When first approached to interview Steve Miller, President and CEO of the Pro Bowling Association Tour (PBA), I was reluctant to put it politely. Bowling for me was always something of a last resort if a date was going badly, a sport in which my average closely resembled what it takes me to get around a links course in -- and my golf isn't that bad!

With my rubber arm dangling over my shoulder, I stepped into the elevator at the Hilton Hotel in Shinjuku, fully expecting my scheduled one-hour interview to last just long enough for the elevator to reach the ground floor and come back to rescue me.

I was to be horribly mistaken and pleasantly surprised.

If ignorance and naivety were crimes, I should be locked behind bars with the key buried somewhere in the Indian Ocean. One doesn't become Nike's Director of Global Sports Marketing Relations, as Miller was until September 2000, being a boring person. You don't become NCAA Coach of the Year five times, become a member of three sports Halls of Fame and get drafted for NFL's Detroit Lions, being a loser.

Throw in a degree in English literature and physical education, an M.A. in contemporary English literature and an M.S. in physical science and biochemical analysis . . . anyway you get the picture. A resume to bowl anyone over.

His mission?

"To grow the pie so that everyone gets a piece particularly in Japan where the growth potential is tremendous. Bowling over the years has got something of a bad rap," he explains.

"Movies such as 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Kingpin,' and TV shows such as 'The Simpsons' have depicted the sport of bowling as one for lowlifes.

"Ten year's ago, TV stations in Japan stopped covering bowling. Bowling could not compete with the introduction of many new stations as well as the hype surrounding the advent of soccer's J. League and suddenly the consumer was presented with many new viewing options.

"We hope to get professional bowling out of the gutter and back on track in Japan. Just as we have seen with its growth in the U.S., bowling involves great skill and is a fantastic spectator sport."

Skill!!?? Just because I can't do it, doesn't mean it is skillful. Lobbing a 10 kg ball at 10 skittles begging to fall over from a short distance does not appear to involve the dexterity of a trapeze artist. I have seen old ladies dressed in kimonos bowling strikes.

"Its all about the oil," says Miller with the air of a politician.

The fact that top executives from companies such as Microsoft have thrown substantial investments into the sport and the connection with oil, led me (not for the first time) to draw false conclusions.

"The conditions in professional bowling competitions are completely different from recreational bowling. In pro bowling, the organizers lay oil down in varying layers over the alley," begins Miller, eyes lighting up at the revelation.

"In golf you can stand on the tee and see the fairway, where the trees are and where the water is. In bowling you've got to throw a ball, to see how the ball reacts and in turn to find out where the oil is because it is invisible. This is difficult to explain to the average spectator.

Machines lay the oil on the surface in different patterns about 1/16th of an inch thick, so when the ball is bowled, depending on the spin, it will gain less traction in certain areas.

Therefore, if you don't know where the oil is, its a problem. In fact some of the European bowlers actually loft the ball in the air for about three to four meters just to avoid the oil at the beginning of the lane."

If the oil poses problems for the pros, imagine what logistical problems it presents for organizers. Since most spectators cannot see the oil either, neither at the arenas nor on TV, the key to elevating the sport in the eyes of the public is to find a way to reveal this obstacle to the spectators obviously without allowing the same privilege to the bowlers.

This innovation would be expensive but as Miller points out, is essential to the sport's progress. "Golf graphics on TV show the undulation of the fairways and the greens so the spectator can clearly see what a player is faced with.

In NFL you have the yellow line to show where the virtual first-down marker is is. In bowling, we have nothing to show the spectator the degree of difficulty that is posed for the player . . . yet! But we will."

Miller's optimism is not falsely conceived. His five-year plan to turn pro bowling profitable in the U.S. looks like being achieved one year early (next year) and he sees the sport developing into a $100 million business (roughly the value of a mid-level MLB franchise) within a 10-year period having started off as a $5 million business three years ago.

Like most successful people, Miller has a formula in place to achieve his goals.

"Essentially what we are doing is repositioning the league by creating personalities, getting visibility and creating new events. It's the same business model they used for rodeo and NASCAR and it works because that is what people gravitate toward. Right now we are ahead of where I thought we would be at this stage. The play is a simple play, the key is how you implement it."

Does he ever see it becoming as big as say K-1 (combined martial arts fighting) in Japan?

"The thing about sports such as K-1, and NASCAR is that they can be considered life-threatening and fans are attracted to that element of danger," he explains.

"Bowling doesn't have that, but what it does have is something that people can identify with because so many people can do it. The problem is communicating to people the difference in difficulty between bowling in competitions and bowling at the alleys. It is important for people to make this distinction in order to have respect and admiration for the bowlers."

Miller is under no illusions as to what the sport can or cannot achieve and is realistic in his goals.

"Look, bowling will never be Wimbledon," he assures me. "But I think it has the potential to become what I call a level-two sport. NFL, MLB and NBA in the U.S. are level-one sports but NHL is dropping to a level-two sport and we see bowling positioning itself somewhere in that region.

"We are also looking at alternative programming, for example incorporating rock concerts into the events at arenas or filming reality TV shows where the cameras will follow a professional bowler around for a period of time to see how he may achieve."

Surely in a country obsessed with celebrity like Japan it would be imperative to develop some exciting stars with individual character as the current crop of professional bowlers in this country collectively have about as much personality as a British member of parliament.

"In a youth-driven society, different and exciting personalities are key. We have one young Finnish bowler who bowls the ball with two hands and occasionally bowls one-handed without ever putting his fingers into the holes. He is fascinating to watch and the fans love him."

Miller sees bowling going in the opposite direction to sumo in this country.

"Our model is in many ways opposite to that of sumo. At a basho, the box seats are uncomfortable, the arena is smoke-filled and the sport has forced the wrestlers to become isolated from the people. We want to create something that people can identify with and aspire to."

Well Miller, who at twice my age, created more positive energy in our one-hour meeting than I exhibit in a year, is certainly someone to aspire to. With his passion and experience poised to be unleashed on the bowling arena in Japan, one can't help but feel that if Miller has anything to do with it, the sport in this country is set to score a strike.