txranger, a super-duper graphics whiz, has made me a new league logo for the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Many thanks to txranger for all the great service he renders to our OOTPB Community with his superb graphics (logos, jerseys, caps).

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, April 2, 2056

5 FLAG WINNERS WILL REPEAT IN '56
According to the baseball gurus all across Islandia, it will be business as usual in the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2056... five of the division winners from last year are forecast to win again, including the reigning Pro Cup champion, Wynnamac... the other expected repeat winners are Middlefield and Grand City in the Ruthlandian Union and Midway and Denton City in the Tycobbian Union... Taranto, Turon and Oxford have been picked to beat out last season's pennant winners, Far Mountain, Southport and White River.

Favorites for the 2056 IPA crown are the powerful Denton City Redbirds, Turon Typhoons and Middlefield Roosters with the Midway Wolves and Wynnamac Sundowners lurking nearby, too.

Ruthlandian Union

In the Ruthlandian North the Taranto Tars get the close call in a very hotly-contested race with five other clubs... they are all fairly equal... looks like it will be a logjam most of the season... none of the clubs will be a Pro Cup contender... not enough talent... here are the preseason predictions:

1. Taranto (2nd-tied)
2. Glasco Athletics (6th)
3. LaGrange Sports (4th)
4. Valmara Vipers (2nd-tied)
5. Ranford Bulls (5th)
6. Ancona Red Elephants (7th)
7. Kilkenny Cats (8th)
8. Far Mountain Redhawks (1st)

It going to be another tight race in the Ruthlandian South with the Grand City Cybercats looking to take the division for the second year in a row... but it won't be easy to repeat...just like last year Waleska and Crystal Lake will be in the thick of things, too... Valka won't go down easy, either... the division is weak overall... the flag winner won't go far into the playoffs... usually a first-round loser.

1. Grand City Cybercats (1st)
2. Waleska Westerners (2nd)
3. Crystal Lake Skippers (4th)
4. Valka Blackhawks (3rd)
5. Belair Beach Sunbirds (5th)
6. St. John Crusaders (7th)
7. San Dimas Rancheros (6th)
8. Claxton Diamonds (8th)

For the past four years the current IPA champion Wynnamac Sundowners have come away with the Ruthlandian East title... and they get the call this season, too, but not by much over Marston, Belle Plaine and Elnora... it just might be a four or five-team dog fight... should the Macs win again, they always play well in the postseason... not too sure the others have pitching good enough for the playoffs... or to beat out Wynnamac for the division crown.

1. Wynnamac Sundowners (1st)
2. Marston Nine (2nd-tied)
3. Belle Plaine Musketeers (2nd-tied)
4. Elnora All-Stars (4th)
5. Eastshore Cotton Kings (6th)
6. Cold Creek Catamounts (5th)
7. Sugar Valley Rattlers (7th)
8. Beechwood Blues (8th)

During the regular season the Middlefield Roosters are invincible, winning over 100 games in three of the past four years... but they have trouble in the playoffs with Wynnamac... the Roosters have ruled the roost in the Ruthlandian West with seven straight pennants... and, most likely, number eight is coming up... only the Sligo Rovers have any chance of dethroning mighty Middlefield... actually, '56 looks like a replay of the '55 season... not a lot of change in the standings.

1. Middlefield Roosters (1st)
2. Sligo Rovers (2nd)
3. Stoner Stars (3rd)
4. Fort Benton Defenders (5th)
5. Forest City Firebirds (4th)
6. Rocky Rapids Snappers (6th)
7. Colfax Blasters (7th)
8. Volusia Vigilantes (8th)

Tycobbian Union

The Tycobbian North just might belong to the Oxford Red Caps this season... they have good hitting, scoring and power and just enough pitching... the Red Caps seem to be the odds-on best club... last year's division winner and Pro Cup finalist, White River, still possesses excellent pitching, but the Rascals just don't hit well... Mahaska and Luxora could be in the battle, too... don't think the flag winner will go far in the playoffs... not a real strong division... last year White River won in a single-game playoff with Oxford... Luxora was just one and a half games back in the chase... it was almost a three-way tie... the Red Caps should win by a decent margin.

1. Oxford Red Caps (2nd)
2. Luxora Zorros (3rd)
3. Mahaska Haymakers (7th)
4. White River Rascals (1st)
5. Hartsdale Hellcats (5th)
6. Fairfax Frogs (8th)
7. North Hills Hawks (4th)
8. Blue Lake Blue Sox (6th)

The Turon Typhoons had a great season last year in the Tycobbian South, but came in a heartbreaking second by a single game to surprising Southport... the Sun Sox beat them in a one-game playoff for the division title... not likely to happen this year... the Typhoons are forecast to win handily... maybe by double-digits numbers... they do everything well... Southport, San Alejo, Arroyo Grande, Cape Coral and Summerland will fight it out for second place in a very strong division... Colchester and Ginza are the only teams out of the running... Turon will be a solid contender for the 2056 Pro Cup championship.

1. Turon Typhoons (2nd)
2. Southport Sun Sox (1st)
3. San Alejo Monteneros (6th)
4. Arroyo Grande Suns (3rd)
5. Cape Coral Hurricanes (4th)
6. Summerland Sunsets (8th)
7. Colchester Elites (5th)
8. Ginza Ninjas (7th)

The Tycobbian East is ruled by the Midway Wolves... they will be seeking their fourth consecutive pennant... many were expecting them to capture a third straight Pro Cup trophy last year... they are deep and talented... and will cruise to the division title in a breeze... and should be one of the favored teams to take the Pro Cup... High Mesa and East Point will battle for the runner-up spot... with Hillsboro, Ozarka fighting for fourth... the rest of the clubs will be also-rans.

1. Midway Wolves (1st)
2. High Mesa Mustangs (3rd)
3. East Point Panthers (2nd)
4. Hillsboro Blazers (4th)
5. Ozarka Naturals (6th)
6. Red Bluff Red Sox (7th)
7. Tuckanarra Blue Jays (8th)
8. South Fork Stallions (5th)

The best team in the IPA might be in the Tycobbian West... Denton City won the pennant in '53... lost it by a game in '54... and won it last year in a romp... and the Redbirds appear to be a runaway winner this season by 10 or more games... in spite of this being a pretty solid division... Kenwood, Arlon and Bay St. Clair have pretty good teams... Bayview and Rolling Hills look to be improved, too... five clubs could go at it for the runner-up spot in the TU West standings... Denton City is long overdue for a Pro Cup trophy... the Redbirds have never won one... 2056 could be their year.

1. Denton City Redbirds (1st)
2. Kenwood Wildcats (3rd)
3. Arlon Champions (2nd)
4. Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (5th)
5. Bayview Vikings (6th)
6. Rolling Hills Reds (4th)
7. Chicopee Braves (8th)
8. La Claire Lynx (7th)

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

NO BIG SURPRISES IN THE IPA
Four of the favorites are in first place after the first month of play in the Islandian Pro Alliance and in most cases the other four are well within striking distance of first place... all of the divisions have good, tight races so far... so almost everyone in the IPA still has high hopes for the new year... as they say, "Hope springs eternal"... especially in baseball.

TARS, REDHAWKS TIED IN RU NORTH
Preseason favorite Taranto (16-10) and last year's champ Far Mountain (16-10) did very well in April and are deadlocked at the top of the Ruthlandian North, but they have bunches of competition... Valmara (14-12) and Ranford (14-12) are tied for third place... LaGrange (13-13) and Kilkenny (13-13) are fifth with breakeven records... seventh place Ancona (11-15) had a poor April... and last place Glasco (6-20) was awful.

Taranto (16-10) and Far Mountain (16-10) both have outstanding pitching staffs and are heads-and-shoulders above the other six clubs... the Tars are ranked second in the RU with a superb 2.83 ERA... Valerio Rossi had a brilliant beginning with a 6-0 mark and a 2.29 ERA for the Tars in the first month... others in the rotation ace Phil Castle (2-3/3.75), Freddy De Angelis (2-1/3.38), and Chris Gallo (3-3/3.70) are holding their own... at the plate RF Lenny Buisson (.364/7 HR/8 RBI/17 R), CF Vito Lombardi (.358/3 HR/10 RBI) and 3B Mark Trupiano (.326/3 HR/11 RBI), 2B Gaetano Palombo (.284/3 HR/14 RBI) and C Niccolo Parisi (.266/3 HR/13 RBI) have been supplying the runs... all of them are off to a good start... none of the talented rookies had a good April, but the Tars didn't need them.

The Far Mountain Redhawks (16-10) still can't hit a lick, but they sure stand out on the mound... both starters and bullpen are doing very well... third in the RU with a 2.90 team ERA... top arms are Eldon Bittner (4-2/1.19), Ryan Kolb (4-1/3.06), Stan Smith (1-2/3.29) and Benny Van (3-4/3.67)... the Redhawks get most of their scoring from star CF Ox Gless (.281/3 HR/13 RBI/14 R/4 SB), SS Carl Allardyce (.294/3 HR/12 RBI/10 R/1 SB) and sophomore 3B Luke Hazlett (.300/2 HR/12 RBI/11 R/1 SB)... only one rookie doing well... good-fielding 2B Gunter Albrecht (.255/2 HR/11 RBI)... the Redhawks had a very good month.

It was a pretty good month for the third place Valmara Vipers (14-12) in spite of the so-so pitching... only Primo Sirak (4-2/2.44) and 20-year-old second-year man Smoke Dillane (4-2/3.29) did well in the rotation... others will have to step it up if the Vipers want to contend with Taranto... 30 home runs was the reason Valmara has a winning record, sparked by C Karol Koska (.261/5 HR/19 RBI), LF Boyd Holmes (.308/4 HR/9 RBI) and young 1B Timmy Binford (.314/3 HR/17 RBI)... and sophomore 2B Vladimir Szymanski (.278/2 HR/10 RBI/13 R) also helped out.

The third place Ranford Bulls (14-12) have a solid offense with a .280 BA, but lackluster pitching... the top bat was LF Jedd Blodgett (.315/2 HR/11 RBI/23 R/8 SB), who really had a fine April... Blodgett is in his second season and only 21 years old... other contributors were SS Gonzie Spencer (.267/5 HR/14 RBI/14 R), SS John Billingsley (.286/2 HR/15 RBI/12 R) and CF Joey Hawkins (.300/2 HR/12 RBI/7 R/3 SB)... and platooned against lefties, RF Ethan Padgett (.594/2 HR/12 HR) was super in 9 games... only Dutch Hawood (5-1/1.60) had a good month on the hill... 38-year-old superstar ace Ralph Hawk (2-2/4.18) only had a fair month... totally unlike him... is age catching up with him?... and yes, Martin Futch (2-0/0.00/2 saves/7 G) is still a great closer... 24-year-old rookie right-hander Primo Uzzo (1-1/2.45) looked strong in his first two starts... let's see how he does in May... to be a serious pennant contender the Bulls needs help in the starting rotation.

Fifth place LaGrange (13-13) broke even for April and they were just about the worst offensive team in the Ruthlandian Union... but they had pretty good pitching... Amos Wadsworth (3-3/3.22), J. T. Dwyer (2-3/4.06) and Rodger Gagnier (1-3/2.95) are a solid set of starters... and the Sports have three other possibles in Elvis Capell (0-0/3.55), Rudy Bonnett (1-0/2.55) and Pat Causey (1-2/2.55)... things are looking brighter for LaGrange on the mound, but they need some bats... you can't win without a few runs... the future is dismal when your top batters are only somewhat decent... the team leaders are 1B Billy Broadway (.290/3 HR/9 RBI/9 R) and C Teddy Tottingham (.284/1 HR/6 RBI/5 R).

April was a good month for the Kilkenny Cats (13-13)... but they are absolutely the poorest batting team in the entire IPA with a pathetic .217 BA... not much more than mediocre on the mound with a 4.04 ERA... so don't expect them to stay this high in the standings for long... the Cats have been last in the RU North the last two years... Billy Joe Wooster (4-2/3.00) and Carroll Hudsmith (2-0/3.19) were solid the first month of the season... time and arm trouble may mean the end for longtime ace Glen Caswell (3-1/4.63)... he's 38 and missed all of last year... workhorse Braydon Washbourne (0-4/3.96) is a reliable starter, but things didn't go well for him in April... pitched well, but didn't get a break... you know you are going to have trouble scoring runs when your top hitters are SS Rex Parkhill (.293/1 HR/10 RBI/11 R/10 SB) and RF Clyde Cooper (.262/2 HR/12 RBI/14 R/4 SB)... and the big RBI guy 1B Ryan Reagan hit only .153 in April, but did hit 5 homers and drive in 11 runs and score 15 runs.

After the initial month of play the Ancona Red Elephants (11-15) are in seventh place, about where they are forecast to end up... just a drab and ho-hum team... but they do have an exciting rookie hurler in 21-year-old Yanni Bubas (2-2/2.98), coupled with a couple of dependable vets like Hank Worsley (3-3/3.74) and Roger Kostas (2-3/4.91)... a fair starting rotation... and Chet Shelton (0-2/1.93/4 saves/8 G) is a fireballer of the first degree in the bullpen... Ancona is just fair at the plate with the likes of LF Rusty Northcutt (.321/6 HR/14 RBI/11 R/3 SB), RF Franco Briganti (.310/3 HR/12 RBI) and 19-year-old rookie C Robin Hargroder (.286/2 HR/12 RBI/15 R)... looks like a long season in Ancona.

Not a lot went right for the hapless Glasco Athletics (6-20) in the first month of the season... the A's are a serious challenger for the worst team in the IPA... their 36-year-old ace Evan Walsh (1-4/4.30) is getting long in the tooth and struggling badly on the hill... but two youngsters, Herb Goodman (3-2/3.93) and rookie Monte France (2-4/3.06) show some potential... Goodman is in his sophomore season at age 21... France is a freshman and 22... Royce Blackstreet (0-0/2.51/11 G) just got promoted to the starting rotation after doing well in the bullpen... he's only 20... the future looks good in Glasco as far as the starters... there's nothing in the bullpen now... batting-wise the Athletics are having a real tough time putting runs on the scoreboard... they sport a .251 BA... LF Callum Slattery (.330/3 HR/13 RBI/15 R/3 SB), a .325 career batter in his fifth season, is a top-notched threat with some help from C Gordy Glisson (.306/2 HR/10 RBI/9 R) and 3B Allen Spears (.323/0 HR/9 RBI/13 R)... a reliable bat 2B Ross McFalls (.189/4 HR/13 RBI) has been slow to start this season... the offensive outlook is not very good for Glasco.

RUTHLANDIAN NORTH STANDINGS
Monday, May 1, 2056

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

REDHOT RACE IN RU SOUTH
Nobody had a great month in the Ruthlandian South in April... and nobody had a really bad month, so everybody is still in the race... right now the top spot belongs Waleska (15-11) and Belair Beach (15-11), but they are only slightly ahead of the rest of the division... third place St. John (14-12) and San Dimas (14-12) are just one game off the pace... fifth in the standings are the Crystal Lake Skippers (13-13)... in the sixth spot are the Valka Blackhawks (12-14)... and tied for the cellar are last year's champ Grand City (11-15) and Claxton (11-15), but they are just four games out.

The Waleska Westerners (15-11) have three solid starters in veteran Lou Carlson (5-2/2.62), Bret Shockley (5-1/1.94) and Rory Beecroft (2-3/2.34)... this trio is pretty much carrying the club so far... the Cowpokes have no bullpen and not much offense... they have no home-run power at all and only one good hitter... SS Hershel Barnes (.365/2 HR/11 RBI/14 R) had a very good April... but he got very little help from the rest of the lineup... CF Boomer Barnes had 15 RBIs , but hit a microscopic .177 for average... Waleska will need much more offense to contend in the RU South.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (15-11) got off to a fine start in April... doing it with good pitching and a good offense... on the hill Tom Wilder (3-1/2.51), Glen Long (4-1/3.21) and ace Jeffrey Verblen (3-2/3.40) led the way... the bullpen helped out, too... at the plate it was a whole host of hitters: LF Curtis Cochran (.354/1 HR/16 RBI/17 R/6 SB), 1B Rusty Van Slyke (.333/4 HR/14 RBI/11 R), RF Nappy Kiggins (.297/4 HR/12 RBI/7 R/2 SB), SS Bobby Joe Jeffries (.292/5 HR/11 RBI/11 R) and veteran C Johnny Samarin (.289/2 HR/9 RBI/10 R)... is this a fluke?... or are the Sunbirds for real this year?... they were 5th and 6th the last two seasons... we'll let you know in June... right now they are the best-balanced team in the RU South.

The third place St. John Crusaders (14-12) can hit the ball, but they need some help on the hill... thus far, 23-year-old lefty Whitlow Cornwell (4-1/2.62) has done well this year... veteran ace Teddy de Grom (4-4/4.50) has been hot-and-cold... needs to be more consistent... most of the offense has come from three players: 2B Jimmy Upchurch (.330/4 HR/18 RBI/22 R/2 SB), star C Tuffy Palmieri (.354/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R) and 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.373/2 HR/16 RBI/9 R)... the Crusaders were seventh last year and are not supposed to be much higher... basically just a second-division ballclub.

The San Dimas Rancheros (14-12) haven't won a pennant in 15 years... they have been wallowing in the second division for the last three years... and forecast to finish seventh this season... however, they have played good ball the first month of the season... give the credit to a trio of starters Hernando Almora (3-1/3.35), Tomas Olmeda (4-2/3.57) and Tyler Tydings (3-3/3.69) and their bullpen buddies Juan Pablo Montano (0-0/2.35/11 G), Tim Tunney (1-1/2.30/10 G) and veteran closer Kenny Robinson (1-1/1.80/8 G)... the offense is just modest... could be better... the main run producer is RF Gilberto Gallardo (.308/4 HR/18 RBI/13 R)... also contributing C Yunesky Villanueva (.350/1 HR/8 RBI/9 R), SS Emilio Martinez (.299/1 HR/10 RBI/6 R/3 SB) and LF Manuel Madura (.258/1 HR/11 RBI/14 R/3 SB).

The Crystal Lake Skippers (13-13) might be on the rise... they came in a close fourth last year, only 5 games out... the last division title came in '44... the starters are above average with Merle Pitts (3-2/2.53) and Ozzy McLendon (3-1/2.59) in the top two spots... and #3 and #4 Robin Norborne (3-1/4.65) and Kenji Nakashima (1-2/4.44) give them some quality starts... the bullpen is fairly good with closer Josh Crosby (2-2/3.46/6 saves/12 G)... the offense is just average overall, led by RF Zippy Coburn (.286/4 HR/20 RBI/12 R), 1B Gib Coburn (.263/5 HR/16 RBI/13 R), SS Bama Quade (.327/0 HR/7 RBI/20 R/4 SB) and 3B Jasper Shackleford (.323/2 HR/9 RBI/14 R)... just might be a good year for Crystal Lake.

The Valka Blackhawks (12-14) won the RU South in '54 and were in the running last year, ending up 4 games out and in third place... expected to be in contention this year, too... off to a slow start in April with a 12-14 mark, good for sixth place... the Blackhawks have some good starters, lousy bullpen and a little better than average offense... heading up the mound corps are starters Norbert Borden (4-1/3.47), Clark Harrington (3-1/3.05) and Aavo Keskkula (1-3/3.18)... Arvi Tamm (1-0/1.93) is a reliable starter, too... closer Ricky Cockburn (0-2/5.06/3 saves/7 G) has struggled in the early going... has been very good the past two years... Valka best bats are 1B Jess Evans (.292/6 HR/20 RBI/13 RBI), SS Olev Tarvas (.278/2 HR/6 RBI/18 R/3 SB), RF Mel Shadwell (.255/3 HR/13 RBI/17 R/2 SB), rookie C Freddie Civik (.264/0 HR/8 RBI/13 R) and 3B Corey Belk (.253/0 HR/8 RBI/11 R/3 SB)... Blackhawks are better than they played in April.

Last year's RU South pennant winner Grand City (12-14) has stunk up the stadium this season and fallen into the cellar after the first month... pitching is awful... offense is not a lot better... 22-game winner Zac Borden is only 1-6 with an atmospheric 5.51 ERA... and Jozef Chojnaki, 13-9 last year with a 2.88 ERA, has slipped to 2-3 with a lofty 5.03 ERA this season... the offense is down, too... but the Cybercats still have some punch with 1B Vince Kinston (.362/5 HR/14 RBI/16 R), who is having one of his best seasons... 3B Zane Faulkner (.383/0 HR/6 RBI/13 R) is off to the best start of his career by far... he is right up with the league leaders with a .383 mark... RF Rocky Valverdi (.318/2/14 RBI/12 R/1 SB) is solid at bat and in the field... and so is LF David Durocher (.253/1 HR/7 RBI/11 R/2 SB)... the pitchers are going to have to turn it around, if the Cybercats expect to get back in the race... one bad month doesn't ruin a season... despite the lousy start they are only 3 games from first place... and a good winning streak could put Grand City right back in the grand position again... they are favored to take the title again.

The last place Claxton Diamonds (12-14) haven't had a winning season in six years, when they won the RU South in 2049... they wound up eighth last year... they were picked to finish last this year... and that's exactly how they have begun 2056... in spite of all that gloom, there are some exciting things about the Diamonds... they lead the RU with 38 homers and rank 8th in scoring runs... but Claxton has pitiful pitching with a 4.50 ERA... thank goodness for the bats... veteran Leon Reynolds (4-1/4.23) is the ace of the staff, but has a high ERA... along with veteran Claus Antoon (1-4/4.44)... last year Antoon was 20-12 with 3.46 ERA and Reynolds was 12-12 with a 3.70 ERA... rookies Heinrich Stolz (3-2/5.02) and Matt Goodrum (2-3/5.30) are the third and fourth starters in the rotation, but are having difficulty getting IPA batters out... the bullpen is a little better with Alvie London (0-0/2.63/10 G) and Ramon Santos (0-1/2.21/14 G)... closer Darrell Minton (1-3/6.30/3 saves/10 G) had a good season last year, but has been terrible this year... the Ruthlandian South is one of the weaker divisions in the IPA, so there's hope for all of the eight teams... it doesn't take much talent to win the pennant... but one thing is for sure, Claxton can clobber the baseball... top bats are CF Scoops Dunn (.440/4 HR/21 RBI/19 R/3 SB), 3B Dave Hanna (.364/4 HR/12 RBI/14 R/3 SB) and SS Freddi Hahn (.318/5 HR/11 RBI/11 R)... superstar 2B and playing manager Jojo DeLucca (.282/5 HR/17 RBI/11 R) and RF Bobby Bright (.282/5 HR/16 RBI/11 R) also have some punch, too... so does 1B Julius Weissmann with 7 homers and 12 RBIs, but the youngster is batting only .202 so far... DeLucca needs to get his pitching corps to do their part... then the Diamonds would certainly be in the running for the pennant.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2066

C'CATS SURPRISE ATOP RU EAST, MACS 2ND
There's an unlikely leader in the first month of the Ruthlandian East this season... lightly-regarded Cold Creek (15-12) posted the best record in April, but the Catamounts only have a slight one-game edge on defending Pro Cup champion Wynnamac (14-11), Marston (14-11) and Eastshore (14-11)... fifth place Beechwood (13-13) is just two games out in fifth place... it's surprising because Cold Creek was picked to wind up sixth in the preseason poll... three of the others were expected to be contenders with the Wynnamac Sundowners again the favorite.

But you say, it's just one month out of six... not a lot of people are expecting Cold Creek to do it the entire season... anyway, they have the lead going into May and they did it by scoring more runs than anyone in the Ruthlandian Union or the Tycobbian Union... and they did it with very little pitching except for a solid bullpen.

Heading up the Cold Creek (15-12) attack were RF Mel Parnell (.354/3 HR/16 RBI/15 R/1 SB), 1B Bobby Dundee (.360/1 HR/5 RBI/12 R), C John Gaddison (.274/1 HR/18 RBI/14 R), 3B Sandy Ketteridge (.278/2 HR/12 RBI/16 R/3 SB) and veteran 36-year-old SS Joe Cochrane (.301/3 HR/11 RBI/15 RBI)... the Catamounts are also getting good production from 2B Milt Swallow, who has hit four out of the park and driven in 18 runs, but he is batting a lowly .204 for average... so far, Cold Creek only has one reliable starter... that would 36-year-old vet Jimmy Engels (3-1/2.64)... the other three in the starting rotation have sky-high ERAs about 5.00... but the entire bullpen has done a pretty far job... Rodger Brockhoff (1-0/0.66/8 saves/12 G) and Desmond O'Connor (3-0/2.30/14 G) have been standouts... it's not likely Cold Creek can maintain this pace, but it's a good story anyway... it's been almost 20 years since the C'Cats have won the RU East Division.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (14-12) have won the Ruthlandian East the previous seasons and are favored to make it five in a row... the hitters are doing their part in the early going, but the pitching has been a little slack... Sammy Hayes (3-3/2.84) and Garan Parula (5-1/3.54) are off to good starts, but George Medworth (2-4/5.10), the Pro Cup MVP, has been slow out of the gate, along with Dion Delgiorno (2-3/4.54)... but the bats are booming with the likes of 2B Phil McLemore (.389/2 HR/21 RBI/19 R/3 SB), SS Whiz Ivie (.370/1 HR/9 RBI/18 R/4 SB), 1B Enos Benham (.330/2 HR/17 RBI/16 R), RF Snooky Bartels (.339/3 HR/16 RBI/12 R) and RF Manny Sendejas (.341/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R)... no need to worry, the Macs will be in the thick of the pennant race again in 2056.

The Marston Nine (14-12) are tied for second with Wynnamac... for the past five years they have challenged the Sundowners and should do so again this season... thus far, the Nine are hitting the cover off the ball with a .294 BA, second best in the IPA, topped only by La Claire's .300 BA in the Tycobbian Union... Marston also has better-than-average mound work... Mark Henley (4-2/2.55), Lance McElveen (5-2/2.75) and Tris Windham (4-0/2.29) have been outstanding in the opening month of the schedule... a solid number four would really be a good addition to the rotation... some more help for closer Robert Tringle (1-1/2.31/3 saves/10 G) is also needed in the bullpen for the long haul... at the plate the Nine has a slew of solid batsmen: 2B Damien D'Amboise (.417/1 HR/14 RBI/20 R/5 SB) and 1B Jarrod Cruthfield (.403/3 HR/22 RBI/12 R) both hitting over .400... helped out by 3B Andy Kirk (.347/0 HR/14 RBI/17 R/1 SB), RF Luke Cranshaw (.323/1 HR/14 RBI/22 R/4 SB), SS Gino Mastroianni (.319/0 HR/8 RBI/12 R/4 SB) and C Boomer Merritt (.255/4 HR/18 RBI/14 R)... Marston is a serious player this year for the Ruthlandian East crown.

For much of the past decade the Eastshore Cotton Kings (14-12) have floundered in the second division... this year they have impressed a lot of the experts that think they could challenge for the first division... in the first month of the season the Cotton Kings have hung close, currently tied for the second spot in the RU East standings... improved pitching has been the key, anchored by starters Bebe Kinney (3-2/2.70), Dain Moore (3-2/3.09), Sam Carmon (3-3/3.56) and Homer Lawler (1-3/3.82)... Eastshore is a well-balanced club with good hitting and fair power, ranked fifth in scoring runs... paced by C Tony Brunetti (.328/5 HR/28 RBI/13 R/1 SB), CF Elton Woody (.309/3 HR/17 RBI/22 R/4 SB), 3B Ian Kelehan (.333/1 HR/4 RBI/17 R/5 SB), LF Wade Wyndham (.297/3 HR/14 RBI/9 R) and C Ezra Cummings (.298/2 HR/12 RBI/7 R).

For the past 10 seasons the Beechwood Blues (13-13) have been stuck deep in the second division of the RU East... they were eighth last year and chosen last again this year, but so far the Blues are a .500 club... it's been three decades since Beechwood won a pennant... they have won it only three times total in the team's IPA history... not gonna happen this year, either... the pitching is highly questionable... only two starters are doing well... Sandy Wilbur (3-0/1.78) and Corvell Eddins (2-0/2.66)... there is nothing after those two... the Blues are just an average ballclub offensively... the main run producers are RF J. J. Ring (.318/5 HR/22 RBI/13 R), 3B Erik Coulter (.337/1 HR/14 RBI/11 R/2 SB) and CF Rod McClellan (.345/1 HR/8 RBI/12 R/1 SB)... Beechwood is in fifth place currently, but won't stay there... just not enough talent yet.

Tied for sixth in the RU East standings are the Elnora All-Stars (10-16) and the Sugar Valley Rattlers (10-16)... it was a bad month for both clubs... the All-Stars are supposed to be better than that, but the Rattlers are not... Elnora was rated to wind up third or fourth this season... Sugar Valley was forecast to come in seventh.

Nothing went right for Elnora (10-16) in April... they didn't pitch or hit well... many think it was a just a slack month... once the hits start coming, the All-Stars just might climb back into the race... only SS Lee Carnahan (.418/4 HR/15 RBI/10 R/1 SB), 1B Gus Abreu (.303/2 HR/8 RBI/10 R), CF Keith Colburn (.324/0 HR/ 7 RBI/10 RBI), rookie C Kuro Ishihara (.305/2 HR/8 RBI/8 R) and LF Donald Ray Mooney (.265/4 HR/11 RBI/8 R) have had decent years... several of their other fine hitters have really struggled this year and will need to snap out of the slumps to turn the season around... the mound staff has been lackluster this season... only two starters have been fairly reliable: Matt Mackowiak (2-4/3.38) and Wade Mendenhall (2-5/4.14)... the rest have been poor to terrible.

Sugar Valley (10-16) has been on the decline for the three past years and could be headed for a fourth straight bad season... the Rattlers have some quality bats, but quality pitchers are missing... they are average offensively and mediocre on the mound... gone from the lineup is stalwart OF Carl Ramsey, who retired at age 39 this month... he swatted 487 homers and drove in 1517 runs in his 18 years, while batting .270... there are only two regulars with much playing time, SS Tuck Alstott (.275/3 HR/9 RBI/14 R/2 SB) and rookie 2B Lucky Brockton (.305/0 HR/6 RBI/9 R/5 SB)... neither are doing much damage... the rest of the players are heavily platooned... many are hitting well for average and show some signs of longball power... time will tell if they can make a dent in the standings... veteran Antonio Cedeno (3-1/2.00) and Lunus Bourque (3-3/3.02) have been solid starters this year, but there is nothing beyond them... and it gets even worse when you go to the bullpen... they have awful.

It's been a tough start this season for the Belle Plaine Musketeers (8-18)... this was totally unexpected after two good years previously... the Muskies were slated to be right up there with the leaders this season in the RU East... instead they are dead last... they lost their ace starter Ralph Palmieri (1-1/2.95)... he was 18-10 and 3.09 last year... he will be out three months... Palmieri will be sorely missed... the current rotation is fair-to-middling in 2056 with Joe-Joe Bouvier (2-0/2.82), Jaron Montague (1-0/3.47), rookie Ike Alister (2-4/3.62) and Cy Neill (2-4/4.62)... however, the bullpen is pitiful... the hitting has fallen off sharply, too, and is in need of a quick turnaround... only 1B Chuck Gregory (.290/6 HR/15 RBI/19 R), C Eliott Somers (.349/3 HR/8 RBI/16 R) and LF Andy Williams (.295/2 HR/11 RBI/10 R/3 SB) have been productive... May has got to be better for Belle Plaine, if they expect to get back into the pennant race... it can't be another month like April.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

ROOSTERS STILL CROWING LOUDLY IN RU WEST
The Middlefield Roosters (17-9) are off and running in the Ruthlandian West ready to take their eighth straight division flag... they had a good April, but so did several other clubs... the Sligo Rovers (16-10) are clinging close by just one game off the pace... Colfax (15-11) played well the first month... so did the Fort Benton Defenders (14-12), Stoner Stars (13-13) and Forest City Firebirds (13-13)... in the preseason predictions Middlefield was forecast to again win the division rather easily... most of the time in the past few years the Roosters have prevailed by double-digit numbers... seven games has been the closest any club came the last seven seasons.

Middlefield (17-9) is already first in the RU West with a solid start in the first month of the season... the Roosters have very good pitching combined with very good power... the mound corps is doing their job very well this year... top starters are aging veterans 35-year-old James Long (4-1/2.22) and 41-year-old Hollis Dale (4-2/2.98)... neither is showing any signs of slowing down yet... Long has won the RU Golden Arm the past two years... rookie phenom Rick Goldman (6-1/2.42) has jump into the starting rotation and into the spotlight with a dazzling display his first month in the league... however, the bullpen has been really bad in the early going with a 5.04 ERA... another shortcoming is the team batting average... the Roosters are 20 points off this year, batting just .251... but they can still score runs... last season's RU MVP LF Trip Agarn (.301/7 HR/20 RBI/18 R/1 SB) has started well... other top bats are 3B Donnie Hix (.279/1 HR/10 RBI/18 RBI) and C Johnny McDonald (.377/1 HR/10 RBI/9 R)... star SS Stan Radzikowski (.247/5 HR/20 RBI/13 R) is productive, but is 40 points under his career BA so far... fine CF Johnny Wyatt (.206/5 HR/14 RBI/7 R1 SB) is way down, too, 90 points off his lifetime BA... still the Roosters are in first place... look out when the hitters hit their strides.

For the past four seasons the second place Sligo Rovers (16-10) have played second fiddle to Middlefield... things are looking better this year for them... the pitching has been remarkable this season... they are ranked first in the RU with a sensational 2.60 ERA... and the bullpen is even better than the starters... the Sligo ace is veteran Mickey Walsh (4-2/2.80), but he is getting solid help from Judah Carmack (3-1/2.55), Jacky Harshman (2-4/2.45) and Ayden Evans (2-3/3.45)... poor hitting has hurt the won/loss records... closer Tiger Snodgrass (2-0/1.64/4 saves/9 G) has excelled so far... the Rovers don't hit well or score well, batting only .255 (23rd)... except for CF Merle Bliss (.348/4 HR/13 RBI/17 R/3 SB) and RF Scooter Pugh (.409/3 HR/11 RBI/11 R/2 SB), all of the rest are having down years... yet the Rover pitching is so good, they just might be able to overcome the lack of offense.

The Colfax Blasters (15-11) are in third place in the RU West and off to a surprisingly good start, just two games behind Middlefield... they were ranked seventh in this year's preseason ratings... the club has had a losing mark for the previous six seasons... it's been 16 years since they won the division... this year the bats are blasting with a torrid .292 team BA... they rank 4th in scoring with 141 runs and 7th in homers with 29... but the Blasters are abominable on the mound with a horrendous 4.91 ERA (31st)... leading the attack are 1B Nicky Yorke (.286/7 HR/25 RBI/15 R), CF Stan Kovalenko (.287/0 HR/18 RBI/18 R/5 SB), 3B Nigel Colvin (.323/5 HR/15 RBI/19 R) and 2B Lon Downer (.320/3 HR/12 RBI/15 R)... the only decent starter is Keith Himmel (3-0/2.96)... Quince Blakeley (1-1/2.08/4 saves/8 G) was just promoted to a starting spot after shining in the bullpen... don't expect Colfax to stay this high in the standings... the pitching is just too bad... should the hitting cool down... and it probably will, the Blasters will, too.

Currently in the fourth spot in the RU West, Fort Benton (14-12) is hanging near the top of the division because they are batting .285 (4th) and are second in scoring runs with 144... but like Colfax, they don't have a lick of pitching (4.17 ERA) except in the bullpen (1.82 ERA)... the Defenders have a solid core of hitters, sparked by 3B Lucien Lindsey (.376/4 HR/13 RBI/19 R/7 SB), 2B Steven Hornblower (.320/2 HR/17 RBI/16 R/2 SB), SS Sandy Harling (.269/1 HR/17 RBI/8 R), CF Teddy Keys (.306/1 HR/16 RBI/22 R/5 SB), C Terry Caslin (.284/1 HR/11 RBI/9 R/1 SB) and UIF Billy Currie (.270/1 HR/13 RBI/12 R/3 SB)... veteran ace Zeke Yoder (4-0/3.00) is off to a good year... youngster Gil Hicks (2-5/3.24) has looked good, too... the bullpen is solid with Julian Le Carre (1-1/2.45/2 saves/9 G), Randy Rinehart (1-2/3.09/3 saves/10 G) and Darius Kimberly (3-0/1.08/1 save/6 G)... until the starting rotation improves, Fort Benton is destined to be a fair-to-middling ballclub... they were picked to wind up fourth this season in Ruthlandian West... one of the league's worst franchises, the Defenders have only won one pennant in their entire IPA history... that was 20 years ago in 2037.

The fifth place Stoner Stars (13-13) were forecast for third place this year... they finished third last year, 22 GB... last division crown was way back in 2029... the Stars have made the postseason only three times... and have never won a Pro Cup trophy... they hit very well (.287), score well (9th) and have good power (10th), but lack pitching... it's only mediocre (24th), at best... last year's best rookie and Golden Bat winner 1B Tyler Stoddard (.252/3 HR/15 RBI/17 R) is doing OK, but not as good as last year... club leaders are 3B Lance Andre (.294/3 HR/20 RBI/12 R), along with three LFs Steve Brunson (.395/3 HR/9 RBI/7 R), Anton Schindler (.407/1 HR/4 RBI/12 R/3 SB) and Tommy Boutwell (.278/3 HR/9 RBI/7 R)... 2B Doug Moody (.317/1 HR/8 RBI/8 R/3 SB), SS Mack Lord (.286/2 HR/7 RBI/13 R/3 SB), CF Grayson Lancaster (.328/1 HR/5 RBI/12 R) and RF Sonny Sikes (.303/3 HR/11 RBI/9 R/1 SB) have contributed, too... the only consistent pitchers have been starters Brad Squires (2-1/2.16) and Al Raver (4-2/3.33)... long reliever Ira Monaghan (1-0/2.25/10 G) had done well in the pen... if the pitching comes around, Stoner could finish as high as third... however, the Stars are not in the class of Middlefield and Sligo.

The Forest City Firebirds (13-13) are tied with Stoner for the fifth spot in the RU West Division... the Firebirds last won a pennant in 2048 and have never won a Pro Cup... they have made the postseason only five times in the team's existence... they are a fairly balanced club with average hitting (15th), mediocre scoring (23rd), good power (8th) and just average pitching (13th)... fourth or fifth place would probably be the outlook for this year... that's how the Island baseball gurus picked them... Omar Cordero (3-2/3.49) and Ben Drummond (2-3/2.27) are rated the best starters... there's nothing special in the bullpen...Tim Varnado (0-0/3.00/3 saves/5 G) is adequate, though... the only reliable bats are CF Randy Snow (.280/7 HR/15 RBI/13 R/1 SB), 2B Ziggy Regan (.344/1 HR/6 RBI/11 R/2 SB) and SS Marcel Poirot (.247/3 HR/11 RBI/14 R).

The seventh place Volusia Vigilantes (12-14) finished in the cellar last year and were picked to finish there again in the preseason poll... the V's haven't won a pennant since 2043... they have one Pro Cup trophy... they won the very first Pro Cup trophy in 2001... none since... Volusia is hitting well with a .283 BA (5th), they can score (13th), don't have much power (29th-tied), have very good starters (4th), but a horrible bullpen (32nd)... top starters are rookie Reynaldo Medrano (3-2/2.26), veteran Casimiro Ramires (4-2/3.46), Lonny Rinehart (4-4/2.93) and Cloyd Queen (1-4/2.72)... best run providers are young RF Bandy Barnwell (.540/2 HR/14 RBI/12 R), 1B Kees Tenbrook (.301/2 HR/12 RBI/11 R/3 SB), CF Rupert Myles (.327/4 HR/7 RBI/14 R/1 SB), 3B Teddy Cornelius (.327/0 HR/5 RBI/22 R/1 SB), LF Flash Nash (.333/2 HR/8 RBI/9 R) and 2B Alberto Torres (.286/1 HR/11 RBI/5 R/1 SB)... Volusia is hitting much better so far this year... if they keep it up the Vigilantes could climb as high as fifth in the RU West standings.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (10-16) are last in the RU West this season... last year they came in sixth... the last pennants came in '44 and '46... the Snappers have won Pro Cup in their history... that was in 2019... the current team's problem is at the plate... terrible offense... they are batting only .241 (30th)... are dead last in scoring with only 83 runs (32nd), but Rocky Rapids has a fairly good mound staff... 3.74 ERA(14th)... fair starting rotation (3.98 ERA)... top starters are Clay Callaghan (4-3/2.98) and Big Jim Wakely (2-3/2.86)... not much in the way of offense... club leaders are LF Joe Clarkson (.291/2 HR/13 RBI/5 R), CF Gary Grable (.306/1 HR/7 RBI/9 R/2 SB), 1B Deke Lundy (.292/2 HR/6 RBI/9 R) and RF Jamey Murton (.272/3 HR/5 RBI/13 R)... Rocky Rapids is a second division club... not first division material at all.

RUTHLANDIAN WEST STANDINGS
Monday, May 1, 2056

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

FAVORED RED CAPS UP IN TU NORTH
The sporting press predicted the Oxford Red Caps would handily win the Tycobbian North Division this year and the Red Caps started off in fine fashion with a 16-10 record in the first month of action... the defending division champ and Pro Cup finalist, White River began a little sluggish with only a 13-13 mark and are tied with Luxora and North Hills for the runner-up spot in the standings... Oxford is forecast to take the title by a good margin... the Red Caps are clearly the best team in the TU North... the Mahaska Haymakers, White River Rascals and Luxora Zorros were only given outside chances at winning the flag this year... Oxford is the odds-on favorite in the race.

The Oxford Red Caps (16-10) have played well the last few years... they captured the Tycobbian North pennants in '52 and '53, came in third in '54 and were a very close second last year, beaten in a single-game playoff... but you have to go back to 2007 for the only Pro Cup title Oxford has won... the first place Red Caps played very well in April and look to be improved at the plate and on the hill... they batted .275 (7th), scored 137 runs (5th), hit 33 out of the park (3rd) and chalked up a fine 3.31 ERA (10th)... C Giles Gilliam (.397/6 HR/18 RBI/11 R) is having a breakout year in his fifth season with the club... three veterans stars LF Ozzy Ackerman (.303/6 HR/17 RBI/12 R), RF Wade McGrew (.328/3 HR/14 RBI/8 R/1 SB) and CF Dwayne Wagner (.253/4 HR/15 RBI/15 R) are still reliable threats... SS Roger Bajon (.318/0 HR/7 RBI/11 R) has also started the season off well... rookie 3B Roland Latimer (.243/4 HR/10 RBI/9 R/1 SB) has also shown some power... Oxford has four pretty fair starters in their rotation with two solid vets Rudy Mellancamp (3-2/4.15) and Lou Ellison (4-2/3.91), along with the youngsters Maury Statler (4-2/1.82) and R. C. Russell (2-2/3.33)... the Red Cap relievers could be better... could hurt them in the postseason playoffs... Oxford is the cream of the crop in the TU North... it's their division to lose.

What's going on in White River (13-13) this year?... hitting is much better, but their vaunted pitching staff is down... the second place Rascals have won the TU North flag the last two years and six times in the past eight seasons, mainly with their mound corps... scoring runs has always been a challenge, especially in the postseason... the starters are doing fine with Noel Woods (4-2/2.15), Butch Slattery (3-1/3.18), Ronald Doss (1-1/3.65) and ace Nicky Palmer (1-2/3.70)... but the bullpen is a completely different story... drastic improvement is needed there... star CF Pudge Tate (.278/4 HR/21 RBI/16 R/6 SB) and youthful 1B Fred Kraft (.250/6 HR/16 RBI/9 R) are very reliable run producers... they are also getting some help from LF Elton Bellfort (.286/3 HR/11 RBI/8 R), RF Jed Small (.281/3 HR/9 RBI/8 R), 2B Freddie Bannon (.329/0 HR/6 RBI/10 R), 3B Cliff Remington (.270/3 HR/10 RBI/10 R) and SS Joey Rutigliano (.352/0 HR/4 RBI/6 R/2 SB)... this hasn't been the case in prior years... don't think White River can beat Oxford this year... second place may be the best they can achieve.

The Luxora Zorros were rated slightly better than White River in the preseason prognostications... these two clubs will probably fight it out for the runner-up spot in the Tycobbian North this year... at the end of the first month, they, along with upstart and lightly-regarded North Hills, all finished with identical 13-13 record.

It's been years since Luxora (13-13) won the pennant... almost 25 years ago... the Zorros have never won a Pro Cup... the Z's have much better pitching this year so far with a 3.29 ERA (8th)... the major shortcoming with the club is scoring runs... they rank 20th with a .250 BA, 25th with 104 runs and 21st in homers with only 19... all of the starting foursome are solid with youngsters Juliano Machado (4-0/2.56), Mack McKitrick (3-2/3.03) and Paolo De Freitas (1-4/3.24)... ancient 39-year-old Mack Wellman (2-4/2.88) is doing quit well, too, despite the losing record... but the Luxora bullpen is suspect and needs help... 1B Wade Tibbs (.322/5 HR/19 RBI/13 R/1 SB) and LF Odis Easter (.295/3 HR/11 RBI/13 R/5 SB) are dependable bats, along with CF Vito Angeletti (.250/3 HR/15 RBI/9 R/4 SB) and SS Emmett Cusack (.213/4 HR/11 RBI/10 R/1 SB)... 24-year-old Tibbs looks like a blossoming star... the Zorros will contend for second place.

The North Hills Hawks (13-13) have been hovering around the .500 mark for the past three-four years... however, the baseball experts placed them in seventh place this year in the TU North, falling way below .500 in the standings, though they are pretty much the same average ballclub... they are batting .264 (13th) with just 109 runs (21st) and only 13 roundtrippers (30th)... North Hills has a good bullpen, rated 5th in the league with a 1.91 ERA, but weak in the starter department with a poor 4.42 ERA (27th)... starters Zip Harben (4-3/2.77), Johnny Kristoff (2-1/2.45) and Thad Vachon (3-2/4.35) could use a little help... DeWitt Dobkins (0-1/1.69/4 saves/5 G) is the bullpen leader... heading up the modest North Hills attack are LF Clifton Mahaffey (.322/2 HR/23 RBI/14 R/6 SB), 3B Sam Dunstone (.333/0 HR/8 RBI/17 R/2 SB), SS Pat Johnston (.333/0 HR/11 RBI/11 R/4 SB) and CF Curt Wilkins (.300/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R/2 SB)... young 24-year-old Dicky Dorland (.238/2 HR/9 RBI/18 R/3 SB) has taken over first base and has impressed this year... many think the Hawks are still a pretty fair team and will still finish around .500 and wind up fourth or fifth in the Tycobbian North.

Just like the last two years the Hartsdale Hellcats (12-14) are in fifth place again this season... the last division crowns came about a decade ago in '46 and '47... the Hellcats won their only Pro Cup in '46... they been on the decline since the '52 season, dipping to 8th place in '53 and settling in the middle of the TU North since then... just an average club... they don't hit well with a .244 BA (25th), average scoring with 119 runs (15th), but the Hellcats have some power with 29 homers (8th)... they are just so-so on the hill with a 3.92 ERA (22nd)... the starters are fair, led by Bradley Barr (2-3/3.21), Chet Salsbury (3-2/3.65) and Christopher Wolfe (3-1/4.23)... need a #4 badly... in the pen Roy Krieger (2-2/3.12/4 saves/9 G) is a solid closer... and Steve Owens (2-0/1.89/1 save/14 G) has really stepped it up this year in long relief... SS Gene McKennon (.304/2 HR/8 RBI/14 R) is the only .300-hitting regular... 1B Oscar Blackwood (.259/5 HR/18 RBI/13 R/1 SB) is the top RBI guy... other contributors are CF Leon Croyle (.284/2 HR/12 RBI/11 R/3 SB), 3B Al Wakefield (.244/5 HR/14 RBI/12 R/1 SB) and 2B Smokey Nix (.226/2 HR/12 RBI/10 R/1 SB)... Hartsdale will wind up anywhere from fourth to sixth this season... no higher.

The Mahaska Haymakers (10-16) are off to a bad start in 2056... since coming in second two years in a row in '51 and '52, they have been stuck in sixth or seventh place the last three seasons with identical 66-88 marks... the media was optimistic for Mahaska going into this year because of better pitching... they were picked to challenge for second place with White River and Luxora, but it hasn't happen so far... after the first month of the season the Haymakers are still stuck in the sixth spot in the TU North... pitching is much better than 2055, ranked 7th with an impressive 3.27 ERA... but the offense has slumbered... Mahaska is hitting only .253 (19th), scored just 89 runs (28th) and hit only 13 home runs (30th-tied)... no real big threats... C Dee Fagan (.308/0 HR/6 RBI/11 R) and CF Dub Forrester (.302/1 HR/5 RBI/14 R/3 SB) top the team in batting average... 35-year-old veteran 1B Roger Lewis (.247/5 HR/16 RBI/9 R) leads in homers and RBIs... another productive batter is SS Elvis Gifford (.275/2 HR/16 RBI/15 R/2 SB)... he is tied with Lewis for the RBI lead with 16, too... the four starters Morrie Dalman (2-4/2.12), Seth Scully (1-4/2.66), Pip Cordice (3-2/3.63) and Marty Mobley (3-5/3.74) have given the Haymakers quality starts and deserve better records, but the run support just isn't there... the weak bullpen hasn't helped out much, either... it's too early to give up on Mahaska... the pitchers could help them sneak into the first division... fourth place at best.

Fairfax and Blue Lake were picked to be tailenders by the preseason poll and that's where they are after one month of play in the TU North... already 7 games back of first place Oxford and tied for last place.

The Fairfax Frogs (9-17) were supposed to be the better of the two teams, forecast to end up sixth in the standings... the Frogs hit very well with a .270 BA (10th), score well with 125 runs (11th) and they have fair home-run power with 21 (19th-tied), but they stink on the mound with a whoppingly high 5.10 team ERA (31st)...only La Claire is worse in the entire IPA with a disasterous 5.31 ERA (32nd)... Ken Wallington (4-2/2.86) and Shaun O'Riley (3-3/3.66) are the only quality arms on the Fairfax staff... the Frogs have a bunch of pretty good hitters in 16-year veteran C/1B Scott Courtney (.300/3 HR/16 RBI/12 R/1 SB), still a solid hitter at age 34... plus 19-year-old rookie speedster LF Wyatt Clausen (.314/3 HR/12 RBI/16 R/11 SB), CF Paddy Fenroy (.310/0 HR/8 RBI/16 R/7 SB), C/1B Mike Mitchell (.299/1 HR/13 RBI/13 R) and 1B Sammy Monroe (.315/3 HR/12 RBI/6 R/1 SB)... as good as the offense is, the pitching is just as bad... Fairfax is in for another long season... the Frogs are headed for an eighth straight year near the bottom of the Tycobbian South Division... it's been 28 years since they made the Pro Cup playoffs... the club has never won the Pro Cup.

Blue Lake (9-17) had a dismal and awful April and is tied for last place with Fairfax... the Blue Sox are mediocre in offense and on the mound... they seem to be headed for their eighth consecutive losing season... it's been 27 years since they won the Tycobbian North flag... that's was the same year that the Blue Sox hauled in their one and only Pro Cup trophy in 2030... but Blue Lake does have a one very talented player... 20-year-old phenom C Daryl Monaghan (.462/0 HR/17 RBI/17 R/5 SB), only playing in his second season in the IPA, is hitting an astounding .462 in the first month of play... the rest of the lineup is just average with the likes of 35-year-old veteran RF Johnny Harding (.333/1 HR/8 RBI/6 R), 3B Billy Blue (.300/1 HR/9 RBI/11 R) and 1B Tommy Augustine (.284/2 HR/12 RBI/5 R)... the only quality starter is 23-year-old Weldon Nettleton (4-2/3.23), who is off to a good year, especially for a bottom-tier team... 36-year-old Dirk Sinclair (1-4/3.38) also gives the Blue Sox some quality starts... Bobby Nobles (0-0/2.76/11 G) and Jay Christon (0-1/1.69/6 G) have done well in the bullpen... it looks like the baseball critics are right... Blue Lake is destined for the TU North basement.

TYCOBBIAN NORTH STANDINGS

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2066

TURON TOPS TU SOUTH, TIED WITH SUNS
Preseason favorite Turon (17-9) has started fast out-of-the-gate in the Tycobbian South Division, you all!... but it does have a couple of clubs contending with them at the end of April... the Arroyo Grande Suns (17-9) are right up there tied with the Typhoons with the Summerland Sunsets (15-11) just two games back in the race... last year's division champion Southport (12-14) and Ginza (12-14) are in fifth place, five games off the pace... the baseball writers and broadcasters voted overwhelmingly for Turon in the preseason balloting... the Typhoons are forecast to win the division flag by a wide margin like they did in '52, '53 and '54... nobody is going to upset them like the Southport Sun Sox did last year in '55, nipping them in a single-game playoff... no other club was even close in the last year's race.

Turon (17-9) is already atop the TU South where they have lived for the past six years... the Typhoons are one of the more successful franchises in IPA history with 18 postseason appearances and a record four Pro Cups (tied with Valmara and North Hills)... however, Turon's last Pro Cup crown came in 2018... the Typhoons are a talented team with standout pitching... 2.76 ERA (3rd)... anchored by last year's Tycobbian Golden Arm winner Yancey Hedges (3-4/2.70), Ollie Dickinson (3-0/2.23), Dickie Parmenter (4-2/3.40), Bobby Reimer (1-0/3.07) and Ivar Jevicks (4-1/3.21)... the bullpen is a good one, too, led by 39-year-old Nate Scottsdale (0-0/0.00/6 saves/7 G)... Turon can hit, too, with a .276 BA (6th) and 123 runs (13th-tied), but they come up short on longball power... only 17 homers (25th-tied)... leading the hit parade are SS Bill Wolverton (.385/4 HR/17 RBI/18 R/3 SB), RF Matthew Fears (.338/2 HR/11 RBI/13 R), 1B Shoyo Yuro (.330/1 HR/15 RBI/11 R/2 SB), C Doyle Ashcroft (.287/3 HR/14 RBI/12 R), CF Tank Shepperton (.287/2 HR/7 RBI/12 R/7 SB) and 2B Bo Kaline (.312/9 RBI/0 HR/11 R/4 SB)... Turon has been in the thick of things for the last few years... this would be a good year to make a run for the Pro Cup trophy that has eluded them for so long... they won four in the first 18 years of the IPA... none since... many people think the time is ripe for number five.

It's been over three decades since the Arroyo Grande Suns (17-9) won the TU South... but recently, the Suns have been on the rise... this season they have a strong 2.91 team ERA (5th) and dynamite firepower... despite batting only .228, they have hit 41 out of the park this season, tops in the entire Islandian Pro Alliance... they can put runs on the scoreboard... the Suns have scored 126 runs and rank 10th in the Tycobbian Union... they were fourth in the Tycobbian South standings in '54 (27 GB) and third in '55 (9 GB)... currently they are tied for first place with powerful Turon... heading up the starting rotation is Beau McCloud (7-1/2.48), along with Nap Vickerson (3-2/2.79) and Roy Tuthill (3-3/3.22)... the bullpen is even better with a 1.45 ERA, best in the league... Stan Chaffin (0-0/2.45/4 saves/4 G) and Elliott Sexton (1-1/2.45/no saves/7 G) have done a good job so far... third-year CF Rueben Jones (.311/13 HR/29 RBI/30 R/2 SB) has been amazing this year... he had a good rookie season with 27 homers, but fell off to just 13 last year... his batting average also tumbled to just .179 last year... this year Jones hit 13 in April and is one of the leaders in homers (1st), RBIs (3rd) and runs (1st)... 18-year-old SS Dan Fargo (.290/7 HR/16 RBI/18 R/2 SB) has also sparkled... Arroyo Grande's dilemna is a lack of hitting by the rest of the regulars... they will have to do an about face soon to keep up with potent Turon... the Suns were ranked fourth in the preseason poll, but they are playing like the second-best club in the division.

This season third place Summerland (15-11) has sensational pitching, but also has horrendous hitting... two years ago in '54 they had the same scenario and came in a very distant second to Turon... in this year's preseason poll they were picked to wind up sixth in the Tycobbian South after plunging to eighth place in '55 when the pitching took an unexpected decline... the team ERA skyrocketed from 2.63 to 3.71... if the pitching continues to hold up this year, the Sunsets could be in the running for third or fourth place... they might be able to compete with second-ranked Southport... the Sun Sox also have fine pitching, but little offense... it's unlikely Summerland can challenge powerful Turon with their fine staff and solid offense and well-balanced Arroyo Grande... this season Summerland has a ridiculously low 2.49 ERA (1st), the best in the IPA... but in contrast they are dead last in scoring with only 79 runs (32nd)... Tommy Underhill (4-1/1.53), Jacob Vandenboom (4-1/2.01), 39-year-old long-time ace Jayson Hallstrom (3-3/2.88) and Rudy Hilgendorf (1-3/3.00) are an impressive starting four... with Corey Vinson (1-0/0.84) a pretty good #5... plus the bullpen is in good hands with Rory Poe (2-1/2.79/5 saves/10 G) and Kip Dzerko (0-0/1.86/no saves/5 G)... however, there is no such thing as a good hitter to be found on the roster... the best of the lot is 1B Hans Brouwer (.297/2 HR/7 RBI/17 R/9 SB) and LF Cy Brigman (.207/7 HR/20 RBI/9 R)... neither is much to boast about... but Brigman has some pop... and Brouwer is a speedster... looking at the team's history the last time Summerland made the playoffs was a decade ago... the Sunsets have only appeared in the postseason on four occasions ('05, '33, '40, '46)... and they have never won a Pro Cup.

Last year the Southport Sun Sox (12-14) found enough offense to upend highly-favored Turon for the TU South pennant... however, last year's division champ is off to a slow start this year... they are currently tied for fourth place with Ginzas... Southport hitting is down and so is pitching... the Sun Sox have done well the last 15 years with 8 Tycobbian South pennants and two Pro Cups ('44, '47)... and they have finished above .500 for 14 years in a row... and they did it with a superior mound staff... but they are struggling a bit in the early season so far... the offense is terrible with a .246 BA (24th), only 83 runs (31st) and 15 HRs (28th)... 1B Zee Graham (.358/4 HR/12 RBI/10 R) is the only regular hitting well... but he does get some support from 2B Buzzy McGinnis (.281/0 HR/2 RBI/10 R/1 SB), RF Manuelo Garcia (.275/2 HR/14 RBI/8 R/3 SB) and CF Ross Good (.258/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R/6 SB)... pitching has declined some with a 3.37 ERA (12th)... up a little from a strong 3.07 ERA last year... top starters are Champ Shafer (2-3/2.60), Zack Phillips (3-3/2.52) and Irv Carwell (3-3/3.31)... good rookie prospect Jordy Wales (1-5/4.97) has flopped thus far... they need a solid fourth starter... closer Troy Hill (1-0/0.00/5 saves/7 G) is still holding down the bullpen in very good fashion... the outlook for Southport in 2056 is perhaps third place... they don't seem to have the offense to challenge the league elites, Turon and Arroyo Grande... but they do have enough to hang with the likes of Summerland, San Alejo or possibly Cape Coral.

For the past four seasons the Ginza Ninjas (12-14) have finished near the bottom of the TU South, winding up seventh or eighth in the division standings... they have yet to win a Pro Cup... have appeared in the playoffs only 7 times... the last time the Ninjas captured a pennant was long ago in 2031... the preseason pollsters ranked them last in the division this year... at the end of April Ginza is in a fourth-place tie... the Ninjas have a pretty fair offense with a .268 BA (11th), 135 runs (6th-tied) and 23 homers (16th)... but very little pitching with a poor 4.55 ERA (29th)... they are a second-rate club, likely to end up near the bottom of the division again this year... at the plate Ginza is looking good with star SS Kuzuki Tamura (.320/2 HR/14 RBI/22 R/2 SB), 2B Vic Carnaggio (.411/3 HR/11 RBI/18 R/1 SB), LF Chris Pfeiffer (.418/4 HR/20 RBI/13 R/1 SB), RF Shogo Asamura (.339/2 HR/10 RBI/8 R) and 1B Crash Corrigan (.282/4 HR/18 RBI/9 R)... but they sure could use some help on the hill... Fran Kercheval (3-2/3.68) is a solid starter and Motohiro Shima (3-3/4.15) is reliable, too... they have a couple of good relievers in Sammy Fitzwater (2-1/1.32/no saves/7 G) and Abram Worth (0-0/1.59/3 saves/5 G).

The sixth-place Colchester Elites (11-15) are just a mediocre ballclub in most respects... in April they hit .256 (17th), scored 113 runs (19th) and posted a 4.06 ERA (24th), but on the positive side they slammed 32 out of the park (4th-tied)... top hitters are RF Graig Sutton (.338/7 HR/14 RBI/14 R), 1B Erroll Waldrep (.333/3 HR/15 RBI/13 R) and C Tomas Marantos (.324/4 HR/11 RBI/8 R/4 SB)... the ace of the starting rotation is veteran Denzel Durand (4-2/3.75)... young Johnny Walker (3-2/2.55) has looked very good the first month of the season... best relievers are long-time closer Haden Fraser (1-0/1.42/3 saves/6 G) and Gavin Ainsley (0-1/1.32/no saves/7 G)... Colchester was the ranked seventh in the preseason prognostications... the Elites have never had much success in the IPA... just 4 postseason appearances... 2036 was the last time... Colchester is one of 33 teams in the league that has never taken the overall IPA crown... they have never won a Pro Cup trophy... and it ain't gonna happen anytime soon, either... Colchester will be near the bottom again this season... the Elites were basement dwellers two seasons ago... and fifth last year... Colchester has only had a winning record two times in the last 20 years... that was in '41 and '53.

Perennial contender San Alejo (10-16) has fallen on hard times in recent years, coming in sixth the past two seasons... and the Montaneros are getting old and are not doing very well this year... the hitting is the worst it's been in three decades... and the usually-good pitching has also declined to the point of mediocrity... at the end of April the Monties are in seventh place in the TU South with a pathetic .232 BA (31st), only 91 runs scored (27th) and 19 roundtrippers (21st)... on the hill the team ERA is 4.13 (25th)... but the preseason poll chose them third in the division after Turon and Southport... in actuality, San Alejo will have a tough time staying out of last place this year... the Montaneros have made the postseason playoffs 8 times and chalked up one Pro Cup title (2032)... the last division flags came in '49 and '51.

Two legendary San Alejo pitchers Matt Bell (370-204/2.40 ERA) and Will McKinney (309-171/2.61 ERA), the heart and soul of the team for almost 20 years, are beginning to look like simple mortals on the mound... both are 36 years old... Bell (3-3/3.33) and McKinney (1-4/3.59) are the top two starters in the rotation, but have very little help... not a lot in the bullpen, either... it's gonna be a very long season for both of the IPA greats... Bell is third on the all-time list for the most victories, trailing only Frankie Quinn (391-297/3.04 ERA) and Nicky Engstrom (387-218/2.43 ERA)... Quinn starred for East Point for 7 seasons and 14 for Blue Lake from '27 to '47... Engstrom was with Turon for his entire 20-year career... the best Montanero bat belongs to aging superstar CF Paulo Texeira (.268/7 HR/17 RBI/13 R), who still packs a wallop in his bat, but is a defensive liability at 36... this looks like his last season... a 9-time All-Star he has 543 homers and a lifetime .298 BA... 1B Dontrelle Bradbury (.267/4 HR/15 RBI/8 R) and 34-year-old LF Royce Grantham (.244/3 HR/10 RBI/11 R) also provide a little offense, too... this is probably Grantham's last hurrah, too... he's been a consistent power guy for the Monties for the last decade... a career .266 batter with 276 homers and 903 RBIs.

In the preseason poll the Cape Coral Hurricanes (7-19) were ranked the fifth-best club in the Tycobbian South and were expected to challenge for a high spot in the first division... forecast to be a contender for second place along with Southport, San Alejo and Arroyo Grande... instead, the 'Canes had a terrible month, winning only 7 of 26 games... they were fourth last year and considered on the rise this season... but bad pitching with a 4.47 ERA (28th) and poor offense with only 107 runs (23rd) and only 14 HRs (29th) severely hurt them in April... on the hill 22-year-old youngster Jerrod Kipling (2-4/1.43) has been the only good starter... 19-year-old Edgardo Arriaza (3-3/4.00) has shined at times and shows some potential... the rest of the starting rotation is terrible with 6.00 ERAs... ditto in the bullpen, too... Cape Coral still has one of the top sluggers in the IPA... but 3B Jaybird Ethridge (.303/2 HR/18 RBI/13 R) hasn't hit a lot of homers so far, but he is still a big threat at the plate... SS Lynwood Barley (.333/1 HR/11 RBI/15 R/5 SB) doesn't hit with power, but he is an impressive contact hitter and fielder... powerhitter 1B Kalian Coston (.263/5 HR/16 RBI/13 R) has been a productive batter so far... also C Herbie Reece (.349/1 HR/6 RBI/12 R) is off to a good start... Cape Coral doesn't look anything like a first-division team... not too sure they can do better than San Alejo and Colchester... they will struggle to get out of the TU South cellar, but could wind up as high as fifth place because Ginza, Colchester and San Alejo are bad ball teams, too... historically the Hurricanes have not been very successful in the IPA with only 8 postseason appearances... and Cape Coral has never won the IPA Pro Cup... the last time the 'Canes won the TU South was 15 years ago in 2041... in about half of the seasons since, they were an also-ran in the second division.

TYCOBBIAN SOUTH STANDINGS

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2066

MIDDIES CHALLENGED IN TU EAST
For two seasons in a row the Midway Wolves feasted on the teams in the Tycobbian East, breezing to the pennants by huge, double-digit margins... the races were usually over by the All-Star Game... this year's outlook was pretty much the same by all of the sportswriters and broadcasters across the Islands... they again picked the Middies by over 10 games in the preseason poll.

This season, however, the Red Bluff Red Sox (17-9) and Ozarka Naturals (16-10) are shaking things up a bit in the TU East... at least for the first month of the season they are more than just challenging Midway, they are ahead of them in the standings... the Red Sox have been red-hot in April and shot to the top... the Nats are right on their heels, just one game behind... Midway (15-11) is tied for third place with their perennial rival, the East Point Panthers (15-11)... neither Red Bluff, nor Ozarka were highly-rated in the polls this season... both were forecast to be second-division clubs with losing records... the Naturals (71-83) came in sixth in the standings last year, while the Red Sox (67-87) were seventh... so are these two upstarts for real or not?

First place Red Bluff (17-9) is pretty much the same in personnel as last year... but, the pitching is much improved so far and star slugger RF Toni Kolkov is off to a great start with 11 homers and 31 RBIs in the first month of the season... the starting rotation consists of Fred Taylor (4-0/1.80), 36-year-old vet Felix Delatte (1-2/2.12), Wilson Sharpe (3-3/3.50) and Ricky Lambert (4-1/4.64)... the team ERA is a fine 3.30 (9th), especially considering the Red Bluff Park is a homer haven... the bullpen is solid, too, with Dontrelle Gilbreath (2-1/0.79/7 saves/10 G)... Kolkov (.338/11 HR/31 RBI/17 R) is off to his best season ever and tops the IPA with 31 RBIs and leads the TU with 11 homers... and he is getting some help from SS Wesley Robertson (.297/1 HR/13 RBI/15 R/6 SB) and 1B Monty Lyons (.275/3 HR/10 RBI/18 R/5 SB)... two other regulars don't hit for average, but they do have some bang in their bats: LF Jonathan Haworth (.225/4 HR/15 RBI/12 R/2 SB) and 3B Dazzy Bevis (.253/3 HR/6 RBI/16 R/3 SB)... the Red Sox are hitting only .242 (27th), but get good run-scoring with 28 homers (10th-tied) and 124 runs (12th)... it takes more than one good month to win a pennant... not too sure the Red Bluff mound corps can do it over an entire season... let's see what happens in May and June.

Historically the Red Sox have not had a lot of success in the IPA with only 8 postseason appearances, but they do possess one Pro Cup crown, won in 2004... it's been eight years since the last TU East division title... that was a great period for the club when they won four flags in a row beginning with 2044 and running through 2047.

Well, what about second place Ozarka (16-10)?... they sure did look great in April recording a standout 2.89 ERA (4th)... leading the way were John Dickinson (4-2/1.66), Jordy Alberstadt (4-0/3.30), 19-year-old rookie Ronnie Belzer (3-1/2.92), Delmer Jeffries (1-0/2.50) and Willis Reece (3-2/3.93)... the bullpen has been solid, too... offensively the Nats have just been an average club with a mediocre .246 BA (23rd), 115 runs (17th-tied) and 21 roundtrippers (19th-tied)... to be a serious pennant contender Ozarka will have to improve at the plate... RF Scotty Hannon (.349/4 HR/13 RBI/17 R/1 SB) is the main man for them... but there's little in the lineup besides him... the best of the other regulars is CF Heck Bibbins (.300/2 HR/9 RBI/12 R), 3B Andre Radford (.272/2 HR/8 RBI/11 R/2 SB) and 2B Foxy Alderson (.242/3 HR/12 RBI/10 R)... Ozarka has been terrible the last decade with only one sixth-place finish last year (71-83)... the rest of the time they were seventh or eighth... the last time they made the playoffs was way back in 2040... the Nats have yet to garner a Pro Cup trophy, but they were a powerhouse in the first two decades of the IPA with 13 postseason appearances... Ozarka won the Tycobbian East 10 times in 12 seasons... not too sure the Naturals can sustain their early success the rest of the year... however, they could be contenders for fourth or fifth place... the pitchers do look better this year.

Mighty Midway (15-11) is still a force in the TU East... in April the third place Wolves played well with a .277 BA (5th), 139 runs (3rd-tied) and 32 home runs (4th-tied)... not many teams better in the IPA with the bats... and the Middies' starters are solid, too, with a 3.39 ERA (13th)... however, they have a terrible bullpen with a 4.85 ERA (27th) this year... Midway really needs to address this, especially for the postseason... the Wolves have three top-notched starters in Rob Land (5-2/2.25), Arnie McGill (3-2/3.38) and Dookie Higgins (3-2/2.98)... they also possess standout batters like superstar LF Norishige Ito (.337/9 HR/22 RBI/23 R/2 SB), star RF Daryl Vale (.396/7 HR/30 RBI/12 R/5 SB), star SS Kax Clark (.312/2 HR/12 RBI/20 R) and fine 1B Ted Merritt (.307/1 HR/10 RBI/13 R/3 SB)... 2B Tom Goodnight (.312/4 HR/13 RBI/12 R) is a solid hitter, too... Ito is a marvelous player and the Tycobbian MVP in '52, '54 and '55... the Middies are still the strong favorite to take the TU East for the fourth successive season... April just might be the worst month they will have this season... the Wolves are still hungry for their third Pro Cup trophy... they captured the overall IPA crown in '53 and '54 and went deep into the playoffs last year... but, in all, Midway has only made the postseason six times.

The East Point Panthers (15-11) are tied for third place this season with Midway... they have been a solid contender in the TU East the past six seasons, winning the division twice ('50, '52) and finishing second the other four times... in its history East Point has made the postseason only 7 times and has never won the Pro Cup... in the first month of the season the Panthers posted a good team ERA of 3.51 (15th), which is pretty good for its small ballpark, where balls fly out with regularity... Benny Allen (4-1/2.60) is the ace, but 24-year-old Al Coatsworth (4-1/3.28) is a comer in his third season... 32-year-old vet Ralph Wallace (1-2/4.78) has struggled this season, giving up too many homers... Chip Dowler (1-1/3.94) is the #4... Wallace is going to have to get better for the Panthers to be in the thick of the pennant race... East Point has a standout bullpen, led by Kerry Woodburn (0-2/0.71/5 saves/9 G), Mo McCandless (2-1/4.78/no saves/7 G) and Pudgy Putnam (0-1/1.86/1 save/7 G)... despite a low .255 BA (18th), the Panthers can put runs on the scoreboard... they scored 135 times (6th-tied) and hit 28 homers (10th-tied)... top regulars are SS Justin McRae (.310/4 HR/15 RBI/17 R/1 SB), CF Skip Donley (.311/6 HR/17 RBI/16 R/5 SB), 1B Alvaro Cavacos (.296/2 HR/11 RBI/16 R/4 SB), 2B Teddy Flack (.298/3 HR/13 RBI/20 R/6 SB) and C Kenny Bailey (.253/3 HR/16 RBI/11 R)... East Point is not in the class of favored Midway again this season, but they are the second-best club in the Tycobbian East.

The fifth place Hillsboro Blazers (13-13) are just a so-so ballclub and broke even for April... pitching is average with a 3.64 ERA (16th), sparked by 22-game winner Elliott Frampton (4-2/2.44), now in his third year with the club... 37-year-old Steve Cooper (3-2/4.24) is showing signs of age... so is 34-year-old Clay Spencer (204/3.67)... Ian Barrie (2-4/3.35) is 25 and is showing some good potential... vets Hank Greenberry (1-1/3.38/2 saves/5 G) and Rob Pryor (0-0/3.68/1 save/10 G) are holding down the less-than-adequate bullpen... the Blazers have good power with 36 homers (2nd) and can score with 119 runs (15th-tied), but don't hit much for average with a poor .243 BA (26th)... the top run producers are last year's Tycobbian Rookie of the Year RF Ichiro Ichikawa (.272/6 HR/13 RBI/18 R/6 SB), 3B Kenneth Joost (.447/5 HR/16 RBI/10 R), second-year 3B Bobby Bartels (.286/4 HR/12 RBI/16 R/3 SB) and C Harry Edwards (.267/4 HR/16 RBI/14 R/1 SB)... Hillsboro has a crummy history in the IPA with just one single postseason appearance (2051) and no Pro Cup titles... since then, the Blazers have slipped into mediocrity with 7th, 5th and 4th place finishes... middle-of-the-pack is the outlook for Hillsboro in 2056... the preseason prognosticators chose them to finish fourth in the TU East standings.

The South Fork Stallions (12-14) are in the sixth spot so far this season... not too good at hitting the ball... and just average on the mound... they are just batting .248 (21st) with 109 runs (21st-tied) and 19 roundtrippers (21st-tied)... but pretty good on the hill with a 3.66 ERA (17th)... ace Emmett Coogan (4-2/2.93) has been a bright star this year... the bullpen has really excelled with a 2.31 ERA (8th)... reliever Bud Bowens (2-0/0.77/2 saves/8 G) just got promoted to starter after a standout stint in the pen... closer Tory Barrymore (1-1/1.30/11 G) has been strong, too... the top batsman has been second-year 2B Luke Brisker (.368/2 HR/10 RBI/8 R/1 SB)... not a lot after him... LF Rudi Eberhardt (.232/4 HR/17 RBI/5 R) tops the team in RBIs and homers... star C Rudy Maroney (.250/3 HR/10 RBI/14 R/2 SB) is off to a slow start... as is veteran 3B Pete Arnold (.226/1 HR/10 RBI/7 R)... both normally hit near the .300 mark... South Fork will probably finish near the bottom of the Tycobbian East this season... the Stallions are not very good... same thing historically... only made the playoffs 6 times, but they came home with two Pro Cup trophies (2025, 2042)... South Fork hasn't made the postseason since winning the pennant in '43... the club wound up third in '53 and '54, but slipped to fifth last year... it may still be on the decline.

The seventh place Tuckanarra Blue Jays (10-16) can't hit (28th) this year so far... can't score much (29th)... but are average in power with 22 HRs (17th-tied)... also average on the mound with a 3.80 ERA... rated to come in no better than seventh in the Tycobbian East this season... 3B Newt Crutchfield (.344/2 HR/8 RBI/10 R) and LF Jali Toba (.328/4 HR/7 RBI/7 R/2 SB) are the only reliable batters... long-time Blue Jay starter Ozzie Leslie (4-1/1.99) is off to a fine year... Ian Timms (1-3/1.98) has pitched well, but his won-lost mark doesn't show it... the Tucks' starters are decent, the bullpen non-existent... don't get excited about the Blue Birds this year.

Tuckanarra has a proud history down through the years with 18 IPA playoff appearances... the Blue Jays have won 3 Pro Cups, too (2023, 2024, 2035)... but they haven't won a pennant since '49... and they've been stuck in the second division most of the years since... seventh two seasons ago... and eighth last year.

The High Mesa Mustangs haven't done well in the IPA over the years, making the playoffs only 3 times... their first two years in the league (2002, 2003)... they even won the Pro Cup in '02... but have only won one pennant since (2048)... last year the Mustangs jumped up to the third spot in the TU East after coming in sixth the previous two seasons... but they have not been able to repeat the success in the early going this year... High Mesa (7-19) has been bad on the hill, but sensational at the plate... the Mustangs are hitting .282 (2nd), scored 130 runs (9th) and slammed 31 homers out of the park (6th)... so there is hope, if they can straighten out the mound corps... leading the High Mesa hit parade are 3B Kagetoki Miyazaki (.303/7 HR/20 RBI/16 R), 1B Ward Catlin (.346/4 HR/16 RBI/12 R), RF Curly Yeats (.333/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R/2 SB), SS Tommy Yost (.333/0 HR/7 RBI/16 R) and LF Virgil Lawton (.302/4 HR/9 RBI/15 R/6 SB)... CF Tracy McGriff (.248/8 HR/16 RBI/19 R/1 SB) has been productive, but is down from his career .296 BA... nobody on the pitching staff is doing well... Tuffy Hammel is only 1-3, but has a fine 2.28 ERA in 6 starts... a couple of relievers have been reliable: Tee Bo Templet (1-0/3.52/9 G) and Deloy Anson (0-1/2.81/10 G)... the Mustangs still have time to turn things around and make a season of it, but they have a bunch of ground to make up to get back into the pennant chase... they are already 10 games behind TU West leader Red Bluff (17-9).

TYCOBBIAN EAST STANDINGS

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

LOGJAM IN TU WEST, KENWOOD 1ST
At the end of the first month of play in the Tycobbian West, it's jammed packed with challengers, all playing well... only 3 games separate first place and fourth place in the standings... at the top are the Kenwood Wildcats (18-8) with the best record in the Islandian Pro Alliance... the runner-up is the Arlon Champions (17-9), holding down the third spot are the Rolling Hills Reds (16-10) and tied for fourth are the preseason favorite and last year's flag winner Denton City Redbirds (15-11) and Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (15-11)... and in sixth place are the Bayview Vikings (13-13), just 5 games off the pace.

The top club in the TU West, Kenwood (18-8) wound up third the past two seasons, but very much far behind in the pennant race... they were 17 games behind both years... this year the Wildcats have much-improved pitching and they had an excellent April... Kenwood only has so-so starters, but the bullpen is really strong... the overall team ERA is 3.36 (11th) with the starters 3.78 (16th) and the bullpen 1.60 ERA (3rd)... Al Bryan (4-1/3.55) was a 20-game winner last year and the ace of the staff... this year he is getting a lot of help from 23-year-old rookie Mickey Maughan (4-2/2.98)... should Ward Elliott (2-3/4.63) become more reliable and consistent... and should bullpener Emmitt Oates (1-0/1.88/9 G) do as well as a starter, then Kenwood is a bonafide contender to Denton City... Pee Wee Windham (2-1/1.74/7 saves/11 G) had a terrific month in April... the rest of the relievers are rock-solid, too... the Wildcats do well at the plate with a .271 BA (9th) and 134 runs (8th), but a little more long-ball juice would really help... they only hit 18 out of the park in April (24th)... heading up the batting order with the best averages were LF William Gloucester (.354/3 HR/14 RBI/8 R), LF Kenny Cranmore (.339/1 HR/6 RBI/8 R/1 SB), 3B Delaney Beaufort (.333/0 HR/6 RBI/11 R) and 1B Bralen Connally (.302/3 HR/25 RBI/15 R)... RF Chris McNeal (.216/4 HR/14 RBI/13 R) started slowly average-wise, but tops the team in homers so far... he was the main power man last year along with Connally... if Kenwood gets the pitching, it can hang with Denton City for the long haul... but they need more than Bryan and Maughan as starters... and the superb bullpen.

In its recent IPA history Kenwood has done well with 7 pennants in the last 15 seasons... the last TU West division crown came in '52... only once has the Wildcats come home with a Pro Cup trophy... that was many years ago in 2014... all total, Kenwood has made the postseason 10 times... there is only a slim chance that the Wildcats can beat Denton City this year, but it could happen.

The second place Arlon Champions (17-9) are off to a searing start this year... a very well-balanced team... they have a really good offense, batting .281 (3rd), scoring 143 runs (1st) and hitting 24 HR (15th)... twice in recent years the Champs won the TU West ('51, '54)... twice they came in second... Arlon has a solid starting rotation with J. C. Hilburn (4-2/2.38), Ty Coffee (5-1/3.19), Erik Branham (2-2/3.40) and rookie Oscar Mathewson (1-1/2.61)... and the bullpen is solid, too, with Mack Blair (0-0/0.84/5 saves/8 G) and Clyde Burney (2-1/3.24/no saves/8 G)... the Champs have a plethora of good bats in its lineup, sparked by C Riley Earnshaw (.432/1 HR/12 RBI/10 R), 1B Timothy Webb (.330/0 HR/9 RBI/13 R/3 SB), RF Dickie Ringer (.314/0 HR/11 RBI/12 R/2 SB), 3B Eduardo Garaza (.296/4 HR/15 RBI/19 R/1 SB), LF Jaimey Stansfield (.276/6 HR/15 RBI/19 R/6 SB) and SS Art Catlin (.280/5 HR/19 RBI/15 R/1 SB)... 2051 was a great season... Arlon was the overall IPA titlist... standout pitching was the key... in the club's history they have appeared just 7 times in the playoffs... the Arlon Champions look for real this year... beware Denton City and Kenwood and any other would-be pennant contenders.

The third place Rolling Hills Reds (16-10) are off to a rousing first month of the season... for the previous five years or so the Reds have just been fair to mediocre... last year they were a distant fourth and 20 GB pennant-winning Denton City... this year the bats have been booming with a .280 BA (4th), 142 runs (2nd) and 25 homers (13th-tied)... however as good as the offense has been, the pitching has been pretty pitiful with a 4.33 ERA (27th)... the starting rotation just might be the worst in the IPA with an awful 5.17 ERA... fortunately the bullpen has been very good with a 2.17 ERA (6th)... none of the starters are doing well... vets like Johnny Howard(2-3/5.37), Vance Dillaway (2-1/4.34) and P. J. Dunham (4-0/4.91) have got to revert to form for the Reds to contend with Denton City, Kenwood and Arlon... Howard won 17 games last season, Dillaway 19 and Dunham 12, all with good ERAs... but the attack arsenal is there with 2B Dustin Thibodeau (.302/5 HR/18 RBI/17 R/1 SB), RF Rory Teed (.366/4 HR/12 RBI/18 R/1 SB), 1B Drayton Mayfield (.340/1 HR/14 RBI/17 R) and LF Jean-Luc Roubique (.253/4 HR/17 RBI/11 R/1 SB)... Rolling Hills had a rollicking good April, but it's doubtful they can be successful with such bad pitching... the Reds have been to the postseason 11 times in their history with three Pro Cup trophies... from 2019 to 2032 they won 8 pennants... plus a pair of Pro Cups (2029, 2031)... the third one came 2048... in the preseason poll Rolling Hills ranked sixth in the TU West.

Last year's Tycobbian West winner was Denton City (15-11)... the Redbirds were the prime pick in the preseason poll and expected to ramble through the division in easy fashion again this year... currently they are tied for third place with the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... most of the franchise success was in the early decades of the IPA... 11 times Denton City has made the postseason, but rarely in recent years... only 3 times since 2013... the Redbirds have been quite good lately, winning the TU West in '53 and '55... and losing by one game in '54... the pitching has been extraordinary with a 2.66 ERA (2nd)... DC has the third-best staff in the IPA, topped only by Summerland (2.49) and Sligo (2.60)... but the offense has tanked this season, down some 30 points from last season... the Redbirds are hitting a lousy .234 (30th), scored only 105 runs (24th), but have 25 home runs (13th-tied)... still they are just 3 games out of first place, going into May... only SS Vincent McCloud (.360/7 HR/14 RBI/16 R/1 SB) and CF Snooky Lark (.284/0 HR/13 RBI/8 R/6 SB) are have good years... 1B Val Anniston (.247/4 HR/14 RBI/11 R) has also been somewhat productive... that's it... no one else... but on the other hand, the pitchers have been lights out, led by veteran starters Flash Stringfellow (5-2/2.30), Jayson Manning (4-3/1.96), Randall Neighbors (2-1/2.17), Johnny Wingate (2-4/3.02) and Rance Hasbrough (2-1/3.57)... Burnell Kelley (0-0/1.80/5 saves/7 G) has been strong in the bullpen, too... Denton City is doing fine by just relying on its hill corps... once the bats come around, the Redbirds will be back on top of the TU West... but it won't be easy... Kenwood and Arlon may be in their way the whole season.

Since winning back-to-back flags in '49 and '50, the third place Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (15-11) have just been a good first division team, except for last year when they slipped to fifth place... this year the Bucs seemed to have repaired the ship... the pitching is again solid with a 3.24 ERA (6th), headed up by starters Scotty Hedwall (5-2/3.32) and Kermo Jarvi (3-2/2.64) and a superlative bullpen, led by star closer Cadillac Bogart (1-0/0.00/8 saves/10 G)... and the bats are sufficient with a .256 BA (16th), 112 runs (20th) and 29 homers (8th-tied)... LF Jed Killick (.284/9 HR/21 RBI/19 R) is really pounding the ball and has help from 1B Clive Caviness (.297/4 HR/16 RBI/12 R), RF Erik Kruger (.287/3 HR/11 RBI/13 R/2 SB) and 3B Trace Burney (.287/2 HR/6 RBI/15 R)... Bay St. Clair could wind up as high as fourth in the TU West this year... not strong enough to be a genuine pennant threat... the Buccaneers need better #3 and #4 starters to move up into the elite realm... they have been to the postseason playoffs 11 times, but mostly in the early years of the IPA... Bay St. Clair still hasn't won a Pro Cup.

The Bayview fans are long-suffering... it's been four decades since they won the TU West... that's 40 long, long years... only 6 times have the beloved Vikings made the playoffs... the last pennant came in 2016... nothing but heartache since... for the last 12 years they have finished under the .500 mark... so far in 2056 the sixth place Bayview Vikings (13-13) have broken even... and that's exactly what Bayview is -- an average team -- they are batting .265 (12th) with 115 runs (17th-tied) and a 3.82 ERA (20th)... but the Viks are above average with 30 roundtrippers (7th)... 3B Byorn Karlsen (.367/7 HR/24 RBI/15 R) is off to a booming year, even better than his rookie season last year when the Golden Glover hit 36 home runs and drove in 106 runs... SS Lou Kauchak (.326/2 HR/8 RBI/13 R/2 SB) is the only other .300 hitter... a couple of players RF Vern Woodcock (.193/6 HR/12 RBI/12 R/1 SB) and 1B Eddie Beeman (.245/6 HR/15 RBI/11 R) are good at going deep, but don't hit much for average... top starters are Herm Monday (3-2/2.96) and Jules Perot (3-1/3.57)... not much in the rotation otherwise... Skeets Dyson (1-2/1.00/5 saves/9 G) has been very good in the bullpen... Bayview is missing too many parts... still stuck in the second division of the Tycobbian West.

The La Claire Lynx (12-14) are doing better than Bayview... it's only been two decades since they won the TU West (2038)... however, the Lynx have only been to the postseason playoffs 4 times with no Pro Cups to show for it yet... most of the time in recent years La Claire has been mired in the second division... that's the most likely forecast this year... they were ranked last in the preseason poll... the Lynx were seventh in '54 and sixth in '55... thus far this season they are seventh in the division standings with great hitting and appalling pitching... they are blistering the ball at a .300 clip (1st), have scored 139 runs (3rd-tied) and slugged 28 home runs (10th-tied)... not bad, at all... however, they are ranked dead last with a 5.31 ERA (32nd), by far the worst in the IPA... first, the good part -- La Claire has hitters galore in its lineup -- sparked by LF Frankie Filchock (.379/4 HR/16 RBI/15 R/1 SB), 1B Charlie Rodgers (.347/5 HR/20 RBI/15 R), 2B Derek Winchester (.343/1 HR/14 RBI/20 R/6 SB), SS Horace Rutherford (.326/4 HR/13 RBI/11 R), LF Wilmer Burgess (.316/1 HR/13 RBI/15 R) and RF Kippy Born (.297/4 HR/16 RBI/12 R/2 SB)... and now, the bad part -- more than half of the pitching staff has an ERA 5.00 and worse... however, there is a little ray of sunshine... Krisjan Valk (5-0/2.61) is unbeaten in 7 starts.

The last place Chicopee Braves (7-19) have a terrible IPA history... just 3 times the team has won pennants (2034, 2035, 2036)... never won a Pro Cup... only 4 times in the last 20 years have they made the first division... all 4 times it was fourth place... seem to be destined for the Tycobbian West cellar this year... they were selected seventh in the preview poll... the offense is down this year, but the pitching is on the rise... the Braves are batting .247 (22nd), paced by RF Travis Ledger (.349/2 HR/15 RBI/6 R/3 SB)... no other regular is above .286... a couple of starters are pretty reliable: second-year southpaw Chuta Shaman (4-2/2.72) and Russ Clooney (3-3/3.98)... veteran Sharlon Barbour (1-6/3.22) has given them some quality starts, but his record doesn't reflect it... and Rocky Dowling (0-1/1.50/5 saves/7 G) is solid in the bullpen, too... the team ERA is fairly good at 3.82 (19th)... the last two seasons it has been in the 4.50 range.

TYCOBBIAN WEST STANDINGS
Monday, May 1, 2066

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, June 18, 2056

WHO'S BEST? RU STARS OR TU STARS?
Midseason has come once again to the Islandian Pro Alliance... the annual Dream Game is just around the corner, coming up this Wednesday afternoon at Granger Field in Wynnamac... the Ruthlandian All-Stars tangle with the Tycobbian All-Stars in the 56th IPA All-Star Classic... the best of the best in the IPA will wage war on the baseball diamond... 42 stars will come out to shine and show their abundant talent... the Colfax Blasters led the RU Stars with four spots on the team, while the Midway Wolves topped the TU Stars with four players named.

Tycobbia is way out front in the series 37 to 18... they are currently on a 5-game winning streak... at the helm of the Ruthlandian Stars will be Jerry Meeks, skipper of the Pro Cup champion Wynnamac Sundowners... guiding the Tycobbian Stars will be Marty Blake of the White River Rascals, last year's Pro Cup runner-up.

Claxton's Jojo DeLucca tops the RU Stars with 14 selections, Middlefield's James Long was chosen for the 10th time... Joe Cochrane of Cold Creek is an 8-time honoree... and Darrell Dillon of Colfax and Primo Sirak of Valmara will be making their 5th appearances... on the TU Stars Midway's Norishige Ito has appeared on 6 occasions... and three players have made the All-Star squad 4 times each: Yancey Hedges (Turon), Dustin Thibodeau (Rolling Hills) and Kuzuki Tamura (Ginza).

Only one rookie was chosen this year: 20-year-old Middlefield hurler Rick Goldman... he will be joined by two other 20-year olds, catcher Daryl Monaghan (Rolling Hills) and third sacker Byorn Karlsen (Bayview)... the oldest All-Star this year is second baseman Jojo DeLucca, age 40... he's the playing manager of the Claxton Diamonds.

RUTHLANDIAN UNION ALL-STARS (18-37):

SP Antonio Cedeno (Sugar Valley) (13-2/2.32 ERA) (2-time All-Star)
SP Rick Goldman (Middlefield) (16-1/3.45 ERA) (1st-time All-Star) (Rookie)
SP James Long (Middlefield) (11-4/1.96 ERA) (10-time All-Star)
SP Primo Sirak (Valmara) (11-3/2.57 ERA) (5-time All-Star)
SP Mickey Walsh (Slilgo) (10-8/2.58 ERA) (4-time All-Star)
SP Dain Moore (Eastshore) (11-6/2.35 ERA) (1st-time All-Star)
CL Kenny Robinson (San Dimas) (1-1/0.61 ERA/18 saves/25 G) (2-time All-Star)
C Darrell Dillon (Colfax) (.328 BA/7 HR/46 RBI/33 R) (.997 FA) (5-time All-Star)
C Tuffy Palmieri (St. John) (.326 BA/5 HR/28 RBI/36 R) (1.000 FA) (4-time All-Star)
1B Chuck Gregory (Belle Plaine) (.299 BA/22 HR/55 RBI/52 R) (.994 FA) (3-time All-Star)
1B Nicky Yorke (Colfax) (.299 BA/16 HR/48 RBI/48 R) (.988 FA) (2-time All-Star)
2B Jojo DeLucca (Claxton) (.284 BA/11 HR/46 RBI/40 R/1 SB) (.983 FA) (14-time All-Star)
3B Ian Kelehan (Eastshore) (.324 BA/10 HR/38 RBI/43 R/8 SB) (.952 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Nigel Colvin (Colfax) (.303 BA/12 HR/35 RBI/48 R) (.945 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Olev Tarvas (Valka) (.353 BA/3 HR/34 RBI/44 R/13 SB) (.965 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Joe Cochrane (Cold Creek) (.296 BA/14 HR/50 RBI/43 R/3 SB) (.976 FA) (8-time All-Star)
LF Curtis Cochran (Belair Beach) (.369 BA/5 HR/36 RBI/38 R/10 SB) (.985 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
LF Jedd Blodgett (Ranwood) (.296 BA/11 HR/47 RBI/54 R/21 SB) (.966 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
CF Stan Kovalenko (Colfax) (.307 BA/4 HR/44 RBI/52 R/10 SB) (2-time All-Star)
CF Teddy Keyes (Fort Benton) (.320 BA/1 HR/35 RBI/43 R/14 SB) (.987 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
RF Ziggy Coburn (Crystal Lake) (.334 BA/13 HR/45 RBI/47 R/6 SB) (.970 FA) (1st-time All-Star)

TYCOBBIAN UNION ALL-STARS (37-18):

SP Tommy Underhill (Summerland) (11-4/1.94 ERA) (2-time All-Star)
SP Juliano Machado (Luxora) (11-2/2.43 ERA) (2-time All-Star)
SP Arnie McGill (Midway) (12-4/2.49 ERA) (1st-time All-Star)
SP Flash Stringfellow (Denton City) (13-6/2.43 ERA) (3-time All-Star)
SP Beau McCloud (Arroyo Grande) (12-7/3.38 ERA) (3-time All-Star)
SP Yancey Hedges (Turon) (10-6/2.81 ERA) (4-time All-Star)
CL Dontrelle Gilbreath (Red Bluff) (4-4/0.60 ERA/14 saves/26 G) (1st-time All-Star)
C Daryl Monaghan (Blue Lake) (.361 BA/8 HR/39 RBI/44 R/13 SB) (.983 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
C Giles Gilliam (Oxford) (.313 BA/8 HR/36 RBI/28 R) (1.000 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
1B Charlie Rodgers (La Claire) (.335 BA/17 HR/52 RBI/44 R) (.992 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
1B Bralen Connally (Kenwood) (.283 BA/16 HR/65 RBI/47 R) (.994 FA) (2-time All-Star)
2B Dustin Thibodeau (Rolling Hills) (.315 BA/10 HR/49 RBI/46 R/2 SB) (.985 FA) (4-time All-Star)
3B Byorn Karlsen (Bayview) (.321 BA/19 HR/48 RBI/34 R) (.967 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
3B Sam Dunstone (North Hills) (.315 BA/0 HR/31 RBI/44 R) (.953 FA) (1st-time All-Star)
SS Kazuki Tamura (Ginza) (.335 BA/8 HR/43 RBI/50 R/11 SB) (.961 FA) (4-time All-Star)
SS Kax Clark (Midway) (.328 BA/3 HR/27 RBI/48 R/2 SB) (.958 FA) (3-time All-Star)
LF Norishige Ito (Midway) (.325 BA/21 HR/61 RBI/54 R/4 SB) (.980 FA) (6-time All-Star)
CF Rueben Jones (Arroyo Grande) (.284 BA/26 HR/58 RBI/57 R/7 SB) (1.000) (1st-time All-Star)
CF Pudge Tate (White River) (.269 BA/17 HR/47 RBI/44 R/11 SB) (.992 FA) (3-time All-Star)
RF Daryl Vale (Midway) (.341 BA/18 HR/71 RBI/45 R/10 SB) (.966 FA) (3-time All-Star)
RF Toni Kolkov (Red Bluff) (.307 BA/21 HR/51 RBI/43 R/1 SB) (.971 FA) (3-time All-Star)

*** Jojo DeLucca *********************************************** Norishige Ito ***

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, June 22, 2066

TU STARS TROUNCE RU, 7TH WIN IN A ROW
The Tycobbian Stars trounced the Ruthlandian Stars 9-4 at Granger Field in Wynnamac Wednesday afternoon for their seventh triumph in a row in the IPA All-Star Classic... should the TU Stars win again next year, they will tie the record of eight consecutive victory in the All-Star series... Tycobbian set the record by winning from 2003 to 2010... the TU All-Stars banged out 12 hits, including five doubles and two homers in demolishing the RU All-Stars... LF Norishige Ito (Midway) and Kazuki Tamura (Ginza) went deep for the winners, while C Darrell Dillon (Colfax) homered for the losers... Ito (Midway) and RF Daryl Vale (Midway) collected two hits apiece for Tycobbia and LF Curtis Cochran (Belair Beach) socked three for Ruthlandia... the game's Most Valuable Player Juliano Machado (Luxora) picked up the win... he worked three inning, struck out three and permitted only one run... RU Stars' starter Antonio Cedeno got the loss, tagged for two runs in the first two innings... the Tycobbian All-Stars increased their lead in the series... they have an overwhelming 38-18 margin in the annual classic.

Juliano Machado
Luxora
MVP

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, June 22, 2056

GREAT RACES IN THE IPA
The fans are having a ball in the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2056... the division races are tight as twin Texas fiddles... seven of the eight divisions are hotly-contested... and look like they will go down-to-wire... only the Middlefield Roosters are dominating their division at the All-Star break... the rest have ding-dong battles going on.

Here we go around the Islands and world of baseball in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the Ruthlandian North the Far Mountain Redhawks (45-28) are defying the pollsters, who picked them for last place, even though they won the pennant last season... the Redhawks have a three-game edge on Taranto (42-31), five better than third place Valmara (40-33) and nine games up on Ranford (36-37) and LaGrange (36-37).

RU North Division Outlook: Far Mountain (45-28) has great pitching with Eldon Bittner (10-6/2.69), Benny Van (10-8/2.69) and Stan Smith (8-4/3.08)... plus a superb bullpen with Brian Townsend (2-2/1.13/14 saves/21 G)... so do the Taranto Tars (42-31) with Freddy De Angelis (10-3/3.01), Valerio Rossi (10-5/3.00) and Chris Gallo (9-7/3.15)... it will come down to these two clubs... no one else seem to be in the running... it was close between the Redhawks and Tars last year... only three games separating them... ditto this year... too close to call... the Tars' top hitters are LF Dominick Sanna (.255/15/35/37/3 SB), RF Lenny Buisson (.310/13/29/35/1 SB), CF Renzo Caruso (.240/16/31/31/7 SB) and C Niccolo Parisi (.259/9/35/26)... leading Far Mountain will be 1B Luke Hazlett (.303/6/28/40/3 SB), CF Ox Gless (.294/6/36/38/12 SB) and 2B Mylon Towner (.290/4/21/29/5 SB).

It is one heck of a battle going in the Ruthlandian South... the seventh place team, Belair Beach (36-37) is just four games back of first place Waleska (40-33) and San Dimas (40-33)... in between you have third place St. John (39-34) and last year's division champ Grand City (39-34) just one game off the pace... in the fifth spot are Valka (38-35) and Crystal Lake (38-35), just two games behind... it's a wide-open race with almost everybody in it... the Grand City Cybercats were the darlings of the preseason pickers with the Waleska Westerners and Crystal Lake Skippers on their heels.

RU South Division Outlook: Grand City (39-34) is this year's favorite and the best-balanced club... they look to be the best of the lot... but not by much... lots of pennant contenders in this so-so division...the Cybercats' pitching is solid with Jozef Chojnaki (9-6/3.08), Glen Smitherman (4-1/2.73) and Fred Barrow (5-4/2.47)... even better if Steve Shirley (2-0/1.13/12 saves/20 G) can transition to a starter after dominating in the bullpen... at the plate they are solid with LF Dave Durocher (.292/10/38/36/5 SB), 1B Vince Kinston (.340/9/33/33), 3B Zane Faulkner (.335/1/23/30) and RF Rocky Valverdi (.308/6/20/29/6 SB).

Just like last year Waleska (40-33) will hang close to the Cybercats... the Westerners have good pitching and good hitting, too... led by some reliable bats such as CF Boomer Barnes (.288/9/52/41/4 SB), 3B Hershel Briggs (.294/5/29/35), vet 2B Richie Fry (.338/3/33/34), RF Zip McHan (.325/2/16/18), SS Tris Chrisman (.312/1/11/19/3 SB)... plus C Cubby Nash (.249/6/35/38) can drive in runs... on the hill veteran Lou Carlson (9-6/4.24) is the ace with help of Rory Beecroft (8-7/2.77), Bret Shockley (10-6/2.67) and Dub Dwight (6-4/3.68/4 saves/21 G)... the bullpen is their downfall... not very good.

San Dimas' (40-33) mound staff will keep them in the race with Tyler Tydings (10-7/2.65) and Tomas Olmeda (9-5/3.68)... there is no better closer in the IPA than All-Star Kenny Robinson (1-1/0.61/18 saves/25 G)... however, the Rancheros are suspect at the plate... RF Gilberto Gallardo (.307/14/44/39) and 1B Joaquin Vargas (.301/7/24/17) are the club leaders... they will need more offense to win the division.

The St. John Crusaders (39-34) can score with 2B Jimmy Upchurch (.325/7/35/42/8 SB), All-Star C Tuffy Palmieri (.326/5/28/36) and 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.326/11/48/33)... and they have some quality starters in Whitlow Cornwell (10-2/2.84) and Teddy de Grom (7-9/3.88)... Teddy Howell (4-4/3.90) is a decent #3... but the bullpen is lacking except for closer Mark Faber (5-4/2.88/9 saves/23 G).

The Valka Blackhawks (38-35) won the RU South in '54... were third last year... and they are still a pretty good ball club... Clark Harrington (9-4/3.15), Aavo Keskkula (8-5/2.41), Norbert Borden (8-4/3.87/1 save/20 G) and Arvi Tamm (4-2/2.75) give them capable starters, but the bullpen falls short... the Blackhawk bats are good with All-Star SS Olev Tarvas (.353/3/34/44/13 SB), 3B Corey Belk (.281/2/32/37/7 SB), 1B Jess Evans (.281/10/43/25) and RF Mel Shadwell (.267/7/35/38/5 SB).

The Crystal Lake Skippers (38-35) are another well-rounded team and could cause some trouble with pitchers like Ozzie McLendon (10-5/2.29), Merle Pitts (9-7/2.29) and Robin Norborne (6-4/4.05)... and Josh Crosby (3-5/2.06/17 saves/33 G) is a stalwart in the bullpen... in the batter's box standouts are All-Star RF Zippy Coburn (.334/13/45/47/6 SB), SS Bama Quade (.285/1/16/47/16 SB) and 3B Jasper Shackleford (.294/9/46/32)... another productive hitter is 1B Gib Conlan (.239/10/41/44), but he doesn't hit for much of an average.

Not likely to be in the hunt for the pennant at season's end, Belair Beach (36-37) still has some quality players like All-Star LF Curtis Cochran (.369/5/36/38/10 SB), C Johnny Samarin (.264/4/25/21) and 3B Mark Hawkins (.270/33/28), but not enough to really contend for the division flag... however, the staff is pretty fair with starters Tom Wilder (7-5/3.08), Chris Malbrough (6-5/2.99) and Glen Long (7-8/3.86), along with bullpen ace Kyle Gibson (6-2/1.57/10 saves/28 G).

The big surprise of the Ruthlandian East is the Eastshore Cotton Kings (44-29)... at mid-year they are two games ahead of last year's Pro Cup champion Wynnamac (42-31)... the third place Marston Nine (39-34) and fourth place Sugar Valley Rattlers (38-35) are playing good ball, too... the remainder of the teams will be just also-rans, not real contenders... just mediocre clubs trying to get out of the second division and make a little progress toward respectability.

RU East Division Outlook: the Cotton Kings (44-29) could be the real thing this year... they did well in '54 winding up a fairly close third to division winner Wynnamac (42-31) and runner-up Marston (39-34), but they tanked it last year, sinking to sixth place... now the Cotton Pickers have turned it around and are back in the chase... strong pitching and solid scoring will do it every time... just take a gander at this starting rotation: All-Star Dain Moore (11-6/2.35), Sam Carmon (11-5/2.80) and Bebe Kinney (8-6/2.98)... the bullpen is just adequate, led by closer Malcolm Tansbury (3-2/2.79/12 saves/22 G)... offensively Eastshore can do the job, too... top producers are All-Star 3B Ian Kelehan (.324/10/38/43/8 SB), CF Elton Woody (.283/8/36/48/7 SB) and C Tony Brunetti (.286/7/40/24/1 SB).

Reigning Pro Cup titlist, Wynnamac (42-31), is still a top-notch team, but the starters have not performed as well as they usually do... Pro Cup MVP George Medworth (6-7/4.49) in particular has been slow to round into shape... they also lost one of their top batsmen in 1B Enos Benham (.314/7/44/35) for a month with an injury... still you know the Macs will be near the top when it's all over... they were the preseason pick again and should win their fourth consecutive division title, but it might be tough... Eastshore and Marston are both solid contenders... the Sundowners have a bunch of good hitters, but they lack home-run power... yet they still rank fourth in the league in scoring (367 runs)... the pitching is up a little bit in ERA... 36-year-old Sammy Hayes (6-10/2.71) is still the ace... Garan Parula (10-1/3.80) has not pitched as well as his record shows... he's gotten far more run support than Hayes... James Duncan (5-3/3.75) is still a reliable starter... so is Dion Delgiorno (5-4/3.71) and Simon Northcott (3-1/2.39)... the bullpen is still impressive with closer Tike Collazo (1-2/0.39/15 saves/24 G) and Duncan Heathershaw (4-0/2.67/22 G)... heading up the Macs' attack are 2B Phil McLemore (.323/4/32/49/7 SB), 1B Snooky Bartels (.328/5/28/27), 3B Marvin Hayes (.273/6/38/29/2 SB), SS Whiz Ivie (.295/2/23/39/11 SB) and CF Claude Garmon (.256/7/20/41/14 SB).

The third place Marston Nine (39-34) are a quality team with very good hitting (.280 BA/3rd)), but just average scoring (321 runs-17th)... average on the hill, too... the Nine have placed second in four of the last five years... third in '53... top hurlers are starters Mark Henley (9-4/2.36), Toby Claypool (6-4/3.32) and Lance McElveen (9-8/3.75)... in the bullpen Robert Tringle (2-2/0.83/16 saves/28 G) is super solid... sparking the offense are 1B Jarrod Crutchfield (.335/10/46/28), 3B Andy Kirk (.337/0/27/33/4 SB), RF Luke Cranshaw (.331/4/34/44/7 SB), LF Joe Duplantis (.321/6/25/19/1 SB) and 2B Damien D'Amboise (.295/2/32/44/17 SB)... yet, Marston will come in third at best this season.

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (32-41) were picked third in the preseason polls, but they have fizzled so far, languishing in the second division in the sixth spot... the Muskies are just average on the hill and in their lineup, but they do possess some talented ballplayers like starters Ike Alister (10-8/3.17), Joe-Joe Bouvier (7-5/3.35) and Al McKeown (4-7/3.14) and regulars All-Star 1B Chuck Gregory (.299/22/55/52), C Eliott Somers (.306/8/31/39) and LF Andy Williams (.311/4/28/35/5 SB).

The Elnora All-Stars (31-42) were selected the fourth-best squad in the RU East, but at midseason they are wallowing in seventh place... the All-Stars are one of the best offensive teams with a .280 BA (2nd), they can score runs with 321 (3rd) and hit homers with 72 (9th), but the pitching is lousy with a 4.43 ERA (30th)... 'nuff said... forget about winning the pennant this year... Elnora's top bats belong to LF Donald Ray Mooney (.280/13/37/25/1 SB), 1B Gus Abreu (.321/5/31/36/2 SB), C Kuro Ishihara (.304/6/25/31), CF Keith Colburn (.335/2/22/28/12 SB), RF Radley Lunsford (.299/6/26/29/2 SB), SS Denny Rhymes (.302/2/24/25/2 SB), RF Robb Norwood (.307/3/16/21/2 SB), 3B Dickie DeBusshere (.281/3/22/26/3 SB) and SS Lee Carnahan (.266/6/34/19/1 SB)... the All-Stars have more good hitters than they can play... maybe it's time to trade some of them for quality pitching, which they desparately need... Elnora only has two quality pitchers on its staff: starters Matt Mackowiak (9-7/3.61) and Jerry Bertrand (6-7/3.81)

For the past decade the Beechwood Blues (26-47) have been stuck in the RU East second division... that's 10 straight losing seasons... they were last in '55 and they are last at the halfway point this year... Beechwood has had very little success in the IPA, appearing in the postseason only three times... 2027 was the most recent... not very likely this year, either... never won a Pro Cup... this season the Blues have horrible pitching with a 4.99 ERA (32nd)... not much offense with only 286 runs (30th) and a .258 BA (20th)... average power with 55 HRs (21st-tied)... Cordell Eddins (6-7/4.26) is the only decent starter... bullpen is bad, too... not a lot of hitters in the Blues' lineup... second-year 3B Erik Coulter (.322/3/28/40/6 SB) is a very fine player... RF Jay Jay Ring (.275/8/31/21) and RF Phil Orbach (.327/4/17/16) may have potential... yes, things are bleak in Beechwood.

RU West Division Outlook: Middlefield, Middlefield and Middlefield... the powerful Roosters have won the division crown seven straight seasons and it's almost a foregone conclusion they will make it eight this year... at midseason Middlefield (51-22) is already 12 games ahead of its closest competitor, the runner-up Colfax Blasters (39-34)... and 13 games in front of third place Stoner (38-35) and Sligo (38-35)... in the preseason poll the Roosters were picked to rout the division again and they are doing it.

Middlefield (51-22) will be one of the favorites for the Pro Cup title this year... just like they have been for most of the last decade... the Roosters really rule the regular season, but they have flopped in the postseason the last three seasons... but they didn't in 2052 when they won it all -- the whole shebang... 19 times Middlefield has made the playoffs and they have also won the Pro Cup twice... the first came in 2005... this season the Roosters have the best record in the IPA... they are batting .270 (10th) with 426 runs (1st) and have walloped 82 out of the park (4th)... and the Rooster rotation is the best it's been in recent years with a 3.38 ERA (5th)... anchoring the fine pitching corps is one of the IPA all-time greats, All-Star James Long (11-4/1.96)... in his career he is 372-212 with an excellent 2.65 ERA... the 35-year-old Long is just 19 wins short of the all-time mark held by Frankie Quinn (391-297), who starred for Fort Benton and Blue Lake... this year Long has gotten unexpected help from rookie phenom, All-Star Rick Goldman (16-1/3.45) and Scott Cole (8-4/3.30)... Middlefield needs a solid #4 starter... Hollis Dale, a 17-year vet and 246-game winner, has decided to retire at age 41... he is only 7-8 this year with a 4.44 ERA and thought he was hurting the club... especially their Pro Cup aspirations... Dale has been a 20-game winner for the previous four seasons... the Rooster bullpen is still outstanding, manned by vets Norm Coventry (0-0/0.42/11 saves/18 G) and Yazzy Yastrzemski (4-1/2.55/6 saves/18 G)... Middlefield's batting order is chocked full of productive hitters, paced by RF Trip Agarn (.271/21/52/51 R/3 SB), CF Johnny Wyatt (.293/12/48/31/2 SB), SS Stan Radzikowski (.267/7/39/48/5 SB), 3B Donnie Hix (.293/6/34/48 R), 2B Natty Colclough (.247/9/36/22 R) and C Johnny McDonald (.317/2/31/21 R)... plus a bench that is stocked with talented bats, too.

It looks as if the only race in the RU West this year will be for second place... 4-5 clubs could be in this battle... Colfax (39-34) was the seventh-ranked team in the preseason poll, but is unexpectedly in second place right now... can the Blasters hold up?... probably not... the pitching just isn't there with a very poor 4.45 team ERA (31st)... but Colfax can clobber the baseball with a .279 BA (4th), 372 runs (2nd) and 78 HR (5th-tied)... four regulars made the All-Star team: 1B Nicky Yorke (.299/16/48/48), C Darrell Dillon (.288/7/46/33), 3B Nigel Colvin (.303/12/35/48) and CF Stan Kovalenko (.307/4/44/52/10 SB)... other solid hitters are 2B Lon Downer (.301/6/34/35), RF Robb Maddux (.297/6/26/19/3 SB) and LF Emile Schwarz (.343/6/16/20)... Colfax only has two fairly reliable starters: Keith Himmel (7-4/3.77) and Larry McDuffie (9-2/3.85)... and there is absolutely nothing in the bullpen.

The most-likely runner-up should be the Sligo Rovers (38-35)... they have wound up second the last three seasons, but never really close to Middlefield... the Rovers have good pitching with a 3.33 ERA (4th), but are only mediocre at the plate with a .262 BA (16th), 308 runs (23rd) and just 49 homers (25th-tied)... All-Star Mickey Walsh (10-8/2.58) tops the rotation, but has solid help from Judah Carmack (7-5/2.57) and decent help from Jacky Harshman (7-9/3.42)... the bullpen is weak except for Tiger Snodgrass (4-2/2.76/10 saves/21 G)... the top bats for Sligo are RF Scooter Pugh (.349/6/36/39/7 SB), CF Merle Bliss (.318/7/28/42/12 SB) and 1B Cliff Hawthorne (.284/6/38/24/2 SB)... SS Clancy Beaufort (.236/9/33/27/2 SB) and LF Josh Brolin (.252/8/33/27/5 SB) have been good power and RBI guys, but haven't hit for much of an average... in the team history the Rovers have made the postseason playoffs just 9 times, but not in the last 15 years... the most recent pennant came in 2040... Sligo won its only Pro Cup long ago in 2021.

The Stoner Stars (38-35) are deadlocked with Sligo for the third spot in the standings... they came in third a year ago...the Stars possess a good offense with a .276 BA (6th), 328 runs (12th-tied) and 63 homers (10th)... and average pitching with a 3.70 ERA (17th)... last year's RU Golden Bat and Rookie of the Year, 1B Tyler Stoddard (.264/7/41/42) is down a bit from last year's, but still is doing well... he is getting good bat support from SS Mac Lord (.304/4/26/31/6 SB), 3B Lance Andre (.303/4/32/29) and LF Tommy Boutwell (.314/7/21/23/2 SB)... in a platoon role LF Anton Schindler (.377/5/15/30/4 SB) has really blistered the ball... plus C Jean St. Julien (.243/10/37/24) and RF Sonny Sikes (.263/9/28/25/2 SB) have shown some good power... Al Raver (11-6/2.85) is the top man in a pretty good starting rotation, aided by Brad Squires (7-7/2.83) and Donald Gilpin (6-6/3.59)... rookie Ivan Kleczko (7-8/4.00) has also given them some quality starts... the bullpen has been a sore point this season... Kleczko will be given a shot at closing... the Stars have a very poor history in the IPA with only 3 postseason appearances... no pennant for almost 3 decades... and Stoner has never won a Pro Cup trophy.

In the fifth spot in the RU West this season are the perennial also-ran Fort Benton Defenders (35-38), one of the worst franchises in IPA history with only one division flag in over five decades of play... that's was 2037... they were much improved last year and finished fifth... the offense was good last year and the pitching was, too... both are down a tad this year... team BA is .276 (7th), 328 runs (12th-tied)... zilch power with only 30 HR (32nd)... team ERA is 3.83 (21st)... bullpen is excellent with 1.88 ERA (1st)... good core of batters with All-Star CF Teddy Keyes (.320/1/35/43/14 SB), 3B Lucien Lindsey (.302/7/27/38/18 SB), 2B Steven Hornblower (.283/5/42/34/6 SB) and SS Sandy Harling (.300/1/34/26/5 SB)... ace Zeke Yoder (7-6/4.07), a 20-game winner last year, is off to a slow start... has good support from Dave Llewellyn (7-5/2.82) and some quality starts from Gil Hicks (6-11/3.80)... bullpen standouts are Darius Kimberly (4-0/1.76/2 saves/20 G) and Randy Rinehart (3-3/2.43/12 saves/26 G)... the pollsters picked Fort Benton to wind up fifth this season.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (33-40) were sixth last year, picked to end up sixth this season and... guess what?... they are currently in sixth place in the RU West... it's been over 10 years since the Snappers graced the playoffs, which they have appeared in just 6 times... the last pennants came in '44 and '46... Rocky Rapids did win a Pro Cup back in 2019... this season the Snappers are not hitting at all... just 277 runs scored (31st-tied) with a .257 BA (21st) and 60 home runs (17th)... no real threats in the batting order... just a lot of so-so hitters like 1B Deke Lundy (.287/8/25/25), CF Gary Grable (.305/5/21/24/4 SB), SS Kenny Gillespie (.248/7/32/25/1 SB), 2B Charles Stradley (.253/4/26/35/10 SB), RF Jamey Murton (.252/6/25/31/1 SB) and LF Joe Clarkson (.247/6/27/28)... the mound staff is good with a 3.55 ERA (12th), led by starters Clay Callaghan (7-9/3.20), Kip Golden (8-7/3.38) and Lance Obermueller (5-5/4.03)... the bullpen is just OK with closer Rance Donnelly (5-4/2.81/12 saves/25 G), the best of the lot by far.

The only claim to fame for the Volusia Vigillantes (31-42) -- they were the very first Pro Cup champion in history... yep, the V's captured the trophy in 2001... but the interceding years have not been so kind... Volusia has made the postseason playoffs only 9 times... 6 of which came in the first 6 seasons... the last RU West pennant came in 2043... they have had only two winning seasons in the last 12... last year the Vigillantes were dead last... the preseason poll picked them for the cellar again this year... right now they are in the seventh spot in the standings... the V's are just an average club offensively with a .270 BA (11th), 323 runs (16th), but lack power... only 40 roundtrippers (30th)... the pitching corps is lackluster with a 3.92 ERA (24th) with pretty fair starters in Lonny Rinehart (10-8/2.99), Casimiro Ramires (6-8/3.78) and Cloyd Queen (7-10/3.78)... the bullpen is totally worthless with a pathetic 4.83 ERA (32nd)... Volusia has mainly contact hitters except for CF Rupert Myles (.308/10/22/31/3 SB), tops with 10 homers... the best of the rest are 3B Teddy Cornelius (.291/3/20/48/1 SB), 1B Kees Tenbrook (.309/3/29/33/10 SB), RF Ellie Hudgins (.330/4/25/30/5 SB) and LF Flash Nash (.305/4/23.24/2 SB).

The last place Forest City Firebirds (27-46) don't have a lot to boast about in its franchise history... only 5 postseason appearances... with no Pro Cup titles... '48 was its only pennant in four decades... the Firebirds were 4th last season, almost a winning season (76-78)... the baseball experts touted them for fifth this year, but the offense has slumped in the first half of the season... they are batting only .248 (31st), scored 277 runs (31st-tied), but have 62 homers (11th)... pitching is mediocre at best with a 3.83 ERA (20th)... CF Randy Snow (.300/16/41/42/2 SB) is a solid and reliable hitter, but he's all they have... 1B Edward Pierson (.244/11/31/25) also occasionally goes deep... on the hill Cale Ballantine (9-7/3.75) is the best of the lot... Omar Cordero (4-10/3.93) and Ben Drummond (6-10/3.52) also help out sometimes with a quality start.