Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-27

! -Anent the great discussion that has
been going on here relative to the recent
match between the Bijou No. 1 team of
| Brockton, Mas, in which it has been
| charged that the alleys rolled on were
| ''Srooved,'' Dan Smith, a member of the
| Brockton quint comes to the defense OF
| his team and the alleys on which the
matches took place with the following
letter:
ITO the Bowling Editor Washington Star.
Dear sir: l have read with a great
deal of interest many of the statements
made in the Washington newspapers rel
alive to the recent duckpin match be-
tween the Bijou No. l team of this city
and the All-Stars of Washington AS a
member of the Bijou No. team | was
naturally disappointed at some of the
conclusions reached by the Washington
bowlers. especially as some of the state
ments were entirely erroneous. But what
most prompts me to answer these unjust
criticisms is not a defense of the Bijou
team but of the Brockton bowling alleys
and those of southern New England.
1T is entirely unfair to assert, as has
been done by certain washington news
papers, that the Brockton alleys are
'grooved' The owners of the alleys stand
ready at any time to post forfeit to be
given to any one who can discover a
groove in any of the alleys. 1t is also
absolutely false to state that the Brock
ton bowlers are never able to PICK up
the No. 10 pin as result OIL the groove,
There are scores of boWlers in this city
who are able to gather the No. 10 pin
nine times out of ten, and ! am Wiling
to bet SEQ that this can be done by any
one of twenty men selected by any
Washington man. >,
But to get back to the alleged groove
Assume for the sake of an argument that
there is groove in the alley.
groove that will enable bowler 10
drop a ball on the alley and let 1t take
its own course leading up to the head
pin, must necessarily be such a deep one
that it would easily be seen. 1T Is a
physical impossibility for any man TO
drop ball into groove SO that the pan
works itself into the head pin, unless
that groove be at least two inches deep.
The groove must be that deep, for with
out this depth any ball shot with even
the slowest speed must necessarily be
shot out of the groove. II the groove was
SO apparent that the Brockton bowlers
simply dropped the ball into it, why could
not the Lawrence and the Washington
boWlers do the same?
Again. assuming that there be groove,
of what use is it after the first ball?
Certain 1t is that the groove is not shift
ed around so that it will enable the
Brockton bowlers to pick up spares all
over the alley. Any of the Washington
ers picked up those fifty-five spares at
the right left and center Of the alley.
making those on the right as easily as
those on the left.
Any fair-minded man can readily see
that grooved alley has not more ad-
vantage for the team than another. One
of the Washington papers states that the
FIVE Brockton men used identically the
same style of ball. This is not fair
nor is it true statement. Crowell, the
Prnn yy1Ir c G nah I
the best bowler in Brockton. This fact
is never disputed in this city. But there
isn't another bowler in this city who
rolls the same kind Of curve that
Crowell does. He starts his ball at the
center of the alley, shoots it almost to
the edge and then curves it back into
the head pin. OF what use is the alleged
groove to him?
Capt Bird of the Brockton team rolls
his ball three-fourths of the way almost
in a straight line. and then the ball
hooks" in to the head pin. Repette.
Gormley and myself roll nearly alike, al
though We all start our ball from differ
ent places on the alley.
Some of the Washington papers assert
that the Brockton bowlers loft the ball
While there may be an element of truth in
this statement is it possible for any one
to imagine bowler ''lofting' ball so
that when it strikes the alley it will
hit groove and remain in it? The
two statements are SO contradictory as to
be almost farcical. In connection with
this charge of "lofting." ] trust that
may be permitted. for the sake of expla-
nation, to make reference to an incident
that took place during the game last Fri
day night.
After Mr.. Michaud had left the game
at the end of the second string. he volun-
tarily made the following statement to
me personally:
II have seen hundreds and hundreds of
men bowling this game. but never in my
life have / seen a man with the control
that you have. Your ball goes the entire
sixty feet of the alley. You lay it down
in front of the foul line. and it travels
seen anything like it,
Mr.. Michaud, if he be the. fair minded
man l think he is. will attest this state
ment- Certainly he saw no great amount
of ''lofting,'' and | doubt very much If he
saw any grooves, or thought he saw
them.
Another statement that is untrue is
that the Bijou alleys Zone paper referred
| to them as mine) are the only ones of
their kind in the city or this locality
There are nine bowling establishments in
! this city and all have sandpapered al
| leys. This style of alley holds good in
| every city in New England south of Bos-
ton, with the exception of Quincy, which
| is almost a part of Boston, and a few
cities in Connecticut Every bowling al
| ley in Providence, r. L.; New Bedford,
Fall River. Taunton, Attleboro and other
| places where the duckpin game flourishes
has a sandpapered surface. Further
more. as has been stated. the Bijou
| bowlers have not been bowling on the
Bijou alleys for seven years. for the
place was opened less than four years
| ago Every fall the alleys are gone over
by experts and placed in perfect condi-
| ton. This was done last fol- as usual,
the alleys at that time being practically
| new.
| 1t is true, as one paper states, that the
| Boston bowlers do not take much stock
| in Brockton -scores. This was brought
about few years ago by the high scores
| made here with what was known as the
| composition ball, a sphere which was il
legal. After two seasons the alley pro-
prietors discarded the ball and now use
| the regulation Duplex ball.
1t is a fact however. that the Boston
newspapers are now beginning to realize
that Brockton has some duckpin shoot
ers. The bowling editor of the Boston
Globe. John J. Donovan, who is also
secretary of the National Duck and
| Candlepin Congress- has been ridiculing
| the Brockton scores until recently. In
| yaSferday'S Globe he states that the