Jeff struggled early in matches. but feels the
TV pair is tighter
30
1
20
playing further in than he did during the week.
Said the left lane felt too tight
Strike
Trip 4 forward
60
2
39
Strike
89
3
59
Strike Trip 4 sideways
109
4
79
Strike
129
5
98
Strike Flush
149
6
118
167
7
147
Flush
Open
176
8
167
Flush
Flush
196
9
187
10
Flush
10
Flush
215
10
217
Flush
Walter started much further left than
everybody thought he would. He had been playing up the edge
during match-play and had a great look. Jeff was concerned the
fresh would be a problem since he had struggled on the fresh all
week. TV light and heat do strange things. Jeff looked to have
the better carry as Walters ball could flat 10 on almost every
shot. The right lane looked to be the challenge for Jeff. He
tripped the 4 pin on his first two shots but I did not like the
way the ball read the friction. It looked too quick which is why
the ball stood up on the first two shots. They may have struck
but when you see a ball react that quick to the dry you better
be ready for something bad to happen, because it is not going to
be far behind.
Walter did was he does so often. He adapts his speed and angles
better than any player on tour. That includes Norm Duke. Walter
dialed in for the 10th frame and flushed all three forcing Jeff
to get the first hit in the 10th. I didn't like the way the ball
cleared Jeff's thumb even though he did hit his target.
Exciting match to start the TV show and as expected carry down
was the key transition to deal with.
This is Walter's ball he used it in both matches. Walter's PAP
is 6 1/4 inches over so the pin to PAP looks to be somewhere
around 4 inches. Notice the secondary pin, it is also in a
fairly strong position. This is all indications of a lot of
flare which will create a very stable roll. This is very
beneficial when trying to shut down your angles and the feel of
hold.
Jeff used a ball he did not use during the week. I took pictures
of the balls he used during the week but failed to get a picture
of the ball he used. He must have seen something different for
him to be using something different. I can fault somebody who
starts with the front 4 but I didn't like the way the ball read
the lane. Too quick to the dry for me.
Eugene got to the show because he has tricks
others do not.
1
I was surprised to see Mika hooking it so much.
Heck he only had 4 shots to decide.
Eugene would be able to create hold and hit
because of his speed and revs
2
Mika could have played a couple angles, and he
did hook it during the week.
Eugene was also a little deeper than I expected
but I think Walter set the stage
3
Mika was having problems with his footing. The
approaches were very slick.
When bowling Eugene he is very emotional and
streaky. It can go either way
4
Mika's ball reaction was awesome. The approaches
got to him
Eugene is not a bad spare shooter so this was a
gift
5
When the ball gets of Mika's hand right it looks
great.
I was hoping for carry to be the problem for
Eugene. I knew how much hold
6
I liked the hold better than the swing but Mika
made the swing look good
he had. Eugene will miss hit it because of his
excessive speed. I was just waiting
7
Wow is this Twisted going to be a good ball.
Yippee! Not magic just great
I know of no other player who can do what Eugene
does. He is truely extreme
8
Mika worked hard in the off season and be
prepared to see much of Mika this year
prove to the fans you are are not a bad spare
shooter. He did
9
Same problem 3 times in one game. Not typical of
Mika. Footwork is a key for Mika
energized by Mika's miscues Eugene does what he is
suppose to do
10
Dang it is all you can say in a one game match. Then
come back fighting
10
246
10
221
Eugene is a very unique player and can
create things other players can not. He thinks different and
bowls different. That is not a bad thing when you have
something that others do not understand. Mika was having
problems with the approaches. He found them to be very
slippery. Watch Mika's release and you will see how crucial
his slide is. He is still sliding during the release and
footing is very important. The release problems you saw from
Mika are directly related to how unstable he felt at the
point of release. He was trying to catch it and his feet
were on ice.
You won't see Mika make this many bad shots in one game
unless something is wrong. He knows he had great ball
reaction and this one got away from him. Keep in mind he
only had a couple shots on the show pair before the match
began. Getting use to the approaches can be just as
important as getting use to ball reaction.
You simply can not over react or get too upset over the crap
shoot environment of one game matches on TV. One of these
days I plan on seeing it done right. Tape the real
tournament...tape the highlights and excitement then
just show the last hour and a half live. That is what I want
to see. Nothing against the winner or loser but every week I
feel we crown the fortunate one...the winner of the bonus
round. Show up Sunday and spin the wheel. It goes both ways
you win some and you lose some.
Do the best you can and get ready to fight again.
Wow I can not find a picture of the ball Mika used.
It was a Twisted Fury with a pin at 5 inches from his PAP
(below his fingers) The secondary pin was 55 degrees in
relationship to his PAP and there is a weight hole on his
axis point.
I will be sure to get another picture of the ball, I must
have deleted it somehow.
Same thing as the first game. The ball just did
not hit.
19
1
I am thinking that if there was ever a time for
Eugene to shine this was it
If you don't put Walter out early you are liable
to pay in the end
39
2
just another 90 mile and hour fast ball that
still hooks amazing
grind baby grind
68
3
can't get em all but if this one didn't go
through the nose nothing will.
88
4
Walter threw the 5 in front of the 7 or he would
have been the first to leave the 5-7
108
5
I can sense it happening. He can't slow it down
it will hook.
Better speed control than Eugene will prove to
be key in the match
128
6
The front to back is about to make him change
angles. Which way will he go?
Every player on the show was beatable today...
148
7
this is where Eugene has go to get better. Too
many years out here to not know
...but somebody was going to win who better when
it counts than WRW
177
8
10pin / 4 pin trap. You saw it with Missy but
she is young
Walter was probably expecting much higher scores
197
9
It isn't fate...and the frustration is real but
it was predictable.
Walter picked up the 10 pin and must have gotten a 7
count
10
Eugene bowled out I did not see it. I think he got 8 but
it did not matter
somebody told me he split I think it was the 4-7-10
10
I don't even know what his final score was but the shots
in the 10th meant 0
214
10
This was an real opportunity for Eugene
because this is the type of environment that he can separate
himself from the field. No bowler on this planet can do the
things Eugene can do...If so I have not seen him yet. Eugene is
all about speed and revs. Lots of people can throw it that hard.
lots of people can rev it up. but nobody does both the way
Eugene does. If they did they wouldn't be able to last as long
as Eugene has. The body just does not take to those forces very
well.
I would never have thought 214 would win the title match. Given
time to have a complete match on the TV pair and the scores
would have been much higher from all the competitors you saw on
TV. It was simply that the show pair was different and the
players did not have enough time to adjust to them. The show
schedule did not allow for it. I loved the Women's Series being
a part of the show but it took away from an already cramped time
frame.
I think the PBA and USBC are on to something with the shared
environment but there are details to be worked out.
This match was pretty much determined during
the 4 practice shots. The lanes were drier than anticipated and
Missy did not have good options. She took three balls over to
the TV pair. A dull Twisted Fury, A polished Sidewinder that has
confidence in (it falls in the category of ole faithfull) and a
Blast Zone. The Blast Zone was in between as far as surface is
concerned but leans towards more surface than less.
Carolyn had similar choices except she had a Blast Zone with
less surface than Missy had. Both girls threw their Twisted
Fury's but there was too much surface on them and no time to
change it. Another time crunch issue. Next time I will be
prepared towards too little surface because it is easier to add
surface if you need it than to take it off. I wasn't surprised
by this but both girls liked the look they had with their
Twisted Fury's as they were and I did not want to alter balls
they liked already.
One shot with Twisted and Carolyn went to the Blast Zone and it
looked great for the next three practice shots. She was set.
Missy had the same look with her Twisted and went to "ole
faithfull" (the Sidewinder) I had talked to her about the
Sidewinder before we went to the TV pair and told her I did not
think it would match up well in the show environment because of
the additional carry-down associated with a TV show. To be
honest I could have done a better job with the girls but the
time crunch got me. I had just come off the pair after Mika's
match and it was time to get the girls match started. I will
learn from the experience and move on. But believe me I was a
little disappointed in my performance. I could have made the
Twisted Fury's look better for them and a I could have done a
better job of surface prep for Missy. I had already gone over
Carolyn's first thing in the morning before anybody got there.
Here are pictures of the balls the girls used
Carolyn's Blast Zone
