Bowlers Journal International - February 2008 - (Page 24) PROBOWLING 'TURTLE' PLAYS SHELL GAME Tim Criss becomes the first player in the 'new' PBA to voluntarily relinquish his exemption. ATHLETES RARELY RETIRE ON THEIR Instead, married and with one daughown terms. Typically, there is some ter, he determined that, from a finandiminishment of skills, an injury or cial standpoint, his future appears some combination of developments better — or at least more secure that precedes the end of an athletic — away from the Pro Tour. career. Only players who are bored, “On the Tour, you have to be a preunappreciative and already spoiled mier player to do well financially,” by great wealth might be prone to he explains. “Especially since the suddenly call it quits while in their in prize funds were cut last season, and their prime. being a player withThere has yet to be out a ball contract, I a bowler who would needed to be among meet that latter the top 10.” description, least of There are other all the recently retired aspects of the Tour's Tim Criss, a player so evolution that bother slow-throwing that Criss, who says he is his nickname "Turtle" not alone in his disenbecame his trademark chantment. “Many of — a "plodder" if there us are not fond of the ever was one. one-day qualifying forAs anticipated, Criss, mat,” he says. “I love one of 30 players on to bowl, but the only the Denny’s PBA day of competition Tour to have earned you’re assured of is an exemption every Thursday. If you miss year since the Tour the cut, you can’t go changed to its curhome because you’re rent format five years required to be there TIM CRISS ago, officially and volSaturday for the Prountarily gave up that Am.“ elite status after playing in front of Although he has been perennially a hometown audience one last time. exempt, Criss preferred the Tour in He finished 25th, worth $2,170, at the the 1990s when there were more Lumber Liquidators Open, contested tournaments spread out throughout near his hometown of Baltimore in the year, even if those events proDecember. vided smaller prize purses. Pro-Ams The performance pretty much typiwere scheduled before the event, fied Criss’ career in recent seasons. followed by two days of qualifying While he kept bowling well enough and three rounds of match play. An to maintain an exemption — no small established player could fall back task, to be sure — he qualified for on a “career point list” if necessary only two telecasts since 2001-02, and to perpetuate an exemption. Players won the last of his five titles at the could ring up sizeable bonus money 1999 PBA National Championship. through ball company incentives if Last season, while managing to finish they made the TV finals. That source 29th on the Tour’s point list, he earned of cash has dwindled appreciably just $41,690 in 19 national events. since equipment companies are now At age 41, Criss isn’t injured and charged much higher up-front prodbelieves he could have maintained uct registration fees by the PBA. his exemption for some time to come. It’s not surprising Criss would be BJI ARCHIVES partial to that era since he had his best years in the late 1990s, earning more than $300,000 between 1997 and 1999. But he realizes the playerowned PBA was falling deeply into debt at the time, only to be salvaged through a sale to an ownership group headed by Chris Peters in 2000. “After the new owners took over, expectations were so high,” says Criss. “In particular, Steve Miller promised us so much. Players remember that. I think that’s a source of a lot of current frustration.” A couple of seasons ago, Criss and several other players formed an unofficial Tour Advisory Committee, reminiscent of the former Tournament Committee, except without established authority. Criss served as secretary of the new committee, which dealt with several player issues and, among other things, recommended going to 80-player fields instead of 64, even if not everyone in the tournament cashed. “[PBA Commissioner & CEO) Fred Schreyer and [Tour Director] Kirk [von Krueger] sat in on a couple meetings and listened, but ultimately nothing really changed,“ notes Criss. “Fred said changing the exempt procedure would defeat the Tour Trials. After about 10 weeks, we stopped having meetings.” Consistent with a player who flourished with very slow ball speed, his decision to make a major career change was anything but rash. In the process of looking for a new direction, his first inclination was to seek a position with a bowling-related company. “I was advised by an executive high up with a [bowling] manufacturing company that if an opportunity presented itself outside of the bowling industry, I should take it,” says Criss. “It’s not just the Tour that is struggling; the entire industry has economic problems.” 24 bowlers journal international FEBRUARY 2008
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.