I'm guessing a bunch of you know about this already, but I just found this cool site about tennis ratings.
I quickly looked at the ratings for this year in Houston (basically just checked my own and a few teammates) and it looks pretty accurate at first glance. They have me at 3.75, which seems about right given my mediocre record this year.
Other tidbits: Ryan Cooper the highest rated player playing out of LLTC this year, barely in 5.0 territory.
Chris Lee at 4.47, close to 5.0 but still safe.
Bharath Gururaj honing in on 5.5 territory.
Anyway, if your Friday is as slow and boring as mine has been, this site might help kill a few minutes.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Winding down
The season is rapidly coming to a close. Remember, players must appear in two matches (one may be a default) to participate in City Playoffs.
There doesn't appear to be much drama coming down the stretch. The 5.0 Sectionals berth has basically already been decided, with Westside - Church Group having an almost insurmountable lead.
For me, the story in 4.5 the rest of the way is the Chris Lee situation. There's been talk of him being protested. I have no idea whether that will happen or if it will be upheld, so I will proceed under the assumption that he is legal, will continue to play and all matches will stand. If that is the case, it creates some interesting decisions for Phillip Yang. He's got two matches remaining, both against bottom feeders. He can sit out Lee and win without him, or he could play him, maybe at line 3 doubles, and have him "take it easy", thereby lowering his rating and making him more likely to retain eligibility throughout the playoffs.
The two other contenders in that division will clash this week. Again, Chris Lee has got to be a consideration for Captains Warren and Ristau. IF he somehow gets DQ'd, perhaps this match ends up deciding the division title. The Wild Card situation is still a possibility.
The Deucebags and Gooder Guys also have a match with huge implications on the playoff race this week. Have we seen the Deucebags best lineup? Will David Hall be playing singles this week? If my memory is correct, there is only one 4.5 Wild Card this year. Right now, Nottingham Forest looks to be the favorite, but they've still got one match left with the Hurricanes and there are several teams on their heels. A Deucebags win this week would make things quite interesting.
Not too much intrigue in 4.0. The Good Guys play a surprising Acers team this week. A loss would harm their chances at winning the division and/or getting into City Playoffs via the Wild Card.
There doesn't appear to be much drama coming down the stretch. The 5.0 Sectionals berth has basically already been decided, with Westside - Church Group having an almost insurmountable lead.
For me, the story in 4.5 the rest of the way is the Chris Lee situation. There's been talk of him being protested. I have no idea whether that will happen or if it will be upheld, so I will proceed under the assumption that he is legal, will continue to play and all matches will stand. If that is the case, it creates some interesting decisions for Phillip Yang. He's got two matches remaining, both against bottom feeders. He can sit out Lee and win without him, or he could play him, maybe at line 3 doubles, and have him "take it easy", thereby lowering his rating and making him more likely to retain eligibility throughout the playoffs.
The two other contenders in that division will clash this week. Again, Chris Lee has got to be a consideration for Captains Warren and Ristau. IF he somehow gets DQ'd, perhaps this match ends up deciding the division title. The Wild Card situation is still a possibility.
The Deucebags and Gooder Guys also have a match with huge implications on the playoff race this week. Have we seen the Deucebags best lineup? Will David Hall be playing singles this week? If my memory is correct, there is only one 4.5 Wild Card this year. Right now, Nottingham Forest looks to be the favorite, but they've still got one match left with the Hurricanes and there are several teams on their heels. A Deucebags win this week would make things quite interesting.
Not too much intrigue in 4.0. The Good Guys play a surprising Acers team this week. A loss would harm their chances at winning the division and/or getting into City Playoffs via the Wild Card.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Local results from Westwood.
I'm not really up on the Seniors Tournament Scene, but in my mind Westwood is the biggie.
Some local results:
Tim Green lost in the semis of the 35 singles to Nick Smith, who went on to win the tournament.
Tim and Herb Morton lost in the first round of the doubles.
Former 4.0 Hurricane Jason Kern made it to the finals of the 40 singles where he lost to Juan DeKruyff.
Kern also managed to make it to the finals of the 35 doubles with Justin Huffman where they lost to former number one doubles player in the world (in 2000) Jared Palmer.
A tough go of it for Houstonians in the 45 singles. Kelly Ward was upset early, Herb Morton lost in the first round and Andres Ballesteros stretched the number two seed to three sets before falling.
Val Wilder has probably been top ranked in the world in his age group in past years, so I was really impressed that Robert Bickmore was able to stretch him to 11-9 in the third set breaker before falling. Wilder also took out Eric Kruseman.
Carl Poston won a round in the 55's.
Hugh Burris lost in the finals of the 65's.
Some local results:
Tim Green lost in the semis of the 35 singles to Nick Smith, who went on to win the tournament.
Tim and Herb Morton lost in the first round of the doubles.
Former 4.0 Hurricane Jason Kern made it to the finals of the 40 singles where he lost to Juan DeKruyff.
Kern also managed to make it to the finals of the 35 doubles with Justin Huffman where they lost to former number one doubles player in the world (in 2000) Jared Palmer.
A tough go of it for Houstonians in the 45 singles. Kelly Ward was upset early, Herb Morton lost in the first round and Andres Ballesteros stretched the number two seed to three sets before falling.
Val Wilder has probably been top ranked in the world in his age group in past years, so I was really impressed that Robert Bickmore was able to stretch him to 11-9 in the third set breaker before falling. Wilder also took out Eric Kruseman.
Carl Poston won a round in the 55's.
Hugh Burris lost in the finals of the 65's.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Quick Thoughts...
I don't know the guy, but I think it's time we started giving props to the Sandwich Blaster. Based on his results, his game has improved a bunch.
Herb Morton keeps on truckin'. Nice win for him last night.
Ace N Spinners and Good Guys battle to win their division is something I'm keeping my eye on.
Will Singles be the downfall of the Hurricane 4.5 team?
What happened with Black Sheep and Enter the Unicorn last night?
Herb Morton keeps on truckin'. Nice win for him last night.
Ace N Spinners and Good Guys battle to win their division is something I'm keeping my eye on.
Will Singles be the downfall of the Hurricane 4.5 team?
What happened with Black Sheep and Enter the Unicorn last night?
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Sad News
It was brought to my attention yesterday that Michael Spoor passed away a few weeks ago after a battle with melanoma.
I didn't know him well, but in my brief meetings with him I found him extremely engaging and very likable. Mike captained competitive teams in 4.0 and really dominated the local senior league scene. He captained four teams to Nationals.
He lived quite a life. His obituary can be found here.
I didn't know him well, but in my brief meetings with him I found him extremely engaging and very likable. Mike captained competitive teams in 4.0 and really dominated the local senior league scene. He captained four teams to Nationals.
He lived quite a life. His obituary can be found here.
Monday, May 20, 2013
What's goin' on
Yeah, this blog has gotten to the point where once in a while I will notice something and post it here. If anyone wants to take up some of the slack, have at it!
Some good matchups in 4.0 this week. The Hurricanes and Sienna are virtually tied and have their first meeting down at Sienna Plantation this week. On paper, with their best team, the 'Canes should prevail, but Sienna is dangerous.
Upsets have been in short supply so far, but the Ace N Spinners loss to the Acers puts them behind the 8 ball. They'll take on undefeated The Good Guys this week, and now may be in a position where they have to sweep them. At this point they certainly can't count on a wild card slot.
Biggest 4.0 surprise to me thus far: Double Trouble.
The 4.5 Hurricane team is stacked. Can YOU figure out a "top 8" from that roster? I can't. Regardless, the Gypsies team they play this week IS 5-1. Jason Kanthack has quietly put up a very impressive doubles record over the last year or two, but really, who can play singles on that team? I smell a blowout.
The DBags continue to hang around, and both the division and the Wild Card are still in play for them. They will need to punish a scrappy Hulks team that they handled pretty easily in the first go-around.
Another big match this week is between Enter the Unicorn and the Black Sheep. Usually by this time, Tommy Ristau's crew has a stranglehold on their (typically easy) division. Not this year. After inexplicably losing to Serve and Folly last week, Westside's consecutive playoff berth string looks to be coming to an end. They haven't really infused any new talent onto the team this year.
Somebody emailed me this question over the weekend: Name the top 10 doubles players in 4.5 right now. Tough question. You can choose Kiser without Richardson, Brice without Hirvela. Or both. Or vice versa. Discuss, since I'm bored at work.
Some good matchups in 4.0 this week. The Hurricanes and Sienna are virtually tied and have their first meeting down at Sienna Plantation this week. On paper, with their best team, the 'Canes should prevail, but Sienna is dangerous.
Upsets have been in short supply so far, but the Ace N Spinners loss to the Acers puts them behind the 8 ball. They'll take on undefeated The Good Guys this week, and now may be in a position where they have to sweep them. At this point they certainly can't count on a wild card slot.
Biggest 4.0 surprise to me thus far: Double Trouble.
The 4.5 Hurricane team is stacked. Can YOU figure out a "top 8" from that roster? I can't. Regardless, the Gypsies team they play this week IS 5-1. Jason Kanthack has quietly put up a very impressive doubles record over the last year or two, but really, who can play singles on that team? I smell a blowout.
The DBags continue to hang around, and both the division and the Wild Card are still in play for them. They will need to punish a scrappy Hulks team that they handled pretty easily in the first go-around.
Another big match this week is between Enter the Unicorn and the Black Sheep. Usually by this time, Tommy Ristau's crew has a stranglehold on their (typically easy) division. Not this year. After inexplicably losing to Serve and Folly last week, Westside's consecutive playoff berth string looks to be coming to an end. They haven't really infused any new talent onto the team this year.
Somebody emailed me this question over the weekend: Name the top 10 doubles players in 4.5 right now. Tough question. You can choose Kiser without Richardson, Brice without Hirvela. Or both. Or vice versa. Discuss, since I'm bored at work.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
In the past two years Kiser and Richardson have taken the court together 20 times in league matches.
They are 20-0.
Wow.
They are 20-0.
Wow.
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