Chicago Bowletin
02/25/2025
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M25 STARTS THURSDAY!!!
Thursdays @ 6:30pm - WAVELAND BOWL
The Process vs the Results - What Makes a Good Bowler
That's the question I asked myself embarking on creating the first ever GlennPom ratings, what makes a good bowler? How can you separate the process from the results? Because as we all have heard over the past 9 years, “”If you fall in love with the process, the process will love you back” - Matt Cambpell” - Glenn Zaleski. Over the past two weeks I have done a deep dive into the game of bowling and tried to figure out how it works, the keys to success, and what it takes to reach the highest level of this game. Below are some of my thoughts on the intricacies and quirks that make up the GlennPom.
Strike me baby one more time
Strikes+ is my way to get around the fact that not all Strikes are created equal. 10th frame strikes are worth less because you don't get the added bonus of the next frames included in your score. It can also inflate someone's strike% above 100% if they bowled a (almost) perfect game with 13 Strikes in 10 frames. I count each strike in frames 1-9 as 1 but put a value of 10th frame strikes as .7. I'm still playing around with how much a 10th frame strike should be valued (and if anyone has some ideas, backed up with a rationale, please reach out). I do like the idea that at the end of the game the pressure is on and if your throwing strikes it probably means you're good in the clutch, that's why I bumped it up from .5 to .7. But this way at least people aren't being rewarded too heavily for empty calorie strikes.
The wacky world of Spares
I have categorized Spares into 3 categories, or 2 categories and a subcategory. The first is Single Pin Spares (SPS), this is where you knock 9 pins in the first half of the frame resulting in 1 pin remaining standing. The model views hitting 9 pins as neutral, it is not good, its not bad, you will not gain or deduct points with 9 pins. The second is Multi Pin Spares (MPS). This is if you get a 0-8 on the first half of a frame, the model does view this as negative and you will be deducted points for the Multi Pin Spare Attempts / Frames Bowled. If you want to be a good bowler you need to get at least 9 pins in the front half of the frame. The data bores that out, SPS% is higher than MPS% for all but two bowlers (shout out the McClure and Wenndt). The last category is dreaded Split Pin Spares (SLS), famous for the nearly impossible 7-10 splits on the lanes; these are the hardest spares to pick up. Similar to MPS you will be deducted points for Split Pin Spare Attempts / Frames Bowled. Split Pin Spares also count as Multi Pin Spares because you can't have a split without 2 or more pins. Matthew Torntore is the only one picking up SPS at higher than a 50% clip but he's only attempted and put himself in this situation once. No one with multiple Split Pin Spare Attempts is higher than 50%. The model also rewards points based on your % of closing out each type of Spare.
Oren Spungeon, the new kid on the block, is our first outlier in the data. The Power Rating really likes his underlying numbers even though he hasn't been rewarded on the pinewood yet. 2nd highest Strike% in the league, 100% Single Pin Spare %, his downfall so far has been a high number of Multi Pin Spare Attempts, nearly 50% (9/20) of his frames result in these situations. And he's not particularly good at them, closing out a little more than 1 in 5 of them, good for 4th worst in the league. Getting his MPS% up while keeping his Strikes and SPS% high could see Oren be the next breakout candidate at Waveland.
To Sequence or not to Sequence
Now let's talk about how the scoring of bowling actually works.
Sequencing is what I call the added bonuses that a Strike or Spare gives you to look beyond the current frame. To be the best possible bowler you need to stack closed out frames down the line. Getting 4 Strikes in a game is good but getting 4 Strikes in a game where they are one after the other is better.
Now I have taken the stance that sequencing is not a skill a bowler can have. If you are for some reason more likely to get a Strike after already getting one, why don't you just hit Strikes every time! Sequencing is technically rewarded in the model by Frame Closeout %, if you are closing out a high number of frames each game, your chances of Strikes feeding into Strikes and Spares feeding into Spares goes up dramatically.
Let's say you average 3 Strikes a game and all other frames you hit 9 pins. If those Strikes are B2B2B then you end up with a score of 141. If those Strikes are in the 1st, 4th and 8th frame you end up with a score of 120. That's a 17.5% increase with the same number of pins knocked down, just in a different sequence!
Our biggest outlier in the dataset Michael ‘Milk’ Richards is a result of sequencing. His Points Per Frame is 16.03 but he's ranked 12th in the GlennPom, sandwiched by a PPF of 14.7 and 12.73. This is the result of a monster sequencing game Milk had in week 2, where he put up 7 strikes in a row in a single game (not to mention none of those strikes were in the 10th frame)! The other two games he bowled that night, only 6 strikes, and only 2 of those came in back to back frames. This resulted in a disproportionate points per frame from the amount of actual pins Milk knocked over. Putting up 7 strikes in a game is great, but what's even more incredible is putting up 7 Strikes in a row! By stacking closed out frames like that, Michael was able to bowl an outlier game and based on his history it seems like he's good for at least 1-2 monstar games every Waveland league. The model however rewards consistency and process, the process by which you bowl is what the GlennPom is trying to figure out.
All Together Now
The GlennPom rewards points in the following order - Strike+%, Close-out Frame%, SPS%, MPS% and SLS% with deductions coming from MPSA / Frames Bowled and SLSA / Frames Bowled. A high percentage of Multi Pin Spare Attempts and Split Pin Spare Attempts will cost you points in the GlennPom because they are the least efficient way to get a spare and close out the frame.
Thank you for following me on this journey to understand bowling at a more atomic level. The GlennPom will continue to be updated week after week with more deep dives on the insights derived from the process separated from the results. Keep sending in your frame by frame data!
ZYNFADELS Vs. BOWLS DEEP (02/04/2025)
Does this determine the best team in the league? Key matchups, injuries, and exciting story lines to watch out for.
In most seasons, it is a herculean effort for the league to schedule one intra-league matchup between the boys. Hell, just having us bowl next to each other without actually facing head to head seems like moving mountains. However, Waveland Legislators have their hands tied not only this week, but for multiple weeks during the F25 season as the boys are spoiled with multiple intra-league games in the 6-team format.
With ratings down in the F25, despite arguably the best bowling ever spun in Waveland League history, Waveland Producers needed to come out with a bang earlier in the season to revitalize viewership - and what better way than to have the two best teams go face to face in week two. Bowls Deep vs. Zynfadels.
The early season has shown us a couple of things. There is a handful of raw talent from the Randos, and a couple of those names could easily pop off in a match against one of the Pin Boys' teams. Rolling Stones find themselves right in the middle of the pack for now, and show great promise to start figuring things out for a late run in the post season. However with all of the noise either coming from the bottom to the middle of the pack, there is a great deal of separation between the majority of the league and the top two teams.
Between the top two, there are FIVE 200+ games, SIX bowlers with 40 or below handicaps and THREE 700 team scores in.........................ONE WEEK!
Two bowlers with a nearly 600 series (The Surgeon - 590 / Rubes - 581). No bowlers above a 63 handicap - none - All bowlers are in the top 16 of the Waveland league. From top to bottom, each team is made up of pure fire power and consistency - but - would we expect anything less from the two most seasoned teams?
*FLIP PHONE HORIZONTAL*
Outlet Rank Team Bowler Name Handicap High Game
1 Bowls Deep Logan Ruby 3 211
2 Zynfadels Wes R. 6 215
3 Bowls Deep Matthew Dahle 18 202
4 Bowls Deep Breandan McC 18 200
6 Bowls Deep Joseph Bryza 32 173
7 Zynfadels Michael 38 172
8 Zynfadels Matt Torntore 47 195
10 Zynfadels Sam 62 156
11 Bowls Deep Nicholas DeBru 63 143
There are a handful of keys to this match - some out of their control, but the majority rest in the hands of the bowler.
The General ruled out due to Work Function (he's bowling, he just texted us, but good read):
The ROCK of Bowls Deep will not be participating in rivalry week this season due to a mandatory work function. We can joke around about how silly it is to schedule a HH on a Wednesday, especially during the heat of league play (Breandan should have pushed back a bit there), but all jokes aside, this is a massive loss for Bowls Deep tomorrow. Not only because the General is slinging the rock, and currently in 3rd place for the Tom Casey award, but because he is the backbone, the Captain of this team. It wasn't too long ago when The General formed Bowls Deep. He and the team went through the growing pains of what it means to create a dynasty - the carousel of free agents, finding who gels, who is willing to buy in to the culture he was trying to create.
After all of the dust settled, The General was not only able to win 3 championships, but also secure a roster that is going to be wearing the Marlboro for a very long time. He snagged The Kid out of the gate, last season's Tom Casey winner, he kept The Surgeon around by signing Bones who is locked in for life. A late preseason signing of the Ace last year filled their core four - all thanks to The General being not only nimble in the offseason, but making Bowls Deep a sought after destination for some of the best bowlers in the league. His impact goes farther than his 18 handicap. His impact goes as deep as being the glue that keeps everything together. Without him on the sideline tomorrow, it could make a material impact on the outcome of this head-to-head.
Are These Handicaps Sustainable?
At the Chicago Bowletin, we do not focus on the CSS league standings. Those standings factor in the H word, in a negative, derogatory light. We think of the Handicap as one of the many measures of a bowler's success (Zamboni's dynamic ratings coming soon) and gives us one of the data points to determine the best bowlers in the league. I mean, the Tom Casey (where it stands now) is solely based on overall Handicap. So I (shit) raise the question again - are these handicaps sustainable? Or shall I (dammit) ask the question another way - who can SUSTAIN their handicaps?
There are two bowlers with single digit handis heading into this match and four bowlers below 20!
Looking at those four - I think it is safe to say that if Bowls Deep (3, 18, 18) can sustain those Handis, they have a great shot of winning the head to head - but let's dive a little bit deeper into Zynfadels...
Milk was consistent as ever last week - bowling a 172, and 171 for the first two matches, and ending with a 38 handi for week 1. That 38 does seem to be the floor for the 3x champion and all time highest single game holder (252). Don't be surprised if Milk reduces his handi significantly tomorrow, especially given Milk has performed extraordinarily well under the pressures of this league. Like B, he's been asked to bowl all three games in championship matches, despite having six available bowlers, given the ice in his veins. I fully expect him to come out guns blazing, and talk a little smack to combat some of the chirping from Bones across the lane.
Tornado's 47 handi also does not paint the full picture. Prior to his girlfriend arriving to the lanes, he bowled a 195 in the first match. Folks forget that Tornado was one of the first Tom Casey winners, and third all time overall handi - behind The Kid and Rubes - who are also bowling in this incredible match up. Tornado is "Icy" and we at the Bowletin are confident he comes out not only destroying the existing handi, but also position Zynfadels comfortably to take control of the match.
Zynfadels will take the lanes without Alley Cat, who at the end of last season was the team's best bowler, who is out with illness - but bring MDawg back and excited to see B build on his 156 performance from last week. Through ball, form, and even strain changes, B has solidifed himself as one of the most consistent bowlers on Zynfadels and is still unsatisfied with his overall performance. This will be something to watch out for in this match. Can B get over that hump? If so, another point to Gryffindor. We know those blue tins will be flowing tomorrow on their side of the lane, and hopeful that the strikes flow through those pins just as much.
Who is Big Brother?
The two best bowlers in the league have the same last name. They also share the same mother and father (extensive DNA testing). By all measures, we can almost confirm that these two are in fact related, and based on a confirmation by their respective parents, they are brothers - but which one is the "Big Brother"? One could assume that The Surgeon would be the older brother because of his immaculate facial hair, but Rubes could make the argument given he was born 3 years earlier. Regardless of age, or facial hair, tomorrow will determine who is truly the big brother.
Both bowlers come into tomorrow with a single digit handi, top 3 bowlers for the Tom Casey last season, and both top 5 handis of all time. The Surgeon, better by a 3 pin average, has been a strike machine, while Rubes has been able to close almost every single frame each game. One throws from the right side of the lane, while the other throws from the left side - albeit both two handed. While there are some unique differences between the two - they share size, complexion, and are kin. They also share the love of throwing a mean back-up which will be on full display tomorrow. Who can hold onto their handi the longest? The Winner of the brother bowl will greatly impact the outcome of this match.
So there you have it - why not have the best match come week 2? This match has implications outside of bowling itself - its Marlboros vs. 6MG Peppermint Zyns. It's a new age vs. the old (yes, I know, you have to flip the two, I get it just bare with me). Is this a passing of the baton? Is this a "maybe next year"? All to be determined tomorrow at Waveland Bowl - 6:30pm.
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