"I'm as frustrated as a mosquito in a mannequin factory."-Larry The Cable Guy 

 

Edited by 230-n-up-or-bust on 2/21/2012 at 2:00 PM

"I'm as frustrated as a mosquito in a mannequin factory."-Larry The Cable Guy 

I have about 20 games on it, same oiler and lane surface.  20 to 8 is a lot early,  I have a pretty good amount of hand and I started at about 8 to 5 with a 4000 bank roll, stayed for about 2 games and then jumped in with a pin up victory road, went about 13 to 7 with that and migrated left from there.   The outside plays and the track plays but how you break them down will be more key than previous years I think.  After our set, I went out to 4-5 area and threw a couple games straight up there and had a nice look.  Pattern is tough but not crazy, solid shots strike, mediocre shots are a crap shoot.  NO HOLD on the pattern.  Minimal swing at best.  Mo pinel makes a statement that outside of 5 may play and I agree with that, but it will all depend on who you bowl with, where they play them and that will determine how long outside plays.  With no hold to start and guys just inside of you, your "no hold" will quickly turn into missing the headpin left and leaving 1-3-6-10s.  Next week I am going to try to take the cover off some of my less agressive stuff to see if I get a better look outside to start.  Mo stated that it may be a pattern where staying put and balling down when playing outside is the best option and I can't argue with him so far.  Watched a mediocre lefty shoot 950 throwing right up 5 yesterday.  He was the only lefty on the pair so he just stayed right where he was the whole night.  Yikes!!  Don't think that is available for righties all night but a game or two is well within reason.  Good luck, look forward to hearing about your experiences with it. 

 

When you posted above I wasn't sure if you were talking about Sean or Justin, but I assume you are talking about Sean.  I would not doubt that he had a great look playing in during minors with a pearl.  Sean has a pretty low amount of tilt and decent axis rotation, so he is good at getting the ball to roll up off the spot.  The thing Sean struggles with (mostly because he doesn't get to practice much), is really going straight.  In the past few years he would struggle in team event even when there was a great look in the track going direct because he has a hard time getting the ball to "laydown" off of the pattern.  His ball roll makes the ball tip up very fast, so he ends up having to go away from it a little.  He really never gets to practice going truly straight so he has a hard time with keeping his breakpoint truly in front of him.

 

Not saying this to pick on Sean at all, as he and I talked about this recently when he was at the shop and he bowled on Viper (and had a hard time on the fresh).  I just see on the graph what some others are noting that in team event you'll have the best look going pretty straight until probably the middle of game 2 or game 3.

 

Anyways that's just my .02, I talked to Chad and Ed and they all played a little too far in during team according to their hindsight.

Bowled Nationals this past weekend.  I shot decent, but the shot got terrible as the 9 other guys I bowled with (I found a team to join online) sprayed the ball everywhere.  I started team going pretty straight over 7 and had pretty good success to start.  It got really ugly as the shift went on and the heads fried.  I didn't have the equipment I really needed for the fresh and I suffered.  As others have stated a solid cover with a bit of surface will do well here, unforunately what I brought was a bit too strong with too much surface (Motiv SR2).  Live and learn.

 

Doubles and Singles the next day went much better lofting the gutter cap to about 8 to 10 depending on the game..  I threw a few 200's and 190's but in game 5 I finally couldn't move left anymore without leaving 10's every shot so I moved all the way back over to first arrow and shot 190.  I really wish I would have tried playing so far right earlier but I honestly didn't assume it would work on the burn.  I threw a Hammer Jigsaw Trap at box surface the whole shift.

 

There is obviously a shot there, but how well you do will really depend on you and your teams ability to play it, and not get in each others way.

"I'm as frustrated as a mosquito in a mannequin factory."-Larry The Cable Guy 

Bowled on March 10th & 11th.  

 

Team event (on the fresh).  I have to agree with what several people have already experienced.  There is a shot between 6 & 9 depending how you throw the ball.  5 right is out of bounds (for right handers).  Pull it to 10 and you might get Brooklyn.  You really need several people playing the same line to open up a shot, otherwise your not going to score. Our team started off in practice together playing up the boards with the intention of opening up the lane.  After just a few balls, a couple of the team members got nervous and moved to the middle.  The rest of us who had practiced on the shot stayed left but just couldn't open up the lane enough to score.

 

You can get left (18 to 25) and swing the lane.  Again, anything right is a wash out or split, anything left is LEFT.

 

Singles/Doubles played about the same except that the inside line started a little futher left.  I assume nobody played outside on the teams before us.

 

As usual, you need a VERY solid spare game.  If your spare game depends on hooking the ball, you are in for an adventure.

 

Looking back, I try to think how I would play them different.  A little better on my spares would have helped.  The one thing I didn't try was a weaker ball more direct and try to take the oil out of play.  Even then you still have to make good shots.

 

My brother played $300 in brackets during S/D.  He shot 491 & 550 and won $250.  What does that tell you? 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Dogtown on 3/15/2012 at 3:40 PM