FORMER BASEBALL STAR PAUL BLAIR DEAD AT AGE 69

Paul Blair

You might wonder what this has to do with bowling. Paul Blair collapsed and died while warming up to bowl in a tournament at AMF Pikesville Lanes in Pikesville, Maryland. I looked him up on the USBC's website and found that he's been bowling in two leagues per week, averaging 185-197 over several years.

I saw Paul Blair play many times when I was a kid. He was the graceful centerfielder on the great Baltimore teams that also featured Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally, and Davey Johnson. Those Oriole teams and our A's, led by Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, and Campy Campaneris, were usually battling for supremacy of the American League in those days. I'm saddened by Blair's death but I'm glad to know he was a bowler and a pretty good one.