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TV Day
 

Norm Duke Mark Scroggins Art Brown Ken Muscato
Game 1 Game 2

Championship

No matter what happens today this will always be a memorable day for these 4 lucky participants. They may not want to be considered lucky but anybody who has followed the Masters tournament realizes, there is a lot of things that have to go your way in getting to the show of this special format and competition environment. The right pairing, the right lane, the right cross, then they get to start bowling and we all know how fortunate you have to be in our beloved sport. The Masters tournament has a history of lucky and unlucky breaks for most anybody who has ever made match play. This years Masters tournament adds another element into the luck category. The four bowlers will be competing on different lanes, using a different lane machine, and a different conditioning technology. Don't forget they will be using the one game step ladder finals which has always been a crap shoot in its own. The winner of this tournament must have his stars aligned, his lucky socks (or underwear), and wake up on the right (correct) side of the bed. Sorry I used a reference to which side of the bed you wake up on. That seems to be a sensitive issue this week. The fact is The USBC Masters Tournament is a very special tournament and the one left holding the trophy at the end of the week has to feel like they are on cloud nine. The one thing I feel every year we compete in the Masters is a roller coaster of emotions.

First, 5 game rounds seem too short, Second A squad almost always seems to get the shaft, Then after waiting 3 days to bowl 15 games your whole week can be turned upside down in just three short games and it doesn't matter if you beat 62 of the 64 other bowlers your only concern is the guy on your pair. I am OK with the match-play portion (I think match-play is the most exciting part of bowling) but those three games sure go by awful fast after it taking three days to get there. Then you start to look at the bracket structure and see how tough it is if you get stuck in the losers bracket very early. I really feel bad for those that seem to come out on the short end of the stick in this tournament. As the week goes along and we get deeper into the match-play brackets my emotions begin to shift back and forth, those that loose out are really beat. Not from the number of games but from the pure stress and anxiety of the tournament format. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow seems so close but if you forgot your lucky socks or draw an opponent who did wake up on the correct side of the bed the reward for your effort does not match the emotional drain and stress you feel when you fall off the rainbow. I feel for those that slip but as my focus narrows on those that remain my emotions really peak by the time we get to the show.

That is where we are at right now. Sunday morning... the pot of gold is only a couple blocks away as we have moved to downtown Milwaukee where the 4 most fortunate bowlers of the season will meet and try to be the one who rides his rainbow all the way to end. All 4 of these bowlers can see the pot... $100,000 just waiting to be handed over to the luckiest, most fortunate leprechaun of the year. And that is in no way a hint at who I think is the favorite.

 

 

Game 1   Art Brown vs Ken Muscato    
         
Art Brown       Ken Muscato
1      
2      
3      
4      
5      
6      
7      
8      
9      
10     201
     

Art is on Ebonite's amateur staff. He is left handed. I have watched Art at this tournament for several years and have always been impressed with his arm-swing. It is a little quicker and not as loose as I remember it from previous years but it is the strength of his game. The addition of the quicker more power oriented swing adds some striking ability to his game and may give him the advantage if the three lefties breakdown their side of the lane in a blended fashion.
Ken Muscato is an ex-touring players who is now on Columbia's amateur staff. His game is based on his speed/rev ratio and angles. He has the right ratio to match up his angles this week. I have watched him make some very good shots in clutch situations this week. So in trying to pick a favorite in the match I will go with Ken only because I expect the result to come down to the 10th frame. If Art's look is as special as it could be it might be over before the 10th. I really like this Art kids game and seems real cool but I would like his chances better if he had been in this situation more often.

Art used an Overdrive most of the week and a One part of the time in match-play

Ken used and Action every time I watched him. He may have used something else but I didn't see it.

After the match
I was surprised at Ken's ball selection. It really struggled through the pins. He must have gotten caught up in transition. Brown's ball reaction showed some of the same characteristics just on the opposite end. Obviously the players were seeing transition that they were not comfortable with. The missed spare proved to be the down fall for Ken. This is not uncommon when the lanes have not settled down yet. I asked each bowler if we would see them again and both replied that they would be at the Open. Art from Lansing Michigan said he would be at the Grand Rapids TQR. He also added that he has desires to be on tour so we may get to see much more of him. He is a very talented player.
1      
2      
3      
4      
5      
6      
7      
8      
9      
10     180
     

 

 

 

Game 2   Art Brown vs Mike Scroggins    
         
Art Brown       Mike Scroggins
1      
2      
3      
4      
5      
6      
7      
8   X 163
9 7 / 182
10 9 / 202
  X  

Mike Scroggins is an exempt player on the PBA Tour. He has had several opportunities at the big one and will be given another chance. Mike has had a great look all week as evidenced by his qualifying and match-play performance. Mike has been using a Brunswick Strike Zone for most of the week. He did use a Vapor Zone at crucial times this week that paid off for him and during one of the qualifying rounds he used a Storm Trifecta, but the the go to ball this week has definitely been the Strike Zone. Mike will usually play the same part of the lane and use balls and hand positions to make it look right to him. I really like his demeanor on and off the lanes. Very polite and laid back in his approach to the sport. His strengths are his speed/rev ratio and angles. They are a very good match this week and with his tour experiences and 29 regional titles he has been in this situation many times. Look for his shots to drift in and firm when he is feeling the pressure. The key for Mike will be in staying up with the breakdown. I am not confident that the ball he used all week will match up to three lefties using surface in the same par of the lane. I have altered surfaces and drilled up a couple balls to deal with the issue, but usually I find most bowlers are reluctant to go away from what they used most of the week in this situation. I will focus on talking about the lane and how I see it transitioning and leave the ball choice to Mike. After all it is his rainbow.

After the Match
Mike was very comfortable with his game plan. Art appeared to be waiting on lane transition to catch up with what he wanted to do. I am not totally sure what that was but we were glad to see him move in a little so the inside part of the area would blend out in case Mike needed to move in. We were most concerned about transition becoming wet/dry. The left lane seemed to be the lane that confused Art the most. I missed the frame Mike made his ball change but his read must have been correct considering the look he had at the end of the game.
1   X 20
2   / 40
3   X 60
4   / 80
5   X 100
6   / 120
7   X 150
8   X 180
9   X 210
10 X X 240
  X  

 

 

 

 

 

Game 3   Mike Scroggins vs Norm Duke    
         
Mike Scroggins       Norm Duke
1 9 / 20
2   X 50
3   X 80
4   X 110
5   X 140
6   X 170
7   X 198
8   X 217
9 8 1 226
10 9 / 245
  9  

Scrogs using a Strike Zone. Mike switched to the same layout with a different surface. (light shine)

 

 

 

 

 Norm Duke has been the most impressive bowler up to this point. I am the most confused by why he seemed to be making a ball change for the show. I saw Norm use an Elite Alien almost all week and for the show he drilled up several Storm balls. Norm has been using Storm equipment much of the year so he has some history with them. If I know Norm like I think I do he will make a decision come practice time that will be based on his look. I don't see him abandoning his look for the week but realizing the environment is different he may just be looking for different options. This will be an interesting situation to watch.

Scrogs leaves a weak 7 in the first

Duke leaves  weak 10 in the first

Duke flat strike in the second

Scrogs flush in the second (Rt)

Scrogs flush in the third (left)

Duke weak 10 in the third

Duke flush in the 4th

Scrogs flush in the 4th

Scrogs flush in the 5th

Duke leaves a light 7 in the 5th

Duke leaves a weak 8 in the 6th

Scrogs flush in the 6th

Scrogs flush in the 7th

Duke light strike in the 7th

Duke light strike in the 8th

Scrogs flush in the 8th

Scrogs high 7-10 in the 9th

Duke light strike in the 9th

Duke doubles in the 10th and throws it down the middle on the fill ball forcing Mike to mark in the 10th

Scrogs leaves the six pin and converts the easy spare for his third PBA title and his first major.

A two year exemption goes along with the 100,000 payday.

After the Match
I always feel bad for a player when they are put out in the Masters tournament but when they go down in the title match and that is their first loss of the week, I feel especially bad.

Norm bowled great all week and deserves a lot of credit for what he accomplished this week.

Mike was as confident as I have ever seen him on TV. He had a solid game plan and stuck with it.

My only question I had was Norm's ball selection, which I am not sure what the story is but that is not for me to be concerned with. I am sure Norm knows what he was doing. Norm did not use the ball he used during the week, and appeared very comfortable with his decision to use something else. It is difficult to bowl so well all week and then switch for the TV show. There are many things to consider and the fact that the bowlers were in a totally different environment could have played into the equation.

Norm had used Elite's Alien ball during the week and switched to a couple Storm balls for the show. A ball change late in the game was too late to overcome the start Mike put on him.

 
1 9 / 20
2   X 40
3 9 / 60
4   X 80
5 9 / 99
6 9 / 119
7   X 149
8   X 179
9   X 209
10 X X 238
  9  

Duke using a Paradigm

Duke switched to the Diablo in the 7th.