The 11th Frame

Madison Bowling Association Hall of Fame member Jeff Richgels covers the local bowling scene.

7/04/2009 9:50 am

The 11th Frame: Bowling's guru of gurus passes

Bill Taylor, who dealt with Alzheimer's in his final year, died Wednesday in California on his 84th birthday. Roughly five decades ago, long before others raised the alarm about easy conditions and high scores, Taylor was railing against the softening of the bowling environment. Because he was incredibly blunt and forceful in making his points, didn't suffer fools gladly and refused to compromise, Taylor made many enemies and his warnings largely fell on deaf ears . . . at least until it was too late to stem the tide. But in retrospect it seems clear that Taylor's overall analysis (if not every detail) was correct. The question is whether if bowling's leaders had listened would the sport be in better shape now? I believe the answer is yes, but that's one of those what if questions that can't truly be answered... READ MORE

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7/04/2009 8:24 am

The 11th Frame: MAST and CWSBT set 2009-10 schedules

The Madison Area Scratch Tour and Central Wisconsin Scratch Bowlers Tour have released their 2009-10 schedules. The MAST will feature 12 events plus the Year-End Championship April 3-4 at Schwoegler's Entertainment Center. The opening MAST event is Sept. 13 at Badger Bowl. The full schedule with details on each event is here. The CWSBT opener is Sept. 12 in Antigo and the schedule is highlighted by the Badger Elite event "“ the premier singles scratch tournament in Wisconsin -- at Weston Lanes in Weston on Oct. 17. The Badger Elite traditionally has been the second Saturday in November but CWSBT organizer Dale Hackbart said he was forced to move the date this year. (Unfortunately, it means I'll miss the Elite this year as that is the weekend of our annual fall Vegas trip for... READ MORE

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7/03/2009 9:47 am

The 11th Frame: PBA launching upgraded webcasting system

The PBA is upgrading its "Xtra Frame" webcasting service in time for the World Series of Bowling Aug. 2 through Sept. 6. The new Xtra Frame will offer improved video streaming and navigable capabilities, PBA said in a news release. From July 7-21, fans can sign up for a free week of the new Xtra Frame, which will include a broadcast of the 2009 Japan Cup won by Patrick Allen that also featured a 300 game by Rhino Page in the semifinal match. Bowling fans also will be able to view new profiles of the 18 players who competed in the GEICO PBA Team Shootout. PBA said the new Xtra Frame will provide subscribers with hundreds of hours of bowling programming during the 2009-10 PBA Tour season. During the upcoming PBA World Series of Bowling, bowling fans will be treated to more than 100 hours of exclusive live video, including the premier of a daily... READ MORE

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about this blog

Jeff Richgels got his start with The Capital Times in 1980 when he was a hotshot young bowler and a freshman at UW-Madison and the newspaper was seeking a bowling columnist. A one-column tryout led to a life-long relationship with The Capital Times that included working as a sports stringer in the 1980s. After graduating from UW-Madison with a journalism degree in 1985, Richgels joined the Pro Bowlers Association in 1986 and spent 1987 and 1988 competing full-time on the PBA Tour before wrist injuries ended that career. Richgels began working full-time for The Capital Times in 1990. He has covered general news, police and courts, county government and business with a specialty in technology, and is now Tech Life reporter for the paper's 77 Square publication. The Madison native, who is a member of the Madison Bowling Association Hall of Fame and on the ballot for the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, returns to his journalistic roots with this bowling blog.

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