After what occurred during the Liberty Vending league at Eastbury on Nov. 26, it’s hard to believe J.D. Jones when he says he’s been in a “slump” recently.
“Guys are probably sick and tired of me saying it,” the 27-year-old Massillon right-hander said, “but I’ve been upset with myself lately. I was struggling with carry and I didn’t have the best release going.”
That all changed in the past 10 days.
First, the RJ Floor Covering employee put up games of 276, 300 and 299 for an 875 series, nipping Justin McIlvain’s Eastbury record by one pin.
Then, the following Monday in the Tycor Roofing league also at Eastbury, Jones came back with games of 245, 279 and 278 for an 802 series.
We will have more on the latter series in another story. But this is all about a record performance with his new 900 Global Zen bowling ball fresh out of the box.
And it came with minimal practice shots and an early adjustment.
During practice in the Friday league, Jones had a breakdown on his pair of lanes along with a ball return problem. It resulted in just 2 1/2 minutes of practice time and exactly three warmup shots.
“I threw the three balls in practice really badly, and then I threw the first shot badly,” said Jones, who has 11 career 800 series and 13 300 games. “The next three shots were just OK enough to carry and then I finally figured it out.”
Jones opened with a 2-8 spare in the first frame before running strikes until his second ball in the 10th frame when he left a 2-8-10, getting one pin.
“I felt like I was rolling the ball kind of flat the first few shots, so I made sure I kept my hand better behind the ball and made sure I stayed up the back of it,” Jones said. “New ball magic I guess.”
Then came his 300 in Game 2 — and all the shots were less than flush pocket hits.
“I think I threw more light shots off the wall that game than flush ones,” Jones said. “But I was not going to move when it was working.”
Game 3 was more of the same as Jones ran off the first 11 before a 10-pin on his final shot denied him consecutive 300s.
“On that shot, I was shaking so badly I could barely hold on to the ball. I knew I needed the first one in the 10th for my new high series,” said Jones, who also bowls in the Northeast Ohio Traveling League.
“After I got the second one, you could have walked up on me and blew me over.
“It was close from what I can recall, but I was in a dream world. All I can remember is saying to myself, ‘Please hit the pocket.’ ”
McIlvain was among the players there to witness the feat. “That was an awkward handshake,” Jones said.
The Perry High School graduate still is processing exactly what he had done that night.
“It’s just incredible. You go up in the 10th frame and try to settle in, knowing that you are putting up a number you may never put up again,” Jones said. “The thrill is just incredible.”
And it didn’t end after that night. The next time out, Jones had another player — left-hander Jason Corrin — keeping up with him.
But that’s a story for another day.