Hansen's Sunday Notebook: Caldwell's pin count goes into record books

On Tuesday night at Golden Pin Lanes, Bryanna Caldwell bowled the greatest set of games in Tucson history. That includes men, women, everybody, in more than a century of bowling.

No one has done better.

Caldwell bowled 300, 279 and 300. Out of 36 possible strikes, she rolled 35. It tied the sanctioned United States Bowling Congress women’s record for a three-game series, 879.

Her average this year is 245. It was 234 a year ago.

It was so remarkable that the most honored bowler in Tucson history, PBA Hall of Famer Paul Colwell of Catalina High School, told me “Bryanna is probably the best female bowler in America. It wasn’t a fluke.”

Caldwell graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in 2004 and was, at that time, probably the most coveted college recruit in Tucson.

You didn’t hear much about it because bowling is not a glamour sport. She went to powerhouse University of Central Missouri where she was the NCAA Bowler of the Year in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

“I had bowled 300 on 10 previous occasions, so I know what it’s like to shoot 300,” she said. “My previous best was 861, so it was a very special night. I work full time and bowl two nights a week, so I’m not able to work on my game as much as I’d like.”

There is no longer a Pro Bowler’s Tour for women.

“That’s too bad,” said Colwell, who rolled 43 perfect 300 games in his career and won nine PBA Tour championships. “Bryanna could make a lot of money. She’s a special talent.”

This didn’t happen by accident. Bryanna’s grandfather, Ray Munguia, who still averages 190 in his early 70s, gave her a bowling ball when she was 7. Her parents, Dallas and Monica Caldwell, both have had season averages of 200 or more. Her father has twice bowled perfect games.

By the time Bryanna was 14, her average hit 200 and kept going north.

“I bowl Tuesdays and Fridays and in every tournament I possibly can, most of them on weekends, whether in Arizona or national,” she said. “It’s a bummer that there is no women’s pro tour.”

She is sponsored by and endorses Columbia 300 bowling balls and Turbo, a bowling grips firm.

Before Caldwell returned to Tucson full-time to help the day-to-day operation of her parents businesses – granite countertops, a jewelry store, a janitorial company, among other things — Caldwell was on Team USA in 2006, 2007 and 2011.

Tuesday night at Golden Pin Lanes, as word of Caldwell’s 300-279-300 series spread, a crowd of bowlers gathered. It was so good that even Caldwell was taken aback.

“When I went to work Wednesday morning, I was a little overwhelmed, almost in shock that it happened,” she said. “You always hope you’ll have a night like that, but when it actually happens, wow.”

One of the strengths of UA athletic director Greg Byrne is that he touches all the bases, big and small.

After spending two days examining the football facilities at Kansas State, and staying for Thursday’s ESPN game, Auburn vs. Kansas State, Byrne returned to Tucson for a busy football weekend, which included a social gathering at his home.

But before he arrived at the party, he drove across town to Tucson Country Club for a special occasion: honoring longtime Tucson businessman Tom Moore. Byrne gave an introductory speech to a crowd of more than 150.

Moore earned a business degree in 1960, worked in the annuity and insurance business and has spent the last 54 years as one of the UA’s most prominent supporters. He was part of the original Town Cats booster group, held (and paid for) a homecoming eve party for 35 consecutive years and occupied the same tailgating spot on the UA mall for decades.

Moore, struggling with health issues, announced at Friday’s roast/toast that he has created the Tom T. Moore Scholarship Fund at the UA.

Not bad for an old softball player and Willie Mays fan from Albany, Ore., who arrived in Tucson in 1956 and more than established a strong legacy.

As he prepares for his first season as an NBA head coach, Steve Kerr spoke to more than 600 elementary school children last week in San Francisco. Kerr and his assistant, fellow UA legend Luke Walton, read from the book “The Rainbow Fish” during Love of Reading Week. (It is a book about the joy of sharing.) Kerr, an avid reader, just completed reading the biography of Anson Dorrance, who coached the North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer program to 21 of the last 32 NCAA championships.

Kerr’s Golden State Warriors will play preseason games in Hidalgo, Texas, and Des Moines, Iowa, next month. A savvy promoter could book the Warriors and an NBA team with a former Arizona standout at McKale Center in October 2015 and have little difficulty selling 14,000 tickets.

ASU football coach Todd Graham often rents a helicopter on Friday nights, buzzing to games in the greater Phoenix area to impress recruits. On Friday, Graham touched down at the anticipated Mountain Pointe-Chandler game, buzzing the field as he left. That had to leave an impression on Mountain Pointe halfback Paul Lucas, possibly the state’s top prospect, who has also been offered a scholarship by Arizona’s Rich Rodriguez. The helicopter visits aren’t new; former Oregon State football coach Craig Fertig was doing it in the late 1970s. But couldn’t the money be better spent on, say, another academic counselor’s salary?

Among the thousands of tourists stranded by Hurricane Odile last week in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, was Pima College men’s basketball coach Brian Peabody. Many of the tourists, like Peabody, uninjured, had to wait days to be airlifted and arrange further transportation. The Sahuaro High grad finally arrived back in Tucson on Friday, saying they were the “scariest days” of his life.

Pat O’Brien was one of the most dominant pitchers in UA baseball history. After a standout prep career at Phoenix Central High School, the left-hander went 12-1 for the Wildcats in 1966 with a 1.25 ERA, the third lowest in school history. He was a third team All-American. His grandson, Gage O’Brien emerged this summer as a top college prospect at Catalina Foothills High School and last week accepted a scholarship to New Mexico. O’Brien, a 6-foot 3-inch right-hander, only pitched 17⅔ innings as a junior, but after regularly hitting 90 mph or more this summer, he was pursued by Kansas State as well.

Erik Oja, who developed as Arizona’s No. 1 golfer last season, successfully passed the first stage of the European Tour Qualifying School last week. In fact, he was tied for the lead after 36 holes at 13-under par. Oja is working with the Swedish Olympic team in preparation for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics and is also playing on the Nordic Tour.

UA and Sabino High grad Nathan Tyler did not finish his first full year on the Web.com Tour with enough status to earn a PGA Tour card for 2014-15. Tyler earned $71,433 and finished 78th on the Web.com money list.

CDO grad Blake Martinez has emerged as a top defensive player in the Pac-12 after Stanford’s first three games. Martinez, a junior inside linebacker, leads Stanford with 24 tackles and was No. 10 in the league through three games. “I think he’s playing about the best of anybody on defense right now,” Stanford defensive coordinator Lance Anderson told reporters last week. “He had a great offseason in terms of just improving his speed, improving his strength. He’s a big, physical kid that runs really well. It’s all translating on the field.”

Two words to keep in mind as Sean Miller prepares for training camp next month: Dusan Ristic. I’m told the 7-foot freshman center from Serbia has established an inside presence in early team workouts.

NCAA representatives, who will next month select sites for the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 Final Fours, will visit Phoenix/Glendale on Tuesday and Wednesday. The usual Final Four cities are among finalists: Indianapolis, Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio and Dallas. Can you imagine the hubbub if Arizona reached the Final Four on the year it is played in Phoenix?

In a softball-centric city like Tucson, Sierra Davenport grew up to be one of the top players in Tucson history. The former Sabino High School softball standout last week was inducted into the Marshall University Sports Hall of Fame, and it was well-deserved. Davenport was the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year in 2004 and still leads the MAC in career steals, 130. She batted .352 in her career for the Thundering Herd and posted a 2.17 ERA. After earning her degree at Marshall, Davenport has returned to Tucson and is the Community Promotions Manager for City of Tucson Parks and Recreation.

Arizona’s 1994 All-Pac-10 offensive lineman Warner Smith, who is suffering from ALS, is scheduled to be present at Wallace Physical Therapy’s fund-raiser for Lou Gehrig’s disease next Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., at the company’s headquarters, 5501 N. Oracle Road. A barbecue lunch will be served. The physical therapists at Wallace have already raised in excess of $1,000 for the ALS Foundation and research and hope to more than double that on Saturday.

Former UA NCAA swimming champion and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Darian Townsend became a U.S. citizen this summer. Last week he was chosen to be on Team USA for the 2015 Pan American Games team. He is now training for the New York Athletic Club.

Arizona alumnus Lance Briggs has opened a restaurant “Double Nickel Smokehouse” in his hometown of Sacramento, California. Briggs’ menu includes a “Bear Down Combo.” Briggs has now played in 167 NFL games, which puts him third on the UA’s career NFL list, trailing linebacker Tedy Bruschi at 189 and tackle Glenn Parker at 174. Also near the top: punter Josh Miller at 165 and tackle John Fina, 155.

As Salpointe Catholic extended its football winning streak to 18 on Friday, it again became apparent how coach Dennis Bene keeps building. In the last two games, sophomore receiver/defensive back D.J. Hinton has had a 104-yard receiving game, intercepted a pass and returned a kickoff 96 yards. And junior nose guard Justin Holt has become a dominant player up front. Holt, who has received a scholarship offer from Arizona, is now drawing attention from Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Oregon.

This is when you know your city is off the baseball grid:

Last week the Pacific Coast League staged a historic shuffling of franchises. The Dodgers abandoned Albuquerque. The Rockies left Colorado Springs. The Giants left Fresno. The Brewers were dumped by Nashville. The A’s departed Sacramento. And the Astros vacated Oklahoma City.

Ordinarily, with a vacant PCL-level stadium on Ajo Way, Tucson would’ve been in the hunt to get another franchise. But no one even sniffed Tucson; there are no prospective owners in a city likely seen as toxic in pro baseball circles.

Moreover, the Milwaukee Brewers are actively trying to find a new spring training site; they will likely leave Maryvale and hope to get a deal in the northwestern corner of the greater Phoenix area, near Peoria.

Tucson isn’t being remotely considered.

You miss baseball? You can watch the Diamondbacks approach 100 losses from the comfort of your living room.

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