Jungle, Thanks man, I needed that. Just finished my 2011 taxes today, and that coupled with this damn snow that's falling outside has made for a lousy day. Until, that is, your post. I can always rely on you to lift my spirits.
Alphonso1, If you want to get friendly with some FedEx pilots, I'd suggest that you don't start by bad-mouthing some of them. We don't all like each other all the time, but we take exception to guys outside the club slamming them. So I'd start with that assumption.
As far as your comment about "Fed Ex Pilots who are members of OBAP and they will NOT Sponsor me because they want to act like they are Judge, Jury, and Executioner with respect to HOW they select who will be Sponsored by them....", I'd suggest that the guys you've met at these OBAP seminars or conventions, are probably already maxed out on their personal sponsorships, and can't sponsor anyone else for a while.
As for your comment "Many that they select are underqualified and don't get through the process", only tells me that you don't understand the amount of "pull" a recommendation or sponsorship has, which is not all that much. Besides, if someone doesn't get through the process, it could be for many reasons, few of which might stick out to a perspective sponsor. That's why most of us sponsor and recommend guys whom we know and have flown with, because, we all know that although it's important to hire guys who are technically proficient, intelligent, etc, etc, it's almost more important to hire guys who you can get along with on a week-long trip. In other words, guys who show that they can work and play well together.
As for them blackballing you, unless they are part of the hiring process, they probably will have no input into your getting hired or not, or getting called in for an interview or not.
Anyway, in the future, if I were you, I'd soften my approach, and also realize that there are tons of applicants who meet our stated requirements, both with an MD-11 type rating and without, and the fact is that not everyone is going to be offered an interview.
Best of luck,
JJ