Standings of PBA World Championship after cashers qualifying round
Jonathan Van Hees survived the cut to 40 for match play at the PBA World Championship, standing in 31st place with a +352 score (213.04 average for 27 games). If I figured out the brackets correctly, Van Hees will face Mike Scroggins in the first round of match play later today (top 8 in qualifying get a two-round bye in match play).
PBA World Championship qualifying results
Congrats once again to Jonathan Van Hees of Newport, RI, who was the only New England bowler to cash in the PBA World Championship, the first tournament and major of the PBA Tour season, taking place this week in Wichita, KS. Van Hees qualified in a tie for 40th (field was cut to the top 25%, 53 places, after qualifying) with a score of +220* (212.22 average for 18 games). Van Hees will participate in the cashers qualifying round tomorrow. The two other New England bowlers in the field were Alex Aguiar of Dartmouth, MA (87th, +79, 204.39 average) and Keith DeCambra of Quincy, MA (T175th, -325, 181.94 average).
* Scores in pro tournaments are usually given in terms of +/- 200; simply multiply 200 by the number of games (18) then add or subtract the +/- figure to determine total pinfall.
About the only thing I could feel good about tonight was my spare game, as I made most of the spares I could make, and I needed those spares to keep the night from getting out of hand. The second game was the only game I could get strikes in, it seemed, so my spares helped me stay over 500 tonight. The team bowled against a team with two of the top 3 average bowlers in the league, and they had good nights, so the team got creamed, failing to win a point.
Result: 155-191-167=513
Average (24 games): 179 Last 9 games average: 177
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 541
Perfect game rolled in Westgate Mixed League: I’ve never had a 300 shot in the same building and at the same time I was bowling, but it happened tonight, as Harry Thibeault, Jr. shot the first perfect game of the season in the Westgate Mixed League in the second game. As he is a customer of the pro shop, I spotted him at the end of the night going in to have a Polaroid picture taken for the “Wall of Fame,” and I made like I was going to join him for the picture as a playful congratulatory gesture before leaving him alone for the photo. Congrats Harry! 😀
Learning over the weekend that he (as “slap”) had posted on the BowlingCommunity.com forums, I took a more-or-less unplanned trip to the lanes tonight to introduce myself to Sammy Belton, a local USBC Bronze-level coach, who was bowling in the Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen league. When I met him, he struck me as very personable, and we got to talking about our current status in our leagues. I mentioned his struggles in the Coke Classic League (I’ve been following his bowling in that league, as well as the Tuesday Scratch Sportsmen, on BowlSK), and also my own struggles on the house shot on Wednesday nights (though I also mentioned my rebound last week). I suggested to him that he note his stance and target on BowlSK to give those of us on the forums an idea of how he’s playing the lanes, and also that a few of us on the forums chat during the day and that we hoped to see him.
I was wishing to see Alex Aguiar tonight, as well, but during the day, I learned that he would be bowling in the PBA World Championship, the opening tournament of the PBA Tour proper as well as the first major of the season. I also took the opportunity to greet some of my friends in the other leagues, including Ray Fischer’s wife Sarah, whom I had not seen since I stopped bowling in the His & Hers league during my previous bowling life.
Brunswick Mixed League standings found online: I had thought my league’s standings would not be posted online, but looking at a note near the standings for the Coke Classic League gave me another URL I thought I’d fish around, and that one, on a site named Bowler Express, actually contains links to the standings for most of the leagues running at Westgate Lanes, including the candlepin and youth leagues. Two links have been added to the sidebar, one for the league listing (in the “Bowling Sites” category), and one to the PDF file with the current standings for the Brunswick Mixed league (in the “Author’s Links” category). I do not yet know on what day the standings are updated there, and I also don’t know if the URL for the PDF file with my league’s standings is specific to that week’s standings, so I may have to update the sidebar link manually week to week.
The Red Sox Game 7 loss and the relative lack of recent sleep due to following the playoff games might have affected my practice today, as I had a couple of games in the 160s (I kept it light today, keeping my condition in mind). I salvaged the practice somewhat with a 198 in the last game, but it was a bad kind of 198, with 3 open frames ruining a game that had 5 strikes in a row. Some of my recent problems seem to be making my left side spares, particularly the single 4 and 7. I think I did manage to figure out the 7, as I made it in the 10th frame of the last game, but I missed both of my single 4s. A bright side on my spare shooting was that I converted a 4-5 split.
USSSA Bowl-a-Thon: The USSSA will hold a New England Hall of Fame bowl-a-thon at Westgate Lanes on Sunday, November 23. Teams of 4 (any combination of men and women) can sign up for $100, and single bowlers are welcome at $25/each. Flyers for the event are available at the control desk.
Just a few quick thoughts about today’s PBA Tour telecast opener:
The basic line I found working with Brian Frank worked for me tonight, though I, of course, had to make adjustments (lane 39 was hooking more than lane 40, so I made a 2-and-1 move in the beginning of the 2nd game) as the night went on. A couple of splits killed me in the second game, but I’ll blame more my poor shots in the 10th frame of the last game for not getting my first 600 series in this league tonight. As it was, it was both my high game (the 231 last game) and series to date in this league, so this should be something I can build on. The bonus is that I gained back the pins I lost from my average last week, so hopefully, this is the start of an upward trend.
As for the team, Ted had just gotten out of the hospital after passing out on Monday, so he was not up to bowling. We could only take one point tonight (the game I shot my 231 in), and I expect us to be back in the cellar, as we started the night next to last.
Result: 190-172-231=593
Average (21 games): 181 Last 9 games average: 178
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 562
With the thought in mind of getting an oil ball, I went back down to the lanes (and pro shop) today to have my PAP remeasured, keeping in mind that I shouldn’t turn the ball (release definitely will affect PAP), but rather swing through the ball and let it roll off my fingers. Brian (Frank, not Shea) was doing the work this time, and his measurement should be considered more accurate, as he was actually watching me bowl much of the time when it was being taken. The updated numbers (including the drilling of the High-Voltage) follow:
PAP: 4 7/8″ over, 1/2″ up, 3 1/16″ leverage
Drilling (traditional notation): 3″ x 4″
Drilling (dual-angle notation): 82° x 3″ x 45°
Working with Brian, I also found a line I could play on the winter house shot (I made sure I was on a lane with the house shot so as to not wreck the Tuesday Scratch Sportmen’s lanes’ oil)…stance about the 16 board straight up to 7 or 8 at the arrows, and I had a nice looking strike for the last shot Brian needed. We’ll see if it holds up in league tomorrow night. The decision to buy the oil ball has also been delayed, as I was getting something like the reaction I was looking for all this time on the new line.
The People’s Tournament reported Tammy Bellavance (AMF Cranston Lanes {RI}, 140 avg.) as the winner of the September tournament at E. Providence Lanes. She defeated Phil Hall (Brunswick Zone Lowell, 186 avg.) in the final match by a 224-169 score (with handicaps). For Westgate Lanes bowlers, Matt Richard and Alfredo Donato both made the final eight.
Note: There is no post about practice today, as I took the day off because of the Columbus Day holiday.
After experiencing some down-time and database problems in the last couple of weeks, the BowlingTracker.com site is once again fully functional and the sidebar link to my Brunswick Mixed League stat sheet now works as it should. The stat sheet has also, of course, been updated with the last couple of weeks’ scores.
My last game was what really killed me tonight, as I couldn’t really find anything I liked, but a couple of simple spare misses hurt, too. First game was a 190, but could’ve easily been clean except for a couple more spare misses. Here’s hoping I can regroup next week.
Result: 190-156-144=490
Average (18 games): 178 Last 9 games average: 172
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 546
USA Today notes that there was a bowling tournament connected with the recent MS Day at Comerica Park in Detroit. Detroit Tigers pitcher Mike Maroth, whose father has multiple sclerosis, hosted MS Day, which raised a total of $50K between the two events.
This New York business site notes that Olympic hero Michael Phelps hosted yesterday’s 70th anniversary party for New York City’s Bowlmor Lanes. Once a mainstay for league bowlers in the city, Bowlmor has recently reworked itself to attract a younger, edgier crowd.
The New York Daily News noted that New Jersey Nets star Vince Carter organized a bowling outing for his team after a recent practice prior to the team leaving for a European exhibition trip.
I spent most of practice today working on my release, focusing on swinging through the ball rather than turning it, and it largely worked, as I felt I flushed a few, especially later in the practice. I missed a couple of spares using the spare ball, but I’m slowly getting used to it, and I had two split pickups in the practice, both on the “baby split” (3-10), using the spare ball. I was told after practice that the Coke shot (Monday night shot) was down on the lane today, so having a game in the 180s and a game in the 190s on the shot was something of a bonus, making it maybe the best practice I’ve had recently.
Correction to demo day note: The Hammer and Columbia 300 demo day this month at Westgate Lanes is actually going to be run on two days, Oct. 18 and 19, with Hammer products being demo’ed on that Saturday, and Columbia 300 going on that Sunday.
Doing my research on drilling angles and what they mean for ball reaction, I learned that a 10° drilling will roll the soonest of the effective drilling angles, and a 90° drilling the latest, so my 50° drilling rolls up at a mid-point, late if anything. Also, for asymmetrical balls, the CG is replaced by the PSA (Preferred Spin Axis) point.
Note: I highly recommend reading this page on the MoRich site if you want to learn what all of the numbers in a dual-angle noted drilling mean. 😀
This is the promised later post. 🙂
A PAP measurement is described as a distance right or left of the center of the grip (depending on the hand bowled with) and a distance up or down from that line (resulting in the Vertical Axis Line, or VAL). As Jon determined from looking at the flare lines and measuring the ball, my PAP is 3 3/8″ right (since I’m right-handed), 1/2″ up. There is also a 2 11/16″ leverage point. I’m told this gives me a spinner type of track similar to that of PBA professional Ryan Shafer.
Drillings nowadays are often described using dual-angle notation, which is given as the angle of the intersection of the pin-to-CG (Center of Gravity) line and the pin-to-PAP line, by the pin-to-PAP line distance, by the pin-to-PAP/VAL angle. On my ball, it’s a 50° x 2 1/2″ x 23° drilling. What do the numbers mean as far as ball reaction goes? The 50° drilling is often given to those whose PAP is not known. The 2 1/2″ pin-to-PAP means I get a good amount of track flare (the width of the consecutive oil bands on the ball…a wider track flare means more fresh ball surface makes contact with the lane with each revolution), and the 23° means a snappy back-end reaction.
Now that my PAP is known, it means future balls can be drilled to have a different reaction, as the driller can lay out the ball keeping the information on the ball’s drill sheet and my PAP in mind. 😀
Before bowling tonight, I took time with Jon in the pro shop to have my PAP (Positive Axis Point, which is the point of the axis of the first revolution after the ball hits the lane) measured, which required throwing my resurfaced High-Voltage in the middle oil for a couple of frames without wiping the ball. I jotted down what Jon put down for the PAP, then had the drilling measured. I’ll make a separate post when I know what all of the numbers mean better, but the a traditional way of noting a drilling is distance from the pin (the white dot on the ball) to the PAP by distance from the center of gravity (found by a small etched logo in the ball) to the PAP. This, for me, is a drilling of 2 1/2″ x 3 1/4″, and the pin is to the right of my ring finger hole, which I’m told makes the drilling strong for just about anyone, and is usually given to those whose PAP is not known.
As I note in the series, the third game had a rushed feeling to it, because we were informed by Shawn that they may have had to close the place due to a water main problem in the mall area which resulted in shutting off the water in the area, forcing the closing of the mall. However, the water was back on by the end of the night. Team took first two games plus total for 3 points out of 4 tonight, and it was a rare time that we were giving pins to our opponents.
Result: 189-170-166=525
Average (15 games): 181 Last 9 games average: 175
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 553
Note: I usually get the AVG+1 from BowlingTracker.com, but that site was having database problems tonight, so I did a quick calculation in my spreadsheet log for next week’s score.
I picked up my ball from the pro shop and practiced, and, while the reaction was a little bit better, it was still not what I’m used to. Tony Attardo later told me that they always put down more oil, even on the house shot, in the fall/winter season, so I think it’s time for a more aggressive ball. As I needed one for the Monday night/tournament shot anyway, the decision to get one was just accelerated. I’m looking at the mid-price range, and I’ve had my eye on the Brunswick Copperhead, but the Columbia 300 Noize and the Raw Hammer Anger have also been suggested. In any event, I would have to see if I can get one of the new blue lockers at the lanes, which can fit 3 balls with shelving installed, first.
Today’s practice was a continuation of a trend I’ve been noticing for a couple of weeks now…not getting the reaction out of my ball that I normally do, even on the house shot. Noting that to my chat pals, the fact that I’ve had the High-Voltage for about a year now, and that I’ve only recently had it rejuvenated, we agreed it was time to give the ball a resurface. “CoachJim,” however, said he wouldn’t take it to factory finish, however, and that I could experiment, with the gang helping me get the surface to what works for me. A procedure of sanding the ball with 240 abralon sandpaper, rejuvenating, hitting it again w/ the 240 abralon sandpaper, then rough buffing was suggested. I made the rare return to the lanes when the pro shop opened and relayed this to Ray, who said he could have the ball ready when the pro shop opens in the late afternoon tomorrow. It’s not a full resurface, so the procedure will only set me back $20. I plan on practicing again tomorrow just to see the results.
Upcoming tournaments:
Looking for something to do during the Patriots’ bye week, my best friend Ed and I agreed on a bowling outing with his wife Maria and her sister Karen today, and I told him I was anxious to show my progress since our last outing last year. Those 3 aren’t really great bowlers and they had their moments, but I was hoping to do better than the 150 first game I posted. I thought I got untracked in the second game (albeit with a couple of “Brooklyn” strikes) and had a shot at 200, but we were only renting the lane for an hour, and the lane shut off around the 9th frame of that game. There were opportunities to use my new spare ball, and I made most of my spares when using that ball, even converting a 1-2-4-10 washout throwing straight at the 2, so I guess I’m getting used to that ball. I told Ed afterward that I was disappointed that I didn’t really have a good flush pocket hit, just because I wanted to show him what I looked like when that happened. Oh well, maybe next time.
A spare ball, usually plastic and drilled to go straight, is considered essential for good bowlers these days, so I decided it was time to add one to my “arsenal” and headed to the pro shop today. I had to wait for Jon to finish a lesson with someone, but when the pro shop officially opened for business, I picked out a 15 lb. red-black-gold (I liked the red and black in the scheme…my high school’s colors) Brunswick Target Zone (my chosen color scheme is the bottom ball on the page). Jon laid out the ball to be drilled like my High-Voltage is currently, except to go straight, and Brian drilled it. I wanted more or less the same feel as my strike ball, so this ball also has finger grips. I like the feel of the slug in my High-Voltage, but I was told they don’t put them in plastic balls, as they have a tendency to crack the ball.
During my free game, I concentrated on shooting my corner pins. I’m pleased to report that I did not miss a single 10 pin in the game, and maybe only one 7 pin (I say maybe because the pin was already down when I shot at it, making it a “shadow” pin). The frame I was most pleased about was the 4th frame, when I picked both the 7 and the 10 (shooting the 10 first) clean out of the rack. Hopefully, the acquisition helps me improve my spare game. As I have no room in my locker currently for three balls, the old wine U-Dot has been “retired” to the house ball rack.
Pro shop notes:
I’ve yet to put together a really consistent series in this league, but I did have my moments tonight, and even the low 162 was punctuated by a last frame where my team needed a big finish from me to take the point, and I got a double with a spare working in the 10th frame to put my team over the top (for real this time…my scores started really counting for my team tonight). As a highlight from the other team members, Helen was in the 180s in her first game, and that helped spark the night, as we took 3 of the 4 points (first and second games, plus total) from Shawn Coles’ team (Shawn Coles is the league secretary).
Result: 179-162-195=536
Average (12 games): 183 Last 9 games average: 179
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 562
I’ve been meaning to add the sites I describe below to the sidebar, but never got around to them until today…
“Bowler’s Paradise” is another online pro shop (and, thus, goes in the sidebar under “Equipment Sites”), but, unlike most others, they do offer a drilling service if you upload your hand measurements to them. I can’t say they’ll be able to drill any ball for a desired reaction, however, so I still recommend getting balls drilled at a brick-and-mortar pro shop.
“My Bowling Coach” is a site run by USBC Gold coaches Fred Borden, Jeri Edwards, and Ron Hatfield on behalf of USBC Coaching that offers lessons (in video, audio, and text format) on all phases of bowling, including physical and mental game, lane play, and equipment. A neat extra feature of the site lets you upload video of yourself bowling and get a customized lesson. I don’t know if the custom lesson feature is extra, but the standard lessons are available for about $60/year, so some of you may consider this a bargain. The link is in the sidebar in the general “Bowling Sites” category.
The PBA reported the following pairings of PBA pros and NBA stars for the Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational, held this weekend at AMF Winston-Salem Lanes:
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) and Chris Barnes
Dwayne Wade (Miami Heat) and Tommy Jones
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Jason Couch
Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) and Doug Kent
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Mitch Beasley
The event was taped for airing on ESPN on Oct. 19 to kick off the 50th anniversary season of the PBA Tour.
With what might have turned out to be the wrong oil pattern being put down in the morning last week, I figured I just wanted an easy practice today, so I bowled all 3 games for score again. Today was a total opposite, as the lanes were hooking out the box, and even a stand-21-target-6 shot, which worked for me for the back end of league play on Wednesday, was missing the pocket high, and I ended up standing around 26 and getting the ball around 9 or 10 at the arrows, letting the oil hold the ball until the break point. I had a mix of good and bad shots, and it turned out I needed 9 pins filling a spare in the 10th frame of the last game for a 183 triplicate (three games with the same score); I left the 4-10 split, however, and missed the triplicate by a pin. Ouch!
Bowler of the Year tournament note: Derick Thibeault was the winner of the Brockton USBC Bowling Association’s “Bowler of the Year” invitational tournament at Westgate Lanes yesterday, defeating his father, Harry Thibeault, Jr., in the final match.
Before bowling, I checked in with Jon at the pro shop and brought up the suggestions my online friends had about the pro shop’s new web site, foremost of them the fact that since most of the information is in images, search engines (including Google) can’t index the site (and can’t find it, therefore). I thought the online friend would know a trick about search engine optimization for those kind of pages, and I told Jon I’d email him if he did, but I found what I was looking for online after I came home, so I emailed Jon with that when I did.
It was a down night. After not hooking much last week, the lanes had returned to pretty much what I was seeing during the summer, and it took me a long while to figure that out (I thought I had just made good shots in the first game), and it took me until the 6th frame of the last game to finally get the line down. I also learned after the second game that my team was taking a 140 score for me during the first three weeks while I established my average (I thought just my handicap would be based on the 140 score), so I was kind of dismayed that I had little or no say in my team’s success (or lack thereof) in the first three weeks. My scores will count for the team next week, so, hopefully, I can recognize that and be energized then.
Result: 182-144-188=514
Average (9 games): 184 Last 9 games average: 184
Next week’s AVG+1 score: 558
I had to wait for Brian to get done in the pro shop before he could give me a ride home tonight, as I learned he had developed something like tendinitis in his right (bowling) wrist and was doing stuff to make the transition to left-handed bowling. Brian told me he does everything else lefty, so I agreed with Tony, Brian’s team captain in the Westgate Mixed League, that he’d probably do better bowling left-handed than right-handed. Good luck in the transition, Brian. 😀
This Canadian Broadcasting Company report notes that Chicago Bears offensive lineman Israel Idonije took fifth and sixth graders in a Winnipeg school bowling to kick off a program that encourages kids to stay in school.
Today’s practice might be one I’d like to forget. I was on a lane that was supposed to have the house shot on it, but there was no “wall” at all, with very little back-end reaction. I moved as far outside as I thought I could comfortably play, and worked on slowing down, but even then, my shots were either missing outside or just barely hitting the pocket light. I mentioned this to Junior, and he thought it strange, as there were some good scores Saturday morning for the junior leagues, which also use the house shot. He surmised that there might have been something wrong with the lane machine, and, with my suggestion, he said he would ask Rob to check the machine out.
The Tenth Board 
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