Arizona Open (CSI Predator US Pro Billiard Series) 28-31 July, (10 Ball/9 ft table) Winner $13K

Well, Wednesday's 5 streamed matches left, shall we say, room for improvement.
- The number of B&Rs in the first 4 matches totaled 1 in 51 games (2%). 3 B&Rs in the fifth match raised the overall percentage to 6%.​
- In the second match, all 12 breaks were unsuccessful (dry, fouled, or both).​
- With a dry break in the last game of the first match, plus the 12 in the second match, plus 5 to start the third match, we saw 18 unsuccessful breaks in a row.​
- The number of fouls and missed shots averaged nearly 2 per game for the 5 matches.​

Results will probably improve.

[and a lot of improvement is possible in the number of "commercial breaks" and the accompanying music]
 
I'd wager Shane and others are out because Predator is probably forcing them to wear a Predator patch or is preventing them from wearing logos from their sponsors.
Screen Shot 2021-07-28 at 11.32.37 PM.png
 
Didn't Appleton's event have a shootout? I forget. Does anyone know why his events disappeared? I think he quit before Corona was an issue.

yes, appleton's WPS 8-ball events had a shootout at hill-hill.

i think darren's family related problems back in england put an end to the WPS. he arranged the last one in europe iirc.
 
I'd wager Shane and others are out because Predator is probably forcing them to wear a Predator patch or is preventing them from wearing logos from their sponsors.View attachment 604250

Every player can attend the events that he/she chooses. We all understand that.

... but, admitting that I have no idea who is boycotting the Arizona Open and for what reason, I'd wager that all those who choose to boycott newly conceived events, in which event producers are taking on more risk than ever before, for reasons pertaining to these ultimately trivial patch issues, will reduce the appetite of event producers for conceiving and financing new events.

If these new events can't make ends meet financially because some of the elite chose to boycott, thereby devaluing the event itself, the real loser is the players, and those who have chosen to support newly conceived events like Matchroom's Predator Championship League event and the CSI Arizona Open will be the unfortunate and blameless victims if such events prove unsustainable.

Sadly, in recent years, players far too often, have failed to support those that roll the dice on producing new events, and these producers have, quite sensibly, shown a willingness to discontinue events in the aftermath of such failures. Are we heading down that road again? Well, we shall see.

Players need to be more committed to the growth of their sport, and one manner in which they must do so is by supporting those who increase their investment in pro pool.
 
Every player can attend the events that he/she chooses. We all understand that.

... but, admitting that I have no idea who is boycotting the Arizona Open and for what reason, I'd wager that all those who choose to boycott newly conceived events, in which event producers are taking on more risk than ever before, for reasons pertaining to these ultimately trivial patch issues, will reduce the appetite of event producers for conceiving and financing new events.

If these new events can't make ends meet financially because some of the elite chose to boycott, thereby devaluing the event itself, the real loser is the players, and those who have chosen to support newly conceived events like Matchroom's Predator Championship League event and the CSI Arizona Open will be the unfortunate and blameless victims if such events prove unsustainable.

Sadly, in recent years, players far too often, have failed to support those that roll the dice on producing new events, and these producers have, quite sensibly, shown a willingness to discontinue events in the aftermath of such failures. Are we heading down that road again? Well, we shall see.

Players need to be more committed to the growth of their sport, and one manner in which they must do so is by supporting those who increase their investment in pro pool.

Post is on money, but I wonder if those who had this bright idea.

Did their research, and polled potential players?

Research is not bad idea before spending money & time to host event few will attend.
 
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Every player can attend the events that he/she chooses. We all understand that.

... but, admitting that I have no idea who is boycotting the Arizona Open and for what reason, I'd wager that all those who choose to boycott newly conceived events, in which event producers are taking on more risk than ever before, for reasons pertaining to these ultimately trivial patch issues, will reduce the appetite of event producers for conceiving and financing new events.

If these new events can't make ends meet financially because some of the elite chose to boycott, thereby devaluing the event itself, the real loser is the players, and those who have chosen to support newly conceived events like Matchroom's Predator Championship League event and the CSI Arizona Open will be the unfortunate and blameless victims if such events prove unsustainable.

Sadly, in recent years, players far too often, have failed to support those that roll the dice on producing new events, and these producers have, quite sensibly, shown a willingness to discontinue events in the aftermath of such failures. Are we heading down that road again? Well, we shall see.

Players need to be more committed to the growth of their sport, and one manner in which they must do so is by supporting those who increase their investment in pro pool.
I think you're missing the point entirely. In most instances, the player's hands are tied. Those that are sponsored by cue makers other than Predator have clauses in their contracts prohibiting them from wearing a competitor's logo. I know this to be a fact. Therefore, they have no choice but to not participate. It would be like a basketball player being under contract with Nike and being forced to wear Adidas. On the flip side, in past events, Predator has told players they are not allowed to wear company logos which are in competition with Predator. Again, I know it for a fact. Said players also have clauses they must wear the sponsor's logo while in competition; again, a fact. Are the players truly at fault? I'm not 100% sure this is the case with the event in AZ but the stipulations are set forth in the Player's Guide so I'd say it's a pretty safe assumption.
 
Sorry to report that they are using the same "commercial breaks" again. Hard to believe that anyone at CSI or Predator would think these are good for the tournament, business, or spectators.

da, da, da, da, daaaaaaaaa -- over and over and over
 
I think you're missing the point entirely. In most instances, the player's hands are tied. Those that are sponsored by cue makers other than Predator have clauses in their contracts prohibiting them from wearing a competitor's logo. I know this to be a fact. Therefore, they have no choice but to not participate. It would be like a basketball player being under contract with Nike and being forced to wear Adidas. On the flip side, in past events, Predator has told players they are not allowed to wear company logos which are in competition with Predator. Again, I know it for a fact. Said players also have clauses they must wear the sponsor's logo while in competition; again, a fact. Are the players truly at fault? I'm not 100% sure this is the case with the event in AZ but the stipulations are set forth in the Player's Guide so I'd say it's a pretty safe assumption.
Thanks for this post. I did stipulate that I didn't know who was boycotting or why, so if the reason is because equipment sponsors are forcing the players' hands, I'd say I allowed for it in the way I presented my post. That said, I did not realize some of the details here, so thanks for the info you provided. That said, whether it's the players acting independently or their sponsors forcing their hand, they are doing damage to the sport and impeding its growth at a time when people in the industry should be working together.

So no, I'm not missing the point, which is that people in our industry are not working together and that it can and will do damage when it comes to the conception and production of new events. The new CSI US Pool Series is the most exciting new addition to American pro pool in quite a while and the dysfunction on display in these petty fights is not something that bodes well for pro pool in the United States.
 
Thanks for this post. I did stipulate that I didn't know who was boycotting or why, so if the reason is because equipment sponsors are forcing the players' hands, I'd say I allowed for it in the way I presented my post. That said, I did not realize some of the details here, so thanks for the info you provided. That said, whether it's the players acting independently or their sponsors forcing their hand, they are doing damage to the sport and impeding its growth at a time when people in the industry should be working together.

So no, I'm not missing the point, which is that people in our industry are not working together and that it can and will do damage when it comes to the conception and production of new events. The new CSI US Pool Series is the most exciting new addition to American pro pool in quite a while and the dysfunction on display in these petty fights is not something that bodes well for pro pool in the United States.
I agree and apologize if I misread your post. Everyone needs to band together and put their self interests on the shelf for this to succeed. If I'm being honest, the petty "policies" are short sided for all involved but it doesn't surprise me one bit.
 
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Making people sit thru 30 mins of that same commerical break a match is torture.

Biado up next.
 
A few thoughts.
All the Predator players have a Predator patch obviously but Fedor is out there with nothing but Cuetec and Diamond patches and the players with no sponsors don’t have any patches. I think they might have learned something from last time.
There is a lot of commercial breaks but ill take that. It’s free and live on TV. I’m not gonna complain. Pool needs exposure.
Being seeded most of the matches yesterday didn’t feature the top players. Matches later in the event will be better. It is what it is.
 
A few thoughts.
All the Predator players have a Predator patch obviously but Fedor is out there with nothing but Cuetec and Diamond patches and the players with no sponsors don’t have any patches. I think they might have learned something from last time.
There is a lot of commercial breaks but ill take that. It’s free and live on TV. I’m not gonna complain. Pool needs exposure.
Being seeded most of the matches yesterday didn’t feature the top players. Matches later in the event will be better. It is what it is.
They should wear a This space for rent patch.
 
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