8
- FEBRUARY 2015
Helen Duval’s Bowling Tips
Idle Bowling Thoughts
By Chuck Pezzano
Chuck Pezzano Left His Mark On,
Off Lanes
By Chuck Pezzano Jr.
Reprinted from the Record. In Memory of Chuck Pezzano.
A little more than 60 years ago, a young bowler with a flair for words typed his
first column for the Paterson Morning Call. It was the start of a career that nobody
could have imagined when that newspaper hit the stands in 1952.
It seems everyone knew Chuck Pezzano the bowling writer, but not as much
about the bowler, the man and the father he was. Dad was an army veteran, a
Rutgers graduate and became a star on the lanes while in college. When the
Professional Bowlers Association was formed in 1958, Dad was one of the 33
charter members. As the PBA tour schedule expanded in the early 1960s, his
ability and competitiveness made him a natural fit to travel the country seeking
fame and fortune.
But Dad didn't think that way. He had a wife, Lila, and a growing family. He took
his family responsibilities seriously and never considered that path for his life. He
was able to stay close to bowling with his writing and later with television work.
His ability to balance family and work astounds me to this day. While Mom was
home taking care of four sons, Dad was arranging his trips so he'd be gone for
the shortest period possible. Sometimes he'd be airborne within an hour after a
telecast ended. He was a constant presence at every important bowling event,
yet never missed an important event at home.
Eight men were inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in the year it was created.
Dad was one of them. He was a member of 17 Halls of Fame. He was proud of
that, but it was not his goal to be recognized. It was his goal to recognize others.
He wanted to keep people informed and entertained. Dad wanted everyone to
know what a great sport we had. He learned a great deal along the way and
passed his knowledge on to all who wished to listen. He loved to talk about bowl-
ing's history and was still answering the phone in early January, settling disputes
and providing facts nobody else could.
Dad's final column appeared in The Record on Jan. 5. On Jan. 23, he passed
away at age 86. Providing his column for The Record every Monday became
more challenging, but it was the highlight of his week. He knew people would be
looking for his column and didn't want to disappoint them. Dad greatly appreci-
ated his followers and certainly would like to thank each of them.
The support we've received from friends and strangers alike has been incredi-
ble. Dad didn't know how to use a computer, but I hope they teach him in heaven
so he can read the wonderful words others have written about him in the various
social media. Thank you to everyone on behalf of the Pezzano family. Goodbye
Dad, we love you.
This is a Bowling League?
Poor bowling can be traced to too much ―fun and games‖ while competing.
This is not to criticize you or to minimize the sociability and good fun aspects of the
game. A little humor and fun are great! But when those things interfere with your (or
your opponent’s) concentration or disturb the progress of the league, they should be
curtailed.
It’s a matter of degree. There is a certain rhythm in the game that makes for better
bowling. For example, in five-woman team play, if you are not ready to bowl when it’s
your turn, then the spacing of turns becomes a problem and rotating from lane to lane
becomes lopsided.
Other bowlers become irritable when someone is missing or you have to go looking
for a bowler or when fellow players are inattentive.
Here’s a for-instance: Mary is faced with the big four or 5-10 split. Well, today is her
lucky day and she picks it up. She turns around to share that exciting moment and no
one is watching! The teams are so engrossed in conversation or telling a joke or or-
dering refreshments that all is lost.
With no moral support or enthusiasm from your teammates, wouldn’t you be
crushed? If this happened often to Mary—and I’m sure it does in some leagues—
wouldn’t she start thinking about dropping off the team, perhaps even become disin-
terested in bowling?
Start watching bowlers after they finish their turns to see what they do. Some of
them just wander off and don’t even watch what or how others bowl.
What I’m trying to say is it’s vital to good bowling to work together as a team both
physically and in spirit of morale. A pat on the shoulder, a smile of encouragement or
applause for a good performance will go a long way.
At the beginning of each league season, I have a meeting with my team. I tell them
there are some things that I expect of them: 1) Be ready to bowl and pass the bowler
ahead of you at the ball return; 2) Be pleased with what you did no matter how good
or bad…it could have been worse; 3) The bowler returning from the lanes is definitely
to say
something
to the following bowler (like ―let’s go‖, ―one more strike‖, etc.) that
will put the teammate in a good frame of mind.
So my ―sermon‖ for this month really means
have fun but work together
because
this all helps for better bowling scores and better bowling.
Come to think of it, that’s not a bad New Year’s resolution, in case you want to add
another to your 2015 list!
