PBA Spare Shots

AT&T U-VERSE SPORTS AIRS THREE-PART FEATURE ON KELLY KULICK
AT&T U-verse, AT&T’s cable network serving nearly three million wireless subscribers, debuted a three-part feature on 2010 PBA Tournament of Champions winner Kelly Kulick on Wednesday. The magazine-style feature profiles Kulick’s historic victory at Red Rock Lanes in January 2010 and includes a segment about her family life which reveals the values and dedication that have become hallmarks of her bowling career. A third part, which was shot during the PBA World Series of Bowling, basically asks, what’s next?

The AT&T U-verse Sports feature, which can be viewed at no cost on AT&T U-verse’s web site, not only provides unique insight into today’s most accomplished woman bowler, but presents professional bowling in a highly favorable light as the demanding sport it is.

The AT&T U-verse SPORTS presentation can be found at http://uverseonline.att.net/uverse/exclusive. It also airs on AT&T U-verse’s cable network and on AT&T’s mobile phone system.

Kulick will return to Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas Jan. 15-22 to defend her title, but this time the stakes are much higher: $250,000 to win. And the competition will be even more intense. Every PBA member who has ever won a title is eligible to compete for shares of the record $1 million prize fund. The finals will return to ABC Sports – after a 14-year absence – on Saturday, Jan. 22, at 2:30 p.m. Eastern.

TIM MACK EARNS A SHOT AT PBA TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TITLE
Tim Mack of Indianapolis has won lots of titles around the world, but was missing a PBA title until his 242-165 victory over Jason Tehee of Fresno, Calif., in the PBA Sands Regency Tri-Regional Non-Champions Tournament at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno, Nev., on Dec. 3.

With his first PBA title, Mack became eligible to compete for the $250,000 first prize in the $1 million PBA Tournament of Champions Jan. 15-22 at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, and immediately filed his entry.

The Tri-Regional Non-Champions event was one of three Tri-Regional events held at the Stadium in advance of this week’s PBA Regional Players Invitational. In the standard Sands Regency Tri-Regional which ended Monday, Jon Brandon of Newhall, Calif., defeated Thomas Ault Jr., Portland, Ore., 9-8 in a sudden-death roll-off after they tied at 233-233 in the title match. Brandon won $2,300.

Howard Partell of Las Vegas won the Sands Regional Senior Tri-Regional title, defeating Jim Murtishaw of Menifee, Calif., 244-238, in the battle for the $1,500 first prize.

MIKE FAGAN JOINS SPORTS STARS FOR NEW YORK MARCH OF DIMES BENEFIT
Two-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour champion Mike Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y., joined a group of stars from a number of sports at the 13th annual March of Dimes New York Chapter’s Chairman’s Club Dinner on Dec. 2 at the Marriott East Side Hotel in New York.

The “Champions for Babies” dinner brought together 200 people from the fields of business, retail, insurance, sports, and more to raise money for the March of Dimes’ programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy. The evening included silent and live auctions, sport-themed food stations and interactive sports areas hosted by star athletes. Fagan manned a Wii bowling station where he challenged other sports stars to games of Wii Bowling “even though I’m not very good at it,” he said.

The dinner was hosted by CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel. Among the athletes attending were Carl Banks (NFL), Gerry Cooney (boxing), Darryl Dawkins (NBA), Gigi Fernandez (tennis), Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde (boxing), Cullen Jones (swimming), Bob Lanier (NBA), Doug Mauch (PGA), Dikembe Mutombo (NBA), Nicole Powell (WNBA), JoJo Starbuck (figure skating), and Kerri Strug (gymnastics).

"It was a special night for a great cause,” Fagan said. “I’m proud to support the March of Dimes."

DANNY WISEMAN KNOWS BOWLING, BUT DOES HE KNOW NASCAR RACING?
Baltimore’s Danny Wiseman is the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour’s No. 1 auto racing fan, but he could only manage a seventh-place finish in the Celebrity Chase Tracker fantasy game, in which a group of noted celebrities tried to pick winners during the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup series. Indianapolis Colts tight end Dallas Clark won the celebrity “pick ‘em” contest over internationally-known chef Emeril Lagasse. The Gracious Few rock band finished third.

Wiseman did finish ahead of such celebrities as chef Mario Batali, author Janet Evanowich, former New York Yankees outfielder Bernie Williams, and former American Idol singing star Katharine McPhee among others.

“I should have just gone with (five-time NASCAR points champion) Jimmy Johnson,” lamented Wiseman, who finished third in the contest a year earlier.