Obviously the Sugar Creek loss in 4.5 was the big news last night. What a three horse race it's shaping up to be in that division! Next week's battle between the Mob Squad and Sugar Creek will be a must-see for me.
I'm just looking at the scores now, but I've already noticed a HUGE development in 4.0, as Copperfield has added Cy-Falls star Zach Salinas and Langham Creek's Heath Bromley. One high school coach I spoke with absolutely raved about them. With Daniel Kallus and Mike Salinas manning the singles slot, they have three very good lines. If they add another junior or two, they will be a notch above anyone else in 4.0.
People are telling me that there will be only one Wild Card in 4.0? Is this confirmed? Incidentally, one of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that the number of Wild Cards is not announced before the season starts. Can you imagine if the NFL or MLB did something like that?
Rolido Boys won 4-1 last night and stayed in contention for the Wild Card(s?). Current second place teams with 4 matches recorded: Rolido Boys 14-6, Mob Squad 14-6, RPM 13-7, Sienna 14-6, Phoenix 15-5, Pin Oak 13-7. If there's only one spot, that's quite a dogfight.
The Good-er guys are the surprise of the season in 4.5, and they kept rolling last night, with Jannuzzi's loss to young, talented JT Fischer being the only blemish.
The Blast kept rolling last night, with both singles guys putting up ridiculous double bagels. Don't think I've ever seen BOTH singles guys do that before. If the Jedi Knights ever disbanded, Tom Caine would get a big free agent contract offer.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
This Week's Ramblings
I haven't posted anything since last week. I'd say the biggest news of the week was the Copperfield tournament.The most interesting development, league-wise, was the performance of Greg Nitayamekin. His wins over John Patch and Pete Rios have stamped him as a powerhouse should he decide to qualify in 4.0. The kid plays a ton, and is a really good ball striker. Nice to see his improvement over the last year.
In 4.5 news, I noticed Hersh Pise straight-setted Anuj Singh, one of Copperfield's hot shot juniors. Maybe we SHOULDN'T be putting too much stock in those 3 kids... Matt Schlensker had an outstanding tournament, which should earn him some more playing time in a singles role for the Deucebags.
If I had to submit a ballot of my "top 10" every week, the Westside Black Sheep may have moved up without doing anything. I'm more skeptical about the Copperfield juniors, and with every passing week I get more doubtful that Sydney Jim will play 4.5. Without him, Sugar Creek is certainly beatable.
In 4.0 the team that intrigues me most is the Westside Warriors. They may have snuck up on the Mob Squad in week one, but they obviously have talent, and Etienne will be a tough out for anybody. I'd have to put him at the top of the 4.0 heap until someone knocks him off. I have no idea how good Andrew Nguyen is...but will be surprised if he remains eligible. He self-rated at 3.5...does this offer a little extra cushion for disqualification at the 4.0 level? I wouldn't think so...
I still think the Mob Squad and Hurricanes are the two best 4.0 teams, but Westside and Copperfield bear watching. There's been little news out of Lakeside because, frankly, their roster is not sexy and their division seems weak. Plus, their huge flame-out in the playoffs last year has left many people wondering if their time has passed.
Barring an upset, the 5.0 race may well have been decided last week.
As for this week's matches....yawn.
In 4.5 news, I noticed Hersh Pise straight-setted Anuj Singh, one of Copperfield's hot shot juniors. Maybe we SHOULDN'T be putting too much stock in those 3 kids... Matt Schlensker had an outstanding tournament, which should earn him some more playing time in a singles role for the Deucebags.
If I had to submit a ballot of my "top 10" every week, the Westside Black Sheep may have moved up without doing anything. I'm more skeptical about the Copperfield juniors, and with every passing week I get more doubtful that Sydney Jim will play 4.5. Without him, Sugar Creek is certainly beatable.
In 4.0 the team that intrigues me most is the Westside Warriors. They may have snuck up on the Mob Squad in week one, but they obviously have talent, and Etienne will be a tough out for anybody. I'd have to put him at the top of the 4.0 heap until someone knocks him off. I have no idea how good Andrew Nguyen is...but will be surprised if he remains eligible. He self-rated at 3.5...does this offer a little extra cushion for disqualification at the 4.0 level? I wouldn't think so...
I still think the Mob Squad and Hurricanes are the two best 4.0 teams, but Westside and Copperfield bear watching. There's been little news out of Lakeside because, frankly, their roster is not sexy and their division seems weak. Plus, their huge flame-out in the playoffs last year has left many people wondering if their time has passed.
Barring an upset, the 5.0 race may well have been decided last week.
As for this week's matches....yawn.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Week Four Results, please learn to park
So Week 4 got played somehow without issue. The weather looked a bit-iffy at LLTC as did the parking tonight. Who is this bendeho in the cheap Bemer? Look folks, we all rush from work/school/home and fight traffic to get to limited parking only to find this asshat parked across two of the front spots. Please.
Anyways,
Here are the results as the pour in ---
Good-er Guys squeaked by Hurricanes 4.5 in a tight one.
Lakeside rolled over Clambakes 4-1
Hurricanes 4.0 rolled 4-1
Any other drama tonight? Rumor has it from high sources that the CuField Juniors are the real deal. Let's see if they can nut up come July.
Happy trash talking.
Please also recall that this Sunday is mother's day. We all probably have someone to call/hug/whatever, so do it.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Week Four
Roster additions have certainly slowed down, although Odion Dibua joining the Copperfield team certainly made waves this week. How good are their juniors? I honestly thought Sugar Creek might end up with Odion and that their roster might end up being strong enough to make it to Nationals. That still may happen, of course, but now the big question is: just how good are those juniors that Copperfield added this year? Sugar Creek may have a legitimate hurdle in its quest for Dallas.
In other news, we already have our first DQ, as 4.0 player Vijaysimha Chitiyala from JCC was the victim. His team was not a legitimate threat, and his record (all playing #1 doubles) will not dazzle you.
Anybody know the story behind the dispute of Copperfield Shank and Whiff's (4.0) 3-2 win over Lost Forest last week?
On to this week's matchups: The biggies, as I see it, are: The two undefeated Copperfield 4.0 teams do battle. I wonder if Kallus will be in the lineup? LLTC Mob Squad 4.0 heads to West Side to take on the undefeated division leading Spin Doctors. I would expect the Squad to bring out all of their big guns with their backs to the wall.
The 4.5 schedule is fairly tame. Ward Jannuzzi, Chad Henagan and the Good-er Guys will face the 4.5 Canes. I haven't heard any news on when last week's Hurricane-Blast match will be completed, but these things usually drag on. Wow...that's it as far as remotely interesting matches (at least to me). I guess the surprising 2-1 Clambakes also deserve a mention as they face Lakeside Country Club. Lakeside looks like they may struggle to secure a playoff spot this year, so every line may be important.
Big matchup in 5.0 as prohibitive favorites Copperfield take on WillowFork-Hawaii 5.0, who are also undefeated.
Discuss.
In other news, we already have our first DQ, as 4.0 player Vijaysimha Chitiyala from JCC was the victim. His team was not a legitimate threat, and his record (all playing #1 doubles) will not dazzle you.
Anybody know the story behind the dispute of Copperfield Shank and Whiff's (4.0) 3-2 win over Lost Forest last week?
On to this week's matchups: The biggies, as I see it, are: The two undefeated Copperfield 4.0 teams do battle. I wonder if Kallus will be in the lineup? LLTC Mob Squad 4.0 heads to West Side to take on the undefeated division leading Spin Doctors. I would expect the Squad to bring out all of their big guns with their backs to the wall.
The 4.5 schedule is fairly tame. Ward Jannuzzi, Chad Henagan and the Good-er Guys will face the 4.5 Canes. I haven't heard any news on when last week's Hurricane-Blast match will be completed, but these things usually drag on. Wow...that's it as far as remotely interesting matches (at least to me). I guess the surprising 2-1 Clambakes also deserve a mention as they face Lakeside Country Club. Lakeside looks like they may struggle to secure a playoff spot this year, so every line may be important.
Big matchup in 5.0 as prohibitive favorites Copperfield take on WillowFork-Hawaii 5.0, who are also undefeated.
Discuss.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Third Week
It looks like things are pretty uneventful this week. Hurricane 4.5 and JCC Blast is probably the feature attraction, while the Deucebags-Ssshhhwings match may also be interesting.
I took a quick glance at the rosters. A few interesting additions but nothing mind-blowing: The Clambakes have added Anthony Jones. Hurricane 4.5's added Hersch Pise. Jedi Knights added talented old-timer Steve Wedderburn. Mob Squad 4.0 added Edgar Dean, and Copperfield 4.0 added Daniel Kallus, who makes them very dangerous.
I took a quick glance at the rosters. A few interesting additions but nothing mind-blowing: The Clambakes have added Anthony Jones. Hurricane 4.5's added Hersch Pise. Jedi Knights added talented old-timer Steve Wedderburn. Mob Squad 4.0 added Edgar Dean, and Copperfield 4.0 added Daniel Kallus, who makes them very dangerous.
Friday, April 27, 2012
A Trip to the Courts.
I took my maiden voyage to the league tennis courts this year as I headed down to Chancellor's to watch the 4.5 matchup between the Mob Squad and the creatively-named Lakeside-Men 4.5. It was nice to see so many old friends and, momentarily at least, the competitive tennis had me longing to play. I'm sure it'll pass.
It was a must-win for Louis Lu's team, and Lakeside accommodated by not traveling with their two best doubles players, Glenn Wright and Tommy Connell. The singles matchups were juicy and as expected: Hung Nguyen v. Don Rios and the battle of the Buis. It was my first real look at Hung Nguyen. He's very smooth with that backhand slice, moving it around the court nicely and mixing in a number of well-disguised drop shots with it. As usual, Rios was hitting some powerful forehands, but Nguyen won a first set tiebreaker and seemed to gather steam in the second, cruising to a straight set win. I had given Quack a slight edge over James in the other singles match, and it certainly isn't the first time I was way off on my predictions. James won fairly handily, and in the nick of time, as he seemed to cramp on the very last point. There aren't a lot of quick points when you play Quack.
Chancellor's broke out a couple of new players last night: former 4.5 Fall Fest singles winner and Texas Sectionals doubles champ Huy "DJ" Pham teamed with longtime friend Tuan Tran to take down veterans Wooten and Sanford, and Gerald Evert (not to be confused with Gerald Levert of "Casanova" fame) and Huy Nguyen downed 4.0 Hurricane alums Eddie Perdomo and Bill Morris. Lakeside's lone victory came when ex-Mobber Chantz Chanthanalay and newcomer Frank Edwards took down Alex Chang and Charles Nguyen.
The 4-1 win was much-needed for the Squad, and it appears Lakeside will be behind the eight ball for a while in their quest for the playoffs.
I haven't heard much other news from around the league. A couple of nuggets that jumped out at me in looking at "box scores":
The next time someone tries to tell you how tough tournaments are in comparison to League, please give them a hearty belly laugh. Alastair Le waltzed to a 7-0 record in the "Coke" 4.0 division, the areas most difficult and prestigious tournament. He is now 0-2 on the season on Thursday nights.
The "Good Guys", who seem to have a solid team, posted a convincing win last night. They have a player who self-rated 3.5, Andrew Nguyen, who moved to 12-1 in 2012 last night with a resounding double bagel win. Might be someone to keep an eye on.
It was a must-win for Louis Lu's team, and Lakeside accommodated by not traveling with their two best doubles players, Glenn Wright and Tommy Connell. The singles matchups were juicy and as expected: Hung Nguyen v. Don Rios and the battle of the Buis. It was my first real look at Hung Nguyen. He's very smooth with that backhand slice, moving it around the court nicely and mixing in a number of well-disguised drop shots with it. As usual, Rios was hitting some powerful forehands, but Nguyen won a first set tiebreaker and seemed to gather steam in the second, cruising to a straight set win. I had given Quack a slight edge over James in the other singles match, and it certainly isn't the first time I was way off on my predictions. James won fairly handily, and in the nick of time, as he seemed to cramp on the very last point. There aren't a lot of quick points when you play Quack.
Chancellor's broke out a couple of new players last night: former 4.5 Fall Fest singles winner and Texas Sectionals doubles champ Huy "DJ" Pham teamed with longtime friend Tuan Tran to take down veterans Wooten and Sanford, and Gerald Evert (not to be confused with Gerald Levert of "Casanova" fame) and Huy Nguyen downed 4.0 Hurricane alums Eddie Perdomo and Bill Morris. Lakeside's lone victory came when ex-Mobber Chantz Chanthanalay and newcomer Frank Edwards took down Alex Chang and Charles Nguyen.
The 4-1 win was much-needed for the Squad, and it appears Lakeside will be behind the eight ball for a while in their quest for the playoffs.
I haven't heard much other news from around the league. A couple of nuggets that jumped out at me in looking at "box scores":
The next time someone tries to tell you how tough tournaments are in comparison to League, please give them a hearty belly laugh. Alastair Le waltzed to a 7-0 record in the "Coke" 4.0 division, the areas most difficult and prestigious tournament. He is now 0-2 on the season on Thursday nights.
The "Good Guys", who seem to have a solid team, posted a convincing win last night. They have a player who self-rated 3.5, Andrew Nguyen, who moved to 12-1 in 2012 last night with a resounding double bagel win. Might be someone to keep an eye on.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Week Two
I've scanned the rosters and haven't seen many interesting additions since last Thursday. The rumor mill is awash with some big names and/or promising juniors being added in the coming weeks. Am I the only one who doesn't like the 18 year old rule? I wonder if there's any chance it gets abolished. Doubt it...more potential players equals more league fees I guess. Maybe I'm cynical in my old age.
Haven't really looked at the schedule too closely. The only match I'm aware of, honestly, is the one between Chancellor's and Lakeside in 4.5. The singles match-ups could be intriguing in that one, as I assume Lakeside will use Q. Bui and Rios, perhaps against two of Hung/Dat/Huy? In any event, I think both singles lines could go either way. Other than Connell and Wright, nothing really wows me about Lakeside's doubles. This one should be closely contested.
4.0 is interesting in many ways this year, due to the number of divisions. With 7, I am assuming that perhaps there will be just 3 wild card teams. Now, I haven't looked at the divisions closely, but in my mind clearly LLTC-Mob Squad and Westside Warriors are two of the top teams in the city. However, if there are some divisions with a couple of horrible teams, some less deserving second place team may swoop in and steal a wild card from one of those teams. LLTC still has a chance for revenge, but the 4-1 loss makes sweeping some of the also-rans highly desirable.
Haven't really looked at the schedule too closely. The only match I'm aware of, honestly, is the one between Chancellor's and Lakeside in 4.5. The singles match-ups could be intriguing in that one, as I assume Lakeside will use Q. Bui and Rios, perhaps against two of Hung/Dat/Huy? In any event, I think both singles lines could go either way. Other than Connell and Wright, nothing really wows me about Lakeside's doubles. This one should be closely contested.
4.0 is interesting in many ways this year, due to the number of divisions. With 7, I am assuming that perhaps there will be just 3 wild card teams. Now, I haven't looked at the divisions closely, but in my mind clearly LLTC-Mob Squad and Westside Warriors are two of the top teams in the city. However, if there are some divisions with a couple of horrible teams, some less deserving second place team may swoop in and steal a wild card from one of those teams. LLTC still has a chance for revenge, but the 4-1 loss makes sweeping some of the also-rans highly desirable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)