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