New 30-minute "Live at PBA World Championship" show added to Saturday's ESPN2 lineup
01/13/11
A new live 30-minute "pre-game" show, "Live at the PBA World Championship" has been added to Saturday's ESPN2 lineup, expanding the unique three-day coverage of the PBA World Championship from South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas to 90 minutes. The bonus coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2.
The newly-added coverage will include a recap of Friday night's first two PBA World Championship matches involving Jason Belmonte, Wes Malott and Michael Haugen Jr.
It will take a fresh look at the updated World Championship stepladder featuring interviews with Saturday's competitors (Mika Koivuniemi and Chris Barnes); a "Lumber Liquidators Know the Wood" analysis of the Viper oil pattern being used in the PBA World Championship finals; a preview of Sunday's finalists (Osku Palermaa, Sean Rash and Bill O'Neill), interviews with Saturday's players' ball reps during practice; a PBA Tournament of Champions preview; a "One a Day Question" from a fan, and more.
Who do you think is going to win the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions? Would you like to bet $250,000 – in play money – to find out if you're right? PBA fans can add to the excitement of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions by playing a new online betting game where you can wager play money on the players you think will "win, place or show" in the Tournament of Champions. And it's free.
Here's how to play:
1) Click on the link above (or visit betwps.com and enter Game 177297 in the Game Access Key Code box). Each player will start the game with $250,000 in play money.
2) You start at the "tote board" where you can see how much money has been wagered on each competitor and the calculated odds based on those wagers.
3) Click on the "betting window" tab to make bets. Use the drop-down menu to access the list of players entered, and the second drop-down menu to select the type of bet (win, place or show – meaning first, second or third place). Then use the next box to enter your wager. On this page you will need to provide a bettor name and an e-mail address.
4) Go to the "payouts" tab to calculate how much play money you can win based upon your choices.
5) The game is just for fun. No money will change hands.
The final results will be posted at the conclusion of the live ABC telecast of the Tournament of Champions finals on Saturday, Jan. 22, starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Pacific.
Two-time PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, has aggravated a pulled muscle in his leg and won't be able to bowl in the 2011 Tournament of Champions after all.
"I was looking forward to it," the PBA Hall of Famer said, "but I tried to bowl in a doubles tournament over the weekend and couldn't do it. It's the same problem I had last year in the Senior Masters. It doesn't prevent me from bowling, but I'm losing two or three miles per hour in ball speed. I can't bowl in the TOC if I'm giving that much away.
"I hate to not go, but I've gotta be at 130 percent in order to compete with those guys."
Eleven berths into the Round of 64 for the One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial will be decided during the seven-game Tour Qualifying Round at 9 a.m. (Pacific) on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif.
The TQR qualifiers will join the 52-player Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt field and Wayne Garber of Modesto, Calif., who has been awarded a Commissioner's Exemption for the event, to complete the 64-player field.
All 64 will bowl two seven-game qualifying rounds on Jan. 27. The top 32 will advance to a nine-game head-to-head match play round at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28 and the top 16 will then bowl a second nine-game match play round at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28.
The top four players will then advance to the stepladder finals which will air live on ESPN2 on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific).
The entry fee for non-exempt PBA members is $300 and $325 for non-members. Entry forms can be found here.
Anthony LaCaze (pictured right) of Melrose Park, Ill., won the 2010 Earl Anthony Memorial on his way to being selected as 2009-10 PBA Rookie of the Year.
The next time they bowl against each other on television, Chris Barnes (left) of Double Oak, Texas, and Mika Koivuniemi (right) of Hartland, Mich. – close friends and PBA Tour roommates – are planning a new side bet.
Their colorful Madras pants wager a couple of years ago attracted considerable attention, especially when Koivuniemi lost to Barnes in the 2009 Don Johnson Buckeye State Elimination and had to wear the "designer" slacks when he bowled in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions finals.
The next time they meet – which could be in the PBA World Championship finals Saturday (live on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific - the loser will have to wear a bowling shirt designed by the other guy the next time he makes a TV show.
"There won't be any pleasure in wearing whatever Mika might design," Barnes said. "He's more than ready to get even. If there's any extra motivation needed for me to win (the PBA World Championship), it's not wearing whatever he designs."
"I know Chris is having bad dreams about it because he knows it's my time to win the bet," Koivuniemi laughed.
Koivuniemi is the No. 5 qualifier for the PBA World Championship stepladder finals and Barnes is No. 4.
Native Finn Mika Koivuniemi (left) defeated top qualifier Sean Rash (right) of Montgomery, Ill., 236-191, to win the 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday. It was Koivuniemi's fifth European Bowling Tour title and the third time he has won the Ballmaster Open.
Koivuniemi, who won 12,000 Euros, defeated fellow Finn Kimmo Lehtonen, 235-224, and Paul Moor of England, 279-196, to advance to the title match.
Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, finished fifth; Finland's two-handed star Osku Palermaa finished seventh, and Ronnie Russell of Indianapolis finished eighth.
Kenny Parks (left) of Hammond, Ind., defeated Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Twp., Mich., by 30 pins to win the Professional Bowlers Association Midwest/Central Region's joint T-Byrd Lanes Senior Open at T-Byrd Lanes in Rochelle, Ill., on Jan. 9.
Parks finished the first PBA Regional event of the new year with an 8-4 match play record and a total of 4,579 pins for 20 games, including match play bonus pins. Sullins was 8-4 in match play and finished with 4,549 pins. It was Parks' second Senior Regional win of the 2010-11 season and the fourth of his career. He earned $1,500 along with his title.
Jan. 7, 2011 - 2011 PBA Spare Shots #1
2011 PBA Spare Shots #2
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A new live 30-minute "pre-game" show, "Live at the PBA World Championship" has been added to Saturday's ESPN2 lineup, expanding the unique three-day coverage of the PBA World Championship from South Point Bowling Center in Las Vegas to 90 minutes. The bonus coverage will begin at 8:30 p.m. Eastern/5:30 p.m. Pacific on ESPN2.The newly-added coverage will include a recap of Friday night's first two PBA World Championship matches involving Jason Belmonte, Wes Malott and Michael Haugen Jr.
It will take a fresh look at the updated World Championship stepladder featuring interviews with Saturday's competitors (Mika Koivuniemi and Chris Barnes); a "Lumber Liquidators Know the Wood" analysis of the Viper oil pattern being used in the PBA World Championship finals; a preview of Sunday's finalists (Osku Palermaa, Sean Rash and Bill O'Neill), interviews with Saturday's players' ball reps during practice; a PBA Tournament of Champions preview; a "One a Day Question" from a fan, and more.
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New online game allows fans to "wager" on PBA Tournament of Champions
Who do you think is going to win the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions? Would you like to bet $250,000 – in play money – to find out if you're right? PBA fans can add to the excitement of the 2011 PBA Tournament of Champions by playing a new online betting game where you can wager play money on the players you think will "win, place or show" in the Tournament of Champions. And it's free.
Here's how to play:
1) Click on the link above (or visit betwps.com and enter Game 177297 in the Game Access Key Code box). Each player will start the game with $250,000 in play money.
2) You start at the "tote board" where you can see how much money has been wagered on each competitor and the calculated odds based on those wagers.
3) Click on the "betting window" tab to make bets. Use the drop-down menu to access the list of players entered, and the second drop-down menu to select the type of bet (win, place or show – meaning first, second or third place). Then use the next box to enter your wager. On this page you will need to provide a bettor name and an e-mail address.
4) Go to the "payouts" tab to calculate how much play money you can win based upon your choices.
5) The game is just for fun. No money will change hands.
The final results will be posted at the conclusion of the live ABC telecast of the Tournament of Champions finals on Saturday, Jan. 22, starting at 2:30 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Pacific.
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Injury forces two-time TOC winner Mark Williams out of tournament
Two-time PBA Tournament of Champions winner Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, has aggravated a pulled muscle in his leg and won't be able to bowl in the 2011 Tournament of Champions after all."I was looking forward to it," the PBA Hall of Famer said, "but I tried to bowl in a doubles tournament over the weekend and couldn't do it. It's the same problem I had last year in the Senior Masters. It doesn't prevent me from bowling, but I'm losing two or three miles per hour in ball speed. I can't bowl in the TOC if I'm giving that much away.
"I hate to not go, but I've gotta be at 130 percent in order to compete with those guys."
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11 "TQR" spots available for Earl Anthony Memorial in Dublin
Eleven berths into the Round of 64 for the One A Day Earl Anthony Memorial will be decided during the seven-game Tour Qualifying Round at 9 a.m. (Pacific) on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Earl Anthony's Dublin Bowl in Dublin, Calif.The TQR qualifiers will join the 52-player Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour exempt field and Wayne Garber of Modesto, Calif., who has been awarded a Commissioner's Exemption for the event, to complete the 64-player field.
All 64 will bowl two seven-game qualifying rounds on Jan. 27. The top 32 will advance to a nine-game head-to-head match play round at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28 and the top 16 will then bowl a second nine-game match play round at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28.The top four players will then advance to the stepladder finals which will air live on ESPN2 on Sunday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Pacific).
The entry fee for non-exempt PBA members is $300 and $325 for non-members. Entry forms can be found here.
Anthony LaCaze (pictured right) of Melrose Park, Ill., won the 2010 Earl Anthony Memorial on his way to being selected as 2009-10 PBA Rookie of the Year.
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Barnes, Koivuniemi plan another friendly wager
The next time they bowl against each other on television, Chris Barnes (left) of Double Oak, Texas, and Mika Koivuniemi (right) of Hartland, Mich. – close friends and PBA Tour roommates – are planning a new side bet.Their colorful Madras pants wager a couple of years ago attracted considerable attention, especially when Koivuniemi lost to Barnes in the 2009 Don Johnson Buckeye State Elimination and had to wear the "designer" slacks when he bowled in the 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions finals.
The next time they meet – which could be in the PBA World Championship finals Saturday (live on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Pacific - the loser will have to wear a bowling shirt designed by the other guy the next time he makes a TV show.
"There won't be any pleasure in wearing whatever Mika might design," Barnes said. "He's more than ready to get even. If there's any extra motivation needed for me to win (the PBA World Championship), it's not wearing whatever he designs."
"I know Chris is having bad dreams about it because he knows it's my time to win the bet," Koivuniemi laughed.
Koivuniemi is the No. 5 qualifier for the PBA World Championship stepladder finals and Barnes is No. 4.
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Koivuniemi tops Rash to win Brunswick Ballmaster Open in Finland
Native Finn Mika Koivuniemi (left) defeated top qualifier Sean Rash (right) of Montgomery, Ill., 236-191, to win the 41st Brunswick Ballmaster Open at Tali Bowling Center in Helsinki, Finland, Sunday. It was Koivuniemi's fifth European Bowling Tour title and the third time he has won the Ballmaster Open.Koivuniemi, who won 12,000 Euros, defeated fellow Finn Kimmo Lehtonen, 235-224, and Paul Moor of England, 279-196, to advance to the title match.
Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas, finished fifth; Finland's two-handed star Osku Palermaa finished seventh, and Ronnie Russell of Indianapolis finished eighth.
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Parks wins joint Senior Regional title in Illinois
Kenny Parks (left) of Hammond, Ind., defeated Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Twp., Mich., by 30 pins to win the Professional Bowlers Association Midwest/Central Region's joint T-Byrd Lanes Senior Open at T-Byrd Lanes in Rochelle, Ill., on Jan. 9.Parks finished the first PBA Regional event of the new year with an 8-4 match play record and a total of 4,579 pins for 20 games, including match play bonus pins. Sullins was 8-4 in match play and finished with 4,549 pins. It was Parks' second Senior Regional win of the 2010-11 season and the fourth of his career. He earned $1,500 along with his title.
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Jan. 7, 2011 - 2011 PBA Spare Shots #1
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