The shtity part about sandbagging is the intent. The guy who only bowls in a tough house, knowing that he'll average 15 pins lower than at the easy house across town, is he sandbagging? If he's doing it because he wants to have more experience on tough conditions and doesn't want to get tricked into overestimating his abilities on a walled up shot, no. If he's doing it so that he has a lower average to use in tournaments, yes.
The guy who has a "tournament" arsenal that he only uses for tournaments, is he sandbagging? I mean, that equipment is in better shape than what he uses for league, his league balls have several hundred games on them while his tournament balls have only a few dozen at the most.
What about the guy who uses old-school urethane equipment during leagues because he wants to control the over/under that a really walled up shot might have? Or he simply doesn't want to invest in expensive equipment when he knows the house doesn't maintain its ball returns and pit equipment very well. Is he sandbagging if he brings nice, expensive stuff to tournaments and saves the beaters for league? If he doesn't want to get his equipment chewed up, he's not sandbagging. If he's deliberately using equipment that does not allow him to carry as well, resulting in a lower average he can take to tournaments, he is sandbagging.
If your "friend" *wink wink* is drinking so that his average is lower, then staying sober to bowl better, he's sandbagging. If your "friend" *wink wink* is drinking because that's the kind of league it is, because he wants to have a good time on his one night out a week, no, he's not.
Sandbagging is about intent. Deliberately manipulating your average so as to benefit in handicapped or divided competition is sandbagging. Being a goof-off is not.
SH
