Sometimes even the best pinball wizards can’t summon their old tricks.
“I can’t believe I’m losing at my own game,” Roger says.
More broadly, if anyone can lay claim to an entire game or hobby, it’s Roger. A generation ago he was among the greatest players in the world and one of the architects of competitive pinball. He also wrote the first serious book on the subject and worked in the industry in some shape or form for more than a . And yes, he’s the man responsible for the most famous moment in the game’s history—the single improbable shot believed to have helped overturn New York City’s long-standing ban on the game over 40 years ago. He’s like the Forrest Gump of pinball, a witness or participant in seemingly every key moment of its history.
Increased sales prompted Stern Pinball to move from a 40,000-square-foot factory in Melrose Park to a 110,000-square-foot building in Elk Grove in 2015. In the two years since then, the company has increased the number of units it builds by 80 percent. And now it’s got more competition. A decade ago, Stern was the last pinball manufacturer in the United States, but new companies keep popping up.
If it does, you’ll be able to thank the duo working hardest to move pinball beyond the legacy of Roger Sharpe—his children.
Both brothers worked overtime in producing the championship. They set up interviews with the media, hired C-list celebrities to help attract a crowd, and when I tracked them down on the morning of the tournament, they were doing grunt work, sitting at a table with clipboards checking in the 38 other competitors here from around the country.
Iron Maiden Pinball Launch Party Friday 5/4, 7 PM, Logan Arcade, 2410 W Fullerton Ave., free, 21+
