Mr. Curious Is Back

From his holiday vacationing. The lucky bastard. It's his world and we're just living in it. Anyway, as you should know by now a Mr. C sighting means another round of rumorology. And he did not disappoint--though he came a little short on details. (Beggars. Choosers. His world. What are you gonna do?)
Rumor has it KEE will not be sponsoring the NPPL this coming season and that a formal (or informal?) announcement will be forthcoming soon.
I know, there's been talk about that possibility for some time and this doesn't really add a whole lot but if true we should find out before long just what it will mean in fact and practice.

It's Official!

Below is the joint statement issued by the PSP & NPPL in the wake of a final effort to bring the merger to fruition. If VFTD was a paintball news site (or beholden to industry support and advertising) that's the way I'd leave it too. But VFTD isn't so ... it looks like CYA to me. "Remain committed and optimistic .." Yeah, right.
Here's the (rumored) dealio. Some time in the last day (or two?) a final ditch effort was made to see if a deal could be reached. As is clear in the statement it didn't work out. After the (apparent) debacle in Vegas--hey, that's the way that effort is rumored (there's that word again) to have gone--VFTD wants to know what really happened. The truth may never get out but--here's a prediction--the first stories are likely to be just that, stories. Who initiated this last ditch effort? Why? What did it amount to? So many questions. So few answers. So far.
_____________________________________________

Subject: PSP & NPPL joint Press Release

Dear Industry Members, Teams, Players and Supporters,

In June of this year, the PSP management and the NPPL management met in Las Vegas for a meeting to construct the framework for a merged or newly combined entity to host one paintball tournament event series for 2012 and beyond. Both the PSP and the NPPL supported by the majority of the industry felt that given the past erosion of our industry and the current economic uncertainty, that one league hosting a series of events would be the best thing for everyone involved. After additional meetings in New Jersey, Orlando and Las Vegas combined with countless phone conferences and email correspondence, we were unable to come to an agreement that satisfied both parties. Given the time that is left in the calendar year and the quickly approaching 2012 tournament season, we have exhausted the time to negotiate further.

The PSP & NPPL staff fully recognizes the benefits of a combined league for 2012 and with the most genuine of intentions, deployed all assets and made every effort to make one league a reality for the paintball community. We believe the PSP & NPPL organizations pursued the negotiations with the same intentions and shared our desire to be successful. The PSP & NPPL both recognize the termination of negotiations as a temporary setback but remain committed and optimistic to merging for one league in the future. We want to thank the staff of both the PSP & NPPL and sincerely appreciate the efforts they made to consummate a combined entity.
Regards,

The PSP & NPPL Management

Silly Season

Is in full force and doesn't show any signs of letting up. From here on out all bets are off. I'ma repeat about a third of what I'm hearing and I'm not even gonna worry about it's accuracy. If you don't want unvetted rumors--stop reading them. At this point I'm quite certain most of the rumor makers and powers that be in paintball don't know what's happening either so we're all in good company. Yes of course peeps have plans and everyone is trying to make moves but everything is so unsettled right now yesterday's rumor is today's deal is tomorrow's never gonna happen. Sit back, put your feet up and enjoy--but don't put any stock in any of this nonsense. (Unless I tell you otherwise.)
(Btw, I am working on World Cup Practice, part 4 and will post it soon-ish.)
The on again off again major league merger is definitely off. (Until it isn't.) As of right this minute it appears that both leagues will go about their regular bidness. Could that change? Sure, when pigs fly and NASA discovers those moon rocks they collected are petrified cream cheese. Never say never but it looks like a real long shot right now.
And again I gotta ask--since nobody has come up with a good answer yet--why so many players seem to think the merger has any real meaning for them or competitive paintball generally? If you read the rubbish being posted most of the hysterical merger mania seems to be convinced that a merger would usher in a new golden era of tournament paintball and in no time at all the President (or at least Beyonce) would be singing the national anthem before a championship final being broadcast live to billions of instant fans. Seriously, what possesses people to believe that sort of nonsense?
Back to the merger. The real issue (assuming the merger stays off the table) is how the sponsors respond, if they do, or if everything remains bidness as usual. Yes, I've said this before and it remains true today. And as before there's no telling--yet. Rumor has it the industry players generally know where they stand and what their intentions are but everyone is watching everyone else to see who, if anyone, is gonna break ranks first. And if that happens all bets are off. Again.
Okay, now about Procaps. Remember the whole Smarts Parts rigamarole? The on again off again, it's sold, it's not routine that went on for some time? (Months.) Well, it's looking like that may prove to be the case with Procaps. Reports of the sale were premature and it seems three paintball companies put in bids with GI's being the highest in total but not in cash. (According to the latest.) The three companies are the same ones as has been previously rumored; GI, KEE & Tippmann. (Yep, that Tippmann.) It may be knowledge of being the top bidder is what set off the premature rejoicing at GI--but at any rate it's all rumored now to be moot--as the bank (the ever ubiquitous "bank") has rejected all the bids. If so it's back to the drawing board for everybody. Sure, why not?
A potentially important related issue for competitive paintball teams and players is how the sale, non-sale & whoever ends up with Procaps, if it's a paintball company, affects sponsorship deals for next season. In recent years the process has lagged, with the industry dragging its metaphoric feet, and with the whole Procaps thing up in the air there's no telling how it might impact sponsorships.
With respect to the latest RL rumors there's conflicting claims. Middle or so of last season the rumor started floating that Sergey Leontiev (owner of RL) was backing off his prior commitments to the team and that was part of the internal issues going on there that resulted in the poor showing in Jersey, the rumored retirements (I mentioned last time) etc. If that was true to begin with, it is now being rumored that whatever the problems were they've been settled and Sergey (and his money) are back in full force. As to the make-up of next season's roster there's conflicting stories about the U.S. players--did they quit first?--and the apparent factoids that the Russians have been looking at some other non-Russian players recently. It wouldn't surprise me if they ended up with an all Russian roster but it also wouldn't surprise me if they didn't.
Finally there's some deep chatter, way deep chatter, about the NPPL making some substantial changes to their format. It may be something that's under discussion but frankly I don't put much, if any, stock in it at present. If I hear more about it and it sounds at any point like it might really happen I'll get into it in more detail--but for the time being it's just a seriously outlandish rumor. (Even for me--and even unvetted.)

Outer Limits of Rumorology

Or as our Brit friends would write (assuming basic literacy, which is, more and more, a dangerous assumption given the factoid literacy rates in the Western world have declined in recent decades despite [or because of?] the gold star mentality of what passes for educators these days) 'Outer Limits of Rumourology'. As VFTD regulars know I have a penchant for beating a dead horse or am otherwise unable to leave well enough alone so here's one last--for now--post with rumors; about rumors. It is the paintball silly season after all.
The kids over at ProPaintball recently posted their latest player and team rumors and one of them included a reference to TBD. Rumor suggests the Legion will be returning to an all Russian roster next year and that leaves their American players without a team. And further that TBD (among others) is talking to J-Rab about joining Damage. To forestall a spate of J-Rab questions I'll tell y'all what I know. The team has been talking to Justin informally off and on ever since he played 7-man with us a couple years ago. And the subject has been discussed internally so as far as it goes the rumor is correct. On the subject of the Russian Legion generally there's been another rumor floating around since at least New Jersey PSP that has two of the Legion's home grown regulars retiring--at least from PSP competition. If that (and the Federov rumor) proves to be correct it could be a very different Russian Legion next year.
Hold the presses! One of the earliest rumored players in the Procaps sweepstakes is once again rumored to be back in the mix. Hint: it's a paintball company, d'oh! (That at present doesn't have paint-making capability.) I first heard this rumor during the holiday weekend and have as yet not been able to get additional sources to confirm. I'm mentioning it now because if accurate it makes the Procaps Sold post premature at best and wrong at worst. I find it hard to credit but who knows? (Of course it could be the GI Kidz jumped the gun and what was claimed to be a done deal was in fact the beginning of what was expected to be a done deal. And, yes, that means more than one of my sources for that rumor came from within. And I've since heard the GI brass attempted to put the fear of God or unemployment in their employees to keep their mouths shut in the future.) With the original GI buys Procaps rumor the initial source was a regular, and to-date impeccable source that was later confirmed by two other independent sources. (I even got a price--but decided to stay away from that.) The latest hasn't seemed to be as well sourced but ... hey, this is paintball so almost anything is possible I suppose. Regardless Procaps is still on the block.
And last and certainly least is not so much a rumor as a, oh I don't know, hopeful wannabe rumor? Btw, this is about the Millennium Series, sorta. In the past I've heard rumors about the licensing fees and entries suggesting that all teams aren't charged equally (This is news?)--and that plenty of people know it--but nobody will talk about it, particularly those gaining an advantage if it's true. But that isn't the latest. In fact that's old (old) news. The latest (also really a recycled rumor too) wannabe rumor is that the MS also cuts deals on sponsorships with industry partners--at least with certain industry sponsors. (Of course if you'd seen the sponsorship packet they put out each year and the prices you'd be amazed that anybody paid those prices.) This isn't really a rumor, it's an unsubstantiated complaint. And like the licensing business what it's really all about is that whatever group of participants are unsatisfied with the MS want somebody else to change things for them. So pretty much big time Europaintball as usual. So why did I mention this particular wannabe rumor? Because if there's any fire generating these puffs of smoke this is somebody's opportunity to make a real case. Or not. And if not, it remains bidness as usual--and after last year in the MS maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.

The Rumor Game

Before I get started it occurs to me that perhaps it's worthwhile to be transparent on any association I presently have with GI Sportz. I know and like a number of the staff. My team is sponsored by GI Sportz and I hope that relationship continues but I'm out of that loop (though I am from time to time consulted for my opinion.) There was also the briefest of conversations about an opportunity that might come my way (all I'm going to say)--and I hope this situation hasn't nixed that possibility. That's it.

In recalling the JT brouhaha--December '09--a whole bunch of great posts & comments--(and a few irate and threatening phone calls)--I remembered putting up a post called Rumorology, The Unseen Game (or something to that effect) and would like to take a moment, once again, to comment on rumors in a general way. The intent at VFTD is to the best of my ability post only rumors I believe are accurate. I am not concerned if they are inconvenient or anything else as long as they're accurate. Have all of VFTD's rumors been 100% correct? No, but when they haven't been absolutely factually correct they have almost always been close.
The reason I focus on accuracy isn't because I like to be right--although I do--it's because there are potentially other less than positive ramifications from rumors sometimes. Fallout if you will. And I have no wish to cause any "fallout" needlessly. At which point you and I may disagree about the definition of 'needless' but that's beside the point. Nor is VFTD some sort of paintball crusader who thinks the little guy has a "right to know" and that posting rumors is some sort of public service. (Although sometimes the little guy does have a right to know and there are damn few reliable outlets in those cases.)

About fallout. Imagine a competitor gets wind of a situation, a buy out, a move, a failed contract negotiation with a supplier or any other number of things that might be spun as a problem for a third party. What will happen to your deals with the XYZ widget company if the ABC widget company buys them? Any uncertainty may become somebody else's opportunity. The same circumstances exist any time a company is in the midst of any kind of significant change. It happens all the time on Wall Street and the stock market can climb or falter, shifting millions or billions of dollars, on the flimsiest of rumors. To one extent or another the same is potentially true in the world of paintball. The need exists to control such situations and manage the change with as few hiccups as possible.

A Reply From GI

The plot thickens. I have received both emails and phone calls direct to my secret bunker--somebody leaked the information--and in response I am happy to post, as a courtesy & with permission, the contents of one of the emails. The sender is Opie Thomas, who is a big muckety-muck at GI and who I have known for a number of years on a friendly basis. As have most if not all of the PB industry and many others involved in the game. I have no intention of challenging his statement. What I have done is follow up with my sources and after having done so decided not to remove the original post or issue a retraction. What I will do is leave it up to y'all to make up your own minds--such as they are.

Paul,
This is Opie from Gi Sportz. I am writing to let you know that as of right now GI Sportz has not purchased Procaps. Unless you see a Press Release from us stating so, the rumors are not fact.
Thanks,

Opie
David 'Opie' Thomas

Procaps Sold!

After hitting a detour at Moose Jaw and taking a wrong turn at Medicine Hat Mr. Curious hitched a ride to Saskatoon where he was able to hire a dog sled for the remainder of his journey in the Great White North. When news of Procaps financial distress finally became public recently Mr. C was already on the hunt and re-doubled his efforts to nail this story down. Rumors have been swirling like an icy wind that a couple of paintball concerns were potentially interested in buying the company and VFTD received the news by carrier pigeon from Mr. Curious mere moments ago. In a wickedly entertaining twist of the fates it seems that Richmond Italia (GI Sportz) is the new owner in a move that reunites Mr. Italia (and a number of his staff) with the company he originally founded more than a decade ago. Reports are the deal was inked yesterday. No word on when an official announcement will be forthcoming.

UPDATE: It seems the folks at Procaps are playing dumb (or outright denying) the done deal but VFTD has confirmed the sale from a number of sources.

Update from the Canuckistan Wilderness

Mr. Curious says it appears the Great White North Paint Co. will not be filing Chapter 11 but instead has a buyer prepared to step in and take over. No word yet on who the buyer is or exactly what the time table for the buy out will be.