2014 USBC Women's Nationals, Reno Convention Center

This past week, I bowled my first USBC Women's National Tournament at the Reno Convention Center. Unlike the less than stellar accommodations in my first women's state tournament (Fresno) in 2012, this is the way tournaments should be done.

My teammates are all longtime bowlers: Kathy, my Monday night teammate, bowled juniors as a kid. She remains friends with many her teammates, who still bowl leagues and tournaments.

Then there's Jan and Wilma. Jan and Wilma bowl with my other Monday night teammate Mark on Thursday nights. Both have bowled for nearly as long as I've been alive.

The biggest highlight in attending this tournament was to see Jan get recognized for her 50th consecutive Women's National tournament (see article on Bowl.com).

L to R: Lani, Jan, Wilma, Kathy

Unlike the National Bowling Stadium in downtown Reno, the lanes where we bowled were not a permanent part of the convention center.

For the first time this year in the USBC Women's Championships, bowlers were classified according to average. No handicap scoring was used. Our team bowled in the Emerald division (575-649 combined average). When Kathy and I bowled doubles, we were in Division 4 (290-319 combined average).

As a tournament participant (and being part of Jan's team certainly helped), Kathy and I got a $20 discount toward any purchase in the pro shop and gift store. I got a couple of towels and an ID tag for my 2-ball roller.

Kathy used her discount to buy a new Storm 3-ball roller bag for her son, who needs the bag to carry his bowling balls and shoes for a junior tournament next weekend in Orange County (southern California). He's competing for a spot in the Junior Gold Championship which will be held this July in Buffalo, New York.

It was very, very cool to see my name on the big scoreboard. During doubles, each bowler's home city was listed next to her name. I was never prouder to see "San Francisco, CA" next to mine. Only wish my series had been as big as my name on the scoreboard.

Because this was a weekday trip, Kathy got me a killer Groupon deal at the Grand Sierra Resort, which is near the Reno-Tahoe airport.

For $59, we got a 2-night stay with waived resort fee, free room wi-fi, and 2-day complimentary breakfast buffets for 2.

Like cruise ships, the Grand Sierra features amenities that make it possible that you'd never have to leave the hotel. Within the hotel there's a Starbucks, Johnny Rockets, Round Table Pizza, Port of Subs, a wedding chapel and a pool area called "The Beach".

My absolute favorite amenity: the 24-hour, 50 lane bowling center.

Grand Sierra's 24-hour, 50 lane bowling center

It's definitely my first choice on a future Reno trip -- when I'm not there to bowl in a tournament.

Mel Blanc

Mel in 1959, source: Wikipedia

This past Thursday (April 17) marked the 77th anniversary of my favorite web footed lisper, Daffy Duck. 

The voice of Daffy Duck, as well as hundreds of other cartoon characters is the late, great Mel Blanc.

Some of his best known Warner Brothers voices:
Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Pepé Le Pew, Sylvester the Cat, Tweety Bird, Foghorn Leghorn, Tasmanian Devil, Yosemite Sam, and eeebly, eebly, that's all folks, Porky Pig.

Until I read his Wikipedia biography, I didn't know Mr. Blanc was the original voice of Universal Studio's Woody Woodpecker, or that he was born in San Francisco.

Mr. Blanc later worked for Hanna Barbera and was the voice of Mr. Spacely from The Jetsons and more famously as Fred Flinstone's best friend, Barney Rubble.

I'll close with my favorite clips from Bugs Bunny-Daffy Duck-Elmer Fudd trilogy, "Rabbit Season, Duck Season" (thanks kenpoarniceguy1).

Former Major League Baseball MVP Larry Walker bowls a perfect game

Larry Walker's Thursday night league in West Palm Beach, Florida

As some have tweeted to former MLB MVP outfielder-with-a-cannon-arm-Canadian Larry Walker, (Twitter name: @Cdnmooselips33 ) strikes are a good thing. Carrying a pretty impressive league average of 196, Walker bowled his first perfect game during league last night at Verdes Tropicana Lanes in West Palm Beach, Florida.

This was Walker's second perfect game. His first? When he played first base for the Montreal Expos on July 28, 1991 when Dennis Martinez pitched a perfect game.

Most valuable player. Two perfect games in 2 sports. Wow.

Blast from the Past in Tweets

A phone app I installed last week - Timehop.

Short and sweet - a time capsule of my history in photo, videos and status updates (for me, that would be Tweets).

As shown in today's timehop, on this date 4 years ago, I was on my way back to San Francisco from a short visit to Columbus. My connection was in Detroit.

Other than what's been shared here, I haven't yet used the "Share This" feature. Maybe because I'm not quite comfortable with re-posting past status updates.

The free app is currently available for download on Google play (Android) and Apple's App Store.

Saving on a rainy day

Since my first full-time job in 1983, I've only had 2 employers that did not pay me via direct deposit. I have always set up the funds to go into my checking account. That didn't change when I began this job 2 months ago.

It only took my second paycheck to come in via direct deposit. When I verified funds, I found it went into my savings account instead. When this has happened with previous employers, I'd contact payroll to correct the error.

In today's pouring rain, I realized 'correcting the error' would be a mistake. Why?

Time and money.
1.  It only takes me 1 to 3 minutes to transfer the funds from savings to checking using my credit union's mobile phone app.

2. When I choose an amount to the nearest whole dollar, it saves me a ton of time to reconcile the balance. As I don't want to leave less than the account's previous balance, it forces me to save, even only if it seems like a little.

On my first deposit, I left about $50 in savings and transferred the rest to checking. On my most recent paycheck, I left $20 in the savings account.

Most money savers already know this, but as a fiscally conscious yet frugally challenged person, my brain's bulb lit up 200 watts. I just saved $70 in my last 2 paychecks. 

I get paid every other Thursday. That's 26 paychecks. If I leave $20 in my savings account from every paycheck for the next 12 months, I'll have saved $520.

Chump change no more.

Women's Bowling Tournaments (or lack thereof)

An early league trophy

Today I was scheduled to bowl in the 8th Annual San Francisco USBC Women's Tournament at Classic Bowl in Daly City. It was scheduled to begin at 10 am. I would have been there anyway for practice with friends from Wednesday league.

Found out yesterday I wouldn't bowl the tournament. It ended up being another practice session. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Due to the low turnout (8 teams  = 32 women), we cancelled. It would not have been worth our strongest bowler's time and money to drive 50+ miles from her house to battle for payouts less than our $80 entry fee (doubles, singles and 4-person team).

I bowl 3 to 7 tournaments a year. All but 1 or 2 of them are outside the San Francisco Bay Area. Of all the tournaments I have bowled in the past 6 years since I began league, only 2 have been women's - Sea Bowl in Pacifica and a state tournament in Fresno.

What frustrates me is that once the tournament started, there were at least 7 other female leaguers (including me) on other lanes not bowling in it. Four of us have 150+ averages. The remaining 3, 175 and higher. Krystal didn't know until I told her. It's my guess at least one of the women practicing didn't know either.

In my humble opinion, I'd like to offer a few suggestions that might generate a better turnout:

1. Early notice - Put out the word, especially via email and on social media (Facebook, Twitter) 3 months BEFORE the tournament date. This gives women with families and many other commitments to clear calendars and organize teams. I didn't know about the tournament until late February. By word of mouth.
2. Friendly reminders - Get people to pass out flyers to women on their league night.
3. Recruit women without teams - as I did with both leagues I'm currently in, I didn't know anyone. I just signed up and got placed. I bet there'd be enough interested women not on a team would sign up and form their own teams. These are women you would not get otherwise.
4. Open the invitation to other Bay Area USBC leagues. I know several women league bowlers not in SFUSBC that would have participated but could not. The Asian American Bowling Association's tournaments permit any USBC sanctioned league bowler to participate as long as 50% of the team is of Chinese or Japanese ancestry, or bowl in a Chinese or Japanese league.

I don't claim to know all the answers. What I do know is that there are a lot of recreational/sporting functions out there league bowling has to compete against. Don't make it more difficult for women who want to bowl other than weekly leagues and can't.

Take a bath, clean your tub

Yes, that's a picture of my bathtub. Clean, shiny, and free of soap scum. And I got it that way by taking a bath. With baking soda and shampoo. No scrubbing needed.

The key ingredient - baking soda. Inexpensive, easy to find, extremely versatile and a household item most people already have at home.

The baking soda softens the water and rinses off the soap scum around the tub. It'll do the same for your hair and remove shampoo buildup.

Run a load of without clothes in your washing machine with baking soda and vinegar in place of detergent and it will clean out the buildup in the machine's agitator and tub.

My favorite use of baking soda - clogged toilets. I pour about 2/3 cup into the toilet, then 2-3 short squirts of dish detergent (original formula Dawn works the best), vinegar, and about 2 cups of hot water. Repeat application until the clog dissipates. Since finding this information on the internet, it hasn't failed me yet. No plunger, snake, or expensive visit from the plumber needed.

I know many experienced household cleaners have a bunch more uses for baking soda than I do. Like tissues, it's a must have in my house. If I'm down to a single box, it's off to the store for more.

Penguin in a Wetsuit

This past weekend, SFGate featured a story on longtime California Academy of Sciences resident Pierre the Penguin, who turned 31 last month (February 16).

Pierre's claim to fame was in 2007, when senior biologist Pam Schaller, wetsuit manufacturer Oceanic Worldwide and children's costume seamstress Celeste Angel desiged a custom made wetsuit for him in 2007.

source: USA Today

Here's the 2008 local TV story on Pierre from KRON-TV:


Pierre eventually grew his feathers back and no longer wears the wetsuit. He now lives happily ever after with his colony of followers and his woman, Homey.

A History of Cell Phones I've Owned 1997 - 2015

This past Friday, I got an email from Best Buy for a weekend special offer for iPhone 4S and 5 owners to upgrade to a 16GB 5S for $1. The special also includes a $150 gift card. So immediately after work, I drove down the block to Best Buy at Tanforan to exchange my 4S.

While the offer wasn't as wonderful as it first sounded (the $150 gift card was applied toward the 5S purchase), it was still a very good deal. I spent about $75 total (new phone cover, charger and activation fee).

As someone who once eschewed ownership of an iPhone, the 5S is my second Apple product. I've never owned an Android phone so I can't say if the iPhone is better or worse. But in comparison to a Blackberry Curve 8310 (my first smartphone), it is worlds better and the closest thing to a pocket-sized laptop.

With the new 5S, I now officially have owned more cell phones than cars. I thought it'd be fun to recap the history of all the cell phones I've bought.

1. Motorola Microtec, 1997-1999. 

source: Forum XDA Developers
As my first cell phone from Cellular One, the phone number they assigned me is the number I still have today. It was too heavy and bulky to carry in my purse so I kept it in the glove box of my car. I bought it primarily for emergency purposes. I don't think I actually talked on the phone more than a dozen times in the 2 years I owned it.

2. Nokia 8210, 1999-2001.

source: Wikipedia
With this phone, I went from the bulkiest and heaviest to my smallest owned phone. It was the first phone I carried in my purse, the first and last phone to be charged roaming fees, and the last phone that I would turn off when it wasn't in use. I eventually gave the phone to a friend of an ex-boyfriend when I got a Nokia 3650.

3. Nokia 3650, 2001-2004.

source: my-simbian.com
Technology really jumped when I got this phone. It was my first phone with a pretty awesome camera and bluetooth. I knew it was a cool phone when I saw Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner's character in "Alias") carry it with her.

I kept this phone powered on at all times and became a fixture on my desk while at work. I sold the phone in its original box and all its accessories at a yard sale to a younger guy who had only a clamshell phone without bluetooth or a camera. He was so appreciative he insisted he pay me $40 cash for it.

4. Sony Ericsson W600, 2004-2008.

source: Wikipedia
This phone didn't really offer anything more than my previously owned Nokia 3650. I got this phone because I was eligible for an upgrade and didn't want to fall behind having a phone without the latest technology.

I liked the swivel design and how it felt like a landline phone when I used it. I owned this phone longer than I normally would have, probably because I wasn't quite ready to give in to a Treo, the bulky smartphone all the techies had.

5. Blackberry Curve 8310, 2008-2012.

source: AT&T Wireless
My first smartphone, cost subsidized from my employer. I was eligible to buy an iPhone but after 4 people "over" sang their praises about getting one, it only made me more determined not to get one. This was my way of not jumping on the hot and trendy bandwagon. It was the phone I began to send and receive email and text on a regular basis, which many use a lot more than voice calls these days.

It was this phone another boyfriend would constantly play with when we were first dating. It endeared me to him even more to see him so fascinated with a phone that could surf the internet. For our first Christmas together, I got him a gift card through his cell phone carrier so he could get his first smartphone.

6. Apple iPhone 4S, 2012-2014.

source: AT&T Wireless
Resistance is futile. I was in my interminable unemployment phase of 3.5 years and promised myself a new phone once I got back to work.

But as rebooting the Blackberry became a habit, I could no longer wait for a new phone. I found no other phones that had as much excitement as an iPhone, even after 3 generations. Nearly everyone I knew had an iPhone, so they were no longer the short-lived trendy gadget I thought they'd be. Once I got it, I knew I had some catching up to do. A phone with so much demand, my first 4S was stolen during practice at Classic Bowl.

7. Apple iPhone 5S, 2014-present.

source: mobilefun.co.uk
My latest and greatest. Longer and thinner than the 4S, it's got all the cool features that makes the iPhone an essential, yet fun tool. The best feature I've found in the 5S so far is LTE.

When my 4S was in wi-fi territory, it often had problems loading and I'd have to turn off the wi-fi feature and revert back to 4G. With the 5S, it loads right away, thanks to LTE. The LTE speed is about equal to DSL speed. My cable internet connection at home is by far the fastest.

So that's all for now. If my next phone is an Apple, this will be the first line of cellphones I'll have owned more than 2 times.

What Will Your Verse Be?

As many of us know, the narrative in Apple iPad's latest ad is a scene from one of Robin Williams's finest films as English teacher John Keating in , "Dead Poets Society", directed by Peter Weir. The film was released in 1989.

For a film to be 25 years old and have "dead" in its title, Mr. Keating's powerful words are still very much alive.

The original scene from the film:



And, the same words used as powerfully, 25 years later:

Dame Helen Mirren - BAFTA Fellowship Recipient

Congratulations to Dame Helen Mirren for receiving a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Fellowship. Ms. Mirren has been a favorite of mine for many years. I included her as one of my "girl crushes" from a November 2007 blog entry.

Despite her wonderful Oscar winning performance in "The Queen", I consider Helen Mirren's strongest role in television when she portrayed the balls-busting Jane Tennyson in the TV series, Prime Suspect. Tennyson's character was based on former police officer Jackie Malton, who was a script consultant for the Prime Suspect series. 

What I admired most about Jane Tennyson was her strength and vulnerability in a male dominated workplace. 

If you're an Amazon Prime Member, the full Prime Suspect series is available on Instant Video for free.

Back to Work

Two weeks ago, after 3+ years, I returned to full-time work.

I am beyond relieved and ecstatic to return to work I've done for the past 15+ years: card operations and processing with a strong emphasis on customer service. I find this area of work very fulfilling.

During the time I didn't work, I got back into writing this blog, took online courses at Treehouse and Google (Google Analytics), explored different career paths, and bowled countless practice sessions.

I had to. They were necessary outlets from the stress of no full-time work. It wasn't the only life event I experienced which compounded what was already difficult. It got so bad I had to consider leaving San Francisco, the city I've called home for the past 30 years.

source: Wikipedia

On the left is a snipped chart taken from the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. Along with no job, I experienced 2 close family member deaths and an event equivalent to another of the top life events listed.

What has and always helped me is a wide network of family, former classmates, co-workers and current/past teammates from softball and bowling to lean on for support. Especially during a time when my self-worth was constantly in question.

I can't emphasize enough for anyone who's going through a difficult time to reach out to people you know and trust. And don't be afraid to reconnect with someone once close to you but have lost touch. Strength does come in numbers.

Lunar New Year of the Horse

Listed below are sweet, heartwarming and touching tweets and instagrams from those in the San Francisco Bay Area celebrating the Lunar New Year. George previously included my tweet this past October remembering the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake

Thanks again, George Kelly (Twitter name: @allaboutgeorge).

As previously I tweeted on January 30, "...this unmarried, 'jook sin' still graciously accepts red envelopes."

I wish you all a healthy, happy and prosperous Lunar New Year.

A perfect effort - Fairleigh Dickinson Women's Team bowls 300

These days, to see a 300 in bowling happens a lot more than it did in years past. But for a team of 5 bowling 10 frames, it's even more difficult and not done often. Tonight was different.

Fairleigh Dickinson University, a perennial college women's bowling powerhouse and Danielle McEwan's alma mater, bowled a perfect 300 game. Above is a video recap featuring each frame bowled by the team.

Please refer to my November 12, 2012 blog entry on Baker style rules.

Congratulations FDU Knights! Best wishes for a great season.

ESPN 30 for 30: The Price of Gold

source: ESPN
Nancy Kerrigan (top), Tonya Harding (bottom)

The above photo is a sneak peek at ESPN's "30 for 30" latest feature, "The Price of Gold", a documentary that examined the infamous women's figure skating scandal of January 1994. The top billed stars: Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.

It all began when Olympic hopeful Nancy Kerrigan's right knee was clubbed during practice at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Harding's ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly (now Jeff Stone) and co-conspirator Shawn Eckhardt, planned the attack. Eckhardt hired Shane Stant to carry out the dastardly deed.

Harding, former CBS anchor Connie Chung, former Olympic skaters Scott Hamilton and Paul Wylie, Kerrigan's coaches Evy and Mary Scotvold are among those interviewed in the documentary. Kerrigan declined. She will, however, have her own story to tell on NBC during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

I scrutinized the documentary this past weekend. Watched it twice. Paid close attention to Harding's difficult upbringing and allowed me to understand, but not excuse the events that led to her permanent ban from figure skating. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me when the documentary did nothing to change my opinion of Harding.

In the preview clip, "The Noose Tightens", Harding says in her interview, "...everything hit all at once...and you just want to crawl into a closet and you just want to say 'go away, leave me alone', because you don't know what's going on.".

To me, the remark sounds cryptic and odd. Why? Let's break down her statement:

• "Everything hit all at once...". Interesting word choice when she says "hit". 
• It isn't Tonya's modus operandi to crawl into any closets. Ever.
• If the media goes away, then she's no longer the center of attention. Which is what she wants.
• "Because you don't know what's going on."  This isn't possible. Tonya had to know what was going on. Without Harding, Jeff Gillooly has no connection or motive to injure Kerrigan.

Torn ACL - anniversary of surgery

image source: corflex.com

Yesterday in 1991, I underwent major surgery my first and only time to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my right knee.

The accident happened 5 days earlier (January 6, 1991). I drove up with my friend Alice's father and sister-in-law to Lake Tahoe. Up until the trip, I skied a few times, mostly at Sierra. On this trip at Kirkwood, I was just starting to get comfortable on the slopes. When we stopped to have lunch, Alice's husband Ryan told me I was ready for the intermediate slope.

After lunch, I got on the lift with 2 family friends of Alice's for my first try on the intermediate slope. As we were coming off the lift, my skis hit an icy patch (there wasn't much rain that season) and was going faster than I liked. There was a group of skiers in front of me that were going slow and having trouble maintaining their balance.

To avoid crashing into them, I tried to turn in the skis and snowplow to slow down. Instead, I lost my balance, legs out from under me, fell down, and then heard a distinct snap. I initially thought it was only a sprain and felt no pain. The guys stood between me, asked if I was OK and helped me stand up. When they let go, I couldn't support myself and fell down again. Ski patrol arrived shortly afterwards.

I got put into a sled and ski patrol brought me immediately to the first aid center at the lodge. The doctor on duty took X-rays and confirmed I tore ligaments. He gave me the X-rays to take back to San Francisco. It ended my short-lived love of skiing.

It wasn't until evening I began to feel the pain. Everyone at the cabin went out of their way to help me. Alice, Ryan and their son Kyle gave up their first floor room. The 2 family friends that were with me on the slope drove my car home. I got to the primary care physician's office the next afternoon. He immediately referred me to an orthopedic specialist. An MRI exam was done and my surgery date set up within a few hours.

After my MRI, the orthopedic specialist told me I also tore my medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus, and fractured my tibial plateau. What was originally scheduled for same day surgery ended up being an overnight stay. I barely slept due to the non-stop pain. Nurses gave me 2 shots of morphine which helped numb the pain and tingling.

For the first 2 months, I couldn't put weight on the right leg. I was on crutches and a brace (similar to the above picture) for 4 months. I couldn't work and was put on disability for 3 months. I spent 6 months in physical therapy. I didn't play softball for a year. Other than my physical therapy visits, I had painful at-home exercises I had to do to regain mobility and range of motion.

The ACL injury became one of the hardest, yet most rewarding experiences I ever had. At my first dining outing after the surgery, a woman who was waiting for a table at the same I was spoke to me for about 20 minutes about her ACL tear and post-op recovery. So amazed a total stranger correctly advised me physical therapy would be hard but I'd make it. Over time, others like her would approach and tell me the same things, all encouraging and positive. To this day, I find myself holding the same talks with other people I see with knee braces, with or without crutches.

After 23 years, the right knee now is probably stronger than the left knee. I do my best to remain active in one way or another which has kept the knee mobile and mostly injury-free. Sports is and always will be a big part of my life.

The Bowling Center

For bowling fans too glued to watch anything but the NFL on Sundays, the PBA began this season a weekly YouTube show (about 25-26 minutes in length) that provides a humorous, rollicking summary of the most recent match you may have missed on ESPN.

Hosts are Xtra Frame's The Internet Bowling Personality, Jef Goodger and The Bowling Guy, Jason Thomas. A few of my favorite weekly features include:

• Beers with Bowlers - ESPN play-by-play bowling announcer Mike Jakubowski (aka Mike J) interviews a PBA tour bowler. Bowlers have included Jason Couch, Stu Williams and Ryan Shafer.

• Troll Bowling - commentary and response by Jef or Jason on those who troll about the demise of pro bowling.

and my favorite, 

• Bowling Wars - Jason drills for himself and Jef the winning bowler's ball used in the previous day's match. Let's just say the bowler with the higher average isn't a shoo-in to win.

You can find previous shows on the PBAProBowlersAssn YouTube channel. Below is yesterday's show.

If you want to see the stepladder matches (no TV ads!), go to the bowlingvideos4all channel.

Dom Barrett, 2013 PBA Championship Winner

Two days ago I said I'd write my last blog post for 2013. I fudged. I couldn't help it. Especially when it comes to bowling.

As I wrote on November 2, I'm a big Dom Barrett fan. Yesterday on ESPN, Dom captured his third PBA title (and first major), the PBA World Championship. His first, in 2011 (2011-12 season), when he won the Scorpion Championship.

Dom's opponent in both matches, Sean Rash.

For anyone who's seen Dom bowl before, it was unusual to see his emotional outburst at the end of the match. He also didn't realize he still needed 8 pins to seal the win. But the normally cool and calm Dominator collected himself and bowled a strike on his last ball.

I've included video of both matches. Watched them several times and will watch again. Ecstatic to see Dom getting recognition in the United States.

Can't say it enough. Congratulations! Best wishes on your pending nuptials to Cassie in April.

End of 2013 - We May Never Pass This Way (Again)

As 2013 comes to an end, my biggest highlights this year:

• My 30th Anniversary in San Francisco.
• My 35th high school class reunion.

But it's also been bittersweet. We lost 3 classmates this year. Two of them, Jenny and Wendi, were part of our senior class homecoming court. The other classmate, Bob, was in my 8th grade class and worked at the same place I did while I was a student at Ohio State. 

While at the airport on the way to my high school reunion this past August, my former college roommate notified me a friend of ours from Ohio State passed away suddenly. I felt so badly for her because they were very close. It'd only been a few months earlier when Vish sent me a Facebook friend request. Unfortunately, that was my last direct contact with him. My next contact to him was my condolences to his friends and family on his online obituary. 

The silver lining in all of this is that I've reconnected (hopefully permanently) with long lost friends and family. As I get older, the passing of friends and family comes around more often than I'd like. We begin to see "life is short" is magnified much, much more. It can be hard, but don't be afraid to reconnect with someone special you haven't seen and/or heard from in awhile. 

I'll close with a corny dedication to Jenny, Wendi, Bob, Vish and Amy's mom Anne. Sorely missed, but never forgotten. Cue video. 

Father and Son Bowl Perfect 300 Game - Same Team, Game and Night

image source: Facebook page of Derby City Bowling, Louisville, Kentucky
L: James Stringer Jr., R: James Stringer Sr.

James Jr's.Twitter ID: @Lil_J_88

I love seeing families bowl together in leagues and tournaments. A teammate from my Wednesday night league and his dad bowl, but on different teams. My Sunday practice is with my Wednesday team along with the dad's team. The dad, Steve, bowls with Monica and Walter, who are wife and husband.

Not rare, yet not all that common, do we hear about family members bowling perfect games. But to me, it is the ultimate accomplishment when they can do it on the same team on the same night. Kathy, my Monday league teammate, is friends with a father who did this with his daughter.

So when James Stringer Jr., of Louisville, Kentucky and his dad, James Stringer Sr., both bowled 300 on their Tuesday league night December 17, they did exactly that. 

Congratulations to Big and Lil J! I somehow get the feeling you guys will repeat.

2013 GIBBY Award Winner - Pitching Performance of the Year - Tim Lincecum, SF Giants

image source: MLB.com

A big congratulations to San Francisco Giants Tim Lincecum as winner of the 2013 Greatness in Baseball Yearly Awards (GIBBY) - Pitching Perfomance of the Year.

Timmy pitched the no-hitter on July 13, 2013.
As was noted in my blog entry on that date, it was the 7th no-hitter in San Francisco Giants history (15th in franchise history) and the first no-hitter in San Diego's Petco Park.

Buster Posey, who caught Tim's game, also caught Matt Cain's June 13, 2012 perfect game. Buster is the only catcher in Giants franchise history to catch 2 no-hitters.

And, if you're so inclined to watch, FlyingHellFish99 was kind enough to put San Francisco's broadcast of the game on YouTube. In HD too.

Happy Birthday Johnny Bench!

image source: rantsports.com

Wishing Hall of Fame legend Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench a very Happy 66th Birthday!

One of my favorite JB appearances was in 2009. Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres had been having a very difficult time to get actor George Clooney to appear on her show. Ellen found out through Clooney's ER co-star Noah Wyle was that Clooney was a huge Big Red Machine fan.

So Ellen enlisted the help of former 2nd baseman Joe Morgan and JB to play catch outside Clooney's trailer. It worked. Below is the video. I couldn't stop smiling. Especially when Clooney gushed how much he admired Joe and JB.

Ohio State versus Michigan - History of Rivalry

image source: runnerspace.com

Some of my favorite team rivalries include:

• San Francisco Giants versus Los Angeles Dodgers (baseball)
• North Carolina Tar Heels versus Duke Blue Devils (basketball)
• Alabama Crimson Tide versus Auburn Tigers (football)
• USC Trojans versus UCLA Bruins (football)
• Oklahoma Sooners versus Nebraska Cornhuskers (football)
• New York Yankees versus Boston Red Sox (baseball)

But for me, what separates rivalries above all others:
Ohio State Buckeyes versus Michigan Wolverines.

Why? It began for me as a 9-year old growing up in Columbus, Ohio. Woody Hayes was the Ohio State coach. His former assistant coach, Bo Schembechler was the Michigan coach.

As Wikipedia describes it:
"The Ten Year War is the informal nickname given to the series of college football games in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, played between 1969 and 1978. This series of games pitted coaches Woody Hayes of Ohio State and Bo Schembechler of Michigan against each other in classic teacher-versus-student matchups. In most contests, the Big Ten conference championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl were at stake, and in some cases, a possible national championship."

It became the subject of a 2007 HBO documentary. See for yourself:

Wow, oh wow. This year's game, another one right down to the end. Ohio State 42, Michigan 41.

49th QubicaAMF World Cup - Women's Final - Cherie Tan vs. Caroline Lagrange

image source: QubicaAMF Bowling

Best 2 out of 3 games wins. And it took all 3 games for a winner to be decided in the second ball of the 10th and last frame. Nail biter of a match between former Wichita State Shocker Caroline Lagrange of Canada versus Cherie Tan of Singapore.

Caroline, no stranger to the tournament, won in 2009. Cherie is a member of the formidable Women's Singaporean team and teammate of 2013 USBC Queens Finalist/2012 QubicaAMF Women's Champion Shayna Ng and another former Wichita State Shocker, Jazreel Tan.

I previously wrote about Shayna on September 5 and Jaz on June 3.

Here's Caroline's 2009 championship match versus UK's Zara Giles.



And, big thanks to the Russian network who helped Bowl.com provide a very high quality HD video feed. I felt as if I was in the bowling center itself (located in the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk, Russia).

Below is this morning's semifinal and final match. The semifinal match was Cherie versus Aumi Guerra of the Dominican Republic, 2010's and 2011's champion.

Remodeled Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema

On November 5, SFGate ran an article about the makeover of Landmark's Embarcadero Cinema in San Francisco's Financial District.

Yesterday, I went there to see "Blue is the Warmest Color". It's been nearly 4 years since my last visit. While the theater still shows arthouse/independent/foreign films, there were some major changes and upgrades made.

They include:
1. No ticket line. At the theater entrance, there are several large touch screen computers that give you the option to purchase, pickup or order tickets for a future showing. You can still buy tickets from a human being at the concierge desk just past the bar and lounge.


















2.  Bar and lounge. Lounge area has tables and seats for about 12. You can also sit at the bar to order food such as Southwestern Egg Rolls and adult beverages such as beer and wine.

3. Large, roomy leather seats with cup holders on both arms with a button to control how far back you want to recline. So far back that it'd be very easy to fall asleep during the film. As a result of the larger seats, the seating capacity is greatly reduced and increases the probability of a sold-out showing.



For me overall, the experience is very enjoyable. Very much like going to an invitation-only film festival. If you want to see a wide release film yet still have the fancy food and drinks, then I recommend Theater 1 at the Sundance Kabuki in Japantown.

Will I come back? Absolutely.

Bowling Area Etiquette

National Bowling Center, Reno, Nevada

My July 20, 2010 blog discussed my annoyance with bowlers (most of them recreational and inexperienced) who fail to observe lane courtesy. In short, if there's a bowler on either side of you on the lane ready to bowl, step off the approach and let the bowler bowl.

What experienced bowlers also know is that beyond the area behind the approach, there's an etiquette observed there too. This area is where bowlers sit or stand when they're not bowling.

They keep the area behind the approach free of debris and liquids. Failure to do so can make bowlers slip, stick and/or fall on their next turn.

Last Sunday at practice and this past Wednesday in league, a few bowlers and I experienced some footing problems because bowlers before us didn't keep the area clean.

My sliding shoe got stuck near the foul line after I threw my ball. Fortunately, I didn't fall and my ball only missed the mark by a few boards. But a senior male bowler several lanes over from us did fall. He got up after a minute or so. I was relieved to see he was OK. House maintenance came by later with scouring pads and towels to both pairs of lanes and cleaned the up the sticky areas.

It's scary for anyone to lose his/her balance and fall while throwing/rolling a very hard 10 to 16 pound ball on a hardwood (or laminate wood) floor. In some cases, a fall can result in a twisted ankle, dislocated shoulder, bruised hip or broken wrist. I have fallen before and it's not fun. The game's focus ends up on not to fall rather than hit your mark.

So, for those of you casual/recreational bowlers that plan your next group outing, please confine food and drink to the counters or tables where the house balls are kept, usually behind the sitting area. I cringe whenever I see someone grab pizza or fries in one hand, ball in the other hand, walks to the lane approach, and then goes to bowl.

What I find worse are clueless league bowlers that use powder to get their shoes to slide. I don't object to use of the powder (it's not enforced but is illegal in my Monday league), I object to the bowler who leaves the excess without regard to other bowlers who may slip on it.

I'm done. Rant over.

Mr. Barrett and his Domination

image source: PBA.com

Pro bowling fans know the World Series of Bowling Championships have been underway all week. For me, it was very exciting to read:

• Marshall Kent (Robert Morris University's bowling superstar) land as top seed in the Scorpion Championship as an amateur. This is Marshall's second appearance in a TV final. He was in the U.S. Open finals this past summer in my birth city of Columbus, Ohio (see July 28, 2013 blog entry).
• Clara Guerrero, the third female bowler (following Liz Johnson and Kelly Kulick) in PBA history to make a TV appearance in the Cheetah Championship, and...
• Dom Barrett emerge as the number 1 seed in the Chameleon and World Series Championships.

My admiration for Dom goes back about 3 years, when I first saw him on YouTube bowling in the 2008 Weber Cup. I included him in a March 29, 2012 blog entry featuring a 2011 Weber Cup video of Dom bowling for Team Europe versus Team USA's Tommy Jones. 

What sealed me as a fan was his 2009 Ten-Pin Masters Final match against Australian sensation and fellow Storm Pro Staffer Jason Belmonte. It was quite the sight to see a low-key, clean-cut, boyish Dom have a very loud legion of fans (aka The Domination) cheer for him in the Barnsley Metrodome. 

My favorite part: the celebration after Dom won the match. Take careful notice on the backs of the T-shirts Dom's fans wore that day. Below is video of the final game in the title match. 

Viral: The Ohio State University Marching Band

image source: tbdbitl.osu.edu

As an Ohio State alum, I am beaming with pride to see the Marching Band (aka The Best Damn Band In The Land) going viral on the internet this past week. The tributes to Michael Jackson and Hollywood Movie Blockbusters, wow to the nth degree.

Featured this morning on NBC's Today Show, these impressive and no doubt difficult moves the band practices to perfection used to be mapped out with dots on paper. It is now done through the tutelage of an iPad app. In case you didn't see it, here's the Today Show's segment:



And for those of you too preoccupied choosing this year's Halloween costume the past 2 weeks, here are the full video clips of the Michael Jackson and Hollywood Movie Blockbuster shows.





Anyone who's ever been in marching band in high school and/or college, the world now knows band nerds are truly cool.

Terrell Owens to bowl in PBA World Series of Bowling

image source: PBA

On March 13, my blog entry discussed Terrell's attempt to bowl at the elite level. Can't say I was surprised to see so many negative comments when he bowled at the USBC Championships in May and his upcoming debut in the PBA World Series of Bowling at South Point in Las Vegas this weekend. However, most that follow the sport of bowling closely support TO's efforts.

Longtime PBA veteran bowler Norm Duke said it best:
"It's unfair for all the bowlers in the world to compare him with us...He does have a pretty good fundamentally sound bowling game, but we should be fair to him. He knows his role here. He wants to see what it is like."--Associated Press, October 24, 2013.

For those naysayers that likely didn't know, Terrell's average during the USBC Championships was about 167. Not great, but not terrible either. It's my guess Terrell will do better than he did in March.

Best of luck to you this weekend, T.O.

2010 MLB World Series Film

image source: Fanpop

On Wednesday, October 23, begins the 2013 World Series between 2 red-themed teams, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Both teams are not strangers to the series, with Boston making their last appearance in 2007, and St. Louis in 2011. Both teams won their series.

I've been revisiting film clips the past few nights from other recent post-season games, including the 2010 World Series, the first championship for the Giants in the San Francisco era. I was able to find on YouTube the full length film chronicling San Francisco's run to the Fall Classic.

Watching the film last night felt like seeing it for the first time. Many of the key players for the Giants in 2010 were not on 2012's team. Cody Ross and Juan Uribe are now with different teams. Brian Wilson spent most of 2012 on the disabled list. Pat Burrell retired. Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez are not actively playing baseball at this time.

Thanks to michael2damax at YouTube for posting it. In case you haven't seen it, here it is:



Narration by actor and comedian Rob Schneider.

Remembering Loma Prieta Earthquake, October 17, 1989

Today is the 24th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Epicenter was in Santa Cruz, California. As I tweeted earlier this morning, my longtime and dear friend Jeff drove me to San Francisco International Airport on a flight to visit family and friends in Columbus.

I've copied from George Kelly (@allaboutgeorge on Twitter) a series of tweets from other Tweeters, including mine, of their memories on this date. I was fortunate not to have felt it, but will never forget the impact it had on everyone else living in the area.

As extensive as the damage was to much of the Bay Area, it could have been a lot worse. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's were set to play in a first-ever Bay Bridge World Series and traffic was light that day because many were preparing to watch the game.

Weber Cup XIV - 2013

image source: Weber Cup

UPDATE October 13, 2013 - Team Europe rallies to a 17-14 win over Team USA. Congratulations to Mika, Stu, Dom and Martin!

Battling as we speak is this year's Weber Cup match between Europe and the United States. The United States got off to blistering start, leading 5-1. Like the recent America's Cup, a big rally from Team Europe has surged them back into contention. Europe is only 2 matches down.

As of this blog entry, United States 10, Europe 8. First team to reach 17 points wins. Competition ends tomorrow.

This year's rosters:
Team USA (same as 2012): Chris Barnes, Bill O'Neill, Tommy Jones and Mike Fagan.
Team Europe: Mika Koivuniemi, Stuart Williams, Martin Larsen and Dominic Barrett.

Looking very forward to the video of the matches in early 2014.
Go USA!

League Bowling Blog - Gutter to Glory

image source: guttertoglory.com , Roto Grip

A month into my 6th season of league bowling (yes, it will eventually match all these years I played league softball), I'm not perusing as many YouTube videos as I did in the past 2 years. I do continue to follow all levels of bowling from league and local tournaments to the WTBA and PBA.

League scores from the 2 centers where I bowl regularly can be found at leaguesecretary.com. My Wednesday league has its own website at chinesebowlingclub.com under the Friendly Trios icon. Our stats are usually updated Saturday nights. I just checked the site and see results for this week are already in. If I bowled well (which I did), I'm always anxious to see how well I did against everyone else.

Statistics are a great way to help track progress. More importantly for me is practice and to watch others practice. When appropriate, I'll chat with other bowlers during practice and league play for their feedback. I can usually determine that with a "nice shot" compliment, or hear a self-deprecating remark about the errant shot he/she just made.

Which leads me to Zak Becker's and Tim Merath's blog, Gutter to Glory, sponsored by Roto Grip. As fellow league bowlers, they write about their bowling experiences I can relate to in so many ways. The screen shots of their scores on their blog and Twitter look so much like my scores, good and bad. They express frustration with inconsistent scores, how to adapt to changing lane conditions, and a ton of other minutiae bowlers only know.

If you find this kind of bowling minutiae fascinating, you can follow Gutter to Glory on Facebook, and Tim's Twitter account, @guttertoglory. Good luck to Zak and Tim. My goal this season is the same as Zak's, a 165 average.

Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers pitcher, 21 wins

image source: ESPN

Before the current era of specialized relief pitching, a starter with 20 wins earmarked whether or not you had a very successful season. If you had 30 wins like Dizzy Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals did in 1934, or Denny McLain of the Detroit Tigers with 31 victories in 1968, it was phenomenal.

Today's era of pitchers are categorized into specialized roles. They include starter, long relief, setup, and closer. There's also the 100 pitch limit teams usually restrict to a starter. If he's taken out because of the pitch count and hasn't completed 5 innings yet his team wins the game, the starter cannot be credited for the victory. So if a starting pitcher wins 15 or more games now, it's a great season.

And this is why another Detroit Tigers pitcher, Max Scherzer, who earned his 21st win last night is remarkably special. Congratulations, Max. Good luck to you and the Detroit Tigers in the post-season. Your brother Alex would be very proud. 

Happy 63rd Birthday, William James Murray

image source: Esquire Magazine

Wishing Todd DiLaMuca, The Lounge Singer, Carl Spackler, Ernie McCracken, Herman Blume and my favorite, Dr. Peter Venkman, a very Happy Birthday.

Here's a video of WatchMojo.com's Top 10 favorite Bill Murray performances:

Remembering Ray Dolby

image source: Dolby Labs

On September 12, 2013, sound pioneer Ray Dolby passed away at his home in San Francisco.

From the improvement (no hiss) in cassette recordings to the "Dolby Sound" in the classic blockbuster "Star Wars", music fans and moviegoers know they'll get the ultimate audio experience.

It may be dated and too brief, but here's a clip of the "test" sound I always immediately recognize as Dolby. I know then the movie I'm about to watch is going to sound awesome.



Rest in peace, Mr. Dolby.

Shayna Ng's cropped look

image source: Bowl.com

This afternoon, ESPN2 aired (tape delay) the USBC Queens finals. Congratulations to the top seeded player, Diana Zavjalova, who emerged as this year's winner.

Throughout the week, I followed a few live broadcasts of match play on Bowl.com and read updates on Facebook. Without fail, there was someone, usually male, who commented negatively about the sport, a player, or whatever else can be criticized. And like an ex-boyfriend I was with for 7 years too long, he opined negatively on a topic he doesn't know well.

Which brings me to the comments said about Shayna Ng. With her cropped hairstyle and no makeup, several (all men) asked if Shayna was a man. It got me upset as it's a topic all too familiar to me. I wore short hair most of my life and have had more than my fair share of being mistaken for a man.

Then as I read further along in the comments, a Singaporean (Shayna is from Singapore) clarified the reason for Shayna's cropped look. And if those same smart mouths bothered to watch the telecast, they would have heard announcer Dave Lamont mention it as well. She shaved her head for the Children's Cancer Foundation, Hair for Hope 2013 Campaign. So far, Shayna's pledges have more than doubled the target amount.

Way to go Shayna.

2013 USBC Queens Finalists

image source: Bowl.com

Today is the finals match of the 2013 USBC Queens Tournament. It is being taped today and will air on Sunday, September 8 on ESPN2 at 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET. I'll be bowling my very FIRST senior tournament during that time, so this is already programmed into my DVR.

This year's finalists have a great mix of backgrounds. The top 2 seeds are from Europe and Asia. The remaining 3 seeds are from places I call home, San Francisco Bay Area and Central Ohio.

1. Diana Zavjalova, Latvia, currently a bowler at Webber International University.
2. Shayna Ng, Singapore. I blogged about Shayna previously on May 20, 2013, where she won the 48th Annual Qubica AMF World Cup.
3. Leanne Barrette-Hulsenberg, 1999 USBC Queens Champion. San Francisco Bay Area native. I saw her bowl in a junior-adult tournament last year in Dublin, California.
4. Jennifer Petrick Higgins, 3-time member of Team USA and currently resides in Westerville, Ohio.
5. Lynda Barnes, 1998 USBC Queens Champion, San Francisco Bay Area native, bowled at San Jose State and married to PBA great Chris Barnes. 

Here's a video profiles of the finalists. Good luck to all.