So far other than flight A things are still up in the air as far a playoff spots so this week gets even more interesting with some interesting matchups and some makeups still out there that might shed some light on the top teams in each flight.
Flight A
The most interesting makeup of the season might just be here with Hackberry v. TBar. Anyone know the date for this, is it being made up individually? I guess the question is can anyone take down TBar and have HP vault back into first place. HP/Bob had a somewhat close match v. Canyon Creek as Weymer dropped a 3 setter to Patricio Rodriguez. No interesting matchups this week so we will just wait and see if an upset occurs. Closest to an upset might be LBH/Jones over Hackberry, although it wouldn't be a major upset it would all but cement the two top teams in this flight.
Flight B
This flight keeps getting tighter and tighter and with the top 5 teams separately by the narrowest of margins and luckily we all play each other so it should begin to make sense in the next two weeks. The MOW in this flight is Lakes v. Brookhaven (I will come check this one out, 3p at the Lakes). If the Lakes wins they are in the mix for sure and would have 3 light teams on their schedule, if Brookhaven prevails they have only Garland left as a major obstacle. Next week the SWAT team takes on Stonebridge which should further clarify the top spots. I like the Lakes 3-2 (of course I kind of have to, don't I)
Flight C
I am not going to pretend to know what is going on in this flight as 6 teams are still in contention for the top two spots but this week is huge in this flight with all these teams playing each so it "should" make more sense after this week. Village v. OC/2 (Village wins here but close), undefeated LBH/Hicks v. Greenhill (I see Greenhill winning here), BH/Pearlman v. HP/Harrigan, I want to vote with my old friends on this one but with singles play about even I think BH will win enough at doubles to take this one. I will be pulling for Steve and the crew though, sorry Burt.
Flight D
So we can talk about Eddie now. YEAH! The MOW of the week is Lifetime v. Springpark and first place should be on the line although I am not going to discount OC altogether. The OC v. Springpark makeup lived up to its billing as it was close but Springpark prevailed. I hate to drink the Eddie Kool-Aid but I don't see this match being close maybe it is because I drafted Johan and Brian into our 4.5 team but I just think this is a bad matchup for Springpark, Lifetime is just a little better at every spot. Sorry Black Panther, I see a 4-1 Lifetime win. OC will be taking out their frustration v. Stonebriar this week and I see them going 5-0 until they meet LTF at the end of the season which I think will be a very close match.
4-1 Lifetime? Really? I don't see that score, but we'll find out this Saturday. I've seen both teams play up close and see a different result.
ReplyDeleteThe only real drama is whether or not Lifetimer will bump Brandon up to the #1 or #2 singles spot and bench the captain.
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteJust 4 words for Saturday.
"Get Your Popcorn Ready".
Hackerry vs TBar will be completed by thr 14th - make-ups are a pain! Hopefully we're still in the running by then
ReplyDeleteCary,
ReplyDeleteLet me know which people will win our one line, so that I can be sure to play them.
I was just being nice Jim, I was thinking the one win would come if Andre gets DQ'ed on the Monday after the match. :(
ReplyDeleteBest SP singles player: Mitch
LTFers that can beat Mitch: Brandon, Andre, Johan and Eddie
Sorry Mitch. :(
Jim I guess maybe if Eddie plays doubles you might win that line, because I have seen him play doubles, yikes it ain't pretty.
Lot's of subplots with this Springpark v. Lifetime match on Saturday at 1pm at Springpark.
ReplyDelete1. 1st Place and probably #1 seed at DCC.
2. Will Lifetime finally prove that they are an elite team with a win over one of the so-called big boys in Dallas Tennis?
3. Will Eddie keep himself at singles with the emergence of other top players at Lifetime?
4. Could it really come down to Eddie v Jim(60 year old) as the deciding match?
5. Will Mitch drink 8 beers prior to his match and still win?
Lot's of questions will be answered on Saturday. I am sure Cary "The Clairvoyant" can answer all those questions with precision accuracy.
Hey BP 4-1 sounds good to me. I would prefer 5-0
Lifetime gets a win over SP and that is a win over a big boy? T-Bar and HP/Sumbutt are the big boys this year. Lifetime may be a solid 3rd place team in Dallas.
ReplyDeleteWow... anonymous is back!!! Get ready for the same anon to post the same thing over and over and over
ReplyDeleteI knew I would be back.
ReplyDeleteIf DCC Seed came out today it looks like this.
ReplyDelete1. Lifetime
2. TBAR
3. LBH/ Hicks
4. Garland Sisk
5. Springpark
6. HP/ Butt
That puts LTF, Garland, HP/Butt in one flight and TBAR, LBH, Springpark in the other. How you like them Apples.
The best 3 teams in the same flight.
if it finished that way and that was the flights, it would be very interesting.
ReplyDeletei would expect HP/Somabut and Springpark to prevail then.
Rockettman
I think I have posted this before: "When there are four flights, with thirty-one to forty (31-40) teams, the Qualifying Tournament will consist of six (6) teams. The four second place and two third place finishers with the best records (determined by TennisLink standings) will form two three-team pools, with each pool playing a round robin. The two pool winners will play to determine the team advancing to the City Championships. If the Fall qualifier is one of these six teams, then the Qualifying Tournament will become a 5-team round robin. The City Championships will consist of six (6) teams. The four first place winners, the Fall qualifier and the winner of the Qualifying Tournament will form two three-team pools, with each pool playing a round robin. The two pool winners will play to determine the team advancing to Sectionals. If the Fall qualifier places first in its spring flight, then the winner from the Qualifying Tournament will join the four spring winners in a 5-team round robin to determine the team advancing to Sectionals.
ReplyDeleteTo make the playoffs in any of the four 4.0 flights your team needs to finish in first, second or be one of the two third place teams with the best record. The four first place teams advance directly to the City Championships. The four second place teams and the two third place teams with the best record will play in the QT. If Bob's team does not finish in first place his team still advances directly to the City Championships; however, if they finish in second place the number of teams in the QT goes from 6 to 5"
No one post in the 4.5 blog anyways! If the 4.5 blog hits 30 posts it is a miracle!
ReplyDeleteNancy Noel is the only guy who regularly posts on 4.5.
ReplyDeleteHey Jonathan why don"t you use your name instead of Black Panther,Eddie use you name instead of Lifetimer,Welcome back the Anons and let"s have some fun again.GUESS WHO???
ReplyDeleteMitch is much better than any of the Lifetime singles players. Springpark 3-2 or 4-1. They have much more experience and a much smarter captain (no offense Eddie).
ReplyDeleteHP/sumbutt is soo overated. They barely beat canyon creek. whats up with their doubles teams??
ReplyDeleteI saw weymer play. inconsistent and very beatable.
Team Sumbutt is very weak. It doesnt appear they have any dominant lines but merely a bunch of average solid players
ReplyDelete11 of Somabut's top players were at the Waco tournament (one of their weak doubles teams won it) and another had knee surgery last weekend. Show me another team that misses 12 people and still posts two wins in one weekend?
ReplyDeleteSomabuttface does have a strong team. But no worries. He'll screw up his line-up in key matches and he will find a way to lose.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where that comment about Lifetimes Singles comes from, but Lifetime has 3 guys that Mitch has no chance of beating, unless we are talking about mixed doubles here.
ReplyDeleteI think Lifetime has a decent team and will make it out of the D draw after that I have no idea.
ReplyDelete"Team Sumbutt is very weak. It doesnt appear they have any dominant lines but merely a bunch of average solid players"
ReplyDeleteYou must be new to 4.0. I never gave them a chance last season, and they ran away with it. This year, they got even better than last year.
Really weird to see all the posts. I wonder why people could not come up with their own anon posting on their own?
Finally with anons back we get a truly intelligent posting. June 2 6:25
ReplyDeleteIt is a little silly to seed DCC when one of the teams comes out of the QT and wouldn't they always be seeded behind the Fall winner?
This is because 4.5 actually play tennis versus squabble about it.
ReplyDeleteBob S. is a great guy and I enjoy playing for him. He has made some questionable line-up decisions over the years but those were always an attempt to allow everyone to play.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWho are the people on Lifetime that can beat Mitch? Eddie? That is halarious!
ReplyDeleteSomabut will easily win Dallas. Noone can beat Weymer - his loss this weekend was a tank.
Lifetime would easily beat Somebutt. They would win both singles with Myer and Eddie the Chosen one. Their doubles would only need one line. Morrison is extremely talented and doesnt get enough credit.
ReplyDeletemorisson is tool
ReplyDelete"11 of Somabut's top players were at the Waco tournament (one of their weak doubles teams won it) and another had knee surgery last weekend. "
ReplyDeleteryan got owned by terrell. I dont know if he is considered top 11. head case
I saw Eddie play in Waco. He is the definition of average. He would be lucky to beat Somabut's #5 singles player. He is so spare even Mitch would beat him. Until he wins something, or beats someone decent Eddie should drink a big glass of shut the hell up.
ReplyDeleteMyer is a great singles player and would have a shot against any 4.0 player in Dallas. Eddie can't beat any of Somabut's singles players. Not one of them.
ReplyDeleteTop 3 singles players on lifetime are Andre, Brandon, Johan. All three of them would beat Mitch. Eddie (although he wont admit it) is 4th at best and most likely 5th best singles player on his team...
ReplyDeleteA lot of Lifetime talk. I like it. Not sure about the content though. We will see about all that trash talk going on. Seems like people have gotten really brave since Anon came back. Averge 4.0 for Eddie???? We will see about that I guess. Good thing Lifetime has many strong options other than Eddie as well. Talent is one thing, handling pressure when the team is counting on you and the pressure is on to win is another.
ReplyDeleteHey Anon 7:50pm. Please put out a list of decent players so Eddie has an idea of who he needs to beat to be considered better than decent.
Lifetime has had some players improve since last year. Look at KMart as an example. Quite a different player than years past. I am sure Somabut would like to have that one back.
ReplyDeleteObviously Meyers has become quite the player, winning the Waco MZ as proof. Morrison is Morrison. I have not made up my mind about that guy yet. He looked horrible at the beginning of this year and apparently the winter layoff was not good to him, but appears to be getting better.
First test is this weekend. OC has to be hoping for a 5-0 sweep (either direction).
FINALLY: As far as MY match of the week. It is The Lakes vs Brookhaven. This will allow everyone to see just how good that Garland team really is. Garland will become the Dark Horse Favorite with a solid win or even a close win by The Lakes v Brookhaven.
ReplyDeleteMorrison is etremely talented??? Haha that is hilarious!! Morrison would be a good 3.5!!
ReplyDeletegarland team is solid especially from a singles point of view. And should be taken seriously. Doubles is still questionable as the Lakes didn't have the best mix of players available.
ReplyDeleteEddie debate is always interesting even if it is coming from Eddie. Eddie has 4.5 heart, desire, tenacity and probably athleticism when he gets 100% back but his skills are mid-4.0 at best and why many dont give him the benefit of the doubt. His combined package meas he does very well at 4.0 but when he has to run up against good skill players, is it enough?
rockettman
Eddie what happened against Ruben Vargas in the Waco Tournament. Is Freeman's team that much better than or could Lifetime hang with them. How did you get killed so bad?
ReplyDeleteMorrision was a good 3.5 player,
ReplyDelete4.5 now? I don't know,
Eddie has great athleticism,
Look at Ismail, he got to 4.5 on just stamina and consistency.
The path to 4.5 Singles and 4.5 Doubles very different.
Kirby Martin was and is always good. He's also a great guy. High Point never wanted to loose him. He got pissed off because he didn't get the playing time he wanted. The problem at HP is that everyone is good and would be a starter on anyone elses team. He's now a starter on Bazan's team and is playing well...still.
ReplyDeleteI think Vargas showed he is a pretty good player by making final and pushing Brandon to tough 3 set match. I just made too many errors, went for too many shots and missed. I was also terrible at the net. that has been the biggest difference since coming back from Surgery. Inconsistancy at net and lost mph on Serve. Time and practice will fix both. I would guess he had 3 or 4 winners or forced errors for the match. The way he plays forces you to hit winners to beat him. I missed my shots. I beat myself more than he beat me. that simple. Last year Gene Davis beat me. I thought I played well, he just flat out beat me. Vargas was far from that.
ReplyDeleteEddie
eddie you are so geniune and humble...
ReplyDeleteholy shite
ReplyDeleteanother person to Somabutts team. Those guys should be pretty irritated for playing time.
Eddie, most decent players don't have any errors against you because they don't have to. Better players will ALWAYS force you to go for shots and you'll generally miss them because you are not that good. I like how you don't consider losing 6-3, 6-0 as being "beat" - as usual, no credit to your opponent.
ReplyDeletegarland team with Scottrussell.com and all the latin players will take the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteIs Eddie african american?
ReplyDeletei have never met him but he has a TO confidence to him.
Congrats Anon June 4, 2009 7:16 PM
ReplyDeleteYou win the First Idiot Anon Award since the anon's were turned back on!!!
Congratulations You should buy yourself a duntz cap and a trophy for possible Moron of the year award. You might be a shoe in for that trophy!
Hold your head high!
And secondly, no one believes you... "I have never met him" ...
thanks for the tennis lessons you "Masters of the Game". Someone asked what Happened so I explained what happened. If you asked Vargas he would tell you that he didn't do much. The other guy hit the ball out and into the net. I missed shots that I usually make. that's not arogance. It's having an bad day with your ground strokes. The adjustment that I made was to come to the net. I played at the net worse than how I was hitting ground strokes. Thus 6-3 6-0.
ReplyDeleteLike Rafa said after his loss. Effort and determination are great, but I have to play good tennis to win against good players. I did not play good tennis on that day. I am a far cry from Nadal, but last time I checked, Federer wasn't standing on the other side of the net from me... only the "Masters of the Game"
Eddie
Eddie, it's o.k. to say "I simply got beat by a better player" and just end it at that. You seem way too arrogant to be an "excuse" person.
ReplyDeleteWho has generally won in a singles matchup between Cary and Eddie, or have they ever played? Is the Cary - Gerber match scheduled?
ReplyDeleteGood luck everyone this weekend I think it's suppose to be in the 90's.
ReplyDeleteDon't hurt yourself this weekend (-Y-). with those exta Lbs your carrying around the heat might cause you some real problems.
ReplyDelete"Don't hurt yourself this weekend (-Y-). with those exta Lbs your carrying around the heat might cause you some real problems."
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you would think 230lbs would do fine in hot weather:(
230??? try 260
ReplyDelete"230??? try 260"
ReplyDeleteLOL I am not that fat I stepped on a scale at lifetime last week actually at 227lbs:) I would like to get under 200lbs one day.
eddie is a real tool. huge ego and no game.
ReplyDeleteIs there going to be a thread posted for the Plano Open?
ReplyDeleteI agree, Eddie is a huge tool. I have never seen someone suck so much at tennis but talk about themselves or try to attract so much attention.
ReplyDeleteTO type indeed. Now TO is washed up in buffalo.
Eddie go pick on some 3.0 women in Mixed to justify your greatness.
BTW, just admit you lost to a better player. No excuses.
Did you say Eddie has a huge tool??
ReplyDeleteits great nice to have the anons back
ReplyDeleteWhat is all the hate going on with Eddie. Let's see what happens the rest of the season. At this point his team record and personal record look pretty strong. Sounds like sour grapes to me. I think all the trash talkers would trade to be in his position.
ReplyDeleteEddie has beaten me twice, once in 3 sets and the other most recent match in straight sets.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Gerber match goes, we are planning on Thur but will finalize early in the week, I will post something up on it, including a poll, etc. Should be fun.
Eddie isn't the only one who has "excuses" that is a more than common response in tennis but to be honest most of us generally do feel if we play our best we can contend with most like players and should feel that way if we are playing "on level" tennis.
ReplyDeleteI think in singles more though I am apt to admit to just getting a bad matchup and Eddie may think of that, I know there are certain types of players I struggle with mightily while I play even with stronger players who match up with my game.
For those of you who rag on Eddie, you probably have never played him because at times although nauseating, he is a lot of fun.
u r certainly right about eddie being nauseating / couldnt have said it better myself
ReplyDeleteu gotta admit he has a huge ego
I guess Eddie is like Serena Williams in that she does not have the best strokes in the game however she gets the job done with her athleticism.
ReplyDeleteShe is also most criticized for not giving credit to her opponent when she looses.
I also agree with "Cary Bazan aka Lucky Thunder" in that most of us in singles believe we lost because we played badly and not our opponent played well most of the time, I know I do.
to me excuses are... the wind was blowing. the sun was in my eyes. the grip on my racquet was slipping. I wasn't feeling well. the other guy was hooking me.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I heard any of that from Eddie. I think he said the guy was pretty good, but Eddie kept hitting the ball out and in the net. that happens some times
BigBirdLover,
ReplyDeleteThe big difference between Serena and Eddie is that Serena has actually WON major matches at her "level". Eddie seems to try to make a reputation for himself and Lifetime on what they will do in the future. Both Williams sisters seem to have excuses everytime they lose, usually injuries.
True, all three are whinners.
Eddie would be better served to take after his hero, Nadal and let his results do his talking. The problem is that at this point, that is not a vialble option.
Eddie makes me laugh with his false bravado. I assume he does it for effect to get people worked up. I can appreciate that. But in the end you can't take any of it seriously. I mean I saw Freeman beat him at Masters a couple years ago. I think my 85 year old grandma could beat Freeman. Full credit though to Eddie's Dallas record but if you want to compete at Sectionals you better be able to beat Vargas.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the trash talking Eddie because its entertaining and we take it with a grain of salt, just like people should with my comments.
Wow. I've got to say I don't know you Kern. To bring up a match from 2 years ago, when I have only been playing competative Tennis for 4 years or so is a bit odd, but ok. (Last time I checke Freeman won 3 or 4 major zones that year???) I am not really sure what we are talking about at this point. I like our team and am confident that we will compete to get to sectionals. Ok. Now what. Since I started playing I have won 7-8 times for every 1 loss. I think that's pretty good. As an athlete I would put my athletic career up against anyone that looks at this blog, so not sure where "false bravado" comes from.
ReplyDeleteI work hard to improve, I compete hard in matches. I try to have fun talking about our team on this blog. The personal attacks are silly to me.
Eddie
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to all this mess. You are an effort guy and I'd love for all my guys to have the level of confidence you have. You and Ismael are both relatively new to tennis and both play and compete incredibly hard and have had success at each level you played. You should have faith in yourself and faith in your players...keep it up and ignore the junk.
Vargas is a super nice guy who can beat most 4.0 rated players in Texas on any given day (not flashy, just consistent). You had a nice run in Waco, now keep winning league matches in Dallas as you have been doing and try to make a run in Tyler.
I have played Kern's grandma and she did beat me in straight sets...but she was a lefty so I don't think it should count :)
Eddie,
ReplyDeleteAt no time did I intend to make a "personal attack" on you. The "false bravado" comment was about refering to yourself in the third person and always placing your team number one in the polls. I thought that was you just having some fun and I was saying I appreciated the entertainment. Bringing up the match from two years ago was simply so I could slam on Freeman which is one of my favorite pastimes. If I offended you that was not my intent at all and I apologize.
No as far as the tennis side goes.. I was simply stating that Vargas was not the caliber of player that will be counted on in singles from the Houston team at Sectionals unless I severely underestimate Freeman's team. He had two singles players around Gene's level last year and I am assuming he will have similar players this year and yet he didn't get out of pool play. Major Zones are not a very good example of play in relation to Sectionals in my opinion. If you look at the 4.5 semis for example you had myself, Green, Ludtke and Rivera. I highly doubt any of the four will be counted on for a singles win in a meaningful Sectionals match. I likewise had a pretty decent record last year and yet was drubbed 1 and 3 at Sectionals, it's a different beast that's all I am saying.
Once again my intent is to talk a little tennis and have some fun not to offend anyone, sorry if I did.
Freeman. thanks for the words. I am with you man. Hope we get to see your team if we both get to sectionals. I hope you didn't think I was taking shots at Vargas, because I was not at all. He is a good player, but did not have to do much as I hit the ball in the net and out 80% of the time.
ReplyDeleteKern. I get what you are saying, you were just the last one of serval people getting a bit personal and I was tired of it at that point. It's not like I'm a sensative guy or anything, but it was getting a little silly at that point. I know you and Freeman are friends so I should have saw past that comment. I will just keep working at my game so when sectionals come around I can play better tennis. good luck with the rest of your season
BTW. Lifetime beat Springpark 3-2. Tough match. They have a new guy in singles that is strong.
Eddie
Evidently, Andre is for real on Lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI truly fell asleep after an 18 minute or so first set, then he really came alive, with me on my heels.
I will say I've never lost a match after delivering a bagel.
Good match, Lifetime.
Eddie needs to chill out …
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! Its a Lifetime 4.0 doubles tournament at the Plano Open!
ReplyDeletesounds like Eddie and Freeman need to get a room with all the sucking up going on.
ReplyDeleteWe got it Jason. Congratulations on your tournament in Waco. I really thought you would take Tim in the semis. I think Lifetime and Somabut are clearly the two best 4.0 teams in Dallas so it will be interesting to see if anybody can pull the upset.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know who won the BH/Pearlman v. HP/Harrigan match. I assume if BH won then the winners of all 4 flights are decided.
ReplyDeleteBrookhaven won .... 5 - 0
ReplyDeleteLooks like record wise top 4
ReplyDeleteA - Tbar M
B - Garland
C - Brookhaven/Pearlman(Going to go ahead and anoit them here now instead of waiting until next week)
D - Lifetime
In fact, I will go ahead and put it out there that these 4 teams win their divisions and the top 4 seeds are set.
ReplyDeleteSorry Bartlett, but I don't see you beating Garland this year.
i am at the Richardson Open an just saw Kirby Martin get taken off the court on a stretcher and into an ambulance. he was playing in the 4.0 Final and was cramping real bad. He retired in 3rd set then 30 mins later they were taking him off for Dehydration. i think he is fine but it was a bit crazy to see. you might want to check on him Cary.
ReplyDeleteI talked to him around 3p, he is a little better. This the 2nd time we have talked on the phone while he was in the hospital with an IV talking about tennis, which is why he is my fav teammate.
ReplyDeleteHe was planning on playing a 4.5 match at 3p for me and captaining the team as well. Thanks for Kyle and filling in for us today and thanks to Feldman for letting us get started late.
Wow the Plano open 4.0 doubles has a small draw.
ReplyDelete"As an athlete I would put my athletic career up against anyone who looks at this blog"??? Wow, that might be a bit over the top! Exactly what "athletic career" are you referring to? What you were all pro for the Cowboys with Troy? Tap the breaks there big fella before you hurt your shoulder again patting yourself on the back!
ReplyDeleteI think Eddie was talking about his Tennis career, but in answer to your question, I guess you don't know about Eddie's college athletic career. I believe his college record is still standing.
ReplyDeleteI think Eddie was talking about his Tennis career, but in answer to your question, I guess you don't know about Eddie's college athletic career. I believe his college record is still standing.
ReplyDeleteI belive he played NCAA Hoops at Washington State!
ReplyDeleteMajor shakeup for Team Eddie as I talked to the DTA today and heard that their new singles player is being DQ'd. Now they are back to some good players and spare parts so they likely won't make it out of the QT. Too bad.
ReplyDeleteWashington St. plays basketball? Is that D1 or D2? What have they ever won?
ReplyDeleteSorry Eddie, didnt realize that your "college career" was such a sore spot for you...
ReplyDeleteWho got the DQ, and why?
ReplyDeleteI hope Kirby is ok and recovering well! Hopefully this is a wake up call for Kirby and motivates him to drop a few pounds and get himself into shape. It really wasn’t that hot or the draw that tough this past weekend. In fact the draw was very small. In the past there have been some discussions about Kirby being cut from Somabut High Point team. Kirby is an ok 4.0 player. But at the end do the day, he was out of shape and there were better & fitter players sitting on the bench.
ReplyDeleteKirby was never cut. He quit the team because of playing time. He is a good player, and a nice guy. I'm pretty sure there are no hard feelings between him, and the players from that team. Get off his back.
ReplyDeletekirby is a great guy, good tennis player, and works his ass off on the court. dont dog the guy for putting it out on the court.
ReplyDeleteJust check the Lifetime roster. When you click on Andre it now says 4.5. What will that do to the matches already played?
ReplyDeleteIf that is the case I believe that all of his previous matches would be defauled since he was a self-rated player.
ReplyDelete" 8. In the event of a disqualification locally from a particular level of play the section has determined that self rated players have all matches taken away while computer rated players would have the last match played taken away. "
If this is official Lifetime goes to being a middle-tier team.
If all of Vahdat's matches are reversed that drops Lifetime into third place in their flight still having to play a very good Oak Creek team.
ReplyDeleteIt does appear Vahdat has been DQ'd.
ReplyDeleteI heard Eddie got him DQ'd so he could get back in the starting lineup.
ReplyDeleteLooks like he got a dynamic 4.5 rating. Don't know if that equates to 3 red flags. I only saw his tiebreaker with Mitch, Good serve, good forehand, young and quick, not impressed with the backhand. Based on what I saw Houston had last year for self rate singles players, I wouldn't say he should be DQ'd.
ReplyDeleteGetting DQ'd has much less to do with that players ability and more to do with the captains inexperience and fundamental lack of knowledge as to how the system works.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteI didn't see the match with Mitch, but by the scores it looks like that could have been an attempt to keep from getting bumped, but still win a needed match. It;s had to lose a set 6-0, then turn around and win 6-1 against a solid player. Hard, but not impossible.
In Andre's four singles wins the scores were:
6-0,6-0
6-1,6-2
6-2,6-1
0-6,6-1,1-0
When you look at his scores against benchmark players, line @1 Singles players, the scores indicate that he was not being challenged at the 4.0 level.
I agree that he is probably not anywhere near what Gene or the two Houston singles players were last year, but looking at his results he does seem to be out of level at 4.0.
Just an opinion.
At the end of the day it is the captain's job to make sure a talented self rated guy does not get DQed. Knowing Eddie like I do, I can tell you that the idea of not putting your best singles player at singles and then telling him to drop a certain number of games does not sit well with him and the type of captain and person he choses to be. I do think having gone through this experience is very upsetting for him and may change the way he would handle a self-rate in the future. It is a bad system and makes very little sense. Andre is not out of level by playoff singles player comparisons. I would strongly agree with Jim's opinion of his game, and I have seen him play close to 20 times. It is really not fair to him or our team, but we will deal with it and find a way to still make a run in the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteIf he was not "out of level" as you say, then he would not have 3 red flags in 4 matches and would not be DQed. Its as simple as that, end of story. Sometimes the system really does work!
ReplyDeleteFunny to hear Jim talk about other players being out of level when he had Gene on his roster last year. Jim, keep your preaching to yourself. You absolutely new Gene was not a 4.0 (don't care what his rating said) and you played him anyway. You kept legitimate teams out of sectionals last year with your use of Gene - your team was only average without him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lifetimer. If a player gets DQ'd based on red flags then it is completely the captains fault.
ReplyDeleteLast time I looked SP is at the top of one of the toughest 4.0 divisions with a 6-0 record without Gene. Probably a little better than average. Basically the same team as last year.
ReplyDeleteThere is a problem with the 3 strike rule. There is a huge gap of skill level in the 4.0 division. It would be very easy to play some lower 4.0's and get three strikes. They should base the DQ on the level of players you are beating easily.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how the system works.
ReplyDeleteWhen a player is DQ'd they get to see where their strikes were. Last year two players in Austin were DQ'd and they didn't receive a strike for any of the 0,1's or 0,0's. It was always for beating the top players 5,4 3,3 etc.... Another player that was DQ'd the year before was because he beat some of the average players 1,2 1,1. So while the system isn't perfect it does weigh the strength of your opponent with the resulting score.
ReplyDeleteThose may have been the strikes but had they only beaten some of those lesser guys 4&4ish, then the computer may not have flagged them.
ReplyDeleteVahdat started by beating Moomjian 0&0. Chad is in no way the best player in in Dallas at 4.0 but anyone who beats him like that deserves some scrutiny. I doubt his 2&1 against Delira gave him a strike but the other matches probably pushed him over the edge.
Not true, you get a strike when you are a self rate and you win a non competitive match period, which they consider 2 breaks or more in each set. If you play lesser players and beat them 6-2 6-2 or worse you will be flagged. If it happens three times you are DQ'd. Strength of comp does not matter. That is the problem with it, but it tries to protect against self rates. There are people who try to cheat the system, especially at the 3.5 level with self rates. Look at Sisk, ne notoriously has self rates way out of level at 3.5. He has a couple self rate players on his 3.5 team this season that should definitely be on his 4.0 team, but he is trying to stack his 3.5 team with players way out of level. I do not think this was the case with Andre, but because it happens to often the system has to do something. Again, a person is only a self rate for 1 season, and if he is good you better watch who he plays and the scores he wins by. Eddie should have sat Andre once he had the 2nd strike, maybe even moved him to doubles after his first strike.
ReplyDeletePart of the problem with Andre though was he had not played much over past 6 years and wanted matches to get his feel back. He was a good player to start the season, but seemed to get better everytime he stepped on the court. The other problem is that he is ultra competative and hates to lose a point let alone a game. Just is what it is.
ReplyDeleteEddie just learned his first real lesson as captain. Hide your self rates in doubles. He might have just cost himself a shot at sectionals. His only hope was to take both singles, and pray for a doubles win. Better luck next year.
ReplyDeleteBy the way. No one calls you and says you got your 2nd strike...you better be careful. He was needed in that Springpark match.
ReplyDeleteThe comments about your opponents rating not counting towards strikes against a self-rated player (and pure scores are counted) is flat out wrong. The DNTRP system does not work that way, it can't work that way. If a self-rated 4.0 player played 3 3.5 players in a row and won all of them 6-0, 6-0 then they most likely would not be DQ'd nor should they be (the ratings of opponents are considered).
ReplyDeleteEddie did screw up. An important player like that should have never been in the singles lineup against lesser teams. Look at Somabut, he hides his players until the playoffs and he gets them tight scores and losses every chance he gets. Weymer is a good example for this year.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that Somabut has the depth to sit ringers or hide ringers while Lifetime did not. Look at the number of solid players on HP's team. Especially winning the Fall league.
ReplyDeleteThat is why the Fall winning should only get a bye into the QT, not the DCC. Too easy to hide players and manage scores.
Hopefully that will be a lesson to anyone else that plans on beating me.
ReplyDeleteBeating Mitch proves crushing lower level 4.0's will count as a strike.
ReplyDeleteOff course beating 3.5's is different if a 3.5 is playing up, but it does not look at your decimal rating. Beating a 3.5 0 and 0 will not be a strike, but beating a weak 4.0 is a strike, it does not matter if someone is a 4.01 or a 4.45. They are a 4.0 playing USTA 4.0.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. Therefore, beating Mitch, a very low 4.0 if even that, is bad for your recreational league goals.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Clearly Mitch is correct. That is warning to all that beating Mitch means insta-DQ.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Andre play, he was out of level. Not because of his strokes, but because of his pure fitness with good strokes.
He could have been hidden, but that doesn't mean he wasn't out of level. If he plays in sectionals, or city, he probably gets DQ'd anyway.
it's amazing how ill-informed some people are. the idiot claiming any win by a score of 2 and 2 or better against any 4.0 is a strike is a classic. do some research people.
ReplyDeleteYes, Kirby Martin is a good guy, but also a guy with and a big ego. Bob Somabut was sad to see Kirby go. It was very unfortunate. In order to be a successful captain and take a team to Sectionals, one needs players that aren’t selfish. A team that wants to have a change to make it through the city tournament and to Sections needs to have the attitude of: the team comes first and individuals come second. Bob has been very successful with his USTA teams over the years. Kirby is a good individual player, but a very poor team player. If Kirby would change his attitude, I’m sure Bob would invite Kirby back. For Kirby, he’ll probably be better off on a team that’s not so competitive. Kirby will get to play more through the season. Unfortunately, he’ll never get the chance to really play in the post season when all the fun really starts.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very interesting at what the captains (at all levels) do at Life Time Fitness in order to try and win. Season after season, Life Time Fitness is notorious at signing up ringers and trying to cheat the system.
ReplyDeleteEddie – are you still going to sectionals? I don’t think so.
Sources tell me that Eddie really started to get a big head after going 4 – 0. He started thinking about going to sectionals & nationals, instead of thinking about the current match and doing what’s right. Greed got to Eddie!
It will be interesting to see how Life Time does with their next three matches.
Eddie – what a bummer! You have a chance. A slim chance at that. You should throw in the towel and start thinking about next year. Kern was right about you. You are an entertaining guy!
It's interesting how some players are so critical of a top team for many reasons, such as players out of level, managing ratings and scores, etc, but when asked to join them, they suddenly justify that all those issues no longer matter. It's now an honor and affirmation that they've arrived as a player.
ReplyDeleteAfter becoming part of the team, they realize there's a lot more pressure and it's not quite as fun as they imagined. It's also difficult not to be considered one of the top players on the team.
They eventually leave the team and join a little bit less competitive team that employs the same techniques that they earlier criticized, all the while criticizing the team they just left for the same reasons.
Not that I'd know how this feels!
Andre is certainly not a ringer. He is a very good 4.0. the kind you need to have a chance at Sectionals. He was good to start the season and got better with every match. BTW we still have the best team we have had at Lifetime, just lack the depth now. no margin for error with the line-up to get the 3 wins needed to move on in playoffs. I still very much expect to make it to sectionals as do all members of our team. So shut up and watch the scores Lifetime hater.
ReplyDeleteEddie
Eddie – You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you will not make the same mistake twice. It’s going to take some work in getting your team motivated and all going in the same direction. I believe you have the ability to make things happen. It will be interesting to see how your team does against Thorntree, Gleneagles and Oak Creek. The real question is - Do you have any additional Sandbaggers on the team? Good luck on the remaining matches. BTW – You’re an entertaining guy!
ReplyDeleteAndre is a sandbagger! No doubt about it and Eddie knows it! Just watch the guy play and look at his records. Both Andre and Eddie are cheaters! The league should punish / fine the captain of the team when someone is disqualified from his team. The fine should be $250 - $500.
ReplyDeleteThe captain can be sanctioned for knowingly putting players out of level on his team, but I've never personally heard of it happening. That's even true in the case for a team where a player was bumped up two levels during the season. It's certainly not going to happen in this case.
ReplyDelete"Andre is a sandbagger!"
ReplyDeleteLOL! Sandbag means to pad your score with losses so you don't look out of level. If 0 - 0 ; 2 - 1
If you think that is sandbagging, then wow, I wonder what you think he should of won by?
Andre was maybe not out of level if you consider what teams put out there in sectionals. If he beat Mitch 6-1 in the 2nd set, he was probably out of level - cause Mitch is not the poster boy for being in level.
ReplyDeletesame person.
ReplyDeleteSo basically, out of level, but he is not a lock in sectionals to win every match
If he would not have been out of level at sectionals, then he is not out of level.
ReplyDeleteagreed. Andre would have had competition at city and sectionals. It was just that he got better and better very fast from the beginning of the season.
ReplyDeleteWhat .... got better and better. Come on!
ReplyDeleteTrue, out of level is out of level. Andre would have been out of level at the QT, City, Sectionals and Nationals if hypothetically he had made it that far. Would he have been dominate at the Sectional or National tournaments? No. Just because there are better out of level players at these competitions doesn't mean that players that lose are struggle at those competitions are at the proper level.
ReplyDeleteJust because your out of level player loses to another out of level player doesn't mean that your player was a legitimate 4.0.
Well said!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou guys should come out and watch sectionals this year. All of the teams are full of players like Andre. If you want to compete beyond city you have to have players of his calibetr. In fact, you need a couple of players who are on that 4.0 - 4.5 borderline.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but it still doesn't make it right. Some captains choose to to attempt to win by trying to add obviously out of level players to their teams, usually self-rated players. Probably 85% of the problem is self-rated players and the other 15% are players who will "tank" matches to get a rating lower than it should be. There's not alot that can be done to weed out the scumbag losers willing to throw matches.
ReplyDeleteSelf rated players should have to play for at least one full year, not season to achieve a comptuter rating before being eligibile to play in ay playoff, including the QT. Sure they can still throw matches, but they would have a waste a year, basically trying to cheat the system.
It looks like Andre played one match in the Fall and lost it badly to a player he would beat easily in an important match, possibly trying to get a computer rating going into the Spring seeason. Didn't work, did it Eddie.
Yeah, Eddie made a bit of a mistake, but he's a smart guy and will learn from it. I expect he will be one of the city's top captains very soon. He will learn how to better protect his players in the future. I give him props for trying to field an elite team.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Andre would've been borderline and not an obvious 4.5. If I were Eddie, I'd do the exact same thing by trying to win every match regardless of consequences.
ReplyDeleteI give him respect for playing to win and not trying to manipulate the system. Unless the player gave inaccurate information on the self-rating questionnaire and the captain knew about it, there's no shame for a captain having a player disqualified.