The thirteenth installment of "The 11th Frame" features some interesting nuggets from our Top 25s collection, covering the accolades (and disappointments) of our current and not so-current league rollers.As mentioned already in this week's write-up – Sarah West put up the first Most Valuable Bowler performance of her career, Seth Gunderson snapped his bad luck streak to earn #1 Power Ranked bowler honors, and Will Strike if Provoked has extended its lead over the league with their eye on the title. The most impressive thing this week, however, was in our league absolutely crushing the all-time record for the most 200+ games in a single season which was set back in the Spring 2007 season with 40 bowlers. We bested that in fewer weeks with fewer bowlers. So, this week, we're going to take a look at some of the all-time records that still stand in our league that may never be broken.INDIVIDUALS:
| Don's still the king |
Don Glasscock |
Back in the Spring 2007 season, the man that would establish himself as the best bowler to ever lace up shoes in our league quietly made his debut as a sub. Despite rolling only two complete seasons, Don's thunderous bowling arm truly left its mark. To this day, his accolades remain atop many of the biggest Top 25s we have. No one will probably best his life time average of 217, his seventeen consecutive 200+ games, or the fact that more than half the time he bowled in our league – only 31 weeks – he shot the highest game of anyone that night. Two bowlers this season, Ken M. Wilson and Bill Krejci, came dangerously close to ousting him from atop his perch on the all-time highest series list but both faltered. Last season, Carl Goetz was on his way to taking over the Top 25 Most 200+ Games in a Single Season but missed the Finals and, subsequently, keeping Don at #1 with thirty while Carl settled in just behind him with twenty-nine. Let's face it, Don's still the king. |
| David Codding, Mr. 300 |
David Codding |
On October 2nd of last year, David Codding completed the journey every single person that has ever picked up a bowling ball has wanted to do – roll a perfect game. He did it Game #3 of Week #6 and stand alone at the top of the highest games of all time in our league. Now we've had some close calls in the past, most notably Carl and Ken both stringing 11 strikes in a row only to come up one pin short on that last roll...but this season, we've seen a few games that contained 10 or 11 strikes as well. Neil Rieger's final game in our league was a 279...that's 11 strikes in a row with one 9-spare in there somewhere. Ken and Bill Krejci did it as well. Ryan Doll had a 278. But, in the end, someone may roll another perfect game in our league...but Codding will always hold the distinction of being first. |
| Richardson's powerful performance |
John Richardson |
When we debuted the Power Ranked Bowler feature in Sept. 2010, we ran the equation as far back as we could with the weekly scores to see how everyone had done. After gathering some preliminary counts, we then looked to see who had given the most powerful #1 Power Ranked bowling performance of all-time. The answer was John Richardson who, in Week #13 of the Fall 2005 season, showed up with his 141 average and shot a 644 series (averaging almost 215 a game) with scores of 226, 226, and 192. John's huge night, which amazingly did not result in a sweep over the opposition, stands to this day as the single greatest Power Ranked performance. Last season, Cliff Barendsen's performance in Week #8 was the closest that anyone has come to unseating John from his #1 spot but it simply wasn't enough. Richardson's incredible performance on that quiet night in November, 2005 continues to hold the record – now heading into its 8th year – both best Power Ranking as well as the #1 highest series handicap of all time. |
| Don't start a war with Berlin |
Mike Berlin |
A lifetime ago when Ken shot his 299, his score gave him the all-time highest game handicap as well at 310. This record stood for more than five years until Mike Berlin showed up to roll Week #15 in the Fall 2011 season. Heading into the night with a 145 average – and only one other 200+ game to his name, which he hit on the dot in Week #11 – Mike started with a 147 in Game #1. But then, everything began to work for him. Strike after strike poured in and Berlin put up a personal best 267. While that game currently sits as the 11th highest game ever shot in league play it's true claim to fame lies in the fact that it took over the #1 position as the best high game handicap in league history. Despite Carl's later 299 and Codding's 300, Mike's 311 handicap game continues to be the best of them all. |
TEAMS:
| Delivering a crane kick to the league |
| The Fall 2009 season saw the formation of a team made up of Chris Lewis, John Boren, David Codding, and Ken M. Wilson. They appropriately named themselves Sweep the Leg, Johnny and set out to win a title in honor of Carl Goetz's late wife. Talk about a season of domination: Codding, Boren, and Wilson all ended with averages above 200. The team started at 13-1, came out of the position round at 31-1, and went on to finish in 1st place with the best record in league history at 55-9. During their impressive run, they shattered the all time win streak record by stringing together 28 consecutive victories. In the end, the team established itself as the greatest of all time as per their cumulative Power Ranking score of 203.916. Surprisingly, the loss-prone Snakes on a Lane are on pace to out perform Sweep the Leg, Johnny's cumulative Power Ranking score this season...which just seems wrong. |
| The infamous 921 |
| It's always great when someone on your team puts up a 200+ game. It's even better when someone else does it. But what happens when everyone on your team puts up a 200+ game? Well, that's only happened a handful of times in GutterAlley action but the biggest one came about on Week #6 of the Fall 2008 season. Thrown by Ain't No Sh!t in Game #2, the teams seemingly untouchable 921 (meaning the team averages over 230 apiece) has remained the biggest team game ever rolled in league history by a 4-man team. The scores? Dave Parre shot a 210, Kendall Kukowski added a 220, Hall of Fame nominee Cory Chorpenning hoisted a 236, while Duncan Ferber hoisted a 255 to bring the team total to the one and only game over 900 we've seen. We've seen six games this season added into the top ten (taking over 2nd through 6th, and 8th) but that 921 continues to stand after all these years as the best ever. |
| It takes a village |
| With their 921 all-time highest game, the men mentioned above on Ain't No Sh!t also established themselves that same night with another record – they threw the best team series in league history with a 4-man team, ending their night with a stellar 2,489 total. That record, unlike their 921 single game record, fell this season after four and a half years in the initial showing of Snakes on a Lane this season when they put up 2,490 in Week #1...a single pin higher than the previous record. Three weeks later, the guys broke the 2,500 mark when they ended Week #4 with a 2,551 behind Carl Goetz's 581 series, Ian Goetz's 617, Cory Chorpenning's 670, and Ken M. Wilson's 683 to take over the all-time record. |
ODDITIES & STRAIGHT UP NUMBERS:
| Two boards to the right |
| The very first Top 25 list we ever put together was given a larger than life calculation as it covers the Top 50 Largest Swings In-Between Games. This is a list than anyone, at any time, could find themselves making on any given Tuesday night...be it good or bad. None, however, hold a candle to the +149 pin swing rolled by Lauren Bales (then Lauren Schuster) who, as a member of appropriately named Three Men and a Babe, started her night off with a 73 before following it up with the lowest game of her 1-season career – a 65. Noticing that Lauren was hitting the dead center of the head pin with her slow rolling yet accurate straight ball, her teammates suggested that she move two boards to the right at the beginning of each throw. What followed was a feat that has not been repeated since. Lauren threw strike after strike to land her one and only 200+ game – a 214 – to more than triple her previously thrown score to forever take her spot atop our lengthiest featured list. SCHUSTA!!! |
