For Joey
Joey, I was under the impression you had me on your Ignore list. (A friend sent me a copy of your post.) But it's clear from this post you read my stuff, to include my recent trip report to the US One Pocket Open. (Thank you for your acknowledgment and appreciation on that.)
I don't believe that you have much experience speaking on behalf of others, like Cyclop and Mark. And frankly, people often underestimate the nature of that job, particularly on an international stage such as AZ. But, as I think you know, I do have experience in that area. So here, in broad strokes, is how that works:
First off, it's essential that you have direct contact with the principle you are speaking for. I don’t know if you recall, but in my “Day Two Dispatch” I wrote, “Wandering the tournament room I come upon Mark Griffin, Joe Tucker, and CSI's Caleb, and Mark offers to buy us drinks. We retreat to the Rio's main casino bar and sit and talk about Joe's Texas Bumps tournament and the American Rotation league he's forming; Aramith and the story behind Cyclop balls...”
Second, if you're briefing or answering questions concerning a video, you not only watch the video -- you watch it twice, and perhaps a third time, AND take notes. From my notes on the video in question, yes, you are correct that Paul Smith of Diamond says to call Diamond for future purchases. However, in the post you responded to, my good friend, David, posted, “I just called. I believe it is 1:15 p.m. their time. No one answered. I left a message saying that I was interested in buying a set.”
Here is where a good spokesperson connects the dots, fills in the blanks, makes the leap, whatever: what is important is not any particular set of words spoken in the video, but what the true answer to the question being posed is, wherever it is in the video. And in this case, at 7:25 in the tape, Paul Smith says, “Well the sets here at the event are being sold by CSI, ‘cause all the sets here were donated to CSI... 380 sets...” And he’s then asked, “And they’re all going to be for sale after this?” “Well technically yes. But Mark Griffin will elect to have enough to do this event again next year, so anything that he sells he’s going to have to replace. But the sets are for sale for $150 a set for a used set and then if someone is getting between two and nine sets they can get them for $130.”
So, Joey, if David, who was calling this afternoon, wanted to buy a set of Cyclop balls today or tomorrow, you gave him bad info.
In this thread I've been trying to answer questions on the balls because: I was impressed with how the balls played, from first hand experience; was privy to an extended conversation with Mark on the subject of the balls; viewed the video multiple times and took notes so I could be accurate; and I was trying to do Mark a favor by answering questions about the balls and keeping the information “on the street” straight.
Joey, I know you've had *multiple* run-ins with pro players, and I know you, as I, appreciate the difficult position amateur players often find themselves in when facing professional players. I also know you know how meticulous I am when representing others. So, our past differences aside, I’m surprised by your post on several levels.
I guess it's just the internet.
Lou Figueroa