The Back from the Beach Edition of Paintball Stuff

It's Monday and that means a new entry for Baca's Blog over at the Big Bullet (68 Caliber) and this week's entry is a doozy but it isn't exactly hot off the presses. It's a slightly updated version of an old magazine piece--because it's Monday and I didn't take my laptop with me to the beach and I haven't slept since Saturday night. Caught the redeye out of LAX last night and had every intention of trying to sleep (planes and sleep don't typically work for me) except for the odd little man in the middle seat of my row. I'm sure he wasn't a regular flier and was probably claustrophobic because as soon as the lights were dimmed he started talking to himself and making peculiar noises. Nor could--or would--he sit still. He sat there in the dark grunting, squeaking and fidgeting for four hours and when I politely suggested he knock it off he turned off my air nozzle. As a fan of spy movies I considered snapping his spindly neck and putting a blanket over him but the cheap bastards at USAir don't offer complimentary pillows and blankets anymore. The post is called, So You Wanna Play a Big Game? and if it doesn't ring a bell take a look.

Met DPA legionary Don Saavedra at HB this past weekend and it's always cool to put faces to names. If you've read Don's posts at PaintballAgenda --and if you haven't what's wrong with you?--you know Don has an interest in the stories and history of the game. In pursuit of that interest he's begun working on a podcast project. Long story short I made a nuisance of myself until he pretended to do a short interview with me. In the longer term it will be interesting and exciting to see--and hear--how it turns out.

Another very cool project I heard about at HB should be going live online soon and I will fill y'all in as soon as it does just in case you somehow miss the big reveal. The brains and heart behind the project are two of the most creative guys in paintball. I don't want to steal any of their thunder so I'm just teasing y'all for right now but I'm really looking forward to it. It will be a must see.

Talked to Chris (Pony) LaSoya and the rumor of his playing xball (Race to Whatever) with the semi-pro Vipers is a possibility. From our conversation it didn't seem to be a done deal but he was excited about the prospect of getting back on the field. And it will be with a Dye team. I asked him the secret to his longevity and he started talking about some guy named Paul Mitchell. I don't know who that is and I'm not gonna judge so I nodded a couple of times and backed away slowly.

I missed the enlistments last week but I'll catch up this Friday.

And, yes, I know, I didn't post Field Design: Phoenix 3 because it just wasn't ready. It's close so it'll be soon. You know where to send your complaints. I will also get around to checking out comments soon.

Finally, a quick word or two on the first USPL event. It went off without an obvious hitch. The set-up offered some innovation and far as I could tell everything worked out well. I'll do a longer report tomorrow. For the players and those who were there for the paintball I'm confident it was a solid performance. On the showcase of paintball/Huntington Beach coolness factor I think a couple of things conspired against it. The weather wasn't great. It was south of the pier. The vendors were kinda interposed between the beach goers and the fields of play. And there was a surf comp as well as a big craft gimmick going on this past weekend. From my perspective I've never seen the kinda crowds or interest from the public that existed when the event was north of the pier. Of course, I'm not convinced that Paintball Meets the Public on the scale of one Cali beach community is all that relevant right now anyway. But what do I know.