Years ago, Ed Bourdase, an extremely gifted player from California, issued this infamous statement: Spares are for sissies. Rather temperamental, he literally disregarded spares on solid pocket hits. Despite Bourdase's incredible talent, his utter distaste for spares was a major factor in a career that limited him to merely three PBA titles.
As we head into the new millennium, the annual John Jowdy All-Miss Team includes some new faces and some surprising selections.
Selecting the 2000 team has become more difficult, due principally to the fact that perennial All-Miss members, Kelly Coffman, Scott Alexander, Bob Spaulding, and Norm Titus have retired from the regular tour. In view of their absence, it has opened the door for other worthy contestants.
The most knowledgeable observers, the manufacturers ball representatives who see every ball thrown during PBA competition, elected the 2000 All-Miss team. What better credentials can anyone have than keen-eyed individuals whose only obligations lie in monitoring the skills and needs of players on company staffs?
These gentlemen felt it was necessary to pick two separate teams. One was chosen from all regular tour players, and the other was selected from a more prominent group of players—bowlers who have had numerous television appearances and are more recognizable to bowling fans.
So, for PBA players whose egos become fractured or perhaps some who feel persecuted or singled out for their ineptness, I suggest they direct their grievances to the following bowling ball representatives: Paul Figliomini (AMF), Art McKee and Rick Benoit (Brunswick), Chad Murphy (Columbia), Del Ballard Jr. (Ebonite), Jimmy Callahan (Faball), Steve Kloempken (Storm), and Billy Yinger (Track).
The 2000 All-Miss Team (includes all touring players):
The All-Miss Team first team displayed the prime requisites of the MISS team: Miserable In Spare Situations.
The alternate team is a group of big names or players who have managed a fair share of television exposure. Three are well-known title-holders—Eric Forkel, David Ozio, and John Mazza. By virtue of numerous TV appearances, they have definitely established their identity to bowling fans everywhere.
The other two, Pat Healey and Rudy Kasimakis, are relatively new on tour but have nevertheless established a name for themselves by bowling their way into a number of PBA telecasts.
Contrary to the legendary Ed Bourdase, spares are not for sissies. They are foundations for consistent performers!
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In the wonderful world of tenpins, there's good news and bad news.
First, the bad news: Bowling is mired in one of its greatest slumps ever. The game is in deep trouble, both on the professional and amateur level.
Not since the dark days of the 60s has the game faced such an ominous future. ABC and WIBC memberships continue to dwindle at an alarming rate. A complete dissipation of both organizations could possibly occur within 10 years—that is, if the bleeding continues at the present rate.
Despite the stunning loss of membership, it is no consolation that bowling remains among the largest organized sports in America. In 1979- 80, ABC had its peak years and an all-time high of 4.8 million members. From 1989 to 1990, it dropped to three million, a loss of 1.8 million registrants. In 1994-95, the ABC rolls were reduced to 2,333,000 members. It fell to 2,135,426 in the 1997-98 season and is presently at a low of 1,936,648 registrants. This represents a frightful loss of almost 60 percent in 20 years.
The WIBC membership in 1979 was 4.2 million, not including youth affiliation. Today, it stands at slightly less than 1,600,000, a staggering loss of over 60 percent.
In the 1997-98 season, YABA membership was 451,000. The present membership has gone down to 431,009, a devastating loss of 20,000 junior bowlers. This is a major, major concern. The youth program is the future of the game. Continued losses in this area of organized bowling will completely stunt the growth of the game and undoubtedly sound the death knell.
The combined total of the ABC/WIBC for 1999-2000, including 431,009 YABA members, is 3,967,657, a loss of more than five million bowlers during a 20-year period. At this rate, ABC-WIBC-YABA memberships will be depleted by 2018.
What happened? While the scoring madness has tarnished the image of bowling as a sport, this has been only part of the downturn of membership. At one time, proprietors merely made a phone call to entice beginners to join a league. Today, very few bowlers are willing to commit themselves to a 30-week league.
No longer do proprietors have lanes full of early and late leagues. Concerns with the crime rate and the possibility of vandalism have virtually killed late leagues. No longer do bowlers have the luxury of neighborhood lanes. The closing of many establishments compel bowlers to travel greater distances, again at ominous hours of the evening. Ladies morning and afternoon leagues, once icing on the cake for proprietors, have practically faded due principally to the age of two-income families.
The PBA Tour, at one time the darling and cash cow of the ABC network, took a sudden crash in the mid-90s. The professional organization benefited approximately $190,000 in rights fees per show in peak years. In the early 90s, fees were reduced to about $50,000 a show, and finally, after 36 years, ABC dropped the PBA Tour.
This was barely the beginning of the PBAs woes. Corporate sponsors, headed by Firestone, began to withdraw little by little. It reached the depth of depression when ACDelco, one of the PBA's most cherished sponsors, halted its affiliation with the pro organization in 1999.
We've had our share of bad news. Let's hope the leaders of our industry and the emergence of a prominent corporate executive can turn the tide and return our game to the prominence it richly deserves.
Today, the PBA has no major sponsors and can only depend on bowling manufacturers like Brunswick, Columbia, Storm, Ebonite, Track, and Faball to carry the PBA telecasts. Brunswick has spearheaded the drive to keep the PBA afloat, but it is totally unrealistic to expect one company to carry such a load.
PBA Commissioner Mark Gerberich has labored feverishly to lure new sponsors. He has contracted several major promotional firms with connections to sports sponsors but, for reasons unknown, nothing productive has been accomplished.
As a matter of fact, a pact with CBS Sports resulted in a financial setback of over $1.5 million.
The ladies tour has been funded by John Sommer for over 10 years and has been a financial disaster, despite tremendous strong backing by the Sams Town Casino group. It is no secret that Sommer, persevering and hoping for miracles, has taken a bath in his attempt to keep the Professional Women's Bowlers Association alive.
With all these discouraging accounts, where do we go from here?
Now for the good news: Strange at it may seem, behind fateful and menacing dark clouds, there lies the possibility of a silver lining. The ABC/WIBC and other major integers of the industry are taking steps to stem the tide. Several plans are in discussion to fuse the deplorable situation.
I have, over the years, maintained that unity among all members of the bowling family is the only salvation for the game. Never has the old adage United we stand, divided we fall been more momentous or significant. The time has come.
On the professional scene, an angel has seemingly descended on the PBA. Multi-millionaire Chris Peters, a former Microsoft executive, has expressed interest in taking over the PBA. He has agreed to pay off all PBA debts, guarantee $1 million yearly to the PBA prize fund, and, by virtue of his vast contacts, build the PBA into a viable enterprise, particularly via computer systems and power.
Peters, an avid bowler from the Northwest area, will tackle the downtrodden PBA with the aid of several other money-laden pals. He is confident that the resurrection of professional bowling is more than a slight possibility.
We've had our share of bad news. Let's hope the leaders of our industry and the emergence of a prominent corporate executive can turn the tide and return our game to the prominence it richly deserves.
PBA Hall of Famer John Jowdy is a past president of the Bowling Writers Association of America.