Clash of the Titans

Our first game in the Playoff Series was against Mount Surribocce. They had beaten us in the regular season, so we knew it wouldn't be an easy game. And sure enough, it was a tough match.

We dominated in the first game, 7-0. But in the 2nd game they got us 7-5. It came down to the wire in the last game with some really close last minute points, and we won 7-4.



Mount Surribocce played well, but we were playing pretty solidly as a team. Then it was time to play the Bots. It was a very intense game. They started off strong with 4 points. We then answered them with another 4 points. We won the first game 7-5. The second game they were up again, 4-0, then we cam back with another grand slam to make it 4-4. They grabbed another point, then we were in a position to score three points and take the game, but we were off by centimeters, and we couldn't clinch it, making it Bots 7-6. We played a tough third game, but only managed to grab 3 points before we were shut out.



Although we lost our 2nd match, I am proud to say that everyone who showed up played excellently, and I was happy to see the team play as a unit. Thank you all for a wonderful season.

I think I will have the team take a break for the summer season, but will likely be back for the fall. Have a great summer, and I hope to see you all as regularly as possible.

-your captain

P.S.: There have been a few comments made on our blog from an "anonymous" person. I am all for others putting in their say and even trash talk is cool, but if you are going to do so at least have the balls to say who you are. If you can't even do that, then you're just a pussy-ass coward. If you disagree, feel free to comment about it. Just have the cahones to say who you are.

Playoffs Schedule

2007 SPRING PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

* This is a Single Game Elimination Tournament

* SATURDAY, APRIL 28th:
* @ 4:00pm Balls A' Plenty vs. Mount Surribocce
* @ 5:00pm Balls A' Plenty vs. Bocce Bots or Botched

* SUNDAY, APRIL 6th:
* @ 2:00pm Balls A' Plenty vs. Boccismo! or Bean or Petanque-dadonk
* @ 4:00pm-6:00pm Semi Finals
* @ 6:00pm Final Game
* @ 7:00pm Awards Ceremony


PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!

Who's in?

The Worst Day... Ever

I should have known when I I looked outside and saw all the rain and wind that it was going to be a difficult day. It was myself, Josh, Gabe, Jay and Courtney at Union Hall, ready to roll. I won't suffer through the details again, so needless to say, we lost both of our games that day agains Che Palle and The Mighty Mud Skippers. Here are the pics:








But to be honest with you, it's perfectly fine. I still believe we're one of the strongest teams at Union Hall. We beat the top two Finalists last year in the regular season, and for those teams that beat us this year, that will only throw them off guard when we play them in the Finals.

GO BALLS!

A Word from Lady Bocce

Greetings Union Hall Athletes,
With the finals quickly approaching, we thought we'd give you more detailed information about the upcoming schedule.

Semi-Finals Saturday, 4/28, 1 – 6pm

Semi Finals Sunday, 4/29, 1 – 7pm

Finals Sunday, 5/6, 2 – 7pm

Final Award Ceremony, 7pm

The way we've scheduled the semi-finals is that exactly half the teams play on 4/28 while the other half play on 4/29. In other words, no team will be required to play on both days. Unfortunately, because the tournament is based on your ranking, we won't know which teams play on which day until after the final regular-season game, which is Monday, 4/16. By early Friday 4/20, we will have prepared the schedule and will get it to you ASAP.

Also, as usual, we hope to see you at the finals, even if your team was eliminated. We'll have free food, plenty of drink specials and most importantly, the award ceremony. The tee shirt winner has been selected and we will distribute tee shirts at that time only. Please be present if you wish to receive a free Union Hall Bocce tee shirt!!

We're looking forward to the big day.

Good Luck,
LB & Jim

The Electricity is Out!

This past Sunday, we had the big game against the undefeated Electric Company. I had been anticipating this game all season. They're a solid team with a winning record at Floyd's as Dr. Strangeballs and they won the finals last season at Union Hall. They're also a great group of people and I really enjoyed playing with them. Last year they beat us pretty hard, and next to the Bots, they were the only team I truly wanted to beat this year. They may have had a better record than us, but I wanted them to know that going into the finals there would be a team out there they would have to work to beat.

I was a little worried about the game because it seemed a lot of people were out of town or not able to make it. It ended up being myself, Jay, Melissa, and Kat. Courtney showed up but our game was so late in starting that she eventually had to go. Our 3:15 game didn't get rolling until 5:00pm. Ridiculous.

So, it was four of us, which was actually a benefit as they only had four as well. That way we'd be playing the same people with the same people each round.

The first game is was me and Kat on one side and Jay and Melissa on the other. At first, it was a one point game, and we made them work for their points. But in one frame, the Electric Company missed their key shots and left the court open for a three pointer for us. The first round ended 7-2.

Now I was a little wary going into the second round, as I figured we might get a little too cocky, which is dangerous against a solid team like the Electric Company. I kept the teams the way they were, and, sure enough, they spanked us with 7-0. They made a clutch 3 pointer and we weren't able to make up any points.

In the final round, I switched things up and the teams were Kat and Jay and me and Melissa. The Electric Company scored two points right off the bat. But the key frame came down to me and Melissa. The Electric Co. put the pallino really short and their first ball about 4 inches behind it. I answered their shot and put my ball 3 inches behind the pallino, right in front of their ball. They were not able to move the pallino deeper or get a closer ball, and their last shot put the pallino right against the left railing, with four of their balls deeper than our one ball. We had an open court for 4 points. Melissa and I made delicate curved shots aimed at the right railing (a difficult shot because our balls had to land only 4-5 feet from us to the extreme left) and we landed each one, giving us a commanding 4 points, making the score 5-2. Kat and Jay squeezed out another point, making it 6-2. Then it came down to me and Melissa. Mel threw a mid-ranged pallino, but put her first ball a little too deep, leaving the Electric company an open space for theirs. I surveyed the situation and decided to switch from the delicate shot to the school of hard knocks. I put the pallino near the back. Then they answered by pushing it tot he left railing, so I had to make another hard knock shot, moving the pallino to the middle next to two of our balls. They couldn't keep us from the point giving us 7-2, and taking away the Electric Company's undefeated status.



So there you have it. We are now positioned to be a middle seed in the finals, provded we keep winning. Middle seed is always a wild-card position, because you aren't playing top or bottom seeds until later on. Instead, you play other middle seeds. Either way, we've made our message loud and clear: Watch your Balls in the Finals, because we've got plenty!