Brash, raunchy Weber is just what bowling needs

By Tom Clark, USA TODAY

He's excitable. He's talented.

Sometimes, he's raunchy.

He's completely off the leash, and he's leading a revolution of wildly expressive behavior by pro bowlers on the PBA Tour's ESPN finals.

He's P-D-W.

That's Pete Weber to the unitiated, and he's the greatest show in bowling. Or, depending on how you judge him, he's a giant black eye on a sport constantly searching for respect. Some despise his act, others crave it, but the bottom line is he's kicking butt and taking names. (He would use a more profane word than "butt".)

Winner of three tournaments on the "new" PBA Tour season, including this past Sunday's Columbia 300 Open in North Carolina, Weber has made good on his promise to show no mercy upon his return to the PBA after a year-long suspension for conduct unbecoming a professional. At 39 and already a Hall-of-Famer, he's dominating the Tour's new tournament format and raking in the increased prize money, winning $120,000 in his three wins alone.

The suspension that knocked him out of the year 2000 came under the previous PBA Tour regime. Today's "new" PBA Tour hasn't fined Weber for his behavior — they've reveled in the excitement and attention he's brought.

Weber bowling highlights have been on Sportscenter after all three of his wins this season (no other bowling highlights have made SportsCenter). He's been a guest on ESPN Radio with Dan Patrick. He's been on the ESPN sports talk show PTI with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.

He's introduced trash talk to bowling on TV. He trash talks his opponent. Trash talks the pins. And he's given raucus attention to the fans, whipping them into a frenzy in bowling centers across the country. Just check some of his highlights (or lowlights, depending your perspective):

— Yelling in upstart pro Michael Haugen's face after icing a title match in December: "There's no way he's gonna get his first (title) against me. No way!"

— To classy, Hall-of-Fame bowler Parker Bohn III before a TV match: "You are going down!"

— Screaming after several big strikes on all his TV appearances, all accompanied with fist pumps: "What do you think about that one?!"

— Psyching himself up after nailing down a win against Jason Couch on Sunday, but with a few more frames to go in the match: "Bury him."

— After winning his first title of the year, he addressed the home audience directly: "I am P-D-W! And I am back!"

Weber's on-lane girations and taunts are inspired by the World Wrestling Federation. His self-proclaimed, initials-inspired nickname "P-D-W" was adapted from pro wrestler Rob Van Dam: "R-V-D."

In Sunday's title match, when Weber thrillingly converted the 3-4-6-7-10 split in the 10th frame to ice victory against Roger Bowker, the PBA's excitable boy celebrated by making a V sign toward his crotch in perhaps his most vulgar display to date.

"I love pro wresting," Weber said Monday from his car phone en route to Latham, N.Y., for the next PBA Tour stop. "Things come to a stop for me when wrestling is on. If I have TNN tonight I'll be watching it. I get all pay-per-views. I like the entertainment part of it, and the words to give to each other back and forth, even though I know it's fake."

Fun? Pathetic? Weber leaves it up to you to decide — just as long as you watch.

He is well aware of his actions on the bowling lanes, and knows they are questioned by some fans.

"I'm just doing my job," Weber says. "When I get on TV, I give people what I think they want to see. I guess there are 5-to-10 percent of people who don't like it. Well, too bad."

Weber says everything he does is unplanned. It just comes out from the natural reaction he has to his game. And he says anyone concerned about young bowling fans being exposed to his sometimes boorish behavior needs a wake-up call.

"Your kid will see worse in life and on TV than what I do when I'm bowling," Weber says.

Raw behavior isn't new in sports on TV, even in sports like bowling that are better known for proper, restrained behavior.

Tiger Woods dropped a huge "F" bomb when he pulled a drive into the Pacific Ocean at golf's 2000 U.S. Open. Tiger, while a strong role model for kids, would need his mouth washed out with soap after just about every round of golf I've watched him play in person.

Tennis' Jennifer Capriati nailed the chair umpire with some language you'd expect out of a grizzled sailor during the Australian Open final last month.

Who can forget John McEnroe's tantrums or Jimmy Connors' verbal assaults?

The closest bowling had come to demonstrative behavior on TV was Hall of Famer Marshall Holman, who once kicked the foul light in disgust, breaking it back in the '80s. Fellow Hall of Famer Ernie Schlegel was never shy on TV either, going through all kinds of contortions to influence the pins and freak out his opponent.

In their day, the PBA Tour had strict behavior rules, prohibiting, or at least stifling, much individualism. However, the "new" PBA that took over last year, spearheaded by ex-Nike marketers, encouraged personality from its players.

But the first couple weeks of the new PBA in September, everyone seemed tight. The bowlers couldn't adjust to difficult lane conditions, they were nervous going for more money than prior years, and it made for bad TV. Then "PDW" came along. He changed the landscape with a wildly emotional performance in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he bowled 299 en route to the title.

"When I'm on TV, it's about entertainment. The new PBA has told me to be animated, and I was already animated to begin with," Weber says. "The new PBA likes me, likes my antics. They think that's what's going to sell the PBA."

Ever since Weber's attention-grabbing attitude hit the screen, bad language has littered the TV show just about every week. The players are miked for sound, and their reactions are real. They do not hold back showing their emotion in ways that would have been wildly spontaneous in the past.

Medford Open champion Rickey Ward, in not so many words, told the pins that they were the illegitimate children of furry rodents.

Fan message boards on pba.com have debated the behavior of the players on the show every week, with a decided split decision on whether it is good for the game or over-the-top classlessness.

Bowling needs a marketable, identifiable face to connect with fans and take the sport to another level. Weber can be that bowler because he's the most naturally gifted player alive. Has the best instincts. Is the most exciting. And already is the best known. (Dad Dick Weber is the greatest ambassador bowling ever had.)

But Pete Weber, who sidetracked his career over the years with bouts with alcohol abuse and lack of self-control, is not his father, who exudes class. He isn't Earl Anthony, the winningest player and coolest competitor ever.

"I'm just Pete being Pete," Weber says. The jury is out on whether he's good for the game.

Me, I just like watching Weber bowl. He's the best there ever was. Not the most accomplished. Not the most consistent. Not the most admirable. Simply the greatest package of talent and excitement and competitiveness the game has ever known.

I like that he and the rest of the bowlers on the show communicate how much they want to win. I like that it is real, and I like that they aren't afraid to celebrate. I also like spirited match play banter.

I could do without Weber's blatant unsportsmanlike behavior at times. I can certainly do without the ridiculous, profane "crotch chop."

Despite my distaste for those actions, who do I hope makes the telecast this Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (ET) for the optimum PBA Tour bowling experience on ESPN?

That's right, brother. It's P-D-W.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/bowling/clark/2002-02-12-clark.htm

Pete Weber's resurgence has PBA on edge

By Tom Clark, USA TODAY

What does Dick Weber, known for bringing class and respect to bowling for more than five decades, think of the man ushering in the next generation?

Does he mind that the latest face of the game, his game, is a TV-wrestler wannabe, a high school dropout on his third marriage who went through rehab four times and is just a year removed from a six-month suspension from the PBA Tour for conduct unbecoming a professional?

Actually, no. He couldn't be more proud — of his son.

Peter David Weber has given pro bowling a jolt of excitement — ratings for bowling finals are up 22% over the last year — and much-desired media attention with his unique skill, not to mention his eye-opening, WWF-inspired persona on the lanes. He goes by the moniker "PDW," bowls in sunglasses on the ESPN finals and taunts opponents — and pins — with wild emotion. Since October, he's undefeated on TV en route to winning three separate titles. He's already in the PBA Hall of Fame despite the burden of building a career in the shadow of his legendary father.

At 39, with a new lease on life under the Tour's new ownership, he's having a resurgence when he and his sport need it most. "He's so much different than I was," says his dad, who won 26 titles from 1959-77. "I love him for that. His character fits the Tour now. I wouldn't change Pete for anything."

This week in Toledo, Ohio, both Dick, 72, and Pete competed in the PBA World Championship, which boasts the largest first-place prize in pro bowling history at $120,000.

The power surge the younger Weber is giving bowling is his way of thanking the three former Microsoft executives who bought the financially hemorrhaging, nearly forgotten PBA Tour in 2000, for reviving the game and his career.

"We had been bowling with 25 or 30 fans in the audience" and only $15,000 for first place, says Weber, who tied and passed his dad in career titles this season, now fourth all-time (28). "Now it's, 'Hey, man, the bowlers are making money,' and the format is new and exciting. The new Tour has taken the understanding of the game to another level."

Weber is back on top of his world, but in a sport with beer frames and lounges, danger lurks just a few feet from the playing field — especially for someone with an alcohol problem.

"It's not an easy life on the road. There is a bar in the bowling center," says Bowlers Journal editor Jim Dressel, who has covered both Webers. "Sometimes that was a convenience Pete couldn't afford. If he's flirting with those gods, there's no telling when (they) could turn on him again."

Bowling was his way of life

Weber grew up in bowling heaven. Dick Weber, still the game's greatest ambassador, was the biggest name in pro bowling when it made its debut on ABC in 1962. He won the first two events broadcast, giving the young PBA a name and face to promote. He was unassuming off the lanes with a smile that landed him endorsement deals but fiercely competitive when the lights came on. With him as one of the recurring stars, the ABC show lasted as a Saturday staple for more than 30 years.

Splitting time between home with a dad who could bowl better than anyone and the family's "Dick Weber Lanes" in St. Louis, Weber started pushing a bowling ball down an alley at 2. At 4 he had a 6-pound ball his father made especially for him. By 8 he rolled his first 200 game: a 202. At 12 he bowled his first 300, and at 13 he began practicing seven days a week, 6-8 hours a day.

"If I had any questions, I would ask Dad," Weber says. "He was a great teacher. It was cool because he wouldn't come down and tell me things. He'd wait until I asked him."

Weber would practice different hand releases and strike using various angles to the pocket. His bowling idol was not his dad but revolutionary power player Mark Roth, inspiring Weber to hook the ball much more than his father's more traditional style. Weber was averaging 200 when other kids were lucky to bowl 150. His dad recalls how his son, a right-hander, would bowl with his left hand or throw the ball from between his legs to make it interesting. "He was too good," his dad says.

Weber, who would bowl and beat top men's players passing through town in money matches, made the jump to men's leagues at 15 and in his first game bowled a 300. "I knew what I wanted to do," he says. "I loved the sport. I loved winning, and I thought I could be the best at my game."

He knew he didn't like school and dropped out in the 10th grade, opting to work behind the pins at the bowling alley. The PBA then prohibited players from joining the Tour before they turned 18. But Weber's dad petitioned the PBA to allow high school graduates to join. Weber got his general equivalency diploma and joined at 17.

That perceived favor, and his rebellious personality, made life difficult for Weber on Tour. Not popular with the players, he was denied Player of the Year honors at least once when statistics said he should have been a lock. In 1987 he won the Tournament of Champions and led the Tour in earnings with $179,684, but Marshall Holman, who didn't win a title that year, was voted Player of the Year by his peers.

"I wasn't the clean-cut, all-American boy that Dick Weber's son is supposed to be," Weber says.

He still answers questions about his dad almost daily. He doesn't mind, and he doesn't consider passing his father in lifetime wins a way to prove himself. Weber had two older brothers, Rich and John, who were professional bowlers for a while, but they could never get out from their father's shadow.

"I'm never bothered one bit that people compare me to Dad," Weber says. "I don't have to be told who he is. Beating Dad's record to me isn't the thing. It's what we've done as a family. We've won 54 titles together."

Marketing the rebel

Despite his success, Weber was unfulfilled and nearly washed up before the new PBA ownership took over. He'd been through two divorces, and when technology changed the game in the mid-1990s, he lost his edge on the lanes and almost quit bowling. He abused alcohol and got in public arguments with fans and Tour officials, and his self-esteem was suffering as he wallowed in a stagnant PBA Tour environment. The Tour lost its network TV deal and prize funds were going down while the rest of the sports world was flourishing.

Weber wasn't even part of the Tour when it was bought in 2000. He was serving a six-month suspension after an encounter with an amateur during a pro-am event in Michigan in 1999. His boorish, alcohol-induced behavior was witnessed by many.

Weber, who always believed PBA management held him to a different standard because of his last name, said he had been provoked and disagreed with such a lengthy suspension: "I didn't hold a gun to anybody's head. I didn't choke anybody."

Then-PBA commissioner Mark Gerberich notes Weber was already on probation for a similar incident three years earlier and feels he handed down fair punishment.

"Peter has a drinking problem," Gerberich says. "I want to see as much of Pete on the lanes as I can, and as little of him off the lanes. Unfortunately, they go hand in hand."

Enter the "new" Tour. The "Microsoft guys," as they are known on Tour, and the former Nike marketing whizzes they hired to manage the PBA out of the gutter increased prize funds by 140% and improved media relations, most notably with broadcast partner ESPN. Promotions involving top players have been airing in heavy rotation on ESPN.

Weber has rejoiced in the new rewards. "Pete's been riding our coattails in a sense that we've given him a platform for his talent," says PBA President Steve Miller, formerly of Nike and once athletic director at Kansas State. "And we've been riding his coattails because he's delivered at precise moments. What Pete's given us is an introduction to the possibilities that exist."

People close to the game have always marveled at Weber's natural skills as a bowler, so the ability to come back and dominate as he has surprises no one.

"Pete's physical raw talent is the best I've ever seen. I never looked forward to bowling against Pete," says Randy Pedersen, a 12-time champion and now color commentator on ESPN. "You know he's going to bring it. When he gets to TV, it's an environment he thrives in. Some people get on TV and think to themselves, 'I hope I don't shoot 150.' He's different. He thrives."

Miller, a veteran coach of many sports but new to bowling, says Weber has shown him the true athleticism and precision necessary for success. "He has a series of skills that any athlete would want," Miller says.

And the new Tour wants to market it. Miller says the new PBA has been less judgmental, creating a more comfortable atmosphere for Weber.

"We've made him feel like a first-class citizen," Miller says. "Pete's current skill level and success rate has been done in a shadow of adversity, and he's adjusted. There is a certain degree of excitement because he is an edgy guy."

Weber, despite entering short-term rehab centers and programs, says he has not and will not stop drinking. He says it is something he enjoys, that he's learned from his mistakes and matured. He, his dad and other observers also credit Weber's wife of five years, Tracy, with keeping him from going overboard, despite the recent suspension.

"I'm happier now because of Tracy," Weber says. "I finally feel truly loved."

To show his appreciation earlier this month, he skipped the PBA Dallas Open to whisk her off on a Hawaiian vacation. His first week back, he won the Columbia 300 Tar Heel Open.

'PDW' to the rescue

The new Tour had a rough start in its first season, which began a week after the first tournament was canceled because of the events of Sept. 11. In a new arena setting with more money on the line provided by the new owners, nervous bowlers were rolling low scores. There were gutterballs, stone faces on the players and lifeless arenas. Even the national anthem got mangled before the first show. It was bad TV.

Those who were counting on the new PBA Tour to bring bowling back had to believe that maybe the Microsoft and Nike guys wouldn't be able to save pro bowling after all.

But then came "PDW." He qualified for the finals the fourth week of the season at the PBA Great Lakes Classic in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Before the TV show, PBA Commissioner Ian Hamilton called Weber aside and urged him to be an entertainer. To be himself and enjoy the moment. The PBA needed some spark, needed some fire. Weber, never shy on TV in his career, thought, "Do you know who you are talking to?"

He proceeded to put on one of the most memorable performances in bowling history. Screaming at the crowd to get excited and at the pins to go down, "PDW" trash-talked his opponents, flexed the muscles on his wiry 5-7, 140-pound frame and rolled strike after strike. After bowling a stirring 299, falling to the ground after finishing just one pin shy of perfection, Weber won the $40,000 first prize and tied his father with 26 lifetime victories.

"The reactions just came," Weber says. "It was just something that happened on the lanes."

The new PBA Tour had life.

His dad, bowling in another town that night, had been racing to and from his tournament game and the TV, watching his son's incredible performance. After the title match, the elder Weber got on the phone and congratulated his son on national TV — and couldn't have been more proud