The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-19
SAYS RECORDS
ARE MADE FAIRLY
BUDINGER OBJECTS TO TALK
ABOUT "GROOVED ALLEYS"
Turner Bowler Says Scores Made in
Minneapolis League Matches Are
Quite Observation-Disclosures That 30
Per Cent Of All Alleys In the Coun-
try Are Grooved.
no the Suortine Editor of The Journal.

NO THO sporting GulLOE Ok LILO OOuXnaAs
Apropos statement in the sport
ing column of 7 e u a l, re-
garding "Grooved Alleys" the writer
takes strenuous objection to the state
ment as an injustice to the players of
the most popular indoor game Of the
present time, and believing that it
tends to create feeling detrimental
to the game itself and all its fol-
lowers.
AS whole, the article appears to
take cognizance especially Of the
bowlers in one of the most prominent
bowling halls Of the city, namely, the
ICo-operative bowling halls, and it
savors strongly Of a desire to give the
records made there permanent
/ black optic. .
Why such a diversity of opinion
4 should exist can only be attributed to
the misguided information on the part
Of the author Of the article, the un-
reliable source from which his data
was received, and the predominating
feeling of jealousy on the part of out
eiders who have been unable to at
tain equal success as ten-pin artists.
The hue and cry against "grooved
match game between a team from
Minneapolis and team from another
CITY, at which time the Minneapoli-
tans. desiring to hold the honor of
their city sacred, administered such
{ a severe drubbing to their opponents
that the latter had recourse to the
use of the time-worn excuse of
"grooved alleys" The alleys to which
80 much conspicuous reference has
been made are claimed to be so easy
to acquit ones self upon that almost
all are desscous Of bowling on these
alleys. The result is rude shock to
their self-conceit. On the other hand,
the contention is made that the bow
lers who are securing the big games
and high averages on the so-called
"easy alleys" cannot do so on other
alleys.
AS a direct contradiction to this
misguided idea, take, for instance, the
result Of the tournament held here to
pick the team which was to partici-
pate in the events at Cleveland. After
sixteen games had been bOwled I'M
der adverse conditions, such as using
new pins, bowling upon four different
alleys and alternating each frame or
inning, the result showed that the six
high men had an average of over l97
for their ninety-six games. Surely
the Groove Calamity Howler'' will
migrate to parts unknown after such
a showing. Some of the bowlers from
the Cooperative alleys journeyed to
other places of bowling fame in this
city in order to test to the fullest ex-
tent the statement that they cOuld not
produce like scores at such places,
with the result that they equaled, and
in many instances surpassed, their
previous records.
Last Saturday a match took place
between two Of our leading bowling
lights on an alley upon which neither
had ever played half dozen games,
with the result that both came out
with colors flying, bearing an aver
age Of 215 and a fraction for their
seven games.
Being for many years a devotee OF
the ten-pin game in Chicago, the
writer feels justified, in view of his
personal experience on almost every
alley in the windy city, in saying that
not 10 per cent of the alleys were
without grooves to certain extent
and are SO in every city, town and
hamlet in the country where bowling
of any account is taking place.
Consequently the question again re-
solves to amin osity upon the part OF
unsuccessful bowlers, with the pri.
mary result that a feeling Of Jealousy
is father to their erroneous impress
sions 3
The cooperative alleys were al
planed during the first week of Sep.
ternber, 1903, since which time they
have again been scraped In order tc
keep them true and in accordance
with the rules Of the game, and the
alley owner is still to be found who
has done as much in the same length
of time to keep his alleys in proper
condition. Respectfully,
BENZ. +. Budinger.