I attended the Maui Waui Tournament yesterday in Caldwell, NJ and saw plenty of good dart action. Several other Corner Bar team members were there including Tom Waterman, John Daddio and Dave Hascup. I will issue a full report this week!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Saturday, April 28, 2007
ADO East-West Allstar Regional Qualifiers Announced
Every year the American Dart Organization holds Regional Qualifiers around the country for four national events. One of those is the East/West Challenge and 501 National Championships.
At this regional competition, one of every eight regional players advances to compete in the 501 National Championship held in Stamford, Connecticut, in conjunction with a big $20,000+ weekend dart tournament. Regional winners have their travel covered and also expense money ($150). Once at the National Championship, they are divided into teams (East and West), given nice team shirts, and compete in a round robin format for the coveted East/West trophy. Also the top 16 individuals at the Nationals go into a knockout bracket to compete for the 501 National Champion title. There are separate events for men and women.
The format for the Regional Qualifier is round robin, and it really is a great day of darts. You typically get to play at least 21 games, and substantially more if you advance. This (along with the other three yearly ADO regional events) is one of the few long-format dart events sponsored by an organization in the United States.
The New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia region is typically one of the toughest to qualify in. Our region contains some top shots like Johnny K, Darin Young, Jimmy Widmayer, Bill Davis, Tim O'Gorman, etc. However, some of these guys don't show for this particular qualifier because they automatically make the National event by virtue of being on a National team. That leaves the door open for several new players to qualify. I even got through once...fancy that!
Click on this for the flyer. (adobe acrobat format). The event is on Sunday, June 3, 2007. You have to be an ADO member to compete, but that is no big deal. Sign up at USA darts for free and you are an affillated member. Or you can get an individual membership from the ADO for a fee. See the ADO website for more particulars. Also, don't be put off by the big entry fee ($110). USA darts typically holds pre-qualifiers where you can get in for $10 to $25 or less...provided of course you win it! All the more reason to join up with them. I hope to see you there, and until then good darts!
At this regional competition, one of every eight regional players advances to compete in the 501 National Championship held in Stamford, Connecticut, in conjunction with a big $20,000+ weekend dart tournament. Regional winners have their travel covered and also expense money ($150). Once at the National Championship, they are divided into teams (East and West), given nice team shirts, and compete in a round robin format for the coveted East/West trophy. Also the top 16 individuals at the Nationals go into a knockout bracket to compete for the 501 National Champion title. There are separate events for men and women.
The format for the Regional Qualifier is round robin, and it really is a great day of darts. You typically get to play at least 21 games, and substantially more if you advance. This (along with the other three yearly ADO regional events) is one of the few long-format dart events sponsored by an organization in the United States.
The New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia region is typically one of the toughest to qualify in. Our region contains some top shots like Johnny K, Darin Young, Jimmy Widmayer, Bill Davis, Tim O'Gorman, etc. However, some of these guys don't show for this particular qualifier because they automatically make the National event by virtue of being on a National team. That leaves the door open for several new players to qualify. I even got through once...fancy that!
Click on this for the flyer. (adobe acrobat format). The event is on Sunday, June 3, 2007. You have to be an ADO member to compete, but that is no big deal. Sign up at USA darts for free and you are an affillated member. Or you can get an individual membership from the ADO for a fee. See the ADO website for more particulars. Also, don't be put off by the big entry fee ($110). USA darts typically holds pre-qualifiers where you can get in for $10 to $25 or less...provided of course you win it! All the more reason to join up with them. I hope to see you there, and until then good darts!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Week 30: Six Shooters!
On Tuesday night Corner Bar played away at Jessie’s Place in Elizabeth, NJ. It felt a bit mysterious to me, because Jessie’s Place was the only bar on the Elizabeth Dart League website that had no address listed. The phone number was no longer in service as well. Luckily, the bartender at the Corner Bar knew where it was (S.2nd Street) and gave me directions.
I had never been to Jessie’s Place before, so I had no idea what to expect. As I pulled up, I saw at least a dozen motorcycles parked in front of the bar. The roar of coming and going bikes was periodically drowned out by passenger airline jets coming in to land at Newark Liberty airport. The jets buzzing the bar had their landing gear out and regularly passed over at low altitude. Not quite low enough to hit with a dart, but close. I considered the scene and called Tom. “Are you sure this is the place?” I asked. Yep.
I got my darts and walked up to the entrance, and noticed that I was the only one there not wearing leather or a denim jacket with a motorcycle gang emblem. I considered my lawyer’s work clothes and decided to at least remove my tie before walking through the door. The juke box was playing AC/DC, and I walked passed a poster that stated “Bikers Welcome, Ride On!” I met up with the guys and we started practicing on one of two boards available at the bar. We stood out like the proverbial sore thumb, but the Jessie’s place patrons were friendly, older bikers, the kind like you might see at a Grateful Dead concert.
As usual, I had the first singles 301 match. My opponent was a likeable biker with gray hair and a beard, wearing a Sturgis T-Shirt. I struggled on my scoring and lost the first game when he hit his first dart at double 16 while I waited for a shot at double top. I won the next leg in a close one. In the decider I loosened up and hit a nice 140. That gave me a cushion and allowed me to hit the winning dart. Bob struggled on his doubles a bit in singles and dropped a game or two, as did John. Dave, Chris, and Tom were solid and won their matches. Everything seemed to take a bit longer because we had a full complement of six players. If you are a regular reader, you will know that this is the first time we have had a full roster in about 8 weeks!
Dr. Bob and I started off the pairs matches well. I contributed a 140 and Dr. Bob hit a 125, and then a critical double 1 for the first game. I missed a shot at double top for a 111 out in the second game, and we lost. In the third game, I hit two 100’s and we got to the double first. Oddly, I had another shot at a 111 out (missed again)! Next time around I hit the decider though. Tom and John won two straight in cricket, with some nice shooting. Dave and Chris had the most remarkable match of the evening in the other pairs 501. Chris took out a nice 85 with the bull in the first game. In the second game, some excellent scoring left Dave and Chris with only 49 left after 12 darts. Dave took it out in two with a single 17, double 16 for a nice 14 dart game.
Corner Bar won both triples matches. Tom, John and Dr. Bob easily won the cricket, while Dave, Chris and I barely edged out our opponents in the 601. The end result was 25-8 in Corner Bar’s favor. I have trouble picking a man of the match. Tom, Chris and Dave all had great games. You guys will have to fight over it next week!
I had thought that last Tuesday was Corner Bar’s last regular season game, but I was mistaken. There will be a “Bumper Week” next Tuesday. In the Bumper Week, the 1st place team plays the second place team, 3rd place plays 4th place, etc. We will play the second place team, Bottoms Up, at home. So, we are 30-0, with one week to go. I am sure the second place team will be gunning for us!
Tom and John reported having fun at the Varuna Tournament. They finished in the money in several events. I had to miss because of vacation. This weekend I will try to get to the Maui Waui Tournament at least for one day, and so should you. The following weekend is the Grateful Darts Tournament, which in my opinion has the best tournament T-Shirts. Imagine tie-dye dart tournament shirts with a skull and a dartboard, with colors bright enough to impress even Wayne Mardle (who wears hawaii shirts at tournaments). I hope to see you there, and until then, good darts!
I had never been to Jessie’s Place before, so I had no idea what to expect. As I pulled up, I saw at least a dozen motorcycles parked in front of the bar. The roar of coming and going bikes was periodically drowned out by passenger airline jets coming in to land at Newark Liberty airport. The jets buzzing the bar had their landing gear out and regularly passed over at low altitude. Not quite low enough to hit with a dart, but close. I considered the scene and called Tom. “Are you sure this is the place?” I asked. Yep.
I got my darts and walked up to the entrance, and noticed that I was the only one there not wearing leather or a denim jacket with a motorcycle gang emblem. I considered my lawyer’s work clothes and decided to at least remove my tie before walking through the door. The juke box was playing AC/DC, and I walked passed a poster that stated “Bikers Welcome, Ride On!” I met up with the guys and we started practicing on one of two boards available at the bar. We stood out like the proverbial sore thumb, but the Jessie’s place patrons were friendly, older bikers, the kind like you might see at a Grateful Dead concert.
As usual, I had the first singles 301 match. My opponent was a likeable biker with gray hair and a beard, wearing a Sturgis T-Shirt. I struggled on my scoring and lost the first game when he hit his first dart at double 16 while I waited for a shot at double top. I won the next leg in a close one. In the decider I loosened up and hit a nice 140. That gave me a cushion and allowed me to hit the winning dart. Bob struggled on his doubles a bit in singles and dropped a game or two, as did John. Dave, Chris, and Tom were solid and won their matches. Everything seemed to take a bit longer because we had a full complement of six players. If you are a regular reader, you will know that this is the first time we have had a full roster in about 8 weeks!
Dr. Bob and I started off the pairs matches well. I contributed a 140 and Dr. Bob hit a 125, and then a critical double 1 for the first game. I missed a shot at double top for a 111 out in the second game, and we lost. In the third game, I hit two 100’s and we got to the double first. Oddly, I had another shot at a 111 out (missed again)! Next time around I hit the decider though. Tom and John won two straight in cricket, with some nice shooting. Dave and Chris had the most remarkable match of the evening in the other pairs 501. Chris took out a nice 85 with the bull in the first game. In the second game, some excellent scoring left Dave and Chris with only 49 left after 12 darts. Dave took it out in two with a single 17, double 16 for a nice 14 dart game.
Corner Bar won both triples matches. Tom, John and Dr. Bob easily won the cricket, while Dave, Chris and I barely edged out our opponents in the 601. The end result was 25-8 in Corner Bar’s favor. I have trouble picking a man of the match. Tom, Chris and Dave all had great games. You guys will have to fight over it next week!
I had thought that last Tuesday was Corner Bar’s last regular season game, but I was mistaken. There will be a “Bumper Week” next Tuesday. In the Bumper Week, the 1st place team plays the second place team, 3rd place plays 4th place, etc. We will play the second place team, Bottoms Up, at home. So, we are 30-0, with one week to go. I am sure the second place team will be gunning for us!
Tom and John reported having fun at the Varuna Tournament. They finished in the money in several events. I had to miss because of vacation. This weekend I will try to get to the Maui Waui Tournament at least for one day, and so should you. The following weekend is the Grateful Darts Tournament, which in my opinion has the best tournament T-Shirts. Imagine tie-dye dart tournament shirts with a skull and a dartboard, with colors bright enough to impress even Wayne Mardle (who wears hawaii shirts at tournaments). I hope to see you there, and until then, good darts!
Monday, April 23, 2007
The Home Stretch
I got back last night after a relaxing five days in Baltimore, Maryland. I cannot remember the last time I went five days without picking up my darts! We will see if it does me good or ill as Corner Bar goes into the last week of the regular season (Week 30) with a 29-0 record, needing one more win for a perfect regular season. Our final game will be away at Jessie's Place. After that the playoffs begin.
As I was catching up on news I see where Todd Bunch, Jerry VanLoan, Steve Brown, and Joe Chaney made the Mens U.S. Team to go compete in England this year at the Winmau World's Masters Dart Tournament. I know Jerry (another dart throwing lawyer) and Steve who are both fine shots. Joe Chaney emerged as a World Series of Darts Qualifier, and I have heard Todd Bunch has been hitting well. Stacy Bromberg and Marilyn Popp won through and made the Womens U.S. Team. Congratulations and good luck this winter at the World Masters!
The dart calendar is heating up faster than the weather! Here is what New Jersey area dart players can look forward to in the coming weeks:
April 28-29 Maui Waui Dart Tournament in Bloomfield, NJ
May 4-6 Grateful Darts Tournament in Kearny, NJ
May 18-20 $240,000 PDC United States Open in Uncasville, CT
I will keep you posted as I find out more. Until then, good darts!
As I was catching up on news I see where Todd Bunch, Jerry VanLoan, Steve Brown, and Joe Chaney made the Mens U.S. Team to go compete in England this year at the Winmau World's Masters Dart Tournament. I know Jerry (another dart throwing lawyer) and Steve who are both fine shots. Joe Chaney emerged as a World Series of Darts Qualifier, and I have heard Todd Bunch has been hitting well. Stacy Bromberg and Marilyn Popp won through and made the Womens U.S. Team. Congratulations and good luck this winter at the World Masters!
The dart calendar is heating up faster than the weather! Here is what New Jersey area dart players can look forward to in the coming weeks:
April 28-29 Maui Waui Dart Tournament in Bloomfield, NJ
May 4-6 Grateful Darts Tournament in Kearny, NJ
May 18-20 $240,000 PDC United States Open in Uncasville, CT
I will keep you posted as I find out more. Until then, good darts!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
No Darts This Week!
Corner Bar has a bye so there will be no match report this week. I am also going out of town to Baltimore for a legal education seminar. Good luck to everyone else playing at the Varuna Cup in Brooklyn and then in Charlotte! I will have a new article next week. Until then, good darts!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Week 28: Home vs. K of C
Corner Bar enjoyed a home match Tuesday Night against Knights of Columbus, which is a fun group. John made a return, which was good since Chris was out this week... 5 people and one short again!
I was able to get the story about why John was out last week. John was apparently hit in the head by a beam lifted by a crane. Of course we were all concerned, and asked if the beam was damaged too badly. John was amused. He played one of the women from K of C who gave him a real match, taking the second game from him with a double five. John managed to win the third to secure two points for the team. The rest of the guys won, and it looked like John was ready to take some good natured teasing. However, he agreed to take a long shot at redemption by playing one versus two in double cricket.
John dropped the first game in the best of 3 doubles cricket series, but got hot in the second game. Several clutch last-dart triples (what I like to call "Hero Shots") went in for John, and he snatched an impressive one on two victory while his opponents waited for a bullseye shot to win if he missed. John followed it up with a win in the third game, again hitting some clutch darts. Congratulations to John for a rare best of 3 games double cricket win while playing one vs. two!
We won the doubles 501 matches as well, with Dr. Bob helping me out with back-to-back 100's, and taking out a nice double. In triples, K of C got hot, winning the cricket game. However, Dr. Bob, Dave and I struck back in triples 601. Consistent scoring gave us the first look at the double, which we took out promptly. If memory serves we finished with a 24-9 victory. The record now stands at 28-0 with two matches left. However, we have a bye next week.
Man of the match is hard to pick this week. Some of us went undefeated. However, I have to give the nod to John, who despite getting whacked in the head by a beam last week, managed to come in and win two games out of three in cricket, playing one against two. That is impressive.
After the match (and during) we had a long talk with Barbara, who plays for K of C and is originally from Ireland. We also spent more than a little time discussing interesting nicknames for people...pops (inside Corner Bar joke)? I usually play doubles with Dr. Bob. What would be a good name or slogan for a darts duo, one of whom is a doctor and one of whom is a lawyer? Maybe Sew, Sue and Throw? Or would a more likely order be Throw, Sew and Sue? :)
Dave told me that the Varuna Beach Tournament is apparently on, as stated in my last post. Some of the guys will be attending. I will pass on a report when it becomes available. Since we have a bye next week, I will do an article of general interest and probably also an updated NJ Area Darts Calendar. Until then, good darts!
I was able to get the story about why John was out last week. John was apparently hit in the head by a beam lifted by a crane. Of course we were all concerned, and asked if the beam was damaged too badly. John was amused. He played one of the women from K of C who gave him a real match, taking the second game from him with a double five. John managed to win the third to secure two points for the team. The rest of the guys won, and it looked like John was ready to take some good natured teasing. However, he agreed to take a long shot at redemption by playing one versus two in double cricket.
John dropped the first game in the best of 3 doubles cricket series, but got hot in the second game. Several clutch last-dart triples (what I like to call "Hero Shots") went in for John, and he snatched an impressive one on two victory while his opponents waited for a bullseye shot to win if he missed. John followed it up with a win in the third game, again hitting some clutch darts. Congratulations to John for a rare best of 3 games double cricket win while playing one vs. two!
We won the doubles 501 matches as well, with Dr. Bob helping me out with back-to-back 100's, and taking out a nice double. In triples, K of C got hot, winning the cricket game. However, Dr. Bob, Dave and I struck back in triples 601. Consistent scoring gave us the first look at the double, which we took out promptly. If memory serves we finished with a 24-9 victory. The record now stands at 28-0 with two matches left. However, we have a bye next week.
Man of the match is hard to pick this week. Some of us went undefeated. However, I have to give the nod to John, who despite getting whacked in the head by a beam last week, managed to come in and win two games out of three in cricket, playing one against two. That is impressive.
After the match (and during) we had a long talk with Barbara, who plays for K of C and is originally from Ireland. We also spent more than a little time discussing interesting nicknames for people...pops (inside Corner Bar joke)? I usually play doubles with Dr. Bob. What would be a good name or slogan for a darts duo, one of whom is a doctor and one of whom is a lawyer? Maybe Sew, Sue and Throw? Or would a more likely order be Throw, Sew and Sue? :)
Dave told me that the Varuna Beach Tournament is apparently on, as stated in my last post. Some of the guys will be attending. I will pass on a report when it becomes available. Since we have a bye next week, I will do an article of general interest and probably also an updated NJ Area Darts Calendar. Until then, good darts!
Friday, April 06, 2007
Varuna Cup Unofficial Announcement
I have seen a post or two announcing that that the Varuna Cup Dart Tournament is back. The Varuna Boat Club is located at 2806 Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY. The post on nycdarts.com said:
"VARUNA CUP DART TOURNAMENT WE MISSED LAST YEAR, BUT WE'RE BACK !!! FRIDAY APRIL 13TH SATURDAY APRIL 14TH SUNDAY APRIL 15TH COME ON DOWN 501 --- CRICKET SINGLES - DOUBLES - TRIPLES LUCK OF THE DRAWS ON FRI & SAT NIGHTS IF YOU THROW DARTS, COME DOWN AND COMPETE IF YOU DON'T, COME DOWN AND WATCH PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AROUND YOUR LEAGUE THE MORE THE MERRIER"
It indicated that a schedule of events would follow. Once I get something more verifiable (hopefully before the scheduled tournament date!) I will pass it along. I have a policy of not relying on anything posted on the internet in close proximity to April 1. You might be wise to check with the NYC darts people or the Club itself before going there!
"VARUNA CUP DART TOURNAMENT WE MISSED LAST YEAR, BUT WE'RE BACK !!! FRIDAY APRIL 13TH SATURDAY APRIL 14TH SUNDAY APRIL 15TH COME ON DOWN 501 --- CRICKET SINGLES - DOUBLES - TRIPLES LUCK OF THE DRAWS ON FRI & SAT NIGHTS IF YOU THROW DARTS, COME DOWN AND COMPETE IF YOU DON'T, COME DOWN AND WATCH PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD AROUND YOUR LEAGUE THE MORE THE MERRIER"
It indicated that a schedule of events would follow. Once I get something more verifiable (hopefully before the scheduled tournament date!) I will pass it along. I have a policy of not relying on anything posted on the internet in close proximity to April 1. You might be wise to check with the NYC darts people or the Club itself before going there!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Week 27: Juke Box Heroes
Corner Bar played away Tuesday Night at Mulligan's, which is a fun bar on Chester Street in Roselle Park, NJ. Mulligan's has a pool table and a dart board that usually has some action. The kitchen serves burgers and appetizers with a 25 cent buffalo wing special on Tuesday nights. They have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap, which is one of my favorites. The most interesting thing, however, is the juke box.
The juke box caters to a diverse crowd of young and old. They have rap, indie music, alternative, country, oldies, R&B, classic rock, 60's, 70's, 80's, etc. Corner Bar's team is a musically diverse crowd. Dr. Bob plays base guitar in an oldies band. I play recreationally and like many types of music. Tom likes some oldies and 70's. Dave, John and Michele like a wide variety of music, as does Chris, our youngest member. The only exception is that we generally don't like rap, especially the in yo' face type that gets the "explicit lyrics" tag.
We got the word that the Mulligan's team loved exactly that type of rap music. Apparently, if you do not beat them to the juke box, you have to suffer through several excruciating hours of Tupac Shakur, Ludicrus, or NWA. Tom was ready and fed the juke box, followed by Dr. Bob, Chris, and myself. By the time the Mulligan's team arrived, we had about 40 songs selected. I could see the eyes glaze over on the Mulligan's team, as the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Waylon Jennings, and Frank Sinatra played on!
It apparently worked, because they were having great problems with their doubles. I led us off in singles 301 and won both games. My scoring wasn't great but I was hitting my doubles well again. Dave and John were gone, but Michele gamely came and played for us to make five players (one short again). We all won our singles except Michele, who lost 2-1.
Dr. Bob and I won two straight in 501 doubles. We weren't hitting anything spectacular but again we took out the doubles promptly. Chris and Tom hit well in cricket, taking two straight. We threw Michele to the wolves again, in a one vs. two 501 match. No heroics this week! She did not get a shot at a double.
With the two triples games left, our songs finally ran out on the juke box. As Ludicrus' profanity ripped the air, I could see the Mulligan's team waking up. Tom and Chris confidently decided to play two vs. three in triples cricket. They were quickly in a deep hole after a Mulligan's player hit trip 17, trip 16 and single 19 (I think he was shooting at the 19 all 3 darts). They chipped away at Mulligan's lead and finally nosed ahead at the end, with Tom hitting a nice 7 count and leaving Chris the winning shot.
Dr. Bob, Michele and I followed up with a lazy triples 601 game that saw no big shots. We were saved at the end. One of my last songs snuck through the rap playlist as a Mulligan's player took a shot at the double. I am convinced that helped him miss! I planted a double 16 for the win.
Corner Bar finished with a 24-9 win for the night, and our overall match record stands at 27-0. Three more weeks for a perfect season! Man of the match goes to Tom, who hit some nice shots in Cricket, and turned the tide when they were 3 numbers down in the two vs. three triples cricket match. Next week we are home against the Knights of Colombus. Until then, good darts and may you beat the rap (apologies to all you Ludicris fans out there)!
The juke box caters to a diverse crowd of young and old. They have rap, indie music, alternative, country, oldies, R&B, classic rock, 60's, 70's, 80's, etc. Corner Bar's team is a musically diverse crowd. Dr. Bob plays base guitar in an oldies band. I play recreationally and like many types of music. Tom likes some oldies and 70's. Dave, John and Michele like a wide variety of music, as does Chris, our youngest member. The only exception is that we generally don't like rap, especially the in yo' face type that gets the "explicit lyrics" tag.
We got the word that the Mulligan's team loved exactly that type of rap music. Apparently, if you do not beat them to the juke box, you have to suffer through several excruciating hours of Tupac Shakur, Ludicrus, or NWA. Tom was ready and fed the juke box, followed by Dr. Bob, Chris, and myself. By the time the Mulligan's team arrived, we had about 40 songs selected. I could see the eyes glaze over on the Mulligan's team, as the Eagles, Grateful Dead, Waylon Jennings, and Frank Sinatra played on!
It apparently worked, because they were having great problems with their doubles. I led us off in singles 301 and won both games. My scoring wasn't great but I was hitting my doubles well again. Dave and John were gone, but Michele gamely came and played for us to make five players (one short again). We all won our singles except Michele, who lost 2-1.
Dr. Bob and I won two straight in 501 doubles. We weren't hitting anything spectacular but again we took out the doubles promptly. Chris and Tom hit well in cricket, taking two straight. We threw Michele to the wolves again, in a one vs. two 501 match. No heroics this week! She did not get a shot at a double.
With the two triples games left, our songs finally ran out on the juke box. As Ludicrus' profanity ripped the air, I could see the Mulligan's team waking up. Tom and Chris confidently decided to play two vs. three in triples cricket. They were quickly in a deep hole after a Mulligan's player hit trip 17, trip 16 and single 19 (I think he was shooting at the 19 all 3 darts). They chipped away at Mulligan's lead and finally nosed ahead at the end, with Tom hitting a nice 7 count and leaving Chris the winning shot.
Dr. Bob, Michele and I followed up with a lazy triples 601 game that saw no big shots. We were saved at the end. One of my last songs snuck through the rap playlist as a Mulligan's player took a shot at the double. I am convinced that helped him miss! I planted a double 16 for the win.
Corner Bar finished with a 24-9 win for the night, and our overall match record stands at 27-0. Three more weeks for a perfect season! Man of the match goes to Tom, who hit some nice shots in Cricket, and turned the tide when they were 3 numbers down in the two vs. three triples cricket match. Next week we are home against the Knights of Colombus. Until then, good darts and may you beat the rap (apologies to all you Ludicris fans out there)!
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