Bittersweet Symphony (1998)

Back on our home turf after two rough weeks on the road, The Ship was poised to make a bold statement in Week 6. Some strong play helped raised our spirits, although the final score was somewhat bittersweet.

The night started out sweeter than chocolate covered gummi bears, as The Ship ripped off five wins, by Rich, John, Roni, Rebecca and Andrew. Surging out to a 5-1 lead, The Ship was on the the Rainbow Trail and headed for the Candy Castle.

Cricket started out slowly, as Andrew / Fred dropped two very close games. But The Ship changed course with a sweep from John / Roni, sparked by an amazing comeback. Rich / Rebecca followed up with a sweep, and The Ship was cruising over Gumdrop Pass and headed for home, up 9-3.

The Ship seemed to get lost in Lollipop Woods when John / Roni dropped the first game, despite having a big lead. Andrew carried Rich through trouble to post a win in game 2, but Fred / Rebecca were caught in the last game, making the final score 11-7 in favor of The Ship.

Props:
Rich: Sweep. Sweet.
Roni: His first taste of All Star points. Yummy.

Mambo No. 5 (1999)

In Week 5, The Ship had a crew of five, because three of us were attending Game 6 of the ALCS. Despite the handicap, The Ship turned in a courageous effort.

With the Yanks battling Boston in the background, The Ship powered out of the gates by winning the first 3 games of the night, and taking 4 of the 5 S501 games we played. So, despite being down a man, we were ahead 4-2 after S501.

Rich / Rebecca continued the winning ways with a win in their first game of Cricket, but they dropped game two after falling behind early. Roni took one for the team by playing 2-on-1, and lost both, although he put up a fight by throwing an impressive amount of bulls. Andrew and Nacho split the final two games, and The Ship was tied after two rounds.

Looking for two wins in D501 to take the night, we sent Roni / Rebecca out in game one, but they lost a close match. Rich played 2-on-1 in game two, and had 8 shots to double out, but lost a close one. The sweep was complete when Andrew / Nacho dropped the last game, making the final score a 12-6 loss for The Ship.

Props:
Rich: Came this close to a big win, just like the Yanks.

Nacho Suave (1991)

Nothing hits the spot on a long, busy Tuesday night better than a some spicy hot appetizers. This week, The Ship put in an order for Nachos, and boy did he deliver.

Forced to play in freezing cold conditions on a board with a questionable set-up, The Ship felt at a disadvantage form the beginning. Add in the pressure of the Yankee game, and it was no wonder that The Ship was down 4-2 after S501. Only Rich and John were able to piece together wins in the unforgiving conditions.

Cricket started out equally difficult, with Fred / Andrew dropping the first two games. But Rich / Rebecca were able to split their games, and The Ship started to show some life. In the third game, against the opposition's two best players, Nacho delivered. Scoring points, closing out numbers and hitting bulls, he and John delivered two wins and gave The Ship a glimmer of hope heading in to D501.

Unfortunately, Rebecca / John and Rich / Andrew were unable to continue the momentum, as they dropped the first two games. But once again, Nacho hit the spot, pulling out win just when it looked like we might lose to their highly inebriated team. The Ship ended with an 11-7 loss, and an appetite for destruction.

Props:
Nacho: Extra hot, extra spicy.

Whoomp! There It Is (1993)

Party people let me hear some noise! RC's in the house jump jump and rejoice. There's a party over here, wave your hands in the air, shake the derriere. These three words mean we're gettin' busy: Whoomp! There It Is!

The night started out fairly ordinary, with The Ship taking two of the first three games. Then Rebecca hit the board to show the way with a Whoomp! A Ton-34 out of the box and she rolled from there. One more win in S501 gave us a promising 4-2 lead, but Party People, we were just gettin' started.

Upside down and inside out, we were about to show folks what it's all about. Fred / John put together two wins to lead off Cricket. Glenn / Andrew followed up with two more wins, including a C3 from Glenn to win a game. Rich / Rebecca completed the round with another sweep, and The Ship had jumped to a 10-2 lead. Let me hear you say: Whoomp There It Is!

Now it's time to get on the mic, and make this party hype. Same teams, different order... same results. Glenn / Andrew scored a Whoomp, and then Fred / John scored a Whoomp, and then Rich / Rebecca scored a Whoomp. Another sweep in D501, and a 16-2 win for the night. Whoomp There It Is. I'm done.

Props:
Andrew: Off the schnied and back to his old form.
John: Displaying the mystical skills from the desert.

It Takes Two (1998)

It takes two to make a thing go right, it takes six people to field a team, and it takes one dart to win it. This week, the Ship had just what it takes to put together a good night.
Glenn took the field to start things off and made it look easy, taking the first win of the night. Rich, Rebecca and Fred all took off in their games, and The Ship took a quick 4-2 lead.

But things took a turn for the worse once we hit Cricket. Glenn / Rebecca took a beating in game one, losing two against their best (cocky) player. Rich / Roni took a bath in game two, as they were unable to get started in either game and were quickly swept. Only Fred / Andrew were able to take the reins and take down their team, scoring a split. But The Ship was taken down a notch, and went into D501 down 7-5.

But Glenn / Fred took charge in the first D501 game, with Fred notching a righteous 58-out to grab the first game against their ace-in-the-hole. Andrew / Roni made a gallant effort to comeback in their game, but ended up taking one on the chin. In the final game, Rich / Rebecca took care of business, scoring a victory and securing a 9-9 tie for the night.

Props:
Fred: For unleashing a torrential storm.
Glenn: For coming off the bench to bail us out.
Rebecca: For raining on their parade.

Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades (1986)

The Ship opened its eighth season sporting some new faces in the lineup. Management has decided to call up some rookies to the squad in order to breathe some new life into the team. Best rest assured, fans, this is no rebuilding year, because from the looks of the young talent, The Ship could be headed for its best year ever.

The season kicked-off in the friendly confines of Bleecker Street Bar, but the venerable old site was not friendly to the veterans on The Ship. Rich and Andrew dropped the first two S501 games, as did John, in his return to action after a long layoff. But Fred got The Ship back on track, and set the example for Roni and Nacho, who both recorded their first wins ever, and got The Ship back to a 3-3 tie heading to Cricket.

Once again, the rookies led the way, as Nacho / Fred earned a split in game 1, and Roni / Rich swept their games. So after Cricket, The Ship was again tied, with the rookies contributing to 5 of the 6 points. But, we would need to take at least two of the three games in D501 in order to take the night.

Andrew / John ran into a buzz saw to start D501, as their opponents got in right away, and then threw a Ton-23. But The Ship was given new life, when the rookies won game 2, capped off by an amazing out by Roni. Rich / Fred rolled in the last game, securing a 10-8 victory for The Ship.

Props:
Roni & Nacho: Virtual locks for co-ROY honors.
Bruce & Patti: For the best birthday present evah!

Titanic

Oh c'mon, you had to know that headline was coming. Yes, The Ship finally hit an iceberg and sank. With a supportive crowd on hand to watch, The Ship hit a wall and wasn't able to put together a typical strong outing. (Click to continue...)

Gladiators

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? Well, our name is Gladiator. We fought and battled through a long season, and walked away with a very successful campaign.

Our final week didn't matter much in the standings, but we still put on quite a show in the Colusseum. In S501, we notched four wins, with Rich / Glenn / Fred & Rebecca all slaying the lions. We posted another four wins in Cricket, with two splits from Glenn / Andrew and Fred / Mindy, and a sweep from Rich / Rebecca. In the final round, we closed things out in style with a D501 sweep, to give us a big 14-4 win as we head to the playoffs.

And now on to the real fun...At my signal, unleash hell!

(Click to continue...)

Platoon

The Ship ain't meant to die! The only thing that can kill The Ship is The Ship. Unfortunately, this week The Ship went to war without a full squadron, making the battle this week particularly tough. (Click to continue...)

The Godfather, Part II

It is a rare occurrence when a sequel outshines the original, but this week was one of those rare times. In Week 5, Glenn had an outstanding week in our trip to Ace Bar, but this week he outdid himself and put on another one-man show. (Click to continue...)

Around The City In 80 Minutes

It's a wonderful city, if you'll only take the time to go around it. So tonight, The Ship mixed in some tours around Manhattan along with the usual evening of darts. (Click to continue...)

The Sting

It was March the last time we came up on the short end of the score, six matches ago. Playing against the first place team, The Ship sought to avoid the sting of losing by swatting the team from Barfly. (Click to continue...)

In The Heat of the Night

It was a hot, steamy night. Sahara hot. Habañero hot. HoTT. The multitude of candles on Fred's birthday cake only added to the heat. Even the rain couldn't cool off the city streets, and nothing could cool off The Ship. Riding a streak of four weeks without a loss, The Ship came into the match simmering and ready to boil. (Click to continue...)

It Happened One Night

It happened again! Very early last Friday morning, The Ship welcomed its second team mascot into existence. We've seen the effects of one mascot on our performance, so with two mascots on our side The Ship was due for a big week. And since we were going up against the 2nd place team this week, Arden came along at just the right time. (Click to continue...)

On The Waterfront

This week The Ship sailed along the East River, parked harbor-side, and set out to prove that we could be contenders, instead of bums. (Click to continue...)