Here we are, on the road again. Here we are, up on the stage. There we go, playin' darts again, there we go, turn the page.
It's always good to be back, and this season is no different. It's also good to welcome new players to the squad, and to see the wily old veterans of the team. This week, the old and the new came together, and we played as though we'd never been away.
Rich started the season off with a win right out of the box, and a split in the first match-up. Despite claims of being "not sharp," Andrew followed up with a sweep in his two games, as did Fred. Dave dropped two tough games, but The Ship was off and running in the Fall 2009 season with a 5-3 lead.
Steve made his inaugural outing, joining Rich in the first round of Cricket and earning a split. Dave / Andrew played two very close games, and also earned a split, making the score 7-5 after two rounds.
Already warmed-up and throwing well, Dave / Andrew went back out to start D501, and promptly swept both games they played. Rich / Steve wrapped up the night with a split, in front of a sparse crowd. The strong outing for The Ship ended with a 10-6 win and good prospects for the rest of the season.
Props: Andrew - For putting the screws to the opposition right off the bat. Steve - For hitting .500 in his rookie outing.
Week 2:
Screwed
Some nights, you know you're screwed. If you bring a knife to a gun fight? Screwed. If you come home with lipstick on your shirt collar? Screwed. And if you bring two players to a darts match? Screwed. And so it was this week for our opponents.
Despite the favorable odds, Rich split the first two games of the night. But Andrew swept two games, followed by two rounds of forfeits. And just like that, The Ship was up 7-1.
Cricket was quick and painless, as John / Steve swept both of their games. And with another forfeit win, The Ship was out to an 11-1 lead.
Rich / Andrew played D501, and split their games, making Rich responsible for both losses on the night. With the final forfeit, the night ended with The Ship delivering a 14-2 shellacking.
Props: Steve - For an undefeated (wind-aided) night, plus his first-ever All Star points.
Week 3:
Screwy
Darts is nothing if not a screwy game. Some nights you have it, some nights you don't. Some nights you can play well and lose, and some nights, even if you don't have it, you can win. On this night, most everything fell in place for The Ship and we reaped the benefits.
Rich started out with two quick wins, including a Ton-40 and a Ton-20. Andrew followed with a split, and then John swept his round. Steve dropped both games, but The Ship still held a 5-3 lead after S501.
In what has become a new trend, The Ship dominated Cricket. Andrew / John split the first round, but Rich / Dave swept both games in the finishing round, to extend The Ship's lead to 8-4.
In D501, we did just enough to hold our lead for the night, as Dave / Steve were swept in the opener, but Rich / Andrew took both ends to finish the night, on the strength of Andrew's doubles. The final score was a screwy 10-6 Ship win, but we will gladly take it.
Props: Rich - A clean sweep in six games.
Week 4:
Scrooge McDuck
Bah humbug. No game this week.
Week 5:
Screw Loose
It has been said that you need to have a screw loose to play darts every week. It is safe to say that we have seen some funky characters in this league, and we are clearly a little looney for doing this for nine years. This was another crazy, unpredictable week for The Ship.
Rich opened the night continuing a recent S501 run with two wins against an old foe, in a game that featured 335 AS points. Andrew split two tough games, and John was swept in round three. The birthday girl wrapped up the first round with a split, and it was looking like an even match at 4-4 after S501.
For the first time all season, The Ship hit a rough spot during Cricket. Rich / Andrew dropped the first game and barely salvaged a split in the opener. When John / Darian dropped both ends of their round, suddenly the night was not looking so even, with The Ship trailing 7-5.
But Andrew / John but The Ship back on track with a supremely impressive start to D501, as they delivered a good-old-fashioned midget tossing in game one. Their split put The Ship in position to salvage a tie for the night, if Rich / Darian could deliver a sweep. And deliver they did, with Darian delivering the final dart of the night. So The Ship had come back to get a hard-fought split for the night, and maintained a hold on first-place overall.
Props: Andrew / John - It's been a while since we've seen a tossing.
Week 6:
Screwed, Blued and Tattooed
This is a season in which the (first place) Ship is going to surprise a lot of people. And with Michael added back to the roster, the already powerful squad got even better this week. So don't turn your back on The Ship, or we might leave you screwed, blued and tattooed.
This week started out as a brawl, with each team trading heavyweight punches in the first round. Rich lost the first game in a close on, and snuck out a win in the second to get things going. Turner was chivalrous in his games, dropping both. But John came back with a split and Michael returned to action with a sweep, and Round 1 was ruled a 4-4 draw.
Rich / Andrew dropped the first game of Cricket, and our opponents might have thought they were in the clear. But then - just like that - The Ship dropped the hammer. Rich / Andrew won their second game, and Michael / John swept both of their rounds, including a C3 finish from Michael. After two rounds, The Ship was out to a 7-5 lead.
Michael / John went right back out for D501 and earned a split. Rich / Andrew finished the night with a sweep, on the strength of two double-outs from Turner. Bang! Just lkie that The Ship scored a TKO with a 10-6 win.
Props: Michael - Five wins in a triumphant return. Rich - The current Division C All-Star points leader.
Week 7:
Screw Cap
There is nothing like popping the top off a cold stout. Smooth, refreshing, and just hits the spot... just like The Ship hit the spot on this night at Stout.
We popped the top on the night and unleashed a stream of wins. Both Rich and Michael swept their S501 games. But, after Dave was swept in his two games, Andrew swept his round. With three sweeps in our favor, The Ship leapt out to a 6-2 lead.
The matchups in Cricket were a bit of a twist(off), as Rich / Dave started things off and were only able to earn a split. John / Fred uncorked a win in their first game, and earned a split as well and The Ship held on to an 8-4 lead.
It was time to pop the champagne cork after D501. Michael / John took the second of their two games, both of which were thrillers. Rich / Andrew swept both games, nearly tossing a midget in the process. With three wins, the final score was a lid lifting 11-5 Ship win.
Props: Andrew - Undefeated, and a master of the double-out.
Week 8:
Screw You Guys, We're Going Home
There is no place like home. With home field advantage, home cookin', and homeboys, it is guaranteed to deliver that down home feeling. After nearly a month away, it was good to be back home at SOF in front of cheering fans, and as always, home treated us well.
Rich rolled out the welcome mat with two wins to start. Turner drew the short straw in the blind lineup contest and was swept in two games. Michael came back with two wins, and Darian played homemaker with a split in the final two games. The 5-3 lead was comforting, and the home crowd was warming up to the action.
Rich / Andrew met some home wreckers in the first game of Cricket, but they came back to clean house in game two. Michael / John hit a home run on both ends of their Cricket match, putting The Ship up 8-4.
It was home sweet home all the way in D501. John / Dave led off with a sweep, including some strong double outs. Rich / Andrew kept the crowd around for a while, as the final game came down to an endless battle for double-one. But two wins meant a sweep of all four D501 games, a 12-4 Ship victory, and a happy ride home for the fans.
Props: Chris & Dan - For coming out for RINYC. Andrew - For the theme.
Week 9:
Screw Up
I really do appreciate, the fact you're playing darts on Monday. This week, many people accommodated my personal need to move our usual Tuesday match, so I could attend a Jimmy Buffett concert. And, to paraphrase Jimmy, the bar maid brought a pitcher, another round of brew. And honey, we sure did get drunk and I screwed us.
Despite playing at Bleecker Street, a favorite of The Ship, it was an uncomfortable Monday. First off, we were all confused by the day, and as Turner said, this was supposed to be our "throw day," not a game night. Plus, we were cramped in a corner because there were two matches being played. The discomfort showed early, as both Rich and Andrew dropped two S501 games. Dave got us off the schneid with a win, and John made us feel a little better with two wins. But The Ship was in a weird position, down 5-3, and the plan to play on Monday was not looking good.
Cricket was equally disconcerting, as Rich / Andrew split, despite playing heads and tails above their opponents. John / Fred also split, and The Ship was down 7-5 after Cricket.
John / Dave ran into a Monday buzzsaw to start D501 and dropped both games. Rich / Andrew salvaged a little bit of the night with two wins to end the evening Overall, though, it was a rough night, as The Ship lost its first match of the season. I just bought a water bed, it's filled up for me and you... can dunk me in it.
Props: Andrew - Dominating the AS points with 415.
Week 10:
Screwed Over
Let it never be said that The Ship's updates are not topical. And since everyone else is talking about Mr. Woods' recent troubles, why shouldn't we? Plus, given the fact that one of the ladies in the Tiger's Den will soon appear in a movie entitled "Screwed Over," it magically fits the theme. So let's dedicate this one to Tiger and Holly Sampson. Sometimes, these updates just write themselves...
We hopped on our carts, grabbed our caddies and teed off this week at The Edge. But The Ship had a bit of trouble backing out of the driveway to start the night. Rich threw up an eagle in the first round, winning both games. Andrew, John and Dave all cashed in birdies with splits across the board. So, lightly loaded on Ambien, The Ship had a few dings in its SUV, but escaped leading 5-3. But the other team was hot on our tail, ready to crack our heads with a golf club if we weren't careful.
We approached the turn, and suddenly the wins started to accumulate like Tiger's list. Rich / Andrew dropped the first game of Cricket, as the other team holed out on the 18th with a double-bull comeback. But we bounced back with a win in game two. Michael / Steve took home a set of green jackets with a sweep, putting The Ship up 8-4 and on the way to matching Jack Nicklaus' career major record.
Rich / Andrew knocked it stiff in the D501 opener with two wins. Michael / John tapped it for a win in the final game, giving The Ship an 11-5 win for the night. Take your name off your phone.... Props: Steve - Two wins in his triumphant return.
Week 11:
Scrooged
I was a captain of industry, feared by men, adored by women.
ADORED? C'mon, let's be honest, Lew. You PAID for the women.
(OK, technically this is a continuation of last week's recap.)
No game this week.
Week 12:
Screwed The Pooch
Sometimes, if you need to deliver bad news, at least you can present it in a nice package. That is exactly my strategy this week, given our recent performance. It was ugly, but I'm hoping you will be distracted by the shiny new website.
Heading in to the week's action, The Ship was in first place by a seemingly comfortable six points. Although we were facing the second-place team, anything better than an 11-5 loss would keep us atop the league. But, before we could say "Upper East Side Democratic Party," The Ship was in deep trouble, dropping six of the eight S501 games. Only Andrew helped stave off defeat, winning both of his games.
But, just like the Democrats' new healthcare bill, things got much, much worse in Cricket. Rich / Andrew dropped both in the opener, despite leading by a mile in game two. John / Darian also dropped two, and suddenly things were looking very bad for The Ship's lead.
The final, punishing blows were delivered in D501, as The Ship was once again swept away. The 14-2 loss was a doozy, and left The Ship six points out of first place. But, we have two weeks to make it back up before we head to the playoffs.
Props: Andrew - The only wins of the night.
Week13 :
Screw It. Let's Do It
Happy New Year! As 2010 opens its arms to The Ship, things are looking bright. There is change afoot for the entire Ship family, the team is sailing into the playoffs, and we are playing free-and-easy and having fun each week. So, like a good NFL team that has locked up a spot in the playoffs, these last few weeks are a chance to tune up for the big games.
Rich posted two wins to start the night, as we came back from the long vacation with a rusty, but positive start. Michael dropped two games in a bit of a shocker, as did Andrew. But Steve came back and earned a split to put us down 5-3 after S501.
Rich / Andrew opened up Cricket with a desire to put last week's drubbing behind them, and two wins helped to that end. Michael / Darian dropped two games leaving Michael a bit speechless and the Ship down 7-5.
John / Steve worked out some kinks to start D501, but dropped both games. And the night ended with Rich / Andrew continuing to bounce back from last week with a sweep in D501. The final score was a 7-9 loss for the Ship, but an easy-breezy casual night for all. Next week is the last week of the regular season, and then it is off to the playoffs. I will see you there, or I will see you on another time.
Here we are, on the road again. Here we are, up on the stage. There we go, playin' darts again, there we go, turn the page. 
Some nights, you know you're screwed. If you bring a knife to a gun fight? Screwed. If you come home with lipstick on your shirt collar? Screwed. And if you bring two players to a darts match? Screwed. And so it was this week for our opponents. 
Darts is nothing if not a screwy game. Some nights you have it, some nights you don't. Some nights you can play well and lose, and some nights, even if you don't have it, you can win. On this night, most everything fell in place for The Ship and we reaped the benefits. 
It has been said that you need to have a screw loose to play darts every week. It is safe to say that we have seen some funky characters in this league, and we are clearly a little looney for doing this for nine years. This was another crazy, unpredictable week for The Ship.
This is a season in which the (first place) Ship is going to surprise a lot of people. And with Michael added back to the roster, the already powerful squad got even better this week. So don't turn your back on The Ship, or we might leave you screwed, blued and tattooed.
There is nothing like popping the top off a cold stout. Smooth, refreshing, and just hits the spot... just like The Ship hit the spot on this night at Stout. 
I really do appreciate, the fact you're playing darts on Monday. This week, many people accommodated my personal need to move our usual Tuesday match, so I could attend a Jimmy Buffett concert. And, to paraphrase Jimmy, the bar maid brought a pitcher, another round of brew. And honey, we sure did get drunk and I screwed us. 
I was a captain of industry, feared by men, adored by women.
Sometimes, if you need to deliver bad news, at least you can present it in a nice package. That is exactly my strategy this week, given our recent performance. It was ugly, but I'm hoping you will be distracted by the shiny new website.
Happy New Year! As 2010 opens its arms to The Ship, things are looking bright. There is change afoot for the entire Ship family, the team is sailing into the playoffs, and we are playing free-and-easy and having fun each week. So, like a good NFL team that has locked up a spot in the playoffs, these last few weeks are a chance to tune up for the big games.