Eight months ago, the Brew Crew initiated their campaign to defend their championship title in conjunction with high hopes and a clear vision of their goal. Two months into the season, the championship hangover manifested itself within the mind of each bowler on the Brew Crew. The Brew Crew found themselves towards the bottom of the league standings. The silver lining of their awful start was that Jeff Doruff was the only bowler above average at this time. This highlights how critical it is that every bowler on the Brew Crew is to the success of their team. Only one bowler performing never gets the job done.
Four and a half months ago, Andy Rathje decided it was his time to step up. For a month stretch, Rathje went on a bowling pin punishing crusade with a 713 series, his season high at this point in the season, putting would be fear, if the pins had feelings. Concurrently, however, Jeff Doruff was having difficulty dealing with aging equipment and learning a new bowling ball that did not provide the unique combination of his style and the lane conditions during league play. He struggled for roughly 5 weeks, with his last series in his slump bottoming out with a season low 495 series.
At the same time, Paul Lauricella had a couple of weeks where he bowled well, picking up a 'low' 700 series or two, however, he seemed to have difficult doing what he has easily done in the past. Fortunately, the week after Doruff's season low, he responded with a 679 series, feeding off of the success of teammate Andy Rathje. From that point on, Doruff has been bowling as well as anyone, shooting a season high 725 series and carying a 210 average since his 'rebirth'.
Yet again, the Brew Crew were still was still fighting the laging hangover symptoms of last season. Andy Rathje accompanied Paul Lauricella's struggles, trying to find their stride. Over all, the Brew Crew at this time was starting to win some games, and at times, showed signs of the flash they had last year. Unfortunately, they weren't consistent enough to guarantee themselves a top eight seed.
One month ago, Tony Rogus and Steve Block began to provide a consistent level of solid bowling, which has been astronomically big for the Brew Crew's machine. At the same time, Andy Rathje found some momentum, feeding off his recent solo success in a couple of tournaments. Yet, only four members of the team were performing at a level, with their anchor, Paul Lauricella, still battling both his mental and physical game. Things were starting to look good for the Brew Crew, but with out all five bowlers contributing to their campaign, winning would be almost impossible.
Two weeks ago, Paul Lauricella had the moment the Brew Crew needed, providing the rest of the team the last piece of the puzzle only he possessed. Both Lauricella and Doruff made investments in new bowling equipment (second time this season for Doruff) which has immensely paid off, combined with the extra nights spent practicing.
These recent developments have the Brew Crew firing on all cylinders. Going into last Thursday, the Brew Crew was in a three way tie for first place in the 4th quarter of the season. Sure enough, they had the opportunity to bowl against on of the teams they were tied with (Allstate, one of the best and most talented teams in the league).
Going into this match-up, the Brew Crew were concurrently tied for the 7th seed playoff birth. Knowing of the standards each Brew Crew Bowler enforce upon themselves as a team, there was no other option besides winning. At the end of the night, they did nothing else.
It all began with Lauricella's artistic like articulation of the lanes, starting out with a 279. Yet, that wasn't enough for him, as he followed up with a 289, finishing with a season high 773 series. Game two of this series, the Brew Crew bowled their highest game ever as a team, with a score of 1,308 pins. These are numbers the Brew Crew of last year could never have accomplished. This goes to show you how beneficial struggling can be as it serves as a very potent reality check.
At the end of the night, the Brew Crew took all 7 points, putting themselves in position to take first place in the 4th quarter, further improving their playoff seeding.
They have consistently put themselves in this position several times in the past 4 years, and the situation tonight will be no different. They are already in the eight eight, and this week provides the Brew Crew an opportunity in which they thrive on, a chance to improve their standing entering the playoffs with authority.
Showing posts with label Tony Rogus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tony Rogus. Show all posts
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Friday, March 26, 2010
Drums of War
By Paul Lauricella, an op-ed writer for TheMarchingIdes.com
The drums of war could be heard throughout Wood Dale Bowl. Last evening, the Brew Crew continued their dominance over opponent's seemingly feeble attempts to snatch victory away from them. Facing the Brew Crew was the ever dangerous Glue Factory, a team with considerable talent and experience. Casting a long shadow over the match was the reality that both teams would have to master lanes 17 and 18, a pair widely regarded as the most difficult to attain high scores. The results however, would stand in contrast these preconceptions.
Game one witnessed a close match between these two heavy weight prize fighters. Thundering strikes and mental collapses by both teams led to the game being deadlocked throughout. Andy Rathje, undoubtedly the hottest bowler on the Brew Crew as of late, posted a rare pedestrian score of 182. Making up for him was Crew bowler Steve Block, who tallied an impressive 215, a score significantly above his standard average. Yet the Brew Crew still faced pressure not seen since the opening of the second half of the season. Much needed momentum was provided by Brew Crew Bowler Jeff Doruff, who concluded his game with three consecutive strikes. Tensions remained high as veteran Glue Factory anchor Don Holms ended with a 257, giving his team a 10 pin advantage. Facing the possibility of the Brew Crew's extraordinary winning streak coming to an end, swashbuckling Crew anchor Paul Lauricella delivered three emphatic strikes to claim victory for his team, and extend the now 37 consecutive point run. Game two was a return to familiar territory, with Brew Crew claiming victory by over 75 pins. Rathje rebounded by chalking up an impressive 279. Also integral in this victory was a 216 by Doruff, once again finishing with three consecutive strikes, and a tactful 246 by Lauricella. Fueled by this performance, the Brew Crew obliterated the Glue Factory in the third game of the set. Led by a 257 and 256 by Doruff and Rathje respectively, the Crew amassed a victory by a colossal 253 pins. This game also saw the Brew Crew team member Tony Rogus breaking from his enigmatic consistency of scoring in the 180's and 190's, to shoot a game well above the 200 mark. The Crew finished the evening with for of five bowlers averaging over 200 for three games. The scores, coupled with the extension of the streak to 42 consecutive points marked the evening as one of the most memorable achievements of the Brew Crew.
The performance of the Brew Crew thus far has been nothing short of remarkable. It is said that winning is a habit. This is a habit that the Brew Crew does not wish to break. They have shown the capability to win high scoring shootouts and the determination needed to muster through tight matches. With the league championship filling the minds of all bowlers, the Crew must retain focused on taking each week game by game, and shot by shot. This third rendition of the team is firing on all cylinders; will there be enough fuel for them to finish the race in first? The race continues...
The drums of war could be heard throughout Wood Dale Bowl. Last evening, the Brew Crew continued their dominance over opponent's seemingly feeble attempts to snatch victory away from them. Facing the Brew Crew was the ever dangerous Glue Factory, a team with considerable talent and experience. Casting a long shadow over the match was the reality that both teams would have to master lanes 17 and 18, a pair widely regarded as the most difficult to attain high scores. The results however, would stand in contrast these preconceptions.
Game one witnessed a close match between these two heavy weight prize fighters. Thundering strikes and mental collapses by both teams led to the game being deadlocked throughout. Andy Rathje, undoubtedly the hottest bowler on the Brew Crew as of late, posted a rare pedestrian score of 182. Making up for him was Crew bowler Steve Block, who tallied an impressive 215, a score significantly above his standard average. Yet the Brew Crew still faced pressure not seen since the opening of the second half of the season. Much needed momentum was provided by Brew Crew Bowler Jeff Doruff, who concluded his game with three consecutive strikes. Tensions remained high as veteran Glue Factory anchor Don Holms ended with a 257, giving his team a 10 pin advantage. Facing the possibility of the Brew Crew's extraordinary winning streak coming to an end, swashbuckling Crew anchor Paul Lauricella delivered three emphatic strikes to claim victory for his team, and extend the now 37 consecutive point run. Game two was a return to familiar territory, with Brew Crew claiming victory by over 75 pins. Rathje rebounded by chalking up an impressive 279. Also integral in this victory was a 216 by Doruff, once again finishing with three consecutive strikes, and a tactful 246 by Lauricella. Fueled by this performance, the Brew Crew obliterated the Glue Factory in the third game of the set. Led by a 257 and 256 by Doruff and Rathje respectively, the Crew amassed a victory by a colossal 253 pins. This game also saw the Brew Crew team member Tony Rogus breaking from his enigmatic consistency of scoring in the 180's and 190's, to shoot a game well above the 200 mark. The Crew finished the evening with for of five bowlers averaging over 200 for three games. The scores, coupled with the extension of the streak to 42 consecutive points marked the evening as one of the most memorable achievements of the Brew Crew.
The performance of the Brew Crew thus far has been nothing short of remarkable. It is said that winning is a habit. This is a habit that the Brew Crew does not wish to break. They have shown the capability to win high scoring shootouts and the determination needed to muster through tight matches. With the league championship filling the minds of all bowlers, the Crew must retain focused on taking each week game by game, and shot by shot. This third rendition of the team is firing on all cylinders; will there be enough fuel for them to finish the race in first? The race continues...
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