We all get lucky strikes, Brooklyn shots, rare splits and so on. That is apart of the game but in your mind you think that bowling on the Brooklyn side is easier to strike. It is but it can be hard to adjust after a while plus why buy a ball to hook if you can just throw a plastic ball on the opposite side of the pocket?

If you want to brag about your high games doing Brooklyn shots, thats fine with me but you shouldn't complains about the lane if you not seeing that the problem could be your selection in ball, your speed, your hand position, timing or many other reasons.

If you are not concerns about that and just care about the score in the end then fine. But, I don't frown on a Brooklyn shot, its a feedback to me saying.. it is time to adjust or did you throw a good shot or were you lined up? If I did not have the feedback then I would not be scoring well in my mind knowing that I did the best that I could regardless of the results.

So.. if you think Lefty and I are being harsh on you. Maybe you just don't see it the way we see it but we're not here to criticize your score or achievements. We are just helping you on your situation or problem that you posted on here.

If you can't take healthy criticism from us that could give you answers to your own questions then I guess you have no desire to improve and just brag about your high score once in a while when it could be more than once in a while.

Just a thought.

Johnw,

I did not mean to imply that your actions would belittle a fellow bowler and if you felt that way let me apologize. I was just giving my personal opinion on how I feel. Then again I am not in a big money or super competitive league. I imagine it would be different in those type leagues. I am in a mixed league chock full of lower skilled bowlers so it is common to let the high-fives fly regardless of the quality of the strike.

My policy is to not get into the business of judging the quality of a strike. On the lanes I bowl on depending on the night high hits might carry, light hits may carry, and as this post has shown Brooklyn hits may carry. Much easier to just give the obligatory high five and move on like Silent Mike said. Again this is my personal preference.

I have become a little more fired up on this topic than I should but like I said it is very hard for someone like me to get a 230 let alone to then have people popping up saying you really didn’t bowl good or opposing team members not even saying so much as “Nice Game” or “Nice Score”. It is just my opinion that common good sportsmanship requires that unless the person was a real [censored]. You get what you give so if those either of the guys on the other team in the future were to bowl in the 250’s but a few of their hits were high or crossed over there would be no congratulations coming from me. I would have to assume they would not expect it unless they bowled a game where every single shot hit the 1-3 perfectly.

Scott, an X is an X, and you can't tell the difference on the scoresheet.

Lefty, I know there is a correlation between accuaracy and higher scoring. All I am saying is I found a spot that worked to where I did not have to be as accurate that particlar night on those particular lanes as they were.

League bowling is about being a team. There are nights when I have scored awful and my team has picked up the slack. When my team needs me I cannot be selfish and worry about working on my game in the middle of a match where we need all the strikes we can get. That can be saved for another time and place like practice.

Normally I do not cross over like this. That was what was so weird about it and I remember a guy saying there was nothing wrong with hitting the Brooklyn if that is where you carry. I do not think it will happen on a regular basis but as I said on that particular night it worked. It truly was one of the strangest nights of bowling I have experienced.

Thanks Dennis,

Like I said it is hard enough for me to come up with a 200 a lot of nights let alone a 234 and I guess I just do not agree that because I was throwing a lot of cross overs I was bowling bad.

DjRIPz,

I do not intend to throw Brooklyns and this was just a rare case where I found something that is not normally there. Actually I am kicking myself still for the last game where I really came unglued because I couldn't even come close to that area I had been playing and swung the ball out too wide and left 2 huge splits on light 1-3 pocket hits. Other than those 2 in the last game my 1-3 pocket hits were effective too where as the others playing inside lines were not having this type of success that night.

If I came across as bragging I did not mean to. I was just pointing out that for this particular night I found a bowling goldmine and it surprised me. I've got a lot of work to do on my game and just do not get to practice much at all so when I am happy when I am able to perform well. Most of my problem is staying focused. I appreciate yours and Lefty's advice but hope you can understand my frustration with being told my 234 was bad bowling.

Scott,

I was not knocking down your game or your score. I was helping or pointing you in a direction that could out-do the 234 and although find a more direct or easier route to the right side of the pocket if there was one or understand why you were going Brooklyn.

By the way, nice shooting on the 234. Most people aren't able to do that on dry mid-lane.

Let me say that I'd never come out and tell someone that any game was bad bowling. I also wouldn't be miffed if I lost to someone who shot 234 and crossed over a bunch. In the past when things like that have happened, I just shake my head and smile. There isn't much you can do about it and it is entertaining. I wouldn't however feel the same about a game where someone was splitting boards and shot 234 though. Now if someone were intentionally aiming for the cross and striking and scoring there, I'd be impressed with that too.

The reason I've said what I've said is because you specifically asked what people thought. For me, a shot that doesn't go where I intended it to go (i.e. crossing over) isn't a good shot. The result may be good, but the shot was not. All I can say is that I'm not impressed with myself when I make bad shots and score well. It feels hollow. This is how my cross overs make me feel. That's even on sport shots.

DjRIPz and Lefty,

I just took it personal when I shouldn't have. I am just coming out of some of the worst bowling and scoring in my life. Over a four week period June 12- July 3 I averaged 145. I set a new low series of 421 only to follow it up with a new low of 399 with a new low game of 113 thrown in. I had been working my way out of it and averaging in the 170's the last 2 weeks and when I opened the first three last Thursday I thought I was well on my way to disaster again. That is why I am kind of proud how I worked through it even if I had to use unconventional means.

Scott, one night my teammate was having a really rough night keeping his ball on the right side. He purposely moved left and aimed for the Brooklyn side through the center oil. Nothing wrong with it. He carried the next 4 strikes.

There are times when I would pull the ball, and I am very happy when my ball has enough to cross over for a Brooklyn. It could save a game or a night.

If it wasn't part of the game, they wouldn't have named it.