Bowlers Journal At 100 THE DEPRESSION AND PET PROJECTS
Luby also used his exposé on the BJ tournament to boost some of his other agendas.
“Perhaps the national publicity which has been attached to the exposé of the ‘BJ’ tourney will help to protect other prize lists from fraudulent acts,” he wrote in an editorial in the June 1947 issue. “It is surely a strong argument for the American Bowling Congress’ suggestion of sanctioning for all tournaments and sweepstakes. Such a sanction would make unethical tournament managers think twice before attempting to embezzle prize money.”
Spread the Word: For many years, a regularly updated Bowlers Journal Championships scoreboard was a com- mon sight at the ABC Tournament venue. Through the decades, the tournament’s divisions and format have been updat- ed several times in order to remain at- tractive to potential entrants.
scores? And why hadn’t he ever heard of them?
Joe reported his suspicions to Luby, and the plot soon was uncovered. Rather than attempt to cover up the malfeasance in his tournament, Luby
put the story on the Associated Press and United Press national wires. And he disclosed every detail of Stein’s
attempted deception in Bowlers Journal. His courage in reporting the attempted theft was rewarded in
many ways. His fellow bowling writers gave him a special award. And the fi rst tournament proved to be a mighty success, drawing 1,700 entries and paying out $24,270 in prizes, remarkable numbers for those days.
The ABC eventually suspended Stein. Many years later, after he fi nally was reinstated, Stein walked into the ABC pressroom, introduced himself to me and said, “Someday, I’m going to tell you what really happened at Sunset Bowl.” Joe Norris happened to overhear the exchange. “Forget it,” he said. “That guy was guilty as sin.”
Sixty-odd years later, the BJ
tournament was still going strong. Although the format and management were altered over the years (it’s now managed by the United States Bowling Congress), it remains one of the country’s largest and most prestigious tournaments.