Boomer's Winter Season

[boomer]

Sigh - I don't know why I do this. At some point, I end up trying to finesse the ball. I KNOW better. When the lanes are not dry - don't finesse; move right and just bowl.

So, what did I do Monday night?

Game 1 - two strikes, FOUR opens (3 splits) then struggle to finish at 161. So stupid. We lost by 16 pins and I'm under my average by 40.
Game 2 - so sensitive to ball speed when I'm finessing the ball - struggle but still, 3 opens (2 splits) - 187. We lost by 24. At the end, though, I moved right 5 and 5 and unloaded! punch out 9 and 10th frame. OK, here goes.
Game 3 - ball speed up, go much more direct, and let 'er rip. Clean game 224. We won the point - but we had to win by 41 to take two and THEY were TRYING to give it to us. But no . . . it came down to me. If I punched out, we would have won by a single pin.

Nope.

Frustrated with myself. Frustrated that even when I was close to on (second game) nobody else stood up to help out. Frustrated that when I was ON, two teammates decided they were going to throw a TON of gutter balls. Not deliberately but result was the same.

[boomer]

Last week I mentioned that I was trying to finesse the ball - well, resolved to not do that this week and was richly rewarded for it. Mr. Teal was happy all night, I took a much more direct line (which was good as the other team was all over the place) and even though I didn't have a lot of high-flush-crusher strikes, I had a TON of "fluffy" ones.

Game 1 - CLEAN. couple of 10's (picked up) and missed the pocket once (was real light another) - tried the Zen Master in the 12th fill frame but it would have needed an entirely different line and I didn't want to change. 230. We LOST the point as two of them bowled about avg+50 . . .
Game 2 - commit to the line. Have to make a board move RIGHT, as I was getting more fluffy - which felt weird but hey, it worked. Had a weird 4-7-9 split - ball hit the pocket but it was like it didn't deflect at all and drove straight through the 8. Weird - but after that, charged. 254 and we took the point and made up the very small amount we needed to take the lead in total (not by much. . .)
Game 3 - not sure what happened, but first the first three frames were . . . weird. two of them open (1-2-4-8, left the 8, and a pocket 7-10) and a spare. Other than those, struck out. Until we got to the 10th, we were slightly behind but they were bound and determined to give us the game so I graciously took it from them. 246

We took 3 of 4 points.

I had my first 700 in a long time - 730.

Ball speed was up - but I wasn't CHUCKING it, just a natural speed. I was able to post most of my shots decently.

I was actually surprised since we were camping all weekend up in Kernville (base of the Sierras) and I was a bit stiff. But got loose and was just fine.

[Timmyb]

Well done!

[Aslan]

A 71% strike rate...dang.

Well done.

[boomer]

Bowling vacant - bowling ourselves - strange how hard it is to get going, right? Weird.

Game 1 - I had a great look with Mr. Teal, but got frustrated with the team. Except for my wife, the other two were dropping gutters or 3-counts and then having to make a big spare. Got to the 10th and since I'd been flirting with light 4-pins, I swapped to the Zen Master for a harder hit. OK, but I didn't get MY score but it didn't matter, we lost to ourselves anyway. 184 - 1 split (dumb) and whiffed 6-10. Meh.
Game 2 - Zen Master rewarded me. Good solid hits. 255 and clean and my teammates got themselves going and we took the game by over 100 pins. My wife consistently hit her average again.
Game 3 - Needed to move a touch but kinda fumbled trying to get where to move. Baby split (missed) and a 6-7-10 in the fill - 198. OK - we took the game (my wife was 2 pins under her average - she just bangs out her score every time - even with a wounded foot) and total.

We started out the night in a 2-way tie for 3rd (behind two teams tied for first) - we should hold on to that.

[Aslan]

Not bad. 3 splits and ya still pulled off a 198.

[boomer]

- yep. Under average but what are ya gonna do?

[boomer]

I'm trying too hard and it's pi$$ing me off.

GAH - my wife is injured (foot) and still trying to bowl, which hurts me but she's typically carrying her average EVERY time. DANGME but she's consistent. Until this week when she just couldn't do it. Only bowled 2 games and didn't hardly pick up her spares. The ONLY thing I try to get through to her is that if she hurts, she needs to not bowl. But then she tells me that I ALWAYS hurt (which I do - knee, back, shoulder) but I know how to deal with it.

Bigger GAH is my other two teammates - one of which always shows up late, doesn't warm up (obviously) and ends up bowling like poopoo the first game. Frustrates the CRAP outta me (see what I did there? LOL) My other teammate is getting better, but he's . . . not coachable and really NEEDS coaching. They both are inconsistent as anything. When the one is on, she's ON. When the other is on. . . he's on like for a couple of frames.

It makes me feel like I have to carry the team. We WERE up in 2nd place and winning quite a bit. Put the pressure on myself to score when those two don't. And it shows.

Game 1 - I had a LOOK. Mr. Teal was killing it except for 6th frame where I just went high. But their anchor (REALLY good bowler) and I were using very similar lines and I didn't react enough and had two splits in 9 and 10. We lost the game by 30 - which we shouldn't have and I blamed myself, but the other three were ALL 20-40 pins under . . . 174

Game 2 - we didn't have a chance. Other team went OFF like the 4th of July. Think they shot around 875 or so? I was solidly in the pocket for the first 9 frames. Crushing pocket 7-10 in the second, whiffed a 9 and then split in the 10th. I was starting to implode at this point. I was like, "Can I get some HELP here? Or do I need to do it all myself?" - I did NOT say that, I tried to NOT let any of that show, but I know my wife saw it. She was also really hurting and I couldn't help her but was very glad when she sat down for the 3rd game. I think the other team (who we're really good friends with) was also relieved that she sat. We were all wincing. 181

Game 3 - Now I'm talking to myself. 5 10-pins (whiffed TWO - c'mon Boomer!) and all pocket shots except the first which was my fault - I let it way wide. I made all my typical ring-10 adjustments except the adjustment I made LAST week, which the other anchor said was what he did. Sigh - had I not been in a goofy-loop, I just MIGHT have figured it out. Move RIGHT, not LEFT. He made a 4-3 move right, found extra friction wide and got a bit more angle - and got the 10-pins. I didn't - and I didn't watch him which I should have since we were throwing similar lines. But - all those 10s and the two whiffs really killed ME. However, remember when I said when my teammate was on, she was ON? Yeah, she KILLED it so we took the point. 161

Frustrating night. Ironic - the meds my wife took kicked in about 20 minutes after we got home. ROFL. Probably good, though. I need her to rest so she doesn't HURT.

[Aslan]

GAH - my wife is injured (foot) and still trying to bowl...The ONLY thing I try to get through to her is that if she hurts, she needs to not bowl.

We have a lady on my Sunday night team. It's actually HER team...but she had hip or knee surgery at the beginning of the season and is bowling left-handed (instead of her usual RH). So, she can't do an "approach" and just tosses the ball out there. She averages like 48. Now, gives us a bunch of handicap...but still. I understand the frustration. We SEE something...and we want to help them (and the team)...but she NEVER listens to advice. She'll throw it in the gutter repeatedly and score a 29 before she'll ever even consider moving. Ughhh!!

teammates - one of which always shows up late, doesn't warm up (obviously) and ends up bowling like poopoo the first game.

Both my leagues have a guy like that. It's annoying.

My other teammate is getting better, but he's . . . not coachable and really NEEDS coaching. They both are inconsistent as anything. When the one is on, she's ON. When the other is on. . . he's on like for a couple of frames.

Preach...yup. I got like 4 teammates like that. They come back to the table and say, "I don't know what to do!" I 'sometimes' will try to help and say something like, "well, try to get the ball to hit the inside of the far lane marker"...to which they are usually not listening to and just repeat, "Yeah, I don't know what to do." Did you hear me? Hello! Is this thing on!?

[boomer]

So let's go from a poor week to . . . probably my best week EVER.

My wife stayed home to rest her aches, which was good for her.

Me? I bowled my brains out. I missed the pocket THREE times.

So we dropped to third after last week's debacle, four points out of first. We bowl a team that is very streaky and is only 2 points behind us - two very strange people, one VERY kind and quiet older gentleman, and a really fun young guy (30) who's wife comes as well and she's very fun as well. They're fun to bowl with as a team - but I was wary.

We were also bowling on the "easy" pair - 39-40 are the highest scoring pair on our side. Either you LOVE them or you hate them, but if you love them, you're gonna hit big.

Game 1 - front 10. Somewhere along the line Bohemian Rhapsody came on and I was singing along but with the Muppet version (especially Animal singing, Mama? MAMAAAAAA!) - needless to say, I was having fun. 11th, I was down on ball speed a bit and left 3-6-10 but picked it up. 287. Both teammates above their average, we won the point by about 100 pins.

Game 2 - Front 8, ring 10, strike then 2-4-5 (super light) which I picked up. 269. One teammate was a bit above average, the other right there, but the other team was also bowling better . . . we won by about 100 again.

Now one of those strange guys is doing calculations and making SURE that I know that I need 244 to get 800. I'm like, "Yeah, I know. I can do math. Shaddap!" LOL

Game 3 - weird 7-pin pocket hit in the 3rd, slow in the 6th and WHIFFED the 3-6-10 which took any 800 pressure off so now it's just kick their arses HARD. Both teammates were way up and the two strange opponents (who have the same first name . . . weird) were really pouty and demoralized and just dumped (and were PI$$Y) - the kid was trying to keep up and shot well but was laughing a LOT - especially as I had moved on to Muppets, "Mna Mna boop boo de doo doo". Yeah - we had fun. We ground them underfoot by over 200, I think.

785 - my new high series. Had a chance at 800 until I whiffed the 3-6-10 (had I picked it up and hit identically, would have been 801) . . . I've never hit the pocket THAT much or had that high of a strike percentage across all three games.

It was one of those nights where it did NOT feel like work. I did have to make a few adjustments - left, left, then back right and up ball speed - but honestly it all felt natural and completely logical.

Now - no resting. Need a good night next week. No over-expectations, just BE SOLID.