The documentary "League of Ordinary Gentlemen" offers a look at the PBA Tour and how it's trying to bounce back from Thanksgiving Week 1999 when it was days from going away, literally. It may have been commonplace back in the day to maintain the status quo and let a professional sports organization run itself, but not anymore. Pete Roselle was the man who told NFL team owners nearly 50 years ago to let a TV network deal with the league as a whole for broadcast rights. That move, which some owners whined about at the time, gave them untold riches and a foothold on the most unofficial Sunday holiday in American history. David Stern gave the approval to market two different NBA players as benchmarks in a league sprinting toward bankruptcy giving it untold riches. But how do you market a sports league without a single 'name' with a bigger-than-life personality? Steve Miller tried it for five years. Even with his Nike marketing background, he learned the hard way that bowling is a bit different. OK, a lot different. Trying to get cooperation from within the industry was tough enough, much less from the outside world. I'll bet he spent untold hours in dumbfounding amazement on how a weekly 90-minute program captivating its own niche in TV sports viewership didn't have a more savvy marketing plan, an vision for the future, or even a way for its players to make it worth their while in the long run. And about those players, what makes them tick and why do they stay on tour?

     He may have even thought this was like watching a lottery winner slowly spend every dime and then some. That is part of what is explored in this film. After viewing it, you may feel sorry, sad, or somewhat hopeful about the players out on tour. But you won't feel indifferent.

     Now that the Dave Ryan and Randy Pedersen show is done for another year, let's take our annual review of the TV finals presentation. Overall, it's better. Yes, it really is better and here's why. Only a couple years ago, there were hardly any during-the-match scorekeeping graphics. Especially this season, it's easier to follow the match for those who don't keep score mentally. The graphics themselves are clean, clear, and resemble a modern bowling center computer scoring display. Dave Ryan is getting more comfortable with bowling and it's lingo, while Randy Pedersen sounds like he could announce other sports for the Worldwide Leader. These two have worked together for five years now and posses a comfortable banter on the air. Newer announcer pairs tend to stick to what's on the screen only, rarely taking time to break down or explain a specific point of information during a match. Just the basics only, that's it. Once a duo have been together, each knows where the other is going to explain a point or even a non-specific tangent. You still want to sound like a couple of guys watching the show, but still cover certain areas and topics, which keeps the pacing constant. In other words, if you leave the room for a moment, you should not have that feeling like you missed something. From that sense, the show flows nicely. With that in mind, the producer/director has stepped away from trying to dress up the show to make it into something it is not. Fog has been replaced by a light show during the player introductions in the show's opening. Graphics are smartly used at the right times. Camera position experimenting continues with no earth-shattering spots used week after week. The over head camera on the approach didn't show that much, nor did the camera on the ball return tried late in the season. The remotely-operated crane camera was not used as often this season in the arena finals shows. I'll give them a tip of the hat for trying something new, but the camera seemed to move just enough like to give the impression you were on a moving roller coaster. That may be sweet to the 20something non-bowler video gamers, but again, if they could use roving remote camera to follow a rolled ball from a lower angle down the lane Fox, CBS, and ABC use in some NFL games, they might be on to something. One new toy sparingly used that did break new ground was the superimposing both players ball paths down the lane. This was tried before with a split screen where the viewer had to do it himself, but my guess is just like the computer-generated scrimmage and first down lines on the same aforementioned telecasts, the software used to superimpose the ball paths costs a couple of dollars and cannot be used each show. But when it is used, it really highlights what Pedersen is explaining

     That leads into my next point. Who is the typical bowler these days? That is, of course one of those 'Why is the sky blue?' a 3-year-old asks, but it is truly viable question. It used to be any of the schmoes laughed at in the movie, "Kingpin, " but that was at least 10 years ago. What about the new emerging class of bowler, the recreational bowler. He or she has long-since tired of cosmic, has a mid-priced or higher performance ball; probably bought online. However, leagues are out of the question-busy schedule, job related travel, wants to bowl at his/her leisure and not the within confines of a league time are among the many other reasons. They are out there, really. Just look closer and you will find them. They have watched the PBA TV show since it left ABC almost 10 years ago, but don't mind the solitude of an hour or so challenging one's own motor skills in a non-competitive environment. Just spending leisure time as they see fit, that's all. Best yet, they have something marketing folk call "disposable income." This new group is savvy enough to know a sales pitch when they hear it, so they will more likely be seeking the activity rather than it finding them. When that activity is found, you may be surprised how much time and money is spent. With more and more cities, towns, and villages passing smoke-free ordinances, more and more will be seen bowling recreationally. Stay tuned