My Journey to the Mosconi Cup!

I have been going to Vegas (my favorite city) every year for 22 years straight.  Sometimes more than once a year!

I have never driven to Vegas, though.  Never really had the time (had to be there at a certain time to play in the BCAPL Nationals) or the trip didn't coincide with being able to take enough time off to play in Vegas AND drive.

Well, this year, for the Mosconi Cup, everything fell into place for me to drive to Vegas for the first time ever!

Usually the Mosconi Cup falls on a weekend, well this year the dates were December 2-5, A Monday through Thursday.  And with Thanksgiving the week before, I already had that date off.  So, the dates and weekends just fell into place for a longer-than-normal trip.

So, my b/f suggested we drive.

Really?

"Sure.  Have you seen the Grand Canyon?"

"Um no," I say with a little sparkle in my eye.

"Well, then we have to drive!  And I'll show you some other cool places, too!"

And the plan was set!  :)

I have to say it was the best road trip ever!  Sure, Vegas was fun and the Mosconi Cup is always a treat, but to drive and see all these cool places I had never been was THE BEST.

Here is my trip in pictures and words:

Day One (Wednesday, Nov 27th):

Drove from Dallas to Amarillo where we ate at the famous steak place, The Big Texan.  Home of the 27 ounce steak.  We were not impressed AT ALL with the steak we tried.  :(  But, I HAD to eat there - it's famous!

Then drove to Albuquerque.

Day Two:

Drove to Lake Powell in Page, Arizona.  OMG that lake is BEAUTIFUL!  And we made a little fire by the lake!

Day Three:

Next day we drove to the Grand Canyon.  when they say you have to see it in person to appreciate it, they ain't lying!  These pics do NOT do it justice.  It was SO cool though because there was snow on the ground, too!

We also made a camp fire there in the campgrounds and even cooked steaks and had a really sweet dinner of beans, steaks and a salad.  Of course, it was in the 20s and we were COLD!  Our steaks had to be reheated b/c they kept cooling off, lol.

Day Four (Saturday, Nov 30th):

Drove to Lake Havasu, Arizona, in Lake Havasu City.

WOW!  It was in the low 70s and we got to walk around easier to see the water, sights, and amazing small city with breathtaking views!

This is also where we played in a little tourney that Sat night. and then later that week heard they looked me up, lol.

Day Five: (Sunday) Drove to Vegas, Baby!

We visited all the pool rooms in Vegas that most everyone frequents:  Pool Sharks, Best Billiards, and the Cue Club.  Mosconi Cup started Monday, so we walked the strip and did a little gambling before settling in.

Days Six- Eight:   Mosconi Cup.

USA didn't fair too well and lost to the Europeans by Day 3 (even tho there is 4 days slated for the tourney) FROWN.  However, it's still an awesome event to witness in person and I dare say a Bucket List item for pool players for sure!

Here are some pics from the event:

Fans getting autographs from the USA players during commercial break, and Jeanette Lee saying hi to Buddy Hall and Nick Varner.

 

 And me, drinking a Mai Tai during my breakfast at the Venetian. Hey, it's Vegas!!

Day Nine:

Drove to Tuscan, Arizona for some pool and spent the night there.

Day Ten:  

Drove to Midland/Odessa, Texas.

Day Eleven (Sunday, December 8):  

Drove back to Dallas/Fort Worth.  HOWEVER - the whole metroplex and 250 miles around it was ICED over.  It took us literally 10 hours to drive from Midland to Fort Worth, normally that would be 5 hours, but we had to drive SUPER slow on all that ice.  Honestly, we shouldn't have drove at all, but it wasn't about to thaw out any time soon so we risked it.  Eeeek!

I know the pictures don't do the trip justice, but I had such a great time seeing the USA like I had never seen it before!

Maximum Coverage

Okay, "just" Maxim coverage but still, super cool to get this kind of publicity!

Maxim magazine is sought after - check out this video clip for their online mag!

The Horse Could Have Made That Shot

So, most people know that my nickname is AkaTrigger, or Trigger (click here to find out why).

If you are over a certain age, then you know that Trigger is a horse of cowboy star Roy Rogers.  If you are younger, you prolly never even heard of Roy Rogers.

When I was given the nickname, I didn't know who Roy Rogers was, lol.

So, I'm at the Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas in early December, and many of the people I know there who also came to watch the USA pros versus the European pros, know me from the AB forums as "Trigger."

So as I walk down the hallways in Vegas, people say, "Hey Trigger, how are you?" not "Hey Melinda, what's up?"

On the first day of the tourney, Mark Griffin (CEO of BCAPL and CSI) is sitting right behind me in the stands. 

One of the pro players misses a shot, and Mark says, "Even Trigger could have made that shot."

I laughed out loud and turn to look at him with amusement. 

And the guy next to him says, "Uh, you mean the horse?"

LMAO!!

Earl Strickland Interview

I really loved this interview of Earl Strickland that they showed during the Mosconi Cup!

My Favorite Mosconi Cup 2011 Shot

During the Mosconi Cup in Vegas in December, when Chris Melling and Darren Appleton were playing doubles against Rodney Morris and Shawn Putnam, I saw my favorite (and most impressive) shot of the tourney!

The score was close:  Europe up overall 4-3 against USA (in a race to 11) but this match was tied 5-5 in a race to 6!  Very, very crucial hill-hill match.

Darren broke and... almost scratched!

Although the cueball didn't fall into the pocket for a dreaded scratch, instead, it nestled BEHIND two balls near the corner and Chris Melling was left with several options:  Push Out or try to hit the 3 ball.

As SOON as Chris walked to the table, I saw him motion for a third option:  Kick Safe.

I turned to Amanda and exclaimed, "no way!"

Darren and Chris asked for a time extension and added 60 seconds to their discussion.  Chris told Darren that's what he wanted to do and Darren checked it out and presumably said, "Go for it, Chris."

The announcers thought Chris was going to try and kick at the 3 ball to make another ball near the pocket, but I saw Chris's first inclination to the shot as he motioned the Kick Safe as soon as he walked up to the table.

Check out what happened via the video below:



  
What impressed me most was he executed exactly what he envisioned in his mind.  And further - the shot came immediately to him and he had a lot of confidence to pull it off!

Press Release Back Fire - There is no I in Team

As I mentioned before the Mosconi Cup, there were several unhappy people that Charlie Williams was the team captain of the USA Team.

But then!

I shared with you that I heard during the Mosconi Cup that Charlie was the hardest working USA Team Captain they had ever seen. We all wouldn't know that, because it's behind the scenes, but that's what was told by one of the Matchroom guys.

I thought that was really nice to hear, because I know the USA Team Players felt like Charlie was a good captain, but to hear that other people recognized how hard he worked, truly reinforced it.

Further proof:  you can view a blog about the togetherness at this link (Captain's Log):  http://www.pro9.co.uk/html/article.php?sid=1816&mode=&order=0

But, imagine my surprise at the end of the Mosconi Cup when each team was asked to say a few words.  Captain Williams shocked the whole audience by saying, "...no discredit to the European team, but we really felt we got a little bit worse of the rolls sometimes."

What?  Who in the heck says something like THAT?

You can hear for yourself he got BOO'd from the crowd for saying such a thing (listen about the 7 minute mark):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8CYhxa07w&list=UUZVCbGKNydmAIqpRQxKUZsQ&index=5&feature=plpp_video.

BTW, the Europeans had nothing ill to say and ONLY complimented the USA Team.

Captain Williams (finally) complimented the European Team but then tried to remove his foot from his mouth and added "don't take it the wrong way" (about his rolls comment).  But the damage was done.

Or was it?

Barry Berhman (for whatever reason) issued his thoughts on the Mosconi Cup and they were posted on AZB as a headline.  I wondered why he would say anything at all and was quite confused about why he would comment like that anyway?  Then I got miffed when he said, "To my two time U.S. Open Champion, Darren Appleton, you played great again this year. I am very proud of you and especially for being the gentleman and class act you are."

What?  

"My U.S. Open Champion?"  Isn't the U.S. Open really a tournament for the players?  I realize you may think I'm playing schematics, but not many people with proper etiquette walk around saying a tournament is theirs.  It's the players tournament.  Sure, he's been running it for years and handles everything, but that wording is SLAP in the face (imo).

But I digress...

(sorry)

Well, evidently his comment and fan comments from forums ruffled the feathers of the USA Team and therefore the USA Members decided to issue a press release.

/sarcasm on/

Yay, a Press Release!  How smart! 
/sarcasm off/

The Press Release completely backfired.  If they intended to explain themselves, it only did more harm than good.

Read for yourself.  I'll wait right here.

Back?

Okay.

So, 9 times "I" was used by the captain in his paragraph.  There is no I in Team.  And like others who are expressing themselves on the forums, I agree it seems to be a Press Release about excuses of why the USA lost.  Maybe they were trying to use the platform as a little sounding board, as most of the team seems a little upset (except for Johnny Archer who gave a great comment).  But, where is the Public Relations person for this team?

Did not one person think about the consequences of how the Press Release was worded?  Or were they too quick to want to (try) to defend themselves?

Even Charlie Sheen fired his Public Relations person... and shouldn't have. 

I'm not knocking the Captain's preparation of the team, the togetherness, or the team camaraderie.  But I admit I am disappointed in the speech and the Press Release (from Barry, also).

But, all this gives me something to express my opinion about, huh?  lol.

We all learn from all mistakes.  Just take these things as a learning experience, guy, and things will improve in the future.  Learning isn't a bad thing!

Heat of the Battle - Mosconi Cup

On Day 2 of Mosconi Cup 2011, when Shawn Putnam and Rodney Morris were playing Scotch Doubles against Darren Appleton and Chris Melling from Europe, Rodney got visibly upset.  Being deep in the crowd, we couldn't hear what happened, what he was saying, or why he was upset.

However, being mic'd up, the entire TV audience could!  And boy, did they get an earful from Rodney.  Rodney was pissed!

Check it out for yourself:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP-p51EwWsM

The USA Captain (Charlie Williams) even went over to say something to Darren and Chris and altho I have no idea what he said to them, he must have been trying to calm everyone down.

 
While checking Facebook that night, I ran across this from Darren's FB wall:

"Here's the story as all sorts of stuff getting thrown around.. Rodney was been a little disrespectful first 4 racks of match and nonstop talking when at the table, the Europeans guys were drinking so they started to talk back at him and he eventually took the bait.. He said something to me about our fans ..I just told him you brought it all on yourself and then he offered me outside in the parking lot ..I just simply replied grow up and it all spilled over for a while.. Rodney actually thought I said something different which I didn't.. I don't know what he was saying after as I couldn't hear him maybe you guys did,, anyway later he apologized to me ..it's all heat of the battle .."

The psychological parts of handling pressure is interesting to me.  And we were lucky we were afforded the opportunity to get an explanation and to hear the different perspectives.  Emotions run high.  Things get carried away.  People see things from a different set of glasses being under the gun and upset. 

I hadn't seen the video above before reading what Darren wrote, but I thought it was nice of Darren and actually pretty cool of him to explain what happened, his version, that Rodney apologized, and he also offered the most important part:  "It's all heat of the battle."

Pretty smart thinking on Darren's part to understand why Rodney got upset (the fans and being under pressure).  I commend Darren for stepping up and explaining to the fans.  I also commend Rodney for apologizing.  Not easy to do sometimes, right?

(photos courtesy of Don Akerlow, of On The Break News magazine)

2011 Mosconi Cup TidBits

The Mosconi Cup was a lot of fun again this year. To see this event in person is awesome! I highly recommend you add this as a must-see to your Bucket List.

Altho the European team outplayed the USA Team this year, it was still an exciting event and a wonderful life experience.

It was held at the MGM in Las Vegas again, like it was in 2009 when I saw it for the first time. This year Amanda and I went and we had a blast seeing friends and watching pool in person being broadcast live on tv!

Amanda and I

Here are a few trigger-gems from the event:

• On Day 2 of this 4-day event, USA Team Member Shawn Putnam was faced with a jump shot after a safety by one of the European players. Shawn not only jumped the ball cleanly to make contact with this 3-ball, he also cut it right in the corner pocket! The crowd went crazy! Right afterwards, someone from the crowd said, "Who says white men can't jump?" lol 
• I deemed Melanie Archer (Johnny Archer's wife) Head Cheerleader. She was awesome with her signs and cheering and getting the crowd to their feet throughout the event! She is a beautiful woman with a heart of gold. And their son and daughter made the whole crowd ooh and ahh with their comments, "Go Daddy!" or "USA" in their child-voices as they shouted out when Johnny was playing in his matches.  It was absolutely adorable!

Melanie Archer

Johnny Lee Archer and LeeAnne Archer at the end of the event.

• Although Rodney Morris got quite upset during one of his matches, I noticed during his matches at the Mosconi Cup that he is actually a very funny guy! He showed his fun personality as he played each day and he would make the crowd laugh with funny facial expressions, funny comments, or fun antics. I had no idea he was quite a character!
• Ken Schuman is a friend of mine and a top-notch ref, but he can also be very blunt when it comes to reffing and ensuring people follow the rules. So, altho he might have rubbed people the wrong way in the past by being a stickler, he was VERY professional at this event and did a FANTASTIC job refereeing! His co-ref was Michaela Tabb, who is a hottie and famous all around the pool world. She was gracious to take a pic with me.

Michaela Tabb and myself.

• I have seen Shawn Putnam at another event and he mostly complained, so I was quite surprised to see him smiling and laughing and having a great time at the Mosconi Cup. I guess it does make sense to be in a great mood for this event, but I was happy to see him play well during Scotch Doubles and keep the crowd entertained.

• Mike Dechaine and Chris Melling were rookies for this event and it's quite an honor to play in a Mosconi Cup! They both played well and I was impressed with their play on Friday. Mike didn't fair too well on Saturday, but the entire U.S. team had trouble with their breaks Saturday, unfortunately. But Mike played great Friday and I could see why he was on the team this year. He did get upset on Saturday, but emotions run high in this event. Chris Melling from Europe is a fantastic player and I am honored to call him my friend. He played so beautifully. Chris lost his Mom and I told him how proud she was of him. I just know my Mom is with his Mom and they watched the event from Heaven together.

Chris Melling and I

• There was one very loud European but he was also funny as he yelled "Gooo EuuuurOOpe" deep from his belly about 1,000 times, lol. On Day 3 he wore a Santa suit from head to toe and during the first break he came to the bar and said, "Santa needs a drink, It's a long ways from the North Pole." lmao!  One of my friends told me they were impressed he hadn't got into a fight based the amount of alcohol he had consumed each day during the event, lol.

• And altho I was one of the one's who didn't like the choice for USA Captain, I was told on Sunday that he was the hardest working USA team they had ever seen. We all wouldn't know that, because it's behind the scenes, but that's what I was told by one of the Matchroom guys.

Next year we go back to Europe and then in 2013 back to the USA. Hope it's in Vegas again - maybe I'll get to see it again!   Love running into friends at this event. I had a great time!

Mosconi Cup Coming Up

My bestest girlyfriend Amanda wanted a girl weekend so we decided to head to the Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas!  We'll be leaving Thursday to watch the festivities live at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.  It's gonna be fun!

The Mosconi Cup is like the Ryder Cup of pool - USA players against European players.  I was lucky enough to attend this event in Vegas two years ago (the venue swaps from the US to Europe every year) and I had fun watching a live broadcast of a huge pool event.

The made-for-tv room with one 9-foot pool table is surrounded by bleachers full of electric devotees and the audience is pumped up with the casino oxygen (just kidding) and the energy in the room is amazing, with clapping almost every shot, emotions from the players seen at every whisper, and banners showing support for their favorite team.

Just in case the tv camera catches a glimpse of me, I've got my hair done, botoxed my crows feet, tanned my bod, and my nails are finished (oh, who I am kidding - I do this before EVERY trip to Vegas, lol).  The only thing I didn't accomplish is the 5 pounds I wanted to lose, but since I'm going to stuff my face at my favorite buffets anyway, it would have been pointless, lmao.  Trust me, when it comes to good food, I savor it with all my might and take advantage (because life is short and to be enjoyed).  Good food, good friends, good times! 

This year, there is a lot of talk on the forums about the USA Captain.  While there are 5 players, there is also a non-playing captain.  The forums are lit up right now with their dislike and shock who was picked.  Not because of his talent, but more so they feel there are better suited captains, mostly because of the character of the newly-appointed Captain.

When I attended in 2009, Nick Varner captained the winning USA team!  It was awesome.  Dennis Hatch was voted in and easily became the most enthusiastic player, played with more heart than I've ever seen, and easily won MVP.  Too bad he wasn't chosen as Captain, or Nick Varner again.

Instead, the new Captain is currently playing in a World Mixed Doubles tournament in China (this week) - as he represents Korea.  Huh?

I personally think that his ties to his business got him voted in (which isn't politically correct, but that's politics, right?).   And that's just my opinion, btw.

Granted, I'm going to cheer on USA because I'm from the USA.  The team is FULL of talent and rock solid.  And I believe can win without a Captain --> Johnny Archer, Shane Van Boeing, Mike Dechaine, Rodney Morris, and Shawn Putnam can get the job done!

I can only imagine that if pool were as big as basketball / golf /football, that this new Captain would be addressing all the concerns being brought up about him, and possibly step down from "Captain."

But I'm goig to cheer on the USA!  USA!  USA!

Stars in Vegas

So, Vegas isn't really Vegas unless you run into someone famous. Right? While at the Mosconi Cup, Cristina and I decided one night to venture from the MGM to have dinner at the Bellagio where the World Poker Tour were holding some poker satellite tournaments. Kevin, Wes and Holly joined, also.

As we stood at the Fountain Bar in the Bellagio waiting for our reservation time of 7pm at The Fix, we saw Chris Ferguson aka "Jesus" (if you don't know poker, you don't know who I am talking about) in the satellite room. I tried to take capture a shot of him playing poker, but he was too far away and I didn't want to use my flash and feel like a stalker! Plus, all these guys were playing poker and that would have been rude (lol!). Check out how close, but how far the poker players were:

You can't really tell - but Jesus is standing in this photo (he has long hair and is wearing a hat).

As we are drinking our drinks, Wes gets a little excited and points to the poker room saying, "Hey, there's Scotty Nguyen." We peek through the window of the bar and see him seated almost as far as Jesus. Again, if you don't know poker, you don't know who Scotty is, but he is a World Poker Tour Champion and he is know for always saying "yeah baby."

Wes is still animated about Scotty and he finally tells me that last year for Halloween he dressed up as Scotty Nguyen! How ironic that the guy he dressed up as is in the next room!

Well, low and behold, Mr. Scotty Nguyen starts to head OUT of the satellite room. I, being the person who I am (not shy at all and will interrupt almost anyone), stopped him as he stepped out of the room and I rambled, "Hey, Scotty! This guy dressed up as you for Halloween" as I pointed toward Wes. Scotty's reply was "yeah baby" (seriously!). I grabbed my camera and asked if I could get a pic of him and Wes and he nodded.

Here is Scotty and Wes

Then Holy, Cristina and I nuzzled in and we got a pic, too!

Scotty was awesome about the photos and said, "yeah baby" a few more times as he walked off into the Bellagio. Wes immediately texted his friends about meeting Scotty and getting a pic with him. Then he pulled up on his phone his Halloween photo as Scotty.

For the rest of the evening I would lean over to Wes and say, "hey, look at this," and show him the photo of him and Scotty! He would have the biggest smile on his face! It was awesome!

Oh yeah, baby - dinner! The Fix was a great steak place - here we all are at dinner:

Me, Cristina, Kevin, Wes and Holly

Eat Your Heart Out Marop

Justin hilariously wrote about Bill Maropulos (who I call Marop) and his VIP Passes. Well, I had a Matchroom Sport VIP Pass for the Mosconi Cup! Eat your heart out, Marop!

Justin cusses in his blogs, so I snipped out the part just about the VIP Passes for you here from his long blog entry (get ready to laugh!):

Galveston Big Tourney:

Friday finds me back in the bleachers with my main sweating buddy at this event Bill "If you don't play 14.1 you can kiss my a$$" Maropolis. Somehow the topic of total spectator capacity came up and we figured it to be about 1800 give or take. Then Bill went on to compare the events VIP spectator amenities to other events. You see Bill is the Efren Reyes of pool spectating. Its not even close. The rest of the world gets 9-7. Bill has a collection of VIP passes going back to the 70's. He has been to more events than Simonis 860. So he knows what a good VIP seating arrangement is supposed to be like.

He begins to pontificate on the situation: "Well the bleachers are pretty high to start with but the biggest problem is I don't have a table. How can it be VIP without a table? Where am I supposed to eat my chicken strips? Where am I supposed to set my Taco Bell?" all very valid and hilarious points. He then mentions that he feels a little silly for firing $200 at the "PLATINUM VIP SEATING BADGE" when there is often no one even looking at the passes to begin with. I agree with him that this would cause me some annoyance would I too have donked off a similar two bills. I joke that he was probably the only guy who sprung for the entire event PLATINUM VIP SEATING BADGE. I joked that he probably had number 001 on his badge. We laughed and then he said through the chuckles "You know what....when I went to pick up my badge at registration I told them my name and that I was here to pick up my PLATINUM VIP SEATING BADGE and they said "Oh..so you are the one. We have been waiting for you." I literally cried laughing.

So naturally I asked Bill to see this now mythical and certainly one of its kind credential. He pulled it out (I thought heard some faint noise in the background...almost like angels singing) and showed it to me. It was beautiful in all its majesty. Then I noticed something at the bottom. It was a number. That number? 101. I told him that I bet they started the numbers at 100 like checks. Bill agreed. We both cried laughing.

Some pics of Bill and the only known Galveston World Classic PLATINUM VIP SEATING BADGE in the known universe.

Mosconi Cup - A Typical Day - in Pictures

I tried to capture for those that could not attend or did not see this on tv or on the internet, the essence of how at typical day at the Mosconi Cup would go:

This is the introduction guy who started and ended each day for the tv viewers. Sometimes he would interview the tv announcer who would be in the booth, or he would interview a player or captain.


Here is what the arena looks like from where the TV cameras are.


Here is a view of the operations - the behind the scenes that makes it all work!


Here is the Director, counting down we are soon to be back from commercial.


This is the announcer (John McDonald) who would introduce the players. He had that "intro-boxer-type" voice. He was awesome! And funny!


After the team is announced, they walk by the crowd to their seats inside the arena. Here is Darren and Thorsten walking by fans.


Here is Dennis walking in after being announced, high-fiving the crowd. The atmosphere was electric!


Here is the roaming camera-guy. He would walk around and get extra shots of the crowd. He did a fantastic job!


There were flat screen tv's on each side for the crowd. they displayed what was being shown on tv. It also helped us in the crowd - lol - the camera work was awesome and we would be able to see the tight shots, also, on the screen. It was cool! I have to admit, it was kinda weird to have a front row seat, and yet sometimes be looking up at the screens to get a better look, lol.


There were two refs - they worked their butts off! They would each take turns reffing the matches - they never reffed two matches in a row.

Here is the other ref (it was her Birthday on Friday).


Here is the score screen AND also the shot clock. The players utilized this a lot. This screen also displayed the extensions. One 30-second extension was given to each team.


Here is what would be shown to the tv viewers - which players were up next, and the past scores of the day. The graphics were very clean and friendly.

After each match, this announcer would interview the winner(s) of that match.

Here is another view of the arena.


The players lag before each match - here is Corey Deuel and Mika Immonen.


Here is another view from the stands of the production crew in the background.


John, announcing another match.


Each team stayed on a certain side of the arena - here is the European side. Ralf and his wife, Niel's g/f and Thorsten's g/f, the team captain Alex Lely, and Darren Appleton.


Here is the USA side, right after we won a game. The captain (Nick Varner) is there, along with Shane Van Boening and also Melanie Archer (Johnny's wife).


Here is another shot of the USA side - in the hate is Shane's grandfather and Nick Varner (captain) on the left. Dennis Hatch and Shane also sitting there, including Johnny's son, Johnny Lee.


The players showed a lot of emotion after they would win a game or match! It was phenomenal to see the players so hyped-up and ecstatic!


The players would also celebrate among team members. Each team member supported each other tremendously. The excitement was contagious and bled over to the crowd.


During scotch doubles, the players were able to ask questions and help each other between shots. They mostly discussed how they would set up the next shot for their teammate. It was really cool to see them discussing their options.


Here is Johnny discussing options with Shane.


Cristina Dela Garza (my roommate for this event) conducted interviews at the end of each day. Here she is interviewing Michaela Tabb.

More photos and stories to come!