Guest Jlall Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 I don't even see how having the USA win the gold really helps bridge in the USA. More press = more visibility = more new members = good for bridge in USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArcLight Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 >More press = more visibility = more new members = good for bridge in USA. Fair enough. But I still wonder how much that really helps bring in new players and retain current ones. I wonder how much the "press coverage" of a USA team winning an international even makes it outside of non-bridge circles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hrothgar Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 Lets ask ourselves a few questions: 1. Who do we want on our national team? Obviously you want 3 of the best pairs, although it probably shouldn't be the three BEST pairs, since you want three compatible pairs. 2. If a poll was taken on who the top 5 pairs are in the country, where would N/F fall? Would they even make the top 5? I doubt it. The top 10? OK, probably. 3. If a poll was taken to determine the top 100 players in the country, where would R/M, H/S and N/F fall respectively? ......... Wouldn't it be wonderful if the top six bridge players in American were abducted by aliens, had their brains super-charged, and now played bridge at a super-human level? Wouldn't that be COOL! In all seriousness, the America Teams trials are designed to select the strongest available team. The proof is in the pudding. Whichever teams play best in the finals go on to represent the US. Wishing that the world was different doesn't get you anywhere: Its unclear whether this secection criteria necessarily creates the best team: It might be possible to take the top three pairs from a pairs match. Alternatively, you might have the National body select team members. Personally I suspect that any selection mechanism is likely to be flawed. Appointment based systems are top down and often end up fairly corrupt. Its unclear whether scoring well in a pairs match translates to success in teams events. It certainly doesn't guaruntee any form of team "chemistry"... Personally, I suspect that the permitting sponsors strength bridge in the US, if for no other reason than we tend to draw in top talent from other parts of the world. (Zia, Rosenberg, Fred)... Also, from my limited perspective, the standard of play has improved significantly over the years. I suspect that professionalism has a lot to do with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pclayton Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 [Wouldn't it be wonderful if the top six bridge players in American were abducted by aliens, had their brains super-charged, and now played bridge at a super-human level? Wouldn't that be COOL! This actually happened! Meckstroth and Hamman were driving back from the 1997 Albuquerque Nationals and their car was sucked into a tractor beam of a spaceship. They were both implanted with an alien brain (fitted with a prototype of a Deep Finesse chip). My understanding is that Kelso Company has a splinter division that contracts with DOD on military projects, so that may have had something to do with it. Soloway was also in the car, but the aliens read the Bridge World and they were worried about the whole mess described in the article entitled "Paula", and if the chip would be compatible with someone that has undergone a sex-change. Surely you get the Weekly World News up in No Cal Richard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricK Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 In all seriousness, the America Teams trials are designed to select the strongest available team. The proof is in the pudding. Whichever teams play best in the finals go on to represent the US. Wishing that the world was different doesn't get you anywhere: Its unclear whether this secection criteria necessarily creates the best team: It might be possible to take the top three pairs from a pairs match. Alternatively, you might have the National body select team members. Personally I suspect that any selection mechanism is likely to be flawed. Appointment based systems are top down and often end up fairly corrupt. Its unclear whether scoring well in a pairs match translates to success in teams events. It certainly doesn't guaruntee any form of team "chemistry"... I do not pretend to understand the mathematics of Pairs movements so I don't know if this idea is feasible: Pairs play a game according to a pairs movement but instead of MPing the results against all the other pairs, the score is IMPed against one other pair's score, but a different pair for each hand (or one pair for each set of three hands or whatever). This way you would be ranking (or at least attempting to rank) the pairs according to how well they do in a teams match with each of the other pairs as their team mates. That might be a way to select your 3 best pairs. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jlall Posted November 16, 2005 Report Share Posted November 16, 2005 The pairs thing has been done before. It is not a good idea imo. Team spirit, comraderie, getting along etc. is very important to a team, and cannot be underestimated. 3 great pairs do not make a team. This is true in other sports as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke warm Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 good point justin... look at the pats... sure they have some great players, but they've won lately because they're a great *team* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joker_gib Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 3 great pairs do not make a team. This is so true ! When you know your teammates, you can sometimes anticipate what has been done in the other room and take right decisions. This is impossible if you don't know their style ! Alain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chamaco Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 3 great pairs do not make a team. This is so true ! When you know your teammates, you can sometimes anticipate what has been done in the other room and take right decisions. This is impossible if you don't know their style ! Alain I would say that the style issue is more or less secondary for world class pairs candidate to the World Title: at that level, I would think that, say, Meckwell would not have trouble figuring out what Greco-Hampson or Gitelman-Moss or Zia-Rosenberg would bid at the other table even if they haven't been teammates before. I would think that the main point is the "team feeling", e.g. compatibility, comradry etc etc.Avoiding competition between pairs, supporting teammates during bad periods rather than beating on them, etc etc, all that stuff, I am sure everybody knows what I mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winstonm Posted November 17, 2005 Report Share Posted November 17, 2005 Jlall: 3 great pairs do not make a team. This is true in other sports as well. So true. The MIT 6-man football team did not fair well, nor did the Southeast Florida A&M 6-man baseball team. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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