106th Season – Week 21 Alleygations -Captain Chad Baker ~ February 17, 2025

Well, I don’t have a lot to say. Tonight was another night. It was Standings Night. The cold weather definitely had its effect on bowling overall tonight.

The matchup between the top two teams, Lane and Westreich, ended with 14-8 in favor of Westreich, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the top.

Team Baker, only by the grace of Katie LaMarsh, scored two points against Team Cowell. Much of this was due to powerhouses Ralph “Wreck-It” Zuke and his new ball (third ball this season), and Robert Zangas. Baker’s team struggled all three games. Zuke had his eye on the #1 spot, so he was trying to get all the points he could to try to catch up with Lane. They were successful in getting to the #2 spot, dropping Westreich to #3.

I told myself I wasn’t going to make another comment about smelling Ralph’s [bowling] balls, but what the heck, last time. When it was brought out of the box by the gentleman at the alley who does the hole drilling (whose name I always seem to forget) he couldn’t contain his excitement about how nice it smelled. Luckily for me, I have no sense of smell so I did not partake in this activity.

In the other two matches, the scores were also 14-8 at the end, with Decker beating Driver, and Jones beating Werner.

Much like the Chiefs-Eagles SuperBowl, the talk of the Jones three-peating was quieted tonight, as they remained for the second week in a row in last place.

Don Klackner was not only the winner of the 5/50 tonight, but he also took the highest Scratch game and series honors on the mens’ side (208/534). Meanwhile, Bill Piper took the highest honors for the Handicap series (243/698). For the ladies, Rose Cooper took the high Scratch honors (162/431), while the Handicap highs were split between Lauren Kehlenbrink (242) and Katie LaMarsh (654).

Bob “Newsy” Barnes managed two strikes and a spare in one of his games, but continues to struggle with his hook to the left. It’s amazing to see everyone around watching as he launches the ball down the lane, following its every twist and turn until it lands. Despite the struggles, it’s always good to see him on the lanes. When I became Captain I knew I wanted to have Bob on my team because he is literally a part of Rotary bowling history, being the guy who has been bowling for what, 55 years??

Now that all the hubbub about three-peats is in the past, we can focus on what matters, getting ready to beat Rotary Kansas City in April.

Oh, and can we please get rid of that “Booty” song on the jukebox?

-Captain Baker