Kind of a related topic, i.e WRW v. Earl as best ever.
Earl has been my bowling idol forever. I'm not a lefty, and I'm old enough to have seen them both a lot. For Earl to win that many titles in a relatively short time, the legendary stuff like being only lefty to make top 32 and go on to win, a very simple, accuracy/timing based game, unbelievable match play record, etc. But, when they show the WRW highlights from '80's to present, urethane to mild resin to particle, different lines and releases, and factoring in better competition, I now give WRW the nod. Also, WRW has as many second places as firsts. Absolutely no knock on Earl, but he didn't have to adjust as much as WRW. He could do what he did with rubber, plastic, urethane and on any lane surface and oil. He was simply the best at doing what he did (excluding guys that came before him like Carter, Weber, etc as I didn't see them in their prime). I'm sure in his prime Earl could have done what was necessary to compete and thrive in the resin/particle/synthetic era, but we'll never really know. WRW has lived, thrived and dominated thru the biggest changes in the sport, the last 20 years. Truly, absolutely remarkable!
