Author Topic: R.I.P. PBA - You Have Become A Complete Joke (Read 9713 times)

Necromancer · « **on:** December 03, 2008, 04:48:12 AM »

Ok, I have had about enough of the PBA this season. It is clearly going completely the wrong way in everyway. Before flaming me and saying FIGJAM and whatever or 'stop watching then' or 'stfu moron' or 'you suck', read on because I know everyone with any type of brain or history of bowling has the same feelings.

Where to begin? So many complaints and BS!!!

1. Ok Denny dropped them and they got Lumber Liquidators to sponsor them. (this is the least of their problems LOL)

2. They grant Jason Belmonte a 2 tournament exemption from the Commissioner. Just ask the other bowlers on tour and in TQR's how they feel to understand this issue. International reasons my azz!

3. Ultimate Scoring championship. Total disaster. Nothing was ultimate on the telecast and only set back bowling overall in the public eye. Nice going PBA planners!

4. Not only that, they release the results on PBA.com and then expect people to watch the following Sunday a taped show where every interested bowling fan already knows what happens?

5. Exempt Tour

6. Stupid 5 Christmas Tree Oil Patterns that are all derivatives of the Christmas Tree Pattern

7. Stupid fines for balking!

and now (drum-roll) as it only gets worse!!>......

8. Robert Mushtare, the self-proclaimed king of 900 series! He gets a free ride to this week's tournament and embarrasses himself and the PBA with a dazzling 179 average and only 1 200 game! For someone that bowls 900's in his sleep, he can only manage 1 on the Tour's EASIEST PATTERN. Yeah I SAID EASY because it is nothing more than a harder THS. And Easy in that it isn't hard to bowl 200. Yet Mr. 900 can only bowl 1 200 game out of 7 tries.

157 2
183 3
169 4
182 5
148 6
194 7
220
Total
1253

Nice going PBA! Good to hype him up. It is like hyping up Lebron from HS only to see he can't even dunk on an NBA rim.

PBA you are running out of lives. Let's only hope you can somehow show a legit Plastic Ball Tournament later this season like you all say you are.

My name is Necromancer and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

--------------------
Current Arsenal Gallery
H: Brunswick Fury, Columbia 300 EPX T1
M-H: Storm Shift Gravity, Hammer Black Widow
M: Storm X-Factor Vertigo, Lane #1 Cobalt Bomb Solid
M-L: Storm Recharge, Brunswick Quantum Helix, Brunswick Quantum Double Helix, Columbia 300 SuperBeast
L: Storm Hit Blue Pearl, Brunswick Target Spare Zone, Ebonite 14 Fun Ball

2008-09 Year 215.000
2008 Tourney 178.750
2006-07 Year 213.067
2007 Tourney 178.029

2006-07 League Champions
2007-08 League Champions
2008-09 Three-Peat???

Hall of Fame BR Member Since: April 3, 2001
6''0" and ~210lbs @10% BF

sdbowler · « **Reply #31 on:** December 03, 2008, 03:52:31 PM »

I think we all can agree the PBA is in trouble. There are as many ideas of how to fix the PBA is there is of us. Guess what though the PBA is not really going to listen to us.
Necro as far as the oil patterns go they always tweak them. I am not for sure about this year but in the past I believe they had 3-5 variations of each pattern. This way they could change it up a bit and adjust it to each center. I personally think the different patterns are great. Yeah the top bowlers will learn to adjust and score and win on every pattern. There are going to be patterns that suit the crankers and then patterns that suit the down and in players. It's called a game of adjustments for a reason. You always have to adjust. Do you have to adjust on your league shot? I know I always had to. Many of nights I had to start right 5 boards then move left or I would have to start way left and keep moving left.
As far as the fines yeah they suck but they are limited on time. With that I understand why they have them. They need to keep the show going and have them bowling.
As far as Mushtare not qualifying out of the TQR at least he tried. I give him credit for that. I woule LOVE to be able to afford to try once even though I know I would get my butt handed to me BIG time.
I think it is time you get off your hate of the PBA. It is getting a little old. It seems like every week we have to hear you complain and complain about the PBA.
--------------------
Kyle

mainzer · « **Reply #32 on:** December 03, 2008, 07:39:23 PM »

the ultimate hypocrite is tourney average is less than what Mustares was today.

Necro is one of the guys that give bowling a bad name.

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''Use your aggressive feelings boy, let the hate Flow through you.'' Emperor Palpatine

MainzerPower

strikecing · « **Reply #33 on:** December 03, 2008, 07:52:33 PM »

I realy havent minded the PBA this year. Realy like the different tournements. Looking forward to Plastic ball tournment and Marathon.
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Raceway Lanes FOREVER!!! ROYAL PIN YOUR WHATS WRONG IN INDY!!!!

Necromancer · « **Reply #34 on:** December 03, 2008, 08:50:14 PM »

quote:
The PBA is limited to what it can do financially. Even the NHL has had to rely on Versus for coverage. Versus has less exposure than ESPN. Remember, 30% or so of Americans do not have cable or satellite television. More have the internet than cable and satellite television.

The other problem is the USBC not encouraging bowling having a better reputation. As long as Jim Rome with his audience numbers has more viewers than the PBA, the PBA is in trouble.

There will always be professional bowling. Look at SASBA. That group has the biggest names in bowling involved. A friend of mine has 9 titles and $55,000 in earnings. SASBA has as many, if not more participation than the Senior PBA.

I think what may be happening is the PBA is trying too hard. With animal named patterns, novelty tournaments, exempt field, brackets rather than a 5 man stepladder, skills challenge etc... it is not what bowling was ever meant to be.

If they went back to the open field and five man stepladder, things would be different. Whatever happened to the beer companies? Coca Cola? You mean those companies have no money to increase prize funds and make the tour actually a way of making a good living?

I am amazed that professional bowling 50 years later still has people working a regular job because they could not make a living on the tour.

I bet there are 100's of people who could win on the tour every week, but less than $100,000 a year in winnings is not worth it. After expenses of $30,000+ is it really worth it?

Do the math. After 28 years on the tour, Walter Ray has made about what a manager for a company has made in that same time frame not including (before this crisis) stock options, bonuses etc...

You bowl the PBA tour for the prestige of winning titles, not money. And now a days, the prestige is lost on most Americans. Most Americans do not even know the PBA exists.

American Society has adopted bowling as a recreation, not a sport. Its time we lived with that. If it were different, Walter Ray would have won 40 million instead of 4 million.
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"No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." Jim Morrison 1968

Agreed with it all. However, to support you case, I don't believe WRW would of won all those titles. He would of won a lot but not all of them. I have always believed there is raw rare talent in local tournaments that no one knows about. But these people have families, better jobs, and just don't have the time to travel around the country making $1000-2000 a week and maybe if luck falls their way $10k-$20k for a win. I think the best of the best left bowling in the 90's when the top prizes stopped being $100K. Just look on youtube for Robert Smith when he was 18 in 1992 in the Masters tournament. At 18 he was in the final four competing for $250,000. Now that is some crazy money!
--------------------
Current Arsenal Gallery
H: Brunswick Fury, Columbia 300 EPX T1
M-H: Storm Shift Gravity, Hammer Black Widow
M: Storm X-Factor Vertigo, Lane #1 Cobalt Bomb Solid
M-L: Storm Recharge, Brunswick Quantum Helix, Brunswick Quantum Double Helix, Columbia 300 SuperBeast
L: Storm Hit Blue Pearl, Brunswick Target Spare Zone, Ebonite 14 Fun Ball

2008-09 Year 215.000
2008 Tourney 178.750
2006-07 Year 213.067
2007 Tourney 178.029

2006-07 League Champions
2007-08 League Champions
2008-09 Three-Peat???

Hall of Fame BR Member Since: April 3, 2001
6'0" and ~210lbs @10% BF

laneman · « **Reply #35 on:** December 03, 2008, 09:01:34 PM »

quote:
quote:
Yeah I know it is tough. But I believe to really gauge the best of the best you need to put everyone on a level playing field. I like it because it is flat from gutter to gutter so that gives no real advantage to those that play outside or inside. Precision is #1 on that shot which is what bowling should be about all along. Those 5 patterns some high person thought of for the PBA are worthless IMO. WRW has proved that over his career on those redundant patterns. Like I said before, I would like to see 4 patterns:

-Flat US Open Pattern
-Christmas Tree
-Reverse Block
-THS

With those 4 you get everything everyone fan wants. The current 5 animal patterns are all basically 1 pattern if you break it down to basics.

What, no Top Hat?

The PBA has not been the same since ABC dropped its coverage about a decade ago or so.

It was on TV on Saturdays at 3:00 PM, right before the wildly popular Wide World of Sports, and, thus, had a tremendous, loyal fan base.

The commentators, Chris Schenkel and Bo Burton made a great combo, it was always a 5-man stepladder, and, yes, if someone was on a streak of strikes there would be NO commercial break until the streak finished (and if someone happened to toss a perfecto, they got a $100,000.00 bonus, not the paltry $10,000.00 amount awarded nowadays).

As for the patterns back then, they changed constantlyâ€”sometimes the shot was playing the gutter, sometimes you had to be around the 15th board, and sometimes you had to play the middle of the lane, on tough professional-type conditions (there weren't any named patterns, but the PBA has always tweaked its patternsâ€”this in not a recent phenomenon, as some young bowlers happen to think).

Bowling has not been the same since its unceremonious drop from the national "free" TV exposure on a major network channel, which, consequently has turned the PBA head-honchos into fits of frenzy in order to figure out what to do to keep the professionals' "league" going, which ain't no easy task, as we're seeing.

--------------------
Regards,
BowlingWolf

We have a winner.
Does the PBA think it has a chance to compete with the NFL that is on during the same time period?

Edited on 12/3/2008 10:03 PM

Rick Wunder · « **Reply #36 on:** December 04, 2008, 10:01:14 AM »

All you guys who mourn the passing of the "glory days" of the PBA on ABC seem to conveniently forget a few things.

ABC would let play continue through commercials, "due to time constraints." We the viewers would get a quick recap of the frames bowled during the commercials.

If the tournament was not over at 4:30, their coverage would end, so that they could go to Wide World of Sports. The viewers would miss the last few frames of the championship match.

Nelson Burton Jr. used to "slam" league bowlers, as well, and still does. Both he and Randy are merely pointing out some of the big differences between the top professional players and the average league players. I see this as trying to educate the casual viewer, not "slam" the league bowlers. Methinks that some league bowlers are a bit too sensitive.

With respect to the PBA competing for viewers with the NFL - No, the PBA doesn't think they can compete with the NFL, but they have no choice. They get the time slot that ESPN gives them. BTW, as has been mentioned in the past, one of the reasons that ESPN puts the PBA up against the NFL is that they feel that the PBA has the best chance of some of its other offerings to get reasonable ratings in that time slot.
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RW (THB)

Rick Wunder · « **Reply #37 on:** December 04, 2008, 10:25:33 AM »

Regarding the OP's point #8 . . .

I believe the PBA is taking the opportunity, once again, to highlight the difference between the top professionals and those who might be perceived as being at that level.

There are many on this site who attack Robert Mushtare, and many others who defend him.

Here are the facts:

- This kid submitted a prebowled 900 series to the USBC for certification. His league didn't have their paperwork in order, so the USBC rejected it.

- Not deterred by this minor setback, Mushtare effectively said "Take that!" when submitting another prebowled 900 series for certification. Then, just for good measure, he submitted yet another. He further claimed to have shot two more in practice. All of this took place over a two month (give or take) period of time.

The fact is that the kid got our attention and his fifteen minutes of fame. However, such fame has a price. In this case, it placed Mushtare in the spotlight. He is no longer able to go on with his bowling career anonymously. Every time he enters any tournament that gets any kind of media coverage, he is going to be scrutinized.
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RW (THB)

joe 26 · « **Reply #38 on:** December 04, 2008, 10:40:20 AM »

quote:

Another problem is the way the oil reacts to different surfaces and houses. Its never gonna be the same even if the pattern was identical. So, when the scorpion was lit up by the pros and in the TQR at Vernon Hills, it just gave them a "look" that was phenominal and the carry at that house is fantastic. Lots of little things play into oil patterns not just the PBA tweaking them.

+1
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VT bowling
"I'm the only thing I'm afraid of."

BowlingWolf · « **Reply #39 on:** December 04, 2008, 11:35:15 AM »

Rick Wunder,

I was not lamenting the passing of the PBAâ€™s glory days on ABC network just for the heck of it. I was merely mentioning that bowling exposure back then was at an all-time high, due to obvious logistical advantages brought about by the day and time slots, and that bowling has been in a tailspin ever since.

Was the telecast without faults? They certainly were not!

You are correct about play continuing during commercials, although quite often they would show replays of the shots that had been thrown when coverage cut back in.

At times, I also was not too crazy about Bo Burton (specifically for the reason you mention), but he was often kept in check by the always classy Chris Shenkel, and he could be relied on to make some very astute observations on form and physical play mechanics, and I would also look forward to his decent weekly bowling â€œtipsâ€.

I hear ya in respect to the sensitivity of the league viewers when Randy Petersen renders unflattering comments on air, but, I must say, he does it too often and takes it a bit too farâ€”his attitude is patronizing and elitist.

As for Robert Mushtareâ€”very well said.

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Regards,
BowlingWolf

Scolai · « **Reply #40 on:** December 04, 2008, 11:50:17 AM »

The 5 named patterns involve more than meets the eye. It might have changed recently, but the last time I checked there were 3 variations of each pattern - A, B, and C - each with a different volume of oil. So bowlers could be bowling on Shark-C one week with a ton of oil and Shark-A another week with a bit less oil put down the same way.

Regarding ABC coverage, I always thought Bo Burton was an idiot. "Well, Chris. When one round object hits another round object, blah, blah, blah..." No, that's not a decent explanation for why someone leaves a stone-10. Also, his bowling tips always started with, "As we get older..." Well, I was getting older, but I wasn't John Handegard or Dick Weber - I was a 20-year-old who wanted meaningful tips that didn't include using a wrist brace or drilling a 3rd finger hole for better grip.

Now, if you could take the availability of the ABC telecasts and couple it with the commentary of Denny Schreiner & Mike Durbin, then you'd be on to something good.
--------------------
ScolaÃ

)O(

"Get all the fools on your side, and you can be elected to anything." ~Frank Dane

Weighting On 40 - Weight Loss for the Thirty-something Crowd

Mike300856 · « **Reply #41 on:** December 04, 2008, 11:59:47 AM »

Can they stop playing that damn music between balls now? That is the worst thing the PBA has done. Are we at a stadium or are we bowling. Come on.....

Necromancer · « **Reply #42 on:** December 04, 2008, 01:09:10 PM »

quote:
Can they stop playing that damn music between balls now? That is the worst thing the PBA has done. Are we at a stadium or are we bowling. Come on.....

That was one of my ideas hey! I would go one step farther and give each bowler their own theme song and when they did something good or when the match was shifting momentum, it would turn on quickly. The way they do it now, you really can't hear what the song is. Like imagine if WRW had Hogan's theme song and everytime he struck like 2 or 3 in a row, it would go "I'mmmmm A Real Americannnnnn!" Or have like someone use Terminator theme for someone big like Robert Smith. Or just have a catch phrase they play over the speaker. Man so many ideas!

--------------------
Current Arsenal Gallery
H: Brunswick Fury, Columbia 300 EPX T1
M-H: Storm Shift Gravity, Hammer Black Widow
M: Storm X-Factor Vertigo, Lane #1 Cobalt Bomb Solid
M-L: Storm Recharge, Brunswick Quantum Helix, Brunswick Quantum Double Helix, Columbia 300 SuperBeast
L: Storm Hit Blue Pearl, Brunswick Target Spare Zone, Ebonite 14 Fun Ball

2008-09 Year 215.000
2008 Tourney 178.750
2006-07 Year 213.067
2007 Tourney 178.029

2006-07 League Champions
2007-08 League Champions
2008-09 Three-Peat???

Hall of Fame BR Member Since: April 3, 2001
6'0" and ~210lbs @10% BF

J_w73 · « **Reply #43 on:** December 04, 2008, 02:38:43 PM »

quote:
Can they stop playing that damn music between balls now? That is the worst thing the PBA has done. Are we at a stadium or are we bowling. Come on.....

I agree.. but its not the music that bothers me ..it is how they are doing it.. it isn't even mic'd right for tv.. if that is what they are wanting..
do it one way or another.. make it a pure bowling competition and appeal to real bowlers... give me the technical data.. show me the oil patterns.. show me what balls, layouts and why..(heck they don't even show what ball people are using half the time)..

. or jazz and cheese it up and appeal to the common tv viewer.
If they cheese it up.. I'' still watch and other real bowlers will still watch just for the bowling.. but just b*tch about it..

I like the ideas you have above there.... not for a true bowling purist but to attract viewers and something different..

Don't tell me that you don't like watching bowlers running out shots, pumping their fist and yelling "Yeah Baby!!"

Edited on 12/4/2008 3:40 PM

Edited on 12/4/2008 3:44 PM

Edited on 12/4/2008 3:45 PM

BowlingWolf · « **Reply #44 on:** December 04, 2008, 05:06:37 PM »

Scolai,

quote:
Regarding ABC coverage, I always thought Bo Burton was an idiot. "Well, Chris. When one round object hits another round object, blah, blah, blah..." No, that's not a decent explanation for why someone leaves a stone-10. Also, his bowling tips always started with, "As we get older..." Well, I was getting older, but I wasn't John Handegard or Dick Weber - I was a 20-year-old who wanted meaningful tips that didn't include using a wrist brace or drilling a 3rd finger hole for better grip.

Your statement above serves to underscore the fact that bowling knowledge (information, education) for the most part was either not readily available or understood (even by most of the pros), and was mostly kept secret by those in the know, except for such bowling sages as Tom Kouros and John Jowdy, who were proudly writing technical manuscripts for those wanting to learn the complexities of our great game.

Even though there have been a few bowling magazines available for a few decades now, only the die-hard serious bowlers were buying them. However, over the last decade, with the rapid proliferation of the Internet and its profound effect on many facets of life, bowling education is finally enjoying proper dissemination, which is a good thing for the modern bowler seeking advice on improving his or her game.

Now if only there can be more programs devised and implemented to attract and hook (pardon the pun) more bowlers, particularly youngsters (which are the lifeblood of any sport wanting to stay alive and well), which will help preserve our game into the futureâ€”this, however, is the challenge that lies ahead of us, and requires serious sacrifice and dedication from those that want to ensure bowlingâ€™s perpetuity.

--------------------
Regards,
BowlingWolf

Edited on 12/4/2008 6:07 PM

cheech · « **Reply #45 on:** December 04, 2008, 09:52:21 PM »

idk if this has been said cuzi didnt read the whole thread but.....

i can see why walter ray is doing so well this year because i can play up 5 or there abouts and rip racks on scorpion, shark and chameleon all with the same ball (blue vibe). i may have to adjust speed or tilt or surface but the shot is always up around 5 for me at least.
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HG:300x2(SR300 both)289(sawblade)280(SR300)
HS:792(SR300)778(SR300)778(SR300/Dr.Jekyll)
2004 NYSPHSAA team champions
2007 NYSPHSAA individual high game(300) and series(1411-6 games)
arsenal: rival arch rival dead flush blue vibe scout SR300 plastic
on the way maybe the sauce or momentum swing.
sacred heart university bowling, frosh. 67th in average 12th for rookies
ave:202.3 sport 218 THS
p.s. go leftys

Author Topic: R.I.P. PBA - You Have Become A Complete Joke (Read 9713 times)

Necromancer

R.I.P. PBA - You Have Become A Complete Joke

sdbowler

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mainzer

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strikecing

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Necromancer

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laneman

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Rick Wunder

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Rick Wunder

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joe 26

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BowlingWolf

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Scolai

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Mike300856

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Necromancer

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J_w73

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BowlingWolf

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cheech

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