Cold Weather & Sore Thumbs

If you live in an area that sees a lot of fluctuation in temperature as the seasons change it is likely that you will experience a change in how your ball fits your hand. In colder weather our fingers get a bit thinner and when it is warmer they expand. I luckily do not experience much change in my finger tips, but I do see and feel a change in my thumb.

A few weeks ago the Pittsburgh area finally realized that it was autumn and that it had some catching up to, dropping from days in the 70s to days in the 40s and nights in the 30s. With that drastic temperature change came a quick change in my thumb size. It also just so happened that this change occurred when I had to use a ball I don't often throw and so I was a little slow to pick up on what was happening. The ball was coming off my hand early and so I subconsciously began to squeeze it during my follow through, which resulted in this:

That is a blister that developed from the friction of squeezing the ball for three games. It stings, but doesn't hurt, and usually heals up enough in 7 days that some New Skin can be applied pain-free. In about 10 days it is completely gone. If you ever develop something like this check your fit because you are most likely squeezing the ball.

An easy fix here is to apply a piece or two of tape in your thumb hole. Always be sure to place the tape in the back of the hole instead of the front to avoid altering the span. Another quick trick if you don't have any tape is to blow into the hole before inserting your thumb. The little bit of moisture provided by blowing into the ball will cause your thumb to grip the inside of the hole without you having to squeeze the ball.

Off the record, or as off the record as I can be on a blog, alcohol consumption could help as well. As you may have noticed, drinking alcohol gives you a warm fuzzy feeling because it dilates the capillaries and brings more blood to your skin. This also has the effect, along with the added liquid, of swelling your fingers and thumb. Short of having your ball plugged and redrilled every time you need to change your fit, though, this is one of the more expensive options available.

A Lost Bowling Blogger and Blue Oil

Last week I was shocked to learn that Matt over at Bowling Roller Coaster decided to pack it in after a few great years of updates. Matt was one of the first people to read this blog and offer comments and I enjoyed reading about his bowling journey. Matt, I hope you are still reading and I wish you all the best. I'll be keeping Bowling Roller Coast in the blog roll and I hope some day it will be reactivated.

Now, onto some happier bowling news: blue oil! I was actually thinking about the possibility of visible oil patterns earlier last week before the announcement that the WSOB would be using blue oil for its televised finals and was shocked to see it had come to fruition in less than a week's time (you're welcome!). The visible oil will allow television viewers the opportunity to see how a sport pattern looks and breaks down throughout a PBA stepladder final. Of course some are already complaining that visible oil patterns are the end of bowling as we know it by taking one big variable out of the equation and letting the bowlers actually see the transition. I think it is the exact opposite. This is the PBA's way of telling the couch-riding bowlers at home who think they could do better to shut up.

photo from 11thframe.com

If all goes well, though, I see a great future for visible oil. Whereas the PBA is using the blue oil as a way to emphasize difficulty, I see this invention as a teaching tool. All junior leagues should utilize the blue oil as a way for youth bowlers to learn how a typical house pattern looks and breaks down and how these changes affect their balls' reaction. While the colored oil is not good at showing the amount of oil in each area, it will still give newcomers one less thing to try to understand when learning about patterns. This philosophy could also apply to Sport leagues, perhaps by using blue oil the first week a new pattern is used.

One of the great difficulties of bowling is that we don't see the variables that effect each throw. Imagine golfing on a course where all 18 holes are in the exact same place, but the trees, sand traps and water hazards are invisible and move around each shot. This new oil will let bowlers and non-bowlers better understand the changes that take place during a game and, perhaps, give us all a greater appreciation for how we read and adjust to these changes when we can't see them.

Keep Calm and Keep Bowling

On a whim this week I decided to check out the US Open standings. I was pleased to see that a former teammate and competitor from my junior days, Jacqui Reese, was competing. I was even more pleased to see that coming into Friday's match play she was tied for seventh, four spots away from making her first television appearance. After dominating the Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley women's bowling scene for about eight years it is great to see her excel at the highest level.

It was really a pleasure to watch Jacqui's junior career and if you were smart enough to really pay attention you could really learn a lot from how she approached the game. We were in the same Saturday morning and summer doubles league for a few years and I was lucky enough to bowl on her team for the junior team tournament back in 2002/2003. You could never tell how well Jacqui was bowling just by looking at her. Some bowlers wear their performance like a mask: if they are doing well they are all smiles, but if they are doing poorly they look angry or defeated. Jacqui had one look while she was bowling: determined. After every shot you could tell that she was analyzing what she just did and thinking about the next throw. It was very methodical, professional even, and it is the epitome of how a good bowler should concentrate on their game.

It took a long time for this lesson to sink in for me. When I was doing bad I felt even worse. I'd get mad. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't make adjustments. The whole outing was a bust. I spent a little over two years away from bowling when I started college and when I came back I had a new attitude. I decided to take the Jacqui approach, at least for the most part. I refuse to let my performance get me so upset that I can't concentrate or make adjustments. I've said many times that every game, every outing, is a learning experience and you need to seize that lesson as it is happening rather than reflecting on a poor night of bowling once it is over. A bad week at league can stick with you the rest of the day, which is why leagues take place at night (this is contrary to the popular belief that we bowl at night so we can work during the day), but while you are in the moment keep your calm, remember what you know about how to adjust, and keep trying until you find what works.

I can't argue with the results. I averaged somewhere in the 181 range when I finished juniors. Once I made an effort to keep my composure I jumped into the 190s and have been on a steady increase ever since.

So good luck through the rest of the tournament, Jacqui, and thanks for being a great role model.

Keep calm and keep bowling.

An Open Letter to the Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits

Dear LaMarr Woodley and the Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits,

I think you know why I'm writing you this letter. Your "performance" in the inaugural season of the PBA League has been abysmal. I know the team has no chance of getting to the step-ladders in the 2013 season, but that doesn't mean you can't start building for 2014.

Look at that fearsome bunny!

While I appreciate that the Jack Rabbits have taken on a novel international approach, I think more needs to be done. This team is not going to be a fan favorite with outings like you've had to date, so let me offer a few suggestions to help you make a significant contribution to this new league.

1) Pick Up a Free Agent

Clearly the bowlers on this team are not working out. I think it is time to put someone on waivers and pick up a free agent who is not already affiliated with a team.  There are a lot of great bowlers out there who are itching for some more time on the lanes and possible television experience.

Better yet, take some house league bowler or a rookie PBAer and give him a chance to impress everyone. It would make for a great story and get more fans interested in the league and the team. (My weekends in 2014 are wide open, by the way)

2) Engage Your City

I know these guys are busy traveling the country for tournaments, but during the off season I think it would be great if a few of you would come out to Pittsburgh for a meet and greet or bowling event. LaMarr, aren't you affiliated with some big sports team here in Pittsburgh? Invite your team to a Steelers game and let them see how big of a sports town this really is. If the team has a sense of pride in the city they represent they might subconsciously put forth a better effort.

Going back to point number 1, why not pick up a local bowler. Trade for Michael Machuga, he's a western Pennsylvania guy. But I know there are also other PBAers from the area that would embrace the opportunity.

Also, Pittsburgh as a whole does not seem to be a big bowling city. Lets get the team involved in promoting our sport to the local youth and teach them the values of bowling. It has exercise, teamwork, sportsmanship and it is a lot of fun. Don't miss a great opportunity to do some big things here in western Pennsylvania.

3) Change That Name!

Jack Rabbits. I get it, it is a popular rollercoaster at Kennywood amusement park. But have all the good names associated with Pittsburgh already been taken? Big Macs, emoticons, the polio vaccine and Mr. Yuk were invented here. Pittsburgh was the home of Andrew Carnegie, H.J. Heinz, and George Westinghouse. Hell we practically have our own language (n'at). You want a Pittsburgh name, call yourselves the Pittsburgh Yinzers.

If the team doesn't improve you'll be known as another famous Pittsburgh area rollercoaster, West View Park's the Dips.

Osku. LaMarr. Get it together, ok. For the good of the team, the league, and the city of Pittsburgh.

Sincerely,

Zach from Bowling in the Burgh

Week 14 Recap/Rant

Game 1: 178
Game 2: 213
Game 3: 216
Series: 607
Week Avg: 202
Season Avg: 194

I'm going to forego my usual in depth recap because I have a bone to pick with the bowling center that hosts my league. I had another decent night with no glaring problems. I struck the first five in a row the last game, but then started coming in high and lost the ability to strike. Over the last four weeks I've averaged 207 in league play, so I'm pretty happy with my performance.

So on to the rant . . .

I have previously discussed some issues I had with our bowling center, Paradise Island Bowl. During week 6 they placed a group with three small children on the lane right next to our's. On previous occasions they have turned away league bowlers from pre-bowling, even though the entire 32 lane center was empty, because they were expecting birthday parties and open bowling an hour later.

This week we were bowling on lanes 1 and 2, which are the closest to the doors, bar, and the first to be oiled. Lane 1 is also right against the wall, making it difficult for left handed bowlers and righties shooting at the 10-pin. This pair of lanes is notorious for having a sticky approach and every week during practice someone has to get an employee to come down and clean it.

Monday night was no exception. My first practice ball is always off-speed, basically just one big stretching exercise, but I was even more cautious being the first person to throw on lane 2. On my fourth step I expected to slide at least a little bit, but my left foot stuck fast to the approach and I went down hard on my right knee. It was pretty similar to the fall I had three years ago, which resulted in a bruised knee and a bulging disc in my back that took 6 months and physical therapy to heal.

Well by the end of the night I had a lump on my knee the diameter of the thumb hole on my bowling ball and it has since bruised up quite nicely. Since Thursday I started having sciatic nerve pain in my right leg and some stiffness in my lower back. I've started doing my physical therapy stretches and hopefully the pain will subside quickly. I can live with the knee bruise.

So why is my fall the center's problem? Firstly, they have failed to address a chronic problem that affects league bowlers on a certain pair of lanes. If you have to clean the approach every week, interrupting practice to do so (and not providing additional practice time to make up for it, might I add), then a light bulb should go off that says "Hey, maybe we are doing something wrong here!" I don't whether they are making a mess when preparing the oil machine or what, but they need to reevaluate their procedures.

I understand that everyone in the league has to bowl on this pair at some point so it evens out in the end, but the point is we shouldn't have to deal with it. I am probably the youngest person in the league at 27, so imagine what could happen if one of the older bowlers, some of which are in their 70s, fell down instead of me.

Also, since the center clearly has no problem with putting open bowling directly next to league bowlers, why not bump our league down one pair to the right so that A) we don't have to deal with a wall right next to one of the lanes and B) we don't have to deal with the sticky approach. Let the open bowlers, many of whom probably don't slide when bowling anyway, cope with the glue trap they call an approach.

Their lack of response is just further proof that leagues do not matter to many bowling centers. Leagues are just a way for centers to make money during their slow time during the week, i.e. weekdays and weeknights.  Once the weekend rolls around its all about parties and groups open bowling. Even during league play they shoehorn open bowling onto every last lane in the center. Bowling centers have embraced their roll as a place where people go to enjoy an activity and shunned their intended use as a place where people who are serious about their sport come together to improve their skills.  I guess I can't blame them, they have a business to run, but they aren't doing the sport of bowling any favors.

Maybe its just where I bowl. I go to this center out of convenience, not because I particularly enjoy it there. All of the best bowlers in the area throw at two other centers, which are twice as far from my house, so this is the best option for me, particularly in the winter.

Does anybody else have this problem? Am I too pessimistic?

End rant.

The Sandbagger Prevention League

There has been a lot of talk in the bowling blogosphere (yes, one actually exists) recently about whether handicap leagues are ruining the sport, specifically by serving as an invitation for better bowlers to partake in sandbagging. Sandbagging is when a bowler purposefully bowls below their ability early in the season to establish a lower average, and thus higher handicap, in that league. At a certain point in the season or against particularly good opponents, that bowler will then begin to bowl to the best of their ability to create extraordinarily high games, when combined with their handicap, and collect wins; however, since their average had initially been so low, it will take longer for the sandbagger’s average to reach anywhere close to their actual ability.

So how can bowling as a sport discourage sandbagging? Do away with handicap leagues and force all bowlers to get better? Banish those caught sandbagging from sanctioned leagues? Place a limit on the amount of pins one bowler is permitted in handicap? I am interested in hearing any and all ideas, and here’s why:

I'd like to conduct an experiment. I want to create a league in which we can test the various proposals to discourage sandbagging, but I’ll need your help. I am looking for bowlers willing to submit scores from one of their leagues each week as a contribution to the Sandbagger Prevention League (SPL). The SPL will be comprised of all readers that wish to volunteer, ideally an odd number of at least 7 real bowlers, as well as a fake bowler, Sam Sandbagger. Each week you would be matched up head to head with a different bowler in the league. If I cannot find enough people and someone bowls in multiple leagues I can use your scores from each league, but you will have to bowl against yourself some weeks (did I just blow your mind?). Most often you are bowling against a real person, but occasionally you will be matched up against Sam Sandbagger. Sam will start the season off bowling below his usual average (I will choose this average once I have a list of averages for all participants), but as the league goes on Sam will bowl better. Sam will also bowl over average when he is competing against members with higher averages. I will determine Sam’s scores for the week based on his opponent’s average before receiving the scores of his opponent, so you will have the same chance of defeating Sam as you would if he were actually bowling with you. Bowlers will receive one point for each game they win against that week’s opponent and earn two points by having the higher series.

The SPL will simultaneously run in varying formats. Each week I will calculate the standings as a scratch league, 100% handicap league, 80% handicap league and any possible solutions to solving the sandbagger phenomenon that we can think of, such as dividing the league into two divisions based on average and resetting the divisions at the halfway point. That means that a different bowler could win the league in each format tested. Once the league is over, I will analyze each format to see what type of impact they had on Sam Sandbagger, how competitive they were, and whether or not actual bowling ability is reflected in the final standings. The end goal is to identify a league format that is competitive and rewards good bowling without discouraging newcomers to the game.

So all I need now are a few volunteers and ideas on how we can eliminate the sandbagger from league bowling. Who wants to join the revolution?