We are now halfway through the Fall 2018 season, and the league seems to have hit a brick wall. Other than a tit-for-tat between BDE and We Don't Give A Split, no teams were able to budge in the standings with just a week to go before Position Round. Alison Radke landed this week's high game for the women with a 183, and women's high series was bagged by Monica Hufford with a 475. As for the men, Carl Goetz earned this week's high game (236) and series (603). Read on for all the rest of the details!

First up, on lanes 3 & 4: In a fairly closely-matched lineup BDE chucked gutter balls with Open Frames R Us and continued to rack up the wins. Led by Rob Kaszuba with his above-average 517 series, BDE collected 3 wins against Open Frames. Conversely, Monica Hufford with her 475 series took the lead among Open Frames despite her team notching only a single win. BDE drops 1 spot in the standings to 5th place, while Open Frames remain in 6th.

Is this yours? It is believed to belong to a member of either Bowl Movements or 8 Balls. Scoot has it, correctly identify the contents to claim.

On lanes 5 & 6: In a battle of good against evil, Gucci Lane faced a serious threat in the form of Serious Bowlers. Serious Bowlers. Though somewhat emboldened by Brian Byfield with his dazzling 502 series, Gucci accomplished only 1 win against the Serious Bs. Concurrently, sub Carl Goetz with his 603 series shone in Serious Bs as his team took the match with 3 wins. Despite these wins, Serious Bowlers remains unable to advance in the standings and continues not being in first place or even second place and seems destined to become either Freda fodder or Alison's appetizer in the position round. Gucci Lane remains in 7th place, while Serious Bowlers remain in 3rd.

Meanwile, lanes 7 & 8 saw a standoff between two teams that actually do want to win the championsip. 8 Balls made use of voodoo dolls resembling each member of Red Strikes Matter. And while the pins inserted into the back of Ben Spencer's doll did prove effective, the spell worked too well causing him to pull out from pain after game 2. With the strength of Michael Gordon with his above-average 554 series, 8-Balls split the series with Red Strikes. On the other lane, Most Valuable Bowler Scott Murdock and his better-than-normal 513 series oversaw Red Strikes as they matched their opponent in wins and continued being the league leader for the fifth week in a row. 8 Balls remains spinning in 2nd place, while Red Strikes continue to sit triumphantly in 1st.

On lanes 9 & 10: We Don't Give a Split must have eaten quite a lot of fiber this week as they quickly disposed of Bowl Movements. Reinforced by #1 Power Ranked and #1 Head-to-Head Dennis Laube and his astonishing 549 series, Split Not Given achieved a clean sweep over BMs. Simultaneously, Colin Belmont tried to solidify the BMs with his 444 series, but it wasn't enough to prevent his team from squirting out four losses. We Don't Give a Split climbs 1 spot in the standings to 4th place, while BMs remain in 10th.

Finally, down on lanes 11 & 12: In a pairing of teams of similar strength, Bowling For Beers shared a lot of 122s with Teeby Dee. Showcasing Pat Hamell with his above-average 411 series, Beers split the series with TBD. In the midst of this, Curtis Whiles with his 409 series called the shots for TBD as they matched their opponent in wins. Bowling For Beers remains in 8th place, while TBD remains in 9th.

Bowlers entering The 200 Club include: Aaron Barber (202,203), Carl Goetz (236), Dennis Laube (212), Matthew Taylor (200), Michael Gordon (210), and Rob Kaszuba (200)

In this week's Tournament of Champions brackets: Nick Kinney topped Division 1, while Brian Byfield cleaned up Division 2. Dennis Laube spanked Division 3, and nobody claimed victory in Division 4 (though Pat Hamell and Chuck Kissee came closest). Finally, Freda Schroeder (Division 1) vanquished this week's Interdivisional bracket. In terms of overall points: Nick Kinney reigns over Division 1; Scott Murdock dominates Division 2; Neil Hufford holds the reins in Division 3; and Chuck Kissee calls the shots for Division 4.

NEXT WEEK:

• First, on lanes 3&4, 7th-place Gucci Lane (hcp 47) will challenge 1st-place Red Strikes Matter. Gucci is expected to maintain their current strength as they and split the series with Red Strikes; while Red Strikes are forecast to drop their average a bit while they keep the series tied.
• Moving to lanes 5&6, 4th-place We Don't Give a Split will test their mettle against 9th-place Teeby Dee (hcp 65). Split Not Given might maintain their current strength as they sweep the series; while TBD ought to drop their average a bit while they endure a rough night.
• Then, over on lanes 7&8, 6th-place Open Frames R Us will spend some quality time with 10th-place Bowl Movements (hcp 36). Open Frames will likely maintain their current strength as they sweep the series; while BMs will probably hold steady as they endure a rough night.
• Next up, on lanes 9&10, 3rd-place Serious Bowlers will compete against 8th-place Bowling For Beers (hcp 140). Serious Bs might maintain their current strength as they win the series; while Beers ought to hold steady as they avoid getting swept.
• Finally, on lanes 11&12, 5th-place BDE (hcp 93) will chill with 2nd-place 8 Balls. BDE is predicted to perform well, yet still manage to lose the series but avoid getting swept; while 8-Balls are anticipated to hold steady as they enjoy their victories.

^*(Remember, the predicted results above are based on mathematical extrapolations and can be changed by all sorts of factors. If you don't like how your team's results are predicted, you and your teammates have the power to prove the math wrong!)

THIS WEEK'S MVB Chuck Kissee Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Dennis Laube Runner Up: Brian Byfield	#1 H2H BOWLER Dennis Laube Runner Up: Brian Byfield
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "I don't think I've ever felt a ball that was as smooth yours." Dennis Walling, rubbing AJ's ball. (Freshly repaired.)