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by Randy OoneyMy Nickel’s Worth by Randy Ooney
Rules
It seems as though every sport on the planet has some set of rules. We bowlers are fortunate that our rule book is fairly simple. Do not use a ball that weighs more than 16 pounds; make sure top weight and side weight conforms, and stay behind the foul line. There may be an official somewhere near the lanes but he or she is seldom seen. The NFL and NHL have officials in zebra shirts to enforce the rules of the game. A violation could result in a penalty that maybe could hurt the team and possibly change the outcome of the game. Major league baseball has its men in blue, and backs them up with a video room somewhere in case one of the umpires makes a mistake. I am sure that Billy Martin, Earl Weaver, Leo Durocher, and a few other overly sensitive managers would not adapt to not being able to have an occasional verbal exchange with the men in blue.
Now turn the page to the United States Golf Association. These buffoons penalized Dustin Johnson last year for grounding his club in what looked like an unpaved cart path. Then they nicked him again at the 2016 US Open in Oakmont, claiming he moved the ball with his club. My gosh, Dustin called an official over and got a ruling, Fox showed a video about a hundred times, but the USGA decided on a delayed penalty anyway. Now we go to California for the Women’s US Open where Brittany Lang and Anna Nordqvist were tied in a three hole playoff. On the second playoff hole, Anna was in a bunker and a video showed that she accidently dislodged three grains of sand with her wedge. Along came the USGA and penalized her two strokes. The rub here is that they informed her of the penalty AFTER she hit her third shot on the third playoff hole, then they informed Brittany of the ruling BEFORE she hit her third shot. There is a lot of money and strategy involved in the game, but I suppose players are too timid or afraid of retribution to hire a lawyer and sue the pants off the USGA. By the way, in the same tournament last weekend, Lydia Ko hit a shot into a hazard on number 9 and the players wasted five minutes looking for the ball. The USGA then put the last group on the clock which seemed to affect the play of all three women when only one caused the delay. Someone give the USGA officials a golf towel to wipe the egg off their faces.
Next week is the PBA50 tournament at Treasure Island. I am happy to be a spectator. Hope to see you there.
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