MMSTL - Perks with Bowling in the MMSTL

There were several benefits that went along with being a member of the MMSTL, over the years. One that I always found to be a nice convenience was that the league provided:

- Free NDBC sanctioning for its members

There were other perks, though, that were a part of the league at one time or another, and are listed below. Some were more on the novelty side that were there to lighten the mood for a lot of bowlers.

• In the early 1990s and prior to that, the 50-50 "Shares" system
• The Singles League and Big 32 Tournament
• Strike Frame (in the 2000s era), which was a part of many leagues
• "Bowler's Bingo", which was a neat idea that Steve Yarmola organized for Sunday matches when all the bowlers were in the same bowling establishment. Bowler's would pay $2.00, or so, to enter, and at the end of 1st game, numbers for 80 to 200 were drawn from a hat. If the number drawn matched your score for the 1st game, you'd win the jackpot. I don't recall if this was done for the 2nd game, too, but it was fun
• Pete Potts' NCAA Tournament/March Madness pool
• Bowling Ball Giveway - Once in a while, if I came into possession of a novelty set of bowling balls, I'd have some kind of contest or drawing for the bowlers to participate to win the balls. It would either be some kind of entertainment trivia question, or a straight raffle
• In the early MMSTL, a couple of the restaurants near the bowling centers would give a free pizza to the team who had the highest team set each week in the league. This was a nice promotion to get customers to patronize the place of business (see bottom segment of this sheet from 1962
• "The Goods". This was a spin-off idea from a TV promo commercial relating to the Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge tour, circa 1994, in which they'd sell the band's merchandise, like t-shirts and jackets. I had a few items made with MMSTL bowlers' pictures on them -- a mug, a cap, and a t-shirt. See one of the weekly bowling sheet inserts from the Christmas week edition