MAY 19 • 2022 | 49

B

rotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson B’nai B’rith 
bowling league 
champion.
International B’nai B’rith 
Bowling Association national 
tournament champion.
It was a great season 
for the House Ballz team, 
especially considering its 
humble beginnings.
“We joined the 
(Brotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson) league seven years 
ago. We were terrible,” said 
team captain Ryan Vieder.
“We got our team name 
because none of us had our 
bowling ball. We used house 
balls.”
Being terrible and using 
house balls didn’t last long. 
House Ballz made the 
playoffs four times in 
its first five years in the 
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson 
league, twice making it to the 
semifinals.
There were no league 
playoffs in the 2019-20 and 
2020-21 seasons because of 
the COVID-19 pandemic. 
In fact, there was no league 
season in 2020-21.
This league season didn’t 
start well for House Ballz. 
The time away from bowling 
took its toll. The team 
finished in last place in the 
five-team Tigers Division in 

the first half of the season.
“We struggled in the first 
half. It felt like we were 
starting over again,” Vieder 
said.
“But then all four of us 
on the team got hot in the 
second half. Each of us 
raised his average by 10 to 15 
pins. We saved our best for 
last.”
House Ballz qualified for 
the 2021-22 league playoffs 
by winning the second-half 
championship in the Tigers 
Division.
Then it raced through 
the playoffs to win the 
championship of the 22-team 
league.
It beat first-half Tigers 
Division champion 
Yogi’s Rollers 18-6 in the 
quarterfinals, The Rolling 
Stoned 17-7 in the semifinals 
and NHL Property 
Management 14.5 to 9.5 on 
April 25 in the title match.
The International B’nai 
B’rith tournament was held 
virtually in March, with 
competing teams using six-
game scores from two nights 
of league bowling.
House Ballz rolled 4437 
in its six games. With its 
handicap score, the team 
totaled 5796.
Brotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson teams swept the 

top 10 and 13 of the top 14 
places in the tournament, 
quite an accomplishment 
even though 20 of the 46 
teams in the tournament 
were from the league.
Two brothers and two 
family members make up the 
House Ballz team.
The brothers are Ryan 
Vieder of Farmington Hills 
and Jeff Vieder of Bloomfield 
Hills. Their cousin Jason 
Vieder of Huntington Woods 
and Mitch Cohen of West 
Bloomfield also are on the 
team.
“Mitch is Jason’s wife’s 
uncle. We call him Uncle 
Mitch,” Ryan Vieder said.
House Ballz took time 
out after winning the 
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson 
and International B’nai B’rith 
titles to win the traditional 
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson 
four-man scramble golf 
outing that precedes the 
league’s post-season banquet.
Jason Vieder didn’t play 
in the May 2 golf outing at 
Mystic Creek Golf Course & 
Banquet Center in Milford 

Township. He was replaced 
by Adam Vieder of West 
Bloomfield. He’s Ryan’s and 
Jeff’s brother.
House Ballz shot 7-under-
par for 18 holes to win the 
outing, which had a record 
32 golfers.
Three teams tied for 
second place at 4-under: 
Gary and Mike Klinger, Dale 
Taub and Larry Woodberg; 
Steve Lotzoff, Jeff Berlin, 
Lyle Schaefer and Howard 
Mertz; and Mike Weinstock, 
Jerry Wayne, Tom Endean 
and Spencer Burke.
House Ballz didn’t learn 
it had won the International 
B’nai B’rith tournament 
until the Brotherhood-Eddie 
Jacobson banquet at Gino’s 
Pizzeria & Restaurant in 
Keego Harbor.
“That information was a 
nice surprise,” Ryan Vieder 
said.
“We’re wondering what 
we can win this summer,” he 
added with a laugh. 

Send sports news to 

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

GARY KLINGER

Family-focused bowling team wins 
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson league 
and International B’nai B’rith 
tournament titles.

From Terrible 
to Terrific

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Meet the champs. From left are Mitch Cohen, Jason Vieder, Ryan 
Vieder and Jeff Vieder.

SPORTS

