Monday, May 26, 2008

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day, everyone.
Let's remember the people who gave their lives so we may enjoy it.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Week 9: Spring 2008

A Furious Fifteen:

El Capitan Sets Personal High
as 'Bags Rock, 15-9

By CUPPA Joe Gasparino

There would be no excuses this time.

The Dartbags, coming off of a stellar 16-8 victory last week...a victory that featured the "return" of Joey Pep, aka Senor Cocon, aka CUPPA Joe, firing manly, clutch darts all night long...

...would continue the trend. Except this week, kick it up a notch: beating a solid second-place Threepenny Opera squad, featuring 4 solid shooters, and all around good-guys in Hal Von Brockdorff, David Strome, Ed Helenius, and Kahlil Peyrefitte.

CUPPA continued to pepper, and together with Vince, 'The Hornets Nest', pulled out some ridicu-clutch victories monday night...arguably the most clutchin'est this season. Yeah...thats right..."clutchin'est".

And FURIOUS...El Capitan...Dr. Murtha...was out of his brain-shrinkin' head...throwing the most brain-shrinkin'est darts of his career.

Yeah....thats right...."brain-shrinkin'est".

FURIOUS topped his career high of 1008 asp's, with a sharp, fair & balanced 1020, spreading it out evenly over singles, cricket, and doubles 501. The Cpt. has been en fuego lately, complete with the return of his Jamesons "dippy-bird" routine. Keep dippin' away, guy.

And for the second straight week, the Aqua Velva was in the house. Frank furiously applied it throughout the night...Glenn added a few dabs to his Werewolfian mojo...and even Vince slapped some on, making up for his absence last week. CUPPA Joe flat out bathed in it all night long, and managed to stick Ginsberg with another patented "drive-by-velva-ing".

It was a glorious time. Glenn, Vince, FURIOUS, CUPPA, and Gins rounded out the squad for the night. BFT made it out (happy birthday, guy), along with another retired 'bag, Pya Lou, and his motley crew of Starving Dartists. Dartbaguettes Nellie and Hope were on hand as well. Way to entourage, people. Good work.

As previously stated...there would be no excuses. The first time the Dartbags played 3PO this season, they were without CUPPA and the Werewolf. 3PO was missing a huge cog in Kahlil as well. But with Kalstein and Gins playin' all night long (no offense boys), you're left with a 16-8 loss....and you're happy about it.

This week however, both teams had their top rotations, and it was an old-fashioned donnybrook. With tight games played all night long, it took clutch victories to bring the house down, to a 15-9 victory for the 'Bags. And as stated earlier, thats a big statement against a very good team.

Here's how it broke down:

Singles 501

Glenn (1) vs David Strome (2) - the moon was clouded over a bit, The Werewolf wasn't howling his signature sound, but managed to growl his way to a victory in game 2. Give credit to Dave for shooting very well, with about 400 points, and a tight, 2-dart 94-out.

FURIOUS (3) vs Hal Von Brockdorff (0) - The Cpt. was slow out of the gate, but turned the tide of the match quickly, with an impressive sweep of Hal. 439 points set the furious one off to a record setting night. Both guys fired off T-40's.

CUPPA (2) vs Ed Helenius (1) - both guys started out slowly as well, not throwing nearly their best darts. But things picked up. This round featured a nice exchange of haymakers: Ed hit a T...CUPPA hit a T-21...Ed hit a T-25...prompting The Line Of The Night (TM):

Ed: "We're playing legs, right?"

CUPPA followed the T-25 with a trip-20, 20....trip-5, just missing....but a 95 nonetheless.

Vince (1) vs Kahlil (2) - The Hornets Nest was stinging away effectively, but it was too much Kahlil. The big guy threw solid darts, wasting no time getting out. Typical speed darts by Vince, along with Kahlil....it was over in a flash. Both guys hit about 300 points.

SCORE - 'Bags up, 7-5

Cricket

Frankenwolf (1) vs Kahlil & Dave (2) - Glenn and Frank got smacked in games 1 and 2, but returned the favor in game 3. Quickest round of cricket yet...about 15 minutes to play all 3. FURIOUS nailed an R6, and Kahlil fired off an R6 and R7. Again...too much Kahlil.

CUPPA'cenz (3) vs Team Halenius (0) - CUPPA and Vince to the rescue. Manly, Aqua Velvian darts were thrown, to take 3/3 from a good pair. Solid darts by the boys, including a clutch bull-run comebacker. The hilight of the round was tactical in nature.

Vincencup were doing well on the bulls to get back in game 3. With 16's still open, Hal and Ed feasted on them, creating a point-war between the sixes and the bulls. CUPPA wanted to keep hitting bulls to get up in points, then shut the 16's down. Vince, as Team Halenius was having some trouble hitting bulls, thought it best to shut the 16's down first. CUPPA saw both tactics as equal, as long as you hit what you're aimin' at. Vince was adamant about his approach, as was Kahlil, from the other side.

Down 20 points, and 16's wide open, CUPPA stepped to the line, stepped out of the box to think, then decided "fine...I'll do it Vince's way...I can't take anymore, I give up...". First dart, trip-16. Closed. Second dart, wired the bull. Third dart...bullseye! Game over. Sweep completed. This prompted a rarely seen display of wild, physical chest-bump-humping by The Hornets Nest, knocking CUPPA all the way out of the Jeek, and onto the sidewalk to further hammer home his tactical case.

Hey....I'm CUPPA Joe. I don't change my methods for something that doesn't work.

SCORE - 'Bags up, 11-7

Doubles 501

The Cpt. & The Werewolf (2) vs Halil (1) - Frankenglenn rode farenheit 461 from FURIOUS, including a T-40, to top Kahlil and Hal. A solid set...the 'boys got in quicker than the other guys. You do that, you usually win...

...except in game 1 of the next set.

CUPPA'cenz (2) vs Ed & Dave (1) - CUPPA came out swingin' in game 1, throwing 340 asp's, in the first game alone. The boys managed to do the impossible, by losing that first game. Give credit to Dave and Ed by hammering back, combined with the baggers getting stuck on X. This unfathomable loss shook The Hornets Nest (which you don't want to do, Mr. Lally), and CUPPA went triple-espresso, taking the last 2, conVINCEingly: he got in quickly, CUPPA hammered it down, 439 points later.

FINAL SCORE - Dartbags 15, Threepenny Opera 9

Great night at The Jeek. Kudos to the GK crew. Great time all around with the guys from Threepenny Opera, especially Kahlil and Dave, hangin' around late-night.

And a nice job putting together 2 solid wins in a row, 16-8 and 15-9.

ASP Recap:

FURIOUS - 1020 (new season, and career high)
CUPPA - 795 (7/9 on the night)
Vince - 422 (stinging strategy)
Piker - 285 (I see a bad moon risin'...hide the chickens)

No match this week, as its Memorial Day. Happy and safe one to all.

Between all the hot-dogs, burgers and beers....make sure you take time to remember all of our veterans, and current heroes in our armed forces, at home, and all over the world.

Peace.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The Sweet Smell of Victory

CAPTAIN'S LOG: DART DATE: 5 - 12 - 08

Ladies Night at Marty O'Brien's; Drawn in by Darts, Drinks, Manly Smells

Final Score: Dartbags: 16 - Men Overboard: 8

The Scene: It was ladies night at Marty O'Brien's. They didn't come for the drink special ("2 for 1 Strawberry Alleycats & Blueberry Alleycats" - which is pretty hard to beat). It was just an unusually large gathering of Dartbaguettes, there to root on The Dartbags (Most Drinkin'est and Friendliest Dart Team in NYC (TM)). Perhaps our largest and most festive gathering of the year. Certainly our best looking. Hopi, Nell, and Bridge were there. Lillian and her BFF from UCLA, Grace. And friend, and newest Dartbaguette, Shauna.

Missing were 'The Microwave' and 'The Hornet's Nest'. But Gins (God love him) was there as always. We even had an appearance by retired 'Bag, Big Friendly Tim.

The Darts: With just a few points separating 3 teams, the 'Bags are in a playoff race. In an effort to improve his team's chances, The Captain has never been afraid to think outside the box for Dart Night (TM). And he may have come up with his most brilliant/cockamamy idea/scheme... Enhanced Sensory Convergence (or ESC as the Dartbags call it.)

Try to stay with me on this.

We use all of our senses, and they must be harnessed to play optimal darts. We use our sense of sight of course (the visual sense), our sense of touch, by wearing shirts with freedom of motion and making sure darts are comfortable in our hands (the tactile sense) . We play good music (AC/DC, Flogging Molly, Skynyrd, U2, etc) -- to indulge the auditory sense. We overindulge our sense of taste, by eating Taco Taco, and drinking the finest beers (the gustatory sense).

But that only makes 4 senses. One vital cog, the "5th finger that makes the fist" is missing...

Our sense of smell. The olfactory sense. We have neglected this vital sense (one that is most linked to memory, by the way).

We've been running on 4 cylinders for too long. But I found a way to fix that.

By employing the use of this!

That's right!

There's something about an Aqua Velva man. Aqua Velva is now standard issue for the Dartbags, and will be made available upon request for the remainder or the spring season. With all 5 senses aligned in perfect harmony, the 'Bags were ready to rumble, with Men Overboard.

In the words of Navin Johnson: "Things are gonna start happening to us, now!"

SINGLES

Pike (2) vs. Mike Keady (1): Glenn fired out of the gate with a T-14 to start the night, and followed it with a T-33. He would cruise to the first win in 20 darts. In the second game, Mike was sitting under 60, when a jet-lagged Glenn summoned all of his Werewolf Powers, and juuuust missed taking out a supersweet 160 (last dart high). He would take it out on his 29th dart for win #2. Mike - who had been shooting very well - then took the final point in 8 rounds. Excellent singles games by both guys.

Frank (2) vs. Rufus "On Fire" Herrington (1): Big Rufus took the first point in a sluggish affair. Halfway through game 2, The Furious one lived up to his moniker by getting really p*ssed off, demanding his whiskey, shooting a T-20, followed by a two dart 76 out. In game 3, with Ruf on 18, Frank cleaned up the mess he had made, by butchering/saving a 16 out - 11, 1, D-2.

Cup (2) vs. Chris Chevins (1): Cup, who had specially designed and manufactured his own darts ("The Cuppa") could not find them. So he went back to his old familiar needles. (Whadda this guy? He throwin' needles now? He think, he thinks he's Johnny Needle Darts? No way. No WAY.) It makes you wonder why he ever left them in the first place. Except for a marathon XX war in the 2nd game won by the deserving Chris, (Whateva!) it was semi-vintage Cup. Two more points for the 'Bags...but his best darts would lie ahead.

Edna (1) vs. Tom Clarke (2): With Vince in Sin-City, the 'Bags called upon Former Ladies All-Star-Point Leader, Edna, to pick up the slack. Ed would drop the first to Tom, who went out in 8 turns in game 1. But Edna would draw blood in game 2, nailing a D-4 to record his first singles win (in extremely limited play) in league history. The third point would be a dog fight, with both players in it until the end. Tom would hit his double first.

CRICKET

GlennEdna (1) vs Rufus n' Mike (2): A strong effort by Pike and Ed won the first game, with Glenn throwing his patented In-Yer-Hole darts. Edna fired off a C-3 to climb back into the second game, but the effort fell short. Men Overboard would carry that moment forward and take the last point.

Cuppn'Cap'n (3) vs Chris and Tom: Lava is hot. Jessica Alba is hotter. And then there's Cup. He fired off 4-20s to start. And followed it with T-19, T-18, T-17 (ROUND 9). Frank tripped the 16. Cup closed the 15s. And two rounds later it was done. It was like an Allman Brother's record - Seven Turns. Absolutely filthy stuff from Cup, and likely the quickest cricket match in 'Bag history. Cup would cool off - sort of. He had a pair of R-6s in the next game. When he stuck a double cork winner it cap off the sweep, it was the best set of cricket we'd played all year. Possibly ever. Welcome back, Joey Pep.

DOUBLE '01

GlennEdna (2) vs Rufus and Mike (1): By this point in the night, after flying in from Italy, the effects of excessive air travel had gotten the best of him.

Glenn: I need to go home after this. I'm hallucinating.

Frank: Ok.

Glenn: No, seriously. I am.

Glenn got them on, and Edna, who just got better and better as the night went on, stepped it up a notch. He fired off 198 ASPs (Hopefully regaining his Ladies ASP lead) and nailing a pair of clutch outs....the last a D-4 to take the rubber match. Fine work by the promising dart rookie, who would later draw praise from dart veteran, Rufus at the end of the night.

Rufus: The little guy is good. He's got a good stroke. Bam! Bam! Bam! He'll kill you on the 20s.

(Thanks, Rufus.)

FrankenCup (3) vs. Chis and Tom (0): Getting on first helped in all three games. Cuppa kept up his hot shooting doubling out on the first two. There were a few hot streaks (3 consecutive tons) along the way. The last game of the night devolved into an unfortunate exercise in futility as neither team could stick the Double-1. Really awful. Frank finally caught it to end the night on a good note for the GK-7.

And that was that. A much needed 16-8 victory. A tip of the cap to Men Overboard. They were worthy opponents, and good sports.

Let's revisit the effect of Enhanced Sensory Convergence for one moment.

Ed: Chose not to use Aqua Velva, preferring his own signature scent - L'Edna: Pour Homme. (Cuppa did execute a successful "drive-by-velva-ing", however, sticking him with a small spot on his neck...which explains the c-3, and the T in doubles.)
Glenn: Would rock the Velva only for singles where he took 2/3.
Frank: Marinated in the AV, and went 8/9.
Cup: Applied fresh coats between each round, and went 8/9 with an R-9, and two R-6s.

Random chance, or the awesome power of ESC? You be the judge.

All Star Recap:

Cuppa: 736 (and a patch)

Pike: 464

Frank: 445

Edna: 198 (possibly regaining Ladies All Star Point lead)

We play at home vs. Three Penny Opera on Monday.

See you there.

That is all.

-Captain Furious

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Bidd'ing For a Win at the Halfway Point

Captain's Log: Dart Date: 5 - 5 - 08

"Pikeless 'Bags Secure Numerous Points, Tacos."

Final Score: Big Triple Hunters: 13 - Dartbags: 11

(Note: This is a remote update from Hutchinson Island, Florida. Less detail than usual.)

Biddy's is a friendly pub. You can't beat the service of JJ and Barry, and the place just has a friendly feel to it. Biddy's has the added benefit of close proximity to "Taco Taco!", one of Colin O'Donnell's (and now the Dartbags') favorite eateries.

Fueled on burritos and quesadillas the Most Drinkin'est and Friendliest Dart Team in New York City (TM) faced off against friendly rivals, Big Triple Hunters. When last we saw BTH, they were called The Tavern Revisited, shooting out of The Tempest.

And they were kicking our arse.

We would need a strong effort to avoid that fate this time, especially without Glenn Pike who is presently in Roma, Italy on his honeymoon presumably spending romantic evenings with Nelly, drawing stares from the locals ("Enzo, look... eetsa Micka-Dreamy!", "No, Micka-Dreamy izza taller") and assiduously trying to keep them from pinching his wife's butt.

In addition, Edna was in Vegas at a show (he didn't specify what kind of show, so I'm assuming "burlesque") and the enigmatic known as The Microwave was mysteriously absent. It would be a skeleton crew of Cuppa, Vince, a conscripted Gins and Baguette, Hope.

And Cup was playing with a heavy heart. He had lost his Grandmother just a couple of days earlier. After attending the funeral and taking care of family business he joined us at Biddy's. Most people reading this blog have had the experience of losing a grandma, and know how difficult it is.

Feel free to say a prayer on that one.

Back to darts.

Here's what happened.

SINGLES

Frank (3) vs Tom Gray (0): It would be Frank, batting in Pike's slot. During pregrame warmups, Frank and Tom are shooting the breeze when Africa, by Toto comes on the jukebox.

Frank: What's this song about anyway? Is he singing about the continent of Africa or he is singing about a girl? "Gonna take a lot to drag me away from you..." It sounds sort of like it's about a girl to me. Pretty romantic. Actually, it sounds like it could be both. Maybe it's a metaphor. What's the deal there?

Tom (shaking his head): I don't know what Toto sings about, Frank.

(Frank nodding)

Tom: I'm not sure I want to know.

Frank: Well, yeah... me neither.


It was the captain batting in Pike's slot. A couple of rounds of rather nondescript darts by both players. Neither player could really get comfortable.

I blame Toto.

It would be Frank getting the double first. In the last game, out of nowhere, Frank simply caught fire. He turned in a 16 darter, tying a Dartbag record set earlier this year by Cuppa Joe. (Had a shot at a 15 darter, but his attempt at D-18 hit a D-4). 530 ASPs along the way. Yowza.

Cup (1) vs Eric Matern (2): These were all close games. Eric was solid, nailing 60 at a time. Cup was hot on the 19s, turning in 295 ASPs. Eric would take the first. And Cup would let a lead slip away in the 2nd. But sitting on 10, Joey Pep turned in a neat finish going, 5, T-1, D-1 to take the final point.


Vince (1) vs Christian Wirth (2): These were good matches as well. The Hornet's Nest carried the momentum by taking the first leg in 9 rounds securing consecutive points. (A rare occurence on this night for the 'Bags.). In the next two games, Christian began to heat up and won a pair of nip and tuck contests.

Gins (1) vs Scott (2): Give credit to Gins he hung around in each game and shot respectable darts. In the last game, staring at a sweep, he dialed it up a notch. He took advantage of his breaks and took out a 40 (20, miss, D-10) to get us a point.

CRICKET

VincenCuppa (1) vs. Chrustian and Ed Lewis (2): These were well-played games. I thought Vince and Cup threw some of the best cricket we've thrown all year (althought that's not exactly a powerful statement this year for the 'Bags, sort of like claiming to be "The World's Tallest Midget!"). Nonetheless, they shot very well. Solid scoring, clutch closes, Vince even mixed in an R-6 worth of 18s. But it was Christian and Ed who shot just a little better. Three hard fought, tense matches. The Big Trip Hunters taking the first two, the 'Bags salvaged the last. Legit A-2 quality darts. Just gotta tip your cap sometimes.


Franken'Berg (1) vs Eric and Tom (2): Eric and Tom -who popped 6 corks the other night at The Gaf - didn't have any crazy rounds (unless you consider R-4s and R-5s crazy, in which case they were freakin' lunatics). It was Tom and Eric firing out of the gate en route to a "don't blink or you'll miss it" win in game 1. The second game was closer. Sort of. (Gins had some splashy heroics to make the score look better). But I think 8 Belles was closer to Big Brown than the 'Bags were to victory.
The 3rd game appeared to be the same story when Tom popped an R-5 on 19s to go up 114 points and go up 11 marks to 2. Double-edge sword. Big points on the pro side. Lights a fire on the con side. The 'Bags had lost the high ground, but stayed on the attack striking from 17s before making their stand on bulls. The first volley was a C-4 from Frank and both 'Bags kept hammering away. Before you know it, the 'Bags had pulled in front. With two 15s (for a close) separating the 'Bags from victory/defeat, Gins stepped to the line. This is a pressure moment for any dart player. He missed low on the first. (Dang.) Then he stepped back from the line and collected hiimself. Next dart... T-15. Wow! Superclutch darts to seal a big time comeback. Very proud of the Ginsberg.

DOUBLE '01

Franken'Berg (1) vs Ed and Scott (2): Frank's mojo had left the building. It was Gins who kept the 'Bags in it by seemingly he hitting above 60 every round. Twice he left Frank a shot (albeit a brief shot) at an out. No dice. Ed and Scott shot well by getting on early and keeping the pressure on. (Ed mixing in 240 ASPs). In the third game it was Gins blessedly getting the 'Bags on the dance floor and Frank taking out 50 with a 32 on the last dart (Whew!). One point. So be it.

CupnVince (2) vs Eric and Christian (1): Frank's mojo had the left building but it seemed to meet Cup's mojo on the way in. Joey Pep stepped up his game and Vince had stayed sharp. Eric and Christian got in early and stayed a step ahead to take the first point. But Cup pounded the 19s (en route to 228 ASPs) in game 2. It was Vince nearly nailing a 106 out in one game and taking out a 71 with a two dart flourish T-19, D-7 for the final point of the night. Again, more terrific darts from Cup and Vincenzo to beat a very tough pair of opponents.

The 'Bags just found a way to hang in there all night. There are 8 sets of games in any given night. The 'Bags only "won" 2 of those sets. But by not giving darts away and gutting out single points, they managed to lose just 13 - 11 against a dangerous team.

I think the hero of the night was Ginsberg. We normally don't expect too much from him. Just good company, a lot of laughs and perhaps a new stain on his tennis shirt. But when pressed into service, he takes it seriously and competes. And he actually secured a point in every set he played. More than that, he shot quite well.

A tip of the cap to Big Triple Hunters. We've played these guys for years (though it had been a while) and they're always good company and good shots. We wish them good darts until we seem them again, 7 or so weeks @ GK.

Hat tip to Hopi as well. It's always a better night when she's around.

Lastly, kudos to Joe. He lost a loved one, but - after doing what a good grandson should do - still made the scene and shot well.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

All Star Recap:

Furious: 655
Cup: 518
Vince: 220
Gins: RANGERS WIN!

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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Good Guys + Big Comeback = Good Times Again at GK

Captain's Log: Dart Date: 4 - 28 - 08

Final Score: Dartbags 13 - Bullistics 11

It was Good Times once again @ GK.

The reasons?

We saw some crazy darts from the likes of Glenn and Vince.

We had a good crowd on hand for the festivities. Gins, Colin (who observed a pre-match ritual by enjoying a Greek meal at the Table that covered all 4 food groups), Hopi, Laura, Nellie with bangs and her friend Kira, who doesn't have bangs. (If I missed someone, I apologize.) In a season that has handed the 'Bags more than its share of whompings (I say, "no more!" Whompings that is.), the 'Bags desperately needed to get in the "W" column. And thanks to a big comeback, we managed to do jus--

WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG POST TO BRING YOU THIS IMPORTANT BULLETIN:

Giuseppe Franco has an important message about Procede hair thickener.

Giuseppe Franco: I don't own the company... I don't know anything about it...I just know that it is THE GREATEST PRODUCT EVER!

WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

Wow. Good stuff. We don't normally do emergency bulletins at The Dartbags Blog.

But we make exceptions for the President of the United States... and Giuseppe Franco.

So where was I... oh yeah --And last, but far from least, we were playing Bullistics, a worthy rival (who beat us last year to take the A-3 crown) who are always good company to drink with.

Here's what happened.

Singles

Glenn (1) vs. Joe Taras (2): Two great shots. Two class acts. Gentleman Joe took the first banging out a a 72 (20, 12, D-20) so fast that it confused Frank the scorekeeper. Pike responded a classic effort. Mashing a T-71, and a T-21, two turns later... that left him on X. (What else you gonna do when you're on 59 with 1 dart left!). He calmly missed high on dart 1, then buried the second dart to finish a 20 darter. Sweet. But Joe took the rubber match.

Frank (2) vs. Paul Quisenberry (1): The Captain was aight. No fuego, but sharp enough to find the triple on a regular basis and rack up 400+ ASPs. Paul on the other hand, didn't have his usual mojo. In fact, he would make a shaft adjustment later on that would help him get back on track for cricket. (No not THAT kind of shaft adjustment. This kind. Geez! Ya sick bastard.) With both players sitting on sitting on D-4, it was the Quiz Master taking it out first to take the final point.

Cup (0) vs. Liam Keane (3): In answer to the eternal queston: This Cup was half-empty. Joey Pep didn't have his usual... um, pep. Liam on the other hand shot well (439 ASPs). It was Liam delivering the Keane-note address: Good morning, Good evening, Good night. The 'Bags are definitely noticing the step up this year from A-3 to A-2. Much less margerine for error.

Vince (2) vs. Gloria Gutierrez (1): Fun match between Vincenzo and an old friend from the league. Gloria holds the distinction, not only of being a fine shot, but of being the best-looking member of Bullistics. But Vince has always been a lady-killer, dating back to C. Vince was Andy Pettitte-like in game 1; (i.e., he stopped the losing streak). But Gloria on the strength of a T-05 and T-25 returned the favor in game 2. Vince had a D-20 in his pocket in the 3rd leg, and broke it out to take the rubber match.

(Wow.  Did that last sentence sound weirdly sexy to you?  No?... Me neither. On to...)

Cricket

Cricket sucked. They probably have a different take on it. Being as they won 2/3 every time. But we feel we're more objective on the issue.

Vince/Frank (1) vs. Joe/Paul (2): In the first game, it seemed like Joe and Paul started before us, pounding 3s and 4s and 5s, before we could barely make a mark. The 'Bags stand on Bullsye was valiant, but ended like the Alamo. When we finished pulling arrows our of butts, we played game 2. Vince and Frank rolled to an easy one. But J/P outplayed the 'Bags in the tie-breaker, despite some heroics from Vincenz. Dang it.

Glenn/Cup (1) vs. James Eugenia/Liam(2): It was another frustrating LWL scenario. But this match yielded a highlight/achievement that was a first in Dartbag history -- Glenn crushing the 16s for an R-9, for his SECOND PATCH OF THE NIGHT. (Well player, sir. Well played.) Unfortunately, cricket was not well-played. I think it's safe to say that neither side shot the way they wanted to.

As scorekeeper, Frank passed (some) of the time watching the Director's Cut of Braveheart in its entirety. But the bottom line is that Bullistics shot better. They take the round on points.

Boy, I tell ya. Cricket is killing the 'Bags this year. Do we need to go back to two-a-days? Suicides?? Running the "3-Dart-Weave, still the most intimidating warm up ritual in dart history??? (kudos to Farticus)

Double '01

Here is where the night turned around for the Most Drinkin'est and Friendliest Dart Team in NYC (TM). Down 11-7, with 6 points left, there was still a chance to pull out a win. But there was a greater chance to once again be left with a (4th consecutive---

WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG POST TO BRING YOU THIS IMPORTANT BULLETIN:

Former A-List actor, Gary Busey seen hugging Giuseppe Franco outside Franco's Beverly Hills Salon. Details to follow as the story unfolds.

WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING

Okay... um, thanks for that. Back to Double '01:

Double '01

FrankenVince (3) vs. Keane'n'Quiz (0): Frank showed up. But this round was about The Hornet's Nest throwing perhaps the manliest darts all year. How manly? The story will be passed down generation to generation in the form of epic poems, and memorialized in ballads sung by our sub-class of wandering minstrels who roam the countryside playing mandolins (as is the way of our people).

It was Vince taking out a D-20 in the first match to take a point. Sitting on 129 in the second match, Vince considered what to shoot at. He paused for a moment, and then popped a T-19, then paused for another moment and nailed a T-20, at which he paused for several moments - and buried a D-6. Beautiful. And with Paul sitting on a fat out, it was also uber-clutch.

'Cenzo would stay hot. Sitting on 107 with 3 darts, he would end up sitting on 82 with one dart.

Vince: What do you want me to do, guy?

Frank: Hit a T-14 for a D-20 leave... or you could hit a Double Bull.

Vince chose the latter and hit center cork, then he did something he rarely does during a match - he turned and grinned. Sometimes, you just know where the dart is going to land before you throw it.

When Frank turned the 32 leave into a 24 leave. Vince was out on the first dart.

It was a huge performance. Paul remarked that in each game he was left with the winning dart in his hand. So without the big performance, you can bet there would have been some losses for the 'Bags.

Glenn/Cup (3) vs. Joe/James (0): These games were not as dramatic, but no less valuable. It was Pike doing much of the heavy lifting (including quick ons on the 19s) and Cuppa Joe regaining his out-stroke to drive the final nail in the last two games. As usual, every game was---

WE INTERUPT THIS BLOG POST TO BRING YOU THIS IMPORTANT BULLETIN:

Giuseppe Franco: Hey... I'm Giuseppe Franco!!

WE NOW RETURN TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULE PROGRAMMING

I can't work like this.

No.

Seriously.

This is bullsh*t.

I freakin-

All right, fine.

Just get me a Jamey rocks. Stat!

......

......

Okay. Much better.

Where was I? Oh. I used th headline "Good Times" because it sums up the night. It was just a lot of fun. But Monday would have been a enjoyable and well spent evening, whether we won or lost. Bullistics is a fun team to play against. It was good darts, sportsmanship all around and a mutual Jameson toast when the final score was in. In fact, several of their guys stayed long after the match just to shoot the breeze and have a couple of beers. It felt like old times.

We'll look forward to heading to their place in the second half, where they will probably have Dean The Machine (Reigning A-3 MVP) back with the squad.

Cheers to all. (And kudos to my bro, for the Giuseppe Franco observations. Hysterical. And if anyone wants to buy a house/rent a place let me know. He'll hook you up.)

We are at Biddy's Pub next week.

All Star Recap:

Pike: 567 (With a T-71, and R-9)
Frank: 506
Vince: 430 (With a supersweet, DF-129)
Cup: 200

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