Ebonite man

Didn't have bowling last week due to the blizzard. Wasn't sure I could go tonight since shoveling about 2 feet of snow really screwed up my back. It's feeling better today so will give it a shot. Decided not to wimp out and will stick with the new equipment. If things don't look up tonight, I may still try the old Ebonite stuff next week. The pocket 7-10s are really getting on my nerves. I sure don't remember leaving anywhere near this many before. We will see how it goes.

Well, after a promising start to the second half, things have really gone south. Had 33-34 last night which has always proven to be a tricky pair. Noticed lane 33 had some of the lamination about 2-3 feet on the lane that was peeling off. Great-- another obstacle in addition to the oil pattern to worry about. This did come into play as when my ball rolled over this area, the shot was high everytime. If I was on either side of this spot, the ball was in the pocket. Not that this made a huge difference, ...

All I can say is what a difference a week makes. After last week's debacle on 25-26, moved down to 31-32 which has been one of the higher scoring pairs in the league. The back has been feeling a bit better, especially after 3 visits to the chiropractor. The lanes were freshly oiled and the backends stripped, so I expected quite a bit of movement. Tried the usual line of 10 out to 6, but the backends were just too strong. Moved in to a 12 out to 6 line and this looked like the shot. Started the first ...

Well, the nightmare continues on 25-26. Maybe it part psychological, but after last night, I just think this is a really crappy pair. Tried to play the same flat shot (10 out to 6) that has been very successfull over the last 2 weeks. It was obvious this wasn't going to work unless I really amped up the ball speed. With my back still giving me issues, this was not a possibility. Decided to move in to a 12 out to 5 line. This was marginal at best by the time practice ended. Started the night on 25 ...

Was a game time decision once again whether or not my back was going to give out. Popped a couple of Advils and did about 20 minutes of hamstring stretches. This seem to do the trick and I got loose fairly quick. Had 39-40 again this week, and practice showed the pair to be playing like it always has with 39 about 5 boards tighter than 40. Don't think fresh oil was put down right before the league, but the shot seemed to indicate the pair had been oiled within the last few hours. Went with the Virtual ...

Wasn't sure I was going to be able to go this week. My back has been cramping up after shoveling snow on Saturday. Two a few Advils and decided to give it a shot. This feeling was eerily similar to the way I felt last season which kept me out 4 weeks. Did some extra stretching before practice and this helped alot. The lanes were stripped and oiled fresh since there were alot of kids on the lanes. Decided to go with the Virtual Energy to start with the heavier heads. This worked quite well and I ...

This was the first night of the second half and the team was bowling unopposed as there is a vacancy team in the league to get the league up to 16 teams. Had 25-26 which has been by far one of the worst pair we bowl on. It was critical to get into some kind of rhythym during practice since the pace was going to be much quicker than normal. Had a so-so feeling after practice and didn't really have a good line to the pocket on either lane. The lanes were oiled fresh as there were alot of kids out ...

I had the luck of the draw tonight getting 27-28 as the pair to finish the first half. The team we were bowling against had only 2 bowlers show up out of 4, so it was looking good for the team. Practice went fairly well, but did show signs of carrydown (already?!). The oil pattern also did not resemble a typical house shot as the outside bump area was not there. It played alot more like the PBA Viper pattern with a bit more length. Having said that, this was probably the worst night of carry I have ...

It's been a while since the last entry with the Thanksgiving holiday and Christmas shopping. The first half is winding down with only 2 weeks remaining after this week and the team has cracked the top 5. Had 39-40 this week, and most everyone on the league hates this pair. I am the exception and this is one of my favorite pair. The shot is not easy as the left lane is about 5 boards tighter than the right lane. After shooting a 139 the second game the last time I crossed this pair, it looked like ...

As I surmised last week, 33-34 turned out to be a tricky shot. Throw in horrific carry and it really becomes a challenge. The Virtual Energy has become the go to ball at the start of the night and most likely will be for the rest of the season. The shot looked pretty good during practice targeting 8 out to about 5, so a little flatter than in weeks past. When the game started, however, the carry really went down the tubes. I left 5 single pin spares in the first game (3 10s and 2 7s) along with ...

A little late with this week's entry, but here goes. Had 35-36 this week, which is a very even pair, so started with the usual 12 out to 5 line. To my surprise, the oil was much heavier this week, especially down on this side of the house which always seems to be drier. I also expected some issues due to open bowling on the pair for a good hour before the league start and no re-oiling. Despite all this, had my best night of the season so far with a 722. Only had 1 open which was a ripping 7-10 to ...

Thought Halloween was last Sunday, but last night was the night of the living 10 pin. Had 27-28 this week, which is one of the easier pair and usually has good carry. The first game was the worst as far as the 10 pin goes. Left 4 of them on the left lane, and of course, I missed one of them. The first 3 I left were flat 10s, so I decided to give the next shot on that lane more loft. Left a ringing 10 on the 4th shot, so I was quite aggravated. The right lane carry was very good and had no real issues ...

Can't seem to get over the top yet with these new balls. This pair, 29-30, has been one of the tougher pairs in the league and after the first game, I thought I may have conquered the pair. Had to start off with the Virtual Energy due to drier than normal heads. After leaving 2 ringing 10s to start the game (of course I whiffed the first one), I moved a bit deeper and got the breakpoint further down the lane. This resulted in light hits which ripped the rack. This ball carries the light hit very ...

Looks like the growing pains are finally over. Started the night with my Mutant Cell pearl playing the usual line. Both lanes were playing nearly identical which made things a bit easier. By the time the end of the first game rolled around, the heads were starting to dry up already. Must have been some open play on this pair after the house oiled. Changed to the Virtual Energy the second game and didn't trust the ball the first 2 frames. Went high on both shots and was lucky not to leave a split. ...

May finally have found a comfort zone with the new equipment. Didn't think at the beginning of the season it was going to be possible. Started out using the Mutant Cell Pearl with fresh heads. I started standing at 11 targeting 3. With my drift during the approach, I usually end up at 15. The one main lesson I have learned from using the new balls is that you can't get slow or miss left even on a walled up house shot. Had a greek church in the second frame of the first game because of this. Missing ...

I may have found a good shot to use the Virtual Energy on after all. Tonight we were on 35-36 and this pair is pretty even, with the right lane hooking about a board more than the left. The original thought was to stick with the Mutant Cell on both lanes after what I saw last week. This seemed to look like the answer during practice and the ball reaction was generally good. After about the 5th in the first game, I started to come in high on both lanes. Managed to not leave any splits, but 4 pins ...

This week I went from the far end of the house to the first pair the league bowls on, 25-26. This pair has always been slick with bad carry. Thought it would be a good test for the Virtual Energy. Tried to throw the 8-3 line on the left lane, but the ball reaction was just too strong. Decided to go with a 2 ball approach using the Mutant Cell Pearl on the left lane and the Virtual Energy on the right lane. I pounded the left lane all night striking on 16 of 17 possible strikes. The right lane was ...

Thought the growing pains might be over after last week's results. How wrong I was this week. I was on the end pair 39-40 which historically showed that 39 was about 5 boards tighter than 40. This was again the case and I started with the Virtual Energy playing a 8-3 line. By the end of the first game, I had to make a move 3 boards left on the approach with the same target at the arrows. This didn't last long and I had to move another 2 boards left. That's when all hell broke loose. Left a pocket ...

Decided to not to take the wimpy way out and threw the Virtual Energy last night. During practice, it was obvious that the only line which was playable was a 8 out to about 3 shot. What a difference from week 1, plus I was on 27-28 which historically has heavier oil. This ball skids through the heads effortlessly and charges back to the pocket like a truck. The extra skid this ball exhibits did get me into trouble with a couple of cross lane spares sliding by a 6-10 and a 3-6-10. I also slid by ...

Didn't bowl last week since I had a serious car accident on the way to bowling. Had some neck and lower back pain and stiffness, but nothing real major. Got rear ended sitting at a light about 1 mile away from the bowling center. Got a few cuts on my bowling hand as well. I suspect the girl behind me was either on the phone or texting at the time. My car was only 10 months old ( a 2010 Corolla XLE) and is a total loss. The force of the impact pushed me into the SUV in front of me causing the "sandwich" ...

After last week's debacle, the Virtual Energy and Mutant Cell will be reserved for tournament play and shots with heavier oil. The house pattern I bowl on just isn't heavy enough to get a consistent ball reaction. Based on my numbers from last season, it looks like the best ball for the house is the Big One. It seems to carry the 10 pin the best and has a very steady back end reaction. We'll see how it performs tomorrow night. The question is what pair I will be on. If I'm down on the right side ...

Well, my worst fears came true as I had a horrific night. The lane condition was pretty typical compared to last season with the usual transition occuring mid way through the 2nd game. The ball reaction was not good, overreacting on some shots leaving huge splits or underreacting leaving soft 10s. This was most likely due to subtle changes in ball speed. When I did hit the pocket with good speed, I left ringing 10s and 1 ripping 7-10 split. I didn't count how many 10 pins I left, but I would say ...

Got to throw some more practice with the new equipment after our league meeting on Wednesday night. I am beginning to wonder if I can use the Virtual Energy or Mutant Cell for my league. The ball reaction is just so much different than what I am used to that the first few weeks of league are likely to have a lot of growing pains. I know that if I start out slow, there will be a lot of league members asking basically "what the hell?". This happened a few years ago after I got my NV and ...

Finally got out and threw the Virtual Energy and Mutant Cell. All I can say is what a difference. The Storm by far outhooks the Mutant Cell even though the layouts are similar. I had to stand 7 boards left of my normal shot versus the Ebonite equipment and target 5 boards left at the arrows. The Storm skids very well through the heads and makes a violent move on the backend. Having lower revs and a relatively slow ball speed made controlling the breakpoint very critical. It took me 2 games before ...

Got the Mutant Cell Pearl, Storm Virtual Energy, and Brunswick T-Zone for spares. Looking at a few options as far as layouts go for the Mutant Cell and Virtual Energy. The current thinking is to use the Mutant Cell mostly for league (house pattern) and the Virtual Energy for the Hoinke and USBC tourneys. The house I bowl in puts down a little bit more oil on the outside boards, which makes the Mutant Cell the logical choice. From the vids I have seen, this ball really snaps hard from the far outside. ...