2024 Major League Pickleball Draft News & Countering Aggressive Opponents 🏓 | It Feels Right

Summary

In diesem Podcast-Transkript diskutieren die Hosts Themen wie die Major League Pickleball-Mechaniken, den Entwurf und das Bieterverfahren sowie einen Vorgeschmack auf die PPA in North Carolina. Sie bieten Tipps zur Verteidigung von 'Shake and Bake', präsentieren Selkirk's Pickleball-Netze und geben einen Einblick in die bevorstehenden Meisterschaften. Zudem geht es um die Herausforderungen und Strategien im Pickleball-Spiel und wie die Sportlandschaft ständig weiterentwickelt wird.

Takeaways

• 😄 Adam Stone ist zurück im Studio und freut sich, viele MLP-Mechaniken zu besprechen, wie zum Beispiel den Entwurf, den Ausgangsverfahren und mehr.
• 🏑 Es gibt einen Tipp des Tages über die Verteidigung des 'Shake and Bake' in Pickleball, ein heisses Thema in letzter Zeit.
• 🌟 Ein Vorgeschmack auf die PPA in North Carolina, die an diesem Wochenende stattfindet, wird gegeben.
• 🎁 Die Diskussion um die exzellente Linie von Pickleball-Nets von Selkirk, die sowohl für Anfänger als auch für Profi-Spieler geeignet sind.
• 👶 Adam Stone teilt persönliche Geschichten über sein Kind AJ und wie er das Ostern verbrachte.
• 🤔 Die Diskussion über die Herausforderungen und Strategien beim Spielen auf einem slantierten Pickleball-Court.
• 🚀 Die Vorstellung des 'Tip of the Day', das sich mit der Verteidigung gegen Shake and Bake befasst und die Bedeutung der Court-Positionierung bei der ersten Volleys.
• 🔄 Die Diskussion über die Veränderungen im Pickleball-Spiel, wie schneller werdende Spiele und die Notwendigkeit, die Strategie anzupassen.
• 🏆 Die bevorstehenden Premier- und Challenger-Auktionen der Major League Pickleball und die einzigartigen Regeln für die Auktion.
• 💰 Die Erörterung der finanziellen Aspekte des MLP-Drafts, einschließlich der Budgets und der zusätzlichen Kosten für die Erhöhung des Budgets.
• 🔄 Die Möglichkeit, Spieler zwischen Premier- und Challenger-Teams zu tauschen, sowie die Vorstellung des neuen Rally-Scoring-Systems ohne Freeze.

Q & A

Was ist das Thema des Gesprächs in dem Podcast?

Das Thema des Gesprächs ist der Major League Pickleball (MLP), dessen Spielmechaniken, der Verfahren des Verfahrens und vieles mehr.

Wer sind die beiden Hauptgesprächspartner im Podcast?

Die beiden Hauptgesprächspartner sind Adam und Robin Stone.

Was ist der Tip of the Day im Podcast?

Der Tip of the Day im Podcast ist, wie man Shake and Bake verteidigt, ein heisses Thema in der Pickleball-Gemeinde.

Welche bevorstehende Veranstaltung wird im Podcast erwähnt?

Die bevorstehende Veranstaltung, die erwähnt wird, ist die PPA in North Carolina.

Was ist die Rolle von Selkirk im Kontext des Podcasts?

Selkirk ist die offizielle Netzmarke der PPA Tour und wird in dem Podcast für ihre Pickleball-Netze werben, die für alle Spielerniveaus geeignet sind.

Wie wird ein Spieler in der MLP-Auswahl ausgewählt?

In der MLP-Auswahl wird ein Spieler ausgewählt, indem die Teams für eine bestimmte Draft-Position bieten und dann den Spieler auswählen, den sie möchten.

Was bedeutet die Begriff 'Shake and Bake' im Kontext des Pickleballs?

Shake and Bake bezieht sich auf eine taktische Handlung im Pickleball, bei der ein Spieler den Ball schnell und waghalsig spielt, um den Gegner aus der Balance zu bringen.

Welche Rolle spielt die Court-Positionierung im Vertheidigen von Shake and Bake?

Die Court-Positionierung ist entscheidend, um Shake and Bake zu verteidigen, indem man nahe an der Küche ist und nicht im Übergangsbereich den ersten Volley macht.

Wie wird die MLP-Auswahl im Vergleich zu einer traditionellen Sportauswahl organisiert?

Die MLP-Auswahl ist einzigartig, da Teams für eine bestimmte Draft-Slot bauen und dann einen Spieler auswählen können, während die Verträge und die Spielerverfügbarkeit eine Rolle spielen.

Was sind die bevorstehenden wichtigen Ereignisse in der MLP, die im Podcast erwähnt werden?

Die bevorstehenden wichtigen Ereignisse in der MLP sind die Premier-Auswahl und die Challenger-Auswahl.

Wie wird die Dauer der MLP-Saison für 2024 erwartet?

Die Dauer der MLP-Saison für 2024 wird erwartungsgemäß länger als in diesem Jahr sein, da es sich um eine pro-Rata-Situation handelt und die Saison komplett durchgeführt wird.

Was ist der Unterschied zwischen der Premier League und der Challenger League in der MLP?

Die Premier League verwendet ein Auktionssystem für die Auswahl, während die Challenger League eine herkömmliche Schlange-Auswahl (Snake Draft) verwendet.

Welche Rolle spielen Verträge in der MLP-Auswahl?

Verträge bestimmen, wie viele Veranstaltungen ein Spieler während des Jahres abhalten muss und wie viele Spieler ein Team im Laufe der Zeit behalten kann.

Was ist die Haltung der MLP bezüglich des Austauschs von Spielern zwischen den Teams?

Die MLP erlaubt den Austausch von Spielern zwischen Teams, um eine faire Wettbewerbslage zu gewährleisten und Teams die Möglichkeit zu geben, ihre Aufstellung zu stärken.

Welche bevorstehenden Änderungen in der Spielweise der MLP werden im Podcast diskutiert?

Die bevorstehenden Änderungen in der Spielweise der MLP, die im Podcast diskutiert werden, beinhalten das vollständige Rally-Scoring, ohne Freeze, sowie die Möglichkeit, von Premier-League- zu Challenger-League-Spielern zu handeln und umgekehrt.

Outlines

00:00

🎾 Rückkehr in den Studio

Die Diskussion beginnt mit der Rückkehr von Adam Stone ins Studio und der Vorstellung des bevorstehenden Inhalts, darunter die Analyse von MLP-Mechaniken, die Vorschau auf die PPA in North Carolina und die Tip-of-the-Day-Diskussion zur Verteidigung des Shake-and-Bake in Pickleball. Es wird auch auf die Sponsorship von Selkirk Pickleball Netzen und deren Bedeutung für verschiedene Spielerebenen hingewiesen.

05:02

👶 Das Leben mit kleinen Helferlein

Der zweite Absatz konzentriert sich auf persönliches Leben, insbesondere auf das Leben mit Kindern und wie diese die Alltagsroutinen beeinflussen. Es wird über besondere Anlässe wie Ostern und das Erlebnis des gemeinsamen Familienlebens gesprochen, sowie über die Herausforderungen und Freuden, die damit einhergehen.

10:02

🤔 Strategien gegen Shake and Bake

Dieser Absatz behandelt die Herausforderungen und Strategien im Pickleball, wenn es darum geht, Shake-and-Bake-Spieltaktiken zu verteidigen. Es wird auf die Notwendigkeit von guten Positionierungen und Taktiken für den ersten Volley eingegangen, sowie auf die Bedeutung, die Bälle nicht zu lassen, wenn sie das Spielfeld verlassen.

15:04

🏋️‍♂️ Athletik im Pickleball

Im vierten Absatz wird diskutiert, wie die zunehmende Athletik in der Pickleball-Szene die Taktiken beeinflusst, insbesondere die Shake-and-Bake-Techniken. Es wird betont, dass die Spielweise an die Fähigkeiten der Spieler angepasst werden muss und dass es schwierig ist, den Ball zu kontrollieren, wenn er mit viel Spin und Geschwindigkeit gespielt wird.

20:04

🔄 Anpassungen im Spiel

Der fünfte Absatz thematisiert die notwendigen Anpassungen im Spiel, um mit schnelleren Spielgeschwindigkeiten und stärkerem Spin umzugehen. Es wird diskutiert, wie die Spielweise verändert werden kann, um den Ball effektiver zu verteidigen und die Vorteile der Positionierung zu nutzen.

25:05

🏀 Diskussion über das Basketball

In diesem Absatz wird ein Ausweichmanöver in die Diskussion über das Basketball gemacht, wo die Teilnehmer über die Entwicklung des Sports sprechen und wie bestimmte Strategien und die Dominanz von Starspielern das Spiel beeinflussen.

30:06

📝 Details zur Premier League Draft

Der sechste Absatz befasst sich mit den Details der Premier League Draft, wie das Bieten für Draft-Plätze, die Verwendung von Monopoly-Geld und die strategischen Entscheidungen, die während des Drafts getroffen werden müssen.

35:08

🤔 Analyse der Spielberechtigungen

In diesem Absatz wird die Flexibilität und die Notwendigkeit der Überprüfung der Spielberechtigungen der Spieler hervorgehoben, insbesondere in Bezug auf die Anzahl der verpflichtenden Events und die Dynamik von Vertragsverhandlungen.

40:08

🎉 Vorbereitung auf die nächste Saison

Der achte Absatz spricht über die Vorbereitungen für die kommende Saison, einschließlich der Erwartungen und Herausforderungen, die mit den neuen Regeln und Formaten verbunden sind, sowie die Notwendigkeit, die Team-Chemie und die Taktiken für die neue Saison zu entwickeln.

45:08

🤓 Gedanken zur MLP-Entwicklung

Der neunte Absatz reflektiert über die Entwicklung der MLP und wie verschiedene Aspekte wie das Draft-Format, die Spielregeln und die Teamstrukturen zur aktuellen Situation beigetragen haben. Es wird auch auf die Bedeutung des Mix der Team- und Einzelveranstaltungen hingewiesen.

50:09

🏆 Vorschau auf die North Carolina Open

Der zehnte Absatz bietet eine Vorschau auf die bevorstehende North Carolina Open, mit besonderem Fokus auf die Rückkehr von populären Spielern und die Bedeutung dieser Veranstaltung für die Spieler und die Fans.

👋 Abschluss und persönliche Bemerkungen

Der letzte Absatz schließt die Diskussion ab, indem er auf die bevorstehenden Veranstaltungen und die Ergebnisse des Drafts und der North Carolina Open vorausblickt. Es werden auch persönliche Bemerkungen und die Bedeutung von Unterstützer*innen für die Show betont.

Keywords

💡Pickleball

Pickleball ist ein Ballspiel, das auf einem Tennisplatz mit Tennisballen, Ping-Pong-Scheiben und Baseball-Schlägern gespielt wird. Im Video wird Pickleball als zentrales Thema diskutiert, da es sich um die Hauptbeschäftigung der Diskussionsteilnehmer handelt, und es wird auch über die PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) und die daraus resultierenden Turniere gesprochen.

💡MLP-Mechaniken

MLP steht für Major League Pickleball, eine professionelle Liga für Pickleball. Die Mechaniken beziehen sich auf die Regeln und Funktionsweisen der Liga, wie zum Beispiel die Auslosung, den Bietprozess und andere Aspekte, die im Video ausführlich diskutiert werden.

💡Auslosung

Die Auslosung bezieht sich auf den Prozess, bei dem die Reihenfolge der Teams oder Spieler für eine Turnierteilnahme bestimmt wird. Im Kontext des Videos wird die Auslosung in Bezug auf die MLP und die darauf folgenden Diskussionen über die Bietstrategien und die Bedeutung der jeweiligen Plätze thematisiert.

💡Verkauf

Verkauf bezieht sich auf den Prozess des Bietens und Verkaufens von Dingen, in diesem Fall die Rechte an bestimmten Draft-Plätzen in der MLP. Im Video wird diskutiert, wie Teams Geld für ihre Budgets aufbringen und für die besten Spieler bieten.

💡Verteidigung

Verteidigung im Video bezieht sich auf die Taktiken und Techniken im Pickleball, die verwendet werden, um den Ball, der von einem Gegner gespielt wird, effektiv zu blockieren oder zurückzuspielen. Insbesondere wird die Verteidigung gegen die 'Shake and Bake'-Taktik besprochen, eine spezifische Angriffsform im Pickleball.

💡PPA

PPA steht für Professional Pickleball Association und ist die zentrale Organisation für professionelles Pickleball. Im Video wird über die bevorstehenden Veranstaltungen der PPA in North Carolina gesprochen und auch über die Rolle der PPA bei der Förderung des Sports.

💡Shake and Bake

Shake and Bake ist eine Taktik im Pickleball, bei der ein Spieler den Ball schnell und tief ins Feld spielt, um den Gegner zu überwältigen. Im Video wird diese Taktik diskutiert und es werden Strategien für die Verteidigung gegen sie erörtert.

💡Spieler-Vertrag

Spieler-Verträge beziehen sich auf die Vereinbarungen zwischen den Spielern und ihren Teams oder der Liga, einschließlich der Anzahl der Turniere, an denen sie teilnehmen müssen. Im Video wird diskutiert, wie diese Verträge die Teilnahme der Spieler bei MLP-Veranstaltungen beeinflussen.

💡Spieler-Austausch

Spieler-Austausch meint die Möglichkeit, Spieler zwischen Teams zu tauschen, was im Video in Bezug auf die Regeln der MLP diskutiert wird. Es gibt eine spezielle Regel, dass ein Team in jedem Jahr einen Spieler in den freien Agenten-Pool legen muss, um den Austausch zu fördern.

💡Tipp des Tages

Im Video wird ein 'Tipp des Tages' gegeben, der sich auf die Verteidigung gegen die Shake and Bake-Taktik im Pickleball konzentriert. Dies zeigt, wie die Teilnehmer der Diskussion praktische Ratschläge für die Zuhörer teilen, um ihre Fähigkeiten im Spiel zu verbessern.

Highlights

Adam Stone回到演播室，与主持人一起讨论了许多关于MLP（Major League Pickleball）的机制，包括选秀和竞拍过程。

介绍了如何防守'shake and bake'策略，这是最近非常热门的话题。

预告了即将在北卡罗来纳州举行的PPA（Professional Pickleball Association）赛事。

主持人分享了对Selkirk Pickleball Nets的赞扬，强调它们是PPA巡回赛的官方网，并适合所有水平的球员。

讨论了关于Pickleball游戏的快速得分点和防守策略，特别是针对第三拍驱动和'shake and bake'策略。

Adam Stone和主持人讨论了关于Pickleball运动的发展方向，以及如何平衡速度和策略。

提到了即将到来的MLP选秀，包括Premier和Challenger级别的选秀机制。

解释了MLP选秀中的竞拍系统，团队如何使用虚拟货币来竞拍选秀权。

讨论了MLP选秀中的合同问题，包括球员合同的长度和参与的赛事数量。

提到了MLP的一些变化，比如全面采用25分制的无冻结规则。

讨论了关于MLP选秀策略，包括如何平衡团队阵容和选择球员。

提到了一些球员可能不会参加所有MLP赛事的情况，以及这对团队策略的影响。

讨论了MLP选秀中的交易可能性，包括交易规则和如何使用豁免名单。

提到了一些MLP球队老板可能想要出售球队的情况。

讨论了MLP赛事的观众吸引力，以及如何通过不同的比赛形式来吸引观众。

最后，主持人提到了自己的个人生活，包括他的孩子AJ，以及一些轻松幽默的家庭生活片段。

Transcripts

we are back with it feels right Adam

Stone's back in the studio today my God

it's good to see his beautiful face

we're going to be going

over a lot of MLP mechanics what's

happening uh what the draft looks like

how the bidding process works and much

more yeah we got the tip of the day

talking about how to defend the shake

and bake a pretty hot topic lately and a

light preview of the PPA in North

Carolina coming up this weekend let

let's get it because you know why why

cuz it feels right it feels right

legendary ladies and gents before we hop

into the show I do want to talk to you a

little bit about selkirk's amazing line

of pickle ball nets and whether you're

just starting out or you're a season pro

selker has the perfect net for you when

you choose a cerk net you're not just

choosing any net you're opting for the

official net of the PPA tour where

Excellence meets professional play with

Cel SL anet you can play pickle ball

anywhere Cel strange andet caters to

every player's needs offering budget

friendly choices for casual Enthusiast

and premium options for those with the

Competitive Edge that are looking for

more of the pr level net so either way

you're insuring quality play for all

levels and I've got a cell Kirk net for

myself and let me tell you it's a game

changer it's all about playing on your

terms wherever you are whether it's a

driveway or on the PPA tour so if you

love pickle ball as much as I do and we

do here at ifil right podcast check out

selkirk's pickle ball nets get the

freedom to play anywhere and everywhere

and elevate your game with the net

trusted by the pros sel's got you

covered if you're interested in getting

a net of your own go to ck.com

collectionn net and we'll link to that

in the show notes you can also find this

link in the description of the show but

let's jump into this week's episode of

it feels right with Robin Stone ding

ding ding ding ding ding there it is

Adam Stone is back in the studio you

know we it's been um we missed you we

missed you last week we had Abraham

dinkin fill in which you know he he's

not you but he is him and he's a he's a

unique little character Greg Dal came

and came and said what's up it's just

been a schoras boore that's a tough word

first thing I literally got caught in

like the bottom of my throat cornicopia

cornicopia I I've been doing some

thesaurus work you know because oh I

talk about the same thing for 20 hours

per weekend so you got to mix in some

different words at times what do you

have for um I need you to come up with a

new thing at eight all because if I hear

if I hear Dave Fleming say double

snowman one more time I might lose my

mind and and now I've like started just

to roll with it and I'll like set him up

when he doesn't do it I'll be like Dave

what are you doing and that encourages

him

more I'm into it I'm into it like it's

gotten to a point and so many people

talk about it that I I want more

actually where I think some people want

less I want more I want more yeah I mean

it's it's one of the other it's either

like let's just make a complete like

let's just be completely silly about

this and go that way or or let's just

stop it but I I like it I like that

route yeah no I think that's the play

and uh clearly I need to give a big

thank you to Abraham dinkin Eric hotti

and Greg da and I mean Abraham dinkin is

clearly amazing but I'm I actually think

the flow of Thomas Jeffers spin is just

a bit better like it just it just rolls

right it's like you almost don't even

have to adjust the name at all when you

go with Thomas Jeffers spin it's smooth

it's smooth I mean fight fight de Eisen

power is not bad either it's

just it just I just couldn't even

imagine just sitting around with you

know a case of beer with a couple of

guys and just talking about presidents

and historical figures that match up

with uh with pickle ball terms it's just

too good har

dubman I mean dude he's the man I'm

crying a little bit early in the

episode the good I used to follow his uh

or I didn't used to but he stopped doing

this he's he po like he post on Twitter

quite a bit or X whatever we call it now

and he used to just always post like

random pictures and be like wow great

this would be a great spot for a pickle

ball court it would be like the entrance

to the Bank of America building in

Charlotte of just like a front line like

oh wow this would be a great spot for

he's funny he's funny it's it's good

feelings yeah I wasn't you know I kind

of wasn't available and then you uh you

pulled something out of your back pocket

and man you picked a couple quality

guest hosts I mean it's uh it's all

credit to them because it was in the

moment and Rody was like I'm I'm dinking

right now as Abraham dinkin should be

dinking but I could be on there in 45

minutes so just give me a second I mean

grinding but he'll make time he'll make

time love that but now back to regularly

schedule programming with Robin Stone oh

yeah here we are man there's a lot going

on always there always is have we ever

been on here and there has not been a

lot going on I we have these like dead

space segments that we might squeeze in

here and there and there's just no time

for it Robert because in the pickle ball

landscape it's show and uh there is a

lot of good a little bad a little ugly

just everything that you could ever want

uh in terms of information and

newsworthy topics but you know what's

not ugly Adam well one your hairline

because it's it's perfect but two what

the little guy here in the background

which is Mr AJ and those Easter pictures

were I mean I'm I'm just like oh my I

was like I literally was like that is

the cutest kid like his little smile

with his little tities pointing out and

he's like kind of leaning back yeah god

dude and I know you said he's I know you

said he's

and I I believe I I 100% believe that

but the way that little creature looks

makes up for all of it in my book I know

I don't I'm not the one waking up in the

middle of the night or doing the car

rides and the crying but I'm here for

those pictures keep hting no he he he's

a cutie so five five quality minutes

makes up for the other 23 Plus hours of

the day uh but you know every everyone

everyone knows that that's how it goes

but I I I couldn't not agree more uh

when he gets all dolled up and he's in a

good mood uh he's he's pretty dang cute

so uh that little outfit he's wearing

dude my God little Easter bunnies on it

jeez SE sear sucker so I didn't even

really know what that was but uh that's

the blue and white stripes right or no

blue and white stripes little textured

fabric uh Easter pastels the whole

shebang was going on so uh I can't

complain it was a it was a lovely Easter

Sunday what' you do we went to the

country club of North Carolina where

Karen's parents live and had a lovely

brunch and uh what' you guys talk about

a brunch well all kinds of things really

you guys talk about pickle ball a lot at

the at the brunch table Yeah well Ken

was a pretty big part of getting uh

courts the country club so there you

know there's the Classic Country Club

Battle you got the golfers the tennis

players and then people want want the

pickle ball and so there was several

ladies that lived there including

Karen's mother and Karen that kind of

put the foot on the gas and made it

happen and they got four lovely courts

kind of overlooking the lake so it's a

it's a spot man it's a spot do you

speaking of Courts um how's obviously AJ

star wrenching a lot of stuff but it

doesn't matter because he's so cute and

keep like I said keep posting those

pictures but do we have uh do we have a

complex compound uh

Stone pickle ball Center in the future

uh it's not going to be in the near

future so uh we have a lovely plot of

land but there is a pretty dang serious

slope on it in the back and it really

aesthetically looks wonderful but to

build a flat pickle ball court is not

ideal so we're we're talking retaining

wall situation and a lot of money so

definitely not a a hard no but it's

gonna it's going to take a little bit of

time if we are to go that route so it it

is sad it is sad but there's plenty

other things we need to do uh and that's

what if you just built it on the slope

what what do you mean you just built it

on

slope on the slope what do you mean what

I mean you just have just you just lay

the concrete on the slope forget the

retaining wall just we can have an

uphill downhill battle I mean you switch

sides every game anyways yes I talk

about a side Advantage you know

you yeah I don't think that would work I

I that would be fun though like which

side do you think's the advantage

playing uphill or downhill man you can't

keep that ball in downhill it'd be tough

like what like what are you going to do

I mean and you're going to fall in the

kitchen a lot if you're downhill on a

decent SL

oh yeah you you got I mean I didn't

think we were going this route

uh think about the lobs you can hit when

you're going uphill I mean you could

just let it fly and downhill downhill

you cannot even think about a lob no I

think you have to go uphill I think

that's the play for sure uh downhill I

don't think yeah I think downhill you

have no shot I mean similar to wind I

don't like playing with the wind it's

difficult but think about but if you get

that high ball on the down on the

downhill I mean that thing not coming

back you know what I mean it's all over

it's going to hit and skid that's that's

right so you just lob beam yeah that

would be that would be this is you know

tennis has clay courts pickle ball has

slanted courts let's do it yeah well

let's let's just let's just segue this

lovely conversation into the tip of the

day and start off with a bang what do

you think I thought we just did it if

you're playing on a Uphill Court you lob

no that that that wasn't quite it but

that maybe that's for another day is uh

with the wind and against the win

strategy but uh I think we're going to I

think we're just going to talk a little

bit about defending the shake and bake

Rob oh I like this this is a this is

super important and yeah it's where it's

where Andre and I like when we when we

lose games it's it's usually because of

a team's shake and bake yeah it's it's

there's a lot of teams that are very

quality at it and I think at the lower

levels you have a lot of not the most

skilled players but they're very

athletic coming from other sports lot of

the the the age of the average player is

coming down lots of players in their 20s

very athletic uh ladies and fellas so

getting in those quick quick points can

be tough to get out of and I think it's

really important to talk about some

strategy and and I think that actually

yeah so I I think that there's been a

lot of talk about well hey they're

hitting harder they have better spin

players have better offense well it's

easy kitchen to Kitchen we'll just get

out of the way and let the ball go out

one

the balls are staying in more frequently

and two when they're hit with more Spin

and more Pace I think there is a ton of

players especially in those mid levels

that are not it's not an option to get

out of the way it it really isn't yeah I

will say in terms of third shot drives

and shake and bake I still think you

have plenty of time and extra time that

letting balls go out really is a great

option from that point granted there is

more spin so you have to be careful and

that ball has to be you know where it

was maybe shoulder High uh you know a

couple years ago now it might be head

high or higher uh to to where that

Ball's not going to go in with the

amount of spin some of these paddles are

getting so yeah it's one of the I know

Adam you mentioned like early on when we

were playing together like in wreck and

Austin that you know you recognize that

I was decent at like recognizing balls

that were going to go out I feel like I

I feel like that's changed quite a bit

and I I find myself struggling with it

based on on what the paddles can do now

like I've I feel like I've lost my gauge

to an extent on what the ball's doing

when it's head high because there's been

so many times where that ball is going

in where as in you know a couple years

ago there's no there's absolutely no

chance you see you see trajectory and

swing like how big it is and you're like

okay you can feel pretty confident

that's going out but now it's um it's

it's much more difficult yeah and and it

creates indecision too which leads to l

crisp first volleys and more unforced

errors on first volleys as well because

you're kind of hesitating or

second-guessing yourself so that that's

always let letting the ball go out is

always going to be a work in progress

and it's I don't care if you're whatever

Andre decu or whoever it's just not

something that's easy to do so yeah uh

and then of course really the main thing

is Court positioning on your first

volley and what you're doing with that

first volley that is the most important

thing in my eyes so of course getting

tight to the kitchen and not making uh

contact with that first volley in the

transition zone which is very difficult

given some of the serves and and pace

and spin on the drives these days but uh

it is definitely something that is huge

for how the point is is going to unfold

so you know maybe it you could be Court

positioning when you return maybe it's

the height of your return and the depth

of your return that allows you to get

forward but being to the line is just so

important

when defending the shake and bake yeah I

would say getting to the line is more

important than like than hitting a heavy

return like you don't want the you don't

want the return to be short and

High um because then you're just going

to get blasted but like if you hit a if

you hit kind of a floaty return deep

like getting I feel like getting to the

kitchen and being set is more important

than than cranking a return and being a

foot off the line if that makes sense no

I I do and you know with the spin

created on the third shot drives it kind

of neutralized some of those returns too

now of course we want them driving on

their back foot there're there's a lot

of good things that come from that but

you just Blast away and hit a great

thing players especially ex- tennis

players on their back foot can still

create some some rotation on the ball

with with just being low to high with

some of the grab that the paddles have

these days so also on that first volley

Court positioning but what are you doing

with the first volley so I I I mean

always I'm just

hit it clean punch it solid have a nice

compact stroke but really kind of go

after it and pin that player back deep

uh and try to avoid the player that's

poaching uh or or or baking if you will

so I'm thinking that in certain

situations granted this is a very

difficult shot but taking a bit of pace

off of that first volley is going to be

something that we're seeing at the

higher levels and almost kind of

conceding the kitchen when you were

playing a team that is hot with the

Drive in the poach if if you're just

constantly trying to pump that first

volley back deep to the player that

drove the ball these guys are too

athletic these days a good po all over a

good poacher is going to be able to pick

so many of those off uh especially with

the spin created on the third shot

you're often hitting that first volley

up and not kind of down or through the

court as frequently so I think that that

kind of deadening the ball and you don't

even have to necessarily drop it in the

kitchen but don't give them that shot or

that opportunity to pick the ball off

when they're poaching when the ball is

Wast or above because they're just're

they're just too good at it and it's can

really like you said Rob have a string

of points where just it's two minutes

and you've lost four five six points uh

off that shake and bake strategy so just

a couple of things that I'm thinking and

it it this is a constant work in

progress strategically and we'll see how

a lot of the teams kind of adapt and if

they if they mix in some of these

strategies uh with the shake and bake

because almost everybody's good at it

now yeah it's a really good point

because often times they're you know

you're they're taking Pace off the drive

and it's more of like a three4 Dipper

that you're taking from your shin and if

you try to or even like let's call it

your waist like let's call it net level

High um you're still not able to like

really hit down on that so if you you

know if you volley it hard and hit

through it it's still got I mean that

volley is going to be waste level for

your opponent which is going to be a

very poachable ball so I think that's a

smart you know we are seeing that more

where if you're getting that ball kind

of waist or below you're seeing guys

yeah just kind of deaden that volley and

like you said Adam conceding the kitchen

because like when I'm thinking about

playing a good shake and baked Team all

like all I'm talking about with my

partner is all we have to because

typically I feel like you know versus a

shake and bake team we're going to win

points at the kitchen they're going to

win free points on shake and bake

they're going to hit good drives you

know they're going to poach we're going

to miss some volleys that kind of thing

so in my head all it ever is against

those teams is weather the storm the

first two shots the serve and their

third weather that get to the kitchen

concede the kitchen let them come in

because even though you know even though

we're the return team and we should have

the advantage if we get to the kitchen

and they get to the kitchen we should

still have the advantage

so I think yeah I think for an amateur

out there thinking about it and you're

playing a really good shake and bake

team just WEA the storm whether those

first two shots and um yeah you have to

get like the thing I see the most is you

have to get to the kitchen line off the

return period end of story I don't care

what happens there's too many times

where the returner is not getting into

the kitchen line and I think if you do

if you focus on nothing else but hitting

a returning getting to the kitchen line

that will solve a lot lot of problems

because there's so many first volleys

I'm seeing from three feet behind the

line and you're hitting it at your Sho

strings when you could be hitting it at

your waist yeah and I've kind of figured

a little something out by accident I'm

you know pretty freakishly out of shape

these days so when I do play wreck I've

been playing you know two or three times

a month something like that I've been

short hopping my returns and I'm not

even necessarily suggesting other people

do that but I've found myself right on

the kitchen line for my next volley you

know so uh I think there's probably some

players with skill sets that can do the

short hop thing but I think the same

situation is if it's floaty and deep it

doesn't matter it it literally doesn't

matter if it's floaty and short that's

an issue but if it's deep Landing in the

back it's actually better because they

don't have Pace to use from you yeah

yeah I agree so I I have found with my

traditional returns that I was not

making it and my accelerated age and I

went to the short hop uh and there's you

know couple variations of the short hop

and I found myself right on the kitchen

line for first volleys and handling

drives much better than when I was

hitting a more traditional return so uh

I like that a lot and also it's it's a

huge factor and and we're both short

Hoppers no go ahead no I was going to

say we're both short Hoppers um yeah

short hopping is good on thirds too I

think it's underrated on thirds truly

like if you can dial that in it's like

it's it's like hitting a good midcourt

reset sometimes that return will come

kind of to the midcourt and you're just

you're getting down and you're short

hopping it and you're right into the

kitchen first ball so I think that's

like a underused you know tactic as well

short hop short hop for the win yeah and

and this is I know these are not easy

skills to master but this is I mean some

of these matches I'm seeing uh Pro level

40 level whatever it may be I mean we're

talking 70 80 90% of the points are

quick hitting points so

I I know the skill sets aren't easy and

the strategies aren't easy to execute

but I mean we got to start talking about

a variety of different ways to

counteract what what's happening uh and

where the game is headed so uh I think a

few of those are are pretty quality and

maybe maybe grab one that that make

sense with your skill set and and try to

work on that and your and your recck

play moving forward Adam what are your

thoughts on we talked about this a

little bit last week with Rody and and

da and you know Dow's not always known

for the best takes per se but he uh he

he had a thought that I really liked and

I think it could make a lot of sense uh

just in terms of technology in the game

and where where we're headed if we're

you know if we're going to stay on this

trajectory of the game being fast and

faster and faster uh I think it removes

a lot of the the strategy in a sense

like you know the longer points and not

everybody wants longer points so it's

it's a you know it's again it's a

philosophical question on where people

want the game to go but but his thought

was let's just get wild with spin let's

kind of remove some limits on the spin

or open it up a little bit more and

let's dial the the the power way back um

and then you can like you're looking at

you know what big like really dippy

drops but not like crazy fast uh you can

do really interesting angles pull people

off the court uh you can flick balls

that wouldn't normally go in but now

they're going in so it's it still

creates like a really interesting

element to the game but I think it keeps

the game more true to how it was

originally intended no I I I like that a

lot and you know it doesn't there's no

way it was ever just going to be like

2018 and just stay that way it's not an

option but I do like the spin component

more there's a big argument for both you

know because it's like whatever like in

the in NCA we're doing the NCA

tournament right now you know you know

20 30 40 years ago it's you know backo

cuts and give and go and and you know

box in one zone and full press and and

all this stuff going on and it it's

moving more towards this guy's just more

athletic and more physically uh I think

it's so boring men's basketball now so

so so so I I know faster is good for for

viewing and it is it's fine they create

some interesting points some scrambling

some hectic stuff but you have to find

that balance of keeping the chess aspect

and the Strategic aspect in play and and

I think dialing down the power adding

some extra spin could be a good way to

do that I I I mean I remember those you

know you'd have the whatever the lower

seated teams and they're just kind of

figuring out how to do it and now it's

just my guy can my guy's tall he can

shoot threes my guy my guy is this and

he's better than your guy so it's just

it's it's less appealing uh from a

viewer viewership perspective for me

anyway yeah I think it's it's gone to

like you said yeah it's just it's gone

to like when I watch men's basketball

for example it's like they do like an

isolation every trip down the court it's

like they put their best player on the

ball the best defender and the other

four guys on the court um are literally

just standing around creating room it's

like that's the strategy now um and it

might be the reason why women's

basketball's being watched more and more

outside of of course you know the

generational athlete Caitlin Clark I

mean that's the main reason we we all

know but women's basketball they're

playing real basketball you know off the

all they're moving they're cutting

they're setting picks they're like like

you said Adam like kind of showing

different defensive looks like it's it's

truly like there's there's more going on

and it's more interesting to watch

because you're seeing like how they're

trying to solve different problems like

even if you put four players on Caitlin

Clark it doesn't matter she's still

gonna drop 32 and she's gonna have 16

assists it doesn't matter you can't stop

a generational athlete um so this this

is the problem that women's you know

they run into trying to guard

generational athletes and and it's just

it's a more interesting Sport and I'm

going to say generational athlete one

more time Caitlyn Clark four four and

just Adam I don't know if I've told you

this but I'm also uh you know M and I

are now Indiana Fever season ticket

holders I didn't get as far as like how

we're going to get to the games which

games we're g to get to but I do know

that we are Indiana Fever season ticket

holders and not just that Adam but um

we've got pretty good seats so there's a

lot happening in terms of kitlin Clark

right now she's playing tonight against

LSU it's I'm incredibly stressed out

about it because I have a incredible

disdain for Kim Bui their head coach I

it's it's it's an unhealthy uh dislike

at this point but I think that's a

that's a good that's my good little rant

for um women's basketball thank you for

giving me that opportunity yeah I was

gonna cut you off butal that's five okay

so we hit the Five Spot on that and I

even know I'm on the I'm on the Twitter

so I I got a little know the mky thing

and there's some like New York Times

article about her or something and piece

she's such a baby this Angel Reese is

that her name the LSU player that's

pretty great as well yeah okay so yeah

I'm I'm a little in the mix there so uh

just a little pivot over to ladies

basketball uh some some good points

there I mean five that's that's good

yeah I mean okay yeah I'll just leave it

there I've got a lot more I can say but

I'll just leave it there so that's the

tip whether they Shing the shake and

bake weather the storm weather the storm

well uh Robert we we have a we have a

couple pretty important drafts coming up

uh for Major League pickle ballot we

have the uh Premier draft Tuesday night

uh Wednesday evening uh Challenger and

this is supposedly or or hopefully I'm

not exactly sure what word to use that

these will be the only drafts moving

forward and then we'll have some form of

free agency and trading and moving

around of the pieces of the the premier

and the Challenger level teams moving

forward and and I hope that's that's

what happens things change so quickly

you never know but it's pretty wild so

the Premier Premier League is going to

be an auction level draft where you

actually draft you bid for a specific

draft slot when you earn that draft slot

by bidding then you pick a player so

it's very unique we have we have uh kind

when you say when you say bid for sorry

I'm going to probably be asking a lot of

questions here because

familiar with the mechanics of all of

this so I'm going to be probably asking

a fair amount of clarifying questions so

when you say bid for draft slot um are

you talking about real money in terms of

these teams and MLP owners putting up

real dollars to be able to see like to

be able to get where like if they want

the one the number one draft pick that

team's putting up the most money to get

that pick well you get uh you get 500k

Monopoly money and then for your draft

pick right uh that that's just every

team gets that going into the draft got

it and then you have the option to

purchase an extra $500,000 to cap your

overall money at $1 million to play with

okay and that but that's how do you get

that extra 500k you pay for it to yeah

you pay for it uh the dollar value yeah

you so you could pay an extra 500k to

get that 1 million cap that is correct

yes is correct so is that what also

determines draft slot or what determines

draft slot like how did the number one

who who's drafting number one in

Premiere oh we we we don't know yet so

we get to the draft and there is a bid

for the first overall pick it's not even

a player you bid for the pick with all

the other teams and you have that it

kind of goes online and it goes through

this interface and you end up if you

secure the pick say you you get the

first pick then you can pick whoever you

want to but but that bit happens during

the draft or before like how during

during the draft so there will be okay

pick number two everybody goes and then

the team that earns it has two minutes

to pick the actual player that they want

and that's real that's real money being

bid uh no it's just for the draft slot I

mean okay so so that's part of your cap

that is part of your cap that is correct

so that dollar value is not attached to

the player at all that doesn't really

mean anything that's just the money each

team has to work with to kind of to to

work out the draft so that the contract

stuff all of that stuff is what the

player is earning and kind of what

they're getting that that money attached

to them through the draft is just is

just money for the draft so that

everyone is on a somewhat Level Playing

Field basically but but to be clear the

bid like the amount you're bidding for

that draft slot comes from your cap it

comes from your cap that is correct so

okay so so the bid and like the draft

pick so it's all it's all debiting from

that cap have that's right so if you you

you started say every team starts with a

million I don't think that's going to

happen uh that's right you bid you bid

900,000 on the first pick you have

100,000 to work with for your other

three picks so there is a lot of you

know usually these draft strategies and

auction which I was lucky to do a lot of

them in baseball it's do you have a more

balanced middling team or do you go

stars and scrubs where you where you get

two Heavy Hitters and then you just kind

of fill in it's called Dollar Days at

the end of the draft where you can

almost get men priced players uh and to

kind of fill in your roster so y it's

very Dynamic and every draft room is

different some people just go crazy with

the first their first pick and then some

people kind of pull back and you can get

some value there early on so you have to

be very fluid uh as a GM in in these

drafts and make sure you're you're

available uh uh to to adapt to the room

and this I mean that kind of and my

questions are probably going to make us

pop around here but based on just

looking at that number one draft slot I

mean is is is that going to be like a

lock to be bent or is it because I know

there's I know there's situations with

different players that they're not

required to play all the events some

might play Four some might play three so

what's that look like uh it almost all

of them are six I think there's a couple

these are the PPA signed players that

that uh had six in their contract and

the schedule this year for MLP is five

regular season events one regular season

tournament and then two post possible

two postseason uh events so yes you you

have to do as a team you have to do due

diligence so there's a lot of contact

with owners and GMS with the players

kind of feel feeling Out The Vibes some

players are no big deal I'll do what the

team needs some players are going to

stick to their contract and that's

absolutely their right so uh there is a

variety of different contracts and a lot

of moving parts to the to the draft and

just kind of knowing who is going to

stick to their six and and who is

willing to to play a couple more and

this I think this plays in more in 2025

as well we're kind of in a pro-rated

situation here with half the season so

next year I'm not sure exactly the

number of events that they're looking

for but it's going to be it's going to

be more than this year because that's

interesting right they have a whole year

so that's interesting because you know

most of these contracts for the PPA

signed players are three-year contracts

right so if they're you know if they're

on six events yeah they'll be able to

play all of them in 24 but like is that

something you know you as a GM for

example are thinking about in 2025 like

yeah we get this pick for 2024 and they

have to play all of them but maybe they

only play half next year like that's a I

mean is that a real concern for a lot of

GMS yeah know won for two years and then

one player from your team must go into

you have to drop one player and put that

into a free agent pool so you're not

even that's right so you're not even

it's not even possible to keep all four

of your players but you can keep three

of them two for three years one for two

year and then you have uh that one

player that must go into the free agent

pool to just kind of I like this to to

not be able to just to keep it to keep

like fresh that's right fresh and so you

give if a team drafted poorly you give

them a shot to to dig into the to the

free agent pool and and have have a

little Switcheroo with their squad so I

I I I like that and I know it's it is

very confusing and I I I totally get

that uh and I think most fans you know

the die hards probably a lot of people

listening to this show are very

interested that and some you know just

want to see the play and the format and

and and all all that good stuff so yeah

any any tra like what's the trade

situation can yeah so you so you can

trade I probably should uh know a little

bit more specifics on that but yes you

you you can trade and that's very

available and you can trade certain yeah

if you have a certain waiver wire

priority you can use cash and you can

use uh waiver wire priorities for the

trades as well so like we talked about

that free agent poll you have to drop

somebody if you have the number one spot

and there's a new upand comer or

something you can trade that for for

Value to another team so there's yeah

there's there's a lot going on and yeah

hopefully the these rules kind of stick

and hold throughout this you know next

couple years and uh they become a little

more smoother for for everyone to

understand but I I I like a lot of what

they're doing I do yeah it seems like

it's on the right track for sure can you

can you trade from like one thing that I

wish they didn't have was two different

divisions uh Premier Challenger I wish

it was just uh you know MLPs a league

and you have call it two divisions North

or east and west whatever uh but it's

all it's all the top level if that makes

sense uh so it's just all premiere 24

teams and right right and you spread

yeah you spread Talent out a little bit

more obviously and you have people

playing you know you have the best

player playing with you know oftentimes

the lowest ranked player in the in the

league um but are you going to be able

to trade from Premier to Challenger and

vice versa yes I believe so and like I I

mean I I had it was it was a zoom call

and a couple conversations I've had on

the phone and I have some notes on it

that aren't with me so I I don't want to

give out any false information but I

believe that's how I UND understood it

is that yes you can trade uh throughout

the year and between leagues as well

yeah what's the and I don't know if you

know this but Ann Worcester in the

racket X panel said that there's many

owners looking to sell which I found it

to

an interesting comment um just you know

just sharing that own like several

owners wanted out um I found to be

interesting but what is kind of the you

know obviously the merger happened some

people didn't want the merger to happen

in terms of owners some did it obviously

happened is there a lot of like like are

there upset owners that you know that I

mean clearly there's owners that want

out and is that based on is that based

on the merger happening and the

direction that MLP has chosen to go

absolutely no idea I know I know the

valuations of the team went teams went

up after the merger but I am you know I

I just I I I'm not in that deep to to

know that I'm kind of more you know

focused on the player pool and some of

the rules and the format of play I'm

just not sure from like an ownership

Buzz perspective like like what what

what the boys are are chatting about or

or what they were hoping hoping to

happen no I'm serious I'm just I'm just

messing with you I'm just messing with

you no I really that was that was a that

was a question that I knew you wouldn't

be able to answer but I thought I'd ask

you well why why did you ask it Robert

you know that that's that's not my style

right there and I I mean I do have some

good tidbits and uh you know some juicy

gossip here and there but I'm I'm more

uh yeah worried about uh some of the

format and we're going full full rally

scoring as well games to 25 no freeze

whatsoever so there is zero freeze you

know no 18 no one team can catch back up

just full send have to win on your rally

scoring uh playing to 25 uh yeah so

that's a new little wrinkle and a couple

other things as well in terms of a rules

perspective that nothing's grabbing me

right now in my brain but uh yeah it's

uh and I I like that too I think that's

another thing tough to follow you know

as a casual viewer you know the die

hards they they know these things but a

casual viewer with the freeze and this

happening and that happening and and

also I think that there was maybe some

difficult in terms of betting or setting

lines or or or something like that when

you have a freeze involved uh so I I

think this for the grand scale um makes

some good sense yeah I'd be curious on

um what the thoughts are from everybody

out there listening in terms of the MLP

format now and whether it's you know

we've had a big break with MLP and we've

missed several events already this year

is everybody still excited is there

still like kind of the buzz and like Are

People Pumped especially with all the

opt outs

um because you know quite a few you know

the Johnson 5 are not in the draft pool

to my knowledge right yeah no that's

that that's true and I think once I mean

of course I mean you haven't played an

event for a handful of months I me know

of course I think there could be there

is a dip of that just not being on the

Forefront of mine but I think once you

get back on court uh Team format and you

know everything starts rolling again

I don't think it's going to take long

for for this Gap to be in the rearview

mirror uh I could be wrong but I I I

think it's going to be yeah like just a

couple events in it's going to be like

nothing ever happened and uh it's going

to kind of hold its you know what what

what it had and some of the team aspect

that that made it really great to begin

with I think it's going to hold on to

that personally well it's yeah I I agree

and I think it I think the format is

what does that it's it's fun I mean even

even having a like even this podcast

being mostly about updates to MLP and

like what the what the like people like

that stuff you know people like thinking

about who's going to get drafted where

based on the mechanics of this and that

it's it's there's so many more

interesting talking points than just a

typical tournament weekend yeah both

both are good I I both are good the mix

of both is is what it should be I don't

know what the perfect mix is but I

couldn't agree more standard tournaments

are great uh Team format's great if you

find that perfect balance uh between the

two that's got to be the ideal situation

I mean I think the ideal situation is is

uh oh here we go I mean I've always said

it i' I've always said it I think I I

agree there's there needs to be both

there needs to be both but I don't like

the fact that they're kind of like on

top of each other like

connected um I wish that it was like

I've always said like a true team-based

League where uh you know you're playing

for your you're playing for your city

and your team you have Home and Away

matches you get the local community more

involved and behind the team uh because

I think that's a people want to get

connected to you know where they're from

and they want to support the local team

and I think yeah you don't have that

connect if you know if your team's just

always if your team has nothing to do

with the city that the team's based out

of you know you gotta get there you

gotta get there so not not not quite

there yet but I mean man this all this

stuff is so so young so in its infancy

you know it's just it's just a work in

progress I saw someone I don't know who

it was something on on uh X whatever you

want to call it and I liked this idea a

staggered dream breaker meaning what

like one one team puts out whoever it

may be coin toss situation one team puts

out a player for Four Points other team

puts out a player for two and then it

starts regularly after that so you get

you you basically have to have females

versus females men vers men and you must

have men vers females in the dream

breaker which I think I I thought that

could be pretty cool uh because no the

fans no no one players fans everyone

loves it when it's a guy versus a girl

matchup in a dream breaker that is a fan

favorite and that was kind of a little

tweak that maybe could uh make that

happen more often yeah I like that uh

what they did at the Indian open was a

little different for the dream breaker

as well they they did it it wasn't

singles it was um it was each of the it

was each of the four events that's what

rotated so women's doubles would play

you could put out the lineup however you

wanted so you could have a mixed team

playing a women's team or you could have

you know the men playing the women same

thing but just doubles which I found to

be pretty interesting so um yeah you

just put out your you put out your

lineup of like we're going to do

women's then we're going to do mix then

men's then Mi then the other mix and you

just play the doubles points all the way

through to 21 oh yeah it's a there's

lots of variations it would be Co

variations it would actually be cool to

mix it up from event to event because

it's it's a you know it's not like an

advantage for it's an advantage to the

doubles teams or you know the doubles

teams where you don't have call it good

singles players um so they're weaker on

the single side there's obviously a

clear advantage to the double teams

there but I think it'd be fun to mix it

up

yeah no I I I agree and still tweaks

almost every time there's there's

something slightly different or uh you

know just trying to get it right and

find that perfect balance like we talked

about so work in progress and I think uh

it's really grown Leaps and Bounds and

we're headed in the right direction with

everything now uh so is Challenger is

Challenger the same uh kind of the same

mechanics as Premier or what's that look

like uh the Challenger is a full snake

draft just a regular standard snake

draft

you no bidding you just go back and

forth and you know they were talking

about having deeper rosters but it is uh

to four so they were talking about

having six and Challenger uh but it's uh

it is going to be for a standard snake

draft and you know of course pre he was

hoping for six he was he was hoping for

six oh that's so good yeah so standard

snake like I said and the hard H are

drafting in the nine spot so uh what's

especially in Challenger that's a great

spot for Challenger yeah I like it so

you don't you don't really have to pick

the last handful of picks which uh you

know is nice of course it's going to be

thinner in the back of the draft so you

know you get that top Couple pick it's

exciting you can get a stud or or a big

time lady but you know deep deep in the

draft sometimes the options aren't super

sexy you know what determined draft

order for Challenger I have no idea I I

I just know that my boy Tim let me know

that we had the nine spot it might I

would imagine it was just random uh but

I I could be wrong so uh yeah I'm just

how's draft prep going for you well I'm

just someone who should know every

intricacy whatsoever of of the rules in

the draft process and I I've been

stumped a couple times by your questions

Robert so there's a lot there's a lot

going on hey I still have I still have

time to do a deep dive you know I got

some calls today of course I've done my

rankings and kind of done the whole

process of everything but uh yeah

there's still a little bit of work to be

done and you know I've been on the phone

a little bit with some players just kind

of checking on some things and and and

figuring out how uh what everyone's

mindset is and availability and uh we're

gonna we're gonna make it happen and as

silly as it sounds I think Fantasy

Baseball is going to come in big handy

uh especially in the the premere draft

that's a that's an auction style so it

it's going to be an exciting couple days

and straight from the draft right into

the to the North Carolina open so uh

it's going to be cool it's it's always

nice to make your picks and then kind of

see how they perform pretty quickly you

know so it's it's not going to take long

you're you're you're going to see how it

looks and of course one tournament's one

tournament but uh it's always fun to do

that to get your squad and then then

kind of check them out and see how they

do Greg Dow mentioned one thing about

well he's had baby fever for a while you

know he sees like he sees Little AJ and

he's like I've got six months to get

somebody pregnant because last year in

Mesa at MLP when we were on the Brooklyn

Aces he was like man I have baby fever

so bad I just want and he doesn't have a

girlfriend he hasn't had a girlfriend

the whole year so but he's like in eight

by by the end of 18 months I will be he

said a father but he just meant like I

will like he will be getting somebody

pregnant yes okay I got you so he's like

he's like man I've got clock ticking

I've got what is it a few months now

he's so uh but he did mention based on

the baby Fever thing that he's seen

Scarpa it's it's happened to Scarpa

where he had a kid and then you know uh

switch flips where he's just like you're

you're you're playing for something

bigger than yourself now and just wanted

to say um I think sleeper in this draft

is DJ young he just you know big

congrats to him on and his partner on

their their new baby very cute but DJ's

got something bigger than himself now so

watch out for watch out for Mr Young

it's the tweak that he needed to take

him to the next level we know he's got

the shots so maybe that just that ump

that he got from uh you know bringing

life into the world is uh get him over

that over that

hump must provide must provide must

provide Robert this was lovely and I

think weed about mlp's leading right

into was it Carrie is that where the

event at yeah Carrie 15 minutes from me

I get to sleep in my own bed which is

dream yeah it's the only Tournament of

the year there's a couple I can drive to

from here but mostly it's it's pretty

heavy travel so yeah so we we we got

really two of the main things for for

the tournament and uh and Carrie is uh

McGuffin and ignt are back so both both

missed a handful of tournaments uh I

believe it was a foot and a shoulder uh

for Tyson and James respectively and so

that's that's pretty exciting stuff to

get them back Tyson clear clearcut fan

favorite and uh Ignat you know bringing

that power and some really great results

over the last six months so uh great to

have them back yep is uh Tyson and deal

playing I believe that is correct yes

and jam James and Matt right I believe

they are back in business yes so

interesting in women's doubles as well

as Lucy kovalova and Callie Smith are

not playing together uh I believe Lucy

is with Jackie

camoto and let's see here don't have it

here so that's ah uh Leia Janson and cie

Smith so I mean I can't even I can't

even remember the last time those two

were not on court together I mean it's

got to be two plus years at this point

and gender doubles for those two

so I like those switch UPS though that's

I think it's I think it's great for both

of them honestly I think it'll be a good

it'll be yeah Lucy Jackie I think they

have the potential to do really well and

Calli and le as well yeah so that that's

that's an interesting look uh uh for

sure oh look at that and the defending

medalists from Men's doubles the

rattlesnake and the Canadian Beaver

Steve dinkin with a nice little bronze

medal year in this I did not I did not

know that that's one of my favorite

interviews that I've seen Steve deacon

do that was last year tell me about it I

love stvd it was last year at North

Carolina yeah he um he played with

Travis and then I think they played

Tyler L and somebody I don't remember

who Lon played with but you know after

they won that clearly and then Deacon

during the interview was just like look

we were going to make Tyler Dink and it

was going to be up to him to win it or

lose it for them and and we won it yeah

he was like the plan was to make Tyler

Dink and that's what we did and here we

are we won here we are and uh we I mean

that's good stuff right there oh we got

uh Thomas Wilson and Alshon back

together as a five seed and they could

face the jonai in the quarterfinals

that's that's quite that's quite a

quarterfinal matchup uh right there and

then uh let's see oh shocking defending

medalist and women's double Waters and

Pento but honestly that's uh that that

Christian and Thomas matchup you know I

talked about kind of that strategy with

like the the Zay and Alshon when they

got that upset is I hope I hope Thomas

and Christian don't just stack on the

same side the whole time I I hope they

yeah on on returns don't don't switch

off the returns even if that's just how

you play you can stack stack on your

serve but like just don't switch um I

just think yeah als's doing really

really he's doing really good stuff off

the bounce I think he's worked on his

disguise and he's finding a lot of holes

um and it's yeah they can be yeah that

that's a that's a dangerous quarter for

the Johns yeah no the the forehand off

the balance for him from alsan is

ridiculous much better yeah and the and

the backhand is very much less there but

he's so athletic it doesn't really

matter it's like you can almost speed up

off the bounce with the forehand over

75% of the court because he he's got

that movement to get back to where he

needs to be so yeah I zann can do it on

both sides extremely well and I think

Thomas and alson are much more pigeon

hold into that forehand speed up but

they're such freak athletes and they

move so well it almost doesn't matter at

that point because they can hit four

hands from anywhere so yeah that's I

mean that's that that's a very dangerous

team especially early uh as they can

catch fire as well as anyone and I do

not expect them to full stack maybe a

Half Stack situation uh but I think the

fluidity of both of them on both sides

is completely fine and keep him out of

those patterns that we always talk about

so

yep uh let's see here H just a couple

story lines we got some mix doubles here

oh we got Julian and Paris Todd I don't

know if we've seen that one before but

that's that's possible and prto and sock

back again they have not had the result

they were hoping for the last couple

tournaments let's see if they can uh

turn turn that around and then of course

the clearcut two seed that they've

earned it is James and Anna and I just

hope he's fully healthy and can slap

those uh head high and shoulder High

forehands because he's going to need to

and basically uh both gender and mixed

doubles being that left side stud with

Matt Wright and then clearly uh and mix

double so I think there's some fun stuff

fun stuff going on in North Carolina I

talked to James a little bit about his

kind of goals for 20 and he thinks it's

realistic that

he can he he doesn't think you know he

says you know to get to number one in

men's is probably a little bit of a

stretch this year uh but he wants to

kind of his goal for 2024 is to be the

kind of the clear-cut number two in in

men's and the number one in mixed and he

thinks that's doable what are your

thoughts on that I think I think it's

reasonable he's got the skill set he's

got the desire he's got the work ethic

maybe he trains too many hours on court

given the shoulder injury but I I I mean

anyone with with that skill set and that

drive and you know having being in his

mid 20s and just kind of letting it fly

I think that's very reasonable I mean

dude I didn't realize he's only 23 yeah

I know that's what I'm saying it's like

what else is he doing nothing yeah he's

hanging out with Anna and he's Drilling

and playing and you know meditating and

locking in visually about what goals he

wants to have and what he wants to do of

course he can do it so uh I would say

probably the men's doubles is the more

difficult of those two as the mix

doubles he's he's I mean he's he covers

a lot of court and he hits the ball very

hard uh no one can take either one of

those away from James Ignat so uh I

think it's it's a reasonable statement

yep so we got obviously yeah I mean good

MP recap we got the North Carolina PPA

coming up we've got I'm I'm kind ofur

I'm returning to action this week Adam

I'm going to see how the body holds up

I'm playing the AP down in Del re it got

mixed on Friday men's with Mr Eric Lang

on Saturday

oh it's thing it's Lang season you know

so uh yeah that'll be fun on on my end

going to drive down tomorrow and try to

get some practice because I've not been

practicing well hey well be ready

because Lang gonna be speeding it up so

you better be ready with the hand on

next L's gonna let it fly uh no that's

good stuff uh always hoping for the best

for you especially physically hopefully

uh it's a smooth trans transition back

on the court look at us I think we're

just under an hour that's that's what

it's hard once we get on here once we

get on here Rob we got so much to talk

about we like looking at each other and

sometimes it get over

that time where's the time at it's in to

Corner it says 56 and we had a slight

interaction uh with kren Carr there and

the baby that we're going to have keep

in this podcast we're going to to edit

that out there might have been a a

raising of the voice somewhere between

us but you know that's that's life with

the baby and that's okay it's healthy

it's all healthy it's all good

stuff yeah it's it's all in love let's

let's leave it leave it leave it Josh

you know what to do Josh you know what

to do leave it leave it just a bunch

bunch of love that's right uh but yeah

no great stuff and it'll be I mean uh

the well we'll have the recap for North

Carolina next week and tons of

information uh from the draft that we

can kind of pick apart so uh good stuff

and yeah thank you for listening

obviously selker puts this on for we

appreciate them and we' love to hear

what you guys think in the comments

about MLP about Little AJ about Prof how

Prof and I are going to be on the Pod

soon lighting Adam up because that's my

favorite pastime and yeah appreciate you

guys oh my God that smile oh my my guy

he's so cute my guy uh no lovely lovely

uh good stuff buddy okay next

[Music]

time