Monday, November 5, 2007

3.5 and 4.5 Regular season over (Playoff teams set)

4.5

Flight A:
Fair Oaks dropped a meaningless match and wins their flight with a 7-1 record. OC/Feldman beats Greenhill but not convincingly enough so they finish 3rd behind LB Houston who will be the 2nd playoff team from this flight with a 6-2 record.

Flight B:
T Bar M rolled over Canyon Creek to secure a playoff spot along with playoff regular OC/Branch.

These four will play a round robin at the end of November with Branch’s team being the early fav but T Bar M has to be in the conversation since they beat them two weeks ago.

3.5

Flight A:
High Point was able to bounce back after their loss to Westlake and beat Gleneagles 4-1 to secure 1st place in the flight and end Gleneagles’ playoff hopes. I was at this match and it was close for a little while. Both line 1 and 2 doubles went to 3rd set tiebreaks and High Point was down in both of those tiebreakers but rallied to win. Trae played very well to take out previously undefeated Aamer Ravji. Oak Creek swept out Canyon Creek to secure the 2nd spot and complete a great comeback after dropping to 2-2 early in the season.

Flight B:
Garland swept Lifetime to finish undefeated and Stonebridge took out Brookhaven securing their playoff spot and dashing the hopes of Brookhaven who will miss the playoffs for the 2nd straight season.

Flight C:
Greenhill won the big match up with Springpark only dropping one line to Jeromi Kelsey at line 1 singles. As predicted their doubles were just too much for Springpark. Greenhill finished tied with Oak Ridge at 7-1 who will be the other playoff rep.

Now we just wait to see how the RED and BLUE flights break out. These are six good teams and any one of them has a shot. Early fav would have to be undefeated Garland.

50 comments:

  1. I guess the Jeromi Kelsey DQ talk is a moot point now,
    I'm Sure he will be bumped up Next season,
    Point of interest, How will Garland Use Oberto in the Play offs,
    A strength turned into a potential weakness?
    Think anybody would roll out that 3rd string doubles player on him fishing for the DQ?
    As a team capt you have to factor that in as a possibility.

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  2. 11/4/2007 Jeromi C. Kelsey v. Jason Dallas Fraser 6-1, 6-0
    That should be 3 but does not matter now

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  3. Yep. That should do it for JK but I checked and it will change one match result but not change the playoff teams from that flight so no big deal. I am curious about Oberto, as much as a previous poster may disagree, if I am in a match with him and he is soundly beating me, I would severly let off the gas and just let the match be a blowout, because in my mind it looks like he has 3 or 4 strikes already so he must be sitting at 2 right now. Garland is not all that deep at singles so I would find it hard that they can afford to be careful with him. Good news is at line 1 singles he will be playing a strong quality of players so it would be hard to double bagel someone. Best best for Garland is to win big 4-1 or 5-0 to make sure this doesn't come back to bite them.

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  4. Here's a thought to help promte the idea that by actually trying to lose, it could be a good thing.

    Implement a handicap system whereby two teams play against each other, submit their scores of the match to the league, the league will run the results through a computer program that will handicap the results based on a secret formula and out pops the match/team winners.

    That not all. Each week, the prior weeks scores should be recalculated based on the current weeks play which could result in a win becoming a lose or lose becoming a win. This should happen each week through out the season so you will never know if you won or lost a given match until after the final match of the season has been played.

    Each week players should attempt to adjust their level of play either up or down by trying to win and lose a specific number of game each week so that they end the season at exactly the 3.5 rating level.

    To ensure equality in the playoffs, the league would need to DQ any player that ends the season at over a 3.5 rating from playing in the playoffs. This would reward the teams/players who could best manipulate their play week by week.

    ++++

    Now on a serious note...

    Cary, please forgive me as the above comment is not intended to be a personal attack on you, your skill, nor you knowledge of the game. I fully respect you, your position on this topic and appreciate you giving us this forum to share our opinions.

    The reason for my above comment is just that we differ in how we feel about the idea of how trying to lose is ever a good thing and I was trying to show how ridicules, in my opinion, things have become when teams/players are now trying to lose matches/games.

    My feeling is the current rules imposed on this league by opening up that a player can be DQ'd in the middle of a season is creating the need/desire for team to try to look for loopholes in the rules verse just playing the game and letting the results speak for themselves.

    That said, I understand that there may be players who INTENTIONALLY are playing at the 3.5 level and know they are above that level and the you hopes would be to expose these players but I think those players are also the players who are aware of the DQ rule and know to intentionally lose a few games each match so that they are not targeted by the USTA or a team trying to intentionally trying to lose big against them.

    I'm still struggling with losing being a good strategy as it is really not eliminating the issue of the intentional ringer who is also intentionally losing games. Should be a fun match to play/watch when both sides are trying to lose.

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  5. If your team does not have a Strong singles force, Would you not stack the Lines against Garland anyway?
    And put a throw away at #1 and your better player at #2?
    But then Garland could do the Double cross and move him to #2, and then you Counter with the Double-Double Cross,
    Don't you love the playoffs, Seriously,
    They should just keep him in Doubles since he has a good doubles record, That should keep him from getting DQ'ed,

    Until this season I had never thought about the possibility for a DQ, But after we almost got screwed out of the payoffs, you have to consider every 3-2 win as a potential loss if you have a boarder line player,
    It changes up you strategy and out look a lot, especially since it seems totally unpredictable.

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  6. There are alot of reasons that someone would not want to move up and play on the next level,
    Given nobody likes to lose,
    But I don't think people gravitate to 3.5 just to put a beat down on someone that is not as good as them,
    1) It's nice to be needed, big fish in a small pond, nobody wants to be 11th or 12th on the depth chart, when your good your guaranteed a match every week, when your not you have to wait around for someone to be out of town or hurt, the league is a lot on money/time to not be guaranteed matches.
    2) Captains/teammates - you may actually like your team and captain, and not have another higher level team at your club/tennis center or don't care for the people on that team.
    3) Physical/injury - May be your 4.0 sometimes, maybe 3.0 others, you have to be in good shape and stay healthy, and practice 2 - 3 time a week to be any good, sometimes that is a lot to ask,

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  7. well played frustrated newbie(your name is truly fitting). I will say though losing isn't easy. I have tried to play relaxed at 4.0 and I am playing injured and I almost won this week and I did win the week before. I will say you won't see much of this in the Spring except for new borderline self rated players. Now that I am looking closer at things since starting this blog it is interesting to see some curious results in certain matches (I won't name any names but they are all playoff teams at various levels)

    Newbie,
    Part of me agrees with you 100% but then the addictive and competitive part of me says hey its OK to bend the rules a bit.

    This whole thing became real apparent to me when we went to sectionals last season and when I was going through each team from around TX there was multiple players that had been to sectionals for 3 years or more in a row. I couldn't for the life of me figure it out, how can you compete at the 2nd highest level of your rating and win but somehow remain at that level?? I noticed teams who played up as a group and lost consistently to get back to their old rating. I would hope this could be an area the USTA could look at in the future. How many times should you be allowed to suceed at the same level?

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  8. Double cross, cross. I like that. I am with you I would attack Garland at doubles (Sorry Big John, don't mean to give advice against you) but I will put out notes later on all the other teams as well except ours of course.

    I agree about the DQ as well, you never care about it until it happens to you.

    OC BL,
    I like your comments on reasons to stay at a certain level. If you have success with a group of guys and enjoy playing together it isn't shocking you want to keep that going. Altough if you are still at 3.5 in two weeks, you are welcome to leave that old crusty OC team and come play with us. :)

    As you mentioned at the higher levels unless you create your own team, playing time is not guaranteed when you are not at the top of the heap. I know if I was dedicated to a drill class or lesson and was in tip top shape I could work my way up to 4.5 but I am not in shape and am not that dedicated to lessons, etc. I heard about a 4.5 team that has a 5AM lesson. I would never see the court if I was on that roster.

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  9. Wow...a team that actually won every match they play is considered to be "crusty" and/or "musty". What you call them had they lost a few matches?

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  10. Cary,
    If I was Jewish I would sign up in a second given your extensive knowledge and understanding of Jewish Holidays

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  11. As far as playing at the right level, what would you consider to be the level of consistancy needed to play at the 4.0 and 4.5 levels. Having played in the 3.5 this year, I noticed a very varied level of play. In many cases, I'm wondering if there may be too many 3.0 players playing 3.5 as an early post mentioned that the Dallas area teams usually do not match up well against other areas?
    Had I had a better understanding of this criteria, I may have chosen to start at a different level as the USTA self-rating system seems to be somewhat flawed.

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  12. hmm, how about "sh&*&(" no but there is nothing wrong with trading up OC BL.

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  13. Which level do you think this is describing:

    You have dependable strokes, including directional control and depth on both forehand and backhand sides on moderate-paced shots. You can use lobs, overheads, approach shots and volleys with some success and occasionally force errors when serving. Rallies may be lost due to impatience. Teamwork in doubles is evident.

    ****
    ****
    If you guessed 4.0 you would be right. I would say this describes winning 3.5 players in our league and a few 4.0's that haven't won a match lately.

    Here are 3.0 and 3.5

    USTA Rating Description


    General Characteristics of Various NTRP Playing Levels
    (Wheelchair players please see note below)

    1.5
    You have limited experience and are working primarily on getting the ball in play.

    2.0 Adult Beginners start here.
    You lack court experience and your strokes need developing. You are familiar with the basic positions for singles and doubles play.

    2.5
    You are learning to judge where the ball is going, although your court coverage is limited. You can sustain a short rally of slow pace with other players of the same ability.

    3.0
    You are fairly consistent when hitting medium-paced shots, but are not comfortable with all strokes and lack execution when trying for directional control, depth, or power. Your most common doubles formation is one-up, one-back.

    3.5
    You have achieved improved stroke dependability with directional control on moderate shots, but need to develop depth and variety. You exhibit more aggressive net play, have improved court coverage and are developing teamwork in doubles.

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  14. A problem as mentioned before is the lack of new players starting at 3.0. As you can see that description describes a lot of new players. I have suggested 3.0 to new referrals and they look at me like I just insulted their dead mother. Only when they come out and "try-out" and can't win points let alone games do they start to see the big picture. I guess it is a macho thing sometimes but I truly think people play games and sports to win so why would you put yourself in a situation to start by losing. I once met a guy who told me he was a solid 4.5 and he came out to a practice of ours and Siby beat him 6-1. It is OK to have confidence but in league tennis you have to be grounded in some form of reality.

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  15. I would have guessed a solid 4.5 simply based on what I have seen at the 3.5 level. Shows how much I know...but this makes me feel like I made the right decision to start at 3.5. I can see moving to the 4.0 level will require more time than I have at this point.

    In my opinion and based the above definitions there are way to many 3.0s playing at 3.5. Guess that is why some 3.5 may be winning some of their matches convincingly.

    Maybe the USTA should invoke a reverse 3 strike DQ to help with the situation of the 3.0 who are not willing to admit they are not quite at the level they desire/claim.

    Even if someone is wanting to play up to improve their game, I would think they would need to play at a respectable level to do so.

    DQing on both sides would help the league achieve the wanted middle ground at each level.

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  16. I don't know how many times I have heard "just keep the ball in play at this level" and to me that is 3.0 tennis, at the 3.5 you should have to "do something" in order to win a point not just merely push the ball back over the net and wait for mistakes.

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  17. I think the answer is pretty simple,
    Just display every ones Dynamic Ratings. Everybody's results are right there on the usta website anyway,
    What's all the mystery,
    That way you could be like "I got beat by a 3.3 I'm not as good as i thought, or "I stomped that 3.85 i must be better than a 3.5" etc..
    Eventually your record speaks for It's self

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  18. OC BL, that sounds logical to me but based on what I have seen thus far, that idea won't fly.

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  19. I've played lots of 3.5 players, 4.0 players and true 4.5 players. The difference that I have learned is that a 3.5 player, has one weapon, but a distinctive weakness that can be attacked. Some have a powerful serve but no ground stroking ability, others have a serve that comes in, a very good forehand but weak backhand, or others have a pushing mentality and do the "human backboard" game with no power or aggressiveness.

    Now, a 4.0 Player can be competitive on both sides of the court. They can apply pace to the ball, hit deep penetrating shots either on the forehand or backhand side, and they know that long rallies win the point, and not the big winner. It is more important to "finish" the point, than wait for your opponent to miss. If they hit a big serve, they expect it to be returned, but are ready to hit another shot and another shot and win the point, instead of their opponent losing the point. For example, Cary played someone last Saturday, a Patrick Solomons, he is very consistent, and I had to hit winner after winner until I finally wore him down, but our skill level was very even, the biggest advantage that I had was that I was lefthanded, so I was able to hit my forehand at an angle, that made it difficult for him to deal with in the long range, and he eventually got very winded and tired near the end.

    Now, a true 4.5 player can do all of that, but knows how to shorten the point, by adding additional pressure by coming to the net and volleying away winner after winner. I believe you see more serve and volleyers in 4.5. Jason Kern comes to mind. They also can see what your weakness is, exploit it and make short work of you. The key there is to be strong on both sides of the ball, keep them honest, by keeping the ball deep and forcing them into long rallies. Personally, I've been competitive with those who are rated 4.5, but never victorious.

    I'm basically a strong 4.0 player. If I play a 3.0 player, they usually wouldn't get more than 2-3 games on me, unless I am just trying a couple of things on the court. A 3.5 player usually loses to me, because I know that if I hit the ball hard with topspin, they have a difficulty in handling those shots. While a true 4.0 tennis player will cause me to be on the court for 1.5 to 2 hours, because the match is much more evenly matched.

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  20. Jonathan glad you mentioned ability to exploit a weakness that is often overlooked in thinking of your rating. At 3.5 I won plenty of matches by merely picking on a glaring weakness and not even really haven't to come up with shots of my own. At higher levels other players are able to find my faults easier as compared to lower levels. I also think the last notes on the descriptions about doubles play are important. You can hit the ball as hard as you want but if you aim it right at the net guy and he volleys it off the court don't call him a ringer learn how to lob and come to the net. If you think doubles is played from the back line then you are destined to be a 3.5 forever.

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  21. So if, "a 3.5 player, has one weapon, but a distinctive weakness that can be attacked." is a valid assessment of my abilities, but my 3.5 opponents never exploit my distinctive weakness, does that make me a 4.0 player. While I have had success at winning at 3.5, I am very concerned that moving to 4.0 will result in limited success. I guess I could stay at 3.5 next season, work on my weakness and hope to help my team make it to the playoffs or just jump to 4.0. Any advice from you 4.0 players as to when is the right time to make a move or should I just wait until the league forces me up?

    I'm guess the best thing to do would be to spend time in the off season working on my weakness and then play 4.0 but not sure my schedule will allow it.

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  22. I will say one thing about the 4.0 Level. I have found way much stronger competition in 4.0 tournaments.

    I'm a 3.5 player, but I ventured out into the 4.0 League this Fall, and so far I am 6-1, including 5-1 in singles play. Most have said that I am much more patient than I used to be, meaning focusing more on consistency. I enjoy playing 4.0 because it causes me to play more to my full ability. The better the competition, the better I play.

    The more I play 3.5 tennis, the more mediocre I play. I can easily play "down" to my opponent where in 4.0, I play harder. So much so, that this year with the exception of one match, I blew through everyone in the 3.5 League and I am at a level right now, that if I play someone with a suspect backhand or is inconsistent, my match will be much shorter and very lopsided.

    I believe the end result is that we all want to get better. You get better thru practice, at least once a week and playing better competition.

    Now, if you as a 3.5 player are still unsure about playing at the 4.0 level. Do what I did. Play both leagues. There are no restrictions for a 3.5 player playing in a 4.0 league. No restrictions for a 3.5 player playing in a 4.0 Tournament, you can't play down, but you can always play up or above your current rating.

    You have nothing to lose, so just play throwing all caution aside and just have a great time, you might be surprised at your results.

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  23. So maybe I have missed something? Are only self-rated players subject to being DQ'd?

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  24. What about players that were asked to move up after previous but were successful in their petitioned to be moved down a level?

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  25. most all DQ's are generated from self rated player. A computer rated player would have to have some wierd results to have a DQ arise. See link (usta petition) but this problem is not that rampant (yet..) someone who appeals back down to a level and is approved back down would find it hard to get DQ'ed. Check out this DQ from FTW Sungiu Hong(I actually tried to find this guy for our team last year then I saw this happen to him, glad I didn't track him down)

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  26. I definitely enjoy playing both the jump between 3.5 and 4.0 is not that far for me so it is nice to get good matches at both levels. It seems like the jump up to 4.5 is a little tougher. Another thing that plays into my choice is the day of play. For me Saturday is a better day to play so it nice to land back in the level that plays on Sat. I guess if I am still 4.0 I will look for a 4.5 to play on a little bit since they will be on Sat in the Spring. I don't like the Sunday schedule especially being a High Point team I would prefer to play in the AM as opposed to 3p in the afternoon.

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  27. Shouldn't the DQ rule be applied to everyone regardless of how they got their rating as their are too many way for players to manipulte their ratings.

    By not appling to everyone, only those who are intentionally trying to cheat are getting away with it as they know how to get around the rules.

    The current rule is kinda like the idea of making guns illegal in that only criminals would have guns.

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  28. I think that would be a tad too much the DQ was needed when self rating began but players that have years of match results shouldn't be open to a DQ. As I mentioned earlier though I do think there should be a limit of success you can achieve at one level. this could be adjusted according to age much like the chart the USTA has for guidelines for self rating (have you seen this thing, this is a whole other issue)

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  29. I thought I would post these comments up at the top since they were interesting:

    Jonathan said...
    Good Point Jeromi. Sorry about mis-spelling your name. My question is what is it about me, that people with big serves always serve well against me and are inconsistent against others.

    It's funny about people complaining. Last year I played and won a 3.5 Tournament and everyone complained about me, then when I played the same tournament a year later, no one complained about me because it was realized that I was beatable.

    Then you get the point that people wished you were on their team. Well maybe captains need to recruit better #1 Singles guys. I am ranked in the top 25 in 3.5 in the state of Texas and only one team asked me if I would play on their team. And I told that captain that I hadn't planned on playing any 3.5 League this season, but since he went out of his way to invite me, I would do it. It is all about recruiting.

    I said that to say this, there are lots of people rated 3.5 who are as good as Jeromi. I know I played them. If John Kraemer can be recruited from Dallas, TX to play on a Houston, TX team, than anybody from anywere in TX can be invited. Don't get "stuck" on playing your guys all the time, and not be open to expanding your roster for that one or two players to get you over the top.

    And Jeromi, I would love a rematch. Because I love playing anyone that has the ability to push me. Winning against a very stronger player is much more rewarding than beating someone by a lopsided score.

    My email is jonathan.marcus@utsouthwestern.edu.

    November 7, 2007 8:50 AM


    rueben said...
    How many teams have limitations on who plays for their teams?
    I play for Stonebridge and we are limited to club members, so recruiting is not really an option.
    How much of an advantage do you think it is for some teams to be able to get players from all over?

    November 7, 2007 10:07 AM

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  30. reuben I have heard this thought from clubs and country clubs before, I even heard a suggestion that clubs should have their own rep at the DCC tourney. While I think that is a little crazy I do think it is interesting. I think there are distinct advantages and disadvantages. Clubs get new members fed to them and have facilities to use which are generally in great conditions. Public teams have all the players in the world but must track them down and must also find facilities to hold practices, matches, etc. Reuben for a fellow far north dallas resident I hate we don't have more tennis facilities in Mckinney, Frisco and the Denton area. There is a new subdivision of houses that gets built everyday but I would love to see a 2 tennis courts for every 100 new houses. Do certain clubs allow non members to play for a certain amount of time. Also this sometimes feeds into player rating issues. If your club is strong at a certain level it is in your best interest to stay where your friends and strongest players are.

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  31. What's keeping a Country Club from have a non-member on their team?
    I assume you can have guests, right?

    This gets me off on a whole-nother tangent that is a personal pet peve of mine,
    How may courts go unused at Dallas County clubs, While sometimes you have to fight tooth and nail to get a public court for an hour or two,
    Las Colinas County Club comes to mind, Great outdoor lighted courts, indoor courts, yet, nothing going on but the rent.
    If they could figure out a way to have leagues, or drills or events that are open to the public maybe they could get somebody to actually join!

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  32. Eldorado CC is kind of the same way. My parents are members so I have brunch there a lot and play golf on occassion and it is a regular occurence to see those courts empty. At least they have league play but those courts are nice they should be packed all the time. I believe there are 8-10 courts.

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  33. It's just everybody is always bitch'in tennis is dead, tennis is not popular, nobody's playing tennis, tennis is to expensive, etc..

    But we seems like we are always hiding the sport in County Clubs or Private Clubs,
    I my mind the sport should be kind of like a church, If you want to play just show up and someone should be their to welcome you and tell you where you need to go,
    But generally it's not like that,

    I pretty much fundamentally disagree with charging someone a couple of hundred dollars a month to play tennis,

    and as a change to the profit model of the county club, I see no reason why you could not charge non-members for court limited usage at county clubs as long as they are not in use by members,

    If people are serious about growing the sport for the sake of the sport, why would you want to put up barriers to getting new players involved.

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  34. Interesting comments...
    Didn't mean to start a debate over country club court usage and availability or business models to better utilize their courts.
    My question was: how much of an advantage do you think it is that some teams can draw members from anywhere while some are limited to members?
    Not sure what percentage of teams are private clubs, but my guess is that a much lower percentage of private club teams make the playoffs.
    Thoughts?

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  35. I think it is actually pretty even. Most people are not that interested in driving long distances to play on a league tennis team. Most would rather play close to their home or work. It is not the norm to have players from all over your area or state for that matter, that is the exception to the rule. Last I checked 2 Stonebridge teams just qualified for the playoffs. Last year at 3.5 there was a disparity with only Lifetime Fitness being a private team in the DCC but at the QT tourney Stonebridge and Gleneagles were there. I think it just depends because Brookhaven is always competitive at many levels so maybe it has to do with the club itself and what type of orgination they have. More curious to me is why Oak Creek has such a stranglehold on the 4.5 level. Although the next best team this year is a "club" T Bar M.

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  36. Jeromi again. Sorry I have been out of town for the better part of a week and just got around to getting on the computer.
    First, thing the match with Frasier was 6-2 6-0. Not 1 and 0. There were several deuce games in that last set so it could have very easily been much closer.
    Next, Jonathan is absolutely right in saying that you need to pick on the weaker side of your opponent. That is the only way that I got around him when we started a rally. I had to stay away from his forehand. At the 3.5 level your best bet is usually to hit the ball to your opponents backhand.
    If for some reason I don't get bumped up before the spring season I will be taking bids for who I will play for. Haha. Just kidding. But it won't be for oak creek. I'm not completely sure what I did to them, but they have complained about me all season. In my defense, I should have beat their player worse than I did. He was twice my age, had a knee brace on both knees and an elbow brace on his arm.
    To all of (at least most of) the teams going to play offs I wish you the best of luck.
    Jeromi

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  37. Jeromi
    I think you were referring to Oak Ridge (William Moore) but any bashing of the old and crusty Oak Creek is welcome on this blog. :)

    Interesting to know that about Oak Ridge, I have a feeling they will be in our flight at playoffs, so we will make sure and sweep them for ya. They amassed a good team of above average tourney players and I am assuming they thought they would roll through this Dallas league. I don't think the C flight was all that tough so they are in for a rude awakening at the end of this month because they will see players at your level. Wait till they play Ben Oberto who will probably be in their flight.

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  38. in your regards to your score I don't doubt it was close because Jason is a good player but it just further makes many of us scratch our heads as to why the computer didn't bump you in to DQ status, just another big ? as to how this system works.

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  39. Hey make sure you Specify which Oak Creek Team your talking About,
    Oak Creek/Smith does not complain about anybody,

    But that probably because we don't lose much,

    But seriously, If you run home and cry to Mommy(USTA) everytime you lose,
    Instead of finding fault in yourself and improve your game and your team, you deserve to lose.

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  40. Heh! I can "hit" a backhand, for just some reason I just choose not to. :-)

    It's funny about the DQ status question. Me, personally, if I could be honest, I only win 0&0, when something has happened and the match has become "personal".

    Most of the time, I "ease" up and don't really try that hard once I realize that I will probably win.

    Having said that, I am excited about the upcoming 4.0 season, hopefully by the spring, I would have gotten the "kinks" out of my "weak backhand" and I am blasting that shot almost as well as I sometimes blast my forehand.

    Lastly, I am amazed that I never got DQed, I guess that never happened because my ranking is computer based and not self-rated.

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  41. Bazan Said..."Interesting to know that about Oak Ridge, I have a feeling they will be in our flight at playoffs, so we will make sure and sweep them for ya."

    What playoff team are you on?
    I thought your 3.5 team was like 1-7 ?
    Are you going to take them out with a lead pipe or something.

    Or are you talking about "Trae Smoov's" Team?

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  42. yes I do mean Trae's team. I should be a 3.5 by the time playoffs roll around so I will be there supporting our group so we can have a easy going regular season in the Spring. I did have my name on the other team but they pretty much ran themselves, I was just a name. That is one reason I am not a big fan of the team name system currently have, players kind of freak when the idea of putting their name of the team as it seems like so much responsibility. I would prefer something to show we are all from the same group. High Point really doesn't signify that either since we only play matches there and have no real contact with the other High Point teams.

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  43. jonathan I am with you I couldn't feel good about the double bagel if I liked the person. I had a singles match last fall with a guy at Las Colinas. He was extremely nice because I rarely chat on changeovers but I did that day and I found it hard to press against this guy, he was a good player but if I would have played all out I could have went for the double bagel but it wouldn't have felt that great. Funny you mentioned Las Colinas OC BL I had forgotten there used to be teams there, that is a really nice club. They even have some indoor courts I believe, right?

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  44. Cary, you ready to make any predictions for the 3.5 and/or 4.5 levels yet or at least give your thought as who are the teams/players to watch/fear?

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  45. I'll work on something, right now off to play tennis in Frisco. 22 days till playoffs, that seems like forever, thank god we have one more 4.0 match to go or else I would die of boredom.

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  46. I knew that it was Oak something. So who is this Oberto guy and how can I get a match against him?
    Sorry Jonathan. I didn't mean that you couldn't hit a backhand it just isn't as good as your booming forehand.
    As for the 0 and 0 thing. I have some kind of weird mental block and I just can't really seem to win that way.

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  47. to oc bl big talk about sweeping the oak ridge team.Hope you can play as good as you talk.

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  48. to Jeromi,Oak Ridge would like a rematch against your non-playoff team. Since you have a lot of things to say about us. Fyi when your team played us 5 of our top players were in San Antonio that weekend or you would have not beaten us!!!!! You also need to show some respect to older players. If you think your so great start playing where you belong and stop bragging how good you are. Maybe Roger Federer will schdule a match with you.HaHa

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