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I'll Kick it Off -- Recording Controversy in Atlanta
Posted By: Bill Riles
Date: Sunday, 3 May 2009, at 11:54 p.m.
There was a huge two-hour controversy last night over whether Malcolm Davis had the right to record a match with Ray Glaeser -- a five point Last Chance match !!!
Several of us were guessing that it would ultimately end up with a 1,000 posting thread here on the forum.
Anyway, here goes my take:
It started with my match Friday night in the third round of the Masters against Ray Glaeser. I've met him a few times in the past and he's always seemed like a nice guy -- and he is a very good player with a good tournament record.
Well, he comes up to me Friday night after finding out if we play and asks if I have a board -- he didn't bring one (many don't, so I don't fault him, but I think those that don't do so forfeit some credibility imn equimpment arguments and demands. So, we go to where I had my board set up with tripod/camera alongside. He takes exception to my recording the match. A discussion ensues. He agrees I can record the match if I send him a copy of the file (I always offer to do so for my opponents) AND if I send him a copy of the file of EVERY match I recorded during the weekend. I told him I didn't have a problem with that as long as my other opponents gave me permission to do so. He pulled the same stunt on Chris Knapp in the first round of the Championship -- the exact same demands, the exact same response. Both matches were filmed. In my discussion with Ray prior to the match he brought up Malcolm Davis's name as "unfairly" building a large library of match files on all players that everyone else doesn't have access to. I say, Ray, go out buy yourself a videocamera and the other necessary associated equipment, go to more tournaments, record every match your in and around, and put in the time, effort, and money to have them entered into Snowie or GNU and you, TOO, can build a library of matches like Malcolm has. You want his, and mine, and everyone else's for free? When you've done NOTHING to assist in their development -- when, in fact, you try to obstruct the process !!!????
As a bit of a digression, as we began our match, I went to the side of the table I prefer in relation to the camera for entering into Snowie and Ray said he wanted to sit on that side of the table. Fine, I'm easy. Then I let him choose from my collection of dice sizes and colors. Then I start setting up the board and he wants the other checkers and to go the other direction. Fine, go for it. Then, and I've about had enough of him by the time, he refuses to play with my personalized doubling cube -- in place of the 64 it had 'BILL'. I said "you've got to be kidding me, you have a problem with personalized cubes, too?", he replies "I don't have a problem if it has 'RAY' on it but, otherwise, yes". I say okay, dig into my Crown Royal bag of dice and cubes and pull out the cube where the 64 is replaced by a sketch of a hand shooting the bird. As I place it in front of him, appropriately oriented, I ask "Is this one okay"? He didn't like that one either. We played with another cube that had a 64 on it -- funny, it was only an 11 point match.
Anyway, we have a good match, trailing 8-9/11, as I recall, it looks like I have it won on a gammon 2-cube when I get odd and leave a shot with 5-6 off, get hit, and lose. So be it, a good match. Disappointing, but the match had otherwise been uneventful after the initial shenanigans.
Saturday, Chris had to go through the same drill, at least as it relates to recording -- he can speak for the match otherwise. Unfortunately, for Chris, this was the first match he was ever going to record and he gets this thrown up into his face.
Then we get to Saturday night. Malcolm and Ray are to meet like in the effective round of sixteen or so in the Last Chance -- the Last Chance !!! Ray refuses to have the match recorded. The directors have multiple confabs. CJC is there and is a 'consultant' to them and she participates in some of their discussions. They meet with each player privately. They meet with both players together. Each are obstinate in their positions. Finally, after two hours of brouhaha!!, the director decides they'll roll for the right to record. Malcolm is going to forfeit on principle but several, Neil particularly, encouraged him to not forfeit because then Ray would have won all around. They play. When they go to Malcolm's board and set-up (remember, Ray had not seen fit to bring a board or anything) Ray wants the camera removed. Malcolm says the camera is not even on -- they'd been arguing for two hours (it is now 1:00 a.m). Ray replies "how do I know that". That's about when I would have went for his throat or slapped some sense into him. Malcolm moves the camera. Ray assumes they will not record, Malcolm thinks they're going to roll for it. Ray rolls a 6 and then argues it is his first roll and not for the camera. Another big argument ensues and the director has to come over and preside over a dice roll for recording. Ray won the roll, no recording. Thankfully, there is a God, and Malcolm won the match.
In the playing room essentially everyone sided with Malcolm and thought Ray's behavior objectionable and pathetic. I heard several say they were embarrassed for him for his behavior. I think he was a total jerk and a complete asshole -- and, don't worry, I'll send him a copy of this posting.
The Atlanta director and Rob Maier, Pittsburgh, both stated it would be in their flyers next year that recording is permitted. From my perspective, if Ray consequently doesn't want to attend, good riddance. I plan on sending him a Snowie file of our match and that will be the last thing I ever send him. I did not ask my other opponents if I could send him a file of our matches, and I will not do so.
We all knew this was coming at some point. Unfortunately, I think Ray put some longstanding personal ill feelings toward Malcolm ahead of the game and ahead of the tournament. He was incredibly selfish in my opinion. I pity him and his bitterness.
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