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TV Day
 

Mika Koivnuniemi Ritchie Allen Brian Himmler Tim Criss
Game 1 Game 2

Championship

 

Game 1   Mika Koivuniemi vs Ritchie Allen    
         
Mika       Ritchie
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Mika's Ball

The lanes were very similar to what they had been during the week. Both bowlers were able to use the same strategy they had used all week. Both bowlers used balls they had used during the week. With 4 bowlers practicing on the pair the transition was going to be the biggest factor. We did not want to throw a lot of shots because we knew how quickly the middle part of the lane broke down. It didn't look like anybody was in a real hurry to get a lot of shots in and nobody looked confused. Both lanes started out very close.

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Ritchie's Ball

 

 

 

Game 2   Tim Criss vs Brian Himmler    
         
Tim       Brian
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Tim's Ball

Tim and Brian played deeper and that was no surprise. Brian was using a ball that was prepared to play the hold. Tim was able to create recovery because of his natural game and find hold with angle. Because the lanes wanted to hook stronger down lane he was forced deeper to create the hold he was looking for. As soon as one bowler started getting deeper it has a tremendous effect on the other bowlers. This week the front and middle was not stable enough to stay there it would be necessary to follow the field. Chief has proven to be a natural match up on this pattern. His natural game makes people think the lane is giving him the room you are seeing him have on the lane. Believe me it is not the lane it is him. It wasn't the ball and it wasn't the lane it was Chief being Chief. He drives bowlers nuts trying to get the same look he has. His swing plane, hand, and last but not least what appears to be at line adjustments is what is creating the look you see Chief have in this environment. The truth is his mistakes match up. And it is not a mistake when it strikes. It is your natural game. Chief is a great instinct player that is very confident in this environment.

Tim Criss bowled well and was able to take advantage of his favorite pattern. His speed/rev ratio is a perfect match for this pattern as long as the front and middle are not too tight. 

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Brian's Ball

 

 

 

 

 

Game 3   Mika Koivuniem vs Brian Himmler    
         
Mika       Brian
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Mika's Ball

 First of all I want to congratulate both Brian and Mika for getting to the Championship game. This is especially gratifying for Mika because it proves how much more versatile he has become. He is getting to the show when he is not on his bread and butter shot. The better you get the more show's you make even when it isn't "Your" shot. In time you start getting people questioning your decisions about strategy. Had Mika played his so called "A" game I doubt you would have even seen him on the show. So when you start making judgments you better understand this is professional bowling against the best in the world on much more unstable conditions than you can imagine until you have been there.

Mika is a threat to win every week now and everybody is aware of that.

Some have questioned Mika's decision to hook the ball versus going straight. I understand those questions since they are so use to seeing Mika play the lanes straighter. It may be hard to understand if you don't have the experience so I will try and explain Mika's decision. The Shark pattern is best defined by the bowlers break-point. The length of the pattern is 43 feet. Because of that the field usually decides to bring their break-point closer to the pocket. The next consideration always has to be transition. You have to be prepared for what ever is going to happen. First we look for a shim (something to yank it into) if the yank is very obvious the field will usually start in the 15 to 10 zone. If the yank is not obvious the bowlers will use the length of the pattern and angle to create the hold they are looking for. This is where you have to understand the field. In this case 4 bowlers. Mika can go straighter than the others on the TV show so we wanted to see if there was something special a little further right than the others. It was playable but the uniqueness about this week was how quickly the middle part of the lane broke down. No matter where you chose to play the lane was going to see very quick transition. As long as the pattern was the oil played very thin in the front and middle. Typically you could only get about three shots in before you had to make a move. The number and style of bowlers determines where the bowlers attacked the lanes. In this case the 4 bowlers moved the pattern deeper. Fewer bowlers or different styles of bowlers and Mika would have chosen to be further right. The reason he was hooking it was the hold was not obvious enough to play yank. The ability to create a couple boards right of his target was the reason he bowled so well all week. The fact that the other bowlers were going to attack the lane from further left did not allow Mika to stay further right. The front and middle part of the lane were not stable enough to stay there. Had Mika tried to stay further right he would of had multiple holes in the middle of strikes. As quickly as the lanes transitioned you had to guess ahead of time. If you didn't move about every 3rd or 4th frame the ball would jump right through the nose on what felt like a great shot. Move too quick and the length of the pattern had bowlers fearing the right. The show was actually an easier transition that most of the week because the hook was more obvious. Allowing the bowler to use the hook for mistake room to the right and angle to create hold. A bowlers ball choice assisted those decisions. Mika had a couple options. He had a similar look to what he had all week with the ball he used all week and he had an Absolute that he could have used but had not used all week. The absolute would have allowed Mika to not cover as many boards but in a one game match do you go away from a ball you used all week or stick with what got you there? That is the bowlers decision. Had the Absolute jumped out and made Mika go wow I am sure he would have used it. But he had a good look with the ball he used all week. Would you change? Probably not. For those that think Mika would have been better off going straight. I think Mika can shoot 210 either way the choice to play further left was based on how quickly the middle part of the lane broke down and had he played further right he would have dealt with the same type of transition and with the number and style of bowlers on the show he would have had to use a different ball than he had used all week, the ball he had used all week would have not carried through the amount of friction generated by the field. Mika saw and understood the lane very well. He knew his options and was very confident he could beat anybody on the show. Had the breaks gone differently Mika could have easily won. Things happen very fast on TV and you have to live with your decisions during and after. Don't make the mistake of thinking you understand how the lanes play until you have been there. It is amazing how quickly they change on tour especially on TV. If the Strike Zone Mika was using ever looked like it wasn't going to hit, he was prepared to jump out of the Strike Zone and use the Absolute. The 8 shots he had before the Championship match looked just as good as it did in his first match. Would you change?

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Chief's Ball