Week 1:

The Spring 2004 season kicked-off with much anticipation, as the re-vamped squad hit the field.  

The night started out looking bright, with Fred, Andrew and Mindy posting wins in S501.  However, The Ship hit its usual stumbling block, only able to pick up one point in Cricket.  Despite three strong D501 games, we scored one with in D501, giving us a final score of 6-12 on the night.

Despite a rocky start to the season, the hopes for The Ship remain high, as we continue on our road to the Championship.

Props:
Andrew - Erasing any thought of a sophomore jinx.
Fred - Asserting his presence with authority.
Dave - Winning games and making friends.

Week 2:

In S501, we came out firing, drilling holes in the competition and bagging five wins, including wins by Rebecca and Glenn to finish out the round.  The guns kept blazing in Cricket, with Adam / Fred notching a win in game 1, and Rich / Glenn nabbing a 2 pointer with a sweep.  In D501, Rich / Adam flushed out another win for the final 2 points of the night.

The Ship ended up with a 10-8 victory, solidly shaking off the first week jitters and showing its true colors.  Plus, the win counter-acted the miserable showing by Lehigh, and erased the need for a game of Russian Roulette.

Props:
Rich - At least someone from Lehigh can rebound.
Rebecca / Glenn / Adam - For notching their first trophies.

Week 3:

Early in the evening, we unpacked the McGuffin, in the hopes that it would help us trap the lions in the Scottish Highlands.  Unfortunately, a series of close games in S501 only netted two wins, from Rich and Rebecca. However, we gave away a point in a forfeit, which we probably could have gotten if Rich had negotiated better with the HOD captain.

The spirit of Cricket past continued to haunt us, as Fred / Glenn lost two tough matches despite leading, and we were only able to earn splits in the next two matches.  With only 4 points going into D501, we needed a surprise witness to escape prosecution.

In the last round, Glenn / Adam played a steady game and staged a comeback to score two points.  Then, Rebecca doubled-in and doubled-out in the final game, to pick up the final two points of the night.  The night ended with a 8-10 loss for The Ship, and Mrs. Danvers going mad.

Props:
Rebecca - Three wins, you little fool.
Hitch - For directing.

Week 4:

The match kicked off casually late, and time immediately stood still when The Ship dropped the first three games.  Although we managed to split 3-3, the round seemed to last forever while both teams struggled to double out.

In Cricket, Adam rang the bell by scoring his first AS points.  Rich / Rebecca turned back the clock to last week, by posting another sweep, and the match was tied 6-6.  Fred / Andrew gave us a chance to win the night by when Andrew threw a 51-out to win.  But ratso, Glenn / Rich ran out of time and lost the last game, ending the long day around midnight with another 8-10 loss for The Ship.

Props:
Rutgers - Clutch OT win, deserving of #66.
Tasha Butts - It's good to have a Butts in the clutch.

Week 5:

Although the night seemed start as a big party, Rich went against the family in the first game and lost.  Fred and Andrew restored the family honor with two wins, but The Ship ended S501 down 4-2 and only a meeting of the Five Families could restore order.

Called up at the last minute, Glenn arrived and quickly took care of business.  Along with Fred, he swept the first two Cricket games, and made sure to take the cannoli when he finished.  Aaron, playing in his inaugural match, badda-beep, badda-bap, badda-boop, badda-beep, earned a split along with Andrew.  In the last match-up, Rich / Rebecca showed that in darts it's not personal, it's strictly business, as they rolled in a sweep, and Rebecca scored her first AS points.

Holding a 7-5 lead heading into D501, The Ship appeared to be taking care of all family business.  But Fred / Rebecca were forced to answer for Santino, and they lost the first game.  In game 2, Rich / Aaron ended up swimming with the fishes like Tony Soprano.  But in the final match, Glenn / Andrew put a bullet in Moe Green's eye, scoring a win and securing a 9-9 tie for the night.

Props:
Glenn - 3 big wins.  Grazie.
Andrew - 3 wins, 342 AS points.  Pezzonovante.

Week 6:

Our opponents had trouble parking, causing a delay in the start of the night.  While they were driving, they should have made sure to fasten their seatbelts, because it was going to be a bumpy night.  Rich and Andrew posted early wins, and then we waited through a long delay before Adam finally got a chance to play and win.  But with Adam's win in the last game, the match was tied 3-3.

Our Cricket round was very unlike last week.  Rich / Rebecca were swept in game one, and Glenn / Andrew were swept in game three.  In the middle, Fred / Adam managed a split.  If nothing else, there was applause... like waves of love pouring over the footlights. But despite the accolades, we were down 8-4 going into D501, and needed a sweep to win the night.

Fred / Andrew started things out with a solid match and a win. Glenn / Rebecca took a while to get going, but they combined to get out quickly with 70 points on the board, for the second win.  In the last game, Rich / Adam were in a horse race, but hit a double-1 to eek out a victory and complete the D501 sweep.  The D501 sweep gave us a much-needed 6 points, and a 10-8 win for the night.

There are very few moments in life as good as this. Let's remember it. To each of us and all of us, never have we been more close, may we never be farther apart.

Props:
Adam - 3 wins / 4 points.  May you regard this great honor not so much as an award for what you have achieved, but a standard to hold against what you have yet to accomplish.

Week 7:

The Tomcats were almost set-up to take a dive, because they only had five people facing us all night.  In S501, Fred and Rich started things off with wins.  Rebecca nailed a quick double-out to end her game, and then Mindy did the same.  With Glenn's forfeit win, we had 5 points early on.

To start out Cricket, Glenn / Andrew played 2-on-1 and swept.  Rich / Rebecca earned a split in their 2 games, and Fred / Mindy came back in both games to give us a sweep and another 5 points.

Glenn / Andrew started D501 with a win in game 1, as they narrowly edged out the other team in a double-out contest.  Fred / Mindy had another comeback victory, with Mindy shocking everyone with her 3 / double-1 out.  In the last game, Rich / Rebecca played 2-on-1 and cruised to a win to complete the D501 sweep.  With a short squad, the Tomcats ended up buying a one-way ticket to Palooka-ville, and The Ship scored a big 16-2 win.

Props:
Mindy - Coming off the bench with a broom.
Mindy's Bad Boy - Sweep, plus 200 AS points.

Week 8:

Things were iffy when the night began, as The Ship seemed like it might not field a full squad.  But Andrew kept his perfect attendance intact, Aaron pulled off a double-header, and Fred took planes, trains and automobiles to make sure we fielded six.  Rich started things off with a 3-dart 67-out to roll in game one.  Mindy took one for the team, but Rebecca won, followed by Aaron's first-ever S501 win.  Fred's presence caused something that has never happened in a night:  he so rattled his opponent that he not only won, but she also left for the night, leaving only 5 players on their team.  Up 4-2 after S501, the power of the mascot was with us on this night.

Cricket started with a scare, as Andrew / Aaron dropped two games.  But Rich / Rebecca were lucky to get to play 2-on-1 and scored a sweep.  Fred / Mindy played very well in earning a split in their games, giving The Ship a 7-5 lead going into D501 and a good chance to win the night.

Fred / Mindy played a tight match in game one, but got caught in the end and lost game one.  In game two, Aaron / Andrew played 2-on-1 and stayed the course to post a come from behind win.  In the last game, Rich / Rebecca watched a 200+ point lead disappear, mostly due to the Ton-80 that was thrown against them.  But they held tough, and completed the win with a quick 2-dart 42-out.

With an 11-7 win, The Ship posted its fourth outright win of the season, and avenged an Opening Day loss. Plus, we proved that we belong among the elite of the league, as we continue on the road to the playoffs.  Luckily for us, our cheering section just grew by one.

Props:
Darian - One more might be enough to get us a trophy.
Fred - Train don't run out of Wichita... unlessin' you're a hog or a cattle. People train runs out of Stubbville.
Rebecca - Sweep, plus 193 AS points.

Week 9:

In the first three games of S501, Rich / Rebecca / Fred all fell behind, only to come back and burn their competition.  With Glenn's win in the fifth game, The Ship jumped out to a 4-2 lead and the sparks started to fly.

But once the AC kicked in, a cool wind blew through the bar and put a chill into The Ship.  Adam / Fred dropped the first two games of Cricket and Rich / Rebecca got doused with water in their games, including having an R9 thrown against them.  But Glenn / Andrew were white hot, and nothing could cool them off, as they swept both of their games.

Four Cricket losses and a 6-6 tie were just enough to stoke the fire inside The Ship.  Fred / Glenn posted a win in game one of D501.  Rich / Rebecca jumped out to a 250 point lead, and cruised to a win in game two.  In the last game, Andrew / Adam posted another comeback win for The Ship, completing the the D501 sweep.  The 12-6 win continued our hot streak, and might help us move up into third place.  Simply put: En Fuego.

Props:
Glenn - A sweep.  So hot he was cool.
Andrew - 3 wins and 321 AS points.  Smokin'.

Week 10:

Things started smoothly, with The Ship and HOD alternating wins to start out the night.  Then Aaron showed up and scored a win in the final game, to give The Ship an early 4-2 lead.

Aaron kept the momentum going in Cricket, scoring his first All Star points, and he and Fred split their games.  But, despite a lot of close games, The Ship was only able to manage one more point in Cricket (due to Rebecca's clutch play) and the match was all tied at 6-6.

D501 started out strong, with a win from Glenn / Rebecca.  Aaron / Andrew ran into a tough team and dropped game two, leaving the match tied once again.  In the last game, Rich / Fred jumped out to a lead, and were ahead the entire game.  But, they couldn't close the door and got nipped at the end, and The Ship lost its first game in the last 6 weeks by a score of 8-10.

This loss really stung.  Almost everyone felt that they didn't play their best and we had a bunch of close games and a chance to take the night.  Despite our erratic play, we scored an impressive 887 AS points as a team, and we played well against the top team in the division, which will help maintain our playoff position.

Props:
Fred - Deadly as a scorpion.
Aaron - Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Week 11:

Rich started things off with a slight diversion, by sending everyone on the team to the wrong bar.  Once we finally made our way to the right place, Fred started things off with a win that was true blue.  Andrew posted a win, but jet lag caught up to Rich, Mindy and Glenn, and The Ship was off course early on.

In the second leg of our journey, Fred / Mindy played two harrowing games of Cricket, resulting in a split.  Glen / Andrew also scored a split, despite playing an abominable game of whist, sir.  Once Rebecca arrived from her cross-town journey, she and Rich swept their games.  But the exchange rate from the UES was too much for Rebecca, and she dropped her S501 game.  Although dizzy from all the travel, The Ship managed to come out of Cricket in a 6-6 tie.

As we boarded the red-eye for the ride home, Glenn / Rebecca started out D501 with an enormous comeback to get The Ship a crucial win.  Fred / Andrew played a solid game for a win in the second game.  In between games, Mindy decided to travel some more, by taking a round trip to the UES.  She rushed back in time to play the last game with Rich.  (I never will understand you city folk. Always rushing, rushing, rushing, always in a hurry. That's why you have stomach trouble.)  After she came back to the bar, she and Rich had another comeback, getting down to 40 after being down over 350 points.  Unfortunately, they were not able to put the game away.

In the end, The Ship logged over 50 miles as a team, and more importantly got back on the winning trail with a 10-8 win for the night.

Props:
Fred - First class frequent flier upgrade.
Andrew - Bought a round trip ticket on the east bound train.

Week 12:

Despite having the team mascot on hand to root for the squad, the night started out on a tough note, with Rich scoring 313 AS points in the first game and still managing to lose.  But in a precursor to the rest of the evening, Glenn stepped up and won game two.  The Ship also got wins from Mindy, Fred, and Dave (with a clutch performance in a rare relief appearance), and after S501 we led 4-2.

Glenn went back out to start Cricket, and he and Fred swept both of their games.  This proved to be critical, as Andrew / Mindy and Rich / Rebecca both got swept in the next two games, leaving the match tied 6-6 after Cricket.

Once again, the squad looked to Glenn to lead the way, and he completed a perfect night by posting a win in game one of D501 with Rebecca.  In game two, Rich / Mindy made up for last week by winning their D501 game.  Despite a loss in the final game, The Ship ended up with another win for the season, posting a final score of 10-8.

In the two weeks against Love Machine, Glenn won 7 out of the 8 games he played, and posted a total of 460 AS points.  Truly an award-winning performance.

Glenn - They don't fear you Glenn, they just dread you.

Week 13:

Fred began the combat with a fierce fight, but surprisingly he lost, causing the team to think "this is bad, man, I've got bad vibes here." But Rich and Mindy followed up with two wins, and when Rebecca arrived and won her game, The Ship had a 3-3 tie, despite having to forfeit one game.

In Cricket, Aaron stepped up and took a bullet for the squad, playing 2-on-1 and losing both games.  In game two, Fred / Mindy came to his rescue with a split.  In the final game, Rich / Rebecca stormed the barracks and won both games, giving The Ship an improbable 6-6 tie after Cricket.

But Rich / Aaron were ambushed in the first game of D501, dropping their game.  Mindy sacrificed herself in game two, losing in a 2-on-1 bid.  In the final game, Fred / Rebecca came close, but got nabbed at the end.  So The Ship was swept in D501, and ended up losing 6-12. Of course, we've been kicking other peoples asses for so long, I figured it's time we got ours kicked.

Mindy - For taking one for the team, plus 2 wins.
Aaron - For taking two for the team, in front of your girlfriend.
Fred - Belated props for throwing a C3 4 weeks in a row.
Rebecca - Three wins, despite a late start.
Rich - 3 wins and possibly enough AS points to make the All Star Team.

Week 14:

Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?  Well, our name is Gladiator.  We fought and battled through a long season, and walked away with a very successful campaign.

Our final week didn't matter much in the standings, but we still put on quite a show in the Colusseum.  In S501, we notched four wins, with Rich / Glenn / Fred & Rebecca all slaying the lions.  We posted another four wins in Cricket, with two splits from Glenn / Andrew and Fred / Mindy, and a sweep from Rich / Rebecca.  In the final round, we closed things out in style with a D501 sweep, to give us a big 14-4 win as we head to the playoffs.

And now on to the real fun...At my signal, unleash hell!

Season Notes:

This was by far the best FOS season ever.  We had 8 wins, 1 tie and 5 losses, and scored 138 total points (68 Home / 70 on the Road).  We scored more team points and more team All Star points than we have in any of our previous six seasons, and we easily made the playoffs for only the second time in our history.

Season-Ending Props:

By far, the bright spots on the night were Fred and Glenn, who played absolutely lights out all night.  They each won their S501 games and together swept both Cricket games, including a C3 by Glenn to win the second one.  Adam also played well, coming back with a big S501 win to give The Ship hope early on that we could prevail.

But the band started playing when Andrew / Adam and Rich / Rebecca were all swept in Cricket.  Facing a tough battle to even get a tie, we fell short and our season ended quite unceremoniously. 

Despite the tough loss, it was still a great season, as always.  I hope you all had as much fun as I did, and maybe we can do it again next season.

Cut, print, that's a wrap.  Roll credits.  Fade to black...

Props:
Darian, Jeremy, Seth, and everyone else that came out to cheer us on.