ABP or Barry Behrman: Which Side of the Fence Are You On?

Which side of the fence are you on?

  • ABP (Association of Billiard Professionals)

    Votes: 71 25.6%
  • Barry Behrman, promoter of U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship

    Votes: 116 41.9%
  • On the fence, I empathize with both sides

    Votes: 71 25.6%
  • Neither

    Votes: 19 6.9%

  • Total voters
    277
  • Poll closed .
Jeff, I don't doubt that someone said that, or that they even believe that. I do doubt the actual validity of it though. I don't think 90% of the people are actually that naive. ;)

But the sponsors do....or at least they must think golfers have integrity....maybe more than pool players?

The Personal actions of each of us add up and are evaluated by others, including potential sponsors. I can't change them or the world, but I can choose to act as I see fit. Each of us can choose to add to the quality of pool players' integrity by each adding to his/her own. THAT is a power each of us posseses and can be utilized this very second without the hassle and cost of convincing anyone else.

Jeff Livingston
 
Where do people's vote stand now that ABP has declined Barry Behrman's offer to accommodate their demands?

http://www.azbilliards.com/2000storya.php?storynum=8935

I think this poll needs a little bump ;)

S.G.

For sure, the tides have shifted in recent times! :D

Barry's now out in the lead by a few lengths, and there's a big number still sitting on the fence. The ABP appears to be losing steam, at least at the time of this writing.

Before they made their intentions of a boycott public, they should have had a strategic plan in place. Of course, BEFORE they even attempted the strategic plan, they should have had a strong management plan in place. I don't believe their current platform is sound.

It now appears that the ABP is making media sucker-punches to Barry and then disappears. :embarrassed2:
 
Behrman had thought that his offer would ensure their participation, but this has not proven the be the case. What Behrman had offered was:

1) $50,000 to be escrowed 30 days prior to the event, as per our requests to allow enough time for invitations and travel arrangements.

2) Balance of monies to be available the week of the event and all players paid at the conclusion of their final match.

3) As collateral, the corporate seal, papers and rights to the US Open 9-Ball Championships, Inc. which are owned by us free and clear of any debt or liens.

$50K escrowed a month in advance, the remainder of the monies the week of the tourney, everybody paid in full before they leave. If it doesn't happen, Barry gives up the rights to his life's work, the US Open.
Seems like Barry was willing to basically drag race for pink slips. Just about any other pool entity offered that deal would have been doing tail-draggers at the starting line.

The ABP chose not to jump on this. My ire is piqued as to why.

It definetly begs the question : What else do they want ??

Time will tell, I guess..............
 
I may be wrong. My memory is bad, as I'm not sleeping well due to health issues, but I think Danny's beef was with an event not promoted by Barry Behrman.

I was at this event that Danny went to, and it was tragic what happened. Barry's son, Brady, got stiffed by vendors who complained about the lack of attendance, and not very many people came. The tournament happened right after the Derby City Classic, and it was also on Super Bowl weekend, so the timing was bad. Add insult to injury, I think a snow storm also occurred preventing travel. It was an unfortunate incident, and I felt very bad about how it ended up, knowing how much work went into it. :frown:

The Mid-Atlantic 9-Ball Championship happened in January 22, 2003. I still have my long-sleeved T-shirt. It's a very cool-looking T-shirt.

Isn't it awful that my strongest memory of this event was Charlie Williams and another pool player standing outside in front of the Holiday Inn talking to a very well-dressed lady, who I later found out worked for an "escort service."

I'm trying to find the article. Again, my memory is fuzzy, but it looks like it was an Efren vs. Bustie final according to this: http://www.azbilliards.com/midatlantic/t8w2.html

Hey, Charlie needs lovin too!!!
LOL,,,,,LMAO!!!!!
 
I'm for doing whatever it takes to save the US Open, one of the pillars on which American pool stands.

I think that means I favor both sides.

i agree wit you 100%. Bary has been no angel, but he has worked hard to keep this alive a has struggled for years and it seems with little help from anyone.
I would hate to see the US OPEN back in Vegas again!

i think very few realize t undertaking and work that goes into this project! ANd with little gratitude.
 
i agree wit you 100%. Bary has been no angel, but he has worked hard to keep this alive a has struggled for years and it seems with little help from anyone.
I would hate to see the US OPEN back in Vegas again!

i think very few realize t undertaking and work that goes into this project! ANd with little gratitude.

And just when was it in Las Vegas? I've been going since 84 and it has been in the same area the whole time. Either Virginia Beach, Norfolk or Chesapeake.
 
"Character???"

Is this subject, "ever," going to be resolved? In the end, one has to doubt that this is anything more than "a tempest in a tea cup!"

The players have expressed valid points for their "collective opinions,"(IMHO).
However, is there any possible way, they could have found their "organised, positional, voice" at a worse, possible, economic time?

Barry Behrman has done this sport a great service in creating and promoting the U.S.Open for all of these 30-something years, however, are there any publicly, "hidden facts" about his track record of paying, that aren't being discussed here in the forums?
 
Last edited:
I may be wrong. My memory is bad, as I'm not sleeping well due to health issues, but I think Danny's beef was with an event not promoted by Barry Behrman.

I was at this event that Danny went to, and it was tragic what happened. Barry's son, Brady, got stiffed by vendors who complained about the lack of attendance, and not very many people came. The tournament happened right after the Derby City Classic, and it was also on Super Bowl weekend, so the timing was bad. Add insult to injury, I think a snow storm also occurred preventing travel. It was an unfortunate incident, and I felt very bad about how it ended up, knowing how much work went into it. :frown:

The Mid-Atlantic 9-Ball Championship happened in January 22, 2003. I still have my long-sleeved T-shirt. It's a very cool-looking T-shirt.

Isn't it awful that my strongest memory of this event was Charlie Williams and another pool player standing outside in front of the Holiday Inn talking to a very well-dressed lady, who I later found out worked for an "escort service."

I'm trying to find the article. Again, my memory is fuzzy, but it looks like it was an Efren vs. Bustie final according to this: http://www.azbilliards.com/midatlantic/t8w2.html

Yes players are still owed money from Behrman on that event from what I heard.
Thats a funny memory of CW. But little uncalled for I think whether its true or not. Someone could mention all the times they saw Keith M. getting escorts or young gals while your not looking (maybe its true or..?) lol

At any rate, hope this US Open goes through somehow for everyone involved. Its a great event
 
Yes players are still owed money from Behrman on that event from what I heard.
Thats a funny memory of CW. But little uncalled for I think whether its true or not. Someone could mention all the times they saw Keith M. getting escorts or young gals while your not looking (maybe its true or..?) lol

At any rate, hope this US Open goes through somehow for everyone involved. Its a great event

It's a strong memory of Charlie Williams of mine from that event, and I'll tell you why. The tournament stands were like a ghost town with no attendance, thanks to a snow blizzard. Plus, it was Super Bowl weekend. Interestingly, if you were there -- and I was -- the majority of those in the stands were players. And then there were the ladies of the night. I guess they were local. Not many other people came in the early days of the event. Just players, staff, a handful of locals, and ladies of the night. It was kind of sad, really, because it was a first-class event. The vendors were all complaining that they had not done one penny's worth of business that week. :frown:

We're standing in the Holiday Inn front lobby one evening, and Mike Lebron comes up to us. He says to Keith, right in front of me, "Hey, how much do you think she costs?" pointing to an scantily dressed, attractive female down the hallway of the lobby. I was kind of pissed off that the subject came up in my presence, truth be told, and I let Keith know about it as we departed. :nono:

We went back to our hotel room to get ready to drive over to Q-Masters. We were supposed to give a ride to a friend of Keith's, but before we left our room, I chewed Keith a new ear about Mike Lebron speaking about such matters in my presence, too. You could have fried an egg on my forehead. We pulled up to the front lobby, looking for Keith's friend, and there was Charlie Williams and another player standing out front talking to that same lady that was in the hallway earlier. :shocked:

Keith yells out and asks if so-and-so is around, because they wanted a ride to the Q-Masters. The lady that was talking to Charlie Williams then yells back to Keith, who's sitting in my car with me driving, "Hey, can I ride over to Q-Masters with you?" to which I responded in the negative rather loudly, still angry from my conversation with Keith in our hotel room. :banghead:

I'll never forget that experience because Keith said that I should not have replied so negatively to the lady of the night talking to Charlie Williams who was only asking for a ride to the pool room in my car. It was kind of a compound fracture, Mike Lebron asking about prices in front of me and then this same lady of the night wanting to ride in my car. :angry:

As far as Keith and escorts, well, it's no secret that he has a great deal experience in this department, and I've written about it extensively. :smile:

I have a lot of memories from that tournament. I remember Brady Behrman's wife crying her eyes out at the end of the tournament, not knowing why at the time. I also can recall the vendors very upset that they incurred expenses and didn't sell anything.

ETA: This was the Mid-Atlantic 9-Ball Championship held at the Holiday Inn in Chesaspeake, Virginia, on January 22-26, 2003, and here's the brackets: Mid-Atlantic 9-Ball Championship. Here's a picture of the winners of the event, courtesy of AzBilliards Main Page and taken by Poolpics by Hoppe.

So, Allprobilliards, which player are you in the brackets? ;)
 

Attachments

  • P12600591[1].jpg
    P12600591[1].jpg
    41.1 KB · Views: 183
Last edited:
So far, 252 independent votes on this poll, with the ABP not faring as well as Barry. There is a good number of people on the fence, and there's a few who don't care.

I do wonder what the largest number ever of a poll vote is on this forum.

Some members may read this thread but not vote, but I am curious if this is reflective of how many so-called "regular" readers there are on the forum who keep up with the current subject matters of interest.

This week, it's the boycott; next week, it might be a new pool movie coming out. :cool:
 
speaking of hookers . . .

It's a strong memory of Charlie Williams of mine from that event, and I'll tell you why. The tournament stands were like a ghost town with no attendance, thanks to a snow blizzard. Plus, it was Super Bowl weekend. Interestingly, if you were there -- and I was -- the majority of those in the stands were players. And then there were the ladies of the night. I guess they were local. Not many other people came in the early days of the event. Just players, staff, a handful of locals, and ladies of the night. It was kind of sad, really, because it was a first-class event. The vendors were all complaining that they had not done one penny's worth of business that week. :frown:

We're standing in the Holiday Inn front lobby one evening, and Mike Lebron comes up to us. He says to Keith, right in front of me, "Hey, how much do you think she costs?" pointing to an scantily dressed, attractive female down the hallway of the lobby. I was kind of pissed off that the subject came up in my presence, truth be told, and I let Keith know about it as we departed. :nono:

We went back to our hotel room to get ready to drive over to Q-Masters. We were supposed to give a ride to a friend of Keith's, but before we left our room, I chewed Keith a new ear about Mike Lebron speaking about such matters in my presence, too. You could have fried an egg on my forehead. We pulled up to the front lobby, looking for Keith's friend, and there was Charlie Williams and another player standing out front talking to that same lady that was in the hallway earlier. :shocked:

Keith yells out and asks if so-and-so is around, because they wanted a ride to the Q-Masters. The lady that was talking to Charlie Williams then yells back to Keith, who's sitting in my car with me driving, "Hey, can I ride over to Q-Masters with you?" to which I responded in the negative rather loudly, still angry from my conversation with Keith in our hotel room. :banghead:

I'll never forget that experience because Keith said that I should not have replied so negatively to the lady of the night talking to Charlie Williams who was only asking for a ride to the pool room in my car. It was kind of a compound fracture, Mike Lebron asking about prices in front of me and then this same lady of the night wanting to ride in my car. :angry:

Speaking of hookers, we were speaking of hookers weren't we? An old texan is in the lobby of a very nice hotel one afternoon when a beautiful blonde young hooker comes up to him and asked if he was interested. He was and they discussed rates. "$500" "Five hundred dollars?!? I have never paid over ten dollars for a hooker in my life!"

That evening the rancher and his wife were going to a major social event and came down to the lobby with his wife in evening gown and a couple pounds of rocks. The hooker is once again in the lobby and walks up to the rancher, "You see what you get for ten dollars?"

Hu
 
Speaking of hookers, we were speaking of hookers weren't we? An old texan is in the lobby of a very nice hotel one afternoon when a beautiful blonde young hooker comes up to him and asked if he was interested. He was and they discussed rates. "$500" "Five hundred dollars?!? I have never paid over ten dollars for a hooker in my life!"

That evening the rancher and his wife were going to a major social event and came down to the lobby with his wife in evening gown and a couple pounds of rocks. The hooker is once again in the lobby and walks up to the rancher, "You see what you get for ten dollars?"

Hu

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! :rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

An Irish daughter had not been home for over five years. Upon her return, her father cursed her, "Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mum through?"

The girl, crying, replied, “Sniff, sniff. Dad, I became a prostitute.”

“Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this family.”

“Okay, Dad, as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a 10-bedroom mansion plus a savings certificate for $5 million; for me little brother, this gold Rolex; and for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes, limited edition convertible, that's parked outside plus a membership to the country club -- [takes a breath] -- and an invitation for ye all to spend New Year's Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera, and--"

[Interrupting] “Now, what was it ye said ye had become?” says Dad.

Girl, crying again, “Sniff, sniff. A prostitute, Dad! Sniff, sniff."

“Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old man a hug.” :grin:
 
good one!

That was a might fine tale too. reminds me of the two Irish lads talking in New York City. One is fresh off the boat and the other one is telling him how wonderful it is here. "Only in America can you walk into a pub and have somebody buy you free drinks all night, take you for a good meal, and then give you a place to sleep, all without you spending a dime!"

"That happened to you?"

"Well no, but it did happen to my sister."

Hu(being roughly half Scot-Irish and half Italian with a dash of almost everything tossed in leaves me lots of leeway for ethnic jokes)



LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! :rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:



An Irish daughter had not been home for over five years. Upon her return, her father cursed her, "Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old mum through?"

The girl, crying, replied, “Sniff, sniff. Dad, I became a prostitute.”

“Ye what!!? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this family.”

“Okay, Dad, as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat, title deed to a 10-bedroom mansion plus a savings certificate for $5 million; for me little brother, this gold Rolex; and for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes, limited edition convertible, that's parked outside plus a membership to the country club -- [takes a breath] -- and an invitation for ye all to spend New Year's Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera, and--"

[Interrupting] “Now, what was it ye said ye had become?” says Dad.

Girl, crying again, “Sniff, sniff. A prostitute, Dad! Sniff, sniff."

“Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old man a hug.” :grin:
 
That was a might fine tale too. reminds me of the two Irish lads talking in New York City. One is fresh off the boat and the other one is telling him how wonderful it is here. "Only in America can you walk into a pub and have somebody buy you free drinks all night, take you for a good meal, and then give you a place to sleep, all without you spending a dime!"

"That happened to you?"

"Well no, but it did happen to my sister."

Hu(being roughly half Scot-Irish and half Italian with a dash of almost everything tossed in leaves me lots of leeway for ethnic jokes)

Tee-hee. I'm part Irish myself, Hu! :D

A lady approaches her priest and says, "Father, I have a problem. I have two female talking parrots, but they only know how to say one thing."

"What do they say?" the priest inquires.

"They only know how to say, 'Hi, we're prostitutes. Want to have some fun?'"

"That's terrible," the priest exclaims, "but I have a solution to your problem. Bring your two female parrots over to my house, and I will put them with my two male talking parrots whom I taught to pray and read the bible. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase, and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship."

"Oh, thank you, Father," the woman responds.

The next day, the woman brings her female parrots to the priest's house. His two male parrots are holding rosary beads and praying in their cage. The lady puts her two female parrots in with the male parrots, and the female parrots say, "Hi, we're prostitutes, want to have some fun?"

One male parrot looks at the other male parrot and exclaims, "Put the beads away. Our prayers have been answered!" :thumbup:
 
Oh well, I have to stop now

Tee-hee. I'm part Irish myself, Hu! :D

A lady approaches her priest and says, "Father, I have a problem. I have two female talking parrots, but they only know how to say one thing."

"What do they say?" the priest inquires.

"They only know how to say, 'Hi, we're prostitutes. Want to have some fun?'"

"That's terrible," the priest exclaims, "but I have a solution to your problem. Bring your two female parrots over to my house, and I will put them with my two male talking parrots whom I taught to pray and read the bible. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase, and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship."

"Oh, thank you, Father," the woman responds.

The next day, the woman brings her female parrots to the priest's house. His two male parrots are holding rosary beads and praying in their cage. The lady puts her two female parrots in with the male parrots, and the female parrots say, "Hi, we're prostitutes, want to have some fun?"

One male parrot looks at the other male parrot and exclaims, "Put the beads away. Our prayers have been answered!" :thumbup:


That was funny! I once told a joke about a preacher and a parrot to a preacher. He didn't get it so I had to find a parrot to tell it to.

When we start on Catholic or Italian jokes I was going to have to stop because most I know aren't fit for public consumption or ladies but then I remembered this one.

The old bell ringer that had called the faithful to mass for over forty years passed away. The priest was forced to advertise for a new bell ringer. A man with no arms answered the ad. The priest told him "my son I would like to employ you but how could you possibly ring the bell?"

"Follow me up the tower" They climbed the bell tower and the man without arms ran across the small platform and smashed his face into the bell. The priest thought this was horrible but the man badly needed work and the bell had made the most beautiful sound he had ever heard so finally he gave in and hired the armless bell ringer. Come Sunday the bell ringer was all excited. He ran across the platform, missing the bell, and plunged to his death. As the police were writing their report they asked the priest for the bell ringers full name. "You know, I never asked but his face rings a bell."

The priest had to once again run an ad and lo and behold, another armless man answers the ad, looking identical to the first man. He explained that the first bell ringer had been his twin brother and he really wanted to take over his job. He said he would be very careful and once again the bell made that beautiful sound so at last the priest agreed to employ him. The very next Sunday the new bell ringer raced across the platform, missed the bell, and fell to his death. Again the police came to investigate. "Do you know this one's name?"

"No but he is a dead ringer for his brother!"

Hu(Not sure the gates are gonna be open wide when I die!)
 
That was funny! I once told a joke about a preacher and a parrot to a preacher. He didn't get it so I had to find a parrot to tell it to.

When we start on Catholic or Italian jokes I was going to have to stop because most I know aren't fit for public consumption or ladies but then I remembered this one.

The old bell ringer that had called the faithful to mass for over forty years passed away. The priest was forced to advertise for a new bell ringer. A man with no arms answered the ad. The priest told him "my son I would like to employ you but how could you possibly ring the bell?"

"Follow me up the tower" They climbed the bell tower and the man without arms ran across the small platform and smashed his face into the bell. The priest thought this was horrible but the man badly needed work and the bell had made the most beautiful sound he had ever heard so finally he gave in and hired the armless bell ringer. Come Sunday the bell ringer was all excited. He ran across the platform, missing the bell, and plunged to his death. As the police were writing their report they asked the priest for the bell ringers full name. "You know, I never asked but his face rings a bell."

The priest had to once again run an ad and lo and behold, another armless man answers the ad, looking identical to the first man. He explained that the first bell ringer had been his twin brother and he really wanted to take over his job. He said he would be very careful and once again the bell made that beautiful sound so at last the priest agreed to employ him. The very next Sunday the new bell ringer raced across the platform, missed the bell, and fell to his death. Again the police came to investigate. "Do you know this one's name?"

"No but he is a dead ringer for his brother!"

Hu(Not sure the gates are gonna be open wide when I die!)

That's so funny and well done! :cool:
 
Too many issues at stake to pick one side over another. Trying to force any issue will usually end with one side resenting the other in ,which case there will always be an issue. Any relationship must start with each side recognizing the problem within themselves before trying to fix the others. The crown always weighs heavier on the King. Barry is trying to save something bigger than himself. Only the governing bodies of the APA can decide what is best for them , and it might have nothing to do with the sport. Just a thought from the peanut gallery
 
That was funny! I once told a joke about a preacher and a parrot to a preacher. He didn't get it so I had to find a parrot to tell it to.

When we start on Catholic or Italian jokes I was going to have to stop because most I know aren't fit for public consumption or ladies but then I remembered this one.

The old bell ringer that had called the faithful to mass for over forty years passed away. The priest was forced to advertise for a new bell ringer. A man with no arms answered the ad. The priest told him "my son I would like to employ you but how could you possibly ring the bell?"

"Follow me up the tower" They climbed the bell tower and the man without arms ran across the small platform and smashed his face into the bell. The priest thought this was horrible but the man badly needed work and the bell had made the most beautiful sound he had ever heard so finally he gave in and hired the armless bell ringer. Come Sunday the bell ringer was all excited. He ran across the platform, missing the bell, and plunged to his death. As the police were writing their report they asked the priest for the bell ringers full name. "You know, I never asked but his face rings a bell."

The priest had to once again run an ad and lo and behold, another armless man answers the ad, looking identical to the first man. He explained that the first bell ringer had been his twin brother and he really wanted to take over his job. He said he would be very careful and once again the bell made that beautiful sound so at last the priest agreed to employ him. The very next Sunday the new bell ringer raced across the platform, missed the bell, and fell to his death. Again the police came to investigate. "Do you know this one's name?"

"No but he is a dead ringer for his brother!"

Hu(Not sure the gates are gonna be open wide when I die!)



Steve Tipton ( the TD of WPBA ) told that joke few times before ESPN semifinal matches of WPBA events.
 
Back
Top