I love the fans at the Manhattan Beach Open. The Manhattan Beach Open is the Granddaddy of them all and this town knows their volleyball. This week there was a lot to talk about. Opinions and conspiracy theories about the Rachel Wacholder/Elaine Youngs split made it feel like a Kos Convention.

EY’s spins was “she wanted a taller, more athletic partner.” This makes as much sense stapling jelly to ceiling. EY has had more success on the tour with Rachel since Misty May and Kerri Walsh came on to the scene. Also that she proclaimed Nancy Mason as “temp partner” for the weekend… seems like some claws came out in France and Austria.

Then I heard Rachel’s side, which seems much more likely. Apparently at the FIVB in Paris two weeks ago, Elaine ripped into Rachel on the on the court (I’m trying to find the video). Elaine has always been a fiery player, but now she is screwing up the whole women’s league. In fact there are several new teams due to this break up. I’ll sort it all out for you in a second.

The only real winners are Kerri Walsh and Misty May who will probably not face a challenge for the rest for the season. Mostly because it will take all these new teams to get into a groove together. Also May droped 15 lbs lately due to an off season power work out "vacation" with her husband Matt Treanor, catcher forthe Florida Marlins.

But all this hoopla has had a impact on Wacholder’s playing style. EY and Rachel were very much a good cop/bad cop team. They both would play hard but Rachel was the introvert and Elaine was the digger, hell bent, often arguing with Ref’s. There has always been a time bomb in EY.

Rachel’s play this weekend was as good as she gets. But she was the one arguing and showing her temper off. The game prior to the match televised on NBC this weekend was hands down the BEST match I have ever seen in the years that I have been watching the sport.

Rachel Wacholder and Jenn Boss vs Holly McPeak and Nicole Branagh were tied at one game a piece going into the traditional Game Three 15 point face off. You need a two point marging to claim a victory. This led to a marathon of nail biting final match points.

The Final Score was 27-25 in favor of McPeak/Branagh, thanks to a bullshit call. Rachel was playing with a more extroverted passion than I had seen her play with. In the first match point which favored a poor call by the ref sent Rachel flying into in the Ref stand, pounding on his podium. Unlike most sports,in the AVP this kind of arguing can get a decision changed or at least a second opinion. All four of the women were on fire with every new point going down. I thought at any moment Branagh and Wacholder were going to lose it and rip each other throats out. Then I learned why. Just before the match Elaine had named Nicole Branagh as her new partner. Rachel had something to prove that day and she lost it on a blown call.

So here are the rumors on the new partnerships.

Elaine Youngs takes on last years Rookie of the Year, Nicole Branagh

Rachel Wacholder teams with Jen Boss, who was also her pick at the Vegas Shoot Out last year.

This leaves Nancy Mason (formerly with Boss) and Holly Mc Peak (formerly with Branagh) partnerless.
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While they would be a good match up. Holly McPeak is leaning towards newcomer Logan Tom. Who knows what will happen with Mason.

A note about Holly, she one of the long standing Veterans of the beach and has been dabbling in the broadcast booth. She would have learned about Nicole’s partnership with her ex (Elaine). She did maintain her composure throughout the final games, though they were beaten badly by May/Walsh. Elaine Youngs has single handedly messed up all of the partnerships. Mason is a highly ranked player and deserves a good partner.

Here are some thoughts for her.

The Linquists (Tracey or Katie) did surprisingly well against McPeak and Branagh this last weekend. This would mean breaking up a very close sister partnership. Both of the two 5’7” sisters could benefit with partnering up with someone with height.

Angie Akers - Angie has always been a powerful force to reckon with has a history of not being able to close the deal.

Suzanne Stonebarger- An up and comer showing a lot of potential.

Tammy Leibl or Denise DeNecochea gave an impressive 2 game spanking to EY and Mason over the weekend. They would both be great with Mason, however after this weekend a break up between the too seems unlikely. As the last week has shown, strangers things have happened.href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3930/892/1600/DenoLiebel.jpg">

The only thing I can guarantee is that the early matches over the next few weeks are gonna the most competitive in Women’s AVP Action. Get ready for the slugfest.

For you New Yorkers… get over the Yankees… it’s gonna be a awesome on Coney Island this weekend.

They have added some new gals to the clan and there alterations to the PBJ uniform were indeed a pleasant surprise. Rosie’s Raider’s, ever sullen, were on the other side of the beach front tavern (“a proper bar,” as my friend Greg would say) grumbling profanities about the bartender and sucking down Budweiser’s. All was right for 10:00 on a Friday morning. Even the bartender was wearing wearing a “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” t-shirt.

But all was not right. There has been an ice storm spread over the the jovial sport of Pro-Beach Volleyball. After I down a quick one I ran smack dab into it. There on court two was Rachel Wacholder with new partner Jenn Boss.

Rachel and Elaine Youngs split surprisingly this week. As I mentioned before, it didn’t make sense. Still trying to figure it out. Jolted lesbian fantasies have been on my mind. My girlfriend has set me straight.

She tells me it is a figment of my over-hormoned mind. But what does she know about sports?

Also in attendance was the new coach , who’s name I don’t know.

An older scallywag of a man, he seems like the perfect gentleman to swap stories with at the PoopDeck in Hermosa.

He looks like the veteran pro-beach volleyball player with one good play left in him. Rache and the Boss haven’t quite found their click yet. They won in two tight matches against Logan Tom and Brooke (formerly Niles) Hanson. You may remember Logan from her Olympian FHM Spread.

Prior to the game, I ran directly into Nancy Mason, Elaine Young’s new partner. I apologized and like the ex-boyfriend no one wants to talk to, I sheepishly make my way to a comfortable spot on the beach. Nancy is wearing a Frank’s Red Hot’s Visor. That’s Rachel’s old sponsor. I got cross.

It was then that Nancy and EY start doing drills in the Crocs’ Court.. usually reserved for children. Then the power play-- EY and Mason start drilling in the court right next to the game. Almost as if to say “You want to see skills? WE GOT SKILLS!!” Yes that is the THIN WHITE BEAST behind them.

At this point, I am thinking I am over-imagining everything. Look everyone loves a feud. We all know that it doesn’t make sense to break up that team up at this point in the season.

Rache and the Boss take down Tom/ Niles-Hanson in two. Rache and the Boss go back to their coach area and start talking to him. EY and Mason take the court and this is where the Ice Storm begins. There are no handshakes, there is no eye contact. The scent of Black Licorice is in the air. It might not be what I thought it was, but it smells of fued, the nonsensical type of feud-- Which my girlfriend does know about.

On the flip side, the Linquisdt sisters gave EY and Mason a run for there money. I love this sister team. They took them to four or five match points in Game 2. I have a hard time telling them apart so forgive me if I screw up the details.

Nancy Mason bolted a far shot in one of the match points. Katie L. ran KrazEE and dove after it bolting a shot skyward. Her sister Tracy, nearly out -of-bounds and with only one hit to get it over the net plays slugger and jolts the ball off of her wrist (Kirk Gibson style) to get it over the net. F-ing brilliant. I’ve been saying it for years, these two sisters are DUE!

There was also a turn in fandom. The crown clearly favored the Linquisdt sisters over EY and Mason. AVP fans tend to prefer the underdog. Kerri Walsh was right behind me during the match. Even one of the best players in the game wants to know what’s up. EY and Mason came off as bullies. Even after the sisters lost there was a big hand for the two. For short girls, they play tough. We like that.

So here is the deal. Tomorrow, roughly 8:30 or 9:00 am… Rache and the Boss face off with EY and Mason. Unless there is some kind of weirdo upset, this could possibly be one of the greatest AVP matchups of all time. I know it’s early for Saturday. But show up.

The four of them will.

Update: AW CRAP! They both got knocked down to the losers’s (oh wait CONTENDER’S ) … Everyone is gonna be ultra pissed off in the morn….

It’s time to get your war on!

Nope has nothing to do with Joe Leiberman, Mel Gibson or even Britney.

One of the greatest sports franchises has split up. The winning combination of Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder have gone splitsville.

There was no reason given for the split. They have done well beating the seemingly unstoppable Kerri Walsh and Misty May twice this year. Elaine Youngs will be matching herself up with Nancy Mason and Rachel will be teaming up with Jen Boss.

The pairings make sense. They are all fierce players. And it does follow the one weird unwritten rule about women’s beach volleyball:

See a pattern? One Blonde, One Brunette. I am not aware of any redheads in the sports.
I think it has something to do with skin cancer. There are only three teams I can think of that break this rule.

Even odder is the timing of this split. EY and Rachel vs. Kerri and Misty have been the Yankees and the Red Sox of women’s sports. 9 out of 10 times it is a fantastic matchup. With the Grandaddy of them all, the Manhattan Beach Open this weekend and the next tourney being Boulder (both EY and RW get a lot of support from their hometown crowds) the timing seems weird. There is something suspicious going on here.

There is something going on here. Something more than “we need to do something different”.

And what becomes of their coach Liz Masakayan , perhaps the most talented coach in women’s sports? The three of them together are the most awesome, tenatious Chinese Fighting fish combination I could think of.

No disrespect to Boss and Mason, but these new teams are not gonna click. EY and Rachel I would not sit next to each other at a dinner party. Rachel has speed. EY is is a fierce dominator. As the years have gone one it's obvious they have taken on a lot of each others qualities. On paper they don’t make sense. On the beach, they do.

None of it makes sense. What could have happened?

A few weeks ago, we were the special guests of the AVP in Santa Barbara and were looking forward to meeting the official AVP team of the Crackpot Press: Elaine Youngs and Rachel Wacholder. If you look very closely they manage to mouth the words "Crackpot Press" in just about every game and interview. Look VERY closely or you may miss it. If you Tivo it and play it backwards then you can see it sometimes. You may have to piece it together as the words are not always in order.

We were going to get the chance to meet them at their post game interview in Santa Barbara. However, our gals had a terrible game in Santa Barbara. They were in shock after the game. I have been following Rachel and EY for many years before their partnership. EY because she is fierce, fearless and tenatious. Rachel because she does her damndest to improve herself. Most importantly, they are scrappers and we respect that. At Crackpot Press we really admire folks who find their stride in their 30's. In sports it's unheard of. In the years I have been watching them, I had never seen them NOT put up a good fight.

But after the butt kicking they got in Santa Barbara, they were defeated, tired... even disoriented. We've all been there, regardless of what we do for a living. It was that day when you just weren't clicking, your normal magic wasn't there..

And I wasn't about to be the ass who said "Hi, wanna be on my C-List Website?"

And today, it was their turn to kick some ass. They took down Walsh May in what can only be described as inspired volleyball. They played with hammer on the floor, thirsty, blood under the fingernails passion. Took them out in two games.

In their past, their victories have had the stench of "excuses" around them. Misty has a strained ab. They have a following in Boulder.

Bullshit. Get used to it, they're that good.

Today they swept, EY was playing with injuries. When I saw EY at the SB open, she kept talking about about how Walsh/May made "crazy plays" that led to their defeat. EY has always made crazy plays. Today Rachel made them as well.

I watched RW/EY play Boss/Mason (pictures below) and I didn't think they had it today. I was wrong, I don't know what they had for lunch... but I want some of that. They came out wild, they came out weird, they came out inspired. They KILLED Kerri and Misty.

While Misty has always been a gracious loser (at least on TV) , Kerri... not so much.

I LIKE them both. One of the problems with the AVP (unlike most sports) is that there is no one to hate. They are all good folks, they work with the community. They live locally. They're pratically Canadians. Most of them have jobs during the season (the Linquidst sisters are school teachers) the players are good folks.

But as a guy from Berkeley I love to find fault with those from Stanford...

Kerri Walsh has that Stanford Mentality that drives me up the wall. I love Kerri Walsh.. she is that lanky geeky sexy tall girl that I really should have asked to the prom, but wouldn't go out with me now. She is a good person.As talented as she is, she doesn't understand that real people lose everyday. Her post game interview today was terrible. My guess is that she is so unaccustomed to losing that she doesn't know how to deal with it.

She called the game "B.S." which is Stanford person's rationale for "I blew it" She obviously doesn't understand "You win some, you lose some." You got an ass kicking.. it happens... it just always doesn't happen on National TV.
I really forward to Kerri growing up on this front.

EY and Rachel were dominant today taking it to them 21-19, 24-22. In the post game interviews on both sides you could tell there was a hornet's net buzzing in the greatest rivalry in women's sports. The Sacramento open next weekend is gonna be a war.

Here are some photos of early round action from Sunday. More to come!

The AVP will be Streaming the games the weekend!

I too will be cruising down to Hermosa checking out some early round action.... Also the AVP has added Indie 1031 Fm as a sponser... a perfect match... indie music... indie sports...

You can stream them too...Steve Jones (yes, that Steve Jones) has a great show evereyday between 11 and 1.

If you don't have time to check out the matches... I'm sorry...

Molly is on the TV show "Vegas"

Download file

Amber, while originally from Colorado, went the UNC. Now at Crackpot Press, we have very strict lines drawn on the whole North Carolina issue. There is a blue/gray line that divides the staff of the Crackpot Press. But I have the mic right now and, regardless last decade's superstar went there... not a whole lot of stuff good has ever come from the UNC school system.

However, it was there first match and hope they keep at it. Everyone loves watching improvement. Considering the writer of this article is a temporary gimp who has never played in a beach volleyball tournament, my opnion counts.

It's been a great weekend out of in Santa Barbara... I got reprimanded for cheering in the media center... (is verboten) but I coudln't help it. In the final of Dalhouser Rogers and there was a rally that was completely insane! Dalhausser ran the entire length of the court and dove just to to extend.

I wanted to thank the AVP for having the Crackpot Press as well as my staff for the constant running of photos and videos. Some are still coming, so check back

have lived in the Beer Garden for the last three days (now that's THINKING!). The playing a variety of 80's soundtrack rock (think Frank Stallone) and their staple "Peanut Butter Jelly" A good hearted bunch of louts, at this point were cheering Hans Stolfus (husband of Tammy Liebl) see video.

While singing their songs I couldn't help but overhear their constant comparisons to the Players in wet dreary conditions to the time "Rocky Balboa fought frostbite to meet the Soviet Premiere"

An excellent rationalization regardless that Rocky is a fictional character and I don't believe he actually fought the Russian premiere. Also, Rocky 4 is not the strongest of the franchise, but you get the point.

Here some other pictures from the going ons on Saturday.

The Band PORT came out from LA to play between the games. Did some some good Grateful Dead covers.

Lambo helps some kids out, on their spike.

Last night's AVP VIP (or, in our case, VIB-- Very Important Bloggers) was at Qs, which was very fun despite the fact that somebody played Bryan Adams, but I've been assured that the responsible individuals will be discovered and that swift retributive justice will prevail.

Let me tell you what its like to walk into a club full of AVP people. I thought we had mistakenly entered the Redwood forest. I've never seen so many tan knee caps in my life. Seriously, I started searching my pockets for the magic ring I was supposed to be protectiing, and wouldn't have blinked if Peter Jackson appeared from behind the bar and yelled, "CUT!"