Last week’s three-point night against “VAKINC” was much-needed, as it allowed “The Flintstones” to climb to within a point of “Foxy SRS” for ninth place in the second half. With six weeks left in the season, there is still plenty of time to get out of last place. At the top of the standings, “The Dynasty” hold a three-point lead on “The Wild Samoans,” with the margin coming as a direct result of a testy match last week. We face the latter team tomorrow night.

My Week 29 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

This was not the best night I’ve ever had: a couple of washouts ruined the first game, and I was really fishing for something second game, but when I paid more attention to my mechanics and found the line in the third game, the strikes came, and I had my best game in weeks. Now, if I could just be that consistent all night…

Result: 164-144-220=528
Average (87 games): 185
Average for last 9 games: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 572

That third game was my best clutch bowling in a long time, as well, as the issue was still in doubt when I came up in the 10th frame. Combine that with a close first-game loss and a comfortable win in the second game, and “The Flintstones” actually got 3 points against what is now a decent team.

It was made official last night: with a tie in the first game and winning the third game against “Fantastic Four” last week, “Size 11’s,” the team I belonged to, won the first BowlingCommunity Mixed Virtual League championship. I have thanked my teammates publicly on the BowlingCommunity.com forums, but I’d like to do so again here…”leftykev” was pretty clutch the whole way, and while “Don_Ebarb” struggled early, he came on later to become a good contributor. I look on the 641, bowled as a make-up when my real league was snowed out and while I was still a bit sick with a cold/flu, as a personal highlight.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in this first virtual league…I’m sure there will be more of them. 😀

“The Flintstones” have not seemed to be able to get anything going in the second half, and the slide has continued to the point where we’re now 3.5 points in back of “Double D” for 9th place. The last round-robin, a partial one, as there are only 6 weeks left in the season before the roll-off, starts this week with my team against “VAKINC,” who have crept up to third place for the second half, 5.5 points behind “The Dynasty,” who lead “The Mustangs” by 5 points.

My Week 28 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Although I would have liked to have had my first game back, I felt I bowled better overall in the other two games than I have in a few weeks, especially in the third game, where I made a tough 3-9-10 split to stay clean, and I took the clean game to the end for a 213.

Result: 149-186-213=548
Average (84 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 179
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 629

When Eileen beats all of her teammates scratch in a game, including me, something’s wrong, and that was exactly what happened in the first game (she had a 155). John and Carl had good second games to help us take our only point of the night. The night belonged to Carl Nordstrom, however: he took a perfect game possibility into the 10th frame in Game 1, but left a nasty ringing 10 on the first ball of the 10th and finished up for a 279. Adding a 221 and a 278, Carl had a 778 tonight, the high set this season in the league…another strike or two in the second game, and he would’ve had the 800 series.

In a seven-point league, odds are that if you take five points each week, you stand a good chance of winning the championship, and that’s more or less what “Size 11’s” have been doing this season. Last week was another case in point, as we took five points from “Pretty Much Average,” and, as things turned out, my team improved its position by one point, now sitting on top by three points.

This week is the position week, and the second-place team is “Fantastic Four.” We win the league championship outright if we lose no more than 4.5 points to them (possible by losing two games, but winning one by enough to tie for total), and we still win a share of the championship if our opponents take two games and total. Any more, and we could slide as far back as third place (which can happen if we get swept and “Where’s My Team?” sweeps “4 Marksmen”).

“The Flintstones” may still be mired in the basement, but the deficit to 9th place is still only a manageable 2.5 points to “Double D.” “The Dynasty” now hold a three-point lead over “The Mustangs.” Tomorrow night’s opponents are “The Generations,” who, after a good start to the second half, have slipped to the middle of the pack.

My Week 27 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

From my comment on BowlSK:

Unlike last week, the outside wasn’t really available because the back-ends were too dry. I at least had 3 semi-decent games instead of throwing in a bad one. The 10 continues to be a recent problem pin.

Result: 184-176-171=531
Average (81 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 174
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 616

The team was largely average all night, though John had a good first game to help us take that game’s point, our only one of the night, as it turned out.

“Size 11’s” were the beneficiaries of having an entire team go absent (fail to submit scores) last week (I won’t show the team up here by naming them, but those who have been following the league’s blog entries will know who they were); that, combined with “Pretty Much Average” getting swept meant that my team has taken over the league lead with two weeks left. The margin is two points over “Where’s My Team?” and four points over “4 Marksmen.”

As I reported on Wednesday night, my team had a 3/4 night, and “Foxy SRS” “cooperated” by taking only one point themselves, so the deficit to 9th place for us has been cut in half. At the top, “The Dynasty” (next week’s opponents) hold a two-point lead on “Warren’s Girls.”

Individually, Eileen had both the high handicap game and high handicap series for the week, leading her average division for the week on a scratch basis, and John had the high scratch game in his average division.

My Week 26 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

As I said in my BowlSK comment, I just wished I thought to try the outside sooner, or the first game might have been different. Missing single pins didn’t help, either, but it should be said that I made both of my 7s tonight; I missed the 10 twice, so that was the bigger problem.

Result: 148-213-172=533
Average (78 games): 186
Average for last 9 games: 172
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 586

Both John (215-514) and Eileen (174-462) had personal best games and series tonight, so that was the big part of taking 3 of 4 points. 😀

Week 9 of my virtual league saw my team, “Size 11’s,” pull off yet another five-point night, this time against “Where’s My Team?,” which included a buddy from the chat, “VampyreBowler” (though he hasn’t been on the chat recently). With three weeks remaining, my team is now solidly in third place, only two points behind “Pretty Much Average,” whom we’ve yet to bowl against in the round-robin portion of the schedule.

When the last place team loses to the next-to-last team, the former team can’t move up, of course, but, for the record, the gap between us and 9th place is now four points. “The Dynasty” and “Warren’s Girls” (this week’s opposition) are now tied for the second half lead, two points in front of “The Generations.”

My Week 25 bowling, frame-by-frame (Link to series on BowlSK)

Bright spots: first game was clean, and I made all of my single pins tonight. Bad spot: I wish I had more single pins to shoot at, especially in the third game, when I had three splits, one of which I just missed converting.

Result: 201-157-144=502
Average (75 games): 187
Average for last 9 games: 173
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 636

John followed up his 213 of last week with a good night, shooting in the 450s. Unfortunately, the team only took one point.

Week 8 found “Size 11’s” taking 5/7 from “Hambones,” a team which includes another chat buddy, “Dennis Michael,” and we did so despite both of my teammates outscoring me (I didn’t even beat our vacancy). The standings now find us in a tie for 3rd in points with “Pretty Much Average,” just two points behind “4 Marksmen.” Eight points still separate first place from seventh, but time is starting to run out for the teams near the bottom, as there are four weeks left in the league.

My team may have taken 3 points this week, however, so did “Foxy SRS,” which meant my team was still mired in the basement for the second half. The aforementioned team happen to be our opponents next week. At the top of the standings, “The Generations” hold a one-point lead on “The Dynasty” and “Warren’s Girls.”

Individually, John’s 213 did qualify him for the new USBC 200 game award, which is now a refrigerator magnet rather than a patch you can put on a shirt. He also had the high handicap game and series for the week. 😀

My Week 24 bowling (Link to series on BowlSK)

I had a handful of bad shots, but the skinny was that if I had been able to carry my high 4 pin tonight, things might have been different. I seemed to have success playing a more direct line to the pocket, but just couldn’t really string anything.

Result: 186-168-166=520
Average (72 games): 187
Average for last 9 games: 181
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 574

Team took 3 of 4 tonight, but the highlight of the night was John’s third game: not only was it his first game of 200 or better (213), but it was also his first clean game. We made sure John got the printout of the game at the control desk, and I’ll be scanning my copy of tonight’s recap sheet to send to him. Eileen had a good night, too, barely missing a 400 set. 😀

“Size 11’s” had another good week last week, taking 5 of 7 from “Team 3,” with “leftykev” pacing my team with a 706 set, while the first game was won by our opponents on a 268 by “Matrix900” and a 233 by “Dick.” The league has become very competitive, with just 8 points separating first place from 8th. My team holds down the 4th spot, 3 points behind “Pretty Much Average” for the league lead. It should be noted that if the round robin sets up like most schedules, my team will face “Pretty Much Average” in the week before the position round, and that match-up could be for position.

Nothing has changed for us in the standings…then again, nothing can change (at least positively) if you’re in last place and fail to win points. That said, the gap between 9th place (held down by “Foxy SRS”) and us is only two points, and it’s still early in the second half. At the top of the standings, “The Generations” hold a one-point lead over a logjam at second between “Butz-N-Gutz,” “The Mustangs,” and “Warren’s Girls.”

My Week 23 bowling (Link to series on BowlSK)

I observed something fairly disturbing toward the end of the night last night: even with recent improvement, my problems making my 7 pin crept back into my game. I don’t know if I was sapped because of a recent battle with a bad chest cold, but I don’t really want to make that an excuse because of the 641 I shot last Saturday for my virtual league score while feeling fairly worse.

Result: 183-193-162=538
Average (69 games): 188
Average for last 9 games: 182
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 602

My team once again failed to take a point, with our best chance coming in the first game, where I needed strikes to at least keep the pressure on the opposing anchor, but left the “ghost” 8 with the first ball in the 10th.