First time I've seen this happen while bowling

[foreverincamo]

I practiced tonite with my daughter, and on my last shot in the 10th frame, my ball didn't come back. Well, it almost did. I could hear it coming, which was unusual in itself. Before it could finish the trip back, I heard a loud bang under the floor. The mechanic pulled up the floor board and retrieved my ball, and a bowling pin !
The mechanic said it's rare but it happens, and he gave me the pin to keep.

[bowl1820]

I practiced tonite with my daughter, and on my last shot in the 10th frame, my ball didn't come back. Well, it almost did. I could hear it coming, which was unusual in itself. Before it could finish the trip back, I heard a loud bang under the floor. The mechanic pulled up the floor board and retrieved my ball, and a bowling pin !
The mechanic said it's rare but it happens, and he gave me the pin to keep.

The really rare thing was him giving you the pin (unless it was broke) !:cool:

[dougb]

Never seen it or heard of it!

[Tony]

Wow, that can't happen very often and you got the pin to keep, Very nice !

[bubba809]

Yes that's very strange he just gave you a pin. My buddy bowled a 300 once and asked the alley if he could have a pin from his set of lanes to engrave. They said absolutely not. He said he would pay them $100, for just one pin from his alley. They said, absolutely not.

[DukeDi]

I've seen it before, it is rare. But like the other guys said the more rare thing is he let you keep the pin.

[John Anderson]

Yes that's very strange he just gave you a pin. My buddy bowled a 300 once and asked the alley if he could have a pin from his set of lanes to engrave. They said absolutely not. He said he would pay them $100, for just one pin from his alley. They said, absolutely not.

Seriously? What's wrong with those people? $100 for one pin? Pins are nowhere near $100 a piece. It's $300 for 10 on amazon, but that's extremely inflated retail. Wholesale I'm guessing is close to $10 to $15 depending on what you get.

[bubba809]

Seriously? What's wrong with those people? $100 for one pin? Pins are nowhere near $100 a piece. It's $300 for 10 on amazon, but that's extremely inflated retail. Wholesale I'm guessing is close to $10 to $15 depending on what you get.

Exactly. Stupid stubborn alleys. He went out and got a new pin on ebay for $10 and then engraved it. He just thought it would be cool to have a pin on the actual lanes he threw his 300 on.

[LyalC52]

Yes that's very strange he just gave you a pin. My buddy bowled a 300 once and asked the alley if he could have a pin from his set of lanes to engrave. They said absolutely not. He said he would pay them $100, for just one pin from his alley. They said, absolutely not.

that sucks

I left a ringing 10 pin for a 299 once. The maintenance guy grabbed it before the rake and gave it to me.

ohh and if you are wondering, I burned that sucker in a campfire a few weeks later

[fokai73]

I remember at one house they had to close down part of the house. multiple pins and balls had to be fetched under the lane!! I wish I could remember what house it was, but I remember smelling rubber or something.....few balls were done...

[got_a_300]

We've had it happen a time or two at our center pins getting
down in the ball return and the first time I shot a 299 game
the center Mgr. went and got me the 10 pin that I left and
gave it to me for a keepsake and I've still got it.

[foreverincamo]

I think he gave me the pin because they are going to put new pins in before the leagues start up in a few weeks. I got one off the pair I threw my 300 on last year because they put new pins in the next day. ( different house )

[rv driver]

I've seen a pin get stuck in the ball return channel; it's not unheard of. Never known an alley to give a pin away, though.

[chrono00]

Don't see the big deal in giving a pin away. I'm sure some of you have seen a pin get hit and fly onto the lanes in front of the sweeper and someone has to go up and push the pin off the lane. Well it's kind of an unwritten rule here if you do that but the pin slides all the way down the lane to the approach then it's yours.

[vdubtx]

Don't see the big deal in giving a pin away. I'm sure some of you have seen a pin get hit and fly onto the lanes in front of the sweeper and someone has to go up and push the pin off the lane. Well it's kind of an unwritten rule here if you do that but the pin slides all the way down the lane to the approach then it's yours.

Yea, pin in ball return channel happens.
Never seen a pin make it 60ft down lane to the approach though.

[Timmyb]

I've had two 299 games at two different houses. One house the manager actually shut the lane down before the sweep could go so he could go get the pin. The other house wanted ten bucks for the pin. I told him very politely to have sex with himself. Karma shut that house down a year later.

[Tony]

One of my buddies who owned a couple of bowling centers used to give away pins at times. He would put a marked pin (stinker pin looked like a skunk stripe )out for tournaments and if you got the strike when it came up you won cash and the pin. Back at the time he was doing that he said the pins cost him less than 10.00.
Pretty cool to find people still doing that.

[chrono00]

Yea, pin in ball return channel happens.
Never seen a pin make it 60ft down lane to the approach though.

Pretty Rare I imagine. I've seen me come part way down a few times

Only time I ever saw it make it all the way down was one night the pair we were on had ton of pin action, especially the right lane. We had half a dozen dead pins in the gutters by the end of the first game, and at some point in the second game a guy on the other team sent one all the way down to the approach.

[foreverincamo]

Kinda related, we had a bowler, who is a monster, throw a 26 mph shot at a 10 pin, have his BALL come all the way back to him down the gutter.

[Jekyll & Hyde]

that is pretty cool he gave you the pin after that had happen, just hope that your ball was not too messed up after that.

[TonyInPortland]

A few weeks ago, in warm-ups, none of the balls were coming back. Eventually they discovered there was a pin about 2/3 of the way toward the ball return. No one got a pin, but we did get 5 more minutes of warm-up time.

[Ishkabibble]

Years ago I was bowling with a guy who was shooting at the 7 pin and the ball went in the channel just before the flat gutter, hit the flat gutter, jumped up hit and piece of the sweep arm and spilt in half. After a few days and several colorful conversations I had with the owners they agreed to replace the ball. After recieving the new ball the bowler never stepped foot in the house again.

[billf]

We have them get stuck in the entrance to the return in the pit but luckily that's it so far.
We did have an issue with a ball return where it was sending the balls back, missing the subway sending them back up the gutter.
I've seen a pin come all the way back twice (same bowler) and a ball once.

[Jessiewoodard57]

A few weeks ago, in warm-ups, none of the balls were coming back. Eventually they discovered there was a pin about 2/3 of the way toward the ball return. No one got a pin, but we did get 5 more minutes of warm-up time.
Twice during warm up my ball also got stuck in the return. The mechanic was conditioning the lanes for the next league by the time I got my ball back league play had started so we missed out on warm up. They never add time they always start at the starting time.

[Hot_pocket]

that sucks

I left a ringing 10 pin for a 299 once. The maintenance guy grabbed it before the rake and gave it to me.

ohh and if you are wondering, I burned that sucker in a campfire a few weeks later

Lol should have chucked it out the window into a lake. But burning it was more personal I guess lol