TAMPA BAY OUTDOOR CASH CLASSIC
August 28th & 29th

Sign up here:
http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=7173

$1,500 prize money in Mens Pro Doubles!


IRT star Shane Vanderson will be playing!


Many divisions. Go to R2 for more details!

No money collected up front. Pay when you arrive but sign up in advance.

Vic Heat Fan

TAMPA BAY OUTDOOR CASH CLASSIC
August 28th & 29th

Sign up here:
http://www.r2sports.com/tourney/home.asp?TID=7173

$1,500 prize money in Mens Pro Doubles!


IRT star Shane Vanderson will be playing!


Many divisions. Go to R2 for more details!

No money collected up front. Pay when you arrive but sign up in advance.

hmmm....that would be fun!

I may think about that :)

THIS WEEKEND!

Mike Harmon / Tony St Pierre
Chris McDonald/Rob Mijares
Andres Ramirez/Nic Chafloque
Shane Vanderson/nobody
Gary Smith/Todd Pohlman

More....

How about some odds here? Where are the "know-it-all" odds makers when you need them?

Maybe Angel sets the odds? Maybe someone new? Maybe the "all seeing eye" comes out of retirement to set the odds?

In my humble opinion... (what do I know?)

Rob Mijares/Chris McDonald win the Gold and the loot...easily!

Too bad Shane isn't playin' with anyone otherwise it wouldn't be so crystal clear. I mean Shane is so good that ANYONE should be able to stand on the court next to him and win...but we know who you are....NO CHANCE!!!

Should be a great event! Besides the racquetball....sounds like one hellava outdoor PARTY!!!

Good luck to all of you that are going!

That is definitely a deep draw. McDonald/Mijares will definitely be the strongest serving team.

Vic has posted some odds, for those interested, on the Florida Racquetball Association Forum. I can post a link if there is any interest.

Just my humble opinion....

1.5:1 Chris McDonald/Rob Mijares - Rob plays well on all courts, but Chris is a world class shortwall stud. His serve will be a problem for all of us. Chris hands are just sick. This is the team to beat. Chris is THAT good on these courts. I hate him!

2:1 Shane Vanderson/me - I won last year, and now I am playing with Shane. 'nuff said right? I'll be fresh early while Shane gets his bearings in pool play. By the playoffs Shane will be dominating, and folks will have to force the ball towards me at their peril.

3:1 Todd Pohlman/Garry Smith - Gary won last year by riding on my back. Dumped me this year for his regular partner Todd - who is my arch enemy on the court. Left me without a partner. That was how I was available when Shane decided to play. This team should compete to win, but at some point will mentally break down. Two top short wall specialists who will mow down most of the teams they face. I want them. Dump me for Todd after I carried you last year????? Good. Game on.

4:1 Joe Young/Yelandi Rivero - Semis last year. Great team, used to each other. Joe flat can hit the ball. Yelandi owns the left corner and has great hands. Will mow down most, but still dont understand the spacing and strategy to win it all. Neither has a serve to get easy points. Neither knows how to handle strong "out the door" serves.

5:1 Mike Harmon/Toby St Pierre - Two incredible studs that can flat out ball. If they played this sized court on a regular basis against top opponents, they would be in serious contention. But the transition to short wall is way tougher than long wall. These guys will destroy most of the teams they face, but in the semis will face one of the teams above who's experience will be the difference. Neither Mike nor Toby will have an effective serve on these courts. When the games get "hot" they'll struggle to keep ball on the court without the side walls. No disrespect, but they wont be ready for the top 3 teams without some experience.

6:1 Chris Young/Mark Maupin - Mark is a rock. Money. You cant find a more consistant player. No unforced errors. Give him a duck and he kills it. But he is playing with Chris so ... nuff said.

7:1 Nic Chafloque/Andres Ramirez - Nic is a strong A player, Andres has no experience at all on short walls. Wont have enough to really compete to win, but could be dangerous as a spoiler for any given match. Andres can be amazing at times.

8:1 Jose Cazinares/Gus Lopez - Welcome to the Open division! Jose dominated the A singles and doubles all season last year. Much to his chagrin, he is now an Open player. No chance at all to beat any of the teams ahead of them, but will do just fine against the inexperienced.

8:1 Roberto Cantos/whoever Robert is steady and has played some outdoor. Doesnt have the tools to go far though, regardless of who his partner is.

8:1 Clay Burris/Ron Jennings - Indoor guys. Wont have a serve to strike fear in the top teams. Will struggle to keep the ball in during rallies. May wipe out some weak teams, but will be defensless against the top outdoor teams. (Remember what happened to Roberto Cantos last year?)

12:1 - Angel Calderon/Leonardo Alberto - Angel has a nice overhead serve that will give the indoor guys some trouble. But - they'll be in my pool. Angel's serve is a snickers bar, and I'm a fat kid.

18:1 - Carlos Valencia/Carlos Bravo - Top long wall A team, with little experience in short wall. Kids with hot tempers and agressive games. Clueless. Will be telling each other to "just keep it in" by the end of the day.

25:1 - Gabe Fuentes/Jason Benedict - Middle A team.

30:1 Joe Dorner/ Todd Guarino - See above.

298:1 Beannie Williams/? Nobody named Beannie is gonna win!

No odds for Frank Butler/Todd Nyguen. Frank is doing a ton of work and putting this extravaganza on for all of us. Thank you! Frank and Todd will be available to grill once the playoffs start.

Pretty good predictions huh?

Here is the write-up from the Forbes Rec Tourney over the weekend.

Mens A's - Sunday

This could take a while.

Originally there were ten teams signed up. That's perfect. Two shootout pools, top two points earners go to the semis....all good.

Not so fast.....one team did not show so we decided to go Thunderdome style. All 9 teams in one pool, everybody plays everybody, 4 teams to the semis for a 15 point game, and then two teams to the finals for a regulation match...two games to 15 with an 11 point tie-breaker.

Just 11 or 12 games in one day to determine a winner. What could possibly go wrong?

Pretty good crop of teams out there....young guns, old farts, USF kids, UF kids, guys from both coasts.

The first casualty of the day was Jason from Jacksonville. Jason played all day Saturday and was back out there on Sunday. He started seeing three racquetballs at once and at one point he actually thought Gabe was tall, dark, and handsome. That's when we knew he was having a meltdown. Way to hang Jason, you did Jacksonville proud. You get a rematch anytime you want one, you were definitely not at your best for our game.

Things were going along pretty well for about three hours. As it turned out, Frank Butler and one of the UF kids were also playing mixed doubles. That threw a monkey wrench into things and we started to get backed up.

Two teams were a lock for the playoffs. Ed and Stan cruised and Rusty and Eric also made it easily. Gino and Jose were the next best and once they beat the UF kids, they were also in the playoffs.

Then it got a little nutty. Carlos and Carlos were well on their way, but they had one more game against Frank Butler and Todd Nguyen. Frank and Todd proceeded to open a can and ended up winning the game 15-5!

If Carlos x2 had just scored 6 points we could have started the playoff! But hey, that would have been too easy. Frank and Todd had another game to play against Todd Guarino and Joe D.

If Frank and Todd beat Joe D. and Todd G. they would be in the playoff. If Joe D. and Todd won, then Carlos and Carlos would be in the playoff.

Well, they say that one of the hardest things to do in sports is beat an opponent 48 times in a row....but that's what happened yesterday. At 11-11, I just hit 4 drive serves to Todd and about 45 seconds later we walked off the court with a 15-11 win. You're welcome Carlos x2!

[b]A Semis[/b]

Ed and Stan v Carlos and Carlos

Just like most of the games they played, Ed and Stan were pretty steady and Carlos x2 were shooting from all over the court. Ed and Stan got off to a fast start, mostly due to some skipping from Carlos x2. Carlos started serving pretty well, and Carlos started hitting some good backhands....they eventually had the momentum for a few rallies and got the score back to respectability. Ed and Stan just kept hitting half lobs down the middle and Carlos x2 never really figured out a good strategy for that serve. Ed and Stan kept it in play and eventually Carlos x2 gave up 15 points. Ed and Stan advance to the finals.

Gino and Jose v. Eric and Rusty

There is a lot of love out there for Gino, but this was the semis and Rusty and Eric were focused on winning. Gino got the bulk of the shots sent his way and Rusty and Eric won 15-8. It wouldn't be a Gino/Jose match without some controversy and we ended up with a couple of stoppages for multiple arguments in multiple languages. Good playing Gino, we're glad that you keep coming back to Forbes Rec.

A Final

Stan and Ed v. Rusty and Eric

Rusty and Eric were pretty much in control for most of this match. The big difference was their serves. Ed and Stan just never seemed to get a good handle on their service return strategy. They would change sides, play side to side, front and back, whatever. Mostly Rusty and Eric were serving a z to the backhand and Ed and Stan were giving them plenty of set-ups. Once the rallies got going, Ed and Stan were fine. Stan was moving well and Ed was shooting from the back, but in the end, Eric and Rusty won the finals in two games. Congrats Eric and Rusty!






Pool play - Men's Pro/Open - Saturday

16 teams, 3 pools, top two of each pool make the playoffs. Top 2 point getters get the top seeds and the other 4 teams are in the quarters.

Three teams went undefeated. Chris McDonald and Rob, Joe and Yelandi, and Gary and Todd won all of their pool matches. Chris and Rob ended up in the quarters because they gave up the most points per game. Chris Young and Mark, Vic and Shane, and Mike and Toby also made the playoffs.

The Quarters

Mike and Toby v. Chris and Rob

Chris McDonald made it pretty clear in this match that top level short wall outdoor racquetball is a skill that takes years of practice. Mike and Toby have amazing shot making abilities from all over the court , but they had a hard time finding a serve that could get them into the rallies. The smack talk was classic in this match, mostly coming from Martha McDonald! The Queen of outdoor racquetball, Chris's Mom and head cheerleader, really spiced this one up. In the end, Chris's service and return game were too much for Mike and Toby and Chris and Rob advanced to play Gary and Todd.



Vic and Shane v. Mark and Chris Young

Chris Young made it pretty clear that all of his preparation for this tournament was for this particular match. Be careful what you wish for Kid. This was a rocking chair match for Shane. Chris and Mark served mostly to Vic and hit most of their shots into the right corner to basically nullify Shane. Good strategy, they got to a tie-breaker! In the breaker, Shane took over from the service box and this one ended pretty quickly. A terrific effort from Chris and Mark! Pretty sure this was the first time they had played together and they really played well. Vic and Shane advance to play Joe and Yelandi.




The Semis

Vic and Shane v. Joe and Yelandi

Apologies, I was reffing the other semi and only watched this match sporadically. From what I could see, Joe and Yelandi played this match pretty much straight up, which meant that Shane was much more involved. A noble strategy indeed, but one that required Joe and Yelandi to play their best games. Give a player like Shane a chance to get into a rhythm and more often than not, you'll end up on the wrong side of the final score. This match took a physical toll on both Vic and Shane...hands on knees, a few extra timeouts....the heat and the amount of games was becoming a huge factor. Vic and Shane advance in two hard fought games.



Gary and Todd v. Chris McDonald and Rob

Great match to watch....one of the best matches of the tourney. Gary and Todd have a unique on the court "relationship". They both have a variety of excellent shots and they are masters of moving people around and finding ways to win rallies. Chris pretty much dominated the first game. Chris was all over the court, expending a lot of energy, and they won the first game pretty easily. The second game started out just like the first, but Chris started to run out of gas a little, and Gary and Todd started to find a few serves that were working. Most of those serves went to Rob, and the momentum started to shift. Chris and Rob still had a big lead, but Gary got hot at the end of the game, ran off a few winners in a row, and we went to a tie-breaker! At this point, the players were trying to find some shade and drink some Gatorade. Not Todd. Todd was doing just fine, having a smoke and drinking a Coke. Amazing! The tie-breaker was a great game. Todd was starting to figure out Chris a little bit and Gary was putting the heat on Mark. Chris was giving it 100% effort, but his legs were rubber and his fuel tank was on empty. It got to 9-9 and all 4 players were running on fumes. Gary and Todd had a shot at 9-9, but lost the rally. Most of us thought that was it, that Chris and Rob would run it out, but they both ended up losing their serves and Gary and Todd got back in. But no, they couldn't get it done with their serves either! Chris and Rob got one more chance and closed it out. Chris and Rob advance by winning a 11-9 tie-breaker.





The Finals

Vic and Shane v. Chris and Rob

Pretty good atmosphere for the finals. The grill was goin', lots of people there to watch the match, Winghouse girls handing out popsicles.....just a typical day of outdoor racquetball at Forbes Rec.

The strategies were pretty apparent right from the jump. Chris and Rob were zeroed in on Vic, and Vic was sending everything back to Rob. Vic's round the world shot was somewhat effective and when Shane got his chances he was lethal. The heat and the amount of games had a monster effect. Everybody was exhausted, with Vic having the worst of it. The first game was very close, probably 12-12 when Vic got a cramp in his calf. Not good. Looked like he might be done for the day. But hey, Vic's got no quit in him, and after a few minutes we were back at it. Vic was obviously a little slower for a while and Shane stepped up his court coverage, but Rob was playing very well and Chris and Rob won game one. Game two played out just like the end of game one. Rob caught fire at just the right time and was pounding his serve. Shane was trying to cover the whole court, but that's not going to work against guys that can shoot like Chris and Rob. Vic left everything he had on the court, as did Shane, but in the end Chris and Rob were the Champions!

Carpe Diem -

Joe D.