The games have begun and I have to say this looks like it will be a lot closer than I thought. Oh let me rephrase, the 4.0 DCC will be close. The 4.5 looks like it will be quick and easy. Well Team Corey did have a nice sweep to start out the DCC over Brookhaven but it is early but OC cruised past High Point tonight in what some thought might be there best test. I was surprised to see Gene Davis get taken to a tiebreaker v. Komshon but Mr. Sudhi is tough.
But enough about those guys with skillz, let's talk some 4.0.
Team BMO is now 0-2 v. Lakes. I drank the kool-aid too early on this team I guess although it isn't over yet. Or is it? That lineup for the Lakes although it has a massive drop off after line 1 doubles it will still be tough to beat and I think they were missing one or two players that played in the last win over GH. Garland edged out a win over Brookhaven, Zackary barely beat Archer to make this 3-2. If Garland fields that lineup again Greenhill and the Lakes will have a chance to take this flight. Luckily the young kids did play well. No Obannon??????
In the other flight, JCC got overmatched and the mightly Lutes and Reiman got taken down by Minchul and the donut man. WTF??? Next thing you are going to tell me BMO is rated 4.5 and BP fixed the oil spill. What? He is....and they did? I give up. In the High Point v. Garland rematch, Team Bob eeked out a win but it did not look pretty as Pearson edged out a win over Don Harvey, former 3.5 star from two years ago. I think the oddsmaker might have to change some numbers after looking at this result. If the thought of Lifetime winning didn't make me queasy I might make them the favorite but I don't want to make any rash judgements.
Best of luck to all of you tomorrow and stay cool. I will be at the pool but I will be thinking about you all, oh who I am kidding. I hope to be toasted by 3p.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
4.5 DCC preview
First let me start with a little rant! It is absurd that Dallas, with 28 4.5 teams do not get a wildcard! San Antonio, Austin & Houston apparently get them. San Antonio only has 8 teams that I can find! Austin not many more and Houston I believe has 19. What gives Texas? (I also think there should have been more teams included in QT - What gives DTA?)
Having said that I still believe that there is only 1 team in it this weekend and that is Oak Creek/ Branch. They are prohibitive favorites with great depth at singles and very strong doubles (Kiron/ Huffman; Slezak/ Williams are virtual locks and then on singles Kelly and Davis are backed up by a string of talented singles players like Underwood. The big mystery is their 3rd dubs line….Durten & Ledezma perhaps?). This team is built to win and I don't see anyone stopping them.
Now Brookhaven, High Point & Corey's team many give them some tough lines but I just can't find 3 lines than can beat them on the same match.
First up it's Brookhaven & Garland. Brookhaven has some very capable and play-off tough guys. My good friends Jeff Laselle & Ricky Ramos are always tough. With Schlager, Yuri & Sechen also all very capable players. Adcock & Conway had a very impressive win together over a tough Lakes pairing so they will be tough to beat. Their weakness may be their singles depth. Garland's ace is unquestionably Ben Hawkins. He has been playing incredibly well this spring in tournaments and league and mixed. If I was Corey I'd play him at singles. He's as tough as anyone playing this weekend. However, I am still picking Brookhaven 3-2 in this one as I'm not sure that Corey has 2 more lines that can beat BHaven...... (to quote Corey: "prove me wrong - how's that for motivation?"
Then it's HP vs Branch! The big match of Friday should probably be the final! High Pt have been sandbagging all season thanks to their wildcard and have a very deep squad. The quality on the Branch roster though will be too much though. Branch can field 7 or 8 lines that will give HP best 2 lines fits! 4-1 to Branch
Saturday we see BHaven & HP play and this should again be tough. This was Bhavens only loss in the regular season and they will be looking for revenge. Again I am picking BHaven 3-2.
Then Royal Oaks vs Garland: Royal Oaks fresh off a tough QT play Garland. Interesting matchup but I think Royal Oaks will squeak out another 3-2 win. The Bell's and Ponder are really good. Webb & Flores are solid. They have a tough team.
This will leave the standings as follows going into Sat afternoon:
Brookhaven 2-0
Branch 1-0
Royal Oaks 1-0
Garland 0-2
HP 0-2
With only 1 spot for Sectionals expect to see HP to protect the ratings of their better players and play some of the other guys on their massive roster for the rest of the weekend......
Sat pm:
Branch vs Brookhaven! Bring your popcorn. This will be a great match and again could be the final. Again I am picking Branch 4-1 but the matches will be closer than the final result.
Royal Oaks vs HP: Royal Oaks may take down HP if HP are 0 & 2. However, if HP continue to bring it I think they may be able to scrap this out 3-2. Yoshida, Ribman, Tikashi, Brownlee, Marasigan & Blumberg are all very capable and with the right matchups could pull it off. Watch out for Tada. He doesn't look like much and is rated 4.0 but he is a ringer......
Sunday:
HP vs Garland – I suspect Garland will continue to play for honor while HP at this point may be spreading the love amongst the other 33 players on the roster. Garland 4-1
Branch vs Royal Oaks – More good news for Branch, One match Friday and one on Sat means rested singles players for Sunday and this neutralizes the young Bell. Branch 4-1
Branch vs Garland – Branch 4-1. Branch are just too strong.
Brookhaven vs Royal Oaks – Brookhaven will be hoping for Garland to spring an upset and bring it all against Royal Oaks who at this point are out of it. Brookhaven 3-2 bu that won't be enough
Final Standings:
Branch 4 & 0
Brookhaven 3 & 1
Garland 1 & 3
Royal Oaks 1 & 3
HP 1 & 3
I could add more detail but this would get too long.........
Having said that I still believe that there is only 1 team in it this weekend and that is Oak Creek/ Branch. They are prohibitive favorites with great depth at singles and very strong doubles (Kiron/ Huffman; Slezak/ Williams are virtual locks and then on singles Kelly and Davis are backed up by a string of talented singles players like Underwood. The big mystery is their 3rd dubs line….Durten & Ledezma perhaps?). This team is built to win and I don't see anyone stopping them.
Now Brookhaven, High Point & Corey's team many give them some tough lines but I just can't find 3 lines than can beat them on the same match.
First up it's Brookhaven & Garland. Brookhaven has some very capable and play-off tough guys. My good friends Jeff Laselle & Ricky Ramos are always tough. With Schlager, Yuri & Sechen also all very capable players. Adcock & Conway had a very impressive win together over a tough Lakes pairing so they will be tough to beat. Their weakness may be their singles depth. Garland's ace is unquestionably Ben Hawkins. He has been playing incredibly well this spring in tournaments and league and mixed. If I was Corey I'd play him at singles. He's as tough as anyone playing this weekend. However, I am still picking Brookhaven 3-2 in this one as I'm not sure that Corey has 2 more lines that can beat BHaven...... (to quote Corey: "prove me wrong - how's that for motivation?"
Then it's HP vs Branch! The big match of Friday should probably be the final! High Pt have been sandbagging all season thanks to their wildcard and have a very deep squad. The quality on the Branch roster though will be too much though. Branch can field 7 or 8 lines that will give HP best 2 lines fits! 4-1 to Branch
Saturday we see BHaven & HP play and this should again be tough. This was Bhavens only loss in the regular season and they will be looking for revenge. Again I am picking BHaven 3-2.
Then Royal Oaks vs Garland: Royal Oaks fresh off a tough QT play Garland. Interesting matchup but I think Royal Oaks will squeak out another 3-2 win. The Bell's and Ponder are really good. Webb & Flores are solid. They have a tough team.
This will leave the standings as follows going into Sat afternoon:
Brookhaven 2-0
Branch 1-0
Royal Oaks 1-0
Garland 0-2
HP 0-2
With only 1 spot for Sectionals expect to see HP to protect the ratings of their better players and play some of the other guys on their massive roster for the rest of the weekend......
Sat pm:
Branch vs Brookhaven! Bring your popcorn. This will be a great match and again could be the final. Again I am picking Branch 4-1 but the matches will be closer than the final result.
Royal Oaks vs HP: Royal Oaks may take down HP if HP are 0 & 2. However, if HP continue to bring it I think they may be able to scrap this out 3-2. Yoshida, Ribman, Tikashi, Brownlee, Marasigan & Blumberg are all very capable and with the right matchups could pull it off. Watch out for Tada. He doesn't look like much and is rated 4.0 but he is a ringer......
Sunday:
HP vs Garland – I suspect Garland will continue to play for honor while HP at this point may be spreading the love amongst the other 33 players on the roster. Garland 4-1
Branch vs Royal Oaks – More good news for Branch, One match Friday and one on Sat means rested singles players for Sunday and this neutralizes the young Bell. Branch 4-1
Branch vs Garland – Branch 4-1. Branch are just too strong.
Brookhaven vs Royal Oaks – Brookhaven will be hoping for Garland to spring an upset and bring it all against Royal Oaks who at this point are out of it. Brookhaven 3-2 bu that won't be enough
Final Standings:
Branch 4 & 0
Brookhaven 3 & 1
Garland 1 & 3
Royal Oaks 1 & 3
HP 1 & 3
I could add more detail but this would get too long.........
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
4.0 DCC this weekend
So it comes down to this weekend to decide whether team Bob will return to sectionals, again. Or will John Sisk make his first 4.0 appearance after 3.5 success. A retooled Lifetime could make a 2nd appearance in two years if their new young guns deliver. Brueckner's Garland team, BMO's Greenhill crew and the Lakes look to make some noise as well.
Blue Flight
Adjusted Odds to win and advance to sectionals:
High Point: EVEN
This team although not even close to the national team from a year ago does have some solid talent like Bearden, Taylor, Pearson, Quist, Baker, Le, Thierault and Robinson (not Keith but Mike this year) Because of that depth and some solid singles players for backup like Pearson this team will be tough to overcome.
Lifetime: 5 to 1
I got to see this team first hand and most likely their strongest lineup and they will match up well with Garland and JCC but not well enough to overpower Team Bob. Huynh, Carey, Smith and Zach Baker are strong but if it comes down to Stephen Bennet, Gerber and others to come up with wins against the names listed above I am going to be hard pressed to see them coming up with wins.
Garland/Brueckner: 15 to 1
I think it will be a wash between this team and Lifetime. Sierp, Metcalf, Huling and Singh showed they can put this team on their back and make some noise but 2nd place in the QT does not get me excited enough to pick an upset but should handle JCC just fine.
JCC: 80 to 1
Happy to be here team although they will not be pushovers at all. There is just not enough depth to win a flight like this, if they do they will most likely have to win 3-2 each time out.
Red Flight
Odds to win and advance to Sectionals
Garland/Sisk 2 to 1
I don't consider this pick a lock at all. I know John has recruited and a college dorm room to play half the matches but club tennis is essentially 4.0 tennis so who knows. I do think it will come down to how these guys play and they will be up against some experienced players. They tough thing about Sisk's team is they played in a weak flight so it is tough to know how good they are.
Greenhill 12 to 1
This team showed up strong and BMO was even throwing out some INSTANT Karma smack talk. I love it. This team has some depth and after avoiding losing any players last weekend I like them even more. I think Bergeron/Yaremenko will be the difference if these two can win against Garland and Lakes I like their chances, if not I don't see them winning.
Lakes 25 to 1
I have always been a fan of this crew and I am surprised they cruised along to the DCC. It is hard to pick them 3rd but I just don't see them overtaking Greenhill and Garland but they will be in the mix till the end.
Brookhaven 60 to 1
Also in the happy to here crew with JCC. This team earned this spot with a great DCC in the Fall and it will take another great effort for this team to make some noise. The pieces they lost were just not replaced and therefore they are just in it for fun but will still be dangerous in doubles, there only reasons for pause is there win over High Point in the regular season, but can they pull out 3 wins of the caliber in a weekend?
Blue Flight
Adjusted Odds to win and advance to sectionals:
High Point: EVEN
This team although not even close to the national team from a year ago does have some solid talent like Bearden, Taylor, Pearson, Quist, Baker, Le, Thierault and Robinson (not Keith but Mike this year) Because of that depth and some solid singles players for backup like Pearson this team will be tough to overcome.
Lifetime: 5 to 1
I got to see this team first hand and most likely their strongest lineup and they will match up well with Garland and JCC but not well enough to overpower Team Bob. Huynh, Carey, Smith and Zach Baker are strong but if it comes down to Stephen Bennet, Gerber and others to come up with wins against the names listed above I am going to be hard pressed to see them coming up with wins.
Garland/Brueckner: 15 to 1
I think it will be a wash between this team and Lifetime. Sierp, Metcalf, Huling and Singh showed they can put this team on their back and make some noise but 2nd place in the QT does not get me excited enough to pick an upset but should handle JCC just fine.
JCC: 80 to 1
Happy to be here team although they will not be pushovers at all. There is just not enough depth to win a flight like this, if they do they will most likely have to win 3-2 each time out.
Red Flight
Odds to win and advance to Sectionals
Garland/Sisk 2 to 1
I don't consider this pick a lock at all. I know John has recruited and a college dorm room to play half the matches but club tennis is essentially 4.0 tennis so who knows. I do think it will come down to how these guys play and they will be up against some experienced players. They tough thing about Sisk's team is they played in a weak flight so it is tough to know how good they are.
Greenhill 12 to 1
This team showed up strong and BMO was even throwing out some INSTANT Karma smack talk. I love it. This team has some depth and after avoiding losing any players last weekend I like them even more. I think Bergeron/Yaremenko will be the difference if these two can win against Garland and Lakes I like their chances, if not I don't see them winning.
Lakes 25 to 1
I have always been a fan of this crew and I am surprised they cruised along to the DCC. It is hard to pick them 3rd but I just don't see them overtaking Greenhill and Garland but they will be in the mix till the end.
Brookhaven 60 to 1
Also in the happy to here crew with JCC. This team earned this spot with a great DCC in the Fall and it will take another great effort for this team to make some noise. The pieces they lost were just not replaced and therefore they are just in it for fun but will still be dangerous in doubles, there only reasons for pause is there win over High Point in the regular season, but can they pull out 3 wins of the caliber in a weekend?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
4.0 QT Results, Look Ahead to the DCC
So Greenhill(pictured above) and Garland took the top two spots and had a close match to close out a somewhat uneventful Sunday as the final match only decided placement but that may prove to be important. Village was a surprise finishing 3rd and Brookhaven was hurt by the absence of Arenas and Kraemer for sure. After looking over results I think the outcome would have been the same either way. Congrats to both teams and good luck next weekend at the DCC.
The winner of each flight will make it to sectionals next weekend and to me it is hard to say there are clear cut favorites.
1st Flight:
High Point/Bob
Lifetime
JCC
Garland/Brueckner
2nd Flight:
Garland/Sisk
Greenhill
Lakes
Brookhaven
These are 8 solid teams and I do think it is anyone's weekend and will depend on lineups, tiebreakers and availability.
I will put out some odds and poll soon but feel free to throw in your two cents, as if I needed to request that.
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