Friday, December 28, 2007

Free balln' is ok but free fallin' is not!!

The good news was that when we showed up we found out that we were in 2nd place as of the end of the 1st half of the year, thus ensuring us a spot in the spring playoffs. The bad news is that in the current state of free fall from 1st that we are currently in we may have that playoff spot taken away from us if things do not turn around. Boys, you can free ball if you choose, but free fall is not good. We took another 0-7 beating. Two weeks off before we see where that puts us in the standings.

We actually did not bowl all that bad, with Pat (523), Dan(518) and Jim M. (504) all exceeding 500 series. Brian seemed re-energized with a 473 and J.D. brought up the rear with a 405.

An unexpected gift from Santa's helper lifted the teams' spirits and everyone is looking forward to the edge our new shirts will give us.....Grab your Balls, we are going bowling! Let's get back on track.

Friday, December 14, 2007

"Average" just does not cut it

Our poor showing from the week before dropped us to 2nd place for the 1st time in a long time. The plan was to stick to the goal of bowling our average and letting the handicap do the rest. The good news....we bowled above our average all three games. The bad news.....team "Any old strike" played to their namesake and blew away their average in the 1st two games. We were down 0-4 and 94 pins going into the last game. With our 1st half play-off spot in jeopardy and the old guys on the other team getting tired, we saw a slight chance to salvage the evening and possibly scratch out 3 points.

Brian rose to the occasion, saving his best effort (191) to the last game on the way to an impressive 495 series. I am not sure but I believe Brian had a little glimmer of realization that a weekend session at the alley can be beneficial. Dan's solid 563 series (1st game of 226, a personal high) and Pat's strong 509 helped keep the evening from being a total disaster. Subbing for sub J.D., Jim H. cancelled his trip to New York just to hang out with the boys, drink some beer and throw the rock. As always, Jim was right at or above his average.

We did win the last game and were close to taking the series (losing by only 14 pins). Next week is the end to the 1st half of the season, let's ALL step up to the plate and lock in our playoff spot.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

The noose tightens!!!

It's all about bowling your average. Captain Brian has sung that song numerous times and we have seen it work out numerous times. Unfortunately Los Diablos bowled below their average every game and the results, although painful and unfortunate, were not unexpected. An 0'fer!!! 0 and 7, skunked, ass-whooped.
With the exception of Dan's respectable 522, all members saw their averages take a kidney punch, no one even reaching their average in any game! One postive note was Brian continues to climb towards the elusive (at least in the last 3 weeks) 400 series with a 392. Looks like he has put those 380's in the rear view mirror.

With our "solid" effort this week, we may have sunk to 2nd place in the standings. Fortunatley, this upcoming week is a position week and we can control our own destiny. We need a collective team pep talk, we need to pick up the king pin, pick up those one pin spares with the width of 2+ balls and get back to smelling our balls. J.D. will be subbing for hop along Rick and hopefully we will pick up some steam heading into the final weeks of the fall season.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Week 13 and week 14 updates

Week 13 (11/20/07) we were without the services of big Jim who was out in the wilderness guarding sheep on Brokeback Mountain.....or was it hunting deer in Wisconsin? Either way we missed his wit and wisdom. With Todd R. throwing the hook with a houseball on the way to a 450 series, we won the evening 5-2 by a total of 3 pins!!! Thank goodness Brian stepped up his game from the previous week's 383 and coaxed another 6 pins to fall this week. The 389 series put us over the top. Pat and Rick led the team with a 508 and 512 series.

Week 14 (11/27/07) The standings sheet reflected our slim 1 point lead on the previous week's sheet (50 to 49) had grown to a 6 point margin on the strength of last week's 5 pointer and the 2nd place team's 0-7 effort. Thanks to a 3rd game rally, we were able to squeak out 2 points and ensure that we will still be in first place next week.

With the exception of Rick (202 and 179) all team members were below their averages for the 1st 2 games. This led to team scores of 772 and 763, well below our team average of 787. This stellar effort led to a good ole' fashion ass kicking and we were down 140 pins with only 1 game to go and our 1st place standing in jeopardy. A shot of tequila later and the team rallied for a 3rd game score of 902, all team members except Dan exceeding their averages. Dan, throwing a strike and falling across the foul line for the 2nd time this year, has been banned from using the men's room for the rest of the year.

Some notable scores from the evening: Pat entering into the "less then girly" territory with a 114, Rick with a career best 216 (previous 211) and an awesome 597 series (previous 536). One can only think what would the score have been if he had not left the 9th and 10th frame open in game 2 and had not thrown the dreaded gutter ball in the 10th frame of the 3rd game. Pat achieved the 3 strike turkey and Rick the 4 strike burrito. As Rick pointed out later, maybe if Pat was not wearing the size 14-16 boys pants he had on, he could have achieved the burrito, too. Based on Pat's "no-hands" package adjustment, seems as if he could have used a pair of Sansabelts with a skoatch more room in the crotch.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Huh oh, we stubbed our toe!

Hot off our 5-2 week against Morningwood from the week before, Los Diablos entered week 12 solidly in 1st place with a 50 and 27 record and up 6 in the "won" column. Welcoming back team captain Brian and super sub Jim H., we were feeling pretty good.....until we started to bowl. The team average had crept to a franchise best 791 on the strength of solid weekly team efforts usually paced by 1 or 2 members having exceptional weeks. There were no exceptional efforts ths week although Jim H. did improve his average by over 3 pins.


Now on to the gruesome details. If a score in the 120's is girly, what do you call a score 30 pins BELOW that? Although a 92 would probably place in the top 10% of the Naperville area Brownie bowling tournament, unfortunately this is the Villa Park men's league and they will not allow us to use bumpers despite the obvious fact that they would certainly help. A no-show series of 414 (138 for each game, 10 below average) would have done the team better than the childlike 383 series turned in by our fearless leader.

On the strength of a final game 212 Dan stopped the downward trend of the last 4 weeks and actually increased his average 0.8. Pat bowled right at his average and for the 2nd consecutive week was the king of Huntington, edging out Jim M. once again. Even captain Brian took note and pointed out this recent trend to the man who would be king. Always the wordsmith, Jim replied "Look at this, I'm taking crap from Mr. 383!!"

Let's re-group and hope that the 2nd place team did not take 7 last week.

11/6 The domination continues

Los Diablos ventured into the other division and took on Morningwood (not literally, that was the name of the team!). It was Pat's efforts with a high game of 210 which lead to a career high series of 562 (previous 529) that propelled us to the 5 - 2 victory. Jim also had a stellar evening with a 553 series but appeared to be a little upset by the fact that the guy with the 133 average all last year had beaten him this evening. Jim misdirected his displeasure at Dan, declaring that Dan's nightly position as the 5th bowler was quite appropriate since he had been such an anchor around the team's neck the last few weeks.
Wow...why such anger?

Rick appeared to be burdened with the pressure that goes along with being the team's top bowler (169 avg) and struggled to a sub par 462 series. Like a junkie looking for a quick score, Rick scrounged the alley and willingly accepted a new ball from a large bearded man. Playing with both his balls (is this called "masterbowling"?) Rick just could not get the pins to fall to his satisfaction.

Pat and Dan did enjoy numerous "that's unfortunate" toasts at the other team's expense as they enjoyed yet another successful evening as Los Diablos.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

It was a SCARY night

The day before Halloween did not prove to be a good one for Los Diablos as they took some of their own medicine and were handed a 2-5 defeat. Despite rumors that there may have been some under the counter cash exchange for a certain team member to throw the games, we actually had a solid evening, bowling above the team's average.

In a similar "blood is thicker than beer" vein, accusations were flying that a certain family member of the author got a pass in the blog write-ups. This week it is hard not to mention the flaccid 431 effort put forth by Pat. Maybe if he had spent a little more time concentrating on knocking down the pins and a little less time creating his infantile "kick-me" type sign to stick on Jim's back (yes, that same back from last week!!), he could have scored better.

On the positive side, Rick (536 series) and Jim (518) continued their battle for team leader. Rick has successfully moved to the top with a 169, Jim is at 167.4 and Dan is at 166.7. Rick was overheard the next day at work stating: "I have only just begun!!" Is that a challenge, a threat or just supreme confidence? Let's get back on track boys, we took some losses this week when we actually bowled above average. It is all about matching (then exceeding) the team we are competing against on any given week.



When we started out we may have been worst, but look at us now, we are still in FIRST!! Let's kick some ass!!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Any more 2nd place "challengers"?

There comes a time when the cream rises to the top and the true champions stand up and declare for all the world to see that they are for real. For the 2nd week in a row Los Diablos was faced with a "challenge" from a 2nd place team (the previous 2nd place team was down to 3rd after the 5-2 beating the week before). The killer instinct came out and the jugular was exposed as a career team high 901 (previous 877) contributed to a career high series of 2523 (2487). A 7-0 shellacking made the case quite nicely that we are for real!

The strong showing was led by Jim's(555) and Rick's (526) 500+ series. Dan (497) and Pat (490) flirted with 500 and despite failing to obtain the "girly" standard of 120 (named for Jim's early season troubles) Brian had a solid 455. His 118 tied his previous low for the year but was no where near the team low of 85 (anybody owning that one?).

Everyone is familiar with a Jack-in-the Box, right? Well how about a Dick-on-the-back? I am not sure if I was more disturbed by the grey haired gentleman slowly rubbing his Depends encased schwanz across Jim's back every time he got "up" to bowl or by the fact that someone (we know who!) kept farting every 10 minutes. Those 2 items may not be as concerning to some as Dan's turkey gobble and finger gesture or Rick's "I got a friend who can slap his nuts against his cheeks" story!!!

Every week is a fun filled occasion full of laughter and good ole fashion male bonding. This year's team success has only made Tuesdays that much more enjoyable. See you next week boys.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

It's all about BOWLING average!!

Apparently Brian was mis-quoted last entry. It is not about "being" average it is about "bowling" average. This held true for Los Diablos as our 1st place standing was put to the test during position week. We averaged a 780 (compared to our team average of 778) and we put further distance between us and the "challengers" by taking 5 points.


The team average was greatly assisted by Rick's excellent 534 series. Contrary to Jim's claim that tequila shots will improve our games, Rick's scores appear to be indicative of the cumulative effect of alcohol on athletic performance....a 211 followed by a 181 followed by a 142. Pat (180, 144, 123) and Dan (160, 147, 126)had similar results as well as the unconventional "no strikes" for either of them in game 3. Although at one point Pat hung his head and mumbled "Oh no, looks like the bad Jim is back", Jim M. had a solid 517 series as he quietly sets his sights on regaining his role as team leader. Hey Dan, maybe if you took your left hand off your throat as you bowled you would score better than a 433 series.....where is your string of 500+ series now?


Brian's 138, 139, 134 games almost appeared as if he was a no show and we just entered in 10 below his average across the board. My apologies for the lack of acknowledgement of last week's burrito achievements by Jim and Brian. Jim earned another one this week. Rick needs to join the team burrito bonanza as Dan earned one in the 1st week of October and Pat earned one on a Sunday practice session.










Wednesday, October 10, 2007

....and then there were Five

A week earlier than expected, the Assman showed up to fill the roster and complete what should be a solid team to head into the 2nd half of the 16 week fall season. Although we slipped out of 1st a couple weeks ago, we are in a solid position to finish in the top two and earn a playoff spot. In his 1st appearance with the team, Rick repeatedly declared how he was deliberately bowling poorly for the benefit of the team. Sure, Rick....way to take one for the team!

Spurred on by Brian's"girly 120's" comment directed at him, Jim came out of the gate with a solid 137. Not exactly awe inspiring play but it was above 120! Dan, desperately searching for something to get Jim back on track, deftly tucked his orange Illini shirt into his whitey-tighteys hoping this little act would get Jim's mind off his inability to score higher than his daughter at a bumper bowling birthday party. Jim quickly took the bait and declared to all within earshot "those aren't whitey-tighteys, those are Ralph Lauren!" A 197 and 211 followed along with Jim's declaration that he was back.

Pat continued his recent torrid pace and hit the 500 series mark for the 3rd consecutive week. Nothing really of note, just 3 solid games at what should be his new weekly goal. Dan, distracted by the new seating arrangement and the uncomfortable feeling that someone was staring at his rear-end, had an uninspired 462, returning his average to the 170 he had a week ago. Last but not least, Brian had the unlikely combination of bowling his season high game of 206 (vs 168) and his season low 118 (vs 122) in the same evening. The "jump off the cliff" progression of scores (206, 145, 118) led Brian to once again repeat his motto: "It's all about being average".

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

The leaves are turning, it must be FALL!!!!

Maybe the No Smoking signs at Fox bowl should be replaced by caution signs like the one pictured here. Much to Dan's embarrassment and his teammate's pleasure, Dan discovered a little misplaced splash of urine on the underside of a bowling shoe significantly negates the sliding characteristics designed into the shoe. As Dan layed sprawled on the oily lane and watched as his teammates busted a gut laughing at his expense, all he could think of was "I earned a 4 strike burrito on the way to a career high 567 series!"

Pat continued his torrid pace of the last few weeks and had another 500+ series (519). This performance was in no doubt boosted by seeing his name listed as a top performer from the previous week (high handicap series). Brian has taken over Dan's steady Eddie position and had another solid week with a 453 series.

One can only hope that Jim M. is a better finisher in all other aspects of his life (after bowling "rolling" for instance) than he is at bowling this year. Rumor in the pep talk stalls was that other members of the team are contemplating an intervention and considering mandatory Sunday morning practice sessions to get him back on track. I'm sure the Sunday school class would understand if they knew what was happening to the once cocky and brash team leader of a year ago.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Career bests not enough for team victory!

The excruciatingly long hours spent perfecting his newly developed hook finally reaped rewards as Pat had a career night, posting some impressive numbers we all hope to see on a regular basis in the future . A career high game 206 ended a very solid evening leading to a career high 529 series. Dan followed with a solid 507 series (his 4th consecutive 500+ week) and Brian kept up his end of the team effort with his normal solid pace (446 series).

Jim, apparently flustered by the prospect of the Cubs making the playoffs or by the fact that his role as the team's top bowler was being challenged, had a very impotent effort and staggered in with an anemic 401 series. Even a self administered "pep talk" couldn't help as he watched his average drop from 176 to 164 over the past 2 weeks. Los Diablos needs you to get your MOJO back...get your game face on and re-establish yourself as the team's leader!!!!

We have lost a little of the early season momentum and swagger that we had, going 2-5 the last 2 weeks. Let's get it together boys.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Week 4 - Near perfection = reality check

The week 3 scoring summary shows we still sit atop the standings with a 19-2 record. Individual glory goes to Dan who was listed with the top handicap game (301) and top handicap series (784) for the week. Muck also had his name in lights with a 780 series, a mere 4 pins from robbing a teammate of his momentary place in the spotlight.

Week 4 saw us put forth an impotent effort with a 1st game score of 710 (weren't we talking about a 900 game?). We were outscored by 150% (1007 scratch!). Todd proved to be our strength (?) with a 152. The 2nd game saw our opponents take 2 perfect games into the 10th frame. Needless to say another slaughter was in place as we were outscored 1181 to 736. Los Diablos did rally behind the D' brothers to take the 3rd game, led by Dan's 192 and Pat's 182.

After 4 weeks we should be sitting at 21-7 and sitting towards the top. We need to keep up the pace to ensure we secure a spot in the playoffs.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Week 3 - Los Diablos still rolling

We were all pleased when we arrived at the alley to see we were the only undefeated team with a solid 14-0 record. As we began bowling in week 3 we were clearly bowling as if we figured out that in bowling, as in many other areas, it is better on top!!!Unofficially we ran our streak to 18-0 as we had 2 dominant games. Oh yeah, the 800 team game goal that we finally broke last week with an 805.....we blew that away with an 857 only to outdo that with an 877. A 900 game is definitely in our future boys. We did, however, have a reality check in game 3 with our standard 753.

All sorts of "bests" this week. Jim M. had the unprecedented 2 X 2 with a 208 and a 223, leading to a team history high series of 579. Three strikes in the tenth would have given him a 600! Nice job. Dan had a personal best high game of 222 leading to a personal best series of 547. This included a string 17 consecutive frames with a mark (11 in 1st game and 6 to start the 2nd game). Pat had his high game for the year with a 192 and J.D. proved to be a solid team member with a 487 series (162 average). Back to the team for a minute, the 800 games mentioned above led to a new team series high of 2487 (2315 previous high).

All in all a very good start to the new season, establishing ourselves as a team that means business!!

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Season 2 starts out with a bang!

The first week is over and done....Holy CRAP we're number 1!!!


A solid showing in the first week had the Diablos taking all 7 and establishing themselves as legitimate contenders this year. The excruciating hours spent over the summer perfecting our styles apparently worked well as Jim M. (174 average), Brian (154) and Dan (152) all played above their last year's averages. Jim H. stayed in the same area code with a 143 (vs. 147) and Pat looked to firmly establish himself as the number 5 bowler. The 3rd game of 89 brought his percentage of sub 100 games to 50% in his last 6 games. We are going to need better than a 117 average to consistently challenge the 800 pin game goal this year.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Week 18 - Inaugural season comes to an ends


Our 1st season came to an end with the need to update some personal highs and lows. Jim M. posted an impressive 225, surpassing his previous best of 201 as well as passing Brian's 218 (you finished with 8 straight strikes and you scored a 218?!). Brian had his best series with a 495, up from a 490 that I believe he got in the 1st week. Clearly a 500 weekly series needs to be his goal for next year.

Dan broke the magical 200 barrier with a 202 which contributed to a season best series of 476 (previous 466). This solid effort could not stop Brian from overtaking Dan for the season pin total lead. Over 48 games played by Brian and Dan, Brian finished with 6912 pins to Dan's 6910. Jim D. played the role of pacer and had a very solid 454 series to up his average over 141. Mark entertained Jim D. to no end with the amount of air he got under his balls (I believe he mentioned Mark "had a hard one" or "got a hard one", I'm not sure). Mark again continued to slowly increase his season average with a solid 378 series.

For every high there must be a low and Pat took on the challenge like a man determined to make his mark. His 2nd game of 132 was merely a fluke as it was sandwiched around a team low 85 and the unprecedented 2nd sub 100 game of 95. These 2 solid games contributed to a team tying series low of 312 (we all had a sigh of relief when he limped past the 300 series barrier). In the true sense of team unity and support, Jim M. had Pat's impressive feat of 85 announced for all to hear. It actually got a better reaction than the 300 game previously announced. In Pat's defense, he saw the humor in his futility, even deferring honors to another bowler...."No, no, you go ahead......I'm PAT DOYLE."

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Week 16- April 17, 2007

The opening comment can only be reserved for El Captain Brian.....finishing the 3rd game with the rare double burrito!! Eight consecutive strikes to record the individual high game of the year of 218. This excellent effort got the team within 1 pin of 800. Those "almost" strikes by Dan and Jim M. (9 pins with the 10th doing everything but actually falling) immediately preceding Brian's 10th frame turkey look pretty large now. Despite speculation that Pat would do almost anything once a dollar bet was on the line, it is quite obvious what motivates Brian. Great job Brian and don't spend the $3 all in one place.

Last week we couldn't break 700 in one game, this week we did it in all three. A 701 followed by a 700 only proved what 42 previous games had proved....we are a 700 per game team. In 42 games we had 29,399 pins, that's about exactly a 700 average as you can get. Not being outdone by Brian's terrific 3rd game run, Jim M. led the team with a 494 series, Brian (471), Dan (432), Pat (420) and Mark (383). This was a pretty good team effort, everyone's average went up, although our total series of 2200 was not a season high.

Some interesting "highlights"....Mark with the unusual double gutter, Dan with a gutter on a spare (followed by a 1), Pat with a gutter on a double strike, and Jim M. with a 1st ball 1. You don't need to look very far for pins that were left out on the lanes that could have gotten us over the 800 mark. Maybe if Dan had not shortchanged the entry fee pot ("I forgot!!'...yeah, right)the bowling gods would have given us one more pin (thanks Jim M. for stepping up with the cash).

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Week 15 - April 10, 2007

Everyone's average went down with the exception of Mark....his average did not change. Our high score in the 1st game was a 133 (Pat, new ball and all) and our high game for the evening was 165 (Dan). While one of our stated goals is to bowl an 800 game, we did not even break 600 in the 1st game or 700 for the evening!!! Sounds like a dismal evening considering we were playing "Big Dog" and the 8th place team. However, handicaps are a wonderful thing and we successfully brought 5 quality bowlers down to our level and we actually won the evening 4-3.

It was quite humorous (considering the qualify of our collective games tonight) to hear the macho talk of how, of course, Los Diablos was going to return in the fall and that we were a force be reckoned with for years to come. That being said, Dan led the charge tonight with a 400 series, Pat (397), Jim M. (393), Mark (371) and Brian (367).

As we move into the final stretch of the season in 15th place, I am thinking a more appropriate slogan may be "We're not close to the best but may be the worst, there's not a chance in hell we'll finish first".

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Week 14 - April 3, 2007

On March 27, 4 regulars were out of action including the author. Brian was joined by regular sub Jim D. and the first appearance of Todd. Jim D. finished with an excellent 187 to lead the team with a series of 465, followed by Brian (424) and Todd (398).

April 2 saw the return of the Fab Five (who are we kidding?) with all the regulars in place. Pat's enthusiasm (juiced by his recent insight into the secret of bowling discovered on a Sunday solo practice session) was contagious as we set our sights high to climbing to 13th and "earning" an additional $30!!!!!!

Jim M. left his emotionally-stressed out baggage at the door and had a dominating performance with a 544 series. Hey, Jim, could you do a few more tax returns right before next week? Unfortunately, that is where the good numbers end. Mark was next 139 pins behind (405), Dan (399), Brian (397) and Pat (373). Pat, maybe you should give up the Sunday masterbowling or try the other hand! Your solid 166 was packaged between a 110 and a 97 (joining Mark, Brian and Jim M. in the sub-100 club).

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Week 11 - March 13, 2007

Our 0-7 effort in week 10 dropped us to 14th place overall with a 27-43 record. Fortunately for us we drew the 18th place team in week 11 and things were looking good. Until we started to bowl, that is, and we felt like the post-Jordan Bulls, the early years. We dropped another 7 to the last place team in the league. An 0-14 run in the heart of the season is not what the new guys need to do to establish themselves as a force to be reckoned with next fall.

We did have a few highlights (despite the fact we lost the first game by 13 pins and the last game by 8 pins). Jim M.'s Sammy Sosa-like refusal to ever bowl in the 3rd spot again proved to be prophetic as he bowled his high game for the year (191 vs 181) and had an excellent 488 series bowling in the 4th spot. "Steady Eddie" Dan followed with a 439 (bowling right at his 146+ average), "Slowly climbing the ladder" Mark was next with 434, "The stakes are too high" Jim D. had a 402 and "Dr. Jekyl / Mr. Hyde" Brian brought up the rear with a 390. The almost 4 pin average jump that Brian made up on Jim M. for top bowler (can a team on an 0-14 run really have a "top" bowler?) was lost this week as the pendulum swung the other way.

Jim M.'s disgruntled tirade regarding his bowling position and Brian's testosterone-tainted "leapfrog" smack talk directed at Dan aside, the battle for year-end top bowler honors is still up in the air. Watch out fellas, as you two have your wild weekly average swings, there is someone quietly waiting in the wings.

Friday, March 9, 2007

Week 10 - March 6, 2007

Our 5-2 record in week 9 moved us up to 13th and in week 10 we had El Captain back in the saddle. Things were looking good....until we started to bowl.

Solid efforts by Pat (flirting with the 500 series with a 497) and Brian (a solid 485 series) were wasted as Jim M., Dan and Mark all bowled below their averages. These sub par efforts resulted in an 0-7 weekly record and surely a move down in the standings next week. Pat's 3 games in the 160's led to a 497 series, followed by Brian (485), Dan (427), Jim M. (416) and Mark (343).

Pat's impressive night moves him into the 2nd highest series for the year (verse 511). There was an interesting move in averages up at the top. Almost 4 pins were made up by the 1 time team anchor (Brian) verses the new king of the pins (Jim M.). Could the burden of being the team "leader" be too much pressure for Jim M.? Talk in the locker room revolved around a certain team member being displeased with the order in which he had to bowl. This could be an interesting competition to round out the season and Brian appears to have thrown down the challenge.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Week 9 - February 27

Our dismal team effort of 0-7 in week 8 put us at our lowest point in the overall standings for the year at 14th. Four dedicated and concerned members of the team attended the Sunday practice session. Nothing too exciting other than Pat earning our team's first, and only, 4 strike burrito.

Week 9 did not start out too well when we realized El Captain had taken our 1 set of cards with him to the fantasy bowling camp in Vegas (Brian, they supply the cards there). The high stakes "secondary" games within the games were in jeopardy. Thankfully our opponents had a spare deck and suddenly things were looking up! Would Pat continue to enjoy his knack of "coming in the back door"?

Inspired by the return of team anchor Jim M., we had a solid effort and came away with a 5-2 record. Jim M. led the way with a 475, Dan 466, Jim H. 453, Mark 350 and Pat 347. Highlights included Dan with season high games (182 vs. 175) and series (466 vs. 461). Jim H. also enjoyed his best series (453 vs. 435). Was Jim H.'s success brought on by his realization that you can indeed score better with 15 pound blue balls verse pink balls? He made the switch midway through the night and the scores speak for themselves. However, Jim H. did really seem motivated to get as many cards as possible (hmmm), avoiding the dreaded and shameful "hit the hip" move. The team also had its best individual score of the year (794 vs. 783). There still is time for a team 800 game and an individual 200. How about week 10?

Pat flirted with becoming the 4th LosDiablos to fail to score in triple digits but he avoided that with a 103. Unfortunately this was a new low for the year (vs. 106) and contributed to his series low for the year (347 vs. 372). Jim H., taking a moment to look up from studying his poker hand, put a well placed hand upon Pat's shoulder and said "at least you broke a 100!". That's nice Jim, but this isn't little league, this is the Villa Park Tuesday night MEN'S bowling league.

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Week 8 - February 20

Our impressive 5-2 record in week 7 put us at 22-27 overall and moved us up to 12th place going into week 8. In week 8 we were facing team #3 with a 23-26 record who were in 11th place. A solid team effort could move us up further in the standings.

Apparently the loss of new team leader Jim M. and the burden of carrying our young team on his back for 8 weeks was too much for captain Brian. We got swept off the lane and finished the night a dismal 0-7. Brian, physically and mentally drained from the 8 consecutive weeks of bowling, will take a deserved week off next week. Speculation is he is going to a fantasy bowling camp to try to regain his old form that earned him the respectful title of "captain".

The limited highlight from the evening (unless you call Brian bowling all 3 of his games BELOW his previous low game) was Mark's high game for the year of 181 (previous high from just last week of 159). Mark has clearly shown vast improvement from the beginning of the season by once again increasing his average. This despite entering into the sub 100 region with a 91 in game 1. Speaking of sub 100, Brian (yes the guy with the team high game of 199) became just the 3rd Los Diablos to fail to reach the century mark with a 92 in game 2.

Mark came 1 pin away from the 4 strike burrito, Pat and Dan bowled right at their average and Jim D. had a sub par evening dropping his average 7 pins. 1 more week to go for the burrito and get our collective "mojo" back. Let's go fellas!!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Week 7 - February 13


Emergency services had to be beckoned this week when Mark set the alley on FIRE, increasing his average by over 7 pins! Good thing they were on hand because Brian had to be talked off the ledge when his status as the team's kingpin was thrown into doubt......Jim M. had passed him for the distinction of being the top bowler on the team.

Speaking of Jim M, he became the first Los Diablos to bowl a 500 series (511). Who would have thought fifteen pound blue balls would HELP your bowling!?! This impressive outing put Jim M. as our top average guy by the narrowest of margins. Brian, are you up for a little competition?

Last week's 2-5 showing put our overall record at 17-25 (are we the Cubs or Los Diablos?) and dropped us back to 13th overall going into week 7. Fortunately, week 7 proved to be a very good team effort. For the 2nd week in a row we had our best series (2264 vs 2234) and our high game (783 vs 776). Jim M. led with a 511 series, Dan 456, Mark 446, Brian 434 and Pat "coming in the back door" with a 417.

Some interesting tidbits from the evening: Pat's unusual knack of getting pins to bounce back from behind and knocking down pins he missed on the first pass, Dan's inability to achieve the 4 strike burrito (he had 2 turkeys) and the introduction of a new version of our poker game.

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Week 6 - February 6


Our solid effort from last week (5-2 over the number 1 team) moved us up 1 place to 12th overall going into tonight's competition.

We had an overall nice team effort tonight (despite finishing 2-5). We recorded our season high team score of 776 (previous high 761) along with a team series high of 2234 (previous high 2145). Individually Pat recorded a personal game high of 189 (vs. 188) and a season best series of 473 (vs. 413). This solid effort by Pat increased his season average by 4 pins! 2nd time sub Jim H. also had a personal game high of 180 (vs .163) although his series was his season low of 424 (vs 435). Nice job boys.

Leading the way tonight was Pat with 473 total pins, Dan 450, Brian 446, Jim M. 441 and Jim H. 424. The most interesting, amusing and perplexing (based on how he scored so well) tidbit from tonight was Pat losing his "Mojo"and his continued confusion on how to walk while holding a bowling ball (can he walk and chew gum? you ask). Despite this he continued to score well and even got a strike on the dreaded double bounce approach shot. Whatever you did, keep it up if it produces a 473 series.

Be sure to check out the updated averages, personal best's and hall of shame on the left.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Week 5 - January 30


We went 2-5 last week to give us a league record of 10-18, dropping us to 13th place. To make matters worse, we had the ominous task of facing the number 1 team with a 23-5 record this week! Come on boys, we need a BIG effort.

Jim M. (proudly displaying his newly purchased ball) led the team with a very solid 484 total pin effort. Captain Brian followed with his usual steady effort of 461 pins, Dan with 439, Pat 403 and Mark 346. Everyone bowled above their average which contributed to our solid 5-2 victory over the number 1 team!!

Congratulations to Jim M. with a personal best high game of 181 and high series of 484. Mark lowered his team leading low score to 89 but he followed that with a very impressive personal high of 151. Nice job guys.

Most amusing event of the day was the confident, turn around and walk off the lane move that Mark did only to be shocked that only 9 pins went down. You were robbed, Mark.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

The team forms

1/2/07
Our first night, 4 of us wearing the bozo-like, fungus-laden rental shoes that scream out that we do not belong in a men's bowling league. Once the bowling began, there was little doubt that our skill level matched our shoes. Captain Brian was the exception, bowling a high game of 199 and a 490 series. The rest of the team finished with (high game / series): Dan 162/443, Jim H. 163/435, Pat 145/393 and Jim D. 137/384. The league feels no fear of team #18.

1/9/07
Week 2 and our starting lineup is in place. The league still knows us as "Team #18" but we know in our hearts we ARE "Los Diablos"!! We actually finished 3-4 in the first week and we are in 10th place (out of 18). Dan led the team this week with a 175/438 followed by Brian 167/418, Pat 188/412, Jim M. 172/390 and Mark 143/367. Jim M. had the distinction of bowling the team's first sub-100 (97) but he rallied with a 2nd game of 172. Nice turnaround Jim M.

1/16/07
Week 3. The results from week 2 show we finished 5-2 (overall 8-6) which moved us up to 8th place. Not bad Team #18. If there were any doubt, Brian re-established himself as the leader with a 177/475 followed by a strong showing by 2nd time sub Jim D. 167/472, Dan 167/461, Pat 134 / 389 and Mark 111/310. Mark's 92 gives him the dubious honor of having the team's low score for the season.

1/23/07
Week 4. Ouch, we went 0-7 in week 3 to put our overall record at 8-13, which is good for 13th place. Our high score in game 1 this week was a 128!! We had a team score of 585 pins in the first game. Overall Brian led us with a 190 /451, Jim M. with a strong effort of 165 /448, Dan 136/373 (a poor showing 25 pins below his average), Pat 132/372, Mark 114 /317.