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P/SUNNY Temp: 57 °F Wind: NNE at 4 mph Sunday, April 20, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 12, 2003 PBA Notes Edwards puts an end to Holman’s marvelous run By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune The clock struck midnight on Marshall Holman’s sometimes magical run through the Professional Bowlers Association Medford Open. But it did so a little after noon. Before the largest midday Saturday crowd the tour has seen this season, Holman struggled to find a productive line and was beaten by veteran Mike Edwards — who long ago idolized Holman when the latter starred as a touring pro. Edwards won 3-0 in the best-of-five Round of 16 at Lava Lanes and really wasn’t pushed into performing until the final frame of the third game. Holman had just matched his biggest run of the day with a turkey two balls into the 10th. It forced Edwards to mark in the last frame, and he obliged with a double, winning 246-220. The other game scores were 217-161 in the opener and 237-200 in Game 2, when a late Edwards string iced it. "I could never get comfortable until the ninth and 10th frames of the third game," said Holman, a retired Hall of Famer. "That’s usually a little late." Success on the PBA Tour is mostly about matching up equipment with the various lane conditions. Holman had 23 years of experience to draw on, but not so much with today’s game. Edwards didn’t have all the answers all the time, but he was seldom far from the pocket and got the pins to carry at key points. The 21-year-veteran had strike strings of four in the first game, five in the second and six in the third. Speaking about the messenger pin, the one that bounds across the lane and trips the 10 pin for a strike, Holman said of Edwards, "He was batting 1.000 on that. He got it every time the pin came across. Part of that is good fortune, but part of that is also throwing it in the right zone." Since he was 12 and watching bowling on TV, Edwards has idolized Holman. "Just the way he threw the ball, the way he is, just him being Marshall," said Edwards, a one-time tour winner, explaining his fascination. "He brought excitement to the game. He was one of the first guys I remember showing emotion and using it to his advantage. Sometimes it worked against him, but I watched him every time he was on." After Edwards learned Friday night that he’d face Holman the next day, he said, "I had a lot of thoughts going through my head. One thing, it was good to make it to the Round of 16. Then, to actually get to bowl against my idol, it was tough to sleep last night. I kept thinking about it and had to put it out of my head." AS SILLY AS IT SOUNDS, Chris Barnes was hoping his Round of 16 opponent, Chris Sand, would follow through and get the 300 game on which he was working in Game 2 Saturday. "A lot of times, there’s a little letdown afterward," said Barnes. Sand got what he wanted. Barnes didn’t. Sand’s perfect game evened the match, then he followed with 258 and 257 games to defeat Barnes, whose last two games were certainly competitive at 246 and 253. In a match-deciding game in New York earlier this season, Sand gave Barnes an opening, and Barnes threw his three best shots to eke out the win. In the final game of his opening match Friday here against Jess Stayrook, Barnes doubled in the ninth, then punched out in the 10th with three strikes to win, 217-203. "I’ve been able to win the close ones," said Barnes, "and that’s one of the reasons I’ve been so successful in match play. That’s also why I’m a little disappointed I wasn’t able to finish this one." WALTER RAY WILLIAMS JR. didn’t feel nearly as much like the visitor as one would imagine when he lost to hometown favorite Holman, 4-2, in the best-of-seven Round of 32 Friday. Williams lived in Oregon for two years, has family in the Sutherlin area and was the recipient of a fair amount of encouragement from the overflow, pro- Holman crowd. Williams had respect for his fellow Hall of Famer prior to the match and knew he shouldn’t take him lightly. "I knew that going in," said the second-winningest PBA player of all time, "but I still thought I had an advantage. It just didn’t work out." It was his second loss this year in the Round of 32, and both came against part-time pros. The other was to Wes Mallot, a regional player, in the second week of the season in Kansas City. THE CLASSIC Holman-Williams match represented a first for the PBA. The Web site crew videotaped the match for prosperity and plan to have it available on the site ( www.pba.com ) on Monday. Subscribers can purchase PBA Strike Pass for $5.95 per month and have webcast access to that match and Round of 16 and Round of Eight matches. It’s the first time Round of 32 action will have been offered. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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