I am beginning to think some PBA members are more competent at figuring out lane conditions than they are at figuring out financial conditions.
There can be no logical explanation why they do not flock to the American Bowling Congress Masters tournament each year, a stepping stone to big money and immortality.
Folks, it really baffles me why so many PBA players annually bypass the Masters. What is the rationale of numerous PBA players regarding prize funds? The ABC Masters first-place prizes over the past 10 years have been anywhere from $35,000 to $50,700. Except for the PBA National, the PBA Tournament of Champions, and perhaps events sponsored by Delco and Budweiser, the ABC Masters exceeded any of PBA tournaments of the past five years—certainly more than any in the 2000 season.
The ABC Masters tournament has grown into one of the most prestigious titles in bowling over the past 50 years. The list of champions is a "Who's Who" in the game of tenpins. Could all these great bowlers who won the Masters be wrong? The title was a giant step to the ABC Hall of Fame for many Masters champions.
The initial tournament in 1951 was won by Lee Jouglard, a three-step player from Detroit. The same year, Mr. Jouglard captured the ABC singles title with a record-setting 775, a mark that stood for 18 years. Jouglard was inducted into the ABC Hall of Fame in 1979.
ABC Masters champions subsequently enshrined into the ABC Hall of Fame include Buzz Fazio, Dick Hoover, Tom Hennessey, Ray Bluth, Billy Golembiewski, Don Carter, Harry Smith, Billy Welu, Bob Strampe, Pete Tountas, Jim Godman, Dave Soutar, Nelson Burton Jr., Earl Anthony, Steve Fehr, and Ernie Schlegel.
Several runners-up have also entered the Hall of Fame. They include Joe Wilman, Andy Varipapa, Ed Brosius, Joe Kristof, Bill Lillard, Steve Nagy, Don Ellis, Barry Asher, and Dick Ritger.
Oddly, Dick Weber, voted one of the three greatest bowlers of all time, has never won or even placed second in this event.
A number of PBA players feel that luck plays too important a role in the Masters format, particularly PBA Hall of Famer David Ozio. David's judgement is rather ambiguous. Despite the fact that Mr. Ozio made the top five finals on the TV show two consecutive years, he ended his participation in the Masters several years ago.
In any sport, the element of fortune can be a factor. However, the three-game total score in the Masters tournament requires far less luck than the one-game matches (plus 30-pin bonuses) that compile numbers for PBA tournaments.
The luck factor in the TV format for the Masters and PBA is identical. Pete Weber can attest to that, having twice been victimized by TV formats after capturing the top seed position. In 1983, he lost to Mike Lastowski. This year, he was edged 236-235 by Finland's Mika Koivuniemi. In comparison, Pete Weber has been denied victory more than a few times after earning the top seed on the PBA TV format.
Mike Aulby and Pete Weber are locks for Hall of Fame entry. Aulby, the only three-time winner, and Weber, twice runner-up, will become eligible in 2001.
However, superstars like Marshall Holman, Mark Roth, Dave Husted, David Ozio, and Dave Ferraro will forever be denied the most hallowed sanctuary in bowling. Simply put, they lack the most important requirement for Hall of Fame eligibility. A player must participate in at least 20 tournaments for consideration. All of these players would have been virtual cinches for induction.
Mark Roth and Marshall Holman recently were selected among the "20 Greatest Bowlers of the Century." Lacking six or seven tournaments to become eligible for the ABC Hall of Fame, they have bypassed the Masters for the past five or six years.
Somehow, bowling's most prestigious Hall of Fame will seem incomplete without Holman and Roth. Unfortunately, everyone must play by the rules.
Just ask Pete Rose.
PBA Hall of Famer John Jowdy is a past president of the Bowling Writers Association of America.