American Darts Blog

Have Fun, Relax, Play Darts . . . who do they think they were kidding?

Dartball

First let me say, again, that I love getting actual letters in the mail. The latest came from Ray H. of Grandview Missouri. He writes that he “would like to know if you have any knowledge of a game called Dart Ball. It was played on a 4×8 plywood with a paper playing field like a baseball diamond.”

Well Ray, yes I have heard of Dartball, and here’s some background on the game . . .

Origin:

Life magazine ran a story in 1941 the featured dartball, so the game has been around for quite some time. Well, actually the Mon Yough Church Dartball League has been active since 1928. At least one report puts the origin of the first dartball styled dartboard back as far as 1923 when the Apex company began offering them for sale.

Life Magazine noted that Kansas City was a “stronghold” of the sport. Other strongeholds were Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Today you can find Dartball alive and well in other areas, including Wisconson, Georgia and Kentucky.

The Board:

The playing surface is now 4×4, and consists of 1/4″ of fiberboard, backed by a 1/2″ of plywood for added stability. When put into place, the board is not completely vertical as most dartboards are. Instead, the board is tilted backwards, making it easier to accept a dart that is in a declining flight path. The bottom of the board is 8 inches closer to the shooter than the top of the board. The height of the board is set by one of the manufacturers by placing the bottom of the board at 24 inches from the floor.

That being said, not all dart leagues follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. Different leagues will have no “tilt” to the board, and the board height varies greatly.Each board has multiple scoring areas of different colors. The scoring areas reflect the different events in a baseball game. There are sections for singles, doubles, triples and a home run, as well as areas for balls, strikes and outs. The Wisconson Dartball website summarizes the board as follows . . . “All white is safe. All orange is out. Green is foul, grey is a strike.” That sounds simple enough.There are, however, a couple of unique scoring sections that include a “two base single” where the batter is awarded first base as a result of the dart, and any runners on base already advance two bases. There are also sections that result in a “double play” and a “sacrifice out” that would advance the runner.

Gameplay:

The game strongly mimics traditional baseball. There are two teams of 9 players competing. Each player’s turn at the throw line mimics a batter in baseball. They can throw until they strike out, are walked, get a hit, or hit into an out. Umpires are used to call the game. Sometimes 2 Umpires per side are used (an Umpire of Darts and an Umpire of Plays are used in the Spencerville PA Dartball League).

The darts used in the game are Apex # 2 and come in at a whopping 7 1/4 inches long. They come in both three feather and four feather flight configurations. By comparison, a standard Widdy dart is 5 3/4 inches long.

The distance of the throw line seems to differ from league to league, but 20 to 25 feet seems to be the norm. Also, players are sometimes restricted to a particular throwing motion. For instance, in Wisconson, players must “pitch” underhanded.

Churchgroups - not Taverns:

There are two chapters dedicated to Dartball in Dan Peek’s book “To The Point, the Story of Darts in America”. In one of them, it is reported that the president of Apex recollects that the sport of Dartball was spread across the country “by Johnny Appleseed types, such as Lutheran ministers who would bring their dartboards and their bibles as they moved from one congregation to the next.”

That quote may bear more than a bit of truth. In looking at the greater Dartball community, many of the active leagues are Church Leagues. And, for whatever it’s worth, Monday Night seems to be Dartball Night across the country. 

Although the Washington PA dartball league isn’t a church league, they do have an upcoming movie based on their pastime, and a trailer is available for viewing at their website:
http://www.dartballthemovie.com/dartball_08.html

Parts and Labor:

If you’re interested in starting to play dartball, you’ll need a dartball board, apex #2 darts, a stand, and a lighting system. 

The boards are available online, or can be manufactured.  In an interview for “To the Point, the Story of Darts in America”, Robert Glass from Apex stated that “Every month or so we get a call from somewhere in the country from someone asking for materials.  They are usually vague about what they want them for, but it’s not hard to guess that they are trying to make a Dartball board.  We don’t mind at all, but everyone thinks they will be infringing on our patent.  We don’t care about that, we’ll be glad to help anyone with materials or instructions on how to make a Dartball board at no charge, with no problems.”

The darts are available from Apex retailers.  The stands and lighting systems seem to be made by each Dartball group.  I haven’t been able to find any commercially available.

Resources:

Dartball ScoreSheets
http://www.dartballusa.com/
http://www.widartball.com/


Cabinets Shipping - Silver Bullet

To begin with, the dart cabinets have started rolling off of the workbenches, and have begun to make their way to their new owners. So, if you’ve been waiting for your dart cabinet to arrive, the days are upon us, and it should be at your door shortly.

Silver Bullet 16th Annual

Over the weekend I had the chance to attend the 16th annual running of the Silver Bullet dart tournament. It’s great to see that the tournament scene is healthy enough to support an event for that long of a time. Sixteen years ago Ross Perot was running for president, and they were shooting darts at the Sivler Bullet tourney.

There were some big names in attendance, including Darrin Young and the ever-accurate Mark Wuerstle. Well, it being the finals, it makes sense that some great darts were being shot. In the end, the tournament boiled down to Dorko’s vs the Raven’s Nest.

The Raven’s Nest took first place . . .



The picture was from a cell phone, so it’s a little fuzzy. Still, it’s great to have a snapshot. A couple of the faces in the scene are probably very familiar to tournament shooters with Mark Wuerstle on the left and Keith Bauer on the right.



Taking second place were Joe Swatsky, Kirk Wimble, and Ed Dormer from Dorko’s Cafe.


Darts World


Darts World

I spent a little time surfing the internet, reading through different dart sites. I happened upon several that were the web prescence for magazines. So, in an effort to let the rest of the world know that we exist, I wrote an email to Tony Wood, the man behind Darts World.

He was kind enough to write back and send me an issue of his magazine. Much appreciated!

Like a lot of the world’s darters, Tony and Darts World are located in the U.K. They publish new editions of the ‘zine monthly.

The copy I received was for the month of Feb. and had 60 full color pages dedicated to the sport of darting. There were sections that recapped the big tournaments, like the Ladbrokes World Championships. John Part, the winner of that event, took home £100,000. That’s roughly $200,000. To me, that is HUGE money.

They also have sections dedicated to the darting activities of particular regions of the UK, like Scotland and Wales. Between the interviews, the ads for upcoming tournaments, the regional updates, and some regular features there was plenty of dart info to digest.

They also have a list of “Professional Darts Corporation” money winners for the past two years. Recognizable Americans on the list include Darin Young and John Kuczynski. Ray Carver leads the American candidates on the list.

To get in touch with Tony, or just browse their website, visit them at: http://www.dartsworld.com/


Silver Bullet Action - High Scores Update

This weekend is the finals of the annual dart tournament at the Silver Bullet in Neskopeck. This year is the 16th running of the event. Of course this being the finals, all the teams shooting will have had to qualify during the weekend events that took place between March 15th and 30th.

Also coming up at the Silver Bullet is the Matt Sarna Benefit, which is a one day event that is designed to raise funds to help a 5 year-old who is battling bone cancer. It is a two-man, handicap tournament that takes place Sunday April 13th. Registration closes at 11am. For more information you can contact Ralphie at 759-0929.

Also, a round of congratulations goes to “goNoPlace”, the virtual dart shooter. He has managed to land a place on the “70+” section of the High Shooters List for our online darts game by throwing a 72!


Classic American Dart Cabinets

There is more than usual to report in the world of American Style darting.  First off, the big dart tournament of the year, the PA State Dart tournament finished, with Haganey’s Aces #2 taking the title!

I’ve updated the PA State Dart Tournament page, so you can go visit and see who was involved and how everyone else who made it to the Finals fared.

The other big tournament of the year - Nationals - also concluded.  The National dart tournament has a set of different classes that shooters are grouped into according to their averages.  There are A, B, and C divisions for teams, and this year there was a Singles tournament that had 4 divisions.   I’ve updated the National American Dart Tournament page to show the winners of these events. 

Now, onto something that I’ve been getting a lot of emails about recently . . . those Green Dart Cabinets that hold an American dart board.  We’ve all seen them in bars everywhere, and depeding on your age, they have the ability to bring back some memories. 

They are a pretty unique item.  No one shows up to work every Monday and starts making these cabinets.  Instead, they are created during one of what I think are two production runs throughout the year.  So basically, they clear the workbenches and say “We’re going to make cabinets today fellas”, and then that’s what they do.

 And when they’re done, those are the cabinets that will be sold for the next few months.  When they sell out, there are no more until the next production run. 

Here’s the big news . . .

They are doing a production run at the start of April, so now is the time to speak up if you’re interested in owning one of these pieces!!! 

They come in the traditional Green, and the “modern” Oak color.  The cost is $149 + shipping (they ship out of Philadelphia, and so far the charges have been coming in at $25).

 If you’re interested in one, we’ll be taking orders that will be fulfilled during this next production run, so we have until probably the first week of April to get them submitted.  You can order from the Classic American Dart Cabinet page (near the bottom), or by emailing me at “webmaster AT americanstyledarts.com”.


PA State Dart Finals Tomorrow

i just got the email from George, and in case anyone was worried that the weather would put a hold on tomorrow’s (Sautrday Feb 23rd) dart efforts, fear no more.  or at least less.  things are completely on schedule as of 4:30pm today. 

here’s the line-up for tomorrow . . .

Loser’s Bracket (or more eloquently, Teams with a 3-1 record) 10AM Start

Dorko’s Café #1, #3 & #4, Mt. Carmel, PA (3 Teams)
Valley View Gun Club, Sacramento, PA
Fat Heads, Somers Point, NJ
Team Rohfling, Jim Thorpe, PA
White Haven Fire Co., White Haven, PA
Julie’s Café, Tower City, PA
Savitsky’s #2, Nanticoke, PA
Joliett Fire Co., Joliett, PA
M.M.M., Freeland, PA
VIP Darts #2 & #3, Jim Thorpe, PA (2 Teams)
Miller’s Bar, Drums, PA
Jeff’s, Bethlehem, PA
E&B Construction, Hazleton, PA
Jake’s Place, Hamburg, PA
Dirty Dogs, Burlington, PA
The Rummies, Coaldale, PA

Undefeated Bracket - Noon Start

Johnson’s Village Inn, Nuremburg, PA
Savitsky’s Edge, Nanticoke, PA
Raven’s Nest, Quakertown, PA
Haganey’s Aces #2, Freeland, PA
Misty Eyes, Schuylkill Haven, PA

Wall of Fame Induction

Lenny Kislavage
Al Rasmus
Jim Watkins
Jessie Richie
Walt Figas

the Wall of Fame induction Ceremony begins at 10AM.


Widdy-Apex-Darto Sampler Packs

Phil Taylor’s tip about experimenting to find the right dart equipment for you struck a chord. How is the average darter going to try out Darto darts, Widdy’s and Apex darts to see which one fits him best?

You can buy a dozen of each type of dart, but that’s just shouldn’t be the best solution available! A better way would to buy a box of a dozen darts that contained a few Apex, and few Widdys and a few Dartos.

Now, you can. We’ve put together a dart “sampler pack”.

It includes Four Widdy’s, Four Apex darts, and Four Dartos. So, you can test out each manufacturer, and decide which one is best for you. And if a dart gets burred during testing, that’s ok, you’ll have a backup in the box. (Considering we only throw three darts at an inning, but there are four darts from each maker in the box).

I know, there are only three of each in the picture, but you’ll get four of each when you order.

They are available through our Dart Catalog Page.

I think this is also a great solution for home dart setups, bars and taverns who have demand for different style darts, gifts for darters when you’re not sure which brand to buy, and people just setting up a dartboard for the first time.


Dart Throwing Tips

stumbling through youtube today, i came across a video from “the Mirror” in the UK. it was Phil “The Power” Taylor’s Top 5 Tips to Darts Success. and i thought, hey, that’s pretty cool. considering he’s probably the best dart player on the face of the planet.

turns out a bit of it is tongue in cheek. and, even though the announcer speaks English, his accent is so thick i did a lot of rewinding to figure out what he was saying during the first 30 seconds. Phil on the other hand, speaks clearly enough for my ears.

anyway, here’s the video . . .

1. Always Have the Right Gear - which makes sense, especially for English darters where every part of the dart seems to be customisable. the flights, the weights, the barrel shapes, and on and on.

on the American side, the choices are really limited to whether you want to use Widdy’s, Darto’s, or Apex darts. Phil says that it’s all “experimental really”, so experiment with the different darts that are available, and find the one that suits you!

and “equipment” doesn’t end with the dart itself, it also extends to the clothes you wear. i know that some players simply won’t wear sleeved shirts. they cut the sleeves off completely. other won’t wear long sleeves. it doesn’t matter what you prefer, but it might be worth paying attention to for a moment to see if your choice of shirts for the evening has a little something to do with your dart game.

Phil mentions shoes as well. i suppose anything you could wear that might make you more comfortable and stable at the line is worth thinking about.

2. Play the Name Game - ok, this made me chuckle. but, english darts is not the team game that american darts are. i see this in the bar pretty often when a newcomer wants to join in the dart games and someone says, “get team, we’ll shoot” and he looks at them like “what the hell are you talking about, a team?”.

heh, looking through our scoresheets though, it does seem like a lot of shooters have a nickname: Cookie, Biggie, Mutzy, Z, Zig, Trout, Muff, Mall, Zippy, Fatty, Pizza, and the list goes on.

3. Take a Stand - as in “how to stand at the oche” (rhymes with “hockey”).
- put your foot sideways
- lean in
- aim your dart “a little bit like aiming a gun” (he seems to be shy saying that, which makes me chuckle as well. i suppose he’s not from hunting country ;) )
- pull back and fire

he doesn’t say much about a “follow through”

4. How to Throw - couldn’t make out all the words, but he says he gets his thoughts directly in line with whatever he’s aiming at. imagine there’s a plum(?) line that comes right across the floor. that’s where he stands, and keep everything level.

5. Feel the Pressure - he says it’s “not easy”.

Well - for better or worse, those are the words from the man himself!

But Wait - There’s More!!

One of the members of the darts forums we’ve set up asked for some tips for throwing American Darts, and he received some of the best dart throwing advice I’ve seen online so be sure to read over RJB’s Tips for Throwing Darts!!


Nationals Prequalifier Results - Online High Score

last week there was a prequalifying event for Nationals held in Emmaus. Games were shot in both the “B” division (which has a 3-man cap of 110 pts) and the “C” division (which has a cap of 90pts per 3-man team).

Winners emerging from the “B” division include 2 teams from Dorko’s Cafe:
1st - Dorko’s II (Dennis Conti, Young Joe Zavarik, Nate Dobek)
2nd - Emmaus Fire Co. #1
3rd - BVFHA
4th - Dorko’s I (Corey Hepler, Doug Troutman, Damien Zigler)

in the “C” division, the following teams are moving on to seeded position in Nationals:
1st - Pine Grove VFW
2nd - Fountain Hill Hose Company
3rd - Emaus Fire Company #3
4th - Coopersburg Fire Company

there are several other pre-qualifiers for Nationals coming up, including Saturday February 2nd in Northhampton PA.

ONLINE DARTS GAME

i received a screenshot from Clyde Myers who tied the best score ever by shooting a 78!!! Congratulations go out to Clyde!


New High Scores - Functional Scoresheets

Those are the two new additions to American Style Darts.com. If you visit the Score Sheets page, you’ll notice two new Excel files added towards the bottom. Those are “automated” scoresheets where scorekeepers only have to enter the value of the last dart shooter’s inning score. All of the addition will be taken care of by the computer.

While taking a laptop into a smokey barroom is a less practical way to keep score than say, the trusty old pencil and paper routine, this is a project that just begged for some attention. And so, it’s now available thanks to Frank Petruskevich. Who knows, building on something like this, twenty years from now our kids could be inputting dart scores on their cell phones and have up-to-the-minute data for their dart league or tournament! We could even have real-time internet reporting from events like States and Nationals someday :)

Also, Christian Warren sent in a score for our online game that currently ranks as the second best game ever scored with a 74. Anyone scoring a 65 or better qualifies for posting amoung the high scorers, so keep those screenshots coming in!


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