So I know I suggested there would be a poll allowing all you slackers to vote for the greatest competitive player ever--but I've changed my mind. First, while I was pleased to see more than a few OGs nominated I was equally amused by the inclusion of a few well known names that shouldn't have been nominated. But c'est la vie. Second, there weren't nearly enough players nominated from nearly enough participants and it got me thinking about how the poll would probably turn out. VFTD would whittle the list down to the appropriate nominations and then add a whole slew of additional names from across the eras of woodsball, concept field and Airball (xball) for consideration--and then post the poll for y'all to vote on--if you felt like it. At the end of the voting period the votes would be tallied--and not nearly enough of you would have bothered to vote in the first place--and even so I'd probably have to vacate the popular winner for the correct answer. So I've decided to skip all the work, the waiting, the lack of participation and get right to the pointy end and simply announce VFTD's Greatest Player of All Time.* ("All Time" referring to the finite period of time from the game's genesis up to the present with the stipulation that All Time may be re-defined at some future point in time to be all inclusive of the time up to that point in time.) [Normally that would have been included in the small print but since I'm trying to save myself a little time--and effort ... well, you know.]
Before making the announcement however I would like to offer a disclaimer or two plus some of the good and the bad about this player. He's a great ambassador for the game despite the fact there have been a few well-known (shall we say) less than stellar incidents across his colorful career. I had the privilege of briefly coaching this player. He's a tremendous team player--if the team plays to the player's strengths. The majority of competitive players playing today have not seen this player at his best. He is one of only a handful of players who have competed at the top of the sport across virtually every era--and is the one unique player whose game improved as competitive paintball moved out of the woods and forward to xball (and its modern variants.) As the only player whose game transcends the history of the sport I give you VFTD's "Greatest Player of All Time": Chris Lasoya.
Before making the announcement however I would like to offer a disclaimer or two plus some of the good and the bad about this player. He's a great ambassador for the game despite the fact there have been a few well-known (shall we say) less than stellar incidents across his colorful career. I had the privilege of briefly coaching this player. He's a tremendous team player--if the team plays to the player's strengths. The majority of competitive players playing today have not seen this player at his best. He is one of only a handful of players who have competed at the top of the sport across virtually every era--and is the one unique player whose game improved as competitive paintball moved out of the woods and forward to xball (and its modern variants.) As the only player whose game transcends the history of the sport I give you VFTD's "Greatest Player of All Time": Chris Lasoya.
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And i've officially read my last post on VFTD, I bid you adieu, good night
Trying to raise the PBA viewership tisk tisk coach
Next post will be,"PBA featuring greatest player of all-time, CHRIS LASOYA...Tune in
For the record, I didn't say anything about his ability as a talking head--and have suggested the booth needs more, er, diversity. ;)
Lasoya in my opinion is / was always overrated. We talk about today's players and how many penalties they get during a match and such. He would lead that category every year now if he was playing. And to be a loved player in paintball you have to be cool to the fans, CL was always about his "Ego" and big timed people every even I attended. Not a CL fan and the booth isn't a great place for him either. Today there are many players that are much more talent and fan friendly, Nicky Cuba, Grayson Groff, Colt Roberts, Kid Arch, the list goes on and on. This column might be my last as well. Chris Lasoya isn't the greatest ever, never was and never will be. Bob Long would even be a better choice than CL, does that say anything.
I cant argue with this. I've watched Lasoya play from 10 man days in the woods up through the beginning of Infamous. Of the dozens of times I talked to him, he was always cool and fun to talk to.
Dirt mound fields in Pittsburgh, he was unstoppable. I watched him win an 8 on 1 a few games after I said to a teamate " How do you top that?" Which happened to follow him winning a 4 or 5 on 1.
You must be smoking some of Lasoyas good good..... This is a team sport. I can't believe you would pick such a selfish player. For every big move that he will never stop talking about, there are 50 times where he made a selfish/stupid move that cost his team.... Both on and off the field. You want to pick someone because they have been around a long time? At least Telford is still playing.
Lol, so many haters :D
- and none of them seem to question his playing ability...... funny isn't it? ;)
I would put him in my top 5, but not at the top though..... he wasn't versatile enough as a player for that title.... which is a big reason he struggled once we started playing 5 man.
But in 10 and 7 man, where he could float, observe and wait for his gap... he was a sight to see, and definitely the player of the arenaball 10/7 man era.
Name a player who rubbed shoulders with Bob Long in the early days, and progressed into the modern era and is still relevant to the game today as a big name?
You'd be hard pressed to find one other than Lasoya.
That said, he in no way approaches the best player of all time. Maybe transcendent. But not the best. Unfortunately(?) Lang takes that cake. I'd like to say Greenspan, but he's only ever played for Dynasty other than some euro guesting so we can't see what he'd do full time on another roster. If he could take other teams to championships maybe it would be him.
Fedoras might also lay claim here as he was taken RL to man victories and Heat to victories in a single season but unfortunAtely AC is dropping the ball. A west coast and World Cup win might put him in the top spot. However, he's not much of a leader, no insult intended.
Every player has strengths and weaknesses and everyone has an opinion. :) It's an interesting topic to argue about though. Certainly there's an argument to be made on behalf of a few other players. Ollie is certainly the superior team player in the sense he will do whatever needs doing in order to win. K-Fed has had periods whee he has been both spectacular and dominate. And there are some others.
I would have to agree with the arbitrary decision made by our host, for what it's worth.
Lasoya is easily as deserving as anyone else on the list, and more deserving than most.
All of you squids that talk shit about Chris never played against him or competed at a level worth talking about. Was Oliver a monster in the woods? Has Federov even smelt a tree in his short existence? Do either of them even know what the word crawl means? And Nick, really? He struggled in 5 man? That's probably why he played xball/race-to into his late 30's...because he struggled. Fact is he struggled as he got older and the game got faster. There is one player in the history of the sport and it's evolution that has been relevant and was a TOP player in every format this sport has seen. Chris is that/was that player.
Yes, he struggled, because his play style and mindset was best suited for the "insert" position.
And yes, I played against him in the woods, in 10 man, in 7 man and in 5 man :)
In all but 5 man, he was a superstar... but once our game got simplified and all about pushing wires 2 on 2, Chris' best qualities became less relevant.
BTW, this is related to why I am always harping on and on and on about field design... most fields we see today, and has seen throughout the "x-ball era", has stifled the creative talents of our sport, and that is a great shame..... Chris was one of the greatest examples of the creative paintball player in the history of our sport.
I've played against Chris back in his goody days on Avalanche ten man. He was an animal (cheating one too and he knows it), but still very talented. Not the best though. Still stand by what I said. Oliver has led teams to more championships, and fedorov too. Against a tougher pool of competitors.
I too have played against Chris, and you as well Nick, many eons ago I played for a "strange" team from Florida for a number of years. The game wasn't particularly "simplified" or at the very least played as such until a number of years into the experiment called xball and what ultimately became the race to format. Chris was a beast in the early years of the NXL, I know this because I was there. Granted, a matter of opinion (this whole exercise in futility)but the overwhelming point is that Chris transcended all of the formats we have seen throughout pball and was as good or better than most everyone in all of them. No one else can say that.
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