So, last night...I had two issues that prompted this list:
1) The Prankster
I don't know why he was amped up. I think it was because the anchor was having a bad night so the Prankster was bored. Maybe it was because I was sitting next to him when usually I'm sitting across the table from him...I don't know. But he kept messing with my Pinpal phone. I even took it with me when I went up to bowl...and he got up and grabbed it off the scoring input/console while I was on the approach.
Now, this "distraction"...I DO NOT NEED. I'm already too much "in my own head". Any little distraction while I'm on the approach is disastrous. And my teammates 'should' know this. Yet, this guy insists on pulling this ****. And I don't want to lose my temper...but it's kinda like poking an animal with a stick. At some point, the animal is going to snap. I'd say his shenanigans cost me 13-29 pins last night and a "100 pins above average" award.
2). The "HOF Know-It-All" also got a little annoyed with me during Game 2.
Now, realize...he was in "a mood" because he was having a rare "off night". But,
I had started off the first 3 frames of Game 2: 8 /, X, 6 1. The two shots on the left lane were both pulled shots but the shot on the right lane was a pocket hit that showed a decent amount of deflection. So, when returning to the right lane...I decided to ball down to the Optimus Solid. I had already moved (left), over the course of Game 1...about 2 boards with my eyes and 3-4 boards with my feet...and was now just inside 10. I decided to move my line back to just outside 10 with my left foot between 20 and 22.
Results: X, X, X, X, X.
Now; the first two strikes were pulled shots that went Brooklyn. The last two strikes showed SIGNIFICANT deflection. I mean, more deflection than I recall ever seeing on a shot that strikes. On the left lane the ball exited almost directly over the 9-pin...on the right lane it exited just right of the 9-pin.
It was fairly clear to me that I would not strike again if I threw the Optimus. It's always hard to make a ball change off a strike...but not doing so when I'm exiting the pin deck right of the 9-pin seemed like tempting fate.
So, I went to switch balls and the HOFamer says, "You put that ball back on the rack!" In other words, he did NOT agree with my ball change decision. Why? Well, he's "old school" and "old school" bowlers don't change balls off strikes...EVER. EVER. The other old school guy...a former pro shop owner...was in full agreement..., "what are you doin changing balls when you're on a 5-bagger!?"
I simply looked the HOFamer in the eyes and responded, "I can't throw it. It's deflecting." And I left it at that.
Next shot I adjusted my line slightly right and my vertical target slightly in: 9 /.
I left a 10-pin. . Why? Well, two primary reasons:
1) I didn't get a good release. I was on top the ball and fell off the shot.
2) I shouldn't have made the slight move right. <----- when I say 'slight'...I mean 0.5:0.5 right....so, very slight...almost so 'slight' that it's negligible. But still, it was unnecessary.
Finished the Game: X 8 1. Struck and then left a 4-9 which told me I actually needed to make a 1:1 move left.
Game 3: X, X, 8 /, X, 9 -, X, 8 1, 6 /, X, X X X.
Game 3 was mainly just the lanes transitioning faster than I could keep up. I made a move left after frame 3, struck in frame 4. I made a move left after frame 5, struck in frame 6. I made bad shots in frames 7 and 8. Then I made perfect shots to strike out in the 9th and 10th.
I just wish my team was more supportive. I missed 2 out of 4 single pins. And the response after I missed the first one was to remind me that the balls is 2.5x bigger than the pin and the response after missing the 2nd one was laugher. Meanwhile, the 3 teammates giving me grief about my missed single-pins...ALL THREE missed more single-pins than I did! And my 652 series...was the highest on our team last night.
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