4.0 Flight B should get interesting as the two unbeaten teams face each other, Lakes v. BH/Helterbrann. I think my mid season #1 will crush them, oops did I just jinx them. I will keep jinxing them till one of them posts. Also Garland plays Springpark in the same flight with the loser pretty much saying sayonara to their playoff hopes and the winner hoping to catch the loser to the big match in this flight.
4.0 Flight C has a Greenhill facing off against JCC, both have one loss and the loser will be in bad shape in this flight. Eldorado faces Canyon Creek who need to get back on track after their first loss.
Flight D has Stonebriar v. Brookhaven/Pearlman who need to get back on track after getting waxed by LB Houston. Stonebriar may be 1-3 but they are a solid team who much like my team has had some very close losses to great teams. Speaking of my group we face the aforementioned LB Houston team, I will take on Ratana and Walker by myself in a preapproved 1 on 2 match and I will crush them.
Should I mention Flight A, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I am sorry I fell asleep on my keyboard.
Fell asleep on Flight A. The city champ and runner up will come out of Flight A. Cary your team would come in 6th place in that flight.
ReplyDeleteYou are very close. The city champ "OR" the runner up will come out of Flight A. The other will come out of Flight D. Lifetime would have to enter the Little Elm city championship to finish runner up.
ReplyDeleteFunny. We will see about that. GO LIFETIME.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have an office number for Don Allen. I have a shoulder injury.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:58pm, you sound like you're from a flight D team. Don't start gloating yet, you still have a lot of proving to do.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell from the chatter how good Eddie Hill is. Is he a "don't play him and stick your #1 on their #2 for a win" or play straight up and sweep both singles? Just looking for a little scouting on the Lifetime 4.0 singles players. Any help is much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteTell me who your #1 guy normally is and I'll tell you how you should approach the situation.
ReplyDeleteDepends on how good your #1is. Eddie is a solid player. Good forehand, fair backhand, good first serve if he gets it in. Pretty much the standard scouting report for most decent 4.0 players. Moves well.
ReplyDeletehe is getting that first serve in a lot lately, at least against me. It isn't that it is sooo fast it is the fact he is 6 ft 3 or so so the ball comes up rather high and it is hard to block back into a good position so he doesn't finish the point. He also has a underrated net game.
ReplyDeleteBazan, is that you in the red bandana hitting that horrendous looking backhand off your back foot? Just wondering.
ReplyDeleteOffice number: 1-800-IMFATANDSUCK
Hope that helps.
-Allen
I've played Lifetime's #2 singles player and he's solid. Nothing overwhelming but he plays smart. He and Eddie have a good chance to sweep each week or at least win 1 always. I doubt they've ever been swept.
ReplyDeleteEddie is the kind of guy that enables you to play your bench players or your scrubs and still feel like you can win that line, much like HP did earlier in the year when they played them.
ReplyDeleteBoy do I love that last comment. Just love it. I believe I won that match playing poorly against HP. Send your worst player at me. I like that. Take an L as a team as well. Eddie
ReplyDeleteDoes Eddie have a shot at doing well in Waco? What Dallas-area player will advance the deepest into the draw?
ReplyDeleteProbably not. I just took a cortisone shot in my shoulder today to be able to play this weekend and rest of the season. Eddie
ReplyDeleteCortisone shots normally help. Cortisone must be like Kryptonite to Eddie's friend Superman! Stay tuned...
ReplyDeleteAlready making excuses for another first round loss.
ReplyDeleteNo excuses, just been a problem for the past 3 months. 1st time having to take a shot, not sure how it will respond, just know the past week has been unbearable. If I had to play today, I would lose. Eddie
ReplyDeleteNoaman Azhar d. Eddie Hill 6-4, 6-1in challenge match. Have I talked about how much I would LOOOOOOOOOOve to be in Flight A.
ReplyDeleteYou would still finish 3rd or 4th.
ReplyDeleteCary -- What kind of scores does Noaman Azhar put against your last Falls #1 K. Bowman? Your fall team wasn't that good and it appears Noaman is your main new addition.
ReplyDeleteCary,
ReplyDeleteCorrect me if I'm wrong, but isn't Noaman rnked #20 at 4.5 in the state of Texas. And didn't he just win the 4.5 draw over the last weekend at Samuell Grand?
Wouldn't MOST 4.0 players lose to him?
Noaman is an above average 4.0 player.
ReplyDelete3rd or 4th, ha! Noaman is our 2nd best singles player and yes he plays 4.5 tourneys like many others because he likes to get good matches and not just collect points at 4.0. He and Kyle have both improved since the fall especially Kyle at doubles and they are only getting better.
ReplyDeleteHP Bazan finished the fall 3-6, and are currently 1-3 in the Spring (at best will finish 3-4).
ReplyDeleteAlthough your record may have been 4-3 in another division, lets be honest this isn't a team that would finish top 2 in any other flight.
With all that improvement your time might finish 3rd in your division next year.
ReplyDeleteoops I meant your team might finish 3rd.
ReplyDeletenot making fall predictions yet but we will be better.
ReplyDeleteUnrelated subject regarding full 3rd set matches. I went 3 sets with Eddie Hill and Jacques and both matches clocked in at under 1h 30m. Is time really the reason we don't play out the 3rd set, or is it something else? I hadn't played 3rd sets in so long I remembered how much more interesting they are then a 3rd set TB. That might be another thign to add to the list of issues, I know it didn't pass the vote before but possibly with a better campaign we can identify the leagues that would be better suited for full 3rd set matches.
Was it a true vote, or if someone wasn't present, then their vote went in as a "leave it as it was with the tie breaker"
ReplyDeleteI haven't found too many people that actually prefer to play the 10 pointer. Obviously the older the captain, the more likely it is they voted for the 10 pointer.
While we are at it - can we kill the Coman.
ReplyDeleteCary,
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't judge your upcoming season on Noaman beating me. As I said earlier the next day a got a cortisone shot in my shoulder. I could not serve against him. He is solid 4.0 and a good guy
Just admit that Noaman took you to the WoodShed!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm - seems Eddie feels he is solid and nice, but beatable. Eddie - would you put Noaman in your top 5 4.0 players you have played in Dallas area? Top 10?
ReplyDeleteNot in the top 10 of Dallas players at 4.0. That is not a slight. Just think, I have seen over 25 players. He is probably in the top half of those 25, but not top 10.
ReplyDeleteCary,
ReplyDeleteCirca 1998 or so the TTA changed the matches to 3rd Set Tie-Breaks due to heat. Which sucked for my team at the time as we played through Dallas Heat playing full third-sets only to get to Sectionals and lose 2 TB and miss going to Nationals.
Although good for some I do wish the 3rd Set TB would go the way of the Coman TB and just disappear and let the real players step-up.
Tournaments I feel now use the 3rd TB as a crutch to maximize profits, as they dod not have to pop new cans. Personally all Main Draw matches should be required to play 3 sets out.
League matches should be the same although if a team match is clinched then allow the remaining matches to play a 3rd Set TB.
Playing a tiebreak in lieu of a third set is really horrible. That's not tennis. I know they say we voted on it but I am suspicious about who actually voted and who counted the votes. About 90% of the guys I talk to want to play the third set out _ including most of the seniors. I wonder if it was the women that voted for the tiebreak or just a backroom DTA decision.
ReplyDeleteI think they combined the women's, senior's, and men's votes.
ReplyDeleteSo basically they worked the numbers until they got the result they wanted?
ReplyDeleteIt should be on a league to league basis. If the 4.0 league wants 3rd sets they should be able to play it. If the 4.5 league wants a tie breaker they should be able to have it.
Players Council
ReplyDeleteThe ATP has one
Why not us?
I'm sure some of you whiners would volunteer.
I see Forrest Feuille just joined the ladder. Welcome. We need some Springparkers, Noaman and Steven liked kicking you all arounda and want a piece of Mitch and Gene. Ok I am just talking for them but come on out and I need to play Mr. Walters, now that I know he is about 100 yrs old I am pretty sure I can take him.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody tried Ultimate Tennis or the League Tennis.Com?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about those activities?
Do you think they might be a good alternative to playing USTA leagues in the fall?
If some of us decide to boycott the Fall USTA League, these might provide good competition. Plus it would be much easier than starting something new on our own. All we would need to do is sign up and play
ultimate is a little stronger from what I seen so far. I like the way you play close to home until the playoffs, that is kind of interesting. Dominate you neighborhood and then take on all of Dallas, FW, etc. It is in Houston as well.
ReplyDeleteAll right Cary. How about 9:30 Saturday at Spring Park.
ReplyDeleteJim, the 100 year old guy.
Boycotting the Fall league is the wrong approach. Also am I wrong or isn't both of those sites on an individual basis instead of a team.
ReplyDeleteWork with the DTA aggressively and stick with USTA tennis.
You may be right. But the DTA is pretty arrogant and they are very set in their ways.
ReplyDeleteWe have to get their attention somehow. Hitting them in their pocketbook is one of the best ways to do that.
They did make a lot of screw ups in level 4.0 this year.
I hate the fact that the DTA just places teams into flights any way they want. A few seeded teams with a random draw would be a much fairer approach.
ReplyDeleteI'm NOT complaining about losing or being in a strong flight. But why not do things properly? And why do they hide what they are doing _ rather than communicate it to captains and players?
Yep flex leagues are good but not as dependable as USTA which I why I prefer USTA leagues. There is a chance a team might default a line but I had 4 defaulted matches out of 8 in my last flex league. It was a free trial season but still imagine if you had paid $40 and got to play half your matches and won the rest by default?
ReplyDeleteSo Jim the evil Springparker heard me, yikes I thought I said that to myself, I guess I was running off at the keyboard again.
Jim it would have to be sometime next week or weekend because I have another challenge match this coming week and have two matches on Sunday with the mixed league. I work Friday night till 12:30a (gotta earn those dollar bills at the strip club you know?) so usually I am little tired from all the cougars clawing me so 9:30a is a little early for me. But I will email you offline and figure out a time. in the meantime if you want to join up on the ladder so it can be "official" when I crush you. :)
And by crush I mean squeak it out in 3 sets because I always seem to give a bagel set to my opponent.
Cary, it looks like Jim would have 11:30 open on Saturday, which should give you at least 9 hours of sleep, plus an hour of yoga and inner contemplation time.
ReplyDeleteThat would be right after Jim's doubles match and before his bike ride.
--Mitch.
HE's BACK!!! The rich get richer as the Lakes sign Randy Valtierra back onto their roster. I am a High Point loyalist by heart but I think this only reitrates why they are the favorites. They are extremely deep at every spot. This is a team built for sectionals and not just the DCC. I am not willing to call them national bound, I will have to see them beat someone in July to make that prediction or at least watch some of these new players in person.
ReplyDeleteSo Randy has ponied up and is on three Lakes teams (4.0, 4.5, and 5.0). Is it just me or when a player has a win on the 5.0 team does he really have any business on a 4.0 team?
ReplyDeleteAll I know is if this was Garland pulling something like this - there would be 15 to 20 threads about what dirty scum they are for pulling in a ringer.
I'd agree with you if he had won in 5.0 singles. There are many strong 4.0's in this league, who can pull a 5.0 doubles victory when they play with Vu Le. Take a look at Vu's record, you will know what I am talking about. Plus there are a lot of 4.5s playing in the 5.0 league anyway.
ReplyDeletePlaying one level up isnt that big a deal but a 2 level jump is kind of saying something.
ReplyDeleteYes, but, someone wanting to play 2 levels up and actually having the skill level to play 2 levels up is different.
ReplyDeleteThis week Valtierra/Richardson lost to Wildberger/Madison in a 4.5 match that featured all 4.0s. And Richardson is no slouch, he just got bumped down from 4.5. So go figure.
I am not saying Valtierra is a bad player, but he is just a benchmark strong 4.0 player (like many others in the 4.0 league), who has been to the playoffs the last two seasons.