I don't usually get caught up in subjects like this, but I have been thinking about all the supposed 900's being shot lately.
A 900 series would lead you to believe that, whoever shot it, must've bowled to a level of PERFECTION! And continued to do so for three consecutive games! However, as we all know, absolute perfection is absolutely un-attainable.
Before you get mad, go off, or decide to flame me, think about this. How does this look in relation to the "other" sports?
Has there EVER been a basketball player to make every single shot he throws up in a game? ( given that he is a regular and takes at least the obligatory 12 shots like a bowling game) How about for three consecutive games?
How about golf? ( Oh GOD, here comes the golf analogy ) Has ANYONE EVER managed to shoot 18? Isn't that a perfect game in golf? How about three 18's in a row? Ever shoot 54 for three rounds?
Yes, there have been several perfect games in baseball, but has ANYONE ever been able to do it three times in a row?
I know these analogies aren't perfect. Heck, they probably leave a lot to be desired, but they are intended to get you thinking.
Now that 900 has been shot, and repeatedly, it makes me think that it lends itself nicely to those who would like to dismiss bowling as nothing more than a "game", or perhaps a parlor trick that ANYONE can learn. I think the proliferation of all these "perfect" series only serves to make the game look a bit less legitimate than before.
That is all the naysayers and the olympic committees will need to keep on turning a blind eye to us.
I know we can't "put the genie back in the bottle" so to speak, but we NEED to find a way to take scoring back to a place where it is more believable. I don't think avaraging 200 is out of the question, and I believe that very accomplished bowlers should, at times, have a shot at a 300 game, I am just afraid that all these 900's are, for laypeople at least, making the sport look much more like a "game".
P.S. And no, I don't know how to return the scoring to a more "normal" pace, and I have my own opinions of modern bowling ball technology, but this (technology) isn't what I am talking about. I am talking about making 300 an achievment to be admired again, and a 900 just a wierd, wonderful, once in a lifetime achievment. (and I mean only one person in ALL our lifetimes)
--------------------
Why be difficult when, with just a bit more effort, you can be IMPOSSIBLE!