WALTER RAY IS BACK, AND SO ARE THE DEBATES
By Tom Clark
Jan 13, 2004, 3:29 PM


It's safe to go outside. All is right in the world again.

Walter Ray Williams Jr. won Sunday on the PBA Tour.

Yes, the greatest winner since Earl Anthony, the man who dominated the PBA to the tune of a record $419,000 last year, hadn't even made a show through the midway point of the 2003-04 season. So panic was ensuing. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge moved the national alert level to Orange. Dogs and cats were living together.

But Sunday, fittingly, at the PBA Earl Anthony Classic in Seattle, Walter Ray won -- albeit with the help of a 10th-frame collapse by Lonnie Waliczek in the championship match.

So the omnipresent Williams, whose absence this year from the Sunday shows on ESPN could be likened to the "Oprah Winfrey Show" with no Oprah, now has 38 career titles.

Williams, who has been on TV for the finals of a PBA event 142 times, is now three titles away from Anthony's record 41 trophies.

Earl's wife Susie, who was in the crowd for many of Earl's 144 TV appearances, was in the front row Sunday to witness the thrilling conclusion to the Williams-Waliczek match.

And now the ongoing debate of who was better -- Earl or Walter Ray -- rages.

For that matter, who was better -- Nicklaus or Tiger? Mays or Bonds? McEnroe or Sampras? Marino or Manning? These debates spanning different eras help define sports. And because of that, we are thankful for Walter Ray's assault on the record books. He allows us to remember Anthony and brings potential water cooler discussion to bowling.

For me, there is no contest. Earl was The Man. Walter Ray, to his credit, says much the same, pointing to Earl's dominance during a tighter time frame. Anthony won his 41 titles in 14 years, while Walter Ray has accumulated his 38 in 22.

Make no mistake, Walter Ray has been the modern game's "Man" for a long time, and the similarities between the two legends don't end with that moniker. Like Anthony, Williams has won six Player of the Year awards. Both possessed a consistent, methodical approach to bowling, anchored in accuracy. They had an innate feel for the game unlike other bowlers, not necessarily rooted in a love for the sport, but in a love for competition. Both had incomparable levels of focus, the ability to will victory, and a level of intimidation over their foes.

But bowling's relevance in the national sports scene was immeasurably greater in the 1970s and early ’80s (Earl's era) than it was during the 1990s when Williams won most of his titles. Earl had the benefit of ABC-TV at the height of its ratings power, and the sport itself was healthier, with more league bowlers and the level of talent necessary to score high greater than it is today. Also, the prize money was greater in relation to the economy.

It's not Walter Ray's fault that many of his potential rivals simply quit bowling amid the changes in the game. And it's not his fault fewer bowlers aspired to be pros because of the sport's dwindling prestige. But it's clear to me that the level of competition during Anthony's era was much greater.

It's also not Walter Ray's fault that technology has rapidly engulfed bowling during his prime.

Walter Ray probably doesn't want to hear people say he succeeded only because the new bowling ball technology enabled him to strike at a rate that his ball speed and spin rate wouldn't have allowed before, although he knows there are whispers to that end.

Earl heard whispers, too. If you wanted Anthony to bristle, attribute his success to the fact he was left-handed.

For both, they simply took what was given to them and did the best they could regardless. Face it, on any lane condition, under any parameters, right or left-handed, with any bowling balls… these two would have risen to the top of bowling.

Walter Ray won Sunday by staying hungry in his match with Waliczek, even though he fell behind by a lot and early. He struck out in the 10th to force his opponent to mark, and like Williams said afterward, it isn't always that easy to mark in that situation. Waliczek left the 1-2-4-6-10 and missed it.

No one will be surprised if Walter Ray, 44, continues on his blistering pace, even into his late 40s -- and maybe even 50s -- given his strength and unmatched mind. So there is the distinct possibility he won't just match Earl's record, but shatter it.

If that happens, there will be no debate.

But for now, and probably forever, Earl gets my vote. Admittedly, Earl was doing it when I was an impressionable junior bowler, so I'm biased. As I'm sure the junior bowlers of today will fondly recall the great Walter Ray Williams Jr. in 20 years. They'll defend him as the best ever as vociferously as I defend Anthony.

And the debates will go on and on and on…



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"I don't mind if you don't like my manners. I don't like them myself. They're pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings."