10
- NOVEMBER 2014
EX-MLB All-Star John Burkett Picks Up
Scoring Pace At WSOB
By Bill Vint
Former major league baseball all-star pitched
John Burkett
of Southlake, Texas,
picked up his scoring pace during WSOB VI, a “spring training” event for his planned
debut on the PBA50 Tour in 2015. Burkett, who announced his plans to bowl with
the PBA “seniors” after he turns 50 on Nov. 28, scored at a respectable 205.96 pace
in the four WSOB animal pattern events, improving upon his 201.17 average for
three animal pattern events (Wolf, Bear and Badger) during the Grand Casino Re-
sort PBA Summer Swing in Oklahoma in May.
At South Point Bowling Center, Burkett averaged 219.43 on the Cheetah pattern
(107th in the field of 240 players), 210.43 on the Viper pattern (tied for 82nd), a dis-
appointing 189.86 on the Chameleon (tied for 180th), and 204.14 on the Scorpion
pattern (124th). Overall, he ranked 136th, but he could have been substantially
higher on the list had he not dropped 100 pins in the final two games of the Scorpion
Championship when he was challenging to make the top 24 cut.
“ I’m about a third of the way to where I need to be,” Burkett said. “It’s difficult.
These are the best bowlers in the world. To me it’s disappointing to be 136th, but
I’m getting better.
“The most important thing I need to do is learn to read transition quicker and which
ball to go to. You still have to make the right decisions. I need to read ball motions
better; I’m learning what I need to do to strike.”
Burkett said he’s planning to return home, bowl a couple of regional's if he has
time, and then get ready for the 2015 PBA50 Tour to get underway.
“That’s what I’m doing this for,” he said with a smile. “I believe I can win, but I don’t
think I can win, at least right away, if that makes any sense. But it’ll be interesting to
get a read on the senior tour. We’ll see what happens.”
QUICK NOTES
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Mike DeVaney - Top Citrus Belt Bowler
At WSOB VI
by Frank Weiler
LAS VEGAS - Four Citrus Belt bowlers com-
peted in this years World Series of Bowling
(WSOB). While SCOTT LaRIVIERE, ALAN MO-
JADO and TONY RODRIGUEZ had their mo-
ments, Mike DeVaney was our top performer at
the World Series.
Mike competed successfully against the
world's best, cashing in two of the four animal
pattern tournaments (Scorpion and Viper). His
best scoring came during the first seven game
qualifying squad of the Viper tournament when
he averaged 224.
Mike performed well enough during the four animal patterns to make the cut to
compete for the PBA World Championship. After 52 games of World Championship
competition Mike ended up in fifteenth place. He was 15th out of 240 bowlers repre-
senting seventeen countries.
DeVaney averaged 220 on the difficult World Championship oil pattern and
posted a 13 - 11 match game won/lost record. He finished higher than such PBA
stars as Chris Barnes, Pete Weber, Mika Koivuniemi and E.J. Tackett.
During the last eight game qualifying block of the World Championship Mike did
exceptionally well, winning his last seven match games, earning 210 bonus pins. In
the position round game Mike defeated Tom Daugherty of Wesley Chapel, Florida
257 - 213.
Mike's stellar performance at this years WSOB led to his being drafted by the
Motown Muscle of the PBA League. He was the team's fifth round draft pick. PBA
team competition will commence in March 2015 in Portland, Maine.
