(Quote)
"Is this going to be the year when Jack and Rocky play in almost every final? Hurry back Kane"

Jason Dugan
Team Ektelon



I am not really sure that Kane is going to come to the tour and get his number 1 spot back. Jason, Jack, and Rocky have been competing against each other ever since he left making themselves better and better. I think Jack was even starting to beat him before he left the tour. Just a thought.

let's just put it this way

be very, very afraid

That is a good observation but there are alot of other factors that play in favor of Kane.
Sure, the guys have been playing for almost 2 years without him...BUT....that is 2 less years of wear and tear on Kane's body, shoulder, etc..
I am sure most of you may know what kind of toll it takes on your body throughout each year, especially the top players in the world.
And, lets not forget, Kane did not retire and is not attempting a comeback....he was at the top of the IRT when he left.
He has been training harder than ever and preparing for his return. I am sure all the racquetball fans won't be disappointed once he starts tearing up the IRT again.
He will have to work back into the draw again, and no he won't get his #1 ranking when he returns, but I am sure he is going to take it back from Jack or Rocky...:mrgreen: :mrgreen:
It was good for Kane to get out to Memphis this year and see all the guys play...and quite honestly, the level of play hasn't risen much so I don't think Kane is too worried.
I think Jack, Rocky, Jason and others will be ready....but....we'll have to wait a few more months to find out.:cheesy: :cheesy:

An interesting comparison:

Volume 2, Issue 4 The Verdict
2007 Motorola IRT Pro Nationals
Sunday, April 29th, 2007

From the article: "All comments, questions, concerns, suggestions, and insults
should be directed to bryan at pinchshot.com ." just to clarify who the author was (unless there were contributors).

The Sleeping Lion
www.irt-tour.com
The old adage is to let a sleeping dog lie. A dog isn’t quite a ferocious enough comparison
for Kane Waselenchuk. Kane was absent from Pro Nationals this year as well as the entire
racquetball season as he is serving a two-year suspension due to a Canadian anti-doping rule violation. As it stands now, Kane will also miss the entire 2007-2008 season as he serves his final year of suspension. Kane has stepped out of the limelight and has not been very visible in the racquetball community this past season, only making a handful of guest appearances in Texas.

Rumor has it that Kane is training for the 2008-2009 season with a vengeance. His G.B.W.M (“Give Back What’s Mine”) campaign should start after next season. Kane’s suspension happened near the height of his dominance on tour. Missing two full seasons at such a young age and early in his racquetball career will probably cost him many more tournaments and titles in the long run, but his two-year absence is actually comparable to the years Cliff Swain left racquetball to pursue professional tennis as far as their age at the time of absence, their dominance on the racquetball tour at the time, and the number of years away from the pro tour. Cliff came back and recaptured the number one ranking his first year back and went on to win four more titles and remains arguably the best player to ever play the sport. We’ll just have to wait and see what Kane does

hmmm, well those are some interesting points. In my opinion, Jack and Rocky are going to dominate next season. There is some strong rivalry between those guys though.

Blake Martin

hmmm, well those are some interesting points. In my opinion, Jack and Rocky are going to dominate next season. There is some strong rivalry between those guys though.

Kane will be in the top 5 for sure. Jason can never be overlooked as long as he is healthy. All the top x players analyze each others game on an ongoing basis to find the subtle weaknesses and adjust as those ones are overcOme (self-removed) and new ones float to the top.

It's my opinion that Kane will be the clear #1 player on tour his first year back. He will lose some matches, as he did while being the clear #1 before he was suspended. He will however be the clear #1 both in points on the court and in the excitement factor of watching him play and his draws of fans to the court.

How is his inner ear Leo? Does he still have any balance issues or has the break allowed him to heal?

"Kane will be in the top 5 for sure"

Wow Scott really stepping out on a limb in that prediction. LOL

I'm not necessarily a Kane fan, but I have a feeling he'll be in the the top 1, give or take a 1/8th of a point. Yes, I'd much rather see Jman or Rock in (#1) that spot hands down! I've watched Kane play a handful of times, against great players and I would swear he's only giving it 50%. The guy makes it look so easy, his true competition has been his health (ear) issues.

I think his time off will only be an obstacle the first couple of tournaments. Going forward he may need to bring a spatula for the donuts he's serving up.. Outside guys, may want to keep him away, he may dominate that to. Hey, Just sayin

DISCLAIMER: The following statement was not an attempt or effort to jump on bandwagon.
Any and all claims by author were made on a calculated cognitive
belief system. The author's heart wishes Jman one last day in the sun (#1)
before its time to hang up the stick.

sgraff

"Kane will be in the top 5 for sure"

Wow Scott really stepping out on a limb in that prediction. LOL

I'm not necessarily a Kane fan, but I have a feeling he'll be in the the top 1, give or take a 1/8th of a point. Yes, I'd much rather see Jman or Rock in (#1) that spot hands down! I've watched Kane play a handful of times, against great players and I would swear he's only giving it 50%. The guy makes it look so easy, his true competition has been his health (ear) issues.

I think his time off will only be an obstacle the first couple of tournaments. Going forward he may need to bring a spatula for the donuts he's serving up.. Outside guys, may want to keep him away, he may dominate that to. Hey, Just sayin

DISCLAIMER: The following statement was not an attempt or effort to jump on bandwagon.
Any and all claims by author were made on a calculated cognitive
belief system. The author's heart wishes Jman one last day in the sun (#1)
before its time to hang up the stick.

great use of language. Kudos.

sgraff

"Kane will be in the top 5 for sure"

Wow Scott really stepping out on a limb in that prediction. LOL
{snip}

:oops:

Well I'm a Kane fan no doubt but I recall all the excitement of Sudsy coming back and it appeared that at the top level there is some pretty critical timing and strategies to get back in tune with. If he has to qualify that can take it's toll as well.

Keep in mind I never saw Sudsy or Cliff live in their hayday so I don't know how to make that comparison. Rocky is playing great and has certainly stepped it up as have others. Rocky played him well a few times in the past so apparently there styles match up well. Of course, I saw Kane destroy Rocky once too.

jasonwright77

How is his inner ear Leo? Does he still have any balance issues or has the break allowed him to heal?

Jason,
His ear has been fine, he still makes visits to his ear specialist, who happens to live in Memphis.
Even when his ear was bothering him, he still brought 110% to the court each time so let's see what happens now...:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

I have been a Kane fan since I first watched him play in Lakewood, CO many years ago. His ability on the court is in a league of it's own(in my opinion). It may take a few pro stops to get everything fine tuned but I believe when you have a natural ability such as Kane, its only a matter of time before he is back on top.

I was kind of a Kane fane myself, but it just seemed sometimes when he was down or did not agree with the ref, he would argue, or linger on that thought. The players like Jack i have great respect bacause they may say their mind on the 'bad call', but they also let it go and not interfere with their game play.
I think Kane will swing back to the top quickly, may not be right away, but in the first season he will be in finals..just a thought.

Who's Kane??...don't remember anyone with that name with all the great rball playing that has gone on during the past two years......LOL

Wish him the best and can't wait to see him mix it up again.

I think Kane will quickly dominate again like he did '03-'05--and play much better than he did in '06. And I don't think the qualifying rounds are going to take that much out of him. I just have a feeling that he's going to be a beast.

Leo, you seem to know Kane fairly well. I'm wondering if he's ever played other sports? I think I heard he grew up playing hockey and had some sort of short-lived professional career at that. I could be mistaken. This kid is such a phenomenal athlete so I was just curious if he's ever thought about committing to other sports. Thanks in advance.

D

ScottF200

:oops:

Well I'm a Kane fan no doubt but I recall all the excitement of Sudsy coming back and it appeared that at the top level there is some pretty critical timing and strategies to get back in tune with. If he has to qualify that can take it's toll as well.

Keep in mind I never saw Sudsy or Cliff live in their hayday so I don't know how to make that comparison. Rocky is playing great and has certainly stepped it up as have others. Rocky played him well a few times in the past so apparently there styles match up well. Of course, I saw Kane destroy Rocky once too.

I thought i remember Rocky taking him to 5 in Memphis and loosing the 5th game 11-9? That doenst sound like much of a beat down to me.

Blake Martin

I thought i remember Rocky taking him to 5 in Memphis and loosing the 5th game 11-9? That doenst sound like much of a beat down to me.

I know of the match you are talking about. I'm thinking of a pro-nationals match a couple years back. Kane destroyed Rocky in 3 games. I'm not sure Rocky got more than 3 or 4 points in each game.

In my opinion the match at the Open in 05 between Carson and Kane was a bit of a fluke, Kane was missing more than usual, and Rocky was very hot

that season at Pro Nats Kane didn't lose a game, after being criticized for putting on weight and losing ground (very quickly) against jack, not to mention the sponsorship changeover

yet he destroyed everyone when the time counted