Bowling Legends

Billy Hardwick died this week of a heart attack. He once dominated professional bowling with a sweeping hook from the right side. He won the Triple Crown of bowling tournaments in 1963 and therein is the tie with me.

I led a double life in 1963: teenager by day, bowling hustler…by day. I spent late afternoons at this fancy bowling alley taking on challengers. The stakes were $5, a ton of money back then. In fact, if I lost, I was done for the week. But I usually won.

Hardwick—his son Chris is the TV host of “Talking Dead”– once said he bowled in an era when left-handers won 60 percent of the tournament money although they comprised only 18 percent of the professionals on the circuit. He was a “lane” genius and I followed his thought processes. Essentially, he said that left-handers won because the lanes were truer from the left side which did not have as much wear and tear as the right. Since Hardwick bowled from the right, he threw a big hook to avoid the worn out boards. I copied his style for use on two specific lanes (#19 and #20) at this downtown alley.  I consistently scored around 200, but only at these two lanes and only for a two-year period.

Alley owners started oiling and waxing the lanes more and my ball didn’t grip the boards like before, instead, it slid and I was often left with splits.  I morphed into a mediocre bowler.

Now bowling balls adorn our backyard where they are sturdy, colorful decorations and, at times, support for rose bushes. My golf clubs could be next.