And that does it! With the roster completely full, it's time to pick teams. To speed the process up, we here at GutterAlley are going to take a stab at what we think are going to be the teams this season based upon emails received during the recruitment process.Team 1Logjammin' -- Jonathan Vigliaturo, Gary Schroer, Scott Murdock, Jason Carpio*Team 2No Pinheads -- Aubrey Moren, Phil Schroeder, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Freda Schroeder*Team 3Mysterious Platypus Appendages -- Aaron Chandler, Teresa Deterding, AJ Hofmann, Jake Parrott*Team 4Skirtz & Jerkz -- Neil Rieger*, Kim Wallace, Orion Kinkaid, Jennifer Seefeldt Team 5Vier Reiter Der Apokalypse -- Kelly Anderson, Rob Kaszuba, Bill Krejci, Ryan Doll*Team 6Kitten Mittons -- Alison Radke*, Kelly Sands, Ryan Simonet, Nick Allegri Team 7Das Sauer Popes -- Emily Podhajsky*, Eric Summers, Sarah Sauer, Mike Berlin Team 8STFU Donny -- Seth Gunderson, Ian Goetz, Carl Goetz, Ken M. Wilson*If this is not the case, please let me know as soon as possible.Once a team is officially set, we will bold it. In order to make a team "official," we need to know three pieces of information:1. The order in which you want to bowl...2. Your team's name...3. The team captain.That's it!

With summer winding down it's time to once again turn our attention toward filling up the 32-person roster for the next session of the VML Bowling League. Starts: August 23rd at 6:30pm (practice starting at 6:20)Ends: December 20th (total of 17 weeks, skipping August 30th*)Cost: $14 per week, does include the cost of rental shoes (full-time VMLers will tentatively pay only $8/week)Location: NKC Pro-BowlHere are the brave souls that have signed up so far to battle this season:1. Ken M. Wilson2. Ian Goetz3. Aubrey Moren4. Ryan Doll5. Scott Murdock6. Anna Lahey7. Bill Krejci8. Teresa Deterding9. Seth Gunderson10. Aaron Chandler11. Jake Parrott12. AJ Hofmann13. Phil Schroeder14. Freda Schroeder15. Dennis "Pops" Laube16. Sarah Manning17. Rob Kaszuba18. Jonathan Vigliaturo 19. Gary Schroer20. Kelly Anderson21. Carl Goetz22. Alison Radke23. Ryan Simonet24. Kelly Sands25. Nick Allegri26. Jason Carpio27. Neil Rieger28. Orion Kinkaid29. Jennifer Seefeldt30. Emily Podhajsky31. Mike Berlin32. Sarah Sauer

The Kansas City Corporate Challenge bowling competition took place on Saturday, June 18th. Teams from all across the Greater Kansas City area competed in the annual event with VML digging in to face 'em all in Division E. The competition was strong but bowlers throughout GutterAlley's history showed up and came away with medals.The women's team was comprised of GutterAlley's own Sabrina Gray and Sarah Sauer along with VMLers Shelly Ledbetter and Kim Wallace. Ledbetter led the team with her 401 series. In a field of 16 teams, the women finished in 9th place.The men's team – who had never won a medal in the company's history – came away with the bronze medal behind a stellar performance by Brian Eye. Eye, finishing 10th overall in the individual competition for men (this includes both the men's field as well as the men in the co-ed competition), led the team with a 628 series. League bowler Orion Kinkaid and substitute Mike Berlin rolled alongside Eye and VMLer Jeff Berney to cap off the historic run.Year after year, the co-ed team has chased the gold medal and walked away with more silver and bronze medals than they care to remember. The 2011 competition served up yet another incredible – albeit BARELY dashed – run as four title winners (including two Hall of Famers) missed going home with the gold by a mere 13 pins. Comprised of Jennifer Seefeldt, Angela Bradford, Bill Krejci and Ken M. Wilson, the team narrowly missed that ever-elusive gold. Seefeldt earned a second medal as she rolled the second highest series overall for women in the entire division, ending her day with a 466 series. Individual finishes:Women's: Jennifer Seefeldt - 466 (155 average)Angela Bradford - 420 (140 average) Shelly Ledbetter - 401 (133 average)Sarah Sauer - 359 (119 average)Sabrina Gray - 349 (116 average)Kim Lawless - 248 (82 average)Men's:Brian Eye - 628 (209 average)Ken M. Wilson - 589 (196 average)Bill Krejci - 541 (180 average)Orion Kinkaid - 490 (163 average)Mike Berlin - 437 (145 average)Jeff Berney - 398 (132 average)Congratulations to everyone!

The Spring 2011 session of the VML Bowling League officially came to a close Tuesday with league president Ken M. Wilson and secretary/treasurer Scott "Scooter J" Murdock presiding over the semi-annual Fun Night. The league crowned title winners Seth Gunderson, Ian Goetz, Carl Goetz and Wilson for their first place finish. Prize money was handed out to all the other teams based upon their win records.1. S*I*C*K (48-16)2. Dolls and Balls (37.5-26.5)3. Istanbowl Turkey (36-28)4. No Pinheads (35.5-28.5)5. SucmaBOWLS (29-35)6. Tonganoxie Doglift (28-36)7. Eat Split and DI (26-38)8. Touch My Vlad (16-48)Those bowlers earning extra money in their envelopes for having rolled the best individual achievements this season included:Angela Bradford - Women’s High Series Scratch (547)Kelly Anderson - Women’s High Game Scratch (180)Teresa Deterding - Women’s High Series Handicap (612)Sabrina Gray - Women’s High Game Handicap (218)Carl Goetz - Men’s High Series Scratch (683)Ian Goetz - Men’s High Game Scratch (254)Ken M. Wilson - Men’s High Series Handicap (705)Bill Riley - Men’s High Game Handicap (281)The winners of the season favorites were also announced. Taking the individual honors in the various categories this year were:Rookie of the Season - Kelly Anderson (Russell Madsen, runner-up)Captain of the Season - Ryan Doll (Ken M. Wilson, runner-up)Defensive Bowler of the Season - Carl Goetz (Ryan Doll, runner-up)Underdog of the Season - Kelly Anderson (Sabrina Gray, runner-up)Bob Brunker Good Sportsmanship Award - Emily Podhajsky (Jake Parrott, runner-up)People's Choice: Most Valuable Bowler - Carl Goetz (Ken M. Wilson, runner-up)The bowlers that were their team's Most Valuable Bowler were also mentioned:Team 1: Carl Goetz / Ken M. Wilson = S*I*C*KTeam 2: Chris Able = Touch My VladTeam 3: Aubrey Moren = No PinheadsTeam 4: Kelly Anderson / Rob Kaszuba / Bill Krejci / Ryan Doll = Dolls and BallsTeam 5: Scott Murdock = Istanbowl TurkeyTeam 6: Russell Madsen = Tonganoxie DogliftTeam 7: AJ Hofmann / Jake Parrott = Eat Split and DITeam 8: Orion Kinkaid = SucmaBOWLSCarl Goetz and Ken M. Wilson tied as the overall Most Valuable Bowlers for the season according to the infamous ScooterMath™-driven "George Bailey Report" with the entire team of Dolls and Balls (Anderson, Kaszuba, Krejci and Doll) along with Chris Able as the runner-ups.The evening concluded with the first ever inductions into the newly formed GutterAlley Hall of Fame. The inaugural class consisted of long-time veterans Angela Bradford, Scott "Scooter J" Murdock, Freda Schroeder and Ken M. Wilson.Each was presented a bowling pin painted in their likeness as their official trophy welcoming them into the Hall of Fame. We'd like to send a gigantic thank you to Ken's wife Melissa Wilson for hand-painting each of the four bowling pins.Pictured from left to right: Ken M. Wilson, Freda Schroeder, Angela Bradford and Scott Murdock.On behalf of the league, we wish that everyone has a great summer break and hope to see you all back in the fall.Enjoy!

The Spring 2011 season has officially come to a close with the results of the Finals now in. Three of the four members from last year's championship team repeated as the first place finishers – congratulations to Seth Gunderson, Ian Goetz, Carl Goetz and Hall of Famer Ken M. Wilson. In the end, three teams swapped places in the league standings as four sweeps were handed out tonight in the matchups. Ready for the final rundown? Let's hit it...The last time that S*I*C*K met up with opponents Dolls and Balls, they crushed 'em. Earlier in the season when they first met up, the team's namesake had to roll with his opposite hand to avoid forfeiting. Nonetheless, they were crushed. So, here in the Finals, were they able to exact their revenge? Not a chance, thanks to S*I*C*K's lead off bowler Seth Gunderson. Saving his best series of the season for last, Gunderson's led the entire league as the champs once again blanked 2nd place Dolls and Balls 4-0. The Balls' Bill Krejci led his team with a 530 series but it simply wasn't enough to derail Seth and crew. Gunderson's performance, which earned him the #1 Power Ranked bowler nod, cemented his team's 48-16 record – the 3rd highest in league history. Dolls and Balls finished with a record of 37.5-26.5.Having nothing to lose and nothing to gain, No Pinheads entered the Finals knowing that no matter what happened they would end up in 4th place. Despite this knowledge, they didn't let it stop them from absolutely routing opponents Istanbowl Turkey. With only two bowlers – and Dennis "Pops" Laube leading the charge with his 538 series – the Pinheads destroyed the Turkeys in a 4-0 matchup showdown. Hall of Famer Angela Bradford put up the highest numbers for the Turkeys, ending her season with a 509 series. While the outcome didn't change either team's respective spot in the standings, the Pinheads managed to come within half a game of the Turkeys but remain in 4th place nonetheless with their 35.5-28.5 record. Istanbowl Turkey survives in 3rd place with a record of 36-28.Two weeks ago, SucmaBOWLS' member Dave Winger celebrated his very first Most Valuable Bowler win. So what did Winger do in the Finals? He earned it again. With teammate Orion Kinkaid's 455 series leading the way, Winger added three above-average games to improve their win record by four to 29-35 to end their season jumping up one spot into 5th place. Opponents Eat Split and DI continued their descent with another four losses, led this week by AJ Hofmann's 341 series, and wind up falling two spots into 7th place with a record of 26-38.The final matchup of the evening pitted Tonganoxie Doglift against Touch My Vlad. True to form, Tonganoxie came out firing and never let up. With rookie sensation Russell Madsen leading his team with a 452 series, the Doglifts wrapped up their season by adding four more notches to their win column and sneaking up into 6th place. Touch, led by Jeremy Stockbridge's 387 series, ended their season in 8th place with a record of 16-48.Only four people spent their night after the Finals hanging out in The 200 Club: Carl Goetz (206), Dennis "Pops" Laube (201), Ken M. Wilson (214) and Seth Gunderson (207, 220).With the conclusion of the season, voting for the Season Favorites is now officially open. Take a couple of minutes to make your end of the season selections.Results from the Season Favorites balloting will be announced next week at the awards ceremony where we'll also hand out the prize money for team wins, the league's Most Valuable Bowler and for the following individual awards:Women's High Series Scratch - Angela Bradford (547)Men's High Series Scratch - Carl Goetz (683)Women's High Game Scratch - Kelly Anderson (180)^*Men's High Game Scratch - Ian Goetz (254)Women's High Series Handicap - Teresa Deterding (612)Men's High Series Handicap - Ken M. Wilson (705)Women's High Game Handicap - Sabrina Gray (218)Men's High Game Handicap - Bill Riley (281)Thanks again to everyone for making this yet another successful season of the VML Bowling League. We hope to see you when the league starts back up in late August.See you next Tuesday!^*The earlier announcement of Freda Schroeder for "Women's High Game Scratch" was in error. Sadly, Rule 3B requires that a bowler actually bowl for 11 weeks of the season to receive Individual Awards. Freda's shoulder injury prevented her from bowling after the 8th week.

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dave Winger Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Dennis Laube	#1 H2H BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Jeremy Stockbridge
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I have graduated from using kid balls!" Emily Podhajsky, proudly announcing that she has started bowling with a heavier bowling ball.

With almost 100 votes cast from bowlers representing the entire history of the league, the inaugural class of GutterAlley's Hall of Fame has been selected. Congratulations to Angela Bradford, Scott "Scooter J" Murdock, Freda Schroeder and Ken M. Wilson.The four will be officially inducted into the Hall during this season's award ceremony on May 24th. Angela BradfordAB made her debut in the very first season, actually creating the league and acting as its first president. Throughout her time in the league she has amassed three first place championships, numerous season favorite awards and currently holds the top spot of every single individual achievement for female bowlers – something no other bowler has been able to do in league history.Scott "Scooter J" MurdockMurdock joined the league in the Fall 2001 season and, while not making much noise on the lanes individually, has proven himself invaluable as the league's #1 behind-the-scenes man. Doing all of the programming behind GutterAlley.com since its creation in 2003 as well as being the league's secretary/treasurer season after season, his tireless efforts have earned him a well-deserved HoF nod.Freda SchroederFreda, like her daughter Angela, was part of the very first season in the league's history. During her numerous seasons, Freda has rolled scores that have placed her in the top five of all the individual achievements for female bowlers as well as earned two league championship titles. Freda's early work as the league's first statistician laid the groundwork for what would later become the league's web site.Ken M. WilsonWilson, too, made his debut in the league's very first season. With 11 first place finishes and the league's highest individual game to date under his belt, Ken's bowling career speaks for itself. Serving as the league's president throughout the majority of its history, Wilson has devoted countless hours in keeping the league going season after season. Please join us in both congratulating and thanking these four individuals who, without them, the league would not be what it is today.

Surrounded by a steady stream of country music and an entire horde of cowboys and cowgirls, the bowlers of GutterAlley battled through the week before the Finals while a pony stood by the front door. Yes, an actual pony. You can't make this stuff up, folks...but it actually happened. Even though the drama surrounding who would win the title ended last week, teams continued to jockey for a better spot in the standings as every win means more money in the prize fund envelopes at the end of the season. Ready to find out how Week 15 went down? You're in the right place...In the initial showdown, Touch My Vlad came out firing against opponents SucmaBOWLS and easily took Game #1. After that, however, it was the Sucma show as Orion Kinkaid stormed back with a team-leading 433 series to reverse his teams fortunes and ultimately win the matchup 3-1. Vlad's Chris Able put up the top series for his team – a 429 – but only managed to secure the one win. The wins didn't boost either team out of their current spots as SucmaBOWLS holds onto 6th and Touch My Vlad remains in 8th place. After battling back after a disappointing first half of the season, No Pinheads came up short in their pre-Finals showdown against opponents Istanbowl Turkey in their effort to move up. Behind Angela Bradford's 542 series – and help from this week's Most Valuable Bowler Sabrina Gray – Istanbowl Turkey locked down Games #1 and #2 before falling in Game #3 but still held on for a total pins victory. Istanbowl's 3-1 matchup win keeps them in 3rd place with a chance to move up into second next week. The Pinhead's Aubrey Moren put up a 564 series to bring about his team's lone win and keeps them in 4th place. Both teams will face off once again in the Finals.The last time that Tonganoxie Doglift took on season champions S*I*C*K they battled them to a 2-2 standstill. History once again repeated itself as the men of Tonganoxie put on a clinic in Game #1 behind Russell Madsen's team leading 450 series to take a huge lead. S*I*C*K's Carl Goetz got his team back on track by throwing a 574 series to squeak by with a 3-pin win in Game #2 and an easy win in Game #3. The rout in the initial game was enough for Tonganoxie to hold on for the total pins victory. Both teams remain in their respective standings positions with S*I*C*K having wrapped up the season in 1st and Tonganoxie Doglift sitting in 7th place.The final matchup Tuesday night provided the lone sweep of the evening in favor of Dolls and Balls over opponents Eat Split and DI. With the team's namesake Ryan Doll leading the way with a 580 series – the highest of the evening and enough to land him #1 Power Ranked bowler honors – Dolls and Balls crushed Eat Split and DI to remain in 2nd place. Leadoff bowler Teresa Deterding wore the pants for Eat Split this week, ending her night with a team-leading 381 series but remaining in 5th place. This week's scores saw a larger group than normal hanging out in The 200 Club, including: Angela Bradford (226), Aubrey Moren (219), Bill Krejci (201), Carl Goetz (222), Ken M. Wilson (210) and Ryan Doll (219, 204).With this week's results, we now know the lineup for the Finals next week. For those of you that have never been in a Finals week it's exactly like the position round we had at the mid-point of our current season in which the team in 1st place takes on the team in 2nd place, 3rd will face off against 4th place, etc. Finals competitors:#1 S*I*C*K (44-16) vs. #2 Dolls and Balls (37.5-22.5)#3 Istanbowl Turkey (36-24) vs #4 No Pinheads (31.5-28.5)#5 Eat Split and DI (26-34) vs #6 SucmaBOWLS (25-35)#7 Tonganoxie Doglift (24-36) vs #8 Touch My Vlad (16-44)Possible outcomes: S*I*C*K will remain in 1st place regardless of the matchup outcome. Dolls and Balls could fall to 3rd place.Istanbowl Turkey could move as high as 2nd place but cannot fall any lower than 3rd place.No Pinheads, regardless of their matchup, will finish their season in 4th place.Eat Split and DI can finish no higher than 5th but could fall as far as 7th.SucmaBOWLS could move up into 5th place or fall to 7th.Tonganoxie Doglift has a chance to move up to 5th place but can finish no lower than 7th place.Touch My Vlad has 8th place wrapped up regardless of the outcome of their matchup.Predicting the actual outcome of the Finals is a tough business but Murdock the Kinda Good at Times decided to give it his best shot nonetheless. Peering into his crystal bowling ball, he was able to divine the following predictions: the matchup with S*I*C*K versus Dolls and Balls is predicted to end in a 2-2 split, the No Pinheads are expected to mop the floor against Istanbowl Turkey, Eat Split and DI are expected to take three games from SucmaBOWLS while Tonganoxie Doglift is expected to do the same against Touch My Vlad. Will all this come true? We'll find out very, very soon.Good luck to everyone next week.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Sabrina Gray Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Aubrey Moren	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Aubrey Moren
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "So, how about letting me saddle you up and ride?" Lawrence Prak, wondering if he had a chance with the pony stationed outside the front door.

May is here and with it comes the big conclusion to the Spring 2011 session of the VML Bowling League. With the Finals just two weeks away on May 17th, teams need wins now more than ever if they are going to move up in the league standings. The distance between several teams is very tight and wins over the next two weeks could make all the difference. Is there enough time for teams to move up? Definitely. It's now up to the members of each team to follow through.Please, please, please, if you haven't swung by the GutterAlley Hall of Fame to cast your vote for the inaugural class of inductees, please do so before next week as we'll be shutting down voting until next season. Thank you!In the first matchup of the evening, reigning champs S*I*C*K hand delivered a message that they were fully committed to ending yet another season in the top spot...and they have done so. After floundering most of the season, Ken M. Wilson woke up just in time to lead his team to a clean sweep of closest competitors Dolls and Balls with a 667 series, earning him the #1 Power Ranked bowler honor. The four wins extend their lead over the rest of the league to 8.5 games, allowing them to officially secure the season's first place crown. The Balls' Bill Krejci put up the most fight for his team, ending the night with a 524 series and barely holding onto 2nd place.One pair of lanes down, Tonganoxie Doglift and Eat Split and DI battled one another into a 2-2 stalemate. After winning Game #1 behind Russell Madsen's 452 series, Doglift ran into trouble as Eat Split and DI regrouped in Game #2. With Eat's Jake Parrott rolling a team-leading 423 series, his team managed to steal Game #2 by ten pins before taking the reigns and locking down Game #3 as well. Doglift's margin of victory in the first game managed to hold up enough to give them the total pins victory. Tonganoxie Doglift stays put into 7th while Eat Split and DI remains in 5th place. Opting to post-bowl this week, SucmaBOWLS managed to have peace and quiet while rolling their games. This paid off in spades for this week's Most Valuable Bowler, Dave Winger. Logging a team-high 389 series, Winger helped lead his team to a 2-2 outcome against powerhouse opponents Istanbowl Turkey. By the fate of the bowling gods, Istanbowl held on to win total pins by a single point due to their Game #2 victory compliments of Turkey Bob Brunker's 480 series. SucmaBOWLS continues to hold onto 6th place due to a total pins tie breaker and Istanbowl Turkey remains in 3rd...a mere half game behind 2nd place.In the final matchup of the evening, No Pinheads were well on their way to a sweep of opponents Touch My Vlad before Vlad's Chris Able continued a trend his team has been enjoying lately – teammates posting their best scores all season. With the Pinhead's Phil Schroeder leading the charge with his personal best series all season – a 530 – the team looked poised to rout Touch My Vlad before Able stood in, living up to his last name. Ending his evening with a 466 series, Able's Game #3 score made all the difference in secure his team's lone victory of the night. No Pinheads remain in 4th, easily within striking distance of 3rd, while Touch My Vlad remains in 8th place. The The 200 Club saw four bowlers make their way through the front doors this week. They include: Aubrey Moren (205), Ian Goetz (204, 217), Ken M. Wilson (213, 234, 220) and Phil Schroeder (221), Having been off last week, Murdock the Kinda Good at Times peered deeper into his crystal bowling ball to divine the Week 15 predictions in an attempt to foretell the future of the league on the week just before the Finals. According to his readings, S*I*C*K is slated to sweep Tonganoxie Doglift, Dolls and Balls versus Eat Split and DI will end favorably for Doll's crew, No Pinheads will take three away from Istanbowl Turkey and Touch My Vlad is predicted to walk away 4-0 victors over SucmaBOWLS. Can all of this come true? Tune in next week to find out...See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dave Winger Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ken Wilson Runner Up: Ian Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Ken M. Wilson Runner Up: Chris Able
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I would have rather had Dolls Balls take a shot at me this week." Osama Bin Liden, from the fires of hell after seeing the results of Tuesday night's matchups.

Week 13 is now in the books and oh what a week it was. The league standings may not have changed very much but the stage is being set for an exciting finish to Season 23. Three teams seem to have broken themselves off from the rest of the league with the Finals just as many weeks away. Only seven games separate the triumvirate at the moment and a showdown between the top two teams is slated for next week. In the meantime, GutterAlley witnessed yet another impressive series of high games from bowlers not typically in the spotlight on their teams, several crucial games were settled by just a few pins in the 10th frame and a new recruit this season added yet another notch in his MVB belt proving that you never can tell what's going to happen on any given night in our league. Gotta love it, folks!Voting for the initial class of inductees into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame will shut down very soon. Anyone that has completed at least one season of bowling in our league is eligible to vote and it only takes a very short time to make your picks so please take the time to let your voice be heard today. Talk about a hard fought matchup. After last week's high output, No Pinheads's one and only Dennis "Pops" Laube continued to light up the lanes with yet another team-leading performance. This time, Laube's 527 series secured them Game #1 before the opposition woke up. After that, it was time for The Joe Longstreet and Sam Nau Show. With Longstreet's 384 series coupled with Nau's third Most Valuable Bowler of the season, SucmaBOWLS stormed back to win Game #2 and Game #3. Fortunately for the Pinheads, their margin of victory in the first game helped them hold on to even the victories at two games apiece. While No Pinheads remain in 4th place, SucmaBOWLS managed to hop back up into 6th place with their two wins.Everyone loves a good underdog story, especially when it involves Touch My Vlad picking off another win from a top ranked team. Such was the case Tuesday night when they faced league powerhouse Istanbowl Turkey. After Vlad stole Game #1 by a mere nine pins – with Chris Able's 401 series leading the way and Emily Podhajsky's highest game all season – it was time for the Turkeys to get back to business. Angela Bradford then took the reigns and led her team to a 3-1 matchup victory with her 499 series. The wins keep both teams in their current standings spots with Istanbowl Turkey in 3rd and Touch My Vlad in 8th place.Look out, first place...there may soon be a new sheriff in town. Continuing their impressive push towards the Finals, Dolls and Balls is showing no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately for Tonganoxie Doglift, this week was the best week of the Balls season. With anchor and team namesake Ryan Doll hoisting a 563 series to lead the way – and earning the #1 Power Ranked nod as well – the Balls secured a 4-0 win over Tonganoxie. While the initial two games were blowouts, Game #3 was settled by only four pins. Rookie of the Season contender Russell Madsen led the Doglifts with a 437 series in the losing effort. Dolls and Balls remains in 2nd, still back 4.5 games, while Tonganoxie Doglift slips one spot into 7th place.How does one celebrate his birthday during the best season of his career? By adding four more victories, that's how. Carl Goetz, who has put up big games week after week all season, spent the night before his birthday helping S*I*C*K stay atop the league standings by defeating Eat Split and DI 4-0 in their last face off this season. Goetz led S*I*C*K with a 570 series. On the opposite side of the equation, AJ Hofmann put up his best individual game of his career in Game #2 – a 183 – within his team-leading 449 series but it simply wasn't enough to derail the current league champions. S*I*C*K keeps their claw hold on 1st while Eat Split and DI remains in 5th place.This week saw a league veteran make his way into The 200 Club for the first time all season to join two other regulars who haven't been spied there as often as they should. They include: Bill Krejci (225), Ken M. Wilson (200, 201) and Ryan Doll (206, 200).Uh-oh. Murdock the Kinda Good at Times gazed into his crystal bowling ball to divine the Week 14 predictions and he's spied quite a bit. In a potential preview of the Finals, our league soothsayer foresees underdogs Dolls and Balls beating S*I*C*K 3-1, Eat Split and DI battling Tonganoxie Doglift into a 2-2 standstill, SucmaBOWLS falling all four to Istanbowl Turkey and Touch My Vlad continuing their 1-game hits against the predicted-to-win-3 No Pinheads. We'll have to wait and see just how accurate his powers of prognosticating turn out to be next week.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Sam Nau Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Kelly Anderson	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Oh, I'll show her something small." Bob Brunker, while talking to Seth and Ken about the "beer wench."

There are only a few more weeks of voting left before we close up shop on the inaugural class of enshrinees for our recently formed Hall of Fame. So if you have a moment, please visit the Hall and cast your vote(s) today. All season long, the trash talk has flown back and forth between reigning champs S*I*C*K and long-time rivals Istanbowl Turkey. In their first meeting, S*I*C*K came away with a sweep. When they met again in the position round, it was Istanbowl's turn to win it, 3-1. Tuesday night, however, the teams battled one another to a standstill and came away with two games apiece. S*I*C*K's Carl Goetz put up the top numbers for his team with a 592 series. Both Angela Bradford and Bob Brunker of Istanbowl put up a 486 to collectively lead their team. The results keep S*I*C*K in first place by 4.5 games and Istanbowl Turkey in 3rd, back six games.Remember the talk about the big games out of seemingly nowhere? Well, Dolls and Balls should be hoisting this week's Most Valuable Bowler – Kelly Anderson – onto their shoulders to celebrate their 3-1 matchup victory over opponents SucmaBOWLS. Despite Sucma's Orion Kinkaid's 519 series (including a 211 in Game #1), it was the combination of Kelly's performance and a team-leading 506 series from oft-absent Bill Krejci that secured the wins for Dolls. This was easily the best matchup of the evening as every single game came down to the 10th frame. Total pins was settled by a mere three pins in Dolls favor and keeps them in 2nd place, only 4.5 games back from first place. SucmaBOWLS remains in 7th place.Each season, there seems to be one team that piles on the wins in the first half and then can't buy a victory after the position round. This seems to be the fate of Eat Split and DI in our Spring session. Tired of losing week after week, Touch My Vlad decided to strike when the iron was hot against Eat Split and notched their largest victories of the season, coming away with a 3-1 win over the former 2nd place team. Led by Chris Able's 435 series – along with serious output from teammate Jeremy Stockbridge – Touch My Vlad narrowly missed their first sweep "against real people" (there's your quote, Sarah!) by only a nine pin defeat in Game #1. Eat's Teresa Deterding led her team with a 393 series in the losing effort. While Vlad still remains in 8th place, Eat Split and DI falls another spot into 5th place.What do you do when your anchor breaks her shoulder and is out indefinitely? Why, you win of course. With back-to-back 200+ games from Dennis "Pops" Laube of No Pinheads, the team got back on track and added three more wins to their record. Laube's 582 series was his highest so far this season and earned him #1 Power Rankedbowler honors. Tonganoxie Doglift, despite coming up on the smaller side of the 3-1 outcome, saw an impressive performance from Bill Riley. Riley, leading his team with a 398 series, rolled his first ever 200+ game in league – a 208 – to secure their Game #1 victory. No Pinheads moves up one spot into 4th while Tonganoxie remains in 6th place. Now that's more like it. A good number of people showed up this week at The 200 Club including: Aubrey Moren (201), Bill Riley (208), Carl Goetz (211), Dennis "Pops" Laube (232, 203), Ken M. Wilson (201) and Orion Kinkaid (211).Week 13's predictions has our favorite soothsayer Murdock the Kinda Good at Times foreseeing No Pinheads sweeping SucmaBOWLS, Istanbowl Turkey doing the same to Touch My Vlad, Dolls and Balls coming away with a 3-1 win over Tonganoxie Doglift and S*I*C*K helping to improve Eat Sick and DI's losing record. We'll have to want and see how well these predictions play out. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Kelly Anderson Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Dennis Laube Runner Up: Aubrey Moren	#1 H2H BOWLER Aubrey Moren Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Come on, guys! Spank these @ssholes...and not in a fun way." Deena Slinkard, while watching Istanbowl Turkey battle long-time rivals S*I*C*K.

At the mid-point of April – with the Finals five weeks off – the VML Bowling League witnessed quite a shakeup in the league standings. While the team at the top of the standings continues to hold onto that coveted spot, there was quite a shakeup amongst the rest of the league. All it took was a nod from a doctor clearing a long-time bowling powerhouse to return to the lanes after arm surgery to bring about one of the largest single-week climbs of any team this season. We're still accepting votes to name the four inaugural enshrinees into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame so, if you haven't already, please swing by and cast your vote(s) today. Thank you!So, shall we light this candle? Oh yes we shall.The last time these two teams faced off in Week #3, it was Eat Split and DI that walked away with the clean sweep over opponents No Pinheads. Such was not this case this time around. With Aubrey Moren leading the way with a 509 series, it was the Pinheads' turn to savor the sweet taste of victory with a 4-0 win over Eat Split and DI. Jake Parrott heaved the top series for Eat in the loss, ending his evening with a 418. While the victories keep the Pinheads in 5th place, they have narrowed the gap between themselves and the top half of the league standings. Eat Split and DI slips one spot into 4th place, enjoying a half game lead over No Pinheads.The second match-up of the evening between Touch My Vlad and Tonganoxie Doglift had to wait until Saturday when Vlad completed their post-bowling. The end result? The men of Tonganoxie came away with a 3-1 matchup victory...narrowly missing the sweep by a single pin in Game #2. Led by one of this season's top new recruits – and the Rookie of the Season as far as this writer is concerned – Tonganoxie's Russell Madsen led his team with a 453 series while continuing to raise his average. If not for Emily Podhajsky rolling her second highest game all season in Game #2, Vlad would have found themselves blanked. Chris Able put up the top series for Touch My Vlad, ending with a 456. While Vlad remains in 8th, Tonganoxie Doglift climbs one spot into 6th place with their three wins.Let's face it. Last week, S*I*C*K's best performer Carl Goetz had an off week. His performance this Tuesday night made that a faint memory. Earning Most Valuable Bowler honors with his 638 series, Goetz propelled his team to a 4-0 win in a closely fought battle against opponents SucmaBOWLS. Sucma's Orion Kinkaid kept him team in contention each game, ending his evening with a team-high 452 series. The victories keep S*I*C*K in first place by a margin of 5.5 games while SucmaBOWLS falls into 7th place pending the outcome of the post-bowling matchup.Welcome back, Ryan Doll. After having been out after surgery on his bowling arm, Doll got to return to the lanes and "roll for real" and led his Dolls and Balls team in the process into a 4-0 beat down over former 2nd place team Istanbowl Turkey...overtaking 2nd place themselves. Doll's performance also netted him the nod as this week's #1 Power Rankedbowler. Shorthanded Istanbowl was led by this week by Scott "Scooter J" Murdock and his 484 series in the quadruple loss. By the slight margin of half a game, Dolls and Balls ascends two spots into 2nd while Istanbowl Turkey falls into 3rd place. Only one bowler made it into The 200 Club this week. That's right, it was this week's MVB Carl Goetz (203, 237).In the predictions for next week, our favorite soothsayer Murdock the Kinda Good at Times has S*I*C*K defeating Istanbowl Turkey 3-1 and Dolls and Balls taking three from SucmaBOWLS. He's remaining silent about the outcomes of the rest of the league due to the post-bowling scores still being out. Is Murdock the Kinda Good at Times' crystal bowling ball foreseeing the truth about the future? We'll all find out next week.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Carl Goetz Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Chris Able	#1 H2H BOWLER Ryan Doll Runner Up: Carl Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I even blew on it a little bit. DAMMIT, Gutter Quote!" Ken M. Wilson, after watching a pin tap – but not knock down – the lone remaining pin after what he thought should have been a strike.

Another week, another round of wins and losses to make the league's standings interesting. While S*I*C*K continues to top the league, their lead has once again been cut into and is within striking range of two other teams. With the Finals six weeks out, can another team finally knock them from their first place perch? It seems highly likely with as many ups and downs as each team is facing each week...including a long-time bowling legend earning his first Most Valuable Bowler performance in a season fraught with low scores. If you haven't swung by to check out GutterAlley's new Hall of Fame, please be sure to do so and cast your vote(s) today. Thank you!No healthy anchor? No problem! With Dolls and Balls' namesake still nursing a surgically repaired bowling arm, Rob Kaszuba stepped in to carry the team to a 3-1 matchup victory over opponents Touch My Vlad with his team-leading 499 series. Vlad's Jeremy Stockbridge put up the top series for his team – a 339 – but it simply wasn't enough to earn more than a lone win for the night. Vlad remains in 8th place while Dolls and Balls continues to shorten the distance between themselves and the third place spot.After a month of bad bowling, S*I*C*K's former anchor Ken M. Wilson shook off his bad vibes and got back to rolling his average, ending his night with a 585 series and earning #1 Power Rankedbowler nod in the process. His performance, however, wasn't even close to what it needed to be to derail a short-handed No Pinheads from kicking S*I*C*K's ass 3-1. Led by Aubrey Moren and his 505 series, the Schroeder-less Pinheads added three more notches in their win column. The Pinheads remain in fifth place, four games back from moving up a spot. S*I*C*K remains atop the league standings, up only a couple of victories.Tensions always run high when the teams in the top half of the standings square off against one another. Such was the case with Eat Split and DI taking on Istanbowl Turkey in a 2nd vs. 3rd place matchup. All season long, these two teams have continually swapped spots back and forth but this week it was Istanbowl that regained second place behind a surprise performance from this week's Most Valuable Bowler, the one and only Bob Brunker. With a team-leading 504 series Brunker led the charge in the upset, sending Eat Split and DI back down into 3rd place. Eat's anchor Jake Parrott booked the best numbers for his team, ending his evening with a 376 series. Three games now separate the two teams.In the final battle of the evening, Tonganoxie Doglift managed to stage an impressive comeback after dropping Games #1 and #2 to opponents SucmaBOWLS. With "Rookie of the Season" candidate Russell Madsen continuing to raise his average each week – he moved into the 140s with his team-leading 435 series on Tuesday – Tonganoxie Doglift managed to stave off being blanked despite a big start from opponent Orion Kinkaid. Kinkaid, falling victim to the roller coaster ride that seems to have made its way through the league this week, put up a 438 series to earn his team their two victories before tapering off in Game #3. Without ample firepower, Sucma not only dropped Game #3 but also lost total pins in the process. The two teams remains in their respective spots in the standings with SucmaBOWLS clinging to 6th while Tonganoxie Doglift sits in 7th. A single game separates the two teams from one another.Only three bowlers clawed their way inside the The 200 Club this week. They were: Aubrey Moren (204), Ian Goetz (201) and Ken M. Wilson (204). See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Bob Brunker Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ken Wilson Runner Up: Bob Brunker	#1 H2H BOWLER Ken M. Wilson Runner Up: Bob Brunker
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Jesus, it's like Freda died and her ghost returned to take possession of these two teams!" Scott Murdock, while standing around waiting for SucmaBOWLS and Tonganoxie Doglift to complete their matchup.

With the position round in the league's rear view mirror, the schedule now calls for every team to begin down the seven week trek of facing one another once again...with the Finals looming in the distance. After last week's tumultuous position round – in which the majority of the league changed places in the standings – big wins and losses were handed out in key matchups...but only two teams ended up swapping spots. Another key highlight was that, for the first time in the league's history, a substitute earned Most Valuable Bowler honors this week. Pretty sweet, eh?Also, if you haven't yet, check out GutterAlley's new Hall of Fame and be sure to vote. Thank you!The last time these two teams met in Week #1, Istanbowl Turkey came away with the victory over Tonganoxie Doglift. Such was definitely NOT the case in their rematch. With Doglift's Shane Pfaffly leading the way with a 418 series, the underdogs came away with a 3-1 win over one of the league's powerhouse teams. Had his team been able to come up with one more strike or spare in that game and we'd be updating this write-up with them having logged a sweep. Istanbowl's Bob Brunker put up the top numbers for his team, ending his night with a 426 series. Both Istanbowl and Tonganoxie remain in their current spots in the standings, 3rd and 7th respectively.After adding four wins to their record last week, an energized SucmaBOWLS opted to continue their trend of increasing the notches in the W column. The victim this time? Second place Eat Split and DI! With dandy Dave Winger putting up a 402 series, Sucma ordered Eat Split and DI down on their knees in the 3-1 upset. Eat's AJ Hofmann had the highest series for his team – a 413 – but it was only good enough to log his team one win. Like the majority of the league, both teams remain in their current standings positions with Eat in 2nd and Sucma in 6th place.In the epic "Battle of the Cripples" – in which both of these team's captains are out with an injured arm – Dolls and Balls managed to make the right move in bringing in substitute Adam Messner. Making league history, Messner became the first substitute to earn Most Valuable Bowler honors as his 566 series was the deciding factor in the Doll's 4-0 matchup win against No Pinheads. Adding insult to injury (yes, yes, pun intended), Messner's well-above average scores earned him the nod as this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler as well. Dennis "Pops" Laube was the top roller for the Pinheads in the losing effort with his 478 series. Dolls and Balls trades spots in the standings with No PInheads, moving up into 4th while the Pinheads drop to 5th place.The final matchup of the night pitted league leaders S*I*C*K against everyone's favorite underdog, Touch My Vlad. Unfortunately for them, Vlad was unable to mimic the other underdogs' winning ways and fell to the reigning champs. S*I*C*K's Carl Goetz continues to have the season of his career, booking a 649 series and *almost* moving his average back into the 200s. Vlad's Chris Able provided the most firepower for his team, ending his night with a 378 series. S*I*C*K improves to a four game lead over the rest of the league while Touch My Vlad remains in 8th place.After slim pickin's last week, The 200 Club opened its doors to let in more patrons this week. They include: Carl Goetz (247,229), Ken M. Wilson (207,216) and Seth Gunderson (201).The league had a surprise visit from a long-time friend when former champion Dick Labonte stopped by for a little bit. Nice to see you, Dick! Stop by any time.See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Adam Messner Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Adam Messner Runner Up: Carl Goetz	#1 H2H BOWLER Adam Messner Runner Up: Ken M. Wilson
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "So naturally S*I*C*K, Eat Split and DI, Istanbowl Turkey and No Pinheads kicked everyone's butts tonight, right?" Bill Self, before seeing the results of this week's bowling in which just about every lower ranked team beat up on the higher ranked teams.

Ahh, the position round. One of the two true wild cards of each season. Teams can make meteoric rises or suffer huge drops in the standings. The results of this season's position round truly reshuffled the standings as every single team – with the exception of the 1st and 8th place teams – changed spots in the league standings. Now THAT'S what we're talking about. Along with the reporting of the position round, we'd also like to take the opportunity to introduce GutterAlley's Hall of Fame. If you haven't taken a moment to check it out, please do so and be sure to vote. In the big battle between the 1st and 2nd place team, a funny thing happened. Second place Istanbowl Turkey managed to beat down current league leaders S*I*C*K 3-1...but fell to third place in the process. I guess that's what happen when you "Be Ass." Led by Angela Bradford's 529 series, Istanbowl weathered a Game #1 loss before turning the tables and taking the next two games along with total pins. S*I*C*K's anchor Carl Goetz led his team with a 556 but it simply wasn't enough to warrant more than the single win. S*I*C*K remains in first place by a single game while Istanbowl falls to third place.Once again resuming their spot in 2nd place is Eat Split and DI. Facing off against the short-handed and, let's face it, crippled Dolls and Balls, Eat Split logged four easy wins behind Eat's AJ Hofmann and his 426 series. Doll's Rob Kaszuba shot a 486 series but couldn't bring enough firepower to turn the tide. Eat Split and DI moves up into 2nd place while Dolls and Balls slips down to 5th place due to total pins.Continuing their quest to return to glory, No Pinheads added four more wins to their win record after making a meal out of Tonganoxie Doglift. With Dennis 'Pops' Laube leading the charge with his 518 series – good enough to make him this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – No Pinheads moved up into the top half of the league standings to land in 4th place. Russell Madsen put up the top series for Tonganoxie with his 452 but the team slips down into 7th place.The final matchup of the evening went entirely SucmaBOWLS' way as they avenged their 4-game loss from last at the hands of Touch My Vlad by returning the favor. With a one-two punch delivered by team captain Orion Kinkaid's 493 series and this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance by Sam Nau, Sucma swept Touch My Vlad and hopped up into 6th place. Touch My Vlad, led this week by Jeremy Stockbridge and his 363 series, remains in 8th place.For the first time in a long, long time only one bowler made his way into The 200 Club this week: Ian Goetz (203).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Sam Nau Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Dennis Laube Runner Up: Bob Brunker	#1 H2H BOWLER Bob Brunker Runner Up: Dennis Laube
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "One leg up, a hand-held shower head...it's dangerous stuff." Angela Bradford, explaining her recent neck injury...we think.

Week #7 has come to a close and with it comes the lineup of which teams will compete against one another in the season's position round at the midway point. This week alone, four teams swapped placed in the league standings. The surprise of the night came with an unlikely sweep from a team that mounted a huge comeback starting this time last season as well. Could history be repeating itself?For those of you that do not know how the position round works, here's the inside skinny: once each team has bowled one another once, we have what is called the position round. Rather than following the regular schedule of facing everyone else once again, the team in 1st place faces off against the team in 2nd place. Third place takes on fourth place, so on and so forth. This gives teams their best shot to do some damage against their closest competitors in the standings. With that out of the way, let's see how everyone did around the league...After getting sidetracked last week against the current league leaders, Dolls and Balls decided to get back to winning and did so this week at the expense of Eat Split and DI. Led by Rob Kaszuba and his 555 series, the Balls put a 3-1 hurting on their higher ranked opponents. AJ Hofmann put up the top series for Eat Split – a 408 – but it simply wasn't enough to earn more than a single victory. Dolls and Balls remain in 4th place while Eat Split and DI takes over 3rd place in a total pins tie-breaker. Continuing to hold onto the top spot in the standings is S*I*C*K, who came away with a 3-1 matchup win against Tonganoxie Doglift. Led by anchor Carl Goetz's 585 series – plus this week's #1 Power Ranked performance by Seth Gunderson – S*I*C*K heads into the position round with a four game lead over the rest of the league. Led this week by Russell Madsen and his 441 series, Tonganoxie added one win but slipped one spot in the process and find themselves now in 6th place.If someone had told the rollers on Touch My Vlad that they were going to demolish SucmaBOWLS on the lanes the week before the position round, they surely would have made a wise crack about it. No one is laughing now as Vlad did just that. With anchor Chris Able leading the way with his season-high 441 series, Touch My Vlad doubled their wins in a single night and are very close to climbing out of the cellar. Super sub Neil Rieger shot a 566 series for Sucma but simply couldn't put the pieces together to topple Touch. SucmaBOWLS remains in 7th place and will face Vlad next week for a rematch.The final battle of the evening took place down on Lanes 21 & 22 with league fixtures No Pinheads taking on cagey veterans Istanbowl Turkey. After winning Game #1, the Pinheads suffered back-to-back losses – including a single pin 10th frame squeaker in Game #3 – before holding on for the total pins win to come away with a 2-2 split. Lead off bowler Aubrey Moren put up the top series for the Pinheads – a 547 – while Scott Murdock (wait, what?!?) led Istanbowl with a 447 series. Murdock's teammate Sabrina Gray was this week's Most Valuable Bowler. Istanbowl resumes its spot in 2nd while No Pinheads claws its way up into 5th place.Bowlers earning their beads in The 200 Club this week include: Aubrey Moren (202), Carl Goetz (216), Ian Goetz (212), Rob Kaszuba (238) and Seth Gunderson (201).With the standings now completely calculated, here's how next week's position round face offs line up:1. S*I*C*K vs. Istanbowl Turkey (S*I*C*K won 4-0 in their last matchup)2. Eat Split and DI vs. Dolls and Balls (Dolls and Balls won 3-1 in their last matchup)3. No Pinheads vs. Tonganoxie Doglift (Tonganoxie won 3-1 in their last matchup)4. SucmaBOWLS vs. Touch My Vlad (Vlad won 4-0 in their last matchup)We've also compiled a list of possible outcomes showing you how high (or low) your team can move next week. See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Sabrina Gray Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Aubrey Moren	#1 H2H BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Aubrey Moren
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Hey, Sucma! You = Japan. We = earthquake. Suck it!" Emily Podhajsky, after her team recorded their team's first 4-0 finish this season.

As the league nears its midway point, the position round awaits. Certain teams that figured they would be near the top of the standings aren't exactly where they figured while other teams are somewhat surprised that the rest of the league doubted them. Week #6 provided a lot of one-sided victories in which the victorious teams came away with 3-1 or 4-0 matchup victories. Overall, the positions within the standings didn't change very much but the margins in-between win percentages shifted somewhat. Firstly, if you didn't notice, hats off to Scott Murdock for developing the new and vastly improved white sheets that will be distributed before each week's round of bowling. For more information of why they are so great, check it out. Beautiful work, Scooter J!In what was jokingly referred to as "The Battle for Last Place," the 7th and 8th place teams faced one another for the first time all season. After quite a rough initial few weeks, the bowlers of No Pinheads returned to their winnings ways – compliments of Phil Schroeder's team leading 513 series and this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance by Dennis "Pops" Laube. Despite a Game #2 tenth frame scare from opponents Touch My Vlad, the Pinheads managed to hold on to the lead en route to nearly doubling their win record with their four victories Tuesday night. Vlad's Chris Able led the charge for his team with a 416 series. No Pinheads climbs one spot into 6th while Touch My Vlad remains in 8th place.What got into SucmaBOWLS's very own Orion Kinkaid? The chance to do some damage to the league's 3rd place team, that's what. Although Istanbowl Turkey managed to somehow pull off a 3-1 victory – including a single pin total pins victory despite the not-matching-up ScooterMath on their scoresheet – Orion's 555 series (including a 223 in Game #1) earned him the distinction of being this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler. Yet it was the Turkey's Angela Bradford and her 547 series that gobbled up the victories for her crew, keeping them in 3rd place. Orion and his fellow Sucma's slip one spot down into 7th place.After hearing that his team would not have a legal lineup due to the absence of two of his Dolls and Balls bowlers, recent surgical patient Ryan Doll decided to take one for the team and roll nonetheless. Despite his best efforts, Doll may not have been able to turn the tides against current league leaders S*I*C*K (temporarily renamed K*S*I*C due to their former anchor's demotion from the anchor spot) but he certainly earned kudos from those around him. Rob Kaszuba led the Balls with his 523 series but it was simply not enough to derail K*S*I*C's Carl Goetz, who continues to have his best season to date. Goetz ended the night with a 623 series. The four victories increases K*S*I*C's lead over the league to two games while Dolls and Balls remains in 4th place, back 6.5 games.The final matchup of the evening pitted fifth place Tonganoxie Doglift against 2nd place Eat Split and DI. After taking Game #1, Tonganoxie seemed poised to add even more wins to their record before Eat's AJ Hofmann woke up and carried his team with his 465 series to a 3-1 matchup win. The Doglift, led this week by Shane Pfaffly and his 410 series, remain in fifth place but gained ground while attempting to get back to the top half of the league standings. Eat Split and DI remain in 2nd, trailing first place by two games.Bowlers earning their beads in The 200 Club this week include: Carl Goetz (213, 227), Ian Goetz (200), Orion Kinkaid (223), Rob Kaszuba (204) and Seth Gunderson (205).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Dennis Laube Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Orion Kinkaid Runner Up: Seth Gunderson	#1 H2H BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Orion Kinkaid
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "That's how they win...they wear you down by taking for-EVER to bowl to the point where you just want to give up and go home." Sarah Manning, after her team's battle with No Pinheads concluded...half an hour after everyone else had gone home.

My, my, my...what a difference a single week can make in the VML Bowling League. After amassing a 15-1 record to start their season, the team that was trying to run away with the 2011 Spring season has been given a reality check after running head first into the 2nd place team, ending the night with first through fourth place now separated by only 2.5 games. With the position round only a couple weeks away, things could get really interesting. Let's see how everyone did, shall we?Having just moved into 2nd place last week, the bowlers of Eat Split and DI decided to up the stakes and make some serious waves in their matchup against first place S*I*C*K... and, boy, did they ever. Handing the reigning champions their first sweep in a very long time, Eat Split took the wind out of S*I*C*K's sails and single-handedly tightened the league standings in one gigantic swoop. Led by lead-off bowler Teresa Deterding's 444 series, Eat took Game #1 by the slimmest of margins before routing S*I*C*K in Game #2 by a hundred. Game #3 was once again close – with Carl Goetz putting his team in range with his 573 series to come away with the win – but the team's anchor once again failed to deliver in the 10th frame. Way to go, Wilson. The victories keep Eat Split and DI in 2nd place with a record of 14-6 while S*I*C*K clings to their first place position by a single victory.Making the leap from fifth to fourth this week was Dolls and Balls. With their anchor sitting out in preparation for shoulder surgery, sub Adam Messner stepped in to fill the role of anchor to great success. Rolling a 464 series, Messner lead his merry Balls to a 4-0 matchup sweep against opponents Tonganoxie Doglift. Despite Russell Madsen's 384 series, Tonganoxie was unable to take flight and find themselves forced to swap places with their competitors as they assume the position in fifth place. Dolls and Balls are now 2.5 games back from first place.After a rough couple of weeks, No Pinheads planned on rebounding against second-to-last place team SucmaBOWLS. What they didn't plan on was Sucma's Sam Nau raising his average 20 pins while earning both Most Valuable Bowler and #1 Power Ranked bowler honors in the process. Nau's output – combined with anchor Orion Kinkaid's 463 series – brought about a 3-1 matchup victory in their favor. If not for a 520 series out of the Pinhead's Phil Schroeder (including his first 200+ game of the season in Game #3), we may have seen four sweeps in league play Tuesday. With the wins, Sucma switches places with No Pinheads as they land in 6th and 7th places respectively.The final matchup of the evening pitted 3rd place Istanbowl Turkey against 8th place Touch My Vlad. Despite a 4-0 sweep from the Turkeys – handed over compliments of sub Neil Rieger's impressive 658 series (you should have had him last week, Turkeys!) – neither team changes places in the standings. Vlad was led this week by Chris Able, who put up a 347 series in the losing effort. Only three bowlers this week turned in performances worthy of admittance into The 200 Club this week. They include: Carl Goetz (217, 226), Neil Rieger (265, 215) and Phil Schroeder (201).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Sam Nau Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Sam Nau Runner Up: Neil Rieger	#1 H2H BOWLER Phil Schroeder Runner Up: Freda Schroeder
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Bi-polar? Hell, Ken wasn't even a bi-bowler. He just flat out sucked. Even in a terrestrial realm. I'm a wizard. Boom." Charlie Sheen, after hearing how poorly S*I*C*K's anchor performed in the 10th frame Tuesday night.

Four weeks of the Spring 2011 VML Bowling league are in the books now and the standings offer up some surprises. One of last season's powerhouse teams is off to a slow start while a low team from two seasons ago has completely reversed its fortunes and has racked up big wins. The team atop the standings increases its record thanks to big output from its youngest bowler. All in all, the first month has been a roller coaster and who knows where it'll take us next.For fun, we've decided to implement a weekly poll on the site. Questions will range from the silly to the serious. You'll find them on the right hand side of the page just below our (fake) banner ads. Look for a new question each week! Just FYI, you'll need to be logged in to cast your vote. In the event that you don't have an account on the site or you've simply forgotten your login information, drop Ken a line and he'll get you set up.So, with all that said, let's get into how everyone did...The first matchup of the week pitted No Pinheads against surging Tonganoxie Doglift. Needing some redemption after last week's 0-4 performance, the Pinheads seemed poised to earn it back after winning Game #1 with Aubrey Moren's 474 series leading the way...but soon found themselves lost in Tonganoxie. Behind Doglift's Shane Pfaffly hoisting a 460 series, the team avenged their Game #1 loss and walked away with a 3-1 victory. While neither team moved at all in the standings, 4th place Tonganoxie cut the gap between themselves and third place immensely. No Pinheads continues to look for answers in 6th place.Talk about an impressive start. With the second best record in the league now, Eat Split and DI continues to add to their win record – this week at the hands of opponents Touch My Vlad. With AJ Hofmann putting up the best series for Eat – a 401 – the team easily took Game #1 and scraped by with a 2-pin victory in Game #2. Game #3, however, was all Vlad as Chris Able kept his team from getting swept, compliments of his 388 series. Eat Split and DI moves up to 2nd place with a 10-6 record while Vlad remains in 8th at 4-12.The Clash of the Titans took place down on Lanes 17 & 18 where the first and (former) second place teams faced off for the first time this season. With a personal best 649 series from this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Ian Goetz, the reigning league champs S*I*C*K added four more wins to their record and extend their lead over the league to five games. Istanbowl Turkey, led this week by Angela Bradford's 540 series, simply couldn't muster the firepower necessary to derail the camouflage-clad keglers. Istanbowl falls to third with their 9-7 record.The final matchup of the evening included a cast of subbing characters. With their anchor out soon for surgery, the bowlers of Dolls and Balls tried out a few familiar faces on the lanes but it was teammate Kelly Andeson who pushed the team to a 3-1 matchup win with her Most Valuable Bowler performance. While Ryan Doll led the team with his 537 series, it was Kelly that sparked the team to the victory over SucamaBOWLS Tuesday night. New sub Neil Rieger made his league debut in a big way, rolling a 567 series. Sadly for SucmaBOWLS, the output was only good enough to secure one win. Dolls and Balls remains in 5th while Sucma clings to 7th place.Six bowlers landed into The 200 Club this week. They include: Angela Bradford (210), Carl Goetz (226), Ian Goetz (222, 254), Ken M. Wilson (211, 224), Neil Rieger (202) and Seth Gunderson (223).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Kelly Anderson Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Seth Gunderson	#1 H2H BOWLER Seth Gunderson Runner Up: Kelly Anderson
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Were those...elephant balls?!?" Seth Gunderson, to Ken after witnessing Scoot's wardrobe malfunction.

Typically after three weeks of bowling, averages stop going through wild swings as scores settle down. We also usually get a good glimpse at which teams mean business by their initial win records. Currently, four teams can claim winning records. While the teams in first and second place are made up of former and reigning champions, the two teams in third and fourth are off to a great start in the 2011 Spring league. This season should prove to be an interesting one if this continues.The first matchup of the night pitted two powerhouse teams against one another. Striking first, Dolls and Balls' anchor Ryan Doll used his 531 series to come away with Game #1 over opponents Istanbowl Turkey. Game #2, however, proved to be the Turkey's turning point as they routed the Balls by 85 pins. Even though Dolls and Balls took Game #3 they simply could not overcome the difference from their earlier loss and split the series 2-2. Istanbowl's Angela Bradford provided the most firepower for her Turkeys, ending the night with a 503 series. The Turkeys remain in second place with their 9-3 while the Dolls slip one spot into fifth behind their 5.5-6.5 record.One pair of lanes over, current standings leaders S*I*C*K continues to be the team to beat as they refused to oblige SucamaBOWLS. With Carl Goetz continuing to have his best season of all time – this week adding another 600 series beneath his belt, S*I*C*K added another four wins to their win record to improve to 11-1 on the season. Sub Mike Berlin provided the most fire power for SucmaBOWLS, making his league debut with a 429 series, but it simply wasn't enough to derail the competition. SucmaBOWLS drops down one notch into 7th place with a record of 3-9.The big story of the evening, however, took place down on Lanes 19 & 20. After getting off to a slow start, the members of No Pinheads looked to add some more wins to their record. Thanks to a stellar performance by opponents Eat Split and DI, they'll have to keep on looking. With this week's Most Valuable Bowler AJ Hofmann leading the charge with his 453 series, Eat Split handed the Pinheads their first four game loss since Week #11 of the Spring 2010 league. Despite Pinhead Phil Schroeder putting up a 502 series, nothing could derail Eat's monstrous night. The wins propel Eat up two spots into 3rd with a record of 7-5 while No Pinheads plummet three spots into 6th behind their 3.5-8.5 record.The final matchup of the evening almost saw Tonganoxie Doglift pulling off the third sweep of the night, falling short by the narrowest of margins. Dropping Game #1 to opponents Touch My Vlad by a single pin, Doglift promptly bounced back behind this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler Russell Madsen. Madsen's 471 series reversed his entire team's fortunes as they stormed back to end the night with a 3-1 matchup victory. Chris Able led Vlad with a 425 series in the losing effort. Making the largest leap in the standings, Tonganoxie lifts itself three spots into 4th place with their 6-6 record while Touch My Vlad remains in 8th with a record of 3-9.Only four bowlers dropped by The 200 Club this week to enjoy a cold one: Carl Goetz (224), Ian Goetz (202), Ken M. Wilson (226) and Scott Murdock (201).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB AJ Hofmann Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Russell Madsen Runner Up: Lawrence Prak	#1 H2H BOWLER Ian Goetz Runner Up: Russell Madsen
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I haven't seen a longstanding regime fall like that since, well, me." Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, after reading on Twitter that No Pinheads got swept.

Each and every season of the VML Bowling league, Week #2 seems to be the wildest. Averages set in the initial week are put to the test as each and every bowler must do his or her best to stay on pace from their initial output. While a few historically remain basically the same, the vast majority radically raises or lowers their average. This season was no exception. And while the same two teams from last week remain tied atop the league standings, this is shaping up to be an interesting season.The first matchup of the night found Tonganoxie Doglift going up against opponents SucmaBOWLS. After taking Game #1 behind lead off bowler Orion Kinkaid and his 460 series, the bowlers of Sucma fell victim to this week's Most Valuable Bowler – Lawrence Prak. Prak, with his triplethreat of above-average games, combined with fellow Doglift Russell Madsen's team leading 399 series, led the charge en route to a 3-1 comeback victory. While the wins keep Tonganoxie in 7th place, a mere half a game separates them from moving into third. SucmaBOWLS fall one spot to sixth place also with a record of 3-5.After a perfect start to their season in Week #1, Istanbowl Turkey seemed like a different team against Eat Split and DI in Game #1. With lead off bowler Teresa Deterding hoisting the largest numbers for Eat – a 399 – and a personal best game from fellow teammate Aaron Chandler, Eat Split and DI looked poised to cause the upset of the night. Unfortunately for them, Turkey's Angela Bradford stormed back with a 476 series to reverse her team's fortunes to the tune of a 3-1 series victory. Improving to 7-1 on the season, Istanbowl Turkey remains in 2nd place due to total pins. Eat Split and DI drop down into 5th place with their 3-5 record.The team making the most noise in the standings this week was Dolls and Balls. They could have REALLY made some noise if not for an epic Game #3 from opponents Touch My Vlad. After having tucked away wins in Games #1 and #2 behind anchor Ryan Doll and his 569 series, Dolls and Balls looked to be well on their way to a winning record when Vlad's Chris Able and crew (including a gigantic above-average game from newcomer Jeremy Stockbridge) knocked the wind out of them. Besting their opponents by nearly 80 pins (Able ended his night with a 400 series), Vlad managed to not only take Game #3 but won by enough of a margin to secure a total pins victory by a margin of three effectively splitting the series at two games apiece. The two wins push Dolls and Balls to a record of 3.5-4.5 and climbing two spots into 4th place while Vlad remains in eighth with a record of 2-6.Former NBA head coach Rudy Tomjanovich once said "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion." S*I*C*K's powerhouse Carl Goetz – and this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – proved why his team is the hell bent on repeating as champions this season. Rolling an incredible 683 series, Goetz paved the way for a 3-1 matchup win over last season's rivals No Pinheads. After taking Game #1 with ease, Game #2 was a 10th frame battle ending with Goetz's 267 game pushing his team to a slim 6-pin victory. Game #3 saw the emergence of the Pinhead's lead off bowler Aubrey Moren, whose 542 series secured their lone victory of the night. The Pinhead's record of 3.5-4.5, along with total pins, keeps them in 3rd place while S*I*C*K remains atop the league standings with their 7-1 record.Four bowlers managed to shovel games in the 200 range this week and gain admittance into The 200 Club. They include: Carl Goetz (207, 267 and 209), Ian Goetz (200), Ken M. Wilson (202) and Ryan Doll (201).See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Lawrence Prak Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Ryan Doll	#1 H2H BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Ryan Doll
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "Oh, it was a total suck off." Scott Murdock, trying to articulate his team's matchup Tuesday evening to Ken.