I have a friend that I have been bowling with for a little over half of my life. He is one of my best friends and I have mentioned him before in earlier blogs, his name is Mikey J. He has been bowling great for the past 2 - 3 years averaging anywhere from 205-216. He and I have a birthday 26 days apart and he is now 31. Last year when he was bowling good I told him that he was going to bowl a 300, because it would be cool to have your first three hundred game when you were thirty! I don't know why it would be cool, just thought that it would be. I had bowled my first three hundred game when I was 19 years old. I had another two years later and haven't even come close since. It is because I am in a slump and can't control my release. I might get it back some day, but I will always know that I was good enough to bowl a 300.
There are a few bowlers in the city that have three hundred games that shouldn't. A small portion of a perfect game in bowling has to do with luck. There are a select few in the city who have a 300 simply because of that! There is another factor for some people bowling a 300 and it has to do with the bowling alley they did it in. There is a house in this city where we bowl that is extremely easy and people probably average 10 - 20 pins higher than if they bowl at another house. I bowled both of my games at the hardest house in the city. Thus my 300s were harder earned that some who have slopped on down or gotten one at an easier house. Mikey and I are on the same league (not same team) on Friday nights at the hardest house in the city.
Mikey J has always been a descent bowler, but I have always had the edge on him until these last three or four years. I am happy that he has been improving and his attitude has gotten a lot better as well. He has bowled a lot of games in the past three years where he has started a game with the first 9 or 10 strikes but that 11th strike has always eluded him. He struck the first ten shots of his first game. If you know nothing about bowling, a perfect game is 12 strikes in a row! Now in the tenth frame if you strike in the first shot you have a chance to shoot again on the same lane. League play rules state that you alternate lanes every frame. In the tenth frame there is a chance to score three strikes. It is only on frame so you simply finish that game on the same lane. I say this because most people who have struck their first shot in the tenth frame stand and wait for their ball to return and finish the game. Mike struck his first shot in the tenth frame like I said, but he stood there for a second and returned to his table to get a drink of beer. I knew that he was nervous and hoped that this unorthodox style of finishing the tenth frame didn't throw his game off.
Another sad fact is that I have always been a hex to Mikey for the past 2 - 3 years as well. Whenever my friend has had the first 7 or 8 strikes in a game I would go down to his set of lanes and watch his next ball. It seems 9 out of 10 times he would throw a split or obviously not strike. His mom has been telling me all year to stay away when Mike is making a run for it because she wants him to bowl a 300. I of course want my best friend to bowl a 300 too, but I would like to see it. It has been a joke for the past couple of years of how bad of a hex I am on him. The sad thing is that he doesn't even know I am behind him watching. Last night was funny, I walked down behind him when he was throwing his 8th ball. I told my uncle Henry who is on my team that Mikey is done for I am going to watch his next ball. He did throw the ball bad and I knew it was bad right when he let it go. I was like yep, I did it to him again. Well, he himself knew that he threw a bad shot as well, but his ball some how hit enough of the head pin and he did in fact strike. I have wanted him to bowl a 300 for so long, but just didn't know if he had it in him because he never seemed like a pressure player. I have always been good under pressure. I want the ball with the clocking ticking down, I want a chance to win the game. Mikey never seemed to have that drive, or so I thought. He still might not have that killer instinct and pressure mindset like me, but maybe, just maybe him calling a time out on himself is a way of dealing with that pressure?
He returned to the lane that he was finishing on and retrieved his bowling ball from the rack. Stood up on the approach just like any other ball. Mostly everyone was watching him, and for that I was nervous for him. He threw the ball and it was a good shot, just had to basically see if all the pins fell down. Regardless of how good you are and how well you threw a shot in bowling there is always a chance of one pin still standing. This time they all fell. For the first time ever he started a game with 11 strikes in a row. Then the lane broke! A minor fix, it actually wasn't broke, it was just jammed. Regardless he would have to wait for the desk clerk to walk back and fix it. What a time for this to happen! So, Mikey himself calls a timeout to wait and throw the 11th ball, but now he had to wait no matter what. I think this might have helped his anxiety because if he was nervous throwing his 11th ball he would be more nervous over the last and final ball for a chance at his first 300. It was my turn to bowl on my set of lanes 4 down from his. I took his broken lane as an opportunity to bowl my frame and return to watch his last ball. I bowled quickly and ran over behind his set of lanes about ten feet behind him. He threw his ball and it was perfect! All the pins fell and everybody of course cheered. It was a great moment for Mikey. I am so proud of him that he finally did it. Everyone was walking up to him shaking his hand. His mom, who is on his team, of course hugged him. She then ran over to me and hugged me, even before I congratulate Mikey! This almost made me start crying because she and I have seen him come so close so many times. Time and time again we would see disappointment on his face. I know that he had to wonder if he would ever do it. I doubted that he would! It is a mean thing to say, but it was a thought in my head because of that pressure packed moment. I knew he was a good enough bowler to do it. I just didn't know if he would be able to finish a game off. When he took his time in the tenth frame he said it was because when he had been there before he kind of rushed himself on his next shot. There is nothing wrong with him taking that little break in between shots. It was his way to deal with that pressure and I now know that he can handle the situation. He might not handle it the way I would, but he found a way to cope with it. I am so happy for you Mikey! Even though I had my doubts I always wished that you would bowl a 300. I don't doubt now that it will be your last and you are not just one of the lucky ones in the city to get one. You earned and deserved yours!
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