Third place went to the St. John Crusaders (76-78), who wound up under the .500 mark and 9 games off the pace... piloted by Clayton Luck, the Crusaders hit fairly well for average, but could use more home-run power... Luck only had average pitching and average defense with a .973 FA... after a second-place finish last year, the Crusaders were expected to make a charge for the title, but it didn't happen... the last time St. John made the Pro Cup playoffs was 2026... the Crusaders have only made the postseason twice in the last two decades.

The Grand City Cybercats (75-79) won the division two years ago, dipped to third last season and down to fourth this year, trailing Claxton by 10 games... manager Wade Joslin kept the Cybercats in the race until mid-season, but they went into a second-half funk and dropped out the race... they played under .500 ball the last three months of the season... Grand City hits well with power, ranking second in the league in longballs, score well and have a good starting rotation... yet they came in fourth... the Cybercats could improve on their poor .968 FA, too.

Wesley Pate guided the San Dimas Rancheros (74-80) to the RU South crown in 2031 and looked forward to more of the same in 2032... the Rancheros still had good pitching, but the offense floundered... as a consequence San Dimas ended up in fifth place, 11 games back of winning Claxton... it also didn't help that Miguel Valdes went from 17-11 last year to a mediocre 8-14 this year... San Dimas still has one of the better defensive clubs in the IPA with a .976 FA.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds were quite successful in the beginning of the IPA... the Sunbirds were regular playoff participants with 7 appearances from 2001 to 2016... since then they have made the first division only on 3 occasions, but never seriously contending for the division title... sixth-place Belair Beach (72-82) batted a little better than the league average, but had a mediocre mound corps, finishing 13 games in back of division winner Claxton... fielding-wise the Sunbirds were a little less than average with a .970 mark.

Herman "Baby" George's once-proud Crystal Lake Crushers (71-83) are now just a mediocre ballclub and ended up next-to-last this season, 14 games off the pace in the RU South standings... from 2020 to 2030 the Crushers captured 2 Pro Cups and 6 division flags... George won the Pro Cup in 2020 and 2022... however, in the last two campaigns his Crushers have been 8th and 7th respectively... the club has tailed off substantially at the plate and on the hill... defensively Crystal Lake is average with a .971 FA... the few bright spots on the team were All-Star SS Timmy Robinson and OF Herm Taylor... they both batted well over .300... the loss of 1B Josh George, the manager's son, to free agency was another huge setback... in his 6 seasons George carried the Crushers offensively, averaging 20 homers and 100 RBIs a year, plus winning 3 Golden Gloves at first base... apparently he and his dad had a falling out over the direction of the ballclub... things have not worked out with his new team, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... after hitting only .255 with 5 homers in the first half of the season, the 27-year-old George was demoted to the reserve roster... so far George has been an expensive bust for the Blue Jays.

The Valka Blackhawks (69-85) continued to spiral downward in the RU South, tumbling all the way to the basement this year and 16 games in back of division winner Claxton... it's the fourth successive season manager Ron Landauer's club has finished near the bottom of the division... bad pitching is the culprit as the Blackhawks wield the bats fairly well... 3B Leevi Viri and 2B Olari Ojastu are two solid glovemen and hitters... 25-year-old 1B Mikk Kukk and 20-year-old rookie OF Luukus Palli are blossoming stars, too... Valka is just average on defense with a .973 FA... the Blackhawks could move way up in the standings with some pitching help.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 22, 2032

2032 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Elnora Runaway Winner In RU East Again
The Ruthlandian East was kind of close at the midway point in the season with Elnora holding a fairly comfortable 5-game lead over second-place Cold Creek and 7 games up on Eastshore, then the All-Stars made shambles of the race and ran away with the division, winning by 20 games over Wynnamac... Cold Creek wound up in the third spot in the standings 22 games back and Eastshore came in fourth 24 games out. This is their second title in a row... last year the All-Stars won the RU East by 11 games.

Leon Carter piloted the Elnora All-Stars (105-49) to a great season, topping the IPA in victories... you name it and Carter's club had it... pitching, hitting, scoring and power... Elnora led the RU in just about every category... starters Freddy Pfeffer (24-8) and Jeremy Sellers (26-9) were outstanding... All-Star hurler Lucien Vashon (17-10) had a fine year, too... even rookie Nelson Carter (16-7) stood out... and closer Paul Martin (8-6) led the IPA with 30 saves.

Elnora featured three .300 hitters in its lineup, headed up by RF Pettis Pentleton (.346), All-Star 1B Matt Boyd (.325) and 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.322)... it didn't end there either... LF Clint Thomas (.299), All-Star CF Travis Glass (.295) and C Jerry Bloomquist (.288) were also solid contributors to the All-Star attack... The All-Stars went deep into the Pro Cup playoffs last year, losing in 7 games to Valmara in the RU Final 4... the vaunted Vipers were beaten out by Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills in 6 games... Elnora is primed and ready to win its first-ever Pro Cup this year.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (85-69) under skipper Matt Donnelly didn't get going until the second half of the season, but by then it was too late to catch Elnora... Wynnamac was 47-28 over the last three months, compared to Elnora's tremendous 51-24... it's the fifth time in the last 8 years the team came in second... the Sundowners last won pennants in 2025 and 2030... their only Pro Cup crown came in 2008... overall the Sundowners were only an average team and finished 20 games off the pace in second place... defensively they were very good with a .976 FA... veterans Jason Meeks (20-11) and Killara Bardo (17-15) has good years on the hill... as did Pancho Romero (12-7)... at the plate the Sundowners were led by 1B Giles Butler (.294), 3B Dorak Aranda (.281) and LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.258).

The Cold Creek Catamounts (83-71) have languished in the second division most of the time since winning the RU East crown in 2012, but this year they came in third and were 8 games over the .500 mark... for the last 5 seasons the Catamounts have been on bottom or near the bottom of the division... this year manager Scott Lemieux boasted one of the better starting rotations in the IPA, paced by Harvey Fullerton (14-8), J. J. Gillespie, Tommy Smith (15-9) and Bobby Reid (14-19)... they ranked fourth in ERA in the RU (3.03 ERA)... Cold Creek was only an average team otherwise offensively (.268 BA) and defensively (.973 FA)... bat leaders for the Catamounts were All-Star SS Daryl McNeil (.296), 1B Steve Daniels (.305) and C Marty Kaufman (.295).

The Eastshore Elegants (81-73), managed by Killer Brewster, sneaked into fourth place after 4 years in the second division, but wound up 24 games behind winner Elnora... the Elegants have been mired in a long drought since their golden days of 2016-2019 when they won 2 Pro Cups and 4 straight pennants... Brewster's boys are just an average team, but they really sprarkle on defense with a .979 FA... Eastshore's top players are All-Stars Pete Woods and Scotty Lagrange, along with Randy Boone... Woods (19-13) was Brewster's ace... while Lagrange (.296) was one of the few good sticks... Boone was 14-11, but was injured in September and is not expected to play much next season.

The Beechwood Bobcats (74-80) haven't done much in the RU East since winning back-to-back flags in 2026 and 2027... manager Bret George brought them in fifth this year, trailing Elnora by 31 games... the Bobcats can score runs but can't stop the opposition... they are fairly good with the gloves with a .974 FA... Ken Arby (14-13) and Maury Patterson (17-13) are strong pitchers, but have little help... RF Jojo Davis at age 33 won his third RU batting title with a .369 BA, tops in the IPA... Davis also won it in 2023 and 2028 and sports a .333 lifetime BA... 2B Norm Smith (.295) was a reliable hitter, too.

Like Beechwood, the sixth-place Belle Plaine Musketeers (70-84) can generate some runs, but have problems on the mound... the Muskies play average defense with a .973 FA... oldsters like 38-year-old 1B Marty Blake (.287), Patrice Jourdan (.313), C Derek Roman (.268), LF Shelby Glasscock (.259) and 2B Carl Bentley (.264) still can swing a good bat... youngsters CF Jason Garrett (.295) and RF Noel Martin (.267) are showing progress at the plate, too... vets Johnny Davenport (12-17) and Johnny Duncan (7-6) were the best arms on the aging team... rookie starter Philippe Marchand (5-1) looked good after joining the team in the last month of the season... the Musketeers are one of the weaker franchises in the IPA with only one pennant in its history in 2009... otherwise it's been mainly a second-division team... the Muskies have finished in the first division only 8 times in 31 years.

It was not a good year for manager Danny Church in Marston (69-85)... for the fourth straight year under his leadership the Nine finished in the second division... this year was his worst as Marston came in seventh, 36 games off the lead... the club did well Church's first two seasons, winding up second in 2026 and first in 2027... Marston needs improvement in the pitching department... Denny Carravaggio (14-12) is the only reliable starter... the Nine's average offense is sparked by superstar All-Star CF Russ Woodward (.334), who still is a potent force at age 38 at bat and in the field... a definite Hall-of-Famer, Woodward has over 3600 hits and 600 homers with a .316 career average... helping out with the offensive load are OF Ken Armstrong (.315), OF Warren Cleveland (.314) and rookie OF Marco Ameche (.275)... Church's 20-year-old son, Johnny (.259), plays a solid SS and is a pesky hitter... as a team, Marston is just average defensively with a .974 FA.

After winning the RU East flag in 2029, the Sugar Valley Rattlers (68-86) have slowly descended to the bottom of the division, going from first place to second place to fourth place and now to the cellar, 37 games behind Elnora... fiery manager Gibby Bobkins with 10 pennants on his resume, is not a happy camper this year... he lost two of his starters, Aron Libertini (11-14) and Wes Weaver (3-7) to injury... Libertini, his ace, will probably miss all of next season, too... 12-year veteran reliever Dallas Casey stepped into a starting role and thrived with a 15-9 mark, best on the team... young Jeremy Blanchard (16-15) was also a solid starter... once again the Rattlers hit a lot of homers and led the Ruthlandian Union, courtesy of the short fences at Farmers Memorial Park, but it still didn't keep them out of the basement... RF Ray Ford (35), LF Tyler White (30), 1B Mickey Muller (23) and SS Jack Sanderson (22) walloped 171 out of the park this year, but they didn't hit much for average.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 22, 2032

2032 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Blasters Win RU West Going Away
In the Ruthlandian West it was a two-team tango for the opening half of the season, then the Colfax Blasters put it in high gear and won going away by 14 games over the resurgent Rocky Rapids Snappers... the Blasters led by only 3 games at the All-Star break... Fort Benton came in third, 19 games back... and Stoner and Forest City tied for fourth, 24 games to the rear... defending champ Sligo abruptly plunged to last place this year... the punchless Rovers had won the division in 3 of the last 6 seasons

Colfax (98-56), piloted by HOF hurler Ilya Szabo, copped its second division crown in three years... Szabo is looking for good things in this year's Pro Cup playoffs... he thinks the Blasters will be a serious contender to win it all... Colfax's only Pro Cup title came in 2010 when Szabo was in his prime and he went 27-4... Szabo's team can score with the best of them and has high quality pitching... his only weaknesses are longball power and average defense (.972 FA).

Colfax had two 20-game winners in Rudy Rosario (22-9) and Milton Garnett (20-12)... Randell Perkins (12-2) showed very well after moving from the bullpen late July... the Blaster attack is led by All-Star C Mitch Fullerton (.351), SS Dino Manale (.343) and RF Hal Granders (.280)... three solid starters, coupled with strong sticks makes Colfax one of the better clubs in the postseason... we will quickly find out how strong the Blasters are - they meet powerhouse Elnora in the opening round.

For seven long years in succession the Rocky Rapids Snappers (84-70) toiled in vain and wound up near the bottom of the RU West... the Snappers haven't been to the playoffs since 2020... from 2017 they won four consecutive RU West flags and took their only Pro Cup in 2019... Rocky Rapids snapped out of the doldrum this year and finished second... much-improved pitching and batting made a huge difference in the standings... the club BA rose 15 points... the team ERA dropped from a horrendous 4.51 to a strong 3.28... defensively the Snappers were just average with a .971 FA.

Manager Junior Noland saved his job this year with the sudden turnaround... the Snappers have a fine bullpen, headed up by John Young (6-4/14 saves), Dale Garman (2-4/9 saves) and Frankie Harris (6-2/5 saves)... Noland only had adequate starters in Matt Loudermilk (16-18), Terence Mulloy (19-11) and Teddy Tabor (17-12)... All-Star C Allie Blackwell (.332) and 3B Kelvin Cassidy (.333) led the Snappers at the plate.

The third-place Fort Benton Defenders (79-75) made the first division for the sixth time in the last seven seasons with Robbie Brooks at the helm, but they never were really in the hunt, winding up 19 games out of first place... the Defenders have never made the postseason... Brooks has three outstanding starters, but not much of a bullpen, nor much hitting... Frankie Blair (21-12), Augie Marquis (18-13) and Edd Farmer (11-15) give Brooks strong starters, who combined for a great 2.45 ERA... Fort Benton topped the RU with a 2.96 ERA... they were fifth-best staff in the IPA after the TU's San Alejo (2.73), Mahaska (2.83) and Midway (.290)... defense (.970 FA) and hitting hurt the Defenders' cause... 3B Monty McMurtry (.332), 2B Hans Gustavsen (.310) and CF Danny Riesner (.286) led the bats.

The Stoner Stars (74-80) and Forest City deadlocked for the fourth spot in the RU West and trailed division leader Colfax by 24 games... the Stars under skipper Benny Stern won the pennant in 2029, but have slowly drifted downward the last few seasons... poor run production has been the culprit... fielding is adequate with a .973 FA... pitching is mediocre... Stoner has never won a Pro Cup in its 31 seasons... Darrell Geoffrey (16-12) is the top starter... 10-year vet 1B Fletch Fowler (.309) is the most productive bat.

The Forest City Lumberjacks (74-80) have never claimed a Pro Cup... the Jacks made the postseason the first three seasons in the IPA and also in 2013, but zilch since... manager Joe Judlin's Lumberjacks stand out defensively with a .975 FA and in homers with 163 (3rd)... otherwise not much... LF Chuck Kramer (.265), 2B Rog Clemens (.280), CF Ronnie Pollet (.271) and Steve Burns (.307) provided most of the offense... and Rich Barstow (18-14) and Jimmy Willard (12-10) are the most reliable pitchers.

Sixth place went to the Volusia Vigilantes (73-81) this season... the V's were 25 games off the pace... Alfonso Feliz's club won the first IPA Pro Cup in 2001, made the playoffs the first six seasons, but have nothing to show for the last 26 years... Volusia is just fair offensively and on the mound and subpar on defense (.969 FA)... Jamie Gustavson (14-20) and Val Cameron (13-16) deserved better fates... Sammy Barton (13-6) posted a good record... Volusia was hurt by the loss of its workhorse Greg Moss (7-9)... Moss was on the DL twice and will likely miss all of 2033... 2B Carl Kendall (.331), veteran RF Sonny Oliver (.280) and LF Vasco Aguilar (.269) were the V's offensive leaders.