Finally won in San Francisco. For whatever reason, Atlanta and SF have been stumbling blocks for Phil and I. We flew in early and did some promotional work for the Barefoot Wine AVPNext Championship Cup on Thursday. I thought it went very well and hopefully Barefoot and the AVP were happy.
On Friday we played only one match as it was a 24 team draw and we received the bye in the first round. We played Paul Baxter and Jonathon Acosta. The first game we won 21-16 as Phil served and blocked really well. In the second game we were up 20-15 and they came back all the way to 19. Fortunately we put that ball away and escaped with the victory. That evening we went to the A's vs. White Sox game in Oakland. Took the BART which took about 20 minutes or so. Watched a couple of innings and then met up with Bob Alejo, one of our trainers and now the trainer for the A's. Went down into the clubhouse and hung with him for a couple of innings and then got out of there in the 9th before the crowds got to thick. They ended up losing 8-7 in the 10th.
On Saturday we played Braidy and Billy and played very well. We won 15 and 15. I think I sided out everytime I got served. In our second match we played Wong and Olson for the third tourney in a row. It was a good game and we won 19 and 18. They are playing at a very high level right now.
On Sunday we played Rosy and Gibb in the crossover semis. They had lost in the first round and had battled all the way back. They came out on fire and beat us in the first game. They were serving really tough and Rosy was playing great defense. They only had one ace but were forcing bad passes by both Phil and I and creating points that way. I think they won 21-14. In the second game we played better and they didn't serve as well. We won 21-15. In the third we steadily pulled ahead and then they creaped back in. I sided out for game to win 15-13 in the third. In the finals we again played Sean and John. We played very well on all fronts. I had a bit of sideout snafu when we were up 17-12 and gave up 3 points in a row on two out hits and a stuff by Sean. I cleaned it up though and we won 21-15. The second game we again played well and won 21-16. Good tourney for us as we played solid ball the entire time. Now on to Muskegon, Michigan.
9 comments:
N I C E
Hi Todd,
Congrats on four in a row! I was there - hoped to say 'hi'- but our paths didn't cross.
Between SF and Hermosa I watched a gob of matches, and I'm so impressed with the talent level in the AVP right now. Now that the season is nearing completion, everyone seems battle-hardened, with very few unforced errors and making lots of sick plays. The fact that you and Phil are a notch above this good of a field is pretty damn impressive.
I've noticed for awhile that most of the other teams will loudly call 'line' or 'angle' when their partner is hitting, just as we 'hackers' do down on the beach. But you and Phil don't seem to do that. Are you guys speaking quietly, telepathically, or are you just that good at ready the defense when WHILE you're hitting that you don't need to say anything?
Congrats again, and good luck on your Midwest swing.
Drew
Congrats on yet another win. You guys are awesome. Some guys I know (Mike & Casey) that played in the barefoot qualifier tournament said that they dined with you (or at least next to you) at some italian restaraunt one of the nights there. Mike has been tearing it up here in Utah, wouldn't be surprised to see him up there in the AVP one day if he continues to improve.
Anyhow, thanks again for sharing your point of view on all your experiences, amongst all your success, you're a really down to earth kinda guy.... and it gives me something to do while I slack off here at work :)
Sounds like a great weekend in the Bay Area Todd. Glad to see you are making some good coin to salt away for the kids college fund. My 13 yr old needs to go to the Orthodontist so I am banking some cash too.
Now dont go wild with all the night life in Muskegon....I dont know anything about that place but I just picture that John Candy movie The Great Outdoors. Do you have to take a canoe and do a portage to get there?
Have a great week everyone...the Summer is ending but the memories will last forever...Scott from Cape Cod
Todd,
How are you guys doing after the little disagreement at the end of Hermosa? On television they played it up a bit between Phil and Hyden.
I would guess that even though you guys compete really hard against each other that there's got to be a lot of respect between the 4 of you.
If you were still with Sean I bet that you would have still won a lot of tourneys. I was a big Karch/Lambo fan and you and Sean just had their number.
Good luck the rest of the way,
Steve from Huntington
Congrats again - especially for winning the finals in 2 straight and not coming out slow in the first game - coming out strong and staying strong is worth the initial extra energy it takes - great job!
Drew- Thanks. I think there is a wealth of talent on the AVP Tour and every year it seems to me to be getting deeper. Phil and I call angle or line but we rarely do so emphatically. You will here us when it is wide open and then you will hear a very loud LINE.
Schvanz- Thanks. I remember those guys as one of them was wearing an AVP shirt. I think the restaurant was Mangia Tutti or something close to that.
Scott- Thanks. Here you on the braces. Just around the corner for my kids.
Steve- Yes they played it up a lot more than reality. They are a great team and have been great all year long.
UBV- Thanks.
Todd
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