I realize many would have liked an earlier response to the 'situation' - however we had a very large tournament to run. Today, our office is 'almost' up and running again - I personally had over 700 emails and a huge stack of mail.
The plan is:
A written press release will be submitted (hopefully by tomorrow) explaining the conditions of the invitational - what occurred with the withdrawal of Ralf Souquet - and the reasoning behind the course of action we took. We will be reporting facts – not opinions.
In addition, we will be the guests on the American Billiard Radio (Thursday 9 PM Central Time) broadcast for this week. At that time, we will address some of the misinformation (and assumptions) that are being spread on the multitude of threads on this topic.
I might add that in some ways, I am glad that we did not spend our limited resources on addressing some of the comments made. To be honest, this extra time allowed several posters to remove all doubt of their intentions. I am a very open and patient person. I feel I go above and beyond to have my actions transparent. No one should be subjected to the personal assaults that some of the posters have spewed on this topic. Because you disagree with our decision, you try to create the impression of wrong doing. It is people and thoughts like yours that hurt our industry more than anything else. Can we disagree? Absolutely! Do I expect to be treated with respect? Absolutely! It is quite apparent several people cannot wrap their head around differing opinions.
Also, please DO NOT think that my silence on this topic has been a sign of weakness or ‘concocting a story’ – it had to do with finishing up a very large event. I stated it would be a couple of days – and guess what – I actually did what I said I would do.!!!!
Hindsight can be 20/20. We made a decision. We will explain why we made the decision. We stand by the decision. In the process, we did make an error and corrective measures are in motion. We will own up to that – but I don’t expect it to make any difference to the haters. It is beyond my comprehension to understand what drives these people. Do we make mistakes – yes. I guess we should do nothing and the possibility of future mistakes would be eliminated.
For those that care (and I know there are many), CSI is planning to continue this (or a very similar) format. We now have a precedent in place if this type of unprofessional behavior occurs again. I want everyone to know – that although I do try to appease pool fans and players – I also realize that there are some that are miserable in their lives and just want me to be miserable too. Ain’t gonna happen!! The only thing that is going to happen is that I am going to call out the critics and engage them in a discussion.
Please be patient and civil as this process unfolds.
As usual, if you have anything you want to say, I am easy to find. If you want to discuss this further, call me. I will not talk with aliases or anonymous people.
Mark Griffin
702-719-7665
markg@playcsipool.com
The plan is:
A written press release will be submitted (hopefully by tomorrow) explaining the conditions of the invitational - what occurred with the withdrawal of Ralf Souquet - and the reasoning behind the course of action we took. We will be reporting facts – not opinions.
In addition, we will be the guests on the American Billiard Radio (Thursday 9 PM Central Time) broadcast for this week. At that time, we will address some of the misinformation (and assumptions) that are being spread on the multitude of threads on this topic.
I might add that in some ways, I am glad that we did not spend our limited resources on addressing some of the comments made. To be honest, this extra time allowed several posters to remove all doubt of their intentions. I am a very open and patient person. I feel I go above and beyond to have my actions transparent. No one should be subjected to the personal assaults that some of the posters have spewed on this topic. Because you disagree with our decision, you try to create the impression of wrong doing. It is people and thoughts like yours that hurt our industry more than anything else. Can we disagree? Absolutely! Do I expect to be treated with respect? Absolutely! It is quite apparent several people cannot wrap their head around differing opinions.
Also, please DO NOT think that my silence on this topic has been a sign of weakness or ‘concocting a story’ – it had to do with finishing up a very large event. I stated it would be a couple of days – and guess what – I actually did what I said I would do.!!!!
Hindsight can be 20/20. We made a decision. We will explain why we made the decision. We stand by the decision. In the process, we did make an error and corrective measures are in motion. We will own up to that – but I don’t expect it to make any difference to the haters. It is beyond my comprehension to understand what drives these people. Do we make mistakes – yes. I guess we should do nothing and the possibility of future mistakes would be eliminated.
For those that care (and I know there are many), CSI is planning to continue this (or a very similar) format. We now have a precedent in place if this type of unprofessional behavior occurs again. I want everyone to know – that although I do try to appease pool fans and players – I also realize that there are some that are miserable in their lives and just want me to be miserable too. Ain’t gonna happen!! The only thing that is going to happen is that I am going to call out the critics and engage them in a discussion.
Please be patient and civil as this process unfolds.
As usual, if you have anything you want to say, I am easy to find. If you want to discuss this further, call me. I will not talk with aliases or anonymous people.
Mark Griffin
702-719-7665
markg@playcsipool.com
