If you missed a glimpse of what the new PBA League is like, you’ll get a second chance Sunday.
Professional bowlers will be on display again from Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park, Mich., as league action will be shown beginning at 10 a.m. on ESPN.
The league made its live ESPN debut last Sunday as reigning PBA player of the year Sean Rash sparked the BROOKLYN STyLES to an exciting 225-215 victory over the New York City WTT KingPins in the championship match. Rash rolled two strikes in the 10th frame to give the STyLES the win.
The league showcased plenty of glitz and glamour to attract fans as many of the league’s celebrity owners were in attendance to drum up support. Football players/owners Jerome Bettis and Terrell Owens rolled simultaneous ceremonial first balls to mark the season’s opening.
Five of the league’s eight teams vied for the title. The Los Angeles X, owned by Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul, was a no-show. They had finished sixth during the qualifying rounds and only the top five teams advanced.
This Sunday will be a different story.
The X will be represented in Sunday’s action and boasts a competitive team with Jason Belmonte of Australia, Wes Malott of Pflugerville, Texas, Andres Gomez of Colombia, Parker Bohn III of Jackson, N.J., and Dave Wodka of Henderson, Nev.
Belmonte, a five-time PBA champion, is the X’s franchise player. He won his fifth championship in front of his home crowd at the 2012 Australian Masters in Sydney.
Bohn is another intriguing bowler for the X. He was rated 10th on the list of the 50 greatest players in PBA history during the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2009. The 49-year-old Bohn, a left-hander, ranks sixth all-time with 33 PBA titles and has earned nearly $3 million in PBA events.
Bohn also has won the coveted PBA Steve Nagy Sportsmanship award four times.
Sunday’s action will feature the finals of the Carmen Salvino Classic and the Salvino round of the PBA League’s qualifying. The title match in the Salvino Classic will pit Gomez, a member of the L.A. X, vs. D.J. Archer of Friendsworth, Texas. Gomez will be defending his title. He won his first Tour title in last year’s Carmen Salvino Classic during the World Series of Bowling III in Las Vegas.
Additional rounds of PBA League action will be carried by ESPN on Feb. 17, March 3 and March 24. ESPN also will broadcast the Elias Cup finals April 7.
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