In case you haven't noticed, Christmas is almost here, which means, for me, my annual golf excursion with childhood friend Robert Smith.

I'm not sure when the tradition started (I guess about the time Robert became a traveling PBA Wilbury) but it seems that every year when he comes home to visit family, we hook up for a round of golf at one of the local courses.  However and whenever it started, every year we do the golf thing and always have a good time.

This year, I'm going to bring a camera with me so I can film some of the action so you can see just how bad two people who are actually pretty good at one sport can actually be at another.  Back in the old days, I used to be a fairly decent player, but never really put in the kind of effort you need to be really good.  But I do remember when Robert and I would make a date to play and I would be hitting balls at the driving range and he would show up and envy my ability to hit iron after iron (but especially my fairway woods and driver) straight and true.

Karma's a bitch though, and now that I have two kids and no one to play golf with, my game has developed a serious case of the suckies.  The last few times we've played Rob has beaten me unmercifully, even though he probably hasn't broken 90 by more than a stroke or two.  I remember last year I started our round with a nice little two-putt birdie...and still preceded to shoot 50 on the front side.  I can't remember if I broke 100...but not likely.  Rob is actually fairly decent now...well, at least he can take out clubs higher than a five iron and actually keep them on the course.  Me?  Not so much.  I can still hit it 300 yards though.  Unfortunately, 75 of those yards are to the right.

Anyways, the big day is Monday the 24th and the goal is to have video up on the site on the 27th.  Check it out then.  In the meantime, be sure to watch the new episode of The Bowling Show...it's the special holiday edition from PBA Message Board jail.

Till tomorrow!
Jason    

OK.  Maybe I’m still a little bit euphoric because I cashed for $100 in a bowling tournament this weekend, but two very interesting things happened as I watched the PBA telecast on ESPN Sunday.  First, I thought it was the best show of the year – which is saying something considering it was all lefties.  And second, I’m starting to think that maybe Rob Stone is exactly the right guy for the job after all.

Alright purists, before you grab your mice and sulk off to the PBA Message Boards to call me crazy, hear me out on this.  Let’s look at the show from a match-by-match standpoint.  Match one was Mike Scroggins versus Billy Oatman.  Now usually, watching Scroggins bowl on TV is about as fun as watching paint dry, but for some reason, I found his now-epidemic problem making single pin spares on TV quite intriguing, and his display of frustration very humanizing.  Oatman on the other hand (well, actually on the same hand I guess) is like the proverbial Forrest Gump box of chocolates…you never know what your gonna get (plus he looks a little bit like Bubba – I wonder if he likes shrimp?)

Getting to watch the “O man” in the second match was a bonus, because Parker grinded through with a little bit of that blasé funk he’s been in the last 10 or so times he’s been on TV.  PA in Match 3 was an absolute treat. Listening to his self-talk was awesome and he made some nifty moves on the lanes even though they didn’t pay off.  And the late ‘90’s “killer Parker” finally showed up in the 9^th and 10^th to put it away and advance to the title match, which was, by leaps and bounds the best match of the year.

Let me just say that I am personally looking forward to watching Rhino Page on TV for a long time to come.  Is it just me or does Rhino remind you a little bit of John Mazza except without all the weird nervous ticks?  I was impressed with how Rhino fought back after Parker had obviously begun to get comfortable by starting with the front six.  When Mr. Page got that “hambone” (more on that in a second) to pull into the lead and got pumped to the adoration of the crowd, I got chills.  In the end, Parker displayed his vast Hall of Fame pedigree by keeping his ball speed down the last two frames to go “flush-city” and force the young gun to come and get it.  Rhino threw the first one great but, unlike Parker, got a little jacked up on the one for the wheat and threw it through the break.  He’s got nothing to be ashamed of though.  257 bowling for your first title is a pretty darn good score…unfortunately for him Parker showed why he was just inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame.

Now, let’s talk for a second about the “Stoner.”  No, I’m not talking about my old college roommate, but the maligned new PBA play-by-play man Rob Stone.  When I was working for the PBA, my theory on the announcing team was to have a dynamic that worked like MTV’s call-in show Love Line.  For those of you not familiar with the show, kids call in to ask questions about love, sex, drugs and other teen issues to the two hosts.  One guy is a comedian named Adam Corrolla who is kind of a crude, obnoxious guy who pokes fun at the questioner and the other guy is a straight-laced but laid-back medical doctor named Drew Pinsky.  I always thought that what the PBA needed to bring in new viewers to watch the show was to have an arrangement like this, because the jackass guy was entertaining to listen to, but then the straight man gave out real information which was educational and informative.

This week, I began to realize that this is precisely what is now happening on the PBA telecast.  Rob Stone (who is improving week-by-week) is starting to become comfortable with the job and is allowing his quirky personality to shine.  Randy, whom I’ve always loved on the show, is still his usual, self-deprecating and comedic self, but has begun to assume the role of setting Rob straight, which is both informative and entertaining.  Let’s hope that these two can continue the momentum and continue to improve as the season starts up again after the New Year. 

Oh, and finally, about the Hambone thing.  First, you may find this strange but at the 6-gamer I bowled this weekend, everyone was saying it.  I’ve heard from other sources that it is also being used in leagues throughout the country.  This is just the kind of thing that we need to bring the fun back to bowling and I think Rob Stone deserves a lot of credit for having the “stones” to embrace his inner jackass and to take a chance like that in the face of a lot of criticism he’s gotten (from myself included) these past 10 weeks.  Plus, I get the feeling that he genuinely enjoys what he’s doing.  Now if we can just get him to tell Chris Warren and Mike Devaney apart, then I think we’ve got something.

Till tomorrow!

Jason