It was no April Fool's joke when Danny Wiseman emerged from the highest-scoring TV finals in PBA history with his fifth title at the $180,000 SpIitFire Spark Plug Open before more than 4,000 screaming fans at the Erie (Pa.) Civic Center. Third-seeded, Wiseman upended leading qualifier Steve Jaros, 231•224, for the $39,000 winner's check and his first tour victory since 1991.

After sparing in his opening frame of the championship match, Wiseman launched a six-bagger, while Jaros spared, tripled, spared again and doubled to trail by 17 after seven frames. Wiseman allowed Jaros to close the gap when he left the 4-6-7-10 in his eighth frame, but after sparing in his own eighth, Jato s then chopped the 2-pin off the 2-5 leave. Despite Jaros striking out in his 10th frame, Wiseman needed only to spare for victory, which he did, and struck.

An emotional Wiseman said "This is the best. It's entertainment. The money's not that important. Since my dad died in 1992 it seems to have been one thing offer another. I got divorced more than a year ago and have been on the verge of quitting and getting a real job, Sin-- Now I've gotten all the distractions of my life out of the way."

Jaros said, "When Danny left his spit, I still had a good chance to shoot 240, but I just threw a bad shot." The Bolingbrook, Ill., pro earned $20,000 as runnerup. Ironically, Wiseman became the first non-Californian to triumph in Erie's five-year PBA tournament hosting.

In the opening game of the ABC Sports telecast, Mike Edwards ousted Walter Ray Williams Jr., 268-237. Williams, Stockton, Celli now has finished first (1993), second (1991), third (1994) and fourth (1992), plus his most recent fifth place showing worth $7,000, in his five Erie visits.

Edwards, Oklahoma City, left the 2-8 on his last ball against Wiseman to fall, 278-277. Wiseman's momentum continued against Mark Williams of Beaumont, Texas, whom he conquered, 277-235. All told, the TV finalists established a PBA record 253.37 average over their eight games bowled breaking the 251-plus average of Fresno, Calif., in 1979.

Mark Williams earned $12,000 for third place and Edwards collected $9,000 for fourth.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

PLAYOFF RESULTS-Edwards defeated W.R. Williams Jr., 268-237; Wiseman defeated Edwards, 278-277; Wiseman defeated Williams, 277-235; and in the championship game, Wiseman defeated Jaros, 231-224.

Danny Wiseman

2005-06 Rank: 44 Exempt Thru: 2006-07 Earned Exemption: Won the 2004 Miller High Life Masters Personal: Daniel Albert Wiseman (pronounced WIZE-men)… Resides in Baltimore, Md.… Collects scale models of Ford Mustangs, Match Box and Hot Wheels… Likes to modify his 1996 Ford Mystic Cobra and attend car shows… Enjoys watching live music… Favorite music includes hard rock, metal and some alternative… Favorite bands are TOOL, Godsmack and Metallica… Favorite TV shows include "Rides," "Pinks" and "Monster Garage"… Enjoys attending IRL (Indy Racing League), NASCAR and NHRA races during the off-season. 2005-06: Struggled through injuries all season to fall to 44th in the point rankings a year after finishing third… Missed two events due to ankle and wrist injuries… Made match play in just three of the first 15 events, but came on strong at the end of the season and finished 12th or better in four of the final five events… His $43,100 in season earnings was his lowest since 1997… Did not make a TV appearance for the first time since 1994… Best finish of the first half was 14th in the 2005 Mile High Classic… Finished 25th in the 2005 USBC Masters… After missing the 2006 GEICO Classic, Wiseman made two straight round of 8 appearances… Finished eighth in the 2006 Pepsi Championship, falling to eventual champion Chris Collins in the round of 8… Finished a season-best sixth the next week in the 2006 Ace Hardware Championship, falling to Chris Loschetter… Closed out the season finishing 11th in the 2006 Great Lakes Classic and 12th in the Dexter Tournament of Champions… Fell to Tommy Jones, 3-2, in the round of 16 in the T of C after leading 2-0 in the match; missed single-pin conversions in games three and five which would have given him the win both times… His late-season run improved his point ranking from 59th to 44th. Career: Owns 11 career Denny’s PBA Tour titles, having captured two titles apiece in 1990, '91 and '95… Has cashed in 271 of 419 career events… Is 46-29 in 40 career singles TV appearances, with a 224.43 average… Has made 172 match play appearances. Career Standard Titles (10): 1990 – Baltimore, Md.; Riverside, Calif.; 1991 – Seattle, Wash.; St. Louis, Mo.; 1995 – Erie, Pa.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; 1998 – Portland, Ore.; 2000 – Austin, Texas; 2001-02 – N. Brunswick, N.J.; 2002-03 – Vernon Hills, Ill. Career Major Titles (1): 2004 Miller High Life Masters, Milwaukee, WI.