Hello again everyone!
First, I'm sorry I missed last week's show, but I was traveling. I did see it when I returned home, and my immediate opinion is that in most of the matches, it wasn't hard to see who had good reaction and who didn't. I think that last week and now this week, were more about making shots when needed and the mental game.
Great champions always rise to the occasion, and that's what Chris Barnes did last week. Let's face it, everyone was watching for one main reason- to see what Chris going to do on TV this week. I have been there and done that, so talking from experience, he showed exactly what true champions are made of. They get right back to competing at the top level and focus on the future.
Mike Devaney had bad ball reaction. Every time he got the ball to the right down the lane, it never picked up a roll and never recovered. I would have thought he might have moved even further in, where Tommy (Jones) was playing with something stronger. With a stronger ball, it would have read the middle part of the lane, and that would have allowed him to not have to get the ball to the right.
When Tommy bowled Chris, it started out to be a back-and-forth match. Tommy chose to move right and try to play where Chris was, but he was not far enough right. When Tommy missed right, his ball never recovered and he left the 2-10. Barnes was further right than anybody, as a matter of fact and it didn't look as if anyone else checked out there. Tommy needed to be right on top of where Chris was. Chris had hold and that created his look.
It's nice sitting on the bench when the match is over in the eighth frame, and of course, you are the winner. It was to be expected. Top bowlers continue to knock on the door knowing that eventually it will open. You just hope it opens quicker than expected.
This week, I of course thought Walter Ray Williams Jr. was the front-runner, and I picked Mike Scroggins as my lefty favorite. I'm proud to say that I was thrilled for Mike. I had the pleasure of bowling with Mike at West Texas State University for three years. He was a hard worker then, and he has continued his hard work ethic. It's great to see it pay off. Mike mentioned on the show about Hank Boomershine giving him great equipment, and I am proud to say that I also bowled with Hank at WT. I think we had a great college program if you ask me, haha.
During the first match, Pete Weber looked comfortable and confident from the beginning. That's tough to beat, especially when you don't have good ball reaction and struggle like Billy Oatman did. During the Rhino Page vs. Pete match, both bowlers had a great look and seemed confident. In the 10th frame when Pete went high and split, I was shocked. First off, Pete is a great TV bowler, besides being one of the best the game has ever seen. He had just left a split on that lane the previous shot, and it looked as if he did make the move left, but the ball just hooked too much on the back end at the last minute. I don't think it was a bad shot, I think it was a bad break. Pete even made mention that he couldn't believe it. If you have watched Pete on TV, he will tell you when he throws it bad. There are not very many give-me matches from Pete. Rhino did step up and throw a great shot to lock up the match.
Rhino Page has proven that he can compete with the big boys, making four shows and bowling well on each of them. The two shots he missed right were just that bad shots, and we all make them. The problem is that you can't make too many mistakes against Walter Ray because he will always take advantage of them. It looked as if Walter was using a ball that rolled pretty early in this match and was just what he needed. He had that great Walter Ray look of early roll, hook and stop. And the 10 never stood, until the title match.
In the title match, something that never happens happened. Walter Ray missed a 10 pin, which people were probably still thinking about in the ninth frame. From the first frame, I think Walter Ray's ball started to go a little too long which is why he started to leave the flat 10 and blower 7 pin. Mike tried to let him back in the match, but threw it really good in the ninth to set himself up. Using two different balls with two different surfaces proved how much confidence Mike has in himself and his game. Once again, another showing of what champions are made of.
Until next time, keep on striking!
Yours truly,
CDB
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Hello everyone!
This is what Major championships are made of. Your top tour bowlers consisted of one of the greatest bowlers of all time Pete Weber, probably the most underrated player on tour Ryan Shafer, one of the most consistent top players Chris Barnes and a player who is finally coming into his career, Michael Haugen. The first match was what you will see during a Major in that the players will keep the ball in the pocket. While they may not carry, they will try not to give up the pocket. Ryan came through with applying pressure to Pete. But in usual Pete form, he stepped up to the plate and made two great shots. One carried, the other didn't. I find it amazing that no matter what the situation for Pete, when a shot is needed, more times than not, he puts it in the pocket. The amazing thing about Ryan is when you think he is defeated, he isn't. The guy never gives up focus and is always trying till the bitter end. The second match Ryan ran into the same problems with carry and didn't have time to get ahead as Barnes came out confident and lined up. The only thing Ryan might have tried to do is either move even more left and slow it up a bit to change his angle of entry or switch balls. Chris obviously liked his reaction and was playing a part of the lane that he likes a lot, not hooking it too much and being able to just go up the back of it and let the ball do all the work. The championship: Did I say, Oh my God. Have to say it again, Oh my God. That is what professional bowling is all about. When you think it's over, it's not. Being in that position, I have seen this scenario many times. That's why you should never count yourself out because you just never know what might happen. Barnes had a great look and was making really good shots. Yes, he is having some tough TV games, but today he looked really relaxed and comfortable. Haugen on the other hand, looked lost the first few frames and didn't seem as if he was sure he was in the right part of the lane. After the second split, I looked at Del and said, Michael should move a little left and slow it up a bit. He seemed to be right on the edge of the mistake area. Every time he missed a little left, the ball went high. Barnes was a little left and the only thing he battled was when he got firm, the ball never read the lane and he left a 2 pin. After 6 frames or so, Haugen made a bold move in changing balls. This ball seemed to be a little cleaner thru the front which gave him a little different angle into the pocket and it really looked good and slapped out the 10. I give him tons of credit in doing this. Michael is a relative new player to TV with not much TV experience, but he showed how much confidence he has in himself, his equipment and his game. That superior finish applied the pressure to Barnes who missed the 10 pin in the ninth frame. Needing a double to shut him out and a mark and 10 to tie, Barnes made the move on the right lane. The previous shot he left the 4 pin. I would say it looked as if he moved a little left, but just got really firm with it in the 10th and the ball never read the lane. Making the 2 pin, his next thought is what to do after a 4 pin and then a 2 pin. I believe he made the right adjustment and slowed up his ball speed just a little and of course, left the 4 pin to lose. Great shot on the fill shot, just didn't get the break. Having been is this scenario a few times, no matter what spare you are shooting out, it seems like the toughest spare in the building. There are so many things that can go through your mind if you let it happen. It's those thoughts that either keep you from winning, or get you to the next level. We will see all of these players back on the telecast again, and I'm sure there will be a different scenario for each one of them. We will have to see how each of them decides to learn from this telecast and step up to the plate the next time. Each show, each tournament is a learning experience, and although it may be good for some and bad for others, this is what sports is all about. Until next time, keep on striking!
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE HAD A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON, AND I WISH YOU THE BEST IN THE NEW YEAR.
It's been an exciting year on the Denny's PBA Tour so far, and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be a part of it with the PBA Women's Series.
But now that the Women's Series is over, I am back to being a fan. When I am watching the PBA telecasts there are a few things I make notice of right from the beginning:
1. Where are the bowlers are playing on the lane? This will give me an idea of what pattern they might be bowling on.
2. I try to see what balls they are throwing. If it's a ball with an aggressive cover, that tells me there might be some oil in the front part of the lane (the heads). If it's a weaker cover, that tells me the front part of the lane might already be dry (ball layouts are really hard to see on TV, but sometimes Randy (Pedersen) will make mention of it.
3. How they are playing the lanes? Are the bowlers playing straight or hooking it? Are they using angle to the pocket? All of this is crucial when looking at how the carry is on TV.
4. Ball speed. Do the players vary their ball speed to create different angles into the pocket, which changes carry?
There is 30 minutes of practice on the TV pair before the show. This 30 minutes can determine how the pattern will play and how the bowlers will tackle the pair.
Before the final Women's Series championship match, all of the bowlers were still throwing less aggressive bowling balls with very little surface. This was the Cheetah pattern, and both the men and the women tried to still continue to play the pattern as far right as possible. It was the Great Lakes Classic in Wyoming, Mich., my second telecast of the series.
I used an Absolute Inferno, which is a ball with a weaker cover. This allowed me to stay to the right with a very strong arc affect into the pins. I thought angle of entry was very critical. Once you tried to move to the left and get the ball to the right, you started to see the transition in the lane quicker. There was oil to the left and dry to the right. If you got the ball to the right quick, it hooked too soon, and if you threw the ball too hard, it would not roll enough in the oil.
Chris Loschetter, Walter Ray Williams and Diandra Asbaty were all using cleaner cover bowling balls to allow them to stay on top of the pattern and not have to move to the left too quick.
**Walter Ray beat Loschetter 276-204 for the title and Diandra beat me 236-225 for the last Women's Series title.
The most recent show (the Spartanburg Classic) was a great example of how the lanes change from match to match and how crucial ball speed and angle can be.
In the first match, Mike Scroggins and Billy Oatman had problems with the right lane hooking too much. Mike chose to throw it harder, where Billy chose to project the ball to the left to create some angle. This worked in the first match, but as the lanes changed it became apparent that the left lane got a bit trickier and the right lane was the favorite.
The match in which Parker bowled Rhino showed the importance of ball speed. Parker had to make sure that on the left lane he needed to get his ball to roll in the middle part of the lane for it to carry. The few shots in which he threw it a little harder, the ball did not read the lane, and the carry was not there. In the 10th frame, his ball speed was just a little slower, and his ball rolled up just a bit sooner to give him the high flush shot. Those three shots in the 10th were the best he had thrown all game and experience of being in that position came through.
Rhino, probably one of the best up and coming bowlers the PBA has seen in a while, has definitely shown the bowling world that he has game. He played the lanes a little further in but kept the ball up to the pocket with not much angle, which improved his carry. The second shot in the 10th was just a little more firm than the first one, and the ball did not roll and hook as it had the previous shot. This experience will only help him in future matches, and I can promise you that this is not the last we will see of Rhino bowling for a title.
