Love him or hate him, these are the facts:
2004 Mob Squad - Sectional Runner Up
2005 SWAT - Nationals
2006 SA Cambon - National Champs
2007 Hangovers - Sectional Semi-Finalist
2008 Noho Bobo/Teague - Nationals
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Is that for hot dog eating contest?
ReplyDeleteWinning 4.5 league championships with 5.0 and 5.5 players is nothing to be proud of.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Red and team.
ReplyDeletemakes me want to throw up
ReplyDeleteCongrats to Houston for putting two teams into the finals, that is a huge accomplishment. As far as Red goes this was a great win for his team, when you realize that in their first match against Davis' Austin team they faced four match points. I spoke to Red a couple of times on Friday, and he was a class act. Good luck at Nationals representing all of Texas.
ReplyDeleteRed you should make a 4.0 team next year. I think a lot of people would like it.
ReplyDeleteQ: How many d1 players does it take to make it to nationals?
ReplyDeleteA: 3 Wanja(Lamar) Ford(Prarie View A&M) Heim(Tulane)
2 of the teams that Red has played on that went to nationals were stacked with satellite or nationally ranked d2 and d1 players. If you aren't cheating you aren't trying.
Mike Miller
Q: If your team could get D-1 players onto the team your are playing for without breaking the rules would you go for it?
ReplyDeleteA: Absolutely!
Sour Grapes my friends. Whatever your take on Red is, he's found the guys he needed on his team and done so within the system. If Kingwood, Austin, Dallas, etc. could have gotten all three of those players are you telling me they wouldn't have jumped at the chance to grab them? If you've gotta hate, hate the system of letting these guys play in 4.5.
Kingwood just overmatched today and the previous threads rang true about them not having strength in singles.
Good luck Houston - represent us well!
Odd comment coming from someone who will pair themselves with Alann Torres who is no different than Benzon. I guess there is a little bitterness since Torres didn't pack their team with the ringers to win this year, he is saving them for next year.
ReplyDeleteI heard a rumor that Kingwood offered Bobo a chance to play head to head with Hurlbert and Armstrong, but Bobo would not take the offer. Can someone from Houston or Noho that was there tell us if that is true of fiction?
ReplyDeleteIs the rumor true that Kingwood offered Bobo a chance to play Hurlbert and Armstrong, but he refused. Can someone from Houston or NOHO tell us if that is true or fiction?
ReplyDeleteDoes it really matter that Bobo did not take the mano-a-mono challenge? Seems like Bobo made the right move and has a plane ticket to book.
ReplyDeleteTwo years in a row I have watched this blog kissing ass to the Kingwood crew (and they are good, don't get me wrong), but they never bring home the trophy in the end.
Anyone remember Jim Kelley and the Buffalo Bills back in the 90's?
Same ole' shit as Kingwood. Cleans up in the regular season and does well in divisional playoffs and then chokes in the big game.
We all know Red is a sly do anything to win guy, but that is what it takes as the blog author pointed out.
Maybe Red should give a tutorial to the other captains on how to scout and recruit talent?
And people bitching about him using former D1 players, yes but they were people moved DOWN from 5.0 during 2007. I guess only Red does his homework. Antoine got bumped from 5 to 4.5 in mid-year 2007 by the computer. There is no hiding and cheating going on there.
You other guys are just pissed you missed him and Red got him.
BTW the 5.0 team which Red was on in Houston is going to Nationals as well. Way to go Red I'm sure they are heavily loaded as well. Alim Mambetov/Otis Sadler these guys are 5.5 for sure. FYI Houston OPEN Team is going to Nationals as well. 4.5/5.0/Open all going to Nationals. Way to go HTOWN !!
ReplyDeleteMike don't be mad that Benzon has benchmark and computer rated players that you don't have. Don't get mad that you couldn't hold it together in the deciding match against NOHO on Saturday afternoon. Don't get mad that Benzon's Team has knocked you out 3 yrs in a row. Maybe one year you can Captain a Team that will make it to Sunday at Sectionals. I'm almost Certain you won't make it next Year either so do us a favor and sit out next year and start planning for 2010.
ReplyDeleteso it would be nice to see the self-rate forms that Wanja and Heim filled out to get their 4.5 ratings because they lied to get the 4.5 and then played close enough to keep a computer rating and make them untouchable.
ReplyDeleteThey must be real proud going from being a D1 player to playing a bunch of weekend hacks.
Congrats to Red on once again bending the rules but not quite breaking them.
I think all teams were pretty evenly matched up on Friday/Sat. Our team could have easily been 2-0 after Friday had we been more match tough. You have to step up in sectionals and we failed to finish Bobo off in the tiebreaker after being up 9-5. My former team also lost to his Houston team a few years ago in the finals by a tough tiebreaker. Bottom line, there will always be someone to push the rules. The problem lies in the USTA not forcing the same rules for all areas to follow.
ReplyDeleteDoes everyone dislike Red and Bobo? Let it go, tennis is all they have.
ReplyDeleteAs slimy as Benzon and Bobo are, I agree that the USTA is also at fault for allowing this ridiculousness to continue. Don't have th self rate rules if they don't mean sh-t. Benzon gets away with this crap every year and the USTA has no interest in enforcing their own rules. Division 1 players playing 4.5 is a joke and everyone knows it but Benzon and Co. will always do it its time for the USTA to get involved.
ReplyDeleteHAHA at any point expect tim green to chime in here and say, oh all you guys just don't know what a true 4.5 is. He probably watched the Murray Djokovic match yesterday thinking about what solid 4.5's they were.
ReplyDeleteThe rating system is at fault, team captains have just figured out the system and they are using it to their advantage, just like every other USTA section does. ALL TEAM CAPTAINS that have advanced far in Sectionals and on to Nationals are guilty of it.
ReplyDeleteLost Forest is a good example this year: Otis Sadler is not a 5.0 player, but the rating system bumped him down to 5.0, so Lost Forest would have been stupid not to use him. IF he had been bumped down to 4.5, all the 4.5 captains would have been in a frenzy trying to recruit him.
well do not worry, judging by some of the 5.5 guys at sectionals this past weekened, 4.5 might be getting tougher in about 2-3 years with former touring pros Tres Davis and Jack Brasington both rated 5.5. Look for Benzon and Davis to make pushed for these guys in the next year or so to get them down to 4.5. ;)
ReplyDeleteoops wrong Brasington, but just replace him with G. Oliver
ReplyDeleteIts funny bc Red is the first one to protest against any team with a ringer, but he also bring in his own.
ReplyDeleteBenzon has some sort of connections at USTA, becuase I have noticed the exact same thing. He protests left and right, but he has all the illegal players and if you protest his nothing happens. Last year in 5.0 was a good example. He had a 4 year starter at lamar who just graduated self rate illegally at 5.0, but he was able to get 3 guys punished on a rival 5.0 team who had lesser credentials. its time for the USTA to change the system to eradicate tanking illegal self rates etc.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a legitimate reason to protest someone getting in your way to Nationals, you guys would do it too. Red is good at finding players that not able to be protested.
ReplyDeleteCould this be it?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Wanja lost 3 games total in the semi and the final should send a clear message to HTA, USTA-Texas and the sectionals chair. Based on the results from his opponents previous results.
ReplyDeleteHow about Phillipa Palmer on Red's 9.0 mixed team playing as a 4.5 female. She played Fed Cup for Ireland 3-0 record. I played against her. She's better than most 4.5 guys.
ReplyDeleteGood try - totally unrelated
ReplyDeleteWell file a grievance with the USTA if you have a problem with Philipa Farmer. If she has a computer rating then I doubt you get anywhere with it, but you will not know unless you do it.
ReplyDeleteThe Answer: Verifiers at all Championship events after Local Playoffs. ie. Sectionals and Nationals. In addition to running computer after EVERY round (including Finals) WITH Disqualification.
ReplyDeleteseems like Heim, Wanja, and Snyder were the best players in singles judging by their records. Dibua would have to be a close 4th.
ReplyDeleteAdd Jeremy Stone to that mix. Looks like Rusty "wasted" him this year after all of that planning.
ReplyDeleteIt's the captains/players fault that Wanja was able to play 4.5. He started playing league in 2005. There was definitely self-rating back then and the profiling which would have dropped him into 5.5 had he self-rated correctly. Since noone protested him then it's too late to cry about it 3 years later. You've got to do it the year the player enters the system. Tosha doesn't care if they lied or cheated to get in, after the fact.
ReplyDeleteSo - what up with Freeman's Canes?
ReplyDeleteCanes actually won more lines than Dallas - except for when it counted.
ReplyDelete4 3rd set TB's OUCH
ReplyDeleteHow come HTOWN wasn't in there????
ReplyDeleteFreeman is going to lose all his ringers like Naranjos and Pritula and Martinez to 4.5 next year. You can probably add Strasser to that mix also. Him and Dwyer will cook something up though and be loaded with 4.5's again next year.
ReplyDeleteMy memory may be faulty, but I seem to remember that Wanja had a computer rating in 2005. I can't remember if it was generated from a mixed league or a tournament. Again, I may have mis-remembered.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I really didn't think he was way out of level at that time. He and Red played Ted P. and Thang P. in some practice matches that year and lost, so it appeared at that time he was a 4.5 player, even though he was playing DI
No Mixed or Tourney play for Wanja. He entered the league in 05 then his first tourney was Waco in June. Doesn't matter what his play was like - he should have self rated as a 5.5 player based on playing for a D1 team. ie. he lied to get a 4.5 rating.
ReplyDeleteWill Freeman put together his same 4.0 team from 2007? Was that team better than his 2008 4.0 team and just bad luck not to advance?
ReplyDeleteDwyer you think atp ranked players like Farzad heidari are 4.5 players. Have You and your buddies Benzon and Green ever thought someone wasn't a 4.5. Sorry if I find your 4.5 analysis laughable.
ReplyDeleteRed's record? How bout Wanja? Since he started playing league:
ReplyDelete2005 - nationals
2006 - national champs
2007 - didn't play
2008 - nationals
Wanja's league record in 2005 when he was a legitimate 4.5 player:
ReplyDelete6-2, 6-1
6-1, 6-3
I guess he has improved since he only lost 3 games total in Semi's and Finals.
Gotta hand it Red though. He got his team to the dance w/o wanja.
ReplyDeleteYeah 4 years of Division 1 training, and it all culminates with USTA 4.5 national championships. How sad for everyone involved. Heim and Wanja are losers, not winners.
ReplyDeleteNope - the losers (literally and figuratively) are the captains who missed their opportunity to protest him in 2005. He even posted a 5.0 win that year.
ReplyDeleteActually Wanja played tournaments in 2004 at the 5.0 level and got a computer rating of 4.5 as a result and was "unprotestable".
ReplyDeleteCheck tennisinformation.com to see his 2004 tournament results. It was widely known in 2005 that he played for Lamar, so numerous captains would have protested had he been a self-rate.
Forget about Red and his players, how about the fact that Red flew someone who was not on his team (and was not a 4.5 player, played open) and snucked him into a match in sectional on sunday. This happened a few years ago and they still loss. You figure out the year and the team.
ReplyDelete5.0 Housotn
ReplyDelete4.5 NOHO
4.0 Lubbock
Ironic that the hyped Houston 4.0 team did not make it when two other area teams did.
Will the mighty Sarosh get bumped to 4.0 again and head up Freeman's 2009 4.0 team?
ReplyDeleteFoad, please keep your comments on the tourney blog.
ReplyDeleteHTOWN you think you could have taken the guy who took down Martinez?
ReplyDeleteBottom line - Red brought in his secret weapon at the 11th hour and got Wanja qualified to play. Then only brought him out for semi's and finals. W/O Wanja - NOHO goes home.
ReplyDeleteThe guy who beat Martinez may well have been the biggest 4.0 ringer in the state. Dwyer would have gotten smoked.
ReplyDeleteLOL Thanks for the vote of confidence.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think I would have taken the guy Martinez lost to. Ricardo played a great match but just came up short.
So, how does a non-ringer get on a Freeman, Benzon, Bobo team? Becasue it sure does sound like a fun team the cheer for and I'd like to go to AZ some day.
ReplyDeleteNon-ringers don't play on their teams. My suggestion is to go to AZ on vacation some time. It would be more fun anyway. Playing at nationals is work if you are there to try to win.
ReplyDeleteJust curious there is a rumor going around that NCAA players can not play USTA Leagues during the season? As such will wanja be eligible to play at Nationals. I had never heard of this rule, but curious if others have?
ReplyDeletePls. Wanja played 2 players who were not top singles players for there designated teams. Look up there records. Charles Allen from Waco and Phi huynh who lost in the Semis to Jeremy Stone 6-0,6,1 in the semis match against Dallas. Anyone of NOHO's singles players could have beaten these players.
ReplyDeleteYes - that is an NCAA rule. In 2005, Wanja was allowed to play because Lamar was out of session due to Hurricane Katrina.
ReplyDeleteHow do you explain Wanja destroying Adrian Hasker and winning an open tournament a few weeks ago?
ReplyDeletethanks for the info. Looks like it may not matter as it appears may have used up his eligibility this past school year. So moot point.
ReplyDeletethanks for the infor again
Jeremy Stone was also an illegal college player.
ReplyDeletesaw an anonymous debunked Stone on the Dallas Blog but he claims he was only a scrub player on Trinity.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Red and his 5.0 team oooops I mean 4.5 team for making it to nationals. I would really like to congratulate Red but it doesn't seem fair that he is allowed to use current and former D1 players to make it to nationals. It really shows what class he has.
ReplyDeleteYou will NEVER, EVER find a 4.5 team that hasn't made it to Nationals (Men's and Women's) without current or former D1 or D2 players. Look at the 4.5 Women from Midland. They basically won it on the backs of 3 players - all college players.
ReplyDeleteStone is computer rated even back in 2003 as a 4.5
ReplyDeleteI understand that you will never find a team that hasn't made it to Nationals on the backs of D1 and D2 players. But there are rules that are in place to try and keep things honest and fair. I think there should be some type of punishment for the captains that allow these players to play. The USTA should enforce the rules and at least do background checks for all self rated players that are questionable. This would keep things fair to those of us that are legitimate 4.5 players.
ReplyDeleteAR Hacker -
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that YOUR blog in Arkansas gets NO TRAFFIC and that you have only had 8 comments for the entire year of 2008. 8 all year - no body cares and that must hurt.
What in the world do you care if Wanja can play at nationals - do you think that they are going to ask YOU to play if he can't make the trip or something.
Forget about Red and his players, how about the fact that Red flew someone who was not on his team (and was not a 4.5 player, played open) and snucked him into a match in sectional on sunday. This happened a few years ago and they still loss. You figure out the year and the team.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...and still lost on a Sunday. I looked this up and it appears to be the Mob Squad team. Greg were you captain that year?
Unfortunately sad but true, they have a league for FAIR and LEGIT 4.5 players per the chart.
ReplyDeleteIt's called 3.5 USTA.
Anonymous:
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting my blog it was getting a little dusty. I could care less about Wanja, it was a general question. I am glad you have a man crush on me though. It makes me feel special.
Thanks again for making my visitor counter move to "1"
Would you like a cookie also?
I was not captain that year. Believe it or not, I'm not really one to pat myself on the back. I have probably never said one complimentary thing about myself, as a player or as a captain, on this blog, even when my identity was unknown.
ReplyDeleteI will say this though, I am proud of the way I acted on that day in 2004. I've done a lot of slimy things, but not on that day.
Every player we played in that match against the Valley was legit. On our side at least. Rumor has it that wasn't the case on the other side of the court. But I digress...
I fully believe that ID checks should be done at Sectionals, Nationals and even Citywides.
That's all I have to say on this issue.
Once again, this has become the sounding board for the bitter and uninformed.
ReplyDeleteWanja is computer rated. He had been bumped down to 4.5... Is he better than any 4.5 I have ever seen? Yes. But by the rules, he is a 4.5...
As for the Midland college players, they were rated while playing at JuCo, which means they can be a 4.5...
Smart captains do not use self-rated players. They search for the best players who have been bumped down.
BTW, rumor has it that that it might be a little early to start printing those 2009 San Antonio 4.5 League Champs shirts just yet. It appears there may be a coup de etat with several players leaving Senior Torres' squad.
the Midland Ladies were lucky to Self-rate as JUCO considering one then went to S. Illinois and another played at ACU, I am going to assume the third will be playing at a D1 or D2 once she transfers.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks but unfortunately the captains for the most part are playing by the rules using computer players.
So you are saying that Nico Heidari playing singles for ya'll that day when he wasn't even on that team was legit? What name did ya'll use for him?
ReplyDeleteTorres doesn't need Miller if he sneaks Reid Strand back in as a 4.5. That would be a crime but I think Tosha is on top of things in that area.
ReplyDeleteAnybody want to share some quality moments at this weekends past Sectionals. Lots of Sandbagging but any crazy behavior would be interesting to hear about.
ReplyDeleteJust heard that Miller/Giordanelli are stepping down as Captains and trying to get bumped down to 4.0's Good Luck Michael and Vincent Good for you Guys. After watching Giordanelli play single sat afternoon he should be bumped down to 4.0's.
ReplyDeleteWe need a poll: Scummiest captain
ReplyDeleteAlan Torres
Red Benzon
Tim Green
Greg Dwyer
Rusty Branch
Jason Freeman
Jimmy Kilshaw
You could write a Book about the Crazy behaviour of Chad Hennagan this weekend. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI'd put them all pretty similiar except Freeman he hasn't put a Team to 4.5 Sectionals Yet so he is still safe and isn't into all the crazy tactics that the other Captains listed are. You forgot Bobo/Teague they were the Captains of the NOHO Team that's going to Nationals.
ReplyDeleteChad Hennegan does not Foot Fault he walk faults into the court so he can get the edge. Just ask the umpire about his funny on court antics.
ReplyDeletepredictions: Has Tim Green tanked enough tournament matches to drop to 4.5 for next year? The new out of town rule should keep him and Red from getting on some Super Star team in San Antonio again.
ReplyDeleteWhat captains out there on Non-Sectionals teams are willing to admit that they have former college players on their 4.5 teams? The captains listed above only hear about it because they have winning teams.
ReplyDeleteReid Strand played at Indiana. Chance Morgan played for Southwest Texas. Both of these are D1 schools. Both should be bumped up to 5.0 or 5.5.
ReplyDeleteReid Strand played at Indiana. Chance Morgan played for Southwest Texas. Both of these are D1 schools. Both should be bumped up to 5.0 or 5.5.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Chance, the Houston guys blew their chance of protesting him when he played in 2005 along with Trent Broach.
ReplyDeleteThey are 5.0 now but could easily succumb to the pressures of 5.0 and be back to 4.5 in no time flat.
Chance is still 4.5
ReplyDeleteScum Level
ReplyDeleteTorres = ATP Tour
Red = 5.5+
Branch = 5.0
Green = 4.0
Dwyer = 4.0
Freeman = 3.5
Killshaw = 2.5
Congratulations to both of the Houston teams for finishing the weekend in the finals. I stayed and watched the finals and the thing that looked like it kept Kingwood from being more competitive was at Line #2 doubles Burris played well but they were one 5.0 short on that court, and that turned out to be the rubber match. I had not seen any of the singles players before this weekend. Heim looked like he had the game and maybe another gear even? I thought he was the better player of the 4 sunday. Ford was outstanding against Austin and so I was surprised to see him out of the lineup. I must admit that I had not see Red play much lately, but he was lights out in the first set against Armstrong and Hurlbut. I left that match to go watch some of the others and later heard that Benzon and Deluca had lost 10-8 in the superbreaker. Red, Bobo, and company will represent our section well. Good Luck in Tucson guys. I will try to make it back to see you all next season in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteHeim beat 5.5 rated Chris Faulman in straight sets at the Houston Coke, so yeah I'd say he probably did have another gear. Congratualtion Benzon and Bobo and all your like minded tool captains for continuing to make 4.5 league a sham.
ReplyDeleteThe really tough part of the USTA rating system is that there are 40++ year-old guys playing 20 year-olds on Sunday after a weekend of brutal tennis. I was one of them and I can tell you - the guy I played in the semi-final would have gotten a much better match out of me if we had played on Friday... Sunday is tough on us older guys when we are playing someone half our age! Good luck to the NOHO team and all of the teams representing Texas. Kevin from Waco
ReplyDeleteI want it made clear that at no time did Red have any decision on who played and when for NOHO team at sectionals this weekend. Although he did recruit the players mentioned, Bobo and I discussed all line ups before putting them on the court. Craig and only Craig deserves the credit for putting out a line up that won. Wanja wasn't even there for the first 3 matches and Red was 1-3. So was Antoine.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying having Wanja there on Sunday didn't help but even Red didn't know he was going to be there on Sunday.
NOHO had guys win when they needed to in every match and it's not always about RED or Wanja.
There are other players on this team who contributed to this effort.
Allen
Sorry Allen...I didn't mean to imply that Red was the sole reason for the successes of any of those teams.
ReplyDeleteThis year's Noho team had huge contributions from almost everyone. EVERY line won was crucial on Friday and Saturday, and my hat especially goes off to David Huffman and Andres Ballesteros, who had that clutch win against Kingwood but also another key victory earlier in the weekend. Jody and Allen had a huge win as well.
However, when it comes right down to it, having the singles studs is what sets teams apart, and this team goes nowhere fast without Heim (and Wanja).
Without Red being involved the NOHO team does not even make it to sectionals. Red's shitty sectional record only means he'll be back at 4.5 again next year. Also, I imagine if they don't take Heim and Wanja with them to Arizona you will see a tank fest when they get there.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you see a tank-fest? Other than Heim and Wanja, who would need to tank to avoid a 5.0 rating? Why would they go to Nationals just to intentionally blow matches? I'm sure they would wanna' see how they stack up against the rest of the country.
ReplyDeleteNice try Allen. Without Red bringing the ringers you guys wouldn't have won on the final day. Being up 2-0 in both those final matches by using division 1 players was all the difference. You and Bobo can sit there and act like you guys made all the difference, but the real truth is you had no effect.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Bobo and Whitsett?
ReplyDeleteAnyone want to share what they thought were the biggest/most courageous 4.5 matches this past weekend?
ReplyDeletewith out being there Dibua would have to be the hero on Sunday morning beating Branch.
ReplyDeleteSnyder beating Gonzales to clinch the match for Waco against WC Dallas as well as their #1 & #3 doubles team winning tight 3 setters.
I Agree that Bobo and Teague deserve a lot of Credit for the Captaining and Co Captaining they did at Sectionals this past weekend. Although that is not true that Red had no say so in the Line-ups because BOBO nor TEAGUE have the League experience that Red does. He knows the other Teams better than his own team so save that thought for your Houston Critics. As far as Wanja is concerned he was the Best Player at Sectionals Hands down but NOHO could have won without him but will need him at the Nationals Level in order to Win.
ReplyDeleteBiggest Moment for NOHO was playing against FT Worth Wild Sat. Morning. The deciding match was David Guy playing Barrie cramping and serving 5-6 30 all in the 2nd after losing the 1st in a Tiebreaker and he hits an overhead long and the ball came back popped that would have made it 30-40 but the pt was called a let then replayed at 30 all. After that Guy remained his composure and dealt with the cramps and won 2nd set breaker and 3rd set super tiebreaker. He loses that match NOHO goes home and there would be no Blog talk right now.
ReplyDeleteIts a shame the Mob Squad didn't make the trip. We could have saw 3 H Town teams in the Semis.
ReplyDeleteI would have liked to also have seen the valley players because all we heard about was there phenomenal singles players .
according to my sources vincent giordinelli's days of strong arming the captain to change lineups is over. He has played his last USTA team match. So from of us houston 4.5's we have enjoyed beating your San Antonio 4.5 teams on regularity.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note my sources say allen torres is on his way to putting together another national winning team. Good bye and good riddance Vince G.
San Antonio Who?? Torres can't put together another winning team if he tried. Let's be honest this isn't 2006 anymore.
ReplyDeleteYes Torres is the ultimate sandbagger and I do recall Benzon was on that team allso. I have researched Torrese's cradentials. From 1990 to 2002 Torres played 5.0 league 5.0 tournaments or age or open events. and to my surprise Torres has won 9 Houston Coke Events. 8 Sectionsl Tournament events, and countless other Corpus, Waco, Ft. Worth, Tyler and Alamo City major Zones. He also went to Nat. at 5.0 in 1997. and after sanbagging to get down to 4.5. His first 4.5 team knocked out Carl Beins 10 year san antonio 4.5 city champs. Loosing in the semi's to our Benzon Houston Team. In his second year at 4.5 they won the Nat. championship. So I would not put anything past Torres winning another Nat. Championship...
ReplyDeleteON a side note Benzon and Gutierrez defeated Bramlet and Giordinelli in a deciding league match in 2006 to push san antonio over the top. Good bye and Good ridance Vincent G.
I'm so tired of all you sandbagger Torres never played college ball but could have easily played D1 so he is a sandbagger. Red played college ball and wins when he wants to so he is a sandbager. Vincent giodenelli played D1 and was a junior stand out another sandbagger ..... wanja ford heim yes all sandbagger SO tired of people like giordenelli torrs benzon etc SANDBAGGERS SUX
ReplyDeleteok OUT OF TORRES GIORDENNELI AND BENZON .... GIORDENNELLI IS THE BEST PLAYER . RED AND ALLEN ALWAYS PLAY WITH BETTER PLAYERS . WHERE VINCENT GIODERNELLI PLAYS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MIKE MILLER. SO GIORDENELLI IS THE TRUE SANDBAGGER. RED AND ALLEN JUST FIND A SANDBAGGER TO PLAY WITH. SOUNDS TO ME THAT THEY ARE A LITTLE SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BEAR. as a side note i watched alot of the other teams playing at sectional and dallas, Ft worth , Waco ETC had there share of ringers. that is not gonna change soon we just have to live with it. GOOD BYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE VINCENT G.
ReplyDeleteLOL at Red winning when he wants to. I guarantee he wanted to win more than one match this past weekend.
ReplyDeleteI thought League was about the Team Winning not Individuals. Benzon going 1-3 does not take away from his Team making it to Nationals. If he had not won the 1 match he did his team would not be going to Nationals. NOHO had many contributors over the past weekend. They could have been out after the 1st match but Bobo/Whitsett pulled them Through 4 match pts against them. BENZON/FORD pulled them through the 2nd match. Then David Guy was the Hero of Sat.Afternoon with a Heroic 3rd set win to clinch berth into Sunday. On Sunday it was Ballesteros/Huffman in the Finals were clutch to close out Sectionals. NOHO got some breaks go there way but they fought in the Heat just like every other Team this past Weekend.
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys are pretty hard on Vince and Mike from SA. I have spoken to them many times over the last few years and they both seem pretty cool to me. Maybe the animosity people seem to have is more directed at their captain instead, and Mike and Vince get tarred by association?
ReplyDeleteThat does remind me of something I told them both this past weekend before our match in Dallas. Our team won last year went to the Dinner and Dance at Nationals on saturday night, when all the 4.5 mens and womens teams have their own tables with the section as a centerpiece. I noticed ours was in the corner. We sat at our Texas Section table as the announcer introduced the other semifinal match, hawaii and another team, I forget. Everyone clapped real loud and some yelled and it was really cool. I got some serious goose bumps working in anticipation. After that, she introduced the New England sectional winner from Cherry Hill NJ, that we were to play in the other semi final the next morning. Everyone clapped and whistled, then she said, "In the other semifinal match, New England plays the Texas Section winner"! Silence fell over the room of more than a hundred and fifty people and nobody clapped. Nobody, but us and we stopped! I think I may have heard a boo or two? We were stunned, completely stunned and did not know what to do? It was extremely uncomfortable. Further, it had to be planned in advance. I assumed that maybe it was our president? However, we heard later from a few different people that the bad feelings came from the San Antonio team winning the year before with what they all said was a highly illegal team. I don't know but they all sure took it out on us, like we were on the same team or something? I am sure if it would have been a Dallas, Houston, or Valley team, that came after the San Antonio team to Nationals last year, they would have experienced the same treatment. It was pretty freaky really. An organizer told me she had never seen anything like it there before. True story with no exaggerations. I don't know what that says for sure, but it ain't good.
Red Benzon and Allen Torres have stained the reputation of the great state of Texas.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope that the TTA people in Austin keep an eye on those two and make them play on an even playing field with the rest of us. Thanks for the info Michael.
That is pretty rough Mike and feel bad for your team. Not sure why they figure it was an illegal team, considering FL had a 5.5 player. The only player that looked way out there would have been Broach but he snuck into the system the year before.
ReplyDeleteOf course TTA reacts by enforcing a 50 mile radius rule. Does any other district/Section do this? Look at GA their players typically are on 3-4 different teams.
For my teams half my team lives 2-3 hrs from me.
San Antonio 2006 team was the biggest group of cheaters ever assembled. All 5.0 and 5.5 players. Tons of illegal self rates. Now they are all tanking in 5.0.
ReplyDeleteyes torre's team was stacked but they almost lost to Dallas Branch team in '06 and Branch's team is much better now than is was in '06. The competition is much better now. They better get some new ringers cause Dallas lost in the Semi's this year.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought. Maybe the USTA Texas section staff doesn't really mind all of the sandbagging because as long as Texas does well nationally they can brag (to feed their own egos)to all of the other section reps at the national conventions. Or maybe it's just a case of having no actual cahunas to take on Red & Torres head on. Sure, it's much easier to sit back & let all of the players rip each other, while the credibility of league play continues to drop. They're not naive, trust me.
ReplyDeleteHere's an idea, why doesn't the national office just make a blanket rule saying that ANY player proven to have played at least 1 official match for any college/university team (at any level/regardless of record) within the past 4 years, must automatically be rated 5.0 for leagues & tournaments or higher & may self-rate after the 4th full year away from their last official college match. I know there is a rule similar to this but apparently it has loopholes. Seems like it would be so much easier to police this way.
I have a friend who played 4.5 league in california his team lost to the team that went to national last year. He heard that people where very upset about the Texas team but not because or Torres team that won the year before BUT because of the Austin team having 5 RINGER so YES that knuckle HEAD from Austin was correct about the silence BUT it was ABOUT his team FULL OF SANBAGGER ...... SO I am not a friend or even at the same level of PLAY of Allen Torres BUT with that said any team that wins a section is loaded with sandbagger AUSTIN was no different that Torres Team that DID bring home the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP so congrats to TEAM TEXAS not just TEAM TORRES .. And I hope that BOOBOO can bring homeanother National Championship with his ringers
ReplyDeleteThat's curious. I am wondering exactly which player on our team your ficticious buddy from california was referring to? Also, I am curious as to why the previous poster did not sign his name? I did not make a word of what I wrote up. I was told by more than one person in Tucson otherwise. All I did was repeat what was told and I did not denegrate your San Antonio team. I did not say you cheated. I did not really even know anyone on that SA team. I was just repeating a true story. Sorry if I stepped on someones guilt sensitive toes. Why so defensive? Grow a set and sign your name if you want someone to believe you, because I certainly do not. Yes I am calling you out, you clown!
ReplyDelete-Mike Davis Austinwild
hey Red whats up anything new to comment... on...
ReplyDeleteRED still waiten for you to respond!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who played 4.5 league in california his team lost to the team that went to national last year. He heard that people where very upset about the Texas team but not because or Torres team that won the year before BUT because of the Austin team having 5 RINGER so YES that knuckle HEAD from Austin was correct about the silence BUT it was ABOUT his team FULL OF SANBAGGER ...... SO I am not a friend or even at the same level of PLAY of Allen Torres BUT with that said any team that wins a section is loaded with sandbagger AUSTIN was no different that Torres Team that DID bring home the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP so congrats to TEAM TEXAS not just TEAM TORRES .. And I hope that BOOBOO can bring homeanother National Championship with his ringers
ReplyDeleteMike read the post again maybe then you will see what the message is ...
ReplyDeleteAustin 4.5 tennis
This is the same B&W fest as last year and the year before.
ReplyDeleteThese guys/gals are good at what they do and know how to work the system to win.
I think Stuart Scott best said it "Don't hate the player, hate the game.".
On another note, anyone know when EOY NTRP ratings are published?
Chris
Nevermind. Just got Greg's last post. Should be today or tomorrow.
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D1 D2 players winning a National 4.5 Championship. What a bunch of NADS. Win a 5.0 or 5.5 championship and be proud. All your college teammates are laughing at you. By the way Torres on his best day could not play D1 tennis. That is a joke. He is a D1 cheater and that is about it. What a joke all this talk is. Go ahead win that 4.5 league Reid Strand. Ha ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteOne has to understand the 4.5 league play to know that its made up of mostly professional working class people. That means that practice is one a week to once every two weeks. That's not to say that some have more talent than others. The level or practice and conditioning that it takes to not only win but be at all competetive in 5.0 or 5.5 league is usually reserved for guys that are just coming out of college or active teaching pros. that have the time out on the court all day.
ReplyDeleteMy 5.0 and 5.5 college days are long gone and over. I have been out of college now for 12 years now.
I hope i have shed some light to 4.5 dilema of who should and should not be playing 4.5 league... It's not always about past record and talent...
It's about the time that people have to dedicate to the sport... As in anything in life the more time one can devote to something the better they will become at it. I know some of you will not agree with this but it's just common sense.
If you haver the time and get to practice 3-4 times a week I think you should move up a level within a year or two if you don't you are doing something wrong. Maybe take some lessons.
Good luck to all 4.5 weekend warriors and mid week hackers this year hope to see you in Dallas...
That may be true. How about just play balls to the wall every match and let the system take care of it self. The D1 and D2 NADS I am talking about are not 12 years out of school. They are CLOWNS and still 20 somethings and that sir is a joke. I honestly don't care. I like to sit back and laugh at them.
ReplyDeleteI do like your statement of "playing balls to the wall", but as any team that has ever been to nationals knows, there is a little more strategy thats involved. As in anything you do in life there should be some thought put in to what you do. I do know this is a fun league and nobody get any money or anything but it's a "team league" not an induvidual league. One simply can't just play "balls to the wall" every match. Why do you think there are 18 spots to fill on a roster. It's funny you say you laugh at these people. I guess you do have the 3-4 day a week practice time and I guess you should be playing 5.5 get to a point in your life that does not let you play but once every two weeks and then see how your 5.5 league team does in your city or even at sectionals.. A team can't just put their top 8 every match and go "balls to the wall" if they want to advance to sectionals and or even nationals.
ReplyDeleteI had your same thoughs and feelings when I got out of college for the first 6 years... That's a great idea if you are just playing tournaments or individual events.
But you throw in 17 other guys on a team of weekend warriors that have an idea to advance in league play. This requires a little more thought than just "Balls to the wall"
Ask any captain that has every advanced to sectionals and then advanced to nationals... They will all agree with my statements.
Thats bullshit. Any D1 or D2 former player has already hit so many more balls in his life than the average 4.5 player, who will never catch up even if he plays 3 times a week. Not to mention the coaching and drill groups and lessons and tournaments that those college players played growing up.
ReplyDeleteWhile the technical part of the game might be more fundamentally sound in some ex college players. That does not mean that the ability is still the same as when they were in college. The ability to play 3-4 times a week gives you a sharpness that you can't just get playing once a week or even once every two weeks. When you stay in an office for 9 hours a day in the cool AC and try to play like you did back in college you will be worn out with in the first 4 games of the match.
ReplyDeleteYou must still be one of those young guys right out of college which I can't blame you for your thinking I thought the same way you did. Well If you make it to Dallas make sure and wear your college shirt so we can see who is right out of college... and still has the time to stay in shape...
YES PLAY Balls to the wall. I don't care if more strategy is involved. a true champion will not tank and will play hard and not give away a match. Writing in false scores tanking matches is ridiculous. Play your freakin hardest and that is it. It is that simple. NO EXCUSES. If you don;'t have the time to hit then the system will bump you down to 4.0 and so on. You will get your chance to win if EVERYONE plays BALLS TO THE WALL. Sorry dude I know no other way.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you know no other way to get a team to Nationals... You can play your top players every time... You need to save your horses for the tough matches and play the weaker ones in other matches... A guess Alanns team is not full of sandbaggers... as they took 4-1 lost to Millers Oak Hills team this weekend... I guess the smarter Captain is Miller this year as he has recruited a good team of Sandbaggers and guys that have more time to play... Than Alanns guys... Well good luck to you and let me know if you make it to nationals this year... I am guessing you are not a captain
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