TOO LITTLE TOO LATE

Boasters League round 8~~

With one week to go before the half way mark, the only changes to the standings came from the bottom four teams. “Destiny” decided to put up their best showing all season picking up 25 points that included 9 bonus points (3 more than their next best effort). They played the “Wardogs” last night who are third, and with 10 of 13 matches completed, beat them. It just goes to show the real parity of the league if everyone starts to turn up and play. In fact, of those 10 matches, 9 of them went 2-1. “Destiny” was rewarded by jumping clear of the cellar to 7^th place. If only they had this commitment from week one.

“Vivio’s” also moved up one spot from last round to 6^th and are closing in on “Mongoose” who only picked up 5 points last night – all bonus points. In all likelihood they will catch “Mongoose” who have the round 9 bye and need to rely on makeup matches from here on in.

Losers in the standings were the idle “Foss-ters” who only picked up 6 points in the past 14 days, and “WallEED” who matched their season low 3 bonus points and have only 2 results in for the round. These 2 teams play each other next week, it will be interesting to see how many of them grace the court.

There were many 2-1 results this week. JB Peabody (“Mercedes”) and Chuck Doyle (“Butter Nutz”) looked like they played 17 games instead of 3, as bodies were doubled over, leaning on walls, and sitting on floors. Chuck took the honors in that contest. Josh Slominski (“Butter Nutz”) got past one of his nemeses Tom Fabbri (“Mercedes”) 2-1; Nick Petcoff (“Wardogs”) picked up his first victory of the season 2-1 over Dan Honer (“Destiny”); and Tom Delaney (“Winky-Dinks”) fought through for his 4^th win of the half over Bill Seymour (“Vivio’s”).

There is 8 days to go before the deadline. I am sure to be asked to extend it, but please save yourself the e-mail. December 7 is the day. No excuses. Don’t forget I will be adjusting the teams at the half way mark based on your first half results. Get cracking. There are plenty of matches to be done. Mathematically, any team can still end up on top of the standings by next Friday… the odds of some of those teams doing so are probably similar to last night Power Ball… can’t believe I didn’t win that…

HOPS CHALLENGE GOES PROFESSIONAL

Hops Challenge – Dec 12. Matches start at 5pm.

If this doesn’t get you excited about squash, you need to take ‘excitement’ lessons. It won’t get any better than this. This year, the Hops Challenge (formerly known as the “Beer Challenge”) will treat you to a squash match that will leave your jaws dropping, drool dripping, tongues hanging, and reaching for the thesaurus to describe what you will witness.

Before I announce who the mega-stars will be, this event is for everyone. If you register, I will organize you a match. Last year we had almost 30 players, so feel free to join in on the excitement. Of course the keg will be available, and once all the matches are completed, I invite you to park yourself outside court 7 for the performance of a lifetime!

“Let’s get ready to rummmmmmbllllle….!”

In the right corner, weighing in at approximately 200 lbs with a presence that makes you want to bow down and plead for mercy, originally from the harsh outback plains of Australia where he wrestled crocodiles and boxed kangaroos for party tricks, coming in with a career record that questions whether he is really human, the forehand-driller-killer, the grander-squash-commander…. DAVID – “this-T-isn’t-big-enough-for-the-two-of-us” – PALMER!!

And…

In the left corner, weighing in at lean but solid 160 lbs, with a coolness and calmness that would soothe even the most violent of Hollywood Housewives, originally from France mixed in with more parts of the world than most people can think of and some we have never heard of, coming in with a career record that would pop your eye-balls right out of your skull, the speed-racer-ball-chaser, the Evel-Knievel-of-ball-retrieval…. THIERRY – “je-ne-sais-quoi” – LINCOU!!

These two have been ranked number one in the world and have recently battled it out on the PST tour with constant down to the wire results. Make sure you watch every moment of this very special treat! Your Christmas has come early! Not only is the keg for free but there isn’t a charge to watch the match either. Bring your DAC friends, be loud, and let’s pack the bleachers.

 

If you wish to have a match before the grand finale, registration deadline is Monday, December 10. Matches will start around 5pm, but possibly earlier depending on numbers. The pro match will be scheduled around 7.30pm to start. If you do not wish to play, come down anyway before you kick yourself for missing the best squash in the world.

MUCH OF THE SAME

Boasters league round 7~~

Once again there is little change to the standings after week 7. “Mercedes” was one of two teams that made a positive move jumping up one spot to 4^th. The other team was “Vivio’s” who catapulted themselves from 8^th to 7^th moving ahead of the stationary “WallEED”. Last placed “Destiny” inched closer to that 8^th spot but it does appear they are fated to stay there.

“Butter Nutz” yet again set the example to the rest of the league that it’s all about playing matches. With 8 of 13 of them completed this round (against last placed “Destiny”), winning 6 of them, and collecting 7 bonus points, they increased their lead on top of the standings to 17 points. “Winky-Dinks” tried to keep pace but playing only 6 matches won’t cut it. With 2 rounds to play for this half, it is tough to bet against “Butter Nutz” from staying on top.

There were many close matches on Wednesday. Brien Baker (“Vivio’s”) put an end to Paul Ward’s (“Wardogs”) undefeated streak taking him 2-1; Sante Fratarcangeli (“Butter Nutz”) held off fellow captain Joe Bobzin (“Destiny”) 2-1, which was Joe’s first match of the season so hopefully he will be able to squeeze in the rest of them very quickly; Al Iafrate (“Winky-Dinks”) enjoyed his day at the office and showing off his improved court movement taking down Patrick Petz (“Mercedes”) 2-1; and Hans Flick (“Destiny”) managed to sneak over Kevin Prather (“Butter Nutz”) 2-1 to keep his winning record intact at 4 and 0.

The deadline to play all of the matches is December 7. Everybody can ‘rest’ up next week as the league takes a turkey break and Thanksgiving takes over our lives for a couple of days. But it will be best opportunity for you all to get some much needed make up matches completed. Once the first half is done, I will be looking over everybody’s win / loss record and make some adjustments by moving players up or down. The goal is to make the league as competitive as possible and while I will do my best to keep you on your current team, some “trading” will be inevitable. All teams will start at scratch for the second half.

Don’t forget that I also track everybody’s individual total points. At the end of the season the “All Star” team will be announced. The All Star team consists of the highest point getters from each level. That total includes your bonus points. It is just another way to encourage you to play as much as you possibly can.

THE GIFT OF SQUASH

Holiday Tournament – December 7

I love the Christmas Holiday period. My daughter of course loves it even more. The chance to open presents makes her giddy and she doesn’t care what’s in the wrapped paper, it’s the gift of receiving that she has hands down. In fact, she opens my wife’s and my presents too. I am sure you all enjoy this time of year just as much as my 6 year old, there is nothing more satisfying than opening a present from a relative you haven’t seen since Christmas the previous year and faking joy at the porcelain angel figurine that will never see the light of day. This Holiday period also means playing squash and drinking.

For the 9^th year in a row, the Holiday Tournament will once again take centre stage. Matches will start at 5pm on Friday, December 7. It’s a unique format where everybody will receive 4 matches. All matches are 2 games to 15 points, and all players – regardless of level – will be in the same draw. It’s a fantastic chance to play against someone you have never stepped on court with before. The first round is drawn from a hat so theoretically the best two players could play themselves. You get one point for every game you win, and the second round will be against someone who records the same first round result as you. And so forth. At the end of the four matches, we should have a rough order of ranking. If everything runs on time and smoothly, we should be done by 7.30pm – 8pm.

Now to the topic of gifts. Every entrant needs to bring a wrapped gift worth at least $20 as their entry fee. Once all the matches are completed, the players will be able to choose a gift in order of the final ranking. That way, everybody wins! Plus, as an added bonus, everyone will enjoy the gift of giving too!

Characteristically, most of the gifts are alcohol related. If you choose to go a different theme, however, take note on what is NOT allowed. Don’t turn any of the participants into Grinches!

1. Cash. While we all love the green, it’s inappropriate here. At least make an effort to buy something! (I, on the other hand, am more than happy to accept cash…)

2. Viagra. Yes, believe it or not, somebody gifted this wonder pill one year. For obvious reasons, drugs are unacceptable.

3. Muffins. While I like this treat myself, this item has earned its way on the list when Patrick Petz almost had a fit in 2005 opening a box of them and their condition was less than palatable. It appeared as if a rat had gnawed through most of them.

4. Potpourri. Come on. This is clearly a re-gift item. From your grandmother. Leave it at home!

5. Canary yellow DAC t-shirt. Clothing is difficult to give to someone. Size and color and style differ tremendously from person to person. I remember once my wife received a jacket from a relative that almost made her cry it was so hideous. I think we can all agree a canary yellow shirt is not a popular fashion choice for anyone – except for a canary. Or a banana.

Just a couple more things: We need a minimum 14 players to run the event with a maximum of 24. Registration deadline is Tuesday, December 4. And in case you are wondering, the greatest gift of all will be ready and waiting for you as matches get under way…. The KEG!

BUTTER NUTZ STAY ON TOP

Boasters league round 6 ~~

Despite sitting on the side lines for round 6, the “Butter Nutz” still holds a double digit lead atop of the standings. “Winky-Dinks” and “Wardogs” – who played each other – did catch up a little and still have a chance to make up the difference in the final three weeks of the first half. There was only one change in the standings this week. “Mercedes” picked up a league best 32 points over the week to jump from 7^th to 5^th and only 2 points off 4^th. They did not have a huge night yesterday, but played a handful of make-up matches in the week.

The teams going in the opposite direction have a lot of work to do. “WallEED” scored more bonus points than match points yesterday – and only 3 of their players turned up. They are currently 7^th but not far off the teams above them however they cannot afford to continue on their current trend. From round to round, they have played less and less matches. And they have the bye for next week.

Team “Destiny” has destined themselves it seems to the cellar. They have been there since round 4 and have made no apparent effort to climb out of it. They have only accumulated 14 points in the previous 2 rounds, a season lowest 13 bonus points overall. It’s not as if they are being outclassed – they actually have won more matches than they have lost, it’s simply a matter of hardly playing many of them!

We had a battle of the undefeated in the number 1 position last night with Paul Ward (“Wardogs”) and Manny Tancer (“Winky-Dinks”) going at it. Both are runners and can last half the night, so the match was full of long points. Paul eventually took a 2-1 victory and is now the only player on the 117 long list that has played all of his matches so far and hasn’t lost.

Peter Ulbrich (“Vivio’s”) is starting to shake off the cobwebs as he picked up his first win of the season with a 2-1 win over John Conway (“Mongoose”). Jon Walton (“Mercedes”) scored a tough 2-1 victory over the awkward switch-hitting style of Sean Moran (“Foss-ters”) and Bruce Shaw (“Mercedes”) clocked up his third 2-1 win of the season over Mike Rock (“Foss-ters”).

There are 3 rounds to go with a ‘rest’ day the week of Thanksgiving. A ton of matches need to be played, you all have until December 7 (inclusive) to play them. My recommendation is not to wait until that particular day…

STRONG DOUBLES SELECTION

Doubles Select Tournament 2012

The goal was to beat the registration record of 36 players. And we did – with 40! A great achievement, but one I was not all that surprised with considering the expansion of all the leagues this season and the significant increase in court usage. I am also going to venture to guess that this year’s draw was the most competitive with 13 of the 19 matches going to 4 or 5 games.

 

The closest 5-setter I was aware of was the first round match-up of Mike Petix / Chato Hill versus Andy Housey / Jim Thompson. Mike has been a finalist in this event twice, but this year he wouldn’t be getting the chance to compete for the title. Housey / Thompson took the 5^th 15-13 only to be cut down in the next round 3-0 by Shail Arora and Bruce Shaw. Unlike Mike, Shail has won this event twice, (he was also a finalist one year with Mike as his partner!), and he had another good opportunity to make it a triple crown if he and Bruce could get through the semi final.

It wouldn’t be an easy task. Greg Rivard hit a bump in the road even before his campaign begun when his original partner had to withdraw with an injury. I almost had to forfeit him out, but managed to convince Jason Trombley to step in at the last minute after he lost his first match 3-0. A good decision it turned out, because with Greg as partner they fought their way through each match with narrow victories. A 3-2 win over Andrew Spohn and Bob Garvey was followed up with a 3-1 victory against Jim Fair and Joe Moran. Meeting Shail and Bruce in the semi, they decided another nail-biter would be only way forward and they took a 3-2 win to advance to the final. Shail’s third title will have to wait another year.

The opposite side of the draw had a favorite emerge rather early on. When I was taking registrations for this event, a Mr. Frank Willard called me to play. I had heard the name, but had never met him and had never seen him on court. He informed me he used to play many years ago and thought this would be a great chance to get back into it again. A wise choice, Mr. Willard. I matched him up with Kevin Kennedy. Another wise choice, this time by Mr. Joint. Frank as it turns out is a very capable player. The ten year or so hiatus from the game didn’t appear to dull his on-court senses very much and it was obvious he knew the angles and had the technique. Sure, he may have been a little rusty, but nobody was going to stop this duo from running the table.

(let to right) Frank Willard, Kevin Kennedy,
Jason Trombley, Greg Rivard

They did not win every match 3-0. Patrick Petz and Ted Morris snagged a game from them in the quarter finals, and in the final itself, Greg and Jason scared them a little by pinching the first game 15-11. In fact, from the few rallies I witnessed in the final, Greg and Jason held their own pretty well. The points were well contested – Greg pounding the ball well and covering the front court with Jason digging shots out of the back with nice length designed simply to keep them in the rally. But eventually, the steadiness and consistency of Frank and Kevin would prove too much. They took the next three games 15-9; 15-11 and 15-10 and undoubtedly deserved the victory.

Congratulations to the winners – I hope Frank will continue to swing his racquet and join the league. He would be a fantastic addition to the growing program. Now that he has knocked some of that rust off, he really shouldn’t allow it to accumulate again!

A WINKY-DINK HALLOWEEN

Justin W...
Scary stuff.
It's the eyes.

Boasters League round 5~~

The Boasters League has had some rough date conflicts the past three weeks. Tiger play-off games the previous two rounds (I forget what the result was…) and Halloween last night. Participation was expected to be light – and it was. Except if you are a “Winky-Dink”. Captain Justin Winkelman must have scared the bejeezus out of his players if they didn’t show up because remarkably 9 of them did. That’s more bonus points than the 4 worst teams combined. Either that or he terrified the others not to come… Team “Foss-ters” didn’t have anybody show at all and “Destiny” had just one!

Justin’s team also won 5 of the 7 matches they played, beating league leaders “Butter Nutz”. However, “Butter Nutz” ended up increasing their overall lead helped along by a few make-up matches over the week. “Mongoose” made the biggest move of the week from 6^th place to 4^th.

The quiet evening on the courts didn’t leave many close matches to highlight. Newcomer to the league Stefan Ahee (“WallEED”) picked up his second win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Bill Rivard (“Vivio’s”); JB Peabody (“Mercedes”) was grateful to take the first two games off Joe Moran (“Mongoose”) before running out of gas in the third; and Sante Fratarcangeli (“Butter Nutz”) did well to pick up one game off Kevin Kennedy (“Winky-Dinks”) as he came down to me after the match asking “where did this guy come from?”

Special mention once again to Britt-Marie who not only came down for her bonus point (wine glass in hand!) but for bringing a basket full of candy for the small crowd that made the effort to come the DAC on Halloween night! A very thoughtful gesture indeed!

So now there is no excuse not to play your league match on a Wednesday. No more conflicts on the horizon. I expect a full contingent to be present next week for round 6, where “Butter Nutz” has the bye and everyone else has the golden opportunity to catch up. Believe it or not, you only have 5 weeks to get your matches completed.