There was a heated argument over USBC rules the other day. It was over something that I thought should have been obvious to everyone. Then I started thinking about things I had actually seen, read about, or heard of, and came to realize that there are people bowling today, who have not had the opportunity for all of that. Heck, there are people nowadays who do not even know how to keep score because they have the luxury of automatic scorekeepers.

So what happened was this guy, bowling on lane 1, stuck a little at the foul line and stepped to the side. He came down alongside the left side of the lane, on the walkway that goes to the back area (where the mysterious mechanics hide). He, of course, argued, "no foul;" the opponents countered, "foul." His argument was that the foul light did not go off; the counter-argument was that it didn't matter, he crossed the plane that is the foul line and physically landed beyond that plane.

The greater majority of you will know that the foul line extends up the walls of the bowling center on both sides of the house, in line with the actual black line marked on the lanes. Therefore, it was a foul.

A further note here is that if you were to step to the side and your hand were to touch the wall beyond the foul line, even if your feet do not actually cross the line, that is still considered a foul.

The "Choc-List" for "forgotten" rules:

1) If you do not release the ball and cross the foul line, it is NOT a foul. The bowling ball must have been put into play in the playing area (released on the lane) in order for a foul to be declared.

2) If a bowling pin slides from one position to another after your ball hits the pins, and the machine picks it up and sets it down, the pin must be played as it stands.

3) If the pin deck knocks a pin down, it must be re-spotted in the original spot it came from.

4) If your machines break down and you must move to another lane to complete your competition, there are no practice balls allowed.

These are, of course, official league and competition rules. Oh, and by the way, if you are going to take this sport seriously, you should learn to keep score properly because it will only enhance your enjoyment of it.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)