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 the Finals taking place this evening, the voting for the Season Favorites will open after everything is said and done. For those of you unfamiliar with the Season Favorites, it's akin to the NBA's season awards for Rookie of the Year, the Sixth Man, Coach of the Year, etc. There are currently six categories for you to debate and vote upon. They include:Rookie of the SeasonThe best all-around bowler in his or her first season. Past winners include current bowlers Jake Parrott (Fall '10), Ian Goetz (Spring '10), Orion Kinkaid (Fall '09), Aubrey Moren (Spring '08) and Ryan Doll (Spring '06).Candidates this season include: Jeremy Stockbridge, Kelly Anderson, Russell Madsen and Sam Nau.Captain of the SeasonThe captain is usually the person that assembles his or her team and then leads to the team to victories. Past winners include current bowlers (Ken M. Wilson, Fall '10), Angela Bradford (Spring '10), Freda Schroeder (Spring '08) and Seth Gunderson (Fall '05).Candidates this season include: Angela Bradford, Emily Podhajsky, Freda Schroeder, Jake Parrott, Ken M. Wilson, Lawrence Prak, Orion Kinkaid, Ryan DollDefensive Bowler of the SeasonThis bowler is who can step up under intense pressure in the 10th frame and finish strongly, sealing the victory. Nominees are bowlers with an average of 150 or higher. Past winners include current bowlers Ken M. Wilson (Fall '10), Ryan Doll (Spring '10) and Carl Goetz (Spring '06).Candidates this season include: Angela Bradford, Aubrey Moren, Bill Krejci, Bob Brunker, Carl Goetz, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Freda Schroeder, Ian Goetz, Ken M. Wilson, Orion Kinkaid, Phil Schroeder, Rob Kaszuba, Ryan Doll and Seth GundersonUnderdog of the SeasonThis is awarded to the biggest contributor to his or her team with an average of 149 or below. Past winners include current bowlers Dennis "Pops" Laube (Fall '03) and Scott "Scooter" Murdock (Spring '03).Candidates this season include: Aaron Chandler, AJ Hofmann, Bill Riley, Chris Able, Dave Winger, Emily Podhajsky, Jake Parrott, Jeremy Stockbridge, Joe Longstreet, Kelly Anderson, Lawrence Prak, Russell Madsen, Sabrina Gray, Sam Nau, Sarah Manning, Scott Murdock, Shane Pfaffly and Teresa DeterdingThe Bob Brunker Good Sportsmanship AwardWin or lose, this person is always there with a smile or a kind word. Past winners include current bowlers Emily Podhajsky (Fall '10), Bob Brunker (Spring '09) and Angela Bradford (Spring '08).Everyone in the league is eligible for this award.People's Choice: Most Valuable BowlerThis bowler was the end-all, be-all best in the league in terms of providing the most fire power to earn his or her team the most wins as selected by the league. Past winners include current bowlers Ken M. Wilson (Fall '10), Carl Goetz (Spring '10) and Scott Murdock (Spring '03).Everyone in the league is eligible for this award.So, in Wednesday's write-up, there will be a link to this season's favorites ballot. Be sure to cast your votes before noon next Tuesday. Let the great debate begin! Fee free to put your own analysis in the comments section below.

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.