Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: And the closet of destiny will soon be emptied...

  1. #1
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,916
    Chats: 204

    Post And the closet of destiny will soon be emptied...

    Yes, the closet of destiny is now coming to an end.

    The last 4 balls will probably be drilled this week...and I will join the rest of the bowling world and start to purchase bowling balls when I need them (rather than years in advance).

    Unfortunately, this final arsenal...stands to be a "hodge-podge" of misfit toys.

    My current arsenal:
    DV8 Grudge Hybrid, asymmetric core, hybrid cover, 2.49 RG, 0.056 diff, 232.0 PS, 4000.
    Brunswick Aura Mystic, asymmetric core, hybrid cover, 2.481 RG, 0.052 diff, 226.88 PS, 2000/R. Compound
    Brunswick Fortera Exile, asymmetric core, pearl cover, 2.512 RG, 0.050 diff, 229.7 PS, 500/R. Compound/polished
    Brunswick Vintage Rhino Gold, symmetric core, pearl cover, 2.52 RG, 0.048 diff, 170.8 PS, 1000/R. Compound

    The New Arsenal:
    Storm Optimus Solid, symmetric core, solid cover, 2.48 RG, 0.048 diff, 216.3 PS, 2000.
    900 Global Special Ops, asymmetric core, hybrid cover, 2.52 RG, 0.044 diff, 182.3 PS, 1500/polished.
    Pyramid Force, asymmetric core, pearl cover, 2.53 RG, 0.051 diff, 234.9 PS, 2000/polished.
    Lane Masters Yeah Baby Sinful, symmetric core, solid cover, 2.62 RG, 0.050 diff, ???.? PS, factory sheen?.

    So, what the heck am I gonna do with these next 4 balls?

    I figure the Optimus solid will replace the Grudge Hybrid as the 1st ball out of the bag and as an option for fresh oil...should I ever experience centers that actually put down a decent amount of oil or develop a game that allows me to go inside of 11.

    The 900 Global Special Ops would make a decent "ball down" option...and I've heard good things about that ball. Unfortunately...it's specs aren't much stronger than my Vintage Gold Rhino....so if I don't get to start with the Optimus Solid...I'm gonna need to start WAAAAY right with the Special Ops if that sub-190 PerfectScale (PS) is accurate.

    The Pyramid Force looks like a poor man's Fortera Exile which should be a 1 to 1 replacement...so it's the one ball I feel confident in. The "downside" is...I only use that ball as my "skid/flip/carrydown" ball. It comes out late in Game 2 and in Game 3...IF it looks like there is oil in the breakpoint.

    And the Yeah Baby Sinful...I have NO IDEA what this ball is going to do. It's a solid cover on a ball that has the highest RG value I've ever seen. This ball has a higher RG than my Track 300A or my Brunswick Slingshot....both of which were practically spare balls. So...is the concept that the solid cover will "over-power" the high RG? I HATE when ball manufacturers make dueling specs like that. On the other hand...I had the same reservations about my Ebonite Warning Sign and I ended up loving that ball...so, who knows?

    How did I end up with this misfit collection in the first place? I got a sweet deal on the Yeah Baby. I really, really wanted the Pyramid Force. And, I think I won both the Optimus and the Spec Ops in ball raffles. I may have gotten a deal on the Optimus...I can't remember. I know I won the Spec Ops at a BVL tournament.

    Any advice? Besides trade them all in on something different?
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 185; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; 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!

  2. #2
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,916
    Chats: 204

    Default

    And, for perspective...

    I haven't thrown a Storm ball since my first ever ball drilled for my hand; my Storm Frantic in 2014.

    I haven't thrown a 900 Global ball since my Bullet Train...which was before 900 Global was bought by Storm.

    I've never thrown a Pyramid ball before nor have I thrown a Lane Master's ball before.

  3. #3
    High Roller Stormed1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    So. Holland,Il
    Posts
    1,942
    Chats: 221

    Default

    Having thrown both the Special Op and Gold Rhino pro For me at least The Special Ops is more ball with a much stronger motion off the spot. S70 is pretty much Globals answer to Storms R2s
    Still love the game but had to quit because of my left leg amptation
    High game 299 x 5 High sanctioned series 805 (1989)

  4. #4
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,916
    Chats: 204

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Stormed1 View Post
    Having thrown both the Special Op and Gold Rhino pro For me at least The Special Ops is more ball with a much stronger motion off the spot. S70 is pretty much Globals answer to Storms R2s
    The real wild card is going to be the Yeah Baby Sinful.

    I mean, the Optimus Solid...I'll be lucky if I get to use it any more often than I got to use the Grudge Hybrid. Just not enough lanes around here that put down enough oil. And, I've heard good things about the Spec Ops...Lane Side Reviews gave it a glowing review. And the Pyramid Force seems like a virtual clone of the Exile.

    The problem is the Yeah Baby Sinful. An RG of nearly 2.7!? With a solid cover? Soooo...am I supposed to throw it after the Optimus Solid? Or is it my new dry lanes ball? I have no idea...NONE...what I'm gonna do with that ball.

    I'm gonna have to see how he Optimus plays. Maybe I get lucky and it gives me a more playable inside look that the Grudge Hybrid wasn't giving me. It'd be nice to start out closer to 2nd arrow and actually get out around 12 before I need to ball down. If I can get my feet closer to 25 and my eyes closer to 15, that would open up some new area for me.

    I'm less concerned about the Spec Ops and Pyramid Force. I think they'll be okay.

    As a "nuclear option", I could always "unretire" the Aura Mystic and Fortera Exile. Create a 4-ball rotation that goes Mystic, Spec Ops, Exile, Force. That would eliminate the Grudge and Optimus...two balls that likely won't play well on the drier conditions I usually see...and eliminate the Rhino Gold and Yeah Baby Sinful...two balls that really don't have a definite role.

    But, we'll see. I'm trying to stay optimistic. I've heard good things about the Spec Ops. And my current 4 balls still have some life in them if I need to change things around. So, we'll see how things go.

    Next time...my selection will be quite a different process. I'll be using the Aslan's Arsenal Selection Tool to put together an IDEAL arsenal. So, that should be fun.
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 185; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; 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!

  5. #5
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,916
    Chats: 204

    Default

    First chance to test out the new arsenal this afternoon: THOUGHTS

    First;
    I was very disappointed that you can't practice on fresh conditions. For those that have been around here for some time...you've heard me on this soapbox before. But, I have 4 balls that I've never thrown before. I NEED to see what they do on a fresh pattern. Instead, I walk in at 3:00PM on a Friday and this is the conversation:

    Aslan: "I'd like whatever the freshest pair is."
    Counter: "Well, they were all oiled prior to leagues last night."

    Aslan: "Last night? You didn't oil them this morning?"
    Counter: "No. We don't oil them in the morning. But that pair should be pretty fresh. It was only 3-person teams and there hasn't been much traffic on it today."

    Aslan: "Well, what if I come back tomorrow morning. Will you oil tomorrow morning?
    Counter: "Yeah. Because we have a junior league that comes in on Saturday mornings so we'll oil for them."

    So, I was going to just leave. But, the kid convinced me that the 3-person team bowled a BYE the night before so it should be pretty decent. It was more the principal of the issue. You're a bowling center. You should oil every morning and prior to every league. The USBC can't pretend bowling is a legitimate 'sport', if the athletes can't practice the sport on conditions they would face in competition. It's absurd. I HATE that bowling is so dependent on oil conditions. I hate it more than anyone else. But, it is. And as long as it is...bowlers need to practice on those conditions. But, I digress.

    So, the Optimus Hybrid REALLY moved. I haven't thrown a solid cover ball since about 2015...so this was quite an experience for me. I don't know if I'll have lanes with a THS that will allow me to use that ball...but it really covers a LOT of area.

    The Yeah Baby Sinful was very impressive. I had low expectations...but this ball really had some pop. Going from a ball like the Optimus with a 2.48 RG to a ball like the Yeah Baby with a 2.67 RG...both with solid covers...you can really see how the RG affects the ball movement. The Optimus seemed like it wanted to move midway down the lane...yet the Yeah Baby seemed like it was going straight at the corner pin until about 3/4 down the lane when it started making a gradual, but pronounced move.

    The Special Ops was a bit disappointing. I had to move about 2 boards (eyes) and 4 boards (feet) right to try and get it into the pocket. The ball played much more like what I'm used to...a long ball with a pronounced backend. Much more skid/flip than the symmetric cores (of course). I just have to temper my expectations a bit that this ball probably isn't going to give me the reaction of the Aura Mystic.

    The Pyramid Force was a ball I was anxious to throw. I never threw a Pyramid ball before. I had a LOT of success with the Fortera Exile which has very similar specs. So, I figured this would be just as good. I WILL say that the first shot I threw was one of the best shots I threw all afternoon. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to have the same carry as the Exile. Might just be a slight "tweak" to the surface is needed.

    Gonna try em out again at another house tomorrow morning. I want to get some looks at the new equipment prior to leagues on Tuesday. We're battling for 1st place and I can't afford to be "learning on the fly". But, I also don't want to keep using my old equipment. I might bring my Aura Mystic Tuesday "just in case" neither the Optimus Solid NOR Yeah Baby look like options. The Mystic I KNOW works at the Tuesday league house...and I'm sure I can get the Special Ops and Force Pearl to compliment it as I figure things out.
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 185; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; 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!

  6. #6
    Bowling Guru
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Connecticut
    Posts
    3,501
    Chats: 13

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Aslan View Post
    First chance to test out the new arsenal this afternoon: THOUGHTS

    First;
    I was very disappointed that you can't practice on fresh conditions. For those that have been around here for some time...you've heard me on this soapbox before. But, I have 4 balls that I've never thrown before. I NEED to see what they do on a fresh pattern. Instead, I walk in at 3:00PM on a Friday and this is the conversation:

    Aslan: "I'd like whatever the freshest pair is."
    Counter: "Well, they were all oiled prior to leagues last night."

    Aslan: "Last night? You didn't oil them this morning?"
    Counter: "No. We don't oil them in the morning. But that pair should be pretty fresh. It was only 3-person teams and there hasn't been much traffic on it today."

    Aslan: "Well, what if I come back tomorrow morning. Will you oil tomorrow morning?
    Counter: "Yeah. Because we have a junior league that comes in on Saturday mornings so we'll oil for them."

    So, I was going to just leave. But, the kid convinced me that the 3-person team bowled a BYE the night before so it should be pretty decent. It was more the principal of the issue. You're a bowling center. You should oil every morning and prior to every league. The USBC can't pretend bowling is a legitimate 'sport', if the athletes can't practice the sport on conditions they would face in competition. It's absurd. I HATE that bowling is so dependent on oil conditions. I hate it more than anyone else. But, it is. And as long as it is...bowlers need to practice on those conditions. But, I digress.
    As I understand it, the center where I bowl is probably just barely breaking even on week nights when leagues are filling the available space. During the day I doubt if the senior leagues and open bowling are bringing in enough to cover all the expenses. Don’t know about the oiling schedule but I think they only run the machine in the late afternoon before leagues start and Saturday morning before youth league. Given that they have done a good job of keeping the place open and making people feel that it’s safe to go there, I’m not going to complain that They aren’t oiling as often as the used to, or that the pattern doesn’t play the same.

    Okay, let’s assume you bowl on a four or five person team. Your teammates and the other people in the league are typical house bowlers. They immediately start trying to throw strikes, stomp the foul line or hit the reset button so the next guy gets to shoot at a full rack if they don’t strike, and keep throwing in the same spot if the do strike. Your nice fresh oil pattern is starting to transition before you start game one and you may have to start adjusting before the end of the first game. So how much of your league play is really on the fresh?

    Now let’s say that a miracle occurs and you get fresh oil to practice on. This would be great for seeing what your new arsenal does, especially if you start with the least aggressive ball and work up to the heavy oil hook monster last. But if you are practicing technique, or training as some coaches have taken to calling it, is there any real advantage to having fresh oil? Do I need fresh oil to practice my footwork? My timing? My release? I don’t think so.

    Finally, let’s look at the most likely case, you get to the alley and they say “ Mr. Anderson, you can have lane 40 but only for an hour because we have to oil it for the Iceman Memorial League”. So the lane has had one league bowl on it and maybe some open bowling games. Can I work on my technique? Yep. Can I figure out how my new balls roll? As long as there’s an area with some oil I can get an idea which will read earlier or later, the general shape of the shot, and so on. Will I know exactly what they’ll do on the fresh? But then every lane is different and it takes most of us at least a few shots to find the exact line anyway.
    John

  7. #7

    Default

    As you know, I rarely mince words: going out to bowl with all new bowling balls is a really bad idea. What should happen is that you replace one ball at a time with something similar. In this way, you preserve your understanding of the differences between the balls. If you don't understand them, you can't use them effectively. Just my two cents.

  8. #8
    Bowling God Aslan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Hutchinson, KS
    Posts
    6,916
    Chats: 204

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by J Anderson View Post
    As I understand it, the center where I bowl is probably just barely breaking even on week nights when leagues are filling the available space...Given that they have done a good job of keeping the place open and making people feel that it’s safe to go there, I’m not going to complain that They aren’t oiling as often as the used to, or that the pattern doesn’t play the same.
    True. It's been a rough year on many businesses...including bowling centers. But this has been an issue since before Covid-19. And it's more of a USBC/BPAA issue than it is an individual center issue.

    The simple fact is, if bowling is a "sport"...you have to be able to practice it on game conditions. If those conditions are going to heavily rely on oil patterns...then a "sport bowler" needs to bowl on those patterns (sometimes...see below). If bowling is NOT a sport...then bowling will continue to evaporate and will become something of the past. Kids will still go there on their birthdays, high end centers will exist in certain areas for the millennial, drunken crowd. But any hopes of bowling being in the Olympics or anything like that...not a chance.

    Quote Originally Posted by J Anderson View Post
    ...Your nice fresh oil pattern is starting to transition before you start game one and you may have to start adjusting before the end of the first game. So how much of your league play is really on the fresh?
    True...but thats 8-10 bowlers...assuming they're all right-handers...for 15 minutes of practice. We're talking maybe 25-30 balls per lane. Compare that to a 3-person team...even bowling against a by...of those same 25-30 practice shots PLUS another 45-70 shots per lane. And thats a 3-person team against a BYE. If we're talking a 4-5 person team against another 4-5 person team...you're looking at 300-475 balls PLUS those initial 25-30 practice shots.

    Quote Originally Posted by J Anderson View Post
    Now let’s say that a miracle occurs and you get fresh oil to practice on. This would be great for seeing what your new arsenal does, especially if you start with the least aggressive ball and work up to the heavy oil hook monster last.
    I would LOVE to hear from anyone that has ever done a ball review and ask them if they'd ever consider doing a ball review or ball video on a non-fresh pattern. Not gonna find one. The reason is simple. You want to know what that ball does when you take away the variable of the lane. If Rob goes to review the latest Storm ball...after Thursday league night on burnt conditions...and writes a review that the ball was so strong that you needed to loft the gutter to get it to stay right of the headpin. Then, it turns out on "fresh"...the ball actually plays really well just inside of the track....Rob's ball review is going to be considered ridiculous.

    And the point with the new arsenal is actually to start with the heaviest hooking ball. See 'about' where that ball plays. Then...bowl a bit...an ball down. What is the adjustment I need to make when I ball down? Ideally it would be no adjustment...just the ball change. But, these are new balls with OOB finishes. I haven't had time to fine tune the surface and I'm just learning what they are capable of.

    If I went by that first house...I'd think the Optimus Solid is a ball I need to probably play around 3rd arrow...standing around 25. On "fresher" conditions...that ball plays more around the 8-board with me standing about 18. Thats a HUGE difference. "Hopefully", I have enough time before league to "figure that out"...but I might not.


    Quote Originally Posted by J Anderson View Post
    But if you are practicing technique, or training as some coaches have taken to calling it, is there any real advantage to having fresh oil? Do I need fresh oil to practice my footwork? My timing? My release? I don’t think so...Can I work on my technique? Yep. Can I figure out how my new balls roll? As long as there’s an area with some oil I can get an idea which will read earlier or later, the general shape of the shot, and so on. Will I know exactly what they’ll do on the fresh? But then every lane is different and it takes most of us at least a few shots to find the exact line anyway.
    There ARE things you can do on burnt patterns. I usually play "low-ball" during practice and work on my spare game. Pattern doesn't matter for shooting spares with a plastic ball. And, when shooting those spares, I can focus on some physical stuff as well. So, it kinda depends what you're trying to do.

    Some practice can be done without the ball in your hand, some can be done off the approach, some can be done on burnt conditions, but some needs fresh oil. When I used to take lessons, it was always on fresh conditions. The coach was watching my form and release and footwork...but was also watching what the ball was doing after I released it. Sometimes, near the end of the session, my coach would "quiz" me and ask me what I should do next based on what the ball was doing. Should I move laterally? Should I switch balls? And why?

    Quote Originally Posted by RobLV1 View Post
    As you know, I rarely mince words: going out to bowl with all new bowling balls is a really bad idea. What should happen is that you replace one ball at a time with something similar. In this way, you preserve your understanding of the differences between the balls. If you don't understand them, you can't use them effectively. Just my two cents.
    It DOES make it challenging. When I encounter the first center and realized they didn't have fresh conditions...I thought to myself, "ya know, you really should have brought one of your previous balls with you so you could see how the lanes are different with a ball that you know."

    One drawback is I struggle with seeing the "shape" of the ball movement. It might be that my previous arsenal all had essentially a very similar shape...so there wasn't much difference. This new arsenal seems to be more diverse...so I have to get used to these new "shapes".

    - The Optimus has a much more pronounced "backwards C" shape...which I haven't seen since my old Hammer Rhythm and Lethal Revolver...both solid covers with 2000 (matte) surface.

    - The Yeah Baby Sinful has a really strange "late break" type of movement. I think it has to do with the RG close to 2.67...FAR higher than anything I've ever thrown. So, it kinda reminds me of my old Brunswick Slingshot or even my Track 300A...but with a solid cover and more pronounced movement.

    - The Special Ops has a "shape" that I'm used to. It just seems a bit weaker than the Grudge Hybrid and Aura Mystic...not sure about how it compares to the Rhino Gold.

    - The Force Pearl looks exactly like the Fortera Exile...so I recognize that shape for sure.

    The next step will be to figure out how to optimize the surfaces. Once I get at least "some idea" of what they do...I can use the ball spinner/pads/compounds/polish to get surfaces that will optimize things. I don't see a huge need to "change" surfaces at this point. But, I may want to put something a "little" more aggressive on the Yeah Baby to keep it from going so dang long. 'Maybe' put a little more surface on the Special Ops which seems to be a bit weaker than expected. Gonna have to see how they perform Tuesday. They did really well on Saturday (see Scores thread); so I'm feeling good.

    I also replaced the finger inserts on my spare ball which has helped my single-pin spare shooting a little. The finger ovals on the ball previously were very worn and loose which I think was causing me to grip the ball too much.
    In Bag: (: .) Motiv Trident Odyssey; (: .) Hammer Scorpion Sting; (: .) Pyramid Force Pearl; (: .) Brunswick Rhino Gold; (: .) Ebonite Maxim
    USBC#: 8259-59071; USBC Sanctioned Average = 185; Lifetime Average = 171;
    Ball Speed: 15.5mph; 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!

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •