Shanna Key Bocce News

Bocce News

Neil Mellies became the newly elected President for the SMBL during the Captains Meeting on January 27.

One of the true "Boccesaurs" he is also no newcomer to this position as Neil acted before as President of the Southernmost Bocce League.

His love, dedication and enthusiasm for the game itself and the awareness of the Organization are all promising aspects for the new season, which btw. begins February 8!

Shanna Key's Bocce Updates!

Shanna Key's Bocce Updates!

One and a half weeks left till our new season starts - see how Shanna Key is getting ready!

Don's Place Key West - Sponsor Recreation

Don's Place Key West - Sponsor Recreation

One of the Thursday Night's Bocce Sponsors page with link to their business page. Of course Don's also sponsors a Coed Softball Team.
Check them out!

Bocce Volo - World Class Bocce

Bocce Volo - World Class Bocce

Watch the singles final of the Bocce World Cup - enthusiasts only!

Key West Heating Up | KeysNews.com

Key West Heating Up | KeysNews.com

Packed Streets, crowded waters... all indications of this week's invasion of a different kind.
It certainly is a party week for some!

Joy of Bocce - Article as it appeared in Merrimack Magazine

Click here for the article!

BOCCE PROM Saturday!

Bocce Prom Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010

The ANNUAL BOCCE PROM will be held tomorrow, Sat. January 9, at 6PM till 10PM at COWBOY BILL's on DUVAL.
News about Team registration and Trophy presentation during the 4 hr ceremony. Live Music!
See You there.

Green Parrot - First Ever Grand Bocce Champion

Green Parrot - First Ever Grand Bocce Champion

Just a quick reminder - January 9, 6:00PM - 10:00PM BOCCE PROM at Cowboy Bill's on Duval!
And as an added bonus there's a link to a reprint from Green Parrot's John V. and his now famous quote:
"They Can't Take That Away From Us!"

BARRY's BLOG

Updates

Latest about Bocce Prom, Registration for Spring Season, Captain's Meeting and election of officers...
Click on Updates or here!

Florida Keys Sports | KeysNews.com

Florida Keys Sports | KeysNews.com

Get last night's High School Soccer scores - a convincing W in the girls and boys teams column.
The win last night by the HS Kicking Conchs was especially sweet as they had lost 1:2 in the first meeting and remember those stunned faces.

How does one get enough game practice when a team can only play 1 half, then second half is called due to the Mercy Rule?
11:0 looks quite good for only 45 minutes. And since the rules say at least 1 half of the game has to be played, I challenge the girls to top that score.

Bowled Over - The Bold Italic - San Francisco

Bowled Over - The Bold Italic - San Francisco

This week's edition of the the Joy of Bocce newsletter pointed to an article written by Aaron Britt for a San Francisco web publication, the bold italic, in which the author explored several Bayside Parks in search of Bocce, Petanque or any 'Boulet' communities.

In a lighthearted 'report' Aaron put together an amusing and enjoyable article...

which I think you should check out yourself HERE!

more later

Newton, MA Parks & Recreation Department

Newton, MA Parks & Recreation Department

Newton, MA, has come up with a concept and I wonder what's the reasoning behind the move!
I hope our league together with the Son's of Italy will start reaching beyond our Key West or Big Pine boundaries.

Cowboy Bill's x 7!

Cowboy Bill's wins 7th consecutive title!

Was it expected? - One could say NO; but they were certainly the top team during the regular season not only for Monday Night but had the best record of all 4 divisions.

Will that record stand forever now that it reached 7 and Neil, Tegan, Rosemary and the rest of the team have no reason nor do they feel like forming other teams? This could just mean Cowboy Bill's is going for an 8th straight title under the same sponsorship.

The heavy thundersqualls passing through the lower Keys on Saturday delayed the opening round by 2 hours and it took quite some work by the officials and impatient team members to get the courts ready to be played on.

Perhaps the biggest shocker of the day was Gran Vin beating the team most hopeful to end Cowboy Bill's streak, the Schooner Wharf Bar. Having been the top seed for Wednesday Night, the Schooner had an automatic bye for the first round, while Grand Vin was forced earlier to go 3 games to advance.

As the day ended only 12 teams remained.
More later

7-UP it is!

I'll be back for this one! - The Header says it all - 7UP!

BocceLife.com's new blog!

The Bocce Ball Blog

The BocceLife.com blog is really coming to life.
Visit their site and blog and perhaps we'll have a nice tournament in the not too distant future competing against our bocce friends from up north.

The Key West Clubhouse will be officially opened and with the support of the BocceManiacs we can arrange a weekend full of fun and bocce.
more on this subject later

Shanna Key's Bocce and Drink Mixer

Bocce @ Shanna Key!

The Bocce updates are back at Shanna Key's with a nice little widget which replaces the little book underneath the bar for unusual mixed drinks.

You may want to check it out.
And while there, see who thinks which team night will win the Championship.
For some reason Tuesday Night has a slight edge ahead of all others.
See you all in a week for the play offs.

BOCCE PLAY OFFS

BOCCE PLAY OFFS

Saturday's playoff schedule has been posted.
Click on link above for details, or visit the Official web site.

Bocce Thursday Updates!

Phew! It was tough last night to finish the updates - it was a great night on the courts even if losing 0-3, but after I got home, there were other priorities and once I got around to doing the standings it was about 4 AM.

To visit last night's scores and standings visit this page !

A 2-player team double elimination tournament is scheduled for Nov. 14. Details are still rough looking, yet since Sandy B. is involved in it, I trust her wholeheartedly and know the event will be a great success.
And it's also for a good cause I understand. Entrance Fee is $50.- per team
I'll keep you posted on that subject...

And how about the play-off picture?

With only 3 more games to play, (including make up game), there are 4 teams practically qualified. Bocce Bubba's, Charley's Place, Shanna Key's Hells Rangers, they're in for sure and only something unimaginable will happen could stop Pepe's to follow them into the post season.

Now the question arises who might be in that all so coveted 5th spot to be able to reach the play-offs. I'm leaning towards Bobbi Jo's and wish them all the best. Guess it's bye week next week, isn't it?

No arrangements have been made for our make up game. I'll let you know how I overcame my withdrawal symptoms!
Enjoy the weekend
Let your friends know about our thursday night's updates!
Google for BocceManiacs!

Bocce History

Bocce History

When I first started the "Bocce Gazette" back in '98 I browsed around the net to find some resources about BOCCE and came across this Bocce History chapter by someone I believe was from Georgia.

And as I was searching and gathering some of my old pages from the early days, much to my amazement I found these notes again and posted it on the Clubhouse. It is an interesting read with anecdotes about Lord Byron and other historical figures who enjoyed and loved the game.

I also recollected pics dating back to 2002, which will be posted on the the site.

And about tonight...
We do have an interesting Match tonight, playing against Charley's, and sure hope it won't be too depressing or humiliating. But then again they may have an "OFF-Day" and it won't be all so bad. See you all tonight.

Good Luck and have Fun!

Changes are in the making!

Sunday Morning...
After our soccer game yesterday my body muscles are aching and I decided just to take it somewhat easy today.

Read the Citizen this morning, listening to my own Pandora's Radio Station and I'm in the Doo Wop mood, relaxing and thinking about several things.

And one has to do with BOCCE, after all this so-called blog is supposed to be about BOCCE.

One thing about the League that will never change is the FUN most everybody is having. Unfortunately there are some negative or rather unsatisfactory comments by many about the uninvolvement, an Apathy quite obvious even to an 'innocent' bystander.

But what triggered this entry to the blog this morning was a comment by someone I truly admire and respect for his involvement in the League.

Burn-Out is something one usually does not associate with a Fun activity, but BOCCE is really not just about fun as it takes a lot of work, dedication and quite a bit of enthusiasm to keep a rather large group of people happy and organized. And the simplest way to achieve this goal, is what the league is lacking and has been for some time: Communication and Information.

NO - this is not pointing fingers or blaming anyone. But realizing the fact how much work is really involved, the dedication level usually stays the same with most people, but once disappointment starts to set in, the degree of enthusiasm usually fades quickly.

That's when it becomes obvious to anyone something has got to be done to rekindle that old spark. Perhaps all it needs is a few more people, a few encouraging comments, show the appreciation towards the Officials for the efforts they are putting towards the league.

Since each season lasts just about 3 month, which in fact is a long time, I have been puzzled by the fact that there's only one captains meeting, which is usually the night of the final registration.

Why not meet more often? Latent problems may become top topics and can then be solved through a concerted effort before these nagging and unhappy troubling subjects turn into a Burn-Out!

And there's the word again - Burn-Out - !
Let's prevent this by doing simple steps in the future, I certainly would hate to see this one person quit his position or maybe even worse, quit Bocce for a season or two. Yes, we all have a life to live, but it was YOU who decided to make BOCCE a part of this life and where else do you socialize in such an atmosphere as one can find at the Indigenous Park?

Think about it - start with helping to keep the courts clean; each team, each player each friend who comes to visit to watch the games, become part of it and the ones responsible to make sure all this gets done will be again enjoying his VOLUNTARY DUTY!

Till next time -
KEEP ON ROLLING
hd/a.k.a. boccenut