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BACK
TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
THE HC MIAMI
OPEN
sponsored
by The Clevelander
After months of anticipation, the Hogan Circuit finally returned to the sand in the second annual Miami Open presented by
The Clevelander. With four full months of rest behind them, it was time for the gladiators of The HC to get back to business
and attempt to wreak havoc on the sands of South Beach.
Surprisingly, there was little sand to conquer.
With some piddly football event having just moved out of town, much of the remnants of said event remained erected on the
beach, leaving only two feature courts for use by the Hogan Circuit.
Fear not, as on Friday morning the players
arrived ready for action. Though Greg LaMonica and Gunnar Stapp both missed the early morning press conference (Greg because
his earplugs were too snug, and Gunnar because his 3am burger weighed him down), both were on the court when the ceremonial
first whistle blew.
In the weekend's first match-up, LaMonica and Luiz Sobrinho blended well
to win an easy contest, 21-14, despite Stapp's newfound ability to pass the ball accurately. Sadly, he and Darryl Nash had
no business hitting the ball on any beach. Stapp and LaMonica then teamed up for a first round victory, Stapp setting the
tone for a 21-15 triumph with two monster blocks on Nash in the early goings. Despite a horrible first two games, Nash relied
on some solid play by LaMonica and broke into the win column with a 21-15 win. Credit Stapp with the incredible, straight
down, loud and wicked block of the year, a big-time stuff of LaMonica.
The teams then geared up for a second round, with Greg unbeaten and leading the
pack at 3-0 and everyone else trailing at 1-2. In a surprising turnaround, Nash/Stapp rebounded from an opening round loss
with a skyball-induced 21-19 win, despite a giant comeback by their opponents. Then, in the most consistently played match
of the first day, LaMonica and Stapp sqeaked out a 21-18 win filled with long rallies. And again, the veterans persevered
in Friday's final match, a 21-17 win for Nash/LaMonica.
LaMonica remained in the lead with a 5-1 record, followed by Nash and Stapp at
3-3, and tender-shouldered Sobrinho at 1-5. On his way back to The Clevelander, Nash boldly proclaimed, "I will not lose any
games tomorrow." Saturday beckoned.
When the crowd settled in on Saturday at 9am, Greg LaMonica looked to extend his lead and wrap up the round-robin title with
a big win on center court. Alongside Gunnar Stapp, the odds were in his favor. But Nash broke out a secret weapon - the big
jump serve - in route to a shocking 21-14 win to open second day action.
Still, LaMonica was in the lead, and his excellent
play while teamed with Luiz Sobrinho was expected to be a key factor in the day's second match. But Nash and Stapp came out
firing, eventually notching a 21-16 win. Now, Nash and LaMonica were tied for the round-robin lead, with Stapp creeping up
just one win away from a big three way tie among the leaders.
Nash/LaMonica had yet to lose a match thus
far, and Stapp needed to break that streak and leave the beach at the top of the leader board. But the arrival of South Beach's
locals would pospone the key match until Sunday morning, when the winner would be crowned.
Stapp would be eliminated early Sunday, as
Nash/LaMonica won their third match of the 2007 Miami Open, setting up a big showdown on South Beach. In the championship
final, LaMonica won a coin toss and chose Stapp as his teammate, but it was Nash/Sobrinho who broke out to an early lead.
Dusting of a jump serve of his own, and establishing some key blocks, LaMonica helped his team earn the lead, then capitalized
on some crucial errors to secure the Miami Open KOB win.
LaMonica improved on his second place finish
in 2006, when Nash won the title. The two flip-flopped in '07, with Nash coming up just short - plus Stapp in 3rd place, and
Sobrinho in 4th.
FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE 2007 MIAMI OPEN, CLICK HERE.
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
EDGY
STAPP MAKES A FASHION STATEMENT
When Playgirl readers voted him the #99 ranked eligible summer athlete, Gunnar Stapp was infuriated.
Having been at #78 a year before (just below tennis star Max Mirnyi and just above Florida Marlin Dan Uggla), he knew it was
time to reinvent the Gunnar Machine. Then, early in January, his people released a statement that Gunnar would premiere his
“new, edgier self” in Miami.
When he sent a text message on Thursday indicating he had moved onto his third airport lounge beverage
before even boarding a plane, it was clear that a new Gunnar was emerging. When he arrived at the Clevelander welcome party
along Ocean Drive, wearing a stocking cap and skull
clothes and flowing blond locks, the paparazzi barely recognized him. Once they did, all hell broke loose. It's no wonder
that the shock of it all landed him, yet again, on the cover of Miami's METRO magazine (pictured).
While giving an impromptu press conference at 3am Friday morning outside a greasy spoon diner, Stapp
explained. “The goal, of course, is to be #1. Don’t tell me about Derek Jeter, or A-Roderick, or whomever is on
the list. There’s 98 bottles of beer on the wall, and at the end of the day, I’ll be #1. It’s all about
what I can do for the Hogan Circuit, for the people of Wauwatosa.
And, most importantly, what Gunnar can do for Gunnar.”
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
SOBRINHO
SHAKES OFF INJURY,
CHARGES
TO SUNDAY
He entered the 2007 Miami Open with a nagging shoulder injury, his serve reduced to underhand and his offense little
more than a dink shot or two. After playing under .500 for the first two days of competition, ’06 Rookie Bachelor Luiz
Sobrinho came charging onto the court on Sunday morning, and after losing a crucial opening match of the day, he proceeded
to run off victories with a revitalized wing and some extra hop in the legs.
What makes the resurgence more intriguing is Sobrinho’s Saturday
night schedule, which saw him patrolling the club circuit until almost 6am. On two hours sleep, Sobrinho returned to the court
for five more hours of volleyball. Along with Greg LaMonica he notched multiple victories against local Miami Beach
competition, only to finally call an end to play when he injured a muscle in his leg during an early afternoon match.
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
NASH
CONFUSED ABOUT COURT SIZE,
CHRISTENS NEW STATISTIC
Friday was a long day of volleyball for Darryl Nash, who quickly found himself down 0-2 en route to a poor follow-up
to his winning performance in 2006. Losing the opening round with Sobrinho, and the following round with Stapp, Nash began
to perfect a skill that many players prefer not to acquire – the ball that strikes somewhere between 3-6 inches outside
the court on every swing. The serve – out by an eyelash. The spike – just outside the line. The dink – rolls
across the tape and falls an inch out of bounds. Time and time again it happened, prompting Greg LaMonica to suggest a new
statistic, likely to be referred to as “Just Outs.” As in, Darryl led the match with 12 justouts, but lost 21-13.
“I think it had something to do with the wind carrying the ball,” Nash said afterwards. “And maybe
the sun was a key factor, too. The lines were a little thin for my liking. I thought most of them hit the line and the ref
made a bad call. Also, the ball wasn’t properly inflated.”
On Saturday, things changed, but then everything went haywire again
on Sunday. “Always been a fan of Saturdays,” Nash said.
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
THE
HC REPRESENTS!
LOCALS FACE THE WRATH OF THE
CIRCUIT
With only two courts open for play on South Beach, The 2007 Miami Open was interrupted at times by the arrival of Florida
locals looking for their weekly play time. But in order to claim their court, they first had to surpass the Hogan Circuit.
All weekend long, that was a great challenge.
"Last tear we only had one shot at them," said Greg LaMonica, "and those two clowns Nash and Stapp lost an overtime match.
This year, everyone has a shot to take down the locals."
The best performance was put forth by Greg and Luiz Sobrinho, holding court for a long while on Sunday, when Sobrinho rekindled
his powerful shoulder and began playing like a man possessed. Still often passing the ball to set, LaMonica was able to pound
countless second balls into the sand, and the two were rolling all day long.
Meanwhile, Nash/Stapp proved equally consistent, but not in a good way. They notched two overtime losses, including a 26-24,
making their two year total 0-3 - all three losses in extra time.
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
SECOND
ANNUAL WINE MISHAP
A ROUSING SUCCESS
Leave it to Greg LaMonica to attract the spotlight once again at the weekend’s penultimate
gathering of the athletes on Saturday night. For the second consecutive year, LaMonica made a mockery out of excellent wine
service by igniting a ruckus around the meal.
It played out as such: Gunnar Stapp, seeking information on canine breeds through the mobile technology
of his cellular phone, eventually retrieved the information and offered to share it with LaMonica. While passing the phone,
Stapp presumed the Greg could handle the cell phone with ease. Yet this was not the case, as Greg fumbled the phone in the
direction of a wine glass, which tumbled as Greg reacted violently to the droppage of the phone (yet with no droppage of the
signal, according to Blackberry representatives). Adding injury to insult, the wine poured not only on the shirt and sleeves
of LaMonica, but also on the defenseless ears of a dog nestled below the table. The tan-colored dog now sports blotches of
red wine on his exposed ears.
LaMonica’s representatives will tell a different story, and that the blame should fall on Stapp
for the errant pass, not on Greg’s fumbled reception attempt. Reviews of the play were inconclusive, and the call at
the restaurant stood.
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
STAPP
PULLS NO PUNCHES IN
HOGAN
ABSENCE
The world of sports continues to walk a fine line between competition and business, and the Hogan
Circuit teeters on the brink of both sides. While on-court competition continues each summer, endorsements, contracts, and
cameo television and movie appearances have become somewhat commonplace on tour. This was never ore apparent than during a
Miami Open conference call involving the namesake Dylan Hogan, who finally answered his phone on the fourth try. After speaking
with HC veterans Darryl Nash and Greg LaMonica, Hogan was due for a brief pow-wow with Gunnar Stapp.
Stapp, still steaming over Hogan’s lack of attendance for a second straight year, was forced
to swallow his pride and accept the call. “My contract says I have to talk to you,” Stapp said, causing a stir
in the media listening in to the conference call.
Afterwards, Stapp elaborated. “I know we all have busy schedules,” he said, “but
if Hogan wants to talk the talk, he needs to walk the walk. If it weren’t for my contractual obligations, I wouldn’t
have even given him the time of day, eastern or central time. Neither one.”
BACK TO SOUTH BEACH 2007
FAREWELL,
CLEVELANDER
The HC was
saddened to learn that the historic Clevelander Hotel, host of two consecutive Miami Opens, will be completely reconstructed
in coming years and is set to reopen in late 2008. While other hotels fight to host the 2008 Miami Open, we look back at the
great moments this unique, deco hotel had to offer.
The Top Five Clevelander Moments
5. The
tee-shirts were average, and the hats were unappealing. But Darryl wanted a souvenir from the Clevelander. He noticed the
coffee mugs emblazoned with the hotel logo. But Darryl doesn’t drink coffee. Neither did Gunnar on this particular day
in 2006, but that didn’t stop the then-Rookie Bachelor from acquiring a mug for Darryl’s collection. And Darryl
liked it so much, he swiped another one anyway. A year later, the frozen drink mugs were added to that collection, but not
without first asking permission (for a change).
4. Speaking
of frozen drinks, is there a better way to check into a hotel than by having drinks served upon your arrival. That’s
one of the great perks of the Clevelander, a free frozen concoction before you’ve even brought the bags to your room.
That’s the way we expect to be treated on the Hogan Circuit.
3. The
2006 Clevelander bikini contest was a treat, with exceptionally scantily clad women roaming the poolside stage. Some were
so minimally covered, even the lesser-inclinced Circuiteers, fresh off a night at Twist, were caught taking up close photos.
Granted, it took three hours for the event to get started, but some might say it was worth the wait.
2. But
not all HC competitors had an up-close look. While Greg, Darryl, and Gunnar were perched outside for the bikini wear, al eyes
turned momentarily skyward. And there was Mark, hidden in his hotel room, hiding from the crowd of gawking men and women,
peering out from behind the window shades. It was a sad sight that sadly, we can’t help but remember with a chuckle.
1. Propaganda 2006. On the doors, on the walls, everywhere you look. Meet Mark Stapp!
Get your tickets now! Greg is in the house! The Rookie bachelor is on the prowl! The signage of the Miami Open was in plain
site for all to see, resulting in a ticket sellout and hoards of autograph seekers. The Clevelander, from that day on, was
never the same.
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