Post Messenger Recorder -

With love in the air on the eve of Valentine’s Day, Pepé Le Pew decided to take Penelope Pussycat out for a quick drink at Morgan’s in Pine Bluff. Pipe Benders Ross Neshiem and Jeff Ellingson asked Pepé and Penelope over to their table where they were so kind as to introduce them to Mounties Roseann Maier and Devon Handel in the second game. At the very moment the skunk of Roseann and Devon was being recorded, Jerome Krantz and Mark Losenegger called Pepé and Penelope over to their table so they could introduce them to Mounties Jim Day and Harold Grabandt. With the potency of two skunks, in a matter of seconds, Pepé and Penelope decided it was time to leave before they were thrown out. This is where Jerome and Mark took over and added to the Mounties pain by pumping 114 points into the Pipe Benders total score thereby flushing the Mounties down the drain 37 arrests short of a win.

Knowing that New Glarus is the home of the Cheese Eaters, Pepé and Penelope headed that way hoping to get their hands on some Limburger cheese to reenergize their scent glands. Unfortunately, they took a wrong turn and ended up at Kleeman’s. It was here that Don Williams and Jerry Judd felt it as their duty to introduce Pepé and Penelope to a couple of Tyrol Trolls. It just happened that Dave Hook and Roger Fager were readily available at that time. With just 71 points at the end of the night, Dave and Roger also took low score for the week besides the skunk. Once Pepé and Penelope had done their business for the third time in one night, they decided it was time to go home. Hay Shakers Steve Sponem and Rick Skindrud continued making hay putting 116 bales in the hay loft, this week’s high score. Only Andy Amacher and Brittney Onsager were able to prevent them from getting all 120 bails securely stacked. Kleeman’s remain undefeated with a 63-point victory.

The Shufflers’ struggle for top billing of the second half faltered at the hands of the Cowboys. The match was extremely close most of the night. After the first frame the score was even, then the Shufflers took a 7-point lead. After the third it was even again. Then the Cowboys went up by 5, then 15 and then fell back to a 5-point lead after the sixth frame. When the seventh frame was finished, the Cowboys were up by just 2 points. But, even with a strong showing by Ed Chancellor and Erik Massey, plus Dave Herfel and Dewey Haag, all with 110 points for the Shufflers, the Shufflers couldn’t secure the win. They ended up 21 points short.

Another close battle took place at S’Wisco Taphaus in New Glarus, where the Cheese Eaters played host to the River Rats. The Cheese Eaters jumped out to an early lead but by the end of the seventh frame the River Rats had gnawed it to 7 points. But when all the cheese was gone, the Cheese Eaters had 21 more slices than did the River Rats. George and Brett Eichelkraut gathered 110 slices for the Cheese Eaters.

On the road in Mount Horeb, the Harley Blue Express continued their winning streak by pulling out of the station 19 cars ahead of the Norsk Pranksters. Harley Blue also remains undefeated. With just two weeks left in the half, the wins by the Express and the Hay Shakers set the stage for an important showdown between these two teams on February 27th.

Standings: Harley Blue Express 7-0; Kleeman’s 7-0; Riley Shufflers 5-2; Norsk Cowboys 4-3; Jones’ Plumbing 3-4; S’Wisco Taphaus 3-4; J&M Bar 2-5; Norsk Pranksters 2-5; Riley Mounties 2-5; Tyrol Trolls 0-7.

Schedule for February 20th: Kleeman’s @ J&M Bar (8:00); Norsk Pranksters @ Riley Mounties (8:00); S’Wisco Taphaus @ Jones Plumbing (7:00); Riley Shufflers @ Harley Blue (7:00); Tyrol Trolls @ Norsk Cowboys (7:00).