Around Dublin: Pro bowling tour a coup for Dublin
F YOU DRIFT too far to your right on the approach, miss your mark by a few boards and don’t have enough action on the ball, you’ll have to hope to crossover for a Brooklyn and hope you aren’t left with a lily or a sleeper.
If you understood any of that, then you’re likely a bowler or a fan of bowling. (Check out www.pba.com for the lingo, if you’re interested). At last check, U.S. sporting goods manufacturers said bowling is the No. 1 participation sport in America with 58 million people taking part.
Why, you might ask, am I spending so much time talking about bowling? The answer can be found Jan. 12-17 in Dublin at the Earl Anthony Memorial Tournament at Earl Anthony Bowl — the first stop on the 2010 Professional Bowlers Association (men’s and women’s) tour.
A lot of intense behind-the-scenes lobbying has taken place of the past couple few years to return the PBA tour to Dublin for the first time in 18 years. Our not-so-little town has changed a heck of a lot since 1992. And city officials are grateful for the extra financial boost the tour will bring to the city, as well as the television attention to be garnered on ESPN on Jan. 17 for the tournament finals.
Spectator passes are available for purchase online at the PBA Web site, or at Earl Anthony Bowl, 6750 Regional St. A portion of each entry fee for the Pro-Am events, which take place Jan. 16, will go to the Earl Anthony Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Championship Football at Dublin High: Speaking of looking good on television, Dublin High’s excellent football stadium looked very good on TV recently for the Division I North Coast championship game between perennial power De La Salle and Pittsburg high schools. De La Salle easily overpowered Pittsburg 49-14 en route to a state championship.
The evening before, Marin Catholic won the Division III championship over Encinal.
Congratulations to the Dublin High athletic department and especially the Dublin High Athletic Boosters for all of the hard work, despite the rainy weather, to provide an excellent game experience for both the teams and the fans.
Now, if we can just get our Gaels into the playoffs next year “…
Dublin Farmers Market: A proposal has been floated by the City Council to create a Dublin farmers market, similar to those offered in neighboring towns.
It’s reportedly still in the exploratory stages, but it’s far-enough along to warrant asking citizens to complete an online survey. You can find it on the city Web site, www.ci.dublin.ca.us.
Happy New Year: I’ve heard from a number of fellow Dubliners who are very happy 2009 is over. To be honest, I’m one of them.
It’s been an incredibly difficult — unprecedented, really — year from an economic perspective. Who could have predicted the extent of the financial/banking meltdown and the subsequent government bailout? That our state government would be forced to make drastic cuts that have been so painfully felt in every town across our Golden State, including Dublin?
Of course, not everything is dark and gloomy. At the risk of sounding a bit Pollyannaish, there are always silver linings to be found among even the darkest of clouds if you look hard enough — and if you have an adequate supply of Mylanta and Tums.
I’ve written about a number of positive developments taking place in our city in 2009, and those are the thoughts I’m going to try my best to take with me into the new year.
