I miss Tar matches.....

I agree. I bought a bunch of the TAR ppvs and always enjoyed them. I've been out of the loop for a while, what happened to them?

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beerpressure said:

I agree. I bought a bunch of the TAR ppvs and always enjoyed them. I've been out of the loop for a while, what happened to them?

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I believe I only missed buying one (1 hole I think). I think Justin was too nice. From what I've hard, he gave $ back no questions asked. Johnnyt

When their lease was up, they decided to close up shop... they weren't turning much profit (if any) in the last year, and Mark and JCIN had invested a lot of time and money. I miss them too, some of these other guys are trying to do the same thing but it doesn't have the feel or consistency of TAR matches. See this thread - http://forums.azbilliards.com/archive/index.php/t-351380.html

beerpressure said:

I agree. I bought a bunch of the TAR ppvs and always enjoyed them. I've been out of the loop for a while, what happened to them?

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The celebrity lifestyle was too much to handle, lear jets, limos, spokemodel women hanging all over. They just weren't prepared for it.

I agree with you, but I have to say, the thing I miss the most is the podcast before a match. I go back and watch those now. I enjoyed hearing the players have a forum to talk frankly about practice, action, the state of pool, players they admire, etc.

In a sport that has so little going for it, TAR was truly a good thing. I wish it could have been sustainable for JCIN and Mark.

kollegedave

Justin needs to bring it back and have Dennis play Shane. It's still the match we all want to see

I agree the TAR matches were great to watch!! Maybe time for a comeback!!

kollegedave said:

I agree with you, but I have to say, the thing I miss the most is the podcast before a match. I go back and watch those now. I enjoyed hearing the players have a forum to talk frankly about practice, action, the state of pool, players they admire, etc.

In a sport that has so little going for it, TAR was truly a good thing. I wish it could have been sustainable for JCIN and Mark.

kollegedave

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Me too. It's a bummer that it's gone, and it's even more of a bummer that it doesn't seem to be a break-even or sustainable business model.

BrooklynJay said:

Justin needs to bring it back and have Dennis play Shane. It's still the match we all want to see

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There's gotta be some galvanized steel roofed chicken coops with water misters available adjacent to mini bike race tracks that can be rented short term, to give it a tropical flavor.

I'd buy it....probably JohnnyT too???


I do miss the TAR matches....good stuff without a doubt.

I like Cotton in the booth too.

I miss TAR TOO! I could be wrong but I think I recall reading awhile back that the folks from Bonus Ball still had the lease on their venue??? Maybe at least once in a while something could happen???

I miss those too - they were great.

Justin had the best thing going, hands down. Best quality stream, camera angles, and long matches. Loved the loop overnight too - really the way the PPV should work IMO.

I've been an Accu-stats customer for a long time - for me, they seem really behind the times. Wish they would do some of the things TAR did.

I miss the quality, especially the studio matches. Justin made it feel like you were right there with them. No glitches in the stream, great video quality, always on top equipment, down to earth commentary. Oh, forgot to mention, Shane! I miss them a lot.

TAR was before its time. They had everything there but the financial support, imo. Hopefully pool will get there and JCIN would consider getting back in it.

I concur...was def a highlight among many lowlights!

TAR was an interesting time. I was involved for a little over 5 years with Justin and Tar. And don't forget Chad Pullman (Big Nasty).

The bottom line is that the player's schedules were tricky to work around. Originally most matches had heathy backers involved. All the matches had a considerable front line bet involved - and there was NO funny stuff. (Who's gonna argue with Justin???)

Then Bonus Ball decided to play in our sandbox. We tried to work with them and around them. But one time, we couldn't put together a decent match for close to 5-6 months. I'm sure many of you remember all the BS posts between Bonus Ball spokes people and TAR. About all I can say is - I told you so!

The players - who were treated very well from TAR - got a little demanding. Of course, when ABP showed the world that all the players would really play for less money, that changed the whole formula. We actually decreased the players payouts but even then TAR could not sustain. And our expenses were very LOW.

Justin did a very good job in getting top of the line match ups. But we still had the complainers and the crap.

Just an FYI - so everyone can get a reality check. Mark Griffin funded TAR. When our 3 year studio lease came for renewal, we just agreed it was not a working model. And to all the people who thought we were just making gobs of money, the bottom line for over 5 years of effort.

Mark Griffin booked a $125,000 loser. I got zero compensation except the pride of being involved in something special.

I do think it showed the pool world what was possible. Sometime I do crazy stuff - and do things for the passion of the game and not the profit. And that is also why I can get really pissed off at some of the comments from keyboard cowboys that disagree with my methods or goals, when in fact they do not see the big picture. When you deal with all aspects on an everyday basis, you have the advantage of seeing how all the pieces intertwine. Sometimes it takes major surgery to put the pieces in the proper order. Sometimes that can take time and money and hurt peoples comfort level. But things done for the good of the game are worth it.

Justine and I did not agree on some things - but we both did agree on the integrity of our product. We would not allow anything to compromise the quality of the product or the ethical behavior of our matches. It pains me to see all the 'DO vs KO///DO vs SVB' crap going on. That would have never happened with TAR.

And there is a lot of blame to go around - and so far all I've seen is a bunch of lame excuses. I really hope all their shenanigans have not hurt the future prospects for future PPV streaming.

A disclaimer: TAR (name and intellectual property) is under the control of Justin. When we closed down, we made a private arrangement for division of the assets. I just wanted the 'fans' to have a little background on TAR. it was a unique time.

Mark Griffin

Mark:

I had no idea it was like that, and I'm sure I'm not alone.

25k per year deficit. Figure six matches per year at $15 ppv, you would have needed another 300 viewers or so per event to break even?

Tar matches

We needed to do at least one a month. Too many obstacles- conflicting events, players backers or change of plans, and a lot of other factors.

It was a good experience, yet we still had to listen to all the 'criticism' about what was wrong. We did our best. When it worked- it was fun - but the total nut with studio, utilities, and (some labor) came to $4,000 a month plus 20% of PPV.

The bonus ball bullshit probably was the biggest distraction; time, energy, and money. I distinctly remember having a podcast and really cautioning the players to be careful on their alliances and allegiance - because TAR was a sure and proven product.

The model just needed more support. I don't regret my involvement. I think it was good for pool. I just wanted to let the world know it was done for passion, not for profit.

Mark Griffin

Boxing/UFC PPV's are over in a couple hours if that.

Long format pool is fun to watch if you have the time, but most of us can't watch it all, even if it loops all night.

The PPV fee was more than fair, but I'm just not making what I once was, so there were times I had to let it go.

Would a short race to 20, one night only, have changed anything?

Most can spare a couple hours if they know someone is going to win it, and it may have been easier for the players to work into their schedule.

Couple things:

TAR isn't dead. Together, Justin and I have produced several instructional videos. Not the most profitable thing but it's fun and I hope we make more.

I also miss the TAR live matchings. I'm constantly trying to convince the big man to get back in the box.

I love that Griffin is referring to himself in third person.

I seriously question some of those numbers. It's as if there was money out but never money in. hmmm....