2023

Hey everyone!

We did it! The 2023 HH Bowling League season is officially underway. I can't tell you how good it felt to be back out on the lanes with all of you. A big thanks to everyone for participating, and I hope we can make this season the best year yet.

Before we get into the matches from week 1, I'd like to explain the scoring a bit for the new members of the league.

When you look at the scores tab, you'll see two different types of scores - scratch & net.

"Scratch" Score: Your actual score, with no handicap

"Net" Score: Your score + handicap

Your handicap is determined by subtracting your average from 200. If your average is 115, your handicap is 85. This means that 85 pins will be added to your scratch score. If you bowl a net score of 200 individually, you have bowled your average (which is great!). A two-game team score of 2,400 means that your team has bowled it's average overall. Individually your goal should be to break a net 200. And as a team, you are trying to break a net 2,400.

All matches are determined by net scores. Scratch scores are essentially just for show. As you know, we bowl two games on a given night. Each game is worth 2 points and the overall total of those 2 games is worth 1 point. A total of 5 points is up for grabs in each match. Handicaps will update based on your averages throughout the season.

Now onto the highlights.

9s or Die vs. Pinhead Larrys

Let's kick it off with 9's or Die vs the newly formed Pinhead Larry's squad. There are a few new faces on the 9's this year, but their core values remain the same. Just snappin' necks and cashin' checks. It all started with the steady play from first-year prospect, Mimi Lopez - who looked like anything but a rookie in her debut outing. She was out there spinning it like a wily veteran, rolling not one but two games of net 225. Pat Kelleher and Thomas Mase turned back the clock to the glory days of 2019 both adding net scores of 242. With a tough loss in game one, and well on their way to defeat in game two, the Pinhead Larrys needed some juice... They needed a spark... and that's when IT happened. The Kelsey Kopazna Bonanza! It was legendary, folks. Kelsey caught fire in the 7th frame of game two, knocking down 4 strikes in a row leading to a net 277 – our 3rd highest net score in league history! Congrats, Kelsey! Though it may not have been enough to capture any points for the Pinhead Larry's, it was an amazing finish! We'll see if they can carry any of that momentum into week two.

Marco Bowlo vs. Hambone Heroes

Marco Bowlo. The Hambone Heroes. Two teams that have been around the block a few times and know each other well. It all started with Marco Bowlo's free agent pick-up Jeremy Strege. Jeremy wasted little time proving his value to his new team... Just casually tossing one strike after another strike, after another. Simply shrugging them off like he was Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA finals. Jeremy finished game one with 1 hambone, 6 strikes, and a partridge in a pear tree - it was a career-high scratch 193/net 258. Unfortunately, as effin cool as that was, it would ultimately be outdone by the Hambone Heroes, led by Mr. MVP, Brian Kokernak. BK was also sizzling in game one with 7 spares in his first 9 frames capping it off with a 10th-frame turkey... which literally won them the game by 13 pins. No turkey, no win. But Marco Bowlo kept their heads up, their balls waxed, and got back to work in game 2. Chuck Woodard was the overall team leader with two scores of net 230, helping Marco Bowlo cruise to a 3-2 victory.

Bowl Cut vs. Tiger Daddies

Rookie squad, Bowl Cut had their hands full on opening night as they faced off against three-time league champion, Tiger Daddies (formerly known as Swayze Train). The newly branded Tiger Daddies may have a fancy new name, and they might be missing their best mediocre bowler in Mike Heid, but they still had their "I'm too cool for the bowling league t-shirt" swagger... and possibly a little bit of rust. Game one wasn't pretty for either team, but they both picked it up in game two. Jolie Fujita was the high roller for Bowl cut with a net 243 and Tiger Daddy rookie, Penn Clarke, sealed up the victory and the 5-point sweep with a net 429.

Bowl Movements vs. Mustache Bandits

It was a tale of two halves for the BM's and the Bandits on opening night. The Bowl Movements, down two key players, were at a bit of a disadvantage. But with the Mustache Bandits stumbling out of the gate, the Bowl Movements cashed in with an early two-point victory in game one led by a team-high net 211 from Mariah Arnold. The Bandits found their groove in game two thanks to their newest member of the Turkey Club, Mike Grasela. Eric Funk added a career-high net 249 as the Mustache Bandits shaved the Bowl Movments and captured the 3-2 win.

Bowl Jobs vs. Who Do You Think You Are? I Am!

Finally, we have the Bowl Jobs against the longest (and best) team name in league history, Who Do You Think You Are? I Am! I'd like to thank them personally for challenging me to fit their name into all aspects of the website. It's been fun. OK so, not a ton of drama in this match. Molly Becker was lights out for Who Do You Think with a two-game net total of 444, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Bowl Jobs. The 5-point sweep was led by team medalist and turkey club member, Joe Garrow. Joe rolled a net total of 476 – the 2nd highest score of the night! Though it was a slow start for the W.D.Y.T.Y.A.I.A. I have a feeling they will get the opportunity to shout their team name (Pete Weber style) in the weeks to come.

Congrats to the newest Members of the Turkey Club!