Last night, my Candlewood teammates and I had the honor of bowling against some of the game’s absolute finest. Not only in terms of talent, but in terms class, the guys of 20th Century Lanes’ Friday Night Pro League team are top notch. Their captain, John Zappi and I were discussing the content of the blog and he busted my chops by saying “When the hell are you gonna put the 500 up, dude?”. Of course, bowling would not be bowling without busting a little chops here and there, and John had every right to do so because I promised him a couple months back that I was going to post this. Not only that, but he was part of an absolutely amazing feat that took place on April 24, 2012.

It was position night of the third round at the Woburn Tuesday Night Triples league, meaning it was money night. Teammates John Zappi, Stu “Hammer” Bergman, and John Nugent were battling Brian Crowell’s team on Lane 30. Sadly, this was the last night of league bowling for the “Nuge” that we have all come to know and love. Nobly, Nuge decided to relocate to Florida shortly after to be with his daughter. We all know that they don’t have Candlepin bowling in Florida, which is sinful living. Needless to say, he went out with a bang. The entire house was roaring as Hammer threw five marks in a row for an impressive 180 game. Next up was Zap, who ALSO threw five marks in a row – including a triple strike – for an incredible 191 string. If I remember correctly, this was NOT his only 190 string of the year since I remember him hitting the four bagger earlier on in the year.

If you look closely, you’ll notice what kind of opportunity Nuge was facing. Hammer and Zap set him up with a chance for a 500 team triple….a VERY rare occurrence. After a 9-box and a 10-box, Nuge started to turn up the heat. He drops a hammer in the 8th box with a 6-fill. A 9-box in the ninth was JUST enough to give Nuge a chance to clinch the 500 string provided he marked in the final box and filled it with a 10. Easy, right? What does he do? He drops a HAMMER and fills it with a spare to give his team a 500 team single! Woburn bowladrome – in it’s entirety – was going nuts!! I think it’s fair to say that the majority of people who were there had never seen anything like this before, including me. Truly awesome.

Congratulations guys….Nuge/Hammer/Zap, this one’s for you!