Insane

Wow. Those three letters sum it up pretty nicely. Wednesday night we played our 5th shuffleboard league game of the season at Woodie's Ice House. Woodie's board was insane, and not in a good way. From one end of the table, no matter where you tried to shoot it to, your puck either fell off the left rail (side) or found a tiny little lip and hung on to the left rail at a deep one or better. The only time a puck was anywhere but on the left side was if it was hit by another puck and bumped around. The speed from that end of the board was impossible. All you had to do was barely push your puck and watch it slowly float down the board, curve to the left and fall off. Insane. The other end wasn't much better. There wasn't as drastic as a curve as the other end but there was a curve. Historically, our team hasn't played very well on this board, but we've changed that.

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

Elaine and Dave got the call for our first game of the night. We started out with 2 handicap points and right off the bat Elaine had the crazy, left turn curve down. She scored in all of her frames except one. Dave gave up 4 points in his first frame but then held his opponent to 1 or less points after that. After 9 frames, we won 19-7.

Game 2 - Match Record 1-0

Bert and John were up next. After giving up one handicap point Bert scored two consecutive 2 while John kept his opponent to 0. Then it was John's turn to score 2 twice in a row. Their opponents started to make a comeback but John and Bert held on to win it 17-14, the first of three games to go to 14-14 before someone scored the winning point.

Game 3 - Match Record 2-0

For game 3 we played Lexie and myself and had to give up 3 points. Lexie scores 4 points in the first frame to give us the lead. My opponent scored 2 on me the next frame and for the next 3 frames neither Lex or I could stop the bleeding. I finally scored a couple of points but it was too little too late and we lost 6-15.

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1

Elaine was back up but this time she was partnered with Margaret. We had to give up 3 handicap points again but Margaret quickly made those back up. This was a bit of a seesaw game with the points being scored on both sides. By the 5th frame we had the lead 11-5 but their opponents rallied to make it 11-12 in the 9th frame. Now it's the 12th frame, the score is 13 to 14 and we have the hammer. Elaine already has a one on the board and shoots her last puck. It falls off the side. 14 to 14. Margaret can't stop her opponent and we go down 14-20.

Game 5 - Match Record 2-2

Let's see if we can repeat our second game. Bert and John are back up together and again have to give up one point. They both started strong, scoring 3 points in each of their frames, but gave up 7 points in the following 3 frames. John started finding his speed and scored a total of 12 points in his next four frames to get us the victory 18-14.

Game 6 - Match Record 3-2

Image by AndiH via Flickr

Elaine and Dave go back up for what we hope is the last game of the night. After some confusion on who they were going to play against, we ended up getting 2 handicap points. Dave started it off and gave up 2 points. For the entire game, Dave never shot the hammer and managed to keep his opponent from scoring more than 2. I don't know if Elaine was ready to go home or what but she was on fire. Her frames were 3 points, 1 point, 7 points and then 5 points. We take the win 18-6 and take the match 4 games to 2.

Our winning streak continues. After losing the first two games of the season we have rallied to win 3 straight. Our next game is at home against the Cozy Corner ClusterPucks and is the first of 3 weeks that we will be playing at our home board. Could we possibly finish this half without losing another match? That would be freakin' sweet!

Quote of the night: "Take a left bitch!" - Elaine (talking to her puck)

Record:

3-2

Next opponent - Cozy Corner ClusterPucks

Go BarFlies!

Three-Peat?

Tomorrow is our 5th shuffleboard game of the season and we are going to try and make it 3 wins in a row. We are playing at Woodie's Ice House which has some controversy swirling around it. Well, I don't know if controversy is the right word but I don't feel like trying to think of a different one.

First off. Their board is not well liked in our league. There are crazy curves and one end can play mean tricks on your pucks. In my opinion (read again - my opinion), that is called home field advantage. Some in our league will argue that the board is "unplayable" but if there are crazy, tricky spots on the board, the other team has to play and learn those spots too. Don't get me wrong, it aggravates the crap out of me when I can't get my shots to go where I want them, but I've seen Woodie's team go through the same thing. There is a certain learning curve that comes along with shuffleboard, especially on tricky boards.

Secondly, Woodie's has had to forfeit two games already this season. In our league, any team that forfeits three matches in any one half-season of play will be dropped from the league that season. I have heard that they have had to forfeit because they couldn't get enough players to their games at 8 o'clock. That sucks, for everyone involved. It not only sucks for their team, but also the team they are scheduled to play. We've joined the league to play shuffleboard, and that's what we want to do. Am I blaming Woodie's or their players? Of course not. Shit happens, stuff comes up, schedules have to be shuffled. But like I said, it's not fair to anyone, so I feel that the forfeit rule is a must.

I guess what I am saying is that I hope Woodie's has enough players tomorrow night. I don't want them to have to be dropped from our league because I want a chance to prove that we can get 3 wins in a row.

Go BarFlies!

Bar Olympics

Image via Wikipedia

My husband Kevin has been putting together a "Bar Olympics" for a few years now and it has become very popular. There are four events - darts, shuffleboard, pool and bean bag toss/washers. It's an all day event (well from 4 to 5 hours) but it's a lot of fun.

We get 20-25 of our closest friends together, pay $20 each, draw cards to see who are our team mates, figure out who's gonna play what and let the games begin!

We had the 8th Bar Olympics this past Saturday and it was a great time! I drew an Ace along with Chris B., Eric, Dave and James... and we kicked ass!

Every team has to play each event three times, once against every other team. In darts, shuffleboard and pool, we won 2 out of the 3. In the bean bag toss we won all three of our games.

I think everyone who played had a good time. So when's the next one Kevin?

A Winning Streak!

Yes! We did it again! The Crowe BarFlies are now 2-2! We had our "rally rooster" and when we needed a little extra voodoo boost... Aline crowed like a rooster for us! I told her that when we play our away games and we need her to crow, I'm going to call her up on speaker phone!

Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers were a tough opponent. I figured we'd be going to the seventh game. But we did it in six!

To start off, Lex and I actually got out of work early enough to get some practice in. In our league, all games start at 8pm. The home team has 30 minutes to practice from 7 to 7:30 and the visitors get to practice from 7:30 to 8.

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

First up we have John and Steve who are both 0, but they played two 0 so there were no handicap points. When this happens, a coin is flipped to determine who goes first. If this happens in the first game of the match the winner of the flip decides if they want color or hammer. The hammer is the last shot of the frame. Most people choose the hammer. This game was a little bumpy, Steve couldn't get the speed down and John started getting into his groove about the 6th frame. We lost this one 9-16.

Game 2 - Match Record 0-1

Next up. Bert and me. We had to give up 1 point and no matter if it's one point or six, it sucks having to give up any points. This game was a see-saw. We'd score 2, they'd score 3. We'd score 3, they'd score 2. It wasn't until about the 7th frame that we decided to turn it up. I scored 4, Bert followed that up with a 3 and I ended it with a 3. Final score 17-11. We've tied the match up!

Game 3 - Match Record 1-1

Dave and Lexie are up for the 3rd game and we get 2 handicap points. Dave and Lex were on like crazy. But so were their opponents. But we held on and won 15-12.

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1

For our fourth game, Margaret (Mom) and Roger are up. Roger tied it up in the first frame with a 1 after giving up one handicap point. Mom started the rally in the 6th frame but it was just a little to late and we lost this game 9-15. All tied up again.

Game 5 - Match Record 2-2

John is up again and so is Lexie. After giving up one handicap point, the scoring flurry started. John with a point, Lex with 2, John with 2, Lex with another 2 - all without the hammer. Elvis started playing on the jukebox so we knew that John would be in the zone. But Lexie was the hero of this game. In the last frame we needed five points to end the match. Lexie had the hammer and already had a point on the board. She threw her puck and it slid all the way to a hanger. A hanger is a puck that hangs off the end of the board and it's worth 4 points. She scored 5!! We won 15-9.

Game 6 - Match Record 3-2

It took us forever to figure out who to put up for this game. Everyone had an idea, which is great because I need all the help I can get. Mom and me. Bert and Mom. John and me. Dave and me. Dave and John. There were a bunch of possibilities. We decided as a team that Dave and I would play. My first game I played on the end that I usually do not play on. That was also the side that Dave played on. In most situations, once I've played on a particular side I don't like to switch to the other side. But we were at our bar. I felt comfortable that I could switch ends and play on my usual end. Dave and I were the right choice. We got 2 handicap points and in the first frame, Dave's opponent scored 4 points. That would be the only points they scored. I scored 4 points next, Dave scored 4 points and in the 4th frame of the game, I scored 5 to end the game 15-4.

We are finally starting to click. I guess the first couple of matches were needed to knock the rust off of us. This match proved that it does take the whole team's input to figure out the best options for winning. It would be fantastic if we could keep this winning streak alive. Our next game is at Woodie's Ice house and they have one of the most trickiest boards in the league. Wish us some good luck!

Quote of the night: "Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!" - Aline

Record:

2-2

Next opponent - Woodie's

Go BarFlies!

A Quickie...

Just a quick post about tonight's game. I WANNA WIN!! I've recruited my Facebook pals to send some good luck the BarFlies' way and of course I have the "Rally Rooster".

We're playing Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers tonight, who's record is 3-1. They are a crazy tough team but I know that if we just hang in there we can beat them.

Look out Puckers! We're coming for you!!

Go BarFlies!

Rub the Rooster

Let me explain. Whenever one of the bartenders, Aline (pronounced eye-lean) goes gambling, she usually comes back a winner. And I'm not talking small winner here, she once won a Harley from a slot machine. She's lucky. So a while back, when Kevin and I were dating, he had to go to Vegas for work and I tagged along (I had never been to Vegas before). Since I knew that we would be gambling I wanted Aline to "rub" some of her luck onto something for me so I would win. My friend Monica was making these really cute bracelets at the time. She made me one and put a little rooster charm at one end of it because Aline collects roosters. Aline wore the bracelet for about a week before we left and then gave me the lucky charm. I came home with $800 extra dollars in my pocket. My rooster bracelet has pretty much been sitting in the bottom of my purse since then.

Until last night.

Before our 3rd shuffleboard game against Hunter's Rocks, I had wanted to make a new team shirt with a 4-leaf clover somewhere on it. But I'm lazy, don't get out of work 'til late and I like to drink on the weekends so I never got around to making it. I don't know how or why my rooster bracelet popped into my head but I'm glad it did.

The Crowe BarFlies finally got our first win of the season. Now I'm not saying that the rooster had anything to do with it, but it didn't hurt either. Since I have still not been able to come up with a good voodoo spell for my opponents, whenever there was a shot that I wanted to go a certain way, I closed my eyes tight, rubbed the little rooster charm and just kept repeating in my head what I wanted to happen. I'm sure I looked like a crazy person. Maybe I am, but I don't care. The rooster seemed to work. And we need all the help we can get.

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

Dave (otherwise lovingly known as "Old Geezer") and Roger were first up to play and they were giving up no handicap points. Our handicaps are figured out by dividing the individual’s total number of games won by the individual’s total number of games played. We are all evaluated at mid-season and at the end of each season. So Dave's handicap is a 1 and Roger is a 2. They played against another 1 and 2 so therefore, no handicap points, which is nice because we tend to give up an average of 2 points per game. All of the players seemed to have been matched pretty well. Then all of a sudden we are down 8-13. The other team only needed 2 more points to take the first game. Well, not tonight. Dave scored 5 points and in the very next frame, Roger also scored 5 points. Phew! One down, three to go!

Game 2 - Match Record 1-0

Next, we put up Steve and John and had to give up 2 handicap points. But John got those points back and then some in the first frame. The score kept flip-flopping back and forth between teams but we managed to take this game too. We need only two more wins and then it's time to celebrate!

Game 3 - Match Record 2-0

Mom and Bert (Bertha) were up next. Mom chose to play the end closest to the door, which seemed a little strange because once she has a favorite side she almost never plays the other. This game started off a little scary with us giving up 2 handicap points again. Mom wasn't sticking her shots and Bert just couldn't get a handle on the speed (which can be one of the trickiest parts of the game in my opinion). So we are down 0-8 and I start getting a feeling that we might actually get skunked. Then it's 0-10... 0-11... 0-12... 0-13... Then it finally happened. Mom scored a point. We were not getting skunked. But we did lose 16 to 1. We still only need two more wins.

My heart has started to beat a little faster at this point. I cannot blow another lead. We're up 2 games to 1. Who do I put up now? Lexie and myself were the only people who had not played yet. Do I play us together? What to do? What to do?

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1

I decided to play with Steve as my partner. We had to give up one point but we made it back quickly. I scored 4 points in my first frame but that was all I added to our score. Steve did the rest of the heavy lifting and we pulled it out 16 to 9.

Game 5 - Match Record 3-1

Now we are at what possibly could be the last game and of course Lexie is going up. Steve isn't available to play because in our league once you have won two games you can't play anymore. Bert, Dave and Roger have already left which left John, Mom and me. John was the obvious pick. For something different, we had to give up 4 stinkin' points! At one point we were down 4 to 11, but John and Lexie made a great comeback and won it in dramatic fashion 15 to 14.

Oh. My. God. We finally won a match! We won it 4 to 1! I now feel a tiny bit better about being the captain.

Quote of the night: "Be invisible. Be invisible. Be invibible. That's hard to say. You try to say it three times fast!" - Margaret

Record:

1-2

Next Opponent - Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers

Go BarFlies!

Blind Draw Awesomeness

Woohoo! We had 10 people play in our Sunday blind draw yesterday afternoon. I guess that's going to be the average of people that we will get to play. And that's fine by me. With 10 players the pot is usually $75 with the first place team splitting $50 and the second place team splitting $25. This week - Mom and I split the $50!

My hubby Kevin won 3 strikes. He wins a lot! But the best part of the day was after we were done playing shuffleboard.

For some weeks now, Kevin has been running shotgun pots on various professional and college sports to raise money for a flat screen TV for the bar. A shotgun pot is a card with 10 lines printed on it. You pay however much, write your name on a line and once the card is filled, there is a little "pull-tab" on the left. Pull this off to reveal your number. That's the number that you want whatever sports your watching to finish on. Say for instance you got a 9 as your number and you're watching basketball. The game ends and the score is 109 to 110. You take the last digits of both scores and add it together. It's a 9 so... YOU WIN!

Anyways, back to the best part of the day/night (besides winning!). Kevin brought a big box from his truck. It was our new 46" flat screen TV! We pulled everything out from behind the shuffleboard table, took all of the flags off the wall and hung that bad boy up! Now all that is left is to run some cables, sit back and enjoy!

It's been a week since the Crowe Barflies have played shuffleboard. It's week four of the season but it's our 3rd game. I still don't have any good voodoo so I'll most likely just make it up as I go along. We have to head over to Hunter's Pub to play on Wednesday. Do i need to say it? I really want to win!

Go BarFlies!

Record:

0-2

Next Opponent: Hunter's Rocks

Another Chance

Image by Speed-Light via Flickr

It's Sunday once again and once again time for the Sunday shuffleboard blind draw. How many players will we get this week? Well, there will be at least two. I hope we get a good turnout. Kevin and I stayed out last night a wee bit longer than we had originally planned so we are a bit sluggish this morning. What am I talking about? I'm always sluggish in the mornings. Soon, I'll get my ass in gear, jump in the shower and head to the bar for some hair of the dog. I need the shuffleboard practice anyway.

Wildpuckers beat the ClusterPucks!

Last night was a blast! The Crowe Wildpuckers were victorious over the Cozy Corner ClusterPucks (say that five times fast!). There were crazy comebacks, awesome combo shots and many, many drinks were drunk!

I took a whole bunch of pictures since I didn't have to worry about being a captain.

So, our next game is at Hunter's Pub against Hunter's Rocks. I don't think I need to say this again but I'm going to anyway. I DO NOT want to lose! I'm thinking of printing out some clovers so I can iron-on a little Irish luck on my sleeve. If there is anyone out there who knows of any good voodoo spells, send a comment my way. I need all the help I can get.

Go BarFlies!

Record:

0-2

Next Opponent: Hunter's Rocks

Lucky Number 13

We had a whopping 13 people show up for our Easter blind draw yesterday. I think that's the most we've had since we started back up after football season. When we have an uneven number, we do what is called a "buy back". In yesterday's case, the odd man out drew a 7 and didn't know who his partner was until after the first round of games were over. Then any person who had lost their game has the option to put their name in the hat (well draw another card) to play again. The person who draws the highest card pays another $5 and gets another chance to play.

Thanks to my mother-in-law Pat's delicious beans, my partner Ken and I won the blind draw! She told me that if I ate those beans, I would win the tournament. My husband, Kevin, who also ate the magic beans took second place with his partner! What a happy Easter!

So our team has a bye this week (which means we don't play) but Kevin's team, the Crowe Wildpuckers play at home. So I'll be at the bar, rooting for my hubby and the rest of the Wildpuckers. Go Wildpuckers!

Happy Easter

Image via Wikipedia

Well it's Easter Sunday and we are about to head to the bar to see if anyone will show up for our Sunday blind draw. Hopefully someone besides us will. We did have a few people ask if there was going to be one so we'll keep our fingers crossed.

Down but not Out

7 games! We went the whole 7 games again and again came up short. This is getting old. Really old, really fast!

As figured, I arrived to our match about 30 minutes late, where I was informed that a rule had already been "called" on Cozy Corner I. I don't know exactly what happened but it had something to do with the pucks being cleared before the frame was over. When this happens, the team responsible for clearing the table loses a point and the frame is shot again.

*Tip* If you are ever playing shuffleboard, count the pucks to make sure all 8 have been thrown before you clear the table.

We seemed to be playing pretty well last night. Of course there were some misguided shots and the occasional curse word, but all in all I thought we were going to pull this one out. After the fifth game we were up three games to two and that's when I thought we had it. We just needed one more win. But that last win was just out of reach for the BarFlies and me.

Maybe our lack of wins has to do with strategy. Strategy, in my opinion, is what I lack the most. I'm not the best player but I wouldn't say I'm the worst either. Don't get me wrong, I know how to play, but the intricacies of certain shots and situations elude me. When to knock off, lag, cover or deliberately throw one short is what I struggle with. But I'm learning.

I've said it before and I will continue saying it. I feel a lot of responsibility to guide our team to victory each week and as of yet, have not been able to see it through. I feel terrible that I can't come up with the winning combination. But I'm not giving up. 0-2 is rough but it could be worse, right? The bright side is we CAN'T lose next week!

Quote of the night: "Shoot it to the right. Or just do whatever you want." -Tony

Record:

0-2

Next Opponent - BYE

Go BarFlies!