The week of the Super Bowl is traditionally the busiest of the year in Las Vegas. But not for the megabuck bowlers. For them, it's the week after Super Bowl Sunday.

Four - count 'em - four megabuck tournaments were conducted following Super Bowl XL-- the High Roller at Sam's Town, the True Amateur Tournament at Texas Station, and a new event called the Boothill-Las Vegas at Sunset Station.

But the biggest - and the best - was the fifth annual Super Bowl Mini Eliminator at The Orleans Bowling Center. The event was staged, as usual, by Steve Sanders, the energetic president and founder of Pinacle Events, Inc.

Sanders introduced a new format this year, featuring five divisions (39 and under, 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 205 and under, and the Open). Super Senior bowlers (60 and over) used the same eligibility rules as the 50-plus group but qualified separately for the Daily Finals and the Grand Finale. In the Grand Finale Shootout, the five divisional winners rolled one game for the $50,000 guaranteed first-place prize.

The 2006 champion of the Super Bowl Mini Eliminator was Tyler Jensen, 22, of Flower Mound, Texas. Not only is Flower Mound the hometown of bowling stars Chris and Lynda Barnes, but Jensen boards at their house and baby-sits the Barnes' twin boys. Jensen also drills the bowling balls for Lynda, a Team USA international champion. That is, when Jensen is not working as the national sales rep for Roto Grip balls - or bowling in tournaments. "I bowl all the regional events," he said.

"I have the best of two worlds," Jensen added, "I love my job and I love to bowl." Before hitting the 50-grand jackpot, Jensen said the most he ever won before was in the $1,000 to $1,500 bracket. Asked what he was going to do with his new-found fortune, Jensen, a bachelor, laughed and said, "I'll probably have to start paying rent."

The tall (6-ft., 200-lb.) right-hander dominated the Grand Finale Shootout. While the other four divisional champions were struggling, Jensen fired a 224 game on challenging lane conditions.

The runner-up was Del Lee of Hayward, Calif. (205 and under division), who finished strongly with a turkey for 196, good for $25,000. The personable 63-year-old right-hander, who sponsors himself, said he plans to use his money to finance his favorite sport. "I go to Las Vegas about every other month to bowl in tournaments," said the retiree from the Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

The other Grand Finale finishers: Third place was a tie between Ricky Schissler of Henderson, Colo. (40-49 division) and James Denos of Murray, Calif. (Senior Division). They each rolled 192 and collected $11.750 apiece.

The final spot went to Raul Rosales of El Monte, Calif. (205 and under), who had two splits and a missed 10-pin for 169. He wasn't happy with his game but he was delighted with his $10,000 check.

Sanders said he was "very happy" with the new Mini Eliminator format, although he may "tweak a few things" here and there. "The payoffs were a little top-heavy," he said, "and more money should be spread among the lower places." He's right, of course, as the cost of living in Sin City is escalating daily.

Sanders also was pleased by the large foreign contingent that participated in the Mini Eliminator. "We had bowlers from 15 foreign countries," he said. "I think there'll be even more next time."

Thanks to the fertile mind of Steve Sanders, there was a double attraction at The Orleans. The inaugural $100,000 MoRich Mixed Doubles National Championship made its debut just before the Super Bowl Mini Eliminator.

The surprise winners were Laura Hardeman, Chula Vista, and Steven Smith, San Diego. They shared the $10,000 top prize by defeating the highly-favored Nevada duo of PWBA champion Wendy Macpherson, Henderson, and megabuck-toughened veteran Paul Renteria, Boulder City.

The finals featured 16 teams in best 2-of-3 elimination matches. After three rounds, the only ones still standing were Hardeman-Smith and Macpherson-Renteria. Bowling consistently, Hardeman and Smith won the first two games by scores of 422-379 and 432-359. The runners-up received $5,000.

Hardeman was gracious in victory. "We were the best today, but Wendy and Paul are both great bowlers. We were fortunate to bowl them for the title when they were a little off their game," she said. It was the first national title for Hardeman, a WWPB (Western Women Professional Bowlers) regional champion.

Hardeman and Smith defeated another strong duo - PWBA champ Kelly Kulick, Union, N.J., and Team USA star David Haynes, Las Vegas - in a semifinal match, winning 2-0 (432-420 and 409-341). Kulick and Haynes shared $2,500 for finishing third.

There were 124 teams, according to Media Director Jim Goodwin. "That's not bad as we were shooting for at least 100 teams. We would've had a lot more entries, because there were plenty of guys who wanted to bowl but only a few women."

Even Tyler Jensen said he couldn't find a partner; however, he shouldn't have a problem next year. Also looking for partners were two excellent bowlers, Terry Leong and Brett Cooper, who, in this writer's opinion, are two of the nicest guys around.

Sanders said that he will "definitely" hold the mixed doubles tournament again, possibly during the summer next year. He also might pair the women with the Senior pros in a revival of the very popular "Ladies and Legends" tournaments that were held in San Diego several years ago.

Still another exciting event for the Mini Eliminator bowlers and spectators was the $125,000 Brunswick Shootout. The $10,000 winner was Pat Grogan (center), Seneca, S.C. Using a Brunswick Scorchin Inferno and a Vapor Zone in the championship shootout, Grogan, a 44-year-old postal worker, was the only one able to top 200, shooting 201.

Grogan beat out former Mini champ and Senior Division bowler Vinnie Atria, Louisville, who had 195, worth $5,000. Scott Pohl, Burnsville, Minn., was third with 189 for $3,000, followed by William Holota, Bolton, Conn., 186 for $2,500, and Michael Banha, Emerson, N.J., 170 for $2,000.

And if that wasn't enough action, there were the daily brackets and 3-game sweepers. If you like to bowl for money, then plan on entering the next Mini Eliminator, which will be around the week of July fourth.

The Super Bowl Mini Eliminator received unprecedented media coverage. On hand for the tournament were several members of the Bowling Writers Assn. of America, including Pearl Keller, Hazel McLeary, John Jowdy and Dick Evans, all members of the USBC Hall of Fame...Former WIBC President Joyce Deitch, who lives in Las Vegas, was a visitor on several occasions during the week...Other BWAA members there, in addition to Jim and C.J. Goodwin, were Joan Romeo, ace cartoonist Walt Steinsieck, Frenchy Letourneau (publisher of the Las Vegas TenPin Alley), Joan Feinblum and this grizzled ink-stained wretch...Traveling the farthest, however, was the remarkable Herbert Bickel, owner and founder of bowling's biggest international website (www.bowlingdigital.com). Bickel, who lives in Cologne, Germany, says it took him 21 hours and three plane changes to reach Las Vegas.

Hall of Famer Robin Romeo has seen limited competition recently, but that didn't keep her from entering the Mini Eliminator's Open Division. Robin qualified for the Grand Finale when her 691 was the highest women's series for the week. There was some confusion about her status, however, as the computer had her in the men's division. Robin had changed shoes and was ready to leave with her significant other, Tom McNaughton, for dinner. At the last minute, the mistake was corrected, and Robin put her bowling shoes back on. She didn't advance, however, although shooting 203 and missing the cut by eight pins. She pounded the pocket but several stubborn corner pins caused her to fall short. Still, Robin received $1,250, which was $800 more than the $450 she would have collected as a daily finalist...

Before signing off, Tenpin Slants would like to publicly thank Dave and Meida Johnson for their generous hospitality. Dave is the head mechanic at Texas Station and arguably the best in Las Vegas at what he does. Meida was the computer programmer in the Bowling Department at The Showboat, then retired when the place closed...I also visited Dick Stoeffler, a longtime friend, a couple of times. Ol' Steff, as his friends call him, was the recipient of the 2003 BWAA Flowers for the Living National Award. He's also the former proprietor of Kona Lanes in Costa Mesa and a bowling columnist ("Mountain Time") who always tells it like it is. Steff has been battling bladder and prostate cancer for more than two years. Now he is facing a "radical and dangerous" operation on Feb. 28, so it wouldn't hurt to say a prayer or two for him...

On a happier note, horse racing tenpin fans noted that a nag named Bowler was running in the last race on Feb. 11 at Penn National. So, Virginia Norton, son Scott, Missy Bellinder and Dick Evans all put a couple of bucks on the horse to win and place. Would you believe that Bowler, a 10-to-1 shot, hit the wire first and paid $22 to win and $7 to place? You should've heard the screaming as the horses came down the stretch...The very next day, at Santa Anita, there was a horse in the third race named Eliminator. Mini Eliminator bowlers must've poured some of their winnings on the steed, for it was 7-2 in the morning line and went off at 2-1. Eliminator ran out of the money...

Speaking for horse racing fans, Senior Tour champion Ron Winger, an ace handicapper, is now living in Las Vegas and working in the pro shop at The Orleans. "I've been here (in Vegas) for three months, and I love it," he says. Fortunately, Winger will have no trouble getting off work so he can compete on the Senior Tour...As if Steve Sanders doesn't have enough to do, he says his Generations Bowling Tour (GBT), for seniors, will start right after the PBA Senior Tour ends. "I have contracts for 28 tournaments this year," he said. Someone commented that the PBA Senior Tour has only nine stops, and that includes the Senior Masters, which is a USBC event. It looked to me as if Sanders had a slight smug smile on his face about that time...

Scott Norton and Missy Bellinder bowled together in the MoRich Mixed Doubles and they performed admirably. They qualified for the finals but were eliminated in the opening round, losing to Wendy Macpherson and Paul Renteria, 2-1 (439-447, 408-371, 485-427). They collected $1,000 and also got an additional $800 for leading their qualifying squad...World-class coach John Jowdy thinks Missy Bellinder has yet to reach her peak. In fact, look for him to give her a few lessons, for he is very partial to Columbia staff members (and that includes Missy)...Jowdy, at one time, also coached Tyler Jensen and Del Lee, who finished one-two in the Mini Eliminator Grand Finale Shootout...