I don't think the PBA will do anything to Faulkner or Fach. The USBC already announced that there will be no forfeiture for anyone using these balls before 3/15 I would expect the PBA to following suit.Originally Posted by Aslan
From Motiv's homepage:
March 15, 2016
Today the USBC announced that they have pulled approval of the Jackal and Jackal Carnage bowling balls due to non-conformance with current specifications. Recent spot checking in the marketplace showed that both balls had an average differential over the maximum limit of .060.
We are currently working on a form for our website that will allow bowlers to submit their Jackal or Jackal Carnage into a database to become eligible for a replacement ball. We expect the form to be online March 23. More details will be coming soon.
Thank you very much for your business. We sincerely apologize.
This actually clears up more than just "what next?" The bolded part at the end indicates they agree their balls are out of specification and are not going to fight this. It doesn't answer the questions about whether they or their athletes knew...and what the PBA is going to do to about Graham Fauk and Gary Faulkner...nor does it answer whether Motiv did this intentionally. I have a feeling given that last sentence, however, that Motiv accepts the decision and prefers to take the $500,000-$750,000 recall/fine hit over a fight.
In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Brunswick Endeavor; (: .) Radical Outer Limits Pearl; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 175; Lifetime Average = 171;
Ball Speed: 14.7mph; Rev. Rate: 240rpm || High Game (sanc.) = 300 (268); High Series (sanc.) = 725 (720); Clean Games: 181
Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
I don't think the PBA will do anything to Faulkner or Fach. The USBC already announced that there will be no forfeiture for anyone using these balls before 3/15 I would expect the PBA to following suit.
The smart thing to do would be to allow exchange for a ball of choice and give something like a $25-50 coupon for future purchase with no expiration date. It'll be a lot less costly than full reimbursement of drillings and may help generate some sales.
It's out of spec. Nothing to fight. They knew the rules. The only question was intent. They are a smaller company so it may just be a quality control issue (which in itself is concerning) or an overall business decision to skirt the rules (ala VW Diesel fiasco). Just speculation and I don't think we'll ever find out.
Can't believe what I am reading on other forums. Shop owners pissed off that since they have to deal with the customers, thinking that they are on the hook for it.
High Sanctioned Scratch Game - 300(12) Hi Sanctioned Scratch Series - 822(3)
2016/17 Book Average=221, 2017/18 Composite Average=223
Equipment in the bag - Storm Crux Prime, Storm Physix, Roto Grip Idol, Roto Grip Idol Pearl, Roto Grip Hyper Cell Fused, Storm Sure Lock, Storm Drive, Roto Grip Winner Solid, Roto Grip Haywire, Storm Fever Pitch, Roto Grip Red ball spare.
Rev Rate 400. Speed 18 at heads, 16.5-17 at pins. Axis tilt 10, Axis Rotation 55. PAP 5 5/8 x 5/8 up
I read the facebook stuff yesterday...it's funny to me...because all last year in this forum...we heard Motiv-lovers talking about Motiv as if it was going to be this dominant ball company. Now, we heard that before...from Radical...from DV8...and before that from Storm. So to me...it was nothing new...just the "new flavor of the month". Where are all those Motiv guys now? Now it seems most people in the forum are "RotoGrip guys". It's just funny how it cycles.
And everyone that is complaining...on Facebook...these are the people that have resulted in bowling being irrelevant. They don't want pay USBC fees...they want awards for everything...they want easy conditions so they can pat themselves on a back about their 21 perfect games and 205 average...and they don't want the USBC to be involved in the sport at all. For THEM...that sounds awesome. But for the SPORT...it's a disaster.
The USBC has virtually no funds...the bowling centers for the most part are just barely turning a decent profit and don't want to even maintain their equipment...much less meet some special requirements and be audited by the USBC. The ball manufacturers have greatly reduced the skill needed to bowl well...and are now widely considered to be "just making stuff up" regarding their products. Everyone wants a standard and solid rules....unless that standard or those rules negatively affect them....then they complain.
I don't think Motiv did this on purpose. I don't think their athletes KNEW that the balls were out of spec. But HOW does that happen!!? When you have a PBA tournament....or even a USBC tournament...why aren't the balls inspected...every ball that is used should be inspected. To say...."well, we don't have the manpower.." Listen, I used to play paintball...for safety and fairness reasons....every single gun/marker...had to be inspected before play. Every single gun had to have a tag on it. If you're using a gun that was not velocity tested...you're ejected from the game and subject to ejection from the field. In the older days...you even had to have a LOCK on the velocity adjuster and weren't allowed to carry tools with you to adjust it. You also...were subject to field inspections.
I always had my guns tested...they had to fire < 289fps. Sometimes....I bumped that up a little....to say 285fps...and one time...I got field tested...it was like 322fps. The ref reduced it down to 275fps and I got a warning. That was my fault...I should have left it at 275...that way, in the hot weather, if it crept up a little, it still would have passed. Motiv did the same thing. Rather than have a differential of 0.056...they bumped it to the limit.
There should never be a bowling ball in PBA competition...in any round...that was not measured and tested for use. Had that been done....Falk and Falkner would have nothing to worry about. But, in this case....they will be known as the guys that only won because they were throwing illegal equipment. Whether they knew or not...doesn't matter. Like affirmative action...the downside to it, is if a black person gets a job...people are going to assume...maybe...maybe...they got that job not because of their qualifications....but because of their race. Graham Falk was supposed to be the first Canadian to win a major title or that major title (I forget)....and now there is an asterisk. Fair...not fair...doesn't matter. An asterisk is an asterisk.
I don't feel that this is asterisk worthy. The difference between .6 and .601 or whatever is so small it makes no real world difference. I agree the balls should be pulled the limit is the limit and I get that but let's not get crazy with it. Neither bowler won because and extra .001 or .002 in differential. This is checkable at the PBA level for the big guys who get their stuff drilled of the truck but remember the ball has to be tested for this before it's drilled so checking it at the USBC level is impossible.
I do feel that Motiv didn't do this on purpose and that the athletes most likely didn't know.
As far as the flavor of the month ball company thing it's always changed and always will. If you told me a year ago that I would have 2 Brunswick balls and only 1 storm/roto ball in my bag I would have laughed at you. Storm hasn't really made a ball that has excited me in better than a year. I doubt this kills Motiv's mojo some people will be mad some won't
I am a proud member of Bowlingboards.com bowling forums and ball contest winner
Current arsenal
900 Global Badger Claw - Radical Ridiculous Pearl - Spare Ball Ebonite T Zone
Well, hopefully the PBA comes out with a method to deal with this. Seems mighty coincidental that two relatively unknowns, both throwing Motiv, won two major championships back to back. PBA relying on the manufacturers...and the USBC...might at least need to be re-evaluated.
I think it would be easy to come up with a test, although imperfect. For example, lets say a 0.060 diff...when drilled in the most extreme allowable way...results in a 0.080 diff post drilling. The PBA could simply adopt 0.080 diff as a post-drilling limit. The pros, 1 hour before practice....all bring their balls in...they get a quick test for parameters.
1) Any ball out of spec is confiscated.
2) The confiscated ball counts against the ball maximum for the player (so their arsenal limit is reduced).
3) Bowlers are only allowed 3 out of spec balls per season/year. Once you hit #4, you're fined 20% of your earnings from that year or the previous year (whichever is greater) and you are suspended the remainder of the season.
I guarantee...GUARANTEE....no bowler will ever have 2 out of spec balls in a season. No chance. They may have one...on accident...but they will have their company drillers verifying and double verifying before those balls ever get to the official test.
It's like nuclear war. You don't have to launch missles to keep the other person from launching missles....you just need to say you will...and the problem is solved. Amyers is correct that these things make very little difference performance-wise...but that only furthers my point that no sane bowler is going to lose a ball from their arsenal for a round or tournament...or risk a fine....because they want a 0.009 diff advantage.
How many people have bowled in tournaments?
How many have had their bowling balls inspected? Zero?
How many bowlers had their balls drilled at a pro shop where the person actually tested it's weight and circumference as part of that process?
I used to have MWhite drill my bowling balls and one of the things I liked about his process is, he'd test all that. If it was out of spec, he'd add or widen or deepen the balance hole....or whatever to get it in spec. Other than him...I've never...of the other maybe 5 pro shops I've used to drill balls....never ONCE did they actually check. Why would they? No tournament I've ever been in checked the balls. I bet most pro shops don't even have a scale. They measure your hand...your fingers...draw the lines....drill the ball...put the inserts in..."here ya go". But believe me...if tournaments CHECKED...the pro shops would CHECK every time. Because they don't want someone coming back angry, because they couldn't bowl in a tournament because their ball was out of spec.
To be honest the last few Majors have been filled with relative unknowns or newcomers to TV finals: Jesper, Simonsen, Sam Cooley. Add to that the WSOP Pattern Championships (Scorpion, etc...) were littered with unknowns as well. One had an all European final, the others with guys I have never heard of: A guy named Kim, another guy with a double jointed hand/wrist
Aslan: EVERY reputable PSO checks static weight legality on every ball he drills. If you have been to anyone to have a ball drilled who has not checked, DON'T GO BACK!
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