No, not Barack Obama...it's me!  That's right, me!  Yep, the Phantom must really be dipping into the bottom of the barrel now.  I mean who's next?  Jon O'Drobinak?  At least he won a PBA title. 

Anyways, the Phantom found it in his generous ex-lane man's heart to have me on his show to talk about my site, The Bowling Show and the state of the industry...which I guess is a bit like having Jerry Springer on Hardball to talk politics and national affairs.  I think the interview went well and that the answers I gave were pretty much on target with how I felt on the questions.  (If you've never done an interview before, this is harder than you might think...see that now infamous Miss Teen USA video on Youtube for proof.)   I think I did a slightly better job than that unfortunate young lady, but the biggest thing I took away from the interview was just in thinking about how the small part I played is something of the larger vision that the Phantom has to help save the sport of bowling.

First off, those of you who don't know the Phantom (Len Nicholson of PBA Lane Maintenance Fame) are missing out.  In person, he is genuinely one of the funniest human beings on the planet.  Some people accuse me of being funny, but I'm funny in a very staged, have a few hours to think about it, then write it down, perform it, edit it to perfection and maybe add a laugh track to sweeten it up a bit.  My all-time best comeback was, "Oh yeah!  Well...uh...you're a big fat poopy-head!"  Phantom, on the other hand, comes up with instant one-liners that are the comedy equivalent of Jessica Alba in a thong bikini.  If you ever hang out with Phantom in public, its probably a good idea to wear "Depends" and carry around a hanky to wipe the soda off your face, as it is likely to be returning through your nose.

But Phantom also has a more serious side, as he has been exhibiting over the course of the past seven years and 303 shows that he has been conducting on a weekly basis since April 2002.  The show appears on www.foundation300.com and is also syndicated on 106(!) bowling websites to date...and counting.  The goal of the show is to build enthusiasm among hard core bowlers to inspire them to do what they can to help save the sport of bowling, which, as we all know has been suffering declines in most of the key growth measurement categories since the late 1970's.

The coolest thing about Phantom, though, is that he's not one of these guys who believes he can single-handedly save the sport by himself.  He understands that it will take the efforts of thousands, and perhaps even millions of dedicated individuals working together toward a common goal.  I am in total agreement with this philosophy and I believe that all of us, no matter how insignificant we think we are, can have an impact on making the sport of bowling better for the future.  

So, take a few minutes to check out my interview with the Phantom at www.foundation300.com, and also check out some of his past shows as well.  They are a treasure chest of great information that includes insights from some of the all-time great athletes, businesspeople and thinkers in the history of bowling.  It was an absolute privilege and honor for me to be a part of it.  Hopefully, I didn't screw up my chance to do it again!

Till next week!

Jason