Dallas League Tennis

4.0 Final Weekend/Masters Weekend

2009-11-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

So things are just about done and then it is blog vacation time. Ahhh. I wish I had enough time and info to post up a 4.0 Masters thread but I don't but ANON you are always free to send me one if you want to and I will post it. Feel free to post any thoughts about Eddie and Brandon's progress throughout the weekend.

Now back to league.

Flight A:
This flight is all but sewn up, Greenhill is the #1 seed even with a loss this weekend. Lakes will be in as the #2 seed unless a small miracle happens and they lose to the Oakland Raiders led by Jamarcus Russell (aka Lucky Thunder). Too many IFs in this scenario to make it relevant.

Flight B:
This flight is easy. Garland in as the #1 seed no matter what. The second team in will be a winner go home match between JCC and Fretz. This one is tough to call, I think it will be a first for both of these teams at least in recent memories to make the playoffs so either way it should be good for the league to see some new names in the playoffs. If both send their best 8 players my money is on JCC.

Flight C:
Brookhaven has nailed down a spot as the #1 but another battle for #2 seed happens here between Village and Canyon Creek. The only catch is CC must win 4-1 or better. That seems like a tall task when you are talking about good teams so I will have to go with the Village on this one.

Flight D:
All kinds of scenarios here but essentially OC and BH have their destiny on their racquets, if they lose they better make it 2-3 and then hope Huffhines (oh wait) this just in Team Bob already won 5-0 so the loser of the OC/BH match will have a tough road although with a quick glance at tiebreakers OC would probably still make it in. Could Team BOB miss the playoffs? No way around it; a good team will be staying at home in this flight.

3.5 Season Ends - Playoffs Not For Another Month

2009-11-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

With the 3.5 season finishing off as expected, teams are now having to wait a full month before the playoffs which is scheduled for December 11-13. What will teams be doing to stay fresh? Are any teams looking for scrimmages to keep sharp?

Also, end of year rankings should be out prior to the playoffs. We will know which teams will be losing players in the Spring.

Flight A - 1st Garland & 2nd Westlake
Flight B - 1st Fretz & 2nd Huffhines
Flight C - 1st Oak Creek & 2nd Samuel Grand

Congrats to the above teams, and good luck in the playoffs ! Hopefully we can have some posts discussing these teams and avoid the trash talking about the teams who aren't going.

FT Worth Fall Leauge Report

2009-11-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

Time For Anon's favorite column,
FT Worth USTA League Report!!!!!

In the 3.5 Div we 3 more matches to go. The play off hunt is pretty thick in the Red Div. we have 4 teams with one loss each.

3.5 red
Pecan Plantation
River Crest
Ridglea Siegel
TCU Toads

In the Blue Div The RacketQueers have the lead with one loss, but they still have to play the other Southlake team who only has 2 losses.
Flower Mound must beat Southlake Smashers this week if they want to have a chance.

3.5 Blue
Southlake Racqueteers
Flower Mound
Southlake Smashers

4.5 has 2 to go and both the first and second place teams have 2 make up matches to finish,
So they have to get 4 matches out of the way in 2 weeks.
They have to play each other for the final match of the season, Mcleand won their first meeting 3-1.

4.5
TCU Luningham
McLeland

4.0 Play offs Week #2

Match #1
Southlake
vs
Hurst Stars 4.0

SouthLake should win this 3-1

Match #2
Denton Country Club (Argyle)
vs
Flower Mound

Team FM should win 3-1

Match #3
TCU Cowtowners
vs
The Old Gang (ATC)

Last time these two teams met it was a close 2-2 loss for OG ATC
OG gets revenge 2-2 in a nail bitter

Match #4
RTC Wylie
vs
TCU Armadillos

TCU 3-1 in this match up.

Tournament DRAW
Let the hate begin!

4.5 Playoff Teams

2009-11-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

OK,

The field for the fall playoffs is set. We don't know the flights or the schedule and we probably won't for a while, but we can at least examine the teams and their chances to win the title.

Flight A

T Bar (7-0 presumably)--Their last match is still unreported but I would assume they won. They are one of only two undefeated teams this season but they have been far from dominant in their victories. Four 3-2 wins in 6 matches is cutting it close which means two things: 1. They have the ability to win the close matches (i.e. Colby is clutch) and 2. They do not have a dominant line. Teams that win 3-2 often have to rely on different players to win because they don't have a guaranteed win on their roster. Although they have some undefeated players, I don't put them in the unbeatable category.

OC Feldman (6-1, only loss to T Bar)--This team is small as usual, but they have very little weaknesses. McGuiness was added late but I don't think he will be in the playoff lineup. They do have a sure win in Viktorin, although he has been less dominant than he was last fall. This makes it much easier to manipulate lineups in your favor. I would expect their doubles to be competitive with anybody.

Flight B

Northwood (4-1)--Very similar team from previous seasons minus 5.0 bumpups Fair and McCord. Defection of Ryan Snell helped depth of doubles. Team has consistently relied on line 1 doubles to win matches, but depth is lacking from previous seasons. Andy Xu, in my opinion, has the ability to beat any singles player on any playoff roster. They will have to have all of their top players to compete.

Royal Oaks (4-1)--Severely depleted team from last season without Molina, Andrus, and Greg Zachary. Those three players accounted for five playoff wins last season. Very tough to replace that and they haven't in my opinion. New recruits have not had the same dominance. The team has a solid versatile player in Rauschuber but players around him will have to step up for them to have a chance.

Flight C

The Lakes (6-0)--This team has been the biggest surprise team but they have gradually improved over the last two seasons. They have a solid line 1 team that is unbeaten in Oberg and Pollock but the rest of the lineup seems shaky. A lot of depth but not to the level of the other teams, especially in singles. Five of their wins were 3-2, including two wins over below-average Brookhaven and High Point lineups.

High Point (4-1)--This team shocked me by starting very slowly but I still think they have the talent to win. Clint is a sure win at any position and Hai and Jimme have proven themselves in playoff competition. Depth at doubles is an issue but if those three players play, they will be in good shape.

Power Rankings:

1. T Bar
2. The Lakes
3. OC Feldman
4. Northwood
5. High Point

4.0 Week 8

2009-11-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

So things are winding down now but things are still up in the air in most of the flights.

Flight A:
Greenhill has clinched a spot and has been in cruise control for a while now in this flight. Lakes had a good run going but a default hurt them this week as they fell to Eldorado. This one surprised me especially after I saw Enrique lost his match. This week they have DCC who is no pushover although their lineups have been much better when they play at home and this match is at the Lakes. TBar M looks to be cruising along and improving and will just have to wait and see if they can catch the Lakes on tiebreaks and become fans of DCC this weekend.

Flight B:
Big match isn't until 11/14 between JCC and Fretz for 2nd place but JCC still has a makeup match to play as well as Eldorado this weekend so they still need to take care of biz or Fretz can punch their ticket.

Flight C:
Same story here just waiting on 11/14 for the 2nd place matchup between Canyon Creek and the Village. But yet again Canyon Creek has to win this weekend or that matchup will mean nothing.

Flight D:
Thank god for this flight otherwise we could just shut the 4.0 talk down completely. Ok I have to admit I posted LTF v. HP as an MOW and now I see the score from LTF that they lost to the Village, OMG. Not sure how that happened but I will leave it up just to see the landslide voting. II guess if Bob sits the big guns this match could be interesting. The more interesting matchup will be Garland v. OC. OC is coming off a great win so hopefully there is no letdown or they will fall right back into the pack again. Next week looks great as OC takes on Brookhaven.

3.5 Time Has Run Out As Season Nears An End

2009-11-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

Flight A - In the match of the week, Westlake takes down High Point 4-1 with HP forfeiting a line of singles. (WTF ??) I feel sorry for Jameson as he evidently has the talent and a sizeable roster of 18 players, yet still has to default a line in their most crucial match of the season. That has to be frustrating. That pretty much wraps up this flight with Garland and Westlake going to the prom.

Flight B - Fretz shows dominance with a 5-0 win this weekend, nudging Huffhines into 2nd place with lines won. High Point Entrekin has no shot at going, unless they get a 5-0 win and Huffhines has a 0-5 loss. Sorry, but don't see that happening. Fretz and Huffhines will be joining Garland and Westlake to the dance.

Flight C - Sam Grand secures 2nd place by beating Brookhaven 4-1 in their make up match. Even if the Village and Brookhaven get a win this week, they mathematically cannot catch up as Sam Grand has a 7 lines won advantage. It is Oak Creek and Samuel Grand joining the others to the playoffs.

Not an "Epic Fail" but by all means a jaw dropper is the lack of commitment from the HP squad. This is the THIRD TIME that HP has to default a line. What gives over there at High Point???

Samuel Grand is the Cinderalla making the prom, coming from nowhere in flight C to make the dance.

As the season is now set, there is little that can be done with this weekend ahead. Perhaps some players managing some scores??? Nah.......that doesn't happen here!!

FT Worth Fall 4.0 Play-Offs

2009-10-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

The 3.5 Div is top heavy with 5-1 teams,
The 4.5 needs to make up their rain out matches.
However, the 4.0 Div is all done and the 14 team single elimination tournament begins this week end.

Draw can be found HERE

Quick Preview.
Southlake at 6-0 gets a bye and well as the TCU Cowtowners

First round matches
Ridglea Roughnecks(3-3)

vs
Hurst Stars 4.0(2-3)
I have to give the nod to the roughnecks here

ATC Hammers(4-2)

vs
Denton Country Club (Argyle)(0-6)
Denton CC can barely get out of their own way,ATC all the way

Flower Mound(3-3)

vs
Walnut Creek(2-4)
Both these teams have been soft in singles this year, Team FM gets the win, Home court may figure in here.

RTC Coyotes 4.0(3-3)

vs
The Old Gang (ATC)(2-4)
The old gang had a tuff team in the spring, not sure what happened in the fall, they dad several 2-2 losses, I pick them for the upset.

RTC Wylie 4-2

vs
River Crest 1-4
Wylie has a good team and should roll here

TCU Armadillos 4-1

vs
RTC Tims 2-3
TCU could have finished first in their Div if they would have made up the rain out, Tims has a good team if he can get the right players to show up, Tims pulls the upset.

4.0 Week 7 Via Marc Russouw

2009-10-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

All complaints can be sent to

Marc Russouw
c/o Greenhill Tennis Center
Good Part of Town, TX 12345

Flight A - not much going on. HP/Bazan are creeping back up the standings to where they belong (ahh thanks Marc but we have packed it in) and will probably take down TBar who still need to get in their make-up match with the tough Stonebriar team. Assuming that Lakes and GHill manage to hold off Eldorado and LBH, Lakes & GHill will probably clinch play-off berths this weekend.

Flight B - nothing interesting happening here until the last week when JCC take on Fretz for the 2nd place. Highly unlikely that JCC lose their other 2 matches before then so it comes down to these 2 (Eldorado already has 2 losses and still needs to play Garland who will give them their 3rd loss)

Flight C - same song different tune.... The final week match-up between Canyon Creek & Village will decide who makes the play-offs with BHavenBP - who have a soft schedule remaining.

Flight D - Now this is where the action is! BhavenBB really needs to win against Garland because after their 0-5 drubbing last week to Somabut tie-breakers are not their friend. This match will be tough if both teams are able to field their top 8 players. Since that is unlikely I'm going to give the edge to BHaven as I think they have better depth at dubs but this is a toss-up. Don't be fooled by the Garland loss to Village, that was the week Newman and Kingsley were with Bob at Nationals, but does indicate their lack of depth.

MOW however has to be Somabut vs Oak Creek. I'm going to stop betting against Bob's "rebuilding" team and pick them to win this one. Somehow he has assembled a quality roster around Weymer, Kemp & Fenn. It will be interesting to see how they fare though when those 3 get bumped up at year-end.

2nd Annual Noel/Sisk Holiday Tournament

2009-10-26T13:42:00.000-07:00

When: Nov. 20-22, 2009

Where: Sites: Garland Tennis Center. Another nearby location will be chosen if necessary.

EVENTS: Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles

FORMAT: This is an old-school format. There are no divisions by level. Everybody signs up for singles, doubles, and/or mixed doubles in a maximum of two events. Seeding will be determined by Corey Noel, John Sisk, and an objective third party and will be based primarily on NTRP ratings, USTA results, and previous Noel/Sisk tournament results. Maximum draw size will be 32 players/teams for all draws. If there are more than 32 players/teams, the players will be divided into multiple draws (max size=16). Example: 45 players sign up= a draw of 22 and a draw of 23. Seeds will be placed using the wave method if multiple draws occur. There will be a consolation draw for each event.

NOTE: Many of you are already thinking, how can there be no levels? What makes our tournaments special and different is the handicapping system. We have used a handicap scoring system in our last tournaments, making virtually every match competitive, when it may or may not have been under normal scoring rules. The way it works is, players receive one handicap game at the start of each set per 0.5 difference in level, based on the players’ NTRP ratings, including the option to start serving or receiving. For example, if a 4.0 plays a 4.5, the 4.0 would begin each set with the option to serve or receive, and a 1-0 lead. Same applies in doubles. If two 4.0s play two 4.5s, the 4.0 team would begin each set with the option to serve or receive, and a 2-0 lead (8.0 v. 9.0). We had a lot of positive feedback for this format and we look forward to using it again. We will only accept players in the 3.0-5.0 range, and a maximum of 4 games will be given in any set. If players do not have a USTA rating, the tournament committee will assign one based on available information. We will use the current mid-season USTA ratings (sorry John :(.

SCORING: Regular Season—Two out of three sets, regular scoring, with a 3rd-set super-tiebreaker in lieu of a third set. Finals can be played under full two out of three set format if time allows.

ENTRY FEE: $28 per event or $48 for two events. Maximum two events. Preferred method of payment is electronic via PayPal. All players will be invoiced by PayPal on Monday, November 9 and payment is due by Saturday, November 14.

PRIZE MONEY : This is a prize money event. No trophies, no t-shirts; we’re playing for cash, and for fun of course.

PAYOUT: 1st place: 25% of all entry fees for that draw (12.5% per doubles team member).
2nd place: 15% of all entry fees for that draw (7.5% per doubles team member).
Consolation winner: 10% of all entry fees for that draw (5% per doubles team member).
Example: if 20 people sign up for singles only for a total prize pool of $500, winner would receive $125, 2nd place would receive $75, consolation winner would receive $50. Split those prizes in half to determine doubles prize money.

SCHEDULE of Play: Singles will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. Sunday. Doubles will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday, and noon Sunday. Mixed will begin Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. All times are dependent upon draw sizes.

SIGN-UP: Sign up by e-mailing noelcarter91199@yahoo.com. List the events you would like to sign up for and you will be invoiced accordingly through PayPal.

DEADLINE: Players must be paid by Saturday November 14.

Feel free to use this forum for feedback or questions.

4.5 Headlines

2009-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

Flight A

TBAR CONTINUES TO CRUISE, LUDWIG'S TEAM FALLS AGAIN--TBar gets its fourth 3-2 win of the season by beating Brookhaven Ludwig. The second straight loss by Ludwig's team leaves them on the outside looking in unless they can get a 5-0 win next week over Feldman. Not going to happen. Four of the five matches came down to tiebreaks but T Bar was able to win four out of five of them. Nice win!! They officially clinch a playoff spot with the win.

FELDMAN ELIMINATES GREENHILL--Greenhill once again comes up just short of making the playoffs, barring a miracle. Would be very interesting if their makeup match with Somabut ends up meaning something. Regardless, Greenhill would have to win each of its last two matches 4-1, and have Oak Creek lose to Ludwig to have any shot.

Flight B

NORTHWOOD CONTINUES TO DOMINATE--Northwood continues to roll, extending its undefeated record. A little closer than the score indicates but a win nevertheless over an improved DFW team today.

LIFETIME WINS AGAIN, SETS UP SHOWDOWN WITH ROYAL OAKS NEXT WEEK FOR PLAYOFF SPOT--Lifetime ekes out another win against another Oak Creek team to set up the most meaningful match left in the flight this season. Eddie, let us know the time and place so the fans can come out.

Flight C

LAKES' CINDERELLA STORY CONTINUES, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH--The Lakes will be in the 4.5 playoffs for the first time (that I know of). They clinched by beating a depleted Brookhaven lineup. Some of the Brookhaven lineups have been suspect and this one was no different. Although, they were a third-set tiebreak away from winning. The Lakes have beaten all contenders in its flight, and will have all the momentum going into the postseason.

BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE STILL WIDE OPEN--Really hard to say with so many unplayed matches who the second playoff team will be, but I would give the edge to High Point. They only have one loss but still have 3 matches left to play, two of them against playoff teams from last season. Assuming they beat Oak Creek today, they will be in a commanding position.

Power Rankings

1. The Lakes (5-0, 16-9). Hard to argue with based on who they've beaten.
2. T Bar (6-0, 21-9). A lot of close wins builds character right?
3. Northwood (4-0, 17-3). Most consistent team but weakest opposition.
4. Feldman (5-1, 22-8). Defending fall champs know what it takes to win.
5. High Point (2-1, 9-6). Not much to go on but they have the personnel to win.

Thoughts?

3.5 Coming into Focus

2009-10-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

Anon 2 gets majority of predictions, but misses on some big upsets.

Flight A - Westlake stumbles losing to Stonebridge 3-2, leaving the door open for Stonebridge and High Point, each with 2 losses. Westlake has to take on undefeated Garland this weekend which will not be an easy task. Should they lose, they too will have 2 losses. Stonebridge and HP meet up as well and the winner will be in the running and the loser will be done. This flight has the most excitement coming up this weekend.

Flight B - Anon 2 gets this flight right (still waiting on results from Lakes/Stonbriar match..... C'mon captains, get your scores recorded in a timely manner!) Huffhines is now in the #1 slot and should stay there after this weekend going up against a winless Stonebridge. Fretz is right there as well and it looks like it will be these two teams finishing on top of this flight.

Flight C - Brookhaven gets bent over by Oak Creek in a 5-0 dessimation, with not even one line being close. Brookhaven will now have to win the rest of their matches to stay in there and fend off the Village. Does Lifetime have what it takes to give an upset this week against Brookhaven? The current top 2 teams in this flight (Oak Creek and Village) don't match up until the final week.

Match ups of the week: Westlake at Garland, Stonebridge at High Point, Lifetime at Brookhaven.

4.5 Week Headlines

2009-10-18T20:41:00.000-07:00

Not too many surprises this week in the 4.5 division. Here are the top stories from Sunday.

Flight A

LUDWIG BACK DOWN TO EARTH--Brookhaven finally plays a worthy opponent and prove the critics right. BH actually had a chance to win the match with a couple of meaningful tiebreaks going Greenhill's way, so maybe they are better than we thought.

BAZAN BEATS SOMABUT--Probably the first and only time I will say that. Not too many actual 4.5s in this match but Bazan came out with the win (first of the season).

TBAR and OAK CREEK CONTINUE TO CRUISE--These two teams have solidified themselves as the top of the flight and, since they have already played each other, I find it unlikely that either will falter. Greenhill will have to go undefeated to make it, but calculating matches and sets is not their friend at this point.

Flight B

BOVERMANN AND ROTHWELL--Anybody know the results? Winner should be in good position for playoffs.

LIFETIME IN SECOND PLACE??--Lifetime gets their third win of the season. Except for the lapse against Northwood, they are undefeated. Hard to picture a team that is 9-11 in individual matches making the playoffs though.

Flight C

MIGHTY OAK CREEK LOSES....AGAIN--The Lakes have a commanding 4-0 lead in the division. It seems unfathomable that they will miss the playoffs now. Oak Creek is on life support. Even though this team is a shell of its former self, I expected better with James, Pollard, Slezak, and Braswell still on the roster. But, as I'm sure they will say, it's only the fall.

HIGH POINT V. BAIRD HAS HUGE PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS--Loser of this match is all but eliminated with two losses whereas the winner will move into second place. This really looks like it will be the most competitive battle for second place of all the flights.

NEXT WEEK: BROOKHAVEN V. LAKES--I look for the Lakes to come back to reality a little bit with a loss here. Brookhaven's top lineup can beat anybody in the flight but we have rarely seen that all season.

Thoughts??

4.0 Week 6

2009-10-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

So pretty good weekend of matches last weekend as two of the 4 flights are looking like they will be interesting up until the final weekend.

Flight A:
Not that much going on as the top two teams have played and now they just need to hold on and not slip up for the final few weeks. Lakes plays LB Houston. LBH doesn't look great on paper but they have enough strength to take out some good teams, just ask both of my crews who lost in 3rd set TBs to them. They are a scrappy bunch.

Flight B:
Garland has pretty much punched their ticket but 2nd place is still up for grabs but might start to take better shape this weekend as Eldorado and Fretz face off this weekend. This one is a tough call but I think Eldorado might just pull it off in a close one. JCC takes on Greenhill as well and has a chance to become relevant but if they lose both them and Greenhill will have a tough time climbing to the top. Greenhill has a tough road either way but one more loss and they can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

Flight C:
Brookhaven is cruising but they face High Point who has been up and down so far but they need this win to stay in the race so I think they might field a strong lineup. The most interesting match should be Gleneagles v. Village which should show which of those two teams will be in the running for a playoff spot in this flight. I don't have a good vibe on this match but I am leaning towards Gleneagles for some reason.

Flight D:
4.0 MOW is here as undefeated new powerhouse Brookhaven takes on HP/Bob who needs a win to keep their string of 200 straight playoff appearances. I can never bet against Bob especially because BH might struggle in singles and that is usually where Bob donates a win to the other team anyway. Also interested to see how LTF does against struggling Stonebridge who even though winless are still dangerous.

4.5 Feature Matchups this Week

2009-10-09T19:28:00.000-07:00

Instead of going through every match, I will highlight the important matchups of the flight. With all of the rain, very little has been established in any flight since all the teams have played a different amount of matches. The forecast this week should be a little better and we should learn more about the teams.

Flight A

Nothing exciting this week. Weak v. strong unless a team can pull an upset. Really will be amazed if Ludwig's team is 4-0 but I will still predict them to miss the playoffs. Their last 3 weeks are against Greenhill, T Bar, and Feldman. They will most likely have to win two of those three to advance and I don't see how that happens.

Flight B

Feature match is between Royal Oaks and Juhn this week. Both teams are coming off losses but Royal Oaks is still expected to make the playoffs. A win by Juhn would make this flight much more interesting though. DFW and Lifetime could also be an interesting match. I would say loser drops out of contention officially.

Flight C

LB Houston v. Lakes has to be the most intriguing matchup. Both teams are certainly a surprise thus far and I think we will see who the true contender is this week between the two. The Lakes team has gotten progressively stronger each year and I look for them to move to 3-0. For now, I'm counting LB Houston's opening week win as a fluke. Hackberry and Oak Creek is also intriguing. This flight really seems to be very evenly balanced, much more than I thought originally.

Any thoughts?

4.0 Week 5

2009-10-09T11:54:00.000-07:00

At least I think it is week 5, not for sure but that is what we are going for.

So as mentioned I haven't had a chance to follow too much due to work and family but glad to be back for a few minutes here to see what is going on.

Flight A:
Greenhill and Lakes are playing this weekend and "should" decide who will finish in the top spot in this flight. I do think both these teams will finish 1-2 and place really doesn't matter in the fall. If I had to pick I would go with the Lakes but this one is a toss up, it will come down to a singles match if I had to guess and that is why I have to go with the Lakes. I think another interesting match will be SWAT v. DCC. The DCC has a chance to jump up into the discussion with a win of possibly overtaken the loser of the 4.0 MOW if they can get on a winning streak.

Flight B:
Garland has already posed for their playoff picture as of last week and really this flight is all about who will get 2nd place. Eldorado is off this week and is actually still undefeated which is impressive. Fretz and Greenhill are in the mix as well but Greenhill is one more loss away from a quick end to their season. JCC also has a shot here but tough to know with only 2 matches played so far.

Flight C:
This flight is much like B where Brookhaven can start planning for December right now as a slew of other teams are tied at 1-1 and I honestly have no idea which one could jump up and get 2nd place. Although my two favorites to grab that spot are playing each other on Saturday (HP v. Village) I think the winner will keep going and take 2nd place.

Flight D:
HP/Bob v. Garland/Brueckner is a battle of unbeatens and most likely will decide who joins Brookhaven in the playoffs. It is hard to think OC will not make the playoffs but they have a tough road to climb and that begins with a match v. Stonebridge who although they are 0-3 they are not a weak team at all but I wonder if they are packing it in for next season already.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2009-10-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

This is the time of year it pays to be a member at Brookhaven or other clubs with indoor courts. Question is, are those teams taking advantage of practice time in the indoor courts while the rest of us twiddle our thumbs waiting for a break of sunshine.

3.5 Flight A - Battle of the Barn Boys; 3-1 Brookhaven Alzuro takes on 4-0 Westlake at Brookhaven. Both clubs have barns to practice in. Does Alzuro have the barn booked for the weekend and can their home barn advantage give them the edge to get a win ??

3.5 Flight B - HP Entrekin hosts Huffhines. HP's first true test ??

3.5 Flight C - May as well keep raining. Sleeper flight with the top 3 teams (3-0 Oak Creek, 3-0 Brookhaven & 2-1 Sam Grand) taking on the bottom 3 winless teams (Eldorado, Lifetime, LB Houston).

Sunshine is in the forcast for Saturday and Sunday. Hopefully some matches will be played. With time off of the courts, it should be interesting to see if any impact is made to the results of this weekend.

Hey Cary, is this where you went fishing ???

High Point headed to Vegas (Go TEXAS!)

2009-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

So this is the first weekend of Nationals and High Point will attempt to bring home the crown and then Eddie can claim he beat them on one hot sunny afternoon.

I will not pretend to breakdown the teams in their flight but it will be interesting to see how they stack up.

Caribbean:
Some of these guys have been to Nats before but doesn't look like this core group has broken out of flight play in a little while but the crafy Puerto Ricans are always something to watch. I see them finishing middle of the pack but they do seem to have better doubles players so it might be a mirror image match when they see HP although I like Dencil and Craig to come out with singles going HP's way.

PNW:
This section won 4.0 mens last year and it looks like it came from the same tennis club. That starting 8 who won are all at 4.5 now but it can't hurt to play national champs every so often to get ready to win it yourself. It looks as if they have been very careful with their singles guys and have not lost anyone to DQ, etc. I expect this to be a very tough team.

New England:
Also looks pretty solid. To get to Vegas they dominated pool play at the sectional championships and look to have a very tough customer playing line 1 singles.

Southwest:
This team should have some trouble but I hope Bob is not tempting to pull and Eddie and have the starting group watch from the sidelines and put in Brouer. Just kidding Steven. :) But seriously this team is their last match and if they are still in the mix it might come down to style points.

I think it will come down to the Seattle team v. High Point. If they can get out of this pool who knows because Sunday you never know what can happen. I have a feeling the winner of this flight might come out with one loss.

Best of luck guys!

4.5 Week in Review/Sunday Preview

2009-09-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

A lot of meaningful matches occurred this week. The two teams I predicted to play for the fall championship lost their first matches and Northwood pulled the upset over Royal Oaks.

Flight A

Brookhaven quietly moved to 2-0 with a second win over a High Point team but the top teams of the flight are clearly Feldman and T Bar. Greenhill will have a tough time rebounding from the loss to T Bar. If they could somehow beat Feldman later this season, they could force a 3-way tie.

Oak Creek and T Bar play this Sunday for first place in the flight. Winner should be a lock to make the playoffs and most likely win their division.

Flight B

Northwood beat Royal Oaks in what should be the battle of the top two teams. I would say neither team probably had its best lineups but I expect both to make the playoffs. Bovermann and Lifetime squeaked by in their opening matches but both will have tougher tests in Week Two.

NANCY v. EDDIE has to be the feature match in terms of the blog. An improved Juhn team takes on Bovermann in what should separate the contender from pretender.

Flight C

High Point lost (I think) as did Brookhaven in huge upsets this week. The Lakes was expected to be a solid team but not quite to the level of the other two teams. I would like to give LB credit for winning but several of Brookhaven's top players were MIA.

A severely depleted Oak Creek team makes its season debut this week against Brookhaven. Lakes should stay undefeated and it will be interesting to see how LB does against Hackberry.

Predictions:

Feldman d. T Bar 3-2
Northwood over Lifetime 5-0 (You know I had to say it.)
Brookhaven rebounds to beat Oak Creek 4-1
Juhn over Bovermann 3-2

Thoughts?

3.5 Week 3 in Review

2009-09-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

Fretz redeems themselves leaving a bitter taste for the Boys of Huffhines.

With most of the rained out matches being made up, clarity begins to take form in some of the flights.

Flight A

No surprises here with Westlake and Garland still at the top of their flight undefeated. (I've seen this movie before.....wasn't it these two against each other last Fall??) Garland gets their win against High Point with a 3-2 victory, losing both singles and winning all 3 dubs. C'mon Big John. Not one singles win?? We know your hiding a ringer in that roster of yours somewhere. Also, Wiley plays against his old captain Patrick Jameson in line 1 dubs. I wonder what exchange of words were said during change overs ?!!

Westlake also gets their win with all 3 dubs and losing both singles. A potential weakness for Westlake?? .....we shall see.

Upcoming week: No exciting match ups this week in this flight.

Flight B

In the big match up of the week, Fretz redeems themselves and knocks off Huffhines in their first match. The loss comes with Huffhines losing all 3 of their dubs, a kink in their armour from last Spring. Fretz now stays in the hunt of this flight with a 2-1 record. High Point Entrekin leads the flight 3-0, (??? wow!!) followed closely by Gleneagles who now is looking pretty strong with wins over Fretz and Greenhill.

Upcoming week: Big match ups in this flight with undefeated Gleneagles playing HP and Huffhines playing Greenhill. More clarity will definitely be seen a week from now.

Flight C

Canyon Creek quickly falls from glory losing 0-5 in their make-up match against Oak Creek, and then falling 3-2 against Brookhaven, losing 2 3rd set tie-breaks. Oak Creek and Brookhaven are now 3-0 and pretty much seem to dominate this flight. Lifetime remains "Lifeless" with another loss and a 0-3 record.

Upcoming Week: Not as exciting as flight B with Oak Creek having a Bye, but perhaps the Brookhaven/Sam Grand match. Brookhaven should get this in dubs but may struggle with Sam Grand's singles lines.

There you have it guys. Blog away...........

4.0 Week 2

2009-09-24T20:32:00.001-07:00

So technically it is week 3 but I am going with 2 since the first one was a washout. Sorry for the late write up but this week has been hectic for me, I actually have to work at "work", what is this world coming to.

Flight A:
SWAT team has a doubleheader that might just decide whether we are going into a full on rebuilding session as we take on the LB Houston and then the Lakes on Sunday. But a great match between TBar v. Greenhill should be great. TBar is another team like SWAT who lost a good chunk of their core and are feeling the pain but they will be tough to beat.

Flight B:
I think we can give 1st place to Garland and now we can figure out who is fighting for 2nd that starts with Eldorado v. Greenhill. Greenhill started out strong but will need to avoid slip ups and same goes for Fretz.

Flight C:
Great MOW here as Village takes on BH/Pearlman. Their Spring season finale ended with the Village making it to the playoffs by beating them and I wonder if the same result won't occur this time around. I am going to have to go with Village since I think they will take both singles and scratch out a doubles match.

Flight D:
Not anything spine tingling here but Springpark v. Brookhaven will be interesting for a little while until BH rolls on. Garland v. Stonebridge will most likely define one of these teams as a contender or a pretender.

Good luck this weekend!

Wanted: 3.5 Blogger

2009-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Wanted: 3.5 Blogger
Pay: Non Existent
Work Conditions: Terrible
Perks: None
If you want to be in the eye of the storm this Season,
email: marc@uswebsitedesign.com

4.0 Week 2

2009-09-16T06:23:00.000-07:00

I say this week we play rain or shine. I think I might have forgotten how to keep score it has been so long.

Flight A looks pretty run of the mill this week. I was hoping to see how week 1 shook out to see how this week's matches would look but no luck there. If I had to pick an interesting match to watch it would be TBar v. Lakes. This will tell us if TBar is taking a step back or not. My guess is the Lakes will take this one but not by much.

Flight B
Yet again too early to tell what will happen here but OC v. Greenhill should show us if Greenhill will be in the playoff hunt or staying at home again.

Flight C
Nothing to get exicted about here, will be interesting to see how Burt's BH team starts out the season. Garland/2 had some good upsets last season not sure they can pull one here.

Flight D
I had to give this flight two MOWs and I think they might have one every week. I like the LTF v. OC match up. Can LTF be out of it by week 2, hard to imagine but it might be the case. HP/Bob will be tested in their first match as a retooled Stonebridge team looks to make it back to the postseason after a little drought. I like HP in this one but it will not be easy.

4.5 Preseason Outlook

2009-09-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,

The 4.5 division is a little slow going so I thought I would open up the discussion with some predictions. We still have one more week of scrimmages before the actual season starts and I have to say, three flights makes this league much less exciting. It really does make the fall seem like an inferior league with only 6 official matches in two of the three flights.

4.5 A

By far the toughest flight in my opinion. This is the only flight that I actually see coming down to the last week to determine playoff teams.

Collin County--A few new faces but I would assume they will still be anchored by Henson and Hixson at line 1. Sean Bay's tournament experience should start to pay off and I expect this team to be slightly improved over last season.

High Point/Bazan--The blogmaster has not really improved his team over last season but I think his main focus is helping his players get as much match experience as possible to succeed at the 4.0 level. A couple of strong singles players but not in the same league as the other top teams.

Oak Creek/Feldman--The defending champions of last fall will look to repeat. I think the only team with a smaller roster than mine. Zero new players but should have the same strength with Durten, Viktorin, Stein, Feldman, and Thompson all contributing. Where's the Buffalo?

T Bar M--Very similar to the roster that ended up in the Flight of Death last season. This flight is a little easier. Will be interesting to see if T Bar will continue to use JD in big matches despite his poor record. Russ is back from 5.0 with Colby, Jehan, and Doug all looking to play key roles.

Greenhill--No additions from last season but no defectors either. Only key missing from this team is that lock at line 1 doubles. Griggs and Howard are very solid at singles but doubles let them down most of the season. If dubs can improve, this team will be very hard to beat.

Springpark--This team has lost two of its best players from last season in my opinion and didn't bring in anybody to replace them. I look for a drop in performance with everybody else trying to pick up the slack.

Brookhaven/Ludwig--Only 3 or 4 legitimate 4.5 players will make this team an easy out for opponents. Unless they have somebody I don't know about, singles will be a real struggle for them every week. Mark can play everybody close but besides that, I don't know who the singles players are?

High Point/Somabut--I actually think this team will surprise some people and finish in the top half of its flight. I don't see them competing with the top teams in singles but I expect competitive matches all season in dubs. However, there's also always the possibility of score management???

Order of Finish:

1. T Bar M
2. Oak Creek
3. Greenhill
4. Somabut
5. Collin County
6. Bazan
7. Springpark
8. Brookhaven

4.5 B

This flight seems pretty set but surprises can happen. Not sure from whom though.

Oak Creek/Bovermann--Solid players all around the roster but no real impact players except for maybe Thadius. I expect them to be tough in every match but inconsistent lineups have hurt them in the past.

Royal Oaks/Rothwell--Another roster smaller than mine. The loss of Molina and Andrus will really hurt this team's chances to advance through the playoffs but John always seems to find somebody to fill in the gaps. Greg Zachary is also MIA. Always interesting to see how the roster fills out with them.

DFW Hilton--Doubles has steadily improved on this team over the last few seasons. The return of Huffman also gives them an almost guaranteed win every week. If Hamish returns from last season, they could have a very strong 1-2 punch at singles.

Northwood--This captain doesn't know what he's doing but I suspect a couple of more roster additions before the season begins. Loss of McCord and Fair to 5.0 will really hurt but Hawkins, Young, Xu, Wells, Mason, and, dare I say Noel, are all coming off solid seasons and will look to continue that trend.

LB Houston/Ratana--A couple of new players this season (Tom how could you?) should help this team but the departure of Forrest and Mark can't help their cause. I really like Ken and he deserves to have a successful team and if he plays like he did against me in the Brookhaven dubs final, he should win every week. Still too many 4.0s to make a serious run though it seems.

Oak Creek/Juhn--A couple of new players but mostly the same roster from seasons past. Frank is always good for several wins and this team has shown the ability to beat other strong teams in the past (i.e. High Point last season). Look for them to be in contention.

Lifetime--Another team of 4.0 bumpups. I don't think they will do quite as well as Bob's 4.5 team (let the hate mail begin). I see a former Branch player on the roster though with a very limited match history and Dante, Forrest, and Johan have all shown they can do well at the 4.5 level.

Order of Finish:

1. Northwood (I wasn't going to do it but I have to)
2. Royal Oaks
3. Bovermann
4. Juhn
5. Lifetime
6. DFW
7. LB Houston

4.5 C

Another flight that is strong at the top but not quite as much depth as Flight A. Familiar teams will vie for the top position.

Hackberry--Strong doubles players highlight this team and the addition of Andrew Pretty (presumably in singles) will help them. Although I have to say, if his results are as I think they will be, expect a protest from somebody.

Oak Creek/Herget(Branch)--A new captain but roster is roughly the same minus the 5.0s. Outside of Slezak and Braswell though, the absence of Kiron, Branch, Kern, and Wesley James (who could still join right?) will make this team far less of a threat than last season. But it's just the fall right?

Brookhaven--Very strong team that retained Carl, David Hall, Ramos and Laselle who anchored their team last season. Hard to imagine them not returning to the playoffs.

High Point--So much for the loss of Phy hurting them? No Dustin yet either (is he 5.0?) but Rudy Peters joining the roster of other strong players from last season should make this team a force in the fall. Lineup decisions will be key for this team with so many players who can play singles or doubles.

The Lakes--Oberg and Pollock are the strengths of this team again but I'm not sure where the other wins will come from against the top teams. Singles players seem to be missing from the roster too unless more additions are to come.

T Bar/Snow--23 players on this roster for only 6 matches. That averages to about 2 matches per player. Not worth it for me. A lot of solid players but a lot of weak ones too. Best lineup can be competitive with most teams in doubles but singles will be a struggle.

LB Houston/Baird--A few people have laughed at me when I said to watch out for this team but I feel like a few ringers will emerge off of this roster. Still need a couple of more role players to fill a lineup but I expect strength at the top of this lineup.

Order of Finish:

1. Brookhaven
2. High Point
3. Oak Creek
4. Lakes
5. Hackberry
6. LB Houston
7. T Bar

Playoff Teams:

T Bar, Northwood, Brookhaven, High Point, Royal Oaks, Feldman

High Point over Brookhaven in the finals.

4.0 Week 1 (Rain?)

2009-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I am calling on your weather geeks, I know you people are out there that check the radar on your phone every few minutes. We are calling on your predictions to see who will get to play this weekend.

I have a back up plan of visiting Elmo at the My Gym in Frisco (Lebanon/Legacy) 10a-2p on Saturday.

If the matches do happen here are some good ones.

Flight A:
Lakes v. SWAT 3pm @ Lakes
A rematch of a very tough Spring match that almost knocked us out of the post season. I expect another tough match. Last year we played on a Thursday night due to a rain out hopefully that doesn't not happen again. Will the Mighty Greenhill/Russouw team drop a set against the new Stars team, I heard they are going for all bagels, how cruel are they????

Flight B
Don't expect too much action here other than to possibly see who will be a bottom dweller here. I will be interested to see if Garland will be tested at all v. Fretz who isn't a bad team.

Flight C
Canyon Creek v. BH/Pearlman is a little spicy but BH should pull out a close win to get going on what should be a good season for them. The Village is a popular pick to finish near the top but they lost to Garland/2 last season and I am not so sure it might not happen again. Upset alert!

Flight D
BH v. Lifetime could be interesting. I know LTF lost a lot of players but Brinkman, McAfee, Gonzalez Moore, and Shahab are still on this team oh yeah and Bennett too. Oops I forgot Yoshi and the Hulkamaniac Gerber as well. This team will be a threat and I am picking them to win this match.

So here is hoping we get to play this weekend. If not feel free to come visit a fabulous Blockbuster store at Preston/Lebanon. (Yep BMO and Brandon, I moved come drive 5 minutes East and see us) USTA discount? Maybe?

Ft Worth Fall League

2009-09-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Ft Worth Fall Leagues are starting this week-end with the highly unstable 1 Singles 3 Doubles format.
So here is the Fall Pre-season Preview.

3.5
3.5 is split into a Red and Blue Divisions.
Total of ten scheduled matches, first match Sept 19.
In the Blue Div the favorite should be the RTC Coyotes, Followed by the Southlake Racketqueers,
(really, you have to expect that if you name your team the Racqueteers, what were you thinking?)
Watch out for new comers Robson Ranch, which is apparently a retirement community in Denton, I will leave the jokes up to you.

In the Red Div nobody really stands out, ATC choked in the spring and had several of their players bumped but still has fielded a decent team, TCU seems to have a deep team as well. These two maybe as good a pick as any.

4.0
4.0 is Split into two divisions Red and Blue
Total of 6 matches with a Flighted 16 team draw post season tournament.
First Match Sept 12th
Blue Div (Suburban Div)
This flight is all the teams east of I-35W.
Of the 3 RTC teams, RTC Wylie look the toughest.
Southlake has managed to put together a large team, but with only 6 matches and 4 lines I expect there will be some unhappy players on this team.
The dark horse favorite - Team Flower Mound, Keep your eyes on these boys in both the fall and the spring.

Red Div
Both McLeland teams have fled that hole and are at the Arlington TC now, Look for the Old Gang to put together a Salty crew for the Fall.
Look for one of the TCU teams to compete with them.

4.5
6 Teams 10 matches
First match Sept 12
I fully expect TCU to dominate this Division.
There are almost as many 4.0's in this division as there are on a Garland/Sisk 3.5 team.
if any of you bumped down 4.5's need a 4.0 team give me a holla!
Note: Good to see the LTF West in Collyville finally get a men's team.