heres the story -

for whatever reason, my fingers just arent able to hold up to the wear and tear of long formats.  after two years on the JBT, both of which were very successful but could have been 10 times better if not for this problem, i have come to realize that my fingers just arent capable of holding up for 4-5 straight days of bowling, or 2 consecutive days of long formats.  i have bowled 15-20 games before, on numerous occasions, but its mainly because i have a high tolerance of pain and am able to bear with it.  after a while, i just cant get the same hand in the ball as i had earlier in the day because of swelling and soreness.  

after having yet another brutally painful weekend of tournaments and league(new years day WMG and league sunday morning), and yet another tournament where i did okay but could have done much better, i am ready to experiment.  i have come to the conclusion that my span and inserts are comfortable and arent the problem, and that the solution lies solely in my fingers.  

i was thinking of getting a latex/rubber glove, the ones that are skintight, and using the middle and ring fingers while i bowl.  i could go 1/2 size bigger with the inserts to accomodate the extra size of the covering, and hopefully this will give me the durability i am looking for and the grip(i found some online that are textured at the fingertips) i have always had.  this may sound completely stupid to some, but i am looking for honest opinions, or even if this has already been done(im not sure if there is a product out there like this already).  thanks in advance, as im very interested to hear what everyone has to say.
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RED STRIPE

ITS BEER
HOORAY BEER!

mainly soreness and irritation, sometimes swelling...i looked at the steel fingers you mentioned, but i am talking about something for the fingers themselves...not to help relive strain on the fingers.  my main problem has to do with the skin, not my arm and wrist strength.  i think im going to try my contraption when i get a chance and see how it works out.  anybody else have an idea?  thanks for the info snowman.
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RED STRIPE

ITS BEER
HOORAY BEER!

jeff,

thanks for the info.  ive been using the aloe hand cream for the past few weeks, but this past weekend at the WMG really got me to thinking of a new way to get around this problem.  im not sure if the latex glove would work either, but i figured id try it during a practice session to see how it feels during and after bowling.  if nothing works, ill have to look deeper into the issue of the insert sizes im using, and anything else that could be affecting it.  thanks jeff.
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RED STRIPE

ITS BEER
HOORAY BEER!

charlest,

I think the glove Pete Weber use is a golf glove.  I may be wrong, but it's not as thick as say... a batting glove.

hotwire,
How's it going?  You ever tried/considered pickle juice?  I know it sounds odd, but it is common among pitchers who have problems with blisters.  Hell, Nolan Ryan use to soak his fingers early in his career.  It toughens the skin a bit.

HTH,

Vernon