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Hall of Famer Marshall Holman to take to the lanes again By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Marshall Holman isn't ruling out the possibility of, as he puts it, lightning striking twice. In 1996, in only his second assignment as the color analyst for ESPN's coverage of the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, Holman the bowler caught fire, was the top qualifier for the stepladder finals and had to be replaced in the TV booth. He went on to win his 22nd and last national title. When the PBA comes to his hometown this week, he will again juggle bowling and TV assignments. Though his TV gig is no longer with network coverage, he'll still have a microphone in hand and provide reports for Channel 10 news. "I'd like to be able to interview myself on my good bowling," he laughs. He thought back to 1996, when, at age 42 and six years removed from his last tournament victory, Holman defeated Wayne Webb, 246-235, at the Ebonite Classic in Allen Park, Mich. "Lightning could strike again," the PBA Hall of Famer says. Holman has competed in only one PBA event since 1999 - the U.S. Open a month ago. He was in two events each in 1999 and '98, a sharp decline from the 12 in '97 and the '18 in '96 as his competitive career began to wane. He still ranks seventh on the all-time earnings list with nearly $1.7 million and ninth on the career titles. Holman is in better shape now than when he toured full-time simply because he's able to devote more time to working out. But there's a difference between being in good physical shape and being in bowling shape, and he admits he isn't in the latter. That was evident in the U.S. Open, says Holman, when he didn't fare well. "You get out of it what you put into it," he says, "and I didn't get much out of the U.S. Open." Bowling shape means having the stamina to bowl many games in succession, being well-versed on equipment and how different balls react in different conditions, being able to quickly detect changes in the oil pattern and maintaining focus for an extended period. "I'm not in the greatest bowling shape," says Holman, who bowls twice a week in leagues at Medford Lanes and Lava Lanes and has been practicing once a week at the latter on a shot designed to replicate the pattern the PBA will put down. "But I'm not going in there with the attitude that I have no chance. I surprised myself in 1996 when I won a tournament. That was like a gift from the gods. Nothing I'd done pointed to me having a great week, and I hadn't done anything in a few years. It just fell into place. "If I get off to a decent start, then the memories and victories I've had in the past will help me to do well." Is it likely that he'll be among the last ones standing? Not really. "If I had to make a bet," says Holman, "there are a lot of guys I'd put my money on before I'd put it on myself." His hope is to bowl well Thursday in the first nine games of qualifying, when the field will be cut to 64. From there, nine more qualifying games will determine the top 32, then it's on to best-of-five elimination matches that will whittle the field to the top five for the live TV show. Ultimately, Holman says, the big names - Walter Ray Williams Jr., Pete Weber, Parker Bohn III - are the ones likely to make the finals. But there could be a surprise. Holman himself is eager to see Weber, a longtime friend and one of the game's greats. "I'm a big Pete Weber fan," he says. "He's exciting to watch, he's very animated and he's extraordinarily confident. He's small on TV and he's even smaller in person, but he carries himself like a 7-footer. I'm excited to have Pete here." Holman would have loved to have bowled in a hometown PBA event at the height of his career, but that wasn't feasible. This is the next best thing, however. "I think the people here are in for quite a treat," he says. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.