Bowlers

Early in Wade Davis' first NFL training camp, in 2000, a teammate with the Tennessee Titans approached the rookie defensive back with some helpful advice. If you want to make the team, he whispered, stay away from people who are "different" - a code word Davis instantly knew referred to players suspected of being gay. So that night Davis, who realized he was "different" during his sophomore year in high school, followed a group of teammates to a nearby strip club where he spent $1,500 to prove he was one of the guys.

Larry Johnson's record-breaking career as a Kansas City running back is over. The Chiefs confirmed Monday that they had run out of patience with his off-the-field problems and released Johnson the day he was due to come back from his second suspension in a year. Johnson, who turns 30 on Nov. 19, was one of the NFL's best running backs in 2005 and 2006, rushing for more than 1,700 yards in each of those seasons, and was only 75 yards away from breaking Priest Holmes ' team rushing record.

Opening ceremonies of the Women's International Bowling Congress championship tournament at Tustin Lanes were held Thursday night as the three-month competition started for 51,261 women bowlers. Between Thursday and July 1, WIBC bowlers will be competing in singles, doubles and five-woman team competition for $1 million in prize money. The amount of money awarded in each division is based on the number of entries.

Good God! Drugs and handguns are out of control. The reason? The police are tied up in the real threats to society! Five women who are bowling for dollars. But stand by for World War III. The reference by the police spokesman that they didn't say "lets go over to the bowling alley and find some old ladies gambling" may just cause it! HOWARD B. ANDREEN, Camarillo

Every year, young bowlers take a shot at the national pro bowlers' tour. Most find the going tough. Veteran Pete Weber of St. Louis made sure it wasn't easy for Rick Steelsmith, 23, of Wichita, Kan., but the rookie Steelsmith still made his presence felt on the opening day of the Pro Bowling Assn. AC/Delco tournament at Gable House Bowl in Torrance. Steelsmith, the 1987 national collegiate champion from Wichita State, took the early lead after games of 227, 279, 238, 217, 246 and 255.

Grubb & Ellis Co.'s first annual Pacific Southwest Region Bowl-a-Thon to benefit California Special Olympics resulted in more than $100,000 in contributions. Hundreds of Grubb & Ellis personnel from throughout the company's Pacific Southwest Region converged on bowling alleys to pledge their support to the recent bowling tournament. The money raised helped to sponsor the California Special Olympics events on June 23-25 on the UCLA campus.

Robin Romeo of Van Nuys finished fourth in match play to qualify for the final of the $30,000 Brunswick L.A. Open today in Anaheim. Romeo is one of five to qualify for the stepladder final of the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour event at the BRC Wonder Bowl. Romeo faces Cindy Coburn of Buffalo, N.Y., to open the elimination round. ESPN will televise the tournament finals. The winner's purse is $5,000, with the second-place finisher receiving $2,500 and third place $1,500.

Jeanne Maiden of Solon, Ohio, outscored Robin Romeo of Van Nuys by 134 pins Wednesday night to secure the top-seeded position for tonight's stepladder finals in the $35,000 Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour Tempe Open. Maiden, averaging 219 for the final eight matches, completed 42 games with 9,689 pins in a bid for her second title of the year and seventh of her career. Romeo finished at 9,555. Wendy Macpherson of San Diego, who qualified for match play in 24th place, was third at 9,481.

Pro bowling's AC Delco Classic returns to Cal Bowl in Lakewood today with a $300,000 purse, tying it with the Tournament of Champions for the largest on the tour this season. And according to defending champion Tom Baker of Buffalo, N.Y., who hadn't won a tournament in 10 years before his 1996 victory at Cal Bowl, winning an event of this magnitude can give a bowler a new outlook. "It changed my whole life around," Baker said. "I started to bowl with more confidence.