BigCat said:Jerry,
I don't even know where to begin on this. I have a million and one things to say about this post, but I'll only share a few.
It is obvious that you are a very opinionated person (from reading your posts and from what other people have told me), and that, in and of itself, is fine. Where I have a problem is you shooting off your mouth and making the above comment. I have been an open opponent of the rating system here in Arizona for some time so I can only assume that I am one of the "stupid people that recommend getting rid of the ratings all together".
If you think that I am that "stupid", then let me ask you these questions. How did I get to where I am today? Do you know me on a personal level? Do you know how hard I've worked in my life to get to where I am (personally or professionally)? Do you know what I do for a living? Do you know anything about me other that what you've seen online? If not, then how do you know me to be a person that is "stupid" or "not stupid" What evidence have I given you?
In the past 4 or 5 years, I have probably played in a total of 10 handicapped tournaments. I don't enjoy them. And I do think the rating system hurts Arizona. I look at other states and cities that hold frequent tournaments with open fields (New York, Florida, Texas, California, etc...) and their talent pool is just as strong as anyone elses, if not stronger.
But this is somewhat besides the point of my post. My point is that I can tell you what my opinion is and not insult you or put you down for having a different opinion than mine. If you've noticed I've completely stopped posting on AZPoolScene.com's forum for this very reason. In your online persona, you treat people poorly and often come across harsh, tactless, and extremely opinionated. It's too bad because when Ron ran that website, I enjoyed going there to read the news.
I apologize to the original poster of this thread and to all those who are a part of this thread. I usually don't hijack threads, but felt compelled to defend myself from Stuckart's comments.
Ray Robles
I apologized for being over the top with the "stupid" comments, but I'll do it again. The comments I made have nothing to do with you as a person. It has nothing to do with your overall intelligence. I made these comments to try and wake some people up about the ratings. All the top players complain that we should get rid of them, they are hurting the game, etc. etc. I hear it 10 - 15 times a week. But if you talk to Ron or any of the rooms that have counted on rated tournaments to keep themselves in business you'd understand. And I know "YOU" personally can understand the need and haven't been as loud and boasterous as the rest.
I'm sorry that you took the comments personally. I wasn't attacking any one persons intelligence. I've answered the same people over and over and over about the reason for the Ratings, and why it is a 1000 times better than not having them. But these people don't get it, they continue to complain and complain and bash and bash all the hard work that all the members volunteer to better the sport. It's like a kick in the nuts for us that do whatever we can to grow the sport we all love. So, I say once again, I'm sorry that I came off rash, as I was hoping that this new method would actually make people think about others first besides themselves, in regards to the ratings. Personally, If something was put in place and has worked for years and years to grow something like attendance in pool tournaments, regardless if I disagreed or not, I would not over and over bash it every chance I can get.
I'm really sorry that you stopped reading all the great news on azpoolscene. I have covered 300% more stories than the site had in the past, mostly because I wasn't running a pool room as Ron was, and that took priority. I've been covering ALL rooms across the state, ALL League systems, etc. as many people that were not Alexander's players stayed away from the site before. Numbers have increased, tournament coverage has been much more. And with the nickels I'm able to scrap together from the site, I've put it back into advertising the site, promoting tournaments, meeting with room owners across the state in making it the 1 stop place for pool news in Arizona.