Brady (658), Williams (640) Hot As Tommies Surge
BSB Holding On As High-Noon Showdown Approaches

Same bullshit fifty years later...

South Glens Falls - The league-leading Boston Strong Balls had a bit of a slip Thursday as the Forever Young circuit neared the halfway point of the season at Pine Lanes. Tracy Clemmons and Patrick Scanlan faced the absent Head Pins and came away with only a 2-2 draw, bringing their record to a formidable 23-5. After dumping the first two games, BSB rebounded smartly to avoid disaster with Tracy (185) and Patrick (159) having their best games in the finale.

The Last Two are now 5½ back in second place after a 4-0 sweep against Fire And Ice. Linda Butler had an outstanding 190-179-154-523 effort in the defeat.

Third place to ninth is separated by a mere game-and-a-half. The Tomahawks (15½-12½) managed three points against the actual BYE team, with Roy Brady (231-170-257) and Don Williams (253-193-194) firing 658 and 640, respectively. The Tommies are tied with Leftover, who edged the Sir Bills 2½-1½ behind anchor Ray Davignon's 209-561.

The Lady Slippers and BCs are next at 15-13. The Lady Slippers couldn't follow up on last week's upset of the Tommies, dropping a 3-1 decision to Last Dance, who welcomed Phil Hack as Virginia Muller's newest partner. The BCs handily took care of business with a 4-0 nod over the vacationing Gutter Dusters. Chuck Boykin had 202-212-182 for 596 and teammate Bob George added 202-551.

The aforementioned Fire And Ice joins the Marauders and The Singers at an even .500 (14-14). The Marauders used their 47-pin handicap-per-game edge wisely, beating the struggling Yanks 3-1 despite Mark Basso's 196-218-573. The Singers bested C&P 3-1 in other action.

All trained FY fan eyes will be on July 11th's marquee showdown between BSB and the Toms. A strong dredger showing could cause the league to fold its tent early and just give Tracy and Patrick the crown. Williams and Brady have other ideas, however.

Brady improved his average to 207 and Williams stayed within earshot at 204. Davignon (195) and Floyd (190) are the other pair of keglers at or over 190.

Few problems surfaced as the league got its first taste of the new scoring system.

The will be no bowling next Thursday (July 4th).

BSB Dredge Up Another Sweep
Boykin Lone Bowler Over 600

Lady Slippers Surprise Tommies

South Glens Falls - The seafaring duo of Boston Strong Balls ran their record to a gaudy 21-3 Thursday afternoon via a sweep of the Sir Bills. Patrick Scanlan paced the win with a steady 157-158-168 for 483.

The lead ballooned to seven games over Fire And Ice and the Lady Slippers. The Butlers were upset 4-0 by the BCs despite anchor Floyd Butler's decent 582 on games of 201, 198 and 183. The winners got 617 from anchor Chuck Boykin (194-208-215) and 194-533 from Bob George.

The Lady Slippers handled the Tomahawks pretty easily in a 3-1 shocker at the northern end. Mickey Michels was well above her average all three games, while Tommie stalwarts Roy Brady (204-560) and Don Williams (574) were pathetic.

The Last Two defeated the Marauders 3-1 and moved into fourth place alone. Leftover rode Ray Davignon's 203-189-202-594 and Chuck Winney's consistent 179-185-191-555 to a whitewash of Last Dance.

Joe Sycuro just missed 500, but never wavered with 167-166-164 for 497 as The Singers pasted the defending champ Yanks.

Lackluster attendance has left only six teams above the .500 level after six sessions.

The Last Two vs. Fire And Ice headline next week's matchups.

Brady Shoots Season-Best 703 In Tommie Draw
Boston Strong Balls Continue Assault On Standings

South Glens Falls - Roy Brady opened with eight consecutive strikes Thursday afternoon on his way to 263, then added 223 and 217 for a Forever Young season-high 703 - but, the Tomahawks were unable to capitalize despite anchor Don Williams' 235-234-639 effort as Leftover Ray Davignon put 217 and 242 at the end of a 628 series and leadoff man Chuck Winney threw a consistent 548 (188-181-179). The result was a 2-2 tie between the teams.

Boston Strong Balls (17-3) were victorious again, losing the first game and coming back for a 3-1 nod over Last Dance. Tracy Clemmons flirted with that magic 600 number with 237-596.

Fire And Ice took four points as the Pribis family were marked absent. Floyd Butler had a steady 567 (196-181-190) for the winners. Floyd and Linda are three behind the dredgers after five sessions.

Brady catapulted to a 209 average after his huge performance, with teammate Williams sitting at 205. Davignon is third (196) and Floyd fourth (194). Three keglers (Mark Basso, Bob George and Chuck Boykin) are all at or around 180.

Budding young superstar Cameron Mitchell made his FY debut as a pacer with 618 on games of 235, 187 and 196.

The Tomahawks and Lady Slippers meet in the marquee matchup next Thursday.

BSB Continue Rampage With Another Sweep
Three 600 Sets In Week 4; Brady Best With 627

"You talkin' to me?"

South Glens Falls - Fire And Ice were edging closer, but they ran out of time. Boston Strong Balls (formerly known as the Dredgers) won the opener by a comfy 59, then hung on for 23- and 8-pin victories to sweep the match and push their record to a superb 14-2 in the Forever Young league on Thursday afternoon at Pine Lanes. The losers retained a share of the runner-up spot with a 10-6 mark. Floyd Butler finessed an outstanding 616 on consistent games of 201, 204 and 211 but the league leaders countered with a huge handicap-fueled performance from leadoff man Patrick Scanlan (538 scratch which became 712 with assistance).

The Lady Slippers slid into a tie with the Butlers via a 3-1 win at the expense of The Singers. The Tomahawks fell to The Last Two 2½-1½ despite a league-best 627 from Roy Brady, who put 258 in the middle and finished strong with 207. Tommie anchor Don Williams had myriad problems with sticky approaches, shooting a sub-par 561 series. However, the Hadley superstar lived up to the legend by throwing a clutch tenth-frame bomb in the finale to salvage a half-point.

Ray Davignon had the circuit's other 600, a 606 on games of 170, 219 and 217.

The league voted unanimously to boycott the lanes next week and extend the season a week, due to a scheduled influx of 275 Queensbury Middle Schoolers. According to sources, it was the first unanimous vote ever recorded in any bowling league, anywhere.

Brady and Williams each sport 203 averages after a dozen games, with Roy having a 6-pin overall advantage. Floyd and Ray are in the 190s, at 195 and 193, respectively.

Boston Strong Balls Sweep; Tied With Fire And Ice At 10-2 After Three Weeks
Williams (650), Brady (633) Pace Tommie Triumph

South Glens Falls - Boston Strong Balls (formerly known as the Dredgers) continued to mow down all opposition in the venerable Forever Young league, sweeping the Marauders 4-0 Thursday afternoon to move into a share of first place with a 10-2 record.

Fire And Ice took three from the vacancy behind Floyd Butler's 203-567 and stayed even with BSB. The Tomahawks and C & P each tallied three points and are tied for third at 8-4. The Lady Slippers also took three to move to 7-5. Three teams are tied for sixth with even marks of 6-6.

The Tommies' Don Williams and Roy Brady registered the only 600 or better sets of the day. Williams shot 650 on games of 236, 217 and 197 to raise his league-best average to 208, while Brady went 224-215-194 for 633. The Toms looked to have an easy sweep in hand, but the BCs stellar leadoff man Bob George (575) rolled 259 in the finale and got some capable backup from Chuck Boykin's 204 in a 559.

Mark Basso of the Yanks came oh-so-close to the magic mark, putting 223 and 213 games at the end of his 598. Ray Davignon had 203-563 and partner Chuck Winney 193-536 for Leftover. Tracy Clemmons put 189-504 on the bottom for the league leaders.

Fire And Ice Rises To Top, Dredgers Close
Nine 500 Sets 'Highlight' Crazy Week

South Glens Falls - Fire And Ice (7-1) went 3-1 versus the Lady Slippers as the Butlers continued their strong play to go into first place as the Forever Young league wrapped up its second session. Linda put 147 and 159 in front of her 424 while Floyd began with 208 and leveled off to 565.

Dredgers (6-2) leadoff man Patrick Scanlan had 231 within a 538 total, pacing his team to a 3-1 win over The Singers.

The BCs split with the Head Pins as Bob George and Chuck Boykin shot 542 and 543 respectively.

The Tomahawks rode a five-strike finish by anchor Don Williams in the finale to pull out a 3-1 triumph over C & P. Cathy Pribis assured her duo a late point with a great 154 finish (30 over average). Williams shook off a four-split third game with the five-bagger to manage a 593 set, best of the day, after beginning with 223 and 193. Partner Roy Brady had a consistent 188-201-181 for 570.

Ray Davignon fired 579 on games of 193, 213 and 173 but his Leftover team was spanked by the Gutter Dusters 3-1 behind Jerry Johnson's 480 (60 over his average).

Wyman Swinton had the best single game of the afternoon, an opening 232 for Last Dance. Bill Eddy put 221 in front of his 529 effort for the Bills while Richard Minor finished his 529 for The Last Two with a fine 202 as the two teams fought to a 2-2 draw.

Fifteen Teams Kick Off Forever Young Campaign
Two Unbeatens; Williams (634), Three Others Hit 600

"Haggen... Festus Haggen"

South Glens Falls - The fifth edition of the Forever Young league hit the starting gate Thursday afternoon, with a robust complement of fifteen teams taking their marks. When the dust cleared, a pair of squads were still unblemished.

Floyd Butler fired an even 600 series on games of 198, 219 and 183 and got some help from better-half Linda to sweep Last Chance 4-0. This, despite a spectacularly consistent 575 rolled by anchor Ray Davignon (194-190-191).

The C & P duo (Cathy and Paul Pribis) weren't the best of hosts as they welcomed the new team of Lois Bennett and Ellen Marcantonio (Head Pins) with a whitewashing, as well.

Five teams went 3-1 on the day: the BCs got 222-587 from anchor Chuck Boykin and 208-526 from Bob George to beat the Bills (Eddy and Pike); the Lady Slippers rode a 201 opener by Cathy Tracy and an 8-pin squeaker in the finale to top the short-handed Marauders; the Dredgers had a relatively easy time against the Gutter Dusters as Tracy Clemmons kept building on his Tuesday Classic league win; The Singers took three from the BYE team and would have had the sweep if not for their 2-pin loss in the opener; and The Last Two outpointed The Last Dance notwithstanding 182-204-226 for 612 by Wyman Swinton.

The marquee matchup had two old foes doing battle once again, the defending champion Yanks and the two-time titlist Tomahawks. It looked like a Yank romp was a given after Ingrid and Mark Basso took Game 1 by ten and Game 2 by half-a-hundred. At that point, Roy Brady and Don Williams put the hammer down, bombing 257 and 229 respectively in the finale to win by 102 and salvage a split. Brady put a putrid 151 between 206 and the 257 to finish with 614, while his partner had 187 and 218 for starters in his league-best 634 outing.

No Mercy As Yanks Thrash Tomahawks
Bassos Take FY Title Handily

South Glens Falls - It only took one game. And, what a game it was.

Yank anchor Mark Basso followed up a first-game 205 with a resounding 237 - which, combined with mom Ingrid's 163, gave the team an incredible 534 game with handicap. That was more than sufficient to defeat the Tomahawks and capture the 2012 Forever Young league championship.

Needing three points to defend their title, the Toms got good efforts from Roy Brady (193) and Don Williams (216) in the opener. That was not enough to offset Mark's deuce, and the Toms found themselves in a 20-pin hole with their backs firmly against the wall, with no margin for error.

The champs then poured it on, winning by 151 and putting a huge exclamation point on an outstanding, almost wire-to-wire run to the crown.

The Tommies got a lone point with a 98-pin laugher in the finale - but, the champagne was already flowing.

Williams shot 652 on games of 216, 189 and 247 to finish the season with a 203 average to lead the circuit. Brady had the high single game (268) and set (722).

The Gamblers swamped the CC's in their opener, then added two close wins to sweep and end up in third position. Phil Camp's 192-522 led the victory. Barb Trottier paced The Singers to a 4-0 romp against Hi-Lo. Both squads were a bowler short.

Frosty + One beat the Racy Retirees 3-1 and the Marauders handled The Librarians by the same count. P+C swept the vacancy to round out the action.

Congratulations to Ingrid and Mark for a job well done, and a richly-deserved first championship.

One Down, One To Go
Tomahawks Win, Force Yet Another Showdown

Harry S. Truman bowling alley in the Eisenhower Old Executive Office Building

South Glens Falls - If this were tennis, the Yanks stood on the brink of championship point after two games on Thursday afternoon - staring into the eyes of the Tomahawks. Somebody blinked, and it wasn't the Tommies.

Don Williams put a seven-bagger inside a 259 finale to lock up a 3-1 win and send the Forever Young to a Week 15 showdown next week at the House of Thrills.

The Tomahawks rolled to a convincing 64-pin victory in the opener as Williams complemented leadoff man Roy Brady's 225 with a 223 of his own. The always-tough Yanks responded with a 16-pin triumph in the middle game, lowering the overall deficit to a manageable 48. Williams spared to open the third game, then reeled off seven consecutive bombs to leave no doubt of the match's outcome.

Mark Basso shot 179-504 in the defeat. Williams ended with a league-best 670 while Brady added 598. The winners are a stellar 24-4 over the last seven sessions.

The two teams meet again next Thursday for the league championship. The Yanks need two points to win their first crown, and the Toms require another 3-1 or better to win their second straight.

In other action, the CC's got 211-566 from Chuck Boykin to beat The Singers 3-1. The Gamblers rolled over The Librarians 4-0 with anchor Phil Camp shooting 174-500. Frosty + One took four versus the vacancy, as Patrick Scanlan continued his improvement with 175-462. Hi-Lo swept the Marauders as Curt Williams produced 191-519, and the Racy Retirees got a pair of points against a totally absent P+C tandem.

Barb Trottier finished with a 181 to pace the females' single game, and Carol Finkle had the high series at 426.

Next week, another finishing chapter in the FY's fourth season. Be there. Aloha.

The Stage Is Set
Yanks, Tomahawks Take It To The Limit

Just the facts

South Glens Falls - The Yanks dropped the Forever Young opener Thursday against The Singers by sixty pins, then stormed back with wins in the next two games - leading to a 2-2 draw. The Singers were in desperation mode, needing a sweep to remain in the race. Anchor Joe Sycuro had a 203 and 196 included in a decent 534 series.

At the north end, the Tomahawks faced the sometimes-troublesome bye team. The Toms needed to bowl 382 (191 apiece) in each game to secure their points. They took care of business in style.

Don Williams continued his current hot streak, hammering 231 and 246 games before finishing with a clutch tenth-frame strike and a 211. That final game was as close as the Tommies came to relinquishing a point (six pins). Williams' total of 688 was league-high for the day and pushed his average above the 200 mark, just 53 total pins shy of partner Roy Brady, who leads the pack at 202.

Chuck Boykin was hot on the Williams trail, firing an outstanding 686 set on games of 203, 247 and 236. The CC's had no issue versus The Librarians as a result, handily taking the 4-0 verdict and moving into third place alone.

The Gamblers are now fifth after a sweep of the Marauders. Mary Tessino's 183-480 paced the triumph, and was tops on the female side for the afternoon.

Hi-Lo beat the Racy Retirees 4-0 as Curt Williams sparkled with a 197 and 192 in a 556 effort. Cathy Tracy did well for the losers with 168-431. Frosty + One rolled over P+C 3-1 as Patrick Scanlan had a personal best for the year of 188-492.

Two weeks are left on the schedule, with no suspense left except for the top two teams. Leading by 3½ points, the Yanks face the Tomahawks next Thursday - and again the following week in the position round. So, six games with eight points available to determine a winner. The first-year Yanks obviously will be seeking their initial title, while the Brady-Williams duo are the defending champs. Williams also captured the inaugural league honor with Kenny Tooker in 2009.

A 3-1 or better Yanks outcome next week will clinch. Anything less, and we'll go right to the end. The Tommies will give up an even hundred pins per game.