Alll Righty Then

The Ship is the world's darts leader. This is the recap it deserves.  Seen out and about this week - The Ship bringing its XY game out to the Ace Bar. Or, as Ace Venture might say, Holy Testicle Tuesday!

The all-macho lineup started out well for The Ship, with Rich and Michael sailing through the opening two games.  But then, we suddenly began to play as though there were a Naked Raygun pointed at our heads, and we surprisingly dropped four games in a row.  Suddenly we were in search of a win... and a clean pair of shorts.

I'm going to take a short time out of the write-up to go speak to myself.  If I'm not back in five minutes... just wait longer.

Rich / Andrew opened Cricket with a win n a close game, and then shanked it in the second game, struggling with darts that were clearly not "laces out," and sending them wide of the bullseye.  Dan Marino should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.  In game two, Michael / Dave played one of the all time greats.  In an epic battle, they staged a huge comeback and nearly won game two by hitting clutch bulls.  Unfortunately, it wasn't to be, but they did earn a split.  Fred / John played together in a perfect fit, and bailed us out in the final round, sweeping two games and tying the match at six-all.

I'm going to take a another break, to go psyche myself up for the big finish.  If I'm not back in five minutes... just wait longer.

Entering the wee hours of the morning, Fred / John headed back out but lost a close game in which neither team could find Captain Winkie to end the game.  Dave / Michael exorcised the demons in game two, securing a big win.  But in the final game, Rich / Andrew had some trouble getting in, and lost with the "Dart Heard Round The World."  Hopefully the 10-8 loss won't turn us into the Mayor of Psychoville.

Props:Michael - 3 wins, endless bulls.  You must be tired of being right.

Tears for Spears

The darts world was abuzz with excitement as the teams unveiled their new looks for the Fall 2006 season.  For The Ship, a retro look is the new new thing this season, with a throwback lineup that includes OGs Dave & Darian, and a lineup that is more reminiscent of 2001 than 2005.  So let's kick it old school and show these youngsters how things were done back in the day. 

It took the old engine a few turns to get revved up this season, as Rich and Michael dropped the first two games out of the box.  But once the old girl got running, there was no stopping her.  John posted a win and a Ton-29, and Dave picked up where he left off over two years ago with a win.  And in the last two rounds, the familiar names of Andrew and Mindy picked up the final two wins, to give The Ship a 4-2 lead.

With a new season came the first controversy of the season.  Rich / Andrew were accused of showing disrespect in game one of their match, leading to some heated words.  But Rich / Andrew really showed no respect in game two, as they rolled to an easy victory and earned a split.  The throwback squad of Dave / Michael stepped up in round two and staked a claim as the team to beat this season with an easy sweep.  John / Mindy were dogged by some off season rust and dropped two games, but The Ship was still holding a solid 7-5 lead after two rounds.  But, the best was yet to come.

The juggernaut of Dave / Michael kicked off D501 with a win, as Michael got the team in and Dave hit a dpuble-20 on his first try for the win.  John / Mindy kicked off the rust and played a determined match in game two.  Despite falling far behind, they refused to quit, and went from hearing midget footsteps to posting a victory.  Rich / Andrew played a solid game in the final round, and when Andrew hit a double-7 to win it, The Ship had swept D501 and walked away with a commanding 13-5 win over Britney's Spears to open the season.

Props:Dave - No losses would be...perfection.