Fresh oil for every event... It can happen but is USBC willing to please it's members
Well let's analyze this topic shall we. I sure would like to chime in about it on the message boards down in Arlington but for some unknown reason they won't approve my account.
Well let's get to the point... I see that many have expressed their opinion about this subject. I definitely will point out all the Pro's an Con's, its only fair to do so.
Can this be done... Is there enough time during the day... Why should we do it... are only some of the questions. It's a simple solution and I brought it up to Jane 5 years ago but she wouldn't listen long enough for me to be heard. Mainly because it had been talked about it at the tournament site amongst the managers, but most of them shot the idea down...mainly because most of them weren't bowlers and had no bowling background... and no unsderstanding why it would be important for the integrity of the tournament. I think many were threatened by her anyways because she understood bowling and bowlers while others did not.... So the tournament people assumed that nothing could be done and gave up. It's hard to get blood out of a turnip... USBC'S way of thinking was... it's impossible. Only because they seem to acquire the lack of bowling common sense upstairs. Here is my solution from 5 years ago... that nobody gave me the light of day to even listen.
You only need to run a total of 5 squads a day, 2 team squads and 3 doubles and singles (Minor) squads. The catch is that Team squads will be limited to 68 teams which is only 10 lanes less than capacity. A total of 340 per squad and 680 bowlers per day. Do you know that this year their average Team squad is less than 54 teams per squad. USBC will say that they would lose to much revenue this is not true, the reason they think that way is......because they are a dum-dum.
With 3 squads of doubles with 6 bowlers on a pair using 76 lanes with a total of 228 bowlers per squad and the ability to handle a total of 684 bowlers it fits perfectly.
Even when the tournament is not a the National Bowling stadium this simple change would work......With 48 lane installation a total of 86 teams a day would be allowed to compete......one squad of 42 teams and one squad of 44 Teams to accomdate everyone the next day for the Minor events.
With a convention center like Las Vegas that had 60 lanes, 54 Teams per squad would work to accomadate all the bowlers for their doubles and singles for next day's competition......
Unfortunately the people at USBC has this notion that nothing will work....except for allowing bowlers to drink while they bowl ......Boy that was a great idea.... But this one makes bowling common sense doesn't it....
Now the time factor, plenty enough time and actually the squads would even run on time moreso than it is now. I've watched other friends and bowlers bowl this year and everyone of the squads I've watched has been starting late. So with USBC saying that 99% of the time the squads are running on time is crap, everyone that I have noticed has been late....the schedule down below is much better.
Doubles and Singles(Minor) Team
7:15 a.m. 3:15 p.m.
11:15 a.m. 7:00 p.m.
10:45 p.m.
Actually with this format throughout the day... you could give more practice balls too for doubles and singles which is another gripe about this subject. This would give 35 to 50 minutes for the lane crew to oil the lanes depending on the slowness of the bowlers bowling. As of right now before they oil the lanes before the 2:30 team event they only allow 30 minutes. So there could actually be more practice for bowlers, fresh oil conditions for all the shifts and the ability to run on time and start the day later and finish earlier....a win win win situation.
With this formula it would easily work......Now will USBC do it.... I'm sure they will come up with something to say why they can't... Is that word Money.... If it is they don't fill the tournament anyway...
On a average year at least 500 teams no show after originally signing up....this year it won't be as much... only because the lack of sign ups and allowing teams to register to bowl until April 1st.....
The positives to this simple change is that the USBC Open Championships would have more integrity within the tournament. Everybody would be bowling on the same conditions in every event all the time. (or would they) I'll get to that later. And the bowlers that aren't as good as RIGGS....Lol...won't complain when they say there isn't any oil on the lane....when the simple solution is to move your feet left.....and geez the lanes are easier most of the time that way when there is some play on the lanes in front of you.
But I need to be honest too......by oiling the lanes it won't solve the integrity issue, it will help some.... It will make RIGGS feel better that's for sure...hehehe. But the game of bowling has so many problems and until many of them are gone......Bowling will continue to be looked at as a joke....
Currently the first squad in the morning the 7a.m. doubles and singles squad, the lane crew usually double strips the lanes. They do this to get the lane cleaner. But they only strip the oil off once before the team event squads. They simply don't have enough time throughout the day to do the same process... but in a way it is still unfair because each doubles and singles squad is a little different compared to following the team event like at 5:30p.m. and 11:30p.m. That is why many of you continue to don't understand why the lanes are so different on the fresh from one day to the other.... that's if you bowl on both fresh oil squads right now.....well now I told ya why...
The other reason is that there is less bowlers on the lane during doubles and singles and with less practice balls too it will never play alike. And bowlers are DUM-DUM's they always start out playing the lanes deeper the second day on fresh oil.....they always have and they always will.....even if the lane doesn't hook more....
With more practice before the MINOR events and more people on a pair they would definitely play much more similar.......and even moreso if they only strip the lane once instead of twice like they do for the first shift of competition for the day.....it is only fair that they do it that way .....but then again can those machines work well enough to clean the lane to do that......that's another question..
I get a kick out of reading all the people who post stuff on the message boards that don't have a clue about bowling..... I just gave you a solution to one of the biggest concerns bowlers have when competing at the USBC Open Championships Tournament. It won't solve things but it will make things even better....but like I said don't count on it... because when it comes to logical decisions USBC has never been at the top of their game. Bowlers want to be on top of their game and know that they actually earned it. And to be honest this tournament is far from being fair....Until that happens Bowling shouldn't be recogized as a true sport.....and winning anything in this game now doesn't mean a thing...... That's how I look at it......
February 17, 2009
What's up over there in the Greater Seattle Area.......Answer is lack of integrity
I guess my main goal in life is to try to straighten out the stupidity of what is wrong with the game or sport by sticking my neck out by writing these articles of truth. Well someone has to do it because everyone else seems to turn his or hers head the other way when something in the bowling world isn't right. As Craig Tuholski would say..."You have big cajones".
ARE SANDBAGGERS RUINING THE GAME.......
OR IS THE GAME IN THE TOLIET.... BECAUSE THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TRUE AVERAGE IN THE SPORT OF BOWLING
I guess these are the questions I ask you Greater Seattle Bowling Association when currently conducting your city tournament.
Rumor has it..... there is a league being ran somewhere in a bowling center in the Seattle area which is bowling on a "Sport Like" condition weekly. The only problem..... is that the league didn't classify it as a USBC "Sport" league meaning that peoples averages are far lower than there actual ability in comparison with the bowlers that are bowling in other centers in the area. Here is my take on the situation......
1. The Greater Seattle Bowling Association should be ashamed of themselves by allowing anyone to use their average in this league without re-rating them prior to bowling. First of all G.S.B.A. you are allowing unfair play.......you are giving an distinct advantage to those people bowling your city tournament. You can't tell me honestly that you think it is fair or you didn't know about the situation before hand....... Let me refresh your memory with a newsletter that is published monthly about bowling it the Greater Seattle Area.
Jodey Rees shoots 300 in
the Tough Shot Miller
Classic League at HiLineFor only the second time in
five years of the Miller Classic
League at Hi-Line, Jodey Rees
threw twelve strikes in one game
for a rare 300 on the modified
National shot. Rees accomplished
perfection early in September and received a $100 gift
certificate from Hi-Line Lanes.
“I really like bowling on a tough pattern, and even
though I shot 300, my series for the night was only 848
for the 4 game set” Rees remarked. “ The shot is
tough for everybody, and nobody knows how it breaks
down over the course of the four games, so its different
every night. Most everybody seems to be alright with
scoring low.”
The Miller Classic League bowls everyWednesday
night at 7pm at Hi-Line. So if you want to see some of
the best bowlers in the Seattle area on an extremely
demanding condition drop by.
2. The bowlers who only established an average in this league an bowled their city tournament should be ashamed of themselves too. It is a lack of integrity on their part and in a way it is a form of cheating.... Hey if I bowled in that league an averaged 205, common sense would tell me to enter the tournament at 225...... fair is only fair isn't it.
3. U.S.B.C. is mostly to blame........remember their is no such thing as an average... Everywhere a bowler bowls his average is different depending on what kind of shot, what kind of surface and what center he or she bowls at........And since there is no such way to determine that like their is in golf (Slope rating).....bowling will be looked at as merely an unfair game rather than a sport.
Eventhough I believe that the USBC'S Sport average adjustment scale isn't very accurate in determining a true league average......something remotely close should of been enforced prior to allowing these bowlers to bowl under such a low average. But then again if your governing body is too lazy to enforce such integrity issues......and your local association is too much of a dum dum what are you to do. Until a rule is in place this will continue to happen forever......and bowling as a true sport will never be.
December 2, 2008
What should be the true definition for the word sport.......
In today's article I'm going to talk a little about the sport of bowling.........but then again is there really such a thing as a sport in the game of bowling. Here is the example I like best for the definition of the word sport.
Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play.
Now honestly does the Professional Bowlers Association and the United States Bowling Congress have all of these traits...... The PBA has all of these things except for fair play, because let's be honest with ourselves bowling will never have a level playing field. Bowling's rules and regulations don't allow for this to happen. Here is a little story that involved me to prove my point.......
The year was 1998 I decided to go bowl 8 stops on the PBA National tour... The lane maintenence crew, the PBA and the ABC at the time were having a lot of trouble with lane equity..... In Tuscon (thank god I didn't bowl that one) only 1 right-hander made the show. The next week at the ABC Masters in Reno the top 4 were all lefthanded. Now next up was Detroit. The leader during the first day of qualifying after 2 rounds was yours truly with 4 out of the next 6 positions being lefthanders. The second day rolls around and while bowling the matchplay portion of the tournament, I notice that to the left of me was 2 lefties bowling each other and to the right of me was another 2 lefties bowling each other and I, myself was bowling a lefty. Now even though only 6 lefties made the top 24 that week, why in the hell are 5 of them surrounding me during this one game of competition. All 5 of the lefties were among the leaders at the time....I think I was in 8th. So while I'm getting my butt kicked and watching every lefty around me strike at will......I decided to say something aloud amongst my fellow southpaw competitiors. (Are we going to have 4 ----ing lefties on the show again this week) I made sure it was loud enough for everyone around me to hear. The next day I noticed that the lanes were so much tighter then they played all week.....but on the left side of the lane it seemed like that took all the oil off. The 7th game of match play that day I bowl a lefty who was at the start of the day in 4th place but ended up the day as the low lefty in the match play portion of the tournament. Anyway I shoot 230 at him while he shoots 160. At the end of the match he starts letting me have it, I guess because of my truthful comment the night before. Obviously the PBA changed the pattern (even though they will tell you that is something they have never done without an announcement or phantom report before). So after the block ended and heading into the locker room he continued to express his opinion to me..........my reply was well I guess there will only be 3 lefties on the show because your ass dropped out..... The guy was so pissed he wanted to go after me........ reason being I guess he was one of those lefties who got a nose bleed when he had to throw the ball over the 3rd arrow to knock the pins down......geez......I was lofting the left gutter most of the week........to end the story I finished ahead of him, but by not very much......I couldn't adjust either because of the gigantic puddle that mysteriously showed up on the lanes the last day of match play after the comment I made the night before. A pretty good lefty went on to win that week, and my prediction of 3 lefties on the show fell short too, as Johnny Petraglia lost the last match to fall out....... But at next week's tournament the Johnny Petraglia Open the highest lefthanded finisher was Johnny himself way down in 50th place..... I guess the lane crew was trying to even things up a little.......
Another good one was the 94 Quaker State Open when the lanes were so dry the first day they were especially unplayable on the left.......I remember Hugh Miller asking lane man Lenny Nicholson......( I thought this was the Quaker State Open .....why isn't there any oil on the lane)......... Surprise!!! Surprise!!!!! The lanes were flooded the next day...........Lol
Think about this for a minute, if there is no such thing as fair play, a level playing field or a true average for that matter........how can you call this game of bowling a sport.
More coming soon..........................................
