MLP Orlando DAY 2

I had the Squeeze at 8th here, but if Sam Parker can hang (or the Squeeze make a trade), they could contend.  I have Orlando 3-1 in this one.

• MENS:  Staksrud/Frazier over Hovenier/Fu:  This is a top shelf mens team Orlando has.  Squeeze win big
• WOMENS:  Castillo/Tereschenko over Schneeman/Parker:  Much closer, SoCal needs to exploit Parker to take this one and I think they do
• MIXED 1:  Frazier/Schneeman over Hovenier/Tereschenko:  Squeeze pretty big here
• MIXED 2:  Staksrud/Parker over Castillo/Fu:  This is the chance for SoCal to get to a dreambreaker but I don’t see it happening

Well I’ve got to watch this one, but I guess I underestimated Samantha Parker, 11-4 win.  If she’s looking good, the Squeeze could be contenders.  Squeeze take this one in regulation, just losing a meaningless 4th game.

• MENS:  ORL wins 11-9
• WOMENS:  ORL wins 11-4
• MIXED:  ORL (Staksrud/Schneeman) wins 11-7 (Castillo/Fu)
• MIXED:  SOC (Hovenier/Tereschenko) wins 11-9 (Frazier/Parker)
• Me you ask?  Well I didn’t get the Squeeze teams or the matchups correct, but even so, I have to give myself 0-2 there for 1-3 overall though got the winner!

I have the league darling Sliders starting the year 0-2 against the champs here.  Dallas is extremely good, I like Jorja to get the double here, and probably split the other 2, so Flash 3-1.  If I’m the Flash and the gender doubles split, I’d look to put my star mixed team out against Daescu and try to win both.

• MENS:  Daescu/Klinger over Johnson/Ge:  It feels like Columbus needs tIhis one, and I’ll say they barely get it
• WOMENS:  Johnson/Black over Todd/Jansen:  The Flash ladies can be a little up and down but they just beat and broke up the best womens team in PPA history.
• MIXED 1:  Johnson/Johnson over Daescu/Todd:  Again, in a moment probably never to be seen again, this team just beat the best Mixed team in PPA history
• MIXED 2:  Ge/Black over Klinger/Jansen:  Super close one here, but Tyra has been so good in mixed.  We will see if Augie can keep the momentum he had in the Orlando finals last year.

Jorja freakin Johnson gave up 1 point in her 2 games in this one.  And the boys send Daescu/Klinger to 0-2 on the season.  I have no idea why the Sliders would put Klinger/Jansen out there against J&J when they need to win both mixed.  Dallas with a big time statement in their opener, and I got the Jorja double correct, but got the split of the other two games backwards.

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-1
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-7
• MIXED:  DAL (Johnson/Johnson) wins 11-0 (Klinger/Jansen)
• MIXED: COL (Daescu/Todd) wins 11-4 (Black/Ge)
• How did I do?  Tricky to score, I think I get the mixed matchups correct if I saw them, but that’s probably cheating.  Winner and score correct, but only 2-2 in individual games

Debut for the Black Diamonds against the 1-0 Miami PC.  I predict Utah 4-0 for a great start to the season.

• MENS:  Loong/Garnett over Devilliers/Khlif:  The Utah guys are solid and consistently make PPA quarters together.
• WOMENS:  Jones/Erokhina over Rane/Bui:  Again, neither team is that strong but I expect Mighty Mouse can prevail
• MIXED 1:  Loong/Erokhina over Devilliers/Bui:  Entertaining match I think but the BDs overwhelm Mya Bui
• MIXED 2:  Garnett/Jones over Khlif/Rane:  Very close one, could go to Miami

Oof, swing and a miss for me here.  I’m a big Tyler Loong fan (thanks to KOTC), but what a rough start, he’s gotta be sick.  I got the teams right, but not the matchups for mixed.  Noe Khlif gets 2 wins over Loong, both 11-2.  Ouch.  Close Dreambreaker win for Miami to go 2-0!

• WOMENS:  UTA wins 11-5
• MENS:  MIA wins 11-2
• MIXED:  MIA (Khlif/Rane) wins 11-2 (Loong/Erokhina)
• MIXED:  UTA (Garnett/Jones) wins 11-6 (Devilliers/Bui)
• DREAMBREAKER:  MIA 21-19
• My stats:  It’s a 2-2 again in doubles picks, and didn’t even pick the winner 🙁

First big matchup of the day, and Brooklyn really needs to bounce back, but the Fives are already on a hot streak.  I really want to see them back on track but I have them losing in a Dreambreaker.  Fives 3-2.

• MENS:  Bar/Newman over Navratil/Howells:  This is such a big match.  If the Fives pull this mens match out, look out.  Mens is supposed to be their weakness, but I hope Bar and Newman are too crafty.
• WOMENS:  Waters/Dizon over Rohrabacher/Kawamoto:  If the Brooklyn women had looked better yesterday, I’d consider picking them
• MIXED 1:  Bar/Rohrabacher over Navratil/Dizon:  The BPT mixed squads are fairly equally talented, so I think one beats Zane and Meghan
• MIXED 2:  Waters/Howells over Newman/Kawamoto:  …and one loses to ALW and Will Howells
• DREAMBREAKER:  ALW takes over

1, 2, 3, 4, kill me.  However…I finally got a prediction exactly right!  Vamos!  The Brooklyn ladies made a stand late, but too late.  Dekel won his two matches handily, bringing the Fives Guys back down to earth, but a 21-7 romp in the Dreambreaker for the 5s.

• WOMENS: NJ wins 11-6
• MENS: BRK wins 11-3
• MIXED: BRK (Bar/Rohrabacher) wins 11-4 (Navratil/Dizon)
• MIXED:  NJ (Howells/Waters) wins 11-6 (Newman/Kawamoto)
• DREAMBREAKER:  NJ wins 21-7
• Me?  NBD, finally got an exact prediction

Uh oh, this one could get ugly.  Can the Hustlers get 11 points total in the 4 games?  Blowout city, Flash 4-0

• MENS:  Johnson/Ge over Ford/Young
• WOMENS: Black/Johnson over Spiridis/Kong
• MIXED:  DAL wins both, doesn’t matter who

Haha, remember when Jorja Johnson got the double giving up only 1 point?  Well she gave up 0 in this one, an insane level of dominance, and no, the Hustlers could not get 11 combined points!  The champs are rollin

• WOMENS:  DAL wins 11-0
• MENS:  DAL wins 11-6
• MIXED: DAL (Johnson/Johnson) wins 11-0 (Ford/Kong)
• MIXED:  DAL (Ge/Black) wins 11-4 (Young/Spiridis)
• Yours truly stays hot with perfect picks!  (easy one though)

The Sliders need this one in the worst way, they don’t want to be on the wrong end of a team opening their season with statement win.  We see the Hogs for the first time, and so much depends on how up for this Ben Johns will be.  The team didn’t spend any money and have a very weak team around him.   I think Columbus gets it straightened out or that desperation drives them enough.  Sliders 3-2  assuming Ben can set up playing Klinger/Jansen

• MENS:  Johns/Johns over Daescu/Klinger:  Predicting that the experts’ preseason #1 mens team starts 0-3
• WOMENS:  Todd/Jansen over Christian/Emmrich
• MIXED 1:  BJohns/Christian over Klinger/Jansen
• MIXED 2: Daescu/Todd over CJohns/Emmrich

I’ll keep these predictions as long as Ben is playing CJ and not Andre.  If it goes the other way I think the Sliders go 3-1 losing only mens.

Well I got myself in a pickle with these conditional picks.  I think I have to assume I picked 3-1 Sliders though for all the wrong reasons.  I thought Ben would get one, but I picked the wrong one, they got smashed in mens, but Ben shows his mixed prowess beating Daescu/Todd to salvage a point.  Both Columbus mixed teams were dominant and that was critical for the Sliders to stay close to the top of the pile.

• WOMENS:  COL wins 11-4
• MENS:  COL wins 11-4
• MIXED:  CAR (BJohns/Emmrich) wins 11-9 (Todd/Daescu)
• MIXED:  COL (Klinger/Jansen) wins 11-7 (CJohns/Christian)
• Did I keep up my hot streak?  Winner and score right, but only 2-2 in doubles picks

If Oncins hadn’t come out so strong, I’d be a little less sure, but I think Ranchers are too solid around Oncins.  I’m going to make a losing, homer bet here and give Glozdog a win.  Since I believe the Ranchers get choice, and if they do split gender doubles, I think they will try and get Alshon out there against the much stronger Glozman/Martinez-Vich team.  Ranchers 3-1

• MENS:  Alshon/Oncins over Martinez-Vich/Fought comfortably
• WOMENS:  Glozman/DiMuzio over Tuionetoa/Pisnik…not a pickle this time, but I think this MLP season is Viv’s coming out party and she gets this one
• MIXED 1:  Alshon/Tuionetoa over Martinez-Vich/Glozman, also close
• MIXED 2:  Oncins/Pisnik over Fought/DiMuzio as this mixed team stays unbeaten

Sigh, I easily could have had my 3rd perfect prediction of the day, but I went with my heart.  Never again!  Well, not today.  All Ranchers in this one, Viv and Jaume put up a good fight against a great mixed team, but the others weren’t close.

• WOMENS:  TEX wins 11-3
• MENS:  TEX wins 11-2
• MIXED:  TEX (Alshon/Tuionetoa) wins 11-8 (Martinez-Vich/Glozman)
• MIXED:  TEX (Oncins/Pisnik) wins 11-5 (Fought/DiMuzio)
• Me?  Womp womp, 3-1 (facepalm)  Gotta take the easy ones when they are there.

This is a fun one, debut for the Flames, who are a fun team, but I think a little outmatched here.  Again I’m watching Sam Parker.  Again, I’m going conditional, as I don’t like when I can’t score my picks.  Squeeze 4-0 if Staksrud can play against Tyson, if not, I’ll give Tyson and Jessie the win.  And if the Flames don’t make their teams this way, the only win the Flames can get is if Sock/Irvine play Frazier/Parker, and that will be tight.

• MENS:  Staksrud/Frazier over McGuffin/Sock:  This is under the assumption that this isn’t the day Jack Sock decides he’s going to break out, but even so both these Squeeze men have been the #1 mens doubles players in the last year.
• WOMENS:  Schneeman/Parker over Irvine/Bouchard:  Parker won me over after a convincing win earlier
• MIXED 1:  Staksrud/Schneeman over McGuffin/Irvine
• MIXED 2: Frazier/Parker over Sock/Bouchard

Match of the day along with NJ v BRK.  Jessie Irvine went beastmode here which I did not see coming.  She and Genie pickled a team they were underdogs to, and then smashed a mixed team they were also underdogs to.  Mens was the only close match here other than the dreambreaker.  Orlando took a huge lead in the Dreambreaker, gave it away, then found a late push to take the matchup.

• WOMENS:  PHX wins 11-0
• MENS:  ORL wins 11-8
• MIXED:  PHX (Irvine/McGuffin) wins 11-4 (Staksrud/Schneeman)
• MIXED:  ORL (Frazier/Parker) wins 11-1 (Sock/Bouchard)
• How did I do?  I’m great at going 2-2 in doubles picks, but I did get the winner, though I feel like I should get docked points for how wrong I was in womens.