Product Specialists

PBA Tour 

Pro Staff

Ball Talk

News
Top  

Home

    
   
 

 
 
 

Outside
Insiders

Round of 8
Click on category of interest to view details

 


Best Match in the Round of 8
 

Highest avg.
in the round of 8
 

Highest avg. loser
in the round of 8
 

Lowest scoring match in the Round of 8
 

Sweeps
 


Matches with Brunswick balls being used
in the round of 8
 

  
Company vs Same Company matches in the round of 8
 

lower seed victories
 

Hand vs Hand
 

7 Game Matches
 

 

  
     
 

 

  
 

Insider Information from the Round of 8 with Rick Benoit

Qualifying Position Round of 32 Round of 16 Round of 8 TV
 
 

Header

Round
of
8

TV

Staff

Balls Used

 

Balls Used

Staff

TV

Round
of
8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17 vs 9

17

Ebonite

  

 

 

Storm

15

15 vs 23

match link

    

 

 

     

match link

       

 

       

       

 

 

      

                 

5 vs 29

29

Storm

 

 

 

Brunswick

11

11 vs 30

match link

      

 

 

    

match link

     

 

 

 

      

       

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

match 1

 
15 Ryan Shafer Storm Staff  
  vs.    
23 Norm Duke Non-Staff  
  Balls Used Comments
     
1    
2    
3    
4    
5    
6    
7    
ttl    
     
        I am entering comments on this match before the others because this wound up being one of the most interesting and intense matches of the year. I was at the bowl watching the other matches and was unaware of what led up to all the noise I was hearing at the end of game seven.

I was down behind the Robert Smith/Tommy Jones match. Robert had just gotten the first strike in the 10th when he needed to double to win the match. With the intensity of this match the bowlers and fans were made aware of an even more intense match on the other end of the setting when they heard Ryan Shafer let everybody know just how he felt. I will leave the quotes to someone else but he was obviously anxious to get some loving for his backside.

The fans erupted to his comments and a short verbal battle was held followed by a request for boos that was gladly honored by a large percentage of the crowd. The crowd was not the only person upset with the distraction.

After waiting for the episode to calm down. Robert had no problem is letting Ryan and others know they were not the only bowlers in the place. His intensity and emotions were peaked as well. With the next strike he makes the show, anything less and Tommy Jones has a better chance of forgetting the split in left in the 10th to give Robert this opportunity. More on the Robert Smith/Tommy Jones match later. These comments are about the Ryan Shafer/Norm Duke match.

Again we are experiencing the intensity being felt by the players that is created by the PBA match-play format. Just like everything else associated with the sport of bowling...There are opinions about whether it is fair or not. I will leave that to another discussion but the fact is everybody in the building is feeling the emotions and intensity that is a big part of big time sports. Fans and players feed off this intensity and it creates an environment that makes our sport more than a ball rolling down the lane and pins falling down. Being on both sides of the fence I feel the intensity and frustration the players are feeling but there is no doubting that the fans are getting a clearer picture as well.

Right now all I have is rumors but apparently the commotion was about coaching accusations being pointed at Ryan Shafer and Doug Kent by Norm. If it turns up different I will be sure to let you know. After Ryan going up 3-1 in the match and Norm started making his comeback largely due to lane transitions. Norm seemed much more comfortable with his look than Ryan. Norm called Doug Kent out by accusing him of giving Ryan advise. Dougy tells me that never happened, he was setting a pair over talking to fans and never aided Ryan, he had no idea what Norm was talking about. I doubt I will ever know who is right or wrong but the level of intensity shot through the roof the rest of the match. And when Ryan finished Norm off in game seven he let everybody know how he felt about the situation. 

 

match 2

29 Pete Weber Storm Staff  
  vs.    
5 Joe Ciccone Non-Staff  
  Balls Used Comments
     
1    
2    
3    
4    
5    
6    
7    
ttl    
     
        The Weber fans are growing everywhere. I seem to hear more and more fans rooting for Pete and fewer fans rooting against him. I don't want to get into a discussion of Pete just wanted to point out that his fan base seems more Pro Pete than at any other time in his career. I think it is time he create a fan club. I try not to get involved in the emotions of the tour because it will wear me out. Feeling the emotions of one player is more than enough but trying to take on the emotional circumstances of the number of players I work with would sent me straight to the nut house. When I watch bowlers I see strategy and physical execution. And not to make any of the many Pete Weber fans out there upset I have to tell you Pete is not bowling that well. I may be a little rough on Pete but my expectations of Pete are set on a pretty high level. I have always thought of him as being at a super human level. He has always been one of my favorites because he seems to be one of the greatest feel players of all times. He is less analytical than most and his feel for repetition and creativity have always been at a level I admire. But right now I seen him getting frustrated and reacting to shots that are not Pete Pure. He almost always knew when he made a bad shot and when it was something else. Right now I can say that about him. He really goes through streaks of repetition and seems more confused about what is going on than I expect him to be.

I don't want this to be all about Pete because Joe is starting to show the experience and confidence he needs to get to the next level. I see the ball clearing Joe's hand very well and his angles and ball choices match up better than ever. These choices are what is making Joe more competitive every week. Was this a match that is showing a changing of the guard?

Pete won the match but the inside information doesn't have Pete at the top of his game. Don't put your house on him yet.

match 3

9 Robert Smith Storm Staff  
  vs.    
17 Tommy Jones Ebonite Staff  
  Balls Used Comments
     
1    
2    
3    
4    
5    
6    
7    
ttl    
     
        I love watching these two bowlers but for different reasons. I am always impressed with Robert's power and interested in his progress as a bowler. And Tommy is one of my favorites purely because of his demeanor and feel. The ability to compete at this level is not just about revolutions and repetition. You have to be able to understand and follow transition. Right now nobody on tour seems to be doing this better than Tommy. Robert has the ability to overpower lanes and bowlers and his carry is just amazing. He is always a threat based on this. This matchup will be one to watch for years to come and when I watch them I think about what this matchup will look like in 10 years. This match went to game seven and after Tommy split in the 10th Robert had a chance to win the match with a double in the 10th.

After getting the first hit. Robert had to control himself after being effected by the commotion of the Ryan Shafer and Norm Duke match. When you watch Robert you can feel his emotion and intensity. You can see him trying to collect himself when he begins to pace the bowlers area scratching his head. You know he is oblivious to his surroundings. His focus is on the next shot and controlling his emotions. Robert is very entertaining to watch because you can feel his emotions. And after calming himself down and making a very confident shot it was very easy to feel his emotion as he stood standing at the foul line staring at the 4 pin that will keep him off this weeks show.

 

match 4

11 Brad Angelo Brunswick Staff  
  vs.    
30 Jason Couch Ebonite Staff  
  Balls Used Comments
     
1    
2    
3    
4    
5    
6    
7    
ttl    
     
        This was the only match in the Round of 8 that didn't go seven matches. In fact they could have called this the Round of 7 because Jason had no chance in this match. It was quite obvious he was not comfortable with his look. Was it the pair? Was it the fact that both of his earlier matches were against left handers that effected transition differently? The obvious fact is that Jason's ball reaction confused everybody that was watching as much as it did him. This proved to be a cake walk for Brad who decided to experiment with a couple different layouts with the Rampage he has been using much of the week.

The match ended up being a sweep victory for Brad.