What ever happend to the SOBs?

[sdlm_]

Did they jump ship with another company? quit playing paintball? Break up? if you don't know who I am talking about this should help:

[RogueFactor]

Some of them post here on AO

Beemer......paging Beemer....

[skipdogg]

I believe they 'turned into' AGD Lions in about 2001. Basically though they 'went away' in the 90's. Some of the original members post on here once in a while.

[Old S.O.B.]

What ever happened to the SOBs?

Most of the original team began to drop off in 97, when the team considered dropping our field sponsor of 11 years - Paint Ball Sams in Racine. Apparently they thought the grass would be greener at BadLandz. Those of us loyal to our old sponsor, walked. In fact, that video looks to be after 97. I don't remember that logo on our backs. I still have all of my uniforms going back to 86 and the team I played on never wore that logo.

[mr doo doo]

wow, did they rock those other guys. i never really knew that there was an automag team...

[Old S.O.B.]

What ever happened to the SOB?

wow, did they rock those other guys. i never really knew that there was an automag team...

The team started in '86 at Paint Ball Sam's, in Racine, Wisconsin. Tom Kaye was a regular at the field, as was Jeff Perlmutter from PMI. Both of them helped spearhead the game forward. In the late 80s, Tom was working on the design for what would become the AutoMag and the S.O.B.s tested the prototypes for him for a year or two. In 1990 we were the first team to use the markers at (I think) Nashville's Music City Open. Beemer's gun went ballistic at the chrono and Jim Lively and Sam Caldwell were considering banning it. They, and Tom, Budd Orr and others sat up all night at the hotel and discovered the problem was with Beemer's siphon tank and not the marker. The Mags were allowed to remain in the game. The team, however, missed the semi finals. Our sister team, Swarm, from Aurora, Illinois asked to use our Mags in combination with their Enforcers. We gave them 5 of our Mags for their front guys and they had 5 back guys using the Enforcers. They won the event and their team's name went on the Automag box, instead of ours. But, Tom was a loyal sponsor and never gave up on the S.O.B.s - the longest running amateur team in the circuit. Jacksonville Warriors joined in the exclusive sponsorship a couple years later. Tom presented their case and Swarm and the S.O.B.s voted unanimously to accept Jacksonville.

I think I got the basics down, here. But, it has been a while and I did a lot of drugs in the 60s. So, I could be wrong.

[mr doo doo]

haha, wow, that must have been a journey. and to be the first team using automags, dang, thats pretty darn cool. i wish i was a live back then to know what was happening. long life AGD!

[Old S.O.B.]

What ever happened to the SOBs?

haha, wow, that must have been a journey. and to be the first team using automags, dang, thats pretty darn cool. i wish i was a live back then to know what was happening. long life AGD!

We were also one of only 2 amateur teams involved in the formation of the NPPL in November 1992 at the Holiday Inn in Lansing. That is where I met Steve Davidson, who created the NPPL - a league of the players and for the players. 5 years later, the NPPL was in shambles and we split off to try our luck with GTO and later the USPL. Both had great potential, as did the original NPPL. But, politics and money destroyed all of that.

[sdlm_]

Most of the original team began to drop off in 97, when the team considered dropping our field sponsor of 11 years - Paint Ball Sams in Racine. Apparently they thought the grass would be greener at BadLandz. Those of us loyal to our old sponsor, walked. In fact, that video looks to be after 97. I don't remember that logo on our backs. I still have all of my uniforms going back to 86 and the team I played on never wore that logo.

Yes, that video is from the 1999 World Cup.

[Old S.O.B.]

What ever happened to the SOBs?

Yes, that video is from the 1999 World Cup.

I still see some of the original guys at Sam's Big Games off and on, and I recognized a couple playing in the video that had left and then clearly returned. I don't know any of the new guys at AGD Lions or if they still play. I think Steve and Harry would still be there, if that is the case and maybe Jay. My last game was World Cup 2000. Swarm needed a couple of pick-ups and they flew me to Orlando and put me up at the hotel. We had a great time and got our asses smoked.

When I started in '81, I was 32 and that was the median age for players. The game was much slower (1 hour typically) and we hid in the bushes most of the time. But, it was my partner, Steve Davidson, who created the format that was copied and is X-ball, today. Our format was faster and demanded offensive play. We designed it around TV, by asking ESPN what they needed. Money and politics entered the picture, again, and shot that potential to the ground, also.

I think that if Steve and I had had more money and supporters like Tom Kaye, the game could have become the sport it deserves to be, today.

[Beemer]

Ya that is team S.O.B.s. NOT to be confused with The original S.O.B.s, Sams Omega Blasters. They needed the name recognition so went with that name. Thing was it wasnt the same team any more. They didnt make it to beating up on some of the pros like we did.

Those originals that didnt retire went on to AGD Lions, with AGD and PaintBall Sams support.

But, politics and money destroyed all of that

And still is today.

Most but not all of the original Sams Omega Blasters.




Hey Old SOB you forgot to say who one of the go to guys was on the chrono after that little issue. Hey Beemer whats your gun at? 299, 298, 299, for real.

[mr doo doo]

wow, we are talking to a veteran here huh? i can imagine that paintball has really evolved into something different, and probably something that people who played long ago wouldnt really like, and people who just started really liking it.

are you in the video Old S.O.B?

[Old S.O.B.]

What ever happened to the SOBs?

wow, we are talking to a veteran here huh? i can imagine that paintball has really evolved into something different, and probably something that people who played long ago wouldnt really like, and people who just started really liking it.

are you in the video Old S.O.B?

No. Like I said I was gone in late 97 and the video was World Cup 99. But, I am in the photo that Beemer posted. The blond guy in the front is an attorney at the firm that developed Arena football. I am just to the right behind him in the black AGD hat. Beemer is second from the left in the front row.

[Old S.O.B.]

Ya that is team S.O.B.s. NOT to be confused with The original S.O.B.s, Sams Omega Blasters. They needed the name recognition so called themselves that.

Those originals that didnt retire went on to AGD Lions, with AGD and PainBall Sams support.




And still is today.

Most but not all of the original Sams Omega Blasters.

Yeah. By the time Beemer and I and others left in 97, there had been between 65 and 70 players who were on our team since 86.

[Beemer]

Now those were the days playing with doctors, laywers, trade journey men and others on our team. HEY Doc fix me up......... For real we had a doctor on the team. His nick was Doc. First on left back