Any one else disappointing with the PBA telecasts the last couple years ?

[JPbowl]

I've been watching for 8 years or so and the past few years they seem to have made things worse.
Some shows are pre-recorded, i remember being able to go online and watch live scores friday night and know who was going to be on sunday.
Now i go online and see who already won before the show airs(sometimes).

Half the season was 'Team Bowling'. I found it boring without the head to head competition.
Hopefully these summer events will make up for it.

[billf]

I'm OK with the team event in cinjunction with the singles. However, I have been disappointed with the season being recorded in less than a month. The networks would serve themselves with increased viewers IF they would show some of the overseas events. Really sad when the top pros have to go overseas just to make a living.

[Bunny]

Yes! Abosulutely! The announcers are horrible and give minimal information about the bowlers, the equipment they are using, and basic stats. The telecasts incorporate little if no Hi-Tech additions to make things more fun and interesting.

The prize money is an absolute joke. I don't know how the pros survive on that measly prize money. They're still giving only $10,000 for on on air 300 game. Sheesh, they were giving away that same amount in 1974. Plus, the player got a free car too way back then!

The PBA needs to get into the 21st century.

And they sure as heck aren't doing anything to attract female bowlers! I could hardly stand to watch the Leauge telecasts when Kelly was on the bench the whole the time. They were kind enough let her bowl two or three dead rubber frames at the season ending Elias Cup. Gee, thanks. And Billy Jean is the owner of that team. I'm sorry but that crap took women's place in professional bowling down a few notches.

[billf]

Put women's bowling down? Not really. I liked how all the men struggled that Championship match and Kelly got up, stone cold, and absoltely buried three in a row. Most who know bowling knew Kelly was a better bowler than at leat half the men that were bowling.

[Stormed1]

The main reason for pre-recording events is cost. The PBA has to buy the air time and by doing the WSOB the way they do they save over 100K in production costs.
Personally I liked the team format as you got to see some people you don;t normally see. I think I read somewher that next year it will not require an injury for the 6th person to bowl

[JPbowl]

I forgot to mention how happy i was that hambone stone is gone.
Along with him all reference for all the stupid sayings he would blurt out.

Randy is ok, i was surprised how childish he was when HE made a show. (yelling at a fan)

I would also like to hear more about the equipment they are using.

[vdubtx]

I tried to watch the Team events and was left with just turning it off. There was no excitement in the telecast or in the bowlers that were involved. Only thing I saw out of it was some celebrity mentions. With bowlers on tour only bowling for themselves for so long, it is hard to see a Team aspect out there with the Pro's or even showed they even cared what happened. Just my $.03. :D

[J Anderson]

I liked the team format. I don't think I would want to bowl Baker format all the time myself, but its fine to watch.

I have mixed feelings about the elimination process to pick the low team on the stepladder. I generally don't like competitions based on one ball pin counts since it almost always winds up whoever doesn't strike is out. Yet with so many bowlers to start out you might survive leaving one or two pins in the early rounds so the eliminator (I already forgot the name that the PBA used) had more drama than many of the actual games.

I'm glad to hear that the sixth person on the rosters will be able to bowl without one of the starters having to be injured.

[Zothen]

Sadly their will be no more televised bowling unless you have the CBS sport channel! From what i've read,ESPN will no longer have bowling and i'm bummed.

Zothen

[RoccoRock]

I'm more disappointed that the PBA is leaving ESPN, and going to a network that no one gets. I would rather have it on ESPN, no matter what I think of the coverage, and formats, and announcers than not be able to see it at all. Moving to a network that no one gets, and no one watches, and isn't even in HD is not a smart move, no matter what you think of the ESPN coverage. I probably not be subscribing to the sports package. $10 a month for a group of channels that I would practically never watch, not exactly a wise decisions when money is tight. I'll just look up the results on the PBA website, because like the ESPN tournaments, these are all pre recorded as well.

[Perrin]

I'm lucky enough to have the CBS sports channel in HD (part of the package I have with Comcast)

I've watched the college nationals(mens and womens team and individual) on there so far and they seem ok other than their habit of skipping frames 4-6 to save time on the telecast. :(

I'm hoping the PBA telecasts don't do that.

Xtra frame looks more and more tempting but can only watch that on phone or PC.

[RoccoRock]

I've watched the college nationals(mens and womens team and individual) on there so far and they seem ok other than their habit of skipping frames 4-6 to save time on the telecast. :(

I'm hoping the PBA telecasts don't do that.


They shouldn't. ESPN did the same thing when they broadcast college bowling. They try to fit a lot of bowling into a very short time slot, so they cut some out. I've seen them cut out 4 frames where team A was leading before the cut, and come out of the cut with team B leading off of 4 in a row while team A was missing spares.

Xtra frame is cool, my pro shop guy let me use it during the Masters. It was fun to watch the stuff you don't see on TV. Sadly my computer now stinks, and it wouldn't be able to stream it. My phone would work, but I don't know how well the app works, it's still new.

[DrOcktagon]

Xtra frame looks more and more tempting but can only watch that on phone or PC.

If you have an iPhone or iPad and an AppleTV box, you can watch Xtra Frame on your TV. It works really well.

[DrOcktagon]

Xtra frame is cool, my pro shop guy let me use it during the Masters. It was fun to watch the stuff you don't see on TV. Sadly my computer now stinks, and it wouldn't be able to stream it. My phone would work, but I don't know how well the app works, it's still new.

The app works really well, actually. The only problem I've had with it so far is that one of the PBA50 events didn't show up in the archives for some reason. Other than that it's been great.

[DrOcktagon]

Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I've really enjoyed the recent telecasts. I thought the PBA League was a novel idea and it was cool to see the pros bowling Baker style. And you got to see some bowlers you might not have seen before. I would prefer that the telecasts not be pre-recorded, but it's not a huge deal to me.

Honestly, I would highly recommend that any bowling fan subscribe to Xtra Frame(I promise I don't work for the PBA.....I wish I did). I was extrememly hesitant about the service at first; a YouTube comment of mine was actually quoted in Steve's Bowling Blog where I voiced my displeasure for the idea of paying a monthly fee for access to more tournament bowling. But I have completely changed my mind on the subject. Subscribing to Xtra Frame was one of the best decisions I've made. Having complete access to all the qualifying rounds and match play is unbelievably cool, IMO. I'm actually just as interested in seeing the match play rounds as I am in seeing the telecasts. A lot of the drama is in the match play. For me, it's totally worth the $8 a month. I don't always watch the qualifying, but I try to make it a point to watch all the match play.

After subscribing, I was determined to find a way to get the Xtra Frame coverage on my TV, and I eventually realized that an AppleTV box would do the trick(I promise I don't work for Apple, either). So I used some birthday money to get one; it is $100, but completely worth it if you already use Apple products. So yeah, the main reason I got the AppleTV was to watch Xtra Frame, but it turns out I use it almost every day for all its other features(I finally have a way to watch all these digital copies of blu-rays on my TV).

Anyway, Xtra Frame.....check it out.

[billf]

Are all the qualifying matches archived also? I don't see me having the time to watch live but wouldn't mind watching them later.

[DrOcktagon]

Are all the qualifying matches archived also? I don't see me having the time to watch live but wouldn't mind watching them later.

Yes, everything gets archived, including the qualifying rounds. My only complaint is that it sometimes takes a day or so for stuff to show up in the archives, but it's usually not more than a day.

[GeoLes]

I just started watching late last year an I have no real history to compare it with. I was first put of by the absense of explanantion. For example, they may mention bowlng the Cheetah pattern and even give the length of the oil pattern. I don't want to be lead by the hand, but an explanation of the basics; That the ball slides, turns, then rolls on oil pattern; That different bowling take different strategy using the oil pattern; theat different balls have different reactions in the "What's In The Bag" segment, without talking down to the audience strategy would be helpful. It does not have to be complicated, just a simple graphic would work. If the non-bowling spectator knew the lane was 60 feet long and 2/3 oil means the ball has only 1/3 of lane length to hook to the pocket is useful information. They have been doing that sort of thing in the Tour de France coverage for years. PBA should be ablet to do it too.

It was refreshing to see that on the Lukoil US Open this weekend. They actually showed a graphic of the oil pattern on the lane with draw ins showing the line the bowlers were using. They may be getting a hint.

[Tihomir]

In the 2010-2011 season the Tour was very dissapointing, when Mika won the POY that year. Nothing really bought my interest in bowling, almost everything pre-taped except for the majors, the Team USA vs the World was stupid, as well as the Belmonte-Rash and Belmonte-Angelo bit that was even rumoured to be fake (although it was real). Fewer tournaments. I think Tom Clark does a great job now and the previous/current season was better with the Winter Swing, PBA League, Summer Swing in Milwakee as well as the majors. The only minus - during the Winter swing, the Earl Anthony, Mark Roth and so on shows were only finals, there were only 2 guys battling for it which wasn't very good. New patterns - that's also fresh along with the 5-year deal. Things are getting better, although Randy and company need to explain (him in particular) why one throws a solid, pearl, urethane, why that drilling and what he wants the ball to do, because that makes all the difference in the world in ball reactions in my opinion and that's interesting to guys like me that aren't pros.