32 | MAY 23 • 2024
J
N
T
he Brotherhood-Eddie
Jacobson B’nai B’rith
Bowling League’s season
doesn’t just end. It ends with
fireworks.
The fireworks are provid-
ed by league secretary Gary
Klinger’s annual season sum-
mary, a 20-plus page treasure
trove of detailed statistical
analysis and commentary on
the league season that is argu-
ably among the best season
reviews of any bowling league
in the county.
Why does Klinger spend
hours and hours putting
together the summary?
“This was my 45th year
bowling in this great league
and my 28th year as league sec-
retary,” he writes in his 2023-24
season summary’s State of the
League Address.
“I love leading the troops
around here. I’m proud and
honored to lead the league,
and I will continue to strive
to make this the best place to
be on a Monday night. I truly
have dedicated my life to keep
the league strong, thriving and
entertaining for all of you.”
Klinger
thanked league
executive board
members Jeff
Berlin, Ryan
Columbus,
David Little and
Dennis Horwitz
for their efforts in his address,
calling them “awesome and
level-headed.”
He had a special thanks for
Little, who “does a spectacular
job with all the financials, and
really in helping me run the
league.”
This year’s 28-week league
season was interrupted
just three times. There was
no bowling Dec. 25, Jan.
1 and Jan. 8 (the night of the
Michigan-Washington college
football national championship
game) at Country Lanes in
Farmington Hills, the league’s
longtime home.
There were 105 bowlers
on the league’s 24 teams who
rolled at least nine games
this season, Klinger reported.
The bowlers rolled a total of
6,470 games, knocked down
1,135,334 pins, and combined
for a 175.74 average.
“Our league average wasn’t
horrible, but it was the lowest
in almost 20 years,” Klinger
wrote. “There’s your motiva-
tion for next season everyone.
Let’s go get it.”
The two league bowlers in
their 20s (Aaron Radner and
Joey Schechter)
combined for a
219.52 average,
tops among the
decades.
The 13 bowl-
ers in their 30s
combined for a
185.15 average,
and the 18 bowlers in their 40s
combined for a 181.29 average.
The 42 bowlers in their 60s
combined for a 174.68 average,
the 15 bowlers in their 50s
combined for a 171.23 average,
and the 10 bowlers in their 70s
combined for a 167.79 average.
The two bowlers in their 80s
(Bernie Goodstein and Mort
Friedman) combined for a
176.75 average.
There was one teen bowler
(Jaren Kaplan averaged 145.40
in eight games) and one bowler
in his 90s. Jack Gold averaged
104.50 in eight games.
Thirty-six league bowlers
improved their average from
the 2022-23 season, but 59
went down. Three bowlers
stayed even, and seven bowlers
were new to the league.
The 2022-23 season saw 78
bowlers improve their average
and only 15 go down.
Four perfect 300 games were
bowled in the league this sea-
son, two by Radner. He now
has eight 300 games in league
competition. Ken Folkoff and
Rick Woolman each rolled his
second 300 game in the league.
Mike Lieberman bowled a
299 game, the 21st in league
history, which dates back about
70 years. Harris Gurfunkle’s
297 game was the fifth in
league play.
Andy Cohen had quite a
season, rolling the best weekly
game over average (279-152—
127 pins) and series over aver-
age (646-456—190 pins).
Radner rolled the league’s
high series for the week a
league-most eight times,
including four straight weeks:
779 on Oct. 30, 727 on Nov.
6, 697 on Nov. 13 and 772 on
Nov. 20.
Schechter had the league’s
high series four times. He did
it in back-to-back weeks just
before Radner had his streak
of four in a row, rolling 781 on
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling League’s 2023-24
season review crunches the numbers from 28 weeks of competition.
6,470 Games, 1,135,334 Pins
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
GARY KLINGER
From left are Howard Keller, Dennis Horwitz, David Little and
Dave Shanbaum, members of the X Marks the Spot team in the
Brotherhood-Eddie Jacobson B’nai B’rith Bowling League. Horwitz and
Shanbaum each had a league-best 24 match points this season.
Gary Klinger
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Aaron Radner
SUBMITTED PHOTO