If you ever got the sense that history has a way of writing its own script, Sunday's telecast of the Big Wood PBA Tour could not have written itself any better right up until its final delivery: for the first time in tour history, there were two lane patterns dressed for one tournament, primarily as a showcase for the top players who could juggle their physical games as well as mental games to attack two diverse and extremely different patterns in terms of lane play. When you go through the annals of PBA history, there are none fewer at matching the juggling act better than the all time leader in victories in Walter Ray Williams Jr.. If you have read carefully in my past blogs, I am not Mr. Williams' biggest fan from a standpoint of growing the game off the lanes but on the lanes...you cannot argue with the success this man has had evolving his game through what has been the greatest revolution in bowling history in terms of technology.
He had safely negotiated his way to the top seed of the first ever mixed patterns event and set himself up for one of his more impressive victories in his storied (and now one of the two greatest in PBA history) career. However, Walter Ray's defeat is arguably the most significant of his career because of....8-10.
Eight...ten...? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5DaIXTjLIY
How could the great Williams not only fail but fail in such a devastating way? The answer, it would seem was in pride. A man who never took reracks (something I do when I bowl, I hardly look at the pins to see if they are off spot: you gotta bowl under adverse conditions so bad pin spots are gunna happen, it is up to the bowler to figure out how to strike and execute), when Walter Ray went plack 8-10 he cried foul on the pins: put the pins on spot, I guess. This being Walter Ray, he never cried foul on maybe he threw the ball too fast, or might have been a pinch right of target, or he might have missed it at the release just enough for the ball to hit like a wet noodle (my point is, despite the bad break I was going to give him, when he opened his mouth about the pins, he chose a scapegoat which for me typifies the man as a bowler: no shot he ever thinks he throw is a bad one, it was something else's fault and not the man who threw it) causing the major deflection and the victory being lost to Patrick Allen (which we'll get into the other 4 show finalists momentarily).
But this loss for Williams is shockingly enough, a major bowling breakthrough for Walter Ray, if he ever chose to look at it that way. For perhaps the first time in his great career, Williams was as much a victim of himself as he was of any external factors that was going on. His game of end-over-end, no turn, good ball speed, accuracy, and near flawless spare shooting has withheld the test of time but on this occasion, it failed him. Needing the second strike of a double against Allen on the right lane (the lane which had the Cheetah pattern on it) to win, the story all but had been written and then he goes...8-10. His reaction was demonstrative as it should be, Allen's was jubilant if not a sense of shock and relief for him, but the crowd reaction was what told the story.
If you listen closely, people actually cheered when Williams went 8-10...most were obviously shocked and stunned with several holding their hands over their mouth in disbelief at the sight of 8-10, but the cheers and applause for when it happened was noticeable to anyone listening and thanks the beauty of YouTube, you can listen to the reactions of the crowd. You can read into it what you want, but the cheers were for either Allen winning or Williams losing, the shock was purely for Williams losing and on such a devastating break but perhaps for the first time in recent memory, Walter Ray Williams Jr. has got what I have been looking for out of him: a moment. Never before had Walter Ray had the crowd and casual fans feeling so bad for what happened to him or in some cases, laughed at him for it. The moment 8-10 happened, I got several IM's from people with the same "Holy S*it!" reaction that fell off their chairs. Some were stunned and speechless while some laughed at him: an indication that certain fans contempt for Williams runs deep and it was not only noticeable with the people I know but with the people on TV that expressed their feelings.
As for Patrick Allen, he deserved to win the first ever mixed pattern event in PBA history. For four games, Allen was sound and precise in his execution of Bill O'Neill, Mr. Lynda Norry (Chris Barnes), and Wes Malott in getting to Williams and much to his credit, Allen forced that double out of Williams and was probably thinking at worst, he will get to a rolloff, which given Allen's action background in the northeast part of the country was a slight advantage over the great Williams. He got more than he could have ever expected from the result and was jubilant over the proceedings that he was roughly 8 to 10 lanes (get it...8-10? Work with me people, it's snowing in Long Island) away walking in disbelief amazed at how Water Ray went 8-10 on Shark (he did misspeak, the left lane was the Shark pattern while Cheetah was on the right), and probably at worst, he was going to see WRW get the double to win title #46. It did not happen, Allen gained his 11th title in the process.
"Thank you Storm...and Hammer...and Vise...and Denny's for my
trim and slim waistline."
As for the format of mixed patterns itself goes, it seemed to be a real positive experience for fans viewing it. Rare is it that you get 5 bowlers each throwing several bowling balls, playing different lines, with different surfaces, with different ball speeds on one telecast. The only trouble is you are beginning to get a sense of what guys are really having demons on TV. For O'Neill, he is still learning and has had a positive outlook on this season making 4 shows but now the time has come for him to win on the big stage. It is similar that to the season Rhino Page had last season where he went 0-for-4 on TV in quest for title #1 until he finally got it. Perhaps show five this season for O'Neill will finally be the breakthrough for him to claim his first title. As for Mr. Norry (because as we know, Lynda Barnes is the best Barnes in the bowling family) and Mr. Malott, they are starting to share paralles on TV. They are now both beginning to share the moniker of "talented? yeah but..." which for Malott is not a good thing to have. Barnes once again showed you why he seems too forced in this game. Yes, I know he was jobbed on that solid 7 in the 9th against Allen but under no and absolutely NO circumstances should he have whiffed the 7 pin which gave Allen the match. Malott basically discredited the mixed pattern event in an interview and proceeded to bowl about as unmotivated a match you have ever seen by someone so talented in this sport and who is leading the Player of the Year points race as well. The show needed some color and entertainment and thankfully for bowling fans, Patrick Allen was able to deliver that.
YEAH, HOSS!!!
Coming up: Demo Days-Columbia 300 Power Swing
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