2014 us open unpaid prize money

jay helfert said:
That's okay, I deserve it for trusting him to keep his word. I should know better by now. Just for the record my main motivation this past year was to make sure the U.S. Open was run properly for the sake of all the players, many traveling long distances to get there. I think I succeeded in making that happen. I was given assurances that there would be no problem with prize money payouts this year, just like last year when everybody was paid fairly promptly. All seemed to go well on this account also, until I began to get e-mails regarding a player who is a close friend of mine and who remained partially unpaid.

You and Lou can knock me to your heart's content if it makes you feel any better. I did what I did in the interest of our sport and I won't make excuses for being there. I lost more money that week (in the stock market) then I made by working there. :frown:
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As a fan of pool and the US Open I appreciate that and I also think you succeeded. It was a good tournament. Although it's not your job to make sure everyone gets paid you've tried in the best way possible (I think) to encourage Barry to pay everyone by offering to help him out on the condition that he pays all prize monies. I agree with your feeling that you should not associate yourself with (i.e support) something that's damaging pool as a sport, but again I appreciate your efforts and want to point out to all that the US Open was way better off since you came in to help out.

Like it or not, the US Open has prestige and a rich tradition and it will be a great loss to pool if/when it dies. I believe the whole thing is on life support and if Jay Helfert hadn't stepped in that many more players would not have been paid and we would never see another US Open 9 ball (run by Barry). Although Barry is one of those guys who doesn't want to listen to anybody I think Jay Helfert is one of the few individuals he respects enough to TRY to listen and follow through on SOME of his commitments.

I'm not going to try to convince you either way about helping out next year, if there is one. On one hand, your contributions are immeasurable. On the other hand, at some point we all have to stop enabling him to keep making the same mistakes. Further, you have your own reputation to think about and your association with this event could tarnish that for those who don't know you and all that you do.

So anyway I want to thank you for your participation and leadership with the US Open over the years and point out to all here that without Jay I think things would have been much worse.
 
If the US Open is a ranking event it should not be one. If I was a foreign player there is no way I would play in this event....too much risk and too little reward.
 
efirkey said:
If the US Open is a ranking event it should not be one. If I was a foreign player there is no way I would play in this event....too much risk and too little reward.
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No matter what, it is a helluva title to have on your resume and that is a huge reward in itself.. Look at the last 3 winners-Daz, Mika and SVB!
 
Awards and tin cups don't pay the nut. I wonder how much Shane is still owed? Probably most of the winners purse. Johnnyt
 
Just to answer the people who cant figure out why people both player and fan keep going back to the open: Because its the Open. It is the only title left in the US that means anything. Winning a Derby All Around may be close but its still not the same.

Making the Mosconi is not an open race anymore so that title while still important and prestigious just isnt the same. There are no other pro centered events of any real duration in America. When it comes to pro focused events with any history all you have is Derby and the Open and the Derby is more good old boy road player focused where the Open has always drawn big international talent hunting for that title instead of trying to take Tater off in a one handed one ball one pocket game.

I would bet if you asked players "Next year you can finish second in the Open and get paid or win it and get no money which would you do" You would be shocked how many would want the title. It really does mean something to players. Which is the one reason Barry can do the crap he does. And that sucks.

OP I really hope your guy gets paid. I would guess eventually he will. You need to keep making noise about it until he does. History shows that the squeaky wheel gets the grease with Barry.
 
JCIN said:
Just to answer the people who cant figure out why people both player and fan keep going back to the open: Because its the Open. It is the only title left in the US that means anything. Winning a Derby All Around may be close but its still not the same.

Making the Mosconi is not an open race anymore so that title while still important and prestigious just isnt the same. There are no other pro centered events of any real duration in America. When it comes to pro focused events with any history all you have is Derby and the Open and the Derby is more good old boy road player focused where the Open has always drawn big international talent hunting for that title instead of trying to take Tater off in a one handed one ball one pocket game.

I would bet if you asked players "Next year you can finish second in the Open and get paid or win it and get no money which would you do" You would be shocked how many would want the title. It really does mean something to players. Which is the one reason Barry can do the crap he does. And that sucks.

OP I really hope your guy gets paid. I would guess eventually he will. You need to keep making noise about it until he does. History shows that the squeaky wheel gets the grease with Barry.
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If you ask a old school us open champion like sigel, hall, Owens and Jones how life changing it is adding the title???

They would honestly look back and say the money meant more than the tittle! Parica was obsessed and Keith for awhile. The game changed cause of the break and racking shenanigans.

The international world events are the most difficult. Bringing Taiwanese players here proved that!

The open dies and 50 fans go elsewhere. That's all that is left after messing over VIP tickets!

The title means less than the money. IMO

Kd
 
itsfroze said:
The money goes, but no one can ever take that title away from you, ever !
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I agree. The title would be WAY more important to me, but I'm not having trouble putting food on the table or paying the bills. It depends on the individual and their current situation in life. For most though, I think the title would mean more.
 
Kid Dynomite said:
If you ask a old school us open champion like sigel, hall, Owens and Jones how life changing it is adding the title???

They would honestly look back and say the money meant more than the tittle! Parica was obsessed and Keith for awhile. The game changed cause of the break and racking shenanigans.

The international world events are the most difficult. Bringing Taiwanese players here proved that!

The open dies and 50 fans go elsewhere. That's all that is left after messing over VIP tickets!

The title means less than the money. IMO

Kd
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I haven't had too much experience with guys who were in their prime twenty five years ago so I'll take your word for it. I do have some experience with guys who are winning now. That title means something today.

Believe it or don't. Doesn't really make a difference either way.
 
I agree the title means something but it is a pretty sad state of affairs that if you walked up to 100 people at the DCC and said "what do you think about last years US Open?" 97 of them would respond with something to do with players not paid or Barry's display during the event. And if 3 people did respond about how fantastic and incredible it was that SVB won his third title in a row, undefeated 3 years in a row, it would have to be SVB to be one of those 3 people that replied as such.
 
watchez said:
I agree the title means something but it is a pretty sad state of affairs that if you walked up to 100 people at the DCC and said "what do you think about last years US Open?" 97 of them would respond with something to do with players not paid or Barry's display during the event. And if 3 people did respond about how fantastic and incredible it was that SVB won his third title in a row, undefeated 3 years in a row, it would have to be SVB to be one of those 3 people that replied as such.
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The last few years Barry has really hurt what it meant to win the Open. But it is still one of the bars by which I and many others judge players. Right or wrong. Either a guy has won it or he hasn't. Whats funny is the stuff was going on for years before it got out. Instead of cleaning up his act with the grace shown him by the players he just got worse. Its a damn shame.
 
JCIN said:
... Whats funny is the stuff was going on for years before it got out. Instead of cleaning up his act with the grace shown him by the players he just got worse. Its a damn shame.
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True. Johnny Archer was interviewed on Am. Billiard Radio recently. He said that when he won the US Open 9-Ball Championship in 1999, he was put on a payment plan for the winner's prize money. So Barry Behrman's practice of slow paying goes way back.

As to the future -- In an ABR interview with Barry after this year's Open, he indicated that payments next year will be made in full at the event, by check cashable immediately -- paid by one of his sponsoring corporations. He said an announcement about that would be made soon (that was 2½ months ago). I hope that does happen and that it is a widely known and reliable corporation. We'll see.
 
AtLarge said:
True. Johnny Archer was interviewed on Am. Billiard Radio recently. He said that when he won the US Open 9-Ball Championship in 1999, he was put on a payment plan for the winner's prize money. So Barry Behrman's practice of slow paying goes way back.

As to the future -- In an ABR interview with Barry after this year's Open, he indicated that payments next year will be made in full at the event, by check cashable immediately -- paid by one of his sponsoring corporations. He said an announcement about that would be made soon (that was 2½ months ago). I hope that does happen and that it is a widely known and reliable corporation. We'll see.
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I will bet up to $200 that there will be no corporation that anyone has heard of doing any such thing. It's just another BB pipe dream. Gimme 10-1 and ill bet BB never hosts another open. GAL PP only and keep in mind i may be dead by then. Edit-WINDOW CLOSED
 
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