Subject: The Simple Solution
Date: Sat, 11 Jul 1998 21:29:37 EDT
From: Tonypatron@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

To all;

     Trying to take an outsiders look at the siutations currently being
discussed, I'll  tell ya we all look like a bunch of wining, "he did, she 
did", finger pointing wackos.

But, an easy solution is there, we just have to demand it be implimented.
Taking for example, the siutaion at Origins, involving Mike Long.  Now, I 
was not at Origins, and I'm not going to pretend like I know what happen 
first hand.  But, after reading every report posted containg the issue, 
and from prior incidents, I'll throw out a 40-1 odds that cheating did 
occur.  This is not a witch hunt.  This is not singling out one person.  
What this is, is a player who is damn well sick and tired of cheating
occuring over and over again, and the DCI doing nothing at all to stop it.  I
tend to wonder if they're even aware, because then they'd have an excuse.  
But, I believe they do know what's going on, and if they cannot think of a 
way to remedy the situation, then I might as well point them in the right 
direction :

     1)  We all know how well the DCI is at rulings ( sorry, that was
sarcastic ).  How about a rule on cheating?  Simple, easily defined rules, 
that would give the judges something to enforce.  Which brings me to number 
two.

     2)  We need judges with some balls.  Let me elaborate on that crude
statement.  Of all these cheating incindents, I have yet to see a cheater 
tossed out of the tornument because of it.  Once again, using Mr. Long as 
an example ( he seems to pop up again and again when cheating is involved...
puzziling isn't it? ) Of the many times hes been caught cheating, never 
once was he expelled from a tornument, so why shouldn't he feel inclined 
to do it again?  While the judges have no specific guidlines on cheating 
as of yet ( see soulution 1 ), I think sometimes judges need to
take the inititive, and respond to cheating with force.  ( This, by the way,
is by no means a put down on the judges that we have. )

     3)  Persistant cheaters should be subject to heavy penalty, up to and
including, being banned from future events for a period of time.  I think this
will slow down the current "cheat and reward" system that is being
implimented.  Would people cheat if they knew the possibilty that they could
get caught, and then banned from the next two Pro events?  Ummm...servey says,
I  think not.

     There they are.  Simple, effective changes that will literaly slove the
cheating problem.  All we have to do now, is hope that the DCI is listening.
Comments welcome from all.

Anthony "Whup-Ass" Patronick
TEAM Slyvan
Tonypatron@aol.com