Bowling Video of the Day--A PBA Backup Ball Championship?

The recent Mark Roth Plastic Ball Championship was one of the most interesting and exciting PBA tournaments I can remember and has refueled serious discussions about whether and how the PBA should regulate the equipment used in its tournaments. It also provoked a tongue-in-cheek discussion in the PBA Forum concerning the holding of a backup ball tournament.

After all, if the PBA wants to showcase the elite skills of its pros, why not set aside a tournament that highlights their ability to control their releases by requiring them to throw only backup balls? The discussion then turned to picking who would win such a tournament. One person picked Jason Belmonte. "Nobody would beat Belmo in a backup ball tourney.....at least no human I've ever seen," he opined. But someone else suggested that Robert Smith could give him a run for his money, and another person chimed in with Osku Palermaa.

I think it would be tremendous fun to see these three go at it with backup balls. Not in a regular tournament, mind you, but in some kind of special challenge event shown on ESPN or, at least, on Xtra Frame.

Can you suggest any other credible competitors for a backup ball challenge, and who do you think would win? Check out the videos below of Osku Palermaa and Robert Smith. I couldn't find one of Belmo throwing a backup strike ball, but I understand that he throws it virtually as well that way as he does the other way. It must be an awesome sight!