Young Drew Balta finished with six straight strikes to defeat Jason Poli 247-224 in the title match and win the New Year's Day scratch tournament at Pla-Mor Lanes in Muscatine, Iowa. First was $600 and second $400 in the high-scoring tournament, which drew 59 entries. Using a Storm LUCID, the 20-year-old right-hander trounced me in the semifinals 296-259 after I defeated Marcus Mitts 246-235. Mitts opened the stepladder finals with a 258-257 win over Jeremy McKeehan. I often get asked why I...