Bowling News

[BubbaRay]

The 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour is just around the corner and as the Tour’s 49th season approaches, several burning questions arise.

After an historical 2006-07 season in which Walter Ray Williams Jr. became the Tour’s all-time titles leader, Tommy Jones reached 10 titles faster than any bowler in history and Doug Kent became just the sixth bowler in history to win two Majors in a season, the 2007-08 campaign looks to upstage last season with some exciting storylines and new faces.


1. Can Tommy Jones continue his march to history?

After two dominating seasons in which Jones won a combined eight titles and earned the 2005-06 PBA Player of the Year Award, Jones had a quieter season in 2006-07, winning just one title over the first 20 events. It was in the last week of the season, however, that Jones proved he’s not going anywhere in his quest to be the game’s best ever.

Jones won the season-ending PBA Tournament of Champions in dominating fashion, winning his second Major title in as many seasons and capturing his 10th Denny’s PBA Tour title in three seasons. The 28-year-old needed just two years, six months and seven days between his first and 10th titles, breaking the great Dick Weber’s record that had stood for 45 years by just four days.

Now Jones will have his eye on another record. With $923,282 in career earnings in just 204 career events, Jones could break Chris Barnes’ record for fewest events to reach $1 million. It took Barnes 220 events to reach the milestone and with 21 events on the schedule, Jones could break the record by season’s end as he needs just over $76,000 in the season’s first 15 events.
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Tommy Jones is looking to re-write the PBA record books.
2007-08 Season Kicks Off Next Week
SEATTLE - 9/14/2007


The 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour is just around the corner and as the Tour’s 49th season approaches, several burning questions arise.

After an historical 2006-07 season in which Walter Ray Williams Jr. became the Tour’s all-time titles leader, Tommy Jones reached 10 titles faster than any bowler in history and Doug Kent became just the sixth bowler in history to win two Majors in a season, the 2007-08 campaign looks to upstage last season with some exciting storylines and new faces.

Below are 10 intriguing questions as the season starts Sept. 18-23 with the Dydo Japan Cup in Tokyo, Japan, where 21 of the Denny’s PBA Tour’s biggest stars take on the best of Asia.

1. Can Tommy Jones continue his march to history?

After two dominating seasons in which Jones won a combined eight titles and earned the 2005-06 PBA Player of the Year Award, Jones had a quieter season in 2006-07, winning just one title over the first 20 events. It was in the last week of the season, however, that Jones proved he’s not going anywhere in his quest to be the game’s best ever.

Jones won the season-ending PBA Tournament of Champions in dominating fashion, winning his second Major title in as many seasons and capturing his 10th Denny’s PBA Tour title in three seasons. The 28-year-old needed just two years, six months and seven days between his first and 10th titles, breaking the great Dick Weber’s record that had stood for 45 years by just four days.

Now Jones will have his eye on another record. With $923,282 in career earnings in just 204 career events, Jones could break Chris Barnes’ record for fewest events to reach $1 million. It took Barnes 220 events to reach the milestone and with 21 events on the schedule, Jones could break the record by season’s end as he needs just over $76,000 in the season’s first 15 events.

Having earned an average of $222,770 over the last three seasons, it should be no problem for the South Carolina native.

At such a young age, there’s no telling what other records lay in Jones’ reach over the course of his career.

2. Is Sean Rash the future of the PBA?

Two seasons ago Sean Rash was a kid learning the ropes of the Denny’s PBA Tour as a rookie. He bowled the weekly Denny’s PBA Tour Qualifying Rounds looking to gain entrance into each week’s events, but took his fair share of lumps when he came up just one spot shy of qualifying on a handful of occasions. Late in the season, however, Rash finally broke through and not only advanced to the 2006 West Virginia Championship, he made history in winning the title to become the first bowler to go from Qualifying Round to champion.

Now, Rash is looking to become the face of the PBA as he proved in 2006-07 his win in West Virginia was no fluke. Rash won two titles last season and ran his record on television to a perfect 6-0 in three career appearances. He goes into the 2007-08 season looking to tie George Branham III’s record for most consecutive wins on TV to start a career, needing just two wins to tie the record.


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3. Can Walter Ray Williams Jr. put distance between himself and Earl Anthony?

After tying Earl Anthony’s all-time Denny’s PBA Tour titles record in the 2006 Denny’s World Championship which also gave him a four-year Denny’s PBA Tour exemption, the question wasn’t if Walter Ray Williams Jr. was going to break Anthony’s record but when.

Now, with a guarantee of at least three more seasons on Tour and the record chase in his rear-view mirror, the only thing left for Williams is to see how far he can separate himself from the left-hander as well as those who are sure to chase him in the future.

Will he reach 45? 50? More? The sky is the limit for Williams who at the age of 47 showed no signs of slowing down in 2006-07. Though he went winless after capturing title No. 42, Williams was still a force on Tour making four more championship round appearances. It seems that no matter the format, the lane condition or the competition, Williams always finds a way to figure it out and get to the top. And with no pressure on him to chase any records – only to extend his own – Williams could be a force on Tour for many years to come.
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4. Will Pete Weber win his first Player of the Year award?

With 34 Denny’s PBA Tour titles, a record-tying eight Major titles, over $3 million in earnings and as one of only four bowlers to complete the Triple Crown, it would seem like a no-brainer that somewhere in Pete Weber’s 27-year career he won a PBA Player of the Year award.

Shockingly, he has not.

Weber just missed a great opportunity last season to accomplish one of the few goals he has left in his illustrious career. It appeared when the season was only a month old Weber was destined to finally get over the hump. He finished second to Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the Japan Cup, sixth in the USBC Masters – the only Major he has yet to win – and captured his 33rd career title the next week.

But things slowed down for Weber and one of the most crowded PBA Player of the Year races in PBA history emerged, and Weber fell back into the crowd.

Late in the season, however, it seemed like Weber had finally done what he needed to wrap up the award. A win in the season’s most grueling and difficult event – the U.S. Open – gave Weber his record-tying eighth Major and fourth U.S. Open crown and, it seemed, an edge in the Player of the Year race.

The PBA Hall of Famer stumbled down the stretch, however, and despite an outstanding season he was upstaged by Doug Kent, whose late-season charge to the Denny’s World Championship gave him the honor for the first time in his career.

Still, it was an impressive season for Weber, who at age 44 seems to be getting stronger and has shown his toughness after rebounding from a difficult 2004-05 season when he lost his father, the legendary Dick Weber, and battled injuries.

After a strong off-season in which he captured three PBA Regional Tour titles, Weber should again be on the prowl for the elusive hardware.
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5. Can Doug Kent continue his late-career success?

Speaking of Kent, he is just another in a long line of veteran PBA stars that seems to be getting better with age. At 39 years old and in what he figured was going to be the last season of his 18-year career, Kent instead won two Major titles and captured his first PBA Player of the Year award.

The season didn’t start out well for Kent, who was the only American player not to cash in the season-opening Dydo Japan Cup. After heading home and retooling his game, Kent went into the USBC Masters feeling confident and it showed, as he rolled to his second career Major title and second Masters, though his first came before the event counted as an official PBA title.

As the season wore on, Kent continued to be the steady force he has always been. Then as the Denny’s World Championship approached, Kent’s confidence surged again, as a bowler who admitted he thrives on the pressure of Majors.

Kent was Superman again as he became just the sixth bowler in history to win two Majors in a season and for his efforts emerged from a crowded Player of the Year race as the king. Now, instead of riding off into the sunset of retirement, Kent will look forward to four more seasons.

[BubbaRay]

PBA News




Under the new point system, Doug Kent still would have captured the 2006-07 Player of the Year Award
New POY Point System Unveiled
SEATTLE - 9/12/2007


The PBA announced today it has changed the selection process for the Chris Schenkel PBA Player of the Year Award, given annually to the top bowler on the Denny’s PBA Tour.

In the past, the award has been voted on by PBA membership and members of the national media. The selection process will now take place via a point system, in which bowlers will be awarded points based on their finish in all Denny’s PBA Tour events.

Points will be awarded to the top five finishers in each event which features a stepladder final and the top four in single elimination events. An increased number of points will be awarded for finishes in Major events.

“This new formula takes advantage of the drama already associated with the end of the season and should create an exciting climax to the season as we will now have an immediate resolution to the award,” PBA Commissioner and CEO Fred Schreyer said. “With this new system in place, fans can follow the race all season and will know the results at our culminating event – the 65th Denny’s U.S. Open.”

Bowlers will earn 16 points for winning one of the 17 standard Denny’s PBA Tour events and 24 points for winning one of the four Major events – the USBC Masters, H&R Block Tournament of Champions, Denny’s World Championship and the season-ending 65th Denny’s U.S. Open.

Bowlers finishing second will earn eight points for a standard event and 12 for a Major, third-place finishers will earn four points in a standard event and eight for a Major while fourth-place finishers will earn two points in standard events and four points in a Major.

In events that feature a stepladder final, bowlers finishing fifth will earn one point in standard events and two points in Majors. Bowlers finishing fifth in single elimination events will not earn points.

The current point system used for the PBA World Point Rankings will not change. The PBA World Point Rankings determines which bowlers earn exemptions for the following season, and also determines the Harry Smith Point Leader Award and Japan Cup qualification for the following season.

The 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour kicks off next week with the Dydo Japan Cup in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 18-23. The tape-delayed ESPN telecast will air Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. ET. The first event on American soil takes place Oct. 21-28 in Milwaukee, Wis., with the 2007 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters, one of four Major events. The live ESPN televised finals will take place at the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park, Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET.

[BubbaRay]

Injury doesn't slow Dorin-Ballard at U.S. Women's Open
9/15/2007

By Lucas Wiseman
USBC Communications

U.S. Women's Open homepage

RENO, Nev. - Early in qualifying at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event, Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of North Richland Hills, Texas, wasn't sure her shoulder would allow her to finish the week.

Not only was Dorin-Ballard able to close out the week, she finished strong, earning a spot in the live, ESPN-televised semifinals at 1 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 14 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., by defeating Kim Terrell of Antioch, Calif., 246-215 in the quarterfinals.

"I'm very happy because I wasn't sure if my shoulder was going to hold up," said Dorin-Ballard, the USBC High School spokesperson. "I've had pain off and on for seven years, and this week, when I had to play the lanes a little straighter, it made it flare up. I went to the chiropractor, and it was definitely out of alignment. I'm going to take some time off and rest before the championship round."

In her battle against Terrell, Dorin-Ballard stepped up in the final frame needing two strikes and one pin to shut her opponent out. Dorin-Ballard threw three strikes to lock up the victory but wasn't even sure she had won.

"I approach every match the same," Dorin-Ballard said. "I don't watch my opponent and I don't watch the scoreboard. I can't control any of that, I can only control each shot I throw. After I threw my last shot, I really had no idea I had won. I thought Kim could step up and tie the game."

When the Professional Women's Bowling Association Tour was in full swing, Dorin-Ballard was a regular on television. When the tour folded in 2003, she had amassed 20 titles and nearly 80 television appearances. But since 2003, she has only appeared in one televised event - the USBC Women's Challenge a year ago.

"The first few frames of the first game, I was really nervous and was playing with my rosin bag a lot," Dorin-Ballard said. "This is just the second time in four years I've bowled on television, and once we got started I realized how much I've missed this. I feel really fortunate to have advanced to this point against all the great competition and lucky to be one of the survivors."

Terrell, meanwhile, admitted to being a bit timid in the loss to Dorin-Ballard. In the sixth frame, she missed the 4-7 spare to the left, leaving the 4 pin standing.

"Sometimes I just lose my focus and I was thinking about how to strike in the next frame instead of making that spare," said Terrell, the USBC Collegiate spokesperson. "I'm just not good at staying in the moment sometimes when the lights and television cameras are on."

In the opening matches, Tish Johnson of Napa, Calif., had a chance to knock Dorin-Ballard out but left a ringing 7 pin on the first shot in the final frame to lose 231-223. In the other match, Terrell left a 10 pin in the final frame and converted it to dispose of Karen Stroud of Victoria, Texas, 236-223.

Dorin-Ballard becomes the first of four players to advance to the semifinals. In next week's telecast, which will be broadcast Sunday, Sept. 23 at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, Kelly Kulick of Union, N.J., takes on Missy Bellinder of Fullerton, Calif., while Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., battles Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix.

The quarterfinal rounds and qualifying for the U.S. Women's Open took place from Aug. 13-18 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno.

The 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a USBC event, is sponsored by Banquet, the Eldorado Hotel/Casino in Reno, Nev., the National Bowling Stadium and Kegel, the official lane maintenance provider for USBC.

[BubbaRay]

This Week in the PBA

SEATTLE - 9/17/2007


Regional Tour Recap
Two weeks after Missy Bellinder made history in becoming the first woman to win two PBA Regional Tour titles, Amy Stolz added her name to the history books, becoming the fourth woman to win a PBA Regional Tour event and the first to do so in the PBA Southwest Region.

Stolz joined Bellinder, Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick as female Regional champions after capturing the PBA Southwest Region Broomfield Open in Broomfield, Colo. In her first-ever PBA Southwest Regional event, Stolz qualified first, then swept Rick Schafer, 3-0, defeated Denny’s PBA Tour exempt bowler Mark Scroggins, 2-1, and dusted off Tyler Jensen, 222-191, to advance to the title match. There, she met up with PBA Senior Tour bowler Shannon Starnes, whom she promptly defeated 244-167.

Stolz will be one of 16 women battling it out in the brand new PBA Women’s Series, a four-event mini Tour beginning with the 2007 Motor City Classic in Taylor, Mich., Nov. 1-4. Stolz qualified for the Tour by finishing 11th.

[BubbaRay]

Just one PBA region is in action this coming weekend, with the PBA West Region in Lake Havasu, Ariz., for the PBA West Region Havasu Lanes Open. The PBA East Region was scheduled to hold an event in Mattydale, N.Y., but the event was postponed until April 2008

[BubbaRay]

From Dick Evans

Bowling is one of the few sports where women have a chance of beating male rivals because timing is more important than power and precision is more important than a big hook ball.

In addition, some bowling formats provide female bowlers with a more even playing field since anyone can win in one-game matches.

Still, no one imagined that a young lady who stands only five-feet-four and weighs just 115 pounds could beat fellow Professional Bowlers Association male members not once but twice.

Missy Bellinder who will appear on the U.S. Women's Open telecast Sunday on ESPN, is the first female PBA member to win two PBA Regional tournaments and the second was an impressive 240-234 victory over five-time PBA regular tour champion Eric Forkel in the finals of a combined West/Northwest regional over the Labor Day Weekend.

In addition, Missy – a bowling professor at California State University/Long Beach – made the finals of the U.S. Women's Open in Reno and will appear on the five telecasts that will be carried by ESPN starting Sep. 16. She also qualified to bowl in four PBA events Nov. 4-11-18 and Dec. 2.

Missy was the first woman to join the PBA when the gender barrier came down in 2004 and has been active in the Western Regional program ever since.

"To be quiet honest, I struggled for a while trying to get used to how the men break down the lanes (with their bowling balls) and how to keep up with the transition and make the correct moves," said the 25-year-old right-hander.

"With a lot of practice, some help from a few of the players and learning some new tricks, I've improved and now can make the correct adjustments. I really put in a lot of practice time and worked on versatility in order to combat the PBA patterns and transistors."

She is not the first woman to have success in PBA events but she is the first not to have bowled in the Professional Women's Bowling Association tour before it folded in 2003. Liz Johnson made it to the final game of a regular PBA tournament telecast, Kelly Kulick earned a spot on the all-exempt tour last season and Carolyn Dorin-Ballard also had excelled in PBA regional tournaments.

All three proved their ability on the defunct women's pro tour while Missy Bellinder was a virtual unknown outside of Southern California although two summers ago she rolled a 300 game during an European Tour event that also is noted for its male stars.

Out west she is respected for her bowling ability and personality by her male rivals.

"All of the regional bowlers always have been supportive of me in regional tournaments. I've never had a negative experience at any PBA tournament. The men all know how much time and effort I have put into my game so when I won the two regionals, everyone was really supportive and happy for me, which is really nice, she said.

Missy Bellinder is living proof that college instructors not only can teach how to be a winner but can win themselves.

"I began teaching bowling classes at California State University/Long Beach in the fall of 2006. I had four classes my first semester with 40 students in each class.

"I currently teach six bowling classes, one of which is an advanced course. All six classes have 40 students. My advanced class is a new course this semester. The University never has offered an advanced class before, but last fall I proposed that the University add an advanced bowling course and after lot of paperwork, it agreed."

Her classes are conducted at the 10-lane bowling center located on the campus Student Union. "I teach on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each class is one hour and 50 minutes long. My advanced class uses the Bowler's Guide book by the United States Bowling Congress but all of my beginning classes don't have a book...I give them handouts."

Missy lite up the National Bowling Stadium during her first ever appearance on TV during two televised games in the U.S. Women's Open.

"I just wanted to go out there and have fun and that's what I did. It was a great experience and something that I will remember the rest of my life." Hopefully she also will make one or two of the PBA telecasts.

Few college students can brag that they saw their professor in a televised competitive event, but the students at Cal State will and they won't soon forget Missy Bellinder's smile or performance.

[BubbaRay]

By Steve Thompson
The Capital-Journal
Published Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Justin and Brian Granger have been bowling together off and on since they were kids, but the brothers never imagined doing what they did last Wednesday night.

Bowling on the same team in the Little 8 League at Gage Bowl North, the Grangers not only rolled the first perfect games of their careers on the same night, they did it in back-to-back games.



Not surprisingly, it was almost too much for Mike Granger, their father, to believe.

"I thought he was pulling my leg," Mike, who was bowling that night at West Ridge Lanes, said of the phone call from Brian announcing his 300. "But you could tell in his voice he was telling the truth."

About 45 minutes earlier, it was Justin who had phoned his dad with news of his first 300. Perhaps then the Grangers should have suspected something else was coming.

"The night I shot my 800 series (a few years ago), dad shot 300 the same night," Justin said. "At least I can say (to Brian), I shot 300 45 minutes before you did."

For the record, Justin, age 33, shot 237-300-223 – 760, while Brian, 29, rolled 212-203-300 – 715. Both are right-handed.

"I was very excited," Brian said. "I think I knocked my brother down when he came to congratulate me. I didn't think I'd ever shoot 300, especially on the same night as my brother."

[BubbaRay]

TOKYO, Japan - 9/19/2007


The 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour begins this week with the 23rd annual Japan Cup which once again takes place in Tokyo, Japan. Qualifying and match play take place at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel while the championship round takes place at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium for the third consecutive season.

The 2007 Japan Cup marks the sixth consecutive year the Japan Cup kicks off the Denny’s PBA Tour season. For the second consecutive season, fans will get to watch the final rounds tape delayed on ESPN. The finals will air Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. EST.

This year’s event faces a tall task in trying to top the excitement provided last season by Walter Ray Williams Jr., who broke Earl Anthony’s all-time Denny’s PBA Tour titles record with a thrilling victory over longtime rival Pete Weber. Williams struck in his first 10 frames and nearly fired his first career televised 300 game, instead settling for a 289-236 win over Weber, his fifth victory in as many tries against his fellow PBA Hall of Famer.

This year’s event features several past champions – Chris Barnes, Parker Bohn III, Tommy Jones, Doug Kent, Weber and Williams – and a handful of newcomers, including Kelly Kulick who was given a special invitation into the event and becomes the first American woman to compete in the Japan Cup. Also making their first appearances in Japan are Jeff Carter, Bill O’Neill and Sean Rash.

Williams will be appearing in his record 23rd consecutive Japan Cup, making him the only American bowler to compete in all 23 events. Norm Duke ranks second all-time with 17 appearances, Bohn is third with 16 and Weber follows with 15. Ryan Shafer will be making his 10th appearance, making him just the seventh bowler all-time with at least 10 Japan Cup appearances.

A new format will also be used as the event switches from round robin match play to single elimination match play. The field will bowl 12 games of qualifying on Friday with the top 64 bowlers advancing to match play. The Rounds of 64, 32 and 16 feature best-of-three-games match play – all taking place Saturday – with the final eight advancing to Sunday’s final round.

Sunday’s competition begins with four single-game Round of 8 matches, followed by two semifinal matches and the championship match, with the winner taking home $50,000.

Below is the roster of PBA players for the Dydo Japan Cup 2007:

ROSTER

Top 16
Chris Barnes
Pete Weber
Doug Kent
Jason Couch
Patrick Allen
Parker Bohn III
Norm Duke
Ryan Shafer
Tommy Jones
Walter Ray Williams Jr.
Mike Scroggins
Tony Reyes
Sean Rash
Tommy Delutz Jr.
Bill O'Neill (Replacing Mike Devaney)
Mika Koivuniemi (Replacing Wes Malott)

Additional Four Players Invited
Chris Loschetter
Steve Jaros
Jeff Carter
Mike Wolfe

Special Japan Cup Committee Invitation
Kelly Kulick

[BubbaRay]

Here's a good artice I came accross, makes for some good reading..............


Bowling Industry need friends, not more Doubting Thomas members By Dick Evans


If you read the daily sports pages then you know that virtually every sport except bowling is going through an image nightmare.

The latest in a long line of summer sports scandals is the fact that the three-time Super Bowl champion New England Patriots have been caught cheating and their coach has been fined $500,000 and the team a high draft choice next year.

Baseball, football, basketball, tennis, wrestling and track also have been hammered by beat writers and columnists and TV sports announcers for getting in trouble with the law or breaking league rules.
So you have to wonder why so many bowling writers seem to be so upset with so many things in the tenpin sport.

Compared to other sports today, bowling is an angelic sport.

Still, bowling writers want to find fault with everything – from who was on the BWAA Bowler of the Month ballot for August to the unorthodox format that the USBC came up with for its U.S. Women's Open tournament.

It may have been an unorthodox format but it wasn't unethical because all 132 entries knew what they were getting into before they flew into Reno.

And I didn't hear any complaints from the bowlers themselves because I think they bought into the idea of taping four telecasts and not releasing the information with the hopes of improving the TV ratings.

Let's stop and listen to what Missy Bellinder, a bowling instructor at California State University/Long Beach and a TV finalist, had to say about her upcoming Sunday appearance on the 1 p.m. ESPN telecast:

"Locally, everyone is really excited about the TV show. We have a big sign up in my father's bowling pro shop telling people when I'll be on TV. Everyone keeps asking how I bowled and I keep telling them, 'I can't tell you, you'll have to watch the TV show to find out.' My students also are really excited and can't wait to watch the show either," Bellinder said.

A lot of writers didn't like the USBC's decision not to release the results of the four taped bowling telecasts in Reno, but maybe the revolutionary decision is paying off.

Even critics were surprised when the first U.S. Women's Open telecast earned a .70 rating, which means approximately 700,000 households were tuned in to the 60-minute show. That is almost twice as large as the rating for the boxing show on ESPN at the same time slot the previous Sunday and the Women's World Challenge last summer. In addition, the PBA managed only a .54 rating on ESPN at the same 1 p.m. time slot for last year's USBC Masters, one of the PBA's four major tournaments.

The following point is not important in my estimation but it is with commercial sponsors – the highest demographic rating for last Sunday's show was a .98 among males aged 18-34. This reportedly is the most desired demo for networks and advertisers.

I hope all the format critics are happy for the women bowers, for the USBC and for the bowling industry itself.

And hopefully the ESPN ratings will climb Sunday Sept. 16, Sept. 30, Oct. 7 and for the 90-minute live championship round Oct. 14.

Any writer who wants the ratings to go down should take up writing about wrestling. And remember this point, bowling was going up against two National Football League games that also started at 1 p.m.
Before the taping of the first U.S. Women's Open TV match, I made a decision that I never would have made if I was still an employee of The Miami Herald and a man who made a living by writing about all sports.

I decided I would not write about the winners if the other writers agreed to the radical concept. My rationalization was simple – I no longer make a living through my writing and I wanted the women bowling telecasts to be a hit in the worst way.

And since I never watch taped sports event where I know the outcome in advance, I decided to try to help the ratings by not writing about the winners.

A couple years earlier I had made a similar decision. I did a taped interview with then PBA Commissioner Steve Miller and he told me that the PBA was going to go to an all-exempt tour that fall. I wrote about it but before I sent it out as a news release, I sent a copy to Steve to see if I had made any mistakes.

The PBA publicity director called me and asked me to take that important information out of my story because Steve had announced the all-exempt tour prematurely and other papers would be angry if I used it.

I agreed, something I never would have done when I was young and fighting at retaining my job in The Miami Herald sports department by reporting on anything new I uncovered in boxing, water skiing, football, baseball, basketball, polo, jai-alai, horse racing, bowling or even religion.

I wrote in those days to put food on my table and the only way you were rewarded with raises was by coming up with scoops.

Today I just make enough money to pay my expenses to tournaments and conventions. My greatest motivation is trying to keep my mind from decaying because of no journalistic stimulation.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there is anything wrong with writing a story questioning a decision by any organization or manufacturer if you are doing it with the idea of helping the sport grow and not on a personal agenda to prove you are smarter than people you may not like.

If you don't like the format of a tournament then write it, make suggestions for improvement and then end your story by saying you hope you are wrong and the event is successful.

Anything else and you have to wonder if the writer is hoping the event falls flat so he/she can say "I told you so." Sometimes bowling writers appear more interested in being right than having the event work out right and be successful.

The sad part of all this negative bowling criticism is that the sport of bowling is really trying hard to get things right...good people and organizations are now pulling together to make it a better bowling world.

Every where I turn today, I find organizations coming up with ingenious formats and programs. They may be unorthodox but everyone is being urged to think outside the bowling box.

Today's reinvigorated bowling industry deserves the right to defy tradition and try something new...that is much better than doing nothing. Bowling is in a slump, it needs people who dare to try innovative things. If the bowlers who enter don't protest about the format, why should bowling writers?

Oddly, many bowling writers depend on bowling in one way or another to make a living so in a strange way they are attacking a sport that helps feed them and their families. And the more negative publicity the more any sport or business suffers one way or another.

It is healthy for all writers of all sports to have opinions, but that is all they are – opinions.

They are not gospel and not written in stone.

In life, sometimes you get things right and sometimes you get things wrong and many times you do wrong while trying to do right.

The tricky thing in life is knowing the difference.

[BubbaRay]

First meeting scheduled for Nov. 17 in Greendale, Wis.


The United States Bowling Congress is forming a cooperative task force with companies that make bowling lanes to comprehensively analyze how issues relating to the sport's playing surface affect scoring and credibility.

The USBC and Manufacturer Lane Surface Task Force will consist of USBC research technicians along with representatives from synthetic bowling lane manufacturers. The group's first meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17 at USBC Headquarters in Greendale, Wis.

Discussion topics for the meeting are expected to include lane surface friction, lane hardness specifications, surface roughness, use of an optical testing device and submission of lane surface samples for annual renewal by USBC.

"USBC is creating this task force to get the key people involved in the process for future testing and research we have planned in this area. Those studies may lead to new specifications or other changes in synthetic bowling lane surfaces," said USBC Technical Director Neil Stremmel.

"Research and testing of bowling lanes is one essential function of maintaining the credibility of the sport," Stremmel continued. "A lane is the playing surface for bowling just as tees, fairways and greens are in golf. Like bowling balls and pins, lanes must meet strict guidelines so the sport is fair for all bowlers."

USBC recently added a new specification relating to the hardness of a synthetic lane surface. All new synthetic surfaces submitted to USBC for testing and approval must meet a minimum Sward Hardness reading of 35. That specification is a result of a new test procedure developed by the USBC Specifications and Certifications team, which analyzes surface friction and bowling ball footprint size in the readings. A Gauge R & R study, a statistical method recommended by the American Society for Quality, was used to determine the minimum limits.

It was the first time USBC or its predecessor organizations developed a specification for the hardness of a lane surface.


USBC seeks manufacturer volunteers for task force
USBC is inviting manufacturers of synthetic bowling lanes to join the USBC and Manufacturer Lane Surface Task Force. Interested parties should contact USBC Senior Technician Dave Sprager at dave.sprager@bowl.com or (800) 514-2695, ext. 3410 no later than Wednesday, Oct. 3. As with the ball task force, manufacturers agreeing to join the task force are responsible for making all arrangements and costs for attending meetings.

Bowling ball task force a working model
One reason USBC is forming the bowling lane task force is because a similar study group created to address bowling ball research has been valuable and successful.

The USBC Bowling Ball Specifications Task Force - comprised of representatives from 13 bowling ball manufacturing companies and USBC staff - was formed in 2005. Since that time, the task force has worked cooperatively to address bowling ball performance issues and their impact on the credibility and integrity of the sport.

One major successful outcome of the bowling ball task force is the USBC Ball Motion Study that began in 2005. USBC and major bowling ball companies have teamed up to test the impact modern, high-tech bowling balls have on the credibility of the sport of bowling. USBC has been working closely with the major bowling ball manufacturers in the high-level testing being performed on the lanes at the USBC research facility with the robotic ball thrower nicknamed "Harry" and the Computer Aided Tracking System (C.A.T.S.) technology.

The goal of this research is to better understand the motion of bowling balls using science and data analysis.

[BubbaRay]

TOKYO, Japan - 9/22/2007


After 22 years of American domination in the Dydo Japan Cup, this year’s finals will have a decidedly international flavor.

Five Japanese bowlers, one Korean, one Finn and one American bowler make up the eight finalists for the Dydo Japan Cup 2007, the first event of the 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour. All nine of last year’s finalists were American PBA stars.

Denny’s PBA Tour stars Mika Koivuniemi (Hartland, Mich.) and Mike Wolfe (New Albany, Ind.) join five members of the Japan Professional Bowling Association (JPBA) and one member of the Korean Professional Bowling Association (KPBA) for Sunday’s finals at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium which will award a $50,000 top prize.

Japanese players won two of the first four Japan Cups in 1985 and ’88, with Venezuelan PBA star Amleto Monacelli winning the 1987 event. Since then, American PBA stars have won 22 consecutive times in the event, which annually pits 20 of the top PBA bowlers against stars of Japan and Korea.

A format change in this year’s event brought about much more uncertainty over who would advance to the finals. This year’s Japan Cup featured single elimination, best-of-three-games match play rather than the round robin match play format used in year’s past.

The anything-can-happen nature of the format reared its head in the first round, when top-seeded Mike Scroggins (Amarillo, Texas) fell to No. 64 Shigeo Saito, 2-0. Saito won his next two matches to advance to Sunday’s finals, along with fellow JPBA stars Takashi Masuda, Yoshiki Ohsawa, Masao Uehara and Isao Yamamoto along with KPBA star Byun Yong Hwan.

At just 25 years old, Yamamoto is the top young star in Japan as he is ranked No. 2 in the JPBA rankings. The lefty will take on Koivuniemi in the Round of 8, who is known on the Denny’s PBA Tour as the “left-handers’ worst nightmare,” due to his 12-2 career record against lefties on television.

“I’m playing probably the best Japanese bowler right now, but I like my record against lefties and I’d like to keep it that way,” Koivuniemi, looking to become the first European to win the Japan Cup, said. “This format is very different because it’s so short, but it’s the same for everyone. You have to execute and make shots when you need to.”

When told of Koivuniemi’s record against lefties, Yamamoto, who is about a foot shorter than the Big Finn, laughed and said he would be the third to defeat him. He then got serious and discussed his chances Sunday as he will look to become the first Japanese player to defend their home turf since Takeo Sakai in 1988.

“It doesn’t matter who I bowl, whether it’s Mika or one of the other JPBA players or a KPBA player,” Yamamoto said. “I joked when I said I would be the third to beat him, but I have to believe that because if I get nervous about who I’m bowling then mentally I have already lost. I want to be confident in myself and not worry about being left-handed or bowling a PBA player.”

As for Wolfe, he has Jack Jurek to thank for his appearance in Japan this week. Jurek recently dropped out of the event as one of the 16 bowlers earning all-expenses paid trips. That allowed Koivuniemi to move into one of those 16 spots rather than taking a spot as one of the four additional players invited to pay their own way. A spot then opened up for Wolfe, who flew in for his second career Japan Cup.

Wolfe had to get past fellow Denny’s PBA Tour star Sean Rash in the Round of 16. After dropping the first game, 212-179, Wolfe came roaring back to win the next two games by scores of 246-198 and 285-224. Rash (Wichita, Kan.) was making his first career Japan Cup appearance. Wolfe will take on Saito in the Round of 8.

Koivuniemi needed a roll-off in the deciding third game against two-time Japan Cup champion Tommy Jones (Simpsonville, S.C.) to win his Round of 32 match. The two former PBA Players of the Year split the first two games before tying at 246 in the third game. After both struck with their first shots in the sudden death roll-off, Koivuniemi struck with his next shot while Jones could only knock down nine.

The Big Finn then had to come back from a deficit in the Round of 16 to defeat No. 59 Hiroshi Nagatani, 2-1. After dropping game one, 259-232, Koivuniemi closed out the match with wins of 246-221 and 202-196.

Japan’s Ohsawa had an impressive day, going 6-0 in knocking off three PBA stars to advance to the finals. He defeated 26-time champion Norm Duke (Clermont, Fla.) in the Round of 64, all-time Denny’s PBA Tour titles leader (42) Walter Ray Williams Jr. (Ocala, Fla.) in the Round of 32 and Chris Loschetter (Avon, Ohio) in the Round of 16.

The eight-bowler finals take place Sunday at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium. All Round of 8 matches are single-game matches followed by two single-game semifinals and the title match.

The championship round will air tape-delayed on ESPN Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. ET.

[BubbaRay]

Mika Koivuniemi became the first European player to win the Japan Cup and solidified his standing as one of the world’s top bowlers, defeating fellow Denny’s PBA Tour star Mike Wolfe, 200-178, to win the Dydo Japan Cup 2007 Sunday at the Tokyo Metro Gymnasium.

The win was the eighth Denny’s PBA Tour title of Koivuniemi’s career, and gave him a title in 11 different countries. The Finland native has been bowling on the Denny’s PBA Tour for nine years after spending 10 years with Team Finland.

“It’s great to win anywhere, but to win in Japan and to win in an arena atmosphere makes it even more special,” Koivuniemi (Hartland, Mich.) said. “I have bowled in a few arena finals but never won until now so it’s just a great feeling to do it in front of a big crowd like this.”

Koivuniemi and Wolfe were the only two PBA stars to advance to the eight-bowler finals after a format change which featured single elimination, best-of-three games match play through the Round of 16 as opposed to the round robin format used in years past. Last season, all nine finalists were from the PBA.

This year’s finals had an international flavor as five Japanese bowlers, one Korean, one American and one Finish bowler made up the final eight. The home crowd in Japan was hoping to see a Japanese bowler win the Japan Cup for the first time since 1988.

Wolfe (New Albany, Ind.) started the finals with a 220-212 win over the 64th-seed Shigeo Saito of Japan, advancing to face another Japanese bowler, Yoshiki Ohsawa in the semifinals. Ohsawa had defeated three American players – including Norm Duke and Walter Ray Williams Jr. – in the Rounds of 64, 32 and 16, but Wolfe stopped the string with a 237-212 win to advance to the finals.

Koivuniemi, meanwhile, took his dominance of left-handed bowlers overseas as he defeated the Japan Professional Bowlers Association’s top young star, Isao Yamamoto, 217-205, in the Round of 8. Koivuniemi, the self-proclaimed “lefties’ worst nightmare,” improved to 13-2 on television in his PBA career against lefties.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Yamamoto, who left seven 7-pins in the match, five of which came on the right lane. The 25-year-old had a chance to win the match with a double in the 10th, but he left a 7-pin to allow Koivuniemi to advance.

Koivuniemi then defeated Japan’s Masao Uehara, 235-201, to set up the all-PBA final.

Wolfe struggled in the final, unable to strike until the ninth frame as he left four 10-pins in one five-frame stretch, which included a crucial failed 10-pin conversion in the seventh frame.

Koivuniemi couldn’t pull away, opening in the fourth frame and alternating spare-strike in frames five through eight. Wolfe could have put the pressure on Koivuniemi by striking out in the 10th, but after two strikes he left yet another 10-pin, meaning the “Big Finn” only needed a mark to win.

“Of course, I was happy that he was unable to strike,” said Koivuniemi, who has now appeared in a televised championship round in 17 different countries. “Unfortunately for him, he got some really bad breaks and left a lot of 10-pins.”

One of Wolfe’s bad breaks came in the fourth frame when he knocked the 7-pin out but the 8-pin slid all the way over into the 7-pin’s place and stood up. The 30 year old was unable to win his third career title in his first championship round appearance since December 2005.

Koivuniemi took home $50,000 for the win, while Wolfe earned $26,000. Uehara and Ohsawa took home $10,000 for third and fourth, respectively, while Yamamoto, Takashi Masuda, Korea’s Byun Yong Hwan and Saito each earned $5,000 for fifth through eighth.

The complete championship round of the Dydo Japan Cup 2007 will air tape-delayed on ESPN Sunday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. ET.


Denny’s PBA Tour
Dydo Japan Cup 2007
Tokyo Metro Gymnasium
Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, September 23

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

Pos. Name, hometown Total/Games Money
1. Mika Koivuniemi, Hartland, Mich. 652 (3 games) $50,000
2. Mike Wolfe, New Albany, Ind. 635 (3 games) $26,000
3. Masao Uehara, Japan 447 (2 games) $10,000
4. Yoshiki Ohsawa, Japan 450 (2 games) $10,000
5. Isao Yamamoto, Japan 205 (1 game) $5,000
6. Takashi Masuda, Japan 192 (1 game) $5,000
7. Byun Yong Hwan, Korea 205 (1 game) $5,000
8. Shigeo Saito, Japan 212 (1 game) $5,000

SCORES – In the first match, Wolfe def. Saito, 220-212; in the second match, Ohsawa def. Masuda, 238-192; in the third match, Koivuniemi def. Yamamoto, 217-205; in the fourth match, Uehara def. Hwan, 246-205; in the first semifinal Wolfe def. Ohsawa, 237-212; in the second semifinal, Koivuniemi def. Uehara, 235-201; and in the title match, Koivuniemi def. Wolfe, 200-178.

This is Koivuniemi’s eighth Denny’s PBA Tour title.

[BubbaRay]

SEATTLE - 9/24/2007


Billy Oatman, the 2006-07 PBA Rookie of the Year, will appear on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) show “The Black Carpet” Thursday, September 27 at 8 p.m. ET.

Oatman filmed the segment in August at Bowlmor Lanes in New York City with Black Carpet host Danella Sealock. Oatman gave Sealock facts about the sport of bowling and tips on improving her game in the interview, along with throwing a couple of strikes himself.

“It was a great experience,” said Oatman. “BET is a station I have watched throughout my life and now for me to be appearing on it is unreal. I had a blast filming the interview with Danella and Bowlmor Lanes is an amazing center to bowl in.”

Oatman made history in 2006-07, becoming the first African-American to earn a full-season exemption on the Denny’s PBA Tour since the Tour switched to an all-exempt format in 2004-05. He then led all rookies in points, earnings and match play appearances and was named PBA Rookie of the Year, the first time in the 48-year history of the Tour an African American has won the award. Additionally, at 41 years old he became the PBA’s oldest Rookie of the Year.

Oatman will return to the lanes as the 2007-08 Denny’s PBA Tour kicks off on American soil with the 2007 United States Bowling Congress (USBC) Masters, Oct. 21-28 in Milwaukee, Wis., one of four Major events on the schedule. The live ESPN televised finals will take place at the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park, Sunday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. ET.

[BubbaRay]

RENO, Nev. - When the Professional Women's Bowling Association ceased operations halfway through the 2003 season, Michelle Feldman of Skaneateles, N.Y., was at the top of her game, but the reigning Player of the Year suddenly found herself without a job.

Feldman, who was in the 10th year of what she hoped would be a long professional career, picked up her 12th title at the 2003 Dallas Open, the last PWBA event. The years since have been a struggle to find her place in the work force, and she's always hoped for the return of a full-time tour for women. Her appearance on ESPN this Sunday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women's Open, a USBC event, could be another step in that direction.

"Bowling was my whole life, and a lot of us didn't get 20 years out there like some of the players did," said Feldman, who was the first woman to bowl a televised 300 game. "We expected to be out there until we were ready to retire, and then it was all taken away. I didn't know what I was going to do without being able to bowl for a living."

Since her professional bowling career came to an end, the 31-year-old Feldman has remained competitive and made championship round appearances on the way to a runner-up finish at the 2004 USBC Queens and a fourth-place effort in the same event in 2005.

Lately, Feldman has been focused on preparing herself for a position on the other side of the lanes and soon will take on the ownership responsibilities at her grandfather's bowling center in Auburn, N.Y. For now, her sights are set on the $25,000 top prize at the U.S. Women's Open, held at the National Bowling Stadium.

In Sunday's first quarterfinal match, Feldman will take on former collegiate standout Amy Stolz of Castle Rock, Colo., who is one of a handful of young bowlers in the top 16 who never got the opportunity to test her skills against the best in the PWBA. Stolz recently became the fourth woman to win a Professional Bowlers Association regional title. The telecast begins at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN and marks the third of five consecutive Sundays the U.S. Women's Open will air.

Sunday's other opening match, which will be contested simultaneously on an adjacent pair of lanes, features 10-time Team USA member Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, against Team USA teammate and reigning NCAA Division I Player of the Year Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn. Barnes recently returned from the Women's World Championships in Monterrey, Mexico, where picked up silver medals in team and trios and a bronze medal in doubles.

The winners of each match then will battle for a spot in the event's Oct. 14 final round, which will be televised live on ESPN. USBC High School spokesperson Carolyn Dorin-Ballard and 11-time PWBA champion Liz Johnson already have secured their spots in the finale.

"I know a lot of people who are excited about seeing the women on TV again, and hopefully this will lead to more opportunities," Feldman said. "Anytime you make a TV show is great, but no matter what happens, this was another great opportunity for me to see some people I haven't seen in a while and for us to just have a good time catching up. I may have a new career path, but it's always good to see everyone and compete again. I'll just take things as they come right now, but who knows what could happen in the future."

To earn their place among the top 16, the quarterfinalists survived 32 grueling games of qualifying over four days on four different PBA Experience lane conditions.

The final 16 players have been placed into a one-game, single-elimination bracket and competition has aired on ESPN each Sunday since Sept. 16. The final quarterfinal round will be televised by ESPN at 1 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 7.

Along with top-flight bowling action, those who tune in each week will get to see a unique format, compelling feature stories, interviews with the industry's top figures and some familiar faces from bowling telecasts of the past.

Sunday's show will include the following:

The broadcast trio of USA Today columnist Christine Brennan and PBA Hall of Famers Nelson Burton Jr. and Marshall Holman offering their expertise and analysis. Burton and Holman again will use C.A.T.S (Computer Aided Tracking System) to analyze information such as ball speed, ball angles and what boards the balls are rolling over.
The return of the "What's in the Bag" segment, in which all four players discuss the equipment they selected to find success on the Cheetah, the PBA Experience lane condition used for the televised portion of the event.
USBC spokespeople Chris Barnes of the PBA and the NBA's Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets with another coaching tip.
An exclusive interview with Chris Barnes about what it's like being behind the scenes and watching his wife, Lynda, perform under the TV lights.
The 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a USBC event, is sponsored by Banquet, the Eldorado Hotel/Casino in Reno, Nev., the National Bowling Stadium and Kegel, the official lane maintenance provider for USBC.

[BubbaRay]

RENO, Nev. - Liz Johnson of Cheektowaga, N.Y., knew if she was going to advance to the semifinals at the 2007 U.S. Women's Open, a United States Bowling Congress event, she would have to escape from her comfort zone.

Johnson's aggressiveness paid off as she made a mid-game ball change to defeat Missy Bellinder of Fullerton, Calif., 215-194 in the quarterfinals to earn a spot in the live ESPN-televised semifinals at 1 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 14 at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev.

"One of my weaknesses has been staying with the same ball too long," said Johnson, who won the 1996 U.S. Women's Open. "I knew Missy had a great shot, so I had to be aggressive in my ball choices. Even though I started the game with three strikes, I knew the ball I was using was burning up and was just a little too strong, so I made the change. I went to a ball that was a little cleaner through the front of the lane and smoother on the back end."

Johnson said she got off to a disappointing start in qualifying. After the first eight games, she was in 43rd place before moving up to 36th place after two days. She made her move in the final two days of qualifying, eventually settling into 11th place.

"I started out pretty slow the beginning of the week and my focus wasn't always there," Johnson said. "Last time we had a U.S. Women's Open in 2003, I didn't even make the cut. The start of the week began that way, and I was fighting the whole week mentally. But I never gave up and kept the fighting attitude. That's how I felt in the quarterfinals, I just really wanted to come through."

Leading by 10 pins in the sixth frame, Bellinder left a pocket 7-10 split in the seventh frame and then followed it up with a missed 10 pin in the eighth frame, giving Johnson a chance to take control of the match. Johnson then stepped up and threw strikes in the eighth and ninth frames to pull away.

Despite the loss, Bellinder, who was the collegiate bowler of the year in 2003 at Cal State Fullerton, said she enjoyed the experience.

"I kept telling people that I was just going to go out there and have a great time and that's what I did," Bellinder said. "The environment was awesome, and I tried to have fun with it. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first performance on television."

In the opening matches, Bellinder, the No. 14 seed, overcame a slow start to upset No. 3 seed and 2003 U.S. Women's Open champion Kelly Kulick. Bellinder opened with back-to-back splits but put together a string of five strikes near the end of the game to win 233-196. In the other match, Johnson pulled ahead of Team USA's Shannon Pluhowsky of Phoenix early and never trailed in a 226-193 victory.

Johnson joins Carolyn Dorin-Ballard of North Richland Hills, Texas, as two of the four players to advance to the semifinals. In next week's telecast, which will air Sunday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, Lynda Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, takes on Amanda Burgoyne of Newport, Minn., while Amy Stolz of Castle Rock, Colo., battles Michelle Feldman of Skaneateles, N.Y.