PBA Bowling DRAMA!!

[Theo McNair]

OK RealBowlers...

I know, I know, it has been forever, but here is a subject I have to get your opinions on.  For those that may not be aware, there have been a couple of incidents on the PBA Tour.  I will post a few clips here to get your opinion of what you think.

 

All of the clips involve Jason Belmonte the two hand phenom that emerged on the PBA Tour a few years back.  There was an incident with him a couple of months ago with Brad Angelo and the water bottle as seen below:

Take a look:

 

I will admit the first time I saw this I thought it was a little petty and that bowlers are getting whiny like some of the golfers where they are always looking for something to blame when they throw a bad shot.

So, when I saw the clip of Sean Rash and Jason Belmonte last week, I was a little surprised that Belmonte was being accused of doing the same thing. After doing a little research I saw another clip where Belmonte made some noise with a chair in the middle of Rash approach at another tournament.
Take a look at this one about :44 secs in:

Which leads to the last incident where Sean Rash calls him a "bottle bitch" which has caused a little controversy.  Which may be a good or a bad thing for the PBA, but take a look and let me know what are your thoughts on all of the incidents.

Extended Clip: Rash/Belmonte Bottle Incident - Celebrity bloopers here

So, RealBowlers what are your thoughts? Belmonte released a statement on the PBA website about the incidents and state that he really does not like being called a cheater, etc... here is the statement from the article:

http://news.pba.com/post/2011/6/19/Belmonte-Comments-on-Recent-Tele...

JASON BELMONTE STATEMENT

I was maybe 7 or 8 years old. The Orange Open was on and it saw many of Australia’s best bowlers come to town. For us small town locals, seeing these guys who could curve the ball and shoot well over 200 every game was a sight we all loved. I was so excited, bursting to just jump out of the car and see those I idolized.

The bowling centre was packed, finding my favourite player wasn’t easy, but a few games in I had found him. I remember trying to see his every shot, peering through the legs of those in front of me. After he struck one shot, I stuck my arm through the crowd to get to him and offered him a high 5 for the shot. He looked down at me and said “I don’t give 5, that’s for girls.”

People laughed and I remember feeling embarrassed and ashamed that I even admired someone like that. I go back to that story every time I am in a bowl, every time someone asks me for an autograph or a photo or a high 5. No matter who they are, they deserve the same respect they give me. They deserve a small portion of my time because they have given a small portion of theirs.

That lesson has also been taught to me by my family. My family has been in the bowling industry for all my 27 years and the most important part of their success, is friendly and honest customer service. They have taught me to treat those around me exactly how I want to be treated.

Over the last few months my credibility as a bowler, as a person and as a friend has been cast over a shadow of doubt.
I have been labeled a cheat, a child, and much worse things by fans, and other pros. Even worse, pros that I considered friends.

For what? Because I drink water out of a bottle? Don’t all athletes during pressure filled situations?
I said sorry to Angelo during and after our match at the Dick Weber Playoffs last season. I felt like the timing in which the bottle popped was extremely unfortunate. It caught him and even though I didn’t agree with how he reacted, I did the right thing and told him it was accidental, that I felt horrible about it and in no way did I intend to put him off. This incident was then blown out of the water by certain staff at the PBA, blasted all over Facebook and PBA.com, with poorly chosen headlines and edited YouTube clips to not only cause doubt over my intentions while bowling against Angelo but also to cause doubt over who I am as a person. To say after that incident I was upset was an understatement. I hate that it happened and I thought I made that clear by how apologetic I was on the day and in interviews there after that show.

Fast forward to June for the PBA Summer Series, one of the last matches of the summer series ended up with Sean Rash and I being the last bowlers left standing. Like I had for every single other frame of every other match I start my pre-shot routine by taking a drink from the water bottle given to me by the TV crew on the set.

On one of the closing shots of our match, while Rash was preparing, I had searched for my bottle that had fallen under my seat. I picked my bottle up off the floor. I held it by the bottle cap waiting for him to complete the shot. It popped in my hand, well before I was ever thinking about opening it. Not in his 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th step, but before he had even taken a single step on the approach. I didn’t hold the bottle on the sides, pressing it in, trying to pop it during his approach. I simply was waiting. He pulled back, set himself again and bowled a great shot. When it struck, the verbal abuse started and his language with children present and the fact that it was on TV was appalling.

He claimed in his rant, between the cursing, that what I do with the bottle I do to everyone else on tour and that he took it upon himself to express that for everyone.

If Rash or Angelo or any other of the pro’s out there believe that I need ‘an ace up my sleeve’ to beat them on tour, it’s not only disrespecting my talents as a bowler but it disrespects me as a person. I don’t care who you are, or where you are from or what you have accomplished in the sport, I fear no one. I only admire and respect them and their talents as a player and mostly as a person bowling for their living. It’s all I expect from them in return. At this point in this competition Brunswick and Sean were no threat to Storm or myself and previous to Rash’s outburst, we were still good friends. I had no motive and nothing to gain from putting Rash off.

I have spent my entire career labeled a cheat because of the technique I have developed. I have spent years proving that I only beat you on the lanes because I was better than you on the day, not because I am breaking rules or trying to put people off.

I work harder than almost anyone with the promotion of bowling and I try my absolute best to give bowling the positive image it deserves. I stand up for bowling when people of the public slam it or when news reporters try to make bowling into a joke story.

Why?

Because I respect the sport that has given me so much. I respect the sport I love. I would never do anything to put bowling and it’s fragile image at any more risk than what it is at right now. Further more, I’m not one of the depressed, negative bowlers who believe bowling is ruined for all eternity, I believe in the words of Thomas Fuller, “The Darkest hour is just before the dawn”. This is bowling’s darkest hour and we as a bowling community need to do what we can to make sure we see the dawn rise. I don’t believe that cursing, abusing or trying to imply that a professional bowler on the PBA tour is out there cheating his way to victories by putting people off by popping a water bottle is the best way to promote bowling. Look, if I wanted to put them off using the water bottle I would throw the bottle at their heads.


I am completely insulted and disappointed by Rash and his actions. I am embarrassed and feel so stupid that I once not only called him a friend but when Rash was away from his family and friends in foreign lands across the world it was I who was there for him.

The PBA tour is tough to be on. The money is low, the expenses are high and time away from home is horrible for each player. I understand that the pressures of succeeding on tour are high and we all need to win to support our families and ourselves. I understand that at times this pressure leads to frustration, which will then lead to outbursts either on the lanes or behind closed doors. Usually though, these outbursts are directed to ourselves because of the disappointment about our performance and the knowledge that we did something wrong for the entire event or on one special shot that caused our departure from the tournament, but never directed at another opponent.

This blatant verbal abuse and disrespect is not what the PBA deserves from one of it’s current and for sure future stars, nor do I deserve it as a player or as a human being.

I will say this loud and very clear and I say it to those who have bowled against me in the past, those I will play in the future and to the fans watching. I am a respectful, honourable and honest bowler and person. If you beat me, you did it because you were better than me on the day and the same goes if I beat you. Simple as that.

Jason Belmonte

Do you think Belmonte is sincere or he is just saying all of the right things.  Actions speak louder than words or should I say water bottles are louder.... :)

I know this is a lot to read and watch, but hey we are all bowlers and there is nothing like a little bowling drama....RealTalk

Share your thoughts...

[Joe Beck]

Well put Craig. 

I don't advocate throwing a box of pencils or kicking out foul lights ala Holman, but the concept of showing some energy to the crowd with a little, "give me some", or Tiger-Woods-like fist pumping... encourage the crowd to get involved and not only will they enjoy it more, they will likely get behind you.  Even a sedate turning to the crowd and giving them a thumb's up after you throw a strike.  Acknowledge their presence.  Value them and they will value you.  Disrespect them by disrespecting your opponent, however, and you won't get much sympathy.  Rash is going to have to deal with that.

[JJ Anderson]

Whether the other bowlers' concerns are valid or not, if Jason Belmonte stops drinking while his opponents are bowling, the appearance of cheating goes away. Unfortunately, now anything he does while his opponents are bowling (such as making noise with a chair) will be scrutinized and magnified.

 

I'm about deaf when I bowl - some would argue I'm about deaf always - so I don't understand much of the distraction.

[Ken Curtis]

I think Rash made Jason's ways know the good old American way.  Sorry he used that language, but I don't blame him.  Got to say, I saw it coming when Mike Fagan said that he was feeling great for the telecast except that Jason had burned breakfast that morning.  I took that as Jason telling Mike his ball was going to burn up the lanes when they played each other later that day on ESPN.  Months later all this stuff came out with the bottle and stuff.  Jason plays head games.  But on the lanes thats a no no!  As for entertainment, leave that to the ESPN broadcasters.  That's their job.  Seriously, they do a great job.  USBC regulations allow me to see the best do their best.  If I want to hear smack, I know exactly where to go for that.  It comes cheap.  When I pay for an event or sit down to watch the PBA bowling season events, I'm not interested in seeing a person talking another person out of his game.  Just the opposite, I want to see an environment that promotes maximum bowling skill against maximum bowling skill.  May the best bowler (not the best talker) win!  Talk smack pregame? Yes.  Talk smack post game? Go for it.  Got a little entertainer in you (ala Pete Weber)?  Let it out...but direct it to the crowd.  But during the game........let your fingers do the talking!!!

[Craig Cihlar]

It's all about Karma.

Most people who try to play head games find themselves not very good at it. What comes around goes around. I'm not a trash talking individual but know plenty who are. Trash talkers diminish themselves every time they open their mouth. A great big smile in response and an act of kindness goes a long way. I'm happy for Belmonte's victory over Sean Rash. So if your going to talk trash fine so be it but at least be good at it. Cussing is not the answer nor is speaking ill of another nationality as Sean did to Stuart Williams which Sean opened his mouth once again and Sean lost. Don't get me wrong I believe that Sean Rash is a terrific bowler with a lot of talent just lousy at the smack talking and lets it consume him to his own demise. So as I said earlier it's all about Karma.