Bowling, The Wright Way - May 15, 1997 by Don Wright
Are 300 Games Routine?

If your bowling season has been somewhat dreary, think how bowling writers must feel.

Writers, as anyone who reads the bowling papers and magazines knows, the stories often have little to do with the games or the participants. Instead most bowling stories pertain to television contracts, bowling balls, lane maintenance, Bowling Inc., and all the other alphabet integers. Should we, should we not be in the Olympics, amateur vs. professional money, high score apathy and inflated averages. What fun can it be to write about those things?

In February of this year a young man from Lincoln, Nebraska named Jeremy Sonnenfeld rolled 36 consecutive strikes for the first ABC recognized 900 series. With the exception of a few bowling magazines Sonnenfeld got very little press. Yet, it was one of bowlings greatest moments. It is estimated that over 10 billion three game series have been rolled in ABC history and only Sonnenfeld's 900 has been acknowledged. Glenn Allison rolled a 900 in 1982, but ABC stated the lanes did not meet their standards and his accomplishment was denied.

I recently asked several bowlers in my area to name the person who rolled a 900 series. Some of them knew Allison, but none knew Sonnenfeld.

I asked the same people who won the Masters Tour in golf and all of them knew it was Tiger Woods.

Have high scores become so routine that when someone like Sonnenfeld rolls three consecutive 300 games it's just a yawner? I recently read an editorial by Bob Summerville in Bowling This Month in which he stated that at his center a bowler rolled 300 and another had a 299 and neither score was announced.

Personally, I think there are a lot of great things to write about. How about Johnny Petraglia and his efforts for wheelchair veterans. In my way of thinking, that story should have been used as fillers for the Brunswick Johnny Petraglia Open at Carolier Lanes. Instead, ABC-TV chose to show us geese crossing the street and then geese walking in the park.

Darn, here I am writing negative again.

I finally got to see the tape delayed telecast of the Texas Border Shootout and it was the first time to hear Jan Schmidt and Fred Borden working together as commentators, and what a great job they did. They worked good as a team and their knowledge of the game made for an excellent combination.

Borden, 1996 US Olympic Committee Coach of the Year for Bowling recently added two honors to his list of achievements.

Borden received the John O. Martino award from the Bowling Writers Association of America (BWAA) for bettering the sport over the years. In addition, he received the Bowling and Billiards Institute of America award for outstanding creativity, dedication and service to the sport.

Considered the "pro's coach," Borden has certified more than 1200 bowling coaches.

After watching the tape delay with Borden and Schmidt, I watched the Pro Bowlers Tour from Carolier Lanes with Nelson Burton and Chris Schenkel. I'm sorry, but they need some help. I have said before, I have the greatest respect for what Schenkel has meant to the PBA and sports broadcasting, but it's time for a change. His mumbling and ramblings made no sense and when he could not pronounce Johnny Petraglia's name with Johnny sitting beside him, it was embarrassing. Burton needs to be congratulated for being able to keep the commentary moving.

How about Burton saying "the way to stop a cranker is to oil the lanes so he can't get it back." Does that mean they put out a shot conducive to Walter Ray Williams, the only non-cranker making the show? Oops! That's another column.