Final Frame

Analysis of Bowling and the PBA 

 By Josh Hyde

 The PBA is the greatest aspect that our sport has ever known. When Eddie Elias founded the PBA he wanted a place for the best bowlers in the world to compete. This is what he did when he founded the  PBA. Some bowlers would maybe tend to disagree because of the prize funds and the lack of sponsorships;  other professional sports have a lot more money to give their professional athletes. With the Megabuck  Tournament in the late 80’s and early 90’s there wasn’t a good reason why to join the PBA when you could  make $200,000.00 in one tournament, whereas you were lucky to get $20,000.00 in a PBA tournament.  However, the Megabuck Tournament did not have points, high average, and player of the year to award to  their best players in those tournaments. In June of this year, I went to a Regional in Terre Haute, Indiana and I talked with Robert Smith about why he did not join the PBA any earlier. He said the reason why was  that there was simply more money in the Megabucks Tournament than the PBA. This leads me into my  next statement which is there no standard in bowling. There was a bowler that was in a championship  match at a PBA Regional earlier this year and he was trying to lose on purpose because if he would win he would have to join the PBA and lose his amateur status. In the 08-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour, we  saw new winners, legends of the game, and superstars of today win a title. We saw a little bit of everything.  Is PBA getting better? In my opinion, Tom Clark is trying to showcase the best bowlers of the world. I  really think that the best bowlers in the world are here in the US. We see that time and time again with the  Japan Cup with only one Japanese professional bowler winning the Japan Cup in over 20 years. With  multiple lane patterns in one tournament this is going to make the best bowlers be the best bowlers in the  world. 

With multiple lane patterns in one tournament this is going to make the best bowlers  bowlers in the world. This is what the PBA is all about, providing an elite bowling tournament environment  for the best bowlers in the world with a variety of different tournament formats and multiple lane  conditions in one tournament. Hopefully the PBA can showcase the bowlers and let the public know that it takes a lot to be a pro bowler.  How do you bowl on the PBA tour? Do you go to local scratch tournaments where they might  have a PBA pattern out? Where is the best possible experience that you can get to bowl on the PBA Tour?  These questions are what every bowler has to answer in order to have a chance of being a pro bowler for a  career. You can bowl in a PBA experienced league but the problem is you’re not going to probably have  the same reaction in different centers because no two lanes are the same. Meaning you could average 220  on the Cheetah pattern in your center but when you when you go to another center on the same pattern you  could only average 190. I’ve seen the best bowlers in the world bowl week in and week out and how they  manage different centers around the country. This is what they’re paid to do, and they really are very good  at it. I looked at some of the pattern championships results and saw what bowlers did well on the five  different patterns. In my bowling experiences, I have seen a lot of different things from Joe Bowler winning  a local scratch tournament to Walter Ray Williams Jr. winning his 45  adjustments the amateur makes and the pro makes. There’s a big difference, that’s why you see your  favorite bowler on TV week in and week out. For an example, my dad was bowling at a local scratch  tournament about an hour away from my home. His first game out he shoots about a 150 game, and we  thought that he was out of the tournament but the second game he comes back and shoots a 250 game. To  make a long story short, he ends up being last after the first game and ends up winning the tournament. A  pro example of this would be when Parker was going into the last round of match play before the show he  was about 400 out of the final spot for the show. He ends up having a heck of a round and picking up 300  pins to miss the show only by 130 pins. There are three different levels of pro bowlers…the first is  obviously the pro that is on TV, the second is the regional pro bowler, finally the third is an amateur  professional. The sad thing is that in bowling we do have such a thing as an amateur professional. This  bowler is the bowler that bowls in the Megabucks Tournament and weekend tournaments. The regional  bowler is one that competes in PBA Regional Tournaments, now he might try a TQR every now and then but more than likely not. Finally the exempt player, this player bowls week in and week out on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour. All three of these professionals have one goal in common and that goal is to be the best bowler that they can be in that tournament for that week. They figure out how to hit the pocket, what ball to use, what adjustments they need to make, and how they’re going to read the lanes. All three of these pros have somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 to 30 balls to compete in that tournament. Most of the shots that pros are doing are the big hook shot. They’re sliding around the 35 board and swinging it back to the pocket. Sometimes we refer to this as the Hollywood shot. The problem with the Hollywood shot is that it looks good but it can leave nasty splits like the 2-4-10, 2-4-8-10, or even the 2-8-10. These are hard splits to cover if you leave a couple of them in one game you’re more than likely to shoot a 150 or even a 140 game. If you start out with a game like that it’s hard to come back and get back in the tournament. However, if you go down the boards you are more likely to hit the pocket and get 8, 9, or a strike on your first shot. There’s a variety of different ways to bowl. Mark Roth and Pete Weber might be the greatest of all time to hook the bowling ball. They both have US Open Titles and a lot of titles on the PBA Tour. They know how to bowl. Keeping the pins low is the way to score rather than flying them all around because the pins will roll on the pin deck. If they fly around inertia will be a factor. So here is the big question that bowlers and bowling fans are asking. Which Tournament is better? Is it the PBA Tour, or the MegaBucks Tournament? There are different views on this question, but my personal belief is that the PBA currently is the best bowling tournament in the world and I will always believe this.

Knowing the Two Greatest Bowlers Today As A PBA Superfan

 By Josh Hyde 

           I’ve been going out on the PBA tour for twenty-two years, and getting the opportunity to meet, and speak with Pete Weber and Walter Ray Williams Jr. is a great honor and a thrill. It was an adventure to be a witness in two of the greatest moments in the history of the PBA, preformed by two of the most legendary bowlers of today.

          The first greatest moment was when Pete Weber won after the passing of his legendary father, Dick Weber.  Another great moment was when Walter Ray tied Earl Anthony at the 2006 PBA World Championship.  These are just a couple of the reasons why it’s a thrill and an honor to know Walter Ray and Pete Weber.

          One night after Match Play, Walter Ray Williams Jr. asked if my mom and I wanted to go out to eat.  We were kind of skeptical at first, but we took the opportunity to go out to eat with him, and it was neat to actually dine with the greatest bowler ever.  It gave me a chance to know Walter Ray as a person.  He was one of the nicest guys I have ever met.  Another time, I also was given an opportunity to go inside his motor home.  This was a neat occasion, because it also gave me a chance to know what his home life was like.

            Not only have I had to chance to develop a personal relationship with Walter Ray, but I have seen his greatest accomplishment professionally. Probably his greatest achievement was when he won the 2006 PBA World Championship. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and this is exactly what Walter Ray did. He beat the great Pete Weber. I remember figuring out the bracket to see if Walter Ray and Pete Weber could meet for the title. I knew that they could even before they met in the championship match. They did just that, and I remember thinking, “Man, this is the greatest championship major match I have ever attended!” That was an honor and a thrill.

            I have a web site and I have had the chance to interview Walter Ray and Pete Weber. Pete Weber was a thrill to interview because I thought that he would not want to give me a chance to speak with him. This was my opportunity to know what his thoughts were on the Denny’s PBA Tour, and bowling in general. It was interesting to hear him talk about the US Open. He described it as the ‘true test’ in bowling. I couldn’t agree with him more. This is why he is so great at the tournament, and why he has won it four times. He said you have to make your spares and stay out of trouble. I had the honor of witnessing his first title after the passing of his legendary father, Dick Weber. This was a great moment in the history of the Denny’s PBA Tour.

           Walter Ray is the greatest bowler ever. Pete Weber is the greatest bowler to throw a hook. Pete is the only player to really throw a good hook, and keep it under control. He doesn’t get very many splits, and that is what being one the greatest bowler’s means. Walter Ray can throw the ball straight and be accurate, and that’s another key element of being a great professional bowler. As you can tell, these are the greatest bowlers that will ever throw a bowling ball for a living.

           Not only do I know them, but I am in the same elite group of professional bowlers, as an honorary PBA member. As you can tell, knowing the two greatest bowlers is an honor and a thrill.