18
www.bowlingworld.com
– DECEMBER 2012
"
This is exciting for me and for the sport of bowling," said Paul.
"
I love PBA action, have enjoyed getting to know many of the top
bowlers and look forward to my team competing for the first PBA
League Elias Cup."
During the London Olympics, Paul made his passion for bowl-
ing known when he went on his Twitter account to ask the world,
"
Why isn't bowling in the Olympics? It should be."
Paul's Los Angeles-based team name has not been decided
yet, but his team's franchise player will be five-time PBA cham-
pion Jason Belmonte of Australia.
Each of the teams will have a designated franchise player from
the top eight competitors on the 2011-12 PBA Tour competition
points list. Belmonte's fellow franchise players are reigning Player
of the Year Sean Rash, PBA Hall of Famers Pete Weber and
Norm Duke, defending PBA World Champion Osku Palermaa,
USBC Masters champion Mike Fagan, former U.S. Open cham-
pion Bill O'Neill and PBA Triple Crown winner Chris Barnes.
Bettis, who grew up as a youth bowler in Detroit before going
on to star at running back at Notre Dame and for the Steelers,
was the first person inducted into the Celebrity Bowling Hall of
Fame due to his long and varied support and participation in PBA
and other bowling events. On the lanes, Bettis has a 300 game to
his credit.
Bettis' team, the Motor City Muscle, will be at home in Detroit
for the first PBAL event. Fagan is Bettis' franchise player.
“
I am excited to be partnering with the PBA and its new
League. I feel this is a fantastic opportunity to be a owner of the
Motor City Muscle," said Bettis, whose charitable organization
The Bus Stops Here Foundation benefits youths. "Bowling fans
not only get to see me but they also get to see Mike Fagan and
some great team bowling. PBA fans deserve the best and this
season we will give them the best and a chance to enjoy every
moment."
PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said it was fitting that Paul and
Bettis were the first team owners to sign on in support of the
PBAL, followed quickly by Owens and Hart.
"
Chris and Jerome have been great ambassadors for bowling
for many years and bring a wealth of business acumen, laudable
charitable efforts and winning personalities to the PBA," Clark
said. "Plus, they are really good bowlers themselves. They love
the game."
Owens’ team will be the Dallas Strikers and his franchise
player will be Norm Duke, who grew up in the Dallas area before
moving to Florida. Duke has coached avid-bowler Owens on the
lanes. Hart’s team will be the Philadelphia Hitmen and his fran-
chise player will be Bill O’Neill who lives in nearby Langhorne, Pa.
Other celebrity team owners, nicknames and franchise player
designations will be announced soon. Details on the League
structure, formats and PBA Detroit Winter Swing can be found on
pba.com.
Many of the celebrity team owners will have a chance to show
off their bowling skills, alongside their franchise player counter-
parts, in the Chris Paul PBA League All Stars special event which
will air on ESPN on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, at 4 p.m. ET.
PBA CEO Geoff Reiss said the new League will improve the
PBA's relationship with sponsors and fans.
"
Current and prospective corporate partners of the PBA will
realize unique and valuable opportunities with the League," Reiss
said. "Television audiences will see more PBA players compete in
a team atmosphere and in a longer, two-hour time slot."
While the PBA has been a predominantly individual-
achievement sports association, team bowling has a great history
and future in the game. Most of the two million United States
Bowling Congress certified league bowlers compete in a team
environment in more than 4,000 Bowling Proprietors’ Association
of America-member bowling centers.
"
The famed 1950s Budweiser teams with Don Carter and Dick
Weber set standards for excellence in sports," Reiss said. "Today,
high school and collegiate bowling are on the rise, with the next
generation comfortable with teamwork on the lanes."
The PBA World Series of Bowling and PBA World Champion-
ship, PBA Tournament of Champions, U.S. Open, USBC Masters,
the World Tenpin Bowling Association’s PBA International Tour
series and other PBA events including its regional and PBA50
Tours will continue to highlight individual players.
Full information on digital and television coverage of the PBA
League, including qualifying rounds of League action to be web-
cast on pba.com’s Xtra Frame video streaming service, will be
announced soon.
MALAYSIA’S WORLD
CUP CHAMP DREAMS
OF BOWLING ON
PBA TOUR
After becoming the first Malaysian bowler to
win the Qubica AMF World Cup,
Syafiq
Ridhwan Abdul Malek
professed his dream is
to continue to improve and one day bowl on the
PBA Tour.
The 26-year-old Malek defeated Team USA
member
Marshall Kent
of Yakima, Wash., 236-
225, 237-221,
in their best-of-three-game title
match in Wroclaw, Poland. He told New Straits
Time reporter Ajitpal Singh, “I actually want to
turn pro, but I am not sure when I can achieve it.
It takes a lot of dedication but I believe, if I do
turn pro, I can make it as I've beaten many top
bowlers before."
To reach the men’s title match, Malek elimi-
nated PBA Tour titlist
Andres Gomez
of Colom-
bia, 2-0, in their best-of-three semifinal match.
Singapore’s
Shayna Ng
won the women’s title,
defeating two-time defending champion and for-
mer PBA Women’s Series competitor
Aumi
Guerra
of the Dominican Republic, 224-269,
267-259, 247-169
in their title contest.
(
Continued from page 15)
First PBA League Team Owners
Reigning PBA Player of the Year Sean
Rash of Montgomery, Ill., also was
pleased.
“
I got one of the best lefties on tour
(
Ryan Ciminelli of Cheektowaga, N.Y.)
Ryan Shafer is a proven champion. I got
the greatest player of all-time (47-time
PBA Tour champion Walter Ray Williams
Jr. of Ocala, Fla.) I looked into who has
bowled well currently and at Thunderbowl
(
in 2009) and team chemistry as well.”
No. 7 Chris Barnes of Double Oak,
Texas, said, “I feel great about my team.
Everyone I drafted was in the top 25 in
points last year. They all have the ability to
play straight or hook the ball. With the
exception of me, they’re all young. They
are all team players. I didn’t think (first
pick) Dom (Barrett of England) would get
to me, and I certainly didn’t think (fellow
Englishman) Stu (Williams) would still be
on the board. I have no complaints.”
Palermaa, who has extensive interna-
tional experience, picked Sweden’s Martin
Larsen and Canada’s Dan MacLelland
with his back-to-back picks. “The best
guys were going to go first, but I’ve got a
versatile team. That’s what you have to go
for.”
The inaugural PBA League will intro-
duce its unique professional bowling
league concept, including celebrity own-
ers, during the Detroit Winter Swing Jan.
19-27
at Thunderbowl in, concluding the
week with five ESPN television shows
including a live telecast of PBA League
Round 1 on Sunday, Jan. 27. Subsequent
shows will be taped to air on Feb. 10, Feb.
17,
March 3 and March 24.
The team championship will be decided
during the PBA League Elias Cup Finals,
honoring PBA founder Eddie Elias, at
Woodland Bowl in Indianapolis on Sun-
day, March 31 (airing Sunday, April 7 on
ESPN).
During the first four days in Detroit, the
PBA will conduct a series of open-field
tournaments (the Carmen Salvino Classic,
Mark Roth Classic, Don Carter Classic
and Earl Anthony Players Championship).
Those four events will award individual
PBA Tour titles and the qualifying scores
posted by each PBAL team member will
be combined to produce the team qualify-
ing scores for the ESPN telecasts. All
PBAL matches on ESPN will be Baker
Format matches where each team mem-
ber will bowl two frames in each game.
PBA LEAGUE TEAM LINEUPS
South Point Bowling Center, Las Vegas,
Friday
NORM DUKE, CLERMONT, FLA.
Dallas Strikers (celebrity owner Terrell
Owens): 2, Rhino Page, Dade City, Fla., 3,
Amleto Monacelli, Venezuela., 4, Bryon
Smith, Roseburg, Ore., 5, Mike Machuga,
Erie, Pa., Supplemental pick: Mike Wolfe,
New Albany, Ind.
PETE WEBER, ST. ANN, MO.
Team name, celebrity owner to be an-
nounced: 2, Tommy Jones, Simpsonville,
S.C., 3, Scott Norton, Costa Mesa, Calif.,
4,
Jack Jurek, Lackawanna, N.Y., 5, John
Szczerbinski, N. Tonawanda, N.Y., Sup-
plemental pick: Brad Angelo, Lockport,
N.Y.
BILL O’NEILL, LANGHORNE, PA.
Phillie Hitmen (celebrity owner Kevin
Hart): 2, Mika Koivuniemi, Finland., 3,
Chris Loschetter, Avon, Ohio., 4, Mike
DeVaney, Hemet, Calif., 5, Dick Allen,
Columbia, S.C., Supplemental pick: Dino
Castillo, Carrollton, Texas.
JASON BELMONTE, AUSTRALIA
Team name to be announced (celebrity
owner Chris Paul): 2, Wes Malott, Pfluger-
ville, Texas, 3, Andres Gomez, Colombia.,
4,
Parker Bohn III, Jackson, N.J., 5, Dave
Wodka, Henderson, Nev., Supplemental
pick: Ildemaro Ruiz, Venezuela.
MIKE FAGAN, DALLAS
Motor City Muscle (celebrity owner
Jerome Bettis): 2, Tom Smallwood,
Saginaw, Mich., 3, Mike Scroggins, Ama-
rillo, Texas., 4, Ronnie Russell, Marion,
Ind., 5, Jesse Buss, Belvidere, Ill., Supple-
mental pick: Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J.
SEAN RASH, MONTGOMERY, ILL.
Team name, celebrity owner to be an-
nounced: 2, Ryan Ciminelli, Cheektowaga,
N.Y., 3, Ryan Shafer, Horseheads, N.Y.,
4,
Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., 5,
Jason Sterner, McDonough, Ga., Supple-
mental pick: Tom Hess, Urbandale, Iowa.
CHRIS BARNES, DOUBLE OAK, TEXAS
Team name, celebrity owner to be an-
nounced: 2, Dom Barrett, England., 3,
Josh Blanchard, Gilbert, Ariz., 4, Stuart
Williams, England.
5,
Nathan Bohr, Wichita, Kan., Supple-
mental pick: Jon VanHees, Charlestown,
R.I.
OSKU PALERMAA, FINLAND
Team name, celebrity owner to be an-
nounced: 2, Martin Larsen, Sweden., 3,
Dan MacLelland, Canada., 4, Patrick
Allen, Wesley Chapel, Fla., 5, Thomas
Larsen, Denmark, Supplemental pick:
Anthony LaCaze, Melrose Park, Ill.
(
Continued from page 15)
Page Is First Pick
six RPI winners will compete in a one-hour ESPN-
televised event. The East, Central and South RPI
winners will bowl in the first one-game match, and the
Midwest, Southwest and West-Northwest winners will
bowl in the second. The winners of those two
matches will meet in a final game to determine the
player who will earn special PBA Tournament of
Champions consideration.
If the winner of the ESPN telecast is already a PBA
Tour champion and currently eligible for the TOC, he/
she will move to the top of the TOC eligibility list. If the
winner is not a PBA Touring member and/or not al-
ready eligible for the TOC, he/she will become eligible
for a one-time opportunity to bowl in the 2014 TOC.
2013
PBA REGIONAL PLAYERS INVITATIONAL
SCHEDULE
Aug. 2-4 – PBA South Region Regional Players
Invitational, Break Point Alley, Tavares, Fla.
Aug. 31-Sept. 2 – PBA Midwest Regional Players
Invitational, Super Bowl, Peru, Ill.
Sept. 6-8 – PBA Southwest Regional Players Invita-
tional, Firelake Bowling Center, Shawnee, Okla.
Sept. 13-15 – PBA Central Regional Players Invita-
tional, Thunderbowl Lanes, Allen Park, Mich.
Sept. 20-22 – PBA East Regional Players Invita-
tional, to be announced.
Sept. 27-29 - PBA West/Northwest Regional Play-
ers Invitational, National Bowling Stadium, Reno,
Nev.
(
Continued from page 15)
PBA Regional Players Invitational Winners