In the heart of Baltimore you can still find traces of the great Babe Ruth. Patterson Bowling Center is the country’s oldest operating duckpin bowling alley and an early hangout of the Babe. Indeed, it is said that Babe claimed that the sport as his second favorite-just behind baseball.
John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson were also fond of the game. Some stories credit the two (particularly Robinson) as having invented it. McGraw, who loved to hunt ducks, is said to have described the scattering pins as a “flock of flying ducks” and the sport’s name derived from this.
Recently my wife visited Baltimore (and the Patterson Bowling Center) and took some nice photos:
Helmar Sports Cards and Baseball History 