The December issue of Bowlers Journal International featured the everythings of the century: Bowlers of the Century; All-American Teams of the Century; Person of the Century; Counting Down to the Century; International Bowlers of the Century; Stories of the Century; and Bowler of the Century.
Former BJI publisher Mort Luby Jr. and current BJI editor Jim Dressel selected and joined Joe Norris, Tom Kouros, Bruce Pluckhahn, J.R. Schmidt, Dick Weber, and Shirley Garms as the selection committee.
This committee bore the responsibility of selecting the top 100 Bowlers of the Century as well as the Century All-American teams. Space does not permit listing the top 100 Bowlers of the Century. However, here is a list of the First, Second, and Third All-American Teams chosen by the committee:
FIRST TEAM — (Men), Earl Anthony (captain), Don Carter, Hank Marino, Dick Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr.; (Women), Donna Adamek, Millie (Martorella) Ignizio, Marion Ladewig (captain), Floretta McCutcheon, Lisa Wagner.
SECOND TEAM — (Men), Mike Aulby, Ned Day, Junie McMahon, Mark Roth, Andy Varipappa; (Women), Dottie Fothergill, Tish Johnson, Sylvia (Wene) Martin, Betty Morris, Aleta Sill.
THIRD TEAM — (Men), Jimmy Blouin, Marshall Holman, Don Johnson, Bill Lillard, Pete Weber; (Women), Leanne Barrette, Patty Costello, Nikki Gianulias, Shirley Garms, Marie Warmbier.
In the Bowlers of the Century category, which reflected the top 100 bowlers, Don Carter was numero uno, edging out Dick Weber and Earl Anthony.
Who can argue with that decision? It could have gone to any of the three, depending on ones personal opinion. Perhaps Carter and Anthony may have had an edge on lane performance, but Weber would far outdistance either of them in popularity, longevity, and public relations.
However, in the BJI choices for Century All-Americans, Anthony emerged the top vote-getter. BJI explained that the same voters who chose Carter as the best ever in the top 100 tabbed Anthony to captain the Century All-American Team primarily due to Anthony's 41 PBA titles.
Does this mean that Anthony's titles had no profound effect on his being selected third in the Bowler of the Century poll?
In another unexplainable discrepancy, it must be noted that all the members of the womens first two All-American teams, with the exception of Marion Ladewig and Floretta McCutcheon, were rated below Shirley Garms in the top 100 of the century.
In a recent poll conducted by the Miami Herald, leading bowling writers across the country ranked Donna Adamek third among the top 20 female bowlers of all time, trailing only Ladewig and Lisa Wagner. Although the BJI committee placed Adamek in 59th place among the top 100, they nevertheless selected her to the first All-American team. Lisa Wagner, 51st in the poll, and Millie Ignizio, 82nd in the poll, also made the first All-American team.
Although she was chosen on the second All-American Team, Aleta Sill was rated 67th in the poll. It seems incredible that Sill could have been placed so low—behind Shirley Garms, Betty Morris, Sylvia (Wene) Martin, and Carol Gianotti-Block.
Sill is the first woman to earn $1 million. She is the only bowler, male or female, to have won the Triple Crown twice. She has 30 professional titles and is a two-time Queens champion. Ms. Sill is a member of both the WIBC and the Women's Professional Bowling Hall of Fame, was twice voted Player of the Year, is a seven-time WIBC All-American, and a six-time Bowlers Journal International All-American.
Dottie Fothergill, a second team member, was rated 75th. Betty Morris, 50th in the poll, and Tish Johnson, ranked 99th, were on the second All-American team.
Patty Costello, 85th in the polls, made the third team.
Even more perplexing, Leanne Barrette and Nikki Gianulias, neither of whom were listed among the top 100, made the third team, along with Shirley Garms.
I have the greatest respect for the members of the BJI panel. I consider Tom Kouros one the top minds of the game. He is one of the greatest coaches, if not the greatest coach in bowling, and a very astute evaluator of bowling talent.
Dick Weber is everybody's pal and undoubtedly the greatest ambassador of bowling in the world. Everyone loves Dick.
Shirley Garms, in addition to being one of the great stars of the past, was probably the most gracious lady on the lanes—sweet and generous and always smiling, in victory or defeat. Mrs. Garms captured the PWBA National in 1961 and annexed the BPAA All Star/U.S. Open in 1962. She won two pro titles.
However, Mrs. Garms may have overlooked the record (or may have been ignored by other panelists) of her one-time teammate, Lorrie Nichols. Nichols captured 15 pro titles, including two majors—the U.S. Open and the LPBT Tournament of Champions.
Joe Norris is among my favorite people in the game. On numerous occasions, Andy Marzich, writer Joe Lyou, Norris, and myself get together for lunch and discuss old times. But, in all fairness, Norris rarely attends tournaments, men's or women's.
Bruce Pluckhahn, a long-time friend, has had access to ABC records in past years and confined most of his time to non-pro events.
I have never met J.R. Schmidt, but judging from his articles in BJI, he has a great background of bowlers of the past. And, not so oddly, this panel displayed a tendency for bowlers of the past.
Regretfully, Mr. Pluckhahn, Mr. Weber, Mr. Schmidt, Mrs. Garms, and Joe Norris have hardly attended any tournaments during the past 15 years. Except for Dick Weber and Tom Kouros, most of the other panelists were rarely present at amateur or professional events—including Mort Luby and Jim Dressel.
To put things in proper perspective, all sports analysts are entitled to opinions. For example, sports experts at ESPN placed Michael Jordan at the top of their 100 list. Jordan made a bold attempt at professional baseball but couldnt hit a curve ball with an ironing board. He also recorded enough losses on the golf course to retire a few links sharks.
Babe Ruth, who came in second to Jordan on the list, also was a golf bug and would have fleeced enough off Jordan to match his Yankees salary. These so-called sports authorities placed His Airness ahead of Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, and Jim Brown, three tremendous athletes who recorded All-American status in three or four different sports.
Furthermore, ESPN's master critics ignored Rocky Marciano, a heavyweight boxer who retired undefeated after disposing 49 opponents.
Under ordinary circumstances, I would be reluctant to admonish voters opinions, be it sports, politics, or anything that warrants freedom of expression. However, being a Catholic, I cannot ignore a sacrilege.
A sacrilege, according to Webster's Dictionary, is a desecration, contamination, or violation of something sacred.
It is nothing short of sacrilegious to choose the top 100 bowlers of the century and exclude Wendy Macpherson and Robin Romeo Mossontte.
Macpherson, with 10 titles and three Player of the Year awards in the 1990s is the Player of the Decade. During her 13-year career, she has recorded 16 titles and is the youngest bowler in history to have captured the Triple Crown, a feat achieved only by Sill (twice) and Adamek.
Mossontte has one of the most enviable records of any female bowler ever: 16 national titles, including two majors. She has recorded 17 300 games and four 800 series (she was the first woman to bowl two 800 series). She is a 15-time Southern California All-Star, a six-time Bowling Magazine All-American, a four-time Bowlers Journal International All-American, and the 1989 LPBT and Bowling Digest Bowler of the Year. Robin is a member of five Halls of Fame, including the WIBC and the Ladies Pro Bowlers Tour.
And, if all these glittering marks are not impressive enough, Robin Romeo Mossontte holds two records that may never be broken by men or women—77 consecutive finals and 80 consecutive cashes!
Wendy Macpherson's and Robin Romeo Mossontte's records unquestionably overshadow those of Shirley Garms, Carol Gianotti-Block, Sylvia Wene, Judy Soutar, and Donna Miller.
It is extremely difficult to comprehend how players can be placed so far down in one poll, yet be honored to All-Time All-American status.
To be omitted from any of the three All-American teams is reasonably forgivable. But to be completely disregarded among the century's top 100 players is unconscionable.
With due respect to the panel of voters who took the time and trouble to sift through records, there were many oversights and inconsistencies in the two polls.
The responsibility for these distortions can be traced to those who not only overlooked the conflictions but apparently failed to supply the panel with adequate information to make justifiable choices.
John Jowdy, a past president of the Bowling Writers Association of America, is a member of the PBA Hall of Fame.