Is it wrong that I am somewhat fascinated and comforted by bowling on TV?
It partially reminds me of endless Saturdays as a kid when we only had five channels, no Internet, and bowling was always, always on TV. It's easy to follow--ya knock down the pins or ya don't! -- with no weird penalties or breaks in the action. The players and the fans are such Regular Joes that it's easier to root for them than it is for the bling-dripping NFLers making zillions of dollars a year.
There's just something so retro about the alleys, located in Indiana or Ohio or something, getting their big shot at the national spotlight. And even though they're all gussied up for the TV cameras, you know that, just offscreen, there's a vending machine selling Funyons and Mr. Goodbars, and a bar offering beer in bowling-pin-shaped bottles.
All this is buildup to saying I watched a little of the Denny's PBA Tour on ESPN today (how perfect that Denny's is the sponsor?), and was quite entertained when bowler Michael Haugen Jr. went into the crowd to give a little kid one of his bowling balls. It was kind of like when football players toss a ball to the little kid sitting in a wheelchair or something, but it being a bowling ball, and awfully heavy for the kid, made it all the more fun to watch. Good thing he didn't just chuck it into the crowd!
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4 comments:
I do not think that there is anything wrong with being fasinated by bowling on tv. When I used to bowl Saturday mornings on my junior league, I was required to watch the PBA Tour every Sunday. I have learned a lot from the bowlers including how to hold the ball on different lane conditions, where to stand or adjust if needed, and how to stay clam under a lot of pressure. To this day I still watch them because I love bowling and I am always willing to imporve my game. As their quote says "winning never gets old."
I'm a former bowler (well, I still do it once in a while, but I peaked at 16), and I was always weirded out by watching it on television. They ALWAYS bowl a strike! Every frame! Every turn! On the one hand, the perfection is beautiful...but there's no suspense!
Ah, jennifer, you might enjoy watching candlepin bowling! According to Wikipedia, the highest score ever recorded is 245 (out of 300). No one has ever made a perfect game. Seriously, it's actually relatively exciting, compared to, I don't know, other things that were on at 11AM on a Saturday.
I mean, this is actually somewhat enjoyable to watch. The tension!
Wasn't bowling for dollars in the Twin Cities on channel 5? And if I remember correctly, It was live/taped from Capt'n Jacks out on Hwy 12 (now I-94)
Zak
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