VFTD is not going to do a breakdown of this layout--at least not yet (but probably not ever as the very thought sounds like work.) Nor will I be taking the league to task for re-cycling a past layout. [Vegas '09] The fact is it's difficult to maintain a fundamental design concept--snake wire and D-wire--without some routine similarities design to design and the change in props plus the interior position changes from the original to this layout makes it different enough I think for those who care about such things. (The only way to avoid similarities would be to open the design process up to unconventional ideas.)
What this layout does do is give us some more info on what to expect from the NPPL in 2012. For example, there were rumors of the league changing field dimensions--which plainly didn't happen. It will be interesting to see how this plays into the various Race 2 options the NPPL intends to implement for 2012. As a practical matter the field dimensions and prop set will make a difference in how match play plays out on this HB layout--just as the PSP's move to extend their field did last season. The mid-field will (continue to) be difficult to ref efficiently. (Before all the fanboys start hyperventilating it's not a criticism, it's an observation.) I will also be surprised if more than 25% of the pro prelims go to points instead of time. (Consider that a prediction.) At any rate it will interesting to see how it turns out.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Paintball Awards
The kids at ProPaintball have posted--out of the blue--a "best" of 2011 list. If you missed it the post title is a link. But before I get into the subject of this post I would be remiss if I didn't thank ProPaintball for the honor bestowed on me. And I will refrain from thanking everybody I've ever known but it remains a fact that no individual succeeds in team sports alone and I am very fortunate to be part of a first class organization and surrounded by some of the best players in the world. Okay, enough of that.
While there is nothing new in doing best of lists or handing out annual awards I'm beginning to come around to their utility. You see, the thing is I've been, in the past, rather ambivalent about the whole idea of awards, player of the year, team of the year sorta thing, even All*Star players for the simple fact it often seems either political or a popularity contest that fails to acknowledge teams and players that don't have sponsor ads touting them or videos featuring them or who go out of their way to put themselves in the public eye. As a consequence I tend to view such things cynically. But it has occurred to me that such things might serve another purpose beyond simply recognizing excellence (to whatever degree of accuracy.) They might serve to help make competitive paintball more accessible.
For example, what if PBN did power rankings over the course of the season for each of the major leagues? The ranking needn't follow results alone but could include match-up results in the prelims, point margins, etc. or be voted on by members or players of the particular league. At the same time perhaps ProPaintball has the Insider's or the Expert's poll running concurrently doing much the same thing but with a limited list of voters chosen for their insider knowledge or expert opinions. Do such things change the results of matches or events? Of course not but they do create a potential for dialogue amongst fans of the different teams and leagues. And once you begin with an opinion you have to have reasons and before long people are talking about competitive paintball the way sports fans talk about other sports.
And while All*Star events have at best a checkered history there's nothing wrong and a lot right with the idea of awarding the best players All*Star recognition. Maybe mid-season each team nominates 3 or 4 players and over the rest of the year fans vote and the teams vote for the best players on their competitors' teams and at the end of the year when the series titles are handed out the individual All*Stars are acknowledged as well.
Which still leaves Top Tens, Best of's and whatever other annual awards anybody wants to assign and what better time to start drawing those up than after the final paintball has been shot in competition for the season and the off season is looming. It would be an excellent way to keep people interested and actively involved if, say, social media and networks were used interactively or to collect votes or whatever. And under those circumstances more than one batch of awards is both welcome and adds to the potential debate. It seems to me that the good outweighs any potential negatives and every handle that gives players and fans a positive, fun way to talk about competitive paintball is a plus.
While there is nothing new in doing best of lists or handing out annual awards I'm beginning to come around to their utility. You see, the thing is I've been, in the past, rather ambivalent about the whole idea of awards, player of the year, team of the year sorta thing, even All*Star players for the simple fact it often seems either political or a popularity contest that fails to acknowledge teams and players that don't have sponsor ads touting them or videos featuring them or who go out of their way to put themselves in the public eye. As a consequence I tend to view such things cynically. But it has occurred to me that such things might serve another purpose beyond simply recognizing excellence (to whatever degree of accuracy.) They might serve to help make competitive paintball more accessible.
For example, what if PBN did power rankings over the course of the season for each of the major leagues? The ranking needn't follow results alone but could include match-up results in the prelims, point margins, etc. or be voted on by members or players of the particular league. At the same time perhaps ProPaintball has the Insider's or the Expert's poll running concurrently doing much the same thing but with a limited list of voters chosen for their insider knowledge or expert opinions. Do such things change the results of matches or events? Of course not but they do create a potential for dialogue amongst fans of the different teams and leagues. And once you begin with an opinion you have to have reasons and before long people are talking about competitive paintball the way sports fans talk about other sports.
And while All*Star events have at best a checkered history there's nothing wrong and a lot right with the idea of awarding the best players All*Star recognition. Maybe mid-season each team nominates 3 or 4 players and over the rest of the year fans vote and the teams vote for the best players on their competitors' teams and at the end of the year when the series titles are handed out the individual All*Stars are acknowledged as well.
Which still leaves Top Tens, Best of's and whatever other annual awards anybody wants to assign and what better time to start drawing those up than after the final paintball has been shot in competition for the season and the off season is looming. It would be an excellent way to keep people interested and actively involved if, say, social media and networks were used interactively or to collect votes or whatever. And under those circumstances more than one batch of awards is both welcome and adds to the potential debate. It seems to me that the good outweighs any potential negatives and every handle that gives players and fans a positive, fun way to talk about competitive paintball is a plus.
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Monday Poll
This week's Monday Poll is the all-inclusive something for everyone (in competitive paintball) format poll. The poll will list all and sundry format options available this year in major league paintball and VFTD is going to allow you to choose the format you'd most like to play. Or the one you will be playing. Or would rather play over what the rest of your team decided to do this season. Whatever. But keep in mind, once again, there can be only one. One choice that is. Certain lazy slackers--who will go unnamed--ruined the dual poll concept for the rest of you by not voting in both polls last week. (And you know who you are. Nearly 20% couldn't click the old mouse twice. Oh, it's so hard. I'm tired. I didn't see it. I didn't read the post and thought I had to pick one poll or the other. There is no excuse you can come up with I haven't heard or used myself so don't bother trying.)
[Besides different field dimensions and props Millenium Race 2 also features two teams playing simultaneously taking turns on the field where PSP Race 2 does not. In addition Millenium pre-lim brackets offer 3 games while the PSP has 4. While some of the details for the NPPL's versions of Race 2 are unknown they will generally follow the Millenium option.]
Anyway. It doesn't get any simpler. One poll. One answer (per voter.) One format winner. Which one will it be? It's all up to you--and however many of your friends you can get to vote with you, you cheating bastards. So get to it already. You don't have all day. Well, actually you have a week or thereabouts but no time like the present to vote in the Monday Poll.
Monday Poll in Review
Here's how the first dual Monday Poll is gonna work. VFTD has tallied all the votes in both polls and subtracted last place votes from first place votes. The resulting sum was then compared to all other results in order to rank the teams from first to last.
But before I give the final results a couple of comments on the polls themselves--and some of the voting. The last place poll received around 18-20% fewer votes than the first place poll. No big deal with a non-scientific VFTD poll but it would'a been nice to have the numbers balance out and could have changed the finishing places for a number of the teams particularly those mid-pack. Of note was the limited number of votes Impact received although given the apparent likelihood they will not be competing in the PSP this season it's not unreasonable. Even so, since they were in the poll I think they probably merited a few more votes than they got. The same is true of the Russians, Dynasty and the Ironmen. Dynasty (18%) opened the 2011 season with 4 straight wins for goodness sake. The back half wasn't as strong but they were solid and consistent all year. And the Russians (11%) were in the finals of 3 of 4 PSP events and a mostly (if not exclusively) Legion roster won the MS as Art Chaos. What happened to fans of the 'Men? Can anybody say "fair weather?" That actually holds true for a lot of the teams where I expected their hard core fans to throw them a few votes--but as it turned out, not so much, except for the big effort on behalf of 187 who received as many "winning" votes as Dynasty and Legion combined. Clearly the new kids have a lot of home grown support. All in all what we have here is less fan support across the board than I expected and a lot more flavor of the month voting than I expected. This is not PBN people. (Hi, John!)
Finishing in last place was CEP. Tenth position went to Aftershock. Vicious finished ninth. X-Factor came in eighth. Tied in the six/seven position were Ironmen & Impact. 187 Crew came in fifth. Fourth was Infamous. The Russian Legion finished third. And Dynasty was second. (Remember, these places are the results of the voting and are not endorsed by VFTD.) Despite the last place votes from the NPPL Board of Directors (keep reading, guys!)--rumor has it they don't like VFTD very much--was it something I said?--Damage finished first in VFTD's first dual poll as most likely to win the PSP series in 2012. No pressure.
VFTD will revisit this result (if I remember) at the end of the year and compare the actual results top to bottom with the poll's results. It'll be fun. Or not.
[Besides different field dimensions and props Millenium Race 2 also features two teams playing simultaneously taking turns on the field where PSP Race 2 does not. In addition Millenium pre-lim brackets offer 3 games while the PSP has 4. While some of the details for the NPPL's versions of Race 2 are unknown they will generally follow the Millenium option.]
Anyway. It doesn't get any simpler. One poll. One answer (per voter.) One format winner. Which one will it be? It's all up to you--and however many of your friends you can get to vote with you, you cheating bastards. So get to it already. You don't have all day. Well, actually you have a week or thereabouts but no time like the present to vote in the Monday Poll.
Monday Poll in Review
Here's how the first dual Monday Poll is gonna work. VFTD has tallied all the votes in both polls and subtracted last place votes from first place votes. The resulting sum was then compared to all other results in order to rank the teams from first to last.
But before I give the final results a couple of comments on the polls themselves--and some of the voting. The last place poll received around 18-20% fewer votes than the first place poll. No big deal with a non-scientific VFTD poll but it would'a been nice to have the numbers balance out and could have changed the finishing places for a number of the teams particularly those mid-pack. Of note was the limited number of votes Impact received although given the apparent likelihood they will not be competing in the PSP this season it's not unreasonable. Even so, since they were in the poll I think they probably merited a few more votes than they got. The same is true of the Russians, Dynasty and the Ironmen. Dynasty (18%) opened the 2011 season with 4 straight wins for goodness sake. The back half wasn't as strong but they were solid and consistent all year. And the Russians (11%) were in the finals of 3 of 4 PSP events and a mostly (if not exclusively) Legion roster won the MS as Art Chaos. What happened to fans of the 'Men? Can anybody say "fair weather?" That actually holds true for a lot of the teams where I expected their hard core fans to throw them a few votes--but as it turned out, not so much, except for the big effort on behalf of 187 who received as many "winning" votes as Dynasty and Legion combined. Clearly the new kids have a lot of home grown support. All in all what we have here is less fan support across the board than I expected and a lot more flavor of the month voting than I expected. This is not PBN people. (Hi, John!)
Finishing in last place was CEP. Tenth position went to Aftershock. Vicious finished ninth. X-Factor came in eighth. Tied in the six/seven position were Ironmen & Impact. 187 Crew came in fifth. Fourth was Infamous. The Russian Legion finished third. And Dynasty was second. (Remember, these places are the results of the voting and are not endorsed by VFTD.) Despite the last place votes from the NPPL Board of Directors (keep reading, guys!)--rumor has it they don't like VFTD very much--was it something I said?--Damage finished first in VFTD's first dual poll as most likely to win the PSP series in 2012. No pressure.
VFTD will revisit this result (if I remember) at the end of the year and compare the actual results top to bottom with the poll's results. It'll be fun. Or not.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Major League War!
It's on! Sometime today, in all likelihood, the NPPL will be announcing the coup that will bring former NXL Commissioner--and current PSP Pro field supervisor--Tony Mineo over to the NPPL. It is rumored that some number of the support staff and referees (from the pro field) will also make the move. If this at first seems like a response to the PSP hiring of Tom Cole, it isn't. The NPPL seems to have convinced itself that Tom was "stolen" away from them by the PSP. Just like the PSP "stole" Camille Lemanski away from them last year. It isn't true. In either case. Tom quit. The antecedents of Tom's decision to leave the NPPL date back at least to the DC event last year. And the NPPL wasn't paying Camille her contracted salary when she left--and hadn't for some months. (Look, I don't care if everybody denies any or all of this. What else would you expect?)
This move, timing aside, was originally considered as a way to resolve reffing problems in the NPPL given that the general consensus has been for some time that the PSP's pro refs (and staff) were the best in the business. Cole's move may have precipitated the NPPL's push to make this happen right now but it isn't or wasn't a new idea. It is rumored that the NPPL has not only offered Mineo a pile of cheese but also an ownership stake (better get that in writing, Tony) and autonomy in organizing and overseeing the officiating of NPPL events. It is rumored but unsubstantiated that part of the deal was to pull as many of the PSP trained refs over as possible.
As a practical matter this is apparently a lucrative deal for those making the switch and will almost certainly improve the quality of the officiating--at least on the center court field--if enough of the PSP refs also make the move. As a business move it may or may not make sense. That will depend on what the real dollar numbers are and whether it has any impact on NPPL participation (and/or the league's reputation.) It is an effort to purchase competence in an area where the NPPL was weak. It is also certainly intended to be a PR coup as well. And lastly it must be seen as an attempt to weaken the competition.
Will it effectively change anything? Time will tell. The NPPL fields are different with some key different props. None of those making the move have any experience organizing and running the Millennium style of play. And neither Mineo or his staff developed or trained the refs initially. At this point it's a grand experiment.
The existence of two major leagues has been a sharp debate in recent years and whatever else anyone thought of either league they offered, between them, more options for the players. Those days are ending--at least with regards to these two particular leagues. Intended or not this move by the NPPL is a declaration of war and it won't be over until one or both of the current major leagues is finished. It would behoove the players and teams to think long and hard about what they want and what they hope for in a major league paintball future and decide accordingly. Except of course the paintball half life of too many making such decisions is so short they won't (and don't) know what is potentially at stake. As VFTD as been saying for some time it is the industry that will have to choose--and it is no longer a choice they can put off. Choose wisely.
This move, timing aside, was originally considered as a way to resolve reffing problems in the NPPL given that the general consensus has been for some time that the PSP's pro refs (and staff) were the best in the business. Cole's move may have precipitated the NPPL's push to make this happen right now but it isn't or wasn't a new idea. It is rumored that the NPPL has not only offered Mineo a pile of cheese but also an ownership stake (better get that in writing, Tony) and autonomy in organizing and overseeing the officiating of NPPL events. It is rumored but unsubstantiated that part of the deal was to pull as many of the PSP trained refs over as possible.
As a practical matter this is apparently a lucrative deal for those making the switch and will almost certainly improve the quality of the officiating--at least on the center court field--if enough of the PSP refs also make the move. As a business move it may or may not make sense. That will depend on what the real dollar numbers are and whether it has any impact on NPPL participation (and/or the league's reputation.) It is an effort to purchase competence in an area where the NPPL was weak. It is also certainly intended to be a PR coup as well. And lastly it must be seen as an attempt to weaken the competition.
Will it effectively change anything? Time will tell. The NPPL fields are different with some key different props. None of those making the move have any experience organizing and running the Millennium style of play. And neither Mineo or his staff developed or trained the refs initially. At this point it's a grand experiment.
The existence of two major leagues has been a sharp debate in recent years and whatever else anyone thought of either league they offered, between them, more options for the players. Those days are ending--at least with regards to these two particular leagues. Intended or not this move by the NPPL is a declaration of war and it won't be over until one or both of the current major leagues is finished. It would behoove the players and teams to think long and hard about what they want and what they hope for in a major league paintball future and decide accordingly. Except of course the paintball half life of too many making such decisions is so short they won't (and don't) know what is potentially at stake. As VFTD as been saying for some time it is the industry that will have to choose--and it is no longer a choice they can put off. Choose wisely.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
VFTD Housekeeping
Comments is (apparently) currently not functioning. At least it isn't working for me. Please take a moment and try to access a "comments" option under any post. If you can--drop me a line identifying your browser. Thanks.
UPDATE: It seems the problem impacts only IE8/9 and only in the comments form that VFTD has been using. Comments has been switched to a different formating--opening a separate window--until (if) there's a Blogger fix. If anyone has issues with the new comments format let me know.
UPDATE: It seems the problem impacts only IE8/9 and only in the comments form that VFTD has been using. Comments has been switched to a different formating--opening a separate window--until (if) there's a Blogger fix. If anyone has issues with the new comments format let me know.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Never Say Never
Farewell to the Hurricanes. Once New England's finest and a beacon for all Northeast teams has called it quits. I had the good fortune to coach a few Hurricanes and always had a soft spot on my head for the brash boys from Mass. To Jeff and all the 'Canes, you done good.
The New Social Paintball
First a little love for the kids at Social. (Title is link to Social website.) They have put a lot of blood, sweat & tears into a labor of love and paintball can only benefit from the efforts of those willing to do so for the most minimal of returns--generally accompanied by more criticism than praise or worse, indifference. Second, you should visit Social, if you haven't, and see what the new site is all about. And I would recommend the same for any and all paintball-related sites that have something of interest to you. If nothing else support them by regularly checking in and seeing what's going on--and if you have anything to contribute to an ongoing conversation or the site, post a comment or three. Traditional media support of paintball is mostly a thing of the past and the plain fact is if you want to have a diversity of new media supporting and promoting paintball you (yes, you, no, not the other guy, you) need to actively support it. Just saying.
Now comes the part where I harsh everybody's mellow with some criticisms of the new Social PB. First up, "girl paintball tech" videos. For real? I know there's a contingent in paintball desperate to include more girls but pointing them (girls) out like freaks in a sideshow every time one shows up isn't the way to do it. If she was working on your gat is it important that she's a she or that she can do the job correctly? It's condescending (and isolating) whether it's intended to be or not.
Reporting & interviews. Neither one are about the reporter, what they think or how they feel. Case in point, the Russian Legion coverage. I realize the staff isn't professional journalists but more professionalism would go a long way from separating Social from the rest of the herd. (And frankly from much of the rest of paintball media, period.)
Keeping it real; controversy & taking a stand. This is an area that needs to be handled with care but not because it might upset some people but because it's easy to make a mess of it. For example, the piece called 'Does the APPA system class players out of the game?' For starters it's incomplete. All it does is throw out an assertion. It makes no case supporting that assertion or offers any alternatives. All it really does is re-hash in the most superficial way a subject VFTD broached in 2008. Is it a fair question? Sure, but if it's going to serve any purpose other than to rile up the ignorant or ill-informed it needs to be more than that. In fact APPA, working with the PSP, has changed the classification system dramatically from the time I first started posting about the issue until today and they continue to move in positive directions. (And of course the alternative to some sort of classification system is to say there is no such thing as sand-bagging. I'm okay with that but do you really want to go there?)
Then there is 'The Cost of Winning.' It isn't controversial or thought-provoking, it's just silly. It opens with the idea that Legion dropped it's American players from 2011 because they were more interested in saving money than winning paintball tournaments by equating them with professional football teams that focus on profit over winning. A) it misunderstands what Alex says in the PR, B) it demonstrates the author doesn't know the facts, and C) it strongly suggests the author has no clue about the realities of competing at the pro level in paintball. Later in the article he says, "Some pro teams are obviously worth more than D4 teams ..." No, they aren't worth more, they COST more. There is no profit, there is only cost and it is a flawed premise to begin with to equate any paintball team to a truly professional sports franchise. And everything that flows from that is misguided at best.
But it's hardly a make or break flaw. It is an example perhaps of trying too hard. Look, there are plenty of debatable topics in paintball. Exercise good judgment and some editorial oversight and raising controversial subjects will contribute to paintball instead of further muddying the water. Social has the potential to be a great paintball site and I am looking forward to seeing it reach its potential.
Now comes the part where I harsh everybody's mellow with some criticisms of the new Social PB. First up, "girl paintball tech" videos. For real? I know there's a contingent in paintball desperate to include more girls but pointing them (girls) out like freaks in a sideshow every time one shows up isn't the way to do it. If she was working on your gat is it important that she's a she or that she can do the job correctly? It's condescending (and isolating) whether it's intended to be or not.
Reporting & interviews. Neither one are about the reporter, what they think or how they feel. Case in point, the Russian Legion coverage. I realize the staff isn't professional journalists but more professionalism would go a long way from separating Social from the rest of the herd. (And frankly from much of the rest of paintball media, period.)
Keeping it real; controversy & taking a stand. This is an area that needs to be handled with care but not because it might upset some people but because it's easy to make a mess of it. For example, the piece called 'Does the APPA system class players out of the game?' For starters it's incomplete. All it does is throw out an assertion. It makes no case supporting that assertion or offers any alternatives. All it really does is re-hash in the most superficial way a subject VFTD broached in 2008. Is it a fair question? Sure, but if it's going to serve any purpose other than to rile up the ignorant or ill-informed it needs to be more than that. In fact APPA, working with the PSP, has changed the classification system dramatically from the time I first started posting about the issue until today and they continue to move in positive directions. (And of course the alternative to some sort of classification system is to say there is no such thing as sand-bagging. I'm okay with that but do you really want to go there?)
Then there is 'The Cost of Winning.' It isn't controversial or thought-provoking, it's just silly. It opens with the idea that Legion dropped it's American players from 2011 because they were more interested in saving money than winning paintball tournaments by equating them with professional football teams that focus on profit over winning. A) it misunderstands what Alex says in the PR, B) it demonstrates the author doesn't know the facts, and C) it strongly suggests the author has no clue about the realities of competing at the pro level in paintball. Later in the article he says, "Some pro teams are obviously worth more than D4 teams ..." No, they aren't worth more, they COST more. There is no profit, there is only cost and it is a flawed premise to begin with to equate any paintball team to a truly professional sports franchise. And everything that flows from that is misguided at best.
But it's hardly a make or break flaw. It is an example perhaps of trying too hard. Look, there are plenty of debatable topics in paintball. Exercise good judgment and some editorial oversight and raising controversial subjects will contribute to paintball instead of further muddying the water. Social has the potential to be a great paintball site and I am looking forward to seeing it reach its potential.
Monday, January 9, 2012
A Monday Poll First
This week's Monday Poll is a VFTD first. Two polls in one! (Kinda) Two questions, two polls but aimed at one thing. The predicted finishing for the 2012 season in the PSP Pro Division. Top to bottom. Bottom to top. The results of both polls will be combined to create the most seemingly scientific poll ever at VFTD. (Though of course it won't be because, as usual, all voters in every VFTD poll are self-selecting so the only thing we know for sure is that VFTD voters aren't quite the lazy slackers the rest of you are.) Mostly we're doing two polls because I decided one poll with open voting was unlikely to be effective as most of you would use the opportunity to vote your favorites along with the teams you thought most likely to win. If I could have limited you to three choices that would have been fine. But since I can't you will only get one vote in each poll. Which team will win the PSP Pro series in 2012? & Which team will come in last in the PSP Pro series for 2012? (Keep in mind the series winner is the high score after, and including, all 5 event results.)
If you vote, please vote in both polls.
The teams listed are last year's teams plus 187 Crew. While VFTD does not expect an 11 team division these are the teams that would be in as of today.
Be a part of VFTD history. Vote--then vote again--in the first twin Monday Poll.
UPDATE: What the hell, man?! Clicking your mouse twice was too much for some of you? Determined to skew my already unscientific poll results? Didn't want to anonymously hurt any team's po' widdle feewings by voting them most likely to come in last?
Monday Poll in Review
Last week's question wanted to know which team(s)--from the list given--were least likely to compete in the NPPL Pro Division in 2012. Even taking into account those who misread the question--or didn't read it at all--looking at the raw numbers proved to be, er, confusing. Everybody received some votes. And nobody was seen as an overwhelming choice not to compete. The top vote getters (those teams seen as least likely to compete in the NPPL Pro division) were Vicious and Top Gun (Top Gun Evolution was the series winner in D2.) Mutiny was a no-show at the Vegas finale last year and didn't come in last. Nor did Blast--which announced they would not be competing in 2012--while the poll was still open! In fact neither Blast or Mutiny received votes from more than 50% of the voters. Hello!?
Despite the goofy looking numbers there was some order amidst the seeming chaos. NPPL Pro has 16 teams. The poll list included 24 teams; all 16 from last season plus the top 2 D1 teams, top D2 team, the rumored possibles plus Vicious. The list didn't include any Euro teams or the other 3 PSP Pros; Legion, Ironmen & CEP since all were deemed as highly unlikely at best. If the final poll results are listed in the order of fewest votes (most likely to compete in NPPL Pro) to the most votes the result is kinda interesting. The top ten begining with number 1 are, Dynasty, Avalanche, Legend, Impact, Vendetta, XSV, Xplicit, Uprising, Thunder & Arsenal. 11-13 are X-Factor, Damage & Infamous. Rounding out the top 16, the poll's projected NPPL Pro Division for 2012, are HK, Aftershock & Unnamed Canadian team. Tied at 17th are New Mystery Team and Miami Devious(Rage). Listed in order it almost rounds into shape and despite the actual numbers it even makes a kind of sense. And while I know it's silly I'd love to see Unnamed Canadian listed amongst the teams at HB.
So--will the NPPL have a full 16 teams in the 2012 Pro Division?
If you vote, please vote in both polls.
The teams listed are last year's teams plus 187 Crew. While VFTD does not expect an 11 team division these are the teams that would be in as of today.
Be a part of VFTD history. Vote--then vote again--in the first twin Monday Poll.
UPDATE: What the hell, man?! Clicking your mouse twice was too much for some of you? Determined to skew my already unscientific poll results? Didn't want to anonymously hurt any team's po' widdle feewings by voting them most likely to come in last?
Monday Poll in Review
Last week's question wanted to know which team(s)--from the list given--were least likely to compete in the NPPL Pro Division in 2012. Even taking into account those who misread the question--or didn't read it at all--looking at the raw numbers proved to be, er, confusing. Everybody received some votes. And nobody was seen as an overwhelming choice not to compete. The top vote getters (those teams seen as least likely to compete in the NPPL Pro division) were Vicious and Top Gun (Top Gun Evolution was the series winner in D2.) Mutiny was a no-show at the Vegas finale last year and didn't come in last. Nor did Blast--which announced they would not be competing in 2012--while the poll was still open! In fact neither Blast or Mutiny received votes from more than 50% of the voters. Hello!?
Despite the goofy looking numbers there was some order amidst the seeming chaos. NPPL Pro has 16 teams. The poll list included 24 teams; all 16 from last season plus the top 2 D1 teams, top D2 team, the rumored possibles plus Vicious. The list didn't include any Euro teams or the other 3 PSP Pros; Legion, Ironmen & CEP since all were deemed as highly unlikely at best. If the final poll results are listed in the order of fewest votes (most likely to compete in NPPL Pro) to the most votes the result is kinda interesting. The top ten begining with number 1 are, Dynasty, Avalanche, Legend, Impact, Vendetta, XSV, Xplicit, Uprising, Thunder & Arsenal. 11-13 are X-Factor, Damage & Infamous. Rounding out the top 16, the poll's projected NPPL Pro Division for 2012, are HK, Aftershock & Unnamed Canadian team. Tied at 17th are New Mystery Team and Miami Devious(Rage). Listed in order it almost rounds into shape and despite the actual numbers it even makes a kind of sense. And while I know it's silly I'd love to see Unnamed Canadian listed amongst the teams at HB.
So--will the NPPL have a full 16 teams in the 2012 Pro Division?
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Guns, Guns, er, Markers
Since it's the weekend I'ma try something a little different. I'm going to propose a topic and let y'all have at it. More amazingly, the subject is paintball gear. Guns in particular. (I know! I never talk about gear. And I'm not gonna start now. You are.) While I don't talk about gear it is a subject some people (who will remain nameless) that I talk with do talk about. Every damn chance they get--or so it seems. That being the case I'm (vaguely) aware that in recent months there's been news of some new guns coming to market; Zodiac (blah blah blah) Renegade, Machine Vapor and a gat from Thin Air Sports. Feel free to toss in a GOG gun too or whatever else strikes your fancy.
Say whatever you'd like but I'm (vaguely) interested in pricing, perceived value & perceived marketplace considering the Crome kids called it quits recently. (Yes, somebody told me that too.)
That's it. It's all yours now.
Say whatever you'd like but I'm (vaguely) interested in pricing, perceived value & perceived marketplace considering the Crome kids called it quits recently. (Yes, somebody told me that too.)
That's it. It's all yours now.
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.
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.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
2012 PSP Divisions & Entries
And prizes. (Such as they are.) I threw that last bit in for the D3 podium deserves fat cash crowd. Look, I don't have a lot to say about this yet. Maybe ever. I'ma wait until the PSP posts their series prizes but otherwise it seems okay to me. But then I don't favor big prizes to the lower divisions even if there are more teams there. the PSP is about the competition and that means, among other things, that everybody who thinks they belong in D3 or D4, legitimately or otherwise, don't believe they can compete in a higher division. And if the object of competition is to reward excellence and success one of the ways you encourage that is to help motivate players and teams to be excellent and succeed if they want the best prizes.
Mostly I'm surprised by the lack of a hue & cry today from the prize hunters because it's been such a popular topic in the past. (Of course, it's early yet.) Otherwise the only thing that gave me pause was double value points World Cup for divisions D3-X and below. (I'm good with less stringent series requirements for the lower divisions.) I'm not sure what I think of the double value Cup points just yet other than I would object long and loud if it had extended to the Pro division. More on this when series prizes are announced.
Mostly I'm surprised by the lack of a hue & cry today from the prize hunters because it's been such a popular topic in the past. (Of course, it's early yet.) Otherwise the only thing that gave me pause was double value points World Cup for divisions D3-X and below. (I'm good with less stringent series requirements for the lower divisions.) I'm not sure what I think of the double value Cup points just yet other than I would object long and loud if it had extended to the Pro division. More on this when series prizes are announced.
In Demand?
As you likely already know, unless you've just pulled your head out of the snow (or the sand), the NPPL is touting a PPV show of Huntington Beach 2011 available In Demand. What nobody makes clear until you order it though is how much it costs. It's $9.99 on my local cable service. [And if you follow VFTD on Facebook you know I've been through the snipe hunt it took to make that discovery. And if you don't, why not?] But that's not what I'm presently curious about. Has everybody (anybody?) who is promoting this program actually ponied up their cheddar to watch the show? And beyond that who else has watched the program and how much did it cost them to In Demand it? And if the NPPL is so gung ho to get viewers why haven't they listed the price anywhere? And if, as the hard core supporters insist, it's all about promoting paintball why isn't it 5 bucks or 3? Did you buy the show? How much was it? Remember, your comments can be anonymous. ;)
I suppose it's supposed to be a big deal that competitive paintball can join the ranks of the PPV event giants and charge money for their show but is there really an audience and is it really about anything other than the NPPL's bottom line? Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed in any way to competitive paintball generating cash money--if it did, some of that might trickle down to me--but I weary of the hucksterism that always seems to be part of the effort. And if you think about it the condescension and lack of respect it displays for most of you people.
I suppose it's supposed to be a big deal that competitive paintball can join the ranks of the PPV event giants and charge money for their show but is there really an audience and is it really about anything other than the NPPL's bottom line? Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed in any way to competitive paintball generating cash money--if it did, some of that might trickle down to me--but I weary of the hucksterism that always seems to be part of the effort. And if you think about it the condescension and lack of respect it displays for most of you people.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
If Only I Played the Violin ...
or self-medicated on heroin. (Or was it opium?) I'm never quite sure. Perhaps then I could alleviate the raging boredom. You know, like Sherlock Holmes. He of the notoriously low boredom threshold. Or maybe somewhere in the wide world of paintball SOMETHING INTERESTING COULD HAPPEN. It was so bad earlier I started reading the postings on Facebook. And I thought I was bored ...
Did you notice the recent PSP announcement (there never seems to be an off season when it comes to cluttering up my emailbox) that the new AES tourney series was a PSP affiliate series? (I deleted the first one too.) Seems they will be running 2 conferences with the northern conference in a region of the Midwest more or less overlapping that of the Vicious Series. And that the Vicious Series will be switching to a Millennium style of Race 2 (with 2 matches proceeding on the same field simultaneously or thereabouts.) Does that mean the Vicious Series is no longer a PSP affiliate? Oh and it's vaguely ironic that GP (& the Fergs) [formerly of DSS & Vicious] is headlining the AES series of events.
A query arrived in the mailbag recently wondering what I thought of the idea of trying to organize larger scale combination paintball events. Something like a Big Game and tournament to occur over the same weekend at the same venue--perhaps as the coordinated effort of multiple promoters. Part of the notion being that some of the logistical expenses overlap, some of the players interest may also overlap and the whole thing would have greater appeal to industry sponsors and supporters. What do you think? And while you're thinking take a moment to post those thoughts in the comments. (For those of you who weren't sure what to do with your thoughts.)
Periodically VFTD will receive requests for guidance or assistance from teams and players at different levels of competition that go well beyond the specific questions I'm (usually) happy to respond to in Baca's Mailbag. In the past I have tried to offer what is hopefully some helpful advice and encouragement but recently the numbers of this sort of request have been growing and as a practical matter I simply don't have the time to respond to each one individually. The language barrier has also become a more frequent issue as many of these requests come from all corners of the globe. For those who have lately received something of a stock reply, my apologies. And for those who are relatively new to VFTD there are quite a lot of posts in the archives covering practice routines, drills and the like. The search function isn't great but will help sort things out. As always I'm happy to respond to specific questions whether they become a mailbag post or not.
Did you notice the recent PSP announcement (there never seems to be an off season when it comes to cluttering up my emailbox) that the new AES tourney series was a PSP affiliate series? (I deleted the first one too.) Seems they will be running 2 conferences with the northern conference in a region of the Midwest more or less overlapping that of the Vicious Series. And that the Vicious Series will be switching to a Millennium style of Race 2 (with 2 matches proceeding on the same field simultaneously or thereabouts.) Does that mean the Vicious Series is no longer a PSP affiliate? Oh and it's vaguely ironic that GP (& the Fergs) [formerly of DSS & Vicious] is headlining the AES series of events.
A query arrived in the mailbag recently wondering what I thought of the idea of trying to organize larger scale combination paintball events. Something like a Big Game and tournament to occur over the same weekend at the same venue--perhaps as the coordinated effort of multiple promoters. Part of the notion being that some of the logistical expenses overlap, some of the players interest may also overlap and the whole thing would have greater appeal to industry sponsors and supporters. What do you think? And while you're thinking take a moment to post those thoughts in the comments. (For those of you who weren't sure what to do with your thoughts.)
Periodically VFTD will receive requests for guidance or assistance from teams and players at different levels of competition that go well beyond the specific questions I'm (usually) happy to respond to in Baca's Mailbag. In the past I have tried to offer what is hopefully some helpful advice and encouragement but recently the numbers of this sort of request have been growing and as a practical matter I simply don't have the time to respond to each one individually. The language barrier has also become a more frequent issue as many of these requests come from all corners of the globe. For those who have lately received something of a stock reply, my apologies. And for those who are relatively new to VFTD there are quite a lot of posts in the archives covering practice routines, drills and the like. The search function isn't great but will help sort things out. As always I'm happy to respond to specific questions whether they become a mailbag post or not.
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Monday Poll
My original thought--btw, you slackers were no help at all, way to keep the streak alive--was to do something about which teams will be playing in the PSP pro division this year but when I thought about how to frame such a poll it became obvious that would, at a minimum, be boring. Last year there were 10 teams (except for Cup with 12) and if Impact drops out it makes a place for 187 Crew. If Impact doesn't drop out there's the questions swirling around Shock's status but that's pretty much it. Not much uncertainty beyond the logistics of how the division will function, so--
What about a similar poll for the CPL? You know, the Millennium Series equivalent. Then it occurred to me that not even the Eurokids care all that much--unless they're actually playing in the CPL so if the Monday Poll is gonna be about a pro division to kick off the new year, and it is, dammit, it's gotta be about the NPPL. There's rumors Hollywood HK (you can't be serious) is gonna get a spot and Mutiny didn't show for Vegas last year and then there's Shock in disarray (again) and will Blast play or won't they plus teams having to prep for the new format so all in all there seems more room for rumor and opinion in a NPPL poll.
The first Monday Poll question of 2012 is: Which of the following teams won't be playing in the NPPL Pro division in 2012? To be followed by a long-ish list of, doh!, teams that might or might not be participating in the NPPL this coming year. You may vote for as many options as you wish. As usual the final test will be graded on a curve because otherwise you'd all fail. So what are you waiting for? It's time to cast your vote. Go on.
What about a similar poll for the CPL? You know, the Millennium Series equivalent. Then it occurred to me that not even the Eurokids care all that much--unless they're actually playing in the CPL so if the Monday Poll is gonna be about a pro division to kick off the new year, and it is, dammit, it's gotta be about the NPPL. There's rumors Hollywood HK (you can't be serious) is gonna get a spot and Mutiny didn't show for Vegas last year and then there's Shock in disarray (again) and will Blast play or won't they plus teams having to prep for the new format so all in all there seems more room for rumor and opinion in a NPPL poll.
The first Monday Poll question of 2012 is: Which of the following teams won't be playing in the NPPL Pro division in 2012? To be followed by a long-ish list of, doh!, teams that might or might not be participating in the NPPL this coming year. You may vote for as many options as you wish. As usual the final test will be graded on a curve because otherwise you'd all fail. So what are you waiting for? It's time to cast your vote. Go on.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Burning Questions, 2012 Edition
Hair of the dog? They say bananas, sports drinks & primrose oil among other things can help--not that I'm familiar with post celebratory hangovers mind you--but stay hydrated. Btw, thanks for the week off. I enjoyed it, nothing much happened anyway. Hope you had a swell blah blah blah and have a happy blah blah blah. And yes, I'm brimming over with holiday cheer blah blah blah.
Since December was Baca's Mailbag month at VFTD (the blog) everything else was either tweeted (@VFTD) or posted up on VFTD (the Facebook page). Try to keep up.
The first burning questions of 2012: (feel free to add your own)
If Impact sticks with their rumored plan to play only NPPL this season will their players be allowed to play elsewhere in the other leagues? And if so, who should play where?
Will there be an Aftershock in 2012?
How many pro teams fail to answer the bell at the start of the season?--(whenever that might be in individual cases.)
Will HydroTec finally roll out there water ball this year? Did you see the latest HydroTec video? [h/t Facefull on Twitter] Can you say desperately trying to remain relevant? Still, the sheet of half shells filled was kinda cool but I don't remember hearing a release date in there anywhere, did you?
Over in Euroland will there be as many defections from the closed division ranks as there were last year? And after scouring far and wide for replacements last year where will the new crop come from?
Since December was Baca's Mailbag month at VFTD (the blog) everything else was either tweeted (@VFTD) or posted up on VFTD (the Facebook page). Try to keep up.
The first burning questions of 2012: (feel free to add your own)
If Impact sticks with their rumored plan to play only NPPL this season will their players be allowed to play elsewhere in the other leagues? And if so, who should play where?
Will there be an Aftershock in 2012?
How many pro teams fail to answer the bell at the start of the season?--(whenever that might be in individual cases.)
Will HydroTec finally roll out there water ball this year? Did you see the latest HydroTec video? [h/t Facefull on Twitter] Can you say desperately trying to remain relevant? Still, the sheet of half shells filled was kinda cool but I don't remember hearing a release date in there anywhere, did you?
Over in Euroland will there be as many defections from the closed division ranks as there were last year? And after scouring far and wide for replacements last year where will the new crop come from?
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