Stakehorse Needed for John Schmidt
- Thread starter End_Rail_Oneida
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I have to agree with you again russ(wow,twice in a week)Russ Chewning said:
YOU GET WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT!And I'm not talking about all the hours you have practised.
Calling out to all AZers to put strokeofluck and 3andstop on your ignore list and you wont have to read this crap they spew.--Leonard
john schmidt said:
I can understand how JS feels in the face of the reactions of some of the posters, but I certainly hope that he didn't interpret what happenned as a rejection of the opportunity to back him. Past experience has demonstrated that people on the forum have enthusiastically responded to JS in particular when it comes to this sort of thing, and it has also shown that he is a man of honor and integrity that no knowledgeable person would have any problem getting behind.
I think that what happened is that people saw a request coming not from him, as they are accustomed to, but from a person that they were unfamiliar with. Then on top of that, you had some people who were evidently ignorant of the positive experiences that JS and members of this board have had, and they posted based on that. As we all know, however, this does not represent how JS is perceived by the community. It would be a real tragedy, IMHO, if the relationship between JS and forum members is terminated or damaged as a result.
The fact that JS sought and received sponsorship to play in major events on this forum is a matter of greater significance than many realize. It is a groundbreaking event because it shows that if members of the pool community can organize themselves in support of a player at an event, then we can also organize, bypassing the BCA, etc., to support professional pool and perhaps to even save the sport. As such, the relationship between JS and the board must not be terminated. Instead, it must be nurtured and utilized as a beginning model for other endeavors to assist and improve the state of the sport.
Think of it! The ability to instantly communicate and to transmit funds over the internet, combined with the efforts and good will of our forum members, has endless possibilities. We have already, with your example, conducted a pilot project to demonstrate how players can get sponsorship without depending on the bigwigs in the industry. If ten members can get together to sponsor a player in a tournament, then 100 members can get together to sponsor 10 or more players, or the forum members as a collective entity can pool their resources and talents to sponsor tournaments and to carry out other activities to benefit the sport.
There is no reason why we can't do this. Collectively, we have the money, the love of the game, and the know how to be a force that will help to bring this game up out of the darkness. Let us not be discouraged by naysayers and by those who speak from their lack of knowledge. The people who have gotten together behind JS in the past knew exactly what they were doing and why they did it. Let us all take it and make it stronger!
JAM said:LOLOLOLOL
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO
JAM
And Keith is one of the few that can.
Jennie, Keith has already been tendered an offer to have an exhibition tour set up for him.
Hint: The money ain't going to be made by playing tournaments. Scott Lee has already shown that it's not that hard to get close to 100K. He probably travels the same amount as the touring pros, and generally gets paid MUCh better for it.
Russ
While I'm no fan of trick shots, I'd pay 15 or 20 bucks to watch john play some serious pool, and maybe 40 an hour for lessons. And I don't even have that much money to spare. There have to be a bunch of people that think this way. I saw that tony robles charges 60/hr and ralf souquet almost 120/hr for private lessons :O And that's if people come to them.
There have to be a bunch of ppl willing to throw money at this guy for being to watch and learn from him, even if big corporations aren't running up to sponsor.
There have to be a bunch of ppl willing to throw money at this guy for being to watch and learn from him, even if big corporations aren't running up to sponsor.
A lot of pros don't realize that they have two marketable things going for them.
1. Their skills with a cue.
2. Their personality.
If John can garner half of $20.00 a head, I damn well guaran-freaking-tee you that Keith McCready can garner 2/3 of $30.00 a head.
That's no slam against John, it's just that Keith has MAJOR drawing power.
Jennie, am I wrong in guessing that Keith plays to packed stands when he plays a match at a major tournament? Heck, even the PROS come out to watch his matches! At his U.S. Open match with I think it was Buddy Hall, I saw Ronnie Wiseman in the stands, and quite a few others I can't recall off the top of my head.
I know you feel bitter that Keith can't play tournaments for a living, Jennie. But please understand that Keith has a lot going for him. Every pool player that can draw his ball knows who Keith is, and would like to meet him.
it's all in how you sell it to the room owners.. If you get all the customers in the business about 2-3 hours prior to the exhibition time, you'll have about 30-50 players bringing automatic $300-$500 profit, BEFORE THEY SPEND A DIME.
Put 30-50 players all in the same pool hall at the same time, and it's not a tournament, you figure they might want to gamble? And if they gamble, they need a table, right? There's a crap load of money to be made for both the pool room and the player, if the exhibition is done at a slow time, or during a slow season.
Russ
1. Their skills with a cue.
2. Their personality.
If John can garner half of $20.00 a head, I damn well guaran-freaking-tee you that Keith McCready can garner 2/3 of $30.00 a head.
That's no slam against John, it's just that Keith has MAJOR drawing power.
Jennie, am I wrong in guessing that Keith plays to packed stands when he plays a match at a major tournament? Heck, even the PROS come out to watch his matches! At his U.S. Open match with I think it was Buddy Hall, I saw Ronnie Wiseman in the stands, and quite a few others I can't recall off the top of my head.
I know you feel bitter that Keith can't play tournaments for a living, Jennie. But please understand that Keith has a lot going for him. Every pool player that can draw his ball knows who Keith is, and would like to meet him.
it's all in how you sell it to the room owners.. If you get all the customers in the business about 2-3 hours prior to the exhibition time, you'll have about 30-50 players bringing automatic $300-$500 profit, BEFORE THEY SPEND A DIME.
Put 30-50 players all in the same pool hall at the same time, and it's not a tournament, you figure they might want to gamble? And if they gamble, they need a table, right? There's a crap load of money to be made for both the pool room and the player, if the exhibition is done at a slow time, or during a slow season.
Russ
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hi
thanks russ and everybody for the kind words and encouragement.i dont think i am going to be asking for backing though from people on this site because i dont feel its right for pool fans and players to back me.i think if anyone should back me it would be the industry who makes money off guys like me.for the record shane sinnot of platinum billiards told me he would put me in.he and i are buddys and it would work out because i could represent his company for the week.again thanks everybody for offering to back me though.talk to you later john schmidt
thanks russ and everybody for the kind words and encouragement.i dont think i am going to be asking for backing though from people on this site because i dont feel its right for pool fans and players to back me.i think if anyone should back me it would be the industry who makes money off guys like me.for the record shane sinnot of platinum billiards told me he would put me in.he and i are buddys and it would work out because i could represent his company for the week.again thanks everybody for offering to back me though.talk to you later john schmidt
Of couse do what you feel is right John and I'm glad you are in no matter what....but please keep in mind that many here enjoyed have such a solid horse in the race.Fun stuff for the gambling man.
A few here will call foul,but any idiot can sign up and post.The vast majority gets it....most of us love the idea....I know I do,hate I missed out last time.
Best of luck John.
Good luck in vegasjohn schmidt said:
Good Luck!
John,
As others have already stated, please do not take the negative posts to heart. As you can see there is a great amount of love for the game here on AZB. Weather it be a bar room hack or an A+ player we all LOVE the game of pool.
We all have a little gamble in us and all though I was not one of the them, all who put up the monies for VF did it for a reason, YOU! A stand up guy with a game to match. To legit to quit!!
So, Here's wishing you the Very BEST of luck in the tourney.
john schmidt said:
John,
As others have already stated, please do not take the negative posts to heart. As you can see there is a great amount of love for the game here on AZB. Weather it be a bar room hack or an A+ player we all LOVE the game of pool.
We all have a little gamble in us and all though I was not one of the them, all who put up the monies for VF did it for a reason, YOU! A stand up guy with a game to match. To legit to quit!!
So, Here's wishing you the Very BEST of luck in the tourney.
backer
i myself sent john pm's and tried to e mail him about a month or two ago. offerd a sponsership for any big tournamnets , us open, dcc, valley forge etc. i never got a reply. i think john is an awsome player and seems like a nice person. i have only met him in passing at dcc couple years ago. the fact that i got no response i thought he was all set, although a reply to atleast say thanks for the offer would have been nice. i would have loved an oppertunity to sponser him but i am not going to chase him around with money in hand forcing him to go. i wish him the best of luck but he could have had a sponser. oh well . best of luck and i will still be sweating the matches. thanks.
i myself sent john pm's and tried to e mail him about a month or two ago. offerd a sponsership for any big tournamnets , us open, dcc, valley forge etc. i never got a reply. i think john is an awsome player and seems like a nice person. i have only met him in passing at dcc couple years ago. the fact that i got no response i thought he was all set, although a reply to atleast say thanks for the offer would have been nice. i would have loved an oppertunity to sponser him but i am not going to chase him around with money in hand forcing him to go. i wish him the best of luck but he could have had a sponser. oh well . best of luck and i will still be sweating the matches. thanks.
Russ Chewning said:
Thanks for the nice thoughts and words of encouragement for Keith.
I totally understand where John Schmidt is coming from. I mean, he is, in fact, the current U.S. Open champion, and as such, at least here in America, there seems to be no rewards for this prestigious honor. The U.S. Open win, in my opinion, is probably the BEST championship title for a pool player to hold anywhere in the world. Look at the player roster of the U.S. Open. It is comprised of a majority of the current-day championship players from around the world. Unlike the WPC, the U.S. Open welcomes ALL players. I am not knocking the WPC, but because of the flawed ranking system in the States, I sometimes don't think the best of the best Americans are in attendance at this event, but that is a topic for another thread.
Getting back to John Schmidt, there is no question the man has extraordinary skills on a field of green, but in today's pool world, there is no reward for being the best of the best, monetarily speaking. Let's face it. Most people desire to earn a decent living. You just can't do it in pool. Most pool players who come out ahead in the pool world do so in other pool-related industries -- cuemakers (Sigel, Varner), tournament promoters (Hopkins).
The key word here is "potential." Even authors/writers, table manufacturers, pool room owners, production cue companies, and instructors have the POTENTIAL to make more money in today's pool world than a champion player like John Schimdt following the tournament trail.
Jeanette Lee is unique. She is a beautiful woman who devoted her life to this sport, and it has rewarded her. I do believe that women can capitalize on some things that men cannot, and I will leave it at that. But make no mistake about it, Jeannette is a strong shooter, and she is probably the most recognized pool player in the United States today. The women's professional tour is successful, unlike the men's professional tour, but the lady pros still encounter the reality of the huge expenses compared to the payouts.
Check out the Billiard Congress of AMERICA's Hall of Fame. Do you think any of the Hall of Famers are getting rich for being a Hall of Famer? It is an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. As much as people seem to dislike Kevin Trudeau in recent times, the man gave each one of these Hall of Famers 30 grand plus two byes in the round-robin format tournament last December 2005, which put $200,000 in Efren Reyes' pockets. I actually saw a couple Hall of Famers get tears in their eyes as they were accepting the check, and I believe that this guaranteed 30 dimes, just for showing up in Orlando, for most of those Hall of Famers is the biggest reward they have ever received for being a Hall of Famer.
I always refer to Keith McCready as the Great White American Buffalo in today's pool world. The tournament trail does not provide the same opportunities for Keith McCready as other American players because of the current pool politics, again, a topic for another thread.
Today, Keith is making the best of it while he is "benched," for lack of a better word. Ironically, he has made more money playing poker on the Internet in the first half of 2007 than he did for all of 2006 playing pool, and Keith did make money playing pool, but, again, those expenses are heavy. Most importantly to me, though, Keith is also working on improving his health and physical well-being, which makes me, oh, so very happy.
Good luck to John Schmidt in the upcoming event.
JAM
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