Sunday, November 11, 2001
PBA Tour final here today
The PBA Tour's in town. It's time to get wild and crazy at the Super Bowl in Erlanger for the Greater Cincinnati Classic.
It's a whole new tour, complete with horseshoe seating wrapped around the bowlers and their two lanes of action, plenty of cheering and a national TV audience. There are about 300 seats available in the horseshoe arena; cost is $25.
The bowlers are personalities now, encouraged to dress and behave as they wish. That has meant some earrings, designer threads and some great theatrics and body English. And PBA events no longer approximate Wimbledon for “shush” quotient. Yelling and rooting is encouraged, right up until the bowlers begin their approach.
“It's more of a sporting event now,” said Kim Bussman, PBA publicist.
“We've brought the PBA Tour to Cincinnati because historically it's such a great bowling town and because the proprietors (of Super Bowl) were so interested in having it,” said Steve Miller, the PBA president and CEO.
Miller played football for the Detroit Lions and is former athletic director at Kansas State. He spent nine years with Nike, the last of it as director of global sports marketing.
Greater Cincinnati is the seventh stop and one of 19 metropolitan areas on this year's PBA Tour. Other cities in this region playing host to PBA Tour events this year are Louisville and Indianapolis.
Two weeks ago, the telecast of the PBA Tour in Taylor, Mich., was watched in 986,24 homes.
“TV ratings are 30 percent ahead of where they were a year ago,” Miller said. “... ESPN is great to us, and the ads we've been running (on ESPN) have been very well-received.”
Saturday's results
Single Elimination (Best-of-5)
Losers eliminated, earn $3,500
Robert Smith, Simi Valley, Calif., def. Chris Sand, Chesterfield, Mich., (3-2), 268-225, 203-242, 229-176, 225-258, 201-192.
Rick Steelsmith, Wichita, Kan., def. Jason Hurd, Titusville, Fla., (3-1), 212-278, 279-277, 252-201, 256-231.
Lee Johnson, Bloomington, Ind., def. Norm Duke, Clermont, Fla., (3-1), 223-278, 235-205, 229-215, 237-203.
Tim Criss, Bel Air, Md., def. Justin Hromek, Towanda, Kan., (3-2), 215-205, 213-247, 213-190, 180-198, 232-185.
Jack Jurek, Lackawana, N.Y., def. Patrick Allen, Tarrytown, N.Y., (3-2), 180-175, 195-211, 193-191, 197-255, 218-194.
John May, Lincolnton, N.C., def. Michael Machuga, Erie, Pa., (3-1), 223-234, 259-212, 246-211, 245-192.
Walter Ray Williams Jr., Ocala, Fla., def. Patrick Healey Jr., Mexico, (3-1), 227-236, 226-216, 258-247, 248-226.
Doug Kent, Newark, N.Y., def. Richard Wolfe, Vienna, Va., (3-0), 246-245, 223-164, 234-206.
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Jaguars-Bengals by the numbers
Mark Curnutte's NFL power ratings
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East Carolina 28, UC 26
UC 81, Northern Kentucky 53
Little wants better effort from himself
XU women lose second exhibition
Reds Q&A with John Fay
PBA Tour final here today
