SHARON BREAKS 600 IN A BIG WAY!

Sharon has been working so hard to get her first 600 series and tonight it happened at Stars in Vacaville. Sharon didn't just barely clear the hurdle for that 600. She went big with scores of 201-285-186 for an incredible 672 series! Well done, Sharon!

WEEK 6 STATS POSTED

I picked up an advance copy of the league stat sheet for next week. You can view it on the STAT SHEETS page. This is a good one with Blockheads all over the listings of league leaders for the week and the season. It's also nice to see us maintaining our position in first place.

EVENTS AT DANVILLE BOWL

Check the TOURNAMENTS page for a flier about the Bowling For Veterans tournament at Danville Bowl on November 10th. It's a no-tap tournament and while I generally have no use for no-tap bowling, this is a very good cause. If we're not working overtime that day or bowling somewhere else, I think I might enter.

Also, Danville Bowl will be holding a weekly Monte Carlo game on Thursday nights at 7:00. I don't have any details or a money shot chart yet but I will pick up a flier on my way home Wednesday night.

PENNY PINCHERS LEAGUE

I saw this flier on the counter as I left Diablo Valley Bowl last night. It seems they're trying to get people bowling on Monday nights. If they get a bunch of teams to sign up for this new league, maybe we should consider cutting our league short and joining up with them. I know Jeff and Bill are unhappy about the current state of the Over The Wall league.

In my opinion, five teams isn't enough to make a league worthwhile. There's only three bowlers per team in this new league. If we were to join it, we could rotate one of us out each week. I'd rather do that than bowl an entire season in a five team league.

WEEK 6 RESULTS

It took us awhile to get a feel for the lanes but once we did, we turned it on with a vengeance. The first game was a tie at 627-627. Then we turned it up to 688 to win the second and floored it to 805 to win the third. Also in the third, Sharon, Olivia, and I had clean games (no open frames). We came away with 3.5 of the 4 points for the night and maintained our position in first place.

Sharon scored the women's high game with a 234 in the third game (which also tied the men's high game). Olivia scored a 199 and came ever so close to nailing her first sanctioned 200 game. The Coach and I bowled our high series for the season while as a team, our 805 was the high game for the entire league. Our 2120 series was our team's high series but a bit short of the league's high. (We'll work on that next week.)

WEEK 6   01  02  03  SER   AVG  G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon  152 148 234  534 178.0 18  3003 166.8 234  540
Olivia  127 124 199  450 150.0 15  2224 148.3 199  492
Mark    161 232 217  610 203.3 18  3475 193.1 233  610
Gary    187 184 155  526 175.3 18  2813 156.3 199  526
TEAM    627 688 805 2120 176.7 69 11515 166.9 805 2120

WEEK 5 STAT SHEET POSTED

While I was at Diablo Valley Bowl last night for the Showcase league, I picked up a copy of our current stat sheet. You can click on the STAT SHEETS tab above to see the stat sheets for each week of the season. You will find Sharon's name all over the new one.

WEEK 5 RESULTS

It's a sweep for The Blockheads!

Olivia was absent but it was still a solid night for The Blockheads. Sharon, The Coach, and the team registered their high series for the season to pull off a four-point sweep over Team 5 and maintain first place. Team Five started the night in second place, only half a game behind us. The sweep put them 4.5 games back in third place. One Pin Standing entered the night in third place but they took 3 of 4 from Jeff & Co. to move into second place, two games off our pace.


WEEK 5  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 184 189 167  540 180.0 15 2469 164.6 198  540
Olivia 147 147 147  441       12 1774 147.8 170  492
Mark   196 216 191  603 201.0 15 2865 191.0 233  609
Gary   199 141 147  487 162.3 15 9836 152.5 199  487
TEAM   726 693 652 2071 172.6 57 9395 164.8 742 2071

WEEK 4 RESULTS

It was confirmed Monday that we did indeed win 3 out of 4 points in week #2. We thought we were 1-3 but there was an error in the handicapping. Once the handicap was corrected, the game we thought we lost by five pins was a win and we earned the point for total pinfall.

We were off our game this week.

As for this week's bowling, we did indeed lose three out of four this time. We won the second game but that was it. That's How We Roll won the first and third games plus the point for total pinfall. We didn't bowl poorly but we weren't sharp except for Sharon who scored her high game and tied her high series for the season. Our record is now 11-5. We held onto first place by a half point over Team 5 and one point over Team 3 (One Pin Standing). Team 5 is our opponent next week (on Coach's favorite pair of lanes) so we'll soon have a chance to put some distance between us.

I picked up an advance copy of next week's stat sheet which you can view by clicking on the OVER THE WALL tab just below the page header.  Here are our scores from Monday night:

WEEK 4  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 127 178 198  503 167.7 12 1929 160.8 198  503
Olivia 166 126 136  428 142.7 12 1774 147.8 170  492
Mark   165 182 189  536 178.7 12 2262 188.5 233  609
Gary   146 145 168  459 153.0 12 1800 150.0 197  460
TEAM   604 631 691 1926 160.5 48 7765 161.8 742 2002

WEEK 3 RESULTS

Can't complain about winning 3 of 4.

After last week's struggles we needed to bounce back strong this week and we did. We bowled very well in the first two games and it was good enough to earn two wins and the point for total pinfal. Coach and I fell off a cliff in the third game so we lost that one even though Sharon and Olivia had good scores. 3 out of 4 isn't bad and we'll take it.

Sharon and Olivia set new High Game and High Series marks this week. As a team, we topped our previous High Series by 45 pins.

The stat sheet shows we won 3 of 4 points last week but I'm almost certain it's an error. I believe there will be a correction to follow that will show we won only 1 of 4 in week #2. Assuming a correction is in order, our overall record is 8-4. If we did somehow go 3-1 instead of 1-3 last week, our record is 10-2.

WEEK 3  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 165 175 163  503 167.7  9 1426 158.4 175  503
Olivia 167 170 155  492 164.0  9 1346 149.6 170  492
Mark   214 214 137  565 188.3  9 1726 191.8 233  609
Gary   142 175 125  442 147.3  9 1341 149.0 197  460
TEAM   688 734 580 2002 166.8 36 5839 162.2 742 2002

WEEK 2 RESULTS

We went cold at times tonight.

We were off our game a bit last night and the One Timers took advantage to claim two of the three games plus the point for total pinfall. We should have won the second game but Coach and I missed one-pin spares in the tenth frame and we lost that game by five pins. Most of the time, we could hit those shots with our eyes closed but this time we didn't come through. All we can do is learn from it and keep working to get better. There's no point in kicking ourselves over it. If we keep practicing the way we did last weekend, I have no doubt our scores will improve. The 1-3 week puts us at 5-3 for the season.



WEEK 2  01  02  03  SER   AVG  G PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 138 169 137  444 148.0  6  923 153.8 169  479
Olivia 167 154 124  445 148.3  6  854 142.3 167  445
Mark   203 168 181  552 184.0  6 1161 193.5 233  609
Gary   135 126 178  439 146.3  6  899 149.8 197  460
TEAM   643 617 620 1880 156.7 24 3837 159.9 742 1957

MORE WORK ON THE TEN PIN

The Coach, Olivia, and I had a practice session this morning in which we targeted the ten pin much like Sharon and I did last night. We shot two full games at the ten pin and made some decent progress. Each of us found a line we were comfortable with and we were hitting the ten pin at a rate greater than 50%. When we hit our targets, we hit the ten pin. Now we need to keep at it and get some repetition so we hit our target consistently.

CONQUERING THE TEN PIN

Sharon expressed a desire to defeat her old nemisis, the dreaded ten pin. It's something I need to work on as well so we dedicated a practice session to it. We bowled after work Saturday and started with four full games doing nothing but shooting at the ten pin.

WEEK 1 RESULTS

The season is underway and we had a pretty good start. Unfortunately, we don't know how we fared in the standings because our opponents didn't show up. I'm not sure how the league is going to handle this. Since they didn't attend the league meeting, they're not aware we voted out post-bowling this season. The league may let them slide and do it just this once. If it's ruled a forfeit, we're 4-0 because we bowled over our team average in the first and third games and only nine pins below it in the second. (We have to bowl within 40 pins of our team average to earn a win when the other team forfeits.)

It looks like we might be down to six teams this season. Four of the teams that had signed up to bowl didn't turn up. I hope their absences were because of circumstances beyond their control. We should know next week if they're in or out.

Here are our scores from tonight:

WEEK 1  01  02  03  SER  G   AVG
Sharon 154 158 167  479  3 159.7
Olivia 139 125 145  409  3 136.3
Mark   191 185 233  609  3 203.0
Gary   135 128 197  460  3 153.3
Total  619 596 742 1957 12 163.1

THE NEW SEASON IS UPON US

Are The Blockheads ready for 2012-2013?

We start the new season tomorrow night. We have our league meeting at 6:00, then we bowl at 6:30. Pull your bowling shirt out of the closet and have it ready to go!

PRACTICE AT DIABLO VALLEY BOWL

Sharon follows through

Sharon, The Coach, and I met at Diablo Valley Bowl yesterday afternoon for a tune up before our season begins Monday night. We worked especially hard on our spares. In the end I think everyone felt better about their games than when we started. Sharon finished strong with a clean 206. Unfortunately, Olivia wasn't able to join us.

MONTE CARLO AT CLAYTON VALLEY BOWL

The Coach had to back out and Olivia didn't turn up so it was just Sharon and I bowling tonight.
It was a light turnout with only four lanes of Monte Carlo bowlers. The strike pots were only $25 for each game because of the low attendance.  There were still other opportunities to score some cash with some well-times strikes and spares but we didn't hit many of them.

Sharon and I bowled pretty well but we won only about $10.00 each. We weren't drawn for any of the strike pots. Sharon hit a $7.00 strike during the regular part of the game. I made my money almost entirely on $1.00 shots.

Since Sharon and I were the only ones from the team bowling, we still weren't able to discuss any of the tournaments coming up soon.

SPORT DOUBLES 23 - SWEEPER

Our summer season is officially over. Olivia and I bowled in the sweeper for Sport Doubles 23 tonight but neither of us finished in the money. The Highway To Hell pattern was pretty tough on us.

We have two weeks to go before the Over The Wall league begins on September 10th. I suggest we get together for some practice before then.

MONTE CARLO AT PADDOCK BOWL

We were supposed to meet early at Paddock Bowl tonight to discuss the possibility of entering some tournaments but Olivia didn't show up. Maybe we can get together to practice one night this week and discuss it then. If not, there's a Monte Carlo night at Clayton Valley Bowl next Saturday night. The tournaments we need to discuss can be found in the tournament listing over in the right column.

Kate hosted the Monte Carlo game which was good but the money shots were few and far between. Kate added some extra contests to compensate for the lack of money-winning opportunities. Still, none of us won much money tonight. I shot 258 in the second game but won only $3.00 because the colored pins weren't coming up. The Coach's ticket was drawn for the dollar pot which was worth over $280.00 but he didn't hit the strike. At least the bowling was good.

MY LANE PLAY

Screen shot from My Lane
Play's frame-by-frame mode

Yesterday I mentioned My Lane Play (for Android), a bowling application that helps bowlers track everything imaginable about their games. It catalogs the balls in one's arsenal, the places one bowls, and the outcome of every frame of league, tournament, or open play that one cares to record.. It keeps statistics and notes for any part of the game a bowler desires.

My Lane Play allows one to enter the frame-by-frame results of each game. After each shot in frame-by-frame mode, one selects each pin left standing. At the end of the game, it will display the single-pin and multi-pin spare percentages, the strike percentage, the pocket hit percentage, the crossover percentage, etc. It will collect this information for all of the games one saves. It can be broken down by league, tournament or practice, by oil pattern, and by bowling center.

ONLINE USBC MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

It's now possible to  renew our USBC memberships through the USBC's website BOWL.com. Whether it's a renewal of an existing membership or joining for the first time, it can be handled online by clicking here.

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 14 RESULTS

This was the final week of the season before our sweeper next week. It was a double position round so we bowled both sets against the same team. We were in 15th place so that matched us with the 16th place team of Kadi Whiteside and Curtis Elmore.

SUMMER BOWLING SEASON IS WINDING DOWN

We have only two weeks to go for the sport doubles league. It's a position round for both sets on Monday, August 20th. Then we have our sweeper on August 27th and the summer season is done. There will be one Monday off (September 3rd) before the Over The Wall season gets started on September 10th.

I was checking the calendar and found that Columbus Day will be observed on Monday, October 8th. If you've looked at the tournament listings over in the right margin, you may have noticed the 10th Annual Storm National Mixed Championships being held at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno. There are team, doubles, and singles events. Since we have Monday off for Columbus Day, we could make it a three night stay in Reno. We head to Reno on Friday, bowl that weekend, roll out of Reno Monday morning and get back in plenty of time for our regular league bowling on Monday night. We will have college and pro football plus the baseball playoffs to wager on while we're in Reno. What do you think?

SPORT CHALLENGE DOUBLES 23 - WEEK 13 RESULTS

Our first set tonight was with Kevin and Lisa Burney. There wasn't a lot of handicapping involved as Lisa had to spot Olivia only 8 pins while Kevin and I were even. We lost the first game but rebounded to win the second with Team Burney edging us in total pinfall. On the head-to-head side, Olivia and Lisa split while I outscored Kevin in both games. Overall, the score was 5-5.

POT 'O' GOLD

Sharon, The Coach, and Olivia
at Hooters restaurant in Dublin

We started our bowling night at the Hooters restaurant near Dublin Bowl. The service was a little slow but the food was good and they had the A's vs. White Sox game on the big screen. (A's 9, White Sox 7!) Each of us had hopes of winning one of the strike jackpots in Dublin Bowl's Saturday night Pot 'O' Gold game. Pot 'O' Gold is Dublin Bowl's version of Monte Carlo bowling.

HIGHWAY TO HELL

Monday night was our last on the Carmen Salvino pattern. Next week we move on to Highway To Hell. This is what Bowlingdigital.com has to say about it:


WARNING!


"With an increased amount of conditioner outside, the Highway To Hell is a low latitude ratio pattern with very little left to right shape to help guide the bowling ball towards the pocket. Each player will have to decide and make sense of their ball reaction to decide what’s best for them to find their way down the HIGHWAY TO HELL!"