Boomer's Summer Season

[boomer]

So - focusing back on bowling. Over the past few seasons I've been running our brackets which has been a huge distraction (especially since I've been gathering the scores by hand, running brackets by hand, etc.) and . . . well, it turns out that it's WORK. I come to bowling FROM work . . . not TO work. LOL Funny thing is - everyone told me, "good for you" even though they're bummed that no brackets.

Plus I'm getting my equipment examined by a long-standing and very very well-regarded PSO - Joe at Bowlero Upland. Buddy, who was PSO at Arlington, which is my "home," changed me, shortened my span, etc. but made my thumb and wrist hurt like crazy. Joe wasn't impressed with things, he didn't like that my thumb didn't fit all the way in, etc. So he's changing things (again) and fixing things.

Anyway - I thought this would be a good re-start to me tracking myself. :)


Week 2 (I didn't bother tracking last week - wasn't great, total distraction of everything, blah blah blah)
Game 1 - 169. Lots of splits. Getting used to the Zen Master, which has the new span. Don't feel like I can give it the beans, which I needed to. And for some reason my scorekeeper lost the game. Weird.
Game 2 - 206 - switched to the Nova (old drilling). Clean until 8th frame when I missed a 9-pin (STUPID STUPID STUPID.
Game 3 - 257 - spare, strike through 8, spare, strike then 8 for fill. Felt GOOD.

632 series - felt good.

https://i.postimg.cc/268hLktK/Screenshot-20230321-103122.png (https://postimg.cc/4Kqmrgs6)

[boomer]

Felt even better this weekend - AMAZING how much fun you can have bowling when you don't have to run up and down the lanes like 5 times trying to get scores. You can just . . . bowl! :) Socializing becomes socializing.

So, during practice I was all soft handed, slower ball speed, letting the ball just go . . . kinda finessing it. Was OK during practice but . . .

Game 1 - pocket 7-10 to start. Meh. I was in and around the pocket but finessing it just wasn't carrying. 9th frame - move 4b right and start giving it some beans. 198
Game 2 - giving it beans was the right choice. Nova plus beans = front 8. Left 10 (and whiffed . . . c'mon, first 10-pin miss in a month) then strike strike 10 for 266. Yeah - HAPPY
Game 3 - let's continue. Don't step on my weenie. . . LOL Clean. Left makeable spares all through - only "open" was in the fill. 214.

So - only two opens all evening, one was the pocket 7-10 and the other was a whiffed 10. Ok - I'm good with that. I didn't leave a lot of crap that was hard to pick up - THAT was an accomplishment! LOL

https://i.postimg.cc/P5tnfWJR/Screenshot-20230328-084245.png (https://postimg.cc/rKYPQtS1)

[boomer]

This week's theme - so close but . . .

Game 1 - looking GOOD. Took me a few frames to get the reaction good with the Zen Master but after that was GOOD until the 10th . . . 4-10. BAH. Stupid Stupid Stupid. Threw it slow. Ended up 213
Game 2 - two opens, one in first, one in 7th (whiffed on the FOUR - looked good until the ball YOINKED in front of it . . . ), otherwise I was there. Just have to keep the ballspeed up. 192.
Game 3 - big 4 in 1, whiffed the 4 pin AGAIN in the 9th. Used the Nova for the third game - did good except for those two opens. 192 again.

And the ladies on my team all struggled so we lost all four.

https://i.postimg.cc/bYnsXQZ2/Screenshot-20230412-134035.png (https://postimg.cc/8s11MfB1)

[boomer]

Lots o Pocket Shots

Good evening last night. First game was a bit of a struggle - and my moves were actually the wrong way. Once I got sorted, it was on like Donkey Kong:

Game 1 - using the Nova, I had a great look but . . . touchy. If I was a touch slow, it was through the nose. Through 4 it was 3 strikes, a 4-7-10 and a Greek Church. Moved a bit more, finished off with 3 strikes, a pocket 7-10 and 2 stone 9s. Hmmm
Game 2 - moved RIGHT, instead of left, and the look was better. Left 5 ringing 10s and whiffed the 10th. Tried some fine tuning - forward and back for me. Meh. 205.
Game 3 - moved another board right and ka-blam. Front 9, stone 9 on the 10th, then strike to finish at 279.

Felt GOOD. Posted most shots. No real burning fingers. Wrist felt pretty good. Good night overall.

https://i.postimg.cc/SN1RwDnw/Screenshot-20230418-094101.png (https://postimg.cc/pp8PjQYZ)

[boomer]

Another great week - continually improving. I felt good, balanced. Felt like I couldn't miss - mostly.

Practice - NO announcement. We just noticed all the lanes come on then a rush to jump in. C'mon man! Plus our approaches still had damp spots (they mop our approaches just before league every night - usually they have enough time to completely dry out) - so I grabbed my old rag and quickly scrubbed my side clean while our friends scrubbed their side. OK, calm down.

Found my typical line wasn't going to work - it was hot and the lanes were a bit hookier than normal so . . . appropriate adjustment. Plus my opponent still uses a 1970s era Black Beauty which pushes oil EVERYWHERE. Only viable strat with him is to stay well inside of him (he bowls straight down-and-in and leaves a big puddle. . .) so . . . move left both feet and eyes. Adjust - found my line.

Game 1 - first two balls, I let them well right and while they finished, I wasn't comfortable with that for the long run because they would cross that Black Beauty's mess. OK. so pulled the next one, then just screwed up the 4th. C'mon Mike. . . OK, string 6 to finish with 240. Yeah - I'll take that.
Game 2 - You could tell when I drifted right into the BB's mess. If I went out EARLY, it was OK; but if I got out there later, it was drift-city. OK, so let's keep it more inside if I could - 217.
Game 3 - couldn't miss . . . except when I bounced the ball off my leg and straight into the channel. ROFL - had to laugh at it. OK, picked it up. Have a good chance at a 700 - just don't . . . 2-8. Dummy. Didn't finish the shot. My bad. Punch the last four for 236.

693 - my highest series in quite a while. VERY happy with it.

Since I stopped running brackets (which was becoming a job in itself - I go to bowl to escape work. . . not TO work) I've steadily increased my average, posted my shots more, enjoyed my time IMMENSELY more.


https://i.postimg.cc/Tw9mWSRL/image.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Hcrjq68d)

[Timmyb]

Nice night!

[boomer]

Continuing on with hot streak.

Lanes really seem forgiving, for the most part. Averages are way up for the top 20, although one of our top guys and most "boring" (LOL) bowlers had a REALLY hard time last night.

Anyway - I was consistent and was able to strike very well.

Game 1 - OK, bad start. 4-7-10. Meh. Got on track quickly - 247. Our opponents were way behind going in to the 10th. When I came up (anchor) I knew we had the point, but I had NO idea that they would hit 8 strikes in the 10th frame. EIGHT! We did win, but instead of about 100, we won by 4. Meh, whatever.

Game 2 - pocket 7-10 to start. Came in flat - and did so again in the third frame. After that, made made adjustment to the right and ran it until the 10th when I left a 6-10 and then chopped the 10. Seriously? And the other team (last place in the league) ROLLED us by 140+. 203 and they took the point.

Game 3 - I'm still on line, mostly. Have to make an adustment after a 3-4-7-10 (which I picked up) - shot 224. They again rolled us.

Evidently they all had EPIC games - looking at their HDCP scores, the two low average bowlers shot 680+ (would be 660 if they shot their averages), their average bowler shot 700, and their 170 avg anchor shot 705 scratch or 850+ handicap. Frustrating. We went in 3rd, 2 points down from a tie for first. Not sure what we'll be after this. Took one point.

https://i.postimg.cc/dt1RjVSG/Screenshot-20230502-084126.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Yj5mpM7S)

[boomer]

Blerg - one funny thing but mostly . . . hit and miss.

A: I was SORE. My back and legs were just toast. Lot of stuff this weekend and I was not feeling very good but . . . let's see what we can do.
B: they're messing with the pattern again. Today it was significantly longer, which threw off a few people, but those who knew how to adjust to it did so and scores were just as high for them. Evidently the center was concerned about how high averages were getting and how many 300s that have been seen. To me - if they're worried about that, flatten it, don't lengthen it. But - whatever. I found the pocket.

Practice - noticed that the pattern was feeling long so dropped a ball straight down the middle with lots of rotation - it went LONG. Hmmm. . . ok, adjust and we're good. Keep the ball in front of me, move everything a bit left and have the hook point closer to the head pin. Good to go.
Game 1 - Stand around for a bit waiting for them to get us going, tap 9, 4-10 but then get going. Big split in 5th, but I can blame that on my back. Just twinged while letting go. 174, but I'm not overly upset with it - I know where I was.

OH funny thing - frame 6. I switched to my Zen Master which is snappier. I wanted it to get off the point harder, but I guessed WRONG on the first ball and grabbed TWO pins. TWO. LOL - the 6-9. If it had been a baby split, it would have gone right through - which, btw, I saw at LEAST two people do that night. Right between the 3-10. Interesting. I picked it up, anyway, and we had a lot of laughs about it! :)

Game 2 - I'm on. Tap 9, strikes, pocket 7-10, get back on it, then don't finish my swing well in the 10th (only actual bad shot) and left 2-8-10. Stupid stupid stupid. Good game except for the bad finish frame. 209.
Game 3 - I'm still on - getting good pocket hits, driving through, all good looks. Twinge back in 4th, left baby and whiff. Meh. Back going, another twinge in 7 and then 3-4-6-7-9-10 in 10th. Sigh. Glad it's over. 193.

Considering my back, I'm happy with my bowling overall. I could easily have stayed home but I wanted to bowl.

My ONLY beef is that we ran up against the biggest sandbaggers we have. SOOOO noticeable. Once they would sew up a game, they dumped balls. It was almost comical how blatant it was. Nothing going to happen - they're founders of the league, our league secretary (who really is a sweetie) but . . . it's so frustrating. We gave them 80 pins and they just jumped us. That's two weeks in a row.

https://i.postimg.cc/V6Rtjc94/Screenshot-20230510-084005.jpg (https://postimg.cc/k62Dmzpt)

[boomer]

So I THOUGHT I was struggling. . .

Again, they're changing the pattern. Last week it was longer and wetter, but not a lot of people noticed. This week - people noticed. Quite a bit longer and quite a bit more oil. Chuckers did fine. Palmers loved it since they were finally able to get it way down the lane with no effort. Our top bowlers took a bit to adjust but since there's still friction WAY outside, we either went more direct or went way outside. I finished 698

Game 1 - not comfortable. I didn't want to go direct but just didn't have any wall outside that I liked. At the 7th frame I hit a 3-4-6-7-10 (converted) and decided, heck with it. Right down 13 . . . MAYBE belly out to 11 but . . . just hit it. finished with 5 strikes for 212. We lost the point - and THEY got cocky. They started making little side comments to my three female teammates. . . bad idea! LOL

Game 2 - still not comfortable with the straight shot but . . . it's working. Washout in second frame (let it out to about 8-9 and it just didn't recover) and then pulled it in the 10th and chopped out the 6-10 (whiffed the 6) - 221. My teammates caught fire, enough that their boosted game (why is it always against me???) wasn't enough. We took the point and got to within 25 for total.

Game 3 - OK, resigned to it and getting comfortable. PLUS if I miss right, the other team was ALL down and in and they were starting to create some wall for me. . . Only one miss in the 3rd, left 4-7-10. Otherwise all strikes. 265. My teammates were still ON it. My wife got 5 in a row with her backup ball . . . while they said it was me that beat them, my teammates ALL kicked their arses. I was just the coup-de-grace. They fell apart in the 9th and 10th and it wasn't close after then 9th. We took the third game plus total so 3 points.

698 - if I'd just not whiffed the 6 . . . ARGH! LOL

https://i.postimg.cc/KjRHMtCw/Screenshot-20230516-085637.jpg (https://postimg.cc/ZvzHkvbx)

[J Anderson]

Nice series, even with the opens.

While I like bowling anchor I have to say those games when it comes down to the tenth frame and you could throw two gutter balls and still win sure are nice.

[boomer]

Not so good this week

I was in and around the pocket all night. Just couldn't get it to carry. Got worse in third game - although a few were complete misses - but pocket 7-10, 10's, etc. and I missed more 10's this week than in a month . . . sigh.

https://i.postimg.cc/nrHZFCFZ/Screenshot-20230524-090711.png (https://postimg.cc/FdnwGFkn)

[boomer]

Got ROLLED last night.

New team - and short timer team, they're leaving July 1. The dad and son have the wierdest drillings - they use a way-offset thumb so they basically palm the ball (they do use the thumb hole) but can't do anything else. Then combine with their 1980 Brunswick balls and they make a MESS of the lanes. The two hit a ton of strikes but can't pick up any right-side spares. Loud, over-exhuberant. Since they just started, their averages started WAY low but are going WAY up . . .

Game 1 - pretty solid. I was inside of their mess and they hadn't pushed oil down to my break yet. Split in the 8th but in the pocket most of the time. 203.
Game 2 - missed a 10-pin. Gah - I'm starting to pick them up again but. . . arg frustrating. Then I wiff a 9. Really? Then wiff a 3-6-10. 168. Coulda-woulda-shoulda.
Game 3 - got the right lane down after a baby split, but never really figured out the left - ring 10, 6-10, ring 10, 3-6-10 - was trying to get better entry. 186. Was a better game than the score reflects.

We lost all four.



https://i.postimg.cc/NGby5zDg/Screenshot-20230606-092631.png (https://postimg.cc/0rM54Zh3)

[boomer]

Last night was good. We got hit by a freight train . . . but what are ya gonna do?

First game, OK I guess. struggled at the first half but eventually got solidly in the pocket. 182. Didn't matter - our opponents, one shot 300 and a second shot 269. We shot about 850, but they shot over 970 . . . what are ya gonna do? LOL
Second game, better. Still tugged it now and again and my ankle was twinging (needed better balance) but was clean for 218. I shot better but my teammates did not. We lost, but not by a whole lot.
Third game, whiffed a 10, but was otherwise clean. 203. We won the third and were winning total until the 9th when they noticed and really turned it on. Not that they were sandbagging, but they knuckled down and focused even more and pulled out an extra 70 pins to catch up and beat us for total by about 20.

Losing this week was FAR better than last week. Last week's team was obnoxious, arrogant and, except for the mom who was sweet, just PITAs. This week's team is probably made up of our best bowlers, or right among them, ALL FOUR, but is absolutely not arrogant (even with the 300), encouraging, fun to bowl with. Really enjoy bowling with them - don't enjoy getting BEAT, but . . . LOL


https://i.postimg.cc/Dwtcs102/Screenshot-20230613-102917.jpg (https://postimg.cc/fVfXQtYF)

[boomer]

Took last week off - we were temp-fostering a 13wk old deaf boxer puppy - which meant we didn't sleep for a week. Ugh - cute as a button but a LOT . . .

Anyway, back to it!

Went up against some friends this week. Nice guys, really sweet old lady (uses her first three fingers and a thumb - interesting)

Game 1 - lady just was ON. Lanes were dry so things were hopping. The two guys were struggling finding their line (down and in) - I moved in, laid down on about 17-18, crossed 15 at arrows. Worked great. Whiffed a friggin SEVEN. Bah. LOL - otherwise was good. 226. Nice old lady (82) kicked our ARSES (she shot 213 or something) so we lost the point.
Game 2 - CLEAN baby! Found I could miss well right and it would come back - but if I missed a LITTLE right, it was a bucket or something. So either HIT my mark or MISS a bunch right. Still - clean 215. We won the point.
Game 3 - first three frames floundered. Not sure. Next four, making adjustments - needed to move LEFT. Not left - LEFT. Finished with the last 5 to take total. We lost the game but had just enough to take total. 189

630 series.

https://i.postimg.cc/k59vmWHH/Screenshot-20230628-092932.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HrZy08d0)

[boomer]

Loss of carry was frustrating!

Started out good. Had a good look and good sloppy carry. Game 1 was ok - one split which bugged me, but finished well for 213. We took the point (helped that we had a REALLY good sub to help out)
Game 2 - started OK, but lost carry. Got the same flippin split and whiffed a 10, but ground out a 184. We took the point.
Game 3 - strike, big 4, then the next 4 but lost carry again. Made adjustments but . . . Grrrr. . . but fine, 207. We lost the point but won total by juuuuust a bit. I had to mark and count to do it. (Our sub blew into 3 or 4 splits - oh well)

Overall - 604 - not bad. Had a good time, lots of laughing, but WOW was it frustrating to not carry.


https://i.postimg.cc/h4xM8pYM/Screenshot-20230711-092859.jpg (https://postimg.cc/HjYQd4d7)

[boomer]

Decent evening - I strained my back a few weeks ago (moving lead and brass in really hot heat) so it's been a struggle. I got a big ol' shot in the arse late last week along with some muscle relaxers and such which made a big difference.

We bowled a really sweet team. Fun people to bowl with. We gave them 22 sticks and off we go.

Game 1 - didn't miss the pocket until the 10th when I went in high. Pocket 7-10 in the 4th, couple of ringing 10's . . . 218. Back starting to hurt but not bad.
Game 2 - back twinged pretty bad in frame 1 and 2 - need to change my approach to baby it. Got back on track but whiffed a ring-10 in the 8th. In the 10th, I needed 9 pins total to take the game but rolled into a baby split. OK, just need 1 so . . . the last two times I tried for a baby split I went BETWEEN them so . . . just get the 3 pin for the win. 163.
Game 3 - let's slow it down to make it easier to bowl. My back is now killing me but drop speed and move well left. Get lined up by the 4th frame and then charge. Stone 9 in 7th, covered, then 3 more into the 10th. Left a 2-10 in the fill. Got out of there with a 223.

We took all four points. Only one that was REALLY close was game 2 which we won by one pin.

Went home, took meds, went to sleep. :)

https://i.postimg.cc/ZKxNVsdt/Screenshot-20230801-095816.png (https://postimg.cc/sv112cmw)

[Aslan]

Decent evening - (moving lead and brass in really hot heat).

That sounds horrible.


Went home, took meds, went to sleep. :)

Legit. Pop those pills! Save some for me!

[boomer]

It was - but it made my mother-in-law about $2500 (and was still a GREAT deal for the family friend who bought it all) and my wife and I got a really REALLY good steak dinner . . . not quite sure it was worth it, though. LOL

[boomer]

Up and down. Finally got my Zen Master redrilled the way I like it and OOH do I like it. Set to 2000 abralon, with my IT and everything happy it was off to the races:

Game 1: never missed the pocket. Stone 9 in the 5th and pocket 7-10 in the first fill - 265. DANG wish I'd been in the sidepots buuuut, not with new/old ball. LOL We won the point by about 130
Game 2: pocket pocket then didn't finish and kinda derailed myself. 183. We lost the point - they all bowled above their averages. Now we're up in total by about 20 . . . ugh.
Game 3: OK, back on after punching out last game. . . turkey then 3-6-10 and chop it. OK, settle back down - turkey then leave 3-9 and chop IT. Sigh - stone 9, strike strike 4 - 218. In the 10th, my wife had to mark to keep us even with me on strike and their anchor on a spare. Had to strike and I did. He spared so we won three.

Good night. Have to soften the edges of my finger inserts - they're a bit . . . abrupt? LOL

https://i.postimg.cc/hj7HGHfc/Screenshot-20230808-085811.jpg (https://postimg.cc/DJnCjprM)

[boomer]

Week = Meh. LOL -

We bowled a team that we LOVE. Unfortunately two of them were not there so it was only half-love. . . LOL

Game 1: Three 10-pins - got 'em all. Just . . . a grind. Strange how you can get four strikes, a clean game and end up with 203. Lost this point - had I struck in the 10th, we could have won.
Game 2: Couple of opens, a stone 8, and five strikes to finish 203. We won this point.
Game 3: We are up about 60pins total so . . . halfway through we were still in good shape to take both the third and total . . . I just couldn't strike. Clean game but how can I get a clean game with four strikes and still get only 198? Sigh.

We lost 3 points.

https://i.postimg.cc/cHwrVZSZ/Screenshot-20230817-145326.jpg (https://postimg.cc/cg1xnpC5)

[Aslan]

MAN!

First off...consistent 200-215 games are my DREAM!

Second...all you needed was a X 9 / in the 10th and you'd have an elusive 203-203-203 triplicate!! Goddang that a been nice to see!

Good bowling (as usual)!

[boomer]

yeah - was actually looking at that possibility! LOL - would be my second of the SEASON! (other one was quite a bit lower - and had to dump the fill to get it. LOL)

TY! :)

[boomer]

Position week - did good. No clean games, which was a bummer, and a few issues here and there but good overall. I've been trying to work with the Zen Master, which is much more angular than I prefer. My Nova is a big arc which is what I like but . . . I need to get better with what I'm not necessarily good at.

Game 1 - nearly clean. Made a mistake with my ball speed. Meh. Left a washout. 220 - and we took the first point.
Game 2 - other team went OFF. I had a couple of stupid opens but . . . 190. we lost the point.
Game 3 - I did GOOD except for a stupid split (argh) - 233. We took the third game and total going away.

Good evening for me. My wife did even better.

https://i.postimg.cc/9FZQ6ZS3/Screenshot-20230822-113008.png (https://postimg.cc/ppVv8hRk)

[Aslan]

Nice!

I love how your game is high scoring AND consistent. Usually amateurs have to sacrafice one for the other.

[boomer]

Summer season OVER. My first season ever to FINISH over 200 (204) so I'm very happy!

Sweeps, though (local) could have been better. I'm struggling with two way too-strong balls (Nova and Zen Master) and I've been having a wicked time getting them down the lane.

Anyway:

Game 1 - slip in 2nd frame but otherwise bang ON. Tried the Zen-master in practice and it HIT but it turned the corner SO HARD that it was hard to control. Moved to Nova and it was more controllable. 227. Third high for game 1.
Game 2 - two slips (3rd and 6th) and I'm moving left every other shot until I'm nearly up against the ball return but I pull off 200 even.
Game 3 - now I'm tired (it was first day of classes at the college where I run one of the IT depts so . . . very tired) and running out of steam. I finish well but 176 only.

We took total for the game on our pair, which got us extra money, but not much else. I pulled off a 603 so . . .

https://i.postimg.cc/63W23RYk/Screenshot-20230830-151944.jpg (https://postimg.cc/KKWvpKXf)

[boatman37]

Nice. Just got my first finish over 200 also. Finished at 206. Fall league starts next Tuesday

[boomer]

I talked with my new PSO (nice guy) - he's working with my son-in-law (his span had been set almost 1/2" short so he's grabbing at it) and my wife (righty, backup) and he's making some GREAT changes for them. So it'll be my turn.

Working to get me a couple of balls that will get me a: a little more length and b: a lot more length. My Nova is VERY strong and aggressive. My Zen Master is very strong and VERY aggressive. At this house . . . I need at least one step-down. LOL

[Timmyb]

Nice!

I love how your game is high scoring AND consistent. Usually amateurs have to sacrafice one for the other.

I like to think both are possible....

[Aslan]

I like to think both are possible....

Well, I'll let ya know when it happens. It'd be nice if it happened right around the age of 50 so I could join the PBA50 tour! Granted, my physical conditioning is going to really have to jumpstart...bowling multi-round qualifying...I don't think either knee would survive at my current weight.