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DesRoberts Dreams a Dream
Hoards of Zhubálls Fly as Field of
Greatness Battle for Regional Championship
By: Rodney
Brown- Zhubál Web
Press
On Monday, November 10, 2003, 19 of Zhubál's best
competitors faced off in an 5 Round Elimination Tournament to
determine who would win the first ever Northeast Regional Championship
Title.
Several participants were favored to come close
to victory. With 6 of the top 10 competitors of Season B registered
to play, expectations of a battle royal were realized.
The Elimination Tournament consisted of 3
simultaneous grids to be played in which 17 Participants (everyone
registered minus 2 Founders) went head to head for the fight to play
in the Finals. The Grids spread out the competition by placing
participants in ranked order within the grids. This was to avoid
having one grid with the highest ranked players and grid with the
lowest, giving everyone a chance to step up and have their best game.
The Champion, Knocker, and Scratcher from each Grid went on to perform
in the Finals.
Spectacular play was noted in all 3 Grids. Grid
1 had such Power Players as Bryan MacDonald, Eric DesRoberts, and
relative new comer Ryan Perrault. Perrault has been burning up the
Grids over the last few weeks, easily scoring Rockbangers in every
Tournament even though he has yet to grasp a Championship. Of course
MacDonald’s and DesRoberts’ reputation precedes them as they are 2 of
the most feared competitors in the circuit. All three were able to
beat out the lumbering Tony Fuller, the recently acquitted Paul
Perrault, and the strong Rookie presence of Drake Boisvert. Founder
Scott Labbe called the match in his first Line Judge appearance since
his judging trails. There was no controversy.
Grid 2, which had no referee, had several veteran
players that followed
the ¾ majority rules to a tee. Kyle Smith was there to play as he
took the match as champion over the highly favored Mike Whitmore.
Smith finished the Grid with 26 Serves. Andrew “Cappy” Rochon made
his Zhubál debut by beating out Inaugural player Tara Carpenter for
the Scratcher spot and an appearance in the Finals. Even though
Carpenter was unable to make it to the Finals in this Grid she managed
to beat out strong player Jake Whitiker and his not-so-consistent
sidekick Sam Whitiker.
Grid 3, referred by Founder Andrew Carpenter, had
only 5 competitors, which made for a Grid full of great plays and show
boat opportunities. Curtis Kendall wasted no time and broke into an
early lead, but got stymied a bit in his second progression. Kendall
still managed to take the Title with only 12 serves. Justin
Leverrire, popular as Zhubál's shortest competitor, certainly gave
Kendal a run for his money as he banged his way to 29 Serves and the
Knocker position. Sam Belanger was able to take out Todd Belanger and
DJ “Miller” Hutchins to secure the third spot.
Following the Elimination Grids, all participants
that lost in those rounds were able to play in a Wildcard Tournament.
Only the Champion, or the Best of the Worst, would advance to the
Finals.
Jake Whitiker easily took on the field as he
broke Zhubál World Records to achieve the Title. Finishing with 54
Serves, breaking the previous record of 48 by Andrew Carpenter,
Whitiker was elated as he beat out fan favorite DJ Hutchins who seemed
distracted by the chants of “Milla” that echoed throughout the
coliseum. The match was close to being called as Referees and
onlookers became bored by the less than stellar play of the
participants. Both Andrew Carpenter and Scott Labbe held the Line
Judging Duties with help from Assistant Referee Brandon Labbe.
Once the pleasantries were over, the battle for
the Regional Championship began. The two Founders, who had byes in
the first rounds, made their decisions as to where they would play.
Carpenter surprisingly chose to start in the Grid. “I knew that I
would have a tough time getting to the Final 4 that way, but I didn’t
want my Over/Under to suffer in such a huge Game. Besides the fact
that I didn’t think it would be fair to start elsewhere considering my
current standings on the leader board.”, He said. Labbe decided to
start well within the blocks.
Things seemed to be going well for Carpenter as
he held in his first progression through 5 participants. It was clear
in later rounds the old age and fatigue became a factor as he was
quickly shut down in his second progression, leaving the grid after
only 11 plays.
Carpenter wasn’t the real story here. Kyle Smith
played brilliantly with the highest over/under of the match (6.58) as
well as the most serves (36) and the highest number of Aces (14).
Though scoring an impressive Double-double, having to start in the
Grid with a field of 12 of the greatest players proved to be his
undoing. Smith was unable to hang on and finished a surprising 5th.
Once he had the threat of Smith eliminated,
DesRoberts quickly set his sights on Whitmore. DesRoberts as took
care of his business in his usual style by eliminating what he felt
were “weaker players”. Sam Belanger and rookie Andrew Rochon never
really stood a chance against these two as they finished as Ringer and
Scratcher respectively.
Once down to the
final 2, the air became think with tension. DesRoberts had a low
score of 10 with Whitmore teetering with a 13. Onlookers were in awe
as they watched the final few Serves. It looked as though Whitmore
had a decent chance as he got the Serve away from DesRoberts with an
amazing smash move. Reapplying himself, DesRoberts was able to
re-establish the Serve on the next play and finally rid himself of
Whitmore finishing with a final score of 11.
At the Award Ceremony, DesRoberts was overcome
with emotion, but was able to utter a few words of thanks to
participants as well as congratulate Whitmore on his Impressive play.
Sam Belanger, Mission:Possible
Sam Belanger sends the Zhubál Community
in a tailspin with his first ever win.
By: Rodney
Brown- Zhubál Web Press
Sweat dripped from his brow. His hands,
clammy and ice cold. As he held the ball over his head,
announced the game and his final score of 13, Sam Belanger destroyed
all previous expectations for his Zhubál Career.
Saturday at the Tiger Challenge IV, Sam Belanger
beat out Curtis Kendal in the final Grid to take his first ever Zhubál
Championship. Finishing with 10 Serves, 4.57 Over/Under, and a
final score of 13, Belanger was elated with his performance to the
point of being speechless. He made no statements as he shook
hands of all the other dumbfounded participants, but it was clear that
he was happy with his success.
This Tournament also marked the return of one of Zhubál's most elite female
players, Tara Carpenter. Carpenter was hoping to regain the lead over
Christina Totos to be the highest ranked female in the league.
Unfortunately for Carpenter, she left the Grid as the first loser. "I am
not going to be a Sixer about it. I just can't seem to control my
interference calls lately!" Carpenter has 2 Interferences that cost her
two exits from the Grid.
Eric Desroberts, Andrew Carpenter, and Mike Whitmore were all in
the Grid as well. As of late, the story of these former
Champions seems to be missing as they continue to misfire at
Tournaments. Carpenter had an Over/Under of 9.43 but only was
able to get 13 Serves. Whitmore scored a Rockbanger (his 12th of
Season B) but left as the Third Loser. Desroberts started out
strong, but an injury to his face seemed to take the wind out of his
sails as he finished as second loser with 14 Serves and 1 double
fault.
Other players of note did not include Todd Bellanger (6 Serves, 1.70 OU) as the
first loser and Sam Whitiker (5 Serves, 1.70 OU) as the third Loser.
Sam Belanger continued his solid play, as did Josh Stover. Both with 1 Ace
and Over/Unders well within their own ranges.
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Desroberts Attacks from Behind!
Eric Desroberts finally shows up to win
his 8th Zhubál Championship of Season B.
By: Rodney
Brown- Zhubál Web Press
It looked as though Eric Desroberts was going to
be a no-show. Participants speculated that Desroberts would be
a Sixer about playing and due to his recent slump. To the
community's surprise, Desroberts appeared just before the match
started.
Desroberts claims he was "held up at the
registration area". This delay allowed for Desroberts to start
as the last blocker (10/10). Clearly an advantage as Champions
by rule need to start in or close to the Grid.
Carpenter and Whitmore, who started in the Grid with Josh Stover, were concerned
that they might not be able to "go the distance" with Desroberts so far
back in the Blocks. "It will be difficult, but I am up for the challenge.
Besides, it can only hurt his over/under and he still has to beat us out.",
Carpenter mused. Whitmore interjected with, "If only we had more Champions
between him and us. Then the challenge he deserves would be there. I
don't like this at all!"
The final Grid consisted of Carpenter, Whitmore, Desroberts, and new comer Sean
Callahan. Carpenter had a few off target serves, eliminating Whitmore
before he intended. Desroberts then took advantage and focused his sights
on removing Carpenter from the Grid, leaving Sean Callahan (AFP 5.00) to try
and do the impossible. For Callahan, it turned out to be just that.
Desroberts played well against the competition scoring a Rockbanger and a
respectable over/under of 6.40 garnishing him his 8th Championship.
DJ Hutchins was also present and produced his normal "lack-luster"
play. Currently determined to get some sort of corporate
sponsorship, Hutchins has been weight training to increase his
marketability. No sponsors have shown interest thus far.
Belanger plans on staying in the Grid but taking the time to go on
a United Way Fundraiser and possible appearance on Joe Millionaire II.
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Stover Turns Sixer
Josh Stover turns a blind eye to Zhubál
Instructional Compendium
By: Hugh
Johnson- Zhubál Press
Right from the start of the game you
could tell that champion Josh Stover was not on his game. After
getting a quick five points Stover seemed to be very frustrated with
his performance and was quoted saying "Hell with this I'm outta
here".
Eye witnesses said he said "He got into
a huff and left". This tournament is being reviewed by the ZCCC
because Stover's Champion status coupled with storming out of a
tournament before it is completed violates the ZCCC Champions Code
of Conduct. He could face removal of his seat on the ZCCC and
receive negative stats.
But, the tournament had to go on. Former Champion Curtis Kendall
played in is first tournament in nearly three weeks and was also off
his game. Or was he? To Kendall it seemed "Every call is
going against me". Another player seemed to be getting the shaft on
bad calls was Matt Clegg. Clegg finished a disappointing 5th loser
and Kendall finished right behind him in the 6th loser position but
was able to scrape out 34 serves.
The real action came at the end of the
Tournament where Tony Fuller seemed to get seven straight points
without calling Decker time out. Eventually Clegg and Kendall
caught on and figured out that he was saying his wrong score and
this erupted with most participants in the grid and blocks heatedly
arguing with Fuller concerning his obvious play error. Clegg was
quoted saying, "Koopa, your lying and cheating!". Fuller ended up
leaving on a rookie scoring errors during the heated scuffle.
Champions Mike Whitmore and Cody
Cochrane were battling it out in the final Grid. To Whitmore this
was a big game to win, if he did win he could push Kendall out of
the top three. After a heated battle Whitmore came out as the
victor jumping into third place for Season B.
Unfortunately for Whitmore, his victory
was short lived as Kendall has won two tournaments since and taken
back his throne at the third place postion.
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OLD DOG TAKES ANOTHER ONE HOME TO THE WIFE
Founder
Andrew Carpenter takes the title at the Family Day Finale.
By:Rodney
Brown- Zhubál Press
Andrew Carpenter
brought his A game this past Saturday August 23, 2003 as he was able
to claim his 4th Championship title this season at the Family Day
Finale held at Biddeford High School Special Olympic Arena.
Carpenter had some fierce competition, including a certain Curtis
Kendall who has been averaging an amazing 36.3 serves per a game as
of Season B, and ended with a rockbanger with 35 serves in this
game. Kendall is a player who can never be taken lightly, especially
if you are a believer in Carpenter's "Control the serve, Control the
game" theory.
Other competitors
included the undeniable Mike Whitmore, a former champion Eric
DesRoberts, and two steadily improving players, Bryan MacDonald, and
Matt Clegg. Clegg scored a personal high of four aces in the
tournament, however, he was unable to find his place back into the
final four grid. MacDonald who had only participated in two
tournaments before this, showed skills off as he rounded the top
four with seventeen serves and two aces with an over under of 6.0.
Sports Reader Magazine lists him as "Rookie of the Year" for the
year 2003, and say that they "Haven't seen a player who can smoke a
butt and play that well since that guy who did stuff back then." DesRoberts
on the other hand had stats as if this was his third tournament,
with only 16 serves and an over under of only 2.7, it
makes one wonder how such a player can still be ranked in the top
two. He ended the day as second loser out of the 10 competitors.
Carpenter is quoted saying, " He's just not focused today. I don't
know, maybe it's the chick factor. Whatever it is he needs to figure
it out, because it's killing his over\under." Joe shit the rag
man who attends every events says, "Dude is one of the most
inconsistent players in the grid," all this coming from a man with
one shoe and a gray beard.
Mike Whitmore the
true fighter was the true trouble for Carpenter.
Whitmore, tying Kendall with 35 serves, was just able to beat him
out to go face to face with Carpenter in the final two squares.
Whitmore is a strong player who hit a couple rough spots last season
but is a much smarter player now, actually won the very first game
he ever played in, if that gives you any indication of how he is as
a player. When he entered the first grid he new he was
in it for the long haul. "No matter what, I will have no regrets at
the end of this tournament, and no matter the outcome, I will not
lose to fro (Belanger) or badada (Clegg).
As players were
dropping like flies, Whitmore remained strong, and knew that he had
to play only for himself to be successful. As it came down to
the final two, Whitmore and Carpenter, the battle was not easily
going to be sealed as it kept going back and fourth, point for
point. Six volleys later Carpenter decided that enough was enough
its time to say good bye, and put Whitmore away, but not
before extra points were required for the winning by two rule.
Carpenter barely edged over Whitmore with a final score of 15-17,
not a record high score, but still up there as far as scores go.
When asked about
how he felt after the tournament Carpenter replied; " I'm an Old
Dog, its hard to keep up with some of the young bucks.
Especially since it takes me longer to recover some of the ganks
that come along with the sport. However, I got to stand up and put
these up and comers into their place, and show them how the game
should really be played."
Whitmore who
despises sixers was happy to talk to us about his performance and
said that, "Andrew Carpenter is a great man, this is the best f$%&ing
game ever, and I'll be out here working harder everyday that I
play." He said all of this wearing his Gank Gear TM
shirt and shorts, and wants to mention that the protective goggles
will be out next month, they are still testing the durability under
intense speeds. "I don't really care about the injuries, to me the
sport is about getting ganked."
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Brandon Goes
McNutts in Brunswick
Becomes Third Bald
Man to Win Intergalactic Championship
By Richard Blast, Zhubal Web Press Senior
Reporter
Brandon
McNutt outlasted a field of formidable Zhubál players at Rice Arena in
Brunswick, GA, on Audust 3rd to become the 2003
Intergalactic Champion of the World. McNutt supplants Jillian Ruff as
the victor of the sport’s oldest and grandest tournament. McNutt
finished with a score of 13 and wrestled his first championship away
from Josh Chapman, the Knocker, Tara Carpenter, Scratcher, and rookie
Nicole Prideaux, who concluded as the ringer.
The level of talent manning
the grid in Bruswick was awe-inspiring, however powerhouse gridster
and top-ranked Season A player James Powers, as well as defending
champ Ruff were conspicuously absent. Top-ranked Season B player
Andrew Carpenter and former Intergalactic Champion Jack Tully both
skidded to disappointing finishes, along with skilled strategist Jason
Bentley and Inaugural Tournament veteran Keith Bush.
Visibly emotional after his
triumph over a who’s-who list of Zhubál gladiators, McNutt summed up
his title run, “Wow, I get to keep the ball? How am I going to get it
home?”
Several Zhubál rookies made a
splash in their debut on the sport’s biggest stage. Especially
impressive was Sean Simmer, who showcased notable raw skills with a
hefty 33 serves and 7 aces. A bit more strategy on Simmer’s part may
have netted him a better final placement. “Simmer is going to be a
monster player,” noted Tully, “I can see him going far in this
sport.” Rich Wohl, a relative unknown before 2003, nabbed a
rockbanger and finished with the second best over/under of 5.38.
Rice Arena, one of the
smallest officially licensed Zhubál venues in the nation, caused some
mixed feelings in both players and fans. Several players expressed
their disappointment over the close quarters and presence of two “gank
squares,” with Carpenter maintaining, “Rice Arena was like a sardine
can. They barely had room for all the blockers to be set up. I was
concerned that the Decker was going to be injured on almost every
play. Such a small arena and so many Sixers really made for a
strangely heated match. I think the ZCCC should consider stricter
guidelines on inches needed outside the Grid.”
When bent over and ready to
receive something hard and fast, Carpenter craves more size behind
him. “There wasn't much more than 12 or 13 inches to play with. I am
used to much more.” Asked if the results of the match would have been
different if played in a larger venue like Biddeford High School
Special Olympic Arena, Carpenter implies the affirmative. “People
may say that it didn't affect them and that size doesn't really
matter, but I bet they are lying. It was one of the toughest arenas I
have had to play in.”
Most importantly, the
Intergalactic Championship marked the first
anniversary of the birth of Zhubál. Gridsters young and old see the
Intergalactic Championship as a link between the tradition of the past
and the promise of the future. Indeed, McNutt winning on the
anniversary of the Inaugural Game is a victory that carries more
meaning and significance than an ordinary title.
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Old Dog’s Day in
the Sun
Tully Edges Bentley
for Sunshine Open Title
By Richard Blast, Zhubal Web Press Senior
Reporter
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Tully Goes Ape over Championship Title
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Jack Tully grabbed another championship by
out-maneuvering Jason Bentley at the Sunshine Open on August 4th ,2003.
Tully used strategy and veteran guile to sneak past a talented field
of gridsters at ultra-modern Kominski Park in Oviedo, Florida.
Bentley stuck around for sudden death overtime, finally succumbing by
two points 14-16. Dan Lombardi flashed some grid proficiency with a
final placement of scratcher, and Intergalactic Champion Brandon
McNutt rounded out the top four as ringer. |
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The final four seemed to
dominate the rest of the field, each with a rockbanger and an
over/under of more than 5. Sean Simmer nabbed a few more aces and
showed that his imposing serve, with a little refinement, could
possibly rival that of James Powers.
“This was a tough win.
Bentley knows the game, and knows how to manipulate the situation to
gain an advantage. I was fortunate to come out on top,” Tully
opines. The Sunshine Open title marks Tully’s first in Zhubál Season
B, and went a long way in setting the tone for
upcoming Zhubál matches. Tully however, is contemplating making this
match his last, at least for a while. “The sport needs line judges,
and those line judging guidelines need to be defined and taught. I
may have lost a step since my younger days as a gridster, but I think
this could be the next chapter of my Zhubál career.”
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Lightning Strikes…Twice!
Founder
Andrew Carpenter finally captures Title
By Rodney Brown – Zhubál Web Press
Wednesday,
May 21, 2003 is etched in Zhubál History as the date that Co-Founder
Andrew Carpenter captures his very first Zhubál Title. In an
impressive outing, Carpenter trounced participants in two (2)
Tournaments.
In
the first tournament Carpenter secured an early lead by serving up an
impressive 7 Aces in a match consisting of 5 participants. Carpenter
held onto his early lead and gained his second Rockbanger of Season A
with 31 Serves. “I wasn’t about to let what happened last week
effect my playing today. I knew I was just going to have to go out
there and play hard.”
Finishing with a final score of 12 Carpenter walked away with the
Championship. Eric Desroberts, who has been in the hunt for a title
as of late, finished as the Knocker with a Rockbanger to boot. He
seemed to be rattled a bit by his 1 Interference call however. Also
receiving high marks was Curtis Kendall. Kendall finished in the
Scratcher position and had this to say about his performance; “I run
like a chicken!” These cryptic remarks were more than enough for this
reporter to see that
Kendall is going to be a force to be recon with in later events.
New
comer Josh Gardner was the First Loser in the Tournament, which was to
be expected as he decided to learn the game by way of negative
reinforcement. Sam Belanger, who was thought to be one of the worst
players ever to grace the game, finished as the Ringer with 5 serves.
The
second Tournament turned up the heat. Adding four participants to the
field, including the then current champion Mike “Stu” Whitmore,
Carpenter was seemed nervous before Bounce In. “I was a bit rattled
at first. I thought that another Founder (Scott Labbe) was going to
compete, but then I saw that Tara (Carpenter) had entered the match.
Long time rivals off the Grid, Carpenter vs Carpenter was to be a
battle nobody expected. “I like the element of surprise. Hey! I’m a
Sixer! Deal with it!”
Tara commented before the first serve.
The
story should have been all about Whitemore vs Founder Andrew
Carpenter, but as USA Polls predicted, Whitmore was a sloppy player
that may have gotten lucky at his last tournament. Whitmore finished
as the 2nd Loser, quickly ejected after only 18 serves and a Double
Fault. “I don’t know what happened? I…uh…”, Whitmore was at a loss
for words.
Even lower in power stats was Eric Desroberts, who had only 6 serves
and left as the 4th Loser. “I sucked today! Dammit!”
Clearly, he was out of sorts. “I only hope my over/under is screwed
after this.” It is unlikely that Desroberts will be in the TOP 10
after this outing.
The
comeback stat gatherer was John Manly. Manly had an over/under of
0.56 coming into this match. He more than made up for his rookie
outing last time by having 15 Serves and ending as the Ringer, playing
injured (Hamstring). No word yet on his over/under as there has been
a technical problem with the Statistical Data this week.
Andrew Carpenter faced off against Tara Carpenter for the
Championship. The match almost went into Overpoints as Andrew was
unable to win by 2 once Tara had reached 15. Andrew Carpenter did
finish the tournament on the very next play, ejecting
Tara from the game with her 10 serves and the dignity that goes with
the Knocker Position.
Other participants of note were Josh Stover squeaking out a
Rockbanger, Curtis Kendall with 16 Serves and the Scratcher, and Matt
Clegg in his first appearance with 4 Serves, 1 DF, and 1 Interference
Call.
Founders Flounder as Rookies Wreck Records!
Mike “Stu” Whitmore walks away with First Title as Rookies Battle.
By Rodney Brown – Zhubál Web Press
On
Wednesday, May 14, 2003 at Biddeford Arena a field or Rookies
dominated two (2) grizzled Zhubál Veteran’s to yield a brand new Turbo
Zhubál Champion.
This season’s
largest tournament so far was an exciting one. All eyes where on
Founders Andrew Carpenter and Scott Labbe as they were favored to be
the Knocker and Champion going into this Tournament. Little did they
realize just how talented this group of young rookies would be.
Carpenter
faltered early by miscalculating “outside object” plays in his first
appearance in the Grid, leaving far sooner than anyone could predict.
“I am not going to be a Sixer about it. I just played poorly right
from jump.” Even with his poor start, Carpenter managed to dig his
first Rockbanger of the season.
Back from
rehabilitation, Labbe was hampered by a moving “outside object” that
made it difficult for him to maneuver. When asked if his former
Clinical Obesity was part of his problem, Labbe flew into a fury and
said, “I don’t want to talk about my condition anymore. I just want
to get into the Grid and play.”, Labbe commented before the game!”
Labbe finished the tournament with the Ringer position. Some
speculated that he may not have had the physical endurance to play the
entire tournament, but he proved that to be false.
All
excuses aside, Carpenter and Labbe couldn’t stop the pounding they
received by rookies Eric Desroberts and Curtis Kendall, who finished
as the Knocker and Scratcher respectively. With spectacular dives and
running like a girl, these two burned up the Grid with a fury. “It’s
always hard playing against Rookies”, Carpenter said, “You can never
tell what level a player they are going to be and they are always
gunning for the Veteran players of the game instead of playing with
any strategy.” Carpenter’s obvious dodging of the ineptitude of his
own play was somewhat correct. Whitemore, who garnished his first
Championship Win, was last in the starting blocks and had an unheard
of, until now, two (2) Double Faults. “Nobody saw this guy coming!”,
Labbe commented. “If they had bothered to listen to his score and
attack, rather than just getting easy shots in, they might have
knocked him out!”.
Other power
Rookies in the game were Nick Bilotta and Kevin Awugah, both Jumping
into the Top 10 Leader Board this week. Sam Belanger and Jon Manly
were not a factor in this contest. Manly actually accrued the worst
Over/Under score in the history of the game (0.86) mostly due to
Rookie scoring errors. Belanger was just having an off night it
seemed.
Whitmore’s
victory represents the first time a Rookie has become Champion this
Season. Whitmore declined interviews today as he and his agent were
negotiations with popular producer of “Gank Gear” about possible
sponsorship.
Three Top-Dog Night for Powers!
Steber Returns for East
Coast Challenge
By Richard Blast – Zhubál Web Press
James Powers returned to his
throne as the undisputed king of the grid on April 26th
, 2003 with three straight victories in the East Coast
Challenge at East Coast Jazz Field house in Malden, MA. After a
brief hiccup in the second Founders’ Invitational, Powers is once
again the on top of the world of Zhubál as the most current champion,
number one ranked player in the Zhubál Web Press Power Rankings, and
most dominating gridster in the sport today.
Ryan Steber played his first
tournaments since the inaugural game in August of 2002. Steber
sputtered during the first few serves, but then played as if he had
never left, netting himself a rockbanger in the second tournament.
Champion Powers was duly impressed by Steber’s effort, “As far as Ryan
Steber goes, I was really impressed with his performances. Probably
the most impressive thing was his consistency. He had a ton of serves
in every tourney. If he can avoid the gankage, he is bound to win
some tourneys. I think he was a challenge to us all and I look
forward to playing him in the future.”
Jack Tully, almost always the
bridesmaid and never the bride, was Knocker for all three tourneys.
Tully made the first tournament most interesting with a late run and
sudden death overtime, but Powers prevailed in the end with a 16-18
victory. According to Powers, the most challenging match was indeed
the first, “As with all Zhubál arenas, the challenge comes in the form
of adjusting to your surroundings. I found the low ceilings and new
obstacles to be a bit of a challenge at first. Also, Jack Tully came
to play. He was not messin' around.”
Tully’s first match was also marred by an
unfortunate score-announcing miscue, which cost him an interference
penalty.
Powers thoroughly dominated
the second of the three matches with a double-double in serves and
aces. Powers then proceeded to outlast the ganked competitors in the
third tourney to grind out his final win and secure the cash prize.
Andrew Carpenter played solid
games in each of the three tournaments, but unfortunately his
championship drought continued as he left each match as Scratcher.
Jillian Ruff also accrued some first-rate stats but was tagged with an
uncharacteristic interference call during the second tournament.
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POWER OUTAGE!
Founders Face Off at Own Invitational
By Richard Blast – Zhubál Web Press
James Powers was crowned the first-ever Champion
of the Founders Invitational Turbo Zhubál Tournament held at East
Coast Jazz Arena in Malden, MA on March 29th, 2003. Powers
thrashed the 5 player field in usual fashion, getting yet another
rockbanger with 32 serves and a respectable over/under of 11.60.
Rookie Mark Wheeler made his Zhubál debut a memorable one with ringer
status in his first tournament and the Memorial Rudy Award to go with
it. Jill Tully withdrew from the tournament citing personal reasons.
The bigger news took place in the second
tournament, however, with two founders facing off in sudden death play
what will be called one of the greatest tournaments in the history of
Zhubál. Jack Tully eventually prevailed over Andrew Carpenter in this
match for the ages. The scene was East Coast Jazz Arena, with its
quirky angles and close quarters, and the players were two founders,
both with something to prove.
History was made when James Powers started to
fade fast in the later stages of the tournament. Powers’ usual brash
and aggressive style all but disappeared under the relentless
harassment and collusion of the other players. “Teaming up in a
Zhubál tournament?” asked Tully, “It happens. But if it helps me
win, I’ll consider it. Anything that helps me win is a winner.”
Powers eventually left the game as scratcher,
with Jillian Ruff attaining the ringer position. All that remained
were the two founders, Carpenter and Tully. Tully seemed sure to win
with an 11-14 advantage, but true to form he was unable to seal the
deal in a decisive manner. Carpenter roared back to tie the score at
14 and then handed Tully his 15th point knowing that Zhubál
tournaments must be won by 2. Back and forth came the do-overs and
debatable calls. In the end, however, it was Tully who came away with
the trophy and current title as Founders’ Invitational Champion with a
score of 18-16.
Questions about Powers losing his top ranking
were answered in this morning’s USA Today Coaches poll and the Zhubál
Associated Press Writers poll, where the Commissioner retained his
number 1 power ranking in both. Tully moves up to number 3 in both
polls behind Joshua Wolloff.
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Tully Slips, Ruff
gets Rougher, and Powers Dominates
By Rodney Brown – Zhubál Web Press
On
Sunday, March 16,2003 in Wrenthem, MA,
James Powers went up against a field of former 2 Champions and 2 new
participants to come up with his 11th Zhubál Championship title.
Adding 15 serves to his stats, Powers went on to win with a final
score of 13. Powers has put up impressive numbers of the last
few Tournaments, but this group of competitors kept him at a
minimum. After Scoring over 20 Aces in his previous match,
Powers was held to only 1 Ace today. His scoring was also
hampered by an uncharacteristic 2 interference calls.
The Tournament went right down to the wire with Jill
Ruff, Current Zhubál Intergalactic Champion of the World, in a close
Knocker position. Ruff got down and dirty in the final moments
of the match, but Powers control of the serve had her finally
eliminated. Ruff, the biggest Loser in the Previous
Tournament, has made excellent improvements in her game at practice
this week. Controlling a great deal more of the serves at an
impressive 14.
Tully was disappointed with his performance even
though he had improved from his first game of the season. "I
got so Ganked!", Tully said. "I almost called into work!", he
continued. Even though sore, Tully is not going on Injured
Reserve anytime soon, he says. Still, even with a Self-Sixer
outlook on this performance, Tully managed 15 Serves, but at the
cost of 2 Inference Calls and 3 Faults. Interference is
nothing new to Tully as his season average is somewhere in the 2's.
The New Participants, Matthew MacMullen and Erin
MacMullen, did not come to lose either. Scoring crucial points
against the powerful champions early, these two held on to the Grid
longer than most. So impressive were their skills and
adaptation to the rules, Erin MacMullen walked away with the
Memorial Rudy Award. Matthew
received no award or title but did garnish several stats to be proud
of for a first match.
There was a second Tournament that began, but has
been suspended due to equipment failure. Tully caused the
Zhubáll to be destroyed. This is Tully's first Ball-Buster of
the Season. Tournament rescheduling details are not yet
available.
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