Week #14 Resuls

I walked out without a copy of the scoresheet so I won't have the stats until next week. I doubt anyone will be disappointed since we didn't bowl very well and our opponents did really well. It was an 0-4 pasting at the hands of One Pin Standing that knocked us out of first place.

One Pin Standing is now in first place for the second half with a record of 12.5 and 3.5. We're 3.5 points behind at 9-7. A couple of the other teams may have jumped ahead of us also. I'll add more once I obtain the scores.

Week #13 Results

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Our rematch with The Sleeperzzz didn't work out as well as we hoped. Sharon and Olivia bowled well but The Coach and I slumped on a night we couldn't afford it. The Sleeperzzz were on fire the first two games before cooling off in the third. The result was a 1-3 night.

We gave up 76 pins per game in handicap so we had to at least make our averages to have a chance. All four of us were off target in the first game while The Sleeperzzz were hot and they beat us by 56 pins scratch. With the 76 pin handicap, it was a 132 pin pounding.

Olivia and Sharon stepped up in the second game but The Coach and I couldn't get it in gear. The Sleeperzzz put up another big score which was enough for a 25 pin victory. With a 157 pin edge in total pinfall, The Sleeperzzz had just about locked up three points for the night and they were on the verge of sweeping up a second time.

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Luckily, The Sleeperzzz came back to earth in the third game while Olivia put up her high game of the season (179). This carried us to our lone victory of the night by 39 pins. We held on to first place as I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter, also suffered a 1-3 defeat. One Pin Standing went 3-1 and moved past them into second place. Here are the stats:

        01  02  03  SER AVG

Sharon 146 175 176  497 166
Olivia 107 142 179  428 143
Mark   151 173 152  476 159
Gary   123 133 141  397 132
Total  527 623 648 1798 150

And our stats for the season:

       GMS  PINS AVG
Sharon  36  5864 163
Olivia  27  3559 132
Mark    39  7004 180
Gary    33  5170 157
Total  135 21597 160

Next week we have One Pin Standing (the card players) on lanes 13-14. We'll need to do well to hold onto first place because they're only a half point behind us. Here are the updated standings:

                  2ND HALF   1ST HALF  TOTAL
                   W   L      W   L    W    L
BLOCKHEADS         9   3     24  16   33   19
ONE PIN STANDING   8.5 3.5   17  23   25.5 26.5
I CAN'T BELIEVE..  8   4     19  21   27   25
TEAM 10            6   6     22  18   28   24
TEAM 3             5   7     15  25   20   32
SLEEPERZZZ*        4   8     25  15   29   23
DR. NASHMOYKI      4   8     24  16   28   24
G.O.B.             3.5 8.5   21  19   24.5 27.5

*1st half champions

Christmas Monte Carlo at Diablo Lanes

Page 1 - Event Details

Diablo Lanes in Concord is hosting a Christmas Monte Carlo bowling night on December 23rd. I'm trying to assemble a group to participate in this event. We have plenty of bowlers at the office and I thought it would be pretty cool to get together for an evening of bowling for dollars just before we're off for the Christmas holiday.

So far we have commitments from nine bowlers. I'm shooting for sixteen so we can have four lanes of four bowlers together. We've participated in these Monte Carlo games at Paddock Bowl in Pacheco and Clayton Valley Bowl in Concord and it has always been a lot of fun. The highlight was earlier this year when Cleo Robles nailed a strike worth $231.00 at Paddock Bowl.

Page 2 - Money Shots

This will be our first time for Monte Carlo at Diablo Lanes. Our league bowling experience there has been very good -- much better than it was at Pinole Valley Lanes. The flier says Diablo Lanes may make it a regular event if there's enough interest. I'd like to see that happen. We can probably help by getting a good turnout for this one.

Week #12 Results

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We had Team 3 on the schedule last night and came away with our second consecutive four point sweep. There wasn't much of a struggle in the first two games. We won the first by 68 and the second by 49. However, the third game was a tight one much like the three nail-biters we experienced last week. Team 3 jumped out to an early lead and held it almost for the entire game. Sharon, Olivia, and I brought us in close with a barrage of strikes and spares in the tenth frame. It was left in the hands of The Coach.

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The Coach got a taste of the late game drama we experienced last week in his absence. We were down to our last frame and 15 pins behind. He had to give us at least a spare and a six count on the bonus shot to pull out the victory. His first shot left a 7 pin. The Coach focused hard like Jack Nicklaus standing over a pressure putt as Sharon, Olivia, and I waited anxiously. He nailed the 7 pin much to our relief. His bonus shot came up a little high on the headpin but it was good for an 8 count and a clutch three pin victory.

With the sweep our second half record improved to 8-0. Our overall record stands at 32-16. Here are the stats:

         01  02  03  SER AVG

Sharon  170 164 144  478 159
Olivia  119 125 141  385 128
Mark    199 201 243  643 214

Gary    158 193 136  487 162

Total   646 683 664 1993 166

And our stats for the season:

       GMS  PINS AVG
Sharon  33  5367 163
Olivia  24  3131 130

Mark    36  6528 181

Gary    30  4773 159

Total  123 19799 161

Next week we'll have a rematch with the Sleeperzzz who swept us on Columbus Day. We're practicing Wednesday, 7:00 PM at Diablo Lanes.

Week #11 Results

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The lane conditions were tough and so was the competition. Somehow, we managed to pull off a four point sweep with the margin of victory in each game being five, eleven, and three pins. The Coach was absent but Sharon, Olivia, and I battled our way through it. All three games came down to the last bowler's final frame to determine the winner.

Luckily for us, our opponents, G.O.B. (Team 2), struggled with the lanes as much as we did. For most of the night, strikes were few and far between. It appeared the team that was more successful in converting its spares would come out on top.

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In all three games, we put G.O.B.'s anchorman in a position where he had to strike in the tenth frame to beat us. The tension was high as we sat watching him line up his shots. In the first game, he came up light in the pocket and left a five pin. In the second game, he hit the pocket pretty solidly but left a seven pin. In the third game, he came up a little high and left a 6-10 combo.

Without the strikes we were just beyond their reach. It had to be frustrating for G.O.B. but it was very satisfying for us to win three such close games. It's not too often that two teams are separated by a total of only nineteen pins in a three game series with the outcome being a sweep -- but that's exactly what we accomplished last night.

With the extra point for total pinfall, we improved our record to 28-16. That may be enough to reclaim sole possession of first place if Dr. Nashmoyki earned at least a split in their match with The Sleeperzzz.

Here are our scores from last night:
        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 145 157 125  427 142
Olivia 127 134 133  394 131
Mark   188 132 224  544 181
Gary   ABS ABS ABS
Total  460 423 482 1365 152

And our stats for the season:

GMS PINS AVG
Sharon  30  4889 163
Olivia  21  2746 131
Mark    33  5885 178
Gary    27  4286 159
Total  111 17806 160

Monte Carlo & More Practice

Sharon, The Coach, and I met at Paddock Bowl to play their Monte Carlo game. We arrived early to bowl a couple of practice games before the real action started. Olivia is back from her cruise but she was working at the winery too late to arrive in time for Monte Carlo.

Our practice session went pretty well and we put up some good scores in the Monte Carlo games but we just didn't get many money shots. I had a 269 score in the third game with ten strikes but I won only $4.00 because the right combination of colored pins didn't come up for me.

Olivia arrived when we were close to finishing our second game and stayed to bowl a couple of practice games with me after Monte Carlo was done. Since Olivia has lost so much weight over the past year, her ball doesn't fit quite right. As a result, her hook has flattened out and her striking power has diminshed.

Olivia hasn't been able to take her ball in to the pro shop for some new finger inserts and a new thumb slug. We tried to make due with some extra tape in her thumb hole. Also, I picked up a Robby Rev wrist support which should help her to maintain consistency in her hand and wrist positioning of her delivery.

The taping and the Robby Rev seemed to help as Olivia was getting more break on her hook shots. The Robby Rev takes some getting used to but she adjusted pretty well. I shot some video so you can see for yourself.

Most Pins Over Average (MPOA) Tournament

All four of us qualified for this weekend's MPOA tournament at Diablo Lanes. To qualify, one has to finish as one of the top three men or women on one of our regular league bowling nights. Each of us accomplished this since we started bowling in September.

The tournament begins Sunday at 6:30 PM. The check in begins at 5:30 PM. The cost is $20.00 (lineage $8.25, prize fund $8.00, Bowler of the Year Tournament $3.75).

The tournament flier and Diablo's website are kind of sketchy about the details. So far as I can tell, the MPOA tournaments are held on the third Wednesday of each month with November 2010 being the last month. The male and female bowlers to score the highest over their averages in these monthly tournaments qualify for the Bowler of the Year Tournament to be held on December 19th. They will use our current averages.

We'll be practicing at Diablo Lanes after work today (Wednesday). Shannon Miller and I will be there at about 5:00. If you can't be there that early, join us at your earliest convenience. I expect to be there at least a few hours.

We also have Monte Carlo Night at Paddock on Saturday night for a final tune-up.

Guys and Dolls: Week #10 Results

We entered the night with sole possesion of first place, holding a two point lead over Dr. Nashmoyki. (If you hadn't noticed, their team name is the blending of two of their first names and two of their last names -- Natalie, Ashley, Moy, and Karki). Week #10 was a position round so the schedule was determined by the standings. First plays second, third plays fourth, fifth plays sixth, etc. Thus, we had a rematch with Dr. Nashmoyki, one of the teams tied for second place.

When the night was done, we found ourselves tied with Dr. Nashmoyki at 24-16. They took 3 of 4 from us for the second time this season. However, it's now a tie for second place. The Sleeperzzz (Team 5) entered the night tied for second place but they earned a four-point sweep against I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter (Team 1) to move past us into first place with a record of 25-15.

Here are our scores from last night:

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 121 161 162  444 148
Olivia ABS ABS ABS
Mark   193 193 192  578 193
Gary   200 171 125  496 165
Total  514 525 479 1518 169

And our stats for the season:

GMS PINS AVG
Sharon  27  4462 165
Olivia  18  2352 131
Mark    30  5341 178
Gary    27  4286 159
Total  102 16441 161

Week #9 Results

We were hot last night! Olivia is on her cruise to Jamaica but Sharon, The Coach, and I had our A games going to compensate for her absence. Sharon and The Coach each scored their high series for the season and I wasn't too far off of mine. Our average game score for the night was 190.

Entering last night, Dr Nashmoyki (Team 6) was in first place with a record of 21-11. We were in second at 19-13. While we were sweeping Team 10, Dr. Nashmoyki were being swept by One Pin Standing (Team 9). This propelled us back into first place with a record of 23-13 compared to Dr. Nahmoyki's 21-15. Here are our scores:

         01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon  154 190 205  549 183
Olivia  ABS ABS ABS
Mark    189 202 217  608 203
Gary    201 193 162  556 185
Total   544 585 584 1713 190

With last night's scores, Sharon's average is up two pins, mine is up three pins, and The Coach's is up four pins. Our team average is 160, up nine pins from October 11.

       GMS  PINS AVG
Sharon  24  4018 167
Olivia  18  2352 131
Mark    27  4763 176
Gary    24  3790 158
Total   93 14923 160

Practice at Diablo Lanes

Since Olivia is going to be gone on her cruise next week, she signed up to pre-bowl next week's series tonight. My daughter and I planned to meet her there to watch and offer emotional support. As it turned out, Olivia wasn't able to bowl. Since I was there, I decided to bowl a few games for practice. I had two cameras in my bag so I shot some video.

Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Game 4

Week #8 Results

We entered the night in a first place tie with Dr. Nashmoyki and that's who we had on the schedule. It was a chance to grab sole possession of first place but we weren't up to the task. We bowled okay but Dr. Nashmoyki was better and we went 1-3 on the night to fall two games behind them.
        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 182 148 176  506 169
Olivia 127  92 102  321 107
Mark   154 187 207  548 183
Gary   168 143 150  461 154
Total  631 570 635 1836 153

Week #7 Results

Now were gettin' somewhere! Olivia was out of action again but Sharon, The Coach, and I were in fine form with series of 540, 533, and 627 respectively. It was a four game sweep that moved us from third place to a first place tie with Dr. Nashmoyki at 18-10.

Practice at Paddock Bowl

Sharon and I bowled a couple of practice games before tonight's Monte Carlo game at Paddock Bowl. I shot some video which is linked below.
Part 1 Part 2

Week #6 Results

We got back on the winning track, going 3-1 for the night with a couple of really close games. We pulled ourselves back up to third place at 14-10. Olivia couldn't be there tonight. Sharon hit her high game of the season with a 217 in the third game while the Coach and I shot respectable scores in the 170s. That was enough to win the rubber game of the match and to claim the total pinfall point.

I was glad to be back in decent form after last week's disasterous performance. My strike line hasn't resurfaced but I was picking up most of my spares which was a huge relief. I bowled the third game with my Black Widow Nasty because my Black Widow Pearl was damaged when it got stuck in the ball return during the tenth frame of the second game. Diablo Lanes is going to repair it for me and I should have it back for next week's games.

Sharon raised her average five pins. Way to go, Sharon!

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 166 158 217  541 180
Olivia ABS ABS ABS
Mark   172 171 175  518 173
Gary   155 132 171  458 153
Total  493 461 563 1517 169

For the season:

       GMS PINS AVG
Sharon  15 2423 162
Olivia  15 2031 135
Mark    18 2980 166
Gary    15 2240 149
Total   63 9674 154

Week #5 Results

Ouch! That was our worst performance of the season by far. Sharon was in Sacramento for the Columbus Day Holiday. I wish I had been, too. Olivia and the Coach might have been able to pull out a game or two. As it was, we were swept and dropped from second place to fifth with a record of 11-9. That's the worst I've bowled since I was a kid. Just awful. I dropped ten pins off my average in one night! I had some problems with my thumb swelling and I wasn't able to find the right taping in the thumb holes of each ball. Everything I tried just made it worse. I'm going out for some extra practice sessions before next Monday. I stunk. Sorry, teammates.

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon ABS ABS ABS
Olivia  89  94 120  303 101
Mark   155 109 109  373 124
Gary   163 176 120  459 153
Total  407 379 349 1135 126

For the season:

       GMS PINS AVG
Sharon  12 1882 157
Olivia  15 2031 135
Mark    15 2462 164
Gary    12 1782 149
Total   54 8157 151

Sharon's Conversion of a 4-6-7 Split

During today's practice session at Paddock Bowl, Sharon converted a 4-6-7 split which I captured on video. Here's the link.

Week #4 Results

We were okay tonight but our opponents, Team 3, bowled really well and they took three of the four points. Our record is now 11-5 which drops us into a second place tie with Team 3 behind Dr. Nashmoyki (Team 6) who are 12-4.

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 154 190 205  549 183
Olivia 154 137 152  443 148
Mark   142 193 184  519 173
Gary   174 133 155  462 154
Total  622 589 690 1901 158

For the season:

       GMS PINS AVG
Sharon  12 1882 157
Olivia  12 1728 144
Mark    12 2089 174
Gary     9 1323 147
Total   45 7022 156 

Week #3 Results

We had our first taste of defeat this season. We split 2-2 which leaves us with a record of 10-2. The Coach wasn't able to bowl tonight.

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 180 150 155  485 162
Olivia 135 131 121  387 129
Mark   222 186 200  608 203
Gary   ABS ABS ABS
Total  537 467 476 1480 164

Here are out totals through the third week.

       GMS PINS AVG
Sharon   9 1405 156
Olivia   9 1285 143
Mark     9 1570 174
Gary     6  861 144
Total   33 5121 155

Week #2 Results

We had another four game sweep tonight. We're 8-0 and in first place.

        01  02  03  SER AVG
Sharon 148 151 169  468 156
Olivia 138 166 133  437 146
Mark   146 175 181  502 167
Gary   168 149 107  424 141
Total  600 641 590 1831 153

Here are our stats through the first two weeks.

       GMS PINS AVG
Sharon   6  920 153
Olivia   6  898 150
Mark     6  962 160
Gary     6  861 144
Total   24 3641 152

2010-2011 Week #1 Results

We opened up the 2010-2011 bowling season at Diablo Lanes last night. Before we bowled, we had a league meeting during which all of the rules, prizes, costs, etc., were explained in detail. This was a quite a departure from the leagues we bowled in last season. We were left in the dark about everything and our questions were seldom ever answered to our satisfaction. Thus, we were off to a better start this season before we ever set foot on the lanes.

The League we're bowling in is called NFL Over The Wall. It has an NFL theme with contests tied into the Monday Night Football game and the season parallels the NFL season. Diablo Lanes has TVs mounted throughout the house so we can watch the game while we bowl -- this aspect of the league should keep The Coach very happy.

Though the business side of the league went without a hitch, we didn't bowl very well. Well, except for Olivia who bowled her best series ever. Sharon, The Coach, and I were well short of your averages. No doubt this was due to a lack of practice. Once we get back to our regular practice sessions, our scores should pick up.

We bowled unopposed in the first week. It would be nice if Diablo can get the league filled out so we won't have to do that again. Here are our scores in the opening week:

        1   2   3  SER AVG
Sharon 135 168 149 452 150
Olivia 128 158 175 461 153
Mark   136 144 180 460 153
Coach  177 136 124 437 145

Reno Trip

We're at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno for......well, we're not exactly certain. With anything involving a league at Pinole Valley Lanes, information is scarce. When the league started we were told we would travel to Reno at the end of the season to bowl in a tournament.

Later we were told our league's sweeper would be held in Reno at the end of the season. The latter would seem unlikely since only seven members of our league made the trip. (We came to Reno on a bus with members of two other leagues from Pinole Valley Lanes.) So as I said earlier, we don't really know what we're doing here except that we will do some bowling.

Week #14 Results

Upon our arrival at Pinole Valley Lanes, we were astonished to find the stat sheet showed us still tied with The Icemen. This was interesting since we were tied entering last week and won four points while The Icemen won only three. Olivia asked Pam about this apparent discrepancy and she was told The Icemen won four points last week. Reggie Van Hook told us his Icemen won only three, so we can't help but wonder if the scorekeeping is on the level.

MONTE CARLO - A $231 STRIKE

I was expeting a big turnout since the dollar prize pot was growing so big but only about ten people showed up to bowl Monte Carlo at Paddock Bowl. As a result, the pot increased only $20.00 to $231.00. Of course, $231.00 is still a pretty nice prize. Cleo Robles's ticket was drawn and she excitedly stepped up to the approach for her shot. She didn't show any signs of nervousness as she buried a perfect hook into the 1-3 pocket. All ten pins were sent flying into the pit and the money was hers!

Week #13 Results

With our four-point sweep of The Strike Force while The Icemen were winning only three of four from The Desperados, we have sole possession of first place again. The Strike Force were in third place before last night but the four losses sent them spiraling downward to no higher than fifth place.

More Monte Carlo

Saturday night was another Monte Carlo night at Paddock Bowl. Our usual hostess, Kate, had the night off and the man who replaced her was about as electric as Ben Stein. I'm sure everyone would like to see Kate back at the microphone next week. Olivia, Sharon, The Coach, and I enjoyed ourselves even though the atmosphere was lacking without Kate. The bowling was good even though the money shots weren't so plentiful. I think Sharon was the only one in our group who won any more than a few dollars. Olivia had a shot at the dollar pot worth $211.00 but she didn't strike. That money will roll over to next week and I expect it will be worth at least $250.00. I suspect we'll have a big turnout next week with the pot getting so big.

More Video

Here are some more shots of Sharon bowling Monte Carlo at Paddock Bowl.

More of Olivia's Mutant Cell

When Olivia and I went to Al Louie's Pro Shop to pick up her new Mutant Cell, Al mentioned that her thumb slug was (intentionally) slightly large and that she should add one or two pieces of tape for a firm fit. Well, in all the excitement of getting started with a new high performance ball, we forgot about the tape.

You can see there is very little hook on Olivia's shots and most of them come up short of the headpin. One would expect an aggressive high performance ball like the Mutant Cell to hook a lot.

(continued in comments)

Olivia's new ball

Here are some shots of Olivia breaking in her new Mutant Cell from Roto Grip. This is Olivia's first high performance ball. She's still using her Ebonoite Tornado for the spare shots.

Here's some more video of Olivia, just before she got her Mutant Cell.

Sharon's Turn

Sharon seemed a little camera shy but I think she'll enjoy an opportunity to evaluate her technique.

Some Video From Paddock

My daughter shot this.

More Video

Here's The Coach practicing his hook shot.

Week #12 Results

With Sharon's Houses taking three of four from us Monday night we fell into a tie with The Icemen. The good news is it's a tie for first place at 32-16. Sharon's Houses remain five games behind us with a record of 27-21. I don't know how the other matches turned out so I can't post the standings yet.

Video

I finally got around to editing some of the video I've shot over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, Uncle Sam's security software will prevent you from watching the video on your office computer. But you should be able to see it on your home computer without any trouble. Anyway, here's some video of Olivia firing some shots earlier in the season. There will be more soon.

CHEER UP/REVENGE

HELLO FELLOW BLOCKHEADS, WE WILL REBOUND FROM THIS PAST MONDAY NIGHT AGAINST SHARRON'S HOUSES. WE MADE THEM WORK FOR THOSE 3 VICTORIES. YOUNG HOUSE (LAMONT HAD TO BOWL AT 250 OR HIGHER EACH GAME TO DEFEAT US. CONGRATS TO THEM BUT WE WILL SEE THEM AGAIN.

Monte Carlo Night at Paddock Bowl

The Blockheads minus Olivia rode out to Paddock Bowl Saturday for another night of Monte Carlo bowling. Olivia wasn't able to join us this time because she had relatives visiting for Easter. Though Olivia was absent we have a group of six from the office. The Coach and I were joined by Sharon and first-timers Cleo, Aline, and Jeff. Brandon was along for the ride but because of his recent knee surgery, he was limited to spectating and helping us with the automatic scorekeeper.

Week #11 Results

We increased our lead by another point by taking 3 of 4 from The Overcomers. We had some struggles but we adapted except in the second game. But after losing the second game, we came back strong to put up our highest game score of the season in the third game. This also allowed us to claim the extra point for total pinfall.

Wednesday Night Practice

This time we're going to try Kentwig Lanes in Vallejo. According to their ad in Bowling World, it's $1.00 per game after 7:30 on Wednesdays. The price is certainly right. The last time I bowled there was when the Yankees and Padres were playing in the World Series. That was 1998, I think.

Kentwig is easy to find. Take the Magazine Street exit after you cross the Carquinez Bridge and it's right there.

Week #10 Results

We picked up another four point sweep against Incognito to improve our record to 28-12. The Icemen took three of four from Sharon's Houses so we gained one game on The Icemen (26-14) and three games on Sharon & The Houses (22-18).

Monte Carlo Night at Paddock Bowl - Part IV

We had a group of five out for Monte Carlo last night. Sharon Connally was back to strike some more gold. Olivia and her sister, Yolanda, came out. (Yolanda bowled with a broken foot -- what a trooper!) Yolanda had her daughter along, too but she couldn't bowl because you have to be at least age 18 for Monte Carlo. Even The Coach made it as he was able to pry himself away from the March Madness for a few hours.

Practice at Delta Bowl

The plan for tonight is a practice session at Delta Bowl in Antioch at 9:00. Their after hours special isn't all that special -- It's all you can bowl for $15.00. If we bowl six games as we did at Diablo Lanes two weeks ago it will amount to $2.50 per game. That's not so bad.

Match Club

What would you think about joining the Match Club? Pinole Valley Lanes' AMF corporate website doesn't have any information about it but Diablo Lanes' site does which you can check out here.

Week #9 Results

We didn't know until we picked up the new stat sheet that last week's 4-point sweep moved us into first place. We almost had another sweep last night but we were one pin short. We won the first and third games but tied the second to claim 3-1/2 of the 4 points. We were bowling against Dinomite's averages because none of them showed up.

Catching Up

I apologize for going over a week without any new entries. I was preparing for my fantasy baseball league draft when I wasn't bowling. Now it's out of the way, so it's time to get back to bowling.

Last week we swept all four points to improve our record to 21-11. I know it puts us ahead of the Icemen who went 1-3. I don't know the other outcomes but we should be no more than a game out of first place now.

Let There Be Light!

We decided to meet for some practice at Pinole Valley Lanes Saturday afternoon after work. Sharon Connally and Darlene Graham were invited to join us but only Darlene was able to make it. There was a tournament going on so there weren't any lanes available when we met shortly after 4:00 PM.

Practice at Diablo Lanes

We went to Diablo Lanes in Concord tonight for a late practice. On Wednesdays after 9:00 it's $1.00 per game with a $7.00 cover charge.

Practice

Olivia and I had a good practice session after work today at Pinole Valley Lanes. She had an appointment at 7:00 so we got started early. Olivia worked on some things she learned in her most recent lesson with Al Louie. I worked on finding a strike line with my new ball and my left side spares. The Coach wasn't able to join us for this one as he was working late.

Week #7 Results

Our big tumble that saw us go 1 - 7 in weeks 5 & 6 knocked us from first place to fifth. We turned it back around last night to grab three of the four points and improve our record to 17-11.

What's With The Headphones?

Several of the men in this league seem more interested in listening to their music than bowling. In my opinion, putting plugs in their ears and tuning the rest of us out makes them appear aloof and rude. They may be real good guys but how would we know? When we try to talk to them, they can't hear us.

Monte Carlo Night - Part II

We had a group of four at Paddock Bowl for their Saturday night Monte Carlo game. The Coach couldn't make it but Olivia and I were joined by Sharon Connally and Leretha Farley. My daughter, Shannon, tagged along to sample the shrimp tempura special at the cafe and grab any money I won. I covered the format of the Monte Carlo games in an earlier post which you can find here.

GET WELL

HELLO MARK, ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE MOD ESPECIALLY "THE QUEEN" MS DAWN HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER AND RECOVER SOON FROM THE DENIST. TAKE YOUR TIME COMING BACK

Should We Form An Office Bowling Club?

I know we have several friends and colleagues who enjoy bowling but can't bowl every week in a league. I was wondering if we should try to form an office bowling club so we can enjoy some bowling and socializing without locking anyone into a weekly commitment.

Monte Carlo Night Coming Up Soon

It's almost time for another Monte Carlo night at Paddock Bowl in Pacheco. The next one will be held Saturday night (February 27th) at 7:00. I wrote about the experience Olivia and I had at the last one here. They recommend we arrive by 6:30 to sign in and guarantee a spot in the game.

REVENGE

MONDAY NIGHT AT BOWLING, THE LEAGUE DROPPED AT LEAST 3-4 TEAMS. ANYWAY WE HAD TO BOWL REGGIE VAN HOOK'S TEAM THE (ICEMEN) FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE THE LEAGUE STARTED (JANUARY 4) IT SEEMS EVERYBODY WANTS TO TAKE US DOWN. THE BLOCKHEADS WERE IN FIRST PLACE AFTER LAST NIGHT. GREAT GAMES BY STAN AND MIKE BUT REGGIE I SEE YOU NEEDED SOME HELP FROM THE HOUSES. THATS OK. YOU BEAT US BUT THE BLOCKHEADS WILL BE BACK AND THE HOUSES TEAM SORRY (MS SHARRON) I'M COMING TO GET YOUR TEAM I CAN'T WAIT. THE COACH AND MARK AND MS OLIVIA ARE NOW GOING TO WORK AND WE ARE TAKING NO MORE PRISIONERS

Tonight's opponent -- 2 Much

I don't know how 2 Much fared last week but entering the night their record was 9-1/2-6-1/2.

I expect we'll be giving them about 40-50 pins in handicap. If both teams maintained the same average from the previous week, we'll be giving them 46 pins. No doubt there will be some fluctuation with last week's scores included.

Free Bowling Tonight

We can bowl for free from 6:00-8:00 tonight at Pinole Valley Lanes. I'd like to stick around and bowl another game or two after the free period has expired. The Center Finals of the AMF In-League Tournament begin next Monday so we should utilize every opportunity to practice.

My new three-ball roller bag arrived last night so I'll have it with me for tonight's practice. I'm off work at 5:30. Will we have a full crew tonight?

Week #5

Last night we split with Dinomite. We won the first two games but they stormed back to take the third game with a big enough margin to also claim the edge in total pinfall. The Coach and Olivia seemed a bit glum in the third game because we weren't scoring very well. It's disappointing when one misses some easy shots but I don't think it made much difference. Dinomite caught fire and it would have been tough to outscore then in the last game even if all three of us shot over our averages (none of us did).

AMF $500,000 National In-League Tournament

All three of us entered the AMF $500,000 National In-League Tournament. The qualifying round ended February 14th. In Division C, Olivia finished 8th and The Coach finished 26th. In Division B, I finished 8th. As the top 50 scores in each division advance to the center finals, all three of us made the cut!

Monte Carlo Night at Paddock Bowl

Olivia and I ventured out to Paddock Bowl in Pacheco Saturday night for their Monte Carlo Night special. We thought The Coach and Sharon Connally would be there but they weren't able to make it. Paddock's Monte Carlo night event involves bowling three games with pins of different colors that are mixed in with the regular pins. If you roll a strike with the colored pins in certain places, you win cash prizes. Here are the pin combinations and payouts. If you fail to get a strike but leave a colored pin on the deck, you can still win 50 cents by picking up the spare.

New Bowling Balls

The Coach and I picked up new bowling balls last week. After bowling a straight ball for years, The Coach has decided to try rolling a hook with a high performance ball drilled with a fingertip grip. His choice was the Twisted Fury Destruction by Brunswick. In the practice games we bowled, The Coach caught onto the technique of rolling a hook quickly and I believe we'll see it in action during our next match.

I bought a Hammer Black Widow Nasty with which I'm quite pleased so far. I may break it out Monday night also.

We're On Top

After completing the fourth week of our season, we're in first place with a record of 12-4. We were 11-1 after three weeks but the Icemen took 3 of 4 from us last week. We had to bowl without Olivia (who was away in Las Vegas) which took away part of our edge.

Our Team Blog

I thought I'd start a blog so we'd have a forum for our bowling experiences this season. If you have any news, questions, or something you'd like to say, this is a place we can share information.