Post by Zoo Master on Jan 15, 2007 2:25:10 GMT -5
Without question, one of the coolest performers that I ever saw was a player from New York who bowled in the 60's and 70's, Mike Lemongello. He must have had "Ice water in his veins". It is no wonder that he is in the PBA Hall Of Fame. He was a great bowler and one of the true characters in the history of all sports.
We were at the old Showboat in Las Vegas in the early '70's and the PBA Tournament Director, Mr. Harry Golden, came to me before the practice session (on Sunday, as this was a long format) and asked me if I could go to the airport to pick Mike up. I knew Mike, and I said, "Sure". I arrived at the airport and there he was standing at the curb. All he had was a small, vinyl, carry-on clothes bag over his shoulder. I said, "Where is all your stuff?" He said, "This is it, I like to travel light." I assumed that he had transported his bowling equipment and his other luggage on the Tour truck with Larry Lichstein, who at the time was the PBA Player Services Director.
On the ride back to the Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center, Mike asked me to stop at Sears so he could pick something up. We went in and he asked a clerk where the men's clothing was. He then proceeded to buy: seven tee-shirts, seven pairs of socks and seven sets of underwear. When we got to the hotel lobby, he stood in line and attempted to check-in. They said they were sorry, but they were sold out. He hadn't bothered to make a reservation. He asked me if I had a roommate and I said no. He said, "OK, I'll room with you." I said, "OK." We went to my room and he unpacked his stuff (a few pair of pants, a few nice shirts, two pair of dress shoes and his shaving kit) along with the new stuff that he had just bought at Sears.
I told him that practice session was getting ready to start and he should go to the truck to get his equipment. He told me that he didn't have any bowling balls on the truck, that he would just use somebody else's. I thought that he was joking. We went down to the bowling center and I took my usual seat in the stands to watch ball reaction, which was part of my job as laneman. I noticed him wandering up and down in the settee areas, talking to a lot of the guys. This was the first tournament of the year that Mike was bowling (he had passed up the 1st 2-stops on the West Coast) and he was renewing old acquaintances. As he was talking with all of his old friends, I saw him continually picking-up their bowling balls and putting his hand in them. He was (as I found out later), going to use someone else's ball. One that "they" were not going to use, and one that felt half way decent to Mike.
Unbelievable.
In the past, I had heard a lot of stories about him, and now I was witnessing some of them first-hand. I knew right then that I was in for a real experience, but what I was about to witness was one of the most memorable weeks of my entire life. I have known and hung around with lot of characters in my day, but he is perhaps the most unforgettable one that I have ever met.
After the practice session was over (by the way, he didn't practice), I went up to the room to get some sleep. About 2-hours later, Mike came back to the room with one of his New York buddies, Jimmy McHugh. Jimmy was a brash, young PBA player with a reputation as an "action" bowler; one who would bowl anybody, for any amount of money, at any time. I was trying to sleep because I had been up all night doing the lanes. I didn't know Jimmy, but had watched him bowl a little on the Tour. In his N.Y. accent, he asked me if I wanted to play Gin Rummy. Before I could answer, Mike told him to leave me alone because I was a nice guy. Jimmy just looked down and never said another word, as if Al Capone had told him to shut up. They left to go down to the Casino to play "craps". I went back to sleep.
I got up around 10:00pm., had dinner and fooled around with the quarter slots for a while. At about 1:00am., I went into the bowl (which adjoins the Casino) to make sure that everything was ready for my nightly chores. The Pro-Am was finishing up and I overheard some guys talking about what had happened earlier that night at the dice table. They went into detail about how some PBA bowler was winning all kinds of money. I had to know who it was, but, they didn't know his name. They did say that the "guy" was very calm and never smiled or frowned the entire time he was rolling the dice. At that point, I just knew that it had to be Mike.
I went into the Casino to snoop around and heard a lot of noise at the main crap table. It was the only table in operation and it was packed with participants. I walked over closer to get a better look, and sure enough, Mike & Jimmy were still in the crap game. Jimmy looked a little bedraggled, but Mike still looked as fresh he did when I picked him up at the airport yesterday. I watched until 3:00am, and then went to work on the lanes.
I finished at 8:00am and waited for A-Squad to start. After watching the first two or three games, I wanted to go back to the room to get cleaned up. On my way to the room, I had to go through the Casino. You guessed it….they were still rolling the dice. They were now there for about 17-hours. I caught Mike's eye and motioned for him to let me know how he was doing by putting my thumb "up" and "down" in one motion. He waved his hand with the palm "up" and then the palm "down", meaning: "so-so". I watched for about an hour. On almost every roll, every player would yell and holler. Every player that is, except for Mike. Nothing fazed him. I left and went to the room to shower and get cleaned up. When I went back down to see how A-Squad was wrapping-up, I once again had to pass through the Casino. They were still there. Jimmy was just about out on his feet. Mike looked as though he had just stepped out of GQ magazine. Not a hair out of place.
Amazing.
This guy was something else.
I reminded him that he was on B-Squad and he had to bowl in about an hour. He thanked me and said he would be there. I said, "What about sleep?" He said, "Oh, I'm ok, I got a couple of hours on the plane."
At the completion of bowling that day, with 360-bowlers in the field, Mike was in 5th place.
At the completion of his round, he left immediately for The Fremont Hotel to play cards.
He was too much.
end of part 1
We were at the old Showboat in Las Vegas in the early '70's and the PBA Tournament Director, Mr. Harry Golden, came to me before the practice session (on Sunday, as this was a long format) and asked me if I could go to the airport to pick Mike up. I knew Mike, and I said, "Sure". I arrived at the airport and there he was standing at the curb. All he had was a small, vinyl, carry-on clothes bag over his shoulder. I said, "Where is all your stuff?" He said, "This is it, I like to travel light." I assumed that he had transported his bowling equipment and his other luggage on the Tour truck with Larry Lichstein, who at the time was the PBA Player Services Director.
On the ride back to the Showboat Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center, Mike asked me to stop at Sears so he could pick something up. We went in and he asked a clerk where the men's clothing was. He then proceeded to buy: seven tee-shirts, seven pairs of socks and seven sets of underwear. When we got to the hotel lobby, he stood in line and attempted to check-in. They said they were sorry, but they were sold out. He hadn't bothered to make a reservation. He asked me if I had a roommate and I said no. He said, "OK, I'll room with you." I said, "OK." We went to my room and he unpacked his stuff (a few pair of pants, a few nice shirts, two pair of dress shoes and his shaving kit) along with the new stuff that he had just bought at Sears.
I told him that practice session was getting ready to start and he should go to the truck to get his equipment. He told me that he didn't have any bowling balls on the truck, that he would just use somebody else's. I thought that he was joking. We went down to the bowling center and I took my usual seat in the stands to watch ball reaction, which was part of my job as laneman. I noticed him wandering up and down in the settee areas, talking to a lot of the guys. This was the first tournament of the year that Mike was bowling (he had passed up the 1st 2-stops on the West Coast) and he was renewing old acquaintances. As he was talking with all of his old friends, I saw him continually picking-up their bowling balls and putting his hand in them. He was (as I found out later), going to use someone else's ball. One that "they" were not going to use, and one that felt half way decent to Mike.
Unbelievable.
In the past, I had heard a lot of stories about him, and now I was witnessing some of them first-hand. I knew right then that I was in for a real experience, but what I was about to witness was one of the most memorable weeks of my entire life. I have known and hung around with lot of characters in my day, but he is perhaps the most unforgettable one that I have ever met.
After the practice session was over (by the way, he didn't practice), I went up to the room to get some sleep. About 2-hours later, Mike came back to the room with one of his New York buddies, Jimmy McHugh. Jimmy was a brash, young PBA player with a reputation as an "action" bowler; one who would bowl anybody, for any amount of money, at any time. I was trying to sleep because I had been up all night doing the lanes. I didn't know Jimmy, but had watched him bowl a little on the Tour. In his N.Y. accent, he asked me if I wanted to play Gin Rummy. Before I could answer, Mike told him to leave me alone because I was a nice guy. Jimmy just looked down and never said another word, as if Al Capone had told him to shut up. They left to go down to the Casino to play "craps". I went back to sleep.
I got up around 10:00pm., had dinner and fooled around with the quarter slots for a while. At about 1:00am., I went into the bowl (which adjoins the Casino) to make sure that everything was ready for my nightly chores. The Pro-Am was finishing up and I overheard some guys talking about what had happened earlier that night at the dice table. They went into detail about how some PBA bowler was winning all kinds of money. I had to know who it was, but, they didn't know his name. They did say that the "guy" was very calm and never smiled or frowned the entire time he was rolling the dice. At that point, I just knew that it had to be Mike.
I went into the Casino to snoop around and heard a lot of noise at the main crap table. It was the only table in operation and it was packed with participants. I walked over closer to get a better look, and sure enough, Mike & Jimmy were still in the crap game. Jimmy looked a little bedraggled, but Mike still looked as fresh he did when I picked him up at the airport yesterday. I watched until 3:00am, and then went to work on the lanes.
I finished at 8:00am and waited for A-Squad to start. After watching the first two or three games, I wanted to go back to the room to get cleaned up. On my way to the room, I had to go through the Casino. You guessed it….they were still rolling the dice. They were now there for about 17-hours. I caught Mike's eye and motioned for him to let me know how he was doing by putting my thumb "up" and "down" in one motion. He waved his hand with the palm "up" and then the palm "down", meaning: "so-so". I watched for about an hour. On almost every roll, every player would yell and holler. Every player that is, except for Mike. Nothing fazed him. I left and went to the room to shower and get cleaned up. When I went back down to see how A-Squad was wrapping-up, I once again had to pass through the Casino. They were still there. Jimmy was just about out on his feet. Mike looked as though he had just stepped out of GQ magazine. Not a hair out of place.
Amazing.
This guy was something else.
I reminded him that he was on B-Squad and he had to bowl in about an hour. He thanked me and said he would be there. I said, "What about sleep?" He said, "Oh, I'm ok, I got a couple of hours on the plane."
At the completion of bowling that day, with 360-bowlers in the field, Mike was in 5th place.
At the completion of his round, he left immediately for The Fremont Hotel to play cards.
He was too much.
end of part 1
