Now that the bye week is over, the final stretch begins! There are only three more weeks until the team playoffs, High-Roller and Wild Card tournaments, awards and everything else that is SKEE-A-PALOOZA! And if you didn’t already know, every roll counts! For the new rollers, hopefully, you have already learned everything you needed to know to excel in this game. For the veterans, you know it is time to finish the skeeson strong! Without wasting anymore words, let’s begin this week’s “Picks To Click.”
Tuesday
8:00pm (Front Lane)
Skee Dog Night (5-0) 4798 pts. 1st place vs. The Buttskees (3-1) 4672 pts. Tied for 2nd place
It’s always nice to talk about such a close match, especially with the Tuesday Division lead on the line. This match also features some of the best rollers in the league and are both veteran teams that each average close to 300 a game each skeeson. This could very well be the match of the season, and it could go either way.
Players to watch: When you talk about Skee Dog Night, the first player to note would be Scott Alleman (formerly of Sports Fix Chicago fame). This fellow Bears and Cubs fan carries his passion from sports over to skeeball. As the Hundo Shootout Champion from Skeeson IV, Scott currently ranks third in scoring average (340.25) and ninth in hundos (58) in the Tuesday Division. He is also very excited about his team going undefeated as the top team on Tuesday. Meanwhile, The Buttskees’ (whose actual team name is the “Frank R. Hurlbutt Memorial Skeeball Team”) Mallory Milluzzi (Milluzzskee), has been one of the best female rollers with her smooth and straight roll that very few rollers dare to try. It’s carried her to the Final 4 in the High Roller Tournament (twice), won her Most Improved Roller and Hundo Leader awards and helped bring her team SKEE-A-PALOOZA in Skeeson IV.
Outcome: This will be a huge match with skee lane advantage in the playoffs on the line and shouldn’t disappoint. But, overall, I see the first place team widening the gap with this game.
Skee Dog Night (1002), The Buttskees (950)
Wednesday
10:00pm (Back Lane)
WhiSKEE Dix (5-0) 5192 pts. 1st place vs. The Tight Skeeholes (3-2) 4385 pts. 5th place
I know, I know! I’ve already talked about The Tight Skeeholes in a previous Picks to Clicks, but this match is worth watching! If you do want to know more about them, you can read my blog from last week. So, this will be more about the team running away with the division, WhiSKEE Dix. This team originated from Three Headed Monster rollers MJ Luppino (Wolverskeen) and Elliot Freirich (El Dawg). Over the past five skeesons, they have rolled with a wide variety of skeemates: David Adler (Skeeson I), Mike Rubin (Skeesons II & III) and Mike Powers (Beerman) (Skeeson IV). Even with a slew of skilled rollers, they managed to come up short every time. This skeeson, they turned to an unlikely source- (see below) – and it has given them their best chance yet.
Players to watch: Who is this unlikely source you ask? It’s a girl who, surprisingly, is having her best skeeson yet (individually and team). Her priorities are, in no particular order: Koozies, wine, running, skee bracelets, skeeball, social media and boys. If you guessed Lauren Gillaspey (L*Skeezy), congrats — go take a shot with her. L*Skeezy is rolling on her first new team since Slopskee Seconds disbanded after four fun-filled skeesons. I don’t know how (and why) they came up with that, but there is nothing slopskee about her play. Always a strong bank shot and avid bracelet collector, L*Skeezy is finally seeing her hundo game improve after it seemingly vanished the past two skeesons. On the topic of adding a new third member to a team, The Tight Skeeholes have also added a new one to the mix with Tom Seeberg (Skeeberg), filling in for Mac Murray. After a bit of a rough rookskee start, he has averaged around 297 and hit 15 hundos in the last 2 weeks. His skeemates Tony (Tone Loc) and Andy (Ders) miss Mac, but are glad to see Tom picking up the slack.
Outcome: WhiSKEE Dix might struggle with the week off, but they will manage this one.
WhiSKEE Dix (975), The Tight Skeeholes (910)
Thursday
10:00pm (Front Lane)
The Kelly Kapowskees (2-3) 4420 pts. 11th place vs. Comskeedians (4-1) 4733 pts. 4th place
Though not originally planned, I can list quite a few reasons why this match should happen. For one, it would be the best match of the night. Another is both teams are in the playoff mix. The third is it would be a playoff rematch from last skeeson ultimately won by The Kelly Kapowskees. The final reason would be that I usually keep score for both because, well, why not? You have to feel the hype for this one, right?
P.S. I did check the grid, and it works perfectly! Skee Wee’s Playhouse and O.M.Skee can play in the back lane.
Players to watch: Comskeedian’s Brian Kucha runs an HH Gregg by day and skeeballs deep into the night. This “shot caller”, which I think is a better nickname for him, plays for not one but two different reasons: to play well (individually and as a team) and to drink. But, as a roller and skeemate (as I would know originally rolling with him way back when), he is great. Like me, he puts the value into every frame and ball like his life depends on it. Unlike me, he is having another fine skeeson (327.60 scoring AVG, 61 hundos), and I hear he might actually be here for SKEE-A-PALOOZA (say what?!)! For the Kelly KapowSKEES, Prashant Nashi, Prash for short, is the player that makes that team go. You always get consistency with him for an average around 305 and about 12-13 hundos. Also, he came up with a concept called “causal hundo” when he or his skeemates are struggling during a hundo round. How it works is if you haven’t had a hundo through 3-4 balls, you walk away from the machine, walk around with a ball in your hand, get set back on the machine, and roll again. I would say it is an effective concept and maybe something I should do now. Prash, if you wanted to keep this a secret, sorry! The secret is out!
Outcome: Comskeedians in a runaway if all three members, including Tom Matias (Tomahawk), manage to show up this week.
Comskeedians (960), The Kelly Kapowskees (890)
If this blog post doesn’t motivate you, maybe this will!
Best of skee to all!
Jman
