Under the wire: in the season's final hour, this consummate PBA veteran turned the hot streak of a lifetime into a win at the PBA World Championship

HEADING INTO THE PBA World Championship at Taylor Lanes outside Detroit this past March, Tom Baker had one goal: Do well enough to slip in as one of the tour's top 50 bowlers and qualify for the restructured 2004-05 exempt tour.

Baker always bowled well at Taylor, so he was confident. However, once "the bricks were off my shoulder" by winning his first two matches in the Super 16 round vs. Pete Weber to clinch an exemption. Baker figured maybe he could go all the way. And he did.

The easygoing righthander from Buffalo ousted his roommate and hometown friend, Brad Angelo, 277-243, in the opening TV semifinal, held in an arena setting at Eastern Michigan University's Convocation Center in Ypsilanti. Then Baker dispatched Mika Koivuniemi, 246-239, to take his first major among 10 titles. Not only did he earn a $120,000 check, but he also garnered what may have been a bigger prize: all exemption onto the tour for five years.

"This is a story I can't believe." Baker said in the media room after the season-ending triumph. "Before, I was on the outside looking in. This is a niche in my career, but by far the height of my career.

"A five year exemption--are you kidding me?" he added, still trying to understand the significance of his performance, which came before a crowd dominated by supporters of transplanted Finn Koivuniemi, who lives just three miles down the road in Ann Arbor.

Next season will be Baker's 29th on the circuit. He has career earnings of nearly $1.4 million and in 1999 was elected to the PBA Hall of Fame.

BOWLING DIGEST caught up with Baker on his cell phone while he was making the four-hour drive from Buffalo to Catskill. N.Y., for a regional last April. He readily talked about his World Championship victory and other aspects of his career.

BOWLING DIGEST: What kind of fan reaction have you experienced after winning the PBA World Championship?

TOM BAKER: The experience has been quite overwhelming. In Buffalo, every where I went people said they were watching the show and were happy for me. They said I did a great job, and just about everyone--friends and strangers alike--asked, "What are you going to do with all that money?" Everybody seemed to have watched the show. When they'd see me, they'd say, "Hey, there's Tom Baker, he just won that big tournament." Some people said I made them cry. They had worried for a few seconds after I left the 7-10--then the 10 fell. They were very nervous when I needed to make a 7-pin spare to win the title.

BD: Did you surprise yourself by winning?

TB: I always thought I could win. Every week thought I could win. But the way it was going this year, it was a surprise. I handled myself very well on TV. I handled the pressure very well and only had a few bad shots out there. I was in a zone: I had confidence and got it done.

BD: You didn't have any top 10 finishes up to that point for the season and nothing higher than 13th. How did you suddenly pull everything together?

TB: At the beginning of the week, my goal was to get exempt for the following year. I said, "Just give yourself a chance, day by day, get into qualifying, get your matches, and bowl good, too."

First I bowled with Joe Ciccone, who roomed with me two years ago. I didn't want to bowl him, and he didn't want to bowl me, either. He was rooting for me and said he was in a no-win situation. In the second game against him, I needed a strike to shut him out in the 10th frame. I didn't throw good and got a lucky strike. In the next game. I needed three strikes to win, and I threw three good balls and got strikes. So I bowled lucky and good.

The next game was against Shannon Buchan in the round of 16. I knew if I won I'd be exempt, but I was down 3-2. I said, "This is it Bakes, you've got to make something happen." I switched balls when we were tied at three games apiece. In the last match, I started with five strikes and bowled a 244 to win. I thought I was exempt--but I wasn't. Someone said I had to win two games against Pete Weber to be exempt.

My confidence was growing and growing, and then suddenly I was bowling against Pete [in the Super 16]. I got the first six strikes and was feeling pretty loose and comfortable and won that game. In the next game. I needed a double in 10th to win. I went up and got it--I was up 2-0 and knew I was exempt for next year. The bricks were off my shoulder. That's what I wanted to accomplish.

Then I still to myself, "Bakes, you might as well finish the job and go all the way." I lost the third game and then messed up the fourth--I needed eight on the final ball to win and got six. My ball was jerking too much, and I switched during that game. In the next game I was down seven pins going into the 9th and 10th frames and threw three beautiful shots [to win, 210-198]. I threw them when I needed to throw them, and against one of all-time greats, Pete Weber.

I bowled against Bryon Smith [in the Round of Eight]. I bowled a 255 the first game, and I swept him. He was struggling a little bit. That probably was one of my easiest matches; my confidence was growing.

In my first semifinal match, I need the same ball and pretty much the same line, bowling on TV against my roommate, Brad Angelo. I shot a 277 to win. I hadn't done anything too wrong over the last day and a half. In the championship match against Mika, I made an adjustment of about five boards. Mika struggled for a while and then got it back. In the 10th, he left a 10-pin on his second shot and I needed a mark. I just missed the fingers a little and almost left the 7-10, but then the 10 fell. I got the 7 and then a strike to win, 246-239.

BD: How worried were you about facing Koivuniemi, who had a lot of fans there because he lives three miles from the arena?

TB: I was trying to block everything out. It didn't matter who I was bowling. I was doing what I had to do. All I had to do was execute good shots; I wasn't watching him bowl. You gotta do what you gotta do. You just have to knock pins down and not look at anybody--just make a good shot....

BD: Where does the World Championship title rank among your achievements?

TB: It is by far the best. I can't put it into words, going from where I was early in the season to winning the World Championship. And to do it at this age is incredible. It just goes to show you, don't ever quit. Work hard. Work hard and good things will happen.

I was ranked 22nd the previous year, so coming into this year I was not worried about making the top 50. But then all season the lanes were breaking down differently. I was hitting the pocket but couldn't strike. I'd start out good and get to the last four games and couldn't strike. It was getting frustrating. Having a week off before World Championship definitely helped. I worked hard and kept making good shots and was always in the pocket.

BD: If you hadn't qualified for next season's tour, what would you have done?

TB: I was going to do the Tour Trials in June and bowl the regionals. I'm going to be 50 in September, so I could have just bowled Senior tournaments [beginning in 2005]. I kind of knew I'd still bowl regionals and the Senior tour and could still make living. The path I took that last week of the season was the best path of all. Life is funny.

BD: Will you bowl on the Senior tour even though you'll be on the regular PBA tour?

TB: Yes. It's what I do. I've been doing for 28 years. I love to bowl. If I didn't love to do it, I wouldn't be out there. It's a challenge to be this age and keep up with other guys. I'm physically in good shape--the wear and tear is not that bad for me yet. I'm looking forward to it. I'll have 20 weeks on the tour and 10 Senior tour stops, so that's 30 weeks a year.

BD: What was it like having to compete in the Final Four at the World Championship against Angelo?

TB: It couldn't have been a better scenario. It was my first time in an arena setting. I didn't realize how much crowd noise there was--and how quiet it can get. They're there just watching you. It's more intense, really intense. You can feel every shot. You know this is do or die--if you lose, you're done. It's more nervewracking.

I was kidding around with Brad during one of the commercial breaks when the band was playing. He said, "Do you want to get up and dance with these guys or what?" During the previous tournaments, he made four TV shows and I knew he'd make a lot more, so I said, "Brad, guess what time it is? It's showtime again. But it's me and you this time." We were pretty loose. Bowling with him made things easier for me because I was more loose.

BD: With your easy delivery style, how do you counter going up against the crankers who put so many revs on the ball?

TB: Sometimes it helps, and it's sometimes a detriment. It depends on the conditions for the week. When lanes get tougher, it's better for me. I'm a pretty accurate bowler and a good spare shooter. I repeat shots often. It's just a matter of carry for me. I always find a way to hit the pocket. The tougher the lanes are, the better for me.

BD: Did you ever experiment with a different type of game than you use now? If so, what was it, and what was the result?

TB: This year I had a little help from Rick Benoit from Brunswick. He said you can't bowl one way anymore. You have to have lot of ways to bowl because of the ways guys break lanes down. You need to change your ball, speed, and hand position because sometimes what you do best doesn't work.

That came into play in the World Championship against Weber. I changed my ball and hand release the last five frames of that game to win the match. It came down to what Rick told me. I owe lot to him for the help he's given me. Balls are just tools and I'm like a carpenter who's using those tools. I used eight for the week of the World Championship, but on TV I used only one. I was 5-0 with that ball, a Brunswick. I used 70% Brunswick because of Rick's loyalty, but I use whatever I think works: Ebonite, Track, whatever I need to do to win.

BD: You became a PBA Hall-of-Famer in 1999. How would you rank that and other bowling accomplishments over your 28 years on the tour?

TB: Anybody's goal is to be ranked one of best by your peers. Bowlers come and go, and here I am, still going at it. It's something to be very proud of, and peers always remember you for it.

BD: Were there any parallels, emotionally or tactically, between your semifinal in the World Championship and the times you reached the semis in the 1998 National Championship and the ABC Masters of 1981, 1982, and 1999?

TB: It seemed like last the few times [in majors] I beat myself. I got away from what was successful. That's why at the World Championship I tried not to beat myself and to keep making good shots. At the Masters, I definitely did beat myself.

BD: What is your opinion of the way the PBA tour now determines who is to compete each year?

TB: I love it now. I hated it before the World Championship. I was with [the new PBA owners] all the way. I didn't complain. Whatever direction they going, it was the right direction. I've been treated like a professional and I act like a professional. When you get treated like one, you act a lot better. In the old PBA, I didn't get treated like a professional. I didn't feel that important.

BD: When you won at Harrisburg in 1997, did you ever envision it would take 123 events to win again?

TB: I've had some long droughts. I thought it would be sooner. I went a little sour there for a while. Last year they said I had a great year for someone who was 48 years old, and that made me feel good. I've taken great strides from last year to this year.

BD: What kind of feedback have you gotten over your Geico team capturing the team title as a result of your season-ending triumph, and what did your teammates say?

TB: All year I was kind of riding their coat-tails. I was along for the ride. We were in third place near the end, and I said jokingly that I'd come through for them. And I did. I felt something good was going to happen that week, and it did. I can't explain that.

The week before at Indianapolis, I made the first cut and bowled pretty good. The last four games, it was the same thing. We needed a couple of good games, and then I left five solid 10-pins. It just killed me. I tried to change, missed the pocket, and got myself in trouble. But I knew I bowled well. I was bowling with Del Ballard Jr. He said a few nice words about how well I was bowling, and I got a little confidence that week. And then it was time for the PBA World Championship at Taylor Lanes. I've always bowled well there. I've been on five TV shows there, although I had never won.

BD: You converted 99.7% of your single-pin spares at the World Championship. How did you become so efficient, and has that been something at which you've always been successful?

TB: I've always been pretty good at that. I'm one of the better spare shooters out there. I can go months without missing a 10-pin. I have pride at making my spares, and now it's big part of my game. I see guys who strike a lot more and miss lot more spares. The real good guys do both, guys like Norm Duke and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

BD: You've always seemed even-tempered. Have you ever gotten to the point where your anger affected your play?

TB: Oh, I've been frustrated before, watching the other guys around me and all the strikes they're getting when my scores were way worse. I'd wonder what's going on there. Is it the ball, the line I'm playing, the speed? Something's wrong. I'd think that my timing was a little off and I wasn't generating enough kick on the back, or my leverage was a little off.

But I never get angry. My temperament is pretty mellow out there. When you've been around so long, you know some weeks you will do it and some you won't. You'll have bad games and you'll have good games--but you try to make sure you have mostly good games.

BD: What were the worst of times?

TB: The worst of times were when I was going to quit in 1996 because I was really frustrated with my game. I was getting no results. Fred Borden was working with Brunswick at the time, and I asked him for help. He took me aside and told me to do something really freaky, a thing with my hand. He told me to bowl with my hand on top of the ball. It felt really lousy. I bowled like that for four hours. I wanted to get out of a habit and to keep my thumb on the reside of the ball instead of the outside. All I did was practice that and won the next tournament, the A.C. Delco.

Before that, I was ready to quit because I didn't like what I was doing and figured it was time to try something else. And then I won that tournament. Whenever things get really bad, I bowl good. I don't know why. I had my back against the wall at the World Championship, and all of a sudden had one of my best performances ever. The A.C. Delco was one of my best ever, too.

I actually was going to be a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas--I went to school for two weeks. That was when the old PBA was folding up. There was no money out there. But when new PBA came I said, "I have to give this a shot." Dealing blackjack was tough work, standing all day. It was hard on my legs.

BD: Are there any questions over the years that you've never been asked, or other things you want to talk about?

TB: That is a good question. Life's pretty simple. I'm a free-spirited guy. I go to the gym and work out. I like horse racing. Those are my two hobbies. I used to own three horses in the early '80s. I'd go to the stables and feed them carrots and apples. I like to listen to live music. I take my friends and just listen to the music. And I eat out every day. I haven't cooked at my house in 10 years. I eat every meal out--except for cereal in the morning.

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