BallReviews
Equipment Boards => Brunswick => Topic started by: spencerwatts on February 06, 2015, 08:08:04 PM
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It appears as of the Friday loser's bracket (8 p.m.) there may be only two Brunswick/Radical/DV8 bowlers: Greg Ostrander (Brunswick) and Mike DeVaney (Radical).
I know there were some notables who cashed: Thomas Smallwood, Sean Rash, WRW Jr.
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Devaney isnt radical anymore dont think
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I think you're right about DeVaney. He was the first that Radical signed. But then he was replaced by Tom Hess. Only one left? Wow. If that's true, I can hear a few of my peers giving me grief next time that I see them.
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The last time I ckecked valenta and Bayt were on DV8 staff. They are still in it. Not dead in the water yet.
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I think you're right about DeVaney. He was the first that Radical signed. But then he was replaced by Tom Hess. Only one left? Wow. If that's true, I can hear a few of my peers giving me grief next time that I see them.
DeVaney was the first staffer with Radical. He didn't stay long though.
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Who is Brad Angelo with now?
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Who is Brad Angelo with now?
Storm
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Brad Angelo has been with Storm for a couple of seasons. It appears the only one left heading into Saturday's matches is, per bowlingman817, Zeke Bayt -- I was under the impression that Bayt was a Hammer/EBI guy.
Maybe BrunsNick might have an observation or two about what's gone on in Green Bay this week.
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Looks like Bayt is the only one left. Maximum Bob knocked out Valenta in the losers bracket
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So, according to my count, there was Zeke Bayt (23rd), Greg Ostrander (30th), Brian Valenta (31st), Thomas Smallwood (34th), and Cameron Weier (50th) who made it to matchplay. Also cashing: Sean Rash (74th), WRW (78th).
I can hear the Brunswick/DV8/Radical haters . . . Geez!
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Nobody except for you has mentioned Brunswick's showing this week. Granted, it was dismal, I don't think you would have heard anything up here if you wouldn't have said anything.
This leads me to a question I have often pondered. Brunswick has slipped performance wise, imho, since the early-mid 2000's. Aside from Rash, the numbers haven't been there. I would include Ebonite in the convo as well. Since 2011 and the red Mission, they haven't done much of anything. Are the balls behind the likes of Storm or are the bowlers for Storm that much better?
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It may be a numbers game. When Brunswick was on top in the late 90's, early 2000s they had everyone on staff (men,women,seniors). Then they cut them all except for PB3 and one or two others. Today I am not sure what there numbers are compared to some other companies, or names for that matter. I really don't watch the PBA anymore unfortunately.
The PBA tour is also completely different. Instead of being events spread across the country and bowling a large number of games to make it through it has morphed into 75% of the events being in one place over a few weeks and with fewer games. Any given sprint event can be won by anyone and I think the money list and tv shows are proof of it.
Top 15 cashes in 2014
Jason Belmonte Storm
Dom Barrett Storm
Mike Fagan Storm
Mika Koivuniemi Track
Chris Barnes Columbia
Chris Loschetter Storm
Bill O'Neill Hammer
Wes Malott Roto Grip
Sean Rash Brunswick
Ronnie Russell Motiv
Stuart Williams storm
Osku Palermaa Storm
E.J. Tackett Motiv
Tommy Jones Ebonite
Martin Larsen Storm
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I think it's fair game to put the question out there. While bowling in an eliminator last weekend, a local pro shop proprietor who has bowled out there nationally and regionally posed some interesting facts to me. Like you TKK, he mentioned aside from Sean Rash, who else do we see making shows? Thomas Smallwood, Jason Sterner, Ryan Ciminelli, and Tom Hess? And out on the PBA 50 circuit, WRW, Parker Bohn and John Petraglia?
He believed Brunswick's coverstocks have been inferior to the likes of Storm/Roto Grip and Motiv in recent years. He maintains equipment alone at that level of competition is worth 10-15 pins. That's the difference between cashing and not cashing. Making shows and not making shows.
Personally, Brunswick and its affiliates has been my equipment of choice since I returned to bowling last year. I've had no interest in using Ebonite/Track/Columbia/Hammer -- that feeling was cemented 20 years ago, although I still have my original Fab Blue and Burgundy Hammer, and a Columbia Black U Dot and Columbia Pearl Dot. I've not been impressed at all by Storm/Roto Grip/Global 300 stuff. I've been curious about Motiv equipment since they seem to produce stuff with good mid-lane and back-end reactions. Perhaps I'm cheap, and I'm not willing to put out that kind of money for Motiv's stuff.
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Brunswicks product is inferior to no ones...the quality of the balls coming out of mexico is at the top of the game as well(there are stats around on the 2nds and warranty claims)
its just a numbers game, Big B dont have the bodies out there that Storm does
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Brunswick doesn't have the bodies storm does. Hard to compete from a pure numbers standpoint. Nothing to see here.
It IS interesting, however, how little you see the free agents throwing Brunswick. I'm a big fan of the mastermind series myself, but I never see them in the hands of free agent pros or the semi-pros that I see in tournaments around here.
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Storm owns the market. After them, I see Motiv with their young and talented staff as being second.
For performance on TV you have to aggressively target the best players in the world as well as keep an eye out for the good collegiate bowlers coming up. Brunswick seems to have cut back on their staff some, and that may be because they are openly for sale.
I have a Mastermind, a Radical Reax and a Guru. They are quality pieces and I would go as far as saying that the Guru is something special.
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It'd be interesting to see who's comping the most balls to free agents (marketing) and how many guys each company has on contract in the "show (the show meaning Touring-1/exempt/top 50 status players)."
I won't deny Brunswick had some QC issues in the mid 2000s after moving the factory. I think from a perspective of the ability for bowlers to use their equipment today on what 95% of bowlers see on a week to week basis in league and open play, they can hang.
Something to put into your heads: After doing some deep "research" on who provides the raw materials to each factory, it seems to me that much of the raw materials and casting equipment that each company receives is not that much different from each other. I think a big determining factor in "who's performing the best" these days are a result of the minds in marketing and sales, more than the products and science of the game.
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If there are new changes in bowling technology in the past 10 + years how much difference can there really be? It then comes down to staffing.