My Week 31 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

The positives I’ll take out of this one? I closed games well enough, and put enough together in the third game for my best league game (and first deuce game) in over a month.

Result: 164-167-201=532
Average (93 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 173
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 543

Team pulled off a repeat of last week, winning the third game by enough for total for two points.

Last week, in brackets, Liz got me back for the previous week, winning the bracket I was still alive in in the third game; as usual, I got the $2 back for second in that bracket.

After splitting two and two with “Dee’s Boys III”, “Spare Parts” remanined in 13th place, but now four points ahead of “The Mustangs” and a point and a half behind “Angry Birds”. We are still 11 points behind “The Incredibowls”, who lead both “Dee’s Boys III” and “Split Happens” by three points. My team bowls against “Heavy Metal” tomorrow night.

“The Four Stooges” won all seven in the position round from “The Fifth Element”, meaning our final margin of victory was 17 points, as the latter team was able to stay in second place. I remarked in my team’s thread that we “bowled” like Secretariat ran a horse race…slow out of the gate, but winning going away, like Secretariat’s famous Belmont Stakes performance.

The reason this post was delayed was that “X-Rated” posted a higher series score in the last week than “Don’t Look Ethel” did in setting the four-man series record in the league in Week 9, but did so with an “absent” bowler’s blind score figured into the total. As the previous record was “bowled” with all four bowlers submitting, I didn’t think it fair to either team to uphold one score or the other, and the USBC rule on high team score awards is that high scores bowled with an absent bowler get dropped down to the next lower class, such as four-man when the team normally bowls with five; as we’ve never had a trios league, however, this was not ideal. I eventually took “Joe Bowler’s” suggestion to keep the Week 9 score as the official record, but note the Week 10 score on our “Honor Roll” page. It is worth mentioning that the “absent” bowler would have only needed a series score of 454, or 77 pins under his average series, for his team to equal the official record.

I should explain something for the non-bowlers who are reading this, first: Brackets are a form of side action in bowling in which the bowler pays a fee for each bracket he wants to enter, then is drawn into a tournament bracket randomly with seven other bowlers. The idea is to beat the bowler you’re matched up against each game, with the last two in the bracket getting money back (the others are said to have “donated”). The bracket winner, of course, gets more than the second place bowler, and the person running the brackets usually gets to keep a small amount from the brackets for his time and computer use (brackets were unheard of in bowling before computers came into wide use). Note: The USBC will allow brackets to be run in sanctioned competition because the decision is ultimately based on “merit pinfall”, even though there’s an element of chance in the bracket draw; indeed, brackets are offered at the USBC Open Championships, as well as probably most state and local association tournaments.

I had known about brackets since about the time I knew about the new tournaments in the area (particularly the People’s Tournament), but it was only last season that Shawn got bracket software and began offering $1 handicap brackets in my league. I had occasionally thrown $5 in just to make it interesting, but started entering brackets more regularly recently.

I had won $2 on a few occasions for coming in second in a bracket previously, but my breakthrough was last week, and the reader is directed to this PDF file, which shows the bracket results for last week. The key bracket is the last one in the file, in which I defeated, in order, Al Cochrane, Carol Andersen, and Liz DiBenedetto for my first ever win in a bracket. The $5 for winning the bracket meant I broke even for the week. From here on, I’ll mention any bracket winnings for the previous week in my league night recaps, and will probably post a PDF again the first time I turn a profit for a night.

My Week 30 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

I was looking decent after two games, but then the wheels fell off after a 2/2 parallel move in looked promising, but then wasn’t making it to the pocket; moving 1/1 back out found the pocket again, but it was too late by then.

Result: 180-181-143=504
Average (90 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 164
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 556

Oddly enough, the game my wheels fell off was the game my team won, and, thanks to my 10th frame recovery, it was by enough for total pins for two points on the night.

I may have a post to make related to last week soon, as it’s a first for me in my new bowling life.

After a sweep of “Sweet Rolls”, “Spare Parts” stand in 13th place, two points behind “Bowling Stones” for 12th and 11 points behind the leading “The Incredibowls”; that team leads “Heavy Metal” by two points and “Dee’s Boys III” (our opponents this week) and “Split Happens” by three points.

My Week 29 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

Hoping to build on my good tournament outing on Sunday, I will accept this night. The lanes turned pretty bad quickly, and I found my adjustment on the left lane in the third game four frames too late. However, if I’m leaving six 10 pins and making them all, I can still call it a good night.

Result: 195-157-176=528
Average (87 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 164
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 541

Team took all four, including the third game handily. Carl and Berta were both over average on the night.

After winning one point from “There’s 3 and 2”, “Spare Parts” are now 13th, 14 points behind “The Incredibowls”, who are two points ahead of “Split Happens” and three ahead of “Sweet Rolls” (my team’s opposition Wednesday night).

“The Four Stooges” won all seven points from “Front 9”, while “The Fifth Element” won five from “Jocks Rolling Rocks”; needing only to win as many points as “The Fifth Element”, this gives “The Four Stooges” the virtual league title. Thank you to my teammates, “dgordon0408”, “mmalsed”, and “slowdown” for mostly picking me up during the league’s run. 🙂

Week 9 in the league was eventful in more ways than one, as the aforementioned “The Fifth Element” did set a new league record four-man team game; additionally, “Don’t Look Ethel” set a new league record four-man team series, and “Chuck” from “X-Rated” had his second 300 game of the winter virtual league session. The league averaged better than 209 last week, which is the highest league-at-large weekly average since I’ve started keeping track of it on the standings sheet.

My Week 28 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

The BowlSK comment says it all: It was a “feast or famine” type of night that was famine more often than not with seven splits and an overall poor spare game. I remarked to one of my opponents after bowling tonight that I’m starting to think I can bowl better on tough shots…two of my last three league nights were under the 479 I posted in the city tournament.

Result: 145-137-168=450
Average (84 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 155
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 550

As bad as I was, the team at least picked me up third game for the lone point of the night. Berta actually ended up having the high scratch series for my team.

“The Four Stooges” won all seven points from “Jocks Rolling Rocks”, however, the two teams tied for second going into last week, “The Fifth Element” and “License To Strike”, opposed each other and “The Fifth Element” won all seven, so our lead remains eight points over that team. This does assure us of being in first place going into next week’s position round.

We had the high team game of the week, and “dgordon0408” and “mmalsed” were leaders individually. “MiggityMatt” will sub for “dgordon0408” this week.

After losing all four to “The 5 G’s,” “Spare Parts” are now in 13th place, 14 points behind “The Incredibowls,” who lead “Sweet Rolls” by two points and “Split Happens” by four points. Our opponents Wednesday night are “There’s 3 and 2”.

My Week 27 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

My optimum line was tight and outside of 10 tonight, and it seemed I forgot how to play out there (though I did get a taste of that in the tournament), but I did improve every game. I was mostly happy with my spare game, though I’d like the missed 3 pin back.

Result: 155-168-181=504
Average (81 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 164
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 565

Team lost all four, with the other team making a late run in each game. Carl and Berta both had decent nights, with Brian adding a 152 second game.

After winning one point from “The Incredibowls”, “Spare Parts” stand in 11th place, 11 points behind the aforementioned team. “The Incredibowls” lead by two points over “Sweet Rolls” and “Split Happens”. Wednesday night’s opponents will be “The 5 G’s”.

“The Four Stooges” ended up taking a lion’s share five of seven from the team that went into the week in second place, “X-Rated”. Our lead is now eight points over both “License To Strike” and “The Fifth Element”.

My Week 26 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

I had a good first game, but things went downhill from there, with “speed kills” being the theme of the night: When I was too fast, the ball never turned the corner. I also don’t want to use it as an excuse, but my mood was quite down due to finding out of the passing of an old Internet friend yesterday.

Result: 182-138-124=444
Average (78 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 166
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 547

The team generally followed my lead, meaning only one point on the night, though Berta and Pat had over-average nights.

After failing to win a point against “Split Happens,” “Spare Parts” fell into a tie in points for 9th place with “The Doables,” nine points behind a tie at the lead between “The Incredibowls” (tomorrow night’s opponents) and the aforementioned “Split Happens.” “Dee’s Boys III” is just a point behind the lead in 3rd.

“The Four Stooges” had the vacant last week, and won the maximum seven points. Combined with other matches falling favorably, our lead increased to six points over “X-Rated”.