Bowling Philosohpy-January 2013

"Looking Through the Porthole"
The Unofficial Official PBA Power Rankings Through the WSOB
by Thomas Scherrer

A Happy Holidays to all-that's it!  Goodnight, everybody.  OK, I made that up.  You're stuck with me for another calendar year talking about the sport of bowling and looking to try and solve a few of the issues that plague the game.  Not that there is anything wrong with bowling other than tape delayed telecasts, massive parity (too much is a bad thing-it creates zero stars instead of new stars), equipment regulations, lack of sponsorship, valuable television time slots, ambiguous league and tournament rules, the over-abundance of sandbagging and ball contracts, and the lack of identifying who the better bowlers are week in and week out.  The World Series of Bowling further brought the final thing to light.  In the 5 events that were contested during the WSOB, we found ourselves seeing the top seed win one event-repeat: one-while we saw Bill O'Neill, Tom Daugherty, and Parker Bohn III run the stepladder, thus further complicating the use of television to expose who the best bowlers are from each tournament.  In defense of the PBA, the WSOB events were condensed to have quick tournaments with qualifying for the World Championship being the first qualifying round for the 4 animal pattern events and determine 4 quickie winners.  It led to some bristling by some members of the old guard stating that the winners of years past had to bowl 42 games, plus the TV finals to win a regular tournament.  For this season's events, it took a grand total of sixteen.  Yes, you heard that right: sixteen games.  The adage of the "cream rising to the top" never materialized.  In fact, sometimes the cream was never poured into the mixture.  The PBA has to save operating costs, as we know and cream is something Bill Vint can't live without while downing his venti latte at Starbucks at 6am in Seattle.  Plus, Mr. Vint has to constantly ask himself this question:  "they gave Donnie Layman an article I have to print on pba.com, and he gave me THIS?"

Yes, that would be Layman's Top 10 Power Rankings through the WSOB.  First of all, I have nothing against Layman's work at all.  He writes good, compelling articles all the time.  It just bothers me, however, that Layman wrote this or was forced to write this or needed to write this with the obvious omission in mind: the World Championship was not aired yet on television.  Any time you stamp a Power Rankings and not include a major championship winner, for which was already contested, but not really if you catch my drift, you probably have an invalid Power Rankings list.

Now, as most of you who read/stumble upon me know that I like taking bold stances against the status quo of the PBA.  I enjoy taking slight digs at the PBA and some of its membership (translation: bowlers) merely to tweak the viewers (translation: fans who might have some loyalties to bowlers) of my articles.  Just know this: I try to be as objectionable as possible.  And when it comes to Power Rankings (and to a larger degree, the PBA Player of the Year Rankings), I aim to please the readers.  You deserve to have an objective, fair, and balanced view on things after the WSOB and to be quite honest, putting Sean Rash as the top of the WSOB PR by Layman is an insult to your intelligence when he a) did not win a major, b) did not win an event, and c) did not win a match on TV.  Did Rash have a solid WSOB?  Yes, he did.  After all, he finished the Worlds as the #2 qualifier and made two shows, but as I have stated before, shows don't matter-wins do.  On top of that, how dominant you are in getting there is more important than just getting there.  

(You're asking yourself: don't tell me he's going to the Z-Scores...please no.)
(Please, yes.)

Borrowing from my Z-Score article in September, we can scientifically deduce who had the best WSOB.  The concept is simple: we take all three measures I listed in and basically do the math.  Again, it might be purely hypothetical and it might not work, but we're going up in the clouds or down in flames with this, so without further ado, we're implementing it to bring some science in and remove some bias.  Now we get to how players qualify for the Unofficial Official Power Rankings.  We'll use two qualifying markers:
1) Players who make the match play finals or in this case second round qualifying in 60 percent of the tournaments, so for the WSOB's 5 events, 3 appearances gets you into the club).
2) Winning an event.

After the 6 tournaments (the WTBA Finals also gets tossed in, but had no match play finals or final round qualifying), we came across 16 members who made it in, and yes, we'll rank them all properly.  We shall do this by taking their rank for each category (Z-Score avg, Weighted Z-Score, and Adjusted Z-Score for Match Play) and giving them points for each category in inverted order, so say Jason Belmonte's average Z-Score was 1.72, good for first.  Then, out of the 16 bowlers, Belmo would get 16 points (this actually happened-Belmonte was that good during the WSOB), and we'd do this for the other two categories, add them up and we get our Power Rankings.  Any ties in points will be broken by the things that matter (highest finish, wins, and major wins).  Without delay, here are the Sweet 16 of the Unofficial Official Power Rankings (splits included).

The Donators
16. Mike Machuga (-.65/-.65/-11.65; 8 pts; highest finish: 7th)
The Once-Evolutionary Voss had himself a solid WSOB, making 3 finals and coming within 15 pins of making the BJ Scorpion Championship.  He is, for intents and purposes, the baseline for which all other men will be judged on for the rest of eternity, or for purposes of this conversation, this article.  Just know that when I look back fondly at the WSOB IV, I will always go back and say "Choogs got us started on the march to the greatest Power Rankings Ever Assembled For A Sport That Tapes Delays Finals" and you will too.

15. Hugh Miller (-.76/-.76/-.76: 10 pts; highest finish: 10th)
Everybody was glowingly trumping Walter Ray Williams Jr.'s record 6,839th television appearance during the Chameleon Championship in his early 50's, but did anyone notice how consistent Ole Hughie was?  I mean, he is closer to 60, right?  His fitness regimen has been bandied about before in PBA circles, but to bowl this many games at his age in a young man's sport is quite the impressive feat, no?  Sadly, Miller was unable to carry that into the Worlds, finishing with a 12-12-0 record in match play, and an historic first ever triplicate in the Power Rankings.  I mean, how historic is it?  We have literally TWO's of  examples of evidence stating this anomaly and Miller became the first ever.  Huuuuuuugh!

The Damaged Goods
14. Osku Palermaa (-.22/-.22/-8.22; 12 pts; highest finish: 2nd)
One of the brightest stars in bowling and the defending World Champion struggled with a biceps injury that clearly slowed him down and limited his effectiveness, which leads to this tangent regarding the two handers: if you noticed, Belmonte wore a compression sleeve on his bowling arm to possibly reduce inflammation in the right arm (or, another marketing ploy by Storm for you to buy more shit from them in an attempt to make you look more like a professional), then we heard about TwinFin's injury.  It does beg the question: we do know how powerful these two-handed deliveries are and what advantages they give players, but have we discussed the biomechanics of constantly delivering the bowling ball through the swing with a fully bent elbow and what type of damage they might be incurring on thier wings?  It begs the question at least to look further into it, right?  After all, Storm is footing  helping Belmonte's finances out.  Doesn't it make sense to see if there is some possible long-term damage with this revolution?

Still Relevant
13. Chris Barnes (-.51/.99/N/A; 16 pts; won WTBA Finals for +1.5wZ-score)
To All Fans Who Send Me Fictional Hate Mail Regarding Chris Barnes: I gave the future HOFer some dap for his WTBA win, simply because this is Barnes in the nuttiest of nutshells: when given the chance to showcase his talents of bowling over a long period of time, he usually does it.  He keeps adding to his resume week-by-week and given the long nature of this season where there will be more tournaments, including 4 new patterns on the Winter Swing, plus another WSOB to tackle at season's end, Barnes has the ability to truly gain so much in these next 10, 11 months for his legacy.  Giving him credit for a season long tournament based on points that weeded out the pretenders and left us with 3 superstar players (Barnes, Mike Fagan, and Mika Koivuneimi) sounded fitting and therefore, he becomes a man to be reckoned with in the Power Rankings for the entire season.  Consider this an early Birthday gift, Mr. Barnes.

12. Tommy Jones (.46/.46/-3.54; 20 pts; highest finish: 5th)
And speaking of relevant, we cannot forget Jones, who missed two Championship Rounds by 6 and 9 pins, respectively.  The major reason why Jones is ranked this low despite his consistent WSOB?  Jones was an uninspiring 10-14-0 in the World Championship matchplay, where one shot could have gotten him to television or one match win or, hell one tie could have helped.  Can we really reward a player for not winning matches in a sport where it invariably turns into a one-on-one matchup to determine winners and losers?  Of course not.

Winless, Volume I
11. Dan McLelland (.22/.22/8.22; 23 pts; highest finish: 4th)
Conversely, we must credit Danny Mac for his 16-8-0 performance in the WC matchplay portion to get him just outside the top 10, or where Donnie Layman finally started his list and embarrassed himself.  You see, if you took the time to read Layman's postage stamp article, he ranked McLelland 10th with the caveat that "his first title is just a matter of time".  With all due respect, winning a PBA of any kind is no walk in the park.  It is not like winning a JBT or something (hell, I even have 7 of those and I spent more time wondering who OG was trying to hook up with or why Frankie Calca was wearing Capri pants or why does Steve Roglen's face look like a traffic sign than I was winning...and if you needed clarification as to who 'OG' is, you should do your homework), it is a badge of honor.  Chris Monroy, whom I consider one of the 3 hardest working bowlers I've been around has only one regional title to his trophy case and few work harder at being good.  Is MacLelland talented and hard-working?  Absolutely.  But winning a PBA event just doesn't happen without those things as well as a little luck too.  "Just a matter of time" becomes something else soon.  Just ask #5 on this list.

Proud Daddy
10. Bill O'Neill (.26/1.26/.26; 26 pts; Cheetah Champion)
Congrats to Bill and Chrissy O'Neill on their first child, Gavin David O'Neill on January 15th.  Xtra Frame was on hand to get exclusive coverage of the birth but Ashly Galante's Power House Report bumped it to fit the 18-35 male demographic.  Anyway, O'Neill's win came in a consistent, yet unremarkable, WSOB for him.  Look, everyone knows I think Billy O is the future.  He's the guy you want to back your tour for the next decade.  You won't go wrong with him, just know that his recent title drought has led me to believe that perhaps O'Neill was trending more towards the Barnes/Malott group of guys who show you how good they are over long stretches of time, but when they have to pull it off in one game, things change.  But he's now a father and a champion; he'll need to win to pay for the diapers.  As for his win, it typified the O'Neill mystique in all its glory: give him 3 games and some below average performances, coupled with his talent (superb) and you get a rather dominant win.  Dang it all that he couldn't do more in the Worlds to get him higher in the penthouse.  Again though, he's in the Power Rankings for the year with his win-he can go on a massive roll.

The Man?
9.  Sean Rash (.43/.43/8.43; 27 pts; highest finish: 3rd-twice)
Last year's "Player of the Year" failed to cash in on two great performances in the WSOB and that is that.  He's 9th according to science.  I would ask him during the Worlds if he asked Belmonte if his wife tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but I should let that go.  Look, I don't mess with these numbers but this is a case where Rash controlled his fate by winning or being more consistent in his final round appearances and did not.  Anyone ranking him 1st on a Power Ranking list should have their head examined...oh, hold on a moment...

Tiebreaker Unbroken by Winning
8. Rhino Page (.72/.72/6.72; 31 pts; highest finish: 3rd)
7. Tom Daugherty (.87/1.87/N/A; 31 pts; Scorpion Champion)
The simple reason for Daugherty over Page: Mr. 100 won and Page did not.  OK, that was a shot at poor Tommy D but he bowled an excellent television final despite not really putting up big numbers but being smart and forcing the two-handers to come to him (which they couldn't).  Page could have and should have gotten deeper into the Worlds final but bowled a poor match against Parker Bohn III and watched as PB3 put on a PBS special against Donnie Layman's 1 and 2 Power Ranking bowlers (yes, I've read it 100 times already).  The silver lining for Page: he looks back to form.  The real silver lining for Daugherty: he is now a PBA champion and no longer just the guy who dropped the worst game in televised history on us.

Tiebreaker Unbroken by Television Further Unbroken by Winning
6.  Wes Malott (.56/.56/8.56; 32 pts; highest finish: 6th-twice)
5.  Chris Loschetter (.77/.77/.77; 32 pts; highest finish: 4th)
4.  Scott Norton (.73/1.73/-3.27; 32 pts; Chameleon Champion)
Again...winning matters.  It trumps most and in this case, it trumps the WSOB of both Malott and Loschetter.  Even in a world where I throw my personal contempt out, Big Wesley cannot catch a break from me, although this is the Wes Malott we all want to see: consistent, taking over opponents head-to-head (AdZMP high 8.56), and gunning for major titles.  As for Loschetter, we briefly referred to it with MacLelland but that "sooner or later" mantra about winning a PBA title on the big stage becomes a Capuchin to an Old World to a Silverback on one's shoulder over time.  It cannot be ignored how important that first win can be.  It took Ryan Shafer 13 years to win a title despite his talent and, quite frankly, given the state of the PBA, Loschetter might not have as many opportunities more so than time to erase that primate.  He is arguably, one of the more well liked players amongst fans in the sport and there is a large base rooting for him to get the job done.  Only time will tell when.

Then we get to Norton, a man who deserves his own paragraph based on this simple notion: if he read this, which he might, he would hate the fact that I didn't give a pause in my affidavit to collect myself.  Digressing, Norton now owns two wins, he owns his own firm, owns his sexuality, and owns the most emotional win of the 2012-13 season.  There was a large contingent of California-based players watching his win.  Tony Reyes was a Californian.  Reyes is tragically gone but his spirit lives on and not to get all metaphysical, it lived on through Norton the day he beat Belmonte.  Another ladder-runner during the WSOB, but emotional on all levels.  You can't help but think that Norton carries a lot things on his shoulders as a person, a counsel, an openly gay man, a spouse, and a friend but few have handled it with such grace and humility as he has in his brief career.  He might not turn out to win 20 titles or win 4 majors or ever win a POY, but he can bowl under all circumstances and with great passion.  It has been a pleasure to see him go about his business and write about him.  If you're a bowling fan, you're sport is better with Scott Norton in it.

(Plus, my math tells me he's got more points than 3 fewer players, so we have that as well)

The Outlier
3. Brad Angelo (1.57/2.57/N/A; 33 pts; Viper Champion)
I know...you want to laugh at this ranking.  It makes no sense to you.  How can anyone who didn't participate in the World Championship matchplay be this high?!?  Simply stated, if you did not make matchplay, you got no credit for it, so there.  Angelo is properly ranked for these reasons: Angelo owned the 3rd highest Z-Score for the 4 animal pattern events (1.57), the second highest wZ-Score (2.57-his Z-score plus win in his only finals appearance), and was the only top seed to win the tournament.  This goes to the point of a dominant performance and what better way to judge power is by dominance.  Angelo dominated the Viper Championship and he is properly ranked in this regard.  In no way could you say he was better than the top 2 players on this list, based of their performances, and you can reasonably argue that he had the best individual performance of one tournament so far this season.  We're good, Brad.  You're safe with me in your corner and not that ninny, Layman.

The Debate
2.  Jason Belmonte (1.72/1.72/5.72; pts 39; highest finish: 2nd-twice)
Our top two players both accumulated 39 points in the Power Rankings, but the sole difference ranking one over the other comes to this: as great as Jason Belmonte was during the WSOB, he failed to win when he led two tournaments and the other one did win.  What's more convincing?  He beat Belmonte in the title match.  Want even more convincing?  It was for a major.  It is as simple as that.

As for Belmo, it is possible that he is becoming an undervauled bowler.  He has actually exceeded the expectations of myself but a lot of people with his remarkable versatility, underrated touch, and currently unmatched consistency.  This is now two consecutive years where the Jason Belmonte hype is not doing this guy enough credit.  When the sport needs a new face to latch onto and you are uncertain as to whether or not said player is ready and then he goes beyond your expectations?  Wow...talk about holding his end of the bargain.  He bowls well often, wins his fair share of tournaments, speaks with high regard for every bowler, and conducts himself like a professional for every fan to see.  I said earlier you couldn't go wrong with O'Neill as your face...you couldn't also go wrong with Belmo as well.

Sandy-Blaster
1. Parker Bohn III (.71/2.71/7.71; 39 pts; World Champion)
32 wins...1 major.  Then a hurricane hit and Parker Bohn III arrived to bowling's top 10 all-time greats.  To understand what most of us on the east coast saw a few months ago with Sandy put things into a brand new perspective.  Homes gone, power out with no timetable for repair, lives lost, roads flooded, towns on the shore swallowed up and eaten by nature's unmerciful wrath, and no way to justify anything trivial or recreational.  Not when people had nothing to grab onto but hope, but PB3 decided to do what he does better than any bowler ever-he took to helping.  The Striking Out Sandy fund is on his website, guys have donated money for pins he accumulated during his WSOB competition, and he has been able to provide need for those with nothing.  I have admittedly been critical of Bohn's bowling resume as being hollow.  After all, how can I sit down and tell my kids that Parker Bohn III was one of the 10 greatest ever if he had just one major championship.  I know of the runner-up finishes but we don't make that defense for Ryan Shafer (and we shouldn't) or for Chris Barnes (we excoriate him for it).  We judge players by how great they are when it counts.  Well, this major counted no matter how Bohn got there.  He made no top 16 rounds yet finished 24th, he won 15 games and wiggled into the television finals, then he won 4 more matches to lay claim to #33 and #2.  And with that win, not just our heads and hearts tell us Parker Bohn III is the leader in the Unofficial Official Power Rankings, but so does pen and paper.  Enjoy the first class seats, Parker.  Welcome to the Penthouse.




For those with a love and knowledge for the Sport of Bowling...this IS Bowling Philosophy.  Namaste. 

P

Proud Daddy
 

PrPProugo