Bowling blasts from the past

By Ron Willison

March 18, 2008 Last Updated: March 18, 2008 10:33 AM Sports

The PBA tour took this week off, but ESPN Classic saved the day Sunday by showing seven hours of what the network called the "300 Game Marathon."

ESPN Classic showed seven great games that included a 300 game bowled by one of the contestants.

My favorite has to be the 1996 Flagship Open, contested in Erie. It was the first of the televised arena-style finals. At the Erie Civic Center, hometown favorite Bob Learn Jr. not only rolled a perfect game in the first match, but he also set three PBA records for two-game series (570), three-game series (850), and four-game series (1,129).

Learn bowled games of 300, 270, 280, 279 en route to beating Johnny Petraglia, John Mazza, Parker Bohn, III and Randy Pedersen. Learn beat Petraglia in match one 300-279, tying a PBA record. The five bowlers had a combined average of 276.50, also a PBA record.

Learn earned $100,000 for rolling the 300 during the telecast. What made the show even better was that the legendary Chris Schenkel and Nelson Burton Jr. called the action.

It was a marvelous trip down memory lane.

Learn was one of the PBA bowlers who competed in the Pennsylvania State Bowling Championship tournament held in Butler in 1994. Who was the other?Answer at the end of the column. A tip: he also was from Erie.

Sometimes it is a subtle change that is the best move you can make to get a better line to the pocket.It might be as simple as moving your feet one-half board, looking an inch farther down the lane past your target, adjusting your hand position, or even as simple as slowing your approach.Slowing your approach is not an easy adjustment, but one that can be fixed by simply sliding your first step slower.Many people "heel-toe" their first step. By sliding your first step, it will slow the beginning of your approach and could help your timing to get in line.Keep your adjustments as simple as possible.

Here are the top scores at the USBC Tourney in New Mexico as of Sunday:• Regular division — singles: 784, doubles: 1,444; teams: 3,201, all-events: 2,141• Classified division — singles: 668; doubles: 1184; team: 2,799; all-events: 1,887.Top county scores• Coins: Mary Carbin 227, Betty McIndoe 528 series, Vicki Stevick 210 game• Armco C: Dave Peters 278 (735), Bill Cress 266 (677), Joe Tirk 258 (663)• Firearms: Lee Johnson 254 (654), Mike Keefer 248 (662), Angela Malis 217 (537)• Mike Kelly Auto: Mike Evans 247 (712), Dan Manning 266 (667), Ed Michael 247 (652)• Fox's Pizza Den: Tom Fennell 258 (698), Marty Gilliland 247 (669)• Automotive: Shane Ozella 277 (747), Mike Fair 268 (731), Nick Slomer 727 series• Armco A: Ross Strohmeyer 277 (632)Did you know?The height of a regulation bowling pin is 15 inches, and that the pin's circumference is 15 inches at it's widest point?Trivia answerPBA member and Erie native Ron Palombi Jr. also competed in the 1994 PSBA Championships held in Butler.Ron Willison is the bowling columnist for the Butler Eagle.