I have had this happen several times. Although most of the equipment I retire ends up very few games.

I had the original Columbia300 AfterShock..the solid blue one. I bought it when it first as released. I bowled hundreds and hundreds of games with it. I finally sold it and bought a Brunswick Combat Zone, it had only been on the market a couple of weeks.

The Combat Zone was retired 3 weeks later because I hated it. It hit pretty weak. So I continued on with my Columbia300 Pearl Quake. I got into a big slump and needed something to pull me out. I bought the After Shock back and my average went up from 180 to 200 the second half of the season.

I ended up selling it back to the same guy later, but that ball just didn't want to go. It fought and fought. And it hooked very consistant. It was probably because the track was terribly worn and the scratches in the track made the ball grab the lane better. It sure did work well.

I think its a mental thing. Dont throw a ball for 6 months, pull it out of the closet and you'll shoot a high score with it. Its kinda like the "new ball" theory. As soon as one buys a new ball, they think it is the best ball ever (if they shoot good with it). Then after a couple of months and the ball starts to wear out, it doesnt get used as much. Then when you decide to sell it or "retire" it, you pull it out one last time and its reacts just as good as it did brand new. I do this all the time with equipment, I will purposely throw an "old" ball in the bag every once in a while and use it in league. Usually do good with it at first, but then once transition hits, you know its not gonna work anymore so you put it in the closet again. Bought a Kick a while back for use at one tournament. After that tourney was over, I took it out of my bag until the next year. Well just for fun I threw it in the bag and took it to league, got there and the lanes were toasted so I pulled it out and shot a decent series with it. Kept it in the bag for a couple of weeks but never threw it again, now it is getting sold this week and being shipped off for good.
--------------------
If I could only pick up a 7 pin.....

For me this ball is the Original Black Chaos. Never fails if I think the ball is through, put it up for a couple months and something says hey the lanes have been a little wetter latetly or something. Drag it out and bang, the ball eats um up. Rolled 299 with it last fall the first night back after being in the box for months. The conditions were dried up a bit right after that and back in the box it went. It is waiting there for its next shot and it will come.