IPT Jeopardizes 2006 US Open 9-Ball

[Jimmy M.]

The second thing is that, KT has committed himself for 2 years, than the company will go under review. What if it doesn't make any money? The tour will be over. Hopefully everything that we used to have, will still be around should that happen.

I really didn't want to post in this thread but you have brought up the best point that I've read so far. If the IPT doesn't work out - and I, along with every other pool player I know, am hoping it does - it would be nice if what we currently have wasn't left in shambles. The U.S. Open pays peanuts compared to what major tournaments in other sports pays but, for a number of years now, it has been one of the best, if not the best, tournaments in the U.S..

 

[JAM]

Cheers Jay,
I've sent you a PM.
Colin

Colin, how did you get the IPT logo in your sig line? Do you have to link it to a URL, or can you download it?

Here's a picture of a new breed of IPT players all gathered together before the players meeting at the IPT King of the Hill Shootout in Orlando this past December, a splendid combination of veterans, Hall of Famers, aspiring players, champions, and roadsters. I can recognize 14 players in this snapshot.

AzBilliards Gold Star of the Weekend goes out to who can name the MOST players in this picture!

Here's the hints:

1. Player who wins often, freezing his opponents, keeping them benched
2. A Georgia peach who likes action and is a pro
3. UPA representative, always dressed to the nines
4. Short in stature, but a giant on the table
5. U.S. Open Champion
6. Hall of Famer who has a few movie titles in his portfolio
7. Had a speaking role in "The Color of Money"
8. Hails from Ohio and powerful on a field of green
9. AzBilliards and IPT member
10. Player who sports a unique hairdo and is quite the artist
11. IPT/WPBA member
12. Player who excels in pool and golf
13. Floridian who is a frequent traveler on the tournament trail
14. Hall of Famer, author of some of pool's best sellers

JAM

 

[X Breaker]

Colin, how did you get the IPT logo in your sig line? Do you have to link it to a URL, or can you download it?

Here's a picture of a new breed of IPT players all gathered together before the players meeting at the IPT King of the Hill Shootout in Orlando this past December, a splendid combination of veterans, Hall of Famers, aspiring players, champions, and roadsters. I can recognize 14 players in this snapshot.

AzBilliards Gold Star of the Weekend goes out to who can name the MOST players in this picture!

Here's the hints:

1. Player who wins often, freezing his opponents, keeping them benched
2. A Georgia peach who likes action and is a pro
3. UPA representative, always dressed to the nines
4. Short in stature, but a giant on the table
5. U.S. Open Champion
6. Hall of Famer who has a few movie titles in his portfolio
7. Had a speaking role in "The Color of Money"
8. Hails from Ohio and powerful on a field of green
9. AzBilliards and IPT member
10. Player who sports a unique hairdo and is quite the artist
11. IPT/WPBA member
12. Player who excels in pool and golf
13. Floridian who is a frequent traveler on the tournament trail
14. Hall of Famer, author of some of pool's best sellers

JAM

I can see in the picture Monica Webb, Helena Thornfeldt, Marcus Chamat, Mika Immonen, Howard Vickery, Vincent Facquet, Gabe Owen, Keith McGready, Charlie Williams, Max Eberle, Dallas West, Marlon Manalo, John Schimdt...but that is all I know.

 

[JAM]

I can see in the picture Monica Webb, Helena Thornfeldt, Marcus Chamat, Mika Immonen, Howard Vickery, Vincent Facquet, Gabe Owen, Keith McGready, Charlie Williams, Max Eberle, Dallas West, Marlon Manalo, John Schimdt...but that is all I know.

Keith and Marlon aren't in this one, but you did recognize one that I missed, answering with Vincent Facquet!

JAM

 

[Colin Colenso]

Colin, how did you get the IPT logo in your sig line? Do you have to link it to a URL, or can you download it?

Here's a picture of a new breed of IPT players all gathered together before the players meeting at the IPT King of the Hill Shootout in Orlando this past December, a splendid combination of veterans, Hall of Famers, aspiring players, champions, and roadsters. I can recognize 14 players in this snapshot.

AzBilliards Gold Star of the Weekend goes out to who can name the MOST players in this picture!

Here's the hints:

1. Player who wins often, freezing his opponents, keeping them benched
2. A Georgia peach who likes action and is a pro
3. UPA representative, always dressed to the nines
4. Short in stature, but a giant on the table
5. U.S. Open Champion
6. Hall of Famer who has a few movie titles in his portfolio
7. Had a speaking role in "The Color of Money"
8. Hails from Ohio and powerful on a field of green
9. AzBilliards and IPT member
10. Player who sports a unique hairdo and is quite the artist
11. IPT/WPBA member
12. Player who excels in pool and golf
13. Floridian who is a frequent traveler on the tournament trail
14. Hall of Famer, author of some of pool's best sellers

JAM

Hi Jam,
To get the image in my sig, I link to an image that I put on my website.

It includes a link to my blog too, so if you click on the image it takes you there.

btw: I shrank the image as the original looked a bit austentatious

Here is the code...
SBURL="http://calcul8r.blogharbor.com/blog"]SBIMG]http://calcul8r.blogharbor.com/images/IPTcalcul8r3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Replace SB with the square bracket [

I needed to do that so you could read the code.

btw: In your pic, a couple that I can see that others might not pic are Bernie Friend and the backs of Marcus Chamat and John Schmidt. I think I was in the chair, hidden from view.

 

[rubbee0825]

I cannot but suspect IPT attempts to take their revenge on WPA and APBU. The difference between WPA and IPT is WPA only wrote an open letter, but IPT plays some smart tricks to confuse players and some fans. As long as they continue offering a large amount of money, it is difficult to stop villains holding sway. Money is God, and sometimes it is dejecting.

Tournament 1 - July 22 - 30, 2006
21/07-23/07 (or 14/07-16/07) Asian Men's 9-ball Tour Leg 4 - Taiwan (APBU)
---------------------------------------
Tournament 2 - September 2 - 10, 2006
4/09-10/09 US Open 9-Ball
---------------------------------------
Tournament 3 - October 29 - November 5, 2006
27/10-3/11 WPA World 8-Ball Championships for Men - UAE (APBU)
4/11-12/11 WPA World 9-Ball Championships for Men - Taiwan? (APBU)
---------------------------------------
Tournament 4 - November 26 - December 3, 2006
22/11-26/11 Super Cup - Taiwan (APBU)
---------------------------------------
Tournament 5 - IPT 2007 Tour Qualifier - December 12 - 17, 2006
---------------------------------------
Tournament 6 - King of the Hill- December 12 - 17, 2006
16/12-19/12 Mosconi Cup

 

[JAM]

Hi Jam,
To get the image in my sig, I link to an image that I put on my website.

It includes a link to my blog too, so if you click on the image it takes you there.

btw: I shrank the image as the original looked a bit austentatious

Here is the code...
SBURL="http://calcul8r.blogharbor.com/blog"]SBIMG]http://calcul8r.blogharbor.com/images/IPTcalcul8r3.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Replace SB with the square bracket [

I needed to do that so you could read the code.

btw: In your pic, a couple that I can see that others might not pic are Bernie Friend and the backs of Marcus Chamat and John Schmidt. I think I was in the chair, hidden from view.

Thanks for the tip on the IPT logo.

On the snapshot, you're correct: Marcus Chamat, No. 4; Bernie Friend, No. 9; and John Schmidt, No. 12.

NipponBilliards got these correct: Mika Immonen, No. 1; Monica Webb, No. 2; Charlie Williams, No. 3; Marcus Chamat, No. 4; Gabe Owen, No. 5; Howard Vickery, No. 7; Max Eberle No. 10; Helena Thornfeldt, No. 11; and John Schimdt, No. 12.

Nos. 6, 8, 13, and 14 are tough ones to locate in this picture. However, Colin and NipponBilliards, you guys are quite astute!

JAM

 

[spadevil]

Lou Butera
Mike Massey
Bobby Hunter (with Vincent?)
Corey Duel

 

[JAM]

Lou Butera
Mike Massey
Bobby Hunter (with Vincent?)
Corey Duel

Correct on Lou Butera, No. 6!

Nobody's going to ever get No. 8, so I'll just throw it out there and say it's Dee Adkins. He's sitting on the couch in the front between Howard Vickery and a lady friend.

No Mike Massy, Bobby Hunter, or Corey Duel, though. Hey, which one is Vincent?

JAM

 

[spadevil]

Vincent is in the background where the practice tables where standing.

Who is the person with the blue shirt on with their back to us in the pic.....is that Corey Duel or is it John Schmidt?

Who is the (tall) player talking to Bernie Friend....is it Ralph Eckart from Germany?

 

[JAM]

Vincent is in the background where the practice tables where standing.

Who is the person with the blue shirt on with their back to us in the pic.....is that Corey Duel or is it John Schmidt?

That's John Schmidt in the blue shirt!

Who is the (tall) player talking to Bernie Friend....is it Ralph Eckart from Germany?

That's the one I wasn't able to remember his name. He was sitting in Charlie Williams' corner during some of his matches at the KOTH, keeping score. He's an IPT member, but his name escapes me. Is it "Ralph Eckart"?

Here's a better shot of him with Colin, Keith, Bernie, him being on the far right!

BTW, Spadevil, it's sure great to see some of the IPT members posting on this forum. You guys getting those Diamond tables shipped over there was a brilliant move. Keep on posting and let us know how y'all are doing. It's like a breath of fresh air in these turbulent times!

JAM

 

[pro9dg]

Jen
That is Stefan Santl on the right. But I think you will find that the player in your picture is Peter F Nielsen from Denmark, not an IPT member but visiting the KOH any way. Also in the background is John Kucher.

 

[jjinfla]

They don't do internet forums. Didn't you know that? They think we're all a bunch of people down at the bar that have never accomplished anything, never will, and we can't rub 2 nickels together. KT's words, not mine. That's how he sees everybody in pool, including you, me, the fans, the players, The US Open. He's a modern day real life version of Bert Gordon.

Slightly out of context, but yes he did make reference to that. More precise would be "people who don't have two nickels to rub together" meaning of course that they were not successful in life. They have no accomplishments in their life yet they are telling other people how to run things. Blackjack, that would be like you listening to a SL2 for information on how to play pool. Or a 3,4,5,6 etc. How much time would you waste listening to them?

To be successful one must emulate the person ahead of him, not behind him.

I am sure that Deno checks the message board from time to time just to see if there are any gold nuggets out there. Even fools have a bright idea once in a while.

But getting into arguments with stupid posters is a lost cause. A real no win situation. A great time waster where nothing gets accomplished.

I am retired, I come on here to follow the IPT, to stimulate my brain, to slightly antagonize and chide people. I have no, nor do I owe any, allegience to any other poster here. If tomorrow this website would dissappear my life would go on. As it has when some posters got banned. That hasn't changed anything in my life. My life does not exist around this site as it does for many a poster here.

Jake

 

[sjm]

We all know on here that all pro pool players in general can be bought with money just like the cheap ho's on the corner. the players will always follow the God almighty dollar. and when that dollar dries up they will have no where to go.

This is a superb post, and offers what seem to be a very logical argument.

Then again, name a provider of goods and services in any sector of the global economy in which a business entity willing to finance a very substantial proportion of that sector can't have significant control of those who derive their income from that sector. These are the ways of a free economy, and they apply to pro pool players just as they would to any other sector. Let's not knock pro pool players for behaving the way all do in the free economy.

Will the IPT money dry up? It might. I've invested more than a few words on this forum trying to explain that, contrary to what many seemed to think, the IPT venture is not backed by the personal assets of Kevin Trudeau. The IPT is funded only by the capital invested in it, and Kevin can cut off the funds whenever he wishes., so we'll see what the future holds.

This brings us to the matter of whether pool players will have anything to come back to if the IPT money dries up. I believe that by the end of the 2007 IPT tournament year, we'll know whether this tour is here to stay. If it isn't, and the biggest player in the pro pool economy were to suddenly disappear, the susbsequent transition might be a little painful, but nothing can be done about that. The damage that I fear is that some of the existing bonds of loyalty between the pro players and those who have invested time and money in their sport up to today will have been broken. Perhaps there will be a temporary decline in the unity among the key players in the sport, but I believe that any damage done is not beyond repair.

For years, I've heard countless pro players argue that if somebody with the resources to invest heavily in the production of the sport's tournaments came along, pool would take off as a sport. Whether this venture succeeds or not, the birth of this opportunity for our sport is a momentous occasion.

I think you're right to worry about the potential aftermath if the IPT doesn't make it. But if this venture succeeds, these are the hinges of time in our sport, and I find it difficult not to be excited about the possibilities.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, I consider you a friend, too, Mike. You are courteous and thoughtful in your posts, which are always well-presented and well-reasoned. And, of course, we have, at very least, one thing in common -----limitless respect for Mike Zuglan!

 

[rackmsuckr]

We all know on here that all pro pool players in general can be bought with money just like the cheap ho's on the corner. the players will always follow the God almighty dollar. mike

But if a pro means professional, that means that their livelihood depends on what the tournaments pay out, correct? Doesn't everyone follow the money for their jobs? Don't you evaluate increased wages/benefits every time you switch jobs? Don't be so hard on a segment of workers who so far, have not been paid what they are worth.

 

[jjinfla]

your problem SJM is that you are using logic, deductive reasoning and common sense when you address the IPT topic.

People don't want that. All they want is instant gratification and the gimme, gimme attitude without working for it.

Sure, the IPT may crumble after the 2007 season, but the players will have enjoyed themselves, and been rewarded in the meantime.

And then again, maybe there will be a 2008 and 2009 etc season.

But not of course for those not willing to support or work for the 2006 season.

Jake

 

[Timberly]

Sure, the IPT may crumble after the 2007 season, but the players will have enjoyed themselves, and been rewarded in the meantime.

Humour me...IF the IPT does close up shop after 2007 or 2008, where will the pool players go to make their money then? Hence the reason that it's IMPERATIVE for The UPA, The US Open, The BCA "open", The DCC, and all the regional tours to stay intact and continue to do their thing. If these events are able to maintain, it's a win win for everyone. The few promotors out there that never gave up when the going was tough, will continue to promote, the fans will have more choices on things to attend, and the players have more money making options. If everyone threw their hands up in the air and said "Oh, the IPT is here, I can stop promoting pool tournaments now", pool will be in a world of hurt. Did NO ONE learn what not to do from Mackey???

Pool had very little going for it before the IPT. If it weren't for the above mentioned tours & events, we would've had NOTHING. The DCC, The US Open, The BCA "open", and the Mosconi Cup should be given some respect for providing the pool world with GREAT tournaments when there was nothing else. If the IPT is going to step on toes (which of course is inevitible) some cosideration should be given as to the toes that are being stepped on. I'm not going to lie, I am not a fan of Barry B due to past issues. I am a fan of his event and will give him props for sticking with pool when there really wasn't anything to cling to. IMO there are a certain select events that the IPT should've made sure they didn't overlap. I think everyone agree's that it's going to happen, and that's ok. Certain events are beloved to all in the pool world...players and fans... these events should get a little respect & consideration is all.

 

[TheOne]

your problem SJM is that you are using logic, deductive reasoning and common sense when you address the IPT topic.

LOL you should try it sometime JAKE

People don't want that. All they want is instant gratification and the gimme, gimme attitude without working for it.

Very ironic statement!

 

[macguy]

But if a pro means professional, that means that their livelihood depends on what the tournaments pay out, correct? Doesn't everyone follow the money for their jobs? Don't you evaluate increased wages/benefits every time you switch jobs? Don't be so hard on a segment of workers who so far, have not been paid what they are worth.

After the last hurricane I have a friend who stopped by to see how we were doing. He works at a hospital and hates his job. It is stressful and he just doesn't like working there. They just had their second baby and the oldest is only 5 years old. We sat around talking and he told me he was moving to North Carolina, we now both live in Florida in a over populated crime ridden part of the state even though it is supposedly considered luxury living, it is awful here. I mentioned we were moving as well and building a new house in the northern part of Florida on a few acres in a rural part of the state something we had been planing for some time. We had a great talk about how wonderful it will be to get out of here and his kids will have a hopefully decent safe place to grow up.

That was in October, A few days ago he came by and I brought up the moving and he told me it was on hold. Turns out he got a small promotion at the hospital with a thousand a month raise. Maybe they knew he was going to quit. He said it was too good to turn down he didn't seem really excited about it though. Truth be told he had been bought. A little money has put his dream on hold and knowing how things have a way of going I would bet he will not be moving for a long time whether he knows it or not. It is sad we make compromises just for money but that is often how life is. In the case of the pool tournaments I don't blame the players, they have to do what they have to do, although they are being robbed or another pay day.

 

[hilla_hilla]

I think the IPT is a great idea, but how long is it going to be around? $2000 is a lot of money for players to continuously put in to try to qualify to get into the IPT events and next year the people who don't stay in the top 100 have to requalify, right?

I do not think that it is a bad thing that the IPT has double booked with other major events. The IPT only has 150 players in it so this gives some place for the other players to go.