What's going on out there?!?!
Ya'll must be wicked board, to start re-posting up schizel from 4 years ago?
Now, if I start seeing re-posts from the past that pertain to a certain Team SoCal trip to Florida and the specific events of that trip and the contacts made between a few folks, I'm gonna know you all have just lost it and I'm gonna hand in my SoCal Card.
Don't make me hand in my card! It's all I got left.
I sure don't have Outdoor RB out here! I don't care how much you heat up a Fireball...
It still slides off the lines when they're covered with snow!
So I finally got out to play some outdoor today!
Alright, alright, so it took me a little while to get settled in. I'm enjoying the new surroundings and I definitely procrastinated... a lot! and I took some time to exercise my 2nd amendment rights (something that's rather difficult to do in Cali), but I got out there in Maryland today.
It's definitely not SoCal and I'll miss you guys this week, but the spirit is here and "RB fun in the sun" is always fun as long as there is sun. So we have outdoor here too. And we definitely have sun right now!
Now being an E-Force guy I can neither confirm nor deny that I rec'd. from the good folks @ RacquetballWarehouse a pair of the new Ektelon... I mean PRINCE / WOR court shoes. Because I would never wear shoes made by Ektelon due to contractual issues.
But man do they fit nice and work well!
Absolute best pair of court shoes I've ever owned, hands down. And given the fact that I have plantar fasciitis, a wide foot, and have played with sponsors and obviously without sponsorship I have worn every freakin court shoe out there. You wanna know about what shoes are good for what kind of foot, you talk to me and I'm telling you this one is the best so far.
Last week I would have told you that New Balance 782's are the best, but I think I just retired those to my walking shoes. (Like I walk! Walk to the car! It's freakin hot here!)
Well done, RBW, Ektelon (I mean Prince) and WOR!
I'm sure you guys will see a lot of these shoes out there at Nationals this week.
If they're selling them, buy them! You won't regret it.
Unfortunately my trip to SoCal missed the Nationals dates by just 10 days, so I won't be there. It'll be the 1st Nationals in years that I've missed.
Good luck ya'll!
(That's how we say You All out here in Virginia Zues)
While I still had the chance, I wanted to take a moment to bid farewell to the SoCal outdoor scene and all the people that have made the years so great.
I started playing outdoor when I was 12 @ OCC. I got smoked by Brian Hawkes @ Nationals that year. I think he was 16. Some of you guys may remember those days. I took quite a few years off to kill brain cells and completely F-up my life. But when I finally got my schizel back together I needed a place to go to keep from getting board and to stay away from drugs. LA Fitness was where I went and I returned to the outdoor scene soon after that.
I may not be in the top ranks but for the most part I was accepted into the fold and I felt welcome to hold my little spot in the ranks. To each and every one of you SoCal outdoor guys I say thanks for having me. It was an honor and a priveledge to get smoked by you and hand you my entry fees over the last decade or so since my return to the game. I was glad that my last outdoor event here was the KOB because it is by far my favorite tourney.
In the coming weeks the Haas family will be relocating to Northern Virginia / DC area and I will assume my new technical roll in some of the largest government construction projects this country has ever seen. It's a huge move for me and my family and considering the massive scale of the work I don't expect to return to So Cal... Well, ever! I don't know. We'll see how a born & bread Orange County boy survives his 1st Virginia winter, but I have no plans to return.
So farewell my friends. Thanks for the games. I'll be hitting around a few more times over the next 2 weeks, so if you see me say hey, cuz it may be the last time.
Stay warm.
Bryan Haas
So will I be the highest ranking outdoor player in DC when I move out there next month?
I mean, I'm assuming I will lead a pack of 1. But hey #1 is #1.
Is there outdoor out there or what or do I have to learn to use that glass thing at the back again?
My company is relocating me to DC in April.
We're probably going to live in the Burke / West Springfield area or maybe Sterling.
So I'm assuming there's no outdoor action out there, but are there any club chains out there that have RB?
We have LA Fitness out here in Cali but there's only a few out there.
So where's the indoor action out there?
On this day, my day, here are some of the acts that make me a good father....
- Instead of escaping the children to run off and play racquetball with my friends, I told my wife to get away for some personal time while I did the brakes on the Benz. Thus making the family safer and saving the family the trauma of being robbed by the dealer.
- I allowed a 3 year old to win an argument about which is better, fake Croc's or "Real Croc's". A $20 difference!
- I agreed to put of the ringing of my 15 years old neck until next school year and agreed to grant him the opportunity to prove that a D- is in fact a passing grade. "An F is failing". I'm still battling internally with that one.
I vowed that for yet ANOTHER year, I will allow my kids to live in my house..... FOR FREE!
With room and board I will provide;
- Their own private car & driver.
- An endless supply of food and a Chef and a dishwasher
- The little one is such a little princess, she will have someone there to wipe her a$$ and bathe her
- The big get's his own karate teacher and piano teacher
These are just some of the things I do that make me a good father.
:-k :-k :-k
Anyone up for some in-formal US Open prep this Sunday?
Maybe Esperanza? That's about as small as the courts get around here.
Of course, there's more girls at the beach!
HOOZ-UP?
Does anyone have the new K-Swiss Forecourt shoes?
I just rec'd. my pair from Pacific Sports and they seem to be a great feel but what's weird is that the shoe is not even close to being flat on the bottom.
You put the shoes on and you can easily rock the front of your foot left to right without lifting your foot.
I flipped them upside down and compared them to my New Balance and my Prince shoes and it's a noticeable difference.
Is this the way they're supposed to be or are mine defective?
I'm kinda wondering if the fact that they aren't flat might cause me to roll.
Just wondering if anyone else has these shoes and has noticed the same thing.
Anyone playing tomorrow?
I gotta get back out there. I'm dead on the vine here with all these health issues lately and feel like all the time off and rest is just making it worst.
I got that "play through the pain" urge hittin me hard right now.
I haven't even hit with my new sticks yet and I've had them for a month.
Who's up for tomorrow 9-10am?
The beach, Marina, Goldenwest?
Don't make me play indoor tomorrow! I'll do it!
Well Vegas has been done for a while with great success, thanks to me.
So hey, why not send Fix-It Guy (BHaas) to San Jose to see if he can't pull the rabbit out of the hat, yet again.
Why not?
My new assignment starts in San Jose next week at a classified location. I'll be there a few days a week for a few months.
So where's the action up there. Ya'll play outdoor? Is there an LA Fitness near the airport?
PRB, what's up? How far are you from there? Let's play!
Sorry I don't have ALL the updates, but here are a few that I know of.
Jimbo & Partner lost their 1st round match to Peters/Booth. Jimbo was playing pretty well, but appeared to somewhat be alone on in his efforts. Sorry, that's just how it looked from the crowd.
Peters/Booth???? I don't know...... Could be a force here. They looked pretty good.
Son & Gary Martin took down Jesus & Zues in 2 straight. Son is ON and Gary is definitely settling into a very comfortable and consistent groove.
Clubber & Bret Harnett were on a roll when I left and appeared to be rolling over Ron Grassl & John Ivers who got to that match by rolling right over Haas & Briceno in the 1st round.
Haas & Briceno met Jesus x 2 in the drop down and forced a tie-breaker by winning the 2nd game. Haas was definitely bringing it, by stepping across and cutting off 75% of Jesus' serves, but we were just no match for the seasoned team in the 3rd game and basically got smoked. Actually we were no match for Zues and his aggressive play once the idea of possibly loosing got in his head. Jesus worked on tanning his dome while Zues took my partner and I to school.
Allan & Vic lost both their 1st round match and the drop-down and are out, but played out of their minds. I mean these guys were amazing.
Sorry I don't have more, but I'm sure other will soon add.
Looks like starting this week I will spending Wed. - Fri. working on a project @ UNLV.
Since I'll be away from my family in a city that pretty much has nothing going on, I figured I might as well just play ball every night.
What indoor clubs around "The Strip" are good for nightly challenge matches since LA Fitness doesn't have any clubs there?
Finally got a job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Whew! I was starting to get a little worried there. 2 months is a long time to be out of work with no income at all.
Just as a reality check from me to my fellow players, ALWAYS BE PREPARED!
I was not prepared at all when I got canned. I am what some might consider "At the top of my field" and was doing fine where I was at with no problems. I just got caught in the middle of some strategic corporate shifts.
Although I knew no job is guaranteed forever, I figured if I ever did loose my job it wouldn't take much time at all to get another one.
Well it took 2 months.
COBRA coverage for my family was $2400+ in that time. Un-employment doesn't care how much money you made before. $450 a week is the MAX benefit you can receive.
This was a humbling experience and a wake up call. Keep in mind, it can happen to anyone.
Just thought I'd share in case there are others like myself that are feeling rather comfortable and confident.
The "Tournament House" is holding the Greg Sheffield Memorial Shootout on March 15th. So cool, right?
I tell my wife I'm playing the event and she says "Well that's cool, I assume ALL the $$$ goes to his family huh?"
I said "Yeah, I'm sure it does".
Then I see the entry form where it states on the bottom "The Tournament House will donate $5 for every entry to the Sheffield Fund".
Or something to that affect. The $5 part, I know is correct.
Uhm, is it just me, or does $5 per person seem like an awful small amount of $$$ to donate to a fund if you're going to name the tournament after the guy?
In addition to that, they're handing out $150 prize to the C doubles winners & $$$ to 2nd place as well?
When was the last time C division winners rec'd. prize money?
Don't get me wrong, I think that should happen more often and would be great for the game. But if there ever was a tourney where NO prize money is given out, THIS WOULD BE THE ONE.
I hope I'm actually missing something here and there is something more going to Greg's family than what is printed on the form.
Hey just another reminder that Vic and team FLA is still accepting donations to get some of the Fla juniors on a plane and get them out here in July for the Outdoor Nationals. It's now, believe it or not, mere months away.
And just to get back with ya Vic, I'll send a check out this weekend. Had some investment choices turn out to be good ones, so I want to make good on my word brotha!
Looks like BHAAS is now back on track and soon to be employed yet again. If everything goes as planned tomorrow and Saturday it will appear that getting fired from my job a month ago was the best career move I've ever made. And I didn't even intentionally make that move.
That how good I am, huh?
Who else is gonna match my hunskie for the Fla Juniors?
For those o ya'll that don't already know, I got canned last week.
Bastards wanted their company cell back too, can you believe that?
Anyway, I didn't get my numbers out of it.
Can the following guys PM me with their numbers?
Zues, Jesus, Gary & Blake Martin, Greg Solis, Clubber, Thunder, Allan K., Vic (FLA), Son, Scott D., Steve Cohen, Mickey, Pinhead and anyone else I may have forgotten.
Oh and Robert M., can you give me your # casein I don't get a job, I gots to rob a bank to feed the fam, get caught and need to get bailed out? That'd be great bro. Thanks.
Jeez man, since I got canned I seem to have all this time on my hands.
One of the nice things about being in a position like mine is I don't have to do my own job searching. Other people do it for me. They get big bucks for placing me I guess.
So who plays during the week, during the day. Indoor/ outdoor, whatever.
I'm ready to go.
Did anyone else get their sticks last night?
Got mine, finally! Perfect timing too. Got a whole month before the US Open to get used to them and break those factory strings.
Yeah, "Break". Not break-in.
They always break like the 1st. day! But whatever, these racquets are hot! I got the Dagger 170 and a 175. Probably order another 1 of each soon. 175's outdoor / 170's indoor.
I guess the rest of the gear to follow in the next couple of weeks.
Hey outdoor guys, there is a benefit that is coming up in Aug. that is for a good cause that would be cool if the outdoor guys could make a showing at.
Breast Cancer is something that is close to home for me as many of you already know. So I'll be looking to play this event for sure.
I challenge all my outdoor buds to put up some money for a good cause and take Rhona & Janelle down.
Hey George, remember this is the team that took us out of the Tournament of Terror '05. Want to be my partner and get some revenge?
I'll even pay your donation to the cause.
What's up guys?
