U.S. Open 9-Ball Opinion from Pat Fleming

BigDennis said:

Pat Fleming not only is a great blessing to all of us pool affection adios that we all Love. If you aren't aware of the following, now you are, Pat Flemming is a Great Around, All Games, Pool Player. Pat used to play on the tour. I hope Barry Hearndon Works with Pat for many reasons all us old pool family guys and gals want around cause we admire Love Pat Flemming. I bought my first tapes from Pat back in like1984, have a good size collection of matches that I love. Go to Pat for the best matches.Peace everyone. BigDennis D.C.Cues.

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I dont believe MS will EVER give away their content or sell it for a fair price to anyone-except maybe when they are teetering on going out of business in 20 years or so.

You are great for pool Pat. I hope Matchroom includes Accu-stats with the presentation of the US Open 9 ball championship. It presents a great picture of how the players are playing. It was good to see you again in the Villages. Best regards, Don Hunter

US Open 9 Ball Championships going to Matchroom Sports

Hi Pat,

First off, I don't know of a single person who's contributed more to the longevity, history and comradery of the game of pocket billiards than you and Accu-Stats have in the past 3 or 4 decades, so hats off to you for your dedication, hard work, integrity and love for the greatest sport to ever be played Pat, you are truly one of a kind!!!

With that being said when Danny D told me that the 2018 US Open was going to be potentially a no show show this year, with rumors of the Behrmans holding out, Efren not playing again, I said wait a minute. "With the tainted history the US Open has had with Barry at the helm, players not getting paid, returning players refusing to play because of all these fiasco's, you're telling me that when the most "standup" guy in pool is asked to take over the management of the US Open for the past few years and it goes more smoothly than it has in previous years, and everyone gets paid, that now the Behrman's are going to cancel the US Open?"

Well for whatever it's worth, I hope they sold the rights to the US Open to Matchroom Sports for a bundle, because although Matchroom does provide quality events and streams, they are certainly a very commercialized organization and this commercialization will hopefully provide the advertising and funding to keep this event and many future events alive and prospering for a long time to come.

Your friend in pool....Imapoolnut.

aka Ozzie. :wave:

Pat Fleming....a straight shooter....on and off the table





which is more than I can say for Barry’s kid

patscue said:

Despite saving the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships for the last three years, and after hearing the published news about Matchroom taking control over the Open, I’ve not heard a peep from the Behrmans or Matchroom regarding the development; not a phone call, not an email, not a text, not a voice mail, or a Facebook post, but I can’t hold it in any longer.

I think the acquisition of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships by Matchroom is the best thing that’s happened to pool in a very, very long time! I hope it survives many years because it will benefit the entire billiards industry immensely. It will also inspire countless talented individuals to pursue their dreams, and the sport will only grow from there.

In the meantime, I will continue to promote pool as best I can.

Pat Fleming

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Pat, your reply simply reflects what a classy guy you are. You certainly should have been consulted in the transaction. To not even notify you is inexcusable! You've probably done more than any other individual to boost and the support the sport we all love. We all appreciate you!

I also second the applause for the new availability of the Accu-Stats matches on Vimeo streaming. The price is more than reasonable and the quality is excellent. I hope that the older matches will also be added to the Vimeo catalogue, even though I know the technical quality of the recordings can't match the current matches.

sjm said:

Thanks to Pat for everything he has done and continues to do for pool.

Matchroom's acquisition of the US Open is, as Pat suggests, exciting and let's hope that the players work with Barry Hearn, rather than in an adversarial "I/we want it this way or I/we won't participate" manner.

Matchroom's great success is due to giving the spectators (live and on internet) what they want, whether it's what the players prefer or not. That's why Matchroom draws more spectators than any other producer of pool events.

The American players, who so often take the adversarial path, need to check their egos at the door to ensure that Barry Hearn, who can pull the plug on this event at a moment's notice, has a positive experience in producing this event. If they don't, the US Open remains on the path toward extinction.

Finally, the Behrmans developed and grew this event, and they will always be part of its history, but their day has come and gone and I don't see it as necessary for them to weigh in on any of these developments. Their place in history is assured and we should all be grateful to them for their contribution to our sport. .... but, in the words of the great Greek philosopher Herodotus, the past is history.

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Yes Barry started and ran the tournament for years with some growth but the real advancement of the event came while another man who worked with Barry actually ran the event. This was Bob Early and he ran a much better organized event than Barry ever did. And after Bob and Barry parted ways with Barry at the helm it started down hill.

How do you sell an event without informing the person who single-handedly saved it for you for the last 3 years? If they can do that to Pat, then what kind of deal did they make with Matchroom?

One thing about Barry Behrman --- he hung on to this event with his heart and soul. He never gave up and never sold out. He always vowed to keep it a true UNITED STATES OPEN. So before jumping on the Matchroom bandwagon, I want to see what they do with the event and if they maintain is as a true UNITED STATES OPEN.

FranCrimi said:

How do you sell an event without informing the person who single-handedly saved it for you for the last 3 years? If they can do that to Pat, then what kind of deal did they make with Matchroom?

One thing about Barry Behrman --- he hung on to this event with his heart and soul. He never gave up and never sold out. He always vowed to keep it a true UNITED STATES OPEN. So before jumping on the Matchroom bandwagon, I want to see what they do with the event and if they maintain is as a true UNITED STATES OPEN.

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What do you mean by a true United States Open? It has allowed international players for decades.

FranCrimi said:

How do you sell an event without informing the person who single-handedly saved it for you for the last 3 years? If they can do that to Pat, then what kind of deal did they make with Matchroom?

One thing about Barry Behrman --- he hung on to this event with his heart and soul. He never gave up and never sold out. He always vowed to keep it a true UNITED STATES OPEN. So before jumping on the Matchroom bandwagon, I want to see what they do with the event and if they maintain is as a true UNITED STATES OPEN.

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Its going to be in Vegas which is in the UNITED STATES and its going to be OPEN. So, based on those two tid-bits it will still be the US OPEN. Money talks in this world and i'm going out on a limb and saying that BH made them a pretty juicy offer.

Thank you, Pat

You are an incredible ambassador for the pool world. I sincerely appreciate everything that you do and hope that I get to meet you one day. Thank you, for all that you did and all that you will continue to do.

FranCrimi said:

How do you sell an event without informing the person who single-handedly saved it for you for the last 3 years? If they can do that to Pat, then what kind of deal did they make with Matchroom?

One thing about Barry Behrman --- he hung on to this event with his heart and soul. He never gave up and never sold out. He always vowed to keep it a true UNITED STATES OPEN. So before jumping on the Matchroom bandwagon, I want to see what they do with the event and if they maintain is as a true UNITED STATES OPEN.

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Fran I'm with ya on this one, I want too see this play out before my time, I wanna see another 11 pack like Earl at CJ's in April 96. Will the great game of nine ball, races to 11 be handled with the care of the PGA at Augusta, or will be handled in another Manner. I too, after playing in 3 mens failed ventures....will wait and see. Ones things for sure, snooker greats talking a great game of 9 ball all the time is .....about as easy are our 9 ball greats talking patterns in a snooker match. Hey Matchroom have one American top pro and one European pro in the booth At The Same Time....PLEASE.