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The first week of the playoffs are complete. Here's what happened and what lays ahead this week...

You've heard the mythical and legendary tales - David vs. Goliath, Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson, the 'Miracle on Ice' U.S vs. U.S.S.R Olympic ice hockey game, and last week it was #8 seed Stickmen vs. #1 seed Playa's. But (unfortunately) this match won't be included with those forementioned upsets. The Stickmen did hang in there, though, and fought it out. Unlike Mike Tyson, the Stickmen didn't have the clap to blame for their demise. Similar to the Dragons, the match was played on the home-chosen and difficult pro-cut pocketed table 2, the true home team had the home field advantage and it showed. Louis started off the night with a win against Charles, but Kevin came back and got all 3 for his squad. Leland beat Wheez 2-1, and Gregg got Sundy 2-1. Cele came back in the 5th spot and got 2 against Mikie. Down 10-5 it was up to Scott to keep the Stickmen alive against former teammate Larry Hiller. Larry got the first, only, and deciding victory in the 6th match and gave the Playa's an 11-5 victory. It needs to be noted that the Playa's were down their currently #1 top shooter, Jason Colabove, and the Stickmen sorely missed their own Keith Abarra. So things could have been different one way or the other.

Also downstairs at the Down Lo, the #2 seed Diamondbacks were home against the travelling Oasis Dragons, the #7 seeded team. After Kenny Duff started off with a 2-spot, Rusty and Mike Brandt, Sr. got back-to-back 3-0 wins to put the D'backs up 8-1 after 3 matches. But Micah stepped up and got all 3 of his to get them back in it, down 8-4 at the break. In the bottom-half Mike Karol got 2 to put the Down Lo on the hill. With their backs against the wall, Krad got the first one with some great long bank shots against Matt Fields, but Matt came back with an excellent long cut-shot on the 8-ball and won the 11th and deciding point. Diamondbacks win 11-6.

The #3 seed Bulldogs were home hosting the #6 seed Towne Lounge I. It was all Bulldogs as they won 11-3. Tony and Dave Larabee got the lone points for the Lounge, as Tony tallied 2 to start the night. The Bulldogs got 3-0 wins from Dennis and Chris, as captain Steve got the final 2 deciding points in the fifth and final match.

In the closest match of this year's playoffs (so far), the #4 seed Towne Lounge II team was home hosting the #5 seed Oasis O-Team. In a very close match, the teams were tied 6-6 at the break as each team traded 2-1 victories. In the 5th match, Slade got 2 to Shawn's 1 to make it 8-7 Oasis. Prana came back and got 2 against James to make 9-9. It came down to the seventh and final match, and Oasis O Aaron Rooney got the first and final 2 points to give the Oasis team the razor-thin 11-9 victory.

So 4 more teams are out of the playoffs, and only the final four remain. Here's the lineup for Round #2 - Thursday, May 17th 7:00pm:

#1 seed Down Lo Playa's vs. #5 seed Oasis O-Team at the Down Lo

#2 seed Down Lo Diamondbacks vs. #3 seed Oasis Bulldogs at the Down Lo

As you can see you can watch both of these matches in one place, at the Down Lo. So come down and cheer on your favorite team or player and see who makes it to the Championship on May 31st! The 2 losers will face off in the 3rd/4th place match on the 24th, location TBD.

Good luck!

-Scott-

Playoffs?!?

All right - all the games are in the books. It's PLAYOFF TIME! Here's the results from last week...

The Down Lo Stickmen were home hosting the Last Call Pocket Raiders. In a very close match, the Stickmen edged it out with an 11-10 victory, thanks to Louis' 3-0 win in the first half. The Cele and Mark Nobriga tandem beat Kevin and Matt in the beer frame 2-1. The #8 seed Stickmen now have to play the role of spoiler as they take on the #1 seed Playa's at the Down Lo this Thursday night.

The Playa's were home taking on the Towne Lounge II team. It was tied 6-6 at the break, thanks to Kevin's 3-0 victory for the Playa's, and Greg Smith's 3-0 victory for the TLII. Coincidentally both teams were tied for the beer frame championship at 19 wins - winner takes the trophies. Leland and Kevin beat Ed and Greg in the beer frame and became the 2011-2012 Beer Frame Team Champions. Congrats! In the bottom half of the night, it was all TLII as Ed got 2, Prana got 3, and Shawn got 2 to make the final score 13-8 Towne Lounge. This ended the Playa's bid for a perfect season, but they are of course still the #1 seed taking on the Stickmen Thursday. The #4 seed TLII will host the #5 seed Oasis O-Team in the first round. Also, props to Jason Colabove of the Playa's - #1 seed in the Top Shooter Tournament as he ended the season on top, winning 51 of 60 games - that's 85%!

Out at the Empire Club, it was all Empire as they beat the Bankers 15-6. James Williams and Mike Dixon ended their season in style getting all 3 of their matches. Mark and Bill did get the free beer as they beat Bob L. and Eric, 2-1.

The Bulldogs welcomed in the Tackle Box Spinners as they tried to solidify their final playoff spot. The 'Dogs also won big beating the 'Box 17-4. Dennis, Ty, and Brian all got 3 for their team. One of Keith's was via an 8-ball break-and-run. The Bulldogs ended up in 3rd place as the #3 seed. They will face the #6 seed Towne Lounge 1 team at the Oasis on Thursday.

The Eagles wrapped up their season at home hosting the Oasis Dragons. The Eagles were down 5-7 at the break and ended up making it close thanks to Jon Cox's final-frame 3-0 win. Kenny Smith and Micah each got 3-0 hat tricks for the Dragons to make the final score 12-9 Oasis. Steve and Micah got the beer frame from Jon and Bobbo, 2-0. The Dragons finished the season as the #7 seed and will face the #2 seed Diamondbacks on Thursday at the Down Lo.

The Diamondbacks were on the road upstairs at the Towne Lounge taking on the TLI squad. In another close match, the Diamondbacks came out on top 11-10 when it was said and done. All players traded 2-1 games except for Kenny Duff who got all 3 of his. Izzy and Kenny beat Howie and Kevin in the beer frame, 2-1. As mentioned, the D-Backs will play at home versus the Dragons in the first round, and the Towne Lounge I team will play the Bulldogs at the Oasis as the #6 seed.

The Oasis O-Team was idle this week on their bye, and because of it dropped 2 seeds down to the #5 seed. Again, they will play the #4 seed Towne Lounge II team at the 'Lounge.

So here's the first round playoff schedule (all games Thursday May 10th at 7:00pm):

#1 Down Lo Playa's vs. the #8 Down Lo Stickmen - at the Down Lo

#2 Down Lo Diamondbacks vs. the #7 Oasis Dragons - at the Down Lo

#3 Oasis Bulldogs vs. the #6 Towne Lounge I - at the Oasis

#4 Towne Lounge II vs. the #5 Oasis O-Team - at the Towne Lounge

Good luck to all teams - have fun and play your best! Not in the playoffs this year? Come down and cheer for your favorite team. Don't forget - it's not over! Top Shooter tourney on June 7th, Pool Party and Awards ceremony at the Down Lo on Sat. June 16th. Please get me some prizes to raffle off!!!

-Scott-

Okay - as I drove in from the airport I swung by the O' and got the score sheets (at least 5 of them) and entered as much as I could. Here are the results from week #25, minus the Towne Lounge I vs. Bankers match-up...

The Eagles flew out to Durham to take on the Empire last week. It was mostly 2-1 scores for the Empire until Bob Lithgow shot in the final spot and got a 3-0 win. Final score: Empire 14, Eagles 7. Jon and Paul did get the beer frame for the Eagles, defeating Eric and Bob.

The Dragons were home hosting the Towne Lounge II team. The Dragons were up 8-4 at the break thanks to Rob Lewis' 3-0 lead-off victory. Ed and Steve Swim won the beer frame 2-0, beating Jeff and Jason Staub. That gives them 19 beer frame wins going into the final night tied with the Playa's. John Chamberln finished the night with a 3-0 hat trick and giving his team a 13-8 victory.

The Stickmen were home taking on the Oasis O-Team. The Down Lo was up 7-5 at the break, as Cele and James each got 3-0 wins for their respective teams. Cele stayed at the table and paired up with Sundy and the 2 of them beat James and Captain Clarke 2-1 in the beer frame. The O got 4 more in the bottom half, but that was it. They failed to field a 7th player and threw the Stickmen 3 points. Rumor has it Stacy had a hot date and couldn't make it. Final score: Stickmen 12, Oasis O-Team 9.

The Diamondbacks headed out on the road to take on the Oasis Bulldogs. The 'Dogs hung in there, only down 5-7 at the break. Paul and Kenny beat Corning's own Jim Moon and his scotch double partner Ty Kaye, 2-0. The Bulldogs couldn't draft anyone out of the stands and ended up being one person short, giving the D-Backs an easy 3 points. Mike Brandt and Paul Airth each earned their 3-0 wins the hard way. Diamondbacks ended up on top, 14-7.

Way out at the Last Call, the Pocket Raiders welcomed in the Down Lo Playa's. It was close at the break - the Playa's were up only 7-5, but after Leland and Kevin beat Jim and Gary in the beer frame, it was Playa' time. Larry got 2 out of 3, one of them via an 8-ball break and run (Kevin had one, too), Amer got 3, and Jason Colabove wrapped it up with 3. The Playa's ended up with 15, the Pocket Raiders 6.

Again, as of Wednesday night (Thursday morning), no score sheet from the Towne Lounge I squad for their home match versus the Bankers. It really doesn't do too much for the standings (as long as the TLI team got more than 2 points), and the Top Shooter list isn't affected, but I'll let you know what happened when I know.

LAST WEEK! Good luck, except for the Oasis O-Team who are done with the regular season - they have a final-week bye. I'm sure they'll be tuning up for the playoffs, though, which start in 2 weeks.

POOL PARTY - about a month away! I NEED PRIZES!!! Help me out if you can - ask your friends, relatives, boss, etc. If you are the boss, donate a prize from your business! Let me know what you can do...

-Scott-

Sorry guys - I know this is bad timing. I've been in Vegas for the past 5 days and had to stay longer than I thought. This has of course made it impossible to update everything. I fly back in tonight (Wednesday) and will get on it once I am home, after stopping by the Oasis. I should have everything current by tonight, worst case tomorrow by noon.

Only score I know is that the Stickmen beat the Oasis O-Team 12-9, and got the beer frame. This is coming from a Wheez Dogg text so it has not been confirmed yet.

-Scott-

Only 2 weeks to go!

Here's the results from last week...

The Empire was home versus the Playa's. Paul got 2 for his Empire Club, and Bob Cody got 1. That was it - the rest was all Playa's. Charles, Leland, Mikie, Gregg, and Tom all got 3-0 wins. Leland and Kevin also won the beer frame, 2-0, vs. the Bob's. Final score, 18-3 Playa's. 

Their was an intra-bar match-up at the Oasis as the Bankers were 'home' versus the O-Team. It was 7-5 Bankers at the break, thanks to Mark's 3-0 hat trick in the 4th spot. After Mike and Slade beat Mark and Bill in the beer frame, it was all O-Team as they got 8 of the final 9 points to make it a 13-8 O-Team win.

The Towne Lounge I team travelled out to the Last Call hideaway. The Lounge was up 8-4 at the half-way point, but the Pocket Raiders came back in the final spots to make it a fairly close 12-9 TLI win. Jason Jones and Tony beat Kevin L and Jimmy in the beer frame, 2-0.

The Towne Lounge II team is trying to make it past the Bulldogs in the standings. The 4th place Oasis Bulldogs headed downtown to take on the 5th place TLII team. As figured, it was a close match. Keith and Greg Smith traded 3-0 wins for their teams, making it 6-6 at the beer frame. Scotch doubles partners Ed and Brian couldn't beat the TLII's Ed and Shawn Bell as the home bar won 2-0. Ed Theis got 3 more wins in the 5th spot, Shawn got 1, and Steve got 2 to make the final score 12-9 Towne Lounge. Standings stay the same, but now the Lounge is only 3 points back.

The Diamondbacks welcomed in the Tackle Box Spinners last Thursday. It wasn't pretty. The D-Backs had it won after 4 games as they were up 11-1 at the beer frame. Pops and Zook did win said beer frame, beating Izzy and Jimmy 2-0. The Spinners only got one more point in the second half making the final score 19-2 Down Lo. Kenny, Rusty, Mike Brandt, Izzy, and Mike Karol all got 3-0 wins.

On the back table at the Oasis, the Dragons were home taking on the Down Lo Stickmen. The Dragons were up 8-4 at the beer frame as Jeff Brun helped the cause getting all 3 of his games. Kenny and Steve knocked out Keith and Cele in the beer frame, 2-0. John C. finished up the night getting the final 3 points of the 13-8 Dragon victory.

As mentioned, only 2 weeks left before the playoffs. The Tackle Box and O-Team have the final 2 bye weeks, respectively, so they only have 1 game to go. Good luck!

-Scott-

Here are the results from week #23, except for the Empire/Bulldog matchup - haven't received a score sheet from Mike Dixon yet...

The Diamondbacks climbed upstairs to take on the Empire II squad last Thursday. It was back and forth in the first half and the Lounge was up 7-5 at the break. Mike Brandt only got one this night, but it was in break-and-run style. In the beer frame, Mike Karol and Matt Fields lost to Ed and Shawn Bell, 2-0. In the bottom half, Shawn and Ed got their team to the hill, 10 points, but D-Back Paul Airth decided to play hero and won all 3 of his in the final match to take the 11-10 final score back downstairs.

Meanwhile, downstairs at the Down Lo the Stickmen were home hosting the other Towne Lounge team, TLI. This matchup wasn't close. The Lounge were all over the Stickmen as Yang, Steve McGrill, and Jason Jones all got 3-0 hat tricks helping them to a 15-6 whoopin' on the Down Lo. Jason and Kevin got the beer frame, beating Sundy and Madsack.

Over at the Oasis, the Bankers were hosting the traveling Eagles. It was all tied going into the beer frame as teams traded 1's and 2's. The Banker's Bill and Jim beat Jon and David 2-0 in the beer frame. In the bottom-half it was all Eagles - Jopn got 3, Roben got 2, and Terry got 3 to finish the night. Final score: Eagles 14, Bankers 7.

On the back table at the Oasis, the O-Team had to face the first-place Playa's. The O's were on a hot-streak lately, but the Playa's turned out to be a little too much for them. Remaining a perfect 21-0, the Down Lo scored their 21st double-digit victory as they came out on top 13-8. Charles and Gregg each got 3-0 wins. Maybe even bigger news is that Jason Colabove didn't get 3, as James got one off of him, but Jason did get a break-and-run during his match. One bright note on the O-Team's score sheet is a 3 spot in the left-hand column - it belonged to Slade as he got the sweep.

Way out on East Park Ave., the Tackle Box Spinners were home hosting the Last Call Pocket Raiders. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) no strippers this week and both teams had to concentrate on their game. The Tackle Box did it better as they won 11-10 in a close match. Rich Sr., Trevor, and Bob each got 3 for the 'Box. Last Call shooters Matt A. and Gary got 3 for their team. The Spinners had it won in the 6th spot after Bob got his 3, but Gary got the final 3 to make it a close 11-10 Tackle Box win.

As mentioned, no score sheet from the Empire Club as they were home against the Bulldogs. More information when it becomes available.

Good luck in week #23 - 3 games to go, except for the Eagles, Tackle Box, and O-Team as they have the last 3 bye weeks, in that order. Playoffs begin May 10th for the top 8 teams.

It looks like it's a two horse race between the Playa's and the Towne Lounge II for the Beer Frame Championship - both teams have amazingly won 17 out of their 21 possible match-ups!

-Scott-

Sorry for the lack of stats/updates - been a crazy week and pool had to take a back seat. Here's this past week's results, plus a little from the March 29th week:

The Bulldogs were home taking on their barmates, the Oasis Dragons. Both are great teams and I hate saying it, but on paper this was a big upset. Jeff and Krad each got 3 wins in the first half, as did Dennis Bruch for the Bulldogs, to make the score 7-5 Dragons at the break. The Dragons got 6 more in the bottom-half, thanks to Kenny's 3-0 showing, to win fairly big - 13-8. The Dragons also got the beer frame as Micah and John beat Steve and Ed. In the week prior, the Dragons lost to the Empire 10-11. The Bulldogs were across town at the Last Call where they beat the Pocket Raiders 16-5.

Speaking of Last Call, the 'Raiders were on the road last week taking on the Oasis O-Team. A 21-0 sweep was just one win away from the O-Team as they did everything else right, winning 20-1, including Mike and Brian's beer frame win over Kevin L. and Matt A., 2-0. Stacy, Brian, James, Slade, Captain Mike, and Troy all got 3-0 wins. Mike Clarke got one of his via an 8-ball break-and-run. The Oasis O-Team had another great week the week before beating the Eagles 18-3. That's 38 of 42 possible points in two weeks! Looks like they warmed up at the right time - they have to play the Playa's (who had a bye April 5th) this week.

The Stickmen were Down Lo hosting the visiting Oasis Bankers on April 5th. The Stickmen got out to a good lead of 9-3 thanks to Cele and Brian Norman's 3-0 wins. Scott and Paul Wall couldn't get the beer frame from Mark and Bill. Keith came to the table and got 3 more for the Stickmen to help in their 15-6 victory. The prior week the Stickmen held their own against the Diamondbacks, losing 9-12. The Bankers were victorious over the Tackle Box the previous week, but just barely, as Bill brought his team back from an 8-10 deficit to an 11-10 win as he got all 3 of his in the final match of the night.

On April 5th, the Towne Lounge I squad was at home versus the Empire of Durham. It was close - all players had either 1 or 2 wins - no 3-0 shut-outs for either team. There was a 2-0 shut-out in the beer frame, as recently returned and hopefully healthy, James Williams and Eric Monlux beat Jason Jones and Kevin Kinnell for the honors. James did get 2 on the night, but Kevin had the biggest 2 as he shot last and got the 10th and deciding 11th point of the match. In the week before, the Empire was on the other end, as they won in the final frame, beating the Dragons in an 11-10 close one. The Lounge I team lost to the Playa's 5-16, but without Jason Jones or Kevin K., they were short 1 player and gave up 3 the easy way.

The Diamondbacks were also home last Thursday as they hosted the Eagles. Izzy, Kenny, Rusty, Mike Karol, and Matt Fields all got 3-0 wins for the D-Backs. David Napier did all he could for his Eagles - he got all 3 of his games, 3 of their 5. Terry got the other 2. Final score, D-Backs 16, Eagles 5. The Eagles did win the beer frame, though. In a rare loss, Bulldog and Mike K. (I think) lost to Jon and hot-shooter David 1-2. In the prior week, the Diamondbacks beat the Stickmen 12-9, and the Eagles lost to the O-Team 3-18.

The TLII team travelled South to take on the Tackle Box Spinners. From what I heard, the Spinning was taking place on the stripper pole as it was definitley ladies night at the 'Box. Fighting through the distractions, both teams battled to the end in un-imaginable conditions. But through all the adversity, Tackle Box Bob got the 11th and winning point in the final match, giving his team the well-earned 11-10 victory. To celebrate his and Prana's beer frame win over Trevor and Zook, Ed and his crew drank for free - but that's all. Contrary to any rumors, Ed did not strip on stage. In the week before, the TLII team had a bye, and the Tackle Box lost to the Bankers 10-11.

Okay, week #22 is upon us. That means including this week there are only 4 more regular season games to go - except for the Dragons, Eagles, Tackle Box, and O-Team - they each have a bye week left (in that order). So watch the standings - that could change things with these teams sitting out. Good luck in week #22!

-Scott-

Here's the results of the March 22nd matches:

In a Down Lo showdown of the top 2 teams, #1 Playa's 'hosted' the #2 Diamondbacks. This heavyweight matchup was a back and forth barn-burner. Each of the seven games was 2-1, nobody won 3 or lost 3. In fact it literally went 2-1 Playa's, 2-1 Diamondbacks, 2-1 Playa's, and so on, the whole night. The teams were, of course, tied in the final game as well as Playa' Amer was taking on D-Back Jimmy Scott. Amer got the first one, then Jimmy got the second, and in the 21st game Amer came through and kept the Playa's undefeated season still intact, making the final score 11-10 Playa's.

The Oasis Bulldogs remained home last week, welcoming in the Stickmen of Down Lo. It was tied 6-6 at the break. It could have been worse but Ed came up big and won all 3 to keep it close. Keith and Louis couldn't beat Brian and Ty for the beer frame honors as they lost 2-1. Louis stayed at the table and got all 3 of his match games, and Keith got 2 more to make it 11-7 Stickmen. But Captain Steve came through at the end and got 3 of his own to make it as close as it can get - 11-10 Down Lo.

The Oasis O-Team travelled South to take on the Empire of Durham. One of the Empire shooters didn't show up so Mike's team was down a man and facing an uphill battle against the O's. It was 9-3 at the break thanks to Stacy and Aaron's 3-0 games. Slade and James teamed up for the beer frame and ended up beating Bob L. and Eric 2-0. Troy got 3 to start off the second half, and Slade chipped in 2 more. With the 3 freebies by way of forfeit, the Oasis O-Team ended up on top 17-4.

Over at the Towne Lounge, the TLII team were home against the Eagles. 6 of the 7 TLII players got 2 wins each, and one got 3. Math anyone? That makes 15 points for the home team, 6 for the visitors. Greg Smith got the only non-2, getting all 3 of his games. Ed and Steve beat Jon and Donny, with a score of (of course) 2-1.

Last Call was the home team as the Oasis Bankers crossed town - well, five of them did at least. Jim Wilson started the night off for the Bankers and got all 3 of his, as did Gary for the Pocket Raiders. It was 7-5 Last Call at the break. Bill and Hugh did get the beer frame, as they beat Curtis and Gary 2-1. Bill stayed at the table and got 3 of his own, giving his Bankers an 8-7 lead. But as I mentioned, only 5 Bankers made the trip, so they forfeited the final 6 points to Last Call which kept them at 8 and made the final score 13-8.

The Tackle Box was home hosting the travelling Oasis Dragons. The Dragons shot out of the gate with a 10-2 first-half lead, thanks to Kenny Smith and Micah's 3-0 showings. Steve joined Micah at the table for the beer frame, as they defeated Trevor and Zook 2-1. In the bottom-half, the Tackle Box got 5 of the final 7 points to make it a not-so-bad 14-7 beating by the Dragons.

Good luck this week. The Towne Lounge II team will be matchless as they are on a bye this week. You should be able to find them at the Lounge cheering on their barmates as the TLI squad takes on the Playa's.

-Scott-