Sunday, October 7, 2007

Freeman, Part I

Congratulations on a great season for Jason Freeman's 3.5 team. I'm sure they're disappointed not to win the National championship, but they should be proud of the job they did at Nationals, dropping only a 3-2 decision to the Intermountain team. I'm sure many/most of those players will be competitive at the 4.0 level next year. Hopefully Freeman's 4.0 team will have as much or more success at Nationals in a few weeks.

73 comments:

  1. Good job to the 3.5 guys. You all should be proud of the team's accomplishments this year.

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  2. When is 4.0 Nationals?

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  3. To Jason, Mike, and Betsie - so what's your take? It's been mentioned a few times that the TX Section is weak. What are your thoughts on that? Even Jason's 3.5 who dominated at Sectionals didn't make it out of its pool.

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  4. I know I am not Jason, Mike or Betsie but I had a thought.
    Jason's team did finish 2nd in their flight behind the team that finished 2nd. My old team from LA played the SD team that won 3.5 and said they were very deep and strong at singles and with that said they only lost 3-2 to them in flight play at Sectionals. I think the difference between Jason's team and the top contenders at 3.5 was the ringers at the singles positions. As Jason mentioned before Ismael is no ringer and John is just consistent as well so when put up against ringers with power they just got outgunned. At doubles Jason's team seemed to do well when stacked up against the rest of the country. I hope Jason has some ringer 4.0 singles guys for the next trip but from the looks of it I think you do.

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  5. I was/am of the opinion that teams without self-rated ringers (uber-ringers) face a HUGE uphill battle at Nationals. I'm not really that familiar with his 3.5 roster makeup, but I've gotten the impression that his philosophy is to assemble the best tournament players from Houston and across the state into one team. Obviously, that philosophy has allowed him to dominate the state, but traditionally National powerhouses have self-rated superstuds at the two singles positions.

    It will be interesting to see how Ahmed and Kern fare at Nationals in 4.0. Both of them are obviously well above the 4.0 level, but I have a feeling there will be a few players who outclass them at Nationals.

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  6. Greg, I agree with you. Dominating at tournaments is a far cry from success at Nationals. This year I didn't have singles ringers per se but I did have 2 solid line 2 singles players and felt fairly confident that I'd split singles in most cases. Missing one of those singles players definitely hurt us as I had to take from my doubs. As I said previously, So Cal dominated for the women because of their singles depth. They were the only team there which had both strong lines of singles as you suggested.

    I didn't see any of the Austin Men play but my gut is that they were right in there until the Semi's and their fate was probably a matter of a few loose pts/tiebreaks. Same for the women, So Cal aside, if you look at how things played out there was a lot of parity for the women and our team could have easily been in the Finals (we didn't have a chance against So Cal though).

    To answer the original post, Texas is certainly not at the top of the heap (last year's men's 4.5 team was an anomaly - and it was in Hawaii). We're right in there with everyone else.

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  7. I don't know about kern, but I can definitely tell you that its gonna take someone of atleast a solid 5.0 level player to take Sarosh Ahmed down at Nationals.....

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  8. UMMMM - you're crazy.

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  9. So, you're basically saying Sarosh would beat players such as either of the Dibuas, Stuart Holland, Chad Case, Grant Murphy. You're friggin crazy. Sarosh will be a mediocre 4.5 AT BEST when he first starts playing 4.5 USTA League. That's not to say he won't become a top 4.5 player but to say it will take a solid 5.0 player to beat him is ridiculous.

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  10. Sarosh will be an above average 4.5 player. Sarosh can beat someone like Kallus, but not Schmucker. definitely not Dibua. No way can he even get 4 games off of Dibua. you need a great forehand, backhand, serve, volley, mental game and conditioning to even compete with Dibua.

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  11. In USTA League terms, wouldn't you say that Kallus, Moser, etc are in the middle of the 4.5 pack?

    The post said it would take a SOLID 5.0 player at 4.0 Nationals to beat Sarosh.

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  12. I heard that Sarosh beats Schornick and Hunckler at times. Those guys are 5.0 level tournament players (though only above average 4.5 league players)

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  13. I wonder what Mr. Freeman has to say about his star player "Sarosh"...irrespective of what we all have to say...I guess a few weeks/months from now we will exactly know when Sarosh starts playing the 4.5's next year where he actually belongs.

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  14. Sarosh will be a very good quality 4.5-5 tournament player, and probably do well in 4.5 league. He and i have played several times and we split sets quite a bit, but both of us have won in straight sets too. Typically, its a grind to the end of the match. Any match that has been won in straight sets has not been an easy win for either of us.

    Hunckler

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  15. First, thank you all for the kind words over the past several weeks regarding my 3.5 team. While we are very disappointed that we didn't make it to Sunday we are content with the fact we absolutely gave it our all and left if on the court.

    From a men's 3.5 perspective Texas was within the top 5 at Nationals. While Southern California clearly outclassed the field I thought, from a talent perspective, Texas was up towards the top (we "could" have beaten any of the teams except for SoCal). Michael Hart and I had a great opportunity to help the team defeat Intermountain but it just wasn't my day (Michael played well). Although the score was 6-4, 6-1 our match lasted the longest (even longer than a 10-8 3 setter won by Goodwin/Johnson). Every point was contested and each game seemed to go deuce/ad....we (I) just couldn't ever seem to get the critical points.

    The conditions in Vegas were the worst I've ever seen for tennis. Winds were gusting up to 50 MPH (news said they hit 70 MPH and they closed down several roads) and it was VERY cold. However, Nationals was a fun experience and we all appreciate how hard it was to get there. If you want my take on how some of my 3.5 guys will do in the 4.0s....I'll share that after 4.0 Nationals.

    Time to start focusing on 4.0 Nationals! I hope the poster who is saying it will take a solid 5.0 player to beat Sarosh is right : )

    Once again, thanks for all the support.

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  16. Jason, nice to see another Houston captain bit by the Nationals bug. I'm sure this won't be your last year to Nationals. Impressive first outing.

    Good luck in Tucson. You shouldn't have wind or cold there but expect the ball to sail. Hope none of your guys rely too heavily on lobbing.

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  17. Sarosh Ahmed playing 4.0 is a joke and everyone knows it.

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  18. 4.0 for Sarosh is definitely a little low. He didn't even run into any competition at sectionals this year whatsoever but then again, he seems to be relatively satisfied playing at 4.0. I'm not even sure he's lost a lot or legitimately at 4.0 whenever he last played. Was he computer rated last and this year? This might be one of those times where you might look at the computer ratings and just shake your head...

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  19. No doubt Sarosh is playing beneath his level. Why is it that he's not getting the grief that a lot of the 4.5 guys received for playing below their level? Accusations of tanking, sandbagging, too chicken to play where you're supposed to, etc. Is it because he's 4.0 and noone cares about that. The consensus is that he's a ringer at 4.0 (haven't we all agreed that's a given once you've got a team that makes it to Nationals - some of the players are playing beneath their level) - but someone's claim that he's a TOP 4.5 and it would take a strong 5.0 seems an exaggeration.

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  20. Unfortnately, everyone is right. Sarosh probably does not belong in 4.0 given his record. Mid season ratings bumped him up, and I am sure the trip to Nationals will not make it easy to protest him back to 4.0. However, it does take "ringers" to do well at Nationals, and if someone like Sarosh is comfortably playing beneath his level and is rated at that level, then a captain like Freeman will be smart enough to grab on.

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  21. Alright y'll....I have been reading all the woderful comments/critics about me, so I finally decided to say a few things.

    Firstly, I would like to comment about that person who made that big statement about "its gonna take someone of atleast a solid 5.0 level player to take Sarosh Ahmed down at Nationals....." well I suppose this person is just being too kind and generous with his comments not really knowing what the competition is like at the National league level...also it might be that he was referring to 5.0 tournament level players, considering the fact that I do practice/play quite a bit with some very respected and high level 5.0 players like Arun Nanjappa, Chris Hunkler, etc. etc. who are better players than me on any given day!

    In any case, to make a long story short..all I want to say is that I usually don't have much to say and I have always beleived in "my racquet do the talking"....

    so all of you need to just support our 4.0 team going to Nationals, hoping that Texas finally manages to win a National title this year..God willing.

    As far as 4.5 goes..I start my 4.5 tournament play later this year in Dec at "Casa Ole" tournament in Pasadena...so whoever wants a piece of me...come on over and let the GAMES BEGIN!

    Sarosh Ahmed

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  22. Yeah, you will really see some tough competition in that MAJOR event in December. Doing well there against a bunch of nobodies will really prove something. You are the man Sarosh.

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  23. I wouldn't worry about it Sarosh, judging by your results it doesn't seem you are way out of level and you played a season before this so you are just playing with the rating you were given. Good luck to you all and my feeling is if someone isn't whining and bitching about your roster then your chances of winning aren't that great.

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  24. Sarosh,

    That is the spirit. Put the challenge on the table. I will try to play in the tournament at Strawberry Park in December as well. It will be fun.

    Good luck at Nationals.

    Tim

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  25. I know that "Casa Ole" tournament has a bunch of nobodies...well thats the reason I'm inviting all the top players to make it a worthwhile tournament for me...ideally I would have loved to start off my 4.5 with Coke in April...but I can't wait that long to get out and have some fun at 4.5's.....I guess I have made my point clear now...bring it on!!!!

    Sarosh

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  26. Kick some ass at Nationals Sarosh and team. I fully expect you guys to come home 4.0 champs. Just go out there and play how you guys play, and stick it to everyone.

    Sarosh, when you are kicking all the 4.5 ass in the locals and majors, people are going to whine and moan about you being a 5.0 player and you do not belong in 4.5. Ignore it all and have a good time on the court.

    Hunckler

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  27. how about me make this the biggest 4.5 draw ever? everyone please sign up for 4.5 instead 5.0 or open.

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  28. Sarosh has got game but,most likely will run into someone who can match up with him at Nationals. John Arvessen from Waco National Championships 4.0 Team Last Year definitely would have pushed Sarosh. People must remember that there are no DQ's at Nationals therefore the Super Stud Self Rated players will come out of the woodwork to show some Domination. My Guess is The Houston Nationals Team will be playing Sunday but will have to shift some smart lineups in the Semis and Finals if they expect to win. Good Luck to Them

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  29. I'll take all the help I can get :) What are some "creative" line-ups I could use? It's easy to get caught in a rut as a captain (I think it hurt my 3.5 team-not using Tongol in singles for example). Seriously, most of you folks know my guys, what potential line-ups do you guys like?

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  30. Nationals and league in general is all about ringers. Does Freeman have enough? Besides Ahmed and maybe Jason Kern he seems to be lacking that that department. That won't bode well. Only cheaters prosper in league.

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  31. Not to blow the sail out of Freemans Team but there are 27 Self Rated players who are competing at Nationals this Year at the 4.0 Level.

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  32. 17 teams with 27 self rated players is not that bad! It means that on average there will be between 1-2 ringers a team..thats expected at nationals.

    The key would be to use Ahmed & Kern at singles for each n every match. They should be juggled around at line1/line2 singles.

    Like many of you would agree, that all the top 4 teams at Nationals at every level this year has had atleast 2 solid singles players that are like a sure shot win.

    The remaining 3 lines of doubles I guess would be for Freeman to decide and put his best combo's with the best record this season.

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  33. I think it's a stretch to say that Kern is a sure-win. Just my opinion.

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  34. The only sure thing at Nationals is that there isn't a sure win unless you're at least 1 1/2 levels above where you're playing (ala Trent Broach). Everyone thought Freeman was a sure win at 3.5...

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  35. When I say 1 1/2 levels, I don't mean 1.5 rating levels implying that Trent was a 6.0 on last year's 4.5 team. I meant he is probably realistically a mid 5.5 player.

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  36. Freeman,
    I think you should play that Goldberg guy a lot.It would probably be in your best interest.
    Kern,Sarosh,Knutson? Come on!

    Signed,
    Anonymous Goldberg

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  37. Jason, my advise to you is to realize there is no such thing as a ringer at Nationals. Not even Sarosh, and I've never seen him play. A ringer, by definition, is supposed to be a sure-win. Every Section is coming with 1-2 ringers who are capable of beating your ringer.

    Sometimes, the best strategy is to target their line 2 singles player and forget about trying to beat their line 1. But that means you need to be darn sure both your #2 and #3 singles player can beat their #2 singles player because you pretty much HAVE to split singles at Nationals.

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  38. Clone Goldberg and have him play every line is a sure way to win Nationals. Even if David Hall shows up.

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  39. You can file this under "For What It's Worth", but there are two other Houston-area teams that will be participating in Nationals this next week in Indian Wells.

    Both of Houston's Senior league teams will be competing there, having qualified after some tough matches at the Sectionals in New Braunfels last month.

    Jimmy Kilshaw is the captain of the men's team (MPTC - Kingwood Crushers), while Rox Ann Schanzenbach is the captain of the women's team(MPTC - Texas Split Steps).

    Let's wish them well!

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  40. I'm sure that after the 3.5 team effort at nationals, Freeman recognizes that he probably does not have the ringers (5.0 + type of players) necessary to win 4.0s at nationals.

    His best hope is to roll the lineups and win some 3-2s and get as far as he can. And then find some legit ringers for next year.

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  41. Yeah when Tim Green protests himself down to 4.0 Freeman will be in business there.

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  42. Tim lost all of his matches at Sectionals, he will be lucky to be 4.0 next year.

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  43. To all the guys who are giving Tim a hard time about Sectionals losses, get your ass out there and compete at play 4.5 Sectionals. Totally different than the local 4.5 tournaments. The quality of players is more Major Zone and better than what you see locally. So unless your playing and competing with Tim side by side, don't throw out the bull.

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  44. I have never protested and don't believe I ever will. If I become 4.0 it is because I earned 4.0. For the record...I officialy had one loss at Sectionals. I won one match, lost one match and won another by default. I played two major tournaments this year. Was a finalist at Abilene and won the Coke. Safe to say I will not be 4.0 next year. We will see however. Does my game really look like I should be bumped down a level? At least my golf game has improved.

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  45. Just stumbled across this petition to eliminate DQ of computer rated players. http://www.ustapetition.com/

    Thoughts?????

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  46. It would probably prevent people from dropping games or even matches.

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  47. "His best hope is to roll the lineups and win some 3-2s and get as far as he can"

    I think this sounds good. It seems like you have good depth like the 3.5 team although I would be surprised if you don't get a singles match each time out. I think getting out of that initial Fri/Sat flight will be an accomplishment. I noticed two of the three teams in your flight have had one DQ player so at least you won't see those two "ringers." Best of luck.

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  48. Tim is right, it was Red that lost ALL of his matches at Sectionals. He will be 4.0 next year.

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  49. Yeah how convenient that Benzon lost all the 4.5 matches at sectionals, after getting rated 5.0 mid year due to his playing with ringers on his 5.0 team.

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  50. Red went 1-3 at Sectionals. He got Bumped up midyear to 5.0 because he won Waco Major Zone in singles and Beating some mediocre 5.0's in League,Big Deal. He's a low 4.5 that can't even beat anyone on Freeman's 4.0 Team.

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  51. There are legitimate complaints about Red and Tim...but 90 percent of the stuff on here about them is bullshit and the legitimate complaints lose their meaning with so many ridiculous comments.

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  52. Well said. You just come across like a jeolous prick and stupid comments like that totally invalidates anything else you say.

    EVERYONE knows Red couldn't beat anyone on Freeman's 3.5 team :-)

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  53. Funny thing is Freeman's 3.5s are tough especially Ismael but in Doubles Red is above all of Freemans elite players

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  54. When Red is playing well he is very formidable singles player. His expertise as a doubles player is unassailable.

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  55. Red sucks so give me a break. Hell he needs to lose weight like no tomorrow.

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  56. You're starting to sound like the dumb ass who was so obsessed with Hall. In my opinion, Red has probably lost a step as of late but he's still at the top of the 4.5s. I'm happy for Red - it only means that he's content with his life and has priorities other than tennis. I'm sure this post will find some critics jumping on the opportunity to bash Red once again and so be it. Red has his faults - we all do - but through it all, I've never witnessed him to be the bitter, angry, sour person that has so frequently been displayed on this blog.

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  57. Ok - I've never posted anonymously before so why start now. I guess I was paranoid that people would criticize me for defending Red - guilt by association. Well, that's fine if they want to. I've got my own advocates and advesaries and I know that nothing that is said on this blog will change anyones opinion on any of it.

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  58. When do the Year End Ratings come out? I see that alot of people playing this Fall League with there New Mid Year Ratings,do you think that some of these ratings will be altered Year End. For Example Putterman,Weingeist,Cuesta,Phillips who dominated at Sectionals. Just wondering.

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  59. They'll be out in 4-6 weeks. No telling what will happen. Ought to make for some good blogging.

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  60. To win 4.0 Nationals play that Brian Goldberg dude. I am awesome at singles and doubles. I mean that Brian Goldberg dude is awesome.

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  61. FYI: Red didnt win a major zone this year in singles. He is a really good player, but unfortunately cannot hang for more than 1-2 matches per day, especiall in the heat.

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  62. Red did win a major zone in singles. He won the BUCCANEER DAYS ADULT major zone in Corpus at 5.0 singles. He is a very good singles player when he wants to be. Most people do not know that about him. He just does not desire to play singles as much as doubles on a regular basis.

    Tim Green

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  63. Freeman's 7.5 combo team beat SETX 2-1 today and the Copperfield 8.5 team picked up a loss.

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  64. Truth about Red is that he owes money to everyone in Houston. That is the reason why he does not play a lot of tennis tournaments because players like Cong are looking for him.

    Red may be a nice guy, but if he asks you to borrow money or bet on football just tell him no.

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  65. Any more results from combo?

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  66. Does anyone know if anyone on Freemans team is not making the trip to Tucson due to lack of playing time. Seems like its gonna be a Hard Rotation for Freeman to come up with. With Kern and Sarosh and Janek and Knutson that seems pretty tough but they are gonna have to play tough in the Doubles.

    Coming Back with Some Hardware?????

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  67. I heard everyone's making the trip UP to AZ. Tough to say whether they're all going to find playing time up there unless Freeman/Urtis post something. I took a glance at their pool and wonder if Florida and NorCal are as tough as they are reputedly in general (i.e. those two states are typically powerhouses when it comes to tennis).

    If so, they're going to have some fun...

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  68. Let the rumors begin!

    There are no last minute surprises at this point about next weekend.

    The full roster that committed to going will be there.

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  69. The entire roster is comfortable with their rolls this weekend; everyone wants the same thing and this group of guys has never (and won't) give me any grief about playing time. All of that type of information was covered when I had the conversation with each person before giving out the team number in February.

    There will be no surprises. It should be fun!

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  70. I overheard from someone that Goldberg guy is playing GREAT! I hope he can find some playing time.

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  71. If we clinch our pool on Friday Goldberg "might" see some playing time at line 3 singles on Saturday :)

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  72. Sarosh is a pusher. no serve. no forehand. not that great.

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