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?..."

PBA News of a Glorious Future or Last Ditch Effort?

If the news from yesterday's meeting of exempt players on the PBA Tour is any indication, widespread predictions and my own worries about the PBA's eminent demise may have been premature. Because the news is good. Better than good, actually.

For starters, next year's TOC will feature a staggering, at least for professional bowling, $1 million prize fund and a $250,000 first prize check. Wow! And the tournament will be open, as I've always thought it should be, to ALL previous national title winners and not just to a select few. By golly, it's even open to all past Regional, Senior, and Women's Series titlists. Now THAT'S a true Tournament of Champions. I can't wait to watch it on PBA Xtra Frame!

Other highlights include:

An even bigger and better World Series of Bowling than we saw last year, including a United States vs. the World special competition at the WSOB.

ESPN live broadcasts in HD, with some events, including the U.S. Open and PBA World Championship, being carried live by the ESPN family of channels over a groundbreaking three consecutive days.

A new, season ending six-week series of PBA Playoffs in an elimination format and with its own separate prize fund and a big impact on the PBA Player of the Year race.

A new "Xtra Frame Tour" in which PBA Tour players will compete in at least five separate locations in tournaments using a modified format and covered exclusively by PBA Xtra Frame.

Yes, this and more is the unbelievable news coming from yesterday's meeting in Norwich, Conn, site of this week's national tournament. Click here to read the whole fantastic story.

Of course, the cynically inclined might detect a scent of desperation pervading next year's plans and argue that, even if all of the elements of this wildly ambitious scenario come to fruition, they will be the prodigious but dying gasps of a doomed organization before it fails once and for all and dies for good.

Well, I can be as cynical as anyone, but I'm going to suspend my cynicism for now and let myself revel in the marvelous excitement and hope I feel over this unexpected and amazing news regarding next year's PBA Tour.