Midnight Madness-Granny Party (Taco Bell Commercial)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4lxPw4PJH0

Live Más and Fry That Chicken

Laguna Niguel Futures and Napa Valley Challenger Recap

UCLA Junior Marcos Giron is going to have a load of confidence going into the ITA All-American Championships at Tulsa this week as he won his 3rd futures title in 3 weeks (2 singles and 1 doubles) at Laguna Niguel. Giron defeated last year NCAA Singles Runner-Up (and doubles champion) Jarmere Jenkins in the final 4-6, 6-1, 6-1. Noah Rubin broke through to the semifinals and USC freshman Connor Farren reached his 2nd straight futures quarterfinal.

Here are the junior players and college players that played at Laguna Niguel:
Trevor Johnson (USA): Lost in 1st round to Daniel Nguyen 7-6, 6-2
David Saofer (Pepperdine Waves): Lost in 2nd round to Jarmere Jenkins 6-2, 6-3.
Alex Sarkissian (Pepperdine Waves): Lost in 1st round to Saofer 3-6, 7-6, 6-3
Connor Farren (USC Trojans): Lost in quarterfinals to Jenkins 2-6, 6-4, 6-2
Noah Rubin (USA): Lost in semifinals to Marcos Giron 6-4, 6-3
Clay Thompson (UCLA Bruins): Lost in 1st Round to Cesar Ramirez 7-5, 6-2
Ray Sarmiento (USC Trojans): Lost in 1st Round to Yoshihito Nishoika 7-6, 6-2
Yoshihito Nishoika (JPN): Lost in 2nd Round to Ramirez 7-6, 6-0
William Griffith (USA): Lost first round to O Matthews 6-3, 7-5
Marcos Giron (UCLA Bruins): Champion

Nishoika teamed with Alan Nunez-Aguilera (MEX) to win the doubles title by defeating 2 seeds Crowley (RSA) and Vijayragavan (IND) in the finals 6-4, 6-2.

In Napa Valley, 8 seeded Donald Young took his 2nd singles Challenger title of the year by defeated Matthew Ebden of Australia in the final 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Former USC Trojan Steve Johnson was the only seeded player who did not advance to the quarterfinals (7 seed) after losing to Michael Venus (NZL) in the first round.

Here are the junior players and college players that played at Laguna Niguel:
Ben McLachlan (California Bears): Lost 1st Round to Alex Kuznetsov 6-1, 6-4.
Collin Altamirano (USA): Lost 1st Round to Rhyne Williams 6-2, 6-2.
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS): Won 1st Round over Jesse Witten 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
                                              Lost 2nd Round to Bradley Klahn 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Kokkinakis teamed up with Benjamin Mitchell and lost in the semifinals.

The team they lost to was Bobby Reynolds (USA) and John-Patrick Smith (AUS) who defeated Steve Johnson (USA) and Tim Smyczek (USA) in the finals to take the doubles crown. The two will not be playing the Sacramento Challenger as a team, but rather with different partners.

Fry That Chicken   





 

From Midwest to East Coast: The Terminology Barrier

One night at dinner at my college in Maryland I mentioned something about drinking pop and the one person I was eating with looked at me in total confusion. I didn't know what was to be confused about when someone else I was eating with translated, "Soda is called pop in parts of the Midwest." I found this very odd but from then on I have yet to hear someone out here call those types of drinks pop (which I must say is annoying in its own sense).

Other interesting differences I have experienced is that people here pronounce the word organization as, organ-eye-zation versus organ-ah-zation. Another pronunciation difference is the word tournament. Us "Midwesterners" (maybe I just made that term up?) say it as turn-ah-ment versus people out here say torn-ah-ment. Which I must say makes it sounds more sophisticated.

There are no Huntington Banks, Giant Eagles, or Convenient Stores here, but there is BB&T Bank, Giant, and Wawa.

Also, Baltimore doesn't have a team in the 2013 MLB Playoffs! (Roll Tribe).

Sacramento Challenger Preview

With the Futures swing concluding in Southern California, all of the focus is now shifted on the Challenger circuit. After the first ever Napa Valley Challenger last week, the circuit now heads east to Sacramento for the $100K Challenger.

www.usta.com

In singles, the field will be headed once again by Denis Kudla. Kudla was the 1 seed in Napa Valley last weekend but ended up losing in the quarterfinals to Australian Matt Ebden. American Robert Kendrick is playing in his first tournament since playing at the Panama City Challenger last July.
Also receiving wildcards were juniors Collin Altamirano (Kalamazoo Singles Champion) and Noah Rubin (2nd Highest Ranked American Junior in ITF Juniors). NCAA Doubles Champion Jarmere Jenkins took the a wildcard spot in the singles as well. 8th seeded Donald Young is coming off his singles victory in Napa Valley and will look to carry momentum into this week, as he takes on German Peter Gojowzyk in the first round.

Here are the seeds for the singles:
1. Denis Kudla, USA
2. Tim Smyczek, USA
3. Matthew Ebden, AUS
4. Rajeev Ram, USA
5. Rhyne Williams, USA
6. Alex Kuznetsov, USA
7. Bradley Klahn, USA
8. Donald Young, USA

For the doubles, the Australian team of Samuel Groth and Chris Guiccione will lead the way as the 1 seeds. Doubles champion from Napa Valley John-Patrick Smith will not be playing with Bobby Reynolds this week, but rather with Matt Reid (Australia) and will be the 2 seeds. Reynolds will be playing with Rajeev Ram (USA). NCAA Doubles Champion Jarmere Jenkins will be teaming up with Donald Young as wildcards.

Here are the seeds for the doubles:
1. Samuel Groth (AUS)/Chris Guiccione (AUS)
2. John-Patrick Smith (AUS)/Matt Reid (AUS)
3. Tennys Sandgren (USA)/Rhyne Williams (USA)
4. Alex Kuznetsov (USA)/Peter Polansky (CAN)

There aren't any college players competing in the main draw this week with the ITA All-American Championships going on this week at Tulsa (Which my preview will be out in the next day or two).
But here are junior players competing this week in Sacramento:

Noah Rubin (USA)-The second highest ranked junior will be playing in the singles main draw against number 2 seed Tim Smyczek in the first round.
Collin Altamirano (USA)-It seems as if he will be receiving plenty of wildcards now, as he will play in the singles main draw against James McGee from Ireland.
Nick Krygios (AUS)-The 2013 Australian Junior Open Singles Champion and Wimbledon Junior Doubles Champion will play in the singles main draw against 4th seeded Rajeev Ram in the first round. He will also be playing doubles with Daniel Evans (GBR) against Ram and Bobby Reynolds in the first round.
Thanasi Kokkinakis (USA)-Wimbledon Junior Doubles Champion is in the final round of singles qualifying against Greg Ouellette (USA).

Connor Farren (USC) and Trey Strobel (Stanford) both lost in the qualifying singles.

Have a Great Day,
Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-Indians Clinch Wildcard Spot

A couple things to apologize for:
1) Posting this so late, I just got back from Cleveland 2 hours ago.
2) The quality of this video.
3) Every Indians video I may be showing during their playoff run.

A great day to be a Cleveland sports fan as the Indians clinched a playoff birth and the Browns are now tied for first in the AFC North as they won the battle of Ohio against the Cincinnati Bengals. Roll Tribe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlqY6HvdDgc

Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-The Hangover

There is an "F Bomb" dropped so I apologize in advance. It is from the movie The Hangover after all...this is where Alan claims he's wearing a satchel and not a man purse. Even Indiana Jones wears one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuygRWVwuUI

Midnight Madness-Grown Ups

Anyone else like Pina Colada's suddenly after this scene. This is from the first Grown Ups movie and I'm still a little salty I haven't seen the 2nd one yet. Oh well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZqQdpEqQqE

Good Night,
Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-David Stern NBA Draft 2013

NBA Commissioner David Stern embraces all of the fans booing at him at this years NBA Draft and makes a funny comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ozSwXO6UG0

Interact with Fry That Chicken!

I am looking for 7 titles of poems! Comment a title that I could use for a title for a poem and whatever that title is I will write a poem about it. I will write one a day starting next Monday. So starting now comment on my blog a title and you may see your title featured on guthguth607.blogspot.com. Make sure you leave your name attached to the title so I can give you a shout out. If not, it will be anonymous. So start now and I'll pick out 7. Thanks everyone!

Fry That Chicken

Happy 19th Birthday Italian Stallion

Happy birthday to one of my best friends that I've had throughout my lifetime. Dom and I went all of the way back to coach pitch baseball when our team went undefeated for 2 straight years and won the championship both years. In kindergarten I became a part of the "Canyon Ridge Crew" with Colin Bliss, Tommy Cunningham and a special appearance by Sammy Kline. We did a lot together through our years, including hanging out in classes, playing sports together, going on long bike rides and hanging out at March Madness parties. Everyone misses you buddy and hope you're enjoying your 19th birthday. Can't wait to see you again someday Dom.


From Left to Right: Me, Dom, Darrin Neiman

#Skywire

Here's a flashback to Nik Wallenda crossing the Grand Canyon this summer that I got to watch from my hotel in Philadelphia (for a tennis tourney). This kept the storied tradition of the Flying Wallenda's going, even if it wasn't the easiest task.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmzb0c_YN4E

Cilic Faked Injury in His Withdraw From Wimbledon

According to www.tennisnow.com Croatia's Marin Cilic faked a knee injury and withdrew from Wimbledon this year to avoid bad publicity (which he is sure to get now). After failing a dope test during the BMW Open in Munich, Cilic and his lawyers accepted a suspension before the case came to a decision. As of now, Cilic will be suspended until the Australian Open in January by the ITF. Cilic plans on appealing the case, as he claimed he ingested a banned sucrose supplement by accident. Cilic's last tournament was at the Queen's Club in June.


www.telegraph.co.uk

Midnight Madness-Tom Hamilton's Call of Giambi Walk Off

Not even a question which video I'm showing tonight. Jason Giambi hit his 2nd walk off against the White Sox of the season (I was actually in attendance for the first one in July). Here is the call from the best sports announcer out there, Tom Hamilton. Roll Tribe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEsAe_tDF-4

The Indians are still in a wildcard spot but with a win over the Astros, the Rangers are still only 1 game back. The Indians are also one game back of the Rays (who beat the Yankees tonight). All 3 of these teams are showing that they are in it to win it.

Not SportsCenter-----Check them out

Hey everyone, just letting you know about Not SportsCenter if you have not already. Not SportsCenter is a sports version of the Onion. I follow them on twitter @NOTSportsCenter or the Cleveland account @NOTSCCleveland. I find the Cleveland account better because they interact with followers on a daily basis.

Here are some featured articles from www.notsportscenter.com

http://notsportscenter.com/onlineschools/ --- Michigan requests games against online schools
http://notsportscenter.com/cowboyschamps/ --- With 2 wins, Cowboys officially clinch NFC East
http://notsportscenter.com/wk3powerranks/ --- Week 3 NFL Power Rankings (Very Funny)

Those are just a few from their very many funny stories. Especially if you're a sports fan, I suggest you check them out.


www.twitter.com/NOTSportsCenter

Up Against the Storm

Yo-ho, yo-ho a pirates life for me,
lets pull up the anchor and get out to the sea.
The winds picking up the sails,
the mist pouring all over the rails.
Cue to the wind coming from the east,
and unleashing the storm that is a beast.
Take cover down below the deck,
and hope this doesn't turn this ship into a wreck.
Get all the loot hidden on the ship,
fill up the cannons and give them a rip.
The treasure was now so far away,
and the views of the pirates started to sway.
"Let's get out of here," they said,
"and then we can go home and sleep in our own bed."
But there was no turning back,
get your morale back and pick up the slack.
Right now we have a storm to face,
and fighting back is the only chance we have in this case.

Midnight Madness-Miami Heat Harlem Shake

Totally forgot to post this last night, my apologies. Here is the Miami Heat Harlem Shake video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir2TdfSwH8g

Do the Harlem Shake

Napa Valley Challenger & Laguna Niguel Futures Preview

California will be busy this week with both a challenger and futures tournament going on.

In Napa Valley, a $50K Challenger tournament will be held for the first time. The strong field will be led by number 1 seeded Denis Kudla from Arlington, VA, who was the US Open Junior Boys Runner-Up in 2010 for singles. Here are the seeds for the singles and doubles:
Singles:
1. Denis Kudla (USA)
2. Tim Smyczek (USA)
3. Rhyne Williams (USA)
4. Alex Kuznetsov (USA)
5. Bradley Klahn (USA)
6. Matthew Ebden (AUS)
7. Steve Johnson (USA)
8. Donald Young (USA)
Doubles:
1. Samuel Groth (AUS)/Chris Guccione (AUS)
2. Tennys Sandgren (USA)/Rhyne Williams (USA)
3. Bradley Klahn (USA)/Michael Venus (NZL)
4. Denys Molchanov (UKR)/Matt Reid (AUS)

Juniors and College Players in this Draw include:
Collin Altamirano-2013 Kalamazoo 18&Under Singles Champion
Thanasi Kokkinakis-2013 Australian Open & US Open Junior Singles Runner Up, Wimbledon Junior Doubles Champion (With Nick Krygios)
Ben McLachlan-California Golden Bears 1st Singles

Next, in Laguna Niguel a $10K ITF Futures tournament takes place. The field is headed by former USC Trojan Daniel Nguyen as the 1 seed. He got beat 6-1, 6-0 to Noah Rubin in last week's Costa Mesa tournament so he will need to bounce back. In the singles, Pepperdine teammates Alex Sarkissian and David Saofer play in the first round. Here are the seeds for the singles and doubles:
Singles
1. Daniel Nguyen (USA)
2. Daniel Garza (MEX)
3. Yoshihito Nishoika (JPN)
4. Jarmere Jenkins (USA)
5. Tyler Hochwalt (USA)
6. Jeff Dadamo (USA)
7. Haythem Abid (TUN)
8. Carsten Ball (AUS)
Doubles
1. Carsten Ball (AUS)/Daniel Garza (MEX)
2. Keith-Patrick Crowley (RSA)/Ashwin Vijayragavan (IND)

It is strange only 2 teams are seeded, but not a lot of the singles seeds are also playing doubles.

Juniors and College Players in this Draw include:
Trevor Johnson-Quarterfinalist in Kalamazoo 18&Under Singles this year.
Ernesto Escobedo-Quarterfinalist in Kalamazoo 18&Under Singles as well, and runner-up in the singles at last weeks Costa Mesa Futures.
David Saofer-Player for the Pepperdine Waves.
Alex Sarkissian-Also on the Pepperdine Waves.
Connor Farren-Freshman playing tennis for the USC Trojans.
Noah Rubin-Semifinalist in Kalamazoo 18&Under Singles this year, trains in New York City. Number 2 ranked junior in the US, behind Stefan Kozlov.
Clay Thompson-Player for the UCLA Bruins
Ray Sarmiento-Senior 1st singles for the USC Trojans
Yoshihito Nishoika-Top ranked Japanese junior player
William Griffith-Made the Round of 16 at Kalamazoo this year.
Marcos Giron-Junior for the UCLA Bruins, won the Claremont Futures two weeks ago in singles, and won the doubles with Mackie McDonald at the Costa Mesa Futures.

Escobedo Reaches Final in Costa Mesa

17 year old Ernesto Escobedo had a big week at the Costa Mesa Futures in California, making it to the finals of an ITF Futures for the first time. Escobedo, a quarterfinalist at Kalamazoo this year, benefited from a retirement in the first round from 4 seed Daniel Garza. In the quarterfinals, Escobedo beat fellow teenager and USC recruit Connor Farren 7-6, 6-2. Escobedo beat 7th seeded Jeff Dadamo by the same score in the semifinals to reach his first ever final. However, he could not do the same in the final as he fell to former UCLA Bruin Haythem Abid 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. Abid had a great week, including a win over UCLA Bruin Marcos Giron, snapping Giron's singles winning streak of 8.

In the doubles, UCLA Bruins Giron and Mackenzie McDonald found their way through the doubles draw to win the title, defeating Keith-Patrick Crowley and Matt Fawcett 6-3, 6-2. Giron and McDonald took out the one seeds Daniel Garza and Carsten Ball in the quarterfinals.

How Juniors/College players faired in this tournament:
Spencer Papa (USA): 1st Round loss to Ziad Sultan 7-5, 6-4
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS): 1st Round loss to Jeff Dadamo 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
Ernesto Escobedo (USA): 1st Round win over Daniel Garza 2-1 Ret.
                                           2nd Round win over Alex Blumenberg 7-6, 6-4
                                           QF win over Connor Farren 7-6, 6-2
                                           SF win over Jeff Dadamo 7-6, 6-2
                                           Loss in the finals to Haythem Abid 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
                                           Doubles: Semifinals with Eduardo Nava
Connor Farren (USC Trojans): 1st Round win over Evan Song 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
                                                  2nd Round win over Dennis Novolo 6-7, 6-1, 7-6
                                                  QF Loss to Ernesto Escobedo 7-6, 6-2  
                                                  Doubles: Quaterfinals with Nick Meister
Alex Sarkissian (Pepperdine Waves): 1st Round win over Clay Thompson 6-2, 7-6
                                                             2nd Round win over Andre Dome 6-4, 7-5
                                                             QF loss to Haythem Abid 7-6, 6-2
Clay Thompson (UCLA Bruins): 1st Round loss to Alex Sarkissian 6-2, 7-6
                                                      Doubles: First round loss with Dennis Mkrtchian (UCLA Bruins) 
Yoshihito Nishoika (JPN): 1st Round loss to Eduardo Nava 7-6, 6-7, 6-2
Marcos Giron (UCLA Bruins): 1st Round win over Kyle Dandan 6-2, 6-4
                                                   2nd Round win over Eduardo Nava 6-2, 6-2
                                                   QF win over Noah Rubin 6-2, 6-2
                                                   SF loss to Haythem Abid 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
                                                   Doubles: Champion with Mackenzie McDonald
Mackenzie McDonald (UCLA Bruins): 1st Round loss to Deighton Baughman 7-6, 6-0
                                                                Doubles: Champion with Marcos Giron
Deighton Baughman (USA): 1st Round win over Mackenzie McDonald 7-6, 6-0
                                               2nd Round loss to Noah Rubin 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
                                               Doubles: Semifinals with Joseph DiGuilio (UCLA Bruins)
Noah Rubin (USA): 1st Round win over Daniel Nguyen 6-1, 6-0
                                 2nd Round win over Deighton Baughman 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
                                 3rd Round loss to Marcos Giron 6-2, 6-2  

The Demon Project

The ground started to shake,
And the Earth began to quake.
The Earth now had a hole in it,
Large enough for a city to fit.
The creatures came on up,
As these things were horribly corrupt.
The creatures immediately struck fear,
And started taking over, making it very clear.
The demons were no awake,
As the Earth continued to shake.
There was no stopping them now,
And anyone that was witnessing this had a cow.
Today, this project is still very active,
Just in a form that is more attractive.
They live among us and cause trouble,
and look just like us as our double.
But now that they lie within,
you are now subject to more sin.

Midnight Madness-Geri's Game (As seen before A Bug's Life)

The chess game between Geri and himself that is featured before A Bug's Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03T2pKO8ItE

Please also vote on my poll because I need/want some feedback on my stuff. Thanks!

Midnight Madness-1 Month of Frying That Chicken

A month ago, I made this blog not knowing what to expect. But 85 posts and 2,400 views later here I am still Frying That Chicken. I've had a lot of fun with this and hope I can keep it up.

So where did I get stuck on the phrase Fry That Chicken? This is the video that started it all, shown to me by my 11th grade TV Production class.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGrqW3nx5HM

Under the Waning Moon

Under the midnight sky with the moon waning,
and right beneath the tree taking cover from the recent raining.
The mischievous was heard giving his howl,
To alert all of his prey that he was on the prowl.
The venomous snake kept on slithering about,
staying low to the ground and away from the paramount.
The owl sat in the tree giving its cah coo cah coo,
Then he saw the mice on the ground and yelled boo.
The bat flapped its wings and spun all around,
Until accidentally hitting a tree and falling to the ground.
The grasshopper kept on doing his usual hop,
until the neighbor's dog came over and stepped on top.
The turtle in the driveway really had no chance,
as the car pulled away in a hurry to the dance.
Nature keeps spinning and then it keeps dying,
but until the waning moon goes black you just got to keep trying.

NCAA Division 1 Team Rankings

Although the ITA doesn't make fall pre-season rankings since the fall is full of individual events, here are how teams ended last season (at the NCAA team championships):
1 Virginia
2 UCLA
3 Ohio State
- Georgia
5 USC
- Pepperdine
- Tennessee
- Duke

Here are my team rankings for the 2013-2014 year:

1. Virginia Cavaliers
The defending NCAA Champions, they return 5 out of their 7 starters (only losing Jenkins and Urigen). They also have the top recruiting class from tennisrecruiting.net. Alex Domijan is ranked 2 in the nation in singles and Mac Styslinger is the defending NCAA doubles champ.
New Recruits: JC Aragone, Luca Corinteli, Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Jordan Daigle

2. UCLA Bruins
With Dennis Novikov turning pro, I think UCLA lost their chances of being the favorites for a title. However they are still strong with Marcos Giron up top. Giron had an 8 match winning streak prior to losing in the Costa Mesa ITF Futures semifinals earlier today. The Bruins also return Clay Thompson, Adrien Pugent with newcomer Mackenzie McDonald who had a very good summer. Expect the Bruins to be tough.
New Recruits: Mackenzie McDonald, Gage Brymer, Joseph DiGuilio, Michael Guzman

3. Duke Blue Devils
Even with the graduation of Henrique Cunha, expect the Devils to make a run this year. Behind Raphael Hemmeler, is Chris Mengel, Fred Saba, Michael Redlicki, and Jason Tahir who all have experience now after last season.
New Recruit: TJ Pura

4. Ohio State Buckeyes
With only getting Marko Babic in recruiting, the Buckeyes will have some questions to answer. In the spring, the top singles spots will be covered by NCAA Singles Champion Blaz Rola and Peter Kobelt, but after that Chris Diaz and the rest of the lineup will have to fill in the middle of the lineup after the graduation of Devin McCarthy and Connor Smith. The doubles will still be covered I feel, with doubles specialists Kevin Metka and Ille Van Engelen helping the cause.
New Recruit: Marko Babic (Croatia)

5. USC Trojans
Expect the Trojans wanting more after their loss in the NCAA quarterfinals last year. Roberto Quiroz is freshly coming off his Davis Cup experience with Ecuador and Ray Sarmiento will once again lead the charge for the Trojans.
New Recruits: Connor Farren, Robbie Bellamy, Nicholas Crystal 

6. Texas A&M Aggies
Led by Jeremy Efferding, the Aggies are very strong in both singles and doubles with Junior Ore, and also the doubles team of Shane Vinsant and Harrison Adams. Former Kalamazoo Doubles Champion Jackson Withrow will also play a big role this year.
New Recruits: Juan Moreiras, Francisco Colunga

7. Georgia Bulldogs
The Alma Mater of John Isner, I wouldn't expect the Bulldogs to lose too many doubles points this year. Lead by the number 2 nationally ranked doubles team in Hernius Peters and Ben Wagland, they will help build momentum throughout the season for the Bulldogs.
Top Recruit: N/A

8. Tennessee Volunteers
Led by the number 1 player in the nation Mikelis Libietis, the Volunteers have more depth this year and will look to build upon their quarterfinal finish last season.
Top Recruits: Markus Kerner (Estonia), Sean Karl

9. Illinois Fightin' Illini
I say the Illini are flying under the radar this year but can turn some heads led by sophomore Jared Hiltzik. Hiltzik was the only player to defeat NCAA Singles Champion Blaz Rola last year in singles. The Illini will be the team that has the best chance to beat the Buckeyes in the Big 10.
Top Recruits: N/A

10. Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns will win on their depth, led by number #10 ranked Soren Hess-Olsen.
Top Recruits: George Goldhoff, Clement Homs (France)

Other Teams to look out for:
North Carolina Tar Heels
Stanford Cardinal
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Florida Gators
Vanderbilt Commodores

My Top High School Sports Moment

I would like to start off all of my viewers that read my blog. Most notably, the viewers that have been reading my Top 10 High School Sports Moments. I was going strong through number 4, until I ran into more US Open coverage, personal issues and school issues. Then I took some time off this segment as it was my most time consuming. But here I am and ready to finish it off. Here are my top 10 in order so far:

10. Perry vs. Lakeside Football Game (Senior Year)
9. Perry vs. Madison Basketball Game (Sophomore Year)
8. Wrestling
7. Winning the CVC Tennis Tournament for my 4th and Final Time
6. Winning the CVC Team Tournament as a Freshman
5. Burning the Jersey: Beating Geneva in the 2013 Tennis Season
4. 2011 Regional Cross Country Meet
3. All 3 State Appearances
2. 2012 Regional Cross Country Meet
1. ?????

Any last guesses? No?

Well my favorite Top High School Sports Moment is when I won the Intramural Basketball Championship in 11th grade....wait a minute. That's not it. My Top High School Sports Moment is when we beat Chagrin 3 times in a row in cross country my sophomore year to move onto regionals...wrong again. How about watching the Riverside vs. Perry basketball game in 10th grade? Nope. Beating Aurora in tennis my freshman year at their home courts? No again.

(If you didn't catch on those were my honorable mentions)

My Top High School Sports Moment brings us to a cold day in Canton, Ohio my senior year to the district tennis tournament. This was the tournament to qualify for State, and we had to win our first 2 to get there. As the 3 seed out of the Brush Sectional, which everyone knew was the toughest sectional in doubles for our district.

Upon the draws being released, we were very happy with our draw. We would play the 2 seed out of the Rocky River sectional first (Vermillion) and then most likely the 1 seed from the Wooster sectional (Norton). 

Districts was a very neat experience, as Dan and I went down a day early to stay in a hotel with Mr. and Mrs. Walker. We went to the park where we were playing as well and got a practice session in.

So it was the day of Districts and in the hotel we ate breakfast with Jake Groce (my good friend mentioned in the Geneva tennis story) and the Geneva coaches and then we set off to the courts. It was freezing there but there wasn't much we can do. After arriving to the courts, we were the first match on. We displayed our new uniforms which were sweet, even though it was 40 degrees. We played through the cold though and unfortunately got down 3-0 early. We weren't playing good at all, but after a change of ends we turned it on and won the next 12 games to beat Vermillion 6-3, 6-0. We were now into the qualifying round and were set to play Norton. The Norton team consisted of a guy who played USTA tourneys and just tried to hit every ball as hard as possible, and a tall partner.

The nerves were now as big as ever as we walked onto the court to play Norton. This match stood between me and Dan becoming the first doubles team in school history to get to state. Pretty much, this match was what we worked for since we started playing tennis. It all came down to this.

We had a fan section consisting of both of our families, Jake and all of the Geneva fans, and Christian Fatica who made the drive down. We unfortunately didn't have any of our other classmates here because it was our last day of school (so me and Dan played hooky on our last ever day of high school).

The match started off in Norton's control as they had some big serving early. Dan and I rallied back to go ahead in the first set, but were then countered once Norton took the first set 6-4. I will never forget hearing Norton's cheering section (not kidding consisting of 50 people) star cheering and be loud after that. That was a shot to the stomach.

The second set came around and me and Dan got off to a sluggish start getting down 3-2. I will never forget the changeover at that point. I remember Mr. Walker talking to me and Dan and things weren't looking good. I stood there freezing, just thinking if we lose the next 3 games we can get out of the cold. At that point I also started thinking, maybe getting to State wasn't meant to be. Looking back, those were terrible thoughts, but oddly enough maybe the thoughts I needed. After that, me and Dan came out to win the next 4 games and take the 2nd set 6-3.

We were pumped and ready to go for the 3rd set at that point. Dan and I both cam out hot in the 3rd set, going up 4-1 and 40-love. As much as I love Dan, I will never forget this next point. I believe he set it up perfectly so he got an easy overhead, which he missed. And that was arguably Dan's best shot, which was even more shocking. Norton came back and won that game and tied it up at 4-4. At 4-4, it was my serve and we were up 40-30, lost the next two points and faced a game point. I then served down the middle and hit my first ace of the match (good timing). We won that game and went up 5-4. We were only 1 game away from a state berth. That was it. 4 points. It was Kyle May's turn to serve (the guy who hit everything as hard as he could). Dan hit a few great shots, and Kyle double faulted twice and we had our first match point to go to state. Kyle would serve to me on the add side. He double faulted often throughout the match, so I was honestly hoping this would happen again. He missed his first serve. I then crossed my fingers again. His second serve came in and I missed my shot wide. I knew if we would lose, that point would come back to haunt me. Kyle then double faulted again to give us another match point. Flashback....one of the reasons why I liked playing the add side in doubles because I liked the pressure associated with either finishing a game off, or keeping a game alive. Or in this case, clinching our spot at state. So I reflected on that as Kyle missed his first serve again. The second serve came in and I winded up and nailed a forehand down the line and the Norton player at the net missed the volley into the net. Me and Dan looked at each other without realized what happened. We were going to state! We started screaming and heard our whole fan section and we hugged Mr. Walker. It was unreal we actually did it. Everything we had worked for paid off. Walking off that court and hearing all of the congratulations. All the picture taking. My phone blowing up with texts. It was one of the best feelings ever.

In spite of all of this, we still had to come back the next day to play for the seeding. As projected, the Brush sectional got all 4 spots out of our district. So after the hot tub at the hotel and a nice steak dinner, we were back at it the next day. In the semifinals, we lost to US (my friends Robby Stroup and Clay Hribar). After that, Dan and I got interviewed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This would be my first, as I later got interviewed by the News-Herald and Star Beacon at later dates. We lost the 3rd place match but nonetheless we got to state!

Here are some articles and pictures from this:


http://www.news-herald.com/general-news/20130530/high-school-tennis-perry-duo-makes-history-with-state-run?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/5209667242585354909/quartet-of-ne-ohio-doubles-teams-dominate-div-ii-district-tennis/

Thank you for following my blog and my Top High School Sports Moments. Keep Frying that Chicken!

Midnight Madness-The Benchwarmers

This scene features Carlos, who defiantly has proper documentation to be playing in this baseball game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVFqhsv3H1g

2. A Shiny Silver Medal

After my last Top High School Sports Moment, you may be wondering what could possibly top competing at the state level. Well let me tell you what is better than that.

Number 2: 2012 Cross Country Regionals

Our cross country team was trying to do what no team in school history had ever done: qualify for the state cross country meet back to back years (for boys). Our team had the perfect opportunity to too. We figured as a team 6 schools would be competing for the 4 spots that are available from our regional to go to the state meet. These teams including us, NDCL, Chagrin Falls, Claymont, Marlington and Cortland Lakeview. In the season, we had lost to NDCL, Chagrin and Marlington in prior meets in the season but also had beaten them all too. So we figured as long as we ran our best one of the spots were ours.

After a season of waiting, the time for us to race at Boardman was finally here. This was my 7th time in 4 years racing at Boardman (3 times for regionals, 4 times for their regular season invitational). We were all together at the starting line and doing our various stretches when I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Well I wasn't planning on holding it, so needless to say there may have been a little puddle on the starting stretch.

The race had begun and we were off. The first half of the race as a team we got off to a slow start. But we kept picking it up and for the first time all season my buddy Devin was hanging with me in a race (or at least for this long). I didn't want Devin beating me but he had the final laugh pulling away with 800 meters left. Then once the final turn came it hit me that this might be my last high school race ever (as it did at state). So then I turned it up and sprinted at a very good pace to the finish line. I fell to the ground once I finished an then Devin was on top of me hugging me saying he thought we made it. This gave me some relief but nothing was set in stone yet. We then left the finish chute as a team and we then gotall of our congratulations. It was also nice seeing some past runners in the crowd such as Josh Shoup.

Then they started reading the results. Unlike last year, they were announcing the results over a PA system instead of just posting them on a board. They started at 16th place and worked their way up. Then they got to 6th place....Chagrin Falls. That was a relief it wasn't us but expected. One more team that didn't make it would now be announced....5th place...Cortland Lakeview. For the 2nd year in a row Lakeview got 5th place. We started cheering but still had not heard our name so we had to be sure....4th place....Chardon....Then we all got silent and was thinking Chardon wasn't in this race. Well NDCL happens to be in Chardon but the announcers didn't say that. Needless to say the NDCL team caught on and started cheering. 3rd place....Claymont....Now we were thinking, did we really get in the top 2? The next sentence confirmed it....2nd place....Perry! We all started screaming and my face lit up with a smile. Knowing that through everything we went through as a team we did it. We did it. The stress was now over and that weight was off of our shoulders. We were going to State once again. The rest of the day that smile didn't get wiped off my face and nothing could change that.

National Trail Raceway. Here we come.

Results for this race:  http://www.baumspage.com/cc/reg/young/2012/b2.htm


Yes that picture is big and I couldn't figure out how to shrink it.

Aaran Gessic led our team this race by qualifying individually (Top 16 Overall)

Burgundy Rosewater

Let the clouds open up,
Unleash all of the rain from the sky,
Don't pour too much in your cup,
Today's not the day to die.
Find the middle ground for the time,
Don't get too little or too much,
Accompany the rosewater with some lime,
And keep going until you lay down a punch.
Keep on flowing like a river,
And keep going all through the night,
When thinking to the next day you'll get a shiver,
and thinking why did you screw that time in spite?
But for now the clock is still in your favor,
please keep up the good work,
as the burgundy rosewater is your favorite flavor,
and you could put the dagger into the next day with your fork.

NCAA Division 1 Tennis Doubles Rankings

The ITA posted their pre-season doubles ranking list:

1. Liebietis/Reese, Tennessee
2. Pieters/Wagland, Georgia
3. Withrow/Ore, Texas A&M
4. Jomby/Lai, Kentucky
5. Cotrone/Davis, Florida State
- Stropp/Angus, Mississippi State
7. Brasseux/Pasha, Georgia
8. Domijan/Frank, Virginia
9. Nott/Jeske, Arkansas
10. Guignon/Kopinski, Illinois

Although in doubles part of it is simply which team is playing better on that given day, here is my top 10: (In parentheses is how they did in last years NCAA tournament)

1. Liebietis/Reese, Tennessee (Round of 16)
2. Pieters/Wagland, Georgia (Quaterfinals)
3. Withrow/Ore, Texas A&M (Round of 16)
4. Stropp/Angus, Mississippi State (Round of 16)
5. Domijan/Frank, Virginia (1st Round)
6. Cotrone/Davis, Florida State (Round of 16)
7. Brasseux/Pasha, Georgia (1st Round)
8. Jomby/Lai, Kentucky (1st Round)
9. Vinsant/Adams, Texas A&M (N/A)
10. Saba/Hemmeler, Duke (N/A)

Other Teams to Look out for:
Pugent/Sell, UCLA
Kobelt/Metka, Ohio State
Lipman/Austin, Vanderbilt
Styslinger/Shane, Virginia
Guignon/Kopinski, Illinois

Other Doubles Players to Look out for:
Michael Redlicki, Duke
Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss

Midnight Madness-Miracle on Ice

Took the last one out due to language. Here is a little motivation to get you through your Friday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwpTj_Z9v-c

Ytai

The sand started picking up high,
As it set fire to the brazen sky.
The land was now under attack,
The people had to get back to their home and pack.
The militia was soon to be there
And it was just like he didn't care.
He walked down the streets with such ease,
As everyone was begging for help and saying please.
Ytai didn't do bother taking part in that,
As he went back to home to pet his cat.
They then went outside the home,
To watch that havoc and people roam.
Buses were flocking away from the city,
Leaving behind the pebbles that were trash and gritty.
The people had all left except for him,
They were all now gone, approximately at the northern rim.
This is when Ytai saw the striker in the air,
To the people of the city this was just not fair.
They had done nothing wrong, except for live their life,
But the government was to blame, and should've put killed by the knife.
The government screwed over their own city,
But the strikers at this point had no pity.
As now the strikers finally let go,
and Ytai just watched as if it were a show.
The city wasn't even touched, but the same couldn't be said for the people.
The strikers hit them, instead of going for the city steeple.
But who could've known that was their mission?
And the people should've been in a better position.
Somehow Ytai knew. He knew a lot.
He somehow knew where he was standing was in fact the right spot.

NCAA Division 1 Singles Rankings

Upon releasing the newcomer rankings, the ITA also released the singles rankings. Here are the top 10:

1. Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee
2. Alex Domijan, Virginia
3. Peter Kobelt, Ohio State
4. Ryan Lipman, Vanderbilt
5. Romain Bogaerts, Wake Forest
6. Marcos Giron, UCLA
7. Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss
8. Ray Sarmiento, USC
9. Tom Jomby, Kentucky
10. Soren Hess-Olsen, Texas

And here are my top 10:

1. Blaz Rola, Ohio State
Rola is not included in the ITA's rankings because he isn't playing the fall season with the Buckeyes, but if he returns for the spring, he is hands down the best player out there and will look to defend his NCAA singles title.
2. Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee
The Latvian won a live Davis Cup rubber in doubles this weekend with Ernests Gulbis. After being the one seed at last years NCAA singles championship and losing first round, Liebietis will be hungry for a title.
3. Peter Kobelt, Ohio State
It is evident that the Buckeyes are strong up top as Kobelt will be looking on building off of an impressive campaign last season, which featured him being the top ranked player in the nation at a point.
4. Alex Domijan, Virginia
Domijan, despite beating Kobelt last year, needs to step up for the Cavaliers this season as he will be playing 1st singles since Jarmere Jenkins graduated. Domijan will get tested more frequently throughout the year and will test if he can play big in big matches.
5. Marcos Giron, UCLA
Giron is currently playing hot, as he won the recent Claremont 10K Futures tournament. If heated up at the right time, he can beat anyone in the NCAA.
6. Ray Sarmiento, USC
Sarmiento is also coming off a good showing at the Claremont Futures and is sure to make a big run during his senior year.
7. Japie de Klerk, Tulsa
de Klerk made a semifinal run in last years NCAA singles championships and will try to make a statement early at the ITA All-American Championships which take place on his home courts.
8. Ryan Lipman, Vanderbilt
After not advancing far in last years NCAA singles, the 2009 Kalamazoo finalist will look to rebound to be up at the top of the rankings.
9. Mitchell Frank, Virginia
After getting surgery last fall, Frank built up some steam playing in the middle of Virginia's lineup and is now back in form. Frank is a very dangerous player, and especially if he plays in the middle of the Cavaliers lineup again, it'll be tough to beat him.
10. Soren Hess-Olsen, Texas
The Texas Longhorn made the singles quarterfinals last year after taking out Marcos Giron, before falling the eventual runner-up Jarmere Jenkins 6-3, 6-2.

Other players to look out for:
Roberto Quiroz, USC
Jared Hiltzik, Illinois
Romain Bogaerts, Wake Forest
Tsvetan Mihov, South Carolina
Jeremy Efferding, Texas A&M

Midnight Madness-Trent Richardson Gone Out of Nowhere

"The Cleveland Browns solved some major problems today"-A statement made my an ESPN NFL Draft analyst upon the Browns drafting Richardson. Today though, the Browns created major problems with the face of the team being gone. As bad as Sundays usually are for the Browns, Trent Richardson could find a way to pick the team up. But with him gone, what's next for the Browns?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf-Fwcq1q20


www.cleveland.com

Goodbye Trent Richardson

As of tonight, the Browns have traded running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2014 first round draft pick. The Browns will sign Willis McGahee, pending his physical.

Any thoughts?


sports-kings.com

Davis Cup Draws Announced for 2014

Not too long after the World Group Playoffs and the World Group Semifinals, the World Group draw was made earlier this morning.

Here are the first round matchups (In order of how they appear on the draw):
Home Team Listed First
Czech Republic vs. Netherlands
Japan vs. Canada
Germany vs. Spain
France vs. Australia
USA vs. Great Britain
Argentina vs. Italy
Kazakhstan vs. Belgium
Serbia vs. Switzerland

There are some very intriguing first round matches here in the World Group. First, as an American I love the USA draw. They play Great Britain, who is essentially all Andy Murray in the first round. Murray will most likely play 2 singles rubbers and the doubles, but with the Bryan Brothers (I would assume) playing doubles, the key to Great Britain is winning the 2 singles matches that Murray is not featured in. As of now, Isner and Querrey would play the singles for USA, so if all goes well they will win this tie. Looking ahead, the Americans would most likely play Argentina in the next round, who is the lacking strength in their lineup without Juan Martin Del Potro as of late. Especially if the Bryan Brothers snap their Davis Cup losing streak, I believe the Americans will at least make the semifinals.

Another intriguing first round match features Switzerland facing Serbia. In the past, Roger Federer (Switzerland) and Novak Djokovic (Serbia) primarily have been automatics wins for their two squads. But now, they will play each other in the singles and this could go either way. Also another wildcard thrown into the mix, Stanislas Wawrinka can make some noise in this tie, especially against Djokovic. Wawrinka has taken Djokovic to 5 sets in their past two meetings, so could this be the time to finally come up victorious? I would still give the edge to Serbia, but as the 2 seeds this won't be an easy tie for them.

I am already looking forward to this for next year and I can't wait.

Fry That Chicken

 

Midnight Madness-American Horror Story: Coven

In honor of the announcement that FX's American Horror Story will return for a 3rd season on October 9th at 10pm, here are 6 different promo videos for Coven:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxuaET8unO8


bloody-disguisting.com

NCAA Division 1 Tennis Freshman Rankings

With the new NCAA Division 1 Tennis season here, the ITA released these pre-season rankings for newcomers (freshman):

2013 Preseason Newcomer/Freshman Ranking
Administered by the ITA
NCAA Division I Tennis
September 6, 2013

Rank	Player	School
1	Mackenzie McDonald	UCLA
2	Andrew Harris	Oklahoma
3	Brayden Schnur	North Carolina
4	Gage Brymer	UCLA
5	Ronnie Schneider	North Carolina
6	Nick Horton	NC State
7	Thai-Son Kwiatkowski	Virginia
T-8	George Goldhoff	Texas
T-8	Alexandru Gozun	South Florida
10	Alexandru Ghilea	Oklahoma

However, here are my newcomer rankings for the class of 2017:

1. Andrew Harris, Oklahoma
Harris is from Australia and brings with him 2 junior grand slam doubles titles from last year (Wimbledon and the French Open) with him to Oklahoma.
2. MacKenzie McDonald, UCLA
McDonald got to the third round of this years US Open (Juniors) and defeating marathon man Nicolas Mahut and 2 Time NCAA Champion Steve Johnson en route to qualifying for this years ATP 1000 event in Cincinnati. With the talent he has, he needs to show he can finish off matches.  
3. Brayden Schnur, North Carolina
The Canadian junior standout won the Canadian Open Junior Championships (ITF Grade 1) this summer without dropping a set and won an ITF Futures event in Canada this summer in singles. Schnur will not be starting school until January.
4. Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia
When healthy, Kwiatkowski will produce big results for the Cavaliers. He has not competed all summer though due to injury so it is a matter of time before he can get healthy.
5. Ronnie Schneider, North Carolina
A future teammate of Schnur, Schneider won Kalamazoo in the doubles this year with partner Paul Oosterban. Although he had a tough draw with losing to Noah Rubin in the round of 16, Schneider still showed he was one of the top guys out there in singles too.
6. Connor Farren, USC
Although losing to runner up Jared Donaldson at Kalamazoo in the round of 16, Farren has showed impressive results on the ITF Futures tour.
7. Gage Brymer, UCLA
The Easter Bowl champion got smoked to eventual champion Collin Altamirano in the semifinals in Kalamazoo, but had a good showing at the US Open Juniors this fall.
8. JC Aragone, Virginia
Another Cavalier, Aragone defeated MacKenzie McDonald at the US Open national playoff earlier this summer.
9. Franz Sydow, Minnesota
Sydow, from Venezuela, has shown signs of being a top player on the ITF junior circuit.
10. Luca Corinteli, Virginia
A third Cavalier, Corinteli boasts big showings at the Easter Bowl and Kalamazoo, as he is also a regular in big junior tournaments on the ITF junior circuit.

Others to look out for:
George Goldhoff, Texas
Roy Lederman, Stanford
Filip Bergevi, California
Joseph DiGuilio, UCLA
Robbie Bellamy, USC

Cove

The day was here to finally sail away,
The anchor was then cut at the break of day.
At this point there was no looking back,
We were on what we thought was the right track.
Nothing ahead of us except the open sea,
Just enjoying our afternoon lemon and tea.
The waves were getting large,
And starting to be in control of the boat and take charge.
After a nice mid-afternoon slumber,
We discovered an island full of lumber.
The island seemed to be empty and no one there,
And you could even feel it in the spooky air.
Just to the left of the island we spotted a cove,
Upon seeing this we left the boat and dove.
As we kept going, even though the water was cold,
We could feel ourselves growing up and getting old.
We never jumped off the ship in the first place,
It was just an imagination of a childhood case.
Where we were adventurous and full of life,
playing around with scissors and sometimes a knife.
But now our time has come for this to be over,
and to just sit around the ship and rover.
No more splashing in the mud or in the river,
this thought just sometimes makes me shiver.

Midnight Madness-Awareness Test

Test your awareness and count how many times the players in white pass the ball.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfA3ivLK_tE

Roll Tribe

Wake up Cleveland fans! Your Cleveland Indians are only 1/2 game back in the wildcard race for a spot in the MLB playoffs this year. They trail the Tampa Bay Rays and the Texas Rangers who are both on losing streaks. The Rays have only lost 1 game but the Rangers have lost 6 straight games. However, a big series is starting tonight in Tampa Bay as the Rangers will travel to Tampa. So if the Tribe keeps rolling, one of these teams (or both) may fall behind the Indians after the series.

Here is the Indians remaining schedule for the regular season:
Sept. 16-18 @Kansas City Royals
Sept. 19-22 vs. Houston Astros
Sept. 24-25 vs. Chicago White Sox
Sept. 26-29 @Minnesota Twins

Our schedule favors us to finally make the playoffs, with the MLB worst Houston Astros and AL Central worst Chicago White Sox on our schedule,

With 13 games left, this is now the time to step up. Jake Kazmir (8-8) will be on the mound for the Indians tonight against the Royals' James Shields (11-9) at 8:10 ET.

Giron Wins Claremont, ITF Pro Circuit Heads to Costa Mesa

On the ITF Futures tour, UCLA Junior Marcos Giron took the title in Claremont this past week defeating former UCLA teammate (who recently turned professional) Dennis Novikov in the final 6-0, 7-5. USC Senior Ray Sarmiento picked up a main draw singles win before losing to Giron in the second round 6-3, 6-4. Junior player Ernesto Escobedo made his way through to the quarterfinals after beating the 5 seed Daniel Garza from Mexico and UCLA senior Clay Thompson. Escobedo finally got derailed in the quarterfinals by Novikov. Novikov also defeated USC Freshman Connor Farren in the second round. The only other junior player was Deighton Baughman who lost in the first round to 6th seeded Jeff Dadamo 6-2, 7-6.

Marcos Giron and Clay Thompson were the only successful college doubles team, as they went down in the semifinals to eventual champions Carsten Ball and Daniel Garza.

This week in Costa Mesa, the ITF Pro Circuit will make itself at home. The juniors in this weeks main draw include UCLA freshman MacKenzie McDonald, Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis, and New York's Noah Rubin. Former UCLA standout Nick Meister is the top seed, followed my Dennis Novikov as the 3 seed. Ernesto Escobedo, Connor Farren and Marcos Giron will all be seeded highly in the qualifying draw as well.

While there are no juniors this week in the Canada Future's main draw, Ohio State's Peter Kobelt will play in the qualifying draw.

Have a Great Day,
Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-Bill Nye the Science Guy

Here is a flashback to those Elementary School days, when you looked forward to science class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1QeWIf3puQ

PS Sorry for not doing this last night. I fell asleep at 9:30 in my hotel room and didn't get a chance to post one

Juniors Stepping Up to the Plate; Davis Cup Recap

Through my crazy weekend at my first college tennis tournament, I did have time to follow the Davis Cup. However, blogging from my phone wasn't easy so I kept that to a minimum. I also faced difficulties with my selections, as team captains can change nominations up to an hour before the match. So with that, some of my picks became off and wrong as a result. This morning, I did change as many picks as possible but I don't think I got them all.

Without taking changes into consideration, I went 15-5 today and 37-13 for the weekend. Not bad for having captains change their lineups without me noticing.

I went 7-3 in terms of predicting the overall ties.

Here is a recap of this weekends events:

Serbia and Czech Republic will meet in the Davis Cup final, after both teams won 3-2 in their semifinal. The Czech's clinched the tie at 3-0 with ease, but the Serbs had more trouble on their hands. After being down 2-1 going into Sunday, world number 1 (for now) Novak Djokovic lead his team as he got passed Canadian Milos Raonic in straight sets. His teammate Janko Tipsarevic did the same thing as he defeated young Canadian Vasek Pospisil in straight sets as well. Pospisil may have been hurt, but nonetheless the Serbians are advancing.

In the World Group playoffs, here are the teams advancing:
Spain
Japan
Switzerland
Germany
Great Britain
Australia
Belgium
Netherlands

Austrian Jurgen Melzer and Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci both had horrible weekends, as Bellucci lost both matches in straight sets that I favored him to win in (against Germany). Jurgen Melzer also didn't help the cause for Austria (losing to Netherlands), as he lost a 5 setter to Thiemo de Bakker and then lost in straight sets to Jesse Huta Galung (who was just a replacement for Robin Haase).

Also, it was noticeable that a few juniors and college players had eventful weekends in Davis Cup: Here's a list of the players:

Borna Coric (Croatia): The US Open Junior Singles champion made his Davis Cup debut against Andy Murray from Great Britain, falling 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

Emilio Gomez (Ecuador): The recent USC graduate lost 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to Stan Wawrinka and in doubles fell with former USC teammate Roberto Quiroz 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 6-4 to Stan Wawrinka and Michael Lammer.

Roberto Quiroz (Ecuador): The USC junior lost in doubles with Gomez as noted, and lost in singles to Michael Lammer 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Nick Krygios (Australia): The Australian Open Junior Champion got to play in his first live rubber as he paired up with Chris Guiccione to take on Matkowski and Fyrstenberg from Poland. The Polish team came on top however 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7, 6-4. Krygios also played a dead rubber as he beat Michal Przysiezny 4-1 before the Pole retired.

Christian Garin (Chile): The French Open Junior Champion had to step it up for Chile as they played the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, Garin lost his singles live rubber 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 against Victor Estrella. He did however bounce back to win his dead singles rubber 7-5, 7-5.

Blaz Rola (Slovenia): The Ohio State Buckeye (senior) and 2 time NCAA Champion (once in singles, once in doubles with Chase Buchanan) won 2 out of his 3 matches this weekend again South Africa. Rola won the first singles rubber against Rik de Voest 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. He then teamed with Blaz Kavcic in doubles to beat Klaasen and Scholtz 7-5, 6-1, 7-6. After winning his 2 live rubbers, he lost his dead one in singles against Nikala Scholtz after retiring when Rola was up 3-2.

Mikelis Libietis (Latvia): Against Finland, the University of Tennessee junior lost his first match in singles 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. He then teamed with Ernests Gulbis to defeat the sibling pair of Henri and Micke Kontinen 6-2, 7-6, 6-3. Libietis is ranked number 1 in the ITA Preseason Singles Rankings.

Fry That Chicken

Davis Cup picks

I went 6-3 on my picks on Saturday, here are my picks for Sunday:

Here are my picks for Sunday:
Serbia vs. Canada (Canada leads 2-1):
Djokovic over Raonic
Tipsarevic over Pospisil

Czech vs. Argentina ( Czech clinched the tie):
Rosol ovcr Zeballos
Mayer over Vesely

Spain vs. Ukraine (Spain clinched the tie):
Lopez over Molchanov
Verdasco over Manafov

Netherlands vs. Austria (Netherlands clinched the tie):
Melzer over Huta Galung
De Bakker over Marach

Great Britain vs. Croatia (GB leads 2-1):
Murray over Dodig
Evans over Coric

Switzerland vs. Ecuador (Switzerland leads 3-0):
Lammer over Quiroz
Chuidinelli over Gomez

Germany vs. Brazil (Germany leads 2-1):
Bellucci over Brands
Mayer over Dutra Silva

Australia vs. Poland (Australia leads 2-1):
Tomic over Kubot
Hewitt over Przynsky (sorry for spelling)

Colombia vs Japan (Colombia leads 2-1);
Nishikori over Giraldo
Soeda over Falla

Midnight Madness-The Rise of the Irish Billy Goat

A classic short story from my TV production class my junior year featuring myself, mike walker, Dan walker and Tyler t$ west.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PYYFhytg2GQ copy and paste the URL if this link isn't working. orry fo

Raonic comes back, Australia up 2-0; Davis Cup Recap

Canadian Milos Raonic didn't want to put his country down 2-0 going into the doubles rubber. With the help of the Canadian bandwagon that traveled across the Atlantic, Milos Raonic went on to win 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.

Borna Coric from Croatia (The US Open Junior Champion) lost a tough match to Andy Murray 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

The NCAA Champion from Ohio State Blaz Rola (Slovenia) won his match in the Europe/Africa Group 1 backdraw, defeating Rik de Voest 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.

Without Jerzy Janowicz, Australia has a commanding 2-0 lead over Poland in Warsaw.

Other individual results are at www.daviscup.com

I went 16-5 through Friday, here are my picks for Saturday's Doubles (Except for Belgium/Israel)

World Group Semifinals:
Serbia vs. Canada (Tied 1-1)
Bozoljac/Zimonjic vs. Nestor/Pospisil

Czech Republic vs. Argentina (Czech leads 2-0)
Rosol/Vesely vs. Berlocq/Zeballos

World Group Playoffs
Spain vs. Ukraine (Spain leads 2-0)
Lopez/Robredo vs. Manafov/Molchanov

Netherlands vs. Austria (Netherlands leads 2-0)
Jean-Rojer/Huta Galung vs. Melzer/Marach

Croatia vs. Great Britain (Tied 1-1)
Dodig/Pavic vs. Fleming/Murray

Switzerland vs. Ecuador (Switzerland leads 2-0)
Chuidinelli/Wawrinka vs. Escobar/Quiroz

Germany vs. Brazil (Brazil leads 2-0)
Brands/Emmrich vs. Melo/Soares

Poland vs. Australia (Australia leads 2-0)
Fyrstenberg/Matkowski vs. Hewitt/Guiccione

Belgium vs. Israel (Israel leads 2-1)
Bemelmans vs. Sela
Darcis vs. Weintraub

Japan vs. Colombia (Tied 1-1)
Nishikori/Soeda vs. Cabal/Farah

Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-Proof That God Exists

With my strong background in math, here is something a little fun trying to show mathematically that god exists.

Note: This video doesn't exhibit any of my religious beliefs as those are personal, so I am by no means trying to offend anyone, simply just showing an interesting video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGcLdzQeEck

Davis Cup Selections/Preview

Due to Yom Kippur in Israel, the Belgium vs. Israel match will get things started today in Belgium. US Open Junior Champion Borna Coric will play in the singles for Croatia this weekend, as he is up against Andy Murray on Friday. Jerzy Janowicz pulled out from the Australia-Poland tie, having Michal Przysienzny as his alternate. I originally gave the edge to Poland, but at this point it's whoever wants it more and plays their best. Steve Darcis from Belgium is playing his first match since beating Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in the first round. Darcis is scheduled to play 2 singles rubbers and the doubles rubber. USC's Emilio Gomez is playing in the singles for Ecuador, as they have a tough task of taking on Switzerland (without Roger Federer). Gomez will play Wawrinka on Friday.   

Here are my picks for Friday's matches:

World Group Semifinals:
Serbia vs. Canada
Djokovic vs. Pospisil
Tipsarevic vs. Raonic

Czech Republic vs. Argentina
Stepanek vs. Monaco
Berdych vs. Mayer

Belgium vs. Israel (Thursday and Friday matches)
Darcis vs. Sela
Bemelmans vs. Weintraub
Rochus/Darcis vs. Erlich/Ram

Japan vs. Colombia
Nishikori vs. Falla
Soeda vs. Giraldo

Spain vs. Ukraine
Verdasco vs. Dolgopolov
Nadal vs. Stakhovsky

Netherlands vs. Austria
Haase vs. Haider-Mauer
de Bakker vs. Melzer

Croatia vs. Great Britain
Coric vs. Murray
Dodig vs. Evans

Switzerland vs. Ecuador
Wawrinka vs. Gomez
Chuidinelli vs. Campozano

Germany vs. Brazil
Kohlschreiber vs. Dutra Silva
Mayer vs. Bellucci

Poland vs. Australia
Kubot vs. Hewitt
Przysienzny vs. Tomic


Have a Good Day,
Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-9/11 Will Always Be Remembered

As I remember hearing in Mr. Sneed's 1st grade class of these events, I was too young to take in what was actually happening. Here is Fry That Chicken's early edition of midnight madness to pay tribute to those who went down on 9/11. Rest in Piece

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mC1NhB0IO0

Midnight Madness-Nadal vs. Djokovic

Here is the final game of the Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic US Open Final last night that Nadal won 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYvlQnJW32g

3. The Threshold of High School Sports: The State Tournament

Thank you for baring with me as I had my delay on my top high school sports moments. In case your memory is a bit fuzzy, here was my list so far:

10. Perry vs. Lakeside Football Game (Senior Year)
9. Perry vs. Madison Basketball Game (Sophomore Year)
8. Wrestling
7. Winning the CVC Tennis Tournament for my 4th and Final Time
6. Winning the CVC Team Tournament as a Freshman
5. Burning the Jersey: Beating Geneva in the 2013 Tennis Season
4. 2011 Regional Cross Country Meet

Here is 3. The Threshold of High School Sports: The State Tournament

Because it was hard to compare either of my 3 experiences at state for me, I took the liberty to combine them into one. I reached the top level of cross country twice (2011 and 2012) and tennis once (2013). I consider this a great honor to have qualified for states this many times, let alone once. To also experience state in two different sports was also an opportunity I didn't take for granted, as most people that get to state only specialize in that one sport. And now to be

After qualifying to get to the state cross country meet my junior year, it was a whole new experience for me and my teammates. We were only the 2nd boys cross country team in school history to qualify for the state meet and the first to run on the new course at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, OH. The OHSAA moved the meet to here from it's prior home at Scioto Downs in Columbus, OH because Scioto Downs inserted gambling machines and wouldn't shut them down. When we were at the state meet, we had dinner the night before at the Spaghetti Warehouse with none other than thee Jared Champion. The next day we didn't race until the afternoon so we had time to kill in the hotel. After watching probably 6 episodes of My Name is Earl we finally left the hotel and ended up getting in some bad traffic. No worries, we got to the site of the state meet just in time. However, our team was just happy to be there and that was evident. With no goals, we went out and got 14th out of 16 teams. Not good, but on the flip side we didn't come in last! The two teams we beat though were also from our regional, so we didn't put on an impressive showing as a region either. All in all, it was a great experience and a big weight off my shoulders knowing that I finally got to state.

My next state experience was the next year in cross country. This time though, our team came down to the National Trail Raceway with a purpose. We weren't there to show up and get killed like the previous year. And with a year of experience under most of our belts, we were prepared. Our realistic goal was cracking into the top 10 of the state this time. We also had some support from our school this time, as The Red Army (our newly formed school student section) and our Boy's Basketball team (thank you Coach Ice). With the help of a nice sunny day in Hebron, our team went out there and did work. As I came around the final turn it was the weirdest thing that has happened to me in running. I thought, "This is my last ever finish in high school." With that in mind and the huge grandstand with everyone yelling, I had my best finish that year. Our team had many personal records set, as did I (17:39 5K). And at the finish we were all drinking our chocolate milk and Sarv (our coach) asked us how we thought we did as a team. That's when Aaran Gessic (our top runner) stepped in and said, "We got ninth." Sarv was shocked he already knew but we then celebrated. It was fun celebrating with our teammates, family and friends as cross country was now over. Like the prior year, we then went out to dinner at TGI Friday's and got some candy apples at the local mall. On a side note, we also beat our rivals NDCL! They got 10th place. Competing in the state cross country meet both years was an absolute blast.

Last but not least, my experience at the state tennis tournament my senior year was a great one. I qualified for the state doubles tournament with my good friend Dan Walker. We were the first doubles team in school history. The state tournament was held this year at Ohio State's tennis courts in Columbus. We showed up at the courts the day before the tournament to get some hitting in on the courts. The courts were very neat and fun to play on. We actually practiced next to the team we were playing from Columbus Academy. The next day was the day of the tournament, so we showed up at 7am to hit at the courts. We practiced a little bit with Hawken's doubles team (Adam Lee and Vid Yadav) and University's doubles team (Robby Stroup and Clay Hribar). At 9am the singles matches started and we watched some good matches. Unfortunately it started raining so we had to go indoors to a club 30 minutes away and play indoors. It was unfortunate that we couldn't play a match on Ohio State's courts but at least we got to practice on them. So when we finally got on the courts, we were matched up with Abram Schottenstein (grandson of the man who the Schottenstein Center on Ohio State's campus in named after) and Jacob Wareti. With Dan serving, we held the first game at 40-love but it was all downhill from there. The crowd was great, with a few hundred people watching the 4 courts on the side we were on. We had many supporters such as our athletic director and my girlfriend Myka and her best friend. It wasn't our day though as we lost 6-1, 6-0. This team from Columbus Academy however went on to beat every other team they played pretty bad and they ended up winning the state championship in doubles. It was great tennis to play and to watch, as this was also a great experience.

Stay tuned for moment number 2 tomorrow.

Thank you,
Fry That Chicken

Davis Cup Preview

The Davis Cup is the world team competition contested each year to see which country has the best team. The Davis Cup is held 4 different weekends spread throughout the year. This coming weekend features the main draw semifinals and the world group playoffs. The world group playoffs determine which 16 teams are in next years main draw. Each world group playoff tie features 1 team that lost in the first round of this year's main draw against a team that qualified from their continental qualifying.

Each Davis Cup tie consists of 5 rubbers (matches). On Friday, 2 singles matches will be played. The typical format is that Team A's best player plays Team B's second best player and vise versa. On Saturday, there is 1 doubles match. On Sunday, the reverse singles are played. Usually the top players from each team play first, followed by the 2nd best players playing each other. Teams may use all 4 players that they nominate, but it is not mandatory. You usually see teams with less depth use 3 players or even 2. Switzerland is known for using 2 when Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka play together. Teams like Spain with lots of depth usually utilize all 4 players (2 players play 2 singles matches, 2 players play doubles together).

In this years semifinals, Canada will be on the road taking on Serbia and Argentina will take on the defending champions in the Czech Republic.

Serbia will be lead by World Number 1 (for now) Novak Djokovic, while also featuring Janko Tipsarevic, Dusan  Lajovic and doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic. It is a mystery why Ilija Bozoljac, who was arguably the hero in the tie versus the US, wasn't nominated to play.

Canada will be challenging the Serbs with a lineup featuring Milos Raonic, upcoming star Vasek Pospisil, Frank Devancic and doubles specialist Daniel Nestor. Devancic most likely will not play despite being nominated. Nestor and Zimonjic were the top ranked doubles team a few years ago before they split up.

Argentina will be taking on the defending champions without their best singles player Juan Martin Del Potro. Without him, their lineup features Juan Monaco, Carlos Berlocq, Horacio Zeballos and Leonardo Mayer. Zeballos is one of three players to defeat Rafael Nadal this year.

After beating Spain last year in the final, the Czech Republic will have Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek leading the way, accompanied by Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely. Rosol and Vesely most likely won't play, as the Czech's like using 2 men if possible.

These are intriguing matchups, here are my picks for the team consensus:
Serbia vs. Canada
Argentina vs. Czech Republic

For the World Group Playoffs, Andy Murray will be looking to put Great Britain in the main draw in a few years and Rafael Nadal will be looking to keep Spain in the main draw, after losing to Canada in the first round without him.

Here are the matchups and my picks (Home Team listed first):
Spain vs. Ukraine
Netherlands vs. Austria
Croatia vs. Great Britain
Switzerland vs. Ecuador
Germany vs. Brazil
Poland vs. Australia
Belgium vs. Israel
Japan vs. Colombia

I will have individual selections on Thursday.

Fry That Chicken





 

Return of Top High School Sports Memories

After a long layoff, my Top High School Sports Memories segment will return tonight with my number 3 High School Sports Memory.

Fry That Chicken

Midnight Madness-Talladega Nights

I'm going to bed a little early tonight, so here's Midnight Madness: The 11:00 edition (Although it's midnight somewhere in the world).

Once again, sorry for some explicit language. I promise tomorrow nothing bad will be said! This scene is from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Specifically, this is the dinner scene that is begun by a grace from Ricky.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A0-u85aAYg

Nadal Claims His 13th Grand Slam Title; Final US Open Recap

In a year that Rafael Nadal hasn't lost on a hard court, he kept that streak up tonight by downing Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Nadal played exceptionally through the first set in a half until Djokovic started to catch on fire. It was phenomenal tennis from both players, including a 54 ball rally in the 2nd set. After only being broken once throughout the entire tournament, Nadal was broken twice in the second set by Djokovic. In the 3rd set, it looked like Djokovic was going to run away with the set being up love-40 when it was 4-4. But Nadal came back to win that game with the help of having a 125 mph ace. Then on Nadal's first set point, he took the 3rd set 6-4. Djokovic may have still been down from there, hitting too many unforced errors in the 4th set as his foe went onto take the set and the match.

Nadal is now 3rd in the all time singles grand slam list with 13 to his name, trailing American Pete Sampras (14 slams) and Swiss Roger Federer (17 slams). Given a few more years of this sort of tennis, Nadal will definitely pass Roger Federer's mark.

I ended up being 88-38 throughout this tournament, as I am said it is coming to an end. I haven't decided what I'm doing coverage wise for the fall, but keep an eye out.

Fry That Chicken