Lowe: PBA stars discuss game, other topics

• By KENT LOWE
• Special to The Advocate
• Published: Aug 11, 2008 - UPDATED: 6:25 a.m.

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Last week as part of the family tournament at Don Carter’s, sponsors Quibca/AMF and the bowling proprietors bought in PBA stars Norm Duke and Mike Machuga.

Duke has won 29 titles since joining the PBA in 1982 and has pocketed $2.5 million. He will most be remembered for this past season when, after a series of injuries he was about to lose his tour exemption, he won the final two majors of the season — the Denny’s World Championship and the U.S. Open when he picked up the bucket — the 2-4-5-8 — in the 10th frame.

Machuga won his first title in 2005 but has been close for more, earning $416,000 since joining the tour in 2001.

I had the pleasure of speaking with both of them and you heard some of Duke’s comments last week about his huge interest in the tournament calling it “simply the best.” Without wasting space on my comments, let’s let the bowlers tell you a few opinions starting with Machuga’s enjoyment of appearing in front of the youth bowlers.

“My sister has always joked around that this suits me professionally because I’ve always been a showoff. It’s my chance to go out and have a blast, make people laugh. That’s what I like to do anyway.”

On preparing for new season:

Duke — “It will be October before we go again. I usually wait until about two weeks prior I’ll start getting in the bowling center and working hard. At my age and my experience it only takes a couple of weeks. It used to take at least a month. At this point, I’m trying to get sharp. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. The grind is tougher because of my age, but it’s easier to get prepared for it.”

Machuga — “I usually need about two months of really hard work in the bowling center. Norm doesn’t really mess around with his grip anymore. I spend a lot of time every summer adjusting my grip because my hand goes through a lot of changes during the course of the year. I’ll spend a good eight hours a day five times a week. Now I’m not bowling for eight hours. I’ll spend a couple of hours in the pro shop tinkering with things in my grip.”

On winning the final event of year, the U.S. Open:

Duke — “One of the best things about winning the last event is that it lasts all summer. When you win an event it usually lasts about two days and then you start another event. The best part about this is that I got to be the last victor before the summer … Wow, I’m still riding a big high. I have thrown so many shots for the U.S. Open in practice. We convince ourselves … The one thing I’ve never done is said that this bucket spare is for the U.S. Open. I’ve thrown at everything imaginable for the title but never a bucket, and there it was, a bucket for the glory. That was the tough shot.”

Machuga — “A couple of weeks before the U.S. Open, Norm and I put a lot of hours in the center and I cannot tell you how many times we will shoot 10s and 7s and then you’ve got to hit the six and make it tip over into the five; fine tuned where you can pick up anything you leave. To watch him make that bucket for the win was … I was just ecstatic. It was a perfect spare ‘all with the ball’ because that’s what we say when we shoot spares.”

Pro or con: Ham Bone (ESPN’s Phil Stone lingo)

Machuga — “Anti Ham Bone. It’s a four bagger.” Duke — “I try to work about six, seven, eight baggers (laughing). They can call it anything they want. I just hope I’m the one that is getting it.”