TEAM PBS: WEEK 12 RESULTS

An update from the 810 Showcase:

TEAM PBS: WEEK 12 RESULTS: After a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, we came back with another successful night, posting a record of 19-8. This improved our recor...

THE COACH'S NEW BALL

The Bandit by Roto Grip

The Coach acquired a new ball to replace his stolen Twisted Fury Destruction. A visit to The Bowler's Advantage and a consultation with Ray resulted in his ownership of a Bandit by Roto Grip. Ray said it will be ready by Friday so The Coach will be able to practice with it this weekend. I think this ball was a good choice.

WEEK 12 RESULTS



1 win, 3 losses

We struggled most of the night and managed only one point. If not for The Coach and Olivia picking us up in the second game, we'd have been swept. As it was, we came out of it 1-3. Hard charging Team 5 went 4-0 to gain three points on us and close our lead to five points. (Hey, Peter. If you're reading this, how about picking a team name already? If you don't, I'm going to name your team Ifrancene VanDerHopper.)

WEEK 12 01  02  03  SER   AVG   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 139 124 184  447 149.0  36  5997 166.6 234  551
Olivia 133 171 102  406 135.3  33  4757 144.2 207  492
Mark   192 145 203  540 180.0  36  6943 192.9 248  625
Gary   153 200 146  499 166.3  36  5809 161.4 206  540
TEAM   617 640 635 1892 157.7 141 23506 166.7 805 2138




Mike's 300 game


A tip of the cap goes out to Mike Tomimoto of the inappropriately named One Pin Standing. Mike left no pins standing as he bowled a perfect 300 in the first game on lanes 15-16. Well done, Mike.

Another tip of the cap goes out to The Coach who deserves a heap of credit for his effort this evening. Someone broke into The Coach's car yesterday and stole his bowling bag. Thankfully, he still had a couple of balls he bought from Brandon a few months ago and he was able to get a new pair of shoes from Pinole Bowlers Supply on short notice. (Thanks, Garrett!) The new shoes were stiff and The Coach had to bowl without his polyester spare ball but he was the only one of us to raise his average tonight. Well done, Coach.

The full stat sheet can be viewed by clicking here or on the LEAGUE STAT SHEETS link in the LEAGUE INFORMATION section in the right column.

JUST MISSED IT!

I almost had a 300 game Wednesday night bowling with Garrett Richardson and Mike Howes at Diablo Valley Bowl. The only blemish was a 4-pin in the 8th frame. My strike in the sixth frame was an ugly Brooklyn shot that I tugged so there was definitely some good luck.

SPARE SHOOTING GAME

The "Jolly Wally" bank

Last season we talked about implementing a game within the game on league bowling nights to make us focus more on our spare shooting. We kicked around a few ideas but we never got around to adopting any of them. The game involved a small fine for missing single-pin spares. The money we collect would be applied to team-oriented costs such as tournament entry fees or bowling shirts.

Make your spare or pay!

As I recall, the cost was going to be 10 cents for missing a 7 or 10 pin, 25 cents for missing a 4 or 6 pin, 50 cents for missing a 2, 3, 8, or 9 pin, and one dollar for missing a 1 or 5 pin. Are the money amounts too high? Should it be 5 cents, 10 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents? Or should all single-pin spares have the same cost such as a dime or a quarter?

Will this help us convert more of our single-pin spares? Perhaps. I have no objection to doing this and I have a bowling pin coin bank in which we can put the money. I set up a poll in the right margin. Cast your vote by 3:00 PM on Monday afternoon. All it takes is one vote of "No" and we won't do it. If we get four "Yes" votes, we'll go with the one that gets the most votes.

WEEK 11 RESULTS

3 wins, 1 loss

The Phantoms were our opponents this week so we had to bowl within 40 pins of our average or suffer a loss. That meant we had to score 623 for a tie and 624 for a win. As we often do, we started slowly and missed the target in the first game with a score of 597. However, we bounced back in the second and third games with scores of 705 and 755. This was good enough for two victores and the point for total pinfall. This improved our record to 34.5-9.5.

A few lanes away, That's How We Roll got a boost from Jon Wat's first ever 600 series and took 3 of 4 from One Pin Standing.  That dropped OPS's record to 25-19 and knocked them down to third place. Team 6 (Peter & Co.) swept Team 6 (Jeff & Co.) and are now in second place with a record of 27.5-16.5. We have a seven point lead in the standings.

WEEK 11 01  02  03  SER   AVG   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 160 176 179  515 171.7  33  5550 168.2 234  551
Olivia 108 140 161  409 136.3  30  4351 145.0 207  492
Mark   184 216 221  621 207.0  33  6403 194.0 248  625
Gary   145 173 194  512 170.7  33  5310 160.9 206  540
TEAM   597 705 755 2057 171.4 129 21614 167.6 805 2138

SATURDAY BOWLING

Olivia at Delta Bowl

I met Olivia and The Coach at Delta Bowl in Antioch for some practice at 9:00 AM. Sharon wasn't able to join us. We couldn't practice at Diablo Valley Bowl because they were hosting a tournament. We chose Delta as an alternate because it was only $2.00 per game. Most of the other places around the East Bay charge $4.50-$5.00 per game for non-league bowlers and we were planning to bowl four or five games.

The Coach endures the party lights

Everything started off fine at Delta Bowl. The place was nearly empty and we had a peaceful environment for our practice. Then just as we were getting warmed up, the place went dark. Soon after, the disco lights and loud music videos came on. It was time for us to go. We didn't have anywhere else to bowl that morning so we called it quits. Though Sharon couldn't bowl with us in the morning, she planned to bowl in the Monte Carlo game at Paddock Bowl in the evening so we decided to go with that.

Olivia finished with five strikes

As it turned out, Sharon and The Coach backed out but Olivia and I made it out to Paddock Bowl. So did Peter and Brett from our league. It was a light turnout but Kate made the bowling interesting with some extra contests and prizes. Olivia had a real good night including a 210 game.

MONTE CARLO AT DANVILLE BOWL

$2 shots on lanes 9 & 10

Despite horrible traffic on rain slicked I-680 that nearly made us miss it, Olivia and I traveled down to Danville Bowl for their Thursday night Monte Carlo game. Olivia had Dexter with her and Kris made the trip from Martinez or there may not have been enough bowlers for the event. Thankfully, there were a few other late arrivals and the game was on.

The lanes were on the dry side but we had the equipment to adapt. The money shots were plentiful and we were striking often to take advantage of them. I won more money back than I paid in and I'm pretty sure Olivia did, too. It was a fun night and I look forward to bowling in the next one. Next Thursday is Thanksgiving so we'll have a week off.

PBAL UPDATE

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the new PBA League that will debut in 2013. The PBAL held its draft on November 9th and the results of that draft can be found here.

I think all of the team captains drafted very well as each team appears to have a solid roster. There were a few interesting, unexpected picks in the draft. Norm Duke selected fellow Hall of Famer, Amleto Monacelli (age 51) with his third round pick. Sean Rash selected Hall of Famer, Walter Ray Williams Jr. with his fourth round pick. Williams is the top winner in PBA history but he's 53 years old. Finally, with his supplemental pick, Mike Fagan selected Kelly Kulick, the only woman to win a PBA title.

I don't mean to say that people over 50 and women can't be top bowlers. Williams, Monacelli, and Kulick are great bowlers. But we can see who wins nearly every PBA event -- men under age 50. So with 140 PBA bowlers eligible in the draft and only 40 of them being picked, I was surprised by those selections. I suppose the league format makes it a different proposition than regular tournament bowling. I hope all three of them will do well.

If this league is operated and televised well, it could be very exciting to watch. I can't wait for it to get started.

HOW MANY BOWLING BALLS IS TOO MANY?

Motiv has another new ball, the Raptor Talon, coming out on December 12th. This one is designed for heavy oil. Do I dare buy another ball? I just bought a Roto Grip Defiant for heavy oil in May. Decisions, decisions...

WEEK 10 RESULTS

3 wins, 1 loss

After a week of preparation and some intense practices, our much anticipated match with Once Pin Standing arrived Monday night. We thought we were set to go but we hit a bump in the road before the shadow bowling commenced.
Olivia left her equipment with Ray over the weekend for scheduled maintenance but she didn't get to the pro shop to pick it up before Ray closed on Monday. (This was despite having the day off for the Veterans Day holiday.) Olivia said she was going to arrive early Monday for a few warm up frames but that didn't happen. The Coach and I were there and could have picked up Olivia's gear before the shop closed had we known. This forced Olivia to bowl with house shoes and the only ball she didn't have in the shop -- her new Motiv Ascent Pearl.

Fortunately, we were able to overcome the adversity and win the first two games before tying in the third. We won 3.5 of the 4 points to improve our record for the season to 32-8 and extend our lead to 8.5 points. One Pin Standing remains in second place with a record of 23.5-16.5.

Sharon bowled her high series for the season and missed tying the women's high series for the league by three pins.

WEEK 10  01  02  03  SER   AVG   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon  178 196 177  551 183.7  30  5035 167.8 234  551
Olivia  128 148 106  382 127.3  27  3942 146.0 207  492
Mark    245 148 210  603 201.0  30  5782 192.7 248  625
Gary    162 141 163  466 155.3  30  4798 159.9 206  540
TEAM    713 633 656 2002 166.8 117 19557 167.2 805 2138

MONTE CARLO AT DANVILLE BOWL TONIGHT

Danville Bowl

I'll be there. I'm stopping by The Bowler's Advantage for a minute on my way there to get.....another bowling ball! Am I becoming one of those obsessive kooks we see on the TV shows about hoarders? Instead of having rooms full of cats or old newspapers or bicycle parts, I'll have hundreds of bowling balls. But I digress.

It's $12.00 for three games staring at 7:00. Here is the money shot chart.

WEEK 9 RESULTS

3 wiins, 1 loss

We had another slow start and lost the first game by four pins. After that, we caught fire to earn wins in the final two games and the point for total pinfall.

It seems we benefited from our rigorous practice sessions over the weekend. The Coach and I shot our high series for the season while Sharon tied hers. As one might expect, three high series produced a team high series as well. Our score of 2138 topped our previous high of 2120. Our team average has reached a season high of 167.2. The Coach's average has risen from 149.8 to 160.4 in seven weeks. In the same span, Sharon has jumped from 153.8 to 166.1.

WEEK 9  01  02  03  SER   AVG   G  PINS   AVG  HG   HS
Sharon 164 186 190  540 180.0  27  4484 166.1 234  540
Olivia 137 162 134  433 144.3  24  3560 148.3 207  492
Mark   184 222 219  625 208.3  27  5179 191.8 248  625
Gary   160 192 188  540 180.0  27  4332 160.4 206  540
TEAM   645 762 731 2138 178.2 105 17555 167.2 805 2138

ONE PIN STANDING

Next week we take on our closest competitors. We scored very well last night after our excellent practice sessions over the weekend. Let's do it again and put up some scores like Sharon and I had in this game Saturday.



258-205



ANOTHER NEW BALL



Olivia acquired a Motiv Ascent Pearl and gave it a test drive Sunday morning. The verdict is...

 

(Olivia, this is your cue to jump in and tell us what you think of your new ball.)

 

 

PBA ON TV

Sharon asked when the PBA telecasts will resume this season and I found the answer at the PBA's website. I added the schedule to the Bowling Links in the right column. 

Upcoming New PBA Tour Broadcasts

Tournament	Date	Time	Channel
WTBA BAYER ASPIRIN WORLD BOWLING TOUR FINALS - MEN	Sunday, December 09, 2012	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
WTBA BAYER ASPIRIN WORLD BOWLING TOUR FINALS - WOMEN	Sunday, December 09, 2012	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
ALKA SELTZER PLUS COLD CHEETAH CHAMPIONSHIP	Sunday, December 16, 2012	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA VIPER CHAMPIONSHIP	Sunday, December 23, 2012	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA CHAMELEON CHAMPIONSHIP	Sunday, December 30, 2012	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
BOWLERS JOURNAL PBA SCORPION CHAMPIONSHIP	Sunday, January 06, 2013	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP	Sunday, January 13, 2013	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
ROUND 1 JAPAN CUP	Sunday, January 20, 2013	3:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ROUND 1	Sunday, January 27, 2013	12:00 PM ET	ESPN
CHRIS PAUL PBA LEAGUE ALL STARS	Sunday, February 03, 2013	4:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ROUND 2 W/ CARMEN SALVINO CLASSIC FINALS	Sunday, February 10, 2013	3:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ROUND 3 W/ MARK ROTH CLASSIC FINALS	Sunday, February 17, 2013	3:00 PM ET	ESPN
USBC MASTERS	Sunday, February 24, 2013	3:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ROUND 4 W/ DON CARTER CLASSIC FINALS	Sunday, March 03, 2013	3:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ROUND 5 W/ EARL ANTHONY PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS	Sunday, March 24, 2013	1:00 PM ET	ESPN
PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS	Sunday, March 31, 2013	2:30 PM ET	ESPN
PBA LEAGUE ELIAS CUP FINALS	Sunday, April 07, 2013	1:00 PM ET	ESPN

PBA LEAGUE OF EIGHT TEAMS TO DEBUT IN 2012-2013 SEASON



Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see the world's top pro bowlers participate in a league bowling format like ours? We'll get our wish in the upcoming season according this article from the PBA. There will be eight teams with five bolwers per team and a draft just like in other pro team sports.

The draft will be held on Friday, November 9th and according to this article from the PBA, Norm Duke will have the first pick in the draft. I'd love to watch the draft but it will begin at 10:00 AM and I don't have the day off. The PBA League's debut match will be televised Sunday, January 27th at 9:00 AM Pacific time on ESPN. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

NEW WEBSITE FOR THE BOWLER'S ADVANTAGE

As Sharon, Coach and I were practicing Saturday morning, Ray Spackman stopped by to let us know the new website for his pro shop, The Bowler's Advantage, is up and running. The URL is www.tbadiablo.com. You can visit The Bowler's Advantage site easily by clicking on the logo in the right column.

This site could be be a huge resource for us. As we all know, Ray has a vast knowledge of bowling that he has always been willing to share. We'll no longer be limited by the business hours of his shop to access that knowledge. I urge everyone to visit the site and have a look around.