April 3, 2025
By Paul Bodnar
Pro Shop operator Tom Mongeon is on fire. He bowled his second 300 in less than a week in the Thursday American league at the Barbecue rolling it in his first game of the night. He bowled his perfecto on lanes 1-2, the same pair he bowled one last Saturday. Terrific bowling Tom!
Young Ryan Maxon bowled his first 800 series in the Friday National League with games of 269, 262, 279 for a huge 810. I am not sure which pair he bowled this series on. Congratulations Ryan on your first 800, you are not eligible to bowl in the Troy Association 800 Club Tournament this coming October.
Veteran Tim McCart just missed a perfect game as he left a stubborn 10 pin on lanes 1-2. Great bowling Tim.
Every bowling season for some reason has one or two pairs which give up high scores more so than the other ones. I have brought this subject up numerous times and can't really come up with a definitive reason on why one pair seems to give our more honor scores than another pair. The old wife's tale about the end pairs not giving up any good scores is just a tale. There is no statistics to back that up particularly this year. The machines set the pins down almost identical each time, the lanes are oiled the same way from lane to lane. The pins are all the same weight. What is obviously different is the bowlers and bowling balls being used on that particular pair on any given night. That being said, it is still difficult to come to a specific conclusion on why one pair gives better scores. Some lanes are prone to leaving 7-10 splits on what appears to be really good pocket hits. At the Barbecue this season, I have seen numerous 7-10 splits on lane 8. While other lanes have had their share, it appears for some reason that 8 is the winner this season. At Olde Saratoga Bowl in Schuylerville, lane 1 is prone to leave a solid/stone 8 pin for some reason. You seldom see that pin being left on the other lanes. Lane 2, however, the 7 pin doesn't want to go down on a great strike shot. All of these lanes are synthetic lanes, so I guess whatever characteristics of the wood lanes that they covered are showing through. That's if the old lanes are still there. I always recall the old Roe's Bowl where lane 16 was one of the most difficult to strike on for a right-handed bowler. Roe's Bowl always was an inside shot house. The better bowlers would score using around the 3rd arrow while other houses in the area were typically a 2nd or even a 1st arrow house. On lane 16, you would have to roll your ball just right of the 2nd arrow or the 10th board to get good carry. But I can dare say, I recall no other lane in the house of 16 to have that type of issue. When Denny McDonald took the lanes over, I can recall having a conversation with him about that particular lane and he said he couldn't figure out what the issue was only referring to it as a "dead board". So, when bowling on lane 8 at the Barbecue don't be surprised if a 7-10 split shows up every now and then. At Olde Saratoga Bowl, if you leave the 8 pin on lane 1 and a 7 pin on lane 2, that is normal. No one is happy with the result, but it isn't always "you" as the reason that pin didn't go down!
Did you watch the USBC Master's Tournament this past Sunday? Gary Haines won his first pro tournament defeating Anthony Simonsen in the last match 192-186. I have been watching the pro bowler's tour for as long as I can remember but never have I ever seen so many Brooklyn strikes being rolled by professional bowlers. I lost count on how many were rolled and by the eventual winner of Haines. He was a left-handed bowler making his first appearance on the national stage and obviously he was extremely nervous. The other pros on the show crossed over the head pin and carried strikes as well, but not as many as Gary rolled. He was the beneficiary of Anthony leaving the 3-4-6-7-9-10 split in the 10th frame after carrying a nosedive strike in the 9th frame. Anthony missed the split and basically gave the match to Gary. The Master's is a major tournament, so it is great to win a major for your first professional win. Congratulations to Gary.
The Barbecue is having another four-game sweeper this Saturday, however, the squad has already been filled. These tournaments are definitely a winner as they are full each time they are held. In all likelihood, this will be the last one for the season.