Will Tigers Pony up for Skubal

[chasfh]

13 hours ago, Screwball said:

I don't remember the year, sometime in the late 70s. I bowled in a pro-am at Imperial Lanes in Toledo, Ohio. You bowled 3 games and a different pro would bowl against you each game. Earl was there, and probably **** too. The big tournament started like on Thursday and would be televised on Saturday. Big stuff. We were before that started.

I was lucky, one guy I didn't know, and the other two were **** Ritger and Dave Davis. Davis was a tall lefty. He shot about 190 on the lane I was on. The next game he moved one pair to the right, made an adjustment, and tossed a 279. Dude had a big ball, and natural like most lefties did. Earl was a machine. So smooth. Made it look easy. It's not.

Those guys bowled hundreds of game a week. Saturday afternoon was about watching the tournament that week. Great stuff. Now a dying and soon to be dead sport. 

Have you seen bowling on TV lately? Now it seems all the pros are wearing flashy colors—the more the better—and talking trash to opponents. PBA is trying to attract a certain type that likes watching that kind of thing.

[chasfh]

12 hours ago, oblong said:

Curling is up next

There are these three guys on my softball team who curl during the winter, meaning, an actual league in an actual suburb, like, Buffalo Grove or someplace else way out there. I’ve never curled and expressed interest and they said I should come out and try it and they’ll let me know when.

[Tiger337]

There's a spot open in my fantasy curling league if anyone interested.  We don't use traditional categories though.  It's sabermetric.  

[tiger2022]

This guy has softball player written all over him

[Screwball]

1 hour ago, chasfh said:

Have you seen bowling on TV lately? Now it seems all the pros are wearing flashy colors—the more the better—and talking trash to opponents. PBA is trying to attract a certain type that likes watching that kind of thing.

No, I haven't watched in years. Lost interest. I do follow some bowling stuff on FB. The scores they shoot today is nuts. There are people out there averaging 230 that wouldn't average 180 back in the days of Earl Anthony, **** Weber (he was at our town for bowling alley opening in 1977).

The sport started dying years ago. For example, our little town had 3 alleys at one time. 2 with 24 alley's and one with 4. The one with 4 is in the basement of a K of C hall. It is the only one left. The others closed in 1985ish, and the other in 2016. You could see them competing for bowlers years ago when the newest 24 lane alley opened. Scores and averages went up. People went where they could score the best. I worked in the oldest one and it was quite a thing to watch. The owners hated each other but their kids were buddies.

It was great fun for a lot of people over the years. They were full 7 days a week at on time. The bar was also a happening place over the years. Bowling alleys were also the place for drinking and smoking. Cigars were a thing back then. We had a big case of them to choose from. When the smoking laws changed, and of course the local cops cracking down on DD, that was the beginning of the end for some.

I can imagine the sport today is doing everything they can to promote the sport given it's not so popular anymore, including looking like NASCAR drivers and putting on a show between the competitors. 

I found my old bowling ball in the basement a few years ago. 16lb ball. I have no idea how I could have ever thrown that thing as I can't hardly pick it up now. 😞

[NorthWoods]

12 hours ago, buddha said:

curling is awesome.  love curling.

i want to see curlers on those 70s athletics shows.  they'll show cheryl tiegs who is boss.

There's a curling club up here in Lewiston.   You can rent ice time and they'll teach people how to curl.

https://www.lewistoncurlingclub.com/

[CMRivdogs]

44 minutes ago, Screwball said:

No, I haven't watched in years. Lost interest. I do follow some bowling stuff on FB. The scores they shoot today is nuts. There are people out there averaging 230 that wouldn't average 180 back in the days of Earl Anthony, **** Weber (he was at our town for bowling alley opening in 1977).

The sport started dying years ago. For example, our little town had 3 alleys at one time. 2 with 24 alley's and one with 4. The one with 4 is in the basement of a K of C hall. It is the only one left. The others closed in 1985ish, and the other in 2016. You could see them competing for bowlers years ago when the newest 24 lane alley opened. Scores and averages went up. People went where they could score the best. I worked in the oldest one and it was quite a thing to watch. The owners hated each other but their kids were buddies.

It was great fun for a lot of people over the years. They were full 7 days a week at on time. The bar was also a happening place over the years. Bowling alleys were also the place for drinking and smoking. Cigars were a thing back then. We had a big case of them to choose from. When the smoking laws changed, and of course the local cops cracking down on DD, that was the beginning of the end for some.

I can imagine the sport today is doing everything they can to promote the sport given it's not so popular anymore, including looking like NASCAR drivers and putting on a show between the competitors. 

I found my old bowling ball in the basement a few years ago. 16lb ball. I have no idea how I could have ever thrown that thing as I can't hardly pick it up now. 😞

Meanwhile my soon to be 14 year old grandson loves the sport. I'm not sure his school has a team, but he's found some sort of league in Livonia where he rolls on a fairly regular basis.

This is after trying baseball, soccer, football, basketball and discovering he has his parents and grandparents sports genes

[Screwball]

31 minutes ago, CMRivdogs said:

Meanwhile my soon to be 14 year old grandson loves the sport. I'm not sure his school has a team, but he's found some sort of league in Livonia where he rolls on a fairly regular basis.

This is after trying baseball, soccer, football, basketball and discovering he has his parents and grandparents sports genes

They have high school teams around here too. That was a big deal and the kids loved it. Just not too many choices to where to go anymore.

[Tiger337]

I remember when bowling was popular in the 70s.  I didn't play enough to get good at it, but it was fun to go once in a while, ugly uncomfortable shoe rentals and all!.  There used to be two alleys in town  - one really big one which everybody went to and another tiny one that looked like somebody's basement.  The big alley is long gone.  The five-lane basement alley is still there - almost 100 years old.  

[IdahoBert]

23 hours ago, Screwball said:

I don't remember the year, sometime in the late 70s. I bowled in a pro-am at Imperial Lanes in Toledo, Ohio. You bowled 3 games and a different pro would bowl against you each game. Earl was there, and probably **** too. The big tournament started like on Thursday and would be televised on Saturday. Big stuff. We were before that started.

I was lucky, one guy I didn't know, and the other two were **** Ritger and Dave Davis. Davis was a tall lefty. He shot about 190 on the lane I was on. The next game he moved one pair to the right, made an adjustment, and tossed a 279. Dude had a big ball, and natural like most lefties did. Earl was a machine. So smooth. Made it look easy. It's not.

Those guys bowled hundreds of game a week. Saturday afternoon was about watching the tournament that week. Great stuff. Now a dying and soon to be dead sport. 

You bowled against Earl Anthony? The Earl Anthony? Even I know about him. That’s some impressive stuff, man.

[Screwball]

1 hour ago, IdahoBert said:

You bowled against Earl Anthony? The Earl Anthony? Even I know about him. That’s some impressive stuff, man.

Not exactly against him, but three other pros. He was on another lane. It was a pro-am. Cost maybe 100 bucks to get in. You didn't have to be any good. You got to bowl three games on one pair of alley's and the pros move after each game, so you got to bowl with/against 3 of them. It was a neat deal. They were just practicing for the tournament that started the next day. Earl wasn't too far from me, so I was on the lanes at the same time, but didn't bowl against him.

Some of these guys traveled the country all year, and did this every week. They had motor homes they traveled and lived in. They even had their own ball drilling machine so they could drill the balls they way they wanted for the house they might have to bowl in that week. Ball drilling is wild stuff. 

[Screwball]

2 hours ago, Tiger337 said:

I remember when bowling was popular in the 70s.  I didn't play enough to get good at it, but it was fun to go once in a while, ugly uncomfortable shoe rentals and all!.  There used to be two alleys in town  - one really big one which everybody went to and another tiny one that looked like somebody's basement.  The big alley is long gone.  The five-lane basement alley is still there - almost 100 years old.  

As I said, I worked in a bowling alley. 13 years, a second job. I started a month after I turned 21 as a bartender, but late I moved out to the counter and took care of the lanes.

Rental shoes...Oh boy. We rented shoes, you have to. We had hundreds of shoes behind the counter of different sizes, both men and women. They would pay so much for shoe rental, use them, then return them. That's where the can of spray came in. Disinfectant to spray in the shoes after use. That was probably the worse part of the job. 

It was also some of the most entertaining jobs I ever had in my life. I could write a book.

[IdahoBert]

34 minutes ago, Screwball said:

Not exactly against him, but three other pros… 

Still, you’re the only person I know who was in the same bowling alley with him. Just seeing him on TV he seemed to be incredibly focused. 

[papalawrence]

Bowling was on tv every Sunday iirc. And yes, the only guy I remember was Earl Anthony 

[Screwball]

It gets really entertaining when you set one on fire, especially back when they were rubber. 🙂

[oblong]

I remember Pete Weber growing up.  I had to also watch bowling with my dad. 
 

 

[Arlington]

Not much of a bowler but when I was 17 I went to an alley by myself to burn some time.  For one game it seemed I could lay the ball down where ever I wanted it.  Scored a 225.  Then I went back to my normal 120.   

[Screwball]

Pete Weber is Dicks son. Pete was known as the bad boy of bowling.

High games. I know a guy who shot a 290. 300 is a perfect game - 12 strikes in a row - the only way to get a 290 is 11 in a row and a gutter ball. The ultimate choke job. Image being remembered for that. 🙂

[NorthWoods]

33 minutes ago, Screwball said:

Pete Weber is Dicks son. Pete was known as the bad boy of bowling.

High games. I know a guy who shot a 290. 300 is a perfect game - 12 strikes in a row - the only way to get a 290 is 11 in a row and a gutter ball. The ultimate choke job. Image being remembered for that. 🙂

A spare in frame 1 followed by striking out is also a 290.   

[Tiger337]

Just now, NorthWoods said:

A spare in frame 1 followed by striking out is also a 290.   

This sounds like 2024 Tigers versus 2025 Tigers.  One feels better than the other, but the result is the same.  

[Screwball]

53 minutes ago, NorthWoods said:

A spare in frame 1 followed by striking out is also a 290.   

Yes, my mistake, but this guy choked it on the last ball after throwing the first 11. And the best part, once someone had 11, and it didn't happen often, the crowd accumulates. So he choked in front of a bunch of people watching.

Edited 11 hours ago by Screwball

[casimir]

2 hours ago, Screwball said:

Pete Weber is Dicks son. Pete was known as the bad boy of bowling.

High games. I know a guy who shot a 290. 300 is a perfect game - 12 strikes in a row - the only way to get a 290 is 11 in a row and a gutter ball. The ultimate choke job. Image being remembered for that. 🙂

Was in a bowling league with a friend.  We prebowled one week because we weren’t going to make it for league night.  Friend rolled a 300.  It counted as far as the score goes, but because we prebowled, it wasn’t an official 300.  I guess they put an asterisk on it.

Meh, whatever, he’s had a few official 300s besides the asterisked one.

[Stormin]

On 1/31/2026 at 9:47 AM, tiger2022 said:

This guy has softball player written all over him

Looks can be deceiving

[Screwball]

1 hour ago, casimir said:

Was in a bowling league with a friend.  We prebowled one week because we weren’t going to make it for league night.  Friend rolled a 300.  It counted as far as the score goes, but because we prebowled, it wasn’t an official 300.  I guess they put an asterisk on it.

Meh, whatever, he’s had a few official 300s besides the asterisked one.

That sucks. I don't know how it works today, or even 20 years ago, but when you threw a 300 the city association officers would be called and they would verify the lanes. By verify I mean, check them to see if they were legal as far as the oil pattern goes. If they give the game their blessing the info would be sent to the ABC (American Bowling Congress) and they would issue a prize to the bowler who shot the 300.

That's how it worked years ago. I'm not sure the ABC is even still the sanctioning body today. Since you guys weren't in the league at the time of the score, he probably got credit for the record, but no prize from the ABC. Only guessing, been out of it for a long time.

Back in the 70s and 80s when 300's weren't shot as often as they are now, you would get a prize of your choice. Many took a ring. It was gold with a diamond set in a ruby. It had your name and date inside the band. They were worth a decent amount of money at one time. I know a guy who had one appraised at over $700 bucks. This would have been back in the early 80s. Since then, and because it is so much easier today, they only give out much lesser prizes. Maybe just a patch.

Funny, I just read a while ago: A 10 year old kid shot 244-248-276 for the huge 768 series today in the USBC Youth Scratch Tournament. That's nuts! Nothing against the kid, he's probably really really good. But it seems awfully easy.

 

[gehringer_2]

11 minutes ago, Screwball said:

Back in the 70s and 80s when 300's weren't shot as often as they are now,

this. With the lane maintenance being all mechanized, controllable, reproducible, high scores are more common. Plus customized drillings etc. I have a younger cousin married to pretty athletic guy who loves to bowl and golf and he's rolled multiple 300s. When we where growing up everybody's parents were in leagues and we never heard of anyone bowling a perfect game.

Edited 8 hours ago by gehringer_2