Leaving Las Vegas

This year's AVP King and Queen of the Beach competition was held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and it was a scorcher. Pool play started on Thursday with the top 16 individual players competing in a round robin format to emerge into Round 2, where 8 players continued on to compete for one of two spots in the finals. Phil Dalhausser and Jen Kessey were crowned King and Queen of the Beach. Woohoo!

During this same weekend, Phil, Niki and I spent a brief afternoon at the aquarium, and this is what we came across.

Black tip reef shark

Lion fish (venemous and dangerous)

Jelly fish

Punchlines

So the other day, I'm in for my weekly enema, and all of a sudden, the administrator sneezes and sends my...

...loose stool colliding with my shy testicle. It was like a depraved game of billiards but without the sorority chicks.

Shaq Vs.

After a nailbiting match-up with Phil/Todd vs. Sean/John in the finals of AVP Hermosa, the court in the stadium underwent a transformation for the filming of the new reality TV show Shaq Vs. Episode 2 this season which will air August 25th on ABC at 9 p.m. ET will feature Shaq Vs. Misty May-Treanor/Kerri Walsh in beach volleyball. Shaq paired up with Todd Rogers in the back court and it was pretty hysterical to see someone that big move that quickly in the sand. If Shaq lost, he would wear pink speedos up and down the beach! Other match-ups include Shaq Vs. Michael Phelps, Shaq Vs. Oscar De La Hoya, and Shaq Vs. Serena Williams.

It was a sight to behold, so tune-in on August 25th.  

Punchlines

I enjoy wine, I'll have to admit, but I am not in love with the stuff. I'll usually enjoy a few glasses...

...of hotdog juice straight up.

Comeback moms

Time to get charged up, people! It's the AVP Hermosa Beach Open this weekend with the women's final on Saturday and the men's final on Sunday. Woohoo! Also if you come down on Sunday, Shaquille O'Neal will be filming an episode for his new reality TV show where he will compete against two-time Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh-Jennings.

For those who don't follow the sport of beach volleyball, Kerri just had a baby 2 months ago and this weekend marks the first time she has been back since last season. She plays with another new mom on the tour, Rachel Scott (nee Wacholder). The moms did well but fell to the contenders bracket yesterday and must compete early this morning to make it back into the final four. They'll take stadium court at 8:45 a.m. 

Stay tuned for updates via @AVPHermosa or @AVPbeach on Twitter. Since those guys do such an amazing job, I will probably just send behind-the-scenes photos from time to time on @TGeorgeSand.

Punchlines

OK... cut the hole, measure the new drywall board, cut it to fit and apply the pasty pink stuff, get the blow dryer... Have lots of hope ... Sand it in... feather the texture to match... Wait 24 hours... UH OH! Where's the cat??? And what is that smell?

Oh... sorry. That was me. I just got back from George's.

A day at the beach

5th Place Matches

Play began early at 8:15 on a clear and sunny Sunday morning. In the 5th place matches, Fuerbringer/Jennings were eliminated in a heart-breaking loss to Olson/Wong in the third game (14-21, 21-17, 15-13). It was hard for me to cheer for either side, really, as I wanted them both to advance into the semis. Gibb/Rosenthal played to an enthsiastic crowd owing to Rosie's Raiders who were out here in full force. They took Hyden/Scott in a well-fought three games (13-21, 21-17, 15-12).

In the women's match-ups, Team Gorgeous lost to Hanson/Rutledge on center court, as did DeNecochea/Dodd to Lima/Minello. As a small consolation, we surprised Carrie Dodd with dark chocolates from Paris, which only she could appreciate foodie that she is.

Semi-finals

Team B.Y. (Branagh/Youngs) advanced to the finals after beating Lima/Minello (17-18) as Branagh kept hammering away with her jump serves all game long. Meanwhile Davis/Johnson-Jordan defeated Hanson/Rutledge in a quick 46 minute match (11-19). I caught up with JJJ (Jenny Johnson-Jordan) while she was trying to change flight reservations to Boulder. 

It's funny how some athletes behave before the championship final. Some keep to themselves trying to stay focused and conserve energy. Others chat with friends and family and are more easy going. Mostly the routines consist of refueling (eating and getting fluids in you) and maintenance (physical therapy, etc.) 

On the men's side, both matches were a battle of wills as points see-sawed back and forth. Gibb/Rosie (3) def. Keenan/Lucena (8) 16-21, 21-14, 15-13 in a 67 minute contest. On center court, Olson/Wong (5) def. Dalhausser/Rogers (2) 21-19, 21-23, 15-10, with game match point won when Phil served out. Tough beat guys. 

Having Gibb/Rosie and Olson/Wong advancing to the finals meant that a new team will join the ranks of the legends in having their names forever etched in bronze on the pier at Manhattan Beach. Karch has 10 of these and as Tim Hovland said Thursday night, Unless you've got a couple of these, you're nobody. The volleyball community really considers this the oldest and most prestigious final to win. For so many decades, the Olympics was never an option until the 1996 Atlanta games.  

Six-man Exhibition/Legends Game

This year, the AVP is bringing back tradition and getting in touch with its roots. Perhaps it has something to do with a new management team that has been brought in during the off-season. The traditions featured included a semi-final and finals exhibition match-up of four Six-man teams, which as you will see in the photos really just means only six men are permitted on the court at a time. Plenty of others are standing at the back of the court cheering and jumping the adumu in Maasai fashion. 

On court 2, Team Kinda Good def. Team Smack while on court 4, Memphis Cafe def. Team Fletch to meet up in the exhibition finals, which gave a chance for casual fans of the sport to experience the mayhem associated with Six-Man, which will take place August 1-2. 

Another tradition featured at Six-Man brings back the elite athletes from the 60's, 70's, 80's and (I suppose) 90's back to the beach. During Six-Man, it is typically scheduled on court 20-ish on the east side so that the youngsters don't get under foot. The Legends Game matched-up the North Side vs. the South Side. Unfortunately I wasn't able to catch much of it. I snuck out of the players tent for a few minutes to catch some of the action. For those keeping track, the South Side won.

Women's Final

At 3 p.m. and broadcasting live on KTLA, Branagh/Youngs competed against Davis/Johnson-Jordan to a capacity crowd in the stadium. Play-by-play coverage was supplied by twitter updates, the first time the AVP has done this to supply fans and followers around the world with scoring news.

1. BALL HIT OUT!!! NB/EY win their first MB Open as a team and Nicole's first overall!! Get that plaque ready!about 14 hours ago from web
2. MATCH POINT!about 14 hours ago from web
3. JOUST! Branagh wins... she can taste that plaque... up 18-11.about 14 hours ago from web
4. Netty with a huge dig! But Branagh gets the second chance, and uses it... 16-10.about 14 hours ago from web
5. Branagh block!! Up 14-9 now and firing on all cylinders!about 14 hours ago from web
6. JJJ goes cross court but just out... NB/EY up 11-8 now.about 14 hours ago from web
7. Nicole is pumped!! Big block for a 9-7 lead!about 14 hours ago from web
8. Limes everywhere!!! The Bud Light girls take to the court to provide everyone who can catch with a prize from Bud Light Lime!about 14 hours ago from web
9. EY serves it into the tape... 6-4 Jenny and Annett.about 14 hours ago from web
10. How 'bout another block? 5-3.about 14 hours ago from web
11. HUGE Netty block!! The duo from UCLA takes the lead, 4-3.about 14 hours ago from web
12. Kerri Walsh is in the announcers' booth as we speak... can't wait to see her in Hermosa!about 14 hours ago from web
13. Block by EY (and some of the tape) to take game one, 21-17!!about 14 hours ago from web
14. Cutty. Game point, NB/EY! Clap. Clap. Clap...about 14 hours ago from web
15. Diving set by JJJ!! 19-17 NB/EY.about 14 hours ago from web
16. HEY! Netty over on two... get it to 18-16!about 14 hours ago from web
17. Netty block... 18-15 NB/EY.about 14 hours ago from web
18. WHAT A RALLY! Punctuated by an Annett ROOF! 17-14!about 14 hours ago from web
19. That is a veteran!! Jenny bumps it to the back corner on two, down 17-13 now.about 14 hours ago from web
20. NB/EY get another one... now up 16-11.about 14 hours ago from web
21. We've got one of the best Malibu ring tosses I've ever seen on Stadium!! Some guy just made like 8 in a row... someone call Guinness!!about 14 hours ago from web
22. EY dig then kill!! They take the lead, 11-10. EY ace, 12-10!about 14 hours ago from web
23. WE've got a see-saw affair here... 9s.about 14 hours ago from web
24. All knotted up at 7... TO on the sand.about 14 hours ago from web
25. GREAT rally... NB/EY go up 6-5.about 14 hours ago from web
26. EY stops the JJJ/Annett rally, tied at 5 now.about 14 hours ago from web
27. Huge Jenny dig to Annett over on two... point. Tied at 4!about 14 hours ago from web
28. Annett with a little cut to the right, pull to 4-3.about 14 hours ago from web
29. NB/EY making a statement right away! NB kill, EY block, 2-0.about 14 hours ago from web
30. Plaaaaaaaaaaaaay baaaaaaaaaaaal!about 14 hours ago from web

The B.Y. win is the 6th win this season for the pair and the first Manhattan Beach Open win for Nicole and the second for Elaine, who last won in 2004 with Holly McPeak.

Men's Final

The men's match up got started at 4:30 p.m. with Gibb/Rosenthal competing against Olson/Wong. Here's the play-by-play twitter updates from AVPManhattan in reverse chronological order, naturally. Good job, Matt! 

1. Rosie kill! Game! Match! Gibb and Rosie win their first MB Open as a team!!!about 12 hours ago from web
2. Rosie kill! Ad Gibb/Rosie!about 12 hours ago from web
3. Olson kills, Rosie touches it but up into the Raiders in the stands... back to deuce.about 12 hours ago from web
4. Gibb knocks it down the line... another match point!about 12 hours ago from web
5. Olson nails it cross court off Rosie... all knotted up at 20.about 12 hours ago from web
6. MATCH POINT!!about 12 hours ago from web
7. Rosie hits it out! Tie ball game!about 12 hours ago from web
8. T.O. on the court, Gibb/Rosie give up a couple... now just up 19-18 after a Wong ace.about 12 hours ago from web
9. Rosie flies, cuts and gets one point closer... 19-16!about 12 hours ago from web
10. Rosie kill, "hittin' 'em where they ain't." 18-15 Gibb and Rosie.about 12 hours ago from web
11. Olson and Wong call timeout on Stadium... they're down a game and 14-11.about 12 hours ago from web
12. Also, NB and EY are now 42-2 in matches on the AVP Crocs Tour this year, their only two losses coming in finals.about 12 hours ago from web
13. According to our crack stats team, EY had been in eight of the last nine Manhattan finals... with FIVE different partners.about 12 hours ago from web
14. Gibb with the juicy back set... Rosie pats it cross court, G/R up 9-7.about 12 hours ago from web
15. Gibb block! That. Was. Nasty. 6-4, Gibb/Rosie.about 13 hours ago from web
16. Nobody should be able to hit angles like that! Rosie WAY cross court for the kill! 2s.about 13 hours ago from web
17. DID YOU KNOW? Jake Gibb, the 6-foot-7 kid from Utah, is fluent in Spanish.about 13 hours ago from web
18. The kid with the broken wing won the chicken dance on Stadium... I think he deserved it.about 13 hours ago from web
19. Rosie diving dig then stretches and swings for the kill... game one in the books! Gibb/Rosie, 21-17.about 13 hours ago from web
20. Gibb goes way high for the kill... 19-16 Gibb/Rosie. Rosie doesn't have a plaque, Gibb does, 2005 with Stein.about 13 hours ago from web
21. The Rosie's Raiders are getting louder... that means Rosie's heating up! 18-14 Gibb/Rosie!about 13 hours ago from web
22. WHAT!?! If there were a 10-foot line in the sand, that would have been about 4 feet inside of it! No wonder they call him the Son of Jor-El!about 13 hours ago from web
23. What a rally!! Just dig after dig after dig!!! Rosie finally puts it away cross court... 14-12 Gibb and Rosie.about 13 hours ago from web
24. We got another good one on Stadium!! 10s! For point by point, follow @avpbeach.about 13 hours ago from web
25. The men are rolling along... game one tied at 5.about 13 hours ago from web

Final results: Gibb/Rosenthal def. Olson/Wong (17-21).

Punchlines

I have a concern... well actually several... I have several concerns about the state of your...

...donkey. His performance on the Burro Show last night wasn't up to par.