US Open Bounced Checks?

watchez said:
Can you picture the announcers on ESPN saying - "Here is Mika, 2008 US Open winner. Can't you just see the smile on his face as he is so happy that 7 months of waiting from now he will be $40,000 richer."

I am quite certain that Mika left Virginia on the night of his victory with $40,000 check(s) from Mr. Behrman.

S.
 
watchez said:
Can you picture the announcers on ESPN saying - "Here is Mika, 2008 US Open winner. Can't you just see the smile on his face as he is so happy that 7 months of waiting from now he will be $40,000 richer."


If Barry stays healthy-He's no spring Chicken.
 
cuedoctor said:
Why dont you start the European OPEN next year and we will send 8 players who will be seeded in seperate brackets so they cant possibily meet until the money rounds (if you say no we aint coming:grin:,just like BB who was told to do)

As I said before how about spreadin some of that Norwegian oil and gas $$$$$$$$$ for pool - Norwegian Open Men $500,000 added , $500,000
added for Women - alls I see are team 147 sponsored WPBA qualifiers for women and we know who they are for - :D :D :D
 
Mark Griffin said:
I am sorry to hear the comments like 'I don't care about pool or the pool players anymore'. Because some of us do try to do what we can to make the industry grow and get better. (Especially from valued AZB contributors like JB and Roy.)

It is easy for others to point fingers and say things should have been done differently - but sometimes that just does not happen.

As many know, I have done a LOT of events - and paid ALL OF THEM in full immediately. That is how it should be done. But promoting a pool event is a very tough gig.

I appreciate all who do promote pool - but all of this naysaying is just going to make it harder for all promoters and sponsors to survive. I firmly believe players need to be paid - but lets try to 'mellow out' a little and everyone needs to calm down and try to fix the problem in a more gentle manner.

Between this and the WTBC threads, it even gives me a headache. I respect a person who is passionate about an event, but there is a limit.

Please lets try to be a little more objective-after all we are all supposed to be on the same side.

Mark Griffin

Mark,

I admire what you do for pool, and the project you are working with.

The point I am making in this thread is that I will not do anything to help the poolplayers in the future regarding late payment, if the players aren't interested in complaining when they are threated unfair. If they silently accepts to get checks that they need to wait 1 to 7 months before they cash, and think this is ok, why should I care about it?

The best thing for pool would be if all promotors paid the players immidiately after each tournament. The players don't seem to care enough to speak out loud about this subject, so then they accept to be paid late.

As for the World Ten Ball tournament, and all the noise about it: If YM pays Darren and the rest before April 2009, he has paid out much more money than BB did last year, and within the same amount of time. When players and fans believes what BB is doing is ok, why complain and bash YM?

I can't understand the logic, and what the players are thinking, so I have decided to not do anything to help them anymore about payments.

I will not call any players today, like I did yesterday, regarding World Ten Ball. They have obviously accepted BB's behaviour for years, meaning that it shouldn't surprise them if other promotors now starts to use BB's rules.

I say, let them handle it themselves, and good luck.
 
Mark Griffin said:
I am sorry to hear the comments like 'I don't care about pool or the pool players anymore'. Because some of us do try to do what we can to make the industry grow and get better. (Especially from valued AZB contributors like JB and Roy.)

It is easy for others to point fingers and say things should have been done differently - but sometimes that just does not happen.

As many know, I have done a LOT of events - and paid ALL OF THEM in full immediately. That is how it should be done. But promoting a pool event is a very tough gig.

I appreciate all who do promote pool - but all of this naysaying is just going to make it harder for all promoters and sponsors to survive. I firmly believe players need to be paid - but lets try to 'mellow out' a little and everyone needs to calm down and try to fix the problem in a more gentle manner.

Between this and the WTBC threads, it even gives me a headache. I respect a person who is passionate about an event, but there is a limit.

Please lets try to be a little more objective-after all we are all supposed to be on the same side.

Mark Griffin


I agree, were suppost to be on the same side, thats why i didnt say any thing bad about anyone here and wont, I just confirmed a few things and wont compair promoters as its not my biz.

I do agree with you Mark, all monies should be in position before the first rack of balls is broke.


When I do pool events(and I will) I'm going to use open book accounting for all the principals involved(TD, Asst TD, board members, my advisors, vendors, investors etc.) and when I lose $$ in the begginning how much I lose will be public, when I make $$-I will tell everyone, as I believe if its worth doing its worth doing for $$$ and will make no excuses for my pay check-it will never come at the expence of the players, it will come from the gate, TV, advertizers, sponsers, vendors and where ever else I can make it work. For example suppose the total $$ left for the purse and me is $450,000 (just a random number). If my players make $300,000 in a event and I make $150,000 I will let the world know, there is nothing wrong with making $$$, Its going to be my show and my choice to disclose my profit-why hide it???-that will be the standard for all my gig's. If I'm hated for making $150,000 and paying out $300,000, then I'm a bad guy but my players will KNOW they will be paid on the spot-as they will see the accounting at the players meeting should they want to see it-hell they will know my end and why not-i will refund their $$ if they dont like me making $$$.

I do biz differently than others and have very different results ;) :D . If I lose $$ for year after year that will be public too, I'm a open book guy-love me or hate me. I believe I can put $$$ in everyones pocket-my customers (gate, TV, advertizers, sponsers, vendors and where ever else I can make it work), my players and lastly myself. My cusromers will make $$$ in the long run too, as they are as important as the players. I'm smart I hire smarter, better people and empower them, thats the trick to my success, thus far.

I'm nobody special, I am just more creative and refuse to succomb to the general attitude of pool's negitivity(part of why I left pool years ago). But i'm not going to pay out $425,000 and make $25,000 as thats not worth my time. So the players and everyone will know Fatboy is gonna get fatter and pay everyone, all it is, is a redistribution of $$-nothing more. Problem is no one else sees it like that, so far as I have ever seen, but what else is it??? $$$ isnt created or destroyed at pool gig's. The IRS destroys $$:angry: . So I have to tap into streams of $$ and redistribute some of it, harder said than done. But i will...

If I cant make it work, I will say so-pubically. I'm still a couple years away from this.

If I did a event and made more than the winner but paid out more than I made Am I a bad guy?? i need a poll on this someday.

BACK TO THIS THREAD: I DONT AGREE WITH THE US OPENS CASH DISPERSMENTS BUT BARRY HAS PROVEN TO BE HONEST.
 
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I think I disagree about Barry having proven to be honest. I think this is not honest or ethical behavior.

If a gambling match finishes and the loser announces he'll pay in a few months, exact date to be announced later, he's likely to be looking down the barrel, or double barrel.
 
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Barry called last night (after his first full day back to work after the Open) and was concerned about this thread. He asked me to post a quick response for him.

Per Barry...

Johnny's check did not bounce. It was taken to the bank a day before it was supposed to and that caused the problem. Johnny took it to the bank a day later and it cashed with no problem.

Barry cashed most of the players checks at the event. It was the larger ones that had to go through the bank.

As of yesterday, he had no calls from players with problems with checks.

Any arrangements made for paying Shane last year were between him and Shane and were made with total agreement from both sides.

Same goes for this year with Mika.

In conclusion, Barry says the US Open is not a money maker for him. He agrees with those who say it needs to be improved and he is going to work on that over the next year to hopefully realize more sponsors, more players and more television coverage.

Mike
 
AzHousePro said:
Barry called last night (after his first full day back to work after the Open) and was concerned about this thread. He asked me to post a quick response for him.

Per Barry...

Johnny's check did not bounce. It was taken to the bank a day before it was supposed to and that caused the problem. Johnny took it to the bank a day later and it cashed with no problem.

Barry cashed most of the players checks at the event. It was the larger ones that had to go through the bank.

As of yesterday, he had no calls from players with problems with checks.

Any arrangements made for paying Shane last year were between him and Shane and were made with total agreement from both sides.

Same goes for this year with Mika.

In conclusion, Barry says the US Open is not a money maker for him. He agrees with those who say it needs to be improved and he is going to work on that over the next year to hopefully realize more sponsors, more players and more television coverage.

Mike

Thanks Mike!

It is great to see that Barry wants to improve the perhaps best tournament that excist. I wish him all the best and hope that US Open will grow, get more players, more spectators and more sponsors, and hopefully Barry will make lots of money on doing the US Open.

What I am dissapointed about with what I have read in this thread is not that some checks will have to wait some time before they cash. It's the players attitude, by not saying that they should get paid immidiately. When they don't demand it, but accepts it quietly year after year, then how can they think that things will ever change? And how can they suddenly act surprised when/if other promotors start doing it the same way?

Now it looks like this will change in the future regarding this on the US Open. Why? Because it was made public!
 
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