Bowling Philosophy-February 2010

Walter Ray wasn't the only winner this week...

PBA, USBC: A 'Master'ful Job

by Tommy Scherrer

In certain circumstances, you can understand why the sport of bowling is not at tip of everyone's collective social tongues. It is almost akin to the old story of the tree falling in the woods but nobody was around to see it. Loosely translated: did that mean it actually happened? The USBC Masters did happen this past week and it happened not just in Reno, Nevada or on ESPN Sunday afternoon (while NASCAR was looking around for some glue and spray paint that was a deplorable exhibition of its marquee event, the Daytona 500)...it happened the entire week on PBA.com's Xtra Frame. If you were one of the near 30,000 people who clicked on to its free preview week, you saw an entire event unfold right in front of you. If you were a bowling fan and had some free time this past week, then you should have viewed Xtra Frame as well as tip your cap to professional bowling's major governing bodies for allowing this to happen. They struck a figurative oil well worth of tremendous action for 5 full days, leading up to Sunday's telecast.

For one of the few times in your bowling lifetime, you were there to see it actually happen from start to finish.

It was, pardon the usage of words...'Master'ful.

And to think, it almost crashed out Monday night with an odd server issue, killing the PBA's free preview of the event. Fans got to see all the qualifying blocks, including a one game roll-off between George Lambert IV and Danny Miyamoto to decide who was the last man into the casher's round block (pressure defined at its absolute highest for bowlers: win or go home without a dime for your efforts); they also got the Masters great and unique double elimination brackets, with 3 game total pinfall determining the winners of each match. They also witnessed the beauty that was Chris Barnes, rallying from 52 pins down against reigning Player of the Year Wes Malott, and cementing it with a perfect 300 game in the final game. You also saw Barnes tear up Walter Ray Williams Jr. in the final match Friday night to give Barnes the top seed for Sunday's stepladder finals. All the matches in the end, meant something to all the players: win and make the show; lose and be a spectator to a major championship final.

Fans also got to hear some sensational feedback from Mike Jakubowski and Jeff Mark, as well as drop-ins from PBA stars such as Sean Rash, Timmy Mack, Parker Bohn III, and Mike Fagan throughout the telecast of Xtra Frame. After all, who better to get a temperature of what is going on in the tournament than the best bowlers on the planet who were bowling in it? Plus, Laneside and Bowling Doctor (Jakubowski and Mark's nicknames) answering fans questions on their Facebook page about the tournament format, the lane conditions, ball selection of the pros, layouts, ect. You name it...they talked about it. They practically gushed over Barnes' remarkable rally against Malott (and rightfully so-this was a major championship tournament and a 300 game to win your match, that says how good Barnes actually is) and how Barnes is truly the best player on the planet when he does not have to bowl just one game. We all know it, but Sundays do not give us at home or those that watch sparingly, an honest reflection of the player Christopher Barnes is but Friday night, he showed us why he is the game's alpha dog.

As for Barnes not winning the tournament, there is no great shame in losing to only the best right handed bowler of this generation and arguably all generations in Mr. Deadeye Williams, and when he pours a 290 at you in the title match, what can you say or do? Very little...'Master'ful job Walter Ray all throughout match play and the TV finals to win major number 8.

Full marks all around PBA and USBC...let's hope that in two weeks time the BPAA, who runs the US Open in conjunction with the PBA, will talk this over and come to some sort of deal where we can see this type of action again, free of charge. Yes, it might be greedy and part selfish of fans to ask for another free preview but this is bowling's most prestigious major championship. Wouldn't it be great once again to witness every game in some capacity? Time for people to start seeing some trees fall.