The Cost of Winning Now

This MLP season has been a barnburner, and we are only just approaching the halfway mark. MLP New York starts tomorrow, but it was an action-packed week in St Petersburg both on and off the court, with some very big implications. Watch my vlog for a BTS look!

As the only team with an intact starting roster after 3 seasons, are things finally coming together for the Shock? We’ve always been great, but what are we now? We just won our second straight event, are on an 11 match winning streak, and collectively went 21-2 last week. The best player on the squad? None other than miss Elsie Hendershot, who was the only undefeated player of the weekend!

The Shock played amazingly this week, and Ross said in the belt presentation that we are “peaking at the right time”. I don’t know that I’d agree with that. I’d rather peak like Columbus did last year and hold up the trophy at the end of the season than all of these random belts, but can we maintain the peak? That is the real question.

The Chaifetz family and other top teams in the league clearly are not messing around. Cash is being thrown around left and right with one goal, and only one, in mind: WIN NOW.

The move for Hunter was simple- there are three “S-tier” males in men’s singles: Hunter, Federico, and Chris Haworth. The Shock wanted to have one of these men, and obviously, Hunter was the easiest of the three to acquire.

But was the cost worth it?

The cost of Hunter Johnson was not money (in fact, the Shock received money in the exchange), it was losing Elsie Hendershot. Let me say that in simpler terms:

The Chicago Slice ownership thought gaining Elsie was so valuable that they were willing to give up an S-tier singles player in Hunter, Mari Humberg (top 20 doubles player), AND cash to get her.

Of course, John Lucian Goins is also a great singles player with doubles upside, but it’s my understanding that Elsie had to be involved in order for this trade to happen. The original trade was Elsie and John for Hunter, Mari, and cash, but was blocked due to a new rule, so an elaborate 4-team trade had to be procured to send Elsie to the Slice. Mari is now on Atlanta, the Ranchers have Kaitlyn Christian, and the Shock have Angie Walker, who was just picked up on waivers.

From a win-now perspective, this trade is good for my team. Hunter is inarguably a top 3 singles player in the game and has historically been very clutch in dreambreakers. And dreambreakers matter a LOT in the playoffs, and as I wrote in my last piece, no one matters more in a dreambreaker than the man who leads off your team.

But, was the trade good, holistically? This is a separate question, and one that I had no say in answering before it was done. When I was told we had traded Elsie, I would be lying if I said I did not shed a few tears. Even writing this now, I feel myself tearing up (okay, I started crying- I’m editing rn and I cried). I don’t know why that girl has had such a big impact on me, but she has.

Everyone can see that Elsie is talented. She is long, she is athletic, she has a gifted wrist. She has power far beyond what you’d expect from someone 13 years old, and she can already flick! Even though it didn’t work out, I knew all of these things when I asked Elsie to play PPA Sacramento with me. I knew all of these things when my first question in the draft room for 5th/6th players was if teams had been dumb enough to leave Elsie on the board. I knew these things when I insisted that the operational challenges of having a minor on the team were worth it for her. I always knew that she would be a star.

But I didn’t know that she would be the glue that would bring the team together, that she would make all of us better people (my cursing is down probably 85%), and that watching her win would be my proudest moment of the season thus far. I’ve rewatched one match from MLP St Pete that I didn’t participate in, and it’s her and Hayden winning. Hayden even said that he got emotional after the match. It was a truly special moment.

The move for Hunter makes sense from a win-now perspective, and I am excited to cheer for him as he wrecks other men in a Shock uniform. This was not my decision, and I am not paid to make decisions, only to make the most of them. Such is the nature of professional sports, and I am very excited for my day in the sun as a decision maker in the future. I plan on being a problem. The main thing that has made me happy in all of this is that Elsie will get to shine, and John will too. I can’t wait to watch them compete in New York, and I hope all of you watch and support them too! Zane reads these and has assured me that Elsie will get to shine, so make good choices Zane!!!

Honestly, I planned to write about other things, but I think this is all I have in me to write at the moment. Writing anything more after pouring my heart out would feel disingenuous😂. The 5s and Brooklyn should both win their pools this week, and I hope we get to see that match on Sunday, but Dallas will be interesting to watch. I imagine they plan to move Brooke to a singles specialist type of role, which sucks for her, but Alix and Dani performed very well in Dallas, and you have to expect they want to run back that team.

I expect there will be many more trades before the deadline, and I’ll cover those too.

Have a great week everyone, and enjoy MLP NY (:

XOXO, your internet bestie, Anna❤️🫦✨