Author Topic: The Beginning of the End of an Era (Read 12151 times)

bradl · « **on:** March 17, 2021, 09:11:39 PM »

We knew it was coming, and now it's coming.

Both PDW and WRW have retired from the PBA, and have thrown their last shots on the main PBA tour.

https://www.pba.com/2021/march/pete-weber-walter-ray-williams-jr-retire-pba-tour-competition

The good thing is that while there isn't much more either of them really needed to do on the main tour that they haven't already done, they will still continue to bowl on the PBA50 tour. They will still be around, and still bowling.

Pete's last shot is here. I'll post WRW's last shot if I can find it.

BL.

MI 2 AZ · « **Reply #1 on:** March 18, 2021, 12:44:37 AM »

Both great players with careers to be proud of.

Did you catch Pete's f-bomb when they were rehashing his greatest moments?

Bowler19525 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:23:23 AM »

Since they will still be bowling PBA50 and PBA Regional events, is this really considered a retirement? Retirement, in the true sense of the word, is leaving a job and no longer working. It was actually kind of sad to hear PDW say that he came to the realization that he doesn't have the power of the younger players and cannot compete with them anymore. This happens in all sports, but to hear an athlete say it so bluntly and directly to competitors is rare.

The PBA50 tour kicks off next month and has a full month of bowling spanning five events. Each event is 3-4 days, then on to the next. That is a pretty taxing schedule.

Both of these players are legends of the game, and I will miss seeing them on televised events. They are the last of an era of classic bowlers. Not to take anything away from the current "stars of the PBA", but I miss seeing the players from the mid 90's to early 2000's. I don't know how to describe it, but the previous generation of PBA bowlers just had more presence than the current roster.

SBIBowler807 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 18, 2021, 11:21:09 AM »

Quote from: Bowler19525 on March 18, 2021, 08:23:23 AM

Since they will still be bowling PBA50 and PBA Regional events, is this really considered a retirement? Retirement, in the true sense of the word, is leaving a job and no longer working. It was actually kind of sad to hear PDW say that he came to the realization that he doesn't have the power of the younger players and cannot compete with them anymore. This happens in all sports, but to hear an athlete say it so bluntly and directly to competitors is rare.

The PBA50 tour kicks off next month and has a full month of bowling spanning five events. Each event is 3-4 days, then on to the next. That is a pretty taxing schedule.

Both of these players are legends of the game, and I will miss seeing them on televised events. They are the last of an era of classic bowlers. Not to take anything away from the current "stars of the PBA", but I miss seeing the players from the mid 90's to early 2000's. I don't know how to describe it, but the previous generation of PBA bowlers just had more presence than the current roster.

This was my thoughts when they kept saying retirement. They will both still bowl the ToC and will most likely bowl local national stops on top of PBA50 and Regional tours.

bradl · « **Reply #4 on:** March 18, 2021, 04:36:47 PM »

I tend to think about it this way, and for the example, let's take it back to the late 80s to early 90s.

Retirement from the PBA essentially means retirement from the main national tour. For that timeframe, that meant no longer appearing on ABC when/if you made the show, and no longer were getting the main spotlight during the biggest time bowling is televised. If you had to rank the shows in terms of available to watch (again, going back to them, and notwithstanding that all of the shows are important as far bowling goes, but let's roll with it), I'd have them as:

PBA Tour. This was always on network/free TV on ABC, until it went off the air.
PBA Tour. After it left ABC, it went to ESPN.
PBA Senior Tour. Always on ESPN or ESPN2.
LPBT Tour. Always on ESPN or Prime Sports Network, though harder to catch.
PWBA Tour. This went to ESPN2 most of the time until it folded in 2003.

Until it went off the air on ABC, the main tour was where they always were. When the main tour wasn't on, I always caught the Senior Tour to see Earl, Roth, Dick, Handegard, Holman, Stus, Teata Semiz, and others. But at least they still had that TV time.

Nowadays they won't really have that spotlight because the PBA50 and PBA60 stops are streamed and not aired, so we'll only see them through FloBowling or if they make the TOC show. So they'll be gone from the main spotlight, but we'll still have some way to catch them.

BL.

bradl · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2021, 04:49:00 PM »

And just recently posted, here's WRW's final frame on the National PBA tour.

BL.

MikeE.B. · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2021, 05:27:51 PM »

My two favorite PBA bowlers... bittersweet seeing them retire from the regular tour. The old-school guys really made the telecasts interesting. Now it's nothing but high-rev power players. That was fun, at first, but it's gotten pretty boring now that everyone is doing the same thing.

bradl · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2021, 06:58:50 PM »

Quote from: MikeE.B. on March 19, 2021, 05:27:51 PM

My two favorite PBA bowlers... bittersweet seeing them retire from the regular tour. The old-school guys really made the telecasts interesting. Now it's nothing but high-rev power players. That was fun, at first, but it's gotten pretty boring now that everyone is doing the same thing.

This is where Frankie, O'Neill, and the like come in, as at least they are still a good stroke of the ball; the bowlers that rely more on touch and finesse than power.

For the last 30 years, the LPBT/PWBA has held my attention more than the PBA. After that, it would be the PBA50/Seniors. While I'm a tweener with revs (OG Power stroker), I'm more of the mindset of thinking a way through it versus throwing more power and ball behind it. That isn't to say that two hands isn't good; it just isn't that exciting to me anymore, though I still appreciate what it brings to the game.

But with these two now having moved on, it makes you wonder who's left that still bowls on the national tour... Barnes, Duke, Bohn.. who's left?

BL.

TWOHAND834 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 22, 2021, 07:38:44 AM »

Quote from: MI 2 AZ on March 18, 2021, 12:44:37 AM

Both great players with careers to be proud of.

Did you catch Pete's f-bomb when they were rehashing his greatest moments?

How could you not catch it? I also noticed that Randy said absolutely nothing to Pete after he said it. It was like Randy completely took himself out of the conversation.

Bowler19525 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 22, 2021, 09:01:21 AM »

Quote from: TWOHAND834 on March 22, 2021, 07:38:44 AM

Quote from: MI 2 AZ on March 18, 2021, 12:44:37 AM
Both great players with careers to be proud of.

Did you catch Pete's f-bomb when they were rehashing his greatest moments?

How could you not catch it? I also noticed that Randy said absolutely nothing to Pete after he said it. It was like Randy completely took himself out of the conversation.

I don't blame him. With the way "cancel culture" is these days he probably wanted no part of any potential controversy that might arise out of something like that.

When they came back from commercial, Dave apologized and Randy said something to the effect of "that behavior cannot be condoned" or something like that.

There was speculation on social media that PDW may have been three sheets to the wind during the interview. If that is the case, the PBA should not have allowed him to appear legend status or not.

I bowl with a pretty laid back group of middle aged and older people on a scratch league, and most of them thought it was simply tacky and tasteless of PDW to say that on live TV. Most of the bowlers said it really lowered their opinion of PDW.

TWOHAND834 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 22, 2021, 10:31:03 AM »

Quote from: Bowler19525 on March 22, 2021, 09:01:21 AM

Quote from: TWOHAND834 on March 22, 2021, 07:38:44 AM
Quote from: MI 2 AZ on March 18, 2021, 12:44:37 AM
Both great players with careers to be proud of.

Did you catch Pete's f-bomb when they were rehashing his greatest moments?

How could you not catch it? I also noticed that Randy said absolutely nothing to Pete after he said it. It was like Randy completely took himself out of the conversation.

I don't blame him. With the way "cancel culture" is these days he probably wanted no part of any potential controversy that might arise out of something like that.

When they came back from commercial, Dave apologized and Randy said something to the effect of "that behavior cannot be condoned" or something like that.

There was speculation on social media that PDW may have been three sheets to the wind during the interview. If that is the case, the PBA should not have allowed him to appear legend status or not.

I bowl with a pretty laid back group of middle aged and older people on a scratch league, and most of them thought it was simply tacky and tasteless of PDW to say that on live TV. Most of the bowlers said it really lowered their opinion of PDW.

I dont blame him either. I havent gotten that far in the show as I was watching it late last night and turned it off right after the completion of the interviews with Walter and Pete. What frustrated me about it is that I have a 3 year old that loves bowling and even knows a lot of the bowlers by name. He is picking up on things being said and emulates it when he plays with his own bowling set. The fact that not only did Pete say it, but then he condoned his action immediately after that I thought was very distasteful. Thankfully my son was not watching at that point in time but I can hear him in the hallway yell "Ahhhh...7-10!" or "Come on 10 pin!"

If most bowlers knew the PDW from from the 90s and 2000s, they really wouldnt have cared for him considering his multiple suspensions due to his conduct. The "Who do you think you are? I am!" PDW is a tad mellow compared to the 90s PDW.

Bowler19525 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 22, 2021, 11:34:11 AM »

Quote from: TWOHAND834 link=topic=320484.msg2629952#msg2629952

I dont blame him either. I havent gotten that far in the show as I was watching it late last night and turned it off right after the completion of the interviews with Walter and Pete. What frustrated me about it is that I have a 3 year old that loves bowling and even knows a lot of the bowlers by name. He is picking up on things being said and emulates it when he plays with his own bowling set. The fact that not only did Pete say it, but then he condoned his action immediately after that I thought was very distasteful. Thankfully my son was not watching at that point in time but I can hear him in the hallway yell "Ahhhh...7-10!" or "Come on 10 pin!"

If most bowlers knew the PDW from from the 90s and 2000s, they really wouldnt have cared for him considering his multiple suspensions due to his conduct. The "Who do you think you are? I am!" PDW is a tad mellow compared to the 90s PDW.

Oh yeah, some of the stories that came out of the PBA in the 90's and early 2000s about PDW and his behavior were crazy. He claims to have beat his cocaine and alcohol addiction he had in the 80's, so I am not sure what would have prompted the wild behavior in the 90's and early 2000s. While he was married to Tracy, he frequently praised her as being the force that kept him anchored and grounded. I am not sure they are together anymore. Being the son of a legend, and having that hanging over you constantly, would certainly be a heavy burden to bear as well. Maybe that has something to do with it?

Pinbuster · « **Reply #12 on:** March 22, 2021, 10:25:08 PM »

Pete may have been the most talented player on the PBA tour. But he his personally a mess in my opinion.

His actions on the show were deliberate and done with forethought. And since he was retiring he felt he had nothing to lose by doing it.

In the mid 90's we were bowling in Kansas City in a World Team Challenge qualifier.

I met Dick Weber there for the first time and there were several other touring professionals there.

Later I saw Pete and he was messed up on something.

When the competition was ready to start Pete was found in the grass by the parking lot throwing up. His team had the foresight to have a substitute there for him and went ahead and bowled without him.

Remmah · « **Reply #13 on:** March 23, 2021, 12:02:29 AM »

And your point was?

??

MI 2 AZ · « **Reply #14 on:** March 23, 2021, 01:49:53 AM »

Quote from: Remmah on March 23, 2021, 12:02:29 AM

And your point was? ??

Backwards Hammer, No point, I was just surprised when I heard it. I was on the computer and just listening to the broadcast so I was not sure that I had heard that until I replayed it.

I thought that they would have had a 5 second delay to filter out that kind of stuff.

Author Topic: The Beginning of the End of an Era (Read 12151 times)

bradl

The Beginning of the End of an Era

MI 2 AZ

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Bowler19525

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SBIBowler807

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bradl

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bradl

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MikeE.B.

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bradl

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TWOHAND834

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Bowler19525

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TWOHAND834

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Bowler19525

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Pinbuster

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Remmah

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MI 2 AZ

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