Buying Bowling Balls Online or at the Local Pro Shop?

Buying bowling balls online has many benefits, however, there are certain perks that are not necessarily included in your online purchase. The article below will breakdown the pros and cons of purchasing a bowling ball online.

The main advantage of purchasing bowling balls online is that the cost will be significantly lower than the price you may find at your local pro shop. By ordering online, you may not be subject to state sales tax on your purchase. If the website you order from is based in the state that you are ordering from, you will have to pay sales tax on your order. On the other hand, if the site is located in another state than your own, you will not be subject to sales tax.

Shipping is the one cost you will incur when ordering online. Some websites choose to list their prices including a flat fee ground shipping rate. Beware, that some websites, may say "free shipping", when in fact they add on a service or packaging fee that can be up to $5.00 or more. Other websites will list the bowling ball at a designated price, then add the shipping charged based on the zip code you are shipping to. Depending on where you are shipping to and from, it is best to compare prices across several sites in order to get the best deal.

Top weights and pin locations are one area that many bowlers might have specific request when purchasing a bowling ball. Some of the major websites will give you the option of selecting a certain range of top weight and pin location. Most of the time they are able to fulfill your request. If not, the majority of them will find the closest match and notify you of what it is before shipping the bowling ball.

Your local pro shop can easily get you the desired top weight and pin location for your new bowling ball. In fact, many may have it on hand and ready to drill the day you show up to their business. This is one significant advantage of purchasing from a local bowling ball pro shop. Another is the fact the pro shop owner can know your game or style and be able to provide you with the necessary information to make the best decision regarding your next bowling ball purchase.

With the new bowling ball, you will need to have it drilled. There are many online pro shops that do offer a ball drilling service. Most of the time there is a form on the website to enter your measurements into. What if you don't know your measurements? Or even the layout you need on the bowling ball? This is where the local bowling ball pro shop exceeds in service compared to a website.

With buying a bowling ball online, the service with the website is almost non-existent. Whereas a local bowling ball pro shop will be readily available if you need new finger inserts, more bevel on the thumb, or even some bowling ball polish.

These are just a few of the comparisons between buying a bowling ball online and a local brick and mortar pro shop. Make sure to shop around, measure the pros and cons of each, and you will be on your way to making an informative bowling ball purchase.

An excellent resource to read up on the latest releases and find the hottest links to by a bowling ball from is http://www.buy-bowling-balls.com

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2008 Independence Bowl - Louisiana Tech Tops Northern Illinois, Notches 7th Comeback Win of Season

You can excuse the good people of Ruston, Louisiana if they feel that any game played by their Louisiana Tech Bulldogs is not over until the Bulldogs come from behind to win. That would be because the Bulldogs logged their 7th come-from-behind victory of the season in the Independence Bowl Saturday (12-28-08), beating Northern Illinois 17-10.

The win was sweet for Derek Dooley as it represented his first bowl victory as a head coach. Dooley is none other than a former protégé of Alabama head coach Nick Saban and son of the legendary Georgia coach and athletic director Vince Dooley. Young Dooley used his special teams, defense and a running game to turn back Northern Illinois.

Senior defensive back Weldon Brown proved to be the Bulldogs big stopper. Brown stopped one Husky scoring threat with a shoestring tackle to set up a 4th down, then batted down the ensuing pass. He also recovered a fumbled punt to set up a field goal attempt, and ended one of two late Husky drives with an interception when the game was on the line. Brown finished with 14 tackles and the Most Valuable Defensive Player award.

On special teams, sophomore wide receiver Phil Livas took a kickoff return to the house for a 97-yard score, and junior running back Dan Porter rushed for 78 yards and a touchdown.

The postseason win was Louisiana Tech's first in 31 years; their last win also came in the Independence Bowl in 1977. The victory left the Bulldogs with their first 8-win season in 9 years. They finished the year at 8-5 while Northern Illinois slid to 6-7.

Louisiana Tech was not even expected to be in a bowl game but was selected when neither the Southeastern Conference (SEC) nor Big 12 could produce a participant.

Derek Dooley inherited a team that went 3-10. He improved the Bulldogs to 5-7 last year and now has them at 8-5 and a bowl victory in his second full season. Dooley's Bulldogs upset Mississippi State to kick off this season and then won 4 of their last 5 games to get to the Independence Bowl and generate more glory for the Bulldog faithful.

Louisiana Tech and Derek Dooley are on the way up. We know this because the Bulldogs scored 8 non-offensive touchdowns this season to tie for the most in major college football. When you score on defense or special teams, everyone gets excited.

In addition to Livas' 97-yard TD return in the Independence Bowl, he returned 2 punts for touchdowns during the regular season. The last player to return a kickoff for a touchdown in the Independence Bowl was a guy named Deuce McAllister who did it for Mississippi 10 years ago.

Copyright © 2009 Ed Bagley

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Read my other detailed, knowledgeable, interesting articles on college football, including:

"So Who Are the Current Worst Players in Division 1-A Football in the Nation?"

"Tulsa the 19th Best Team in Nation? You Must Be Kidding and Here Is Why"

"4 AP Top 25 Teams Have Some Proving to Do-Missouri, Texas Tech, South Florida and Kansas"

"Meet the Illinois Fighting Illini - The Most Overrated Team in the AP's Top 25 Poll"

"Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi, Knute Rockne and Lou Holtz During Football's Annual Bowl Season"

"How to Predict When Teams Are Overrated and Due for an Unexpected Loss"

"The Sagarin Ratings: What They Are, How to Read Them and What to Do With Them"

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A Great Super Bowl it Was in 2010

This year's Super Bowl was definitely one that kept all the fans of the game watching it and getting so much out of it, just like the last two Super Bowl games were. That is so refreshing when you think about the games that took place in prior years before these three and how they were just disappointing to the fans.

The Indianapolis Colts were the team that was picked to win the game, but the New Orleans Saints really gave folks a surprise when they beat them. Drew Brees, along with the rest of the offense, played an outstanding game, but that's not to say that their defense didn't play just as well, doing a great job taking on Peyton Manning, the Colt's quarterback.

Ok, now we will talk about some of the important things that happened in Super Bowl XLIV. If you actually weren't able to see it, the following information is what you would want to know about this game.

To begin with, although he started the game on shaky ground by only getting three completions from his first seven pass attempts, Drew Brees then went on to have a close to perfect game. He got 29 out of the next 32 attempts and finished the game with a total of 32 completions from 39 attempts, 2 touchdown passes, zero turnovers and 288 total yards.

Wow, those numbers are extraordinary and no one should be surprised that Brees came away with the award for that spectacular performance as a quarterback in the Super Bowl.

Garrett Hartley, the Saint's young kicker, was just as impressive when he attempted field goals from 44, 46 and 47 yards and made all of them. During two of those attempts, the Colts were winning and when he was successful with the field goals, he helped the team win the game.

And finally, when the game was over, Peyton Manning did something that you just don't see in the Super Bowl. The quarterback for the Colts did not offer congratulations to or even shake hands with any of the players on the Saints team - he just quickly walked off the field.

It has always been the norm for the winning team's players to be congratulated by the losing team's players, so lots of folks say that what Manning did was indeed poor sportsmanship. However, Drew Brees has said that he could understand why Manning was frustrated and that he does not hold anything against him because of that.

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Bowling Better Can Be a Lot of Fun

How many times, have you sat at the bowling alley waiting for a lane to free up, and noticed a really good bowler. After watching them throw a few balls, you may be wondering to yourself, if you could ever play that well. If you can't figure out what they're doing different then you, then maybe a few of these pointers may help.

You need to the right equipment to do anything well, and that includes bowling. If the ball is either too heavy or too light for you, it can be affecting your game. Before you buy your own ball, try out a number of different balls, to see what feels good first.

With any sport, your feet are crucial to how well you play the game. They are your bodies foundation. With that in mind, make sure you have good quality, and appropriately sized shoes. Don't use rental shoes.

Bowling can be a fun sociable sport with plenty of distractions. Learn to concentrate, when your actually throwing the ball though. There will be time for socializing after you throw that strike.

Learn a proper stance, and be consistent with it. If your unsure, ask another bowler to watch you and point out what your doing right, and doing wrong.

Use the lane markers every time. They're there for a reason. The sooner you learn with ones work better for you, the sooner your scores will improve. You should be standing in the middle of the lane, as you make your approach.

The ball release is one of the most important aspects of a good bowling game. Releasing too late, or too early can adversely affect your results. The ball should be released in front of your body. Again, if your not sure, ask a better bowler to watch you and make suggestions.

Keep your head level, and be sure to follow through with your arm. Generally, it's better to focus your eyes on the lane markers than the pins. A good follow through will improve the accuracy and consistency of your shot, and reduce strain on your arm.

If your very committed to improving your bowling game, than a coach is the best way to go. There's only so much you can pick up on yourself, or by have your colleagues watch and make suggestions. Check with your local pro bowl shop, or ask around.

It's easy to improve in any sport you participate in, even bowling. It's just a matter of know what you need to work on, and putting in the time. For motivation, just remember the better you get, the more enjoyable the game becomes.

Be sure to visit Fun Bowling Games to play some Fun Bowling Games.

Brett Favre Family

The Brett Favre family is made up of kind-hearted and caring people; the wonderful type of people that anyone would love to be friends with, or neighbors of. It is very reassuring to know that there are still good people out there who remain that way even when they have achieved both fame and fortune.

Brett Favre was born on October 10th, 1969 in the town of Gulf Port Mississippi into the family of Irvin and Bonita Favre. He was raised in the town of Kiln Mississippi which is a very small town in southern Mississippi. When he started high school he attended Hancock North Central High. It was there that Brett's father Irvin Favre was the high school football coach.

The team consisted of some excellent high school running backs so Irvin had strategically designed a run oriented offensive game plan which was quite successful. It was due to this game plan that Brett actually threw relatively few passes as the team quarterback. His father was quite aware of the fact that his son had a very real talent for accurately throwing the football, but as the excellent coach that he was he made the decision to stick with the running game plan because it was what was actually best for the school team. Brett wore jersey number 10 during his high school years.

It may seem kind of unlikely, but throughout his high school years Brett rarely threw more than a handful of passes in each game. His father's well devised and very well organized running game based on the wishbone style of offense was impressive to say the least. Brett also stayed busy as a member of the Hancock North Central High School baseball team as a starter since the eighth grade.

Both of Brett's parents were also high school teachers and he may have learned how to be such a good teacher and leader because of this aspect of his family. Small town life was very peaceful and Kiln was a very friendly place to grow up. Brett Favre's family provided an enriching home life in not only sports, but life as well.

Brett was the second born of four children to parents Bonita and Irvin. He has an older brother named Scott, and two younger siblings named Brandi and Jeff. The Favre family was known by all as a kind and helpful family. As far as scholarships went, the only one that was offered to Brett was one to attend Southern Mississippi. He graduated from college in 1991.

It was in July of 1996 that Brett Favre married his high school sweetheart Deanna Tynes. Deanna and Brett had been boyfriend and girl friend for approximately twelve years before they were finally to be married. The Brett Favre family consists of their two beautiful daughters by the names of Brittany and Breleigh. Brittany is Brett's oldest daughter and she was born on February 6th, 1989 when Brett was still a sophomore in college. His younger daughter Breleigh was born nearly 10 years latter in 1999.

Even the pros like finding tech bargains and laptops under 200 can do a lot by providing you with information you can use to fine tune your active lifestyle. Besides basic online research go on and enjoy an active and healthy lifestyle through workouts and training.

Six 2009 Bowl Teams Used Defense to Win, None More Convincingly Than Iowa

While Nebraska used its stifling defense to record the 2009 bowl season's only shutout (a 33-0 victory over Arizona), six other bowl winners used their defense to achieve victories--Iowa, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Boise State, Marshall and Connecticut.

We are defense, claimed coach Kirk Ferentz and his 10th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, and they proved it again by holding Georgia's high-powered, triple-option offense (2nd in the nation in rushing and 11th in scoring) to 12 yards passing and forcing a team-high 7 punts while beating the 9th-ranked Yellow Jackets, 24-14, in the BCS Orange Bowl.

It was the same Iowa defense that had held 4 bowl-bound teams to 10 points or less during the regular season. Georgia had only 14 three-and-outs during the season, yet failed to pick up a first down in their first 4 possessions against the Hawkeye defensive assault.

Iowa did not need a lot of offense to get the job done. True freshman Brandon Wegher ran for 113 yards in 16 carries (7.0 ypc) and a touchdown, and Ricky Stanzi, returning from a sprained ankle injury, went 17-for-29 and 231 yards passing.

The win was the Hawkeyes first in BCS bowl play, matched the school record for season wins (11-2), and gave them their highest national ranking in a half-century. Georgia finished at 11-3.

Sophomore Terrelle Pryor threw for a career-high 266 yards, had 2 TD passes and rushed for 72 yards, but it was the Ohio State defense that held Oregon's explosive offense in check as the Buckeyes whipped the Ducks, 26-17, in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State was ranked 8th coming into the game and Oregon 7th.

The Buckeye defense held Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli and his no-huddle offense to only 81 yards passing, and held star running back LaMichael James to only 70 yards.

The victory was oh-so-sweet, not just for a struggling Terrelle Pryor trying to come of age, but also for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who won a national championship and then lost 3 straight BCS bowl games. The monkey is now off of Tressel's back.

Pryor made some early mistakes (already forgotten in winning), but when it counted in the 4th quarter, he came up big during a 13-play, 81-yard drive eating up 6+ minutes of time, and ending with a 17-yard TD strike to DeVier Posey to put the Buckeyes up 26-17, the final score with approximately 7 minutes to play.

Wisconsin, ranked 24th coming into the Champs Sports Bowl against 14th-ranked Miami, brought its big and slow Badger linemen to face the Hurricanes fast and speedy offense. Someone forget to tell the Badgers they were too slow to catch the Hurricanes. The result was a 20-14 upset victory that left Wisconsin 10-3 after the game and Miami 9-4.

The Badgers chased Miami's Jacory Harris around all afternoon, getting 5 sacks and holding the Hurricane runners to 61 yards on the ground. Meantime, John Clay rolled up 121 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in Wisconsin's victory. Clay was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Wisconsin was on offense for almost 40 minutes during the 60-minute game. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out if you got the ball longer than they do," said Badger coach Bret Bielema, "you have a better chance of scoring more points." Nicely said Bret, and thank your defense for keeping Miami off the field.

In the first ever BCS bowl game that pitted unbeaten mid-major teams against each other, 6th-ranked Boise State upset 3rd-ranked TCU (Texas Christian University), 17-10, in the Fiesta Bowl. Boise State came in at 13-0 and left 14-0; TCU came in at 12-0 and left 12-1.

It looked like this game might end in a 10-all tie, but a gutsy call by Bronco coach Chris Petersen for a fake punt on a 4th-and-9 at the Bronco's 33-yard line resulted in a 30-yard completion by punter Kyle Brotzman to a wide-open Kyle Efaw. That keep a drive alive that resulted in the winning Boise State touchdown on a 2-yard run by Doug Martin. The TCU Horned Frogs (I'm not kidding, that's their nickname) were caught with their pants down.

The play was called the "Riddler", and TCU had no joker to solve it.

Last year TCU beat Boise State 17-16 in the Poinsettia Bowl. This year's BCS contest pitted two high-scoring offenses as Boise State led the nation with 44 points a game, and TCU was scoring 40 a game. However, both teams, thanks to defensive play, ended up punting 8 times.

TCU never seemed to recover after Boise State's successful fake punt play led to the touchdown that spelled the difference. The Broncos ended up one of only two unbeaten teams following bowl competition, finishing at 14-0. Alabama won the national title with the same 14-0 mark.

The victory was Boise State's second in BCS play, and gave them as many BCS wins as Michigan, Penn State and Alabama have combined.

Marshall's Andre Booker returned a punt 58 yards for one touchdown, and Mike Ward rushed for 72 yards on 9 carries (8.0 ypc) and scored two TDs to put the Thundering Herd up 21-zip as Marshall held off Ohio to beat the Bobcats, 21-17, in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Marshall finished the year at 7-6, and Ohio was 9-5.

Marshall was led by interim coach Rick Minter after Mark Snyder resigned. Snyder will be replaced by John "Doc" Holliday, the West Virginia assistant coach who was an assistant to Urban Meyer when Florida won the national championship in 2006.

South Carolina (7-6) played its worst game of the year in the Papajohns.com Bowl as Connecticut (8-5) put the hurt on the Gamecocks, 20-7. South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said after the game, "I'm embarrassed. Blame me. It was a sad, sad effort, especially the offense."

Man, he was not kidding. The Gamecocks, playing in the heart of SEC country at Birmingham (AL), were sucking major Louisiana pond water. Connecticut held them to 76 yards rushing, 129 yards passing and forced them to punt 7 times. Stephen Garcia fumbled once and was intercepted once.

Connecticut led 20-0 and darn near got a shutout as South Carolina finally scored a TD with 3:24 left in the game. The Huskies' Andre Dixon picked up 126 yards on 33 carries and scored a touchdown. Connecticut players were motivated to win following the stabbing death of cornerback Jasper Howard, who was killed in a fight outside a school-sponsored dance in October.

Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley

Read more of my 2009 college football coverage, including:
Fourteen consecutive weeks of NCAA Division I wrap-ups covering the top teams and key upsets.

Fourteen consecutive weeks of Ed Bagley's Top 25 Poll (heck, I figure I am as good at picking them as the writers and coaches who pick the AP Top 25 and the Coaches' Top 25 Polls, plus, I add some humor to lighten the load).

Coverage of the Washington Husky and Michigan State Spartan football programs, including Washington's stunning 16-13 upset of Southern California early in the season.

http://www.edbagleyblog.com/Sports.html

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