Perfection Come In Pairs

At this rate, Rafael Hernandez may go broke from all the free drinks he has had to dish out on Monday nights.

The Mariner Lanes owner has a policy: bowl anything above a 260, get a freebie. It doesn't matter whether it's a soda or a Long Island ice tea, soft drink or well drink, he'll give it away with no charge.

The Coca-Cola Classic, a league that takes place Monday around 9 p.m., has put Hernandez's incentive to the test.

Though the league's numbers dwindled for several years, receiving strong competition from leagues at Spring Hill Lanes, it once again encompasses all 32 lanes of the house.

That harkens back to the days when the late Monday shift at Mariner became so popular, it required a franchise rule and a waiting list.

Many of the top bowlers in the county are participating in the league this season, at what is traditionally considered a high-scoring house, and it has produced a staggering amount of honor scores.

"It's great," said Hernandez, who took over ownership three years ago and bowls in the league. "It's really what I wanted. I did not expect so many of them to happen so quickly.

"But I'm really excited. Hopefully it keeps going and it's just great for the bowling industry."

300s in bunches

But there has also developed an interesting trend. The high scores, particularly the 300 games, have come in bunches within the past few weeks.

On Nov. 10, both Russ Little and Kenny Riggs shot 300s within minutes of one another. The following Monday, Chris Polizzi and Vic Oliver each rolled a perfect game.

But that paled in comparison to what happened Oct. 27. An explosion of impressive tallies included three 300s and two 800s.

"Before this year, there was a couple last year with two (300s) in one night," said general manager Sue Mitchell, who has worked at Mariner since it opened in 1989. "But this many? No. Three in one night, I've never seen three in one night. It's very rare."

The 300s that night came from Rich Garner, Matt Dono and Jay Tinkham. Then Tinkham followed that up with a 279 and 257 for an 836 series.

That series tied him with four others for seventh place on the county's all-time list, and marked his second 800 in the league this season. He shot an 801 on Sept. 1, the same night Jason Mahr shot 811.

Also on Oct. 27, Ryan Erbe added an 801, Frank Billy nearly made it four 300s with a 298 and Anthony Oliver shot 279.

Through 14 weeks of the season, the Coca-Cola Classic has produced 13 300s and five 800s, along with numerous other high games.

"I guess it's the quality of the bowlers we have in the league," Hernandez said. "There are a lot of good bowlers. They're really happy with the shot we lay out. I guess our shot has been pretty consistent."

And no, he has no intention of withdrawing his free drink offer. As far as the house is concerned, let the big scores keep coming.

"Anytime you get a 300 in a house, I think it's a good thing," Mitchell said. "It'd be terrible if we didn't have any."