I’m sorry: I, too, like Mike, but does anyone really believe he will help bowling? He may help AMF’s bottom line, but I don’t see bowling getting better because of Mike. Naming a bowling center "Michael Jordan Lanes" in Chicago will make a person bowl about as much as a Toyota dealership with the same name will cause you not to buy American.

In a recent news release, AMF announced that the second of its Michael Jordan Golf Centers is scheduled to open in Charlotte, N.C., this August. It will be a $2.85 million, state-of-the-art golf practice and teaching facility. The Michael Jordan Golf Company, an AMF subsidiary, will of course operate it to provide a golf education and instruction program targeted specifically to disadvantaged and at-risk young people.

Exactly what is AMF trying to promote here? If they want to bring bowling to the forefront, open a $2.85 million, state-of-the-art bowling center, and staff it with certified coaches and offer the same people the same opportunity. Then they’ll be doing something for bowling.

Having Michael Jordan open a few centers, make a few promo spots, and hold a bowling ball with an AMF logo won’t help bowling. Gordon Vadakin, coach at Wichita State University, said it best in Bowling Magazine: "It bothers me that we have to go to superstars in other sports to promote our game rather than use our own superstars."

The problem is our superstars don’t have name recognition, nor do they receive obscene salaries or prize money. Former TEAM USA stars and current professionals like Chris Barnes and Kendra Cameron, collegiate bowlers like Jeremy Sonnenfeld, and coaches like Susie Minshew and Fred Borden can do a lot more for our bowling youth than Mike. Unfortunately, in addition to not being marketed as well as superstars, they aren’t marketed as well NASCAR truck drivers, such as Craftsman Truck Series driver Terry Cook or Buckshot Jones. You figure it out.

Michael Jordan is talking about retirement. In my mind, when that happens, any impact he may have had on bowling truly will be gone. We die-hard fans will remember all the great things he did in basketball, but to the kid coming up through YABA, Jordan will just be yesterday’s news.

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When the term "nice guy" is used with reference to the Professional Bowlers Association, we Texans don’t have too far to look. All we do is look straight north to Amarillo, which recently was in the spotlight as Oprah and Texans did battle over beef. (To me, that whole thing seemed a bit silly. Someone once said, "Always take a good look at what you’re about to eat. It not so important to know what it is, but it’s critical to know what it was.")

Mike Scroggins has been on the PBA Tour for nine years and competes in selected tournaments as well as on the Southwest regional circuit. He recently was named the Southwest Region PBA Player of the Year, leading both the points and earnings lists. He won two regional events in 1997, at Pasadena and in my hometown of Killeen at the inaugural Southwest Region Hallmark Open. He finished second in three other events and qualified for the match-play finals in 12 of 15 events.

The 33-year-old lefty had his best year financially in 1992, winning over $53,400 and capturing the Sacramento (Calif.) Open.

You only have to spend a little time with Mike to realize what a nice guy he really is, and that he has a diverse set of priorities. As I stated, he only bowls selected national tour stops. Bowling full- time is difficult enough if you have no other outside interests, but in Mike’s case, he juggles working on a degree in computer science, coaching the bowling program at West Texas A&M, and competing on the regional schedule. Any one of those would be enough for most folks, but Mike seems to take it all in stride. He knows what he wants, and he’s doing it his way.

During the pro-am of the Columbia 300 Open at Highland Lanes in Austin, Texas last month, Mike made a big hit with all the amateurs. He took the time to talk to everyone, answered their questions, and he even did some recruiting for West Texas A&M.

While competing at Hallmark Lanes last year, he was the quiet man. Spectators were standing around throughout the entire event trying to determine who would capture the first regional event in our area. From the beginning, I said "Watch Mike Scroggins." Sure enough, he quietly positioned himself and ultimately won the tournament. A most gracious winner, he thanked everyone and hung around for autographs and photos.

This humble, unassuming Texan earns my "nice guy" award.

See you on the lanes.

Don Wright is a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America. His E-mail address is wrightdk@vvm.com and his home page is located at www.vvm.com/~wrightd.