Bowling: Bob Morgan inspires Mesquite bowlers a day after his 90th birthday

Bob Morgan could be getting a call from the Old Guys Rule T-Shirt line of clothing within hours of this column going online in the Mesquite Local News.

And understandably so. After all, exactly one day after Morgan turned 90-years old, he rocked the Virgin River Bowling Center with 16 strikes paving the way for an eye-popping 609 series on games of 236, 215 and 158.

One doesn’t need to be some oracle or pro bowler to see he’s still a pretty darn good bowler who throws a darn nice hook ball and is still capable of throwing some occasional 600s and lotsa quality 500 series scores.

And even if he isn’t contacted by the aforementioned line of clothing, he’ll still become an inspiration and beacon of hope for other seniors in Sun City and other areas of Mesquite hoping to physically still be capable of doing what he is if fortunate enough to also become a nonagenarian.

And he’s so determined and fired up about continuing to put up quality scores in the future he purchased two new bowling balls this summer and still schedules some practice sessions.

So with that in mind, and the way he’s been able to slow down the relentless passage of time, it certainly possible he may still be beating up on pins when he becomes a centenarian.

He was an outstanding baseball player in high school and played for the University of Washington for two years, and coached little league teams for over 30 years in Seattle and one year came within one game of going to the Little League World Series.

And you can also see his passion for baseball  when talking about his favorite teams like the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinal, or individual players like Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. So it’s understandable the number one item on his bucket list is a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Away from baseball he served in the Washington National Guard for 8 years, was in a classic car club in Seattle where he’d show four or five cars.

And always active as a kid he was involved with many activities and one was building a gravity-powered soap box racer that he drove in soap box races in the greater Seattle area.

Morgan’s favorite president was Ronald Reagan and when he moved to Mesquite from Seattle in 2000 he recalls seeing only two stop lights in all of Mesquite.

In other pin action, Doug Love fired a barrage of rockets to the pocked for48 strikes in two top-notch outings with 24 strikes in a 681 set on last Monday, and three days later threw another 24 strikes in a season-high 728 set on games of 256, 245 and 227.

Meanwhile, Mike Saldivar tossed a 695 series including 11 strikes in a 267, and Jerry Holloway who served 30 years in the United States Air Force delivered his best effort this season with a standout 674 series with clean games of 232, 211 and his sole open came on a split in a 231.

And propelled by a 7-bagger in a clean 251, Dale Davidson ended a protracted scoring slump with a season-high 657 set in the Early Risers League. Davidson was an outstanding player in baseball and basketball in high school and later took up running and ran in eight marathons and 45 triathlons all over California.

Bob Ballard’s 650 also included a season-high 256, and a 636 series by Darren Simonds was one of his three on the week.

Garth Turner eclipsed a previous high 599 series in the Monday Scratch League with a 615 which included a 234 game, and here’s betting Mike Roger (615-202) will be seeing his scores will rip higher soon.

Sal Diaz (610-235) & 604-217) had a pair of 600s last week, and along with Michael “Smurfffzz” Ramirez and Angel Hernandez will be part of a contingent of young bowlers heading to Las Vegas for a tournament on Saturday.

Dean Sheppard’s 603 series and 258 game put him on the cusp of regaining his once formidable game, while Frank Addamo’s switch to a two-handed delivery is reaping dividends with a 584 score and games of 228, 226 and 202 from his various leagues.

Larry Willis (658) set the pace in single game scoring after running the front eight and finished with 10 strikes in a 274 gem, and Gil Niimi (654) fired eight strikes in a clean 255.

And southpaw Jan Kusy (603) rolled a 253, and in the course of his 603 after failing to mark on his first 7 pin leave, he developed a full blown case of 7 pin-itis and proceeded to miss the next eight.

But “Kooz” is prone to bouts of streaks, like his string of 21 strikes in a row bowling in California.

Dylan Kesl is another impressive young bowler who put together a 7-bagger in a 252, and Jeff Branche (611) tossed a 7-bagger in a 234 and he also likes golf with the late Arnold Palmer his favorite athlete.

And Ricky Trujillo who batted over 300 in each of his last three seasons for the Virgin High School Bulldogs shot a 226, and Dave Keil’s 226 eclipsed a previous high 217 game.

Louis Dilisio delivered a 222 for his Beaver Dam Bowling team, Gary Moore (6516) bagged a 215, and Bob Field who’s resume sports an 800 series and 300 game tallied a 212.

And Steve Roberts who grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin smacked a 212, John Gerger is a huge Chicago Cubs fan and uncorked a 210, and Doug Heiden an avid Golden State Warriors fan logged a 207.

Brian Collins pocketed a 203, Ronnie Montoya threw a season-high 202, Steve Serrano who threw a 289 earlier this season posted a 201, Troy May is a former baseball player and also tossed a 201, while Richard Long continued another week of some really good bowling with a 200.

On the women’s side of the ledger, sparked by a 7-bagger in a 223, LoriJo Turner took high-series honors with a 618, Bev Cormani’s 581 included picking up the 6-7 split in a 222 game, and Bobbie Robbins (554-210) put up the next best series.

Diane Marget shot a 537 after returning to Mesquite from a trip to Minnesota where she had to deal with lots of snow, while Sandy Sheppard (210) and Cheryl Rogers (215) tossed identical 529 series scores.

Evelyn Hooley worked the lanes for a nice 529 set, and Jan Quinn earned a 500 Series Award for a 509, while Ronnie Tsuhako also tallied a 509.

In single game play, Cynthia Petersen rolled a clean 216 with five strikes and six spares, Lynae Page (520) racked up a 208, Nanette Kezior (505) posted a 200, and Virginia Glossa who’s a good golfer also tossed a 200.

Ron Johnson’s rolled a season-high 557 but I’m still given him a mulligan due to a serious knee issue on his slide foot … Bessie Roberts is still a feisty95-year-old bowlers who to roll good scores and did so with a pretty good 157 … Amy Kesl tossed a season-high 198 with only one open frame … Katie Northover picked up the 5-7 split and immediately after gave her husband Jack the blueprint on how to do it because he’s never been able to pick  5-7 up … Anita Sorensen has a new bowling she’s started throwing a hook ball with and it’s already improved her game as she threw 10 strikes in a season-high 483 series and season-high 177 game … Mark Brackelsberg converted the 4-10 split and still enjoys playing senior softball … Melissa Newman received a 150 Game Award for a 155.

Wayne Donnafield 659-232; John Hollaway 653-246; Bruce Hooley 649-246; Austin Finster 624-238; Alan “AJ” Jacobson 618-225; Orlyn Meyer 618-222; Dan Aslin 611-217; Al Gans 609-239; Dennis Craft 607-248; Mike Yoder 235; Rob Cormani 228:Harry Uncles 222; Rob Hartman 222; Ed Hoepfner 221; John Mulholland 221; Bob Marget 220; Dave Johnson 220; Jeff Jacobson 217; Milan Carr 215; Dan Erhart 214; Bill Funk 213; Bryan Pierce 213; Dean Baum 212; Bob Robbins 205; Ken Thompson 205; Red Powell 201; Ernie Kala 200.