I think they just were that bad and we are spoiled by modern optical mice. I recently dug up an old ball mouse I forgot I had and had a similar experience. That was the first time for at least 15 Years I used a ball mouse and I do not miss that aspect of retro gaming in the slightest.

I have that exact same serial mouse and use it with my 386 test bed. I have never experienced the issue you report. Did you try using a mouse pad? I always use a mouse pad with track ball mice. If I don't use the mouse pad, or if there is debris on the inside rollers, symptoms similar to what you describe will occur.

I should note that I still use the PS/2 version of this trackball mouse on my everyday system. I've been using it since 1998 and don't really care for other mice.