Simon Sez

WHEN FORCES ARE BEYOND CONTROL: Apologies for this being sent late, due to a Internet line outage this weekend. After two-and-a-half years of no problems, the averages caught up with me.

Just as they do in bowling.

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How 'bout Bo Burton's interview with the USBC?

BO: If you're going to bowl me 30 games you're going to lose. I was the best conditioned athlete on tour, everyone knows that. Nobody was close.

How come none of these guys showed up for that big-money sweeper the PBA was trying to put on? You know, all these big blowhards. I guarantee you Bo Burton would have showed up. But I don't think they would have been bowling with their own money. If they had to come up with $20,000 out of their checkbook, not from anyone else, that's a different story, and that's how I bowled. I bowled for my own money.

If you missed it, parts 1 and 2 are below. Bo knows. Bo knows bowling. It's 2009. Gotta be blunt if you want people to pay attention. The interview would have had more impact had the USBC videotaped it.

I bowl with brother Neil at St. Charles. Maybe I'll do a sitdown with him and see if he can out-blunt his older bro.

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I think Bo's most amazing feat was the hurt he put on others at the '84 tour stop at Weber's when he set the 4-game record later beaten by Bob Learn. Since we can never get enough Bo Burton, here's this week's bonus clip of him in his heyday - very rare and early footage of the 17-time tour winner. Love the Buddy Holly look.



THANK YOU: To Gary Voss and Ted Krygiel for inviting me to speak to the St. Louis Bowling Proprietors Association meeting this Tuesday at Hazelwood Bowl. The topic will be how they can work to defeat the no smoking referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot. It's that important and my advice and consult will be valuable for centers adhd the group. Proprietors - show up! Time is approaching fast for action.

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On the subject of HAZELWOOD BOWL, it was nice to see D'Marco Farr do his show from there Thursday night. Remember the days when sports figures actually bowled? Musial, Schoendiest? In KC, Lenny "the legend" Dawson, Bobby Bell and Buck Buchanan bowled leagues. Retired pitcher John Burkett has bowled well in competitive events. Perhaps more will particiapte when they see the value of competition and camaderie.

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Too many deaths in the news lately. Dick Hoover's passing the other day means fewer PBA charter members around. Guys I know who say him said he could crank it with the best of 'em. And he bowled here for OUR HOMETOWN FALSTAFFers. Amazing that he won the All Star (now the U.S. Open) at 16! That's a record that probably won't be broken. I could be wrong, with today's nuclear balls. Tiger won adult majors at that age, the U.S. Open. But Hoover bowled against the best of everybody bowling.

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So I was -74 last weekend at St. Clair. My balls had the Swine Flu. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it, LOL. Joe Nolan, are you reading this after Oasis? Travis Hendrixson finished 3rd. See what happens after you spend a week in the hospital and quit smoking?

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I debated whether or not to write a separate article about the Press Radio TV League at Olivette Lanes. Yeah, I'm biased because I bowl it. But there is a bit of history to the league.

It is one of the oldest leagues west of the Mississippi River, over 60 years old. It was started as the league for newspaper people, before the influence of radio and television. Scheduled at noon, the league was perfect for the morning Globe Democrat staffers who bowled before they went to work and for the afternoon Post Dispatch (yes Melissa Robinson, the Post at one time was an afternoon paper!) staff who bowled after they were done with work.

Longtime Post Dispatch bowling writer John Archibald bowled in it for 60 seasons, from '49-'08. I was proud to have me on his team last year and wish him the best.

However, the league needs one team and two bowlers. The Press Radio TV bowls each Monday at Olivette beginning at noon. If you don't work during the noon hour (Lenny Koch, that's you!) and want to bowl a fun league, contact me or Melissa (olivettelanes@gmail.com).

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Two Sunday's tournaments today remembered Dave Harmon. The Gran Prix Doubles at Hazelwood was officially named the Dave Harmon Doubles tournament. And the Roll for the Dough at Kingpin in Bridgeton will donate part of entry fees to Dave's family to offset expenses.

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On the subject of Kingpin, they've gotten into the Facebook world. Subscribe at Kingpin Lanes Facebook group.

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Shannon Pluhowksy. Best Women's Bowler in the world. Period.

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That's it for today. Look for part 2 this week to catch up.