Final Entry, At Least for Now

I love bowling. I love to do it and I love to write about it. This blog has been a labor of love. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help to pay the bills, and it takes time away from other activities, including other writing projects, I could do to earn money.

So, it’s with more than a touch of sadness that I make this my last post to this blog for the foreseeable future. I’ll keep the blog online as long as Google lets me, and I may even add to my links and blogroll and update them so that you can continue to come here and find links to the best websites and most current articles about what’s happening in the bowling world.

But I’ll no longer be posting new entries here unless and until I can afford to spend time doing it. And if I do resume posting, I’ll try to improve both the content and the layout of my blog so that more people will enjoy coming here.

I’ve always been challenged so far as computer literacy and graphical aesthetics are concerned, but it seems that successful blogs almost always need to deliver great content with even greater style if they’re going to attract regular readers.

In the meantime, I hope those of you who have read entries here continue to find this blog helpful in keeping up with what’s happening in bowling, and if you care to make any comments about what you liked and perhaps didn’t like about this blog and what you’d like to see in the future from it if I were to revive it, I’d truly appreciate it.

Good luck and good bowling.

Kelly Kulick Should Win the 2009-2010 Best Bowler ESPY Hands Down, But Will She?

I won't say who it is, but right now a famous bowler is on Facebook urging his friends and followers to vote for Bill O'Neill for the ESPY award for "best bowler" this year. The ESPY is ESPN's equivalent of an Oscar.

And I'd gladly vote for Bill O'Neill if it weren't for the fact that his competition is Walter Ray Williams Jr and Kelly Kulick. But because those two are his competition, I think either one of them should win the award over him.

Now don't get me wrong. I think Bill O'Neill is an outstanding bowler and that he had a great season. But I think Walter Ray had an even better season, and the fact that he did it at his age makes it all the more outstanding, in my opinion.

Yet, it seems to me that even Walter Ray's accomplishments pale in comparison to what Kelly Kulick achieved this season. She won the PBA Women's World Series Championship, the PBA Tournament of Champions, the Women's U.S. Open, the USBC Queens, the women's title in the Malaysian Open, and a PBA Northwest Regional. This is stupendous! It's monumental! How many bowlers, male or female, have had a greater season against the likes of today's level of competition from all over the world?

What's more, Kelly Kulick has represented herself and the wonderful sport of bowling with as much eloquence and class as anyone I've ever seen. She has been a fantastic spokesperson for bowling.

Yet, for some reason, she still fails to receive her due. The media buzzed about her for a few days after her TOC championship, and then she was all but forgotten. Oprah never called her, nor did any of the other female media bigshots you'd think would have jumped over, under, around, and through hoops to have her on their shows, although such exertions would hardly have been necessary.

Very few probably even know about Kelly's Malaysian Open or Northwest Regional titles. Even after she won the Women's U.S. Open and USBC Queens, there was deafening silence.

And now, a famous male bowler who should know better is on Facebook exhorting people to vote for his friend Bill O'Neill for the ESPY, lots of people there are saying, "Consider it done," and I'm just scratching my head and wondering what's up with these people and with the world at large. Is there no justice in the world?

I can understand a guy wanting his friend to win. But should friendship trump justice? I don't think so. And if you're not Bill O'Neill's or Walter Ray Williams Jr's best friend forever, how in the world could you give even a nanosecond's consideration to voting for anyone OTHER than Kelly Kulick for this year's "best bowler" ESPY?

PBA Western Regional Tomorrow in Modesto

Tomorrow, I'll be driving from Sacramento to Modesto, CA to watch the qualifying round of the PBA Western Region Venessa Brown Homes Open at Yosemite Lanes. It will feature such nationally well-known names as Michael Haugen Jr., Wayne Garber, P.J. Haggerty, Dave Arnold, and Chris Warren as well as a veritable Who's Who of local luminaries including the ageless Ross Packard and perennial powerhouse Jeff Frankos.

The players will be matching up with the 2009-2010 Chameleon pattern, and I expect to spend the afternoon enjoying some fine bowling. I hope that you who can will come join me. Some may disagree, but I can hardly think of a better way to spend part of my 4th of July weekend.

Bowling Bytes--7/2/10

~ This Weekend’s GEICO PBA Team Shootout on ESPN at a Glance

~ PBA East Region Leaders Through June 28, 2010

~ PBA Midwest Region Leaders Through June 28, 2010

~ PBA Central Region Leaders Through June 28, 2010

~ Senior Masters Title Convinces Webb to Complete Quest for Senior Player of the Year Honor -- ”As a competitor on the PBA Tour for more than a quarter century, Wayne Webb put together a Hall of Fame career capturing 20 titles including the Tournament of Champions and a Player of the Year crown. But two major titles — the U.S. Open and United States Bowling Congress Masters—eluded him. On June 18, in a marquee matchup of two PBA greats, Webb defeated reigning PBA Player of the Year Walter Ray Williams Jr., 705-628, in the title match to win the USBC Senior Masters at the South Point Hotel and Casino Bowling Center in Las Vegas...Webb, who moved to the Columbus, Ohio area in early April to open Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl, had planned to end his season after the Senior Tour’s two majors in Las Vegas to concentrate on his center back home. But after a win in the Senior Columbus Open, a runnerup finish in the season-opening Senior Dayton Classic and a ninth-place finish in the Senior U.S. Open, he’s a leading contender for Senior Player of the Year honors. As a result, he is planning to adjust his schedule so he can compete in the last three events of the season...

~ Memory Lane: The Dave Bolles Story -- “It is October 15, 1989 at Camino Bowl in Mountain View, Calif. Dave Bolles, who has made the finals of a major on the PBA West Region tour and will have a shot at bowling the Tournament of Champions with a top-four finish, curls up in the fetal position on a bench in the bar, ill and falling asleep after telling the tournament director that he is too sick to go on. He has no idea that just a few hours from now he will attain bowling immortality, that this is the week he will tell people about for the rest of his life...”

~ USBC Senior Championships Underway in Reno -- “The 2010 USBC Senior Championships is underway at the National Bowling Stadium and nearly 350 bowlers from 47 states and three Canadian provinces have converged on The Biggest Little City in the World...”

~ Malta Sue Abela, Mark Spiteri to compete in 46th QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup in Zagreb -- “June at the SuperBowl in St. Julian's, Malta, saw the Malta Tenpin Bowling Association's (MTBA) qualifying event for this year’s QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup, which will be held in Zagreb, Croatia between the 15th - 24th of October. The BWC is one of the most prestigious events in the worldwide tenpin bowling calendar, with typically in excess of eighty nations represented by their male and female champions. Malta will be represented by Mark Spiteri and Sue Abela after the duo came through to top their respective divisions with flying colors...”

~ Williams, Jussila overtake qualifying lead in 1st Track Dream-Bowl Palace Open -- “2007 World Ranking Masters champion Stuart Williams (pictured left), England, and Perttu Jussila (right), Finland, led two of the three qualifying squads on Thursday at Dream-Bowl Palace in Unterföhring near Munich, Germany, en route to move into 1, 2 in the overall qualifying standings of the 1st Track Dream-Bowl Palace Open...Among the top 16 are PBA exempt player Chris Loschetter (left) and PBA Hall of Famer Brian Voss (right), both United States. Loschetter, who is still seeking his first PBA title sits in 5th place with 1373 featuring six games between 215 and 245. Voss, who will serve on the Austrian coaching staff in the upcoming Men's World Championship in August, is 14th with 1330 including a 280 high game...”

~ California bowler rolls 300, takes Singles lead at USBC Women’s Championships -- “Krischna Howard (pictured left) of Hawthorne, Calif., rolled the 12th perfect game in the 91-year history of the United States Bowling Congress Women's Championships on her way into the lead in scratch and Diamond Singles on Thursday. The 31-year-old right-hander started singles with a pair of 246 games before rolling 12 consecutive strikes to finish with a 792 scratch series. She received an additional 22 pins of handicap per game, which gave her a final score of 858. Team USA member Tennelle Milligan (right) of Arlington, Texas, previously held the scratch lead with 779, while Shauna Shannon of Albuquerque, N.M., led Diamond Singles with 797...”

BWAA Press Release--Sarah Palin at 2010 International Bowl Expo

Love her or hate her or, not so extremely, like her or dislike her, Sarah Palin is hugely popular in this country, and she recently delivered the keynote address before the 2010 International Bowl Expo. Here is part of the official BWAA press release on the event:

LAS VEGAS - June 30, 2010 - Standing before a crowd of several thousand bowling industry leaders from across the world, former Governor and Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin gave a rousing keynote address at the 2010 International Bowl Expo. Highlighting the impact of bowling as the nation's number one participatory sport and a thriving industry, Palin brought the crowd to its feet during her 45 minute speech. Additionally, Palin spoke to the important role played by bowling proprietors as business owners and community leaders, as well as the vital presence of bowling centers as social hubs in communities across the nation.

"Bowling has an honored place in our culture and is interwoven with our sense of community in our country. Go to any town or city and you will find bowling - it is truly a slice of Americana," said Palin. "Bowling has been able to evolve, innovate and capitalize on changes in culture to keep alive and flourish. Through the entrepreneurial spirit of its proprietors, bowling has seen a new resurgence and has never been more popular."

During her keynote speech, Palin spoke of the societal influence of bowling that spans generations of American life. Professing a personal appreciation for the bowling industry, Palin also noted that, during his high school years, her father Chuck Heath Sr. worked as a pin boy and that she herself has fond childhood memories of watching him play in this Thursday night bowling league.

Additionally, as a mother and aunt to children born with disabilities, Palin took special note of the bowling industry's support of the Special Olympics and thanked the proprietors in attendance for providing a healthy, positive environment to children with special needs.

Following her speech, Palin joined Steve Johnson, executive director of the Bowling Proprietors' Association of America (BPAA), and a number of pioneering female bowling executives and athletes in delivering a historic announcement of a new, revitalized Bowling's U.S. Women's Open in 2011.

"Sarah Palin's comments about the impact of bowling ring true, no matter where you stand on the political spectrum. Bowling is a sport that knows no political or social boundaries - it is the embodiment of the American spirit and a healthy, fun and inclusive activity that brings together people from all walks of life," said Johnson. "Today Sarah Palin said that bowling helps make our country a better place and we couldn't agree with her more."

The International Bowl Expo 2010 was held from June 27 to July 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton and Las Vegas Convention Center. Ms. Palin's keynote speech took place during the general session on the morning of June 30 at the Las Vegas Hilton.