If you have missed the wit and wisdom of Chuck Pezzano the past couple of months, there is a very good reason. In December, he had open-heart surgery, which sidelined him for a while. He is now on the quick road to recovery at his home in New Jersey.
We are very happy to report that everything went very well for our dear friend, and he has resumed his writing. I spoke with him recently, and he looks forward to attending the Bowling Writers Association of America meeting this month in Syracuse.
Another wonderful wise man with a new ticker is California’s irrepressible Bill Taylor. Bill’s heart surgery took place a little over a year ago, and he has recovered remarkably. I spent a little time with him recently at the 1999 International Eliminator at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas, where he was coaching Canada’s Frank Buffa and talking about an upcoming trip to Europe.
Some of you out there who know both Chuck and Bill may find it a little strange to see both of these gentlemen in the same column. Such opposites! you may be thinking.
Opposites? Perhaps. But both are great contributors to the game of bowling and have been for over a half century each. And I can assure you, knowing these two as well as I do, that neither will be offended by the other’s inclusion in this piece of work by someone who admires them both.
Pezzano, a charter member of the PBA and every Hall of Fame you can imagine, is the consummate diplomat, probably the best unpaid public relations man any industry has ever had. Privately, he bemoans bowling’s plight and perils, as most of us do. Publicly, he is the eternal optimist, always looking for the glimmer of hope in any situation.
By contrast, Taylor has been the chief watchdog reporter of the industry for decades, seldom if ever missing an opportunity to point out an ineptitude or inefficiency in bowling’s hierarchy. However, he almost always offers a solution, sometimes insulting, but usually very accurate and insightful.
In 1960, Taylor published a now-famous pamphlet entitled SSC (Super Soft Conditions) Is Bowling’s Cancer. His warning was ignored by bowling leaders. Those were the boom years, and history has taught us that few, if any, naysayers are heeded during good times.
While sharing breakfast with Bill one morning, I was captivated by his sustained enthusiasm for his "little game." Recognizing that he can do little or nothing more to fix the once popular sport of American tenpins, Taylor turned his attention a few years ago to inventing a new "balls and sticks" sport.
Taylor and Pezzano have disagreed on many issues, but neither disputes that bowling is first and foremost a sport.
You may have heard of his efforts to get it started. The game provides the player with a choice of three sizes of balls, pins that are smaller with true centers of gravity, and a lane surface that requires no oil, thus no possible chance of lane blocking.
Obviously, it’s an elaborate and expensive project, and Bill is working toward bringing it to the marketplace. Will it happen soon, and will it have an impact on the present game of bowling? Don’t bet against it.
A few years back, Pezzano said to those who mock Taylor, "You may not agree with Bill Taylor, but if you don’t at least listen to what he has to say, you’re silly."
My own observation and understanding of Bill is fairly simple. Many who listen to his stories of coaching all the great bowlers and his predictions conclude wrongly that he is a man who lives in the past. I listen to his solutions to bowling’s ills and see the twinkle in his eye and conclude that Bill Taylor is a man who lives in the future.
One thing is indisputable: Both Taylor and Pezzano have been good for the game. They are as close to icons as we will ever see in this sport. Both have worked tirelessly to make the game better. Both have urged bowling leaders to pay more attention to their direction. Taylor shouted it from the hilltops; Pezzano whispered it in the halls of organization offices. Unfortunately, neither method has succeeded, and bowling is paying a heavy price.
Taylor and Pezzano have disagreed on many issues, but neither disputes that bowling is first and foremost a sport. The sooner our industry’s leaders learn this basic fact, the sooner the recovery can begin.
And now that both have stronger hearts, we can all look forward to sharing their wisdom for many years to come.
Jim Goodwin, a BWAA director and LPBT’s regional program director, is the award-winning editor/publisher of Stars & Strikes, in which the preceding originally appeared. Subscription rates are $20 per year (Pin Point Publishing, 2850 Red Valley Run, Rockwall, Texas 75087 ... voice/fax: 972/ 771-0069).