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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, February 26, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental 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 Email Story to a Friend January 17, 2004 Commentary PBA star Angelo isn’t typecast by TV blooper By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune What you saw from Brad Angelo really isn’t what you get. What you saw, if you were watching the first Professional Bowlers Association tournament of the season, was last year’s rookie of the year in the glitz of his first show, letting loose a sigh under his breath, followed by what should have been the quietest of expletives, after his first ball knifed through the nose of the rack. Advertisement Unfortunately, there was something else under his breath — a live microphone clipped to his collar. No one in the Council Bluffs, Iowa, bowling center knew what happened, but hundreds of thousands of ESPN viewers did. Some, notably his mother, didn’t care for his choice of expression. Others have told him, hey, it happens, it’s live sports. The irony is that the one incident that distinguishes him presents an image contrary to the everyday Angelo. The everyday Angelo is mindful of the importance of fans and goes to great lengths not to alienate them. He’s courteous, respectful, genuine. He’s not trying to score points, he insists, in an interview, but he takes very seriously his role as a representative of the PBA. He has expectations of himself, but some, sadly, seem out of place in the fabric of professional sports. "One of the goals I set for myself," says the 34-year-old father of two, who advanced to match play Friday in the Medford Open at Lava Lanes, "is to have one fan come up to me at each tournament and say, ‘Thank you for the job you’re doing,’ or ‘Thank you for bowling in the pro-am with us,’ or ‘Thank you for spending time with my son or daughter,’ or ‘Thank you for being good for the PBA.’ "Those are some of the expectations I have. If our sport is going to make it, ultimately, it comes down to the fans." He often pleads with fans to turn on their TVs during the weekly Sunday telecasts, pleads with them to tell their friends. The more who watch, the happier the sponsors are, the more the bowlers can, well, bowl. It’s the circle of life, his life. "I take it very seriously," says Angelo. Media interviews, too, in which the demands he places on himself — be as candid, as human, as professional as possible — certainly aren’t universal but are clearly important to him. So, disregard that blip in Iowa, where his mic broke moments after the incident and left him silent the rest of the telecast. That wasn’t the only thing that went wrong. On the biggest stage of his bowling life, he admits to being overwhelmed by the Gatling-gun pace of the show and lost to Mike Machuga, 217-181, in his lone match. Angelo, who for 13 years made a living as a "professional amateur" competing in High Roller events, joined the PBA a couple of years after many of his contemporaries and only after new ownership steered the sport in a progressive direction. He knew he had much to learn but also that he could compete. With consistent, methodical play, he proved it last season by finishing 13th in points and earning $52,597 in 19 events. Angelo’s goal his first year was to make the TV finals once each half of the season. He was shut out, so he kept the goal this season and, presto, the spotlight found him in Iowa. "Nothing in my whole bowling experience could have ever prepared me for that setting, that electricity," he says. "Will I be more comfortable the next time? Yes. Will I be nervous? Yes. But to tell you the truth, I really thought I would handle it better than I did." It was all new, the 25-second clock to get off a shot, the announcers, the stands lining the lanes, the lights that did funny things to the lane oil. He snaps his fingers repeatedly to simulate the rapidity of how it all happened, how his 20- to 25-minute match felt like a five-minute blur. What baseball kid hasn’t imagined the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, World Series on the line, then delivering the heroic blast? Angelo’s scene was different but the same: the highest level of his sport at the most crucial of moments. "It’s what I’d been dreaming of since I was 4," he says. "To be in that moment, it was a lot easier said than done to keep your emotions in check. If and when I make my next show, hopefully sooner rather than later, I’ll know a little more what to expect." However, he won’t think about it until it happens. Angelo, who is from Lockport, N.Y., works very hard at not looking ahead. He doesn’t try to bowl a 220 game in the third frame, an approach instilled by his traveling roommate, veteran Hall of Famer Tom Baker. "I’m really trying hard not to get ahead of myself," says Angelo. "It’s really a difficult thing to stay focused, keep everything in order and stay on top of things." So far, it’s gone as planned here. Survive qualifying, get to match play. Angelo put together games of 246, 259, 257 and 220 to start the nine-game qualifying set Friday morning. He ended up in 10th place. When the top 32 paired off for match play that evening, Angelo defeated Tom Daugherty, 4-3. A couple more like that, and he’ll be back under the lights. "I would have thought I would have made more shows by now," Angelo admits. "It just hasn’t worked out." When it happens, fans are likely to see another side of him. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times