It was an interesting night to say the least. My team took 3 of the 4 points. There was a "semi-physical conflict." I blew a 700 and somehow still managed to finish with a smile, after the frowns that is.
Game 1 was the highlight of my evening. I started out with a hambone and had a clean game. I finished with a 257. I defeated my opposing captain (and friend) by just two pins.
Game 2 was a little rough. I only had one open - a baby split on the right - and mostly spares. I struck out the tenth frame for a 201.
Game 3 is where things got interesting. There was a captains' meeting half-way through the game which meant about a 10-minute break from bowling. Following the meeting I had the displeasure of breaking up a "semi-physical conflict" that could have turned nasty. I couldn't bowl with all the distractions and for a couple of frames I just didn't care. In the sixth or seventh frame I had just a 79. I followed with 5 strikes in a row and finished with a 197.
My series was a 655 and I'm happy with that. No matter what I bowl, I always wish it were higher, but 655 is above average for me and I'm happy with the way I finished, despite the distractions.
Second place is almost a lock. It's very doubtful at this point, with three weeks remaining, that we will reach first place. We are 9 wins out with 12 games left. Almost each week, my team and the first place team take an equal amount of wins. We're still gonna give it our all though, and we still have to keep our hold on second!
My return to league (after spending the previous week at the US Open) wasn't as luxurious as I had hoped it would be. I (misleadingly) bowled slightly above average and our team won 3 of the 4 points, but the night wasn't what I expected.
Game 1: I started on lane three. Strike! Then I left a split on lane four. For the rest of the game it went strike, spare, strike, spare, and so on, until the 10th frame when I finally had a double! I ended with a 188.
Game 2: This game was a lot better. I left another split in the game, but had about six or seven strikes in a row for a 250. It should have been a 278 but that's what a couple of ten-pins will do to ya (at least I think they were ten-pins; I can't remember, but regardless, I made my spares.).
Game 3: This game was much like the first, except I left another split; the 6-7-10. I almost made it but just missed hitting the six-pin by a hair. It was one of those rare shots that you think you would make from the second it leaves your hand but then suddenly misses. I ended with a 181.
My total series was a 619. It's not what I was hoping for, but I'll take it.
I did show much improvement on my game, too, despite the scores. I made all my spares that weren't splits. I didn't leave any easy hits. I'm going to be practicing more between league nights so hopefully I can pull up my average some more before the season ends. Going into Tuesday, it was a 203 rounded-up.
Also, it looks like my team is going to end in second place. There is still a month left but the first place team has a commanding lead. Our lead over the third place team is also commanding.
I'll keep you all updated. I hope everyone else is bowling top-notch!
The ball I throw most is my Freak-A-Zoid by Track; anyone reading my Bowlspace often enough already knows that. The first time I threw it I managed a 289 and it has since been my favorite.
The ball works great on almost any wood-lane condition and medium oil conditions on synthetic lanes, however, it really depends on how far the oil pattern goes. The ball was, as I've been reading, designed to travel an extra few feet before hooking back. Anyone who has thrown the ball can see that's obvious.
The ball I've been looking into now is the Black Widow Pearl by Hammer. My real question is how it compares to the Freak-A-Zoid.
If anyone has this ball, or has thrown this ball, please give me your insight. I'd really like to get a comparison, but any feedback is welcome.
Friday, March 28, 2008, 12:34 PM EST [Tournaments]
I've made yet another early exit from the US Open. The lanes got the best of me once again. However, I did show improvement from last year and that was enough to boost my confidence to keep going at it.
On the first two days, I had a lot of strikes but little spares. On the third day, I had a TON of spares but barely any strikes. Hell, in my second game on day three I had 8 spares and one strike (left the first frame open.)
I'm looking at a couple of regional events: York, PA in August and Wind Gap, PA in November. Nothing is confirmed yet but I'd like to finally participate in these events, providing I can find an alley to lay down the patterns for me so I can practice accurately.
Anyway, I met a lot of great people at the Open and had way more fun than I did last year. If anyone has anything to share from the Open, feel free to contact me or post a comment!
I'll be back next week with updates from my league once again. From what I'm told, my team is still strong in second place.
League didn't go too bad last night. Some people struggled, others exceeded. I stayed around my average.
My first game was a 217. I started the game on four or five strikes. In practice, I also threw four or five strikes. It's too bad those don't count.
My second game wasn't as good, but I rebounded in the end. I left back-to-back 8-10 splits in the second and third frame. I finished fairly strong and ended up with a 189. Not the best score, but considering the events leading up to it I'm not disappointed.
The third game was a little better. I missed a baby split in the second frame but stayed consistant the rest of the game for a 203. I was hitting the pocket high in the beginning of the game and left a couple of 4-pins. I started throwing the ball out a little more and it turned out for the best.
A 609 series is not my best, but it's about (my) average so I'm happy with it.
Our team won all four games, giving us an even bigger lead. We're still a few games out of first, but there's still plenty of time left.
I'm not going to bowl league next week because I'll be at the Open, but I'll be sure to update a couple of times to give everyone an insight to what's going on in the tournament. If anyone's in the area, come out and say hi. I'm bowling in the B squad. Click here for the tournament schedule.
