onefrombills
11-19-2008, 06:51 PM
As the Tour lumbered along to Taylor, Michigan, I quickly discovered that this past week would be vastly different than anything I have seen so far. Having experienced a week in Hammond preoccupied with downtime, I longed for a week with plenty of adventure (translation: more bowling). Unfortunately, I got more than I bargained for…with so much action jammed into one week, I have decided to take a different approach to this week’s Angle: Taylor by Numbers.
Instead of giving you the day-by-day account of the Ultimate Scoring and Chameleon Championships, I will simply break down the week according to numbers and provide commentary on why each number is significant. If you are a fan of David Letterman’s Top Ten, this may be right up your alley (I never thought in my life I would make a bowling pun). If a themed article is more your taste, rest assured that I am doing this for your own good; otherwise this edition of Andrew’s Angle might end up as Andrew’s first novel/made-for-TV movie. Let’s start in descending order….
847. The “plus” score of Patrick Allen (PA) for the 14-game qualifying round of the Ultimate Scoring Championship. That sounds better than telling you he merely averaged 260.5. And need I mention that he bowled those games across different pairs, following different players each game, in a two-sided bowling center?
226.18. The field average for qualifying in the Ultimate Scoring Championship. Luckily, I managed to stay ahead of that number, and thankfully broke the streak and made my first cut of the year. It was somewhat bittersweet knowing that I got over the hump on what will most likely be the highest scoring pattern of the year, but I certainly had to work to get there. I managed to use a Maxxx Zone for the entire morning block and had no trouble getting it to continue through the pins, leading to great carry and a 7th place standing. In the night block, after shooting 231, I lost my look and panicked slightly, resulting in a 167 and 183. The panic was more because I fell from 7th to 38th in two games. Two games. That speaks for how good the exempt field is on tour. A switch to a Pearl Fury got me back into my comfort zone, the fear got my focus back on track, and good old-fashioned grinding vaulted me back into the match play cut.
180. In degrees, the difference between Hammond and Taylor. More bowling, more 300 games, and more wet stuff mercilessly pounding us from the sky. I did get to throw a snowball, however, and my aim was considerably better than inside with a bowling ball in my hand.
31. Parker Bohn III has 31 titles in his illustrious PBA career. That would be exactly 31 more than yours truly. Whose autograph would you prefer? Even as a fellow player, even I wouldn’t mind having Parker’s autograph. But a young aspiring bowler in Taylor seemed to disagree. As I talked with Parker on Sunday evening, a boy came up clutching his PBA yearbook and Sharpie. Parker stopped to sign it, but the kid simply shook his head and pointed at me instead. Ahhh, writing a blog does have its advantages. Can someone check the yearbook and make sure they didn’t put my picture next to his stats?
5. Between watching the show, reading Jason’s TV Recap and reading the forums, you surely have an idea where I am going with this number. It is the number of players on Sunday’s telecast (not including the Women’s Series). I actually walked out of the building just as the second position round got underway, thinking nothing significant would happen. Wow. Dead wrong with that assumption. I had coincidentally spent a few moments bantering in the Xtra Frame booth prior to the first position round…my reaction to the ensuing chaos was like leaving a slot machine right before it paid a jackpot. Just imagine it.
3. Two weeks, three ESPN telecasts. And Bill O’Neill made every single one of them. I bowled collegiately during the same years as Bill and he joined the PBA a couple of years before me. One of the most fascinating parts about bowling on Tour is twofold. Not only do you get to compete against some of your childhood bowling idols, but you are afforded the opportunity to continue shoeing up against the same players with whom you shared your youth bowling career. Now that you feel warm and fuzzy all over, I can share that “3” was also the number of games I won in Tuesday’s round of 32 matchplay. That is equivalent to a loss, but I still felt a sense of accomplishment as I was down 2-0 and managed to stretch the match to the full seven games.
2. A few interesting notes about the number “2,” and no, none of them involve turtle doves. I attended functions in Taylor for two different sponsors. The first was a photo shoot north of Detroit (and by north, I mean just south of the Arctic Circle…sarcasm intended) for Turbo 2-N-1 Grips and a tailgate party prior to the telecast. On Friday, I also spent time manning the Verve table and interacting with fans about the insanely healthy energy drink. Two additionally represents the number of PBA titles now held by Mike Machuga, and both were at the expense of Bill O’Neill. And they were contested on the Chameleon pattern. Depending on whether you have Bill or Mike’s perspective, good things may or may not come in pairs. For Michelle Feldman, they certainly do, as she managed to win her first Women’s Series title in her second TV appearance.
1. If you have been a regular reader, you know that this number can only represent a new “first” for the season. And you know what? I had to think long and hard about this, but am awarding the history-making first to the PBA for kicking off the Extreme Swing with the Ultimate Scoring Championship. It was met with mixed emotions, but fresh ideas are better than the old, stagnant approaches. Making my first cut of the year was a close runner-up, but I decided to bow out of the race due to personal bias. I could really use some help deciding on the week’s firsts. Any takers? I will gladly consider serious responses for future firsts sent to Andrew@andrewcainbowling.com. Seriously!
Oh, by the way, if you thought my countdown ended at 1, you are mistaken. Landing the number “0” is Del Ballard, Jr. Zero is for the number of pins his infamous Blue Hammer knocked over in the 1991 Fair Lanes Open that cost him a title. I am not criticizing Del or his bowling ball. While regarded as one of the most stunning moments in bowling history, recall that Del went on to win the U.S. Open for a second time and his impressive resume landed him on the 50 Greatest Bowlers of All-Time list. If you aspire to be a true professional and a success in bowling, remember that one shot is not the end of the world. Rebounding from a gutter ball today can lead to a title tomorrow, but only if you approach the situation from the right Angle. Thanks for reading!
Instead of giving you the day-by-day account of the Ultimate Scoring and Chameleon Championships, I will simply break down the week according to numbers and provide commentary on why each number is significant. If you are a fan of David Letterman’s Top Ten, this may be right up your alley (I never thought in my life I would make a bowling pun). If a themed article is more your taste, rest assured that I am doing this for your own good; otherwise this edition of Andrew’s Angle might end up as Andrew’s first novel/made-for-TV movie. Let’s start in descending order….
847. The “plus” score of Patrick Allen (PA) for the 14-game qualifying round of the Ultimate Scoring Championship. That sounds better than telling you he merely averaged 260.5. And need I mention that he bowled those games across different pairs, following different players each game, in a two-sided bowling center?
226.18. The field average for qualifying in the Ultimate Scoring Championship. Luckily, I managed to stay ahead of that number, and thankfully broke the streak and made my first cut of the year. It was somewhat bittersweet knowing that I got over the hump on what will most likely be the highest scoring pattern of the year, but I certainly had to work to get there. I managed to use a Maxxx Zone for the entire morning block and had no trouble getting it to continue through the pins, leading to great carry and a 7th place standing. In the night block, after shooting 231, I lost my look and panicked slightly, resulting in a 167 and 183. The panic was more because I fell from 7th to 38th in two games. Two games. That speaks for how good the exempt field is on tour. A switch to a Pearl Fury got me back into my comfort zone, the fear got my focus back on track, and good old-fashioned grinding vaulted me back into the match play cut.
180. In degrees, the difference between Hammond and Taylor. More bowling, more 300 games, and more wet stuff mercilessly pounding us from the sky. I did get to throw a snowball, however, and my aim was considerably better than inside with a bowling ball in my hand.
31. Parker Bohn III has 31 titles in his illustrious PBA career. That would be exactly 31 more than yours truly. Whose autograph would you prefer? Even as a fellow player, even I wouldn’t mind having Parker’s autograph. But a young aspiring bowler in Taylor seemed to disagree. As I talked with Parker on Sunday evening, a boy came up clutching his PBA yearbook and Sharpie. Parker stopped to sign it, but the kid simply shook his head and pointed at me instead. Ahhh, writing a blog does have its advantages. Can someone check the yearbook and make sure they didn’t put my picture next to his stats?
5. Between watching the show, reading Jason’s TV Recap and reading the forums, you surely have an idea where I am going with this number. It is the number of players on Sunday’s telecast (not including the Women’s Series). I actually walked out of the building just as the second position round got underway, thinking nothing significant would happen. Wow. Dead wrong with that assumption. I had coincidentally spent a few moments bantering in the Xtra Frame booth prior to the first position round…my reaction to the ensuing chaos was like leaving a slot machine right before it paid a jackpot. Just imagine it.
3. Two weeks, three ESPN telecasts. And Bill O’Neill made every single one of them. I bowled collegiately during the same years as Bill and he joined the PBA a couple of years before me. One of the most fascinating parts about bowling on Tour is twofold. Not only do you get to compete against some of your childhood bowling idols, but you are afforded the opportunity to continue shoeing up against the same players with whom you shared your youth bowling career. Now that you feel warm and fuzzy all over, I can share that “3” was also the number of games I won in Tuesday’s round of 32 matchplay. That is equivalent to a loss, but I still felt a sense of accomplishment as I was down 2-0 and managed to stretch the match to the full seven games.
2. A few interesting notes about the number “2,” and no, none of them involve turtle doves. I attended functions in Taylor for two different sponsors. The first was a photo shoot north of Detroit (and by north, I mean just south of the Arctic Circle…sarcasm intended) for Turbo 2-N-1 Grips and a tailgate party prior to the telecast. On Friday, I also spent time manning the Verve table and interacting with fans about the insanely healthy energy drink. Two additionally represents the number of PBA titles now held by Mike Machuga, and both were at the expense of Bill O’Neill. And they were contested on the Chameleon pattern. Depending on whether you have Bill or Mike’s perspective, good things may or may not come in pairs. For Michelle Feldman, they certainly do, as she managed to win her first Women’s Series title in her second TV appearance.
1. If you have been a regular reader, you know that this number can only represent a new “first” for the season. And you know what? I had to think long and hard about this, but am awarding the history-making first to the PBA for kicking off the Extreme Swing with the Ultimate Scoring Championship. It was met with mixed emotions, but fresh ideas are better than the old, stagnant approaches. Making my first cut of the year was a close runner-up, but I decided to bow out of the race due to personal bias. I could really use some help deciding on the week’s firsts. Any takers? I will gladly consider serious responses for future firsts sent to Andrew@andrewcainbowling.com. Seriously!
Oh, by the way, if you thought my countdown ended at 1, you are mistaken. Landing the number “0” is Del Ballard, Jr. Zero is for the number of pins his infamous Blue Hammer knocked over in the 1991 Fair Lanes Open that cost him a title. I am not criticizing Del or his bowling ball. While regarded as one of the most stunning moments in bowling history, recall that Del went on to win the U.S. Open for a second time and his impressive resume landed him on the 50 Greatest Bowlers of All-Time list. If you aspire to be a true professional and a success in bowling, remember that one shot is not the end of the world. Rebounding from a gutter ball today can lead to a title tomorrow, but only if you approach the situation from the right Angle. Thanks for reading!