Subject: GOODGUYS VS. BADGUYS ROUND 2!!!!!!!!!
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 23:07:11 EDT
From: LotusVale7@aol.com
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

    Since U.S. Nationals, all I have read on the Dojo is about how Mike Long
cheats.  The world of Magic the gathering needs a wakeup call, even a
reconstruction.  The rules these days are truely to vauge and there are just
too many ways around it.
     I have played Magic The Gathering for three years and have played in many
professional events.  Albeit not doing to well in the process but hey I still
have competed with the best of them.  Durring this time i have noticed three
main things, goodguys never win,  badguys never loose, and cheating is
rampant.
     When the good guy does win, he does it honestly, and fairly.  The Leader
of the GOODGUYS is someone who i have played a couple times and have even
started to like.  This man has recently won a Pro Tour, placed in the top
eight at the U.S. nationals, won a Grand Prix, and placed Second at the United
States Extended Nationals.  If you haven't figured out who this is the man
goes by the name of John Finkle.  John comes to these tourneys with his own
decks and is friendly with all he meets. At the Extended Nationals I met John
Finkel for the first time and he never even mentioned who he was.  He sat down
at the same table stuck his hand out and said "Hi my name is John".  I shook
his hand and offered to playtest his deck. Unlike the Mike Long, Mark Justice,
and many other big names, John did not make it a point to let me know who he
was.  Later that morning I was looking at an Inquest and saw a picture of John
in there and noticed who it was.  That was the first time he acknoweleged who
he was.
     The next two items enterchange with each other.  The BADGUYS are headed
by YOU GUESSED IT Mike Long.  Over the last three years, all I have heard was
horor stories of playing Mike Long, and facts to back it up.  This last year
Mike Long has been caught cheating  twice, at major events.  Sure Mike Long
has seriously denied both of them, but they both where very evident.  The
first of which was in a draft with many witnesses.  This being where he  says
he drafted four muscle slivers when everyone at the table he was drafting at
say they saw him draft three.  He says that he bought a muscle sliver, and no
judge was notified that there was a mark on the card teh h e traded it in for.
Any player who know sanctioned rules, knows that you have to notify a
sanctioned judge of the change and let them see the cards that are being
exchanged.  The judges let this pass and did nothing to stop it.  The second
time was the weekend of July fourth when Mike Long was playing to get into the
final eight at the United States Nationals.  Its pretty obvious that DCI
judges are scared of Mike Long, and his yelling, and screaming, and the fear
that maybe he knwos more about the rules then they do.  I would think that
Jeff Donias the head DCI Sanctioned Judges would have enough guts to DQ the
almighty God of Magic Mike Long.  I hope Jeff reads this and gets a clue.
       Lets face it all bad guys cheat.  I have played in Roanoke Virginia,
and Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Some of the better players in these areas have
readily admitted to  cheating.  I have not knowingly cheated. Nor do I plan on
it,  I am sure of the fact that I might of unknowingly, and am always on the
watch for those who do.  I AM SICK OF THOSE WHO CHEAT.
My plan for those who get caught cheating is this:
1st time: DQed
2nd time: Banned for 1 year
3rd time: Banned for life
     There is no Need for cheating, if you can't win fairly don't play its
that simple.  I personally want to see DCI get down to business and dish it
out to all that cheat, No Matter Who It Is.  Mike Long I hope you read this
article and are offended by it, because many of the Magic Players are Offended
by you, your actions and your antics.  Not too long ago you said players from
Virginia Beach cant play Magic, My friend Next time I see you at a PTQ or any
other MTG Tournament I hope you go off on one of your rants because then you
will continually prove what an idiot you make of your self.
   To all of those honest players out there Good luck and watch for those
CHEATERS they are rampant.

T.L. Partridge