Hi!, I want to know the history behind this ball and what happened so they banned it in the PBA tour?
--------------------
Gendou Ikari... Bowl to Win!!!

The word "banned" is just a marketing ploy.  The ball simply didn't meet PBA spec for hardness so it wasn't allowed.  Its not like the ball was once legal and then made illegal.

The ball is now approved. This taken from the PBA website. The ball was not approved in the beginning for the reasons stated above, by Lucky Lefty and the others. =:^D

Roto Grip
website: www.rotogrip.com  
Ball Name Color Date Approved
 
Apocalypse Brimstone Black/Aurora Blue 1/7/2004
Assault Purple/Turquoise 2/9/2001
Assault Pearl Gun Metal Grey/Copper 7/6/2001
Bandit II Blue/Green 1/1/1995
Cosmos Polyester all colors 5/8/2003
Def Con I Charcoal Black 1/5/2001
Def Con II Charcoal Black Pearl 1/5/2000
Fuel Orange and Black 7/31/2002
Global Assault Ocean Blue/Green 11/9/2001
Grenade Clear with grenade core 7/6/2001
Grenade Blue 9/20/1991
Pure Fuel Copper Pearl/Ethanol Gold 6/27/2003
Renegade Blue 1/1/1995
Retro Roto Blue Pearl Blue Pearl 5/11/2001
Retro Roto Red Solid Retro Red 5/11/2001
Roto Bandit Black 7/23/1993
Roto Gold Grenade Gold 2/21/1990
Roto Grenade Black 1/1/1985
Roto Grip Global Assault Ocean Blue/Green 7/31/2002
Roto Grip UC-2 Blue 11/4/1982
Roto Outlaw Black Cherry 12/1/1992
Roto Star Silver Black 1/1/1985
Roto Star UC-2 Dark Blue 1/1/1984
Roto Star X-2 Black 1/1/1984
Roto Star X-3 Black 2/28/1986
Roto Star X-4 Orange/Brown 1/1/1985
Rush Purple/Jasper Yellow 10/2/2003
SD 73 Black Pearl 8/25/2003
SD 73 Vintage Grape 1/5/2001
SD73 Pearl Purple Pearl with Silver Mica 1/5/2001
Silver Streak Classic Black 3/15/2002
Silver Streak Pearl Silver Pearl/Purple Pearl 10/21/2002
Siver Streak Particle Midnight Blue 4/8/2003
Sonic Boom Red Pearl/Green Pearl 1/7/2004
Sonic X Ocean Blue/Sunset Red 12/31/2002
Sonic X Solid Purple/Green 6/27/2003
Top Fuel Navy/Ocean Blue 12/31/2002
Tra-Ker Green 3/6/1983
UC-2 Purple/Blue 8/24/1984


Edited on 1/30/2004 1:39 PM

Softer balls hook more on oil.

Goes all the way back to the 1970s and Don "Soaker" McCune  (related to Eugene?  I don't know)

Soaked some balls in a special home made brew and won a few tourney's and a bunch of money and therefore soaking was banned and a hardness test was established.  For what ever reason tour and ABC evolved into different standards.

Tour only allowed to 75 ABC to 73.  Now both agree on 73.

I think partly to stop the onrush of particles which were hurting lane surfaces.
Softer balls can compete with a Particle.

REgards,

Luckylefty