[FSPA] Scott Sidley

Sat Sep 5 09:01:15 EDT 2020

Scott was the best.

Except for that, I'm at a loss for words, and I'm very sad.  League won't
be the same without him.

On Sat, Sep 5, 2020 at 8:49 AM Todd Yoder via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org>
wrote:

> That is very sad news.  Scott will be truly missed.
>
> He could solve any pinball problem and, once you could muster up the
> courage to get past the gruff exterior, he was always willing to help out.
> He was very intelligent, but didn’t throw that in your face, rather he
> treated everyone as if they had the same aptitude for pinball repair and
> electronics as he did, as he would explain in great detail how a particular
> circuit worked, while almost all of it went well over my head.
>
> He came to my house on multiple occasions to help repair games prior to
> events, and he was always fun to have around, offering his unfiltered
> opinions about just about anything.  His opinions were set in stone, and he
> would happily tell you why he was right (or why you were wrong) about
> almost anything.  But he was a different person around kids and pets.
> While over fixing games, he had dinner with my family several times, and he
> could not have been more gracious around my wife and two young daughters,
> displaying a kinder side that was not usually shown around the pinball
> crowd.  The kids thought he was very nice and funny, and often asked when
> Scott was coming over again.
>
> I always had difficulty paying him for his pinball repair services,
> because he simply wouldn’t take any money!  He would just ask for gas
> money.  I always told him that he was undervaluing his services, but he
> wouldn’t hear it — he was truly in it for the love of the game and the
> challenge of fixing a problem.  But I always forced some form of payment on
> him for his time and expertise (and his car full of pinball parts!) that he
> so graciously offered.  And when I found out that he liked Mexican Coca
> Cola in bottles, I scored a bunch and started paying him with those in
> addition to cash.  I still have some bottles, and will drink one in his
> honor today.
>
> Here’s a story about Scott’s amazing troubleshooting abilities:  A friend
> of mine had an issue with the lower playfield ball kicker on an AC/DC, and
> I enlisted Scott to come take a look.  He came over and spent a couple of
> hours testing, tracing, etc., but the problem persisted.  Ultimately he
> concluded that it must be a problem in the game code.  To myself I figured
> that was unlikely, and that here was the only time I had seen a problem
> that Scott couldn’t fix.  But the next day, my friend contacted me to say
> that he had updated the code and the problem was gone!  At that point I
> truly realized how much Scott really understood pinball machines, and I
> never doubted him again.
>
> The FSPA community owes Scott Sidley a great deal, more than we can ever
> say.
>
> - Todd
>
> On Sat, Sep 5, 2020, at 7:39 AM, Mike F via FSPA wrote:
>
> Damn.  I’ll always remember Scott as one of the original fspa guys (along
> with Bernie, joe,  Julie, Dave Stewart, lee, deb, Serg, etc), that I met
> when I joined my first league at the old Vbh.  Loved him.  Was part of my
> rekindled love for pinball during college (well.... that and the lineup at
> howies).  Used to look forward to the “scottitude” as kosack put it, even
> though it got under my skin once or twice lol.  Tends to happen with anyone
> you know for over 20 years.
>
> He did a great job dialing in games at Kevin’s, robs, Vbh.  I admired him
> for getting those games ready, only for them to be pummeled again by 40-80
> of the mid-Atlantic’s finest.  The games played incredible at the last
> states tourney at Vbh in 2019, and he did it all, even while battling
> cancer.  I made sure to let him know that day, and other days, that his
> hard work was appreciated... but especially that day at Vbh.
>
> I’ll miss you, Scott.  We lost a great talent in our community, and a
> great friend.  Rest In Peace.
>
> Mike F
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 5, 2020, at 6:45 AM, Joe Kosack via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org> wrote:
>
> This really sucks.
>
> I remember meeting Scott for the first time in September 2008 as a wide
> eyed newbie who had just found out that there was competitive pinball not
> only in the world, but 20 minutes from my house.  Scott took it upon
> himself to be the unofficial VBH welcome ambassador and showed me, Lee, and
> Jude the ropes that night and made me feel right at home.
>
> When I eventually started to help run VBH league and then fully run it, I
> could always count on Scott to provide helpful advice, encouragement when I
> was down, and a little special Sottitude when I was smelling myself too
> much.  I literally could not have been successful without Scott by my
> side.  Hell, I couldn’t have ever tuna tournament without him.
>
> At major events, Scott was always a major cheerleader when one of our
> players or alumni were doing well.  When I made my only run in the Pinburgh
> A finals in 2015, Scott was there asking if he could get me anything to eat
> or drink to keep me focused on the task at hand.
>
> Right now, I feel the same as when Scott wasn’t there for our last season
> of VBH and a lot of us didn’t know what was going on yet, and that is
> lost.  For those of us who played with Scott, he was a constant in our
> league lives.  From Scott informing us that we’re putting the quarters in
> wrong to telling us that he sucked after playing a twenty minute ball,
> Scott could always be counted on.  Scott will be missed terribly my all of
> us, and league pinball for me won’t be the same without him.
>
> Joe K
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Sep 5, 2020, at 6:18 AM, rw55dodgers--- via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org>
> wrote:
>
> 
> Joe:
>
> Yes this is very sad news, I've only known him since early 2012 when I
> started to play for FSPA and he started to work on my machines that summer
> that have't been played on for 15-20 years.  He got 4 of 5 working great
> and they are still being played on today.  Yes he was always checking with
> me about my machines before any tournament, league party or personal
> function and was always there to check things out.  Whenever I got a new
> machine he was always here to check it out and fix any issues.  It was
> always nice having him over as he got to know part of my family as he
> worked on my machines.
>
> He will be missed by all, RIP Scott Sidley.
>
> Rob T
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Schober via FSPA <fspa at fspazone.org>
> To: FSPA main discussion list <fspa at fspazone.org>
> Cc: Joe Schober <afljoeys at aol.com>
> Sent: Sat, Sep 5, 2020 12:08 am
> Subject: [FSPA] Scott Sidley
>
>
> I am heartbroken to say that Scott Sidley has passed away.  As most of you
> know, he's been battling cancer for a couple years.  Things were improving
> for awhile, until they weren't.
>
> For me, Scott isn't just a guy at pinball... we've been friends for almost
> 35 years.  He was incredibly intelligent, creative, and generous with his
> time and talents.  I have so many great memories with him... creating
> projects, playing games, roller coaster madness, so much more.  Despite his
> gruff exterior sometimes, he could be very caring and supportive.
>
> For our pinball community, Scott has been involved with the FSPA more than
> anyone since its beginning.  He has done everything from helping run
> several of our leagues, managing scorekeeping, fixing machines everywhere,
> and on and on.  He could always be counted on to help tune up games for
> parties and tournaments, and on the day of an event, he would often be the
> first person there, helping to set things up, and the last one to leave,
> cleaning everything.  And I don't think anyone will know how to put
> quarters into the games correctly without Scott around.
>
> I love Scott dearly, and already miss him very, very much.
>
> Please, y'all stay safe and healthy.
>
> --Joe
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