I’ve already mentioned that “Striking Gentlemen” won the first half in my league, but “Turkey Hunters” ended up in a tie for 6th with “The Doables” and “The 508 Boys”. We begin the second half Wednesday night against “No Names”. Individually, Barry had the high handicap game for the men last week.

My Week 17 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

The first game had the feel of shaking the rust off after a two-week layoff, but, like the previous league night, I had to make my spares to stay in play, and the only time I strung anything together was in the last two frames. Striking out to end it did save my 500, however.

Result: 149-172-180=501
Average (51 games): 166
Average for last 9 games: 167
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 542

Barry shot the best series I’ve seen him have, a 650, to help us take three points. I’ll still have a standings update for the last week of the first half, but I did learn that “Striking Gentlemen” won the first game to clinch the first half.

In brackets from the previous week, I turned a $3 profit the hard way, by coming in second in four of the five, two to Shawn and two to Carol Andersen.

After winning two points from “Ebony and Ivories”, “Turkey Hunters” stand in 9th place and will bowl against “Y Not Us” in the last week of the first half on Jan. 7. We could possibly climb to 6th place if the matches ahead of us break favorably. The first half will come down to “Striking Gentlemen” and “Knock Em Down”, as Team 16 is 2.5 points out of the lead in 3rd; “Striking Gentlemen” lead by one over “Knock Em Down”.

My Week 16 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

The left lane was tough tonight, but I had a good night by keeping myself in play and making most of my spares, particularly after the first game. Second game was clean, but an ill-timed split to end the night prevented that game from being much over average.

Result: 173-205-167=545
Average (48 games): 166
Average for last 9 games: 184
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 542

Team crushed in the first game thanks to Barry’s 222, but we lost two closer games after that to split the points.

Shawn had the second page of the brackets from two weeks ago, so I can say I beat Shawn in two, Barry in a third, and finished second to Jim Andersen in the other two that week for the $14 profit. It could have been worse last week, but I got $2 back for finishing second to Carol Andersen in a bracket.

My league will be taking two weeks off for the holidays, so I’d like to wish everyone the best of the season.

After winning one point from “Oddballs”, “Turkey Hunters” now stand in 9th place, eight points behind “Knock Em Down”, who are a point ahead of “Striking Gentlemen”, 2.5 ahead of Team 16, and three ahead of “Bowling Stones”. We bowl against “Ebony and Ivories” tomorrow night; for the teams in contention for the first half, “Knock Em Down” will bowl against “Striking Gentlemen”, Team 16 against “Looking For Wood”, and “Bowling Stones” against “Spare Change”.

This is the last week before the break for the holidays, with the last position round for the first half following the break.

“Pin Seeking Missiles” lost all seven to “Wrecking Balls”, who had the high (scratch) team game and series of the week in the virtual league. We’ve been mathematically eliminated from title contention, being six points behind “The Whole 9 Yards”; the race is tight between the top three teams, however, as “Probable Cause” is a point behind and Team 7 a point and a half back in third.

My Week 15 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

After a good week last week, it was back to “business as usual” this week. Leaving five splits in a night isn’t going to cut it, but I missed plenty of other spares, as well.

Result: 154-171-140=465
Average (45 games): 165
Average for last 9 games: 176
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 538

Team only managed to win one point on a night when all three games were won by less than 20 pins.

Shawn thought he had the brackets printed on both sides of a page, but they weren’t, so I don’t have complete results from last week, but I can tell everyone that I won three of them and finished second in the other two I was in for a $14 profit on the night.

After winning all four points from “Mustangs”, “Turkey Hunters” are now 7th, eight points behind “Knock Em Down”, who are a point ahead of “Striking Gentlemen” and three points ahead of “Bowling Stones”. “Oddballs” provide the opposition tomorrow night.

Individually, it turned out I had the second high scratch game of the week last week, and the high handicap series; my scratch series was closer to the high than I thought, as well, as I was just 19 pins behind Brian Egan’s 665. For the year-to-date, I am back in the men’s “A” division, and the four bowlers that have a higher listed scratch series than me are likely to win average prizes, so I’d be in the running for 1st high scratch series in the division.

“Pin Seeking Missiles” had our best week of the season, with the high team game and series of the week, but the effort was “wasted” on the vacant instead of a “real” team. Still, the seven points we won moved us closer to the lead, three points behind “Probable Cause” in 3rd, with two weeks left. “Probable Cause” leads “The Whole 9 Yards” by two points.

Individually, I personally had the high over-average series of the week.

My Week 14 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

With my weaker than usual start to the season, I needed a night like tonight to right the ship a little bit. In fact, this was one of the few times I could bowl a 185 and call it a disappointment, because my 700 may have been out there with a repeat of my second game. Still, this was my high set of the season by better than 100 pins.

Result: 225-236-185=646
Average (42 games): 165
Average for last 9 games: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 505

My set was the best one on the pair by better than 120 pins, and we swept the points.

Meant to post last night after I found out, but the Coke league is now on the Kegel Sunset Strip pattern for the second third of their season (link is to the top view graph).

“Pin Seeking Missiles” won the first and third games against “Triple x-X-x”, but lost the second game by enough for total. With the four points, we’re now in 4th place, five points behind “Probable Cause”, who lead by 2.5 points over Team 7 and by four over “The Whole 9 Yards”.

After splitting 2-2 with “Y Not Us”, “Turkey Hunters” are in 11th place, 11 points behind “Striking Gentlemen”, who lead “Knock Em Down” by a point and “Bowling Stones” by three points. “Mustangs” will be our opponents next week.

Individually, Barry had the high handicap series of the week for the men (680).

I pre-bowled yesterday for tonight, but made it in at the start of the third game, only to watch the team lose by two pins. It turned out we did win the second game by enough for total after losing the first game, largely on the strength of a 605 from Barry. Barry told me he couldn’t remember the last time he threw a 600 series.

“Pin Seeking Missiles” lost five points to “The Whole 9 Yards” and now sit tied for third with that team and “DJSW”, but only two points behind the leaders, “Probable Cause”; that team leads Team 7 by just a half point.

After winning three of four points from “Lickety Splits”, “Turkey Hunters” are tied for 10th with “Incredibowls”, eight points behind “Striking Gentlemen”, who lead “Knock Em Down” and “Bowling Stones” by a point. We bowl “Y Not Us”, my old buddy Si Rosenthal’s team, next week, but my participation in that match is in question due to a family commitment on that day.

My Week 12 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

Call my effort “consistency by inconsistency” tonight, because when I threw good shots, I threw them for a little stretch, but then I’d lose it just as quickly. My spare game wasn’t helping either, as it was one of the worst ones in a night I can remember; fortunately, there was at least a double in each game to sort of cover for it.

Result: 163-166-161=490
Average (36 games): 162
Average for last 9 games: 165
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 511

My bad spare game ended up costing the team last game, as I missed a 7 pin at the end that enabled our opponents to steal the game by two pins. We did win the other two games comfortably, with Barry averaging 190+ for the night.

After failing to win points from “Striking Gentlemen”, “Turkey Hunters” are tied for 13th with “Y Not Us” and “Lickety Splits”, nine points behind “Striking Gentlemen”, who now lead by three points over “Knock Em Down” and “Bowling Stones”. We bowl against the aforementioned “Lickety Splits” tomorrow night.