01/17 Winter League is ON!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, Philly Pinoy Bowlers!  

Seems like forever since our beloved Mixed Fall League (MFL) wrapped up in November 2013, even longer since we had the Winter League last year....  We are back!  And I am back to blog on my adventures with y'all on the lanes.  I am starting off with some Winter League Week 1 poetry.  Enjoy, and welcome back, everybody!

 

Excitement galore

Once more is in store

When Fridays we meet

To bowl, to compete

In our fifth winter league

We feel no fatigue

We've been waiting all week

Fun and vict'ry to seek

 

This is OUR winter games

Pinoy Lane Lords and Dames

Bowling addicts unite

To come play Friday night!

Winter League has begun

Fun night has come and gone

Last night was Week 1

Bowlers have game face on!

 

Before I continue with the rest of the poem, which has the highlights of my team's matchup for the night, I want to introduce the teams for this year.  We have eight (8) teams in our Philly Pinoy 2014 Winter League. Veteran teams have come back to compete, including reigning 2013 champion Bowleros and 2013 runner up bAll In.  Also returning are the BowlDawgs, the Lords of the Lanes, the Bowlerines and the Bowlinators with me as a new addition. There are two brand new teams this year. The X-Men are a formidable super team, composed of ultra high scorers Angelo, Paolo, Patrick and Dominic. They were teamed on Week 1 with the other new team, the PinKillers, which has veteran player Raul, MFL veteran Ed and brand new players Ming and Brenda. Brenda is my god sister from Los Banos, Laguna, who (for the love of bowling and all things Pinoy) drives from Reading every Friday night to bowl with us. Love yah, my sistah!

To lengthen the league's season beyond 7 weeks in regulation plus the finals, a 14-week schedule is proposed. I wonder if a 28-week schedule going into the summer months was considered? My addiction is showing....  But no complaints here at all: it will be a long season, the excitement will go on and on and on!

I am bowling as a Bowlinator this year, with veteran Bowlinators Romy Libo-on, Blue Sapalaran and Paul Ficcara.  My Bowlinators were up against the Bowlerines, composed of Grace Que, Marlon Paed (new addition), Alice Deo and Rachel Ditan.  Marlon kept saying that it is not good they are starting out with a loss, I kept saying I was worried that if Marlon got hot, it'll be another Marlon Paed Show!  Grace reminded me that in the MFL, all teams excelled whenever they played MY team, knowing that their outstanding performance would be blogged.  Oh my, have mercy, let's play, let's play!  Here are the highlight verses from the rest of my poem for Week 1.

 

 

My BowlStar team plays no more

So this year I will explore

Bowling as one of the Bowlinators

Who on the lanes can be dominators 

 

The Bowlinators last night faced

Rachel, Alice, Marlon and Grace

Against the Bowlerines we gave our all

Me and my teammates: Romy, Blue and Paul

Games 1 and 2 (and total pins) went our way

Game 3 we lost, much to our dismay

Plagued by splits that we could not convert

10th frame loss by 12 pins - it hurt

And all night I somehow could not find

My line, I was bowling like blind

My balls kept avoiding the pins

I thank my teammates for securing our wins

Tomorrow is yet another day

Need to practice more, improve on my play

Need to believe and to never fear

BowlStar Jing on the lanes will appear

We all struggled on the lanes that night, but occasionally showed glimpses of former and future glory. The lanes kept giving us splits, sumakit ang mga singit namin sa splits, sobra talaga.  But overall it was an exciting start to the league.  My teammates had stellar performances = galing galing!  Blue had a 199 game and was amazing all night, Paul had a 159 in the second game and Romy had a 212 also in the second game. 

The Bowlerines kept us fighting hard.  Grace was consistent all night, Marlon turned on the Marlon Paed show on Game 2, and Alice and Rachel were in great form on Game 3 (my idols!).  Really enjoyed playing with y'all. 

I am also happy to be playing with my new teammates.  We were proudly showing off our new uniforms in grey and construction orange = photos to be shared in future blogs.  I just wish I had played better.  My dear teammates, I am heartfully sorry that the BowlStar part of me was a no-show, but I am truly hopeful that better nights are in store for me.  If our practices are any indication, better play is anticipated = abangan!

 

As with the MFL, I plan to give you highlights on the outstanding performances and (maybe) some quotable quotes from each week's matches.  But first, I have a request of the team captains.  Please lang, parang awa niyo na, please write clearly and legibly on your score sheets.  I base the blog highlights on these sheets.  Please ask for a duplicate score sheet when it starts getting messy, or fill in with pencil and use eraser.  Please have mercy.  Diyos na mahabagin, here is an example of what a score sheet should NOT end up looking like (batubatu sa langit, huwag pong magtampo ang nagsulat nito...).  Cannot stress this enough, it is giving me stress, I was so distressed coz it is such a mess!

 Photo of BAD Score Sheet: Never again, please!

All four matches on Week 1 had similar outcomes: one team won three (3) points while their opponent won only one (1)  point.  Congratulations to the winning teams:

1. BowlDawgs victorious versus bAll In
2. Bowleros triumphant against the Lords of the Lanes
3. PinKillers showing us that rookies can win the day and that the super team X-Men are not infallible
4. Bowlinators who won against the Bowlerines

Our UNOFFICIAL standings are as follows, with official standings to be posted this week on the Palace website and on the Philly Pinoy website:

1. Bowleros: 3 wins, 1 loss, 2432 total pins
2. BowlDawgs: 3 wins, 1 loss, 2420 total pins
3. PinKillers: 3 wins, 1 loss, 2416 total pins
4. Bowlinators: 3 wins, 1 loss, 2316 total pins
5. bAll In: 1 win, 3 losses, 2371 total pins
6. X-Men: 1 win, 3 losses, 2328 total pins
7. Lords of the Lanes: 1 win, 3 losses, 2277 total pins
8. Bowlerines: 1 win, 3 losses, 2189 total pins

Our top male players are Angelo-XMen (209), Nonoy-bAll In (195) and Carlo-Bowleros (193). Our top female players are Rachel (158) and Alice (144), both from team Bowlerines = go, girls!

Shout out to the 200-clubbers: Angelo-XMen (246), Carlo-Bowleros (235), JoelC-Lords of the Lanes (214, GoPapa!), Nonoy-bAll In (203 and 213, hanep!), Romy-Bowlinators (212), and Paolo-XMen (204)

Major WOW to these individuals who ended up with Week 1 averages significantly above their previous averages - super galing ninyo!

• James-BowlDawgs: Former average of 155 increased to 181 with scores for the night of 193, 166 and 185 = wow!
• Nonoy-bAll In:  Only individual with TWO 200 games in Week 1, had previous average of 163 but now has average of 195 after scoring 203, 213 and 170 = that's really incrediBOWL! 
• Blue-Bowlinators: Came in with 153 average but bowled 199, 149 and 178 for new average of 175 = go, my team mate!
• Raul-PinKillers: Started with 145, scores of 160, 149 and 180 give him a new average of 163 = Go Noles!
• Carlo-Bowleros: Came in with 162 average but his scores of 193, 235 and 151 gave him a new average of 193 = yebah!
• Brenda-Pinkillers: Had former average of 86 but now has average of 100 after scoring 109, 107 and 84.  Good job, galing-galing!

I do apologize for not starting up the blog until today.  For the MFL, I was blogging even before the Kick-Off, but I really have been quite busy and feeling tired. All-nighters are for younger folk, my geriatricity is showing. It is fortuitous that inspiration hit me and the poem above got written (while doing laundry, go figure...). Otherwise, all I had previously come up with was this very brief Taglish piece, which I share for entertainment purposes:

Sa halip na mag-blog

Ako'y inantok, natulog

Mahirap mag-compose at post

Habang mga mata ay closed

Team ko ay nagdiriwang

Kami'y nanalo at lumamang

Nguni't puso ko ay kay sawi

Sa laro kong kadiridiri

May bukas pa

May pag-asa

Trese pang linggo

Tara na, let's go!

 

Hacheche!

And so on that note, I end this edition of the BowlStar Blog.  Watch out for the next edition, surely there will be one next week, maybe earlier if inspiration hits (remember the Pahabol blogs, my MFLers?).  

Till then: Bowl, Baby, BOWL!