9/21 Week 3: Jukebox Jam

Philly Pinoy Mixed Fall League (MFL) Week 3 was jampacked with so many many highlights, just like my hair, many highlights (puting buhok). OMG where to start?!

It was Filipino shirt night, and in typical Filipino fashion, many forgot it was Filipino shirt night coz I forgot to send reminders... Nagiging demented na tayo ha, remember your fish oil, your Sudoku and your Lumosity app to fend off the dementia. And remember to check out this blog for the schedule and all the reminders. Pero bow ako kay Olee Ramiscal of Rambutan team with his Los Angeles shirt "dahil maraming Pinoy sa LA" = yes, ang galing, winner!

In keeping with the Philippine theme, there was lots of chibog! Naubos ang barya na pambili ng Lucky Strike 50/50 tickets dahil hindi matiis ang ensaymada, pancit, puto, yema at pastilyas de leche na kay talap talap! Simply Pinoy talaga. When we bowl, we eat. Everywhere we go, we eat! It is a Pinoy picnic at Limerick Bowl for the MFL!

There was a very quick team captain’s meeting prior to practice starting, which just had quick reminders on the legible recording of scores on the score sheets and recording of payments in the envelopes. 

For our marquis match of the week, Team Papaya was up against Team Pakwan, which has my dear practice partner and Lord of the Lanes Ivan Masanga, the IncrediBowl BowlStar Chelo Compendio, and my old Balut teammate Edmer Sotomango as the team captain:

·        Lords of the Lanes is my GoPapa Joel’s Philly Pinoy winter league bowling team, which has Ivan, Roy Compendio of Team Suha and Jops Datu (non-MFLer).  Since Ivan had struggled with his game this past winter, it was great to see him bowling well these past couple of weeks at the MFL, well enough to have an average higher than Madam Prez Mitchie, and with a 220 game to boot!  Way to go, Ka Iban! 

·        Chelo is a perennial bowling teammate of mine.  She was in my first USBC league bowling team, the IncrediBowls, with Mitchie Masanga of Team Mangga, which played two consecutive summers in the Downingtown Womens Wednesday night league, winning limpak-limpak na salapi even while losing!  She was also my teammate when the BowlStars (with Chelo, her sister String Aquino of Team Guyabano, Mitchie and non-MFLer Liz Datu) played in the Philly Pinoy winter league last year.  Super consistent, and when she’s hot, she’s scorching hot and capable of exploding with 200 games. Galing-galing ni Chelo Babe! 

·        Edmer has been a practice buddy at the lanes, an original member of the Sunday Night Bowling Club which became the foundation of the MFL and the Philly Pinoy Bowling Committee.  Also super consistent and getting even better, he showed his mettle at the MFL last year as my teammate with Lowen Gono of Team Mangga in last year’s Team Balut, ngunit kami po’y na-balut sa MFL dahil tila gumaling at lumakas lahat ng kalaban naming pag kami ang katambal, dahil maba-blog daw sila, hacheche! 

James and I did not have a good feeling going into the first game.  I told him I struggled this past Wednesday in my USBC league, very depressing (check out my post in my other bowling blog, JingGal Bowls!).  He told me that Gabriel did not play well on Saturday at his junior league.  Ayayay, too many splits and wayward balls for Team Papaya!  Chelo had an awesome 153 in Game 1, and while Ivan and Edmer had scores below their average, my struggling team could not make up the deficit.  Sinapak kami ng Team Pakwan, for two games they made sapak us!  They sapak’d us good!  Pusong sawi sa kamalasan, I need to sing like pusong sawi!

SPLIT

(to the tune of “Nananabik” by Didith Reyes, naks, Jukebox Queen!)

Kay ‘raming split

Binigay sa 'kin kay ‘raming split

Sumasakit na ang aming singit

Score ko ay kay pangit

 

BUT…Team Papaya came back to fight in Game 3! James switched to his more aggressive 12-lb ball, and started throwing it at 16-18 miles per hour: the pins explode upon impact!  Strike, strike, strike!  Gabriel started playing like Chris Barnes, throwing strikes and picking up a baby split (3,10-split) and an improbable and unbowlievable 4,5-spare right in between (and we were already joking that he can pick it up if he had a bigger ball!).  Nasindak yata si Ivan coz his ball went into the gutter in the next frame.  Edmer started missing the 10-pin after being a sure thing pating with it in the previous games.  I was on my third ball (the debut of my new Wendy ball, as in “Wendy lanes are dry, Wendy makes the pins fly”) trying to run away from more splits.  With James scoring 218 and Gabriel logging a 135, the game was won even before my 10^th frame, which was good.  Team Pakwan gives us one, we’ll take it!

We were getting wind of both amazing and abysmal play in the other lanes: highlights, highlights, so many of them!  Since I am in jukebox mode, I feel some Eva Eugenio is appropriate (o tukso, layuan mo akwo!):

 

O BLOG KO

(to the tune of “Tukso” by Eva Eugenio)

Kay ‘rami ng mga 200-clubbers

Kay ‘rami ng kay gagaling na players

Kay ‘rami ng dapat kong banggitin

O blog ko, paano susulatin?

 

How else but “just do it”?  The league standings were posted at the Limerick Bowl website as early as Monday night, super quick!  Here is a summary of current team rankings from the league standing sheets from Week 3.  Teams Guyabano and Chico hold on to the #1 and #2 spots while Team Mangga garners 3^rd place.  Good work, guys!

Team #	TEAM	RANK	CURRENT			Wk 3
			win	loss		win	loss
6	Guyabano	1	11	1		4	0
3	Chico	2	10	2		4	0
9	Mangga	3	8	4		4	0
11	Pakwan	4	7	5		3	1
10	Papaya	5	7	5		1	3
1	Atis	6	6	6		3	1
2	Bayabas	7	6	6		4	0
5	Durian	8	6	6		1	3
12	Rambutan	9	5	7		1	3
14	Suha	10	5	7		3	1
4	Duhat	11	5	7		0	4
8	Lansones	12	3	9		0	4
13	Santol	13	3	9		0	4
7	Langka	14	2	10		0	4

 

So here is the rundown of fantabulous performances from the 2014 MFL Week 3.

Top Male Players: Amazing for these folks to have (and maintain) averages in the 200s!

1.     Joel C (Atis) 208

2.     Paolo (Bayabas) 200

3.     Joel D (Lansones) 192

Top Female Players:  Go Philly Pins!

1.     Jing (Papaya) 156

2.     Mitchie (Mangga) 155

3.     Angie (Langka) 153

200-Clubbers:  We have seven (7) this week!

·        Dennis (Chico): 247

·        Joel C (Atis): 227, 234

·        James (Go Papaya!): 218

·        Paolo (Bayabas): 216, 202

·        Marlon (Guyabano): 210

·        Edwin (Suha): 208

·        Blue (Chico): 203

 

Breakthrough PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  These players played at a level that was at least 20 pins above their previous averages = it is amazing how many they are!

1.     Dennis (Chico): WOW, no one can come close to this breakthrough performance.  Dennis came in with a 132 average, and I accused him before of sandbagging, coz he is a formidable player.  His mojo appeared to be coming back last week and it is truly BACK with his Week 3 performance.  With scores of 180, 140 and (the score that made us go YEAH) 247, Dennis had a 189 average for the night, which is a whopping 57 pins above his previous average.  Hanep! Congratulations!

2.     Marlon (Guyabano):  It was a fun ride home with our car pool buddy who exploded on the lanes like a pro.  Coming in with a 146 average, he scorched the competition with a 210, 183 and 170, logging a 187 average for the night, which is 41 pins above his average!  Fabowlous, ang galing mo na talaga!

3.     Mila (Bayabas):  What a difference throwing your own ball makes (and it helps to have good bowl whisperers…)! Mila no longer looks like a new bowler, she plays like she has been bowling with us for years.  With scores of 114, 139 and 128 against a previous average of 93, her average on Week 3 was 127 (34 pins above average!).  Yebah!

4.     Lowen (Mangga): My Balut teammate turned pro!  Lowen had scores of 178, 160 and 170 for a 169 average that was 25 pins above his previous average of 144. So proud of you!

5.     ROY (Suha): No more luha for Suha, Roy is BACK!  Roy had a 156 average for the night after scoring 166, 147 and 157.  Since his average going in was 132, he played at 24 pins above his previous average.  Confidence is back, he is playing like a true Lord of the Lanes.  Way to go, man! 

6.     Alice (Santol): My idol with the enviable swing was back to her usual awesome self, playing fiercely this Sunday night!  She had a 154 average for the night, with scores of 162, 141 and 161, which was 21 pins above her 133 average going in.  Way to go!

Special Mentions based on performances that were 10 pins above their previous averages:

·        Giovie (Durian): Had 129 average for the night against 113 average going in (16 pins above average).  Scores were 127, 104, 157.  Go Philly Pins!

·        Jun (Rambutan): Uy, humataw ang mag-asawang Young = COUPLE OF THE WEEK! Jun had 118 average going in, and scored 115, 145 and 139 for 133 average for the night (15 pins above average).  His turkey on the second game apparently prevented a sweep by Team Atis, good play!

·        Angie (Langka):  Angie had a 160 average for the night with a 149 previous average (165, 167, 150).  Galing ng Philly Pins talaga but I know she would have preferred a win as well…laban!

·        Jing (Papaya): Despite the splits, I logged scores of 171, 171 and (no, not 171) 156 for a 166 average for the night against my previous 151 average.  Hopefully I can maintain and sustain, no complaints.

SHINING STARS that had amazing single (or two) games were String (125, 137), Gabriel (135), Eden (147, 139), Chelo (153), Paul (157, 161), Jay (159, 162), Jojo (161), Rosie (164), Mitchie (168), Edmer (178), Jon (181), Lino (181, 181), Desi (182), and last but not least is Lolet (197), so far the highest scratch score for the ladies to date.  Great job, folks!

Whew!  It makes us very happy to see such amazing performances week after week.  Eight more weeks left, time still left to shine and get even better.  Remember there is no scheduled theme next week.  Please remember to come at 5:15 pm to be prepared for 5:20 pm practice. 

Since there will not be a Pahabol Blog this week (sorry, busy and need to catch up on my beauty sleep!), your quiz for the week is to guess the teams that our Shining Stars belong to.  Answers are given at the end of the blog.

Apart from the jukebox OPM makabagbag damdaming songs I am hearing the Rocky theme playing.  Must be the lanes calling for me to practice.  It is Team Papaya vs. Team Atis next week, JC vs JC on Week 4.  With my Go Papa's ultra consistent high-level play, my inner BowlStar must come out to play this Sunday.  Giyera de Patani, yebah!

See you at the lanes: Bowl, baby, bowl!







 QUIZ answers: String (Guyabano), Gabriel (Papaya, of course), Eden (Suha), Chelo (Pakwan), Paul (Durian), Jay (Santol), Jojo (Lansones), Rosie (Rambutan), Mitchie (Mangga), Edmer (Pakwan), Jon (Mangga), Lino (Atis), Desi (Bayabas), and last but not least is Lolet (Atis).