The Coolest Fantasy Bowling Tournament EVER!!

[Aslan]

I've created something that I think many on the site might find interesting...it's a Fantasy Bowling Tournament based off of 64-person pool of players...the greatest bowlers that ever lived. I then used a formula of sorts to try and come up with a fantasy outcome for each match.

It is a single elimination tournament. The top 50 seeds are straight out of the PBA/ESPN Top 50 bowlers All-Time. The last 14 members were chosen based on various characteristics...but are primarily the best pro bowlers that have not yet (but most likely will eventually) been inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame.

In this fantasy tournament, the greatest from all eras will face off. Their scores will be normalized whenever possible to take into account significant technological changes over time. The old timers will be bowling with their equipment on essentially a THS oil pattern. The newer players will have better bowling balls to work with, but will be bowling on tougher, modern PBA sport patterns.

I had a lot of fun putting this together, so I hope you enjoy it. I got to watch video on just about every one of these guys in order to figure out match winners...and WOW...some really cool footage. I especially grew fond of Dave Ferraro who I think (so far) has a swing closest to mine.

Now...I'm going to list each of the 4 regions and their seedings. Afterwards, after comments (hopefully), I'll enter 1st round results. I have like 5 more match-ups to score.

Please don't comment until I've posted all 4 regions (in case anyone is up late).

[Aslan]

MIDWEST REGION: Held in Tacoma, Washington

1) Earl Anthony vs. 16) Wes Malott
8) Jim Godman vs. 9) George Pappas
5) Carmen Salvino vs. 12) Tom Hudson
4) John Petraglia vs. 13) Mika Koivuniemi

3) Marshall Holman vs. 14) Rhino Page
6) Jason Couch vs. 11) Tom Baker
7) Steve Cook vs. 10) Joe Berardi
2) Don Johnsson vs. 15) Mike Fagan

[Aslan]

WEST REGION: Held in Kansas City, Missouri

1) Pete Weber vs. 16) Jess Stayrook
8) Del Ballard Jr. vs. 9) Dave Ferraro
5) Dave Soutar vs. 12) John Guenther
4) Brian Voss vs. 13) Jack Biondolillo

3) Billy Hardwick vs. 14) Jim Pencak
6) Amleto Monacelli vs. 11) Patrick Allen
7) Harry Smith vs. 10) Larry Lamb
2) Mark Roth vs. 15) John Mazza

[Aslan]

SOUTH REGION: Held in San Francisco, California

1) Walter Ray Williams Jr. vs. 16) Bill O'Neill
8) Wayne Zahn vs. 9) David Ozio
5) Wayne Webb vs. 12) Barry Asher
4) Nelson Burton Jr. vs. 13) Bob Strampe

3) Parker Bohn III vs. 14) Ryan Shafer
6) Dave Husted vs. 11) Danny Wiseman
7) Chris Barnes vs. 10) Mike McGrath
2) Norm Duke vs. 15) Jason Belmonte

[Aslan]

EAST REGION: Held in St. Louis, Missouri

1) Dick Weber vs. 16) Ryan Ciminelli
8) Tommy Jones vs. 9) Randy Petersen
5) Dave Davis vs. 12) Gary Dickinson
4) Dick Ritger vs. 13) Mike Limongello

3) Don Carter vs. 14) Jason Queen
6) Mike Durbin vs. 11) Doug Kent
7) Jim Stefanich vs. 10) Bill Allen
2) Mike Aulby vs. 15) Sean Rash

[Aslan]

First Round Results: MIDWEST REGION

#5 Seed Carmen Salvino defeats #12 seed Tom Hudson 239-198.
#13 seed Mika Koivuniemi upsets #4 seed John Petraglia 204-201.

8 seed Jim Godman defeats 9 seed George Pappas 211-198.
16 seed Wes Malott stuns #1 seed Earl Anthony 268-219.

In the highest scoring first round match of the tournament, #11 seed Tom Baker defeats #6 seed Jason Couch 277-254.
14 seed Rhino Page defeats #3 seed Marshall Holman

7 seed Steve Cook outlasts #10 seed Joe Berardi 225-219.
#2 seed Don Johnson defeats 15 seed Mike Fagan 233-222.

#16 seed Wes Malott now faces #8 seed Jim Godman
5 seed Carmen Salvino now faces 13 seed Mika Koivuniemi

14 seed Rhino Page faces 11 seed Tom Baker
7 seed Steve Cook faces 2 seed Don Johnson

[Aslan]

First Round Results: WEST REGION

Not as many upsets in the West as we had in the Midwest.

#5 seed Dave Soutar defeats #12 seed John Guenther 219-218.
#13 seed Jack Biondolillo defeats #4 seed Brian Voss 220-210.
#9 seed Dave Ferraro defeats #8 seed Del Ballard Jr. 214-207.
#1 seed Pete Weber squeeks by #16 seed Jess Stayrook 227-224.

#7 seed Harry Smith defeats #10 seed Larry Lamb 237-216.
#2 seed Mark Roth defeats #15 seed John Mazza 211-184.
#6 seed Amleto Monacelli defeats #11 seed Patrick Allen 215-198.
#3 seed Billy Hardwick defeats #14 seed Jim Pencak 236-223.

#1 seed Pete Weber now faces #9 seed Dave Ferraro
#5 seed Dave Soutar now faces #13 seed Jack Biondolillo

#3 seed Billy Hardwick now faces #6 seed Amleto Monacelli
#2 seed Mark Roth now will be tested by #7 seed Harry Smith

[Aslan]

First Round Results: SOUTH REGION

#10 seed Mike McGrath defeats #7 seed Chris Barnes 216-185.
#2 seed Norm Duke defeats #15 seed Jason Belmonte in a high scoring affair 258-226.
#6 seed Dave Husted defeats #11 seed Dan Wiseman 255-217.
#14 seed provides the only real upset as Ryan Shafer defeats Parker Bohn III in a nail biter 204-202.

#5 seed Wayne Webb slips by #12 seed Barry Asher 219-217.
#4 seed Nelson Burton Jr. defeats #13 seed Bob Strampe 236-219.
9 seed David Ozio defeats 8 seed Wayne Zahn 236-203.
#1 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. rolls over #16 seed Bill O'Neill 238-169.

Top seed WRW now faces #9 seed David Ozio
#4 seed Nelson Burton Jr. now faces #5 seed Wayne Webb

#6 seed Dave Husted now faces #14 seed Ryan Shafer
#2 seed Norm Duke now faces #10 seed Mike McGrath

[Aslan]

First Round Results: EAST REGION

A FIRST in tournament history...the ENTIRE East Region was upsets!! No lower seed survived the first round...making for an entire region of Cindarella hopefuls!

#16 seed Ryan Ciminelli ousted top seed Dick Weber 246-216.
9 seed Randy Pedersen defeated 8 seed Tommy Jones 254-244.
In the lowest scoring match of the first round, 12 seed Gary Dickinson defeated 5 seed Dave Davis 218-145.
#13 seed Mike Liomongello defeated #4 seed Dick Ritger 207-203.

#14 seed Jason Queen defeated #3 seed Don Carter 266-232.
#11 seed Doug Kent defeated #6 seed Mike Durbin in the most lopsided contest of the first round, 277-153.
#10 seed Bill Allen defeated Jim Stefanich 232-212.
#15 seed Sean Rash defeated #2 seed Mike Aulby 279-225.

#9 seed Randy Pedersen now faces #16 seed Ryan Ciminelli.
#12 seed Gary Dickinson now faces #13 seed Mike Limongello.

#11 seed Doug Kent now faces #14 seed Jason Queen.
#10 seed Bill Allen now faces #15 seed Sean Rash.

[Aslan]

Second Round Results: WEST REGION

#7 seed Harry Smith squeeks by #2 seed Mark Roth 206-197.
#3 seed Billy Hardwick defeats #6 seed Amletto Monacelli 214-180.

#5 seed Dave Soutar squeeked by #13 seed Jack Biondolillo 233-229.
#1 seed Pete Weber bowls a second straight 227 game to knock off Dave Ferraro 227-215.

In the Sweet 16;
#1 seed Pete Weber now faces #5 seed Dave Soutar.
#3 seed Billy Hardwick now faces #7 seed Harry Smith.

[Aslan]

Second Round Results: SOUTH REGION

#14 seed Ryan Shafer scores his second straight 255 game defeating #6 seed Dave Husted 255-241.
#10 seed Mike McGrath pulls off a HUGE upset in round 2 defeating #2 seed Norm Duke 237-225.

#4 seed Nelson Burton Jr. scores his second straight 236 game and defeats #5 seed Wayne Webb 236-205.
#1 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. continues his domination by knocking off #9 seed David Ozio 268-244.

Sweet 16:
#1 seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. will now face #4 seed Nelson Burton Jr..
#14 seed Ryan Shafer will face #10 seed Mike McGrath.

[Aslan]

Second Round Results: EAST REGION

#12 seed Gary Dickinson continued to score low yet his opponents continued to score lower as he defeated Mike Limongello 205-181. Dickinson after 2 rounds has the lowest pin total of those in the sweet 16 with a 423.
#9 seed Randy Pedersen defeated #16 seed Ryan Ciminelli 255-246.

#14 seed Jason Queen defeated #11 seed Doug Kent 257-218.
#10 seed Bill Allen defeated #15 seed Sean Rash 220-215.

In the Sweet 16;
#9 seed Randy Pedersen will face #12 seed Gary Dickinson.
#14 seed Jason Queen will face #10 seed Bill Allen.

[Aslan]

Second Round Results: MIDWEST REGION

#14 seed Rhino Page threw the first 300 game of the tournament and pounded #10 seed Tom Baker 300-189. Rhino leads the tournament with a 2-game total of 563 pins.
#7 seed Steve Cook upset #2 seed Don Carter 235-224.

#13 seed Mika Koivuniemi missed a perfect game by 1 pin...and pounded #5 seed Carmen Salvino 299-199.
#16 seed Wes Malott continued his cindarella run defeating #8 seed Jim Godman 235-192.

In the Sweet 16;
#16 seed Wes Malott faces #13 seed Mika Koivuniemi.
#14 seed Rhino Page faces #7 seed Steve Cook.

[J Anderson]

I've created something that I think many on the site might find interesting...it's a Fantasy Bowling Tournament based off of 64-person pool of players...the greatest bowlers that ever lived. I then used a formula of sorts to try and come up with a fantasy outcome for each match.

It is a single elimination tournament. The top 50 seeds are straight out of the PBA/ESPN Top 50 bowlers All-Time. The last 14 members were chosen based on various characteristics...but are primarily the best pro bowlers that have not yet (but most likely will eventually) been inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame.

In this fantasy tournament, the greatest from all eras will face off. Their scores will be normalized whenever possible to take into account significant technological changes over time. The old timers will be bowling with their equipment on essentially a THS oil pattern. The newer players will have better bowling balls to work with, but will be bowling on tougher, modern PBA sport patterns.

I had a lot of fun putting this together, so I hope you enjoy it. I got to watch video on just about every one of these guys in order to figure out match winners...and WOW...some really cool footage. I especially grew fond of Dave Ferraro who I think (so far) has a swing closest to mine.

Now...I'm going to list each of the 4 regions and their seedings. Afterwards, after comments (hopefully), I'll enter 1st round results. I have like 5 more match-ups to score.

Please don't comment until I've posted all 4 regions (in case anyone is up late).

I'm just not getting the premise of a fantasy bowling tournament. I 'm not in any fantasy football leagues but I think I understand the idea is that you draft currently active NFL players for your team and use their stats to determine game results. Considering the number of bowlers in your tournament who are dead or retired you can't be using current stats, so how do you figure out that the late Don Johnson would defeat Michael Fagan?

Don't take this as personal criticism, I'm just mad that what ever system you devised knocked out Dick Weber, Earl Anthony, Mike Aulby, Parker Bohn III, Johnny Petraglia, Danny Wiseman, and Brian Voss in the first round.

[Aslan]

Don't take this as personal criticism, I'm just mad that what ever system you devised knocked out Dick Weber, Earl Anthony, Mike Aulby, Parker Bohn III, Johnny Petraglia, Danny Wiseman, and Brian Voss in the first round.

Believe me! I don't take it personal at all...and I SHARE your frustration! I mean, one of my favorite bowlers (Earl Anthony), and argueably the best bowler ever, was knocked out in round 1! And I'm sure our 2-handed guys weren't happy that their hero Jason Belmonte drew Norm Duke in Round 1 and got knocked out.

The method, in a nutshell, is to use head-to-head data whenever possible. If it is not...the system uses data from where they may have played bowlers that they have in common. For example, while Carter may have never played Queen, perhaps both of them played Walter Ray. It then uses tournament data where they played in the same tournament. After that...it uses random data from various matches.

The interesting part of this tournament as it applies to bowling...is two-fold:

1) Modern bowlers score higher. Older bowlers are at a disadvantage. So a guy like Don Carter or Earl Anthony or Dick Weber...if they were alive today and faced a Sean Rash, Jason Belmonte, Norm Duke...they would likely struggle a great deal. They might be more "consistent"...but back in the late 60s it was very common to see games with scores like 212-182. Nowadays, that would be a very uncommonly low scoring match...even on tougher oil patterns. Nowadays guys are rolling 245-255 regularly.

This is important because since this is "fantasy"...it's using information from various time periods...where averages varied.

So for older bowlers...their advantage is consistency. A newer bowler seems to always have the greater ability to score high in any given match...BUT...the older bowlers would be more consistent...so they have to catch a new bowler on his "off game".

2) Bowling is interesting...and I think rather unique....in that on ANY GIVEN night...an amateur can beat a pro. I could theoretically beat Sean Rash in a game tomorrow. Unlikely...very, very unlikely. But most sports...it would be "impossible". Am I more likely to beat Sean Rash 224-220? Or beat Pete Sampras in a tennis match? Or beat Tiger Woods in a round of golf (I'm like a +40-45 handicap)? Or beat Shaq in a one-on-one pick-up basketball game?

Where this come into play in a single elimination tournament like this one is...it's much, much more random. In March Madness...a #1 seed has never lost...ever. Because it's more difficult for some little school with an average record...to knock off a huge powerhouse...even in a one-game format. But in bowling...an amateur is MUCH more likely to beat a pro. NOT LIKELY...but much MORE likely.

So..in summary...as a traditionalist...I share your frustration(s). But, it has been an interesting exercise and really shown how the game has evolved. As much as I hate to say it...I think some of the classic bowlers of yesteryear would maybe not even make the tour nowadays. Maybe they would...maybe with stronger equipment of today...they'd be even better. But it's hard to calcutate what that would look like.

I'm just having fun watching a lot of different guys bowl! I'm developing a new "fan appreciation" for guys I never even heard of!

[Aslan]

And all is not lost for us traditionalists John A. Look at the WEST REGION...seeds pretty much stayed true...and it's pretty much all old timers that have survived. But...a lower scoring region...and a region with more old timers and less flashy new high-game style players.

[fungui]

Very interesting stuff, did you use an application to run the numbers?

[Aslan]

Very interesting stuff, did you use an application to run the numbers?

No application. Just a hierarchy and a spreadsheet.

Working on the Sweet 16 now, still have 3 of the 4 divisions to finish.

[Mike White]

2) Bowling is interesting...and I think rather unique....in that on ANY GIVEN night...an amateur can beat a pro. I could theoretically beat Sean Rash in a game tomorrow. Unlikely...very, very unlikely. But most sports...it would be "impossible". Am I more likely to beat Sean Rash 224-220? Or beat Pete Sampras in a tennis match? Or beat Tiger Woods in a round of golf (I'm like a +40-45 handicap)? Or beat Shaq in a one-on-one pick-up basketball game?

You're thinking of a one game match where it's possible for a pro to shoot anywhere from 100 to 300.

What you are ignoring is in a 42 game format, for that amateur to have the opportunity to face the pro, they would have to:

Advance out of the rabbit squad. Many local pros/amatuers competing for just a handful of spots.

Then in the actual tourney, qualifying consists of 18 games, the amateur would need to be in the top 53 out of 160 just to cash, top 24 to continue.

Then in match play, be in the top 5 to make the show.

After those hurdles are cleared, the amateur would then have the opportunity to face the pro in one game match.

My memory is a little hazy on the format, my assumptions are qualifying rounds was 3 blocks of 6 games, and match play was 3 rounds of 8 games.

[Aslan]

Thats a good point Mike…and also why you don't see many amateurs making TV appearances. The PBA and the big name sponsors want their guys on the TV program…not some pro shop owner or guy off the street. A lot of viewers see that you can get in the PBA with a 190 average and figure that the only reason you see Belmonte, Rash, Page, Weber, Bohn in the finals is because those guys are just so, so, so dominant that nobody can beat them. When actually…the big name pros are given HUGE seeding advantages in tournaments. Most don't have to qualify..so their automatically not worrying about that. And in a stepladder format, they might bowl 12-16 positioning games…but meanwhile the 100s of amateurs are doing exactly what you said…bowling 30-70 games to try to qualify, position, then work their way up the ladder.

I forget what the record is for a stepladder tournament….of the lowest seed to ever make TV or win it.

But…if you had a tournament like this one in this thread…you'd see a LOT of fresh faces making the Final Four on TV. You just have to have 4 good games. But even in this fantasy tournament…I'm sure that only a handful of spots would be available for amateurs….so they'd still be at a huge disadvantage to even make the bracket. But once in…it's anybody's tournament. And the advantage of that is…more MONEY. If the only players that cash would be the final four…instead of bowling on TV for $50,000…you'd be bowling for $100,000-$300,000 each televised game.

The disadvantage…is bowling would become like Poker. Every World Series Final table is different…it's rare to even see a big name pro at the final table. I mean, in poker…a guy starts out in a field of thousands…the pros usually map it pretty far and cash and make money…but to get to that final table of 9…is a tough, tough thing and takes more than skill. I've played poker for years (not World Series level) and in tournaments have only made the final table 4 times.

[J Anderson]

Thats a good point Mike…and also why you don't see many amateurs making TV appearances. The PBA and the big name sponsors want their guys on the TV program…not some pro shop owner or guy off the street. A lot of viewers see that you can get in the PBA with a 190 average and figure that the only reason you see Belmonte, Rash, Page, Weber, Bohn in the finals is because those guys are just so, so, so dominant that nobody can beat them. When actually…the big name pros are given HUGE seeding advantages in tournaments. Most don't have to qualify..so their automatically not worrying about that. And in a stepladder format, they might bowl 12-16 positioning games…but meanwhile the 100s of amateurs are doing exactly what you said…bowling 30-70 games to try to qualify, position, then work their way up the ladder.

I forget what the record is for a stepladder tournament….of the lowest seed to ever make TV or win it.

Bowling is not like tennis where the seeding for match play is determined by the players ranking going into the tournament. The seeding is determined by the 18 games of qualifying. There are very few Tournaments where big name players are automatically qualified for the 24 game elimination round.

For the stepladder format I'm pretty sure that a number of bowlers made the run from fifth qualifier to take hame the big check and trophy. Being a fan of Walter Ray and Earl you should be aware that being a top seed in the stepladder is no guarantee of winning. Many a tournament was dominated in qualifying and match play by either Earl or Walter Ray only to see them lose in the final against a second or third seed who came into the match with momentum. I'm not sure what the exact number is but I would guess that the top seed in a stepladder final has only a 40% chance of winning.

[Aslan]

Bowling is not like tennis where the seeding for match play is determined by the players ranking going into the tournament. The seeding is determined by the 18 games of qualifying. There are very few Tournaments where big name players are automatically qualified for the 24 game elimination round.

I'm not sure, but I think you're wrong about this. I believe PBA pros with a certain number of years and/or major championships get preferential placement. Like Mike mentioned, true amateurs have to bowl many more games to pre-qualify, then qualify, then bowl in the actual qualification. Established pros skip much of that.

If that "wasn't" the case…you'd see results like this tournament…where no-name bowlers would get hot and beat out pros having off games. Especially with how the equipment has changed the game. You can have a guy get hot over a 12-game span and suddenly "Joe Blow" is the top seed for the TV round and Norm Duke doesn't qualify. Viewers don't want to see "Joe Blow"…they wanna see Norm Duke.

Unlike tennis…in bowling ANY bowler on ANY night can beat a pro. Maybe not over a 3-12 game series…but yeah…1-9 games…a good bowler having a good night could pull it off. Thats not the case in tennis or any other sport. I may play the best tennis game of my life…but Pete Sampras will beat me 6-1. It won't even be close. If I pick up one game of the match, it's because I made a couple great serves AND Sampras fell down a couple times or his racket strings broke or something.

[Mike White]

I'm not sure, but I think you're wrong about this. I believe PBA pros with a certain number of years and/or major championships get preferential placement. Like Mike mentioned, true amateurs have to bowl many more games to pre-qualify, then qualify, then bowl in the actual qualification. Established pros skip much of that.

If that "wasn't" the case…you'd see results like this tournament…where no-name bowlers would get hot and beat out pros having off games. Especially with how the equipment has changed the game. You can have a guy get hot over a 12-game span and suddenly "Joe Blow" is the top seed for the TV round and Norm Duke doesn't qualify. Viewers don't want to see "Joe Blow"…they wanna see Norm Duke.

Unlike tennis…in bowling ANY bowler on ANY night can beat a pro. Maybe not over a 3-12 game series…but yeah…1-9 games…a good bowler having a good night could pull it off. Thats not the case in tennis or any other sport. I may play the best tennis game of my life…but Pete Sampras will beat me 6-1. It won't even be close. If I pick up one game of the match, it's because I made a couple great serves AND Sampras fell down a couple times or his racket strings broke or something.

The modern style of PBA tournaments (at least the WSOB) limits the field to 240 people, then cuts to 24 after just 7 games… Then they bowl another 7 games to determine the top 4 for the show.
I might have the exact numbers off, but the idea is the same.

The 42 game format may be a thing of the past. I don't know.
But Earl Anthony used to regularly lead qualifying/match play by 400+ pins over 2nd place, then be a flip of the coin on TV.
I believe he had 42 titles, and at least 40 second place finishes.

[Aslan]

The modern style of PBA tournaments (at least the WSOB) limits the field to 240 people, then cuts to 24 after just 7 games… Then they bowl another 7 games to determine the top 4 for the show.
I might have the exact numbers off, but the idea is the same.

After doing some research, I found that up until this year or last year...the PBA was doing what was called an "exempt tour" and like I theorized...the tour consists of 64 bowlers...58 (roughly) of whom were exempt from having to qualify for those exempt tour events. That left roughly 4-6 spots for the rest of the PBA card carriers. And actually even less because the commishioner would often choose 1-2 past pros to put in the tournament.

So like Mike said, they would run a large qualification (100+ bowlers) of amateurs and non-exempt pros and those bowlers that finished top 4-6 would get entered into either the qualification round of the tournament or the seeding round for a stepladder tournament.

This is why you tend to see the same bowlers at every tournament. A "regular Joe" would have a 4% chance of making the seeding/qualification round, then a 7% chance of making the TV finals. So for an exempt pro...he's got a 7% chance of making TV. For a non-exempt bowler, they would have a 0.3% chance.

Now, I guess they've gotten rid of the "exempt bowler" idea for 2013-2014...except for TOC and the Japan Cup. So it'll be interesting to see if there's a big influx of lesser known bowlers into the spotlight or not. I think they still will "nudge" the formats towards the big name guys getting preferential treatment because other wise the big name bowling companies aren't going to want to pay big salaries to sponsor these folks. Norm Duke, Pete Weber, and Walter Ray probably command high dollars from their respective bowling sponsors...yet if these 3 guys rarely ever make a TV final....I gotta think even their sponosors would offer less or nothing at all at some point. And then you have to have the discussion about whats best for the sport overall. Is it better to have a couple dozen well-known players with sponsorships bowling every weekend? Or is it better to have a format where anyone has a chance at glory...but the sponsorships just arent there to make it very lucrative?

Pro bowling is a tough business. Like poker...these guys can't rely on "contracts". If they have a rough 4-5 months...they make no money yet are spending money to join and compete in tournaments. A sponsorship offsets some of those costs...but you still are looking at travel expenses which are considerable when you're paying to fly yourself all over the country each week. What does an elite bowler...player of the year calibre make in a year? $700,000?? What does the 10th best bowler make? $160,000?

[Aslan]

Sweet 16 Results!

WEST REGION
#1 Seed Pete Weber defeats #5 Seed Dave Soutar 207-193
#3 Seed Billy Hardwick defeats #7 Seed Harry Smith 220-206

SOUTH REGION
#4 Seed Nelson Burton Jr. defeats #1 Seed Walter Ray Williams Jr. 278-240
#10 Seed Mike McGrath defeats #14 Seed Ryan Shafer 258-191

MIDWEST REGION
#13 Seed Mika Koivuniemi defeats #16 Seed Wes Malott 225-193
#14 Seed Rhino Page defeats #7 Seed Steve Cook 268-190

EAST REGION
#12 Seed Gary Dickinson defeats #9 Seed Randy Pedersen 209-188
#10 Seed Bill Allen defeats #14 Seed Jason Queen 214-213

[Aslan]

ELITE EIGHT MATCH-UPS:

MIDWEST REGION
#13 seed Mika Koivuniemi faces #14 seed Rhino Page in a battle of the two highest scoring bowlers of the tournament. One Cindarella story must end.

WEST REGION
The last remaining #1 seed, Pete Weber will face #3 seed Billy Hardwick

EAST REGION
#12 seed Gary Dickinson has limped his way into the ELITE EIGHT with the lowest series of any bowler that played 3 games and will need to either raise his pin fall total or hope #10 seed Bill Allen can have an off game.

SOUTH REGION
#4 seed Nelson Burton Jr. is fresh off the best score of the Sweet 16 (278) and an emotional win over favorite Walter Ray Williams and will need that momentum as he faces #10 seed Mike McGrath.

Thus far, of all the players that made it to the Sweet 16 (and thus bowled 3 matches); the Series List is (* denotes players still alive in the tournament):

- Rhino Page*, 831
- Mika Koivuniemi*, 788
- Nelson Burton Jr.*, 750
- Walter Ray Williams Jr., 746
- Jason Queen, 736
- Mike McGrath*, 711
- Randy Pedersen, 697
- Wes Malott, 696
- Billy Hardwick*, 670
- Bill Allen*, 666
- Pete Weber*, 661
- Steve Cook, 650
- Ryan Shafer, 650
- Harry Smith, 649
- Dave Soutar, 645
- Gary Dickinson*, 632

[Aslan]

ELITE EIGHT RESULTS:

EAST REGION:
#12 seed Gary Dickinson's lucky streak comes to an end as he is defeated by #10 seed Bill Allen 215-199.

SOUTH REGION:
#4 seed Nelson "Bo" Burton Jr. rolled his 3rd (of 4 games) 236 game and defeated #10 seed Mike McGrath 236-220.

WEST REGION:
#1 seed Pete Weber continued to pull out close victories as the last remaining #1 seed defeated #3 seed Billy Hardwick 203-198.

MIDWEST REGION:
In the battle of the two top scoring bowlers thus far in the tournament, #14 seed Rhino Page finally had an "off" game and fell to #13 seed Mika Koivuniemi 225-213.

FINAL FOUR:

#13 seed from the MIDWEST REGION Mika Koivuniemi will face the top seed from the WEST REGION Pete Weber.

#4 seed from the SOUTH REGION Nelson Burton Jr. will face the #10 seed from the EAST REGION Bill Allen.

[Aslan]

FINAL FOUR RESULTS:

Pete Weber defeats Mika Koivuniemi 233-220.

Nelson "Bo" Burton Jr. defeats Bill Allen 221-201.

PDW now faces "Bo" Burton for the championship!!!

[Aslan]

And the final game is a close one…

…as Pete Weber defeats Nelson Burton Jr. 216-215 to win the 1st Annual/Ever Coolest Bowling Tournament Ever!!!

Not a big PDW fan myself…so woulda preferred a Walter Ray or Parker Bohn…but…it is what it is. He IS Pete Weber!