I just finished listening to the 93 minute podcast. What an informative packed podcast! Here's my summary in event you hadn't listened to it (but you might oughtta listen to it and read between the lines - many were they).
There were 5 segments. The hilights that struck ME IMO and recollection, else I'll write a book:
1) Mr Bond made great points as to how fans need to be more exposed to pro personalities to better make a
"connection" and know more @ who to root for and who they'll spend time to root against.
2) Mike Howerton and Larry Chiborak. Some good info. My short analysis. Larry is gung ho with BB and spoke of season 2, which didn't appear to me to be definitive just yet. He said all players are returning for the playoffs starting Feb 5 and it will be a PPV. Never spoke deep to a biz model to cover his "few million".
Some key topics were sidestepped IMO. I felt Larry had an opportunity to say "we changed our biz model that was originally 26 weeks straight that stepped on people's toes, I now realize that was a mistake and I apologize. But now it's condensed and we will work better with the entire industry" He spoke of leagues and a different version of BB for the amatures.
3) Red Shoe Billiards owner just outside of Chicago spoke @ ... (I made a sub sandwich, missed most of it :embarrassed2
.
4) bflad (Mark Cantrill) and Johnny. JA gave Mark Wilson a big :thumbup:. JA said only Shane is a lock. "Whether I'm there or not, I'm there in heart. It needs change. Great thing they will have time to prepare. Many good ideas have been posted on AZ, and we need young blood..."
bflad: "What's the future of pool, how do we build it up?"
JA: "needs an overhaul, old look isnt working. Last few years I got politically involved and it took a few yrs off my life. Difficult to watch, tourneys gone, more fighting for less $. There's blame for everybody in the industry." "Bottom line, what we really need is a new crop of players, promoters, sponsors, etc. pool halls are closing up at a rate of 3 to 1".
5) Jerry T and Tony Robles. Tony: "COM literally took pool to the stone ages. Everyone asks me every lesson over years 'are u a hustler?'"
JT asked @ Positivity in pool. TR: "it's no longer a hustler sport... doesn't get the respect it deserves. So many people out there that are so greedy, a continuing problem. As long as each other are going at each others neck, we won't even get to 1st base, as my father said. Grow the sport? Way more amatures, grow from ground up, internet." Tony was very impressive..
