Dr. Drew’s Power Ranking

November 2024 Power Rankings

GUEST BLOGGER: Drew Lied
Oct. 28, 2024

 Pissed off? Tell me where I went wrong

Biggest Riser: Patty ‘FastLane’ Jost (+6 spots, +17 games)

Biggest Faller: Greg ‘Gleb’ Anderson (–∞, -23 games)

#1. Drew Lied (+1 spot, +2 games) current CEO of the Big Dogs Club (BDC). Debatable at the top spot? Many would say so but I wouldn’t. Rumors are he’s working on a lefty serve… could this be possible? Is it even true? Time will tell

#2. Mikey Johnson (+1 spot, +4 games) current CBO (Chief Blender Officer) of the BDC. This guys dynamic and his spin is outrageous. Can do it all but can get antsy and miss a little too much. If he doesn’t press, he wins, plain and simple. 

#3.  Danny ‘Daddy’ Mamalat (+1 spot, +4 games) the CRO (Chief Rip Officer) of the BDC undoubtedly has the best forehand ripper/serve (pio close behind) at the club but how will his volleys and screen play fair against the other big dogs? 

#4.  Davey Brockstar (-3 spots, -1 game) should we press the panic button? (last power rankings stated he was a surefire EOY Top 3)  I’m not ready to do that. But there are questions galore on this guy…. is he still sneaking off to the links to get more rounds in instead of hitting the courts? is he a guy who needs reps? were the courts too slippery? was the new ‘no cigs on court’ policy affectings his ability to stay calm? will he be able to make his way to mid season form? are the new(ish) guys potentially… dare i say it… better?

#5.  Andrew Bayliss (+2 spots, even games) easy hire as the CNO (Chief Nuke Officer) of the BDC. His serve on the deuce side is like nothing else at the club… good luck to anyone who has to return it. It took him a couple of matches to get back into it but he’s here to stay. Great hands, a lethal serve and deadly rips of the screen… he’s definitely a graduate of Duke University and making Duke very proud.

#6.  Eric Arvold (+5 spots, +15 games) Mr. ChopWoodCarryWater. Solid, not flashy. He doesn’t come to the club often, but when he does, he wins. His forehand return drive off the screen might be the best shot at the club… will mikey aiken ever figure this out?

#7.  Erik Zipper (-1 spot, +1 game) I’m curious if this guy shows the same endurance in all areas of life as he does off the screens… if so, he’s a true legend and needs to be upgraded to the Cedar Club Godfather.

#8.  Teddy Stuckslager (push spots, +18 games) snubbed???? Possibly. Every October (4-0 this year, 5-0 last year) this guy forgets how to lose. He’s the CLO (Chief Lob Officer) of the BDC. Youngsters watch, learn and take notes. He lobs with intention which 99% of the cedar club doesn’t do and most likely didn’t even know was a thing. I’m probably going to start calling him Teddy October.

#9.  Mikey Aiken (-4 spots, -6 games) zen mikey may need to find his way back to the sangha to regroup for November. He’s got what it takes to be ranked higher but he didn’t show it in October. A bag of weed and a bucket of serving might do him some good.

#10.  CJ ‘Daddy’ Armbruster (even spots, even games) year 2 and he’s doing exactly what I thought he would. In order to take his game to the next level, he needs to play against more of the Big Dogs which he’s not getting this month. He’ll have to supplement with some tournament play…. Dare I say the Milwaukee Open (shout out Davey Brockstar)?

#11.  Nicky ‘Pio’ Piotrowski (-2 spots, +4 games) this guy is going to be in the top 10 by the end of the year, mark my words. He’s getting better but so is the rest of the crowd. Want to see him get rid of that slice drive but other than that he just needs reps. Keep going young Pio.

#12.  Brian ‘BK’ Kleiner (+2 spots, +19 games) is he figuring it out? is he no longer trying to be Rambo out there? has he been getting lessons from his father, the legend, Timmy Klein? All the pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together. If he doesn’t go undefeated in November I’m taking back everything I said.

#13.  Trevor ‘VapeGod’ Katzban (+2 spots, +19 games) racquet sports and dopamine – two things this guy lives for. He continues to prove himself but when he plays the Top 10 he gets ttttiiiiggggghhhhhHTTT. Trevor and Johnny Kasner did take their talents to the Medhina cup a few weeks back and got absolutely wrecked 0,0 against Vuk and a guy who started paddle last week. According to Trevor, though, ‘it should’ve been 3,4.’

#14.  Bradley Brogan (-2 spots, -8 games) we all eb and flow and last month, he ebbed. It won’t last long. Expect the crafty vet to find it again in November.

#15.  Johnny ‘I’ve got points’ Kasner (-2 spots, +13 games) when asked if him and Trevor would get into the APTA tournament in Medhina a few weeks ago… he quickly replied with ‘I’ve got points’. Clearly this guy means business but he’s new to the club and still has to prove himself. Is Johnny Bagels a potential new nickname? 

#16.  Travis Murphy (even, -17 games) a strong finish to the 2022-23 campaign lead to a new challenge this year. He’s putting his time in with the Big Dogs… eventually he’ll learn how to take our bones away. 

#17.  Dusan ‘Dus’ Medan (even, +14 games) a second coming of Vuk is well on his way. Why are the serbs always the best at everything? Djokovic, Jokic, Vuk and soon to be Dus? I expect him to find his way in the Top 10 by the end of the year.

#18.  Danny ‘StudiesALot’ Noonan (even, +1 game) he’s in the process of studying and not getting many matches in right now. Top Ten Comparison: Teddy BD Stuckslager. He has the potential to be the best B in the club.

#19.  Bobby ‘NoBackhands’ Larsen (+4 spots, even games) an impressive battle last week got him in the Top 20. I’d like to put a backhand tracker on him and Oakes to see who hits less in the season. My guess: Bobby hits slightly less.

#20.  Ryan Soakes (+2 spots, +2 games) came out to with something to prove this month and he did… all while sweating through plenty of hoodies. Had he not lost last week he for sure would have been ahead of Bobby and possibly higher… but it’s a game of thin margins. He does like winning and is pretty good at it. Will he win a lot in November?

#21.  Jonny Snodgrass (+4 spots, +9 games) overranked here? Possibly. Does he pass the eye test? Definitely. He’s good and getting better… watch out Cedar Club

#22.  Patty ‘FastLane’ Joost (+6 spots, +17 games) before an atrocious last week, this guy was INCREDIBLE. He’s put in the work and now he’s reaping the benefits. Winning is fun and clearly, he’s having a lot of fun.

#23.  Tommy Gelin (+4 spots, +3 games) over the last two seasons, this guy has won more than a toddler at bedtime. I think he’s found the recipe for success – play multiple league matches per week, go to open paddle and possibly most importantly – drill with Trevor and get 1000 pieces of advice in 60 minutes. Keep the heater going, Tommy.

#24.  Benny ‘ICouldLiveOffTheLand’ Haddorff (even, -4 games) I know he’s got more in him and he’ll find it. We just need to get him out of the woods and onto the court. Maybe we need to give him a tag everytime he pegs someone?

#25.  Patty Laughlin (-4 spots, -23 games) rough start to the season but he had some tough match ups. He’ll right the ship here in November… just needs some reps to get him to where he needs to be.

#26.  Danny ‘Ironman’ Einhorn (even spots, -10 games) seriously considering calling a search and rescue for this guy. He didn’t get his standard 10 matches in, wasn’t at open paddle and I didn’t even see him Bucks Season Opener. Do we have proof of life?

#27.  DocAndy (+∞, +15 games) this guys a powerhouse and wins a lot. There’s absolutely no way he could be denied Top 30 status. Welcome.

#28.  Zender Dunn (+2 spots, +17 games) After a week 1 matchup against a BD, he’s 3-0. I think he cracked the code for being a great paddle player – work less and become a zen master. 

#29.  Matty Monroe (even spots, +4 games) snubbed at 29? Probably. He has Top 20 Potential but I still think he’s not at 100%. Let’s see how he fares in November.

#30.  Christopher Hitler (-10 spots, +1 games) his win in the last week of October kept him in the Top 30. In order to truly shine at the cedar club, I have a theory…. He has to say goodbye to the TC and pledge his SOLE allegiance at the greatest place on earth… will he do it?

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Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Carlos, Mitchy Regenfuss, Jonny Bear, Eric McNally, Gregory Anderson