But in the past, it wasn't just hitting your mark. They hit the pocket just as much, if not more than the current bowlers. What you had to do to be successful was carry, something the increased entry angles of today's equipment helps provide.
I'm not taking away from what Walter has done. But if you are to evaluate who might be the best, you can't separate him from the era in which he most dominated, i.e. resin.
Would it be better if you called him the best bowler of the resin era?
And yes, I am one of those few folks that think resin and synthetic lanes are two of the worst things that happened to this sport. Hell, I think there should be a game ball, or at least much more strict ball governance. But that's a whole other issue...in my mind, it would completely level the playing field. Those who can CREATE entry angle would do better than those that cannot. It would make bowling a legitimate sport again, because only those capable of a certain feat would find success. Yes, it would limit participation, and yes, it's elitist in an athletic sense. But that's what every other sport has (including golf, a la El Tigre).
Bottom line: Walter is ONE of the best. However, even he has not yet matched the greatness of Weber or Carter. And he doesn't have the winning percentage of Anthony. That puts him at 4 or 5, depending on how high you rank the really old guys.
ON EDIT: Shelley, we all know that everyone today uses the equipment, and should (hypothetically) benefit all the same. However, you can't deny that reactive resin and nigh-nuclear-powered cores benefit folks like Walter more than they do folks like PDW or Amletto. In fact, Amletto struggled AS A RESULT of resin. Meanwhile, Walter's title count went up. Again, not taking anything away from him (because he took advantage, and learned how to best play the modern game), but he was undoubtedly benefited as a direct result of evolving equipment, whereas others were not benefited to the same degree.
Edited on 11/6/2007 12:17 PM
