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Lynda and Renato battled it out in HyVee Scrabble. Lured by 99 cent pizza, they braved the cold to play a three game showdown. Renato's Halloween inspired bat-blanks were split evenly, two to Renato in game 1, two to Lynda in game 2, and then one each in the tie-breaking showdown. 

Next time you see Renato, congratulate him and his wife Sarah on their good news. Their first baby is due December 25th.

Andy Bohnsack Knows Not the Concept of Mercy

1st Andy Bohnsack wisely skipped the first game of the World Series in order to dominate the expert division, finishing 4-0 +557.  Dismissing wholesale the concepts of lenience, pity, and mercy, Andy averaged 482 points per game.  Asa Miura bore the brunt of Andy's punishment, with Andy winning 574-306.  Valiantly, Asa played the bingo ALIENATE, but was overcome by the bingo onslaught from the other side of the board: GRANDAME, BANTENGS (n. banteng, a wild ox), RATLINS, and ADORNING.  Andy's lowest game was still a big win: 415-259 vs. Peter Schmiedicke. 

2nd Lynda Finn averaged a not-too-shabby 473 points per contest while going 3-1 +331.  She trounced fellow east-sider Shayla Dunn 503-328 while only playing one bingo, RAILINGS.  Shayla played the Word of the Week, MENINGES (n. meninx, a membrane enclosing the brain and spinal cord), in that same game, so even though she lost, she still kinda won...right?  While we're on the subject of losing, Lynda's only loss was 467-472 against Andy Bohnsack, which prompts the question: just how many points are necessary to beat Andy, anyway?  A total of six bingos were played in that game: Lynda played EPIGONE, GOURAMI, and REVOLTS, while Andy played STEADIES, STURDIER, and INHAULER. 

3rd Bryan Benwitz ended up at 3-1 +282, but more importantly, he beat both Reinke twins.  If losing to both of them means you got reinked, that must mean that Bryan got anti-reinked.  Unintimidated, he took down Thomas Reinke 431-354 with the aid of his bingo TOLUIDS, then coolly exacted the same fate upon Charles Reinke, winning 454-365.  The bingo list from the latter game was somewhat more impressive: FIERIER, ETAGERES (n. etagere, and ornamental stand), and almost-but-not-quite-bingo-of-the-week CRONYISM.  Predictably, his one loss was against the unstoppable Andy Bohnsack, 468-350.

June Scott Asserts Dominance Over Intermediates

1st June Scott went 2-1 +81.  Agonizingly close to a 100-point win, she beat Sharlie Miura by just 99, 344-245.  Asa Miura then defended his mother's honor by defeating June 454-256 with three bingos: FATHERS, CLINGING, and the excellent (although phony) find of NATTERERS.  It should be a word!

2nd Harwinder Dowd went 1-1 +19, losing a close game againt June Scott 303-311 (June's GIRLIER making the difference) before defeating Asa Miura 329-302.

3rd Sharlie Miura finished at 1-1 -86.  For the second straight week, she was made to play Aki in the first game, but unlike last week, she won, 337-324.

Charles Reinke: "You Win Some, You Lose Some.  Unless You're Me."

1st Charles Reinke found the sensation of loss to be distasteful, so he smartly didn't lose any games, going 4-0 +509.  Showcasing his occasionally-employed defensive prowess, he held his opponents to a stifling 335 point-per-game average.  Peter Schmiedicke bore the brunt of Charles' wrath, losing 354-519 despite an equal two bingos each (SINUATED and SAURIES for Peter, PUNNERS and AVENTAIL for Charles). 

2nd Lynda "Bringer of Cookies" Finn averaged a knee-quaking 428 points per game, an impressive amount that doubtlessly enabled her to go 3-1 +300.  Over two bingos a game also didn't hurt.  Her high game of the night was a 484-311 match against Helen Flores;   Lynda's formula for victory in that one was to bingo often while simulatenously not allowing her opponent to bingo.  EXPANSE, PRINTED, and ERASING each donated fifty bonus points to her point total, making one wonder: why can't I just bingo every turn?  Only Charles Reinke was able to halt the cookie-provider, defeating her 424-356.  Again, two bingos were played by each contestant: INTERNE (later extended to INTERNEE) and MISRAISE on the Lynda side of the board, and SCUTAGE and ENSURER on the Charles side.

3rd Thomas Reinke overcame a back-alley beating at the hands of Richard Lauder, 318-523, to go 3-1 +86.  Richard played EVERTORS, SORDINI, OVENBIRD, and STARTING to easily take down the sprier and more agile Thomas.  Such unfortunate circumstance would not befall Thomas for the rest of the night; on the contrary, he enjoyed often the succulent delights of the tile bag, playing seven bingos in his final three games.  The closest of those victories was a 447-394 defeat of Andy Bohnsack.  Andy may have been able to make the game closer, but alas, he was preoccupied with whether his fantasy basketball players would suck or not.  In what seems to be a recurring theme, both players bingoed twice: Andy played COMELIER and VIBRANT while Thomas played ECOCIDAL and PLATINAS. 

Richard Lauder, while not placing in the top three, smirks dismissively at the miniscule bingo totals of the above players, as he himself played twelve bingos over the course of four games.  Both of his wins were with scores over 500.  Not all was rosy: Richard Lauder is awarded the newly-minted "Diadem of Shame" for playing the only phony of the night, WETTENS.  This diadem will clash horribly with his Bingo King crown.

Sue Goldstein Wins Two of Four; Nothing Else to Say, Really

1st Sue Goldstein had a 2-2 -36 final record, eschewing the concept of "bingoing" and instead going for the tried-and-true "just score points, stupid" method.  She took down June Scott 337-282 for one of her hard-fought wins.

2nd Aki Miura finished 1-1 +31 as the only intermediate player with a positive spread.  Thanks to their late arrival, Aki and Sharlie were forced to play each other, the first time they have faced off at club in several years.  Aki took the win, 303-256.