Televised today on ESPN, and streamed live on ESPN3 on November 18 (see November 5 entry), a big congratulations to Liz Johnson for winning her first PBA title, the Chameleon Championship,
The Chameleon Championship was the 2nd of 7 tournaments in PBA's World Series of Bowling at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nevada.
2017 has been a terrific year for Liz. She won her 4th consecutive PWBA US Open title (see August 6, 2017 entry). She had to battle way up the stepladder as the 5th seed to defeat 4 bowlers to do it.
Kelly Kulick was the last female to win a PBA title (Tournament of Champions) in 2010. She defeated Chris Barnes, 265-195.
It seems nearly every time PBA announces a tournament winner on Facebook, there is a litany of complaints that the tournaments should be televised live.
As I said in my February 7, 2016 entry, I'll put it gently. The 20th century ended 15 years ago. There are too many other sports venues with larger markets where bowling cannot compete. Not going to happen.
Suggestion: Wait a week or so and watch it on PBA's YouTube channel. Nearly all the televised matches can be found there.
Or, subscribe to xtraframe. Yes, it will cost money. If you're that much of a bowling enthusiast, then it's as much value as a Hulu or Netflix subscription.
I'll close with thoughts on men who comment about opening PWBA events to men for equality's sake.
My rebuttal: it isn't equality.
It's why you don't see men playing women's volleyball, basketball, hockey, or sports. In other words, most women physically cannot match in size and strength to men.
However, when a woman like Kelly or Liz does win, are you threatened by the idea she is better than you?
Below is video of the match. If you watch to the end, you'll see how happy Wes Malott and Anthony Pepe are to see Liz win.
To pick up from last week's Gutter Bowler's awesome YouTube bowling videos of the 2017 World Bowling Championships, check out the meticulous editing on split conversions.
As the video is 9 minutes long, this should give you an idea of how many splits were bowled under tough lane conditions (39 foot Beijing).
source: Bowl.com
Bottom Row: L to R: Tommy Jones, Jakob Butturff, Chris Via
Top Row: L to R: Chris Barnes, AJ Johnson, Marshall Kent
source: bowlingdigital.com
Chinese Taipei Men's Team, silver medalists
Congratulations to Team USA, Men's for their gold medal versus Chinese Taipei.
Chinese Taipei is known for their unique spinner style. It is not without its critics, and rather harsh ones. Below is YouTube's Gutter Bowler's video:
If you have some time, take a few minutes to read the comments on the YouTube page.
Fear, ignorance, and most of all, ethnocentrism is alive and well.
UPDATE: 8 December 2017
Thankfully, the vitriolic comments posted last week have been taken down.
Touchdown celebrations are often grand, showy and loads of fun. While reading today's Twitter feed, I found 2 separate shares of the same video from the Philadelphia Eagles-Chicago Bears game.
These gridiron guys know how to have fun. Last month, they got recognition for last month's home run celebration.
But for us bowlers, we consider today's one of the best celebrations of all time, thanks to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and his teammates.
Keep it up Eagles. Due to copyright issues, I can't post the video, but here's the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/vPEToRIa5rg
After a 9-year absence, high-tech gadget/lifestyle retailer The Sharper Image, which opened in 1977 and closed in 2008, returned from the dead with a new store (now owned by Camelot Venture Group) in New York's Times Square.
For me, The Sharper Image meant a lot more. It was my first full-time employer and my first job when I moved to San Francisco in 1983.
The experience gained from my 8 years there set the foundation for my current career - a mix of finance, operations, asset protection and customer service.
Today was particularly bittersweet for 2 reasons:
1. Birthday of a longtime friend who didn't work for The Sharper Image, but worked as a vendor contact to another friend/former colleague/ex-boss.
2. Berkeley visit to see former colleagues who are mother and daughter. The daughter hired me and was my first boss.
Reason #2 is why this Thanksgiving week will be difficult.
The mother is now in hospice care in her Berkeley apartment. The same Berkeley apartment where I met her for many Saturday lunches and was my Thanksgiving dinner destination for 8 years.
After a 20+ years absence, I'll come back to where it all started.
Tragically Hip fans knew day the would come. Doesn't make it any easier (see also August 21, 2017 blog entry).
On October 17, Tragically Hip lead singer Gord Downie passed away after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in May 2016.
Before his death, Gord penned his final album, Introduce Yerself. It reached the top of Billboard Canadian Albums this past week.
As described in Wikipedia, Introduce Yerself is a double album consisting of 23 songs which Downie has described as each being about one person in his life.
Bowling fans - set your calendars. See below listed schedule.
As it was last year, ESPN3 will stream live (online only) the World Series of Bowling finals from Reno's National Bowling Stadium (cable or satellite subscription required).
If you miss any of them, not to worry. All events on the schedule will be aired on ESPN (dates not yet announced).
Bowlers will include Boston Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, who participated in his first WSOB in 2015.
One of the most dramatic comebacks in Ohio State football history took place yesterday against the 2nd ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.
All led by 5th year senior quarterback J.T. Barrett IV.
Down 14 points within the first 5 minutes of the first quarter, the Buckeyes trailed as much as 18 points to mount an impressive comeback in the last 5 minutes of the game.
To give you an idea of how much Penn State dominated for 3 quarters, here is the scoring summary:
source: Ohio State Buckeyes
J.T.'s final stats:
Rushing: 17 times for 95 yards.
Passing: 33 completed passes of 39 attempts, 0 interceptions, 328 yards, 4 touchdowns.
He completed his last 16 passes, 13 of them in the 4th quarter.
Video highlights here:
Ohio State moves up to 3rd from 6th in the AP Top 25, week 10, 2017 season.
source: personalbuy.com
thanks Ken and Cel for the inspiration
Since the purchase of my new bowling ball in July, I'm having difficulty adjusting to it.
My averages in both leagues are down - as much as 10 pins so far this season.
I'll save you the 20-plus reasons why I'm in a slump. The root cause: differences in fit between my new and old ball.
Without being comfortable with the fit, I failed to execute 3 simple but critical components of bowling: relax, release, and repeat.
It resulted in developing bad habits such as grabbing, tugging, muscling, and awkward finish at the foul line.
I put in some extra practice this week and made an adjustment on where I placed bowling tape on my thumb. I'm hoping I'll pick up (spares especially) from where I left off at the end of spring season.
It's a long season, so I have some time to figure it out.
Drafted out of high school in the 1st round in 2002, he made his MLB debut in 2005. At the age of 33 (today's his birthday), he made the decision to end his career with the same team that gave him his start.
There isn't enough to say how much Matt's 13 years with the Giants means. He will forever remain etched in team history for his perfect game on June 13, 2012 - the first and only perfect game (to date) in the Giants franchise.
His last start yesterday was the perfect way to end a stellar career. 5 innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, 0 earned runs.
The Giants lost the game 4-3 to the Padres but it did not diminish in any way Matt's emotional farewell. The waterworks began as soon as the dugout hugs started. Tears flowed freely when I saw 2nd baseman Joe Panik in tears. Then toward the end, the long hug with fellow ace Madison Bumgarner. I lost it.
While not a die-hard fanatic, I consider myself an avid follower of the Star Trek series.
I was one that eagerly waited for months to see tonight's premiere episode of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS.
I found the first episode very promising. Of course it helps when one of my all-time favorites, Michelle Yeoh (see November 18, 2007 blog entry) is cast as Captain Philippa Georgiou.
Is it so good that I'll cough up the CBS All-Access subscription fee?
Maybe.
And yes, the subscription fee is in addition to your already overpriced cable bill.
Episode 2 is already available now. What I'll probably do is use the 7-day free trial later in the week to squeeze in Episodes 2 and 3. Then I'll stick the crowbar in my wallet to endure endless ads (ad-free is $4 more) to watch the remaining episodes.
"...I don't know where I'm gonna be at next year. Or what the front of my jersey's gonna say. But I do know one thing. I will always - always - be a Giant."
--Ryan Vogelsong, October 4, 2015, San Francisco's last home game of the season.
If you're a regular follower of my blog, you already know I'm a huge Ryan Vogelsong fan. My September 23, 2012 blog entry titled "Resilient - Ryan Vogelsong" got the attention of Ryan's wife Nicole on Twitter.
Knowing he wouldn't be with the team after the 2015 season, Vogelsong signed a 1-year contract in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2017, he failed to earn a roster spot with the Minnesota Twins and made the decision to retire.
This past week, the San Francisco Giants signed Ryan to a 1-day contract so he could officially retire with the team that drafted him in 1998 as a 5th round draft choice.
In a season that has had a lot more lows than highs, it was a very nice distraction to see Ryan back in a Giants uniform wearing his familiar #32. He threw 3 warmup pitches, waved to the cheering crowd with a couple of pats to his chest acknowledging his heartfelt appreciation.
I'll close with a YouTube video I shared on my June 5, 2016 blog entry:
It was a big fat goose egg for all my sports teams this weekend.
NCAA - Ohio State, ranked #2 at gametime, lost to #5 Oklahoma, 31-16. The game was close (3-3 at the half) until the 4th quarter. Then Oklahoma took over.
PBA - US lost to Europe for the 5th consecutive year in Weber Cup, 18-12. As a big fan of Team Europe's captain Dom Barrett, the loss didn't sting so much. Of course, it helps to have the entire team return from last year (Martin Larsen, Jesper Svensson and Stu Williams).
There's a lot to be said about having bowled previously in Weber Cup. US newcomer/2017 PBA Player of the Year EJ Tackett was manhandled in a singles match versus Stu Williams.
MLB - In what has been the worst season in 32 years, the San Francisco Giants lost to the Chicago White Sox 13-1, and today, 8-1.
NFL - Kyle Shanahan's coaching debut with the San Francisco 49ers results in a 23-3 loss.
It was an 0-for-4 weekend. Ugh.
Tomorrow's another day. And a new bowling season of Monday night league. You can't win if you haven't experience loss.
A new bowling season begins for both my Monday and Wednesday leagues after Labor Day.
Like school supplies, bowlers are in the process of ordering new equipment (shoes, balls, wrist guards, towels, grip sacks) or maintenance on existing equipment (ball resurfacing, shoe sole and finger grip replacements).
Me - I ordered new soles (sliding and braking) for my Storm SP2 603's. This will be my 3rd season with these shoes.
I'd replace my Storm shoes with the Dexter HT 9 (pictured above) in cool Ohio State Buckeye colors in a heartbeat.
But I won't. Why? They don't make them in women's sizes.
I could probably wear the smallest men's size available, 6.5, but my last experience with men's bowling shoes the fit was too wide.
And this is my biggest gripe with women's bowling shoes, especially the higher performance kind.
The color selection of Dexter's The 9 men's sizes come in 4 other colors:
Black and silver
Black and orange
Black and red
White and black
Guess how many color selections are available for the women?
ONE. In white, silver and girly lilac.
I DON'T DO WHITE SHOES.
On Dexter Bowling's Facebook page a few weeks ago, they asked women their thoughts on what other combinations they want. I prefer black, but would really like the accent color to be something other than pink or purple.
If Dexter is reluctant to carry more than 2 color combinations for women in The 9, then at least offer a selection of colors to choose. A semi-custom option with Linds shoes are available at bowlerstore.com.
I'll likely retire the Storm shoes after this season. I hope by then there'll be more color choices available in Dexter's SST and The 9 line for women.
source: TireRack.com
Pirelli Cinturato P7 Run Flat Tire
My right rear tire went flat yesterday.
When I had my 2004 325i, all I had to do was call AAA, a technician would arrive within 30 to 60 minutes, remove my flat tire and replace it with my full tire spare in the trunk.
Not so with my current 2012 BMW 328i. The OEM tires are run flats with no spare.
One of the arguments for run flats: a full tire spare adds to the car's weight and ultimately the performance.
I drove my 2004 325i for 12 years. I never noticed the lack of performance with the full tire spare. Then again, I don't drive like Dom Toretto.
The best reason for run flats is that when the tire goes flat, you can still drive on them for up to 50 miles at 50 mph to the nearest place to get the tire situation addressed.
So what.
Dealerships and tire centers won't repair run flat tires because the integrity of the structure cannot be guaranteed. They advise you replace the tire. Based on most of the BMW car talk forums I've read, you can repair run flat tires, but you're on your own.
Many have also commented that run flats drive rough, wear out sooner, are harder to find and more expensive to replace. They end up replacing with standard (non-run flats) tires. Which is what I've decided to do.
As my 328i now has over 52,000 miles on it, the tires on my car were due to be replaced anyway. I ordered 4 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ from Costco this morning. I'll also order a tire repair kit or 2 to keep in the car as a 'spare'. If I replace with the same Pirellis I have now, I have to spend at least $100 more than the Michelins, and pay 3 to 5 days for a rental car.
Hopefully, the Michelins will be in tomorrow and my out-of-pocket costs for the rental won't be more than 2 days. I'm already out almost a grand for the tires. It's an expense some aren't willing to make. I am.
source: Amazon.com
Avenger Women's Steel Toe Hikng Boot
Since I began my new position in June, many of my work duties are no longer exclusively 8 to 5 sitting in a cushy, air conditioned office.
On customer visits I make 1 to 3 times a week, I wear 1 of 3 women's polo shirts (2 black, 1 royal blue) with our company logo. For those visits to car dealerships, I wear slip resistant clogs (see July 9, 2017 blog entry).
Next month, I'll be handed off another account. Not a dealership, but one of the industrial kind. The visit will require me to wear a hard helmet, safety goggles, safety vest, and for the first time, steel toe boots.
I spent most of Friday night perusing the work clothing/shoes brands (Red Wing, Wolverine, CAT, Timberland, Skechers). Like premium quality bowling shoes, women's choices in steel toe boots are limited. I won't need to wear them too often, but would like them to be comfortable yet durable.
Boots should come in next week. Let's hope my choice 'works' out.
source: PWBA.com
Liz Johnson, 2013, (no US Open in 2014) 2015, 2016, 2017
PWBA US Open Champion
To win a professional bowling tournament is difficult. To win the same tournament 4 consecutive times is tremendously difficult. Liz Johnson did exactly that, winning her 4th PWBA US Open. This is Liz's 10th major title.
For you clueless league hacks that think you can do this, read on.
Here's what Liz was up against for 2017's US Open:
1. 114 bowlers (not including herself) bowl 4 rounds, 8 games each (32 games) in the qualifying round.
2. Top 24 bowl 3 rounds, 8 games each (24 games) in match play.
3. Top 5 bowlers go to the televised stepladder final.
4. Liz makes it in as the 5th seed, averaging 225.38 for 56 games.
Liz climbs her way up the stepladder, defeating Nicole Trudell, Valerie Bercier, Erin McCarthy and top seed Daria Pajak. The oldest of the 4 bowlers Liz defeated is 27 (Erin McCarthy). Liz is 43.
Let that sink in for a moment.
32 games in 4 days.
Bowl with a 218.34 average - this year's cut line to make it to match play.
Bowl another 24 games in 3 days.
Defeat 4 bowlers on TV to win the championship.
The most I've ever bowled in a tournament is 12 games in one day. With a fat handicap.
Tell me now you still think bowling isn't an athletic activity.
I found out this past week one of my all-time favorite singers, Michael Johnson, passed away after a long illness at his Minneapolis home on July 25. He was 72.
To most that knew anything about Michael, it was his pop ballad, "Bluer Than Blue", released in April 1978, the same year I graduated high school.
Randy Goodrum wrote the song. Mr. Goodrum also wrote Anne Murray's "You Needed Me" and co-wrote Toto's "I'll Be Over You".
"Bluer Than Blue" was one of those songs that made me stop, turn up the volume and listen. It was sad, soulful, and sung with restraint in a powerful way. It became, and remains one of the most impactful songs in my life.
The song was on his first of his 5 albums (Michael Johnson Album) with EMI America. I bought all 5. After EMI America, Michael shifted his focus to country music.
To find out more about Michael's music history, go to his website, http://www.mjblue.com
If you're a regular follower of my blog, you already know I'm a huge Ryan Vogelsong fan. My September 23, 2012 blog entry titled "Resilient - Ryan Vogelsong" got the attention of Ryan's wife Nicole on Twitter.
