This is from PBSTAR.
Interview with Matt Richards - Miami Raiders
Interview with Matt Richards. His team the Miami Raiders just earned the right to go pro after dominating in NPPL Semi Pro all year. And they're one of the top teams in the NXL, and rarely get credit for it.
1--Tell us who you are, how old are you, how you got started in paintball, and what your first gun was.
My name's Matt Richards I'm 26 and I think like basically everybody else my first experience with paintball was for my birthday in like eighth grade. My first gun was a one-piece Phantom pump.
2-- How did you end up playing for Miami Raiders?
Long story short, alot of the strange guys were upset with the way things were being done and wanted to leave. The biggest sticking point was that we all wanted to stay together and doc gave us that opportunity, so that's how myself and eight of the other guys ended up with doc.
3--The team is owned by a well known man referred to as "Doc". Tell us about him...
Doc is the man. He's the only person I've ever met in my life that doesn't play the game but has as much heart for it as all the guys on the team, with maybe the exception of my mom. He does everything for us, anything we need he takes care of, he's the man.
5-- And he has the occaisional outburst of anger?
Again man, it's all about heart. Doc is a really nice guy and is super easy to get along with, it's just that he wears his heart on his sleeve and wants to win so bad he loses control sometimes.
6-- Tell us about the Miami Raiders sponsors and what do they do for you.
Our main sponsors are smart parts, draxxus. Obviously SP hooks us up with guns, barrels, tanks, clothes, pads all kinds of stuff. Basically everything they make. Draxxus gives us millions of bullets to shoot throughout the year and it's quality stuff. Other people that help us out are travis at CP, they honestly make the best trigger I've ever used for the shocker, and he takes care of us with all sorts of odds and ends, he's a cool cat. Tadao, fast mike at spent, (love ya' fat kid) if I forgot any sorry.
7-- Back to you, what spots do you typically play on the field and give us 3 tips on how to play that spot(s)
It depends, in 7-man I typically play one of the corners or insert from the back. If I'm inserting it's kind of like I see an opening on one side or the other and fill to that side, basically wherever I'm needed for defensive or attack purposes. If I'm in a corner I fight my wire, wrap as much as possible and help the front guys move up the field and get all the glory.When your mirror is dead in a corner NEVER look inside, wrap and win that side of the field. It's just like x-ball in the sense where you want to use that leverage and blow down that side of the field. In OC I saw a very respected pro player in a corner with no mirror and he kept looking inside at the snake and let the other team fill the corner, stupid basic mistake. In X-ball I play insert too but it's a little different. Basically for x-ball I key one side or the other and pretty-much decide which side of the field I need to fill out to. If we're powering a particular side for example and I see that we lost a guy off the non-power side as long as the other guy is in the corner I'll usually still go to the power side. If however it's a pretty normal break (2 guys on each side) but we lose for example one of our dorito guys early I'll look to fill to that side. If all of our guys get to their spots then I just kind of wing it, but I try to get out of the back center in the first 15 seconds or so.
8-- Miami has been dominating all season long in Semi Pro 7-man, and will be pro in the NPPL next year. What made the biggest difference in how the team was able to win so consistently.
We just needed to gel a little, practice 7-man and slow down(we played to much early on with an x-ball style). The great majority of the guys on the team hadn't really played much of any seven-man over the last two years and this year we actually practiced before events and we played well. We still kind of play with an x-ball style a little too much, as in I think we're like 80% freestyle and 20% game plan, but we have really good players and we were able to get away with it. That will have to change some for next year but I think we'll do real well in the pro league. Every guy on our team is pro caliber for sure and some of the younger guys have gotten valuable experience, I mean the great majority of the pro teams in the NPPL we play against in the NXL.
9-- Raiders are also one of the top NXL teams, but for some reason don't get a lot of press. What's up?
I would love to know the same thing. We've beaten XSV, Philly twice, Trauma, Ironmen, and there's like 10 points separating us from second place in the league. I don't get it man, we get no love yet The russians, philly and us are the only teams that have played on sunday every event this year. What else do we have to do, you know? If we win world cup all the magazines will call it an upset and that's fine, but I really feel we should be cosidered a top team, I know we've proved it with the people that count (our peers, the guys we play) I know we've earned their respect and that's all that matters.
10-- What are the 3 worst things about Xball?
Red flags, Tony Mineo, and playing on the field after it's been played on for three days and the starting boxes are totally destroyed.
11-- The 3 worst things about 7man?
The reffing, semi-auto and it's not x-ball.
12-- Now what do you love about each?
X-ball: full-auto, Tony Mineo and lots of paintball. 7-man: I get to play paintball, other then that I'm drawing a blank.
13-- You're Dad is also the coach of the Raiders right? Tell us about that...
Long story short. When I played on strange we brought him in for world cup in 04 to help coach Tony. He fit in real good, coached us along with almanos (Tony Mineo) through the 05 season and then went with all the boys from strange and became the head coach for doc. When it's paintball related I look at him as my coach first and then my dad and hope that the feeling is recipricated. I just want to be one of his players, no different then the other twelve guys on the team.
14-- I'm going to say a word and you're going to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind about it.
Russian Legion - Good
Biggest cheater ever - Everybody, except Mike Carthy
NPPL - Inferior format
PSP - Superior format
Lincoln Logs - Really primitive form of entertainment
15-- Who would win in a fist fight, you or Dave Bains?
Oh me for sure, I've been training hard down in south florida with Kimbo, "Lets run it".
16-- Who's the most underrated pro in the NXL?
There's a couple: Rob Landry (NYX), Chris Bell (Raiders),
17-- The most overrated? N/C
18-- What player do you admire the most and why?
Jimmy Saraiva. You know that scene in "sunday drivers" when oliver talks about shane pestana, that's pretty much the way I feel about jimmy. First of all Jimmy's hugely responsible for the development of close to half the raiders, in other words he took their talent and shaped them into killers. Jimmy is the guy who never had all the natural talent or ability just tons of heart, he just worked harder and wanted it more then everybody else. He plays with his heart and leaves everything on the field. Jimmy's a huge reason I'm the player that I am and aside from our ploitical views alot of the person that I am.
19-- How about the new Smart Parts League on EPSN. Have you seen it? What are your thoughts on the show? The good and the bad...I hate talking about the ESPN thing because it was the worst we played all year. We're on T.V totally screwin' the pooch and it sucked. The overall production of it I thought was good and Matty did a really good job in the box. The band was really gay too, but other than us sucking and the hokey band playing between points it's pretty good.
20-- Have you heard anything about its results with the network people?
Will there be another event? No idea
21-- Finish this sentence...If I was running the flag in and I noticed I had a hit on my arm I'd....
Give it to one of my other teammates.
22-- Anything else you'd like to add?
Thanks to all my teammates, Doc, Coach (Dad), Mom, Ellis, Deakster, A-ron, the whole howie crew, The Final Justice kids, step-fades, Pasco county, death metal, and anybody that ever doubted me or supported me, oh yeah and the movie "Rushmore"- sic transit gloria.