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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 12, 2004 Angelo in right place, right time PBA star is chasing his first title in a final four that includes his idols By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Brad Angelo has a deep respect for bowling’s history and the men who crafted it. Given the right circumstances today, he can alter its course or have a front-row seat as it unfolds. Regardless, he wouldn’t want to be any place other than Lava Lanes as he goes for his first Professional Bowlers Association championship in the Earl Anthony Medford Classic. To get it, Angelo, the tour’s best player without a title, will have to go through one, and possibly two, of his idols in Norm Duke and Walter Ray Williams Jr. The tournament is at 10 a.m. and will be televised live on ESPN. Advertisement Williams would equal Earl Anthony’s record of 41 career tour wins if he defeats Mike Wolfe in one semifinal and then downs either Angelo or Norm Duke in the championship game. "If I’m fortunate enough to beat Norm," says Angelo, "it would be an honor for me to have Walter Ray win his 41st title against me to tie Earl Anthony. And it would be an honor for me to win my first title going against Walter Ray." Angelo’s sense of the past stems from his early connection to the game. He recalls getting Hall of Famer Wayne Webb’s autograph at age 9 on the back of a flier at a pro-am in Buffalo, N.Y. He taped it near the light switch on his bedroom wall, where it stayed until he moved out. He took the note with him and carries it to this day. "It’s back in my hotel room now," he says. Imagine, then, Angelo — a 34-year-old who enjoyed a long and distinguished amateur career — debuting as a pro two years ago and going against Webb in his very first match. It was an emotional experience. After beating Webb in that tournament, he moved on to face Duke, the only time the two have gone head-to-head. Duke won, but Angelo didn’t mind so much. He remembers watching the PBA on TV as a youngster, setting up pins in the hallway and bowling alongside the pros. When Duke, at 18, became the youngest titlist in tour history in 1983, Angelo watched while his mother cooked spaghetti in the kitchen. Duke did it taking a deep inside line, says Angelo, and his mom would occasionally cheer "Duuuke!" "I remember it like it was yesterday," he says. Facing Duke on TV today, he says, takes him back to that time. "Norm is one of my idols, one I’ve looked up to since I was growing up," says Angelo. "He’s one of a kind out here, second to none." To prove his point, Angelo grabbed the tour media guide and flipped to the page with his biography. In it, Angelo calls Duke "the best example of pure class" and says he’s the player Angelo would most like to emulate. That’s one connection to the game’s past. The other is with Williams, whom he may or may not face today. This past summer, Angelo and his wife, Michelle, visited Williams and his wife, Paige, in Ocala, Fla. It was after the two men played golf and were sitting around at Williams’ home when it dawned on Angelo. "It’s like it hit me right between the eyes," he says. "I said, ‘I can’t believe I’m sitting in your home waiting for our wives so we can out to dinner together.’ It was just amazing." It could get more amazing today in a show that features two players, Williams and Duke, with 61 titles between them and two others in Angelo and Wolfe who are without championships but have plenty of talent to bust out here. Angelo and Duke meet in the first semifinal. Duke made the show last week in Denver, finishing tied for third after losing to Brian Voss in the semifinals. Facing a player who has yet to win means little, he says. "All three of those guys who came out of (the round of eight) are formidable opponents," he says. "If you find yourself wanting to bowl someone, you get caught up in that. My thing is just to answer the call of duty." Angelo was the PBA points leader last season but has come up empty in six championship-round forays. One of them was here last season, when Tommy Delutz began their game with nine straight strikes and won easily. Angelo has been asked often about his 0-fer streak. "I think I’ve answered that question each of the last four or five shows I’ve made," he said. "I don’t take offense at the question, but I can’t stop guys from throwing 240s against me. It just hasn’t worked out." If it does today, he will have another memory to cherish. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers