Thank you. Thank you, my friends. (Cheers, applause.) Thank you for coming here on this beautiful AZ Billiards evening. (Cheers, applause.)
My friends, we have -- we have come to the end of a long journey. The AZ Billiards people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honor of calling BVal -- (boos) -- to congratulate him -- (boos) -- please -- to congratulate him on being elected the next AZ Billiards T-Shirt Designer of the website that we both love.
In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of pool players who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an "AZ Billiards T-Shirt Designer" is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.
This is an historic poll, and I recognize the special significance it has for "Forum-Members-With-High-Rep"... and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I've always believed that AZ Billiards offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. BVal believes that, too. But we both recognize that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our website's reputation and denied some forum members the full blessings of high-rep (first page), the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Charlie Williams to visit -- to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of AZ Billiards members with no rep, or even negative-rep. There is no better evidence of this than the poll of someone like BVal to the Shirt-Designer of AZ Billiards. Let there be no reason now -- (cheers, applause) -- let there be no reason now for any forum member to fail to cherish their participation in this, the greatest website on Earth. (Cheers, applause.)
BVal has achieved a great thing for himself and for AZ BIlliards. I applaud him for it, and offer in my sincere sympathy that his puppy dog almost choked on that 9-ball, though our faith assures us she is now happy chewing on her tennis ball.
BVal and I have had and argued our t-shirt differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our website, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many t-shirt challenges we at AZ Billiards face.
I urge all forum members-- (applause) -- I urge all forum members who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next t-shirt designer our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences, and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous pool world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better website than we inherited.
Whatever our differences, we are fellow AZers. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. (Cheers, applause.)
It is natural -- it's natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow we must move beyond it and work together to get our website moving again. We fought -- we fought as hard as we could.
And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours.
AUDIENCE: No!
SPIDEY: I am so --
AUDIENCE: (Chanting.) Spidey! Spidey Spidey!
SPIDEY: I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends. The road was a difficult one from the outset. But your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.
Thank you. God bless, and God bless AZBilliards.
I dont get it!!!!!!
:embarrassed2:
