Rocky has been playing tough all year and Ben pulled out a great victory this weekend. Congrats Ben Croft !
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So, Ben has been just recently hired as the business manager for Racquetball Warehouse. (RW facebook) I am very happy for both. Not sure what this means for Ben and the IRT. I think Ben has brought a lot to the tour,especially in the last couple of years, and I am hoping that he will continue to play full time. Anyone know for sure??
So, I assume that with Paola's win at the Ektelon Championships season finale, Paola will retain and finish as the number 1 ranked WPRO player. Nice to see a battle between Rhonda and Paola right to the finish, however, even though it would have taken away from the climax and excitement of this last pro stop showcasing their rivalry, my believe is that Paola should have been suspended from playing this past weekend. Rhonda should be #1, instead we have the rise of Princess Paola to Queen of the WPRO.
Website is quiet, just wondering what everyones thought was on who are the 'toughest' players on the tour. All of them,at one time or another, have to deal with pain,sickness, discomfort. Kinda difficult to 'call in sick',some due I'd say most don't. Some things we hear about, others we don't. Anyway, I know someone posted negative about Chris Crowther and his chronic back issues. I say hats off to him for going back eack pro stop, dealing wiith it and trying to play through it. Can't be easy to play under those circumstances. And I know a couple of years ago Ben Croft was playing Jason Mannino and dove for a shot and split his chin. Because the bleeding wouldnt stop and a band-aid wouldn't hold, they wrapped his face and head up with gauze like a mummy so he could finish out and he did, not sure if he won or not, but after the match he went to emergency and got stitched up. Any input or thoughts?
Was wondering why the Round of 16's couldnt start earlier during the day and then start the quarters earlier as well. It is very possible, as it happened in ST Louis in the 16's, that the matches in TJ get backed-up. (Ben and Tony had the last match of the evening and walked out of the Missouri Athletic Club after mid-night. I don't think its fair to the players and dont think its fair to the viewers on the Irtnetwork and the fans that pay to watch an 8:30 match. To top it off, today we have Rocky playing Chris (I think 2 of the slowest players) at the 5:30 slot. WHich brings up another point: I wish Charlie would enforce the rules that quciken up the delivery of the serve. I think Rocky abuses this over and over. Not saying its going to happen, but if the 8:30 match TJ time, starts an hour late, the good folks on the east coast get to watch the match at 12:30. Not sure how many viewers we lose becasue of this.
Jason, I have enjoyed reading the first 4 IRT newsletters, lots of good info. It's been a couple of months since the 4th publication. Any word on # 5 ? Please keep em coming !
My first experience at a US Open I wanted to watch pros in action live for once! After watching several matches on the exhibition court, (WOW!) it only reaffirms my feeling that there are three players that bring a lot of excitement, entertainment and value to the IRT. (Kane, Ben and Mitch.) Alomst seems like there's a changing of the guard in the rankings this year and it's great for the sport! I certainly hope Ben and Mitch stick around for years to come! (I think we all can assume Kane will!) And certainly wish Mitch a speedy recovery from his injury. (Any update on that BTW?)
Two side notes:
1.) Seemed like the side courts were too crammed. I was only able to watch one watch because it was always so overpopulated.
2.) Wondering how the Instant Replay looked on www.irtnetwork.com. Since I saw it live and there wasn't any Live Instant Replay!
Overall, a fantastic display of Professional Racquetball all week! Great job Jman!
Two side notes:
1.) Seemed like the side courts were too crammed. I was only able to watch one watch because it was always so overpopulated.
2.) Wondering how the Instant Replay looked on www.irtnetwork.com. Since I saw it live and there wasn't any Live Instant Replay!
Overall, a fantastic display of Professional Racquetball all week! Great job Jman!
Jason, Is the irt website format going to change at all for the 2010/11 season and typically does it feature the top 8 pros?
So, games start this weekend. I assume the players are on their way to Seoul today and tomorrow. I was wondering whether our Team USA composition is basically the same as past years, or whether it is considered weaker or stronger ? I am assuming that USA will fair pretty well in both mens and womens, or do we have to face tougher competition in some divisions ? Input ?