As the Delta plane turned to head east over Las Vegas, it was sad to think about the disappearing bowling lore as you looked out the window of the Boeing 767 and spotted the Showboat and then Sam's Town.
The two hotels/casinos/bowling centers, both located on Boulder Highway, have played prominent roles in the growth of the Professional Bowlers Association and the Professional Women's Bowling Association.
The PBA owed much of its success to the Showboat, which televised its first tournament in 1960, one year after the ABC television network started carrying PBA events on Saturday afternoons. Unfortunately, that unmatched relationship between the PBA and Showboat ended in 1999.
Sam's Town became the PWBA's showcase tournament in 1984. "We went there looking for $15,000 in sponsorship money and they offered $75,000," said PWBA President John Falzone. "That was the beginning of a great relationship."
Ten years later, Sam's Town rescued the tour by becoming an umbrella sponsor and pouring more than $3.6 million into the PWBA tour over the next seven years.
But it all ended Nov. 11 with the 17th and final Sam's Town Invitational.
Apparently the new Sam's Town management team wants to pursue new options. I think they made a mistake, and it makes me wonder what will happen to the International Eliminator tournament after 2001.
The PBA switched its allegiance to the Orleans Hotel/Casino/Bowling Center this year, but we will have to wait and see where the PWBA winds up in 2001.
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if the PWBA winds up signing a deal with the Texas Station Hotel/Casino (which will open its new 60-lane center in Las Vegas on Dec. 15) or the Orleans if the tournament remains in Vegas, the Bowling Stadium or the Hilton if it moves to Reno, or possibly the Riverside Resort if it moves to Laughlin, Nev.
The PWBA would be a great fit, in my mind, at the Texas Station since its bowling center is run by a woman, Bea Goodwin, who formerly managed the Showboat. She knows first hand what a pro bowling tournament can mean to a hotel/casino in Las Vegas.
In my opinion, the PBA made the Showboat, and the PWBA made Sam's Town from a national standpoint because of its extraordinary TV coverage.
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Bowling banquets disappear — It's funny how things remind you of the glory days of bowling when almost nine million sanctioned league bowlers roamed the streets of America.
We went to dinner with friends at the Buca di Beppo, an Italian restaurant built last year near the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach International Speedway.
Painted strikingly on the side of the building were the words "BOWLING BANQUETS."
It's been a long time since I have thought about "bowling banquets" that 40 years ago were held by almost every league at the end of the bowling season.
In those days, the league secretary usually took money out of the fees she/he collected each week and set it aside for the year-end banquet. Everybody came because the dinner already was paid for by each bowler.
Just think: more than nine million bowlers (many competed in more than one league each week) heading out to the banquet circuit during April and May each year. It was such a bonanza for restaurants that they often offered special deals to bowling leagues.
Highlight of the banquet night was the awarding of trophies to the league champions and to the bowlers who carried the highest averages or rolled the highest series.
Sometimes leagues went out of their way to stage a unique banquet; I can remember one that flew to Las Vegas to celebrate the league season.
I can remember floating down Biscayne Bay on a small cruise ship that churned the waters off Miami being served a steak dinner during the National Airlines league banquet. It was a festive time, and you got to dance the night away.
Sure enough, there was a moon over Miami that night.
But the moon has set on bowling banquets. Most are things of the past, just like the colorful sponsor shirts that every bowler use to wear.
It's a shame in my opinion.
But since Buca di Beppo brought the subject to my mind, I would recommend the rigatoni positano to any bowler. The dish was long on taste although a little short on the chicken.
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"Ed" moving to Wednesday — NBC-TV is moving its bowling-related sitcom, "Ed," from Sunday to Wednesday nights starting Nov. 29. As a lead-in to the popular "West Wing" on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m., "Ed" should score a strike for the peacock network.
The November issue of Bowling Magazine does a nice job of giving the bowling background of co-creator Rob Burnett. Only wish I knew how to submit a couple bowling related scripts for the 60-minute comedy that has not really taken advantage of Stuckey Bowl.
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WIBC dates extended again — The Women's International Bowling Congress continues to extend its closing date for the 2001 National Championship Tournament that will be held in Broward County in Florida if they ever finalize the presidential vote count to everyone's satisfaction.
With 8,906 teams already signed up, WIBC has decided to add three more days to the tournament. It was originally supposed to run from April 17 to June 15. But last month that date was extended to June 24 and last Thursday was pushed back to June 27.
So, if you haven't sent in your team entry, there still is plenty of time since entries do not close until Jan. 26.
One final word: Both the WIBC Queens and the WIBC Senior Queens tournaments are scheduled May 7-11 at Sawgrass Lanes, and entries now are being accepted.
Call 414/423-9006 or send a fax to 414/421-9789 to make a tournament reservation.
Dick Evans, a past president of the Bowling Writers Association of America, is a member of the ABC and PBA Halls of Fame.