Hay Days Of Action

[butch]

The late fifties and sixties were the hay days of action bowling in the metropolitan area.

The large new bowling establishments came to New York for the first time; bowling became much more popular than ever before. This was prior to, and including, the early days of the PBA, (Professional Bowlers Association) when the prize money was really low. Most of the really good area bowlers, were action bowlers, even the ones that joined the PBA.

Many of the bowling centers were opened 24 hours a day, most of them had house bowlers that would take on the outside hustlers who traveled around looking for easy marks. Many of the better bowlers became legends in the N.Y. area. Men like Iggy Russo, Richie Hornreight, Joe Santini, Ernie Schlegel, Burt Goodman, Johnny Petraglia, Mark Roth, Freddie the Ox, Mike Lemongello, Fats & Deacon, Mac & Stoop, Sis Montevani, Johnny Myers, Buffalo and Lenny Dwoskin, just to mention a few.

You could walk into many bowling establishments any night of the week after midnight, the place would be packed with bowlers and their backers from all over the tri State area looking for the same thing! ACTION. A few hundred people might be there, bookies, shy locks, lawyers, business men, street people, all for the same reason, to watch and bet on some of the greatest bowlers in the world competing against each other, what a sight, occasionally every pair in the house would have a match game going at around 3 am or so, any and every night of the week, it was like action heaven.

Like sport teams, and horses, the action bowlers had very loyal followings. There were also the backers, many of which had their own stable of bowlers, they would arrange matches and give their bowler a percentage of the winnings, if there were any. They also backed a lot of guys on the PBA tour, and took a piece of the pie. New York bowlers were known through out the country as action bowlers.

This whole scene started to die out in the late seventies, a lot of the bowling alleys were closing down, the ones that remained open started shutting the doors after the leagues ended for the night, the 24 hr day no longer existed. We'll probably never see these type of bowlers and action again.

They were a very unique breed in a very unique time....butch.

[butch]

A Few Entries From My Guest Book
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Visitor's Name: ac
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: tommy triple/bruce pastor
Favorite Action House: falcaros
Favorite Character: vic borrielo/chunka
Best Action Bowler
Best Doubles Team
Favorite Doubles Team gibby/geo the greek
Favorite Tournament
Favorite Classic League tues falcaros
Best Backers daly
Biggest Money Backers daly
Favorite Pro Shop conig
Favorite Snack Counter falcaros mike the greek
Your Age 38
City & State inwood
Comments:





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Visitor's Name: JEFF BUTLER
Email Address:
Favorite Action Bowler: JAY CRUZ
Favorite Action House: GARDEN STATE
Favorite Character: MORCILIO
Best Action Bowler JAY CRUZ
Best Doubles Team ME AND JAY CRUZ
Favorite Doubles Team ME AND JAY CRUZ
Favorite Tournament ALL VEGAS TOURNAMENTS
Favorite Classic League NONE
Best Backers ME
Biggest Money Backers ME
Favorite Pro Shop LANCE'S
Favorite Snack Counter RICKY'S SNACK BAR
Your Age 20
City & State NEW JERSEY
Comments: MIKE FAGAN IS THE BEST





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Visitor's Name: The G . O. A. T.
Email Address:
Favorite Action Bowler: peter brig
Favorite Action House: roosevelt back then
Favorite Character: ricky applewhite
Best Action Bowler me
Best Doubles Team me and my partner
Favorite Doubles Team ME AND C
Favorite Tournament high roller
Favorite Classic League ?
Best Backers ?
Biggest Money Backers ricky
Favorite Pro Shop lonce
Favorite Snack Counter ricky's
Your Age ?
City & State nj
Comments:





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Visitor's Name: Stevie Wonder
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: Ernie Schlegel
Favorite Action House: Central & Gun Post
Favorite Character: Iggy Russo
Best Action Bowler Ernie and Lemon tied
Best Doubles Team Ernie & Lemon
Favorite Doubles Team Ralph Engan & Hank Burrows
Favorite Tournament Landgraf
Favorite Classic League Paramus Classic on Monday Nites
Best Backers Too many to list
Biggest Money Backers Daly
Favorite Pro Shop Mine in Upper Manhattan
Favorite Snack Counter Gun Post
Your Age 62
City & State New Jersey
Comments: What a time it was. Action every night. Characters were hilarious. Tough conditions and still high scores for the money. Keep the site going, it's great to read the memories.





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Visitor's Name: Mike
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: Ernie
Favorite Action House: Central
Favorite Character: Psycho Dave
Best Action Bowler Ernie
Best Doubles Team same
Favorite Doubles Team Ernie and Joel Myers
Favorite Tournament
Favorite Classic League Paramus
Best Backers
Biggest Money Backers Davie may
Favorite Pro Shop Naclerios
Favorite Snack Counter University Lanes
Your Age to old
City & State Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Comments: Does anyone remember Frank Medici, Eddie Sico, and the crew from tremont





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Visitor's Name: lenny
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: snake horn lemon iggy ernie
Favorite Action House: seaview sid gordons av m
Favorite Character: snake
Best Action Bowler at 98% plus me
Best Doubles Team lemon horn
Favorite Doubles Team me and anyone
Favorite Tournament landgraf
Favorite Classic League paramus
Best Backers see above
Biggest Money Backers daley maxie
Favorite Pro Shop joe s
Favorite Snack Counter maple
Your Age 62
City & State ft laud fl
Comments: the action i have now is the reason you havn't heard from me in over 2 years . i just came up for air hot stacked latin wife 45





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Visitor's Name: Louis Capasso
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: Hornreich and Me
Favorite Action House: maple
Favorite Character: snake
Best Action Bowler there were alot of great bowlers
Best Doubles Team
Favorite Doubles Team joe c and myself
Favorite Tournament landgraf
Favorite Classic League thurs at maple
Best Backers hornreich and my father always backed me
Biggest Money Backers daley
Favorite Pro Shop joe s and bob simonelli
Favorite Snack Counter maple
Your Age 43
City & State
Comments: the game today is not the same. 8 years ago i bowled for 1 year not bowling for about6 years i joined a league and averaged over 231 bowling once a week with 5 300 games in the one year. I have 1 pba title and bowled on tour for about 4 years [1977-1980]and avg about 208 then. bowling every day of my life. i understand equiptment is better and so on and so on. so anyway all you 220 bowlers today probobly would avg about 170 in the old days. I am not saying you cant bowl or anything but in the 60's thru the early 80's the game was much tougher than it is today. and most of the guys today couldnt beat the old timers. Thats my opinion for anyone who remembers me please e mail me i truly miss the sport





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Visitor's Name: Vinnie
Email Address:
Favorite Action Bowler: Joe Zarra(not that I thought he was good) but a good story
Favorite Action House: Belleclaire Lanes in New Jersey
Favorite Character: Anthony DeVingo
Best Action Bowler
Best Doubles Team
Favorite Doubles Team
Favorite Tournament
Favorite Classic League
Best Backers
Biggest Money Backers
Favorite Pro Shop
Favorite Snack Counter
Your Age 43
City & State
Comments: When Joe used to bowl action, Anthony used to spit water on the approach,the opponent unaware. that gave Joe Zarra the edge





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Visitor's Name: John Duggan
Email Address: [e-mail]
Favorite Action Bowler: Ira Katz
Favorite Action House: Falcaro's
Favorite Character: Al Pinola
Best Action Bowler Kidder
Best Doubles Team
Favorite Doubles Team
Favorite Tournament
Favorite Classic League
Best Backers
Biggest Money Backers
Favorite Pro Shop
Favorite Snack Counter Falcaro's
Your Age 46
City & State Belle Harbor, N.Y.
Comments:





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Visitor's Name: Mr. P
Email Address:
Favorite Action Bowler: Ira Katz
Favorite Action House: Woodmere
Favorite Character: Joe Stillman
Best Action Bowler ira katz
Best Doubles Team kidder and katz
Favorite Doubles Team me and sean white, the heaviest team in the world
Favorite Tournament verapappa
Favorite Classic League i hear good stories about paramous
Best Backers
Biggest Money Backers who gives a f*ck, if they got money ill take it
Favorite Pro Shop pappys pro shop at garden city
Favorite Snack Counter anytwhere i get free food
Your Age 19
City & State South Ozone Park, ny. and the five towns
Comments: who else hates garro the fat mechanic from garden city who works for amf and thinks he owns every bowling alley on long island.