Pinsetters and Pit Rats - The Untold Tales of the Boys That Worked the Bowling Alley

Before the thunderous crash of a strike was met with the mechanical whir of a robotic sweep, the soul of the bowling alley lived in the "pit." In this episode, we step back in time to explore the grueling, chaotic, and often dangerous world of the pinsetter—the young men and boys who functioned as the manual heartbeat of America’s favorite pastime.

Standing just inches away from flying wooden pins and heavy rolling balls, these "pin boys" were masters of a high-speed, rhythmic dance. We dive into the mechanics of the job: how they would straddle the lanes to avoid impact, clear the "dead wood" by hand, and precisely reset the triangular rack for the next frame. It wasn't just about agility; it was about endurance. Working in poorly ventilated, smoke-filled trenches for pennies a game, these boys were the invisible backbone of the local lanes.

What We’ll Explore:

• The Danger Zone: Flying pins, bruised shins, and the constant threat of a "speedball" coming down the lane before the pins were set.
• The Social Hierarchy: How pinsetting served as a rite of passage for working-class youth and the unique subculture that formed in the pits.
• The Mechanical Revolution: The introduction of the AMF Automatic Pinspotter in the 1950s and how it transformed bowling from a gritty gambling sport into a polished family activity.

Join us as we pay homage to the forgotten labor that made every "300" game possible. We’re pulling back the curtain on the dusty, noisy, and fascinating era when the game was powered by muscle, sweat, and a lot of teenage grit.

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:06

So you know this this podcast we do, Dirt Knap City. Alex, you're familiar with it, right? Uh yeah, sure. Sure. Uh Al from Austin, you're you're familiar with it?

SPEAKER_03 0:16

I I think I've heard of it, but go ahead. What's a what you got?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Well, we like to focus on interesting dead people um every other week, and then every other week we also like to focus on a trend that has disappeared, gone away. We call those dead ends. And today I have a dead end that is about a certain breed of people who were very underrated. Unsung heroes, if you will. What would be an example of an unsung hero, your you guys' opinion?

SPEAKER_03 0:47

Uh I would say uh teachers.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Um custodians. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:57

Uh Alex, any any thoughts on unsung heroes? I just a type of person who's uh not no no, like a like a like a a a vocation.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

Yeah. Um those are good. I mean I guess teachers. I guess law enforcement, firemen, firewomen, you know, all that. Well librarians. They are under underrated. This this goes back a ways. This goes back into Europe um centuries ago. One of the things that they started doing in Europe a long time ago was something that we still do today. It was a recreational sport, but it was not as automated as it is today. It was called nine pin bowling. And they would roll these heavy balls down a lane or a or a lawn or whatever and knock over these heavy pins. And this was pretty popular. I mean, back in even like the the the days of the um the days of the kings and monarchs, I think they even did this bowling thing. Well, what happened is nine pin actually came over to the US, but it got um banned because a lot of people were gambling. They were they were gambling in nine pin. And so they started playing 10 pin. That's how we came to have 10 pin over here, a little different. Um, but I like that workaround. It's not nine pins.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

It's got 10 pens that changed the fact that somebody were gambling on it.

SPEAKER_01 2:27

Well, you can't gamble on 10 pins. I I don't know. I don't know. I don't know how that came to be. But basically in 1895 in New York City, they standardized the rules because a lot of these rules were made up back then. You know, it was kind of like house rules for whatever you were doing. And the American Bowling Congress, also known as ABC, formed and they created the rules for 10 pin. Well, guess what? There were guys, all the guys really, I don't think any girls did this. Their job was to set up the pins. Do you know what they were called? Pin setters? Pin setters! Yes, we were yeah, excellent, excellent. I think it was a softball. Um, these guys would sit in the back and they would set up the pins before there were machines. They were human pin setters, and guess what? They were usually kids or young teenagers. These were small people that could fit back in these tiny spaces behind the bowling lanes. Have either of you been back into the back area of a bowling alley to see how that all works? No. So, so my nephew's actually got a friend in Houston that owns his family owns a bowling alley, and we've been back there, and it's it's quite a sight to see how it all works today. But you know, go back to the early 1900s, even even you know, 1920s, 1930s, there were kids back there whose job was to reset the pins as quickly as possible, clear away the fallen pins, reset the pins, replace the bowling ball, or return it by rolling it back down, and then sometimes these kids even had to keep score.

SPEAKER_02 4:02

Oh wow. And you're saying these people are unsung heroes? Yes, absolutely, pin setters.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

So um, I actually have a uh friend uh from grad school when he was a kid, he would go to probably like the Knights of Columbus Hall with his dad, and he was a pin setter. They had a bowling alley. I wish you had told us that. We should have had him on. Yeah, uh, we can do a secondary report on that.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Well, this is a one-time thing. Send in this episode though. Well, so so you know what they called the space behind the the bowling alley? It was kind of this cramped area where the ball hits all the hits all the um pins. It was called the pin deck. So they'd they'd sit back there and they'd wait for these pins for the person to bowl, they would grab the pins and try to set them back up, and then they would roll the ball back down the little chute that it comes back. There was no automation on this. So it was kind of it was manual labor, but it also required really fast reflexes. Because guess what? It was dangerous. Can you think of some reasons it was dangerous?

SPEAKER_03 5:10

Well, according to Rick, uh as people continue to drink beer and get drunk, uh, they would try to hit them with the balls.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Oh, that's mean. That's mean. I wasn't even factoring in mean drunks.

SPEAKER_02 5:24

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I feel like I was in Chicago a few years ago and somebody was talking about a bowling, I think they call it by bowling centers, not bowling alleys, these days. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And more high classes think there is one who still has manual pin setters.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

There are a few. There are a few. You can actually find them on YouTube. You can find some places. They're usually one or two lane kind of things. But I mean, in addition to the drunks trying to hit you on purpose, these bowling pins are heavy and they go flying at a high velocity. And so they could just take a weird bounce and bounce up and hit you. You gotta be ready for that. There's ricochet. You ever heard of that? Ricochet? Do they wear a helmet? Do they wear helmets? That's a German. No, no, no, there weren't helmets back then. No, they didn't even wear the ones now wear helmets. Oh, no, no. They gotta they gotta be authentic. You you can't be a pin setter with a helmet. But but think about this. This is kind of the other thing that nobody took into account. These pin setters would go deaf because it was so loud back there. Oh, yeah. And they didn't wear ear protection. So these are teenage boys that are back there and they're doing it for either free games, you know. Sometimes they would they would get to play free games if they pin set for a while. Um, they would get tips, but they didn't really make much money on an hourly basis. Now, do you know how much a 10-pin bowling pin weighs? No. Um, well, there's not an exact amount. It's actually somewhere between 3.6 ounces and three, I'm sorry, three pounds, six ounces, and three pounds, ten ounces. But you know, the whole Einstein thing. That's not that heavy. But when it's going fast, three three pounds headed towards your head. You know, they say they say if you have a box of Kleenex in your car and you slam on your brakes, that box of Kleenex could could uh could kill you, could hit you in the back of the head and kill you. Yeah. So so you got a three-pound uh 10-pin bowling pin. You've got bowling balls that weigh between eight and fifteen pounds. I've I've never you ever seen a heavier one than 15 pounds?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

No.

SPEAKER_01 7:34

Oh, I think 15 is usually the top. Um, you've got hard maple wood that is tough, holds up to impact. You've got this plastic coating that goes over the out of the pen.

SPEAKER_02 7:45

I think they were in helmets then.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Because people didn't wear helmets on bicycles.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

The ones now, Kelly.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Authenticity.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

You don't since we have a safety expert here, why is that not an OSHA violation?

SPEAKER_03 7:58

I I think it's more of a child labor law violation than at this point than uh another. Oh, there's still children doing this. Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Maybe it's considered a hobby. I don't know. Well, the interesting thing about uh bowling pins is that they have a weighted core and it's down low to kind of give them a low center of gravity. But it's kind of like if you've ever thrown a hatchet, you know, one end of a hatchet is thicker and heavier than the handle. It kind of does this whoosh whoosh whoosh thing. And that was the big thing, is they would come at you and you would think, oh, it's it's not that bad. But then if the whoosh part hits you, the heavy part hits you, it would knock you the heck out.

SPEAKER_02 8:39

I have no interest in doing that, by the way. Don't invite me to that. I've been invited to that a couple times. Um, I am scared to death of throwing a hatchet. Just oh, oh, I thought you meant pin setting.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

Yeah, I was like, I yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Guarantee both of you had done it, but I'm not interested. How about this, Alex? We'll go do it. You put an apple on your head, and we'll throw the hatchets.

SPEAKER_02 9:00

I bet you both of you have done that, haven't you? Yeah. Yeah, I have thrown a hatchet. Yeah. Uh never. No, never together.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Is it fun? It's satisfying when you get it. Yeah, it takes a little practice. It's weird what a it's weird what a little um economy that's become, like how how hatchet throwing has popped up all over you know, along with along with reflexology, foot rubs, and um you know, rage rooms. Rage rooms.

SPEAKER_02 9:29

I would actually rather do the lumberjack thing where you're on the rotating uh log and trying to run and not fall in the water than do hatchet throwing.

SPEAKER_03 9:39

I I've done that as well. Have you really? Yeah. So we spent a summer up in uh Madison, Wisconsin, and uh my son and I uh we found a log roll in class, and um it it's it they make it look so easy.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

You thought it was something different than what it was? This is what they mean.

SPEAKER_03 10:01

Well, it's not only spinning, but it's also going bouncing back and forth like this. Oh, did you guys just eat it? Oh, all the time, and then actually I fell on my shin and uh got this like jelly-like abrasion type thing on my shin, and that ended my my career. Well, well, so did you wear a helmet doing that?

SPEAKER_01 10:24

No. No, yeah. See, see, I mean, this is this is a sanctioned event, a class that you could take. You think when I do my penny farther, I'm gonna wear a helmet? No. No, I'm just gonna get up there and ride that thing like I'm a like I'm your my grandfather's uh rich boss.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

By the way, if you're out there and want to financially support the penny farthing, yes, um we'll we'll all we'll take um we'll take money for that too.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

May maybe maybe to get me a helmet or a shin guard. Well, so so we talked a minute a minute ago about the the ears. The other big injuries were bruises, broken fingers, and that would happen. People get a little too anxious and they'd try to grab the pin before it was stopped, and they would bruise their finger, um, head injuries, like we were just talking about, um, cuts and scrapes. You know, there were splinters. There were splinters, and splinters are not good. But then here's another one, kind of like hearing loss that you wouldn't expect. Strained knees and backs from crouching, twisting, and repetitive motion. You're you're kind of doing this whole thing like what is it called? Uh carpal tunnel. I mean, this is this is this is much worse. Ankle, foot injuries, headaches, um, again, hearing loss. Well, come along in in 1940s, 1950s, um, there's a company called American Machine and Foundry. AMF. AMF. It was the company that actually they they they made all kinds of different things, but they were the first big US manufacturer to make bowling ball pin setters. And they're still they're they're the kingpins of bowling ball pin setters, would you say? I see what you did there. Um, so let's talk about how that works and what it does every time. So what's what's step one? I I I've I've rolled a strike as I often do. I've rolled a strike, uh, what what happens next?

SPEAKER_03 12:19

You gotta clear the clear the lane of fallen pins.

SPEAKER_01 12:23

Yes, clear the fall. Well, let's say actually, let's say I rolled a split, all right, instead of a strike. So yeah, you clear the lane of fallen pins without knocking over the split that's still up there. Yeah. I mean, this is kind of mind-boggling. And then you've got to um you've got to reset those two pins that were left in exactly the same spot, and then you gotta send the ball back. So AMF came up with these different parts. So the the thing that actually sweeps the fallen pins, you know what it's called? Pin sweeper? The sweep bar. The sweep bar. And then the thing, um, as we talked about before, the area where of the lane where all this stuff happened was called the ball and pin pit. And then there were things called ball drops. This is what would drop the ball into the little conveyor belt that brings it up and sends it back down. And then the pins fall was the conveyor system that would actually take the fallen pins, bring them up to the top so they could be loaded into those things so they could come down for a fresh lane. Like when you after after you've you know hit your split, and then there's two left, sweep them all away, and then the pins fall would pick them up and start with ten new pins. Very cool. Which you can't really gamble on. What do you guys think of bowling?

SPEAKER_03 13:43

You know, I'm kind of of the same mind as axe throwing, and that is uh starts off kind of fun, but it lasts a very, very long time. And you know, if we could maybe bowl like three frames, it'd probably go.

SPEAKER_02 14:01

Alex, any thoughts on that? I always have fun when I go, but it's usually years before I go the next time.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

So you know what's the most fun thing to do in bowling, in my opinion, is you go get one of the kids' balls, like an eight-pound or a six-pound or the lightest ball you can find, with little tiny finger holes, and you take it and you put the tips of your fingers into it, and you roll it with so much curve that it does a crazy kind of C shape, like it goes almost to the gutter and then comes back. That that to me is what's fun about bowling. And every so often you'll do that and hit a strike, and it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

Yeah, no, I I I agree. Getting the little light balls and doing that. I don't know how you know actual bowlers, people who are good, are able to put the spin and the English. It's all in the wrist, it ain't me.

SPEAKER_02 14:56

It ain't me. I I just I think it's fun going bowling with with kids when you have little kids to bring them and put up with what do you think about the bumpers? I love it for little kids. I think that's perfect. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:09

Do you you don't think that's um kind of nanny state?

SPEAKER_02 15:11

Like what's the problem with kids today is they they I think it would be terrible if you're if you're eight years old and you're constantly bowling in the gutter. I don't think you would ever want to go back. I think the gutters make it fun.

SPEAKER_03 15:23

And the way the the uh this is the old technology now, but it was new probably the last time I bowled was the fact that you could raise the gutters immediately for a child, and then like an adult is behind them and they drop down. And so everybody can that is awesome. I agree with you, Alex. Having that experience with your kid is is fun.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

And and then and then they have these um sort of new, I say new, they're still on old old CRT TVs, but you know, these newfangles score keepings with animations and trash talk in between, you know, like where it does a little it does a little trash talk animation when you get it or don't get it, which I think is kind of cool.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Do you guys remember though go on bowling before all those things and having the transparency thing? Oh, yes, yes. Like know how to keep score. Yes. You you couldn't just go bowling with nobody who had ever a a group of people who had never bowled before could not go. What do you do with a spare? That's why the sport never took off. Because too intellectual. Well, you could never bowl for the first time without without bringing somebody that already knew how to keep score, and it was so archaic the scorekeeping system. Yeah, so difficult to understand and to write it out, and they'd have those stupid transparency sheets.

SPEAKER_01 16:39

It's just like it's just like remembering phone numbers was back then and is today. Like today, you don't have to know any of that. It just does it. It just there's a camera or there's something that's keeping score for you and and throw in those little cheesy animations. I wish I was a cheesy bowling animation maker.

SPEAKER_03 16:55

I would argue that that's that technology is dumbing us down. And I don't want to go bowling and and and have to know how to do it, but there was remembering a phone number and remembering you know how to keep score and do some basic math um is is a lost art. And it's you know, it's just it's too bad.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Well, look who's preachy McGee.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

You got it.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Al from Austin.

SPEAKER_03 17:23

Uh so it's yeah, I would have loved Rick to to share some of his experiences. You you focused on setting the pens in one. Rick talked about doing two to both sides. Yeah, yeah. If you were a superstar. Uh he would do four. And so yeah, yeah. And uh legend. I guess. I guess so. But um, he's deaf. Maybe that's why. No, he's he's not deaf.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

You you know, you know who um is probably the most famous um pin setter of all time? Like he he actually mentioned working as a pin setter when he was young. He's he's he's also not alive at this point, but who you any guess on who are Evil Fine? That would work. That would work. No, it's kind of it's it's it's not in character with this guy at all. Malcolm X was a pin setter. Really? Back in the day. Yeah, cool. Uh yeah, well, that's pin setting. Um, so go put your bowling shoes on and say thank you for the um, say thank you for the unsung heroes that that made this sport what it is today. Uh, that and competitive eating, I feel like our country's heading in the right direction.