The ever-volatile Week #2 of any season is historically fraught with disasters. Many people who shot lights out in the the first week of this session are brought back down to reality while others who struggled or held back find themselves on the opposite side of the equation. This season's second week was no exception. In the end, two teams have started out with a near perfect 7-1 win record while the remainder of the league is batting .500 or less. In the lead off match of the evening, Bobby Belt and The Facebook Friends looked to bounce back after their poor start last week. Making his first appearance on his new team this season, Bill Krejci lit up the lanes with a 563 series to lead The Belt to a 3-1 victory over opponents Split It and Hit It. Despite a great start to take Game #1, Dennis Blake's team-leading 482 series was just not enough to earn Split It more than their lone victory. With the wins, The Belt moves up two spots to 3rd while Split It and Hit It fall one place down to 8th place.On lanes 43 & 44, the Turkey Hunters' very own Freda Schroeder bowled over her 136 average all three games to earn not only Most Valuable Bowler honors but also came out as this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler in their matchup against the mighty Pocket Pounders. Dennis "Pops" Laube led the team once again, this week with a 524 series, as the team booked their first sweep of the season. The Pounders' anchor Ryan Doll shot a 567 series to lead his team in the losing effort. The Turkey Hunters gobble up two spots to find themselves in 2nd while the Pocket Pounders slide one spot down into 4th place.The third battle of the evening played out like a true roller coaster ride. Ballz Out, led by Cliff Barendsen and his 349 series, struck first to take Game #1 from opponents Sexual Chocolate. Anchor Jason Carpio rallied his Chocolate troops with his 550 series for a Game #2 victory to even the score. Game #3 came down to the 10th frame with Ballz Out taking it only to drop total pins to Sexual Chocolate, unable to overcome the margin of victory in Game #2 and splitting the series 2-2. The wins keep Sexual Chocolate in 6th while Ballz Out use their new notches to ascend one spot into 7th place.The last pair of lanes in the bowling alley witnessed a showdown between two powerhouse teams that did not play out like the predictions called for at all – FTOP absolutely demolished the Mayan Apocalypse in a 4-0 sweep. With David Codding's 625 series leading the way (including a season-leading 258 game in Game #1), FTOP taking each game by nearly a 100-pin margin. The Apocalypse's anchor Carl Goetz, despite an off night, led his team with a 511 series. The four victories keep FTOP atop the league standings in first place while the four losses force the Mayans to evacuate three spots, landing in 5th place.Bowlers anxiously awaiting Octoberfest beer showing up in The 200 Club this week include: Carl Goetz (213), David Codding (258), Jason Carpio (215), John Boren (205), Pat Searcy (201), and Ryan Doll (216). For those of you that bowled last season, you'll remember the Tournament of Champions. With 32 bowlers in this session, everyone will qualify into one of the four divisions to do battle with everyone else throughout the season. Initial seedings are currently up but, of course, nothing is set in stone until averages have been calculated following Week #3. If you would like to participate monetarily in the Tournament, just slip an additional $2 into the prize fund envelope next week and write your initials in the "TOC" column next to your name. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Freda Schroeder Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Freda Schroeder Runner Up: David Codding	#1 H2H BOWLER Ken M. Wilson Runner Up: Freda Schroeder
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "At least he didn't get it in Ken's hair this time." Jason Carpio, after witnessing the floor becoming all wet (from a spilled beer) and overhead AJ ask if Scoot had become all excited.

The Fall 2012 season of GutterAlley kicked off Tuesday night – our 26th season! – with a full roster of 32 bowlers slated to do battle over the course of seventeen weeks in the quest to pull down the championship title. With this session made up of a lot of the seemingly eternal staples, several bowlers from seasons past made their return into the fold including: Andy McLeod (last seen Fall '06), Steve Kiernan (Fall '07), Cory Chorpenning (Spring '09), Pat Searcy (Fall '09), John Boren (Fall '09), and David Codding (Fall '10). Rounding out the league this time around are six new GutterAlley recruits making their debuts Tuesday night. A special welcome goes out to new bowlers Shane Daniel, Cliff Barendsen, Matt Bunyard, Mark DeVoe, Michael Smith, and Kent Schoonover. Let's get down to the nuts and bolts of Week 1, shall we?Reassembling the core of their Fall '09 team that went on to become the best team in league history, FTOP came out firing on almost all cylinders in their initial matchup against opponents Ballz Out. Led by anchor Ken M. Wilson and his 579 series, F nearly came away with a clean sweep but fell shy in Game #3 by nine pins...also due to anchor Ken M. Wilson. Ballz was led by rookie Cliff Barendsen, who ended his night with a 367 series. The 3-1 victory in favor of FTOP puts them into first while Ballz Out begins their run in 8th place.One pair of lanes down saw a union that has been a long time coming. For the first time in history, powerhouse bowlers and league legends Carl Goetz and Pat Searcy have joined up on the same team as the Mayan Apocalypse bringing doom to opponents Sexual Chocolate. With an impressive initial week, led by Searcy – this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – and a stunning 184 average out of lead off bowler Scott Murdock (compliments of his 554 series, an all-time personal best for Scoot), the team notched a 3-1 matchup victory en route to a 2nd place start. Sexual Chocolate, led by anchor Jason Carpio and his 512 series, use their one win and total pins to grab 6th place.Back-to-back league champions Turkey Hunters faced awesomely named Bobby Belt and The Facebook Friends as they begin their quest for a third consecutive title. Amidst allegations of team-wide sandbagging, only Dennis "Pops" Laube didn't hold back to set a 179 average. Aubrey Moren's 541 series led the team as the Hunters kick off their season with a 3-1 win over The Belt. After promises of Ian Goetz subbing were dashed at the last minute, lead off bowler Jonathan Vigliaturo led Bobby Belt with a 494 series. With their respective notches in the win column, the Turkeys find themselves in 4th with Bobby Belt right behind them in 5th place.Down on Lanes 47 & 48, cool team shirt owners Split It and Hit It came out like gang busters to win Game #1 behind anchor Dennis Blake and his 485 series. After that, though, the Pocket Pounders found their stride and brought the pain. Led by Steve Kiernan and his 548 series, the Pounders reversed their fortunes to take the night 3-1 and start off in 3rd place. The single victory for Split It has the team making its league debut in 7th place.For those of you that bowled last season, you'll remember the Tournament of Champions. With 32 bowlers in this session, everyone will qualify into one of the four divisions to do battle with everyone else throughout the season. Initial seedings are currently up but, of course, nothing is set in stone until averages have been calculated following Week #3. If you would like to participate monetarily in the Tournament, just slip an additional $2 into the prize fund envelope next week and write your initials in the "TOC" column next to your name. The predictions for next week's matchups definitely look interesting. Bobby Belt is slated to sweep Split It and Hit It. The Turkey Hunters and Pocket Pounders are predicted to notch the first tie of the season, ending the night with the Pounders coming away with a 2.5-1.5 overall victory. Sexual Chocolate is apparently going to lay waste to Ballz Out in a 4-0 blowout while the Mayan Apocalypse is going to bring about the demise of FTOP 3-1. Will any of this come true? We'll just have to wait until next week to find out!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB No one Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Pat Searcy Runner Up: Ken Wilson	#1 H2H BOWLER Pat Searcy Runner Up: David Codding
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Thirty-two people on the league and 28 are men, three are women, and then Scoot? This season is a sausagefest." Ryan Doll, after taking inventory.

As summer winds down, the month of August has historically marked the return of the fall session of the VML Bowling League...and this one is no exception. Tuesday, August 28th will see the beginning of the 26th season. This season will feature five new recruits making their debut this season! A special welcome to rookies Shane Daniel, Cliff Barendsen, Matt Bunyard, Mark DeVoe, and Michael Smith. Several past bowlers who haven't been seen on the lanes in several years are also coming back into the fold for this go around, including: Andy McLeod (last seen Fall '06), Steve Kiernan (Fall '07), Cory Chorpenning (Spring '09), Pat Searcy (Fall '09), John Boren (Fall '09), and David Codding (Fall '10). Welcome back, gentlemen!START DATE: Tuesday, August 28th at 6:20PM (league bowling starts at 6:30 after ten minutes of practice)LOCATION: NKC Pro Bowl, 505 East 18th Avenue, North Kansas City, MO 64116. Anyone that has been in the league pretty much knows everything else that's about to be told but, just in case you are bored and/or need a refresher, here's the GutterAlley 101 so that you know what to expect in our league: Read the rest of this entry »

That's right, kiddies...it's almost time for the next session of the VML Bowling League to get underway.Here's the inside skinny:Starts: August 28th at 6:30pm (practice starting at 6:20)Ends: December 18th (total of 17 weeks)Cost: $14 per week, does NOT include the cost of rental shoes (full-time VMLers will tentatively pay only $8/week)Location: NKC Pro-BowlFor the full list, hit up http://www.gutteralley.com/recruitment/.See you next week!

The Spring 2012 season came to an official conclusion on Tuesday night, complete with prize disbursement and the announcement of the various season-ending awards.This season proved to be a big one for returning bowlers shooting their all time personal bests (obviously rookies had their highest games, series, and average ever in the league this season so we left them off):Highest game?AJ Hofmann, Aubrey Moren, Bob Brunker, Eric Lynch, Freda Schroeder, Scott Murdock, Seth Gunderson, and Teresa DeterdingHighest series?AJ Hofmann, Aubrey Moren, Bill Krejci, Carl Goetz, Ian Goetz, Jake Parrott, Jason Garcia, Jonathan Vigliaturo, Rob Kaszuba, Russell Madsen, Sabrina Gray, Teresa DeterdingHighest season-ending average?AJ Hofmann, Aubrey Moren, Bill Riley, Carl Goetz, Jake Parrott, Jason Garcia, Jonathan Vigliaturo, Kelly Anderson, Mike Berlin, Ryan Doll, Sabrina Gray, Teresa DeterdingFive bowlers also put up scores that put them into the all-time records in league history:Carl Goetz moved up to the #2 spot on the Men's High Series Scratch record with his 735 and ties Cory Chorpenning for the 3rd spot on Men's High Average with his 208. Ryan Doll is tied now with John Boren for 5th in that same category with his 202 average.Anita Osthoff took over 5th place on the Women's High Series Scratch with her 518 as well as finds herself tied with Jennifer Seefeldt for 3rd place for Women's High Average for her 159.Freda Schroeder threw the #2 highest Women's High Game Scratch with her 234. That same game earned her the #3 spot on Women's High Game Handicap (262).Seth Gunderson joined Carl Goetz, Jason Carpio, and Rich Foster at the 5th spot in the Men's High Game Handicap category with a 291.The biggest individual achievements for the season came out as follows:Women's High Series Scratch: Angela Bradford - 563Women's High Game Scratch: Freda Schroeder - 234Women's High Series Handicap: Teresa Deterding - 663Women's High Game Handicap: Sarah West - 248Women's Pins Over Average: Freda Schroeder - +70Women's Most Improved Bowler: Teresa Deterding and Freda Schroeder - +7Men's High Series Scratch: Carl Goetz - 735Men's High Game Scratch: Ian Goetz - 266Men's High Series Handicap: Jonathan Vigliaturo - 746Men's High Game Handicap: Seth Gunderson - 291Men's Pins Over Average: Seth Gunderson - +99Men's Most Improved Bowler: Aubrey Moren +24The results of the Season Favorites were announced at the Tuesday night meeting:Rookie of the Season - Anita Osthoff (Dennis Blake, runner-up)Captain of the Season - Ryan Doll (Seth Gunderson, runner-up)Carl Goetz Defensive Bowler of the Season - Carl Goetz (Ryan Doll, runner-up)Underdog of the Season - Teresa Deterding (Kelly Anderson, runner-up)Bob Brunker Good Sportsmanship Award - Rob Kaszuba (Bob Brunker, runner-up)Emily Podhajsky Good Sportsmanship Award - Anita Osthoff (Kelly Anderson, runner-up)People's Choice: Most Valuable Bowler - Ryan Doll (Carl Goetz, runner-up)Actual individual team MVBs:ACE²S = Eric LynchBallsagna = Russell MadsenBowled to Death = Ryan HousknechtBrown Belt Jones = Jonathan VigliaturoSplits or Swallows? = AJ HofmannStrange Bedfellows = Carl GoetzThe Turkey Hunters = Dennis "Pops" LaubeX-Men = Ryan DollActual: Most Valuable Bowler - Ryan Doll (Carl Goetz, runner-up)Cumulative #1 Power Ranked Bowler: Ryan Doll (Ian Goetz, runner-up)The Tournament of Champions was won by Ian Goetz in a down to the wire finish against runner-up Russell Madsen. As this season's champ, Ian received an additional $50 in his prize envelope. Russell received $30 for second place. We look forward to continuing the Tournament of Champions from here on out.Prize money was handed out for the teams based upon wins:1. The Turkey Hunters (51-13)2. Strange Bedfellows (41.5-22.5)3. Brown Belt Jones (39-25)4. X-Men (36-28)5. Splits or Swallows? (31-33)6. Ballsagna (20.5-43.5)7. ACE²S (19-45)8. Bowled to Death (18-46)And lastly, Bob Brunker was officially inducted into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame after being selected over Dennis "Pops, Laube, Janelle "Nellie" (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson by the voters of the bowling community.Congratulations to all of the winners this season!

The 25th season of GutterAlley bowling wrapped up Tuesday night and while there wasn't much drama in the realm of who would walk away with the title – as The Turkey Hunters had wrapped that up in Week #13 – it seems that the hot topic was the newly created Tournament of Champions, which will be refined over the summer to provide more of a variety in the realm of who you will face each week. Couple that with some impressive performances by various people around the league and you have what you call a nice ending to the season. NOTE: Voting for the Season Favorites is now closed. Thank you to everyone that voted.With first place already locked up, what did The Turkey Hunters have to lose? Three out of four games, actually, thanks to Carl Goetz of Strange Bedfellows. Rolling a league leading 657 series – which pushes him to 2nd place on the all time greatest bowlers in league history list with his season-ending 208 average – to propel his team to a 41.5-22.5 record and 2nd place. The Turkey Hunters, led by Freda Schroeder and her 557 series (including her new all-time personal best game of 234!), ended the season with an incredible record of 51-13. Did we mention that Game #3 was settled by a single pin? Thank you, Carl.With two of the most powerful teams in the league facing off against one another – X-Men and Brown Belt Jones – you'd expect this to be a grudge match fought with epic scores, right? Unfortunately, this wasn't what people were treated to down on Lanes 21 & 22. Ending with a 3-1 matchup victory, in which all three games were charity wins, the X-Men found just enough fire power from anchor Ryan Doll (who shot a 532 series) to win the battle of attrition. Ian Goetz, who we will talk about more here in a little bit when the Tournament of Champions is addressed, led The Belt with a 595 series in what may be his final appearance in a GutterAlley bowling league. Brown Belt Jones ends the season with a 39-25 record and a 3rd place finish while the X-Men end theirs with a 36-28 record and 4th place. Perhaps someone should tell Splits or Swallows' AJ Hofmann that he is allowed to bowl like this every week of the season and not just in the Finals. Putting his team on his back against opponents Bowled to Death, Hofmann put on the performance of his career en route to his team's second sweep of the season. Earning both #1 Power Ranked bowler as well as Most Valuable Bowler honors, Hofmann ended the night with his personal best series (a 533, including his first 200+ game) and finished the season with a 31-33 record for 5th place. Doing his best to stave off the onslaught, Matt Bell of Bowled booked a 429 series but it wasn't enough to derail the Splitters. Dropping all four games gave Bowled to Death a one-way ticket to 8th place, ending their season with a record of 18-46.In what has traditionally been "The Battle for Last Place" ended up being anything but as neither team ended up in the cellar after all was said and done. Needing wins, Ballsagna looked to anchor Russell Madsen to deliver and he did. Bowling a team leading 480 series, Madsen pushed his team to a much needed 3-1 matchup victory over short-handed opponents ACE²S. Without anchor Eric Lynch there, the team got the most fire power from teammate Alexandra Avila and her 374 series – her new personal best. Despite the over-achieving performance from Avila, the ACE²S could only muster a single win in Game #2. Ballsagna moved up two spots to 6th place with their 20.5-43.5 record while their opponents finished with a 19-45 record, ending in 7th place.Bowlers wondering who the hell let the child into The 200 Club this week but later realizing it was AJ Hofmann (200) were: Aubrey Moren (208, 203), Carl Goetz (219, 215, 223), Freda Schroeder (234), Ian Goetz (205), and Phil Schroeder (202).The first officially run Tournament of Champions came to a close as well, with quite a finish. Game #1 represented the quarterfinals of the Tournament, with #1 seed Ian Goetz easily defeating #8 seed Chris Klee. #4 seed Dennis "Pops" Laube beat #5 seed Jonathan Vigliaturo by 7 pins to advance. The #6 seed, Rob Kaszuba, heroically upset #3 Aubrey Moren to head into the semifinals while #7 seed Russell Madsen emphatically crushed #2 Bill Krejci. Game #2 represented the semifinals and both matches were complete blowouts. Ian destroyed Pops in their face-off while Russell Madsen made easy work of Kaszuba to advance to the championship game. Ian, with his 199 in Game #3, was declared the winner of this season's Tournament of Champions over Russell by a mere 16 pins. Goetz becomes the very first bowler from Division #1 to win the whole thing. Congratulations, Ian! As a side not, Ken and Scoot both placed $50 bets before the season began as to who would win the entire thing. Surprisingly, both of their picks ended up in the final round of the Tournament. Unsurprisingly, Scoot lost the bet to Ken. Thanks again, Ian! Other people that will be receiving extra money in their prize envelope next week at our traditional end of the season Fun Night for their individual accomplishments on the lanes this season will be:Angela Bradford - High Series Scratch, Female : 563 ($20)Carl Goetz - High Series Scratch, Male : 735 ($20)Freda Schroeder - High Game Scratch, Female : 234 ($20)Ian Goetz - High Game Scratch, Male : 266 ($20)Teresa Deterding - High Series Handicap, Female : 663 ($10) Jonathan Vigliaturo - High Series Handicap, Male : 746 ($10)Sarah West - High Game Handicap, Female : 248 ($10)Seth Gunderson - High Game Handicap, Male : 291 ($10)We'll also announce the winners of the Season Favorites, reveal the name of the actual Most Valuable Bowler, and announce this season's inductee into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB AJ Hofmann Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER AJ Hofmann Runner Up: Carl Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER AJ Hofmann Runner Up: Ian Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Drown 'em." Carl Goetz, after Freda asked what people should do with their 5th teammate once we return to 4-man teams next season.

Over the course of our league's twenty-five seasons, many teams have managed to accumulate 40+ wins with the majority going on to win the championship. Only two times has a team managed to crest the 50+ win mark – the Fall 2009 champions Sweep the Leg, Johnny ended with a 55-9 record and the infamous Blue Ballers from the Fall 2000 season with an unconfirmed 53-11 record (unconfirmed, as this was before official record keeping). Week #15 saw this season's crown winners, The Turkey Hunters, joining that group as they reached the big 5-0. Beginning their matchup against a no-show ACE²S – and hoping to finish before another team for the first time all season – the Turkey Hunters had to merely beat themselves for two easy wins in Games #1 and #2. In Game #3, however, the ACE²S were able to form a legal lineup but couldn't slow down the Hunters, who completed their sweep with the help of anchor Aubrey Moren's 605 series and this week's Most Valuable Bowler, Freda Schroeder. Eric Lynch led the ACE²S with a 453 series in the losing effort, slipping one spot down into 7th place. The Hunters' record improves to 50-10.Pickles and pushups and power ranks, oh my! The matchup between Brown Belt Jones and Splits or Swallows started out with a bang. With Teresa Deterding putting on this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler performance with her team-leading 506 series, the Splits took Game #1 in a 10th frame showdown. The Belts' Ian Goetz, however, reversed his team's fortunes by shooting a 600 series on the dot to bring them team back to take a 3-1 matchup victory. Neither team move in the standings, however, with Brown Belt Jones staying in 3rd and Splits or Swallows remaining in 5th place.In what should have been a clash of the titans ended up being more of just a crash with both teams. In a pivotal matchup in the "race for 2nd place," Ryan Doll of the X-Men came out firing with a 253 game (ending with a team-leading 635 series) to easily take Game #1. That's when the cagey veterans of Strange Bedfellows woke up and took care of business. With Carl Goetz hoisting a 255 – and a 601 series to boot – the Bedfellows managed to scrape out a 3-1 matchup victory to keep them seated in 2nd. The X-Men remain in 4th place.Down on Lanes 25 & 26, the pins were flying. With Bowled to Death's Matt Bell rolling his first 200+ game (a 202!), Games #1 and #2 went in their favor. Game #3, however, saw a change in temperature as rigor mortis set in for Bowled while Ballsagna caught fire. With the Balls' Russell Madsen hoisting a 464 series, he not only provided the necessary pins to take the last game but managed to secure total pins by the slimmest of margins to split the series at 2-2. Bowled moved up one notch in the standings into 6th while Ballsagna remains in 8th place.Bowlers laughing at the Royals' 12th consecutive loss while throwing back drinks in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (227, 226), Bob Brunker (221), Carl Goetz (255), Dennis "Pops" Laube (206), Ian Goetz (241), Matt Bell (202), Ryan Doll (253, 200), and Seth Gunderson (205).After battling it out all season long, the battle for all the marbles that will crown this season's winner of Tournament of Champions will take place next week. The breakdown of those that will be competing in Round #1 are as follows:#1 - Ian Goetz vs. #8 - Chris Klee#2 - Bill Krejci vs. #7 - Russell Madsen#3 - Aubrey Moren vs. #6 - Rob Kaszuba#4 - Dennis Laube vs. #5 - Jonathan Vigliaturo Good luck to those participants still in the hunt to be this season's winner.Voting for the Hall of Fame nominees is now closed. Thank you to everyone that voted. The winner will be announced during the Fun Night on May 8th.The Finals take place next week and the lineup it's the same format as the position round:1st place vs. 2nd place 3rd place vs. 4th place5th place vs. 6th place7th place vs. 8th placeSee you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Freda Schroeder Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Teresa Deterding Runner Up: Ian Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Teresa Deterding Runner Up: Angela Bradford
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Dammit, AB! The second I got it out, I couldn't get it in time." Ken, to Angela Bradford while trying to take a picture with his cell phone of Matt Bell's oddly place belt.

With only a handful of weeks until the Finals take place, it's being touted as "the battle for second place." And while we can't give the official update just yet due to the results of one contender's matchup delayed until some post-bowling takes place, it's safe to say that one team truly took the necessary steps to put themselves ahead of the pack while another team continues to get big output – and big wins – out of a relatively quiet member as the season wraps up.The matchup between opponents Strange Bedfellows and Bowled to Death cannot be reported yet as Bowled needs to post-bowl. We will report the outcome as soon as all the scores are in.Last week, the X-Men's Rob Kaszuba threw the best series he's ever thrown and was named the Most Valuable Bowler. Did he rest on his laurels? Not at all. Combining with anchor Ryan Doll's team-leading 590 series, Kaszuba brought the right amount of counterattack to push his team into another four wins this week...this time at the expense of opponents Ballsagna. The Balls, led by anchor Russell Madsen, failed to make a dent into the surging X-Men despite his 456 series. While Ballsagna remains in 8th, the X-Men tentatively look like they may advance to 3rd place. On pace to being only the second team in recorded league history to reach 50 wins, season champions Turkey Hunters ran into an unlikely combination Tuesday night – themselves and Brown Belt Jones. After dropping Game #1, compliments of The Belts' Bill Krejci and his team leading 593 series, the Turkeys struck back to take Game #2 thanks to Aubrey Moren's 625 series and his #1 Power Ranked bowler status for the week. Game #3, however, became a battle of attrition as both teams underperformed but came out in The Belt's favor, as did total pins. This is the first time since Week #11 of last season that the team has lost an actual matchup to anyone in the league. Brown Belt Jones remains in 2nd while the Turkey Hunters continue to celebrate their undeniable championship.Down on Lanes 25 & 26, the ACE²S had to think it was their night against opponents Splits or Swallows. After winning Game #1 and seeing teammate Ed Felix hoist his new personal best game (a 190!) and best series (422), things were looking pretty good...until the Splits swallowed them up to take a 3-1 matchup victory. AJ Hofmann provided the most oomph for those that Swallow with his 436 series while the team remains in 5th place. Eric Lynch of the ACE²S led his team with a 424 series but simply could not manage more than that Game #1 victory. The team remains in 6th place.Bowlers being bought drinks by Sweep the Leg, Johnny at The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (223, 235), Bill Krejci (219), and Ryan Doll (200, 224).The latest results of the Tournament of Champions cannot be calculated yet due to the post-bowling. There is just one more week left to vote for this season's Hall of Fame nominees. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Rob Kaszuba Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Bill Krejci	#1 H2H BOWLER Rob Kaszuba Runner Up: Bill Krejci
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Yesssss! I need to find Pops' address so I can send him a thank you card." John Boren, from his home upon reading the news that his all-time league win record will continue to stand.

Last season, something strange happened. Defying logic and beating the odds, four veteran bowlers who had rolled together for years – Phil Schroeder, Freda Schroeder, Dennis "Pops" Laube, and Aubrey Moren – found their mojo and used it to win the Fall 2011 championship. Well, they've done it again this season, along with new recruit Anita Osthoff. Congratulations to the Spring 2012 champions, Turkey Hunters, who clinched the crown this week!And speaking of this week, some gigantic scores came out of the bowlers of GutterAlley en route to the battle for 2nd place and beyond. And now that the post-bowling scores are in, here's the full run-down...After their surprising 2-2 split last week, The Turkey Hunters regrouped and wrapped up their second consecutive championship at the expense of opponents Splits or Swallows with an emphatic 4-0 victory in which not a single game was even close. Leading the charge was anchor Aubrey Moren and his 622 series. The championship is the 6th for Dennis "Pops" Laube, 4th for Freda and Phil Schroeder, 3rd for Aubrey Moren, and 1st for Anita Osthoff. AJ Hofmann's 448 series led the Swallows in the losing effort, and remain in 5th place. Ian Goetz began this season as a man on a mission, proving that he can lead a team to victory out from underneath the shadow of his Hall of Fame father. Well, Week 13 was his coming out party. Leading his team Brown Belt Jones to a clean sweep over opponents ACE²S Tuesday night with both his own personal best game – a 266 – and his best series to date – a 695, along with a spot on the Top 25 Highest Series of All Time list and easily earning #1 Power Ranked bowler honors. The victories push The Belt back into 2nd place. Chris Klee's 402 series led the charge for the ACE²S – complimented by Ed Felix's new personal highest series of 398 – while the team remains in 6th place. With Bowled to Death opting to post-bowl this week, the rollers of the X-Men showed up Tuesday night to deal their damage. No one did more than Rob Kaszuba. Rolling his personal best high series to date – a 568 – Rob personally led his team to a 4-0 sweep over the competition and earned Most Valuable Bowler honors in the process. Bowled's Matt Bell led the charge for his crew, shooting a 471 series, but was unable to reverse the X-Men's fortunes. Neither team moves up or down in the league standings, however, with the X-Men holding onto 4th and Bowled to Death still sitting in 7th place.Down on Lanes 25 & 26, Ballsagna and Strange Bedfellows exchanged blows in some of the tightest contests of the evening. After ending Game #1 with a tie, Ballsagna took Game #2 with the last throw of the game in the 10th frame. Game #3 and, subsequently total pins, went in favor of the Bedfellows compliments of Bob Brunker's team-leading 519 series, to take the matchup 2.5-1.5 in the end. The Balls' Orion Kinkaid put up the best series for his team, ending the night with a 442 to secure the 1.5 victories. The Bedfellows topple a spot to 3rd while Ballsagna remains in 8th place.Bowlers having to hear the Turkey Hunters brag about their run in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (241, 203), Bill Krejci (231, 213), Freda Schroeder (206), Ian Goetz (221, 266, 208), and, wait a minute...Scott Murdock (207)?!?With the actual Tournament of Champions just a few weeks away, those bowlers in the hunt to be qualifiers are as follows: Division #1 features a tie between Carl Goetz and Ken M. Wilson (17 points). Aubrey Moren (29 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (22 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo and Rob Kaszuba as its top seeds (20 points). Russell Madsen (20 points) continues to lead Division #4 with Chris Klee just behind him (18 points).Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Rob Kaszuba Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Rob Kaszuba	#1 H2H BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Bill Krejci
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Here's what I want to know - why the hell is she wearing white?!?" Bob Brunker, to Ken and Carl after being shown Angela Bradford's 1983 wedding photos.

As the Spring 2012 season marches onward, teams celebrated their victories and lament their losses in Week 12. In all four matchups Tuesday night, at least one game was settled by the slimmest of margins reinforcing the old bowling adage that "every pins counts." That single open frame or the low count following a spare early in the game may come back to haunt you when all is said and done. Such was the case across the board in this week's rehash of GutterAlley. Ready to get into the specifics? We are too.In a matchup of the two teams that the league determined to be the most fun to face, the return of Strange Bedfellows' super anchor Carl Goetz didn't make it so much fun for opponents Brown Belt Jones. Continuing to put up huge numbers – and easily being labeled the #1 Power Ranked bowler – Goetz put up a 695 series to lead his team to a 4-0 bounce back after the Bedfellows' paltry performance last week without him. The Belt, which started out strongly behind Jonathan Vigliaturo's 521 series – including a 225 performance in Game #1 – put up their best fight in Game #1 before dropping it in the 10th frame. The four wins once again find the two teams exchanging positions in the standings, with the Bedfellows reclaiming 2nd while The Belt slips back down into 3rd place.Many in the league have openly wondered, "who can stop the Turkey Hunters?" That answer came in the form of Bowled to Death in one of the closest finishes we've had all season. After a Game #1 rout by Bowled in Game #1 – compliments of a stellar performance from lead off bowler Ellen Neidlinger and her 446 series (including a new personal high game of 178) – the league's reigning champions struck back big in Game #2 to even the series at a game apiece. Game #3 came down to the wire with Bowled to Death coming away with a 9-pin victory but total pins went to the Turkeys...by a margin of a single pin, splitting the series at 2-2. Hall of Fame candidate Dennis "Pops" Laube led the Turkeys with his 563 series. While the Hunters remain firmly out in first place, Bowled to Death gained some ground in the win column but remain in 7th place.Another back and forth battle for supremacy took place down on Lanes 23 & 24 between competitors Ballsagna and the ACE²S. Striking first to take Game #1 was the Balls' anchor Russell Madsen and his team leading 412 series to secure the first win of their night. Not to be outdone, the ACE's anchor Eric Lynch returned to his yesteryear form to shoot a 231 to reverse his team's fortunes in Game #2. Lynch would go on to lead his team with a 531 series. Game #3 was settled by a 5-pin margin in the 10th frame in favor of Ballsagna but total pins netting out in the ACE's favor, splitting the series at 2-2. Neither team rose nor fell in the league standings, however, with the ACE²S refusing to move out of 6th and Ballsagna remaining in 8th place.The last time that Splits or Swallows faced powerhouse team X-Men, their anchor didn't show up and they ended the night with three wins. Well, this time around, they added a new anchor – Jake Parrott – who put on this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance with his career best 528 series to come away with a 3-1 matchup victory. Game #1 was easily won by the X-Men with anchor Ryan Doll's 237 game, en route to a team leading 644 series. From that point onward, though, the night belonged to the Swallowers. After an 8-pin win in Game #2, Splits or Swallows went on to emphatically take Game #3 as well as total pins to improve their record to 23-25...a single game behind opponents X-Men in the standings. The two teams remain in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Bowlers celebrating KU's inevitable loss in March Madness in The 200 Club this week include: Angela Bradford (223), Carl Goetz (236, 246, 213), Dennis "Pops" Laube (233), Eric Lynch (231), Jonathan Vigliaturo (225), Ken M. Wilson (204, 202), and Ryan Doll (237, 209).There aren't that many weeks left until the actual Tournament of Champions takes place with the top eight seeds in the league. Division #1 features a tie between Carl Goetz and Ken M. Wilson (17 points). Aubrey Moren (29 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (21 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo at its top seed (20 points) with Anita Osthoff moving into second (15 points). Russell Madsen (19 points) continues to lead Division #4 with Chris Klee just behind him (18 points).Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Jake Parrott Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Jake Parrott	#1 H2H BOWLER Jake Parrott Runner Up: Carl Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "They can have total pins. Any team that takes this long to bowl – and remain alive – deserves to win." Eric Lemmon, after staying up past his bed time bowling The Turkey Hunters.

With the Finals quickly approaching on May 1st, the reigning champs continue to further distance themselves from the rest of the league during Week #11 on what appears to be an historic run towards the best record in league history. The big story of the night, however, belonged almost entirely to Jonathan Vigliaturo...but we'll get to that here in a little bit. Let's see how things went down, shall we?The last time that Ballsagna faced opponents Splits or Swallows, the teams battled one another to a 2-2 standstill. Some things never change. Like a well-fought duel, the teams went back and forth with victories with the Balls taking Game #1 – with Russell Madsen's 411 series leading the way – before Splits battled back to take Game #2 compliments of a big series out of Mike Berlin (a 469). Ballsagna took Game #3 but not by a large enough margin to keep total pins from going to Splits or Swallows. Neither team moved up or down in the league standings, with Splits or Swallows and Ballsagna remaining in 5th and 8th place respectively.After leaving the lanes without winning a single game last week, the X-Men quickly reversed their fortunes against opponents ACE²S. With self-proclaimed "best team captain in the league" Ryan Doll leading his team with a 639 series, the Xers added a 4-0 win to their record to lessen the gap between their team in 4th place and the team just ahead of them. The ACE²S anchor Eric Lynch put up the top series for his team – a 445 – but the group just couldn't bring the right combination to stop the X-Men's momentum. The ACE²S remain in 6th place.In what was supposed to be an epic showdown against former champs and reigning champs ended up being a one-sided beat down by the Turkey Hunters over Strange Bedfellows. With both teams missing their anchors, the Turkeys' Phil Schroeder slipped in to fill the role and did so quite effectively with his above-average 547 series en route to a clean sweep over the "competition." The wins keep the Turkey Hunters a dominant 11 games ahead of the rest of the league out in 1st place. Ken M. Wilson pathetically led the Bedfellows with a 562 series in the losing effort, dragging his team back down into 3rd place.During the off season, Brown Belt Jones' very own Jonathan Vigliaturo become a true student of the game. His practice paid off in spades Tuesday night as he shot his personal best game (230) AND series (648 - a whopping 110 pin improvement!) while earning both #1 Power Ranked bowler and Most Valuable Bowler honors in the process. Opponents Bowled to Death weren't happy at all with this outcome with the exception of the ending of Game #2, which they won in the 10th frame by the slimmest of margins. The Belt took the matchup 3-1. Ryan Housknecht had the highest series for the Deaths, rolling a 403. While Bowled to Death remains in 7th place, Brown Belt Jones trades up and find themselves back in 2nd place.Bowlers finding themselves carded at the entryway into The 200 Club this week include: Anita Osthoff (202), Bill Krejci (202), Ian Goetz (215), Jonathan Vigliaturo (230, 220), and Ryan Doll (244, 201).There aren't that many weeks left until the actual Tournament of Champions takes place with the top eight seeds in the league. Division #1 is led by Ken M. Wilson (14) with Bill Krejci right on his tail (12 points). Aubrey Moren (29 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (15 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo at its top seed (19 points) with Anita Osthoff moving into second (15 points). Russell Madsen (18 points) continues to lead Division #4 with Eric Lemmon just behind him (17 points).Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Jonathan Vigliaturo Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Jonathan Vigliaturo Runner Up: Ryan Doll	#1 H2H BOWLER Jonathan Vigliaturo Runner Up: Ryan Doll
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "No it's not...they're all gay." Bob Brunker, speaking his piece after Pops quipped that "youth is wasted on the young" in response to the boys of Brown Belt Jones loudly celebrating.

As the second half of the season continues on, one team continues to dominate the league as they race towards the Finals...and potentially another championship. Can they be toppled or have they gotten so far ahead that it's a battle now only for second place and below? Week 10 may be looked back upon as opportunities allowed to slip by as yet another powerhouse team succumbed to the reigning rulers of the roost.In the first matchup of the evening, the ACE²S stared down the barrel of Bowled to Death. Bowled's Matt Bell put up the biggest numbers for his team – a 463 – to start the night out with a blowout in Game #1. However, with an ACE up their sleeve in the form of anchor Eric Lynch – who led the team with a 418 series – fought back to even the score with a victory in Game #2. In the end, the third and final game went emphatically to Bowled to Death to end the night with a 3-1 victory in their favor. Neither team moved up or down in the league standings, with the ACE²S remaining in 6th and Bowled to Death staying in 7th place.Boy, enshrine a man into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame and he thinks he's a pro bowler...or such was the case for the Strange Bedfellows' very own Carl Goetz on Tuesday night. Leading his team to a clean sweep over opponents Splits or Swallows, Goetz put up a league leading 692 series and added yet another notch onto his collection of stellar series that appear on the league's Top 25 Highest Series of All Time list as well as being this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler. While the wins keep them ten games out of first place, the Bedfellows may just still have some fight in them this season. Splits' AJ Hofmann had the highest series for his team, ending with a 407 series in the losing effort and remaining in 5th place.After last week's setback, the boys of Brown Belt Jones hoped to regroup this week and hold or improve their tenuous grip on second place..    It might have happened, if not for  Ballsagna's Orion Kinkaid and his 205 in game 3.   Ian Goetz led his dojo to a 3-1 victory with his 544 series, while Ballsanga served up a slice of victory in game 3 with the help of Russell Madsen's team-leading 430 series.   The Brown Belts slip to 3rd place due to the total pins tiebreaker, while Ballsanga remains in 8th.Down on Lanes 25 & 26, the X-Men swore that they would be the team that would end the Turkey Hunters' reign of terror. Such was not the case. Dropping Game #1 by a slim margin, Game #2 went heavily in the favor of The Turkey Hunters. Game #3, however, was in the bag for the X-Men before they handed it away on a silver platter, ending the evening with a 4-0 matchup victory in favor of the current league champs. The Turkeys' Aubrey Moren led his team with a 589 series – with help from this week's Most Valuable Bowler Dennis "Pops" Laube – while the X-Men's Ryan Doll dropped his average two pins with a sub-par 548 series. The Turkeys continue to destroy the league, a full ten games ahead of everyone else. The X-Men, on the other hand, hold steadfastly in 4th place.Bowlers thankful that there weren't any March Madness games on the TV to disrupt their time in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (222), Carl Goetz (257, 201, 234), Ken M. Wilson (213, 225), Orion Kinkaid (205), and Ryan Doll (208).The race to qualify for the finals in the Tournament of Champions continue. Division #1 is deadlocked with Ken M. Wilson and Carl Goetz in the lead (both with 11 points). Aubrey Moren (29 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (15 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo and Rob Kaszuba leading the way with 13 points apiece. Division #4 finds Russell Madsen now leading the charge with 18 points and Eric Lemmon just behind him at 17 points.Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dennis Laube Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Dennis Laube	#1 H2H BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Okay, maybe we *do* need Carpio...but let's not rush it." AJ Hofmann, after watching his team get swept for the first time in quite a while.

With the position round now in the rearview mirror, the league restarted its schedule once again Tuesday night as teams faced their Week #1 opponents. Despite an odd assortments of wins and losses across the board, not a single team managed to move up or down in the standings. For the first time in several seasons, five of the eight teams in the league have records .500 or better. Surely this won't stay true as the season rolls onward but, for the time being, there's quite a knot right there in the middle.After being swept by opponents Brown Belt Jones last week in the position round, the X-Men rebounded with a vengeance. Despite anchor Ryan Doll's below average performance (and being two people short to boot!), his 545 series was just what the X-Men needed in order to pull off the 3-1 matchup victory to stave off being passed in the standings by the team right on their heels. The Belt's Ian Goetz miraculously led his team for the first time since Week #1, ending his night with a below average 520 series. The Belt remains in 2nd place, nine games out of first, while the X-Men continue to hover in 4th place with a record of 19-17.There is no denying that the Turkey Hunters are on a roll these days. Notching the night's only sweep (made up of three charity wins), the reigning champions extend their lead over the rest of the league by a 2+ week margin by defeating opponents Ballsagna. Anchor Aubrey Moren put up the league's highest scratch series of the evening, ending with a 614. On the losing side of the equation, the Balls' Dave Winger provided the most fire-power for his crew – a 390. Both teams remain in their respective positions with the Turkeys still in first and Ballsagna in 8th place.After a loss in Game #1 to opponents Bowled to Death, this week's Most Valuable Bowler AJ Hofmann decided that enough was enough and brought it along with teammate Mike Berlin of Splits or Swallows. Berlin, who led the team with a 468 series, steadily got his team back into the matchup culminating with Hofmann's epic performance in Game #3 – his new career high of 186 – that helped win the game by a mere seven pins and giving them the 3-1 matchup victory. Deaths' Matt Bell led his team with a 426 series while teammate Kristie Carter notched her new career high game and series, rolling a 143 in Game #3 and ending with a 349 series. Again, neither team moved in the standings, with Splits or Swallows improving to 18-18 and sit in 5th while Bowled to Death holds onto 7th place. The last time these two teams met, the Strange Bedfellows dominated opponents ACE²S. Such was not the case this time around. The ACE's Chris Klee put on a huge performance against the ailing Bedfellows, setting both a new personal high game (191) and high series (454) to lead his team to a 3-1 beat down. Substitute bowler Cody Beltram showed up on the right night, earning #1 Power Ranked bowler honors for the ACE's, with a 447 series. The Bedfellows, led by anchor Carl Goetz and his 604 series, continue to struggle to find wins. Neither team moved at all in the standings, of course, with the Bedfellows barely clinging to 3rd while the ACE2S stick in 6th place.Bowlers debating who should make it into the Hall of Fame at the end of the season inside The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (203, 226), Carl Goetz (225), and Dennis "Pops" Laube (207). All three decided it should not be Phil or Pops. The race to qualify for the finals in the Tournament of Champions continue. Division #1 finds a new leader in Ken M. Wilson (11 points) with Carl Goetz closely behind him (10 points). Aubrey Moren (26 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (9 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo leading the way with 13 points with Rob Kaszuba behind him with 10 points. Division #4 finds Eric Lemmon leading the charge with 14 points with both Russell Madsen and Chris Klee just two points behind him with 12 apiece. Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB AJ Hofmann Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Cody Beltram Runner Up: Chris Klee	#1 H2H BOWLER Bob Brunker Runner Up: Aubrey Moren
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Wow, that's better than f#cking him in the ass!" Bob Brunker, after slapping Seth in an effort to influence his Hall of Fame votes.

Kicking off in the Spring 2011 season, our bowling community collectively cast its votes for the inaugural class of enshrinees to the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. These initial four bowlers were tasked with carrying on the Hall's enshrinement duties, promising that one new bowler would make his or her way to join them at the end of every season going forward. We are happy to say that the tradition is about to continue. Read the rest of this entry »

As dictated by the schedule the 8th week of the league is always the position round. a week in which the matchups are set by where teams fall in the standings. The results of this particular week have historically done one of two things: the league standings either tighten up as underdogs best their opponents or dominant teams truly leave a message and extend their leads over their closest competitors. This season's position round was a mixture of both. Reigning champions Turkey Hunters wasted no time in dismantling the bowlers of Strange Bedfellows. Easily cruising to a 3-1 matchup victory – and almost pulling off the sweep following a late rally in Game #3 – the Turkeys extend their lead over the rest of the league to six games. Aubrey Moren, who continues to raise his average on an almost weekly basis these days and earned #1 Power Ranked bowler honors in the process, dominated the league with his 660 series. Despite a large box of Justin Bieber cupcakes in honor of birthday girls Freda Schroeder and Sabrina Gray, the Bedfellows' could do no better than Carl Goetz's 599 series in the losing effort. The Strange Bedfellows fell asleep and woke up in 3rd place.What do you do when your team dynamic has been off and on? Brown Belt Jones tried something new and it paid off in spades. Completely changing their bowling order, the boys with The Belt completely whipped the now .500 X-Men to log the only sweep of the night. With newly christened anchor – and this week's Most Valuable Bowler – Bill Krejci leading the way with an impressive 634 series and – I can't believe I'm about to write this – Scott Murdock shooting his new personal high game (a 235!), Brown Belt Jones moved up into 2nd place. The X-Men, led by an off Ryan Doll and his 542 series, remain in 4th place...but by only a single game.What has gotten into Splits or Swallows? Apparently some spunk. Facing opponents ACE²S, Swallows' very own AJ Hofmann figured it was high-time he rolled his personal best series and put up a team leading 487 to lead his team to a 3-1 matchup victory. The team nearly came away with a clean sweep if not for the ACE²S' Eric Lynch rallying with a game 42 pins over his average in Game #3 to earn the victory by 27. Lynch finished the night with a team leading 457 series. With the wins, Splits or Swallows remain in 5th place but have successfully cut the distance between them and fourth place by a single game. The ACE²S stagnate in 6th place.In what has been deemed "The Battle for Last Place" each position round, the 7th and 8th place teams met up Tuesday night to beat up on one another. In the night's tightest contest, each game was settled by the smallest of margins. Bowled to Death came out firing to take Game #1 by 23 pins, compliments of anchor Eric Lemmon's 189 game (Lemmon went on to have the team's highest series of the evening, booking a 429). Game #2 went to Ballsagna, with anchor Russell Madsen's best game of the night en route to his 444 series. Game #3, as well as total pins, came down to the wire with Game #3 and total going to Bowled to Death by a mere nine pins, total pins by ten. The 3-1 win by Bowled to Death inches them up to 7th place by a total pins tie-breaker while Ballsagna now sits in the cellar.Bowlers positioning themselves for a trip into The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (243, 218), Bill Krejci (201, 211, 222), Bob Brunker (224), Carl Goetz (204, 224), Freda Schroeder (206), Ian Goetz (203), Ryan Doll (200), and Scott Murdock (235).Nominations for the Hall of Fame this season are now closed. The six candidates up for enshrinement this season will be announced next Tuesday.The race to qualify for the finals in the Tournament of Champions continue. At the halfway mark, Division #1's top two seeds are Carl Goetz (10 points) and Ryan Doll (9 points). The top point earner in Division #2 is Aubrey Moren (25 points) and then there's a tie between Dennis Laube and Seth Gunderson, both with 8 points. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo leading the way with 13 points with Rob Kaszuba behind him with 10 points. Division #4 finds Eric Lemmon leading the charge with 13 points and Russell Madsen just a point behind him with 12. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Bill Krejci Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Bill Krejci	#1 H2H BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Bill Krejci
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Damn, you'd think with that lisp he'd have more experience going all the way down." Deena Slinkard, after watching Scoot do a pathetic half-pushup.

On a stormy Tuesday night, nearly the entire league showed up to give it one last shot before heading into the half-way mark of the season – the position round – next week. And while only two teams managed to swap positions in the league standings, the stage has been set for what could definitely be a big shake up. But before all of that mess transpires, let's get into what happened during Week #7 first.After securing a 20-pin victory in Game #1, Bowled to Death found themselves facing a rejuvenated Ballsagna. Led by their anchor Russell Madsen and his 462 series, the Balls managed to reverse their team's fortunes and come away with a 3-1 matchup victory to be the only team to climb up in the league standings this week. Ballsagna finds themselves now in 7th place. Ryan Housknecht, who shot a team leading 420 series, led Bowled to Death in the losing effort. During the matchup, Bowled's Ellen Neidlinger shot her all-time high game – a 155. Bowled to Death slips one spot into 8th place.Make no bones about it, the X-Men's Ryan Doll is having a hell of a season. Rolling the highest series of the night, Doll's 650 easily led his team to a 3-1 victory over opponents Strange Bedfellows. Despite anchor Carl Goetz leading the team with a 560 series – and three games over average from lead-off roller Sabrina Gray, who narrowly missed her all-time highest series – the Bedfellows managed only to escape a sweep with a Game #3 win. Neither team moved up or down in the standings, with the Bedfellows remaining in 3rd while the X-Men cling tightly to 4th place.Perhaps it was the joy of a new granddaughter that drove Dennis "Pops" Laube to his season-high 567 series Tuesday night, but whatever it was certainly worked. Leading the Turkey Hunters with his best series thus far this season, the reigning champions added three more wins to their record to extend their lead over the rest of the league to five games. Opponents ACE²S received the most fire-power from anchor Eric Lynch, who ended his evening with a 438 series. Lynch's teammates Chris Klee and Sarah West ended their nights with new personal bests – Sarah with a new high game (165) and Klee with a new high series (435). The Turkeys remain in 1st while the ACE²S keep a trick up their sleeve in 6th place.You can't spell "victory" with having a T in the middle...and Splits or Swallows very own Teresa Deterding provided such a boost. Earning Most Valuable Bowler honors as well as being the #1 Power Ranked bowler, Deterding led her team with a new personal high 517 series (including her first ever 200+ game!) to a 2-2 deadlock with powerhouse team Brown Belt Jones. Once again led by someone other than their anchor, The Belt was carried this week by Bill Krejci and his 532 series. Splits or Swallows remain in 5th while Brown Belt Jones refuses to budge from 3rd place.Bowlers ducking into the safety of The 200 Club to avoid thunderstorms this week include: Angela Bradford (200), Aubrey Moren (200), Bill Krejci (209), Carl Goetz (214), Dennis "Pops" Laube (211), Ryan Doll (216, 220, 214), and Teresa Deterding (200).The breakdown for the Tournament of Champions this week shows the following: Division 1 finds Carl Goetz and Ryan Doll both with 9 points, Aubrey Moren continues to lead Division 2 with 19 points, Jonathan Vigliaturo increases his lead over Division 3 with 13 points, and Eric Lemmon topping Division 4 with 10 points. The Tournament of Champions will conclude in Week #16, the week of the Finals.And a final note...thanks to everyone that has made a nomination this season for someone to enter the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. The forum to submit a nomination is open and will be until the position round.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Teresa Deterding Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Teresa Deterding Runner Up: Dennis Laube	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Fortunately there was a space in-between your legs so I could see your ball." Ken, after trying to watch Carl pick up a single pin spare.

Week 6 of the 25th season was a memorable one in a number of ways: four bowlers shot their career highest games, three bowlers rolled their highest series (including one that is now the 2nd highest in league history), one team tied the all-time record for highest output for a 5-man single game, and a "Hitler Reacts" video were the talk of the evening. Once again, only one team managed to make any headway in the league standings which has a potential for a major reshuffling as we head into the position round two weeks from now. For now, let's just see how everyone did this week...shall we? Despite weeks of speculation as to whether or not he exists, John Haubrich of Splits or Swallows proved that he is indeed for real Tuesday night with his first career Most Valuable Bowler performance. Alongside Jason Carpio's team-leading 571 series, the Swallowers laid waste to opponents ACE²S to earn the lone sweep of the evening. Game #2 was the closest that the victors ever allowed the ACEs to get near them – and that game was settled by a margin of 120 pins. Eric Lynch led his team in the losing effort, ending his night with a 410 series. Split or Swallows ends up being the only team to move up in the league standings this week, climbing one spot up into 5th while the ACE²S trade places with them and wind up in 6th place.The reigning champion Turkey Hunters took on an amped up Brown Belt Jones on lanes 21 & 22 in what was easily the most hostile battle of the evening. After a blowout in Game #1, the Turkeys looked to continue their dominance in the league but found their 10-game win streak snapped by a loss in Game #2. Game #3 came down to an anchor versus anchor showdown in which the Turkey's Aubrey Moren – who shot both his career high games and series (244 and 664, respectively) during the night – easily won. The Belt's third bowler Seth Gunderson led his team for the third straight week, ending his evening with a 586 series. Neither team moved up or down in the standings with the Hunters remaining atop the league standings and Brown Belt Jones still in 3rd place. Six games separate the two teams.You want to talk about some personal bests, let's talk about what happened in the matchup between Bowled to Death and Strange Bedfellows. First off, Bowled's Matt Bell shoots his all time highest game (a 198) and the team wins Game #1. Then, in the next game, Eric Lemmon shoots his highest game (a 190) but the team loses Game #2. Game #3 was when the Bedfellows put their opponents to sleep with the 1-2 punch of Bob Brunker's all-time highest game (a 246) and this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Carl Goetz and his 735 series – which is the 2nd highest series ever shot in league history. The team also tied the all-time record for highest team score for a single game with their 1041. The Bedfellows added a 3-1 win to their record but still remain in 2nd while Bowled stay put in 7th place.The final matchup of the evening pitted last week's short comers X-Men against the looking-for-wins Ballsagna. Despite a solid start in Games #1 and #2, the X-Men found themselves out bowled by the Balls mainly due to a resurgence by Ballsagna's newly repositioned lead off bowler, Orion Kinkaid. With a team-leading 428 series, Orion managed to stop the X-Men from completely overpowering them to stave off being swept. The biggest X throwing X's this week was, once again, anchor Ryan Doll whose 571 series blazed the path for his team's 3-1 win. The positive notches increase the X-Men's win record into the positive but they remain steady in 4th place. Ballsagna, despite the win, remain in 8th place with a record of 5-19 so far this season.Bowlers goose stepping their way into The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (244, 234), Bill Krejci (201), Bob Brunker (246), Carl Goetz (226, 264, 245), Freda Schroeder (209), Ian Goetz (201), Jason Carpio (208, 224), Ken M. Wilson (214, 205, 233), Phil Schroeder (214), Ryan Doll (222), and Seth Gunderson (204, 206).The breakdown for the Tournament of Champions this week shows the following: Division 1 sees a new leader in Carl Goetz with 9 points, Division 2's Aubrey Moren with 18 points, Jonathan Vigliaturo leading Division 3 with 12 points, and Eric Lemmon topping Division 4 with 9 points. The Tournament of Champions will conclude in Week #16, the week of the Finals.GutterAlley would like to congratulation league luminary – and new Mommy! – Janelle "Nellie" (Laube) Lamar on the birth of her little girl, Autumn Rose. The little future bowler was born on Valentine's Day and both mother and baby are doing very well. Congrats, Nellie!And a final note...thanks to everyone that has made a nomination this season for someone to enter the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. The forum to submit a nomination is open and will be until the position round.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB John Haubrich Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Aubrey Moren	#1 H2H BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Aubrey Moren
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Oh, the Hitler video you enjoyed but THAT line gets to you?" Carl Goetz, upon seeing Ian shoot Ken a look fresh after his "THERE'S an anchor" comment.

Love was in the air Tuesday night on the lanes of GutterAlley as a sizable number of bowlers showed up to do battle. Although only two teams managed to move at all in the standings, three teams are making a play to extend their leads over the rest of the league. Sure, it's early, but we've seen teams build momentum near the beginning of a season that they carry throughout. Let's get to the recap...The Strange Bedfellows fell in love with this week's Most Valuable Bowler – and the most recent Hall of Fame inductee – Carl Goetz all over again. Hoisting a team leading 632 series, the Bedfellows made a meal out of Ballsagna. Despite a 415 series out of substitute anchor AJ Taylor, the Balls didn't notch a single victory. Game #3 ended on an odd note, though, as an intentional double gutter from Joe Longstreet shifted momentum from the Balls over into the Bedfellows favor. If not for the gutters, the Bedfellows would not have added a sweep to their win record. The Bedfellows remain in 2nd while Ballsagna slips a spot into 8th place.As the X-Men's Ryan Doll can attest to last night - "when you're hot, you're hot." Hotness on the lanes, however, doesn't always guarantee victories in the end. Putting up his second highest series of his career – and the highest scratch series shot this season – Doll's 690 series was the best of the best. Bowled to Death, however, came away with a 3-1 matchup victory with Matt Bell leading the charge with his 444 series and cooled the X-Men's recent momentum. The wins also made Bowled to Death the only team that managed to move up in the league standings this week, hopping up into 7th place. The X-Men remain in 4th place.What has gotten into this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler, Aubrey Moren?!? Having been promoted last season into the anchor spot, Moren led The Turkey Hunters with a 621 series to a clean sweep over opponents Splits or Swallows. This extends the Turkeys' win streak to nine games, the longest this season thus far. The Splits' Jason Carpio contributed the most fire power to his team and ended his night with a 595 series in the losing effort. The Turkey Hunters remain three games ahead of the league in 1st while Splits or Swallows continues at a medium pace in 6th place.Despite want ads being placed in local newspapers for an anchor, the members Brown Belt Jones continue to add wins to their record while the position is looking to be filled. Middle bowler Seth Gunderson led The Belt with a 555 series in their 3-1 matchup win over opponents ACE²S. The ace of the ACE²S was Eric Lynch, who is quickly returning to his old self. Raising his average five pins, Lynch's 495 series was the biggest output for his team but it couldn't muster more than just a single win. The Belt remains in 3rd while the ACE²S gain ground but remain in 5th place.Bowlers reuniting this week with their longest love – a 200+ game – in The 200 Club include: Angela Bradford (211), Aubrey Moren (243, 226), Carl Goetz (204, 224, 204), Ian Goetz (212), Jason Carpio (235), Ken M. Wilson (204), Ryan Doll (244, 216, 230), and Seth Gunderson (210).For those of you that were following the Tournament of Champions this week, the full breakdown can be found by visiting that section of the site. A quick recap, however, finds Ken M. Wilson barely leading Division 1 with 7 points, Aubrey Moren dominating Division 2 with 12 points, Jonathan Vigliaturo crushing the competition in Division 3 with 12 points, and Russell Madsen and Eric Lynch tied as the top dogs in Division 4 with 6 points apiece. The Tournament of Champions will conclude in Week #16, the week of the Finals.And a final note...thanks to everyone that has made a nomination this season for someone to enter the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. The forum to submit a nomination is open and will be until the position round.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Carl Goetz Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Ryan Doll	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Carl Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Christ! It was so easy for everyone to get something up in there. Why is it taking so long to get something out?!?" Dennis Laube, commenting about his expectant daughter Janelle still being in labor.

Tuesday night welcomed a number of higher-than-usual games, including some personal bests set around the league. While only two teams managed to exchange spots in the league standings, some ground was gained by several teams. League mystery John Haubrich also managed to make his debut in the league – welcome, John! Week #4 also saw the first actual Tournament of Champions in action, but we'll cover that here in a little bit. Ready to hear how the actual action went down? Let's do this, then.In the first matchup of the night, Ryan Doll of the X-Men decided to make a big statement. After dominating opponents Splits or Swallows in Game #1, the team suffered a misstep in Game #2 – primarily due to Teresa Deterding's near personal-best 173 and AJ Hofmann's team-leading 437 series – the X-Men struck back to take Game #3 and total pins for a 3-1 matchup victory. Game #3 was settled by a mere three pins. Doll, this week's Most Valuable Bowler, led his team with a 633 series. The wins keep the X-Men in 4th while Splits or Swallows slips a spot down into 6th place.It helps to have some ACE²S up your sleeve when facing Ballsagna's Russell Madsen on his best night ever in the league. Despite Madsen shooting his personal best series (a 474) to lead Ballsagna, the night belonged to Eric Lynch and the members of ACE²S. With a 457 series out of Lynch – and a game 84 pin game above her average by Alexandra Avila – the Aces rolled right over Ballsagna for a 3-1 matchup win. The wins push ACE²S up a spot in the league standings into 5th while Ballsagna holds steady in 7th place.Before bowling began, this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Jonathan Vigliaturo had one wish – to hit the pocket. Boy, did he. Shooting both his highest game ever (219) along with his highest series (538), Vigliaturo found help from league legend and fellow Brown Belt Jones teammate Seth Gunderson, who destroyed the competition with his own personal new high score – the highest game thrown yet this season – a 262. After being handed a near 200-pin rout in Game #1, Strange Bedfellows's Ken M. Wilson decided enough was enough and put up a 634 series to bring the team back to a 2-2 split with victories in Games #2 and #3. Total pins was easily won by The Belt. Neither team move in the standings, with Strange Bedfellows and Brown Belt Jones remaining in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.The final matchup of the night took place down on Lanes 25 & 26 and saw Bowled to Death facing up against reigning league champs The Turkey Hunters. With each game close heading into the final frames, the resilience of the champs was too much to overcome and Bowled to Death died an 0-4 death. Led by anchor Aubrey Moren's 561 series, the Turkeys hold onto their 1st place position with the league's best record at 14-2 and increase their lead over the league to three games. Bowled, led by sub Matt Hile's 413 series, find themselves with a 1-15 record after four weeks and remain in 8th place. Bowlers finding their own shadows darkening the doorsteps of The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (200), Carl Goetz (229, 209), Ian Goetz (225), Jonathan Vigliaturo (219), Ken M. Wilson (244), Rob Kaszuba (214), Ryan Doll (236, 201), and Seth Gunderson (262).For those of you that were following the Tournament of Champions this week, the full breakdown can be found by visiting that section of the site. A quick recap, however, finds Ken M. Wilson leading Division 1, Aubrey Moren in the lead over Division 2, Jonathan Vigliaturo the big winner in Division 3, and Russell Madsen the top dog in Division 4. Each has six points. The Tournament of Champions will conclude in Week #16, the week of the Finals.And a final note...thanks to everyone that has made a nomination this season for someone to enter the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. The forum to submit a nomination is open and will be until the position round.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Ryan Doll Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Jonathan Vigliaturo Runner Up: Russell Madsen	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Ken M. Wilson
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Hey! There's just too many balls up on this rack." Sabrina Gray, after noticing that the bowling ball return was jamming up.

During the third week of GutterAlley's 25th season, only one team managed to hold onto its position in the league standings. Everyone else moved up or down one spot with one team slipping down two. Surprisingly, the team that didn't move After setting a 166 average last week, Brown Belt Jones' Bill Krejci figured it was time to raise that somewhat. And raise it, he did. Shooting a demonic 666 series – and earning both the Most Valuable Bowler and #1 Power Ranked bowler nods in the process – Krejci showed 'em how it was done en route to the night's only sweep. Opponents Bowled to Death, led this week by Ryan Housknecht and his 409 series, simply could not find the firepower to stop Bill and band. The four wins keep Brown Belt Jones in 3rd while the four losses drop Bowled to Death down one into 8th place.After beginning their season with a perfect 8-0 start, the Strange Bedfellows found their first, second, and third losses at the hands of reigning champs The Turkey Hunters. Led by Phil Schroeder's 524 series, the Turkeys took flight and landed in first place with their 3-1 matchup victory. The Bedfellows' Carl Goetz booked a 655 series in the losing effort. The Turkey Hunters improve to the league's best record of 10-2 while the Strange Bedfellows slip one spot down into 2nd place a mere one game behind.After taking a 101-pin thumping in Game #1, the men of Ballsagna took matters into their own hands (gently, mind you) and reversed their fortunes as the night rolled on. Led by Russell Madsen's 390 series, Ballsagna managed to secure Games #2 and #3 but dropped total pins in the end. The biggest output from Splits or Swallows came from Mike Berlin this week, who led the gang with a 493 series. The teams, splitting the matchup 2-2, both move up one spot in the league standings. Splits or Swallows chokes up to 5th while Ballsagna rolls into 7th place.The final matchup of the evening took place down on lanes 25 & 26 with the closest games of the night, the majority of which were settled by just a mark or two. After taking Game #1, the X-Men found themselves in familiar territory, being led by anchor Ryan Doll (who would end the night with a 551 series. The ACE²S managed to steal Game #2 from them, with anchor Eric Lynch getting more comfortable with his new bowling ball and shooting a 456 series. Enough was enough, however, and the X-Men finished them off in Game #3...taking total pins as well by a mere five pins for a 3-1 win overall. The X-Men move up into 4th while the ACE²S slip two spots into 6th place.Bowlers making sure that Ken doesn't get to come into The 200 Club to celebrate a damn thing include: Bill Krejci (247, 221), and Carl Goetz (215, 215, 225), For those of you that are interested, we're giving you until the end of next week to sign up for this season's Tournament of Champions. Sign-ups sheets were available down on the lanes this week and will be present next week for the final time. It's only a mere one-time-fee of $2 to participate so give it a go if you'd like. Questions? Drop a line to Ken or Scoot.Also, the GutterAlley Hall of Fame is currently taking nominations for this season's enshrinee. As those of you that rolled in our last session, Carl Goetz was the latest addition to the Hall. Who will make it in this season? Only time will tell. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Bill Krejci Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Bill Krejci Runner Up: Carl Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Bill Krejci
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "...birthday to me, ...birthday to me, it would have been happier, if we hadn't lost three." Ken M. Wilson, serenading himself after costing his team big Tuesday night.