We have come to the end of our regular season road. Week 10. All in all I think our last regular season week was one of the better ones we have had.
Sometimes people who have played bocce together for years save their biggest “rivalry” games for the last week of the season so they can take out a years worth of frustration out against each other.
This year it happened with at least two pairs of ex-partners, both of whom happened to be ex-champions, so you know there was plenty of tension on both ends.
The first one was my own team, Breakfast of Champions, against my ex-partner Jim Whipple’s team, New Bocce Order. I have been lucky enough to have the better end of things since Jim and I broke up, but this year that changed in a big way with New Bocce Order running away with the regular season title and Jim running away with points leader.
Since my partner could not be here for rivalry week, I knew had to get some hired muscle. In this case, George Christou whose Black Jesus team beat Whipple and I in the very first Turbo Bocce championship.
Alas even bringing in another former champ was not enough to get the job done as Whipple and John Bowman rolled to a 3-0 victory.
I think this is a good spot to point out a list of New Bocce Order’s and Jim Whipple’s achievements this year.
First of all, they have locked up the regular season title, chiefly by equaling the biggest team record we have. 27 regular season wins (which myself and Jim’s Tipp Hill Tossers set in ’08 and ’09).
Secondly, Jim now owns the biggest individual record we have. Most points in a single season. And he broke the old record of 180 (set by me last year) in decisive fashion, getting all the way up to 190.
The other rivalry game was between ex-teammates Andy Ingalls and Anson Zeppetello (formerly of Amerika’z Most Wanted) and as luck would have it just so happened to also be the bounty game.
And you know that when a rivalry game is also a bounty game that can get the winner $60 tempers are going to get high.
Anson Zeppetello and Dan Hanley’s team, Sweet Italian Bocce Balls, was the bounty team and in the end they managed to win the series two games to one. However the news wasn’t all bad for Andy Ingall’s and Phil Martino’s South Beach team. Andy tied a single days season high for aces with 5, putting him into the lead with 18 aces for the season, and Phil added another 8 bocces to his total making him the league leader with 73 bocces for the year.
The second bounty team was Robb Jones and Mark Streiff – team Mark & Robb – who played Zach and Chris of The Clydesdales with another $60 on the line.
After losing the first game, Mark and Robb were able to win the last two and thus preserve the $60 bounty, which raises the question . . . what should we do with the $120 in bounty money that was not given out during the season? My solution will be to add it to the playoff pay-out. That way the entire league has a chance to win it.
Our own volunteer photographer, Jackie Vidler, also finished shooting her bocce video. Thank you to Angela, Allison, Greg, Steve, and Anna for becoming the new faces of Turbo Bocce. Now for some (probably big time) editing, and hopefully we will have something fun to add to the website. Jackie owns a business called Enfoque Images so if you ever need a photographer for weddings, graduations, family portraits, etc. keep this website in mind http://www.enfoqueimages.com/ because I think its pretty safe to say that if she can put together a watchable video on our bocce league that she can do anything.
Onto individual accolades.
There are seven members of the twenty point club this week.
Dan Hanley of Sweet Italian Bocce Balls not only won his rivalry match, not only protected the bounty, but he tied the season high for points with 24.
Robb Jones of Mark & Robb also won his bounty match while scoring 20.
Josh Wheeler of the Knickerbocces scored 20 while winning three games.
Colin Donahoe of Droppin Balls is becoming a regular of the 20 point club . . . he got 21, and his team won all three.
Steve Ewany of Bocce Said She Was 18 scored twenty and his team won two games.
Jim Lowrey of DaVinci got 20 and his team won all three games.
And finally, Jacob Alstadt of Thunderballz scored 20 points while winning all three games he played in.
The ten bocce club had three members this week.
Anson Zeppetello had 11 bocces (which I am sure played a part in his partner setting the single day point record this year.
Greg Griffo of The Moppines also had 11 bocces while getting his team two wins.
Greg’s opponent Gina Paduana of BC Bocce Girls had 12 bocce’s in a bocce filled game.
Just outside of the ten bocce club was Phil Martino who managed 8 bocces, which was enough to win the bocce crown for the year.
The three ace club had a whopping 9 players. Its been a slow season for aces, but this day helped make up for that a little bit.
Leading the way was Andy Ingalls of South Beach who tied a season high with 5 aces, and took the season lead with 18 aces.
Andy’s partner, Phil Martino added 4 aces. Which makes a season team high of 9 for South Beach.
Sandy Colabufo of Omnipotence had 3 aces.
Ryan Pelkey of Snakes on a Pallino had 3 aces.
His opponent, Sara Tully of Thunderballz matched him with 3 aces of her own
Jim Lowrey of DaVinci had 4 aces to go along with his 20 points.
His Partner Scotti Francescotti joined him in the three ace club with 3.
Keith Curreri of Some Innuendo had 3 aces.
Bernard LeVine of Big Labocce had 3 aces.
I want to start listing the individual high’s for the year at the end of these so we have a running total.
Most points scored in a match – Tim Maynard – Lord of the Balls & Dan Hanley – Sweet Italian Bocce Balls – 24
Most bocces in a match – Phil Martino – South Beach – 15
Most aces in a match – Sandy Colabufo – Omnipotence & Andy Ingalls – South Beach – 5
The White Water Pub made my day by serving $5 buckets of Miller Lite shorts (or what I call grenades). Those little bastards sure went down smooth (and perhaps a little too quickly) I hope that is a deal they keep up with because I can’t think of a better way to toast the playoffs than with dollar grenades.
As the all-time wins and points title holder, and only person to actually beat George Christou in a bocce game this year, Jim Whipple was a very deserving winner of the George Christou award.
Thanks to Julie Gilbert and Keith Curreri, we have pics even though my camera ran out of batteries. To see more of Julie’s wonderful pics (on Keith’s phone) check our facebook page HERE.
