Ebowler.com/Bowlers Journal

It's Thanksgiving night, and I stroll into the lounge at Hawthorn Lanes in suburban Chicago. The second of two Denny's PBA Tour qualifying rounds has been completed, and a few players are putting out the flames from a high-scoring event.

In the middle of the pack of people in the bar is Billy Oatman. He is laughing, joking, and trying to block out the showing he'd made in front of the hometown fans.

He didn't exactly bowl terribly. Oatman had averaged 227 for his 14 games of qualifying. But the top 10 in the standings averaged 240 or better, and he found himself in 50th place, 76 pins removed from the 32nd-place cut line.

Billy O is not the typical PBA Tour rookie. He's 41 years old, not the age when most players begin bowling on Tour (unless they're preparing for the Senior Tour).

The fact that he's the PBA version of Disney's "The Rookie" is compounded by the fact that Oatman is carrying the torch for black bowlers all over the country. He's trying to convert his exemption into a PBA title, a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a black bowler since George Branham III's fifth Tour victory.

"Yeah, I know there are eyes on me, and I feed on that," Oatman said. "It drives me to put on a show."

And in each town the Tour has visited, Billy O has reveled in being a pro. He's available for every autograph, every photo with his signature smile, and every interview request. His interview sessions are straight from the "Bull Durham" school of interviews, all setting the foundation for his first TV show.

Unfortunately for Oatman, the bowling part of the show hadn't completely arrived by Thanksgiving. He made the cut in Buffalo and was promptly swept in four games. The two tournaments in which he wanted to bowl well, in Hammond and Chicago, had him placing 47th and 50th, respectively. Needless to say, the frustration was beginning to take hold.

"I don't know what I need to do," Oatman told me. "I'm making good shots, and I understand my equipment. It's just a lot harder than I thought itwould be."

I thought Billy was pressing, and that the pressure of being one of the only exempt black bowlers in PBA history was starting to get to him. A player can answer the same question only so many times before it starts to wear on him. Perhaps the only person who can relate to that this season is Kelly Kulick.

"Nah, it's not that," he told me. "Things just aren't coming together like I thought they would. But it's going to get better. I'm going to win."

To gain some perspective on the situation, I spoke with Tony Reyes, who finally broke through for his first Tour title this season - and shot a TV 300 game in the process.

"Billy hasn't been pressing, but he's got to make some adjustments," Reyes said. "There's always a learning curve when it comes to Tour life."

Reyes went on to say Oatman's success will come down to his emotions.

"He's a high-energy player, and he just wasn't keeping his emotions in check," Reyes explained. "The highs were too high, which made the lows too low. Once Billy learns how to control his emotions, he'll do better out here."

Those words proved to be correct, as Oatman made match play in three of the next four events, with his emotions neatly spaced throughout the matches. He also worked on his mental game during the holiday break to complement an already sound physical game.

The Dick Weber Open in California marked his highest finish on Tour, only three spots from the TV show. And then came Las Vegas, where everything finally fell into place.

After qualifying third for match play, the lefty swept Brian Himmler before beating Walter Ray Williams Jr. in five games. To make the TV show, Oatman had to dig deep and come back from two games down to dismiss Chris Barnes in seven games.

"My attitude was that I was going to make good shots, and they were going to have to beat me," he said. "As far as I was concerned, I had nothing to lose, and everything to gain."

Then it was on to the Sunday TV show, where Oatman managed to contain himself throughout the first match. In a game in which lone right-hander Brad Angelo had a poor reaction, Oatman settled into bowling on TV, winning 207-181 over the former Rookie of the Year.

The dream of winning on Tour was almost a reality. The only bowler standing in the way was Jason Couch, who was vying for back-to-back wins.

"I really wasn't that nervous in the match," Oatman said. "It was more of an excited nervous. That's why my leg was shaking, because I was so ready to get up there. When he missed in the 7th, I knew I had a chance."

And what a chance Oatman had. It was something that all competitive bowlers dream of: an opportunity to double in the 10th for a PBA title. His first shot was flush in the pocket. His second pitch hit light; the 10-pin shook, but failed to fall.

Oatman put his 236-228 loss and runner-up finish in perspective: "It's like shooting 799 when you've never had an 800 series."

If anything, his TV debut has made Oatman more determined.

"I gave everybody a taste," he said. "I'm just getting into the program. Tiger Woods always says that success breeds confidence, and a week like this leaves no doubt about my ability to get to the winner's circle."