Summer's done—it's time to play the game - PBA Diary

Bowling Digest, Dec, 2003 by Danny Wiseman

WOW, IT'S HARD TO IMAGine that the summer of 2003 is over. I am going to fill you in on how it wound down for me.

I went to Portugal at the end of July for a pre-tour vacation. It was a 12-hour flight with a stop in London's Heathrow airport. (I guess I can say I have been to London now.)

Portugal was very nice. The weather was great because the country is on the west coast of Europe and the winds blow in off the Atlantic Ocean. There were a lot of monuments there, along with a ton of history. I saw monuments that were dated before the United States was even a country!

We went to a place called the Museum of Coaches, and I'm thinking, "Cars." I got a nice surprise: The museum had all the kings' and queens' carriages from the 1200s to the 1900s. These coaches were unreal, with gold on them, along with artwork and detailing that was incredible.

I also went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Libson for a more modern setting. I purchased a shirt and guitar pins, which I collect. The beaches were cool, too. Yes, it's Europe, so tops were optional.

This August, I did a small chat for bowl.com. Many people--most of them junior bowlers--asked me questions about the tour, bowling balls, their games, and how to improve. It's always nice when you can help out and give advice to other bowlers. It was only an hour, but it was a lot of fun. I also did a chat with Del Ballard Jr. for the PBA's "Gutter Talk." He asked about my toe, how my summer was going, cars ... and tried to get some dirt out of me, of course! We did another "Gutter Talk" between the two tournaments in Japan it was cool knowing

that it was 8:30 a.m. in Japan but 7:30 p.m. back home on the East Coast of the U.S.

I went to a few car shows around Baltimore and picked up three more trophies and a good ol' farmer's tan to boot. At one show, I took home a top-25 award among 125 show cars. At the Big M Drive-In's annual bash--featuring hundreds of show cars--I got a top-150 award out of 700 cars.

My good friend Bernie and I continued to do some walking and running after bowling. Yep, I worked with him and his wife, Debbie, all summer. Bernie and I bowled for two to three hours four times per week, then went walking/running for three miles. I had no pain in my surgically repaired toe, either, which was a blessing.

Bernie just shot a 300 game and a 780 series. It was his first perfect game since 1991--his first in the resin era!

In preparation for Japan, I upped my practice to about 10 games per day and my thumb got back to normal--if you want to call a thumb that's all calloused up and fat normal!

Japan is a wonderful country, and we as professionals always get treated great. Unlike in the States, where everything is about money, we get respect for out talents as bowlers in Japan. The Japanese people don't care about the money we make, but rather are amazed about what we can do with a bowling ball. They go totally out of their way to help us in any way possible.

I've been to Japan 15 times, and the only thing I don't like about it is the 14-hour plane ride to get there. And on top of that, imagine going through the day when you're usually sleeping, and trying to sleep when you're usually awake. The time difference definitely is a killer.

The atmosphere for the competitions remains the same, but I've gained many fans in Japan because I've consistently performed well. Now, with the clothes I wear on the lanes, the Japanese people remember me even more; they're very conservative, but deep down they like the brashness I present.

The biggest hurdle in Japan is the language. We don't speak Japanese, and it's probably one of the hardest languages to learn. The Japanese are taught a proper form of English, and we speak a lot of slang, so they have a hard time understanding our English.

I was thinking about my funniest experiences in Japan, and one came on the lanes. Two years ago during the Dream Match, I rolled a triple to start and was already playing deep on the lanes. I had to walk around the ball return, and on the next shot the heel of my shoe got stuck and came off. Of course, I had no way of stopping, so down the lane I tumbled. I got a nice big zero coming off a triple and banged my calf on the gutter cap to boot. Ouch!

OK, so the tour is underway, and, yes, there again have been some new changes made by our owners. The points we earn this year will determine the seeding of the all-exempt tournament fields on the 2004-05 tour. This is a smart move, and I have sensed a change like this coming. It will help the marketing of our tour, making it similar to the PGA. The younger guys will have a tougher time getting to the elite level, but hopefully, like in golf, when they get to that level, "huge" endorsements will await them.

Oh, wait, that is golf--maybe in a few years, the same thing will happen for bowling. I seriously hope it does. One day we will get the big endorsements, providing the PBA keeps pointing in the direction it is.

What will it take for me to climb from No. 8 in the world to No. 1? Hard work, perseverance, desire, good decision-making, and, of course a little bit of Walter Ray's horseshoe.