BOWLING: Williams beats Voss in battle of PBA stars November 11, 2002 BY MATT FIORITO FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER It doesn't get any better than this -- not in bowling, anyway. Sunday's title match of the Greater Detroit Open thrust the spotlight on two of the PBA's greatest current stars -- Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Brian Voss -- each with something to prove. Voss, who won in Memphis on Oct. 27, wants to be player of the year, as he was in 1988. A second title early in the season would give him a jump start, as well as his 23rd career title. Williams, also gunning for player-of-the-year honors, had a more immediate goal -- passing Mark Roth for sole possession of second place on the all-time title list. Two great champions, toe to toe. But it was Williams who threw the knockout punch, defeating Voss, 215-193, for his 35th PBA title. Surpassing Roth entered Williams' mind during the title match. "I did think about it once or twice during the match, and I was saying 'OK, don't do that. We're thinking about bowling now.' When I threw that one bad shot (a 6-7-10 split in the sixth frame), I wasn't thinking about bowling, I was thinking about something else. Fortunately, it went better after." It also went better than that beforehand. Williams came out with a four-bagger. Voss, still wired over the three-strike finish he needed to beat Mike Scroggins, 229-226, to reach the title match, started with two weak frames, a 6-10 leave in the first and a 1-2-8-10 leave in the second, both of which he spared. But after a strike in the third, he chopped the 10-pin off the 6-10 leave, giving Williams a 45-pin lead. Williams' split in the sixth gave Voss a bit of hope, but Williams sealed the deal with a strike in the 10th. Voss didn't hesitate when asked if he left a piece of himself on the lanes against Scroggins. "No doubt, no doubt," said Voss, who asked for a re-rack for his last shot against Scroggins to give his nerves a chance to settle. Even guest star Gordie Howe commented on the stress Voss faced in striking out against Scroggins. "It was rough," Howe said. "He got shot three times. Then when the other guy starts off with four strikes, it dampens your spirit." Voss, a wild-card entry, opened the telecast with a 213-196 victory over Lonnie Waliczek. Williams advanced to the title match with a 227-222 victory over Kip Roberts, who was making his first television appearance. Williams' 10th-frame shot against Voss wasn't totally stress free, but it didn't give him any trouble. He started raising his arms in triumph just as the ball hit the pins for a $40,000 strike. Williams now trails only the legendary Earl Anthony, who had 41 victories and 42 second-place finishes. But catching or surpassing Anthony isn't a particular goal for Williams. "I want to keep bowling as long as I can," said Williams, 43. "If I can bowl competitively a few more years and win one, two or three titles a year, it could happen. "But if it did, it would be like apples and oranges. They'd have to put an asterisk beside it. Earl won all his titles in 14 years. I've been out here for 20 years." Contact MATT FIORITO at 313-222-6721 or fiorito@freepress.com.