300! 300!!
This is our column number 300 and we’re celebrating! 
It’s almost six years since our first column was published in the Capitol Hill Beacon and I had no idea our plan to report on the weird, the unusual, and the absurd on sports would even last 100 issues, much less 300.

To all the papers that carry “Silliman on Sports” and to all our readers (all 300 of you) we thank you.

Didn’t celebrate much at 100, a little more when we hit 200, but the number 300 is significant, especially when discussing sports.  The 100 yard dash is 300 feet long, so is a football field.  In baseball, the number that separates good from great batting averages is 300.  If you hit over 300 in the majors you’re a great hitter.  300 is also a milestone number for NFL running backs, rushing yards in a game very few achieve. If you check out the NASCAR Nationwide Series, 8 of their 15 races are 300 miles long.

So how did Mike (the Zyk-Man) and I celebrate?  We, along with our wives, dedicated five hours (300 minutes) went to Avis rented a Chrysler 300C and drove around town looking for things 300.  We even took a Nikon camera with a 300 mm zoon lens.  Coming our way was a Mercedes SL300.  High five right off the bat.  Next we drove by the athletic dorm hoping to spot an offensive lineman.  We were hoping to see Kody Cooke, listed in Oklahoma roster at 302.  Didn’t find him.  Our next stop was Bricktown Burgers at 300 E. Main in Oklahoma City.  Delicious burgers, but they had far more than 300 calories I had hoped for.

“The fitting finish,” I told our gang of 296 people less than 300 “would be to witness a 300 game. The perfect game in bowling.”  I checked and found that Pete Thomas, OKC resident and pro bowler was practicing at the Holiday Lanes.  And if Casey Buller, who bowled two 300 games in the same week happened to be there so much the better.  We were hoping to catch both.  Thomas once strung 22 strikes in a tournament for a 300-289-259 =858 series.  He had perfect games in practice on many occasions.  What better way to finish off our column 300 celebration than witness perfection in the score 300?

We arrived, sat behind lane 17 to note that Pete had completed seven frames, all strikes. Yes this could happen! I mentioned that Pete was a pro-bowler and one of our party asks “Does he also play football since I heard…”  Frame 8, nice curve into pocket, strike.  Frame 9, he barely touches the front pin but the action still knocks all the pins down.

“If he strikes here, he gets two more throws,” I tell everyone while keeping my fingers crossed.  STRIKE!! Okay, next one will earn a final shot.  I ready the Nikon to capture the pins falling and the topper to our event.  Perfect throw, the Buzz saw ball coming right into the pocket, wiping swing all the pins.  EXCEPT for the 4 pin.  4 pin standing, 289, eleven short.

Oh well, hope everyone stays with us as we do our next 300.