U-Turn Ahead

Image via Wikipedia

Well, it's Wednesday again and again it's time for the Crowe BarFlies to make a 180° turn. Coming off of a 3 game losing streak isn't easy, especially after not playing for a week. 

Including today's match, we have 4 games left in this season. We still have a chance to get into the top 3 (well, the 2nd or 3rd spot). Unfortunately, it's a pretty slim chance.

C'mon BarFlies! We can do this! Okay, enough of the pep talk.

So I've gone back and forth on how to write this blog. At first I liked doing a game by game recap, but after a few matches, it felt like I was saying the same things over and over, regardless of who won. Now, I just kind of ramble on about how we need to win (because I'm awesome like that). I have no clue what tomorrow's (well, probably Friday's) post will look like.

Tonight, we're up against Woodie's Ice House. In the first half of the season they struggled to get enough players to some of their games but it seems now that they're on the comeback. Tonight should be a good match. 

Go BarFlies!

Well, crap!

Another dreary, never-ending Thursday is here and thank god, almost over. The Crowe BarFlies had a tough match against the Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers last night. 

Lexie and I of course got to the bar late, it being the last day of the month, and already Taco and Dave had won the first game against John and Doc.

Unfortunately, that was the last win for the BarFlies. We managed to lose the next 4 games in a row 9-15, 14-17, 10-17 and 11-15. We tried our best but it wasn't to be. In all of our games we had good shots, great shots, questionable shots and bad shots. They were all heart breakers. We'd gain a little then fall back. Ugh! That was a tough match!

When I started this blog I would try to have a funny quote from that night. Most of the time I just forgot to write something down and the Miller Lite washed it out of my memory forever. But that changed last night.

Quote of the night: "If I wasn't holding John's head I would have put my foot in his ass." -Keith

So here's the story. Last season when we played at Stafford Ice House, John from our team fainted and hit the ground pretty hard. It scared the hell out of us. So the ambulance was called and John came to. Then this guy started asking him all these dumb ass questions and John was getting a little aggravated and all of us were like "Who the hell is this guy?" I'm sure this guy didn't mean anything by the bone head questions he was asking but John's whole team was there for him, to keep him conscious but we couldn't get to him because of this dude. That guy is who Keith is referring to in this quote. I don't really remember why we started talking about that last night (surprise surprise) but when Keith said that line I had to write it down.

So back to shuffleboard. Next week we are back at the Crowe Bar and up against Woodie's Ice House. We HAVE to get it together to break our 3 game losing streak. Maybe next week will be our week! Man, I hope so!

Record

6-6

Next Opponent - Woodie's Ice House

Go BarFlies!

We REALLY need a win!

Wow! We really freaking need a win tomorrow night. After the standings were posted today, we are tied for 3rd with the team that we lost to two weeks ago - Cozy Corner I. 

We're 4 games back from the mighty Crowe Wildpuckers and one game back from the strong Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers. 

But nipping on our heels is our tomorrow night opponent, Hunter's Rocks. 

If we can hang in there it could be another close finish. 

GO BARFLIES!!

Can we hunt the Hunter's?

Image by el swifterino via Flickr

Calm down. I don't mean literally. So, our next game is against Hunter's Rocks, but on our board. After having a week off, I hope it has given us some rest so we can possibly start a new winning streak.

I guess I should focus more on winning a game rather than thinking about a streak of games, right? Whatever, I do what I want.

I haven't been writing anything about our Sunday shuffleboard lately because, well, we haven't gone. We were struggling to get 8 players and that just isn't enough to keep running the tournament. We might try and get it going again in the future, but right now, I'm digging my pajama couch potato Sundays.

Record

6-4

Next Opponent - Hunter's Rocks

Go BarFlies!

BarFlies without a Board

 

Well, it’s our bye week, so the BarFlies will be doing what normal people do on a school night. Or will they? We won’t be playing shuffleboard, that’s for sure.

Next week we play at home against Hunter’s Rocks. Hopefully we can get back to our winning ways.

Tonight, our sister team, the Crowe Wildpuckers, take on the Cozy Corner ClusterPucks at Cozy Corner. Go Wildpuckers!

See you next week!

Go BarFlies!

Were we cozy at the Cozy Corner?

No! It was freezing in there (and usually is)!!

Anyhoo, it was week 2 of the 2nd half of our 2010 Spring - Summer shuffleboard season. My team, the Crowe BarFlies were on a 2 game winning streak, when we had to take on Cozy Corner I this past Wednesday. Did we take the victory and keep our small streak alive? Let's find out, shall we?

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

First up for the good guys (yes, that's us!) we have John and Nigel (who's nickname is Taco, so from here on out he will be known as such). Both being 0s they had to give up one handicap point to Curtis and Tom. In John's first frame, he scored 2 points against Curtis, closing the gap making the score 2-3. But Curtis and Tom weren't having it and they countered with 7 total points in the next 2 frames. Taco came back and scored a couple in the 5th frame, but it just wasn't enough. We lost this one 4-17.

Game 2 - Match Record 0-1

Lexie and Steve get the call for the second game and have to give up one point to Kenny and Steve Z. Wow, this is going to get confusing with 2 Steve's playing on one end! Our Steve scores 2 in his first frame to make it 2-4 after Kenny scored 3 points. Lex was trying to get the feel of the board, but due to our not being able to practice (we get out of work too late) and the left rail giving her a little trouble along with a couple of ghost spots, Kenny was able to score a handful of points. Our Steve scored another 2 points on their Steve in the 4th frame but that would be the end of the scoring for the BarFlies. Down another game after losing this one 4-15.

Game 3 - Match Record 0-2

I'm starting to notice an unsettling trend we've got going on here. 4 points in the first game. 4 points in the second game. Well that's not good. So we send in Margaret and Dave (otherwise known as Hussy and Geezer... that sounds like a comic strip) who are up against George and Tony. Stop the presses! We actually get one handicap point in this game. Could this be the extra little nudge we need to get our asses in gear? Dave and Margaret quickly score a few times and take us into the lead 7-1. But then George fires back and scores 7 total points in his next 4 frames. Luckily, Margaret is keeping the score close by scoring a handful of points as well. Dave and Margaret hold on to take this one 15-10. Phew! No shutout for us tonight!!

Game 4 - Match Record 1-2

We have to put up first and so Bert and myself play. We're up against David and Tom and have to flip to see who goes first. I don't remember who shot first but Bert got on the board first with 3 points. Tom came back and scored a point on me. Then it was Bert's turn to push us farther ahead with one point. I didn't score until the 8th frame to make it 10-8. Then the 13th frame came and David scored a big 5 points to tie the score at 14. Whoever scores the last point wins and I had the hammer. My pucks held on and my hero Bert and I take this one for a win 16-14.

Game 5 - Match Record 2-2

Okay! Now we're talking! We get 2 more wins before they do and our winning streak goes to 3! So, for the 5th game Steve and Dave go up against Curtis and Arlene. No handicap points again but Curtis gets on the board first with 5 points. Ouch! It was pretty much downhill from there. Arlene steadily put points on the board against Dave and the same was happening down on the other end. Steve put up a point in each of the 5th and 7th frames. Those 2 lonely points were all the BarFlies could manage this game and we lost a tough one to swallow 2-16.

Game 6 - Match Record 2-3

It's do or die for the Crowe BarFlies now so Nigel and Margaret get the call. Cozy Corner puts up Kenny and David and wouldn't you know it, no handicap points. David is on the board first with 2 points but Nigel quickly gives the BarFlies 2 points to counter. Unfortunately, those were the only 2 points scored for the good guys (yup, still us!) in this final game. Another devastating defeat 2-17.

Well crap! We lost the game and our winning streak. Were there a lot of things that I'd do differently? At the moment, I can't think of any. Historically, I've never played very well at this bar and our team has struggled here in the past as well. But we're over it. That's the beauty of beer.

So onto next week. Well, maybe not. We have our bye week next so there won't be any shuffleboard for the BarFlies.

Record

6-4

Next Opponent - Bye week

Go BarFlies!

2nd Half starts with 7

That's right folks! We went all seven games. It was a tough fight, all the way to the last puck. But who won? You'll just have to keep reading to find out.

Our first game of the second half was against the VFW Flyers, who looked very spiffy in their new team shirts. Very cool logo Flyers!

So first up, we had some handicap changes on our team. Margaret went from a 0 to a 1, Dave from a 2 to a 1, Steve from a 1 to a 0 and Elaine went from a 1 to a 2. We also added a few shooters - Nigel "Taco", Lynn and Mark! Welcome to the BarFlies guys! See you next week! Anyways, let's get to the games!

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

 First up for the BarFlies, Sandy and Bert, who went up against Carl and Teresa. Yes, you read that right, Sandy! I believe this is the first time she has played this season. We started with 3 handicap points and Sandy added 2 to that right off the bat. Except for two frames, Sandy scored every time she shot! The board was a little bumpy for Bert, stealing two great shots from her and helping Teresa's pucks inch further down the board. Our ladies couldn't hold on and lost a tough one 13-19.

Game 2 - Match Record 0-1

Dave and Lexie played the second game against Bob and Adolph Jr. and had to give up one handicap point. This game was a nail biter! After scoring her first point, Lexie made it 4 to 1 and then Dave and Lex went on a tear. Together in the next 3 frames, they scored 11 points and went up 12 to 4 by the 5th frame. But Adolph Jr. smacked us back to Earth when he scored 8 points in the 6th frame against Lexie. But the BarFlies held on and took this game 15-13. Woohoo!!

Game 3 - Match Record 1-1

Third up for the home team (yes us!) we played Steve and Margaret against Fred and Peggy. No handicap points for this game! Peggy and Fred got out to an early lead but Margaret stepped it up and evened the playing field. After 7 frames we were down 3-8 and in the 8th frame, both Steve and Margaret turned up the heat. They went on a scoring binge totaling 13 points to the Flyers 3 to take the game 16-11.

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1

Dave and I played the fourth game against Carl and Alma. After giving up one handicap point, neither Dave or I could get going. Dave scored in the fifth frame to make it 1 to 8. All right! No skunk for us! I didn't score until the 8th frame to make it 4 to 10 but that would be the last of the BarFly points. We lost this one 4-17. Yuck. Time to rally!

Game 5 - Match Record 2-2

And the BarFlies select (drum roll please) Lexie and Margaret! Their opponents were Dee and Adolph Jr. and after the Flyers got one handicap point Margaret and Lexie each scored a point in their first frames. But Dee and Adolph J. weren't going to go down without a fight and scored 6 points over the next 3 frames. This game went all the way to the 19th frame (the score sheets only have 20 frames). After the wax settled, the BarFlies had lost another one 8-15. Ah crap. Now what?

Game 6 - Match Record 2-3

Now what do we do? The Flyers put up Alma and Joanne and we put up myself and Steve. We had to start off in the hole at 0-4 but we wasted no time getting on the board. Steve and I quickly took the lead and by the 8th frame we had won 17-6. Game 7 here we come!

Game 7 - Match Record 3-3

Again... now what?  Lexie and Margaret get the call for the final game and go up against Peggy and Adolph Jr. No handicap points for this game. Peggy starts it off, scoring a point and Margaret follows it up with 2 points. Another 2 points for Peggy. This game could take all night! The scoring goes back and forth and forth and back. So who won it all? The BarFlies did! Margaret and Lexie won the final game 17-8! Phew!!

What a tough match! But we pulled it out! So now we've got a new winning streak on our hands. Two wins in a row! Go BarFlies! Let's keep it up!!

Record

6-3

Next Opponent - Cozy Corner I

Go BarFlies!

First up for the Second Half

Image by Lottery Monkey via Flickr

It's time to start playing shuffleboard again!

This Wednesday the Crowe BarFlies face the VFW Flyers and we are out for blood! Just kidding (or am I?). They beat us on their board so I want to give them a taste of their own medicine. Also, they're right on our heels at only one game back from us. We need this win to stay ahead of them.

Hopefully, I can pull our team together and pull out a win. Right now we are in a 3 way tie for second. All of us 2nd place teams are two games back from the league leaders, our sister team, the Crowe Wildpuckers. They are playing out in Stafford against the Stafford Ye "Olde" Puckers, one of the teams we are tied with. The other team, Cozy Corner I, has a bye, so a win for us would definitely be nice!

Record
5-3

Next Opponent - VFW Flyers

Go BarFlies

Sandblastin'

Image by DaveFayram via Flickr

The first 9 games of the season are over and the Crowe BarFlies finish with a record of 5-3. If you've been paying attention you that that means we won our game against the Stafford Sandblasters. It took us 6 games but we hung in there and came out on top.

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0
Lexie didn't play last week so I definitely wanted to get her up early. So Lexie and John were partnered up for the first game. They had to give up 4 handicap points (side note: we had to give up handicap points every game) but quickly got it back in the first two frames. Then the scoring frenzy began. John and Lexie only allowed their opponents to score one more point. They dominated this one and won 16-5. Woohoo!

Game 2 - Match Record 1-0
Margaret and Elaine were given the call for game 2 and they had to give up 3 points for handicap. Elaine struggled early but got into the groove around the 5th frame. Margaret scored 4 points in her first frame but unfortunately couldn't score any more after that. Elaine tried to stage a comeback in the 7th frame by scoring 5 points making it 12-13 but without the hammer they couldn't hold on and lost this game 12-17. Good try ladies!

Game 3 - Match Record 1-1
Dave and Roger were up for game 3 and of course, had to give up handicap points, 2 to be exact. Roger scored 3 in the first frame to take an early lead and Dave ran with it, scoring 5 total points in his next 2 frames. Not wanting Dave to have all the fun, Roger scored 2 in the next frame and then the final 5 points in the 7th frame to win it 15-5. Way to go boys!

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1
For game 4, Bert and I were up and had to give up 4 handicap points. I scored 4 in my first frame to tie it up. But our opponents came roaring back with another 4 points. I scored another 2, then Bert scored 1. My opponent made a great shot and hid one of her pucks behind one of mine for 3 points and I just couldn't get it. So it's 7-11 and Bert scores another 4 points to tie it up again. We need 4 and they need 4. It's my frame and I manage to score 4 to take this one 15-11. Phew!

Game 5 - Match Record 3-1
We only need one more game and we win the last game of the half. I decide to but John and Roger up, still trying to break Roger's 2 game curse. He almost always wins his first game but loses the 2nd one. Well the curse was too much for him tonight. After giving up 3 handicap points, John would score the only point for our team. This one ended in 3 frames and we lost 15-1.

Game 6 - Match Record 3-2
C'mon BarFlies! Let's win this one! We put Lexie and myself up again for what we hoped was the final game. After giving up 4 handicap points, Lex and I never let up. Lexie ended up scoring a total of 7 points and I 9 points. We took this one 16-4 to end the half with a win!!

WOOHOO! Way to go BarFlies! I'm extremely happy with our season so far. Sure, there were a few games that we probably should have won but if you think about that too much, you'll (what I actually mean is I'll) go insane! The BarFlies try their best and have a great time doing it! The bottom line is that shuffleboard is fun and we'd like to keep it that way!

So what happens next? Well, we have next week off so all of the handicaps can be re-evaluated and the schedule can be printed and distributed. For the second half of the season, our schedule is flip flopped. If we played a team at their bar the first half, they get to come and play us at the Crowe Bar and vice versa.

The second half of our season is the tougher of the two in my opinion. We have to go to Stafford Ice House twice and to Cozy Corner twice and both of these boards are tricky. I hope you'll keep reading to find out how we do!

**SHUFFLEBOARDERS!!** I would still love to have a guest blogger or even a few guests who would like to write a post about your experience. If you are interested, send me an email and we'll figure it out from there (I'm still pretty new to this blogging stuff too!).

Go BarFlies!

Crowe vs. Crowe

Two Crowe Bar shuffleboard teams competing to keep their winning streak alive. But the wrong team won.


Don't get me wrong. Way to go Wildpuckers on beating us, but damn it, I wanted to win!


Game 1 - Match Record 0-0
First up for the good guys (duh, the BarFlies!) was John and Elaine. They got one handicap point and after that the going was a little rocky. Quickly we were down 4-1 but John got in the groove and scored a handful of points. Unfortunately, John and Elaine were no match for the Wildpuckers in game 1. We lost this one 5-16.


Game 2 - Match Record 0-1
Dave and I were up for game 2. Again we started with one handicap point and in the first frame Dave added a point to our total. I scored 5 points in the next 3 frames, then Dave scored one in each of the next 2. By the 10th frame we were up 10-8 and thought we might just take this one. But we were wrong. In the next 3 frames our opponents scored 7 to take it from us 11-15.


It is not looking good for the BarFlies.


Game 3 - Match Record 0-2
The BarFlies put up Margaret and Roger (who we called Trey, you'll find out why in a sec). For something different, we had to give up one handicap point but Margaret made it back in the first frame. For his next 4 frames, Roger scored 3 points... in each frame! By the time we got to the 10th frame, we were up 13-10. Margaret and Roger were able to hold on and win this one 15-10.


Game 4 - Match Record 1-2
Bert and Steve get the call for game 4 and start the game with one handicap point. Bert's out of the gates scoring 3 points total on her first 2 frames. Steve is right behind her, scoring a handful of points. But their opponents are scoring too and are too much for Steve and Bert. Mark another notch on the losing tally, 8-16.


Game 5 - Match Record 1-3
I absolutely hate this position we are in. I played pretty well in my game, so I think I'll put myself up. But Lexie hasn't played a game yet. I want to win and I want to be fair and it's not like I think Lexie can't win. I know she can. I should have played Lexie. Instead I put myself and John up. This game the handicaps were even so no one had the advantage. John and I got beat up. We went down in flames and lost 4-17.


It really, really, really sucks losing. Double that and that's how it feels to me losing to the Wildpuckers. This is the team I want to beat out of any other team in the league. But it wasn't in the cards for us Wednesday night and we'll have another chance at them in the second half of the season. Watch out Wildpuckers.


Next Wednesday is our last game of the first half and we are going up against the Stafford Sandblasters. It should be a good night, they can be a real tough team to beat. We'll just have to do our best!


Record
4-3


Next Opponent - Stafford Sandblasters


Go BarFlies!

Crowe Bar Showdown

It's the 8th week of our 2010 Spring-Summer shuffleboard season and on Wednesday my team, the Crowe BarFlies take on the Crowe Wildpuckers. Two teams enter, one team leaves victorious!

This one is going to be tough. As the reigning champions, the Wildpuckers are one of the best teams in the league and if I'm looking at it correctly we are both trying to keep a 4 game winning streak alive. It will definitely be a crazy game.

Image via Wikipedia

There will be tons of smack talking, voodoo spells cast, cuss words thrown around and plenty of yummy "pain-go-bye-bye juice" consumed. What there won't be is a lot of handicap points given up as we are pretty well matched, their team only having a few more zeros than us. It's going to be a fun night.

Win (yes!) or lose (boo!) this is my favorite week and favorite team to play, for more than just the obvious reason (my husband is a Wildpucker). The Wildpuckers are great people, the Crowe Bar is close to my house and winning this game gives you tons of bragging rights.

So anyone who is reading this, send the BarFlies some good luck on Wednesday!

Go BarFlies!

Stayin' Alive!

Ah-ah-ah-ah stayin' alive! We've kept our winning streak going! Way to go Crowe BarFlies!!

Wednesday night was week 7 and our 6th match. We played against the Cozy Corner ClusterPucks who gave us a good run for our money and it's always a good time when the ClusterPucks come to your bar!

Game 1 - Match Record 0-0

The home team has to put up their two players first and then the visiting team gets to decide who to play against them. This switches every game. So as the home team we put up Steve and John first. They had to give up 3 handicap points but Steve got it back in his first frame. This was a pretty close game but John sealed the deal in the 12th frame when he scored 4 to win the game 15-10.

Game 2 - Match Record 1-0

Next up for the BarFlies was Roger and Dave. This was the only heads up game of the night, meaning that neither team got handicap points right off the bat. Roger shot like a mad man scoring 12 of the 16 points with Dave scoring 4 and holding his opponent to only 3 points. We took this win decisively 16-3.

Game 3 - Match Record 2-0

We called on the pink shirted ladies for this one, Bert and Lexie. After giving up 3 handicap points, the score on this game flip flopped until the very end. Bert kept scoring threes and Lexie was able to hold her partner to only a couple of points a frame. This one came down to the 13th frame where it was 14-14. We just couldn't hang on to take this one and lost 14-16.

Game 4 - Match Record 2-1

Margaret and I played the 4th game which was a little scary at first. Mom and I don't have the best track record when we play together. Top that off with having to give up 5 points for handicap and it's a steep hill to climb back up. Thank goodness Mom was hitting her shots! She scored 11 of our points to give us the win at 16-12.

Game 5 - Match Record 3-1

Image via Wikipedia

John (who I wanted to call Jolly for this game) and Roger (get it? Jolly Roger?) were up in the 5th game. We really wanted to win this one and for me there were 2 reasons why. The first being pretty obvious. We win and it's over. The second goes back a few seasons. Roger is a great player, but for some reason he almost always wins his first game and then loses the second. We have been trying to break this curse for a while now and this game was going to do it. I was sure of it. But the curse held and Roger was robbed of a great shot by a "sticky spot" on the board allowing the ClusterPucks to take the victory over us 14-17.

Game 6 - Match Record 3-2

This is about when the butterflies start flapping their annoying wings in my stomach. Just one more win. Just one more win. We decide on Margaret and Bert for this, hopefully, our last game of the night. After giving up yet another 4 points for handicap, Bert and Margaret settled in a played a close, nail biting, back and forth game. The ladies held on and won it for the BarFlies 16-12, keeping our winning streak alive.

Our next game is against probably our biggest rivals - our sister team the Crowe Wildpuckers, and I know they will be out for blood. It would be fantastical if we could keep our streak alive against the Wildpuckers. They are going to be tough, tough, tough! But we can do it! I know we can!!

Record

4-2

Next Opponent - Crowe Wildpuckers

Go BarFlies!

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!

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

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

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!