The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

RU East Decided In Last Week, Wynnamac Holds Off Cold Creek and Elnora

1st – Wynnamac Sundowners (84-70)

Wynnamac won the RU East on the last day of the season, edging out the Cold Creek Catamounts by a single game... Elnora was also running neck-and-neck with them until the All-Stars dropped out of contention with a 2-8 mark over the last 10 days of the season... the Sundowners cinched the pennant with a 4-1 triumph over tough LaGrange behind Skeets Hobart... Cold Creek also won in vain 8-3 over the Waleska Westerners... Matt Donnelly has a well-rounded attack in Wynnamac with strong pitching from Lefty Paddison (17-12 3.22), Skeets Hobart (19-13 3.84) and Jay Clay (14-7 3.84) and solid hitting from LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.310/20 HR/95 RBI/1-6 R), 1B Nate Cockroft (.333/22 HR/105 RBI/77 R), CF Dalton Leeds (.299/19 HR/92 RBI/94 R) and RF Mark Buchanan (.292/26 HR/71 RBI/123 R)... This was the Sundowners first division title... Wynnamac had never even been in the first division in its seven-year history... they finished sixth last year.

2nd – Cold Creek Catamounts (83-71)

Cold Creek was the RU East champion last year, but they fell one game short this season... T. Kelly Holmes has quite a ball club with a good starting rotation in Payton Saunders (18-12 2.77), Kyle Petersen (15-11 4.29), Frankie Novikov (12-3 4.12) and Tommy Weeks (15-18 3.83)... and the bats are plenty capable, too... Leading the way are RF Emile Stosha (.303/21 HR/106 RBI/102 R/42 SB), CF Trip Holmes (.323/22 HR/85 RBI/110 R/21 SB), 3B Jade Hammack (.249/27 HR/108 RBI79 R/13 SB) and 1B Alan Guilford (.288/12 HR/57 RB I/91 R/30 SB).

3rd – Elnora All-Stars (79-75)

Until they went to pieces in the last two weeks the Elnora All-Stars were in the thick of the pennant chase, mainly via their hitting, sparked by 2B Dmitri Vrotsos (.302/34 HR/117 RBI/97 R), CF Rich Mulloy (.282/15 HR/92 RBI/96 R/15 SB) and RF Lloyd Voss (.337/14 HR/75 RBI/84 R)... on the hill Matty Christianson (16-14 4.18) and Taylor Gibbs (13-20 3.73) both had sub-par seasons.

4th – Belle Plaine Musketeers (77-77)

Belle Plaine broke even this year and came in fourth in the race, trailing by 7 games... pitching was also manager Boo Ladrieux's curse... he had one standout in closer Denny Reynaud (9-6 2.83), who chalked up 31 saves... the Musketeers best pitchers were Brad Anderson (20-15 4.66) and Jorge Bonilla (15-17 3.71)... Ladrieux had a loaded line-up featuring the leading hitter in the IPA RF Juan Mendez (.398/2 HR/52 RBI/92 R), who flirted with the .402 mark until he went 1-for-7 in the last two games of the season... other fine hitters included 1B Rory Dickenson (.296/14 HR/106 RBI/91 R), 3B Warren McDaniel (.291/31 HR/110 RBI/78 R), LF Chuck Hill (.295/18 HR/95 RBI/73 R), 2B Floyd Vinson (.307/1 HR/67 RBI/89 R) and CF Cris Willis (.305/6 HR/39 RBI/82 R).

5th – Marston Nine (76-78)

Marston, managed by Johnny Walters, made a brief run at the leaders with a great July, but fizzled in August and September to wind up in fifth place and 8 games off the lead... The Nine's top hurler was Zippy Hodge (13-10 2.84), who was strong all year... Mark Falzone (13-12 3.99) also had some good moments, but was inconsistent... Marston was strong at the plate with 3B Jimmy Holman, who just might be the best hitter in the IPA after hitting .334 with 33 homers, 132 RBIs and scoring 112 runs... Holman also plays a solid third base... other productive bats were 1B Pat Farris (.316/8 HR/66 RBI/93 R), CF Lou Fisher (.264/12 HR/54 RBI/111 R/29 SB) and LF Ronnie Horn (.296/16 HR/75 RBI/85 R/15 SB).

6th – Beechwood Bobcats (74-80)

Top to bottom in the RU East it was pretty close... sixth place Beechwood was only 10 games off the pace... Bret George's top pitchers were Bubba Lear (20-10 3.54) and Terry Kuznetsov (9-5 3.19), but he didn't get much help from Dek Jumonville (15-21 3.73) and Connie Gavagan (10-16 4.95) as he would have liked... the Bobcats had a quality batting order with CF Clifton Czabo (.306/20 HR/80 RBI/103 R/20 SB), 3B Guy Cassidy (.292/13 HR/71 RI/107 R/59 SB), SS Jared McCarthy (.313/16 Hr/87 RBI/72 R) and RF Dale Strickland (.288/27 HR/82 RBI/74 R).

7th – Sugar Valley Rattlers (72-82)

Manager Gibby Bobkins' pitching fell on hard times and his Sugar Valley Rattlers dropped to seventh place and were 12 games out... Bobkins had never finished lower than third until this season and the Rattlers were three-time division champions... However two pitchers did shine at times... Jay Washington went 16-16 with a 3.56 ERA, while Ted Farentino compiled an 18-14 mark, but with a 4.27 ERA... Sugar Valley's top hitters were C Hal Stevenson (.317/35 HR/113 RBI/82 R), CF Austen Conover (.312/9 HR/63 RBI/116 R/73 SB) and RF Dennis Kernell (.321/15 HR/63 RBI/62 R)... Conover was the best base stealer in the IPA.

8th – Eastshore Elegants (70-84)

Killer Brewster's Eastshore Elegants were in the basement at season's end, but they only trailed the division champ by 14 games... Fred Duhon (16-11 4.34) led the mound staff, while RF Stan Cuccinello (.283/30 HR/97 RBI/85 R), LF Darrel Alston (.295/28 HR/77 RBI/78 R) and 2B Tucker Hill (.314/5 HR/63 RBI/88 R) were Eastshore's top batters.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2008 IPA Ruthlandian Union West Division Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Colfax Captures RU West by 9 Games, Wins 100

1st – Colfax Blasters (100-54)

Colfax has been getting better and better the last few years in the RU West under Clem Rogers... 2008 was a magical year when it all came together... The Blasters led the IPA with 100 victories by blending excellent pitching with more than adequate hitting to capture its first pennant... Rogers has an outstanding starting foursome in Jasper LaForge (23-8 2.84), Ilya Szabo (23-7 2.64), Vito Incardona (16-7 3.45) and Jimmy Joe Cartner (12-10 3.03)... toss in a steady closer like Dallas Somerville (5-6 3.66) with 35 saves and you can compete with anybody... Colfax has some good bats, too... LF Paul Coniglio (.273/28 HR/109 RBI/98 R/18 SB), CF Ryan Raines (.281/26 HR/93 RBI/89 R/21 SB), 3B Mike Janocko (.303/25 HR/85 RBI/ and C Tino Leonetti (.327/9 HR/65 RBI).

2nd – Forest City Lumberjacks (91-63)

Forest City had the misfortune to play in the same division with Colfax... otherwise the Lumberjacks won enough games to win any other division and make the Pro Cup playoffs... Top to bottom, the RU West could be the best in the IPA... six teams played better than .500 baseball... Rob Jackson has a fine ball club and could be the second best in the Ruthlandian Union, but they will stay home this season... 91 victories were not enough... Forest City also has a fine starting rotation that features Brian Charles (14-3 2.72), Knucks Nomellini (21-11 3.33) and Al Thibaut (19-12 3.00)... the Lumberjacks can really jack the ball, too... they were third in homers overall (186), trailing only Taranto (223) and Claxton (197)... Leading the way was CF Nickie Troxell (.333/46 HR/122 RBI/100 R), who had a career year... other sluggers included LF Joe Judlin (.323/23 HR/98 RBI/106 R), 1B Andy Doiron (.306/22 HR/85 RBI/88 R) and RF Sam Maples (.286/23 HR/65 RBI/92 R).

3rd – Volusia Vigilantes (88-66)

The Volusia Vigilantes probably wish they were in some other division, too... Alfonso Feliz's V's are good enough to win any of the other three divisions, they just can't compete with Colfax and Forest City... Volusia won 88 games, yet wound up 12 games behind... Feliz has always had good pitching... Hernando Espaderos (20-9 2.94), Todd Wolfe (16-17), Asa Klem (13-9 3.23) and Kirk Beckmann (16-16 3.68) are a fine starting quartet, who would do even better with more run support... closer Hank Massey (6-5 2.29) has also been very effective in the bullpen with 30 saves... Volusia can't compete with the Blasters and Lumberjacks with 111 home runs and a .261 batting average... Feliz's top bats are not in the same league as Colfax and Forest City... The Vigilantes best batters are RF Briscoe Crowder (.297/17 HR/71 RBI/70 R), Reynaldo Quezada (.268/18 HR/72 RBI/72 R) and CF Domingo DeLeon (.279/14 HR/51 RBI/82 R/46 SB).

4th – Rocky Rapids Snappers(86-68)

Ryan Noland in Rocky Rapids has a sound team with good pitching and hitting, but still finished 14 games out of the lead... the Snappers were led by Charley Boyer, who had a magnificent year and paced the IPA with 26 wins, a 2.10 ERA and 5 shutouts... Ernie Watkins (17-10 3.99) also did his part, too... batting-wise LF Scott Camden (.300/32 HR/121 RBI/115 R/14 SB) is one of the top hitters in the IPA... Camden had a career year... C Hank Bethel (.303/24 HR/90 RBI/98 R) is excellent year-in and year-out... SS Cooter Bermudez (.289/5 HR/58 RBI/92 R/13 SB) is valuable with his bat and his glove... and CF Carl Johnson (.265/16 HR/85 RBI) adds some punch and a good glove.

5th – Stoner Stars (83-71)

The RU West must be a tough division... last year's champion and Pro Cup finalist, the Stoner Stars could do no better than fifth place, 17 games off the pace... yet they were 83-71... in 2007 they were 86-68 and won the flag... this was not the same club as last year... manager Willie Dickens lost three fine starters and three position regulars to free agency... but he regrouped and had a good season led by some quality pitchers... Mark Mumford (14-5 2.83), Dave Pierre (17-8 3.17) and Norm Canfield (17-15 3.27) carried the club very well... lack of hitting and run support played a part in the Stars slipping into the second division... 2B Karol Zodoka was injured and played only half a season, yet put up some very strong numbers: .327 BA, 14 HR, 69 RBI and 53 runs scored in 80 games... the best of the rest were anemic compared to Zodoka... C Benny Stern (.274/20 HR/82 RBI), SS Johnny Nowitzki (.317/0 Hr/57 RBI/86 R/12 SB) and CF Karl Perret (.281/4 HR/50 RBI/86 R).

6th – Sligo Rovers (79-75)

Even sixth-place Sligo had a winning record, but trailed leading Colfax by 21 games... skipper Eddie Keys got impressive pitching from Alec Dimaggio (17-17 3.10), Stony Blackwell (.14-14 3.10) and Colin McGrath (11-13 3.26)... but not much in the way of offense... his best bats were RF Fred Collins (.291/30 HR/96 RBI/93 R/24 R), CF James Yardley (.279/24 HR/81 RBI) and SS Hollis Waldrup (.268/12 HR/62 RBI/96 R/51 SB).

7th – Middlefield Roosters (68-86)

The Middlefield Roosters still hit the ball with authority, but can't get anybody out... that has been manager Smitty Michaels dilemma the last two frustrating years... his club wound up way back in seventh place, 32 games behind... the Roosters hit 185 homers (4th) and batted .273 (11th), but registered a 5.31 ERA (32nd)... the hit parade was led by C Mike Kanjorsky (.347/26 HR/83 RBI/90 R), LF Moose Scoggins (.279/31 RBI/95 RBI/84 R), SS Jim Rose (.305/15 HR/57 RBI/82 R), 2B Sammy Ragsdale (.256/24 HR/72 RBI/92 R) and 1B J. D. Earnshaw (.254/20 HR/85 RBI)... Michaels best hurlers were Denny Yarrow (14-16 5.03) and Jamie Hicks (11-18 4.62).

8th – Fort Benton Defenders (63-91)

For the fifth time in seven years it's been the cellar for the hapless and hopeless Fort Benton Defenders... they are pathetic with the bats, hitting only .242 (32nd) with only 95 homers (31st) and 588 runs (32nd), but much better in the pitching department with a 4.05 ERA (17th)... manager Robbie Brooks' mound corps is surprisingly good with starters Tucker Dawes (16-11 3.36), Tom Waltenbury (14-12 3.27) and Robby Meredith (8-18 3.61)... at the plate 2B Artie Vicknair (.279/17 HR/67 RBI/56 R) and RF Norbert Tarver (.277/11 HR/58 RBI/60 R) are Fort Benton's best.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2008 IPA Tycobbian Union North Division Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 21, 2008

Red-Hot Run Gives Luxora Its 2nd TU North Pennant

1st – Luxora Zorros (85-69)

At the All-Star Game Luxora was in fourth place in the Tycobbian Union North and 5 games behind White River... but then the Zorros took off and outraced everybody down the stretch to win their second division crown... they topped runner-up Fairfax by 6 games... Alejandro Rodrigo's Zorros are a good mix of pitching and hitting led by a very good starting rotation of Antonio Anaya (21-7 3.54), Elio Laurente (17-14 3.41) and Jay Cavazos (10-10 3.34), along with closer Ricardo Topez (8-5 2.14), who collected 32 saves, and long reliever Eddie Hoffman (7-4 2.81), who appeared in 60 games... at bat Luxora was sparked by CF Bob Haviland (.291/36 HR/109 RBI/93 R), RF Joel Reed (.303/22 HR/104 RBI/84 R), 3B Pablo Santa Cruz (.292/11 HR/72 RBI/110 R/35 SB) and 2B Bobby Bayas (.292/11 HR/67 RBI/88 R/18 SB).

2nd – Fairfax Frogs (79-75)

The Fairfax Frogs made a race of it until they faded in the final two months of the year... Skipper Harry Buckley has a well-balanced club with better-than-average run production and pitching, along with excellent fielding (.978 FA)... RF Dane Wesner (.364/31 HR/99 RBI/98 R) and 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.291/12 HR/77 RBI/94 R) were the top hitters, while Kaz Hayagawa (17-8 3.46), Roman Reynosa (15-11 4.03), Wally Tidwell (15-16 3.26) and Scotty Marshall (12-17 3.36) led the pitching corps.

3rd – Oxford Red Caps (77-77)

Campy Roy's Oxford Red Caps were looking for their third division flag in a row and were the defending IPA Pro Cup titleholders, but they were slow out of the gate and got too far behind before turning the season around... they ended up in third place, 8 games off the pace... Oxford lost half of it starting rotation due to free agency and never recovered, although Del Anderson (24-12 3.02) established himself as a pitcher of note... Nicky Nicholson (17-17 4.22) and Emerson Carnell (12-10 4.04) had so-so seasons... The Red Caps have one of the top all-around players in the IPA in CF Wayne McDonald (.326/28 HR/102 RBI/102 R/22 SB)... the third-year man is also outstanding in the field... The Red Caps are very good defensively with a .977 FA... LF Mac Spencer (.267/22 HR/76 RBI/79 R), 1B Floyd Snow (.274/24 HR/64 RBI/70 R) , 3B Timmy Binford (.271/11 HR/70 RBI/76 R) and C Whitey Cosgrove (.280/11 HR/63 RBI/80 R) are also good contributors with the bat.

4th – White River Rascals (76-78)

It was a great run while it lasted for John Randison and his White River Rascals... the division doormat surprised everybody by leading at mid-season... the Rascals took a severe nosedive in July (8-21), but still managed to crack the first division for the first time in its history, winding up fourth, 9 games back... Randison has good power and a couple of good starters... his top bats were 3B Riley Cloy (.291/33 HR/106 RBI/98 R/19 SB), LF Bernie Valente (.312/34 HR/91 RBI/119 R/25 SB), 1B Charley Schofield (.282/17 HR/77 RBI) and CF Ronnie Lee (.282/7 HR/42 RBI/95 R/44 R)... White Rivers top arms were 6-year veteran Mick Cronyn (17-16 3.34) and Paul Waskins (16-12 3.60).

5th – Mahaska Haymakers (75-79)

Manager Rusty Tanussa has almost no hitting at all in Mahaska with a lowly .249 team batting average (32nd), but makes up for it with a pretty fair mound staff that compiled an impressive 3.53 ERA (4th)... The Haymakers were expecting big things this year after last year's fine second-place finish, but it never happened... they slumbered all season in mediocrity and came out in fifth place, 10 games out... 36-year-old Johnny Spears (18-14 2.64) seems to be getting better with age... he wins even without adequate run support... relievers Dain Abner (9-3 3.13) and Don Shaw (2-1 3.13) have both been effective in long relief... free agent Bomber Belinsky (11-14 3.31) led Oxford to the Pro Cup title last year pitched well, but suffered from a lack of runs in Mahaska... the 7-year vet suffered his first losing season... 2B Domingo Rios (.281/25 HR/85 RBI/83 R) is the Haymakers best hitter... 1B Erv Nordvik (.256/16 HR/81 RBI) doesn't hit for average, but does drive in runs.

6th – Blue Lake Blue Sox (73-81)

Blue Lake continued its also-ran status in the TU North with a sixth-place standing and trailed pennant-winning Luxora by 12 games... Manager Cobb Tyson's best years were second place in 2001 and third place in 2005, the only two seasons when the club enjoyed winning records... the Blue Sox have good pitching with a 3.64 team ERA (7th), but is a weak-hitting ball club (.256 – 28th)... Tyson has one solid pitcher in Happy McManus (16-13 3.60)... Pat Grange (14-20 3.95) and Benny DeBartolo (8-7 3.85) can be tough at times... Blue Lake's best batters are LF Tad Kirklin (.264/30 HR/90 RBI/83 R/20 SB), CF Rick Hilliard (.285/21 HR/66 RBI/80 R/26 SB) and C Paul Bailey (.304/15 HR/70 RBI).

7th – Hartsdale Hellcats (66-88)

Zim Donner piloted the Hartsdale Hellcats through five consecutive winning seasons 2003-2007, but it came to a close this year... Hitting was just not enough as the Hellcats slipped far down the ladder to seventh place, 19 games back... Hartsdale has the hitters and is paced by 3B Kendry Moulton (.302/28 HR/103 RBI/80 R), LF Rob Welch (.265/36 HR/92 RBI), 1B Tom Brabant (.316/23 HR/86 RBI), 2B Jud Turchin (.315/20 HR/76 RBI/89 R/17 SB), RF Mac Faulkner (.297/16 HR/66 RBI/86 R) and CF Woody Crow (.271/9 HR/54 RBI/91 R/26 SB)... As a team the Hellcats are hitting at a .274 clip (2nd) and have gone deep 167 times (6th)... Donner doesn't have much to brag about when it comes to his hurlers except for Mitch Yessin (14-7 4.13) and Rip Arnold (7-6 2.85)... Overall Hartsdale has compiled a poor 4.23 ERA (26th).

8th – North Hills Hawks (64-90)

Over the past seven years the North Hills Hawks fans have not had much to cheer about... the Hawks have never made the playoffs and have never been over .500 in the regular season... 2008 is no exception as North Hills came in last again and was 21 games back... Manager Hub Carlson has little talent... his best performers are pitcher Lou Dozier (11-10 3.56), 3B Cameron Kamara (.304/16 HR/88 RBI/81 R/15 SB) and LF Brodie Blackburn (.294/7 HR/49 RBI/85 R/36 SB).

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2008 IPA Tycobbian Union South Division Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Turon TU South Champs, Holds Off Colchester by 3 Games

1st – Turon Typhoons (92-62)

The Tycobbian South appeared to be all wrapped up at the All-Star break as the Turon Typhoons blew past everybody and built up a huge 9-game bulge... However the Colchester Elites decided to make a race of it and they did... By season's end the Elites chopped it down to three games, but no closer... It was the Typhoons second title in the last three years... they will now have a chance to win their third Pro Cup... Turon has an outstanding pitching staff (3.25 ERA – 2nd) and they stayed the course, although it was closer than manager Whitey Richburn would have liked it to be... the Typhoons were a steady ball club throughout the year... they had one of the better foursomes in the IPA with Anthony Nardone (21-11 2.54), Scotty Boswell (17-10 3.54), Jacques Lemaire (16-14 3.42) and James Stuart (10-6 3.07)... Richburn also had an effective closer with Jeb Pickett (5-8 3.25), who had 15 saves after moving to the bullpen... middle relief was solid, too... at the plate he depended on CF Mac McCurnan (.295/22 HR/91 RBI/108 R/22 SB), RF Andy Porter (.328/18 HR/87 RBI/79 R/26 SB) and 2B Alan Hansen (.284/1 HR/34 RBI/108 R)... LF Raphael Semmes (.245/21 HR/86 RBI/74 R/18 SB) and 1B Johnny Carducci (.259/20 HR/75 RBI) also gave him some long-ball power.

2nd - Colchester Elites (89-65)

Uncle Robbie Wilbertson has a strong squad in Colchester that combined good hitting, good power and good pitching... The Elites hit .273 (4th), rapped 165 roundtrippers (8th) and registered a 3.79 ERA (13th)... top hitters were 1B Harlan Roscoe (.369/34 HR/112 RBI/97 R), LF Tom Barella (.292/19 HR/66 RBI/85 R/35 SB), C Brad Walker (.270/23 HR/78 RBI) and CF Douglas Tilford (.269/18 HR/69 RBI/92 R/30 SB)... Roscoe copped the TU batting crown with a .369 BA... Colchester has two fine starters in Jimmy Simmons (19-12 2.21) and Fred Payne (21-13 3.43)... Wilbertson's other two starters Keith Cline (18-9 4.12) and Fred Kimball (13-10 4.33) also stood out at times.

3rd – Ginza Ninjas (76-78)

Third in the standings were the Ginja Ninjas... Huroko Uchiyama skippered them and finished way back in the race, 16 games off the pace... the Ninjas are just average in most areas of the game, but stand out defensively with a .978 FA... Uchiyama possesses a couple of talented pitchers in closer Ernie Teague, who saved 33 games and posted a 5-7 record with a fine 2.70 ERA... starter Carl Trebek had a decent year with a 16-14 mark and a 3.86 ERA... hitting-wise only 2B Toshiro Nomura was adequate with a .309 batting average, 15 homers, 57 RBIs and 87 runs scored.

4th – Summerland Sunsets (72-82)

Fourth place in the TU South belonged to the Summerland Sunsets with Will Hackett at the helm... the Sunsets trailed by 20 games... Hackett had pitiful hitting with a .251 mark (31st), 100 homers (29th) and poor scoring with only 641 runs (31st)... on the hill Summerland was better, but only only fair compared to the other clubs with a 3.84 ERA (16th)... top pitchers were Pat Dreux (13-8 2.65), Denny Coulon (14-16 3.29) and Toshiya Tamura (15-15 3.84)... top bats were SS Don Hanks (.298/13 HR/54 RBI/67 R) and LF Ed Holt (.281/15 HR/72 RBI/62 R).

5th tied – Cape Coral Hurricanes (68-86)

For the second straight season once-powerful Cape Coral is a second-division team as the Hurricanes are tied for the fifth spot with Southport in the TU South and a distant 24 games back in the standings... Marty Pedroza's crew doesn't hit very well and sports a .262 BA (24th), but does hit for power with 148 homers (9th)... pitching-wise the team ERA stands at 4.01 (19th)... the Hurricanes leading hitters are RF Maurice Vidrine (.312/24 HR/90 RBI), LF Kippy Doyle (.318/19 HR/83 RBI), 3B Flipper Bird (.286/18 HR/61 HR/117 R/22 SB) and CF Bobby Josker (.284/13 HR/60 RI/86 R)... Pedroza does have the best pitcher in the IPA... Cody Burg (18-13 2.99) had his worst season, but still does an outstanding job... Burg led the IPA in strikeouts for the sixth consecutive year with 244... Steve Aaron (14-12 3.80) also pitched well for Cape Coral.

5th tied – Southport Sun Sox (68-86)

Manager Charley Oscar doesn't have much in Southport except for RF Monty Draycott (.330/34 HR/87 RBI/104 R/15 SB) and 2B Charlie Gamble (.311/24 HR/71 RBI/86 R)... both of them swing good bats... Draycott enjoyed a rebirth this year with a .330 BA and 34 homers... LF Big Stick Takala (.284/21 HR/88 RBI) lived up to his nickname and was a valuable run producer for the Sun Sox... as a team Southport hit .269 (12th) with 141 homers (12th), but staggered when it came to the mound with a 4.10 ERA (21st)... Oscar's best arms were Tom Wiley (13-11 3.26) and Leonard Urban (14-12 3.97).

7th – San Alejo Montaneros (67-87)

For the fifth year in a row the San Alejo Montaneros have played sub-.500 baseball under Lando Peceda for a seventh place finish, 25 games back of Turon... San Alejo can hit and score with a .272 batting average (7th) and 145 home runs (11th), but has difficulty in the pitching department with a 4.15 ERA (23rd)... the potent line-up is paced by 1B Miles Shufford (.291/25 RBI/101 RBI/82 R), 3B Eddy Lamar (.291/15 HR/86 RBI), LF Dennis Riley (.285/20 HR/65 RBI/91 R) and part-time RF Ed Pfeffer (.350/10 HR/59 R), who only faces right-handed pitching... Peceda's best moundsmen are Daniel Fitzmorris (12-15 3.81) and Alberto Herrera (12-16 3.55).

8th – Arroyo Grande Suns (64-90)

The Arroyo Grande Suns continued their dismal showing in the IPA and didn't make the postseason for the seventh successive season as they wound up in the TU South basement once again... The Suns ended up 28 games behind... but manager Jean-Luc Marchand's charges can hit the ball... they chalked up a .270 BA (9th) and possess several fine hitters like LF Jet Kazmarek (.335/9 HR/76 RBI/91 R/48 SB) and 1B Sherm Miles (.273/25 HR/117 RBI/90 R)... other solid batters include CF Robinson Bowes (.295/17 HR/71 RBI), SS Randy Warren (.320/5 HR/42 RBI/80 R) and C Don Holden (.287/18 HR/68 RBI/80 R)... suffice to say it's tough to have good pitching stats in cozy, little Capet Park with its very short fences (4.36 ERA- 30th)... but Miguel Aguilera (12-18 3.63) copes pretty well... as does Jordy Crockett (11-14 4.14)

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2008 IPA Tycobbian Union East Division Final Standings

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

East Point Survives 4-Team Battle, Wins TU East Flag

1st – East Point Panthers (85-69)

It was a donnybrook all year long in the Tycobbian East... four clubs fought a fierce battle and there was a chance of a four-way tie going into the last day of the season... the East Point Panthers came out victorious and took the title by one game over Ozarka and Tuckanarra with Red Bluff only two games back... Manager Griff Clarke depended on firepower to bring home the pennant to East Point for the first time in its history... his Panthers hit 170 homers (5th) and scored 779 runs (2nd)... Clarke also had two veteran workhorses Smokey Joe Carter (19-14 3.69) and Tommy Fuller (20-11 3.11) to solidly anchor his pitching rotation, but the rest of the staff is highly suspect with a 4.37 team ERA (31st)... Clarke plays a lot of different players with a different line-up each day... East Point's key hitters are 2B Jesse Goodwin (.263/35 HR/100 RBI/95 R) and 3B George Barnes (.302/23 HR/63 RBI/74 R)... other valuable contributors are 1B Hank Archer (.284/11 HR/63 RBI/73 R) and RF Cisco Perales (.294/11 HR/51 RBI/47 R)... it will be interesting to see how Clarke's endless platooning and manipulations will work in the Pro Cup playoffs... however if Carter and Fuller can kept winning and the Panthers can continue to thrive off the long-ball, it could be an exciting postseason.

2nd tied – Ozarka Naturals (84-70)

Poor Joe Mac Carney... his Ozarka Naturals are the bridesmaid for the second straight year, finishing second by one measly game both times... a crucial injury to his ace Karl Kleinert (16-6 2.13) cost him dearly over the last two months of the season... Kleinert's loss made Ozarka an average team down the stretch... they were only 24-24 during August and September... The Nats compiled a solid 3.68 team ERA (8th)... combined with excellent defense (.981 FA) and adequate hitting (.265 BA - 20th), they stayed in the race the entire season and only dropped out when they lost two of the last three games... Carney's batting order included 3B Nathan Ferrell (.306/30 HR/105 RBI/93 R), 2B Todd Chadwick (.290/23 HR/89 RBI/114 R/35 SB), LF Vic Weinstein (.284/9 HR/81 RBI/76 R/15 SB), SS Gil Lantz (.285/711 HR/55 RBI/75 R) and C Todd Pepper (.287/7 HR/52 RBI/76 R/16 SB).

2nd tied – Tuckanarra Blue Jays (84-70)

The defending TU East titlists, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, tried valiantly, but also came up a game short and came in second this season...they won three of their final four games and almost forced a playoff... skipper Carlton "Lefty" Stevens depends solely on his pitching for success... the Blue Jay staff has the best ERA in the league with an outstanding 3.21 ERA (1st), headed by four superb starters: Delaney Elliott (16-9 2.70), Flash Guidry (17-13 2.99), Titus Bristow (18-15 3.14) and Roy Spence (20-14 3.29)... it is doubtful there is a better group of starters anywhere in the IPA... toss in closer Coorain Janama (4-6 2.19), who set an IPA record with 38 saves and you have a team that could easily win it all... the only thing holding Tuckanarra back is its lack of hitting... the Blue Jays batted only .257 (27th) with just 95 home runs (32nd) and scored the fewest runs (617 – 32nd) in the Tycobbian Union... it's tough to compete with no offense... Carney's best bats are 1B Erik Vayda (.306/12 HR/75 RBI), CF Earl O'Brien (.282/7 HR/66 RBI/79 R/33 SB) and 2B Duncan Renwick (.275/12 HR/53 RBI/71 R/23 SB).

4th – Red Bluff Red Sox (83-71)

Fourth place Red Bluff went into a tailspin in the last week of the season and suffered four defeats in six games to tumble down to fourth place, only two games behind... Mack Connery pretty much used the same formula as East Point: good hitting and two solid starters... the Red Sox rotation included two seven-year veterans in Frank Beaudoin (19-12 2.79) and John Dougherty (21-11 3.34) and some solid hitters like 3B Tommy Klegg (.270/39 HR/113 RBI/90 R), SS Jose Aguilar (.279/18 HR/77 RBI/85 R/20 SB), LF Bryan Wessels (.319/18 HR/71 RBI) and RF Kris Grabowski (.316/16 HR/70 RBI)... as a team Red Bluff hit at a .275 pace (1st) with 166 homers (7th)... the Red Sox defense was top-notch with a .980 FA... the team ERA was only mediocre at best with a 4.12 ERA (22nd).

5th – High Mesa Cowboys (75-79)

Frisky Franks piloted the High Mesa Cowboys to the fifth spot in the TU East. They trailed the leader by 10 games... the Cowpokes were long on hitting and short on pitching... they batted .274 (3rd) and topped the league with 798 runs and 190 roundtrippers, while compiling a poor 4.20 team ERA (25th)... Leading High Mesa at bat were 1B Nat Thurlow (.263/34 HR/91 RBI), LF Sookie Givens (.296/31 HR/86 RBI/78 R), SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.268/23 HR/70 RBI/77 R), 2B Ed Albrecht (.298/19 HR/64 RBI/78 R) and LF Matt Merrill (.309/22 HR/62 RBI)... Franks only had one go-to guy on the hill... that was Kent Wells (19-16 3.26).

6th – Midway Wolves (73-81)

It was another sad season for the Midway Wolves, who missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year and were 12 games off the pace, completing the year in sixth place... Offense is manager Cochise Chandler's despair... the Wolves hit well with a .270 average (8th), but hit only 131 home runs (17th) and scored only 704 runs (22nd) with a 4.16 team ERA (24th)... Fortunately Midway has two wily pitching vets who have been around the IPA for quite a few years... Ted Chambers (18-12 3.55) and Phil Reed (18-18 3.81) both enjoyed good years... at the plate it was SS J. T. Edmonds (.313/22 HR/82 RBI/82 R) and 1B Don Piper (.274/17 HR/71 RBI/70 R) who generated most of the team's offense.

7th – Hillsboro Blazers (70-84)

Hillsboro is in the same boat as Midway and has never made the IPA postseason... the Blazers hit only .253 (28th) and have no power numbers with a sorry 4.26 ERA (28th) – 'nuff said - teams with those numbers are doomed to the depths of the division... Hillsboro with Arky Spanderson at the helm ended the season seventh and 15 games behind East Point... Lou Zanelli (16-16 3.35) and Ed Dupard (13-21 3.63) pitched well and deserved better records... Spanderson really suffered from a lack of offense... his best bats were LF Ricky Alfonso (.276/12 HR/76 RBI/79 R/31 SB), 3B George Longmire (.270/14 HR/69 RBI/98 R/36 SB) and RF Winky Rush (.324/10 HR/44 RBI/44 R), who had a fine season, but plays only against righties and was in only 72 games.

8th – South Fork Stallions (64-90)

2008 was another bad year for the South Fork Stallions and Lips Leon... after winning the pennants in 2001 and 2002, it's been all downhill ever since with no playoff appearances... this season the Stallions fell as far as you can go – last place – and 21 games away from first... Leon only has average hitting (.268 BA – 16th) and awful pitching with a 4.41 ERA (32nd)... top batsmen are CF Gary Horn (.292/35 HR/87 RBI/96 R), SS Rolf Kellgren (.275/9 HR/50 RBI/102 R/30 SB), RF Robby Michael (.326/18 HR/80 RBI) and LF Chris Krychevsky (.326/14 HR/74 RBI)... six-year vet Bobby Karu (10-20 3.69) can still do the job at age 36, but suffered from lack of run support... the rest of the rotation has ERAs ranging from 4.21 to 5.38.

deleted... the standings needs to be with the Division Recap on the next page.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

2008 Tycobbian Union West Finals Standings

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 21, 2008

DC Redbirds Crowned TU West Champs, Whip La Claire and Rolling Hills in Playoff

Hectic and chaotic is the best way to describe the thrilling pennant race in the Tycobbian Union West this season... going into the last two days of the regular season five teams had a shot at the division title...the regular season ended with a three-way tie for first place, thus forcing a playoff between Denton City, La Claire and Rolling Hills... the Redbirds whipped the Reds 7-3 and the Lynx 8-3 and won the title by one game over La Claire.

In the strongest division in the TU every team finished above .500 with last place Bayview posting a very credible 77-77 record... Only 8 games separated the best team from the worst team.... Arlon and Bay St. Clair tied for third and were 2 games behind... Rolling Hills was fifth by percentage points and also two games back... the Kenwood Wildcats finished a strong sixth, just four games off the pace and Chicopee was seventh and trailed by only six games.

1st – Denton City Redbirds (86-70)

It was the second title in seven years for manager Ford Whiteman and the Denton City Redbirds... sufficient hitting with a .269 BA (11th) and 139 homers (13th – tied), coupled with a strong 3.58 ERA (5th) and good defense (.976 FA) led them to the pennant... Mila Mohoski (18-14 2.62) had another fine year to lead the staff, helped out by Roger Ramsey (15-12 4.16), Kieran MacKenzie (14-14 3.53) and Hank Taylor (13-8 4.32)... Whiteman's top hitters were CF Rod MacCormack (.296/19 HR/76 RBI/87 R/17 SB), 3B Jay Petit (.309/17 HR/74 RBI/76 R) and 1B Mick Abbott (.263/18 HR/87 RBI)... SS Trevor Tomlinson (.251/5 HR/40 RBI/98 R/53 SB) didn't hit much for average, but scored runs, stole bases and played sparkling defense... RF Danny Nash (301/9 HR/57 RBI/62 R) also did well in a platoon role.

2nd – La Claire Lynx (85-71)

The La Claire Lynx have not made the playoffs in its eight IPA seasons and just barely missed this year... Manager Rip Calkin had the pitching with a solid 3.60 team ERA (6th), but came up short in the batting department... a September slid (9-13) cost them the division title... The Lynx hit only .262 (25th) and had trouble scoring, ranking 16th with 721 runs... on the hill Calkin had three quality starters in Jim Melanakos (15-11 2.56), Nosyt Sani (17-15 3.26) and Doug Lyons (17-13 3.62)... La Claire had a good core of hitters in LF Zeppy Deshotel (.297/23 HR/97 RBI/106 R/33 SB), 3B Roberto Vargas (.302/24 HR/99 RBI), CF Jay Luna (.308/13 HR/65 RBI/73 R), 2B Dale Pace (.288/12 HR/60 RBI/88 R/16 SB) and SS Bobby Steitz (.278/5 HR/38 RBI/88 R).

3rd tied – Arlon Champions (83-71)

Arlon really played well the first half of the season and went into the All-Star hiatus in first place with a two-game edge, but didn't play as well in the second half and fell to a third-place tie with Bay St. Clair... Gary Louis' ball club didn't hit a lot for average with a .263 mark (23rd), but did manage to score 744 runs (11th) and hit 131 home runs (17th tied)... the Champions had three fine hurlers in Armando Cruz (18-12 3.24), Kurt DeHaan (17-13 4.02) and Andre Masson (17-18 3.90), who chalked up a 3.93 ERA (17th)... at the plate Louis only had one strong bat in LF Rocco Belasario (.301/20 HR/92 RBI/104 R/42 SB).

3rd tied – Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (83-71)

Guy Rondre's Buccaneers surged in July and August and made a strong challenge, but failed to put a winning streak together in the September crunch time as they could only manage a 10-10 record... Rondre had two strong 8-year veterans leading his club... both Duke DeVree (19-13 2.83) and Norm Gross (17-10 2.67) had career seasons... the Bucs could have used some good bats... they hit .268 (15th) with 139 roundtrippers (13th tied), but scored only 676 runs (28th)... Rondre's top hitters were LF Todd Bryant (.284/24 HR/80 RBI/96 R/26 SB), 1B Gerry Fields (.314/22 HR/78 RBI) and CF Skeeter Hall (.285/12 HR/58 RBI/85 R/42 SB)... Bay St. Clair had better than average defense with a .975 FA.

5th – Rolling Hills Reds (84-72)

It seems strange that Rolling Hills was tied for first place at the end of the regular season, then dropped two playoff games and tumbled down to fifth, but that is how close the five challengers were... the Reds faded in the second half after playing so well prior to the All-Star game... but like four other clubs, they had their chance to win the flag... skipper Matty Christianson could have used another good hitter or two... Rolling Hills was ranked low with a .258 batting average (26th), only 112 homers (24th) and just 680 runs scored (26th)... SS Ray Bassett (.306/19 HR/88 RBI/77 R), RF Roy Stainbrook (.273/15 HR/83 RBI/79 R) and 1B Jordy John (.301 12 HR/74 RBI) were the Reds top run producers... Christianson relied on his pitching and his veteran staff of Toshiharu Ito (21-11 2.97), Chet Kramer (17-11 3.73), Keir McNamara (19-16 4.05) and Kojiro Matsumoto (13-15 3.41) to get the job done... Ito had a superb season... the Reds are an outstanding defensive ball club with a .978 FA... their team ERA was a fine 3.72 (11th).

6th – Kenwood Wildcats (81-73)

Aaron Hankins also had his Kenwood Wildcats in the midst of the six-team pennant chase until a bad August (12-16) cooled their chances, but didn't eliminate them... A strong September could have won it for them... instead the Wildcats ended the season in sixth place, but only four games off the pace... Kenwood notched a solid 3.70 ERA (9th) and were sparked by Todd Combs with a brilliant 24-9 season and a 2.91 ERA and by Dan Phillips with an 18-17 mark and a strong 2.79 ERA... if the Panthers could hit, there's no telling how high they would have finished... as it was Hankins' hackers could only manage a .254 batting average (29th), 100 home runs (29th – tied) and 705 runs (21st)... 1B Scott McKinley (.265/23 HR/89 RBI/83 R/18 SB) and CF Dayton Walker (.303/10 HR/73 RBI/63 R/14 SB) were the Wildcats best batters.

7th – Chicopee Braves (79-75)

After seven seasons the Chicopee Braves still haven't made the IPA playoffs, but manager Harry Fleetfoot's crew had its best season as they topped the .500 mark for the first time in their history and came in only six games back of leading Denton City... Chicopee's big plus this year was its home run power... the Braves batted .268 (18th), blasted 171 out of the park (3rd - tied) and scored 765 runs (5th)... they were led by CF Dutch Rheinecker (.301/18 HR/65 RBI), C Ivan Burkholder (.286/20 HR/73 RBI), 2B Randy Knowles (.271/19 HR/79 RBI/80 R), 1B Robby Maynard (.272/18 HR/62 RBI) and LF Ernie Estaban (.299/17 HR/48 RBI/56 R)... the pitchers registered a decent 3.80 ERA (14th) and were paced by Desmond Quartermain (15-16 2.68) and Wayne Blackwell (19-13 3.38).

8th – Bayview Vikings (77-77)

When you lose a 20-game winner and two All-Star hitters to free agency, one should expect a drop in the standings, but from first place to last place was not expected... it took Walter Johanssen three months to rebuild his ball club, but by then it was too late... The best franchise in the TU West waited too long to make its move and was too far back in the race... however the Vikings did finish in a blaze of glory with a sensational 31-18 record over the final two months and were only 8 games behind at the end... Bayview can still hit with the best of them despite losing C Hank Bethel and 1B Chancey Quibedeaux... the Viks racked up a .269 batting average (10th) with 188 homers (2nd), while scoring 734 runs (14th)... however Bayview couldn't cope with its pitching rising from a great 3.24 ERA last year to a high 4.24 ERA (27th) this year... Johanssen's best batters were SS Dan Conroy (.296/30 HR/101 RBI/77 R), CF Tommy Riddle (.316/30 HR/95 RBI/91 R), LF Kelton Carpenter (.333/22 HR/76 RBI/71 R), 3B Karl Benson (.290/24 HR/73 RBI/66 R) and RF Ted Karno (.284/20 HR/48 RBI/70 R)... while the Vikings best twirlers were Norm Roy (16-14 3.19) and Georgie Fambreau (14-11 4.11)... Tony Vardaman had a solid 3.48 ERA, but struggled with an 11-20 record... Bayview still possesses good gloves with a .977 FA.

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 26, 2008

Belle Plaine's Mendez Captures RU Bat Crown
Juan Mendez came oh so close - the talented 28-year-old Belle Plaine outfielder just needed one more measly base hit and he would have become the second player in IPA history to breech the much-coveted .400 barrier - but he missed out. However, Mendez still had the best batting average in the Ruthlandian Union and won the batting crown with a .398 mark. He easily outdistanced Middlefield's Mike Kanjorsky (.347) and Elnora's Lloyd Voss (.337) for the honor.

Mendez carried a .402 batting average into the final two games of the year, but went 1 for 7 and saw his average drop down to .398 for the season. He collected 180 hits with 40 doubles, 5 triples and 2 homers. In 107 games Mendez scored 107 runs and batted in 92. The seven-year veteran is a .334 career hitter. The only batter to ever hit over .400 is Jet Kazmarek, who hit a lofty .428 in 2002, while playing for the Valmara Vipers in the RU North.

Colchester's Roscoe Wins TU Bat Title
The Tycobbian Union batting title was won by Colchester's Harlan Roscoe. The 28-year-old first baseman rocked pitchers for 195 hits and a .369 batting average. Roscoe hit 34 home runs, batted in 112 runs and scored 97 times, while playing in 152 games. Fairfax's Dane Wesner was close on his heels with a .364 mark and Arroyo Grande's Jet Kazmarek was third with a .335 average. Over his seven-year career Roscoe is a .326 lifetime hitter.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

IPA Second Season Starts Today

It's prime time – the postseason - the playoffs. The Islandian Pro Cup Series gets underway today with the Elite 8 playoffs – the eight division winners will now battle each other for Island supremacy in professional baseball. In the Ruthlandian Union the Wynnamac Sundowners will travel to Colfax to play the Blasters and the San Dimas Rancheros will tangle with the Sports in LaGrange. Over in the Tycobbian Union Turon will host Luxora and East Point will entertain Denton City.

The Turon Typhoons are the only previous Pro Cup winners in the postseason playoffs. The Typhoons won in 2003 and 2006. The only other team with finals experience is Denton City in 2005, but the Redbirds were beaten by the Middlefield Roosters. Wynnamac and LaGrange are making the playoffs for the first time in their histories.

Colfax is favored in the Ruthlandian Union and Turon in the Tycobbian Union. Most Island baseball experts are forecasting a Blaster-Typhoon Pro Cup final. Both teams have a good blend of pitching and hitting with good home-run power, ingredients needed to take the title. Look for Turon's Pro Cup experience to give them the advantage against Colfax. The Typhoons are the favorites to take their third Island championship.

Wynnamac-Colfax:
Based on season records Colfax (100-54) would seem to be an overwhelming favorite... the Clem Rogers' Blasters are only the third team in IPA history to win 100 games, while Matt Donnelly's Sundowners (84-70) just barely squirmed into the postseason by a game... Colfax looks to have a decided advantage with two 20-game winners in Ilya Szabo (23-7 2.64) and Jasper LaForge (23-8 2.84)... #3 starter Vito Incardona (16-7 3.35) is also a very capable starter... however Wynnamac's Lefty Paddison (17-12 3.22) and Skeets Hobart (19-13 3.84) are quality pitchers, too... Wynnamac could surprise with an all-star studded line-up that includes Big Hoss Burkhalter (20 HR), Nate Cockroft (22 HR), Dalton Leeds (19 HR), Mark Buchanan (26 HR) and J. L. Lawrence (16 HR)... they might be able to match the potent Colfax attack that features Paul Coniglio (28 HR), Ryan Raines (26 HR), Mike Janocko (25 HR), Kurt Vecchio (20 HR) and Tino Leonetti (9 HR/.327 BA)... Colfax was 4-5 against the other division champs in the regular season and 1-2 against Wynnamac... surprisingly the Sundowners had the best record during the season against the playoff contenders... Wynnamac was 8-4.
Outlook: Pitching will win it for Colfax, but the Blasters will be tested by the Sundowners.

San Dimas-LaGrange:
The LaGrange Sports (88-66) should dominate this series with its bats that hit a record-breaking .295 this season and slugged 178 homers, plus scored 861 runs... The Sports have modest pitching with Jay-Jay DeJarnette (17-8 3.62) and Dave Webb (18-16 3.93), but that's all they need against most clubs... the Rancheros will need heroic performances from their two old pros, Ray Watson (19-12 3.94) and Carl Schmitz (14-16 4.00) to stave off early elimination... Manager Foxy Jimison just has too much offense from Otto Kronvath (33 HR), Quincy Peterson (37 HR) Bill Nilsen (27 HR), Brad Walker (11 HR), Karl Perret (16 HR), Dale Scoville (19 HR) and Jerry Lee Presley (14 HR)... in addition LaGrange's bench is loaded with other fine hitters... Paco Banderos only has a couple of good hitters in Ron Armstrong (27 HR) and Wesley Pate (12 HR/.330 BA)... The Sports were 5-7 against the other division winners and went 2-1 against the Rancheros.
Outlook: LaGrange is a much superior team and will win in six games or less.

Luxora-Turon:
This could be quite a series between two very evenly match teams... the Typhoons (92-62) are favored over the Zorros (85-69), but not by much... in the regular season they split six games... the winner of this series will probably win the TU and represent the league in the Pro Cup finals... both have much better pitching than East Point and Denton City... Turon's Anthony Nardone (21-11 2.54), Scotty Boswell (17-10 3.54) and Freddi Spiegel (7-1 3.03) form a formidable rotation... career-wise Boswell is 7-1 in the playoffs and Spiegel is 4-1... the Zorros Antonio Anaya (21-9 3.54) and Elio Laurente (17-14 3.41) don't quite match up... however Z's manager Alejandro Rodrigo has an edge in the bullpen over Whitey Richburn with Ricardo Topez (8-5 2.14) and 32 saves... in the batting department, it's pretty much a draw...Mac McCurnan (22 HR), Andy Porter (18 HR), Johnny Carducci (20 HR), Raphael Semmes (21 HR) and Andy Hansen (108 R/.284 BA) are playoff-proven and will lead Turon, while Bob Haviland (36 HR), Joel Reed (22 HR), Pablo Santa Cruz (.292 BA/110 R) and Bobby Bayas (.292 BA/88 R) are Luxora's top bats and should hold their own... Turon has the better defense .975 FA to .970 FA... Both clubs did well in head-to-head competition with all the postseason clubs... Turon was 8-4 and Luxora was 11-7.
Outlook: Turon has playoff experience, better pitching and much better fielding... should win in six or seven games and go on to win its third Pro Cup.

East Point-Denton City:
Will home runs outdo pitching, defense and postseason experience?... Griff Clarke of East Point (85-69) has the firepower, while Ford Whiteman of Denton City (86-70) has the arms, experience and the gloves... Can two old vets Smokey Joe Carter (19-14 3.69) and Tommy Ruffin (20-11 3.11) give the Panthers enough pitching?... Will Mila Mohoski (18-14 2.62), Hank Taylor (13-8 4.32) and Kenyon MacKenzie (14-14 3.56) give the Redbirds the edge, especially when Mohoski is 8-2 in the postseason and Taylor is 4-1... East Point has only one pitcher who has pitched a playoff game and Carter only worked one game and lost it... Will the Panthers Jesse Goodwin (35 HR), George Barnes (23 HR) and Karl Dietz (22 HR) be able to go deep often enough to outscore the Redbirds Mick Abbott(18 HR), Rod MacCormack (19 HR), Jay Petit (17 HR)and Trevor Tomlinson (108 R)?... Denton City has a big edge in defense with a .976 FA to just .970 for East Point... the Redbirds took two of three games from the Panthers in the regular season... Both clubs were 4-8 overall against all the playoff participants.
Outlook: Experience, pitching and solid hitting combined with better defense gives a close series to Denton City.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Ruthlandian Union Batting Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Ruthlandian Union Pitching Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Tycobbian Union Batting Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Tycobbian Union Pitching Leaderboards

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 1 at Mountain View Stadium in Colfax

Colfax Clubs Wynnamac 7-3 in Elite 8 Opener
20-game winner Ilya Szabo hurled seven solid innings and was backed by 13 hits as Colfax took game one of the Elite 8 series 7-3 over Wynnamac at Mountain View Stadium... Szabo (1-0) held the visiting Sundowners to just four hits, fanned four and also walked four on a cold and rainy afternoon... The Blasters took a 5-1 lead after three innings and were never really challenged.

3B Mike Janocko had two hits and three RBIs to lead Colfax at the plate, while LF Paul Coniglio had three hits and scored twice... CF Ryan Raines and C Tino Leonetti both collected two hits and scored twice... 1B Nate Cockroft batted in two runs for the Sundowners... taking the loss was starter Lefty Paddison (0-1), who was shelled for 12 hits and seven runs in four-plus innings.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 1 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange

LaGrange Raps San Dimas 8-3, Up 1-0 in Elite 8
The LaGrange Sports took the first game of the Elite 8 Series 8-3 over San Dimas at Sports Stadium... The Sports got a complete game out of Jay-Jay DeJarnette (1-0) to go up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series... DeJarnette allowed three runs on seven hits with five Ks... only one run was earned... LaGrange broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth on RF Jerry Lee Presley's three-run homer and put the Rancheros away with a three-run eighth... 1B Rick Castle drove in a pair of runs for the winners... 3B Skip Daniels paced San Dimas with a solo homer... Ray Watson (0-1) was the loser... He was slammed for five runs and six hits in seven innings... the Sports collected 9 hits in all.

Tycobbian Union - Game 1 at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Zorros Edge Turon 4-2, Take First Game
On the road in Turon at Typhoon Stadium the Luxora Zorros rode the strong right arm of Antonio Anaya to a 4-2 victory in the opening game of the Elite 8 Series... In a duel between two 20-game winners Anaya (1-0) bested Anthony Nardone (0-1) by stopping Turon on two hits and a run in seven and one-third innings... Closer Ricardo Topez closed out the win in spite of giving up a solo homer to C Fats Dalton in the ninth... Nardone was not at his best as he surrendered four runs and 11 hits in eight innings... SS Scott Sanderson broke up a 2-2 tie with an eighth-inning two-RBI single... The Z's outhit Turon 12 to 3.

Tycobbian Union - Game 1 at Armed Forces Stadium in East Point

DC Wins Opener With 6-Run 9th, Rips EP 11-6
In a slugfest at Armed Forces Stadium Denton City ripped East Point 11-6 to win game one in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... Trailing 5-3 East Point battled back and took a 6-5 lead in the last of the eighth on C Ralph Norbury's three-run roundtripper, only to have the Redbirds roar back with six runs in the top of the ninth to send the Panthers down to defeat.

Sparking the Denton City 14-hit attack were 3B Jay Petit and SS Trevor Tomlinson with three hits apiece... Petit has a homer, scored two runs and had three RBIs, while Tomlinson scored three times and batted in one... Redbird 2B Darrion Ramsdell had a homer and a single, scored twice and drove in two runs... Reliever Tom Duroncelay (1-0) garnered the victory, but was the victim of three unearned runs in his two innings... Kenny Metcalf (0-1) suffered the loss as he was tagged hard for four runs in just one-third of an inning.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 28, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 2 at Mountain View Stadium in Colfax

3 HR Power Wynnamac By Colfax, Series Even
Three old pros powered Wynnamac past Colfax 4-3 today at Mountain View Stadium to even up the Elite 8 Series at one game apiece... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.250) slugged a two-run shot in the first frame, CF Dalton Leeds (.444) smacked a solo homer in the third and Nate Cockroft (.143) smashed another one in the fourth to give Skeets Hobart (1-0) the victory... Hobart worked eight strong innings against Colfax holding them to three runs and six hits, struck out five and walked three... Jasper LaForge (0-1) took the loss as he permitted all three homers and all four runs, while going seven innings... The Sundowners racked up 14 hits to 6 for the Blasters... homers also accounted for all three Colfax runs... C Tino Leonetti (.375) hit a solo salvo in the third and CF Ryan Raines (1.000) unloaded a two-run blast in the eighth... Raines is perfect so far after two games with 4-4 and four walks in 8 at-bats.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 2 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange

Schmitz Stops Sports 3-2, San Dimas Ties Series
The playoffs always seem to bring out the best in Carl Schmitz... the 31-year-old San Dimas southpaw struck out eight and beat LaGrange 3-2 at Sports Stadium to gain a split in the first two games of the Elite 8 Series... Schmitz held the powerful Sports to two runs on seven hits and sent Dave Webb down to defeat... Webb (0-1) tossed a good seven innings, allowed three runs on six hits, while fanning seven and walking two batters... C Wesley Pate (.667) got the game-winning runs with a two-run homer in the third that put the Rancheros up 3-0... LaGrange narrowed it to 3-2 when C Otto Kronvath went deep with a man on in the sixth... Hits were all even as each club got seven.

Tycobbian Union - Game 2 at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

Z's Zap Turon Again, Win Game Two 6-1
For the second day in a row the favored hometown Turon Typhoons took it on the chin and now trail two games to none in the Elite 8 Series... Luxora starter Elio Laurente took up where Antonio Anaya left off yesterday and spun a 6-1 victory... Laurente (1-0) checked Turon on one run and seven hits, went the distance, walked none and struck out three in a solid performance... Scotty Boswell (0-1) had a rocky outing as he was roughed up for five runs in six innings... Luxora was led by CF Bob Haviland (.500), who had a double and homer, scored twice and batted in two runs... RF Joel Reed (.400) also chipped in two hits, scored two runs and drove in a pair... 2B Bobby Bayas (.375) also contributed two hits and two runs in the win.

Tycobbian Union - Game 2 at Armed Forces Stadium in East Point

DC's Mohoski Tames EP 3-2, Redbirds Up By 2 Games
Denton City's wily left-hander Mila Mohoski tamed the hard-hitting East Point Panthers 3-2 to put his Redbirds up by two games in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... Mohoski squelched them on just six hits, fired six strikeouts and walked only two in a fine performance on the road in Armed Forces Stadium in East Point... the 29-year-old Mohoski is now 9-2 lifetime in the postseason... Smokey Joe Carter (0-1) hurled a good game in defeat as he gave up three runs and nine hits, while walking only one and fanning five... LF Nigel Huxley (.250) got Denton City the lead with a two-run roundtripper in the top of the second... 1B Denny Weidemeyer cut it to 2-1 with an RBI single in the last of the second, then tied it up with a home run in the fourth... it remained deadlocked until the top of the eighth when CF Rod MacCormack (.167) cracked one into the stands for the winning score... Huxley led the Redbirds with two hits and two RBIs and Weidemeyer (.750) paced the Panthers with three hits.

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 29, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 3 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Wynnamac Whips Colfax 3-2, Leads Series 2-1
Underdog Wynnamac got clutch pitching from Jay Clay and clutch homers from Mark Buchanan and Nate Cockroft to nip the Colfax Blasters 3-2 at Granger Field to go ahead two games to one in the Elite 8 Series... homers accounted for all the runs in the game as RF Buchanan (.538) hit two solo homers, one in the third and one in the fifth, and Cockroft (.455) rifled one out of the park in the fourth inning... 3B Mike Janocko (.273) belted a two-run shot in the eighth for all of the Blasters runs... Clay (1-0) held powerful Colfax to just two runs on eight hits, struck out six and walked four... Clay went the distance and stranded 10 baserunners... the loser was starter Vito Incardona (0-1), who was tagged for three runs and eight hits in six innings... Cockroft went 4-for-4 and Buchanan 3-for-4 for the Sundowners, who got 10 hits in all.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 3 at Ranchero Stadium in San Dimas

Kristensen Blanks Rancheros, Sports Leads Series
LaGrange is not noted for its pitching, but it certainly got a strong outing from Denny Kristensen... the 27-year-old portsider baffled San Dimas 3-0 on a beautiful 6-hitter at Ranchero Stadium to give the Sports a one-game edge in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... LaGrange is up two games to one... Kristensen was in total control with only one walk and three strikeouts... He got good bat support from SS Bill Nilsen (.364) with a two-run homer and RF Jerry Lee Presley (,333) with a solo shot, both coming in the sixth inning to put an end to the scoreless game... Up until then Josh Houston (0-1) had matched Kristensen goose egg for goose egg.

Tycobbian Union - Game 3 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora

Zorros Zip Past Turon 8-3, In Command 3-0
Luxora stunned Turon 8-3 at De la Vega Stadium to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the Elite 8 Series and needs only one more win to eliminate the favored Typhoons from the postseason... Flame-throwing right-hander Eddie Hoffman (1-0) struck out nine en route to a complete-game victory... Hoffman allowed seven hits and walked two... the Zorros bombed Turon for 13 hits and were led by CF Bob Haviland (.545) with a homer, single and three RBIs... RF Joel Reed (.467) cracked three hits and scored three times... and 2B Bobby Bayas (.500) went 3-4, scored twice and batted in one... Typhoon LF Raphael Semmes had three hits and a home run... Losing pitcher Freddi Spiegel (0-1) was bashed for six runs and nine hits in just four innings.

Tycobbian Union - Game 3 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Redbirds Win Third Straight From Panthers
Denton City was outhit 10-5, but the Redbirds still knocked off East Point 5-2 as the Panthers stranded 15 runners... It was the Redbirds third win in a row in the Elite 8 Series... one more triumph and East Point will go home for the season... Winning pitcher Hank Taylor (1-0) was all over the place, gave up 9 hits and walked seven, but yielded only two runs in seven innings... Mike Danek closed it out with two scoreless innings... Frenchie Domengeaux (0-1) sustain the loss, although he permitted only two earned runs in his six innings... Domengeaux limited the Redbirds to just four hits, but gave up five runs... LF Nigel Huxley had a home run, scored twice and drove in two to lead Denton City at bat... Taylor also helped his own cause with a two-run single... Panther LF Karl Dietz drove in both of their runs with a third-inning homer.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 4 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Colfax Clobbers Wynnamac 8-4, Series Even 2-2
The Colfax Blasters broke out the bats and clobbered Wynnamac 8-4 to even up the Elite Series at two games apiece... The Blasters went to town on Lefty Paddison (0-2) and ripped him for five runs in the first three innings... after six innings Colfax was ahead 8-2... Ilya Szabo (2-0) notched his second win in the postseason as he checked the Sundowners on eight hits and four runs... Szabo fanned five and issued no walks while going the distance... CF Ryan Raines (.700) topped the Blasters with three RBIs and 3B Mike Janocko (.250) knocked in two... SS Paul Amundsen (.263), C Tino Leonetti (.438) and LF Paul Coniglio (.313) all scored a pair of runs each... Wynnamac LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.400) hammered two homers and drove in three runs with a 4-for-4 day... Colfax collected 10 hits to 8 for Wynnamac... Although the Sundowners committed five errors, they only cost them one run.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 4 at Ranchero Stadium in San Dimas

San Dimas Slips By Sports 4-3 in 10, Ties Series
Carl Schmitz stands 6' 6", but he stood even taller on the mound today as San Dimas beat LaGrange 4-3 in 10 innings to knot up the Elite 8 Series at two games each... Schmitz tossed all 10 innings, struck out 8 and stopped the Sports on six hits for his second playoff win this season and 10th in his career... In the tenth with one away, 1B Ron Armstrong got new life when 3B Marcio Lombardi made an errant throw and put Armstrong on second base... Armstrong went to third on a passed ball, then scored the winning run on a line-drive single by RF Neil Jensen (.571)... Ray Beckham (0-1) relieved in the eighth inning and caught the loss... Each club had six hits... C Wesley Pate (.375) paced San Dimas with two RBIs... 3B Skip Daniels (.429) got the other RBI and a pair of hits... LaGrange LF Quincy Peterson had two hits and two runs batted in.

Tycobbian Union - Game 4 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora

Luxora Sweeps Turon, Trounces Typhoons 9-1
The Elite 8 Series between Turon and Luxora was absolutely no contest - the Zorros outhit, outpitched and outplayed the Typhoons in all four games and swept the series... game four was especially painful as the Z's trounced them 9-1... Luxora lashed three pitchers for 11 hits, while Elio Laurente (2-0 1.00) held Turon to just six hits, struck out 8 and issued only one base on balls... CF Bob Haviland (.643) racked up three hits and drove in four runs in the rout... Haviland got his third homer in four games and totaled 9 RBIs as he went 9-for-14... RF Joel Reed (.529), 2B Bobby Bayas (.500) and 3B Pancho Santa Cruz (.389) also piled it on with two hits and two runs each... Typhoon starter Anthony Nardone (0-2) fared best, but was the loser... Nardone allowed three runs on seven hits in six innings... he exited with the game still in doubt at 3-1... The Z's put the game away with six runs in the seventh... Luxora will now advance to the Tycobbian Final 4 against the winner of Denton City and East Point... Because it had won two Pro Cups Turon was the favorite to win again this year... the baseball experts said the Typhoons pitching and experience would gives them the edge... it turns out that Luxora apparently has a pretty good ball club, too.

Tycobbian Union - Game 4 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

DC Redbirds Romp 6-2, KO EP Panthers In Sweep
It was another one-side affair between East Point and Denton City... the Redbirds sent the Panthers home for the winter in a four-game sweep... manager Ford Whiteman got another outstanding pitching performance from his starting pitchers... this time it was Doug Blair (1-0 2.16), who throttled East Point on five hits over eight and a third innings... wildness in the ninth cost Blair a shutout... four walks and a single led to two runs, but closer Mike Danek came in and got the final two outs to knock the Panthers out of the playoffs... Blair struck out eight, but walked six in the win... Top Redbird batters were 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.471) with three hits and 3B Jay Petit (.350) and RF Danny Nash (.421) with a pair of hits each... vet Smokey Joe Carter (0-2 3.60) lost his second game in the series, permitting five runs in six innings with three of them earned... Denton City had the edge in hits 10 to 5... the Redbirds will now go up against the Luxora Zorros, who defeated Turon in four straight to advance to the TU Final 4... Luxora won the season series with Denton City with four victories and two losses.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 5 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Sundowners Sink Colfax 6-1, Lead Elite 8
Colfax may have led the IPA with 100 victories, but so far that hasn't fazed the Wynnamac Sundowners... Matt Donnelly's crew dumped the Blasters 6-1 to take a three games to two lead in the best-of-seven RU Elite 8 Series... southpaw Skeets Hobart captured his second win in the series... he went the distance and spread out 8 hits and held the potent Colfax line-up to just one run... Hobart (2-0 2.12) walked two and fanned six... the Sundowners took the lead 2-1 in the second inning on C Mike Holder's (.158) two-run homer, then added three more in the sixth... Wynnamac had a 10-8 advantage in hits... 23-game winner Jasper LaForge (0-2 6.23) lost his second postseason decision... after giving up Holder's home run, he hit 3B Luc Reichardt (.143) and started a brawl... both were ejected from the game... the Blasters played lousy defense and committed five errors, costing them four runs.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 5 at Ranchero Stadium in San Dimas

17-Inning Win Puts LaGrange Up 3-2 in Series
LaGrange outlasted San Dimas 11-5 in 17 innings to take a 3-2 lead in the RU Elite 8 playoffs... the Sports erupted for 6 runs in the decisive frame, helped out by wildness on the part of Ranchero relievers, who forced in the winning runs with two bases-loaded walks... then 1B Rick Castle (.375) walloped a grand slam to cinch the victory... LaGrange's vaunted line-up ripped 16 hits, led by LF Quincy Peterson (.429) with five hits and four RBIs... Foxy Jimison got excellent bullpen work from Ray Beckham, Jarred Robillard and Al Laccaseigne, who combined to hold San Dimas to one run and three hits over the last nine innings of the game... Laccaseigne (1-0) notched the win with two scoreless innings... Tony Cuellar (0-1) sustained the loss... Ranchero LF Tito Melendez (.214) did his best to keep them in the game with a double, triple and home run... Melendez drove in four runs... San Dimas had 11 hits... Paco Banderos also got great relief work from Roberto Silvas and Cleve Skinner... Silvas allowed only one run and four hits in his seven innings, while Skinner permitted no runs and one hit in two innings... both teams played errorless ball.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, October 2, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Elite 8 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 6 at Mountain View Stadium in Colfax

Sundowners Sock 5 HR, Eliminate Colfax
Wynnamac beat Colfax at their own game - the Sundowners went deep 5 times and crushed the Blasters 12-4 to eliminate them from the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... The Sundowners won the Elite 8 Series four games to two by outhomering Colfax 15 to 7... RF Mark Buchanan (.444) hit two roundtrippers today and drove in four runs, while LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.417), 1B Nate Cockroft (.391) and C Mike Holder (.167) chipped in one each... The Sundowners shelled Colfax for 16 hits in the game... Jay Clay (2-0 3.00) won his second game in the series in a breeze... In his second complete game, Clay surrendered four runs and eight hits, fanned seven and walked none... Wynnamac blasted losing pitcher Vito Incardona (0-2) for six runs in just two innings... the Sundowners will now meet the San Dimas-LaGrange victor in the Final 4.

Ruthlandian Union - Game 6 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange

LaGrange Trims San Dimas 4-2, Sports Win In 6
Denny Kristensen had an average season with an 11-11 record, but the left-hander has really stepped it up in the postseason with two great wins over San Dimas... Today Kristensen (2-0 1.02) hurled the LaGrange Sports into the IPA Final 4 with a 4-2 triumph over the Rancheros... It gave the Sports the Elite 8 Series four games to two... Kristensen pitched a strong game into the ninth, yielding only two runs on seven hits... He needed help from Jarred Robillard with two outs in the ninth and the bases loaded... Robillard got pinchhitter Denny Clanton to ground out to end the game... LaGrange took the lead 1-0 in the second on Rick Castle's (.417) RBI single... in the fourth frame Castle increased it to 3-0 with a two-run clout... San Dimas LF Tito Melendez (.278) made it 3-2 in the top of the sixth with a two-run shot... The Sports completed the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when LF Quincy Peterson tripled and scored on a wild pitch... LaGrange only got five hits in the game, while the Rancheros had seven... Josh Houston (0-2 3.75) pitched well in defeat, giving up only two earned runs in six innings and left trailing 4-2... The Sports will tangle with Wynnamac beginning tomorrow in the IPA Final 4.

The Islandian Times

Friday, October 3, 2007

IPA Final 4 Matchups: Wynnamac vs LaGrange, Luxora vs Denton City

Out of many - just four. The IPA Pro Cup playoffs are now down to the Final 4 - powerful LaGrange and upstart Wynnamac in the Ruthlandian finals and Luxora and Denton City in the Tycobbian finals. Games are slated to begin tomorrow afternoon with LaGrange hosting Wynnamac at Sports Stadium and Denton City at home against Luxora at Douglas Denton Field.

Both of the Pro Cup favorites have fallen. Wynnamac played superb baseball in knocking off Colfax, which won 100 games this season. Same thing for Luxora as they swept Turon in four games. The Typhoons were hyped to be this year's Pro Cup champions.

It is beginning to look like Luxora and Wynnamac in the Islandian Pro Cup championship series. Both clubs have pitching, hitting, power and a good mix of experience.

Best Starters: Luxora (Anaya, Laurente, Hoffman)
Best Bullpen: Luxora (Cavazos, Topez)
Best Hitters: LaGrange (Kronvath, Peterson, Nilsen, Perret, Scoville, Presley, Castle, Walker)
Best Power: Wynnamac (Burkhalter, Cockroft, Buchanan, Leeds)
Best Fielding: LaGrange (Nilsen, Walker, Peterson, Perret)

Wynnamac-LaGrange
The Sundowners won four of six in the regular season over the Sports... Both clubs are even in the hitting and power departments... LaGrange has the better defensive team... Wynnamac gets the nod in starters... better in middle relief, too... neither has a strong closer... both experienced teams.
Outlook: Tough call... Wynnamac in six or seven games... pitching will decide it.

Luxora-Denham City
The Zorros took four of six from the Redbirds in the regular season... Luxora has a decisive edge in starters... even in middle relief... Zorros have a better closer than Redbirds... Luxora has better power and hitting... neither stands out on defense.
Outlook: On paper the Z's are definitely the best team... Luxora in six games or less.

Pro Cup Prediction: Luxora and Wynnamac will make it to the Pro Cup finals... great series with the title going to Luxora because of excellent pitchers and solid batters... should go six or seven games.

This is a map of Islandia.

LAGRANGE SPORTS

Owner/GM/Manager: Foxy Jemison

LaGrange, with 65,000 residents, is found in the sparse and craggy foothills of the Appian Mountains in northeastern Ruthlandia. LaGrange is a very modern and up-to-date town with its main industries being silver and gold mining (some of the world’s richest reserves) and forestry and associated paper production industries. LaGrange was the second settlement in the country, populated by French Acadians during the 1850’s gold rush. Cajun French and English are spoken here.

The LaGrange Sports Baseball Club was the second amateur team in Ruthlandia (Marston was the first) and the town is now the home of the LaGrange Sports of the Islandian Pro Alliance, named in honor of the original Sports.

They play their games at the new state-of-the-art Sports Stadium, which has the town’s impressive skyline visible in the distance beyond the outfield walls. There’s a lot of fine food, fun, and frolic at Sports Stadium with great Cajun food and great Cajun music at every game. A Zydeco band plays at every game. At the seventh inning stretch, “Take me out to the ballgame” is sung first in Cajun French and then in English. And throughout the game Cajun yells of “aaahh-eeeee” (exclamation of joy) and “laissez le bon temps rouler” (“let the good times roll”) can be heard cheering the home club to victory.

Mouthwatering Cajun cuisine can be sampled at the concession stands. Seafood and okra gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish pies are in abundance along with the most delicious bread pudding, café brulot (orange and spice flavored coffee) and crème brulet (superb custard dessert) in the world, too, mes amis (“my friends”).

The LaGrange Sports are owned and managed by one of the all-time great sluggers and first basemen in Ruthlandian company league circles, Foxy Jemison. Jemison got his start in lumber mills, played ball for the company team, made a name for himself, moved up in the company hierarchy until he ended up owning it. Jemison sponsored a company team for years and worked hard to get a team in the IPA.

Sports Stadium (2001)

Capacity: 10,732

Dimensions:
LF Line 325
LF 345
LCF 400
CF 400
RCF 400
RF 345
RF Line 325

WYNNAMAC SUNDOWNERS

Owner: Granger Co-Operative Association

GM/Manager: Matt Donnelly

Wynnamac is a town of 86,000 residents and can be found about 50 miles inland from the Valerian Ocean, which is the eastern border of Ruthlandia. It is located in the northeastern part of the country in the Central Plains, which spans east to west across it and is a well-known farming region, filled with seemingly endless fields of ripe golden wheat and rustic farms. It is the "Breadbasket of Ruthlandia". Settled by a diverse band of hearty and hardworking Canadian and Australian immigrants, who worked "sunup to sundown". They became known as "Sundowners" because of their great work ethic and love for the land...and for their love of baseball and the homestanding Wynnamac Sundowners. The area is also a center for meat packing and dairy industries.

Life hasn't changed much here for a hundred years and probably won't change much in the next hundred years. Wynnamac is a member of the IPA's Ruthlandian East Division. The club plays at Granger Field, which is built right next to a grain processing plant with huge silos and a water tower with a gigantic ear of corn on it...all visible from the ballpark. The Sundowners are owned by the Granger Co-operative Association, farmers banded together for the common good.

At the concession stands you get nothing fancy...just soda pop, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, peanuts, crackerjacks and ice cream. No beer or alcoholic beverages are permitted at the stadium. It is against the law in Wynnamac county and strictly enforced.

Wynnamac's General Manager and Field Manager is Matt Donnelly, who loves the game of baseball like no other. And he played the game very well, too. He was an outstanding hitter and first baseman for quite a few seasons in the local company leagues, playing until he was almost 50.

Granger Field (1967)

Capacity: 7,965

Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 355
Left Field - 375
Left Center - 415
Center Field - 404
Right Center - 375
Right Field - 350
Right Field Line - 325

LUXORA ZORROS

Owner: De la Vega Foundation
GM/Manager: Rodrigo Alejandro

Luxora is a picturesque town of 65,000 people of Spanish and Andorran ancestry located in the Silver Mountains of northeastern Tycobbia. Both Spanish and English are spoken there. Snowy winters and mild summers lure tourists from all over, who come in great numbers to enjoy the natural hot thermal springs and spas, snow skiing, snowboarding, whitewater rafting and the wonderful duty-free bazaar overflowing with electronics, luxury goods and fine handmade clothing made from the famous Luxoran wool in the town textile factory. Everywhere in the area you will see a plethora of sheep ranches, along with timber, lumber and wood products which are processed and manufactured here. Luxora benefits greatly from its proximity to the Rio Loco, a wild and raging river and a source of great hydroelectric power. By way of a series of dams and locks the river flows from high in the mountains, skirting the town on its western journey through the foothills before finally flowing into the sky blue waters of Blue Lake near Fairfax. As a result, it is the headquarters of the Tycobbia Electric Authority. Luxora itself is a modest town steeped in traditional ways. It has narrow streets and plazas in which to get happily lost among the grand and ancient churches and mansions. Because of the cultural tradition of “siestas”, Spanish-owned companies give their employees time off each day so they can attend the local team’s games with their families, a practice and custom that soon spread to all of the townships in baseball-crazed Tycobbia and Ruthlandia.

It is also the home of the Luxora Zorros (“foxes” in Spanish) of the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Z's are a member of the Tycobbian Union North Division. Luxora plays at De la Vega Stadium (affectionately called “The Foxhole” by the locals), named for Don Diego de la Vega, aka Zorro, the legendary black clad hero who fought royal despotism during the 1800’s and eventually led the Tycobbian people to freedom. His descendants, wealthy landowners with a huge sheep and Arabian horse farms, are the owners of the team. Of course you can see Zorro atop his wondrous black stallion, Toronado (Spanish for “tornado”), galloping around the stadium to the cheers of the crowd as they rally the home team to victory. A splendid mariachi band serenades and provides a festive atmosphere at all the games. You can also enjoy the Spanish delicacies at the concessions stands: cunillo (succulent rabbit cooked in tomato sauce), escudello (a fantastic chicken, sausage and meatball stew), and fried ice cream, too. Traditional ballpark food is provided as well.

Even the Manager and GM of the Zorros is of Spanish descent. Rodrigo Alejandro, an outstanding power hitter and shortstop as an amateur, was the highest paid “amateur” ever in company league circles. Many say Alejandro was the best home run hitter in the Islands history.

De la Vega Stadium (1967)

Capacity: 9,487

Dimensions:
LF Line 330
LF 345
LCF 371
CF 408
RCF 371
RF 345
RF Line 330

DENTON CITY REDBIRDS

Owner : The Denton Family Foundation

GM/Manager: Ford Whiteman

Denton City is a town of 64,000 located in South Tycobbia midway between Chicopee on the west coast and South Fork in the east near the slopes of the Silver Mountains. Denton City was founded by Douglas Denton, for whom the town is named. Douglas Denton was born in 1832 in Montrose, Scotland. As a young man Denton had heard of a new country called Tycobbia and the stories he had heard made him eager to seek adventure, fame and fortune there.

He arrived in 1851 by ship across the Kelnyck Ocean, landing in the Bay of St. Clair. From there he headed south towards what he had been told was mostly virgin territory. He had travelled about 4 days when he reached what he described in his journal as “It was like I had found heaven upon earth, the grass was as green as it was back home in Montrose and the air I had never smelled anything like it - it was so pure and sweet." Denton built a small log cabin for shelter and began life in his new country as a trapper. He did quite well and prospered over the next few years. Saving the money he got from selling furs in Bay St. Clair, Denton began to buy up land grants around his log cabin. So began the small origins of Denton City.

Denton expanded his business into real estate, renting and selling to trappers and their families. At this point he decided to start the Montrose Trading Company, named after his birthplace in Scotland. The area soon became known as Scotsman’s Fields. Shortly before his 38th birthday, Denton sold the rights to mining to the McMillan Company. Because of the mining boom, the town grew rapidly with an influx of mining families from all over Tycobbia, Scotland, Ireland and England. Douglas Denton had finally made it. He was now a wealthy man. Two years later in 1862 Denton met and married his wife Sarah and soon expanded the family with two sons, Greer and Murdock. By now Scotsman's Fields had McMillan Mining and Steel, but also a railway line to link the town with Bay St. Clair to ship out the steel and iron ore.

In 1872 on Denton’s 50th birthday Scotsman's Fields was officially named Denton City in his honor. Denton died in 1890 at the age of 68. He had dedicated his life and his fortune to Denton City. He had built a hospital, library, concert hall and the first ballpark in town. Just like any other small town in Tycobbia at the time, it had started to follow the new sport of Base Ball. The first team of Denton was called the Denton Miners due to the fact that the team was entirely fielded by the miners. Many teams would come and go, teams like the Denton 9, The Denton Mutuals, Ball Club of Denton and lastly the Denton City Redbirds. One person who was always there to watch was Douglas Denton who loved the game of Base Ball. Eventually he sponsored and managed a team in the town league. He named the team the Ball Club of Denton.

The Denton City Redbirds name came about because of Sarah Denton. She would spend hours sitting in the fields with her paints and canvas, painting the beautiful scenery around Denton. She also had a passion for painting birds. One of her beautiful paintings of a cardinal was on her husband's office wall. One day a meeting was being held in his office to decide on a nickname for the Ball Club of Denton. Many names had been discussed, when all of a sudden Huck McKinney, who was captain of the club, looked up at Mrs. Denton’s painting and said “that redbird would sure look pretty on a baseball jersey”.

It wasn’t long before Douglas Denton had a wooden stadium built for the town league. The first stadium was constructed in 1880 and just called the Base Ball Field. But it soon burned down and was had to be rebuilt. This time it had covered bleachers, was built of steel and seated 500 people. Denton named the new stadium McBride Park in honor of Jack McBride, who lost his life in trying to put the fire out at the old ballpark.

Base Ball soon began to spread all across Tycobbia and the civic pride in each town raised the competition level. In Denton City they began to combine the local teams into a town team. So the Denton Miners joined up with the Denton 9 to become the Denton Red Stockings and The Mutuals and the Ball Club of Denton became the Denton City Redbirds. Eventually all the teams combined as the Denton City Redbirds.

McBride Stadium was expanded several times over the years and finally was replaced in 1971 by a new state-of-the-art facility, funded by McMillan Steel. This time it was named Douglas Denton Stadium in honor of the town's founder and biggest baseball fan. A day at Douglas Denton Stadium is just good old-fashioned baseball with peanuts, crackerjacks, cokes and hot dogs. And good old-fashioned baseball. The Redbirds GM and GM is Ford Whiteman, one of the best lefties in the industrial leagues. He was prominent in Denton City history for winning so many postseason games.

Douglas Denton Field (1971)

Capacity: 9,250

Dimensions:

LF Line 335
LF 355
LCF 375
CF 395
RCF 375
RF 355
RF Line 335

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 4, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 1 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange

Sports Shock Sundowners 16-3 In Opener
In the first game of the RU Final 4 at Sports Stadium, the LaGrange Sports quickly disposed of a 2-0 deficit with a 9-run second inning as they shocked Wynnamac 16-3 behind a 20-hit barrage and a solid pitching job by Dave Webb... RF Jerry Lee Presley (.310) and C Otto Kronvath (.267) slammed four hits apiece and batted in three runs each to lead the Sports... Kronvath and 3B Mario Lombardi homered for the winners, while SS Warren Lee (.385) got one for Wynnamac... Dave Webb (1-1 3.04) chalked up the victory as he held the Sundowners to three runs and seven hits... Lefty Paddison (0-3) suffered the loss by giving up seven runs in less than two innings.

Tycobbian Union - Game 1 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Luxora Drubs DC 9-4 in Final 4 Opener
Luxora took a step in the right direction when it beat Denton City's best pitcher 9-4 in the opening game of the best-of-seven TU Final 4 Series at Douglas Denton Field... The Zorros trailed 2-0 early, but they erupted for four runs in the top of the fifth and added two more in the seventh to defeat Mila Mohoski... 1B Leland Curtis (.500) and SS Scotty Sanderson (.300) paved the way to victory with 5 RBIs and 3 RBIs respectively... Sanderson walloped a two-run homer in the seventh and Curtis finished off the Redbirds with a three-run blast in the eighth, building up a 9-2 lead... Antonio Anaya (2-0 2.16) went the distance, allowed four runs and seven hits, while striking out five and issuing one walk... Mohoski (1-1 3.94) took the loss as he was tagged for six runs in seven innings... Denton City's top hitter was CF Rod MacCormack (.217) with two hits, including a home run... The Z's outhit the Redbirds 10-7.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 5, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 2 at Sports Stadium in LaGrange

Hobart Evens Series, Blanks LaGrange 1-0
Wynnamac's Skeets Hobart was just what the doctored order - somebody to cool off the blazing hot bats of the LaGrange Sports... A day after a 16-3 drubbing, Hobart blanked them 1-0 on a four-hitter to even up the Final 4 at one game each... Hobart (3-0 1.38) has been brilliant in the postseason with three victories... He fanned eight and walked three in the shutout... Jay-Jay Dejarnette (1-1 2.08) suffered the tough loss... He only allowed four hits in the game... the only run of the game came in the top of the third, when C Mike Holder (.138) coaxed a walk off DeJarnette, was sacrificed to second by Hobart (.200) and scored on SS Warren Lee's (.367) two-out single.

Tycobbian Union - Game 2 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

DC's Blair Stops Luxora 3-2, Final 4 Tied At 1-1
Denton City's David Blair continued his string of strong postseason performances by stopping Luxora 3-2 today to tie the Final 4 at a game apiece... Blair was outstanding as he stopped the Zorros on just three hits and two runs in seven and one-third innings... Blair (2-0 1.72) has great stuff, but sometimes has trouble controlling it... He walked five today, but managed to hold off the Z's... It was Blair third consecutive excellent outing and he needed it to beat Elio Laurente (2-1 1.44), who permitted three runs in seven innings, struck out four and issued no walks... Tom Duroncelay came on in the eighth with the score 3-1 and the bases loaded... Blair had just forced in a run on a walk to LF Joel Reed (.391)... Duroncelay allowed an RBI single to CF Bob Haviland (.435), but then induced 2B Bobby Bayas (.333) to hit into an inning-ending double play... Duroncelay picked up the save with a scoreless ninth... the Redbirds collected eight hits overall and were paced by LF Nigel Huxley (.200), who hit his 3rd playoff homer to drive in two runs in the fourth inning that gave Denton City a 3-0 lead.

The Islandian Times

Monday, October 6, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 3 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Sundowners Go Up 2-1, Clay Whips Sports 6-4
It wasn't a thing of beauty, but Jay Clay did what he was supposed to do - keep LaGrange from scoring more runs than Wynnamac... the 38-year-old right-hander for the Wynnamac Sundowners garnered his third postseason victory with a 6-4 decision over the Sports to go up two games to one in the Final 4 Series... Clay (3-0 3.33) allowed nine hits and four runs, but made his pitch when he had to... Clay had six Ks and two walks... the Sports took the lead on LF Quincy Peterson's (.351) two-run clout in the opening inning... Wynnamac countered it in the last of the first with a three-run homer by 1B Nate Cockcroft (.424), his 4th of the playoffs... Sport SS Bill Nilsen (.314) knotted it up at 3-all with a solo shot in the fourth... the Sundowners scored single runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth to stretch it to 6-3... LaGrange closed out the scoring with a run in the ninth... Wynnamac outhit the Sports 13-9... Denny Kristensen (2-1 2.66) suffered his first loss of the postseason... He was hit very hard and gave up five runs and 11 hits in six innings.

Tycobbian Union - Game 3 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora

Redbirds Smack Zorros 7-3, Lead Series 2-1
The Denton City Redbirds scored 7 unanswered runs to rally and beat Luxora 7-3 in game three of the Final 4 Series... Kenyon MacKenzie got stronger as the game progress and went all the way to give Denton City a two games to one edge in the best-of-seven affair... Luxora CF Bob Haviland (.423) ripped a two-run homer in the first inning and C Sollie Rees (.259) added an RBI single in the third to give the Zorros a 3-0 lead, but MacKenzie stopped them cold from then on... MacKenzie (1-0 3.60) checked them on eight hits and three runs, fanned five and walked two... the Redbirds rallied and took the lead 4-3 in the sixth and then added to it... Denton City racked up 10 hits and were paced by RF Danny Nash (.400), 1B Mick Abbott (.300) and LF Nigel Huxley (.250) all with two hits and two runs batted in each... Abbott and Huxley homered... that gave Huxley four in the playoffs with 11 RBIs... the loss went to Eddie Hoffman (1-1 3.60), who surrendered four runs in six innings.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 4 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Wynnamac Wallops LaGrange 12-4, Needs One More Win
Playing at home at Granger Field, Wynnamac took a giant step toward the Pro Cup by walloping LaGrange 12-4 in the fourth game of the Final 4 Series to take an overwhelming three games to one advantage... One more triumph and the Sundowners will claim a spot in the IPA Pro Cup championship... Wynnamac teed off on the Sports to the tune of 14 hits and was led by 2B J. L. Lawrence (.310) with two hits and four RBIs, C Mike Holder (.200) with two hits and three runs batted in, RF Mark Buchanan (.356) with two hits and three runs, LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.400) with three hits and two runs and CF Dalton Leeds (.262) with two hits and two runs scored... manager Matt Donnelly also got a good start from a surprise starter Angus Conroy, who took Lefty Paddison spot in the rotation... Paddison is 0-3 in the postseason... and it paid off as Conroy went the distance, gave up four runs and seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks... Conroy was used only in middle relief during the regular campaign... He posted a 2-1 record with a 3.05 ERA in 44 appearances.

Tycobbian Union - Game 4 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora

DC's Mohoski Beats Z's 5-3, Redbirds Up 3-1
Denton City rebounded from a 3-1 deficit after five innings and beat Luxora 5-3 to take a three games to one lead in the TU Final 4 Series... The Redbirds can wrap up the best-of-seven series with another victory... Luxora will have to win three in a row to stave off elimination... Mila Mohoski (2-1 3.24) corraled the Zorros on five hits with a strong outing to outpitched Antonio Anaya (2-1 3.52), who ran out of gas in the late innings... Anaya was touched for five runs and seven hits in six-plus innings... Mohoski shut out the Z's over the final seven frames after allowing three runs in the first two innings... Redbird RF Danny Nash (.412) led the comeback with a fifth-inning homer to cut it to 3-2, then a three-run sixth cinched it, highlighted by SS Trevor Tomlinson's (.216) game-tying single and CF Rod MacCormack's (.294) game-winning single... Nash drove in an insurance run with a ground-out to finish the scoring.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

2008 Islandian Pro Alliance Final 4 Series

Ruthlandian Union - Game 5 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Wynnamac On A Roll, Heads To Pro Cup Finals
The Wynnamac Sundowners are on quite a roll... they bowled over LaGrange 7-4 in game five of the Ruthlandian Final 4 and will now advance to the Pro Cup Finals against the champion of the Tycobbian Union... Skeets Hobart (4-0 2.12) marked up his fourth consecutive playoff victory... He gave up nine hits and four runs in eight innings, but needed help from Lefty Paddison, who relieved him after the first three batters got on in the bottom of the ninth and cut the margin to three runs... Paddison got a double play and a ground-out to close out the victory... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.432), 1B Nate Cockcroft (.421) and 3B Adam Farinas (.269) each batted in a pair of runs for the winners... C Otto Kronvath (.283) belted a two-run homer for LaGrange... Jay-Jay DeJarnette ((1-2 3.82) was whacked for seven runs in four-plus innings for the defeat... The Sundowners now await the winner of Luxora and Denton City... the Redbirds hold a 3-1 advantage going into today's fifth game.

Tycobbian Union - Game 5 at De la Vega Stadium in Luxora

DC Redbirds Advance To Pro Cup Finals
Denton City dumped Luxora 7-4 in game five of the TU Final 4 Series and will now head to the Pro Cup Finals against the Wynnamac Sundowners of the Ruthlandian Union... Denton City took the series four games to one... LF Nigel Huxley (.257) sparkled on defense and also unloaded two more homers and batted in three runs to spark the Redbirds to the IPA championship round... It was Huxley's 6th postseason homer... Three pitchers combined for the victory with starter Doug Blair working the first six frames, allowing three runs and four hits... he departed trailing 3-2... The win went to Tom Duroncelay (2-0 1.50), who permitted one run in his two and one-third innings... Duroncelay's control got him in trouble in the ninth and he needed relief from Mike Danek... Danek came in with the bases loaded and one out... He retired SS Scott Sanderson (.212) on a fly ball, but the runner tagged up and scored from third... LF Joel Reed (.306) singled to left, but the runner on second was thrown out at home on a perfect throw from Huxley to end the game... the Redbirds tied the score at 3-3 in the seventh, then busted it wide open with a four-run outburst in the eighth... Huxley's second homer gave Denton City a 5-3 lead... 3B Jay Petit (.308) and CF Rod MacCormack (.308) followed with RBI singles to push them ahead by four runs... The Redbirds outgunned the Zorros 17 hits to 6... 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.342) and Petit paced them with three hits apiece... reliever Ricardo Topez (0-1) was the loser... he was the victim of the four-run uprising... 2B Bobby Bayas (.286) led Luxora with two hits, including a two-run homer in the fourth inning that put them in front 3-2.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, October 9, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Begins Tomorrow - Wynnamac vs Denton City

It will be Wynnamac of the Ruthlandian Union and Denton City representing the Tycobbian Union in the IPA Pro Cup VIII. The Pro Cup Series will start tomorrow afternoon at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City. The Redbirds will be home for the first two games. Games 3 and 4 will be hosted by Sundowners. If necessary, game 5 is slated for Wynnamac with games 6 and 7 played in Denton City. Tycobbia has won 5 of the previous 7 Pro Cups. The defending champions, the Oxford Red Caps, wound up third in their division and missed the playoffs.

At a glance Denton City is the favorite. Ford Whiteman's Denton City Redbirds have made the playoffs four times in its history, but they have never won the IPA Pro Cup. However the Redbirds did get to the finals one time in 2005 and lost to the Middlefield Roosters in five games. Wynnamac, on the other hand, never made the playoffs until this year. In fact, this season is the only time the Sundowners finished in the first division, fifth place was their previous best. Most of the time it was worse. Until this season Matt Donnelly's team had never finished above the .500 mark.

So who's going to win? It looks like Wynnamac has the edge in starting pitching with the sizzling Skeets Hobart who has won 4 games and lost none in the postseason with a brilliant 2.21 ERA. Jay Clay gives Donnelly another strong starter. Clay is 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA in the playoffs. In the regular season Hobart 19-13 and Clay was 14-7. The bullpen could be the Sundowners Achilles' heel.

Whiteman will counter with Mila Mohoski (18-14), Dave Blair (4-3) and Kenyon MacKenzie (14-14) in his starting rotation. Blair has been a postseason surprise, unbeaten in 3 starts with 2 victories and a sterling 2.08 ERA. Mohoski is a solid 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA, while MacKenzie won his only start and has a 3.60 ERA. It is in the relief corps that the Redbirds stand out with Mike Danek (0-1 1.69) in 5 appearances and Tom Duroncelay (2-0 1.50) in 3 appearances. Danek has 3 saves and Duroncelay 1 in the playoffs.

What it will come down to is hitting. Wynnamac also gets an edge here. The Sundowners have exploded in the playoffs with 16 homers and a .302 batting average, while Denton City sports a .295 team batting mark and has hit 14 home runs. Wynnamac's line-up is packed with solid hitters like LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.432/4 HR/10 RBI/9 R), 1B Nate Cockcroft (.421/4 HR/13 RBI/9 R), SS Warren Lee (.366/1 HR/5 RBI/10 R) and RF Mark Buchanan (.333/4 HR/8 RBI/10 R). The Redbirds batting order is highlighted by LF Nigel Huxley (.257/6 HR/14 RBI/8 R), 3B Jay Petit (.308/3 HR/9 RBI/5 R), RF Danny Nash (.385/1 HR/7 RBI/7 R), 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.342/1 HR/4 RBI/7 R) and 1B Mick Abbott (.333/1 HR/5 RBI/7 R). SS Trevor Tomlinson is hitting only .220 in the playoffs, but has scored 10 runs and stolen 6 bases.

Outlook: If Wynnamac starters can go deep in the game and stay out of the bullpen, they should win. The Sundowners also have the advantage in firepower, too. Wynnamac will triumph in six games.

The Islandian Times

Friday, October 10, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 1 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

DC Destroys Wynnamac 10-1 In Pro Cup Opener
The Denton City Redbirds destroyed Wynnamac 10-1 with a 13-hit attack and strong pitching by Mila Mohoski in the 2008 Pro Cup opener at Douglas Denton Field... the Redbird bats were led by SS Trevor Tomlinson (.239) with two hits, including a 3-run homer and 4 runs batted in, CF Rod MacCormack (.279) with two RBIs and Mohoski (.300) who also drove in a pair of runs... Mohoski (3-1 2.65) was an easy winner... he held the hard-hitting Sundowners to just one run and seven hits, struck out six and issued no walks... the Redbirds got out of the starting gate early and ripped starter Jay Clay (3-1 3.66) for five runs in two innings... it was Clay's first playoff loss this season.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 11, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 2 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Sundowners Rise Up, Tops DC 7-5, Pro Cup Tied
After being thoroughly chilled down in the game one rout, the Wynnamac bats blazed again with 13 hits to top Denton City 7-5 in game two of the Pro Cup Series and tie it up at one game each... Skeets Hobart (5-0 2.88) staggered a little bit but didn't fall... Hobart held back the Redbirds 6-2 until the last of the seventh when they tagged him for three runs and made a game of it... Hobart was blistered for five runs and eight hits in his six and two-thirds innings... Lefty Paddison got his 2nd save with two and one-third scoreless innings, but he allowed 3 hits... Kenyon MacKenzie (1-1 4.74) was the losing pitcher... he surrendered four runs and seven hits in four innings... MacKenzie was behind 4-2 when he went to the showers... RF Mark Buchanan (.321) led the Sundowners with a double and a homer, his 5th playoff roundtripper... Buchanan scored twice and batted in a run... 3B Adam Farinas (.286) has two hits and batted in a pair of runs... 2B J. L. Lawrence also had two hits, scored twice and had an RBI... Denton City was paced by 3B Jay Petit (.319) with two hits and four RBIs... Petit hit his 4th postseason home run... the Redbirds collected 11 hits overall.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 12, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 3 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Redbirds Take Lead, Blair Beats Sundowners 5-2
Denton City manager Ford Whiteman got another good outing from Dave Blair to take a 2-1 lead in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... Blair beat Wynnamac 5-2 on a three-hitter, although he had to get some help from closer Mike Danek after he loaded the bases in the last of the eighth... Blair (3-0 2.17) struggled with his control and walked nine, but fanned seven batters... Danek got the last five outs for his 4th save in the playoffs... The Redbirds took a three-run lead in the first inning on 1B Mick Abbott's (.283) RBI grounder and LF Danny Nash's (.333) two-run double... Denton City added two more runs in the top of the seventh to make it 5-0... 3B Jay Petit (.314) had an RBI single and CF Rod MacCormack (.288) had a sacrifice fly... Sundowner RF Mark Buchanan (.317) belted his 6th postseason homer in the bottom of the seventh to cut the margin to 5-2... the Redbirds slapped 11 hits in all with 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.373) collecting two of them and scoring two times... Losing pitcher Angus Conroy (1-1 5.06) was shelled for five runs in six-plus innings.

The Islandian Times

Monday, October 13, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 4 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Wynnamac Evens Pro Cup, Wins 6-5 in 11 Innings
Wynnamac SS Warren Lee (.328) only got one hit in the game, but it was a big one - he drove in the winning run with a single to nip Denton City 6-5 in 11 innings to even up the Pro Cup Series at two games each... After the Redbirds seemingly won it with two runs in the top of the tenth, the Sundowners turned defeat into victory by staging a dramatic 2-run rally to again knot the score... pinchhitter Vic Boutin was the hero this time... Boutin doubled in a run and then tied it up by moving around on a passed ball and a wild pitch... Sonny Nicoletti (1-0 0.00) pitched a scoreless eleventh for the victory and Tom Duroncelay (2-1 3.38) caught the loss... Denton City had the edge in hits 12 to 11... Wynnamac LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.377) garnered two hits and drove in four runs... Burkhalter batted in three runs and had the game's only roundtripper, his 5th of the playoffs... He is tied with 1B Nate Cockcroft (.327) for the team RBI lead with 13 each... Buchanan (.323) has chalked up 11 RBIs, too... 2B Darrion Ramsdell (.382), RF Danny Nash (.345) and 1B Mick Abbott (.300) sparked the Redbirds with two hits apiece... game five will be tomorrow afternoon in Wynnamac.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 5 at Granger Field in Wynnamac

Hobart Halts DC 5-1, Wynnamac Up 3-2 In Series
Skeets Hobart came through again for the Wynnamac Sundowners... he hurled them past Denton City 5-1 for his 6th playoff victory to give the Sundowners a three-to-two edge in the Pro Cup Series... one more win in the best-of-seven series and the Pro Cup will go to Wynnamac for the first time in its history... Hobart (6-0 2.36) tossed a strong game, halting the Redbirds on five hits, fanning eight and walking three... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.385) and C Mike Holder (.246) paced the attack with solo homers... With the scored knotted at 1-all in the sixth, Wynnamac got the winning run on an error by 1B Mick Abbott (.283), who dropped a throw... 1B Nate Cockcroft (.356) had three hits for the winners and Burkhalter collected a pair of hits... Roger Ramsey (0-1 4.38) got the loss in his first postseason start... Ramsey only allowed one earned run, but was charged with three runs and six hits... overall the Sundowners had 9 hits... Denton City got RF Lavon Gooch back into the line-up... he had been on the DL for the past month and this was his first playoff action... the Redbirds have missed his bat in the postseason... Gooch batted .295 in the regular season with 28 homers and 100 RBIs in just 127 games.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

IPA Pro Cup Finals - Game 6 at Douglas Denton Field in Denton City

Wynnamac 2008 Pro Cup Champs
In the a rags-to-riches story the Wynnamac Sundowners are the 2008 Pro Cup champions... Wynnamac wrapped the title with a 6-2 victory over the Denton City Redbirds to take the series four games to two... Manager Matt Donnelly restored Lefty Paddison to the starting rotation and he gave a gritty performance... Paddison (1-3 9.00) was relegated to the bullpen after a string of poor outings in the postseason... Paddison got his first playoff victory by pitching into the eighth inning... he allowed two runs on eight hits for the win, helped out by Angus Conroy, who retired the last four batters without allowing a run for his second save... Redbird starter Doug Blair (3-1 3.18), a standout in the postseason, suffered his first loss as he was ripped for six runs in five innings... Leading the Sundowners were 1B Nate Cockroft (.355) and 3B Adam Farinas (.224), who had two runs batted in apiece... Both clubs had 8 hits each... Wynnamac scored two in the first, one in the second and three times in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead, then they held off the Redbirds the rest of the way... Denton City finally got on the scoreboard with two runs in the eighth.

This was Wynnamac's first playoff appearance and they went all the way to the title... It was a magical season for the Sundowners, who had never made the first division or finish with a .500 record... Wynnamac rose from sixth place to first place this year... they did it with free agents... LF Big Hoss Burkhalter and SS Warren Lee came to the team two years ago and RF Mark Buchanan and SP Jay Clay arrived this year.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wynnamac's Hobart Pro Cup MVP
Quite a few of the Wynnamac Sundowners could have been chosen the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player. This year's Pro Cup champions really were a team loaded with valuable players. When the poll was announced the honor went to the Sundowners superb 31-year-old left-hander Skeets Hobart, who made six starts in the playoffs and won them all, while compiling an impressive 2.36 ERA. Hobart won in a tight race with left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter, first baseman Nate Cockcroft and RF Mark Buchanan.

Hobart was named on 32 ballots. Burkhalter was second with 27 votes, Cockcroft was third with 25 votes, fourth was Buchanan with 22 and shortstop Warren Lee was a distant fifth with four votes.

Burkhalter hit .377 in the playoffs with 6 homers and 15 RBIs, Cockcroft batted .355, hit 4 home runs and batted in 16 runs, Buchanan compiled a .310 mark with 6 roundtrippers, 12 driven in and scored 17 runs and Lee batted .348, scored 11 times with 7 RBIs and 1 homer.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Colfax's Cartner Voted Best RU Rookie
27-year-old pitcher Jimmy Joe Cartner of the Colfax Blasters won the Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award. He took the best rookie honor with a 12-10 record and a 3.03 ERA. Cartner made 24 starts, struck out 131 in 199 innings, surrendered 181 hits and walked 54 this season.

Chris Hall of Taranto was second in the balloting. In 35 starts the 24-year-old southpaw compiled a 14-12 record in his freshman year with a 3.91 ERA.

Eastshore third sacker Champ O'Herlihy finished third in the vote. In 130 games the 26-year-old rookie batted .275 with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs.

SF's Michael This Year's TU Premier Rookie
South Fork's right fielder Robby Michael is the latest winner of the Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year Award. During his first year in the league, the 21-year-old Michael played in 142 games, hit .326 with 159 hits, 18 home runs, 80 RBIs and 58 runs scored. He also walked 39 times and put up a .377 on-base percentage.

Midway right fielder Lou Sturge was the runner-up to Michael. The 23-year-old Sturge had a .260 batting average with 16 roundtrippers, 51 RBIs, scored 85 times and stole 32 bases, while playing in 133 games.

Third place in the poll went to 26-year-old Ozarka lefty Harry Robinson, who went 10-9 with a 3.72 ERA in 24 starts.

The Islandian Times

Friday, October 17, 2008

RU King of the Hill Announced
With speculation about his retirement gaining steam last off-season, Snappers ace Charley Boyer had something to prove. He proved it in award-winning style as he accepted the Ruthlandian Union Golden Arm Award today. The 38-year-old veteran Rocky Rapids hurler posted a record of 26 wins and 8 losses this year with a 2.10 ERA. In 39 starts he struck out 147 and walked 79 in 318 innings. Boyer posted the most wins and the best ERA in the IPA this year.

Boyer pitched for fourth-place Rocky Rapids, while his main competition Ilya Szabo and Jasper LaForge played for the first place Colfax Blasters. Szabo was runner-up in the balloting and LaForge was a close third. Szabo chalked up an impressive 23-7 record with a 2.64 ERA, while LaForge was 23-8 with a 2.84 ERA.

Best TU Hurler Chosen for 2008
A sparkling 24-9 mark for the year just about says it all -- that's what Todd Combs of the Kenwood Wildcats put up this season. That's why the Tycobbian Union rated him the #1 hurler in the league and named him the 2008 Golden Arm Award winner. He held opposing clubs to a .256 batting average and compiled a 2.91 ERA. Combs stood out with 135 strikeouts while giving up 298 hits and 93 walks in 315 innings.

Number two in the poll was 33-year-old Jimmy Simmons of the Colchester Elites. He chalked up a 19-12 mark and an exceptional 2.21 ERA. Number three was Turon's 35-year-old Anthony Nardone, who compiled a 21-11 record with a 2.54 ERA.

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 18, 2008

2008 Premier Batter Picked
The top batter in the Ruthlandian Union in 2008 was Claxton first baseman Mike Luzzatti. Today the 24-year-old was named the winner of the Golden Bat Award. Luzzatti starred this season with a .329 batting average, 191 hits, 51 home runs, 124 RBIs, .439 OBP and 130 runs scored. He led the IPA in home runs. Only five players have hit over 50 homers in a season. Karol Zodoka holds the record with 54 in 2002, while playing for East Point.

Marston's splendid second baseman Ed Miles came in second in the poll. In 146 games the 24-year-old Miles batted .323 with 39 home runs, 115 RBIs and 131 runs. Marston's gifted third baseman, 27-year-old Jimmy Holman, finished third in the voting. Holman has a fine season with a .334 batting average, 33 homers, 132 RBI and scored 112 runs, while participating in 149 games.

TU Names #1 Hitter
What a way to finish off the year -- being honored with the 2008 Golden Bat Award in the Tycobbian Union. It had already been a very special season for Colchester's Harlan Roscoe, but today's announcement really put the icing on his cake. All season long the 28-year-old first baseman gave opposing pitchers fits by hitting .369 in 152 games as he collected 195 hits, 30 doubles, 34 home runs, 112 RBIs and scored 97 runs. Roscoe also took the TU batting crown.

Roscoe beat out Fairfax's Dane Wesner and Oxford's Wayne McDonald for the honor. Wesner played in 146 games, batted .364 and had 31 roundtrippers, 99 RBIs and scored 98 times. Wesner led the IPA in hits with 204 and was second to Roscoe for the batting title. In 148 games McDonald hit .326 with 28 homers, 102 runs and 102 RBIs.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 19, 2008

RU Honors Top Glovemen for 2008
Great glovemen can range far and wide to make a backhand stop or an over-the-shoulder catch -- and the best usually make it look easy. Quincy Peterson of LaGrange won his fourth Gold Glove Award, while Virgil Carpenter of St. John has been named three times in his career. All the others are first-time winners. Today the winners of the Ruthlandian Union Golden Glove Award for 2008 were announced. These awards for defensive excellence go to:

Pitcher: Erke Tonisson (Valka Blackhawks) 1.000 FA/42 Assists
Catcher: Virgil Carpenter (St. John Crusaders) .996 FA/33.3% RTO/4 PB
First Baseman: Russ Honor (Glasco Athletics) .995 FA/101 Assists
Second Baseman: Ed Miles (Taranto Tars) .984 FA/469 Assists
Third Baseman: Danny Church (Volusia Vigilantes) .981 FA/350 Assists
Shortstop: Bill Nilsen (LaGrange Sports) .983 FA/505 Assists
Left Fielder: Quincy Peterson (LaGrange Sports) .989 FA/262 PO
Center Fielder: Billy Martz (Belair Beach Sunbirds) .997 FA/409 PO
Right Fielder: Stan Cuccinello (Eastshore Elegants) .993 FA/257 PO

TU Rewards Top Defenders for 2008
Golden Glove Awards are the symbol for defensive excellence, a recognition of the best of the best in defense. Owen MacArthur of Rolling Hills, Todd Bryant of Bay St. Clair and Dane Wesner of Fairfax are two-time Gold Glovers. The other recipients were named for the first time. The Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Award trophies for 2008 have been awarded to these outstanding fielders:

Pitcher: Karl Kleinert (Ozarka Naturals) .985 FA/47 Assists
Catcher: Scott Sykora (Bayview Vikings) .997 FA/54% RTO/9 PB
First Baseman: Stan Vankosky (Arlon Champions) .995 FA/113 Assists
Second Baseman: Owen MacArthur (Rolling Hills Reds) .993 FA/486 Assists
Third Baseman: Nicky Sweet (Arlon Champions) .961 FA/330 Assists
Shortstop: Bob Snyder (Kenwood Wildcats) .984 FA/469 Assists
Left Fielder: Todd Bryant (Bay St. Clair Buccaneers) .985 FA/300 PO
Center Fielder: Wayne McDonald (Oxford Red Caps) .996 FA/448 PO
Right Fielder: Dane Wesner (Fairfax Frogs) .984 FA/305 PO

The Islandian Times

Monday, October 20, 2008

'Jacks Jackson Chosen RU Skipper of the Year
In a close four-man battle Robbie Jackson of Forest City has been chosen Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year for 2008. Jackson led the Lumberjacks to an outstanding season as they finished second in the RU West with a 91-63 record, topped only by the division champs, the Colfax Blasters, who chalked up a 100-54 mark, tops in the IPA.

LaGrange's Boo Ladrieux led his Sports from 7th place to the RU North pennant to come in second in the balloting. In third was Wynnamac's Matt Donnelly, who guided them to the playoffs for the first time in the team's history with a first-place finish in the East Division. Rounding out the votegetters was Paco Banderos of San Dimas. He piloted the Rancheros from seventh to first and won the RU South.

Previous winners of the award are Stacy Engel of the Claxton Diamonds in 2006 and Manny Mickens of the Ancona Red Elephants last year.

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Arlon's Louis Win TU Manager of the Year Again
For the second time in three years Gary Louis of the Arlon Champions has been selected the best manager in Tycobbian Union. East Point's Griff Clarke and LaClaire's Rip Calkin came in second and third in the vote. Louis also copped the honor in 2006, the first year for the award in the IPA. Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills took the trophy last year.

Louis brought his Champions from seventh place in 2007 to a third-place finish this season. Louis had Arlon in the race up until the last day of the season. They wound only two games behind Denton City and one game back of LaClaire in the tight TU West pennant chase.

East Point manager Griff Clarke won the TU East in a close race with Ozarka, Tuckanarra and Red Bluff. The Panthers rose from fourth place to first this season.

Rip Calkin lifted his La Claire Lynx from fifth place in 2007 to a very close second this year. Calkin ended up only one game out of first place and was just barely beaten out by Denton City.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, October 27, 2008

IPA MVPs Awarded For 2008

Snappers Boyer Captures RU MVP Award
It was a great year for pitchers this season. Hurlers won the MVP in both leagues. The Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player is 38-year-old right-hander Charley Boyer of the Rocky Rapids Snappers. Boyer had a sensational season with a 26-8 record and a 2.10 ERA. He made 39 starts and completed 20 of them and tossed 5 shutouts. Boyer led the IPA in victories, ERA, shutouts and complete games. He has led both leagues in ERA the last two years. Last season Boyer set the record with an astounding 1.70 ERA. The Snappers won the most games in their history this season, finishing in fourth place in the RU West with an 86-68 record.

Boyer had some strong competition from Claxton first baseman Mike Luzzatti, this year's Golden Bat winner, who became only the fourth player in IPA history to hit over 50 home runs. Luzzatti had a great year with a .329 batting average, 51 homers, 124 RBIs and 130 runs scored. He also walked 95 times and compiled a .439 on-base percentage. Luzzatti finished a close second in the balloting.

Coming in third in the MVP poll was Marston's outstanding third baseman Jimmy Holman, who batted .334 and hit 33 roundtrippers. Holman topped the IPA with 132 RBIs. He also scored 112 runs.

Kenwood's Combs Wins TU MVP
Todd Combs, a 32-year-old right-hander for the Kenwood Wildcats, picked up the Tycobbian Union Most Valuable Player Award. Combs was a prime reason Kenwood finished a strong sixth in the best division in the IPA, the TU West, where every club finished with at least a .500 record. The Wildcats were only four games out of first at season's end. Combs racked up a fine 24-9 mark with a 2.91 ERA and 17 complete games.

Combs had to beat three standout hitters to win the award. Oxford center fielder Wayne McDonald was second in the vote with Colchester first baseman and Golden Bat winner Harlan Roscoe third and Fairfax right fielder Dane Wesner fourth.

McDonald hit .326 with 28 home runs, scored 102 times and batted in 102 runs, while stealing 22 bases. Roscoe lead the TU with a .369 batting average, hit 34 homers and drove in 112 runs. Wesner came in second to Roscoe with a .364 average, collected 31 roundtrippers with 99 RBIs and 98 runs. Both McDonald and Wesner won Gold Gloves.