Knock Down, Drag Out
03/26/08 07:00 AM | Spurts
I was not called upon to bowl last night, I had the night off from subbing in the 10 for 13 leagues final evening. I thought I'd just go and spectate since there was a heated contest for the top three spots. Three of the four Chatterbox teams were sitting 1,2,3 when the night started, the forth team was hanging on by their fingernails in 10th place. It promised to be an exciting and eventful evening.
That turns out to be an understatement. Before the games began it was announced that the alley, the states oldest continually run bowling establishment, and the 6th oldest in the nation would be closing forever on or around May 5th. An institution itself the Sport Bowl is about to see its 10th frame. The beginning of the end started when Royal Pin leisure centers bought the financially strapped independent lanes two years ago. Now they are closing and selling of the property, and Rich and I will have no more playground to play at because of the big bully that has eaten everybody's lunch.
Game 1: Rich Culy's team Chatterbox 4 started the night in 1st place just one point ahead of Chatterbox 3 and Mike Wilson's team. Christianna H. and Judy G. (two of Rich's girls) started big with strikes but Jeff Barber and Andy Krull, Wilson's warriors for game one countered. By the third frame the Wilsonaters had taken a lead that would not be reversed and in the end even though Christianna had her league highest game with a 125, Jeff's 181 and Andy's 156 also personal bests carried team 3 to a 90 pin victory. After one Chatterbox 4 and 3 were Tied. Meanwhile Chatterbox 1 David Andrichik's Team had a simple mission, win them all and take over 2nd place or ideally 1st. To that end they vanquished league team 4 (with their clever name Team 4) with a 810 to 761 tally. Down on the end of the 10 for 13 lanes Chatterbox 2, Kris Bowman's team struggled and lost by 86 to their opponents, even though LeAnne Bailey pulled her L-Train to a new high 117 pins.
Game 2: Rich and his girls got back on top, Andy and Jeff both were open through the 1st 6 frames, while Christianna and Judy stayed strong, and Rich's team with Rich and Kay struggling a bit below their averages still managed to erase all but 5 pins of the Wilson teams pin count lead and easily took game 2. Next to them Chatterbox 1 quietly and efficiently took game two with a crushing 10th frame turkey for David and a 206 from Will. With a split from Rich and Wilson's teams Chatterbox 1 pulled into a tie for 1st. Team 2 on the other end still struggled even though LeAnne dropped another 116 bomb on the competition. Paul Burns and Kris struggled, and Jeremy Hatch's 144 was not enough to push them over the top.
Game 3: Rich and his girls take the last game and Wilson's team slides to 3rd. Team Andrichik, still hitting on all cylinders takes the third game and leap-frogs the other two into 1st place. Bailey, Burns, Hatch and Bowman take the last game but end up dropping below the Betties who came in in 11th place. When the figurative dust settled Chatterbox 1, 4 and 3 were 1,2, 3 and Chatterbox 2 won last place. I stayed and bowled with Kris, Leanne, Paul, Paula Watson (from yet another non-Chatterbox team) and Rich while David A and Donna Hiatt (from Paula's team) spectated. I had three games right around 170, and called it a night. This was the last time all of us would bowl together at the Sport Bowl as the twilight claims the history and happiness at 3900 S. East street. Friday's league has two weeks left, Sunday's has three, then it's adios amigo's.
Chuck Pace © 2008
That turns out to be an understatement. Before the games began it was announced that the alley, the states oldest continually run bowling establishment, and the 6th oldest in the nation would be closing forever on or around May 5th. An institution itself the Sport Bowl is about to see its 10th frame. The beginning of the end started when Royal Pin leisure centers bought the financially strapped independent lanes two years ago. Now they are closing and selling of the property, and Rich and I will have no more playground to play at because of the big bully that has eaten everybody's lunch.
Game 2: Rich and his girls got back on top, Andy and Jeff both were open through the 1st 6 frames, while Christianna and Judy stayed strong, and Rich's team with Rich and Kay struggling a bit below their averages still managed to erase all but 5 pins of the Wilson teams pin count lead and easily took game 2. Next to them Chatterbox 1 quietly and efficiently took game two with a crushing 10th frame turkey for David and a 206 from Will. With a split from Rich and Wilson's teams Chatterbox 1 pulled into a tie for 1st. Team 2 on the other end still struggled even though LeAnne dropped another 116 bomb on the competition. Paul Burns and Kris struggled, and Jeremy Hatch's 144 was not enough to push them over the top.
Game 3: Rich and his girls take the last game and Wilson's team slides to 3rd. Team Andrichik, still hitting on all cylinders takes the third game and leap-frogs the other two into 1st place. Bailey, Burns, Hatch and Bowman take the last game but end up dropping below the Betties who came in in 11th place. When the figurative dust settled Chatterbox 1, 4 and 3 were 1,2, 3 and Chatterbox 2 won last place. I stayed and bowled with Kris, Leanne, Paul, Paula Watson (from yet another non-Chatterbox team) and Rich while David A and Donna Hiatt (from Paula's team) spectated. I had three games right around 170, and called it a night. This was the last time all of us would bowl together at the Sport Bowl as the twilight claims the history and happiness at 3900 S. East street. Friday's league has two weeks left, Sunday's has three, then it's adios amigo's.
Chuck Pace © 2008