Monday, December 7, 2009

Conspiracy theories abound at December to Remember Bagfest





It was supposed to be a day filled with male bounding. You know the type of day we all dream about......eating chili, sippin' beer, playin' some bags. A testosterone tainted get together to have some fun and to celebrate the simple joy of being men. No big elaborate plans, no dramas regarding what was to be served or how it was to be served. Hey, its December, its cold, lets throw some bags!!!

On the surface all things listed above seemed to be accomplished. Fourteen guys getting together to play a random draw doubles tournament followed by a random seeded singles tournament. Conspiracy theory number 1: Was defending Bagtoberfest double winner Pat randomly matched (handicapped) with rookie bag thrower Mike? Could the (what seemed to be) powerhouse team of JD and Jim H. being matched up and landing in the opposite side of the bracket truly be random? Does seem a little suspicious. However, JD / Jim H. only made it the 2nd round via a first round bye and then they ran into the buzz saw known as team Dan /Bill H. May have been a case of the "looking ahead to the next match" syndrome. There would be no victory for JD / Jim H on this December day.

All team Pat / Mike did was plow through teams of Mark/Andy and Bill R./Jim M. (another pre-tournament favorite) on their way to dominating Dan /Bill H. in the finals. Pat was now 3 for 3 in Double D's bagfest competitions.

Conspiracy theory number 2: tournament host Dan (and brother to Pat) landing in the opposite side of the bracket from Pat.....possibly ensuring himself of at least a 2nd place payout......hmmm!? Or could it be that Jim M. (creator of most of these theories) got a first round bye, thus ensuring he would not suffer the humiliation of a 1st round departure? Conspiracy or not, the games still had to be played and winners declared. Pat and Dan did indeed meet in the finals. Pat defeated JD and Jim M. on the way to the championship and Dan beat Mark, Steve and Andy before "losing" to Pat in the finals. Four tournaments and 4 championships for Pat....congratulations.

P.S. anyone who witnessed the singles tournament would be more than a little suspicious that Dan did not win the title. He clearly was on top of his game as he obtained the never before achieved double, double skunk on his way to the finals. If you are unfamiliar with this term, it is when you skunk your opponent 2 games in a row and then skunk your next opponent 2 games in a row. After riding this skunk-cubed momentum to a first game victory over Pat you could almost feel the compassion Dan had for his little brother. After watching BowlerPat struggle every Tuesday Dan knew that a loss in bags would just about devastate Pat. Los Diablos needs BagsPat to remain strong if there is any hope for BowlerPat. Congratulations Pat and thanks Dan.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Hey Brian! You already got that one!


With Dan on injured reserve (or was he just avoiding being part of the upcoming beat down?), Los Diablos was looking for a spark to get back on track. Unfortunately, trying to get back on track against quality bowlers is never a good idea. With our team average hovering around 800 all year, we all know that if we just bowl our average good things will come. About that theory.....we bowled 761 (lost by 18), a 771 (lost by 107) and a 665! (lost by 125). OUCH. Our handicapped score was 999. A quick look thru the archives reveals a 681 was our previous low this season. Last year we had a 677 with Scott A. as a sub. By the way, Scott bowled a 308 series that night!!!! That's not all that bad if you are on the Kennedy Jr high girl's bowling team. But a grown man? Wow! Our lowest point last year was a 636, which consisted of a 121 from Brian, a 143 from Pat, a 150 from Jim, a 118 from JD and a 104 from FNG!!! We suck!! There is one thing in common to this week's 665 and last years 636....what could it be?

Back to the evening's bowling. During one game, Los Diablos threw 4 gutter balls. As much as he tried, Brian was unable to join the others in the gutter spree as his ball just managed to clip the 10 pin for a 1. So much for the old theory that Brian can't pick up the 10 pin. Just to show it was not a fluke, Brian put his 2nd ball in the exact same location, this time hitting no pins. This feat prompted the league chairman (and opponent) to shout out: "Hey Brian, you already got that one!"

Dan will be back (assuming the back allows) and Jim H. will be there to cheer us on as we hope to bet back on track and end the first half strong.