Our raucous, exuberant, fun loving Thursday County league had its championship roll-off at Orchard Lanes last week. The contest pitted the first half winners, The Munsons, against the second half winners, The Unbowlieveables. We’re not sure how they came up with their team’s name but as a New York Yankee fan we remember their great, gritty, all-star catcher, Thurman Munson. He was one tough competitor. Well, these County league Munsons bowled like Thurman Munson hit so many clutch home runs. They brought out the brooms and swept the Unbowlieveables, trouncing them 4-0, taking total pins by nearly 100 sticks, 1,921 to 1,823. Congratulations to the champs, Dane Backman, Tommy Hood and Jay Slack. Jay paced his team with a nice 201 game.
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Here are the season highs in the County league: High average, men: Rod Pratt 189; women: Melissa Werkheiser 174; High series, men: Rod Pratt 675; women: Melissa Werkheiser 618; High game, men: Ryan Pratt 287; women, Melissa Werkheiser 244. Note that the headliners, the Pratt and Werkheiser show, bowled great but they didn’t win the championship. This is what makes league bowling so much fun, everybody has a chance to win. We want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who bowled in the boisterous County league. It’s one of the best. Clearly, all the bowlers in this league really enjoyed themselves. The league had 10 full teams and we note there were 16 bowlers who subbed in it. We encourage all of those subs to consider bowling full time in league action next season. You proved you can do it and we’ve got leagues you can join in every day of the week. Why not get together and form several more full-time teams. We can’t believe the County league is done already, seems like we just started. We miss you already. Don’t be strangers over the summer, enjoy those warm days but stop in and say hi and bowl a few games to keep in touch with the game before next season starts. You’ll be glad you did.
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TEAM of the WEEK:
1. Stan Pratnicki715
2. Jeff Miller715
3. Patrick Olson 715
4. Josh Worth693
5. Bill Pullum655
3,493 total pins
Obviously, the number 715 was magic last week, and our top three stars made it two weeks in a row on the fab five. These guys have been in the limelight so often they need SPF 90 to stop from burning. Enough said. Joining them on this classy crew was Orchard Lanes staffer Josh Worth and power player Bill Pullum. Josh, who is having the best season of his career pounded the pins in the Fraternal with a cool 693 series. Josh is carrying a mighty fine 214 average this season, his best ever. Long time TV color announcer Nelson Burton, Jr. used to say, straighter is greater. What he meant by that is its often better not to try to hook the ball out of the building, because it’s easier to control a ball that rolls straighter, especially when the lanes get tough as the oil moves away. Josh emulates this mantra because he fires the ball in a direct line between the third and fourth arrows which is nearly the center of the lane. Sixty feet away, his ball hooks sharply into the 1-3 pocket but it isn’t a big bender, it probably moves 5-6 boards. Nevertheless, Josh’s is a pin buster, and he proves it every time he laces up. Now, Bill Pullum is the exact opposite. He rolls one of the biggest hooks you will ever see. And he’s darn good at it. Long, one of the top bowlers around, Bill’s bowling resume includes multiple perfect games and gaudy 800’s. He anchored our renowned fivesome with a 655 set that he cranked up in the Fraternal. You want to see the pins dance, flying in all directions, you want to see messengers accelerating across the pin deck taking out the 7 and 10 pins, catch Bill Pullum in a pin spilling session some time. Your chin will drop when you see the pin action, he gets with that power ball of his.
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Finally, how about 2-Buck-chuck, George Buck that is, our illustrious Oregon State No-Tap champ from yesteryear who just missed making the Team of the Week. George didn’t need any 9 pin strikes in the Fraternal as he cruised to a spectacular 650 series, which has to be the best he’s ever rolled with that inimitable suitcase release of his. He is the eighth wonder of the world on the lanes with that unique style, but you must give him credit, he toils hard but it works!
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Pat’s Pro Shop won round three in the Monday night Industrial league. They also won the second round. This week the Industrial league begins its unique season ending bracket tournament that will decide the team champion. Eight of the 12 teams in the league earned a slot in the championship brackets. Teams that took one of the three rounds during the season earned top seeding in the brackets. The other seeds were determined by points won during the season. Based on their exemplary performance during the season, the top seeds earned the right to bowl against the teams that won the fewest points during the season. That fun format creates both favorites and underdogs. This will be exciting! Here are the scheduled matches: No. 1 Pat’s Pro Shop vs no. 8 Kingpinz; no. 2 Collins Aerospace vs no. 7 OL’7-10; no. 3 Jesse’s Team vs no. 6 Hood River Supply; and no. 4 Orchard Lanes vs no. 5 Wild Giant Studio.
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