BOWLING HIGHLIGHTS COLUMN 4-8-11

A Classy Carmen Salvino

One of the real treats we bowling columnist have from time to time is meeting and chatting with the great ones in this sport. At the U.S. Open at North Brunswick several years ago we had the opportunity to meet and talk with Carmen Salvino. Here's an interesting take on what took place this year at the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs. PBA Hall of Famer Carmen Salvino, one of the PBA Tour’s all-time great characters along with being one of its greatest stars on the lanes, bowled in the Dick Weber PBA Playoffs at age 77.
The PBA charter member and winner of 17 PBA Tour titles bowled Round One on the same lanes with 26-year-old Nick Weber, grandson of the legendary tournament namesake and son of John Weber, the PBA’s Director of Regional and Senior Tours. After Salvino out-bowled the young Foristell, Mo., resident in the 15-game opening round, he looked the third-generation Weber in the eye and jokingly said, “I beat your granddad once. I beat your father once. And now I’ve whipped you once.
Are you married?” Salvino then asked? Why?” Nick Weber replied. “Because you need to hurry up and have a kid so I can beat him, too,” Salvino smiled. “I’m getting too old to wait much longer.” Nick Weber laughed, and Salvino laughed. “The truth is,” Salvino said later, “if I’da had to make a living bowling against Dick Weber every week, I’d’ve had to find a new career.
I beat Dick Weber once in my career and it’s the only time I ever lost that I didn’t mind losing. That’s how much respect I have for that man.”

This column is written by Ed Townsend, a public relations consultant to the amateur and professional sport of bowling and to several bowling writers associations. If you have a topic that would make good reading or have league and tournament scores and information, Ed can be reached by phone at 845-439-8177, via email at edwardctownsend@hotmail.com and by fax at 845-230-8674. For an extended version of this column please visit our Web page at http://bght.blogspot.com This column is also available on Facebook.