Author: Rich

I started "The Tenth Board" to chronicle my experiences during the road back to league bowling after my heel fractures in 1999 (it took me 7 years before I started thinking seriously about it). I now use the blog as a combination of a personal bowling journal and a news site mostly about Westgate Lanes (Brockton, MA) and its bowlers.

Nov. 25 league night recap (includes standings update)

As I hung around in the pub for a bit after bowling and didn’t want to do much when I did get home, this post is late because of the Thanksgiving holiday.

My Week 12 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

I’d just rather chalk the other night up a longish day helping out my sister at her place, as I only bowled well enough to maintain my average. I felt, perhaps erroneously, that the Hy-Road was not holding pocket in the second game, so that explains the ball change to start the third game. I was leaving too many splits for my liking (not that I like to leave any, but…), and one bit me in the very last frame when I had a chance to put pressure on our opponent’s best bowler for the game point.

Result: 213-151-168=532
Average (36 games): 185
Average for last 9 games: 197
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 589

None of us had a really good night, on the balance, but we still took 3 of the 4 points on the first two games and total. I will single out Carl, however, who had a 160 second game. A check of the LeagueSecretary.com standings shows us still in 8th place, a point behind “The Generations” and “The Wild Samoans.” We essentially helped out “Butz N Gutz,” who are now in first place by 3 points over “The Mustangs.” “Butz N Gutz” will be my team’s opponents next week.

The “house” shot

As Kegel’s notes on the “High Street” pattern indicate, it’s a 44′ pattern with 21.1 mL of total oil. The oil line, according to the notes, is very high (and the lane graph seems to confirm this), which, combined with the pattern length, gives a lot of hold area, so you can miss a little bit inside of target and still get it to the pocket. The inside-outside ratio of oil on the outside boards (2-5) is 11:1, which is the driest outside of all of the patterns in the Recreation series, which is why I seem to play the outside well with my Hy-Road if I watch my speed.

Still, some advice I’ve been given by my bowling chat friends is to play the hold area and take the Hy-Road’s surface down (to something like 1000-1200 grit sanded) to get better mid-lane read. This is probably going to be something I’ll ask Ray about next time I see him, but I’m making no changes to my ball for now. I really wish now that I had the spare cash for something that is dull out of the box, like Storm’s Virtual Gravity, which is 4000 Abralon out of the box.

Nov. 23 practice session

I haven’t had a full practice session since the October People’s Tournament, so I decided to hit the practice lanes today. Randy Pederson had a useful “Quick Tip” in yesterday’s PBA telecast, so that’s part of what I was working on. After a semi-mediocre first game, I had 2 decent games, so I would consider the session productive.

My friend Ralph happened to show up while I was in the early stages of my first game, but he was there to give a lesson to his wife, Susan. We discussed a possibility where, if it pans out, I’ll be making another post either tonight or tomorrow.

After bowling, I spotted Rob, the lane mechanic, at the front desk and asked him if he knew how long the house shot was. He told me that they changed the house shot this season, and, instead of a custom pattern, they’re using the Kegel “High Street” pattern. I would link the pattern data on the Kegel site, but the site was having problems at press time, so I’ll post the pattern graph and comment on it in a future post.

Cross-training #120

The PBA announced that when the PBA Tour hits Wichita, KS early next month, the opening event of the schedule will be the PBA “Bowling For Wishes” Celebrity Charity Pro-Am on Dec. 4 at Thunderbird Lanes, hosted by PBA major winner and Wichita resident Sean Rash. Scheduled to participate are Koyie Hill, Randy Wells, Ryan Dempster, and Mike Fontenot of the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, and PGA Tour champion Woody Austin, along with other celebrities and PBA Tour exempt pros. The event will benefit the Kansas chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The rest of the Wichita schedule consists of a “super regional” event, the Pepsi Red White and Blue Open (the finals of which will be taped for a Jan. 10 airdate on ESPN), and the live finals of the PBA World Championship, the season’s first major.

Nov. 19 league standings update

My team’s place in the standings didn’t change this week, but it did allow us to move to within a point of “The Wild Samoans” for 7th place. “Butz-N-Gutz” and “The Mustangs” (our opponents next week) are now in a tie for first (with the former having the pinfall advantage), with “4 MTD” and “Warren’s Girls” tied for 3rd only two points behind.

Individually, “Mr. Unmentionable” crushed everyone for the holiday bonus in the men’s A division, as I was second in differential, but 109 behind. Eileen did win her division’s holiday bonus, however, and also moved into the lead for high scratch game on the season in the division.

Nov. 18 league night recap

My Week 11 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to BowlSK)

This was not really the night I was hoping to use to follow up on my 28/30 clean 640 set of last week, but any night I can strike better than half of the time, I’ll take it at this point. After the first game, I was thinking, “Holiday bonus week is in my head again,” but, turning my attention to helping the team win, I had better games and actually ended up better than 50 pins over my average on the night. It still wasn’t enough to get the holiday bonus (as I’ll explain later), but at least I know I can have a good night on an important night on the league schedule. I’m also feeling much better about my recent bowling with the back-to-back 600+ nights.

Result: 167-222-216=605
Average (33 games): 185
Average for last 9 games: 197
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 563

The bowler on my team who may be best in line for one of the holiday bonuses is Eileen, who had both a personal best game (171) and personal best series (405) tonight. The team ended up taking 3 of 4 (losing only second game thanks to my 10 pin whiff in the last frame), so that made me happy, as well. I know I’m out of the running because one of my buddies, who now does not want me to acknowledge him by name online, had a 277 game en route to a personal best 753. I’ll let my readers figure out who I’m talking about when the standings sheets get posted.

Cross-training #119

The Boston Fox affiliate noted that Celtics captain Paul Pierce hosted his annual charity tournament, “The Truth Strikes Again,” last night at Kings in Dedham. The event benefited “The Truth on Health” and FitClub34 by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Pierce’s initiative to get children in the Boston area physically active. The article notes that “Sugar” Ray Allen was the team’s best bowler.

“Tonight We Roll” added to blogroll

Visits to some of the blogs that link to me have unearthed yet another new bowling blog. “Tonight We Roll” is by a fairly casual bowler based out of Albany, OR, and, in his first post, he stated that he wants to travel the country bowling at all types of bowling centers, large and small, old and new. We wish him well if he undertakes this journey, and I’ll suggest Westgate Lanes as a stop in a comment to his initial post. The link to the new blog has, of course, been added to the blogroll in the sidebar.

Nov. 13 league standings update

With Wednesday night’s net win against “VAKINC,” we moved into a tie in points with that team for 8th place, with my team ahead in total pinfall. “The Mustangs” moved into sole possession of first place, two points ahead of “Butz N Guts” and three ahead of both “4 MTD” and “Warren’s Girls.”

Individually, Eric Nordstrom, in the first game, was likely just a single pin shy of a perfect game, as he posted a 279 (I don’t know which pin he left and which frame he left it in). My team can make hay on the middle of the pack next week, as we face “The Wild Samoans,” the 5th place team, which we are only three points behind. Next week is also the first of two “holiday bonus” weeks, where the bowler with the most pins over average in each of the six average classes will win a cash bonus.

“The Thumbhole Chronicles” added to blogroll

I came across this blog in my referral list…seems they picked up on my post about last night via our friends at “The BM Report.” I don’t really know where this blog is based out of, but it’s a nice mix of personal bowling journal and commentary (something I try to accomplish, though with less commentary and more pure reporting), so I decided to add them to the blogroll. Good to have you along. 😀

A night to remember

My Week 10 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to BowlSK)

As I said in my BowlSK comment about tonight, this was as consistent a set as I’ve ever had in a league setting. While I didn’t have quite the run of clean frames I did in open play on my birthday last year (28), I had just as many clean frames tonight as I did that night (still 28 out of 30) and was clean all the way through after the 6th frame of the first game, with the opens in the first game both coming on splits. All in all, as I’ve titled this post, a night to remember. 😀

Result: 184-232-224=640
Average (30 games): 184
Average for last 9 games: 199
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 577

My team definitely needed me tonight, as Steve and Bobby Geddes returned to the league tonight and were added to the opposing team, so I knew I had to come up big against Bobby. After losing a close first game, it was a team effort to get the other three points (including total), as everyone had at least one game over average.

48th annual Brockton USBC Bowling Association Championships

I received an email message from the Brockton Bowling Association today with a Word document attached containing the entry form for the 2010 Brockton USBC Bowling Association Championships, which will take place on Feb. 6 and 7 at Westgate Lanes. The customary events (4-man team, doubles, and singles, as well as all-events) will be contested, with scratch and handicap champions decided. If you’re on the BBA email list, you should also have a copy of the entry form, and they should be available at participating centers soon. Keep in mind, however, that entries will close on Jan. 24.

Oct. 2009 People’s Tournament results

(Note: The following is a recap of an event in which the author participated.)

The People’s Tournament reported Robert Dickens (yes, my buddy Rob) as the winner of the event held on Oct. 24 and 25 at Westgate Lanes (Rob carried a 146 average into the event.). Rob defeated Anthony Bennett Jr. (AMF Auburn Lanes, 215 avg.) by a score of 251-220 (with handicaps) in the title match. The Brockton area was well-represented among the cashers, but I’d also like to mention Anthony Green (198 avg.), who finished third, as well as Reynard Epps (151 avg.) and Buddy Wilt (Kingston Ten Pin, 197 avg.), who were also in the final eight.

Congrats again, Rob! 😀

Nov. 6 league standings update

After being swept by “The Generations,” my team is now all the way down to 9th place, just 4 points out of the league cellar. As I alluded to in yesterday’s post, the race at the top got tighter, as there is now a three-way tie between “4-MTD,” “Butz N Gutz,” and “The Mustangs” (with the teams listed in pinfall order). The second cycle starts with my team facing “Vakinc” next week.

Oct. 17-18 NEBA results

This is a bit late…

NEBA reported Bill Webb as the winner of the singles event held on Oct. 17 & 18 at AMF Airway Lanes in Springfield, MA. Webb defeated Mike Cordeiro by a score of 267-228 in the title match. For bowlers familiar to us at Westgate Lanes, Alex Aguiar finished third, and Ed Roberts and Jon Van Hees were two of the other cashers.

Nov. 4 league night recap

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

I figure if it wasn’t for the three splits in the second game, I might’ve had a decent night. I didn’t necessarily avoid them in the first game, either, but I did convert on a 6-7 (the real highlight of the night for me). A move to a different pair, necessitated by a problem with the ball return (more on that later), also didn’t help (and it seems the pair I was bowling on has been hit with technical glitches more often than the rest of the league this year). The thing I’m really not proud of about last night was the two single-pin misses in the third game, which would’ve made it an over-average night.

What happened with the ball return was that, somehow, a pin found its way into the ball return track, and eventually jammed balls at the point of the return proper. It cost my buddy Eric the ball he uses most of the time; fortunately, Eric had a spare ball (spare in the sense that it was an extra one) and could continue without really having it affect his game. I’m hoping management springs for a new ball for Eric, as I hate to see what happened to Eric happen to anyone.

Result: 183-168-180=531
Average (27 games): 181
Average for last 9 games: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 572

I felt I bowled worse than I did because the rest of the team wasn’t really doing well, either, and we were swept by “The Generations.” Shawn told us that all of the top four teams in the league were involved in a match with another team in the group, and that the first-half race became even tighter as a result.

Cross-training #117

This motor sports site notes that NASCAR driver Sam Hornish Jr. will host his fifth annual celebrity bowling tournament on Thursday at the Main Event in Grapevine, TX. Many of the Sprint Cup drivers will participate, as will Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle and Texas Rangers pitchers Jeff Russell and Jose Guzman (among others). The event benefits the Texas chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities.

Oct. 31 league standings update

Wednesday night’s net win over “The Dynasty” helped us into a tie with “Vakinc” for 7th place in the league standings. The league continues to be very competitive at the top, with “The Mustangs” now holding a two-point lead over “4-MTD,” with “Butz N Gutz” and “Wild Samoans” only a point behind them in a tie for third. My team concludes the first rotation through the league by facing “The Generation” next week.

Individually, I earned my first weekly honor of the season, having the high handicap series for the men with a 674. 😀

Oct. 28 league night recap

My Week 8 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to BowlSK)

Tonight was more like it! 😀

However, it should be said that I had both one of my best pieces of clutch bowling of the season and one of my worst. The good clutch came in the second game, where I capped off 7 in a row with a double in the 10th frame in a situation where I had to match the other team’s anchor to ensure the point; he could only spare in the frame. The bad clutch game was me missing a 10 pin in the 10th frame when I needed a mark and good count to win or tie. Still, the 620 series is my best one to date this season, and served as a balm to the ego after last week.

Result: 171-237-212=620
Average (24 games): 181
Average for last 9 games: 180
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 557

The team lost the last game not really because I blew it in the 10th, but because Ed Godino threw a stellar 265 to pretty much save his average. It was a team effort for 3 of 4 tonight, though, as all five of us were over average on the night.

Some of my readers already know, but there will be good news in connection with my league coming out of the People’s Tournament last weekend, which I’m saving until the recap of the tournament is posted online.

My day in the Oct. 2009 People’s Tournament

My qualifying performance, frame-by-frame (Link to BowlSK)

I really wish I had lined up sooner in the first game, and, if not for the three “Brooklyn” strikes in a row, I would’ve had one of my worst tournament games. I had somewhat found a groove the rest of the way, however, and especially in the second game; except for a washout biting me in the 10th frame (and on the lane I was getting my strikes on), I was clean, with a “Dutch 200” (alternating strikes and spares for a full game) possibility. I ended with a 528 scratch, 594 handicap, with the cut at 650 (missed by 56 pins).

My buddy Rob made the roll-offs, but I didn’t stick around to watch him, instead wanting to come home and get everything posted. As always, I’ll recap the tournament when the results are posted on the tournament website.

Oct. 21 league night (includes standings update)

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

I’ll keep this brief: I think my reunion weekend caught up to me last night. However, I was also having problems getting my thumb out of the ball cleanly much of the night, particularly in the last game, so, after bowling, I took the Hy-Road to the pro shop to have a slug put in it (my High Voltage has one, and I always liked the way my thumb came out of that ball).

Result: 155-163-137=455
Average (21 games): 177
Average for last 9 games: 171
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 535

Team lost all 4, but neither team was having a good night, as all three games were close with both teams failing to break 1000 pins in any game, even with handicap. For my team, Eileen was having a decent night, but that was about it. The sweep dropped us to 8th place, with “4 MTD” gaining sole possession of first place by a point over a three-way tie for second. “The Dynasty,” a perennial powerhouse team in this league, await us next week.

Tournament prep

As both Rob Dickens and I will be bowling the People’s Tournament Sunday, we made arrangements last week to meet up today to bowl on the oil pattern that will be out (as the Coke Classic League uses it). I had wondered how I’d do because I thought I’d still be in the recovery process from the class reunion over the weekend. I thought I did OK, however: the first game wasn’t spectacular, but I beat Rob in that game because I made more spares than he did (and spares are usually important on this shot). The second game was forgettable because I was making varied mistakes on the first ball and leaving tough spares, but I did recover to post a clean 203 game in the last one, which should give me some confidence for Sunday.

Bowling camp postponed: The bowling camp that was to be held on November 14 and 15 at Wonder Bowl in New Bedford has been tentatively postponed until April 2010. I’ll pass along the new dates when that information becomes available.

Oct. 16 league standings update

Wednesday night’s net loss didn’t change our place in the standings, as we remain in 6th place, now only 4 points behind a four-way tie for the top (with “Butz-N-Gutz” having the pinfall advantage). Next week is, in effect, a position week for us, as we face “Warren’s Girls,” the fifth place team.

Individually, it took until near the end of the season for someone in the league to shoot a 700 series last season, but Shawn Coles had the first one of this season in the league the other night…congrats, buddy! 😀

Cross-training #115

NHL.com notes that the Columbus Blue Jackets will be part of a bowling event in February that will benefit the foundation of a 19-year-old fan who succumbed to a rare form of muscular cancer last spring and had his last wish (seats to the first two home playoff games in Blue Jackets history) granted by the club.