ESPN Bowling Outside

[fett]

What the fuck is this? They have two lanes set up outside, as in daylight.:ROTF: Whatever happened to a bowling alley? The dudes are wearing shades. Assholes.

[GodOfRhythm]

They're slowly making the change to a stadium sport to increase revenues.

[fett]

Good luck on this bright dumb-ass idea.:ROTF: It's just stupid.:ROTF:

[GodOfRhythm]

Good luck on this bright dumb-ass idea.:ROTF: It's just stupid.:ROTF:

Mark my words Fett!!! You'll be seeing a "Lebowski Arena" pop up anytime soon. It has begun....

[fett]

I bowled in leagues for 3 years. And 2/3 of the fun was being at the alley. I used to watch, forgive me for being old, Chris Shenkle (sp) cover real bowling on ABC. This new stuff has my two 16 pound balls in an uproar.

[LouSiffer]

I bowl in leagues and have bowled since I was about 6 or so.

Bowling lost its magic to me when they changed the equipment to resin covered balls with small cores and synthetic lanes. I had to learn how to work the ball and be accurate. Now, any yahoo can grab a ball, have it drilled and bowl good games without any effort. It would be about like letting MLB hitters use aluminum bats....anyone could hit a home run. -Lou

[fett]

Me too. Every weekend. I bowled on a highschool team, 1966. Here's a great fucking idea. We'll put two lanes outside in the sun. Oil my fucking ass. This is about the most fucked up idea I have ever seen. God, I can't tell you how anti-bowling this is. I'm pissed.

[TheSteveMan]

They've been doing this for years, I think.
Most of the time they do their tournaments in a bowling alley somehwere and set up a TV/seating area around a pair of lanes for the finals, but for certain events they'll actually build temporary outside lanes. I recall seeing something like this in the late 90s and thought it was weird, but I don't know, it's not any different from building the TV set around a pair of lanes, that takes away a lot of the "bowling alley feel" too.

[RacerX]

I'm pissed.

Damn, it doesn't take much, eh?

[TommyD]

ESPN Bowling Outside

> Actually,the lanes you saw outside are totally modular,meaning they can be broken down and loaded into a semi trailer. The actual lane surface is synthetic,a resin-injected wood laminate that never warps or gets uneven from ball-track wear. They can be up and running in a couple hours. Guess who owns the PBA? Paul Allen,the Microsoft guy. After he "retired",he said he was going to try and see if he could qualify for a PBA Touring Pro card,because he was always a fan of it. He never could get there,his average stuck at about 190 under Tour lane conditions,the average for the top guys then was like 228. He also found out that the PBA was on the verge of bankruptcy,so he did what any billionaire does when he likes a business that is about to fold,he bought it and restructured. Now,they have a big contract with Denny's,among others. The top 50 are guaranteed a spot on the tour for the following year,basically insuring them of 100k for the year,even if they come in last place at every tournament.

I bet the lanes are funky when warm air and direct sunlight are applied to the lane oil. Tommy D.

[fett]

I only saw them for a minute or two. I got disgusted and changed the channel.

[Horse Called War]

I think they should have the" Moonlight" bowling feature next. pickup the 7-10 colored split for a extra grand.