Right on brother!
Great story.
The bit about the thumb being all messed up when he first took up the game, brought back memories of so so many years ago when I began and had the same problem (growing pains, I guess), but now my thumb is smooth and completely callous-free (if my right thumb wasn't nearly twice as thick as my other thumb, one would never guess I've bowled so much in my life).
Stories like this are heart-warming--I feel like going bowling now.
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We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.