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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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