I know, I know, it has been awhile since I last posted on bowlspace. That is my bad.  We've got a week with no tournaments here at the PBA so I'm going to use the calm around the office to add to my meager blog.  The past couple weeks I've been working on a licensing kit with the PBA's ad agency (Creature).  This kit is a cool little package w/ player characterization cards (each bowler has a representative nick-name, i.e. Brian Voss is the Ambassador, Walter Ray is the technician, etc.), a PBA video and some demographic information about the PBA.   I plan on leaving them with videogame developers that I encounter at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week.  I fly out tomorrow morning and I'll be working on getting in front of folks like EA Sports, Activision and Konami all week.  Wish me luck!  Hopefully we get some bites and you'll soon be playing Ritchie Allen (btw big ups to Ritchie for his come back performance in the U.S. Open this week), head band and all, on the simulated U.S. Open pattern at home on your Nintendo Wii.  Wouldn't that rock?  I know you fans have been begging for a PBA console title for awhile now. 

Check out the new Bowlers Journal International, Diandra gave me a little quote in her column.  She was talking about all the new technology in bowling and she gave Bowlspace a shout out.  Thanks Diandra.  Also, make sure you go check out Diandra's new profile, she is on bowlspace and you can link up w/ her by going to http://diandra.bowlspace.com/  I'm jealous though, I've been on this site since it started and I've got like 10 friends, Diandra's been on it for a week and she's already got 89.  You know how they say Tila Tequila is the "Queen of Myspace".  Diandra is about to be the queen of bowlspace.

I've also been working on the Denny's World Championship stuff lately.  If you live in Michigan keep your eyes on your mailbox, you are getting a postcard from me this week.  We've got some cool stuff lined up at the World Champs.  i'll be out there to help wrangle the All-American contestants.  But we've got a band provided by Gibson guitars and some other cool stuff in store, make sure if you are anywhere near Grand Rapids come to the show and say what's up to me.

In Bowlspace news, I just got the video back from Tony Reyes' coaching session.  He made a video especially for my new buddy Jeff Goodfriend in Florida.  Jeff won the Virtual Coach promotion.  Big up Tony and Dave (our producer) for making some time in NJ to film Jeff's coaching session.  I'm excited to get that footage up on the homepage.  I'm hoping that will be up by the time I get back from California so you can all check it out.  Tony's got some good tips on there, everyone should check it out.

PBA Trading cards are getting close to being finished and they are almost already sold out.  These cards are fly and they are going to be flying off shelves.  There is an autograph in every pack and they are pretty limited.  I've got a box coming to the office for me too.  In fact, I've even got unopened packs of bowling cards from 1981.  I've opened some and decorated my office with them.  I used to collect cards like crazy, in fact when I was 12 I was the president of our card collecting club in Alaska.  We had 100+ dues paying members of all ages in that club.  I used to make a killing selling cards, so much so that my parents wanted to open a shop in our small island town in AK.

The show this week was awesome, but anytime PDW is "in the house" you've got a good show.  I enjoyed it from the comfort of my couch w/ a gourmet bloody mary in hand.  We actually went all out on breakfast.  Laurie ran to the bakery for pastries and eggs while I watched the first half of the show.  Of course I saw Johanna and Cara in the audience...they didn't have a nice cocktail in hand, but they still seemed to be enjoying themselves.  I invited my buddy Bret and his fiance Katie over for breakfast and to watch the big event.  They aren't big bowling fans but they liked Pete.

That is the scoop around here.  I hope everyone has a great week.  I'll let everyone know how the GDC goes. 

I went out to Reno this past weekend.  It was awesome.  Sam hooked Laurie and I up with front row seats (you might have seen us sitting next to the guys in suits from H&R Block if you looked close).  This was the first PBA event that Laurie attended. What a good one for her to see live.  The NBS was rocking on Sunday morning.  PA, PDW, Couch and WRW Jr. put on a great show for the crowd.  Warm-ups were friendly but you could tell that PA was on a mission.  I stuck around afterwards to say hi to Bob Thomas from the NBS as well as Diandra Asbaty.  Check out Diandra's Kaizen posts here on bowlspace.com 

Also, Laurie and I hit up Lake Tahoe while we were in Reno.  We gambled a bit at the Biltmore and Skiied and snowboarded at Northstar and Homewood.  We were joined by Laurie's friend Tara and a big group of her friends from San Francisco.  I've included a few pictures.

tm    

What a show yesterday.  Rash was fired up.  I can't believe he rolled through Danny and Parker, especially w/ Danny having the home turf advantage.  I think the first match was the highlight of the day.  I didn't watch it live, but I saw the first half an hour at our hotel in Pullman and then I saw the rest on my DVR at home later that night.  My little brother called me about half way down the road to let me know Rash won.  Laurie watched the show w/ me last night and for some reason she was rooting for diaper (she's liked him since his emotional win in WV last year).  She was actually bumming the first 5 frames when Danny extended that big lead, but that is how quickly the tables can turn in PBA bowling.  It seemed like Rash saw that open frame and went jugular.  I hate to say it, but I've been starting legends in Fantasy since early in the season and that strategy has not paid off.  I taught my 14 year old nephew how to set up and control a fantasy team and I steered him towards an all Young Gun team...i haven't checked him out in the standings but he should be doing really well.  I'll probably be back tomorrow for the "Tuesday Report".

tm

Rap Daddy D,

Nice rap.  If the PBA had a record label you'd be signed.  I hope you've got the beats to match hahaha!  Anyway, I missed last Tuesday's blog.  I spent the week digging out of the email hole that occurs when you take two vacation days as well as navigating the Seattle snow and ice.  OK, I didn't navigate much, I caught up on email from my home office.  I spent last weekend in Utah at the Morelli/Ventura family reunion.  It rocked!  We had 135 family members show up.  I was on the committee so I had to work most of the night.  However, I did get a chance to catch up w/ my cousins that I only see once a month.  I also found out my dad's cousin owns Epicenter Lanes in Klamath Falls, OR.  They are hosting a Senior Tour stop this summer which is awesome.  I'll probably drive down to that event to see them and maybe my good buddy John Weber if he makes it out West. 

 So, last week's show was pretty sweet.  It is always exciting to watch TJ.  He and big Wes was a good match-up.  However, their presence did nothing for my fantasy bowling team, I slipped from 3rd to 8th.  In fantasy football last night I extended my record to 9-5 (Delhomme squeaked out a win for me).  I am 3rd going into the play-offs.  I missed splitting $50 w/ Shawn our controller by 3 points last night.  Lame!  I'm just going to have to tear it up in post-season to get my money back. 

The slopes in WA are looking good.  I went up w/ my lovely girlfriend Laurie on Saturday.  It was bluebird w/ a lot of dry/soft corduroy.  Very good conditions for first week in December.  It was Laurie's first day up for the season but it didn't look like she lost it a bit.  She was speeding down the hill, I could barely keep up.  We met up w/ her friend Lynn and her boyfriend Alex.  We are both regulars at Snoqualmie so I can imagine we will be meeting up w/ them for Kokanees in the lodge every weekend.  I heard from Ride this week...my snowboard is in the mail.  I can't wait to get that bad boy up to the hill. 

In PBA news.  Bowlspace is taking off thanks to all you PBA fans.  We've got almost 1,500 online right now and I can imagine taking it to 5,000 in the next month.  We've got a mention in the USBC E-Bowler coming up on the 15th that should bring a lot of new fans to the site.  Make sure and upload your virtual coaching videos so you are eligible for a PBA prize pack. That's it for this week.  It is back to the grind for me. 

tm

I was just checking out Live scoring.  I can't believe it might be a Young Gun spectacular on Sunday.  TJ, Big Wes and Bill "The Real Deal" O'Neill are all up 1-0 in their Round 8 match play.  Better set the Tivo for this one.  Unfortunately I don't have any of the young guys on my fantasy team.  I'm going to have to switch it up for Baltimore next week.