After bowling for over 20 years, through the late 70's, through the 80's into the early 90's I'm through. I really give up. Bowling is nothing but a circus now. Nothing but a lame circus filled with bearded ladies and sword swallower's. Why do I feel this way? Because I'm old school, and the way bowling has been mutated into a type of pathetic spectacle sickens me.
I worshiped true bowling gods like Don Carter, Barry Asher, Carmen Salvino, Mark Roth, Marshal Holman, and Dick Weber. I was awestruck by their talent. True talent. Bowling was regarded in the same professional manner as golf. Bowling had big sponsors and big prizes. Professionals had complimentary meals and rooms when the PBA bowled in Vegas. Purses in the 1980's topped over $50,000, I can go on and on...
Now any idiot can buy a new ball and thumb thump a 180 average without a lesson, the equipment is taking all the skill out of the game, and the pros are resorting to a "skill" competition? A skill competition like throwing the ball over chairs like some sort of half-drunk, rock 'n' bowl half wit.
More and more bowlers are going "shovel" style and throwing the ball with two hands. I'm sorry, but two hands? And palm bowlers? Jesus christ. When I see a palm bowler or a two handed bowler, all that tells me is that he's too much of a ****y to throw it like that the RIGHT way. "Well golly, since I can't turn the ball like dorkus maximus, why don't I use both hands... yeah! That way I can get so much turn and look like a total jack ass! Brilliant!" We already have a backwards bowler, christ, and many more that aren't heard of yet. Is there a limit to how a ball can be thrown? Hell why not bring a goddamn howitzer down to your bowling center and just shoot the ball into the pins. It's ridiculous and pathetic. With the exception of disabled bowlers, and some of the little ladies, the USBC should ban all these pathetic "styles" and require a one arm, one hand, three fingers, approach and delivery. How in the hell can I take a two handed bowler seriously? Really I can't stop laughing at how stupid they look, and what's even more pathetic about it, they believe in it. Moreover in the May 2008 issue of US Bowler, I quote Tom Clark "...After all, there's no reason to learn how to bowl the 'right way', with one hand...". The Editor himself believes two handed bowling is the future?!?! God this makes me want to dry heave.
Last but not least, we can't forget about the "professionals". Lord almighty, when you ask some tweener punk anything about the history of professional bowling... yeah I get that blank stare too. It's really quite sad when the pba, pbt, or whatever, resorts to having their professional bowlers toss balls over chairs, up ramps, between legs, etc etc etc. No one takes bowling seriously anymore, and the pro's are not setting a good example. Now it's down to this useless bracket system which gives virtually no one any chance of coming back to win for the sake of time. They have pathetic sponsors, and circus events like "bowlings clash of champions". Professionals are sleeping 4-5 per room at the Motel 6, most of the great bowling centers have shut down and their left with the scraps. Also, the purses are incredibly smaller since 10 years ago. I remember watching Mark Roth crank the hell out of a poly-urethane ball with pin point accuracy on flooded lanes, placing it properly in the pocket to drive the pins back. Back then you CAN NOT throw a bad shot and mix pins all over the deck like today’s equipment. If you threw a bad shot and missed the pocket in the slightest it will show, and you will be penalized. The little ladies did not have the physical strength to do that and the pros throw way way too much ball for their own good.
"Clash of champions". This only proves that it's the equipment that can help the little ladies and all the other half wristed, unbalanced, broken wristed, suit cased, wrong footed bowlers, score. It also caters to this ****y whipped society where men seem to enjoy being emasculated. Men are more physically superior to women, it's a fact you screaming little ladies. The game took skill, it took muscle, accuracy, and lift to drive the ball through the pocket to score. Now all it takes is any new ball out of the box. You don't have to do a damn thing to the ball, just dump it and let it do the rest. By promoting this type of equipment, which to me is nothing but a waste since reactive balls last for only 6 months anyway, it doesn't equally separate the armatures from the pros. It's like the fire department lowering their standards so the little ladies can apply, it's like the s.w.a.t. team lowering their standards so the little ladies can apply.
I'm old school through and through. I believed in attitude, the-mental-game, arrogance, and a pride of being the best. I believed in the game when it took real skill. If you don't know what real skill is, youtube Mark Roth. No one will probably agree with me because most people on here believe in flash not substance. Most boys like to see rev rates, not accuracy. It spits in the face of great bowling champions that firmly founded this once great sport. Take back the pathetic shovel bowling and the equipment. USBC strip down the game, make bowling tough again! Stop dumbing it down like so many other things!! Let us separate the champions from the armatures.
Have a nice day.
Awww...come one....don't hold back....tell us how you really feel.
Sounds like he got beat by some girly girl. Maybe it is Sean talking about Linda. I will now let cicada49 and guin take over the bashing.
That's right, I better be careful as I work for the women. There are talened ones out there that will beat me on any given night and I am not afraid to try. Chrissy comes to mind as one of the better ones. If he comes out to the New Jersey Top 5 Tournament he will meet plenty of GREAT WOMEN BOWLERS.
Whereas I definitely agree with much of what the original poster said, I certainly don't condone the profanity-laced presentation.
While I will agree that the sport/game has changed a lot even in the short time I have been around (44 years old). The 2 handed delivery is a very valid way to bowl. Unlike the thumbless where there are several problems. The 2 handed take a lot of strain off the back,knees,forearm, and wrist. When you say suit case that has been around for a very very very very very very long time. Matter of fact when in the old AJBC that's what they taught. BTW that was some 1st post.
LMFAO, This dude has no clue. I love the fact that Sean got his butt handed to him. What was he trying to prove Saturday, yelling YOU WANT SOME OF THIS, I KNOW WHERE YOU ARE. Forgive me Fish but who the hell was he yelling at. I guess Linda showed him what for.
My opinion of the whole thing. A major waste of money, and a big joke. Sean Rash, take your a$$ whomping and go home, all your bravado Saturday, did little for you today. I guess the joke was on YOU, Mr. Rash, or was it just a set-up?????????
doom, a stone 10 for $50,000 does not seem like a set-up to me. From what I was told, the intensity level was very high at the taping.
ddavis300: doom, a stone 10 for $50,000 does not seem like a set-up to me. From what I was told, the intensity level was very high at the taping.
It's my understanding that they did not expect to have a nine- bagger required to win one of the clashes... so they had to cut the bio stuff... even though, during the commentary there seemed to be an opportunity for them to cover the events won to secure entry into the clash... like when they were showcasing Lynn Swann's pro am experience... plus they had to show each and every USBC commercial ever produced at least 3 times per show...
I hope the ratings were OK, in Houston, our CBS affilliate led in with a 30 minute infomercial on a super- duper omelet cooker.. makes pies and pot pies, followed up with a Texas Bass Masters fishing show...
By the way, Friday night at the party, Sean Rash said he should have won that tournament and he was still p.o.'ed about the solid 10... He did not say Lynda got lucky with her shots she carried... classy guy... He's my favorite male pro bowler...
david_fields: It's my understanding that they did not expect to have a nine- bagger required to win one of the clashes... so they had to cut the bio stuff... even though, during the commentary there seemed to be an opportunity for them to cover the events won to secure entry into the clash... like when they were showcasing Lynn Swann's pro am experience... plus they had to show each and every USBC commercial ever produced at least 3 times per show... I hope the ratings were OK, in Houston, our CBS affilliate led in with a 30 minute infomercial on a super- duper omelet cooker.. makes pies and pot pies, followed up with a Texas Bass Masters fishing show... By the way, Friday night at the party, Sean Rash said he should have won that tournament and he was still p.o.'ed about the solid 10... He did not say Lynda got lucky with her shots she carried... classy guy... He's my favorite male pro bowler...
DrD,
If you taped or tvo'd the show you will have seen David Fields in many frames of the show. He was sitting next to the young man in the white shirt behind the lanes, near the top of the screen. You could also see Joanne and I right at the first break where they panned the side of the lanes. You will have to look close cause we weren't there long. Just look for the grey hair almost all the way up. Oh yeah almost everyone there has grey hair so I may be hard to pick out.
As far as the clash, I watched both days when we got home yesterday. You may or may not like the format but one thing it did accomplish was to promote USBC and bowling on national tv. There were more bowling commercials in those 2 hours than there have been in 10 or more years. The idea of the clash was to highlight and promote bowling on national tv and I think they accomplished it.
Sean Rash. All that chest thumping, I believe, is just a show for tv. He is intense when he bowls but if you watched any of the women during the PBA shows some of them weren't much different. I may have told this story already so bear with me. 2 years ago at the US Open at Carolier Lanes here in NJ I went to watch the first round qualifiers. I was sitting behind the lanes Sean was bowling on. Also sitting right behind him was a couple and their son about 6 or 7 years old. While Sean was working on 7 timer and concentrating on qualifying, he took the time out after every shot to come over and talk to the kid and his parents. SO I have a different opinion about him than DrD and he is after Parker my next favorite bowler.
Don, did you notice Liz Johnson was high qualifier for the women in the seedings qualifying and outscored the men? For traditionalists almost any change is rejected in many areas, not just bowling. There was a time when those who went from one to two finger holes were ridiculed, when centers who put marking on their lanes were ridiculed, when men using plastic balls were ridiculed, when classic level men bowled in handicap or mixed leagues were ridiculed.
I don't know that the no thumb or two handed delivery will ever replace the traditional way of delivering a ball but for certain and for sure those that practice it and do it well can sure get very good scores and have already proven they can win and win big in many tournaments against the very best.
I would say that if Liz Johnson were to bowl in and gain a spot as an exempt PBA player in the upcoming qualifier she would do ok as did Kelly Kulick one of many other quality women bowlers.
Don Gates
My favorite part of the show was the 17-yr old making Liz Johnson throw 9 in a row to win.
The close ups on the 17yr old were priceless. She looked so scared.
