Atom Splitters defeat L.A. X 4-2 in 'Battle of Los Angeles' finals
Down 2 points to 1 and trailing by 31 pins in the deciding final Baker game, the Silver Lake Atom Splitters (L-R Mark Baker, Chris Barnes, Dom Barrett, Wes Malott, Bryon Smith, and Tommy Jones) rallied to defeat L.A. X to win the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup. In the fifth frame of the Baker game, which was worth three points, the Atom Splitters combined to string the last seven strikes to overtake L.A. X, winning the game, 225-203, and the match 4-2.
'Battle of Los Angeles' Finale airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
In what can be called the 'Battle of Los Angeles,' Chris Hardwick's Silver Lake Atom Splitters and Chris Paul's L.A. X battle it out for the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup from Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J. The Atom Splitters and L.A. X were the two surviving teams from an original eight-team field that competed in a six-round series of head-to-head single-elimination team matches.
Atom Splitters to battle L.A. X for 2014 PBA League championship on ESPN on April 13
Chris Barnes and his Silver Lake Atom Splitters teammates (l.) swept the Philadelphia Hitmen (r.) in the final Professional Bowlers Association League semifinal match to earn a berth in the 2014 Elias Cup finals against Jason Belmonte and his L.A. X team. The all-Los Angeles area battle for the Elias Cup will air on ESPN on Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. ET.
Three teams remain in the quest for the 2014 PBA Elias Cup, and that number will be reduced to two after actor/comedian Kevin Hart's Philadelphia Hitmen presented by High 5 Gear meets the Silver Lake Atom Splitters presented by Spiceworks, owned by "Nerdist" creator and television personality Chris Hardwick, in the final PBA League semifinal round Sunday on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET. Sunday's winner will meet L.A. X in the championship match.
Clutch spare by Jason Belmonte, strike by Parker Bohn III eliminates New York City WTT KingPins
A clutch ninth-frame spare by reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte followed by three equally clutch 10th frame strikes in the Baker team finale by Parker Bohn III gave L.A. X (l.) a 5-1 victory over the defending PBA League champion New York City WTT KingPins (r.) and a berth in the 2014 Elias Cup finals.
With actor/comedian Kevin Hart's Philadelphia Hitmen presented by High 5 Gear winning Sunday's PBA League quarterfinal match against NFL linebacker LaMarr Woodley's Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits presented by Hotel Planner.com, the semifinal field is set for the stretch run to capture the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup. The first semifinal match will pit L.A. X vs. defending champion New York City WTT KingPins this Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Bill O'Neill's Hitmen avenge disappointing 2013 finish, reach final four
Bill O'Neill and his Philadelphia Hitmen (l.) recorded the first sweep in the 2014 Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup eliminations, knocking the Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (r.) out of the tournament at Thunderbowl Lanes and atoning for a disappointing finish to their 2013 campaign.The 6-0 win landed the Hitmen a berth in the semifinals.
Fourth quarterfinal match to air Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
The last semifinal berth in the 2014 PBA League season will be filled when LaMarr Woodley's Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits presented by HotelPlanner.com meets Kevin Hart's Philadelphia Hitmen presented by High 5 Gear in a quarterfinal matchup Sunday on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET. After Sunday's telecast from Thunderbowl Lanes, the PBA League will be down to four teams that will advance to semifinal action beginning March 30 on ESPN.
Chris Barnes and friends just miss sweep over Dallas Strikers in third quarterfinal round match
Chris Barnes and his Silver Lake Atom Splitters (l.) dominated Norm Duke and the Dallas Strikers (r.) to advance to the semifinal round of the Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup competition at Thunderbowl Lanes. Behind a 205-185 victory in the five-man Baker team finale, Silver Lake defeated Dallas in a near-sweep, 5-1.
Third quarterfinal match to air Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN
PBA League quarterfinal action returns to ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m. ET when Chris Hardwick's Silver Lake Atom Splitters presented by Spiceworks takes on Terrell Owens' Dallas Strikers presented by the USBC from Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. The Atom Splitters and Strikers will be competing in the third quarterfinal match of the second PBA League season in hopes of moving on to the semifinals.
Pete Weber and friends to meet L.A. X for berth in PBA League Elias Cup finals
The defending champion New York City WTT KingPins (l.) have advanced to the semifinal round of the 2014 Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup competition, defeating last season's runner-up team, the Motown Muscle (r.), 4-2, at Thunderbowl Lanes. The KingPins will meet L.A. X team in a semifinal round match.
PBA League Quarterfinal action continues Sunday on ESPN featuring Jerome Bettis' Motown Muscle presented by Barbasol taking on defending Elias Cup champion Billie Jean King's New York City WTT KingPins presented by GEICO at 3 p.m. ET. After the quarterfinal win by L.A. X over BROOKLYN STyLES, seven teams remain in contention for the 2014 Elias Cup. L.A. X will meet the KingPins-Muscle winner in the semifinal round.
Key strikes by Jason Belmonte, Parker Bohn III propel Los Angeles team into semifinal round
L.A. X (pictured left), with key strikes from Jason Belmonte and Parker Bohn III in the ninth and 10th frames of the Baker team match, defeated the BROOKLYN STyLES, 237-215, and advanced to the semifinal round of the PBA League Elias Cup competition at Thunderbowl Lanes. The first quarterfinal round single-elimination match in the 2014 PBA League season, which was taped January 25 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., aired Sunday, February 9, on ESPN.
Custom-designed jerseys, bowling balls provide unique exposure for PBA's business partners
Corporate sponsors who play an important role in the presentation of Professional Bowlers Association programs will be seen in a spotlight role during the 2014 PBA League television series, which debuts Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. Players on all eight teams in the PBA League will be wearing custom-designed team jerseys featuring their team sponsor logo across the chest of each player, and players will be using bowling balls featuring their sponsors' logos to shoot at spares.
The road to determine the winner of the second PBA League Elias Cup begins Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN with a quarterfinal matchup between L.A. X presented by Gobowling.com, owned by Los Angeles Clippers star guard Chris Paul, and the BROOKLYN STyLES presented by Concrete Software PBA Bowling Challenge, owned by actor Jesse Williams. The PBA League, which made its competitive debut at Thunderbowl Lanes in 2013, returns with a revised format and revamped rosters.
Revised PBA League schedule also focuses on head-to-head city vs. city matches
The 2014 PBA Barbasol Tournament of Champions will move to Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., beginning Jan. 18 and concluding with a live ESPN telecast at noon ET on Sunday, Jan. 26, the PBA announced Friday. The change in venue and dates for the 49th TOC from previously announced April in Indianapolis is accompanied by a revised PBA League competition and ESPN air-date schedule.
Eight teams add youth, experience, versatility with final selections
From team chemistry to versatility to experience, eight team leaders of the PBA League program rounded out their rosters for 2014 Sunday night at South Point Bowling Center, adding the fifth member of their teams in a PBA League draft to close the PBA World Series of Bowling V. The 2014 PBA League season is scheduled to get underway Jan. 22 at
Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., and will make its ESPN debut
with a live telecast on Sunday, Jan. 26, at noon ET.
Following a couple of key strategic signing moves in the final hours of the re-signing period on Aug. 31, PBA League "free agency" opened with a flurry of activity on Sunday, Sept. 1, and ended almost as quickly as it started. As the Labor Day weekend came to a close, all eight PBA League teams had filled their pre-draft rosters with the league maximum of four signed players. Each team will have one additional roster slot to fill during the 2014 PBA League Draft, which will be held at the conclusion of the World Series of Bowling.
Signing activity for the 2014 PBA League season slowed down a bit in week two while a number of American and international players are busy competing in the WTBA World Championships in Henderson, Nev., but Philadelphia Hitmen manager Jason Couch and L.A. X manager Andrew Cain made their first roster moves. Couch retained Mike DeVaney (l.) in his No. 4 slot while Cain re-signed Andres Gomez (r.) as his No. 4 player.
Planning, preparation and strategic movements heading into the 2014 PBA League season are officially underway with team managers beginning the process of re-signing players and releasing others to free agency. Under the new rules for the 2014 season – which officially gets underway Jan. 1 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. – team managers have until Aug. 31 to re-sign up to three players (in addition to the No. 1 player, who is automatic) from last year's rosters, and assign them to "slot" positions on their 2014 rosters – from No. 2 through No. 5.
Down 2 points to 1 and trailing by 31 pins in the deciding final Baker game, the Silver Lake Atom Splitters (L-R Mark Baker, Chris Barnes, Dom Barrett, Wes Malott, Bryon Smith, and Tommy Jones) rallied to defeat L.A. X to win the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup. In the fifth frame of the Baker game, which was worth three points, the Atom Splitters combined to string the last seven strikes to overtake L.A. X, winning the game, 225-203, and the match 4-2.
In what can be called the 'Battle of Los Angeles,' Chris Hardwick's Silver Lake Atom Splitters and Chris Paul's L.A. X battle it out for the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup from Brunswick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick, N.J. The Atom Splitters and L.A. X were the two surviving teams from an original eight-team field that competed in a six-round series of head-to-head single-elimination team matches.
Chris Barnes and his Silver Lake Atom Splitters teammates (l.) swept the Philadelphia Hitmen (r.) in the final Professional Bowlers Association League semifinal match to earn a berth in the 2014 Elias Cup finals against Jason Belmonte and his L.A. X team. The all-Los Angeles area battle for the Elias Cup will air on ESPN on Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. ET.
A clutch ninth-frame spare by reigning PBA Player of the Year Jason Belmonte followed by three equally clutch 10th frame strikes in the Baker team finale by Parker Bohn III gave L.A. X (l.) a 5-1 victory over the defending PBA League champion New York City WTT KingPins (r.) and a berth in the 2014 Elias Cup finals.
With actor/comedian Kevin Hart's Philadelphia Hitmen presented by High 5 Gear winning Sunday's PBA League quarterfinal match against NFL linebacker LaMarr Woodley's Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits presented by Hotel Planner.com, the semifinal field is set for the stretch run to capture the 2014 PBA League Elias Cup. The first semifinal match will pit L.A. X vs. defending champion New York City WTT KingPins this Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Bill O'Neill and his Philadelphia Hitmen (l.) recorded the first sweep in the 2014 Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup eliminations, knocking the Pittsburgh Jack Rabbits (r.) out of the tournament at Thunderbowl Lanes and atoning for a disappointing finish to their 2013 campaign.The 6-0 win landed the Hitmen a berth in the semifinals.
Chris Barnes and his Silver Lake Atom Splitters (l.) dominated Norm Duke and the Dallas Strikers (r.) to advance to the semifinal round of the Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup competition at Thunderbowl Lanes. Behind a 205-185 victory in the five-man Baker team finale, Silver Lake defeated Dallas in a near-sweep, 5-1.
PBA League quarterfinal action returns to ESPN Sunday at 3 p.m. ET when Chris Hardwick's Silver Lake Atom Splitters presented by Spiceworks takes on Terrell Owens' Dallas Strikers presented by the USBC from Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich. The Atom Splitters and Strikers will be competing in the third quarterfinal match of the second PBA League season in hopes of moving on to the semifinals.
The defending champion New York City WTT KingPins (l.) have advanced to the semifinal round of the 2014 Professional Bowlers Association League Elias Cup competition, defeating last season's runner-up team, the Motown Muscle (r.), 4-2, at Thunderbowl Lanes. The KingPins will meet L.A. X team in a semifinal round match.
L.A. X (pictured left), with key strikes from Jason Belmonte and Parker Bohn III in the ninth and 10th frames of the Baker team match, defeated the BROOKLYN STyLES, 237-215, and advanced to the semifinal round of the PBA League Elias Cup competition at Thunderbowl Lanes. The first quarterfinal round single-elimination match in the 2014 PBA League season, which was taped January 25 at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., aired Sunday, February 9, on ESPN.
Corporate sponsors who play an important role in the presentation of Professional Bowlers Association programs will be seen in a spotlight role during the 2014 PBA League television series, which debuts Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. Players on all eight teams in the PBA League will be wearing custom-designed team jerseys featuring their team sponsor logo across the chest of each player, and players will be using bowling balls featuring their sponsors' logos to shoot at spares.
Signing activity for the 2014 PBA League season slowed down a bit in week two while a number of American and international players are busy competing in the WTBA World Championships in Henderson, Nev., but Philadelphia Hitmen manager Jason Couch and L.A. X manager Andrew Cain made their first roster moves. Couch retained Mike DeVaney (l.) in his No. 4 slot while Cain re-signed Andres Gomez (r.) as his No. 4 player.