Hot Mics, Cold Paddles

Table of Contents

• Hot Mic Drama

• MLP Substitutions

• MLP Mid-Season play format

Will PPA regret installing sideline mics?

One of the more entertaining things we’ve seen at PPA tournaments in the last month is the addition of bench microphones.  The viewer is now treated to an inside listen to what pros discuss during timeouts and in between matches. Most of us have heard Ben John’s opinion of Tyra’s drives and a few choice words, but the latest hot mic incident involves the ongoing drama of paddle testing.

During a match today during PPA’s Orange Cup in San Clemente, we heard a man and woman saying “I’ve got 3 cooking in the hotel fridge” followed by “I’ve got 6!”  It seems some pro players are now resorting to freezing their paddles to stiffen the glue that binds the face to the inner core. The goal is to prevent deflection testing failures of hot paddles. This begs the questions: is this cheating? Will the players caught on mic be punished?

We have discussed paddle testing on the pod many times, and this just reinforces how inadequate the current protocols are.  Between the “new” Joola prototypes, players bringing 50+ paddles just to get 3 that pass, and now freezing, the paddle landscape seems more uneven than ever.  Will UPA-A truly bring more rigorous testing or just more confusion with two governing bodies?

MLP Substitutions

Facing injuries and schedule conflicts, MLP teams are already planning a handful of player substitutions.

Challenger

California Black Bears:

Michelle Esquivel subbing for Susannah Barr

Bay Area Breakers:

Rachel Rettger subbing for Allyce Jones

Samantha Parker subbing for Jill Braverman

Grayson Goldin subbing for DJ Young

Premier

AZ Drive:

AJ Koller subbing for Andrei Daescu

LA Mad Drops:

TBD subbing for Catherine Parenteau

MLP Releases Schedule and Playoff Format

After much debate, the MLP Competition Committee and league commissioner Bruce Popko have agreed to revise the Mid-Season Tournament format. Both Premier and Challenger will now compete in separate double-elimination brackets and crown their respective winners. Three teams from each level will also earn prize money. This tournament remains the only time this season all 22 teams will compete at the same event.

Full bracket schedule has been released; here’s the run-down:

-Wednesday, July 10: 4 Challenger matches, starting at 12 p.m.

-Thursday, July 11: 10 matches (both Challenger and Premier) - starting at 10 a.m.

-Friday, July 12: 10 matches (both Challenger and Premier) starting at 10 a.m. Challenger Semi-Finals start at 2 p.m.

-Saturday, July 13: Premier Semi-Finals start at 1 p.m. on Championship Court. 8 total matches will be played, including consolation for both Premier and Challenger

-Championship Sunday, July 14: 11 a.m. Challenger Finals; 2 p.m. Premier Finals on Championship Court. 3rd Place matches will take place at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively, on Grandstand Court

Admission is free for all MLP spectators, as it coincides with Beer City Open, a charitable event benefitting Belknap Enhancement Fund.