Men's Team USA Now Competing in PABCON Men's Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico

While the regular PBA Tour may be on hiatus, some of its biggest stars are busy this week bowling for Men's Team USA in the PABCON Men's Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Team USA is one of sixteen national teams competing in the five-player Team, Trios, Doubles, Singles, All-Events, and Masters events at the Pan American Bowling Confederation's Men's Championships. It probably comes as no surprise that Men's Team USA has won 25 out of a possible 30 gold medals since 1997, and should do well again this year with Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes, Bill O'Neill, Patrick Allen, Michael Fagan, and Wes Malott making up the team.

Everybody practiceed last night on all the oil patterns, and the action officially begins today. Stay tuned to this blog for the results as they unfold.

Below is a video of Men's Team USA practicing on the PABCON lanes.

Is This the Future of PBA Telecasts?

I posted an entry the other day about PBA publicist and Xtra Frame announcer Mike Jakubowski's recent column on pba.com. In that column, Mr. Jakuboswki argued that bowling "purists" who want PBA telecasts on ESPN to faithfully mimic the staid ABC telecasts of yesteryear should come to their senses and realize that the PBA needs to keep up with the times and its younger demographic if it's going to survive much less flourish in an age of "computers, video games, cell phones, texting, 500 television channels and the Internet."

He cited contemporary examples of bleating vuvuzelas at NHL playoffs, pounded thundersticks behind the backboards at NBA playoffs, "racing sausages" and females sporting foam fingers and rally hats at MLB games, "thumping music" in many sports venues, and the slick promotional silliness of professional wrestling as laudable examples of ways to draw and keep more fans and suggested that the PBA needs to follow in their footsteps if it's to survive.

Well, maybe he's right, and the collegiate bowling program videos below, referred to me by frequent commenter Kerry, may be a foretaste of where PBA telecasts are headed. While you're watching, be sure to check out that Michael Fagan guy.

What do you think? Is this the direction in which the PBA should take its telecasts?