Monday, November 24, 2008

Fall DCC is done!

So it is finally come and gone. I have to say I had a great time running around this weekend, after a crazy week in my personal life this was a needed getaway from "real" life.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to John Kraemer for sending me the photos. I wish I could have watched more of the other levels but I was obviously working with my own team as we made a run to the finals.

3.5
Whoah so I guess Westlake wasn't a lock after all but after looking at that final scorecard it doesn't seem all that shocking. I guess Dec. 1st is a big day for this team to see if Cline and Mitterer will still be 3.5's.

4.5
I didn't get to see but a few points of 4.5 this weekend but it was a closely contested weekend by looking over the results but OC just seemed more consistent from beginning to end. Nice job! For some reason that trophy doesn't like to leave Marsh Ln.

4.0
I have nothing but respect for Bob and his team since some of those guys I know personally and know them to be great people on and off the court. Our team is proud of our season and beating Lifetime (oops did I say that aloud) to make it to Sunday and my guys played well but Bob's team was just a bit better all around.

Other than my own fabulous players I wanted to point out the great play of BMO this weekend and Bin Nguyen, Chad Carlquist and Jarad Kemp, these guys stepped it up when it counted this weekend.

I saw someone posted a question to me that was interesting about the round robin tiebreakers. I actually do agree that head to head should be a tiebreaker although I do think the current system rewards having a deep and well rounded team. There is definite arguments for both sides but that is a national rule and would take something major to have it changed. I think it evens out because my first Dallas team I ever played on played competed in the Spring DCC 2005 and that was the year before they started the wild card to sectional and we finished in a dead tie with Bob Bender's 3.5 team that went onto nationals that year, they were far ahead in ind. match wins but we gave them their one loss, so maybe this weekend made up for that a little bit.

So next up on our plate is Dec 1st. End of year ratings, should be interesting. After that I plan on taking a 2-3 month hiatus from the blog and I hope you will join me. I need a break, I am open for contributors during that time.

145 comments:

  1. Oak Creek got very luck that Northwood somehow lost to Brookhaven.

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  2. How can Cline move up when he didn't play Line 1 singles against Samuel Grand?

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  3. the line # you play has nothing to do with anything

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  4. Then why do all the best players always play Line 1?

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  5. Why do Harvey, Dolson, and Acosta all play Line 1 if that is the case?

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  6. Team Feldman Lucky?? Hmm. Really?

    If Northwood would have beaten Brookhaven, do you think that would have been the line up for the final match? 4-1,4-1 going into the final match.

    Three of our top players watched the last match against Northwood. Geez, Feldman even let their Senior Bison out on the court.

    Brookhaven almost snuck in and won it with their straight set 5-0 win against R.O.

    You can say we were lucky and maybe even believe it, but I watched all the matches and Team Feldman won when they had too.

    I was proud to be on their team.

    Two final points and I will head back out to the fields.

    1.There was never any "score management" by this team. Whomever keeps bringing up one of Durten's matches doesn't know Kevin very well. I played with Kevin in 5.0 for many years and he is one of the great competitors out there.

    2.The other is the complete idiot attacking Joey. We should all learn to play like Joey.

    Enjoyed the tennis this season and as I predicted it would be very close. No word from the Great White Rhino??? Believe he might be feeling a bit buffaloed.

    A Great Thankgiving to You All,

    Senior Buffalo

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  7. Congrats to Brookhaven. This fall season was fun (3.5 level) and I'm looking forward to competing again in the spring. Hopefully, everyone will be back and we all can continue talking smack! Happy Turkey Day to all the 3.5'ers!

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  8. Nice playing overrated Royal Oaks!

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  9. Yahtzee!

    Well that was a fun weekend of tennis. I'll be glad for a few months off now.

    Can't believe it got that close w/ Northwood in the end. Even more shocked that had we lost to NW 1-4, Brookhaven and not NW would have finished 1st. And boy did that almost happen.....

    I was up 9-7 in the breaker w/ McCord before he quickly hit 3 winners on me (including one wicked angle backhand pass at 9-8) and I was down match point. I came in behind a serve and hit a b/h drop volley winner then managed to scrap out the next 2 points. So that's how close all the teams were.

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  10. Oh and as to "score management" by Durten/Wright against HP. Yeah, we're busted. They just knew that we would win that last singles match (which started 3 hours later) 12-10 in a breaker against HP the final week. That breaker doesn't go our way, and we don't even make the playoffs. So good call there Sherlock.

    Props to all the teams as everybody played hard and fair. I didn't hear any complaints about hooking. Good clean tennis all around.

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  11. I played line 1 against Brookhaven 3.5 line 1 this past weekend. One of the guys was a good player and made fair calls. The other one was a cheat, no wonder they snuck out the win

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  12. BH winning 2 of the 3 matches this weekend 4-1 doesn't seem like sneaking out with a win.

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  13. Senior Buffalo and anyone else who sustains impassioned pleas supporting Molina: the "idiot" is one who posits a non sequitor with the facts presented in all my earlier posts. The fact is that Molina is a 5.0 playing in a 4.5 league. You can call people idiots all day who note this as a fact, but it fails to light. Subjective rhetoric doesn't change facts nor does it address it or defend it in any way--hence the non sequitor.

    When a 5.0 plays down at 4.5, it is a statement of that person's inability to play fairly and to face a potentially lower win/loss ratio at his own level. It's not impressive or respectable. For many of the males who participate in this 4.5 league, the desire to win appears to obviate the intent of the rules (hence appealing down, playing fewer matches during the year except at the playoffs, tanking, stacking, etc). The rule/law has both literal and connotative meaning, and the lot of the 4.5 league knows the intent, but aren't men of integrity to face it.

    Play straight up at your level Molina et al. It's not praiseworthy otherwise. These are the facts.

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  14. Great sportsmanship all weekend with some very closely contested matches. Team Feldman snuck out of there with a well deserved victory.

    "Well done" to the Royal Oaks team for staying out there to support the last player on the court. Even with the team down 0-2 and down in lines 0-4 to us, the team stayed to support their last line. Good team John Rothwell. sorry about the chest

    Caveman

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  15. Well, well, losing three third set tiebreaks, getting smoked the other two lines, all that can be said is:

    "Team Bazan puts the croak in choke"

    At least your singles players didn't end up "putting the assless in classless", since they got their asses handed to them. The classless part still sticks though. Although the lack of class is seemingly somewhat obscured by the heavy choke. But at least they didn't choke a whole weekend like LTF did.

    HP Bob rules, always has, always will.

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  16. Anon Molina basher -
    Why don't you put a name to yourself if you are going to single someone out? What did Molina do to rile you up? At EVERY level, people appeal down if they are within the range. There are probably a lot more understandable reasons to do that at the 4.5 level than other lower levels.

    5.0 USTA league is a lot different than 4.5. Only 3 lines, no fall playoffs, less of a "team" mentality, smaller pool of players. All reasons why someone might want to stay 4.5 if they are within appealing range.

    If you want to take a stand against the practice of appealing down in general, then by all means that's a legit complaint. But to single out one person is weak.

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  17. To the poster at 8:29(I'll call you factman). Molina and any other player at any other level that appealed a higher rating did so under the rules as they existed at that time. You can also appeal a rating up if that floats your boat. Appealing a rating does not mean someone lacks integrity or is a bad person. They just did what was allowed by the rules.

    You can trot out the number of wins a person has and by what scores and call those facts. You interpret the facts one way. The computer, to this point, has interpreted them another way. Sounds like the USTA could save a huge amount of money and dump their computer ratings and just let you do it since you know the facts. You tell Molina and others to play their level for the integrity of the person/league. Again, sounds like you can take all the guess work out of it. We can use your opinion as fact and you can decide when someone should be moved to a different level (sounds like opinion to me). The old system had raters and now we have computers. The computers have flaws but at least it takes the subjective part out of it and puts some objectivity into the system.

    My only point, and I agree-this is opinion and not fact, is that to question Molina's integrity or question his employment by playing at a level as allowed by the rules is idiotic and mean spirited.

    I don't know Molina well, but from the few times I have been on a court with him or seen him with his pupils, I believe him to be a good person, a good teacher and good for the game of tennis. I don't play for Royal Oaks by the way and I am not a member of Royal Oaks.

    I really don't understand your argument. Where are you saying a line was crossed? You lack integrity if 1) you appeal your rating? 2) you win 75% of your matches 3) you win a good number of your matches at a certain score or 4) all of the above. In your opinion means so much. Please let us know so we can all be sure not to be lacking integrity. Let me give you some practice in judgment. Player A won 90 % of their 4.0 matches, went 0-4 in his 4.5 matches, did not appeal, but 2 of his 10 matches were blow outs. This person dicides to stay at 4.0 because the computer tells him too. Integrity? Please give us your fact. I mean opinion.

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  18. Great weekend of 4.0 tennis guys! I had a blast playing dbls against Oak Creek, Lifetime, the Lakes and Bob's HP Dynasty team. All of our matches were hotly contested and there was little off-color drama (no calling for officials every other game, major arguments, etc).

    I know that we are all competitive but why can't we have fun out there? I know I did! I don't consider losing matches in 3rd set tie-breaks or even straight sets at 4 & 4 to be choking, I consider it competitive tennis. I was impressed with the level of tennis and sportsmanship that I saw in the 4.0 playoff and I want to tip my racquet to my fellow 4.0 brethren.

    BMO & Brian #2 played a great match and took the Bowman Brothers out in fun, 3 set match! We will have to play that one again on the ladder BMO!

    Newman & Voss schooled us a little in a tough 2 setter than was decided by a couple of breaks in both sets. You can tell these guys play a lot together because they moved in sync and made us pay when we left openings!

    Great 4.0 season guys and let's get ready for the Spring. The trash talk is fun as long as it stays light and fun and we can all laugh about it later. So on that note, Lifetime, it was fun playing you guys and even more fun beating you!

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  19. Dustin...can think of quite a few fellas who fall well within the 5.0 NTRP definition as people who even have multiple weapons: you, Slezak, Durten, Pier, Brownlee, Morrison, Williams.

    Walt Williams would almost reach the same level as Molina, but Frets no longer spires to the top of the Dallas tennis food chain like Royal Oaks does.

    The deal with Molina flying solo in my writeups was that he stands as a "pillar", if you will, for community excellence in tennis with a reputation of depth that probably exceeds your entire lifespan whereas the rest of the 5.0 players just play tennis and work in other venues, as far as I know. Secondly, Molina: because that's the only name I knew as of Saturday. I learn fast and know how to research, so the other names/associations mentioned here were garnered within the last 24 hours. Thirdly, to drive a point home to chastise the lot of you, I needed one name for a real-world example, and Molina is a big target for the principles at issue. If you take "tennis" out of the Molina discussion, I'm sure he's a fantastic fella. He may even be as close to being a Messiah as Obama. But since the topic is "5.0 players posing as 4.5 players", Molina is a big target--Messiah in private life or not.

    I'll emerge "from Anonymous" soon enough. You'll recognize my style of writing and my closing signature at a future date. You may even get to see me on the court in the spring playing in 4.5 as a 4.5. But, my identity doesn't un/substantiate any of the issues here. Nice try.

    :P

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  20. No, it just makes you a chicken shit! All 50+ players are now 4.5's according to the USTA period. That will be put to the test by Val Wilder next year! Let the complaints begin now.

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  21. Fall 4.5 league winner OC Feldman vs OC Branch of the Spring. Who Wins???

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  22. Assuming the Royal Oaks website is correct, Molina is 48.

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  23. You guys are combining my arguments with p's arguments. I already said that if Joey went up to 5.0 and didn't do well, I would have no problem with him coming back down. Even playing 4.5 and 5.0 would be different. But the fact that the computer tells him to move up, but he continues to play down is my point.

    I am not singling out Molina because I personally don't think the appeal system should even exist. Why move somebody up if they can appeal? I have problems with anybody who appeals and continues to dominate at the lower level.

    Also, whoever made the comment about good sportsmanship was accurate, except for the match between Northwood and Brookhaven at line 2 singles. I can't let this go because Yuri made a blatantly bad line call in the second set. Matt went on to win the match in a third-set tiebreak. As it was told to me, Yuri came up to Matt after the match and apologized for the call, saying he "just wanted to get back in the match." This is despicable behavior and Yuri should not be allowed to compete in any USTA matches after this. I don't know Yuri but I've heard similar stories from others who have played him and the USTA can't tolerate these actions.

    Vik, does this mean we are going to see you at 4.5 again if you get moved up?

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  24. Cary, I would be happy to contribute during your hiatus as you might expect. I seem to be good at stirring up things on the blog and sparking unhealthy debate.

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  25. hate the game not the playa. The complaints should be at the rules/system, not a particular person that plays within the rules as they are established.

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  26. Unless of course that person is Nancy.

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  27. Trae,

    Thanks for a great match. Appreciate you and your 'twin' brother helping us keep it drama free.

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  28. Wow - so you are saying Yuri walked up and admitted he hooked your player on purpose to get back into the match? That seems unbelievable - some of you guys take this way too serious.

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  29. Yuri is a great guy off the court, but on the court, he can be a nut and does this kind of thing all the time.

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  30. Exactly what I'm saying. I don't know if that happened on a crucial point or not, but what if he would have won the match. I doubt he makes that "apology."

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  31. As for the fact opiner at 9:55 AM, The NTRP Guidebook for 4.5 is:

    Forehand:
    Very good consistency; uses speed and spin effectively; controls depth well; tends to overhit on difficult shots; offensive on moderate shots.

    Backhand:
    Can control direction and depth but may break down under pressure; offensive on moderate shots.

    So on and so forth. It's also appropriate when interpreting the handbook to understand the levels just above and below 4.5 for context. You can find it here and read the details for yourself.

    http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/sitecore_usta/USTA/Document%20Assets/2006/04/03/doc_13_12277.pdf

    So here's the deal according to USTA. The NTRP was established to assist in fairness. They are here to keep honest people honest and are funded for a charter that cannot exceed that threshold (aka, dishonest folk must be held accountable by peers). Else, when people are dishonest, the USTA must develop supplementals or "riders" to the NTRP "constitution". Then the problem becomes the execution of these additional rules, which is where the computer ratings come into play. But computer ratings do not obviate the NTRP ratings themselves that allow only little subjectivity. The only help keep the dishonest people in check, albeit poorly.

    If you were all honest enough to rate against the NTRP constitution that says you're a 4.5 or 5.0, then these additional rules would not be required. As it stands, the folks I mentioned earlier are 5.0 players per the NTRP system, and attempting to get around this is exactly why additional rules are showing up nearly every other season.

    You're simply not being honest when executing league play where you claim you're a 4.5, yet in front of a group of friends from college you claim you're a 5.0 or 5.5.

    So here's the 5.0 rating definition just so you can't claim you haven't ever seen it. These are the rules folks.

    Forehand:
    Strong shots with control, depth, and spin; uses forehand to set up offensive situations; has developed good touch; consistent on passing shots

    Backhand:
    Can use backhand as an aggressive shot with good consistency; has good direction and depth on most shots; varies spin

    Service
    Serve is placed effectively with intent of hitting to a weakness or developing an offensive situation; has a variety of serves to rely on; good depth, spin, and placement on most second serves to force weak return or set up next shot; can mix aggressive and off-paced service returns with control, depth, and spin

    Volleys:
    Can hit most volleys with depth, pace and direction; plays difficult volleys with depth; given opportunity volley is often hit for

    Special Shots:
    Approach shots and passing shots are hit with pace and high degree of effectiveness; can lob offensively; overhead can be hit from any position; hits mid-court volleys with consistency a winner

    And as a sidenote, if the USTA were funded well enough, a compulsory NTRP clinic at the beginning of every season would solve a lot of these problems.

    :p

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  32. That's unbelievable, Juri. Why would someone hook another and then apologize by blaming it on "trying to get back in the match"? Pathetic.

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  33. Not only do I claim to be a 5.0 when talking to college friends. I claim to be a doctor when talking to women at bars.

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  34. Cant wait for Val Wilder to be amongst the 4.5 Ranks. He would fit right in to the level. I know he's good but by no means would he dominate at the Sectionals 4.5 level guaranteed!!

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  35. Val will not be playing at 4.5 in the Spring unless he appeals and is allowed to drop 2 levels as he has "T" rating of 5.5 from end of 2007.
    Also he will have a barrage of grievances looking at his National Record, so he will not be playing 4.5 next year unless the TTA/USTA say F'It and lets everyone play.

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  36. Ok, where to start according to the USTA rules "I" don't know what I should be rated. Now, I am playing at 4.5 and feel a little bad about it. I don't have a stellar record, but it wasn't long ago (under a different USTA system mind you) that I was DQ'd at 5.0 sectionals. I get so many mixed signals here, I don't feel that I am playing out of level, truthfully I don't think the levels are that far apart. Joey and I played a couple of seasons ago at 5.0 at the matches were the same as they are now, with the major exception being that the singles players were a little younger...If I went strictly by the book then I would be a 5.5, which means there isn't much league play at that level 1 or 2 matches a year! I play open or age groups at tourneys, as i think i should, but then there is another option! Sorry aout the rambling but this has bothered me for the past 6 or 7 years...

    old school

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  37. OC Feldman vs OC Branch who is more dominant. Does Feldman's Team even win a line vs the stacked Branch Sandbaggers???

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  38. Oh yeah he fits right in! #1 in the world in 45's, I agree his game is average, but qualification wise he should not fit the 4.5 mold. That being said, I watched him and another 5.5 lose to a 4.5 and a 4.0. 6-2 6-2 Vu Le and Vihn Trihn
    I think this illustrates the point, the levels are close, and the complainers, like Corey, need to be 4.0

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  39. OK :p since we are quoting the vaunted USTA that is so consistent with its rules.

    "NAIA, Div. 2 & 3 unranked college team player (commited to, playing, or played ) -program with no scholarships (not much stronger than High School tennis); Junior College player;
    Former Juniors who had national (foreign or domestic) rankings but did not tour or play in college"

    These are the type of players who could self rate at 4.5. Maybe I'm naive but I hope they some of these if not many have better skills than outlined in the previously quoted guidelines for 4.5.
    In order to have to self-rate above 4.5 you have to be for example "Domestic or foreign Junior 18's ranked in top 150 nationally or in a section in the top 20 ". So if I understand that statement (which may not be true), if I was ranked number 21 in Texas in 18s but did not play college, I could self rate at 4.5. Once again I would think a player of that caliber could "lob offensively" for example, which is a "5.0 trait".
    There seems to be a disconnect between the "guidelines" and the "grid" so how exactly does one determine what a 4.5 is? I believe the "grid" is what you answer to determine your self-rate so that seems to be more the standard but what the true standard for an NTRP ratings is beyond me personally.
    Is what you see in tournament play the standard or is it league play or sectionals or nationals (where Texas did not get out of pool play even with all the local complaining about how out of level they were).
    OK you can now anonymously bash me as much as you want but at least you know who to bash since my name is at the top.

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  40. We all know there are many 5.0 players with terrible volleys, or weak serves, etc. That's why the NTRP is a guideline. I have no problem with ratings being determined based on results. Every player's goal should be to get better, right? I was thrilled when I got moved from 4.0 to 4.5. I know that everybody wants to win but is winning 1 and 1 really satisfying?
    Very rarely can two players play where the score is 1 and 1 or worse. One of those players is below or above level.
    I appreciate you guys (Slezak and Kern) for posting your names because it allows for a more honest debate, sans namecalling or insults.

    I think the biggest problem is that you cannot advance out of city play without having at least one player who is out of level. To go further, I saw John Sisk's team compete at nationals with at least 6 4.0 players on his roster and his team lost 0-5. I actually like the new benchmark appeal rule as I have already said because it stops the same people from dominating the same level year in, year out.

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  41. For the question posed earlier about Feldman v. Branch: I think Dustin has a chance to win against any Branch player. Based on my 1 doubles team beating their 1 doubles teams by similar scores, that would be very close. I don't think Feldman could match up well in any other lines. Branch just has too much depth like always. They always have a chance to win 5-0 but you will never see them lose more than 3 lines, and even that is rare.
    Historically, I don't know how those teams have done against each other but, seeing as Branch rarely loses, I assume they have won more often than not. Except for Dustin, I don't think Feldman's roster has changed much from previous years.

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  42. That 0-5 was a beating! Not one line split sets,hate to see what it's like at 4.0 or 4.5!
    Sisk

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  43. No, winning 1 and 1 at no level is satisfying. However, is getting beat 2 and 2 at Sectionals or Nationals satisfying either? And is it definitely the other player's fault.
    Did Sisk really have 6 4.0 players and lose or is our evaluation of what a 4.0 player is wrong. I don't know the answer to that question and that's my problem. I know Slezak and Williams were signifcantly better than me on that day at Sectionals. However, I believe they lost the next day. And then the team they lost to lost at Nationals. Does that mean they are all 5.0 sandbaggers or does it mean I'm just a middle of the road 4.5 at best?
    I guess my main complaint comes when someone significantly improves throughout the year so that by the end they are "out-of-level" and then they are trashed for it. My best example would be Ismael from Houston. He in no way would have been able to dominate in 4.0 last year but he improved significantly this year and was a top 4.0 by the end of the year yet people trash him. I'm not saying I know the answer, I'm simply saying it may not be a cut and dry as many people say.

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  44. Yuri is still a gigantic moron.

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  45. who was the crazy 3.5 guy in the final on court 2 that went ballistic and came up to the tourney desk. He was obnoxious.

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  46. I think that is the key to victory. You have to have somebody who starts the season toward the top of the level, and by the end of the season and the playoffs, they have improved almost one complete level (i.e. Glen Flora, Defeo, etc.). These guys would not have been winning 4.0 matches 8 months ago, at least not as many. Obviously finding a self-rated ringer that is one level above helps too, but then you run the risk of losing him during the season, unless he tanks early on.

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  47. My prediction was Northwood would sweep doubles and take the championship. They lost 1 versus RO, 2 against Brookhaven, and 1 against Oak Creek. That's surprising. Does anyone know if they were missing some of their key players?

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  48. Gee, I might know. We were missing one of our top 4 doubles players. He decided he would rather go to the game in Oklahoma than play in the playoffs. I can't say with certainty that we would have won with him but it certainly would have helped. Nonetheless, my goal throughout was to win 1 of 2 singles (which we did in each match) and 2 of 3 doubles (which we did not do against Brookhaven). We have great players but not much depth, evidenced by the fact that we used the same 8 players for all three matches.

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  49. I heard that Yuri's family has disowned him.

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  50. Yes. Northwood was missing Blake Mason. Mason and Jones are 4-0 at line 1 doubles and 2-0 at line 2 doubles in regular season play (Spring and Fall Seaons) for Northwood. I think Mason went 5-0 this fall in doubles playing line 1 80% of the time.

    the only losses for Jones and Mason were against T-bar at DCC Spring playoffs and a default at 7-5 to begin the second set against OC Branch. Mason suffered from heat stroke or dehydration or early signs of old age, whichever came first.

    :P

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  51. Yes Northwood would have won with Mason in the mix. He and Jones beat the Brookhaven team at line 1 the first time they played them and would have beaten the lesser team at line 2 this time around, too. Jones and Graddick just couldn't clinch that line 2 match as the score finished at 7-5, 6-4.

    :p

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  52. To the 8:02 poster. The crazy guy was Glen Strohl. He is a 4.0 playing in the 3.5 league. Go figure

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  53. J Mason needs to be 5.0 or 5.5.

    P Jones is a 4.0 at best.

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  54. Mason should probably be rated 5.0 but not 5.5. I agree with you on Jones.

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  55. I'd like to see a 4.0 player that could beat Jones. The crazy guy was Jeromi Kidd by the way, not Glen. He was losing 6-2, 5-2 and decided to argue vehemently about one bad line call.

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  56. Mason should be a 5.0/5.5 based on what? Winning 75% of his doubles matches at 4.5?

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  57. Glen Strohl was rated 4.0 on the USTA website and has been since when. He played in four 4.0 matches this year, got beat, and they dropped him to 3.5 in the middle of the season. He was shown as 4.0 on rating site while shown on the 3.5 team. And you think the rating system knows what is going on out on the courts??? Think I will try that this coming year. I can drop four 4.0 matches easily.

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  58. yeah...Jones is a solid 3.5. He'd prolly start winning for sure if he played 4.0. What an idiot.

    :p

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  59. Did Jones win a match this past weekend in 4.5?

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  60. Rumor is that Jones does nothing but fake injury from week to week to gain sympathy from his teammates to make up for his lack. He even claimed to have torn his hamstring in the Spring DCC against Royal Jokes and lost 7-6, 7-5 at line 3.

    Idiot.

    :p

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  61. Have you looked up Peter Jones recent match record? He has some very good wins at 4.5.
    I thought he had a solid game and will probably improve if he continues to work on his game. It is just possible that Marty and I played well.

    One other thing, I wasn't defending Joey's rating status, but only saying personal attacks are uncalled for. He is not way out of level though in my opinion.

    Go to nationals and watch even the senior 4.5 players and you will see some players from Calif. that are extremely tough. Don't know about y'all, but that is who I want to play.

    You know I don't like getting crushed by someone way out of level, but I haven't seen many 4.5's that I wouldn't want to play against. Can I beat the best players on Branch, No, but I can compete with them.


    Well I'm back from my re-surgery on my achilles in April so I will try to stay at this 4.5 level as long as my wheels hold up.

    The rating system has flaws for sure, but unless someone is way out of level, just play hard and try to improve.

    Off to find my feed bag, Happy Thanksgiving to you all even you Anons, Buffalo

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  62. Brookhaven 3.5 has some nice guys but also some real jerks

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  63. Congratulations on your team's success this weekend Buffalo. You have been a breath of fresh air to this blog, I only wish I could have talked to you more this weekend.

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  64. Thank you Trae and Carey. It was a fun weekend. (Of course, winning always seems to be more fun than losing), but fun weekend, nonetheless.

    I have to give credit to Somabut's team as well. I had them pegged as not even making the playoffs, and then they trumped everyone.

    It will be interesting to see the ratings. I saw the big push by the USTA from 3.5 to 4.0 in the spring, and my prediction is Texas USTA is going to push again from 4.0 to 4.5. So, a lot of new people in 4.5 this year is my guess.

    Of course, I have been wrong before, Somabut team case in point. Congrats again on the free pass this spring.

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  65. Does anyone have any predictions on who will get bumped or who should get bumped?

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  66. Nancy will be a 4.0

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  67. Mark Cline will get bumped to 4.0 which is where the cheater should be to begin with. Kraemer got bumped Sunday nite, by the USTA dude that he owed the favor to. Heard he was seen walking funny this morning.....

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  68. Is Cline really 4.0? solid ground strokes, but his serve doesnt win any points. How did he beat Harvey?

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  69. who is BMO? rocketmann?

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  70. Cline and Harvey are not as good as they are made out to be. Decent 3.5s, but anyone that can return a serve and is patient can easily beat either of them.

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  71. I saw Cline playing on Saturday on the number 2 court, not sure who he was playing...but it looked like a pretty even match. I guess Brookhaven figured they had their bracket won and wanted to protect Cline from the other team's #1

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  72. Found this on the Austin Blog:

    Assistant League Coordinator/NTRP Coordinator
    The USTA Texas Section Assistant League Coordinator/NTRP Coordinator position has become available. This is a part-time position based in the USTA Texas Section office in Austin, Texas. Details of the position are described below.

    Position Purpose/Mission:
    To manage and monitor the National Tennis Ratings Program for all USTA adult players, including leagues, ratings, disqualifications, grievances, etc.

    Brief Position Description:
    Manage NTRP rating for the USTA Texas Section and assist the Texas Section League Coordinator in all aspects of the USTA League Tennis program. Provide support for the Local League Coordinators.

    Candidate Qualifications/Skills:
    - Willingness and ability to speak to individuals
    - Willingness and ability to be organized and multi-task
    - Willingness and ability to balance administrative duties with field responsibilities
    - College Degree
    - Knowledge of USTA Leagues

    For more information, please contact Steve Cobb at (512) 443-1334 ext. 210 or scobb@texas.usta.com

    Now to all of you people that know which level each every player should be playing, especially :P, go get a job and you can now make the world perfect for all

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  73. It's pretty convenient how Cline beat all three of his singles opponents 6-3, 6-4 during the playoffs. He wanted to avoid that 3rd flag obviously and conveniently didn't win any sets to 0, 1, or 2. The big sissy doesn't want to get bumped, but I'm sure he was just doing what his glorious captain wanted him to do so he could play along side him next season. We all know that the reason Kraemer has been captaining the 3.5 team is because he's been tanking 4.0 matches so he could get bumped down and play again in the spring. Bunch of manipulating little girls if you ask me.

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  74. Racer X, you sound like a typical woman on the bottom end of an argument using "all", "every", "perfect". It's just a gal's whiny way of admitting a loss. You're only missing "never" and "always" to round it out.

    Thanks for the post, though. With Obama's forthcoming economics package and a job like this, I could be a high roller soon.

    :P

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  75. I'm not sure Cline can beat a big server or anyone that can crush his weak serve, he definitely tanked his first match. SG's Dolson played Thornburg in the playoffs and won 6-1, 6-1. Cline won 6-3, 6-4 and then chose to play line 2 against SG. Did anyone see the Harvey match on Sunday?

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  76. Still waiting on :p to unveil himself. He sure has a lot to say while hiding behind his anon skirt.

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  77. Dear :P,

    I just noticed that the above job has a requirement of a college degree. Guess that counts you out as it seems that you are small child. I hope you don't get in trouble for playing on your daddy's computer.

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  78. they will get some idiot 3.5 to do that job

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  79. Bummer dudes...I shoulda gone to class instead of playing "NBA Jams" on Sega Genesis. I knew there'd be a good reason like this 'blog to be a person of excellence and finally grow up. But you know...I sorely lack the acuity to hang with you guys on here. Your depth and insight is just too much for me. What is a child to do?

    :P

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  80. Pffft.

    :P (aka "Cross-dressing Adolescent")

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  81. Don't worry :p, anytime these guys have nothing intelligent to say they will just resort to name-calling and insults. I love the anonymous person criticizing you for being anonymous.
    For the person who said Cline and Harvey are decent 3.5s, you are foolish. I don't know Cline but it will take a lot more than patience and a service return to beat Harvey. Let's not forget Harvey is almost 60 and that was his third singles match in what, 56 hours.
    If you are posting anonymously, I have no respect for what you say.

    At least :p and racer x have a consistent pseudonym. I like most of your posts racer x, but do you actually expect somebody to move to Austin to take what I'm sure is a low-paying position? Plus, we'd rather just keep bitching about everything. If league was perfect, we wouldn't have anything to talk about on here.

    One more thing, if Nancy moved down to 4.0, she would destroy all of you!!

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  82. all you turkeys have a great Holiday season.

    Todd, Rusty, Donnie, Cary, and Kevin have great season and look forward to razzing you guys from a distance in the spring.

    To all of the anons, please go f-yourself and have a Great Holiday.
    :)

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  83. If Corey and Trey McKinney come back to 4.0,I will pay their way to Nationals!
    Sisk

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  84. I don't think either of them made it to nationals when they played 4.0.

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  85. That's because we didn't have Sisk as a captain.

    Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!! (even anons).

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  86. I think its funny that Coredawg is supporting the deushbag that bashed Joey. Joey must be a tour level player the way he raped Corey!
    WHAT A JOKE!

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  87. Glad to see Thanksgiving hasn't changed the spirit of the anons. Nice spelling too.

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  88. Some of you folks do not appear to be critical thinkers. That's another way of saying you may not be very bright. Some have also shown a tremendous lack of skill in articulating their thoughts. That's another way of saying many of you may be poor communicators. Only when these folks present basic knowledge does it come read well.

    But, even then, some are inaccurate on the facts, too. That is, most of you could accurately write, "Vik beat McCord in the 2008 Fall DCC," and you'd be correct per the lot of witnesses and the written score. He won by 2 points. I was there watching it with quite a few others.

    But, beyond the lowest level of critical thinking (knowledge) most of you struggle with the meaning of an arrangement of words (comprehension) exceeding a Flesch–Kincaid level of about 80. In essence, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation might be foreign to your daily processing. Perhaps it's not required when playing Dr. Schizo with a gal in a bar in hopes of after-hours action. Perhaps this slouching is an artifact of the US education system where our metrics are a tallying correctly answered multiple choice questions instead of plumbing one's aptitude.

    Whatever the case, here's the core of the content in my Joey comments. Read it, comprehend it, evaluate it against your claims that I attacked him personally. Did I attack his person (character) or did I attack his actions?

    1) "A 4.5 NTRP for a tennis director/Pro is not a good rating." [In a town the size of Hillsboro this might be inaccurate, but in Dallas this is true.]

    2) "Either he doesn't practice what he preaches (by playing as a mere 4.5 as a teaching pro) or he's playing on a 4.5 team while actually being a higher ratable player. Either way...it's incongruous and shameful." [where "it" is his behavior. His "behavior" is shameful and not his character. I don't even know the fella to comment on his character.]

    These are the 2 evaluations I cast Molina's direction. My writ does little to say he's a good/bad person. It says everything about his actions/behavior where he's posing as a 4.5 but is really a 5.0. Cry like lawless college students over what you fabricated from my words, but he's a 5.0 player playing a 4.5 league.

    Suggestion: learn to analyze and evaluate the substance/content of a critique and you'd be able to identify a character eval from a behavioral eval. I wasn't attacking his character. I was criticizing his behavior. My intent is to point out a vulnerability in the NTRP system that many of you are exploiting for your own gain. I'm not even sorry you think this is mean-spirited. The truth hurts sometimes. Our society has gone too far down the feminine path where so many things are...sniff sniff...unfair.

    Just to help educate, here's an example of attacking someone's character, "Racer X is an idiot" or "New_AR_Hacker is morally depraved. He needs to practice safe sex by fking himself."

    Now if these weren't mere examples (so as not to be taken out of context) and I were inaccurate in my evaluation of their character, I would be WRONG and would hopefully issue an apology and admission of wrongdoing. The truth is, I don't know either fellas and lack hard evidence to underpin either example.

    Merry Christmas.

    :P

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  89. As I said previously, personal attacks is always a sign that you don't have a valid argument. I've yet to hear anybody argue that Joey is a 4.5 player, which was my only argument. I said nothing negative of his character; in fact, I said he was friendly. The quickest solution to this problem would be to eliminate the appeal system, and he would not have the option of playing 4.5.
    I know this would not solve all problems but it would solve many, leaving only those players who are willing to tank matches (which I think are few and far between) and self-rated ringers to play below their level.
    It sounds like :p and I are usually on the same page.

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  90. It's funny how people are always complaining about players who are out of level. I've never heard of a captain turning a player away because he was too good.

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  91. Joey, will you join my team next season?

    Seriously though Keith, name one player I've ever had on my team that was out of level. That probably explains why my team has never won anything but....

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  92. Joey is a 4.5...how is that, He went 1-2 (even though he raped Cory, which just shows how bad Cory is)I went 0-3 at city champs and I can beat him so, there, Don't like it? Fine but there are no Directors in Dallas that can beat him. Its not a directors job to be a young stud player. The fact that he competes should motivate and inspire us all.

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  93. It is to be understood that at League Sectionals in the Summer that at least 1/3rd of the players are out of level. I think that Coredawg has a good core group of guys,but that just won't make the cut at the Sectional Levels. Id be shocked if when ratings come out Monday that a lot of Dallas Captains dont't go out of there way to find there ringers.

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  94. We have some very creative ringers coming in! Good luck all!

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  95. You went 0-3 and you can beat him my ass. If you could have beaten him you would have. So you're also saying you can beat every tennis director in Dallas. If you could beat Joey, you would have been good enough to be in the singles lineup. Seeing as none of the singles players went 0-3 last weekend, I say you are full of shi**.

    Yes it's so motivational for a director of tennis to dominate lesser players. I hope i can be like him.

    Assuming you are telling the truth (which is a big assumption), you are one of two players on the Royal Oaks team (the only two players that went 0-3). Does Joey know how much better you think you are than him? The combined record of these two players is 2-2 at line 2 singles this season. Quite impressive. So David, now what?

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  96. So you're either a coward or a liar? Post your name next time if you're going to insult me.

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  97. I wasn't talking about your team Corey. My comments were directed towards all the complainers on this blog. Every team in Dallas would put a ringer on their team if they found one.

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  98. Hey COrey, I would just let it go.

    I agree with Keith... if you can get a ringer, put them on your team.

    If someone else does it... then complain that they are cheating. :)

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  99. Hackberry Creek has a decent Director of tennis...Peter Hancy...last rating was 5.5. I would take Hancy over Molina. I need to talk to Larry and figure out how to get Hancy down to 4.5.

    Caveman

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  100. I have played Hancy 5 times, 5-0, Joey is tougher, he plays tougher, doesn't have the weapons. Hancy would be a descent 4.5, especially at doubles,he is a tough lefty serve.

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  101. There goes Corey, thinking he knows what he is talkin about again.

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  102. Its so funny how people say Joey is out of level. Has anyone seen him play? Talk about underwhelming.
    I have never seen anyone so good with such limited game. He beats guys with better strokes than him, with heart determination and fitness. If Alex Behar is a 4.5, same age, similar game, formerly top 200 in the world, then why fuss over Joey? Because he is smarter than you, tougher, more determined?

    old school

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  103. I agree Greg. I have a lot of respect for Joey's game. I have heard about players like that but that was my first time to lose to somebody like that. He probably had 5 winners in our match but he never let me get in an offensive position. Consistency is key and that's why he is so successful.

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  104. I know Keith. John and I are always saying the same thing. Everybody's a ringer unless they're on your team. It's just a shame that the only way to win is by having players out of level, but that's not going to change.

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  105. Alex Behar is not a 4.5 Good Try. He has always competed in the 5.0's. I'm sure the only reason why Molina plays 4.5 because it gives him a chance to socialize with members from his club and that's what tennis is about the Commraderie I Hope.

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  106. Alex Behar is not a 4.5 Good Try. He has always competed in the 5.0's. I'm sure the only reason why Molina plays 4.5 because it gives him a chance to socialize with members from his club and that's what tennis is about the Commraderie I Hope.

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  107. I still say Nancy is a scum bag.

    Happy Holidays!

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  108. agree _ nancy does have her issues

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  109. You guys aren't going to get me going again today. I need to follow Cary's path and stay off for a while and get my blood pressure to go down.

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  110. Anybody calling Corey "scum bag" doesn't know him.
    Corey you can't take anons seriously,it's comical.If they post their name then it's worth your time,only then!
    Sisk
    Btw I'm looking for 10 ringers and would take them in a nano second!!

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  111. The following is a list of 4.0 players within the Dallas area that should get bumped up on Monday. The list is in no particular order

    Carlo Diano
    Mark Jenkins
    Trae Bowman
    Cliff Helterbran
    Walter Moore
    Doug Voss
    Douglas Smith
    George Renwick
    Gene A. Ludwig
    Forrest M. Feuille
    Jean A. Nguyen
    Tim R. Newman
    Kevin Windham
    Fernando Contreras
    Kurt Pilgrim
    Kyle Bowman
    Kirby L. Martin

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  112. Looks like a HP/Bazan player posted this list. Nice way to jerk yourself off

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  113. 4.5s in Dallas really can't complain about there being too many "ringers" or out of level players. In early season ratings there were like 8 or 9 or so people bumped to 5.0 and a couple of those people were so close to the line that they won an appeal. Maybe I have my head in the sand but I don't see a lot of blatant tanking, sandbagging, etc. Almost all Dallas 4.5s are within the allowable limits of the definition. Take out the people that legally appealed down and you have a tiny, tiny percentage of people. We are probably talking about 6-8 people out of close to 200 or so people playing at the 4.5 level in Dallas. Pretty fair league I would say. Molina and the others most complain about win easily sometimes but also have losses. Just means he is a top end, borderline 4.5. Not someone who is clearly out of level. You must remember that there is not a clear cut line between any two levels. Some 4.5s will beat some 5.0. The top of one level falls about in the middle of the level above it. The idea of the league and the ratings is to have competitive matches and competitive leagues. Go all the way up to the finals of 4.5 sectionals. Lots of 3-2 matches with lots of 3rd set breakers. The few matches you find that are blowouts are more due to a drop off in talent than someone being clearly out of level.

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  114. Forrest Feuille is a dude that was bumped during the mid year and appealed. He should get bumped again. Hopefully Forrest will have the balls to move up.

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  115. Corey and others: Why do you frown upon "appealing down"? I agree with you that the option should not be available (except perhaps in the case of SERIOUS injury) and that the cutoffs should be hard and fast, but the USTA has decided that there is a margin of error in their calculations and allows appeals to be granted if players are within "tolerance". I'd like to see that discontinued, but until it is I have no problems with anyone taking advantage of it (and obviously have done so myself). I believe this year benchmarks will not be allowed to appeal...is that correct?

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  116. That's true and I think it is a step in the right direction.

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  117. how are benchmarks determined?

    rockettman

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  118. And how do you determine who is benchmarked?

    rockettman

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  119. Anyone who plays at districts playoffs (our city playoffs) or higher (Sectionals or Nationals) is considered a benchmark.

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  120. Who is this Yuri guy?? In the past, it seems like most of the Russians have been very well behaved. Maybe Larry needs to sit this guy down and get him under control before he ruins the Brookhaven name. He was screaming and moaning like some kind of bear during his match. I was afraid for my safety. I would hate to be on this guys bad side after he had knocked down a little vodka.

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  121. There’s nothing you can do about settling down Yuri. He’s one crazy Russian MoFo. The only thing you can do is stay out of his way when he’s pissed off.

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  122. Why does Corey frown upon appealing down?

    Because he's maxxed out his game and knows he can't get to the top of 4.5 w/o those above him getting bumped up.

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  123. The appeal process is really bogus. There shouldn’t be any type of appeal process expect for a medical excuse (backed up by a Doctor). If the USTA did away with the appeal process, it would make the leagues so much more dynamic.

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  124. I played Yuri and he brought an AK47. I let him win.

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  125. Dear Coredawg,

    You don't know me but my name is Jessica and I need your help, please. My boyfriend will get moved up to 4.0 this fall (from 3.5) but I think it would be best for him to jump over 4.0 & go straight to 4.5. I would like very much for him to play on your team. Would you consider this w/o telling him that I asked? Let me know on here and I'll have Jed call you at Northwood. Thanks, and I'll see you around.

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  126. nancy will certainly lift her skirt for jed

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  127. It's getting to the point where I can't tell the difference between fact and fiction here anymore. I would assume that was bogus but you never know.
    If that were real, my advice to anybody moving up a level for the first time is to get on a weaker team where you will have an opportunity to get a lot of match time. Moving from 4.0 to a playoff team will not help you because you won't get in the lineup. On the other hand, you would get a lot of good matches in practice so, if that's what you are looking for, go for it.

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  128. By the way, if you come out to Garland today we can have the Corey/Jessica v. Sisk/Wiley match. The three of us will be there at 3 p.m. :)

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  129. Me love you long time.
    :P

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  130. You guys should quit whinning about Texas. Oaklahoma has the better team.

    Jessica

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  131. NCAA is just following the lead of the DCC but not using head to head to decide who should be in the finals. Maybe both will use this to make a change to their tie-breaker rules. It was even more clear cut in the 4.0 division where it was only a two way tie.

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  132. Corey,
    Anons S..k. Had a great time w/Wiley today,thanks to Greg's wife for allowing him to play with the young ones at home. Greg you are always welcome!!!Btw Greg and Keith beat Pete H and myself 6-3!
    Sisk

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  133. Thanks for having me out. I had a great time.

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  134. Are the ratings out yet? I am really hoping that P Jones gets moved down. I could really use him on my 4.0 team. Anyone that goes 0-3 in the playoffs should be bumped down in my opinion. Come on down, P Jones.

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  135. I have heard the entire Northwood team will be on the Sisk 4.0 team come Spring.

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  136. Where on the USTA site to you go to see a list of who's been bumped up or down?

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  137. Yo C-dawg,

    I would like to change rackets, do you have a recommendation.

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  138. Only the DCC, NCAA College Football,and Ice Skating use style points to determine winners

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  139. all you Anon crybabies can start crying now.
    Joey molina got a 4.5 B rating for 2008, so go suck on your thumbs and whine some more.

    Few others are out right now

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  140. Molina, Joey C. M Dallas TX 4.5 12/31/2008 B


    C & P from Find a Rating

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  141. I'm not sure why you're asking me about changing rackets but I don't sell a racket to anybody without seeing them play. I am also only familiar with Wilson frames since that's all we sell.

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  142. I thought you would know more about rackets than the guy at Sears.

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  143. Bob Kayser, Terry Newman and Bob Haney all were initially rated 4.0 B (for Benchmark).

    Now in less than one day, all three have appealed and been pushed down to 3.5.

    WTF ???

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  144. Jeremy Kidd's the one that needs to appeal down.

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  145. Hello, Hello, Anybody down here? I'm with The Rescue Department! Is anybody down here? We are just up above you!!! Don't panick, were coming in for you.

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