NOVICE Champion: Jason Delano |  EXPERT Grand Champion: Emmett Cadigan

What a great time!  We got a fantastic mix of new players, experienced players and many spectators at the Stork Club for the second Pinball Mafia Tournament.  Thanks to everyone who came out!

The format was cutthroat: Play three different games one time each and your scores are ranked against the other players.  Your combined rank across the three games determined who would go on, and who would start drinking earlier.  Consistent play was rewarded – just one bad game could be enough to knock you out of the tournament.

Here’s the qualifying results:

Advance in Expert Advance in Novice

*Jim Vierra and Jen St. Hilaire tied in qualifiers, however, since they were both going to the finals a coin flip was used to determine their play order in the Expert Final.

**Andrei Massenkoff, Tim Hansen and Chris Heilig did not advance to the novice final because they do not meet the novice criteria: Andrei is ranked too high (pinballrankings.com), Tim is ranked too high, Chris has finished in the top 3 of EBPL

As you can see, even if you’re not a “top” player you might still qualify for the novice final.  The lowest novice qualifier was 11th in the standings.

Above: Jen and Kim. Despite many beers, Jen St. Hillaire qualified 3rd in the expert division. (Yeah, you got beat by a girl).  Jen is a local coffee roaster and donated six bags of her coffee to the prize pool!

Above: Chris, Tim, Andrei and Dottie.  Despite my camera’s vampire detection system, Chris is actually a super-cool guy.

Above: Jonny O (left) and Andrei Massenkoff (right). Andrei is a tournament phenom and took 2nd at the most recent PAPA World Championships.  He covered the score-keeping duties on Terminator 3.

Huge Super Jackpot Thanks to the following:

• Stork Club and Emmet for venue and logistics coordination
• Pacific Pinball Museum and Michael Schiess/Jem Gruber for bringing games, prizes and snacks
• Jen St. Hilaire for donating prizes.
• Mark Altvater for score sheets.
• Volunteers (score keepers):
  • Jeannie Rodriguez
  • Molly Reisman
  • Tim Hansen
  • Dan Fontes
  • Andrei Massenkoff
  • Chris Heilig

and several others.  Thanks!  Not possible without you!

Above: The eponymous Bugsy Siegel on the plaques, awarded to the top 3 in each division.

On to the Finals!

Note: Per International Pinball Players Association Rules: Novice Finals do not apply to WPPR results.  Points are awarded based on qualifying finish beyond expert qualifiers.

Congrats to Jason!  And bid your novice stripes farewell!

Above: Jason Delano, Novice Champ, sporting the magic purple tie – the color of the East Bay Pinball League.

EXPERT FINALS:

Jim Vierra put up a big 15M and change, a very respectable score on Ironman, and I thought maybe that was it.  Jim performed several solid outlane saves with careful nudging on Ironman.  Jim is a great local player who has found his way into top finishes of the EBPL and other local tournaments.  Great guy, relaxed and unassuming, you don’t expect to see him in the finals, but he’s been showing up with some regularity.  A textbook “stealth” player.

But when Emmett Cadigan, the head of the Oakland Pinball Mafia stepped up to play, he made Jim an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Emmett hasn’t played any tourneys lately, but he reminded everyone the Oakland Pinball Mafia still has pull in this town.  He played a straight-up game of Ironman, a game he’s not even familiar with.  He doesn’t use a lot of fancy flipper control techniques – just make the shots, go for the multi-balls and keep the ball on the playfield no matter what.  That was the right no-nonsense combination.  Emmett is just about getting things done, and that’s what he did.

EMMETT HAS WON THE PINBALL MAFIA TOURNAMENT.  HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO EMMETT!

Above from left to right: Jim Vierra (2nd Expert), Rick Valdez, Sr (2nd Novice), Emmet Cadigan (Expert GRAND CHAMPION), Buzz Kay (Novice 3rd), Ricky Valdez, Jr (Expert 3rd), Jason Delano (Regional Spokesman for Dyslexic Acceptance…. er, I mean Novice 1st  :-).

See lots more pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35597103@N08/

Here’s an old film noir starring Mickey Rooney, Jeanne Cagney (sister of James Cagney) and Peter Lorre, as Nick the arcade operator.

Dan Brady (Rooney) steals $20 from his employer’s cash register – about $200 in today’s money.  Dan is basically a nobody auto mechanic who wishes he was more of a somebody, and thinks some extra cash might help him play the part for awhile.  But what starts as a petty theft spirals out of control as he tries to cover his tracks and the stakes increase.

Like many a good film noir there’s a provocative female pulling strings, hubris aplenty, and a few twists and turns along the way.  That said, this is still pretty ho hum.

There are a couple great scenes in a boardwalk style arcade with lots of vintage coin-op games.

Clip of an arcade scene: http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=207005

Full Movie here:

Does anyone know what language this is?  Post in the comments if you do.  thx.