Bowling Philosophy-August 2013

Wes Malott is now a major winner and maybe ready to step into history.

The Porthole: After the Warming (Part II)

By Thomas Scherrer

     As the creator of the Unofficial Official PBA Power Rankings and chairman of statistically dysfunctional information, you should understand how confusing this season has been to chart from the beginning to where we are right now.  There has been layered long-distance formats, formats with no match play, international tournaments that a) exist for the PBA if only one of their members win or b) are mere footnotes if someone else wins it, and 4 separate major winners which officially creates a race for the PBA Player of the Year that will come down to a) who steps up in the World Series of Bowling or b) who gets a leg up in the international events or c) whom, as PBA members, they don't want to vote for.  You see...being objective in an increasingly cynical sport makes voting by its membership even more dubious when you consider that in 10 of the previous 12 seasons where the Porthole members could have voted, you could make a reasoned argument that they got half of them wrong and in the two seasons where they based if off making television, they were both highly questionable decisions given the nature of both seasons (don't worry-that is its own blog marathon in itself).  If you've understood anything from the past 3 years of Bowling Philosophy, I never observe the game through the prism of average alone. It is/was/always will be an unfair barometer in bowling.  This isn't golf where after 72 holes the winner is the player most under par.  Bowling factors in game-in, game-out observation, and how you perform against your rivals as much as how you perform against the lanes.  Added to that, it is a game of a symbiotic nature where players can either survive, thrive, or die based off who is still bowling.  Most rational bowling fans see what direction the game has been heading in during the past few seasons and that direction is power.

     Raw, unadulterated power.

     Now, that isn't to say there is no room for pure strokers, tweeners, and predominantly straight players to still be relevant.  In fact, they are still some bowlers having quality seasons without having a rev rate above 400, but if you looked at certain metrics, you might lose yourself in the noise of revolutions.  For instance, let's observe two players who are both on the rankings this year and let's look at them through only traditional raw statistics, per pba.com.  Ranking will be to the right in parenthesis.

     Bowler A: 139,130 points (3), $159,672.90 (3), 226.20 average (4), 5 TV finals (2).

     Bowler B: 69,212 points (25), $34,892.50, (20), 221.20 average (21), 2 TV finals (T13).

     On the surface, this doesn't look like any comparison at all.  Almost as if your intelligence is being insulted and you'd feel better reading something from Donnie Layman, Mike J., or Jason Thomas.  Nonetheless, let's dig deeper with some advanced metrics, utilizing our trusty Z-Score.

     Bowler A: .64 (7), 1.14 (15), 23.64 (4); Kuwait Champion.  31 Power Points (T8).

     Bowler B: .61 (9), 1.61 (10), 20.61 (5); Mark Roth Champion.  33 Power Points (7).

     Bowler A is Sean Rash and Bowler B is Michael Haugen Jr.  And this makes people scratch their heads.  How in any rational world would any rational internet freelance blogger write such an irrational notion that Haugen has had a better season than Rash has?  Rationally, it comes down to erasing a few preconceived notions about what makes players good (average, TV, power, and attitude) and digging deeper into process (consistent play, match play record, and winning).  Has Sean Rash had a very nice season?  He most certainly has.  But so has Haugen, and that shouldn't be ignored.  Sadly though, it has been.  ..but not here.  And this is where a degree of subjectivity does come into play against Rash, and for once, out has zero to do with his personality, but the quality of his win.  Rash does have a PBA International title this season, but due to those tournaments having multiple qualifying blocks, no pinfall carryover, and less quality opponents, a complication arises for me.  Do I simply ignore what Rash did in Kuwait or find a way to reward his performance by weighing his victory.  I chose the latter, awarding a +.50 to his Weighted Z-Score as well as wins in international play to Tommy Jones, Ronnie Russell, and Mika Koivuniemi.  After all, I did award Chris Barnes +1.50 for his WTBA Finals victory to start the season and he did everything in power the first half of the season to make me look foolish until he woke up with a flurry on Milwaukee.

     How foolish you may ask???  Observe Barnes's season before the Summer Swing in relation to the UOPBAPR:

     Average Z-Score: .33 (15th), Weighted Z-Score: 1.83 (8th), Adjusted Z-Score (Match play): 1.33 (14th), Finals Appearances: 4 (T 8th), WTBA Finals champion.  Power Rank: 15.

     Now observe his numbers after the U.S. Open:

     Average Z-Score: .83 (4th), Weighted Z-Score: 3.33 (2nd), Adjusted Z-Score (Match play):  6.83 (9th), Finals Appearances: 8 (T 8th), WTBA Finals champion, Milwaukee Open champion.  Power Rank: 4.

     Simply put, Barnes went all-world on us for a stretch of bowling and suddenly, he is in the PBA POY conversation.  As for everyone else???  Well, let's have a look, eh?

     T1. Jason Belmonte (1.30/4.30/29.30)
     T1. Wes Malott (1.02/3.02/38.02)
     3. Pete Weber (.77/2.77/29.77)
     4. Chris Barnes (.83/3.33/6.83)
     5. Jason Sterner (.74/1.74/19.74)
     6. Parker Bohn III (.58/2.58/16.58)
     7. Michael Haugen Jr. (.61/1.61/20.61)
     T8. Brad Angelo (1.57/2.57/N/A)
     T8. Sean Rash (.64/1.14/23.64)
     10. Scott Norton (.62/2.62/1.62)
     11. Mika Koivuniemi (.41/2.41/8.41)
     12. Chris Loschetter (.45/1.45/2.45)
     13. Tom Daugherty (.57/1.57/.57)
     T14. Bill O'Neill (.39/1.39/6.39)
     T14. Jake Peters (.42/1.42/2.42)
     16. Tommy Jones (.23/.73/3.23)
     T17. Andres Gomez (-.22/.78/-6.22)
     T17. Ronnie Russell (.05/.55/-3.05)

     #= Major winners in Bold.

     Here's to a new fall season of league bowling, folks.  Mary your strikes be many...May your balls be plentiful.


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