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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 10, 2004 Veteran Duke pitches shutout in first round By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Norm Duke wasn’t leaving anything to chance. The Professional Bowlers Association star has things going his way, and he wasn’t about to take lightly a single shot against D.J. Archer Thursday in the first round of match play in the Earl Anthony Medford Classic. Duke won the first three games in the best-of-seven format at Lava Lanes, but he was in a pickle in the latter stages of Game 4. He needed three strikes and a good count on his fourth ball to make it a clean sweep. He went one better, finishing with four strikes for a 248-246 triumph to close out Archer. "In that scenario," said Duke, who has 21 career titles, "guys out here can beat you three in a row pretty easily. If you give them momentum, they take advantage of it every time. If I miss there, I guarantee you he bowls 240 or more every game after that. Advertisement "That was a bigger shot than it probably looked to y’all." Duke, who joined the tour in 1983, has enjoyed steady success over the years. He was twice PBA player of the year and is nearing $2 million in career earnings. A member of the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, he’s won tour championships the past two seasons, but this year he’s been slow out of the blocks. He failed to make it past the first round in three of the first four tournaments, then got on a roll that he hopes is continuing. He made the championship finals last week, losing to Brian Voss in the semifinals of the Denver Open. The importance of momentum, he says, cannot be overstated. "Ninety percent of the ‘fry’ factor, or fatigue, is dealing with adversity," said Duke, who lives in Clermont, Fla. "If you have things rolling your way, you stay focused longer." A good week last week, a good start to this week. It’s part of the "cyclicality," as Duke called it, and you certainly want it working in your favor. Duke rolled games of 234, 236 and 237 before coming up big down the stretch against Archer. When it was suggested he must like the oil pattern being used this week, he pooh-poohed the notion. "Some of the players have a favorite shot," he said, "and when they get on that pattern, they can make short work of you. I don’t have a favorite pattern. I refuse to." The last thing he wants is to rely on an oil pattern to feed his family or, he said, to have his wife and son attend an event and have them root for a lane condition. He’s content to get by with a versatile game that’s good anywhere. And has been for years. BRYON SMITH of Roseburg won his first-round match 4-1 over Joe Ciccone, but it wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the score indicates. His first three wins were by a total of 21 pins, and his loss in Game 2 was only by six pins. Not until the fifth game did Smith get off to a fast start and cruise in what had been a nerve-twisting confrontation. "Joe bowled great," said Smith. "He made me double a couple of times to win games, and I put pressure on him a couple of times, and he came through in the same sense." The second game was a prime example of their back-and-forth tussle. Having won the first game 226-222, Smith trailed Game 2 midway through. But an open on a split, then a gutter ball in the next frame allowed Smith back in it. Smith then reeled off a string of strikes, forcing Ciccone to do the same. He did, getting the last one on his second ball in the 10th to ensure a 233- 227 win. Ciccone threw a 254 in Game 3, only to lose to Smith’s 268. Only the fifth game was decided early because Smith struck in the first five frames. "I made some aggressive shots, and he was going to have to beat me," said Smith. "I wasn’t going to give it to him." Smith shut out Ciccone with strikes in the eighth and ninth frames. The Southern Oregonian would like nothing better than to fare well here, where many of his family and friends get a chance to see him compete. He made the top 16 his first year in Medford but didn’t approach that the past two years. Two years ago, he had possibly his worst tournament as a pro. He responded by going home, practicing, then winning his lone title — a major, no less — taking the ABC Masters in Reno, Nev. Last season, he was hampered by wrist, toe and muscle-pull injuries from working out, which kept him out of the gym and contributed a funk that proved difficult to shake. "Mentally, I was in burnt-out mode in bowling," said Smith. "I wasn’t focusing and putting everything where I needed to. A lot of it was, I was looking for ways out." Although he’s still searching for his second win, he’s back on track. He made it to the round of eight in the season’s third event, the Uniroyal Tire Classic in Wickliffe, Ohio, and last week he got to the round of 16 in the Denver Open. AMLETO MONACELLI took a different route to the round of 32 than Duke and Smith. The PBA Hall of Famer trailed 3-0 to David Traber and needed something, anything, to get himself going. After the third game, he said a short prayer, then called a friend in his native Venezuela for support. "My mind was going everywhere," said Monacelli, long a popular fixture on tour. "Physically, I feel very good. I’m throwing the ball well. But my mind wasn’t there." Without going into detail, he said personal matters at home have taxed him emotionally and have been a distraction. But the inspiration he gained before Game 4 must have done the trick. Monacelli won that one narrowly, 217-209, then reeled off three more wins, none closer than 29 pins — that being the last one. Monacelli needed only a spare in the 10th to close out Traber, and he struck. "It was just relaxing and doing what I can," said Monacelli, who has 18 career titles. "And here I am. It feels good to get through the tough matches." Monacelli hasn’t won since 1997. He did place third in the Japan Cup prior to the start of this tour season and, though he doesn’t want to look ahead, believes another win would do wonders for his mind-set. "It would be a big relief," he said. "Even with my personal problems, if something positive comes out of it, I will see things differently than I see them now." Rebounding from an 0-3 hole might have been a good start. 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