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