Last week, I was in a bit of an emotional pickle. I wanted to bowl in my Sunday evening league, but I wanted to watch the Super Bowl even more. My bowling league meets Sunday evenings at 7pm during the season. I've been bowling with my current team since January of 2009, and two of the previous three Super Bowls had the Steelers as participants, and my league game was canceled. And the 2010 Super Bowl was on the same weekend that saw the Pittsburgh region get hit with two feet of snow, and our bowling match was postponed.
Unfortunately, this past Super Bowl didn't include the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the weather was so nice last Sunday, shorts were almost an option. Therefore, there was no way Mother Nature could intervene on football's behalf.
My Sunday evening match was on as scheduled. Fortunately, I always have the option of rolling off in my league. Rolling off is when you pick a day and time to bowl your three games before your scheduled match in-case you're unavailable for some reason, like, for example, having an obsession with the NFL. Anyway, you roll three games by yourself and your scores count as part of your team's match.
I was 50/50 on rolling off. On one hand, I really wanted to watch the Super Bowl, but on the other hand, I really enjoy the two or three hours I get to spend bowling with my teammates every Sunday Night.
But, I knew the Super Bowl would win out. I mean, what red-blooded American decides to have a bowling match during the Super Bowl? I know the Steelers weren't in it, but come on! You mean, football isn't followed by every single human being in the country? It should be. It should be mandatory.
I digress. I called the bowling alley around noon to inform them that I would be arriving shortly so I could roll off for my match later that evening. I figured I would have plenty of time. However, the lady who answered the phone told me I could roll off, but I had to be done by 1pm because of a special they had starting at that time. I couldn't believe it.
I had three options: I could just pay the price for their special, but I'm way too cheap for that. Besides, I already paid $85 to bowl this winter. Why should I give them any more money? A second option would be to bowl during the Super Bowl, but since I already promised by girlfriend that we were going to hang out together and watch the game that night, I knew that was out of the question. You know that saying, "It's a woman's right to change her mind?" Well, men don't have that same option. Or, at least boyfriends/husbands do not. Once we promise to spend time with our ladies, there is no turning back. It's easier to get out of a gym membership than it is to break that promise. My third option would have been to just use my average minus ten for the three games. But over the past year or so, I've emerged as the best bowler on my team, and that comes with certain responsibilities. You can't just ditch your teammates when they're counting on your scores.
So, when I hung up the phone, I had to make a split decision (no pun intended, unfortunately). I decided to hop in my car and drive as fast as I could to the bowling alley. I arrived around 12:20 and informed the lady that I was the one who called and asked if I could roll off. I was hoping that she'd relax her stance a bit on the whole 1pm thing, but nope. She reaffirmed her position that I must roll my three games by 1pm or I'd have to pay for their special.
I decided to just go for it. I normally bowl a night or two on my own for practice, and I always amaze with my ability to bowl three for four games in a short period of time. The only thing I was worried about was how it would affect my scores. I didn't want to bowl low games and have my teammates angry at me for choosing football over bowling.
By the time the lady set me up with shoes and everything, it was almost 12:30. But I was determined to get three games in my 1pm. I had a lot to deal with: nerves, a dark bowling alley (they always keep the alley dark during the day for some reason), and kids. Believe it or not, a kid who was just wondering around the bowling alley waiting for the 1pm special just came wondering into my lane as I bowled. I didn't let that stop me.
I started off pretty slow score-wise in the first game, but I got rolling about halfway through and I wound up bowling above my average. I looked at the clock, and it was 12:38.
I was red hot for the second game (at least for me). I had quite a few strikes and no open frames until almost the end. I finished that game by 12:45 with a 189.
The third game was little closer to my average, but with a late flurry, I managed to, again, finish above my average, and for the series, I bowled a 498. I also managed to finish my match five minutes before the special was to begin.
It was my fourth highest three-game series of all-time, and under the circumstances, it may have been my most impressive bowling accomplishment to date.
It was certainly one of my prouder bowling moments.
So, who was a more valuable player to his team on Super Bowl Sunday? Me, for my near-500 series under adverse conditions, or Eli Manning with his game-winning drive to clinch Super Bowl XLVI for his Giants?
Well, Eli got to go to Disney World. I think you know the answer.
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