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Author Topic: You old timers had to have something back then!  (Read 1665 times)

TheBowlingKid25

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You old timers had to have something back then!
« on: December 02, 2004, 07:56:29 AM »
All the old timers that bowled "way back when" always complain about new lane conditions, hook in the box balls, stuff like that. Well back in your day, didnt you guys have something that people even older then you considered cheating?? I mean, you guys had to have had SOMETHING that helped you at least even a little bit. What was it? Or am I just totally wrong, and you really didnt?
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Ragnar

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2004, 04:00:13 PM »
Maybe putting a third hole in the ball; or going to fingertip.  What a concept!
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TheBowlingKid25

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2004, 04:04:54 PM »
Ok I just thought of one, wasnt soaking your ball in acetone cheating?!
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"How small is too small?"

"Well, if you can masturbate with a Barbie hand, your in trouble."
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TheBowlingKid25

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2004, 04:29:57 PM »
quote:
You would sometimes see people adding weight, in the form of shotgun pellets, underneath ball plug. A lot easier to conceal on a black rubber ball.

Have you ever seen what a ball with 6 oz of top weight will do?

This is probably the origin of the rule against using plugged balls in a tournament.
You can used plugged balls in tournies......
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"How small is too small?"

"Well, if you can masturbate with a Barbie hand, your in trouble."
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michelle

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2004, 04:30:54 PM »
quote:
you cant beat acetone.


I'll see your acetone and raise you a container of methyl-ethyl-ketone
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TheBowlingKid25

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2004, 04:32:45 PM »
Bones, Im not talking about how hard or easy the game is, Im just asking what little cheats you guys had "back then".
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"How small is too small?"

"Well, if you can masturbate with a Barbie hand, your in trouble."
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MI 2 AZ

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2004, 04:39:41 PM »
I seem to recall there were rumors that certain houses used shims in the back to help the corner pins to fall.  Or perhaps the gutters were a little higher (or less shallow) than legal.  And without lane machines to put the oil out, it was done mainly by hand and certain lanemen could put 'tracks' out to help the scores.

Conversely, if a house wanted to keep the scores low, like at the early parts of tournaments to entice more entries (hey, that's a score I can beat), they would do just the reverse including soaking the pins in water or mixing in heavy and light pins in the racks.
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I just want 2C was'zzub.
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Edited on 12/2/2004 5:39 PM
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Overhand

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2004, 04:52:30 PM »

you could always WRITE the score down wrong...


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hotwire13

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2004, 05:14:54 PM »
quote:
  Rubber balls have very little friction, thereby making it difficult to keep the ball from deflecting too much to carry all 10 pins.  That is why the scores were lower.  Has nothing to do with ability. Today, we have balls that hug the lane and do not deflect, thus higher scores.  Has nothing to do with ability as regards trying to compare whether bowlers were better in the past or better today.  Apples and oranges.
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Bones


i agree that scores were lower because of deflection and lack of carry, but todays oil conditions (THS) have just as much to do with the scores as the balls do.  according to all the stories ive heard about oil "back then", the patterns were shorter, but also FLATTER.  missing right and left of target by more than a board or two, unless i am mistaken, meant a guaranteed miss of the pocket, and lower scores.  today, along with stronger equipment, we have as much as 7-10 boards of forgiveness (as much as 5 on either side) because of the oil.  you cant carry if you dont hit the 1-3...when you are able to hit it more without having to duplicate shots, its not surprising scores are up.  even on todays heavier conditions, i have both seen and accomplished myself bowling over 200 with a plastic ball.  with the angles todays patterns allow us to create, even plastic equipment can drive through the pocket.  the balls make a difference, but so does the oil.
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charlest

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #9 on: December 02, 2004, 05:32:30 PM »
quote:
Ok I just thought of one, wasnt soaking your ball in acetone cheating?!
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It wasn't acetone. Acetone would have dissolved the freaking ball. (That is why acetone is still forbidden - it dissolves anything in the plastics family! Like resins and polyesters and urethane.)

It was methyl ethyl ketone, and that is so new already!


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JBracer2

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Re: You old timers had to have something back then!
« Reply #10 on: December 02, 2004, 09:39:41 PM »
Bob Hanson
         Posted: 12/2/2004 6:28 PM    
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Actually the oil patterns tended to be very long on lacquer, and the volume was high. It is true the patterns were flatter, but the track that developed gave you hook area and hold area much like today. More accurately, the walls of today started out as a way to emulate the tracks we had on lacquer. The balls just wouldn't give you the friction on dry, and the dry wasn't as wide as it is today. I sometimes see condition today where they give you the big hump in the middle, but there is an out of bounds to the right of 10. Such a condition initially plays a lot like our old lacquer shots, but it opens up wider in short order.  


I agree. The old lacquer shots had lots of room to pull the ball. Just dont miss to the right. There was always OB to the outside. Todays conditions there is both tug and swing!
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