Sorry I haven't done any investigation into the teams that will be present at Sectionals. Being on the sidelines definitely lowers the interest level quite a bit. That said, I wish all of our teams well and feel confident that at least one team (5.0 men? 4.5 ladies?) from Houston will be making a trip to Nationals.
I "chatted" briefly with Jason Freeman and Tuan Tran, and both captains seem to have their teams ready to peak. I'll be rooting for them.
I hope everyone will post news and their impressions here. I will be sure to pass along any information that I receive.
Good luck all.
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If the Mob Squad can keep their players from getting too tired they should do well. Hurricanes should fair well in their pool and make it to Sunday. Copperfield 5.0 and Natural Guts are stacked with quality depth.
ReplyDeleteJust got a text from Cap'n Freeman saying that the 4.5 Hurricanes are up 4-0 in their first match. Great news.
ReplyDeleteTuan Tran's Mob Squad team also won 4-1. I believe Austin is next up for them. Should be a tough one.
ReplyDeleteLance Loken just informed me that the NoHo 4.0 team also won its first match 4-1.
ReplyDeleteDidn't see Daniel Groenow in the lineup for NoHo 4.0. I was assuming he's their "ringer". Hope he makes/made the trip.
ReplyDeleteJust noticed that former Cy Woods star Gus Underwood is playing number one singles for San Angelo. He dropped a tough one to Fort Worth's Kevin Durten in his morning match.
ReplyDeleteOur competition is about to get a lot tougher this afternoon.....
ReplyDeleteBig match for JCC out of the gate playing the heavy favorite Austin Westover. Hope they pull it out. Keep up the good work Houston.
ReplyDeleteHouston's 5.0 men's team has won their first match 3-0.
ReplyDeleteJCC got blanked against Austin. They didn't have their best players out on the court. Austin should cruise to semis now.
ReplyDeleteAustin didn't have their best players out neither.
DeleteNoho 4.0 just won 3 lines vs San Angelo. Fuck it is hot.
ReplyDeleteFreeman's 4.5s 3-2 over Amarillo. That should put them in the semis against probably FW who beat SA.
ReplyDeleteHow are guys that played in the playoffs for Freeman's 4.0 team playing for Noho at sectionals? I thought you had to pick the team you were playing for once playoffs started.
ReplyDeleteAnd you pick that team and play with them until their season ends...
DeleteSo you all picked the noho team over Freeman's? Why did you all play for the Hurricanes in the city playoffs then?
DeleteSomeone failed reading comprehension.
DeleteHow does the 4.0 noho team compare to the Mob Squad and Good Guys? Great to see all those teams are 2-0 after Friday. Any chance for the 3 teams playing for it on Sunday?
ReplyDeleteThat is a tough one to answer - all are good teams.
DeleteI think we are at a point in this heat where it could go either way and could be a function of how people are feeling come Sunday after playing 4 matches to get there.
All three teams still have tough ones tomorrow, so it is too early to call it.
Keep rolling Htown.
GooD Guys 2-0
ReplyDeleteMob Squad has a tough match at 7am tomorrow. Midland has a solid group of older guys who have been around the block in league. If Mob wins then they're into Sunday.
ReplyDeleteHouston men are representing well in Dallas.
ReplyDelete4.0 - Mob Squad 2-0
4.0 - Good Giys 2-0
4.0 - NOHO 2-0
4.5 - Hurricanes 2-0
4.5 - JCC 0-2
5.0 - Copperfield 2-0
5.0 - NOHO 1-1
How does alastair from mob squad have a 4.5b rating and play 4.0?
ReplyDeleteThat's showing his YE09 rating, obviously not relevant. Pete Rios shows up as 5.5 some places, 5.0 in some, 0.0 in others. System glitch.
DeleteWe are not talking about Rios. Alastair Le shows up as 4.5.
DeleteSure we are. Examples of system glitches like Le's. Want more?
DeleteInteresting question, Towle, Htown can you please comment on this. It shows up on tennis link he's 4.5? Did he get D'qed? This isn't good for Mob Squad if he isn't allowed to play.
ReplyDeleteIDK for sure.
DeleteMight be a better question for Phil K to answer. He knows it better.
It looks like Le played this AM again. It does show him as 4.5 when you look him up via ratings, but it shows him as 4 when you look on the roster. Probably some shitting coding by the company that USTA farmed the software work to...
Agree with system glitch and world-class coding.
DeletePK
That is strange, Alastair is 4.5B for YER 2011. How the heck can the guy sign up on a 4.0 team.
ReplyDeletePlayers
DeletePlayer Name NTRP Player Name NTRP Player Name NTRP
Tuan L. Tran 4 Alex Cantu 4 Thanh Truong 4
Joseph D. Mai 4 Hung Pham 4 Kim Lequoc 4
Jeremy Lopez Ang 4 Thomas Hoang 4 joseph nguyen 4
Richard Huy Nguyen 4 Bao Hangoc 4 hungson doan 3.5
Jeff Lin 4 Alastair Le 4 Huy Nguyen 4
Kiet S. Nhan 4 Albert Angelo Alfonso 4 Edgar Lauren Dean IV 4
Moni King 4 CUONG PHUOC TRUONG 4
Noho 4.0 lost 3 lines v Tyler.
ReplyDeleteOne still on. :(
7a sure is nice.
They should play this event from 8p to 8a.
Looks like you took them a little lightly
Delete@1113a - you go with what you got, that is why depth is so critical.
DeleteIt is almost a guarantee that
- folks wont be able to make the trip
- someone will schedule a vacation this weekend and not make the trip
- someone will get hurt while playing
- someone will turn into a head case and ask to sit
- folks are tired playing in the heat
You can't ride the same 8 horses all weekend.
Looks like Mob squad won this AM v. Midland and has a gimme against wild San Antonio this afternoon.
Good Guys square off against Wild Austin here at 1p.
Good luck guys.
Correcto. At that point scouting and timing kicks in.
DeleteHouston 5.0 beat Austin 3-0 this morning. They need 1 line against Dallas this afternoon to clinch Nationals.
ReplyDeleteGood guys 3-0
ReplyDeleteCould it be a rematch of City Playoff finals. Good Guys vs Mob Squad for sectionals? Lets go Houston.
ReplyDeleteWild Dallas took 1 line v. NOHO. Noho eliminated....
ReplyDeleteWatch your prediction Chris for the Wild Dallas vs Houston semis? I figured since you've seen both teams you'd have a good idea.
DeleteHouston 5.5 advance to Nats
ReplyDeleteHouston 5.0 advance to Nats
Sunday matches:
4.5 semis. Austin vs.Austin Wild
Fort Worth vs Houston
4.0 semis. Dallas vs TBD Houston Wild or Austin Wild
Dallas Wild vs Houston
Way to go Houston!!!
This is way too funny: "Hitler plays USTA league tennis in Dallas".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bg7xHsrw2Tw&feature=autoplay&list=ULBg7xHsrw2Tw&playnext=1
OMG, best league tennis video ever!!!! Must watch if you know anything about Texas USTA league.
Delete"I might as well move to Houston. I bet Freeman knows how to get back to 4.0"
BTW - Good job by all of the Houston teams.
Good Guys made semis
ReplyDeleteMob squad tied 2-2 with wild dallas
ReplyDeleteI think GG are down. Cant be 2 places at once.
ReplyDeleteHurricane 4.5 through to finals. Good job!
ReplyDeleteDallas took 3 lines against GG and pulled the other two lines off. Last line in 2nd set breaker for Mob squad.
ReplyDeleteTuan/Thomas took 2nd set. Onto a 3rd set breaker.
ReplyDeleteMob squad through in 3rd set breaker.
ReplyDeleteSteel balls award for Thomas and Tuan for pulling it out.
Wow. Houston is doing better than expected. The quality locally seemed low this year. Either I misjudged, or it's low everywhere.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to all.
i think there is actually just finally teams playing by the rules. it is good not to see 5-0 blowouts in semis that always reeks of ringers.
ReplyDeleteYa. It looked like all 4 semis teams were pretty solid 4.0's. Didn't notice anybody way out of level. I enjoyed it this year.
ReplyDeleteHouston just won 4.5 at sectionals over Austin in the finals. So far Houston has won 5.5,5.0 and 4.5. Waiting on 4.0 results. great job Houston!!!
ReplyDeleteHouston 4.5 women beat Dallas to advance to Nationals.
DeleteNicely done, Houston!
ReplyDeleteAny word on how 4.0 did?
ReplyDeleteI had to head south.
DeleteJust got word from high up that Mob squad is up 2-1.
ReplyDeleteMob Squad 3-2.
ReplyDeleteGreat job.
Great job by all the Houston teams. It goes to show that Houston is the Mecca of Texas.
Deleteit's an official sweep by Houston men. Good job guys!
ReplyDeleteNow Tran and his self rates have to win next weekend at 3.5. No pressure Mike.
DeleteWhat a tremendous performance by Houston:
ReplyDelete5.5 men to Nats
5.0 men to Nats
4.5 men to Nats
4.5 women to Nats
Just missed on 4.0 women, lost in semis.
Almost a clean sweep. Wonder when was the past time a city won 4 out of 5?
Congratulations all and good luck at The Show!
You forgot 4.0 Houston men to Nats.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteoops yep that was the point wasn't it? Sorry! Great sweep for the men.
ReplyDeleteand that would be 5 out of 6.
So can anyone explain how Alistair has a 4.5B for YER 2011 and playing on a 4.0 team? Wouldn't that swing that the finals?
ReplyDeleteHe played and no one protested him. That's the best explanation you'll get. It's irrelevant now. Congrats to Mob Squad.
ReplyDeleteNice job Mob Squad. Unleash "The Bao" on the rest of the country Tuan!
ReplyDeleteHow the Fuck was Alistair able to even sign up on a 4.0 team. That's what I'm wondering. TennisLink should not have even allowed him to register with a 4.5B YER.
ReplyDeleteAlastair is overrated. All of his wins were super tie breakers and he lost against scrubs the whole year....
Delete4:45... That is the question... The point is moot, they advance regardless but it is a good question and did everyone miss that all year?
ReplyDeleteIf Alastair was 4.5 he would NOT have been allowed to sign up for a 4.0 team this summer. I'm sure H Town and Towle would agree with that. Alastair also won the HTA tournament at 4.0.
ReplyDeleteWhat were the lineups and scores for the 4.5 finals
ReplyDeleteI call bs. Nobody in Houston had te sack to call this out. Tainted
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you calling out anonymous means zilch, nada, no hueno.
ReplyDeleteAsterisk
DeleteIt does say 4.5 on the heading when you look at his match record.
ReplyDeleteSomeone needs to figure out the glitch in TennisLink which allows a 4.5B to register on a 4.0 team.
ReplyDeletehttp://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/reports/NTRP/SearchResults.aspx?FromFindRating=1&Search=Name&SearchType=X&LastName=le&FirstName=alastair
1 NTRP Information for Members Matching: (le alastair)
Name
Gender
City
State
Year End Rating Level
Year End Rating Date
Rating Type
Le, Alastair
M
Katy
TX
4.5
12/31/2009
B
Obviously it is saying 2009 "B" rating. So he must be 4.0 in 2011 somehow.
DeleteYes, the team still advances but Le should be DQd from going with the team.
ReplyDelete8:51 - all these "defenders" or Le are clearly on Mob Squad. WTF? Based on what logic? if he had a 2011 YER it would show up for 2011. You're on crack! If he had a 2009 B rating it still holds for 2012 unless he supercedes it with another B or C rating. PERIOD Nuff Said... I'd like to hear Freeman or Towle explain.
ReplyDeleteI keep a copy of the YE rankings each year and when I pulled up the 12/31/11 list it shows Alastair Le as a computer rated 4.0. I believe you can also go back and look at the history in the blog when the year end ratings initially came out and you will see his name on that list as a 4.0. Not sure why tennis link shows him as a 4.5 B from back in 2009. In addition, if you look at the mid-years that came out earlier this year, you will see that Alastair Le is on that list as a 4.5. The only people that show up on mid-years is the people that had their rating changed, so that would coincide with the 4.0 year end rating that he originally had.
ReplyDeleteLancel is correct. He was downgraded last year to 4.0. I personally noticed that.
DeleteI also saw Alastair as a 4.0 during the year. I noticed because I played him twice this year. Sad to see all of this negative talk when we should be talking about how great Houston did despite the predictions that we would struggle in Dallas this year. Congrats to ALL the Houston teams, and best of luck in Nationals.
Delete-Mark Etienne
Didn't someone hack into the tennislink website several years back and was able to see the full NTRP ratings? You know, not just the 2 digit version that we see. Maybe it is more than just a glitch, maybe it is an "asian invasion". LOL
ReplyDeleteAlastair is a legit, clean 4.0. It is complicated but I imagine the reason his rating is currently showing as a 4.5 with a 2009 date is because his 2 USTA numbers were merged by the national office after a protest filed by one of the Mob Squad's sectional opponents. My suspicion is tennislink will be updated to show his proper 4.0 rating soon.
ReplyDeleteAlastair never illegally self-rated and has done nothing but play his ass off for his team and his teammates. He stepped up and won big match after big match for the Mob Squad in local league, city championships, sectionals and pulling out a big 3rd set under the pressure of a sectional final.
Nothing but respect from me. The entire Mob Squad team had different folks step up all year long. This team has heart and plays for each other. They deserved to win every match and I'm proud to have them representing Texas (and Houston) on the national stage. No team will fight harder and leave it all out on the court like the Mob Squad.
Congrats to all the great tennis played by all the Houston teams in Dallas this weekend. Houston was well represented.
Pretty damn large glitch to have not fix for 2 years
DeleteLooks like a cheat, smells like a cheat. How the fuck did the CPU system even let him register
ReplyDeleteOk So now for predictions - most likely to Win Nationals
ReplyDeleteIt depends, since I now know some players on these "seccessful teams" have multiple USTA numbers. When they win the 3.5 next weekend they must choose a level for nationals. Have fun with that thought.
DeleteBobo & Smith's 5.0 Team
ReplyDeleteBetsie's 4.5 team.
ReplyDeleteBreaking news....The recent sectional results posted to tennislink has resulted in such a shift in the dynamic ratings that the entire system had to be temporarily shut down to protect the ego's of other players around the United States. The HTA has called it a perfect storm that they knew was inevitable but as usual, did nothing to stop. Luckily, most players did not see their NTRP suddenly drop 2 entire points because of the surge/glitch/ass kicking done by Houston over the weekend. USTA Texas has yet to comment but a source from USTA National has asked for everyones patience. They claim that the situation is being investigated and that their findings will be posted with the year end ratings around November.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, everyone associated with Freeman tried to update their USTA home addresses to show that they lived in Homer, Alaska. Perhaps in an effort to take advantage of the computer glitch and secure lower ratings for future leagues. They will likely claim to move back due to the difficulty of play at a 2.5 level in a snow shoes.
Also, the Vietnamese airports are experiencing a record number of inbound flights from Houston. Not sure if this has anything to do with the rating glitch or just the end of sectionals.
Stay tuned.......
That's funny... good write up!! CONGRATS TO ALL HOUSTON TEAMS. What a great weekend for so many of us... Way to represent H-town. Good luck @Nationals.
ReplyDeleteHere are the 2011 EOY ratings.
ReplyDeletehttps://dl.dropbox.com/u/1309470/Tennis_Public/12.31.11%20USTA%20ratings.xlsx
He is row 2123 as 4.0C
IDK about the merging, two accounts, whatever...but I doubt that would have been allowed to fly all year long and have direct impact on outcome.
As JF says, they played their tails off all weekend and earned it.
Glad to see Houston do so well.
An out-of-level player with 2 USTA accounts from Houston? I'm shocked!
ReplyDeleteHopefully they teach their significant others and fans some basic tennis etiquette before they represent Texas at Nationals. I would be embarrassed to have those people cheering for me.
Seems like there are a lot of bitter out-of-towners on the blog lately. Le was listed as a 4.0 when he signed up. I have no idea why it's changed, but he was 4.0 on tennis link throughout the year. Trust me, I look at these things frequently.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have anything to add to what's been said: amazing jobs this year by the players and especially the captains: Craig Bobo, Jason Freeman, Tuan Tran and Betsie Hollis. What an amazing job they all did.
I must admit I thought the talent level (other than 5.0) was down here in Houston this year. Oops. Guess I was wrong.
2 years in a row that Houston 4.0 has beaten 2 Dallas teams on sectional Sunday. Shows a lot of hard work and tough play paid off.
ReplyDeleteHTA is gonna have to shelll out a boatload of $$$ this year for all these National teams.
ReplyDeleteMy prediction is same as before. CField 5.0 and W4.5. Both teams pretty much dominated the courts. It wasn't as obvious to anyone not knowing but I was actually a little skeptical of Betsie's team winning, as stacked as they are, because I heard that there were a few key players not able to make the trip. They beat a very solid NoHo team 4-1 and Austin 3-1 while playing 7 different singles players. If everyone is able to play then the W4.5 is probably more favored than M5.0.
ReplyDeleteI disagree mainly because I think it's easier to win/control the outcome of 3 lines vs 5 lines.
ReplyDelete8:13 - just means the teams will be getting less $$
ReplyDelete4.0 and 4.5 teams that make it to state and nationals are always cheaters.....
ReplyDelete9:25 You sound like a bitter hater when you say something igorant like that.
ReplyDeleteNo not bitter at all, all those teams have ringers that don't belong in their respected division. I've been on those teams so I know first hand that they're cheats. Sadly, that's the only way to make it to state and nationals because the whole country does it.
ReplyDeleteReally? Who on the 4.0 Mob Squad (or Good Guys for that matter, after Nguyen got DQ'd) is a ringer?
DeleteWho is a ringer on the 4.5 Hurricanes? Mussenden? I suppose a case could be made for him being a ringer, possibly, but I can't think of anyone else.
Just because there has been a lot of cheating in the past doesn't mean it's going on now. Things have changed. It's not as easy to cheat. The self-rating rules changes, the dynamic DQ's and the "re-centering" of the NTRP's has made a dramatic change in things.
This is not a slam at David Guy, but he's a 40-something guy who played on my first league team way back in '96 or so. He's a vital member of a team that went to Nationals. I think that's a testament to the fact that Sectionals is NOT filled with ringers now. Look at some of their other contributors: veteran Herb Morton, former 4.0 Hurricanes Arata Yamaguchi and Scott Foster, etc. Where are the ringers/cheaters?
And then there's the Mob Squad: I think Tuan may be the only player with success at a higher level, and he refused to tank last year to stay 4.0, despite some suggestions from a friend. Most of their contributors have been playing 4.0 for years, with the exceptions of Bryan Pham and Thomas Hoang, who are both coming of really long layoffs.
These teams are not filled with ringers or cheaters...in fact, most were not expecting them to even win City. They're just good groups of players whose games came together at the right time.
Damn Greg , do you really have to bring people's age into your comments? FYI David Guy is max 38. LOL.
DeleteThe other teams should check for ID's during the matches.
DeleteDavid was born in 1973. He and I played youth soccer and HS soccer against one another growing up.
DeleteHTown not everyone is as old as you.
Deletei dont know 10:06... i highly doubt you were on a team that made it to nationals. well.. maybe you did sign up and never got any playing time
ReplyDeleteumadbro? im 2 for 2
no not mad, just stirring up conversation
ReplyDeleteAmazing what the 4.0 mob squad accomplished. Did anyone give them a chance after losing to westside the very first match? No one. Look where they're at now. Good job guys!
ReplyDeleteMussenden should be in 5.5, he's a freaking monster!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was a surprise that Mob Squad won sectionals this past weekend. They came back this year with motivation and put the work in. Beating the Hurricanes last year at city playoffs in the finals showed they were for real. This year they just kept making an effort to get better week by week and got it done. To win the way they did in the clutch shows their determination. Good luck at Nationals guys.
ReplyDeleteMob squad is very, very lucky team. If you look closely at their playoff record, they won everything in 3 Rd set tiebreakers with 3 matches to 2 matches. They were even crushed by the last team in there bracket and barely squeezed into the semis. The finals against Dallas was 3-2 with the deciding win in a third set tiebreaker. You can't get any more lucky. They do get my respect though. The gods must be on their side Because they manage to win win with that 3.0 level chop suey playing cong phuc truc. That 48 year old man has a 2 mile per hour serve and plays ping pong tennis and is the star of their team. crazy....
ReplyDeleteI have to say I LOOOVE this comment. I hardly know the guy, but Cuong Truong has got to be one of my favorite players to watch. He has out "chop suey-ed" 38 opponents in singles over the last 3 years and only lost 5 times. 38-5. Amazing. The only 5 to beat him: Knutson, Yamaguchi, Mullenax, Tatum and Hobbs.
DeleteHe's not as old as you think. I think he's like 39 or maybe just turned 40.
There you go again throwing out ages. Watch out or you'll be chop suyed !
DeleteHis tennis is the anti-tennis. The wild-Dallas guys were asking me about the Mob Squad and I said "they have this one guy who you will not think can win but at the end of the match you will be shaking your head saying WTF just happened."
DeleteTo his credit he neutralizes some very strong players and makes them play his game. I don't think at 4.5 you can get by with that game, but it works well at 4.0.
I could see how Knutson could beat him.
LMFAO - how can you say Betsie's team was missing some key players. She has freaking 10 college players on her team - 8 of them played D1. That's a joke. And 4.5's aren't a bunch of cheaters???
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Betsie's players were all computer rated and passed the sectionals test. You won't have to see them next year so quit whining already.
ReplyDeleteLast I checked there isn't a rule against D1 college players playing 4.5 if they have computer ratings. Most of the top teams also have college players - maybe not as many. Many of her top players have been playing 4.5/5.0 for years. they are just those players who go back and forth btw levels. She does have a few recent college players like Jordan and Megan but both of them actually established their 4.5 computer ratings in other cities. They both started out as 5.5 self rates.
ReplyDeleteIn meme spirit only...because if you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/1777/14327149447450718481344288967tNRDRhBkGRT85UMZIEuD.JPG
http://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/2188/82630101815516701701344289332pNIErOKxpYR3eWbCnL2h.JPG
http://www.texas.usta.com/UsaLeagueTennis/results_2012_texas_league_championships_first_half/
ReplyDeletehttp://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/1740/182436758318687796761344291463VtxDn4gwgeZCUQQQINAB.JPG
ReplyDeletehttp://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/2781/109290713011449097281344291468mwoWu5ioQNO0rUMesqjt.JPG
http://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/1844/2181015245230184631344291475V0nR6RD5JZUothBRQIAM.JPG
http://www.picvalley.net/v.php?p=u/1707/177115868778410640213442914834I1MAQlxcSnI2vRnMXQX.JPG
Fixed those links for ya. noobs. Meme's are great BTW.
Deletehttp://tinyurl.com/Copperfield-2012
http://tinyurl.com/Betsie2012
http://tinyurl.com/Hurricane45
http://tinyurl.com/Hurricane50
http://tinyurl.com/Mobsquad2
I just want to congratulate the Houston 4.0 Team. We both had tough matches this weekend and making it to the final was great effort on both teams. You have a very good team. The best team won fair and square. Represent Texas well at National and bring home the Trophy. Congratulations!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bob, you put up with our cheating and name changing like a trooper. We will see you next year under a different name but with the same NTRP.
DeleteSo funny and so true.
Delete10:08...
DeleteYou must really hate the fact that you are sitting at home wondering how I can play better to make it out of city huh. So you jump on here like a sour grape and talk about other teams. Such a class act you are..
I just noticed someone mentioned Betsie's team won 3-1 again Austin in the Finals. In TennisLink it shows 3-2. Does anyone know what happened on the the 5th line?
ReplyDeleteI just noticed someone mentioned Betsie's team won 3-1 again Austin in the Finals. In TennisLink it shows 3-2. Does anyone know what happened on the the 5th line?
ReplyDelete3>2
DeleteThere are 5 lines played. Natural Guts lost line 2 singles and 3 doubles. It only takes 3 lines to advance.
ReplyDeleteLine 3 doubs was retired. Cori Mullins pulled her calf in the 1st set TB. They came back to win the 2nd 6-1 and were up in the 3rd set TB and retired once the match was clinched. They wanted to finish but Betsie made them retire. TennisLink won't score a retire on a 3rd set TB
ReplyDeleteHtown
ReplyDeleteSo you are saying it's okay to tank and move down a level and manage scores so that one doesn't get bumped up. Of course you do, you Freeman and the Red's of the world are constantly having good players do this all the time. And this isn't cheating? Hell, I heard Freeman has an excel file with a list of potential players with their credentials, mostly ringers he can have tank to build teams for future years. I'm sure you and red have added names to this list over the years.
Come on, Freeman doesn't know how to use Excel. He's an attorney. =)
DeleteWhy don't you go ahead and call out the tankers since your so sure this is all happening. No need to hold back. Is tanking better than self rating someone who clearly is out of level? Which teams had players that got disqualified?
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to call anyone out. I just stated that all the top tier teams do this, and do it well if I may add. And yes, self rates are just as bad. I'm not mad they do this. I was just stating a fact. I am irked that Htown is going to try to say that there's no cheating involved. There will always be self rates, tanking, and score managing. Just because you don't get caught doesn't mean it's not cheating.
ReplyDeleteHey, you have to give props to Freeman and others on making it a near science. Before he showed up from Mississippi the Houston winner was mainly Spoor taking his 50+ team, adding a few singles guys and winning the league.
DeleteNow Freeman has elevated the awareness and necessity of recruiting throughout the year (this is why Kern calls him Captain February) and getting the core group of players together to try and win to go to nationals at multiple levels.
Yes, from time to time he may skirt the boundary conditions of the rules (Sarosh 2007, Foster 2008, etc at 4.0) but that is done at a certain level in any city/section. I still remember seeing a red-shirt freshman from Baylor playing for Sanders' 4.0 Waco team in 2006.
Spoor does the same thing at the 50+ level and the results support that it is what is necessary to win. Watching the play over the weekend it is with certainty that some of the top Dallas teams also do the same thing as folks around Houston.
Some of the teams put together that look good on paper don't go on to the next level and others that barely make it out of city get to go to nationals. This year is a perfect example.
I think at the end of the day it has made the competition level in and around Htown more competitive.
Just my $.02, go ahead and bash me from behind your keyboard.
Sorry if I irked you. Does cheating still exist? Yes. Is the level of cheating a lot lower. Most assuredly.
DeleteMy original point was that the 4.0 and 4.5 teams did it without "ringers", with the possible exception of Mussenden. If I'm wrong, tell me who else you consider a ringer and what cheating was done in order to bring him onto the team. (and let's not rehash the Alastair Le thing)
And I totally agree with Chris that Freeman (and let's not forget Red) have raised the recruiting bar here in the city.
Sometimes the sour grapes and crying about cheating is justified. Actually, it's usually justified. I just don't think that's the case this year.
don't cry man...just get better at tennis and beat these "ringers" and it won't be a problem...freaking scrubs
ReplyDeleteYou guys think tennis is bad. Go play a softball league ( full of ex pros baseballers with illegal special made $1000 bats) . Every amateur sport will have players with ego's that need to be fed. Some people participate for fun and fitness and those people are crushed by people who want to win at all cost. At least tennis has some checks and balances.
ReplyDeleteSounds like someone is sour over trying to tank down and still not getting invited to play on Freeman's team. This is absolutely dumb to be talking about this. Houston tennis just slapped around the rest of Texas last weekend and we are talking about if cheating exists??? I'd rather you just say congrats and take your sour balls and go home. Cheating exists - always has and always will.
ReplyDeleteIf you think someone is cheating then email Todd Reed (treed@texas.usta.com) and file a protest. At some point everyone who ever played USTA tennis was self rated and could potentially be Dq'ed if playing out of level. Other wise dont hate on Freeman/Red/Betsie for being able to recruit the top talent in Houston and put together teams that do well at all levels.
Any dq's after sectionals this weekend after the computer was ran?
ReplyDeleteLuis Hernandez
ReplyDeletealso Subramanian Jayaram from Austin 4.0, Michael Everett from Midland 4.0, Robert Gonzalez from San Antonio 4.0
DeleteWhere is this information posted regarding dq'ed players after sectional results? Surely, you did not go through rosters to find this information. I assume this will effect combo.
DeleteWhen is combo? Do they use mid year ratings?
DeleteDon't call me Shirley. You do it by going into Advanced Search, pull up the whole state of Texas (pick any District then delete the numbers after SubDistrict Node in the address bar), then look for anyone with a B rating dated this year.
DeleteCombo will use YE11 ratings - except for those four poor suckers above.
When are rosterd due for the Fall league?
ReplyDeleteIs it true that the formats really do change next year? 5.0's allowed in 4.5 and 5.5's allowed in 5.0 ? This will change everything for sure.
ReplyDeletethe 4.5+ is for 40 and over league and 5.0+ is for regular league, not sure if they have changed the draft to allow it at all levels, but the initial version is only for 40+ 4.5 league
ReplyDeleteNothing for 4.0 ? It will make 5.0 interesting I guess. What's the format for the 40 and over league? How many lines are played singles and doubles? Thanks for answering AR.
ReplyDeletehere is information on structure of league that was published last Sept.
Deletehttps://dl.dropbox.com/u/1309470/Tennis_Public/5939%20New%20League%20Flyer-general.pdf
Chris
Any word on how the HTown lower levels will do this weekend?
ReplyDeleteTran said they were not going to drop a set. 25-0.
ReplyDeletePlane tickets already booked for October.
Just kidding, isn't 3.5 and lower a lot harder to scout?
All those self rates down there... Yes they are vey tough to scout. Htown has been standing tall and how good are Michael's self rates versus Austin, Dallas or SA? I noticed Bender in Dallas has no team so I can't see Dallas having the ringers.
ReplyDeleteWhat's going on in 3.5 with Trans team?
ReplyDeleteHere you go - one match reported Win 3-2.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/3-5Dallas
Houston 3.5 just beat San Angelo 3-2 to advance to the semi-finals against Wild Dallas tomorrow morning. Good job guys - keep it up!!!!
ReplyDeleteNice work guys!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a HTown sweep. Surprised Dornbos did not make the trip.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Houston went down 2-3 this AM in Semis.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/semis35
Those are some crazy lopsided results.
I played with a few of Tran's 3.5s in practice and if they are getting beat like that then the Wild Dallas team is full of ringers.
I heard that some key players could not make the trip. This included Robert Dornbos. Sectionals always comes down to "if everyone can make the trip".
ReplyDeleteLooking at those results, I don't think it would matter. 1&1, 1&1, 0&0... Looks like Vu was on his way to a beat down when Wild Dallas got 3 lines. The finals have not posted and it will be interesting to see the results.
ReplyDeleteTran never wins. He puts together good teams but is more impressed by flash than substance.
ReplyDeleteThe Houston 3.0 men won. If Tran had pulled it out we would have had a clean sweep. Can someone put up a picture of Tran's team with the caption. The only Men's team to not win at Sectionals this year.
ReplyDeleteOne question - does anyone really care about 3.0? Answer: NO!
ReplyDeleteNo problem, I'm sure they don't care about you either.
Deleteagreed - 3.0 sectionals is boring. So easy to cheat and have guys playing out of level. What's the point?
DeleteLooks like Wild Dallas had the ringers.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the D'bags for winning Little State
ReplyDeleteFinally the D'bags won something. Who decides who go to little state?
ReplyDeleteWhat is Little State?
ReplyDeleteLittle state is an event held for the local teams that do not win their local event. Ie - the Deucebags made it to the playoffs but didnt win or the second place finisher from a smaller association.
ReplyDeleteThe ladies' event is in Corpus, the mens event is in Conroe.
What is up with Fall tennis leagues. Can 4.5 players play in 4.0 league and 5.0 in the 4.5 leagues in the Fall?
ReplyDeleteAny comments on the HTA Fall league Mens Open teams?
ReplyDeletenobody cares about the fall league.
ReplyDeleteThe draws at nationals have been released. 4.0s are with Carribean, Northern, Intermountain, and Missouri Valley. 4.5s are with Florida, Hawaii, and Eastern.
ReplyDeleteJesus, the 4.0's got an easy draw. It doesn't get any easier than that.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Caribbean can be full of surprises however.
DeleteThere is absolutely no way to determine how good a team will or won't be by merely knowing what section the team is representing.
ReplyDeleteDetermine? No. Educated guess based on history? Yes.
DeleteWhat history? History of what? An entire region? At which level?
ReplyDeleteI agree anyone can guess but I wouldn't call it "educated."
TennisLink for all its faults makes it pretty easy to do the research.
DeleteWick Cannon had a great tourney at Texas Adult Sectionals over the weekend. Made it to the finals of 4.5 singles and doubles.
ReplyDeleteso Willie Lock goes 3 sets with Tommy S in fall open singles league. Really? REALLLYYYY!!!!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know why 10 guys (instead of 8) were accepted into the year-end masters tournament (pok-e-jo) in M4.5S last year? Was there a tie between the 8,9,10 ranked guys? Or do they sometimes accept more than 8 in a larger division when a smaller division receives less than 8 entries?
ReplyDeleteit was sal castillos's fault
ReplyDeleteWell Fellas... We head to Indian Wells this next weekend for Nationals. There's 3 brackets of 5 teams. Someone please tell me why they do not seed at least 3 teams for bracket play at nationals.
ReplyDeleteOur 5.0 Team is 15-0 this summer, 10-0 locally & 5-0 @Sectionals, and yet ther are 3 of the 4 toughest sections in 1 bracket. Texas, Florida, & Southern Cal. We play Florida first match Friday 7:30am. While the Southern Section, another perennial power, has a cake-walk.
What's really puzzling is the 1 bracket with no powers in it.
Wish us luck. Craig Bobo
It happens a lot that you can find interesting to research about team that they aren't good enough. So you don't have to worry about it.
ReplyDelete