Monday, October 27, 2008

The Great Valdez Trajedy...and I don't mean an oil spill in Alaska.

Discussion stream quite long, so time to refresh. Masters Cup predictions not too far off, feel free to share your's now. As far as Adrian, my two cents is that as long as he did not have a history of late entry the USTA should have let him in and they had plenty of time to do it before posting the invitees or sending out invitations. The argument that some other deserving player would get bumped and it would not be fair does not hold water. The lowest ranked player should be knocked back to alternate status to make room for the current and defending #1 player. How can anyone else be deemed more deserving for the chance to play than the #1 guy? If they had let him in late but before posting entrants or sending invitations, then no one but Adrian and the USTA would have even known and none of this discussion would even have to happen.

189 comments:

Anonymous said...

If the top 8 players in the state from each division are selected for the Masters, then why do they have to go through a registration? They should get in automatically and a bill for the tournament fee should be mailed out to them with the option of cancelling the event due to whatever reason or pay up the tournament fee. That would then make it simple and straight.

Anonymous said...

Whoops, looks like the tournament missed the deadline to post the draws!

Anonymous said...

The Player's Masters is Nov 7-9...

Fast Fish

Anonymous said...

Masters Picks:

MO - Bryan Wooten
M5.0 - Brian Smith
M4.5 - Alfonso Rodriguez
M4.0 - Forrest Feuille
M3.5 - ???

Nuff Said.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know how the groups are determined in the Masters?

Anonymous said...

1, 4, 5, 8
2, 3, 6, 7

Anonymous said...

Interesting that the poll actually supports Nancy's decision.

Anonymous said...

Really? it looks like there are more votes for Adrian being in. Also, I am sure that there are not many votes--give it a day or so to get a better view. Why have a year end Masters without #1? It cheapens the entire tournmament!

Anonymous said...

Groupings are out.

Anonymous said...

What's the point in having the top 8 player's if you are not including all top 8 player's, who have qualified and earned the privilege to play the the masters series event! The #1 player should be playing.

Anonymous said...

I WANT TO SEE THE FINAL YEAR END SHOW DOWN OF WHO REALLY IS THE BEST IN TEXAS!!!!!!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS, THIS WILL BE A DAY IN TEXAS TENNIS HISTORY WHERE THE PEOPLE WERE ROBBED OF THAT RIGHT/PRIVILEGE... REALLY WHY?

WHO EVER WINS THE OPEN LEVEL MASTERS, I WILL PAY TO BRING ADRIAN IN TO PLAY THE WINNER, WHO WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT. WE CAN ALWAYS GO AROUND THE ORGANIZATION...

Anonymous said...

I love the idea about going around the organization. USTA has forgotten their place in supporting the sport. That said, I am sure the #1 player would want to continue within the Best of the Best tournament.

If a player has agreed to step back what is the problem? USTA needs to stop trying to control our game with the politics. There was a mistaken choice that they made, that's all. Just reverse the problem by allowing the player that has agreed to conceed his time to another to do so. Just like in parliamentary rules. Yes, USTA uses them too.

Anonymous said...

Enuff already. Nothing you can do or say can bring AV back in the Masters draw. AV has already accepted his faith so let it go.

Pissed Off Fish

Anonymous said...

AV, AV, AV, AV!

Anonymous said...

Go AV, Go AV!

Anonymous said...

I'm not listening...

Another Pissed Off Fish

Anonymous said...

For the Masters Men’s Open it looks like USTA gathered up the Nigerian delegation into one group as to let only one of them advance into the finals. Pretty interesting I would say.

Anonymous said...

Wow, they changed the format from last year... Is that fair?

Anonymous said...

The format for Masters is like this:

1, 4, 5, 8
2, 3, 6, 7

They just happen to get bunched up together based on the format.

Anonymous said...

LOL, just looking up stream, kind of ironic that the very grail can't meet their own timeline either

Anonymous said...

Two years ago I missed the deadline for the Gallery tournament in Houston and realized it the next day. I called and asked if they would let me in late and they said no. I sent in my entry fee anyway along with a letter asking that if anyone drops out, would they consider slotting me into that spot, even if it meant me taking an unseeded position (I had enough points where I would have been seeded). There were at least four players that dropped out, however, they would not substitute me in. (And they kept my entry fee). Lesson learned, register on time and if you don't, then it is your own fault and don't expect exceptions to be made, no matter who you are

Anonymous said...

Adrian Valdez for President!

Anonymous said...

To the post above: what lesson did you learn? Think a little bit. If a tournament keeps your entry fee and doesnt put you in even when others drop out, the lesson is that those tournament officials are not too intelligent and cant see beyond their own noses. That's the lesson I take away. If the lesson that you took away from your experience is that the tournament directors have the right to enforce whatever rule they want, then so be it. But then what separates you from a nicely trained pet?

Anonymous said...

Hey Dumb Fish, you ain't no dummy or dumb fish! I really enjoyed reading your thoughtful commentary about AV. Write something else.

Anonymous said...

The lesson I learned was that it was a matter of personal responsibility on my part. I can't take issue with a tournament director enforcing the rules. It states on the tournament wen site
NO LATE ENTRIES. ENTRIES MUST BE BY (Fill in the date). Bottom line, it does not matter how compelling AV's case is and I really have a hard time beliving that exceptions are made at any major USTA tournament - maybe at some small 100 point tourneys.

Anonymous said...

"I really have a hard time beliving that exceptions are made at any major USTA tournament"

Believe it Bud...

Anonymous said...

Check this out too funny, cut and paste, then go to the website...

http://www.cnnbcvideo.com/index.html?nid=G1RAQ3Y7ihtIL_pZfBdtPjM3NTU0MTg-&referred_by=420821-vGpuBIx

Anonymous said...

It sucks that the #1 player missed out, but he knew there was a masters tourney, and he knew when it was. Plus he's been playing USTA tourneys for years, including last years masters. So if he missed the deadline then he's 100% at fault, why would anyone support someone else's laziness and try to get him in.

Anonymous said...

If everything was that black and white, you wouldnt have red.

If someone convinved the tournament director that he/she would help thousands of people around the world by letting someone in late in a tournament, you can bet your bottom dollar he/she would probably make the exception.

You can argue about whether this particular situation deserves the exception, but its hard to argue that exceptions under any circumstances are immoral. It is not about fault, but about circumstance.

Anonymous said...

Any doubles predictions???

Anonymous said...

Hey Dumb Fish, I'm still waiting to hear from you. Write something.

Anonymous said...

The real travesty would be if Kallus was invited for 4.5.

Anonymous said...

he was invited but it was for womens 3.5 and he declined. I don't blame him. Some of those 3.5 women can really step it up sometimes.

Anonymous said...

What's up with this AV love. He missed the deadline. If he wanted to go to the tournament, he would have signed up. Be a man and accept this. Enough with the ole poor AV story,,,,,, I'm starting to think alot of people just wanted to see the v bother run around is tight shorts sweeting.

Anonymous said...

Oh damn I missed the deadline for the Masters,,,,,,,, can everyone send an email on by behald so I can be admitted,,,,,,,,, oooohhhhh its not my fault!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I sure am going to miss see Adrian run around a sweet!!!!

Anonymous said...

dude, if your going to talk shit about Adrian, learn how to talk, write, and spell. You mean "sweat" not "sweet".

Anonymous said...

He is sweet! I just want everyone to know that he is the sweetest person I've know in a long time and it is obvious that lots of other in his fan club believe so too.

That's why it is important to keep the pressure up,,, EVERYONE call USTA, call Harriot, call the tournamnet director, call the mayors of Houston, Austin, San Antonio,,,, tell your family about the injustice,,,,,,, for Gods sake someone call Quanell X on the phone to organize a protest, WE HAVE TO GET THE TRUTH OUT.

AAAAAARRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH

LET MY PEOPLE GO PLAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

We are 16 people and growing every day. For membership contact me at Sarosh_the_roach@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Let Adrian play. We love Adrian. The person in the #8 slot should give up their position. It is the responsible think to do. Seriously how have #8 sleep at night, knowing he really should be there!!!!

Anonymous said...

Forgive my bad typing,,, when I start thinking about how good Adrin is,,,,,, I start to get excited.

LET HIM PLAY!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Dammit Foad.

Anonymous said...

Adrian in sweaty white shorts sounds hot....LET HIM PLAY!!!

Anonymous said...

Everyone in the Masters should just withdraw,,,,,, it is obvious Adrian is better than all of you,,,,,, just allow him to participate, then everyone should just withdraw, save your time, and save your money from driving to the tournament and save your eggos from a beaten.

Adrian Fan Club member

Anonymous said...

Kallus would beat Valdez 6-0. kallus would beat Foad 6-0. Kallus would beat Wooten 6-1.

Anonymous said...

I'm open for applications in the Sarosh Tennis Fan Club.

I need completly dedicated players (or not) to completly supportive of all my glorious actions. There is no pay, but your dedication to me (your beloved God of Tennis will be noted and reworded, by allowing you to be beat like a dog by myself. No matter what your level, I especially specialize in beating 3.5 players.

Club membership $10 per month.

Anonymous said...

Dude, if your going to talk shit at least learn how to spell. You mean "rewarded" not "reworded".

Anonymous said...

I think you mean "you're" not "your"

Anonymous said...

Blind leading a blind...

Anonymous said...

Now take a break from tennis tomorrow and go out and vote. Paris Hilton got my vote for President after AV.

Anonymous said...

HUGE QUESTION, HOW DID ALAN TORRES GET IN THE MASTERS WITH A LATE ENTRY????

Anonymous said...

Kallus please move to San Antonio and play on my 4,5 team. I will pay all your living expenses after we get to Nationals.

Anonymous said...

Oh my lord, I'll never misspell another word. Welcome back to the blog #8, aka LOTS, aka Thomas Reader...

Anonymous said...

I was wondering that same question about Torres and late entry to the Masters. I guess when your a prick of a person it is easier to ge in late. That is where AV went wrong. He is actually a nice guy.

Anonymous said...

Inquiry minds want to know how the fuck Alan Torres got in late. Nancy Perkins & the USTA Texas should be impeached. What’s that number to Quanell X again?

Anonymous said...

I spoke with Allan and he said that he just called and that was that. He said he probably should not say anything about it though, that he did not want to get anyone in trouble.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget to VOTE today!

Anonymous said...

AV for President!

Anonymous said...

JOURNEYMAN for PRESIDENT with SAROSH as his OPPOSITION!!!!

Anonymous said...

Is anyone intersted in starting a Alan Torres fan club. I have some t-shirts that we can print his picture on. I'm also working on a theme song,,,,, any ideas?

$10 membership application fee

Anonymous said...

Does anyone think Obama can help us with out USTA dues?

Anonymous said...

Right on,,,,, J.R. your love slave,,, can't even put together a sentence correctly.

Go play with you lotion.

Anonymous said...

JR for President. I think I’m gonna throw up…

Anonymous said...

Hey how come Paris Hilton didn't win the election? I thought she was the front runner and was way better looking than the others!

Anonymous said...

Journeyman all I got to say about Players Masters is that, them sumbitches better not run out of beer tomorrow night!

Anonymous said...

I got your lotion, come get some!

Anonymous said...

Amit Garg d. Reginald Black 6-0; 6-0

Anonymous said...

wtf??? walkover, withdraw, quit???

RR J.D. Miles d. Kristopher Knutson Wo (emerg)
RR Yien Zheng d. J.D. Miles Wd (inj)
RR Scott Sevin d. Kristopher Knutson 7-6Ret (quit)

Anonymous said...

Buncha pussies

Anonymous said...

The Garg - Reader showdown finally happens today at noon.Garg took out Dibua, and Reader took out Black,both in straight sets.Looks like Garg and Reader have a great shot in doubles too.

Anonymous said...

4.5 Master's Cup Red Group is a joke. The 2 best 4.5s in the draw are Rodriguez and Sanchez. Sevin getting a trip to the finals over one of these guys is a complete joke. WTF happend to Zheng? He wins sectionals but he can't get more than 2 games off of Sevin. I assume some Russian or Chinese mafia had something riding on the match. I am going to check the London book makers...unless Red already knows the answer.

Anonymous said...

Watched Garg vs Reader. Garg was up 6-4 5-0 and Reader retired. Funny thing was that Garg reported the score as 6-4, 5-5 retired. I guess out of respect for Reader.

Anonymous said...

Garg is a nice guy. Saved the Lord of the Strings from embarrassment.

Smart FIsh

Anonymous said...

I believe Garg and Reader are good friends. They are playing doubles together. I think Reader coached Garg for a while too. It doesnt surprise me that Garg would report the score like that out of respect and friendship.

Fast Fish

Anonymous said...

Dumb Fish, my friend, you are back. Where have you been? I thought something happened to you.

Anonymous said...

Did kallus win 4.5?

Anonymous said...

Reader, I SAW your match. I am sure others did as well. You were down 5-0 when you retired. What's the big deal anyway?

Anonymous said...

Did anyone see the Sevin-Zheng match? I can't believe the score.

Did #8 strain his calf in the last game before retiring or was he playing with the injury for a while?

The original Dumb Fish

Anonymous said...

Look,to the guy that "saw" my match.We were on court seven,and there was nobody within 150 feet!So if you would tell me who you are,I will gladly explain to you game by game commentary you dumbass!Yes Amit deserved the match,and he played average to tell the truth.If Amit had been playing well,the score would have been 6-4 6-4.So unless you were on the court,you DON'T have a fucking clue.Also,if I was down 5 to 0, I would have gone down 6-0 like a fucking man.But I'm not very fast anyway,so when I tweeked my calf in the last game,moving was out of the question. If you don't believe me about the score,you are WRONG,plain and simple.

Anonymous said...

I was up 6-4, 5-5 when Reader pulled out due to a calf cramp. He's a great player and it was a tough-fought match the whole way through. Could have gone either way, as most close matches come down to a few points. Glad to see some of you this weekend.
AG

Anonymous said...

Take it easy Reader. Dont have a heart attack over this.

Anonymous said...

What was the deal with Knutson quitting against Sevin and then quitting the rest of the tournament? After he lost Knutson just drove back to Houston. Knutson if you are going to pull that crap then next time let someone else play that is not a quitter.

JD why didn't you call the TD so they could get someone to take your spot. Damn 4.5 draw really sucked. Knutson you need to go back to 4.0 since you act like a baby on the court. Pathetic playing a set then run back to Houston with your tail between your legs.

Anonymous said...

hey reader-you got beaten by a better player that day and a nice guy. just accept it and be graceful-like your opponents.

Anonymous said...

Nice tournament fellas! tons of drama --let in roll fools.

Anonymous said...

Long live LOTS! Congrats on a great tourney!

Anonymous said...

knutson talks too much trash. too bad he can't back it up.

Anonymous said...

I bet Sanchez must have felt good beating Casas in men's 4.5 after what Casas did to him at the Sectionals!

Anonymous said...

And for the USTA, Ken, and Nancy, sorry but you did'nt get your way, ADRIAN VALDEZ is #1 in Texas. The joke is on you and no one will ever forget what you attempted! That was wrong!

Anonymous said...

I Sarosh, the God of Tennis can easily take out, Rodriguez, Sanchez or Sevin. I'll even be nice and give them each a 2 gave head start.

Anonymous said...

Did anyone see Knight Rider last night?

Anonymous said...

Shut up Adrian,,,,,, yes yes yes, everyone KNOW understands that you are the one that has been behind all of those "let Adrian play the Masters" blogs. Funny guy,,,,, and suprise, you are the only member of the Adrian Valdez fan club.

Bla bla bla

Anonymous said...

Knutson awesome tournament for you. Guess you deserve it after all your sh*t talking. My advice for the off year. Lose weight and get a real game.

Anonymous said...

What a joke the 4.5 singles & open doubles were with all the early retirements, no-shows, & plain ol' defaults. That Miles guy should have called in. What a joke the tournament turned out to be.

Anonymous said...

I was there and watched the match between Reader and Amit, and I have to admit that it was a very close and evenly contested match. LOTS broke a couple of strings and I think he was pretty irritated by them. He had a great tournament as the results show. Long live Lord of the Strings, Thomas Reader. Congrats on a great tournament!

dinker said...

Time to make my return to the blog.

Congrats to Reader/Garg and Brian Smith. The better players won.

Congrats to Red in Mixed doubles.

Dinker011

Anonymous said...

Did Kallus win 4.5s?

Not so Dumb, Smart, or Fast Fish

Anonymous said...

Adrian Valdez still no. 1? thats hilarious. he didnt even have to break a sweat.

Anonymous said...

Foad sucks. Kallus is cool and he's my friend.

Anonymous said...

Knutson is a quitter, but he is still my friend.

Anonymous said...

On a previous post, someone was asking why certain teams were invited to the tournament in Austin this past weekend and used Hall and Rothe in the 4.5 doubles as an example. As far as I know, you can't play in that Austin tournament unless you received a letter of invitation, so obviously Hall and Rothe received that letter. So, you would have to ask the folks in Austin as to why they sent that letter out.
By the way, I see that Hall and Rothe made it to the finals on Sunday. So I can't imagine that the people they beat in their bracket think they didn't deserve to be there. I see they had a win over Leach and Crabtree and a win over Miller and Arringdale. Aren't these teams that played on their respective sectional teams in Dallas over the summer?

Anonymous said...

That just goes to show had sad the 4.5 draws in singles and doubles were.

Anonymous said...

Year end 5.0 rankings should be:
Singles:
1 B.Smith 2204
2 T.Green 1980
3 T.Reader 1930
4 R. Black 1306
5 A. Garg 1179
6 J. Gound 1085
7 J. Patch 990
8 H. Morton 800
9 H. Manalo 799
10 O. Dibua 704

Doubles:
1 T. Reader
2 A. Garg
3 T. Green
4 R. Benzon

Looks like this year was one of the strongest 5.0 years in recent history. Good to see so many strong players in the top ten.

Anonymous said...

I guess there is some fairness in this screwed up world. Adrian, you deserved your #1 ranking and you got it. Many on this board were pulling for you.

Anonymous said...

this is for foad. foad, you and your tennis both really stink. you barely won a game in the 4.0 best in texas. you didnt even belong there. maybe 3.5 next year. you cant control your tennis or your woman.

Anonymous said...

To the prior post about Foad: hey asshole, this is supposed to be a tennis blog, about tennis, not a personal attack blog. If you got something to say to Foad, I am sure he would love to hear it from you face to face. But you have to hide behind a anonymous blog to say what you want to say. Pretty sad. I know Foad and he is a nice guy so lay off.

Anonymous said...

If I am not mistaken, Austin mails out letters to individuals in the top 20 to apply based on the trailing 12 months rankings not year to date rankings. Then, based on who replies by the deadline, they choose the top 8 from that pool. Then their placement in their respective brackets depend on their ranking. That is why so many Houston guys were on one side of the draw in the men's open singles.
If you haven't played in this tournament, it is one of the best of the year. The Austin folks put on a great tournament. The Courtyard courts are fabulous. And the weather was perfect.

Anonymous said...

If 5.0 had a strong field, then one would have to agree that 4.5 had one of the weakest fields in recent years.

Anonymous said...

In 5.0, you had essentially 3 players better than others. in 4.5 you have 1. Do the math.

Anonymous said...

Why won't anyone recognize Scott Sevin for the dominate 4.5 player that he is? Oh, that's right. He's not, and that just goes to show how sad 4.5 was at Master's Cup and pretty much for the whole year. What happened to Alejandro Sanchez? Big fall-off late in the year. What happened to Trautmann? Rodriguez beats him twice and John quits tennis. What happened to Schmucker? At least last year he only missed 10 of the 15 tournaments he signed up for, so he still qualified. This year I think he basically made a $300 charitable donation to various tennis associations around the state. Plus, for what is worth, I do not believe that any of the highly-regarded graduating 4.0 class of 2007 made it to the top 8 this year. I guess you guys were not exactly the shit you made yourselves out to be...or should I say Jason Freeman made you out to be. My 4.5 rant is now complete.

Anonymous said...

speaking of trautmann, what happened last year between him and reader? the match was a blowout last year and this year he lost to rodriguez badly and reader beat rodriguez.

Anonymous said...

What about the highly touted Knutson? He made it into the top 8.

Anonymous said...

Damn. You got me. Knutson did prove to be the creme of the 4.0 crop. Too bad he sullied it, by whipping out his man-gina by quitting and running home to Houston. Stick around and take your 3 straight set losses like a Foad.

Anonymous said...

or quit when youre losing like Reader did against Garg to save from embarrassment. I SAW your match Reader you were down 5-0 and then had your friend lie about the score!

Anonymous said...

put ball on tee....
ball gets knocked out of the park.

Anonymous said...

good one...this blog getting good...whats next, who thinks adrian valdez vs. wooten good match?

Anonymous said...

Garg lied about the score with Reader to save Reader's ego. If the score was really 5-5, why would Reader quit and then turn right around 15 minutes later and go win in doubles with Garg? How bad was the injury not to continue at 5-5 but not bad enough to play doubles (and win?) The only thing that makes sense is the obvious - the score was not 5-5 but 5-0! Reader didnt want to lose 6-0 so he quit. He is a quitter and Garg is a liar.

Anonymous said...

Valdez vs. Wooten? They went 3-sets when they played this year and Wooten won. This is a tough question. I think Valdez should come out on top 6 matches to 4 if they played 10 times. I think he is the better player.

Anonymous said...

Is there any way that you can put a Sarosh filter on this blog???????????????

Anytime Sarosh starts talking about your woman,,,,, well,,,, there goes the blog and we enter trash mouth Sarosh Zone!!!

Anonymous said...

knutson is not a top 4.5 player. when has he won a 4.5 tourney. he got spanked at the fall festival. sarosh has not beaten any big namers or won any big 4.5 tourneys.

Anonymous said...

Garg is just too nice regardless of what the score was. I'll take him at his word though. He won and made it to the finals and lost a tough three setter to Smith--anyone see that match- Damn i hope smith goes up to 5.5 next year so we dont have to play him.

5.0 masters wannabe

Anonymous said...

Scott may not be a dominant player but he earned the right to play the final, one group was stacked and the other wasnt, that wasnt his fault. Also he was playing solid in the first set but then couldnt keep it up, i believe alejandro retired vs. hawkins due to a severe ankle sprain and had to pull out all together.

Anonymous said...

It’s interesting to know that half of you all voted for “deadlines are deadlines”. I voted the same. What’s a point of waiting until last minute when you know you are going to Play! Next time just go ahead and sign up already.

Sword Fish

Anonymous said...

Last time Saroach brought up Foad's woman, Journeyman yanked the whold thread. Saroach, please don't go there this time.

Dumb Fish

Anonymous said...

Foad's woman, is that that thin atheletic cutie with the hot bod that comes with him sometimes to tennis tournaments? Foad, nice! I've seen them hitting at WestSide. Very nice.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know when the end of the year ratings comes out?

Anonymous said...

Hey Dumb Fish, my friend, you are back. Where have you been good buddy? I thought something terrible has happened to you.

Killer Whale

Anonymous said...

End of year ratings...Nov. 17th

Anonymous said...

who cares about ratings in ntrp levels, they dont take into account who you beat. so really worthless and only for shits and giggles. you can be ranked #1 and have lost 6-0, 6-0 to the 10th ranked player.

Anonymous said...

I think you are mistaking Ratings (5.0, 4.5, 4.0, etc) vs. Rankings (#1, 2, 3, etc).

Anonymous said...

hey journeyman, when are you gonna do another write up?

Anonymous said...

What's he gonna write about??? No more tennis for a while. That Sucks.

Anonymous said...

Write about the masters--opinion column

Anonymous said...

let's start a thread on overated players and cheaters. that will be interesting

Anonymous said...

Here we go again, more hate blogs. Grow up dude.

Anonymous said...

Hasn't it been about a year since we had a blog about who the fittest and fattest players are? Anyone gotten particularly fitter or fatter over the last 12 months?

Anonymous said...

Foad, when are you gone marry that babe?

Sword Fish Jr.

Anonymous said...

I really try and understand people, but Sarosh, you are the most childish person I've every known. You are responsible for 75% of the garbage on this blog. Don't you have a life?????

Anonymous said...

Regarding the Hall/Rothe comment earlier in this blog. I made a comment in the previous blog "how did they get in?"

I didn't say they are not a tough team, i just couldn't understand how they got into the tournament with their poor record this year. I found out later that their points from last years masters tournament, carried over for entry into this years masters, which i still don't agree with.

I've played David and Peter as a team twice in tournaments, and beaten them both times, but they were very close matches, which could have gone either way.

Anonymous said...

Foad, when are you gone marry that babe?

Sword Fish Jr.

-----------

I didn't know Foad started dating... how is he?

Tuna Fish

Anonymous said...

Foad, I bet your mad about Prop 8 not passing. You can't get married now.

Anonymous said...

Hey Journeyman this thread is getting boring by every minute. How about starting a new thread?

Anonymous said...

When do you think Reggie Black will take the hint and stop playing 5.0? Reggie got throttled in his Masters group. By far the weakest player in 5.0. Of course Brian Smith was the pick to win the Masters Cup. There is no one stronger in 5.0 right now, but Smith. It would be nice for some new players in 2009 to play 5.0. Anyone here of current 4.5 players that are thinking of moving up to 5.0 next year?

Anonymous said...

I play in Men's 3.5 and I heard there are lots of easy points up for grabbing in 5.0s so I'm making the move next year. Watch out all you big 5.0 hitters, here comes my lobs and drop shots.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'm moving to 5.0. There only 4 players there who I can't beat.

Anonymous said...

Troutman, Sanchez and Rodriguez should move up to 5.0

Anonymous said...

i'm going to play one 5.0 tourney and hopefully get enough points to be ranked 5 of better.

Anonymous said...

I bet most of the 5.0 guys would not of finished in the top 5 in 4.5. The only expection would be Garg, Smith, and Reader. I noticed on some of the 5.0 draws some players just had to win one match and they were already in the semi's thus securing a lot of points. Ask me that is a complete joke.

Anonymous said...

true, very true

Anonymous said...

If Casas were to play 5.0 how do u think he would do?

Anonymous said...

Looks like another Sarosh vs Foad fight is brewing. Journeyman, you may want to delete this thread before it get ugly.

Anonymous said...

I strongly suggest sarosh and foad get some lotion and make up. There is nothing like lotion to stop male anger.

JRP

Anonymous said...

Casas would get his ass whupped in 5.0. Literally and figuratively. None of the top 5.0's would stand for the hooks. He'd be too afraid to hook Reader and several others would try to bring him in to the net and try to take his head off. Then the others would just kick his ass after the match Alejandro Sanchez style. Personally, I'd try to get up 40-0 in each game and then take 3 tries to take his head off. I'm a 4.5 but I won't be moving up to 5.0 next year. I like 4.5 league tennis too much. But after dominating 4.5 next year, I'll be moving up to 5.0 in 2010.

The Original Dumb Fish

Anonymous said...

Watch out for Vikrant Gandhi next year in men's 4.5. I heard he has trained very hard this year, worked with some top open players and actually beat Casas in sectional before retiring injured..he is also very fit and moves well on the court.

Anonymous said...

The Original Dumb Fish, you are back. I can tell it is you because you put a lot of thought to your writings. Write something else ol buddy.

Anonymous said...

For those of you who missed playing in the Players Masters, here's a link to the photos: http://www.austintennis.org/galleryserverpro/index.aspx?moid=2889

Anonymous said...

Who thinks Amy Schumacker from Austin is HOT? She was one of the hottest chicks at Masters tournament. From 1 to 10 she is 10+. Damn good player also.

Anonymous said...

foad at it again:

http://www.austintennis.org/galleryserverpro/index.aspx?moid=2782

Anonymous said...

reader and garg: lots of lotion between these two if you know what i mean: 5-5 or was it 5-0?

http://www.austintennis.org/galleryserverpro/index.aspx?moid=2801

Anonymous said...

Why would Brian Smith get bumped up? Wow he dominated a bunch of 4.5 players who wanted to think they were 5.0's. I hit with Brian a couple of days prior to the masters. We was worries about beating his draw too bad and getting bumped. He dosent want to 5.0 tournaments next year, I think he just wants to play 5.0 leauge, which in my opinion is a lot stringer than tournmanets.

Do you think it would be fair for him to get bumped up becasue he went undeafeated in a weak 4.5-5.0 scene. By him trying to tank he almost lodt a set to herb morton. I think brian is a legit 5.0. What do you think.

bump to 5.5 or stay 5.0?

Anonymous said...

Brian Smith plays 5.0 since he works on Friday like most the rest of the world and was not old enough to play 30s. He needs a Saturday/Sunday draw. By the way he is rated 5.0. This was not a self rating. He also lost 2-2 to the Omana Brothers at 5.5 Sectionals this year which will greatly help keep him at 5.0.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Anonymous. Several players in the current 5.0 division would finish high in 4.5. To say anything different gives no credability to your statments. Some of the names include:

Smith
Green
Reader
Garg
Gound
Manalo
Dibua
Schornick
Ryu
Morton

Not only would they finish top ranked, but several of them have already been there and done that.

Anonymous said...

weak 5.0 scene? yeah right bud. brian smith may or may not have tried hard against herb morton, but that doesnt impress me. in fact, its kind of pathetic that the guy has no respect for his fellow players- just like a few of the 5.0 players at the top, he would do well in open tournaments. i would say with him, garg, and reader in addition to the others, this was a far stronger 5.0 year than in recent past. its all for fun though

Anonymous said...

Smith is a good player certainly 5.5 material thats clear. a couple of others have 5.5 talent as well. either you have the potential or ya dont.

Anonymous said...

morton is not a 5.0 player. he got beaten by goldberg. are you kidding me? goldberg is a solid 4.5.

Anonymous said...

who said morton is a 5.0? certainly not. but any opponent deserves respect, no?

Anonymous said...

Opponents deserves respect, on and off the court. Period.

Anonymous said...

(1) Roger Federer
(3) Andy Murray
1 2 3
6 63 5
4 77 7

Roger Federer is out in Masters.

Anonymous said...

The Hottest chick at the Masters- Amy Schumacker. check it out:
http://www.austintennis.org/galleryserverpro/index.aspx?moid=2745

Anonymous said...

If you think she is hot I would hate to see your real girlfriend.

Anonymous said...

Reader, Garg, and Smith are top 5.0 players without a doubt. I would of thrown Green in there, but he got crushed by Alfonso so with that I would say Green is a strong 4.5.

5.0 has been strong in the past with players like Kory Brown, Tim Pepper, Dave Monzy, John McDonough, Pat Abshire, Chris Hunckler, Greg Schmucker. None of the above played 5.0 this year. Just imagine the size of the draws if the above played?
McDonough finished #1 in 5.0's a few years ago, Schmucker was ranked in the top #3 for a couple of years and Hunckler did very good last year.....I believe won Sectionals. Would be interesting if some of those guys decide to play 5.0 again next year.

Anonymous said...

"If you think she is hot I would hate to see your real girlfriend."
What's wrong with her dude?

Anonymous said...

there was a blonde chick who was hotter. dont know her name. boy those legs were nice

Anonymous said...

I heard Brian Smith beat Tres Davis at that pro am they had in Austin last week. If that is true, then he should be playing 5.5 not 5.0. I think the only reason he got bumped down to 5.0 was because of an injury. John McDonough is not a good player, he got bumped down to 4.0, check the ratings.

Anonymous said...

I think Reader, Garg, and Smith are all in an unfortunate position of being much better than the rest of the 5.0's but not strong enough to be competitive with the likes of the ANIMAL Valdez, the Jegede brothers, Wooten, Bouffier, Straley, Casper, Omana, and the rest of them if you get the drift. There is a big big step from Garg to a Valdez! The top Open players are just a hair below the FUTURES level players guys with some, like Valdez and Wooten, I would bet they can go deep in future events.

So, my advice, Garg and Reader, PROTECT YOUR ASSHOLES from being ripped by the likes of the ANIMAL and stay put beating deadbeats like Morton, Green, and the likes.

Anonymous said...

I'm not a deadbeat!!!!!!!!

Tim Green

Anonymous said...

Umm yeah....whoever says that Smith, Garg, and Reader couldnt compete with the ANIMAL adrian valdez think again. There is a much smaller step between these three and your GOD Adrian Valdez than you think.

If and when these guys play Adrian and the likes, I think you;ll see that it would be a decent match--and may even surprise you. So my advice to you, GET A LIFE. Are the top open players good? Yes of course they are. But no doubt these three would compete with them and if they play open, which i think they probably will, you'll see yourself that the difference between them is probably a break of serve or less.

Anonymous said...

Who are you to give advice to the post above? You dont know shit about tennis if you think Valdez would get far in a futures tourney. He would get his ASSHOLE completely ripped! He lost to Peter Markes this year, a guy who plays 50's!!! And Brian Smith would beat the heck out of Markes. Thats just one example.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Smith would beat Markes but it would be close. Likewise, Brian would do fine against Valdez, it would not be a blowout. If he can hang with Tres Davis I don't think he's going to worry about Valdez.

Anonymous said...

Completely agree. Likewise, to the post above:

There's not as much difference between the likes of Garg, Reader, and Smith and Valdez when all are playing alot of tennis. As far as talent goes, little difference.

As far as accomplishment goes in Texas tennis, of course Valdez takes the cake. He has done good things, but unbeatable by these guys i dont think so by a mile.
It'll be interesting to see. His brother Marco got beat by Reader for example. Results speak for themselves. The same goes for Casper, Broach, Bouffier, Valdez, Straley and the likes. All good players, but certainly not a given that they would win.

Anonymous said...

Are you guys nuts???? Are you saying Reader/Valdez or Garg/Valdez would be a match with one break of serve? You have been over-dosing on your meds buddy. No one knows this better than Reader and Garg themselves thats why they play 5.0.

Reader and Garg can win non-MZ Open level tournaments though.

Anonymous said...

This is Valdez's thread, so here is my take. Valdez can hold his own against the division I college players even at 38. That is for certain and proven. The loss to Markes was the 1 in 50 times thing that can happen to anyone of us playing an inferior player so don't even dwell on that.

Smith is no longer an Open level contender as shown by 3-set matches with Reader and Garg and 7-6 set with Morton. Playing 5.0 has lowered his game in the same way when pros play the senior tour. Valdez vs Smith will now be something like 1;1 or 1;0. That is what happen when #1 in Open playes #1 in 5.0.

Anonymous said...

Are you joking?? I know we love to talk about how good or how bad certain players are, but Smith would probably do well vs. Valdez. The fact that he went 3 sets with Garg and Reader only demonstrate that all three are solid. Look at it this way: valdez would probably have the same record in 5.0 as Smith, losing no matches and have a couple of close ones. Valdez is numero uno in Mens Open even having lost several matches. When comparing the two, having played both players, i can tell you in would be close.

Playing 5.0 may be a lot different than Open indeed, but the only true test of match play are results themselves. And when they play head on, only then will it be determined. I for one think REader, Smith, and Garg are well above the other 5.0 players and would be competitive in Open level as well. That is taking nothing away from Valdez or the other good open players.

Anonymous said...

I totally agree that Smith, Garg, and Reader will be VERY competitive in Men's Open but in the mid-tier only. You said you played both. You must be a good player yourself. I'm not gone ask you to give away the scores but I am willing to bet that it was a whole different level with Valdez score wise. With Smith you can get 3 or 4 games a set pretty easily. With Valdez, it's hard to get games! But there are times that Valdez becomes kind of a head case and drops to an inferior opponent(s). That happened a lot this year and has to do with the fact that the guy is getting older.

Anonymous said...

Actually i did better against Valdez. Both good players no doubt.

Anonymous said...

Not Only did Smith beat Tres Davis in The Second round of teh Pro shootout. He beat Peter Markes in Rd. 1, David Corrie in Rd. 3 and lost in the finals to Trace Fielding in a very tight contest.

Anonymous said...

As for this year, Adrian is 36 years old not 38 and is in better shape than anyone playing Texas Tennis up to date in the gym or cardiovascular. I know because I'm one of the top ranked Super's Juniors who trains with him every week and none of us can keep up with him. Facts: earlier this year Adrian went through a wrist injury from Jan-May of this year which due to his stubbornness and love for the game continued to play tournaments regardless of making excuses or tarnishing his record. He even had to pull out of Corpus and Fort Worth because the pain was too excruciating. The problem resulted from his racquet of 18 years (Wilson 2.7 Hammer), oh yeah, he switched racquets in May too. When you get a chance look underneath his wristband and tell me what you see? Mid May, he finally received a cortisone injection and since then coupled with subscribed meds has been fine. As far as Peter Markes, why don't you ask him about Adrian's wrist during the match or even Bouffier if they know about his wrist problems early this year? In fact, ask any of the open players, that's public knowledge! Question, what have been the results, since then, hmmmm...
I'm sure he's not going to like it that I've exploited some of this info, but when I hear BS, you need to get your facts together before you run your mouth! His record will never be broken with 37 Open Major Zones!

Adrian's Super Champ Student

Anonymous said...

Listen, no one thinks Adrian is not a fantastic player. So chill out my friend. Saying good things about another player doesnt have to mean its bad for your idol.

Anonymous said...

Adrian's SC Student,

Your blog was more intelligible than a lot of the BS here. Clearly you know what Adrian is all about.

37 Men's Open Singles Major Zones is a record that I believe can never be broken ... not even close. It's really a shame and unbelievable that our great USTA has NEVER acknowledged such an incredible feat! I think they are too busy handing out their "Sportsmanship" awards and other ass-kissing crap.

Anonymous said...

Understand this. Good players are dime a dozen but name what players goes the distance or should I say knows how to go the distance over and over in all levels at a tournament?
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
OPEN