The Islandian Times

Monday, June 19, 2005

Tycobbian Union East 2006 Mid-Season Standings

5-Team Chase in TU East, Ozarka Leader at Mid-Season

The first half leader in the Tycobbian Union East is the Ozarka Naturals. The Nats are one game up on second place Midway, two games ahead of third place Tuckanarra and six in front of fourth place High Mesa. The pennant winners for the past three years, the Red Bluff Red Sox, are still close enough to come back and put in its bid for this year's crown. The Red Sox are 8 games off the pace.

Manager Joe Mac Carney has done a masterful job manipulating the Ozarka Naturals (44-28) to the top of the TU East this season. Everybody has been platooned, but it seems to have worked. The Nats are near the top in batting average with a .275 mark (6th), a little less than average with 62 homers (19th), but almost the best in pitching with a standout 3.34 ERA (2nd).

Ozarka's fine rotation consists of Karl Kleinert (8-4 2.84), Sid Hyder (11-3 3.60), Alec DiMaggio (7-5 3.44) and Pat Schwartz (6-7 2.82). Sparking the Naturals at the plate are 2B Todd Chadwick (.324) with 6 homers and 33 RBIs, LF Vic Weinstein (.333) with 5 dingers, 39 RBIs and 39 scored and 3B Nathan Ferrell (.285) with 14 home runs, 42 RBIs and 47 runs scored.

Midway Wolves (43-29) manager Cochise Chandler has made steady progress the last two seasons and now has his team poised to contend for the division flag. The Wolves trail by only one game.

Chandler's crew is one of the better contact-hitting clubs in the league with a .275 batting average (5th), fair in the long ball department with 67 this season (17th) with pretty fair pitching. Midway's mound staff has chalked up a respectable 3.89 ERA (12th).

The Wolves top bats are RF Flying Eagle Wayra (.336) with 5 homers and 21 RBIs, SS Tommy Kawatoose (.331) with 3 home runs and 31 RBIs and LF Johnny Gillespie (.314) with 5 homers, 25 RBIs and 36 runs scored. The top RBI man has been OF Jan Szymanski (.259) with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. Piper (.265) has 7 roundtrippers, 34 runs batted in and 38 runs scored. Chandler will have to do without his solid SS/2B Little Johnny Yuma for the rest of the season. He suffered an elbow injury two weeks ago and required surgery. Yuma was hitting .315 at the time.

Midway's best twirlers are All-Star Nosyt Sani (7-6 2.34), Russ Cheasequah (7-4 3.06) and Matty Schubert (4-1 1.40). Schubert has been outstanding in middle relief and has been promoted to the starting rotation. Ditto for Lanky Elsu (3-0 2.53).

After the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (42-30) had their worst season ever last year - a fifth place finish. Skipper Carlton "Lefty" Stevens now has them back in the thick of the battle this season. The third place Blue Jays are just two games behind in the race. Tuckanarra hits well for average (.272 - 7th), has some power (69 homers - 14th) and is a little better than average with a 3.93 team ERA (14th).

Stevens' top hurler is All-Star Titus Bristow (14-3 1.86), who is having a super season with the most wins in the IPA and the second best ERA. Tuckanarra also can rely on two other quality arms in Roy Spence (9-4 3.86) and Anthony Montgomerie (7-5 3.61).

The Blue Jays best batters are CF Monty Draycott (.280) with 10 home runs and 49 RBIs, LF Corey Tavington (.271) with 9 homers and 45 RBIs, 2B Owen MacArthur (.303) 3 homers, 34 RBIs and 49 runs and 3B Duncan Renwick (.311) with 6 roundtrippers, 29 RBIs and 44 runs scored.

The High Mesa Cowboys (38-34) are fourth in the TU East 6 games in back of first place Ozarka. Frisky Franks is the Cowboy skipper and his club plays ball in one of the smallest parks in the IPA. Homers come in abundance at Queen Ranch Stadium. High Mesa is always among the stats leaders in batting and among the worst for pitching. The Cowboys are hitting .281 (3rd) with 97 homers (2nd - tied), while sporting a very lofty 5.07 ERA (30th).

Pacing High Mesa at the plate are rookie 3B Nat Thurlow (.306) with 18 homers and 48 RBIs, LF Adam Zitek (.283) with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs, CF Billy Adenauer (.361) with 7 homers and 37 RBIs, 2B Ed Granberg (.301) with 10 home runs and 36 RBIs, C Jay Fessler (.304) with 1 home run, 32 RBIs and 40 runs and rookie SS John Asbury (.277) with 12 roundtrippers, 31 RBIs and 48 runs scored. Pitcher Joey Popovich (8-6 4.60) is the only Cowboy hurler with an ERA under 5.00.

Red Bluff (36-36) has won three straight pennants in the TU East, but this year they are in fifth place and 8 games out, suffering from a drop in both offense and pitching. Mack Connery's pennant-winning streak may come to an end this season. The Red Sox are hitting only .262 (18th) with 75 homers (11th) and a 4.02 ERA (18th).

Connery still has three very good starters in veterans Frank Beaudoin (10-5 2.58), John Dougherty (9-6 2.93) and Mila Mohoski (7-9 3.98), but little else. Leland Urban (2-6 5.87), who has won 18 games in each of the last two seasons had been relegated to the bullpen.

Red Bluff's best run producers are C Virgil Carpenter (.250) with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs, All-Star SS Jose Aguilar (.353) with 11 homers, 38 RBIs and 56 runs scored and LF Tony Blundell (.266) with 11 homers and 32 runs.

After winning the division championship in its first two seasons in 2001 and 2002 DeRoche "Lips" Leon has not had much to talk about as the South Fork Stallions (33-39) have wallowed in the lower rungs of the TU East. This year Leon's ball club is in the sixth spot in the standings and 11 games behind. The Stallions are one of the weakest hitting teams in the IPA, batting only .245 (31st) at the All-Star break with only 48 roundtrippers (30th) and a 4.05 ERA (22nd).

South Fork has only a few quality players. Leon's best pitchers are Ken Marsh (7-6 3.60) and Ken Olson (4-9 3.22). Only 2B Jim Helwig stands out with a .304 batting average, 6 homers and 28 RBIs.

The East Point Panthers (33-39) are seventh in the TU East and 15 games off the pace. Manager Griff Clarke's ball club has not tasted success since it wound up third in 2002. The Panthers have a weak-hitting team with a .260 average (22nd) and 79 homers (9th) and a crummy pitching staff, too. East Point has a 4.88 ERA mark (29th) this season. A good part of the poor ERA is the short fences at Armed Forces Stadium. It is a very tough place to pitch.

East Point has three capable starters in Zach Owens (7-11 3.90), Frenchy Domengeaux (5-10 4.17) and Jack Black (4-0 3.60). For hitting Clarke depends on 2B Karol Zodoka (.233), who is in a season-long slump with a 233 batting average, but still had 15 homers, 46 RBIs and has scored 44 times. RF Jerry Lee Presley (.283) has 13 home runs, 38 RBIs and 46 runs, while 3B Benny Rotella (.314) has 6 homers and has batted in 26 runs.

Arky Spanderson is the long-suffering pilot of the Hillsboro Blazers (25-47). who have ended up last four of the last five years. This season the Blazers are well-entrenched in the basement with little chance of escaping it. Hillsboro is hitting .263 (15th) with 69 homers (14th), but possesses a 5.09 ERA (31st). Hanford Stadium is also a small stadium where balls fly out of it with great regularity.

Spanderson's best batters are SS Barry Bassett (.279) with 14 home runs, 48 RBIs and 41 runs, CF Lonnie Snider (.292) with 4 home runs and 36 runs batted in and 3B George Longmire (.306) with 4 dingers, 22 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

Thanks, Dark Horse.

I am really looking forward to the Laseron Baseball League.

It was one of my all-time favorites.

One of the best ever.

The Islandian Times

Monday, June 19, 2005

Tycobbian Union West 2006 Mid-Season Standings

No Contest in TU West, Arlon Champs 8 Games Ahead

It was way back in 2001 when Arlon was last in contention in the Tycobbian Union West. Since then Gary Louis' Champions have floundered around unsuccessfully, mainly in fifth and sixth place. But not this year. Arlon has soared to the top of TU West and is 8 games ahead of its closest competitor, the Denton City Redbirds, the defending division winner. Bayview and Kenwood are tied for third and are 11 games back.

Arlon (47-35) has always had good pitching, but this year the bats have come alive, sparked by All-Star RF Rocco Belasario (.313) with 15 homers, 42 RBIs and 44 runs, CF Steve Barnett (.305) with 15 home runs, 38 RBIs and 56 runs scored, 2B J. L. Lawrence (.314) with 8 roundtrippers, 31 RBIs and 43 runs and old reliable Matt Merrill (.290) with 8 homers and 33 RBIs. As a team the Champs are hitting .261 (17th) with 81 home runs (8th) and a solid 3.64 ERA (7th).

Louis has a formidable starting foursome in Andre Masson (9-3 2.93), Armando Cruz (8-4 3.31), Mike Arnold (6-0 2.48) and Kurt DeHaan (9-6 3.44).

Last year Denton City (39-33) won the TU West and reached the Pro Cup finals before falling to the IPA champion, the Middlefield Roosters. Manager Ford Whiteman's Redbirds are not the same ball club this season as they have slumped at the plate and on the hill. Denton City is hitting .266 (11th) with 83 home runs (6th), while compiling a sorrowful 4.56 team ERA. Last year they batted .286 and had a 3.52 ERA. That's why they are trailing by 8 games this year.

The Redbirds best batters are All-Star 3B Jay Petit (.329) with 16 home runs, 46 RBIs and 46 runs, rookie 1B Tommy Klegg (.256) with 13 homers and 58 RBIs and LF Rod MacCormack (.236) with 10 homers, 35 RBIs and 43 runs scored. Whiteman is hoping holdouts RF Lavon Gooch and 2B Darrion Ramsdell can revitalize the offense. Gooch and Ramsdell refused to sign this season in a salary dispute and recently came to terms. They have been sorely missed.

Denton City still has good veteran pitchers in Gino Carmazzo (8-6 4.18), Bubba Lear (5-5 4.21), Mike Danek (7-4 4.36) and Hank Taylor (7-9 4.67), but they have not been very effective this season.

Out on the west coast in Bayview (36-36), the third place Vikings are rolling along as usual with great hitting (.282 - 2nd), good power (92 HR - 5th) and second-rate pitching (4.48 ERA - 25th). When Walter Johanssen gets good pitching, he wins the pennant. His most effective hurlers this season have been Frank Wells (10-4 3.81), Jerry Harrison (5-3 4.06) and newcomer Roger Gwatney (7-5 3.43), who just arrived in a trade with Southport. That's why the Vikings are 11 games off the pace.

But Bayview can smack the ball. Johanssen has six .300 batters in All-Star 1B Chaucey Quibedeaux (.303) with 12 homers, 63 RBIs and 48 runs, SS Karl Benson (.310) 9 homers and 38 runs driven in, rookie RF Ted Karno (.333) with 15 roundtrippers and 32 RBIs, CF Wayne Latham (.349) 6 home runs, 32 RBIs and 36 runs, LF Kelton Carpenter (.326) with 10 homers, 33 RBIs and 35 runs and rookie OF Tommy Riddle (.301) with 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. You can also toss in two more fine hitters into the mix in All-Star C Hank Bethel (.286) with 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and 52 runs and 2B Alan Hansen (.290) with no dingers, 18 runs batted in and 50 scores. There are plenty of teams in the IPA that need good hitters. Johanssen needs to shop a few of his around and get some top quality pitching.

The Kenwood Wildcats (36-36) are tied for third with Bayview. Manager Aaron Hankins has fair hitting and a little above average pitching. The Wildcats are carrying a .263 BA (13th) with not much firepower, only 57 home runs (25th), but a 3.85 ERA (11th).

Kenwood has three effective starters in Nick DeVille (4-2 1.97), Tracy Kinsler (6-3 3.73) and Johnny McBee (4-10 3.62). Hankins just need more punch from his line-up to move up in the standings. His best run providers are CF Dayton Walker (.333) with 3 home runs, 38 RBIs and 47 runs, RF Aydan Winthrop (.297) with 13 roundtrippers and 39 runs driven in, 3B Floyd Collins (.281) with 2 homers, 34 RBIs and 51 runs scored and SS Bob Sanders (.290) with 7 home runs, 30 RBIs and 39 runs.

Manager Matty Christianson has guided the Rolling Hills Reds (35-37) to the fifth spot in the TU West at the All-Star hiatus, 12 games back of first place Arlon. The Reds strong point is its three starters: Pete Brenneman (10-3 3.16), Logan Atwood (7-2 3.16) and Roger Davidson (7-8 3.21). Overall the staff has put up a 4.05 ERA (20th).

Where Christianson's club needs vast improvement is in offense. Rolling Hills is hitting only .261 (20th) with 61 homers (21st). A team cannot compete in the IPA with such numbers. Christianson has to depend on All-Star CF Bob Havilland (.299) and rookie SS Ray Bassett (.281) for most of their offense. Havilland has hit 23 homers, driven in 53 runs and scored 42 times, while Bassett has gone deep 6 times, batted in 35 runs and scored 38 runs.

The La Claire Lynx (34-38) with Rip Calkin at the helm are holding forth in sixth place in the TU West and within striking distance of a playoff spot. The Lynx are 13 games behind in the race, but only 5 games away from the playoffs. To make the postseason a team has to have great hitting or a good blend of batting and pitching. Calkin doesn't have that. La Claire has average hitting with a .263 mark (14th), poor power with 61 homers (21st - tied) and an out-of-sight 4.58 team ERA (27th).

La Claire has only five quality performers: All-Star LF Zeppy Deshotel (.328) with 15 homers, 46 RBIs and 46 runs, 2B Dale Pace (.294) with 7 home runs, 41 RBIs and 39 runs scored and CF Derek Prevost (.307) with 11 roundtrippers, 41 runs batted in and 38 runs scored. Calkin's top twirlers are Henny Cossaboom (7-9 3.55) and Andy Murray (9-7 4.16).

Manager Harry Fleetfoot has the number one mound staff in the Tycobbian Union with a very impressive 3.32 ERA, but the Chicopee Braves (33-39) are in seventh place and 14 games out. The reason is very simple - the Braves are batting a microscopic .229 (32nd) with just 46 home runs (31st) - nobody can win with such feeble offense. You are really in trouble when you team leader RF Cornell Madigan is the only regular above the .250 mark. Madigan is batting just .259 with 7 homers, 31 RBIs and has scored 35 times.

On the hill it gets much better for Fleetfoot. His starting quartet of Desmond Quartermain (9-7 2.75), Wayne Blackwell (6-9 3.42) and Johnny Falcon (4-8 3.83) can hold down the opposition, but need much better run support. Closer Dakota Yona (3-1 2.04) and the other relievers have also been outstanding in the Chicopee bullpen.

The 2006 season has been a stunning reversal for the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (32-40) and manager Guy Rondre. Last year they finished second and went to the Pro Cup playoffs, but this year they have fallen down to last place and are 15 games behind. But like La Claire and Chicopee, the Bucs are close enough to get back in the chase and in the playoff hunt with a good second half. Of the three clubs Bay St. Clair has the best chance to turn it around. All Rondre needs is for a pitcher or two to pitch like they did last year and a batter or two to hit like they did last year. The Buccaneers are batting .257 (23rd) with 60 home runs (23rd) and have registered a 4.01 ERA (17th).

Rondre's rotation is led by All-Star Norm Gross (10-6 2.74), Kenny Metcalf (6-5 3.50) and Denny Coulon (7-8 4.07). Bay St. Claire needs big winners from last season Duncan McFalls, Duke DeVree and Lloyd Weber to regain last year's form. They won 46 games a year ago, only 6 this season.

The Bucs best batters are SS Ed Albrecht (.299) with 8 homers and 46 RBIs, 1B Gerry Fields (.299) 14 home runs and 37 RBIs, 2B Jimmy Sawyer (.319) with 3 dingers and 26 runs batted in and RF Dan Zimmerman (.249) with 10 roundtrippers and 44 RBIs.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

2006 RU and TU All-Stars Meet in Middlefield

Who's the best league? The Ruthlandian Union or the Tycobbian Union? The answer will be found in the Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game set for tomorrow at Middlefield Park in Middlefield. All the votes have been counted and tabulated, all of the players have been selected and they themselves will decide the question on the baseball diamond.

Leading the Ruthlandian Stars will be manager Smitty Michaels of the defending Pro Cup champions, the Middlefield Roosters. Guiding the Tycobbian stars will be Ford Whiteman of the Denham City Redbirds, who represented that league in the Pro Cup last year.

Belair Beach, Valmara and Cold Creek have three All-Stars each on the RU squad, while Colchester is tops in the TU with three All-Stars. 8 other teams had two represenatives each. Elnora, Middlefield and Taranto in the Ruthlandian Union and Turon, Hartsdale, Red Bluff, Oxford and Bayview in the Tycobbian Union.

Belair Beach pitcher Slim Mosley and 1B Phil Gravelli and Valmara RF Jet Kazmarek were named for the third time in their careers to the RU Stars, while Valmara C Erich Adamczyk, Middlefield 3B Charlie Gamble, Forest City SS J. T. Edmonds and Volusia CF Ryan Raines were selected for the second time.

The leader for the most All-Star appearances is Taranto's power-hitting LF Dominic Zuccaro, who made the RU All-Stars for the fifth time. Cape Coral's splendid right-hander Cody Burg and C Hank Bethel are close on his heels. They were named to the TU Stars for the fourth time. Pitcher Norm Gross of Bay St. Clair and 3B Joe Courtney of Oxford have been picked three times each. Summerland pitcher Paul Felkner, Turon pitcher Scotty Boswell, Oxford hurler Boomer Belinsky, Bayview 1B Chancey Quibedeaux, Denton City 3B Jay Petit and Red Bluff SS Jose Aguilar have been selected twice in their careers.

The Tycobbian stars hold a four-to-one edge in All-Star competition. There are four rookies on the All-Stars. 3B Robby Franklin of the Sligo Rovers was the only first-year player to make the Ruthlandian All-Stars. Tycobbia has three rookie players: closer Ricardo Topez of Luxora, RF Mark Buchanan of Hartsdale and RF Teddy Blanton of Colchester.

Scheduled to play for the Ruthlandian Union All-Stars are:

SP Johnny Spears (Belair Beach) (10-2 2.06)
SP Ted Farentino (Valmara) (11-4 2.46)
SP Slim Mosley (Belair Beach) (11-5 2.32)
SP Tommy Weeks (Cold Creek) (10-3 2.37)
SP Ernie Watkins (Rocky Rapids) (12-7 2.28)
SP Payton Saunders (CCR) (9-5 1.96)
SP Warren Paul (ELN) (8-6 2.73)
CL Eddy Walker (Fort Benton) (2-2 2.42) 13 saves
C Erich Adamczyk (VLM) (.309/9 HR/45 RBI)
C Fran MacIntyre (ETS) (.329/4 HR/26 RBI)
1B Wayne Pounders (TAR) (.293/19 HR/50 RBI)
1B Phil Gravelli (BB) (.284/24 HR/68 RBI)
2B Sammy Ragsdale (MDF) (.295/18 HR/52 RBI)
3B Phil Cates (RR) (.336/7 HR/33 RBI)
3B Robby Franklin (SLI) (.297/15 HR/49 RBI) *
3B Charlie Gamble (MDF) (.309/23 HR/64 RBI)
SS J. T. Edmonds (FC) (.310/14 HR/49 RBI)
LF Quincy Peterson (ELN) (.316/16 HR/54 RBI)
LF Dominic Zuccaro (Taranto) (.346/15 HR/39 RBI)
CF Jose Castillo (RAN) (.333/19 HR/49 RBI)
CF Trip Holmes (CCR) (.292/12 HR/31 RBI)
CF Ryan Raines (VOL) (.331/11 HR/49 RBI)
RF Jet Kazmarek (VLM) (.351/7 HR/44 RBI)
RF Jackie Allemand (CLX) (.330/10 HR/36 RBI)

* = Rookie

The Tycobbian Union All-Stars will feature these players:

SP Titus Bristow (TUC) (14-3 1.88)
SP Paul Felkner (SUM) (11-7 1.80)
SP Scotty Boswell (TUR) (10-6 2.00)
SP Phil Reed (HAR) (13-2 2.94)
SP Frank Beaudoin (RB) (10-5 2.48)
SP Cody Burg (CC) (11-4 2.69)
SP Norm Gross (BSC) (10-6 2.71)
SP Nosyt Sani (MDW) (8-6 2.19)
SP Boomer Belinsky (OXF) (7-3 2.31)
CL Ricardo Topez (LUX) (0-2 1.83) 13 saves *
C Todd Somerset (TUR) (.320/14 HR/52 RBI)
C Hank Bethel (BAY) (.286/14 HR/47 RBI)
1B Chancey Quibedeaux (BAY) (.307/13 HR/66 RBI)
2B Leland Curtis (CCH) (.315/3 HR/30 RBI)
3B Joe Courtney (OXF) (.372/23 HR/62 RBI)
3B Jay Petit (DC) (.329/16 HR/46 RBI)
3B Jimmy Ryland (NH) (.317/5 HR/35 RBI)
SS Jose Aguilar (RB) (.353/11 HR/38)
SS Bill Keese (CCH) (.350/12/38 RBI)
LF Zeppy Deshotel (LC) (.329/15 HR/47 RBI)
LF Tad Kirklin (BL) (.301/13 HR/59 RBI)
CF Bob Haviland (RH) (.292/23 HR/52 RBI)
RF Mark Buchanan (HAR) (.366/12 HR/49 RBI) *
RF Rocco Belasario (ARL) (.308/15 HR/42 RBI)
RF Teddy Blanton (CCH) (.306/24 HR/66 RBI) *
RF Ira Engelstad (MAH) (.340/17 HR/49 RBI)

* = Rookie

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 21, 2005

TU Stars Trounce RU Stars 13-4
In the first five IPA All-Star Games the pitchers have pretty much had their way with the hitters, but not this time. The TU All-Stars trounced the RU All-Stars 13-4, led by La Claire's LF Zeppy Deshotel, who slammed a two-run double and a two-run homer to win the MVP Award. Hartsdale's rookie RF Mark Buchanan added three doubles and three RBIs and Colchester 3B Leland Curtis chipped in a three-run double in the lopsided triumph at Middlefield Park in Middlefield. The TU Stars piled up 14 hits in the runaway win.

In the top of the second they torched the RU Stars for seven runs and never looked back. The TU Stars tacked on four more in the sixth to really put the game out of sight 11-3. The TU Stars also sparkled on defense with three double plays. Forest City SS J. T. Edmonds paced the RU Stars with 3 of their 9 hits. Phil Reed of the Hartsdale Hellcats got credit for the win, though he allowed one run in his two innings. Starter Payton Saunders of the Cold Creek Catamounts was smacked for seven runs in his two innings for the loss.

Managers Smitty Michaels of the Middlefield Roosters and Ford Whiteman of the Denton City Redbirds did manage to get all of the players in the game. Whiteman was hampered as he only had six rested pitchers for the game. Three RU All-Stars had worked on Monday and could not pitch in the game.

The Tycobbian Union has won five of the six All-Star Games winning 6-0 in 2001, 2-0 in 2003, 4-3 in 2004 and 2-1 last year. Ruthlandia got its only victory in game two 5-4 in 2002.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union 2006 North Division Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union North Division 2006 Final Standings

Taranto Tars Take RU North Title, Valmara Also Make Pro Cup Playoffs
Tommaso Lazzorda's Taranto Tars outfought the Valmara Vipers in a down-to-wire finish to capture the Ruthlandian Union North title by a 2-game spread. Both clubs are now headed to the IPA Pro Cup playoffs which begin tomorrow at eight game sites. The Glasco Athletics were 8 games off the pace in third place with last year's champ Ranford finishing a disappointing fourth and 18 games back. The Far Mountain Redhawks came in fifth, 23 games behind, followed by Ancona and LaGrange tied for sixth and 25 games out. The Kilkenny Cats ended up in the cellar again for the third successive year, 30 games back.

Taranto Tars (91-63)
Taranto powered its way to the division crown with 246 homers... 4 players had 30 or more homers, paced by RF Tommy Lee Hensley (.250) with 35, CF Lou Cutrer (.274) with 35, All-Star 1B Wayne Pounders (.243) with 31 and All-Star LF Dominic Zuccaro (.325) with 31... three other regulars clouted 20 or more... Hensley and Cutrer were the RBI leaders with 106 and 105... Top hitters were SS Jake Travanti (.329), Zuccaro (.325) and C Norm Polochak (.309)... 2B Ed Miles hit .289 and scored 107 runs... Lazzorda's top pitchers were Anthony Nardone (16-8 2.89), Sal Pascioni (15-10 3.28) and Carlo Bianchi (21-11 3.70)... The Tars have an outstanding baseball team and a real powerhouse.

Valmara Vipers (89-65)
Manager J. Jackson Samuel lacked power, but stayed in the race with strong contact hitting, led by All-Star RF Jet Kazmarek (.361), who won his fifth straight batting title, 1B Masaichi Okawa (.343), All-Star C Erich Adamcyzk (.322) and 2B Floyd Vinson (.320)... Okawa topped the team with 21 homers... Best pitchers were reliever Russell Greene (9-1 2.45) and starters Andre Trepanier (19-6 3.63) and Vanya Vasylenko (16-15 3.86)... Greene will start in the postseason... Kazmarek stole 72 bases and scored 117 times... Rookie LF Stan Czerwinski scored 103 runs and swiped 38 bases... Vinson scored 102 runs.

Glasco Athletics (83-71)
The Glasco A's vastly improved from a seventh-place finish last year...Manager McDuffie Hughes' crew hit better and pitched better... starters Charles Darby (14-8 3.01) and Jake Nyberg (14-11 4.01) along with reliever Danny Stewart (6-5 2.87) were the A's best, while rookie SS George Ferguson (.295 BA/17 HR/84 RBI) and RF Cal Hadley (.293 BA/23 HR/72 RBI) were the top batters... Glasco was tied for second in fielding with a .978 percentage.

Ranford Bulls (73-81)
The Bulls drop in the standings was due primarily to dismal years for some of its former mound stalwarts like Jim Maxwell (4-7 5.02) and Tim DeKosky (8-13 4.44)... Page Satcher's team still hit the ball well, led by 2B Jesse Goodwin (.317 BA/25 HR/97 RBI/101 R) and 3B Colin Fairclough (.329 BA/16 HR/62 RBI/71 R)... However SS Rick Fargnoli, a career .300 hitter, dipped to .251 for the year and was way off in production with only 7 homers and 65 RBIs... Normally Fargnoli hits 15 homers and drives in 90 runs a season.

Far Mountain Redhawks (68-86)
Skipper Alex Groveland has an average ball club at best... his top pitchers are Robby Kelly (13-14 3.20) and Frank Schiffman (12-8 3.97)... his top bats are LF Lou Horn (.306 BA/19 HR/94 RBI/101 R) and 2B Duane Parsons (.298 BA/20 HR/91 RBI/78 R).

Ancona Red Elephants (66-88)
Injuries to critical players hampered Ancona this year... Manager Manny Mickens lost two prime players for the first half of the year: CF Tavi Vakros (.350 BA/13 HR/54 RBI/61 R) and 1B John Lee Harder (.305 BA/13 HR/43 RBI/48 R)... Otherwise the hitting was not very good with 2B Denny Harris leading with a .295 average, 22 homers and 76 RBIs... Mickens didn't have a lot of pitching, either... Carl Costas (8-5 3.53) and Ernie Harrell (7-2 3.36) had the best stats, but all of the main starters had ERAs over 4.00 this year.

LaGrange Sports (66-88)
Just a mediocre team like Ancona... skippered by Foxy Jimison... Best arms are starters Johnny Picou (13-12 3.45) and Hunk Schweitzer (13-12 3.77)... Best bats are SS Bill Nilsen (.264 BA/26 HR/85 RBI/88 R), rookie 2B Dale Scoville (.292 BA/12 HR/63 RBI/78 R) and RF Mike DiLazzaro (.304 BA/11 HR/69 RBI/77 R).

Kilkenny Cats (61-93)
Kieran McKenna's Cats wound up last for the third consecutive year... not a whole lot of talent... pitchers Victor Kauchak (10-17 3.49) and Jerry Babb (9-9 3.97) are the best of the lot, while LF Zoro Volakis (.290 BA/14 HR/69 RBI/70 R) led the hitters... McKenna did make a good trade near the end of the season... He acquired Roger Davidson (13-14 3.56) from Rolling Hills of the TU West... Davidson went 5-3 with a 2.97 ERA in 9 starts.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union South Division 2006 Final Standings

*** St. John and Claxton played an extra game because I apparently forgot to delete the playoff games I added to the 2005 schedule to decide playoff positions. I should have removed them from the 2006 preseason schedule.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union South Division 2006 Final Standings

Valka Wins Great Race in RU South, Claxton Runner-up, Belair Beach 3rd
It was a very tight three-team race in the Ruthlandian Union South this year with Valka edging out second place Claxton by one and a half games and third place Belair Beach by 4 games. Down the stretch Valka went 11-5 in September, while Claxton was 9-8 and Belair Beach 9-7. The Blackhawks with 97 wins and the Diamonds with 96 victories will now head to the postseason Pro Cup playoffs starting tomorrow. Despite winning 93 games, all the Sunbirds can do is go home and get ready for next year. That is the most wins in IPA history for a team that failed to make the playoffs.

The next four clubs were bunched together, but never in the pennant chase. Crystal Lake had its best season yet and ended up in fourth place, but 21 games back. The San Dimas Rancheros were fifth and trailed by 22 games with Waleska sixth and 24 out, St. John seventh and 24.5 games back and Grand City in the basement and 33 games off the pace.

Valka Blackhawks (97-57)
In Valka, manager Jaan Kurus lifted his Blackhawks from third to first with a balanced team featuring solid hitting and pitching... Three very capable starters and a good closer did the job on the hill with Aato Neetar (19-4 3.22), Darryl Vannoy (19-11 3.40), Bobby Karu (18-11 3.47) leading the rotation... closer Kaido Oras (5-1 2.56) pitched very well in relief... At the plate Valka's headliners were CF Jimmy Tremayne (.327 BA/15 HR/84 RBI/93 R), 2B Wayne Snider (.292 BA/17 HR/68 RBI/92 R) and RF Vic Gelder (.287 BA/14 HR/69 RBI/90 R), who sparkled with a .325 BA after coming to the Blackhawks in a June trade with Elnora.

Claxton Diamonds (96-59)
The Claxton Diamonds under the leadership of the crafty Old Perfesser Stacy Engel climbed up from fifth place in 2005 to a close second in 2006... Offense is the name of the game in Claxton with a slew of solid bats, headed by CF Jackie Faust (.348/14 HR/67 RBI/79 R), All-Star RF Jackie Allemand (.296/21 HR/70 RBI/90 R), C Allen Lemay (.324/9 HR/77 RBI), 1B Mike Luzzatti (.287/23 HR/85 RBI) and LF Dixie Baker (.237/22 HR/99 RBI/103 R). Engel's pitching corps has been adequate with Teddy Kuznetsov (21-11 3.52), Charlie Murphy (13-15 3.35) and Doug Torvik (17-10 4.30). Reliever Dennis Scott (11-4 3.38) has been an asset as well.

Belair Beach Sunbirds (93-61)
Marty Pedroza had the misfortune to be in the same division with Valka and Claxton.... His third place Sunbirds chalked up 93 wins, but sadly will not be in the Pro Cup playoffs... This will be the first time since 2001 Belair Beach had not been in the postseason... They have won the division flags the last two seasons... Pedroza has excellent pitching with a 3.24 team ERA... He has four impressive starters in All-Star Slim Mosley (23-13 2.49), All-Star Johnny Spears (19-8 2.57), Tiny Lindgren (15-11 3.46) and Joe Schmidt (16-9 3.77). Reliever Vance Stromberg (7-2 2.70) has done a fine job in middle relief... the Sunbirds really need more offense as All-Star 1B Phil Gravelli has carried the team this year with a .300 average, 40 homers, 136 RBIs and 99 runs scored... among the regulars light-hitting 3B/SS Danny Church (.282/7 HR/81 RBI) is next in run production with 81 runs batted in.

Crystal Lake Crushers (76-78)
Wow! A fourth-place finish for the downtrodden Crystal Lake Crushers of Herman "Baby" George... It's the team's best finish ever by far... they were seventh in 2002 and have been last ever since... George, the great slugger and great pitcher of the industrial leagues, did it with pitching... Crystal Lake compiled a 3.67 ERA, good enough for sixth in the rankings... the Crushers have a pretty fair starting rotation with Pablo Orantes (17-12 3.31), Rocky Giambi (7-6 3.56) and Tony Tipton (12-11 4.04), but the bullpen is even better with a 3.15 ERA, second best in the Ruthlandian Union... George could use some hitting though... 1B Eddy Lamar (.276) is tops with just 12 homers, while 3B Skip Daniels (.321) is his only .300 batter... Crystal Lake is 29th with a .254 team batting average and 23rd in homers with only 115.

San Dimas Rancheros (75-79)
Manager Paco Banderos brought the team in second last season and was expecting a big year for the San Dimas Rancheros, but to no avail, they wound up in fifth place 22 games off the pace... Banderos had good starting pitchers, but a weak bullpen... His starters were led by Bobby Prince (13-9 3.74), Bill Sharp (10-10 3.42), Zippy Hodge (16-19 3.32) and Keith Callahan (17-14 4.06)... The Rancheros hit .272 (7th) for the year, but had little power... they were last with only 107 roundtrippers... San Dimas was led by its fine 1B Johnny Carducci (.296/27 HR/95 RBI/89 R) and excellent 2B Cyclone Cobb (.326/3 HR/53 RBI/107 R), who topped the IPA with 88 steals... 3B Domingo Rios (.268) also chipped in 18 home runs, batted in 73 runs and scored 83 times.

Waleska Westerners (73-81)
After climbing up to the fourth spot in the standings in 2005, McGraw Johnson's Waleska Westerners fell back to sixth place this season... One big reason was not signing last year's Rookie of the Year until June... Once signed Harold Setser (.347/20 HR/69 RBI/64 R) tore up the league, but played in only 80 games... Johnson has been known to be tight with money... it really cost him this time... the Westerners also got good offense from LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.279/19 HR/80 RBI/72 R), 1B DePaul Labat (.270/8 HR/63 RBI/117R/38 SB) and SS Johnny Nowitzki (.323/0 HR/54 RI/84 R)... Waleska has a good starting trio in Wilson Whitmore (17-13 3.16), six-year vet Smokey Joe Carter (15-16 3.30) and Joel Lockett (12-10 3.53)... Carter racked up his 100th victory this season.

St. John Crusaders (73-82)
Seventh place St. John has Dickie Billings at the helm... Not much talent to speak of in St. John... Billings has a good closer in rookie Ken Wheeler (4-2 2.30) and two solid starters in Kris Garvik (13-10 3.56) and Teddy Garson (14-15 3.73)... at the plate the Crusaders are led by 3B Sully Hull (.310/10 HR/64 RBI) and LF Jake Dillon (.292/16 HR/63 RBI).

Grand City Cybercats (64-90)
Except for a fourth-place finish in 2002, Grand City has never had much success in the IPA... Torry Joseph had another awful year and ended up in last place... The Cybercats were last in pitching with a 4.47 ERA and near the bottom in hitting with a .259 team batting average (23rd)... Joseph got an impressive season from starter Shane Hall (16-7 3.45) and good efforts at times from Kerry Loomis (10-15 3.92)... At the plate Grand City's best were 2B Tony Borcellino (.253/27 HR/86 RBI/73 R) and LF Teddy Giacone (.283/18 HR/55 RBI)... in late July Joseph picked up a long ball hitter in CF Ty DeWitt (.254/14 HR/50 RBI) from Middlefield... DeWitt has hit 159 homers in his 5-year IPA career.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union East Division 2006 Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union East Division 2006 Final Standings

Sugar Valley Wins RU East Pennant, Elnora 2-Games Back
The Sugar Valley Rattlers held off the on-charging Elnora All-Stars in the last weeks of the season to claim the 2006 Ruthlandian Union East flag by 2 games. It was the Rattlers second straight title and third in its history. The Marston Nine were third in the standings 9 games back. Cold Creek came in fourth and were 11 games off the pace. Rounding out the rest of the division were fifth place Beechwood 15 games out, sixth place Eastshore 19 games out, seventh place Wynnamac 21 games behind and Belle Plaine was in last place and trailed by 28 games.

Sugar Valley Rattlers (86-68)

Sugar Valley's success is based on a good blend of hitting, power and pitching. Manager Gibby Bobkins has a good all-round team led by a solid core of veteran pitchers. His starting foursome consists of Hec Skurgan (18-8 4.02), Jay Washington (17-14 3.91), Frankie Jardine (12-9 4.17) and newcomer Ted Farentino (20-8 2.88), who Bobkins stole in a trade in July. Farentino made the All-Star team for Valmara and went 7-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 13 starts the last two months of the season. He gave up a good CF Freddie Vaux to get him. Vaux is a career .303 hitter. Sugar Valley also has a good closer in Harvey Hines (5-4 3.30).

The Rattlers were also involved in another trade in which Bobkins sent his longtime ace Gregg Neal (18-13 3.70) to Oxford for OF Austen Conover in late July. Neal was 10-11 with a 3.86 ERA at the time. He went 8-2 for Oxford the rest of the year. Lifetime Neal has won more games than anyone in the IPA with a 106-61 record in his six years. Conover was hitting .290 for the Red Caps, but batted .346 for Sugar Valley and ended the year with a .315 batting average. So it was a good trade for both clubs. The difference is Neal is 34 and Conover is 27. Conover is a .285 career hitter and a five-year veteran.

Sugar Valley depends on C Hal Stevenson (.272/34 HR/98 RBI), 1B Ron Armstrong (.288/18 HR/84 RBI/80 R) and SS Flipper Bird (.269/17 HR/77 RBI/101 R/27 SB) for offense. CF Ron Landauer (.318/13 HR/65 RBI/76 R/35 SB) and LF Conover (.315/6 HR/42 RBI/83 R/61 SB) have also contributed, too.

Elnora All-Stars (84-70)
A poor start in the first two months of the season cost Elnora the pennant this year. Over the final four months the All-Stars played the best ball in the division and almost caught Sugar Valley. After winning the division championship in 2003 and 2004, they suddenly dropped to seventh place last season. But manager Zoggy White revitalized his pitching corps and turned the team around. His ace Taylor Gibbs led the recovery with a brilliant 23-6 mark and a 3.32 ERA this year. Elnora's rotation included two new pitchers obtained in trades: All-Star Warren Paul (19-17 3.26) from Chicopee of the Tycobbian Union and Leland Shaddock (14-12 3.32) from Ranford. The fourth starter is Harry Dye (10-8 3.42) and Miller's closer was Troy Hudson (6-2 3.14).

The All-Stars have a strong attack with a .271 batting average (8th), 181 homers (3rd) and scored 801 runs (6th). Miller's top batters were 3B Dmitri Vrotsos (.301/32 HR/111 RBI/89 R), C Todd Simons (.289/24 HR/92 RBI/87 R), All-Star LF Quincy Peterson (.308/29 HR/89 RBI/91 R), rookie sensation CF Rick Mulloy (.289/24 HR/76 R/125 R) and rookie RF Lloyd Voss (.280/20 HR/73 RBI/75 R).

Marston Nine (77-77)

Johnny Walters is the skipper of the third place Marston Nine. He has capable starters, but is weak in the bullpen and short on power compared to Sugar Valley and Elnora. His four starters are Ernie Arredondo (10-5 2.46), Milt Wilson (12-5 3.35), Walt Sellers (7-5 3.45) and Mark Falzone (15-20 3.75). Marston's primary hitters are SS Don Nichols (.333/15 HR/95 RBI/95 R), 3B Jimmy Holman (.282/19 HR/86 RBI/73 R) and LF Ronnie Horn (.291/11 HR/64 RBI/60 R).

Cold Creek Catamounts (75-79)

Fourth in the RU East are T. Kelly Holmes' Cold Creek Catamounts. Holmes has top-notch pitching, but a feeble offense. His club has a 3.44 ERA (2nd) and a .259 BA (25th). Cold Creek has two All-Star hurlers in Payton Saunders (16-12 2.21) and Tommy Weeks (16-12 2.83). Holmes' top hitters were LF Fernando Baldera (.316/17 HR/80 RBI), SS Russ Russell (.301/18 HR/71 RBI/72 R) and CF Trip Holmes (.280/21 HR/66 RBI/91 R/21 SB).

Beechwood Bobcats (71-83)

In Beechwood Bret George had average hitting (.264 BA - 15th) and lousy pitching (4.73 ERA - 32nd). Little wonder the team finished under the .500 mark and in fifth place. At the plate the Bobcats were sparked by 3B Guy Cassidy (.288/19 HR/74 RBI/105 R/77 SB), CF Clifton Czabo (.315/13 HR/73 RBI/109 R/25 SB), 1B Kurt Goodman (.282/18 HR/83 RBI/77 R) and RF Dale Strickland (.288/17 HR/76 RBI). On the hill George's one and only pitcher was All-Star Dek Jumonville (19-16 3.04).

Eastshore Elegants (67-87)

The Eastshore Elegants were very similar to Beechwood with good power (162 HR - 6th) and little pitching (4.40 ERA - 27th). Manager Killer Brewster's bashers could go deep, led by LF Darrel Alston (.294/29 HR/91 RBI/87 R), CF Ron Dizon (.276/27 HR/87 RBI/, RF Chris Pruitt (.286/26 HR/77 RBI/94 R) and All-Star C Fran MacIntyre (.318/13 HR/56 RBI/89 R). The Elegants had two decent pitchers in Thomas Williams (16-16 3.89) and Eddie Lance (10-13 3.63).

Wynnamac Sundowners (65-89)

The seventh place Wynnamac Sundowners are piloted by Matt Donnelly. The Sundowners are perennial also-rans in the RU East and have never come close to the playoffs or the first division. This year was no exception. Poor hitting (.255 BA - 28th), poor power (114 HR - 24th tied) and poor pitching (4.45 ERA - 29th). Donnelly has a legitimate star in 1B Nate Cockroft (.342/22 HR/115 RBI/74 R), who puts up All-Star numbers year-after-year. Cockroft is a lifetime .317 hitter with 114 homers in his five-year career. LF Dalton Leeds (.278/20 HR/79 RBI/83 R) is a quality player as well. On the mound Wynnamac's best are starter Jody Crockett (14-9 3.65) and closer Liam Bristow (7-8 3.16), who had 19 saves on the season.

Belle Plaine Musketeers (58-96)

Boo Ladrieux's boys in Belle Plaine had another pathetic season and wound up in the cellar. The Musketeers have never come close to the Pro Cup playoffs, but did sneak into fourth place in 2004. The Muskies have never reached the .500 mark in their five years in the IPA. Ladrieux has a lot of mediocre ballplayers. 5-year vet LF Cris Willis (.316/11 HR/81 RBI/80 R) is his best performer. Willis is a career .317 hitter. On the hill Jorge Bonilla (9-9 2.73) is his top arm.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union West Division 2006 Final Standings

*** Sligo and Stoner played an extra game because I apparently forgot to delete the playoff games I added to the 2005 schedule to decide playoff positions. I should have removed them from the 2006 preseason schedule.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Ruthlandian Union West Division 2006 Final Standings

Middlefield Runs Away with RU West, Routs Volusia by 9 Games
Manager Smitty Michaels has an awesome array of hitters that just boomed past all comers to take the RU West pennant in easy fashion. The defending Pro Cup champion Middlefield Roosters won in a rout topping second place Volusia by 9 games. Colfax was third and 15 games back, followed by fourth place Sligo which was 18.5 games off the pace. Rounding out the rest of the division were Forest City and Rocky Rapid in a fifth-place tie, trailing by 20 games each, Fort Benton in the seventh position, 21 games out and finally last place Stoner 34.5 games back.

The Middlefield Roosters (97-57) tied Valka for the most wins in the Ruthlandian Union this year. They rapped league pitching at a near record .285 clip with 229 home runs (1st) and 943 runs (1st), the most runs ever scored in the IPA. Bayview of the Tycobbian West set a new mark this year with a .287 team batting average. Leading the Roosters was 3B Charlie Gamble (.338/52 HR/147 RBI/120 R), who paced the entire IPA with 52 homers and 147 RBIs. He also got plenty of help from All-Star 2B Sammy Ragsdale (.287/35 HR/108 RBI/129 R), LF Zeb Baker (.271/29 HR/97 RBI/90 R) and C Mike Kanjorsky (.296/13 HR/67 RBI/105 R). Middlefield's overall staff ERA was a poor 4.23, but Michaels starters were effective with Bill Berglund (18-11 3.53), Denny Yarrow (18-5 3.21) and Dave Webb (16-9 3.77). Jamie Hicks was 16-12, but with a high 4.45 ERA.

The Volusia Vigilantes (88-66) are one of the most successful franchises in the IPA. They have won the division flag twice and finished second four times. Volusia hits well for average (.278 - 3rd), but have little power (117 HR - 22nd). However the V's can score runs (825 - 4th) and they can pitch. Manager Alfonso Feliz's hill corps chalked up a fine 3.60 ERA (4th). They were headed by Carl Schmitz (23-10 3.02), Hernando Espaderos (17-10 3.21), Tony Hartwig (16-15 3.89) and Todd Wolfe (15-17 3.82). Middle reliever Raul Sandoval (1-3 1.89) was also outstanding in 49 relief appearances. At bat All-Star CF Ryan Raines (.333/22 HR/106 RBI/115 R/30 SB) was the club leader. 3B Scooter Perez (.310/4 HR/64 RBI/111 R/44 SB), RF Briscoe Crowder (.288/14 HR/88 RBI/85 R/24 SB) and SS Bobby Farias (.289/15 HR/76 RBI/99 R/29 SB) chipped in their support, too.

It was a good year for the Colfax Blasters (82-72) as they finished third again this season. Skipper Clem Rogers has an impressive starting rotation with Ilya Szabo (19-10 2.58), Vito Incardona (16-10 3.39), Tommy Fuller (4.02) and Jasper LaForge (13-18 3.55). Colfax has a good closer in Dallas Somerville (4-2 2.05) with 17 saves in 28 appearances. The Colfax mound staff registered the third-best ERA (3.56) in the Tycobbian Union. The Blasters best bats are LF Chris Carroll (.283/30 HR/100 RBI/82 R) and several platooners: 3B Roberto Vargas (.287/17 HR/69 RBI), 2B Warren Lee (.306/12 HR/55 RBI), SS Rollie Johnson (.349/12 HR/39 RBI/52 R), SS Phil Amundsen (.309/4 HR/30 RBI/58 R) and SS George Grogan (.344/4 HR/38 RBI/44 R).

Fourth place in the RU West belongs to the Sligo Rovers (79-76) managed by Eddie Keys. The Rovers simply do not score enough. They tallied only 694 runs (27th) this year with a .264 BA (16th) and 125 roundtrippers (18th). On the hill Sligo did well with a 3.66 ERA (5th). Dix Edenborough (20-8 3.64) got good run support, but Paul Waskins (7-17 3.13) and Colin McGrath (6-11 2.81) didn't and lost a lot of low-scoring games. Rounding out the starters was Razzy Raziano (13-14 3.72). What offense the Rovers had was supplied by 1B Gary Shives (.274/23 HR/103 RBI), RF Jason Melton (.295/25 HR/86 RBI), All-Star 3B Robby Franklin (.272/24 HR/84 RBI) and 2B Rusty Ellis (.283/2 HR/31 RBI/85 R/26 SB).

Heading up the second division were Forest City and Rocky Rapids. The Lumberjacks and Snappers deadlocked for the fifth spot in the standings.

Manager Rob Jackson at Forest City (77-77) got good power from his bats with 180 home runs (4th) and the Lumberjacks plated 785 runs (8th). Jackson also has good starting pitching with Al Thibaut (18-11 3.18), Knucks Nomellini (19-16 3.98) and Vern Vidmar (9-5 3.23). Jackson's main problem is his weak bullpen. Sparking the 'Jacks long ball attack are LF Joe Judlin (.329/23 HR/101 RBI/85 R), SS J. T. Edmonds (.308/30 HR/91 RBI/103 R), CF Roger Marley (.328/19 HR/57 RBI/74 R) and 1B Andy Doiron (.300/21 HR/50 RBI/85 R).

It was Rocky Rapids (77-77) best season in its history as the Snappers reached the .500 mark for the first time. Manager Ryan Noland can thank his splendid 26-year-old right-hander Ernie Watkins (28-11 2.52) who made IPA history with his 28 victories. Rocky Rapids excelled in nothing with a .260 BA (22nd), 108 homers (29th), 678 runs (29th) and a 4.04 ERA (17th). Noland best offensive performers were LF Scott Camden (.280/25 HR/82 RBI/108 R/26 SB) and All-Star 3B Phil Cates (.295/13 HR/71 RBI/87 R).

The Fort Benton Defenders (76-78) also had their best season as far as wins and wound up seventh in the RU West. Manager Robbie Brooks only strength is his pitching rotation. The Defenders compiled a 3.85 ERA (9th) and were led by Leroy Hill (18-13 3.14), Tucker Dawes (12-5 2.86), Ivan Gloeckner (17-16 4.03), Dave Blair (7-7 3.12) and All-Star closer Eddy Walker (4-6 3.43), who chalked up 21 saves. Bats were almost non-existent as the Defenders hit a paltry .244 (32nd) with just 106 homers (31st). Brooks only had one hitter of note: LF Carl McCord (.262/15 HR/80 RBI/99 R/23 SB).

Not many stars on the Stoner Stars (63-92) this season. Skipper Willie Dickens saw his club tumble from fourth place in 2005 to the cellar in 2006. Terrible pitching caused it. Stoner had a lofty 4.70 team ERA (31st). The Stars Dave Pierre was their best moundsman with a 14-12 mark and a 4.40 ERA. However they did hit the ball well at times with a 149 home runs (9th - tied), led by 3B Allen Black (.309/25 HR/97 RBI/96 R/22 SB), C Benny Stern (.266/23 HR/77 RBI/76 R) and RF Dutch Rheinecker (.285/20 HR/76 RBI/73 R).

I have to delete this post, so the standings will be right above the division summary.

Hey EC, quick question, i managed to figure out some of your managers' names; like Zoggy White being Whitey Herzog. i was wondering if you were using the sliders in game to try to mimick these managers styles (or in the case of Ryan Noland and Bret George, what they were famous for) or are the names just place holders?

And thanks for the kind words about Laseron. Goody doing a great job getting putting it back together. If you ever want to do some writing (or even managing), we'd be happy to have you over there.

The managers' names are just placeholders. It would be good to use the managers' strategies, but this league is just too much for one person to administer. It was a HUGE MISTAKE to include 64 teams. I should have kept it to 16 and I could have really, really enjoyed it. Out of necessity I had to turn everything over to the AI. I want to play 30 years and then stop. I want to see how all of these players and teams evolve. Then I will create me a 16-team league and go back to controlling all teams and playing out the last three innings of every game. That is the way I can really get immersed in a league. I love to keep all the individual and league game records. I will do the new league after the final patch is released for OOTP10.

Thanks for the offer concerning the great Laseron Baseball League. It is one of the best leagues ever. I have never played with finances, player contracts, waivers, etc. My lack of knowledge would slow you guys down too much and I probably wouldn't be much competition. I would be lost in your league, but I intend to follow it when you guys get it up and going. I don't know if you know it, but the Laseron and DreamTeams' Metro League are the ones that inspired me to create the Islandian Pro Alliance. I was fascinated by the creation of fictional worlds, maps and the great logos and uniforms.

I can't wait to see what the new Laseron will be like. :D

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union North Division 2006 Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union North Division

Oxford's Second Half Surge Wins TU North, Hartsdale Runner-up
The Oxford Red Caps came on strong in August and September with a 30-15 record and overtook the Hartsdale Hellcats to win the Tycobbian Union North title. It's Campy Roy's third pennant in five years. The Red Caps finished four games ahead of the Hellcats, 12 games up on third place Luxora and 16 in front of fourth place North Hills. The Hellcats (20-25), Zorros (22-23) and Hawks (21-24) all faded in the second half of the season.

Oxford and Hartsdale will be the TU North Pro Cup representatives in the coming postseason playoffs to determine the best pro team in the Islands. The IPA Pro Cup playoffs begin tomorrow.

Oxford Red Caps (93-61)
Manager: Campy Roy
Summary: Great bats, power and run scoring, solid pitching, weak defensively

Team Stats:
.273 BA (5th), 210 homers (3rd) 849 runs (2nd) 3.95 ERA (11th) and .969 FA
Oxford Top Bats:
All-Star 3B Joe Courtney (.359/44 HR/118 RBI/114 R)
1B Scott McKinley (.285/32 HR/124 RBI/102 R)
RF Ike Plunkett (.317/26 HR/87 RBI/85 R)
Rookie CF Wayne McDonald (.281/18 HR/68 RBI/118 R/32 SB)

Red Caps Top Pitchers:
Boomer Belinsky (19-6 2.90)
Dan Phillips (15-11 3.44)
Gregg Neal (18-13 3.70)
Reliever Wayne Baxley (6-5 3.14)

Hartsdale Hellcats (89-65)
Manager: Zim Donner
Summary: Fine bats, good power, can score, good pitching, above average defense

Team Stats:
.279 BA (2nd), 172 HR (8th), 819 runs (4th) 3.94 ERA (10th) and .975 FA
Hartsdale Best Hitters:
All-Star rookie RF Mark Buchanan (.338/25 HR/84 RBI/87 R)
3B Kendry Moulton (.310/21 HR/89 RBI/76 R)
Rookie 1B Tom Brabant (.318/21 HR/75 RBI/77 R)
SS Jud Turchin (.278/19 HR/67 RBI/101 R)

Hellcats Best Pitchers:
All-Star Phil Reed (22-11 3.55)
Ben Manderson (19-9 3.75)
Mark Sakelaris (15-13 3.67)

Luxora Zorros (81-73)
Manager: Alejandro Rodrigo
Summary: Average hitting, poor power, average scoring, above-average pitching, average defense

Team Stats:
.266 BA (10th), 124 HR (26th), 748 runs (15th), 3.83 ERA (7th) and .972 FA
Luxora Best Batters:
C Otto Kronvath (.291/30 HR/100 RBIj/86 R)
CF Lacey Tompkins (.272/13 HR/92 RBI/79 R)
1B Robby Maynard (.303/13 HR/73 RBI/60 R)
SS Bobby Bayas (.283/14 HR/60 RBI/86 R)

Zorros Best Pitchers:
Elio Laurente (15-12 3.37)
Eddie Hoffman (15-9 3.92)
Anthony Glaser (12-12 3.84)
Francisco Fernandes (13-17 3.43)
Kenny Metcalf (11-15 3.53)
Ricardo Topez (1-7 2.80) with 31 saves

North Hills Hawks (77-77)
Manager: Hub Carlson
Summary: Poor batting, little power, poor scoring, above-average pitching, poor defense

Team Stats:
.257 BA (26th), 119 HR (28th), 704 runs (24th), 3.87 ERA (8th) and .969 FA
North Hills Top Bats:
SS Russell Beal (.291/14 HR/97 RBI)
LF Kevin Schmidt (.278/23 HR/88 R)
RF Roy Stainbrook (.280/18 HR/71 RBI/93 R/16 SB)
All-Star 3B Jimmy Ryland (.279/8 HR/57 RBI/96 R/20 SB)

Hawks Best Hurlers:
Ben Dewberry (18-12 2.68)
Johnny Bond (17-14 3.44)
Artie Kazlauskas (12-9 3.72)

Blue Lake Blue Sox (76-78)
Manager: Cobb Tyson
Summary: sub-par hitting, average power and scoring, very good pitching, average defensively

Team Stats:
.261 BA (24th), 148 HR/15th), 740 runs (19th), 3.71 ERA (6th) and .971 FA
Blue Lake Best Bats:
All-Star LF Tad Kirklin (.309/30 HR/100 RBI/106 R)
RF Fred Collins (.290/24 HR/98 RBI/98 R/29 SB)
2B Loren Babcock (.267/24 HR/57 RBI/115 R/32 SB)

Blue Sox Best Pitchers:
Pat Grange (17-12 3.29)
Pete Henry (12-11 3.14
Benny DeBartolo (8-8 3.32)
Russ Courtney (7-7 3.66)

Mahaska Haymakers (76-78)
Manager: Rusty Tanussa
Summary: poor bats, average power, poor scoring, average pitching, little below average on defense

Team Stats:
.252 BA (30th), 141 HR (16th), 698 runs (25th), 3.98 ERA (13th) and .970 FA
Mahaska Top Hitters:
1B Mile Shufford (.283/35 HR/114 RBI/87 R)
All-Star RF Ira Engelstad (.286/29 HR/82 RBI/76 R)
3B Lloyd Windham (.274/7 HR/41 RBI/102 R)

Haymakers Top twirlers:
Boomerang Hines (15-12 2.91)
Mark Glinka (14-12 3.56)
Matt DeRosa (16-15 4.15)

Fairfax Frogs (68-86)
Manager: Harry Buckley
Summary: poor hitting, very poor power, poor scoring, poor pitching, good defense

Team Stats:
.252 (31st), 99 HR (32nd), 637 runs (30th - tied), 4.19 ERA (29th) and .976 FA
Fairfax Top Batters:
SS Wes Hickox (.283/24 HR/85 RBI/89 R)
1B Jeff Vretsos (.256/20 HR/86 RBI)

Frogs Best Pitchers:
Robby Meredith (11-15 3.75)
Matthew Wise (8-8 3.73)

White River Rascals (63-91)
Manager: John Randison
Summary: average hitting, good power, average scoring, very poor pitching, average on defense

Team Stats:
.264 BA (17th), 162 HR (10th), 729 runs (20th), 4.77 ERA (31st) and .972 FA
White River Top Bats:
CF Lee Taryn (.281/23 HR/98 RBI)
RF Hal Hoover (.283/22 HR/83 RBI/97 R/19 SB)
SS Riley Cloy (.263/26 HR/80 RBI/85 R/22 SB)

Rascals Best Pitchers:
Brian Ainslee (13-13 4.05)

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union South Division 2006 Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Monday, June 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union South Division

Turon Turned It On in Second Half, Takes TU South by 7 Games
The Tycobbian South pennant chase was close until mid-year with only four games separating the top five teams. At that point the Turon Typhoons excellent pitching got even better and its hitting did, too. Manager Ashton "Whitey" Richburn's club took off and put up a 45-28 record over the final three months and won the division title by 7 games over runner-up Cape Coral. The Colchester Elites were third in the standings 10 games off the pace with San Alejo coming in fourth, 15 games behind. Ginza, which was in the running at the All-Star break, ended up 16 games back and in fifth place. Colchester (36-37), San Alejo (35-38) and Ginza (33-40) slumped under .500 during the second half of the season and dropped out of the race.

Turon (89-65) led the TU with a 3.27 ERA. The Typhoons rotation included two 20-game winners in James Longstreet (22-7 2.50) and Scotty Boswell (21-12 2.22). Freddi Speigel (13-12 3.58) gave Richburn a good number-three starter. Middle reliever Ronnie Zetterberg (2-1 2.39) also provided solid work in 41 appearances. Turon only had average hitting, but it was enough to win the crown.

All-Star rookie C Todd Somerset led the club with 29 homers and 101 RBIs, while putting up a .296 batting average. 3B Eric Hix (.284) chipped in 17 homers and 75 RBIs, while scoring 80 times. Middle infielders John Paul Trevenot (.300/10 HR/43 RBI/95 R) and J. L. Lawrence (.309/11 HR/61 RBI/75 R) along with RF Andy Porter (.303/16 HR/70 RBI/73 R/19 SB) also provided some run support.

The second place Cape Coral Hurricanes (82-72), who won the division flags the last two seasons, came up short this year. Manager Marty Pedroza's club played poorly until July, but finally got it going and completed the second half of the year with a 45-28 mark. However, they could not catch the tough Turon Typhoons and wound up 7 games behind them. Still the Hurricanes made the postseason for the fourth consecutive season and could get another shot at the Typhoons in the Pro Cup playoffs. Cape Coral will have to beat the TU North champion Oxford in the Sweet 16 to get a shot at Turon. The Typhoons will tangle with Hartsdale of the North Division in the Sweet 16, which begins tomorrow afternoon.

Cody Burg (22-10 2.63) continued his dominance of IPA hitters as he won 20 games for the third straight season and led the IPA for the third time with 271 strikeouts. Doug Lyons (19-13 2.97) won 12 games in the second half to spark the Cape Coral revival. Newcomer Ron Blevins (7-4 3.54) will be the number-three man in Pedroza's playoff rotation. Leading the offensive attack will be RF Kippy Doyle (.308/44 HR/128 RBI/103 R), 2B Hoshi Sato (.298/27 HR/88 RBI/108 R/14 SB) and CF Bobby Josker (.272/10 HR/55 RBI/104 R/12 SB). The Hurricanes are only an average-hitting club, but can hit with power. They hammered 174 roundtrippers (7th) this season.

The third place Colchester Elites (79-75) easily outhit both Turon and Cape Coral, but didn't have the pitching to stay with them. The Elites batted .273 (6th) with 197 homers (4th) and scored 842 runs (3rd). Manager Robbie Wilbertson's hot-shot hitters were powered by All-Star rookie RF Teddy Blanton (.329/47 HR/134 RBI/106 R/12 SB), 1B Harlan Roscoe (.310/25 HR/98 RBI), CF Douglas Tilford (.305/16 HR/78 RBI/111 R/37 SB) and All-Star 2B Leland Curtis (.285/5 HR/50 RBI/100 R/45 SB). Fred Kimball (16-11 3.56) and Jimmy Simmons (15-13 3.11) were Colchester's best pitchers. They were pale in comparison to Turon's Longstreet (22-7 2.50) and Boswell (21-12 2.22) and Cape Coral's Burg (22-10 2.63) and Lyons (19-12 2.97).

After staying in contention, just four games behind at the All-Star Game, Manager Lando Peceda's San Alejo Montaneros (74-80) faltered after mid-season and ended up in the fourth spot in the TU South standings. The Montaneros are just mediocre in most things. Alberto Herrera (14-13 2.61) is the Peceda's only quality pitcher. San Alejo could use some quality batsmen, too. San Alejo's best batters are LF Bernie Valente (.266/21 HR/80 RBI/102 R/22 SB), 2B Denholm Carruthers (.283/10 HR/64 RBI/90 R) and 1B Roger Wooten (.262/23 HR/95 RBI).

Manager Huroko Uchiyama's mound corps let him down in the second half of the season and caused the Ginza Ninjas (73-81) to tumble from third place and two games out of first place at mid-season down to fifth and 16 games behind. The Ninjas only have average pitching and poor hitting, but are the second-best fielding club in the Tycobbian Union with a .979 percentage. South Fork of the TU East is the best in the IPA with a .981 fielding average.

Uchiyama has three capable starters in Alec Sasek (16-15 3.33), Toshiharu Ito (14-14 3.89) and Carl Trebek (15-17 3.95), but not much after this trio. Batting-wise Ginza has only two quality hitters in RF Lonnie Jacobson (.328/23 HR/87 RBI/88 R) and 3B Toshiro Nomura (.279/25 HR/95 RBI).

All the remaining teams in the TU South were tied for sixth place and the cellar. Arroyo Grande, Southport and Summerland all had identical 66-88 records and finished last in the standings 23 games off the pace.

The Arroyo Grande's best attribute is home run power. The Suns hit 219 roundtrippers (2nd) and can put runs on the scoreboard, but manager Jean-Luc Marchand's impotent pitching staff possesses a whopping .473 ERA (30th). Charley Boyer (14-15 3.45) and Ron Tartaglia (11-7 3.56) are the best Marchand has to offer. The Suns top sluggers are SS Jared McCarthy (.303/40 HR/105 RBI/100 R), 1B Cristian Avajos (.285/34 HR/101 RBI/86 R) and 3B Randy Knowles (.290/27 HR/93 RBI/93 R).

The Southport Sun Sox skipper Charley Oscar has only three decent players on his club: 1B Pat Mystryk (.282/27 HR/88 RBI) and pitchers Danny Rigdon (13-13 4.17) and Mark Mumford (14-19 4.07). The Sun Sox are hitting only .248 (32nd) and have the lowest team batting average in the TU and second-worst in the IPA. Only Fort Benton (.244) of the RU West is worse.

The Summerland Sunsets did not look like the same team this season. A year ago they were runner-up to the TU South champ Cape Coral and went all the way to the Final 4 in the Pro Cup Series. But not this year as most of the squad had down years all at the same time. They went from 91 victories to just 66 victories. Manager Will Hackett's best performers this season were pitchers All-Star Paul Felkner (16-17 2.66), Bill Taft (15-15 3.88), Toshiya Tomura (10-14 3.63) and 2B Tucker Hill (.322/4 HR/59 RBI/81 R) and RF Nickie Troxell (.276/29 HR/86 RBI).

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union East Division 2006 Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union East Division 2006 Final Standings

Ozarka Wins TU East Title in a Breeze, Tuckanarra #2
The Ozarka Naturals coasted to the Tycobbian East title. It was a close race at mid-season with five teams in contention, but at season's end the Nats won in a breeze beating second place Tuckanarra by 8 games. Ozarka wrapped up the pennant by going 45-28 over the final three months of the season. The Midway Wolves came in third and trailed by 15 games with High Mesa fourth and 17 games back. South Fork was fifth finishing 21 games off the pace, while Red Bluff, which had won the last three division championships, went into a tailspin and dipped to the sixth spot in the standings, 22 games behind. East Point and Hillsboro tied for last place and were 31 games behind the leading Naturals.

The Ozarka Naturals (95-59) have a strong group of starters. Sid Hyder (21-8 3.35), Alec DiMaggio (15-11 3.37), Karl Kleinert (17-10 3.84) and Pat Schwartz (14-9) chalked up a 3.57 team ERA (3rd) and gave manager Joe Mac Carney one of the better rotations in the IPA. However, the Nats suffered a terrible loss as their ace Hyder is down for at least two weeks with a back injury. Ozarka will have to do without him in the Pro Cup playoffs that get underway tomorrow afternoon.

Not only does Carney have good pitching, the Naturals also pack an offense with a .278 batting average (3rd) and can score runs. Ozarka tallied 793 runs (3rd) during the season. Primarily Carney depends on 3B Nathan Ferrell (.266/25 HR/102 RBI/94 R), LF Vic Weinstein (.326/13 HR/77 RBI/80 R) and 2B Todd Chadwick (.302/15 HR/76 RBI/86 R) to produce the runs. Homer-wise Ozarka has decent power and collected 132 (21st) this year.

Manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (87-67) has a pretty fair ball club, too. The Blue Jays have good pitching, good power and good defense. Stevens can match Ozarka's starters. His All-Star ace Titus Bristow (27-7 1.73) finished second in the IPA with 27 victories, topped only by Ernie Watkins (28-11 2.52) of Rocky Rapids in the RU West. Overall Tuckanarra registered a 3.69 ERA (5th), batted .271 (7th), went deep 150 times (14th), scored 778 runs (8th) and had a .977 fielding average on defense. Stevens also had three other steady mound performers in Roy Spence (18-8 3.38), Delaney Elliott (12-7 2.79) and Tommy Ruffin (12-10 3.73).

At the plate the Blue Jays have a strong line-up with CF Monty Draycott (.268/26 HR/105 RBI/84), LF Corey Tavington (.278/22 HR/95 RBI), 1B Cameron Kamara (.289/20 HR/82 RBI), 3B Duncan Renwick (.308/13 HR/65 RBI/99 R/48 SB) and 2B Owen MacArthur (.312/7 HR/61 RBI/102 R).

Third place in the TU East belongs to the Midway Wolves (80-74), who did an about-face in the second half of the season and fell far out of contention. It didn't help manager Cochise Chandler's chances when he lost his fine 2B Little Johnny Yuma in May and his standout CF Jan Szymanski in July. In half a season clean-up hitter Szymanski batted .288 with 17 homers, 55 RBIs and scored 58 times.

The Wolves do not have a lot of standouts, but Chandler does have a lot of hustlers and over-achievers that have blended well. Only 1B Don Piper (.263/21 HR/74 RBI/79 R) played with any regularity. Midway was heavily platooned. On the hill Chandler had two solid starters in All-Star pitcher Nosyt Sani (17-13 2.94) and Russ Cheasequah (14-11 3.95). The Wolves hit .269 (8th) as a unit, homered 137 times (19th), scored 755 runs (12th), notched a 4.22 ERA (25th) and fielded well with a .976 FA.

The High Mesa Cowboys (78-76) were in the middle of the pack most of the season and wound up in fourth place, 17 games out of first place. Skipper Frisky Franks doesn't have the offense he usually has. Many of his prime players did not produce for him. One of the all-time leading sluggers in IPA history LF Adam Zitek batted a lowly .231 with only 22 homers and 64 RBIs. In his first four seasons Zitek averaged almost 40 homers and 125 RBIs. Nonetheless, the Cowboys ranked high with a .273 BA (4th), 192 roundtrippers (5th), 779 runs (7th). And as usual Franks' pitching corps ranked low with a 4.71 ERA (28th). The culprit is Queen Ranch Stadium with its short fences - 306 feet in left and 312 feet in right.

High Mesa's top batters were rookie 3B Nat Thurlow (.306/28 HR/81 RBI), SS John Asbury (.266/26 HR/65 RBI/84 R), 1B Bobby Gunn (.287/25 HR/60 RBI/80 R) and 2B Ed Granberg (.297/19 HR/73 RBI/78 R). On the hill High Mesa was led by Joey Popovich (15-12 4.30), Marc Matherne (11-10 3.88) and Johnny Falcon (11-14 4.10).

The fifth place South Fork Stallions (74-80) piloted by DeRoche "Lips" Leon are just a mediocre ball club in most respects, but have a fine defensive team and rank number one in the IPA with a strong .981 fielding percentage. But it takes more than good fielding to win in the IPA. The Stallions are a poor-hitting team with a .254 BA (28th), little power (120 HR - 27th) and a less-than-average 4.18 team ERA (22nd). South Fork finished 21 games behind pennant-winning Ozarka.

Leon's best hitter is 2B Jim Helwig (.297/19 HR/74 RBI). There is no one worth mentioning after Helwig. On the mound South Fork features Al Davis (9-8 3.61), Ken Marsh (13=16 3.97) and Ken Olson (12-15 3.70).

The Red Bluff Red Sox's (73-81) string of three straight pennants came to a jolting halt with a sixth-place finish this year. Manager Mack Connery's crew took a turn for the worst as their batting average (.266 - 9th) and team ERA (4.14 - 19th) both plummeted. The only bright spots on the squad were pitchers Frank Beaudoin (17-16 3.29) and John Dougherty (19-14 3.20) and SS Jose Aguilar (.324/21 HR/95 RBI/92 R/24 SB). Beaudoin and Aguilar both made the All-Star team.

Two clubs tied for seventh and last place. The East Point Panthers and Hillsboro Blazers again finished deep down in the standings. The Blazers have been last four times in their five-year history.

All the East Point Panthers (64-90) do is hit home runs. They unloaded 190 (6th) this season and were paced by 2B Karol Zodoka (.259/31 HR/95 RBI/105 R) and RF Jerry Lee Presley (.286/27 HR/86 RBI/91 R). On the hill manager Griff Clarke's best is Jarred Robillard (16-13 4.44). Armed Forces Stadium is one of the IPA's smallest venues with 326-foot fences down the lines and only 388 in center.

Hillsboro (64-90) has an even smaller ball field than East Point. Hanford Stadium is just 318 down the left field line and 320 down the right field line. It's only 370 in straight-away center. So pitchers have an extremely tough time keeping teams off the scoreboard. Skipper Arky Spanderson has two pitchers that do well in spite of the cheap home runs. Ed Dupard (11-16 3.63) and Mike Larsen (11-13 3.72) had good seasons considering where they have to pitch. The Blazers are ranked 29th in the Tycobbian Union with a 4.72 ERA. Hillsboro best batters are SS Barry Bassett (.259/27 HR/96 RBI/82 R), CF Lonnie Snider (.310/12 HR/73 RBI/83 R/30 SB) and 3B George Longmire (.293/13 HR/63 RBI/101 R/46 SB)

i’m hoping AI for managers and GMs will be expanded in future versions. The one thing i never liked about solo play is that the AI seems to play the same way for all the teams. They all want to same players. They all set their lineups the same way. So when i saw you manager’s names, i was hoping you knew something i didn’t.

i admire you playing out the end of all the games. But, i couldn’t do that. i always liked the way you reported the games. But i don’t want to use that style during the regular season. i want to save that for the post season.

And i was shocked when you chose to have so many teams in this league. That’s a lot to handle. i’m struggling with league size myself. i know i’ll want more than sixteen. i’m leaning toward 24.

It’s hard to go wrong with fictional worlds. i’m glad OOTP made room for them. i’m still a big fan of DreamTeams’ Metro League. i still have his site bookmarked even though he hasn’t updated in quite awhile. i’m hoping version 11 or 12 will get him interested in running his baseball league again. (His football league isn’t bad either.) When i do my solo league i’ll be modeling after Islandia and Metro.

That makes two of us. i was lucky enough to get in on the ground floor with the original Laseron. A few of the originals are making plans for this one. Hopefully, the New Laseron can be around for as long (or longer) that the original.

Anyway KUTGW, your dynasty gives me something to read at lunch. :eatpop:

Thanks for you nice comments, Dark Horse. You have been a good and faithful follower of my leagues. I appreciate it.

It is always good to get feedback from the viewers.

Good luck with your league. I'll be looking forward to it.

I always have controlled the line-ups and depth charts in my league, but this year I let the AI do it to save me a lot of time. But I was really disappointed to see it take star players and bench them for lesser players. It really platoons far too much. It doesn't seem to know anything but ratings. Apparently it can't take a player's performance into consideration. There must have been 15 or 20 star players that were relegated to the bench or platooned. And many of them hit both righthanders and lefthanders well. Many times the player they were platooned with had very poor stats. It also took successful starters and made them middle relievers. It broke my heart to see the AI decimate a team with the changes it made.

But I will just endure it and hope for the best. I still enjoy the playoffs as I control the teams and can play whoever I want.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Tycobbian Union West Division 2006 Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

2006 Tycobbian Union West Division

Pitchers Hurl Arlon to TU West Championship, Bayview Runner-up
Manager Gary Louis and the Arlon Champions took charge of the Tycobbian West in May and never let up, winning comfortably by 10 games over runner-up Bayview. Last year's champion, the Denton City Redbirds, came out in third place, 17 games out. The Chicopee Braves and Kenwood Wildcats were tied for the fourth spot in the standings and trailed by 23 games. La Claire was sixth and 26 games back with Rolling Hills seventh and 27 games behind. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers finished in the division basement 35 games off the pace.

Prior to this year, the Arlon Champions (99-55) best season was in 2001 when they ended up fourth with a 77-77 record. But all that changed this year when the Champs won more games than anybody in the IPA and they did it with excellent pitching. Manager Gary Louis' staff had a 3.37 ERA (2nd) and were led by three fine starters, including two 20-game winners: Kurt DeHaan (23-11 3.07), Andre Masson (20-8 3.04) and rookie Armando Cruz (16-7 3.00). While not overpowering, the Champs got enough run support to do the job. Louis' top hitters were All-Star LF Rocco Belasario (.324/31 HR/94 RBI/112 R/50 SB) and CF Steve Barnett (.286/24 HR/79 RBI/104 R/19 SB). Everybody on the roster contributed at one time or another during the year.

The second place Bayview Vikings (89-65) depended on their bats for success. Manager Walter Johanssen's Viks set a new IPA mark with a .287 team batting average. Not only did they hit for average, the Vikings also unloaded 242 homers (1st) and outscored everybody in the Tycobbian Union with 937 runs (1st). What a line-up card - six .300 hitters, four guys that hit 30 or more homers and three guys that drove in over a 100 runs apiece. Topping the list were rookie CF Tommy Riddle (.322/43 HR/132 RBI/90 R), All-Star 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.298/33 HR/127 RBI/123 R), SS Kris Benson (.306/31 HR/107 RBI/86 R), All-Star C Hank Bethel (.302/33 HR/102 RBI/104 R), OF Wayne Latham (.338/14 HR/65 RBI/70 R), 2B Alan Hansen (.295/1 HR/39 RBI/110 R/31 SB) and OF Kelton Carpenter (.320/23 HR/66 RBI/75 R).

Despite a fairly high 4.34 team ERA (26th), Bayview does have a good set of starters in Norm Roy (17-14 3.19), Wally Tidwell (15-4 3.41) and Charlie Tubbs (15-11 3.74). In the Sweet 16 Series Bayview will host the TU East titlist, the Ozarka Naturals, while Arlon will travel to Tuckanarra to play the Blue Jays. Each series will be a best three-of-five. The Pro Cup Sweet 16 starts tomorrow afternoon.

The Denton City Redbirds (82-72), who won the TU West crown in 2005, dipped down to third this year. The Redbirds just were not the same ball club this season. Manager Ford Whiteman's squad has enough offense to do well, but failed dismally on the mound with a 4.37 ERA (27th). Last year the mound corps registered an impressive 3.52 ERA. Whiteman's best pitchers were Hank Taylor (17-12 4.01), Bubba Lear (11-10 3.76) and Daniel Fitzmorris (10-10 3.97). At bat it was All-Star 3B Jay Petit (.308/30 HR/87 RBI/89 R) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.279/10 HR/50 RBI/111 R/77 SB) leading Denton City.

Things bode well for the Redbirds in 2007 since they made a big trade with Red Bluff for pitcher Mila Mohoski (15-18 3.95). Mohoski is 92-57 with a 3.19 ERA in his five-year career. Mohoski has won 20 games twice and led Red Bluff to the IPA Pro Cup title in 2004. He joined them in last July and was 5-5 in 13 starts for the Redbirds with a 3.68 ERA.

Chicopee and Kenwood tied for fourth. How the Chicopee Braves (76-78) could wind up in fourth place is remarkable. Manager Harry Fleetfoot's team hit only .253 (29th) and scored only 620 runs (32nd), but the Braves chalked up a solid 3.68 ERA (4th) for their highest finish ever. Desmond Quartermain (21-13 3.15) is the main reason. He could have easily gotten five more wins with better run support. He truly carried Chicopee on his own right arm. Alan Goodwin (10-8 2.65) and Wayne Blackwell (13-18 3.37) also had a hand in it, too. Fleetfoot's top batters were LF Big Stick Takala (.312/18 HR/53RBI) and RF Cornell Madigan (.275/20 HR/73 RBI/77 R).

Manager Aaron Hankins' Kenwood Wildcats (76-78) are just a fair ball club. Less than average in hitting and power, pretty fair at scoring runs and only average on the hill. Hankins' top hurlers were Tracy Kinsler (16-10 3.47) and Aydan Havilland (9-6 3.19), while at the plate his best hitters were CF Dayton Walker (.317/10 HR/86 RBI/96 R/17 SB), RF Aydan Winthrop (.281/25 HR/80 RBI), SS Bob Sanders (.291/11 HR/76 RBI/75 R) and 3B Floyd Collins (.279/7 HR/60 RBI/114 R/65 SB).

The La Claire Lynx (73-81) under skipper Rip Calkin concluded the season in the sixth spot in the TU West. Calkin had only one strong starter in Andy Murray (18-15 3.18). All the others had 4.00-plus ERAs. The Lynx do have one standout hitter in All-Star LF Zeppy Deshotel (.323/31 HR/101 RBI/104 R/44 SB). 2B Dale Pace (.298/15 HR/70 RBI/78 R) also put up some decent stats.

The Rolling Hills Reds (72-82) under manager Matty Christianson were seventh in the TU West and not a very strong team. Christianson did have a couple of good pitchers in Peter Brenneman (16-13 3.23) and Logan Atwood (15-13 3.75). In the batter's box it was All-Star CF Bob Havilland (.281/41 HR/118 RBI/88 R) doing the most damage with a little help from C Ned Channing (.304/12 HR/72 RBI), LF Frankie Holman (.316/12 HR/64 RBI) and 2B Spider Worley (.304/4 HR/70 RBI/82 R).

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (64-90) were a bewildering ball club. Last year the Bucs wound up second in the race, but this year the bottom fell out and they finished dead last. Guy Rondre had too many players go south on him this season. The Buccaneers really had problems scoring. They only scored 682 runs (26th) and Rondre's pitchers saw the team ERA soar to 4.01 (14th). Bay St. Clair was paced by pitchers Dennis Coulon (16-15 3.25) and All-Star Norm Gross (14-17 3.46). Sparking what little offense they had were 1B Gerry Fields (.299/32 HR/90 RBI), 2B Jimmy Sawyer (.317/16 HR/71 RBI/75 R) and veteran 3B Ed Albrecht (.276/11 HR/70 RBi).

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Ruthlandian Union 2006 Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Ruthlandian Union 2006 Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Tycobbian Union 2006 Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Tycobbian Union 2006 Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

2006 Pro Cup Playoffs Start Today
With a championship to be decided, the Islandian Pro Alliance is filled with excitement. There's nothing like the thrill of the Pro Cup playoffs. There will be some career-defining moments played out in the coming days. There will be some heroes, some great plays, some blunders and some failures, but it will be a great time for fans. Playoff baseball is here and it gets underway today.

The defending Pro Cup champion, the Middlefield Roosters, are favored to win it again in a poll by The Islandian Times. The Roosters were picked to win the Ruthlandian playoffs, while the Ozarka Naturals are the favorites in the Tycobbian Union. Middlefield gets the nod over the Nats in the Pro Cup Finals.

The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll

Ruthlandian Union
1. Middlefield Roosters (97-57)
2. Valka Blackhawks (97-57)
3. Valmara Vipers (89-65)
4. Claxton Diamonds (96-59)
5. Taranto Tars (91-63)
6. Elnora All-Stars (84-70)
7. Volusia Vigilantes (88-66)
8. Sugar Valley Rattlers (86-68)

Tycobbian Union
1. Ozarka Naturals (95-59)
2. Oxford Red Caps (93-61)
3. Arlon Champions (99-55)
4. Turon Typhoons (89-65)
5. Hartsdale Hellcats (89-65)
6. Tuckanarra Blue Jays (87-67)
7. Bayview Vikings (89-65)
8. Cape Coral Hurricanes (82-72)

The IPA Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series start today. All of them will be best-three-of-five. In the Ruthlandian playoffs it will be Valka at Valmara, Taranto at Claxton, Middlefield at Elnora, Volusia at Sugar Valley. Over in the Tycobbian Union the slate shows Turon at Hartsdale, Oxford at Cape Coral, Arlon at Tuckanarra and Ozarka at Bayview.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Sweet 16

Ruthlandian Union

Gibbs Stops Roosters 8-2, Elnora Takes Opener
23-game winner Taylor Gibbs put on a show at State Fair Park in Elnora. Gibbs stopped the mighty Middlefield Roosters 8-2 in the first game of the Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. Gibbs (1-0) fired a seven-hitter, struck out eight and walked just one in a fine complete-game performance. The All-Stars backed him up with an 11-hit attack paced by 1B Gil Foster with 4 hits in 5 at-bats. Foster hit two doubles and a home run to drive across 5 runs. Rooster starter Dave Webb (0-1) was tagged with the defeat. He was whacked for four runs and six hits in just four innings.

Valka Victor Over Valmara 2-1, Karu Hurls 3-Hitter
On the road at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the visiting Valka Blackhawks rode the left arm of Bobby Karu to a 2-1 victory over the Vipers. The win put Valka up one game to none in the best-of-five Sweet 16 Series. Karu held them hitless for the first six innings and to three hits overall. Karu (1-0) had five Ks and six bases on balls, but kept Valmara off the scoreboard until the ninth. The Blackhawks got both runs in the second on an RBI single by C Lenny Shelton and a bases-loaded walk to LF Benny Colter. C Erich Adamczyk drove in the Vipers only run on a fielder's choice. Valmara used three pitchers with the loss going to starter Russell Greene (0-1), who worked seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits.

Claxton Wins Sweet 16 Opener, Tops Taranto 6-4
At home at Avalon Stadium, the Claxton Diamonds topped Taranto 6-4 in the opening game of the IPA Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. Winning pitcher Terry Kuznetsov (1-0) in a gutsied performance held off the hard-hitting Tars for the victory and also hit a bases-loaded triple in the four-run second inning. The Diamonds collected 11 hits off Carlo Bianchi (0-1) and Lefty Paddison, while Taranto got 8 hits off Kuznetsov. C Allen Lemay led Claxton with three hits, while SS Jake Travanti and CF Lou Cutrer paced the Tars with two RBIs each. Bianchi suffered the loss as he allowed four runs and six hits in six innings. Only two of them were earned.

V's Edge Rattlers 3-1, Schmitz Fires 4-hitter
At the Jailhouse in Volusia, Carl Schmitz fired a four-hitter against Sugar Valley to capture game one in the Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. Schmitz (1-0) outdueled Ted Farentino 3-1, fanned nine and walked one. Both pitchers went the route. Farentino (0-1) surrendered only one earned run and nine hits in defeat. The Vigilantes got the first run of the game in the opening frame on CF Ryan Raines triple and RF Briscoe Crowder's double. Volusia added two more in the second on an error by pitcher Farentino and an RBI groundout by SS Scooter Perez. The Rattlers got their only score on 2B Casey Leeburn's solo homer in the eighth.

Tycobbian Union

Bayview Blasts Ozarka 10-6 in Sweet 16 Opener
The best-hitting team in the IPA showed its stuff in the first game of the Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. The Bayview Vikings blasted out 14 hits to outscore Ozarka 10-6 at Downtown Plaza Stadium. The triumph gave the Viks a one-game lead in the series. C Hank Bethel led the way with three hits and three RBIs. 3B James Scott and CF Tommy Riddle also added to the attack with two hits each, including a home run apiece. The Naturals chalked up 12 hits and were sparked by 3B Nathan Ferrell and RF Ronnie Patterson with two hits and two RBIs each. SS Gil Lantz also hit a solo homer for Ozarka. Norm Roy (1-0) got the win for Bayview. He worked seven-plus innings and allowed five runs. Georgie Fambreau got the save, but gave up a run in the ninth. The losing pitcher was Alec DiMaggio (0-1), who was slammed for five runs in six innings.

The Vikings scored in the first three innings to take a 4-0 lead. The Nats battled back and cut it to one run with a three-run sixth, but Bayview then put them away with a run in the last of the sixth and three more in the last of the seventh to go ahead 8-4.

Bristow and Blue Jays Beat Arlon 4-2 in Game 1
Titus Bristow stands only 5' 6", doesn't throw hard, doesn't strike many out, doesn't walk many, but he still baffles the batters. Bristow scattered 10 singles as his Tuckanarra Blue Jays took the Sweet 16 opener 4-2 from the Arlon Champions at Central Park Stadium. Bristow led the entire IPA with 27 victories this season. The diminutive righthander had three strikeouts and gave up only one walk in a complete-game performance. The Blue Jays got only seven hits, but it was sufficient. 2B Owen MacArthur led the way with three RBIs. He singled in two runs in the third inning for a 2-1 lead and drove in the winning run in the sixth with an RBI groundout. LF Corey Tavington also tripled in a run in the sixth to put Tuckanarra up 4-2. 20-game winner Andre Masson also went the distance in defeat, giving up four runs on seven hits. LF Rocco Belasario paced the Champions with three hits.

Boswell Blanks Hartsdale 6-0, Turon Takes 1st Game
Strong pitching is what got Turon to the postseason and it continued today at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale. Scotty Boswell blanked the Hellcats on just five singles in a 6-0 victory to take the first game of the Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. Boswell, a 21-game winner, walked four and fanned three in a nine-inning outing. 2B J. L. Lawrence and RF Andy Porter topped Turon with two hits each and two RBIs apiece. Lawrence hit the only homer in the game. Ben Manderson was not effective and was the loser. He was ripped for six runs in six-plus innings.

Cape Coral Squeezes by Oxford 2-1, Burg Winner
Cape Coral's stopper Cody Burg held powerful Oxford in check to go 1-up in the Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series. Burg, a 22-game winner in the regular season, stopped the Red Caps 2-1 in the first game of the series at Seaside Stadium. He scattered eight hits, struck out seven and issued only one walk. However Burg (1-0) tired in the ninth and was relieved by Hadley Frasch after giving up a one-out double to LF Mack Spencer, putting the tying run on second base. Frasch promptly put out the fire by striking out the final two batters of the game. Burg outpitched Boomer Belinsky (0-1), who also hurled a strong game, yielding only four hits in seven innings and only one earned run. The Hurricanes were led at bat by RF Earl Giles with two RBIs. He singled in a run in the second inning and walked to forced in a run in the seventh.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 21, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Sweet 16

The underdogs are having their day in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs so far. They have won 14 of the 16 games played. The only division champs to get wins have been Valka of the RU North and Turon of the TU South. They have split the first two games of the Sweet 16 Series. All the rest have fallen behind two games to none and are in danger of elimination in the best-of-five series.

Ruthlandian Union

Elnora Wins Game 2, Rips Roosters 10-5
For the second day in a row the underdog Elnora All-Stars ripped the Middlefield Roosters 10-5 to take an overwhelming two-game edge in the best-of-five Sweet 16 Series. The All-Stars only got eight hits, but they made them count. CF Sammy Marlaire got them going with a three-run shot in the opening inning to put them ahead 5-0. 3B Dmitri Vrotsos led Elnora with two hits and four RBIs. C Todd Simons also drove in a pair of runs. The victory went to starter Leland Shaddock (1-0), who allowed four runs in five-plus innings. Warren Paul bailed him out to preserve the win, permitting one run and two hits in his three and two thirds innings. The Roosters outhit the All-Stars with nine hits, paced by LF Zeb Baker and C Mike Kanjorsky with three hits each. 1B J. D. Earnshaw drove in three runs for Middlefield. Loser Denny Yarrow lasted only two-thirds of an inning and allowed five runs.

The RU West champion Middlefield Roosters are in a deep hole and are one game short of elimination. The Roosters were the overall favorites to take the Pro Cup crown this year. It is going to be quite a task to come back and win three games in a row.

V's Power Past Sugar Valley 9-5 with 3 Homers
The Volusia Vigilantes are not known for their home run power, but they showed it today at the Jailhouse. Three times the V's went deep to power past the Sugar Valley Rattlers 9-5 to go up two games to none in the best-of-five RU Sweet 16 Series. Volusia can finish them off with a win in Sugar Valley tomorrow afternoon. The Vigilantes were clinging to a 6-5 lead going into the bottom of the eighth when they erupted for three solo homers by SS Bobby Farias, CF Ryan Raines and 1B Bob Nash. Closer Harvey Hines was the victim of the blasts. Nash, 2B Scooter Perez and C Armando Villa all had two RBIs each. Hernando Espaderos (1-0) collected the win, going seven innings, allowing four runs on six hits, while fanning five and issuing no walks. Raul Sandoval picked up the save, but gave up a run in the eighth frame. Both clubs registered nine hits each. LF Austen Conover sparked the Roosters with two hits and two runs batted in.

Diamonds Drub Tars 10-3, Lead Series 2-0
The Claxton Diamonds are in the driver's seat. They drubbed the favored Taranto Tars 10-3 to take a two games to none lead in the best-of-five RU Sweet 16 Series. The Diamonds teed off on losing pitcher Anthony Nardone (0-1) and three other Taranto pitchers for 18 hits to easily win their second straight game. RF Jackie Allemand belted a grand slam in the third inning to put Claxton in front 7-0 and drove in five runs in all. CF Jackie Faust, 3B Bobby Ritter and 2B Mac Smith smacked three hits each for the victors. SS Jimmy Marciunas also homered. Charlie Murphy (1-0) got credit for the victory. He worked five and two-thirds innings before a rain delay forced him to head to the shower. Murphy fanned four, walked one and permitted two runs and three hits. Tetsunori Nakashima relieved him and went the final three and a third innings and gave up only one run. Taranto only got five hits in the game.

Vipers Booms 4 HR, Even Valka Series at 1-1
Valmara evened up its Pro Cup Sweet 16 Series with Valka at one game each in a best-of-five affair. The Vipers boomed four homers and 18 hits to crush the Blackhawks 11-1. 2B Floyd Vinson, SS Mike Ellefsen, RF Jet Kazmarek and C Erich Adamczyk walloped roundtrippers to lead the way. Kazmarek went 4-for-5 with four RBIs, Adamczyk had two hits and three RBIs and Vinson smacked three hits and batted in two in the romp. Andre Trepanier had a standout outing, holding Valka to just four hits and a run with four Ks and two bases on balls. Aato Neetar (0-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs in just three innings. The series will now switch to Valka for games three and four. If needed game five will also be hosted by the Blackhawks at Cybertel Park.

Tycobbian Union

Bayview Nips Ozarka 3-2 for Second Win in Series
The big bats of Bayview were not needed today at Downtown Plaza Stadium as Wally Tidwell worked a strong game and nipped the Ozarka Naturals 3-2. It was the Vikings second consecutive win in the Pro Cup Sweet 16. One more victory and Bayview will move ahead to the Elite 8. Tidwell (1-0) was at the top of his game. He held the Nats to two runs on seven hits, while fanning four and walking only two. However, Tidwell needed ninth-inning help from Josh Glover, who got the last three outs of the game. LF Kelton Carpenter put the Viks in front 2-1 with a two-run two-bagger in the third inning and CF Tommy Riddle made it 3-1 with an RBI single in the fifth. RF Ronnie Patterson put Ozarka on the scoreboard first with an RBI single in the second frame and CF Kermit Wiggins doubled in the Nats last run in the seventh. Karl Kleinert (0-1) worked six innings in defeat and was touched for three runs and eight hits.

Blue Jays Bump Off Champs 4-1, Spence Winner
Tuckanarra pitching again was too tough for the Arlon Champions. Roy Spence spun a splendid three-hitter to bump off Arlon 4-1 and put the Blue Jays ahead two games to none in the TU Pro Cup Sweet 16 playoffs. Spence (1-0) walked nobody and fanned seven in an excellent performance. 2B Owen MacArthur led the way with three hits and an RBI. SS Lee Thomson chipped in two hits and also batted in a run. Kurt DeHaan (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing four runs - only two earned - on nine hits in seven innings. Tuckanarra had the advantage in hits 10-3.

Oxford Falls to Hurricanes Again, CC Up 2-0
For the second day in a row Cape Coral pitching has been too tough for the Oxford Red Caps. Doug Lyons went the distance in the 6-2 triumph to give the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five TU Sweet 16 Series. Lyons (1-0) allowed eight hits, but only two runs with two walks and five strikeouts. His teammates backed him with a 14-hit attack, led by 3B Kenny Hall, who had a perfect 4-for-4 day, including a home run. Cape Coral bashed loser Gregg Neal (0-1) for five runs and 11 hits in four-plus innings. He departed with the Hurricanes ahead 5-1. Red Cap SS Timmy Binford paced them with four hits.

Hartsdale Ties Sweet 16, Edges Turon 2-1
After two games at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale, the Hellcats and Turon Typhoons are tied at a game apiece in the Sweet 16 Series. Two 20-game winners matched up and Phil Reed outpitched James Longstreet 2-1. Reed (1-0) limited Turon to five hits, fanned four and walked just one, while Longstreet (0-1) tossed eight innings, gave up seven hits and only one earned run. He whiffed six and issued four bases on balls. All the scoring came in the first three innings. The Hellcats drew first blood in the bottom of the first when SS Jud Turchin led off with a triple and came in on CF Mac Faulkner's grounder to short. Turon got its only run of the game in the top of the second on C Todd Somerset's home run. Hartsdale got the winning run in the third when RF Mark Buchanan doubled, reached third on an infield error and came home on a passed ball. From then on Reed and Longstreet matched zero for zero.

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 22, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Sweet 16

Oops! Middlefield Is Gone! Swept By Elnora
The division winners are in trouble in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Many of them will not get past the first round. The pre-tourney favorite Middlefield has been eliminated by Elnora in a three-game sweep and six other division champs are trailing two games to one. The Turon Typhoons are the only pennant winner not in danger. Turon has a 2-1 edge in its series.

Ruthlandian Union

Elnora Upsets Middlefield, Outslugs Them 13-12
The Elnora All-Stars surprised the highly-favored Middlefield Roosters by upsetting them in the RU Sweet 16 Series three games to none. Middlefield was picked as the prime favorite to win the Pro Cup this year and the All-Stars were given little chance. Elnora did it with its bats. They unleashed five homers and 15 hits to subdue the Roosters 13-12 today. The All-Stars had to come back from a 5-2 deficit after three innings and 10-8 after six innings. A solo homer by LF Quincy Peterson and a two-run shot by 2B Joe Norris in the eighth gave them an 11-10 lead. Elnora added two more in the top of the ninth on 1B Gil Foster's RBI double and CF Rick Mulloy's RBI single. And they really needed them as Middlefield mounted a serious rally and almost tied it up in the last of the ninth, but they fell one run short. Manager Zoggy White pulled in one of his starters, Warren Paul, to get the final out of the game. With the tying and winning runs on second and third, Paul got CF Bailey Norcross swinging to end the game and to sweep the series.

Rooster manager Smitty Michaels commented on the sudden departure, "No, I didn't expect this to happen. But as you know, anything can happen in a short series. The league really needs to look at the playoff system. Too many good teams are getting eliminated too quickly. Maybe a best-of-seven might be better. But then again, maybe it's not such a good idea. we could have come out worse and lost four in a row."

Elnora had many heroes today. 3B Dmitri Vrotsos and LF Quincy Peterson both homered twice, had four hits and drove in four runs each and Foster and Norris batted in two runs apiece. Lou Horn (1-0) got the win with two scoreless innings. His work in the sixth and seventh allowed the All-Stars to get back into the game. It was quite a slugfest. Middlefield did not go quietly as the Roosters rattled the fences for four home runs and 16 hits. 2B Charlie Gamble, 3B Ken Aubert, SS Sammy Ragsdale and 1B J. B. Earnshaw all went deep. RF Cecil Clark had five hits and two RBIs and Norcross had three hits and pair of RBIs. Reliever Jamie Hicks took the loss as he surrendered three runs in two-plus innings, but only one was earned.

Winning manager Zoggy White told reporters, "We just hit the heck out of the ball and got decent pitching in two of the games. Vrotsos, Foster and Peterson had great series with the bats. Vrotsos had 9 RBIs, Foster 7 and Peterson 4. And we got a real fine pitching job from Taylor Gibbs in the first game. Middlefield is a very powerful ball club. We had to be at our best offensively to stay on the field with them. I think maybe our pitching was better than theirs." Vrotsos hit .533 (8-15) in the three games, while Foster had a .615 batting average (8-13) and Peterson batted .364 (4-11).

Elnora will meet the winner of the Sugar Valley-Volusia series in the Elite 8 round.

Claxton Sweeps Taranto, Wins Finale 10-3
Stacy Engel's Claxton Diamonds looked like a worthy contender in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs by sweeping the Taranto Tars in the Sweet 16 round. The Diamonds clobbered the Tars 10-3 in game three to wrap up the best-of-five set. Claxton crushed four homers and racked up 13 hits in the finale. RF Jackie Allemand had three hits, scored three times and batted in three runs to pace the Diamonds. Allemand, SS Jimmy Marciunas, 3B Bobby Ritter and LF Dixie Baker all cracked homers. Dennis Scott had a perfect game for six innings, but that went out the window with a seventh-inning walk. SS Jake Travanti broke up the no-hitter in the same inning with a double. Scott (1-0) allowed only four hits overall, struck out six and walked a couple of batters. A three-run eighth spoiled his shutout, highlighted by homers by CF Lou Cutrer and C Norm Polochak. Sal Pascioni (0-1) was dealt the loss. He was smacked for five runs and seven hits in six innings.

Speaking to BNN after the game Diamond skipper Stacy Engel told them, "I don't think anybody could have beaten us the last three days. When you have six guys batting .385 or better, they are tough to beat. We just had great hitting and solid pitching. I think the pitching made the difference. Kuznetsov, Murphy and Scott really came through for us and stopped an excellent hitting team. Taranto has some awesome sluggers and we kinda held them in check." Yeah, kinda... the Tars hit only .181 in the three games series. Claxton hit an amazing .382 in the series.

Taranto manager Tommaso Lazzorda was inclined to agree with the Old Perfesser and told the press, "Stacy is right. Our pitching could not compete with his. We never had a chance in any of the games. The Diamonds outhit us and outpitched us. They played so well, they made us look like mediocre ball team, which we aren't."

Claxton advances to the Elite 8 and now awaits the winner of the Valka-Valamara series.

Vipers Smash Valka 10-3, Lead Sweet 16 Series
Visiting Valmara busted up a 3-3 tie with a big five-run fifth and went on to smash the Valka Blackhawks 10-3 in game three at Cybertel Park to take a game lead in the Sweet 16 Series. The Vipers need one more victory to take the best-of-five series. Valmara's 11-hit output was led by RF Jet Kazmarek with three hits, three runs scored and one run batted in. He is hitting .667 so far in the postseason. SS Mike Ellefsen contributed three RBIs to the Viper cause. On the hill Valmara got a good outing from Vanya Vasylenko, who went the distance and throttled the Blackhawks on seven hits with seven Ks and three walks. Loser Daryl Vannoy caught the brunt of the Viper attack as he allowed eight runs in four-plus innings.

Rattlers Still Alive, Wallop V's 11-7
Sugar Valley staved off elimination from the RU Sweet 16 Series by outslugging Volusia 11-7 in game three and cut the Vigilantes lead to two games to one. Topping the Rattler hit parade were RF Dennis Kernell with two roundtrippers and three RBIs and C Hal Stevenson with one homer and three RBIs. The score was tied three times at 5-5 after two, 6-6 after five and a half innings and 7-7 after six and a half. 1B Ron Armstrong drove in the winning run in the sixth with a single and Kernell put it out of reach with a two-run blast in the seventh. Sugar Valley got excellent work from its bullpen. Val Watford held the V's to one run in three innings and winning pitcher Dale Bixler (1-0) stopped them on one run in his four innings. Volusia starter Todd Wolfe was the loser. He was banged around hard for eight runs in six innings. CF Ryan Raines clouted two out of the park and drove in five runs to spark the Vigilantes.

Tycobbian Union

Turon Trips Up Hartsdale 5-2, One Game Up
The Turon Typhoons tripped up Hartsdale 5-2 at Typhoon Stadium in game three of the Sweet 16 Series to take a 2-1 edge in the best-of-five series. A strong start from Freddi Spiegel (1-0) put them in a good position, needing only one more victory to advance to the Elite 8. Spiegel permitted only three hits in a complete-game effort. He had a no-hitter until LF Rob Welch led off the fifth with a solo homer and evened the score at 1-all. Turon took charge in the fifth on 1B Boots Dubois' two-run triple and boosted it even further in the seventh on LF Bruce Boatman's RBI double and Spiegel's sac fly. That made the score 5-1. Mark Sakelaris (0-1) was the losing pitcher. The Typhoons got to him for five runs in six innings.

Nats Stay in the Hunt, Schwartz Blanks Bayview 6-0
Ozarka got back to the comfort of Ellie Ewing Stadium and got back in the hunt for the IPA Pro Cup. Pat Schwartz hurled a masterful 6-0 shutout over Bayview in game three of the Sweet 16 Series. The 28-year-old righthander mezmerized the Vikings on three hits to cut Bayview's lead to a game in the best-of-five series. Ozarka needs two more wins to move on to the next round, while the Viks need just one more victory. Ozarka stroked nine hits off three Bayview pitchers with 2B Todd Chadwick belting two triples and driving in two runs. LF Vic Weinstein, RF Ronnie Patterson and pitcher Schwartz also batted in a run apiece. Charlie Tubbs (0-1) was nailed with the loss. He was clipped for six runs in his five-plus innings.

Champs Trim Blue Jays 7-2 on Cruz's 3-Hitter
Arlon got back into the Sweet 16 Series with a strong outing by Armando Cruz. He limited Tuckanarra to just three hits and two runs in a 7-2 victory. The Champions faced elimination with a loss and Cruz (1-0) really came through for them. He no-hit the Blue Jays until the seventh when LF Corey Tavington singled. Tuckanarra finally got to him for two unearned runs in the ninth, but by then it was too late as Arlon had a seven-run lead. 3B Nicky Sweet was the Champs big bat with five RBIs, including an eighth-inning grand slam. Blue Jay starter Delaney Elliott (0-1) did a good job in defeat. He held Arlon to two runs and six hits in his seven innings, but left trailing 2-0. The Champions collected nine hits with Sweet, CF Steve Barnett, RF Chucky Gilton and 1B Jay Dunbar all getting two hits each.

Oxford Holds Off 'Canes 4-3, Trails 2-1 in Series
The Oxford Red Caps jumped out to a 4-0 lead after four innings and held on to edge Cape Coral 4-3 in game three of the TU Sweet 16 playoffs. The win cut the Hurricanes lead to two games to one and kept the Red Caps alive in the postseason. Dan Phillips (1-0) went eight innings for the victory, yielding two runs on seven hits. Cape Coral threatened in the top of the ninth. With two outs, one run in and runners on first and second, reliever Ramsey Thacker got SS Raoul Betencourt swinging to put a stop to the rally. CF Wayne McDonald and 2B Carl Graeme both had two hits and two RBIs to pace the Red Caps. McDonald homered in the first with one aboard. The Hurricanes outhit Oxford 9-6 and were led by 3B Kenny Hall with 2 runs batted in. Ronald Blevins was tagged with the defeat, allowing four runs in his four innings. He walked five and gave up three hits.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 23, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Sweet 16

Three more division winners were eliminated today from the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Volusia topped the RU East champs, the Sugar Valley Rattlers, while over in the Tycobbian Union Bayview upset the TU East titlists, the Ozarka Naturals, and Cape Coral knocked off the Oxford Red Caps, who won the TU North crown.

Ruthlandian Union

Schmitz Hurls V's Past Rattlers, Elite 8 Bound
At Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley, the Volusia Vigilantes eliminated the hometown Rattlers from the Pro Cup playoffs behind the strong pitching of Carl Schmitz (2-0 1.50), who stopped them 4-2 on six hits, while striking out four and walking one. The V's won three of the four games to advance to the Elite 8 Series. It was Schmitz's second win in the postseason. The tall and lanky 6' 6" southpaw also won the series opener 3-1. LF Winky Rush (.545) gave Schmitz all the runs he needed with a three-run clout in the second inning. Volusia only got six hits off losing pitcher Ted Farentino (0-2 2.25), but they tagged him for four runs in his eight innings. Sugar Valley got its runs in the second on 2B Casey Leeburn's (.417) single and on 1B Ron Armstrong's (.385) solo smash in the fourth inning.

The Vigilantes will now go up against the Elnora All-Stars, who upset the Pro Cup favorite, the Middlefield Roosters.

Valka Rallies, Beats Vipers 9-4, Series Even 2-2
In the fourth game of the Elite 8 Series, Bobby Karu was not at his sharpest and after four innings Valka trailed Valmara 3-1 and were in danger of being knocked out of the Pro Cup playoffs. The Blackhawks even got further behind in the top of the fifth, falling behind 4-1. Then the Valka bats went to work and battered Russell Greene for six runs to take a 7-4 lead. Valka added single runs in the sixth and seventh to make the final score 9-4. That was good enough to tie the series at two games apiece and set the stage for tomorrow afternoon's fifth and decisive game at Cybertel Park.

The Blackhawks pounded out 12 hits and were sparked by LF Benny Colter (.188), SS Donnie Allgood (.273) and 3B Bobby Stroud (.333), who drove in pair of runs each. Colter and Stroud both blasted home runs. Karu (2-0 2.81) notched the victory, but labored with his control. He walked six in seven innings, allowed four runs and six hits, but managed to hang on for the win. Valka's superb closer Kaido Oras held the Vipers scoreless for the last two innings to seal the verdict. Greene (0-2 6.17) was the loser, giving up seven runs in his four-plus frames.

Tycobbian Union

Vikings KO Ozarka 3-2, Advance to Elite 8
Bayview scored early and then had to hold on for dear life as the Ozarka Naturals made a desparate rally in the ninth. When it was all over the Vikings escaped with a 3-2 win and a berth in the TU Elite 8 Series. Bayview knocked Ozarka out of the postseason with its third win in four games. Norm Roy (2-0 3.78) hurled a standout game, yielded just six hits, while walking two and fanning five.

Bayview ran up a 3-0 lead after two innings against Alec DiMaggio. 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.125) and SS Kris Benson (.375) singled in runs in the first inning and LF Kelton Carpenter (.167) drove in the other one in the second frame with a flelder's choice. DiMaggio (0-2 3.97) worked into the seventh and suffered the defeat. He allowed three runs on five hits with four strikeouts and five walks.

The Nats made Bayview sweat in the bottom of the ninth. 3B Nathan Ferrell (.467) doubled in one run and 1B Augie Risdahl (.188) single in another. Roy then walked two batters to load the bases with two outs. Bayview skipper Walter Johanssen went to the mound to relieve the tiring Roy, but was talked out of it. Johanssen left him in and he finished off the Naturals by getting pinchhitter Karl Claussen on a groundout to end the game and send the Vikings to the next round against the Arlon-Tuckanarra victor.

Cape Coral Edges Oxford 4-3, Wins Elite 8 Series
Another division champ fell to the wayside today. At Winchester Park in Oxford, the Red Caps were poised to even up their Pro Cup Elite 8 Series with the Cape Coral Hurricanes at two games each. They were ahead 3-1 after seven innings in game four and had gotten rid of the Hurricanes 20-game winner Cody Burg - but it wasn't to be - Cape Coral rallied in the late innings and edged the Red Caps 4-3 with the winning score coming on 2B Hoshi Sato's (.235) ninth-inning home run. Sato's solo blast off losing pitcher Ramsey Thacker (0-1 6.75) sent the Hurricanes to the Elite 8 and the Red Caps home for the winter. 1B Marvin Randow (.467) had tied it up 3-3 with a two-run double in the last of the eighth.

Burg (1-0 2.51) started for the Hurricanes and worked six innings. He allowed only four hits, fanned four and walked none, but was touched for three runs. 3B Joe Courtney (.429) got to Burg for a double in the second and rode in on LF Mack Spencer's (.125) grounder to second. Sato evened it up at 1-1 in the third with an RBI single, only to have Courtney rip a two-run roundtripper in the last of the fourth to give the Red Caps a 3-1 margin. Oxford had its ace on the mound, but Boomer Belinsky couldn't hold it, mainly due to his wildness. Belinsky worked seven innings, gave up four hits and three runs, while walking eight batters. The victory went to Hadley Frasch (1-0), who held the Red Caps hitless over the final three frames. The Hurricanes had the advantage in hits 6 to 4 over Oxford.

Cape Coral will tangle with the winner of the Turon-Hartsdale in the TU Elite 8 Series.

Masson Blanks Blue Jays 4-0, Arlon Evens Up Series
The Arlon Champions are back in business. They have won two straight to even up the Sweet 16 Series with Tuckanarra. Andre Masson twirled a seven-hit shutout and kept the Champs in the running for the Pro Cup. Masson (1-1 2.12) easily outpitched 27-game winner Titus Bristow, who suffered a rare off-day. Masson ended the day with seven Ks and four walks and kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard. Arlon got rid of Bristow (1-1 5.06) in a hurry, shelling him for four runs and six hits in one and two-thirds innings. LF Rocco Bellasario (.600) doubled in two runs in the opening inning, while in the second C Juanito Luque (.267) had an RBI double and CF Steve Barnett (.353) an RBI single. Belasario and Barnett socked three hits each and Luque got two to top the Champs.

Game five will be held tomorrow afternoon at Derby Downs in Arlon. The winner will advance to the Elite 8 against Ozarka or Bayview.

Hellcats Edge Turon 6-3 in 14th, Series Tied 2-2
At Typhoon Stadium in Turon, Hartsdale tied the Sweet 16 Series at two games each. The Hellcats edged the Typhoons 6-3 with a back-to-back homer barrage in the 14th inning. RF Mark Buchanan (.294) walloped a two-run blast and 3B Kendry Moulton (.429) followed it with another solo shot to upend Turon. Manager Zim Donner got a superb relief job from Danny Griffin (1-0 0.00), who shut down Turon on one hit over the final four frames for the win. The loss was chalked up to Jeb Pickett (0-1 5.40), who went five innings and permitted three runs on five hits. The hitting hero was Moulton with three RBIs. He cracked six hits in seven tries to lead the Hellcats.

Hartsdale almost gave the game away. Starter Ben Manderson was on cruise control with a two-hit shutout until the last of the ninth. He had a 3-0 lead, but got smacked around and allowed the Typhoons to tie it up and send it into overtime. 3B Eric Hix's (.063) groundout plated the first run and LF Bruce Boatman (.300) tied it with a two-run single. The Hellcats racked up 14 hits to Turon's five.

It will be settled tomorrow afternoon with game five to be played in Turon. The winner will get a spot in the Pro Cup Elite 8.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 24, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Sweet 16

Finally, Division Winners Win

A few division winners finally showed their muscles and won a Sweet 16 Series. Valka of the RU North and Arlon of the TU West came back from deficit to win their series. Turon of the TU South also prevailed in its series. All of them will now move on to the IPA Elite 8 and join five second-place finishers in the battle for the 2006 IPA Pro Cup. Former winners still in the running are Volusia, which won in 2001 and Turon, which was the champ in 2003. Last year titlist Middlefield and this year's favorite lost out to surprising Elnora in a three-game sweep. The Elite 8 Series are slated to start tomorrow afternoon.

Ruthlandian Union

Valka Wins Sweet 16, Eliminates Valmara 8-1
The Valka Blackhawks roared back from a two games to one deficit and won the Sweet 16 round with the Valmara Vipers. They got a strong start from Aato Neetar (1-1 3.75), who made up for a poor start in game two by stopping the Vipers 8-1 in the fifth and decisive game. Neetar allowed eight hits, fanned four and walked one and went the distance. The Blackhawks backed him up with three homers. RF Vic Gelder (.214) had a two-run shot in the second, 1B Marlin Kiefer (.364) a three-run homer also in the second and LF Benny Colter (.200) hit one out in the seventh, good for the last two runs. Taking the loss was Andre Trepanier (1-1 5.06), who was slammed for five runs in the second. 2B Floyd Vinson (.294) accounted for Valmara's only score with a solo roundtripper in the fourth frame.

Valka will have to play its RU South rival Claxton in the Elite 8 Series. The Diamonds swept Taranto in three games in the opening round. The best-of-five series will begin tomorrow afternoon in Valka at Cybertel Park.

Tycobbian Union

Champs Rebound, Beat Blue Jays 9-7 in Game 5
The Arlon Champions were down two games to none, but Tuckanarra couldn't finish them off. Gary Louis' Champs bounced back and took the last three games to win the Sweet 16 and advance to the Elite 8. Arlon also had to rally in game five. They trailed 6-3 going into the last of the fifth, narrowed the gap to 6-5 with two scores, then erupted for four more runs in the sixth and finally won out 9-7. The Champs top bats were 1B Jay Dunbar (.389) with five hits and five RBIs and C Juanito Luque (.300) with two hits and two RBIs, while CF Steve Barnett (.350) and LF Rocco Belasario d(.500) each scored twice in the game.

Arlon also needed bullpen help and got it. Connie Gavagan (1-0 1.93) came on in the fifth and pretty much blitzed the Blue Jays the rest of the way. Gavagan got credit for the victory and held Tuckanarra to one run in four and two-thirds innings. The losing pitcher was Roy Spence (1-1 4.50), who was battered for nine runs in his five innings.

Both teams piled up 12 hits each. Pacing Tuckanarra were 1B LF Corey Tavington (.316), 3B Duncan Renwick (.350) and SS Lee Thomson (.375), all with three hits and a pair of runs batted in. Tavington scored three times and Thomson twice. Tavington jacked the only homer in the game.

Arlon will entertain the Bayview Vikings at Derby Downs with the Elite 8 Series beginning tomorrow afternoon. The Viks eliminated Ozarka in four games. The Naturals were favored in a poll to play Middlefield for the Pro Cup this season.

Longstreet Fires 6-0 Shutout, Turon Tops Hartsdale
In game two of the Sweet 16 Series James Longstreet came out on the short end of a 2-1 score against Phil Reed, but not in the crucial fifth and deciding game of the series. Longstreet fired a six-hit shutout to spark the Turon Typhoons to a 3-0 triumph over the Hartsdale Hellcats. Longstreet (1-1 0.53) walked no one and struck out two and went the distance to salvage the series. Reed (1-1 2.25) pitched well, but not good enough. He surrendered three runs on six hits, struck out five and issued two bases on balls. Turon scored in the opening inning on a single by lead-off hitter 2B J. L. Lawrence (.250) and an RBI double by CF Mac McCurnan (.286). The Typhoons added two more in the sixth on 1B Boots Dubois' (.176) RBI single and a groundout by 3B Eric Hix (.056).

Turon, managed by Ashton "Whitey" Richburn, will now move on to the Elite 8 and take on Huggy Miller and his Cape Coral Hurricanes. Turon will host the first two games at Typhoon Stadium. The Hurricanes whipped powerful Oxford in four games. The Red Caps had won 93 games this season and claimed the TU North Division crown.

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 25, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Elite 8

Ruthlandian Union

Claxton Clobbers Valka 11-4 In Elite 8 Opener
At Cybertel Park in Valka, the Claxton bats continued to sizzle in the opener of the Elite 8 Series. The Diamonds rattled the boards for 18 hits on the way to an easy 11-4 victory over the hometown Blackhawks. Everyone in the Claxton line-up got at least one base hit. 2B Mac Smith (.471) was the leader with 3-for-4 and four RBIs. SS Jimmy Marciunas (.533) hit his third postseason homer and scored three times. C Allen Lemay (.500) and 1B Mike Luzzatti (.563) also chipped in three hits apiece in the rout. Terry Kuznetsov (2-0 4.24) notched the win, allowing four runs and nine hits with seven Ks and two walks. Losing pitcher Daryl Vannoy (0-2) was victimized for five runs in his three innings.

Volusia Batters Elnora 8-0, Espaderos Blanks 'Em
The Volusia Vigilantes and Hernando Espaderos took care of business at the Jailhouse in Volusia. The V's copped game one in the best-of-five Elite 8 Series as Espaderos blanked Elnora 8-0, giving up only five singles, while walking three and fanning six batters. The Vigilantes battered the All-Stars for 15 hits and were led by RF Briscoe Crowder (.286) with three hits and three RBIs and 2B Scooter Perez (.368) with two triples, a single, two runs scored and two runs batted in. CF Ryan Raines (368) went 2-for-4, scored twice and batted in one run. Volusia bombed 23-game winner Taylor Gibbs (1-1 4.20) for five runs in six innings and sent him down to one of his few defeats this year.

Tycobbian Union

Arlon Nips Bayview 4-3 in First Game
In the first game of the Elite 8 Series, Arlon got the best of Bayview 4-3 at Derby Downs in Arlon. The Champs ran up a 3-0 margin after six innings, then had to stave off the Vikings. Armando Cruz (2-0 1.20) was the winning pitcher, but he needed help from Jim Davis. Cruz worked six strong innings, yielded six hits and two runs with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. Davis labored in his three innings, but got the save. He was tagged for four hits and one unearned run. With one out in the ninth and runners on first and second, Davis induced a double-play ball to wrap up the win.

Arlon collected nine hits and were paced by SS Connie Landers (.200), LF Rocco Belasario (.500), 3B Nicky Sweet (.238) and C Juanito Luque (.333), all who drove in a run. The Vikings had 10 hits in the game and were led by 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.150), who doubled and scored a run and CF Tommy Riddle (.389) with two hits, an RBI and a run scored. SS Kris Benson (.350) also tripled and scored a run for Bayview.

Typhoons Blow Away Hurricanes In Elite 8 Opener
In the first game of the Elite 8 Series at Turon, the Typhoons blew away the Cape Coral Hurricanes 12-2. Freddi Spiegel stopped the Hurricanes on six hits to collect his second postseason win. Spiegel (2-0 2.00) went all the way, whiffed six and walked three. Turon's bats were also booming. They socked 15 hits with CF Mac McCurnan (.385) getting four of them and LF Bruce Boatman (.278), RF Andy Porter (.304) and C Todd Somerset (.333) chipping in a pair apiece. Somerset had a three-run homer, McCurnan tripled in two and Porter singled in a pair of scores. 3B Eric Hix (.100) also had two sac flies for the victors. In a dismal performance Doug Lyons (1-1 3.60) took the loss, surrendering nine runs in six innings. However, only five were earned.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Elite 8

Ruthlandian Union

Baker's Homers Lead Claxton by Valka 4-3
It was a perfect game for RF Dixie Baker. He went 4-for-4, homered to tie the scored at 3-all in the eighth, then won it 4-3 in the tenth with another four-bagger, his third of the playoffs. It was Claxton second consecutive triumph over Valka in the best-of-five Elite 8 Series. The Diamonds came back from a 3-1 deficit after five innings. Manager Stacy Engel got excellent work out of his bullpen as Pat Grange and Tom Dahl blanked the Blackhawks over the last four innings. Dahl (1-0 0.00) got the victory with a scoreless ninth and tenth. Closer Kaido Oras (0-1 2.25) absorbed the loss when he gave up Baker's game-winning blast. Claxton outhit Valka 11 to 7 led by Baker's (.350) four hits. The Blackhawks best bats were 3B Bobby Stroud (.370) with two RBIs and CF Jimmy Tremayne (.296) with one run batted in.

Claxton will now head home to Avalon Stadium and try to wrap up the series. One more victory will send the Diamonds to the Pro Cup Final 4.

V's Shut Out All-Stars Again, Up 2-0 in Elite 8
Manager Alfonso Feliz got outstanding pitching for the second game in a row as Carl Schmitz shut out Elnora 1-0 in game two of the Elite 8 Series. It was Schmitz's (3-0 1.00) third win in the playoffs. He stumped the All-Stars on just two hits. CF Sammy Marlaire (.333) had a first-inng double and pitcher Leland Shaddock (.167) got another double in the second inning. That was it. Schmitz fanned four and issued three walks in a sparkling performance. Shaddock (1-1 3.38) also pitched quite a game. He only allowed five hits. The only run in the game came in the fourth frame when RF Briscoe Crowder (.292) doubled with one away, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on 3B Warren McDaniel's (.261) RBI single.

The best-of-five series will now switch to Elnora for game three. It will be played at State Fair Park. One more win for Volusia will send the All-Stars home until next year and put the Vigilantes in the Pro Cup semi-finals, the Final 4 Series.

Tycobbian Union

Bayview Bops Arlon 6-3, Elite 8 Even at 1-1
On the road in Arlon at Derby Downs, the Bayview Vikings claimed a costly victory and evened the series at one game each. The Viks defeated the Champions 6-3 in game two of the Elite 8 Series, but in the process lost their ace starter Norm Roy. He went out with a bad back in the sixth inning, leading 6-0. Roy (3-0 2.86) got credit for his third postseason win with five and a third shutout innings. Roy stopped Arlon on just two hits in his stint. His relief was not as effective, but they did save the game for him. Johnny Cole gave up three runs in his two-plus innings, while closer Josh Glover pitched a scoreless ninth.

The defeat was charged to Andre Masson (1-2 4.05), who allowed five runs in three innings. RF Ted Karno's (.211) bases-loaded double accounted for three runs in the four-run fourth. CF Tommy Riddle (.409) had a solo salvo in the second inning for Bayview. The Vikings had the edge in hits 9 to 8.

The site of games three and four will be Downtown Plaza Stadium in Bayview.

Cape Coral Splits with Turon, Belts Typhoons 8-4
Cape Coral 22-game winner Cody Burg stemmed the tide and stopped Turon 8-4 to gain a split in the first two games of the Elite 8 Series at Typhoon Stadium. Burg went the distance, but was touched for 11 hits. He struck out eight and issued on two bases on balls. Luckily the Hurricanes bats came out in force and supported him with lots of runs. LF Paul Phelps (.286) and 3B Kenny Hall paced them with two RBIs apiece. Hall (.450), 2B Hoshi Sato (.240) and SS Raoul Betencourt (.280) led Cape Coral with two hits each. C Todd Somerset (.387) was Turon's top bat with three hits and two RBIs. Somerset slammed his 3rd playoff homer. The losing pitcher was Scotty Boswell (1-1 3.43), who hit the showers early after giving up seven runs in the first four innings.

Games three and four will take place in Cape Coral at Seaside Stadium tomorrow and Thursday.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Elite 8

Ruthlandian Union

Valka Trims Claxton 2-1 for 1st Elite 8 Win
Just like they did three days ago Valka needed a win in the worst way and Aato Neetar got it for them. Neetar won the fifth game of the Sweet 16 and kept the Blackhawks alive in the Pro Cup playoffs and he did it again today at Avalon Stadium in Claxton. Neetar stopped hot-hitting Claxton 2-1 to keep Valka in the postseason. A loss would have sent them home for the year. The victory narrowed the Diamonds lead to 2-1 in the Elite 8 Series.

It was an excellent pitching duel between Neetar and Dennis Scott. Neetar (2-1 2.18) limited Claxton to one unearned run and four hits in his eight and two-thirds innings. He chalked up six Ks and walked two, but needed closer Kaito Oras (0-0 2.28) to save it for him. Oras relieved with a 2-0 lead, two outs and two runners on, but committed an error that allowed the Diamonds their first run of the game. With the tying run on second Oras fanned SS Jimmy Marciunas for the final out of the game. The Blackhawks got their only runs in the seventh on a two-run single by Neetar (.375), who is also a fine hitter. Scott (1-1 2.65) worked a fine game, yielding only two runs on seven hits, while fanning seven and walking three in eight innings. Valka had the edge in hits 8 to 4.

Claxton will get another chance to finish off Valka tomorrow afternoon in Claxton. If needed, game five will be played in Valka at Cybertel Park.

Elnora Homers Past V's 6-4, Trails by a Game
At home at State Fair Park, Elnora finally broke into the win column in the Elite 8 Series with Volusia. The All-Stars powered past the Vigilantes 6-4 with three home runs and now trail two games to one. 2B Johnny Zumwalt (.150) slapped a two-run shot in the third inning, 3B Dmitri Vrotsos (.360) got a solo homer in the fourth and C Todd Simons (.300) hit the eventual game-winner with a three-run salvo in the fifth. The homers put Elnora up 6-1 and they held on to win. Warren Paul (1-0 3.97) got the win with help from Harry Dye, who allowed no runs in his one and two thirds innings of relief. Tony Hartwig (0-1) was the loser. He was tagged for six runs in four-plus innings. Volusia outhit Elnora 11 to 8. RF Briscoe Crowder (.276) paced the Vigilantes with a two-run homer.

Elnora will try to even up the best-of-five series at two games each tomorrow afternoon at home. Should the series go five games, the finale will be held in Volusia at the Jailhouse.

Tybobbian Union

Turon Takes Lead Over Cape Coral 7-2 in Game 3
The Turon bats woke up in the late innings and whacked Cape Coral 7-2 at Seaside Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in games in the Elite 8 Series. One more victory and the Typhoons will advance to the Pro Cup Final 4. LF Bruce Boatman (.308) went 3-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored to top the hitters and James Longstreet (2-1 1.04) hurled a complete game to spark Turon. Longstreet walked six, but held the Hurricanes to just two runs on seven hits. Cape Coral took a 1-0 lead on LF Paul Phelps (.278) solo homer in the fourth inning, but Turon got to work on loser Ronald Blevins (0-2 8.71) with three runs in the sixth and seventh to seal his fate. The Typhoons totaled 11 hits overall.

Game four is scheduled for Cape Coral. Should a fifth game be necessary, it will be played in Turon's Typhoon Stadium.

Viks Take Lead in Elite 8, Clip Champs 7-4
Playing in the friendly confines of Downtown Plaza Stadium, the Bayview Vikings went one-game up on Arlon in the Elite 8 Series. The Vikings clipped the Champs 7-4 in game three to take the lead two games to one. Bayview was led by 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.200) with two hits, two runs and two RBIs, including a home run that proved to be the winning runs in the fifth inning. That put the Viks up 6-1. LF Kelton Carpenter (.226) also had a home run and scored twice and SS Kris Benson (.310) drove in a pair of runs.

Charlie Tubbs (1-1 4.91) struggled with his control but came out the winner. Tubbs went the route and permitted only four hits, but walked six. LF Rocco Belasario (.400) got to him for a solo roundtripper in the fourth frame and 1B Jay Dunbar (.321) cracked a three-run job in the eighth to get Arlon back in the ball game 6-4. The defeat went to Kurt DeHaan (0-2 6.75), who was belted for six runs in six innings.

Game four is slated for Bayview tomorrow, while game five, if needed, will be Friday in Arlon at Derby Downs.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 28, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Elite 8

Ruthlandian Union

5 HRs Send Volusia to Final 4, Elnora Falls 8-6
Volusia rode five home runs into the RU Pro Cup Final 4. The Vigilantes prevailed 8-6 in game four of the Elite 8 Series with Elnora to take the series three games to one. 2B Scooter Perez (.400) hit two of them and LF Winky Rush (.393), SS Bobby Farias (.258) and 3B Warren McDaniel (.290) banged out one apiece. Perez went 5-for-5, scored three times and batted in two runs.

The V's had to battle back from a 3-0 first-inning deficit. They hammered three homers in the third inning off Taylor Gibbs (1-2 6.00) and regained the lead at 5-3 and increased it to 7-3 in the seventh. Hernando Espaderos (3-0 3.04) settled down after a rough opening inning and notched the win. He gave up four runs in seven-plus innings with six strikeouts and a walk. Elnora threatened in the ninth when pinchhitter Sammy Marlaire (.385) hit a two-run clout off Raul Sandoval and cut the lead to 8-6. However, Todd Wolfe managed to get the final three outs and save it.

The Vigilantes racked up 12 hits to 11 for the All-Stars. CF Rick Mulloy (.231) and LF Quincy Peterson (.222) paced Elnora with two RBIs each.

Claxton Makes the Final 4, Whips Valka 12-8
The Claxton Diamonds outgunned the Valka Blackhawks 12-8 in game four of the Elite 8 Series and will now advance to the RU Final 4 against the Volusia Vigilantes. The Diamonds piled up four runs in the first inning and added seven more in the second to take an 11-1 lead, then held off the Blackhawks for a 12-8 victory in the fourth and decisive game. Claxton won the series three games to one.

Claxton lashed out 12 hits and were sparked by C Allen Lemay with a homer and four RBIs, 2B Mac Smith (.379) with a three-run triple and SS Jimmy Marciunas (.440) with three hits, two runs and one RBI. Valka also racked up 11 hits and were paced by SS Donnie Allgood (.231) with a grand-slam homer, 1B Marlin Kiefer (.421) with four hits, two runs scored and a run batted in and 3B Bobby Stroud (.343) with two runs driven in. Allgood, Kiefer and Stroud all smashed home runs. Bobby Banner (1-0 0.00) worked a scoreless fourth inning and registered the win with the defeat going to starter Daryl Vannoy (0-3), who had his third straight rough outing.

Tycobbian Union

Champs Win 5-3, Arlon-Bayview Series Even at 2-2
Arlon's 24-year-old righthander Armando Cruz continued his outstanding postseason performance as he stopped the tough Bayview Vikings 5-3 in game four to even the Elite 8 Series at two games each. Cruz (3-0 1.69) won his third playoff game with the help of reliever Connie Gavagan. Cruz worked six-plus innings and held the Vikings to two runs. He exited with a 5-2 lead. Gavagan finished up for him and got the save, but did yield a run in the eighth.

LF Rocco Belasario (.394) slammed a crucial two-run triple in the fifth to give the Champs a 4-1 lead. 1B Jay Dunbar (.313) also chipped in an insurance home run in the sixth to make the score 5-1. Bayview collected 12 hits to Arlon's 8 and were led by RF Ted Karno (.296) and 3B James Scott (.448) with three hits apiece. Scott batted in two runs and racked up two doubles and a homer. Viking starter Frank Wells (0-1 4.91) caught the loss as he was shelled for four runs in four-plus innings.

Game five will be tomorrow afternoon at Derby Downs in Arlon. The winner will move ahead to the TU Final 4 against Cape Coral or Turon with that series set to get underway on Saturday.

Hurricanes Shell Turon 9-4, Knot Series at 2 Each
Playing at home the Cape Coral Hurricanes had two big innings to shell Turon 9-4 and knotted up the Elite 8 Series at two games each, setting the stage for the series finale tomorrow afternoon at Typhoon Stadium in Turon. It was the 'Canes big bats that brought home the victory.

A four-run fifth and a five-run seventh did the job. 2B Hoshi Sato (.250) unloaded a bases-loaded homer to lead the way. CF Bobby Josker (.321) had two hits and two RBIs as well. However, Turon had the most hits, 10 to 9 over the Hurricanes. Starter Doug Lyons (2-1 3.63) and reliever Hadley Frasch teamed up to top the Typhoons. Lyons was the winner as he worked seven-plus decent innings and allowed four runs, three of them earned, while Frasch held Turon scoreless and got the last five outs of the contest. Freddi Spiegel (2-1 3.00), who has pitched so well for the Typhoons in the postseason, couldn't do it today and sustained the loss. Spiegel gave up four runs in his six innings. He struck out six and issued five walks. Spiegel left trailing 4-1.

Turon's fine first baseman Boots Dubois (.214) was injured early in the game. He suffered a bruised heel running the bases and could miss a few days.

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 29, 2006

2006 Islandian Pro Alliance Pro Cup Series - Elite 8

Tycobbian Union

Vikings Victorious, Nip Arlon 2-1, Go To Final 4
In a tense pitching duel at Derby Downs in Arlon, Bayview's Wally Tidwell got the best of Andre Masson and the Vikings nipped the Champs 2-1. Bayview will now advance to the TU Final 4. The Viks won the Elite 8 Series three games to two. Tidwell (2-1 1.96) was as sharp as a tack as he went the route and stopped Arlon on five hits, fanned three and walked three. Masson (1-3 3.67) also hurled a strong game, allowing only two runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out seven and giving up two bases on balls.

Bayview won the game in the third inning with RBI singles by C Hank Bethel (.267) and 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.212). Arlon finally got one in the sixth on a double by CF Steve Barnett (.278), a walk to LF Rocco Belasario (.361), a single by RF Chucky Gilton (.324) and an RBI groundout by 1B Jay Dunbar (.278). It was Dunbar's 11th run batted in during the playoffs.

The Pro Cup Final 4 will begin tomorrow afternoon. It will be Volusia playing Claxton at Avalon Stadium for the Ruthlandian Union title and Bayview will oppose the winner of the Cape Coral-Turon Elite 8 Series in the Tycobbian Union Final 4. Both series will be best-of-five.

Turon Trims 'Canes 2-1, Plays Viks in Final 4
Turon won game five to win the Elite 8 Series three games to two over Cape Coral. Scotty Boswell, a 6' 7" righthander, beat the Hurricanes 2-1 to eliminate Cape Coral from the playoffs and move the Typhoons into the TU Final 4 against the Bayview Vikings. Boswell went the distance, checking the 'Canes on one run and six hits. Boswell (2-1 2.7) chalked up three Ks and walked three. To win Turon had to beat one of the best pitchers in the IPA. Cody Burg (2-1 2.59) also pitched a complete game, allowed 11 hits, but only two runs, struck out nine and walked nobody. This was the first time Burg has lost a postseason game. He was 6-0 in 8 starts prior to this defeat. Boswell is also 6-1 in 9 playoff assignments.

Cape Coral got an early lead with a run in the opening frame. 3B Kenny Hall (.333) had a bunt single and scored on an RBI double by 2B Hoshi Sato (.257). In the fourth the Typhoons tied the score at 1-all. CF Mac McCurnan (.395) beat out a bunt to lead off the inning, stole a base and came around to score on a double by 1B Tommy Jahn (.333). McCurnan scored the winning run in the eighth when he singled, stole second and rode home on Andy Porter's (.293) base hit. McCurnan went 3-for-4 in the game.

Bayview will be the home team for the first two TU Final 4 games. They will entertain Turon at Downtown Plaza Stadium with game one tomorrow afternoon. They tied with 89 regular season victories, but the Vikings were 4-2 in head-to-head competition.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 30, 2006

IPA Pro Cup Series Down to Four Clubs

The teams in the IPA Pro Cup Series have been whittled down to just four teams. Claxton, Volusia, Bayview and Turon have made the cut for the Final 4 which gets underway today. They are just one series away from the Pro Cup Finals which will decide the overall champion of the Islandian Pro Alliance. Volusia won the Pro Cup in 2001 and Turon took it in 2003.

Representing the Ruthlandian Union will be the Volusia Vigilantes and the Claxton Diamonds. The series will open up at Avalon Stadium in Claxton for the first two games. The V's (88-66) finished second to Middlefield in the RU West, while the Diamonds (96-59) were runner-up To Valka in the RU North.

Over in the Tycobbian Union the Bayview Vikings (89-65) will go up against the Turon Typhoons (89-65). The Vikings will be the home team in games one and two because they won the season series between the two clubs 4-2. The TU Final 4 will begin today at Downtown Plaza Stadium.

Ruthlandian Union

Volusia - Opponents
BA: .278 - .245
Runs: 825 - 646
HR: 117 - 118
ERA: 3.60
FA: .978

Claxton - Opponents
BA: .274 - .273
Runs: 840 - 721
HR: 167 - 151
ERA: 4.08
FA: .978

Tycobbian Union

Bayview - Opponents
BA: .287 -.263
Runs: 937 - 769
HR: 242 - 195
ERA: 4.34
FA: .974

Turon - Opponents
BA: .264 - .236
Runs: 745 - 577
HR: 139 - 118
ERA: 3.27
FA: .977

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 30, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Ruthlandian Union

Claxton Rolls Over Volusia 7-1 in Final 4 Opener
At home at Avalon Stadium, the Claxton Diamonds made it look easy as they rolled over Volusia 7-1 in game one of the RU Final 4 Series. The strong pitching of Dennis Scott (2-1 2.08) shut down the red-hot Vigilantes on seven hits, while striking out seven and walking four in a complete-game performance.

The Diamonds also pounded out 11 hits, led by LF Dixie Baker (.344) with three hits and four RBIs and 3B Bobby Ritter (.368) with three hits and two runs scored. C Allen Lemay (.424) added a two-run home run. Baker hit his 4th roundtripper of the playoffs, a three-run clout. He has driven in 10 runs in the postseason. Reliable Carl Schmitz (3-1 2.59), who has been invincible this postseason, just didn't have it today. He was bashed for nine hits and seven runs in four-plus innings. It was his first loss in the playoffs this year. SS Bobby Farias (.273) accounted for the V's only run with a solo homer.

Tycobbian Union

Turon Takes 1st Game, Bombs Bayview 10-2
The Turon Typhoons blew into Bayview and tore up the Vikings 10-2 in the first game of the TU Pro Cup Final 4 Series. The Typhoons hammered three homers and got a fine outing from James Longstreet (3-1 1.29). The big, tall righthander stymied the big bats of Bayview on seven hits, fanned three and walked three, while going the route and he got great run support with homers from 2B J. L. Lawrence, CF Mac McCurnan and LF Bruce Boatman. Lawrence (.241) hit a grand slam in the six-run first, McCurnan (.391) slammed a two-run shot in the second and Boatman (.300) got a solo job in the fourth. RF Andy Porter (.283) also drove in a pair of runs in the rout. Charley Tubbs (1-2 5.28) took the brunt of the attack and the loss as he allowed six runs in the first inning.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 1, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Ruthlandian Union

Baker Leads Diamonds to 2-0 Lead in Final 4
Dixie Baker drove in four runs to lead Claxton to a 5-4 comeback win over Volusia to take its second game in a row in the best-of-five Final 4 Series. Baker hit a three-run homer in the seventh to give the Diamonds a 4-3 lead and then won it in the bottom of the ninth with an infield hit that scored 1B Mike Luzzatti (.438), who doubled to lead off the inning. Baker (.361) drove in four runs in the game to give him 14 for the playoffs.

Closer Pat Grange (1-0 0.00) claimed the win with two-thirds of an inning in relief of starter Terry Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov and Hernando Espaderos had both labored to a 4-4 tie after eight and a half innings. Raul Sandoval (0-1 9.64) came on in the ninth for the Vigilantes and lost it. The V's were led at the plate by C Armando Villa (.406), who pounded two homers and drove in three runs. Volusia outhit Claxton 10-6, but dropped the game.

The series will now head south to Volusia for game three. Claxton will try and finish off the Vigilantes at the Jailhouse. One more win will do it.

Final 4 Even, Viks Edge Turon 6-5 in 10 Innings
The Bayview Vikings gained a split in the first two games of the Pro Cup Final 4 Series with Turon. In game two the Viks rallied to tie it up 4-4 in the last of the ninth and then rallied to win it 6-5 in the tenth. 2B Alan Hansen doubled in 3B James Scott with the tying run in the ninth and then Scott won it with a two-run walk-off homer in the tenth. Hansen (.250) topped Bayview with two doubles and three RBIs while Scott (.447) connected on three hits, scored three times and drove in two runs. Scott belted his 3rd roundtripper of the postseason and leads Bayview with 7 RBIs. CF Mac McCurnan (.412) paced the Typhoons with 3-for-5 and two RBIs.

The winning pitcher was reliever Josh Glover (1-0 0.00) and the loser was Jeb Pickett (0-2 8.44). Turon totaled 12 hits to 9 for the Vikings, but left 13 men stranded. Bayview played shoddy defense with four errors and gave up three unearned runs. Turon was flawless in the field.

Games three and four will be hosted by Turon at Typhoon Stadium. If a fifth game is needed, it will be played in Bayview.

The Islandian Times

Monday, October 2, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Ruthlandian Union

Wolfe Devours Diamonds 1-0, V's Trail 2-1
Volusia manager Alfonso Feliz took a chance and it paid off handsomely. He gave beleagued pitcher Todd Wolfe the start in game three of the RU Final 4 Series. It was a must game - a loss would have ended the Vigilantes season. Wolfe only had one start in the playoffs this year and was soundly thrashed. Since then he has been relegated to the bullpen. Feliz's gut decision paid off - Wolfe was superb in a 1-0 triumph over the Claxton Diamonds at the Jailhouse. He blanked them on just four singles, fanned seven and allowed four walks. Wolfe more than did his job. The V's are still alive in the playoffs, but still trail Claxton two games to one in the best-of-five series.

Losing pitcher Charlie Murphy (1-1 3.06) and his relief Doug Torvik were almost as tough, but C Armando Villa (.429) walloped a solo homer in the fifth to decide the game. It was Villa's 3rd postseason homer. Murphy worked six innings, yielded only five hits and one run with four Ks and a walk, while Torvik tossed two shutout innings.

Tycobbian Union

Boswell Beats Bayview 3-1, Turon Leads Final 4
At Typhoon Stadium in Turon, Scotty Boswell led the hometowners to a 3-1 victory over Bayview. That put the Typhoons up two games to one in the TU Final 4 Series. Boswell (3-1 2.31) continued his postseason dominance by holding the hard-hitting Vikings to just one run on seven hits. Boswell went the route, fanned eight and walked nobody. Turon took the lead in the opening frame on RF Andy Porter's two-run clout. It was Porter's 3rd roundtripper in the playoffs and 11th RBI. Viking CF Tommy Riddle's (.267) RBI single narrowed it to 2-1 in the fourth and LF Bruce Boatman (.265) made it 3-1 with a single in the fifth inning. The loss was pinned on starter Wally Tidwell (2-2 2.48), who allowed three runs on seven hits in his six-inning stint.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, October 3, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Ruthlandian Union

Final 4 Even, V's Schmitz Dumps Claxton 7-2
Lefty Carl Schmitz worked his magic again as Volusia staved off elimination with a 7-2 decision over Claxton at the Jailhouse to even up the best-of-five Final 4 Series at two games apiece. Schmitz (4-1 2.45) limited the Diamonds to two runs on seven hits and chalked up five Ks and walked none, while hurling a complete game.

The Vigilantes were up 3-2 going into the last of the sixth, when they erupted for three runs to expand the score to 6-2. Another blast gave them a five-run edge in the seventh. C Armando Villa (.410) continued a torrid postseason with his 4th roundtripper, a three-run shot, that gives him 11 RBIs. 3B Warren McDaniel (.273) also had a home run and batted in three runs. Diamond starter Dennis Scott (2-2 2.64) suffered a back injury in the fifth inning and had to be taken out. He was slapped around for three runs in his four-plus innings and took the loss. Scott gave up three hits and walked seven in a lousy outing and departed trailing 3-1.

The series will now switch back to Claxton for the Final 4 finale scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at Avalon Stadium.

Turon Tames Bayview 8-1, Pro Cup Finalist
One of the 2006 Pro Cup finalists has been determined. The Turon Typhoons tamed Bayview 8-1 to take the TU Final 4 Series three games to one. James Longstreet (4-1 1.22) twirled another fine game, scattering eight hits and giving up only one run. Longstreet went the distance, struck out three and issued three bases on balls. The Typhoons backed him up with 11 hits and capped off the victory with a six-run seventh. Turon was paced by RF Andy Porter (.286) with 2-for-3, a homer and a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. Porter upped his RBI total to 13 in the playoffs. CF Mac McCurnan (.386) added a two-run double and SS J. L. Lawrence (.263) contributed a single, double and two RBIs. Charlie Tubbs (1-3 6.35) suffered the loss as he was battered for all eight runs.

Turon skipper Ashton "Whitey" Richburn was all smiles after the clinching game. He assessed the the series this way, "I am blessed with three fine starters in Longstreet, Boswell and Spiegel and a good bullpen, too. We have a good all-around team with good pitching, hitting and fielding. I like our chances in the Pro Cup Series."

Bayview manager Walter Johanssen told reporters after the game, "Turon's pitchers are very talented. I've got an excellent hitting ball club, but we hardly got to first base against them. The Typhoons will represent Tycobbia very well in the Pro Cup finals. I'll be pulling for Whitey's team."

Turon will represent the Tycobbian Union in the IPA Pro Cup Series and will play the Ruthlandian Final 4 winner, either Volusia or Claxton. The Pro Cup championship series is slated for Thursday, two days from now.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Ruthlandian Union

Claxton Starter Scott Will Miss the Playoffs

The Claxton Diamonds announced today that one of their starting pitchers Dennis Scott is out for the season. He injured his back in the fourth game of the RU Final 4 Series against the Volusia Vigilantes. He suffered the 7-2 loss that evened the series at two games each. Scott was 11-4 in the regular season with a 3.50 ERA. In the postseason he has posted a 2-2 mark with a 2.64 ERA and has been important to the Diamonds playoff success. Scott will be out about a month with a herniated disc.

Claxton manager Stacy Engel told BNN, "This is devasting news. Dennis has been outstanding in the playoffs. He is pitching better than he ever has in his career. He will be greatly missed." Engel said Doug Torvik (17-10 4.30), the #4 starter in the regular season, will take Scott's slot in the postseason. Torvik has been the Diamonds long reliever in the playoffs. He has worked 7 innings in 3 games and compiled a 0-0 record with a 4.91 ERA with one save.

The fifth and deciding game of the series will be played today in Claxton at Avalon Stadium. The winner will proceed to the IPA Pro Cup championship round against the Tycobbian champ, the Turon Typhoons, who disposed of the Bayview Vikings in four games in the Final 4 series.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 4, 2006

2006 IPA Pro Cup Series - Final 4

Tycobbian Union

Volusia KO's Claxton, V's Play for Pro Cup
It will be Volusia and Turon in the 2006 IPA Pro Cup finals. The Vigilantes won the right with a stirring 5-4 triumph over the Claxton Diamonds in the fifth game of the RU Final 4. It was a tense struggle all the way. The V's took an early lead on RF Briscoe Crowder's (.275) solo shot in the second, but Claxton promptly retaliated with a three-run homer by SS Jimmy Marciunas (.381) in the bottom of the inning. Marciunas now has 4 in the playoffs. In the third frame 2B Scooter Perez (.333) tripled and scored on LF Winky Rush's (.347) deep sacrifice fly to narrow the score to 3-2. Volusia moved ahead 4-3 in the sixth on CF Ryan Raines' (.245) two-run blast, his 4th of the postseason. They added a crucial insurance run in the top of the ninth on three singles. 3B Warren McDaniel (.271) got the RBI. Trailing 5-3 in the last of the ninth, the Diamonds made it very interesting. With two outs pinchhitter Rance Murillo doubled to cut the margin to 5-4. However reliever Raul Sandoval got CF Jackie Faust (.200) to ground out to end the game and the series.

The winning pitcher was the V's starter Hernando Espaderos (4-0 3.49), who went seven innings, allowed five hits, three runs, fanned eight and walked four batters. Sandoval (0-1 8.10) got his second save with two innings of relief. He was touched for one run and two hits. Claxton starter Terry Kuznetsov (2-1 5.60) took the loss, yielding four runs on five hits in seven innings of work. He fanned five and walked one. Paul Grange (1-0 1.59) tossed the last two innings for the Diamonds and surrendered one run and four hits.

Turon and Volusia, two former Pro Cup champs, will open the IPA title series tomorrow at Typhoon Stadium in Turon. The first two games will be there. Games three through five, if necessary, will be at the Jailhouse in Volusia. Games six and seven, if needed, will return to Turon. The Typhoons got the home field advantage because of a better regular season record. Turon was 89-65, while the Vigilantes were 88-66. Volusia won the Pro Cup in the inaugural season in 2001, sweeping the Ginza Ninjas in four games. Turon took the crown in 2003, topping the Valmara Vipers in a three-game sweep. This will be the first time a team has won two Pro Cups.