BOWLING

CHALLENGE YOUR GAME:

The next event in the Long Island Generations Bowling Tour’s (LIGBT) series of sport shot tournaments will be Sunday, February 26 with qualifying squads at noon and 2 pm at Herrill Lanes in New Hyde Park. For full info on how to enter this tournament, log on to ligbtour, or call (516) 637-5955. An average of one in four bowlers cash per squad in these challenging-yet-popular tournaments, with a guaranteed $1,000 awarded to the bowler who emerges as the event’s champion after competing on the event’s series of pro-level oil patterns. Other attractions include women and seniors guarantees; 300 games earning a $50 bonus from Herrill Lanes; food and drink specials, and other perks and events, including wild card play.

can think of Jones, who spent years on various ESPN shows in supporting roles, as a hybridization of Bob Costas and Kevin Hart.

Pickleball has become the fastest growing sport in the country. Given it is a net and racquet sport, it was inevitable many retired professional tennis stars would take an interest in it. Horizon Sports & Entertainment will be staging Pickleball Slam at the Hard Rock Resort & Casino in Hollywood, Florida on April 2. Michael Cheng, Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and Douglaston’s own John McEnroe will be competing for $1,000,000 in prize money.

Joe Davis, who called Giants-Eagles playoff game for FOX Sports, got off a good quip when Giants had to call a timeout after quarterback Daniel Jones’s contact lens popped out of his eye. “Football is a contact sport,” Davis said as Jones was heading back to the Giants bench to have his optical issue attended. It was to no avail, however, as the Giants ended their season with a 38-7 shellacking at the hands of the Eagles.

FOX Sports NFL studio team was nicely spoofed in the cold open for the first “Saturday Night Live” of 2023. The SNL writers wanted to use Curt Menefee, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw, and Michael Strahan (all played by various cast members) as a way of having fun with embattled Queens

In recent LIGBT tourney results: David Chu of New York City won the previous sports shot tournament on January 22 at Herrill Lanes, capturing the $1,000 first prize. Ken Bruce of Oceanside earned a highly competitive second place finish ($600). Entrants competed on the tricky Broadway oil pattern … AMF Wantagh Lanes was the site of a Trio’s Handicap Challenge on January 29 that saw the winning team of Romie Caiaccio of Wantagh, Darius Fuller of Bay Shore and Jordan Ockimey of Amityville capture the $2,250 first place prize.

Envision

HIGHER SCORES:

You asked for more new bowling ball previews, and we listened: In this edition we take a look at Ebonite’s new Envision Pearl ball release, which should be in pro shops by the time this edition goes to press.

From Ebonite:

“The Ebonite Envision Pearl introduces the HyperKinetic22 base cover into the Ebonite line. The innovative HK22 has only been released in a shiny version so far; however, the new Envision Pearl has a 3000 Siaair finish, providing more mid-lane and creates a reaction that will fill a gap in most bowlers’

By Bob Smith

arsenals.” From area reports, it seems clear that this follow-up addition to the Envision line will be a welcome addition to bowlers’ rollers, especially those in the higher-average skillset. Learn more about it at ebonite.com.

AREA BOWLERS OF DISTINCTION:

Congratulations to East Islip High School junior Kailyn Bloch, who in mid-January was named among 50 finalists on the USA Today HSSA Girls Bowling Team. Those chosen for that distinction are eligible for the 2023 national Girls Bowler of the Year Award … More congrats, this time to Josh Roca, who rolled a 300 game and an 800 series (both scores “on the nose”) on February 1 in the Wednesday Early League at Herrill Lanes. Roca had rolled games of 248, 252, and 300 en route to his big night. The cherry on top: Roca earned a cash prize by winning the bowling center’s “800 pool” award.

and Nassau Congressman George Santos in a very unexpected manner. Bowen Yang was hilarious as Santos.

Tony Dungy must be on the hot seat at NBC Sports. Dungy, who is normally a pundit on the “Football Night in America” show, was pressed into action as Al Michaels’ analyst on the Los Angeles Charges-Jacksonville Jaguars wild card game. The game was wild in every sense of the word as the Jaguars rallied from a 27-0 deficit to beat the Chargers 31-30. In spite of that, both Michaels and Dungy were widely criticized for calling the game in a rather soporific manner.

If that wasn’t bad enough for Dungy, a large number of progressive groups were attacking him for both his public LGBTQ and anti-abortion stances. This is America, and he has every right to his opinions. Nonetheless, alienating viewers is not good business for NBC Sports’ parent company,

Comcast. My biggest problem with Tony Dungy is he puts me to sleep.

One reason the NFL is the most successful business in sports history is it will reach out to every demographic. That is the major reason they were willing to partner with Paramount Pictures on the new film, “80 for Brady,” which tells the story of four female senior citizens who travel to Houston for Super Bowl LI to watch their favorite team, the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons. The NFL allowed Paramount access to the film of that game as well as its invaluable logos and other property. And of course, they were more than happy to have the greatest player in pro football history, Thomas E. Brady, take on a supporting role.

As is often the case with Hollywood productions, you must suspend all belief because the plot is incredulous from start to finish. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. The film industry does not give a

By Lloyd Carroll

lot of opportunities for older actors. Therefore, one should cherish any film which stars legends as Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Lily Tomlin, and 91-year-old Rita Moreno who looks at least 20 years younger. My advice is to wait until “80 for Brady” leaves movie theaters and is being shown on the Paramount Plus streaming network.

Stephen A. Smith is a lightning rod sports personality who in many ways is a modern-day Howard Cosell. Smith has written his autobiography, “Straight Shooter” (Gallery Books). Stephen grew up in Hollis and details his less than idyllic childhood with an abusive and frequently absentee father. He does, however, give his dad props for giving him a love of sports which has obviously led to a very lucrative career.

Kudos to Stephen A. Smith for telling his life story without sugarcoating anything. The title “Straight Shooter” lives up to its billing.