tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66257101237240170272024-03-14T02:57:31.482-05:00Houston League Tennis BlogNews and information about Houston's USTA Men's Tennis leagueHtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.comBlogger383125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-10778233810734149132014-08-04T07:24:00.000-05:002014-08-04T13:17:38.707-05:00Another Tucson Trip for FreemanThere was great drama at High Point on Sunday morning as the Unicorns and Hurricanes battled for the fourth time this season, with a trip to Nationals on the line. The Unicorns were without perhaps their best player, Olivier Le Coz, who was back in France. They'd handled his absence well all weekend, with Gary Chen and Raul Paniagua filling in well in singles.<br />
<br />
The three doubles lines finished first, with Thang Pham and Byron Hailey winning quickly. Hunter Emmott and Collin Hodge won a competitive match at line one, and Chen and Kevin Nguyen pulled out line 3 doubles in three for the Unicorns.<br />
<br />
Despite the most benign conditions I've seen at Sectionals over the last 20 years or so, cramps played a role in the two singles matches. In both line one and line two, the seemingly fitter guy was victimized. Teenager Biola Kuku's conditioning was tested by grizzled veteran Shishir Mohan, who has a way of extending rallies. The long weekend and hard hitting of Evan Fontenot may have worn down Guage Krask, who fought on gamely after collapsing in pain.<br />
<br />
Both singles went to third set breakers almost simultaneously, and the fortunes of both teams ebbed and flowed. Krask was out to a good sized lead (7-3?) and Kuku and Mohan were seemingly always within a point or two of each other. Honestly, it was hard for me to keep track of both courts. Krask may have had a couple of match points. At one point, I think it was 10-10 on one court and 8-8 on the other. This paragraph was a long-winded way of saying: It could have gone either way.<br />
<br />
As it turned out, both Fontenot and Kuku won their match points almost at the same time, and the Hurricanes won a 4-1 victory that was much closer than that.<br />
<br />
This makes three trips to Nationals for Freeman (and yours truly, record-setting benchwarmer!) in the last four years, truly a record without equal in these (or any?) parts. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com157tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-70755329823293116522014-07-28T08:50:00.001-05:002014-07-28T08:50:24.347-05:00SectionalsI'm not going to do any kind of detailed preview, mainly because I haven't paid close enough attention to know who the strongest teams and hidden players are.<br />
<br />
In 4.0 my perception is that Waco and Austin may be the two toughest (non-Houston?) teams. Unfortunately for the locals, both of those teams ended up in "our" flights. The Unicorns play Austin in their second match on Saturday after a morning match against Midland. One online ratings guru has Midland 4.0's with the highest average DNTRP of any city. Take that for what it's worth.<br />
<br />
The 4.0 Hurricanes open up with Waco Friday morning, bright and early. At one point I had a lot of confidence in this team, thinking it ranked right up there with the 2011 team which finished second in the nation. That was before the Ronnie Cline DQ, injuries and defections all hit at once. It will take a monumental effort to get past Waco and its roster littered with ex-supers, former Juco players and Sectionals veterans.<br />
<br />
I am not privy to the travel plans of all of the 4.5 Hurricanes, but this does not appear to be as strong a roster as some of the previous teams. They open up with Corpus, who usually show up with the same cast of characters while attempting to add a questionable ringer or two. Amarillo may be the team to beat in their flight. Also present is Wild Austin. Interestingly, Andrew Merritt has qualified for both that team and the Austin 4.0 team. I have no idea which team he's declared for, but if it's the 4.5 time, please remove the Austin 4.0 team from favorite status.<br />
<br />
The Good-er Guys ended up in a flight with (usually mighty) Dallas, but may have a chance, as Dallas doesn't appear to be unbeatable. They do have a roster of 26 players, so it's hard to figure out just who their top lineup will be.<br />
<br />
Best of luck to all of the locals. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-23519128807368219302014-07-25T07:48:00.002-05:002014-07-25T07:48:55.848-05:00Don RiosIt is with a heavy heart that I pass along the news about Don Rios. Details are scant, but my understanding is that he was vacationing with his family in Florida and his daughter was in danger in the water. Don saved her, but in the process he drowned. Apparently they were able to get him to a hospital, but his condition was irreversible and his family has decided to let him go.<br />
<br />
Don was a quality player and person and a great family man who will be missed by many. <br />
<br />
Please send your thoughts and prayers to his family. As details emerge regarding funeral arrangements, etc. I will pass them along.<br />
<br />
Give your loved ones an extra hug today. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-80910006479338783712014-07-14T09:11:00.001-05:002014-07-14T09:11:07.551-05:00Yawn.City Playoffs are over. The Hurricanes won both 4.5 and 4.0 again. Also making the trip to Sectionals will be the Good-er Guys and the Unicorns. Apparently the Marnitz-Waters match was a really good one. The Unicorns appeared to be content with the Wild Card slot, as they didn't field a great lineup in the finals.<br />
<br />
There will be some DQ fallout in the coming days. Also, it won't be long until midyear ratings are released, I assume. It's usually right around this time. I have no clue as to whether combo and/or Tri-Level will be using the midyears.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com47tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-66051800794249751032014-05-30T09:25:00.000-05:002014-05-30T09:25:37.381-05:004.0 Wild CardDoes ANYONE know the format of the 4.0 playoffs? I tried to search the HTA website, but that always seems like a fruitless endeavor for me. Early in the year, someone told me that there would be two wild card teams, based on percentage (of lines won? of games won?).<br />
<br />
Anyway, one of the more interesting results from last night was the Unicorns 3-2 win over a bad Sugar Creek team. One of the Unicorn lines lost was due to retirement. With the Hurricanes' 5-0 win over Chancellor's last night, the Unicorns are most likely competing for a Wild Card spot, and still have a tough match with Chancellor's on the schedule.<br />
<br />
Teams in the hunt for the Wild Card right now include:<br />
<br />
Shock n Awe 21-4<br />
Thors 19-6<br />
JCC Dudes 19-11<br />
WS Warriors 25-10<br />
Unicorns 24-11<br />
Chancellor's 23-12<br />
<br />
<br />HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com148tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-24947327697937668222014-05-23T13:13:00.000-05:002014-05-23T13:13:08.959-05:00KiserYet another remarkable streak ended last night. Erik Kiser has been playing summer league for three plus years now since moving to Houston in 2011. By my (possibly inaccurate) count, he was 25-0 in the regular season and 5-0 (plus one asterisk match where he was trailing when Connell retired) in City Playoffs.<br />
<br />
That streak came to an end last night as he and Pete Rios fell to Kristian Rodriguez and Srdjan Blum in two close sets as JCC lost a tight 3-2 match with the Good-er Guys. Great win by Blum and Rodriguez. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-82103412035757313062014-05-23T07:07:00.000-05:002014-05-23T07:07:07.448-05:00Week SixI can only speculate on the backroom deals that went into the makeup of the flights in 4.0, but I'm pretty sure a damn good team is going to get left out of the playoffs as a result. Maybe two damn good teams. The three top teams in 4.0 division VI all went into this week at 4-1, 19-6, and that is a fair representation of their relative strengths. They're even. It will be a travesty if only one of these teams makes it to Citywides. <br />
<br />
Last night, the Hurricanes managed to eke out a 3-2 win over the Unicorns. Evan Fontenot was the big story. He had been straight setted by smooth Kevin Nguyen in the first match between these two teams, and lost the first set of their rematch decisively. However, he hung in there, made some adjustments, and won the second and third sets. Olivier Le Coz took down Hunter Emmott in the other singles match in two tiebreakers. There is no 2013 Chris Rossi or 2011 Vu, Rios or Yamaguchi on this Hurricane team, and the singles has suffered against the big dogs (1-5 against Unicorns and Chancellor's).<br />
<br />
I had to work late yesterday and didn't get to see any other results. I heard that the Gooder Guys continued to roll in 4.5. Many people are picking them as the favorites, and I wouldn't bet against them. The Hurricane 4.5 team is not nearly as strong as it has been in past seasons, though it looks as though the roster was strengthened with the additions of Jazz Sulemanji and Arata Yamaguchi. <br />
<br />
<br />HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-81388323861020082422014-05-19T14:04:00.001-05:002014-05-19T14:04:24.952-05:00Tommy ConnellIt probably went unnoticed in last week's results, but Jorge Guerra and Lee Henley beat Tommy Connell and Stephen Ash in three sets at line 1 doubles. Connell, as most of you know, is a nationally (world?) ranked player in his sixties.<br />
<br />
Connell has been playing 4.5 League since 2010 and that was his first legitimate doubles loss in all that time. (He did retire in one city playoff match despite being up a set when his team clinched the victory) Connell's doubles record now sits at 23-1 by my count. Still not too shabby. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-41455517278135537232014-05-16T07:19:00.001-05:002014-05-16T07:19:08.633-05:00Chancellor's!I got to check out a little bit of the Chancellor's-Unicorns 4.0 match last night after my match was over. The Ace-Kings pulled out a 3-2 victory. Neither team appeared to be at 100% full strength, but the level of play was still clearly well above almost all other 4.0 matches. Notable absences included Kevin Nguyen and Eli Harper. <br />
<br />
Chancellor's used Forehand Phuong (Alastair) Le and Jerry Pham as their singles guys. A dozen years or so ago, we all worked in the same complex. I would go running every day at lunchtime and those two were invariably out at the local court, practicing or playing doubles. To be honest, Phuong was not much of a player back then, a guy with a decent forehand and not much else. He's really come a long way as a player, and came up big last night against Varun Gouthaman, who was occasionally serving and volleying. Jerry continues to move so well on the court, and even at age 53 is competitive without much in the way of power. I sure wish I could move like that. Olivier Le Coz had too much game for Jerry last night, however.<br />
<br />
I didn't see much of the doubles, but my impression was that Quan Vu and Jeff Lin won fairly comfortably, and that Calvin Miller and Gauge Krask did the same. Miller and Krask cover a lot of territory at the net. Their convincing victory over Hunter Emmott in week one was certainly not a fluke. At two all, the match came down to captain Lewis Lu's court, and he and Jeremy pulled it out in straight sets, I think. The combination of LLTC lighting, a distant court, and missing glasses made it hard for me to see much of that one. <br />
<br />
It's a bit ridiculous that possibly two of the big three teams in this division will be sitting at home during City Playoffs. The 4.0 Hurricanes dropped at least one line against Sienna last night. At this point, that could come back to haunt them. <br />
<br />
<br />HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-47586313324348183002014-05-09T07:07:00.001-05:002014-05-09T07:07:47.117-05:00Not much to sayI really have nothing to add, but just felt like putting a new post up.<br />
<br />
I'm sure most people were more focused on the NFL draft last night than USTA tennis. Should the Texans go with Derek Carr tonight? I hope people aren't influenced by his brother's stint here. I'm a Texas Ex, but will certainly be pulling for JFF and rooting for the Browns. <br />
<br />
There has been only one interesting result posted thus far: Sugar Creek's 4.5 team continued to roll, beating the Deucebags 3-2. The Dbags continue to use Paul Nguyen in singles, and he was trounced by veteran Thach Ho. I'm surprised that they're using Nguyen while they have David Hall playing doubles. Paul may not be a doubles guy, but Hall is clearly a better singles player. Antoine Ford continued to roll. Nice to see Peter Rothe making a big contribution to Sugar Creek. <br />
<br />
The 4.0 Hurricanes won 5-0 in Missouri City last night. That's the first time I've played there in years and was impressed with the lighting, especially after playing most of my matches at LLTC. It's a nice facility. The host team was very friendly also. Thanks for the beer and the hospitality. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-30632366237157464902014-04-29T07:48:00.001-05:002014-04-29T07:48:53.380-05:00Early ReturnsIt's only April, but here are my (very early) impressions and random thoughts.<br />
<br />
I'm not super impressed with the Hurricanes 4.5 roster, but I can't really figure out who to pick ahead of them. Right now it'd have to be the Good-er Guys. It's nice to see Hai Vu and Phi Huynh playing (and winning) together at 4.5 again. I've heard good things about this Gulzeb Niazi guy. I'm trying to figure out the Deucebags best lineup: Hall and Chavarria in singles? Does Ken Douds have any other roster adds to make? His team has potential, and another guy or two could push it over the edge. The matches this week don't look very exciting/interesting. <br />
<br />
A friend opined that the 4.0 Hurricanes/Unicorns/Chancellor's division has 3 of the top 5 teams in the state. The USTA version of the SEC West, I guess. I think that's going a bit too far, but 3 of the top 10 wouldn't be a stretch. Sienna will try to prove they belong in the conversation this week against Chancellor's. The Hurricanes season was a few points away from ending last week. With only 2 wild cards, an 0-2 record in that division is a death sentence. I was surprised to see the Westside Warriors with an early loss. <br />
<br />
5.0 League sure starts late this year. No matches until next week. Rosters aren't finalized yet, but Westside-Church Group looks strong. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-89175576698349034972014-04-16T11:11:00.001-05:002014-04-16T11:11:52.794-05:00New SeasonIn case you hadn't noticed, I haven't so much as glanced at this blog in months. My interest level in tennis has waned, so I wouldn't expect much updating. That said, the League season has a way of rekindling interest. <br />
<br />
I don't have many thoughts on the new year as I've barely glanced at the rosters. I am going to assume the Hurricanes are the 4.5 favorite based completely on history and without any knowledge. I'd probably put money on it blindly.<br />
<br />
I am somewhat intrigued by the HTA decision to put the Hurricanes, Chancellor's, Unicorns and even Sienna in the same division. From an unbiased perspective I think I like it. It provides competitive matches for those teams almost every week, and also limits the blowouts in the "weaker" divisions as also-rans play each other more frequently. I guess the only negative is that it may result in a really talented team being left out of the playoffs, but given the double round robin schedule, the cream should rise to the top. It should make every week crucial since the second place team may not qualify. Plus, tanking will be virtually eliminated, one would think. <br />
<br />
Best of luck to everyone in the major zone this weekend (too lazy to look up its current name). Feel free to post your bets on the winners. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com99tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-30594151949358820032013-12-02T06:31:00.003-06:002013-12-02T06:31:38.915-06:00RatingsRatings should be released sometime today. HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-47862148425822740652013-08-12T07:40:00.001-05:002013-08-12T07:45:19.882-05:00Category 5As you probably know by now, the Hurricanes won the 4.0 and 4.5 divisions at Sectionals and earned trips to Tuscon. There are so many people who stand out over a Sectionals weekend. Some that caught my eye:<br />
<br />
<b>Green</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The whispers started with his subpar performance in the HTA Open. "Tim shouldn't be in the starting lineup." "Green doesn't practice enough." "He's past his prime.". While it helps having a partner like Bryan Taylor, Green was magnificent this weekend. The duo was not tested, winning all three of their matches handily.<br />
<br />
<b>Lock</b><br />
<br />
After seeing the beatdown this guy gave to the rest of the 5.0 field, it's hard to imagine that he was playing 4.5 just a couple of years ago.<br />
<br />
<b>Mussenden/Martinez</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Where are the singles studs? Who's going to play #2 singles behind Sydney? These are the questions I asked myself all year long. Quietly, Mussenden and Martinez have led the Canes to two straight Nationals trips. Moose destroyed everything in his path this weekend. Any questions raised in his early season loss to Schnyder were answered. Martinez seems to never wilt in the heat, and showed the same guts we saw in City playoffs against Cooper. His record was also spotless until being pulled off the court in the Championship match.<br />
<br />
<b>Coyle/Nguyen</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I definitely weren't expecting them to be fixtures in the doubles lineup in the semis and finals, but they came up big. Nice win over Slezak and Morrison on Sunday.<br />
<br />
<b>The Ringers</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The "ringers" had mixed results. Ringers are hard to define. Let's just say they're guys who rarely get tested and can usually win without too much effort. Bryan Taylor was exceptional. The much ballyhooed Sydney Jim really didn't contribute. On the 4.0 side, Chris Rossi was everything he was supposed to be, and more. He played 6 matches in 3 days, never resting, and never losing. It's nice when you can count on one line as virtually automatic. Ryan Reeves played well, but didn't trample the competition like many expected. His doubles win in the tight finals was key.<br />
<br />
<b>Janek</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
The 57 year old slicer/dicer had a tall task: facing a 22 year old in the midday heat in the Sectional finals. That 22 year old was 18-0 in 4.0 competition this year, including a resounding 3 and 1 win over Janek in the finals at Tyler. After getting trounced in the first set, he pumped himself up, took the second and won an emotional 3rd set breaker to clinch the title. All of his hard work and training paid off.<br />
<br />
<b>Beinart</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Freeman calls them (us) "Thursday night guys", which is not a pejorative term. They're easy to write off. They're not in the lineup on Sunday at Sectionals, but they fill an important role. You need guys who are good enough to win during league season and yet will be realistic about their status as "role players". (Every team has a 12th best player that thinks he's in the top 6) Beinart is the best Thursday night guy in history. I haven't seen another one like him in my 17 years of league tennis at 5.0, 4.5 and 4.0.<br />
<br />
I have a math degree, love sabermetrics and spend half my days on fangraphs and baseball-reference. I believe in numbers and think "intangibles" are generally highly overrated. But when Freeman told me Beinart's cheering may have made the difference in three matches, I believe him. His enthusiasm is infectious, pumps up his teammates and distracts opponents while staying within the boundaries of good sportsmanship.<br />
<br />
<b>Unicorns</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
I thought the Unicorn 4.0 team was the most solid one we faced, perhaps just lacking a dominant singles player to push them over the edge. Freeman and Benzon have raised the stakes here in Houston and others are responding. Houston has to be among the most competitive cities in the nation. City playoffs were tougher for us than Nationals in 2011.<br />
<br />
<b>4.5 Hurricanes</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Just wanted to say I thought it was cool that a bunch of the 4.5 guys hung around Dallas after their finals and came out and supported the 4.0 team. There's not a lot of interaction between different levels, and it showed a lot of class.<br />
<br />
<br />HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-9726381815638395532013-08-08T11:10:00.004-05:002013-08-08T11:10:52.470-05:00Sectionals TalkNo big preview here. I'm sure most people are aware of the Houston teams who will be playing in the Dallas heat this weekend. Will try to post news and notes if possible.<br />
<br />
Best of luck to all the locals. Hope all the top players make the trip.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-39770268487167080862013-07-15T06:54:00.000-05:002013-07-15T06:54:04.665-05:00FreemanCongrats to Jason Freeman for steering two more teams to Sectionals and padding his already impressive resumé. Yes, we all know the Hurricanes were heavy favorites. But upsets happen. See Serena, Wimbledon.<br />
<br />
The 4.5 Hurricanes pretty much waltzed through the field, dropping only one line over the weekend, to Zach Marnitz, who proved he was the real deal by going 3-0 in the playoffs. Say what you want about Freeman and the Hurricanes, but they dominated despite having no self-rated players, and only used Sydney Jim once, in doubles.<br />
<br />
The 4.0 Hurricanes went into the weekend without the services of Ryan Reeves and Bobby Dornbos, (not to mention Chris Babbington) probably two of their top five or six players. Freeman managed to play fourteen players over the weekend, giving playing time to players sixteenth (or lower) on the depth chart. Despite that, the Hurricanes dropped only 3 lines in their 4 matches. While Chris Rossi deserves the MVP award, Brad Beinart deserves honorable mention for his enthusiasm. Every team needs a guy like that.<br />
<br />
It was nice to see Old Schoolers Jody Deluca and Allen Teague continue to grind out victories after all these years. The duo was 2-0 on the weekend. The Good-er Guys win the "biggest disappointment" award, going 2-13 in their three matches and matching Teague/Deluca in total wins.<br />
<br />
Kim Lequoc had a nice weekend before running into the buzzsaw that is Chris Rossi. Garrett Browne and Dang Huynh were dominant in all three of their doubles matches for the Unicorns, as were Zach Salinas and Diego Cairampoma for Copperfield. In fact, Copperfield won just one other line. Phil Kerig made an appearance in singles?? Wasn't expecting that...HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-88568728446129464472013-07-08T07:14:00.000-05:002013-07-08T07:19:49.312-05:00City PlayoffsThere's less than a week for trash talk, speculation, accusation and whatever else usually leads up to City Playoffs. The 4.0 festivities begin on Friday evening while 4.5 starts bright and early on Saturday.<br />
<br />
One of the underrated facets of captaining is convincing your players to put things aside and commit to playing in the "big" matches. Teams like the Hurricanes which consist of players plucked from all over often lack that bond that other teams have. There are at least three key players in 4.5 whose statuses are a question mark, at least in my mind. Any time a team has stud players who play one match and get written into a default, you have to wonder just how committed that guy is. The Hurricanes have two such players, Sydney Jim and Bryan Taylor, and if Freeman can get them out there, they give the Canes two huge legs up in any match.<br />
<br />
While I was under the impression that Zach Marnitz had been cleared for play, his 0.0 under "Find a Rating" is curious. Marnitz played 3 high quality 4.5/5.0 types in the HTA Open in April: Hersh Pise, Bryant Mohns and James Bui, winning 2 of 3 and being extremely competitive in the other one. And that was in April...a kid his age could well have improved since then. That said, I don't think he has enough help to make ETU a true factor to win. Silas will have to help. Bear in mind, 4.5 players and captains, that a Wild Card is always a possibility. Second place is worth fighting for.<br />
<br />
The buzz is around the Good-er Guys right now, with many onlookers proclaiming them co-favorites. I'm not totally buying the hype. The Hurricane team made it to the final four in the nation last year with (in my opinion) a much weaker roster. Sure, they haven't shown great strength in singles, but Martinez and Mussenden did just fine last year when asked to play.<br />
<br />
Old School...well, they have a win against the Canes as well as a ton of experience. They won't be an easy out.<br />
<br />
Admittedly, I often look at things through a Hurricane prism, which hopefully is understandable. In 4.0, when looking at the Canes' flight, I have to wonder: How many players from the other rosters could make Freeman's rotation? Copperfield: Salinas for sure. After that? Solis? Orchard? Westside: Hobbs and Gomes probably. Anyone else? Corey Kruseman may have slipped under some peoples' radars. He was a solid player at Stratford. This team may have some sleepers. For ANS, Madamba, Vargas, Narvarez, Soria and Ye all have wins over current Hurricanes earlier in the year. But the Hurricane summer team will be much stronger than their 40+ team and I don't think ANS has upgraded since then.<br />
<br />
The other flight is much more interesting to me. Lakeside is what we thought they were. Singles is the question mark. Kris Jacobs came up big in the 40+ playoffs against Janek, but also struggled with Madamba. Rutherford was overmatched in the playoffs last year. Soto will have to carry a heavy load.<br />
<br />
I still don't know exactly what the Unicorns have. Saw Sheldon Henderson hitting on a distant court. Looked powerful. We'll see what he's got this weekend. Paniagua is dangerous. He hasn't been used in singles yet this season. Deshazo, Mohan, Lequoc, H. Nguyen, Q. Nguyen...they've got some pieces to work with.<br />
<br />
The Good Guys don't seem to be as strong as last year's team. It will be tough sledding for them. They'll need a clutch performance from the Sandwich Blaster. Sienna is more dangerous than you might think.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-20611686942453179632013-07-04T06:16:00.000-05:002013-07-04T06:16:11.451-05:00Playoff ScheduleThe playoff schedule has been released. In 4.5, teams will play two matches on Saturday, July 13th, and one on Sunday. As I'm sure you know, the four teams who qualified are: The Hurricanes, Enter The Unicorn, Old School and Good-er Guys. Players from several teams were out at Memorial Park yesterday readying themselves for the playoffs.Hopefully everyone will have all of their key players available.<br />
<br />
In 4.0, Flight One consists of: Ace-N-Spinners, Good Guys, Unicorns and Lakeside. The teams in Flight Two are: Hurricanes, Shock-N-Awe, Westside Warriors and Sienna Plantation. Interestingly, the Hurricanes/Sienna and Ace-N-Spinners/Good Guys were in the same flight in the regular season. I'm not sure if this was an oversight or a change in philosophy. Perhaps the flights may be altered.<br />
<br />
The 4.0 schedule has a match on Friday night, two matches on Saturday, and just the Championship match on Sunday.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-36416245457433580072013-06-28T07:09:00.000-05:002013-06-28T07:09:17.893-05:00BewareI actually made it to my first team practice yesterday at LLTC. My weekly doubles game with Pumma, Benzon and Pham had been cancelled this week.<br />
<br />
My tennis during practice was as bad as ever, but even worse was the surprise that awaited me afterwards. A smashed window, and a missing wallet which had been barely visible in a compartment inside.<br />
<br />
I don't know if those cameras in the parking lot are just for show, but the police didn't even bother to come down to the courts.<br />
<br />
The thieves apparently hit every gas station in the area before I got home and cancelled the credit cards.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-79831024228089371832013-06-25T11:41:00.000-05:002013-06-25T11:41:57.122-05:00Only Nerds Will Care, But...So, I had a bunch of free time today and I was looking at the Austin 4.5 league again and I got to thinking: Is it harder to get disqualified from 4.5 this year?<br />
<br />
Obviously, here in Houston we had <a href="http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Main/StatsAndStandings.aspx?t=R-17&search=troy%20toole&OrgURL=http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Common/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Troy Toole</a> but I keep coming back to <a href="http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Main/StatsAndStandings.aspx?t=R-17&search=kevin%20serwatka&OrgURL=http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Common/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Kevin Serwatka</a>, <a href="http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Main/StatsAndStandings.aspx?t=R-17&search=tim%20klitch&OrgURL=http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Common/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Tim Klitch</a> and <a href="http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Main/StatsAndStandings.aspx?t=R-17&search=conrad%20ramirez&OrgURL=http://tennislink.usta.com/Leagues/Common/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Conrad Ramirez</a> in Austin, all of whom are self-rates or appeals. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't their records look a lot more impressive than Toole's? I was assured by people in the know that Toole's DQ was 3 strikes related and not a result of self rating too low based on his previous play. Maybe I was misinformed?<br />
<br />
Austin did well at Sectionals in 4.5 last year, going a combined 6-2. Since ratings filter down, you would think they'd be fairly high overall in the capital city.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I looked at every other 4.5 league in the state, and unless I missed something, there hasn't been another 4.5 disqualification other than Troy Toole. Strange.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-59183629025865776412013-06-18T06:54:00.001-05:002013-06-18T06:54:30.054-05:00Back to Our Regularly Scheduled ProgrammingAs you know, I'm frantically trying to change the topic from Sydney Jim so that maybe you'll forget about him, so let's take a look at what's remaining in the regular season.<br />
<br />
The Deucebags and Good-er Guys reported their 5/30 match score yesterday: a 3-2 Good-er Guys win. The Dbags also reported a 3-2 win over the not-so-incredible Hulks.They have a one game lead with their 4/18 match against Copperfield still to be entered. The Good-er Guys also have a match remaining with Copperfield.<br />
<br />
With just one Wild Card in 4.5, the loser of the Dbags/GG division race will have to get past the second place team in the Old School/Hurricanes division. Old School sits at 8-1 and has a big edge with a 34-11 record. If they are swept in their last match and both the Dbags and GG sweep their Copperfield finales, that puts OS at 34-16 and GG at 27-13. Hmmm...I'm figuring this out even as we speak, so I probably have made an error or am not understanding the situation properly, but that would give OS a .680 winning percentage and leave GG at .675.<br />
<br />
Has Old School clinched? Of course, the other possibility, unlikely as it may seem, is that Old School beats the Hurricanes in their rematch and also the Hurricanes drop a bunch of other lines in their matches with the Gautamizers and Gypsies, opening the door for the DBags or GG.<br />
<br />
The third possibility is that somebody somewhere gets DQ'd and it changes the standings around for one of the aforementioned teams. Again, not very likely.<br />
<br />
Somebody correct me if I've made any errors here.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-24375367316126913522013-06-08T16:18:00.002-05:002013-06-10T08:53:09.783-05:00Troy TooleWe had a 4.5 DQ.<br />
<br />
Troy Toole, of the Good-er Guys, who was a self rate and had played 4 matches, 3 at line 3 doubles and one at line 2 doubles. Not exactly a high risk DQ, one would think. But as you know, the computer sometimes has a mind of its own.<br />
<br />
I quickly looked him up on that <a href="http://houstontennis.blogspot.com/2013/05/how-did-i-not-know-about-this.html" target="_blank">ratings website I mentioned</a> last week, and he was listed at 4.48 (through matches of 5/17), so he was in the danger zone. It adds some credence to the algorithm being used by that website, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
The DQ moves the Deucebags into first place, and drops the Good-er Guys to 5-1. I'm guessing that he was playing in the rain interrupted match between the two teams, but I have no knowledge of that. It definitely makes the Wild Card race interesting. The Good-er Guys may end up on the outside looking in, despite a talented roster.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com123tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-68540078688483933572013-06-05T07:24:00.000-05:002013-06-05T07:24:01.186-05:00Wow, What a Slow WeekA quick perusal of the schedule shows only two matches that are marginally interesting. The 4.5 battle between the Hurricanes and Nottingham Forest has playoff implications. The first matchup between the two teams was not all that competitive: a 4-1 win for the Canes with all four wins in straight sets. Still, number one singles between Antoine Ford and Jorge Cuesta was 7-6, 7-5 and Old School did not use Quack Bui in singles, so there is some hope for a closer outcome. Barring a blowout, Nottingham Forest should be in good position to secure the Wild Card spot, unless the Deucebags close like a freight train. The DBags still have 4 matches whose scores have not been reported.<br />
<br />
In 4.0, the Unicorns battle the JCC Dudes. While the Dudes will not catch the Unicorns (barring an unlikely DQ), they are still in contention for a Wild Card, but will definitely need a win to stay in the hunt. Calculations for Wild Card spots may have to take into account the fact that the MD Anderson Tigers dropped out of the league, allegedly in response to a perceived threat from the Unicorns. I'm really not sure of all the details there, as I had been out of the loop. The Unicorns did add unknown Sheldon Henderson this week. Late season adds are always worth extra scrutiny, as many cagey captains try to supplement their rosters right before playoff time.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-18912872787327489112013-05-31T12:05:00.000-05:002013-05-31T12:05:38.621-05:00How did I not know about this?I'm guessing a bunch of you know about this already, but I just found this cool site about <a href="http://www.tennisleaguestats.com/" target="_blank">tennis ratings</a>.<br />
<br />
I quickly looked at the ratings for this year in Houston (basically just checked my own and a few teammates) and it looks pretty accurate at first glance. They have me at 3.75, which seems about right given my mediocre record this year.<br />
<br />
Other tidbits: Ryan Cooper the highest rated player playing out of LLTC this year, barely in 5.0 territory.<br />
<br />
Chris Lee at 4.47, close to 5.0 but still safe.<br />
<br />
Bharath Gururaj honing in on 5.5 territory.<br />
<br />
Anyway, if your Friday is as slow and boring as mine has been, this site might help kill a few minutes.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6625710123724017027.post-83999681635592823732013-05-29T07:18:00.000-05:002013-05-29T07:18:09.387-05:00Winding downThe season is rapidly coming to a close. Remember, players must appear in two matches (one may be a default) to participate in City Playoffs.<br />
<br />
There doesn't appear to be much drama coming down the stretch. The 5.0 Sectionals berth has basically already been decided, with Westside - Church Group having an almost insurmountable lead.<br />
<br />
For me, the story in 4.5 the rest of the way is the Chris Lee situation. There's been talk of him being protested. I have no idea whether that will happen or if it will be upheld, so I will proceed under the assumption that he is legal, will continue to play and all matches will stand. If that is the case, it creates some interesting decisions for Phillip Yang. He's got two matches remaining, both against bottom feeders. He can sit out Lee and win without him, or he could play him, maybe at line 3 doubles, and have him "take it easy", thereby lowering his rating and making him more likely to retain eligibility throughout the playoffs.<br />
<br />
The two other contenders in that division will clash this week. Again, Chris Lee has got to be a consideration for Captains Warren and Ristau. <b>IF </b>he somehow gets DQ'd, perhaps this match ends up deciding the division title. The Wild Card situation is still a possibility.<br />
<br />
The Deucebags and Gooder Guys also have a match with huge implications on the playoff race this week. Have we seen the Deucebags best lineup? Will David Hall be playing singles this week? If my memory is correct, there is only one 4.5 Wild Card this year. Right now, Nottingham Forest looks to be the favorite, but they've still got one match left with the Hurricanes and there are several teams on their heels. A Deucebags win this week would make things quite interesting.<br />
<br />
Not too much intrigue in 4.0. The Good Guys play a surprising Acers team this week. A loss would harm their chances at winning the division and/or getting into City Playoffs via the Wild Card.HtownHackerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12203003267930578792noreply@blogger.com47