Alleygations
Week 16
Captain Baker

I would like to point out that we were all given instructions at the beginning to write down notes for Alleygations and to give them to Rose.  Sometime later that decision was changed and all of the notes were given to me.  But some people didn’t write any notes for their team, and I won’t mention any names (Rose, of course it was Rose).

I want to welcome the new bowlers, Chance Thompson (friend of Kevin King) bowling with Team Maddox, and David Carr (friend of Kevin and Chance) who will be joining team Weiss in Week 17.  I would also like to welcome back the returning bowlers joining us for the second half, including Kevin King (Team Cooper), Amy Lewis (Team Baker), Mark Rubinelli (Team Cowell), and the ladies of former Team Jones who are now split amongst four teams, Lauren, Ali, Rachel and Kayla.  Lauren will be playing for Team Baker, Kayla on Team Cooper, Rachel on Team Werner and Ali on Team  Lane. 

On Lanes 17 and 18, Teams Baker started off the season with a 20-2 win over Team Maddox, with Maddie Zuke and Quinn Rogers, brother and sister, squaring off (Zuke with the win).  They were a player short with Captain Matt absent. I will also point out that Matthew was supposed to be writing the Alleygations this time around and I am filling in, which is not the first time this has happened.  I don’t think Matthew likes writing.  Returning players Amy and Lauren had impressive games themselves, and newcomer Chance was a little rusty but I’m sure that will improve soon.

On lanes 19 and 20, Teams Soifer and Cowell squared off.  With Captain Soifer absent, Captain Chad stepped in and helped the team get a 16-6 win over Team Cowell, but with a very impressive showing from Vic DiFate who now is on top of the Handicap series list with a 692! All four matchups were very invested and had their shining moments.  Derrick Wendling is leading the pack in Scratch Game and Handicap Game, #2 in Scratch Series (529) and #2 in Handicap series (646) behind Vic. David also wanted me to note that a little bird almost kept him from bowling tonight, and he means that literally, as he had a bird strike somewhere around I-170 and Forest Park Parkway.

On lanes 21 and 22, Cooper bested Team Werner 16-6. Don Lorenze, subbing for Werner from Team Baker, achieving the Scratch Series high for the night (533). Due to a lack of notes, I can only assume that the other players on both teams bowled their hearts out and had fun doing it. 

Finally, Lanes 23 and 24 saw another 16-6 matchup between Team Weiss and Team Lane, with Weiss the victor. It’s time they cool their jets and let someone else get to the top. Or, will they beat Ralph’s current record of three quarter wins? (Ralph is sure talking up a big game about not letting that happen).  Per Captain Carl’s notes, Jeanine Conway ended a game with a 175, a turkey in the 10th frame! In Game1 all team members beat their averages, and Game 3 all members missed their averages. In Game 2, Lane started out ahead but Weiss made a 42-pt comeback.  In Game 3, Mike Coleman achieved a 5-7 split.

The top two women players were Jeanine Conway and Lily Michaels, taking both Scratch and Handicap titles, respectively.  Most impressively, Maddie Zuke finished the night with a 669 handicap and the #2 spot! Not only did she beat her brother, but she did it in style.   Rose Cooper was #2 in the Scratch Game and Scratch Series. 

It’s great to be back on the lanes and in the company of this fine group of folks.

Strikes, spares, splits and falls (Sorry Mark!)

Captain Baker