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TV Day
 

Mika Koivuniemi Patrick Allen Tom Baker Mike Scroggins
Game 1 Game 2

Championship

 

Game 1   Mika Koivuniemi vs Patrick Allen    
         
Mika Koivuniemi       Patrick Allen
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We felt very comfortable going into this TV show. Mika doesn't have to worry about the heads breaking down very much. The front part of the lane broke down very fast this week and dealing with this is one of Mika's strengths. His transition was the same in every match this week. He would start with the BVP Goliath because it allowed him to smooth out the back-ends on the fresh so he could attack the lane straighter. Once the oil got down the lane he switched to an Ultimate Inferno and used it until the heads broke down and began to effect his carry. At that time he would switch to the Zone Classic. As good a look as he had he didn't have to go to it very often. Nothing on the show surprised us as the lanes played a little tighter but not much different. We also knew that it would not take long to break down. Everything seemed fine except that Mika thought he could get through game one with the Goliath. I was not as confident that would be the case but I always tell the player to go with their gut instinct. It looked like Mika would be right as he has proven me wrong many times. But unfortunately this was not one of them. The Goliath was the wrong ball to use. I understand how this happens because I have seen it so many times before. The amount of time the players have to practice on the TV pair before the show is just enough to have the lanes going through some pretty serious transition periods on the show, especially in game one. The ball that strikes near the end of practice is quite often the wrong ball. You have to decide which way to go from there. Patrick didn't have a very good look in practice and was very busy trying to get as many shots as he could to get a part of the lane blown open so he would have some friction to throw at. I left the TV pair with a lot less confidence than I had when we got there.
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Game 2   Tom Baker vs Mike Scroggins    
         
bowler 1       bowler 2
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This match was a little different than the first match as Tom was seeing the two lanes differently. He felt the right lane was hooking a lot earlier than the left lane. That is how sensitive the tour conditions can be to ball roll. Tom's ball roll is more sensitive to the friction in the  front part of the lane than Mika's. Because the lanes played a little tighter down lane Tom would have to monitor his speed to make sure his ball didn't hydro plane down lane. During the week Tom used a combination of Vapor Zones. The one he started with on the show is the one he used against Brian Voss. It makes a stronger move off of the dry than the lower pin Vapor. You could probably tell the lanes were breaking down quickly for Tom. He did well in keeping up with the transition. The gifts that Mike gave him certainly didn't hurt but I thought Tom did a pretty good job of following the breakdown transition. The fact that the lanes were tighter down lane forcing Tom to use slower speed made the breakdown in the front of the lane even more obvious. Had he used a firmer speed the ball would have gone all over the place down lane. At the end of the game I could see the friction in the front part of the right lane was forcing him a little deep with more head belly than what the pattern and Tom's game calls for.

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I don't have a picture of Mike's ball as it was not a ball he had used during the week. Maybe I can get it when I get to Albany

You can see the balls Mike used during the week in The Mechanicsburg Photos Page

 

 

 

 

 

Game 3   Patrick Allen vs Tom Baker    
         
bowler 1       bowler 2
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During practice it was apparent that Patrick's best lane was the right lane and Tom's was the left lane. The reaction Tom had at the end of his first match had me run to the locker room and bring down old faithful. The Intense Inferno is Tom's favorite ball and once there is enough friction to use it he can get real comfortable. After finishing his first game off with the string of strikes he was a little hesitant to switch. Hard to blame him. I also have to give him credit for making the chance early in the game. The show this week is a good example of how quickly and where the lanes break down on the tour. The front of the lanes transitioned very fast and can be very confusing. For whatever reason the front of the lane transitioned quicker on the right side of the lane. Tom and Mika worked together during practice to break down the same area and Tom did a pretty good job of following the breakdown. Had a couple of the breaks gone his way and not Patrick's the result could have been different. I have to say at the end of this tournament, I try and evaluate my performance and learn from everything I can. The one thing that stands in my mind is in preparing Mika for his match. No disrespect to Patrick but the title match should have been between Mika and Tom had I done a better job with Mika.
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