As the Spring 2012 season marches onward, teams celebrated their victories and lament their losses in Week 12. In all four matchups Tuesday night, at least one game was settled by the slimmest of margins reinforcing the old bowling adage that "every pins counts." That single open frame or the low count following a spare early in the game may come back to haunt you when all is said and done. Such was the case across the board in this week's rehash of GutterAlley. Ready to get into the specifics? We are too.In a matchup of the two teams that the league determined to be the most fun to face, the return of Strange Bedfellows' super anchor Carl Goetz didn't make it so much fun for opponents Brown Belt Jones. Continuing to put up huge numbers – and easily being labeled the #1 Power Ranked bowler – Goetz put up a 695 series to lead his team to a 4-0 bounce back after the Bedfellows' paltry performance last week without him. The Belt, which started out strongly behind Jonathan Vigliaturo's 521 series – including a 225 performance in Game #1 – put up their best fight in Game #1 before dropping it in the 10th frame. The four wins once again find the two teams exchanging positions in the standings, with the Bedfellows reclaiming 2nd while The Belt slips back down into 3rd place.Many in the league have openly wondered, "who can stop the Turkey Hunters?" That answer came in the form of Bowled to Death in one of the closest finishes we've had all season. After a Game #1 rout by Bowled in Game #1 – compliments of a stellar performance from lead off bowler Ellen Neidlinger and her 446 series (including a new personal high game of 178) – the league's reigning champions struck back big in Game #2 to even the series at a game apiece. Game #3 came down to the wire with Bowled to Death coming away with a 9-pin victory but total pins went to the Turkeys...by a margin of a single pin, splitting the series at 2-2. Hall of Fame candidate Dennis "Pops" Laube led the Turkeys with his 563 series. While the Hunters remain firmly out in first place, Bowled to Death gained some ground in the win column but remain in 7th place.Another back and forth battle for supremacy took place down on Lanes 23 & 24 between competitors Ballsagna and the ACE²S. Striking first to take Game #1 was the Balls' anchor Russell Madsen and his team leading 412 series to secure the first win of their night. Not to be outdone, the ACE's anchor Eric Lynch returned to his yesteryear form to shoot a 231 to reverse his team's fortunes in Game #2. Lynch would go on to lead his team with a 531 series. Game #3 was settled by a 5-pin margin in the 10th frame in favor of Ballsagna but total pins netting out in the ACE's favor, splitting the series at 2-2. Neither team rose nor fell in the league standings, however, with the ACE²S refusing to move out of 6th and Ballsagna remaining in 8th place.The last time that Splits or Swallows faced powerhouse team X-Men, their anchor didn't show up and they ended the night with three wins. Well, this time around, they added a new anchor – Jake Parrott – who put on this week's Most Valuable Bowler performance with his career best 528 series to come away with a 3-1 matchup victory. Game #1 was easily won by the X-Men with anchor Ryan Doll's 237 game, en route to a team leading 644 series. From that point onward, though, the night belonged to the Swallowers. After an 8-pin win in Game #2, Splits or Swallows went on to emphatically take Game #3 as well as total pins to improve their record to 23-25...a single game behind opponents X-Men in the standings. The two teams remain in 4th and 5th place, respectively. Bowlers celebrating KU's inevitable loss in March Madness in The 200 Club this week include: Angela Bradford (223), Carl Goetz (236, 246, 213), Dennis "Pops" Laube (233), Eric Lynch (231), Jonathan Vigliaturo (225), Ken M. Wilson (204, 202), and Ryan Doll (237, 209).There aren't that many weeks left until the actual Tournament of Champions takes place with the top eight seeds in the league. Division #1 features a tie between Carl Goetz and Ken M. Wilson (17 points). Aubrey Moren (29 points) continues to be lead Division #2 with Bob Brunker (21 point) in second place. Division #3 has Jonathan Vigliaturo at its top seed (20 points) with Anita Osthoff moving into second (15 points). Russell Madsen (19 points) continues to lead Division #4 with Chris Klee just behind him (18 points).Voting for this season's Hall of Fame nominees is now open. Congratulations to candidates Bob Brunker, Dennis "Pops" Laube, Janelle (Laube) Lamar, Pat Searcy, Phil Schroeder, and Seth Gunderson. Be sure to get in there and vote!See you next Tuesday!

THIS WEEK'S MVB Jake Parrott Runner Up: (See Posting)	#1 POWER BOWLER Carl Goetz Runner Up: Jake Parrott	#1 H2H BOWLER Jake Parrott Runner Up: Carl Goetz
FROM THE GUTTER (GUTTER QUOTE) "They can have total pins. Any team that takes this long to bowl – and remain alive – deserves to win." Eric Lemmon, after staying up past his bed time bowling The Turkey Hunters.