ABP Asks to Secure Funds

From the Law Offices of Dennis M. Walsh, ABP General Counsel Attorney

The ABP would like to address some of the issues that have surfaced during the recent negotiations with Barry Behrman. We would have preferred to keep the negotiations private but some of the issues raised by Barry Behrman are somewhat misleading and need to be addressed.

First we need to address Mr. Behrman’s statement that the players listed in the original press release had been “blindsided” and did not support the ABP’s stance. To date, only one ABP pro member has changed their mind and has requested that their name be deleted. In fact, Darren Appleton, the defending US Open 9-Ball champion, contrary to statements made by Mr. Behrman has indicated that he still supports our position. In addition, more professional players have joined the ABP’s initiative to not attend the US Open 9-Ball Championship in the effort to provide financial security for all players worldwide. Notable players to be added include Niels Feijen of the Netherlands, and BCA Open Champion Tony Robles of the USA . The updated complete list of names follows at the bottom of this release.

To date, only one ABP pro member has changed their mind and has requested that their name be deleted.

The ABP has made it clear for more than a year that it wanted Barry Behrman to make sure that he would be able to pay the players the promised prizes at the conclusion of The US Open Nine Ball Tournament. Last year, after repeated promises by Mr. Behrman that he would pay everyone on time, the ABP relented and attended the event. However, as has happened in previous years, not all of the players were paid as promised. In fact, it was much later that the players were finally paid. In 2007, Shane Van Boening did not receive all his prize money until seven months after his win; in 2008 and 2009 Mika Immonen did not receive all his money until nine months after his wins; in 2010 Darren Appleton did not receive all his money until three months after his win.

Since then, Mr.Behrman promoted another event in March of 2011, the Masters 10-Ball for which he advertised a prize fund of $35,000 added. He reduced the added money by $5000, just before the event. At the start of the first day, he further reduced the added money another $5000. After the event ended, Mr.Behrman failed to pay many of the top finishers, and till this day still owes a balance of $10,000 to Mika Immonen, the winner of the event.

This year, the ABP has been telling Barry Behrman from the beginning that he needed to put the guaranteed prize money in escrow so that the players could count on being paid. Initially, he refused to discuss the matter, hanging up on representatives of the Board. Since he would not guarantee the prize money, the ABP released the press release that they would not attend the event unless the prize money was, in fact, guaranteed.

Since that time, there have been discussions between representatives of the ABP and Barry Behrman.

The ABP indicated that it needed the added money in escrow 30 days before the event, and the entry fees in escrow, as the fees were paid by entrants.

Mr. Behrman agreed to do two things.

1) Put the added money of $50,000.00 in escrow 30 days before the event; and

2) Put up, as collateral, his corporate papers and rights to the US Open 9 ball Tournament.

The ABP indicated that it needed the rest of the entry fees in escrow before the members would commit to taking part in the tournament. The collateral of the US Open Corporate papers was not something that the players organization wanted. The ABP is not an entity set up to run tournaments, but an organization set up to help protect the players. They would not be in a position to auction off Corporate papers, should it become necessary, to make sure that the winners were paid on time. It was suggested to Mr. Behrman that if the Corporate papers had that much value, perhaps they could be used as collateral and a third party could guaranty the funds. Any default in the obliga Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/additional-pros-not-attending-us-open.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-tours-join-efforts-for-ginky-memorial-event.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-tours-join-efforts-for-ginky-memorial-event.html#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:57:20 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15985 Billiards Tours Join Efforts for Ginky Memorial Event

I am very proud to announce a special collaboration of three tours to honor the late George “Ginky” Sansouci!

The Amsterdam Billiard Club in NYC will be hosting the 1st Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament on Saturday & Sunday, June 25-26, 2011. The Predator Pro Am Tour, Mezz Tour & Tri-State Tour will be joining forces to honor New York City’s greatest champion!

Many thanks to Gail Glazebrook, William Finnegan and the Predator Tour along with John Leyman, Todd Fleitman, Bill Focaccia, Mark & Patti Ursel of the Tri-State Tour as well as Jose Burgos, Caroline Pao and Mika Immonen of the Mezz Tour for helping to put this soon to be a classic memorial tournament together!

The Amsterdam Billiard Club in NYC will be hosting the 1st Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament on Saturday & Sunday, June 25-26, 2011.

A special thanks goes out to Rob Staskowski of PoolOnTheNet.com for creating the Ginky Memorial logo as well as a special tournament chart that will be used for this amazing event! A special thanks also goes out to Jamie Wollens for printing these beautiful charts.

As most of you know, the ABCD field is now full with 96 players! The player list can be viewed on our site www.PredatorProAmTour.com

I have 8 open spots left for the Open/Pro event which is limited to 32 players and starts on Sunday, June 26th. If anyone is interested in playing in the Open/Pro, please contact me immediately at TonyRoblesNYC@aol.com or call me on my cell at 917-202-2750.

The entry for this event is $110 regardless of your skill level. All entries should be dropped off at Amsterdam Billiards & Bar in NYC in a sealed envelope with your name on it addressed to:

“Ginky Memorial”
Attn: Tony Robles

The following Open/Pro players are confirmed to attend the Ginky memorial:

Jennifer Barretta, Zion Zvi, Mike Fingers, Jeremy Sossei, Dennis Hatch, Mike Dechaine, Shaun Wilkie, Jun Almonte, Matt Krah, Sean Morgan, Flaco Rodriguez, Joey Korsiak, Frankie Hernandez, Oscar Bonilla, Mike Miller, Jorge Rodriguez, Jeff Beckley, Ray Romanski, Mhet Vergara, Rob Omen, Steve Lillis, Dave Ascolese, Ramon Mistica & Tony Robles.

Please make sure to get in touch with me first before you drop off your entry at Amsterdam to confirm that I have a spot for you. Entries will be taken on a first come, first serve basis. Entries are due by no later than Wednesday morning.

VERY IMPORTANT: The draw for the ABCD event will be done at Amsterdam on Wednesday, June 22nd between 6-7PM. Once the draw is done, entry fees are non-refundable! Due to limited table availability, all matches will start at 10AM sharp on Saturday, June 25 as well as Sunday, June 26! Please do not pre-pay your entry if you know that you can’t play at 10AM sharp on both days. If you do pay your entry and do not show up on time you will forfeit your match. If you try to call and cancel, you will forfeit your entry fee. No Exceptions! So please do not pay your entry fee unless you know that you will be there to play on Saturday & Sunday at 10AM sharp.

The draw for the Open/Pro will be done as soon as the field is full.

Here’s what everyone involved had to say about George Sansouci:

“George Ginky Sansouci was not only a great friend and godfather to my son. He was an inspiration to players of all levels and taught us that there is no limit to what we can achieve on the green felt as long as we are willing to go that extra mile. I am truly honored to do this for George and his family as he always was and always will be a legend and an inspiration to all of us.”

Tony Robles – Predator Tour

“Amsterdam Billiards is proud to join the Predator, Tri-State, and the Mezz tours in announcing the 1st Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament. With at least $5,000 Added, this tournament may be the biggest tournament held in NYC in years. George “Ginky” Sansouci was not only a great player, he was also smart, witty, supportive, loyal, and a great ambassador for the game of pool. This tournament will be a fitting tribute Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/billiards-tours-join-efforts-for-ginky-memorial-event.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiards-info/corey-deuel-vs-mika-immonen-at-the-2010-steve-mizerak-championship.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiards-info/corey-deuel-vs-mika-immonen-at-the-2010-steve-mizerak-championship.html#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 02:59:22 +0000 admin http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiards-info/corey-deuel-vs-mika-immonen-at-the-2010-steve-mizerak-championship.html Corey Deuel vs Mika Immonen at the 2010 Steve Mizerak Championship. See more at www.SeminoleProTour.com

I am very proud to announce a special collaboration of three tours to honor the late George “Ginky” Sansouci!

A special thanks goes out to Rob Staskowski of PoolOnTheNet.com for creating the Ginky Memorial logo as well as a special tournament chart that will be used for this amazing event!

The Amsterdam Billiard Club in NYC will be hosting the 1st Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament on Saturday & Sunday, June 25-26, 2011. The Predator Pro Am Tour, Mezz Tour & Tri-State Tour will be joining forces to honor New York City’s greatest champion!

George "Ginky" Sansouci was not only a great friend and godfather to my son.

Many thanks to Gail Glazebrook, William Finnegan and the Predator Tour along with John Leyman, Todd Fleitman, Bill Focaccia, Mark & Patti Ursel of the Tri-State Tour as well as Jose Burgos, Caroline Pao and Mika Immonen of the Mezz Tour for helping to put this soon to be a classic memorial tournament together!

“George Ginky Sansouci was not only a great friend and godfather to my son. He was an inspiration to players of all levels and taught us that there is no limit to what we can achieve on the green felt as long as we are willing to go that extra mile. I am truly honored to do this for George and his family as he always was and always will be a legend and an inspiration to all of us.”

Tony Robles – Predator Tour

“Amsterdam Billiards is proud to join the Predator, Tri-State, and the Mezz tours in announcing the 1st Annual George “Ginky” Sansouci Memorial Tournament. With at least $5,000 Added (and probably more – stay tuned), this tournament may be the biggest tournament held in NYC in years. George “Ginky” Sansouci was not only a great player, he was also smart, witty, supportive, loyal, and a great ambassador for the game of pool. This tournament will be a fitting tribute to one of New York’s greatest pool players.”

Greg Hunt – Amsterdam Billiards

“Ginky was one of our most accomplished players winning more Open events than any other player in our history and winning the coveted Player of the Year 4 consecutive years in the 90′s. And so it is with mixed emotions, both grief and pride, that we partake in the cooperative effort to memorialize George “Ginky” SanSouci; an offspring of the Tri-State Tour, who matured into the great player we all loved.”

John Leyman – Tri-State Tour Director

“Ginky was a good friend and a remarkable player who will be missed greatly. It is an honor for Mezz USA and the Mezz Tour to be a part of a memorial tournament to tribute all that Ginky has given to the game of pool and New York City.”

Caroline Pao – Mezz USA & Mezz Tour

Special thanks to a couple of Ginky’s closest friends Gregg McAndrews, Joel Schapiro and Mark Pantovic for stepping up to add $1,000 each and to Amsterdam Billiards owner Greg Hunt for adding $2,000 to make it a $5,000 added event! $2,500 will go towards the ABCD event and $2,500 will go towards the Open/Pro.

My goal was to make it a $5,000 added or more event. If anyone is interested in adding money to this special event, please contact Tony Robles at TonyRoblesNYC@aol.com.

Ginky’s family will be there at some point on Saturday to watch the event.

My good friends below will be at the event selling Ginky Memorabilia.

David Padilla will be selling the Ginky armbands that have become very popular. Anyone interested in ordering some armbands prior to the event should contact David immediately at davidpadilla714@gmail.com

Jimmy Martinez will also be there to sell limited edition Ginky shirts.

“R2BR which stands for Refusing to be Regular is truly honored to produce the commemorative t-shirt for George ‘Ginky’ SanSouci in limited edition. This shirt will be the first in a series for a newly launched NY Pool design line. Ginky represented the best that the New York City pool scene has to offer and was an individual that pushed the envelope from regular to extraordinary. R2BR has captured that spirit in a distinctive design.”

Jimmy Martinez
Email: letsgo.jim@gmail.com

Andrew Cleary will also be there Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/inaugural-george-%e2%80%9cginky%e2%80%9d-sansouci-memorial-tournament.html/feed 0 http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/upsets-continue-at-philippine-open-pool-championships.html http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/upsets-continue-at-philippine-open-pool-championships.html#comments Sun, 10 Apr 2011 17:45:26 +0000 Pool and Billiards News http://www.insidepoolmag.com/?p=15608 Upsets Continue at Philippine Open Pool Championships

Day Three: World champs, top players get door in Philippine Open
by Frederico Makabenta

Down to its last two days, the Philippine Open Pool Championships is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable, surprising opens and most competitive tournaments ever staged. As the tournament approaches its penultimate day this Sunday (April 10}, there is still no clear frontrunner. Matches are not being decided according to seedings, rankings and reputation. World champions have fallen by the wayside. And players coming from the qualifiers look just as formidable as the ranking players.

At the end of the day, reigning World Ten Ball champion Mika Immonen of Finland, double world champion Ronnie Alcano of the Philippines, world’s No.1 woman player Ga Young Kim of Korea, and reigning World Women’s 9-Ball champion Fu Xiao-Fang of China had all been shown the exit door, while those who looked invincible in the first two days of the tournament suffered stinging setbacks.

Down to its last two days, the Philippine Open Pool Championships is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable, surprising opens and most competitive tournaments ever staged.

Only 16 men are still left standing, and only 12 remain in the women’s division, as the battles continue to heat up this Sunday.

Immonen, the reigning world 10-ball champion, ran into a wall called Jerico Banares. He fell by the score of 7-9, in a thrilling afternoon match. Breaks did not go Immonen’s way. Until the 16th rack, the player known as The Iceman continued to struggle. Worst, he scratched the cue ball that could have given him a chance to force a hill-hill showdown. Banares wasted no time as he ran out the remaining balls to post the win and oust the man who only two years ago conquered Manila to become the world 10-ball champion. “I got lucky in the breaks. He had good breaks as well, but he could not get a clear shot at the balls,” said Banares, a former national junior champion of the Philippines.

But Banares’ luck ran out just a few hours later when he lost to Abdulah Al Yousuf of Kuwait, 6-9. Al Yousuf was also responsible for eliminating Alcano, 9-4. The Filipino champion who once owned the World 9-Ball and World 8-Ball championships, has complained about the mandatory timeout rule. Under the new rule, players can only take a five-minute break during the halfway mark of the match.

Al Yousuf went off to a blazing start. He raced to a 5-0 lead and was poised to put the game away when Alcano made the match more exciting, winning the next three racks. The Kuwaiti bet bounced back and grabbed the next rack for a 6-3 lead before both players were given a short break. But Al Yousuf, who showed his breaking prowess, got three of the next four racks.

In the 12th rack, Alcano got the better of the safety exchanges. His ploy worked well when he managed to get a clear shot on ball No.1 and eventually cleaned up the table. But a scratch off the break in the next rack ended Alcano’s hopes of a rally, and Al Yousuf calmly disposed of the remaining balls one by one, to take the match and move on in the tournament.. “Allan (Cuartero) has been helpful in giving information on how Filipino players play,” said Al Yousuf. “Also, this campaign is dedicated to my ailing father, who has a serious heart condition,” said Yousuf.

In the women’s division, Ga-Young Kim and Xiao-Fang Fu also got the boot earlier than expected. Kim was close to wrapping up the match until Lin Yuan Chun of Chinese Taipei made a last-minute spirited charge and came away with a come-from-behind win. Lin, a former Amway World Women’s Champion, refused to quit. Playing with her back against the wall, Lin rallied from 6-8 down before edging Kim in a hill-hill encounter. Her triumph had the makings of a classic encounter.

Forced to exchange safety shots with Kim, Lin was able to pocket a spectacular bank shot on the No. 9 in the corner. She nailed the final ball and managed to come to within one, 7-8. In the next rack, Lin kept her composure. She ran out the balls and looked destined to complete a remarkable come-from-behind win. In the 17th and final rack, there was no stopping the Taiwanese lass from booting out Kim while keeping her own hopes alive in the tournament.

Fu, the Chinese pool sensation, and European Tour veteran Read more ...]]> http://www.cuesandpool.com/billiard-news/upsets-continue-at-philippine-open-pool-championships.html/feed 0