Joe Scianna considered the best action bowler of this decade
Posts to our message board about Joe Scianna
but I remember my first days of watching action before I became good enough to bowl matches. Joe Scianna, Jr. should be a member of your list. Joe was unbeatable for almost a year at Deer Park in the early 1990s. One night he destroyed Snake and Tavie in the same night. Even though he had some great singles matches. Jason Tiso and him were also unbeatable in doubles matches, we used to bet on them all night and walk out with pockets full of money. But, if you are looking for a story, the thing I remember most is in 1991, the first year the PBA came back to Long Island, there was a big night of action on Friday at Deer Park. Vespi, with the chip on his shoulder, came in and was 5 up on Pete Williamson and someone else. Vespi says, "Who's next and is there anyone else that wants to try to beat me?" Well, Joe didn't want to bowl and got talked into it. Gets his balls and stands in the settee and looks at the overheads and goes to Vespi, "250, that's a great game, but its not enough to beat me!" Well, we all sent it in and Scianna shoots 268, 300 and Vespi quits. That alone should warrant consideration for the list, but if you get enough stories about Joe you will see that he will eventually deserve to be placed on your list. ( LOL )
I just finished reading the thread on the Rubeo, Scianna -
Smith matches and have some thoughts to share. You have to thank Robert Smith
for coming to Van Nest and Woodmere lanes to shoot action against the best
bowler's in thier respective houses. It's difficult to come into someone's home
house and bowl them on thier set shot, meaning the shot most condusive and
advantageous to shoot against Robert in this case. I would love to see the
results of the matches if oil patterns A thru E was layed out, or even the
pattern that was used in the tournament of champions which Robert did make the
TV finals. I'm sure Robert would win his match play against Rubeo and Scianna
under those conditions. Not to take anything away from John or Joe, they are
excellent action bowlers and professionals. But it seems like this thread is
trying to promote these two men as superstars and at the same level as Robert
Smith. I'm sorry, not even close! Robert has won the Japan cup and was a
finalist at the tournament of champions and is a world class bowler.
I also would like to comment about the "S" shot that Rudy K. had an issue with.
Rudy bowled on John's shot and was beaten terribly in January. When Rudy asked
John to lay any pattern A-E and bowl him action. John respectully declined and
acknowledged that he would lose to Rudy K. under those conditions. I know these
facts are true since some personal freinds of mine were in attendence for that
match and witnessed this conversation. I hope that there are more matches in the
future like this but would like to see John and Joe bump around a little more
and shoot action in the tri-state area.
Thank You
Former Action Bowler
Listen, Joe went to the TAC this January and did very well and he also is not afraid to bowl anyone. He just beat Robert Smith 5 out of 7 on Saturday from what I was told by someone who was there at Woodmere !! He has beaten alot of GREAT bowlers for a long time and still has not slowed down. He and Rudy Revs have to be the top two action bowlers of all time from the Island .
By - Chris Alderucci
Lemon was the best action bowler by far from the island, way before your time. joe s I met last year and got to know fairly well bets it up. He hates to fly, therefore no Vegas. He will travel to your house and after he beats you he will spot you ten pins if he has to, to get a rematch. He will not bowl lefties no matter how bad they are. Best action bowler around since Rudy vanished. Two months ago he beat Neumann two straight and Neumann as usual was shooting.
By - SC
I was in attendance on Saturday night at Woodmere Lanes when Robert Smith bowled against Joe Scianna. To correct a post on another thread from this site, Joe won the 1st 3, Robert won the next 2, then Joe won the final 2 games to end 3 up.
By - VNL1
yes he is a world class bowler but not a world class action bowler. big difference. these two guys are. would like to see them go head to head.
hey witness what are you smoking? rubeo a world class action bowler? he doesn't bet his own money and only bowls on his conditions. plus, his talent is very limited.
Dear Witness,
I have to disagree with you. They are both good action bowlers at thier
respective houses. A very fair match would be at a neutral site where there is
no advantage to either player. I feel Robert Smith did just fine as an action
bowler splitting with Rubeo under the home field pattern. Scianna was at the
Rubeo - Smith match and was wise enough not to challenge Rubeo at Van Nest after
seeing what the results were with Robert. Rubeo's shot was layed out and there
was no way Scianna was going to shoot action at Van Nest with that condition
layed out.
Do you have any comment about Rudy K challenge after John beat Rudy on John's
oil pattern. If Rubeo is such a world class action bowler, he would have set up
a A-E pattern and roll against Rudy and then we would know if John is a world
class action bowler. I'm sure the outcome will change.
Witness, are you from the Bronx and I'm curious to how old you are? There have
been much better 'world class action bowlers' then the two men you consider
world class. I have seen Mark Roth shoot action and throw 96 strikes in a row at
Paramus bowl. Teata Semiz is another great action bowler that I can come up with
off the top of my head. These men right now at thier age and level of play would
give Rubeo and Scianna all they would want in action matches. Another Bronx
bowler who would have ripped apart Rubeo and the greatest action bowler to ever
come out of the Bronx has to be Vito De'Angelo. He took on every touring pro at
any house in the Bronx and NYC and would win 80% of his matches. Vito made a
comeback in 1990-92 and quickly regained his form, educated himself with all the
new equiptment and dominated again. It's a shame that arthritis has claimed his
knees and legs and can no longer bowl. You would have appreciated his game and
knowledge. I am looking forward to hearing from everyone. Have a nice day.
Former Action Bowler
Rubeo is nothing to write home about. if he put out an ob shot, he's dead. Robert smith would never lose a game. he went 5 to five. When the middle started drying up smith was dead and rubeo could not miss. Since rudy has left town, scianna is by far the best around. Please with semiz. he was never that good in action. and right now scianna would chew mark up. he did it to smith who is a superior bowler than mark TODAY. the 96 in a row was when roth was the best in the world. today he has trouble in regionals. Scianna has now crushed smith twice. THis is not the tour. on tour, smith would wipe him out. Scianna does impress me. And I've seen them all. He bets alot nowadays will double the bet when he is down and is great in the tenth. not a scianna fan. just somebody that met him last year and watched a number of matches. As for rUBEO, of course he would not have bowled him on the same pair after a258 and 279. he would have if they switched. Unless its the best wrw scianna will bowl anybody. And with wrw he would probably take a shot. HOWEVER after wrw shot his back to back 250s joe would say enough.
By - SC
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