First night with my AFi resulted in a 597 set last week. Nothing to write home about, but significant in that the previous two months had seen me hovering in the 520s and shooting weirdo sets like 240-110-170.

Second night with the AFi was tonight: 196-246-206 for 648.

Even though my average is hovering around 190 from its high mark of around 195 this year, 648 is my second-highest set of the entire season. It's been a strange year.

Tonight, what was more amazing than the number was the way the lanes were.

We had the far-right pair in the house, known to be the slickest and, aside from 1 and 2, the hardest to get equal. Well, they weren't necessarily slick tonight, but they were not equal at all.

Lane 24 was the easier of the two lanes and the easier one to figure out. It was a standard house wall, oiled probably around 40-41 feet. There was recovery right and hold left. Lane 23, on the other hand, had a flatter pattern and seemed to be oiled about 37 feet. Either that, or there was a big ol' hook spot down there that everyone kept running into.

I was the one of two guys that had a good look all night. Only on the last three balls on Lane 23 in game 3 (frames 5, 7 and 9) did I have to do something different (went to an Ebonite Matrix Conquest on those three shots, drilled 6x6). Otherwise, I was able to dial in and just repeat shots.

The AFi is quickly becoming my ball of the year. Lowest game in two weeks is something like 186 and I'm still getting familiar with it. It's so smooth, so forgiving. I can play in, out, down and in, swing it, whatever I need to do. And it's got a very unique, stable look about it when other people's stuff is giving them trouble (as it was for our opponents tonight).

Now I just need to figure out what MoRich piece I need to drill next.

Jess

Edited on 2/26/2008 9:52 PM