john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/09/2010 5:26 PM |
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After reading a recent rball magazine I thought it would cool to take the top 16 Minnesota players of all time and put them in a dream draw. With some of the best players to have played coming from Minnesota I thought it would fun to debate during the off season. Since I come from the "Modern Era" I can only come up with a had full of players. I'll need some input from Mike and others for the players to be added. Lets get a collection of 16 names and break down some of their accoplishments and where they should be seeded. We'll also do a game by game break down until we have a winner. Lets assume that each player is in there prime when doing the bracket. Lets start adding some names!
John Goth. |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 11:19 AM |
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Heres what I got so far in no order. Please add to the list.
Dan Ferris
Steve Strandamoe
Aaron Granberg
Mike Locker
Tod Stead
Brandon Hartenger
Hart Johnson
John Goth
Jim Frauchi
Kevin Gram
Jason Jansen
I know there is a guy from minnesota that won two national titles but I dont know his name. I'm going to need some help with the old timers.
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jwilin
Posts:58
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| 07/10/2010 2:07 PM |
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| Ron Strom - Marty Hogan called Strom one of the best left handed players ever to play the game. |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 3:38 PM |
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| thanks for that addition, Do you have a little back ground on him? |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 3:53 PM |
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| I was reading Bill schmidtke's profile on usra.org and it says he was on the minnesota board so I'm assuming he lived here at one time. Is this correct? |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 3:58 PM |
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From Marty Hogan- Ron Strom - great lefty forehand. Beat both Strandemo and Schmidtke many times. Not well known but tough!
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 6:11 PM |
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Dan Ferris
Steve Strandamoe
Aaron Granberg
Mike Locker
Tod Stead
Brandon Hartenger
Hart Johnson
John Goth
Jim Frauchi
Kevin Gram
Jason Jansen
Ron Strom
Bill Schmidtke
Were getting there need a few more to be added. |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 6:13 PM |
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Dan Ferris
Steve Strandamoe
Aaron Granberg
Mike Locker
Tod Stead
Brandon Hartenger
Hart Johnson
John Goth
Jim Frauchi
Kevin Gram
Jason Jansen
Ron Strom
Bill Schmidtke
Bret Bugen
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 6:25 PM |
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Dan Ferris
Steve Strandamoe
Aaron Granberg
Mike Locker
Tod Stead
Brandon Hartenger
Hart Johnson
John Goth
Jim Frauchi
Kevin Gram
Jason Jansen
Ron Strom
Bill Schmidtke
Bret Bugen
Glen Withrow
Troy Stallings
This is the list of people that I could come up let me know who should be added and who should be dropped. I'll give it a few days if no replys I'll try to do some research on how to seed this thing. |
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jwilin
Posts:58
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| 07/10/2010 6:30 PM |
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What about a women's dream draw:
Vallana Perrault - At least three US Open titles, at least 3 times women's open titles, 16 total state titles. Total dominance.
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 7:20 PM |
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| Good point on the womens draw but not enough depth in my opinion, Jill and Vallana everyone else these girls won with a high percentage. |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 9:55 PM |
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THE ALL-TIME BEST RACQUETBALL PLAYER AWARD
By Bo Keeley
The finishers
The elite best of the rest in order after Swain are:
Hogan
Sudsy
Brumfield
Yellen
Muehleisen
Ray
Honorable mention: Ruben Gonzales, Dave Peck and BILL SCHMIDTKE
World champions all!
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 10:41 PM |
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According to Marty Hogan: Steve Strandemo - played every point like it was his last and never let up
2. Steve Strandemo - Never stopped training and practicing. Never tired.
Bill Schmidtke upset two time defending champion Brumfield and third ranked Steve Serot to win the IRA Nationals. There was now confusion as to who was the national champion, the #1 player on tour or the national amateur champ. It was further confused because Schmidtke had finished third in the Minnesota State Championship behind champion, Ron Strom and runner up Steve Strandemo.
The first event was in St. Louis and I (Marty Hogan) lost in the second round to Steve Strandemo who hadn't been a factor in a couple years and had just suffered from a kidney problem.
Top player to never be #1 according to Hogan:
Steve Serot, would of been #1 if not for Brumfield being Brumfield. It's a shame they don't have the records from those days.
Steve Keeley ditto
Steve Strandemo ditto
Brett Harnett, should of been #1 in 87
Jerry Hilecher, was IRA National Champ in 76, but he was #1 in the #2 organization. Maybe best forehand ever.
Rich Wagner, beat all the best but never at the nationals
Egan Inoue, could serve you off the court and overpower anyone
Gregg Peck, great strokes. Came close in 85.
These are in no particular order and I'm sure I left some good ones out.
*Muehleisen and Schmidtke were #1 just before the pro era
Mike Locker
Career
Highlights: |
Semifinal at 2001 US Open, Denver 2000 final. |
VIDEOS |
PICS |
NEWS |
| History |
Mike Locker can hit any shot in the book, but he's playing the wrong game. With strokes like a hockey player, "The Gamblers" claim to fame is his final appearance in Denver 2000, with wins over Sudsy Monchik and Tim Doyle and 2001US Open semifinal apeparance following win over John Ellis. Look for Mike to roll out balls cause he doesn't dive. |
Locker pulled off a string of upsets in the 2000 U.S. Open in Memphis, Tenn., to earn a semifinal meeting with No. 2-ranked Sudsy Monchik of Staten Island, N.Y., on ESPN. There was only one problem: An earlier grueling match had put Locker in the hospital with severe dehydration and, although he returned to beat No. 3 John Ellis in the quarterfinals, he wasn’t at full strength.
Locker, 38, may rate as the best racquetball player in Minnesota history — but Hall of Fame committee member Dennis Ring of Elko, Minn., says it’s hard to come up with definitive all-time rankings.
“During the time Mike was at the top of his game, maybe a stretch of five or six years, there wasn’t anyone better [in Minnesota],” Ring said. “He was a great, great player.”
Locker is a former No. 1-ranked amateur player in the United States who later held the No. 8 world ranking as a professional on the International Racquetball Tour. He estimates he won more than 300 events in singles and doubles, including more than 30 state championships. He once had a streak of 11 straight Minnesota open singles titles.
I think we might have two more entries like Bruce Erickson and Rob French. I know of Rob French but am unfamiliar of Bruce Erickson. I had no idea that Rob was from here.
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 10:44 PM |
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Dan Ferris
Steve Strandamoe
Aaron Granberg
Mike Locker
Tod Stead
Brandon Hartenger
Hart Johnson
John Goth
Jim Frauchi
Kevin Gram
Jason Jansen
Ron Strom
Bill Schmidtke
Bret Bugen
Bruce Erickson
Rob French
Let me know if this list is correct. This is an unreal list of people. We could expand it if needed. |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/10/2010 11:52 PM |
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steve strandamoe #1
Bret bugen #16
Goth #8
Granberg#9
Ron Strom #5
Jason Jansen#12
Brandon Hartenger #13
Mike Locker #4
Dan Ferris #3
Jim Frauchi #14
Bruce Erickson #6
Tod Stead #11
Rob French #7
Kevin Gram #10
Hart Johnson #15
Bill Schmidtke #2
This is the bracket with these names that I could come up with. I put together verry little research just off the top of my head this could be way off or pretty close. Some of the players I was able to get a touch of info off of the net. How you did in state and national events was balanced and if you were more of a double champion than a singles champion. Some of the names like Kevin, Bruce and Rob I dont know much about. This is a singles draw please keep in mind. Let the debating begin.
Have fun....
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buch0090
Posts:11
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| 07/14/2010 10:53 AM |
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Digging this thread, how about going by the archives....it goes back to 86. Looking on here tells me BB should be higher than the #16 seed. Look at 1992, that's a tough ass draw.
http://mra.drblive.com/results?gid=399
Buck |
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/14/2010 9:01 PM |
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| Good to hear from you buck. Second place is good finish and with those people in the draw. Yes he could be higher but I believe Hart also has a second place to me and many state doubles titles along with a national age group doubles title. Thats why I gave him one position higher in rank. It could go either way though. How do you think it should be seeded? |
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LeftyStringer
Posts:61
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| 07/14/2010 9:27 PM |
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Hart's National Dubs wasn't an age group event. It was the Open division, Hart and Todd are former National Doubles Open champions together.
Ok can we list them with their real names?
Frautschi
Graham
Beugen
Strandemo
Stead's first name has 2 d's
I'm not trying to be a jerk but let's get it right, please? |
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buch0090
Posts:11
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| 07/15/2010 11:59 AM |
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IMHO, if you're going for the 'MN Dream Draw', Locker has to be #1 because of all the state titles. If they were all still playing and you had to make the draw he would have way more ranking points than anyone else, afaik.
Here's my picks, swapping things around a bit. No offense Jansen! And I think I got the spellings right now.
Mike Locker #1
Jason Jansen #16
John Goth #8
Aaron Granberg#9
Ron Strom #5
Hart Johnson #12
Bill Schmidtke #4
Brandon Hartinger #13
Steve Strandemo #3
Jim Frautschi #14
Bruce Erickson #6
Todd Stead #11
Rob French #7
Kevin Graham #10
Brett Beugen #15
Dan Ferris #2
And does Dave Werschay come in here somewhere? Jeffers? :)
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john goth
Posts:49
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| 07/15/2010 7:32 PM |
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| This is what I think, Both Steve and Bill have won pro stops and thats why I place them #1 and #2. Plus Hogan in my notes says bill could be considered one of the best of all time. Dan Feris also won two back to back mens open national titles and back then nationals was like the us open. Yes locker won many state titles and the number he has is incrediable but I'd trade them all for one Mens open national title. I know locker had a great pro career but never won a pro stop and how many times did he make it past the round of 16 in a teir one or grand slam? When you have two people from minnesota who have won pro stops and one who has won a open national singles title I would place them ahead. Winning pro stops then national titles (not age divisions), then state titles is how'd I'd rank it. Good to hear from you Buck I like the draw you made except the top seeds. |
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