Elaine Youngs showing her excitement regarding Misty and Kerri

Are the Arizona Cardinals really going to the Super Bowl? As they say on SNL, Really? Really? The same Arizona Cardinals that lost 47-7 in week 16 to a non-playoff New England Patriots? I mean, I’m watching the game, and all I can think about is how badly the AFC Champion is going to crush them down in the big dance. Arizona? Really? Damn…

Long time, no talk on my blog. Sorry to any and all readers who have come to expect updated literature concerning our glorious sport and what’s happening beneath the surface as we enter the new year of 2009 on the AVP Tour. Good news is, I’ve got some news. And as much as I was want to talk about Milford Sound and the most amazing little adventure capital in the world, Queenstown, it’ll have to wait. Even if I did bungee jump and luge to my heart’s content, or, hike the most beautiful trail I’ve ever seen up to a glaciated lake in the center of snow capped mountains and endless waterfalls. When there’s volleyball to discuss, there’s volleyball to discuss, and scenic beauty will have to be placed on the backseat. Here we go:

On the Men’s side…

Old teams sticking together:

Dalhausser/Rogers – Gold medalists, World Champions, best team in the world; what else do you want? Barring injury, these two will win as many tournaments as they want to.

Gibb/Rosenthal – When Mike Lambert decided have elective knee surgery and eliminate any hope left for his Crocs Cup winning team to qualify for the ’08 games, Sean and Jake took a giant step forward and solidified themselves as the second best team on the AVP tour.

Fuerbringer/Jennings – Better together than apart, that’s for certain after their brief hiatus in 2007. Kids on the way for both (Fuerby’s second, Jennings’ first), we’ll see how that affects their focus on tour in ’09.

Wong/Olson – Their huge win in Belmar last season established them as a member of the upper elite, and their 3rd place finish in Manhattan Beach did nothing but substantiate that position. Kevin spent the off-season in Hawaii, which can mean one of two things, he’s enjoyed his break and is rejuvenated after a long season, ready to get after it, OR, he’s enjoyed the pork katsu happy hours a few too many times and it’ll take a couple months to find the fire, or cardio, whatever. We’ll see in March.

Nygaard/Mayer – John has agreed to perform “Your Body is a Wonderland” after each final four finish in 2009, so Jeff better start stepping up his game. My wife loves that song.

New teams looking for a fresh – and quick – start:

Hyden/Scott – Could be the last hoorah for a couple of seasoned veterans. Granted, these two are in better shape than any other players on tour so they might have a few years left in the tank. If Hyden can set Scott, we could be looking at a new, consistent, finalist.

Keenan/Lucena – Big Brad has a bright future. Nick has proven he is more than just Phil’s ex-partner and friend. With the right coach and tutelage, these two could be our future Olympic representatives.

Roumain/Ring – Back again for another run at recapturing that magic of 2004. Which big George shows up will determine their fate.

Strickland/Wachtfogel – To practice law or not to practice law? That is the question for young attorney at large, William Strickland. No doubt, Wachtfogel wants nothing more than to keep his guy’s legal books in the trunk of his car. With Dax, Billy proved he’s got the talent, now it’s just a matter of him becoming more consistent with it.

Medel/Stolfus – We’re going to be small, but I like our Ninja style offense. And Anthony is by far the hardest working teammate I’ve had on tour, which seems to be wearing off on me, so who knows, maybe we can make some noise?

Stein? – I’ll see him in a couple of weeks at the Hot Winter Nights in Cedar Falls, IA so I’ll finally be able to get to the bottom of this. Until then, your guess is as good as mine. His partner of ’08, Mark Williams, is busy selling pharmaceuticals in San Diego so that option seems to be out, Lambo is still rehabbing his knee and won’t be ready to go, and Sean Rooney is in Russia on the train across Siberia playing 6-man for real dollar figures. I have no legitimate sources to validate whether Rooney is even an option, but it seems like he would be the logical direction, right?

Pedro Brazao – I even included his last name and readers are still saying to themselves, who? Rookie of the year Pedro Brazao, that’s who. He’s back from Brazil and he’s done sharing time with that 55-time open winner named Jose. He even sent out an email with the subject header: “On The Market.” His options have to include guys like Ty Loomis, Casey Patterson and Jeff Carlucci if he wants to split blocking duties, and I’m 100% certain any of those names would jump at the chance to play with a Brazilian veteran such as Pedro.

And the Women…

With Misty and Kerri on sabbatical, the tour has been left wide open for some new teams, some new champions and some new end-of-season award winners.

Branagh/Youngs – It all starts with Nicole. Her decision to stick with the veteran Youngs has shaped the entire women’s side of the draw. No doubt unhappy with results achieved overseas alongside Tyra Turner in late fall, Branagh made every woman on tour wait until the last possible second to see who would become available; and Elaine withdrew retirement papers for one more shot at the top with the talented Branagh once the phone rang.

Kessy/Ross – With two wins to finish the 2008 FIVB season, there was no way this team was splitting up. I personally thought April might go the way of Nicole, but it seems the chemistry and camaraderie of Kessy/Ross has kept the partnership solid.

The Rest – Jenny Johnson Jordan is now living in Pittsburg with her husband and that leaves Annett Davis in flux. Volleyball or no volleyball? New partner for the first time in career or no new partner for the first time in career? Annett is way too good to hang it up, that’s for sure. When I hear, you’ll hear. Next, Tyra Turner and Angie Akers have secured a partnership for 2009, as Rachel gets set to add a new member to the Scott/Wacholder family. That leaves Holly McPeak looking, and Angie’s former partner who she was meant to re-unite with following rehabilitation, Brooke Hansen. Brooke is allegedly moving on to 6’3” Jennifer Fopma. Carrie Dodd and Tatiana Minello are supposedly ending their partnership, but there has yet to be talk of where they might end up. Injuries are meant to be playing a significant role in their decision. Diane DeNechochea and Barbara Fontana are another couple of wildcards. As I hear more, I will report.

I just re-read my women’s report and realized my insider information is limited, but I can say this, I will do my best to come up on the juice as it all goes down. AND, John Braunstein and I have spoken recently about creating a podcast accessible through this blog that will discuss all topics regarding volleyball – including new partnerships – so don’t be afraid to check back shortly and look for an icon leading directly to my voice. I know, scary. But it could be a lot of fun.