Leonard

[Chris Coletti]

I was reading the board and some back posts and there was one I wanted to comment on. It was before Vegas when the hype was going on betwen Cobra and Engin.

Here was your quote.

"Man you guys are crazy. I have all the respect for Cobra and I like both him and Engin but Cobra is the one making the come back, not Engin. As far as I’m concerned Engin is the favorite and Cobra is the one that needs to prove that he can beat him. Engin is the best until someone can beat him. Then they will be the best on that particular day. You judge someone the best by their performance over several tournaments and many head to head challenges with someone before you can say they are not the best anymore.
I’ll say it again; Engin is the man until proven otherwise."

I hadn't read it before and would have said something back then. Do you think that being the head ref before this tournament that this was a proper statement to be posted? What idea do you think that put into every 154's head going into there?

Now watch the match between those two. What a train wreck! If you didn't see it please go review and tell me, If you were Cobra would you have felt robbed.

The answer is 100% he was robbed.
I would suggest that the ref's walk into these things with no pre-conceived favorites. Especially when the favorites are being announce by the head ref.

If I come to Unifieds would you please announce to all the ref's that I am the favorite to win the 132's left handed. Just kidding but It does raise a question. Can you honestly say that if I get on the table with Simon or Jerome or Michael moore that I will get a fair shake? (Not that it would make a difference but it would be nice to know I lost because they were the better puller not that they were the favorite)
It seems like in your posts that you admit some mistakes were made and you are going to review. I commend you on that and hope that you do implement change.

[Scott Latella]

Can't speak for Leonard , but I think he was talking from a fan's point of view when he made that statement.. My 2 cents..

[Chris Coletti]

He was not a fan...He was the head ref. Wait untill he answers...I'll bet you will be surprised he seems pretty inteligent and thoughtful in his past posts on these subjects.

Plus I think I am going to kick old Michael and Jeromes butt no matter where we meet. I may even smack them right handed ;D

Now Simon....I'll need a pully and some rope!!! ;D

[enginterzi]

looks like this will never finish.its impossible to not to get involved.at the refs grip i didnt even have one finger over my thumb.on that day the result would be the same no matter what.im an out side puller and i wasnt pleased to start without covering my thumb.it was a known result once we were in the strap.but it was a smart way to make it look like as you see on the video by lifting his elbow up.again i was there and know what happenned during there.Cobra has beat me before,and he is a great armwrestler but on that day i was stronger.that is the fact no matter how he made it look like and again how much you try to make it look.

[Chris Coletti]

Engin you did beat him but how much effort did he give you? Would the results have been the same? Maybe, In the tape Cobra is talking to the ref when you go...Itis an undeniable fact based on the tape that he was not ready on the go.
This post is not about that it is about an entirely different subject.
You need to watch it my friend. You are a great puller no doubt. No one is trying to take that from you.

[enginterzi]

Chris,believe me that when i went to the table i was unconfident one and he was confident one.at the beginning he even told ref 'let him start as he wishes'.but then he realised that it wasnt gonna be as easy as he thought.then he started to cover his thumb with his two fingers and i complained about it,because the rule said only one finger can cover the thumb at the start.he had advantage without strap.but in the strap i was the confident one and he was the unconfident one.because we both felt what was going to happen.i even accepted to start without covering my thumb because i felt that i was gonna win no matter what.it would take a few hours to start if ref waited for him to be ready.also we were in the refs grip,in the refs grip both of the competetitors should follow the refs control.

you asked me if the result would be same,yes it would be same even we had to pull more than once in the strap.im an out side puller and accepted to start with a low grip because i knew what i felt.

[leonard]

Chris,
I am going to say this and I hope you and others can take this in the spirit it is given.
AAA armwrestlers seem to be conditioned to think that the referee’s could make calls based on favorites.
I forget sometimes that you and others think that way. I apologize if you think that my stating what I
Believe to be true would make you believe that my referee’s would change calls or referee the contest different.
You could not pay my referee’s to do that let alone my statement making them do something dishonest.
I have also reviewed the tape; a professional armwrestler in the referee’s grip had better be ready to start when the referee closes the last hand. We will not nor can we debate the grip. The armwrestlers had their shot at getting a grip and was unable to. I feel bad that Cobra made a mistake in believing that we would stop the start because he did not like the grip. At the pro level you need be ready to start when that last hand closes and for you to say that Cobra was robbed is wrong. Even more wrong is to say “but it would be nice to know I lost because they were the better puller not that they were the favorite) “. Our referee’s are not making calls based on who we want to win. See that is where you are confusing things. There is a huge difference between thinking someone will win and wanting someone to win and helping that come true. I will foul out my mother if she commits a foul on the table. This is coming very fast and you see a foul and you call it. Keith gave Cobra the same referee’s grip that he gives everyone. When I went over the rules before the tournament I even covered this. I actually said “when you are in the referee’s grip and that referee closes the last hand, you had better be ready to start because he is saying “ready go” and you may not like the grip but he is going to start you. If you could have gotten a grip on your own it would have happen and we will give you as fair a grip as possible and we are going to start you”.
Why not call me 1-406-245-1560 and we can talk, this typing is killing me ;D

[jamesretarides]

Leonard, Karen Bean, Bill Cox, they are all in unenviable positions when you consider they are all referees that are tournament organizers and people that love the sport. You don't hear officials in other sports giving their opinion on record too often. That doesn't mean they don't have an opinion, don't make predictions and aren't fans of the sport.

[Chris Coletti]

Leonard I will call you tomorrow....I just got home from my sons baseball game ...Man that umpire could not make the right call to save his butt. Of course his son was pitching...Just kidding I will call you in the morning.

for the record I have been fouled more often by Karen than any other ref. She knows my pull and is a stickler for what I am doing up there.

Also I think James Battles was completely robbed at the Florida States by a AAA ref. One of the worst robberies I have ever seen.
Being a ref is without a doubt the worst job in sports. You can't win to win.

I still stand by my account of the improperness of that post however. You are in a position of power and have certain responsibilities you need to consider.

[Chris Coletti]

Once more post (I promise )
As far as fairness goes. There was a match down here that I won which also won me the tournament. I thought the call was bad. Being the director at the time I worried about favoritism and I not only gave the guy who lost the win, I gave him my trophy and the points in the contest we were doing that year.


If you believe that your ref's as any ref's can't be influenced by you I am afraid you are mistaken. The reason you are you is because you have leadership qualities and can get people to listen and take seriously your words.

When Travis hammered you it wasn't just because he thought you were wrong. He was accusing you of almost what I am saying your other ref's could be dealing with and he wanted everyone there to know. I'd be willing to bet every 54 who felt dissed remembered your post. It probably discouraged some pullers from even going.
It's not just me or as you call me an AAA puller.
Of course your ref's might not be influenced by your words but then again they may walk on water.

Watch the tapes and explain to yourself (You owe me nothing) The major discrepencies from one match and the fouls and rules applied to the next match. I for one would be very confused as to how I was supposed to pull or what I was supposed to say in Vegas.
I saw Cobra get insulted badly by his opponent (He was being hammered by the dude about dropping to 154) Cobra kept his cool and just asked the ref to get the match started and he was warned for an usportsmanlike conduct foul? I just don't get it.

You have impressed me with the dealings and posting you have done on this board concerning these issues and I appreciate it. You understand my concerns before entering USAA country given you still are reffering to me as an AAA puller. I will call you tomorrow.

[Ryan Thames]

how bout that bible verse on stirring the pot?



j/k

[Chris Coletti]

Not Stirring...maybe on the AAA board with "Steve"

Here I am trying to get answers to legitimate questions.
I am in no way looking for a debate..I am lookng to make sure I am protected and fully understand the rules and how they are applied before entering into what I saw in Vegas. I am still being reffered to as an AAA puller. Ask the guys on your team who were there what they felt and get back to me. I am curious as to their opinions.

[Chris Coletti]

I also don't feel that leonard thinks I am stirring. He has been very forthcoming and non confrontational. Given the content of our discussion I find that he is being very honest with what he feels went down. I truly think that he will review the tapes with an open mind and make some adjustments if he sees the need.

(Now see I promised the last post 2 posts ago!) Don't you have a bible to read or something! ;D

[Bad Draw Rhodes]

Engin said:

Chris,believe me that when i went to the table i was unconfident one and he was confident one.at the beginning he even told ref 'let him start as he wishes'.but then he realised that it wasnt gonna be as easy as he thought.then he started to cover his thumb with his two fingers and i complained about it,because the rule said only one finger can cover the thumb at the start.he had advantage without strap.but in the strap i was the confident one and he was the unconfident one.because we both felt what was going to happen.i even accepted to start without covering my thumb because i felt that i was gonna win no matter what.it would take a few hours to start if ref waited for him to be ready.also we were in the refs grip,in the refs grip both of the competetitors should follow the refs control.

you asked me if the result would be same,yes it would be same even we had to pull more than once in the strap.im an out side puller and accepted to start with a low grip because i knew what i felt.

my. friend,
as i told you after our match............you ARE strong in "your position" as far as the rest I am not upset by your BULLcrap and am not going to cry and REMOVE myself from this mesage board because someone said something i did not like...... i do not come off like that nor is that my fiber........mr' chris collet ..........your friend have good ears ..........and there is more ..........but i have won my share Andrew Rhodes will be fine if he never pull again.............please do not sweat for me...........there is no need for private e-mail or calls on phones..........YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME.........ENGIN you are out of Line........As for Leonards prediction as for who "THE MAN" is ENGIN . I cannot comment as a pro. I do not wanna ruin my fun....................THEY PICKED THE WRONG SCAB>>>>>>>>>>

[Chris Gangi]

i think people also forget that ref's are also armwrestler's either past or present and we are also human's which means we have opinions and are allowed to give them.

leonard did not predict the final outcome of the tournament he just made a comment based on his opinion and experience in and about this sport.

watching the vegas film on armtv i think the ref's did an awesome job.....JOB WELL DONE GUYS...keep up the good work without good refs the sport would be lost.