Two months of contract negotiations - much of them stalled by language barriers - have resulted in the signing of Luiz Sobrinho for his second consecutive appearance at the HC Miami Open, scheduled for February 1-3, 2008 in South Beach.

   Sobrinho was a key player in last year's event, using a strong Sunday morning to boost his ranking on the HC Tour. This year, he hopes to compete to an even higher level.

   "Luiz is the dean of defense," said Kip Henry upon hearing of Sobrinho's announcement. "He amazed the locals last year with his tenacity, and no doubt Luiz will make a name for himself yet again in 2008."

   Sobrinho joins the namesake Dylan Hogan, Darryl Nash, Gunnar Stapp, and wild card Greg Miller on the Miami '08 roster.

   According to Kip Henry, there could be more surprises on the way. "We're still negotiating with one or two more athletes. This Hogan Circuit Miami Open is taking on a life of its own. This is the one that can't be missed."

  The namesake Dylan Hogan announced today that he will be appearing at next year's HC Miami Open, bringing an end to the ongoing rumors and gossip surrounding his pending decision.

   Hogan spoke at a press conference inside a Detroit Panera Bread restaurant, hunched over a laptop computer screen and rummaging through a plate of pasta salad.

   "I understand that this is my contract year," Hogan said. "I have to make some over-the-top strides in 2008 to strengthen my contract negotiations in the future. The best place to start next season will be Miami Beach. I'll be ready."

   Hogan has missed out on both previous events, spewing a myraid of excuses year after year. Finally, he will take to the sand at South Beach in 2008.

   Rumors and innuendo persisted over the off-season as to why Hogan had yet to appear at an HC Miami Open. Some believed it was the host hotel - The Clevelander - a raucous party atmosphere which Hogan simply could not handle. Others felt he needed no less than eight months recovery time between seasons. This February, Hogan expects to answer the critics.

   "I've done the smart thing," Hogan boasts. "I'm bringing a personal doctor with me. Dr. Greg Miller. Granted, he's an OBGYN, but he can still prescribe me all sorts of junk to get me through the weekend."

   Says Hogan, "I'll be in bed by 9pm, asleep by 10, and on the beach at 8am sharp. As long as the other players are hung over, I'm gonna ride it to victory."

Summer's Over in 2007

SEASON CLOSES UNDER LIGHTS AT GRANT PARK

  Following the weekend's Mark Stapp Invitational (see here), there was one last event on The HC 2007 checklist - a return to Grant Park under the lights for the 2nd Annual Stars and Stripes KOB, held on 9/11 again this year.

   With only a four-person draw, the round-robin tournament would run quickly with two rounds of play between previous KOB winners Dylan Hogan and Greg LaMonica, along with Darryl Nash and Gunnar Stapp rounding out the field.

   Every contest proved a formidable match-up, starting off with Hogan/LaMonica posting a win in the first round. This match-up with Nash/Stapp would be the deciding factor in round two - with three of the four players in the hunt for a commanding lead in the KOB.

   Hogan was in command late in Round One, with a 2-1 record that would be equaled by Nash/LaMonica, who won to close out the first round.

   The ultimately decisive match combined Hogan/LaMonica as they sought to take the lead and ultimately battle for the crown. But Nash/Stapp would have none of it, notching a surprising 21-13 win on a couple clutch swings and some cagey shots from the Stapp playbook (available soon in paperback).

   In the end, it was Hogan and Nash on opposite sides of the net, playing for the final KOB title of '07. In what turned out to be the most tightly contested match, Nash/LaMonica pulled out a 21-19 win (shortly after Greg threatened his teammate, "We are not losing this match. Not happening."), and Nash avenged last year's "Lights Out in Grant Park" with a "Stars and Stripes" win.

   Credit Hogan with a couple KOBs this season, followed by one each for LaMonica and Nash. The slate is clean again when The HC returns to Miami in February.

   Considering The HC summer has been played on a limited schedule, one might expect the post-Labor Day competition to be uninspired, if not nonexistent. But with the season winding to a close, HC competitors returned to North Avenue Beach and welcomed back one of the original - Mark Stapp - to the Windy City for his first appearance in over a year.

   A redux of the 2006 Miami Open roster, plus newcomer Tim Flechtner, arrived early for a picturesque setup along Lake Michigan and the games ensued in a hurry. Back on the sand for the first time since Santa Cruz almost one year ago, Stapp took a little time to adjust but was back in the winner's circle in his second match of the day. He'd end the day in the hunt for second place and checking out with a 2-3 record.

   Stapp won with both Greg LaMonica and Darryl Nash, both of whom sought the Invitational KOB title. Fresh off a full summer schedule at North Avenue, LaMonica was battle-ready and cruised to a Hogan-esque 5-0 record and an easy tournament win. The only threat came in a match with Gunnar Stapp opposite Chino Yang and Mark Stapp. The teams traded points and momentum shifted throughout, but Greg/Gunnar pulled out the overtime 22-20.

   It was Gunnar's second OT win in a row, after he and Darryl outlasted Chino/Tim Flechtner in the day's longest matchup, closing out at 23-21.

   "It was a pleasant day," said LaMonica afterwards. "King of the Stapp Invitational, King of the Galaxy in the post-game match. I feel as though it was worth the trip to the beach today."

   No one knows when the elder Stapp will return to North Avenue, perhaps for next year's Stapp Invitational? "The Stapp negotiating team is tough, but we'll work on it," said Kip Henry afterwards. "She really makes us work for it," he said.

LAMONICA (5-0)

NASH (3-2)

GSTAPP (2-3)

MSTAPP (2-3)

YANG (1-4)

FLECHTNER (1-4)

   It's an annual event that brings some stiff competition (sometimes, literally) to Hollywood Beach on the far north end of Chicago's lakefront. Each year on Pride weekend in June, the area's most prolific rainbow-laden volleyball players vie for the "Queen of the Beach" doubles title. In a wide sea of players, some excellent athletes expect to take home the prize, but only two can walk away victorious.

   As they did at the Gay Games in 2006, Ben Killey and Darryl Nash elected to team up after Killey called three other people and they declined. This would be Killey's last hurrah at Hollywood Beach, relocating just a week later to the west coast and a new career in Seattle.

   They would not be sole representation, with Luiz Sobrinho and his partner Kenny Somethingorother also entered into the draw for pool play. Luiz/Kenny opened their match play with a controversial contest against two volatile players, one known as Steve Olive, famous more for his rude court persona - and the other following the same footsteps. Some verbal jarring got that Brazilian fire burning and brought the match to a close 15-13 before the bad guys emerged victorious with six straight points. Despite the loss in a pool of five teams, Luiz/Kenny would shock bystanders with their cagey but consistent play and win out the rest of their pool play to a 3-1 record and a berth in the top 10.

   Meanwhile, Nash/Killey were storming through their bracket as well, playing the kind of volleyball that earned them a 2nd place finish at the EVP in 2006. All guns were ablazin' until they were tripped up in the final pool play match by a well known competitor Chad Carroll and his partner TooTall. Nash/Killey too finished 3-1 headed into the single-elimination championship round.

   They were tired, but Luiz/Kenny fought valiantly in their opening elimination round match. Things looked bleak when Luiz re-aggravated the leg injury that cut short his Sunday in Miami last February. By all accounts, Luiz/Kenny were likely down and out. But the Brazilian bomber kept punching, and the tandem pulled out a victory and a trip to the quarterfinals. There they faced the team that had tarnished Nash/Killey in pool play. In a best-of-three battle, Luiz/Kenny lost an uneventful first game but outlasted their opponents in game 2. Conditioning was the key factor in the decisive game, though, as Chad Carroll and TooTall ran out of steam. The HC triumphed, 15-13, and the Little Engine That Could kept running to the semis.

   After a first round bye, Nash/Killey had a quarterfinal wall to climb themselves, and David Wagner stood in the way. A mainstay in Chicago volleyball, Wagner and his partner were seeded high and expected to advance. Sadly for him, he had to overthrow The HC, and that just doesn't happen. A game one thrashing of 21-8 set the tone, and Nash/Killey easily triumphed, setting up a semi-final HC showdown with Luiz/Kenny.

   At the start, there was no competition. Drained from their previous match, Luiz/Kenny were sluggish and low on energy. But game two was a typical HC contest, both teams playing defense and siding out. It was rest that payed off in the end, and only Nash/Killey had it. They prevailed in a historic semi-final matchup, and they went on to the final.

   The steamrolling continued for Nash/Killey. In their path, the trash-talking hooligans led by Steve Olive who plagued Luiz/Kenny in their very first match had stormed undefeated into the finals. That streak would end, with The HC playing strong defense and ripping kills down the middle of the court for a win in game one. Some scrambling (if not sprinting) defensive play by Killey and his key topspin serves late in the match held the momentum in his favor. Making few mental or physical errors, Nash/Killey practically sealed it when Nash speared an oncoming jump serve and returned it for a stunning point. The tandem played two strong sets and finished a 21-17 second game, championship win with Nash notching a big block on match point.

   The HC lives on.

   Making a rare public appearance, Mark Stapp returned to the Midwest on March 31, trading his boardshorts for a bowtie on the occasion of his nuptuals to the Vivacious Viviann in St. Paul, MN.

   Representing the Hogan Circuit were Gunnar Stapp (who prefers now to be known as the 2007 Best Man of the Year), Darryl Nash, and The Man They Call Chino Yang. Also in attendance was HC President Kip Henry, who arrived at the church just moments after the ceremony began.

   "This is certainly a momentous occasion," said Kip, "and we are very proud of Mark and all he has accomplished here this weekend. It is a great moment for the Hogan Circuit, even though no ball has been served and no block has been registered."

   Stapp did say (during the church ceremony, no less) that he intended to return to Chicago for an HC event this summer, and that an announcement would be coming shortly before the opening of the 2007 campaign.