Good News for American Pros

[Johnnyt]

One of the reasons that the men pros don't have a tour is because they can't get a majority to trust any one person. They have some good reasons for this and some bad reasons. All I can say is they better trust Mark Griffin...it may be their last shot for a long time. Johnnyt

 

[lodini]

As Mark was explaining his tour to me in Las Vegas, I couldn't help but think to myself, "this is the first idea that I've ever heard that might actually work".
.......................
I may be completely wrong about that, but this may be the most promising idea that I've ever heard.

Can you explain to us exactly what the idea is?

 

[Jimmy M.]

Can you explain to us exactly what the idea is?

I don't want to screw up the explanation, nor say anything that might have changed by the time that Mark makes his announcements but, in a nutshell, there will be a league - similar to BCA, TAP, APA, etc. - and a portion of the league dues will go into the professional tour.

There is more to it than that, and I'll wait, like everyone else, for Mark to start making formal announcements.

 

[Neil]

...............

 

[GG11]

It appears everyone thinks the world of Mark and his contribution to the sport so he must have done some great things in the past. I do not know much of these things, I simply know what I witnessed at the meeting held at the Riviera in Las Vegas last week.

To be honest, I was very disheartened to hear some of the things Mark said in the meeting. I really hope Inside Pool, who video taped the entire meeting, will post it on their website, unedited. As a person who has a great deal of respect for the players and the sport, I was completely turned off with Mr. Griffin calling the players Dumb and himself God and his harsh insults on Frank Alverez and the UPA. Not everyone knows how little was left of the UPA when Frank took hold of it, but he's done his best to make due with what he had and the little support and input he got from the players.

I can't dismiss the notion that things could have been run better or more efficient or decisions that were left up to the players should have had executive decisions come in the face of silence, but the best interests of the players has always been and will always be in Frank's and the UPA's top goals. In trying to gather a group of players to rally to each other's defense and support, often times the support of one's individual agenda defeated the chance of the men players as a whole and decisions were left unmade and forgotten. It's unfortunate, but you can't place ALL the blame on Frank. That's just incorrect.

As for what Mark has proposed....no doubt it's an idea that would bring about more opportunities for the players. Definitely. However, I would like to have seen more of an interest in the player's having GUARANTEED money coming their way, rather than prize fund money they COULD win in a MG (Mark Griffin) tourney. The proposal asked ALOT of the players time and energy and dedication and commitment to all things Mark Griffin, with no guarantee of return to the players involved. If a pro in NYC gathers 1000 new players to the new amateur league and a pro in Idaho gathers 20, the two pros still play even up at a tourney with no guarantee either will see the cash they worked so hard for. There should be some compensation (commission) to the pro that is busting their butt to get MG players.

Also, there was great uncertainty as to if the players could be or couldn't be associated with the UPA. At first Mr. Griffin said, sure!!! No problem. Then in the end, he said he wouldn't allow it. Why a player's involvement with the UPA should have ANYTHING to do with being allowed to be a part of this new league business doesn't make a lot of sense. One should not have anything to do with the other. But it was made very very clear Mr. Griffin did not want the players to have a voice louder than his own and his own ideas. Maybe that is why he didn't want anything to do with ANY player's association. He did state he'd be GOD. Who knows. I'm assuming he's had ALOT of bulls**t to deal with in trying to help the sport and the players. I get it. But the whole meeting just felt like a carpetbagger trying to take advantage of all the downtrodden pool players.

There were other questions and concerns I had, but most of all I just didn't respect the way Mr. Griffin spoke to the group in the room and his insults to the players. Angry or not, if he's willing to disrespect them openly that way before they're all helping the league out, I can't imagine the way he'd treat them if he had them all at his mercy. If I had heard Mr. Griffin more open-minded to the player's opinions and thoughts and hopes, I might have been more open-minded to his ideas, but at every turn, he bulldozed over player ideas and was completely and utterly immune to anything that was not HIS WAY. Maybe that's the only road these player's have left. To live by the ways of only one man's wishes. I just personally don't like the idea of a monarchy or dictatorship. Democracy is the way I choose to live by and that did not appear to be in Mr. Griffin's vocabulary.

I know very few of you on here will agree with my post as clearly most have established opinions. I'm simply putting mine own out there to give a different insight into the situation in hopes the most advantageous decisions for the sport will be made. This is simply MY OWN opinion and no one I'm associated with. Maybe it will be heard in a way that could reorganize the plans of Mr. Griffin. I only hope for the best for the players and the sport of pool.

 

[Jaden]

Actually Neil, I didn't take your post as being harmless.

Mark: Maybe you need to re-read my post. I asked a legitimate question. I implied nothing. I even stated that if you are not the same person Mark Janis was talking about, more kudos to you.

I don't know if you read it or not, but I mentioned about a week ago that the leagues should help pay for a pro tour. There, also, my idea got ridiculed by some of the same people praising you now for apparently the same idea.

For a nobody to ask a simple question about something on a public forum, and you to get all upset about it, does raise other questions though. Which are obvious, so I will leave them unsaid. But, apparently, you have talked to M. Janis about this, I hope it was after his posting about his plans. And that you two have come to an amblical solution. The two of you working against each other wouldn't help pool much. The two of you working together just might be what gets pool back on track.

Whether you intended your post to be a simple question or not, the way it was worded insinuated that Mark was stealing the idea from Mike and that would be enough to piss me off too, becuase it is stuff like that, that can keep things like what Mark is trying to do from coming off.

Jaden.

 

[Luxury]

I emailed Mike a couple of ideas for the tour.

 

[James]

Whether you intended your post to be a simple question or not, the way it was worded insinuated that Mark was stealing the idea from Mike and that would be enough to piss me off too, becuase it is stuff like that, that can keep things like what Mark is trying to do from coming off.

Jaden.

The way you interpreted it may have insinuated that, but that is your fault, not Neils. There was nothing wrong with what he said. It was a question many people were thinking and he asked it fairly.

 

[TheOne]

I've been banging this drum for a while now but I could never understand why the BCA didn't take on the role like the EPBF and the Asian Fed had.

Didn't really want to put Mark on the spot I'm pleased he's made this decission, only met Mark briefly but he seems like a super nice guy who has a lot of respect.

Like others have said though the last thing pool needs in the US is the UPA and BCA working against each other. There really is only 1 reason the USA doesn't have the best pro tour in the world and it's not money, its politics...

 

[lodini]

It appears everyone thinks the world of Mark and his contribution to the sport so he must have done some great things in the past. I do not know much of these things, I simply know what I witnessed at the meeting held at the Riviera in Las Vegas last week.

To be honest, I was very disheartened to hear some of the things Mark said in the meeting. I really hope Inside Pool, who video taped the entire meeting, will post it on their website, unedited. As a person who has a great deal of respect for the players and the sport, I was completely turned off with Mr. Griffin calling the players Dumb and himself God and his harsh insults on Frank Alverez and the UPA. Not everyone knows how little was left of the UPA when Frank took hold of it, but he's done his best to make due with what he had and the little support and input he got from the players.

I can't dismiss the notion that things could have been run better or more efficient or decisions that were left up to the players should have had executive decisions come in the face of silence, but the best interests of the players has always been and will always be in Frank's and the UPA's top goals. In trying to gather a group of players to rally to each other's defense and support, often times the support of one's individual agenda defeated the chance of the men players as a whole and decisions were left unmade and forgotten. It's unfortunate, but you can't place ALL the blame on Frank. That's just incorrect.

As for what Mark has proposed....no doubt it's an idea that would bring about more opportunities for the players. Definitely. However, I would like to have seen more of an interest in the player's having GUARANTEED money coming their way, rather than prize fund money they COULD win in a MG (Mark Griffin) tourney. The proposal asked ALOT of the players time and energy and dedication and commitment to all things Mark Griffin, with no guarantee of return to the players involved. If a pro in NYC gathers 1000 new players to the new amateur league and a pro in Idaho gathers 20, the two pros still play even up at a tourney with no guarantee either will see the cash they worked so hard for. There should be some compensation (commission) to the pro that is busting their butt to get MG players.

Also, there was great uncertainty as to if the players could be or couldn't be associated with the UPA. At first Mr. Griffin said, sure!!! No problem. Then in the end, he said he wouldn't allow it. Why a player's involvement with the UPA should have ANYTHING to do with being allowed to be a part of this new league business doesn't make a lot of sense. One should not have anything to do with the other. But it was made very very clear Mr. Griffin did not want the players to have a voice louder than his own and his own ideas. Maybe that is why he didn't want anything to do with ANY player's association. He did state he'd be GOD. Who knows. I'm assuming he's had ALOT of bulls**t to deal with in trying to help the sport and the players. I get it. But the whole meeting just felt like a carpetbagger trying to take advantage of all the downtrodden pool players.

There were other questions and concerns I had, but most of all I just didn't respect the way Mr. Griffin spoke to the group in the room and his insults to the players. Angry or not, if he's willing to disrespect them openly that way before they're all helping the league out, I can't imagine the way he'd treat them if he had them all at his mercy. If I had heard Mr. Griffin more open-minded to the player's opinions and thoughts and hopes, I might have been more open-minded to his ideas, but at every turn, he bulldozed over player ideas and was completely and utterly immune to anything that was not HIS WAY. Maybe that's the only road these player's have left. To live by the ways of only one man's wishes. I just personally don't like the idea of a monarchy or dictatorship. Democracy is the way I choose to live by and that did not appear to be in Mr. Griffin's vocabulary.

I know very few of you on here will agree with my post as clearly most have established opinions. I'm simply putting mine own out there to give a different insight into the situation in hopes the most advantageous decisions for the sport will be made. This is simply MY OWN opinion and no one I'm associated with. Maybe it will be heard in a way that could reorganize the plans of Mr. Griffin. I only hope for the best for the players and the sport of pool.

Thank you for sharing this. I think it's great to hear from someone who was at that meeting and can attest to what the "plan" actually is.

 

[JCIN]

It appears everyone thinks the world of Mark and his contribution to the sport so he must have done some great things in the past. I do not know much of these things, I simply know what I witnessed at the meeting held at the Riviera in Las Vegas last week.

To be honest, I was very disheartened to hear some of the things Mark said in the meeting. I really hope Inside Pool, who video taped the entire meeting, will post it on their website, unedited. As a person who has a great deal of respect for the players and the sport, I was completely turned off with Mr. Griffin calling the players Dumb and himself God and his harsh insults on Frank Alverez and the UPA. Not everyone knows how little was left of the UPA when Frank took hold of it, but he's done his best to make due with what he had and the little support and input he got from the players.

I can't dismiss the notion that things could have been run better or more efficient or decisions that were left up to the players should have had executive decisions come in the face of silence, but the best interests of the players has always been and will always be in Frank's and the UPA's top goals. In trying to gather a group of players to rally to each other's defense and support, often times the support of one's individual agenda defeated the chance of the men players as a whole and decisions were left unmade and forgotten. It's unfortunate, but you can't place ALL the blame on Frank. That's just incorrect.

As for what Mark has proposed....no doubt it's an idea that would bring about more opportunities for the players. Definitely. However, I would like to have seen more of an interest in the player's having GUARANTEED money coming their way, rather than prize fund money they COULD win in a MG (Mark Griffin) tourney. The proposal asked ALOT of the players time and energy and dedication and commitment to all things Mark Griffin, with no guarantee of return to the players involved. If a pro in NYC gathers 1000 new players to the new amateur league and a pro in Idaho gathers 20, the two pros still play even up at a tourney with no guarantee either will see the cash they worked so hard for. There should be some compensation (commission) to the pro that is busting their butt to get MG players.

Also, there was great uncertainty as to if the players could be or couldn't be associated with the UPA. At first Mr. Griffin said, sure!!! No problem. Then in the end, he said he wouldn't allow it. Why a player's involvement with the UPA should have ANYTHING to do with being allowed to be a part of this new league business doesn't make a lot of sense. One should not have anything to do with the other. But it was made very very clear Mr. Griffin did not want the players to have a voice louder than his own and his own ideas. Maybe that is why he didn't want anything to do with ANY player's association. He did state he'd be GOD. Who knows. I'm assuming he's had ALOT of bulls**t to deal with in trying to help the sport and the players. I get it. But the whole meeting just felt like a carpetbagger trying to take advantage of all the downtrodden pool players.

There were other questions and concerns I had, but most of all I just didn't respect the way Mr. Griffin spoke to the group in the room and his insults to the players. Angry or not, if he's willing to disrespect them openly that way before they're all helping the league out, I can't imagine the way he'd treat them if he had them all at his mercy. If I had heard Mr. Griffin more open-minded to the player's opinions and thoughts and hopes, I might have been more open-minded to his ideas, but at every turn, he bulldozed over player ideas and was completely and utterly immune to anything that was not HIS WAY. Maybe that's the only road these player's have left. To live by the ways of only one man's wishes. I just personally don't like the idea of a monarchy or dictatorship. Democracy is the way I choose to live by and that did not appear to be in Mr. Griffin's vocabulary.

I know very few of you on here will agree with my post as clearly most have established opinions. I'm simply putting mine own out there to give a different insight into the situation in hopes the most advantageous decisions for the sport will be made. This is simply MY OWN opinion and no one I'm associated with. Maybe it will be heard in a way that could reorganize the plans of Mr. Griffin. I only hope for the best for the players and the sport of pool.

I was at that meeting as well. In my opinion you are putting a pretty negative spin on Mark's comments. I personally think that what you termed "disrespect" was nothing more than the hard truth that must be faced in order for the climate of pro pool in the U.S. to change. Pro pool in America is in a state of utter chaos right now. Mark is providing the first viable solution to a future with solid growth. This solution makes demands on all of the participants time and energy just as it will reward those that excel at their particular roles.

Many of solutions proposed in the past required numerous things to have to fall into place or be built from the ground up. Mark has some things no else brings to the table. He has a staff and infrastructure in place right now, not one that must be assemebled, he has a lifetime of experience with the game, players, and industry. He also is probably the most passionate supporter of the game I have ever met.

Mark has been one of TAR's biggest supporters from the begining and one thing that I can say based on experience is that if he says he will do something or if he says the money is there then you can count on it. I sat through 2 meetings and have had numerous conversations with Mark personally about this new plan and each time I come away excited for the future. One thing players have to understand is that this future requires their support and work. Some players I spoke with understand this and will prosper when the new system launches and share in the rewards. Others who are more concerned with just showing up and getting paid or trying to carve out little fiefdoms or empires will be in for a tougher road I think.

As far as Mark saying he is "God". I think that is being taken a little out of context. If you look at the history of pro pool it is clear that when the players have led the way it has turned out badly. That is not my opinion that is fact. Pool players are not business men they are pool players. All Mark was saying in my opinion was that he is the one who is taking the majority of the risk and spending the majority of his time up front with nothing guaranteed at the end for him personally. In return for this he will not be held hostage at some future point in time by 7 or 8 players forming an organization to black mail or hijack what he has built. It has happened in the past and he is smart enough not to repeat mistakes that have have already been made. Nobody I have met cares more or has done more for pool players than Mark Griffin (ask the guys who got stiffed in Phoenix that Mark paid 70% of what they were owed OUT OF HIS POCKET). I find it hard to believe that there is any evil intent towards them now.

I can say for myself that I am 100% behind Mark and this exciting new plan. I cant wait to see what the future brings.

 

[JoeyA]

B C A & the B C A LEAGUE are 2 SEPARATE ENTITIES.

I've been banging this drum for a while now but I could never understand why the BCA didn't take on the role like the EPBF and the Asian Fed had.

Didn't really want to put Mark on the spot I'm pleased he's made this decission, only met Mark briefly but he seems like a super nice guy who has a lot of respect.

Like others have said though the last thing pool needs in the US is the UPA and BCA working against each other. There really is only 1 reason the USA doesn't have the best pro tour in the world and it's not money, its politics...

I may be mistaken about your post but I wanted to point out a couple of things: The BCA and the BCALeague are TWO SEPERATE ENTITIES.

Mark owns the BCALeague and while he is a director on the board of the BCA (Billiard Congress of America), in the proposal by Mark Griffin, I saw nothing that referred to the (BCA)Billiard Congress of America so I doubt very seriously if the BCA has anything to do with THE PLAN by Mark Griffin.

THE PLAN is being created by Mark Griffin and not the BCA.

There was no place in the front page that I saw the BCA as being involved with THE PLAN & Mark Griffin's new plans for the men's professional players.

I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands that the BCA and BCA League are TWO SEPARATE ENTITIES.

This thread is about Mark Griffin, the BCALEAGUE & THE PLAN not the BCA.
JoeyA

 

[UrackmIcrackm]

As for what Mark has proposed....no doubt it's an idea that would bring about more opportunities for the players. Definitely. However, I would like to have seen more of an interest in the player's having GUARANTEED money coming their way, rather than prize fund money they COULD win in a MG (Mark Griffin) tourney.

Where is the "guaranteed money" going to come from that you propose? So far the players have been stiffed under the UPA umbrella, has that changed all of the sudden?

The proposal asked ALOT of the players time and energy and dedication and commitment to all things Mark Griffin, with no guarantee of return to the players involved. If a pro in NYC gathers 1000 new players to the new amateur league and a pro in Idaho gathers 20, the two pros still play even up at a tourney with no guarantee either will see the cash they worked so hard for. There should be some compensation (commission) to the pro that is busting their butt to get MG players.
I work for a living. I get out of bed early & put in 8+ hours a day. I have to do that in order to get a paycheck. I make more than people in less populated areas and less than people in heavily populated areas. That's how the working world works. Are you proposing that the players sit back, do nothing, & expect to get to get guaranteed money for doing so? As best as I can tell, that's what they've always done and look at how far that's gotten them. What's wrong with a little bit of work? I would love to only have to show up on league night, sign some photo's, & play some challenge matches and get paid for it. Beats the heck out of my normal 8 to 5 grind. NYC has more people per capita than the state of idaho combined. The majority of people that the person in NYC is going to get, will actually come to them simply because they're there. The person in Idaho will have to actively seek people out & still not get as many people as the person in NYC. The person in Idaho would actually work harder than the person in NYC.


Why a player's involvement with the UPA should have ANYTHING to do with being allowed to be a part of this new league business doesn't make a lot of sense. One should not have anything to do with the other. But it was made very very clear Mr. Griffin did not want the players to have a voice louder than his own and his own ideas. Maybe that is why he didn't want anything to do with ANY player's association. He did state he'd be GOD. Who knows. I'm assuming he's had ALOT of bulls**t to deal with in trying to help the sport and the players. I get it. But the whole meeting just felt like a carpetbagger trying to take advantage of all the downtrodden pool players.

LOL, take advantage of the down trodden players? They're down trodden because in the history of pool they've sat on their rears expecting people to put on tournaments and give them everything they have. Heaven forbid someone ask that they do a little bit of work in return for GUARANTEED money. The UPA is effectively ineffective. If they were effective then players wouldn't get stiffed out of tournament monies and they would work in unison with the WPA for scheduling events. At the end of the day, what good is the UPA going to be for the players? With Mark's game plan there is no need for the UPA. They'll have x amount of tournaments and guaranteed prize money. That's more than they're getting now.

There were other questions and concerns I had, but most of all I just didn't respect the way Mr. Griffin spoke to the group in the room and his insults to the players. Angry or not, if he's willing to disrespect them openly that way before they're all helping the league out, I can't imagine the way he'd treat them if he had them all at his mercy. If I had heard Mr. Griffin more open-minded to the player's opinions and thoughts and hopes, I might have been more open-minded to his ideas, but at every turn, he bulldozed over player ideas and was completely and utterly immune to anything that was not HIS WAY. Maybe that's the only road these player's have left. To live by the ways of only one man's wishes. I just personally don't like the idea of a monarchy or dictatorship. Democracy is the way I choose to live by and that did not appear to be in Mr. Griffin's vocabulary.

It's Mark's money and he can do with it as he see's fit. He doesn't have to do this and players that don't like it, don't have to play but if they want to play in his tournaments they're going to have to play by his rules. I don't agree with mgt where I work but if I want my job, I play by their rules. This is no different than a job. The players have proven by failure time & time again that they don't have what it takes to get things done right. They need someone that cares about their best interest to stand up and take charge. Mark Griffin is doing that. He's doing it with his own money, and his rules and he's a proven business man. Have you ever seen a bratty kid whose parents never disciplined them? There's a reason the show "The Nanny" is so popular. When things are chaotic, someone with the strength & knowledge needs to step in and straighten it out. Sometimes it might not be what we like but it's what we need and in our best interest.

From a common sense stand point, following a known, proven business man with nothing but the players best interest at heart that isn't looking to get rich off of them & stiff them while doing so, is a no brainer.

I too was at the meeting, FWIW.

 

[lodini]

I was at that meeting as well. In my opinion you are putting a pretty negative spin on Mark's comments. I personally think that what you termed "disrespect" was nothing more than the hard truth that must be faced in order for the climate of pro pool in the U.S. to change. Pro pool in America is in a state of utter chaos right now. Mark is providing the first viable solution to a future with solid growth. This solution makes demands on all of the participants time and energy just as it will reward those that excel at their particular roles.

Many of solutions proposed in the past required numerous things to have to fall into place or be built from the ground up. Mark has some things no else brings to the table. He has a staff and infrastructure in place right now, not one that must be assemebled, he has a lifetime of experience with the game, players, and industry. He also is probably the most passionate supporter of the game I have ever met.

Mark has been one of TAR's biggest supporters from the begining and one thing that I can say based on experience is that if he says he will do something or if he says the money is there then you can count on it. I sat through 2 meetings and have had numerous conversations with Mark personally about this new plan and each time I come away excited for the future. One thing players have to understand is that this future requires their support and work. Some players I spoke with understand this and will prosper when the new system launches and share in the rewards. Others who are more concerned with just showing up and getting paid or trying to carve out little fiefdoms or empires will be in for a tougher road I think.

As far as Mark saying he is "God". I think that is being taken a little out of context. If you look at the history of pro pool it is clear that when the players have led the way it has turned out badly. That is not my opinion that is fact. Pool players are not business men they are pool players. All Mark was saying in my opinion was that he is the one who is taking the majority of the risk and spending the majority of his time up front with nothing guaranteed at the end for him personally. In return for this he will not be held hostage at some future point in time by 7 or 8 players forming an organization to black mail or hijack what he has built. It has happened in the past and he is smart enough not to repeat mistakes that have have already been made. Nobody I have met cares more or has done more for pool players than Mark Griffin (ask the guys who got stiffed in Phoenix that Mark paid 70% of what they were owed OUT OF HIS POCKET). I find it hard to believe that there is any evil intent towards them now.

I can say for myself that I am 100% behind Mark and this exciting new plan. I cant wait to see what the future brings.

If a pro in NYC gathers 1000 new players to the new amateur league and a pro in Idaho gathers 20, the two pros still play even up at a tourney with no guarantee either will see the cash they worked so hard for.

JCIN,

Did you interpret the above the same way as GG11? Or did you hear something else? Cause it sounds a bit funky to me...

Also, I don't think there is any "evil intent" towards him... just a question of what is in the best interest of the players. According to your post, you have a deep personal relationship with Mr. Griffin and have been doing business together for a while. Coming from people who don't have that relationship, isn't it our duty to question things that we don't understand? (like why a player could do so much work, with no guarantee of compensation)

 

[UrackmIcrackm]

According to your post, you have a deep personal relationship with Mr. Griffin and have been doing business together for a while. Coming from people who don't have that relationship, isn't it our duty to question things that we don't understand? (like why a player could do so much work, with no guarantee of compensation)

I don't have a working relationship with Mr. Griffin either. I simply know him because I've played pool for over 20 yrs.

Simply put, the players compensation comes in two ways as best as I can tell. 1) There will be x amount of tournaments a yr. 2) Each tournament will have guaranteed money. This is more than they currently have.

In Mark's defense, this is all very new and his business plan is evolving daily. I think he was speaking a little off the hip in Vegas, that's how new it is. If one looks back over Mark's business career they'll discover that he is a smart, successful business man. He cares enough about the players & the pool world that he will do right by them. His only "agenda" is to better pro pool and he's doing it charitably I might add. The money put into the tour fund could've easily gone to his pocket and him not have the headache of dealing with all this pro tour stuff.

 

[lodini]

All one has to do is look at the timing.

Two things come into play right off the bat...

1) The dates. The problems Mike had were before Vegas and the plans that Mark Griffin has didn't even come to fruition until Vegas.

2) Mike Janis said his problems were with someone/something that has a tarnished history. Nothing about Mr. Griffin's history in the billiard world from being a pool room owner, partner in Diamond, or tournament promoter is tarnished in anyway.

If the players listen to Mark and follow his plan, it will be the best thing that has ever happened to them. Unlike people in the past, Mr. Griffin is not doing this to try to get rich (if you think KT wasn't trying that you're seriously mistaken).

Mike Janis' copycat thread started on May 13. I heard the "meeting" was before then? Am I incorrect about this?

 

[JCIN]

JCIN,

Did you interpret the above the same way as GG11? Or did you hear something else? Cause it sounds a bit funky to me...

Also, I don't think there is any "evil intent" towards him... just a question of what is in the best interest of the players. According to your post, you have a deep personal relationship with Mr. Griffin and have been doing business together for a while. Coming from people who don't have that relationship, isn't it our duty to question things that we don't understand? (like why a player could do so much work, with no guarantee of compensation)

I think that quote you point to is part of the reason pro pool is in the state it is in now. In a meeting discussing the future of a pro pool structure based on an amateur league and the tremendous potential for growth of prize funds based on that plan some people's only concern is "What do I get?" I think UrackemIcrackem answered the question pretty well.

I think you have every right to question something you have an intrest in and seek more information about. But as far as "like why a player could do so much work, with no guarantee of compensation" neither you or I have any idea of what "work" the players would actually be asked to do and what if any direct compensation they would receive yet. So I think it is a little premature to condemn Mark for something that isnt even on paper yet, I know you are not condemning anyone but I think you get what I mean. It is easy for things to turn into a messed up game of telephone when these things get started.

I know Mark is working on getting everything in order for a proper release and I will wait for that before I make any sweeping judgements. I hope the majority of people will do the same.

One more thing...."you have a deep personal relationship with Mr. Griffin" As far as this quote.....While Mark is a handsome and funny man, I just don't dig him that way, besides he is recently married to a beautiful young woman who happens to have brought the first championship to the family In all seriousness I do consider Mark a friend and someone I trust.

 

[JCIN]

Mike Janis' copycat thread started on May 13. I heard the "meeting" was before then? Am I incorrect about this?

The first meeting was on the 12th. After the players meeting for the Predator 10 ball event.

Mike Janis needs to clarify this. This whole "I am mad at someone but I wont say who" is frankly, pretty damn silly. If he is talking about Mark he needs to say so and if not he needs to make that clear as well.

 

[jay helfert]

Mike Janis' copycat thread started on May 13. I heard the "meeting" was before then? Am I incorrect about this?

There were two meetings, one on the 14th and one on the 15th.

 

[Blackjack]

The first meeting was on the 12th. After the players meeting for the Predator 10 ball event.

Mike Janis needs to clarify this. This whole "I am mad at someone but I wont say who" is frankly, pretty damn silly. If he is talking about Mark he needs to say so and if not he needs to make that clear as well.

I completely agree. All it is doing is causing people to speculate. JMO, but if he doesn't want to identify the parties involved, then it never should have been brought up on a public forum in the first place.