I ended up getting a man by the name of Matt Greenstein as one of my teammates, and I took two vacant scores this week so Berta and Brian could start bowling with us next week. I went with Matt’s suggestion of “Pinheads” as the team name. The only notable thing that happened in the meeting was that the league voted to have negative handicaps for teams with averages over 800.

My Week 1 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

My night was marked by a brutal spare game, in which I missed 3 10 pins and couldn’t make any of my cluster leaves. The only reason the second and third games were within reason was that I found a better look at the pocket by balling down to my Hy-Road and circling the heads a bit.

Result: 124-190-168=482
Average (3 games): 160
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 484

Matt averaged 137 on the night, improving in each game. The team only won the third game, with the first game being possible if I had not had a horrible game.

The roll-off for my league tonight was a rematch of last year’s, with “The Incredibowls” having won the first half and “The 5 G’s” the second half. There were two things different this year: Nick Gomes was no longer a member of the “G’s,” so the team had to take a 140 vacant score, and Ed Godino III was on vacation, and so got an absent 199 (absentee score is average minus 5 in the league).

The result turned out to be much different, as well, as Dana Gomes paced the “G’s” with a 204 first game on the way to a 1,028-895 win (team scores are with handicaps), giving his team an early 133 pin advantage. The second game was a lot closer, with Dwayne Gomes leading his team to a 1,018-1,004 second game win with a 214 game, but then the “G’s” ran and hid from their opponents, as Dwayne and Dana put up 232 games, with Durell Gomes adding a game in the 190s (as the lowest average bowler on the team) to take the third game by 250 pins, 1,125-875, making the final score 3,171-2,774.

Picture of the champions coming (hopefully) after the banquet a week from Saturday.

My Week 35 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

I threw my “new” Nano for the first time in anger tonight, but some of my shotmaking and my spare game didn’t match the caliber of the ball. That said, I did like the look it gave me in the first two games. For the third, I decided to shell down to my Reign of Fire (something I didn’t think would happen at one time), and that allowed me to keep my look.

Result: 165-167-185=517
Final average (105 games): 174
Average for last 9 games: 173

We needed to take at least three points from tonight’s opponents to move ahead of them into third place for the half, and we did just that, winning the first and third games handily. We almost had the second game won, as well, however, we couldn’t get marks at the end, while three of our opponents nearly struck out in the tenth, with two of them working on doubles and the third also working on a strike.

It should be said we had our high handicap series of the season on the last night, a 3,136. I believe, however, we’re going to fall short of a team prize, as “Bowling Stones,” by my estimation at the beginning of the night, was in line for the team high handicap series prize with a 3,141. We were also out of the running for the team high handicap game.

“Diamond Flush” only won the third game in the position round match against “Executionists,” but the two points won were enough to assure us of fifth place outright. Even if we took at least five, “Dark Side 2.0” won more than they needed to secure fourth place.

“Joe Bowler” earned an individual honor, averaging 237.21 for his 48 virtual league games this season to set the league’s record seasonal average, previously held by “sk8shorty01” with a 234.57 for 42 games in the Winter 2011 league.

My Week 34 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

If you’ll refer to my BowlingTracker.com stat sheet, you’ll see that I ended up with a 162+ average on this pair (39-40), and the mediocrity on this pair continued tonight, as I could never really get it together.

Result: 160-169-159=488
Average (102 games): 174
Average for last 9 games: 173
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 610

Berta and Brian were solid tonight; unfortunately, two of the opponents bowled well over their respective averages and took all 4 from us. Even with a sweep by either us or them, “The 5 G’s” could clinch the second half with three points, and they won all four tonight, so they’ll be in the roll-off with “The Incredibowls” in two weeks. Meanwhile, “Dee’s Boys II” moved a point ahead of us for third, and we bowl that team next week.

“Diamond Flush” swept “Kingpins” last week, and are now five points clear of “Executionists,” this week’s position round opponents, in fifth place with one week to go. If my team sweeps and “Dark Side 2.0” takes no more than two points from “Got Wood?”, my team moves into at least a tie for fourth.

“Ordinary Average Guys” are 14 points clear of “2-bit Bandits” in first place, so the former team has clinched the championship in the penultimate week. Congrats to the members of that team: “BOSStull,” “Hunter,” “ijohn83,” “RichL,” and “Rocket Jr.” 😀

As a look at the scheduled matches this week for the teams at the top of the second half standings, the big one involves my team, “Pinfall Wizards,” and “Deadwood” with the winner facing “The 5′ G’s” next week in the second half’s position round. “The 5 G’s” will be opposed by “Bowling Stones” and “Dee’s Boys II” will bowl against “The Incredibowls.”

My Week 33 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

I wasn’t that happy with my first game, but I did make the right adjustments in the other two games, so I was happy with the night overall. No missed single pins, but I couldn’t make anything else, it seemed.

Result: 155-190-207=552
Average (99 games): 174
Average for last 9 games: 181
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 573

Just about everyone had a solid night for my team, resulting in all four points. Looking at the other matches, we pulled into a tie for second with “Deadwood” and are three points clear of the fourth place “Dee’s Boys II,” but “The 5 G’s” won all four tonight as well, so they are now five points in front.

“Diamond Flush” took just the first game from “2-bit Bandits,” but stayed in the tie in points for fifth place with “Executionists,” 25 points behind the leading “Ordinary Average Guys,” who lead “Got Wood?” by 9 points with two weeks left.

After taking only two points from the first place “The 5 G’s,” “Pinfall Wizards” fell into a tie for third with “Dee’s Boys II,” five points behind the leaders and three points behind the second place team, “Deadwood.” There are three weeks left in the second half, and my team bowls against “Warren’s Girls” this week; “The 5 G’s” go against “Bottoms Up!”, “Deadwood” will be opposed by “Bowling Stones,” and “Dee’s Boys II” will be opposed by “The Mustangs.”

My Week 32 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

My start was promising, but then I just lost it, with the 10 pin betraying me the third game, in which I had to go on a run just to save my 500.

Result: 206-159-156=521
Average (96 games): 174
Average for last 9 games: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 600

My team was following my lead all night, but that meant we lost the bulk of the points to the first place team. To be fair, though, when two opponents put up 250s, which they did in the second game, you know you’re in for a longer night than you think.

“Diamond Flush” managed only the second game against “Dark Side 2.0,” but remain separated from the upper half of the league by only pinfall, as we’re tied for fifth in points with “Executionists.” At this point, it’s not a question of making a move on the lead, as “Ordinary Average Guys” are 25 points ahead of us and 12 points ahead of the second-place “Got Wood?”.

After splitting two to two against “Bowling Stones,” “Pinfall Wizards” fell to third place, but are only three points out of the lead held by “The 5 G’s” and just a point behind “Deadwood.” We are a point ahead of “Dee’s Boys II.” Looking at this week’s schedule, my team has a chance to close ground on the lead, as we have “The 5 G’s,” but “Deadwood” has “Warren’s Girls” and “Dee’s Boys II” has “Outta Da Guttah.”

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

As I said in my comment on BowlSK, the night wasn’t disgraceful, as I made my +1 with all three games over my average. It certainly could have been better, however, if I wasn’t butchering my right side early in the night (I missed two 10s and chopped the 3-6 twice.).

Result: 177-190-193=560
Average (93 games): 174
Average for last 9 games: 180
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 596

Berta returned tonight and didn’t seem to miss a beat, as she was again over her average in all three games. The only problem was that we lost the first game by 84 pins, and that was too large a deficit for us to overcome tonight, even though we won the other two games.

“Cryssen” apparently dropped out of the league, and, by rule and available replacements, his place was taken by another bowler, “cgrimes.”

As for the week’s result, “Diamond Flush” won all 7 from “Mooseknuckles” to pull into a tie for 5th with “Executionists,” 20 points behind the leading “Ordinary Average Guys,” who lead “Got Wood?” by 12 points with four weeks left.

“Dave800” had the week’s honor score, a 300 game.

Not an April Fool’s joke, I promise. 😀

A second update this week is needed because “Deadwood” has created a three-way tie for second, with (as noted earlier) “Pinfall Wizards” and “Dee’s Boys II” also involved. The schedule has my team up against the last-place “Bowling Stones,” “The 5 G’s,” the leaders, bowling “Outta Da Guttah,” and “Dee’s Boys II” and “Deadwood” bowling each other.

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

I was fighting it most of the night, but I was happier with my spare shooting than usual, though I could’ve stood to make more spares in the second game.

Result: 190-166-165=521
Average (90 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 181
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 538

After losing the first game by 49 pins, Pat came on strong with two games in the 150s, and Brian had a 172 third game, enabling us to win those two games, and total by 33 pins. “The 5 G’s” took all four points, so they now hold the second half lead, with “Pinfall Wizards” and “Dee’s Boys II” tied in points for second, two behind the lead.

“Pinfall Wizards” fell out of the tie for second place after losing all four points to “Outta Da Guttah,” but remained two points behind “Dee’s Boys II” and are a point behind “The 5 G’s.” Tonight represents a chance to move at least close to the lead: We have the leaders, while “The 5 G’s” will be opposed by “The Mustangs.”

In Week 2 of the winter season, “Diamond Flush” was on the short end of a 4-3 split with “Got Wood?”. Last week, my team got help from an 11 in a row 299 game from “jbungard” and took the lion’s share (5-2) in the rematch. We moved up two spots to 7th as a result, 22 points behind “Ordinary Average Guys,” who got 12 points of separation from the rest of the league, with “2-bit Bandits” and the aforementioned “Got Wood?” tied in points for second.