Who knew that there was so much beach front in Green Bay.....
This is my first article in over a year. I guess you can say I was trying to stay out of the limelight. Maybe I was trying to see if some of the bowlers I mentioned below would wake up and quit sandbagging so much. But obviously that wasn't the case because things haven't changed that much. So I decided to stick my neck out on the line, again. Why because somebody has to do it. Somebody has to wake up these people because their brains continue to not function in an appropriate matter. If I have to be the bad guy to point out the stupidity and to help change that bowlers should think, so be it.
The reason things aren't what they used to be, (and I'm not only talking about bowling I'm talking about anything) is because people show a lack of integrity.....In other words they don't care.... because I see it everyday. If people would give a crap about things, things would be better. Unfortunately in the bowling world, all people involved within this so called sport hasn't figured out this concept yet.....Now on to the real story.
Yes it's Willow Creek time........a prime tournament for sandbaggers to go lay out on the beach and soak up all that sun that Green Bay has to offer....Lol... Now here's a story for you..... Our two teams were bowling the tournament on lanes 5-6, I noticed some of the bowlers talking about the team next to us bowling really well. Someone out of the blue says " hey you need to re-rate that kid". Come to find out this young man who bowls collegiately who just shot 230 and 240 the first two games went into the tournament at 186. So bowlers were complaining about it because the guy loaded up in all the brackets (handicapped and scratch). So the tournament director decided about half-way through the third game he was to be re-rated to his previous years USBC's youth average in the 220's. Of course when everyone was done bowling there was an argument about the situation between some of the bowlers and the staff......but what I noticed is that the bowler in question never complained or made his case. In fact during the second game he said that his average dropped considerably from the prior year because the center where he bowls at the college is really tough and that is why his average dropped nearly 40 pins. He seemed like a nice kid but did he do the proper thing. Did the tournament director really have the right to re-rate him during competition, especially when he was almost done..... Sound like we have a room full of dum-dum's.......Lol
This is what should of been done by both parties. First off the bowler should of come forth and honestly told the honest truth of why his average dropped so much.....The guy bowled this tournament earlier posting a 660 scratch score on a very difficult pattern....but obviously not as difficult as what he currently is bowling on at school.....Lol... One of the bowlers on the team said they called up earlier to point out this unique situation of which this bowler was in. But was told by some lady that it was O.K. to use his lower and current average. Here is where the mistake occurred. Why call days before you bowl, why not say something during check in about it. First off, you will be getting a proper response to begin with instead of a lady you talked to over the phone.....who knows she could be any employee working there. Secondly, the bowler just needs to confess that he is much better than his 186 average and to be honest here, all bowlers know about how good they are. If they don't they are stupid....Lol... The bowler knows he is better than 186, just say it, chances are they will re-rate you to something more towards the middle, but instead the bowler got re-rated back to his prior years average. But I do need to say something else......I believe that the bowler should of not been re-rated after he bowled two games because all re-rates should be done prior to bowling.
This is why the sport of bowling is so screwed up with the lack of integrity with bowlers and tournament officials. Maybe some of it was a lack of common sense, but because of MONEY, and the chance of winning a good portion of it bowling a tournament like the Willow Creek Classic, gives the reason for a bowler to do it unfairly. It also makes a tournament unfairly when your tournament manager doesn't re-rate a bowler simply because they bowl the tournament often and supports the center greatly with his or hers presence. There are so many others who do this very thing and gets away with it just because the bowling center knows its a good chunk of money coming in via food, beverage and brackets. In fact it is my opinion that this is as bad as a bowler trying to abuse the already flawed system like the one mentioned above.
Even a week earlier it happened, and as of now it has caused a friendship to vanish I guess....who knows......just because I honestly had to say the truth and say it is wrong for some of his good friends to be abusing the system in the same way as the guy above was. Oh well!!!!!! I guess that saying is true.... Money is the root of all evil..... And with that I guess it leads to poor judgment sometimes.....Especially when 12 pins of handicap could lead you to 300 dollars out of your own pocket..... See you next time!!!!!!
April 22, 2010
Too many stupid people out there who don't know any better, I guess?
Well it has been almost a year since I wrote an article about the most famous and former Mr. 179 bowler in the country.... I really can't write about him anymore because his average went up to the high 190's....more like the 2.....teens around here if he bowled at some centers in Wisconsin. Eventhough I can't talk about him anymore, I can still talk about some of the other problems going on around here.
One of the biggest problems in bowling continues to be the lack of a true bowling average. A bowler can average 190 in a sport certified league while averaging 225 in a house shot league. There are bowlers who bowl at easy centers and average 235 to 240. And there are bowlers who bowl at tougher scoring centers and average only 206.
There are a couple of big handicap tournaments in the state of Wisconsin that I have bowled or is bowling this year that involves handicap. I'm not a big fan of bowling handicap tournaments. For one reason, they aren't set up to be fair and secondly I never saw the point in bowling any one them in the first place.
The Wisconsin State Tournament and the Willow Creek Team Tournament is a little different, but still has it's major problems. At State, its always a crap shoot. Lanes are very high scoring and rarely if your a scratch bowler do you have basically a chance of winning an event that has handicap in it. The good thing with this tournament is that their is a scratch division but the bad thing is that the majority of the prize money is in the handicap division. So what is going to happen...
Well for several bowlers across the State of Wisconsin, they have in their minds that it would be beneficial for them to bowl in a non-sanctioned Sport leagues or a tough scoring center for the fact of keeping their average down compared to everyone else. I haven't understood why people think that way around these parts....I haven't lived here that long...maybe it is a Midwest thing... I don't know, but it doesn't make any sense and all it does is basically ruin your reputation as a bowler of any kind.
I can't blame this sort of action just on the bowler. The tournament director and USBC are as much to blame in this. But a high level scratch bowler who bowls at least a dozen tournaments a year should have the common sense to go into a tournament with a proper average.....shouldn't they....unless they feel that the extra money won is more satisfaction then their stellar reputation.
Two changes in this tournament can help the problem....One is changing the handicap by lowering what the average is based on. Currently it is based on 90% of 225. By lowering it to 215 it will make those bowlers who cheat the current system less noticeable. The second change which most people wouldn't like is to have the tournament bowl on a sport pattern. Either one of these changes would make things much fairer while bowling this tournament. Obviously the people who run this tournament don't have a clue who everyone is or their ability to know who is getting a distinct advantage before even bowling. Maybe someone that knows the bowlers or even cares about integrity within the sport should take over and run this tournament correctly. It gets old when people constantly complain after the fact when a bowler who averaged 229, 4 or 5 years ago in league and go into a tournament at 206 and shoots 2200+ scratch and gets away with it. Or another guy who averages only 210 who bowls about every scratch tournament possible with great success. Entering these tournaments like this only makes you look bad....and I'm sure that you are nice guys behind that low average of yours.
What even astounds me even more is that I heard a PBA Regional player trying to do the right thing with his 208 average and asked to be re-rated. He bowled in one of these type leagues with tougher patterns. The tournament official said that he couldn't raise his average because of that. Fact, any bowler can enter with any average in a tournament as long as it's higher than their established average. Because in some case bowlers don't know their exact average when entering a tournament, so it's better to put something down that is a little bit higher then it is. So you don't break any rules. This bowler tried to do the right thing and the stupidity of the tournament official wouldn't allow him to do it......go figure
The Willow Creek tournament is much better because for one they put a more demanding condition out and its 80% of 225 instead of 90%, and a sign at the check in counter which was pretty interesting to say the least. It said that if you bowl in a unsanctioned sport type league then you must use the USBC adjustment scale accordingly. (Eventhough the league isn't a sanctioned sport league through USBC). But the two guys I mentioned earlier, this category still lets them slip through the cracks. When I bowled up there last weekend I looked at last years prize list and noticed a guy who finished 22nd at this year U.S. Open be allowed to go in at 214 in the Willow Creek tournament last year. I even noticed Hall of Famers, PBA players and others who should go into the tournament scratch. There are several more out there too, it's just sad that people have the lack of common sense to do what's right.
There are two area leagues who bowl on tougher patterns that don't sanction through USBC as a sport league. One is at Classic Oak Creek Lanes called the Flat Earth Challenge. The other one is at Classic at the Falls in Menomonee Falls called the Brunswick Singles Masters. These two leagues are great leagues that test your shot making ability and I like that. But neither will sanction through USBC for various reasons. It's bad because anyone who bowls in these leagues and don't bowl in any other one during the season are getting a huge advantage when bowling any handicapped tournament. There are even leagues like this in Chicago too..... it's really unfair.
My opinion is that Sport Bowling has failed in a number of ways, people want to bowl on sport type conditions but they don't want to pay the fee to do it...($9.00) Or the centers don't want to bother with the hassle of running tapes every league night. Something needs to be done to at least get rid of the cost. We as members shouldn't have to pay another fee to USBC to bowl a sanctioned Sport league in my opinion maybe a slight increase in membership cards going to the program is a better solution with every bowler being a sanctioned sport member. Then maybe bowlers will have more incentive to bowl in them and bowling centers have more incentive to run them.
Well my first State tournament I competed in was at the age of 12, it was an unusual experience to say the least, one of the bowlers got picked up for drunk driving and had to round up money to bail him out of jail in time to bowl.....Lol. I don't think I bowled more than 5 more since I moved to Wisconsin. There was no really reason to bowl, and there was nothing to prove and no level playing field. Bowling will never be fair but you can attempt to make the game add a little more integrity to it. But it starts with people in charge that have bowling common sense and I don't see to much of it in the great State of Wisconsin.....Or Chicago for that matter.....Lol
Mr. 179 arrived in Las Vegas Friday late afternoon...... we went to the airport to pick him up..... I noticed he had a few to many on his flight down........he said he received a bunch of free drink coupons........I didn't know airlines would give you 7 of them but.... you might as well use them while you can......Lol
I was a little worried about him........yeah I've seen him in this state before and when your in Las Vegas you might as well take advantage of those free drinks.......but I knew something else was wrong.......because I know Mr. 179 pretty well. He has had a rough go.......his mother is very sick......he has been taking care of her and being away to bowl the USBC Open Championships must of been taking a toll on him......along with other personal problems to boot...... I thought the stress was about our mission with Mr. 179..... and what we were set out to prove........so I asked him.......he reassured me that he was ready to stick his neck out......to make a statement......and to prove that there is a lack of integrity within the game of bowling and the governing body....... USBC.
Now here is Mr. 179's story.......I will assure you that we aren't going to use Las Vegas's motto what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.......Lol
Mr. 179's name is Lyle Kittell he lives in the rural town of Bonners Ferry Idaho....great guy and great bowler......Lyle pretty much quit bowling for sometime mainly because there isn't really anything close worth bowling.......He wanted to get back into it this year so he decided to travel 38 miles to Troy, Montana to bowl a mixed league on Friday nights. If anyone has been to that area.......it is the most beautiful place to live....unfortunately it isn't the easiest way to get around those parts either......
Lyle missed the game of bowling and wanted to get back involved with the competitive side again........but to tell the truth..... it is hard to get fired up to bowl.......when it is virtually impossible to score....and that's what it's like bowling in the little 6 laner in Troy..... Sport patterns are easier to tell you the truth ...... it was an adventure every night for him. Lyle got frustrated so much that half way through the season he decided it wasn't worth making the drive anymore......
Lyle called me in early March and told me he was going to Las Vegas the same weekend I was bowling along with 60 plus friends from the Idaho-Montana area where I am from..... He told me the story about his low average and his scenerio.......An idea popped in my head.......and between Mr. 179 and myself we decided to come up with a plan and have a little fun........
First of all......Lyle wasn't going to enter the Classified division period.... I know how the registration department works unfortunately.....Lol...... I knew if I could create a story.....throw out some bait.........I knew I would hook em....... and that is exactly what happened......... Unfortunately sometimes you have to make people look bad to get your point across.........it is the only way to get there attention sometimes...... really I'm a nice guy......Lol....... I'm just tired of our governing body looking stupid again......so if I have to get your attention to get our point across.......we will do it....
Here is video Part 1 of Mr. 179's check in with the registration department........
I knew after throwing Mr. 179 in USBC's face for the past 2+ months they would do something stupid........And again I was right......Lol...... Surprise!!! Surprise!!!
I have to give USBC's registration and management team some props though....... and yes they must obviously read those message boards........Because they had enough time and did some extensive research on trying to find out who Mr. 179 actually was..... the only problem is ..........is that there research wasn't accurate..... Maybe I should point that out in a letter to Mr. Kevin Dornberger, Mr. Brian Lewis and new tournament manager Mr. Duane Hagen.
If you look at the video very carefully you will notice that Lyle aka " Mr. 179 " received a letter of re-rate......he was re-rated to 182.......his prior performance so they say was a 182 average based on last years tournament participation........but there is a big problem... Mr. 179 didn't bowl at last years Open Championships Tournament. So the information on the letter was false........ His last year bowled at the Open was in 2007 where that information is correct.....and his next prior year was 2004. The information I gave you on my first article was the correct stats for Mr. 179....... 54 games at an average of 194.... consequently you re-rated Mr. 179 on the basis of him bowling a whopping 182 average when he didn't even bowl in last year's event.... I thought I would first point this out and wonder why Mr. Hagen would sign a letter of re-rate that has false information on it.... and was that false information used a deciding factor of Mr. 179 being re-rated.....
In the end it really doesn't matter...... because again our intention was to take the high road in this ( a famous quote that Roger Dalkin former CEO of USBC used frequently)..... Lyle was going to request himself to be re-rated to 194.....his lifetime average at the Open Championships Tournament. In the Part 2 video....... .here is the link below ...........
The 182 re-rate was still going to allow Lyle and his partner to still be in the Classified doubles division........so we recommended Mr. 179 to be re-rated to 187.....1 pin over the Classified cut off.......and properly put Lyle in the division he belonged in. Here is some other video coverage of Mr. 179 bowling...........
In the end Mr. 179 was a little disappointed in his performance at Nationals..... his all-event total was a 1694. Which could of put him currently in a tie for 58th place in all-events. Bowling better in his opinion would of made a bigger statement......but I think we got our point across just fine...Lol
I guess some of the questions I have is why each individual bowler is treated so differently... why Mr. Tomhave slipped through the cracks with the same basic situation as Mr. 179. Yes, I do agree it is the bowlers responsibility to step up.......but in reality it isn't going to happen......I think the governing body has to step up also and make it a joint effort. They are of fault just as much.......if they put as much effort into re-rating and finding out who Mr. 179 was as they do with everyone else who has slipped through the cracks there might not be anymore problems....... but is that a realistic assumption........ your better off instituting a rule like the one I suggested below in one of my past articles.... Then Mr. Hagen would be off the hook..... the registration department along with the managers who oversee the tournament wouldn't of took the bait....... and there would of been no reason for me to make a cast off of USBC's sinking ship........ enjoy the videos.............
P.S. By the way Lyle Kittell the best 179 bowler in the country bowled a big scratch tournament this weekend on a variation of the Scorpion PBA pattern.........he finished 2nd for $1400.00........ Congratulations Mr. 179....... I wonder if Mr. Tomhave or Mr. Godden would of bowled if you still would of finished 2nd....Lol
May 6, 2009
Well I'm headed out to Vegas tomorrow and Mr. 179 should be there on Friday and when I get back home we should have some video footage of Mr. 179 in action......
I guess Media Matt won't be able to bowl against Mr. 179 while we are in Vegas.....I guess USBC put their foot down on that deal or maybe Matt was afraid to ask..... Who knows.....all I know is that all I was trying to do was prove a point........and I think I did accomplished that....but
I think Mr. 179 is getting cold feet.........he isn't a cheater by nature and he knows he is better than 179.......so if he bowls in the Classified Division and wins.....what would it prove besides unfairness within the game that the governing body refuses to fix.....In the end nothing would change.....and there is numerous reasons why. Maybe in the next and last article we can talk about those a little.......
If Mr. 179 decides to enter the Open division does it mean he is a hero......in my eyes he does......it is hard to say that about everyone else in the Classified Division who has taken advantage of a poor system set up by USBC.....and with the lack of common sense to do anything about it...... Oh well.....
With the failure of the merger and the dues increase.......it just goes to show that there are so many dumdums in the bowling world......... These two things are a necessity for USBC to survive and if they can't get them passed ........ it won't be long for USBC to be a thing of the past.......all I can say is that it is a good thing they moved to Texas......... Let the BPAA give it a shot and see if they can do better.......
If anyone thinks that a USBC sanction is too much you got to be out of your mind it's cheap...... the only thing that they do is wrong in my opinion is spending the members money on the wrong things..... but then again they have been doing that for a long time... look at all that money they wasted on forming the now defunct Bowling Inc.
For anyone who bowls in a non-sanctioned Sport type league and there is hundreds of you out there.......all I can say is that you are a dumdum ...... especially if you are looking to gain an unfair advantage by bowling tournaments. Obviously Sport Bowling is getting more popular every year......membership is up........and it would be even higher if the so called Sport condition leagues you bowl in and refuse to pay for and get sanctioned..... because of various reasons... some good and bad...... It is just too bad that a bowler would rather save a few bucks then to help out your governing body before they go bankrupt in the future.....where is your sense of pride.....geez.....
But then again if USBC can't make common sense decisions regarding this problem then I can't blame all the bowlers who do this.......It's too bad they won't do anything about it except for asking your 2 million plus members for more money because they need it to operate.......but don't have enough time in the day to fix an integrity issue with the Open Championship Tournament.....somehow this doesn't make sense....Lol
For all those people who on a weekly basis who continue to fight for fairness in the game by notifying the USBC of people trying to gain an unfair advantage why waste your time.....obviously they don't care.....and anyways USBC has more important things to worry about........For one they are hoping to stay afloat....... Mr. 179 and I will see you in a couple of weeks...............
April 21, 2009
A little common sense could go a long way.......don't you think...... Maybe that is what Mr. 179 is trying to accomplish here.................
Does anyone remember that guy Robert Mushtare who bowled all of those 900 series in league.....all of them by pre-bowling them........ Here is an interesting article I found on the internet...... http://www.robertmushtarethegreat.com/facts.php
After this on going investigation on whether Robert did this feat in a legit matter, USBC later banned pre-bowled honor scores on being recognized......No more awards if you achieve them during pre-bowls. I wonder why they did such a thing........ Was it because USBC was embarrassed about the whole situation because they assumed this unbelievable feat by a young kid accomplished 3 times in less than 4 months was a hoax. He also has said he bowled 2 more 900's in practice during that time...... It is pretty hard to believe but can we honestly prove it to be untrue.
USBC had to do something about this situation because their organization was seen by many as a failure......USBC is the governing body of bowling but yet it was made a mockery of because of the lack of rules in place. I actually applaud Robert for this whether his feat was true or not......it proved a point that USBC has some flaws regarding the word integrity.....a word they say they stand for....... What is the difference between pre-bowled 900's in the past and the current situation that is going on in the classified division....... nothing really.....
When I e-mailed Matt Cannizzaro asking him some questions and telling him that I'm sorry for all the negative publicity he takes along with USBC as an organization I really meant it. The job of my website isn't in no way to make USBC look bad..... it is to point out what is wrong and how it should be fixed... My opinion is if USBC is looked at in a way as an organization with no credibility....how can it prosper, grow and be respected in the future when it ignores situations that could be made or solved by a simple fix. It makes no sense.... I would like to share my reply with you that Matt sent me...via e-mail.
Since last year, we have become a lot more careful about screening Classified bowlers and added the question to the green sheet. We now look at every Classified bowler on bowl.com, but unless there is a blatant disregard of the rules in place, any re-rates are still at the Tournament Manager's discretion.
We will continue to review the process and the rules, but I don't know if we will ever make it foolproof or please everyone.
Concerning Mr. 179, it sounds like the ideal example, and something that is nearly impossible to catch without a little honesty from the bowler, teammate or team captain. It's not often that someone will bring something like this to our attention so we can address it before the fact, so hopefully you will provide this person's name. If not, you have not helped the situation, acted with integrity and honesty or helped your own quest to clean up the Classified Division.
Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem bowling against anyone. In this case, I would have talk to my supervisors for permission.
Other than that, I will continue to do my best to report the news and answers the questions with out feeling beat down and defeated.
Good to hear from you. See you in a few weeks.
-MC
Matt is right on....about bowlers needing to step up and take responsibility and being honest........but really .........how many bowlers would actually do such a thing...not to many that I know....and why would ya. Bowlers do need to take responsibility but Tournament personnel need to also..... so here is a little story.......
Now a bowler enters a handicap city tournament 20+ pins lower than the year before and tells the tournament manager that he should be re-rated to a certain average because he bowled in a non-sanctioned sport league. The bowler tells the tournament manager that he should be re-rated via the sport adjustment scale to make it fair. The tournament manager says....oh it is ok because it isn't a sanctioned sport league through USBC you can still go with last years book average because you followed the rules......true story.. I guess everyone can figure out what happened at the city tournament...Lol.
Even a bowler can tell the tournament manager that he should be re-rated but still won't be......go figure.....
The thing that Matt doesn't understand about Mr. 179....... is that he is breaking no rules according to the rules in place at the Open Championship Tournament. It isn't Mr. 179's fault that there is bad rules in place for their tournament......why should he say who he is.... he is following the rules just like everyone else who is trying to gain an advantage by bowling in the lower division..... Mr. 179 wants to make it known that he doesn't want to bowl in the classified division he is merely trying to prove a point that the rules are poor just like the Robert Mushtare ordeal........Hello....
Really I'm concerned and still feel bad for Matt.......and I still don't think he understands my point of view.....
Concerning Mr. 179, it sounds like the ideal example, and something that is nearly impossible to catch without a little honesty from the bowler, teammate or team captain. It's not often that someone will bring something like this to our attention so we can address it before the fact, so hopefully you will provide this person's name. If not, you have not helped the situation, acted with integrity and honesty or helped your own quest to clean up the Classified Division.
Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem bowling against anyone. In this case, I would have talk to my supervisors for permission.
Other than that, I will continue to do my best to report the news and answers the questions with out feeling beat down and defeated.
Good to hear from you. See you in a few weeks.
-MC
I'm bringing this to your attention because the tournament has poor rules regarding the Classified division.......which is true.... I gave you a simple solution to the problem (in my last article below) and if you screen every bowler as it is...... it shouldn't take any extra time or ability to put every bowler in it's proper place before the tournament starts based over the past recent performances at the tournament.
I'm getting e-mails daily about this from people who don't understand why nobody from this organization will do anything about it..... So I guess it is my job to inform the bowling world........kind of like the Robert Mushtare situation......maybe that is the only way to properly get things done.......because I really don't want to talk about situations like this anymore........I would rather talk about the great things this organization can do.....So change the rule so we can be done with it.....Lol I don't want you to be beat down and act like you are defeated here.......
Let's get the ball rolling with this Matt........we have less than 3 weeks until Mr. 179 can go into his proper division........now it is up to you to get your point accross with them.....if you need to show them my articles regarding this situation......maybe it will make them see the light........
I wouldn't call this my quest really......I'm only doing it on behalf of all the bowlers concerned with the lack of integrity that USBC has regarding this situation.... the list is a mile long........and I'm just sticking my neck out for them......
Oh by the way did you get permission to bowl the match yet......... I will have one more article before Mr. 179 and I get to Vegas.........hope to hear from you soon.....Bye...Lol...
April 7, 2009
USBC's Mission Statement and values stand for what....
Below is listed on USBC's website.......I don't get it...................................
USBC is the national governing body for bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.
USBC stands for values that include: credibility, dedication, excellence, heritage, inclusiveness, integrity, philanthropy and sportsmanship.
Mission:The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services and enhances the bowling experience.
I put this up here again to prove a point and talk a little about the problems that continue to happen at the Open Championships and other situations that need to be looked at by USBC.
The two major issues above that don't make any sense to me are:
USBC stands for values that include: credibility and integrity
Mission: ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport
I'm going to get back to this in a little while but first I want to tell you a story......
I decided to write Matt Cannizzaro an e-mail regarding what the new question was on the green form along with a few other questions.
The new question is....... Did your highest (21 games or more) yearbook average in any of the last three years exceed your entering average by 15 or more pins?
This is a good rule......in the past there were big winners in the Classified division like M.T. in 2004 a former eagle winner in the Open division who was unnoticed and slipped through the cracks averaging 179 one year in a lower scoring center only to finish in the top 10 in all-events in the Classified division....oh by the way he has averaged 200+ in league ever since. Or a guy like J.S. who had a drop in average in one year almost 50 pins. In 2006 he shoots 1700 to win a $1000. Then in 2007 he shoots 1830 to win over $3000. in the Classified division......the funniest thing though when he had a league average of 210-220 several years ago he was consistently shooting only in the 1500-1600 all-event score range.......go figure.
The problem is...... even with the rule added it is still the tournament director's decision on whether or not to re-rate a bowler with more than a 15 pin drop. And with Tomhave's situation they chose not to do anything..... Now Tomhave bowls great in one event..... people are mad because they believe he doesn't belong in the Classified division and it again opens a big can of worms..........pretty much the same scenerio year after year that continues to happen. Can I suggest a solution to the problem..........
The only thing you have to do to restore integrity in the tournament regarding the definition of what a true and accurate Classified bowler is adding one simple rule.......
Any bowler who is bowling in the Classified division must use your highest book average of the prior year or an Open Championships composite average over the previous 3 years whichever is higher...... And here is why......
For one it catches the bowlers who had averaged between 178 and 180 every year like a K.L. did year after year before winning the 2006 Classified all-events. Then he gets rerated the next year and suddenly he starts averaging over 180 back home in his leagues.....Lol
Two..... it will put those bowlers who bowl in tougher scoring leagues across america in the proper division based on yearly scores accumalated at the Open Championships which can be higher. Guys like Kistler and Mr. 179...... My Opinion is even that Mr. Tomhave had an injury the bowling center in which he bowled league in was tougher than they would see at the Open Championships tournament......Because personally I know a couple of guys that bowl on that team.......and at a normal scoring league they are much better than their average indicates ......Is that why they are 20+ pins higher in average in their other leagues......look it up....numbers don't lie....
But here is the biggest reason why this rule needs to be applied...... It takes the pressure off the Tournament Manager to make a call on what to do......you put this rule in place there doesn't need to be a controversial and sometimes difficult decision regarding putting a bowler in the proper division.
Insert the above rule on the entry form it solves every possible problem that has happened regarding this division......Also it makes this statement on USBC's website something I can agree with now regarding the problems in the Classified Division at the Open Championship Tournament........
USBC is the national governing body for bowling as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee.
USBC stands for values that include: credibility, dedication, excellence, heritage, inclusiveness, integrity, philanthropy and sportsmanship.
Mission:The United States Bowling Congress, as the national governing body, ensures the integrity and protects the future of the sport, provides programs and services and enhances the bowling experience.
First of all I would like to say there is good/great people who work the USBC Open Championships Tournament who is there to serve the bowlers in an everyday compacity to make there experiences a good one.......Some that are working the tournament and are capable of making things better by instituting a rule change aren't that knowledgable to do such a thing.......... I guess that is where I come along to help.....Lol
In closing I would like to thank Matt for answering some of my questions and concerns.......he is a great guy with a great job in a difficult situation at times...... I'm still waiting if he can get an OK with his boss whether or not we can get a video taped match between himself and Mr. 179....only to prove a point......that according to the rules in place Mr. 179 is a classified bowler...... then again if someone from the higher ups can guarantee me of this rule change to make everyone affiliated with the tournament in a better enviroment.......then I wouldn't need a video.........and Mr. 179 would enter the Open division too.....
Heck.......if some other changes can happen to make things better in the bowling world I wouldn't need to have this website and then my wife would be happy..... Unfortunately knowing all the dumdums and poor decision making out there in the bowling world..... she might be unhappy with me for quite sometime..... Oh well
Up above is some video footage of Mr. 179 of him bowling...... Next article I will talk about bowlers taking some responsibility regarding wrong from right.... And maybe I can let everyone know if the match between Mr. 179 and Matt is a go or if there will be a new rule change......
March 27, 2009
Mr. 179 "The best 179 average bowler in the country"
I added a new topic to talk about the next few months........and Mr. 179 is the name of this topic. It is about a friend of mine who according to USBC rules is a 179 average bowler. We decided that we would have some fun and make a valid point. Our point being is that the rules that are set up for the Open Championships which is being held in Las Vegas this year.......is a complete joke......
First of all, there are too many loopholes within the rules......a simple solution would be using the highest (League) or (USBC Open Championship) average (whichever is higher)over a number of games to improve the current set of rules. This simple rule change would eliminate several problems each year and would restore integrity within the Classified Division, (180 average and under)
So Mr. 179 and I hope to shed some light into USBC's eyes that there is a serious problem with the Classified divisions rules and I guess the only way to do that is to promote the best so called 179 average bowler in the country.
Mr. 179 will be bowling the tournament in May......he has (you guessed it) a 179 average for 30 games as of Jan 1, 2009. He hasn't bowled in a league for a few seasons now until this year. He is not a sandbagger, (a bowler who intentionally bowls lower than their actual ability) he hadn't bowled for quite sometime and where he bowled league was quite the adventure. The first several weeks the lanes were conditioned in a way like a reversed block. (No oil in the center of the lane) The only oil that was on the lane was only on the outside of it. After about 6 weeks of bowling, the bowling center notified some of the bowlers that there had been a problem with the lane machine and that was why the lanes played so difficult.
So last week in a scratch tournament Mr. 179 averaged almost 240 shooting a 300 game in the last match. This is the only tournament he has bowled this year covering 13 games. He can't be re-rated because he doesn't have enough tournament games (21) within a 12 month period. Mr. 179 will not bowl any more tournaments prior to bowling the USBC Open Championships tournament. He hasn't made over $600.00 in prize money another rule to possibly re-rate a bowler. The tournament that he won paid a first prize of $500.00. Mr. 179 will not bowl anymore tournaments to prove a point that the rules in place are a joke. He will be entering the Classified Division in this years Open Championship tournament unless more rules are added for the 2010 tournament. Mr. 179 doesn't want to gain an unfair advantage, he only wants to prove that USBC's rules regarding an entering average is poor at best.
So our objective is to show that there isn't enough rules in place for this division....... there are many different circumstances that a bowler can encounter by having a lower average than there actual ability. (whether it is done intentional or not) In the next several months I will talk about all these possibilities. Just for fun...... down below is the credentials of USBC's Media Relations manager Matt Cannizzaro and Mr. 179.
Matt Mr. 179
300 games 9 6
800's 3 4
Lifetime Ave at Open Championships 193 194
Entering Average at this years tournament 232 179
I wonder if Matt would like to bowl Mr. 179 and spot him 50 pins a game.....hmmmmm
Well think about what I said people.......tell me if you think that this is fair..... See you next week......hopefully we can get some video feed up of Mr. 179 soon.......so you can be the judge on whether he is a 179 average bowler.
