The numbers game - The Fans Speak Out

Bowling Digest, Dec, 2003 by Eric Blum

In the August 2003 issue, I noted a couple of statistics that did not make sense. During the 2002-03 PBA season, I recall Norm Duke shooting a 300 against Walter Ray Williams Jr. on TV, yet Duke's game is not listed with the other 300 games in the "Schedules & Statistics" section. The tour has been on hiatus for a few months and Chris Barnes' cash percentage record from the past season is there, so I know it can't be that the stats just hadn't been compiled yet.

On a related note, the article on Williams ["The Empire Strikes Back"], which was otherwise excellent, left me scratching my head. The article says that Williams made the TV finals 10 times last year "bolstering his all-time record for championship round appearances to 141." Yet in the same issue's "Schedules & Statistics" section, you list Earl Anthony as the record holder with 144 top-five finishes. Did BOWLING DIGEST simply mean to say that Williams bolstered his career record to 141? Were you mistaken to have said he had the "all-time record"?

Eric, leaving out the Duke 300 game was an oversight. Thank you for pointing it out.

As for your question, Williams is the all-time PBA leader in championship round appearances with 141 and Anthony holds the record for the most top-five finishes with 144. Those are two different statistical categories.

Eric Blum

Irvine, Calif.