Tuesday, October 28, 2008

So, What's New?


It's only been a few weeks since we last spoke.  Let's take a look at a quick recap of what has happened since our last game. Well, the last time The Ship played, the United States had never elected an African American President.  The last time we played, a TARP was just something to cover a baseball field in the rain. The last time we played, American Express was not a bank.  The last time we played, the New York Jets were not in first place.  So, not much news, I guess.  Let's get on with the recap.

We started late this week, but things looked just peachy at the outset.  Rich locked-in two wins right off the bat.  Then Mindy posted a win in her first game, and notched a Ton-40, which would hold up as the high throw of the round.  But Mindy dropped game two, and then John and Dave both got swept, leaving The Ship down 5-3 after S501.

We've covered that there has been quite some change in the world over the past few weeks.  But it is somewhat comforting to know that some things don't ever change.  Those simple things that you can always go back to, the constants in life that center us, give us a sense of calm in the heart of the swirling storm.  For me, the fact that The Ship consistently gets spanked in Cricket is as comforting as an old pair of jeans.  Rich / Dave played their guts out in the first round, and still only managed to take one game out of three.  Mindy / John also threw tremendous games, but they too were limited to one win, and The Ship was facing a Dolly Parton down 9-5.  

Although it's been a long time, I have to admit I still can't freakin' believe that Rich / Dave lost both games to start D501.  I mean, I just know we played better than that.  Well, I guess it has been a week of tough defeats.  Anyway,  Mindy / John stepped up and won their first game before dropping the finale.  At the end of the night, The Ship has only managed 6 electoral votes to 12 for Biddy's, handing a bitter defeat to the incumbents.  Luckily, we don't need to wait another four years before we get a chance to redeem ourselves.

Props:
Mindy - Leading the team in Shippy points, and in on 3 of our 6 wins.
Weekly Shippy Points (YTD Standings)
PlayerPointsNotes
Mindy2424 points in S501*, 4 points in Cricket, 12 points in D501
Rich2424 points in S501, 4 points in Cricket, 6 points in D501
John200 points in S501, 20 points in Cricket*, 9 points in D501
Dave80 points in S501, 8 points in Cricket, 0 points in D501
* High Throw in Round

Monday, October 20, 2008

What is Past is Pologe

No game this week, as Pologe (whatever the heck that means), dropped out of the league. Instead, some Pologe-inspired quotes:
  • Courtship is to marriage, as a very witty prologue to a very dull play. {William Congreve}
  • A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce, or a tragedy, or perhaps both. {James Madison}
  • We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again, And by that destiny to perform an act Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come In yours and my discharge. {William Shakespeare, The Tempest: Act II, Scene 1}
Let's hope the season to date is prologue to the glory that will come in the second half.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Bullseye, Narcissus, and Self-Reflection: The Modernist Myth of Darts

Hello readers, welcome to the update. By my count, this is the 192nd darts update I've written. Nearly two hundred updates covering 14-plus seasons. Over one hundred and ninety different ways to describe what is essentially the same sequence of events each week. Don't get me wrong, this is not a complaint. In fact, I enjoy the doing write-ups, both the challenge and the fun of highlighting each week's get together. But maybe it's that it has been nearly nine years since we started, or maybe it's because I just had a high school reunion and I'm getting a little nostalgic, but suddenly I'm reflecting on the process of writing these weekly ditties.


They mostly start the same, hopefully with a jaunty little theme. Maybe some sort of riff on pop culture (and more recently a funny little picture right up there in the upper right-hand corner, just like a real newspaper), maybe a reference to a particularly funny part of the night, or maybe just some random connective tissue I have selected to bring the season together. We've reminisced about one hit wonders and enjoyed Oscar-winning movies. We've toured countries of the world and explored the music of the Beatles. Pictures, poems, limericks, and even the occasional anagram have been used to set the stage. As an example, this week I may have latched on to the ALCS game that was played last night between Boston and Tampa Bay as a suitable theme. If so, this section might perhaps tie our team's match (NB: while formally named Full of Ship, the team is most often referred to by the colloquial reference "The Ship") to the futility shown by Tim Wakefield and the Boston Red Sox in this game, such as "The Ship brought out a squad of wily veterans this night, looking to recapture some past glory, and teach a lesson to their upstart opponents."

After the pithy (snarky?) little intro, we then head into the description of the match itself, starting with Singles 501. S501 is always a fun section to write, because I get to use a lot of heavy-handed references to the aforementioned theme. I throw in a bunch of puns, hopefully a few hyperlinks to some hilarious and random internet content, and off we go. Plus, I love this section because I get to highlight the great games that we play individually. I know it's a team sport, but somehow the singles event seems to turn out the wild games, or ridiculously crazy throws or other unbelievable plays each week. Of course, sometimes nothing happens in S501. To continue on with our hypothetical example, this week's description might have read "Unfortunately, in S501, The Ship was slapped around like Wakefield's knuckler, as our opponents slapped two grand slams and left us on the short end of an 8-0 score after one round."

Next comes the always unheralded Cricket section. It is the poor second act of the write-up. The "middle child," if you will. The often overlooked Jan to the recap's Brady Bunch. By the time it arrives, all the good jokes have been taken by the S501 section. It doesn't have the resolution or dénouement of the D501 section. Plus, let's be honest, we kinda suck at Cricket, so it usually entails a lot of coverage of us losing, which is not that fun to write about. But I gamely give Cricket its due, and try not to mail it in too much, to get out the good things we deliver. So this week, it may have read: "Like Big Papi miraculously delivering a triple with the Red Sox hopelessly behind, Dave / Rich managed to pull one win out of the Cricket hat, to pull The Ship within twelve points after two rounds."

And finally we come to Doubles 501, which is invariably the most exciting part of the night. In the past, the games were worth two points, which really upped the excitement, because it usually meant that the winner of this round would win the night. Of course, it is the round that gave us the midget toss, so it will always hold a special place in my heart. But inherently it is thrilling because its got that awesome rhythm of double-in / double-out, where anything can happen (and often does). I always like to try and build up the tension in this part, creating a mystery around how the match turned out. And there is almost always some turn of events that tips the night one way or the other, which I get to wrap back to the theme to round out the update. And really, on the rare times they happen, there is nothing more satisfying than a smooth finish to the recap. To finish our example for the week, it may have ended like this: "The Ship picked up one more win from Rich / Dave in D501, but like the Red Sox they were unable to make the final score respectable, finishing with a 16-2 loss."

And that's it, really. I've never officially counted, but they probably average about 350 words a week. If I was really good, I might even be able to tell the full story in just three or four sentences. (as Blaise Pascal said, "I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.") As daunting as it seems each week, it's never as painful as I build it up to be. Somehow, there is always another way to tell the story, another phrase to turn, another participle to dangle. I almost always make the "deadline" for publication (i.e. the day before the next week's match). Have I repeated myself? Probably. Do I contradict myself? Yes (I am large, I contain multitudes.)

Oh yeah, there is one other piece to the update. Probably the most anticipated, most discussed, and easily the most lobbied for section - the Props. I'm not even sure what precipitated the creation of Props and the need to call out a weekly winner (as I said, it's a team game), but I think it's fair to say that the recap would have been dead long ago without this little gem. It is The Simpsons to the recap's Tracey Ullman Show, if you will, probably deserving of its own spin-off which would likely outlast its predecessor in fortune and glory. I probably take a perverse pleasure in handing out props, but always with an eye to spreading the wealth while acknowledging all manner of great performances. There is almost always something to celebrate, a random dart, a dominant performance, an upset win, and countless random acts. Of course, some nights I can be strapped and go completely off the board, and this week would probably have been one of those where I awarded: "Props - Carl Crawford / Willy Aybar, for knocking the Red Sox to the brink of elimination."

For anyone that made it this far, thanks for indulging me.  Now, and 191 other times.
Weekly Shippy Points (YTD Standings)
PlayerPointsNotes
Rich200 points in S501, 20 points in Cricket*, 15 points in D501
Dave1212 points in S501*, 4 points in Cricket, 6 points in D501
* High Throw in Round

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Race To The Finish

This week, the race was on.  The Ship was out in full force, and was ready to count all night long.  With a healthy combination of darts competition, vigorous debate and meat sandwiches, it was a good night to play.

Rich started the race in a strong way, posting two wins, a first-dart-out, and a win in twelve rounds.  The twelve rounds set the bar for the night, and gave The Ship something to shoot for.  Fred followed with two strong games, including a high throw for the round of 133, but somehow did not score a win.  Dave also dropped two games against the buzz saw that is Gloria.  Michael rounded things out with a split (and a twelve rounder to tie the low for the night), and The Ship found itself down 5-3 after S501. 

Rich / Fred battled to open Cricket.  Game one yielded a win for The Ship, but Rich / Fred found themselves behind on points early in games two and three, and they were unable to surmount the obstacles.  The season's top pairing to date, Michael / Mindy, also played well and earned one win.  At this point, The Ship was well fed, but down 9-5.

Dave / Mindy kicked off D501 with a split, and Rich / Michael followed up with the same, making the final score an 11-7 loss for The Ship.

Props:
Rich - Four wins and enough Shippy points to tie Michael. 


Weekly Shippy Points (YTD Standings)
PlayerPointsNotes
Rich3624 points in S501, 16 points in Cricket*, 12 points in D501 + 6 points for First Dart Out and 6 points for Race to The Basement
Michael2712 points in S501, 4 points in Cricket, 21 points in D501* + 6 points for Race to The Basement
Mindy154 points in Cricket, 15 points in D501
Fred1212 points in S501*, 4 points in Cricket
Dave00 points in S501, 6 points in D501
Andrew0DNP
John0DNP
Darian0DNP
* High Throw in Round

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Last Man Standing


Eliminator.  It is an event that is not for the faint of heart.  It is an event so ruthless and unforgiving that only the strongest can survive.  It is an event that has been known to make the strongest players crumble in its wake.  Just the thought of Eliminator can bring grown men and women to their knees.  And tonight, The Ship faced down the Eliminator in a showdown for the ages.

Rich started the night off strong, mowing through two S501 wins with almost no problems.  But S501 is a cakewalk compared to Eliminator, and it showed, as Rich's breakfast tossed him from the competition early.  Andrew followed with two losses, including a throw under 10 points, as Eliminator claimed another victim.  Michael split his games, and slid through without getting eliminated.  Fred posted two wins and advanced on, as well.  The Ship ended S501 with a 5-3 lead and three players still eligible for the bonus points.

Michael / Mindy continued their dominant run in Cricket, with two wins out of the box.  But Mindy was not able to escape the treacherous clutches, and she was eliminated.  Rich / Andrew played an uninspired round and dropped all three games, which dropped The Ship back in to a 7-7 tie for the night.

Andrew / Fred dropped both ends of the D501 opener, which also included Fred's elimination.  So, the night came down to the final match, with Rich / Michael needing two wins to secure a tie for The Ship.  And Michael was looking to deliver his own birthday present of 10 Shippy bonus points, if he could continue to escape the jaws of the Eliminator.  Michael made it through the first game unscathed, as The Ship got the first win.  The second game was a little more shaky, but both teams were in in right down to the wire.  But, on his last throw of the night, Michael threw a five / one / bounce out for six points and an elimination.  Rich / Michael went on to drop the game, making the final score a 108-8 loss for The Ship.  So, Eliminator claimed five victims on this night, and no bonus points were awarded.

Props:
Fred - Two wins and strong play in his season debut.
Darian & Michael - Happy Birthday!  
 
Weekly Shippy Points (YTD Standings)
PlayerPointsNotes
Michael2424 points in S501*, 24 points in Cricket*, 30 points in D501*
Rich2424 points in S501, 12 points in Cricket*, 15 points in D501
Fred2424 points in S501, 3 points in D501
Mindy1212 points in Cricket
Andrew30 points in S501, 0 points in Cricket, 3 points in D501 (D-In)
John0DNP
Dave0DNP
Darian0DNP
* High Throw in Round (Rich & Michael tied for high AS in Cricket with R5s)