Everyone has been paid at the US OPEN

[CreeDo]

Just a guess, but from the hints, it sounds like Barry was going to come up short in paying everyone.
Then johnny bailed him out by putting up some of his own money.

He had 135,000 on the flyer, and we know 50k of it was truly reserved in escrow.
The other 85,000 (gotten via entry fees)... I don't think that was held by a third party.
And then there's paying the staff, venue, etc.

I suspect he couldn't meet some of his obligations and Johnny could have openly said
"Barry has dropped the ball on the money yet again so I'm gonna pay you out of my own pocket."
Instead he just kindly told the audience that Barry had everything paid up and under control.

In any case, big Thank You to Johnny. Whatever the failings, I enjoyed the open immensely.

I would be sad if they had to move it to Q-Masters. I love the place as a pool room. But it's
1,000 miles from the clean, modern, professional venue that I saw at the marriott.
It's not a good solution. It was standing room only even with the marriott's giganto
wide open conference room. In a typical pool hall where you have to wait for other
people to shoot before you can go, and your backswing might hit a countertop
or a spectator? No way. Plus, the place is divided into many little subrooms.
Some of these have seating, some have none at all and it's just a few feet between the table and the wall.
Also it's a random mix of diamonds and gold crowns.

 

[Johnnyt]

Just a guess, but from the hints, it sounds like Barry was going to come up short in paying everyone.
Then johnny bailed him out by putting up some of his own money.

He had 135,000 on the flyer, and we know 50k of it was truly reserved in escrow.
The other 85,000 (gotten via entry fees)... I don't think that was held by a third party.
And then there's paying the staff, venue, etc.

I suspect he couldn't meet some of his obligations and Johnny could have openly said
"Barry has dropped the ball on the money yet again so I'm gonna pay you out of my own pocket."
Instead he just kindly told the audience that Barry had everything paid up and under control.

In any case, big Thank You to Johnny. Whatever the failings, I enjoyed the open immensely.

I would be sad if they had to move it to Q-Masters. I love the place as a pool room. But it's
1,000 miles from the clean, modern, professional venue that I saw at the marriott.
It's not a good solution. It was standing room only even with the marriott's giganto
wide open conference room. In a typical pool hall where you have to wait for other
people to shoot before you can go, and your backswing might hit a countertop
or a spectator? No way. Plus, the place is divided into many little subrooms.
Some of these have seating, some have none at all and it's just a few feet between the table and the wall.
Also it's a random mix of diamonds and gold crowns.

I'm thinking more like Toastie put up the money or a few players said they would take there purse winnings later. I don't think Johnny's doing that well to hand over $1000's to Barry. Johnnyt

 

[Jerry Forsyth]

All of the checks will cash. They carry the signature of Art Wiggins and Art is the real deal when it comes to finances. If pro pool ever does get a true organization to guide the game I would hope that Art and SJM are involved from the financial side. Both are proven winners with 360 degree vision.

 

[JAM]

All of the checks will cash. They carry the signature of Art Wiggins and Art is the real deal when it comes to finances. If pro pool ever does get a true organization to guide the game I would hope that Art and SJM are involved from the financial side. Both are proven winners with 360 degree vision.

I have no idea who Art Wiggins is, so I guess I am not sure why his involvement in professional pool would be a good thing.

SJM is a member of AzBilliards, and he has posted sevearl times that you and he are good friends. I know he is a strong advocate of our international brethren of professional players. I know he reads this forum daily, like me. Hi, Stu :smile:

 

[backplaying]

No sir, you don't understand. This is Barry's baby. 38 years and running! You don't know how hard he works!!! Nobody else in the whole wide world of pool can run this tournament He can pay the players whenever he damn well pleases. A week after the tournament, two weeks, a year!!![/QUOTE]

Do you really belive what you are saying here????????

You think it is ok for him to pay whenever he wants??????

 

[beetle]

I don't know who Art Wiggins is, either, but I see that he hails from Marietta, Georgia, so I would guess that he & Johnny Archer know each other well.

If I ever won the lottery, I'd probably write to sjm first for his financial advice. I agree with Jerry that he would be the best thing for pro-pool on the financial side, from what I know. I believe that I read on AZ that sjm graduated from the Wharton School which is among the best in the world.

I have no idea who Art Wiggins is, so I guess I am not sure why his involvement in professional pool would be a good thing.

SJM is a member of AzBilliards, and he has posted sevearl times that you and he are good friends. I know he is a strong advocate of our international brethren of professional players. I know he reads this forum daily, like me. Hi, Stu :smile:

 

[Nostroke]

All of the checks will cash. They carry the signature of Art Wiggins and Art is the real deal when it comes to finances. If pro pool ever does get a true organization to guide the game I would hope that Art and SJM are involved from the financial side. Both are proven winners with 360 degree vision.

Art who im not sure is even an 'A' player once qualified for the World Championship in Cardiff by winning a 64 man 'race to one' qualifying tournament. It was killer field-guys like Luat, Hundal, Alcano were there trying to qualify that week but i dont actually recall who had to play in the race to one event as it was the last of the qualifiers and some were already in the main event by that time.

I was there many times and may be mixing up the years but the q'ing fields were always strong. One year Luat played in 7 Qualifying events and didnt win one of them

 

[JAM]

Art who im not sure is even an 'A' player once qualified for the World Championship in Cardiff by winning a 64 man 'race to one' qualifying tournament. It was killer field-guys like Luat, Hundal, Alcano were there trying to qualify that week but i dont actually recall who had to play in the race to one event as it was the last of the qualifiers and some were already in.

When the UPA was in existence, they hand-picked the players going to a world pool tournament in Cardiff, instead of using their ranking system, which they were supposed to do. Players that were ranked 17 and 18 were going to Cardiff over several players that were ranked in the Top 10.

I don't know who Art Wiggins is, either, but I see that he hails from Marietta, Georgia, so I would guess that he & Johnny Archer know each other well....

Jerry and Johnny are from Georgia. Maybe he's one of Georgia's best-kept secrets.

 

[Nostroke]

When the UPA was in existence, they hand-picked the players going to a world pool tournament in Cardiff, instead of using their ranking system, which they were supposed to do. Players that were ranked 17 and 18 were going to Cardiff over several players that were ranked in the Top 10.



Jerry and Johnny are from Georgia. Maybe he's one of Georgia's best-kept secrets.

Art traveled to Cardiff on his own dime and played in the qualifiers held the week before, winning the final 'race to one' event. The UPA had nothing to do with him getting into the WPC. Please note-This fact does not mean i liked the UPA

 

[Magog30]

Good news. Sounds like whatever formula was used should be copied in the future.

I think the formula was: F*** it up this time and it's over Barry!!!

 

[Dr. Dissent]

Just a guess, but from the hints, it sounds like Barry was going to come up short in paying everyone.
Then johnny bailed him out by putting up some of his own money.

I read somewhere that Johnny noticed that $20,000 from escrow were missing. Any truth to this angle?

 

[JAM]

Art traveled to Cardiff on his own dime and played in the qualifiers held the week before, winning the final 'race to one' event. The UPA had nothing to do with him getting into the WPC

This must have been a different tournament, Nostroke. Do you know what year you are referring to? My Cardiff tournament was in the early 2000s when UPA was in existence. I want to say 2003, but that's subject to check.

 

[JAM]

I read somewhere that Johnny noticed that $20,000 from escrow were missing. Any truth to this angle?

Oh, no, here we go.

 

[Nostroke]

This must have been a different tournament, Nostroke. Do you know what year you are referring to? My Cardiff tournament was in the early 2000s when UPA was in existence. I want to say 2003, but that's subject to check.

I dont think you are understanding what i have said-The UPA may have done 1000 things wrong but Art still won an onsite qualifier to gain entry into the WPC. It was near a total fluke based on it being a race to one. I am sure he was in the bottom third of the qualifying field at best!

Pro9dg, if that is Doug's name here, ran the qualifying events.

 

[JAM]

I dont think you are understanding what i have said-The UPA may have done 1000 things wrong but Art still won an onsite qualifier to gain entry into the WPC. It was near a total fluke based on it being a race to one. I am sure he was in the bottom third of the qualifying field at best!

Oh, you are saying the WPA had qualifier *before* the Cardiff tournament, and that Art, who may or may not have been a UPA member, traveled on his own dime to Cardiff to play in the qualifier and he won the qualifier. So he got in the Cardiff tournament not by UPA, but by him winning the qualifier in Cardiff before the big event. I gotcha now! :smile:

 

[Nostroke]

Oh, you are saying the WPA had qualifier *before* the Cardiff tournament, and that Art, who may or may not have been a UPA member, traveled on his own dime to Cardiff to play in the qualifier and he won the qualifier. So he got in the Cardiff tournament not by UPA, but by him winning the qualifier in Cardiff before the big event. I gotcha now! :smile:

That's it! :smile:

 

[Jaden]

I'm sorry JAM but you're wrong here...

Watchez, the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship is not a publicly traded stock. Barry owes nobody anything, though I understand your concerns about how it affects the pool industry as a whole.

I am not giving anyone a blanket pass, FWIW; I am simply saying that it isn't anybody's business how Barry run's his business. That's all. It may outrage people and piss people off, but they have the right to not support Barry's enterprise.

I can't tell Mark Griffin, Greg Sullivan, Mike Zuglan, Mike Janis, Shannon Daulton, or Evelyn Disart how to run their pool enterprise, no more than I can tell Barry Behrman how to run his. In the end, it doesn't matter what we think as far as what the outcome or end result will be. I do have STRONG opinions about some of the pool entities you mentioned in your post, but I have made a conscientious effort to refrain from stating my opinions on this public forum in some cases for the betterment of pool as a whole.

It's kind of like we're all spinning our tires in the mud, handing out advice and opinions. :embarrassed2: I don't think it will change anything.

You DON'T have the right to run your business any way you want. When you put out information like payout amounts you create an obligation for yourself to follow through on that.

If you don't that's called FRAUD and you become legally liable.

That doesn't mean that you can get blood from a turnip and there's ways of setting it up to protect your personal assets, that doesn't mean it's right and that CERTAINLY doesn't mean that you should get a pass.

When I launch my tip business (here shortly) and it starts doing well, I'm going to start holding some added money events and you can be damn sure that if I say I am adding 10K or 15K, that the money is already there and will be paid out.

I won't say that I'm going to have the tourney if it's not, along with all the necessary money to pay everybody involved.

I mean it REALLY is as simple as making sure (through whatever means necessary) that you can live up to your word.

Don't say that you have what you don't have. Don't rely on anyone else to come through if they haven't already posted and just do what you say you're going to do.

Jaden

p.s. and don't even BEGIN to not expect people to rip you a new one, if you don't follow through on what you said you would do.

 

[Jaden]

That would be nice...

Also, the biggest problem with this "U.S. Open" tournament, it is not a true U.S. Open and it should be just called the Chesapeake Open because it's always there. The economy in Chesapeake cannot support this tournament. Look at the crappy attendance.

This tournament or brand should be re-located every year in different venues like the Super Bowl. If I went to Chesapeake and Q-Masters one year, then I'm probably not going to go their again. Been there done that kind of attitude.

If this tourney was held in a different venue every year then it would entice more to attend because of location and also breathes in new life and brings in a new and fresh audience.

Let's say the next 5 years it was held in L.A., NYC, Vegas, Arizona and Florida...that would be a new city every year with new fans. Let's face it, Chesapeake can't support this tourney and 38 years at that.

Get local pool halls to sponsor the tournament in their home city.

That would be really nice, but it AIN'T gonna happen.

Barry relies on the additional business he gets from the players and rail birds during this week.

Jaden

 

[The Saw]

Barry relies on the additional business he gets from the players and rail birds during this week.

Jaden

Exactly. With the current set up he has two separate revenue centers, the off-site tourney and the poolroom. I ran a 24 hour room for years, 24 tables and did a lot of $5,000-$10,000 added tourneys. With Q-Masters having 70+ tables, world class players in action and all of the spectators going between the two venues, the poolroom is doing HUGE numbers. Having it at the poolroom would mean pulling out tables to bring in bleachers/seating, vendor space, etc.... So he would essentially be killing business for two full weeks by the time its set up, ran and everything is put back in place. He would have no chance at making any money doing it in house.

 

[jay helfert]

I don't know if I agree with those sentiments. :embarrassed2:

I actually believe that the majority of full-time pros who compete in the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, the most important thing is that title. The money is secondary.

To amateurs, aspiring pros, social shooters, and others who compete in the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship, the reasons are multi-faceted. It's a high-profile event on the East Coast, so us easterners don't have to travel out West to Vegas to compete. For some, it's a chance to compete with the big guns, and that's thrillling. The more poeple you play better than you are, the better you will play -- or so the theory goes.

I don't think it's a good idea to compare Barry Behrman's tournament to others, I guess. Each one has its unique qualities and attractions.

Jam, FYI the money is NOT secondary to the majority (or the minority) of the pro players! Not by a long shot. In fact, if not for the money most of them wouldn't be there. Titles don't pay the bills!