When we first began kicking around the idea of creating a Hall of Fame for GutterAlley, I talked to Scoot about who I figured were the shoo-ins right off the bat. One of the first names that instantly came to mind from both of us was Pat Searcy. Fast forward to today and here we are, a full five seasons of inductions later, and the Hall is still just not quite right in my eyes.Pat has not yet made it in. I really, really thought he'd be in by now. Many of us did as well, including all of the Hall of Famers.It is my personal goal this season to see to it that this is remedied.Because of my status as a member of the group who determines whose names appear on the ballot, I am hereby suspending my ability to vote on this matter so as not to influence it in any way. The other three members of the Screening Committee – Angela Bradford, Freda Schroeder, and Scott Murdock – will solely make the decisions this time around as to who appears on the ballot. I don't want anyone to think that I'm not proud of who has already been ushered into the Hall up to this point. This isn't about taking away anything away from those who are in it already nor is it intended to derail the chances of those who are getting closer and closer to making it into the Hall with each passing season. This campaign is just something that has been weighing on my mind (and bothering the absolute hell out of me!) for the past few years. With that, I'd like to tell all of you – both bowlers who have had the pleasure of bowling with or against Pat as well as those of you who have never even met the man – why he should get your vote this season both from a personal perspective as well as by the straight up numbers. 
I had the distinction of being one of the bowlers in our very first season waaaaaaay back in late 1999. Thanks to an invitation from then-league president – and inaugural class (Spring 2011) Hall of Famer – Angela Bradford, I joined one of the eight 2-man teams that made up our fledgling league. On AB's team was a hulking man with an infectious personality named Pat. It didn't take very long to figure out why this guy stood out from the crowd – he welcomed everyone nearby into his conversations, he was funny and fun to be around and, damn, could that guy roll. Having not bowled in a league since I was a teenager, I was excited to be involved once again in a sport that I had absolutely loved in my youth. Pat, more than anyone that season, made me feel welcome to be a part of the league...and then proceeded to kick my ass every single time we faced one another. After each beating, he'd be the first to tactfully offer up an honest suggestion as to how to improve your own game so that you'd be better the next time around. As a tenacious competitor, I would have NEVER done something like this...but not Pat. He was equal parts coach and competitor. This just made him that much cooler in my eyes.In those first several seasons of the league, you could expect big games and clutch performances out of three bowlers – Pat, Carl Goetz, and Bob Brunker. Bob, like Pat, was on the roster of that very first season while Carl joined shortly thereafter in Spring '01. As someone who wanted desperately to get better at the game and win titles, I personally looked up to all of these guys. I'd watch as these three would lead their respective teams to win after win, week after week. Since Bob was too difficult to hate on due to his Mr. Nice Guy persona, Carl and Searcy formed the earliest rivalry as they battled for the highest game, series, and average season after season. I watched those two put up the first 600 series – and 700 series – I had ever witnessed. Carl was the first person inducted into the Hall after the inaugural class of AB, Freda, Scoot, and myself. Bob followed the season after that...but still no Pat.If you are someone influenced by raw data, let me tell you about Pat as a bowler. Even though we do not have scores from those first few seasons of our league, I know that Pat was the first person to bowl a 200+ game in our history as he did it against me in the very first Finals. Sigh. Throughout his 16 seasons in our league, Pat was the best bowler in the league – a distinction held predominantly by six different bowlers – for 58 of his 154 weeks making him 3rd of all time. Carl, who holds the #1 spot on that list, has logged 77 weeks...over the course of 22 seasons. It took me 25 full seasons to finally pass Searcy to take over the #2 spot. When it comes to big games and series, Searcy has always been a powerhouse. Throughout his career, he sits at 5th place on both all-time lists for bowlers with the most 200+ games and the most 600+ series. From looking at who is behind him on both, it'll be a while before anyone sends him further down on either of those lists.Speaking of high games, almost 23% of the time that he bowled he led the league with the highest game shot that night. On the all-time list, he's currently ranked 3rd. Three times he led his team to a championship, coming away with the crown in that very first season and then again in the Spring 2002 and Spring 2006 seasons. In each of those first two championship seasons, Searcy ended with the highest average of anyone else in the league. The Spring 2006 season (190) saw him outdone by only Hall of Famers Carl Goetz (196) and David Codding (194). To this day, Searcy is ranked the 12th best bowler in league history. This places him ahead of every other Hall of Famer with the exception of myself, Carl, and Codding. The achievement that I think best summarizes Pat's incredible ability to come in after an absence from the league and put up big numbers came on Week #7 during the Spring 2009 season. After having not rolled in the league since the Spring '07 session – and having had a heart attack at some point after that – he was offered a spot to come in and sub on the night of March 3rd, 2009. Picking up his ball for the first time in two years, Searcy got right back into the swing of things putting up the 2nd highest series shot all season – a 662. Until Steve Kiernan came in just last season and put up his 706 series as a sub, Searcy ruled the roost as the best substitute bowler of all-time. If you're someone that weighs achievements away the big scores and accolades on the lanes, then let me tell you a couple of stories about Searcy that may sway you.
The first one I touched on earlier – his willingness to be a coach to help anyone and everyone become a better bowler was part of my first impressions of Pat as person. Searcy helped me to break through a particularly long slump I was going through way back in the early seasons of the league by studying my throw and pointing out where I was going wrong. Facing him the following week, I figured my free lessons were over until after the matchup. Oh no. Throughout the night, he'd lean in after an open frame and remind me of the pointers he had given the week before. My game picked up and we went on to win that night. His willingness to help me out – even when I was in the middle of facing his team – has stuck with me for years and years...and he's a much better person than I am because I would never do the same. This willingness to help extended well beyond just helping me out. I watched him stay after league night had wrapped up to give tips to various bowlers including Hall of Famer Seth Gunderson and future Hall of Famer Jason Carpio. The Carpio story is my favorite of them all. One particular night while Searcy was watching Jason roll, he asked him what mark he was throwing at when he bowled. Responding that he didn't know what a mark was at the time, Searcy rolled his eyes, laughed, and then pulled Carpio aside to teach him about aiming at the arrows. Searcy stayed with him for a while, showing Carpio the nuances of throwing a ball that was weighted for a hook by allowing him to roll Pat's own ball. The lesson concluded by Searcy actually giving Carpio the ball and telling him that he could keep it. Carpio's average began to vastly improve and he went on to become a solid anchor...and all because of the generosity of one guy that just wanted to see a fellow bowler – who wasn't even on his team – improve. 
Both on and off the lanes, Searcy has played an integral part in GutterAlley's history. He's been one of the best bowlers the league has ever seen and has given of himself to make those around him better, either with tips for improvement or simply by making us all laugh after being drawn into one of his comical exchanges. Simply put, I love Pat Searcy. I've looked up to him for 14+ years now since first meeting him and, as silly as getting enshrined into our small league's Hall of Fame is, I still find it almost criminal that he hasn't made it in. More than anything, I just want to see him come spend one more night with our league to accept his award. I miss him...and I know that many others do, too.So...to help break this injustice, please do me a favor. Take just a minute to go in there and nominate Pat for enshrinement into the GutterAlley Hall of Fame and, if he makes it onto the ballot, vote for him to be this season's enshrinee. The man deserves it moreso than any other eligible bowler out there, hands down.Thank you for your time!Sincerely,---Ken
Week #6 is now in the history books and with it came very little in the realm of teams moving around in the league standings. While the league's overall average was better than we've seen lately, not much noise has been made at all on the lanes this season. Averages continue to be down, we're only seeing a fraction of the number of 200+ games typically rolled, and teams continue to underperform and yet come away with victories. All in all, this has been an odd season so far as we close in on the midway point. And now, quick recaps:The battle between Ballz Out and Split It and Hit It ended in a 2-2 split. Dennis Blake led Split It (5th place) with a 508 series while Cliff Barendsen was the top roller for Ballz Out (7th place) with his 502. Reigning champs Will Strike if Provoked ran into Bewbie Dance's Carl Goetz first 600+ series of the season (642) and yet another Most Valuable Bowler performance from Jonathan Vigliaturo as the Bewbs took the matchup 4-0. Aubrey Moren led the Provoked with a 602. Bewbie Dance remains in 3rd while Will Strike falls one spot into 2nd place.Kody Karnes of Breaking Bad returned to life with a 674 series to lead his team to a 3-1 win over opponents Gutterfingers. AJ Hofmann – this week's #1 Power Ranked bowler – led the Gutters with his 494 series. Neither team moved up or down, with Breaking Bad remaining in 4th and the Gutterfingers in 6th place.Bowltron, led by Ryan Doll and his 537 series, hopped back up into 1st place against opponents Even Brunker Than Defore. Eric Lynch put up the highest series – a 454 – for the 8th place Defore .The Tournament of Champions results: Division 1 = Aubrey Moren (9), Carl Goetz and Ken M. Wilson (7 apiece)Division 2 = Jonathan Vigliaturo (9), Anita Osthoff (6)Division 3 = Bryan Mohr (10), Freda Schroeder and AJ Hofmann (6 apiece)Division 4 = Michael Smith (15), Chadwick Andrews (7)This week's The 200 Club: Aubrey Moren (201, 217), Bill Krejci (210, 204), Carl Goetz (202, 210, 230), Jonathan Vigliaturo (219), Ken M. Wilson (237), Kody Karnes (255, 245), Rob Kaszuba (205), and Ryan Doll (220).There are just a couple of weeks left to nominate people on this season's Hall of Fame ballot. Get your nominations in before it's too late.See you next Tuesday!
Because "Grand Theft Auto 5" came out and this sum bitch is dying to play it, this recap will be short and sweet.
Getting half the league to swap places in the league standings every Tuesday night seems to quickly be on its way to becoming the norm. Week #4 brought a group of familiar faces back atop the league after a powerful performance from a man figuring out a new ball. While the overall league average is off this season (we're willing to blame it on the lack of beer being consumed due to cost increase – although sources inform us that the prices will be coming down next week across the board!), people continue to put up games well over their averages on their drive to add more notches in the win column. Here's how the matchups across the league went down...In the first matchup of the night, 
Week #3 is now in the history books and with it came some huge output across the lanes. With the post-bowling scores now in, the full recap of what went down across all four matchups can now be reported.In the first matchup of the night, both 
