I found it very interesting, and some ways disturbing. The author has done a lot of other intriguing stuff on community, too.

For example, he’s found that Internet friends are not the same as real friends. They did brain scans of people interacting in person and over the intertubes, and different parts of the brain are activated. Apparently, our brains are still the stone age model. Social animals that we are, we need to be in the physical presence of others (or at least be able to see their faces).

So what’s your best bowling score? 184, I think.
Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? Nope.
Good bowling alley food and drink? Umm… I’m usually not there that long.
Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? Sure, it can be a good time.
Shoes: rent or buy? rent. I don’t bowl enough to buy them.
Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? It’s kind of a cool look. Nice to remember that baseball players are human every once in a while.

from the offseason.

Me, I’m a terrible bowler. I’m lucky to break 100. I have read parts of Bowling Alone for a sociology class once upon a time. And I absolutely love Skee Ball.

A brutal night for your RR rep..
Brutal
165
149
163

Brutal

The first scene has Jeff Bridges in a bowling alley. He also dumps piss on the ground, but if there’s a rug underneath him, it’s offscreen.

I know they’ve been out of the national limelight for some time now, but it’s conference tournament basketball for christ’s sake, and their season’s on the line.

That was just my lead-in to say Deonte Vaughn blows, and Mick Cronin is going to live and die with him.

    * So what’s your best bowling score? Probably somewhere around 150-175
    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? No
    * Good bowling alley food and drink? Drink – beer in pitchers and lots of it. Food, notsomuch.
    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? It’s fun because there’s a nice “break” in social interaction, which allows for adjustment.
    * Shoes: rent or buy? rent. No way I spend money on something I suck at.
    * Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? I’d like to know more about what makes the players tick. I love that BP is an avid bowler, it shows that he’s not obsessed with baseball (a good thing) while maintaining his competitive spirit.

Side note 1) My maternal grandfather was at one time a professional bowler. I got absolutely none of his talent.

Side note 2) I very recently hit the best clutch between-the-legs shot in history with obc and and Westie in attendance. I had really screwed the pooch the night before with the peach (surprise, I know), and made her a bet to wipe the slate clean if I could bowl a strike between my legs, right then right there. Upon throwing the ball, I walked away like Larry Bird(never looked back, finger in the air), and won the bet.

    * So what’s your best bowling score? I’m terrible. The last couple of times I went, my back started really aching about 6 frames in. I think I’m retired.
    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? I remember it being mentioned in class, but nah. I agree with Bubba and FVA, though. Human interaction kinda rocks.
    * Good bowling alley food and drink? Meh. Mediocre beer, I guess.
    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? Well, not for me because I’m a) competitive and b) aformentioned back injury. But even in general, I have to say no. I’m more of a people-watching sort (restaurant patios, museum/garden/park, public transportation). All the same, there’s a decent bar right close to my house that I’ve gone to more than I’d like that tends to have a good atmosphere.
    * Shoes: rent or buy? Chat up the person behind the counter and try and get ‘em for free. Otherwise try and get someone to rent them for me. I’m really weirded out by the idea of renting shoes.
    * Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? YES. I’m a sucker for human-interest stories. Tell me about bowling, kangaroo courts, and fishing, please.

The better one bowls, the closer one is to God at that moment in time.

Best game -278
Bowling alone – are not we all…ultimately
Good Lanes food and drink – A contradiction in terms
What is a ‘Date’?
I own
Hal’s Ok by me.

    * So what’s your best bowling score? (I used to be able to break 200 on a very good night. Long ago.) – Best is 197. But that score was an outlier.

    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? – nope

    * Good bowling alley food and drink? – Fried Cheese Sticks and Beer. Never tried the chocolate cake.

    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? – It’s decent as long as you aren’t trying to impress the date. If you suck it’s super embarrassing, but if you’re awesome you still suck because it’s bowling.

• Shoes: rent or buy? – Rent
      
• ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? – Kingpin is great and stars Woody, but Lebowski is top 10 all time and features the greatest movie character ever.

• Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? – We need more! How does Scott Rolen do at Lawn Darts?

Still,

So what’s your best bowling score?—Took a bowling class in college and broke 200 twice
Anybody ever read Bowling Alone?—No
Good bowling alley food and drink?—Bud Light and hot wings
Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony?—Good group date activity
Shoes: rent or buy?—renting is gross, but buying is lame, unless you’re Mads
‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’?—Never seen either (ok, let me have it)
Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount?—beats stories about offseason workout regimens

    * So what’s your best bowling score? 208 twice.. Once as a teen and once the last league I was in 7 or so years ago.
    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? Nope.
    * Good bowling alley food and drink? Grippos BBQ Chips, Miller Lite.
    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? Um.. Not really.
    * Shoes: rent or buy? Own. And two 16# balls (one was my dad’s the other my grandfather’s and I still use them..)
    * ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? Depends on my mood..
    * Do you want more of this sort of thing? Absolutely.

    * So what’s your best bowling score? Somewhere in the low 180’s
    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? Nope
    * Good bowling alley food and drink? Food – anything, Drink – beer
    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? It’s good as long as you win and the girl has a good time
    * Shoes: rent or buy? Rent
    * ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? Lebowski, and it isn’t close
    * Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? I’d like to see Hal take on Aroldis in horseshoes. First one to kill someone wins.

there was an old-school alley downtown above a pizza place. it only had 6 lanes and it didnt have any of those new-fangled computers to do the scoring for you. none of us were really any good, but that didnt stop us from cursing and smoking in public.

• So what’s your best bowling score? i think i got up into the 180s a few times. i rolled a 273 on my Wii though. and everyone knows that counts so much more.

• Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? no

• Good bowling alley food and drink? there was an alley back home that made the absolute worst pizza ive ever tasted. im still not sure if the crust was made of old shoe boxes. it was $10 bucks for like 4 feet though, so we would have contests. and i always prefer to drink a fountain coke at the alley.

• Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? never went on a bowling date

• Shoes: rent or buy? steal

• ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? it’s “Kingpin”, and Lebowski is better. though Lebowski isnt really a bowling movie like Kingpin is.

• Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? we’re getting the right amount. i like hearing about this kinda stuff, but frankly i’d rather hear more about baseball. we dont get as much of that as i’d like from our beat guys.

I might’ve broke 150 once, a while ago. I consider it a good game if I break 100.

I was in Japan on a work project once for several weeks, and for my going away party they took me bowling (Americans love to bowl, right?). Even for me I had terrible game. Didn’t quite reach 50. Everyone beat me. Even the secretaries. It was thoroughly embarrassing, and I got teased mercilessly in ways I could not completely understand. But I redeemed myself at karaoke!

• So what’s your best bowling score? 257, freshman year of college I bowled in a league @ Syracuse on Erie Ave
      * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? I try not to read for college courses, so why the Hell would I read during my free time? My time’s important, damnit!
      * Good bowling alley food and drink? I really try to never eat @ a bowling alley, unless I need that stomach sponge to sop up the liquid bread I love to pour down my throat, aka liquid courage or liquid skill
      * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? Depends on the company really. My wife, and my in-laws are competitive people by nature, so bowling is pretty much a dick measuring or pissing contest. Her step-dad sure can roll, man, and it pisses me off.
      * Shoes: rent or buy? I own. It’s how I live my life.
      * ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? Obviously you’re not a golfer
      * Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? Fluff pieces are not welcome by this reader during the season. Who am I kidding, I do not, and arguably cannot read.

Madison Bowl!!! I recommend for lunch, hmmm. Their burgers are very tasty.

All else bowling: I suck, and I didn’t like the carryover from Lebowski into Crazyheart

Some cats are OK, some are terrible. The same is true of dogs though. jch – I pretty much like your outlook on life.

As for bowling:
    * So what’s your best bowling score? 191
    * Anybody ever read Bowling Alone? no, haven’t heard of it even
    * Good bowling alley food and drink? I don’t want any food at the alley
    * Is bowling a good ‘date’ activity or is that just too much forced retro irony? It can be good, depending on your group. It has to be a group though, unless you both happen to be big-time into bowling, maybe.
    * Shoes: rent or buy? not gonna buy shoes when I bowl maybe 2-3 times a year, if that
    * ‘Kingpins’ or ‘The Big Lebowski’? Kingpin
    * Do you want more of this sort of thing Hal can bring us about our boys or are we getting about the right amount? I’d say the right amount. The last thing we need is for the sports arena to become an industry of over-saturation of personal and uninteresting content like it is with the celebrity industry. I rarely find the human interest angles very interesting, honestly.

Wait ’til next year.

high five

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WedMz9HYJgI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlBhmde_c2E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl82lxD1n9U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTrokfJ3njw&feature=related