TJ made the Big Time and other Ebonite balls look good last year but not many were sold in the DC area. So we can't base BOTY off of his success.
There are so many good balls that it's tough to select BOTY. Besides, what criteria is used to select the winner? Ball sales? People buy what's "hot" and what they hear will hook. Morich was the hot ticket last year with everyone having a S&A and then a TS&A but now everyone has a ONE. Quite a few Vapor Zones have been selling too.
I think BOTY should be based on a ball that can be used by a wide variety of styles, releases, surfaces and lane conditions. I think the Vapor Zone would have be a contender since it doesn't seem to be as finicky as the ONE in OOB finish. Yes, the ONE can be changed, but for a good percentage of bowlers the OOB surface isn't the right matchup and they don't consider a surface change before declaring the ball a dud. There have been several people who complained about the ONE not hooking until I recommended knocking the factory polish off.
