For those interested in the latest news in the wonderful world of Joanie Loves Bocce, you're in luck. I've got some free time.
Three weeks ago we played a doubleheader, and swept. Our first game was against Bocce Guevara. First of all, nice pun. Second of all, I don't approve of the whole Che Guevara as a pop-culture figure thing. He was a complicated historical figure, who may or may not have had a part in some brutal oppression in the name of the socialist cause. I don't know enough about it. But in general I don't approve of the idolization of military figures, which he is. Third of all, none of this has to do with bocce, so on with the stuff we're all hear to read about. We won in 2 games. It was three weeks ago, so I don't really remember exactly what happened. I think they were competent, didn't make any big mistakes, also but didn't make any really tough shots to put pressure on us. Its the kind of game that ends up being one point at a time, i.e Joanies kind of game. We won 7-3, 7-2. The same second game that day was against Do These Droids Speak Bocce, which, in contrast to Bocce Guevara, I love the name. First, its a quote from Star Wars. Second, its an exact quote from Star Wars, no pun required. Third, I like this team too, and not just because of their name. They were cool. We won 7-5, 7-2. Same as first game. They weren't bad, but also weren't great. And we were on our game. Danielle, for one, played very well.
Last weekend, we played the Holy Rollers and 7-3, 7-5. I don't remember much about this game either, except that I sat out the first game after being shamed by Jen Williams, who pointed out how far Abby comes to play. So Abby and Danielle played at the North end, Kirstie and Eric played at the South end, and I sat out. I think Kirstie came out in game two and I played with Eric. Oh and if I remember correctly, they were initially short a player and had a friend who had never played before playing for them. All things considered, they played well. Its hard to win when you have a rookie playing, especially against the Defending League Champions.
Today, we played another doubleheader (what a weird schedule this season) and won both in straight games. First we played the Bocce Brunch, who Eric recalls beating us last season. I think we were embarrassed about it because they have such a dopey name. I sort of like this team, except I didn't today. A lot of little things bothered me, but mostly it was at the end when we measured a ball and they thought they were closer and I thought we were closer. They measure with some slack in the measuring tape, which lacks precision. I hold it taut. This annoyed me, especially because I knew I was right. But I gave it to them because if it was a tie, we were going to roll anyway, and I knew we would eventually win anyway. Which we did. 7-5, 7-3 (I think). Oh, and I got to roll the winning ball, which made me feel good. Take that Bocce Brunch.
Game 2 today was against Balls Deep. I think this was the team I accused of being anti-social when we played against them last season. They were much more social this time. I take back everything I ever said about them. They played well this time too. But we were better. 7-3, 7-6.
Yes, that's five in a row. This makes us 6-2, with two games to go. Joanie Loves Bocce is on a roll.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Video of Joanie's Semi-Final Victory
I mentioned in the last post how much we like If You Want My Bocce. What I didn't mention, because I didn't know at the time, is that they have a blog. And that their blog has video of some of their games. And that one of those videos includes clips of our Semi-Finals victory against them. The video is below. The section on our game starts at around 1:20. Thank you Team Rod (that's what they call themselves--they're devoted to Rod Stewart, like the Joanies love the Fonz) for putting this online. Team Rod is a class act all the way.
You can find the video on their blog:
http://ifyouwantmybocce.blogspot.com/2008/09/rod-stuart-may-love-hamptons-but-lady.html
Or on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGbZyw9s7M&eurl=http://ifyouwantmybocce.blogspot.com/2008/09/rod-stuart-may-love-hamptons-but-lady.html.
You can find the video on their blog:
http://ifyouwantmybocce.blogspot.com/2008/09/rod-stuart-may-love-hamptons-but-lady.html
Or on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGbZyw9s7M&eurl=http://ifyouwantmybocce.blogspot.com/2008/09/rod-stuart-may-love-hamptons-but-lady.html.
Monday, August 25, 2008
CHAMPIONS of the Floyd Summer 2008 Bocce League
Well its about fucking time. And if feels pretty great. Last night, Joanie Loves Bocce achieved bocce nirvana. Yes folks, the JLB is the reigning Floyd bocce champion!
For me, it was quite a rollercoaster of a day. I had been drinking the night before: beer, beer, beer, scotch cocktail, whiskey cocktail, bed. I woke up with one of the more vicious hangovers I've had in a while. I'll spare the details, but my first food for the day was a Ritz cracker around 1:30 pm. My first successful attempt at being on my feet without throwing up was around 2:30 when I got in the shower in an attempt to get it together to get to my 3:00 bocce game. I would not let my team down. For the next three or four hours I struggled with headaches and heartburn and lightheadedness, but there was bocce to be played.
Quarterfinals. JLB vs. Hibocces. 1-7, 7-0, 7-4.
The Hibocces. I did not care for them at all. I mean, they're probably nice to their mothers, but that doesn't mean I want to play bocce with them. They had one girl on their team who seemed nice. She complemented me on my plaid vans. The rest of them, eh. All the more embarrassing when they leaped out to a big win in the first game. They won possession of the pallino on the coin flip and kept it for most of the game by playing the pallino very long and getting mostly lucky. Kirstie and Danielle at the north end, me and Eric at the south end, we couldn't really wrest back control. Until the second game.
In game 2, Kirstie came out, Hugh came in to play with Danielle at the North end. We took control back and kept it. We dropped the pallino super short, and they kept either missing on their attempts to knock it back, or just sailing by on their attempts to keep it close. They were a little cocky after that first game. We knocked the air out of them in the second. The third game was more of the same.
Semifinals. JLB vs. If You Want My Bocce ("IYWMB"). 6-7, 7-0, 7-6.
We like IYWMB. They've been in the league for a long while; they're nice guys and girls; and they're good. Very good. I think they have a trophy. In game 1, we kept our same squad of Hugh and Danielle and me and Eric. And we came out strong. We jumped ahead to an early 5-1 lead. We let them get back into it on a couple of mistakes and they took the game 7-6. Game 2, we switched it up a bit. Kirstie subbed in for Eric, Abby for Hugh. And man, did we take control. I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it was a quick 7-0 win for us in the second game. Game 3 was tight again. We scored one, they scored 1, they scored 3, we scored 2. It was back and forth. At one point they were up 6-3. And then we scratched out a few more points and on to the finals. I think that was the most exciting game I've ever played. In comparison, the finals were a little bit of a let-down.
Finals. JLB vs. GBBB (great big balls of bocce?). 6-7, 7-0.
We came out a little rusty and fell behind 6-0. Then we rattled off 14 straight points. Done and done.
Presenting your Summer 2008 Floyd Bocce All Stars:
Kirstie "Laverne"
Danielle "Shirley"
Abby "Leather Tuscadero"
Lisa "Joanie"
Teresa "Mary Beth"
Hugh "Potzie"
Eric "Arnold"
Matt "The Fonz"
For me, it was quite a rollercoaster of a day. I had been drinking the night before: beer, beer, beer, scotch cocktail, whiskey cocktail, bed. I woke up with one of the more vicious hangovers I've had in a while. I'll spare the details, but my first food for the day was a Ritz cracker around 1:30 pm. My first successful attempt at being on my feet without throwing up was around 2:30 when I got in the shower in an attempt to get it together to get to my 3:00 bocce game. I would not let my team down. For the next three or four hours I struggled with headaches and heartburn and lightheadedness, but there was bocce to be played.
Quarterfinals. JLB vs. Hibocces. 1-7, 7-0, 7-4.
The Hibocces. I did not care for them at all. I mean, they're probably nice to their mothers, but that doesn't mean I want to play bocce with them. They had one girl on their team who seemed nice. She complemented me on my plaid vans. The rest of them, eh. All the more embarrassing when they leaped out to a big win in the first game. They won possession of the pallino on the coin flip and kept it for most of the game by playing the pallino very long and getting mostly lucky. Kirstie and Danielle at the north end, me and Eric at the south end, we couldn't really wrest back control. Until the second game.
In game 2, Kirstie came out, Hugh came in to play with Danielle at the North end. We took control back and kept it. We dropped the pallino super short, and they kept either missing on their attempts to knock it back, or just sailing by on their attempts to keep it close. They were a little cocky after that first game. We knocked the air out of them in the second. The third game was more of the same.
Semifinals. JLB vs. If You Want My Bocce ("IYWMB"). 6-7, 7-0, 7-6.
We like IYWMB. They've been in the league for a long while; they're nice guys and girls; and they're good. Very good. I think they have a trophy. In game 1, we kept our same squad of Hugh and Danielle and me and Eric. And we came out strong. We jumped ahead to an early 5-1 lead. We let them get back into it on a couple of mistakes and they took the game 7-6. Game 2, we switched it up a bit. Kirstie subbed in for Eric, Abby for Hugh. And man, did we take control. I'm still not sure exactly what happened, but it was a quick 7-0 win for us in the second game. Game 3 was tight again. We scored one, they scored 1, they scored 3, we scored 2. It was back and forth. At one point they were up 6-3. And then we scratched out a few more points and on to the finals. I think that was the most exciting game I've ever played. In comparison, the finals were a little bit of a let-down.
Finals. JLB vs. GBBB (great big balls of bocce?). 6-7, 7-0.
We came out a little rusty and fell behind 6-0. Then we rattled off 14 straight points. Done and done.
Presenting your Summer 2008 Floyd Bocce All Stars:
Kirstie "Laverne"
Danielle "Shirley"
Abby "Leather Tuscadero"
Lisa "Joanie"
Teresa "Mary Beth"
Hugh "Potzie"
Eric "Arnold"
Matt "The Fonz"
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Summer 2008 Playoffs - Round 1
The Joanies faced off against Brooklyn Skeptics in the first round of the playoffs. We played this team in the last game of the regular season and trounced them in two games. But more memorable than the win was our interactions with them, or rather, lack of interactions. This was the least friendly team we've ever faced. Even when we play the Old Dirty Barristers, there's conversation. This team: nothing. And after the game, Kirstie tells me she ran into them three times later that weekend and they pretended not to know her despite spending an hour playing bocce with her.
But I digress. We beat them again. Soundly. 7-3, 7-1. And it wasn't even that close. In game 1, Eric and I played at the South end, Teresa and Lisa at the North. I win the coin toss. Eric rolls a little longer than we'd like on the first pallino toss, but puts the bocce close. They miss with a couple, then knock the balls around and land with 2 points. I miss then Eric misses. With our last ball, I throw a hard shot between two of our balls, hit their balls right in the middle and when the dust settles we have 3 points. They miss with their last ball.
Coming the other way, Lisa goes long, the other team takes the point back right away. Teresa misses, Lisa misses, and with the last ball Teresa gets the point back. The Skeptics then take the point back and score two more. The end up tying the game at 3.
Going back the other way, they toss the pallino half way, then put the bocce relatively close. Eric puts it closer. They miss the rest long. We have an opportunity to score four, with the point and three more balls to play with only one of theirs close. I try to put the bocce in front of theirs, but miss a little long. Eric then gets our second point by getting it close. Instead of just trying to get a third point, I try to get all 4 by hitting their bocce ball away. I'm a little off course, but it works out. Four points for us and we win the first game 7-3.
I won't go into details on the last game. Basically, they weren't very good, and we played a well managed game.
But I digress. We beat them again. Soundly. 7-3, 7-1. And it wasn't even that close. In game 1, Eric and I played at the South end, Teresa and Lisa at the North. I win the coin toss. Eric rolls a little longer than we'd like on the first pallino toss, but puts the bocce close. They miss with a couple, then knock the balls around and land with 2 points. I miss then Eric misses. With our last ball, I throw a hard shot between two of our balls, hit their balls right in the middle and when the dust settles we have 3 points. They miss with their last ball.
Coming the other way, Lisa goes long, the other team takes the point back right away. Teresa misses, Lisa misses, and with the last ball Teresa gets the point back. The Skeptics then take the point back and score two more. The end up tying the game at 3.
Going back the other way, they toss the pallino half way, then put the bocce relatively close. Eric puts it closer. They miss the rest long. We have an opportunity to score four, with the point and three more balls to play with only one of theirs close. I try to put the bocce in front of theirs, but miss a little long. Eric then gets our second point by getting it close. Instead of just trying to get a third point, I try to get all 4 by hitting their bocce ball away. I'm a little off course, but it works out. Four points for us and we win the first game 7-3.
I won't go into details on the last game. Basically, they weren't very good, and we played a well managed game.
Monday, June 9, 2008
What Does Joanie Love?
Bocce, that's what. I know you've been waiting, breathless, for the Joanie Loves Bocce Blog, or JLBB for short, since the day we formed. And now, its here, and its probably a little anticlimactic.*
*Or not, but I do love saying "anticlimactic" out loud, so be sure read this blog aloud at least once. The best part is when you pronounce the "c" right before the "tic". Ennunciation is fun!
I will present the grand history of the JLB (or JheartB or whatever acronym/nickname we're using lately) in a future post. But for now, I'll just update everyone on the current events.
Saturday, June 7, 2008: The JLB opens the Summer 2008 season with a match against Excessive Force.* Excessive Force is scheduled to play a double header, with a game before ours against some team who's name I didn't recognize and don't recall. They didn't show up for the early game and didn't show up for our game. Summer 2008 begins with a win by forfeit. Abby, Hugh and Eric all showed up for the game. Lisa came late. Amy Little, a potential Summer alternate showed up, so points for her. We scrimmaged against the other team that was stood up by EF. We won in 3 games, but I don't remember the score, since it was just a scrimmage. Eric and Hugh played at the South end, Abby and I at the North. Lisa didn't come in time to get into the game. Eric was the only one who brought the skills, but the rest of us woke up a bit in game 3.
*I think we played them in Round 2 of the tournament last season in Winter/Spring 2008. If I remember correctly, they played well, but we won 7-4, 7-4.
*Or not, but I do love saying "anticlimactic" out loud, so be sure read this blog aloud at least once. The best part is when you pronounce the "c" right before the "tic". Ennunciation is fun!
I will present the grand history of the JLB (or JheartB or whatever acronym/nickname we're using lately) in a future post. But for now, I'll just update everyone on the current events.
Saturday, June 7, 2008: The JLB opens the Summer 2008 season with a match against Excessive Force.* Excessive Force is scheduled to play a double header, with a game before ours against some team who's name I didn't recognize and don't recall. They didn't show up for the early game and didn't show up for our game. Summer 2008 begins with a win by forfeit. Abby, Hugh and Eric all showed up for the game. Lisa came late. Amy Little, a potential Summer alternate showed up, so points for her. We scrimmaged against the other team that was stood up by EF. We won in 3 games, but I don't remember the score, since it was just a scrimmage. Eric and Hugh played at the South end, Abby and I at the North. Lisa didn't come in time to get into the game. Eric was the only one who brought the skills, but the rest of us woke up a bit in game 3.
*I think we played them in Round 2 of the tournament last season in Winter/Spring 2008. If I remember correctly, they played well, but we won 7-4, 7-4.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)