By BILL SNIER
FAIRLAWN — It’s been a long two months for two-time PBA50 Player of the Year John Janawicz.
While competing in the Ballard Championship during the PBA50 World Series of Bowling in early May, the 53-year-old Winter Haven, Fla., right-hander suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand. An MRI showed no damage, but fluid had accumulated between two joints in one of the fingers.
A hand specialist recommended six to eight weeks to let the problem heal on its own. Janawicz went to the short side, bowling in the USBC Open Championships earlier this month to test out the finger.
But that came after the 10-time PBA50 champion experimented with different pitches and spans to take some of the pressure off the injured finger. He ultimately decided on a pitch change to both fingers in about 50 pieces of his equipment.
Sunday became the true test as he returned to bowl the seven-game first round of the PBA50 Akron Classic at AMF Riviera Lanes. After opening with 200 in Game 1, he did not have a game under 230 the remainder of the day, with a high of 277, to take the first-round qualifying lead in the 112-player field.
“It felt great to be back. I definitely missed being out here and being competitive,” Janawicz told pba.com after finishing with 1,700 total pinfall (242 average). “Trying to keep learning, keep things sharp and keep trying to solve the puzzles that are out here week after week. It is tough doing that when you are sitting at home and all you can do is go to the gym and watch people bowl. It was nice to actually be able to participate now.”
Janawicz, who bowled the morning shift of the event, stands 19 pins ahead of 60-year-old Pacifica, Calif., right-hander Robert Newman (1,681) with Michael Machuga, a 50-year-old PBA50 Tour “rookie,” sitting third (1,669) after leading the afternoon shift.
Others in the top 10 include PBA Hall of Famer Amleto Monacelli (sixth, 1,666), North Olmsted’s Michael Clark Jr. (seventh, 1,663), Hall of Famer Chris Barnes (eight, 1,663) and Ryan Shafer (10th, 1,645).
MACHUGA LOSES ‘ARGUMENT’
Machuga started the afternoon shift with a 268. Then his family showed up, driving over from Erie, Pa., to watch his senior debut at Riviera, a place he has bowled in many times as a two-time PBA Tour champion.
That’s when he lost the “argument.”
“My family shows up and I shoot 147. I just got in a little argument with Lane 24 and I got tricked,” said Machuga, who has cashed in all six of his PBA50 Tour events after turning 50 during this year’s PBA Tournament of Champions at AMF Riviera.
“I thought it was tighter, I made the adjustment like it was tighter, and I split a bunch of times.”
Machuga had been formulating a game plan for the tournament based on his past experiences in the TOC and knowing the pattern.
“I had a really good picture before practice (Saturday) and my practice session confirmed it,” Machuga said. “Outside of my argument with 23 and 24, everything went according to plan.”
Machuga’ birthday present to himself was bowling in a final TOC and “getting my butt kicked by the kids one more time.” He finished 51st overall.
But he is no stranger to AMF Riviera, making many trips to Fairlawn during his childhood years to watch the pros compete in the TOC in addition to competing.
“Fifteen minutes before I got here (Saturday) I was saying to myself how cool it was going to be competing against guys on the senior tour that I watched in this building when I was 10 and 11 years old,” Machuga said. “Some of these guys I bowled with on the kids tour, but others I watched as a kid.
“Then I realized there are some guys who have never bowled here before and I’ve been in this building since I was a toddler. This place just holds so much history and there’s so much nostalgia … it’s just priceless.”
What would it mean for Machuga to earn his first PBA50 title here?
“I have no words … it would be really cool,” Machuga said,
HESS LOOKING FOR MORE
Tom Hess, a 56-year-old Granger, Iowa, right-hander who leads the PBA50 Tour in points and is second in earnings behind Tom Daugherty, has won a pair of titles this season and is coming off a regional win last week in Bowling Green.
“I think I had the least amount of score I could have had in that block,” said Hess, who sits 12th with 1,637 after averaging 233 in the afternoon shift. One pair, Lanes 29-30, produced just a 179.
“I didn’t double in the ninth and 10th except once in seven games. I gave away a lot of pins in those two frames.”
Was he surprised by the scoring pace on the 48-foot PBA50 World Championship oil pattern?
“Nope … they were easy,” Hess said, explaining this pattern was buffed out four feet longer than the one employed during the PBA50 World Championship in Minneapolis. “They might be a little softer in the morning. In the afternoon, they move a little more in the fronts and are tighter in the backs.”
Hess said his regional win came “when I bowled the best I have in a long time … I was able to stay patient and work my way through it.”
He also has confidence at AMF Riviera.
“I just like bowling here .. there is a lot of friction normally and I like a lot of hook,” said Hess, who also serves as a color analyst for BowlTV.
NOTEBOOK
CSUHTA MAKES RUN: Dale Csuhta, a 71-year-old Wadsworth right-hander, is the lone over 70-year-old inside the cut after the opening round. Csuhta sits 28th overall after averaging 221 on the afternoon shift and finishing with 256. A total of 12 Super Seniors (ages 60 and older) are inside the cut.
LOCALS IN RUNNING: In addition to Clark, Lewis Center’s Dan Higgins Jr. (26th) and Hudson’s John Brockway (30th) are inside the cut line. Super Senior Tom Carter is the cut after Round 1 with 1,533, just eight pins ahead of former Canton resident and pro shop owner Tony Johnson (39th).
NOTEBOOK: Both squads bowled on fresh oil, with the same being true Monday with seven games of qualifying for each squad at 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The field will then be cut to the top 37 for Tuesday’s 9 a.m. four-game Advancer’s round. … Aaron McCormick a 52-year-old right-hander, had 300 in Game 5 of the opening shift for his first PBA 300. It was the only 300 of the day. Brad Angelo shot 290 in Game 1 of the afternoon shift. … Admission is free for the tournament, which will conclude with Tuesday’s 6 p.m. stepladder finals. … See more complete scores here: https://www.leaguepals.com/league-info?id=69a8e18d81e5081f75421083