The Islandian Times

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Ruthlandian Union East Division

The Islandian Times

Sunday, June 20, 2010

2010 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap

Tight 4-Team Race In TU East Led By Red Bluff
What a race in the Tycobbian East at the mid-year mark. The Red Bluff Red Sox are playing well like they always do, but they have a fight on their hands with the likes of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, Ozarka Naturals and South Fork Stallions. The Red Sox are in the top spot, but only lead the Blue Jays by a single game, the Nats by two and the Stallions by three. Red Bluff manager Mack Connery said it's too close for comfort.

The Red Bluff Red Sox (41-32) are pretty much the same ball club that won the division last season... Last year all they had to fend off was Tuckanarra... Connery is blessed with some stud ballplayers... the Red Sox run, hit, pitch and catch with the best of them... at the plate All-Star 3B Tommy Klegg (.313/26/69/52) is having a monstrous year and is on pace to challenge the IPA home run record of 54, set by Karol Zodoka of East Point in 2002... SS Jose Aguilar (.270/5/32/50) covers shortstop as well as anyone and hits well... CF Stan Helmke (.291/8/26/37) is also a good defender with a good bat... Connery has added several journeyman players that are willing to accept backup roles...on the hill Red Bluff has John Dougherty (9-4 2.86) to anchor the rotation... in the bullpen is Ivan Brasco (4-2 2.52)... rounding out the starters are two veterans Frank Beaudoin (6-11 3.95) and Jim Melanakos (9-7 4.33)... Red Bluff has a good 3.67 team ERA... the Red Sox handle the defensive chores well with a strong .978 FA.

In Tuckanarra (40-33), Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has put together a strong pitching staff headed up by Titus Bristow (9-6 3.22), who has won 154 games over his 9-year career, while posting a standout 2.87 ERA... the other three starters are Delaney Elliott (9-8 3.55), Niles Applewhite (6-6 2.63) and Tommy Archer (6-6 3.30)... the staff ERA is 3.20 and third-best in the Tycobbian Union... they are the primary reason Tuckanarra is just one game off the pace... the Blue Jays also have a good closer in rookie Reggie Ralson (3-3 3.07), who has logged 16 saves this year... Tuckanarra's shortcoming is offense... they are hitting .257 and are last in the division in scoring runs... Stevens' best bats are 1B Erik Vayda (.265/7/36/28), LF Tony Blundell (.275/8/31/37) and 3B Rocky Fuqua (.279/4/16/42)... the Blue Jays could be better on defense... only average with a .970 fielding percentage.

At the halfway point manager Joe Mac Carney has his Ozarka Naturals (39-34) hanging close and tight in the third spot in the standings and only two games back in the race... the Nats are very similar to Red Bluff with a .267 batting average, 3.76 team ERA and .977 FA... Carney has a well-rounded ball club with solid starters, good hitting and good gloves... Ozarka has a healthy foursome as starters: Tyrus Yokum (10-6 3.16), Emile Leduc (9-7 3.46), Karl Kleinert (7-7 3.99) and Philip Britt (9-6 3.95)... Sparking the offense are 2B Todd Chadwick (.284/12/49/49), LF Vic Weinstein (.298/9/37/47), 2B Gil Lantz (.312/4/39/24) and SS Nathan Ferrell (.261/11/39/32).

Duroche "Lips" Leon has made great progress this year and is making some waves with his South Fork Stallions (38-35), a ball club that has been in the celler the two past years... South Fork has greatly inproved its pitching and is in fourth place and just 3 games out... the team ERA is 3.62, down from 3.97 last season... Leon has four quality arms in Bobby Karu (8-7 2.64), Ken Marsh (5-4 3.05) and Dave Small (5-3 3.19)... closer Ernie Hostetler (6-3 3.39) has done a decent job in the pen... the Stallions boast a potent batting order with RF Robby Michael (.353/5/28/42), 2B Katsuhiko Hamada (.343/2/18/41), All-Star CF Gary Horn (.310/12/51/43), LF Adam Zitek (.302/10/30/25) and rookie 1B Joe Peters (.282/8/42/31)... South Fork is better-than-average on defense with a .975 FA.

The Midway Wolves (34-39) have vastly improved their pitching over last year, lowering the team ERA from a sky-high 4.73 to a more respectable 3.98, enabling manager Cochise Chandler's club to move up to fifth place, 7 games back of the division leader... the Midway mound corps consists of Antonio Anaya (7-7 3.98), Lanky Elsu (7-5 4.03), Matt Niemeyer (5-7 3.13) and Kojiro Matsumoto (6-11 3.97)...rookie reliever Clyde Isi (0-1 2.59) has looked good thus far... now Chandler needs to upgrade his hitting... Midway hits them long and deep, but not too often... the Wolves are batting only .247 as a team, but have hit 88 homers... veteran 1B Don Piper (.268/9/53/39) leads the way with help from 2B J. T. Edmonds (.292/7/30/32)... and two rookie outfielders CF Johnny Lee (.300/8/21/49) and LF Hiamovi Wolf (.241/22/49/39)... Wolf has enormous power and is on track to hit over 40 in his freshman year... Midway plays good defense with a .976 FA.

The Hillsboro Blazers (32-41) have never made the IPA playoffs in their 9-year history... the best Arky Spanderson's team has done was fifth place last year... this year the Blazers are number six in the TU East standings, 9 games off the pace... Hillsboro is just average hitting, below average on the mound and deficient defensively with a .966 FA... However Spanderson does have an outstanding pitcher in All-Star Ed Dupard (12-5 2.62)... but that's where it ends... the Blazers have another All-Star in OF Chris Barrett (.347/17/43/26), who is on pace to hit 35 homers as a rookie... in addition LF Rickey Alfonso (.319/5/35/47) and 3B Bobby Bayas (.285/8/34/51) are solid run producers at the plate...rookie CF Victor Schroeder (.265/8/39/22) has also done well in his first year.

Frisky Franks' High Mesa Cowboys (31-42) got a little pitching in 2009 and climbed to third place in the division... but this year the moundsmen reverted back to their old ways and have fallen to seventh in the standings and trail by 10 games... the Cowboys always score a lot of runs, but so does the opposition... High Mesa's best bats are 2B Ed Albrecht (.318/8/30/35), RF Sookie Givens (.311/13/40/37) and SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.268/17/39/37)... 1B/3B Nat Thurlow (.299/11/35) is having a good year, playing only against lefties... Franks does have two solid starters in Kent Wells (10-7 3.81) and Johnny Falcon (9-6 3.31)... the Cowboys have a good rookie reliever in Ed Galiano (2-2 1.32)... Galiano has saved 12 games and has compiled an amazing 1.32 ERA.

The East Point Panthers (26-47) are 15 games behind at midseason and in last place in the TU East... like High Mesa the Panthers play in a little bandbox and score runs, but can't stop the opposition except when Smokey Joe Carter (7-5 3.22) and Tommy Fuller (5-10 3.32) are on the hill... Carter has won 151 games in his 10 years in the IPA and can still cut the mustard at age 35... manager Griff Clarke smiles when he makes out his line-up card... East Point has a wealth of .300 hitters, plus the gifted hitter and glove man CF Joey Olson... Olson (.292/19/64/42) is having a magnificent year... it looks like Olson may hit over 40 roundtrippers and drive in 130 runs... the four above the .300 mark are All-Star C Roland Garsett (.314/2/29/34), 2B Jesse Goodwin (.313/14/44/42), SS Jerry Riley (.309/3/29/47) and CF Cisco Perales (.307/13/38/38)... defensively the Panthers are poor with a .968 FA.

The Islandian Times

Sunday, June 20, 2011

2010 Tycobbian Union West Division Mid-Season Team Batting and Pitching

The Islandian Times

Sunday, June 20, 2010

2010 Tycobbian Union West Division Mid-Season Recap

DC Redbirds Rolling In TU West, 8 Games Ahead
So what's new in the Tycobbian West? No much. The Denton City Redbirds continue to rule the roost and have rolled up a big 8-game lead at the All-Star game. Arlon is in the number two spot, followed by third place Chicopee and fourth place Kenwood. The Braves are 9 games out and the Wildcats trail by 11. Denton City with Ford Whiteman at the helm have taken the TU West title the last two years and three times since 2005. This year the Redbirds are on pace to win over 100 games. Denton City is hell-bent on winning the IPA Pro Cup. Last season they lost in the TU Final 4 to the eventual Pro Cup winner, the Turon Typhoons in seven games.

1st Place - Denton City Redbirds (49-24)
Manager- Ford Whiteman

The DC Redbirds have two fine starters in Mila Mohoski (11-6 3.08) and Kimo Orlando (12-5 2.93), who is having a career year... Whiteman has a solid line-up of veteran players headed by three All-Stars: RF Lavon Gooch (.286/17/53/52), 1B Mick Abbott (.324/16/49/46) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.287/7/22/56)... 3B Jay Petit (.326/9/27/34) and LF Danny Nash are solid performers as well... Denton City has excellent power, good contact hitting, fine pitching and average defense... the Redbirds are hitting .266 (11th) with 97 homers (1st) and 399 runs scored (1st) with an impressive 3.31 team ERA (4th)... and a .972 FA.

2nd Place - Arlon Champions (41-32 8 GB)
Manager - Gary Louis

The Arlon Champs seem to have a good team every other year... last year they were 6th... the difference is in runs scored... in 2009 Arlon wound up near the bottom (27th)... this season they are second right behind first place Denton City... Louis has a strong core of hitters in 3B Jake Griffin (.315/14/52/40), CF Charley Turner (.300/2/34/54), 1B Stan Vankosky (.261/11/50/44), RF Chucky Gilton (.276/8/53/37) and LF Rocco Belasario (.280/11/36/60)... the Champions do not leave a lot of runners on base... the mound corps is not overwhelming with a 3.95 team ERA (24th)... Armando Cruz (10-4 3.51) is the ace and a steady 5-year veteran performer... All-Star closer Johnny Rabelais (6-3 1.95) is another key element in the Champions success this year with 15 saves... Arlon's glaring weakness is defense with a poor .967 FA... not likely to challenge powerful Denton City this year.

3rd Place - Chicopee Braves (40-33 9 GB)
Manager - Harry Fleetfoot

The Chicopee Braves are enjoying their best year in the IPA... they have finished the season over .500 only twice, the last two years, and have never made the playoffs in eight previous seasons... Fleetfoot has an outstanding pitching staff this year, but can't hit the ball at all, batting just .249 (29th)... otherwise they would be right up there with Denton City... Chicopee is good defensively with a .976 FA...the Brave hurlers have compiled an outstanding 3.06 team ERA (1st) with one of the best threesome in the IPA... Tommy Ruffin (9-4 2.63), Desmond Quartermain (10-8 2.43) and Wayne Baxley (9-6 3.01) are doing wonders on the hill considering the poor support... Bill Branch (6-9 3.93) has been an adequate number four starter... in the pen Johnny Whirlwind (3-2 2.48) has done well with 9 saves... 3B Nicky Sweet (.302/8/30/43) is petty much Chicopee's only decent bat... not likely the Braves can get past Arlon and compete with Denton City with such bad offense.

4th Place - Kenwood Wildcats (38-35 11 GB)
Manager: Aaron Hankins

Kenwood is in the same boat as Chicopee... superb pitching, but a noticeable lack of offense with average defense (.974 FA)... Hankins' hurlers have registered a fine 3.18 ERA (2nd), but the team is only hitting .253 and has trouble scoring... the Wildcats starting four are equal to any team in the IPA... Todd Combs(11-7 2.55), Corey Brabham (11-4 3.18), Dan Phillips (6-7 3.02) and Sol Yakis (5-6 3.24) are steady and consistent and keep Kenwood in the game... batting-wise Hankins has no power hitters... his best is RF Dayton Walker (.363/6/23/40), a lifetime .327 hitter... Kenwood has no one to drive him in.

5th Place - Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (37-36 12 GB)
Manager - Guy Rondre

The Buccaneers make good contact with a .273 BA (2nd), but don't have much power and have trouble scoring (21st)... just average defense with a .974 FA... Rondre has only two long-ball threats... All-Star 2B Jimmy Sawyer (.300/17/51/50) and 1B Gerry Fields (.283/19/50/34) are the main run producers... the contact hitters are LF Bruno DiPirro (.322/5/30/39), CF Skeeter Hall (.308/3/23/38), SS Kelly Wright (.296/4/32/27) and 3B Ryan Sanders (.291/4/23/32)... Bucs pitching is only adequate with a 3.90 ERA (23rd)... but Rondre does have two solid veterans in All-Star Duke DeVree (11-6 2.68) and Norm Gross (8-6 2.59)... in a mid-season move Rondre has switched 97 mph fireballer Hal Meissner (3-1 2.25) from closer and put him in the starting rotation... Meissner came into the IPA in 2001 when he was 18 and has never become the pitcher scouts thought he would be... maybe this is the year at age 26... Bay St. Clair's offense may give them the advantage on the weak-hitting teams ahead of them... DeVree and Gross can carry an entire pitching staff... especially if Meissner comes through as starter #3.

6th Place - Rolling Hills Reds (35-38 14 GB)
Manager - Matty Christianson

The Rolling Hills Reds are just an average ball club, not good in anything, but not bad in anything... Matty Christianson's crew have compiled a .261 BA (17th) with little power, 3.89 ERA (22nd) and a .974 FA (9th-tied)... his top pitchers are Toshiharu Ito (7-8 3.03) and rookie closer Clem Boute (6-4 2.96), who has notched 9 saves... the Reds have two excellent contact hitters in 9-year veteran 2B Owen MacArthur (.352/3/31/44) and rookie LF Donnie Lewis (.342/0/40/38)... It's MacArthur's best season ever... Lewis looks like he has a bright future... MacArthur has won two Golden Gloves and Lewis also has a good glove... rookie 3B Clay Hoffman (.258/11/37/28) and rookie CF Dale Hoover (.301/8/33/24) supply what little firepower Rolling Hills has.

7th Place - La Claire Lynx (34-39 15 GB)
Manager - Rip Calkin

La Claire was second in 2008, beaten out by Denton City by one game and third last year... but the pitching has greatly deteriorated and Calkin finds his club deep in the second division of the TU West... the Lynx staff put up a 3.72 ERA last season, but have skied to 4.57 this year... only Rick Novronski (6-1 2.69) is having success... Calkin does have three standout players in LF Zeppy Deshotel (.302/10/44/38), All-Star SS Bob Steitz (.286/3/23/37) and All-Star C Maka Bardinda (.293/5/38/28)... CF Chazzie Lombardi (.274/10/28/47) has been good in the field and at the plate, too.

8th Place - Bayview Vikings (33-40 16 GB)
Manager - Walter Johanssen

It's really been topsy-turvy for the Bayview Vikings the last three seasons as they bounced from last place to second place and now back to the basement... On paper you wonder why?... Johanssen's club has remained pretty much the same as far as roster... the biggest change is the Viks have fallen off at bat, from .281(1st) last season to .264 (13th) this year with a huge drop in runs scored... pitching has remained close to the same with a 3.73 team ERA (17th)... Bayview batters still hit with power and have chalked up 90 homers (3rd), they just score less... Johanssen still has a power-packed line-up with All-Star CF Tommy Riddle (.300/22/59/50), 3B Karl Benson (.314/15/48/35), RF Russ Murphy (.259/14/51/44) and LF Kelton Carpenter (.303/11/28/27)... The Vikings have quality pitchers in Georgie Fambreau (9-6 3.16), Tony Vardaman (7-9 3.25) and Norm Roy (7-10 3.99)... on defense Bayview is just a little above average with a .974 mark... The Vikings are too good a ball club to wind up deep in the cellar... Look for them to move up in the standings in the second half of the season.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2010 IPA All-Star Game at Typhoon Stadium in Turon

TU Stars Triumph Again Over RU Stars 7-2
For the ninth time in ten IPA All-Star games the Tycobbian Stars triumphed over the Ruthlandian Stars... This time it was 7-2 at Typhoon Stadium in Turon... three two-run homers powered the way to victory... 2B Jimmy Sawyer (Bay St. Clair) tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the sixth, C Roland Garsett (East Point) hit the game-winner in the seventh and CF Tommy Riddle (Bayview) made it 7-2 in the ninth... Riddle was chosen the game's MVP with 2 hits in three tries... he scored twice and drove in two runs... the TU Stars outhit the RU Stars 10-7 with the victory going to Duke DeVree (Bay St. Clair) and the defeat to Frankie Jardine (Fort Benton), who gave up four runs on two homers... 2B Duane Parsons (Far Mountain) gave Ruthlandia a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run single... the TU Stars sparkled in the field with four double plays.

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Statistical Leaders At Mid-Season

Batting Average
1. Pat Farris (Marston) .383
2. Lloyd Voss (Elnora) .351
3. Pete Duvalier (Fort Benton) .344
4. Helmut Graczyk (Claxton) .342
5. Hank Bethel (Rocky Rapids) .340

Runs
1. Karl Perret (LaGrange) 64
2. Ryan Raines (Colfax) 59
3. Jim Rose (Middlefield) 57
4. Rory Dickensen (Belle Plaine) 55
5. Cooter Bermudez (Rocky Rapids) 53

Hits
1. Jim Rose (Middlefield) 97
2. Cooter Bermudez (Rocky Rapids) 96
3. Lloyd Voss (Elnora) 95
4. Grant Betzer (Waleska) 93
4. Don Nichols (Far Mountain) 93

Home Runs
1. Big Hoss Burkhalter (Wynnamac) 21
2. Scott Camden (Rocky Rapids) 19
2. Duane Parsons (Far Mountain) 19
4. Bill Nance (LaGrange) 18
5. Dale Strickland (Beechwood) 16
5. Lee Taryn (Middlefield) 16

RBIs
1. Duane Parsons (Far Mountain) 66
2. Scott Camden (Rocky Rapids) 61
2. Hank Klyman (Belle Plaine) 61
4. Ryan Raines (Colfax) 59
5. Big Hoss Burkhalter (Wynnamac) 57

Stolen Bases
1. Austen Conover (Sugar Valley) 35
2. Hollis Waldrop (Sligo) 26
3. DePaul Lebat (Waleska) 23
4. Cyclone Cobb (Glasco) 22
5. Stan Czerwinski (Valmara) 21
5. Tommy Reiner (Ranford) 21

Wins
1. Vanya Vasylenko (Valmara) 14-2 2.87
1. Todd Wolfe (Volusia) 14-4 1.99
3. Ilya Szabo (Colfax) 13-2 1.94
3. Jimmy Joe Cartner (Colfax) 13-3 3.58

ERA
1. Ilya Szabo (Colfax) 1.94 13-2
2. Sandy Kozicz (Belair Beach) 1.95 2-2
3. Todd Wolfe (Volusia) 1.99 14-4
4. Tal Vaitkus (Fort Benton) 2.01 8-1
5. Terry Kuznetsov (Beechwood) 2.05 11-1

Saves
1. Vinko Markovic (Valka) 17 (5-1 2.84)
2. Jack Hatcher (Glasco) 16 (1-2 2.28)
2. John Sharpe (Ancona) 16 (1-5 4.21)
2. John Updike (Marston) 16 (3-1 2.92)
5. Erich Dumont (Far Mountain) 15 (1-5 4.88)

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian Statistical Leaders At Mid-Season

Batting Average
1. Dayton Walker (Kenwood) .363
2. Rick Hilliard (Blue Lake) .361
3. Dane Wesner (Fairfax) .355
4. Robby Michael (South Fork) .353
5. Owen MacArthur (Rolling Hills) .352

Runs
1. Rocco Belasario (Arlon) 60
2. Trevor Tomlinson (Denton City) 56
3. Domingo Rios (Mahaska) 55
4. Charley Turner (Arlon) 54
5. Loren Babcock (Blue Lake) 53

Hits
1. Dane Wesner (Fairfax) 97
2. Sherm Miles (Arroyo Grande) 92
3. Tom Brabant (Hartsdale) 91
3. Chancey Quibedeaux (Fairfax) 91
3. Jud Turchin (Hartsdale) 91

HR
1. Tommy Klegg (Red Bluff) 26
2. Tommy Riddle (Bayview) 22
2. Dane Wesner (Fairfax) 22
2. Hiamoti Wolf (Midway) 22
5. Tom Brabant (Hartsdale) 20

RBIs
1. Tommy Klegg (Red Bluff) 69
2. Sherm Miles (Arroyo Grande) 67
3. Joey Olson (East Point) 64
4. Dane Wesner (Fairfax) 60
5. Tommy Riddle (Bayview) 59
5. Big Stick Takala (Southport) 58

Stolen Bases
1. Trevor Tomlinson (Denton City) 30
2. Stan Helmke (Red Bluff) 29
3. Jet Kazmarek (Arroyo Grande) 26
4. Rocco Belasario (Arlon) 25
5. Todd Chadwick (Ozarka) 22
5. Skeeter Hall (Bay St. Clair) 22

Wins
1. Matt DeRosa (Hartsdale) 12-5 3.35
1. Ed Dupard (Hillsboro) 12-5 2.62
1. Justin Eckhardt (Blue Lake) 12-4 2.73
1. Kenyon MacKenzie (Denton City) 12-3 4.37
1. Kimo Orlando (Denton City) 12-5 2.93

ERA
1. Nicky Engstrom (Turon) 2.05 8-1
2. Johnny Picou (Mahaska) 2.17 8-5
3. Alberto Herrera (San Alejo) 2.29 7-7
4. Pat Henry (Blue Lake) 2.32 9-9
5. Jimmy Boxx (Arroyo Grande) 2.35 11-6

Saves
1. Lance Logan (White River) 16 (3-2 1.61)
1. Reggie Ralston (Tuckanarra) 16 (3-3 3.07)
1. Tony Reed (Blue Lake) 16 (1-3 4.05)
4. Johnny Rabelais (Arlon) 15 (6-3 1.95)
5. Ernie Teague (Ginza) 14 (3-4 4.73)

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian North Final Standings

The Islandian Union

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 IPA Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Far Mountain Wins 2nd Straight RU North, Outlast Glasco By 5 Games
For the second straight year Alex Groveland has guided the Far Mountain Redhawks to the Ruthlandian North pennant. The Redhawks led pretty much start to finish and outlasted the Glasco Athletics by a five-game margin. Kilkenny made a little more progress this season and wound up in the third spot, but 12 games off the pace. The LaGrange Sports wrapped up the season in fourth place and trailed by 13 games.

Far Mountain (93-61) took the flag and a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs with a good all-around ball club, good hitting, pitching, power and defense...Leroy Hill (24-10 3.13) and Boomerang Hines (24-10 3.17) were a dynamic duo on the mound staff... rookie closer Erich Dumont racked up 36 saves and led the league... the Redhawks were paced at the plate by 2B Duane Parsons (.312/38/133/105)... Parsons led the RU in RBIs and tied for the home run title with Scott Camden of Rocky Rapids... other solid hitters were SS Don Nichols (.302/19/96/108), rookie CF Xavier Sosa (.322/17/72/74) and C Otis Ott (.270/26/96/79).

The Glasco A's (88-66) were the surprise team this year as McDuffie Hughes' club rose from seventh in 2009 to second in a turnaround season... Pitching did it for the Athletics with a starting foursome of Felipe Branco (22-11 2.53), Buddy DeMarco (19=14 3.46), Hal Neyland (10-1 3.42) and Bobby Joe Belvin (15-14 3.66)... rookie closer Jack Hatcher (4-5 2.56) played a prime part in the renaissance with 32 saves...They ranked sixth with a 3.56 team ERA... Glasco's main run producers were 1B George Ferguson (.297/30/101), CF Ike Plunkett (.317/22/83) and RF Aidan Latimer (.298/11/60/83)... a poor .968 FA hurt the Athletics, the worst in the RU North.

It was another good year for the third place Kilkenny Cats (81-73) under manager Kieran McKenna... it was the Cats third consecutive finish in the RU North's first division after years of dismal failure... Kilkenny's ace was Gregg Neal (17-13 3.22), still going strong at age 38... Neal is the all-time leader with 177 victories in his 10 seasons in the IPA... other solid performers were pitchers Mack Harrell (18-12 3.35) and Steve Ohlinger (17-15 3.34), along with 2B Scooter Perez with a .305 batting average and 108 runs scored, while playing great shortstop and second base... other stalwarts were rookie CF Kevin McPhail with a .303 BA and 89 RBIs and rookie RF Robby Campbell with 19 homers, 80 RBIs and a .270 average.

Foxy Jimison and his fourth place LaGrange Sports (80-74) upgraded the pitching, but not enough to compete with Far Mountain and Glasco... the Sports wound up 12 games back... It was Jimison's best rotation in years, led by Phil Bijeaux (16-11 3.79), Denny Kristensen (14-12 3.34), Mike Arnold (18-11 4.19) and Leroy Labat (10-6 2.98)... as usual LaGrange's bats performed well with rookie 1B Bill Nance, who had an excellent year with 28 homers, 92 RBIs and 100 runs scored, while hitting at a .320 clip... CF Karl Perret batted .287 with 13 roundtrippers and 114 runs... C Otto Kronvath wallops 30 home runs, batted in 102 and scored 93 times and LF Quincy Peterson, one of the IPA's all-time superstars, had another fine year with a .279 batting average, 27 homers, 88 RBIs and 99 runs scored... Next year the 33-year-old Peterson should top the 300-homer, 1000-RBIs and 1000-runs milestones... the Sports play defense well and have a .976 FA.

Fifth place in the RU North belongs to Tommaso Lazzorda's Taranto Tars (75-79), who ended up 18 games off the pace... the Tars play in one of the smallest venues in the IPA, the Palazzo di Sport, so its pitchers have a tough time as far as ERAs go... 8-year vet Sal Pascioni (15-10 4.76) and Chris Hall (13-12 4.18) are Lazzorda's best arms... his best bats are SS Eddie Miles (.277/17/84/97), LF Wayne Pounders (.262/28/91) and 1B Pietro Skrmetta (.310/18/77)... one thing Taranto does is play good defense... the Tars finished up with a .976 FA.

Bad year for Manny Mickens and his Arcona Red Elephants (74-80), who tumbled from second place to sixth place tie this season... They were 19 games behind in the pennant chase... Arcona suffered a lapse of good pitching as the team ERA soared from a pretty good 3.68 to a lofty 4.21 in 2010... Mickens' ace was 5-year vet Gary Culver (16-12 3.34)... Marty Sellick (18-13 4.17) was the Red Elephants biggest winner... at the plate Arcona's top hitters were 3B Bob Arlin (.303/25/74), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.299/19/86) and CF Lacey Tompkins (.287/18/98).

The Valmara Vipers (74-80) wound up 19 games back this year and tied for sixth... but this was slightly better than last year's drop to the very bottom of the division... Skipper J. Jackson Samuel's club did well until mid-year, but fizzled over the second half of the season... one standout star was 28-year-old right-hander Vanya Vasylenko who excelled with a brilliant season, posting a 23-8 record and a fine 2.85 ERA... the Vipers have a few good hitters... Samuel's top bats were RF Lou Gdowski (.310/17/88/95), C Erich Adamczyk (.291/17/80) and 1B Alan Guilford (.270/22/73/96).

2002 through 2008 Page Satcher's Ranford Bulls (68-86) never finished worst than fourth place... for the last two years the Bulls dipped down - fifth last year - and all the way to the basement this year, 25 games out of first... Ranford is a victim of lousy hitting and mediocre pitching... it's tough to win without runs, no matter how good your pitching is... much less when your pitching less than adequate... Satcher has a fine competitor in 34-year-old Chris Bernhoffer (14-19 3.39), who has won 154 games in nine years... Cleve Skinner (17-17 3.97) came on strong in the last half of the year and gave Bernhoffer some help... good bats were sparse in Ranford this season... the Bulls best were C Stan Pasek (.279/15/65) and 3B Ken Aubert (.268/22/79).

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian South Final Team Standings, Batting and Pitching Statistics

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 IPA Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Waleska Edges Claxton For RU South Pennant
In the Ruthlandian South, Waleska almost got caught in the last few days of the season by hard-charging Claxton, who came on the last six weeks. Going into the final day of the season only one game separated them. At the end of the day both teams lost and the Westerners held off the Diamonds. The San Dimas Rancheros were 8 games out in third place and the Valka Blackhawks came in fourth and were 10 games out. The rest of the teams never figured in the pennant race.

McGraw Johnson finally won the RU South after the Westerners finished third the past two seasons... Johnson has fashioned a fine club with solid pitching and excellent hitting... Waleska (85-69) has a rock-solid line-up with good players in each of the eight spots, sparked by RF Kippy Doyle with 26 homers and 103 RBIs, CF Harold Setser with a .325 batting average, 22 homers and 98 RBIs, LF Johnny Stratton with 14 roundtrippers, 14 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .301 BA, 3B Grant Betzer with a .318 BA and 111 runs and 1B Nat Mayakovsky with 16 homers, 89 RBIs and a .291 average... on the hill Johnson has some talent, too... Waleska starters are Wilson Whitmore (18-13 2.87), Ken Vakos (14-7 3.47), Lenny Milazzo (13-10 3.36) and Sammy Grimaldi (8-5 3.06).

The Claxton Diamonds (84-70) were the defending champs and had another good year under "the Old Perfesser" Stacy Engel... Claxton has a potent attack and hit 174 homers (2nd) this season, led by LF Helmut Graczyk with 34 homers, 112 RBIs, 109 runs and a strong .338 BA, CF Dixie Baker with 33 home runs and 98 RBIs, 1B Mike Luzzatti with 28 roundtrippers, 80 RBIs and 102 runs and 3B Artie Sherman, who hit 26 out of the park... Engel doesn't have the staff Waleska has... his top arms are Pat Grange (17-11 3.94), Charlie Murphy (15-19 3.33) and Doug Torvik (15-8 3.79)... the only edge the Diamonds have on the Westerners is better defense, .975 FA to .971 FA... just looking at the numbers Waleska is a better team than Claxton and should have won more easily.

The rest of the clubs are not on par with the top two teams... the San Dimas Rancheros (77-77), managed by Paco Banderos, were the most improved ball club in the RU South... the Rancheros were last in 2009... Banderos doesn't have a lot of talent... his best are pitcher Carl Schmitz (18-15 2.88), who has chalked up 161 victories in his 10 IPA seasons with a fine 3.11 ERA... the 33-year-old southpaw is even better in the postseason with a 10-7 mark and a 2.76 ERA... and 32-year-old 1B Ron Armstrong (.280/14/74) is a two-time All-Star and has a Gold Glove, but not the player he used to be.

The Valka Blackhawks (75-79) improved its pitching a tad this year and moved up from fifth place to fourth, trailing Waleska by 10 games... skipper Jaan Kurus just doesn't have the offense to really contend... on the mound Kurus has a steady set of veteran starters and one of the best closers... rookie Vinko Markovic really excelled with 33 saves, 2.43 ERA and a 6-3 record in 52 appearances... Erke Tonisson (19-16 3.56), Jerry Smith (15-16 3.05) and Connie Krueger (14-20 3.65) give Valka a good consistent rotation... the Blackhawks are not much at the plate, but did get a great first year from rookie Kurt LF Kurt Jankauskas, who smacked 23 homers, batted .283 and drove in 84 runs... C Tom Hewlett chipped in a .303 BA, 10 home runs, 53 RBIs and scored 80 times.

Three teams were tied for the fifth spot in the RU South standings: the Belair Beach Sunbirds (68-86), Crystal Lake Crushers (68-86) and St. John Crusaders (68-86)... All of them wound up 17 games of the pace.

Marty Petroza's Sunbirds are the best fielding ball club in the division with a strong .978 FA, but they suffer in other aspects of the game... Belair Beach has decent pitching with one standout performer in 36-year-old right-hander Jeff Nieman (16-13 2.94)... But the Sunbirds come up short in the batter's box... you are in trouble when the best man in the batting order is CF Billy Martz, who hit .274 with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs.

Crystal Lake only does two things well - they do hit home runs and have a super reliever... Manager Baby George's sluggers went deep 174 times and tied with Claxton for the number two spot... the Sligo Rovers of the RU West hit the most with 182... 1B Phil Gravelli led the way with 27 and a .301 BA, 2B Cristian Avajos with 26, but only hit .211, RF Jerry Lee Presley with 21 roundtrippers and a .259 average, C Todd Simons with 21 and a .242 BA and CF Mel Ballard hit 17 home runs and batted .312 for the season... the Crushers best pitcher is in the bullpen and he is a good one... closer Jeff Jernigan saved 29 games and compiled a 6-3 mark with a brilliant 1.48 ERA...the 27-year-old southpaw has 110 saves in four seasons with a superb 2.38 ERA.

St. John lacks offense, is only average on the hill and woefully inept on defense (.968 FA)... manager Dickie Billings has two division crowns to his credit in 2003 and 2007, but little else... Fuzzy Olnick (12-10 2.88) and Denny Copeland (12-7 3.14) are his best pitchers... offensively RF Clayton Luck is his only solid hitter with a .282 BA, 15 homers and 82 RBIs... 36-year-old C Virgil Chapman led the Crusaders with 25 home runs, but hit only .242 for average.

In the RU South cellar 19 games back are the Grand City Cybercats (66-88), who have atrocious pitching and rank near the bottom with a 4.51 team ERA (29th)... even former Golden Arm and Tycobbian MVP Emmitt Yates struggled with a 14-14 record and a 3.53 ERA... last year Yates was 21-11 with a 2.35 ERA... Grand City can hit for contact with a .271 batting, which is fourth best in the league, but Torry Joseph's team doesn't put much on the scoreboard... Joseph's best batters are 1B Marlin Kiefer (.299/13/62/86) and CF Val Krol (.298/12/74).

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian East Final Team Standings, Batting and Pitching Statistics

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Sugar Valley's Strong Second Half Takes RU East Title
It was super-tight race in the Ruthlandian East at mid-year with seven teams bunched within 5 games of each other, then the Sugar Valley turned on the jets and left everybody in their tracks. The Rattlers took the flag by 8 games over runner-ups Beechwood and Cold Creek. Rounding out the first division was the Wynnamac Sundowners in fourth place, nine games back. Last year's champ Belle Plaine plummeted to fifth place, 10 games off the pace.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (88-66) made the biggest turnaround in the RU East in 2010 as Gibby Bobkins' boys rose up from seventh place the previous season...the Rattlers were a good blend of offense and pitching and excellent on defense with a .981 fielding percentage, tops in the league... rookie Neil Howell (17-10 3.19), Jay Washington (19-16 3.60) and Connie Ehrlichmann (18-13 led the pitching corps... with a lot of help from closer Nickie Lynn (7-7 2.49), who registerd 30 saves... After a poor first half, Charles Darby (16-11 4.44) surged in the second half with an 11-6 record that really helped make the difference... Sugar Valley bats were sufficient with C Hal Stevenson (.276/28/100/87), CF Austen Conover (.293/4/78/94) and 2B Vic Chatelain (.301/2/78/71)... 1B Val Schlagel also contributed 22 homers, scored 93 times and hit at a .293 clip.

Improved pitching moved the Beechwood Bobcats (80-74) up from fifth to second this year... Bret George's team compiled an excellent 3.29 team ERA, led by two premier pitchers Dek Jumonville (23-14 2.14) and Terry Kuznetsov (19-8 2.36)... they may have been the best 1-2 punch in the IPA... RF Dale Strickland (.275/26/75/78), CF Jakie Creekmore (.272/13/72/83) and 1B Ray Slater (.294/13/56/96) led the offense.

Cold Creek (80-74) was tied with Beechwood for second place and lagged behind Sugar Valley by eight games... Neither of them did well in the second half... manager T. Kelly Holmes had a fine pitching staff with no weak links (3.64 ERA)... the Catamounts have three good starters in Terence Gilbert (19-16 2.99), Tommy Weeks (13-11 3.31) and Payton Saunders (16-15 3.71)... closer Frankie Novikov (8-5 2.34) did a good job with 15 saves... Run production was supplied by the talented CF Trip Holmes (.305/20/107/87), who runs, hits and fields with the best of them... He is the grandson of the elder Holmes, who was quite a player in his own right in the amateur leagues of old... RF Emile Stosha (.291/22/92/109) and LF Nickie Troxell (.270/25/96) sported big sticks, too.

Fourth place in the RU East went to Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (79-75), who wound up nine games out of first... poor relief pitching hurt the Sundowners, who had an overall 4.25 team ERA (25th)... Donnelly has a good group of starters, led by Ronald Blevins (15-8 3.02), Lefty Paddison (16-10 3.69) and Angus Conroy (16-17 3.66)... the Sundowners are still capable at the plate with LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.280/31/106/84), 1B Nate Cockcroft (.285/19/66) , CF Dalton Leeds (.311/13/72/91) and RF Mark Buchanan (.309/17/70).

The defending RU East champs, the Belle Plaine Musketeers (78-76), faded badly in the second half and dipped down to the fifth spot in the standings... Boo Ladrieux just doesn't possess enough pitching... his best were Jorge Bonilla (21-15 3.55) and Matt Van Rensberg (17-11 4.14), who blossomed at the ripe old age of 38 after several years of futility... however the Muskies have an excellent closer in Denny Reynaud (3-4 2.82), who tied for the IPA lead with 36 saves this year... at bat Ladrieux has some good ones in LF Harry Klyman (.305/22/118/77), 1B Rory Dickenson (.306/16/89/107), 3B Warren McDaniel (.281/21/77/91) and RF Juan Mendez (.299/7/72/85).

Killer Brewster's Eastshore Elegants (70-84) tied with Marston and were a distant sixth this season and ended up 18 games off the pace... Brewster has fair pitching (3.79 ERA), but not much hitting with a .252 batting average (29th)... Donnie Rinaldi (18-17 3.74) and Thomas Williams (15-20 3.42) are his most dependable starters... at the plate his best bats are LF Darrel Alston (.300/23/67), RF Stan Cuccinello (.301/19/73) and C Fran MacIntyre (.309/18/76).

The Marston Nine (70-84) are much like Eastshore... decent mound corps with a 3.79 team ERA (12th), but weak offense with a .252 BA (29th)... Zippy Hodge led the starters with an 18-14 mark and a 3.45 ERA, while in the bullpen John Updike was 8-7 with 26 saves and a 3.58 ERA... batting-wise skipper Johnny Walters depended on 3B Jimmy Holman for most of his offense... Holman slugged 26 homers, batted in 97 and hit .288 for average... 1B Pat Farris led the league with a .357 mark, 12 home runs, 62 RBIs and 72 runs... LF Carlton McClure also provided some offense with 20 roundtrippers, 82 RBIs and 75 runs with a .254 BA... Good fielding SS Danny Church hit .274 and scored 103 runs.

The biggest disappointment this year in the RU East was Zoggy White's Elnora All-Stars (67-87), who stumbled from fourth down to last place, 21 games behind pennant-winning Sugar Valley... the All-Stars had bad numbers with a 4.31 ERA (28th) and a .259 batting average (21st)... White had only one pitcher to speak of... Taylor Gibbs (8-5 2.60) worked well in the bullpen until mid-August, when he became a starter... Gibbs was 3-1 the rest of the way... talented RF Lloyd Voss led the hitters with a .338 average, 21 homers, 83 RBIs and scored 103 times... 2B Dmitri Vrotsos hit 20 out of the park, drove in 90 runs and had a .260 BA... LF Theron Latigo hit .280 with 25 home runs and 82 RBIs.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian West Final Team Standings, Batting and Pitching Statistics

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Colfax Smashed All-Time Mark With 107 Wins
The Colfax Blasters were devastating this season in the Ruthlandian West with 107 victories. Not only did Clem Rogers' club win the division flag by 25 games, they also easily broke the IPA record for most wins in a season. The old mark of 102 was set in 2002 by the San Alejo Montaneros of the TU South. In 2008 the Blasters established a new RU win record with 100 victories. It was Colfax's third straight division crown. The Rocky Rapids Snappers and Volusia Vigilantes were nowhere in sight, but did tie for second place. They were beaten by 25 games. Sligo came in fourth, 27 games back of the record-setting Blasters.

Colfax (107-47) totally dominated the league... the Blasters were first in batting, pitching and fielding... they hit .276, had a 3.00 ERA and a .976 fielding average... Clem Rogers had two fantastic starters... Ilya Szabo and Jimmy Joe Cartner both won 27 games and lost only 8 between them... they were both 27-4... In addition Szabo carded a magnificent 1.79 ERA to lead the IPA, while Cartner compiled a 2.86 ERA... starter #3 Jasper LaForge went 19-10 with a 3.35 ERA... and it didn't stop there - in the bullpen Dallas Somerville chalked up 26 saves with a great 2.01 ERA and a 7-8 record.

The Blasters lived up to their names at bat, too... Leading the way offensively was four-time All-Star CF Ryan Raines with 28 homers, 122 RBIs, 108 runs and a .293 BA... Raines still run like the wind and plays center like a Gold Glover... He had plenty of help from LF Paul Coniglio with 30 home runs, 104 RBIs, 99 runs and a .290 BA... In 107 games RF Karl Heidelberg batted at the .311 mark with 10 homers, 50 RBIs and 90 runs scored... in 81 games 3B Mike Janocko was outstanding with a .344 average, 15 roundtrippers, 71 runs batted, while scoring 48.

Ryan Noland's Rocky Rapids Snappers (82-72) are a good contact-hitting ball club with a .274 BA (3rd), but lack power... pitching-wise the Snapper staff is mediocre with a 4.37 team ERA (27th)... two excellent rookies head the staff... Donnie Chaney (21-13 3.81) has done quite well in his freshman season... and bullpen specialist Earl Pitts (6-4 2.49) has racked up 32 saves... in the batter's box LF Scott Camden had a super year and led the Ruthlandian Union in home runs with 38 along with Duane Parsons of the Far Mountain Redhawks... Camden hit .309, drove in 118 runs and scored 110... other contributors were C Hank Bethel (.316/21/98/80), SS Cooter Bermudez (.326/4/62/109) and 2B Hoppy Hill (.318/1/47/71).

For the tenth successive year the Volusia Vigilantes (82-72) made the first division... The V's have never finished worse than fourth in their IPA history... skipper Alfonso Feliz brought them in second this season, tied with Rocky Rapids... Volusia has strong pitching with a 3.39 team ERA (3rd), anchored by Todd Wolfe with a great year... Wolfe was 22-12 with an exceptional 2.06 ERA... other quality starters are 42-year-old Dave Webb (8-3 2.86), Gerry Hersh (15-18 3.46) and Ben Manderson (14-14 3.80)... The Vigilantes sport a .266 BA (11th), but are weak and wimpy in power... top batters are LF Briscoe Crowder (.308/9/57/80), 3B Bobby Farias (.305/13/74/64) and C Whitey Cosgrove (.296/12/68/64).

The Sligo Rovers (80-74) finished fourth in the RU West, 27 games out of first...manager Eddie Keys depended on the home run ball and a lot of rookies for success... The Rovers rapped 182 home runs to lead the Ruthlandian Union, while batting at a .266 rate (10th)... Sligo also topped the league with 850 runs (1st)... The Rovers had 8 players hit double-digit homers, led by their superlative LF Fred Collins, who hit 32 with a .326 batting average, 111 RBIs and 117 runs scored... if that wasn't enough Collins also stole 35 bases... rookie SS Vic Carlin went deep 28 times, drove in 111 runs, scored 93 times and hit for a .270 mark... rookie CF Clell Renshaw collected 23 homers, batted in 88 and scored 108 runs... rookie Mike Nordmann hit 21 roundtrippers and had 69 RBIs... 3B Bobby Franklin cracked 21 into the stands with a .279 BA and 67 RBIs, 2B Hollis Waldrup belted 21 home runs with 72 RBIs, 112 runs and stole 64 bases, while batting just .244... 1B Joe Helmke (.289) had 12 homers and 3B Eddy Lamar (.273) hit 11... on the hill Keys had good pitching with a 3.86 team ERA (13th)... the Rovers had two solid hurlers in rookie Vinnie Rastelli (17-12 2.72) and the veteran Colin McGrath (16-10 3.25)... the future looks good in Sligo.

The fifth-place Fort Benton Defenders (79-75) were as high as second at the halfway point in the schedule, but burnt out in the hot days of July and August, ending up 28 games off the pace... nonetheless, it was a good year for manager Robbie Brooks... his Defender pitching staff carded a 3.66 team ERA (9th) and were paced by two vets Frankie Jardine (21-12 3.03) and Tal Vaitkus (15-7 3.12)... three fine rookies infused Fort Benton... CF Ryan Smith led the team in homers with 26, drove in 79 runs and scored 93... SS Pete Duvalier was hitting nearly .350 at the All-Star game, but cooled off to a respectable .288 with 12 homers, 71 RBIs and 99 runs scored... the third freshman RF Forest Cummings batted .279 with 16 roundtrippers, drove in 56 runs and scored 89 times... journeyman LF Nicky Swift whacked 24 home runs and drove in a team high 94.

After a second place and third place finish the last two seasons, things were looking up for manager Robbie Jackson of the Forest City Lumberjacks (74-80), but it didn't happen, they finished up a frustrating sixth in the standings and 35 games behind champion Colfax... weak hitting was the downfall... the 'Jacks batted only .254 and scored just 654 runs (31st), but ripped 162 homers (6th)... RF Chris Carroll led the team with 34 roundtrippers and 108 RBIs... LF Joe Judlin hit 26, CF Stan Maples got 24 and 3B Vic Lemay added 22 to the total... Jackson has a solid core of starters in Brian Charles (18-15 3.23), Knucks Nomellini (17-14 4.01), Ernie Hill (13-14 3.34) and Al Thibaut (15-20 3.57)... rookie closer Dale Owens stood out, too... Owens had 27 saves and compiled a 3.14 ERA with a 3-7 won-lost mark.

The Middlefield Roosters (63-91) made the playoffs its first five seasons in the IPA, won two division titles and captured the the 2005 Pro Cup... those were the golden years for manager Smitty Michaels... the Roosters have been a second-division team ever since... and this year is the worst... because they play in one of the smallest parks in the IPA, Middlefield hits home runs in abundance, but so does the opposition... this year the Roosters hit 163 (5th), but surrendered 191 (31st)...Consequently the team ERA is astronomically high at 4.61 (31st)... Johnny Bond (17-16 3.70) is Michaels only effective pitcher... his best batters are SS Jim Rose, who enjoyed his finest season by hitting .301 with 21 homers, 83 RBIs and 111 runs scored... CF Lee Taryn clouted 32 homers and drove in 85 runs with a .267 mark.

The Stoner Stars (61-93) are last in hitting with a poor .247 BA and last in pitching with a very poor 4.70 ERA, therefore it follows logically that they are in last place in the standings, too... skipper Willie Dickens has a dearth of talent in Stoner... his best player is SS Karol Zodoka, who at 35 still competes at a high level at the plate and in the field... Zodoka topped the Stars with 27 homers, 96 RBIs, 93 runs and a .290 BA... Zodoka just doesn't have any help... on the mound Dickens only has one pitcher under a 4.00 ERA... Norman Canfield notched a 15-18 record with a 3.80 ERA... strange as it may seem, Canfield does better at Middlefield Park with its small dimensions than he does on the road and the bigger parks... he's 9-8 with a 3.78 ERA at home and 6-10 on the road with a 3.82 ERA.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Fairfax's Wesner Triple Crown Winner
This season, Dane Wesner exhibited a rare combination of hitting both for average and power. Indeed, the Fairfax Frogs star claimed baseball's Triple Crown, leading the Tycobbian Union in batting average, home runs and RBIs.

"I've always taken pride in my ability to hit the ball," Wesner said. "But honestly I never thought I'd put up numbers like that."

He led the Tycobbian Union with a .383 BA, 46 home runs and 146 RBIs. The 25-year-old Frogs left fielder is the 2nd player in Islandian Pro Alliance history to do this rare feat. Quite a year for quite a player. East Point Panther SS Karol Zodoka was the first to do in 2002. Zodoka clouted 54 roundtrippers to set an all-time IPA mark, led the league with a .351 batting average and outpaced everybody with 146 RBIs.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian North Final Team Standings, Batting and Pitching Statistics

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tybobbian North Final Recap

Blue Lake Cops TU North In 3-Way Playoff
It was a monumental battle to decide the Tycobbian North champion this season. Heading into the last week of play six teams were still in the running, all within three games of one another. At the end of the regular season it was a three-way tie between Blue Lake Blue Sox, Mahaska Haymakers and Oxford Red Caps. They went into a playoff to determine the regular season division champion and a spot in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs.

Mahaska got a bye because it had won the season series with Blue Lake and Oxford. Home field advantage was also determined by head-to-head season series. Oxford hosted Blue Lake in the first game with the Blue Sox taking the game 4-0 on fine 6-hit shutout by Pat Grange (15-8 3.34). Nicky Nicholson (21-13 3.85) was tagged with the loss. The loser of this game had to go up against Mahaska.

In a magnificent pitching duel Mahaska eliminated the Oxford Red Caps 1-0 in 10 innings. Haymaker RF Reynaldo Quezada got the game-winning single off losing pitcher Ronnie D'Abo (9-5 1.65) with the victory going to Robbie Sampson (4-4 4.19). Both had come on in relief in the 10th. Starters Del Anderson and Dain Abner both went nine innings and battled to a scoreless tie. Anderson limited Mahaska to just two hits, while Abner gave up only four hits to the Red Caps and struck out six batters.

In the championship game at Mahaska, Blue Lake KO'd the Haymakers 8-1 by ripping out 12 hits in an easy win. Pete Henry held Mahaska to seven hits and fanned six, giving the Blue Sox a spot in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. Blue Lake SS Loren Babcock (.296) had four hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored to lead the victory. CF Rick Hilliard (.313) scored three runs for the winners. Johnny Spears (14-13 3.28) took the loss for the Haymakers.

Blue Lake won the RU North crown by one game over second place Mahaska, two games over the Hartsdale Hellcats and Oxford Red Caps and three games better than Fairfax and White River that tied for fifth place.

Cobb Tyson's pitching carried the champion Blue Lake Blue Sox (92-64) to their first division title... Justin Eckhardt (24-9 2.79), Pete Henry (20-14 3.01) and Pat Grange (15-8 3.34) were his prime starters with rookie closer Tony Reed (4-6 3.88) doing impressive work with 35 saves... the Blue Sox bats were just adequate and were led by RF Ted Karno with 27 homers, 90 RBIs, 89 scores, while putting up a .264 BA... 2B Loren Babcock batted at a .296 pace, had 20 homers, 84 RBIs and scored 99 runs, CF Rick Hilliard hit .313 with 18 roundtrippers, 68 RBIs and 89 runs and LF Vic Gelder added a .283 BA, 22 home runs and 77 runs batted in.

Skipper Rusty Tanussa of the second place Mahaska Haymakers (91-65) got good pitching, too... topping his mound staff was Johnny Picou (18-13 2.82), Dain Abner (20-15 3.63) and Don Shaw (18-11 3.51)... Mahaska was short on hitters with a .254 BA (21st), but long on fielding... the Haymakers were the best defenders in the TU with a .977 FA... Tanussa best batsmen were 3B Domingo Rios, who hit .286 with 27 homers, 89 RBI and 92 runs... 2B Walt Long chipped in with a .284 average, 14 home runs, drove in 69 runs and scored 92 times.

It really looks like Zim Donner might have had the best ball club in the TU North this season... Last year's champion, the Hartsdale Hellcats (89-65), wound up a very close third, just two games off the pace... the Hellcat bats were number one with a .275 team BA and 189 homers, but also quite competitive with a 3.47 team ERA (8th)... at the plate 2B Jud Turchin excelled by hitting .337 with 35 home runs, 119 RBIs and 109 runs... 1B Tom Brabant was also a potent force with 37 homers, 119 RBIs and a .307 BA... other contributors were RF Mac Faulkner, who batted .314 with 19 roundtrippers, 81 RBIs and 93 runs scored... and 3B Kendry Moulton with 24 homers, 80 RBIs, 80 runs and a .271 BA... in the pitching department Nico Carnera piled up a brilliant 24-6 mark with a stout 2.73 ERA to lead the rotation... Mark DaRosa was steady and consistent with 21 wins and 15 losses, while posting a 3.56 ERA... young closer Ben Clermont (4-4 2.70) also did well with 10 saves.

Campy Roy guided his Oxford Red Caps (90-66) to a fourth place finish and just narrowly missed out on the postseason by two scant games... the Red Caps wound up in the first division for the ninth year in a row... Roy just has an abundance of quality ballplayers... Oxford is 8th with a .268 BA, 6th with 179 home runs and 11th with a 3.66 ERA... the best position players are 3B Cameron Kamara with 32 home runs, 115 RBIs, 109 runs and a .299 BA... CF Wayne McDonald (.305/21/94/104)... and LF Mac Spencer (.282/25/84/78)... Oxford is loaded with good arms, too... heading the list are Emerson Carnell (19-14 3.22), Nicky Nicholson (21-13 3.85) and Del Anderson (18-11 3.79)... rookie closer Ronnie D'Abo really flourished in his first season with 26 saves and superlative 1.65 ERA, while registering an impressive 9-5 won-lost mark.

The Fairfax Frogs (88-66) and White River Rascals (88-66) were two more fine teams in the TU North that had excellent seasons, yet ended up in fifth place, but trailing by only three games... Fairfax with Harry Buckley in charge has a well-rounded ball team... the Frogs hit at a .274 clip (4th), compiled a strong 3.44 team ERA (6th) and unloaded 169 roundtrippers (7th)... Buckley has one of the better starting rotations with Ken Hill (13-5 2.97), Wally Tidwell (19-16 3.07), Joe Hampton (17-8 3.35) and Scotty Marshall (18-12 3.61)... toss in Gino Carmazzo, who split time as a starter and closer, and you have a top-notch mound corps... Carmazzo was 11-10 with a 3.27 ERA and 10 saves... Fairfax also featured some gifted hitters, too... RF Dane Wesner won the Triple Crown with a .383 BA, 46 home runs and 146 RBIs, while scoring 107 times... the 25-year-old Wesner is the second IPA player to accomplish this rare feat... SS Karol Zodoka did it in 2002, while playing for the East Point Panthers... Zodoka led the league with a .351 BA, hit an all-time IPA record 54 homers and batted in 146 runs... Buckley's other solid batsmen are SS Wes Hickox (.262/23/104/94), 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.298/20/69/14) and RF Ted Karno (.277/31/89/76).

White River had a strong first half of the year, but slumped below .500 in the last half and fell to a fifth-place tie... 2010 was a great improvement for skipper John Randison, who finished dead last in 2009, 21 games off the pace... White River depends on pitching and home runs to get the job done... Randison's Rascals notched a very good 3.46 team ERA (7th), while batting .254 (22nd) with 155 home runs (9th)... leading the rotation were Danny Blauser (19-17/3.71), Mick Cronyn (17-17 3.20) and Mark Morse (17-16 4.13)... in the bullpen White River has a stud in Lance Logan (4-4), who racked up 28 saves and compiled a microscopic 1.52 ERA... Randison only has a couple of quality bats in SS Riley Cloy, who walloped 38 homers, batted in 107 runs, scored 92 with a .273 batting average... and RF Joey Jarrett, who hit .324 with 13 homers, 85 RBIs and scored 81 runs.

Alejandro Rodrigo had to endure another terrible year in Luxora (63-91) as the Zorros were way back near the bottom of the division, 28 games out... just two years ago the Z's won the TU North... Rodrigo has decent pitching with a 3.82 team ERA (16th), but not much offense with a .247 team BA (29th) and very little power with only 108 homers (28th)... Luxora's best pitchers are Elio Laurente (15-20 3.27) and Anthony Glaser (15-14 3.44)... the best bats belong to CF Rick Vaughn (.315/14/72) and 2B Pablo Santa Cruz (.277/12/56/86)... Rodrigo is dire need of a lot more quality players.

Last year the North Hills Hawks (55-99) surprised with a third-place finish, but it was a quick return to form this year... Hub Carlson's Hawks were atrocious and fell all the way to the TU North basement, 36 games behind in the race... Carlson's club is a terrible hitting team with a pathetic .234 BA (32nd) and only 87 roundtrippers (32nd)... pitching is less than average with a 4.04 team ERA (25th)... the Hawks have no pitcher to speak of... however, 20-year-old rookie closer Ken Wright (1-4) has impressed with a standout 2.06 ERA and 26 saves... 36-year-old 1B Masaichi Okawa is the team's batting leader with 23 home runs and 76 RBIs, but only a .253 batting average... times are really hard in them there North Hills.

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian South Final Standings, Team Batting and Team Pitching

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Turons Triumphs Again, 4th Pennant In 5 Years
The Turon Typhoons fans are getting spoiled. Whitey Richburn has won four pennants in the last five years and finished second the only time they failed to win the title. Turon is the cream of the crop in the Tycobbian West. Some say that the Typhoons are not that good, they just play in one of the weaker divisions in the IPA. If that was so, how do you explain Richburn's three Pro Cups. Turon is the only team that has won multiple times and they are the defending IPA titleholders. This season the Typhoons were pressed until mid-season, then they slowly expanded their lead and won by 6 games over runner-up Arroyo Grande. The next four teams were closely bunched. Third place Summerland trailed by 8 games, fourth place Southport was 9 games out with fifth place Colchester and Ginza 10 games off the pace.

Turon (80-74) has a good core of talent... Richburn's rotation was led by rookie star Nicky Engstrom who broke on the scene with a great 20-7 record with a very strong 2.40 ERA... veteran Freddi Speigel also stood out with a 21-10 mark and a 3.36 ERA... another very impressive newcomer was rookie Merle Studebaker (0-3), who racked up 24 saves and notched a solid 2.36 ERA... the Typhoons top hitters were 2B Alan Hansen (.295/0/28/103), CF Mac McCurnan (.279/23/85/87), 1B Johnny Carducci (.274/27/89/71) and LF Andy Porter (.279/14/70/71)... this year Turon will have to beat Blue Lake (92-64), Denton City (100-54) or Ozarka (88-66) to get a crack at its fourth Pro Cup... as in the past the Typhoons will be the underdog... they will go up against Blue Lake in the Elite 8 Series.

Turon was the only team in the TU South with a winning record, all the rest were below the .500 mark... no one threaten the Typhoons in the second half of the season... The Arroyo Grande Suns (74-80) came in second, sparked by the play of 1B Sherm Miles and RF Jet Kazmarek... Miles stood out with 136 RBIs, 28 homers, 85 runs scored and a .288 batting average... Kazmarek continued his remarkable hitting with a .341 average (5th), but missed out on the batting title for only the third time in his great 10-year-career... Kazmarek knocked 13 homers, drove in 79, scored 111 times and led the TU with 52 steals... not bad for a 35-year-old... As a team the Suns hit for a .273 BA (3rd)... manager Jean-Luc Marchand's top pitcher was Jimmy Boxx, who had an outstanding season with a 22-14 record and a 3.26 ERA... Miguel Aguilera was his number two starter with a 15-15 mark and a 3.99 ERA.

8 games back in third place were the Summerland Sunsets (72-82), piloted by Will Hackett... the club hit only .248 (27th) with a 3.86 ERA (18th)... three pitching vets Denny Coulon (15-15 4.11), Pat Dreux (14-20 3.55) and Eddie Hoffman (14-16 3.55) did decently considering the lack of run support... the Sunsets had no hitting to speak of... 2B Randy Rudelmeier (.265/12/79) and SS Don Hanks (.261/12/81) led the team offensively.

The fourth place Southport Sun Sox (71-83) were like Summerland, mediocre at best... Charley Oscar's club hit only .257 (16th) with a so-so 3.94 team ERA and wound up 9 games back... 1B Charlie Gamble (.296/30/106/90) and LF Big Stick Takala (.282/23/91/74) provided most of the Sun Sox offense... on the hill Bobby Ray Trent (15-10 3.97) had the best record... Keith Callahan (13-20 3.26) and Kael Claxton (12-21) both lost a lot of games, but were steady and capable... a pleasant surprise was rookie closer Danny Fontaine (4-3 2.86) with 26 saves.

The Ginza Ninjas (70-84) stayed in the hunt until mid-year... manager Huroko Uchiyama was running neck-and-neck with Turon at the All-Star game, but faded badly in the second half... the Ninjas were tied for the fifth spot in the TU South standings with the Colchester Elites (70-84) and trailed Turon by 10 games at the end... this was the first time in its history Colchester failed to make the first division... the best things the Ninjas and the Elites did was play defense... Ginza tied with Mahaska for the best fielding percentage at .977... Colchester was tied for third with a .976 FA... Ginza's strong point was its three quality starters... leading the Ninjas mound staff were Joji Azuma (18-18 3.09), George Gentry (16-12 3.82) and Carl Trebek (13-21 3.09)... Jack Vorland topped Ginza batters with a .274 BA, 16 roundtrippers and 90 RBIs.

Skipper Robbie Wilbertson's Colchester Elites main strength was going deep... they hit 154 home runs (11th) and were paced by 1B Harlan Roscoe (.298/39/116/82) and CF Douglas Tilford (.307/16/67/98)... but Wilbertson had poor pitching with a lofty 4.31 team ERA... third-year man Darby Pardue (10-7 3.10) and vet Jimmy Simmons (13-10 3.25) were Colchester's top arms.

The two worst teams in the Tycobbian South were the seventh place San Alejo Montaneros (63-91), 17 games out, and the cellar-swelling Cape Coral Hurricanes (62-92), who finished 18 games out of the money... manager Lando Peceda had little offense... San Alejo hit only .240 (31st)... but he had two fine pitchers who carried the ballclub... Alberto Herrera (15-15 2.39) had an excellent year, but still only broke even in wins and losses because his team couldn't score... second-year pitcher Chad Gilmore (17-15 3.46) was pretty fair, too... the Montaneros only had one decent hitter in 1B Miles Shufford, who smacked 20 homers, batted in 72, while hitting for a .272 BA.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes were near the bottom both in hitting with a .247 BA (28th) and a 4.06 ERA (26th)... one of the all-time IPA greats Cody Burg was 17-18, but had a strong 2.65 ERA... Burg is 168-106 with a sensational 2.54 ERA... He excelled again with 265 Ks and topped the league for the eighth straight season... At the plate only two stuck out... LF Rich Osolinsky (.296/30/88/95) and 3B Bobby Josker (.294/18/86/74).