Call Me Mr. Curious

Yeah. That's right, I'm ripping off Letterman for the Mr. Curious gimmick and I'm not too proud to admit it. But he doesn't do it anymore so where's the harm? And if I hadn't told you most of you wouldn't have known--kinda like most of the tourney players out there seem oblivious to the fact that the latest incarnation of the NPPL had a grand SIX year run. OMG! What will we do? What will become of paintball?!
I'm curious about a couple of things today. I'm still clinging to the curious timing of the Pacific bankruptcy announcement--at least with respect to the Vegas meeting and the prior (and at the time ongoing) PSP/NPPL dialogue--and I'm also wondering how long it takes to actually file the necessary paperwork with the state of Cali 'cus it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
I'm also curious about the timing of the "leaked" word that some new league is in the works behind the scenes and may involve some well-known faces. I'm struggling here for the right word--but it seems almost "unprofessional." Maybe I just don't get it but at best this venture is months out and doesn't it take some of the wind out of the sails of any official future announcement? I'd want to spring this on an unsuspecting paintball world and make the biggest splash possible. Unless of course I was hoping to encourage ex-NPPL teams without a home to wait a while before deciding what to do next. Could also simply be that nobody in paintball can keep their mouth shut about anything.
And that's just the way the VFTD likes it. Here's where you jump in with the latest gossip and speculation.

Pacific Pulls Plug

Bad news: one less national paintball league.
Good news: everybody who wanted one league only got their wish. Albeit, not quite the way they had hoped for.
What inquiring minds really want to know: What's next for Pony? Is it back to the outrageous party-go-round that is Denver? Say it isn't so.

On a more sober note: there were dedicated and sincere people who worked for the NPPL over the years and made a large contribution to its successes and the pleasure those of us who competed enjoyed. Thank you all.

Being Pacific Paintball

Upfront I want to apologise for the miserable *prediction* that is the Richter or Beaufort? post. It's mostly not particularly informative. If you can make heads or tails of it (or think you can) odds are it's even more disconcerting. You are either excited or terrified. Or a little bit of both or perhaps, like me, you're thinking it's a day late and a dollar short.
This post is my attempt to make it up to you and follow-up on my threat in Last Word on Relegation to drop a dime on Pacific Paintball.

Disclaimer: all the following is nothing more than my interpretation of the factoids. (Your opinions may vary so feel free to add your comments.)

In some bizarro alternative universe (or if you're into speculative quantum mechanics, a different multiverse) I could be way off base but if I've got it wrong at least I've been consistently wrong. In the Dead Tree Archive there are 3 columns related to this topic; The 18 was published in Feb, 05 and An Inconvenient Truth in Mar, 07. Is the Honeymoon Over? was written in 07 and is among the too-dangerous-to-publish unpublished pieces listed towards the bottom of the archive. The columns will also fill in some detail the post doesn't include for those interested. (Why the Dead Tree Archive? It's all part of my grand scheme to generate massive multiple page views and boost my advertising ... er, hang on, I don't actually have any advertising. Apparently the grand scheme needs a little work.)

The trick to understanding the NPPL is to realize that paintball is a means, not an end. That was true of the Pure Promotions version of the NPPL as well. I don't mean that to necessarily imply anything negative but I do think it's had consequences. I also don't mean to suggest that you can't do one thing and have multiple reasons for doing it but, again, I think the ultimate or primary purpose will necessarily influence every decision that follows. This can be good or bad and, depending on your point of view, both at the same time.
So if a renowned international tournament series isn't focused on paintball what is it focused on? In the Pure Promotions (PP) days part of it was to show the Old Guys that the New Guys knew better and could do it better. And the largest part of that was tourney as festival. Tourney as festival was also a key to "selling" paintball and TV was seen as the medium to making it happen. And it so happens that Pacific simply picked up where PP dropped out and is also in the business of selling paintball. It's more complex than that and Pacific has more than one goal but all of them boil down to ways of selling paintball (not operating successful tournaments.) Which, if it actually brought more money and profile to competitive paintball would be hailed as a great success. (And it might even be one.)
However as a black-hearted cynic I am inclined to see the dark cloud rather than the silver lining. So what I see is a league that is fundamentally clueless in addressing paintball issues and doesn't have anyone in the organization today who is likely to succeed where others failed. Pacific expended all their capital (cash & goodwill) pacifying the pro teams while the rank and file voted with their feet and left. The question for them then is what comes next? More of the same or something different or ...?
If I were you I might be wondering about a couple of things; Who are these imaginary buyers and what's that pacifying the pro teams all about? 'TV' was shorthand for future paintball success. That has changed to 'outside sponsors' (the imaginary buyers.) Kinda like global warming has morphed into the more all-inclusive, climate change. The part that's for "sale" is the pro division competition on TV. What is on offer is the premier paintball event to connect to the wide world of all things paintball and its prime demographic, etc. The medium, and the seller, is the NPPL who can deliver all that. Or so the pitch goes. And in order to validate the pitch (prior to the first big deal) the league needs the pro teams participation. Once, if it were ever to happen, the league became the de facto face of paintball the actual participating teams matter much less.

Tomorrow the PSP. (Is that a promise or a threat? You decide.)

Channeling Sam

I've been concerned about the NPPL. For real. And now there's the whole hurricane thing thumping Houston and damaging the stadium. Thank God the parking lot is okay so far as we know.
My concern began before the current regime. It began when registrations event-to-event, year-to-year started to slip. But then Pacific Paintball stepped up and took over and everyone felt sure a corner had been turned. Pacific was backed by a large forward thinking advertising company and the word was they had a plan. A plan only a chosen few were privy to (I sure as hell wasn't included and no reason I should have been) but even so everybody said these were the guys to save paintball. With their secret plan.
So what did they do?
Took all the goodwill of positive press and being the new guys and did the same damn things that contributed to sinking the old guys; change nothing but hype it like crazy--aw--awwwwwh, turned a blind eye to (obviously) poor reffing--Awwwwwwhhhh, while insisting they do so have effective gun rules--AWWWWWHHHHHHHHH!
Find themselves hemorrhaging divisional teams and offer discounted Pro Division entries.
But they --aw--awwwwwh--Awwwwwwhhhh--AWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHH!--have a secret plan!
See the 7-man format struggling and decide the way forward is to directly compete against themselves with the XPSL.
But they--aww--awwwwwh--AWwwwwhhhh--AWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHH!--have a secret plan!
Buy a magazine to promote their vision when virtually every dead tree print publication in existence is concerned about its survival.
But they--awww--awwwwwhh--AWwwwwhhhh--AWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHH!--have a secret PLAN!
Focus on another paintball TV show (they insist the network is paying to produce) that to every appearance hasn't made one iota of difference!
But they--awww--AWwwwwhhh--AWWWWWWHHHH--AWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHH!--HAVE A SECRET PLAN! AND THEY ARE MARKETING GENIUSES!

Aw, I feel much better.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Sam Kinison check out the link. Rated:R
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P1QtBmPHGw

Divided We Fail

No, no, no. This is not about reunification. How often do I have to say it? On that front I remain an obstructionist.
It does NOT follow that reunification does anything but institutionalize the same old problems. For example, when exactly before the league split was cooperation, unity and foresight part of the program? Working for the greater good? And after the split which league stepped up to lead Paintball? Was it the guys beggaring themselves making the play for the TV cheese? Yeah, that’s what I thought. And in the meantime PBIndustry has been fast-tracking cooperative standards and practices and pressing forward where common ground exists. Oh, wait. That’s just what everybody says they want when they aren’t whimpering about the coming calamity while sitting on their hands.
This post is about the failure to cooperate where common ground exists. Or even acknowledge any common ground. Everybody wrings their hands over the present state of affairs but everybody also wants what they want and so far short-sighted ambition has prevailed over anything and everything that might be called vision.
To date swinging for the fences and aiming for walk off victory hasn’t produced any unequivocal advances much less success. So how ‘bout a longer look at a different strategy? One where PBIndustry finds whatever common ground exists and begins at that point. Sure, continue to compete but also lay a foundation that all of Paintball can build on. And yeah, I know, it’s been tried before (sorta) and part of the general chatter forever but that remains a far cry from actually doing something.
Here’s a freebie, just so it can’t be said all I do is criticize (it’s just mostly what I do)–if PBIndustry would like to get away from the status quo (and reduce the influence of the major leagues) form a competition committee for standards and practices, stand behind it, and make the leagues deal with a unified front (or thereabouts) on issues where unity is possible. Of course I realize the likelihood of certain key PBIndustry holdouts but that's okay. Taking the first steps offers an "answer" and also, incidentally, applies pressure to the holdouts. And, yes, I know about the lawsuits and animosity and all the rest of the crap that makes the course I'm suggesting about as likely as snow cones in hell but one of these days one of y'all are gonna decide enough is enough--hopefully before there's nothing left to fight over.
And just in case you're not getting it here's how it plays out, simplified. A PBIndustry supported Comp Committee doesn't need the leagues for leadership, they need the leagues for enforcement. Like checks and balances. Industry individuals can't be relied on, a lesson already learned, but if they make the rules (not game rules but standards & practices) and use the leagues to assure uniformity there is a chance to lay a useful foundation of consistency, integrity and some measure of unity. The formulation is sure to be much more complex and there has to be something in it for everyone but those are solvable problems, not road blocks.

Wild Pony Sighting

During the prelims at the recent Buffalo NPPL event Chris LaSoya let loose with a tirade from the deadbox on the Spyder field that resulted in the tent covering being ripped down while Chris expressed his unhappiness with a certain amount of high decibel invective aimed at pretty much everyone within earshot.
Now I'm not put out at all by Chris's tirade, it's cool with me. But not with the NPPL. (Unless you happen to be Chris, apparently.)
They made that abundantly clear at the Pro captain's meeting when they passed out a page entitled NPPL Rulebook Amendments (2008) that added a new suspendable offense and altered the penalty for a different infraction. The new 3-game suspension applies to any failure to place your marker in the cradle before proceeding to the deadbox. You see, in Jax a few peeps got suspensions for dropping markers onto the cradles --it was apparently ruled to be a form of throwing--so it is now a new suspendable offense. And you may have heard about a bit of sideline coaching that occurred in Jax, too, and according to the rules in force during the Jax event any team caught sideline coaching would receive an immediate 1-4-1 penalty. Thing is the offending team wasn't caught--except on video that ended up on You Tube--so the NPPL changed the penalty to a 6 game player suspension and applied the new penalty in Buffalo. For those scoring at home that would be a retroactive application of a rule that didn't exist when the offense occurred. But those videos sure did make the league look incompetent.
There are a couple of ways of looking at these changes. One, the league is learning as it goes along and acting when they see a needed amendment. Another way of looking at it is the league is not only unwilling to acknowledge its own past errors but is using its power to punish anyone who runs afoul of the league. You decide but here's one more bit of info.
Remember the Pony incident? Where does it fit in with the latest edition of the rules? Verbal Abuse maybe under 23.04? But what about the tenting? Or conceivably 21.07 under Embarrassing, Dangerous or Destructive Behavior? I can't find a specific tearing the tenting off the deadbox offense so maybe it will be added for next event. Or maybe not.
Yeah, turns out Chris is a recent high profile hire of Pacific Paintball which owns and operates the NPPL.