Last night I went bowling with some guys (at the surprisingly decent West Seattle Bowl, not too far from our place). Whenever I go bowling (extremely infrequently*), I ask my fellow bowlers the same question: why don't pro bowlers consistently bowl perfect games? Bowling must be the most controlled, consistent sport: it's indoors, so there's no weather influence; the distance to the lanes is always the same, as is the arrangement, weight, and size of the pins; you use your own bowling ball, so that's the same; and, most of all, there are no real opponents (in the sense of people playing defense).
So why do we not see perfect, or near perfect, games out of every bowler? When I ask, most people speculate that it's a mental game, and people get psyched out. My counter argument to that is that there are a decent number of basketball players who can't miss a free throw shot, even under pressure, so that can't be it. So what gives?
* The last time I went bowling, I believe, was many years ago with Trevor and Shelley in the very strange Presidio Bowling Alley in San Francisco. Strange because: (a) it was in the middle of the enormous decommissioned army base/national park that is the Presidio, and (b) because it was across the street from the even weirder "World's Most Beautiful Burger King", as Trevor used to call it. That Burger King had an entire wall made of glass which revealed a sweeping vista of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. It was truly a sight to behold. Sadly, I believe both the bowling alley and the BK are closed now.
Interesting question. Beyond the mental argument, the only thought that comes to mind is lane conditions - the amount and placement of oil on the lane. This can vary from one alley to another, and can even change during course of a game (I know this because my parents used to be avid PBA watchers when I was a kid). I found this article on the subject.
Posted by: Erich | October 21, 2005 at 07:54 AM
Presidio Bowl is closed? Damn, they had good french fries.
Posted by: Ficus | October 21, 2005 at 11:12 AM
Erich: great find on the article! I didn't know that lane conditions could change during the course of a game -- it's not like they pull out a big Zamboni at half time. Hey, maybe that's the solution to the problem discussed in the article! ;)
Ficus: Good news -- I was wrong! It was Japantown Bowl that closed, not Presidio Bowl. Presidio and the tiny Yerba Buena Bowl are the only bowling alleys left in the city proper. (TWMB)BK is definitely closed, though.
Posted by: Michael Morrissey | October 22, 2005 at 08:13 AM
Think about how many Whoppers you need to sell to pay the kind of rent they must have been paying in that location. Michael that might be a little spare time formula for you to work on. Welcome back, for some reason I can't get on the Eva site so this is the only place I hear from you.
Posted by: Dolan | October 26, 2005 at 07:54 AM
Tim: I have a feeling that that BK got the land on the cheap when it was an army base, but who knows. (And I'll send you the details on Ava's site so you can get to it.)
Posted by: Michael Morrissey | October 27, 2005 at 07:34 AM
I can't imagine bowling a 300. Last week we had a "team building" event down in Atlantic City. Much to my chagrin we were not playing the Atlantic City Country Club but, my boss suprised us with the a rented short bus and took us to a bowling alley. Nothing quite says success like drinking several pictures of Coors Lite at 2:00PM on a Thursday in a bowling alley (I wished I smoked woulda completed the scene). The point is I rolled a 105, 106 and 128 and honestly I don't think I coulda down any better. So the thought that people are really good at this game is just a little depressing.
Posted by: Dolan | October 29, 2005 at 06:58 PM