Whither the PSP?

[Baca Loco]

Or should that have been wither?

Looking at the line-up for Chicago PSP is this the beginning of the end or simply a transformative process? Once upon a time the NPPL/PSP was the biggest, baddest comp on the planet. Today it's populated by mostly Rooks and Novs with virtually no power at the top. 10-man is looking more and more like washed out, has been format but is X-Ball in position to take its place? The line-up for Div 2 suggests maybe but then Div 1 is mostly teams hoping to score third or fourth place prizes cos seriously, can they compete with Strange and the Dogs? And what about the 21 teams signed up for Div 2? Thought the limit was 16 teams to a division?
Wouldn't it be ironic if the PSP finally started to deliver and nobody showed up?

 

[TJ Lambini]

Word is

whatever TV deal PSP has got, it's gonna be announced at Chicago...

Player numbers for NPPL and PSP are pretty similar, NPPL has glitz and glamor, PSP has most of tha top 10 teams, both are probably losing money.

Question is, who's got tha ace up their sleeve?

 

[raehl]

Hopefully, no one has an ace up their sleeve.

Or hopefully they both do.

Two leagues is good. They both provide different things, and some players prefer one set of offerings over another, and that choice is cool.

There are actually 24 Div II X Ball teams and 12 Div I X Ball teams. Some didn't get into the registration system in time, so they get to wait in line at the event and do it. I know one team is playing 10-man because there wasn't any room left in X Ball (and their captain called asking to play on our X Ball team, heh.)

Anyway, there are about 90-95 10-man and X Ball teams playing. Whether 10-man is going to eventually go away because people want to play X Ball I don't know, but it seems PSP is pretty healthy.

As for extending div II X Ball to 24 teams... damned if you do provide for the customer's wishes, damned if you don't I guess.

 

[Baca Loco]

So registration closing the 11th didn't really mean registration was closed? So, did the non-registees pay? Not a problem for me but doesn't it return PSP to the position of last minute scheduling again?
And wasn't the original limitation of 16 teams to a X-Ball division predicated on the limitations of tourney time and field space? So will there be an extra X-Ball field for Chicago?

Mr. Curious

 

[raehl]

The people who didn't make it in the registration system were teams who paid *BEFORE* we made the registration system active. PSP honored those payments, but the teams will be required to complete the registration process prior to play.

Waht the facilities and all that are - that's PSP's deal, you'd have to ask them, but my impression is that space is adequate.

- Chris

 

[Baca Loco]

Originally posted by raehl
The people who didn't make it in the registration system were teams who paid *BEFORE* we made the registration system active. PSP honored those payments, but the teams will be required to complete the registration process prior to play.

Waht the facilities and all that are - that's PSP's deal, you'd have to ask them, but my impression is that space is adequate.

- Chris

If they had paid prior to your system's activation how come some number of them never appeared on the list of participating teams at PSP's website until after close of registration?

I'm glad you have impressions of adequacy but that doesn't really answer the questions, does it?

 

[BWillie]

There were teams who registered and paid before the current registration procedure was in place.

There were teams who registered and paid with the current system.

There were teams who registered and paid after the deadline. Most of those teams were registered, and paid late. A few were not officially registered, so not listed, but had conversation with me to the extent that any plans made based on the number of teams coming, had their participation included. Then there were teams who both registered and paid, after the official deadline.

Implementing a new system during the middle of registration definitely caused some confusion. Many teams took advantage of that confusion. Rather than trying to pass judgement on who was "full of it" and who wasn't, registration was left open until it was felt that all the teams who attempted to do the right thing were accounted for. Some other teams happened to fall in with them.

As for Div 2 and the number of teams being accepted. Firstly, the 16 team limit posted at the site, should not have been there. The inention all along was to go to 24 teams. I am somewhat suprised that it reached 24 teams (as a matter of fact at least 4 teams were refused entry to Div 2, 2 went to 10 man, 2 aren't going to play the event), but 24 was the goal, and the limit, it was just never changed on the site.

The biggest issue is that 11 teams are playing Div 1. That put a scare into things, and was totally unexpected.

The Div 1 and 2 X-Ball fields will be gridded and set up as close to EXACTLY the same as is humanly possible. DIV 1 and DIV 2 teams will play both fields. There is no Div 1 field, and Div 2 field. There are two Div 1 and 2 X-Ball fields. Two fields total, both for both Divisions.

It is my hope that with the new system, and with the coming of an automated card charging system, the future will be far less complicated for all involved. Hopefully by Philadelphia, registration will be an instantaneous process. If that plan goes into the works, it will be much easier to set a registration deadline for 12:00am EST, and let the chips fall where they may. The problem with that idea as it has been, is that human errors are made on PSP's side. No one wants to "penalize" a team for errors that were not made by the team. And as long as the system is allowing teams that aren't at fault to pay and play, why not let others - so long as it doesn't jeopardize the plans in place?

TJ - Who says anything PSP has working with TV will be announced in Chicago? I'm curious. Is that a prediction, a rumor, or something that was directly stated?

 

[TJ 2]

BWillie

It was definitely either a prediction, a rumor, something directly stated or something I made up...you don't catch fish unless you bait tha hooks, right?

 

[Baca Loco]

Thanks, BW.
The more the merrier. I can see some confusion and overlap working against y'all towards the end of registration. Glad to see a solid turn out after all. Now that wasn't so hard, was it? God knows you don't want Raehl to be your spokesman by default.

Here's an idea--if Pro/Am 10-man looks to be slipping some more how 'bout going to an Open 10-man and carry the prizes down extra places?

Here's another idea--one problem the somewhat fragmented PSP has had this year is event coverage gets watered down without a single focal point. Maybe the PSP needs to go the "extra mile" in self-promotion. And I'm thinking NXL primarily--your own game reports, photo galleries with players identified by name, something, anything to change the profile and prestige of these transition period NXL matches. Just a thought.