My Week 29 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

This was not the best night I’ve ever had: a couple of washouts ruined the first game, and I was really fishing for something second game, but when I paid more attention to my mechanics and found the line in the third game, the strikes came, and I had my best game in weeks. Now, if I could just be that consistent all night…

Result: 164-144-220=528
Average (87 games): 185
Average for last 9 games: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 572

That third game was my best clutch bowling in a long time, as well, as the issue was still in doubt when I came up in the 10th frame. Combine that with a close first-game loss and a comfortable win in the second game, and “The Flintstones” actually got 3 points against what is now a decent team.

It was made official last night: with a tie in the first game and winning the third game against “Fantastic Four” last week, “Size 11’s,” the team I belonged to, won the first BowlingCommunity Mixed Virtual League championship. I have thanked my teammates publicly on the BowlingCommunity.com forums, but I’d like to do so again here…”leftykev” was pretty clutch the whole way, and while “Don_Ebarb” struggled early, he came on later to become a good contributor. I look on the 641, bowled as a make-up when my real league was snowed out and while I was still a bit sick with a cold/flu, as a personal highlight.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this first virtual league…I’m sure there will be more of them. 😀

“The Flintstones” have not seemed to be able to get anything going in the second half, and the slide has continued to the point where we’re now 3.5 points in back of “Double D” for 9th place. The last round-robin, a partial one, as there are only 6 weeks left in the season before the roll-off, starts this week with my team against “VAKINC,” who have crept up to third place for the second half, 5.5 points behind “The Dynasty,” who lead “The Mustangs” by 5 points.

My Week 28 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Although I would have liked to have had my first game back, I felt I bowled better overall in the other two games than I have in a few weeks, especially in the third game, where I made a tough 3-9-10 split to stay clean, and I took the clean game to the end for a 213.

Result: 149-186-213=548
Average (84 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 179
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 629

When Eileen beats all of her teammates scratch in a game, including me, something’s wrong, and that was exactly what happened in the first game (she had a 155). John and Carl had good second games to help us take our only point of the night. The night belonged to Carl Nordstrom, however: he took a perfect game possibility into the 10th frame in Game 1, but left a nasty ringing 10 on the first ball of the 10th and finished up for a 279. Adding a 221 and a 278, Carl had a 778 tonight, the high set this season in the league…another strike or two in the second game, and he would’ve had the 800 series.

In a seven-point league, odds are that if you take five points each week, you stand a good chance of winning the championship, and that’s more or less what “Size 11’s” have been doing this season. Last week was another case in point, as we took five points from “Pretty Much Average,” and, as things turned out, my team improved its position by one point, now sitting on top by three points.

This week is the position week, and the second-place team is “Fantastic Four.” We win the league championship outright if we lose no more than 4.5 points to them (possible by losing two games, but winning one by enough to tie for total), and we still win a share of the championship if our opponents take two games and total. Any more, and we could slide as far back as third place (which can happen if we get swept and “Where’s My Team?” sweeps “4 Marksmen”).

“The Flintstones” may still be mired in the basement, but the deficit to 9th place is still only a manageable 2.5 points to “Double D.” “The Dynasty” now hold a three-point lead over “The Mustangs.” Tomorrow night’s opponents are “The Generations,” who, after a good start to the second half, have slipped to the middle of the pack.

My Week 27 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

From my comment on BowlSK:

Unlike last week, the outside wasn’t really available because the back-ends were too dry. I at least had 3 semi-decent games instead of throwing in a bad one. The 10 continues to be a recent problem pin.

Result: 184-176-171=531
Average (81 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 174
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 616

The team was largely average all night, though John had a good first game to help us take that game’s point, our only one of the night, as it turned out.

“Size 11’s” were the beneficiaries of having an entire team go absent (fail to submit scores) last week (I won’t show the team up here by naming them, but those who have been following the league’s blog entries will know who they were); that, combined with “Pretty Much Average” getting swept meant that my team has taken over the league lead with two weeks left. The margin is two points over “Where’s My Team?” and four points over “4 Marksmen.”

As I reported on Wednesday night, my team had a 3/4 night, and “Foxy SRS” “cooperated” by taking only one point themselves, so the deficit to 9th place for us has been cut in half. At the top, “The Dynasty” (next week’s opponents) hold a two-point lead on “Warren’s Girls.”

Individually, Eileen had both the high handicap game and high handicap series for the week, leading her average division for the week on a scratch basis, and John had the high scratch game in his average division.

My Week 26 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

As I said in my BowlSK comment, I just wished I thought to try the outside sooner, or the first game might have been different. Missing single pins didn’t help, either, but it should be said that I made both of my 7s tonight; I missed the 10 twice, so that was the bigger problem.

Result: 148-213-172=533
Average (78 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 172
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 586

Both John (215-514) and Eileen (174-462) had personal best games and series tonight, so that was the big part of taking 3 of 4 points. 😀

Week 9 of my virtual league saw my team, “Size 11’s,” pull off yet another five-point night, this time against “Where’s My Team?,” which included a buddy from the chat, “VampyreBowler” (though he hasn’t been on the chat recently). With three weeks remaining, my team is now solidly in third place, only two points behind “Pretty Much Average,” whom we’ve yet to bowl against in the round-robin portion of the schedule.

When the last place team loses to the next-to-last team, the former team can’t move up, of course, but, for the record, the gap between us and 9th place is now four points. “The Dynasty” and “Warren’s Girls” (this week’s opposition) are now tied for the second half lead, two points in front of “The Generations.”

My Week 25 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Bright spots: first game was clean, and I made all of my single pins tonight. Bad spot: I wish I had more single pins to shoot at, especially in the third game, when I had three splits, one of which I just missed converting.

Result: 201-157-144=502
Average (75 games): 187
Average for last 9 games: 173
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 636

John followed up his 213 of last week with a good night, shooting in the 450s. Unfortunately, the team only took one point.