A record number of PBA players (42 and counting as of Wednesday night) will get an opportunity for some "face time" on ESPN this weekend when the PBA Tour and ESPN combine to produce five two-hour ESPN television shows at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., to conclude the historic PBA Detroit Winter Swing.

Detroit area bowling fans will have the opportunity to personally watch the debut of the PBA League on television, which means eight teams of five players (a total of 40 players) will have an opportunity to bowl on television in either the Baker team matches or the one-ball Clash eliminator rounds.

Additional players who are not members of the PBA League teams may also qualify for television appearances in the four individual events being conducted part of the Detroit Winter Swing.

 

How the PBA League "Clash" Eliminator" round will work

As part of the new PBA League television events, a unique "Clash" eliminator round will be introduced to determine the fourth team that will appear in the Baker format stepladder finals (the top three teams after qualifying in the Salvino, Roth, Carter and Earl Anthony rounds automatically advance to the TV shows).

The fourth team will be decided based on a one-ball elimination competition that also will be aired as part of each PBA League telecast. Here's how it works:

The teams that finished fourth through 8th after their respective qualifying rounds will be represented in an 11-player Clash elimination round. Team representation will be based on where the team finished after qualifying. The team that qualified fourth will have four players in the Clash round, the No. 5 team will have three Clash players, the No. 6 team will have two representatives, and the No. 7 and 8 teams will each have one bowler in the Clash.

All 11 players will throw one shot. The player who has the lowest pinfall for that shot will be eliminated (in case of ties, players who are tied will roll-off until one player is eliminated). The process will continue for 10 rounds until one bowler remains, and that bowler's team will earn the No. 4 position in the stepladder finals.

 

New Port Richey event to kick off 2013 PBA50 Tour Schedule in Florida

The PBA50 Pasco County Suncoast Open, benefiting Wounded Warriors, has been confirmed for April 14-17 at Lane Glo Bowl in New Port Richey, Fla., completing the PBA50 Tour's 2013 tournament schedule.

The new Suncoast Open event will kick off the 2013 season for PBA bowlers ages 50 and older, and it will be the first in a series of five spring tournaments.

Following the New Port Richey stop, PBA50 Tour players will compete in the Sun Bowl in The Villages presented by Hammer at Spanish Springs Lanes in The Villages, Fla., April 20-23; the Greater Birmingham Open presented by Ebonite at Lightning Strikes Lanes in Trussville, Ala., April 28-May 1; the Miller High Life Classic presented by Columbia 300 at George Pappas Victory Lanes in Mooresville, N.C., May 5-8 and the Dayton Classic presented by Roto Grip at Capri Lanes in Kettering, Ohio, May 13-16.

 

PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby to receive BBIA Award

PBA Hall of Famer Mike Aulby has been named recipient of the 2013 Billiard and Bowling Institute of America Industry Service Award. He will be recognized during the group's annual convention on April 23 at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Miss.

During a 25-year PBA career, Aulby (pictured left with fellow PBA Hall of Famer Billy Hardwick, right) won 29 titles including eight major championships, the PBA's Triple Crown and Grand Slam. He was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1996 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2001.

Off the lanes, Aulby has been an outstanding ambassador for the sport. He was a two-time PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner and received BPAA's Dick Weber Ambassador Award in 2009.

He remains active in the bowling industry as co-proprietor of Mike Aulby's Arrowhead Bowl in Lafayette, Ind., and serves on the Board of Trustees for the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum.

 

PBA Regional Roundup

The selection of Matt McGill of Grants Pass, Ore., as 2012 PBA Northwest Region Rookie of the Year was inadvertently omitted from the PBA's announcement of Regional Award winners. He had best finishes of third and fifth in 2012, cashing in five tournaments and making match play three times.

PBA regional competition resumes after the annual holiday season break when the PBA Central Region hosts the Legend Lanes Regular/Senior Doubles Classic in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Jan. 25-27. Activity in the other PBA regions resumes in February.

For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, click here.

 

Quick Notes

PBA Hall of Famer and long-time historian Chuck Pezzano of Mountainside, N.J., is recovering after surgery Tuesday to repair a broken hip suffered in a fall at his home over the weekend. Pezzano, a charter member of the PBA and one of the sport's most prolific journalists for half a century, is hospitalized at Saint Mary's Hospital, 350 Boulevard, Passaic, NJ 07055.

Keith Brovald has joined the PBA as Player Services Manager, succeeding Kevin Tabron who has accepted a new position with Brunswick.

The PBA has learned that its oldest member, charter member Joe Schmidt of Albany, N.Y., died in June shortly before his 100th birthday. The family notified the PBA's Seattle office after receiving Schmidt's new membership card (as a charter member, Schmidt no longer paid dues, but received a new membership card each year). Schmidt bowled in 10 PBA Tour events during his career, cashing for a modest $1,720.

 

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