Given the inspired "tree-hugger" speach from Nachos from Home in yesterday's FORUM
it go me wondering about one of our own. Has anyone seen Richard "Doctor" Kimble lately? Once a prowd
doctor and upstanding member of the community. Then one horrible night a one-armed man breaks into his home
and kills his wife. To add insult to injury, the authorities blame him for her murder. Unable to accept his
fate and let the guilty man go free, he escapes custody and goes in search of her killer with the federal
marshals hot on his trail.
The story had a happy middle. He was eventually able to find the guilty man and earn his freedom, but he
couldn't go back to his medical practice - he just didn't want to go through more hassle and red tape. Besides
there were a lot of bad memories there. So he went out in search of something else to do with his life and
he found Demise, who took him into his gym and trained him to be a boxer.
Things were looking up for Kimble. He didn't win them all, but he was certainly winning his share.
Then on October 16, 2011, Demise checks in on Doctor and makes sure he is ready for his upcoming
fight with "Tanglefree" the next day. Noone ever hears from the manager again.
Richard "Doctor" Kimble isn't sure what to do, but dutifully goes out and KO's "Tanglefree"
in the nineth round. Without anyone to train him or give him a new plan, Richard takes the same fight
plan in with Ma Lin, who obviously scouted him and noticed that his manager hadn't updated his strategy.
Losing that fight gave "Tanglefree" a rematch. Since his fight plan was designed for "Tangelefree"
he goes in and gets the KO in round seven. That set him up for the rematch with Ma Lin. A fight
I'm sure he looked forward to if only his manager would come back and tell him how best to win.
That didn't happen and it as been a difficult time since then. With the exception of his two knock outs of
"Tanglefree" and three third-round KOs of goober (who practicly knocks him self out) it has been
a dismal time of loss - mostly by knockout. In fact, since Demise's mysterious departure, Doctor
's record has been 6-17-0 and he has been knocked out thirteen times. His cage is so rattled that he can't even
look at you when you talk to him. One eye stares at your shoes and the other darts around the room looking for
the next punch to take him out.
Take some pitty on poor Richard "Doctor" Kimble. He has had a rough life that just seems to be getting
rougher. I'm sure if he were a younger man, he'd be out trying to find out what happened to his manager, but he's
a man in his 70's with severe alzheimers. The only thing he can remember anymore is the last fight plan given to
him by his manager. It might look like he's going for the clinch, but he just needs a hug. Give the guy a hug
and have a heart. Remember, fighters, that could be you if your manager suddenly vanished.
Bronze Southpaw will spare no expense to get the most up-to-date news and information. We at the gym take great pride in our ability to get the most sought-after interviews, but this time we have out-done ourselves. We have a wonderful surprise for all our readers out there in BDB. We are here at the Ottawa airport to get a few words from the creator himself – Admin. Bronze wanted to do the interview himself, but in the interest of all our international readers, we (in the gym) wanted them to be able to understand it, too. So a couple of the heavies tied him up and gave the ticket to Pewter.
Pewter: Mr. Admin, Sir, thank you very much for granting us this interview. I’ll try not to take too much of your valuable time. I just want you to know what an honor this is to do this interview with you. You know that I wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for you and I’m really grateful. Can you take us back for a moment to the days before VIVI and EKO … back to the days before TBG … what inspired you to create this great masterpiece?
Admin: I used to play a lot of text based games "back in the day" (man I hate that expression) and was always hardcore boxing fan. I had written a couple of text based adventure games and was hosting a BBS with things like Legend of the Red Dragon, etc. on it. I already had this stuff up and running before this game existed. Also, I was an Internet Service Provider selling dial-up services to the public and hosting commercial web sites. This was back before the big boys came in an and took over. I was charging $25/month for 9600 Kb dial-up connections and couldn't service the demand. Funny how things have changed. The web was just gaining traction and there were plenty of domains to buy. I was always open to new ideas and the whole online boxing thing just kind of fell into my lap. Later of course, it became less of a lap thing and more of a kick in the nuts but really, it all kind of happened by accident.
Pewter: So you were an internet pioneer? Wow, what an accident! I’ve done a little research. Back when TBG came out (in the mid to late 90’s) text-based or Pbem games were a really big thing. You had a lot of competition back then. There were a lot of RPG’s and a hand-full of 4x games like Olympia, but you were uniquely positioned with a sports-themed game. In fact, fantasy football was still pretty new when you introduced the world to TBG. But then came the graphics craze and the Pbem became a dinosaur almost overnight. To what do you attribute the continued support for this game?
Admin: I'm not sure it's been so *continued*. There was a stretch when I couldn't get the dog to play this game if I hung a porkchop around it. Still, I think we last because of my willingness to put my own cash in it, a small group of dedicated managers who have always been there and hey, we're different. Like 80's music, we're a little laughable but oddly addictive. If I didn't have to work 60+ hrs a week in real life, who knows where this thing would be.
Pewter: There’s a fact that I bet a lot of managers don’t know. This isn’t your day job, is it? Would you like to tell everyone out there what you do for 60+ hours a week, and why we had to catch you at the airport for this interview?
Admin: In real life I'm an IT Consultant. I have a small company with 4-5 folks working for me full or part time on contract at any given time. Currently my clients include industry sector councils, a state government, and a major Canadian city where I'm the lead architect for a multi-million dollar initiative. My group is small but they are all high-end consultants. I've been a consultant since 1987 except for a year where I took a job as the President of a banking industry service provider for about 15 months. The game is really a hobby more than anything. Most months it breaks even, some months I have to chip in a few hundred bucks to cover costs. Really it's just a distraction from my work, which is very politically charged. Sometimes it means I don't get around to fixing things as quickly as I should but, hey I'm supporting 5 people, and paying college tuition for 2 soon - so work comes first :) You had to catch me on a plane because I fly back and forth between Edmonton and Ottawa taking care of my clients. It's a 4.5 hour flight. I spend 10 days in Edmonton then 4 days in Ottawa. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Pewter: It sounds to me like that’s enough to keep a couple of people busy full time. You’ve had this game going for about fifteen years, now. There are tons of managers and tons and tons of fighters. Just out of curiosity, how many gyms and fighters would you say there are? I know it would be labor intensive, but have you ever considered cleaning some of them out?
Admin: There are 64,000 fighters and 68,000 managers in the database right now. I do clear out abandoned fighters with no fights and abandoned gyms that have never created a fighter. in order to free up gym names and fighter names. The rest, however, stay because I've had players return after a ten year absence and I think it means something to come back and find your old gym and fighters intact.
Pewter: Wow, that’s a virtual city of gyms populated by managers and fighters. It must be a rough place to live. Actually, we at the Bronze Southpaw gym know exactly what you are talking about. We will be eternally grateful that you maintained a home for us for all that time. I understand that you have some plans for improvements that you would like to add to BDB. Without the risk of promises (that’s right guys – don’t hold him to it – it’s his thing) what sorts of things would you like to add?
Admin: Specifically in the works are: 1. Handicapping contests - win gym credits by picking the winners 2. Live fights - fights pumped through the chat in real time 3. Graduated competition - limits on fight plans and conditionals for lower rated fights 4. Fight player - reads fight reports and plays them back like a video game 5. Negotiated fight purses That's all that comes immediately to mind.
Pewter: Those are all great enhancements. I think if the house takes a small cut from handicapping, that might help to cover some of those times where you have to kick in. I know Bronze likes to get some action every now and then if it feels less like gambling and more like a sure thing. Myself, I’m liking the idea for the Fight player. I’m really interested in seeing video of my fights. That would sort of be like old tech meets new tech. I have just one more question before you run to catch your flight. And really, it hardly seems necessary. You have a variety of options to get information to the managers out there, but is there any advice you would give to newcomers who envision taking on Top Rank or Duke of Dorkdom or Bold Bill or even Nachos? These guys have been around for a long time perfecting scouting and preparing their fight plans.
Admin: Spar, spar, spar. Scout, scout, scout, then spar some more. It's one of the reasons we had to do away with the NoSPar option. NOOBS don't stand a chance against a seasoned manager with a NOSPAR fighter. But if you look at a fighter's history his punch counts etc and then invest some time in sparring against him, you can absolutely have some success against these top managers. Also a lot of these guys run a lot of fighters. Their lower rated guys don't always get a lot of attention. Don't want to crunch numbers. Pit your fighter against his next opponent and give them each the same strategy. You'll quickly find out who is stronger, faster, has more toughness etc. Invest the time in sparring and scouting and you can't go wrong.
Pewter: Thank you very much Mr. Admin, Sir for taking the time for this interview. You are a very busy guy and we all appreciate the time you put into this “Hobby” of yours. I’m sure everyone is excitedly looking forward to see what is coming next. That’s all we have this time. Keep checking into Pewter Pages for more interviews. We’re also looking forward to covering some fights and previewing a few matchups.
BDB is full of gyms that are great at some things. Some have great managers that can always create the perfect fight plan. Others just keep cranking out great fighters. Some dominate their region in every weight category. Here in the Bronze Southpaw Gym, we can talk. We are the best at it. And Pewter is the best of us.
In the days, weeks, months and even years to come, Pewter is going to talk about BDB like no one else can. Be sure to check back often, you never can tell when Pewter will have a new tid-bit for you. Better yet, subscribe and the latest edition will always be in your mailbox.
To give you an idea of what to expect, here's a couple old interviews from the archives.
Many of you may not remember O.K. Corrales, but he was a great fighter who held the U.S. West regional Strawweight belt several times and a career that lasted more than 100 fights. Few fighters make it that far and fewer still hang on that long. I think that is a testament to both him and to his manager Ruben Luna.
We caught up with O.K. Corrales just after he lost his belt to Pandora’s Box, early in 2000. Here’s that interview.
Pewter Southpaw: It is no secret that many of the members of your gym have very lavish lifestyles, but yours is like something out of lifestyles of the rich and famous. Can you tell us what changes you have had to make (if any) since losing the title?
O.K. Corrales: C'mon Pewter! Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous? NOT HARDLY! Get real, man! I'm just a "simple" country boy who enjoys the finer things in life like "cold beer & HOT women!" Besides, even though I lost the title, my "charisma" is still coming thru. I'm picking up over 5 G's this week for fighting some Euro wannabe, and that ain't exactly "chump change" here in Stockton! So, between my EKO purses & my steady singing gig at RYAN's RENDESVOUS & Package Store on weekends, I'm doing OK! Actually, I don't make much at Ryan's, but I meet a lot of women. My sexy baritone really gets them all "worked up," if you know what I mean? Yeah, that gig is more about the "perks" than the bucks.
Pewter Southpaw: I guess one man's beer is another man's campaign. You did go from making about 50 grand a week down to about 5, but if you aren't missing it, I'm not going to rub it in. Does your contentment imply that you are no longer hungry for the title?
O.K. Corrales: Look, I admit I miss having that belt! I can deal with less money, but I do miss all the adulation I got here in Stockton. It's a great feeling when people say, "What's up, Champ?" Yeah, I miss that, but Ruben's got big plans for me, he thinks I got a shot at the World Title. Of course, that's way down the road. But, if things don't work out for me there, I'll be back in Region. Besides, I want to earn some "respect" for US WEST in World competition. Right now we're the worst of the US Regions, but I want to change that, or at least put a few "dents" in them guys!
Pewter Southpaw: Well, when you get your inevitable shot at the title, who would you most want it to be?
O.K. Corrales: Well, no one person comes to mind, but I'll tell you the TYPE of fighter I like. I like them short guys that "cling" on to you, thinking you're gonna wear down, then come on at the end. I just take my time, POUND the body, then "put 'em to sleep" when they make their move! Guys like that are money in the bank for me!
Pewter Southpaw: I agree, those guys are kinda fun to take on. They don't really have much of a choice in how to fight ... They just take their chances. But, does that mean you don't want a rematch with Pseudojoel? Or Pandora's Box? Or maybe even Illmatic 2?
O.K Corrales: As for "Falsejoel & the Illone" I got nothing to prove; BUT I would like a rematch with Pandora's Box! Yeah, I WANT her bad! In more ways than one!
Pewter Southpaw: He he he. Sounds like Pandora's Box put a little spice into your chili. Would you train any differently for that rematch?
O.K. Corrales: Well, as you know, ALL fighters in EKO change over time. So, when or if I ever fight Pandora's Box again, I would scout her thoroughly, and make any adjustments accordingly. Now, I ain't making excuses, but you might recall that I was unable to scout PB before our 1st fight, since she had been retired a long time. Although, to be truthful, I doubt if I would have fought that much differently. However, I probably would have had more conditionals in my Fightplan.
Pewter Southpaw: A quick glance at the old sundial tells me it's about time to wrap up this interview so I can meet the deadline, but before we bring this to a close, do you have anything you would like to say to your many fans and foes out there in eKO?
O.K. Corrales: Yeah, I sure do! I would like to extend an open invitation to all in the EKO Family to come by the RR&PS in Stockton any Friday or Saturday night. Besides getting to hear me sing, you'll get to shake my hand and mingle with the rest of my devoted fans. I'll also buy you a drink, but NO call brands, well pour only! And, if you need a date, stick around past midnight when all the girls from the Del Monte Cannery swing shift come by. Those girls get "mighty worked up" after peelin' carrots for 8 hours! My singing really gets 'em going, and ONE man can only do so much! Round that time, I need ALL the help I can get!
For those that remember O.K. Corrales, you know what a competitor he was. He might go down in history as a journeyman fighter, but if that is the case, he was one of the best at it. For those that don't remember him, he was 21/12/3 at the time of the interview. Afther capturing and losing the U.S. West regional title three more times, he eventually retired and was dumped with a record of 61/41/8. Most of his fights were a knock out and he had more draws than anyone I've ever seen.
Back in 1999, Pewter caught up with Beavis, one of Top Rank's fighters on the phone and got some pretty good stuff ...
Pewter Southpaw: Beavis, the world is dying to know ... are you ready to hang up the gloves and call it an end to a wonderful career, or do you have other ambitions?
Beavis: I thought I was going to get Bronze to do the interview..he..he..he..who are you?? anyways...I'm still strong and who needs agility...I'm still going to fight but my welter days are over...so I'm saying good bye to you guys!!
Pewter Southpaw: Sorry Beavis, Bronze has a fight tonight, this is Pewter. So you are moving up in weight, huh? It looked like that last fellow gave you more trouble than he should have. Got anything to say about that?
Beavis: Trouble...Pewter are you blind..he..he..he I was ahead by three when I Knocked him on his butt...granted he knocked me down but everyone does that to me these days...even your buddy Bronze...well maybe not him but you get the idea!!
Pewter Southpaw: I guess the important thing is that you get back up ... So is the Crock taking your place in the Welters then, if so, what kind of advice do you have for him?
Beavis: Crock is an underachiever I don't think he'll take my place...but maybe one of the two referee's Mills Lane or Mitch Halpern can be the next good welter in our gym...who knows...
Pewter Southpaw: Well, I guess we are going to have to wrap this up pretty soon, but before I let you go, what advice would you give to a young welter like myself?
Beavis: Honestly Pewter...you need to hit the juice...man look at you! Your definitely more intelligent than your buddy...but you need to muscle up...Here's my suggestion...Keep the IP's down training agility and tgh and as soon as you're a rating between 7-9 get your power or speed up to snuff for most...train the speed but you...well you need to muscle up...if that makes any sense!
Well, there you have it. That's just a sample. And here's a bit more. An update from Pewter Southpaw, because he likes to keep you informed...
Top Rank gave Beavis the boot. He slummed around looking for work, but there isn't much out there for a washed up welter. He ended up working as a bot. Any of you out there wanting the opportunity, you can get a fight with him. He even fights on short notice, because he's despirate.
Well, that's all for now. Stay tuned and stay informed.