Month: June 2010

June 30 league night recap

My Week 6 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Things actually seemed to start to come back together tonight, and, while I still seem to be plagued by the “one bad game” problem, I recovered late in tonight’s bad game to get close to average, and, more importantly, secure the points for my team. I even seem to have gotten my swing shot mojo back a bit late in the night, and this can only be a good sign.

I also seem to have solved a problem I’ve been having with my Robbie’s Revs wrist device of having the strap securement pop out of the slot (it’s hard for me to describe exactly what’s been happening without knowing the proper names for the parts) when I noticed I may have been wearing the device too high on my hand. Bringing the hinge more in line with my wrist seems to have been the ticket.

Result: 195-165-191=551
Average (18 games): 170
Average for last 9 games: 174
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 514

I couldn’t have been happier that my team took all the points on the anniversary of my return to bowling, and, while everyone contributed in their own way, Eileen deserves special mention because she had a personal best game (176) and series (446) tonight, even getting a hambone in her 176 first game.

Anniversary post

Well, folks, it’s been three years today that I’ve been back to the game I love. The last year saw a couple of good things on a personal level: First was the 267 game, a single pin off my personal best, in winter league just after Christmas, when I had the nine strikes in a row to end it, prompting me to post about it on my BowlSpace blog rather than here. The second was being on the team that won the inaugural BowlingCommunity Mixed Virtual League, which I was also bowling for in my normal league play much of the second half of the season.

There won’t be many thanked in this post specifically, but a few people/groups deserved special mention:

  • Again, to everyone who participated in the virtual league, but also to my online friend Chris for volunteering to be the league’s secretary, without which the league might not have been possible.
  • My new bowling friends, John and Eileen Ruhl…your presence on my team last winter made the league even more fun for everyone in the league, and I’m glad that it has carried over into the summer. 😀
  • Lastly, Rob Dickens, who has come to be one of my best bowling friends for being around on some Mondays to practice together.

This happens to be the first anniversary I will have also bowled in league on, so I’m hoping for something big tonight (possibly my first 700 set? 😀 )

June 28 practice

“CoachJim” thought my splits in the last game Wednesday night could’ve been avoided by switching to a weaker ball, and, since I thought (or had thought, anyway) my High Voltage was the weaker of my two main balls, I used most of practice today to do some arsenal evaluation to see if that, indeed, was the case. In the first two games, I concentrated on throwing both of my balls, and I actually ended up pulling the High Voltage more, so it was hard to get a read on the relative strength of the two balls. There was a point in the second game, however, that I did what I wanted to: I threw both balls (one first, then the other) with the same shot to the same line…and crushed the pocket both times. I have to say there’s not really much difference between the two balls now, though my friend Tom (whom I’ve mentioned previously on this blog in connection to the local youth bowling scene) told me you notice the differences more on a tougher shot rather than a THS (typical house shot). Still, I may think of having the High Voltage redrilled weaker if I can.

In the game I bowled for score, I used the Hy-Road exclusively, and only missed a baby split en route to a 194.

June 27 league standings update

We went into last week unable to really afford getting swept; we were, and “Trip N Shred” now find ourselves at the bottom of the standings, tied in points with “El Equipo,” the only team we happen to have a net win against so far. “Phase 10 Pins” now hold a four point lead over “J.E.M.S.,” who are our opponents this week.

June 23 league night recap

My Week 5 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Really bowled better than my score tonight, and the score was largely ruined by 5 splits in the third game. Remembering to keep my elbow in, I got largely strikes or manageable leaves until the lanes dried out to start the third game (though the light split in the 3rd frame of that game was definitely an over-adjustment). I missed 2 more single pins, but really wanted more single-pin leaves than the lanes were giving me tonight.

Result: 192-191-124=507
Average (15 games): 168
Average for last 9 games: 170
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 516

We got swept tonight, and it was basically a team loss, because Eileen was the only other one with a game over her summer average. Our best chance at points came in the second game, when I needed a double in the 10th frame for the win, but left a washout on the first shot.

June 21 practice

My thought going into practice today was to check on timing, and, as “CoachJim” hinted at, it may have been a bit off. However, a few shots into the practice, I also noticed that I was “chicken-winging” it a bit, so I also had to focus on keeping my elbow in, and, when I did, I had better shots overall. For scores, I had a couple of games in the 190s, so I’ll consider the session productive and make the elbow a “point of emphasis” Wednesday night during league.

June 20 league standings update

With the winning night against “El Equipo,” “Trip N Shred” stayed out of last place and are now tied in points for 13th with the former team and “Zoots.” “Phase 10 Pins,” of which my friends Ralph and Brian are members, are now the league leaders by 2 points over “Guess Who?” Wednesday night’s opponents are “Shake And Bake,” a member of which is Al, my online friend.

June 16 league night recap

My Week 4 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

The good news: I left 7s four times last night, and didn’t miss one of them, so I’m making progress on my weaker corner pin. More troubling, however, is the fact that I’m still leaving shots outside (and too fast, besides), and it may take a lesson to get that problem sorted out (though “CoachJim” told me in the chat today that he thought it was a problem with late timing).

Result: 181-151-183=515
Average (12 games): 168
Average for last 9 games: 165
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 516

The best news out of the night is that we recovered from losing the first game by 100+ pins to take the last two games and total for our first winning night of the summer. Rob, while not spectacular, was steady all night, and John did well in his first two games; Eileen had an “off” night, but got into the second game act with a 141.

June 14 practice

I may have learned an important lesson online toward the end of last week when I was told that heat and humidity can cause a lane to play drier even though it has the same oil pattern (including amount) and oil. Thus, a strong ball like my Hy-Road can burn up sooner and actually cause less overall hook, which may explain why I haven’t been getting to the pocket strong.

With that in mind, and also keeping in mind that I had a 197 summer average two years ago using the High Voltage exclusively, I tried the High Voltage in practice today and found that I definitely liked it better than the Hy-Road. This may suggest that I put away the Hy-Road for the summer, but my online friends also reminded me to not be “married” to a particular ball, and to use whatever works. As for how the practice went, I had a 403 after two games, but my game fell apart in the third game after starting with a conversion of the 6-7-9, which may have gotten me too pumped up.

Opening night note: I neglected to mention in my post about the first night of this summer league that I converted the 4-6-7 during warmups, which may have been the most difficult split I’ve ever converted. I only wish I could make it when it counts. 😆

June 13 league standings update

Another adjustment in the results from the previous week (Brian and Ralph’s team was allowed to average in new after all, being a week behind), combined with this past week’s sweep, dropped “Trip N Shred” to near the bottom, tied with “Wyld Stallyns” in points and ahead of them in pinfall. Team 12 has established an early 2 point lead over Team 13 at the top of the league standings. Wednesday night’s opponents will be “El Equipo,” a team also fairly close to the bottom.

Cross-training #141

NESN notes that Boston Red Sox reliever Manny Delcarmen will hold his annual “Bowlin’ Strikes For Schools” charity event on June 28 at Jillian’s on Landsdowne St. outside of Fenway Park. The benefit supports the Boston public school system, which Delcarmen is a product of.

June 9 league night recap

My Week 3 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

This week was at least a little better: I found a line that gave myself a chance at strikes, and, in my worst-scoring game, I was clean through 6. Uncharacteristically, though, I missed more single pins than I made, and 2 of those misses cost me a game over 200.

Result: 162-183-167=512
Average (9 games): 167
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 512

John couldn’t think of bowling without knowing how his Philadelphia Flyers (who played, and lost, an elimination game for them in the Stanley Cup finals…sorry John!) were doing, so he stayed home. We were prepared to take his five-pin drop until we got an offer from Tony Attardo to sub, which my other teammates OK’d. He wasn’t able to help us much, though he gave us a chance to win the last game by posting a 277, which is, I believe, the best game ever bowled by a member of my team, including myself. I blew it, though…a double would’ve put my team in a position to win with any count, and when I left a washout on the second ball in the 10th, I had to convert the spare for the tie, which I narrowly missed.

June 9 league standings update

This update is as late as it gets; apparently, there’s a new league secretary, as the indicator in the Bowler Express standings sheet for where the league secretary is this week is not on the lane Donna’s team is on.

An adjustment in Brian and Ralph’s entering averages (they thought they were averaging in new instead of using last year’s average) meant “Trip N Shred” actually split the points again. As a result, my team stands in 8th, trailing “Shake And Bake” and “Hocus Pocus” in pinfall. Team 12, which appears to be a team in which the highest average is actually the vacant score (150), is the only team that hasn’t lost points yet. My team may be up against it tonight…we face Team 13, which has Harry Thibeault Jr. (as I posted earlier in the month, he had the high average in the house during the winter) as one of its members.

June 7 practice

After being in quite a funk during league last Wednesday, I was looking forward to practicing today, and it did the trick, as I felt better about my bowling overall than I did last week. I made better shots overall, and was given plenty of opportunities to practice the 7 (my weak corner, if you’ll remember), as I left it four times and made all of them, and also picked the 7 out of the “Big 4” (4-6-7-10) at the end of the second game.

Cross-training #136

I normally reserve “Cross-training” mentions for active players, but since this has to do with one of my personal favorite former players, and the event being fairly local, I’m bending the “rules” for this…

On Tuesday, during open bowling, former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi threw a 300 game at North Bowl in N. Attleboro, MA. A post to the ESPN.com Patriots blog includes video of a segment from Wednesday’s “NFL Live” program (on which Bruschi is now an analyst) which includes, among other things, cellphone video of the three-time Super Bowl champion throwing the last strike.

Could #54 be contemplating a bowling career now? 😀

June 2 league night recap

Before I continue with the normal post, I need to note that the “Vacant For Now” was filled by my friends Ralph and Brian, who are bowling with their wives this summer.

My Week 2 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

I just didn’t feel like myself last night, for whatever reason; I sort of got it together the last game, but that was only the “got one lane but not the other” variety. On the bright side, I only missed one of my nine single pins.

Result: 133-166-163=462
Average (6 games): 165
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 502

Team took one game, but, ironically, that was my lousy game, and we lost the second game by 5 pins despite a 193 from John. Also on the plus side, Eileen had another decent night, and could’ve broken 400 again if her second game had been a bit better.

Jonathan Van Hees cashes in 2010 PBA Regional Players Championship

The PBA reported that Jonathan Van Hees of Charlestown, RI was one of the cashers in the 2010 Regional Players Championship, held on Memorial Day weekend at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, MI. Van Hees was the top qualifier for match play, but lost in 4 games of a best-of-5 match to Chris Hibbitts of Ft. Worth, TX in the match play round of 32. The tournament was eventually won by Riga Kalfas of Florence, KY, who defeated Chris Collins of Savannah, GA 236-216 in the championship match.

2009-10 Westgate Lanes league season recap

I meant to do this post yesterday, but got distracted by other things.

With the winter leagues all having wound down, it’s time to recap the season and acknowledge those who posted the high scores during the 2009-10 league season (average leaders are based on a minimum of 72 games in the league in which the average was posted):

Men

Average: 224.8 Harry Thibeault Jr. (Westgate Mixed)
Series: 810 Dan Esdale (Thursday Night Patriots)
Game: 300 Ed Godino III (Brockton Ten Pin), Bill Major (2, Coke Classic), Rich Fulton (2, Coke Classic), Troy LaBrie (Coke Classic), Tat Tatnall (Coke Classic), Matt Yandek (Coke Classic), Jewel Brown (Saturday Seniors {youth}), Tom Hedding (Saturday Seniors {youth}), Ken Norris (Sunday Niters), Alex Aguiar (Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen), Grant Henderson III (TNBA), Carl Nordstrom (Thursday Handicap Doubles), Dan Esdale (Thursday Night Patriots), Jay Krushas (Thursday Night Patriots), Ed Alfieri (Westgate Mixed), Jim Alfieri (Westgate Mixed), Derick Thibeault (2, Westgate Mixed)

Women

Average: 212.9 Sandi Litchfield (Westgate Mixed)
Series: 754 Tina Gannon (Coke Classic)
Game: 300 Tina Gannon (Coke Classic)

Congrats again to all those mentioned in this post. Note: The 300 games for the men were listed in no order other than alphabetically by league name, and where the bowler had more than one 300 game in the league, that was noted before the league name.

May 2010 People’s Tournament results

The People’s Tournament reported Al Brown (Town Line Ten Pin, 200 avg.) as the winner of the event held on May 22 and 23 at Westgate Lanes. Al Brown won an all-Town Line final match in which he defeated Ryan Oreste (184 avg.) by a score of 266-205 (with handicaps). Representing Westgate Lanes, Kris Higgins (203 avg.) and Philip Spera (157 avg.) were in the semifinals, and Albert Rue (171 avg.) and Zach Leverant (164 avg.) were also in the final eight.