Off to Abilene

So I know the draw will come out tomorrow and I will update when I can but most likely I will not be near a computer tomorrow sooooo I thought I would give my initial thoughts on the tourney. I am going to try and get out to more tourneys most likely visiting towns I have friends and family in like Abilene. I am also looking for a change of pace from league play so I am looking forward to this first MZ tourney.

3.5
I wish I knew some of these names but the only one I know is my ride out there so go #4 seed. I have played only a set against David (Brad) but he is tough and has a good serve that should help him do well this weekend.

4.0
I was feeling really good about my chances and then everyone signed up but I am glad the draw is looking pretty solid now. My early favorites would be Oleg, Gerardo and Scott Russell.com Dark horses like Schick, Hutchison and Kraemer could contend as well. And I am sure there are some floaters out there from West Texas that will upset some seeds. Early odds have Lucky Thunder dominating consolation. #1 seed from Austin looks pretty strong as well.

4.0 Doubles
#3 seed most likely is a lock to win this right? Actually when I first saw the names I liked Tims/Parkinson to do damage. I see Scott Russell.com picked up Mr. Jones which is a good combo but a little streaky. I don’t know the Aledo #4 seed and Brian Dennis and partner will be tough as well. Glad to see such a big draw though, get ready for the pain guys.

4.5
I small group and Paulie T got seeded, come on this on par with me being seeded right? Just kidding Paul, I will put a poll though just to gauge the audience. I think this will come down to Griggs v. Leach I hope they are on opposite sides of the draw. I like Leach to win this though.

4.5 Doubles
Leach might just pull the double title here (no pressure Chris) but they are seeded #1 and playing a lot of recent bumpups here but some good ones. Rivas/Hicks and Bassett/Wood could be upset specials.

See ya'll out there, I just saw the forecast has been cleared of rain and highs in the mid 60s all weekend, should be some great tennis.

Next On The Horizon

Congrats to team Bender for winning the 2010 Tri-level and advancing to Sectionals. A great way to start the year and keep an otherwise gloomy month full of some good tennis.

February starts off with the Abilene Major Zone tournament. For those who aren't concerned about points and just enjoy competitive tennis locally, the Brookhaven Indoor Doubles tournament is a great alternative and should be some good fun.

Rosters for the Spring will be due the first week in March. What recruiting if any has begun? Any formation of super teams coming away from Tri-level this past weekend ?

Australian Open begins this week and should provide for some good TV entertainment over the next 2 weeks.

The weather is to get into the 70s this week so get out on the courts and take advantage of the good weather while it lasts. February is historically cold and wet.

Discuss any of the above topics.........

Tri-Level Around The Corner

Tri-level is just over 2 weeks away and the teams are in place. Who will dominate and who is just showing up to play?? It is hard to make a true analysis with all the recent bump ups and bump downs. I will give my 2 cents worth and then I am sure we will hear plenty from the anons.....

Smith - has fielded 4.5s and 4.0s with solid records, but seems to be week with his 3.5s. Also only 2 players at each level so no depth and evidently not planning to go past the weekend.

BMO - seems to have a solid 4.5 team with Hawkins & Evans playing alot together. Toth has a good 4.0 record and paired with BMO should do fine, although their 3rd player Dietrich has a mixed history (based on Fall record). Their 3.5s are coming from the Fort Worth league over from Flower Mound. Kotlarek used to be an old Oak Creek boy but with a pretty mixed record. Seems their weekness could be in their 3.5s.

Bazan - seems to be a recreational team with average players across the board and no depth to take them past the weekend. Carry himself is not even on the roster.

Bender - as usual, has cherry picked top players from across the city. Has solid 4.5s and has Varner and Palacio who should do well together at 4.0. The only wild card here is his 3.5s which are coming from his 3.0 national team. Knowing Bob, they are probably 4.0 talent.

Feldman - evidently building a team to go for the gold. Has solid players across the board and depth at all levels except 4.5. They have a slew of good 4.0s...Wiley, Clark, Jones, Corcoran, and Zachary. They evidently plan to pull one of those to help out at 4.5. The 3.5s are the remains of Garland's 3.5 team. They add one more 4.5 player and this will be the team to beat.

Arcaria - appears their strenght is at 4.5 and then falls off from there. Arcaria Bennett are a good team but have stumbled in the past with Wiley/Clark and will have their hands full with Varner/Palacio. They have 4 3.5s on the roster but not sure why unless than plan to win it through them, but looking at their records they are best to avoid 3rd set tie breaks as both Toney and Kaiser have had problems converting.

Nishizaki - probably the most least talked about or recognizable names on the blog but solid player records across 4.5 and 4.0. Has picked up Bender's 3.0 crew for his 3.5 and that may be their only weakness. Sleeper team that could surprise.

Kraemer - another team with players having solid records at their level, but just lacking 4.5 depth. Appears to be another team to be their for fun given the lack of depth on their roster (as of current) however has talent that should do well. We can see how serious Kraemer is if he adds to the roster in the coming weeks. However, there are probably little players left to pull from.

My best guess depending on the draw..... Feldmans and Benders team make the finals.

http://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/reports/TennisLinkReports.asp?Level=F&FlightID=113610&CYear=2010

Cotton Bowl draws out soon

So one of our biggest local tourneys is coming up soon.

Here is the link where you can see who has signed up in each event:
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=71913

I know some of joked about playing down but I do wonder why anyone would really want to "play down" I rarely play tourneys but when I do I am usually looking to play a variety of players that are on par with my ability and get progressively better as the weekend goes on. But I guess this is the last hurrah weekend to show off your old ranking so enjoy it while it lasts (Brian, Marc and Matt) I actually think these guys would have been competitive in the 4.5 draw although Miles, Kiron, Kern and others make that a pretty good local draw.

4.0 Draw: 52 players
4.5 Draw: 30
3.5 Draw: 27

I am guessing this trend will continue and 4.5 might actually get larger as the season wears on and people want some good competition. I also wonder if the 5.0 and Open draws will start to fill up as well. Open singles has 92 players in it (WOW!).

Doubles draws are very good at 4.0 and 4.5 with 16 teams involved but 3.5 is a little small and I think that will also be true for the rest of the season.

Early predictions:

3.5: Ronald Jones, Berco Neiman could win this
4.0: Fankhauser, Studey, Lucky Thunder???
4.5: Kern, Wescoup and Miles are favs

I am just ready to play and hoping for some good weather.

3.5 A Desert Wasteland

Now with the Fall playoffs behind us and Oak Creek securing a win, who is left to carry the torch for them? Oak Creek had their entire roster bumped to 4.0 except for one player, Thomas Mus. Will there be a 3.5 Oak Creek team to take the free-ride to the City Playoffs ? Based on the revised rules, a team must have 50% of their prior season roster sign up to guarantee them the City spot. If there is not enough eligible players available to field the 50%, then 70% of ELIGIBLE players need to sign up which will guarantee them a spot in the QT (not City). Based on this, Thomas Mus must be a coveted man as he is the only player that needs to be on the roster of a team, and that team will be guaranteed a spot in the Spring QT.

So who will Thomas Mus play for in the Spring, given that whatever team he plays on is guaranteed to play in the QT ?

Does anyone give a crap about 3.5 anymore given that there are few players left and most of the teams consistently making the playoffs are left with few if any players?

Will Oak Creek have a 3.5 team?

Will Fretz have a 3.5 team ?

Will Huffhines, Lifetime or Garland have a 3.5 team ?

The only team that is fully formed and has players to play would be Bender's 3.0 National team. Can he make another run at Nationals?? Does he try to recruit Mus ?? How much is he willing to pay ???

Discuss what's next for the 3.5 level (if there is any 3.5s left out there)................