A funny thing happened on the way to 300...

[Aslan]

Just thought I'd start a thread for you "good" bowlers that were robbed of a 300 game for some crazy reason.

I'll start with what I witnessed (because I can't possibly bowl a 300) tonight at league:

This guy had 9 strikes…he was their anchor. Their second bowler goes up (their only female bowler), and she knocks down 7 pins. But her ball doesn't come back. Our 2nd bowler throws her ball (hoping it'll cause the other gals ball to come back)…nothing happens. Center is notified. They spend about 5-10 minutes trying to fix the problem…get the lady's ball back. But…they can't fix the problem and move us to the lane to our right where that group of league players was just getting done on.

Finally, it gets to their anchor…he throws it…leaves a couple pins. Spare. Leaves a single 10. Finishes with a 277. Afterwards, he was saying that he hit his mark…but the ball didn't react the way it had on the other lane.

So no 300 game. Not even an 11-in a row!!

[sprocket]

Well, I've already told the story about the guy who fouled in the fourth frame on a strike and made the spare and shot 270. Then in the second game the foul light on that lane started going off randomly. Here's an update:

So I did some research online regarding the USBC rules on fouls. There's stuff there about throwing a provisional ball for disputed fouls and stuff like that but here's the kicker: That is ONLY if the two team captains can't come to an agreement on the disputed foul. So it's quite possible that our two teams could have just agreed to give him the strike once we realized that the foul light may have malfunctioned. Now it's probably too late. Or is it? If it can be "too late" then it was probably too late when it wasn't disputed right away and he proceeded with the game with the foul recorded. But if it wasn't too late to correct it during the second game when we realized there was something wrong with the foul lights then it also shouldn't be too late now after finding out what the USBC rule actually says.

The problem is, I'm not the team captain so at this point I think I will just keep my nose out of it. Besides I actually think it is too late.

One of the other members of the league made the point that giving him the strike after the game was completed would be unfair because he may have responded differently to the pressure had he actually known he had a 300 going into the tenth frame. The guy says "I have seen bowlers crack under the pressure in that situation including YOU" referring to myself. I was like "Hey, I had the front ten and left a SOLID 8!" He says, "Did you strike? I rest my case". He was just kidding me though.

[JJStriker]

A couple years ago a kid in my youth league had 11 in a row, threw his last ball seemingly perfect only to leave a solid 10 pin. He settled for the 299. He didn't come back to bowling the next year.

[Aslan]

A couple years ago a kid in my youth league had 11 in a row, threw his last ball seemingly perfect only to leave a solid 10 pin. He settled for the 299. He didn't come back to bowling the next year.

Well...thats just stupid. Oh...poor kid!! He shot a 299!!

Bowlers like that are better off taking up something else. You can't roll a 300 every single game. And leaving 10-pins is part of the game.

[Mudpuppy]

That is really getting robbed. That sucks.

[zdawg]

Well...thats just stupid. Oh...poor kid!! He shot a 299!!

Bowlers like that are better off taking up something else. You can't roll a 300 every single game. And leaving 10-pins is part of the game.

It does suck, I saw it twice in my league so far. One guy who always wears his Ravens jersey and one of those bionic Robocop arm thingies that does everything but roll the ball for you had one and just about everybody in the league was watching. I almost felt bad for him, but having grown up in DC I hate any/everything associated with Baltimore sports so I was chuckling inside...oh and I think those "robotic" arms are ridiculous too at least for healthy, relatively young men.

[YODA]

My cousin was working on a 300 and was down to his last ball. Threw it and it looked good, made the hook, and he turned and was smiling walkng back to us. When it hit the pins he did his pump fist and didnt turn to look. We all started laughing. He thought he had his last strike, but when he turned, there was the 7-10 still standing. He about fell over when he turned to see them standing there.

[Pauley]

If your going to go with a blind celebration you better have a time machine to be 100% sure it will strike so you dont look like a fool. I have seen some guys try the Earnie McCracken, turn around hand to ear, from Kingpin only to leave a 10 or 4 pin. Come on man...

[tr33frog]

My cousin was working on a 300 and was down to his last ball. Threw it and it looked good, made the hook, and he turned and was smiling walkng back to us. When it hit the pins he did his pump fist and didnt turn to look. We all started laughing. He thought he had his last strike, but when he turned, there was the 7-10 still standing. He about fell over when he turned to see them standing there.

Yup, saw a guy Monday night throw a decent looking ball in the 12th and when it hit it just sounded a little flat. Left the 10 pin for a 299.

[Hampe]

If your going to go with a blind celebration you better have a time machine to be 100% sure it will strike so you dont look like a fool. I have seen some guys try the Earnie McCracken, turn around hand to ear, from Kingpin only to leave a 10 or 4 pin. Come on man...Haha....yea, that's why I never do that anymore :). It's so embarrassing to start celebrating your "strike" only to leave a ringing 10 or something. I only do the hand to ear thing now on single pin spares :D

As for the topic, I have had that happen to me before as well. Started with an 8 bagger and then the pin setter broke down and had to wait 10 minutes. Needless to say the next frame was not a strike :). I didn't feel robbed though, even with 8 you still got 4 strikes to go, which still isn't that easy (especially with your first 300 hanging in the balance).

[Mudpuppy]

If you watch the pros they always confirm the strike before celebrating

[MICHAEL]

talk about getting robbed! I started bowling appx 3 1/2 years ago! My first non sanctioned seniors league I just about bowled that 300 my first year. Had some other good ones 279,,, 290,,, but no 300!

Didn't make me want to quit, IN FACT, made me want to go sanctioned leagues so that when it did happen, I would get a ring.
http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/DSC00286_zps5cbc6791.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/DSC00286_zps5cbc6791.jpg.html)

http://i1243.photobucket.com/albums/gg546/imagine686868/DSC00293_zpsa7daae53.jpg (http://s1243.photobucket.com/user/imagine686868/media/DSC00293_zpsa7daae53.jpg.html)

[J Anderson]

If you watch the pros they always confirm the strike before celebrating

Unless it's the last ball of the day they're not just waiting to make sure it's a strike, they're watching how the ball goes through the pins to see if they will need to adjust to keep striking on that lane.

[CaptainXeroid]

Back in 1988, I had just graduated high school & saw watched one of my buddies shoot the number with his Grey Rhino. Normally he threw a Red Hammer, but forgot to bring the second bag that day. A few weeks later on some seriously burned up lanes, my Blue Dot was all I could get through the heads. The first 4 strikes weren't pretty, but they all look flush on the score sheet...or screen....showing my age.:cool:

The shot in the fifth frame finished strong so I started to turn around when the 6 snapped the 10 out when I some devil pin bounce out of the pit and stand near the 5-8 spot! To add insult to injury, the pin setter went 180 & I had to wait for the mechanic to cycle it. I covered & took it off the sheet for 279.

I've bowled at dozens of houses & pins bouncing out or spinning wobbly without falling is normally rare. Where I'm bowling league this season, pins getting hit & not falling over seems to happen often. It must be something about the pin decks and/or the way the pinsetters are calibrated because the number of swishing 7-10 splits there seems above normal as well.

[Mike White]

Just thought I'd start a thread for you "good" bowlers that were robbed of a 300 game for some crazy reason.

I'll start with what I witnessed (because I can't possibly bowl a 300) tonight at league:

This guy had 9 strikes…he was their anchor. Their second bowler goes up (their only female bowler), and she knocks down 7 pins. But her ball doesn't come back. Our 2nd bowler throws her ball (hoping it'll cause the other gals ball to come back)…nothing happens. Center is notified. They spend about 5-10 minutes trying to fix the problem…get the lady's ball back. But…they can't fix the problem and move us to the lane to our right where that group of league players was just getting done on.

Finally, it gets to their anchor…he throws it…leaves a couple pins. Spare. Leaves a single 10. Finishes with a 277. Afterwards, he was saying that he hit his mark…but the ball didn't react the way it had on the other lane.

So no 300 game. Not even an 11-in a row!!

Assuming it was just a ball return problem.

The mechanic ( if informed of the potential perfect game, and of the short amount of shots left to complete)
should have turned the lanes next to you on, then manually retrieved the balls and returned them on the next pair.

Walking a pair over to pick up your ball is much better than changing to a different lane.

[swingset]

I've got 6 300's to my credit, but sadly not a single one is sanctioned...3 of them during practice, and 3 were in unsanctioned leagues.

In sanctioned play, I had 11 in a row twice and the first time I just threw a bad ball and went through the nose, left the 3-6-9 for a 297.

The other time was brutal...I had the first 11 and the 2 pin and 4 pin bounced across the lane, and one hit the 10 pin starting to knock it over but one of the messengers that had hit the gutter in front of came around and bounced the 10 back up on the deck.

I saw the 10 start to fall and jumped in celebration....too early....I heard everyone go "awwwww" and looked back at the deck to see that pin still up.

I don't get too down about that game tho, because every ball was picture perfect....I know in my heart I couldn't have thrown a better game.

[kakcpa]

My buddy had the front 11 once. On his final shot, the ball stuck to his hand, did a little pop up, landed at the arrows, rolled into the gutter....290. He was pissed. He grabbed his gear and was out of the bowling alley faster than Del Ballard was after his famous gutterball.