Bowling Quote of the Day--Tom Clark on GEICO Team Shootout

"For bowling fans who may think the GEICO Team Shootout was a so-called ‘silly season’ exhibition, I think they will find out otherwise. It was a fierce competition for the second annual Manufacturer's Cup, with significant money and a great deal of pride on the line. It featured 20 of the best players in the world bowling with one goal - to win - and that shines through in this series."

--Tom Clark, PBA COO and Deputy Commissioner

Walter Ray Takes on Wayne Webb at PBA Northern California Senior Classic

If you have PBA Xtra Frame and a way to watch it this evening, check out the featured match coming up between Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Wayne Webb in the Round of 8 at the PBA Senior Northern California Classic. The match begins around 5 PM Pacific. I won't be able to see all of it before I have to leave for my sport bowling league tonight, but I look forward to catching all of this very promising match in the Xtra Frame archives later.

Wayne Webb looks very sharp coming off knee surgery and his outstanding showing last week in the PBA Senior U.S. Open, and he seems to be picking up from where he left off in this week's tournament in Brentwood, CA.

Catch him and Walter Ray if you can and let the PBA know that you value their Xtra Frame webcasting service and senior bowling.

Bowling Video of the Day--Justin Bieber vs. Shaq in Trickshot Competition

PBA Fines Sean Rash For Bottlegate 2

Many were wondering what would happen to Sean Rash for his profanity laced tirade (see video below) against Jason Belmonte at the GEICO Team Shootout recently. Even though the incident won't be shown on TV until the first weekend of July, video clips of it have made the Internet rounds, and there has been much discussion of it on this and other bowling blogs as well as bowling forums.

Belmonte even weighed in Monday with a very strong public statement denying that he deliberately sought to distract Rash with his water bottle and expressing profound disappointment with Rash and others for impugning his character over this. Yesterday, I posted my "blow by blow" breakdown of the incident and said what I thought about it.

Today, the PBA announced that they're fining Rash "an undisclosed amount for conduct unbecoming a professional." Your guess is as good as mine as to how much the fine will cost Mr. Rash. I suppose I could ask him at the all-day bowling clinic I plan to attend this Saturday at Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, CA, but I think I'll pass on posing that particular question to him. Perhaps you'd like to mosey on over and ask him yourself.

I will say, as I did yesterday, that I don't think Rash should be punished too severely for his outburst, but he and the other players should be strongly discouraged from future very public behavior of this kind. As for Belmo, a lot of people think he should be fined too. But for what? I still think the "Bottlegate" incidents with Brad Angelo and Rash were accidental and that, in any case, there's no proof that they were intentional. However, I think Belmo needs to be officially warned, if he hasn't been already, to keep his hands off his water bottle at crucial times during his matches with opponents, and if he fails to do this, then the PBA would be justified in imposing sanctions.

What do you think? Do you think Rash should have been fined or otherwise disciplined? If so, how much, or how? What about Belmonte?

Two-Handed Women and One-handed Thumbless Senior Bowlers

One of the great features of PBA Xtra Frame is that you can submit questions via the PBA Facebook page and get them answered almost immediately on the webcasts. Today, during Xtra Frame's coverage of the PBA Senior Northern California Classic, someone asked Jeff Mark and Jason Thomas if any seniors on tour bowl two-handed.

The answer was that no one, except for Walter Ray fiddling with it from time to time, does, probably because the two-handed delivery places too much strain on the lower back to lend itself to use by older bowlers. But, both Mark and Thomas opined that we might start seeing more elite female players using this style.

For, whereas a man using this style gets only a relatively small rev and speed advantage over the more powerful one-handed stylists on tour, an effective two-handed female bowler would have a tremendous power advantage over all but, perhaps, Michelle Feldman. So, if a woman were to start throwing the ball well two-handed, it could entice many other women to adopt the style, and this could have a huge impact on elite women's bowling.

I followed up this question by asking if any seniors on tour bowled with no thumb one-handed. Thomas answered that no one on the senior tour does now but that there's a guy in Southern California approaching seniorhood who might soon make a dent on the tour with his one-handed thumbless style and that Mike Miller, who cashed in the Tournament of Champions this year, would also be a senior soon and could be a thumbless force to be reckoned with.

If I don't beat him to it with my own thumbless style, that is. :-) Or maybe I should further develop my two-handed game.

Bowling Quote of the Day--Old School Doesn't Cut It Today

"If your position is that any iota of anything other than blind devotion to the gentlemen's chess match of professional bowling is anathema, then please direct me to the bowling center or other professional bowling tour using this model to generate massive fans and profits."

--Mike Jakubowski, PBA announcer and publicist, commenting in the PBA Forum

Team USA Roster Announced for Women's World Championships

"This is one the strongest, most experienced teams we have ever fielded to compete in the Women's World Championships. It was difficult to narrow down our roster to just six players because we had six other players on the team who were just as deserving to represent the United States."

--Rod Ross, Head Coach of Team USA

I can just hear the legendary Mr. T saying, "I pity the fool who bowls against this team." Team USA has just announced its roster for the 2011 World Tenpin Association Women's World Championships in Hong Kong later this year.

How would YOU like to bowl against the team of Carolyn Dorin-Ballard, Liz Johnson, Kelly Kulick, Stefanie Nation, Shannon O'Keefe, and Shannon Pluhowsky?

You can see how this juggernaut of a team does against its competition by watching all rounds of the tournament live on BOWL.com on Sept. 3-11.