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

The way I’ve been bowling, there has to be a bad game in a set somewhere, and tonight, it was the first game. If I just make all of my spares in that game, I probably threaten a 600. On the good side, my left side was less of a problem than it has been, as I only missed one of the spares I had on that side, and I made the lone 7 pin I had. However, two of the missed spares in the first game were single 10s, and I missed one other 10 without picking a single one up on the night.

Result: 149-189-208=546
Average (87 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 189
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 537

Berta was absent (and will be again next week), and, with the tear she’s been on, we could’ve used her tonight, as we failed to win a point. A bystander who took one of the lanes on my pair after we bowled told me he thought my teammates let me down, to which I only told him, “That’s bowling.”

“Diamond Flush” won just the third game against “Presto,” but by enough to eek out a win on total pins, for three points on the week (This was better than we did against them in Week 1, where we failed to win a point). We now sit in 9th place, 20 points behind “Ordinary Average Guys” but 6 points ahead of “Kingpins” in the cellar. “Ordinary Average Guys” lead “Got Wood?” by 7 points.

Last week was one of the highest scoring that I could remember, as there were two honor games (a 300 by “Joe Bowler” and a 296 by “Lumpytire”), 4 279 games, and 2 other games in the 270s. “Lumpytire,” in fact, had one of the 279 games, as well, and only missed having the 5th 800 series in league history by a pin. The scoring frenzy prompted me to look for a report in Perfect Secretary that gave league-wide average information: The league-wide average this season has been 201.08, and last week’s average across the league was 205.23, more than four full pins higher.

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

Tonight was, though lower scoring, similar to last week in the staying clean department. I had basically the same number of open frames, and reduced the number in my bad game by one; I just couldn’t strike for the life of me in the bad game. A plus was that I had 11 single pin leaves that I could shoot at for spares, and made all but one of them (a 7 that I didn’t hook at enough).

Result: 204-152-212=568
Average (84 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 180
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 561

Berta was over 500 herself again tonight, and just about everyone else did enough that we won all four points.

With my team close to the lead this late in the half, it’s getting time for me to pay attention to what the teams around us are doing. “The 5 G’s” also took all four points tonight, but “Dee’s Boys II” only took three, so the result of the night is that we remained in a tie with “The 5 G’s” for second place, but climbed to within two points of the leaders, “Dee’s Boys II.”

I’ll comment with next week’s opponent when I know if any of my teammates led their division this week (Berta has a good shot at something this week.).

“Diamond Flush” failed to win any points against “Ordinary Average Guys,” and dropped all the way to 9th place, 18 points behind the aforementioned team and only 5 points ahead of “Kingpins” at the bottom of the standings. “Ordinary Average Guys” are now 7 points ahead of a logjam at second place between “Executionists,” “2-bit Bandits,” and “Got Wood?”.

After splitting against “The Mustangs,” “Pinfall Wizards” maintained a tie in points for second place with “The 5 G’s” and continued to creep closer to the lead, as we’re now just three points behind “Dee’s Boys II.” “The Incredibowls” are this week’s opponents.

Individually, Berta had both the high scratch game and series for the women.

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

I told “CoachJim” about my issue with turning the hand early over the weekend, and he suggested giving an article Joe Slowinski wrote a couple of years ago about use of the balance arm a look. The balance arm point was the one I tried to keep in mind tonight, and the result was my best night in two months. I fell apart in the third game, but I did have 22 clean frames out of the first 23, and my second game (the clean one) may have been my best of the season based on feel.

Result: 207-220-161=588
Average (81 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 176
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 523

Berta keeps improving, as she improved on her high series with a 546 (a personal best, of course). After losing a close first game, the second game was a big blowout in our favor, but the other team recovered from that to take the third game for another split of the points for us.

“Diamond Flush” was getting 55 pins per game from Team 10, but still could only win the first game, and that with the help of an 11 in a row 290 game from “jbungard.” My virtual team now sits in a tie for 5th in points with “Mooseknuckles,” 11 points behind “Ordinary Average Guys,” who are two points ahead of both “Executionists” and “Got Wood?”.

My teammate’s 290 was not the only honor score of the week, however, as “General Pounder” also had a 290 game, and “Norm3v” submitted what was his first ever 300 game.

“Pinfall Wizards” slipped into a tie in points for second place with “The 5 G’s” after splitting with “Bottoms Up!”, but did gain ground on the lead, as the deficit between 2nd and “Dee’s Boys II” in first was reduced to four points. “The Mustangs” await my team in the coming week.

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

Given my average this year, this was a bad night within reason, but I’m used to averaging 180+. This night was my season in a microcosm, with bad shots at inopportune times. If I wasn’t turning early, I was missing with the fingers, and it was my lane play keeping it within reason.

Result: 166-147-159=472
Average (78 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 159
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 592

Brian pre-bowled, and two members of the other team were absent, so it was a mercifully quick night. The three bowlers present on the other team did well enough to take the second game by what turned out to be more than enough for total. Brian’s good third game proved instrumental in us saving our second point.

“Diamond Flush” only managed to win the second game against “Executionists,” but did hold position to remain in 5th, 11 points behind “Got Wood?”, who are now four points ahead of the aforementioned “Executionists.”

The good news for “Pinfall Wizards” in the latest standings is that we’re now all alone in second place in the second half standings. The bad news is that we’re still 5 points behind the leaders, “Dee’s Boys II.” “The Mustangs” are coming up on the schedule this week.

My Week 25 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

Last night was another sort of a mixed bag, but at least I felt like I was making better shots overall. The night could’ve started off horribly, but I actually converted the 4-7-10, for the first time in my memory and possibly for my first time ever.

Result: 169-177-180=526
Average (75 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 166
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 545

Team took the first two games, but then had to hold on to save total. Carl and Berta were good in the first two games, and Pat was 40 pins over his average in the third game to support me for total.

“Diamond Flush,” despite low second and third game scores, got out of Week 6 with four points against “Kingpins,” and now stand alone in 5th place, six points behind “Got Wood?”, who lead by two points over “Executionists.”

“Pinfall Wizards,” after our winning week against “Warren’s Girls,” are now tied for 5th in points with “Deadwood,” four points behind “Dee’s Boys II,” who lead “The Incredibowls” and “The 5 G’s” by three points. We have the aforementioned “Deadwood” this week in a duel for position.

Individually, Brian had the high handicap series for the men this week, and Berta the high scratch and handicap series for the women.

My Week 24 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

This was a night I’d prefer not to think about, though I finally had a decent game to start it. In the other games, however, it seemed I was either turning too early, making the ball go high or into the nose, or I didn’t get my fingers in the shot, causing balls that just wouldn’t flip. My spare ball was also seeming to back up when I threw it at my left side, and Ray thought this might have been because there was more conditioner in the middle of the lane tonight.

Result: 178-128-132
Average (72 games): 172
Average for last 9 games: 161
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 552

Berta finally cracked the 500 barrier, and we’ve been expecting that for a while, but the surprise was that Brian also did so, and the combined performance from those two was needed to take the three points we won. It should also be said that Carl also had one of his better nights.

“Diamond Flush” had another good week, taking all seven points from “2-bit Bandits” and moved up into a three-way tie in points for 5th with the latter team and Team 10, five points behind “Got Wood?”, who are two points ahead of “Ordinary Average Guys.”

“VampyreBowler” submitted a 300 game last week, which helped his team, “Dark Side 2.0,” set new league five-man records for game and series. It happened to come against the then-leading “Ordinary Average Guys.”

After taking only one point from “The 5 G’s,” “Pinfall Wizards” fell into a tie in points for 5th place with “The Mustangs,” four points behind “Dee’s Boys II,” who lead “The Incredibowls” by two points. “Warren’s Girls” will be our opponents in the coming week.

My Week 23 bowling, frame-by-frame (Linked to BowlSK sheet)

I had a better night tonight, but another mixed bag. I had yet another first game where I started out throwing decent shots, but then seemed to lose it in the middle of the game. I am happy that my other games were relatively clean, with just a split in the second game and just a chop in the third.

Result: 150-181-201=532
Average (69 games): 173
Average for last 9 games: 170
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 543

Everyone was fairly steady, but we could only win one point, some of it due to the lead bowler on the other team having one of his better nights.

“Diamond Flush” had our first winning week of the season, taking the lion’s share (five points) from “Dark Side 2.0,” moving into an 8th place tie with “Kingpins.” The deficit is eight points to “Ordinary Average Guys,” who lead “2-bit Bandits” and “Got Wood?” by a point.