Pablo Torre Finds Out
Le Batard & Friends
Episode: "What the World's Greatest (Two-Handed) Bowler Can Teach You About Daring to Look Stupid"
Date: February 20, 2024

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Pablo Torre embarks on a deep-dive into the story of Jason Belmonte, the world’s greatest two-handed bowler, to examine the emotional and professional risks of "daring to look stupid." Torre explores how Belmonte’s iconoclastic approach transformed both the sport of bowling and perceptions about failure, innovation, and embracing ridicule. Along the way, Pablo draws sporting and cultural parallels, discusses the personal costs of breaking from convention, and undergoes his own crash course in two-handed bowling.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Ben Simmons Problem (00:45–05:00)

• Pablo and Jason open by riffing on Ben Simmons and his much-criticized free throw technique.

• Main Idea: Many athletes avoid unconventional solutions—even if more effective—because they fear looking foolish.

• Torre and Belmonte discuss Rick Barry’s "granny style" and how, despite effectiveness, it gets dismissed due to aesthetics.

  "As embarrassing as that looks, it's not as embarrassing as what Ben Simmons is doing, because the ball’s going in the net like 89% of the time."
  — Pablo Torre (02:52)

• Discussion includes how the Korean Basketball League is normalizing bank-shot free throws, again proving odd-looking methods can work if adopted boldly.

2. The Fosbury Flop Parable (05:01–07:00)

• Torre references Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the high jump with a backward technique initially mocked for its awkwardness.

• Parallel Drawn: Sports history is full of change-makers who had to look ridiculous before changing the game.

  "Sports is such a great case study in the ways in which people's desire to not look stupid make them worse at their jobs."
  — Pablo Torre (04:32)

3. Enter Jason Belmonte: The Two-Handed Revolution (07:23–16:00)

• Pablo meets Jason Belmonte at a Times Square bowling alley and introduces his technique: gripping the ball with two hands (and NOT using his thumb), generating immense power and spin.

• Background: Grew up in rural Australia where his parents, non-bowlers, built a bowling alley; he learned two-handed style as a toddler using heavy balls.

• Resistance: From ages 5–10, coaches and peers pressured him to bowl "the right way." At a national clinic, he’s publicly dismissed:

  "If you ever want to be a great bowl...we need you to put your thumb in the ball, and we need you to bowl traditionally."
  — Jason Belmonte (12:41)

• In a defining moment, Belmonte defied them, won the clinic tournament bowling his way, and then declined the prize out of stubbornness and pride.

4. Facing Tradition and Hostility (16:00–23:10)

• Arrival in America: Belmonte describes cultural pushback when debuting on the U.S. bowling circuit. He was heckled for being foreign and for his technique—called a "travesty" by traditionalists.

• Pablo reads old criticisms, like Mike Devaney dismissing Belmonte's style on live TV (19:17), and a legend calling him "a cancer to an already diseased sport" (20:54).

• Belmonte’s Perspective:

  "If my score was worse than theirs, they probably wouldn't care."
  — Jason Belmonte (20:39)

• The "cheating" accusation cuts deepest, because his technique is not against the rules, only against tradition.

5. The Triumph and the Legacy (23:10–32:00)

• Belmonte is now the most decorated bowler of his generation: 15 major titles, 7 Player of the Year awards.

• Humble-brags about the meager financial rewards compared to other sports but cherishes his influence:

  "There's no one else on this planet that can bowl a ball at 10 pins better than me. And that is a really cool thing to say."
  — Jason Belmonte (24:15)

• He now gets a theme song, written by a fan, played for every strike (25:25).

• Pablo notes Belmonte’s unique willingness to troll his critics—most famously via a tongue-in-cheek video about his fake "Singular Chirophobia," or “fear of using one hand.”

  "I don't mind trolling the trolls back…Hey, I bowl with two hands, but don't hate me. I have this problem."
  — Jason Belmonte (26:42)

6. From Outcast to Blueprint: The New Generation (30:20–36:00)

• Belmonte’s once-mocked method is now emulated by up to 30% of bowlers globally.

• Emotional highpoint as he reflects on turning ridicule into a movement:

  "The overwhelming feeling of seeing a change of an evolution...that's one of those like me moments."
  — Jason Belmonte (31:53)

• Talented young two-handed bowlers are winning titles—and coming for Belmonte’s legacy. He graciously acknowledges the cycle of revolution:

  "Could you not have come like five years later, like, let me have retired? ... Now you have to be creative."
  — Jason Belmonte (35:23, 35:38)

• He compares himself to Tiger Woods and Steph Curry, as paradigm-shifters facing a new wave of imitators.

7. Bowling Tutelage: Pablo’s Humbling (40:00–46:41)

• Pablo asks Belmonte to coach him for an office bowling tournament.

• Scene includes playful, self-deprecating banter as Pablo attempts the two-handed style—resulting in a gutterball, some gentle sexual innuendo, and eventual incremental improvement.

  "For the podcast audience, they're in there."
  — Pablo Torre, on sticking his fingers in Belmo’s ball (44:47)

• After intensive coaching, Pablo improves, gets a spare, and brags he’ll crush his staff.

8. The Postscript: Lessons Learned (46:50–End)

• Pablo recaps his tournament result: he lost, despite Belmonte’s coaching and using the two-handed style.

• He draws a final, full-circle connection to Ben Simmons:

  "What I found out today is actually that I find myself relating at the end here to Belmo's fellow Australian in a cruel bit of irony. Ben Simmons didn't come through in the clutch. I didn't win...I should just be man enough to admit that. Okay, this is hard. It's supposed to be hard, right?"
  — Pablo Torre (47:20)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “As embarrassing as that looks, it's not as embarrassing as what Ben Simmons is doing, because the ball’s going in the net like 89% of the time.” — Pablo Torre (02:52)
• “If you ever want to be a great bowl...we need you to put your thumb in the ball, and we need you to bowl traditionally.” — Jason Belmonte (12:41)
• “If my score was worse than theirs, they probably wouldn't care.” — Jason Belmonte (20:39)
• “There's no one else on this planet that can bowl a ball at 10 pins better than me. And that is a really cool thing to say.” — Jason Belmonte (24:15)
• “I don't mind trolling the trolls back…Hey, I bowl with two hands, but don't hate me. I have this problem.” — Jason Belmonte (26:42)
• “The overwhelming feeling of seeing a change of an evolution...that's one of those like me moments.” — Jason Belmonte (31:53)
• “Could you not have come like five years later, like, let me have retired? ... Now you have to be creative.” — Jason Belmonte (35:23, 35:38)
• “For the podcast audience, they're in there.” — Pablo Torre (44:47)
• “What I found out today is actually that I find myself relating at the end here to Belmo's fellow Australian in a cruel bit of irony. Ben Simmons didn't come through in the clutch. I didn't win...I should just be man enough to admit that. Okay, this is hard. It's supposed to be hard, right?” — Pablo Torre (47:20)

Key Timestamps

• 00:45 – The Ben Simmons free throw dilemma & the fear of ridicule
• 05:01 – Dick Fosbury and the high jump revolution
• 07:23 – Meeting Jason Belmonte: two-handed bowling explained
• 12:41 – Childhood rejection at the national bowling clinic
• 16:00 – Hostility in the US; criticism from traditionalists
• 20:54 – Accused of being a “cancer” to the sport
• 24:15 – Belmonte on being the best in the world
• 26:42 – Responding to trolls & “Singular Chirophobia”
• 31:53 – Emotional impact of inspiring new bowlers
• 35:38 – Creatively staying ahead of imitators
• 44:47 – Pablo’s coaching, gutterball, and progress
• 47:20 – Final reflection: losing, learning, and embracing difficulty

Tone and Language

• Conversational, sardonic, and often self-deprecating.
• Authentically blending earnest narrative with playful banter and dry humor.
• Candid about failure, embarrassment, and triumph (both Torre’s and Belmonte’s).

Summary

This episode is an incisive and playful exploration of what it takes to embrace innovation, endure ridicule, and reframe looking stupid as the precursor to real transformation—not just in sports, but in life. Jason Belmonte’s journey from bowling pariah to global trailblazer offers a case study in risky authenticity and perseverance—showing that today’s “stupid” can be tomorrow’s “genius.” For Pablo, it’s also a reminder that doing something the hard or unconventional way—win or lose—can change the game, if you’re bold enough to try.