World Series of Bowling — Arrival
I arrived in Las Vegas tired and beaten down, just looking for a little luck to lift me up. Dust me off. Revive the spirit inside me. That is how a really great story would start, but this isn’t really a great story. It’s just my first post from the World Series of Bowling. I flew in today and there isn’t much to take in now that the bowling is done for the night and I am just trying to recover from crappy airport food and hours of sitting.
I think it should have been Belmo and Wes, but I'm biased
Scoped out the alleys, which appear to be pretty nice. Watched one final team of doubles finish their last frame and then bumped into Wes Malott as he was headed out. Despite the fact that he looked about ready to fall asleep from a long day of cleaning house in the PBA All Regions South Point Open, he stopped and talked with me for a bit. It was great, except that my discomfort continued since Wes is almost nine feet taller than me (give or take eight feet or so). I would hate to be on the receiving end of his throws (do the pins ever get enough credit for getting beat around like they do, frame after frame… I think they should, with the exception of the 10-pin). After congratulating him on his victory, I walked around all the flashing casino lights and cacophony of sounds to take in a little bit of Vegas.
Does bowling need a little Vegas in it? Is it a good mix, all that glamour and excitement as the backdrop for such a controlled, practiced game? I think it might just be what the PBA needs to highlight what these guys are capable of (after watching just that one frame of the Bahrain team, it’s evident that this is a whole new level of skill here). If everything around them has the same feel, how will we see the difference? Will that ability to focus and have complete body control come through more if there was some drama around them? Also, I think it’d be much cooler if the audience could see the oil pattern, even if just on TV—so the players can’t get an obvious read on it. It’s hard enough as a bowler to read the oil, let alone while watching. I’d love to see it breakdown and what challenges they’re really going up against. Plus, it can’t be any worse than the NHL’s glowing puck debacle from years ago… I don’t think it should get ridiculous, but couldn’t things be a little bit more, I don’t know, engaging?
Tomorrow, I hope to catch some more doubles action (don’t read into that wrongly, just because I’m in Las Vegas) and then the Carmen Salvino practice sessions. After that, I am going to try to get some actual interviews if I can, not just a quick passing.
Roto Grip on top, gotta love that!
Now, for our first FREE BAG GIVEAWAY question. Remember, I will present one question of the next five posts, starting now, and then ask for the answers in the sixth posts to complete the giveaway. That’s marketing, keep the audience engaged over an extended period of time! So, think about your answers and then have them ready for the final post. I’ll only accept answers for 24 hours after that final post goes up. Everyone who gets all five correct will be entered into the drawing for a bag of their choice. Awesome? I hope so! Check back often, will probably be more than one post a day…
FBG Question 1:
What is Wes Malott’s highest season average during his PBA career?
