Match point question

[fordman1]

Why do winners of matches in match play get bonus points? What is the reason for them? Belmo lost 5 of 8 matches but still ended up 1st.

[fordman1]

Maybe I should have added a stupid video with this question. I thought some one would have the answer

[RobLV1]

Okay, here's the reason. As with any professional sporting endeavor, the ultimate goal in bowling, particularly match play, is winning. If you simply get the pin count, then a bowler who loses on a high scoring pair gets a greater benefit than another bowler who wins on a low scoring pair. The bonus points is a way of evening out this situation.

[fordman1]

I don't see that as a very good reason. You either win or lose. If that is the case go by total pins.

[ALazySavage]

I don't see that as a very good reason. You either win or lose. If that is the case go by total pins.

I didn't realize this was the reason for the bonus points, but it does make sense

I guess here is my question for you on this, have you bowled in a house that has a significant average difference on one side vs. the other? At my home bowling center a few years before I moved here the high end of the house had the roof collapse causing enough damage that those lanes had to be replaced. The scoring pace on that side vs. the other is very distinct (for right handers it is around 8-10 pins I would imagine); when recently watching a regional there (excluding Tackett, Lavoie, and Simonsen) you could pretty much guess where the high scoring amateurs where in the house after a few games based on their scores - with the benefit of enough games this pretty much balanced out.

The second part of this is from memory at that house I can tell you that the "good pairs" from what everyone says are 3-4, 5-6, 9-10, and 13-14 with the "bad pairs" being 17-18, 25-26, and 29-30. A high percentage of our honor scores come from the 3-10 lanes (and yes, I would argue some of this is mental). What Rob is pointing out is if you get put on 2 of the "bad pairs" and none of the good pairs you would be at a disadvantage to someone who misses those pairs and gets a few "good pairs" (match play is random lane assignments). While there is a strong concept of "luck of the draw" you could argue in bowling, this is a way to shift it to a different luck of the draw (who you are matched up against). There isn't a perfect way to fix this problem, but this seems as a more acceptable way to handle it.

[fordman1]

That sounds like it should make more sense to go by wins 1st then margin of victory. Everyone you bowl is bowling on the same pair as you are. If you win 6 of 8 matches by a total of 120 pins what difference does it make? One of the others shoots high every game but loses 6 of 8. The way it is set up now he could still win. Only sport I know of where that happens. Football, Baseball or basketball go by wins. Not total points.

[RobLV1]

There is a mental difference between the ability to score and the ability to win. Look at both Chris Barnes in the past and Marshall Kent now. Both could score to make the show. Neither has had too much success in winning on TV... at least not at the beginnings of their careers.

[ALazySavage]

That sounds like it should make more sense to go by wins 1st then margin of victory. Everyone you bowl is bowling on the same pair as you are. If you win 6 of 8 matches by a total of 120 pins what difference does it make? One of the others shoots high every game but loses 6 of 8. The way it is set up now he could still win. Only sport I know of where that happens. Football, Baseball or basketball go by wins. Not total points.

The benefit of the method though is that it protects/rewards the best bowlers overall. Due to the nature of how the bowling tournaments are done you are provided with this option. Football, Baseball, Basketball, etc. are forced to go solely by wins because of the nature of the sport - there isn't a flat scoring system in which you can compare the nature of a win or loss - while in bowling we recognize there is a measurable difference in lane breakdown and topography, but being that they are in the same house and on the same condition you can get pretty close to a even playing field.

[fordman1]

It kind of reminds me of the guy leading the tournament by 400 pins and having to go to a different place for a stepladder final. I understand that it is because it is set up for TV. I'm sure the PBA put some thought into it but I am not convinced yet.

Savage I see you are from Co. I bowled in a league in Colorado Springs. 3 man teams in "1966-67. I was residing at Fr. Carson at the time.

[Aslan]

I like the match points. At the end of the day, you need to beat your opponent. Maybe one tournament you get lucky and the players all have their worst game against you....maybe the opposite. But, in addition to scoring well (or you wouldn't even be in match play to begin with), you need to be able to step up and deal with the pressure of competing against someone (versus competing against yourself or the field). As Rob said, some athletes shine in head-to-head play and action style bowling...some great bowlers struggle in that situation.

It reminds me of the old days of the Southern California Billy Hardwick Memorial Invitationals and the old Virtual Tour that we did back in 2014-2015. Some good bowlers HATED having to actually bowl against the other bowler in person. Not necessarily because they wanted to cheat...although that probably played into it a little...but because some people bowl a LOT better when they are just by themselves.

I bowled a bunch of times against MWhite...many of the videos are proabably still up on YouTube. Great entertainment for you newbies that want to see Aslan, Iceman, Rob, Mwhite, and others facing off against one another in live action!! But...whenever I faced MWhite...I won. I beat him at both SCBHMIs, I beat him on the scratch wood lanes challenge...and that was when he averaged about 195 and I averaged about 165. So was I the "better bowler"? No way. I also bowled on Mike's team in a sport shot league...and I averaged 139 while MWhite averaged 40-70 pins higher. Until the infamous Aslan vs. Iceman Invitational in Vegas...Mike could never beat me head-to-head...even though he was hands down a better bowler.