Topic: Looking for a Rene Pierre - le Grand, Derby or World Cup In good condition

[Alan Cribbs]

Iceman,

I will definately be in Eaubonne in May.
Working on a sponsor this year for the U.S. Bonzini Team.
Not sure if there will be a Team event however, if not, we'll still look good
And if the wet paper bag was 4 years old I'm certain I could play my way out of it.

Have you ever noticed, the players that say you cannot shoot a pull on a Bonzini are usually the players that have never touched one? Amazing, isn't it.

I pretty much checked out of the picture as a player for the past year and a half. Getting ready to get on the Gummeson diet and shed a few pounds. Hope to have a decent game for Eaubonne. Playing that goooofy little table is still alot of fun. .

Ice,
Have a great Thanksgiving


AC

[foozkillah]

Iceman, I will definately be in Eaubonne in May.
Working on a sponsor this year for the U.S. Bonzini Team.

Alan, aren't there a ton of French players competing professionally in Europe?
I was wondering if their tables OR style of play were so different that it hampered them in placing in the Worlds or World Cup vs the Austrians, Germans, and even Belgians?  Or perhaps they just kept drawing countries with strong contingents?  Just like the Miami Heat in the NBA before Dwayne Wade & Shaq .. they kept drawing Chicago and Michael Jordan in the first round ...

Have you ever noticed, the players that say you cannot shoot a pull on a Bonzini are usually the players that have never touched one? Amazing, isn't it.  AC

I played on some RP's years ago, before the rise of the snake shot.  And most players were shooting pulls and pushes to go along with the usual pullkicks (didn't see a lot of pushkicks, though, I will admit).  I think those players who said you couldn't shoot a pull on Bonzinis actually meant THEY couldn't shoot THEIR retarded version of a a pull shot.   Just show them the link to the YouTube videos showing various Rico's finals where he used a pullshot almost exclusively to win.

[gitablok]

The French do have a lot of pros, however these guys are of a different breed. Their attitude is slowly changing now that the game is becoming a global sport and seeing how the game is played on other tables and other countries. For ex., in the open singles final, Frank Mahae conceded the first game to Rico because he was down 4 to 1. It's his foos, he sets the ball on the table, lifts his goalie men and swats the ball backwards into his own goal. Are you kidding me? WTH. Does he think he can beat the planet's best player now after that display? Jim Stevens, Tom Yore, and I were dumbfounded.

You may be right, the uniqueness of the Bonzini may have hurt their global game but it's not the tables fault. It's their attitude of not wanting to play anything else that hurts them.

France has yet to produce an international star on all tables like a Billy, Rico, Rob of Great Britian, Kevin from Austria, Chris or Tim from Germany. The one guy who probably would be is the brain child of the ITSF so he doesn't have the time.

Not to be a homer but by far the Americans have the deepest talent pool albeit older. It is my belief we would have won the first World Cup had Cindy Head been there. Her performance at the multi table championships was that of legend. She is no doubt to date, America's greatest fooser, period. Imo, the Austrians the Germans and the Brits are next, after that is a toss up. Good players are starting to pop up from everywhere these days.

As far as shooting a pull on the Bonzin, Me, Tom, Rob, and Tim Ludwig were the only 4 out of 600 plus players doing so. Oh yeah, I seem to remember a blistering pushkick being shot on the table too.

[PatRyan]

 I can recall another pull shot shooter at the Bonzini worlds last year   

[foozkillah]

The French do have a lot of pros, however these guys are of a different breed. Their attitude is slowly changing now that the game is becoming a global sport and seeing how the game is played on other tables and other countries. For ex., in the open singles final, Frank Mahae conceded the first game to Rico because he was down 4 to 1. It's his foos, he sets the ball on the table, lifts his goalie men and swats the ball backwards into his own goal. Are you kidding me? WTH. Does he think he can beat the planet's best player now after that display? Jim Stevens, Tom Yore, and I were dumbfounded.

Actually, it sounds Japanese, like committing seppuku, or better known as harakiri (harakiri is the colloquialism, with seppuku being the more formal term. Samurai would use seppuku, whereas ordinary Japanese would be doing harakiri).  I sould say seppuku, comparing professional Bonzini players to professional Samurai.  Rather than giving Rico the satisfaction of winning by a crushing 5-1, Frank Mahae might have thought he saved face.  I wonder if some of Frank Mahae's Bonzini followers or students also committed the complementary act of oibara (the practice of committing seppuku at the death of one's master) and threw every match they played after Rico won.

This seems to highlight that "insular" attitude you described that the French players seem to have.  Would explain a lot.  They need their Yannick Noah to show up someday.  It has to be terrible to have a paradigm of how the game should be played, and on a proper table, and then see their national professional cadre of foosers get humiliated on their own table by a player from a Low Country.  Now that you mention it, it does sound exceedingly French.   

[aquanaut]

You must see this amazing RP table. Truly a 70's table. the condition is incredible for a vintage commercial unit.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/est/spo/936470114.html

[Alan Cribbs]

It's a early model knock-off of a RP table.
Le Grandes were all around the eastern part of NC in the early 70's.
Played OK

Looks in Great Shape

AC