It is definitely the ball, always. Seriously, when my ball is "in the mood" to score, no matter how many times I pitch it in the gutter, the thing leaps out, goes straight to the pocket and wham - big X on the scoreboard.
Now, when my ball is "not in the mood" to score, I'm in serious trouble. The last time this happened, I even took my 20 gauge shotgun with me to the lane and pumped a few shells at the pins to knock them over. Wouldn't you know it, my ball just set them right back up as it rolled through the deck?! To cover for the pins the shotgun just blew apart, the ball actually removed intact pins from the pit of the next lane over to set up on the deck of my lane.
So remember, it is never you, it is always your ball. Keep your ball "in the mood" to score and you'll do well. I suggest buying only the top-notch cleaners to clean your ball with, taking your ball to dinner every now and then, giving your ball a dozen roses out of the blue for no reason, rubbing it with a nice soft towel, stroking its ego by telling it what a great ball it is....
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