It’s good to look at the professional background of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts and one quickly learns that not only is he well known in the professional baseball rankings, but he is an exceptional bowler who competes professionally on the lanes when he isn’t on the baseball diamond. 

Inside Hook Senior Editor Even Bleier noted that Betts recorded a perfect game at the World Series of Bowling several years ago.

Bleier pointed out that,” I don’t know how many 300’s he has bowled but indicated, “it probably was in the 20 to 30 range.”

The conversation got out the fact that Mookie, the former Red Sox outfielder and now Dodger outfielder has hit his mark frequently and accurately enough that Betts has taken home numerous trophies and pocketed as much as $2,000 in winnings for a single day of bowling brilliance.

“Bowling in those tournaments and all that is not for trophies,” Mookie said, “I bowl for money. That’s my trophy now.”

While talking about his bowling success, Betts added, “I also like drinking a sports drink to help stay hydrated during multiple hours at the alley.”

Betts basically has two different seasons where he competes professionally during baseball season in the Major League Baseball and off-season, he pointed out that “I’m bowling pretty much every day as I’m very competitive. I bowl in PBA Tournaments, I’m also in leagues. I do it all when it comes to bowling,” Betts said.

Betts said, “as an athlete my brain never really turns off when it comes to competition both in baseball and with bowling, as it’s a little more in your control as you are going up against the lane, so you have to fix your mind because you have to execute each shot.”

Mookie is so serious about how he performs on the lanes that he watches tapes of himself rolling the ball and he also reviews tapes of himself taking cuts at the plate during baseball. 

Betts pointed out that “I compete in the two sports about two thirds to three fourths of the year.”

Bowling Tip by Mike Luongo

The wonderful world of bowling gives bowlers the opportunity to use performance bowling balls.

These balls are made of urethane, urethane with reactive additives, with or without particles.

All performance balls come out of the box with either some degree of matte finish, a compounded finish or polished finish.

When a manufacturer chooses a box finish for a bowling ball, many times it is for shelf appeal. All companies want you to choose their products.

What you need to know as a customer is that the cover of your performance ball can be adjusted to fit your needs. 

What does this mean for a customer? To maximize your scoring ability on a given lane condition, the cover stock of your bowling ball should match the lane condition. If your ball is grabbing too early, you will need some polish. If the ball is already polished, use a higher degree of polish, preferably something with a slip agent. This will help you get the ball down the lane with less effort.

The telltale sign of a ball grabbing the lane too soon is when you see the ball start to hook and then it stops hooking. On the other hand, if your ball is skidding too far down the lane, you will need some surface friction on the ball. How much friction you need will depend on your ball speed, rev rate and the amount of oil on the lane. The degree of matte finish could be as little as 4,000 or as much as 320. 

Remember, these are adjustments to fine tune your ball reaction. It is up to your Pro Shop professional to help you purchase the ball or balls with the proper care core and cover to match your game and the lane surface on which you bowl. Depending on how serious you are about your bowling, and now many centers you bowl in, you may need more than one ball to help you match the conditions. 

And always remember, your equipment should be cleaned each time it is used.

Local Highlights

Memory Lanes

(Formerly Port Jervis Bowl)

Monday Night Mixed

Jason Csencsits 257, 676, Clayton Tingle 226, Kyle Matthews 237, 653, Wences Acevedo 279, 674, Vincent Collura 266, 693, Pedro Agapito III a 224, 643, Paul Minton 256, 697, Marianna Monaco 209, 610, Kevin Stackhouse 267, 666, Keith Smith 258, 638, Carol Flynn 213, 561, Bill VanAken 226, 604, Vinny Degraw 218, 606, Lynn Winters 187, Kelly Shattuck 190, 532, Richard Winters 267, 697, Dean Shattuck 246, 632,  Serafin Rodriguez III 259, 677.

Tuesday Mixed

Anka Scott 258, 649, Victor Claisse 234, Robert Jahn 244, 659, Pedro Agapito III a 280, 720, Marisa Waehler 188, 511, Richard Gaglione 239, 659, Wayne Sniffen 214, 600, Kyle Felter 278, 707, Gabriella Whitehurst 187, 508, Josephine Zych 211, 564, Orlando Noriega 202, Brett Romer 250, 666, Gregg Robinson 217, 604, Christopher Morgan Jr. 289, 704, Chris Morgan Sr. 264, 689.

P.J. City League

Matthew Terwilliger 236, 686, Derick Brown 234, 628, Shrek 279, 701, Derek Delaney 279, 763, Kyle Stevens 268, 729, John Jashembowski 258, 680, Justin Traynor 258, 689, Steven Fairweather 264, 736, Cort Morgan 224, Steve Hess 238, 645, Pat Morgan 235, 644, Chris Morgan Sr. 266, 743, Jason Markle 243, 670, Jason Maino 245, Pedro Agapito III a 279, 692, Will Townsend 258, 616, Rich O’Neill 253, 624, Brittney Morgan 242, 607, Gregory Conklin 277, 633, Shelly  Morgan 258, 687, Chris Morgan Jr. 246, 662, Jeff Jackson 225, Tom Hinkley 257, 711, Jeff  Morgan 212, 621, Mike Holt 243, 657, Tommy Palmer 253, 670.

Thursday Women’s

Erin McDonagh 254, 634, Charlene VanHorn 192, 476, Kim DeGarmo 182, 468, Stephannie Freeman 189, 462, Lori Streiecki 177, 460. 

Ray Willis Sr. Memorial League

Jacob Loske 243, 701, Paul Tuttle 234, 615, Wayne Sniffen Jr. 245, 660, Pat Morgan 244, 675, J R Drew 234, 653, Brooke Csencsits 249, 642, Kyle Matthews 215, 613, Jason Scencsits 267, 719, Gary Kinne 237, 676, Jaryl Scott 248, 697, Brian Yennie 233, 619, Kyle Felter 277, 715, Michele Bensley 248, 647, Ray Willis Jr. 237, 662, Neal Bensley 267, 715, Greg Robinson 241, 618, Sherri Laird 243, 545, Bryan Shauger 220, 613, Matt Shauger 214, 630.

Fox Bowling Center

Wednesday Independent

Doc Boldus 267, 657, Shane Dirig 265, 698, Mike Dufton 248, 672, Chad Gardepe 263, 701, Bill Gleim 215, 625, Paul Gordon 222, 617, Rob Johnson 244, 692, Dan Keesler 245, 649, Donnie Marino 237, 683, Mitch Persbacker 279, 704, Aaron Phillips 252, 601, Zuke Wormuth 257, 669, Jay Wormuth 226, 634.

Thursday Night 3

Ray Cornwell 257, 686, Shane Dirig 222, 615, Paul Gordon 235, 600, Dennis Leonard 248, 606, Rick Mills 237, 657, Anthony Seely 243, 651, Chris Wadeson 225, 658, Dan Wormuth 220, 648.

Friday Couples

Andy Bullis 225, 622, Dale Conklin 241, 636, Melinda Conklin 212, 540, Missy Dunlap 180, Brianna Meres 201, 562, Chris Meres 245, 633, Rick Mills 267, 684, Jay Wormuth 234, Jeremy Wormuth 230.

Sunday Mixed

Mike Bowker 235, 687, Don Marino 225, 651.

Sunday Fox Youth Mixed

Joshua Dunlap 126, 352, Landon Fuller 161, 317, Landyn Robinson 161, 390, Blake Stanton 116, 305, Carter Wormuth 180, 472, Cooper Wormuth 115, 299, Luke Wormuth 117, 314.

Quinnz Pinz Middletown

Wednesday 3 Person

J.J. Wilhelm 205, Jon Wilhelm 246, 614, Tom Belgiovene 214, Kevin Stackhouse 213, Kyle Giordano 279, 748.