A very fine season for the Crushers. I'm glad that not only did they get over the hump to make it to the playoffs, but in their first try, they were able to hoist the trophy. Good stuff!

Erik

Yes, it was a remarkable season for them. Just to make the playoffs after 19 years was something. The Crushers had lost out 2 or 3 years in a row and finished second, losing out by one game each year.

This year they finally made the playoffs... and amazingly even won the Pro Cup as a sixth-seed.

I'm going to research it, but I think this was the biggest upset in Pro Cup history. Ozarka looked unbeatable when compared to Crystal Lake. There was no way the Crushers could outhit the Naturals (.248 BA to .294 BA). They had good pitching, but not as good as Ozarka. Yet they not only outhit the Nats, they outpitched them, too.

UNBELIEVABLE.

The Islandian Times
Monday, October 12, 2020

CL's Welch Pro Cup MVP
To no one's surprise Crystal Lake's sensational southpaw Duncan Welch has been named the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player this year. Welch sparked the Crushers to the Islandian championship with a superlative 6-1 record in the postseason. Welch made 7 starts and completed 4 of them with a 2.36 ERA against the best teams in the IPA. He worked 58 innings, allowed 45 hits, fanned 41 and walked only 15. During the regular season Welch was 24-12 with an IPA-leading 2.00 ERA.

Coming in second and third in the MVP balloting were two of Welch's Crusher teammates, 2B Greg Murphy and 1B Phil Gravelli. Murphy led the team with 4 homers and 14 RBIs, while batting .338. Gravelli topped team with a .356 batting average. He had 2 homers and 13 runs batted in.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Quintana Named RU #1 Newcomer
Carlos Quintana, the rookie left fielder for the Volusia Vigilantes, assured himself of a place in Ruthlandian Union history with a solid performance in the 2020 season. He now has a place reserved for him in the league record book under "Rookie of the Year." The 24-year-old Volusia newcomer took the trophy by hitting .313 in 146 games this season and finished with 166 hits, 26 home runs, 121 RBIs and 100 runs scored.

Number two in the poll was also from Volusia. 24-year-old right-hander Billy Blair compiled a fine 20-12 record with a 3.59 ERA and 4 shutouts. Blair completed 13 games, fanned 175 in 276 innings and walked 131.CF Ian Holmes of Wynnamac was the third-highest vote-getter. Playing in 148 games, Holmes hit .306 for the Sundowners and had 2 homers, 60 RBIs, 101 runs and 48 stolen bases.

Todd Nabs TU Rookie of the Year Award
A terrific inaugural season has paid off handsomely for Jerry Todd of the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers. The 21-year-old topped off his debut year with the 2020 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award. The Bucs 6' 8" first baseman took the trophy by hitting .363 in 136 games and finished with 164 hits, 36 home runs, 126 RBIs and 86 runs scored.

San Alejo's right fielder Lou Browning finished second in the poll. The husky 21-year-old Browning cracked 31 roundtrippers, drove in 108 runs, scored 76 times and batted .300, while playing 146 games. Southport pitcher Al Laclair came in third in the rookie poll with an 18-15 mark and a 2.83 ERA. Laclair posted 21 complete games and 4 shutouts. The workhorse 21-year-old righty struck out 225 in 308 innings.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, October 14, 2020

RU Golden Arm Award Winner Announced
It's been a fantastic season for Duncan Welch. First he led Crystal Lake to the RU South title and the team's first postseason appearance in its history. Then Welch led the sixth-seed Crushers to an unbelievable IPA Pro Cup crown. The 26-year-old left-hander also was named the Pro Cup MVP. Crystal Lake has a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. In his fourth IPA season, Welch has now been acclaimed this year's Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance. Welch compiled a 24-12 record in 39 starts, tallied 248 strikeouts in 315 innings and recorded a 2.00 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .209 batting average against him. Welch had 5 shutouts and 19 complete games.

Second place in the poll went to Jerry Meeks, Wynnamac's standout right-hander. The 34-year-old Meeks posted a 24-10 mark with a 2.42 ERA, 19 complete games and 5 shutouts. Third place went to Melvin Key of the Eastshore Elegants. Key notched a 22-9 record with a 2.71 ERA, 5 shutouts and 21 complete games.

Torres Takes Home TU Golden Arm Award
The 2020 Tycobbian Union Golden Arm Award winner is Tiago Torres of the Luxora Zorros. He started 39 games and compiled a 25-10 record with an ERA of 2.06 in 310 innings with 233 strikeouts. The 33-year-old Torres won 20 games for the fourth consecutive year and paced the Zorros to its fourth straight Tycobbian North pennant.

Benny Osterman, the Ozarka star right-hander, was the runner-up to Torres in The Islandian Times voting. Osterman put up a 21-11 mark with a 2.38 ERA and he led the IPA with 336 strikeouts in 325 innings. Earl O'Reilly wound up in the third spot. The Arroyo Grande right-hander was 21-11 during the year with a 2.44 ERA. O'Reilly struck out 213 in 317 innings.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, October 15, 2020

Valenti Heads Best Batter List In RU
What a way to finish off the year -- being honored with the 2020 Golden Bat Award in the Ruthlandian Union. It had already been a very special season for Beechwood's Vic Valenti, but today's announcement really put the icing on his cake. All season long Vic Valenti gave opposing pitchers fits by hitting .342 as he collected 196 hits, 33 doubles, 6 triples, 39 home runs, 122 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. It is the second time the talented Bobcat center fielder has copped the RU best-batter honor. He also won it in 2015.

Ancona's fine third baseman Todd Nasso was number two on the ballot. Nasso in his second year in the IPA chalked up a .317 batting average with 33 home runs, 112 RBIs and 125 runs scored. He also stole 29 bases. The third-best batter in the RU was Far Mountain's veteran shortstop Don Nichols. The 40-year-old icon knocked in 107 runs, scored 114 times, stole 28 bases, hit 21 out of the park and batted at a .312 rate.

2020 TU Top Hitter Trophy Given to Elliott
High Mesa's amazing Jack Elliott put the wraps on another fine campaign today by winning the 2020 Tycobbian Union Golden Bat Award. Elliott has now won the award for the last 8 years, an unprecedented accomplishment. He scorched the opposition with a .333 average, picking up 194 hits, 32 doubles, 9 triples, 47 home runs and 135 RBIs, while scoring 127 runs. The 27-year-old Cowboy first sacker is a career .356 hitter. Elliott has won the Tycobbian Union batting crown 5 times in his 8 years in the IPA. He tied for fifth this season. Elliott was first in runs, second in RBIs and third in homers.

White River's slugging first baseman Marty Blake was the number-two hitter in this year's poll by The Islandian Times. Blake hammered 50 home runs, batted in 128 and scored 106 times, while hitting a lofty .341 average. Blake was second in homers and third in RBIs and batting average. A late bloomer, James Mack, ended up in the third place in the balloting. The 35-year-old Red Bluff second baseman had never played first string in his career prior to late season. Mack was a bench player for Ozarka for four and a half years. He was traded at mid-season last season and promptly became a regular for the Red Sox. This season he exploded for a TU-leading 52 homers and 142 RBIs, while batting .315 and scoring 118 runs.

The Islandian Times
Friday, October 16, 2020

Welch Wins Another Award, RU MVP
It's been a magnificent year for Crystal Lake's extraordinary hurler Duncan Welch. And now on top of the Pro Cup championship, Pro Cup MVP and RU Golden Arm Award, he has added the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player honor. In a poll by The Islandian Times, the 26-year-old southpaw was selected the league's MVP for 2020. This is the first time Welch has won this award. Welch ran off a 24-12 record and topped the IPA with a 2.00 ERA, leading the Crushers to its first-ever RU South pennant and first-ever postseason appearance in its history.

This year's Golden Bat winner Vic Valenti was the number-two man in the balloting. Valenti batted .342 with 39 homers, 122 RBIs and 118 runs. The talented center fielder paced Beechwood to the RU East flag. Third in the vote was another Crystal Lake player, the legendary first baseman Phil Gravelli, another vital cog in the Crushers sensational season. Gravelli, the all-time IPA leader in most offensive categories, carried the weak-hitting Crushers with a fine .344 batting average, 22 home runs, 94 runs batted in and 91 runs.

Z's Torres Takes 2nd TU MVP
For the second time in the last three years, Tiago Torres of the Luxora Zorros has captured the prestigious Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award. Torres tied with two other pitchers for the most victories in the IPA with a 25-10 record and led the TU with a 2.06 ERA. The 33-year-old lefty fired an IPA-leading 8 shutouts and 23 complete games. Torres has won 20 or more games in each of his four seasons in the IPA, sparking the Z's to four consecutive TU North pennants.

35-year-old journeyman utility infielder James Mack became a star this season with 54 homers and 142 RBIs for the Red Bluff Red Sox. For almost 5 seasons Mack languished on the Ozarka bench with a lackluster career. Last year at mid-season he was traded to Red Bluff and became a starter for the first time in his career. Mack smashed 16 homers in a half season and then exploded this year. He made the All-Star team, hit .315 and scored 118 times, while playing in 149 games. Next in the voting was superstar first baseman Jack Elliott of the High Mesa Cowboys. Elliott won his eighth successive Golden Bat with a .333 batting average (6th), 47 homers (3rd), 135 RBIs (2nd) and scored 127 runs (1st). Not bad numbers for "an off-year". Elliott is a .356 lifetime hitter.

The Islandian Times
Saturday, October 17, 2020

Times Announces IPA Managers Of The Year
The Islandian Times Announced its IPA Managers of the Year today. Both honorees were first-time recipients. The Ruthlandian Manager Of the Year was Bret George, who led his Beechwood Bobcats to the RU East title. Over in Tycobbia the trophy went to Arroyo Grande's Cyclone Cobb, who skippered the Suns to the TU South crown.

This was the first time the Beechwood Bobcats ever won the pennant and the first time the club made the Pro Cup playoffs. George had quite a task to win the division, which has been dominated by powerful Eastshore for the past few years. The Elegants won two Pro Cups and four division flags in a row from 2016-2019. George had to beat out, not only Eastshore, but a resurgence Wynnamac, which finished a very close third. Beechwood was 88-66 for the season and edged out the Elegants by two games and the Sundowners by three. In 2019 the Bobcats wound up in third place. Wynnamac's fine manager Matt Donnelly was number two in the voting. He guided the Sundowners from sixth to third, improving their record from 70-84 to 85-69.

Cyclone Cobb had some very tough competition in the TU South. The Suns had to overcome perennial powerhouse Turon and the up-and-coming Ginza Ninjas. Arroyo Grande rose up from third to first by compiling an excellent 95-59 mark for the season, the best record in the IPA. The Suns were 87-67 last year. Arroyo Grande had never made the postseason playoffs in its 19-year history. Second in the balloting was Hillsboro's manager, Rawhide Marshall, followed by Hartsdale's Zim Donner. Marshall had to contend with the juggernaut Ozarka Naturals and the talented Midway Wolves in the TU East, finally ending up third, but just two games off the pace. Donner improved the Hellcats from 71-83 in 2019 to 90-64 this season, winding up in second place, 3 games behind TU North champion Luxora.

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 18, 2020

Ruthlandian Union Announces Golden Glove Award Winners
Making the play is the mark of great defenders. Spearing a liner, diving in the hole or crashing headlong into the wall makes no difference to these awe-inspiring fielders. Magicians they sometimes appear to be, showing up out of nowhere to rob a batter of a hit and to turn a hit into an out. Pitchers love 'em, batters curse 'em... and fans are sometimes speechless. The defensive wizards will collect their 2020 Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Awards tonight. Hal Stevenson of Sugar Valley will pick up his 8th Gold Glove, Norm Owens of San Dimas gets his 6th and Vic Valenti of Beechwood and Jug Slavin of Grand City will receive it for the 3rd time. Jimmy Bell of Crystal Lake and LF Phil Stewart of Far Mountain are two-time winners.

Pitcher: Rich Paige (St. John Crusaders) (8-17 4.87) 1.000 FA
Catcher: Hal Stevenson (Sugar Valley Rattlers) (.295) .999 FA/42.0% RTO
First Baseman: Doug O'Connor (Cold Creek Catamounts) (.285) .993 FA
Second Baseman: Keith Drassle (LaGrange Sports) (.233) .983 FA
Third Baseman: Jug Slavin (Grand City Cybercats) (.313) .961 FA
Shortstop: Jimmy Bell (Crystal Lake Crushers) (.253) .974 FA
Left Fielder: Phil Stewart (Far Mountain Redhawks) (.289) .993 FA
Center Fielder: Vic Valenti (Beechwood Bobcats) (.343) .994 FA
Right Fielder: Norm Owens (San Dimas Rancheros) (.284) .994 FA

The Islandian Times
Sunday, October 18, 2020

Top Defensive Players Named by TU
Good defense can be the difference between taking the championship and coming in second. The Tycobbian Union announced its top defenders at each position today. The Golden Glove Award winners for 2020 will be given out tonight. Dane Wesner of the Fairfax Frogs has been named for the 6th time and Marty Blake of White River for the 2nd time. All the others are first timers.

Pitcher: Joji Azuma (Ginza Ninjas) (21-12 2.94) .981 FA
Catcher: Sammy Murphy (Midway Wolves) (.291) .997 FA/45.7% RTO
First Baseman: Marty Blake (White River Rascals) (.341) .993 FA
Second Baseman: James Mack (Red Bluff Red Sox) (.315) .982 FA
Third Baseman: Marko Chikiris (Kenwood Wildcats) (.217) .992 FA
Shortstop: Stan Martov (Mahaska Haymakers) (.263) .984 FA
Left Fielder: Chitto Chandler (Midway Wolves) (.308) .985 FA
Center Fielder: Lee Bonner (Fairfax Frogs) (.276) .997 FA
Right Fielder: Dane Wesner (Fairfax Frogs) (.318) .986 FA

That wraps up another great IPA season for me.

2021 is coming up soon at a ballpark near you.

Thanks to all of you who regularly follow the IPA.

I appreciate it. Your interest keeps me going.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

IPA All-Star Dream Teams Announced
Tomorrow afternoon at Trumpy Donald Stadium in Crystal Lake the best-of-the best will clash in the 21st IPA All-Star Classic. Last year's Pro Cup-winning skipper Herman "Baby" George will lead the Ruthlandian All-Stars, while Ozarka's Joe Mac Carney will be on the opposing bench for the Tycobbian All-Stars. Ruthlandia has won two of the last three games, but Tycobbia has a huge lead overall in the series with 14 wins in 20 games. The Sligo Rovers paced the RU Stars with 6 players making the squad. Ancona was number two with 3 players. Ozarka placed 6 performers on the Tycobbian Stars and Arroyo Grande and Red Bluff each had 2. Here are the rosters for each of the dream teams.

Ruthlandian Union All-Stars
SP Les Patterson -Sligo (14-2 1.74) 4-time all-star
SP Woody Crawford - Far Mountain (12-6 1.66) 3-time all-star
SP Benny McConnell - Sugar Valley (14-4 2.49) 2-time all-star
SP Luka Abromowitz - Sligo (10-2 2.01) 2-time all-star
SP Scotty Simmons - Ranford (12-4 2.58) first-time all-star
SP Don Chaney - Rocky Rapids (11-7 2.47) 6-time all-star
SP Ilya Szabo - Colfax (12-5 2.85) 9-time all-star
SP Clete Dukas - Ancona (12-4 2.66) 2-time all-star
CL Jeremy Vincent - St. John (2-0/0.32/16 saves) first-time all-star
CL Fabian Moreau - Belle Plaine (7-2/1.29/18 saves) first-time all-star
C Alllen Lemay - Claxton (.294/11 HR) 3-time all-star
C Derek Roman - Belle Plaine (.283/4 HR) first-time all-star
C Tweet Tillman - Wynnamac (.264/4 HR) 2-time all-star
1B Alekos Kotas - Ancona (.339/15 HR) first-time all-star
1B Johnny Lee Harder - Sligo (.320/15 HR) 4-time all-star
1B Allan Stewart - Middlefield (.306/21 HR) 2-time all-star
2B Gerry Garner - Eastshore (.300/13 HR) 4-time all-star
2B Phil Strong - Glasco (.284/9 HR)
3B Todd Nasso - Ancona (.358/15 HR) 3-time all-star
3B Manny Alou - Sligo (.304/9 HR) 2-time all-star
3B Paul Sheton - Rocky Rapids (.281/15 HR) 5-time all-star
SS Slick Hammill - Belle Plaine (.324/11 HR) 4-time all-star
SS Vince Wilson - Volusia (.319/10 HR) 5-time all-star
SS Vic Carlin - Sligo (.270/10 HR) 2-time all-star
LF Ricky Ray - Grand City (.358/7 HR) 4-time all-star
LF Arnie Kennedy - Taranto (.338/10 HR/ 4-time all-star
LF Biff Blauer - Sligo (.322/7 HR) first-time all-star
CF Russ Woodward - Marston (.332/19 HR) 3-time all-star
CF Roy Hobbs - Waleska (.325/17 HR) 7-time all-star
CF Randall Hawson - Sugar Valley (.260/25 HR) first-time all-star
RF Jay Roche - Kilkenny (.348/14) first-time all-star
RF Augie Marshall - Taranto (.325/19 HR) 8-time all-star

Tycobbian Union All-Stars
SP Eddie Roberts - Ozarka (14-1 2.59) first-time all-star
SP Sal Jordan - Rolling Hills (9-6 2.13) 2-time all-star
SP Howard Hutch - Ozarka (8-2 2.25) first-time all-star
SP Nicky Engstrom - Turon (12-5 1.95) 8-time all-star
SP Sixto Zamora - Arroyo Grande (13-5 2.71) first-time all-star
SP Bobby Byrd - Turon (12-4 2.73) first-time all-star
SP Benny Osterman - Ozarka (10-5 3.02) 6-time all-star
CL Jay Brewer - Luxora (4-1/0.86/14 saves) first-time all-star
CL Scott Bohn - Kenwood (2-1/1.30/19 saves) first-time all-star
C Jim Shubert - Red Bluff (.323/7 HR) 3-time all-star
C Jim Thorpe Chandler - Luxora (.339/11 HR) first-time all-star
C Gary Troxell - Arroyo Grande (.298/20) 3-time all-star
1B Jack Elliott - High Mesa (.357/32 HR) 9-time all-star
1B Benny Rousseau - Ozarka (.343/20 HR) 2-time all-star
1B Marty Blake - White River (.355/18) 5-time all-star
2B James Mack - Red Bluff (.321/19) 2-time all-star
2B Flash Devlin - La Claire (.346/17 HR) 7-time all-star
2B Rob Gigler - Midway (.362/12 HR) first-time all-star
2B Bud Walker - Bay St. Clair (.344/6 HR) 3-time all-star
3B Andre Dumas - Ozarka (.323/25 HR) 3-time all-star
3B Jose Aguilar - Red Bluff (.365/10 HR) 6-time all-star
SS James Couch - Ozarka (.342/8 HR) first-time all-star
SS Andy Pearson - Arroyo Grande (.339/16 HR) 7-time all-star
LF Patric Giles - South Fork (.285/19 HR) first-time all-star
LF Hakon Lansvik - Bayview (.314/8 HR) first-time all-star
CF Davey Krueger - Bayview (.337/19 HR) 5-time all-star
CF Johnny Lee - Midway (.299/9 HR) 5-time all-star
CF Bill Howell - Bay St. Clair (.335/0 HR) 2-time all-star
RF Todd Bryant - Denton City (.301/13 HR) 2-time all-star
RF Jack Brown - High Mesa (.301/16 HR) first-time all-star
RF Jack Vorland - Ginza (.313/11 HR) first-time all-star

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, June 23, 2021

TU Stars Triumph 6-5 In 13-Inning Classic
The Tycobbian All-Stars outlasted the Ruthlandian All-Stars 6-5 in 13 innings at Trumpy Donald Park in Crystal Lake for their 15th victory in 21 All-Star games between the two leagues... Benny Rousseau (Ozarka) decided the game when he doubled in Bill Howell (Bay St. Clair) from first base... Howell had led off the inning with a walk... Tycobbia had a 3-1 lead after 7 innings, but fell behind 5-3 when Ruthlandia chalked up 4 runs in the eighth, only to allow the TU Stars to come back with single runs in the eighth and ninth to send it into overtime... the TU Stars had a 15-10 advantage in hits, led by SS James Couch (Ozarka) and LF Patric Giles (South Fork) with 3 hits apiece... Couch had the only home run in the game, a solo shot that tied it 5-5 in the ninth... both clubs were down to the last pitchers... managers Baby George (Crystal Lake) and Joe Mac Carney (Ozarka) each saved a starter to work the extra innings... the game's Most Valuable Player, Trini Corona (San Alejo), was superb... he blanked the RU Stars on 2 hits over the final 5 innings for the win... Scotty Simmons (Ranford) was tagged with the loss... Simmons was touched for 2 hits and a walk in an inning and a third.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, June 24, 2021

2021 Ruthlanian North Mid-Season Recap

Ancona Leads RU North At Halfway Point
The defending Ruthlandian North titleholder, the Ancona Red Elephants, have a slight 3-game lead over the Ranford Bulls at the halfway point in the season... Taranto is third and trails by 6 games and Valmara is fourth and 8 games off the pace.

Ancona manager Manny Mickens has a whole host of hitters in Todd Nasso (.358/15 HR), 1B Alekos Kotas (.339/15 HR), LF Kenny Willard (.302/9 HR) and CF Ken Rutledge (.310/8 HR), plus several quality starters in All-Star Clete Dukas (12-4 2.66) and Pete Krohn (10-4 3.67)... Ancona is also one of the best fielding clubs in the RU with a .977 FA... The Red Elephants should win the pennant and go deep in the Pro Cup playoffs.

The Ranford Bulls have two very fine starters in All-Star Scotty Simmons (12-4 2.58) and Archie Young (10-3 2.98)... manager Rick Fargnoli has a good closer, too... Neil Walton (2-2) has saved 17 games so far and crafted a fine 2.12 ERA... the Bulls just don't have the offense to compete with Ancona... Ranford's best bats are CF Tyee Maska (.287/16 HR) and 3B Vic Scalzi (.276/13 HR).

Lousy pitching is again putting a dent in Tommaso Lazzorda's pennant aspirations in Taranto... the Tars have an atrocious 5.05 team ERA... nobody can win a division with that kind of pitching, even if you have a power-packed line-up featuring All-Star RF Augie Marshall (.325/19 HR), All-Star LF Arnie Kennedy (.338/10 HR), rookie phenom 1B Denny Zaffino (.330/9 HR), CF Phil Buckner (.299/7 HR) and C Denny Radke (.292/8 HR).

Valmara only has average pitching and sub-par offense and will not challenge for the flag this year... Manager Jet Kazmarek's best performers are pitcher Kolya Romanov (8-6 2.72) and 2B Ron Freiberg (.286/9 HR)... CF Bobby Novakov is the only power hitter (.247/15 HR).

None of the other teams in the RU North are above .500... fifth-place Far Mountain is led by All-Star pitcher Woody Crawford (12-6 1.66)... Crawford has the best ERA in the IPA... Alex Groveland has no offense anymore and the pitching has declined since the golden years 2009-2016 when the club won 3 Pro Cups and 7 division flags... 40-year-old SS Don Nichols (.296/4 HR), a sure-fire Hall-of-Famer, is just now a modest hitter and nearing retirement, but he's unfortunately is still Far Mountain's best.

Charles Darby is the new skipper in Glasco, but he is finding it tough to win in his initial season and is sixth in the standings, tied with Kilkenny... 1B Wayne Harris (.275/16 HR) and All-Star 2B Phil Strong (.284/9 HR) are the only talent he has... Darby is in for a long, long, season.

Playing manager and CF Kevin McPhail (.279/4 HR) has taken over the reins in Kilkenny, but to no avail... the Cats have a fine LF in All-Star Jay Roche (.348/14 HR), but little else... 3B Rusty Denicola (.269/14 HR) chips in a long ball every now and then.

The last-place LaGrange Sports are one of the worst clubs in the IPA... this will be manager Otto Kronvath's last season at the helm unless the Sports do an abrupt about-face in the second half of the year, which is not likely - Kronvath has below-average ballplayers - most of his starters would have trouble starting anywhere in the IPA.

Let's go, Red Elephants!

Things are really looking good for the Big Red.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, June 24, 2021

2021 Ruthlanian South Mid-Season Recap

Cybercats, Crushers, Crusaders Compete For RU South
The defending Pro Cup champion Crystal Lake Crushers have some stiff competition at the midway point in the Ruthlandian South. They are getting it from a likely source, the Grand City Cybercats, and from an unlikely source, the division doormat, the St. John Crusaders. Grand City is in first place with a game edge over the Crushers. The two clubs battled tooth-and-nail last season before Crystal Lake nudged them out in the final days of the year. St. John, a perpetual cellar-dweller, is the surprise of the IPA. The Crusaders are in third place and only 2 games back in the race. In the fourth spot are the Valka Blackhawks, 7 games behind.

Manager Wade Joslin has put together a solid club in Grand City with good hitting and scoring as well adequate pitching with four quality starters... The Cybercats are not scared of Crystal Lake and should make it quite a tussle this year in the RU South... They don't have a lot of firepower, but do hit for average (.270) and can score runs... heading up the batting order are All-Star LF Ricky Rich (.358/7 HR), RF Nick Baldini (.295/9 HR) and 3B Jug Slavin (.288/3 HR)... in addition, Grand City is a good club defensively with a .977 FA... the Cybercats handle themselves well on the mound with Clint Brewer (9-5 3.01), Jimbo Stearns (6-6 2.99), Randy Andrews (7-5 3.50) and Brent Sturgis (6-4 3.71)... in the bullpen Ralph Teague (1-1) has been dominating with a 1.01 ERA and 12 saves... Grand City's overall balance may give them the edge over Crystal Lake this season.

Crystal Lake was the Cinderella club of the Islands last season, when they unexpectedly went all the way and upset mighty Ozarka in the Pro Cup in 5 games... Baby George has the same squad back this year with the same good pitching, same weak hitting and same excellent defense... last year's all-everything Duncan Welch (10-7 2.48) and Ralph McCollough (10-4 2.11) lead the pitching corps again... as long as they stay healthy the Crushers will be in the hunt... at the plate only 1B Phil Gravelli (.260/9 HR) offers any threat at all.

The St. John Crusaders have a new manager and a new attitude... playing manager Skinny Kisecawchuk has certainly turned things around for the perennial losers... They have jumped from last to third this season, doing it with fine pitching, especially in the bullpen... As long as Teddy Garson (11-4 2.97), Pat Long (11-6 2.37) and great rookie closer Jeremy Vincent keep pitching well, the Crusaders might be able to hang close the Grand City and Crystal Lake... at the plate the club can't hit a lick... only long-time star 3B Vinny Sardisco (.293/11 HR) can get the job done.

The Valka Blackhawks are below the .500 mark... Andrei Kokk relies on good pitching, but has mediocre hitting... veteran Arno Vainmaa (9-6 3.49) leads the starter staff and closer Robby Riley (0-3) leads a very fine bullpen with 13 saves and a 1.99 ERA... CF Tomi Viikberg (.309/9 HR) tops the hitters... LF Glen Nance (.209/15 HR) hits with power, but doesn't connect often enough... Valka lack of offense makes them a middle-of-the-pack team.

Fifth-place Claxton has the hitting, but is woefully lacking in pitching with a 5.05 ERA, one of the worst in the IPA... The Diamonds trail by 10 games at the All-Star break... if skipper Stacy Engel can find some decent arms in the second half, they can move up a little, perhaps fourth or third, but are no threat to Grand City and Crystal Lake... Engel has some quality bats with 1B Mike Luzzatti (.330/9 HR), LF George McKay (.303/8 HR), All-Star C Allen Lemay (.294/11 HR) and 2B Donnie Pilsner (.279/11 HR).

In the past few years Marty Pedroza's Belair Beach Sunbirds have gone from contender to just so-so... they have dropped to sixth this season and are 9 games under .500 and 10 games off the pace... the Sunbirds have two quality pitchers in Denny Whitaker (7-6 2.76) and Rik Flippen (5-8 2.81), but they get very little batting support... only LF Carlos Gomez (.294/13 HR) lends much offense.

Long-time San Dimas star 1B Ron Armstrong has taken over for manager Paco Banderos this year, but he just doesn't have much talent... the Rancheros don't hit, don't pitch and don't win... they are deadlocked with Waleska for last place, 12 games behind RU South leader Grand City... closer Raul Marroquin (2-3) at age 32 still gets the job done in the bullpen with 14 saves and a fine 1.47 ERA... CF Andre Drexel (.299/6 HR) is the only hitter of any note... not much after that.

It's gonna be another long season in Waleska for McGraw Johnson... his Westerners are last again with not too much hope of getting higher because of pitiful hitting... Waleska has a quality pitching staff, but just can't put runs on the scoreboard... a team should be able to win with a 3.49 ERA (9th) if it has decent hitting and run production... Doug Watts (5-12 3.18) and Sammy Grimaldi (5-11 3.34) are solid and steady starters and deserve better... closer Marv Cook (3-2) is strong in the bullpen with 12 saves and a 2.11 ERA... superstar CF Roy Hobbs (.325/17 HR) and rock-solid 3B Grant Betzer (.320/5 HR) have to carry the entire offensive load and get little help from anyone else.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

2021 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap

Elegants Back On Top In RU East, Rattlers And Muskies Close
Last year the Eastshore Elegants lost out to the Beechwood Bobcats in the Ruthlandian East, but not this year. The Elegants are back on top, while the Bobcats have sunk to the bottom of the pile. But Eastshore has plenty of competition from second place Sugar Valley and third place Belle Plaine. The Rattlers are clinging close, just one game behind and the Musketeers are only two games back. Marston and Wynnamac are tied for the fourth spot in the standings, but 9 games off the pace.

Killer Brewster has his Eastshore Elegants humming again with fine pitching (3.02/2st) and good hitting (.268/6th)... Melvin Key (10-4 2.80), Danny Siegfried (9-7 2.65) and rookie Bobby Matthews (7-4 2.31) top the starting rotation and RF Stan Cuccinello (.273/11 HR), All-Star 2B Gerry Garner (.300/13 HR) and CF Larry Lowe (.296/5 HR) lead the offense... experts forecast that Eastshore will prevail over hard-hitting Sugar Valley... Belle Plaine will probably fade back in the second half.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers are really cookin' under the leadership of long-time skipper Gibby Bobkins... the Rattler attack relies on power... they are currently number one in the RU with 91 homers... Bobkins is getting some fine pitching from his starters, too... despite playing in a bandbox, the rotation has chalked up a fine 3.48 ERA (10th), paced by Benny McConnell (14-4 2.49)... if Sugar Valley continues to thrive on the mound, they could challenge Eastshore for the pennant... sparking the bats are All-Star CF Randall Hawson (.260/25 HR), SS Jack Sanderson (.299/11 HR) and 2B Glenn Christian (.309/8 HR)... all-time great C Hal Stevenson (.258/12 HR) still has plenty of punch in his bat at age 37.

The Belle Plaine Musketeers have wallowed in the depths of the division for the last six years, but not this season with new manager Dave Torregrossa at the helm... the Muskies have won almost as many games at mid-year as they did last year... they won only 56 times in 2020 and have already notched 41 victories this season... much better pitching is responsible for the sudden rise... starter Frankie Walsh (9-8 3.39) and All-Star closer Fabian Moreau (7-2) have led the way... Moreau has 18 saves and a brilliant 1.29 ERA... Belle Plaine has better-than-average hitting with a .258 BA (12th)... All-Star SS Slick Hammill (.324/11 HR) is the top stick, but has had some help from LF Jim Beauregard (.259/12 HR) and All-Star C Derek Roman (.283/4 HR).

The Marston Nine, managed by Johnny Walters, and Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners are tied for fourth place... neither club has the wherewithal to contend this season in the RU East... Marston's strength lies in its mound corps, which put up a 3.32 Team ERA (7th)... Walters has two very capable starters in Anson Thomas (9-9 2.38) and Ronnie Flynn (8-4 2.97)... Marston's hitting is sufficient with a .259 BA (9th), led by superstud All-Star CF Russ Woodward (.332/19 HR) and 1B Mel Hawkins (.268/8 HR)... a vital cog in the Nine's success is missing this season... 5-time gold glove SS Danny Church has played only 18 games this season due to injury... the slick fielder is a career .275 hitter and has scored over 1400 runs, batted in over 1000 runs, collected almost 2800 hits and 1600 walks and played in almost 3000 games... He may have to call it a career at age 41... a 20-year vet Church will be back in the line-up in a week or two and will try play out the rest of year... he has indicated this will be his final year no matter what... Church started off well this season and has hit .328 in limited action.

Wynnamac challenged winner Beechwood and runner-up Eastshore last season, winding up third, just 3 games behind them... but not so this year... Donnelly's pitching has improved dramatically from 3.63 to 3.31 (6th), but the bats have fallen off to oblivion with a poor .244 BA (26th), dropping over 21 points... long-time ace Jerry Meeks (6-10 2.66) and Jimmy Nichols (6-6 3.45) are the Sundowners top twirlers... Jim Horton (6-1) leads a fine group of relievers with a 0.93 ERA... 1B Pete Simmons (.305/6 HR) has to carry all of the offense.

The Elnora All-Stars are sixth and 11 games out... Skipper Sam Malone just has a mediocre team with a .243 BA (27th) and a 4.01 ERA (26th)... second-year pitcher Hal Wilkerson (10-7 2.90) has been the one standout on the hill, while at-bat it's been veteran star C Leon Carter (.302/11 HR) and second-year RF Travis Glass (.332/14 HR).

It's bewildering what has befallen the Beechwood Bobcats... no one would have thought Bret George's bunch would drop so far so soon after winning the pennant last year... they are in seventh place and trail by 12 games... Beechwood just can't hit this year... advanced age may be taking its toll... superb CF Vic Valenti, a .330 lifetime hitter, is batting only .256 this year... all of its key players from last season are off 40-50 points... as a team the Bobcats have dramatically dipped from .265 last year to a pathetic .230 this year... they rank near the bottom in all offensive categories... however, the pitchers are still quite capable... Billy Ray (7-8 3.18), Marty Panko (5-8 3.69), Stephen Ladd (8-7 3.07) and closer Jeff Lyons (3-5 1.78) are not the problem... the team would still be a winner, if it could score runs... George hasn't give up on the season yet... He is hoping the bats will be revived in the second half and the team can at least salvage the year with a first division finish.

Perennial also-ran Cold Creek is deep in the basement again this year, 14 games out of first place... skipper Trip Holmes doesn't have much to cheer about... the Catamounts have fair pitching, but little in the way of offense... Lou Hillman (6-6 3.58) is the best arm, while 1B Doug Connor (.301/6 HR) is the best bat... the word around Cold Creek is that Holmes, a tremendous player and fan favorite in his playing days, will not be back next year.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

2021 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Sligo Dominates In RU West
At the 2021 halfway mark, no one in the Ruthlandian Union can match up to the dominant Sligo Rovers. The All-Star-ladened Rovers ran up a 7-game lead over second place Middlefield, 9 over third place Colfax and 11 over the Stoner Stars in fourth place. The Rocky Rapids Snappers, the division champs for the last four years, have slipped to 5th this season, 12 games back. It's quite likely that the pennant race is over in the RU West. Everyone else is just playing for second place at best. This division just might be the strongest division in the IPA. It has 8 good teams in it. 5 clubs are .500 or better... Last place Fort Benton is only 5 games under the .500 mark.

Eddie Keys' Sligo Rovers have rung up a 50-23 record, the best in the RU and second best in the IPA behind Ozarka's 53-20 mark in the Tycobbian Union... it's easy to dominant when your team has 6 All-Stars, sports a .274 BA (3rd), is second in scoring, 6th in homers and first with a splendid 2.69 ERA... Poor defense (.966 FA/29th) is the only flaw Sligo has... Keys has two All-Star hurlers in Les Patterson (14-2 1.74) and Luka Abromowitz (10-2 2.01)... together with Ralph Odakota (9-5 2.85) and Sam Tate (7-4 3.21), they form the best rotation in the IPA... closer Lenny Ciaccio (5-2) is tough in the bullpen with 11 saves and a 2.73 ERA... the Rover hitters may be even better that the pitching staff with All-Star 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.320/15 HR), All-Star Manny Alou (.304/9 HR), All-Star rookie LF Biff Bauer (.322/7 HR), All-Star SS Vic Carlin (.270/10 HR), C Sherman Albert (.295/10 HR), RF Clell Renshaw (.290/8 HR) and CF Chris Michel (.289/7 HR)... Sligo should win the RU West in a cake walk this year and be in the running to capture the Pro Cup... Eddie Keys has a powerhouse.

The Middlefield Roosters have been pretty hapless the last few years, ending up in the cellar the last two years and 5 times in the last 8 seasons... not so this year... the old manager Smitty Michaels is gone and has been replaced by Bailey Norcross... the Roosters have a lot to crow about in a turn-around season... They are in second place with very good power and solid pitching... Middlefield starters are rated 4th with a 3.35 ERA, in spite of playing in a small homer haven... the club is second with 90 home runs and 7th in scoring... Norcross has a young pitching staff, most of them are 25 and younger... most of the position players are under 30... Middlefield could be good for quite some time... Frank Dean (10-4 2.82) is the top Rooster... rookie Norm Phillips (7-3 2.90) and Dicky Damato (9-7 3.02) are very good number three and four... Middlefield's ace Joe Schneider (7-9 4.55) is having an off-year so far... if he gets going, the Roosters could give Sligo a run for their money... batting leaders are All-Star 1B Allan Stewart (.306/21), RF Chuck Larkin (.302/16 HR) and CF Tom Daniels (.256/16 HR).

Clem Rogers had worked out his pitching problems in Colfax this year and has the Blasters back on the right track after 5 down years... his mound corps has compiled a fine 3.51 team ERA (11th) and his club is hitting .264 (7th) with decent power (74 HR/5th) and scoring (9th)... IPA all-time great Ilya Szabo (12-5 2.85) is his top arm... the 42-year-old Szabo made the All-Star team for the 9th time this season and looks like the old Szabo... for his career Szabo is 321-198 in 18 seasons with a 2.54 ERA... James Elliott (10-7 4.13) and Cliff James (9-8 3.01) are also in the starting rotation... Matt Pedersen (1-1 1.77) has looked good with 11 saves in the closing role... Colfax's top bats are 1B Doug Kirkwood (.335/11 HR), LF Billy Garrett (.270/18 HR), C Joe Alexander (.303/11 HR) and 3B Mike Janocko (.271/11 HR).

The fourth place Stoner Stars, guided by Benny Stern, are a good, quality team with good pitching (3.44 ERA/8th) and adequate hitting (.256 BA/11th) and scoring (8th)... but terrible fielding (.963 FA/32nd)... Stoner has three quality pitchers in its starting rotation with Billy Chapel (10-7 3.32), Charley Norton (8-5 3.26) and Don Patterson (10-4 3.64)... the top batters are 1B Robert Dunbar (.299/17), rookie CF Kevin Fisher (.302/3) and rookie 3B Kendall Smith (.349/4 HR)... the Stars standout LF Mike Jaffe has missed most of the season with a fractured foot, but is now recovered and back in the line-up... Jaffe appeared in only 4 games this season with a .308 BA... Jaffe is a lifetime .323 hitter and will be a welcome addition to the Stoner batting order.

Ryan Noland's Rocky Rapids Snappers are no longer the elite team and perennial pennant winner in the RU West, they have become just an average ball club and dropped to fifth place... the team ERA is 3.61 (15th), the team BA is .253 (16th), the team is tied for 21st in scoring, but the Snappers do have some power with 72 homers (8th)... All-Star Don Chaney (11-7 2.47) is still a very strong starter, but Joe Anderson (8-6 4.00) and Junior Noland (4-7 3.17) don't put up the wins they used to... closer Milt Baker (1-3) still does his job with 19 saves and a 2.64 ERA... at the plate only All-Star 3B Paul Shelton (.281/15 HR), CF Tiger Noland (.322/6 HR) and LF Rob Barton (.288/8 HR) have put up good numbers... 1B Don Timmons (.214/5 HR), CF Carl Johnson (.204/8 HR) and C Hank Bethel (.249/4 HR) all have had terrible seasons this year, way off their career averages.

Manager Rob Jackson is still in charge of the Forest City Lumberjacks, mainly because he is the team owner... the 'Jacks are usually bad four out of every five years with only one playoff appearance in 15 years... poor hitting (.243/28th) and average pitching (3.84/22nd) just won't make it in this tough division... Jackson does have the best defense in the RU West with a .975 FA, good enough to tied for 4th in the RU... the Lumberjacks are tied for sixth in the standings with Volusia, 15 games out... on the hill Stephen Phillips (8-4 2.71) is having a fine year, along with Tommy Zenon (10-6 3.52)... in the batter's box 3B Rusty Hood (.297/10 HR) and CF Luc St. Germain (.293/6 HR) are Jackson's best run producers... two veterans 1B Andy Doiron (.258/5 HR) and LF Joe Judlin (.257/6 HR) haven't produced this year.

The Volusia Vigilantes, historically one of the most successful franchises in the IPA with a 1733-1416 overall record and a .550 winning percentage, have fallen on hard times this season and dropped to seventh place and 3 games below the break-even point... this rarely happens to the Volusia.. last season the V's almost took the pennant, but fell a game short to Rocky Rapids in a heart-breaking finish... skipper Alfonso Feliz still has good pitching staff with a 3.23 team ERA (4th), but falls short with the bats (.255/12th) and in scoring (15th)... his starting threesome of Sixto Moreno (6-10 2.86), Billy Blair (5-6 3.23) and vet 200-game winner Gerry Hersh (8-9 3.62) are having their troubles this year, a lot of it due to poor run support... last year's Rookie of the Year LF Carlos Quintana has missed a month because of injury and has struggled with a .264 BA and 8 homers... vets C Ishmael Gomez (.236/9 HR) and 1B Rafael Garza (.264/6 HR) are having off-years... All-Star SS Vince Wilson (.319/10 HR) and CF Joe DeLucca (.324/11 HR) have carried the club offensively... if the ball club hits better in the second half, the Vigilantes could rise up as high as third place.

The Fort Benton Defenders may be in last place and 16 games behind, but they are a pretty fair team nonetheless and only 5 games away from a break-even record... Robbie Brooks is still at the helm... the Defenders are batting .261 (8th), but have no power... they have hit only 30 homers (32nd) and are ranked 19th in run production... pitching-wise Fort Benton has a fair 3.64 team ERA (17th), but really stands out in the relief department with a 2.11 ERA (2nd)... Vic Kessler (8-7 3.59) and Dan Bailey (8-8 3.56) are Brooks' best pitchers... and vets Ryan Smith (.278/4 HR) and 1B Zach Vidrine (.288/9 HR) are his best batters.