Pin Action: Small-Time Gangsters, High-Stakes Gambling, and the Teenage Hustler Who Became a Bowling Champion (30 page)

Schlegel’s parents, William and Irma.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel.

Schlegel making his debut on national TV as the Bicentennial Kid (ABC network) at Fair Lanes in Towson, Maryland.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel/Professional Bowlers Association.

On the left, a late-career Schlegel bowling on ESPN in the 1990s, striking one of his inimitable poses at the foul line.
Photo courtesy of the United States Bowling Congress, provided by Cathy Schlegel
. On the right, Schlegel snarling en route to victory over Pete Weber at the 1985 Lite Beer Open.
Photo courtesy of the Professional Bowlers Association, provided by Cathy Schlegel.

Schlegel celebrated his 70th birthday by—what else?—winning a poker tournament for $300. This is a shot of him at the poker table after the win. Bertha Krieg and Nat Rook are seated with Ernie at the Pheonix Casino in the Last Frontier Poker Room.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel and Ben Tracy.

This photo captures the euphoric moment when Schlegel finally put 12 years of hard luck and hope behind him by winning his first Professional Bowlers Association title in 1980 at the King Louie Open against the great Bo Burton Jr., himself a legendary action bowler. Seconds after this photo was shot, Schlegel’s wife threw him a stuffed monkey. He kissed it and threw it back. They enjoyed that monkey-off-his-back imagery.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel/Professional Bowlers Association.

Schlegel bowling another telecast on ABC in 1983 at Garden City Bowl in Long Island. This shot captures Schlegel’s unique intensity.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel/Professional Bowlers Association.

The late, great Kenny Barber. Barber was one of the greatest bowlers—and greatest performers—in the history of action bowling.
Photo courtesy of Kenny Barber.

This photo features Larry Lichstein, who was one of a very few people to clean out Kenny Barber in an action match at Central Lanes in Yonkers to the tune of $6,000 one night back in the mid-1960s. Larry says he knew from that night forward that he had found the thing he would do for the rest of his life. He even went on to become Rookie of the Year on the PBA Tour in 1969.
Photo courtesy of Luby Publishing.

Side of the building that once housed Manhattan Lanes, Schlegel’s home house as a kid. This is the sidewalk where the bloody brawl between Schlegel and Ginsberg ensued in 1962.
Photo courtesy of Gianmarc Manzione.

The Schlegels renewing their wedding vows on their 10th anniversary in 1985.
Photo courtesy of Cathy Schlegel.

One of the most devastating action bowlers—and an insatiable gambler—Richie Hornreich (left) accepting the first-place prize for winning the 12th Annual Vargo Classic in 1968. On rainy days, Hornreich would take bets on which raindrop would slide down the windows the fastest at Bay Ridge Lanes in Brooklyn. Standing next to Hornreich, on the right, is John Vargo, the tournament’s namesake and the man who ensured his pins would be harder to knock over by filling them with lead.
Photo courtesy of United States Bowling Congress.