Even though we're down to the end of the season, we find that the balls are still bustin' out all over. Despite the continued influx of new equipment, we don't have a "Core of the Month" for June. Don't blame us. The cores of the balls we were sent to review all look like tweaked versions of older cores, and that's not encouraging. The Faball Jack Hammer has a new look and held out some promise to rectify this situation, but the ball missed our deadline; it will be in the hunt next month.

Brunswick: Control Zone
Caveat - Don't let the name fool you. If you have a strong release and/or produce a lot of revs, use one of the higher pin drills (pin 4 1/2 - to 6-inches from PAP). In either case, you will have a ball with excellent length, strong/smooth hook and a ton of hitting power. If you are on the lower end of the ball speed and rev chart, use a drill with the pin 2-to-4 inches from the PAP for playable length and strong hook and hit. Weaker hands may use a higher pin drill for drier conditions.

A 5 1/2-inch pin for our lefthanded power tester gave the strong lefties great length and back-end control (no pun intended) on wet/dry and lighter oil patterns. Weaker-release players on the left side needed to play this drill very tight or find lots of dry.

Our right-side drill used a label leverage pin to help our power-challenged release. While this drill let weaker hands play the ball on heavy to light oil patterns, the users who whack the ball needed to find oil. This drill was too much hook too early for big rev players. We might have lost this ball to a co-worker who has lower speed with lots of revs; he flat loves this Zone on any condition short of toast.

As long as you use the proper drill, this Zone can put you in control or it will open up the lane as much as you want. Plenty of power from the core and great control (if needed) from the reactive cover.

Brunswick: Walter Ray Williams Jr. MVP
To be honest, when we heard about this one, we expected a sanded reactive ball to deliver hook. Let's set the record straight - this black polished ball delivers great backend just the way it is.

Distinguishing Characteristics - A medium Rg ball with medium/low Rg differential. The core is similar to that used in the Gold Rhino Pro ball. The reactive cover is from the family used on the Combat Zones. This ball can deliver good length (with some head oil) and a very quick/sharp snap on the backend. Any two-piece drill can be used for roll and reaction, and the cover sands/polishes easily for needs.

Caveat - Pump some iron or find some head oil to get this one down the lane. Our first night with this one was on a shot that had the oil reduced to accommodate one shift of league bowling. Our label leverage-drill hooked about 10 feet sooner than expected and snapped past the head pin on the left side. Granted, this was a light wet/dry strip, but this ball flat turned the corner.

We drilled the left side MVP with the pin 1 inch off PAP, and the ball delivers outstanding length with smooth hook for a big-rev release. Lesser hands wound up pointing this ball or playing a very tight line.

We label-leverage drilled the other ball, and this one sails the heads quite well and delivers a strong snap to the pocket. With some head oil and any kind of backends, the Walter Ray MVP is a very strong skid/snap ball.

Brunswick: Parker Bohn III MVP
Distinguishing Characteristics - This deep blue polished ball uses a core that looks like a Teal Rhino Pro on steroids, with a huge stem. It also contains a nucleus similar in shape to that of the Control Zone. Apply any two-piece drill for roll and reaction, and have at it. This medium Rg core offers medium Rg differential with high flare potential. The cover on this one is from the Rhino Pro T2 family ÐÐ PowrKoil 17. This cover/core combo will deliver tremendous length with a sharp flip and pin-flying hit.

Caveat - Work the cover on this one for oil or just bag it until the lanes make your big equipment hook early and hard.

We applied a label-leverage drill to the Parker Bohn MVP and have been very hesitant to lend it out. With the season winding down, there has not been any traffic in front of our Classic Leagues. This has given us a fresh strip with no carrydown. This MVP (with a strong motor and mildly aggressive cover) has allowed us to stay right in the track area for all three games. Even as the heads dry up, this MVP requires no effort to get down the lane and flip back to the pocket. We are quite impressed with the "scouts" this ball sends across the deck. The Parker Bohn III MVP delivers a bunch of energy at impact. The cranker pups opened up the lane a bit, while the weaker hands could just whack the ball up the boards with confidence in the ball's ability to recover and bash pins.

All three MVP balls are outstanding performers with a price range around $150. The only negative comment we've heard from folks who've used the ball is, "Where is the Z?"

Columbia: Messenger
A brief performance follow-up for the Messenger: if you are looking for economy ($140 range) hook on oil, look no further. This box-sanded surface (with SuperFlex resin) will hook all you want on oil. Our label-drilled Messenger got a light polish and was plenty of ball on a fresh pattern for three shifts of bowling. With the leagues ending and the oil pattern becoming lighter, even this "mild" core/cover is too aggressive for light to dry conditions.

Caveat - Watch this one on drier conditions: if you expect this ball to be on the weak side - wrong! Even with a gloss polish, the SuperFlex cover wants to hook early and hard. Less hand can work, or use a high Rg drill to help with the length. Even with a polish, if you have dry on the backend, the Messenger will turn over very well.

Dyno-Thane: Rev-X
Distinguishing Characteristics - The Rev-X uses a new Tri-density Flow-in core similar to the core in the Wayne Webb Rx. This core has had a dense power band added to create a built-in mass bias in the ball. The location of the power band/mass bias is marked with a locator pin to assist in drill layouts. The Flow-in core actually allows the outer core wrap to become an integral part of the core. This allows the Rev-X to maintain dynamic parameters in 12- to 16-pound weights. This low Rg core will have medium/high Rg differential, with more than 6 inches of flare potential. The Mixed Foliage Green cover is New SH3 Plus reactive with a satin sanded finish. Designed for heavy oil conditions, the cover may be sanded/polished easily. Box drill sheet is easy to follow.

We label-drilled our pin-in Rev-X with the pin 1/2-inch out and 1 1/2-inches up from grip center. The mass bias was placed in a strong position; no extra hole needed. With our hand, the box finish delivered great length and a smooth hook and hard-hit/mix. When we started getting some carrydown, the Rev-X still hooked well. On a later shift with drier heads, this ball didn't need much effort to get to the break point, and still delivered a smooth hook with no loss of hitting power. The power players liked the smooth hook, and lesser hands embraced the effortless length in the pass-around. Our left-handed co-worker applied a 5-inch pin from PAP with mass bias in an arc position. This drill delivers great length with a smooth but abrupt recovery. The left-side power players could open up the lane, and the weaker hands could play up the boards with excellent hit reported by all users.

Caveat - Finding the Rev-X won't be easy. Dyno-Thane produces some outstanding performers, but they're not one of the big boys. If you have trouble finding a dealer, just give Dyno-Thane a call to hook you up locally.

Faball: Jack Hammer
It missed the deadline boat, so some tech skinny only.

Distinguishing Characteristics - At the head of the list for this ball is the new 1500cc Boomer core. This medium/high Rg core offers length, and the medium Rg differential allows a smooth, continued hook. The core shape resembles a big upside-down bell with a stem on the bottom. The Boomer core uses a Dynamic Balance Control Stabilizer for control and better carry. A three-piece core is about 2200cc; the core size in a Sledge Hammer is a tad over 900cc. This emerald-green polished cover has Microactive with Mica crystals for increased back-end traction in oil. The cover has fluorescent yellow logos/pin; usual sanding/polishing traits. Basic two-piece drills will make this one a shop professional's dream to lay out and drill in 13- to 16-pound weights. Treat the 10-to 11 pound Jack Hammer as a three-piece ball. With a targeted retail of $150-$160, the Jack Hammer should have broad appeal. We'll follow up next month with a lane report.

Millenium Bowling Products: Y2K
Finally! We were suffering some back spasms when this ball arrived, so we drilled this one for the left side.

Distinguishing Characteristics - If you liked the solid Synergy, you'll love this ball. Everyone who's seen or used the ball has called it a Synergy. The core resembles the Synergy core with enhanced flip blocks and minus the Ceramicore, which gives the Y2K a medium Rg with a medium/high Rg differential. The Y2K is cleaner up front, with a sharper move on the backend. The ad sheets on this one call for a smooth arcing hook, but the aggressive Interactive cover from Millenium delivers a pretty quick snap. The matte sheen finish will need a polish on anything short of a flood. Don't worry about sanding or polishing the ball; the cover tweaks easily. Designed for medium to heavy oil, the Y2K will recover even on carrydown. Easy box drills, but remember that pin placement and ball surface are of primary importance, so you'll mostly pass on the positive side weight.

The Y2K initially went out on the left side with a 5-inch pin from PAP drill, no balance hole needed and box finish. The oil pattern was a fresh heavy; the head oil delivered length, but the dull surface was too much hook into the dry. A high polish sent the Y2K 6-to-8 feet farther with a strong flip to the hole outside and inside. The power players muscled this one down the lane; the polish let the weaker hands go up the boards. As long as there was some head oil, the ball played great.

Caveat - Find some oil. The Y2K has a strong core and an aggressive reactive cover. Another warning: don't snooze on this one. There'll only be 2,000 limited edition Y2K balls built.

Storm: Hot Shot
Distinguishing Characteristics - This Hot Shot will use a core system similar to the Red/Blue Hot Flame Storms: triple-stacked pucks in a four-component core. This medium/high Rg core offers less differential Rg than the Hot Flame balls for more back-end control. If you load up the drill, look for about 3 inches max of flare. This core is designed to go long with smooth hook. Two-piece drills can be used, but take advantage of the ball design: drill it up on label and throw it on toast or over-reacting wet/dry. The 600-grit green cover is Curelyon 2, which will sand or polish easily as needed.

Storm: Fire Power
The tech data arrived on deadline day; the ball did not.

Distinguishing Characteristics - At the heart of the Fire Power is the proven Firestorm core with a new twist: a 3-inch Fe2 Power Ball shaped similar to that of the Thunder Storm. This "bullet" in the core center lowers the Rg rating (2.539); a medium Rg differential (.055) will offer up to 6 inches of track flare potential. This core type will be used in the 12-to- 16 pound Fire Power, and Storm has enclosed a box drill sheet for roll and reaction; drill the 10- to 11-pound models as three piece. The Blazing Red Curelyon 2 reactive cover provides the same "tires" found on some of Storm's new high-performance balls. This cover looks fazed or swirled and comes with a 1000-grit wet sand finish.

Track : Triton Stomp
This new mid-priced ($150-$160) ball will raise the performance bar at this price point.

Distinguishing Characteristics - The Stomp features Track's big tires: Powerplus II with Gold Mica. The Crimson Red cover has gold logos/pin and uses a matte sheen finish. If you have any kind of hand, you'll make a trip to the polisher unless you are on the STP Open. Track has a reputation of building balls that hook, but the cover tunes easily. The core looks like a Red Pulse core on steroids. The ceramic ball is missing, but the core has dual flip blocks. The medium Rg core (2.56) has a medium/high Rg differential of .065, for up to 6 inches of flare potential. This core configuration will be used in 14- to 16-pound weights with three-piece pancake core on 10- to 13-pound weights. Use two-piece (or box) drills on the heavy weights; drill lighter weights three-piece. Designed for medium oil, the Stomp surface can be tweaked for lighter to heavier patterns.

Caveat - Don't expect the Stomp to be your spare ball; it will turn the corner.

We label-leveraged the right-side ball and used a 5-inch pin from PAP on the lefty ball. Even with our rev-challenged hand, the Stomp had to go to the spinner for a light polish. Our lefthanded heavy hitter laughed after three frames and went for the polish. The box finish was too much to get the ball to a playable break point. Light polish on the right-hand ball and a gloss polish for the easy (left) side ball allowed both balls to sail the heads easily. The backend recovery is very sharp, with explosive hit. After the seniors had created some carrydown, the Stomp balls still cleared the heads and turned the corner effortlessly. On the evening shift, the Stomp was good for two games, then the ball was too much cover and motor for drier heads. Just find some head oil and let it fly.

* We would like to say thanks to all of the manufacturers who give their support to the International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association. Our organization offers the best training and education programs available. Look for the IBPSIA member decal where you shop for bowling equipment, and feel confident that you are dealing with a shop professional who cares about keeping abreast of ever-changing technology.