If The Pbt Were To Reform...???

[David Bray]

I'd like to ask you, if somehow the Pro Billiard Tour were to be reformed today, how would you like to see it formatted? What would you like to see the pro's play: 8-ball/9-ball/straight pool? What channel would you like to have cover it, ESPN/Travel Channel/or a new Billiard channel? Would you give points to players for participation/placement and have a tour champion decided by points or have a playoff tournament at the end of the season, invitational only by how players place in the touraments thruout the year and the winner would be the season's champion? Just throwing out ideas here, want to get feedback from the fans, people who would be watching it - what is it that you would like to see if the PBT could get back up and going....

 

[satman]

David, These are some of the questions I had been contemplating in the last couple of months and have actually been thinking of putting a group of individuals together to pursue this. I have no problem with searching around and trying to find sponsorship money for a new tour. I had thought about the PBT or seeing if we could use the PCA name. As far as format, there are options of using several different games and they should be long races. A final championship, maybe the U.S. Open, At the end of the season. ESPN would have to change how they cover it to get my vote. A major network like Fox may be the answer. First you will have to prove interest from the public. Ihave a new format in mind that may help but I don't wish to disclose it in public. It is in the beginning stages, but I think it could be a tremendous spark. Sam

 

[Jon]

David, These are some of the questions I had been contemplating in the last couple of months and have actually been thinking of putting a group of individuals together to pursue this. I have no problem with searching around and trying to find sponsorship money for a new tour. I had thought about the PBT or seeing if we could use the PCA name. As far as format, there are options of using several different games and they should be long races. A final championship, maybe the U.S. Open, At the end of the season. ESPN would have to change how they cover it to get my vote. A major network like Fox may be the answer. First you will have to prove interest from the public. Ihave a new format in mind that may help but I don't wish to disclose it in public. It is in the beginning stages, but I think it could be a tremendous spark. Sam

If you want sponsership money, you should try RJR again, seeing as they are no longer giving Mucho Millions to nascar, they could spare a little bit for the embetterment (sp?) of the sport. You never know unless you ask.

Thanks,

Jon <-- And even though i'm around 30 miles from their World Headquarters, i'm not asking... who am i? I'm nobody lol...

 

[satman]

Jon, I'm a nobody too. But when I get the figures together I won't be afraid to let them know we need money. Who knows they may like the new format and the new management. Sam

 

[Teddy Harris]

If you want sponsership money, you should try RJR again, seeing as they are no longer giving Mucho Millions to nascar, they could spare a little bit for the embetterment (sp?) of the sport. You never know unless you ask.

I don't think they are allowed by law to promote their disease in sports any more.

 

[Jon]

I don't think they are allowed by law to promote their disease in sports any more.

Well, you are dead wrong on both accounts. First off, they are only able to sponsor one thing, before it was NASCAR and before that it was (to name a few) Golf tours (and tourneys), ladies tennis (vantage), NASCAR, THE PRO BILLIARDS TOUR, and plenty others. But I guess you are forgetting about "their disease" building two hospitals (Baptist Medical Center/Forsyth Medical Center) in Winston-Salem, along with countless schools and other charities.

If you don't like it, don't go where it is, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the F$%#in' kitchen. You probably didn't know that I waited until I was finished with my smoke and waited an hour or so to "air off" before I took a look at your booth at the 2003 expo, I could have brought one of those really strong stogies and caused your immediate death right there on the spot, but (knowing how you feel) I stayed away until the "appropriate" time. See, I’m not that much of an ass-hole...

Thanks,

Jon

 

[Joseph Cues]

The Camel Tour killed PBT. Camel no longer needed Don Corleone , err Don Mackey.
Maybe we can have the Bud Lite Pro Billiards Tour instead.

 

[satman]

I'll ask them too

The Camel Tour killed PBT. Camel no longer needed Don Corleone , err Don Mackey.
Maybe we can have the Bud Lite Pro Billiards Tour instead.

I'm serious about chasing down some money and I may not get a dime. But if I don't ask, i'll never know if we missed the boat. Someone, somewhere, will put up some dough. And with the right people working the tour, it can succeed. Sam

 

[Purdman]

New Tour

I would like to see the Gold Bud Tour. Hell, if I am gonna die, I might as well have a smile on my face!!!!
Don P.

 

[satman]

Don, I don't think that will fly. {well the players may be} I know they have the cash too. But I'm not the person to ask them for that money. Sam

 

[Pelican]

Well, you are dead wrong on both accounts. First off, they are only able to sponsor one thing, before it was NASCAR and before that it was (to name a few) Golf tours (and tourneys), ladies tennis (vantage), NASCAR, THE PRO BILLIARDS TOUR, and plenty others. But I guess you are forgetting about "their disease" building two hospitals (Baptist Medical Center/Forsyth Medical Center) in Winston-Salem, along with countless schools and other charities.

If you don't like it, don't go where it is, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the F$%#in' kitchen. You probably didn't know that I waited until I was finished with my smoke and waited an hour or so to "air off" before I took a look at your booth at the 2003 expo, I could have brought one of those really strong stogies and caused your immediate death right there on the spot, but (knowing how you feel) I stayed away until the "appropriate" time. See, I’m not that much of an ass-hole...

Thanks,

Jon

Just think how many fewer hospitals we would need if we had never had cigarettes. Until I quit I didn't realized how many people stink and have bad breath from smoking. And before you start in on me, I smoked about twice as long than you have been alive.

 

[Jon]

Just think how many fewer hospitals we would need if we had never had cigarettes. Until I quit I didn't realized how many people stink and have bad breath from smoking. And before you start in on me, I smoked about twice as long than you have been alive.

First, I wasn't going to start in on you , I have respect for nonsmokers, just not the Rude Ones, the ones that make that fake little cough, instead of just asking if I could put that out, if they ask, they shall receive, but if they do that stupid cough, I usually chain smoke .
And smokers don't stink, they have a stout smell about them , I love the smell of a fine tobacco, not that cheap crap.

Fewer Hospitals??? Think about this...
In the past 20 years or so, the number of new cancer (and heart disease) cases has gone up by leaps and bounds. (The two "big ones" that smoking was "supposed" to have caused...)
In the past 20 years or so, the number of "new AND active smokers" has decreased to around half, as opposed to 20 or so years ago... Chew on that for a while.

Thanks,

Jon <- not trying to pick a fight, just making a point...

 

[Pelican]

And smokers don't stink, they have a stout smell about them , I love the smell of a fine tobacco, not that cheap crap.

Yea, I understand, my youngest grandson has a 'stout' smell when he needs his diaper changed.


Hum, I suppose that thing hangin' outa yo mouth in yo avatar is some of the 'high grade' stuff J/K

 

[Jon]

Yea, I understand, my youngest grandson has a 'stout' smell when he needs his diaper changed.


Hum, I suppose that thing hangin' outa yo mouth in yo avatar is some of the 'high grade' stuff J/K

Diaper huh... you'll pay for that lol.

That would be a Camel Turkish Royal, the best camel IMO (i haven't tried the "exotic blends"

I like a good cigar every now and then, smooth and a little sweet, man, i might go and get a few this weekend lol.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[sjm]

I'd like to ask you, if somehow the Pro Billiard Tour were to be reformed today, how would you like to see it formatted? What would you like to see the pro's play: 8-ball/9-ball/straight pool? What channel would you like to have cover it, ESPN/Travel Channel/or a new Billiard channel? Would you give points to players for participation/placement and have a tour champion decided by points or have a playoff tournament at the end of the season, invitational only by how players place in the touraments thruout the year and the winner would be the season's champion? Just throwing out ideas here, want to get feedback from the fans, people who would be watching it - what is it that you would like to see if the PBT could get back up and going....

No simple matter, David.

I’ll leave the matter of what game and network to others, but one question that needs to be addressed is whether being the season’s champion gets you anything extra. Until Camel signed up with the PBT, no major benefits beyond the prize money earned came to either the tour point leader or the others who’d had good seasons.

The two most obvious ways of changing that are the tour championship event and the end-of-year bonus fund. On the Joss Tour, for example, a first or second place finish in any Joss event earns you a spot in the Joss Tour Championship event, a high-purse, high-profile event. Though it didn’t quite work out, I believe the Camel Tour Bonus Fund, $300,000 to be shared among the top twenty four finishers in the point race, was fantastic. Its top-heavy structure helped ensure that the best players didn’t skip events.

Ensuring participation might not seem like a big deal, but Souquet, Reyes and Bustamante all played in the August ’03 UPA event in New York called the Master Billiards Nine Ball challenge. Two months later, in October ’03, the UPA returned to New York for the World Summit of Pool event. Unfortunately, Souquet, Reyes and Bustamante all skipped the World Summit of Pool event in favor of attending a high-profile and high-purse independent event in Dubai called The World Classic Billiards 2003 9-Ball tournament.

If you want to start a successful tour, you must take the necessary steps to ensure the steady participation of the game’s best. Allowing them to pick and choose will cause embarrassments. several of those on the poster promoting the World Summit of Pool didn't play in the event, and to me and other fans of the game, it looked bad.

 

[satman]

That's a good point SJM, When the Mcdermott tour was running the points winner at the end of the season, got free entry into all of the tour events the following season. I think Tammie Wesley Jones won about 3 seasons in a row. Whatever it was, it's a good deal not having to pay entry fees. I also like the bonus fund, money could be held out of each tournament for this fund. And just to let the board know, I have begun the search for funding for a new tour. Whether it will be associated with the UPA or not will depend on the sponsor. The format I'm considering will involve ring game play similar to the World Series of Poker and will make everyone brush up on their offensive skills. Start practicing those kicks and jumps boys and girls because each bad hit will cost you $$$$$$$. Sam

 

[blud]

credit

I'd like to ask you, if somehow the Pro Billiard Tour were to be reformed today, how would you like to see it formatted? What would you like to see the pro's play: 8-ball/9-ball/straight pool? What channel would you like to have cover it, ESPN/Travel Channel/or a new Billiard channel? Would you give points to players for participation/placement and have a tour champion decided by points or have a playoff tournament at the end of the season, invitational only by how players place in the touraments thruout the year and the winner would be the season's champion? Just throwing out ideas here, want to get feedback from the fans, people who would be watching it - what is it that you would like to see if the PBT could get back up and going....

Ok guys, the PBT, has gone with the wind.The PBT owes many players today and owes me big time also.The PBT, claims to of been broke when it came time to pay up, after the law suit was settled with RJ RENOLDS. Over, 8 hundred large [$800,000.00]went some place. Who knows?

The PBT, lost it's credibility with the world under his directions. He didn't pay me and several others, some got paid in part, some not at all. Many top players backed him, and wound up loosing there a**es...When i ask for my money, i got told soon. Soon never came.

Using the PBT name will never fly. Got to have a new name and a good honest manager for sure.
blud

 

[satman]

Thanks for the input Blud. I agree a new name with honest people and no playing favorites. All players get treated equal. The first time I played in one of Joe Kerrs tournaments, He shook my hand and made me feel just as important as the champions in the tournament and he had never seen me hit a ball. That is the way all players should feel and I will never forget that. That tournament was in 1985 in Akron, Oh. The experiences of you and Grady thru the years could help guide a new tour in the right direction. Rest assured if I locate the sponsors, I will be tapping your knowledge along with several others. Sam

 

[Teddy Harris]

First, I wasn't going to start in on you , I have respect for nonsmokers, just not the Rude Ones

Here we go again! What do YOU call it when someone knowingly pollutes the air others breathe with 42 carcinogens all in the good name of feeding their addiction...good manners?

Fewer Hospitals??? Think about this...
In the past 20 years or so, the number of new cancer (and heart disease) cases has gone up by leaps and bounds. (The two "big ones" that smoking was "supposed" to have caused...)
Jon <- not trying to pick a fight, just making a point...

"Supposed" to have caused...LOL! Denial. What point? The point that you have no idea what you are talking about? It really is mind boggling how many people pretend to know things when they really have not a clue. Years ago, at the local poolroom, a guy came in and told everyone he was the Delaware State champion. Then he whipped out a very nice painted gold colored aluminum cue with decals on it, and one of those nice 3 piece hand carved cues with the interchangeable weights, you know the rest of the story... I'm sure anyone who hangs around the poolroom long enough has heard one of these "stories." I know I have heard some version or another about this about a thousand times. Anyway, I had just returned from my seven year road trip of gambling and playing coast to coast, setting up shop in the poolroom, practicing every day...get the point? I'll give you one guess where I lived on and off for many years prior to venturing out on the road... This guy actually believed he could walk up into this poolroom and sell that story! Some people are so dumb it is incredible. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that story...or the story you are singing about ciggies...well anyway, do you wanna play some?

In the past 20 years or so, the number of "new AND active smokers" has decreased to around half, as opposed to 20 or so years ago... Chew on that for a while.

"Around half," in relation to what? Population? Considering that there are approximately 5,000 new smokers a day, with 3,000 of them being teenagers, I'd like to know where you get your "facts" from.
Do you think the effects of tobacco are going to disappear over night. It will most likely take generations to purge the effects of tobacco use from our bodies, if in fact it is even possible to be purged.

P.S. Thanks for being considerate at the Expo.

 

[sjm]

Ok guys, the PBT, has gone with the wind.The PBT owes many players today and owes me big time also.The PBT, claims to of been broke when it came time to pay up, after the law suit was settled with RJ RENOLDS. Over, 8 hundred large [$800,000.00]went some place. Who knows?

The PBT, lost it's credibility with the world under his directions. He didn't pay me and several others, some got paid in part, some not at all. Many top players backed him, and wound up loosing there a**es...When i ask for my money, i got told soon. Soon never came.

Using the PBT name will never fly. Got to have a new name and a good honest manager for sure.
blud

Well said, Blud, though I suspect this thread pertains to a new tour in theoretical terms, and not necessarily a descendant tour of the PBT.

Still, as you've noted, lessons need to be learned from the PBT experience. As always, the solution lies in ensuring some independent oversight and administration of the tour. Accountants, non-player board members, and ocasionally lawyers, are the key to such oversight. The PBT was an organization in which the inmates ran the asylum, and that mistake must not be repeated.

Finally, no top-flight tournament should ever be played again without the purse money escrowed in advance with funds designated as prize money.