Well, with the draws out, the only thing I feel confident on predicting is that it will likely rain at least once over the 3 days. Other than that, 4.5 is about as open of a field as I have seen this year with no Rodriguez, Sanchez, Trautman, etc. and Schmucker having already pre-announced the customary no-show default. Zheng is solid and can stand the heat. Leach has to be the hometown favorite and has won this event before. Griggs has won major zones in the past. Luedtke is a pomposs a** but he is a very crafty, solid player. Knuston can definitely annoy his way to the finals. JD Miles can go far if his game is on. Goldberg, never say never, he tries harder than anyone else on the court. All these guys are solid but I would have to think Jason Cooney actually has the best shot if he has been playing recently. Let's go with Cooney vs. Zheng in the finals, with Cooney winning. With Leach as honorable mention as the 2nd favorite from the bottom half. Kallus, sorry you did not draw Bye as your 1st round opponent this time. Hopefully Chris will go easy on you and good luck in consolation, it is your's to lose.
5.0 - Well, at least the draw made. You got your Jason Gound and you got your Tim Green, in opposite halves respectively. Lets go with Jason over Tim in a tough 3 setter. If it goes the other way, it will not be a shock either. Of course, there could definitely be a guest champion among the couple of unknown guys in the draw.
4.0 - ZZZZZZZZ. I'm sorry, I dozed off. What were we talking about?
Anyway, good luck to everyone and here's hoping you get your $80 in gas money's worth of tennis out of the weekend.
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118 comments:
Journeyman, be nice to Kallus. He is my friend.
I would win Tyler if I entered......everyone consider yourself lucky....!!!
Cooney really is the dark horse in the 4.5 draw. It was my prediction when i first saw he signed up. He is a much better played than most in the draw.
Knutson I voted for you in the poll. Now go on out there and give them all the junk balls they can handle!
Leave Knutson alone, he's my friend.
how to beat a player like knutson? all you have to do is bring him to the net and give him a high backhand volley or pass him. this does not allow him to be comfortable slicing and dicing at the baseline.
How many times has Goldberg voted for himself? My guess is 4.
Be nice to Goldberg, he is my friend.
dude..shut up with that friend stuff
"that friend stuff" is my friend.
That friend is not my friend, so leave him alone.
I only voted for myself once, so far!
Goldberg has been training everyday, he will slaughter the competion. Go Brian.
the only thing he's been working on is his ego. and knutson too.
how to beat a player like Schmucker? all you have to do is bring him to the net and give him a high backhand volley or pass him. this does not allow him to be comfortable slicing and dicing at the baseline.
Brian is the Hurricanes ringer, he will beat everybody 0 and 0.
Goldberg sucks he belongs in the 4.0 draw. He could not win a 4.0 draw.
Goldberg could not win the womens' 3.5 draw.
Leave Goldberg alone, she is my friend.
Since I can't be there to defend, I'll play prognosticator this year. Here's my picks in 4.5 & 5.0with reasons why.
4.5
In the top half
I'll go with Brett Sticker losing to Trance Rosenquist in a close Semifinal. I've played Brett many times in practice & he can be tough, plus he's playing lower level college tennis right now so I think it will be enough to get him through to the semi, but I don't think he can take down Trance if Trance is playing well. Brett can be error prone & a bit impatient at times. I've seen Rosenquist play & he can be tough if he's getting that huge serve in & volleying well.
In the bottom half
I see Cooney taking down Leach in a tough 3 setter in one Qtr. I've played both & I honestly think it's a coin flip. Wouldn't surprise me though if Leach came through in a tight one. Home turf advantage being the difference.
I see Luedtke beating Miles mainly because I've played Luedtke & I think he will drive J.D. crazy with all of the gamesmanship, plus he's got a pretty solid game.
In the bottom Semi I think Cooney will take down Luedtke in a tough, close match that really could go either way.
In the Final I see Cooney being able to withstand all of the double faults Trance will more than likely give him by trying to hit through Jason. I think Jason will bear down & get the job done in the end.
Pat Abshire
5.0
I think Gound will beat Herb mainly by being more consistent than Herb. If Herb gets that big whipping forehand going watch out though.
I'll take Josh over Avilas. Never played Avilas so don't know him.
I'll take Reggie, if he actually bothers to show up, to beat Aquirre, although I don't know Aquirre either.
Tim should handle Andres although I was surprised by Andres' game last year at Tyler. He can be tough if he's on.
I gotta take Jason over Josh. I just think Jason will bunker down & be more consistent. Until Josh proves that he can beat one of the top players I can't like his chances. He does fight though, so I don't think it will be an easy win, just a decent solid win for Jason.
Same thing with Reggie against Tim. He will have to prove that he can beat one of the top guys (lately) to believe in him. Reggie will fight though too & Tim will have to beat him. It's usually a mental thing in getting past the top end players, much like when Federer plays a good player and always manages to find a way to win no matter how good the other player plays.
In the Final I think it will come down to who cramps more/first etc. Tyler is usually unbelievably hot & both Jason & Tim have been known to cramp before. (Heck, we all have been known to cramp in Tyler)This matchup seems to me usually to be really one sided one way or the other, or a close 3 set dogfight, so I can't really make an accurate prediction on this one. All I can say is Tim, look out if Jason goes to the beer tactic like he did last year because he started getting his mojo back in the 3rd set against me. LOL I WILL predict that it will probably rain at least one day, so be prepared to spend alot of time at the mall. Maybe Chris (Leach) can pull a few strings & keep the rain away. What I'm curious about is, who is going to be the ringer this year? It should be interesting to see how everything plays out.
Pat
Pat,
Carlos Aguirre is a teaching pro in the Woodlands. He played D-2 college tennis and is a former Super Champ junior. Should be a good match against Reggie and Carlos.
Dinker
Interesting poll on who will win Tyler 5.0. Me and Gound are losing to the field. I'll take myself or Gound to win the tournament with a slight edge to Gound since he beat me at the last tournament. The players that have a chance to upset the seeds are Carlos Aguirre or Herb Morton but they will be underdogs. With so many players voting for the "Other" I am curious who they think the "other" will be. Either way it should be fun.
Dinker
What is truly sad with Tyler with the 5.0 doubles. Damn how retarded they are letting two teams play for the Finals. Yeah thats real tennis. Hey everyone just sign up for 5.0 and you get a trip to the Finals.
Example I believe Corpus Morton had to win one match in 5.0 singles and he would of been in the Finals.
5.0 division is the weakest division in every tournament. Any of you guys had the balls you should be playing Open, but I know none of you can beat decent open players or go back to 4.5. I know Dinker would not like to run into Adrian or Marco in the first round.
Sarosh Sarosh Sarosh. all that talk about the Great "S" and how he's going to take over the tennis scene. well the almighty "S" got spanked 6-1, 6-2.
Hey man, mention that shit in the league blog, b/c none of us gives a fuck about league tennis. This blog deals exclusively with tournament tennis here in Houston and across Texas. Ain’t that right Journeyman?
Yeah, I agree with the last statement. Who cares about that retard anyway.
Foad,Thanks for the update on Sarosh :-)
Green is thru to the semis.
Anonymous,
If you think 5.0 is weak then step up and play 5.0. I play 5.0 because I work late on Fridays and the small draws helps me to not take off work as much.
By the way, I played Marco several times in college when he played for Laredo. I like to play open and often do in doubles...but I am not in shape to play open singles. By the way...I am rated 5.0.
I do not think 5.0 is the weakest division at every tournament. Go back over the last few years and how many 4.5 finalists would have beat the 5.0 finalists. That would be a good poll question.
If you are bothered by the two doubles teams playing in the finals in 5.0...it will bother you more that the losing team now receives finals points without ever winning a match.
Dinker
Thought I'd shed some light on the the Pros & Cons of the 4.5 & 5.0 divisions many players deal with. In a nutshell, here's the deal as I know it, based on 10 yrs experience playing in these divisions.
4.5
(PROS)
A) The possibility of getting to play 4-5 matches (if you're on) that weekend is appealing & makes you feel like you got your money's worth
-- This is especially appealing to sandbagger types who want to get alot of play in, knowing that they will likely clean house if they play decent
B) Indirectly, this division is good to play if you're coming off injury/a layoff etc and want to get your game back for 5.0 or Open(trust me this will not sit well with normal 4.5 players if you start to blow everyone away, so don't plan on staying long without feeling some verbal heat)
(CONS)
A)Many players don't play 4.5 simply because they don't want to have to travel halfway across Texas on a thursday (in many cases) to play a friday morning match. That means taking off work friday & having to pay for an extra night at a hotel. Plus it sucks if you lose & you had to burn personal time at work. That's an important factor to consider if you plan on playing a decent amount of tournaments throughout the year/go for a high ranking etc.
B) The chance that you might have to play a ringer who is unseeded and ruining your weekend (via losing early to the unexpected sandbagger who only plays their home event & has no seeding info)(in 5.0 you usually can count on players being tough & you are only surprised in a good way usually, by getting to play a newcomer who is weak)
5.0
(PROS)
A) A player may not feel like they can last in the heat etc over many matches & would rather take their chances earlier against a better player potentially
B) A player may not be able to/don't want to, have to rush to get out to the tournament (leave thursday etc) if they live far away or can't get off work early etc.
C) obviously you won't have to play as many total matches to win the tournament
(CONS)
The obvious cons in 5.0 is A)the fact that you may have to play a tough 1st rd match right off the bat because of less players, so you have to hit the ground running. (no (potentially) easy early matches like in 4.5 because of the seeds being spaced farther apart) B) Even if you did well, you may not feel like you got much out of playing 2 maybe 3 matches tops because of the small draws C) You may have to ask yourself if it's overall worth it to keep playing 5.0 (or any division for that matter) if you continue to lose in the 1st rd all of the time. It's a fine line between being a sandbagger & a legitimate player in a division.
Why do players bother to play 5.0with the small draws & not much better comp than 4.5? Good question with a few legitimate answers. First, after having been in this position before I can tell you that you have to consider how long a player has been playing & what is their TRUE ability level. If they are older & have spent a long time in 4.5 or have won major zones etc in 4.5, they may step up to 5.0 as an obvious progression with the mindset to challenge themselves further. Yes, there may not be much difference from 4.5 in 5.0 other than most of the players are all solid 4.5+ types. Perhaps the biggest issue that hurts 5.0 draws is that there are not as many guys willing to travel & risk playing in a small draw. What's also hurt the 5.0 over the years is when they stopped automatically bumping 4.5 major zone winners. I personally feel this was because players threatened to stop playing major zones or would lose in the semis to protect their 4.5 rating for league. We're still seeing people trying to avoid getting bumped to 5.0 to be able to play 4.5 league because there's predominantly more 4.5 leagues than 5.0 leagues in Texas, & for many players, getting bumped to 5.0is a league death sentence. So unless you play more statewide than locally, you typically would rather stay 4.5 & play 5.0 as an option. Most of the 5.0 guys are only rated 4.5 but many of them were legitimately rated 5.0 in the past before the USTA bumped them all back down mysteriously. If most of these former 5.0 players didn't play up to 5.0 where they used to be legitimately, there'd be no 5.0 division. The allure of sat/sun only matches is more than likely the most logical factor as to why these guys play 5.0 & not 4.5. If you will remember, the USTA started mandating no friday matches in the 25s & 30s to get them to come out more. NOt sure how much success it had but it had to have some positive effect in those divisions. Maybe if the USTA would start offering money etc like in the 25s & 30s, they would get more players in 5.0. I'm pretty sure that's not possible though. I don't know.
So for some others in this situation, they may or may not have tried playing Open. A lot of it depends on your background and your success to failure ratio, like in most things. If you are someone who started in 3.5 as an adult & worked your way up the ladder, you may not have the true ability or game (or youthfulness) to play open consistently. We all, if we're honest, want to play where we can get the best mix of comp. & chance to win at least as many as we lose. So for some players, it isn't worth it financially, mentally, or physically, to go up to open & get creamed tournament after tournament, plus they may feel like they've accomplished enough in 4.5 to be satisfied. You need to be getting a reasonable amount of enjoyment out of the game. That's the whole point as to why we play usually, if we were to be honest about it. If you were a good junior (say supers etc) & are still relatively young, then you may feel like you can do damage at the open level & that the levels are "beneath" you for whatever reason. The lionshare of us "veterans", are way past our prime & are only looking to satisfy our competitive juices on a regular basis. That's why we still play & sometimes risk killing ourselves in the heat etc. I think a bigger question may be, why do many players stay in 4.5 after winning multiple major zones etc? If these guys would move up, the 5.0 division would have bigger draws, more respect & there'd be less complaining of sandbaggers in 4.5. But as long as there's ego involved, players will always play down. That's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.
Many people's definition of SANDBAGGER-- Any player in your division that you've never beaten, usually after many tries.
A more appropriate question for some is.... are you a legitimate player in your division, or are you fooling yourself by calling yourself a 4.5 etc, when in reality you are only a 4.0, in order to "appear" like a legitimate 4.5 etc? These are usually the players who call the legitimate players sandbaggers.
The last several posts have really impressed me. They were well thought out and presented a very accurate depiction of the levels.
Nice job.
The USTA should reinstate the Major Zone bump up rule as well as bumping up the top 5. It would increase the pool at every level, bringing new faces in every year.
By the way...no rain this weekend, just as requested.
quit writing these long blogs. i don't feel like reading a book. i get lost after the 3rd sentence.
I totally agree about the pros and cons of 4.5 vs. 5.0. I am leaning toward playing 5.0 for the rest of the year (even though I don't think I am 5.0 and I have no chance to win a 5.0 tournament) for the simple reason that it starts on Saturday. Plus there are a lot of guys in 5.0 that I have played competitive matches with in the past. I also think it will drive me to get better. If I go out and get dominated a couple of times and will move back to 4.5 or stop playing tournaments altogether.
I no longer have the desire to miss work on Friday and lower my paycheck to win a couple matches and then lose. I might as well start with the 5.0s, where the caliber in the first round is similar to the 4.5 quarters or semis.
I'm sure there are many people that think I'm kidding myself playing 5.0 but oh well.
Go Leach!!!
Thanks Corey.
Viktorin whipped me in a cramp fest. Both of us were in a really bad way....
I think he will do well against Luedtke in the semi if he is able to recover.
Mr. Leach what was your score? Do you know how that Goldberg dude did, alot of people picked him to win the tourney.
4 and 6 leading both sets 4-0 (I know).
Goldberg lost to Luedtke like 1 and 3 but has won 2 consi matches.
Too hot for this crap.
damn I picked Leach too. I am the worst prognosticator ever.
I can't pick Viktorini or whatever, his name is too tough for me to pronounce. Is Ratana still alive?
Chris,
How was your match with Jason? He is on my team and I was a little surprised to see that lopsided of a score. Tough match with Dustin. I've never seen him play but he has had really solid results in Dallas.
Chris (Leach),
I figured the "true" diehard players like yourself & others would appreciate or at least agree to a large extent with my post about 4.5 & 5.0 pros & cons. Sorry, didn't mean to write a book. It just gets a little old hearing people trash the 5.0s. Seems like there are more young guys playing 4.5 & 5.0 these days. What do you think?
Pat
Chris,
I just noticed that Viktorin took out Cooney too. Is that guy a young, former super champ type or what? Seems like it. Man, all of you guys I picked in 4.5 except Brett (Sticker) are out already. What gives? I guess the youth movement came in and cleaned house, like they usually do in the levels. LOL It's hard to beat young legs in the heat.
Anytime anyone sees a verified college player (at any level school), or any former collegiate player under 25, playing anything less than 5.0, please do us all a favor & let it be known. These guys are the ones who typically ruin legit players' tournament experience. Maybe the USTA folks will start to take notice & implement guidelines to curtail this. The levels are not the place for college guys to get "practice" at everyone else's expense.
The match with Warren was a good match, the score doesnt do it justice. He didnt play very well in the first (couldnt hold on to racquet in the humidity), and it was just one break in the second.
We got on late (nice scheduling) and ran each other around like crazy. Definately had impact on my match with Viktorin.
Yeah, Viktorin is a younger guy in good shape. Sticker beat him in the final and I think he is like twenty or something. Viktorin took out Luedtke in a good match, but was cramping again in the final.
Tip of the cap to Mr. Leach. Hard to find a nicer guy. Shame we both cramped and had to play the 2nd set like 3.0 level. Just glad we were on a far court where nobody else had to watch.
I was surprised/fortunate to recover enough to win this morning. But not enough gas in the tank to handle Sticker in the final. He's gotta be about 20, hits a heavy ball and looked like he could play in the heat all day. Looks like he played a bit at Lamar and now plays 1 at DBU.
I'm 30 and just started playing again last year after a looong hiatus. Enjoyed meeting several of you. Did not enjoy the heat.
Anybody have any predictions on who the finalists will be in Al Edwards at the end of the month....???
Corey Noel,
Do not make a fool out of yourself by playing 5.0. You will become the easy first round match and make 5.0 more of a watered down joke than it already is. Win more in 4.5 before you step-up.
Al Edwards tourney this weekend.
Predictions:
Kallus will lose first round against Griffin.
Winner out of Halm and Morales will win the tourney.
Congrats to all the winners at Tyler MZ. Next stop is the Alamo City, home of the LORD OF The Strings, Thomas Reader. May you survive the heat and your opponent out there!
surprise knutson and goldberg is not playing this weekend's tourney in houston.
surprise knutson and goldberg is not playing this weekend's tourney in houston.
Hopefully we see Morales vs. Halm in the second round....I agree that the winner of that match wins the tournament....
Yes indeed....my money is on Morales......he has a good crosscourt forehand and he is a grinder....! Never gives up....
Agree....Morales...7-5, 7-5....
I disagree.....Halm has the game and the skills......Halm prevails.....
All of you are crazy. Halm will take it unless he gives up....
Halm has an effective game. Morales is a grinder. the longer morales keeps halm on the court, the better chance morales has to win
I figured I would get a response like that. How well do I have to do to be good enough to sign up for 5.0? Unfortunately it is probably 5.0 or nothing for me, especially in out-of-town tournaments. But, as I said, if I get hammered in 5.0, I won't continue wasting those guys' time.
Corey,
you won't beat Jason, Tim, Reader, Dibua, etc. but you will definitely have a legitimate shot at winning against Reggie Black, Andres Ballesteros, Ronnie Johnson, and a few others. Nothing wrong with giving it a try and you definitely should not worry about wasting anyone else's time. Good luck.
Yeah who knows Corey you may get that awesome 5.0 draw meaning some how get a bye then only have to play one match to make it to the finals.
I cannot believe the TD at Tyler let ONLY two 5.0 doubles team play in the finals. Now that is SAD. Since there was a lack of teams then 5.0 doubles should not have been allowed.
In regards to the 5.0 doubles draw: imagine being the ones driving from Houston to play that one match. But if you feel like wasting time and money on it, by all means, feel free.
Long live the LORD OF THE STRINGS, Thomas Reader from German Alps!
"Hallo aus Deutschland."...meaning greetings from Germany.
dude...you're gay
If thomas reader is from the german alps, then i'm bob marley
Corey will have no shot at beating Reggie or Andres. But he can try. Corey, you can also try ages. They typicaly start Saturday.
What is the problem you have with two teams playing 5.0 doubles. If you are that bothered by it then sign up next time. I would rather have a bigger draw but no one signed up. If two teams sign up than that makes a draw. Both teams will receive points under the new points format. Including the finalist who did not win a match. This was done to increase the number of teams. It was not a waste of money. All four players in the doubles also played singles. I think to many players under-estimate how hard it can be to play multiple events against players who only play one event. I hope more players step up and play doubles in San Antonio. I am sure Reader will step up and play. He is not afraid to play multiple events. Most of you just hide behind anonymous and complain about the size of the draw yet you do not sign up yourself. Stop the complaining or do something about it. Sign-up and play.
Dinker
Gound,
Tough battle this weekend. Hope to see you in San Antonio. Also hope to see Reader, Manalo, Dibua, Morton, Garg, etc. Lets have a good tourney. I hope most of you play doubles as well.
Dinker
Thanks Dinker, you must be a motivational speaker, because I am signing up now for the 5.0 draw in Tyler for next year. I doubt giving points to someone who doesnt win a match is a way to motivate people to drive to Tyler (of all places-though I must admit its a nice city) with gas prices the way they are, and then the draw size. And yes, some of us are very aware of how much it takes out of you to play multiple events, you are not the only one who does it.
dinker
you playing in this weekend's al edwards tourney?
Dinker,
I think you loved the fact that there were only 2 teams at Tyler. I would not be surprised if you asked Herb to sign up with Carlos so that you could play the match and get your champion points and they could get finalist points without earning them. You were all going to be there anyway so its not like you had to drive up for the match. I bet the outcome of the match was predetermined and the 7-6, 7-6 result definitely reeks of the fake 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 scores the Dibuas used to report for finals matches against each other where they didn't even bother to play because they decided before hand who would get to have the win. But what do I know, I am just a lowly 4.0 and not worhty to even thred in your world.
Plus, a 9 person singles draw and a 2 team doubles draw does not exactly make you a multiple event warrior.
Corey,
Don't listen to all of the haters. What do all these haters care really if you play 5.0? You'll probably hang better than you think. Most of those guys only hate because they don't want to risk going up & having to play right out of the gate (& losing I might add). There's plenty of guys who can play 5.0 but their precious egos won't let them take a shot. They'd rather play down, hoping to get that easy 1st rd (or 2nd rd) match. No one likes that feeling when the draw comes out that they may have to drive way up somewhere to possibly lose 1st rd. The reality is that it could still happen even in 4.5 because of the prevalence of sandbaggers. The flipside is that most of the guys at 5.0 don't have to rely on cheating/gamesmanship etc to win like you see a lot at the lower levels which makes for a better experience. The tennis does the talking.
Dinker,
You are a retard at best. Man up and play Open then instead of whining about the awesome doubles final you had. Damn one match and it was just one match that landed you 400 points. Oh my God that is just awesome. Why didn't you play Open doubles instead? Because you are not a good enough player to win in Open.
I agree 5.0 is a lame division almost everyone is rated 4.5 and the others that are rated 5.0 should try Open, but I know why you play 5.0 because you may play Reggie Black (who sucks and we all know that) for the fifth time in the year or because the draws are so small it allows you to play in the heat without getting fatigued.
I bet when you look at the draw and realize Ronnie Johnson and Reggie Black or Yvon Leblanc are playing you are worried. Please mid 30's ranked 4.5 players can kill those guys.
Who knows I am sure the next tournament you play you will draw Reggie(again) or LeBlanc(again) for 250 + points for winning the first round.
Yeah thats tough really tough.
Dinker, step up and play some Open singles to prove any doubters. There's a tourney in houston this weekend. try to seek your name in there. it's actually a big draw with 32 for men's open. the 5.0 only have 3 people and the 4.5 only has 9.
I have not once stated how awsome my Tyler doubles victory was. I want more players to play doubles. I will continue to play doubles at every tournament I sign up for just as I always have. I have played open doubles several times this year. In the past I have played in the open doubles finals at several major zones. I have never won a open major in doubles. I work until 7pm on Fridays and this is why I play the smaller doubles draw. I still would like to see more teams.
To the anonymous 4.0. Man up and use your name if you are going to accuse me of such tactics as what you posted. I do man up and try to play open. Why not man up yourself and play 5.0. Or any level above your stated rating. I played 5.0 and open way before I was rated 5.0.
Dinker
that's probably knutson talkin trash again
The whole point of the conversation is that Men's 5.0 suck.
Losing records
Herb Morton
Reggie Black
Ronnis Johnson
Yvon LeBlanc
Who would be scared of that lineup?
true. all these guys wouldn't even win a tourney in 4.5.
Johnson or Black might win a 5.0 tourney for once. only 3 in the draw
"who would be scared of that lineup?"it depends on who YOU are mr.anonymous.
Reggie will win. Leon Nero is a nice old man who would not be able to win a match at 3.5 but is determined to play all the events at Homer Ford. Kallus won this tournament at 5.0 two years ago with round-robin wins over Moser and Reggie, if that tells you anything about how good Reggie is or isn't. Kallus should have signed up for 5.0 again. He probably would have won the round-robin but instead he will get his ass kicked in the 4.5 draw. I pick Daniel Rodriguez to win the 4.5.
Daniel will have a tough match in his first round. doesn't look promising to him.
Lord has the right idea. State your name if you are not afraid of that line-up. Then step-up and play those players. If you are not afraid of me...then say so with your real name. I will play any of you. I am sure Reader, Morton, Black, Manalo, Gound etc. are not afraid to play me or each other. That is why they play in the 5.0 division. I would like to see some of the trash talkers sign up for San Antonio. If you beta me then congrats...you were better that day.
Tim Green
Morton tried playing 4.5 a few months back and got beaten by goldberg, who is a good 4.0 player/average 4.5 player
It's like being back in grade school on this blog too, I thought it might be better than the league blog, but guess I was wrong.
Goldberg may just be an average player to you guys, but I have watched him play and the guy goes out there and tries to win regardless of what the situation is. Maybe some of you should quit all the trash/shit talk, and go out there and do the same.
Anyone who has lost to Kallus cannot be a very good 5.0. I looked it up and he beat Reggie at least 3 or 4 times in 5.0 tournaments in 2006. He also beat Herb Morton that year and destroyed Ronnie Johnson at Lost Forest. Are you going to make a case that he can hang at 5.0? If not, then these other guys are not 5.0 tournament caliber either. Tell me how I am wrong.
ding ding ding....you are right!
I lost to Kallus a few years back. Kallus can be a tricky player for some to play. Or maybe I just suck at tennis as well since anonymous said so with his theory. I must not be 5.0 tourney caliber. I know I am not as good as Reader, Garg, Smith and a few others, but I have done well in 5.0 tourneys.
Dinker
Why does it have to be that they suck? Why can't it be possible that there have actually been times that I have played some pretty decent tennis? Not recently, but it has actually happened.
Has anyone seen the awesome 5.0 lineup for this weekend? Awesome once again.
should see some top caliber tennis this weekend in the 5.0
its very obvious no one cares about the tourney this weekend, so drop the topic. 100 point tournaments are not going to draw many players, especially those from out of town.
i played kallus twice last year,and although the results didnt show it,he was a tough sumbitch to beat.and i also thought he was funny as hell and even loaned me a racquet to play with against him in the tpi final last year in houston.all these anonymous fuckers picking on dinker,herb and reggie must have a real complex since you wont state your name.....pussies
See...Lord of the Strings likes me, so y'all should all shut the fuck up with how bad I suck already. Thanks Thomas.
You need therapy?
Perhaps 5.0 needs the old crew like:
Tim Pepper
Pat Asbire
Kory Brown
Greg Schmucker
To play once again to make it interesting.
If a supposed "regular" 5.0 player loses to a supposed "regular" 4.5 does that say more about the 5.0 player or the 4.5 player? Should the 4.5 player be playing up or should the 5.0 player be playing down. Hummmm.... Just a thought.
This year is not the best reflection of how the 5.0 division is or has been in the recent past. Consider this, these players (who are usually regulars in 5.0) are out this year/not playing regularly etc., for various reasons.
Alex Pacheco
Kory Brown
Pat Abshire
Sal Martinez
Mark Hilderbrand
Steve Atherton
Jeff Matlock
Greg Schumucker
John McDonough
Robert Plummer
Not to mention many other decent to solid players who are missing this year.
Most all of these guys have won MZ's in 4.5 & 5.0 at some time or another, some of them multiple MZ's.So yes, the 5.0 has taken a hit this year but to say a lame-brained statement that 5.0 is a joke in general is just plain being ignorant. Know your history before you run off at the mouth.
I play 5.0 for the same reason Tim Green said earlier: its difficult for me to get off work and play early Friday morning matches every tournament, and I normally play doubles as well. Doing well in both 5.0 singles and 4.5 doubles keeps me on the court all day Saturday and Sunday. Waco last year had me on the court for 4matches Saturday, and 3 on Sunday. If my partner and I had won our dubs semis, we would have played a 4th match on Sunday before driving home to Houston.
Right now I am taking care of tendonitis, but I plan on being back for Fort Worth, and Sectionals this year. Looking forward to plenty of competition in both divisions.
Hunckler (have never beaten Green, but look forward to a rematch with him and maybe a match against Reader sometime soon. If i get my ass kicked, then so be it).
Hunckler, you are a class act. Hope to see you back out in tournament action soon.
Thanks for the comments. I wouldn't mind playing ages but I'm not old enough yet. I also think 25s and 30s are considerably tougher than 5.0. I think the you might get easier first and second round matches in open compared to 25s or 30s. I will have to look at the competitor list and decide what to play in Fort Worth but I look forward to seeing some of you guys.
By the way, the guys that are taking the most heat on this blog now are three of the nicest guys I've ever met/played in tournaments (Thomas, Tim, Daniel). I guess Leach will be the next target.
Hunckler...I hope we get the chance to play. It will be fun. We have only played doubles against each other.
By the way...even I think this weekends 5.0 draw is weak. But I should not talk since I did not sign up for singles. On the same note, the open doubles is even weak.
Dinker
schmucker is not a top player anymore. he has problems playing the net and also passing people at the net. frickin knutson demolished him. that's the worst person to lose to. he's going to talk about beating schmucker everytime he sees you.
Schmucker had to go for winners in that match because he had a charity event he was runnning in Rosenberg he had to attend the same day. That is why the score was bad. Know the facts before you just talk shit on here.
I am good friends with Greg and he is not happy right now regarding tennis because his job prevents him from playing and also playing tournaments. I know he misses it especially what he did in 4.5's last year.
Schmucker...hope to see you back on the court soon at tournaments. We all miss you.
Dinker
Hey Tim thanks. Looks like you are having another good year. Well good news I may have a new job which will allow me to play tournaments once again, but it may be the Men's 5.0 division since I will only have weekends off. Still a lot better than my crappy job now.
Besides it would be fun to finally play Reader since we never played last year. Right Reader? LOL. I have been hitting with Pepper and I am trying to get him to rejoin 5.0 as well.
Well we shall see what happens. Good luck to all in this weekends tournament. Arya good luck as well I know you haven't been playing that much, but I know you will be fine once you get back on the court.
I should of posted anonymous like everyone else it seems.
=)
Schmucker
Good Luck with the Job hunt! weekends and holidays are for fun and enjoyment, not working.
Brandon, are you ready for the heat this weekend? it looks like you are the only one that didn't get a bye in the first round. after that match, you'll have to play morales, who's going to make you play a grinding long match.
I do believe it was Schmucker who signed his name Schmucker. However, Schmucker you should create a Name/URL that way we know it is really you. This site is famous for people who make a comment and signs somebody else's name.
Just a suggestion
Goldberg
leave Red alone, he is my friend
So, how do we know it is you Goldberg?
another Goldberg.
That's right Goldberg. Do as I preach not as I do.
Goldberg
hey greg,id love to play you sometime, im sure it would be a very ugly match to watch.on a different note,i think we should have a poll on who we all think journeyman is.i have my opinion but id like to hear other thoughts.is it you red?
Yeah, it's me.
Red
Hey, thanks Greg. It has been an injury riddled first 6 months of the year. See what happens in Juneteenth.
Thanks again,
Arya
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