With an outside chance to make the tournament Roll'em took the court last night.  By outside chance I mean we had to win both games otherwise it was unlikely we'd make it.  We played at 6&7:30, much better than all the 8 o'clock games we've had this season.
In the first game we played Holy Ballz Batman on the third court.  We started out with 2 then one point frames and a 3-0 lead.  We played even with them for a while but then they pulled away some and got to an 7-6 lead.  Lisa had the point and they were out of balls.  My first shot was good and now I had the game ball in my hand.  I made what I thought was a good shot but it was just a little too hard and knocked them into a point and all momentum was lost as was the game 9-6.  Overall we lost 3-4 points on our last throw by knocking us out or them in.
In the anticlimactic second game we played Mission Imbocceball for the second week in a row on the first court.  The game seemed close but when I looked at the final score we'd lost 9-4.
That closes out the fall regular season with only the towel tournament left.  We're going to have to get more consistent and not leave so many big frames.

After a week off Roll'em took to the courts for out week 6 games.  We played the 6 and 7:30 games, not our favorite but better than the last few weeks.  Mike and Debbie were out of town so we turned to our favorite subs Danny and Jean to fill in.  They said they'd had bad games the night before and were anxious to make up for it.
In the first game we took on Bocce & Brews on the first court.  The game got off to a rousing start as we took four points in the first frame.  We followed up with a couple of one point frames and a 6-0 lead.  They finally got one close and scored one but we finished them off with another three point frame and a 9-1 win.
In the second game we played Corner Bocce on the middle court.  They were short a player but chose a player who was waiting to play rather than rotate.  See how easy that is and thank you to Corner Bocce for doing that.  Once again we jumped out to a nice lead before they scored and we continued outscoring them as we raced to a 9-3 win.
Two much need big wins to even our record for the year and really help with our points scored and given up tie breaker.  Danny and Jean were on fire the whole night and more than made up for their subpar performance the night before.

Last night we played the 7 and 8 games, our fourth 8 o'clock game in a row.  Have I mentioned how much I hate playing the 8 and later games?
Our first game was on the third court against Dark Side of the Pallino who only had three players and were rotating.  Have I mentioned how I think rotating should be against the rules and gives the team with three players an unfair advantage?  Anyway we got off to our typical start, falling behind 5-3 before finally get on the scoreboard with a three point frame.  We closed the gap to 6-5  and had some momentum going.  Then our bugaboo struck and we gave up three points and lost 9-5.
The second game started 20 minutes late, yuck.  We go on the board first and moved out to a 5-0 lead before they score.  The started closing the gap and the score moved to 7-6 before we got a good first throw and moved to 8-6 then closed it out with another first ball close to the pallino.  With the 9-6 win we broke a 5 game losing streak.

Wednesday was your typical hot and humid summer night at the bocce courts, by hot and humid I mean really hot and humid.  The only saving grace was a slight breeze blowing and of course the big fans that were going.  We played what seems like our normal 6:30 and 8 games so we were in the weather for a while.
In the first game we played Boccelicous on the middle court.  I'm exaggerating when I say played, we never really showed up.  We gave up two and four point frames to fall behind 6-0, real hard to come back from.  We scored a point and then they scored the last three to give us a 9-1 loss.
In the second game we gave up a two and three point frames to fall behind 5-0.  This time instead of rolling over we started coming back.  Once we got the pallino we started going deep and scored six points in a row before they made a nice knock and walked away with the pallino.  They went real short on their last throw and we left it wide open.  We had a glimmer of hope when their second ball went long but alas they got the next two in for a 9-6 loss.
Not much positive about the loss.  Once again we gave up way too many easy three and four point frames and those are hard to overcome.

Last night we played the 6:30 and 8 games, have I said how much I don't like late games?  It was perfect weather though, some people even put on jackets or hoodies.
The first game we took on Usual Suspects on the middle court.  We got off to a 1-0 start but they ran off a series of good frames before we could score a couple points.  Too little, too late.  The finished off with a 9-3 loss.
In the second game we played Muddy Rollers on the first court.  The game started out back and forth.  With the score 3-3 they made a great throw to move them into three points.  From there they finished us off with another three point frame.
In spite of two bad losses there we made a lot of good throws that were negated by a better throw especially hitting our ball and getting inside of us. 

After three days of no AC and a lot of cash the last thing I wanted to do was be outside in hot humid weather but we'd signed up to play in the For Pete's Sake bocce tournament.  It's a big source of funds for the MBC and is usually well attended.  I'd also had a minor case of vertigo and wasn't feeling real great.
Pete was well known for his hat and his flowery Hawaiian shirts and there were several in attendance.
In the first game we played the Fedoras a team we weren't familiar with.  At least until they stepped on the court and it was the Pallino Posse members.  We played on the first court and needless to say got off poor start.  We gave up a three and two point frames and were down 5-0 before the game really got started.  From that point on we started stringing together some good frames and cut the lead to 8-6.  We couldn't close it out though and lost 9-6.
In the second game we played Riverside Rollers featuring out former super sub Fred.  In a highly competitive game we managed to get the win 9-6.
In a probable win and in game against a team I can't remember the name but it consisted of Pete's daughter, son in law plus MBC players Gene and Kenny.  Another really good game with throw after throw close of in.  It was also a fun game with a lot of back and forth between Kenny and Lisa.  We managed to prevail but I can't remember the score.  The win advanced us out of pool play and into the eight team playoff.
In the first game we played another team I don't remember and gave them a game before losing.  I think the score was 9-6.
At this point heat and vertigo had taken a toll and I was ready to get home and relax.  Luckily this morning the vertigo has passed.

After a bad day finding out our ac was shot we went to bocce for out Wednesday night games.  We played at 7&8, have I mentioned how much I dislike late games?
We played our first game on the third court against Boobs, Booze and Bocce.  We got off to a hot start getting two points then three points for a 5-0 lead.  We kept up the pressure and walked away with a 9-0 win.  Lisa and Debbie were making really good first throws causing them to use most or all of their throws. 
In the second game we played No Beer, No Bocce on the first court.  The first court has been somewhat erratic lately.  We traded points the first few frames before we got the lead only to have them leapfrog us with a three point frame.  We finally got a 7-6 lead and with the pallino deep Lisa put her first throw close.  They used all their balls and with game point in my hand my throw didn't move as much as I expected and pushed them into a point.  No problem, Debbie put her first throw on the pallino and nobody could get anything better so we had a 8-5 lead.  Lisa then led off with a throw that was real close and that was the end of that, we finally had a win over them.
Both lead off throwers did a great job getting their first throw close.

Roll'em If Ya Got'em took the courts to begin the fall 2024 season.  Luckily a cool front had rolled through the area and we had a really nice evening instead of the scorcher it had been the several days.
We opened up playing Money Balls on the third court.  The third court isn't bad if you catch it right off the bat but gets worse as games are played.  Of course that's true of most courts.  Anyway we started out with a two then a three point frame and opened up to a 5-0 lead.  They pecked away at the lead until it was tied at 5.  I was thinking here we go again.  We got the next point then they let us have and chance to close it out and we did winning 9-5.
In the second game we played Boccelism on the first court.  We had trouble adjusting to the speed change between the courts and the first court was acting somewhat erratic.  Or maybe it was just us.  Anyway not a lot to say other than they made shots to either get inside us or knock us out and we lost 9-0. 
Typical Roll'em night, win a close one lose big.
Afterwards we went to KFC, mainly because there wasn't a line and the donger needed food as did the dongette.  I ordered two piece all white and Lisa went with some kind of chalupa or such.  She said hers was alright but would have been better with beef on it.  Big surprise when I opened my box, it had two chicken breasts in it.  Jackpot.  The chicken was  a little overcooked but not terrible and the mashed potatoes and gravy needed to be warmer.  But hey, it's KFC so expectations can't be too high.

The 2024 summer season concluded yesterday with the league tournament.  We barely made it in when several teams didn't play.  Not unusual with so many players being on multiple teams.  We didn't have any Wednesday teams in our pool for the first time in quite a while.
In our first pool play game we played Boro City Rollers on the middle court.  They didn't  have Fred since was playing for Holy Balls.  We started out the game scoring three points but then they battled back.  The game went back and forth until it was 7-6 them.  At this point they left it wide open after Debbie's first shot.  Her second shot was a tad long but Mike picked her up and got his next two in for a 9-6 win.
We moved to the first court for our second game against Can't Be Trusted.  We never really showed up and they kept making a throw on their last throw that we couldn't beat and we lost 9-3.
We played our last game against the Eclectics, who've long been one of my favorite teams to play.  At this point each team in our pool was 1-1 and all we had to do was win to move on.  Once again we couldn't do it and lost a poorly played game 9-3, we just didn't have it.
It was great getting back in the tournament after missing it for a couple seasons and hopefully we can start improving and be back in the fall.

We showed up yesterday expecting to play No Beer, No Bocce but one team didn't play in the tournament so we played Usual Suspects.  We sat out the first round and got lucky when we played on the first court.
In what has become a disturbing trend we started off down 4-0 after one frame.  Big frames are hard to overcome and this was no exception but I've got to hand it to Usual Suspects.  They made throw after throw either getting inside of us or knocking us off the pallino.  We managed to scratch out three points but lost 9-3 ending our hopes of another towel.
Before the game we got some good news and found out enough teams dropped out that we made the league tournament on Saturday.  We're going to have to pick it up to have any hopes of getting out of pool play.

We played the 6&7 games last night in need of two wins to just about clinch a spot in the league tournament.  With Debbie in California we once again turned to Danny to help us out.
We played Bertha's Ball Handlers on the middle court first game.  The game started bad as we gave up one and then two point frames.  We answered with one and two point frames of our own to make it 3-3.  They pulled ahead 5-3 with a two point frame but we came back and tied it 5-5, they made it 6-5 and I thought I'd lost the game when I moved our point ball but it stayed just inside to tie it 6-6.  they moved ahead 7-6 and then we tied it again.  Lisa put one close but on their last ball they blew it up but left it wide open.  My first ball was right on so with my second ball I told myself don't short it.  I didn't, it looked good but was too hard and hit the back wall.  Danny picked me up and put the first ball close enough they couldn't get inside him and we won.
In the second game we moved to the third court to play the Usual Suspects who had just finished a game on that court.  Once again we gave up one then two point frames but this time we decided to make it a little harder and give up another two point for a 5-0 deficit. We managed to get back in the game with a three point frame to make it 5-3 but that was it, losing 9-3.

Wednesday caught a break with weather as thunderstorms had rolled through the area overnight and dropped the temp down, it was still nice and muggy though.
We played our first game on the middle court against Mag 4.  They only had three players so Clay asked if his two young sons could each roll one ball.  No brainer, they appeared to have a blast and damn near beat us.  The kids made just enough good throws and Clay picked up from there and the game went back and forth before we finally finished it off 9-7 in a game that could have gone either way.
In the second game we moved to the first court and took on Boccelism.  Another game that went back and forth for a few throws until they hit a three point frame and took a two point lead.  We tied it up with a two point frame of our own.  With the score tied 6-6 they got the next point and moved ahead 7-6.  We had the point but one their last throw they hit it and their ball ended up next to the pallino.  Our third ball looked good but caught a ball in front.  With our last shot we wanted to hit their ball which would have gave us three points but if we pushed the pallino it could have given them the two points they needed.  Once again we did what we had to and moved their ball and got three points for a 9-7 win.
Big step for our team winning two close games and playing pretty well in both of them.  Other than one three point frame we managed to stay away from giving the other team a big frame.

In the midst of another heat wave Roll'em If Ya Got'em took the to courts last night.  We played back to back at 6 & 6:30, got to love that plus both games were on the middle court. 
In the first game we played Dark Side of the Pallino who not only was in first place on Wednesday but was sitting in first place overall in all leagues.  We got on them quick with a two point frame followed by a couple one point frames and a 4-0 lead.  We upped that to 6-0 then 7-0 then finally finished them off with a two point frame and a 9-0 win.
Holly Ballz had finished their game even faster so we played them as soon as our game was over.  They jumped on us right away with a four point frame but then we settled down and played a little better but they still kept making shots or knocking us out and we never could overcome the start losing 9-1.
We're starting to put it together some but still have a ways to go.

We were getting ready to head down to the courts yesterday when I get a call from Fred saying Money Balls is forfeiting their games.  One of those games was against us at 6:30 so we're hoping that our 7:30 game would get started early. 
We couldn't be that lucky, they also had a 7pm game.  When we went down to the courts No Beer, No Bocce was playing their 7 o'clock game early but ended up in a marathon.  I filled in on Usual Suspects and we played a complete game quicker than the game we were waiting on.
We finally got started on the middle court.  We played competitive for the first half the game but they made shots when it counted and we ended up losing 9-5.  We had our chances but they scored some two point frames where all ours were one point frames.  We didn't play anywhere close to what we had the previous week.

Our summer league started up last night with us playing 6&6:30 games, I'd take this every week.  We only have 10 teams on Wednesdays for the summer so no 8pm games and only one 7:30 games, love it.
In the first game we took on Muddy Rollers and Debbie was on fire.  The game started close with both teams exchanging single points but then we took off.  Debbie and Lisa started putting the first ball on or close to the pallino.  Me and Mike came through when needed and we started string together frame after frame of good throws finally winning 9-3.
In the second game we played Bertha's Ball Handlers.  One good thing about back to back games is you don't sit long and there's a good chance you'll stay on the same court.  The game started the same back and forth but then they started making one great throw sometimes on the first throw, sometimes on the last.  In a reverse of the first game they strung together frame after frame and beat us 9-3.
The first game was probably the best all around game we've played with this lineup.  The second game wasn't as good but wasn't as bad as the score in the score indicated.  An encouraging start to the season.

Because of various reasons we didn't get to eat much until late afternoon.  By this time we just decided to go out but stay local.  We finally decided on El Jalisco.
I tried not to fill up on chips and salsa but had a several, just not as many as usual.  I ordered the mara y tierra while Lisa ordered carnitas.  I got all rice instead of beans.
The food arrived quickly and was very hot.  On the mara y tierra it says great to share and I see why, it was gigantic.  It had fish filet, shrimp, chicken, steak and chorizo all on a bed of peppers, onions and tomatoes along with the rice mentioned before and a salad which is just lettuce and cheese with sour cream on top.  I wish I would have ordered without the sour cream.  Lisa's carnitas are roughly Mexicos answer to pulled pork.
I tasted the carnitas and they were very tender and good but I'll take pulled pork.  I was surprised that my favorite thing on my plate was the fish.  It tasted like it was blackened or something similar.  The shrimp was my next favorite followed by the chorizo.  These three were so good.  Both the chicken and the steak were on the dry side but still decent.
Lisa really liked hers and said she'd get it again.  I doubt I get mine again not because of the taste but because of the size.  Between the two we brought home a lot of left overs.

Playing as Game of Throws we took the bocce courts yesterday to defend our title from last year.  We were at full strength this year with Lisa replacing Ted.
We played the first game against Teds son and daughter and spouses on the first court.  For a team that hadn't played much they were pretty good but we pulled away and won 9-5.
In the second we stayed on the first court and played Silkworm with a couple of just graduated wrestlers playing along with Bob and Mike from Big Muddy Monsters.  We started out decent but about halfway through we hit a will and they took advantage losing 9-7.
We played the third game on the middle court against the Raymond, Angi and their two kids  With a win we would get in a roll off for the final playoff spot.  They hadn't played in a while but are planning on getting in to it.  We managed to pull off the win and get a chance to advance.
I haven't been playing well and Mike has been wanting to try the roll off so no problem.  His shots weren't bad but not good enough so our day was done.

Wednesday we went to one of our favorites, New Kahala.  I ordered a buddist delight with extra sauce and veggies.  When I started eating it I realized I'd forgot to say no tofu.  I'm just not a big fan but this time it was actually pretty good.  The rest of the dish was up to New Kahala standards. 
Yesterday we took Mike for his first visit to Joe's Pizza in Herrin.  I was worried about the crowd because of Herrinfest so I asked my cousin Joey about it.  He's on the Herrinfest committee and he said it shouldn't be a problem.  I don't see Joey very often so I invited him to lunch with us.  He had to eat early so we just met him there after he'd already got his food.  We ordered Chicago style meat pizza.  I really didn't expect Mike to like it that much to both our surprise he did. 
We had a really great visit with Joey while we were there and it was all around a great time.

The spring season finally wound up last night with the Wednesday night towel tournament.
Roll'em played the first game on the first game against No Beer, No Bocce.   We started up with a four point frame and followed up with a two point frame for a 6-0 lead.  We followed that up with a three point frame and a rare three frame 9-0 win.
In the next game we switch to the dreaded third court and played against Bocce & Brews.  We started hot again and gradually built a 7-2 lead.  Once again disaster struck when we gave up a three point frame to make it 7-5.  This got them started and they either put the first ball on the pallino or made a money throw with their last ball and they ran out the last four points for a 9-7 loss and an end to our towel hopes.
Congratulations to long time Wednesday rival Muddy Rollers with what a appears to be their first towel, way to go.

With a league tournament berth on the line Roll'em took to the courts determined to make the tournament.  Debbie was gone so Bob took her place.
In the first game we played Holy Ballz on the third court.  Not wanting to do anything easy we gave up five straight one point frames to fall behind 5-0.  Not wanting to miss out on the tournament we mounted a comeback with a point in the next frame.  That was the extent of our comeback losing 9-1.
In the second game we played Mission Imbocceball on the middle court.  We scored the first two points of the game before our captain (me) knocked us out of a point and them into one.  We scored the next four points to move ahead 6-2 but then we gave up a three point frame and the score was 6-5.  They tied the game before we moved ahead 7-6.  That was it and they scored the last three points to win 9-7 effectively ending our chance of a tournament berth.
That was confirmed this morning when the final standings came out.  😭😭😭

Roll'em If Ya Got'em has a couple big games tonight.  The way it looks we will have to win one game to make the tournament.  We play Holly Ballz and Mission Imbocceball, tough assignment. 
Because we are using this week to make up last weeks games our towel tournament will be played next Wednesday.  Not my favorite solution but there isn't any perfect solution.
We'll also be playing without Debbie since she's out of town.  Bob from Boro City Rollers will be subbing for us tonight and for the tournament if we make it.
Just win baby.

15 years later May 8th again gives us some intense weather.  There were several rounds of storms including some tornado warnings and some tornados that touched down.  In view of the elevated bad weather chance the MBC decided to cancel the May 8th games to help ensure the safety of it's members.  Wise move in my opinion.  Making up these games will be hard with next week being the coveted towel tournament. 

Last nights game was nice and warm, and humid of course.  We played the 7pm game but there was a forfeit ahead of us so we got started a little early.
We played the first game on the dreaded third court against Mission: Imbocceball.  The game started out as a back and forth game until we gradually pulled ahead 6-3.  In typical Roll'em fashion we gave up a three point frame and let them tie the game.  This time was different though.  We traded points then made a really tough throw to move up 8-7 and then put it away on a good bank shot, winning 9-7.
We really needed the win and then got a forfeit in the second game for a much needed sweep.

Week 6 was cooler that last week but still much better than we'd played in earlier.  We actually got to play a 6pm game instead of waiting until 7, yay.  We didn't play again until 7:30.
In the first game we played Bocce and Brews and in what the seems like the norm we got off to a terrible start giving up three points in the opening frame.  We had a point and a wide open shot and we (I) couldn't capitalize causing me to go back to my old throwing stance.  We played them pretty even evening the score at 6-6 but they scored the last three for another loss for us.
In the second game we played corner bocce on the third court.  This time we got off to a quick start but they came back and tied the game 6-6.  This time we ended it with a three point frame and win.
Collectively Roll'em threw a lot better than last week but still need to be a lot more consistent.

Finally, a nice night for bocce, shorts and short sleeves.  That was the good news.
In the first game we played Dark Side of the Pallino on the third court.  We came out cold and gave up back to back three point frames.  We started making a comeback but it was too big to overcome losing 9-4.
In the second game we started better going back and forth to 3-3.  The got the next point then followed with a three point frame and 7-3 lead.  We got a couple back to close the gap.  We had a ball close but on their last throw they pushed the pallino and got the final two points for a 9-5 loss.
Probably our worst collective showing of the season especially me.  Way too many times not taking advantage when we should and leaving wide open shots for them.