Corey Pinkham to retire after '03 Tournament????

LOWELL, MA- The biggest rumor surrounding tomorrow night's Halloween Foosball Tournament is that three time winner, Corey "Humperdink" Pinkham is set to retire following it.  The 2003 Halloween Foosball Tournament would be his last one as a competitor.  The source of these rumors is none other than Corey himself.  Following his record-tying third Halloween Foosball title last year, Corey was heard saying that "next year will be the last one for me and you, huh?" to Steven Ostis, his doubles partner, "after that we won't do it anymore."  This news sent shockwaves throughout the HFT community.  Why would Corey, the most dominant player in HFT history be ready to call it quits so soon?

The most obvious reason for his statement, experts figure, is that Corey is now a senior in high school, if you consider the Voke a high school.  Corey will have graduated by the time the 2004 Tournament rolls around.  However, graduation did not have a major effect on the class of 2002.  Jim and Greg were both seniors in 2001, and returned last year and will be competing again this time around as well.  Of the Class of '02 regulars, only Patrick Casserly has been unable to attend due to post-high school reasons.  And thats of course because Pat is all the way out in Amherst where they riot after a team goes from 0-2 to 1-2 in the division series.

So what other reasons are there for Corey to step aside?  Well if he wins, it would be a new record, 4th HFT title.  It would also mark the first time Corey has ever won back to back HFT championships something that no one else has done.

Jim, the last person to beat Corey in a Halloween Foosball Tournament game said that Corey would be missed, "Sure he's not a legend like Chuck, but he is a great player.  I'm the only person that really played him tough"

Steve would be left without a doubles partner.  His comments on Mr. Pinkham were,

Corey's chief rival Greg, whom he beat in the finals last year, would only say "Fuck him, he sucks"

If Corey does retire, at least he was going out on top, and didn't feel the desperate need to win year after year like George Steinbrenner.  Its obvious that the collective City of New York and the rest of the Yankee empire desperately need to compensate for something.  Maybe to cover up for the fact that they suck.  If Corey does call it quits it would likely mean its because he's accomplished what he set out to do, and now he wants to move on.

Or more likely, he knows that Jim has been gaining on him, and odds are that Jim will start to dominate him in the tournament.  Corey wants to run away while he still has his legacy.

Whatever the reason, if Corey sticks to his somewhat perplexing words of a year ago, October 25th, 2003 could be one of the most historic dates in Halloween Foosball Tournament history.

Halloween Foosball Tournament Latest News
The Halloween Foosball Tournament Main Page