Friday, May 24, 2013

Not In The Paintball News

NPPL 4.0's NE Open is less than two weeks away with registration closing in a week and according to the team list available on the registration page the team count remains 43 (the total from last week) with only 9 pro teams and 3 D2 teams listed. Either the league is intentionally under-reporting the numbers so that a still modest turnout (sixty-ish?) looks like a success in comparison or they really have their work cut out for them. The event layout remains 180 feet long for the second event in a row despite the league officially reducing field length to 170 prior to the start of the season. (Or are we just supposed to forget about that too? You know, like the Hawaii non-event.) And I will be curious to see if Walker plays--he is a member of CP Raiders--or if that will deemed inappropriate.

The MS Bitburg event began play today and their webcast can be seen on Livestream via a link at the Millennium website. And, no, I'm not gonna give you the link, you lazy slackers. If you really want to see it you can spend the extra 30 seconds to make it happen. The camera set-up remains similar to the Med Open (or last week's CPS webcast) with good angles and views on the snake wire but nothing on the dorito wire which leaves you at the mercy of the commentators--who frequently seemed as lost as the hopeful viewer--at least during the period I was watching earlier today. All of today's scores can be found at pblivescores.com--which also has a link available on the MS home page. Both Impact and Infamous had strong outings today that should see them through to Sunday.

If you're too lazy to go to the MS homepage for the webcast link or scores you might want to reconsider given the Millennium has been promising that their season ender (Euro WC) will take place "at the best venue ever used for paintball." I won't spoil the surprise but I gotta say it came as a major surprise when I saw what they have in mind. Will it be the best venue ever? I'll let y'all decide.

And finally, stepping outside VFTD's usual area of interest I can't pass up on the amusing irony on display during and after Living Legends 6, the annual (6 times and counting) scenario game held at CPX paintball park in Joliet IL and recent home of both NPPL & PSP events. Despite (apparent) efforts by media sponsors to keep the most aggrieved commenters off their sites the game itself (apparently) featured excessive bonus-balling and (gasp) cheating and borderline unsafe playing conditions on Sunday plus that special brand of low rent debauchery CPX is becoming well known for--a bikini contest judged by what were (apparently) this year's "legends" that devolved into a 'Girls Gone Wild' affair. All I can say is thank you. Next time somebody decries the state of paintball I will agree and say, "It's those damned scenario players, no integrity, no respect but what are you gonna do?"

9 comments:

Nick Brockdorff said...

Speaking of the MS webcast:

I'm interested in hearing how (or if) people perceive the (a) difference in playing style?

- and going off the debate a little further down, on how to make PSP less boring to watch, what (if anything), can succesfully implemented in the PSP?

Baca Loco said...

I don't know, Nick, I've watched about a dozen CPL matches from Bitburg and for the most part everyone is playing the same spots (as PSP MAO), working for the same angles and same shots. Mostly what I've seen is more guys getting shot out of their bunkers easier and multiple body pulls on penalties leaving wires open. That and the occasionally ill-conceived move into the middle of the field that fails to make an advantage--despite the enormous 3-D M.

dan. said...

NPPL 4.0 - 43 teams and time is ticking down. America always seems to go for the underdogs, we cheer for the bull instead of the Matador for example. OR that famous photo of President Truman holding the paper of Dewey defeats Truman - Truman was a terrible underdog and the general feeling of Americans was that, hey i got to give that guy at least one vote - and holy cow, Truman won because everyone felt that way.

Sorry, I know those are mismatched metaphors, but with NPPL, it's just, i don't know, you can only pull for the underdog for so long i guess. Thoughts?

Pete said...

Well, Truman wasn't as much of an underdog as you were led to believe. Inaccurate polling of the population instead of likely voters, and even a more representative sample among democrats and republicans, when applied in retrospect, show the outcome fairly easily. Oh, you meant thoughts on the NPPL being rooted for?

Baca Loco said...

dan
I don't think the NPPL, in any of its various incarnations, needs to be rooted for or against. I have always, in principle, favored two leagues from the players' perspective. Nor was the NPPL always the underdog--they brought all that on themselves. My objections have never been about its existence, just the incompetence and poor priorities of the assorted operators.

Old in 402 said...

If you want excitement then eliminate sideline coaching. That is one aspect of the NPPL game that is still so dynamic and fun to watch. It's so sweet to see someone tear open a wire because people were looking the other way.Everytime there is merger talk at the end of the year I always am curious as to how the format might change. In a perfect world PSP would simply keep their format but eliminate sideline coaching.

Mark said...

I will have faith you that if a link existed of LL6's bikini contest debauchery you would no doubt have provided one, yes?

Baca Loco said...

402
Tell me how to ban sideline coaching and still allow for spectators yelling and shouting and I might agree with you.

Mark
I've heard there is some unadulterated footage of the event out there but you know how lazy I am when it comes to posting links. ;)

Anonymous said...

A couple of my buddies went to CPX, here is what they had to say: "Final battle was very dangerous. They had to stop play like 5 times so that downed players didn't get injured any worse than getting hit 25 time simultaniously. There was at least one kid who lost their mask in whithering fire. Yikes."