Professional Bowlers Association

Earlier this week, I gave you the first half of what I feel are the Top 10 greatest career runs in the history of the PBA Tour. Here's the cream of the crop of that list.

#5 Pete Weber (1984-1993)

PDW. In my opinion, the greatest physical talent to ever bowl. The most entertaining player the PBA has ever had won 19 titles over this span, including five majors. The biggest snub is the fact that he has never won a single POY award, when in fact you could argue there were many years he was the man on tour. PDW won the high average crown in 1989, and became a member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 1998.

#4 Parker Bohn III (1997-2002)

Parker is arguably one of the top three left handers to ever grace the lanes. During the most dominant stretch of his career, he won 18 titles.  He had two seasons with five wins, won POY both seasons, led the points race both of those seasons, and also had high average both years. During his 2001-2002 season, he won his lone major which was the USBC Masters. He became a member of the PBA Hall of Fame in 2000 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2008. On top of his greatness as a player, Parker will also be remembered as one of the greatest ambassadors of our sport.

#3 Mark Roth (1977-1984)

The godfather of the modern power game, Mark Roth during this span won 34 titles and set several records. He became the 2nd person to ever earn $100,000 in 1977 (which was probably aided by the fact he made the top 24 89.7% of the events contested) and set a record by winning three consecutive tournaments this season as well. He followed that up by winning eight times in 1978 and set the then-earnings record of $134,500. He was named the 5th greatest bowler of all time when the PBA Top 50 Greatest Players list was announced.

#2 Earl Anthony (1970-1984)

This was a tough decision on who to put in the 2nd slot and who to put up top. The number one player on the PBA's Top 50 Greatest Players list, has the third most career TV appearances with 114. He is 2nd all-time with 15 consecutive years with a win on tour. He set a then-record in 1975 by winning seven titles, and then slacked off the following season by only winning six. Oh yeah, he won five times in 1974 and multiple majors. He won 10 majors in total, which is the most of all time. It's hard to believe as I write this that I didn't put him on top, but.....

#1 Walter Ray Williams, Jr. (1993-2004)

Walter's run during this span is in my mind the most dominant, and there are many things that set it apart. I would argue the level of competition overall was tougher as time went on. Deadeye won 33 of his 47 titles, five of his seven POY awards, was high average on tour almost every year, just to name a few. Although due in part to inflated prize funds, he holds the single season earning record and has appeared on more TV telecasts than anyone in PBA history. Walter was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1995 and the USBC Hall of Fame in 2005. He may have been number two on the PBA's Top 50 list, but he's number one on this list.

There you have it now, and as with every single Top 10 list someone will undoubtedly feel that somebody was left out. Be sure to tune into Xtra Frame in two weeks and be a part of the 3rd WSOB. The action starts with the BowlersDeals.com All-In Showdown on November 4, which should be the first of many must-see moments!

Recently, Jason Thomas posted his list of the Top 10 Greatest Single Seasons in the history of the PBA Tour. After reading that, I had an idea to take the concept a bit further and go through the careers of some of the greatest bowlers to ever compete out on Tour. What I came up with is a Top 10 list of the greatest career stretches in the history of the PBA. Not just one year of astounding successes, but a stretch of several seasons which forged the careers of these great players!

Today, you get the first half of that list with the Top 5 to come later this week. Let's get started...

#10 - Tommy Jones 2004-2008

Tommy is the youngest person to make the lis and it sure seemed that any time TJ made the show during this span, he was just about automatic. In this four-season stretch, he won 12 titles, two of which were majors, and a Player of the Year award in the 2005-06 season. He also set the record for shortest amount of time between first and tenth title, which was a record held for a fairly long time by some guy named Dick Weber.

#9 - Patrick Allen 2004-2009

In nearly the same span as the aforementioned Tommy Jones, PA had a great run of his own. He took home 11 titles, two of which were majors and his own POY for the 2004-05 season. That season he earned just a bit more than $350k, won the PBA World Championship, and became one of only two players to ever finish in the top five of every major in a single season.

#8 - Amleto Monacelli 1989-1992

If I were to limit the criteria on this topic to best four-year stretches ever, Amleto's name would certainly be much higher on this list.  11 titles in four seasons, one of which was his only career major. The suave Venezuelan also won back-to-back POY'S in 1989 and 1990. This span proved his greatness and was a huge influence on his induction into the PBA Hall of Fame in 1997.

#7 - Wayne Webb 1979-1985

During this stretch, the Green Machine won 15 of his 20 tour titles. I don't think anyone in their right mind wouldn't take two titles a year for seven straight years (except maybe Earl, Roth or Walter Ray). He also won a POY award, and the 1980 Tournament of Champions during this time. He is one of two players in history to win a POY award on both the regular and Senior tours.

#6 - Brian Voss 1987-1998

Part of being truly great in this sport is being consistently, well, great. During this 12-year span, Voss won at least one time every season. He won his only major, the PBA National Championship, and a POY award in 1988. Sometimes greatness isn't simply defined by having flat-out dominated for a short period of time, but rather being able to produce consistently over an extended period of time. Brian was and still is a fan favorite because of his demeanor. And one could argue that he has been one of the most versatile players to ever play this sport.

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check back later this week for my top five picks for best career runs in PBA history!

As you may know, starting this Sunday the 2011 Teen Masters kicks off with live coverage on Xtra Frame throughout the event. With large amounts of scholarship money being awarded at the end of the battle, this event is truly a major one in the world of youth bowling.

Gary Beck spearheads the event through his company KillerB Promotions, and Gary is certainly adding his twist to the event. Along with the help of title sponsor Ebonite, the young men and women competing in the event are all limited to two balls. Not just any two balls of their choice, but everyone will only be allowed to use a Mission 2.0 and a Hardball.

The reason? To level the playing field. To place a greater emphasis on the ability to adapt to the lane conditions in front of them with their ability to manipulate ball reaction with skill and technique, rather than the more common practice of trying to match up with equipment. It is about eliminating the gap between the haves and have nots. What I mean by that is, since EVERYONE will have the same two options to choose from, there will be no excuses that a more privileged player with access to a larger arsenal won for that reason.

Which leaves one to wonder....could the PBA benefit at all from using similar stipulations in their own events?

Sure, we had the Mark Roth Plastic Ball event the last few years. But would it impact the greatest bowlers in the world if they all only had two weapons in their arsenal all year long?

It very well could for some who rely on the knowledge and ability to know when they have a potentially better matchup in their bags. It may not matter at all to some players, because they have a lot of tricks up their sleeve to create the best reaction to suit their game.

It's my opinion that while we may never see all the exempts throwing only one manufacturer's pieces that the tour could implement something similar by limiting the amount of balls each player is allowed to use in a given block of games. We all hear complaints about the necessity to have large arsenals, or more so the advantage some may have over others who don't have unlimited access to comped equipment. Maybe if there is a set limit of four per round, of your own choosing, it would eliminate any perceived advantages or disadvantages.

There's also the chance that it changes nothing, and that the cream will rise to the top like it is meant to. The best are still going to be the best regardless, but personally I would be interested in seeing the best show why they got to where they are....by proving they are just that good and don't need any equipment advantage to be great bowlers.

So as you know by now,  Jason Belmonte won this year's Best Bowler ESPY in one of the biggest snubs in bowling award history, when probably even Belmo would admit openly that reigning PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi was the best bowler in the world over the last 12 months.  There is a reason that since its inception, the Best Bowler ESPY has been awarded mainly to two of the greatest players ever, Walter Ray Williams, Jr. and Norm Duke.  While it could be argued that many of those years one of those two were indeed the best, it also stands to reason they won the award simply because the "fan vote" in these scenarios is about name recognition.

Mr. Laneside wrote in his recent topic that this award speaks volumes, more or less, to Belmo's influence on the recent wave of international stars making their way overseas to compete on tour. If that were the criteria however, I'd argue that Mika has been much more influential in bringing the rest of the world over to test the waters with the best bowlers on the planet.

Take a minute and reflect on this with me, but there is one PBA Hall of Famer whose career and persona compare very well with Mika's career. That player? His name is Mike Aulby.

Mike Aulby is quite arguably one of the three greatest southpaws ever to compete on tour. His silky smooth style, even-keeled temperament, and his ability to throw strikes in clutch situations propelled him to sheer and utter dominance when he was at his best. And while he did win an ESPY, he was never the superstar in the eyes of the public that some of his contemporaries, such as Walter Ray, Duke, and Pete Weber, were.

I vividly remember the first time I witnessed Mika bowl. I was a freshman in college, and was going to a school not too far from where the Super Hoinke Classic is held. Throughout the week's events, the sheer power of guys like Nick Vogelgesang, Tim Mack, and Robert Smith was fully on display. Whether it was lofting gutter caps or throwing rockets at the infamous lead pins, it was amazing to witness. But as the actual elimination portion of the event took place, there was this tall, quiet, guy from Finland that kept winning matches until he took home the rather large first place prize check. His name? Mika Koivuniemi.

Mika's dominance globally over the past year simply cements his status as not just one of the top 20 players to ever shoe up on the PBA Tour, but in my opinion he has been the greatest influence in bringing the rest of the bowling world to our country. Belmo may be a rock star and indeed could potentially become one of the greatest ambassadors our sport has seen, but he may not have had this opportunity if not for Mika's influence and success.

While it may not be fair to compare career accomplishments with Belmo's at this point, and even if Belmo is the future, Mika is still the man when it comes to helping expand professional bowling on a global horizon.

Wow! That's one word you can use to not only describe the drama caught on tape during the Summer Series. It was also the word that immediately came to mind when I learned of another incident involving Jason Belmonte and his now infamous bottle of water.

The details of the incident involving Belmonte and Sean Rash have been discussed ad nauseum. The intent, and integrity, of Belmonte have come into question. So too have issues been raised by Rash's choice of words used in his reaction to the water bottle incident. Both have released press statements clarifying their involvement in the heated interaction and the airing of the incident on television last Sunday provided more insight into the stalement that now exists between the two players involved (Belmonte called Rash a "clown" while Rash said he would not stand for any future attempts at what he feels was gamesmanship/unsportsmanlike conduct).

While I'm not personally offended with Rash's use of profane language, I can surely understand why many were. You can't say those kind of words on television without expecting some kind of repercussions, and you don't want to shove those words down the throats of families who strive to keep their children from using or hearing this type of language. He did the right thing by issuing an apology for his words but not necessarily his actions.

Belmo's statement seemed as if he were very sincere about his bottle noise being more of a preshot routine than a tactic he would employ to gain an advantage over his competition. I don't believe in labeling him a "cheater" as a player for either his revolutionary game or how some may perceive his use of gamesmanship. Good or bad, these series of bottle incidents have only added to the intrigue that surrounds Jason Belmonte. The fact is no one will ever truly know the intent of his actions but him. Which in a way makes him all the more fascinating.

As discussed in my piece on gamesmanship and the PBA Tour, getting into an opponent's head is far from being a new fad. With these current events, the debate is if Belmonte manipulating his water bottle is a tactic of mental warfare or simply nervous energy that could be exerted in a less distracting manner...like squeezing on a rosin bag or on one of those goofy-looking stress balls.

Whatever the solution to the Bottlegate issue turns out to be (maybe we'll see Belmo using that sippy cup Tommy Jones handed him mid-interview?), it makes any future match involving Belmo (regardless of the opponent) something to watch. Especially if he and Sean are bowling one another!

The ball, you could say, is in Belmo's hands. Let's just hope for his sake he puts the bottle down while his opponents have the ball in their hands.