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Minding My Business With PBA Commissioner Tom Clark: Fall Swing Prep, Pearl Jam Radio

Name: Tom Clark

Position: PBA Commissioner

Where I'm from: Syracuse

Where I call home: Milwaukee

Focusing on right now: I’m getting ready for our two big events coming up. Our fall swing that's on CBS Sports Network in September and our World Series of Bowling that’s going to be on ESPN in December.

A must for a new hire: Someone that can do a lot of different things and be a multipurpose type of player. We're trying to grow what we're doing, but we need people who can handle several tasks at once, from communications to events to the day-to-day stuff. In the world of sports today, you need to have people who can adapt, and the people who can adapt are usually the ones who have multiple skills.

Exec I admire most: I’ve admired how (NBA Commissioner) ADAM SILVER has taken on the role and made it his this fast. He has so many different skills and understands the product so well that he’s able to make that position his. I also admire ESPN's JOHN SKIPPER, who is on the cutting edge of being able to adapt to new media and new ways to deliver his product to fan bases.

Must have music: I have Sirius Satellite Radio. That's key. I’m always on. So I’ll listen to the PEARL JAM station, but also Backspin, which is the old school hip hop station.

Talking tech: Of course like everybody else, my iPhone (is what I use most), but using the phone itself is probably the fifth most important thing on it. It’s mostly used just to read email for me. I’m always in touch with everyone else that works for the PBA, and that email is really the key to my phone. It’s hard to see past my phone, because what else is there.

Food for thought: Everybody knows me for loving chicken soup. So any kind of chicken soup, chicken noodle soup or tortilla soup or any variation of chicken soup. Anywhere we go I’ll ask people about delis in the middle of nowhere that might have good soup. I’m always looking for that good soup.

First thing in the morning: The first thing I do is check all my email. This job is a 24-hour a day job. No matter how long I sleep, my first thought is “what did I miss, and what do I need to check up on?” Aside from work it’s a cup of coffee. I mean I’ve got to have three cups of coffee so my brain works.

How I unwind: Walking the dog. That couple times a day ends up being my way to get away from things for 15 minutes or a half hour. I really enjoy that. Our dog is only two years old, so the dog basically walks me. But I’ve come to really enjoy it.

Day in the life: It depends on the season. When we’re in the middle of the season, there's more travel, more events, working with hosts and working with television production. But in the offseason, it's more about dealing with sponsors, trying to sure up partnerships with television networks and working with our tournament organizers on scheduling. So it's kind of like two different seasons. At one point, I'm getting ready for the bulk of the year, and then during the year, it's all about making those events work and making that television work.

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