Last week’s split with “Going Pro” moved “T N T” into a four-way tie for 12th place, with my team getting the top position in the tie on the basis of pinfall. There is now a tie at the top between “Phoenix Kings” and “Heaven Help Us,” with “Git R Done” and “Shihoots” only 2 points off the pace. We have “Amelia” tomorrow night; I believe that team has the league’s two-handed bowler, Ed Alfieri (I believe…I don’t know for sure if it’s him or Jim Alfieri), so the opponents should be fun to watch.

Giving this post a generic title b/c I have no cute title for this one…

My Week 4 bowling (BowlSK)

I had my worst night in some time, and I kind of sensed it in my warm-up session before the lanes were turned on for league, the second game of which I failed to have a strike. Most of the night’s problems came in the first game, where I seemed to have one lane going, but couldn’t get out of my own way on the other lane, getting only 1 spare and 4 opens. I did seem to get progressively better as my head cleared (I didn’t get much sleep the night before), and I had my only run of strikes near the end of the last game, getting a turkey. Also on the bright side, I did make all of my single pins, and improving on my single-pin spares was something I wanted to work on this summer.

Result: 143-164-189=496
Average (12 games): 185 Last 9 games average: 182
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 561

The team again got a split, but this time via the “hard way,” losing the first 2 games, then taking the last game by enough to also take total. Bonnie was a big part of the last game, as she tossed the last 5 at a point where we needed to get over the threshold for total. Rob also had a great night for him.

I think I’m going to use June 1 each year to wrap up each season, as the winter leagues will pretty much be all over by then. As I did on New Year’s Eve (which I used as an “unofficial” halfway point), I’m going to list the highs at Westgate Lanes for both the men and the women:

Men

High average: 228.3 Sean Richard (Thursday Handicap Doubles)
High series: 817 Sean Richard (Westgate Mixed)
High game: 300 Danny Khuu (Saturday Seniors {youth}), Harry Thibeault Jr. (Westgate Mixed), Bob Hamilton (2, Westgate Mixed and TNBA), Richard Mines (TNBA), Rai Doblmeier (Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen), Tom Hedding (Saturday Seniors {youth}), Steve Healy (Brockton Ten Pin), Dan Esdale (Westgate Mixed)

Women

High average: 218.1 Amy Aldridge (Westgate Mixed)
High series: 735 Amy Aldridge (Westgate Mixed)
High game: 300 Jessica Lowe (Westgate Mixed)

Notes: High averages are based on a minimum of 72 games in the league. When considering high series, the first three games of series in the Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen league was used, as per USBC rule on series awards.

Before the start of bowling tonight, Bonnie brought in team t-shirts for everyone, including Grace, as she’ll be rooting for us each week through the summer season. The t-shirts have the team name with a ball and pins on the front, and the person’s name on the back. I’ll have to try to get a photo with the team in the shirts sometime during the summer.

My Week 3 bowling (BowlSK)

A decent 566 tonight, but it could’ve been better, as I had a couple of open frames in each game. I got over average in the first and last games, but my inability to get lined up in the middle game held that game down to a 170. I also could’ve had a gem in the last game, but a 6-7-10 in the 10th frame bit me when I was working on a four-bagger; the way I was going, it probably should’ve been in the 240s (this supposes I make the two left-corner spares in the middle of the game).

Result: 196-170-200=566
Average (9 games): 192
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 583

As a team, it was our best performance so far this season, as we gained a split against Team 15 by taking the first and last game; it was the middle game that was the big letdown, as we won the first game by 53 pins and the last game was a nail-biter. Star of the night for my team went to Rob, as he was well over his average in every game and only missed tying my scratch series by 3 pins.

With only 2 points won in the first two weeks, the updated standings find “T N T” near the bottom, tied for 14th (but leading in pinfall) with “The Insiders.” Every team has now lost points, but “Wyld Stallyns” and “Heven Help Us” have each lost only 2 points and are tied for the early lead.

My team’s first battle for Brunswick Mixed League bragging rights (sort of) comes tomorrow, as we face Team 15, which has the Hays (Bob Sr. and Jr.) from “8 Is Great” and Herb Brown from “The Handicaps” as members (I said “sort of” because one member of Team 15 did not bowl in Brunswick Mixed this past season.).

Before I get to what I did last night, I wanted to mention that the Westgate Mixed League’s payouts were last night, and when it was announced that Harry Thibeault Sr. won the sportsmanship award (posthumously), a good ovation went up from those present, so that, indeed was a tribute.

My Week 2 bowling (BowlSK)

I seem to have gotten off to a consistent start to this summer league, as I was only one pin under last week’s series last night. There were only four open frames on the night, two of them on splits, but three of them were in the second game, with two coming on missed 10 pins. Had I made both 10s, it would’ve been worth two points for my team, as the first two games were close enough that missed spares could have been the difference. On the bright side, the third game was clean, and a clean game is always good.

Result: 195-181-207=583
Average (6 games): 194
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 588

I alluded to the close first two games earlier, but we lost the last game by 90, so “T N T” failed to win a point last night. I knew going in we could have trouble with “Hocus Pocus,” as the middle of their lineup is usually consistent, but everyone on that team was “on” at some point last night, and a bad first night for Ed Godino (the elder one, not the one in the Brunswick Mixed League) inflated their handicap (Ed bowled quite well last night, with, if I remember, two games in the 200s).

We also received the full league schedule last night, and two dates I’m personally circling on the calendar are June 24 (Brian and Ralph’s team) and August 5 (my cousins, the “Lounge Lizards”). My team as a group will also have July 15 circled (for the “Wild Samoans,” the Boermans’ team, which none of us like because they’re all New York Yankees fans, but not liking them may be stretching it for me, as I do get along with them).

EDIT: Ed Godino had a 587 series against us last night, with a high game of 216 in the second game.

Here are your 2008-09 Brunswick Mixed League champions, “The Badgers”:

Thank you to Joan Geddes, Steve’s wife and Bobby’s mother, for the photo.

My league’s banquet was tonight, and I arrived at the lanes (the banquet would be in the adjoining pub/restaurant) fairly early, so, as the NEBA tournament was getting started, I hung around the center to watch some of it and also said hello to Jon in the pro shop. The bulk of my team didn’t arrive until around the time dinner was served, and I ate with Helen and Ted.

The business meeting would be held after dinner, which featured the election of officers, with the only change being Warren Young stepping down as president of the league, electing Jim Blythe, who actually had to sit out the year with a knee injury, as Warren’s replacement. Some by-law amendments were then voted on, with the major change approved being the handicap basis; the league will be a 90% (of 1000, team) league next season, which is supposed to give the lower average teams more of a chance.

Finally, prizes were handed out, and the major surprise as far as I was concerned was that there were no handicap awards, and that the bulk of the prizes were individual awards, for high average, game and series, both overall and in the average classes. The effect of this was that I received a $40 award, not for high handicap series in the men’s Class A, which came while I was averaging in, but high game in the class, which was the 257 back in February. My team also got $9.20/bowler in point money, and I got an extra $5 for perfect attendance. The way prizes were structured, and because of the rule that a bowler can only be awarded one individual prize, just about everyone got a good piece of it (and it’s not a large prize fund overall), which is how it should be in a fun league like this one.

The last bit of a surprise came from my league treasurer, who gave me a personalized bowling t-shirt, as, in her 30 years of being a treasurer in various leagues, I was the first one to pay league dues in full for the season as early as I did. There was also a drawing for door prizes, and I lucked out there too, winning a $25 Lowe’s gift card (which I’ll probably give to my brother as an early Father’s Day gift to my dad).

I caught a ride home with Helen and Ted, as Carl and Patrick wanted to hang around to shoot some pool, and I wished a good summer to those that I could whom I knew I wouldn’t be seeing until September. I told Shawn, as a parting word, that I was glad that my prize was for something that didn’t happen until after I had averaged in.

As a final word, I had wanted to get a photo of the league champions, “The Badgers,” but was out of position when they were together. Someone in their group did get a digital photo of them, however, so I gave her one of my email addresses and asked her to send a copy my way. I hope to get the photo up soon.