Bowling: Bits, pieces and idle thoughts
Today, I present what my fellow bowling scribes call “bits and pieces,” or as the late Dean of Bowling Writers and PBA Historian, Chuck Pezzano would say, “Idle Bowling Thoughts.”
Did you know:
Some of the top professional bowlers are top golfers as well: EJ Tackett is a 2 handicap, Ronnie Russell is 3.2, Tommy Jones is a 5 and Pete Weber is a 9.
The PBA announced its four 2019 inductees into its Hall of Fame. They are: professional bowlers Patrick Allen and Mike Koivuniemi (Finland), veteran bowling journalist Bob Johnson (Bowlers Journal) and Jim Doty, long time Indianapolis tournament host and general manager of Royal Pin Leisure Centers. The ceremonies will be held on Saturday, Jan. 5 at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington Texas as part of the PBA Hall of Fame Classic Tournament January 2-6.
Here’s a bit of a twist.
Koivuniemi, who lived in Wisconsin with his family for most of the years when he was on tour, is residing in the United Arab Emirates, where he coaches their national bowling team. Further, to celebrate Koivuniemi’s upcoming honor as the first bowler from Finland to be inducted into the PBA Hall, Finland’s Tornia Brewery created a special edition case of its Original Lapland Lager, Koivuniemi’s favorite, with a neck label recognizing his election. Creative!
It is gratifying to see that the association recognizes the hard work of a bowling writer/editor as well as a multi bowling centers manager.
According to the PBA, the FloBowling PBA Fall Swing will be held at The Lanes at Coffee Creek in Tulsa, OK. In addition to its Xtra Frame webcasts of tournament qualifiers, matchplay and some final rounds, FloBowling has recently produced podcasts with PBA Tour champion Tom Daugherty, video tips with Bob Learn Jr. and stories about the unconventional two-handed style of Tim Cagle II.
Also included are a preview of the Fall Swing oil patterns with Josh Blanchard, a guest column by PBA CEO-Commissioner Tom Clark regarding his phone calls to PBA’s newly-elected hall of famers, and, most recently, a pointed commentary by Australia’s Jason Belmonte who told his “two-handed haters” he could still beat most them bowling with one hand.
Also “A growing library of articles and podcasts are available to PBA fans at no cost simply by visiting https://www.flobowling.com/, where all content is free unless it is designated as “PRO” content.
In addition to following the PBA Tour on pba.com, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, fans also can follow FloBowling on those same platforms (example: :https://www.facebook.com/FloBowling/)…and then they can round out a complete PBA package by subscribing to FloBowling, where they’ll be able to watch exclusive live coverage of the FloBowling PBA Fall Swing, including the Wolf, Bear and Tulsa Open events, Oct. 15-20.
The 2018 PBA Tour season then concludes with the U.S. Open at Northrock Lanes in Wichita, Kan. The preliminary rounds of the U.S. Open also will be live-streamed by Xtra Frame on FloBowling, Oct. 26-30, before the finals air live on CBS Sports Network on Oct. 31.
At stake as the season winds down are eight berths in the PBA Clash which will air on Dec. 23 on FOX, kicking off the 2019 Go Bowling! PBA Tour season on FOX, and berths in the World Bowling Tour Men’s and Women’s Finals presented by the PBA which will be contested at the International Training and Research Center in Arlington, Texas, for airing on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday, March 10, at 10 p.m. EST.
And did you also know: Ten countries will be represented in the field of more than 100 players on the Fall Swing pro tour, including competitors from Australia, England, Mexico, Canada, Sweden, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Thailand and the U.S.
Kudos go out to Ryan Shafer and Danny Wiseman, two pro bowlers who host annual scholarship tournaments in their hometown centers. They truly are paying it forward.
The New Jersey USBC BA is hosting its annual Senior Bowling Tournament this weekend, and next weekend October 19-20-21 at Knob Hill Country Lanes in Manalapan NJ. This is open to all members of a NJ USBC association who are over the age of 45. There are singles and doubles. This is a handicap event. Entry fee is $30 per person per event. For further information or to reserve a spot, contact Richard Regan at 908-285-0663.
Send in your news, tournament announcements and results, and anything about bowling to joaness2@yahoo.com or call the bowling hotline at 570-242-4709.