Update on Track and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

Yesterday, I posted an entry to my blog that criticized Track for not renewing Walter Ray Williams Jr's contract with the company. I had just learned about it here, and I was angry that the most accomplished player in PBA history was, in my opinion, being treated so shabbily. I also posted some rather scathing comments to Track's Facebook wall.

I expected Track to delete my comments as soon as they discovered them. But, to their considerable credit, not only did they leave my comments up, but they even replied to them this morning. This is what they graciously wrote:

It is true that Walter is no longer on the Track staff. We will miss him as a part of our team. With out going into details, he was offered a Track contract but he declined and decided to move on. We respect his decision and wish him the best of luck. And congrats on a great win.

I still don't know all the details. I don't know what kind of deal Track offered Walter to re-sign with them. I can't imagine that Walter asked for more than he received last season, given his struggles last season, but I also can't blame him if he asked for the same amount that he received previously, given his remarkable lifetime accomplishments.

Like I said, I don't know all the details. But what I do know is that I should have waited until I at least gave Track a chance to respond to my inquiries before I criticized them on this blog. Had I waited until I received the reply I did this morning, it would have tempered what I had to say about them.

I still think that Walter Ray Williams is the Rodney Dangerfield of bowling. He don't get no respect. Or, at least, he's not accorded the respect he deserves for all that he's accomplished on the lanes and for, so far as I know, his exemplary conduct off the lanes.

I hope he continues to bowl well on the senior tour and comes out like gangbusters next fall and has another great season on the regular tour. And I hope that some ball company signs him after offering him what he truly deserves.

Click here to read an interesting story on Track's website that announced the signing of Walter Ray prior to last season. One thing that stood out in the story was that Walter's previous ball company, 900 Global, "did not offer to renew my contract at the end of the season." Now this, mind you, was after Walter Ray had just won Player of the Year for a record-setting seventh time on the regular PBA Tour. But, not knowing more about this, I won't make the same mistake I did yesterday and jump to conclusions about what happened here.