the Mt. Carmel Shuffleboard League came to a close a few weeks ago, and this year was like no other!

The Clover Hose had been leading the league for weeks, while Dorko’s kept within striking distance.  (striking distance is also known as “second place”, for anyone keeping score at home). 

when the final week of the season came around, nothing was settled.  the Clover’s had their fate in their own hands.  win out, and take the championship.  stumble, and anything could happen.  but, winning every single game in a match is not something that you can be reasonably expected to do.  and the Clover’s dropped a game midway through, which opened the door. 

Dorko’s couldn’t be expected to run the table either.  and over the course of the night they too dropped a game.  and it looked like hope for the title had been lost.  and then the unexpected happened.  the clover’s dropped another game.  and the room at Dorko’s filled with players from various teams wanting to see how the season would wrap up.

the pressure was on!  and the final Dorko’s shooters rose to the task, and finished the season with a string of winning games.  and where did that leave everyone standing?

Both Teams TIED For First Place !!

In the Shuffleboard League, each invdividual game is counted, and after MONTHS of playing, both teams had the same number of wins!  apparently this the first time that two teams stood at the top of the standings together, and there was no tie-breaking rule in place to handle the situation.  and after much discussion it was agreed that the shuffleboard season was long, and if two teams tied, that’s how it ends. 

Co-Champions!!!

congratulations to the shooters from BOTH teams for your year-long efforts on the board!  it was an excellent season, that was thrilling, and fun!  the only problem is that since the games were so important, i didn’t want to catch anyone off guard with a camera flash, and so we don’t have any picts!  maybe we can get some at the party!

Saturday Night was full of fun.  Once again we had a Weekend Karaoke party, with Tony Tone spinning the tunes.  A BIG series of thumbs up goes out to the fellows who began the day in Baltimore after the Preakness party, and made their way back home only to keep the Party going until the wee hours of the morning!

[photopress:peaceTrio.jpg,full,pp_image]

Shick and Randy did a great job keeping the liquid love flowing!  there were some seriously cool performances on the mike.  My favorite at any of these parties is Sammy doing a rousing rendition of Baby’s Got Back!  how can you NOT love it?!?!

[photopress:dogPileOnKaraoke.jpg,full,pp_image]

after it came time to hand the microphones back in, the music continued to play.  we don’t have an actual dance floor, but i think that stopped exactly NO ONE from busting out their moves.  it was awesome!  from the whole room doing the Dougie to the spontaneous dance offs, it was great fun.  and yes Hookie, we will do it again

[photopress:samTitChumley.jpg,full,pp_image]

oh, a Big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to Dina.

[photopress:dinaBday.jpg,full,pp_image]

thanks to everyone for coming out and partying with us!  we will be sure to do it again!

the dart season really ends with the High Low games. we recently held the High Low tourney for the Spring session, and a good time was had by all!

Georgie Leshock stepped things up by hopping in the kitchen and ripping up stromboli and pizza pies that were praised both LOUDLY, and for DAYS following the party.   and the loudly thing has nothing to do with Traci, the praise came in from across the board.

Oh, and we shot darts too!  Cookie and Curtis paired up for the day.  they didn’t get much momentum though as Cookie found it too hard to carry Curtis far into the tourney.

Teams that did make it through the first few rounds include Zig and Mike Kerrick, Georgie and Ed, and the pairing of Timmy and Sinko.  As the day wears on it becomes apparent that tournament darts are a combination of dart skill, and physical endurance.

when the finals came, Ed and George were on the Catbird Seat.  but Timmy and Sinko battled and after the first match (2 out of 3 falls), things were even.  And in the FINAL finale, timmy and Sinko came out on top again, fighting their way through the One Loss bracket and going all the way to the top!!

Congrat Guys – Well Played !!

[photopress:hiLoSpring2011.jpg,full,pp_image]

since the beginning of baseball season we’ve been gathering at the tavern on Sunday afternoons to see what Shicky is up to and catch a few ballgames. and, everyone who has stopped in has been given the chance to sign a slip of paper, and have their name basically “added to the barrel”. This past Sunday was the day we “rolled out the barrel” and started picking names.

at the ends of the innings names were chosen, and people won T Shirts, Phillies Pints, ballcaps and more. finally, the big prize came up for the claiming. A Pair of Tickets to see the Phils, and you get to choose form a line up of games!

Holly picked a slip from the batch, and the name on the paper was Kaitlyn McGinley. Kaitlyn is certainly a Phils fan, but she decided to take a pass on the tickets and let someone else have a chance at the prize. after all, she can pretty much see the Phils anytime, and spreading some good karma is always a good idea! so, on the redraw we found someone who became a very happy camper . . .

[photopress:chilidogPhilstickets.jpg,full,pp_image]

Chili Dog!!

Last night was the exciting conclusion to two series that were bound to end.  The Flyers faced the Sabres in game 7 of the NHL playoffs.  But all eyes were on the Dartboard in the corner as Team Ponytail and Nate’s Crew faced off AGAIN.  this would be the last time this season, and the winner of this two out of three falls battle would hold the Championship Trophies for the rest of time!

this time Nate was there from the very beginning.  just for the record.

in the first game, Timmy Wargo and Sinko led their teams with 39′s.  the difference in the game were the combo of Josh Mall, and Aaron who both put up scores in the 30′s, and pushed Team Ponytail on to Victory.

with his team trailing 1-0 in the series Tony Ford nailed a 37 game, leading all shooters in Game 2.  combined with skinner’s 31, Nate’s Crew took game 2.  and that meant that after all this time, last week’s playoffs coupled with the battling they did during the regular season, it all comes down to a final game where the winner takes all!

but, before we recap that moment, here’s a snapshot of the fellows that performed best during the season.

[photopress:spring2011TopShots.jpg,full,pp_image]

Curt Susnoski put up a 56 that stood as high game for the season.  Nate took the high average award.  Great shooting guys!!

Now, back to the action . . .

in the 3rd inning Nate’s Crew slipped, posting a 9 inning with four shooters. Josh/Aaron/Timmy/Randy never gave up the lead.  In fact, when given the chance Aaron threw the dart that was to be the last nail . . .

[photopress:spring2011KillerDart.jpg,full,pp_image]

Timmy Wargo (40)  and Josh Mall (41) both shot well in the deciding game.

Josh was pretty excitied by the win . . .

[photopress:joshHandful.jpg,full,pp_image]

eventually we convinced him to share the trophies . . .

[photopress:spring2011Champs.jpg,full,pp_image]

despite hitting a White Horse in the 9th inning doing his best to help his team come from behind and take the title, Tony was able to accept defeat graciously . . .

[photopress:heyBears.jpg,full,pp_image]

Thankfully, darts are not completely over.  we still have the HIGH LOW TOURNAMENT to look forward to on May 7th!!!  1 pm start!

and before that – THIS WEEKEND we will be having a STEEL TIP TOURNAMENT.  Random draw partners, alternating between Cricket and 501 (open in, double out).  if you’re an American shooter and aren’t sure of how the games go, no worries.  your partner will be sure to help you out.  it’s funny to say that, but really, that’s the way it works.

it’s a great time, with darts in the air all day long.  we’ll have a last man standing game, and of course the triples event will be something that everyone looks forward to.

the kitchen will be open, and sign ins start at noon!

The Season of the Mad Elf has passed, and that left the Craft Brew beer tap open. After auditioning several brews, we have a winner!

Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat is now On Tap at Dorko’s Cafe on the corner of 4th and Poplar in Mt. Carmel, PA.

[photopress:sunsetWheatBadge.jpg,full,pp_image]

Yes, it is the beer that’s described as tasting like “Fruity Pebbles”, but it’s not just for Breakfast!  It’s tasty, but unlike say Cherry Wheat from Sam Adams, it’s light.  So, it’s not one of those brews where one or two of them will fill your belly.  And, you can definitely drink it even when it’s warm outside.  Actually, it’s best if you come down and taste one for yourself. 

$3 Pints available Day, and Night.

to decide the champions of the Spring Dart League, next Tuesday Night at 7pm! 

Last night Team Ponytail faced off against Nate’s Crew because both teams tied for the 2nd half title.  we can’t really have a tie, so we had a best of three match to decide who would win the 2nd half title.

Nate was late Tuesday night, so his team was forced to take his average, minus a penalty.  Despite the disadvantage, they managed to take the first game behind a powerful performance by Tony “Elvis” Ford, who posted a 42 from the leadoff spot.

In the second game, Aaron and Josh Mall put up a 43 and a 41.  That was enough to push their team to a 147 game, and a victory!

Then, Nate arrived!  he settled right into the game posting the highest game of the night with a 44.  in the 8th inning of the final game his team banged a 24 inning, with only four players shooting!  that took them from trailing by three to being ahead 21 before Randy’s team took the line for their portion of the inning. 

They posted and 18 inning to draw within 3 going into the 9th.  But, Nate’s Crew stayed hot, and posted a solid 16 inning.  That was a big enough lead to give them the game when the smoke cleared.  And that game gave them a chance to come back next week and play for the Championship of the Entire Spring Season! 

Saturday Night we had about four INCHES of driving rain.  cellars in this part of town flooded.  fire trucks were out helping whoever they could pump water from their basement.  rivers raged, and an ark went passing by on Poplar street.  But that didn’t stop the Party!!

Tony Tone was set up, and the mikes were open to folks belting out their favorite tunes – yep, Karaoke was in full swing!  Thumbs up to Vanessa for her vocal skills, and a big round of applause to everyone who took the mike and spread the cheer!  i don’t have a list of who sang which songs, but I do know there were a lot of great performances, and it was without a doubt a fun time! 

here are some snapshots from the evening . . .  

[photopress:bowerBeltingK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

[photopress:bowerJessK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

[photopress:chelseK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

[photopress:girlsK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

[photopress:samchelseK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

[photopress:smcrewK2.jpg,full,pp_image]

the next Karaoke is scheduled for May 14th, so make some room on your calendars!

that’s right.  karaoke is coming BACK to Dorko’s this Saturday Night!  so, if you were wondering what is in store in the near future – there’s your answer! 

Karaoke at Dorko’s Saturday Night April 16th!

STEEL TIPS 

not so much at the bar, but at several other locations.  we had a group of guys head up to Nanticoke to play in the Steel Tip action at the Silver Bullet.  a good time was had, although there are tales of the juke box going kaput during the day.

everyone made it home safe and sound, with smiles on their faces.  the Steel Tip action continues at the endo f the month at Dorko’s with a Saturday afternoon tournament on the 30th of April.  everyone is encouraged to jump in on that.  we’ll be shooting recreational stell tips during the week, so grab a set of darts at WalMart if you want your own, and join in.  I’ll have a couple of bar sets kicking around if you don’t mind using “community darts”. 

AMERICAN ACTION

we sent a crew of shooters to the Jeddo event over the weekend.  it was a 110 cap and we had Mark “Big Dog” Rohlfing and Danny “Muff Money” teamed up with another shooter from Dorko’s.  they advanced into the Sunday afternoon finals, eventually running into a team that had some familiar faces to it in the big showdown.  our mate Dennis Conti was there facing his friends from Dorko’s with a different team. that meant that whoever won would be a friendly face! 

The dorko’s squad put in a valliant effort but came up short of a championship trophy, but landed deep in the money by taking Second Place in the tournament!  excellent showing guys!!

it Continues . . .

this tuesday the Spring League will take shape as we find out which team takes the second half, and what the League championship matchup will be!