Bowling, The Wright Way - February 2005 by Don Wright
Pondering The Past And Present

I think the owners of the PBA are doing a great job and I think ESPN has improved camera angles and the overall television product. Having said that, Dave Ryan doesn't get any better. During the GEICO Open Mika left the 2-4-5 and Ryan said, "How many times have you seen Mika leave the head pin?" Randy Pedersen and his crocodile Randy accent is getting a bit lame, too.

Although my wife likes the Skills Challenge, I don't. And, I don't care for those six silly questions that Pedersen asks the professionals. Who cares what exotic animal the bowler would like as a pet? I would like to see them replace the skills challenge with equipment information. What ball are they using, drilling patterns, and what they expect from their equipment on the show. Instead of the six goofy questions by Pedersen, do a segment like they did with Walter Ray Williams, Jr. when they went to his house. Make it a more up close and personal view of the pro. I thought the scoring at El Paso was obscene and it fuels the fires of those who think bowling is strictly recreational. When an amateur rolls 869 for three games and comes back in the fourth game with a 290 the PBA quite simply looks foolish.

The Dallas Open was much more in line with what we should expect from our professionals. A tougher condition brings the pros to the top and very few amateurs can make the quick adjustments to keep pace.

I hope they make some changes in the telecast, but regardless, I'll watch with one finger on the mute button and another on the fast forward.

I, like many others hope Dick Weber lives forever and he continues to travel and be our sports Ambassador. But, if and when the time comes to pass that torch I don't think there is anyone better than Norm Duke to carry it.

In 1972 I bowled on a league that consisted of twenty-four, five man teams. It was the most competitive league in my area at the time and it was so popular that we had a team, not individual, waiting list. We couldn't have more than twenty-four teams because that was the size of the center. The league was extremely popular for more than twenty years. Then something happened and the league began to lose bowlers and the decline was like a cancer reducing the most prestigious men's league to just a skeleton of what it once was. At the beginning of league season this year the league had maybe a handful of teams consisting of three bowlers each. Last week they held a meeting and decided to open the all male league to women. They have a few now, but the league really didn't grow and it will never be what it once was.

It's really sad because the old-timers that bowled on that league back in the 70s and 80s remember the great bowlers of the era. It was a time when 200 averages were something special. The bowling center was open for twenty years before the first 300 game was rolled. Conditions weren't soft and the competition was tough. Most of the teams had a sponsor and proudly wore their shirts and were fined if they failed to wear it. Long before brackets, we had a bowler with a clipboard running the league "pot." Other individual pots went on between bowlers for as little as a penny a pin for the entire season.

Like the theme song from Archie Bunker, "Those Were The Days."

I realize the season is young, but here are a few things to ponder.

• All bowling centers should have automatic doors.
• The Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame should be moved to Reno and be part of the bowling stadium. With the men and women alternating on a three year schedule, more people will pass through there than St. Louis.
• What would make any athlete want to sell his Hall of Fame ring?
• If membership declines under the USBC, what's next?
• If the PWBA is resurrected how many of the great bowlers will pass on it?
• Can bowling center pro shops compete with Internet outlets?
• There are a lot of good African-American bowlers in league play, but few in the professional ranks. Why?
• I love this sport!

See you on the lanes.