PSP Chicago Open Recap

Really just some more mostly random thoughts. If anyone has a particular question feel free to post it in comments. I'll answer any I can but the truth is at events I tend to be a bit monomaniacal and don't pay a lot of attention to most of the stuff going on that doesn't directly involve me.
First things first, congrats to the Legion, they earned it by playing some terrific and consistent paintball. Same goes to Mike and Dan and the kids from Aftermath. (That, btw, is about the limit of my good sportsmanship as I still have a sour lump in the pit of my stomach--and, no, it wasn't the cheap booze Saturday night. That was all top shelf.) (Truth is I can deal with losing but I hate underperforming particularly when the buck stops with me.)
Okay, time to drop a few names. Trev (Trevor Pearson, the stat man's stat man) I'm thinking a mullet and a bit of scruff are the real you. Pick up some Griz and you can give up that effeminate smoking habit and learn to enjoy tobacco like a real man, between your cheek and gum. It was a real pleasure to see Lucian Blackburn working with the webcast kids and I hope they bring him back for Cup. Lu is and will always be one of my favorite people in paintball. (Sorry about Saturday, Lu, but I wasn't good company.) Also good to see Big Dave Fason. And the other Big Dave (Baines). Next time, Dave, bring a tape measure. Frankly I think it's a miracle that those spindly stalks you call legs actually hold you up.
And then there's Geoff Waterman. Or I suppose I ought to say Geoff Cutlass. I hear Geoff may soon fall victim to the siren call of the San Fernando valley's major industry. Geoff has grown a mustache and lip beard (not quite big enough to be a soul patch) that would have made Freddie Mercury green with envy and would serve him quite admirably in the porn version of 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' Last time I saw him he was mumbling (over and over) "Come here, wench, my sword needs sharpening."
I never did get the scoop on the Doritos logo on the bunkers on the Pro field but I have a feeling that was done as a promotional gimmick. Which seems crazy to me given that half the paintball companies (or so it seems) are currently being sued for trademark infringements but I'm going with my gut on this one. Either that or the PSP got permission to do it--which makes a world of sense--so why do I think they didn't?
I'm also a little curious about the scheduling what with a few divisions starting on Wednesday. It seems to have been necessary to keep all the pro and semi-pro matches on the pro field but on Wednesday the semi-pro teams didn't have the pro refs. (So I'm not real sure how playing a match or two on a different field would have been a hardship much different from having to spend an extra day at the event and playing matches with a different reffing crew.) And as there were, if I recall correctly, six fields last year and fewer teams this year I wonder why the other divisions that were started early were started early. No big conspiracy theory though I'm sure I could come up with something if you'd like one. No doubt Faction will have an explanation.
And now for something completely silly. For some time now there have been very precise rules about pro jerseys and lettering and numbers. The point (and a legit one at that) is to make individuals easily identifiable to the stat crews. Chicago was supposed to be the deadline with threats and ultimatums tossed hither and yon. No doubt you can guess the result--even if you didn't see any Pro games. Most of the teams failed to comply so by golly they really better do it by Cup or else they will have some s'plaining to do.
In closing I don't really know what to say about the webcast that wasn't. I don't know what the problems were but I'm sure everyone involved in the effort did everything in their power to make it work and it's just very unfortunate that it didn't. I'm still gonna check out a number of the matches once they become available.