Life In The Slow Lane

Ballard promptly hung up five straight strikes—the most crucial being the fifth: his wide-arcing hook teetered momentarily on the edge of the gutter before curving dramatically to the left toward the head pin. Ultimately. Ballard had eight strikes for a 254. Williams five for 218.

After the Firestone, the champ headed home to Richardson, where he'll spend some time bowling with friends. "I always knew this is what I would do and this is what I'd be like," says Ballard, who started bowling when he was two and was in a competitive league at five. In high school, he informed his teachers that what they were force-feeding him "wasn't doin' nothin' about teaching me to knock down them pins." He laughs, then sighs. "I love to bowl."