Bentleague X recap - Nov 14 and 16th

 

Bentleague X recap - Nov 14 and 16th

Punky Kevin

Two Horse Race - MoM and Lil Nadal

Nov 14th, Thursday

6:00                    The Killers                       Smash Brothers                                        

Line 1                  Ed Dauterive                   Nick Thompson              6-7,6-3,1-0            The Killers        

Finally, a number 1 draft pick against a number 1.  Guess the Ego was scared.  Word on the street is that once the fireball kicked in, Ed the Donkey played lights out.  Lights out is one thing but a 10-0 third set tie breaker is disappointing Tricky Nicky!

Line 2                  Chris Kobrock                Mark Fair                         5-7,6-3,1-0            The Killers        

                            Ray Brouillette               Mitch Tucker    

Killers starting a trend on TSTB’s.  Good and surprising win for Kobrock and Super Ray.  Crazy how one Halloween costume gave Ray his nickname.  Guess I could be Captain America from here on out.  Must admit…Swami a little stumped by this result.  Would have thought the Ego and MDB would have fared better.  I’m sure Captain Cubano is wondering the same thing.

 

Line 3                  Gabe Perez                     Addison Melancon        6-3,6-1              Smash Brothers            

                            Cayman Sinclair            Ronny Regouffre           

Addi Rounding into form.  And Congrats Ronny stopping the losing streak at 8.  8 and 1 definitely sounds better than 9 and 0.  Son of Ed unable to carry the Cannon to victory.  Wondering about line up pairings as I see the Donald pushed down to line 4.  Back to the drawing board MoM.  Classic case of the Killer Captain thinking long and wrong!

Line 4                  Donald Allen                  Mike Mesa                       6-3,6-1              The Killers        

                            Jay Blossman                 Robert Groeneveld      

Wait, Mesa and Groaneveld lost to the Don and Jaybo.  Too many voices in the head causing indecision…Roberto?  Float Boat captain always figures out a way.  Good win, but the scores have the Swami scratching his head. 

Line 5                  Brad Humphreys           CJ Mehle                          7-6,3-6,1-0            The Killers        

                            Chris Coincon                Blake Powers  

Boom, another TSTB win for the Killers.  Smash Brothers seem snake bitten.  Reply All Coincon pairing with the Killer Captain secures the W.  Smooth Southpaw a pleasant surprise so far for the Killers.  Squeaky, struggling to justify third round selection even with shoulder injury.   

Line 6                  Hunt Vaughn                  Greg Eckholdt                6-3,7-6              The Killers        

                            Paul Eskine                     Steve Toups     

Did someone say…Eskine’s name is the same sentence as MVP.? Clearly best 19^th round selection to date.  Pairings with Gabe and Hunt notwithstanding.  Eskine keeps this up and we’ll be asking him to give prayer of invocation and next year’s draft.      

Total Points       8                                         1           

Just what the doctor ordered for the Killers.  Swept all four TSTB’s to the Swami’s dismay.  Gap for first is narrowing.     

 

7:30                    Angry Squirrels               Kiss My Ace Deux                                      

Line 1                  Will Gement                   Russell Anderson                        6-2,6-1     Kiss My Ace Deux         

Don’t call me Russell handles business at line 1 singles.  Will the Thrill has been playing well too.  Those leg days and yoga sessions paying off Russ!  Blueberry Will may have to explore that same training regimen. 

Line 2                  Noah Marquez               Jeff Thompson                              6-4,7-5     Angry Squirrels

                            Greg Gordon                   Michael Schwartz        

Water is rising Gordo…Jump on the Arc!  Scores appear close, but pharmaceuticals must have been at the right strength.  Swami knows Gordo can step up in class but record at the higher lines is truly impressive.  So much for 3 to 5 balls and a fence shot.  Welcome success for squirrel’s 4^th round selection.  Foresee a battle royal coming in 5^th round as captain squirrel holding out hope increased point totals for round 5 can put him back in the hunt.   

Line 3                  Jay Butcher                     Rudy Kalman                                 6-1,7-6     Kiss My Ace Deux         

                            Dave McGuire                Robby Economides      

True MVP candidate RuPaul remains impressive for KMA.  Welcome partner for ADHD Robbie which is no easy task.  Angry Squirrel’s missing the Chief.  Not happy you were rooting for Florida Eddie, but glad you missed the match.   Asking a lot of the Mayor of Mandeville to play line 3.  Good win for KMA and we needed it.  Would have been interesting if that 2^nd set tie breaker had gone differently.      

Line 4                  Hal Neitzschman          Joey Dunbar                                   4-6,6-2,1-0 Angry Squirrels          

                            David Parnell                  Shawn Potter   

All these two do is Win!  Shallow Hal and the Pouty one gain another victory for captain Kev.  Sometimes past success equates to current year success.  Next year’s Captains should pay attention.  Damn…and another Third Set Tie breaker defeat.  Should we be looking forward to full third sets in the fifth round?  Good win by AS pairing. 

Line 5                  Eric Daigle                      Alejandro Torres                           7-5,6-2     Kiss My Ace Deux         

                            Kevin Phayer                   Ernie Anderson             

KMA captain may have stumbled into another complimentary pairing.  Big Cat Ernie Anderson and Ale Ale Alejandro take this one in two.  Swami paying attention as “put me in Coach” Ernie backs up bravado.  Good to see my man Alejandro playing well heading into crucial 5^th round.

 

Line 6                  Danny Butler                  Thomas Domingues                    6-1,2-6,1-0 Angry Squirrels          

                            Garret Phillippi               Wayne Durr      

Damn third set tie breakers.  “I’m not David” cementing himself as the best Butler with yet another win.  I see this guy’s draft stock increasing for B XI.  Captain Squirrel happy to get G Money back too.  Saint of Saint Bernard not giving up on his guys.  Swami knows full well TSTB’s are all about momentum.  Oh, so close!

Total Points     4                                         5

 

A win is a win!  I’ll take it.  Trust the process and trust your teammates and good things will happen. 

KMA up one heading into final match of the fourth round.

                            

Nov 16th, Saturday

8:00                    Angry Squirrels               Smash Brothers                                        

Line 1                  Kevin Phayer                   Mark Fair                         6-1,6-2              Smash Brothers            

Wait…Squirrel’s #1 and number 2 already played.  His number three and four are present and he puts himself at line 1 for 2 points not knowing which other two lines are worth equal points.  And.  His last singles match was in 1989 when Punky Kevin captured a Franco’s single title.  Guess he has given up on the championship!  Ho Hum victory for the Ego.  Would have been nice to see the extra baggage the Ego is carrying around from the Alabama LSU weekend get tested.

Line 2                 Noah Marquez               Blake Powers                 6-1,6-2              Angry Squirrels

                            Greg Gordon                   Billy Spiess       

There you go Squirrel.  Your goal to win line 2 and 3 paid off.  Congrats on your 5-4 team victory.  You’ll catch up in no time winning matches by one point.  Nice to see Will the Thrill make a Saturday appearance too.  Butch…you should have volunteered for singles.  Or at least a plank competition.  Swami’s money would have been on you vs. the Ego in a planking competition.  Some of these line up choices are confounding.  Guess that is why these two captains are cellar dwellers.  Thinking Addi and/or Tuck should have been at line 3 with the Ego playing line 1.  But, I should be quiet.  Don’t need anyone to start taking advice or the team leading at the end of rounds 1-4.   

Line 3                  Will Gement                   Nick Thompson              6-1,6-3              Angry Squirrels

                            Jay Butcher                     Keith West        

Boom.  A - 2 and a 3 beats a 1 and a 15!  Hope you keep giving points away Cubano.  Sorry Keith “how the” West was won.  This line up choice was not fair. 

Line 4                  Andrew McQuaid           CJ Mehle                          4-6,6-3,10-4  Angry Squirrels

                            David Parnell                  Mitch Tucker    

Hopy the Feline Philly left to go back East before we have to play the AS’s.  Heard the Big Burrito really stepped it up once she came out to the court.  Ahhh…the power of the P!  Squirrel’s Captain may want to see about bringing her south more often.  Randy Macho Man Savage always played better when Elizabeth was watching.  CJ and MDB may have to recruit some ladies to come watch I this continues.    

Line 5                  Dave McGuire                Addison Melancon        6-3,6-2              Smash Brothers            

                            Garret Phillippi               David Butler     

Damn, Mayor of Mandeville on a losing streak.  And.  This time with G Money.  “I’m not Danny” says not so fast on awarding Best Butler title to his brother.  Little less pressure being drafted two behind Danny, but that’s not stopping him from chalking up W’s.  At least you were both drafted ahead of the vocally challenged Eskine even though it will be hard to match his win totals.  Hey Robbie, can we add won loss records and winning percentages to the Bentleague site.  I’m curious to see Svelte Mitch’s winning percentage.  JS.

Line 6                  Kenny Boudreaux          Steve Toups      6-4,2-6,10-3              Angry Squirrels

                            Hal Neitzschman          Mark Ferrer      

 

This is a game of inches, and you must fight for every inch.  A.k.a.  Al Pacino!  May need a stat on TSTB’s and the records for each team Robbie.  Looks like a close one until the TB.  Couldn’t have asked for better pairing.  An 8 and the self-proclaimed best 7 against two 19’s.  Dave would have focused on the juice on this one.  Swami knows never to bet against the Ambidextrous Wine Enthusiast and Shallow Hal.  Too much consistency and that cutter consistently wins on the lower lines.  Have a feeling these two squads AS and SB will play major spoilers in Round 5.  Especially since the Commish decided on a point increase in round 5.  All we need is one team to not field their best and the cockamamie idea of throwing out the first four round point tallies will come to fruition.  Here’s hoping everyone can field their strongest teams and it not come down to one bad match or line up to gift the league on a non-deserving participant.   

Total Points     5                                         4           

 

AS on the comeback trail.  One point at a time!

                            

9:30                    Kiss My Ace Deux          The Killers                                     

Line 1                  Michael Schwartz         Chris Kobrock                 3, 4 Kiss My Ace Deux    

             

Sarge played this one to perfection.  Never seen so many cut back hands.  Good move not getting into a forehand battle with high revolution Kobrock.  Smart tennis from each but the back hand cutters is Schwartz’s specialty.  Good win Sarge!                        

Line 2                  Russell Anderson          Shane McCarthy            4-6, 6-4, 0-1        The Killers        

                            Tony Priola                       Hunt Vaughn   

Most thought I wouldn’t write the blog this week.  As the ombudsman of Bentleague, I just couldn’t do that!  I owe it to my readers to tell it like it is and not pull punches.  This match has officially taken its place as the worse loss of my storied tennis career.  And I have lost some title matches.  All fail in comparison to the sickness in my stomach I felt watching my 9-8 winning volley go long.  Yea, we played on a Satellite court.  Yea, the sun sucked on one side.  Yea, the shadows into the sun back into the shadows sucked worse than trying to hit a 100mph fastball at 4pm baseball game at mike miley.  But…both teams had to contend with these same effing subpar conditions.  And.  We were up 6-4, 4-0 before the wheels came off.   No excuses.  EffUHunt was only taking a page from my own handbook hitting those lobs into the sun.  He just did it better than we did.  Tip of the hat, to Come Back Shane and EffUHunt.  Fitting names for both. 

Line 3                  Joey Dunbar                    Ed Dauterive                   2-6, 6-4, 1-0, Kiss My Ace Deux 

                            Jeff Thompson               Donald Allen   

KMA’s plan almost worked to perfection.  Damn sun at the Cayman Dome!  Also, that bullshit talk about concerts and rides to NOLA didn’t help with my Partner’s focus.  We fell for the trap this time, won’t happen in round 5. Great win by Mighty Joe Dunbar and Jeffro “Carlos” Santana.  Smooth lefty held the rope until Minus 2 Dunbar turned into Mighty Joe again.   Way to step it up in 2^nd set and the tie breaker.  Questions already being asked about Killer pairings for round 5 after witnessing this collapse.  Lil Nadal still eyeing possible match against the Donald.  And I’ll put up a better fight than Kamala.

Line 4                  Robby Economides       Gabe Perez                      The Killers             

                            Burt Dalton                     Keith Laterrade

Add Gabe to the list of Fear Factor opponents for Robbie the Brain Economedies.  Just kidding Robbie.  Son of Ed is good and Smiley ain’t no sloucher.  From what I saw…Killer’s tandem would have been a tough out for anyone.  Laterrade – you ain’t fooling anyone with the smirky smile in round 5.  Swami and opponents should remember that even though he’s smiling on the outside, he wants to rip your trachea out like Dalton in roadhouse on the court.  Come to play against this guy!  I foresee an important match in your future. 

Line 5                  Alejandro Torres             Ray Brouillette               Kiss My Ace Deux          

                            Ernie Anderson              Paul Guidotti   

There goes that pair again.  Why couldn’t I find out this match up in earlier rounds.  Better late than never.  Must admit, Paulie G impressed me.  He is not only good at handstands.  Dude competes on the court too.  You know you are going to get a solid performance from Ray Ray.  Even though he don’t move like he used too.  Glad I spruced up line 5 with the Big Cat and Alejandro.  We needed it.

Line 6                  Devin Smith                    Steven Burgess               Kiss My Ace Deux          

                            Shawn Potter                  Cameron Zipp 

And just like that, Mr. Smith records his first Win in Bentleague while getting some revenge against Hook’em Burgess.   Being relegated to court 12 didn’t even matter.  Paired with Shawn “Don’t call me Harry” Potter they just handled business.  Word on the street is that Cam Cam may have had a leg injury.  Hope the scouts aren’t listening.  But, if you play the Killers and you see the big line man across from you…try the drop lob combination.  Just saying.    

Total Points     6                                         3

 

KMA will take the three-point victory and dismiss what could have been more.  Can’t live in the past.      As we approach Round 5, we only have three matches remaining and three blogs left to be written.  Swami, Lil Nadal, and the Prince of the Parish are all primed for Round 5.  As are his KMA Teammates.  Leading after Round 1 – Check!  Leading after Round 2 – Check! Leading after Round 3 – Check! Leading after Round 4 – Check!  Just one more box to Check!  See you punks and Punky Kevin on Thursday.   Time to go to work!

 

Totals to Date:

Kiss My Ace Deux        58

Smash Brothers           43

Angry Squirrels             49

The Killers                      54