators all did a good job. I know that I'm biased, but if I didn't feel that way, I would say nothing. Anthony handled a variety of roles in a very professional manner. He did remote set-ups that were informative and frequently quite amusing. He also handled interviews before and after matches, and always seemed to ask the right questions.
Uday was the guy who did the Opens and Closes and he never missed a beat, pronouncing all the difficult names while giving the updated scores. This guy is a PRO! He even got my name right the first time, and no one ever does. The man I worked with for four days was from England, Nick Halling, and he is a regular face on British TV sports programs. He had to leave early to do NFL Europe on Sunday.
I would venture to say he was the best co anchor I've ever worked with. He really added to the shows and always seemed to know when to talk and when to hold up. He had a real feel for pool and the players. I feel fortunate to have worked with someone so competent. It made my job that much easier. And these comments extend to the entire TV crew headed up by George Greene the Producer/Director. First class all the way, and it showed in the quality of the programs that went on the air each day. They could spot the U.S. ESPN crews the 7,8 and 9 when it comes to putting Pool on TV.
How does it compare with the drivel that the IPT puts on Versus? It's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes. The IPT/Versus goes out to a handful of viewers (maybe a few thousand people actually watch these shows). The matches are chopped to pieces and what you see is old news. The WPC goes out over ESPN Star and ESPN Asia and is seen in over 50 countries LIVE!! Total audience is in the tens of millions every day. No pool show generates these numbers except the WPC. In the Philipines alone, when Efren was playing Dennis, half of all people watching TV were watching this match. That would be a 50 rating in the U.S. Super Bowl numbers!
I am proud to have been a part of something historic for Pool in terms of television coverage.
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How does it compare with the drivel that the IPT puts on Versus? It's like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes.
You're just bitter cuz you didn't get that $100,000 a year job for IPT.
I hope to see all the matches on DVD soon. As soon as Edwin sends em my way.
I hope they have it in Manila next year again. That'll really break your heart.
You're just bitter cuz you didn't get that $100,000 a year job for IPT.
I hope to see all the matches on DVD soon. As soon as Edwin sends em my way.
I hope they have it in Manila next year again. That'll really break your heart.
I'm genuinely surprised that anyone could be down on the TV coverage. All of the guys behind the mic did a wonderful job in their own way I thought. I only wish we got to see more pool on TV captured like that and live too. We get what we want and we still complain?
The crowd, by and large, seemed pretty good. A home town crowd is always going to get a little carried away when following home players and yes, as always, some people unfortunately cheer errors by visiting players (ask American players about playing Mosconi in the UK) but that's just a minority you are never going to silence.
The cell phone people are unforgiveable, but that's a problem everywhere now - just go to the cinema and still some idiot leaves their phone on every time.
Even though the time delay made it tough for me to watch, I really thought it was a good tournament with excellent coverage and a great interactive crowd. I'm happy for it to return there. Just listen to Souquet's words as runner-up if you want a player's own view on playing in Manila.
Yes, the format could be looked at - yes the soft breaks weren't everyone's cup of tea, but we got a great pool tournament broadcast across the globe professionally and the top players competed and were paid!
Well done WPC people, Matchroom, ESPN and everyone involved in making a great tournament.
The crowd, by and large, seemed pretty good. A home town crowd is always going to get a little carried away when following home players and yes, as always, some people unfortunately cheer errors by visiting players (ask American players about playing Mosconi in the UK) but that's just a minority you are never going to silence.
The cell phone people are unforgiveable, but that's a problem everywhere now - just go to the cinema and still some idiot leaves their phone on every time.
Even though the time delay made it tough for me to watch, I really thought it was a good tournament with excellent coverage and a great interactive crowd. I'm happy for it to return there. Just listen to Souquet's words as runner-up if you want a player's own view on playing in Manila.
Yes, the format could be looked at - yes the soft breaks weren't everyone's cup of tea, but we got a great pool tournament broadcast across the globe professionally and the top players competed and were paid!
Well done WPC people, Matchroom, ESPN and everyone involved in making a great tournament.
Jay, do not forget that it has been broadcasted live on SkySports aswell, and also in the evenings for those who couldn't watch live, and now that the championship is finished they have even sent the final twice after that!
Roy Steffensen said:
Thanks Roy, My old buddy from Cardiff days was handling the feed from ESPN Star. His name is Rory Hopkins, another unsung hero, who really cares about giving quality coverage to Pool.
We need someone like him working for ESPN in the U.S.A. Unfortunately we have some unmentionable snob, who is clueless how to produce a good show. I have been watching this junk for years and rarely can sit thru one entire show. My grades for pool on ESPN: Commentating C, Camera Work C, Direction C-, Editing C. And this is after years of practice. And I'm being generous with these grades.
And now the biggest and best show in Pool and it is shown all over the world, EXCEPT in the USA. A big slap in the face to American pool fans. They should all write to ESPN and demand to see these shows, live and in their entirety. I wonder what kind of condensed version will finally air over here. Of course, if and when it airs here, everyone will know all the results. Duhhh. No wonder the ratings suck.
Snapshot9 said:
What is the difference between sinking 2 and sinking 8 or even always sinking 1 on the break?
Sprite said:
My 2 cents:
Watch the tape when Alex playe Fong Pang Chao in the 2004 World Championships - it's no different - the Taiwanese audience was just as crazed and biased AND voiced it everytime opponents screwed up. The crowd you really have no control over, although you would like to believe people are smart enough to know good behavior, especially when two people are competing for such a prize?!
I agree with the commentating - I really think they should keep it unbiased with the Brit commentators. The best man for the job in my opinion is Jim Wych, but he is Canadian. Enthusiasim and pride for your country is ok, but as a commentator, your job is to explain things for viewers AND keep it interesting. That's why Jim is the best man for the job, he plays the game and knows what hes talking about, and is a great advocate or the game no matter what country, or who wins.
As far as the flashing of cameras - well that is very rude no matter what country. And the dummy's were doing it to their own players - THAT is just ignorant!
phoebe choy said:
Jim is an excellent choice. He does a great job at the US Open and WPC. As another suggestion, how about Mark Wilson? I've always felt he doesn't get enough credit for the job he does when he commentates.
Renegade said:
Oh yeah Sid Wadell - forgot about him! He is a great guy, and a great commentator!! He definitely makes it exciting!!