AZ Open or closed?

By Bill Christensen

As another Arizona Open has come to an end, I can’t help but wonder why some people simply feel the necessity to take away from the fun that is supposed to be enjoyed by all, To put it another way, if you want or need drama, stay at home and watch a movie! The rest of us just don’t want or need it.

Now, don’t get me wrong. There was a lot of fun and excitement going on. I personally enjoyed not only some success, but also some great times as well.

I got to catch up with friends like Tom Slivka, Dave Fatum, my California buddies like Carlos Calderon, Ozzie Osmond, Tony Bardales, and one of my favorite dart goofs, Juan “Devo” Madrigal.

Jeannette and I can’t wait to party with them in Vegas! Also, the chance to get better acquainted with Rich Finn and Sean Downs only added to the fun.

But, the drama and attitudes have simply got to go! Stopping fights has gotten old. I’m sure if you ask Mike Bates, he’ll tell you that there’s probably a thousand things he’d rather do than have to stop dart players from fighting!

Maybe that’s an exaggerated number, maybe not…

Then there’s the poor sportsmanship. I can’t tell you how many times I observed people talking to an opponent while they were at the throwline, or heard, “I can’t believe I lost to this person,” or, “You were just lucky.”

Does luck play a part? Sure, a little. But, for whatever reason you lose, be a good sport and congratulate them on playing well. Then move on – it’s as simple as that!

Brian Sawin and I were fortunate enough to win the Blind Draw shoot on Friday night. One of the top players in the entire AZ Open was Sean Downs. He was teamed up with our own James Roberts. After we defeated them, they both congratulated us on good playing and said we “deserved to win.” Both gentlemen are great players, and they earned my respect, big time!

Finally, after the Level 1 501 Doubles championship was won by Kix Alcala and Pete Linaris, who beat out Juan Madrigal and Ozzie Osman, someone behind me yelled, “California, go home!” Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it?

That’s because it is. After all, isn’t it the Arizona “Open”? Shouldn’t we open ourselves for anyone to play?

If one could just think about the good times and friendships made from this sport, I don’t think anyone would mutter something so moronic!

Then again, if that were the case, this article wouldn’t be necessary.

What do you think about adding to the integrity of the sport instead of taking away from it? Personally, I’m all for it!