Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 - (Page 44)

UPCLOSE open the door to the locker room, and there’s Parker standing there, saying, 'And you say you’re injured…' You should've gotten a doctor’s note. But that [record in the majors] comes with a lot of luck, too. The one that rings a bell to me is the second year I beat [Ryan] Shafer [2002], for the third T of C in a row. Robert Smith could have struck to force me out, and he 7-10s. Amazing things like that just happened. I would love to see Ryan win a major, because he truly does get every mile out his game. There is no question he has a lot of heart, and I will tell you right now that Ryan Shafer is the best bowler in the world never to win a major. The guy you beat to start your T of C streak was Chris Barnes. That boy is battling some incredible demons right now. And the unfortunate thing is that this is the second time he has gone through this. He went on a run just after the start of the new millennium where he didn’t win. We all know he has the talent, we all know he can win, but it’s kind of funny how things like that happen. Well, look at Walter Ray Williams. Some acknowledge him as the best ever, yet after a few titles in 86 and '87, he won once in the next ﬁve years. And he didn’t win until his ﬁfth year on Tour. But when the ball started rolling, he took full advantage of it. He’s a lot like Earl [Anthony]. There are just some weeks where the boomers are dominating, yet there’s Walter at the top. He can take the smallest amount of area and turn into a tournament leader just like Earl could. Guys like that are few and far between… I just hope the younger players coming up understand that they are watching a legend bowl. Not every generation gets to see a legend like that. You're up there, too, with all the majors. What kind of calling card have those three T of Cs been for you? Well, I’d like to think that I’m not done yet. I’m certainly young enough that I think I can continue winning. But I think I approach the majors a little differently than some do. I approach them as the tournament on the schedule, I highlight 44 bowlers journal international them because these are the ones I want to win badly. One of these days, I’m going to retire, the money is going to be gone… but nobody can take your majors away from you. Like I said, though, you've gotta be good, but you also have to be lucky. Like Haugen in this year's T of C — he did what he had to do. He changed balls, he struck out in the tenth, he made Barmes show up. Chris could’ve easily won on the bench, but Michael did what he’s supposed to do, and he’s another guy who is very underrated on the Tour. Yes, I saw when he ﬁnished second in the U.S Open. Walter won that one, right? He did it was the 2003 U.S. Open. Any time the lanes are difﬁcult, you know Michael is going to bowl well. He’s a down and in player, he keeps it simple, and that’s probably one of the reasons he’s starting to win now. Walter Ray is the same way. He’s a freak of nature. That’s all I can say. Every time I think he’s out of the number to make [the telecast], you turn around and he shoots a 300 to make the show. In light of your three Tournament of Champions titles, this is probably a ridiculous question, but was there one single event that stood out for you? I would have to start with my ﬁrst title: Windsor Locks in 1993. It’s just in my heart as a special place. Not only did I win the tournament, I got to be really good friends with Red Burnham, and we still speak on the phone. So that one's going to stick in my heart, because you don’t know if you can win on Tour until you win. Reality his hard right after that. I win the tournament, I win the King of the Hill, I drive up to New York for the U.S. Open the next morning. I think it's my second U.S. Open ever, and of course, and of course, I’m bowling with Marshall Holman and bowling horribly. Marshall looks at me and says, hey kid, keep your head up, you’re a Tour champion. At least you didn't get injured bowling on the same pair as Marshall. Speaking of which, it's a funny thing about injuries because, in the 12th, or 13th week of the Tour in Vegas, you you hear some complaints, it gets you thinking that those guys could be on the other side of the fence, and just not be able to do what they are able to do. All the times when I’ve had a bad attitude about not cashing, that all goes by the wayside when you can’t perform or when injuries hold you back from performing at a high level. And when you can perform at a high level, how rewarding is that? It’s gotta be terriﬁc when you can do what you always wanted to do. Talk about lucky, I’m one of the kids who was watching the telecast with my dad when I was four years old, and I said, 'That's what I want to do.' And he says, 'Kid, it takes a lot of work. But we’ll do what we can to help you.' So how lucky am I to know what I've wanted to do since I was four? I didn't have a chance to look it up before we talked, but your record kind of sneaks up on you. How many titles do you have now? Fifteen. And I think it sneaks up on you, as you said, because of the era that I’m in right now. You've still got Pete [Weber], Walter and Parker all bowling, and these are guys who have 30-plus titles. Earl [Anthony] and Mark Roth dominated the late ’70s and ’80s, but when you're competing against four or ﬁve guys like that, it’s easy to get lost in the sauce a bit. Is that magical Anthony/Roth era when you started following the Tour? Yes. You just get chills thinking about it, from the moment Chris opened the show, until the telecast ended, when I would hop on my bike to go practice. I don’t know how many of the young guns even watched a PBA telecast like that, but it’s deﬁnitely burned into my mind. I still try to watch those shows on ESPN Classic. Lots of great memories. You're creating the memories today. Just on the left side alone, you mentioned Parker Bohn earlier, and you have the range of a Patrick Allen and the new young gun, Rhino Page… It's always evolving. It has to, and it’s going to make us all better. I think Rhino is one of the few kids to come up who MARCH 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Bowlers Journal International - March 2008

Bowlers Journal International - March 2008 Contents Leading Off Letters Bowlitically Incorrect Par Bowling The Coach Calendar Inside Line Tournaments The Truth Be Bowled Pro Bowling Back On Track Weber Tales Spares Do Matter Cover Story Up Close USBC Women's Time Capsule Flashback Strategy Session Guest Column Regional Roundup Team USA Trials Military Salute Global Guide No Holes Barred Marketplace Bowling Summit Museum Update Hall Marks Advertisers' Index Rememberance Classified Advertising Intelligencer Business Calendar Business People Strikes Me

Bowlers Journal International - March 2008

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