We haven't gotten a BTM at the shop for a while, so I was interested to see February's BTM when I got to the shop today.  I picked it up and started thumbing through it, and I don't know why or exactly what it was, but I disliked it so much I was actually irritated when I finished flipping through it.  I started reading it early on, but it was so boring, and on such pointless, dry subjects that I flipped faster and faster looking for something interesting and never found it.  I mean honestly, an article on why it's hard to bowl drunk?  Hello Captain Obvious, geez.  I REALLY enjoy the Bowler's Journal, and especially look forward to getting it every month, because although there are some articles I'm not interested in, the majority of them are intriguing at the very least.  I don't know, maybe I was having a bad day or something.  Even the ball reviews were boring, because I saw all the featured balls in LAST month's Bowler's Journal, with the possible exception of the Uranium (not sure).
--------------------
The weekly signature series, by Hamster, presenting a mini-series of quotes from Shrek!

"Oh I'll find those stairs, I whip they butt too.  They won't know which way they going.  Give me a step right here and now, I'll step all over it, kick it to the curb.  I am the stair masta, I've masta'd the stairs."

Ah, but the trick is to write it while drunk.  
--------------------

I just want 2C was'zzub.
____________________________________

I am the SGT Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing!"

Well, then ... Cheers!  
--------------------

I just want 2C was'zzub.
____________________________________

I am the SGT Schultz of bowling.
"I know nothing!"

The one thing I will give BTM is at least they have content of some kind.  You need to look at other magazines like popular photography or model railroader just to see the lack of meat magazines are now providing in other fields.

Smash49
--------------------
Smash49
robert@bowlersslidesock.com
Bowler's Slide Sock:  Reduces or eliminates problems with Slick OR Tacky approaches.
www.bowlersslidesock.com

Maybe I'll read through it again since I'm in a better mood today.  That might cease once I get to the shop, but you never know.
--------------------
The weekly signature series, by Hamster, presenting a mini-series of quotes from Shrek!

"Oh I'll find those stairs, I whip they butt too.  They won't know which way they going.  Give me a step right here and now, I'll step all over it, kick it to the curb.  I am the stair masta, I've masta'd the stairs."

I wrote up a list of what I liked and didn't like, but it's on my other computer.  I'll drop it on here later.
--------------------
The weekly signature series, by Hamster, presenting a mini-series of quotes from Shrek!

"Oh I'll find those stairs, I whip they butt too.  They won't know which way they going.  Give me a step right here and now, I'll step all over it, kick it to the curb.  I am the stair masta, I've masta'd the stairs."

Hamster,

FWIW:

This issue's article has,

* for me, for the first time, some good advice from Bill Taylor.

* I always think Denny Torgerson, Rolf Gauer, and Bill Hall have somethign worthy to say and for me to read. Still true this issue.

* I ALWAYS like Mo Pinel columns; they are technical and 99.99% valid, as far as I am concerned.

* I think the new display for the Oil/Medium/Dry lanes ratings are harder to read.

* I think the discussion of the group of writers on the PBA Exampt status is a waste of print and paper.

* I think the new graphics and colors brighten up the presentation.

* Jowdy finally got away from quoting his own books. He still has a wealth of information valuable to everyone.


--------------------
"Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it."

Hamster,

Additionally,
while I like the ball reviews in general, (both) BTM's (and BJI's) reviews have ceased being a source of dead-on information for me. I could almost make book on Summerville's (and "Lefty's") reviews.  The addition of the sroker/Tweener/Cranker is a very good thing, in general. That said, there is still a lot of good words being written, even if the numbers have become less good at "filling out the picture". It takes a lot of reading between the lines and translations to make sense of a ball's overall position in the grand scheme, so to speak.

--------------------
"Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it."