Old bowling alleys are often things of beauty. Some are (in)famous. The NYTimes just had a wonderful feature on a little-known bowling alley in the basement of the Frick collection, complete with pristine antique bowling balls and a gravity-driven return mechanism. [Previously] (mandatory Big Lebowski reference)
posted by ericbop on Jun 11, 2009 - 16 comments

"Xtreme Bowling is more than just showing up at your local alley and bowling in the dark to loud music, food, and alcohol. Oh, it's so much more than that..." [previously] [more inside]
posted by pts on May 4, 2009 - 18 comments

Just like your grandma, Jason Belmonte bowls with two hands but unlike your grandma he bowls 300s [more inside]
posted by BrnP84 on Mar 1, 2009 - 16 comments

Here is an incredibly fun game in which you play a bowling ball hurtling down a pretty 3d mountain course filled with coins to collect, pins to knock over, launch pads to jump off of, and cannons that shoot you to the finish. Requires the Unity browser plugin thing.
posted by peachfuzz on Dec 8, 2008 - 20 comments

Long discussed, searched for and even relocated, the White House Bowling Alley has been closed to league members since 9/11. The most avid (p)residential bowlers? Lady Bird Johnson and Richard Nixon. (his ball, previously) [more inside]
posted by jessamyn on Oct 20, 2008 - 37 comments

Two slimes. One circle. Infinite addiction. Welcome to the world of Slimeball. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi on Aug 8, 2008 - 16 comments

Beyond the Lanes is a website devoted to using old bowling balls for art. Paul Livert is an artist who likes to add metal to old bowling balls. Giant Rosaries made of bowling balls. Bowling balls can be used to demonstrate scientific principles, as in this huge Newton’s Cradle. Nowata, Oklahoma boasts a bowling ball fence. Bowling balls also make useful cannon balls, as well as durable dog toys. (YouTube)
posted by Tube on Apr 4, 2008 - 14 comments

The Dreaded Half Worcester warning: music is just one of the possible vexing configurations players encounter in candlepin bowling, a regional variation on traditional bowling that's unique to northern New England and maritime Canada. Developed in Worcester, MA, around 1880 (warning: more music), the game is played in gorgeous antique alleys dotted around New England and Nova Scotia, and features a 4 1/2" wooden or rubber ball, three rolls per frame or "box," and 15 and 3/4" narrow, cylinder-shaped pins that are the devil to knock down -- even though you can use the dead wood to knock other pins down, a score over 200 is extremely rare. Find some lanes and play or just take the quiz - like so many regional quirks, this one's undergoing a bit of a revival.
posted by Miko on Jul 19, 2007 - 55 comments

impeachy keen! learn why cleveland is the capital of polka, bowling and kielbasa.
posted by quonsar on Apr 26, 2007 - 37 comments

Obviously, you're not a golfer. So let the WiigoBot do all the hard work.
posted by Blazecock Pileon on Apr 24, 2007 - 23 comments

Trick-shot bowling
posted by ijoshua on Apr 6, 2007 - 39 comments

Why we love Monty. Just a few months ago, Monty Panesar was the struggling underdog of the England cricket team to some ("from what I've read of his fielding and batting, I think there's potential for him to outdo Phil Tufnell for sheer comedic value"), and downright butt-of-the-joke to others (Ponty turns around and appeals madly. The umpire isn't amused. "What the f*** are you appealing for?" he asks. "The ball," says Ponty, imploringly. "Can I have the ball please?"). After continued improval culminating in a ten-wicket haul (including the key batsmen) against Pakistan last weekend, now the bookies have the turbanator at 10-1 to be BBC Sports Personality of the year. ("Monty is a left-arm finger spinner for crying out loud. What is he doing spinning it a foot? Not even Danish Kaneria, the second best leg spinner in world cricket, could turn it that much"). Quite the turn-around!
posted by nthdegx on Jul 31, 2006 - 21 comments

You say bodyline, I say leg theory. Either way, the origins of one of sport's most enduring rivalries (leading to a near diplomatic crisis) make for a fascinating read to the budding cricket enthusiast. No wonder people turned out in their thousands to queue in the early hours for the final day of another nail-biting test. It's turning into a hell of an ashes series.
posted by nthdegx on Aug 15, 2005 - 44 comments

Par 5 site on the science of golf balls. Service on the newly sized tennis ball. Return on the flight of tennis balls: Part 1; Rally with Part 2. Back and forth again with Ball/Court Interaction 1 and 2, and the aerodynamics of tennis ball coverings puts it away for the point. (And apparently, the weight inside a bowling ball isn't spherical and so modeling the movement of bowling balls takes university papers and presentations.[PDF])
posted by OmieWise on Jun 15, 2005 - 7 comments

"He was delirious; he was talking to the ball return" Others have tried, but failed. This guy did it for charity. Sounds grueling - very un-Dude.
posted by tizzie on Jun 6, 2005 - 12 comments

Does bowling bore you? Kirsten Easthope maybe able to spice things up. She takes bowling pins and paints "Pin Up" girls on them (get it? pin up girls, on pins!...clever eh!). sfw -- but do know it's pin up work
posted by Hands of Manos on Dec 13, 2004 - 22 comments

Robert Cutter, Phillip Kuhn and Marlene Kuhn, Thursday night league bowlers: "I take the bus to the bowling alley," says Robert. "It takes me about an hour. I've been bowling 36 years. I've never missed bowling in 36 years. I'm the first one here and the last one to go home. I even beat the sheet maker (the guy who keeps score for the teams). If I have the flu, I'm still bowling. I still come. I've got rheumatisim and I'm still bowling. If I don't bowl I sit on the couch." When asked if he'd ever consider quitting bowling, he said, "Hell no! I gotta be dead first!" ..."Phil and I have been bowling five years," says Marlene. "We've only missed bowling once in five years. We walk here. We walk even when it rains or snows. It's about 4-1/2 miles to get here. I try to do my best. I've got a bad leg. I've got a trick knee that goes out on me. We're going to start up our own team soon: the Klingons. We watch Star Trek all the time. We're Trekaholics. We have a cat named Leonard 'Bones' McCoy."
                                        Marzano's Miami Bowl
posted by y2karl on Nov 13, 2004 - 17 comments

The Dude abides
posted by poopy on Mar 16, 2004 - 39 comments

Ninepin, tenpin, fivepin, duckpin, candlepin. [more inside]
posted by pedantic on Dec 17, 2003 - 10 comments

A new version of Bowling for Elf.. It just wouldn't be Christmas without it.
posted by DailyBread on Dec 13, 2003 - 3 comments

Bowling to Vegas! Four drunk bowling fanatics from Chicago are bowling their way across country....apparently for lack of anything better to do(looks like a couple of them are unemployed). Also, they're trying to restore dignity to the good old-fashioned Road Trip(and, of course, bowling). Why bowl to Vegas instead of fly? As Mike says: "It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Nobody has respect for the road trip anymore. Haven't you people seen Fandango?" Follow their progress across country, and buy 'em a round.
posted by 40 Watt on Mar 14, 2003 - 7 comments

Los Diablos Guapos! the world's finest no-holds-barred, full-contact, anything-goes bowling team. check the archives for proof!
posted by Peter H on Feb 21, 2003 - 6 comments

Bowling for Columbine is opening tomorrow. I know muckraking Michael Moore is a touchy subject around here, but I found his first feature since Roger & Me insightful in its stubborn search for an answer to the question: "Why is America so violent?" Other reviewers agree. Subtle he isn't, but when the news is as stark as it is today, maybe subtlety is beside the point. I hope that even some of you who aren't predisposed to agree with Moore will give this film a chance. Did I mention it's also entertaining as hell?
posted by muckster on Oct 10, 2002 - 48 comments

A humorously lowbrow Friday cocktail: mix equal amounts of Lucha Libre with the Sport of Kings. Add a jigger of Rock and Roll, shake vigorously and pour into a frosty mug. Garnish with sweaty, hairy lechery (find yer own link), and you've got Los Diablos Guapos. Bottom's Up!
posted by MrBaliHai on Aug 30, 2002 - 8 comments

bowling noir! exactly what it sounds like. i found this while googling for a succinct definition of film noir, and this was too funny to resist. dig the altered picture of rita hayworth and the music clip, man.
posted by pxe2000 on Apr 7, 2002 - 5 comments

First BlogBowl Get-Together In the interest of putting more names to faces, David Wertheimer, Brigitte Eaton, and I have quickly organized a bowling get-together for people in or near New York. If you want to see Cam in his bowling shirt, you gotta RSVP and come on by tomorrow night for some drinks and good, old-fashioned bowling fun.
posted by camworld on May 24, 2000 - 9 comments