Bowling Video--Some Grudges Never Die

Bowling Video--Kelly Kulick Discusses "Survivor Reno"

Chris Barnes Has No Competition in the Cheetah Challenge

Chris Barnes showed up today at Fountain Valley Bowl at 5:30 PM EST with $5000 cash in his pocket, but nobody dared to take him on. That's right, PBA Xtra Frame was all set to live stream a contest in which Barnes and one or possibly more challengers each tossed $5000 into the pot and the highest scorer for three games would walk away with all the money. Yet, not even last year's Cheetah monster and champion Eugene McCune rose to the challenge.

If you recall, McCune not only won last year's Cheetah championship but obliterated the nine-game block scoring record by averaging an unbelievable 274 along the way in match play. I've posted a short video of part of that mind-boggling performance below.

Maybe all the players, fresh off a practice round, were resting physically and psyching up mentally for tomorrow's opening of the PBA Cheetah Open and didn't want to be distracted by a preliminary match with Barnes. Yet, I'm still surprised that no one went after him. Yes, $5000 is a lot of money for most of us, and underpaid bowlers are decidedly no exception. But surely there are well-to-do sponsors out there who would have been willing to take a gamble. After all, Chris Barnes, as great as he is, has not exactly shown himself to be unbeatable here of late on any lane condition. Yes, he had an excellent year last season despite the fact that he didn't win any championships, but HE DIDN'T WIN ANY CHAMPIONSHIPS and was completely out of the running in quite a number of tournaments.

Well, even though Chris didn't get to bowl against anybody, he did throw some impressive practice balls and talk with Xtra Frame announcer Mike J. Laneside and Fountain Valley Bowl resident bowling coach extraordinaire Mark Baker about his game, his equipment, and how to handle the Cheetah pattern, and it was quite illuminating. Chris Barnes has encyclopedic knowledge of bowling and bowling equipment and is very articulate in discussing it.

Any serious bowler who wants to get better and can afford $7.95 a month or $65 a year for Xtra Frame is crazy not to subscribe and start soaking up like a thirsty sponge the incredible information offered. And if you do subscribe and miss events like what I just described, you can always catch them in the archives and go over them as many times as you wish to learn everything you can and want to learn from them.

Not only that, but this season the PBA Tour will run several national tournaments that will be carried only on Xtra Frame. In the past, it has used Xtra Frame to cover qualifying and match play rounds, leaving the finals to ESPN or, in one instance, ABC to televise. But this year, only Xtra Frame will be carrying some of the finals as well. And the Cheetah Championship beginning tomorrow at Fountain Valley Bowl will be one of those tournaments that will be carried only by Xtra Frame from start to finish. Qualifying rounds begin tomorrow at noon EST, and the scoring promises to be high on the highest scoring of all the PBA "animal" patterns.

By the way, one of the things Mark Baker revealed on today's webcast was that he's just sent a book to his publisher entitled "The Game Changer." It is his first instructional book, and he says he's proud of it. Since he is widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, bowling coaches in the world, I'm guessing that serious bowlers will want to grab a copy of his book as soon as it comes out. Baker surmises that it will be out around March 15.

PBA Xtra Frame Now Indispensable to PBA Fans

If you're a big fan of the PBA but don't subscribe to the PBA's webcast service Xtra Frame, tis the season to sign up. I say this not only because Xtra Frame will continue offering incredibly incisive commentary during qualifying and match play leading up to the PBA finals televised on ESPN, but it will also feature coverage of entire PBA tournaments, including the finals, for the first time, that you'll be able to see only on Xtra Frame. Moreover you'll be able to catch regional and senior finals along with other tournament action, special events, and massively archived action that you can't see on TV.

In this podcast on Above 180, Xtra Frame announcer extraordinaire Mike J. "Laneside" discusses the PBA's growing reliance on Xtra Frame as its broadcast vehicle.

Bowling Video of the Day--Mike J. Laneside Interviews Mark Baker About Coaching Philosophy

Mike J. Laneside Interviews Leslie and Parker Bohn at Bowl Expo

Mike J. Laneside Interviews Above 180's Tim Burg and Joey Cerar

"We're trying to help bowlers of any skill level become better bowlers."

--Joey Cerar, co-host of Above 180 bowling podcasts

Bowling Quote of the Day--The PBO vs. The Baker Boyz

"If I read Mike correctly, pretty soon we can expect to see the Professional Bowling Order (PBO) consisting of Belmo, Osku, Mika, and Gomez vs. The Baker Boyz (Barnes, O'Neill, Jones, Couch) in the main event. Angelo could provide the plot twist by jumping to the PBO side. Gemini jerseys will be replaced by ratted t-shirts and face paint. Plenty of plastic water bottles to go around."

--Comment on PBAForum.com regarding Mike J. Laneside's column on PBA.com

Mike J. Laneside Thinks PBA Telecasts Need to Change With the Times

"Many other professional sports combine entertainment elements within the sporting event, why can’t professional bowling?"

--Mike J. Laneside

PBA Xtra Frame's outstanding bowling announcer Mike Jakubowski (aka Mike J. Laneside) posted an article yesterday on the pba.com website that should provoke a lot of thought among bowling fans. It certainly has in me.

In his article, Is a Little Fun Really the End of the World?, Mr. Jakubowski argues that professional bowling needs to change with the times and do what's necessary to appeal to today's audience. Thus, bowling "purists" need to quit living in the somber Chris Schenkel style 60's and 70's of PBA telecasts and lighten up and embrace the vuvuzulas, blaring music, cheerleaders, and smack-talking, in-your-face competition of the season-ending Dick Weber PBA Playoffs of the modern era.

Here are some key passages from his article:

"Only a very small percentage of the audience in each sport sits in their seats the entire game or watches the entire telecast at home, watching every nuance, digesting every statistic, interpreting every announcer utterance. A very small percentage, the rest are there to have fun...The world of sports entertainment has changed by leaps and bounds over the last generation, while some professional bowling fans cling to the notion that presenting professional bowling the exact same way it was presented 30 or 40 years ago can engage a new generation of fans brought up on computers, video games, cell phones, texting, 500 television channels and the Internet – and most importantly, sponsors to support the sport. What other sport is presented the exact same way it was presented 30 or 40 years ago?...Pro bowling is starting to resemble professional wrestling? Good, it’s about time. I will take their television ratings, their merchandising outlets, their live audiences, their pay-per-view revenue and their sponsorship opportunities...Professional bowling never was, and never will be professional tennis or professional golf; no matter how desperately some bowlers or fans want it to be. Selling those models to a public that doesn’t buy it will never, ever work. Ever. No matter how often ‘purists’ post to Facebook or opine on message boards...This is the new world of instant social networking, smart phones and reality television. Instead of pining for something we can never be, how about we lean into what we really are?"

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I've been pretty critical of the PBA's attempts to make its bowling telecasts more "entertaining." I was especially displeased with its coverage of the "Bottlegate" incident and with the vuvuzelas and the Dick's antics in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs, and I expressed the hope that the PBA wouldn't try to turn its telecasts into the "bowling equivalent of Wrestlemania."

Yet, judging by Mike J's column, that's exactly where the PBA may be headed because that's where it thinks today's fans and professional bowling's future appears to be if it's to have any future at all.

How do you feel about this? Does Mike J have a point? Do you think the PBA can stay alive and perhaps even become more prosperous by making itself more appealing to a broader demographic less interested in bowling per se than in being entertained, and how far in this direction do you think it can and should go before it goes too far to hold your interest?

I'm going to give the matter more thought and read what others have to say about it. Then I'll post more on the topic in an upcoming entry.

Bowling Bytes--6/17/10

~ Germany's Peter Knopp high qualifier in USBC Senior Masters -- "Peter Knopp of Bremen, Germany, earned high qualifier honors Wednesday at the 2010 United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters. Knopp (pictured left), who was in fifth place after the second round, has a 15-game total of 3,296, an average of 219.7, at the South Point Hotel and Casino Bowling Center. He shot 1,095 in Round 3 and leads Roger Kossert (right) of Lithia, Fla., by six pins...Knopp became Germany's first PBA professional in the early 1990s when played on the PBA National Tour from 1992 to '94. His best finish was a 13th place at the 1992 PBA Wichita Open...Ross Packard of San Jose, Calif., sits in third position at 3,286, while Kent Wagner of Palmetto, Fla., is fourth at 3,269. Bob Handley (pictured left) of Winter Park, Fla., who led after the first and second rounds, dropped to fifth with 3,254 after shooting 963 on Wednesday..."

~ Mike J. Laneside: A Great Adventure -- "...The GEICO PBA Team Shootout is an amazing production. Sandy Hummel and his Strike Market Inc. crew of six spent the last three days building a two-lane championship bowling venue from scratch on a piece of concrete in a great theme park. The event team of the Professional Bowlers Association has insured that all the details are ready to go and the ESPN production team inside and outside of the TV truck have assembled all the equipment necessary to produce seven and half hours of national television. Waiting for that first 3..2..1 and go Mike J. – in my mind is the history of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour on national television. I ran home after bowling junior leagues to watch the Pro Bowlers Tour and now I glance down to notice that my hand with my 300 ring is holding a microphone with the iconic ESPN flag, I get to set the stage for this competition for the great fans of professional bowling..."

~ Xtra Frame to Provide Two Days of Exclusive Coverage From International Bowl Expo in Las Vegas -- "PBA.com’s Xtra Frame will deliver two days of exclusive, on-demand coverage of the latest news in bowling from International Bowl Expo 2010 in Las Vegas, Nev. “Bowlers Journal on Xtra Frame,” pba.com’s online video streaming service, will originate from the trade show floor at the Las Vegas Hilton Convention Center on Wednesday, June 30, and Thursday, July 1. As an added bonus, Xtra Frame will present reports from the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame’s Salute to Bowling on June 30. The Salute to Bowling is the IBM/HF’s largest annual fund-raising event...Xtra Frame’s Bowl Expo coverage will originate from the PBA booth where Mike Jakubowski (also known to Xtra Frame viewers as “Mike J. Laneside”) and producer Jason Thomas will talk with industry leaders, Hall of Famers and other personalities about what’s happening in the world of bowling in advance of the 2010-11 season. As a special bonus for Xtra Frame subscribers, Bowlers Journal International will offer special 25 percent subscription discounts to viewers during the video streaming sessions..."

~ Phil Hulst wins 2010 Bowling Promotion Cup -- "Dutchman Phil Hulst (pictured left) defeated PBA professional Michael Haugen Jr., United States, 219-172, to win the inaugural 2010 Bowling Promotion Cup. The made-for-TV invitational was held June 6 at Bowling Center Châteaubriant, France..."

~ English girls come from behind to win Trios gold in European Championships -- "England's Lisa John, Nicki Ainge and Hayley White (front row, l-r, with head coach Chris Buck, right, and assistant coach Jon Zadel) came from behind to win the Trio title in the 3rd Women's European Championships Wednesday at Zelta Boulinga Center in Riga, Latvia. Starting the second day of the preliminaries in 9th place, the English trio fired the highest 3-game series on long oil (2046, 227.33 average) to grab the fourth and final spot for the playoffs and went on to defeat the No. 1 and No. 2 seed to claim the gold medal..."

~ Sports of bowling, golf share both similar and different traits by Mark Miller -- "Professional golfer Jeff Sluman, an avid bowler since age 5 in his native Rochester, N.Y., who put two bowling lanes in the Hinsdale, Ill., home he's now selling, knows well the basic similarities between two of his favorite sports..."You have to have tremendous concentration for those three, four or five seconds when in bowling you are rolling it down the lane or in golf hitting a shot," he once said. "You have to be able to relax in between shots. And in the pros, both are individual sports. Observing the recent HP Bryon Nelson Championships in Irving, Texas, however, one can see the major differences between these sports many people play. Here are some examples..."

~ Yes, There is Oil on the Lanes -- "I see this every time I bowl during open bowling, but particularly during the summer, when families take to the lanes to have fun: people falling all over themselves because they don't realize there is oil on the lanes..."

~ A Jimmy Smith Bibliography -- "Jimmy Smith (1885-1948) was the first great professional bowler. He toured the country staging exhibitions and giving instruction. Between 1906 and 1921, he was considered the consensus match-game champion. He is a charter member of the bowling Hall of Fame. A list of articles about Smith appears below..."

~ Grand entrance sets the tone for for Arlington's International Bowling Musuem and Hall of Fame -- "From long-time bowlers to those just learning about the sport, visitors to the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame will feel the thrill of the new shrine in Arlington, Texas, from the moment they step into the Grand Entrance. Designed to give visitors an eye-catching preview of what they will see once inside, the Grand Entrance features a combination of historic and modern bowling people and events..."

~ Practice...How?? -- "1. Don't keep score...2. Focus on the process, not the results...3. Don't overtrain...4. Practice during warm-up..."

Bowling Bytes--5/27/10

~ MIKE J. LANESIDE: WSOB--A Major Way to Start the Season -- "What if you and I were having a cool beverage and I told you a story about a professional bowling organization that decided to add a cool half a million dollars to its prize fund for its season-opening event? Can we personally think of any pro or even non-pro bowling group that has ever done that? Would you be interested in participating in that event or watching it unfold on national television or following the proceedings online? How about seven opportunities to compete for a title on national television at that season-opening event, does that have any appeal for you?..."

~ Las Vegas Will Host 2010 World Series of Bowling -- "Last year, the PBA Tour debuted the World Series of Bowling--a large concentration of bowling and events in one local area--in Detroit, Michigan. Many criticized, or at least feared, the taping of the first six PBA shows. In this very blog, I routinely took shots at the taped events. Others feared it was a sign of a failing sport that it had to record so many events in such a short period of time. Obviously, finances play a huge role in the logistics of the World Series of Bowling. But last year's WSOB turned out to be very entertaining for a number of reasons. Here are just a few of my favorites..."

~ Jesper Agerbo overtakes second place in qualifying at Bowltech Aalborg International -- "Jesper Agerbo (pictured left), Denmark, led the third of 14 qualifying squads Wednesday at Lovvang Bowling Center in Aalborg, Denmark, en route to overtake second place overall in the Bowltech Aalborg International 2010. Agerbo, a silver medalist in Masters at the 2008 World Championships (he lost to the great Walter Ray Williams Jr., three-games-to-none), rolled games of 254, 235, 209, 200, 247 and 246 for 1391 six-game total and an average of 231.83..."

~ The 11th Frame: Scores keep heating up in Reno -- "One popular theory is that scores pick up later in the United States Bowling Congress Open Championships because the track is wearing in on the new lanes. However, that theory doesn't apply to the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, where the lanes were last replaced prior to the 2006 USBC Women's Championships. (At convention centers outside Reno the lanes are new each year.) Still, the scoring pace has been hot recently in Reno, with the latest barrage including three perfect games and three significant changes in the standings in just 15 hours, USBC reported. Clint Roth of Orange City, Fla.; Lou Gorcos of Crown Point, Ind.; and Frank Barefoot Jr. of Hesperia, Calif., rolled the 20th, 21st and 22nd 300s of the year and made it five consecutive days with a perfect game on the tournament lanes, while one-time PBA Tour titlist Dave Wodka of Chatsworth, Calif., cracked the top 10 in singles and all-events..."

~ The 11th Frame: Traber set to defend PBA Senior Tour titles -- "Coming off beating the "youngsters" in winning the PBA Midwest Regional in Oak Forest, Ill., May 15-16, Dale Traber is set to defend the two PBA Senior Tour titles he won last year. The Cedarburg righty last year won the Northern California Classic at Harvest Park Bowl in Brentwood, Calif., and the United States Bowling Congress Senior Masters in Las Vegas.The Northern California stop starts Sunday, and is followed by two Senior majors -- the Senior U.S. Open presented by Suncoast and the USBC Senior Masters -- both in Las Vegas..."

~ A "Grand Time"--Kulick "Slams Door on History -- "History beckoned Kelly Kulick pretty much all season long. Teased her. Dared her. Challenged her. Called out to her. In some respects, forced her. Kulick responded with one more major moment by running down top seed Liz Johnson in the 2010 US Open title match, 233-203 to not only affirm that Kulick, not Johnson is the world's best female kegler, but signed off on what can arguably be considered the greatest season in women's bowling history. Sorry. I meant to say bowling's history..."

~ Koff siblings selected to Dexter/USBC All-America Team -- "Andrew Koff of Miami, Fla., has been named to the 2009-10 Dexter/United States Bowling Congress High School All-America Team for the third consecutive season and is joined on this year's team by his sister, Ana. Andrew Koff, who recently graduated from Gulliver Preparatory School, is the first person to make the Dexter team three times. He also was named to the team in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Ana, a junior at Gulliver Preparatory School, won the Florida High School Athletic Association state singles title this season..."

~ Tiny Squad 6 -- "It was very disappointing that very few entries were recived for the late Thursday squad, just 13 players and a pacer meant that there were just two players per pair of lanes. Standouts when the roster as published had Danes Jimmy Mortensen and Johnni Adsbol, along with England’s talented Stuart Williams as leading contenders but things seldom go according to plan and they didn’t tonight..."

~ Ironic justice? -- "Arson was suspected. Shortly thereafter, Steve Smink, the operator of nearby Pike Lanes, was charged with setting the fire..."

~ Questions on coverstocks, lowering scores and ball speed -- "Q: What is the difference between “pearl” bowling balls and “solid” bowling balls?...Q: Many bowlers in my area feel that the way to lower scores and make the game fairer for all would be to raise the weight of the bowling pin. What’s your opinion?...Q: How do I get more revs on the ball?...Q: I’ve always been a speed-dominant bowler (18.75 to 19.25-mph) and feel good about it. People tell me my speed overpowers my revs so the ball does not read the mid-lane. I took my pro shop tech’s advice to back down on the speed, or try to match my revs and speed evenly for a better read. How do I take away the muscle and let gravity work?..."