When we think of two-sport players, we usually think of Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. Maybe Danny Ainge. But Mookie Betts is also a two-sport player. This week he’s bowling the US Open, which is the premier tournament on the pro tour.
Incidentally, former Giants pitcher John Burkett became a senior pro bowler when his baseball days were over. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mookie make an effort to follow suit when he retires.
Curious. Is there any similarity in motion to the way the ball is thrown in bowling and the way its thrown in baseball? Similar wrist/elbow movements?
@DUCY @Lawnmower_Man what say you?
IDK about the kinesiology. However there has been a connection between MLBers and competitive bowling going way back.
I’d say no. I think the bowling motion is a lot more natural since its underhand. Thus, most guys don’t have a lot of arm problems despite throwing hundreds of thousands of shots with 15 or 16 pound bowling balls. But look at the number of injuries caused by throwing a 5 ounce baseball. I think there’s a little natural athleticism present in both. Most people don’t have great instincts of how to throw either one, but they can learn. And some are hopeless in both sports no matter how often they try.
I’m not a mechanics nerd but intuitively the act of bowling and throwing a baseball don’t seem that similar. I think anything underhand is much more of a natural motion. Thats why you see softball pitchers able to go like every day and as far as i know bowlers aren’t going down with arm or shoulder injuries right and left. I would imagine wrist problems are common though.
Youtube been bombing me with bowling vlogs lately. Seems like they all bitching about the lanes in this competition. You in it @Chippa58?
I think the biggest difference is that overhand throws require pronation which put a lot of stress on your elbow.
Not in it. And yes, they hate the US Open lane conditions because they are so hard to score on. I’m nowhere near good enough to be there, but will get to bowl in same tourney as the touring pros in June at the USBC Open Championships in Reno. I’ll have to look up Mookie to see how he did.
Holy crap!! Mookie did great on day one. 61st out of 108 and tied with Jason Belmonte, widely regarded as the greatest bowler ever.
The day two pattern was not good for him though. 105th of 108.
Day three, not so great either 100th of 108.
But that day one placement was something to be proud of. People don’t realize how much the oil pattern affects the ball motion, and thus the scores. I think Mookie has the talent to be really good after his baseball days are over, but the physics of bowling are such a big part of the game now. He probably will get better at that part of it, and that could make a difference in his game.
I first learned about the oil patterns from this video, it’s always impressive seeing how much harder games are for pros and yet they’re so much better than a normal person they still make it look easy.
Are pro lanes harder than rec ones? Say your solid league night bowler who averages a 170 were to bowls in the US Open, would he bowl better or worse?
Pro oil patterns are much harder. Usually leagues put out what they call a “house” shot. That’s the pattern that they’ve determined will lead to the highest scoring for the duffers like me. I average about 205 on a house shot but that converts to only 175 or so on a “sport” shot for the pros. The pros do have coaching and many consult with reps from bowling ball companies for advice on which make/model/drilling-pattern of ball to throw to best succeed on a given pattern.
What would belmo average on house lanes?
Do players get to practice/warm up on the lanes before a competition to figure out the oil and what-not?
I would assume so, but the last time I bowled competitively was when I came in second in a end-of-summer-lessons tournament when I was 8 years old. My first trophy!
Probably 240-250.
All this bowling talk has me excited. I will stop being lazy and go get my own ball next week. I have defintely peaked with my house straight shot, need to start hooking it with a ball that actually fits me.
I blame covid. I was totally gonna do it when i was in the US. Bowling too expensive here to be a regular hobby though.
They should have the house chipped ball and rental shoes world championship. I would love to compete
Yes, they get a warmup, usually 10-15 minutes, less during tv shows, and they are given charts showing the oil pattern. And they get charts showing the topography of each lane, which I will never understand how to interpret.
There are some very nice vlogs by pro bowlers on youtube. Darren Tang and Packy something are two guys the algo is showing me. You get a pretty honest look at how they are dealing with the lanes in tournaments
Also variance seems to be higher than i expected. Belmo is the best in the world and didnt come close to making it out of qualifiers in the US Open. Something you rarely see in most sports. I guess the edges are smaller?
These were really interesting posts - had no idea about any of it. Thanks guys.