Bair flirts with 300 twice en route to 840 series

Nine surgeries to his right eye kept Mike Bair off the lanes for more than five years.

He returned to the lanes last season with limited vision and expectations. He never dreamed that his biggest day on the lanes was ahead of him.

Bair, the proprietor of Hanover Bowling Centre, recently rolled games of 245, 299 and 296 for an 840 series. It was his first career 800 series.

Besides recording his career high series, the 55-year-old right-hander flirted with back-to-back 300 games.

“I never imagined I would be able to accomplish something like this with the limited vision in my right eye,” said Bair, who competed on the PBA Tour in the early 1980s. “It just makes it that much sweeter.”

In the second game, he barely missed a perfect game. On his final ball, nine pins scattered and the 10-pin wobbled, but refused to fall.

“I thought it was going to fall,” said Bair, who never suspected he would get another chance at a perfect game that night.

As he started to string together strikes in the third game, his first goal was to reach the 800 plateau.

“I knew I needed a 256 the final game,” he offered. “As I kept striking, my goal was to achieve the 800 before the 10^th frame. That way, some of the pressure would be off.”

Bair reached the 800 mark with his ninth consecutive strike. The tension increased, however, as he added two more. By then, 30 to 40 bowlers had congregated behind the approach to watch him.

Still excited about his 800 series, Bair rolled the final ball and it went through the middle leaving the 4-6-7-10.

“I think I was a little slower to the line,” he said. “I was a little disappointed not rolling a 300, but it’s tough to complain when you roll an 840 series. It was a great feeling.”

He added, “Not many bowlers ever have the opportunity of back-to-back 300’s. I would have liked to have gotten at least one.”

One of the most satisfying aspects of his special night was that he was bowling on a team with his daughter, Kristen, who encouraged him to return to the lanes, and his son, Steve.

“That made everything real special,” he said. “I really enjoy bowling with them. I’m having more fun than ever.”