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Author Topic: My thoughts on this season  (Read 12782 times)

Current Exempt

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My thoughts on this season
« on: March 31, 2008, 03:55:46 AM »
I want to thank everyone who has sent me a private message about my status and situation.  I did finish out the year fairly strong and did make the cut line for next season.  Now, the pros and cons.  I do enjoy being one of the elite in this country.  I enjoy the opportunity to make a telecast every week with a guaranteed paycheck but at what expense?  If you had asked me before the season started if I could take Deanery's season and not bowl I would have said yes!  He made 3 shows and finished top 20 in points and cashed every tournament.  That's some season,right?  Beating out 2/3's of the field on avgas. every week.  Bowling 20 tournaments and being on TV every the week.  Awesome bowling I think!  His return?  $51,000!  He put in about $28,000.  Boatman is another who made two shows and cashed every tournament, $39,000!  He put in $28,000.  This is just sad.  I don't know one regional player who wouldn't kill to have 1 of those 2 seasons.  So I'm still undecided about next year.  Only 10 bowlers eclipsed the $100,000 mark with $25,000-$30,000 invested.  Just not a good return for being the best this sport has to offer.  Most of us 30-39 point guys just lost another year in any career outside of bowling for basically minimum wage.  Did we the pa send the right message with Duke winning the money title when about 85% of his winnings came from two tournaments?  I don't know.  I do recall in the 80's when Aulby,Ballard,Voss were in the $200,000's to win the money title.  Did we jump back 20 years with the way things our now?  At least in the early 90's you had a chance for $25,000 incentive checks.  I guess is what I'm trying to say is I don't know why every other sport can advance financially and we go back.  Sorry for the ranting but these are just my feelings.  I do enjoy reading all the e mails and messages sent to me as well as the reply's to my post's.  Thanks again to everyone for their support.
I do not want to give out my name yet because I'm still undecided and wanted to keep this off any pba message board.

 

snowman4951

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #61 on: April 01, 2008, 10:19:35 PM »
Jeff, You are an awesome bowler period! I bowl in league with Bill O'neill and he basically says the same stuff. Next year, You could always stay with my family and I. I live in PA about an hour away.I could pick your brain on me bowling better and for that I'll make sure my wife makes you tons of home cooked food!Also, personally I appreciate you chatting with us.If more pros were as kind to others as you, to just take that extra minute sports in general would be a better place.
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Jeff Carter

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #62 on: April 01, 2008, 10:39:03 PM »
You know you guys really dont need to thank me for coming on here and chatting. Keep in mind that im first and foremost a bowling fan just like you, i just happen to be lucky enough to do it for a living. I love the sport and i want to see it not only survive, but to thrive and provide todays youth with a lucrative future career

Snowman - thanks for the offer. You know when i was a kid, we housed an LPGA player every year during the LPGA Rail State Farm Classic. We had the same lady for several years and she was great. I know several of the girls stay in my neighborhood ( Natalie Gulbis stays with one of my Business Partner and his family ). I've always thought it would be pretty cool for us to "shack" up with local bowling fans for the week, although i doubt most people would want some of us around the house !!!
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snowman4951

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #63 on: April 01, 2008, 10:43:15 PM »
Thanks Jeff,
Just keep that in the back of your head though k!
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C_J

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #64 on: April 01, 2008, 10:51:05 PM »
Amen to the posts Jeff !!!!
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CharlieBrown

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #65 on: April 02, 2008, 05:32:02 AM »
Great posts Jeff!

Good luck Jeff, Current Exempt and CJ!

Thank you for contributing to this site. Much appreciated.

Also good luck to all regional players on this site!
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Rev_O

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #66 on: April 02, 2008, 06:45:51 AM »
quote:
What about the mega-buck tourneys?  How many of them a year are there?  Granted, they are not as cool as a PBA stop but there is a lot of ca$h to be had.

The Super Hoinke in Cincinnati was cancelled this year because of lack of entries ... now why don't more PBA members bowl these kind of events to supplement their income?

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PBA exempt members, and now as well as some of the "professional amatuers" are banned from the megabuck tournaments.
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Edited on 4/2/2008 6:46 AM

NOTAP4ME

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #67 on: April 02, 2008, 08:08:51 AM »
Jeff hats off to you and fellow pros that do make a living out there.  Also, I think hearing from you opens a lot of people's eyes on the current state of the PBA and bowling in general.  

I often wondered how guys make it out there when the Pro-Am's are at the end of the week and you don't make it to the second round.  That is a few extra days you have to stay around and pay for a room and meals.  Have you talked to any PBA brass about your ideas for earlier Pro-Ams and a teaching session on Saturday?  That seems like a great idea. Is there anybody that would listen?

Also, back in the day (the late 70's - early 80's) bowlings hayday, didnt some of the top guys (like a Brian Voss, Norm Duke) receive a salary for being on staff.  I dont know if this is correct, however I had heard that Brian at one time was making 80K or so a year just from the ball company?  So, I take it now days when you are on staff a salary is not included.

Sorry to hear that your fire isnt what is used to be, however I can understand that.  The Company I work for has just told us our pensions would be frozen the next contract and pretty much we would be lucky to see any of the dollars we had coming.  So, I know what you guys are going through.

Good Luck Jeff,

NoTap


LuckyLefty

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #68 on: April 02, 2008, 08:54:08 AM »
Back to Jeff Carter's first post on expenses and miserly expenses.

This is why I call professional bowling the "live with Mom tour" and "the make sure you don't have any kids tour".

It is sad.

I've posted before about how comparable bowling and golf were money wise in the early 70s.  To stay on par....Walter Ray would have needed to make $5 million this year to come in about 50% of Tiger's winnings(forget his endorsements).

Now we are 1/10 of that or less for the top winner!  While bowling is every bit as great a sport to watch on TV as Golf(both not that exciting unless one plays the sport).  Golf's TV appeal continues to grow!

Bowling is a great sport.  Not the smartest way for people to apply themselves to make a living.  BUT Who can blame them....it is a wonderful sport and the ball on the lanes is great to watch along with those pins a flyin when they are!

REgards,

Luckylefty
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chitown

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #69 on: April 02, 2008, 09:00:38 AM »
quote:
Heres an example for you ( and if anybody can tell me where to cut cost, feel free to chime in ) :

2008 US Open - North Brunswick, NJ / Carolier Lanes
Entry Fee - $500.00
Hotel - $351.85 ( 49.00 / night booked on Hotwire - cheapest room i could find....remember this is the east coast )
Gas - $414.00
Food - $238.77 ( this includes 2 restaraunt meals, the rest was either Subway or Chipotle )
Thats a base total of $ 1504.62 for the week. Now this doesnt count the cost of having to have a tire replaced in Western Pennsylvania after a blowout on the side of a mountain ( almost hit the guardrail ) for $157.00.
That also does not include any drilling fees ( im fortunate that is part of my contract ). To be honest with you, i didnt do ANYTHING last week. I was pretty much either at the bowl or in the hotel room. I didnt go out, didnt drink, pretty much didnt do anything at all and my expenses were still over $1500.00 for the week.

Then i busted my butt all week in the biggest tournament in the world, with the hardest lane condition possible....finishing less than 30 pins out of match play. That means i beat 462 bowlers that entered the tournament and i made.....$1650.00 for my efforts last week. I spend 8 days on the road working my tail off for a profit of $145.00 ( i actually lost money when you factor in tire problem ). Now spend a week of you life at work, doing your job to the best of your ability and friday afternoon your boss walks in and says "we just didnt seem to have a very good week this week, so we cant afford to pay you". Thats pretty much life on Tour right now unfortunately
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Jeff Carter
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Jeff, that's why the tour is in big trouble!  if the pro's can't afford to live then what's the point of being on tour?  Wouldn't it be better to stay a regional player and have a carrer outside of bowling?  I know it just sucks in my opinion.

I made a post on this forum about doing an increase in the USBC dues with the xtra proceeds going to the PBA prize fund!  I think it's a strong idea and many would support it.  They could also put in an option in case some don't want to support it.

Edited on 4/2/2008 9:15 AM

Dan Belcher

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #70 on: April 02, 2008, 12:27:46 PM »
quote:
Do you guys really need it as quiet as a church when bowling on T.V.?  It's not that way during the week before the finals.  Football players and baseball players handle the noise of the crowd, so can you.
Actually, remember 1998?  As an experiment, they let the crowd cheer and be as loud as they wanted even while the bowler was on the approach.  Despite the crowd, Parker Bohn III still shot a 300 on TV.  (It's on Youtube if you want to check it out, very cool)

AdrianS

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #71 on: April 02, 2008, 06:28:15 PM »
Heres an idea for the open. The old starting field was 240.(144 pros 96 ams) Just have a ptq for the non exempt pros to set that part of the field and a ptq for all the ams to get the top 96. Or maybe invite guys like Petraglia, Voss, Ozio, Webb, Learn etc in the field based on earnings/hall of fame etc.... then the rest of the spots up to 144 can be filled with ptq bowlers.
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DRUFER

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #72 on: April 02, 2008, 07:40:54 PM »
as a spectator at the us open last week i have to agree with jeff carter about amateaurs in the US open. I watched qualifying thusday night and not only did i see a TON of people WAY in the -pins, but a few of these people were hapily running out shots and slapping stuff out all over the place. Do these people realize that this isnt their monday night handicap league? And that they can bowl the pro am for about 300 bucks less AND get autographs AND a ball? I bowled the pro am, and it was alot of fun.

Also, two of the centers that i bowl in regularly both hosted US open Qualifiers. Pay 50 bucks bowl 8 games on the pattern, and the winner gets paid entry into the open. I think these 'win a spots' would be a good way to keep some of the people who shouldnt be out there away, perhaps if the PBA requires a win in a qualifer with a minimum qualifying average on the us open pattern to get into the open.

It cant look good for the Tour to have that many bowlers averaging in the 160s or less every year in the "most prestegious tourney" on Tour.

RSalas

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #73 on: April 02, 2008, 07:50:17 PM »
Well, the "win-a-spots" are great if they use a pattern that is similar to what would be seen at the Open.  The qualifier they held here was a seven-game sweeper on a house shot.
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n00dlejester

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #74 on: April 02, 2008, 09:25:51 PM »
Wow, that's crazy that your qualifier was on a THS.  I went to a few qualifiers of the US Open and they all had the US Open shot out there.  It was quite a racket, and very fun.
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Buckwild

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Re: My thoughts on this season
« Reply #75 on: April 02, 2008, 11:23:20 PM »
quote:
quote:
Do you guys really need it as quiet as a church when bowling on T.V.?  It's not that way during the week before the finals.  Football players and baseball players handle the noise of the crowd, so can you.
Actually, remember 1998?  As an experiment, they let the crowd cheer and be as loud as they wanted even while the bowler was on the approach.  Despite the crowd, Parker Bohn III still shot a 300 on TV.  (It's on Youtube if you want to check it out, very cool)


Actually, they MADE the crowd cheer. I was at one of the events. They had signs up telling the crowd to clap. It was fake.