We are now halfway through the Fall 2006 season, so time is running out for those teams who want a shot at the championship to position themselves. The eighth week saw four teams climb in the standings, while three teams slipped. Angela Bradford landed this week's high game for the women with a 176, and women's high series was bagged by Freda Schroeder with a 447. As for the men, Tim Segraves snagged this week's high game with a 223, and high series was earned by David Codding with a 560. Read on for all the rest of the details!

First up, on lanes 15 & 16: Hez-Bowl-lah accepted a challenge by I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter. Although topped by Rich DeYoung with his 487 series, Hez-Bowl-lah accomplished only 1 win against Not Gutter. On the other side, John Boren shined in Not Gutter with his 488 (along with props to #1 Power-Ranked and Most Valuable Bowler Dennis Laube) as his team took the series with 3 wins. Hez-Bowl-lah drops 1 spot in the standings to 5th place, while Not Gutter moves 1 spot to 7th.

On lanes 17 & 18: Bowlkake2 kept stealing sips of beer from New Balls, Old Rack. Reinforced by Dennis Laube, Tim Segraves with their 509 series, with kudos to Most Valuable Bowler Dennis Laube, Bowlkake2 collected 3 wins against the Old Rack. On the adjacent lane, Ken M. Wilson laid down the law in the Old Rack with his below-average 489 despite his team notching only a single win. Bowlkake2 leaps 1 spot in the standings to 4th place, while the Old Rack remains in 1st.

On lanes 19 & 20: TBD couldn't stop inappropriately groping Split Happens. Despite being led by David Parre with his 459 series, TBD got swept by Split Happens. Meanwhile, Nick Allegri drew the spotlight in Split Happens with his 493 as they swept the competition. TBD plummets 2 spots in the standings to 9th place, while Split Happens move 1 spot to 2nd.

On lanes 21 & 22: Guttersluts shared a platter of cheese sticks with All Belts Are Off. With the Guttersluts forfeiting, all the Belt needed to do was roll within 40 pins of their combined team average each game. However, that would not be the case. In their battle to get within at least 40 pins of average, David Codding showed off in the Belt with his 560 despite his team notching only a single win. Guttersluts remains in 10th place, while the Belt sinks 1 spot to 3rd.

Finally, down on lanes 23 & 24: Manute Bowl spent a romantic evening with Frickin' Ten Pins. Starring Travis Kleiner with his above-average 415 series, Manute Bowl split the series with Frickin' Ten Pins. On the flipside, Carl Goetz commanded Frickin' Ten Pins with his 527 as they matched their opponent in wins. Manute Bowl remains in 6th place, while Frickin' Ten Pins move 1 spot to 8th.

Bowlers who lied to their significant other claiming bowling was running long then went out for after-bowling drinks at The 200 Club include: Carl Goetz (210), David Codding (210), and Tim Segraves (223)

In this week's Tournament of Champions brackets: Stefan Miller rolled his ass to the top of Division 1, while Dennis Laube mopped up Division 2. Nobody claimed victory in Division 3 (though David Parre came closest), and Travis Kleiner got the better of Division 4. And, finally, nobody claimed victory in the Interdivisional bracket, and in fact we aren't even going to talk about this bracket as it was a complete embarassment. In terms of overall points: Ken M. Wilson reigns over Division 1; Rich DeYoung calls the shots for Division 2; Scott Murdock runs the show in Division 3; and Travis Kleiner dominates Division 4.

NEXT WEEK:

• First, on lanes 15&16, 4th-place Bowlkake2 will match wits with 2nd-place Split Happens (hcp 54). Bowlkake2 is expected to maintain their current strength as they win the series; while Split Happens are forecast to hold steady as they avoid getting swept.
• Moving to lanes 17&18, 10th-place Guttersluts (hcp 148) will chuck some balls with 8th-place Frickin' Ten Pins. The Guttersluts might maintain their current strength as they get swept; while Frickin' Ten Pins ought to hold steady as they rack up a sweep.
• Then, over on lanes 19&20, 7th-place I Can't Believe It's Not Gutter (hcp 135) will spend some quality time with 3rd-place All Belts Are Off. Not Gutter will likely roll decently, yet still manage to lose the series but avoid getting swept; while the Belt will probably hold steady as they enjoy their victories.
• Next up, on lanes 21&22, 1st-place New Balls, Old Rack will roll against 6th-place Manute Bowl (hcp 108). The Old Rack might maintain their current strength as they sweep the series; while Manute Bowl ought to raise their average even as they endure a rough night.
• Finally, on lanes 23&24, 5th-place Hez-Bowl-lah will share a couple of pitchers with 9th-place TBD (hcp 45). Hez-Bowl-lah is predicted to perform well and sweep the series; while TBD is anticipated to raise their average even as they endure a rough night.

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dennis Laube Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Chris Lewis Runner Up: Travis Kleiner	#1 H2H BOWLER Chris Lewis Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "The faster I go, the harder it gets." Janelle Lamar, contemplating slowing down the pace a little.