The Islandian News
Tuesday, September 20, 2023

23rd IPA All-Star Classic In Crystal Lake Wednesday
The 23rd All-Star Game is slated for Crystal Lake's Trumpy Donald Stadium tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 pm. Today the Islandian Pro Alliance announced the All-Stars chosen to play in the mid-summer classic. Tycobbia has won the last two games and three of the last four. Overall the TU All-Stars enjoy an overwhelming 16-6 advantage in the series. The votes are tallied and the players have been chosen -- all that's left is to "Play Ball"! The All-Stars from the Ruthlandian Union and the Tycobbian Union are set to tangle to determine which league is the best. Last year's Pro Cup finalists Herman "Baby" George of Crystal Lake and Cochise Chandler of Midway will be the All-Star skippers.

Jack Elliott of High Mesa was named for the 11th year to the TU Stars, Turon's Nicky Engstrom his 10th time, Flash Devlin for the 9th time and Benny Osterman of Ozarka and Mahaska's Bucky O'Brian were chosen for the 8th time. 7 first-year players were picked on the Tycobbian All-Star roster.

Topping the Ruthlandian squad were Waleska's Roy Hobbs, selected the 9th time, Vic Valenti of Beechwood for the 7th time, Belle Plaine's Slick Hammill made it for the 6th time and Johnny Lee Harder of Sligo and Marston's Russ Woodward were named for the fifth time. 5 RU rookies were acclaimed in their first season. The oldtimers on the teams are 38-year-old vets Johnny Lee Harder, Warren Fisher and James Mack. It was the first time the slick-fielding Fisher has been chosen in his 18-year career. The youngest All-Star is Jon French of White River. He is 19.

* = Number Of Years On All-Star Team

The roster for the Ruthlandian Union is:
SP Doug Watts (WLK) (13-4 3.14) *
SP Ron Boone (ETS) (13-4 2.15) *rookie
SP Jeff Cooper (FM) (12-7 2.49) *
SP Duncan Welch (CL) (13-6 1.94) **
SP Billy Ray (VLM) (10-6 2.24) ****
SP Dennis Taylor (CL) (11-5 .231) *
SP Melvin Key (ETS) (10-6 2.50) **
SP Jeremy Vincent (STJ) (11-5 2.51)
CL Milt Campbell (ETS) (2-0 1.55) 26 saves *
CL Vinko Markovic (VLK) (6-1 1.63) 11 saves ***
C Don Pontros (VLK) (.307/4/21/34) *
C Rod Buckley (MDF) (.297/11/31/41) *
C Ismael Gomez (VOL) (.313/2/49/37) **
1B Dean Woods (SV) (.342/23/53/47) **
1B Johnny Lee Harder (SLI) (..330/9/34/42) *****
1B Kees Draeger (BB) (.299/18/46/49) *rookie
2B Garlin Delk (SLI) (.298/8/39/31) *
2B Stan Tipton (FC) (.315/8/45/37) *
3B Skipper Smith (BEE) (.336/5/31/54) *rookie
3B Todd Nasso (ANC) (.294/14/51/43) ****
SS Slick Hammill (BP) (.343/6/36/45) ***** *
SS Warren Fisher (ELN) (.257/3/34/42) *
LF Marty Beckett (SV) (.308/21/59/58) *rookie
LF Loco Dillinger (WLK) (.340/9/47/42) *rookie
LF Kenny Willard (ANC) (.305/12/51/45) ****
CF Vic Valenti (BEE) (.376/16/54/58) ***** **
CF Roy Hobbs (WLK) (.368/10/48/54) ***** ****
CF Russ Woodward (MAR) (.325/16/40/54) *****
RF Travis Glass (ELN) (.329/18/49/46) **
LF Vic Ivarsson (MDF) (.356/5/40/31) ***


The roster for the Tycobbian Union is:
SP Rod Bailey (SPT) (14-4 2.56) *rookie
SP Tom Edgar (HIL) (12-5 2.85) **
SP Errol Gaudet (RH) (13-5 2.36) ****
SP Thomas Norman (KEN) (13-2 2.15) *rookie
SP Benny Osterman (OZK) (13-6 2.30) ***** ***
SP Jody Gentry (KEN) (11-3 1.59) *
SP Nicky Engstrom (TUR) (10-5 2.050 ***** *****
SP Jon French (WR) (10-4 2.09) *rookie
CL Viktor Stravinsky (MAH) (6-3 1.33) 14 saves *
CL Cholly Burdette (CCH) (4-1 0.69) 11 saves *rookie
C Bucky O'Brian (MAH) (.292/12/61/28) ***** ***
C Derek Yurek (HAR) (.287/17/51/37) *
C Jim Thorpe Chandler (LUX) (.304/7/38/38) ***
1B Lynn Starr (TUC) (.353/21/62/65) *
1B Larry Guichard (HIL) (.353/16/56/56) *
1B Jack Elliott (HM) (.368/21/52/62) ***** ***** *
2B Tommy Shore (BAY) (.328/8/28/64) **
2B Norm Petitjean (LC) (.313/14/47/39) *rookie
3B Flash Devlin (LC) (.319/15/53/53) ***** ****
3B James Mack (RB) (.311/13/49/49) ***
3B Koora Nawajuk (TUC) (.321/13/39/58) *rookie
SS Andy Pearson (AG) (.349/9/42/41) **** ***
SS James Couch (OZK) (.332/7/54/47) ***
LF Dennis Hartwig (OXF) (.368/14/45/68) *rookie
LF Chitto Chandler (MDW) (.332/11/39/49) **
CF Davey Krueger (BAY) (.309/18/59/43) ***** *
CF Steve Valverde (NH) (.322/5/32/38) **
CF Bill Howell (BSC) (.292/0/29/38) ***
RF Norm Owens (BAY) (.300/16/45/47) ***
RF Bill Andrews (HM) (.290/26/61/51) *

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

2023 IPA Mid-Season Standings

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 20, 2023

2023 IPA Mid-Season Leaderboards

Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Batting Leaders

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

TU Stars Trounce RU In 23rd All-Star Game
Tycobbia scored in the first six frames and trounced Ruthlandian 11-3 in the IPA All-Star Classic at Lakefront Stadium in Crystal Lake... the TU Stars pounded out 14 hits to win for the 17th time in 23 All-Star games, led by MVP Steve Valverde (North Hills) with 3 hits, 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored... Flash Devlin (La Claire) added a pair of hits, including the game's only homer, and 3 runs batted in... the RA All-Stars racked up 10 hits and committed 3 errors, giving up 5 unearned runs... Tycobbia played flawless defense... rookie Rod Bailey (Southport) got the win with a scoreless second inning... RU rookie starter Randy Boone (Eastshore) was tagged with the loss as he was smacked for 4 runs and 5 hits in the first two innings, although only one of the runs was earned... Tycobbia dominates the All-Star series, but Ruthlandia has won more Pro Cups, leading 14 to 8.

The Islandian Times
Thursday, June 22, 2023

2023 Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Recap

Glasco A's Rise To Top Of RU North
Stronger pitching has moved the Glasco Athletics up from fourth place to first place at mid-season in the Ruthlandian North, rising ahead of longtime power Ancona, who has won four of the last five pennants... manager Charles Darby's A's (45-28) have a 5-game edge over runner-up Valmara (40-33), who has jumped from sixth last year, also due to better pitching... neither club has much offense... Valmara stole Billy Ray from Beechwood and he has made a great addition to the pitching corps with a 10-6 record and a 2.24 ERA... Ray made the RU All-Stars and is only 30 years old... Glasco has a solid starting foursome... day-after-day Darby gets a good start from his impressive rotation of Bradley (10-6 2.78), Davidson (9-6 3.67), McAdams (7-4 3.15) and Todd (9-6 3.48)... Far Mountain (38-35) stands in third place and trails by 7 games... the Redhawks also rely on pitching... the fourth-place Ancona Red Elephants (36-37) have been decimated by retirements... ace Clete Dukas (143-84 2.91) called it a career at age 40 and Nikos Maragos (212-198 3.90) left at age 42 and 18 seasons... Ancona is 9 games off the pace.

RU North Outlook:
Glasco should win, but may get a battle from Valmara... no one else is a likely challenger.

CL Crushers Best In RU South Again
As long as Baby George can write Welch (13-6 1.94), McCullough (11-6 3.48), Taylor (11-5 2.31) and Bauer (6-5 2.21) on the line-up card, the Crystal Lake Crushers will be in the running for the Ruthlandian South flag... George has the best staff in the IPA with a super 2.63 ERA... the Crushers (48-25) are 5 games up on the vastly-improved Waleska Westerners (43-30), who lead the RU with a .282 team BA... brilliant CF Roy Hobbs (.368 BA/10 HR/48 RBI) has offense help now with rookie LF Loco Dillinger (.340 BA/9 HR/47 RBI)... but Crystal Lake has too much of an edge on the hill... forget about the rest of the RU South... third place is up for grabs with only last-place Belair Beach out of the running.

RU South Outlook:
Great pitching is hard to beat... look for Crystal Lake to pull away and win the division by around 10 games.

Eastshore and Elnora 1-2 In Tight RU East
The Ruthlandian East is the tighest race in the RU with five teams within 9 games of first place... Eastshore (47-26) is back in the thick of things after an off-year last year when they suffered a huge drop in offense and fell to fifth in the standings... this year Killer Brewster has strong pitching, headed up by longtime star Melvin Key (10-6 2.50) and rookie Randy Boone (13-4 2.15), both All-Stars... the Elegants long suit is the 3.02 team ERA (3rd)... Brewster has just adequate scoring, ranking 15th... Eastshore has a scant one-game lead over up-and-coming Elnora (46-27), who has bolted from seventh last season to second this year and doing it on the arms of some young twirlers... rookies Will Hamilton (8-4 2.49) and Lucien Vachon (9-4 2.66), along with vet Hal Wilkerson (9-8 3.12) give manager Sam Malone a solid starting nucleus... Wilkerson is 23, Hamilton 20 and Vachon is only 19... budding 22-year-old superstar RF Travis Glass (.329 BA/18 HR/49 RBI) has to carry almost all of the offense... the Beechwood Bobcats under Bret George are still a good club... the Bobcats (41-32) are third and within striking distance, just 6 games behind... George has pretty fair pitching and solid scoring... superstud CF Vic Valenti (.376 BA/16 HR/54 RBI) is leading the entire IPA in hitting and he has lots of help from standout rookie 3B-1B Skipper Smith (.336 BA/5 HR/31 RBI), RF Jojo Davis (.316 BA/2 HR/22 RBI) and LF Ryan Ray (.281 BA/10 HR/49 RBI)... the high-scoring Sugar Valley Rattlers (40-33) are in fourth place and trail by 7 games... skipper Gibby Bobkins has some big guns in CF Randall Hawson (.288 BA/18 HR/49 RBI), and two rookie sluggers, 1B Dean Woods (.342 BA/23 HR/53 RBI) and LF Marty Beckett (.308 BA/21 HR/59 RBI)... both Woods and Beckett made the All-Star team... rookie 2B Jan Kessinger (.307 BA/1 HR/25 RBI/43 R) has been a fine addition, too... the Rattlers just don't have the pitching to compete with the top teams... in Belle Plaine (38-35) Dave Torregrossa has posted a winning record... the Musketeers are in fifth place and 9 games out... Torregrossa has two fine starters in Johnny Davenport (11-5 3.03) and Rick Lafleur (10-7 3.33), along with some solid sticks in SS Slick Hammill (.343 BA/6 HR/36 RBI), rookie RF Leon Bourque (.311 BA/8 HR/44 RBI), CF Noel Norbert (.291 BA/2 HR/21 RBI/57 R) and 3B Tyler Verret (.272 BA/12 HR/41 RBI)... but the Musketeers will not challenge the leaders... Belle Plaine is a pitcher or two away from being a serious contender... sixth place Marston (34-39) and last place Cold Creek (30-43) will battle it out to stay out of the basement... last year's RU East winner Wynnamac (32-41) has collapsed to seventh place, 15 games back... Matt Donnelly still has outstanding pitching with Lon Marshall (10-6 2.23), Dean Barber (8-6 2.56) and all-time ace Jerry Meeks (4-12 3.04), but the bats have shriveled to nothing... the Sundowners have sunk to the bottom of the barrel offensively... Wynnamac had fallen from a respectable .263 BA last year to a pathetic .238 BA this year... still Donnelly's pitching is so good, the Sundowners could get hot with the bats in the second half and climb up as high as fourth in the standings.

RU East Outlook:
Eastshore should pull away from the pack in the second half due to its great mound staff... Elnora lacks the hitting to stay up with them... Beechwood is a well-rounded club... Sugar Valley can hit the cover off the ball, but its pitchers will hold them back... look for the Elnora All-Stars to drop back a bit and for Beechwood to move up to second place... Sugar Valley will be third... Elnora will probably stave off Wynnamac and Belle Plaine for the fourth spot.

Roosters Rule The Roost In RU West
The Middlefield Roosters are mowing down the opposition in the Ruthlandian West with a high-scoring machine... manager Bailey Norcross has led the Roosters (48-25) to the best record in the RU, tied with Crystal Lake of the RU South... Middlefield has a slight 3-game advantage over second place Forest City (45-28) and 7 games over third place Volusia (41-32)... the Roosters are the top IPA team scoring-wise (421 runs) and in homers (200), while ranking number two with a .279 team BA... vets RF Vic Ivarsson (.356 BA/5 HR/40 RBI), 1B Allan Stewart (.298 BA/19 HR/52 RBI), CF Tom Daniels (.279 BA/14 HR/44 RBI), C Rod Buckley (.297 BA/11 HR/31 RBI) and RF Chuck Larkin (.275 BA/12 HR/37 RBI) provide a potent attack... and rookie sensation Glenn Tackett (13-4 3.49), Dicky Damato (9-5 3.27) and Frank Dean (8-7 3.48) give Norcross good starts considering the band box they play in... skipper Robby Jackson has his Forest City Lumberjacks leaping up from a fifth-place finish last season to the runner-up spot this season... the 'Jacks have greatly improved on the hill with a sparkling 3.06 team ERA (4th)... Jackson has a good hitting club, too, with a .265 BA (7th)... excellent starters Stephen Phillips (11-4 2.97), Tommy Zenon (8-9 3.07) and Grover Haygood (4-4 2.93) keep the Lumberjacks in most games... closer Andy Velasco is strong, too, with 13 saves, 5-1 record and an impressive 1.44 ERA... the prime bats belong to 2B Stan Tipton (.315 BA/8 HR/45 RBI), SS Rusty Hood (.304 BA/4 HR/32 RBI) and 1B Andy Doiron (.309 BA/4 HR/31 RBI)... Jackson's biggest shortcoming is a lack of longball power, ranking 24th with only 43 home runs... the Volusia Vigilantes (41-32) have a good season going and are in third place in the RU West, 7 games off the pace... the V's have three quality starters in rookie Alvaro Branco (10-1 3.69), Roman Clemente (10-4 3.53) and Rio Lobo (10-6 3.47)... veteran ace Sixto Moreno (7-8 3.75) is having an off-year at the young age of 25, but is still capable of turning his season around... Moreno will have to do just that for Volusia to contend with the top two teams... Alfonso Feliz's Vigilantes can generate some offense with the likes of CF Joe DeLucca (.312 BA/9 HR/49 RBI), C Ismael Gomez (.313 BA/10 HR/49 RBI), LF Carlos Quintana (.280 BA/9 HR/39 RBI) and 3B Bobby Carpenter (.295 BA/7 HR/37 RBI)... as a team Volusia bats .264 (8th)... Stoner (32-41), Rocky Rapids (35-38), Sligo (32-41), Fort Benton (27-46) and Colfax (21-52) round out the standings... none of them will be in the pennant chase.

RU West Outlook:
Middlefield should prevail with its high-scoring ability and adequate pitching... Volusia just might surpass Forest City because of better bats... Stoner, Rocky Rapids and Sligo will contest for fourth, while Fort Benton and Colfax will battle for seventh place.

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

2023 Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Recap

Mahaska #1 In TU North, WR Rascals 1 Game Out
With the sudden demise of defending champ Luxora, it's shaping up as a Mahaska-White River race in the Tycobbian North at the All-Star break... the Zorros have dominated this weak division, winning five of the last six pennants... this year the Z's have plunged to the cellar... the Haymakers are up by one game over the Rascals, followed by Hartsdale in the third spot 5 games back with North Hills 7 games off the pace in fourth place... Mahaska (43-30), managed by Rudy Tanussa, has greatly improved on the mound with rookie starter Sammy Kafelnikov (9-7 2.77) and a great bullpen... the Haymaker relief corps has fashioned a brilliant 1.70 ERA, the best in the IPA... Tanussa's team has a good group of hitters, led by rookie RF Travis Tuttle (.331 BA/14 HR/45 RBI) and veteran C Bucky O'Brian (.292 BA/12 HR/63 RBI)... Mahaska plays excellent defense, too, with a .979 FA... the second place White River Rascals (42-31) are strong at the plate (.274 BA-2nd) and with the glove (.981 FA-1st), but only mediocre on the mound (3.90 ERA-22nd)... Mick Cronyn's crew will have to hit their way to the division title... likely Hall-of-Fame 1B Marty Blake (.332 BA/17 HR/45 RBI) still wields a mighty bat and has plenty of help from RF Kenneth Kent (.320 BA/14 HR/48 RBI), CF Hal Littleton (.298 BA/6 HR/37 RBI) and SS Kenny Young (.317 BA/8 HR/31 RBI)... gifted All-Star rookie Jon French (10-4 2.09) carries the pitching load... manager Zim Donner's third place Hartsdale Hellcats (38-35) have a better-than-average ball club with a .260 team BA (11th) and 3.67 ERA (14th)... top bats are All-Star C Derek Yurek (.287 BA/17 HR/51 RBI), 1B Johnny Scott (.312 BA/8 HR/43 RBI) and longtime star 3B Kendry Moulton (.279 BA/9 HR/42 RBI)... Moulton is 40 years old and 7-time All-Star with a 3000 hits, almost 500 homers and a lifetime .303 BA... top pitcher is Jim Starks (10-3 3.68)... the Hellcats need to give ace Bobo Boisseau (3-13 3.21) better run support in the second half... they could make up the 5-game deficit and challenge Mahaska if that happens... the fourth-place North Hills Hawks (36-37) and fifth-place Fairfax Frogs (35-38) are 7 and 8 games behind in the pennant race and only have an outside chance at contending... Oxford (30-43), Blue Lake (28-45) and Luxora (27-46) are far back and out of the running.

TU North Outlook:
The Mahaska Haymakers should prevail because of its all-around balance: fine pitching, excellent defense and good hitting... it's doubtful that White River can whip them without better pitching... the Rascals might drop to third behind Hartsdale, which has better starting pitching.

Ginza Up By 5 In TU South
At the mid-year break in the Tycobbian South the Ginza Ninjas have opened up a 5-game margin over resurgence Cape Coral and 6 games ahead of Colchester and Southport... defending champion Arroyo Grande and perennial contender Turon have slumped this season... the Suns are fifth and 9 games out and the Typhoons are sputtering in sixth place, a dozen games back in the race... two talented rookies Yuko Takata (11-5 3.33) and Harlan Wilson (12-4 3.18) have sparked Huroko Uchiyama's Ninjas (45-28) to the top of the division... coupled with Ron Koehler (7-6 3.39) and Yutaka Yoshida (3-8 3.47) in the starting rotation, Ginza may not do a second-half swoon like last year... the Ninjas were the top team a year ago at the All-Star game, but faded to fourth place and 18 games behind with a dismal second half... Uchiyama could use more hitting... 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.332 BA/12 HR/49 RBI) has been the only reliable bat... superstar C Crash Davis (.286 BA/7 HR/36 RBI) is down statistically this season... a good second half from him would do wonders for the Ninjas... Ginza is also good defensively with a .976 FA... rookie Cory Burg (11-4 2.63) has been a godsend to the Cape Coral Hurricanes (40-33), who were next-to-last in the standings last year... he's the son of all-time IPA ikon Cody Burg, who retired this season and is the IPA career leader with 369 victories... skipper Huggy Miller may not have the hitting to maintain his current lofty spot... Colchester (39-34) is tied with Southport in the standings and is leading the TU with a 2.81 team ERA, but lacks offense... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson's Elites are paced by rookie SP Mac Flowers (9-6 2.79) and freshman closer Cholly Burdette (4-1 0.69), along with 4-year vet Jess Carpenter (7-8 2.91)... another standout pitcher rookie Tommy Dvorak (9-8 1.86) suffered a career-ending back injury, which was a huge loss to Colchester's pennant hopes... solid 1B James McCall (.330 BA/9 HR/44 RBI) is Colchester only reliable offensive threat... the Elites are batting only .253 (19th), but handle the gloves well with a fine .979 FA (2nd-tied)... the third-place Southport Sun Sox (39-34) are in the same boat as other division contenders - excellent pitching, but weak bats... Charley Oscar's staff is number two in the TU with an impressive 2.97 team ERA, but his Sun Sox are hitting a lowly .237 for average (30th)... Southport has three super starters in vets Al Laclair (10-7 1.94) and Bob Montgomery (9-6 2.68), plus super rookie Rod Bailey (14-4 2.56)... what feeble offense the Sun Sox can muster is provided by 2B Jason Hinton (.331 BA/5 HR/33 RBI) and rookie LF Amos Needham (.310 BA/8 HR/27 RBI)... Arroyo Grande (36-37) won the last three TU South titles, but has tumbled hard down to fifth place this season, due to a decline in both pitching and hitting... Cyclone Cobb only has one decent starter... Cesar De Leon is 12-5 with a 3.36 ERA... but the bats still boom with All-Star SS Andy Pearson (.349 BA/9 HR/42 RBI), 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.299 BA/22 HR/66 RBI) and LF Eduardo Villanueva (.305 BA/12 HR/37 RBI)... age may have caught up with sixth-place Turon... longtime stars 1B Clyde Kingsford (.257 BA/2 HR/10 RBI) and 2B Alan Hansen (.257 BA/0 HR/16 RBI/19 R) have been relegated to the bench... the Typhoons really miss both of them... 37-year-old Kingsford is a .321 career batter with almost 500 homers, while 44-year-old Hansen was a great lead-off man with 2300 walks, 2200 runs scored and a lifetime .296 BA... nobody will come close to Kingsford's 40 homers and 125 RBIs he averaged during his 12 years with the club... No one will come close to Hansen's average of scoring near 100 runs a year in his 23 seasons... the Typhoons still have all-time great Nicky Engstrom (10-5 2.05), still going strong at age 34... Engstrom made the All-Star team for the 10th time... manager Whitey Richburn added a fine new rookie, too... left-hander Don Allen posted a 9-4 record in his first half-season with a strong 2.52 ERA... the San Alejo Montaneros (32-41) aren't going anywhere this season... they are seventh and 13 games off the pace... 24-year-old Trini Corona (10-8 3.80) is a very capable pitcher, manager Alberto Herrera's only dependable starter... LF Warren Love (.321 BA/15 HR/48 RBI) is the Mounties best bat... it looks like the cellar again for the Summerland Sunsets (27-46), the third year in a row... offense is non-existent... the Sunsets are batting only .230 (31st) and are last in scoring... pitching ain't much, either, with a 4.20 team ERA... the best pitcher is rookie closer Cary Snead (2-2 1.85), who has piled up 15 saves for a bad team.

TU South Outlook:
Ginza will finally win the TU South... never in its 23-year history have the Ninjas managed this... rock-solid pitching, adequate hitting and very good defense will carry manager Huroko Uchiyama to his first pennant... his biggest competition will come from the Southport Sun Sox with their splendid starters... it might be close, but the Ninjas will pull it out... Colchester will finish third, ahead of Cape Coral and Arroyo Grande.

5-Team Tussle In TU East, Blazers-Blue Jays 1st
As usual, the Tycobbian East is the most-contested division in the IPA... Five clubs are jammed together with just 4 games separating number one to number five... two of them, the Hillsboro Blazers (45-28) and the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (45-28) are tied for first with a narrow 2-game edge over the High Mesa Cowboys (43-30)... the Midway Wolves (41-32) and Ozarka Naturals (41-32) are deadlocked in fourth and trail by just 4 games... This year Hillsboro and Tuckanarra both leaped out of nowhere. Last season the Blazers were sixth in the final standings and the Blue Jays ended up fifth... Midway is the defending TU East champion... Hillsboro looks to have it all this year - pitching, power and scoring... 3.21 ERA (5th), .266 BA (6th), 97 homers (2nd)... skipper Rawhide Marshall really has them rolling... All-Star Tom Edgar (12-5 2.85) and Ben Garvik (9-6 2.93) are the top starters... Hank Hellman (1-1 0.00) has 12 saves and hasn't permitted an earned run this season... the Blazers have plenty of bats with All-Star 1B Larry Guichard (.353 BA/16 HR/56 RBI), LF Paul Green (.345 BA/16 HR/46 RBI), rookie CF Biggy Washington (.280 BA/19 HR/37 RBI) and rookie RF Tommy O'Hara (.298 BA/14 HR/39 RBI)... manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has quite an attack in Tuckanarra, too... his Blue Jays are hitting .272 (3rd) with 76 HRs (6th) and are the top team in the TU in scoring (403 runs)... however, they can't match Hillsboro's mound staff... the Blue Jays have posted a 3.53 team ERA (10th)... the Starr triplets are leading the way... Glynn Starr (13-3 3.36) and Quinn Starr (8-8 2.61) head up the hurlers with brother All-Star 1B Lynn Starr (.351 BA/21 HR/62 RBI) having a fabulous sophomore season... All-Star rookie 3B Koora Nawajuk (.321 BA/13 HR/39 RBI) and RF Danny Redd (.304 BA/7 HR/43 RBI) also provide valuable offense... as usual High Mesa can hit homers and score runs, but this year they are getting better pitching and the Cowboys one-man gang, Jack Elliott, has help at the plate... All-Star 1B Elliott just never lets up... he is batting .368 with 21 homers and 52 RBIs... supporting him are All-Star RF Bill Andrews (.310 BA/26 HR/61 RBI), his brother, SS Stephen Andrews (.293 BA/8 HR/44 RBI) and 2B Kenny Rivers (.310 BA/8 HR/29 RBI)... on the hill manager Frisky Franks has three quality starters in rookie sensation Daniel Ferguson (9-6 2.18), veteran Ronald Ward (7-6 3.68) and veteran John Rainer (4-0 3.08), who just moved up into the starting rotation... the Cowpokes are good with the leather, too, with a division-best .977 FA... none of other contenders come close to High Mesa in fielding percentage... Cochise Chandler's Midway Wolves hit well with power... the team is batting .261 (10th) with 87 HRs (3rd) and rank 5th in scoring, but only have average pitching (3.70 ERA-15th)... still last year's division winner is only 2 games off the pace and still a force in the pennant chase... Motega Wolf (11-5 2.56) and Bobby Dorignac (9-4 2.49) give Midway two outstanding starters... bullpen ace Dom Vilaggio (2-2 2.16) has 16 saves... topping the Wolves batting order are All-Star LF Chitto Chandler (.332 BA/11 HR/39 RBI), SS Rob Gigler (.317 BA/17 HR/45 RBI) and rookie standout 3B Rusty Graves (.305 BA/8 HR/38 RBI)... perennial power Ozarka is still a big threat in the TU East, the Nats just have a lot of competition... manager Joe Mac Carney has won 10 of the last 13 division flags... the Naturals possess excellent hitting with a TU-leading .283 team BA and very good pitching with a 3.22 team ERA (6th)... Ozarka has four fine starters in vets Benny Osterman (13-6 2.30), Eddie Roberts (8-2 3.06), Howard Hutch (8-6 3.10) and youngster Jeb Mashburn (10-5 2.83)... at the plate RF Ken Mayberry (.371 BA/4 HR/26 RBI/51 R) leads the Tycobbian league in batting average... lending great support are All-Star SS James Couch (.332 BA/7 HR/54 RBI), 1B George Jenkins (.354 BA/7 HR/38 RBI), 3B Andre Dumas (.293 BA/9 HR/54 RBI) and LF Ryoma Nakayama (.300 BA/11 HR/37 RBI)... none of the other clubs will challenge for the pennant... South Fork (33-40) is in sixth place, 12 games behind... Red Bluff (31-42) took quite a fall, dipping from second last season to seventh place and 14 games back this year... and for the 12th time in 15 years East Point (23-50) will likely finish in the cellar.

TU East Outlook:
The powerful Ozarka Naturals will overtake everybody and win a close race... no team has four strong starters like the Nats... plus they are the best hitting team in the IPA... Hillsboro will fend off the others with its four capable starters and good hitting... the Blazers will be hurt with its lousy defense... they are the worst team in the IPA with a .960 FA... it's a second-place finish for the Blazers... Tuckanarra will come in third, High Mesa fourth and defending TU East champ Midway will dip to fifth this season.

RH Reds Atop TU West, Led BSC Bucs By 3
So far, it's been a two-team race in the Tycobbian West between last season's division winner Rolling Hills (47-26) and the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (44-29)... the Reds have a slight 3-game advantage at the season's halfway mark... the Kenwood Wildcats (40-33) are in third place, 7 games behind, while the Bayview Vikings (38-35) are 9 games out and in the fourth spot... the rest of the division are below .500 and not likely to challenge... Matty Christianson's Rolling Hills ball club has compiled the best record in the TU this season... he has a talented rotation with two standout veteran starters and two budding youngsters, coupled with a superb closer... add in two gifted rookies and one solid 13-year vet and you've got a good ball club... All-Star Errol Gaudet (13-5 2.36) and Sal Jordan (10-1 3.77) are quality arms... John Ryck (7-7 3.41) and rookie Whammer White (6-3 3.88) show good promise... and closer Alfonso Gonzales (1-2 1.27) is a good as it gets in the bullpen... Gonzales already has 21 saves... add in super rookies like All-Star 1B Glenn Childress (.331 BA/15 HR/73 RBI) and LF Pat Webb (.323 Ba/11 HR/46 RBI), along with longtime star CF Donnie Lewis (.319 BA/3 HR/24 RBI/61 R)... the Reds appear to be the class of the division this year again... Bay St. Clair's Guy Rondre has won 3 titles in the last 6 years, so he knows how to win, too... vet Eddie Lasky (11-5 2.48), rave rookie Greg Moss (12-5 2.41) and closer Marv Thomas (2-1 1.61) with 15 saves are keeping the Bucs close on the Reds tail... however, Rondre needs help in the offensive department... his only real threat is 1B Jerry Todd (.324 BA/14 HR/45 RBI)... CF Bill Howell (.292 BA/0 HR/29 RBI/38 R) is an All-Star, but light-hitting... In Kenwood, Aaron Hankins has strong pitching with a 3.08 ERA (3rd), but the third-place Wildcats are not much at the plate with a .243 mark (25th)... All-Star and TU ERA leader Jody Gentry (11-3 1.59) and brilliant All-Star rookie Thomas Norman (13-2 2.15) have carried the club... slap-hitting 1B Pat Farris (.332 BA/1 HR/35 RBI) leads the team offensively, but doesn't have much pop... Farris and LF Ryan Mizell (.298 BA/8 HR/39 RBI) are just about all Hankins has for offense... the fourth-place Bayview Vikings hit well, but have trouble getting anybody out... Walter Johanssen's crew sports a .268 BA (5th) with 83 roundtrippers (5th) and is tied for 9th in scoring... the Viks team ERA has ballooned to 4.68 (31st), one of the poorest in the IPA... three All-Stars 2B Tommy Shore (.328 BA/8 HR/28 RBI/64 R), LF Norm Owens (.300 BA/16 HR/45 RBI/47 R), CF Davey Krueger (.309 BA/18 HR/59 RBI) and rookie RF Knut Valen (.282 BA/14 HR/44 RBI) sparked the attack with longball help from 1B J. R. Hawkins (.248 BA/12 HR/44 RBI)... veterans Harald Turi (9-5 3.19) and Don Griggs (11-3 3.81) are Bayview only reliable pitchers... La Clair (35-38) is fifth, 12 games off the pace, Arlon (33-40) is sixth and 14 games behind, Denton City (30-43) is seventh and 17 games out and in last place is Chicopee (29-44), trailing by 18.

TU West Outlook:
No contest... talented Rolling Hills should roll to an easy pennant and by a hefty sum... Bay St. Clair and Kenwood will battle it out for the runner-up spot... both clubs are similar with good pitching and weak hitting... usually teams with good pitching beat the good hitting teams... Bayview has the hitting, but not much on the hill... the Vikings will wind up fourth in the race... none of the other clubs seem to be capable of competing for the first division.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Ruthlandian Union Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting and Pitching Statistics

Beechwood's Davis Is RU Swing King
The Ruthlandian Union's top batter in 2023 was Jojo Davis of the Beechwood Bobcats, who snagged the title with a .360 average. The 24-year-old right fielder recorded 172 hits in 478 at-bats, 7 home runs and 56 RBIs in his league-leading season.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Ruthlandian Union Final Recap

Valmara RU North Champs
The Valmara Vipers played well throughout the Ruthlandian North season and nabbed the division crown by 5 games over the Far Mountain Redhawks. Ancona, which had won the past three years, fell to third 10 games behind the Vipers. Kilkenny had a good second half and wound up in fourth place, trailing by 11. Mid-season leading Glasco flopped badly and tumbled to seventh place by season's end, 19 games off the pace.

Manager Jet Kazmarek's Valmara Vipers (90-64) gained their fourth RU North flag, the first since 2017... Billy Ray (20-11 2.21) and Clem Carmouche (18-12 2.87) led them to the title... rookie CF Teddy Szymanski (.287 BA/22 HR/88 RBI/80 R) and veteran 2B Ron Freiberg (.287 BA/56 RBI/94 R) paced the average Viper offense... Szymanski is the son of former Viper star CF Jan Szymanski, who starred for the Vipers from 2001 to 2004 and led them to two pennants and three playoffs... Jeff Cooper (25-12 2.07) almost single-handledly lifted the runner-up Far Mountain Redhawks (85-69) from fifth place last year... LF Ryan Mizell (.305 BA/13 HR/83 RBI/78 R), 1B Johnny Becker (.296 BA/11 HR/81 RBI/92 R) and RF Dan Hudson (.293 BA/15 HR/83 RBI/70 R) topped the batting order for skipper Alex Groveland... The Ancona Red Elephants (80-74), champs in four of the last six years, dropped down to third mainly because of the pitching... 1B Alekos Kotas (.299 BA/24 HR/122 RBI/81 R), LF Kenny Willard (.286 BA/23 HR/93 RBI/103 R) and 3B Todd Nasso (.304 BA/27 HR/105 RBI/106 R) provided the offense, while Spiros Zodiaes (19-15 3.47), Pete Krohn (18-14 3.84) and rookie Ken Rokas (9-6 3.12) led the pitching corps... the fourth-place Kilkenny Cats (79-75) moved back into the first division for the first time in four years... manager Kevin McPhail's top players were standout closer Cuzz Grandberry (4-2), who saved 32 games and posted a brilliant 0.66 ERA, rookie Dave Whitaker (22-13 2.84) and veteran Ken Wheeler (18-13 3.69)... the Cats weren't much at the plate with 3B Rusty Denicola (.279 BA/14 HR/84 RBI), SS Johnny Madigan (.264 BA/5 HR/59 RBI/86 R) and LF Michael Winter (.247 B/16/HR/85 RBI) the most dependable... Otto Kronvath got his LaGrange Sports (75-79) up to fifth after 2 long years in the cellar with improved pitching led by rookie Mike York (19-17 3.10) and vet Gabe Thomas (18-12 3.37)... the Sports were 15 games behind first place Valmara... 1B Eric Townsend topped the hitters with a .288 mark, 29 homers and 107 RBIs... C Roger Simone (.256 BA) added 27 roundtrippers and 89 runs batted in... it was a poor season for Tommaso Lazzorda in Taranto (72-82)... the Tars came in sixth, 18 games back... Taranto no longer has the big bats it used to have, yet the Tars finished second in the RU in scoring, but only hit .259 (9th) with just 113 homers (16th).... they topped the league in walks... they used to top it in homers... top performers were 2B Greg Murphy (.314 BA/15 HR/65 RBI/86 R), CF Phil Buckner (.272 BA/6 HR/52 RBI/98 R/64 SB) and pitcher Johnny Sakelaris (16-13 3.13)... Buckner led the IPA in stolen bases with 64... skipper Charles Darby and the Glasco A's (71-83) had a great first half and led the division at the All-Star break, looking like the team-to-win, but it didn't happen as the bottom fell out and the Athletics plunged to seventh-place tie with Ranford, 19 games off the pace, going 26-45 in the latter half of the year... son 3B Eddie Darby led the club with a .312 BA, 12 home runs, 85 RBIs and 84 runs scored... 1B Garris Aiken added a .281 BA, 27 homers and 93 RBIs... Gary Bradley (16-15 3.28) was the best pitcher... Ranford Bulls (71-83) with Rick Fargnoli at the helm only had one solid performer... Scotty Simmons (10-14) deserved a better record with his impressive 2.86 ERA.

Crushers Win Again In RU South, 3rd Time In 4 Years
Defending IPA Pro Cup champions Crystal Lake cruised to its second straight Ruthlandian South pennant and third one in four seasons... the Crushers won in a breeze by 13 games over second place Waleska and Grand City. San Dimas outlasted Claxton and Valka for the fourth spot. The Rancheros were 16 games back, Diamonds 17 and Blackhawks were 19 games behind.

Manager Baby George made it look easy again with a double-digit 13-game victory... Crystal Lake (94-60) again topped the RU with a sparking 2.92 team ERA, second-best in the IPA behind Southport (2.90 ERA) in the Tycobbian South... the Crushers don't hit well, but with pitchers like ace Duncan Welch (24-11 1.92) and Dennis Taylor (22-13 2.53), they don't have to score many runs... only veterans 1B Phil Gravelli (.267 BA/24 HR/73 RBI) and RF Augie Marshall (.248 BA/21 HR/81 RBI) offer much in the way of offense... Crystal Lake is tied for 4th in fielding with a .975 mark... the Waleska Westerners (81-73) under McGraw Johnson again came in second, this time tied with Grand City... Waleska features strong hitting (.272 BA-1st) and solid pitching (3.35 ERA-7th)... superstar CF Roy Hobbs (.323 BA/28 HR/104 RBI/108 R) is the top gun... this year he had help from splendid rookie Loco Dillinger (.326 BA/28 HR/108 RBI)... Doug Watts (20-11 3.83) and Chet McNeil (17-12 3.79) paced the pitching staff... rookie closer Jarred Laclair (7-7 1.98) had an impressive debut with 21 saves... he is the younger brother of Southport talented hurler Al Laclair... the Grand City Cybercats (81-73), skippered by Wade Joslin, were sparked by bullpen ace Ralph Teague (9-5), who saved 25 games with a 9-5 record and a super-low 1.49 ERA, and at the plate by veterans RF Nick Baldini (.331 BA/12 HR/61 RBI/92 R) and LF Ricky Rich (.315 BA/9 HR/93 RBI)... fourth place San Dimas (78-76) does better on the hill than at the plate... manager Ron Armstrong relies on starters rookie Gary Price (17-10 2.96) and vet Shannon White (16-13 3.44), along with closer supreme Raul Marroquin (9-6 1.83), who put up 31 saves... CF Ray Ford (.321 BA/22 HR/88 RBI/103 R) was the Rancheros top hitter... Stacy Engel's Claxton Diamonds (77-77) broke even this year, winding up in the fifth spot in the RU South 17 games out of first... vet Sam Ervin (17-14 3.36) and rookie Max Jung (17-9 3.58) led the mound staff and the hitters were headed by LF George McKay (.329 BA/33 HR/90 RBI/110 R) and RF K. C. Moerdijk (.218 BA/22 HR/60 RBI/111 R/34 SB), who never hits for average, but is nonetheless quite productive... Valka (75-79) was sixth, trailing by 19... Andrei Kokk doesn't have a lot of talent except for 37-year-old closer Vinko Markovic, who chalked up a 9-2 record with 27 saves and a 2.30 ERA in his 13th season... two rookies also blossomed this year... SP Adam Aru went 21-16 with a very strong 2.42 ERA and new 2B Olari Ojastu batted .298 with 20 homers, 81 RBIs and scored 90 runs... C Don Pontros (.308 BA/10 HR/56 RBI/71 R) was voted to the All-Star team in his fourth season... Skinny Kisecawchuk and his St. John Crusaders (62-92) again languished near the bottom in seventh place, 32 games back... on the mound Jeremy Vincent (20-10 2.26) had a superb season... but no else on the team had any numbers to brag about... the Belair Beach Sunbirds (61-93) suffered a terrible season and fell all the way to the basement and 33 games out of the running... but manager Marty Pedroza got good performances out of two rookies: his son, Jaime Pedroza (11-14 2.93) and 1B Kees Draeger (.298 BA/33 HR/106 RBI).

Elnora Surprises, Wins RU East
Elnora came out of nowhere and won the Ruthlandian East by 5 games over runner-up Beechwood, third place Sugar Valley by 13 and fourth place Eastshore by 16 games... last year's division winner Wynnamac dipped to fifth, 23 games behind... Sam Malone's Elnora All-Stars (98-56) won more games than anyone in the IPA and rose up from seventh in 2022 with firepower and plenty of pitching prowess... his youthful starting rotation was headed up by 26-year-old Mario Colon (25-11 3.29), rookies Will Hamilton (18-10 2.86), Lucien Vachon (17-8 2.95) and Hal Wilkinson (16-14 3.14)... in the bullpen another first-year man Bud Foster was excellent with a 6-5 record, 31 saves and a 2.21 ERA... RF Travis Glass paced the batters with 32 homers, 92 RBIs, 98 runs and a .313 BA, helped out by rookie 1B Benny Cortazzo with 24 HRs, 99 RBIs and a .264 BA... Bret George brought his Beechwood Bobcats (93-61) in number two with a fine all-around team... his top performers were the gifted CF and future HOF-er Vic Valenti (.343 BA/36 HR/122 RBI/116 R), RF Jojo Davis (.360 BA/7 HR/56 RBI/93 R), rookie 1B Skipper Smith (.320 BA/16 HR/83 RBI/101 R) and 2B Stan Tipton (.292 BA/17 HR/70 RBI/97 R)... Beechwood also had a fine foursome in starting roles: Frank Mullins (25-9 2.68), Marty Panko (20-11 3.57), Ken DeGraw (18-15 3.12) and Bill McBride (14-8 3.74)... third place Sugar Valley (85-69) makes great use of the longball, but needs some improvement on the hill to take the division... the Rattlers ripped 190 out of the park (2nd) this season, led by 1B Dean Woods (.318 BA/41 HR/104 RBI), rookie LF Marty Beckett (.284 BA/33 HR/109 RBI) and CF Randall Hawson (.257 BA/37 HR/91 RBI)... rookie 2B Jan Kessinger topped the team with a .329 BA and scored 94 runs... Gibby Bobkins's best pitchers were vet Benny McConnell (15-18 2.87), Duane Jenkins (18-8 3.57) and closer Dallas Casey (3-2) with 22 saves and a 1.76 ERA... Killer Brewster over in Eastshore (82-72) has the hurlers, he just doesn't have the bats like he used to have when they were winning pennants and Pro Cups... the fourth place Elegants [/B] are sparked by rookie Randy Boone (20-13 2.70), tough-luck Melvin Key (13-18 2.92) and vet closer Milt Campbell, who posted 36 saves with a 4-3 mark and a sterling 2.09 ERA... only veteran LF Larry Lowe (.314 BA/7 HR/43 RBI/83 R) and RF Ivan Borkowski (.254 BA/29 HR/91 RBI) pose much of a threat at the plate... defending TU titleholder Wynnamac's (75-79) bats went flat this year, falling from .263 to .245 in batting average and down to fifth in the standings... however Matt Donnelly's mound corps was still the second best in the RU with a fine 3.16 team ERA... topping the twirlers were vets Lon Marshall (19-15 2.64) and Jerry Meeks (14-20 2.93)... lack of run support hurt both of them, especially Meeks... the Sundowners also got good efforts from 22-year-old Dean Barber (15-11 3.31) and Meeks' son, rookie Jason Meeks (7-5 3.95)... 2B Liam Cadbury (.293 BA/14 HR/71 RBI) was the most reliable bat... two rookies 3B Dorak Aranda (.276 BA/22 HR/93 RBI) and CF Nathan Cockroft (.273 BA/17 HR/59 RBI/84 R) showed good promise... for the ninth successive season the sixth place Belle Plaine Musketeers (73-81) were a second-division club, trailing by 25 games... manager Dave Torregrossa has some talent... 26-year-old Johnny Davenport had a great season with a 20-13 record and a fine 2.89 ERA... at the plate CF Noel Norbert (.294 BA/9 HR/55 RBI/106 R), SS Slick Hammill (.309 BA/9 HR/71 RBI/79 R), C Derek Roman (.306 BA/17 HR/62 RBI) and rookie Leon Bourque (.295 BA/15 HR/89 RBI) were the best sticks... the seventh place Marston Nine (68-86) were 30 games off the pace... skipper Johnny Walters has no offense except for his super CF Russ Woodward (.324 BA/29 HR/92 RBI/104 R)... on the hill Ronald Schmitt (15-14 2.75) and 32-year-old vet Anson Thomas (14-19 3.31) are his prime starters... After a year in fourth place, the Cold Creek Catamounts (61-93) are back at the bottom in last place, 37 games behind in the pennant race... skipper Trip Holmes has minimal talent... RF Carl Glick leads the hitters with a .271 BA with 12 homers and 66 RBIs and 1B Pete Blackwell has 21 homers and 88 RBIs, but is hitting only .245.

Roosters Reign Supreme In RU West
After 16 years of failure the Middlefield Roosters finally won another Ruthlandian West pennant. They outpaced the second place Volusia Vigilantes by 5 games, third place Forest City by 10 and fourth place Rocky Rapids by 13. This was Middlefield's third title and first since 2006. Sligo, the winner for the past two years, wound up fifth, 19 games behind in the race.

Middlefield Roosters manager Bailey Norcross has a host of longball hitters that topped the RU with 197 homers... 9 players had 11 or more home runs... first place Middlefield (92-62) also got some top-notch pitching from rookie Glenn Tackett (22-8 3.42), Frank Dean (18-9 3.36) and Dicky Damato (18-16 3.56)... those ERA's are real good considering they have to pitch in such a small ball park... Norcross' best bats belong to 1B Allan Stewart (.328 BA/42 HR/119 RBI/112 R), RF Vic Ivarsson (.323 BA/11 HR/77 RBI/76 R), CF Tom Daniels (.274 BA/22 HR/80 RBI/110 R/44 SB) and rookie LF Floyd McClellan (.298 BA/22 HR/66 RBI/67 R)... runner-up Volusia (85-69) boast pretty good bats, but only average pitching... leading the V's attack were CF Joe DeLucca (.313 BA/20 HR/97 RBI/101 R), 3B Bobby Carpenter (.301 BA/18 HR/79 RBI) and C Ismael Gomez (.291 BA/22 Hr/87 RBI)... 6-year vet Sixto Moreno (18-14 3.17) led the mound staff with help form rookie Roman Clemente (20-10 3.64)... for the third straight season the third place Forest City Lumberjacks (82-72) moved up in the standings... manager Rob Jackson got solid work from starters Stephen Phillips (22-11 2.89), Tommy Zenon (18-17 3.67), Norm Dawson (11-7 3.07) and Ryan McGhee (15-14 3.85), but not a lot of offense... the Lumberjacks make contact, but lack punch... they hit .260 (8th), but went deep only 104 times (21st-tied)... veterans LF Ryan Ray (.273 BA/20 HR/89 RBI/76 R) and 1B Andy Doiron (.285 BA/7 HR/51 R/78 R) were the most productive bats... it was another tough season for Ryan Noland in Rocky Rapids (79-75), who finished fourth... just recently Noland has engineered four pennants in a row, but since 2020 the Snappers have fallen from their first-place pedestal... Rocky Rapids no longer has the strong pitching, nor the good, solid hitting... Wilcy Lord (17-16 3.56) leads the staff starters, while in the bullpen closer Cal Crawford (5-4) had a good year with 23 saves and an impressive 1.88 ERA... vets 2B Paul Shelton (.280 BA/33 HR/118 RBI/91 R), LF Rob Barton (.314 BA/13 HR/62 RI/76 R) and CF Tiger Noland (.274 BA/13 HR/77 RBI/83 R) paced the offense... the Sligo Rovers (73-81) looked like they were beginning a dynasty with pennants in back-to-back years 2021-2022, but Eddie Keys's powerful pitching corps went into the pits and the club flopped down to fifth, trailing by 19 games... the Rovers still have the same starters and they do well, but not great as in the previous two seasons... Sam Tate (18-13 2.83) was Keys' best, although Les Patterson did quite well with a 3.10 ERA, but suffered with a 12-20 record...Ralph Odakota (18-17 3.46) and Luka Abromowitz (12-7 3.65) tailed off this season, too... lack of a strong closer hampered Sligo... Glenn Pipton was hit-and-miss in his rookie season... Pipton registered 25 saves, but was 3-11 with a 3.26 ERA... the Rover bats also slumped some, too... no one had a standout season... longtime star 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.313 BA/15 HR/64 RBI/96 R) was the team leader at age 38... CF Chris Michel (.293 BA/13 HR/51 RBI/100 R) and 2B Garlin Delk (.279 BA/17 HR/87 RBI) were also productive at the plate... the Stoner Stars (71-83) were number six in the RU West, 21 games behind leading Middlefield... Benny Stern's best players were starter Bily Chapel (16-16 3.79) and closer Lou Neuman (8-5) with 24 saves and a strong 2.08 ERA... RF Kevin Fisher (.296 BA/9 HR/55 RBI/102 R) led the Stars offensively... Clem Rogers has a bad ball club in Colfax (60-94)... the Blasters ended up 32 games out and in seventh place... James Elliott (18-13 3.80) is one of Rogers' few dependable starters... RF Glen Smith (.325 BA/11 HR/96 RBI) is an up-and-coming talent, along with 1B Doug Kirkwood (.280 BA/17 HR/95 RBI)... for the third dismal year the Fort Benton Defenders are in the division dungeon with a lousy 55-99 mark, 37 games back... skipper Robbie Brooks has terrible hitting (.233 BA-32nd), but decent pitching with a 3.59 team ERA (12th)... Cal Walger (12-18 2.82) is a very capable starter and leads the staff... SS Ronny Frick (.254 BA/22 HR/98 RBI) is Fort Benton lone productive bat.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian Union Final Standings

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian Union Final Batting and Pitching Statistics

TU Batting Title Belongs to Red Caps Hartwig
Dennis Hartwig will look back at the 2023 season and smile proudly. The Oxford Red Caps rookie left fielder rapped out 197 hits and put up a .372 average. That was good enough to take this year's batting honors in the Tycobbian Union. The 21-year-old Hartwig ended the regular season with 38 doubles, 11 triples, 29 home runs, while scoring 138 times and driving in 90 runs.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Rascals Romp In TU North
The White River Rascals beat the odds and ran away with the Tycobbian North. The Rascals romped to a 10-game victory over runners-up Mahaska and Hartsdale. Both teams had been favored by baseball pros to finish higher than White River in a mid-season poll. The Rascals trailed first-half leader Mahaska by a game. The North Hills Hawks came in fourth, 17 games out of first place. Defending division champ Luxora had a disastrous season with 105 losses and ended up in the cellar. The Zorros had won five pennants in the last seven seasons.

White River (93-61) got exactly what manager Mick Cronyn needed to prevail in the TU North - improved pitching... rookie Jon French (16-6 1.99), twin brother Don French (18-8 4.17) and Ron Hendrix (16-14 3.49) led a great second-half run to the pennant... sadly, Jon French was lost for the season in August with an elbow injury and won't be available for the Pro Cup playoffs... however, his replacement in the rotation Paul Sardini (7-2 2.83) took over and didn't miss a beat... Pete Frank (17-15 4.37) also gave Cronyn some good starts... What a potent force White River would be in the playoffs if Jon French was healthy... the Rascals feature a high-octane attack that rocked the TU with a .274 BA (1st), was second in scoring with 809 runs and 9th in homers with 144, led by superstar 1B Marty Blake (.309 BA/30 HR/91 RBI/110 R), CF Hal Littleton (.316 BA/12 HR/80 RBI/79 R), rookie LF Jim Abrams (.285 BA/21 HR/100 RBI) and RF Kenneth Kent (.309 BA/23 HR/93 RBI)... all the Rascal regulars sport a .276 or better batting average... Rusty Tanussa's Mahaska Haymakers (83-71) pitching fell off in the last half and couldn't keep up with the Rascals... but vet Arno Vainmaa (22-12 2.94) had a great second half and a fine year... rookie closer Victor Stravinsky (8-7 2.40) also had a fine freshman year with 30 saves... star C Bucky O'Brian (.284 BA/20 HR/108 RBI) and rookie RF Travis Tuttle (.309 BA/28 HR/95 RBI) stood out at the plate... the Hartsdale Hellcats (83-71) couldn't match the pace of White River, either... Zim Donner's top pitchers were 35-year-old Jim Starks (23-5 2.91) and 24-year-old Dell Samuels ((15-8 3.01)... top batters were 1B Johnny Scott (.308 BA/20 HR/77 RBI/109 R) and C Derek Yurek (.290 BA/26 HR/90 RBI)... fourth place North Hills (76-78) was never really in the race, winding up 17 games back... Masaichi Okawa's best performers were CF Steve Valverde (.316 BA/9 HR/81 RBI/78 R), RF Al Bowden (.297 BA/19 HR/79 RBI/93 R), Lenny Danforth (18-15 3.40) and rookie Valeri Kalinnikov (15-16 2.94)... fifth place Fairfax (75-79) wound up 18 games off the pace... Frogs manager Chancey Quibedeaux's best players were 33-year-old veteran hurler Ken Hill (16-14 3.55), who has a shot at 300 career victories with a 248-195 record and a 2.45 lifetime ERA, rookie Kevin Meeks (4-5 2.17), who saved 30 games, but will be a starter next year, LF Sean Lawson (.298 BA/26 HR/94 RBI/75 R) and CF Alton Dale (.295 BA/10 HR/45 RBI/109 R)... Mack Spencer, skipper of the sixth place Oxford Red Caps (70-84), failed to make the first division for the eighth year in a row, ending up 23 games behind the leader... but phenomenal rookie LF Dennis Hartwig (.372 BA/29 HR/90 RBI/138 R) really excelled by leading the entire IPA with a .372 batting average and with 138 runs scored... it was quite a feat for the 21-year-old freshman... second-year 1B Pat Bartz (.264 BA/19 HR/115 RBI) also shows good promise... Tyson Cobb and his seventh place Blue Lake Blue Sox (64-90) had little to cheer about after finishing 29 games out except for 27-year-old LF Gil Willis (.294 BA/19 HR/87 RBI/88 R) and rookie RF Steven Morris (.293 BA/20 HR/87 RBI/70 R)... this was an abysmal season for the Luxora Zorros (49-105) and manager Cristo Viaconte... never in the IPA history has a good team changed so drastically with basically the same players... the Z's offense totally collapsed... they were the worst team in the IPA with a .228 BA and only 567 runs... hence, the Zorros dropped from first in the TU North to last, 44 games behind White River... in 2021 Luxora did almost the same thing, they went from winning the pennant one year to seventh place the next... bad hitting was the culprit then, too... the talented Tiago Torres and two-time MVP had to endure an 11-18 year in spite of his very good 2.81 ERA... 3-time All-Star C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.297 BA/18 HR/85 RBI) was the Z's only reliable hitter.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Ginza Easy Winner In TU South
The Ginza Ninjas took the lead halfway through the year by 5 games, doubled it by season's end and never looked back. Ginza easily whipped second place Southport by 10, third place Arroyo Grande by 11 and Colchester by a dozen games. Arroyo Grande was the defending division champion. The Suns won it the previous three years.

This was the first time Ginza (92-62) won the TU South in its 23-year history... it was Huroko Uchiyama's pitching corps that brought home the pennant... rookies Yuko Takata (20-9 3.55) and Harlan Wilson (21-11 4.22) both were 20-game winners, while veteran Yutaka Yoshida (13-13 2.84) was the ace and best pitcher... Yoshida just didn't get the run support of the others... closer Frank Beard (7-6) had an exceptional season with an IPA-leading 40 saves and a great 1.96 ERA in 59 game appearances... 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.319 BA/27 HR/95 RBI) and C Crash Davis (.299 BA/12 HR/67 RBI) provided what little offense the Ninjas had.

The Southport Sun Sox (82-72) led the IPA with a super 2.90 team ERA... Charley Oscar had a wealth of capable arms in veterans Al Laclair (21-13 2.15) and Bob Montgomery (18-14 2.64), plus a fine rookie Rod Bailey (24-12 2.32)... Rob Ricks (5-4) was valuable in the bullpen with 27 saves and a strong 2.11 ERA... hitting was an entirely different story... the Sun Sox were pathetic with a .233 BA (31st)... LF Amos Needham (.297 BA/15 HR/57 RBI) and 2B Jason Hinton (.286 BA/13 HR/75 RBI) were the best of the lot.

Arroyo Grande's (81-73) grand ride came to an end this year with a third place finish... the Suns were the division champs in 2020, 2021 and 2022... both the pitching and hitting suffered this year... the only starter to have a good season was Cesar De Leon (22-13 4.03)... closer Jason Patrick saved 32 games with a splendid 1.95 ERA, but was just 1-5 in the won-lost column... three stalwarts had solid stats: SS Andy Pearson (.337 BA/18 HR/90 RBI/96 R), 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.307 BA/45 HR/139 RBI/89 R) and LF Eduardo Villanueva (.312 BA/25 HR/78 RBI/121 R). but the rest of the Suns had down years... Vizcarra led the IPA in RBIs for the second successive season.

The fourth spot in the TU South standings went to Charley Oscar's Colchester Elites (78-76), which thrived on its mound staff... the Elites had the fourth-best team ERA (3.22), led by rookie Mac Flowers (18-16 3.57) and rookie closer Cholly Burdette (5-6), who posted 26 saves and an impressive 2.26 ERA... Colchester had very little offense with a .244 BA (26th) and 95 homers (30th)... 1B James McCall (.299 BA/18 HR/76 RBI/93 R) and CF Terry Thorsen (.285 BA/13 HR/58 RBI/90 R) were the club leaders.

Proud Turon (76-78) came in fifth this season and trailed by 16 games... it was the Typhoons worst season since 2004... Whitey Richburn's team has only fallen below .500 twice in its history... Turon is getting old...but it still possesses some pretty good pitchers... ace Nicky Engstrom won his 300th game in his last start of the season, but he was only 16-14 with a 2.64 ERA... only twice in his 14 years has he failed to win 20 games... overall the 34-year-old Engstrom is 300-137 with a fantastic 2.26 ERA... 42-year-old Ted Farentino has a fine 16-11 mark with a 3.18 ERA... in his 23 seasons Farentino is 337-236 with a 3.71 ERA... He has played for four teams, the last nine in Turon... rookie left-hander Don Allen (16-10 3.16) did a very good job in his first year... the Typhoons only offensive threat was 1B Michael Page (.312 BA/35 HR/90 RBI/84 R), who took over for the legendary Clyde Kingsford this year... at age 37 Kingsford may be ready to call it a great career after 12 years, 484 homers and a lifetime .320 BA... ditto for 44-year-old 2B Alan Hansen, who has batted .296 and scored 2262 runs in his 23 IPA seasons... Kingsford was used only as a pinchhitter and batted .254 with only 5 homers... Hansen hit .248 in limited action.

Coming in sixth 23 games behind Ginza were the San Alejo Montaneros (69-85)... manager Alberto Herrera only had a few talented players... his best are pitcher Trini Corona (19-16 3.72), LF Warren Love (.289 BA/38 HR/124 RBI) and 1B Zach Kallis (.336 BA/7 HR/43 RBI/57 R).

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (62-92) had a wonderful first half, but really fizzled in the second half of the season... Huggy Miller's Hurricanes were just 5 games behind Ginza at the All-Star Game, but then fell apart and wound up in seventh place for the seventh consecutive year, 30 games back... rookie Cory Burg (17-15 3.88) was the only reliable pitcher... at the plate Miller had nobody that was worthy of note.

For the 11th straight year the Summerland Sunsets (59-95) were a second division ball club... Will Hackett guided them to another poor season... the Sunsets were last for the third year in a row, 33 games off the pace... rookie closer Cary Snead and reliever Maury West were the only bright spots on the team... Snead (5-4) notched 28 saves and a microscopic 1.26 ERA, while West was 4-2 with a 2.99 ERA in 61 games.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Tucks Take High Mesa By 1 Game In TU East
In the most exciting race in the IPA this year, it was Tuckanarra going down to the last game of the season to take the Tycobbian East by one game over the High Mesa Cowboys. Third place went to the first-half leader Hillsboro, followed by the fourth place Midway Wolves. The Wolves won last year, but were far off the pace this season, losing out by 12 games.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (96-58) rose up from fifth place in 2022 to take the flag this year... skipper Lefty Stevens had solid hitting with good power and excellent pitching... the Blue Jays batted .263 (8th) with 143 homers (10th) and compiled a standout 3.12 team ERA (2nd)... pacing the pitching staff were Glynn Starr (25-10 3.00), Quinn Starr (19-17 2.35) and Dean Peterson (20-11 2.92), three strong starters, who should take the Blue Jays deep into the Pro Cup playoffs... Stevens is blessed with a superb closer, too... Archie Desmond was 8-0 with 33 saves and a remarkable 0.88 ERA, perhaps the best year a reliever ever had in the IPA... at the plate the Tucks were sparked by 1B Lynn Starr (.330 BA/36 HR/112 RBI/114 R), RF Danny Redd (.339 BA/15 HR/79 RBI/107 R) and rookie 3B Koora Nawajuk (.283 BA/18 HR/68 RBI/92 R).

High Mesa (95-59) came oh so close to winning the pennant... the high-scoring Cowboys got fine pitching and almost pulled out a pennant for the first time since 2002, when they won the Pro Cup... spectacular 1B Jack Elliott (.360 BA/43 HR/111 RBI/134 R) as usual led the attack, but again he had tremendous help from RF Bill Andrews (.288 BA/49 HR/120 RBI/113 R), who led the IPA in roundtrippers with 49... SS Stephen Andrews (.284 BA/13 HR/84 RBI) and 2B Kenny Rivers (.297 BA/14 HR/61 RBI/91 R) also chipped in well with the bats... CF Joe Hamilton went deep 34 times, but batted only .238... however, it was the mound corps that made the difference... pitching in the small confines of Queen Ranch Stadium, rookie southpaw Daniel Ferguson had a brilliant year with a 20-13 mark and a 2.46 ERA... Cowpoke ace Ronald Ward also did his part with a 19-13 record and a strong 3.05 ERA... and closer Pete Woods saved 30 games with a 6-8 record and a fine 2.22 ERA in 61 games... 37-year-old journeyman John Rainer (15-6 4.09) gave manager Frisky Franks some good starts, too.

After tying Tuckanarra for the lead at the All-Star hiatus, third place Hillsboro (89-65) couldn't keep up with the two leaders in the second half... still it was a good year for manager Rawhide Marshall and his Blazers... home-run power and solid pitching led the way... Hillsboro hammered 173 out of the park (3rd) and posted an outstanding 3.14 team ERA (3rd)... in his best season ever, 37-year-old veteran Tom Edgar (24-8 2.47) won 20 games for the first time in his 13-year career... two youngsters, rookie Ben Garvik (17-16 3.07) and Jason Castille (17-9 3.66) also came through for Marshall on the mound... closer Hank Hellman (2-8) saved 32 games and put up an excellent 1.79 ERA... and 1B Larry Guichard (.336 BA/26 HR/109 RBI/96 R), rookie CF Biggy Washington (.268 BA/25 HR/59 RBI/100 R/54 SB), LF Paul Green (.287 BA/29 HR/84 RBI/91 R) and rookie RF Tommy O'Hara (.268 BA/27 HR/84 RBI/82 R) provided lots of runs for the Blazers... Guichard topped the IPA with 57 doubles and Washington led the TU with 54 steals.

The defending TU East champion Midway Wolves (84-70) fell off on the mound and dipped to fourth place, 12 games out of first... last year's 25-game winner Dakota Dyami was only 8-16 this season with an atrocious 6.07 ERA... the other starting threesome more than held their own... Bobby Dorignac was 20-10 with a great 2.22 ERA, Motega Wolf was 22-12 with a 3.43 ERA and Joe Wolf Warner had his best year ever with an 18-7 mark and 3.23 ERA... keys injuries also hurt the Midway cause... the loss of RF Chitto Chandler (.319 BA/16 HR/55 RBI/62 R) in July and August really put a damper on the Midway offense and defense... trying to take up the slack were 2B Frank Reinhard (.271 BA/24 HR/91 RBI), rookie 3B Rusty Graves (.290 BA/17 HR/80 RBI) and Vet SS Rob Gigler (.294 BA/27 HR/74 RBI)... valuable lead-off man and RF Kyle Rigney (.274 BA/11 HR/49 RBI/61 R) also missed six weeks of the season.

The South Fork Stallions (74-80) improved a little bit this year from seventh to fifth place, but the Stallions of Lips Leon were 24 games behind leading Tuckanarra... Glenn Stroud (13-7 3.68) topped the starters... veteran closer Solly King had a good year with an 8-3 record, 27 saves and a fine 2.73 ERA... at the plate South Fork was led by two solid vets: LF Patric Giles (.309 BA/29 HR/96 RBI/97 R) and CF Robby Michael (.311 BA/14 HR/55 RBI/91 R).

It was not a good year for perennial powerhouse Ozarka (72-82), who finished far back in the standings, sixth place and 24 games out... the Nats were fourth last season...prior to that they had won 7 division flags in a row... this year the Naturals stayed in the race for awhile... Joe Mac Carney's crew was only 4 games out of first at mid-season, but faded badly in July and August... the drop was caused by mediocre offense and a decline on the hill... the team ERA went from 3.03 in 2022 to 3.56 this season... at 27 Benny Osterman is still the ace with a 21-12 mark and 2.71 ERA... Eddie Roberts crossed the 200-win milestone this season with a 16-6 record and 3.58 ERA... 39-year-old Yuka Nawajuk stumbled badly with a 3-4 record and a sorry 5.27 ERA... Nawajuk spent most of the season in middle relief... Howard Hutch was only 13-13 with a 3.66 ERA... the Ozarka line-up still sports a lot of .300 hitters, but they have lost power and punch... they just don't score a lot of runs anymore like in the glory days... the Naturals batted .273 (2nd), but produced only 691 runs (19th)... SS James Couch was the best producer with a .322 BA, 17 homers and 96 RBIs... long-time star 3B Andre Dumas hit .292, but collected only 13 homers and 80 RBIs... RF Ken Mayberry batted .333, but scored only 78 runs and drove in 50... catcher T. C. Baranski hit for a .308 average with 9 homers and 64 RBIs.

Seventh place belonged to the Red Bluff Red Sox (69-85), who spiraled downward after two seasons in second place... the Red Sox were 27 games behind... terrible pitching was the villain... Bucky Frizzell's staff was the worst in the IPA with a sky-high 4.92 team ERA... his best starter Kris Kazlauskas was 17-16, but with a 4.63 ERA... Red Bluff still has some good sticks... 3B James Mack batted .317 with 32 homers, 105 RBIs and scored 100 runs... LF Corbett Brooks put up some hefty stats, too... Brooks hit .297 with 35 roundtrippers, 112 runs batted in and scored 104 times.

It was another lousy year in East Point (57-97) for Robbie Brooks and his pathetic Panthers... they were dead last again in the TU East, 39 games behind... East Point has ended up in the division basement 7 times in the last 8 years and 11 times in the last 14 seasons... long-suffering Bingo Long (12-13 3.55) is his only quality pitcher... veteran 1B Bill McCann (.257 BA/29 HR/98 RBI) is the only decent hitter in the batting order... Brooks has very little talent on his roster.

The Islandian Times
Monday, September 18, 2023

2023 Tycobbian West Final Recap

BSC Bucs Overtake RH Reds In TU West
Month after month the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers played winning baseball to overtake last year's winner Rolling Hills for the Tycobbian West crown. The Reds had led by 3 games at mid-year, but slumps in July and August cost them the title. The Buccaneers captured the division by 5 games with the best record in the IPA. Kenwood trailed by 7 games and came in third with Bayview fourth and 9 games back. It was the Bucs fifth title in 9 years.

Guy Rondre guided Bay St. Clair (97-57) to the most wins in its history and took top honors with the most wins in the Tycobbian Union this season and second-best in the IPA to Elnora's 98 wins in the Ruthlandian East... the Buccaneers are a good, all-around club with no glaring weaknesses... veteran Eddie Lasky (25-8 2.79) had a career year in his 11th season with help from a fine freshman Greg Moss (24-9 2.40), who was even better... bullpen specialist Marv Thomas (5-7) also stood out with 30 saves and a 2.25 ERA... offensive leaders were 1B Jerry Todd (.321 BA/31 HR/106 RBI), SS Van Kellner (.281 BA/25 HR/84 RBI and RF Don Smithers (.237 BA/24 HR/80 RBI).

The runner-up Rolling Hills Reds (92-62) are out of the same mold as division winner Bay St. Clair... solid pitching, solid bats and good gloves... Erroll Gaudet (23-11 2.94) and Sal Jordan (16-12 3.49) topped the mound staff with support from rookie Whammer White (15-7 3.78) and closer Alfonso Gonzales (6-4), who piled up 37 saves and a fine 2.14 ERA... at the plate it was rookie 1B Glenn Childress (.313 BA/28 HR/120 RBI/88 R), rookie LF Pat Webb (.323 BA/24 HR/106 RBI/90 R) and 14-year vet CF Donnie Lewis (.293 BA/6 HR/47 RBI/128 R) leading the way.

The La Claire Lynx (81-73) were a distant third, 16 games off the lead, but Maka Bardinda's team stepped it up at the plate and on the hill and climbed up from seventh place... the Lynx batted .270 (3rd) with 140 homers (12th) and racked up 812 runs (2nd)... the team ERA improved slightly from a very poor 4.67 to 4.16 (26th)... leading the La Claire hit parade was long-time star 3B Flash Devlin (.341 BA/32 HR/110 RBI/124 R), rookie 1B Jess Swain (.313 BA/18 HR/111 RBI/102 R), rookie 2B Norm Petitjean (.315 BA/22 HR/108 RBI/88 R) and rookie Charlie Chapman (.280 BA/21 HR/95 RBI/80 R)... 2023 was the Year of the Rookie in the IPA.

Aaron Hankins in Kenwood (79-75) lacked offense as usual and wound up in the fourth spot in the standings, 18 games behind in the race... the Wildcats survive on very good pitching (3.37 ERA - 6th), especially in the bullpen (2.24 ERA - 1st)... all of the relievers were 2.67 and under in ERA, paced by closer Glenn Kennedy (7-7) with 16 saves and a 2.17 ERA... veteran Jody Gentry (22-8 2.14) and rookie Thomas Norman (21-11 2.76) were truly outstanding, too... young CF Babe Hankins (.274 BA/12 HR/81 RBI/89 R) was the only reliable hitter in the lineup... the senior Hankins named his son after the all-time industrial and amateur home run king, Baby George, the skipper of the Crystal Lake Crushers.

The fifth place Denton City Redbirds (78-76) were 19 games out and just barely missed the first division... lousy hitting cost them, ranked 27th with a poor .241 team BA... the pitching was much better with a 3.43 ERA (8th)... Ford Whiteman's top hill performers were rookie Phil Cooper (18-13 3.39), rookie George Hudson (18-15 3.49) and closer Rich Hopkins (3-5) with 31 saved games and a super 1.11 ERA... no hitter had any good stats.

The Bayview Vikings (75-79) with skipper Walter Johanssen at the helm wound up 22 games out in sixth place in the TU West... 8-year vet Harald Turi again was the ace of the staff with a 17-14 mark and a 3.35 ERA... Don Griggs was 20-11, but benefited from good run support... Griggs posted a 4.38 ERA... solid veterans 2B Tommy Shore (.282 BA/12 HR/51 RI/110 R) and LF Norm Owens (.276 BA/22 HR/89 RBI/94 R) sparked the offense... both Shore and owens are Gold Glovers... Owens has been named 7 times, Shore twice.

Since winning the TU West in 2020, it's been all downhill for Gary Louis and his Arlon Champions (67-87)... the Champs have been on the bottom or near the bottom ever since, falling to seventh this season, 30 games out... Arlon tied with Chicopee for last place... 1B James Slaughter is the only decent bat with a .311 BA, 12 homers and 71 runs batted in... rookie closer Buddy Palmer (6-4) is the top pitcher with 5 saves and a 1.55 ERA.

The Chicopee Braves (67-87) only have one strong player... Dominick DiCaprio was obtained in a trade with Turon this year and the 37-year-old RF put up strong numbers to lead the team almost by himself... DiCaprio batted .306 with 31 roundtrippers, 114 RBIs and scored 90 times... manager Harry Fleetfoot needs more players like DiCaprio... talent is sparse in Chicopee.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

2023 IPA Pro Cup Elite 8 Series

Elite 8 Clubs Vie For Pro Cup, Beginning Tomorrow
Where are the traditional Pro Cup participants? Many playoff regulars didn't make it this year. The only returning club from last year is the defending Pro Cup champion Crystal Lake Crushers. There's plenty of new blood this time around. 7 of the 8 teams didn't play in the postseason last year. In fact many teams haven't been in the postseason for many seasons. It really is a wide open affair this year with a lot of new teams. Perennial powers like Ozarka, Eastshore, Turon, Ancona and Luxora failed to make the playoffs. Postseason play is something new for several teams. The Ginza Ninjas haven't been to the playoffs since 2003, 20 years ago. Elnora hasn't appeared for 17 years, since 2006, Middlefield for 17 years, since 2006 and Tuckanarra for 10 years, since 2013. Three others have seen action in recent years. Valmara last participated in 2017. Bay St. Clair and White River both played in 2021. Crystal Lake is the only former champion in the field. The Crushers took the Island title in 2020 and 2022.

The IPA Elite 8 Series open at four sites around Islandia tomorrow afternoon. In first round Ruthlandian action Crystal Lake will be at home against Valmara and Middlefield will travel to Elnora. Over in the Tyrobbian Elite 8, it will be Tuckanarra playing in Bay St. Clair and Ginza going to White River. Each Elite 8 Series will be best-of-seven.

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 19, 2023

2023 IPA Pro Cup Series

Best Team Record: Elnora (RU) 98-56 (1st)
Best Team BA: White River (TU) .274 (1st)
Most HR: Middlefield (RU) 194 (1st)
Most Runs: Middlefield (RU) 849 (1st)
Most SB: Tuckanarra (TU) 129 (4th)
Best Team ERA: Crystal Lake (RU) 2.92 (1st)
Best Starter ERA: Crystal Lake (RU) 2.80 (1st)
Best Bullpen ERA: Middlefield (RU) 2.64 (2nd)
Best Defense: White River (TU) .979 FA (1st)

Worst Team Record: Valmara (RU) 90-64 (5th)
Worst Team BA: Elnora (RU) .248 (21st)
Fewest HR: Crystal Lake (RU) 92 (28th)
Fewest Runs: Crystal Lake (RU) 625 (29th)
Fewest SB: Elnora (RU) 29 (32nd)
Worst Team ERA: Middlefield (RU) 3.59 (15th)
Worst Starter ERA: Bay St. Clair (TU) 3.66 (15th)
Worst Bullpen ERA: White River (TU) 3.86 (26th)
Worst Defense: Middlefield (RU) and Tuckanarra (TU) .972 FA (15th-tied)