The Earl of Bowling

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I grew up watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports on Saturday afternoons, and one of the regular features of the show was the PBA Bowling Tour.  For some, bowling isn’t the most exciting sport…roll a ball and knock down pins.  And many will chuckle (or laugh out loud) at the thought of televising a game of bowling.  But ABC did (and still does)…with the crowd in a bowling alley and the announcers speaking in hushed tones as though they’re watching a Tiger Woods birdie attempt on the 16th.

I like to bowl, even though I’m not very good at it.  I generally roll the ball down the lane as hard as I can, in case I hit any pins (I love to watch them scatter).  My scores usually break 100, though as a sophomore in high school, I rolled a 190…my best game ever.  But I’m no Earl Anthony.

Who is Earl Anthony?  Oh my…have you been living under a rock?!?  Earl was only the greatest bowler ever, and a fixture of those televised PBA matches that I watched.  The lefty bowler won a bunch of titles in his career, including a half-dozen PBA National Championship and seven Senior Titles.  Born on April 27, 1938, Anthony’s first love was baseball and he reached the minor leagues before an ankle injury ended his pitching career.  But rather than pack it in, he simply traded pitching off a mound for pitching down the lane, a “perfect-game” decision for the man who became “Bowler of the 20th Century”.

Happy Birthday, Earl!!

Recommended Reading – Winning Bowling – Want to improve your game?  Learn from the best.

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