While the first half of the 50th Anniversary 2008-09 season of the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour has already provided many memorable highlights, the upcoming second half promises to be one of the most memorable in the history of the sport. Here are ten stories:
10. Immortality on tap for three:
For the first time since 2000, players will be added to the PBA Hall of Fame. And what a class it is. Led by the already legendary Norm Duke, fortified by Del Ballard Jr. and senior standout John Handegard, the group will be inducted as part of the gala celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the PBA at the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas Jan. 24. The great Nelson Burton Jr. will serve as the master of ceremonies for the inductions.
9. Two forms of “mixing” will shake things up - Mixed Doubles and Mixed Patterns:
10. Immortality on tap for three:
For the first time since 2000, players will be added to the PBA Hall of Fame. And what a class it is. Led by the already legendary Norm Duke, fortified by Del Ballard Jr. and senior standout John Handegard, the group will be inducted as part of the gala celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the PBA at the Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas Jan. 24. The great Nelson Burton Jr. will serve as the master of ceremonies for the inductions.
9. Two forms of “mixing” will shake things up - Mixed Doubles and Mixed Patterns:
For the first time since the 90’s, an official PBA Tour Mixed Doubles event appears on the schedule. Named after perhaps the greatest married mixed doubles team ever, Don and Paula Carter, the mixed doubles finals will be taped on Jan. 11 at the National Bowling Stadium for broadcast Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 1 on ESPN. Getting the chance to see the world’s best men and women team up Baker style will be a treat.
And the first-ever mixed oil pattern events in the history of the PBA will be unveiled in the second half. The first taking place at the National Bowling Stadium Championship, where qualifying will include one block on the Shark pattern and another on the Cheetah, before match play and the televised finals feature the Shark on the left lane and Cheetah on the right on every pair. This intriguing set up will be on the first show of the second half of the season, Jan. 11 live on ESPN. Clearly defining the differences in the playing field on each lane based on the oil patterns used will be at once a great educational tool to engage fans and illuminate the uniquely versatile skills of the PBA players.
8. Xtra Frame takes it to another level:
PBA.com’s emerging Xtra Frame streaming video service, which provides live video from the match play round of events to decide the players who make The Show, plus added features such as tips and interviews from PBA stars, gets a new twist. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, a special exhibition match between PBA greats Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber will air live at 6:15 p.m. PT. The matchup was decided by a fan vote on pba.com, essentially bowling’s first pay-per-view event. Subscribers to Xtra Frame will get to see these two rivals duke it out, more special programming will pop up through the year.
7. Are two hands really better than one? Belmo returns:
One player generating plenty of buzz in the first half of the year was Australia’s Jason Belmonte, the two-handed international bowling star. He first turned heads at the PBA World Championship by jumping out to a huge qualifying lead before finishing 10th. Then he received two ultimately controversial Commissioner’s exemptions into events later in the first half, finishing 29th and 60th in those opportunities.
Now, he will bowl at least five more events in the second half, including four open field tournaments (Denny’s Dick Weber Open, USBC Masters, Etonic Marathon Open, 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open) and the GEICO Plastic Ball Championship TQR. Bowling fans around the world will be paying attention to the results.
6. Release of new 50 Greatest Players in PBA history book:
Fans will have the opportunity to own a beautiful book published by Luby Publishing, commemorating and spotlighting the 50 Greatest Players in the 50 year history of the PBA Tour. With stories, stats and photos on all of the 50 players written by many of the top bowling writers in history, it will be a “can’t miss” addition to any fan’s library.
Additionally, other exciting chances for fans to own a piece of the 50 Greatest players coming up in the second half of the year include ontheballbowling.com’s limited edition bowling balls with 50 Greatest player images, and a 50 Greatest Players trading card set.
5. Barnes and Weber and Jones... Oh my!:
The first half was relatively quiet for three of the Tour’s most recognizable fan favorites: Chris Barnes, Pete Weber and Tommy Jones. Only Barnes made one show this year out of the three, a second-place finish at the PBA World Championship. Will the three stars finish big in the second half of the year? History suggests nothing can keep these warriors on the sidelines when the lights come on for too long, which could mean major league fireworks on TV.
4. Player of the Year races for both the PBA and PBA Women’s Series heat up:
Wes Malott, Bill O’Neill and Parker Bohn III were the most consistent players across the first half, with Malott qualifying for four of the five PBA pattern championship shows and O’Neill making three TV appearances. But many points for the PBA Player of the Year award are available in the second half including three major championships, so the race is just out of the starting blocks.
On the PBA Women’s Series, with two events remaining on the 7-week schedule (Mixed Doubles and Earl Anthony Medford Classic) four players have already made multiple shows: Michelle Feldman, Carolyn-Dorin Ballard, Stefanie Nation and Jodi Woessner. Feldman’s two titles give her the edge right now. Plus, the PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by USBC lurks, with a made-for-TV shootout format to end the year.
3. The PBA Extreme Swing goes into full effect:
The first-ever Extreme Swing not only features creative formats and unique televised finals but the top eight players off its own points list automatically qualify for the Six Flags Great America PBA Summer Shootout this summer at Six Flags in New Jersey. The first half of the season featured one Extreme Swing event, the Ultimate Scoring Championship won by Mike Wolfe, who sits atop the Extreme points standings. A look at the other Extreme events to pepper the schedule this second half live on ESPN:
Gieco Plastic Ball Championship, finals Feb. 22: For the first time ever on the PBA Tour, the world’s best bowlers are all given the exact model plastic (polyester) bowling ball. Which player will emerge when the equipment is the same for all?
Etonic Marathon Championship, finals March 1: A grueling format of 9 games each on all the different PBA oil patterns will result in a stepladder finals where the leader gets to choose which of the patterns is used on TV. It’s a first for a PBA event to use 6 different patterns during qualifying and a first for the leader to choose the pattern on The Show.
Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator, finals March 8: A unique elimination style format carries all the way from the match play portion of the event onto the TV show, where four bowlers will all bowl a game, eliminating one player. Then the remaining three bowl with one eliminated, with the final two squaring off for the title.
GoRVing Match Play Championship, finals March 22: Sixty-four players will be seeded into a bracket ranked by their place on the PBA Tour points list for a “win-or-go-home” match play event. The Show features another PBA Tour first: only the two finalists will appear on the telecast, going at it in a 3-game, total pins match for the title.
2. Who is the all-time No. 1? And then let the debate begin:
All season long, the PBA has counted down the 50 Greatest Players in PBA history with a feature tribute on the ESPN shows. Fans have seen the greats of the game from every era as they were ranked by a panel of experts. As the second half begins, only the three top spots remain to be unveiled. Deductive reasoning shows that Walter Ray Williams Jr., Dick Weber and Earl Anthony are the three players yet to be ranked. Where will they end up in the lineup? The No. 3 spot will be unveiled on the Jan. 11 show, a recap of the top 48 will appear on the Jan. 18 show, and on Jan. 25 Nelson Burton Jr. will be on hand at the H&R Block Tournament of Champions to unveil Nos. 1 and 2. There are no losers, only a celebration of the legends of the game.
In conjunction with this special moment in PBA history, the PBA and the Bowling Foundation will host a gala celebration the night before the Tournament of Champions final in Las Vegas. There, the greatest collection of bowling legends ever will be assembled. Over 44 of the living 50 Greatest will be on hand and highlights from the event will be on the Jan. 25 Tournament of Champions show.
1. THREE Major Championships:
The second half of the season features the most prestigious events of the year: The H&R Block Tournament of Champions, USBC Masters and 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open. Top prize money, multiple year exempt status, Player of the Year honors and history are all on the line with these tournaments. The T of C’s invitational field is filled, legends of the game including founding PBA member Carmen Salvino. The Masters crowns the champion in the national governing body’s most prestigious event. And the U.S. Open provides the players the ultimate challenge in lane condition and size of the field.
The biggest storyline entering the T of C is of course Norm Duke’s pursuit of an unprecedented and previously unthinkable four straight major championship titles. Duke won both the World Championship and U.S. Open to close out last year, and the World Championship to lead off this season. All eyes will be on “Duuuuuuuuke,” who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before the finals.
An unforgettable conclusion to the 2008-09 season is about to begin.
And the first-ever mixed oil pattern events in the history of the PBA will be unveiled in the second half. The first taking place at the National Bowling Stadium Championship, where qualifying will include one block on the Shark pattern and another on the Cheetah, before match play and the televised finals feature the Shark on the left lane and Cheetah on the right on every pair. This intriguing set up will be on the first show of the second half of the season, Jan. 11 live on ESPN. Clearly defining the differences in the playing field on each lane based on the oil patterns used will be at once a great educational tool to engage fans and illuminate the uniquely versatile skills of the PBA players.
8. Xtra Frame takes it to another level:
PBA.com’s emerging Xtra Frame streaming video service, which provides live video from the match play round of events to decide the players who make The Show, plus added features such as tips and interviews from PBA stars, gets a new twist. On Wednesday, Jan. 7, a special exhibition match between PBA greats Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Pete Weber will air live at 6:15 p.m. PT. The matchup was decided by a fan vote on pba.com, essentially bowling’s first pay-per-view event. Subscribers to Xtra Frame will get to see these two rivals duke it out, more special programming will pop up through the year.
7. Are two hands really better than one? Belmo returns:
One player generating plenty of buzz in the first half of the year was Australia’s Jason Belmonte, the two-handed international bowling star. He first turned heads at the PBA World Championship by jumping out to a huge qualifying lead before finishing 10th. Then he received two ultimately controversial Commissioner’s exemptions into events later in the first half, finishing 29th and 60th in those opportunities.
Now, he will bowl at least five more events in the second half, including four open field tournaments (Denny’s Dick Weber Open, USBC Masters, Etonic Marathon Open, 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open) and the GEICO Plastic Ball Championship TQR. Bowling fans around the world will be paying attention to the results.
6. Release of new 50 Greatest Players in PBA history book:
Fans will have the opportunity to own a beautiful book published by Luby Publishing, commemorating and spotlighting the 50 Greatest Players in the 50 year history of the PBA Tour. With stories, stats and photos on all of the 50 players written by many of the top bowling writers in history, it will be a “can’t miss” addition to any fan’s library.
Additionally, other exciting chances for fans to own a piece of the 50 Greatest players coming up in the second half of the year include ontheballbowling.com’s limited edition bowling balls with 50 Greatest player images, and a 50 Greatest Players trading card set.
5. Barnes and Weber and Jones... Oh my!:
The first half was relatively quiet for three of the Tour’s most recognizable fan favorites: Chris Barnes, Pete Weber and Tommy Jones. Only Barnes made one show this year out of the three, a second-place finish at the PBA World Championship. Will the three stars finish big in the second half of the year? History suggests nothing can keep these warriors on the sidelines when the lights come on for too long, which could mean major league fireworks on TV.
4. Player of the Year races for both the PBA and PBA Women’s Series heat up:
Wes Malott, Bill O’Neill and Parker Bohn III were the most consistent players across the first half, with Malott qualifying for four of the five PBA pattern championship shows and O’Neill making three TV appearances. But many points for the PBA Player of the Year award are available in the second half including three major championships, so the race is just out of the starting blocks.
On the PBA Women’s Series, with two events remaining on the 7-week schedule (Mixed Doubles and Earl Anthony Medford Classic) four players have already made multiple shows: Michelle Feldman, Carolyn-Dorin Ballard, Stefanie Nation and Jodi Woessner. Feldman’s two titles give her the edge right now. Plus, the PBA Women’s Series Showdown presented by USBC lurks, with a made-for-TV shootout format to end the year.
3. The PBA Extreme Swing goes into full effect:
The first-ever Extreme Swing not only features creative formats and unique televised finals but the top eight players off its own points list automatically qualify for the Six Flags Great America PBA Summer Shootout this summer at Six Flags in New Jersey. The first half of the season featured one Extreme Swing event, the Ultimate Scoring Championship won by Mike Wolfe, who sits atop the Extreme points standings. A look at the other Extreme events to pepper the schedule this second half live on ESPN:
Gieco Plastic Ball Championship, finals Feb. 22: For the first time ever on the PBA Tour, the world’s best bowlers are all given the exact model plastic (polyester) bowling ball. Which player will emerge when the equipment is the same for all?
Etonic Marathon Championship, finals March 1: A grueling format of 9 games each on all the different PBA oil patterns will result in a stepladder finals where the leader gets to choose which of the patterns is used on TV. It’s a first for a PBA event to use 6 different patterns during qualifying and a first for the leader to choose the pattern on The Show.
Don Johnson Buckeye State Eliminator, finals March 8: A unique elimination style format carries all the way from the match play portion of the event onto the TV show, where four bowlers will all bowl a game, eliminating one player. Then the remaining three bowl with one eliminated, with the final two squaring off for the title.
GoRVing Match Play Championship, finals March 22: Sixty-four players will be seeded into a bracket ranked by their place on the PBA Tour points list for a “win-or-go-home” match play event. The Show features another PBA Tour first: only the two finalists will appear on the telecast, going at it in a 3-game, total pins match for the title.
2. Who is the all-time No. 1? And then let the debate begin:
All season long, the PBA has counted down the 50 Greatest Players in PBA history with a feature tribute on the ESPN shows. Fans have seen the greats of the game from every era as they were ranked by a panel of experts. As the second half begins, only the three top spots remain to be unveiled. Deductive reasoning shows that Walter Ray Williams Jr., Dick Weber and Earl Anthony are the three players yet to be ranked. Where will they end up in the lineup? The No. 3 spot will be unveiled on the Jan. 11 show, a recap of the top 48 will appear on the Jan. 18 show, and on Jan. 25 Nelson Burton Jr. will be on hand at the H&R Block Tournament of Champions to unveil Nos. 1 and 2. There are no losers, only a celebration of the legends of the game.
In conjunction with this special moment in PBA history, the PBA and the Bowling Foundation will host a gala celebration the night before the Tournament of Champions final in Las Vegas. There, the greatest collection of bowling legends ever will be assembled. Over 44 of the living 50 Greatest will be on hand and highlights from the event will be on the Jan. 25 Tournament of Champions show.
1. THREE Major Championships:
The second half of the season features the most prestigious events of the year: The H&R Block Tournament of Champions, USBC Masters and 66th Lumber Liquidators U.S. Open. Top prize money, multiple year exempt status, Player of the Year honors and history are all on the line with these tournaments. The T of C’s invitational field is filled, legends of the game including founding PBA member Carmen Salvino. The Masters crowns the champion in the national governing body’s most prestigious event. And the U.S. Open provides the players the ultimate challenge in lane condition and size of the field.
The biggest storyline entering the T of C is of course Norm Duke’s pursuit of an unprecedented and previously unthinkable four straight major championship titles. Duke won both the World Championship and U.S. Open to close out last year, and the World Championship to lead off this season. All eyes will be on “Duuuuuuuuke,” who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame the night before the finals.
An unforgettable conclusion to the 2008-09 season is about to begin.
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