The Tenth Board

With the early-day weather putting the buses on a snow schedule, I had to take an early bus to be sure I was at the lanes on time (the weather improved later in the day, so the league didn’t postpone). I ate dinner there, then got in a couple of games of warm-up, mostly to get the newly-rejuvenated ball broken in.

My Week 20 bowling (BowlSK)

This was the third series in a row on the low side of the 500s, and this week was very similar to last week, in that I made enough spares to stay somewhat in it, but couldn’t get anything really lined up until the third game. I am not sure what I will have Ray work with me on tomorrow, but the original plan was to shore up my spare game. Hopefully, the lesson will help me get back on track, however.

Result: 169-159-175=503
Average (60 games): 179 Last 9 games average: 171
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 584

As has been the case all season against “The Badgers,” we were fortunate to get one point, which came in the first game. “The Badgers” have a couple of thumbless crankers, so I related to my teammates a story that “CoachJim” told me about how his team once beat a whole team of thumbless bowlers by pushing oil into the thumbless bowlers’ line, which would make their balls turn late and not enough, getting them frustrated all night. Unfortunately, my team is not as sophisticated as “CoachJim” and his teammates, and we really didn’t have the styles and/or equipment to pull off that strategy.

The updated second half standings presented a surprise: my team now has a 6-2 record rather than the 4-4 record I was expecting. I called Shawn to ask him about this, and he notified me that we were bowling in a forfeit situation; a five-man team needs three bowlers in a legal lineup and “8 Is Great” was only bowling with 2 bowlers. Therefore, we only needed to bowl within 50 pins of the team’s average to earn points by forfeit, which we barely did the first game. As a result, “The Pin Pals” now stand in third place behind “MT Bed” and “The Mustangs.”

Next week provides a test in “The Badgers,” the winners of the first half. We haven’t done well against this team yet, so I’m hoping I can bring my “A-game” for them.

My Week 19 bowling (BowlSK)

The lanes got progressively tighter tonight, meaning I had to move more outside as the night went on. For a change, my spare game kept me somewhat in it tonight. I was still missing some, but my single 4 pin was not a problem, and I even made a couple of splits, a 6-7-10 and a 2-7, in the first game. What did me in tonight was missing the pocket often, leaving more splits and washouts than I would like to.

Result: 168-161-186=515
Average (57 games): 179 Last 9 games average: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 547

My team could only take one point tonight, and that was even with three members of the other team (including Eric and Lauren, his girlfriend) absent. It should be said that my team wasn’t entirely healthy, however: Helen was bowling with a bad hip flexor, and Carl’s back was stiff and sore from driving the bus all day.

As you would expect, a three-point night put my team into the top half of the standings coming out of the gate in the second half, but “The Handicaps” swept “Backyard Bowlers,” and it is “The Handicaps” with the early lead. “The Pin Pals” are in 4th after the first night of the second half due to pinfall.

Wednesday night finds us up against “8 is Great,” a team the Sprisslers always look forward to meeting, as their nephew, Eric, is on that team.

My Week 18 bowling (BowlSK)

Although I was a bit better at shooting my spares tonight (and, indeed, I even made a couple of tougher ones, a washout and a baby split), I still think I’m missing too many for comfort, and good spare shooting could’ve been used tonight, because I couldn’t line up anything in the second game. If I had made all of my makeable spares in the second game, I would’ve definitely saved my average tonight. With an eye on this, I’ve decided not to bowl in any of the upcoming tournaments and spend my money instead on a couple of lessons about spare shooting (hopefully, maybe just one lesson will fix my problems, though).

Result: 182-157-183=522
Average (54 games): 180 Last 9 games average: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 579

Comparatively speaking, however, it was a banner night for my team to open the second half, and the highlight was Helen shooting a 204 in her first game, which she told me was her first since the season before last. Carl also had a second game in the 180s, and those games helped pace us to a three-point night. Good shooting guys!

Bowling the position week was a formality for my team, as we were locked into 9th place going into it, but we finished with 22.5 points, or slightly better than a point a week. As I noted earlier, “The Badgers” were the winners of the first half with 45 points, but “The Dynasty” overtook “The Mustangs” for second place with 40 points (to “The Mustangs’” 39.5), a creditable achievement considering that “The Dynasty” has two vacancies.

The second half of the season begins for my team Wednesday night against the aforementioned “The Dynasty.”