This is always one of the best weeks in BoPo, a giant mixer of Tuesday and Thursday teams. This year it comes very late in the season so the games also have some meaning in the standings. We still have all four division titles up for grabs and the Party rankings are completely in flux. Let’s go!
Game of the Night
LATE Incredibowls (8-2) -3 vs Lion’s Den (8-2): This game has more playoff implications than any other on Tuesday night. Both teams were given new life with the expansion of the B playoffs as they both currently sit in 2nd place in their respective divisions. Rick Vaughn’s Lion’s have led the party rankings for weeks, and are coming off the season’s first bolwoff, a huge win (also by Rick Vaughn). Oh, and RV also has 200+ games on Thursday, Friday and Tuesday already. These guys just have to fight off Shithawk’s legitimate copyright infringement claim as they hijack his Ca-Caw. Incredibowls are used to being near the top of the standings and can’t afford a slip up. Spidey has been bringing his A game again and God of Thunder will have ‘jungle boogie’ cranked on his headphones for inspiration. Incredibowls win.
Early Games
Bingas (5-5) -3 vs UREA! (4-7): Bare-Knuckles brawl! Binga’s brings Knuckles back to play her former team and also look to try to get out of the Sunday Shootout. They’ve been remarkably consistent with all 6 bowlers showing every week and getting 2 games. Not sure about all those rumors of free agents that are moving to Bingas…who would they lose? UREA! has now lost by 1 to both YB2 and LOS, the top teams of Thursday. This is their last game of the year, they’d love to break through with an actual win over a big name team. They are psyched to play in the Sunday Shootout as they’ll need a playoff warmup after such a long layoff.
Splits Happen (8-3) -5 vs Lesbowlians (5-5): Splits are another team that, due to a scheduling glitch, are playing their final game of the regular season. At 8-3 they face a must win if they have any chance of making the B playoffs. They have been bowling well, and Tinderella just rolled his first 300 (at another house). They’ll be ready. Lesbowlians righted the ship last week to even their record after a losing streak. They still have a shot at their best regualr season in franchise history, but need this win to get there. Keglinger has been rocketing up the stats page and combined with Tilt-A-Whirl they can put up some scores, but they’ll need Beaver or Downtown or someone to be a strong 3rd to pull off this upset.
BILF (7-3) -5 vs Pinny Candy (6-4): BILF is also still in the mix for Tuesday B. They need to get a big win in this one then sit around late and cheer on the Lion’s Den. They seem to be scrambling to qualify a few new players for the playoffs. Pinny Candy lost their shot at the playoffs with a loss last week but are a hungry team that is hoping to get back on a winning streak. Pay Day is looking to break out of the 190’s and finally get that checkmark in the 200 column.
Wrecking Balls (5-5) -7 vs Granola Bowlahs (0-10): The Dude has turned things around for his Wreck. They were scuffling along in the basement before rising up to knock off then undefeated NED. They’ve followed that up with two more wins and look to push the streak to 4 tonight. They certainly should be able to since their opponent is winless. Granola is hoping the trip to a new night gives them a spark that gets them their first win. Kid Loose has some decisions to make now about qualifying folks for playoffs by getting them 11 games.
My Balls (5-5) -1 vs Roll Another (9-1): Roll Another is off to an amazing start after their 2-win week last week. They are on a 9 game winning streak and could wrap up a B playoff spot with a win and a Lion’s Den loss. They are handling in in typical, quiet Roll Another fashion, with only one social media comment when Burn Unit’s gender was thrown into question. My Balls are having a bit of a down season for them but they can salvage it a bit with a win here. They’d like to finish in the top 6 so that they draw a B opponent for the Sunday Shootout. Seems about time for a big game from Wej.
B.E.E.R. (6-4) – 1 vs Leisure Rolls (6-4): Well this game doesn’t mean a ton in the standings. Both teams look like they’ll finish middle of the pack and wait for their playoff seeds. Leisure has rolled off 4 straight wins and should have Tampon Santa in town to destroy the lanes and get BEER drunk. It’s unlikely anyone from BEER will try to ride Hard Knox around this week a la Rubbys no matter how much Dr. is involved. It’s hard to predict the score since lineups will be fluid, but BEER does have home court and higher averages, I’ll guess they avoid the Leisure Roll score warp that has taken down so many higher average teams before them.
Late Games
#2 Saucy Posse (9-1) -1 vs TDYOB (3-6): Well the trash is flying in this one. SauPo is going girls night and will be bowling Kathy Nash, N Sauce, T Burr and Nut Sauce at the same time. That is a bold move given Dr. Thunder’s professed affection for SauPo ladies. SauPo is not used to being so successful and a part of me thinks they are walking into this like Apollo Creed in Rocky 4. “He doesn’t know it’s a damn show, he thinks it’s a damn fight!” TDYOB has Farmer back, and while they will definitely be partying they will also definitely be going for the win. They’d love to knock off a powerhouse.
Walter?
S.O.D. (5-5) -5 vs Cunning Linguists (4-7): SOD came within inches of knocking off undefeated Yahtzee last week (the third 8-7 Yahtzee win I think). Now they just regroup and try ot win out and hope things fall in place for them to avoid the Sunday Shootout. They’ll be heavy favorites in both. The Dentist has really stepped up recently to ably back Valley Gurl and McStriker. They just need one more guy to catch fire and they’ll be very dangerous. My Money’s on Diesel. The Linguists finish their regular season tonight. It’s been an up and down year, and the last year the team will look like this as the roster that barely held together this year looks to be splitting. They’ll try to go out with a bang.
Off Constantly (2-8) -1 vs Guacabowle (5-4): Disregard the records here, OC actually has an almost 20 pin higher average. Plus they are looking for revenge after last year’s playoffs. They should come in hungry to win still. Guacabowle, on the other hand, seems a bit down on themselves after last weeks loss, with at least one of the team members saying ‘we suck’. That’s not the happy-go-lucky Guac we all know and love, it seems like a team putting pressure on themselves for the first time. They’ve thrived on beating other teams playing under that sense of pressure, they need to shake the feeling and get back to the Guac love-go-round party that worked in the past.
Strikes of Hazzard (1-9) -1 vs Bowled and Beautiful (3-7): Yet another game where the records favor Thursday but the averages favor Tuesday. Strike sis having a really strange season with two of the top 10 bowlers in the league and still just 1 win. I think they double that total tonight. B&B has started to get nice games from bowlers not named Viking over the last few weeks (Mr. Mayor, Billy James) and could be a tough draw for a favorite in the 1st round of the playoffs. They look to put together their first 2 game win streak of the season tonight. I’m really hoping for a Viking vs General Lee bowloff.
BUI (6-4) -3 vs Ball That (1-9): I did it, I picked a Thursday team! BUI has been putting up some solid scores every week, have some big wins under their belt, and fear noone. Ball That did finally break though with a win last week so they should be a little looser and may keep this close if BUI looks past them.