Week 1:

Freddy Sez:

We kick off the season with a Bye, just as we begin to say "bye" to Yankee Stadium (and hello to a new stadium, courtesy of our friends at Turner Construction).

For The Ship, it is time to shake off the rust and get back in the swing of things.

Week 2:

The number "2" is important in Yankee history, as the sure-to-be-retired number of the Captain, Derek Jeter.  As of right now, the Yankees are 2-2, and there are two Yankee Stadiums sitting side-by-side in the Bronx.  Unfortunately for The Ship in week two of season two of "B" division, "2" did not hold the same prestige this week.

Michael batted lead off this season, and unfortunately we saw what was in store, as he played well but faced fierce competition and was handed two losses.  Andrew batted second, and also came up 0 for 2.  Two Rich's played in the third game, and "our" Rich also dropped two games.  Batting cleanup, Dave delivered the first win for The Ship, and w ended S501 down 7 to 1.

Michael / Andrew battled in a heavyweight bout to start Cricket.  Each team was throwing absolute bombs back and forth for all three games, including a total of six R5, one R6, three R7, and one C3.  However, we came up just short in all three games.  Rich / John played three tough games, as well, and were able to walk away with a single point, making the score 12 to 2 after Cricket.

On "this night of two," The Ship did not fare well in doubles 501.  Dave / Mindy were swept in two games, as were Michael / John, making the final score a 16 to 2 loss for The Ship.

Props:
Michael - For a boatload of AS points.
Andrew - Who played well enough to win handily on most nights. 

Week 3:

Freddy Sez:

To play baseball, there is no place like "The Cathedral in the Bronx," and similarly "dart alley" at Stout is a shrine for darts.  The safety of this sanctuary allowed The Ship to exorcise their demons and emerge from dart-purgatory.

The road to redemption was rocky, however, as Michael led off the night with two losses.  Coming on the heels of a winless Week 2, we knew that Michael would not let this persist.  Andrew and Rich each split their rounds, and John was handed two forfeit wins, and The Ship was merely tied 4-4, against a three-man team.  But some prayers were offered, some blessings were said, possibly a shofar was blown, as things were about to turn around for The Ship.

Michael's hex was broken, as Michael / John led off Cricket and posted a sweep of all three games.  Rich / Mindy played the next game Canadian-style, and also swept.  With all six point, The Ship was now out to a wide 10-4 lead.

Rich / Andrew swept both games to start D501, and Michael / Mindy closed out the night with two Canadian wins.  The D501 sweep made the final score a 14-4 Ship win. Hallelujah!

Props:
John - Undefeated (five wins) in a perfect evening.
Mindy - Undefeated, and undeterred. 
Jeff and Slop Machine - For a great inaugural season.

Week 4:

Freddy Sez:

Seven? Yeah, I guess I could see it. Seven. Seven periods of school, seven beatings a day. Roughly seven stitches a beating, and eventually seven years to life.  Yes, seven has a long and storied history with the Yankees, but it was not lucky number seven for The Ship this week.

Rich started the night off rolling craps twice, busting out in both of his games.  But, with his fan section looking on, Michael turned things around with a sweep of two games.  Andrew and Mindy both split their rounds, making the score 4-4 after S501.

Michael / John led off Cricket, and  were only able to win one of three games.  Rich / Mindy had the same luck, winning only their second game and getting creamed in the other two, and after two rounds The Ship was down 8-6.

Looking to do some damage, Rich / Andrew led off D501, but a Ton-20 finish for the competition in game one, followed by another strong game quickly but the Ship on the defensive.  Michael / John were able to salvage the final game of the night, but in the end The Ship dropped the night with an 11-7 loss.   

Props:
Michael - Four wins, despite urticaria.

Week 5:

OK folks, let's pair up in threes, and when you see a fork in the road, take it.  Remember that you can't think and hit bulls at the same time, but you can observe a lot just by watching.  And thanks to The Ship for making this day necessary.

The Ship gave 100% in the first half of the game, and if that wasn't enough in the second half we gave what was left.  Andrew / John kicked things off in Cricket with a win in game one, but dropped the next two.  However, Rich / Mindy pulled out three wins, despite a depleted marker and a minor scoring controversy.

So The Ship was down 8-6, but it ain't over 'til it's over.  Rich / Mindy went back into the fray and managed a split to start D501.  Andrew / John went out to finish the night and they also scored a split, making the final score a 10-8 loss for The Ship.  So, the long night ended, but it gets late early out there.

Props:
Rich - Five wins, plus a home run in the early game.

Week 6:

To try to capture The Ship with a mere update would be like trying to keep up with The Ship on a night out.  It simply cannot be done.  Yet, as always, I will once again take on this Ruthian task, for your enjoyment.

Taking their game on the road, away from The House That The Ship Built, the squad was wading into unfamiliar territory this week.  Rich started the night off well, calling his shot with a win in the first game.  But he dropped game two, and suddenly The Ship was screaming "No, No, Nanette," as they dropped nine games in a row.

So singles ended with The Ship down 7-1, and Andrew / John pulled out one win in Cricket, as did Rich / Mindy.  But the two wins still left The Ship down 11-3 and hurting like Johnny Sylvester and needing a miracle.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the darts are landing right. The jukebox is playing somewhere, and somewhere groupings are tight. And, somewhere teams are laughing, and little barmaids shout, but there is no joy in Shipville - The Ship has struck out.  Two straight D501 sweeps to end the night left the final score a 15-3 Ship loss.  God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy, and God bless The Ship.

Props:
The Bambino - The greatest of all time, and for building The House.

Week 7:

Coming off a rough week, The Ship was looking to take advantage of a return to its home bar.  With a workmanlike performance and a concentration on sound fundamentals, the squad would turn in a solid performance.

Rich set the tone for the night with two comeback wins to start off the night.  In his return to the squad, Michael put up a bunch of AS points but shockingly dropped his two games.  Andrew earned a split in his games, and Darian made her debut with the squad but dropped both games.  The Ship was down 5-3 after S501, but feeling like they had turned things around from last week.

Michael / Mindy opened Cricket by winning the middle game of the opening round.  But Rich / Andrew returned to action for the first time in a few weeks, and posted two wins, and The Ship was only down 8-6 after round two.

Rich / Darian earned a split to lead off D501, and the long dormant team of Mindy / Andrew came back and also earned a split to end the night.  Despite a 10-8 loss, it was a strong showing for The Ship in the final game of the first half of the season.

Props:
Rich - For five wins.
Andrew - For four wins.

Week 8:

No update this week, just a link to this, for your enjoyment.

Let's see The Ship do some damage in the second half.

Week 9:

Freddy Sez:

For the past few weeks, you have been reading about the bad breaks The Ship has got.  But today, we consider ourselves the luckiest Ship on the face of the earth.  We have been playing darts for fifteen seasons, and we have never received anything but kindness and support from you, the fans of The Ship. 

With Rich being stricken down in his prime by a work-related trip to Washington DC, the Ship was without its captain for the first time in over 2,130 consecutive starts.  Michael led off the night with a split, but Andrew dropped the next two games.  Dave, in a Wally Pipp-like performance, also pulled a split, as did John in the last round, putting The Ship down 5-3 after S501 against a tough opponent. 

John / Michael were swept by a very tough paring to start Cricket.  Dave / Andrew were able to pull out the final game of three, putting The Ship down 10-4 after two rounds.

Andrew / Dave returned to start D501, and won the first game out of the gate, before dropping the second half of the round.  Michael / John ended their tough night with another sweep, making the final score a 13-5 Ship loss.  Five points against the top team in the league - that's something.  So we might have been given a bad break, but we've got an awful lot to play darts for.

Props:
Dave - Three wins, and his first AS points of the year.
Andrew - Three wins and for steering The Ship.

Week 10:

With some tough matches behind us, The Ship came into this week looking to put some much-needed points on their season totals.  As long as we didn't catch a sudden case of Steve Blass Disease, it looked like we were all set to fatten up our totals.  Well, let's just say it was a good thing Keith Olbermann's mother was not in attendance at the Ship this week.

Things looked good out of the blocks, as Michael swept his opening two games.  Andrew followed with a surprising split, as did Rich, but Darian picked things up with a sweep in the final round, making the score 6-2 after 501.  All looked well at this point, but trouble was on the horizon.

The Ship got a nasty case of the yips in Cricket this week, and felt a little like Blauch Heads.  Michael / Darian lost their first two games in very close matches that came down to bull, before closing out with a win in the first round.  Rich / Andrew followed this up with a win in their first game, and then two successive losses (including one by way of a C4 come-from-behind victory).  The Ship was shockingly ahead only 8-6 after Cricket, and looking for a shot of HGH to help it along.

Michael / Darian gave The Ship the shot in the arm it was looking for, posting a win to start D501, although they then dropped game two.  But Rich / Andrew set the record straight with a final round D501 sweep, giving The Ship an 11-7 win on the night.

Props:
Darian - Four wins that helped in bowling over the competition.

Week 11:

Freddy Sez:

Where have you gone, Ship?  Our nation turns its lonely darts to you.  Yes, The Ship's game has left and gone away, or at least out for a cup of Mr. Coffee (with donuts dunked in it).

Playing out on the coast this week, Michael (that promising young rookie from the New York Nine), seemed to get us off on the right foot with two wins.  But, Rich and Andrew followed up with two losses each.  But Mindy "Monroe" pulled off a split, putting The Ship down 5-3 after S501.

The Ship found itself on the wrong end of a consecutive win streak, as Michael / John and Rich /  Andrew both lost all three of their games.  The six game losing streak put The Ship in and 11-3 hole.

Michael / John kept the unfortunate streak alive by dropping the first two in D501.  In the final game, however, Rich / Andrew dominated, winning both games to make the final score a 13-5 Ship loss.

Props:
Michael - 2 wins and 400 AS points.  I'd like to thank the good Lord for making him a Shipmate.

Week 12:

Freddy Sez:

Twelve weeks into the season, the NYDO schedule can take a toll on a team.  Especially a team stepping up to a higher division, facing tough competition each match.  In fact, if we aren't careful, this little hobby / pastime of ours can sometimes feel like a job.  And then, sometimes, a week comes by that makes things fun again, where we get a chance to remember why we play every Tuesday.

This week we played at our unofficial "home away from home".  Having played frequently on the front board at The Gaf, and with a roster of four players, The Ship was feeling loose and raring to go.  Rich set the tone for the night with two fairly workmanlike, yet enjoyable, wins.  Michael cemented his season-long MVP status with two wins of his own, including an impressive Ton-03 finish.  Andrew kept the streak alive with two more wins, and with John's split The Ship was as hot as A-Rod in April, with a strong 7-1 start.

The lip-smacking goodness kept going in Cricket, as Rich / Andrew took two of three to start the round.  Michael / John pulled off a crazy comeback in game one, on the way to winning two of three, as well.  With four more points, The Ship was putting up an All Star outing and leading 11-3.

Heading down to the wire, The Ship was cruising along and enjoying the ride.  Rich / Andrew led off D501 with a sweep to salt away a pair of strong nights.  However, The Ship suffered a bit of an October swoon, as Michael / John dropped the last two games of the night.  Despite the ending, The Ship still played really good, and walked away with a 13-5 win which restored some of the fun to our season.

Props:
Rich / Andrew -  For six out of seven wins each.
Rebecca -  For finishing the LSATs.
The Slop Machine - For a night of fun, exciting, non-league darts.

Week13 :

Nothing draws the attention of NYC as much as a good old-fashioned Subway Series.  So, as The Ship rolls towards its final stop and the long season nears its end, we pile on board one more time and commute to SOF for another exciting matchup.

Rich started the night off, but was never closer than about 10 subway stops of his opponent, as he dropped both games. John was next up, and he also was a token and a bus transfer away from a win, leading to two more losses for The Ship.  But Andrew and Mindy both made their connections, earning splits that put The Ship down 6-2 after S501.

Cricket was, in a word, a complete train wreck, as The Ship drove head-on into two sweeps.  John and Andrew managed to throw a bunch of AS points and at least made their games close.  Rich / Mindy could have used help from Wesley Autry to rescue them in their round, but without the subway superman The Ship was now down 12-2.

D501 opened up well, as John / Mindy delivered one win.  Rich / Andrew averted a complete meltdown by wrapping up the night with a split, as The Ship pulled into the depot with a 14-4 loss.

Props:
Andrew -  For carloads of AS points.

Week 14:

Freddy Sez:

Well, OK, it is in fact over.  But before I get to the season-ending awards, I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the outstanding effort The Ship put up in the final week of the season.  First off, the turnout was outstanding, as everyone made it to the match (except Michael, who was out of town).  The Ship put up five points in S501, including some crazy wins from Rich (calling his shot in both games with first-dart outs), Andrew, Dave and John.  We pulled out two more points in Cricket and another in D501, giving us eight points against the third-place Point Whores, which is nothing to sneeze at.  Roll On, Ship, Roll On!

Season Notes:

As always, this season was quite a wild ride. We took our lumps in our second season in "B," but in true Ship fashion, we got in a few good licks, as well.  We finished in 5th place, ahead of two teams and only one place out of the playoffs.  We played against some of the toughest competition we have seen, including a legitimate A-level team, and we managed to take five points off them (Week 9) and could have had even more.  We clearly improved as a team, increasing our overall win percentage by 4 points and our Cricket win percentage by 12 points.  Plus, we had a Shipmate a set career highs in AS points (Andrew, 2233).

Season-Ending Props:

See you all next season, in the new Stadium: