Monday, August 31, 2009

This Week Last Week What's The Difference?

Okay, so I'm behind again. Does it really matter when it comes to posting (and discussing) 7-man paintball? Really? Sure, maybe some of you are curious. May even find it vaguely interesting in an all things tourney sorta way but how much relevance does it really have? I mean, where were you? Not at Pev's is the winning answer for at least 99% of y'all.
Even so, I will do one more post (with field layout) on this 7-man business and make the basic point I was leading up to as it has some application across the tourney board. And because I said I would.
But I don't really want to. Largely because I don't want to spend another second thinking about 7-man right now. I'm not a happy camper. I'm a frustrated, angry camper and a lousy loser and the last think I want to do is spend time in that frame of mind. I realize you need to minimize your expectations when you don't routinely play a format or even practice it so the performing poorly part is not all that unexpected. It's the not practicing, not having a set roster not really trying to be successful part that pisses me off. And, yes, there are even reasons (or an explanation at least that is completely reasonable) for that but knowing why and accepting it are two different things and it just plain galls me. The only thing worse than losing is not really trying. (And I'm rapidly becoming convinced it has an unhelpful psychological effect across the board with the players too--which is a real issue compared to my ulcers and hair loss.)

Lane's interview will get going this week though there is no firm date on when it will be posted yet.

And I will have the inside story on the workings and goals of the PSTA coming (hopefully) sometime this week. As some regulars may recall I've been somewhat skeptical-not of the PSTA's stated goals--but it's past practices so this will be an opportunity for me to get past all that too. (Of course, I am by nature suspicious of any sort of power structure 'cus it's another way for The Man to hold you down. Fight the Power! Right on, Brothers.)

Otherwise, I'll post whatever comes up. Personally I like surprises.

4 comments:

anonachris said...

Judging by the lack of comments I think it is obvious 7man really doesn't matter.

But I also think it's funny to see a correlation between people who do poorly in a format and people who also happen to talk down a format.

Of course, you're somewhat riding that middle ground, talking down the format while talking up the idea of the format (gee isn't 7man nice, blah blah).

The paintball world will be much better when we just have one league to work with for a few years (I think). Three years from now when/if the PSP has mucked things up again will be a good time to resurrect the idea/threat of the NPPL. I still think it was a completely foolish idea to attempt to re-brand a new product with the USPL. It takes a least a year for a new brand to even get some name recognition. It's almost as if the people running the show forgot that the handful of us that talk about things online are not actually representative of most paintball players.

Baca Loco said...

Anon-O-chris
Allow me to clarify. I have consistently supported a) competition, b) 7-man as a game and c) team ownership. I have also, from day one, doubted the new league, under any name, could or would succeed largely because I believed--and still do--that the teams just aren't there.

So how do you figure current poll results? ;-)

Reiner Schafer said...

"It's almost as if the people running the show forgot that the handful of us that talk about things online are not actually representative of most paintball players."

That is a problem the whole paintball industry, not just tourney leagues, has had for a long time. The industry is often steered by the vocal minority and then when things go awry, they go, "but that's what everybody wanted".

No that's what a few people wanted and they chose to listen to them and assumed everyone (or enough) people wanted it. It's another case of the industry being run by hobbyists rather than professioinal business people who do the necessary research before they go into business and spend lots of money.

Missy Q said...

I like 7-man, always have.
I prefer the format to the X-ball format, for many reasons. I do think it's become unfashionable though, which is unfortunate, as this is an almost entirely fashion-driven industry, due to the age of the punks that play.

However, I was looking forward to there being one format, even if it was the one I liked the least, and I do hate the way the finance continues to be split, rather than efficiently concentrated and used in a cohesive effort to expand the pie-base, or crust, or whatever.