Hornreich Story

[Billy Tops]

Hornreich Story

Lenny, You and Butch, and all the contributors of this sight really opened my eyes and probably the rest of the young audience's eyes about Richie Hornreich. I posted a question to Jim Dressel editor of the Bowlersjournal, as to why Richie Hornreich was not on the list of the greatest 100 bowlers of the century, even though The "Count" Guengler was listed as #25. This was Jim Dressels response: "Bowlers Journal International Discussion Board Re: To Editor JDressel - The Count what about The Horn Posted By: Jim Dressel

Wednesday, 8 December 1999, at 10:15 a.m.

Actually, I heard many stories about Richie Hornreich when I was living back in the east coast, and saw him bowl several times in the old Kegler Bowling Club scratch events when I was involved with that group. He was a helluva bowler, but you wonder how many of the stories are true or not. I do know he found it difficult on at least two occasions to get anyone to bowl him in some meaningful "action"...

Which brings me to the point of this post -- it's probably time we do a story on Richie, if he's willing. If anyone has any contact information, please send it along. In the meantime, this is also a story that could be told through several second party sources, like Roth, Berardi, et al. I don't know if we're going to get the chance to talk to Joey about this one (does anyone know where he is?), but certainly we can follow it up.

And as for why "The Horn" is not in our Top 100 and "The Count" is, let me just say that it may be just as simple as that fact that Gengler got the ink, while Hornreich didn't. Besides, mkano a mano matches were the order of the day in Gengler's day, while the PBA Tour grabbed most of the headlines in Hornreich's day... again, though, let's see what we can do about setting the record straight with a story in BJ... "

I really have no relationship with Richie, but I know you still do. Perhaps you can tell him that Jim Dressel would like to write an article about Richie. If he is the greatest action bowler of all time, he deserves to be recognized as that.

Lou Gaudio Jr...

[Louis Capasso]

1 st time i bowled richie he had just come back from vegas and haddent bowled in a few years. came to maple and challenged the house so me being a big shot bowl him. i lost that match before we ever threw a ball. and i was at that time twice the bowler he was. but he still won. he mentally beat me before the match. he taunted me in front of all the maple bowlers. luckily for me he gave me a rematch saturday afternoon. and i beat him 8 straight. that was the day we became friends. and he became the teacher and me the student. like joe s was to him. unfortunatly being a thick headed 18 yr old , i would forget my teachers lessons and end up bowling someone like behrbohm or burgland or kitter in an actyion rich bowling alley and never get an easy match in that house again. hornet was the best, when i was growing up i spent time at bay ridge and all the great stories were about hornet.
i was lucky i got to bowl around the real greats of the game. Petraglia, joe's, hornreich,roth, etc.

[old dog]

Lou, just for the fun of it why not write a list of all the great action bowlers you bowled and the ones you watched but never had a chance to go against.

Was there ever any big consistant action at Bay Ridge.

Were you there when Larry Hersh had the lunch counter concession at Bay Ridge and later at Park Circle. Joe S knows Larry well, he had the pro shop there at the time.

Larry Hersh

[Louis Capasso]

ok the best match i saw was the night rags and roth bowled cliff and jeff. but that was not the match that was good. the beeper spallone match was the fun match to watch. beeper would foul by 2 to 3 feet every shot and that really irked spallone, bobby was at the top of his game and beeper didnt belong on the lanes with him, but as usual the beeper got the edge with the fouling and that horrible beeping. anyway beeper is up i think 3 games on spallone and its the 10th frame and bobby needs a mark .leaves a ringing 10 pin. so he walks all the way down the lane and gets on his knees and makes the 10 pin from 5 feet. well this is about the craziest thing you ever saw beeper strats getting loud and whooooooo whoooo ing like a machine gun and spallone is arguing that a foul is a foul. 2 feet or 48 feet. anyhow that was the last game the beeper quit . that was the funniest match i ever saw.

[HarryBar]

Louis, that was really funny. I saw exactly the same thing in Central with Iggy Russo.

I posted it about a year ago somewhere on this site.

Some kid was bowling Iggy and fouling by a full step. The big money game was down to Iggy needing a mark. He left a solid ten and took his ball all the way down the lane, laid down in front of the pin and knocked it over. then he came back took the money and in his best falsetto said "you foul, I foul." Nobody said a word.

It was the funniest thing I ever saw.

[SENIOR CITIZEN]

There was good action at Bay Ridge lanes in the early seventies Friday nights after 12-Hornreich, Petraglia, Roth, etc etc etc

[Louis Capasso]

hers my list
bowlers i bowled
the horn,kitter,burgland,dirt,keith,doran,snake,perry,
roy garcea,the ferraro brothers,doc iondoli,larry starr,tony attenasio,joe albanese,frank longo,buffalo
bowlers i didnt bowl but would have liked to
johnny meyers,lemon,ira katz,jimmy mack,ditolla,sliker,petraglia,roth,george pappas,wrw.

[SENIOR CITIZEN]

You would have only wanted to bowl Lemon if you were way ahead for the night and taking a shot. He would have destroyed you.

[csand1]

Guys - I was hoping you might all help me out. My dad, Dick Sand, was a junior bowler at Green Acres Lanes in Valley Stream. He tells me that in 1960 he lost the LI junior match championship to Richie Hornreich, at Argo Lanes, in Largo. I just want to know if any of you have heard of these guys: Dick Sand, Duke Longatano, Ricky Hurst, Joe Chizmadia, Jimmie Ruccione, or Richie Del Nunzio. According to story, these guys finished 3rd in the NJBC National Tourney, and turned down the World's, because they were playing for money at the time. I am facinated by the history on this site, and I'm hoping to receive any sort of feedback about this great time in bowling history. As an afterthought, Dad says he looked up to guys like Lemon, Sis, and Graz. He says they were the best guys you could find. Thanks, and my e-mail is posted.