The Fall 2011 season came to a conclusion Tuesday night and with it came some huge scores...none larger than Ryan Doll's. Several people rolled their personal best games and series and, in the end, five – count 'em, FIVE – teams exchanged places in the league standings. Simply put, this was one of the wildest finishes score-wise to a season we've had in quite some time. Ready to see how it all ended up? So do we. Let's go.But before we start that, please be sure to vote for your Season Favorites before noon, Tuesday the 20th. After having crushed them the first two times they faced last season's champions 3-1 each time in their matchups, Fall 2011 title winners No Pinheads decided to not mess with a good thing and once again whooped them 3-1. Led by a 2-game absent Aubrey Moren, who rolled a 227 in his lone game of the night to lead the way, the Pinheads increased their win record to 49-15 which ties as the 2nd best win record in league history. STFU Donny's Ken M. Wilson, absent Game #1 due to stupidly leaving his bowling ball at home and making a mad dash to retrieve it, shot a 213 & 187 in his two games to lead his team. STFU ends up in 2nd place with a record of 40-24. Wilson and Moren finished the season as the number one and number two cumulative #1 Power Ranked Bowlers, respectively. Let's face it, the rollers of Kitten Mittons had a great season. Heading into the Finals in third place, the team and opponents Gutterballs slugged it out down to the wire in each game...settling each contest in the 10th frame. End results? A tie in Game #1 and then three wins for the Gutterballs ending the Mittons incredible run and sending them down into 5th place. The Balls' Jason Carpio saved his best series of the season – a 660, missing his all-time personal best by four pins – for just the occasion to help turn the tide on the Kittens. Ryan Simonet and Alison Radke both led their team in the losing effort, each shooting a 479 series – Radke's personal best of her career. While the Mittons slip two spots down into fifth with a record of 35.5-28.5, the Gutterballs sneak up into 3rd place with their 36.5-27.5 record. The Mysterious Platypus Appendages just can't catch a break. Did they roll over their team average every single game? Yes. Did they roll their best team series all season tonight? Yes. Did lead-off roller Aaron Chandler roll his all-time personal best series and lead his team with his 406? Yes. Did they win a single game? No. You're kidding, right? Nope, not at all...and you can blame Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse's Ryan Doll. Rolling his very first 700+ series – an incredible 707 – Doll joined the small group of bowlers who have crested that mark at any point in the history of our bowling league. Naturally, he earned #1 Power Ranked bowler honors for his big series. The four victories push his team up into 4th place to end the season with a record of 36-28. The Platypi take it on the chin and fall down into 7th place with a record of 22-42.Last week, the Das Sauer Popes surprised everyone with the record-breaking output from Mike Berlin to lead the team to a 3-1 against opponents Skirtz & Jerkz. This week, the Popes' Eric Summers decided to get in on the action. Leading his team with his all time high game (a 194) and his all time high series (a 487), Summers earned the Most Valuable Bowler nod while earning his team another 3-1 matchup victory over the Skirtz. Despite the big wins, the Popes couldn't shake things up enough to climb out of the cellar and end their season in 8th place with a record of 15-49. The Skirtz' Jenn Seefeldt put up the biggest numbers for her team, wrapping up her season with a 427 series. Skirtz and Jerkz with the lone win move up a spot to finish out in 6th place with a record of 22-42. Bowlers finishing their season with one last trip to The 200 Club include: Aubrey Moren (227), Ian Goetz (203), Jason Carpio (242, 232), Ken M. Wilson (213), Rob Kaszuba (203), and Ryan Doll (265, 232, 210).Next week, as most of you know, is the prize week where we hand out the money earned for the number of wins your team racked up as well as the individual awards for high games and high series. This year's winners include:Men's High Series Scratch: Ryan Doll - 707 ($20)Women's High Series Scratch: Freda Schroeder - 555 ($20)Men's High Game Scratch: Carl Goetz - 269 ($20)Women's High Game Scratch: Jennifer Seefeldt - 203 ($20)Men's High Series Handicap: Mike Berlin - 723 ($10)Women's High Series Handicap: Sarah Sauer - 662 ($10)Men's High Game Handicap: Phil Schroeder - 280 ($10)Women's High Game Handicap: Alison Radke - 243 ($10)Money will also be awarded to this season's overall Most Valuable Bowler, which will be revealed at the meeting...as well as this season's GutterAlley Hall of Fame inductee!Again, if you haven't already, please take a moment to vote for your Season Favorites. It's up to you to decide who is the People's Choice Most Valuable Bowler, Rookie of the Season, Captain of the Season, Defensive Bowler of the Season, etc. And, in honor of what was most likely Emily Podhajsky's final season in our league, we have a new category named in her honor – the Emily Podhajsky Good Sportsmanship Award, which will go to the best female sportsman in the league. The Bob Brunker Good Sportsmanship Award will now solely be awarded to males. Congrats, Emily!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Eric Summers Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Eric Summers	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Eric Summers
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Well, looking back on this failure of a season, at least I can say that I came away with the Men's High Series Scratch." Ken M. Wilson, moments before realizing Ryan Doll was on pace to shoot a 700+ series.

A new champion was crowned Tuesday night as the members of No Pinheads made it impossible for anyone to dethrone them in the Finals next week. Congratulations to Freda Schroeder, Phil Schroeder, Dennis "Pops" Laube, and Aubrey Moren on becoming the Fall 2011 champions! Tuesday night also saw some stellar performances throughout the league as other teams set their own stages for the Finals in a last ditch effort to move up in the league standings. Ready to see how everyone did? Read on, my good reader...Needing to win only two games to claim the crown this season, No Pinheads took control of the night early on and didn't let go. After decimating last year's champions – STFU Donny – in Game #1 by beating them scratch, the Pinheads only faltered in Game #2 in which their competition quickly erased the nearly 100-pin victory margin. Game #3 was a do or die situation for Donny who ended up folding like a paper napkin, including dropping total pins by a mere three pins. Phil Schroeder put up the best numbers for the champs, ending his night with his best series of the season – a 543. STFU Donny's Ken M. Wilson ended his quest for a 5th consecutive title with a 628 to lead the league but simply couldn't lead his team to a win, lose, or die Finals. Neither team can move up or down next week in the Finals when they face off again with the Pinheads ending in 1st and STFU Donny doing no better than 2nd place.After dropping their initial game by a margin of three pins (a common theme so far, eh?), Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse declared that enough was enough. With anchor Ryan Doll striking back with a 601 series – with help from this week's Most Valuable Bowler Rob Kaszuba – the Reiters returned to form to come away with a 3-1 matchup victory over opponents Mysterious Platypus Appendages who were led this week by Jake Parrott and his 476 series. Despite the three wins, Der Apokalypse managed to slip one spot in the standings to 5th while the Platypi continue to hibernate in 6th place. The two teams will face one another next week in the Finals.Coming into their matchup this evening, the Kitten Mittons had been on an absolute tear while on a 14-game win streak. Leave it to the Gutterballs, however, to spoil all their fun as the streak abruptly came to an end at the hands of the Balls' Jason Carpio's 595 series. Handing out the lone sweep of the evening, the Gutterballs managed to be the only team to move up in the league standings this week and find themselves hopping up a spot into 4th place. The Mittons, led this week by Ryan Simonet and his 366 series, manage to hold onto 3rd place and will face the Gutterballs once again in the Finals. Little did Mike Berlin of Das Sauer Popes know that, despite No Pinheads earning the title tonight, his second game would be the biggest story of the entire night. After narrowly taking Game #1, Berlin put on the performance of his career – not to mention earning #1 Power Ranked bowler honors due to i.e. – by throwing an incredible 267. The game was not only Berlin's personal best but rocketed him to the top of TWO ALL-TIME LEAGUE RECORDS in the process. Check it out! The 267 put him at the top of the Men's High Game Handicap (311) as well as Men's High Pins Over Average (122)! These records are sure to stand for quite some time. Berlin, naturally, went on to lead his team with a 591 series (also his personal best) and secured a 3-1 matchup victory over opponents Skirtz & Jerkz, led this week by anchor Jennifer Seefeldt and her 417 series. Neither team move from their respective positions in the standings – Skirtz & Jerkz in 7th and Das Sauer Popes in 8th – and will face one another in the Finals next week.Bowlers who wish they could have bowled as high of a game as Mike Berlin this week but still made it into The 200 Club include: Carl Goetz (219, 213), Ian Goetz (204), Jason Carpio (220), Ken M. Wilson (212, 223), Mike Berlin (267, of course), Phil Schroeder (211), Ryan Doll (213), and Seth Gunderson (203).Thanks to everyone that voted for the Hall of Fame candidates this season. Voting is now closed and we'll be announcing the winner at the awards ceremony during our Fun Night on December 20th. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Rob Kaszuba Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Mike Berlin Runner Up: Aaron Chandler	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Mike Berlin
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Number 5 is alive...unlike Ken's chances of repeating as champion. Suck it, laser lips." Number 5 from "Short Circuit", after watching STFU Donny fail to defend their title.

Only two weeks remain in the Fall 2011 season and with that, the members of No Pinheads are just two games away from winning the championship – their first since the Spring 2008 session. Week #14 provided absolutely no movement either up or down in the league standings but did set the stage rather nicely for teams to make moves over the next two Tuesdays. Will the current league leaders finish off the season and take the title? Will Kitten Mittons continue their incredible season and move up into 2nd? That'll all have to wait until the near future. For now, let's see how everyone did this week...Having slipped to a .500 record last week, the members of Gutterballs decided enough was enough and returned to their winning ways. Led by anchor Jason Carpio – who narrowly missed a 600 series with his team-leading 597 series – the 'balls came away with a 3-1 matchup victory over opponents Skirtz & Jerkz. Game #2 was settled by a single pin, compliments of the Skirtz' Neil Rieger and his 486 series and helped them secure their lone win of the night. The Gutterballs improve to a 29-27 record to remain in 5th while the Skirtz and Jerkz drop to 20-36 and still sit in 7th place.Throughout the month of November, Kitten Mittons has been on an absolute tear. For the third week in a row, a member of their team has come away with Most Valuable Bowler honors. This week? The Mittons' Ryan Simonet earned it as he led his team to a clean sweep of opponents Das Sauer Popes behind his 436 series. The wins improve their record to 35-21, good enough for 3rd place in the league. The Popes, led this week by anchor Mike Berlin and his 431 series, remain in 8th place with a record of 9-47. It was joked before their matchup that whenever Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse's very own Rob Kaszuba bowls against STFU Donny, he brings his best games. This proved to be true as Kaszuba's team-leading 542 series earned him #1 Power Ranked bowler honors but failed to deliver more than just a lone six-pin victory in Game #2. Why? The Goetz Boys. With Carl Goetz leading the league's reigning champions – whose time at the top could end next week – with a 629 series and son Ian Goetz following closely behind with a 620, STFU Donny came away with a 3-1 matchup win but continue to trail the first place team. Improving their record to 38-18, STFU has to do just that and come away with seven victories over their next eight games if they are going to repeat as champions. Vier Reiters sit at 29-27 and remain in 4th place.No one can deny that No Pinheads is collectively having their best season ever. Anchor Aubrey Moren has emphatically found his game and has continues to keep his team at the top of the heap. Adding four more wins to their win record – improving to 43-13 – behind his 580 series, the Pinheads extend their lead over the rest of the league back up to five games and now sit a mere two victories away from clinching the title. Their victims this week? Mysterious Platypus Appendages. Despite two too-close-for-comfort games, the Platypi couldn't steal a game. Teresa Deterding led the Mysterious with a 451 series and fall to 21-35, good enough for 6th place. Bowlers fed up with leftover turkey this week include The 200 Club: Aubrey Moren (206), Carl Goetz (226, 213), Ian Goetz (211, 250), Jason Carpio (235), Ken M. Wilson (202), and Phil Schroeder (245).Teams coming away with charity wins this week include: Kitten Mittons, who were handed two unearned wins; STFU Donny, who were gifted Game #1; and No Pinheads, who were also handed Game #1. The Gutterballs continue to be the team with the most unearned wins this season having added +13 to their record this season. They are followed by No Pinheads, who have been handed +11 victories and then Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse and STFU Donny, both who have been gifted +7 victories apiece from underperforming teams. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Ryan Simonet Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Rob Kaszuba Runner Up: Ian Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Rob Kaszuba
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Wow, I know you just got married but that doesn't give you the right to f--- our team, too!" Kelly Anderson, after defeating her team's anchor Ryan Doll in Game #3.

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, several teams this week decided to say thanks as they were busy taking away victories from their opponents. While one team opted to post-bowl, the other three matchups of the evening saw some big wins earned as two teams swept while the third narrowly missed joining them in the clean up crew. After the scores came in, though, one team moved up and one moved down in the league standings. Ready to hear how everyone else did? Let's go.The last time STFU Donny faced Mysterious Platypus Appendages, the night ended with Donny dropping Game #3. The team with the best win record in the second half of the season made sure to not let any games slip away this time around and added four more notches to their win column. Leading the league with his 670 series, STFU's anchor Ken M. Wilson led the charge for his title-minded team who are now only four games back from taking over first place. The Platypi, led by Aj Hofmann and his 375 series, don't add any wins but remain in 6th place.Blaming his status as a newlywed, Ryan Doll of Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse simply can't bring it like he used to in the past. Dennis "Pops" Laube of No Pinheads did...and then some. Putting up a 579 series, Laube led the way for a 3-1 victory. A mere 11 pins in Game #1 kept them from coming away with all four wins. Doll's 541 series – including his highest game of the night (a 211) in the lead off game – was only able to take a single victory. No Pinheads remains in first place, ahead by four games, while Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse remains in 4th place.Right before he rolled his first ball, Kitten Mittons' very own Kelly Sands asked if anyone had ever been the Most Valuable Bowler two weeks in a row. While the answer is yes, Sands set out to join those few and did it, earning consecutive MVB honors as well as being this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler. Rolling his highest series ever – a 553 – Sands crushed opponents Skirtz & Jerkz and hopped up one place into 3rd place in the process. The biggest of the Jerkz this week was Orion Kinkaid, who ended his night with a 408 series and was simply unable to stop the Mittons from winning. Skirtz & Jerkz remain in 7th place.The final matchup of the evening pitted Das Sauer Popes against the Gutterballs. After being hypnotized by the absent Jason Carpio that if he didn't bowl any turkeys he wouldn't be allowed to eat any turkeys, the Gutterballs' Scott Murdock emphatically rose to the occasion and put up a 495 series to lead his team to a clean sweep of the Popes. Mike Berlin had the highest output for the Das Sauers – a 407 series – but couldn't derail the Gutterballs' run towards the four victories. Murdock and crew remain in 5th while the Popes still sit in 8th place. Bowlers avoiding the pumpkin ale in the The 200 Club this week include: Carl Goetz (212, 220), Dennis Laube (213), Ian Goetz (245), Ken M. Wilson (238, 211, 221), and Ryan Doll (211).Congratulations are in order for Bill Krejci and wife Sarah who welcomed their first child, Lily Faye Krejci who was born on Saturday the 19th. We'll pencil Lily in now for the Fall 2030 roster. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Kelly Sands Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Kelly Sands Runner Up: Dennis Laube	#1 H2H BOWLER Kelly Sands Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Yeah...she likes to have her hair pulled, too." Ian Goetz, offering up some disturbing information about his grandmother.

Week #12 is now finished and with it we enter the final month of the Fall 2011 season. With wins and losses scattered throughout the various matchups, only one team managed to climb anywhere in the standings this week despite some heroic performances across the league. The Finals are just around the corner so if any team is going to unseat the current league leaders, they best get a move on.For those of you wondering what in the hell is going on in this week's feature image it's Ken "Walter Sobchak" Wilson, Scott "Karl Hungus" Murdock, and Nik "The Dude" Domann attending the Lebowski Fest in Chicago this past Saturday. To get the full experience, feel free to visit Ken's and Scoot's photo albums from the event on Facebook.In the first matchup of the evening, Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse came out firing. Led by anchor Ryan Doll and his 516 series, the Reiters seemed poised to make a run but quickly derailed. That's when the Gutterballs' Scott Murdock (wait, WHAT?!?) stepped up to reverse his team's fortunes with a team-leading 452 series. The net result? Games #2 and #3 went to the Gutterballs but total pins were snatched up by the Apokalypse to end the night in a 2-2 split. While the Reiters remain in 3rd the Gutterballs manage to hop one spot up into 5th place – the lone positive move in the standings all evening.Since the position round, STFU Donny has won 14 of 16 games...earning three of those wins Tuesday night against opponents Skirtz & Jerkz. With the league's highest series of the night, compliments of Carl Goetz – who shot a 623 – Donny managed to cut the gap between them and first place by another game, trailing by only five now. The Skirtz' Orion Kinkaid – who wanted to make sure that the world knew that "Neil pussed out tonight" – shot a team-leading 446 series which was good enough to take Game #2 away from the surging 2nd place team. Skirtz and Jerkz remain in 7th place.First place No Pinheads continues to add wins to their record but fewer and fewer are coming their way as the season gets closer to its conclusion. This week, 8th place team Das Sauer Popes saw a very surprising performance out of Sarah Sauer – this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – who put up her all-time best series and ended the night with a career high 490. Despite another high output night from anchor Aubrey Moren – who shot a 571 – the matchup ended up in a 2-2 split. Neither team moved from their respective positions.The final matchup of the evening down on Lanes 25 & 26 had the Mysterious Platypus Appendages hoping to add some wins at the expense of Kitten Mittons. Such was not the case. With the Mittons' Kelly Sands putting on this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance with his 440 series, Kitten Mittons came away with the lone sweep of the evening and improved their record to 27-21...the same as 3rd place Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse with only total pins separating them. The Platypi's Jake Parrott led his team with a 438 series but it couldn't stop the Kittens from batting them around like a play thing and dropping them into 6th place.Bowlers wishing they, too, would have been at The Lebowski Fest this weekend in Chicago but rather ended up at The 200 Club instead include: Aubrey Moren (215), Carl Goetz (246), Ian Goetz (244), and Ryan Doll (200).Please, please, please, please, please – if you haven't already – please take the time to vote for the Hall of Fame candidates of your choice. Thank you!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Kelly Sands Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Sarah Sauer Runner Up: Freda Schroeder	#1 H2H BOWLER Freda Schroeder Runner Up: Carl Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Excuse me, I just need to reach between your legs and grab a ball." Eric Summers, while trying to fetch a house ball near Scott Murdock.

Tuesday night saw a resurgence of several of the underdogs in the league, who rose up to strike down their higher ranked competitors. And while only two teams swapped places, the overall result was a tightening in the standings all over the place. To top off the evening, a visit was paid by league legend – and Hall of Fame nominee – Pat Searcy to a "young whippersnapper" attempting to make his move into the upper echelon of league lore. Ready to see how your favorite team performed? Us, too.In the first matchup of the evening, the Mysterious Platypus Appendages decided to make their move. With this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance coming compliments of Jake Parrott – who put up a 480 series – the Appendages logged the lone sweep of the evening against opponents Das Sauer Popes. Despite a stellar series out of the Popes' Mike Berlin, who led his team with his first 200+ game this season as part of his 494 series, the team couldn't stop the surging Platypi. The most Mysterious team in the league moves up one spot to 5th while the Popes remain in 8th place.After having not lost a matchup since Week #1, the rollers of No Pinheads suffered their first set back in two and a half months at the hands of Kitten Mittons. Despite a 617 series from anchor Aubrey Moren – as well as being this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – the Pinheads managed to only win one game Tuesday night. The Mittons, led by lead off roller Alison Radke and her highest series ever – a 449 – took it to the current league leaders with a 3-1 matchup victory. Neither team moved at all in the standings, however. No Pinheads remain in 1st by six games while the Mittons improve to a winning record of 23-21 and stay in 4th place.The last time they met in the position round, STFU Donny edged opponents Gutterballs 3-1 – having lost one game by just a few pins. History repeated itself against Tuesday night. With Searcy's foil Ian Goetz – who has set his sights on moving ahead of the Hall of Fame nominee on the Best Bowlers of All Time list – hoisting up a 590 series, Donny managed to add three wins to their record and cut the gap between them and 1st place by two games in the process. The Gutterballs' anchor Jason Carpio led his team with the most firepower, adding a 516 series to the mix, but only managed to eek out a 3-pin victory in Game #2. STFU remains in 2nd while the Gutterballs treat objects like women, man, and slip a spot down into 6th place.In the final matchup of the night, Skirtz & Jerkz's Neil Rieger finally showed up in a big way at just the right time. Facing opponents Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse, Rieger dropped his first 600+ series this season – a 605 – to lead his team to a 3-1 beat down of Der Reiters. Despite the Apokalypse's Rob Kaszuba putting up his best numbers of his season (a 542), he could find no help from anyone else on the team to turn the tide. Even with the wins and losses neither team budged in the standings with Vier Reiters clinging to 3rd and the Jerkz still sitting in 7th place.Rollers not liking the rainy weather tonight outside the The 200 Club include: Aubrey Moren (223, 235), Bill Krejci (201), Carl Goetz (212), Ian Goetz (208, 203), Jason Carpio (204), Ken M. Wilson (204), Mike Berlin (200), Neil Rieger (203, 214), and Rob Kaszuba (203). And if you haven't already, please take a moment to cast your vote(s) on this season's Hall of Fame ballot. Thank you!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Jake Parrott Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Neil Rieger	#1 H2H BOWLER Neil Rieger Runner Up: Rob Kaszuba
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Please, Scoot...we are gonna hump you so much you won't be able to walk tomorrow. Ian Goetz, talking trash to Murdock on Facebook prior to their matchup this evening.

Only six weeks remain in the Fall 2011 season and three teams have broken away from the rest of the league on a course towards the Finals. Week #10 is now history and with it came very little movement in the standings. Big performances from several rollers aided their teams in adding more notches in their win column, including a near perfect game by one and another bowler achieving his very first 600+ series. Ready to hear how your favorite team did Tuesday night? Keep on reading, then.At the end of Week #4, the members of No Pinheads took over the top spot on the league standings...and haven't let go yet. With anchor Aubrey Moren hoisting his first 600+ series (a 628) – and earning #1 Power Ranked bowler honors in the process – against opponents Skirtz & Jerkz, the Pinheads remain a full 8 games ahead of everyone else. The Skirtz' Jennifer Seefeldt put up the highest series on their side of the equation, ending the evening with a 370 series but earning no wins in the process. Skirtz & Jerkz fall one spot into 7th place.Ups and downs is the best way to summarize the battle that pitted the Gutterballs against the Mysterious Platypus Appendages on the lanes Tuesday night. With anchor Jason Carpio's team-leading 564 series, the Gutterballs struck first to take Game #1. The Platypi, led this week by Teresa Deterding's 435 series, fought back in a big way to take Game #2. Game #3 was settled in the 10th frame in favor of the Gutterballs but they were unable to overcome the total pins deficit, which was owned by the Platypi. The teams split the series and remain in their respective spots in the league standings – Gutterballs in 5th, Mysterious Platypus Appendages in 6th.After having shown up on Tuesday ready to roll, the members of Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse found out that their competition we be post-bowling later in the week. This didn't stop this week's Most Valuable Bowler Bill Krejci from putting on a clinic. Ending his night with a 605 series, Krejci led his team to a clean sweep over opponents Das Sauer Popes and keeps his team in 3rd place. The Popes received the most firepower from anchor Mike Berlin, who shot a 414 series. Das Sauer Popes remains in 8th place.The last time they faced one another, the Kitten Mittons crushed STFU Donny. Such was not the case this time around. Led by Ken M. Wilson's 631 series – and a new season best individual game from Carl Goetz (a 269, started with 8 strikes in a row) – Donny added another four wins to their record and have extended their win streak to 11 games. Alison Radke led the Mittons with a 386 series. Neither team moved in the league standings: STFU Donny remains in 2nd while the Mittons stay in 4th place.Bowlers lamenting the demise of Octoberfest for the year this week in The 200 Club include: Aubrey Moren (210, 234), Bill Krejci (204, 209), Carl Goetz (269), Ian Goetz (231, 206), Jason Carpio (203), Ken M. Wilson (213, 217, 201), and Seth Gunderson (227).To those of you that have already cast your vote on this season's Hall of Fame ballot, we thank you. For those of you that have not, come on...it'll take you less time than it took to read this write-up.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 Bill Krejci Runner Up: Aubrey Moren
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I'll be the fluffer!" Alison Radke, chiming in after Carl and Ken announced they were heading down to hump Scoot following both throwing three strikes in a row.

Week 9 of sixteen is now in the history books and with it, only three teams swapped places in the standings...in the top half. While there was no change in the #1 spot, 2nd through 4th place shuffled spots with the lead over the league being cut by one game. While there is still plenty of time to catch the current league leaders, they have only suffered one matchup loss all season long. If any team is going to catch them, it'll at least be two weeks out.Before we get down into the recap from this week's matchups, GutterAlley is proud to announce the six nominees for this season's Hall of Fame vote. Congratulations to Bob Brunker, Carl Goetz, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle "Nellie" (Laube) Lamar, Jason Carpio, and Pat Searcy! Please take a moment of time to vote for your favorite(s). All six are deserving for induction into the Hall but now it's entirely in your hands as to who makes it in. The winner will be announced at the end of this season.In the first matchup of the evening, Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse looked to get back on track against the surging Kitten Mittons. After dropping Game #1, newly married Ryan Doll decided to exchange vows with victories and led his team to a 3-1 matchup win with his 589 series. Game #2 was settled by a mere five pins. The Mitton's Kelly Sands put up a 419 series but it simply wasn't enough to turn the tide. While the Mittons slip down two spots into 4th, their win record is tied with the Reiters at 20-16. Due to total pins, Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse now sits in 3rd place.Despite a broken pair of glasses, the rollers of STFU Donny rose to the occasion in their second matchup against Das Sauer Popes this season to earn the lone sweep of the evening. Led by this week's Most Valuable Bowler Ken M. Wilson – who put up a 669 series – and gaining extra firepower from this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Ian Goetz, Donny refused to be quiet as they moved up into 2nd place. Mike Berlin led the Popes with a 412 series but it couldn't derail the reigning champions as they continue their quest to claw their way back to the top of the league standings. Das Sauer Popes remains in 8th place.The predictions had called upon the Mysterious Platypus Appendages to fall three games to one against opponents Skirtz & Jerkz. Such was not the case Tuesday night. With Teresa Deterding's 445 series leading the way, the Platypi put a 3-1 hurting on their opponents as they came away with the wins necessary to tie the win record of Skirtz & Jerkz. Lead off roller Neil Rieger's 526 series set the pace for the Jerkz but his teammates simply didn't follow. Although neither team changed positions in the standings, the Skirts 6th place spot over the Platypi's 7th place is only separated by total pins.The last time the Gutterballs met No Pinheads, they became the only team this season to come away with a matchup victory against the current league leaders. History did not repeat itself. Despite a 10th frame mishap in Game #1, the Pinheads' anchor Aubrey Moren struck back to reverse the night's fortunes en route to a 3-1 win compliments of his 581 series. The Gutterballs' Scott Murdock hoisted the highest numbers of the night for his team – a 468 – but it couldn't make a dent after their lone win in the initial battle. Neither team moved at all in the standings with the Pinheads holding onto 1st and the Gutterballs remaining in 5th place.Roller's enjoying a week of being treated rather than tricked in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (236), Carl Goetz (229), Dennis Laube (207), Ian Goetz (219, 233), Ken M. Wilson (238, 205, 226), and Ryan Doll (248).Okay, okay, so you've read this far down. Now go and place your vote(s) for the Hall of Fame nominees, pleeeeeeeeeeease. It'll only take under a minute.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Ken Wilson Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Ken Wilson	#1 H2H BOWLER Ken M. Wilson Runner Up: Ian Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I pulled a Ken." Sarah Sauer, after rolling the ball into the gutter and watching it hop out en route to missing the spare...just like Ken had done earlier.

Last season, our bowling community collectively cast its votes for the inaugural class of enshrinees to the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. These 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 »

The second best week of the season is always the position round. With the chance to watch the standings swing wildly in any direction, the matchup victories set the stage for a potentially crazy second half. Can the current league leaders hold onto first place? History has proven otherwise, watching them fold like a paper napkin season after season in the second half. Perhaps this is their time...perhaps not. The stage has been set for the second half. Let's go.Regardless of the outcome of the matchup, No Pinheads was going to remain in first place. After taking Game #1 and stealing Game #2, thanks to a below-average performance by anchor Aubrey Moren and his 497 series, Kitten Mittons won a battle of attrition to take Game #3 ending the night with a 3-1 matchup victory in favor of No Pinheads. Nick Allegri led the Kittens with a 421 series. The Pinheads maintain their 9 game lead over the rest of the league while the Kittens remain in 2nd place. After a two pin loss in Game #1, reigning champions STFU Donny decided that enough was enough. With anchor Ken M. Wilson putting up a 633 series, Seth Gunderson contributing this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance, and Ian Goetz earning #1 Power Ranked bowler honors, STFU turned the night around and defeated the members of Gutterballs 3-1. Despite the Gutterballs' Jason Carpio rolling a 596 series, nothing could stop the revitalized Donny. STFU moves up a spot into 3rd while the Gutterballs drop two spots into 5th place.Also making a move was Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse. With Bill Krejci leading the way with his 540 series, the Reiters handed out the first of Tuesday night's two sweep to opponents Skirtz & Jerkz. Even with lead off roller Neil Rieger's 556 series, nothing could put a dent into the Reiter's quest to move up in the standings. The four wins help propel the Apokalypse up two spots into 4th while the Skirtz jerk down one spot into 6th place.The final matchup of the evening saw no change in the league standings, however it did bode well for Mysterious Platypus Appendages. With AJ Hofmann's 465 series leading the way, the Appendages increased their win record by 50%, adding four more victories to improve to 12-20 on the season. Eric Summers put up the best numbers for the Das Sauer Popes – a 353 – but it could never even bring a single game into range for them. The Platypi remain in 7th while the Popes stick to 8th place.Rollers enjoying full pitchers of Octoberfest (finally!!!) this week include The 200 Club: Ian Goetz (218, 212), Jake Parrott (210), Jason Carpio (202), Ken M. Wilson (223, 223), Neil Rieger (209), and Ryan Doll (221).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Seth Gunderson Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Jason Carpio	#1 H2H BOWLER Jason Carpio Runner Up: Ian Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I told you that we should have hugged Pops more." Alison Radke's sweater puppies, conversing after losing close contests to No Pinheads.

With the position round a mere week away, a sense of urgency swept across the league with teams needing to win big Tuesday night during Week #7 in order to face the opponent they most desired. In the end, four teams came out with three wins while the rest of the league took their lumps and walked away with only a single win. While only the bottom half of the league standings shifted around, two teams in the top half managed to extend their lead away from the rest. For those of you not familiar with the position round, next week's matchups will be determined by your placement in the standings. The team in first will face the team in second place, third will face off against fourth, etc. Next week officially marks the midway point of our league. Got it? Okay, let's go.In the first matchup of the night, the rollers on Das Sauer Popes came away with a solid victory in Game #1 compliments of anchor Mike Berlin and his team leading 451 series. After that, however, the night belonged entirely to Skirtz & Jerkz' very own Jennifer Seefeldt. Rolling a 516 series – which included her very first 200+ game, a 203 – Jenn reversed her teams fortunes to come away with a 3-1 victory. The wins allow the Skirtz to leapfrog up one spot into fifth while opponents Das Sauer Popes slip one spot into 8th place. Make no mistake, the Kitten Mittons are on the prowl...and their latest victims were the members of Gutterballs. After having let Game #1 get away from them, mainly due to the Balls' lead off roller Jonathan Vigliaturo's 461 series, the Mittons' Nick Allegri brought his highest output of the season thus far to take complete command of their matchup. Ending the night with a 516 series – and earning the #1 Power Ranked bowler nod in the process – Allegri made the difference for the Kittens who remain in 2nd and will take on the current league leaders next week. The Gutterballs, despite dropping three games, remain in 3rd place.In what should have been a great night for STFU Donny to shorten the lead that first place team No Pinheads has over the league turned into a rout in reverse. With the Pinheads' Dennis "Pops" Laube throwing his highest series this season – and coming away with Most Valuable Bowler honors as well – the 540 series missed a clean sweep of STFU Donny by a mere three pins in Game #3. Donny's underperforming anchor Ken M. Wilson led his team with a 548 series but amazingly remained in 4th place despite the big losses. The Pinheads now hold a five game lead over the rest of the league and will face Kitten Mittons in the position round. STFU Donny will battle the 3rd place Gutterballs. This season hasn't been too kind to the Mysterious Platypus Appendages...but the bowlers of Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse certainly were down on Lanes 25 & 26. With the Appendages' Teresa Deterding putting up a 406 series, the team bounced back after being out-bowled by the Reiters in Game #1. The high output from Deterding proved to be the winning factor in their equation allowing the team to move out of 8th for the first time in quite a while, landing in 7th place. Bill Krejci led the bowlers on Vier Reiter with a 475 series but it simply wasn't enough to stop the Platypi. Krejci and crew drop one spot in the league standings to find themselves in 6th place.Bowlers wondering what the position round will bring next week while hanging out in The 200 Club include: Dennis Laube (202), Jenn Seefeldt (203), and Ken M. Wilson (202).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dennis Laube Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Nick Allegri Runner Up: Kelly Sands	#1 H2H BOWLER Nick Allegri Runner Up: Kelly Sands
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "A 147 and a 149?!? Wow, son. Seth and I take one night off and you and Ken roll like No Pinheads did all last season." Carl Goetz, vowing to put the team on his shoulders and carry them to victory.

We're now six weeks into the season and one team has resoundingly pulled out ahead of the rest of the pack. While half the league jump all over the place in the standings, the other half remained steadfastly in their current positions. The position round is just around the corner so wins this week and next week are truly important leading into the mid-point of the Fall 2011 season. Ready to see how everyone did? Let's go.After a bad opening week of the season, the members of No Pinheads began a run that has resulted in them sitting in first place a full five games ahead of the rest of the league. Their latest victims? Mysterious Platypus Appendages. Led by Aubrey Moren's 564 series – and accompanied by this week's Most Valuable Bowler Freda Schroeder – the Pinheads added yet another four wins to their record to improve to 20-4, the best record in the league. The Platypi, led this week by AJ Hofmann's 416 series, continue to look for answers as they remain firmly rooted in 8th place. After being blanked last season in all three of their matchups by the eventual champions, Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse decided to exact their revenge Tuesday night...and did so emphatically. Led by Bill Krejci and his 581 series, the Reiters handed out a 3-1 smack down to STFU Donny. Despite Donny's Ian Goetz throwing the highest series of the night – a 626 – STFU was simply unable to stop the rolling Reiters. The wins push Der Apokalypse up a spot into 5th while the reigning champions drop two spots into 4th place.Third place seems to suit the bowlers of Gutterballs as the their 3-1 win over opponents Skirtz & Jerkz kept them firmly rooted in the same spot as last week. With former anchor Jason Carpio leading the charge with his 556 series, the Gutterballs seemed poised to come away with a clean sweep until the Jerkz' Neil Rieger showed up with his 584 series – earning him the #1 Power Ranked bowler nod this week – to come away with a four pin victory in Game #3 and staving off being swept two weeks in a row. Despite their bad luck here lately, the Skirtz fall only one spot into 6th place.Down on Lanes 25 & 26, Kitten Mittons is quickly causing a revolution. Adding four more wins to their record – and leaping more spots in the standings than any other team this week – the Mittons punished opponents Das Sauer Popes as they moved up to 2nd place. With anchor Nick Allegri leading the way with his 497 series, the Kitten Mittons were able to keep Das Sauer Popes winless Tuesday night. Sarah Sauer provided the most fire-power the Popes, ending the night with a 448 series and remaining in 7th place.Bowlers still accusing one another of hiding the Octoberfest beer kegs at The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (224), Bill Krejci (219), Carl Goetz (203, 213), Ian Goetz (246), Jason Carpio (204), Ken M. Wilson (239, 206), Neil Rieger (203, 213), Orion Kinkaid (201), and Ryan Doll (226).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Freda Schroeder Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Neil Rieger Runner Up: Ian Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Neil Rieger
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Their old hearts can't take the excitement of being in first place for this long. You're killing them!!!" Ken, explaining to Ian and Seth how their team's continued losses are helping to keep No Pinheads in first place.

As the league puts Week #5 to rest, five teams shuffled spots in the league standings with three moving up and two dropping down. While the team at the top of the heap holds onto their spot for a second straight week, the teams in second through sixth place played musical chairs with a mere three games separating them all from one another. The big surprise on the lanes came from the team that moved up two spots behind an outstanding performance from a man earning his first MVB and #1 Power Ranking nod on the same night. Read on to get the full story...In the first matchup of the night, the Gutterballs looked to get back to their winning ways even though schedules didn't allow the team to bowl together. With two bowlers taking care of their games over lunch – including a team-leading 434 series from Jonathan Vigliaturo – the Gutterballs managed to secure a 3-1 matchup victory over opponents Das Sauer Popes. The Popes' Mike Berlin put up a 408 series to lead his teammates, putting up his best score of the night during Game #2, to earn them their lone win of the night. The Sauer Popes remain in 7th while the Gutterballs' three notches in the W column push them up one spot into 3rd plea.Down a pair on Lanes 21 & 22, Kitten Mittons' very own Ryan Simonet wanted to remind opponents Skirtz & Jerkz what it was like to be swept, and did so emphatically. Earning both his first Most Valuable Bowler award as well as coming in as this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler, Simonet's 460 series – along with anchor Nick Allegri's 462 series – crushed the Skirtz & Jerkz in a clean sweep. Despite a valiant effort from anchor Jennifer Seefeldt, who led the team with a 500 series, the team could simply not stop Simonet and crew. Adding their four games into their record, Kitten Mittons jumps two spots up into 4th while the Skirtz jerk down three spots into 5th place. After falling victim to last week's MVB and #1 Power Ranked bowler and feeling the sting that the Skirtz & Jerkz felt this week, STFU Donny got back into the swing of things to stay in the hunt for another title. Led by anchor Ken M. Wilson's 648 series, STFU Donny earned a 3-1 matchup victory over the Mysterious Platypus Appendages. Game #3 belong entirely to the Appendages as Teresa Deterding led the team with her 468 series to earn the team their lone win. Donny inched up one spot into 2nd while the Platypi remain in 8th place.The final battle of the night pitted league leaders No Pinheads against Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse. With newly promoted anchor Aubrey Moren settling into his new role, the Pinheads earned a big 3-1 win served up by Moren's 561 series. The wins keep the Pinheads in first place by a margin of four games. The Apokalypse, who featured sub Greg Middleton coming back into the league for the first time since the Spring 2010 season, was led by Rob Kaszuba and his 504 series. The wins went back and forth between the teams until the Pinheads break the see-saw and took total pins. Vier Reiter's slip one spot in the standings and find themselves in 6th place.Bowlers lamenting the lack of Octoberfest at the bar in the The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (219, 202), Carl Goetz (213), Ian Goetz (210) and Ken M. Wilson (255, 202).With the nomination process ending in the next few weeks, please take a moment to check out the eligible bowlers and nominate as many as you'd like as the next enshrinee into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. Thank you!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Ryan Simonet Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ryan Simonet Runner Up: Jennifer Seefeldt	#1 H2H BOWLER Teresa Deterding Runner Up: Ian Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I like hugging Allison. She's real nice and firm!" Name withheld – although you know who you are – after giving a congratulatory hug to Radke upon a good frame.

With the Fall 2011 season a quarter of the way complete, things are shaping up to make this season interesting. After four weeks, three different teams have sat atop the league standings. One bowler put on the performance of the season thus far, securing both of the top weekly honors while obliterating the reigning champs. Did we mention that this season was going to be interesting? Read on...Please, if you could spare a minute or two, click over and nominate someone for the GutterAlley Hall of Fame. Only one bowler will make it in this season and we will be closing the nominations the week of the position round. In the first matchup of the evening, the Mysterious Platypus Appendages looked to reverse their season's negative fortunes and seemed poised to do so after taking Game #1 from opponents Kitten Mittons. The Mittons' Nick Allegri, however, quickly put that to an end with a 412 series and led his team to a 3-1 matchup victory over the Platypi. AJ Hofmann led the Mysterious Appendages with his 411 series but it was only good enough to earn one win, leaving them in 8th place. Kitten Mittons claw their way up into 6th place with the addition of their three wins.Look out, league! There's a new sheriff in town and they go by the name they've had since the end of the Jurassic period – No Pinheads. Facing opponents Das Sauer Popes, the Pinheads survived a close Game #1 before coasting to a clean sweep compliments of Dennis "Pops" Laube's team-leading 476 series. The Popes, who were led this week by Sarah Sauer and her 394 series, slide back down to 7th place. With their four wins, the Pinheads ascend to the top spot in the league standings with their impressive 13-3 record.Down a pair on Lanes 24 & 24, three of the Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse helped their competition continue their downward slide in the standings. With Bill Krejci leading the way for the riders with his 502 series, the team nearly pulled off a sweep but fell 17 pins shy of doing so in Game #3 and came away with a 3-1 matchup victory. Despite the wins, they remain in 5th place due to a total pins tiebreaker. Opponents Gutterballs find themselves dropping down another notch into 4th place. The Balls were led this week by Jason Carpio and his 499 series.Having planned on bringing his A game when he faced the league's reigning champs, Neil Rieger of Skirtz & Jerkz found defeating the competition to be pretty easy...'specially when your lone teammate for the evening is Orion Kinkaid. While Rieger did lead the team with a 553 series, Tuesday night belonged entirely to Kinkaid who came away with Most Valuable Bowler and #1 Power Ranked bowler honors with his 541 series. Former first place holders STFU Donny were completely silenced as the Jerkz swept them off the lanes. The wins propel Skirtz & Jerkz up into 2nd while Donny drops to 3rd place. Carl Goetz led the hapless Donny, ending his night with a 571 series.Bowlers who discussed who they were going to nominate for the GutterAlley Hall of Fame this season while hanging out in The 200 Club this week include: Carl Goetz (224), Orion Kinkaid (214) and Seth Gunderson (221).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Orion Kinkaid Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Orion Kinkaid Runner Up: Neil Rieger	#1 H2H BOWLER Orion Kinkaid Runner Up: Neil Rieger
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "God, Kenny...I knew I should have aborted you when I had the chance. Your team would agree with me." Pat Wilson, upon hearing that son Ken was this week's LEAST Valuable Bowler.

With averages leveling out after three weeks of bowling, things typically begin to settle down and we start to see which teams are hell bent on proving that they are in it to win it. Tuesday night's performances, however, contained a mishmash of scores – some way up, some way down – that once again shifted around the league standings...including an interesting tie at the top of the heap. If you haven't taken a moment to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame, please consider doing so. It'll only take you a couple of minutes and would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!One of the most anticipated matchups of the evening proved to be a clash of the titans with last season's 2nd best team Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse taking on newcomers Skirtz & Jerkz. While the Reiters charged head first into battle and took Game #1 behind anchor Ryan Doll's 509 series, it was the output of the Jerkz' Neil Reiger that reversed his team's fortunes to secure a 3-1 victory for the night. Reiger led his team with a 541 series and propelled his team two spots up into 4th while the Apokalypse slipped one spot directly behind their opponents into 5th place.In the battle for first place, the Gutterballs looked to extend their time at the top of the league standings by beating down reigning champs STFU Donny. Things did not work out for them at all. With Donny's anchor Ken M. WIlson rolling a 672 and narrowly missing being added to the newly released Top 25 Series of All Time with his series, the team reclaimed their #1 spot by a total pins tiebreaker. Wilson was also this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler. Despite the Gutterballs' Jason Carpio throwing a 527 – and moving up to 2nd place on the Top 25 Most Improved Bowlers of All Time – the team simply could not buy a win and tumbled two spots down into 3rd place. Seth Gunderson wants to personally and proudly tell John Vigliaturo to STFU, Johnny, for all the trash-talk throughout the day.Down on Lanes 23 and 24, the Das Sauer Popes and Mysterious Platypus Appendages teeter-tottered back and forth with their wins and ended the night with a 2-2 split. The Platypi struck first, taking Game #1 by a mere nine pins behind anchor Jake Parrott's 455 series. Game #2 was owned by the Popes, who were led by anchor Mike Berlin and his 490 series. Game #3 went to the Platypi but ended up losing total pins to the Popes by a spread of four pins. Talk about close! With two wins apiece, Das Sauer Popes moves one spot in the standings up into 6th while the Mysterious Platypus Appendages remain in 8th place.The final matchup of the evening proved that you don't have to be present to be the week's Most Valuable Bowler. Having pre-bowled earlier, No Pinheads' very own Freda Schroeder provided the necessary MVB oomph – along with Aubrey Moren's team-leading 597 series – to land her team a clean sweep of opponents Kitten Mittons. The Mittons, led by anchor Nick Allegri and his 445 series, tried their best but fell short each game and find themselves dropping two spots into 7th place. No Pinheads, on the other hand, leap up into 2nd place with a 9-3 series and only trail the top spot by total pins. Bowlers enjoying their last days of summer in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (202, 216), Ian Goetz (204, 207), Jason Carpio (216), Ken M. Wilson (232, 231, 209) and Seth Gunderson (205).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Freda Schroeder Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ken Wilson Runner Up: Seth Gunderson	#1 H2H BOWLER Ken M. Wilson Runner Up: Seth Gunderson
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Any time you guys want to team hump me, go right ahead." Scott Murdock, striking immediately after receiving a "group mount" from STFU Donny.

Ahh, the uncertainty of Week #2. If there was ever a week tailor made to wreak havoc on everything from averages to the league standings, it's the second week of any season. Week #2 of the Fall 2011 was no exception with every single team changing places in the standings, averages swinging wildly and Scoot's team ascending into the top spot. In other words, hell has frozen over.In the first matchup of the night, the reigning champs STFU Donny had planned to extend their win streak after a perfect start Week #1 but ran head first into the men of Kitten Mittons. With Kelly Sands' mantra "make your own luck" leading the charge, anchor Nick Allegri shot a team high 443 to rally for a 3-1 matchup victory after dropping Game #1 by a mere six pins. Ian Goetz shot a 542 series for STFU Donny but it simply wasn't enough to secure anything more than their lone initial victory. With the wins, the Mittons claw their way up to 5th while STFU Donny has their rug stolen and fall to 2nd place. Vowing to not end up in last place, Das Sauer Popes made true on their promise and hand delivered a 3-1 beat down of powerhouse team Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse. With this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance coming from the Popes' Mike Berlin and his 521 series, Das tamed the Apokalypse in Games #1 and #2 before succumbing in Game #3 to Ryan Doll and his 580 series. Das Sauer Popes skips up into 7th while the Reiters ride down into 4th place.After a rocky start in Week #1, the members of No Pinheads found themselves in the bottom half of the league standings. That's when Aubrey Moren and this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Phil Schroeder stepped up and both shot a 529 series apiece to get back into the groove of things. Coming away with a clean sweep of opponents Skirtz & Jerkz, the Pinheads jumped two spots up into 3rd place due to a total pins tiebreaker. Neil Reiger led the Jerkz with a 483 series but it simply wasn't enough to earn a win. Skirtz & Jerkz drop two spots into 6th place.In the last matchup of the night down on Lanes 25-26, the Gutterballs added another four ticks in their win column to improve to the best record in the league. With Jason Carpio leading the way with a 501 series, the team didn't let up at all en route to their first sweep of the season. The Mysterious Platypus Appendages, falling two spots, find themselves in 8th place despite the team-leading 393 from anchor Jake Parrot. Bowlers chilling out in the cool Fall air this week at The 200 Club include: Aubrey Moren (214), Dennis "Pops" Laube (215) and Ryan Doll (211, 211).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Mike Berlin Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Phil Schroeder Runner Up: Kelly Sands	#1 H2H BOWLER Mike Berlin Runner Up: Phil Schroeder
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "They are only just NOW starting their third game?!? These people are slower than that Corky kid." Janitor Joe Dirt, thinking everyone in the league was finishing up for the night until he saw No Pinheads was still rolling.

Had anyone asked league founder – and Hall of Famer – Angela Bradford in our inaugural season how long she thought the VML Bowling League would last, I doubt she would have been anywhere close to right. And here we are, twelve years later, currently bowling in our 24th session. Next season will be the 25th in our collective history and we here at GutterAlley thought it would be fun to look back upon the best, the worst and the oddest records that we could dig up since we began the task of keeping scores in the Spring of 2002.Each week, leading up to the kickoff of our 25th season, we'll put up at least one new Top 25 list for everyone to enjoy. For those of you that have been in the league for a while, these lists may conjure up names and teams that you haven't thought about in ages. The lists aim to both honor and entertain. Sure, we'll kick out Top 25 lists that will not be too much of a surprise (all-time top games, top win records, etc.) but there will be plenty of rankings that will hopefully bring either a smile to your face or a look of absolute puzzlement.That second expression is exactly what we encountered when we decided to dig up the information on our very first list...in which we will actually list the top 50 largest individual swings in-between games. We went with a top 50 as what better way to kick this campaign off than with a list twice the size of all the rest (well, that, and there are a lot of ties in the first 25)?!?So, without further adieu, check out our first list of many coming your way...Top 25 (Okay, 50) Largest Swings In-Between GamesIf you have any ideas for other lists you'd like to see, please let us know.Enjoy!

Hey, gang! Please don't forget that there will be no bowling this week due to a private party at the NKC Pro Bowl. We'll pick right up where we left off next Tuesday – September 6th – for our official Week #2.See you next Tuesday!

The Fall 2011 season – the 24th in league history – is officially underway now that the eight teams have rolled their first series of games. Scattered amongst the numerous returning veterans were three brand new bowlers along with two substitutes. GutterAlley officially welcomes Kim Wallace, Jonathan Vigliaturo and Gary Schroer into the league and to subs-turned-full-timers Mike Berlin and Neil Rieger as well. One of these five will come away with Rookie of the Season honors at the end of the season. REMINDER: We will not be bowling next week due to NKC Pro-Bowl being rented out for a private party. Our league will reconvene on Tuesday, September 6th to pick up where we left off.The first matchup of the evening featured long-time leaguers (and apparently permanently named) No Pinheads versus the half-new/half-old Gutterballs. The Pinheads, led by lead off bowler Aubrey Moren and his 482 series, took Game #1 before the Gutterballs' very own Jason Carpio woke up and went into overdrive. Stealing Game #2 by a single pin, the Gutterballs needed every bit of Carpio's 601 series – as well as this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance by newcomer Jonathan Vigliaturo – in order to turn the tides and come away with a 3-1 matchup victory over No Pinheads. The wins starts the Gutterballs' season off right, pushing them into 2nd while No Pinheads begin their title hunt in 5th place. Down a pair on Lanes 19 & 20, the most oddly named team this season – Mysterious Platypus Appendages – took on the co-ed team Skirtz & Jerkz. With Orion Kinkaid leading the way with his out of the game 483 series, the Jerkz looked to be well on their way to a sweep until they were derailed by a mere six pins. All three bowlers present for MPA tonight threw games well above their averages to secure the come-from-behind victory. Teresa Deterding led the MPAs with her 410 series. Skirtz and Jerkz find themselves after the first week in 4th with a record of 3-1 while the MPAs start the season in 6th with the reverse record.After a stellar run last season, the returning members of the renamed Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse wasted no time at all in re-establishing themselves as a team with which to be reckoned. Led by Bill Krejci and his 526 series, the three horsemen and one horselady ended their inaugural night with a 3-1 matchup win over the returning Kitten Mittons, last seen in the Fall of 2010. Ryan Simonet led all bowlers on the Mittons with his 373 series and secured their lone win of the evening. Der Apokalypse gallop up into 3rd while the Mittons quietly cover their paws in 7th place.Having wrapped up the title last season, reigning champions STFU Donny has given noticed that they intend to keep their crown at the end of this season as well. Beginning their season with the lone sweep of the evening over opponents Das Sauer Popes, STFU quickly takes over the first place spot. Anchor Ken M. Wilson's 608 series led the team as well as earned him #1 Power Ranked bowler honors, proving that STFU Donny is not out of their element. The Popes' MIke Berlin smoked up the lanes with his 420 series to lead his team in the losing effort. The Popes begin their season in 8th place.Bowlers having a drink on the house this week at The 200 Club include: Carl Goetz (234), Jason Carpio (225, 211) and Ken M. Wilson (210, 250).Gazing into the crystal ball of the league's very own fortune teller, Murdock the Kinda Good at Times foresees three sweeps next week and one 3-1 outcome across the league. The sweeps, he claims, will belong to STFU over Kitten Mittons, Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse over Das Sauer Popes and No Pinheads over Skirtz and Jerkz. He calls for a single pin victory by the Mysterious Platypus Appendages before Gutterballs reverses their own fortune and takes the matchup 3-1. Will these predictions come true? Who the hell knows. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Jonathan Vigliaturo Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ken Wilson Runner Up: Jason Carpio	#1 H2H BOWLER Jason Carpio Runner Up: Ken M. Wilson
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I went down all the way and came up with nothing." Jennifer Seefeldt, after missing a single-pin spare at the last second.

Well, gang, we are exactly one week away from kicking off the Fall 2011 session of the VML Bowling League, aka GutterAlley! We hope that everyone enjoyed their summer break. During the off-season, good old North Kansas City Pro-Bowl purchased a brand new $47,000 oil machine for the lanes. Upon arrival to roll some practice games during the break after the new machine had been put to use, two employees warned us that we "wouldn't like it." So to anyone that throws a fingertip ball, beware – the shot is radically different than it was last season and it may take you a bit to adjust to the new patterns. Consider yourself warned, hookers!For those of you that are new to the league – including those few that have subbed in the past and have decided to join us full time this season – welcome! New recruits this go around include Gary Schroer, Jonathan Vigliaturo, Kim Wallace, Mike Berlin and Neil Rieger.START DATE: Tuesday, August 23rd 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 »