This actually looks like it happened back somtime after 9/23 but I didn't catch it since it was in Flight B and I don't have a rooting interest in that flight. The player name is Jeff Wier from LB Houston/Wisdom. This was done rather quick in just 3 match results. A 6-1, 6-1 beating of Nilesh Mistry who has been a consistent winner at 3.5 and a double bagel of Dustin Lamb (don't know much about this player) and the nail in the coffin was probably the 6-4, 6-2 win over Jacques Delira who will be a 4.0 once again when the year end ratings come out.
Any thoughts? This might make a difference for the LB team who looks to be doing OK but a player like this could have really helped them get over being just a fringe team and being a real contender if they make it to the playoffs.
3 and out seems pretty arbitrary,
ReplyDeleteWhat if you play 3 people who retire or are sick or retarded or whatever,
What is the punishment for someone who self rates at 3.5, who is really a 3.0, and get someone else disqualified?
Why was this guy playing 2 singles?
Do Double players ever get DQ'ed?
What is the best strategy to keep a good player from being dq'ed,
I have read some horror stories about guys & gals being DQ'ed at sectional and nationals,
Interesting link.
http://www.ustapetition.com
Interesting site I posted it as a link. I knew about this but was kind of alarmed when I started reading the rules a little closer. I feel somewhat safe since I have been in league since 2001 but wow to know that someone isn't safe even after a season or two, that is kind of crappy.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of getting a downgrade DQ, that would be awful to receive an email that tells you are not good enough and you need to find a 3.0 team to play on, that would be funny. Yes Jan my DQ guy from last year had two doubles results and two singles results and was DQ'ed. It seems to happen a lot more in singles but can still happen with doubles but it seems like the scores have to be much worse. "Hiding a ringer?" Don't ask me I didn't hide my 5th best player so obviously I have no idea. But in the Spring when you are trying to advance as far as possible, I think having a larger team is best since you aren't forced to play your best players. The thing that hurt me was I only had 12 players and a few of us had a lot of conflicts so I had to play Kyle and Jan more than I would have liked, luckily I only lost one of them.
I have a unique idea.
ReplyDeleteWhat about people actually trying to play at the appropriate level...
I have beat good 4.0 players,
ReplyDeleteI have lost to 3.5 lifers,
I have held my own with 4.5 players,
The point is not the bump up,
that fine,
the pint is the penalty,
Punishing your team mates and doubles partners,
and the mysterious system that does it seemingly inconsistently with no appeal.
If you entered a 3.5 usta tournament and won,
would they dq you and take away tour trophy?
No they would just change your rating and say next tournament play 4.0,
But in the league they take it all away,
play at your level, that is a good one anonymous. Honestly it comes down to the commitment and cost of league and no one is interested in commiting time and money just to put in a good showing. We are a competitive society by nature and USTA league is proof of that. I think as OC BL mentioned the lines between 3.5-4.5 is not monumental. I have losses and wins at 3.5 and 4.0 so what does that mean exactly? Where do I belong?
ReplyDeletePlay at your own level? What do you do if you sign up for a 3.5 League in March, haven't picked up a racket since October, but after about two months, you are playing lights out better than you were in March, so much so, that you are playing consistently at a 4.0+ pace, do you quit your team? Me, personally, I'm a backcourt player, my whole game is timing and rhythm and consistently getting my serves in, when those three things are not working, I'm very beatable in 3.5, when they are working, I'm near the top at 4.0.
ReplyDeleteGenerally speaking, I don't "blow" people away in League matches, unless they are at least 2 levels below me. I've played Niles, he's a good player, but all forehand. I've played Jacque as well, he is just a very smart player who just outplayed me with a very effective strategy.
Personally speaking, I don't think they should take matches away that the player won. I think there should be a warning, and that this player should be removed from your team for all future matches.
Think about it. The best way to get bumped up is to do very well in the League that you are playing. But if you do "too well", then the powers that be disqualify you and penalize your team. Disqualify the player, leave the match results as is, and keep going forward. They are already penalized by not having their strongest player anymore in their #1 Singles spot, why increase the punishment?
If not, then you might start getting people who are dq possible, "losing games" just to keep matches close to avoid being disqualified, and that is not a good alternative in the long run.
Hey Jonathan you are good example of how these rules are hard to apply since I think I saw you threw down a double bagel in your last match. Ouch! But yet you had a losing record in the Spring at 3.5. I think one tough thing about reading those NTRP descriptions is, do you assign that description to how you play on your worst day, your best day or somewhere in the middle. It seems everyone has a different idea, some of the referrals I get from the DTA know how to rate themselves but others seem to view these descriptions as goals they would like to someday achieve instead of what their actual playing ability is. As you mentioned Jonathan I think you have to take into consideration the amount of time/practice you have to commit as well. With a 3 mo old baby I play once a week other than match day so my time for improvment/drills/practice is minimal. I remember a few years ago I played my tennis and won a few tourneys and all my league matches, the reason: I was unemployed for 6 months with a good severance package. I was in drills twice a week and working out at the gym 3 days a week to keep myself busy.
ReplyDeleteI do like your note about not DQ'ing previous matches. I think it is penalty enough to take the player off your team. In OC's case they lost two matches with one DQ. Doesn't seem right except they shouldn't have beat Trae's team. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd what really is the point in DQ'ing at sectionals and taking away previous matches all the way back to the regular season like I have seen done. If this happens so late then there are teams at the City/Region sectional level that could have advanced but it is too late by that point.
Good points jonathan, hopefully some rules like this can get instituted because the DQ'ing seems to be getting out of hand lately especially at 3.5. I looked at Dustin Lamb's record who was one of the strikes and he hasn't been competitive in any of his matches so why is that a strike?
A little off topic but these are some notes from a 1st place 3.5 captain re: our league
ReplyDelete3rd set TB:
"I can see the point of 3rd set tiebreakers in seniors and super seniors. I can also see it because of 2 hour time constraints."
Team names:
"I like team names WITHOUT my name in it."
Weekend schedules:
"I think if the captain decided it would be a mess. The biggest problems are court availability between USTA and TCD on Sunday."
Sundays: Matches before 1p???? Sacrilege or a good idea?
"No problem before 1 PM with me."
Fall Champ automatic Bid: Do you like the idea of the Fall champ getting the auto bid or do we need a season off to just play?
"I think it is a good idea to reward the winner of the fall season. I think we all like a “carrot”."
"The problem is if the champ has a one or more players moving up to the next level. This is a disadvantage to playing in the fall."
Other issues/concerns –
Why is USTA so expensive compared to TCD? TCD is $12 versus $28 for USTA and I don’t have to pay $40 a year to be a member. I don’t mind paying for tennis, but it is hard to imagine what the USTA is doing with all the money it collects. I believe the US Open takes in over $100,000,000 ($100 MILLION) in revenue with a payout of under $15,000,000.
It was brought up that maybe the league should be 4 doubles and 1 singles. I personally like that idea. Maybe it would be better for the 3.0 & 3.5 leagues versus the 4.0 & 4.5 leagues.
So I am not near a computer all weekend long and still resting my calf so still not playing any tennis so forgive the crazy amount posting I may do today:
ReplyDeleteI would like Sunday AM matches every once in a while, I mean tourneys play then why not leagues. I know TCD is prevalent and takes up time/courts but I think a home team should have an advantage of scheduling when thier best players are available and if that is Sun AM, Sun afternoon, Sat AM or whatever they should be able to have that advantage. It of course depends on availibity of courts but that is part of choosing your home courts. I guess I got spoiled in CA, I played 3.0, 3.5 and 4.0 over that time and as a captain I could schedule both my matches on the same day or when we had an important match I could insure the day/time if it was a home match. I once had to default a match because I had 6 players that couldn't play on a Jewish holiday, I learned my lesson and the next season I scheduled around all jewish holidays and we went to sectionals. I know what you mean about the Fall winner being at a disadvantage a little bit when you lose players. If we would have won Fall 07 I would not have been able to revamp my team as much as I did in the Spring. Luckily so far we like Trae's team and the makeup but we could lose a few players or more to bump ups in Nov. Cost: our league cost in LA was $17 I am not sure why it is so much here either especially since we have more players. Also get this captains, in order to captain a team we had our own captain code and I paid $2, yes $2!!
I don't think my group would like the 4 doubles, 1 single alignment at all, I have too many players reminding me each week, "you know I can play singles too, right?" I am one of those as well so I would love to have an all singles league that still had a team format because a much as I like playing singles I don't like tourneys all that much because the social aspect is lost.
Bazan said...
ReplyDelete"learned my lesson and the next season I scheduled around all jewish holidays and we went to sectionals."
You Sir,
Are truly the King of the Jews.
RE: Fall
Maybe have a League that is totally separate from the Regular 2 single 3 double league, So that the spring is just totally about Sectionals and nationals,
Maybe Combo or separate Singles and doubles leagues. So you don't feel like your sacrificing your team for a fall win,
Anybody heard of a selfrate players getting the "bump" before end of the season rating changes from tournament play only?
Or are the league players the only ones complaining?
"king of the jews" i can honestly say I have never been called that before and probably never will be again. I do like the idea of an extended combo league or something like that not connected to the Spring. In So Cal we actually had advancement to sectionals in the fall but Dallas is big enough I think the DCC tourney would be enough for a season ending tournament. Well off the in-laws with no computer so hopefully when I come back i will see some interesting results in the league.
ReplyDelete