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BGonline.org Forums
My Three Stories
Posted By: Pat MacNeil In Response To: Enforcability Issues--non issue (phil simborg)
Date: Thursday, 13 March 2014, at 7:49 p.m.
Three stories I'd like to relate so bear with me if you would. The first involves a gentleman by the name of Ron Silley from West Vancouver. Ron is a wonderful, wonderful man. Slight in stature and of Portuguese background Ron embodies EVERYTHING that is not just right in BackGammon but about life in general. He's one of the warmest people you'll ever meet. Later in life and humble to the core this is a man I've ALWAYS admired. One Tournament Sunday, Ron was in a 7-Point match with a Club regular. I believe it was DMP, if memory serves me correct, and Ron rolls the absolute SUPER Joker (Double 3's). Off the bar and in with the hit, hitting and pointing on the 5-Point and bringing another builder down from the mid with his fourth three. CRUSHING !!! Problem is, Ron never got to play his threes. He IMMEDIATELY asked his opponent if the dice were cocked. His opponent, obviously realizing the IMPACT of the roll, was subtly trying to influence a re-roll. I was sitting "Rinkside" and felt the dice were sitting perfectly flat. The TD was called over and even HE felt they were CLEAN. He left it up to Ron to decide. Without so much as a peep, Ron picks up his dice and rolls again. DANCE !!! Ron went on to lose the match but that one act of SELFLESSNESS scored HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE in my world. I was almost going to call up Holly and let her know what her husband had done. To THIS day there are times where I still get a little choked up just thinking about it. The amount of F*cking RESPECT I have for that man is off the charts !!!
The second story involves me. As we all know, there are many people out there that roll prematurely. Generally, what I do is tell them they shouldn't be doing that because, in a LIVE Tournament, there are SOME that MAY call them on it. My match against Mario was just such an example. Another case where we were at DMP and Mario rolls before my dice were up. EVERYONE knows those rules yet they continually get broken. Looking at his dice I knew I would probably lose the match had my dice been up. He apologized and was quite willing to roll again but I looked at the board and the ONLY play that made LOGICAL SENSE was the one that would've seen me crushed by his dice on the board. I told him that and the game went on. He DID go on to win we had a GREAT talk at the end of the match. I KNOW I scored BIG points with him that day and THAT made me feel good.
The last one involves Mario, again. Leading 7-2 in a match to nine, and holding a two cube, he inadvertently shipped the cube back across the table to four. I will not divulge his opponent's name but, needless to say, the cube was accepted and returned next roll. Realizing his MAMMOTH BLUNDER he could only hope it would not cost him. Unfortunately, it did. Now it should be noted that I was not the TD in that situation nor was the TD called over. I only heard about it after the fact. I guess Mario figured it was HIS F*ck Up and only had himself to blame. Not a good way to lose when you're leading 7-2.
We've ALL been in situations that test us at one point or another. Some are relatively harmless while others are INCREDIBLY NASTY. The ones that are incredibly nasty "IF" there is ulterior motive for personal gain run the risk of being labelled a WEASEL and once you get stuck with that name it's almost impossible to shake. Remember, good news travels fast but bad news travels even FASTER.
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