So still two more weeks to go until the playoff weekend but I thought I would throw out some names so you all can decide who might be the best players that will be playing that weekend.
The Red flight looks pretty tough since I think the two best teams are OC and Garland and there is some good talent in there.
Top Red Flight Singles:
Garland has four guys who might just be at the top of the heap in Defeo, McFarlane, O'Bannon and Montagard. Obannon most likely will stay at doubles but if needed could beat anyone in this playoff tourney. Montagard and McFarlane should shoulder most of the weight since Defeo and O'Bannon can help at doubles just as much.
Lakes also has some firepower at singles with Fankhauser, Richardson and Sinclair who can hang with just about any of those guys listed above. Richardson has had trouble matching up in past playoffs but he seems to be playing rather well lately.
BH/Pearlman only has one standout but he is a good one in Todd Stein, he is undefeated at 4.0 and 4.5 this season and has a straight set win over Givhan which is impressive.
OC/Smith has struggled with singles in the past but adding Vinh Tran and Pablo Guzman has changed that for them. These two are good and Charles Kelley is no slouch either and Vanoverschede (sp?) can help out if needed but those first two names will spell trouble and might just make them the favs in this flight.
Blue Flight Singles
JCC might just be the favs here due to their big 3 at singles (Elovitz, Drazner and Lieberman) all of these guys have to be favorites in their matches on Friday and Saturday.
BH/Bartlett improved a lot with Chris Ellis and he will be a almost a sure win in singles for doubles. Don Buford is a question mark but in this flight I think he will be formidable.
Village lost Vacalis but picked up a strong player in Givhan and he is their best hope although Ken Miller showed up big in the spring playoffs and will need to again if they will be a factor.
Greenhill had a great season but primarily at doubles and the only bright spot I see here is Bergergon, I think this team would struggle mightily in the other flight but Bergeron may be enough to get them to Sunday.
Doubles:
Obviously I have no idea what guys will be playing together so it seems a tad pointless to say this doubles team, etc will make an impact but here are some guys who had a great regular season and should make a difference in their team's success:
Brouer, Rajani, O'Bannon, Flora, Terrell, Fix, Balan, Ludwig, Rivera, Bayley, Myrick, Spinks, Hill, Fossler, Shaw, B. Smith, Moore, Helterbrann, Mattes, Russouw, Carlquist, Bin Nguyen, Wildberger, Sweeney and Odell.
Stay tuned for picks and odds the week of playoffs.
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ReplyDeleteKitty had some pretty interesting stuff to say. Just like I have been saying all along though. USTA has been making a big push to move people up. I wonder if anyone gets double bumped from 4.0 or from 3.5? Wouldn't surprise me to see Weymer get bumped to 5.0
ReplyDelete"As a result, fewer teams will have to split up. The majority of players on a team will move up, or the majority will show no change, thus the team will not have to split."
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell does that mean?
Maybe there will be a 3.5 super team next spring after all
ReplyDeleteHoly crap. EOY ratings are posted. Just about everyone got bumped up. Nobody bumped down. WTF?
ReplyDelete"As a result, fewer teams will have to split up. The majority of players on a team will move up, or the majority will show no change, thus the team will not have to split."
ReplyDeleteTHIS IS TOTAL BULLSHIT WRITTEN BY A RETARD. Sounds like some Jane Gilpin would say.
New ratings for Bob's nationals team. Still to be updated are Dencil and Craig. Ouch. Just about everyone moved to 4.5. Looks like the 3.5 players will have fun this year at 4.0. There is no one left. USTA obviously has a master plan. Does not mean it makes any sense or will be shared with anyone. USTA is f'd up.
ReplyDeleteBrouer, Steven M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Carlquist, Chad M Allen TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Deviney, Willis M. M McKinney TX 4.0 12/31/2009 B
Featherstone, Christopher H. M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Fenn, Jimmy S. M Flower Mound TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Fraser, Jason Dallas M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2009 C
Ho, Kevin Thinh M Frisco TX 4.0 12/31/2009 C
Johnson, Dencil M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2008 M
Kemp, Jarad A. M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Kemp, Steve B. M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Kingsley, Vince M Rockwall TX 4.0 12/31/2009 B
Newman, Tim R. M Rockwall TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Nguyen, Bin K. M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Robinson, Keith M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Ryan, Jeromie D. M Wylie TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Sharp, Wyatt D. M Murphy TX 4.0 12/31/2009 C
Shaw, Mark M Highland Village TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Smith, Douglas M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Somabut, Bob M Garland TX 4.0 12/31/2009 C
Taillat, Patrick Daniel M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Tran, Vinh Q. M Carrollton TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Weymer, Craig E. M McKinney TX 4.0 3/19/2009 S
Eddie Hill's DCC CHAMPION team. Can't believe their bump ups were not even worse. After all...they did win cities. Eddie not updated yet.
ReplyDeleteAsako, Yoshiaki M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Bennett, Stephen W. M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2009 B
Brinkman, Sean M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Gonzalez, Josue M McKinney TX 4.0 3/12/2009 S
Hill, Eddie V. M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2008 B
Ho, Minchul M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2009 C
Kennedy, Bryan M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
McAfee, Kelly K. M Frisco TX 4.0 4/9/2009 S
Moore, David M Dallas TX 4.0 6/12/2009 S
Morrison, Brian R. M Frisco TX 4.0 12/31/2009 B
Mudsam, Johan Anders M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Myers, Brandon M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Shahab, Alexander M Dallas TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Studey, Brian C. M Fort Worth TX 4.0 6/18/2009 S
Vahdat, Andre M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Wines, Mark W. M Plano TX 4.0 12/31/2009 B
Rusty Branch's 4.5 Sectionals team. Only Rusty bumped to 5.0. Everyone else stays 4.5. Looks like a ready made team for a lucky new captain.
ReplyDeleteConclusion: 4.5 not being hit as hard with bump ups as 4.0 level was.
Branch, Rusty M Allen TX 5.0 12/31/2009 B
Braswell, Bill M Allen TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Clark, Brad J. M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Davis, Eugene M. M Richardson TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Herget, Charles M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Huffman, Justin Y. M Grapevine TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Iglesias, Louis G. M Carrollton TX 4.5 12/31/2008 M
James, Wesley M McKinney TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Kern, Jason M. M Fort Worth TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Kiron, Paul M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Peters, Rudy M Richardson TX 4.5 12/31/2008 B
Pollard, Donnie M Dallas TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Slezak, Chris W. M Frisco TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Stewart, Owen E. M Plano TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
Wescoup, Felipe A. M Arlington TX 4.5 12/31/2009 B
The fact that these guys on Rusty's team reamin 4.5. Not good news for the newly bumped up 4.0 folks. No way the newly bumped up folks can compete (with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions). It's a whole different ball game.
ReplyDeleteeddie and bmo can appeal up
ReplyDeleteweymer 4.0
ReplyDeleteWeymer not updated yet. Can't see how that is not bad news for him. Sounds like he is being considered for 5.0 to me. Can't see what else that would mean.
ReplyDeleteEveryone on the top 4.0 teams gets bumped , but the 4.5 teams barely get touched.
ReplyDeleteWeymer's year end rating hasn't come out yet. The great Eddie Hill is now a 4.5 B, congrats.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lot more movement in the 3.5, 4.0 ranks. Check this out if you haven't seen it http://www.usta.com/USTA/Global/Active/Custom%20Pages/Leagues/Year_End_Ratings.aspx.
Glad to be back in the land of the living.
Actually none of the self rates are updated yet. There date is not 12/31/09 next to their name
ReplyDeleteHere are the % of players bumped up at each level
ReplyDelete3.0 - 42%
3.5 - 30%
4.0 - 17%
4.5 - 7%
5.0 - 5%
Here are the ratios of bump-ups to bump-downs at the various levels.
3.0 - 13.5 to 1
3.5 - 25.4 to 1
4.0 - 8.8 to 1
4.5 - 1.4 to 1
5.0 - 1 to 3.4
Feel free to check my math as it is not my strong suit.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteAre you still 5.0?
Keith, you and I have the same rating. I guess all that combo carrying was taken into account. Thanks
ReplyDeleteBeing able to carry me should have kept you at 5.0.
ReplyDeleteI only see two players that moved up from 4.5 to 5.0 but I see hundreds moved up to 4.5. What a great league we will have. The returning Branch players will get very little competition.
ReplyDeleteWow, there is no one left at 4.0.
ReplyDeletewhat a joke, count me out
ReplyDeleteIf the USTA is going to do this every season, I think you will see league participation decrease.
ReplyDeleteI think the usta finally got it right at 4.0 and 3.5. They should have continued the trend at 4.5 as well.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I don't understand. Why move up so many 3.5s and 4.0s but no 4.5s??
ReplyDeleteIf they don't like it, they can play up. Pretty simple
ReplyDeletei think the USTA will lose some money on these new ratings. Wife played on 9 teams last year as a 4.0 and I played on 7. As 4.5s we'll probably play 2. Doesn't seem like they should be moving up 60 year old club hackers. Had to laugh. They moved up Glenn Schmittou who had both knees replaced and had prostate cancer treatment this year. Must have really helped his game. Or how good must Lee Hamilton and Courtney Henderson be when they get moved up at age 75.
ReplyDeleteBut now I am equal again to Gene Davis.
SP Jim
4.5 to 5.0 I have seen so far (before appeals although I think they will be difficult to get)
ReplyDeleteDustin Tankersley
Phy Pham
Rusty Branch
Joey Molina
Did anybody get bumped off your team CoreDawg?
4.5 will go up by almost 10,000 players nationwide (about a 50% increase). 4.0 will go up by about 25,000 (about a 36% increase). 5.0 still will stay essentially the same (less than 3,000 people nationwide) Looks like the evening out is happening between 3.5 and 4.5.
Are there even any 3.5s left? What must the 3.0 league look like?
ReplyDeleteIf you are a 4.5 bump down, can you please contact me? Brian.Morrison@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteJoey was already 5.0. I didn't know about Dustin. I didn't lose anybody but I will need a lot more to compete with Branch. I can't believe all you guys got moved back down. Walt especially.
ReplyDeletePhy was already 5.0 too. The two I saw were Jeff Jannasch from the Lakes and Brannon Perkison from the Village.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a couple of the top 4.5 teams should combine to compete with Branch's 4.5/5.0 team.
ReplyDeleteIt is probably disappointing because they did not push the correct number of 4.5 people up. They fell short there, and I don't know why. Obviously it will happen next season, but meanwhile, it is just a number. Remember you basically will still be playing against the same people you did last season. Just there will be some scattered tougher players out there. You played at the same level as Gene last year Jim. You were fine then. You will be fine now. Most of these people you played against wihtin the last 2 years already, no worries.
ReplyDeleteCorey - Looks like you are going to have a large number of matches at 4.5 now.
Does being a 4.5 now not as significant?
ReplyDeleteweymer 5.0 very unusual. Must have been not losing a set at sectionals or nationals.
ReplyDeleteSorry didn't realize you were going off ESR, thought you were comparing to last summer. I don't consider myself or Kiron as bump downs as I think ESR's are silly since they affect so little.
ReplyDeleteIf someone thought they could beat Branch's team why wouldn't they join his team and try to take down SA, Austin and Houston?
Just bumped from 3.5 and it looks like I'll be playing all the same people from last year. Fair warning: the quality of your blog just went down dramatically. The level of 3.5 whining this year was unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteLooks like there should be a lot of defects for a chance to make a run at Nationals to Branch team.
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! 3.5 whinning. Its true. very very true.
ReplyDeleteOMG!!! Weymer DID GET bumped to 5.0!!! wow!
ReplyDeletelol, Prather still a 4.0
ReplyDeleteAt nationals, the raters were watching him in dismay.
ReplyDeleteBUT, he is an outstanding player. I bet he does alright at 5.0
ReplyDeleteNow I hate to be a complete ass, i really do, but, if Craig would have played his correct level of 4.5 in the Fall like I suggested, he might have been able to save his 4.5 ranking.
ReplyDelete4.0s are not allowed to talk about 5.0s
ReplyDeleteHere are the new numbers per level nationwide
ReplyDelete2.5 - 12,193 (4%)
3.0 - 56,262 (18%)
3.5 - 119,856 (38%)
4.0 - 91,596 (29%)
4.5 - 27,942 (9%)
5.0 - 3,546 (1%)
5.5 - 192
Total - 311,587
So the highest percentage are 3.5s to answer your question of "are there any 3.5s left". And to the person who asked does being "a 4.5 not as significant", true it is not as significant but 90% of registered players are worse than you (theoretically). I would not have guessed those numbers.
Sour grapes B-MO.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we will have more matches. My complaint wasn't that we didn't have enough matches, it was that there weren't enough quality matches. That will be worse next season.
ReplyDeleteJason, is Rusty going to captain the team even though he is 5.0. Also, I wonder if the other areas in Texas had this same thing happen. If so, I would think Branch's team would be a strong favorite for Nationals.
I would love to know about Luedtke, Rivera, Green, Dekryuff, Moser, Dibua, etc. Any answers Jason without me looking them up?
I haven't really mastered how to look these people up. I just looked up the list for every Dallas player at a particular level. Is there a way to only look up people who's ratings changed?
ReplyDeleteKern since you are our stat guy, is there any playoff team out there that could actually field 70% of their team in the Spring, I am doubting it seriously so I guess the Fall playoffs are pretty much just for pride that auto bid isn't going to happen for anyone, at least at first glance in the the 3.5 and 4.0 realm, now 4.5 is a different story since it doesn't look like there was much movement there.
ReplyDeleteI heard that the 70% only applied to those players who were not bumped up. John told me that after one of his dominant seasons where he lost a lot. If that's true and John's team wins 3.5 this fall, he will only need two returning players to keep his playoff spot. Pretty crazy.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the list of the year end ratings? Can someone please provide me a web link? Thanks!
ReplyDelete"I would love to know about..."
ReplyDeleteLuedtke, 4.5
Rivera, 4.5
Green, 5.0
Dekryuff, 5.0
Moser, 4.5
Dibua, (omon 5.0, odion 4.5)
Don't know of a way to do it other than looking them up.
I think it only has to be 70% of returning players from what I heard last year.
Not sure on the Branch front.
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ReplyDeletehttp://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/reports/NTRP/FindRating.asp
ReplyDeleteNo list, you have to look it up. Sorry for some reason URL won't copy correctly. Go to national.usta.com and click on find rating on the right.
ReplyDeleteThere are some bump ups that are not justified. Just because they happen to be on a winning team. Too bad for these players.
ReplyDeleteMassive bump ups. Omon not Odion?
ReplyDeleteA large percentage of them aren't justified in my opinion. Thanks Jason. You can use the drill-down list to get a lot of them but I don't know where the tournament guys are from. Somebody told me that one of my guys, Matt McCord got moved down.
ReplyDeleteYet another thing I can't figure out about USTA. He played 0 matches since he got moved up to 5.0, and now he's back to 4.5. How does that happen?
In some ways, I think this gives a bigger advantage to self-rated players because computer-rated players will be weaker than before. Also may be easier to get DQ'ed though.
ReplyDeleteNow I see too that Walt was moved down to 4.5 at mid-year, took the fall off, and is back to 5.0. I guess that's because Sectionals was after mid-year ratings???? Good news for me at least.
ReplyDeleteYes, the drill down list works much better!
ReplyDeleteVery strange on Walt. Be interesting to see if he can win an appeal.
ReplyDeleteB-Mo does have a reaso to be upset. He went 2-3 at 4.5 this season and was bumped down. I see other mid-yr bump ups with way worse records that stayed at 4.5
ReplyDeleteYou have to give them credit. They're trying to fix something that was very broken. 1st they did mid yr bump ups and did not let people appeal down. 2nd they're re-adjusting the ratings at the end of the yr and not letting people appeal down. Ratings should all correct themselves as long as they don't let easy appeal downs. You have to patch the tire before you can pump it back up.
ReplyDeleteOK, this is a little crazy with this bump-up decisions this year!!!
ReplyDeleteSo, from top 40 4.0 tournament players, 34 got bumped up to 4.5 level. Nearly everyone with few exceptions!! This is excessive.
Then, 9 players out of Sisk's 4.0 team got bumped up to 4.5 level. It's like the whole team. You only need 8 to play the match!! LOL.
So, next year's 4.0 will be this year's 3.5!!
4.0 list. sorry it includes people who were not bumped as well.
ReplyDeletehttp://tennislink.usta.com/leagues/reports/NTRP/SearchResults.asp?Search=TreeNode&update=1&NationalNodeID=3874100&CYear=2010&SectionNodeID=3874117&DistrictNodeID=3874203&SubDistrictNodeID=3874523&DivisionNodeID=3876519&FlightNodeID=&GenderCode=M&NTRPRating=4.0
sorry the link did not work. you have to use the drill down feature to see the list of any level.
ReplyDeleteThey're killing 4.5. How does this increase play?
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the logic of not bumping more guys to 5.0.
So basically, there are 2 levels now - 4.0 and 4.5. Brilliant.
Only 4.0 & 4.5 now? Huh? 3.5 is still the biggest by far. 4.5 is 4th biggest.
ReplyDelete3 levels actually. 3.0 = learned to hold the racquet by the handle, that doesn't count.
ReplyDeleteWhat's that rumbling I hear in the distance? Oh, it's a whole boat-load of TANKS rolling in. Should get here sometime this spring.
ReplyDeleteSurely some of these bump ups do not make sense, but I must say, in the case of Morrison and Fraser, the system got it right. Both are 4.0s that have been carried by solid partners. Suck it up boys. BMO got bumped down and is psst off, and Fraser didn't make 4.5 and is crying all the way to Neiman Marcus to get a new pair of short shorts.
ReplyDeleteThis one is a head scratcher. Mitchell Fix is a 4.0B and Robert Weatherby is a 4.5B. There must be some formula here that i don't understand and I am guessing these guys feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as if you had a close match or a win over a HP/Bob or Team Eddie player you were bumped no matter what.
Fraser didn't play on the Nationals team because he had knee surgery and missed 3 months (otherwise he would be a 4.5 also). There is no good explanation for his shorts.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the knee stuff was strictly cosmetic.
ReplyDeleteright
ReplyDeleteCan he at least get looser shorts so his camel toe stops showing.
ReplyDeleteIf you were a B and got bumped up, the B stays there. Doesn't mean you are a 4.5 benchmark. You are right Vik. I completely understand trying to move players up but nobody went to 5.0. If 34 of top 40 4.0 tournament players got bumped, why not use the same formula for 4.5? Then again, I have 3 in the top 20 on my team so I guess I'm happy.
ReplyDeleteI still say you will see a decrease in league participation because many of these bumpups will struggle to find a team that wants them.
Also, I expected hundreds of post on this. Where is everybody?
Camel toe Fraser, Oberto, and Wyatt Sharp are best three 4.0s left
ReplyDeleteEddie may have appealed up back to 4.5. It is showing him as 4.5 now. Way to grab a pair Eddie.
ReplyDeleteCorey,
ReplyDeleteI really don't think there will be a decrease in participation because the full team got moved up.
In recent tennis news I saw that there has been a surge in tennis players/ membership. I think they are trying to make it welcoming for those players where they don't have to come into a league of sandbaggers. In Ultimate Tennis, everyone knew you needed to play a level up from your USTA Ranking.
Once they get the strong 4.5s moved into 5.0, it will not be a big deal. Although, they probably need to restart the 5.5 division, which I think they had killed a few years back.
Eddie was always showing 4.5, the date posted earlier showed a date of 2008. When you typed it in the other list, it was 4.5 all along.
ReplyDeleteI hope the USTA loses a ton of money in 2010. Participation goes way down in both tourneys and leagues. No incentove for all the bump ups to go out and get killed. Much less to travel and get killed.
ReplyDeleteIt just cannot be this hard for the USTA to get it right. Yet they have taken an already troubled system and made it a disaster. Many of their most active members will now have their competitive desires destroyed for at least an entire year and probably much longer.
Last time I checked most of us adults are not getting any younger. In spite of the many stupid statements often made on this blog it is not a matter of 'just getting better'. Reality is that almost every adult is not getting better. They are fighting hard to just stay the same and not get worse. Unless they are brand new to tennis. But even those types are hitting a wall they cannot overcome. Eddie Hill has really improved and is a great competitor. But 4.5 is a different reality. He cannot compete with the top of this level....ever. I'm just using him as an example.
I wish failure on the USTA. Something extreme so the system can be recalibrated to work much better.
There definitely needs to be a 4.5A and 4.5B league next spring.
ReplyDelete"once the strong 4.5s get moved to 5.0...."
That's the whole point. It should have been done this year. Why do you think it will happen next year if it didn't happen this year. This is 2 years in a row that a load of 4.0s got bumped but strong 4.5s didn't get moved up.
5.0 doesn't have to be a death sentence either. They could go with 2S/3D format if they went ahead and bumped a bunch of 4.5s
The fact alone that Cary Bazan did not get bumped down to 3.5 proves how screwed up the system really is.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are right on. If 50 or so guys were moved up to 5.0, it would be fine that a lot of 4.0s got moved up. But the fact that they are moving up so many 4.0s but keeping all of the high 4.5s in 4.5 will make it a disappointment for both groups. I think the 4.0 division will probably be pretty competitive this year but 4.5 will be a joke. If Branch's team loses more than 5 lines all season, it would be a surprise.
ReplyDeleteCheck this out:
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/ydpa5oe
This article came out a few days before ratings were published. They show #'s for up and down total movements at each USTA level.
"Of the 300,000+ league players nationally, more than 90,000 will be seeing movement in their NTRP rating that should coincide with their appropriate skills."
Wow I just got back from Niemans and picked up a new pair of extra medium nut huggers for the playoffs. My knee btw was strictly elective cosmetic surgery (how did you know). That thing is going to be so pretty this year; and you'll be able to see all of it with the new shorts. Funny discussion guys.
ReplyDeleteThere must be something better to talk about.
Nope.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see your new knee Jason. It doesn't compare to the new skirt I got on Black Friday.
ReplyDeleteNancy
The problem is not with the movement of the middle levels. I agree it needed to happen at 3.5 and 4.0. The problem is that many higher end 4.5's did not get bumped to 5.0 as people have stated above. It makes no sense. I hate to agree with ANON 11:18, but he is right about me. I am at a level now 4.5 that it will be close to impossible for me to get in the top 5% of players unless many more bump ups occur in the future. I tried to explain that to someone the other day. The top end of 4.5 are guys who have been playing since they were little kids. Kind of like me in basketball. A great athlete from another sport that picked up basketball as an adult could never catch up with me on a basketball court. I just see things he will never see, have mastered fundamental techniques he will never be able to master. I feel like that now when I play against a high end 4.5 guy... Like no matter how hard I work, I can't catch up to those early years of development. I hate to admit that, but I think it is true.
ReplyDeletethe USTA needs to continue the bump ups to 5.0 level or everything will be out of whack at 4.5 for sure.
Eddie
That's why it is important that we keep our Major / Minor league approach in 4.5. If we can keep our top teams in Flight A and the lesser teams in Flight B then everyone will be happy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that info Brandon. That chart completely confirms what we are talking about. The percentage of 4.5s moved up is dramatically lower than the percentage of 3.0-4.0 players that were moved up. It seems like the USTA has put the 5.0 players on some kind of pedestal and they don't want that many 5.0 players.
ReplyDeleteThey could be worried that if too many players get to 5.0 they will quit playing tournaments since many touraments don't offer 5.0 and, if they do, it rarely makes.
I am sorry, I was blinded with my own puke coming out of my mouth. What did you say again "Camel Shorts"?
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to post a thread for the most undeserving bumpups. Did anybody get bumped that had a losing record? The players in the best position are the high 3.5s that got moved up to 4.0, because they will actually be able to compete at 4.0 now. Who is left at 4.0 that can dominate the 3.5 bumpups?
ReplyDeleteHey BMo, what the hell is that with you picture there. Can you put a tennis reference please or at least do what (.Y.) did with the girl....Come on Man!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Great Sean Connery is out, and camel toe is in.
ReplyDelete4.5 won't be much different than 4.0 was. There will be 2 or 3 teams that are much better than everyone else, and they will have to play non competitive matches every week until playoffs roll around.
ReplyDeleteI think the players that benefit most will be the mid season 3.5 bumpups to 4.0. The majority of those players dominated at the 3.5 level and were legit bumpups. They will all be contenders come next Spring with many of the top 4.0's moving on.
ReplyDeleteLong live "Camel Toe". I would prefer the real thing, but that will have to do.
ReplyDeleteHey BMO, why don't you just put the picture of of Fraser's camel toe, I'm sure you got one.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAnon 2:38 - Seriously out of line. Leave it at big egos and tennis. Don't otherwise expose us to your ignorance.
ReplyDeletewow, some of the 3.5 to 4.0 bump ups are crazy.
ReplyDeleteHow players that are only winning 30% of their matches at 3.5 get bumped to 4.0 is a mystery to me..
I am guessing because some of the losses came in match tiebreaks...
Have to agree with anon 2:38, even though he took it too far. Eddie, I don't know you, and assume you're a nice guy and a decent tennis player. The previous post is a bit ridiculous though, with a completely unneccesary reference to your basketball skills that makes it seem as if you're Kobe Bryant.....
ReplyDelete"Kind of like me in basketball. A great athlete from another sport that picked up basketball as an adult could never catch up with me on a basketball court. I just see things he will never see, have mastered fundamental techniques he will never be able to master"
Really? I bet there are thousands of "great" athletes around the world that focused on other sports growing up that can more than keep up with you, unless you are a professional caliber player. In any event, no need to work that in, saying it will be tough to keep up with the top 4.5 guys because they are often former college players with years of instruction would have made the same point.
I think the people criticizing Eddie's post are either jealous or racist. He was an accomplished basketball player. That's a fact. Just because he didn't make it to the NBA doesn't mean he wasn't great. A D1 tennis player at a BCS school is a great tennis player. Same with basketball.
ReplyDeleteIf you go 13-3 in singles should you get bumped?
ReplyDeleteWhat if you go 10-6 in singles and you are ranked in the top 20 in tournaments?
Nobody can compete with Eddie at basketball. Eddie will take on all challengers. We can play HORSE or PIG you choose. No dunking or reverse layups though.
ReplyDeletewow. certainly didn't mean to start all this. I was responding and agreeing with someone that said I would never be a top 4.5 player. I was making the point that I have gotten about as good as I can get in Tennis. The reference with basketball was actually given to me by my wife as I complained to her that I might have topped out in tennis and the better players at this level can just hit the ball cleaner than I do and more consistantly. there footwork seems to be much better. She referenced basketball, and when I thought about it, it really made sense to me. Seeing it from that angle helped me grasp it better. I was just sharing that perspective. I don't want the USTA to change it for me. I just want consistancy. Weather they bump up 4.5's or not, at some point I will top out and lose more than I win. BTW, unless you have seen me play basketball you should shut your trap. Not quite big enough or good enough for the NBA, but certainly good enough to play somewhere for money. chose to coach instead of playing overseas. FYI.
ReplyDeleteLet the attacks continue.
Eddie
I played Eddie in b-ball. He ain't all that. He's just talked shit all game and played like it too.
ReplyDeleteEddie,
ReplyDeleteI think your analogy is rather valid. I never thought you would do well at 4.5 for that exact reason. It wasn't the heart, passion or drive because you have that. It was the fact that you dont have the classic strokes, precision, footwork, etc that someone has who played since they were in juniors. Those folks tend to be in 4.5 and have an extra gear on most days. Plus they have seen a variety of styles over the years and know how to combat it. The game level changes quite a bit.
rockettman
Could we even put together a Dallas superteam in 4.0? I don't see anyone left. Good news is - the rest of Texas seems to be complaining as well so things are bad all over.
ReplyDelete"Seeing it from that angle helped me grasp it better"....Are you for real? Get over yourself man, you are not all that, trust me. And you obviously didn't pay much attention in college did you, or by "weather" did you mean the threes that rained on your parade. It's not that I don't disagree with what you are saying, it's that you always have a way of describing things in a manner that elevates you in some sort of fashion, in this case it's basketball. Learn to be humble you moron.
ReplyDeleteAnd Cary, why delete the post? People can anonymously talk about camel toes, pussies, nut huggers, and all sorts of other trash on here, but they can't mention a brother and the hood? I thought it was rather funny.
Who would be on the Dallas 4.0 Super team and who would be the captain? Most 4.0 teams have been destroyed anyway.
ReplyDeleteFYI....Garland and Westlake lost a great guy and team mate this weekend. Our friend and fellow tennis player, Norm Goheen, lost his battle to cancer. If you had ever met Norm then you understand we all lost a wonderful and kind and fun player and friend...I am aware of a service on Saturday and if anyone has any info on a time and place please respond with the info! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe 4.0 Super Team would start with B-MO.
ReplyDeleteMan, I'm real sorry to hear about Norm, that was one cool dude. That stinks.
ReplyDeleteStart of a Super Team for 4.0:
ReplyDeleteB-MO
Palacioz
Chris Jones
Marc Klamakci
Garland Players?
?
With players from all over the city we would need to find a neutral place to play that is more centrally located than Garland.
ReplyDeleteTerrible to hear about Norm. I didn't know him well but I never heard him say an unkind word about anybody.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the deleted comment, that was me, not Cary. The comments toward Jason are obviously poking fun whereas your comments about Eddie were a personal attack that have no place on a TENNIS blog, especially the racial undertones. You thought it was funny because you were the one who wrote it.
For a super 4.0 team I think High Point would work well for a home site.
ReplyDeleteOther cities will be making super teams even more now, Dallas really needs to.
ReplyDeleteI happen to know that Branch is trying to build a "superteam", since they are e-mailing my players to join them.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Branch already have a SUPER team.
ReplyDeleteif we put together a 4.0 super team we must get somabut to be captain. he is the best.
ReplyDeleteI think he is already putting together a super team.
ReplyDeleteCory, thanks for being the racial police on Cary's thread. So when people talk about trailer parks, are you personally offended?
ReplyDeleteEddie's analogy is spot on. A few of you must have a personal beef w/ him but of course you remain nameless.
ReplyDeleteNot sure where Branch can recruit from. They barely lost a line all year in Dallas. I guess you can add depth at 9-16.
There already is a 4.0 super team being put together, if you haven't heard about then you aren't on it. BTW, it will be primarily self rated players since nothing has changed as far as self rating rules go. There are a few "standard" 4.0 players being added just to beat down the 3.5s during the regular season and help the self rates tank. Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with this since the USTA has shown that they are willing to "game" the system themselves, so why should players/captains not do the same?
ReplyDelete"Fundamentally there is nothing wrong with this since the USTA has shown that they are willing to "game" the system themselves, so why should players/captains not do the same?"
ReplyDeleteAnon 7:25,
I don't know about the super team part of your statement. But I completely agree with your point about the USTA gaming the system. That is exactly what they have done. Best wishes to anyone who can work it to their advantage if possible. Failure to the USTA. They suck. They don't even abide by their own rules. Why should others if they can get around it.
-Y- you know you are a 4.5 now, right?
ReplyDeletegirls, its not that difficult. USTA did not game anyone. They bumped everyone up, but simply screwed up when not bumping up the 4.5s to 5.0 properly. they obviously got scared for some reason. its going to be ok.
ReplyDeleteYes, (-Y-) is aware of his new rating. He is at Jenny Craig as we speak.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see the USTA drop a second bomb. No self-rate players eligible for play-off competition. The whining would be heard all the way in Austin.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see the USTA drop a second bomb. No self-rate players eligible for play-off competition. The whining would be heard all the way in Austin.
ReplyDelete"girls, its not that difficult. USTA did not game anyone. They bumped everyone up, but simply screwed up when not bumping up the 4.5s to 5.0 properly. they obviously got scared for some reason. its going to be ok."
ReplyDeleteAnon 8:12,
Bumping everyone up is gaming the system. Gaming their own system. Then they even screwed that up as you correctly point out. For those that want to play competitively and know there is no chance against the top 4.5 guys it is not going to be okay. It is an entire year of competitive tennis lost. Not getting any younger. Losing an entire year (and probably more) sucks. So, NO that is not okay. Not going to kill myself or anything. But I am actively rooting for failure to the USTA. Hope they lose a bunch of money and tennis participation declines. USTA F'n sucks.
If they put that self-rating rule in, which I've been saying they should for a while now, the level in the playoffs would be dramatically lower, especially at 3.5 and 4.0 since the playoff teams there are loaded with self-rated players.
ReplyDeleteI stopped by the Dallas zoo today and picked up a couple of chimps to play 3.5 tennis for trilevel.
ReplyDelete"Really? I bet there are thousands of "great" athletes around the world that focused on other sports growing up that can more than keep up with you, unless you are a professional caliber player. In any event, no need to work that in, saying it will be tough to keep up with the top 4.5 guys because they are often former college players with years of instruction would have made the same point."
ReplyDeleteNovember 30, 2009 3:21 PM
WRONG. Ask any great athlete that played at a high level in college or pros and they will disagree with this comment above. The reason is timing of picking up that new sport. When you are an adult you don't have the time, energy, and developmental skills to catch up with someone that has been playing constantly since youth. The coaching high level young athlete's recieve from the ages of 10-22 makes a huge difference as well. As an adult picking up a new sport you will not get that level of coaching, have 4-5 hrs a day to develop, or have the mental capacity to take it all in. Just a fact.
Self-rates are already prohibited from the year-end masters tournament in Austin. Removing them from league playoffs also would be keeping things consistent.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is that real athletes pick up basketball, football, baseball, soccer. Tennis on the other hand can be played by uncoordinated people that are not necessarily great athletes. In fact, coaches prefer non athletes to teach tennis to, just ask that's fact. So tennis players are at a disadvantage to begin with and why guys like Eddie that are athletic, can be 4.5s in a matter of three or four years. After that, they can catch up to the better 4.5s, it will just take that much more work and will not be as quick as the first 3 years. When real athlete's bodies break down, they take up tennis for fun, and catch up to the nerds that have been playing it all along in no time. Sad but true.
ReplyDeleteEliminating self rates from the playoffs was probably the answer to all of this rather than moving players up a level.
ReplyDeleteDoes Sisk still keep a 3.5 team with what is left at that level? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny reading how guys are upset they can't sandbag anymore. god forbid you actually have to play competitive matches and improve your game. Just do what you guys always do. drop matches, enter tourneys and loss in the first round, etc. you'll eventually get back to 3.5 and be sandbagging in no time. dallas sucks.
ReplyDeleteMicheal Jordan is a bad example here, because he played baseball from the ages of 7-13 then stopped until age 30. He also did not have to work an 8-5pm job everyday while taking up a new sport as an adult. He also was was spending 4-6 hrs a day with some of the top baseball coaches in the world. Not to mention he was probably a little better athlete than Eddie.
ReplyDeleteEven with all those advantages he could not catch up with the guys that had been playing baseball consistantly for their whole lives. At best he became a below average AAA player. He might have been very good against HS players (ie 3.5 tennis) and good against college players (ie 4.0 tennis), but vs. AAA players (ie 4.5 tennis) he was just below average.
Again, Jordan is a bad example because of the advantages he has over the average former college level athlete who now has a regular job. Even he could not do it.
This whole conversation is pretty stupid. Did I read that somebody said tennis coaches prefer to teach somebody that is a non-athlete? Also, somebody compared college baseball players to 4.0 tennis players??? What is wrong with you guys??
ReplyDeleteAAA baseball is equivalent to 6.0 tennis players. You are not going to turn an adult who has never played tennis into a 6.0 tennis player with any amount of training.
not really comparing 4.5 tennis to AAA baseball. Only as it relates to Eddie being very good at 3.5, pretty good at 4.0 and below average at 4.5. I understand that AAA baseball is low end professional and 6.0 or 6.5 is the equivalent in tennis. thanks.
ReplyDeleteThey will never penalize self rates by eliminating them from playoffs, the two match regular season minimum GUARANTEES that no one is playing out of level, remember? As usual the USTA is waaay ahead of you on this one......
ReplyDeleteBesides the entry fees of self rated players are the offset for those who claim disgruntlement (a word?) and sit out. No way the USTA is going to lose money on this, especially when they paid their CEO 9.15 million last year.........
Ok, I stand by my inital assessment of Eddie's argument. I agree with the person that said you couldn't turn an adult with no previous instruction into a 6.0 or higher adult player. That's a far cry from being a top 4.5 player though - something you can definitely achieve if you're a great athlete with excellent hand eye coordination and a few years of training. His basketball argument is the same principal - you can't turn an adult with no training into an NBA player, but my bet is we could find numerous "great athletes" from other sports that after playing basketball for 3 years, could compete with Eddie or any other talented but "non professional" player. Let's use Deion Sanders as an example, in his prime. Even if he hadn't played basketball or tennis, 3 years of dedication in either sport and he would likely be better than any of us on this board in tennis and could hold his own with ex-college basketball players. What about Usain Bolt today? Not a personal attack on Eddie, just the argument that a great athlete could never catch up with him on a basketball court. Would be true if a current NBA player or Professional Tennis player wrote it, but it comes across as overly cocky from someone on a 4.0 or 4.5 tennis blog or someone that used to play college ball. No offense intended, and he probably didn't mean for it to come across that way - just don't agree with the argument in either sport at the non-elite level.
ReplyDeleteIs this the blog for 4.0 Fall playoffs? Can we get back on the subject?
ReplyDelete"but my bet is we could find numerous "great athletes" from other sports that after playing basketball for 3 years, could compete with Eddie or any other talented but "non professional" player."
ReplyDeleteYou think you could find someone who has never played basketball and turn them into a starting D1 basketball player in 3 years? Really?
I say no. Unless said "great athlete" from another sport is 7 ft tall.
"Is this the blog for 4.0 Fall playoffs? Can we get back on the subject?"
ReplyDeleteYes, everyone wants to talk about the meaningless 4.0 fall playoff. That will generate at least 2 or 3 exciting comments.
What a dork. YE ratings and a massive unexplained revamp and gaming of their own system by the USTA is not nearly the news that a Dallas 4.0 fall playoff is.
You ding dong!
Last comment, and then we can get back to tennis. In fairness to Eddie, since I don't know him, I didn't know he was a starting Division 1 basketball player, which made his reference seem much cockier when I read it than it actually was. I assumed he was a former good high school or college player that now plays competitive pick up games at Lifetime fitness - something I think several great athletes from other sports could hold their own at after a few years of playing. Same as 4.5 tennis - but, this argument has gotten way off topic - back to tennis playoffs.
ReplyDeleteDing Dong up your hole! Just because you got bumped up and dont care about 4.0 tennis, there are others who still do! So, go to hell!
ReplyDeleteFall means a lot as some team will get a free trip to the city in the spring. It will help recruiting because they are already guaranteed to be in the city. And because other solid players can see which team is the best at this time minus all the bumpups. There are teams in the playoffs that did not get impacted too badly by the bumpups. Sisk's team is the most impacted. Others still have depth.
Fall playoffs is the good time to do scouting and recruiting. all the players and captains will be there.
I wonder how the USTA handled their NTRP calculations. In the past if someone had a rating of 3.99 they had a 4.0 rating. But if someone had a rating of 4.01 they were given a 4.5 rating.
ReplyDeleteSo did the USTA just change the threshhold? Maybe anyone with a rating above 3.75 was pushed to 4.5.
But in that case the numerical ratings generated by the dynamic system don't correspond to the final NTRP rating. I dont see how this can make any sense.
I think there were some set percentages. For example, exactly 30%... (not 30.02% or 29.87%) of 3.5 players were moved up.
ReplyDeleteThe USTA decided exactly 30% would be moved up and some other numbers and the top of the computer was moved up.
It appears that
ReplyDelete3.0 to 3.5 Bumps were close to 7/16
3.5 to 4.0 Bumps were exactly 3/10
4.0 to 4.5 Bumps were very close to 1/6
The other levels do not have as easily identifiable statistical breaks.
The 3.5 one really looks deliberate. Exactly 30% is no accident.
Stop posting you guys about those silly ratings changes. Only about 300,000 of you were impacted by those changes.
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting to read all those exciting 4.0 fall playoff posts.......waiting......waiting..... and waiting.
Huh? Maybe nobody gives a sh*t.
You ding dong!
Has anyone been able to win on appeal? I remember last year there was the pussy alert guy exposing anyone who had successfully appealed down. It was kinda funny. But this year is crazy. Don't think anyone would be a pussy for appealing down now. Just wondering if appeals are being granted. Mine was not.
ReplyDeleteSomabut will win the fall again. no need to talk about it!
ReplyDeleteWas wondering how long it would take to get called out on pussy alert after admitting I appealed down. It only took 5 minutes. Ha ha. A new record.
ReplyDeleteAnyway. Don't care. But still wondering if USTA has pulled the plug on any appeals. They seem to arbitrarily change the rules. Wondering if they gamed the appeals process also.
Does anyone have Bob's email address? Thanks MPD
ReplyDeleteFall playoffs are already won by Sisk. No need to discuss it. The completely speculative discussion about whether Lebron James could win a 4.5 tennis tournament is much more exciting.
ReplyDeleteLebron would dominate Nancy on the tennis court and would likely impregnate you after he was done with you.
ReplyDeleteWhat about Fraser playing basketball, they would tell him to go change his 70s throwback shorts immediately.
Weatherby should be bumped up. He won a lot at 4.0. Fix is overrated.
ReplyDeleteI got appeal up to 4.5
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eddie in his assessment that it is very difficult to replicate the muscle memory that is taught at the junior level in any sport. Most people who have a real job (not teaching tennis like Nancy ;)) would never have the time to dedicate to replicate that. However, I'm not sure someone talented enough to play Division I basketball is not good enough to make the top 5% of 4.5 tennis. I would say only the best of the best of 4.5 tennis played Div I tennis the level that you are referring to as in your basketball (especially if they are under 50). So what I'm saying is if Eddie was athletic enough to play big time basketball he can be top 5% of 4.5 tennis eventually.
ReplyDeleteCorey, who is leaving your team to join Branch?
Vik, would you rather be 9 on a Sunday sectional team or 1 or 2 on a team that loses in cities? I don't know how to ask that without it sounding bad but I'm being sincere. Ideally I want to be the eighth best player on a team because that means I get to play but I'm on a decent team but having to decide between 1 and 9 is pretty difficult.
Jason, I think I can guarantee you at least #6 on our team.
ReplyDeleteNobody yet Jason but you guys are working on it. Don't do it Vik. You are right with your assessment though Jason. I want to be #8 on a team. I could care less about being on a team that goes to Nationals if I never get to play. Even as a captain, I would feel like I didn't contribute if I wasn't in the lineup.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to one of my players tonight about this superteam concept. What is the point of building a superteam? It would make the regular season and even city playoffs completely boring and meaningless. This was by far the most boring season of 4.5 I've had and we still had 2 close matches. No offense to anybody but all it means if your team makes nationals is that you were playing the wrong level. Not to mention the fact that we are all theoretically trying to get better and playing inferior opponents every week is not going to accomplish that. And calling that mixture of players that could make nationals at 4.5 a "team" of any kind would be a stretch.
There are not supposed to be any D1 players in 4.5.
And lastly, so not only is Lebron better than me at tennis but he is also a homosexual??? I had no idea. It sounds like you are not giving 4.5 players much credit. We saw from the stats earlier in the post that to be above 4.5 is a tiny percentage of the tennis players' population.
Keith, is Bob going to have a competitive 4.5 team in the spring or is he still going to try to win 4.0? Or both?
ReplyDeleteHe is definitely going to have a good 4.0 team in the spring. I don't think he will try to recruit for a 4.5 team like he does at 4.0, but you never know.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's even a close discussion - with all due respect to 4.5 tennis players (I just got bumped myself) I don't think there is a sport on this planet where running, jumping, and hand eye coordination play a major role that Lebron James could not be competitive with high level high school players (4.5 tennis equivalent) within 3 years of training. Your talking about 1 of the top athletes on the planet - not just top 5% or even 1%. I may feel different if I was a pro player or current divison 1 star, but he could definitely get to our level
ReplyDeleteIf you are 9, you are getting to play plenty. Also playing on a "super team" is a lot of fun. You get to practice against the best players all the time which yes could happen otherwise but doesn't. While the regular season may not be as much fun, cities, sectionals and nationals are worth it for sure.
ReplyDeleteCorey, when you make it to Sectionals (or at least make it out to watch) you'll get the bug and you'll understand. For those who still have those competitive juices, those few weekends a year are great.
Thanks Keith. Good to know you are always looking out for me.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but I can have the competitive juices flowing every Sunday, instead of three weekends a year. I agree that when I make Sectionals I will have a higher goal but just getting their would be an achievement for me at this point.
ReplyDeleteWhat about having "try outs" for a 4.0 super team. 4.0 players that are good and want to be on a good team but don't know how to find a team can try out to find a spot. Most players won't mind being the 6-7th player on a team? It might be fun and a start of a super team?
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to explain Corey. You simply need to experience sectionals on a competitive team to understand. Once you've been to nationals you'll never give a shit about regular season matches again. The better captains at every level typically don't make the top 8. If you don't think a good captain does not contribute outside of playing - then you don't get it. With that attitude (as a captain) you'll never be able to attract and, more importantly, retain the type of players you need to get out of cities. Team Branch/Feldman/RO will always be there and will always be the team that advances. As good as Somabut is at recruiting 4.5s to play 4.0 - even he can't replicate that success at 4.5 (Point is - he's not a threat and he knows how to captain to get out of cities).
ReplyDeleteI agree, league tennis sucess is driven by captaining, not players.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm saying is I don't want to be an armchair captain. What's the best part about team tennis? Playing. I don't want to carve two hours out of my day every Sunday to watch tennis. When I traveled with John to nationals it was one of the greatest experiences ever. I get it. But at what cost? Sacrifice the entire season to have a chance to make nationals.
ReplyDeletePlus, you will probably lose at nationals. Then what??? We build a Texas super team to win at Nationals??? What's the point?? I would rather be a medium 5.0 than the best 4.5 in the nation. I know most of you agree with me. The silent majority.
I guess my main point is that we should enjoy the process and not worry about results so much. We aren't professionals after all, even though a lot of us think we are.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with Branch's team, but I just looked up their record. They go undefeated every year at 4.5, but can't even win a single line at 5.0. Seems like some very obvious sandbagging.
ReplyDelete"DTA/USTA Dallas Fall League Winners
ReplyDeleteHow the Fall League winners qualify for the USTA Dallas City Championships in July.
1. Participate in and win your level in the Fall League.
2. Have at least 70% of the players on the Fall roster participate as a team at the same level in the following Spring/Summer League. Additional players may be added to the Spring roster.
3....."
Doesn't say it excludes bump-ups....looks like Greenhill, Oak Creek & Sisk are playing for fun
"DTA/USTA Dallas Fall League Winners
ReplyDeleteHow the Fall League winners qualify for the USTA Dallas City Championships in July.
1. Participate in and win your level in the Fall League.
2. Have at least 70% of the players on the Fall roster participate as a team at the same level in the following Spring/Summer League. Additional players may be added to the Spring roster.
3...."
Doesn't say anyhting about excluding bump-ups. Says ENTIRE roster. Looks like Sisk, Oak Creek & Greenhill are playing for fun next week???
Played for OC/Branch for a couple of years. Never seen or heard of a single player on our team sandbagging a match at any level. We won 41 out of 45 matches in the spring at 4.5. If we were into sandbagging, that number would look a lot different. All players on last year's team were computer rated. We had something close to an "allstar" team for Dallas and still got smoked in the semis of Sectionals. It is easy just to throw that accusation out that so-and-so sandbags when they win without really knowing the true character of the people you speak of. We play to win every match. Always will. The odds of getting bumped up to 5.0 are so low that sandbagging at the 4.5 level is near useless. If I count right, only 8 people in the Dallas League got bumped to 5.0. That was spread across several teams. We lost one and again, this from a team that lost only 4 lines out of 45 in the season. At cities, we swept the #2 team, OC/Feldman, 5-0 for the second time of the season. Lost one line to a J. Molina doubles team at Royal Oaks and cruised through our final match against Brookhaven with a loss at line 1 doubles and a singles line to probably the best 4.5 player on any roster last year against A. Duhta. Is that all you got. We lost some 5.0 lines. If you haven't played it, 5.0 is good.
ReplyDeleteJust ignore the sandbag accusation. All you are experiencing is the rise of some pathetic 3.5 and 4.0 folks. They carry the sandbag and pussy complaints to every level they somehow rise to. They have no idea what they're in for at 4.5. Once they realize how bad a woodshed beating they will get at 4.5 you can expect the sandbag complaints to really go crazy. Just ignore them. Who cares.
ReplyDeleteHey Cory, you're not discriminating against homosexuals are you, cause you just offended a whole bunch of them on this blog. You better erase your post.
ReplyDeleteHow long have you been playing tennis anyhow, cause you seem to have reached your peak at 4.5 as well, and you're certainly one of the least athletic 4.5s out there. Are you related to BigBird Kaiser by chance?
Since you can't even spell my name correctly I doubt you know how athletic I am. I, like 99% of tennis players, have peaked at 4.5 or lower. I don't have any delusions that I'm going to become a 5.0 or go on tour anytime soon. I didn't start playing until I was 15 and went on to play college tennis so I think I'm doing OK.
ReplyDeleteTo 5:52 a.m., I will start a new thread if you promise not to post in it. This thread was never about 4.0 playoffs.
Branch Anon December 2, 2009 8:19 AM
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome right up. You absolutely could not have said it any better if you wanted to.
You didn't just lose some 5.0 lines. You lost every 5.0 line except for 1 default, and 1 win against another 4.5 . So you are trying to tell me no one on that team is good enough to win at 5.0.
ReplyDeleteCorey, you seems like a decent captain and you certainly are a nice above-average 4.5 player. As a reader of this blog you often give confusing/contracitory statements (over the course of months). Sometimes, like above, you suggest you are only playing for fun and team advancement is not really that much of a concern. However, in prior posts you at least indicate that advancing is a big priority (but only as long as you are on the court?). That logic is difficult to follow - you don't mind having 9 people as long as you aren't the 9th???? You then turn around and insult captains (like Bob) who don't make their own teams top 8 with negative comments.
ReplyDeleteCorey, this thread is attached to the post: "4.0 Fall Playoffs getting closer". So it was originally about 4.0 play-offs.......
ReplyDeleteLook at the first post. No playoff talk. Too early to talk about playoffs, especially with this big USTA situation unfolding. And what's stopping you from talking about them if you want to.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I'm being contradictory is because I'm being honest. Don't accuse me of insulting captains like Bob or John. I have played with both of them. I only said I don't want to be that kind of captain.
Let me try to clear up my "contradictory" statements.
1. I want my team to advance to Sectionals. But I want to do that as a team, not as a conglomeration of individuals who have no prior connection or team concept outside of Sunday afternoons.
2. I want to be able to play at Sectionals. Holding the clipboard on the sidelines is not how I want to spend a weekend.
3. The concept of a superteam does not appeal to me, even though I'm sure I wouldn't be invited.
4. I clearly said that Div. 1 players should not play 4.5.
5. I don't work at Oak Lawn Tennis Center, but if they make me a good offer, I will consider it.
What next?
Well, not many people seem to be interested in talking about the playoffs. At least Corey is contributing.
ReplyDeleteWhat I notice on the blog is that almost everybody rips on everybody for being:
1. arrogant
2. a pussy
3. bitchy
4. naive
5. stupid
6. a cheater
7. fat
8. gay
9. old
10. any combination of the above
I started a new thread for those that want to talk about ratings. I wasn't trying to discount the discussion but based on previous experience trying to maintain a discussion for two weeks about an upcoming event is difficult. I would be interested to know how many of the players in the 4.0 playoffs will even be back in 4.0 next season.
ReplyDeleteCorrie can't answer the above two posts intelligently so he created a new thread. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing wrong with Corey's posts. Just because he doesn't always post anonymously, doesn't mean he has to answer to you. In fact, no one ever needs to answer an anonymous post, he was just being gracious to you by doing so.
ReplyDeleteto Anon about losing at 5.0. have you seen 5.0 players? Have you???? Its not a simple jump. Why don't you watch a few players first and then come back and ask questions.
Even though I know 5.0 players are great, I don't think anybody can deny that Branch's players have some suspect 5.0 results. I'm not accusing them of anything, but I'm just saying they look suspicious.
ReplyDeleteOne of my reasons for saying this is that one of my guys (Doug Fair) got moved up this season to 5.0 and went 5-2. I think he only played with a 5.0 partner one time too. The 5.0 league is full of players who are rated 4.5 so it would be hard for me to imagine somebody like Jason Kern or Walt not winning.
I have looked at very few 5.0 results this season so I'm assuming that the previous poster who claimed Branch players lost all their 5.0 matches this season was accurate. Big assumption I know.
Jason, what are your thoughts? To be honest, I don't even know if you played 5.0 this season.