The Tenth Board

Although “Trip N Shred” finally won points this week, the team we were tied with, “Hocus Pocus,” won all 8 of theirs, so my team is now officially in last place. However, we remain within hailing distance (four points) of two other teams tied in points for 14th: “El Equipo” and “Awesome Sox.” At the top, Team 13 now leads by four points over “Phase 10 Pins.” Our opponents Wednesday night are “Zoots,” whose anchor bowler is my buddy, Sean Richard.

My Week 9 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

There is one positive I’ll take from this: I felt I made a correct ball change in the middle of the night; I was just making inconsistent shots with it. My spare shooting was up and down, as I chopped the 3-6-10 twice as well as a 6-10, but I did make the 3-6-9-10 both times I had it, and any bowler will tell you that that latter leave is not an easy one.

Result: 157-177-184=518
Average (27 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 175
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 536

The team highlights tonight: Rob recovered from three open frames in the first game with the last 8 in a row for a 222, and Eileen had a 157 second game to help us take our only points of the night (still welcome, though, as we went two weeks in a row without winning any).

The worst possible scenario for “Trip N Shred” happened this week: not only did we lose all of the points, but “Hocus Pocus” won all of theirs, meaning the two teams are now tied at the bottom of the standings (with my team having the pinfall edge). There was a partial shake-up at the top of the standings this week, with only a two-way tie for the lead in points now existing between Team 13 and “Phase 10 Pins.” This week’s opponents are “Those Guys.” Who are “Those Guys?” Two of them are Carl and Eric (one of the father and son pairs) from my winter league.

Despite getting swept by the “Lounge Lizards” (my cousins’ team) last week, “Trip N Shred” still managed to avoid slipping to the very bottom of the standings, and are, in fact, four points ahead of “Hocus Pocus”. My cousins, on the other hand, used the sweep to climb into a four-way tie in points for the league lead with Team 13, “Shake and Bake,” and “Phase 10 Pins.” We face a middle-of-the-pack team, Team 6, this week.

My Week 7 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

This was the first time in three meetings against my cousins that things weren’t entirely positive for me. I missed nearly as many single pins as I made, and, had I been perfect on single pins, my night would’ve been right around 600. The positives I did take out of it were the fact that I wasn’t leaving the ball out again (the result of reminding myself to keep my elbow in), and that I struck out in the 10th frame in two of the three games.

Result: 168-182-190=540
Average (21 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 177
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 535

The team loss of all points resulted largely from Bob Fosdick, my cousins’ anchor bowler in the summer, being a steamroller, particularly in the first two games, after which he had a clear shot at a 700+ night.