Up Front


Did Rash vs. Belmonte settle anything? /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Bowling’s version of the cage match took place in January, with bitter


CLASH TITANS


Motown Throwdown


OF THE


Tour rivals Sean Rash and Jason Belmonte agreeing to battle head-to-head in three games on ESPN, much to the delight of bowling fans. The PBA Clash, taped following the Tournament of Champions in Allen


Park, Mich., served as a quick fix for the opening in the PBA’s ESPN schedule caused by the cancellation of the Chris Paul Celebrity Invitation. The feud be- tween Rash and Belmonte has smoldered for more than two years, and both saw the logic in the creation of such a match. “This is another way to think about bowling if we need to incorporate


more entertainment,” said Belmonte. “In this case, you had two people who don’t particularly like each other competing head-to-head.” The three-game format offered $2,000 to the winner of each game, and a $10,000 bonus to the three-game total pinfall winner. As if by design, Belmonte and Rash split the first two games (Belmonte winning the first, 258-238, and Rash the second, 258-241), with just three pins separating the pair going into the final game. The decider was close throughout, but four consecutive strikes from the frame gave Belmonte the win, 244-222, and the overall


seventh to the 10th


pin count, 743-718. “This is something we talked about doing for a while.,” said Rash. “I think


everybody saw a good show, and I hope the fans enjoyed it.” “It was different,” said Belmonte. “I think 90 minutes of just two bowlers is


too long, but I’d love to see more made-for-TV matches with guys I want to see bowl against each other. There needs to be something on the line during these matches. We can’t just bowl because we don’t like each other.”


/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ////////////////// March 2014 7


EVERYTHING BOWLING, ALL THE TIME


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