Author: Rich

I started "The Tenth Board" to chronicle my experiences during the road back to league bowling after my heel fractures in 1999 (it took me 7 years before I started thinking seriously about it). I now use the blog as a combination of a personal bowling journal and a news site mostly about Westgate Lanes (Brockton, MA) and its bowlers.

Thoughts on Wes Malott vs. Michael Wilbon controversy

I haven’t really had anything to say until now about the recent controversy between PBA Tour star Wes Malott and Michael Wilbon of ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption,” so pardon me if any of this has been said before elsewhere…

My feeling is that two things can be done in an attempt to level the playing field for the proposed challenge match:

  1. Have the match on something like the Ultimate Scoring Championship pattern (maybe even my house’s own Coke Classic League pattern).  This should provide enough of a challenge to Malott while giving Wilbon a decent chance of scoring.
  2. Give Michael Wilbon the advantage of reactive resin and force Malott to use a plastic ball.  This has the added benefit of allowing Malott to show the world what he can do with the plastic stuff, which he didn’t have the opportunity to do when he skipped the Plastic Ball Championship.

My bet is on this happening two weeks from now at the Go RV’ing Match Play Championship…Malott will be in the vicinity of ESPN headquarters and studios then, which will allow Wilbon to not have to travel a long distance for this.

A strange night

My Week 25 bowling (BowlSK)

The night felt strange for a couple of reasons: 1) I was still somewhat sapped from battling a cold during the latter part of last week and most of the weekend, and 2) we didn’t have our full complement, as Helen and Ted were completely absent, and Patrick had to miss the first game because of his job. More on what #2 meant for the team later in the post, but I was having some trouble bowling at a quicker pace so soon after recovering from my cold. I still managed a night well over average, but missed more spares than I would like, which prevented me from going 600+.

Result: 198-189-196=583
Average (75 games): 181 Last 9 games average: 198
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 586

As for the team, we had to forfeit the first game because of having only 2 bowlers (me and Carl), so “MT Bed” had to bowl within 50 pins of their average to take the point, which they didn’t. First game was not a win for us because of the forfeit, but that just meant “MT Bed” didn’t get the point either. We had our legal line-up for the other two games, but still lost those, although the last game was pretty close. As a result, “MT Bed” wound up winning the night 3-0 (the forfeit meant we couldn’t take total, as well).

Jonathan Van Hees cashes in Etonic Marathon Open

After taking the “West Coast Swing” off, Jonathan Van Hees of Newport, RI rejoined the PBA Tour trail this week for the Etonic Marathon Open in Indianapolis, and had a good result, cashing in 38th place. The Etonic Marathon Open, part of this season’s “Extreme Swing,” comprised of 54 games over 6 of the PBA Tour oil patterns (Cheetah, Viper, Scorpion, Chameleon, Earl Anthony, Shark), with the top third of the entries (53) qualifying (and cashing) after 18 games. Van Hees had a final score of +573 (210.61 average), with his best performance coming on the Scorpion pattern (1999 in 9 games).

The top five seeds for tomorrow’s show are Wes Malott, Pete Weber, Ronnie Russell, Bill O’Neill, and Chris Barnes. As part of the tournament’s format, the top seed has the choice of oil pattern to be used on the telecast, and Wes Malott has chosen the Scorpion pattern.

PBA announces World Series of Bowling: The PBA has announced that the 2009-10 PBA Tour season will begin with a new World Series of Bowling, to be contested from Aug. 1 to Sept. 7 in Detroit. The series kicks off with the Motor City Open at longtime PBA Tour host Taylor Lanes. The rest of the series, including six more exempt PBA Tour events, the return of the PBA Women’s Series, and a revamped PBA Senior Tour World Championship, will take place at Thunderbowl Lanes in nearby Allen Park, a 90-lane center with a unique arena setup for the taping of ESPN telecasts and coverage on the subscription PBA.com Xtra Frame online service. The series will culminate in the open-field PBA World Championship, the first major tournament of the season, with the four finalists returning on Dec. 13 for the only live ESPN broadcast of the series. This is the first time the PBA Tour will spend an extended period of time in one city.

Feb. 27 league standings update

The win against “The Handicaps,” coupled with a split at the top between “MT Bed” and “The Mustangs,” brought my team to within 4 points of the lead, sitting in a tie with “The Badgers” for fifth place (the tie for the position week would be broken in our favor on the basis of pinfall if the position week was next week, but we would have to face “The Badgers,” in any case). We can halve the deficit against “MT Bed” if we have a winning night against them next week.

My 646 set was the high scratch series for the week, but I no longer have the top series on the season with handicap: that honor now belongs to Nick Gomes, who had a 749 series with handicap this week. The league may pay out for high game and series based on average class, however, and, if that’s the case, I would still have high series with handicap in men’s Class A (Nick Gomes is in men’s Class C). Nick has really been bowling well all season, and it would not surprise me if he won most improved honors in the league (Indeed, he has the highest differential between entering average and current average at this point.).

February 2009 People’s Tournament results

The People’s Tournament’s site reported Arabinda Sahoo (150 avg., Spare Time Lanes {CT}) as the winner of the February event at AMF Cranston Lanes. Sahoo defeated Ryan McPartland (199 avg., AMF Auburn Lanes) by a score (with handicaps) of 271-172 in the title match. A couple of bowlers from my own league did well in this tournament: Bonnie MacDonald (148 avg.) placed in the top 8, and Rick Boerman (149 avg.) was in the top 16. It was a shame both couldn’t be in the top 8, as Bonnie and Rick had to face each other in the round of 16. Jon Corda (206 avg.) also represented Westgate Lanes in the round of 8. Inside the Brockton association, Lee Adams (180 avg., North Bowl Lanes) was a semifinalist.

Sean Richard scores 800 series in Sunday Niters League

Been sitting on this one until I saw the score posted on Bowler Express:

Sean Richard, subbing in the Sunday Niters League, shot games of 227, 276, and 297 for the first 800 series of the season at Westgate Lanes on Feb. 22. Congratulations Sean! 😀

NEBA tournament note: Sean Richard’s 800 came on a day when he also rolled a 295 @ E. Providence Lanes en route to cashing in last weekend’s NEBA event, which was won by the Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen League’s own Alex Aguiar. Nice bowling all around, guys. 😀

The breakout

My Week 24 bowling (BowlSK)

The momentum I thought I had off of my 257 game last week pretty much continued this week, and I ended up having my best set of the season, a 646. Did I bowl my best all the time tonight? Not really, as the first-ball gutter in the middle of the second game attests to, but I had three solid games for a change, and, if not for 20 more pins in the first game, I would’ve had a nice 222 triplicate. Indeed, I only had 3 really bad frames tonight, so I’m hoping for more of this and better in the coming weeks.

Result: 202-222-222=646
Average (72 games): 180 Last 9 games average: 196
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 548

My performance tonight was a big part of a team win. My teammates failed to support me in the first game, and we got shellacked. As I told my team at the end of the night, however, in my mind, I was not giving up, and they showed me they weren’t giving up, as well, as we turned the tables in the other two games to take total after a first-game loss by 100+. I’ll give special mention to Ted here; he’s far from the best bowler in the league, but he had things cooking in the last two games and ended up well over his average on the night.

Feb. 23 practice session

It was just an ordinary practice session today, but I think either the lanes weren’t hooking much or my timing and stuff was off. I noticed Ron Lawson cleaning his ball after he finished this afternoon and was told he was just using Simple Green. As it may help extend the time between oil extractions, I may have to pick some up tonight when I go shopping with my brother. 😀

Feb. 20 league standings update

The reader this week is directed to the standings sheet on LeagueSecretary.com rather than the one on Bowler Express (link can be found in the sidebar under “Author’s links”; click header to go to main blog page if viewing the individual post).

The sweep this week meant that “The Pin Pals” dropped all the way to 8th place, but still only 5 points out of first with plenty of time left. “MT Bed” and “The Mustangs” are the teams tied at the top, with those two teams bowling against each other next week. My team has “The Handicaps” next week, a team we usually do well against.

Now, for the good news: the 257 game qualifies me for the USBC’s 75 pins over average game award, the patch for which is pictured below:

75 over average game patch

This represents my first USBC award since my return, and, indeed, my last one, the 100 pins over average game patch I received for my 268 game all those years ago, came before the merger of the ABC, WIBC, and YABA into the USBC. I’m undecided about whether to put the patch on my old red bowling shirt (where I had put my award patches prior to my long hiatus) or the new one. I had thought of a poll to ask my readers about that, but that would require yet another online account, so I think I’ll just let you guys comment with what you think. 😀

By the way, the 257 game was the high scratch game bowled in the league this week. 😀

All it takes is one game

My Week 23 bowling (BowlSK)

Very sloppy bowling the first two games, and I was in danger of failing to break 500 at that point if my pace stayed the way it was, but then, one game turned it around. I had the front seven strikes on the way to my best game in the Brunswick Mixed League to date, a 257 in which my only mistake was missing a single-pin spare on a strike in the 10th frame. The big game ended up saving an over-average night, which is why it only takes one game on an otherwise bad night.

Result: 143-157-257=557
Average (69 games): 179 Last 9 games average: 180
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 579

Even with my big third game, the team got swept…see what I mean by struggling against DNFTD? 😕

PBA Women’s Series Showdown to use novel scoring format

The PBA announced today that the upcoming Women’s Series Showdown will use a novel scoring format devised by PBA Hall of Famer Johnny Petraglia that ignores pinfall and instead counts the number of balls needed to clear the pin deck in each frame. The Petraglia System is similar to golf scoring: a strike counts as a score of 1, a typical spare 2, and something like a 7-10 split normally resulting in a score of 3, with misses escalating the total. As in golf, low score wins, and a perfect Petraglia System game is a score of 10 (a strike in every frame). It will be interesting to see how well-received this format becomes.

Feb. 13 league standings update

A split against “The Mustangs” was not enough to maintain our position in the standings, and we slipped one place to 5th. We are still, however, within 2 points of first place, with a lot of time left in the second half. Next week will be a challenge, however, as we face Shawn’s team, “DNFTD,” who are behind us in the second-half standings, but against whom we’ve struggled so far this season.

BowlingBoards.com and “Let’s Go Bowling!” added to sidebar

Two new (to me) sites have gone up in the sidebar under the “Bowling Sites” category:

BowlingBoards.com is another bowling forum site brought to my attention by a commenter to last night’s league post. While my reply to the comment made it clear that I intend to continue to call BowlingCommunity.com my bowling forum “home,” I did find the site active and polished enough to give it a sidebar link, and I may even pop in there from time to time in the future.

While scouting out the above site, I found the homepage of “Let’s Go Bowling!”, a radio talk show airing primarily on 1340 AM WTAN in Tampa, FL. Past shows have featured some big-name guests, including Jeff Bojé, president of the USBC, top coach Ron Clifton, and bowling legends Walter Ray Williams, Jr., Norm Duke, and Liz Johnson. You can listen to archived shows on the site.

A better night

My Week 22 bowling (BowlSK)

I needed an over-average night like this tonight to get some of my confidence back, and, while I was only around my average in the first and last games, my middle game (a 210) was my best game in league all-around in a while, so this should be something to build on. I missed more spares than I should have, but I was finding the pocket again tonight.

Result: 178-210-180=568
Average (66 games): 179 Last 9 games average: 174
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 596

To show how strong my clutch game usually is, I thought my team was on our way to a loss after I missed my spare in the 9th frame of the last game, and I apologized to my teammates for the miss. However, as things developed, we still had a chance to take the point when I came up in the 10th. I proceeded to flush three in the pocket, only leaving a solid 10 on the last ball, while the other team’s anchor couldn’t make a baby split. Therefore, we gained a split where we otherwise might have had a losing night (and we didn’t lose total by much, so if we had a decent first game, it might have been different).

47th Brockton USBC Bowling Association Championships unofficial results posted

The unofficial results of the 47th annual Brockton USBC Bowling Association’s championship tournament have been posted, and Dan Robinson appears to have been the star, as a 794 score in singles helped him not only win that event, but also All-Events. He is the top bowler in both the handicap and scratch divisions in singles and All-Events, so it remains to be seen which prizes he receives.

50th annual Massachusetts State USBC Bowling Association Championships

The 50th annual Massachusetts State USBC Bowling Association championship tournament will be held on weekends between April 25 and May 17 at AMF Airway Lanes in Springfield, MA. Events are five-man teams, doubles, and singles, with optional all-events. Entry fee is $26/bowler/event and $6 for All-Events, with the prize fund being returned 1 in 8 for team, 1 in 10 for singles and doubles, and 1 in 15 for All-Events, 60% handicap and 40% scratch. Handicap is 90% of 240, computed on a three-game basis. Entries close March 15, and re-entries will be allowed based on lane availability. Entry flyers with more information are now available at all Masschusetts tenpin bowling centers.

Having a day

For the first time in a while, I had a very good day in a regular practice session, as I had a 673 series, which was highlighted by a 253 first game in which I had the front 6. I’m stinging myself for not being a better spare shooter today, though, as a missed 9 pin and a couple of missed “buckets” (the 2-4-5-8 leave for right-handers) prevented me from bowling my first 700 series, albeit unofficially. Bev printed out the score sheets for me, but I didn’t take them, as the series didn’t beat anything. I did tell the control desk people to show the sheet to Ray when he comes in tonight, however.

There was a moment of levity in the practice, too: I can no longer laugh at Chris Barnes leaving the “sour apple” (the 5-7-10 split) on a pocket hit, a la the World Tenpin Masters, as I’ve now left the split on a pocket hit myself. Oh well, at least I can laugh at myself for leaving it now! 😆

Feb. 7 league standings update

My team managed to pick up a position in the standings despite only gaining a split with “Backyard Bowlers” this week, moving to 4th place in the second half. It might have been a bad week for me, as well, as Eric Nordstrom fired a 684 scratch, 729 handicap series this week, nearly knocking me off of the men’s high series with handicap honor (as it is, Eric’s 684 is the best scratch series in the league to date).

“The Pin Pals” face “The Mustangs,” one of the teams tied for first place in the second half, this coming week.