This is the second in a series of blogs to once and for all establish the proper names for x number of strikes in a row. These terms come from my (and my bowling associates') personal bowling vernacular, and you may have differing opinions. Still, strings of strikes need names, and if we're all going to agree on a set of names, we might as well agree on mine.

A double is a longstanding bowling term that doesn't need to be altered. Boring? Yes. Disappointing to shout "Double" after shouting "Jim J. Bullock?" Yes. But essential.

Origin

Two strikes. Two. Double. Self-explanatory.

One downside to the double is the baseball reference. I have no qualms with baseball at all, although yesterday's trade of Curtis Granderson didn't please me. However, referring to two strikes in a row as a double might be directly responsible for the "bagger" suffix, for which I've previously established my disdain.

Still, despite my overanalyzing, two strikes in a row is a double.

Current Use

While tempting to modify the double, possibly continuing with the Hollywood Squares theme and adding another late-80s celebrity to the mix, it's not necessary, and we owe this to the Qubica scoring system.

In the system, if you throw a Bullock, but then don't strike on your next ball, missing the double, the Qubica taunts you. It lets you know, in huge letters and occasionally with a scolding finger, you missed a double.

When you throw a double, you don't need to shout, but you may. You might also want to flash two fingers, signifying your confidence (and cockiness) is growing now that you're two strikes in.

Yesterday, we saw Jack Jurek and Kelly Kulick win the men's and women's Shark Championship, respectively, at the World Series of Bowling.

Jurek defeated Michael Fagan in the finals thanks to a one-ball rolloff. The two tied with scores of 218, forcing the rolloff in which Jurek struck and Fagan did not. This was Jurek's first title in over 14 years, which is a PBA record for longest drought between titles.

Kulick edged Carolyn Dorin-Ballard 198-182 with some clutch strikes to win her second title from the World Series. Since Kulick already earned a berth in the end-of-year PBA Women's Series Showdown, Dorin-Ballard's runner-up performance earned her a spot.

The bowling this week wasn't spectacular, but it was definitely better than the previous two weeks of struggling pros. It felt like we were watching good bowling again.

So what to take away from all this? The end of the 14-year drought? The emergence of Kelly Kulick? The end of the taped World Series events (next week, the PBA will broadcast live)?

No - I take away the following: Wes Malott says the shark pattern is his least favorite pattern of these animal themes. Carolyn Dorin-Ballard agrees, saying the shark and the chameleon are her two least favorite. By contrast, the shark is my favorite pattern. This troubles me. It insinuates if I was good like Malott and Dorin-Ballard, I'd struggle with the shark.

Then again, if I was good like Malott and Dorin-Ballard, I'd be bowling with them rather than blogging about their disdain for an oil pattern.

And now to find out what others think. I love the shark, like the US Open, and loathe the chameleon. What are your favorite and least favorite patterns?

This is the first in a series of blogs to once and for all establish the proper names for x number of strikes in a row. These terms come from my (and my bowling associates') personal bowling vernacular, and you may have differing opinions. Still, strings of strikes need names, and if we're all going to agree on a set of names, we might as well agree on mine.

It can be argued that one strike in a row is hardly a streak, and thus undeserving of a special name. That's why the most common names for one strike are single or simply strike.

But you can't throw a 300 without throwing a first strike. Thus, the first strike is very important, and deserves its own name: Jim J. Bullock.

Origin

I bowl in a Trios league. That means each team has three bowlers. Imagine, for a moment, how the scores look on the screen. Three rows down, and 10 columns across. If you consider only the first three frames, you see a tic-tac-toe board.

Jim J. Bullock was a mainstay in the upper left corner on Hollywood Squares in the late 1980s. So, when the first bowler throws his first strike, he's putting an X in Bullock's square.

Current Use

Obviously, the literal application of this term can only be applied to the first bowler on a three-person team. Luckily, things evolve, and thus we don't need to worry about literal applications. Any bowler, on any team, can claim the first in a string of strikes as a Bullock.

When you bowl a strike, you should shout "Jim J. Bullock!" to let everyone in your bowling league know you're about to rattle off a bunch of strikes.

Other Common Terms

Strike, single.

(Photo by Bowers/Getty Images)

Shannon Pluhowsky was apparently feeling good in August, as she won the Chameleon Championship and, as seen on TV yesterday, the Scorpion Championship. On the men's side, Mike DeVaney earned a much-needed victory, giving him a PBA Tour exemption for 2010-11 and a spot in the PBA Experience Showdown in April.

Pluhowsky took out Liz Johnson in the final, 192-177, which would've given her a berth in the end-of-season PBA Women's Series Showdown, except she already earned that berth. So had runner-up Johnson and third-place finisher Kelly Kulick. Thus, fourth-place finisher Michelle Feldman will take her spot in the showdown.

Sean Rash was back on TV for the second straight week, but like last week, was unsuccessful, falling to Mike DeVaney in the semifinals. Jason Belmonte defeated local favorite Tom Smallwood to earn his way into the finals before losing to DeVaney by a score of 189-170.

Aside from what this victory really meant to DeVaney, which he didn't reveal until afterward, yesterday's telecast wasn't very compelling. Low scores and a general lack of strikes resulted in a slow-paced show devoid of entertainment.

Like the Chameleon Championship last week though, we got to see the pros struggle. But after two weeks in a row, I decided I much prefer to watch one guy to out-strike the other rather than one guy fall apart more than the other. The latter is what league bowlers see for real every week--we don't need to see it on TV.