kakcpa
PBA Forum Member
Member # 23072
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It's been long overdue what
ESPN Classic is doing. I only hope they continue airing more of
these shows from the 70s, and hopefully of the 80s as well. In
hearing some of the comments on this forum, it's evident that not
everybody gets ESPN Classic. Therefore, this clip goes out to
those who are not able to see ESPN Classic. This clip is a summary
of the 1978 Long Island Open which occured on April 1, 1978 from
Garden City Bowl, Long Island, NY. (same site of the '76 AMF Pro
Classic re: my clip of Anthony vs. Weber)
This tournament brings back a lot of memories for me. I was 12 at
the time, and I vividly recall watching this event live, as it
happened. Of course, as I've previously mentioned, I never missed
watching from 1974 - 1997, but this one I remember. I recall
Johnny Petraglia's run at 300. And also the late Jeff Mattingly,
who could hook a blue dot like no other was on the show. Jeff,
died tragically in a car accident (if memory serves me right) in
California in the early 80's. He was probably about 27ish at the
time of his death. Mark Roth was nearing the prime of his career.
Nelson Burton Jr. was in it as well, with his funky pants. Since
Nelson Burton Jr. was in the finals, they always had Dick Weber as
the guest color commentator. I hope you enjoy the clip.
http://media.putfile.com/1978-Long-Island
Here's the summary from the PBA website:
$70,000 LONG ISLAND OPEN
Garden City Bowl, Garden City, N.Y., Mar 28-Apr 1, 1978
Johnny Petraglia barely missed the ultimate thrill in professional
bowling - the perfect game - in the nationally televised finals of
the $70,000 Long Island Open enroute to his 11th PBA championship.
Petraglia tossed 11 strikes in a row against semifinal match
opponent Mark Roth, who was shooting a 249 in a losing effort. On
his attempt for the 12th strike, which would have given him an
additional $10,000 and a new automobile, the Staten Island
left-hander left the two and four pins standing and settled for a
298 game.
In the anti-climactic championship match, Petraglia beat Jeff
Mattingly, 197-177.
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