I second that Buddies is tops

Rumor has it that Storm is signing 2 huge male talents that will announce January 2020. One is a huge surprise.

A certain lefty who goes around the pattern?

If I had to speculate, the really huge surprise could be Tommy Jones or Sean Rash.  Both of those would be big surprises as TJ has been with Ebonite his entire career in the PBA.  Sean Rash would be a bigger surprise as he has always been with Big B, from youth days, college bowling at Wichita State, and then his entire PBA career. 

As for the other huge talent, my guess would possibly be Jakob Butturff.

Storm pays more pros then anybody.  In the late 90s/2000s Brunswick did the same across the three tours.  Then Brunswick dumped almost all of them reducing their pro staff.  No doubt with the acquisition of the Ebi brands this trend wouldn't change.  Keep some let the rest go.

Probably EJ Tackett would be the biggest surprise. Hope he stays with Motiv though.

Quote from: themagician on December 28, 2019, 09:59:18 AM

Quote from: northface28 on December 27, 2019, 11:34:57 PM

I know and it’s going to knock your briefs off.

Words sneaking out, but yeah, i'm not spoiling it here, will say though, was a name I wasn't expecting...

Not Diana Z?

Diana Z announced yesterday that she joined Storm on her Facebook page.

Sounds like Storm is offering some players medical benefits to jump ship.
Don't know this for fact, but have heard that a few times now

That is a sad indictment on the industry that is enough to move contracts as that sh1t should be standard everywhere.  Fighting for peanuts sadly.

Employment law is changing rapidly across the country.  The argument between employer and independent contractor are hard to define. 
If a company has 2 people doing the same job, one is on payroll, receives a W-2 at the end of the year, eligible for benefits, etc. vs. the other receiving a 1099 they are walking on a slippery slope.  Worse yet, is where a the company gives, or provides at a steep discount, their product to promote.  The company is benefiting from the individuals contribution no differently than the individual contributors at the company headquarters that are receiving full benefits.  Once someone becomes classified as an "employee" they have to be offered benefits. 
Staff members are likely thought of as independent contractors since they have the opportunity to take their talents to different companies and benefit (tournament winnings) from their arrangement with the company.  The problem with that thought is exclusivity.  Once you sign you cannot take your talents elsewhere until the end of your contract.  That makes it easier for the staffer not getting paid to make the argument they are an "employee". 
California AB5 was signed by Gov. Newsome in September.  https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_independentcontractor.htm  CA has always been the state companies look toward for trends in employment law.  I suspect if staff players are being offered benefit package it is not to entice them to jump ship but rather in preparation for changes in the employment law landscape.  Storm/RG/900 Global, Big B, Motive, etc. have some really smart people behind the business decisions they make.  There isn't any ROI by offering benefits.  Couple that with the fact that they can't offer player A benefits without offering the same benefits to players B-Z.  Sure, they can pay them differently based on their level of talent but you have to treat them equally in all other ways if they become classified as an employee under the law.
 
If it is fact that companies are offering benefit packages to staffers it will certainly be interesting to watch unfold.