The astronomical price of gas is impacting virtually every walk or life and industry in America today.

If you donut believe it, ask one of the exempt players on the PBA tour who drives to 20 bowling stops a year and may cover seven thousand miles.

Or ask Fred Schreyer, Commissioner and CEO of the PBA.

The PBA made a small profit last season, its first since three former Microsoft executives purchased the floundering organization in 2000.

That minuscule profit margin could be erased just by the exploding price of diesel fuel that it will take to move the PBA's four 18-wheelers across the country during the 20-stop tour starting in October.

"We travel four trucks a week," Schreyer said. "There are two player services trucks, one truck for the TV set and one truck for the bleachers.

"While we expect our overall costs this season to be up 10 percent from last season, when we evaluated gas prices on a per mile basis, we anticipate holding our overall costs steady as a result of certain efficiencies that we intend to achieve by geographical routing of the Tour and certain event staging considerations being the main factors."

Schreyer also said he realized that the ever climbing price of gas eventually could hurt the regional tour, although he said to date regional entries are still solid.

And how will the soaring cost of oil impact the manufacturers of bowling balls?

I didn't know so I contacted Bill Scheid, president of Ebonite International, and asked him some questions about what role oil plays in the production of bowling balls.

"Oil byproducts make up a significant portion of the chemicals used in bowling ball production," Scheid replied.

So I asked him "how much more does it cost to produce a bowling ball today than on Jan. 1, 2007?"

He replied, "In the last 12 months price increases for resins are approaching 15 percent. Resins are a primary component and are used in cores as well as cover stocks."

So I asked him, "How much more does it cost Ebonite to ship a box (four balls) from Hopkinsville, Ky., to say Tokyo compared to on Jan. 1, 2007?"

Bill replied: "For international shipments we have not yet seen large increases in container costs. However, air freight which is used more than one might expect, has doubled in cost. There has been a shortage of available containers and this shortage will effect our costs."

So my final question was, "Has Ebonite made any changes in its budget to cope with the soaring cost of oil from player or staff standpoints?"

"Of course, in our budgeting processes we try to anticipate what costs will do and factor that into our plans or look for ways to off set or reduce those costs. Currently we are closely watching what is a very fluid situation caused by run away oil prices.

"The sagging economy as well as increased operating efficiencies also are factors and are somewhat of an offset. At this time our 'go to market' strategy has not changed. As we go into the new bowling season there will be no increases in the price points for the balls we sell or those just being introduced. At this time there are no planned price increases."

It will be interesting to tour the other bowling ball manufacturer exhibits at International Bowl Expo next week to speak to the other companies.

And while at Bowl Expo I hope to talk to a number of proprietors to see if they are devising programs to take advantage of the high oil prices and inflation.

Traditionally, bowling has done well when the American economy is hurting because of all the participant sports like tennis and golf, it is evident to everyone that it is the most economical. Another factor in bowling's favor is that no one has to worry that he/she will drive 10 miles to bowl only to find the course or courts are covered by water or snow and washed out.

Americans' love affair with bowling was vividly evident after 9/11 when Americans rushed to bowling centers to erase a lot of anxiety and fear through bowling – and old and trusty friend.

Make no mistake, bowling could profit from the run-away gas programs if proprietors are alert and reach out to the residents who live within four to 10 miles.

Families of middle class America are going to be looking for recreational values that do not cost an arm-and-leg and are within reasonable driving distance.

Bowling should become their favorite sport if the industry responds for the difficult times.

Proprieties should be active in helping their league bowlers or open play customers form car pools.

Or maybe they should return to yesteryear and reintroduce the bus policy that was so successful luring junior and women bowlers when the industry was growing so fast in the '50s-60s-70s.

If buses are too expensive, then maybe a bowling center should buy one of those hybrid cars.

Or how about those old boiler-room operations where someone from a bowling center called everyone within a five-mile area radius and invited them in for a few free games with free coaching thrown in as a bonus attraction.

You don't have to be a mental genius to know that bowling is the favorite game of the American public, especially in tough times.

So proprietors need to reach out and touch everyone in his/her neighborhood and preach the value of a neighborhood bowling center in fighting the high price of gasoline.

I was reading the June issue of the International Bowling Industry Magazine when I came across a disturbing short news item.

For the past few years, I have been hearing rumors that John Berglund could be stepping down in the near future as executive director of the Bowling Proprietors Association of America, a position he has held since 2002.

The rumor apparently is based upon facts since the Bowling Industry short said that there is a good possibility that Berglund may be stepping down at the end of 2009.

He was quoted as saying, "It has nothing to do with money or satisfaction – I love the job and they compensate me very well – it's just a question that at some point I'm going to be retiring," said the 53-year-old lawyer.

I have known and respected two previous BPAA executive directors – Howard Seehausen and Chief Wapensky – but no body who has held that position since the BPAA was founded in 1932 has come close to matching Berglund's achievements in my opinion.

I will admit that I am prejudice because he has treated the Bowling Writers Association of America like a long lost brother, maybe because Berglund writes an interesting monthly column for Joe Gennaro's Bowling News in Dallas.

Berglund did not start Bowl Expo but under his leadership there is no question that it has developed into the biggest single happening in the international bowling world.

And I know for a fact that without Berglund twisting some political arms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and with the Texas Legislature, the USBC probably wouldn't be moving to Arlington this year.

Few administrators want to quit when a giant challenge is not completed, so I hope that it takes until the end of 2010 before the International Bowling Campus is completed in Arlingtion. That way, John Berglund may stick around another year.

The longer the better is my opinion. My scribe buddy John Jowdy adds a "DITTO" to my remarks.

Cyndi Berglund, has opened a gift shop in Saint Martin, an island in the Caribbean, and with air transportation what it is today it makes commuting tough and difficult for the Berglunds.

Nobody said life is easy, or even fair.

Roger Dalkin and I have not agreed on a whole lot of things since he was a talented high school bowler in Miami, but I have to say I agree with his first column in the International Bowlers Journal and his remarks when he was inducted into the USBC Hall of Fame.

The headline on Roger's column stated "Why I don't belong in the USBC Hall of Fame." and he goes on to point out that basically he was only doing his job as executive director of the USBC and did not deserve to be elected to the meritorious service division of the USBC Hall of Fame.

Although I voted for Roger, I do not disagree that a person should not be honored who was only doing his/her job. But Roger went up and beyond the call of duty in making the USBC become a reality. He basically sacrificed his safe and security with the ABC for the good of bowling.

Chuck Pezzano, the most decorated of all bowling writers in history, and I have long waged a battle of minds during our years together on four different bowling hall of fame boards.

I always looked for meritorious service candidates who worked diligently for bowling without regular financial rewards. In other words, a person who made a living from bowling had to produce some dramatic impact on the game far above what that he/she got paid to do. By contrast, I leaned heavy toward a person who accomplished great things for bowling out of love for the game and primarily on his/her own time.

Chuck disagreed and that was not unusual. But although we disagreed in theory we always agreed when the final ballot had been counted and someone was elected to any bowling hall of fame. We may not have voted for the future inductee, but we were proud of the selection process nevertheless.

It is sad in my opinion to find writers and even USBC employees who express displeasure with who was or who wasn't elected to the USBC Hall of Fame. Great men like Sam Weinstein, Dick Weber, Bill Lillard and Chuck Pezzano have volunteered their time for years and years to help pick Hall of Fame winners or bowlers who belonged on the ballot.

This is not an exact science especially in the meritorious service division.

It is sort of like what constitutes a good bowling story...it is very subjective depending on your point of view about the material and the author.

In my mind Roger Dalkin was right in his theory, but wrong on his own merits.

And I don't care who disagrees even if his name is Roger Dalkin.

Email address: Evans1121@aol.com