April 30th, ’04: Leather CPR Cleaning up in 6-Goal in Santa Barbara - PRIME & Leather CPR are in prime shape as they have swept through the first 2 6-goals tournaments this month at Santa Barbara Polo Club. The team is Darren Zuzow and Big Dave leading from the ends. They sneak in the Mig Missels little brother for a few chukkers each week and he is a Rocket Named SANTI. He is 10 years old, but he is in a dead run to catch the Mig Missle (Miguelito Torres) who is headed back East with Josey (Joseph Stuart) to show the East coast that polo players are born on the West coast and they are glad to pack the silver back to the Golden State. Good luck to them in the sunny Carolinas which is the USA version of Pilar. There is a polo field in everyone’s back yard and they have grass on them.

See ya

April 25th, ’04: Open Polo “Kind of” - It was Open Polo at Eldorado Polo Club, a week after the U.S. Open. It was more fun to watch and they were rocking. It was 2 teams with 6 players under 18 and 3 under 12. They did go down the field at a high rate of speed. There was very little fouling and very little dribbling. They did beat 2 teams quite badly to get to the finals. It was Graham Bray who is older than all 3 teammates together, but then they are a total of 34 years old. It was Sterling and Remington Giannico and they are like missels on horseback. Their # 3 was 11 year old Jesse Bray, who hit more balls out of the air than 40 % of the people in polo have hit together out of the air. They look like cheetahs hitting a African deer. One, then two, then three and seldom did Graham have to finish the play. On the other side it was old man Miguel Torres at 15 and Gramps Josey Stuart at 18 and Lady Rhi all of 17 and Pop Chevas. They scored 16 goals in 4 chukkers so there were few walks or taps. Their riding is awesome and their horsemanship was the same. It was a sight to see even after watching 26-goal polo a week ago. There was no whining just wings of fire from point to point and someone behind always rotating to back them up. It was good. Just the day before it was some older players finding out what Sat. and Sun. morning pee wee polo does. It makes polo Players quick and good. They thrashed some decent teams on their way to the finals and showed some newcomers just how to do it. In the other bracket it was Larsen Carts with a very sweet colored Jersey's blinding all opposition and rolling right through their bracket to win it. They were so lucky they did not meet the Wings of Fire or they might of had some smoke coming from them and they may not have looked so shiny. They both won their brackets of the final tournament of the 2004 Winter - Spring at Eldorado Polo Club. It was the JACKSON HOLE OPEN put on by Jackson Hole Emporium and we all would like to thank George Gilstrap for it.

See ya at the coast.

April 23, ’04: Armour – Grade A Choice!! It was grade A and the Open trophy to prove it. Back in August I asked Red what they were doing for the open and he said he was putting Sugar and Pancho with John Goodman and a 9-goaler. If Memo’s handicap was lowered he could be the 9-goaler or there were a couple of other possibilities. I told him I thought he was crazy and asked why was he doing that? His response was “You have to have insight Crowder.” I was not sure what that meant, but I sure did not have it. I predicted even after they got Memo they still would not win a game in the Open. They did have a couple of easy teams in their bracket and did win 2 of 4 games. I thought that’s the end of it, but I was there when they played Los Montas in the quarters and came out at 7 to 1 in the 3rd . By a miracle or a mistake by young Astrada won in O.T. I thought give that win to luck. Then in the semis they had the longest game on the planet with a 52 minute break in U.S.P.A. conversation. Pita Merlos made a silly decision putting a 5-goaler, a 3-goaler and himself against two 8-goalers and a hard hitting hustling John Goodman, who loves to mix it up. Then he would not pass ball to VV who can carry the ball. He then took on Sugar was so sweet he stuck to him so well. It was PB and JG against a very weak 8 -goals and it was history with both Memo and Red coaching. Then the finals and this one I thought they would win as I watched Catamount and White Birch play 3 on 3 for 3 of the best chukkers I have ever seen. P.B. made a good choice sitting down and putting Carlucho Arellano in, but he needed to find 6 more horses for Sunday and he did not. As they had 2 horses each and the tanks were low they were fine for 2 up by 3, but they are the players and they were tired. There was no mas when they needed them to come back in the 5th and 6th. It was all gone. They had played too hard on Thursday and their riders missed too many goal shots early like 9 of 12 shots in 2 & 1/2 chukkers, so the players on White Birch got tired and the riders were no help. The Road Runner Beep Beep I'm gone Pancho B. was gone and he won the first finals I have ever seen him in. So hats off to RED ARMOUR I am going to look up that word “Insight.” It was justice. J.G. pulled the Polo World out of the bunkhouse and made it a kings sport in 3 months. It is a sport played by the rich and that’s the way it is. California has a lot of wealth, but they do not play polo. WHY? I think they want to play with the rich and be with the rich in a rich-style. It’s sort of like lets make it clean, classy and work for the Kings and Queens and enjoy the best most exciting sport on Earth.
Leave the bunkhouse at the ranch and open the Club house.

Some facts of the U.S. OPEN

MEMO WAS 20 AND 6 GOALS IN 1ST OPEN WIN 1977
MEMO WAS 10 GOALS IN 1980
MEMO WON 8 OPENS IN HIS FIRST 13 YEARS OF IT
MEMO WON 7 OPENS IN THE 90'S, 6 IN A ROW
MEMO HAS BEATEN PETER BRANT 4 TIMES IN FINALS BY 13 GOALS
SUGAR WAS 2 YEARS OLD IN 1977
PANCHO WAS LOST
PANCHO WAS BACK IN 99
JOHN GOODMAN IS THE BEST THING FOR POLO SINCE BILLY IN ‘79

SEE YA AT THE CLUBHOUSE THERE COMING SOON IN CA.

April 18th, ’04: The Open is The Open - As good as it sounds the open finals is rarely a game of much and today was the same. There are 2 teams who have fought to this point and something falls apart from days gone by or the next one. Today was the same. White Birch killed their horses to win the last 3 on Thursday and it was to tell today. Horses playing twice, after the very hard 3 chukkers on Thursday, it was 1 and out today. White Birch jumped out to a 3 goal lead and never scored until the sixth again. It was Isla Caroll scoring their first goal at the 6th minute in the second and not again until the 2nd minute of the 6th. They shot at goal 3 to 1 on I.C., but never got it through the goal. It was a determined Memo Gracida trying to get back after 7 yrs. to the finals and he did in style. He rode hard and smart using the whole team to the top and they came out on top by 4. They scored their first goal with 1. 50 seconds to play in the 2nd passed them up in the 3rd and never looked back. Sugar and Patron John went to the well so many times and pulled the water when they did. It was a bad game with a lot of skill and plays made.

See ya

April 16th, ’04: The Players (Who Are They?) - The players are really the four legged chargers who carry the riders who swing the mallets. There is no rider without the players who are anything more than a good rider. Some of the players who are in the finals are something special to their riders, their teams and best of all the patron who pays for all this. Without these players he would be sitting in the stands wacthing it all like 44 other riders are on Sunday . There are some names to remember as Memo Gracida will depend on a couple of very big players. Their names are Gringo and Wembley, a pair of geldings. One is a chestnut and the other coal-black. Pancho will be looking for his chukkers on Chinchi and Timba when he feels his stick will shine. Sugar knows he is king on Zena and Velasa. The big man and Patron of Isla Caroll is ready for anyone on Lexus and Zigga. All these players and about 20 more have carried their riders to the most important game in the USA. They come from as far away as their riders some from Argentina, Australia, North America from Florida to California and even a horse from South Africa. On the other side they will be looking at a giant killer with a 10-goal rider and a couple big time players. Kalafa and High Rise, who will sure be seen 2 times each, and they will be easy to see as they will be flying, but so will the other players. This is the big time and they will be primed for that big day. They know they will get to take a nice long break after this and kick up their heels and just be horses. When you see a polo player doing something amazing look at what horse he is riding because that’s why he is doing it!!

see ya

April 15, ’04: Polo USPA-Style - It could not happen in a bigger or more important arena, the U.S. OPEN. It was a joke. We have all the powers of the USPA here and it takes 42 minutes to finish a chukker with 22 seconds left? Quite a feat of a governing body in front of the whole World. Sort of like our negotiations in Iraq. Very s l o w, but it was the semi-finals. Only the 2nd or 3rd most important game of 2004. Well it was a very lackluster game as Memo Gracida was retired after 6 minutes. It was a 3 on 3 game which is always an option if a foul called in an injury situation. In this case it was a very long definition of a rule of at least 20 years, but new to the leaders of our Association. So new they had to call former chief George Alexander to get an answer so maybe I was wrong about increasing dues. Maybe we should charge executives for working and us for being Members. Anyway the game went 5 chukkers and 22 seconds 3 on 3 and was very unexciting from point to point. John Goodman played outstanding with the pressure on with 5 players out-rating him. Sugar Erskine was awesome in removing 10-goal Merlos from the mix. This makes either wisdom or luck. but Isla Carroll is in the final where I think they will get drilled by White Birch if DEL WALTON is healthy. Game 2 was real polo even though again rule 7 was used on a foul by Catamount who played wide-open all day. It was something special for 4 or should I say 3 chukkers and 2 minutes 4 goals scored in 5 minutes. None were scored for the next 9. Then 5 were scored in the next 5, then the wreck which put Del Walton out which was a big hurt on White Birch. He is playing outstanding polo and he is the reason they are here. Anyway, at the end of the 4th which is perfectly legal but a bit chicken, Peter Brant sat down and replaced himself with Carluco Arellano, a 4-goal pro. He made a difference as P.B. was playing excellent. It allowed Mariano and Lucas much more room to operate still even with Carlucho we were 29 seconds from having a 1 Argentine Open as they were all history until then except Isla Carroll's one. Scott Devon was the man who should be sad. He played outstanding and had the best team, but was cut out by a simple rule which was probably the biggest disappointment of the U.S. OPEN so far. He is a class act and most of all a POLO PLAYER. In the finals it will be Isla Carroll who I predicted would not win a game, but have proven me wrong by winning 2 in OT. With unreal luck then today won on a bad idea by Merlos ,but its a win and they are in the finals of the 2004 U.S. Open.

See ya

April 13th, ’04: Four Teams Standing (4 Tens) - There are only 4 teams left and they will see each other soon. Bracket 1 were the only ones playing inside and they are all history now. It’s a war of unknowns to the Open, but there are some big names and some Open winners on this field. Lechuza is the only team packing two 10-goalers and they did not get here with them. Pite missed 2 or 3 games, but brother Sebe has been there everyday. With them comes several Open trophies, but only one without their opponent who has 15 on his own. He leads Isla Carroll who is the only team without a 10-goaler Memo Gracida, but they have the most past Open wins. John Goodman who is playing awesome has 3, M.G. 15 and hard-riding man on the move Sugar Erskine has 1. With the Merlos Brothers this will be a barn burner if everybody is clicking. In the other game you have more action than you can imagine. You have 10-goal Mariano Aguirre who is a pinpoint passer compliments of his Father-in-law’s training. Gonzalo Pieres and a very hard working Del Walton who is probably playing better than anyone here for his handicap. They have the Gold Cup patron Peter Brant who has as many Gold Cups as Memo has Opens, but P.B. has never won the Open and seldom been close. Maybe a second once or twice. They are looking at a very tough team if healthy Scott Devon who is probably the best patron left and the second best player here for his handicap. Pelon Escarptie he is like Del, a man taking machine. So this will be an interesting match-up. A 3 and a 4 under 20 and the biggest part of their teams. Pelon is the guardian of multiple winner and defending champ Carlos Gracida, the only one left from ’03. He has a hopefully sound 10-goal Mike Azzaro coming behind him or ahead of him at blinding speed when sound. He was out Sunday, but found a super sub for himself. The word is he left town and that will not hurt White Birch’s feelings. The big thing here is you have 2 young men, Del and Pelon, who will be taking the best players on the other team. You also have two Patrons Peter Brant and Scott Dexon who are as good as anyone with their handicaps. You have two 9-goakers who have been to the big show before. One Carlos Gracida so many times. If you cannot be here check out Polo Player's market where you can buy the tape via e-bay along with lots of used polo equipment. Be there if you can. It will be 2 for 1 and you will see some amazing 4-legged players.

In Indio you can see the pretty polo players as the Lady’s take to the field and there will be many of them. And yes, you men may not play polo with them its Lady's only this week.

See ya.

April 12, ’04: Polo Extraordinary - It was a polo fantasy at an enchanting polo facility which reeks of class and society. In other words an awesome display of our sport at a amazing facility. There were 4 games today at Palm Beach International and eight 10-goal players who played on so so fields at speeds unknown to the West. How often will you go to polo with more 10's than 9's or 8's never in our World. It started early maybe too early for Los Monitas. They were a little over confident going into this one never thinking an old feller like Memo still has not gone away. He had a lot of help from hard charging Patron John Goodman (JG) and South African Sugar Erskine. They were behind by 7 to 1 as they started the 3rd, but at the end of the 6th it was 11 to 11 with a meter to go. Father time beat young Astrada from winning it all and it was OT. In the first 2 minutes both teams missed, but hard charging JG set up the winning play and it was Isla Carrol advancing to the semis and they sent the boys in orange on the long trip home. In the other 10 am game it was Pony Express losing to a lazy Lachuza, but always a way to win. The 10 goal Merlos brothers were too much for Mr. Heguy Bautista that is. In the noon game it was too much whining to win and it was 10-goal Mariano Aguiree making them whine as he led White Birch past old Pueblo who was whining instead of winning. With two of the best young players on the planet, Jeff Hall and Facundo Pieres, they saw stripes too often. It was the best player of the day, Del Walton Carol, playing amazing from Throw inn to throw in 5 goals is fair and there is no flair just good old fashionrd polo in this boys mind. In the 3 p.m. game it was an old fashioned schooling as Carlos Gracida (CG) is just one more time a little better than just about anyone. He had help and they played well. Scott Devon and young Pelon, but it was their super sub hitting CG the ball and his name was and is Adolpho Cambiaso. He was Mike Azzaro’s sub and he played a horse who is 20 years old and he is still s o o - g o o d. He knows it as the white horse Paloma and A.C. are very much alike and a little better than anyone else. It was an awesome day and there were some awesome players on those horses:

JOHN GOODMAN
SUGAR ERSKINE
PETER BRANT
DEL WALTON CAROL
CARLOS GRACIDA

Out West in Santa Barbara it was Mr. Flynn doing his duty and beating the Rugman (Ben Soleimani) as Prime Source was a goal better than Mansour. Out in the heat of the desert at Eldorado Polo Club it was Josey Stuart giving Mom an Easter present by winning the Irish Cup as the season winds down there.
It was also the final day of the FIP Junior International as kids from all over the World enjoyed a week of desert hospitality. We want to thank all the people and the Eldorado Polo Club for doing this for the future of polo. Thank all the people who came to town to make it a polo week of fun and glory. There are no losers. Some of the Junior Polo kids from the past were in the U.S. Open . . . Fred Mannix, Jeff Hall, Pelon Escarpite, Daniel Roenisch to name a few. So you know where you have to go upward and outward. Good luck and hope to see you soon in the high-goal.

See you somewhere they play P O L O.

April 10, 04: Which Giants Will Fall? - Its showdown and it starts at 10 a.m. Sunday the 11th day of April and it is the 11th hour for four teams. Who will be standing at 10 a.m.? You have the flying Astradas two of them anyway taking on the former champ of 15 times Memo Gracida. Los Monitas takes on Isla Carroll and next door at the same time you have 10 goals all over the Merlos brothers who have a few Open trophies on the wall tangling with Bautista Heguy who has a few trophies on all his walls. Merlos led Lechuza who will take on Pony Express. They plan on catching the Mail man. At high noon it’s 1/2 of the defending champs C Spear Jeff Hall and Matias Magrini leading super kid Facundo Pieres to war with Old Pueblo. They battle the famous White Birch Polo team led by 10 goal Mariano Aquirre. Then it goes to 3 p.m. with Mike Azzaro being replaced by super sub Adolfo Cambiaso. The wide-open offense of Catamount as they take on a tandem of 10's Adam Snow and Miguel Astrada. So if you want to see some 10's come on over to Palm Beach Int. there are 8 of the 11 in the world in action tomorrow.

In the FIP news Canada and USA are here trying to get ready. The Yanks have 2-goalers Chris Gannon and Miguelito Torres in action. They are flying. They also have Julio Gracida between commitments. 3-goaler Shane Rice along with a herd of very tough 4-goalers Alan Martinez, Stevie Orthwein, Danny Walker, Jason Crowder and Joe Barry who will be here for Monday’s showdown with Canadian’s Todd Offen, Mike Matz , Brent Mirkatani, Mr. Sifton and Jamie Mirkitani. Along the way the USA squad has had a couple of inter-squad matches as we are as usual on a 2-goal budget with the help of the polo World. Despite all the help, we are getting polo and a lot of lectures to eat Lille Macs and sleep in the stalls by the dozen, save money and for the USPA to go to meetings. We have to be seen you know, so they will show up for the big show with “oh I didn't know you were having trouble surviving on peanut shells.”

See ya.

April 9. ’04: Very Fast Horses - We have some very good horses in Indio and some very fast ones, but most of the very fast ones are now here in Florida at the U.S. Open where they ought to be. There are so many fast horses and so many fast players you forget after a while how good some horses are. Polo usually is won with horses even at Eldorado. Sometimes a team gets to the finals on players, but rarely do they win the finals. This year was a perfect example as you have seen horses are the key to the title. Look at the teams in the finals. Some have very good players, but it takes horses and very good players to win and that’s the way it was. Second place if you cannot mount the team. Here in Florida it’s drastic. Everybody has good players. That is the way it is. Who has the horses for 4 players, for 6 chukkers? That will be seen on Sunday. As in this caliber it’s the super horses playing 20 to 15 minutes a game not 5 or 6. It’s tough and they are few. Even they can have a bad day or a problem physically. They are living animals and here a good horse is destroyed by a great horse and you can see it in every game. When it’s a super player on a superstar he becomes the hero for a while. They all have four feet and a nose and a tail, but they are not all equal. As we are all two legged and can ride, but there is only one CAMBIASO even though he puts his pants on just like we do. The superstars are different. He is not playing, but the Cambiaso of horses are and they will shine this week and everyone will see them. Now for the players. There are some great ones this week as Memo Gracida still has a chance for #16 and Mike Azzaro is still ticking. Azzaro may have a wounded wing, but can his black mare Godiva or Adam Snows Puma or Miguel’s big Grey or Peter Brant’s fire-breathers take them? These are all the questions. We do not know, but the war is over. The battle begins on Sunday as Old Pueblo and Jeff Hall takes on Harra. Matias brings Rose to the field against Mariano and White Birch. Lechuza and takes on Pony Express and Los Monitas gets to attack Isla Carroll who has the horses? Last months finalists meet again Catamount and Gillian Johnson’s Bendabout lock horns. Everyone has a chance. Some a little and others more, but the horsepower is with Bendabout and Lechuza in my opinion ,but everyone has one so nobody knows .

If your in Ca. go see the Irish Cup there will be plenty of action. In Santa Barbara it will be the 6-goal. From coast to coast there is something happening so be there.

see ya

April 5th, ’04: Open News - Millarville became, unfortunately, the first to go home from the U.S. Open followed closely by Orchard Hill. The other 11 still have a shot at the quarter finals, but they are getting slimmer for some as Old Pueblo needs some help as well as San Saba and Everglades. There will be lots of action if you need somewhere to go its West Palm Beach where there are plenty of wild women, men and fast horses. It is a place where they do let those pony's run. You might even see someone you know as there are a lot of California people in Florida right now. Fly, don't drive as gas is too high. I am not sure what we are doing in Iraq as I thought we were saving the oil for the World, but I think we might be helping the price of oil here for our good friends of the President. There does seem to be price gouging as we try to catch up with gas prices in England. Damned if I know, but why we do not get out of there is beyond me. They love our help. You can tell it’s so nice to see them helping us out either by killing our people or robbing us at the tank.


April 5th, ’04: Sir Laith Sips The Champagne - It was LAITH ALSARRAF who won the first tournament last Fall and the last one this Spring. It was a big one as he combined with young gun Mariano Gutierrez and Old Man Daniel Fernandez and a hard working Pablo Francetti to take the juice out of the all young guns of CPR who never quit running. They came off a big victory over tournament favorite Melody Ranch on Friday, but were not very quick to pick up the pace or should I say slow the pace with White Oak the craftiness of Fernandez and Gutierrez. They had a lot of help through important shots from Pablo and very strong work by Laith, who in my mind is one of the top 2 new patrons around with the frugal Sean Keyes, who talks of opening his wallet a crack at any time. They did do well and it was Gutierrez riding like a soldier and making the big plays so many times as he and Laith were an offensive machine.

They caught too many chances when The Palomino (Jason Crowder) went too fast and could not return soon enough. Jason and the Riceman (Shane Rice) were often on theur own today as Darren was nursing a broken rib and Rege White was swallowed by young Pablo. White Oak is the 2004 Champions of the GOVENORS CUP. In the other big games of the day it was Susan Figi's GYPSY downing Casa Blanca making the Riceman’s day so bad . Cossio and Bray did it to them twice in a week and Dudley is smoking they say, but the house did not burn yet. Lady Figi is smiling and driving on down the road . It was the Ambassador Glen Holden recovering some face for the year as they stormed by everyone else to beat Embassy Suites/LaQuinta in the finals of the Lt. Gov.'s Cup. It was Big Bilo casting out his Champagne glass as he and the Mighty Mikee Matz and Peter Ganibi rode over the sexiest polo player of the day Jessica Bailey and Klentner Development to win the Govenor’s Challenge Cup. It was old horse-trader Andrew Bossom and Boss Polo taking the Pacific Circuit Cup home to mount on honeys wall with an x-ray of a horse he tried to sell with 3 bolts in its leg. It was a huge afternoon with lots of people, very nice weather 20 degrees cooler than the week before and as Tony Gregg would say a picture perfect day for polo

See you at the Irish Cup.

April 3nd, ’04: All you new people do not worry about your first big game on the grass. It’s your chance to be a “HERO“ and you do not need a cape, but it might help if your name is Sheldon. About 6 years ago we needed a player for the 18-goal and I got the idea to call a man in Poway I had seen playing. He had played indoor polo. He was our hero for the high-goal. Two years later he played for the USA in the World Cup. Six years later his son shows up and rides 2 horses. He seems fine. The weather changes to bad, rainy and cold. The boss, who is very much a part of the team on the field and a major reason we are this far, has a broken rib and does not feel that great. So in goes 17 year old Jared Sheldon ready to roll like his Dad Bill. It’s just a game. Lets go and go he did. Jared shut down the Rocket Brothers and did it all like 1, 2, 3 lets go. It was on to the finals. He was absolutely amazing from indoor to grass at 90 miles an hour. He was on the way. This boy is hot and that’s not a line of hot. The whole CPR team was on fire and they did destroy a Singing Cowboy who was the best player on the team for his age and handicap, Paul Von Gontard (PVG). PVG played very well. He just needed some help. Mr. Tkacik even claimed foul after the game of beaten horse. I do not know if he beat him or he was beaten by the horse, but the way it was CPR was so much better and they will have to be better to get by the finals were they will face White Oak. Mariano Gutierrez, one of my favorite young guns, and a old f--- named Fernandez will be waiting with super patron Laith who has played amazing all season. So be ready to rumble. They will not take prisoners on Sunday.

See ya there

April 2nd, ’04: NOW THERE ARE 3 LEFT - Last week there were 23 Gov. Cup teams and now there are 3. We do not know how many hearts were broken, but there were 92 players with the same idea last Friday. The 11 men and a very young boy. Four have drawn the bye (White Oak) so they are 1 step closer. Melody Ranch and Leather CPR play to see who meets White Oak in the Finals on Sunday. Melody Ranch and the singing cowboys have brought the young and old together as there is a 60 year difference on this team. One player is 71 and another is 11so you have to guess who is who. They face 3 boys on Leather CPR team who just turned 60 in total. Their leader Darren Zuzow is not a whole lot older. 5 of the 8 players came through the junior polo program at Eldorado. One is still in the Pee Wee League, but be there because he will be. No one thinks he is a little boy on the field. They learned their lesson. He rides like an Indian and weighs as much as a feather. He can run a whole in the wind and his name is SANTI Torres. If you think little things do not bother you like Annitia Roddick said “Get a mosquito in your dark bedroom.” Santi is a mosquito and he is the brother of the rocket, Miguelito Torres. Will it be enough for the Singers of Melody Ranch to stop the Leather Doctor? Or will the CPR Cleaners clean the guitars? Nobody knows.

On the Eastern front it was the Wolf Pack Freddie Mannix & Daniel Roenisch getting a big victory over Texas Polo in overtime. They need to beat the king of Pee Wee Polo, Jeff Hall, to make the quarter finals this Sunday. So cheer on the Pee Wee Polo program ever Sat. and Sun at 9 a.m.

See ya at the finals.