Ernie McCracken's Famous Bowling Ball Used To Beat Roy Munson In 'Kingpin' Up For Auction

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I'm not what one might call "hip." Current pop culture isn't really my thing, mostly because the majority of my time is tied up in sports and not culture. Plus, not to be that guy, but today's music sucks. Thus, I prefer to write about dated pop culture, like the 1996 comedy classic Kingpin starring Woody Harrelson as Roy Munson and Bill Murray as Ernie McCracken. 

Last month, I did a deep dive into one of my favorite movies of all-time, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Another product of the 90s, Ace Ventura, literally impacted my life. 

That's not quite the case with Kingpin, though it's a movie I still enjoy very much. Although, I enjoyed it much more before I started bowling competitively. And by competitively, I mean I was the Connecticut State Champion in the C Division four years ago. Granted, that's a handicapped division, but still. 

That's right, I have photos to prove it and everything.

That's right, I have photos to prove it and everything.

When one of my colleagues at OutKick, the great Joe Kinsey, told us that Ernie McCracken's famous bowling ball – the one used to beat Roy Munson in the finals of the Reno tournament – is up for auction, I was struck with nostalgia.  

As of this writing, the current bid for the ball is $37,000. I don't have that kind of scratch lying around, so I won't be able to purchase it. Fortunately, you can get a replica for like $150. 

While I do love the movie Kingpin, getting into competitive bowling did hurt some of my suspension of disbelief. Bowlers will know exactly what I'm talking about, and non-bowlers won't. 

I know this because I tried to have a conversation about it with OutKick gambling expert Geoff Clark. He had no idea what I was talking about and basically told me to take my nerdy bowling talk elsewhere. 

See what I mean? 

Firstly, that rose bowl is cool. But, it would never hook like McCracken's ball hooks. The flower is exactly where the ball's core should be. For McCracken's first strike to hook clear across the lane and go Brooklyn is ridiculous. 

Secondly, no Geoff, Brooklyn is not a "bowling move." It's bowling lingo for when your ball hits the wrong side of the headpin. As a right-handed bowler, your pocket is between the 1-pin and the 3-pin. Hitting the other side, between the 1-pin and the 2-pin, meant McCracken missed his target line by A LOT. He wouldn't celebrate this feat. 

Thirdly, Munson's first strike hit incredibly light and really shouldn't have struck. It was lucky. That's OK, he doesn't go over the top and celebrate. However, we're led to believe this is a tournament between two of the best bowlers in the world. C'mon man. 

There are so many other problems with the bowling scenes in this movie, but I won't bore you and list them all. At the end of the day, this is still a very fun movie that I enjoy greatly. 

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.