Oddball Sporting Goods Candlepin and Duckpin Bowling Blog

Oddball Announces New Ball Trade-In Program!

2009-03-05T07:38:00.001-05:00

Oddball Sporting Goods is proud to announce our new bowling ball trade-in program! Now instead of stashing your old bowling balls up in the attic, you can trade them in and receive a credit towards your new set.

How does it all work? Simple. Before ordering your new set, fill out a trade-in request form, which will ask you several questions regarding the age, condition, brand, etc, or your old bowling balls. Within 48 hours you will be emailed an estimate on how much of a credit you will receive for your existing balls. If you approve of the estimate, simply reference your trade-in ID number in the "order comments" section of checkout when you purchase your new set. When we receive your order, we will email you a prepaid shipping label. That's right, we'll even pick up the shipping tab so it will cost you nothing to ship your old balls to us.

Once you receive the label and your new balls, pack up your old balls in the packaging that came with your new balls, slap the prepaid UPS label on the box, and either schedule a pickup with UPS or drop it off at your local UPS location. Once we receive the old balls we'll do a quick once-over, and assuming your your trade-in request form is accurate, your credit card will be credited with the appraised amount. It's as simple as that!

For more information including a list of frequently asked questions and terms and conditions, please visit the following link:

Oddball Sporting Goods Trade-In Program

As always if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Oddball announces new candlepin and duckpin forum, and new products

2009-01-10T22:25:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone!

With the start of another new year, we at Oddball just wanted to let you know about some new products and features we've developed.

Oddball Online Forum and Community

We are proud to introduce our new online community and message board. This provides a central location for candlepin, duckpin, and 5-pin bowlers alike to meet up virtually and chat about the games that we all love to hate. Whether you're looking for recommendations on equipment, tournament listings and results, roll-off information, or anything else related to small-ball bowling, this is your place. It's our hope that this community will grow, and we can bring together a somewhat segregated small-ball community. The forum also allows you to communicate privately with other bowlers, via the private messaging function.

To visit the forum, it can be accessed directly via http://forum.oddballsportinggoods.com , or simply go to www.oddballsportinggoods.com and click the "Oddball Forum" link in the left menu. Registration is required in order to post in the forum, and can be achieved using the "register" link near the top of the screen. For help using the forum, and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the following link:

http://forum.oddballsportinggoods.com/faq.php

New Products

For the duckpin and 5-pin bowlers out there, Oddball is now offering duckpin and 5-pin ball/bag combination packages. There are three to choose from, and these packages offer additional savings on top of Oddball's already low prices. Click the link above, or visit www.oddballsportinggoods.com and click on the "Duckpin and 5-pin Ball/Bag Combos" link on the left.

Also for the duckpin/5-pin bowlers, we have added several novelty balls to our lineup. Great as a gift, or just for general use. Make sure to check them out.

As always, if you have any questions feel free to drop us a line at info at oddballsportinggoods dot com. We hope everyone has a great 2009!

-Oddball Sporting Goods

Oddball now offering used candlepin and duckpin balls

2008-11-20T17:25:00.003-05:00

Whether you're just getting into the game, or you're looking to save a few pennies, you'll be happy to know that Oddball Sporting Goods is now offering used candlepin and duckpin/5-pin bowling balls!

Be sure to check it out - just head on over to www.oddballsportinggoods.com and click on the "Used Balls" link on the left. The site will be updated as we receive more used sets!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Oddball has a new look!

2008-06-01T15:06:00.000-04:00

We at Oddball Sporting Goods have updated our website with what we think is a cleaner, more organized interface! Please check it out and if you have any issues, questions, or comments, don't hesitate to contact us!

Have a great summer!

Oddball Sporting Goods Newsletter - Fall 2007

2007-11-18T21:48:00.000-05:00

Oddball Sporting Goods Newsletter - Fall 2007

As hard as it is to believe, we're already a few months into the bowling season, and the holidays are just around the corner! While we like to keep emails to our customers at a minimum, we wanted to let you know about some new products before we get into the heart of the holiday shopping season.

Oddball is now carrying a full line of Linds bowling shoes. Whether you're looking for performance, athletic, men's, women's, or kid's, you're sure to find something to fit your needs. Linds shoe company has been providing superior quality, comfort, and style for over 80 years. Combined with Oddball's low pricing, it's an upgrade to your game that you don't want to miss out on! Also, don't forget to check out our new Linds bowling bags.

Time for a new set of bowling balls? As always Oddball carries the latest Candlepin and Duckpin/5-pin bowling balls. New this season are the Paramounts in Green/Yellow/Black, and the Starline in Amber Gold Pearl. For the perfect gift, check out our candlepin Novelty Balls - available in Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, and other fun designs. Since you don't want to worry about paying to have a 12 pound package shipped, all bowling ball sets include FREE SHIPPING!

If you're looking to save even more money, our candlepin ball/bag combos give you three different options to combine a new set of balls with a bag, at unbeatable savings, again with FREE SHIPPING.

Bowling not your game of choice? Check out our full line of EPCO Bocce Balls, and Billiard Balls.

Last but not least, if you want to give the gift of choice this holiday season, look into an Oddball Sporting Goods gift certificate. Gift certificates can be sent electronically via email, or the old fashioned way mailed to your home. We also have several candlepin-related gifts and novelties, that would make the perfect gift.

We hope everyone has a happy holidays!

Monson Lanes to close

2007-04-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

This was posted by the Josefiak family on the Voy Message Board:

"We regret to say after 30 wonderful years of operating the Monson Lanes, we will be closing our doors as of May 6. The decision was made because of our Dad's health. Back on Mar.18, our Dad suffered a massive stroke at the lanes. He is as of today still in the Hospital, mostly in the I.C.U. at Baystate. He is doing as well as can be expected, but will not be the same. Which leaves Dan and Al to run 2 bowling centers single handedly, and we don't want our Mom to work any hours, let alone more hours. So, in saying that, we are pleased to have all the Monson bowlers relocate to our Roll-A-Way Lanes in Ware for next season. So with no leagues left in Monson, the building will be for sale as commercial building for another business venture. As far as the contents go, we will be selling those as well, hopefully ALL as one package complete. 8 lanes of maple wood and approaches (recently refinished by J.E.Corp.)200+ Garland pins, pinsetters, phenolic decks, balls, shoe rentals,seating, Brunswick tele-scores, ball returns, motors, gearboxes, turntables, 8 selection soda vending machine. The pinsetters have all the latest updates, chain drives, pinlift conversions, all done by Wayne McDonald of Pinsetter Service in Worcester.Solid states by John Renner. Everything is in perfect condition, we never neglected the machines.So if you are looking to expand or have 8 lanes of spare top quality parts for spares.Price for all is $25,000. FIRM. If there are no takers for everything by JUNE 1st, we will sell off individual parts and equipment, I am compiling a list of parts along with names and phone numbers of who wants what.Please contact us in Ware (413) 967-5209 after 1 p.m. or email me for prices. dallas2299@yahoo.com"

Which candlepin ball is best for me?

2007-04-24T21:58:00.000-04:00

Which candlepin ball is best for me?

This is a question we get a lot, which unfortunately there is no standard answer for. Picking the right candlepin ball for you is mostly preference with a few other factors thrown in.

Candlepin bowling balls come in one diameter, the regulation 4.5 inches (that's one thing you don't have to decide on!). They come in a variety of weights, generally which go from 2 pounds 4 ounches, all the way up to 2 pound 7 ounces. While a lighter ball (2-4 or 2-5) may be a better choice for the younger folks, for the average adult bowler a 2-6 or 2-7 ball is probably what you're looking for. With the weight of a regulation pin being 2 pound 8 ounces, the closer your ball's weight in relation to the pin's weight, the more action you're going to get on the pins. Of course the speed and rotation of the ball also play a role in pin-action, so again it's really a matter of preference when it comes to weight. But generally the heaviest ball that you feel comfortable throwing, would probably be your best option.

Your next decision is what material you want your ball to be made of. This will determine how soft or hard the ball is, and how it will react to the lane. One of the most popular balls, the EPCO Paramount ball, is a low-priced ball made of a rubber (80%) and synthetic (20%) blend. This makes for a harder, more durable ball, great for beginners and experts alike. It's available in all weights (2-4 to 2-7), and a variety of solid colors and swirls which also adds to it's popularity.

If you are looking for more grip on your ball, if you like to throw a hook for example, the EPCO Pro 72 ball is a softer ball which is designed for gripping and hooking action. The only downfall to this softer ball is that it may be more prone to defects due to its softness. This is a small price to pay for people who are looking for more lane grip. The Pro 72 comes in 2-6 and 2-7 weights.

The EPCO Cobra Pro Rubber ball is a higher-end ball made of high performance polymer rubber. If you're looking for durable ball with hard hitting action, this is a great choice. If you're familiar with the old EPCO Scorpion balls, this is the next generation, and is a great replacement. The Cobra comes in 2-6 and 2-7 weights.

Looking for the coolness factor? EPCO Novelty Balls combine quality and durability with various novelty designs. Whether it be your favorite New England sports team, USA flag, or poker hand, these balls will definitely attract attention. Paramount Solid balls also come in some nice, bright, funky colors including hot pink, bright blue, orange, etc. The only downfall of the novelty balls is they only come in a 2-6 weights. This is not the case with the Paramount Solids, which come in 2-4 through 2-7.

In conclusion, what ball fits your game the best is a personal decision. Hopefully this guide will assist in your choice!

Welcome to the OddballSportingGoods.com Blog!

2007-04-24T21:39:00.001-04:00

Here you'll find lots of news and information (both useful and completely useless) with regards to Oddball Sporting Goods and the game of Candlepin Bowling in general. What's different about our blog than the other 5000 bowling blogs out there? Probably not much, but hey we had to jump on the bandwagon too! Seriously though, we'll try to keep this blog limited to useful information, and hopefully we won't find you face down on your desk snoring.

Enjoy!