CANTON — Gary Brobson had picked up a new Columbia Cuda bowling ball on Thursday and was anxious to give it a try Friday.
“It was the first ball that Frank (Testa) had drilled for me since Vince (Yoder) wasn’t doing it anymore,” the 63-year-old North Canton left-hander said. “I thew it in practice on Friday and it was overreacting. And when I moved in, it wouldn’t react.”
So while bowling in the Liberty Vending league at Eastbury Bowling Center, Brobson went back to throwing his Storm Absolute, the ball he had been using. He threw his 75th 300 game in Game 1 en route to a 792 series.
Then came the following Tuesday in the Las Vegas Mixed Trio league also at Eastbury. As it happened, Brobson was on the same pair he had been on the previous Friday — Lanes 9 and 10.
“I started with the Absolute in practice and Matt Frock told me it didn’t look like it was going to work,” Brobson said. “He suggested I pull out the Cuda — and watch out.”
Brobson left a 4-7 spare on his first shot of Game 1 and then ran off 18 strikes in a row before leaving a solid 9-pin in the eighth of Game 2 en route to an 815 series on games of 290, 279 and 246. It marked his 24th career 800 and second in two years after taking nearly a year off due to elbow surgery.
“The previous week, it was just hooking way too much,” said Brobson, a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier. “That Tuesday, I decided pull it out and go for it. And it was wow.”
His first shot of Game 1 was admittedly an “ugly shot.”
“I almost threw it in the gutter,” Brobson said. “But it hung on the edge, came in and left the 4-7 and I picked it up. Then came the run.
“If it wasn’t for that solid 9, I would have shot 290-300.”
In his final game, Brobson threw another poor shot in the second frame, leaving a 6-pin. After the spare, he ran strikes until the ninth frame when he threw “another bad shot” and left a 6-8 split. He got one pin and struck out in the 10th for the 800.
“I really only missed four times all night,” said Brobson, who has a career high of 846. “I had to bump one-and-one left a little bit just to deal with the carry down. I was standing around 23 (board), and sending it 11 to about eight all night.”
Brobson was forced to take nearly a year off after dealing with a tendon tear and ulnar nerve problem that required surgery. But he returned with a vengeance last season with an 800 at Eastbury and a 300 game during the Inter-City Tournament.
Brobson was thnking about passing his career high until the shot in the ninth frame.
“Sitting there, I figured if I struck I could probably pass 850 or something. It would have been nice getting up in the 10th frame knowing the 800 was already set,” Brobson added. “Then I throw that ugly shot. Frock told me to ‘quit thinking about it.’ And I struck out in the 10th.”
The big difference for Brobson is “I don’t have any more pain.”
“I don’t know what to say about Dr. (Michael) Lykins,” am emotional Brobson added. “I can’t thank him enough. When I first came back Vince watched me and just told me I was throwing it OK, but quit throwing it like a (girl) and let it loose. There was no pain and no numbness.”
When he got up in the 10th frame, he waited on Branden Ball, who also was going for 300. Ball finished with 299.
“All of a sudden, I need this mark for 800,” Brobson said. “It still means a lot to put three games together, even though I had to mark. It means even more that I had to execute the shots to get it.”