2/21 A Dismal (but not Abyssmal) View to a (Pin)Kill(er)

We lost...  On a dismal night of dismal play on dismal lanes, the outcome was dismal for the Bowlinators.  We fought hard and came close, but could not overcome. We should be happy that dismal did not become abyssmal, since in retrospect we played as well as we could in spite of the lanes, won one game and kept our #1 ranking in the league.  We gave our all and left it all out there on the lanes, so somehow it feels like we deserve much more than a loss, but such is the game....  It is ironic and fortuitous that while still on top, we are kindred spirits with those struggling teams that fought hard and played well this week but still suffered losses, begging the question of "what else must we do to be victorious, to take charge of our fate, to win?"  We are facing one of those unlucky teams, the BowlDawgs, next week: they are hungry, they are playing well and they are ascending, hence we will need to regroup, find our mojo and hold our own, and hope that the karmic flow favors us while still rewarding us all for our efforts.  But let me get back to our regular programming and fulfil my duty as the league's blogger by telling you about the team that beat my beloved Bowlinators soundly at our marquee match  this past Friday at the Philly Pinoy Filipino Winter League (FWL).  

The PinKillers are a scrappy group of bowlers and a true wild card team.  Comprised of Philly Pinoy veteran bowler Raul Quimbo, MFL veteran Ed Nicolas and Philly Pinoy bowling newcomers Ming Pai and my dear godsister Brenda del Rosario-Cooper, the PinKillers come into each match with the highest handicaps (lowest averages) and the greatest risk of imposing great harm if they happen to play exceedingly well.  It appears that rarefied Los Banos air has imparted its residents with a sunny disposition and a flair for pun, as evidenced by Raul's genius with team names (Bowlcoholics! PinKillers!) and Brenda's awe inspiring team T-shirt designs: hanep talaga, winner!  Always ready with their smiles, jokes, witty stories and infectious laughter, there is never a dull moment with this team, never a hungry moment either as Brenda comes with scrumptious homemade treats each week: busog sa sarap!

Team PinKillers (L-R): Raul Quimbo, Ming Pai, Brenda del Rosario-Cooper, Ed Nicolas

Only Raul and Brenda played "live" on Week 5, since Ed and Ming had pre-bowled.  But since their travel plans did not pan out, Ed was present to cheer on his team, having logged in some awesome prebowl scores.  Brenda was telling me that she hoped my evil twin would show up, while I prayed that she would not! 

Before Game 1 could even commence the Bowlinators realized that we already had to work off a deficit of around 150 pins = ARAY!  This apparently was already LESS than what other teams had to deal with.  We were feeling good, though so Game 1 was off to a good start!  We were dancing, we were getting loose, we were throwing strikes.  The dry lanes were making our balls hook left: adjust, adjust!  Poor Raul was grappling with way too many splits, while Brenda was missing her spares.  So as the pins fell, the first game was won by the Bowlinators.

By the second game, the deficit was getting to the Bowlinators, as we continued to struggle with the dry lanes.  The screeching announcer for the event being held on the other side of the Palace did not help with our concentration, and was causing us splitting migraines and split ear drums.  The delicious mango bars from Brenda were disappearing quickly: yum!  Blue and I were trying to get our momentum going, but collectively our team's ability to string strikes and our spare shooting was starting to suffer, as in, how many 3-pins and 6-pins was I going to miss?  Shame, shame, shame...adjust, adjust, adjust...  By the last frame, both Romy and I needed three strikes each to catch up, but oh, the pins did not fall our way.  Game 2 goes to the PinKillers.  Exciting, we are tied!

With momentum on the PinKillers's side, Raul and Brenda came alive!  Brenda was throwing strikes and spares as Ed coached her from the side: go, my god sister, so proud of you!  Raul was getting better pin action and getting his spares!  The Bowlinators continued to struggle, and as we kept eating up frames, it became apparent that the deficit could not be overcome with our opponents playing so well while we fought to stay on par.  Three strikes a piece in the 10th frame from Blue, Romy and me to win: possible? Oh YES, possible!  But not tonight, and it would not have made a difference = the deficit was insurmountable.  With Brenda scoring a 142 against a 104 average, Ming with a 104 against a 99 average, Ed with a 167 against his 142 average and Raul with a 150 above his 143 average, the PinKillers killed us and killed us DEAD.  Game 3 and total pins goes to the PinKillers, and they win 3 points while we get 1 point.  Congratulations and great game, our dear PinKillers, it was a great match! 

Good fight for the Bowlinators, we did our best and have a week to get our mojo back: we are still #1!  I was happy I was able to maintain my 167 average even as I struggled on the lanes.  Even with the loss, I am on top of the world, having just logged my first 200 game in my USBC league and being in #1 teams in both my leagues: BowlStar!  Details are in my other blog. 
 
With games wrapping up early, we all had the privilege of watching the last few frames of the very exciting matchup between the Bowlerines and the Bowleros.  With each team having one win a piece, all would be decided in Game 3.  With only Dennis left to play, the Bowleros needed 21 pins to win.  He throws his first ball...STRIKE, pandemonium erupts!  He now needs 11 pins to win with two more balls to go.  We all hold our breath, he throws his next ball, and he gets a 5,10-split!  As he hits his last pin, the outcome is displayed on the screen: it is a 2-2 tie, wow!  Dennis, sorry, I know how hard it is to play with everybody looking at your butt.  Congratulations to both teams for their great play and excellent show!

In looking at the other matches, it became apparent that majority of us struggled on the lanes tonight. The high roller matchup of the X-Men and bAll-In ended up looking like survival of the luckiest, with wins coming by the slimmest of margins, and with luck favoring the sweeping X-Men (law of averages?).  Angelo was saying that he would take that good luck any day.  As Joel D said, the X-Men were not playing well but bAll-In could not capitalize.  Or as Angie said, maybe the good luck came about as she and Edmer watched over the X-Men as they played, she is my bowling angel after all.  Congratulations on the sweep, X-Men!

Rivaling all other matches in nail biting excitement was the BowlDawgs vs Lords of the Lanes matchup.  Jops had prebowled but all other players were present.  Before the match started a bet was agreed upon, that the loser of the first game would buy beer for all.  As Jops' 200+ first game prebowl score appeared, the BowlDawgs conceded that they'd been played....  Building off Jops' awesome prebowl scores, the stellar play from Ivan and Roy started right off the bat as the Lords handily took Game 1.  As Game 2 was winding down, the BowlDawgs rallied hard, bolstered by Jay's amazing play, fighting for the win.  Buckling under the pressure, Roy throws a gutterball, leaving the outcome in the hands of their anchor, my GoPapa Joel.  Ever the clutch player, Joel C had a double going into the 10th frame, and ended up logging a five bagger to clinch the win for the Lords by only ONE PIN = GoPapa!  By the third game, the momentum was solely on the Lords' side, and no amount of bowling genius on the BowlDawgs' end was making a win remotely possible.  Like, what was it going to take, they were giving it all they had! 

So with a commanding sweep of the BowlDawgs and awesome play from each player, I completely agree with Philly Pinoy's Facebook posting, crowning the Lords of the Lanes as the Team of the Week.  All of Ivan's and Roy's games were above their averages, with both of them ending with a 159 average (Ivan had a 130 previous average, while Roy had a 148 previous average): amazing!  So happy to see my hardworking practice buddies having such great performances at league = you deserve it, my dears!  My GoPapa Joel struggled most of the night but came through with a five-bagger when it counted, evidence that it is better to play bad and win, than play well and lose....  I also agree with Jops being named the Player of the Week as he had the highest scores for Week 5 (way to go, my bowling Miyagi!).

I however want to put in my vote for another outstanding performance that merits our recognition.  With the highest handicap series of 675 for the week (wow!), playing live on dismal lanes, ending with a 513 series and 171 average for the night with a 139 average coming in (that's a whopping 40 pins above his average!), the player with the super duper amazing breakthrough performance of the week is JAY LIZARDO!  Super galing galing! 

Jay's partner in stellar play for the BowlDawgs was Lino Matamis, who had a 164 average for the night against a previous average of 148.  Hanep!

Other outstanding players were Ed Nicolas (PinKillers) with 160 average for the night against previous average of 142, and Dennis Navarrete (Bowleros) with 168 average against previous average of 158.

The Week 5 results are now available online.  Thank you, Paolo!

Week 6 is just around the corner.  Join us for practice on Wednesday night at 9 pm, six lanes are always ready for the Filipino bowlers at $2 per game.  Watch out for the BowlDawgs vs Bowlinators match-up for Week 6, should be another super exciting night at the lanes!

Bowl, baby, bowl!  And stay safe and warm out there, y'all.... 

2/7 Top and Bottom on Week 4: MALUphET!

It was an awful week for us in the Philadelphia area weather-wise.  Already reeling from incessant waves of winter storms blanketing the area with snow, we were hit by a bad ice storm, resulting in massive power outages. Maluphet ang taglamig sa Philly ngayong taon!  We hope that most folks have power by now, and are faring as well as could be despite the relentless onslaught of wintry weather (it is snowing yet again this Sunday evening!).

 

So this past Friday was Week 4 of the Philly Pinoy Winter League (FWL), and the Bowlinators were up against the Bowleros.  It promised to be an epic #1 vs #2 battle (parang finals!) on lanes 27 and 28 of the Bowling Palace.  On the pit beside us on lanes 25 and 26 were the #7 and #8 (bottom ranked) teams, the BowlDawgs and the beleaguered super team of X-Men, both hungry for a win.  Hence the blog title of Top and Bottom: magnificent match-ups in the works, with a fight for the top spot, and a battle to pull away from the bottom.  Rounding up the lane assignments, on lanes 23 and 24 were the Lords of the Lanes up against team bAll-In, and on lanes 21 and 22 were the Bowlerines matched against the PinKillers.  Good match-ups all: exciting night once again for the FWL!

BOWLINATORS Romy, Jing, Blue and Paul,
and
BOWLEROS Art, Dennis, Desi and Carlo: FACING OFF! 

Photo by May Liboon

Our opponents this week, the Bowleros, have been our practice buddies on the lanes, regular "members" of the "Sunday Night Bowling Club" at the Palace, from which the idea of the Mixed Fall League (MFL) was born.  Dennis has been a bowling guru: thank you for all the lessons and tips!  Desi and I have joked about "clocking in" and "putting in our 40 hours" at the Palace, rivaling each other on the number of practice hours we put in towards improving our games (and see how much practice has paid off for us!).  Carlo is a perennial high scorer and 200-clubber.  Art, my Bell Tavern neighbor, clocking into the Palace almost as much as Desi and me, showed in the MFL how much his game has improved as well.  Together these four matadors of the lanes are capable of mercilessly skewering their opponents.  Just last week, all four of them scored 500 series, proving how dangerous the Bowleros can truly be.  I was reminding them of the song I wrote for them in my "Magic Pancit" blog from last year:  My Ayayay Bowleros!

Team BOWLEROS (L-R): Dennis Navarrete, Desi Mercado, Art Coronado and Carlo Ola

Photo by May Libo-on

Just like last week, practice began promptly at 9:15 pm: ready or not, here it starts!  We were shaking off our nerves at practice, throwing our balls as quickly as we could to maximize those 10 minutes.  Carlo was up first for the Bowleros and like the song, I was saying "Maawa ka", and he said "Maaawa ako... sa ka-team ko!"  And with a strike from Carlo (Ola! Ola!) the games were on!

Boy oh boy, was our Secret Weapon Paul on fire tonight!  He was matching Carlo and the rest of the Bowleros with strikes and spares, making mark after mark (Mr. Clean!) with his brand new Eagle Ball.  The rest of us seemed to be plagued with splits, but Paul, unfazed, ably converted a baby split (3,10-split) and an amazing 4,5-split: HANEP!  Not the same luck for the Bowleros and me, with way too many ayayay 6,7,10-splits: masakit na ang mga singit namin, tama na ang splits!  Too much red on the score board, ayayay, puro butas kulang sa marka!  

We eventually all started getting our groove and playing well.  Desi was dancing quite a bit, showing off his uncanny Sparemaster abilities. In the end it was Super Secret Weapon Paul starring in the Paul Ficarra Show, with his stellar 189 score against his 123 average, that enabled the Bowlinators to win Game 1 by 90 pins ("ang luphet!" according to Carlo).  Strong showings from everybody, the next two games were still up for grabs!
 
The bowlers enjoyed some free pizza c/o Philly Pinoy: THANK YOU!  There were some ube macapuno bars c/o my talented god sister Chef Brenda: yummy dalisyousness, THANK YOU!  Fed bowlers are happy bowlers *burp*.

The Bowleros and Bowlinators all started strong and were playing well in the second game, which was looking to be a nail-bitingly close match.  The DJ was playing some good dance tunes, and Blue and I started dancing to stay loose (Do the Cupid Shuffle!), which seemed to make a big difference coz the BowlStar Jing came out to play.  I started Game 2 with a turkey, played like a Spare Lady, threw a few more strikes and ended with a 201 (hay salamat, hindi napornada ang 200 game!).  With Paul still playing way above his average (Mr. Clean!), and with strong, consistent play from tandem strikemasters Blue and Romy, the Bowlinators took Game 2 by around 80 pins.  Great team effort!  Maluphet talaga!

The Bowleros came rampaging back in the third game, determined to get one or two wins (ang luphet!).  In the fourth frame, we all threw strikes except for Romy (naubusan na daw, hindi na siya natirhan....).  That started a string of five strikes for me: ang luphet...  With the Bowleros struggling with their spares, and the Bowlinators all playing strongly at and above their averages, the night belonged to the Bowlinators, who regained the top spot by earning four points tonight.  It was truly a strong team effort. The Bowlinators all played at and above average all night long, fighting to keep the lead and play strong from frame to frame. 

Maybe we just play exceedingly well against the Bowleros.  Dennis said that Paul also exploded with a 200 game against them last year.  My Magic Pancit story from last year also did not end well for the Bowleros.  Maybe they inspire us to greater play, with how well they play themselves.  Y'all are a class act, always a pleasure playing with you, whether it be at league or at practice.

 

My BowlStar performance was immediately chronicled on my JingGal Bowls blog.  Two 200 games in one night, 592 series: yebah! 

On the lanes next to us, the BowlDawgs struggled, played well and fought hard, but the X-Men dominated with Angelo ascending and both Minic and Paolo playing strong, and eventually the super X-Men took all three games and total pins.  

 

What was looking to be a sweep of team bAll-In by the Lords of the Lanes, with landslide wins in Games 1 and 2, ended in an epic comeback and fight to the finish by team bAll-In, resulting in the Lords losing the third game and unexpectedly suffering a heart-wrenching steal of total pins, by a mere 7 pins...  Oh the humanity!  What a galant effort by team bAll In!  This weekend I heard that one of the Lords "slept like a baby": waking every few hours crying... 'wawa naman, tahan na...

In the last pit, the Bowlerines won game 1, lost game 2 (due to stellar games from Brenda and Ed), but eventually won Game 3 and total pins, taking three points from the PinKillers, who appeared in need of the OTC drugs emblazoned on their shirts.

Raul: I can't feel my arms!
Paolo: I told you not to play too many games on Thursday night!

So the unofficial rankings of the teams in the Filipino Winter League after Week 4 are as follows:

1. Bowlinators = 14 wins
2. Lords of the Lanes = 9 wins (tied with Bowlerines but ahead on total pins)
3. Bowlerines = 9 wins
4. Bowleros = 8.5 wins
5. bAll In = 7 wins
6. PinKillers = 6.5 wins
7. X-Men = 6 wins
8. BowlDawgs = 4 wins

 

 

 

Here is a run down of the noteworthy individual performances from Week 4.

 

200-clubbers: 

• Jops-Lords of the Lanes (210)
• Nonoy- bAll In (219)
• James-BowlDawgs (209)
• Paolo-X Men (201)
• Angelo-X Men (223, 208)
• Romy-Bowlinators (201)
• Jing-Bowlinators (225, 201)

500 and 600 series

• Angelo-X Men (625)
• Jing-Bowlinators (592)
• Nonoy-bAll In (579)
• Jops-Lords of the Lanes (569)
• Romy-Bowlinators (551)
• JoelD-bAll In (516)
• JoelC-Lords of the Lanes (512)
• Blue-Bowlinators (511)
• Paolo-X Men (500)

 

Bowlers Ascendant. Rising stars that played above their averages all night (some folks would call you sand-baggers...inggit lang kami...YEBAH! Bowl On!):

• Angelo-XMen: We're dead, he's back...  Angelo had scores of 194, 223 and 208 against previous 186 average, translating to a whopping 625 series and 208 average for the night.  Whoa!  That's the Angelo we know: super galing!
• Jops-Lords of the Lanes:  Watch out, my bowling Miyagi ("one board right") is getting his mojo back!  Jops came in with a 163 average and had scores of 210, 181 and 178 for a 569 series and 189 average for the night.  Idol!  Go, brain ball!
• Lino-BowlDawgs: With games of 158, 151 and 156 against an average of 146, Lino had a 465 series and 155 average for the night.  Yebah!
• Paul-Bowlinators:  Paul came in with a 123 average and bowled games of 189, 148 and 129 to end with a 466 series and 155 average for the night.  Our Super Secret Weapon was ah-mazing.  Bravo!  We are winner!
• Kasama daw ako dito...I am humbled, and wish to extend my heartfelt thanks to all my bowling angels, supporters, friends and everybody I have ever met.  Shout out to my GoPapa JoelC, my amigas who came last Friday (Mitchie, Chelo, Angie, String and Joy), my ball Spinderella and my coach Donna Roberts.  Bow...

 

 

Shooting Stars.  Players with stellar breakthrough games 20 pins or more above their average:

• Jay-BowlDawgs (161): Go Commish!
• Minic-X Men (154): Galing!
• Marlon-Bowlerines (153): Whoo hoo!
• Brenda-PinKillers (137): Yeah!
• Ed-PinKillers (170): WOW!
• JoelC-Lords of the Lanes (194): Go Papa!
• Atit-bAll In (192): hanep si Atit, yebah!
• Desi-Bowleros (175): Sayaw, Desi, hanep!
• Alice-Bowlerines (168 AND 172): my idol with the enviable swing is getting her mojo back, galing galing!

Remember that the FWL is not playing this coming Friday, Valentine's Day, February 14.  Although you will probably suffer from some FWL bowling withdrawal symptoms, you MUST wisely spend this special time with your loved ones.  Thank you for your cooperation.  We will be back to play on February 21.

Please note that six lanes (lanes 15-20) are always reserved for us to practice or prebowl at the Palace on Wednesday nights at 9 pm.  See you there!

Here's to phorever pheeling phierce and phlaying maluphet out on the lanes.  Don't you cry, my baby: you have to bowl, baby, bowl!

2/5 Isang Pagsusulit sa Gitna ng Taglamig

Tila walang tigil at hindi humuhuna ang mabangis na pagsalakay ng mga bagyo ng niyebe at yelo sa ating probinsiya ngayong taglamig.  Makaraan ang pagbagsak ng ilang dipang niyebe nitong Lunes (koreksiyon: pulgada lang pala, hindi dipa! Salamat, Ka Ed!), heto na naman tayo sa kalagitnaan ng isang bagyo ng yelo.  Nagtatangka na akong tirisin, sakalin at ihawin si Punxsatawny Phil (barbecue!) nang mapaigsi man lang ng kaunti ang panahon ng kalamigan, at mapa-aga ang pagdating ng tag-araw at tag-init.  Sadyang hindi tayo sanay at hindi nalalapit sa ating mga puso ang matinding kalamigan, bagama't maipagmamalaki natin ang ating abilidad na humulma at umangkop sa kahit ano mang kapaligirang ating magisnan.  Mabuhay ang Pilipino!  Ikinaligaya man ng iba sa atin ang mga "winter sports", hindi nabibilang dito ang "snowblower operation" at "ice / snow shoveling" (Sochi!!!).

Sa ngayon, kalimutan muna ang kalamigan.  Ipagpaliban ng panandalian ang taimtim na paghahanda para sa nalalapit na pagtutunggali sa ating liga ngayong Biyernes, upang subukang sagutin ang pagsusulit sa ating Pahabol blog ngayong linggo.  Kilalanin ang inyong mga kapwa manlalaro at ang kanilang mga pangkat.  Subukang basahin at bigkasin ng dire-diretso hetong blog, mala-Balagtas at mala-Rizal (hindi mala Kris Aquino, hacheche!), habang sabay hinahalukay ang nais ipahiwatig ng mga malalalim na pangungusap at parirala.  Gunitain ang mga alala ng mga leksiyon natin sa Pilipino (nung unang panahon, nung mga musmos pa po tayo) sa pamamatnubay ng mga dalubhasang ginang at ginoo na nagsumikap na ipabatid sa atin ang wastong pagbigkas ng ating sariling wika.

Heto na nga ang pagsusulit (QUIZ), bago tuluyang mamilipit ang inyong mga dila at utak sa mga kasulatan kong kelangan hukayin ng pala: alam kong pagod na kayong magpala...ako rin...kaya tama na, hala!

1. Sino ang tatlong mag-asawang naglalaro sa ating liga?  Sa ano-anong pangkat sila naglalaro?
2. Ano ang tatlong pangkat (team) na may babaeng manlalaro?
3. Ilan sa ating manlalaro ang kaliwete at sino-sino sila?  Ibig kong sabihin ay yung kaliwang kamay ang ginagamit pambato ng bola = niliwanag ko lang dahil may iba nga namang konotasyon ang "kaliwete", wika ni Atit.... 
4. Ilan sa ating manlalaro ang dalawang kamay magbato ng bola?
5. Sino sa ating manlalaro ang may bigote o balbas o pareho? (Hindi po kasama ang mga babae sa tanong na ito....)
6. Ano ang kulay ng bola ni Rachel ng Pangkat Bowlerines?
7. Puro naka-500 na serye ang bawat miyembro ng pangkat na ito nitong nakaraang linggo.  Abangan, sila po ang makakalaban ng Bowlinators ngayong Biyernes, hala!
8. Kakulay daw ng anong pangsaklob sa katawan ang bola ni Desi ng Pangkat Bowleros?

Wala pong kuryente at nalululon sa matinding kalamigan at kadiliman ang maraming parte ng Chester County, nguni't may kuryente at tuloy daw po ang ligaya sa Downingtown Bowling Palace.  Kasalukuyang nakikisipsip ng kuryente si BowlStar Jing sa mga nabibilang na saksakan sa Wegmans.  Nawa'y matapos na ang mga brownout, matapos na ang taglamig, matapos na ang pagpapapala: tama na, sobra na!  Nguni't subali't datapwa't may darating pang bagyo ng nyebe ngayong linggo: wala bang katapusan ang kabuwisitang ito?  Meron naman, habang may buhay ay may pag-asa!  Kaya't umasa tayong may hangganan ang ating pagdurusa, at merong mainit na tubig (at kape) na naghihintay sa dulo ng walang hanggan....

Hanggang sa muli: kitakits sa bolingan!


PANOORIN: Philly Pinoy Sports Center FWL Week 3 X-Men vs Bowlinators Interviews.  Handog po ito ng ROYCOM Productions ni Dr. Roy Compendio (a.k.a. Roysterize) = galing galing!

MGA KASAGUTAN SA PAGSUSULIT:

1. Joel DEO - bAll In at Alice DEO - Bowlerines, James QUE - BowlDawgs at Grace QUE - Bowlerines, Joel CAPUCAO - Lords of the Lanes at Jing CAPUCAO - Bowlinators
2. BOWLERINES (Grace, Alice at Rachel), PINKILLERS (Brenda at Ming), BOWLINATORS (Jing)
3. TATLONG Kaliwete:  Art - BOWLEROS, Dennis - BOWLEROS at Olee - BOWLDAWGS
4. Nag-IISA lang po siya:  Olee - BOWLDAWGS (ang pagbabalik ng panday...)
5. Sa oras ng pagsusulat nitong blog, dalawa po sila at parehong LORDS of the LANES: si JoelC (GoPapa!) at si Roy, Philly Pinoy Sportscenter Sportscaster.  Koreksiyon: Tatlo pala po sila!  Patawad kay Raul ng PinKillers at nakaligdan ko siya.  Salamat kay Ed na kapangkat niya para sa koreksiyon!
6. GREEN (tulad ng utak ni BowlStar Jing...)
7. My my my my BOWLEROS!!! Patay kang bata ka, takot ako, ang gagaling po nila!  Basahin ang BLOG ko sa kanila nitong nakaraang taon.
8. Kulay PANTY daw po, ayayay!

1/31 Week 3: X-Men vs Bowlinators

Already it is Week 3 of the Filipino Winter League (FWL) and the Philly Pinoy bowlers are all settling into the Friday night routine.  The Bowlinators were up against the formidable super bowlers of the X-Men team on lanes 21 and 22.  Beside us on lanes 23 and 24 were the Bowleros and BowlDawgs.  The Bowlerines were matched with the Lords of the Lanes on lanes 25-26, and the PinKillers were playing against the prebowl and blind scores of team bAll In on lanes 27 and 28.

 

Team X-Men is anchored by high-scoring, perennial 200-clubber Angelo of the Sotomango bowling dynasty (former Hall of Framers team).  Our league head honcho Paolo, the Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL) player with the highest  average and also a perennial 200-clubber, is part of this team.  PJ (Patrick) Carretas, an ultra high scorer formerly of the BowlDawgs, and Dominic Matamis, returning to bowling after a three-year hiatus, round up the team.  Each member of this team is capable of stringing strikes like strings of pearls on a choker, effectively choking the life and hope out of their opponents = nakakasindak, have mercy!  Play well, fellow bowlcoholics, may we have a good and exciting match!

 

Team X-Men (L-R): Paolo Quimbo, Angelo Sotomango and Dominic Matamis (not in picture is PJ Carretas)

Photo by May Libo-on

 

 

With the automatic starting of practice time at 9:15 pm, we all felt rushed: go, y'all, throw your balls quickly, so we can all get a chance to throw on both lanes and find our lines!  Reminder and lesson learned: COME EARLY to league, dear bowlers, get your gear on and balls ready (hmmm...) by 9:15 pm, so we are maximizing those precious 10 minutes of practice.

Our lineup had Paul bowling first, followed by Blue, then me and lastly, Romy as anchor.  The X-Men had Dominic bowling first, followed by PJ, then Paolo (my katapat) and then Angelo as anchor.  The Bowlinators found their lines and made marks early.  The X-Men were struggling, except for Dominic, who was bowling up a storm.  Oh my golly golay, it was the Dominic Matamis Show all night long, with Dominic showcasing amazing spare-master tendencies and strike-king abilities!  Take a bow, my man, the three-year hiatus has done you good.  With the Bowlinators bowlinating, and the X-Men getting flummoxed by the lanes, Game 1 was won by the Bowlinators by around 50 pins: go team!

 

Game 2 was close, as the Super X-Men were getting their mojo back.  Their explosive strikes were getting more frequent (explosive, like...diarrhea?).  The difference remained in single digit pins throughout and switched from team to team from frame to frame, but staying  mostly with the X-Men.  Marks, we need marks! And like answered prayer, Paul, still grappling with his new ball, throws a strike in the ninth frame.  Super duper Dominic matches Paul with a strike of his own.  I miss my spare wide left (bastos na bola, time to adjust!) but Blue and Romy get their spares, giving us much needed baon going into the 10th frame.   It was a nail-bitingly exciting 10th frame, where unbelievably wayward balls randomly decided outcomes, such that the final outcome lay in the hands of our anchors.  As luck would have it, the pins fell Romy's way and Game 2 went to the Bowlinators by 14 pins.  Whew!  By the skin of our teeth, the night seemed to be going our way!

We all kept on fighting in the third game.  The lanes were getting harder to read, but the Bowlinators got their groove on early in the game, taking the lead and holding off the X-Men to ultimately bring home a sweep.  Blue and Romy had 200-games: way to go, my Bowlinator buddies!  We're still #1! 

The Bowlinators played well and deserved the win, but we know we were extremely lucky to pull this off against the X-Men.   So proud of Bowlinator team mate Paul, who was really having a hard time with his new ball but kept on fighting: he actually made THE difference in the second game, making a win possible = hang in there, Paul, you are our secret weapon!  Super proud of returning bowler Dominic, playing so well all night.  We know for sure that Angelo, Paolo and PJ will be stringing those strikes again in no time and finding their mojo on the lanes, just (hopefully) against the other teams, ayayay!

The FWL Week 3 matches were all super exciting. I was making usyosa with the BowlDawgs vs Bowleros match right next to us, and wow, were they exchanging strings of strikes and keeping it nail-bitingly close!  Lahat sila gumagawa, galing galing! The Bowleros won 3-1 but boy, was it a fight to the finish (naka 256 kasi si Arthur Colorado!).  On the other lanes, the (absent) players of team bAll In took 3 wins from the PinKillers, who were able to win the second game (naka 196 kasi si Ed!).  The Lords of the Lanes were lording it over the Bowlerines in the first two games but lost steam and conceded the third game (naka 162 kasi si Alice on prebowl!).  The Lords took three wins while the Bowlerines had one win.

There were so many amazing performances throughout the night = great job, everybody, hanep talaga!  Sa kagalingan na ipinapamalas sa atin ng mga Philly Pinoy bowlers, nauubusan ako ng superlatives. So happy to see everybody improve and have fun out there on the lanes. 

The Week 3 results can be found at this link. Many thanks to Paolo, new king of the spreadsheets and able successor to our Commish Jay as manager of the Winter League. 

Highlights of noteworthy performances from Week 3

200-CLUBBERS:  Blue-Bowlinators (204), Romy-Bowlinators (206), James-BowlDawgs (215), Olee-BowlDawgs (204, he's back!), Art-Bowleros (256 = hanep!), Eric-bAll In (247 = yebah!)

Players with sensational single games 20+ pins above their averages:  JoelC-Lords of the Lanes (192, GoPapa!), Jops-Lords of the Lanes (192), Alice-Bowlerines (162), Lino-BowlDawgs (171), Jay-BowlDawgs (168, galing ni Commish!)

Players who were stellar all night long, like constellations in the night sky or neon lights in the city skyline, shining like the (bowl)stars that they are, with all games at and way above their averages:

• Dominic-X-Men: Hey, already told you he put up a good show tonight, but let me tell you now exactly how good he was.  Coming in with a 123 average, he had scores of 156, 143 and 141, ending with a 440 series and 146 average for the night.  Oh my golly golay, you are so galing galing!  That is a 20-pin incremental increase!
• Olee-BowlDawgs: He is truly back, after despairing that he may not be able to budge from a 120+ average.  Coming in with a 126 average, Olee started slow with a 136 game but then exploded (like...) with a 204 and ending with a 189.  He had a 528 series and 176 average for the night = that's 50 pins above his average!  Truly stupendously amazing comeback performance, patay na po tayong lahat....
• Desi-Bowleros:  Desi bowled games of 158, 170 and 178 against an average of 154, giving him a 508 series and 168 average for the night.  Lots of dancing going on coz Desi kept throwing strikes: sayaw, Desi, sayaw!
• Dennis-Bowleros:  Scores of 186, 194 and 155 against his old average of 154, gave Dennis a 535 series and 178 average for the night.  Looking good, my bowling guru!  So good to see you get your mojo back: yeah, baby!
• Eric-bAll In: Amazing pre-bowl scores from lanes we struggled on this past Wednesday night = way to go, my long lost cousin!  With a previous average of 160, Eric had scores of 247 (!), 169 and 191 for a 607 series and 202 average for the night.  Wah na koh say...amazing!  That's a 40 pin difference from his previous average!
• Atit-bAll In: With previous average of 140, Atit had scores of 161, 164 and 147 for a 472 series and 157 average for the night.  Terrific prebowl performance from ever-smiling Atit = galing ah! 
• Brenda-PinKillers: Shout out to my godsister = love yah!  Brenda came in with a 100 average and had scores of 112, 120 and 124 for a 356 series and 118 average for the night.  Go lucky ball!
• Ed-PinKillers: Ed came in with a 132 average but had stellar games of 175 and 196, then ran out of steam by the third game with a 102.  His scores give him a 473 series and 157 average for the night.  Pareng Ed, take a bow, hanep sa exponential improvement!
• Blue-Bowlinators: I had to mention my super-duper team mate who was strong and consistent all night long.  Blue came in with a 170 average and bowled a 169, 181 and 204 for a 554 series and 184 average for the night.  Yes, practice is paying off, we were proud of how our "analytical minds" allowed us to recover as we pondered over our lane adjustments (stupid 10-pin!).  Way to go, Blue! 

Personally, I was happy my evil twin, who threatened to take over in the 2nd game, never got the upper hand.  Practice really does help keep the demons at bay, coupled with the invaluable eye openers and tips from my coach Donna Roberts.  My games of 169, 142 and 167 gave me a 478 series and new average of 157: sana tuloy-tuloy na nga ang pagka BowlStar ko...

Remember, guys, we always have six (6) lanes (lanes 15-20) reserved every Wednesday night at 9 pm for practice at the Palace c/o Tina ($2 per game).  The lane conditions after 9 pm on weekdays are a good simulation of what we see on Friday nights.  And of course it is another chance to bond (tsismis at tsika) with your fellow Philly Pinoy bowlers.  The Bowlinators, Lords of the Lanes and Bowleros, together with our Madam Prez Mitchie, are typically present (Mitchie and I have USBC league from 6:20 to 9 pm, so we are already there, works out perfectly).  It is also the best time to prebowl if needed.  Come on over!

Ok, until next week.  Remember to come on time and be ready to bowl with gear on by 9:15 pm on future league nights, as practice time won't wait!  The Bowlinators Week 4 match against the Bowleros promises to be another exciting marquee matchup = abangan!

Stay warm and safe, y'all!  Bowl, baby, bowl!