Mixed Weight Pins Cause Taps

"The pins in the rack have got to be of mixed weight," was a friend's explanation for so many corner pins and, recently, the 7-10 pocket hits being left. I was going to laugh it off; but then, I started thinking of the variables that surround our sport.

The USBC pin specifications for pin weights are from 3 pounds 6 ounces to 3 pounds 10 ounces. A ball must be between 8.500 inches and 8.595 inches in diameter. The pins are spotted 12 inches, plus-or-minus one-sixteenth of an inch, from center-to-center in all directions of the equilateral triangle formation. (USBC Equipment Specifications and Certification Manual.)

Does my opponent have an advantage if his ball diameter is at the maximum while mine is at the minimum? Can four ounces, in fact, make a difference if the pins on the lane vary by that much? Will my chances for an 8-10 split increase if the pins are off-spot by one-sixteenth of an inch? Maybe, may not; but, the aforementioned details do illustrate how fractional our sport of bowling is. Are other sports as detailed as ours?

I did a comparison in my head, considering other sports that use balls, and came up with the following UNSCIENTIFIC "Choc-List," (to include some potential excuses the next time I bowl bad):

1) All other sports have ball specifications as stringent as the USBC. I observe, however, that the balls they use are changed constantly throughout the course of a game. I am limited by my wallet as to how many balls I can have.

2) All other sports have specifications with regard to the playing field and the equipment. I see that if they don't like the playing field, they can ask for a measurement and if needed, a correction is made. In bowling, it's, "the luck of the draw - deal with it!" My protests are brushed aside by the other players and by the bowling center personnel.

3) All the sports have officials overseeing the competition so you can always ask for an interpretation and/or correction. I rarely see a manager at a bowling center, it is usually the desk clerk who can give me the excuses for why they cannot make any corrections.

4) My sister has a sign in her house that states, (sic) "So you don't like how my kitchen is set up? ADJUST!!!" -- Nuff said.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)