Episode 170: The Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People of 2018

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·25m 5s·analyzed·Dec 31, 2018

Analysis

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TL;DR

Pinball Profile's 2018 Top 10 most intriguing people celebrates competitive players, designers, podcasters, and community builders.

Summary

Jeff Teolis presents Pinball Profile's inaugural year-end special: the Top 10 Most Intriguing Pinball People of 2018. The list spans competitive players, designers, community organizers, streamers, and charitable figures, reflecting the breadth of the pinball ecosystem. Notable inclusions are Raymond Davidson (top-ranked player), Keith Elwin (first Stern design), Mrs. Pin (pioneering female podcaster), and Dahlia Rowan (tribute to a community builder who passed away). The episode emphasizes how 2018 saw increased professionalization, with more competitive players entering industry roles at manufacturers.

Key Claims

Jeff Teolis interviewed over 200 different people in 2018 for Pinball Profile
high confidence · Jeff states this directly at the opening of the episode as context for the list creation.
IFPA grew by 11% in 2018 (nearly 66,000 players, ~7,000 new players) following Josh Sharp's decision to add a dollar fee per player
high confidence · Jeff cites specific numbers when discussing Josh Sharp's policy change and its impact on IFPA membership growth.
Raymond Davidson remained the #1 ranked player in the world throughout 2018 and won IFPA World Pinball Championship
high confidence · Jeff documents Raymond's tournament wins including IFPA North American Championship and back-to-back IFPA World Championship victories in May.
Keith Elwin's Iron Maiden pinball exceeded initial sales estimates in its first weekend
high confidence · Jeff states that sales 'far exceeded the estimates from Stern' based on Keith's design and rules quality.
Johannes Ostermeyer, age 16 from Germany, won 10 major tournaments in 2018 and is ranked 6th globally
high confidence · Josh Sharp identified him to Jeff as 'the new, like, hotness' and Jeff verified his tournament record at IFPA 15 pin golf event.
Deep Root Pinball has been operating for nearly a year without asking collectors for funding as of October 2018
high confidence · Jeff explicitly notes Deep Root's self-funding approach and mentions their October appearance at Pinball Expo.
Stephen Bowden left his education career to work for Deep Root Pinball as rules designer and ambassador
high confidence · Jeff describes Bowden's move from New Jersey education sector to San Antonio, Texas to join Deep Root.
Project Pinball placed 39 pinball machines in children's hospitals across 18 states during their fourth annual Love Across America tour in July 2018
high confidence · Jeff provides specific details about Daniel Spoler's July travel and placement numbers.

Notable Quotes

“This isn't a list of only top players or game makers or pinball industry people. It covers a larger spectrum of the entire pinball community.”
Jeff Teolis @ ~2:00 — Sets the inclusive scope of the list beyond competitive hierarchy or industry gatekeeping.
“I removed the stuff I didn't like, added stuff I did like. So, no complaints.”
Keith Elwin @ ~31:15 — Demonstrates designer autonomy in translating homebrew Archer to commercial Iron Maiden product.
“The hardest part was that first round Saturday night, just trying to get my groove on. I was shaking. I was nervous. I was bricking shots left and right.”
Raymond Davidson @ ~40:30 — Humanizes the #1 ranked player by revealing nervousness and vulnerability despite dominance.
“Dolly was the type of person who was very sociable. She was like a social butterfly. Within 20 minutes, she would know that person's life story and their intimate details.”
Eddie Kramer @ ~56:00 — Characterizes Dahlia Rowan's exceptional interpersonal impact on the New York pinball community.
“She was very generous, very thoughtful of everybody. Even in the hospital during her treatments, even all the doctors loved her, and they would come and visit her and bring her flowers.”
Eddie Kramer @ ~57:30 — Illustrates Dahlia's effect extending beyond the pinball community to medical professionals.
“I don't want sympathy. What I want is for each and every one of you who cross paths with me to know we did so for a reason. I was far from perfect, but I have no regrets.”
Dahlia Rowan (quoted by Jeff Teolis) @ ~59:00 — Dahlia's direct statement about her legacy and personal philosophy, expressed before her passing.
“I've never seen anything like it, to be honest with you. [Even] in the hospital... the doctors loved her, and they would come and visit her.”
Eddie Kramer @ ~57:45 — Emphasizes the unusual breadth and depth of Dahlia's positive influence across communities.

Entities

Jeff Teolisperson Raymond Davidsonperson Keith ElwinpersonJosh SharppersonDaniel SpolerpersonMrs. PinpersonJohannes Ostermeyerperson

Signals

?
business_signal: Deep Root Pinball emerged as credible new manufacturer with experienced design team, generating community anticipation comparable to Jersey Jack Pinball's market entry.
high · Jeff states 'Not since Jersey Jack Pinball burst onto the scene did the pinball community await with bated breath' regarding Deep Root; notes self-funding and October Expo Q&A generating 'even more buzz.'
?
community_signal: Surge in pinball podcasting and streaming in 2018, with new voices including Mrs. Pin pioneering female-fronted content and multiple new podcast launches (Riptide, Special Unlit, This Week in Pinball, Meltdown).
high · Jeff notes proliferation of new podcasts and streaming (Jack Danger on Deadflip, various streamers) and highlights Mrs. Pin as exceptionally fresh entry with 'a podcast like no other.'
~
sentiment_shift: IFPA's $1 per-player fee policy initially faced resistance but ultimately drove 11% annual growth to 66,000 players, demonstrating successful community adoption of funding mechanism.
high · Jeff documents 'mixed reviews when it was first announced,' with some leagues opting out, but notes final result was 'nearly 66,000 players' and 'almost 7,000 new players this year alone. That's an 11% growth.'
?
community_signal: New York pinball community expanding upstate through figures like Dahlia Rowan and Eddie Kramer, with broader regional tournaments and tributes (potential Dahlia Rowan tournament in NYC).
medium · Eddie Kramer notes Dahlia 'was really part of the big scene in the New York pinball scene, actually, is helping it expand by joining people from the city to the upstate people.' Jeff suggests NYC championships may feature Dahlia tournament.

Transcript

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it's time now for the year-end special edition of pinball profile i'm your host jeff teolis you can find our group on facebook we're also on twitter at pinball profile email us pinball profile at gmail.com and please subscribe on either itunes stitcher or google play to wrap up 2018 i thought i would start an annual top 10 list of the most intriguing pinball people this is based on the activity I've seen from across the globe and also talking with several different people weekly on this podcast. This year alone, I've talked to and recorded over 200 different people. That is the whole purpose of Pinball Profile, for you, the listener, to learn something new about people connected to pinball in some way, shape, or form, whether it be a player, a collector, a designer, a coder, a streamer, a podcaster, some of the voices and people behind the sounds of pinball, pinball events, or charities. I try to give you the whole wide range of all things pinball. Now, there is no way this list will match your top 10 list, but I'll make a case for why they made the pinball profile top 10 most intriguing people of 2018. This isn't a list of only top players or game makers or pinball industry people. It covers a larger spectrum of the entire pinball community. So what makes someone intriguing? Well, let's look at the definition. Intriguing, arousing one's curiosity or interest. Fascinating. On the Pinball Profile Facebook page, there were several comments about the choices. I've seen over 150 names thrown at me, and legitimate cases for all of them, but you can only have 10. So before we start, let's do some honorable mentions. In no particular order, Escher Lefkoff. As this young man matures, he continues to prove how amazing he is, since he took his game to the next level by winning Papa 20. he won the first ever Power 100. This is a tourney where only the players with the best records against the top 250 players in the world can participate. No lightweights here. Recently, he won the main, classic, and side charity tourneys at Freeplay Florida and made it look easy. Nicole Bernier, the New Englander, who was the winner of the first ever Women's International Pinball Tournament at Replay FX. She made it look easy, too, by winning the first two playoff games to clinch the victory and secure her new Iron Maiden Pinball Prize. We'll be seeing Nicole's name on the banner for years to come at ReplayFX. Have to mention Robert Burke of Pinball Expo for having a successful event after partner dissolvements. To Ed Van Der Veen of Texas Pinball Festival for continuing to grow the new standard for shows with great guests, games, and excellent tournaments run by Colin McAlpine. Speaking of great tourneys, have to mention Adam Becker, who hosted the IFPA World Championships at his home north of Toronto. He built a standalone facility to host 50-plus games and the top 64 players from 18 different countries at his press start arcade. The event was flawless. This is a guy who's been busy entering all of our IFPA submissions and even winning the IFPA Pin Masters pin golf event in Vegas. How he does it, we'll never know, but well done, Adam. Scott Darin of Pin Stadium Lights. Your product has helped out many ways to collections and tourneys all over. or even Pinberg used your lights on the main stage and they looked great. To my fellow podcaster brothers and sisters, no show is more listened to than those crazy Australians, Martin and Ryan from Head to Head Pinball. These two gave us some of the best interviews of the year, plus good information, gently borrowed news, stolen items from This Week in Pinball, plus funny takes and challenges like the Pin Slam 100. They've come a long way from ripping off the Slam Tilt podcast. podcast head to head is a near perfect podcast now if only they can get rid of pin side pd another honorable mention goes to charlie emery keep doing what you're doing at spooky pinball another great follow-up to scott denisi's total nuclear annihilation who by the way would have made my top 10 list in 2017 if i had done one back then congrats to charlie on alice cooper this year also for bringing on board bowen karens to help with the rules and balancing and charlie maybe your biggest accomplishment? Getting on an airplane as you visited Japan. I have to talk about the innovators. Phil Grimaldi and Carl D'Angelo for their wireless streaming gear setup that can be wheeled from machine to machine at tourneys. Carl already changed pinball landscape with his critical hit card game and more importantly his incredible never drain software. That along with Andreas Hogstrop-Peterson's match play and even Pinteps.net. Phil, Carl, Andreas, thank you for your contributions. And just missing the top 10 list, Lyman Sheets. You've heard of the term, in Lyman we trust? You know if Lyman's coding a game, he'll keep at it until it's just right. It may have taken a while, but for good reason, we are thrilled with the results on Batman 66. And out of nowhere, just like last year's Walking Dead update, he gave us updates on Metallica and even ACDC. So that brings us to the top 10 most intriguing pinball people of 2018. They are in no particular order. Number one, Daniel Spoler of Florida, the man behind Project Pinball. I'm genuinely moved by anyone who donates their time and money to help others. This year, Mike Primo held the Path of Play Day to add support and more importantly connect with autistic individuals through play. But Daniel Spoler, through Project Pinball, has set the bar for charitable efforts. As a father of three, Daniel was originally motivated to help others in their time of need. And this year, his non-profit charity placed more pinball machines in children's hospitals across America. He spent the entire month of July traveling on the road for his fourth annual Love Across America tour. They have placed 39 pinball machines in 18 different states from the Pacific to the Atlantic. If you want to help, you can at projectpinball.org. Keep up the great work, Daniel. Number two. Hmm. Number two. Josh Sharp. Pinball's bridesmaid had us all waiting to see if and when he'll win his first major tourney, but that's not what put him on the list. Sure, he created the Power 100 this year. That's very interesting. There was also a modified much better heads championship in March in Chicago But the IFPA president took a calculated gamble in 2018 by adding a fee per player to North American IFPA attorneys If anybody wants a copy of my bank statement, don't bother. I'm not sending it. What would happen with this dollar fee? No one knew for sure. The idea was to grow the state and provincial finals, as well as the nationals, by increasing the prize pool with the money collected, thus creating more buzz. All money collected minus Stripe's processing fees went back to the players. But there were definitely mixed reviews when it was first announced. A few leagues opted out of IFPA. Some players even suppressed themselves to be removed from IFPA status. A few of them came back, though. The end result? There are now nearly 66,000 players in the IFPA as it continues to grow. Almost 7,000 new players this year alone. That's an 11% growth. Well done, Josh. Here's my dollar. Number three on the top ten most intriguing pinball people of 2018 was actually brought to my attention by Josh Sharp when he said this. He's sort of the new, like, hotness of what's going on. He's like 16 years old and he's ranked like sixth today. He's 16. Johannes Ostermeyer of Germany makes the list. Like Escher Lefkoff, Alexander Kuzmarchuk, Daniel Peck, Colin Urban, Johannes is another tremendous young player. This rise in 2018 made people on this side of the pond wonder, who is this whiz kid? In 2018, he won 10 major tourneys that were the size of almost all Stern Pro Circuit events, except for Pinberg, Expo Flipout, and Indisc. I first got to see Johannes at IFPA 15 at a pin golf event in Toronto. He was one of the final four players in a three-game final. He scored a nine on his first game. The other two players had a two, three, and five. Remember, the combined lowest score after three games wins. What did Johannes do? He got back-to-back hole-in-ones on the last two games to win the very difficult event. In fact, on one of those games, we watched Johannes start over 10 multi-balls on fishtails, all on ball one. That was the small sample size I needed to see, along with 63 other of the world's best to know. We will be hearing more of Johannes in the years to come. Number four, this person is an example of someone who gives back to the pinball community. Think of any time someone has helped you in any aspect of pinball. It takes certain and special people who try to grow pinball awareness through events, leagues, fun nights, or just someone to talk to about pinball. Number four is Tracy Lindberg of Arizona. I hope you're fortunate to know a person like Tracy in your community. Here's what giving back looks like. Tracy formed a Bells and Chimes chapter in Phoenix. She runs charity events to help support Daniel Spohler's Project Pinball. And this, to me, is the biggest. For years, I have said to all the amazing people that give up their time for Pinberg and ReplayFX to bring so much joy to all of us to get to play in the biggest event in the world, thank you, thank you, thank you. In Pittsburgh alone, you have to think of Doug Polka, Elizabeth Cromwell, Mark Steinman, Kevin Martin, John Replogle, Fred Cochran, and many others. Thank you for the hours, the days, the weeks of your time. But as we know, Pinberg expanded once again, and they needed more help, more techs, more TDs, more volunteers. Back to Tracy Lindbergh. I first met her when she played in her first Pinberg tournament in 2016. She was so excited, like we all were to be there. It was the first group of the day, and you could tell how Tracy was in love with the event. This event was going to be circled on the calendar for years to come. Fast forward two years later, 2018. Pinberg and ReplayFX needed more volunteers. Tracy, like others, gave up her chance to play so she could assist and be a TD. And by the way, Tracy's a great player. To be giving this up, a great opportunity, that speaks to the kind of person that Tracy is. Helping others in front of her own pinball needs. I can tell you this, I've had more than one person email me about the good that Tracy is doing in Arizona and for women's pinball. Keep it up. Number five, Keith Elwin. We were all excited to see what Keith would do with his first design for Stern Pinball. We were confident it would be a variation of his homebrew Archer, and it was, but better. If you think it was an easy task turning Archer into Iron Maiden, ask other homebrew creators like Mark and Siddy for his Nightmare Before Christmas pin, or Ed Owens for his Ghost in the Shell. Better yet, ask Scott Denisey how easy it was to turn a homebrew into a mass-produced game like TNA. Here's Keith talking about the changes. Yeah, there was a lot of geometry changes that most people wouldn't notice because hardly anyone played Archer besides myself. There were a lot of changes, all for the better, I think. I removed the stuff I didn't like, added stuff I did like. So, no complaints.

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Some diehard fans of the band rejoiced when Iron Maiden was released. Others in the pinball community were worried if the theme and music wouldn't be their cup of tea. Even Keith himself admitted Iron Maiden wasn't his musical taste, but it didn't matter. People who never knew an Iron Maiden song or any heavy metal didn't care because the game was so unique. Keith not only made a great flowing game, but a four-flipper pro model with drop targets and spinners, captive balls, and even a shat shot. Add to the fact that Keith, who knows a thing or two about competitive pinball, also designed the rules for the game. Because of Keith and his design team, sales in the first weekend alone far exceeded the estimates from Stern. Congrats in advance, Keith, on winning the Twippy for Best Game of 2018. Whoops, did I look into the future? Now, this alone would have been enough to get him on this list. But the former number one semi-retired player also won the circuit event at Cleepin in September. FYI, he was there because he was a guest speaker. Thanks for giving the rest of us a chance, Keith. And who can forget in July when the greatest of all time put on a show for the ages, holding off Andre Massinkoff, Jim Belcido, and Chris Stevens to win Pinberg again. What a year, Keith. Can hardly wait to see your next game. Speaking of next game, that brings us to number six on the list. Robert Mueller of Deep Root. Robert came onto the pinball scene with a bang, saying, Pinball is easy. He later clarified his statement and has openly discussed plans for the five days of Deep Root. Add to the fact Deep Root recruited four legendary pinball designers and curiosity grew and grew He even offered to help those with Zidware purchases that didn come through He under no obligation to do that but goodwill nonetheless Robert's October appearance in the open Q&A with the Deep Root design team leaders at Pinball Expo created even more buzz. Not since Jersey Jack Pinball burst onto the scene did the pinball community await with bated breath. And even with all these interesting facts, the most impressive thing to me is Deep Root has been working at it for nearly a year, and they haven't asked the pinball collector for one dime. One thing we do know, the market landscape will change with these new Deep Root games. Congrats, Robert, on your recent engagement to Christie, and we really can't wait to see what Deep Root has to offer in 2019. Number seven, Stephen Bowden. From his daily updates on funwithbonus.com and its social media feeds, including his cell phone streaming at certain events. Not easy on the arms of the battery, by the way. Steven has always been one of the nicest pinball personalities you'll find anywhere. He was in demand for Path of Play Day. He is a joy to speak to, whether in person or on a radio panel or podcast. In the early summer, Steven went to Papa headquarters to reveal the Pinberg Banks by playing one ball on every Pinberg game. But bigger than his move from game to game at Papa Headquarters was his move from New Jersey to San Antonio, Texas to work for Deep Root as rules designer and ambassador. Stephen left his education career to do something he loves. It's a pretty big leap, but he's smart enough to know a good opportunity all while making a dream come true. 2018 continued this great shift of more pinball players now working at companies like Keith Elwin, Zach Sharp, Tim Sexton, Lyman Sheets, Bowen Cairns, and Joe Schober. The future looks bright, and Stephen Bowden is one of those people with the experience to make pinball even better. Number 8. Congrats to the previously mentioned Stephen Bowden, who was the top Stern Pro Circuit points getter in 2018, and to Trent Augenstein, the 2018 IFPA Player of the Year for most points in the calendar year. But you both take a backseat, like we all do, for the next person on the top 10 most intriguing pinball people of 2018. Number 8. Raymond Davidson. The number one player in the world, remained the number one player, and continued to dominate this entire year. How good is Raymond? If you took out his top 20 scores in IFPA, he'd have 594 points. He'd still be 34th. Here are some of his big wins this year. He started off the year by winning Indus Classics and ended the year with a city champ win in San Francisco. In between, there were big victories at Vancouver Flipout, Northwest Pinball Championship, Yegpin in Edmonton, the Portland pin brawl, but it was the two tourneys proving he was the best of the best in 2018. The IFPA North American Pinball Championship in Vegas with all the state and provincial champs competing. Then in late May, he had back-to-back wins at the IFPA World Pinball Championship. Even though Raymond makes it look easy, he's human like the rest of us, as he explains after his IFPA 15 victory. The hardest part was that first round Saturday night, just trying to get my groove on. I was shaking. I was nervous. I was bricking shots left and right. And, you know, finally I did just enough to survive that round. And then after that, it was like, all right, I'm in. I'm in Sunday. I'm ready to play. Got my head in the game. Almost choked against Trent where I was up on him like 3-0 or 3-1. And then he started winning and I started losing. I had a crazy save on Funhaus to take that one. And then Harlem was a neck and neck when he got housed on ball three. And that was it for that. But, yeah, it was a lot harder than maybe it looked. It was tough. Can Raymond make it a three-peat in 2019? We'll see in June in Italy. Raymond's only stumbling block this year was at the Trash Talker Invitational in Pimberg, and I better come clean. You thought I played with Greg Pepperoni and David Raymondson? Confession, it was really Greg Pavarelli and Raymond Davidson in disguise. I know, shame on me. Didn't matter. We didn't win. partially because of the next person on the top 10 most intriguing people of 2018. There have been a lot of people spreading the pinball word to the masses. Jack Danger, streaming on Deadflip most weekdays, is bringing pinball to our homes on Twitch, just like Al Anonymous, the Bro Crew in Buffalo, Rudy Soup, Colorado Pinball Collective, TurboGrafx7, and Aussies like Dr. John and Emily, as well as the Melbourne Silver Bowl League. On the audio side, this year we saw a lot of new podcasts. Riptide, Special Unlit, This Week in Pinball, Meltdown, to name a few. But no one was as fresh and new as our number nine entry in the top ten most intriguing pinball people of 2018, Mrs. Pin. Sarah or Mrs. Pin, along with Dr. Pin, Pinderella, and The Princess, have created a podcast like no other. It all began as this woman was watching her husband watch his favorite pinball Twitch streams and wondering, Who are these people? Didn't we all ask that at one time? I know I did. Since then, it has been a joy to listen to the evolution of Mrs. Pinn's interest and passion for pinball. We all had that euphoria at one point, and she reminds me of it. Of course, maybe ours wasn't filled with colorful words, but that's also the charm of the one-time school teacher, Mrs. Pinn. Just when you hear the cuteness and the crafts and the swag that Mrs. Pinn creates, she hits you with a truck, or should I say a trucker's mouth. She also gets to know and share her weekly inductions into her Womp segment, highlighting women doing great things in pinball. And one last thing about Mrs. Pinn. I mentioned the Trash Talker Invitational. Well, Mrs. Pinn was there, and she was put into a group by Chuck Webster with Stephen Bowden, Adam Becker, and David Ramison. One of the games they had to play was Algar, and the winner of that game was Mrs. Pinn. They should have made a trophy right there and then for that great accomplishment. This is a woman who goes into a tournament and says, I'm hoping I don't come in last. You're far from last. Mrs. Pinn, I can understand why Pinside PD is such a fan. Many of us are, too. Before we get to our final person on our list, let's recap who we've heard so far. Daniel Spoller of Project Pinball. Josh Sharp, IFPA President. Johannes Austinmeier, the 16-year-old outstanding player from Germany. Tracy Lindberg of Arizona. Keith Elwin of Stern Pinball Robert Mueller of Deep Root Pinball Stephen Bowden also of Deep Root and FunWithBonus Raymond Davidson the number one player in the world And Mrs. Pin of the Mrs. Pin Pinball Podcast.

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And now, finally, number 10, again in no particular order. To me, one of the most intriguing people of 2018 is sadly someone I never got a chance to meet. It's Dahlia Rowan. Dahlia lived in New York City before moving upstate with Eddie Kramer, who joins us now. Eddie, how are you? I'm fine, thank you. Eddie, seeing all the Facebook tributes, reading the posts, the blogs for Dahlia, was so moving. Good friends of mine, Greg Pavarelli, cannot say enough good words about her and just how much she helped him. And here's a guy who himself this year had a battle with cancer and thankfully fought through it, but she meant so much to so many people. Can you tell me a little bit about Dahlia? Because, again, it's a regret that I never got to meet her. Well, Dolly was the type of person who was very sociable. She was like a, what do you call it, social butterfly. She was the epitome of that. Everyone she met, she would ask something about the person and always start smiling or laughing and get the other person to smile or laugh. And within 20 minutes, she would know that person's life story and their intimate details. She had a way of just bringing that out of everybody, always make people laugh. Wherever she went, she became very popular amongst everybody. Everyone loved her. She was very generous, very thoughtful of everybody. And when she was introduced to the pinball scene and through tournaments and places like Rock Fantasy with Steve Taylor, the owner there, she met all the pinheads and they all fell in love with her and a really bright light for everybody. I've never seen anything like it, to be honest with you. even in the hospital during her treatments, even all the doctors loved her, and they would come and visit her and bring her flowers. That's the kind of personality she had. I mean, everywhere she went, people knew her, restaurants, stores. You couldn't walk anywhere without somebody running into her and saying, well, hi, how are you doing? You know, it was that kind of person. From what I gather from what you're saying, that is a special person to really be a good listener and to take interest in someone else other than yourself. And from what I heard, she would always thank those that she encountered that did anything for her in any way possible. Oh, yeah, she did. I mean, she was that way. I mean, that was one of the good things. We sort of had that in common, like huge tipper, very big tipper to anybody who did anything. Just anywhere, she always felt she had to give something to somebody. And she was just very generous that way. If she knew somebody that she met needed something, she would want to help them any way she could, whether an ear or physically help do something for them. Like I said, it's just the way she was. Eddie, I read one of her posts on Facebook, and it definitely moved me, and I'll read it now. It says, I don't want sympathy. What I want is for each and every one of you who cross paths with me to know we did so for a reason. I was far from perfect, but I have no regrets. I did the best I could, especially when it came to my children. I hope I was able to touch some people's lives. As I mentioned, it was remarkable to see the number of people that visited Dahlia and that reached out. That's somebody that had a tremendous effect on a lot of people. Yes, it did. I mean, just in friends and family, I mean, the people I reached out, the ones I posted about, that was just part of the people because I didn't start posting until later on. Like I said, she was friendly to everybody. Everybody loved her. for the pinball people. She was really part of the big scene in the New York pinball scene, actually, is helping it expand by joining people from the city to the upstate people. I mean, what happened with the Stern factory was remarkable. I'm not sure if you're aware that they sent her a translate. They asked what her favorite pinball machine was, and she told them Aerosmith, and they sent her a signed translate from all the people who worked on the machine from the factory at Stern and all the designers and artists and everything like that. It was very touching that they did that. It was really nice and she appreciated it. I didn't know what to do with the Translight after she passed because it was such a personal thing for her that I had it buried with her. So she had that. It was a personal thing. How could somebody hold on to that? So I thought it would be best that she had that. I thank everybody at Stern for all they did and the symbol of community that sent her all kinds of wonderful thoughts and said many things about her that was really beautiful. Now people upstate New York and some other places, actually when they're getting high scores and grand champions, they're entering her initials and machines as a tribute to her. I mean, that's the kind of effect she had on people. And we've all had people and friends who have passed, but I've never seen any kind of effect like that. See, and that's the beautiful thing. Even though she has passed, her legacy will live on and her memory will never die. And you know Stern doing that and all the tributes, they just don't do that for anyone. So this was definitely a wonderful, beautiful, special person. Eddie, thank you very much for joining us and talking about Dahlia. Thank you. I appreciate it very much. And I know she would love it too. It wouldn't surprise me in the least next year at the New York City Pinball Championships if you see a tournament named in Dahlia's honor. Well, there you have the list. Probably not your list, but I think you'll agree. each and every one of those people. Very intriguing, at the least, for what's been done in 2018. I hope everyone has a safe holiday. I cannot thank you enough for listening to Pinball Profile, for reaching out to me, saying hello, sending me emails, even inviting me to your tournaments and asking me to be an emcee. It personally feels very good and makes me realize, okay, I guess this is reaching somebody, so thank you very much for that. We will be bigger and better in 2019. If you see me at an event, please say hello. I'd love to meet you and maybe share your story right here on this podcast. This has been your Pinball Profile. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter at Pinball Profile. Email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. Please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Have yourself a happy new year. I'm Jeff Teolis.