Season 13 – Week 5 Picks

Greetings, high rollers!
We’re half way to Super Saturday, so with four weeks in the books I’m going to shift the focus a little this week and provide a recap of skeeson 13 to date with some highlights, lowlights, and everything in between. As Duke has been known to say, if we poke fun at you it’s meant to be just that…fun (and let’s be honest, it’s usually well deserved). I’ll take a break from writing about each matchup because I’m having a little writer’s block and need to regroup for the second half. It was, however, another good week for my picks as I went 7-5 to get back to an even 25-25 for the skeeson. Shaping up for a strong second half.
Speaking of poking fun, is it just me or are the SkeeBoston interns are slacking a little this skeeson? Not a single “Rollers Digest” yet…not getting spreads to me last week…posting my write-up late last week…schedule out late this week, etc. It’s almost like they are leaning on yours truly to do some heavy lifting. Luckily I’m up to the challenge, though I’m starting to develop lower back pain from carrying these guys around. [Editor’s Note: Yeah yeah yeah, I have some catch-up to do. Read: London/Amsterdam]
Random musings at the halfway mark of skeeson 13:
* The top 10 teams look pretty much as expected. But the biggest surprise thus far has to The Night is Dark and Full of Skeeballs. More on Dawson specifically later, but he, Christina, and Kyle maintained a solid 1049 average in the first four weeks, good for the #4 ranking. They came out of the gate firing week 1 and show no signs of regressing at this point.
* Somewhat less of a surprise is Thirstskee Thursdays and Skeeing is Believing as the top two teams. Both teams are loaded with skeesoned vets looking to win the regular skeeson title and, more importantly, the chalice. Thirstskee has separated from the pack with a 160 point lead, but that can evaporate in one night (more on that later, too).
* After Thirtskee, the next six teams are within 225 points of each other. Parity reigns supreme in skeeson 13 and the team race is far from over. There are also a number of teams with DNRs that will shake up the top 10. Who’s Your Daddy and I Got Roofskeed stand out.
* My “what the eff” happened?!? One for each week:

Week 1 – No Mike’s in the Plumber’s Shed. Team Foxon was out to stake its claim after taking the summer off with an 1148, but followed that up with a 990 in week 2 and a 1030 average the past two weeks.
Week 2 – Skeetastics. I’m not sure what got into Caroline/David/Jill in week 2, but 914 was their best score of the skeeson by almost 150 points, and they had Plumber’s Shed on the ropes most of the night.
Week 3 – Evil Skaneeval & The Hotskees. Similar to Skeetastics in week 2, Deirdre/Lauren/Max found their hundo this week en route to 1095, nearly 250 points higher than their second best score from week 1.
Week 4 – Snakes on a Lane. The top team in the league through three weeks, averaging 1064, fell victim to lane 1 and put up an 873. Snakes tumbled from first to sixth in one fell swoop.
* Teams trending in the right direction: The Big Leballskee. I’m not sure SkeeBoston has ever seen a team improve by nearly 100 points each week of the skeeson. Adam/Diana/Sammy started with a 675 in week 1, followed up by weeks of 787, 860, and a 975 last week. That pace will be hard to maintain, but the improvement is nothing short of stunning. Fettskee Wap is a close second for most improved team in the first half. Alvin/Daniel/Kenney followed a DNR in week 1 with a less than impressive 661, but backed that up with an 822 and 940 the last two weeks. Honorable mention to Magically Skeelicious for improving in each of the three weeks they’ve rolled as well.

* Teams trending in the wrong direction: Why So Skeerious. Another team that returned from the summer off, Jeff/Lukas/Nick started strong with back-to-back 1101 scores the first two weeks, but haven’t broken 1000 since with a 937 last week.
* What you skee is what you get: The two teams you know what to expect from thus far are Beer! and Skeejects. Janelle/Heather/Zach of Beer! (range from 827-860) and Abby/Debi/Melissa of Skeejects (range from 731-766) are as consistent as they come.
* Shifting to the individuals, the top 10 names look familiar from skeesons past with the exception of one: John “Everything is” Dawson (The Night is Dark) at #8 stands out with a 394 average through the first half. John averaged a 325 last skeeson, including a 229(?!?) in week 7, and finished with 100 hundos on the dot. One skeeson later, he’s rolled at or above 400 in three of four weeks and is on pace for nearly 150 hundos. Live and die by the hundo!
* Pat “Alan” Bassett (Trickskee Little Hobbits) is indeed human after all, failing to crack 440 for the first time this skeeson with a “pedestrian” 394 last week. Apparently you want to roll against Pat on lane 2. I’m not going out on a limb here saying Pat will be the skeeson 13 MVSkee as the league’s top roller. But can he repeat in the HRT (High Roller Tournament) on Super Saturday?!? Preview: I say no.
* My “what the eff” happened?!? One for each week:
Week 1 – Adam Schmitt (The Big Leballskee). His 197 from week 1 stands out, most notably because he’s backed it up with a 300 and 328 in weeks 2-3, then a massive 419 last week (which would have qualified for WTF last week, but there was a better choice).
Week 2 – Katelyn Dwyer (Smooth) and David Cabrera (Skeetastics). Both of these rollers found their footing in week 2, rolling a 317 and 325, respectively. These scores are more than 50 points above any other score this skeeson.
Week 3 – Jen Tanner (All the Single Ladieskees). Jen found her forty in week 3 on her way to a 307, almost 70 points higher than her scores the first two weeks.
Week 4 – Christina “Coozie” Cusolito (Snakes on a Lane). After averaging 344 through the first three weeks, Coozie dropped nearly 100 points in week 4 with a 251 on, you guessed it, lane 1.
Rollers trending in the right direction: Adam Schmitt (The Big Leballskee), Tom Siemaszko (I Skee Drunk People), Jen Tanner (All the Single Ladieskees), Kenney Victor (Fettskee Wap), and Emily Ann (I Skee Drunk People).
Rollers trending in the wrong direction: Paul Ciaramicoli (No Mike’s in the Plumber’s Shed), Stephanie Burgess (All the Single Ladieskees), Kori Nicholson (Brewskees), and Roberto Arguello (Trickskee Little Hobbits). Lots of skeesoned vets on this list.
* What you skee is what you get: The rollers you know what to expect from thus far are Debi Ledoux (Skeejects), Mike Foxon (Who’s Your Daddy), Kyle Mack (The Night is Dark), and Steve Vigliotti (Eskeemo Brothers). A special shout out to John “Choke” Polischuck, possibly the most consistent roller thus far. He’s yet to break 260 (260, 259, 257) but listening to him talk you’d think he was over 300 every week. Can someone please explain to me how he has not one, but two chalice trophies?!?
* Why so few 40 streaks this skeeson? Three rollers are tied with just two (!) through four weeks—John Dawson, Eric Siegel (Ain’t Easy Being Skeezy), and Melissa Taylor (Skeejects)—and just eleven have been rolled in total. Want a trophy (and a free shot) on Super Saturday? Find your forty. Read Duke’s guide to becoming a high roller if you need a few tips.
* On the other hand, Scottie “Too Hottie” Sinclair (Live Skee or Die) has almost as many 40/50 combos thus far (10) as there are 40 streaks in the entire league (11). The league record of 13 combos set last season looks to be in trouble.
6:30 Matches
Beer! vs. Magically Skeelicious (-110) – I heart Lucky Charms. Skeelicious giving the points.
Who’s Your Daddy (-50) vs. Roofskeed – Chris rolls a 460. Courtney rolls a 360. Polischoke rolls, wait for it, a 260. Give me Roofskeed.
Can’t Skee Straight (-25) vs. Skeetastics – I like Skeetastics getting the points.
7:30 Matches
Trickskee Little Hobbits vs. No Mike in the Plumber’s Shed (-75) – I like Hobbits in a close one.
I Skee Drunk People vs. Snakes on a Lane (-120) – Snakes bounce back and cover the 120.
Scrubskees (-80) vs. Smooth – I’ve been riding Scrubskees all skeeson, why stop now.
8:30 Matches
Boccskee (PK) vs. Evil Skaneeval & The Hotskees – Lane 1 is the equalizer and hasn’t been kind to Skaneeval. Boccskee (if they show up) wins straight up.
Skee Cows (-40) vs. Can’t Believe it’s not Gutter – I got back on the Skee Cows last week, but I’m back off this week. Give me the Gutter!
Run DMSkee (-50) vs. Fettskee Wap – An up and down start for DM Skee, but I’ll take them laying the points.
9:30 Matches
All the Single Ladieskees (-10) vs. Brewskees – An estrogen-filled matchup. I’ll lean Single Ladieskees as Burgess is due to find her forty.
Skeejects vs. Hundos for Marnskee (-120) – I like Skeejects taking the points on lane 2.
Why So Skeerious vs. Ain’t Easy Being Skeezy (-70) – Skeezy is on a mission since a slow start week 1 and I don’t see them slowing down here.
10:30 Matches
Skeezy Like Sunday Morning (-50) vs. Clearly We’re Not Golfers – Skeesy will have a hard time covering this one.
Eskeemo Brothers vs. Skeeing is Believing (-200) – A big number to cover, but Skeeing is on a roll and marching toward their first chalice. I’m starting to believe.
Live Skee or Die vs. The Night is Dark & Full of Skeeballs (-70) – Upstart Live Skee vs. the surprise team of the skeeson. Night is Dark wins outright but Live Skee gets the cover.
29 days to Super Saturday XIII and counting….Week 4: 7-5
Skeeson 13 Overall: 25-25