In this interview for SLAM magazine, Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning mentioned that Gatorade sponsored a “G2 Lounge” where various celebrities from the sports world and outside of sports were bowling as part of his “Zo’s Summer Groove” charity weekend. That part of the event raised $50K for Mourning’s charities as well as Dwayne Wade’s “World Foundation”.
Archive for July, 2008
Cross-training #46
July 17, 2008Cross-training #45
July 17, 2008This gave me an opportunity to combine a “Cross-training” post with real bowling news. 
According to this note in the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal, homegrown NBA star Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets (perhaps my favorite NBA player other than a Celtic) will have a bowling event as part of his weekend to benefit his CP3 Foundation. The event will pair 5 PBA stars with 5 NBA players, marking the first time the PBA will participate in an event with other professional athletes. The event will be held on Sept. 20 and air on ESPN on Oct. 19 to kick off the new season of PBA telecasts (although it’s not officially a PBA Tour event).
A good recovery
July 16, 2008To my mind, the less said about the first game, the better, but I’ll say it anyway…I had a horrible spare shooting game. There was one split (the 4-6-10), but, in order after that, I slid by the 2 on the 2-4-5, chopped the 3 off of the 3-6-10, chopped the 2 off of the 1-2-8, and missed a single 10 pin. I did manage to record a double in the 9th and 10th, but could only fill the strike in the 10th with a single-pin spare for a 144. The anchor bowler for the other team had a chance at a 300, but had an open in the 10th frame, and Ralph was also in the 140s, so we got croaked the first game.
The second game saw me open by missing a single 7 pin, but I was clean after that, recording a double in the 7th and 8th frames before leaving the 5-6 split. I did strike out in the 10th for a 194, but my team again lost the game; as a team, we did fairly well, but couldn’t overcome the handicap difference.
The last game saw me open only once (a 4-6-7 split in the 4th), but I had a double in the 2nd and 3rd frames, and finished with the last 5 for a 220. This was the closest game of the night, but Ralph couldn’t capitalize on a strike in the 9th by getting more in the 10th, so we ended up getting swept. However, I did recover a decent night, only missing my average by a total of 12 pins. My average dropped to 189, but I can recover the pin I lost with an over-average series next week.
Result: 144-194-220=558
Average (24 games): 189 Last 9 average: 190
Next week’s AVG+1: 579
The higher-rev release I had been learning wasn’t doing the job in the first game, so it was good that I could go back to the old “urethane” release with more speed, and that helped me save the night.
My brother said we might be doing my sister’s birthday stuff this weekend, so it definitely looks like I’ll be able to bowl with my cousins next week, something I’ve been looking forward to all season. 
Cross-training #44
July 16, 2008The Jacksonville Jaguars announced that defensive back Scott Starks will hold a “Stars & Strikes Celebrity Charity Bowling” to benefit the Clara White Mission, a program for homeless and low-income individuals.
Understated goals
July 14, 2008My revised plan for practice today was to just use the first game to work on mechanics, the second game shooting just corner pins (I was going to spend the whole practice doing this, but decided I didn’t want to neglect the other phases of my game.), and the last game trying for score. The first two games went just about as expected (I only missed 2 corner pins, a 7 and a 10, the whole second game), while I could only manage a 171 third game because of a 4-6 split and a washout. I did learn that another key to making my corner pins was extending for my target spot to make sure I didn’t miss it. I suppose I’m happy with this practice, but I hope to line up better in league Wednesday night.
Scrapbook update: I brought my camera with me to practice to get shots of Junior, Marcia, and Bev. I could’ve had a photo with all 3 of them, but I had thought my batteries were dead (when it was really the lens barrier not fully open), so I only managed to grab Junior and Bev before I had to leave to catch the bus back home. Marcia will have to wait for another day, but the two photos I got will be uploaded to the scrapbook page momentarily.
BowlSpace exclusive: “My tournament win story”
July 12, 2008I said I had a special post in mind for my BowlSpace blog, and I had time today to write it, so I have done so, and the story of my LBT win can now be told. The post was having a problem displaying on my main BowlSpace page, so it would be better to go directly to my BowlSpace blog. Feel free to leave comments on my BowlSpace.
Standings update for July 11
July 11, 2008According to today’s standings update, my team remained in 4th place in the league, but fell to 8 points behind the pace, set by Team 5. We have an opportunity to gain ground on a team ahead of us next week, as we’re scheduled to bowl against Team 18, which is 6 points ahead of us in 2nd place.
Cross-training #43
July 11, 2008I’ve mentioned Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett’s “Beckett Bowl” previously, but New England Cable News made mention of last night’s event, which includes video. The event was held at Town Line Ten Pin in Malden, MA and benefited Boston’s Children’s Hospital through Beckett’s foundation.
Richie V. is now on BowlSpace
July 11, 2008With some help from my friend Brandon from the BowlingFans.com/BowlingCommunity.com community, I have set up a page on BowlSpace, a social network (like MySpace) for bowlers. I had been eyeing this site for a while as a place to tell a little more about myself other than bowling (I want keep mostly bowling stuff on this blog) and to give my bowling readers more opportunity to interact with me. There is a blog on my BowlSpace, and I have made an initial post to it. I won’t use it often, but if something major happens, I may want to make it a BowlSpace exclusive, alerting my readers here to the post via “administravia.” I do have a post in mind that I’ve been saving for BowlSpace, as well, and hope to post it there in the next week or so.
The link to my BowlSpace page is in the sidebar under “Author’s links,” and I hope some of you will sign up soon and request a friend addition…I will give preference to bowlers from my area and those I know from the BowlingFans.com/BowlingCommunity.com community. See ya there!
Cross-training #42
July 10, 2008This column in ESPN The Magazine notes that pitcher John Lackey and a few of his fellow Angels got a tour of the White House during his team’s visit to the nation’s capital for interleague play against the Nationals. The tour included a try-out of the bowling lanes in the White House basement.
“Westgate Lanes scrapbook” launched
July 10, 2008Along with getting my team photo taken, I took some shots of some of the other people I see at the lanes (those who would let me, anyway), and I have started a new “scrapbook” page with those, which is linked in the “Pages” category of the sidebar. The team photo is repeated, but there are a few more included to start the page. This page will be updated as I take more pictures, of course, and I will let readers know about updates through “administravia.”
I hope you will enjoy them.
July 9 league night
July 9, 2008I’m going to save the pre-bowling stuff of the night for last, because I have something special this week.
In the first game, the only bad parts were leaving the 4-6 split in the 8th and missing a 10 pin (yet again, but more on this later) to end the game, but I did string together enough strikes (a turkey to start, and a double in the 5th and 6th) for a 202. Ralph was in the 220s, but Brian was well under his average, so we lost a fairly close first game. I missed yet another 10 in the 3rd frame (remarking to Harry Thibeault, Jr., the good bowler for our opponents, that he could see the trouble I was having with those) in the second game, but I did figure out that I had to keep my speed up on my corner pins, and made a 6-10 in the 6th and a single 10 in the 8th. However, I ended the second game with another split (the 2-4-10) for a 179. Ralph was again in the 220s, and Brian and Joy had decent games, so we took the second game. I was clean for the most part in the last game, but I did have a bad shot in the 6th, leaving the 1-3-9 and only picking up the front pins from that. I made all of my other spares, including a 10 early and a 7 late, but because I couldn’t find the line in the last game, I only managed a 182. Both Harrys had very good games for our opponents, and none of us could really get anything going, so we took our first real beating of the season, losing 6 points, including third game and total by a good amount. My 563 was, for the first time this summer, under my average, but not by much, so I’m still carrying a 190 average; it will be an officially recognized average now, even if I quit at this point, because I have 21 games in the league.
Result: 202-179-182=563
Average (21 games): 190 Last 9 average: 192
Next week’s AVG+1: 591
Now for the good part…to put faces to the names of the bowlers on my team, I present to my readers Mad Blogger, Summer 2008 edition…
Front: Joy Falese; Back (L-R): Richie, Brian Shea, Ralph Marple
Thank you to Ron Haynes for taking the team photo for me. More where that came from later.
“Dick Ritger Bowling Camps” added to sidebar
July 8, 2008I swung by the lanes after a dentist appointment today and saw the flyers at the control desk for a two-day clinic run by Dick Ritger Bowling Camps which will be conducted at Boston Bowl on August 22 & 23. The cost may be prohibitive for me ($295 for the clinic), and I have to be at a wedding on the second day of the clinic, in any event. However, as Dick Ritger is one of the best-known bowling coaches around, I have added the link to his site to the sidebar list. There is a good links page on the site, as well, so it may be worth it to visit the site just for that.
Up and down
July 7, 2008Kind of an up and down practice session today, as the title of this post indicates. I had a clean 224 in my first game, but then it was downhill from there, a good deal of it because I was missing a lot of corner pins, especially the 10 pin. I think I’m going to devote the entire practice next week to just shooting corner pins, as those have been hurting my league performances, as well.
USBC membership info added to “Author’s links”
July 7, 2008With my USBC membership card arriving in the mail today, I am now able to link my USBC membership information page as it appears on Bowl.com (the USBC’s site) in the “Author’s links” category. The page is rather bare right now, but the page will track the averages in my completed leagues as well as note any honor score awards I may receive (I hope there’s something on that part of the page someday, of course).
Standings update for July 4
July 4, 2008According to the updated standings, my team still stands in 4th place, 4 points behind Team 5, despite our 6 point performance this week. Looking ahead, we bowl against Team 18, the team currently in 2nd place, the week after next, so that should be an opportunity to move up in the standings.
Cross-training #41
July 3, 2008This web report notes that Washington Wizards guard Roger Mason Jr. will host a celebrity bowling event to benefit the Washington, DC chapter of the National Kidney Foundation. The invited guests include NBA stars Carmello Anthony, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Kevin Durant, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison, as well as the Redskins’ Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, among others.
“Jared’s multi-topic blog” added to blogroll
July 2, 2008After checking the BowlingCommunity.com forums, I learned that another user on those forums, “JaredB,” has decided to follow my lead and start his own blog. His blog is going to be multi-topic, but since he states that he intends to use it mostly to post bowling stuff, I have added the blog to the blogroll. Happy posting Jared!
The big payback
July 2, 2008I was really geared up for the rematch against “Fun and Games” tonight, but I wanted to keep my team’s mood loose, so my choice of garb for the night was the “Split Happens” t-shirt. When I got to the lanes, Bob Hamilton said something to me on the order of “We’re going to get you for what you did to my daughter’s team last week” (apparently, Bob’s daughter’s team were our opponents last week), and, although I didn’t tell my teammates about it, I kind of wanted to use that internally as “bulletin board material” of sorts, so I didn’t really say anything back to him about it. It did seem lonely this week with the pro shop closed for vacation for 5 weeks and no Ray or Jon to talk to, so I watched Ralph and Brian warm up prior to league starting, making small talk when I could.
The “Split Happens” kind of emerged as a theme for the night at first, as, while I was able to put together strikes, a 4-6-7 split and a 4-9 split marred my first game. However, my team was in a position where we all had strikes working in the 10th, and everyone except Ralph was able to add at least a double to that. I struck out in the 10th for a 207, with my team winning that game. The splits continued in the second game, however, starting the game with the 3-10 (which I converted), and having another 4-9 in the 5th. I was not able to string anything together, completely whiffing on a 3-6-10 in the 8th frame and making single pin spares in the 9th and 10th (filled with a strike) for a 169. My team couldn’t string anything together that game as well, but, though it was fairly close, we lost the second game and entered the third game fairly even for total. The third game for me started with a washout, but I had some of my best bowling so far in this league by stringing together six in a row before missing a couple of single corner pins (making the 10 in the 9th, however) for perhaps the ugliest 213 I’ve ever had. My teammates also did well in that game, so we won third game and total by a fairly comfortable margin for a six-point night, exactly what “Fun and Games” did to us in the first meeting. The 589 series was once again over my AVG+1, so I’m now carrying a 190 league average for the first time in my life.
I had wanted to ride home with Brian again, but wanted to talk to my cousins first. They were still bowling when we finished, so I hung around their lane pair, but Brian took off while I was watching my cousins. Ralph hung around to see if my cousins would take me home, and when I learned that they could (after hanging around for a bit), I said goodbye to Ralph with a hug, thanking him for the night and letting him know how much I had wanted our team to do well tonight.
Result: 207-169-213=589
Average (18 games): 190 Last 9 average: 194
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 581
Edit to BowlingCommunity.com link: I edited the sidebar link to BowlingCommunity.com in a way that lets readers know that those are the forums I post to.
