Week 1:

Welcome back, Ship, for another go 'round on this crazy darts ride.  This season we are kickin' it old school, with a roster that harkens back to some of our very first seasons.  So, with eight years and 15 seasons under our belts, it's time to see how much of this game we have learned.

The night took a little while to kick into gear, but we had to pity the opponent, because they only had three players.  This would  prove to be a big advantage for The Ship.  Rich started things off right with a sweep, and Andrew and Mindy followed with splits.  John took two forfeit wins in the last game, and The Ship was off and running with a 6-2 lead.

Andrew / John opened Cricket with a split, and Mindy / Rich capitalized on their Canadian match with a sweep.  D501 played out similarly, with Mindy / Andrew winning their Canadian match-up and Rich / John earning a split.  Overall, a solid 12-4 "wind-aided" win for The Ship.  Still too early to tell, but maybe we have learned this game after all....

Props:
John - For the theme, and 4 wins while downing half of Idaho.
Andrew - For 4 wins with new darts.
Mindy  - For 5 wins while updating Facebook.
Rich - For 5 wins, while accepting last season's Shippy Award.  (more on this season's contest to follow...)

Week 2:

There is nothing like a game of darts to upset one's own vanity.  One minute you are on the top of your game and the bullseye is as big as a saucer, and the next minute you can't hit a double to save your life.  Jet lag, karma, rust, or bad lighting.  Who knows why, but some nights the darts are falling, and some nights the darts are not.  Unfortunately for The Ship, this was one of those nights.

We knew it would be a long night early on.  Rich started out with a runaway win, and then jumped out to a big lead in game two.  But, unable to close it out, he dropped the second game.  Andrew turned things around briefly for The Ship, by pulling off a sweep.  Fred and John followed with splits to round out S501 and put The Ship up 5-3 early.  But, maybe it was the elves, but things just didn't seem right.

Rich / Mindy started out Cricket with a come back win, despite having held a sizeable lead to start things out.  And right about this point on the night... The Ship's talents suddenly diminished.  There was bad strategy which led to a loss in game two for Rich / Mindy, despite out playing and out bulling the competition.  There were tough losses, as Fred / Andrew were swept in two close games to end Cricket, making the score 6-6 after the second round.

And then there was complete misfortune.  John / Fred were swept in the start of D501.  And in the second round, needing two Ship wins to just tie the night, Rich / Andrew dropped both games.  Ugh.  So, we ended with a 10-6 loss.  But, it doesn't do to upset one's vanity.  So we will be back next time, and I look forward to our talents will suddenly increasing.

Props:
Magnús Skarphéðinsson - For his dedication to education.

Week 3:

BYE week.  See below for next update.

Week 4:

I'd like to amend the above quote to say that The Ship is a fool if it drinks before Cricket, and a fool if it doesn't drink when it is down 11-1 afterward. To be fair, at the age of 50, Frank Lloyd Wright had a servant burn his house down and kill seven people with an axe, got divorced, re-married a morphine addict, got divorced again, got re-married, had his house burn down again, was charged with human trafficking under the Mann Act, and eventually died.  But in comparison, I'd say this week's match for The Ship was about equal.

Despite the cozy environs of the Crowe's Nest, things started off a little tenuous as Rich dropped the first game in an old-fashioned C-league double-one desperation match.  Rich came back with a win in game two, but pretty quickly The Ship  dug itself a hole deeper than the Second Avenue subway being built right outside.  Andrew threw a heap of AS points in his games, but dropped both.  John followed by getting swept, and Darian also dropped two in her inaugural game of the season.  The Ship was quickly down 7-1 and looking for a bracer.

When Cricket came around, we needed a whole bunch of Grasshoppers, and possibly a few tequila worms.  Rich / Darian were swept in the first round, and John / Andrew were swept in the second round.  Suddenly it was a dark and stormy night, and we were looking for a few Dark and Stormies.

Even having the entire Levin household on hand couldn't clear our heads, although it helped a little.  Rich / Dave managed a win in the first game of D501 before losing the second.  Andrew / John ended the night dropping the last two, and making the final score a 14-2 Ship loss.  Ugh.  I need a drink.

Props:
Andrew - For the last 340 AS points those darts will ever see.

Week 5:

Some players spend years honing their darts skills...and it takes Mindy twenty minutes to make fools of them.  With a brand new board and anew year of The Shippy, it was a new start for The Ship, as we put our years of experience to work and played our wild tarot card. 

The Ship started out strong, with a split from Rich followed by a sweep from Andrew.  But the match quickly tightened up at 4-4 as John split and Mindy dropped two games.  But, Mindy's Ton-33 was a sign of what was to come, and secured her the high AS score for the round.

Rich / Andrew opened Cricket with a split, and John / Mindy split their two games, as well.  But once again, Mindy threw the high As for the round with an R6.

Mindy / John came back to start D501, and Mindy made fools of the competition by putting up two wins, and throwing another 92 As points in for good measure.  Rich / Andrew closed out the night with a split, and The Ship wound up with a 9-7 win.  The first step in turning this season around, and making some fools.

Props:
Mindy - 345 AS points, 20 Shippys, three wins and a dominating performance.
Dave - Birthday props.

Week 6:

I have no idea how that quote is anonymous, since I'm pretty sure everyone who goes to Vegas has said the same thing.  Well, if I was gambling man, I would have pegged this week as a sure thing for The Ship.  Coming off a good night last week, with nearly the whole squad on board, in a bar that provides about as much of a home field advantage as you can get without being at SOF... all things pointed to taking The Ship and laying the points.  But look out, you never know when a long shot is going to pull an upset.

Fred started things off in a game that was circled by the Book, earning a split to start the night.  In bowling, a split hurts, but in darts it's not so bad.  Andrew followed up with another split, and in the hot game of the night Mindy also had a split for a third push for The Ship. In the last round, Rich failed to cover, dropping both games and leaving The Ship down 5-3 after S501.

The Ship is typically a dog in Cricket, and the opening line reflected it.  When Rich / Dave dropped the first two games and Andrew / Mindy dropped the second two, the wrong bettors who went against The Ship were paid off in spades.  With The Ship down 9-3 after Cricket, there were gamblers ripping up their tickets all over the place.

Heading in to D501, we were more than 15 lengths back and needed a miracle comeback to just make things close.  Darian / Mindy jumped out to a huge lead in their first game, but couldn't close the door.  When they dropped game two, it looked like The Ship was down for the count.  But Rich / Andrew won the first game taking out a 69 (triple-19, double-6) and game two with a good old fashioned 32-out.  The two win parley helped  offset some of the losses, but only earned The Ship an 11-5 loss for the night.  If you took The Ship and 5.5 points... you lost!

Props:
Andrew - A thief, with three wins.
Rich - A fool, with 530 AS points.
Kris - Good luck on the move!!

Week 7:

When in doubt, go back to first principles.  Try as they might, teams can't fool The Ship.  And The Ship doesn't fool itself.  If nothing else, Full of Ship has never been full of ship.  Anyway, let me give you the full gist of fullness that was The Ship, to the fullest.

John started the night this week, and pulled a split to start.  Rich followed with two wins, but he was just fooling himself, as we'll see later.  Andrew began his onslaught of AS points with 225 in his games, plus a split.  Darian gave The Ship another split, and we were off to a 5-3 lead after S501.

The Ship can't fool anyone in Cricket, and this week was more of the same.  Andrew / John split the first two games, and Rich / Darian split the second two, as the wheels inexplicable fell off in the second game.  Still, The Ship was up 7-5 after Cricket.

Rich / Darian continued their slide into D501, dropping both games to start things off.  But John / Andrew came through with a sweep of the last two games, giving The Ship a 9-7 win for the night.

Props:
Andrew - Four wins, and all of the Ship's AS points for the night (350).

Week 8:

"Be wise with speed; a fool at forty is a fool indeed." -- Edward Young

As the wise old masters of the NYDO, The Ship has seen it all when it comes to darts.  As we approach forty, we happily pass along the accumulated wisdom of the ages to other darters.  Whether it is a quick tip on simple math, or the genesis of dart terms, or the best double-out option, we are quick to help out.  But just when we think we've seen it all, along comes something new, like a one-armed player, which even we are not sure how to handle.

Rich got us out of the blocks slowly with a split, but Andrew and John both quickly picked up speed with two sweeps.  Dave pulled the One-Armed Bandit in the final game, and got unlucky as he dropped both.  But, The Ship had sprinted out to an early 5-3 lead.

When it comes to Cricket, even the wisdom of Mitch Cumstein cannot help out The Ship.  Rich / Andrew only managed a split in the opener, despite leading both games early on.  But Dave / John were again framed by the one-armed man, and they dropped both games, and the match was now tied 6-6.

Dave / John went back out to start D501, and finally defeated One Arm Joe.  Rich / Andrew also split their final two games, and The Ship ended a long night with an 8-8 tie.  Which is lucky, in Haiti.  How 'bout a Fresca?

Props:
Fred - Not yet a fool, but only a year away.

Week 9:

In my opinion, The Ship is the cleverest of all, because we throw darts at least once a week.  Unfortunately, we have only been winning matches about once a month.  It seems like it's been a year since I have written, but hopefully this write-up will let you see The Ship more clearly, love The Ship more dearly, and follow The Ship more nearly, day by day by day.

In an instant, things got started on a good note, as Rich won the first game of the night.  But, like sands through the hourglass, the games ticked away and The Ship could not find another win in S501.

After what seemed like eons, The Ship scored a win in the opener of Cricket from Fred / Mindy. But Rich / John were unable to post a win, and The Ship had fallen hours behind in the race that is darts, down a 10-2 hole.

Rich / Mindy only took a minute to win the first game of D501.  Fred / John ended the long night with a win, but the night ended at four to twelve for The Ship.

Props:
Mindy - For tracking the Shippy, and taking the lead.

Week 10:

Week 11:

The golden rule is that it's better to be lucky than good.  Well, The Ship could use a little luck, and it wouldn't help to get a little good thrown in, as well.  But win or lose, you must trust The Ship, because only a fool would not.

The Ship pulled out the pick-axes this week and panned for a few wins.  But Rich started out finding only rocks in the first two games.  Andrew came up with a gem in his round, though.  Then Mindy came up dry in two game, but Darian pulled out a diamond in the rough to give The Ship two wins.

Rich / Andrew scraped up some dust for a one win to start Cricket.  And Darian / Mindy played a noble round to pull out a win and give The Ship another two wins.

Darian / Mindy started out D501 dropping two games, before Darian hit the road to karaoke.  But Rich / Andrew hit the mother lode in the last round and pulled out two wins, making the final score a 10-6 loss for The Ship

Props:
Andrew - For digging up three wins.

Week 12:

Week13 :

Week 14: