Is PDW a "**ck"?

[Aslan]

I realize that being a celebrity...even if it is a relatively unknown celebrity for those outside of bowling...leads to some serious a wholish tendencies...but the more I watch PDW...the more I think he's really a douchebag.

Belmo is my least favorite because of the water bottle thing...but after watching PDW yell at the camera guy...then yell at a fan repeatedly...then recently I saw the clip where he blamed his bad shot on the "commercial break". I mean, wow...is it just me or is this guy kinda a bunghole?? Geez. Makes me respect guys like Parker Bohn III even more. I like guys that seem like they'd be down to Earth dudes...without mega-egos...maybe with a splash of sportsmanship and respect. I don't even like it when bowlers refuse to watch the other guy bowl...I get it...it's part of their routine...but in most leagues...people are congratulating not just their teammates...but the opponents as well for nice shots, etc... Then you watch the pros and it seems like almost a "hostile environment".

I can understand that sometimes something can mess with your shot...especially screwing around with a water bottle when your opponent is on their approach. But it just seems like PDW always has an "excuse" for every time he messes up...and it's always somebody else's fault.

[Perrin]

I am not a fan of his when he is bowling. very overbearing and 'prima-donna'

But I watched a video of a tourney where he was comenting and it was great seemed like a good guy in that format.

Personally I am not a fan of over the top celebrations (hip thrust chop move thing he does) during the game I understand it after the game.

Also not a fan of the times where guys yell/talk to their opponents. Some people are worse with this(PDW/Rash off the top of my head) but I was surprised to see Chris Barnes do it during the Viper championship over the weekend.

[e-tank]

I heard hes actually a very nice guy. I dont mind his antics and i find it refreshing considering how uptight bowling tends to be. Not to mention every time he does something controversial, its always in high pressure situations so wouldnt you get mad if something other than yourself screwed you up?

[sprocket]

Nah, he's a perfectly nice guy. He takes his bowling very seriously and does expect others to respect the pros and not carelessly cause distractions. And a lot of it is for show. I've seen him in person a few times and he always seemed like a decent guy off the lanes.

[Aslan]

I'd like to see pro bowling more like regular bowling where they're having beers and checking out women...maybe watching a football game on the monitors. I don't want it to be "uptight"...hey, do a touchdown dance after every strike if ya want. But man...some of these guys act like their NFL wide receivers or Alan Iverson or something. You're just bowlers!! Go bowl and have fun! And if the guy you are bowling against gets a brooklyn strike...congratulate him on his luck...don't sigh and hold your chin up and make some snide comment.

I mean...I'm still surprised Rash didn't punch Belmo over the water bottle nonsense. I'd have punched him. Or threw my ball at him. Or at least threw a water bottle at him or something. And even if I got fined or suspended....I'd be the first PBA bowler on national tv to punch an opposing player...instant fame!!

I don't know. I think the pros need to find away to add a little emotion and fun...without that emotion fun turning into "pre-madonna" BS. I mean, even if a fan is annoying you...he's a "fan". He actually paid money to sit in some crappy stands at a bowling alley just to watch two guys bowl. Maybe walk over and politely "ask" him if he could not move and explain why it bothers you and offer him an autographed photo as your appreciation. Is that so "crazy"? Doesn't that project better than stopping and staring and pointing and acting like a baby? I think so.

Now...if the fan is doing it on purpose...then he's in the same boat as Belmo. But you're telling me the camera person was intentionally flashing PDW to "mess with him"? Dude needs to chillax.

[circlecity]

PDW Rules!! Maybe they should all be like robots with no personality like Chris Barnes.

[J Anderson]

I realize that being a celebrity...even if it is a relatively unknown celebrity for those outside of bowling...leads to some serious a wholish tendencies...but the more I watch PDW...the more I think he's really a douchebag.

in most leagues...people are congratulating not just their teammates...but the opponents as well for nice shots, etc... Then you watch the pros and it seems like almost a "hostile environment".

I've heard some people say that Pete is a nice guy off the lanes, and I have a friend who met him at a tournament in 1998 who swears that Pete is a complete a**. I think however that his antics in competition are an act, much the way professional wrestlers take on a ring persona.

As for the professional environment it is hostile. It's a zero sum game where, if you don't make the stepladder, you probably didn't cover all your expenses. Back in the 70s, 80s, & 90s a pro could make a decent living if he cashed most weeks and made a few TV shows.

[SouthpawTRK]

I personally cannot answer that question about PDW; all I ever seen of PDW is on television. From what I can gather, PDW is an awesome bowler to say the least. He's emotional, vocal, brash, speaks his mind; basically he doesn't have much of a "filter" when he's bowling. Does he irritate some people? Does he seem confrontational to some? Does he rub some people the wrong way? He does what he does and I commend him for that; I may not agree with all of his actions and/or comments; but I can respect his bowling skills and the path he has chosen.

[dnhoffman]

No, he's competitive.

[Stormed1]

IPete's a good guy on and off the lanes. His antics on tv are just that ,antics. The PBA felt they needed a "bad boy" for ratings and picked PRYR to be it. As for the commercial breaks go see what happens to your rythm if you take a 10 minute break during practice if you're on a string of ftrikes. I'll tell you, IT SUCKS

[Aslan]

go see what happens to your rythm if you take a 10 minute break

Okay...that was a very confusing thing to say to a guy that throws a Hammer Rhythm.

Listen...the guys competitive...maybe it's a little for show...whatever. But people can't say, "well, he's competitive and a good bowler so I give him a pass" because where does that end? A QB that dabbles in dog fighting? A mayor that openly smokes crack cocaine? A pasteur that sleeps with male prostitutes? An actor that joins a cult? All those examples....people who are great at what they do...but in my eyes (and the eyes of many) tarnished by personality flaws.

Hey..not only am I critic! I'm a poster child! I'm intersting, smart, kind, and a comic genius!! But I have a personality that is really only tolerable in small doses.

I'm still in search of that "fav bowler" that I can really root for....here's the current short list:

- Love Earl Anthony...but he died...and before that he wrote a sort of psychotic book that made him really seem like the weirdest dude in the world. Not to mention, didn't he die because he got drunk and fell down the stairs? Ughhh...

- Walter Ray...probably my fav at this point...but he comes off as very smug...very smug. Not sure if it's a "Texas" thing.

- Norm Duke...again...I like him...but he also comes off very smug.

- Scott Norton...I just like that the guy had the balls (no pun intended) to come out as a professional bowler that is gay. I may not "roll that way" (pun intended)...but I do respect his courage...AND...he seems like a kinda genuine person...not too full of himself...so he's in the running.

- Chris Barnes...I like that he's kinda a dork. But man...he's gotta stop wearing solid color polyester pants....his clothing choices at the WSOB last weekend made me visually ill. And he's also started down the "dark side" of getting a little "mouthy" as of late...which was never his thing in the past.

- Mika Koivuniemi...he's from Michigan (my home state)...and he seems like a nice guy...but he's from the part of the state that is full of smug overly conservative ****s...so I'm torn on rooting for him.

- Parker Bohn III- From the very little I've seen of Parker...he seems like a very down to Earth cool guy...a charitable guy, a family guy...and I think he could be easy to root for.

Thats my short list for pro bowlers that I root for or hope to someday be a "fan" of...but I'm still evaluating.

[Mudpuppy]

don't ever say "home state" again - you have been banned from the mitten and any references to it

[Hampe]

I think however that his antics in competition are an act, much the way professional wrestlers take on a ring persona.
Yea, I always thought that was kind of a known thing about PDW. I think he's even said as much in an interview, where he talked about how he was a fan or wrestling (which is also where he gets his crotch chop).


As for the commercial breaks go see what happens to your rythm if you take a 10 minute break during practice if you're on a string of ftrikes. I'll tell you, IT SUCKSThis happened to me a few weeks ago during a league game.....I started with 8 in a row, and then the lane broke down and we had to wait 10 minutes. Totally killed my rhythm. I can imagine if there were millions of dollars on the line, I'd have been pretty pissed off about it.

[got_a_300]

I can say without a doubt that PDW is a very nice guy off of the lanes
but on the lanes he is all business because that is his lively hood and
his major income.

The reason I can say that about him is I know from experience from
bowling against him in regional PBA tournaments back in the 90's. I'd
beat him on the lanes then we'd go out for drinks and something to eat
afterwords and he would act like a perfect gentleman and congratulate
me on my beating him.

Yes what you see out of him on TV is just him putting on a show for the
fans he is what has brought the PBA back to life by being the bad boy as
the new owners of the PBA asked him to be like that to get people fired
up just like the wrestlers do.

[Aslan]

I try to give him credit that he's just "putting on a show". But I watched video of him bowling the the USBC Senior masters in 2013 and it was the same thing…him going off on some fan in the audience.

I think Belmo and PDW are lucky that the bowlers they go up against have a bit of self control. Because if Belmo was popping water bottles or PDW was going off on a fan with me bowling against them…I wouldn't just "let it go". I'd be willing to serve a 6-month suspension for throwing a water bottle at Belmo or telling PDW to "just bowl and leave the fans alone". I'd remind him that I don't remember Dick Weber ever going off on fans. And if a random fan in the audience can rattle him…imagine how much I (as his opponent) could rattle him by constantly referencing his cocaine use while bowling against each other.

And the PBA shouldn't have a problem with it. I mean, if the reason they encourage PDW being a **ck is for the ratings…then me punching dropping him in the 9th frame should garner me a bonus!! It's a slippery slope PBA…a slippery slope. One minute you're hoisting up bowling's bad boy, whiskey drinking, fan cursing, coke snorting, sunglass wearing star. The next minute you're fining someone for punching him. Slippery slope.

[got_a_300]

then me punching dropping him in the 9th frame should garner me a bonus!!

I'd be willing to pay big bucks just to get a chance to see that. LOL!!!!!

[Aslan]

I'd be willing to pay big bucks just to get a chance to see that. LOL!!!!!

It would be one of those times where immediately after doing something I'd think, "Aww crp….I probably shouldn't have done that." I'd feel better about it if it was Belmo because at least that would be a "fair fight". PDW is about 65% of my size and getting up there in the years.

And it would probably be more than a 6-month suspension. I know there was a PBA guy back in the 80s or 90s that got a 6-month suspension for an "altercation"…but it was with a guy at an alley in the pool table area over some "loan" that the guy hadn't repaid. I can't remember the name of the pro though. But if you can get 6 months for that…I gotta think slugging the new PBA's poster child (and HOFer) PDW would be more than that. It would make great TV though!!

[got_a_300]

Yeah it would probably end up as a lifetime suspension
from the PBA for doing that to the poster child. LOL!!!!

[GeoLes]

I thought so too the first time I saw him bowl. He was fussing at fans in the seats. Swaggering the lanes, Yelling "Who Do You Think You Are. I AM" ( I still don't understand what that means in plain English).

But he seems to have melowed lately to the point where I can appreciate the great skill he has on the lanes. I have seen him start to go off, take a look at his wife seated there, make a mild comment and sit down. Nothing like a wife to keep you in check. :) )

[YODA]

Nah, he's a perfectly nice guy. He takes his bowling very seriously and does expect others to respect the pros and not carelessly cause distractions. And a lot of it is for show. I've seen him in person a few times and he always seemed like a decent guy off the lanes.

Well you and my aunt and Grandma would disagree. PDW is a @**clown. My grandma and aunt met him at a bowling tournament, and said he came across as a arrogant p****, and basically told both of them to go "Blank Off"..... I personally cant stand PDW, and I know many people that say when they met him they got the same arrogant person that my grandma and aunt met.

[RobLV1]

I've had the opportunity to talk to Pete on a number of occasions. He's really a nice guy. Don't forget that the PBA is in great need of ratings and sponsorship. Please don't go by the "acting" you see on the part of the bowlers. They're just trying to make sure that their livlihood doesn't go away.

[Aslan]

I've had the opportunity to talk to Pete on a number of occasions. He's really a nice guy. Don't forget that the PBA is in great need of ratings and sponsorship. Please don't go by the "acting" you see on the part of the bowlers. They're just trying to make sure that their livlihood doesn't go away.

Thats a good point and one that has been mentioned a couple times. I guess it's hard to know for sure unless you actually meet him and spend some time with him.

I just think if the PBA wants energetic feisty guys….they should have bowlers get after EACH OTHER…not the fans. The fans should always be off limits since they're the reason you're there.

[mrbowling300]

PDW is one of the all time greats....it's hard to knock him.

[Aslan]

PDW is one of the all time greats....it's hard to knock him.

OJ Simpson is one of the all time greats. Mike Tyson. Alex Rodriguez.

Just saying. Being great at something doesn't give you an excuse to do whatever.

[YODA]

OJ Simpson is one of the all time greats. Mike Tyson. Alex Rodriguez.

Just saying. Being great at something doesn't give you an excuse to do whatever.

Got to agree with this.... and besides here, I have not heard many good things about PDW.

[J Anderson]

It's interesting that the three posts by people who have actually met Pete Weber say that he is a nice guy off the lanes. The negatives have all been either about his TV antics or secondhand stories about how he acted toward fans.

While he's still in my top three bowlers to root against, right behind Rash and Belmonte, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as to off camera life.

[Aslan]

While he's still in my top three bowlers to root against, right behind Rash and Belmonte,

Did we just become best friends!!?

YUP.

My point was...the arguement that PDW isn't a ***k BECAUSE he's one of the all-time greatest bowlers is illogical. You can be the all-time greatest anything and be a complete douche. Or you could even be the all-time biggest douche (like me) and be relatively great at virtually nothing. The two are unrelated.

[kakcpa]

In my opinion, PDW is one of the all time great bowlers. He has won on laquer, wood, synthetics, urethane, plastic, rubber, resin, etc. He has done it all, and at 51, still going strong. So, in the US Open, he was a bit onery, who cares.....he made one of the all time greatest shots in bowling history, on the toughest lane pattern of them all to get a strike when needed. Not many others could execute that shot under those conditions in that situation!


http://youtu.be/Kb3O3etsxVY

[Aslan]

Never said he wasn't "good". I think you're missing my point.

[kakcpa]

Pete is intense....he wants to win....if something is bothering him, he will let you know about it. So what? Do you think the same about Richard Sherman after his rant as well?

[circlecity]

Watching the video I would say Pete probably got a little carried away with the fan but I understand his frustration. I like bowlers who have some personality. Lets face it the majority of the PBA tour are all stiff. Heck that Sunday showdown between Rash and Belmo was just bowling. Peterson kept trying to talk up this feud but those guys didn't even talk or look at each other during the match.

[Aslan]

Pete is intense....he wants to win....if something is bothering him, he will let you know about it. So what? Do you think the same about Richard Sherman after his rant as well?

Great example. Yes. 100%.

You have to understand...as does Pete and as does Richard Sherman. As a pro athelete, you're setting an example for a lot of younger players. What YOU do, they feel is okay. So if you convey the message that winning is the only thing that matters...and you can cuss out fans and yell at them and throw temper tantrums...then you'll see youth bowlers start doing it. Because of the great PDW can do it, so can I. Not just so CAN I....so SHOULD I.

Ask refs who ref youth sports. As them how bad kids and parents have gotten. This attitude that PDW can do whatever he wants and Belmonte can try to distract other bowlers and it's all "okay" because they are at the highest level and are dedicated to winning is GARBAGE. They are at the highest level and are representing not only themselves...but the sport, their country, and their family. And I can cut Belmonte some slack since he's a youngster in a "strange land"...but PDW is representing his FATHER every time he walks out there. And while I'm sure Dick Weber would defend his son and praise him for the great bowler he's become...I don't think Dick Weber would appreciate the antics from a person that shares his name and legacy.

And do we even know if there was a fan that he was yelling at? Or a computer monitor issue? Or could it be a PBA stunt to garner attention? And if it is...then shame on the PBA. It's a very slippery slope. While the sport needs excitement and contoversy...there's always that risk that as you become less and less a bowing golf telecast...you become more and more like a WWE telecast.

Winning isn't the ONLY thing that matters. And these guys on the PBA are old enough to know that.