NSCC Forum

Lots of shit to discuss here people. First off, last night’s game. Poops won for the third week in a row. Apparently he stopped drinking 3 weeks ago, so I’m not sure if his wins should count, as sobriety seems to be in violation of the spirit of the NSCC if not the actual letter of the law. So he’s got seven points now and the first and only threepeat of the season, and maybe ever. Boyd got another point for 15 total, narrowing Dom’s (who was strangely absent at such a crucial juncture) hold on 1st place to 1 point. Bergonz (right on with the rule books) got his first points in a long time with my personal favorite for types of win, the two point wicket kill win. He’s got a total of 5 now. Fuckin’ Fuck Yeah! Laura got her first point of the season just in time and is no longer NPP! There aren’t very many active players left in the NPP ranks anymore.

So that’s the first order of business, Second, this weekend is tournament weekend. There are two tournaments going on. Sunday is at Dave Bergonz’s place up in Grand Lake. Here’s the link. He has this to say

907 Cairns Ave, Grand Lake 80447…I can’t get the thumbtack to come up on my place…it keeps defaulting to 858. Basically its located on corner of Cairns and Lakeside, about a block south of the thumbtack on the west side.

There are a few people going up Saturday and staying overnight, so if you want to go up for the night you should RSVP Dave at bergonz@hotmail.com

Monday is Labor Day and there will be an in town tourney/housewarming shindig/BBQ at me and Laura’s new digs at 3915 Vrain st. Probably tap the beer at noonish and play around 1 or 2.

Third order of business is that Tuesday is the last game of the regular season at Wolff park. Should we crokegger it? Will there be chicken fighting? A new group pic? As it is the end of the season it’s also time to propose rule changes for next season. I’ve heard several suggestions for new points, including first kill, closest bocce, and attendance. There has also been the suggestion that any new rule should be endorsed by 10 players before it can be put to a vote, and then we can have a rules party for the voting.

Last order of bidness, there will be year round, non-season croquet starting immediatly following regular season play. Consider it a really long preseason. No points, but there may be money exchanged, and as always, winner calls the next park.

So yeah, games on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. If you want to propose any rules for ‘07, start thinking about that. And get ready for some snowquet. Hopefully see y’all Monday at my place and here’s the standings

DOMINIC - 16 POINTS

BOYD - 15 POINTS

DAVE - 10 POINTS

JOHN - 8 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS
MIKE - 7 POINTS
POOPERS - 7 POINTS

MELANIE - 5 POINTS
BERGONZ - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS
JESS - 4 POINTS
SHANE - 4 POINTS

NATE - 3 POINTS

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS
SONIA - 2 POINTS
JAKE - 2 POINTS
ED - 2 POINTS

JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
LAURA - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

RUBY HILL.

BRING YOUR FLASHLIGHTS.

A David and Goliath sorta night. Congratulations to Poops for winning against a real tough field. With his two from last night, he now has 3 points. The winners circle also included Shane for the third week in a row, who moves up to 4 points. Dom and Boyd, 1st and 2nd place respectivally also got one more point each and Dom now has 16 to Boyd’s 13 points. It’s getting dark quick now and next weeks game is at Ruby Hill, so everyone bring your flashlights and get there as close to on time as possible. I will try my damndest to bring the gear to the same part of the park that everyone else is at. Here’s where it stands with just 3 games left.

DOMINIC - 16 POINTS

BOYD - 13 POINTS

DAVE - 8 POINTS
JOHN - 8 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS
MIKE - 7 POINTS

MELANIE - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS
JESS - 4 POINTS
SHANE - 4 POINTS

BERGONZ - 3 POINTS
NATE - 3 POINTS
POOPERS - 3 POINTS

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS
SONIA - 2 POINTS

JAKE - 1 POINT
JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
ED - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

It’s all about the late season surge. Almost everyone from last nights winners circle has scored the majority of their points in the last few weeks. Actually, the winners circle was almost identical to last weeks with one unfortunate exception. The big winner was Shane, who, if you count the tournament, has now won 3 times in a week and a half, and went from zero to 3 points in two games. Mike is also coming on strong and with his win and wicket kill last night, has scored 6 points in 4 weeks, bringing him up to a total of 7. Jess, after stealing my seat, now has 3 points in the last 3 weeks and a total of four. John moves back up onto the podium in a Simpkins brother tie for third with his point from last night, which is his 3rd in two games and his 8th overall. So that was all a little convoluted, so here’s the recap.

Shane was the winner of the poison battle-2 points

Mike won his game and got a wicket kill-2 points

Jess was a game winner-1 point

John also a game winner-1 point

Traditionally, we’d only have about 4 or 5 games left, but we’ve been playing faster, smaller games all season, and we’re actually ending with daylight still. So last night there was talk that we might be able to go longer this year than last, which would be great for all of us late bloomers. We’ll just have to see how it goes. Next week is at Congress Park and here’s where we stand now.

DOMINIC - 15 POINTS

BOYD - 12 POINTS

DAVE - 8 POINTS
JOHN - 8 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS
MIKE - 7 POINTS

MELANIE - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS
JESS - 4 POINTS

BERGONZ - 3 POINTS
NATE - 3 POINTS
SHANE - 3 POINTS

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS
SONIA - 2 POINTS

JAKE - 1 POINT
JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
ED - 1 POINT
POOPERS - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

The July tournament was one of the first that was played as multiple games with the poison battle to determine the winner. It made for a quick game, which sucked for me and John, who had to move that day, and damn near missed the whole thing when we showed up half an hour late. Shane was the overall winner with Boyd taking 2nd and Jake 3rd. Shane’s earning were just enough to pay off everyone else at the game he owed money to, so basically everybody left with extra cash but him.

Shane also got on the board with his first point in Tuesday’s game. All season, Shane has been the scariest player in the NPP ranks and it’s amazing he went this long without winning a game. The overall winner of Tuesday’s game though was John, who now has 7 points total and moves up to a 4th place tie with Leighton. Mike also took his game and now has a total of 5 points and 5th place. I got two points, one for my game and one for winning it with a poison kill. I now have 8 total and move up on to the pedestal in 3rd place. I’m naming my two points Cheech and Chong, because the whole reason we went to Wash Park was for the green. Speaking of the green, there was a member of the Denver Croquet Club on it when we showed, and he’s invited us to compete in a September Tournament. I’m not sure if he changed his mind or not after watching us play for a couple of hours, but as far as we know the invitation stands.

The last point of the evening was for Sonia and her poison kill. She now has two points and has moved into the top half of the pack. Next game is at La Raza and here’s where we stand until then. Oh yeah, party for Dom, Boyd and Sheena’s birthdays this weekend.
DOMINIC - 15 POINTS

BOYD - 12 POINTS

DAVE - 8 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS
JOHN - 7 POINTS

MELANIE - 5 POINTS
MIKE - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS

BERGONZ - 3 POINTS
NATE - 3 POINTS
JESS - 3 POINT

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS
SONIA - 2 POINTS

JAKE - 1 POINT
JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
ED - 1 POINT
POOPERS - 1 POINT
SHANE - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

Good game on Tuesday, dominated by the veterans. Over 20 years of NSCC play between the 4 poison battlers. Mike G, the most veteran player was the big winner for two points and a total of 4 now, which brings him into the top ten. Jess Also got two points, one for winning her game and another for a wicket kill. She now has 3 points, and is no longer down with OPP (one point players).Dom stopped back in mid-vacation and picked up one more for a game win, bringing his point total up to a whopping 15. I got one more which I’ll name Warren Buffet due to his recent newsworthiness. I now have 6 total and fourth place. Tournament on Sunday at Wolff Park at 2:00 and the next game’s at Wash Park on the Croquet green. Remember, no kick shot on the green.

Here’s where it stands-

DOMINIC - 15 POINTS

BOYD - 12 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS

DAVE - 6 POINTS

JOHN - 5 POINTS
MELANIE - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS
MIKE - 4 POINTS

BERGONZ - 3 POINTS
NATE - 3 POINTS
JESS - 3 POINT

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS

JAKE - 1 POINT
JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
ED - 1 POINT
SONIA - 1 POINT
POOPERS - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

Good call on the park Nate. It was one of my favorites, and with good NSCC roots too. In addition to being one of the parks Nate maintains, the Orr’s (1,2,3) mother was responsible for a planting a lot of the foliage and such. Apparently Boyd liked it a lot too, as he shut down his game in record time, right around a half an hour. Has there ever been a quicker game? And since I’m not talking shit anymore, I’ll refrain from mentioning that Boyd seems to have “enhanced” his performance, or that Boyd rhymes with roid. Did Dom leave his stash behind when he went on vacation perhaps? But anyhow, after winning his game in record time, Chris had a couple of hours to meditate in the beautiful gardens, and was thus extremely focused when it came time to do battle, and cleaned that one up nicely as well. With his two shiny new points, he now has 12 total and is within a game of catching Dom.

Melanie is kicking it into high gear in the last half of the season as well, winning for the third week in a row. She now has 5 points total and is in a three way tie for fourth place with the Simpkins brothers, who sadly, both got shut down.

The last two winners were both long overdue for a point. Poopers broke free from the NPP ranks with his first win, and Mike, last seasons champion, got his first point since week 4. Mike now has 2 points total and Poops has 1, which brings him up into a 9 way tie for 8th place (although there are 13 people in the top 7 places, so it might technically be called a tie for 14th place).

Next week is at Mosquito Park, which I’m sure is every bit as lovely as the name would lead you to believe. Here’s where we stand.

DOMINIC - 14 POINTS

BOYD - 12 POINTS

LEIGHTON - 7 POINTS

JOHN - 5 POINTS
DAVE - 5 POINTS
MELANIE - 5 POINTS

JEFF - 4 POINTS
A.J. - 4 POINTS

BERGONZ - 3 POINTS
NATE - 3 POINTS

JASON - 2 POINTS
MARIKA - 2 POINTS
MIKE - 2 POINTS

JAKE - 1 POINT
JULIE - 1 POINT
ERIC - 1 POINT
DOUG - 1 POINT
CHRIS D - 1 POINT
JESS - 1 POINT
ED - 1 POINT
SONIA - 1 POINT
POOPERS - 1 POINT

EVERYONE ELSE - NPP

Very busy week. No time for a long expository synopsis. I know you’re all going to be sooo very upset. Big winner at City Park was Nate. The “Brothers Boyd” both scored. Sonia and Melanie got a game point each. I got a poison kill point, which I’ll name Anne Bonney since I watched a documentary on lady pirates last night and lady pirates are hot. This weeks game was brought to you by Clerks II. Here’s where it stands at what is probably more than halfway through the season by now.

Dom -14 points

Boyd - 10 points

Leighton - 7 points

Dave - 5 points
John - 5 points

Jeff - 4 points
A.J. - 4 points
Melanie - 4 points

Bergonz - 3 points
Nate - 3 points

Marika - 2 points
Jason - 2 points

Francob - 1 point
Mike - 1 point
Julie - 1 point
Doug - 1 point
Chris D - 1 point
Eric - 1 point
Jess - 1 point
Ed - 1 point
Sonia - 1 point

Everybody else - NPP

It was a sunny 4th of July,
then the clouds came and covered the sky,
it didn’t dampen our mood,
’cause we were full of good food,
and everyone got really high.

Well once again Dom took the first spot.
14 points he’s got now, that’s a lot.
It’d be such a shame,
if he’d miss a game,
And give everyone else a shot

Jeff extended his streak by one more,
so now his points total four,
He just might win the race,
if he keeps up this pace,
’cause you can never write off an Orr.

Melanie also won her game.
Next week she might do the same.
Now that’s 3 points she’s got,
so she moves up a spot,
And now she’s the highest ranked dame.

Well everyone knows it’s the shit
When the NPP ranks shrink a bit
Edric got on the board
it’s about time he scored
After ten years he’s learned how to hit!

The last point to mention’s for me.
and to celebrate the land of the free,
Ben Franklin’s what I’ll call it,
I wish I had him in my wallet,
So here’s where the standings all be.

Dom -14 points

Boyd - 9 points

Leighton - 7 points

John - 5 points

Jeff - 4 points
Dave - 4 points

Bergonz - 3 points
AJ - 3 points
Melanie - 3 points

Marika - 2 points
Jason - 2 points

Francob - 1 point
Mike - 1 point
Julie - 1 point
Nate - 1 point
Doug - 1 point
Chris D - 1 point
Eric - 1 point
Jess - 1 point
Ed - 1 point

Everybody else - NPP

Next weeks at City Park, right by the tennis courts.

Great game last night y’all. For the last few weeks there’s been a mean-spiritedness in the air, for which I’m in a large part responsible for fostering, and for which I apologize. I will refrain from the excessive abuse of other players, if for no other reason, because it only seems to make Dom stronger. But last night everyone put grudges and the shit-talking and such aside and played croquet, and my eyes are watering up as I write this, but everyone was a winner. It was like the Special Olympics but drunk. Somebody give me a hug. And props to Bergonz for his full page addendum to his bio sheet, reminding us what the spirit of croquet is all about.

Anyhow, Boyd was the big winner of the evening, bringing him up to a total of 9 points, and giving him sole claim to 2nd place. Jeff Orr continued his winning streak, scoring his 3rd point in 4 weeks. He also extended his taking me out streak to two weeks in a row. I think that there’s something in his O’Doul’s which heightens his perception, because he’s the only one drinking it, and he seems to be much more alert at the end of games then everyone else.

JESS! It’s about time you got on the board, and nobody deserved that point more than you. Have you ever missed a game? Your victory portrait came out a little blurry, but you can still see that game winning glow about you.

The final winner of the evening was me (Dave) and I’m naming this point Moses, as verily it shalt leadeth my people to the promised land. Or something.

So the next business at hand would be next weeks game, which Boyd has decided will be at Inspiration Point. As it will be the 4th of July, we’re gonna start grilling and drinking at Steph and Julie’s place around 2:00 and then walk up the block to play at 4:00. Then after the game back down the hill to T.P. the Navarettes. We should definently coordinate getting a keg before the game. Or perhaps two? So bring some grillin’s and sparklers and we’ll party like it’s 1776.

And I almost forgot, I’ve tracked down last seasons scores up ’til the last game, but for some reason I didn’t ever post those. Does anyone remember how the last game ended? Let me know if you remember anything.

Here be the standings.

Dom -12 points

Boyd - 9 points

Leighton - 7 points

John - 5 points

Bergonz - 3 points
AJ - 3 points
Jeff - 3 points
Dave - 3 points
Marika - 2 points
Melanie - 2 points
Jason - 2 points

Francob - 1 point
Mike - 1 point
Julie - 1 point
Nate - 1 point
Doug - 1 point
Chris D - 1 point
Eric - 1 point
Jess - 1 point

Everybody else - NPP