League nights are funny.
Sometimes I walk away thinking, “I couldn’t hit anything.”
This wasn’t one of those nights.
This was one of those frustrating nights where I actually played well, made the shots I wanted to make, and still couldn’t put together the scores I know I’m capable of.
That might actually be more frustrating.
My Results
🥇 Round 1 – Charlie’s Angels: 1st Place
4️⃣ Round 2 – King Kong: 4th Place
4️⃣ Round 3 – Iron Man (Vault): 4th Place
3️⃣ Round 4 – Big Game: 3rd Place
3️⃣ Round 5 – Solar Ride: 3rd Place
Total: 15 league points
Thankfully, Electric Bat drops your two lowest league nights during this six-week season, so if I was going to have an off night, this is the one to have.
Round 1 – Charlie’s Angels
I couldn’t have asked for a better start.
I took first place and felt like I was settling into the night nicely.
Unfortunately, that would be my high point in the standings.
Round 2 – King Kong
King Kong just never really came together for me.
I felt like I was making progress, but I never found the big scoring opportunities I needed.
During my second ball, the silverball went screaming down toward my right flipper, leaped up, bit the glass, jumped my flipper, and went down the drain!
It ended with a fourth-place finish, and I knew I’d have to dig myself out of a hole.
Round 3 – Iron Man (Vault)
Iron Man is usually one of my stronger games, so I was actually excited when I saw it in my group.
I started off well.
I hit my skill shot, collected Whiplash, made several loops, collected Monger letters, and even started Monger. I finished with 3.4 million points, but it just wasn’t enough to keep pace with the rest of the group.
That’s what made this one sting.
I wasn’t playing badly.
I was doing the things I was supposed to be doing.
The scores just didn’t come.
Revenge Game
After round 3, I wasn’t ready to let Iron Man win.
I threw another game on it.
Everything clicked.
I ended up reaching 37.3 million points and was in the middle of a multiball when I had to walk away because my next league game had already started.
I’m convinced there were plenty more points left if I could have finished that game.
Apparently Iron Man and I just needed to have our conversation without tournament pressure.
Round 4 – Big Game
This one probably frustrated me the most.
Big Game is already an evil machine on a good day, and being only a three-ball game doesn’t leave much room for error.
The crazy part is that I actually felt like I was playing it correctly.
I collected skill shots, drop targets, upper saucers, and completed my inlanes.
Then…
Two balls absolutely screamed down the right outlane.
Not slow drains.
Not mistakes I could recover from.
Just rockets.
Those are the moments that make you want to stomp your foot.
I may or may not have done my patented toddler foot stomp. 😆
I honestly believe that without those two house balls, I could have stayed right with Matt Johnson and Matt Jackson. Instead, I finished third.
Round 5 – Solar Ride
Solar Ride was another solid game.
I kept collecting skill shots, saucers, and drop targets throughout all five balls.
There wasn’t a catastrophic drain or a huge mistake. John and Jack simply put together better games than I did. Sometimes that’s just how league goes
I finished with 140,730 points, good enough for another third-place finish.
My Biggest Takeaway
Here’s the funny thing…
I actually enjoyed every game I played.
Until I didn’t.
I was making shots.
I was starting features.
I was executing my game plans.
The scores just never reflected how well I felt I was playing.
Against this level of competition, you don’t have the luxury of a couple of house balls. Everyone here is simply too good. One or two unlucky drains can be the difference between second place and fourth place.
I won’t lie—I was cranky.
“Toddler-stomping cranky.” According to Alex Cardwell and Adam Horton. Lol
But it’s also been a long time since I was that frustrated after league, and honestly, I think that’s because I knew I had played better than my results showed.
The Fitness Side
Fitbit still doesn’t know what pinball is, so I logged league as Golf once again.
Three hours of league translated to:
• 341 calories burned
• 94 bpm average heart rate
• Almost three full hours of light activity
No, it isn’t Jazzercise.
But it’s still three hours on my feet, moving, concentrating, walking between games, and doing something I genuinely enjoy.
Incidental Exercise Receipts
Looking Ahead
The good news is that I really liked the variety of games this week. It didn’t feel like I was playing the same lineup over and over again, and that’s always fun.
This definitely wasn’t the league night I wanted.
But it also wasn’t a night where I forgot how to play pinball.
Sometimes the pinball gods simply decide it’s not your night.
The good news is that this league drops the two lowest scores, so I’m going to shake this one off, learn from it, and come back ready for Week 4.
Because I know my game is still there. Sometimes the scoreboard just takes a little longer to prove it.
Still counts. Always.
Did you enjoy this pinball recap? Read more.
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Incidental Exercise Receipts Hub