Tuesday's The Monday Poll

Before you start complaining remember you get what you pay for. And what you get this week is your very own prediction poll. (Next week I'm thinking of doing a resolutions poll. Don't ask how that's going to work, I've no idea.) Anyway, the idea this time around is you get one vote, count 'em, one vote to predict next year's biggest winner. Hey, it could be there will be plenty of winners next year and/or plenty of losers but you only have one chance to identify who will walk away with the largest chunk of glory. Go ahead and whine. It is what it is. And if you don't believe you can go with "nobody."
As always vote early, vote often, encourage your friends to jump on the bandwagon.

The Goulash Thickens & Other Miscellany

Ever heard of the Centurio Series or the European Central Series? If not it doesn't matter. (They were two, mostly eastern European paintball series with vague pretensions of competing with the Millennium Series.) It doesn't matter because now they are one larger series, the European Paintball Championship's Grand Tour, still predominantly in eastern Europe, directly challenging the Millennium Series in a number of fascinating ways. It appears they will be organizing their new league(s) in a manner consistent with the Pro Circuit concept with regional conferences for divisional play and an all-inclusive season ending Grand Tour Cup event. The challenge to the MS is the EPC's announced goal of creating a pro division and competing using the xball lite format just like the MS. If the EPC can build some sponsor support and entice a few established pro teams to compete they could, in fairly short order, pose a real threat to the MS's European dominance.
I wonder what the chances are the Russian Legion competes in the new league? And is Moscow Caste selling their Millennium spot in order to switch?

I have come to the conclusion that certain elements of the PSP occasionally tell me things as a form of retribution. I should have thought of this a long time ago as it's what I would do in their place. The upshot is VFTD is unlikely to "break" any shocking big time tourney news so if you've been expecting something, anything any moment now--stop. Just knock it off. There is however mounting pressure to finalize decisions and make announcements (or should that be pronouncements?) as the unofficially not-yet-announced first event will only be six or seven weeks out at around the first of the new year. So it really won't be long now--or else.
Last order of business before finishing up Christmas shopping--my own personal annual nightmare--(What do you mean you can't think of anything you really want? But I'm supposed to know what to get you even when you're clueless? Umm, no, I can't think of anything I really want either) is to note the inclusion into the blogroll of Jason Lineberger's Strictly Scenario and Chris Remuzzi's Chronicles of Muzz. Also, VFTD welcomes Mach as the newest member of the DPA. Postulating that Mach is attending (or recently attended) Michigan State I'm typing very slowly. Hey, Mach is the El Azteca still there just off campus? Hmmm, cheese dip. Oh yeah, and look for Mach's paintblog, 'Paintball in Michigan' in the blog roll.
Robots vs. Ninjas, Part 2 will be posted later today. I give and I give and it's never enough, is it?