OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 03-12-2008, 06:15 PM

The Islandian Times

Monday, May 21, 2001

Around the IPA

Islandia's first pro baseball league had made it through the first month of the inaugural season and had done it in fine style. It looks like the Islandian Pro Alliance is here to stay. It's time to peruse the four divisions and tell you who's hot and who's not.

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

The Colfax Blasters (18-12) have taken a 2.5 games lead in the first month of the season. The Blasters are managed by Clem Rogers and he has them playing quite well, especially his pitching rotation. The old fireballin' righthander has motivated his staff in the right direction. Colfax is tied with Glasco with an outstanding 2.92 ERA. Rogers' starting foursome are Flash Guidry (4-3 2.48), Harry Manning (4-2 3.27), Alex Castille (4-2 3.51) and Greg Forest (3-1 3.83).

It gets even better in the bullpen with Walt Sellers (1-0 0.92), Jim Dreyer (0-0 1.96) and Robbie Smith (1-1 1.17). Only closer Pat Langlais (0-2 4.22) has struggled at times. One of the other guys may move into that slot soon.

The Blasters have not been blasting the ball much. They are fourth in the division with a .259 average and 17 homers (6th), but are second in scoring with 148 runs. First baseman Dennis Cole (.313) is the big gun with 9 homers and 26 RBIs. Left fielder Pat Lott (.266) has 19 RBIs. Second baseman Tucker Hill (.319) has sparkled at bat and in the field (.993 FA). Center fielder Blinky Brandon (.309) and catcher Howie Peterson (.284) have hit well, too.

Rogers' biggest need is to get some bat production in the outfield positions. 38-year-old shortstop Warren O'Reilly (.217) needs to step it up with the bat and with the glove (.957 FA). His closer Pat Langlais has disappointed so far.

Fielding-wise Colfax is third in the division with a .980 FA. Valmara (.985) and Volusia (.981) are ahead of them.

The Glasco Athletics (15-14) are in second place and are skippered by McDuffie Hughes. The A's are a very similar team to Colfax. Excellent pitching and average hitting, but with some power.

Glasco is even with Colfax with a division-best 2.92 ERA, but not as deep in starters. Charles Darby (4-2 1.95), Ernie McCain (2-2 2.56) and Jesse Balfour (2-3 2.74) have done well for Hughes. And the bullpen may be the best in the IPA. Bill Darby (1-0 1.50), Duncan McFalls (0-0 2.74), Jeremiah McDonald (1-0 2.91) and closer Ray Cook (0-2 1.20) have been standouts.

In the hitting department the A's have compiled a .258 mark (5th), but top the division with 31 homers. However, Glasco is last in runs (129). Hughes just doesn't have enough good hitters. His left fielder Ox Beauvais (.411), center fielder Chet Reynolds (.299) and second sacker Barry McCord (.254) have pretty much carried the offensive load. Beauvais leads the league in average, has 8 home runs and 18 RBIs, Reynolds has 3 homers and 14 RBIs and McCord 5 roundtrippers and 15 RBIs. Right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.337) is the top A's batter average-wise and has driven in 10 runs.

The Athletics are fifth in fielding with a .975 average and could use some improvement here, especially at shortstop, where Zach Byorvik is fielding only .917 this year.

If Glasco can find another productive starter and get some offensive help from the other four position players, they could give Colfax a run for the RU crown. Improved defensive play would be a plus, too.

The Valmara Vipers (16-15) started off like a ball of fire, but have cooled off lately with five losses in a row. The Vipers are third, 2.5 games off the pace. J. Jackson Samuel is the manager. His club is second in batting with a .265 average and a distance fourth with a 3.92 ERA, but Valmara is number one with a .985 fielding average.

The Vipers are third in runs with 145 and fourth in homers with 21. Left fielder Louis Sharp (.366) is one of the top hitters in the league, has scored 19 times and driven in 11 from the lead-off spot, second baseman Fred Vinson (.333) has scored 10 and has 13 RBIs and center fielder Jan Szymanski (.266) and third baseman Ricky O'Reilly (.263) have been the run producers. Szymanski has 5 homers, 24 RBIs and has scored 21 runs and O'Reilly has 3 homers, 20 RBIs and scored 12 times.

On the hill talent has been pretty scarce except for starters Zarek Zalewski (5-2 1.41) and Todd Turner (3-2 3.80). Danny Blauser (3-0 0.99) has been brilliant in relief. The rest of the staff is only average to mediocre.

More pitching is vital to Valmara's success this season. They can hold their own in the batter's box, but Samuel has to improve his hill corps to challenge in the RU North Division.

In fourth place in the RU North are the Far Mountain Redbirds (16-16). They trail by three games in the standings. Old-time pitching ace, Alex Groveland is manager and GM and pitching has been their strong point thus far. The Redhawks are a distance third behind Colfax (2.92) and Glasco (2.92) with a 3.80 ERA. Groveland's mound staff is headed by starters Sonny Elliott (4-3 2.62) and John Luzzatti (2-2 2.91). Vic Vaux (2-1 3.71) has also been effective. But it has been the bullpen that has played a big role in the club's success. Closer Doc Rutledge (4-1 2.38) and Mike McCabe (1-1 1.17) have stood out in relief.

Far Mountain is last with a .246 batting average and last in runs with 118. They are lucky to be playing .500 ball with such a poor offense. However, the Redhawks are third with 28 roundtrippers. Third baseman Johnny Strickland (.233) is the team leader with 8 homers and 17 RBIs. Other contributors are first baseman Royce Benson (.309) with 18 runs and 9 stolen bases, second baseman Shirai Kobayashi (.300), left fielder Gerald Davis (.295) with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and catcher Dave Davis (.292) with 3 homers and 14 RBIs.

Defensively Far Mountain is last in the division with a very poor .971 fielding average.

To climb in the standings, Groveland needs improvement from half of his mound corps, better hitting and stronger defense.

Pulling up the rear in the RU North are Elnora and Volusia. They are tied for last place.

Zoggy White is at the helm of the Elnora All-Stars (14-18). His ballclub has plenty of firepower with a .270 batting average and 151 runs scored, both lead the division. The All-Stars are also second with 29 homers.

White has six quality hitters: second baseman Gil Foster (.390) with 5 home runs, 20 RBIs and 21 runs, right fielder Art Atkins (.348), 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 19 runs, shortstop Johnny Zumwalt (.342) with 5 RBIs and 10 runs in just 15 starts, left fielder Quincy Peterson (.282) with 4 roundtrippers, 19 RBIs and 20 runs, third baseman Richie Franklin (.274) with 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 13 runs and catcher Todd Simons (.270) 14 RBIs and 22 runs.

On the mound the All-Stars are in the fifth spot with a 4.22 ERA. They have a good nucleus with starters Carl Costas (1-5 3.14), Ted Gray (1-2 3.40), Sean Sykes (5-1 4.05) and Troy Hudson (3-1 4.08). Bullpen specialist Wally Tidwell (0-2 2.55) has done a fine job for White. It is the other four on the staff that have to pick up the slack. So far they have been pitiful with over 5.00 ERAs.

Elnora is only average on defense with a .979 fielding average.

Better pitching would do wonders for the Elnora All-Stars.

The last place Volusia Vigilantes (14-18) are managed by Alfonso Feliz. The V's have decent hitting and fine fielding. They have put up a .262 team batting average, second in the division, and are second with a .981 fielding average. But pitching is almost nonexistent with a 4.50 ERA and last in the division.

Feliz's best batters are shortstop Scooter Perez (.356) with 22 runs and 12 stolen bases from the lead-off spot, catcher Jo-Jo Nunez (.333) with 12 RBIs and 10 runs, center fielder Alex Luna (.306) with 13 RBIs, 16 runs and 5 stolen bases, left fielder Jesus Arroyo (.272) with 13 RBIs and 16 runs and first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.230) with 5 homers, 19 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

The Vigilante pitching corps has four quality pitchers in relief ace, Ricky Moreno (3-0 1.84) and starters Raul Sandoval (4-3 2.58), Hank Massey (2-4 3.13) and Lenny Collins (2-2 4.28).

Pitching seems to be the name of the game in the Ruthlandian Union North Division. And that is what Alfonso Feliz and Volusia desparately need.

03-12-2008, 06:15 PM	#162
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,876	The Islandian Times Monday, May 21, 2001 Around the IPA Islandia's first pro baseball league had made it through the first month of the inaugural season and had done it in fine style. It looks like the Islandian Pro Alliance is here to stay. It's time to peruse the four divisions and tell you who's hot and who's not. Ruthlandian Union - North Division The Colfax Blasters (18-12) have taken a 2.5 games lead in the first month of the season. The Blasters are managed by Clem Rogers and he has them playing quite well, especially his pitching rotation. The old fireballin' righthander has motivated his staff in the right direction. Colfax is tied with Glasco with an outstanding 2.92 ERA. Rogers' starting foursome are Flash Guidry (4-3 2.48), Harry Manning (4-2 3.27), Alex Castille (4-2 3.51) and Greg Forest (3-1 3.83). It gets even better in the bullpen with Walt Sellers (1-0 0.92), Jim Dreyer (0-0 1.96) and Robbie Smith (1-1 1.17). Only closer Pat Langlais (0-2 4.22) has struggled at times. One of the other guys may move into that slot soon. The Blasters have not been blasting the ball much. They are fourth in the division with a .259 average and 17 homers (6th), but are second in scoring with 148 runs. First baseman Dennis Cole (.313) is the big gun with 9 homers and 26 RBIs. Left fielder Pat Lott (.266) has 19 RBIs. Second baseman Tucker Hill (.319) has sparkled at bat and in the field (.993 FA). Center fielder Blinky Brandon (.309) and catcher Howie Peterson (.284) have hit well, too. Rogers' biggest need is to get some bat production in the outfield positions. 38-year-old shortstop Warren O'Reilly (.217) needs to step it up with the bat and with the glove (.957 FA). His closer Pat Langlais has disappointed so far. Fielding-wise Colfax is third in the division with a .980 FA. Valmara (.985) and Volusia (.981) are ahead of them. The Glasco Athletics (15-14) are in second place and are skippered by McDuffie Hughes. The A's are a very similar team to Colfax. Excellent pitching and average hitting, but with some power. Glasco is even with Colfax with a division-best 2.92 ERA, but not as deep in starters. Charles Darby (4-2 1.95), Ernie McCain (2-2 2.56) and Jesse Balfour (2-3 2.74) have done well for Hughes. And the bullpen may be the best in the IPA. Bill Darby (1-0 1.50), Duncan McFalls (0-0 2.74), Jeremiah McDonald (1-0 2.91) and closer Ray Cook (0-2 1.20) have been standouts. In the hitting department the A's have compiled a .258 mark (5th), but top the division with 31 homers. However, Glasco is last in runs (129). Hughes just doesn't have enough good hitters. His left fielder Ox Beauvais (.411), center fielder Chet Reynolds (.299) and second sacker Barry McCord (.254) have pretty much carried the offensive load. Beauvais leads the league in average, has 8 home runs and 18 RBIs, Reynolds has 3 homers and 14 RBIs and McCord 5 roundtrippers and 15 RBIs. Right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.337) is the top A's batter average-wise and has driven in 10 runs. The Athletics are fifth in fielding with a .975 average and could use some improvement here, especially at shortstop, where Zach Byorvik is fielding only .917 this year. If Glasco can find another productive starter and get some offensive help from the other four position players, they could give Colfax a run for the RU crown. Improved defensive play would be a plus, too. The Valmara Vipers (16-15) started off like a ball of fire, but have cooled off lately with five losses in a row. The Vipers are third, 2.5 games off the pace. J. Jackson Samuel is the manager. His club is second in batting with a .265 average and a distance fourth with a 3.92 ERA, but Valmara is number one with a .985 fielding average. The Vipers are third in runs with 145 and fourth in homers with 21. Left fielder Louis Sharp (.366) is one of the top hitters in the league, has scored 19 times and driven in 11 from the lead-off spot, second baseman Fred Vinson (.333) has scored 10 and has 13 RBIs and center fielder Jan Szymanski (.266) and third baseman Ricky O'Reilly (.263) have been the run producers. Szymanski has 5 homers, 24 RBIs and has scored 21 runs and O'Reilly has 3 homers, 20 RBIs and scored 12 times. On the hill talent has been pretty scarce except for starters Zarek Zalewski (5-2 1.41) and Todd Turner (3-2 3.80). Danny Blauser (3-0 0.99) has been brilliant in relief. The rest of the staff is only average to mediocre. More pitching is vital to Valmara's success this season. They can hold their own in the batter's box, but Samuel has to improve his hill corps to challenge in the RU North Division. In fourth place in the RU North are the Far Mountain Redbirds (16-16). They trail by three games in the standings. Old-time pitching ace, Alex Groveland is manager and GM and pitching has been their strong point thus far. The Redhawks are a distance third behind Colfax (2.92) and Glasco (2.92) with a 3.80 ERA. Groveland's mound staff is headed by starters Sonny Elliott (4-3 2.62) and John Luzzatti (2-2 2.91). Vic Vaux (2-1 3.71) has also been effective. But it has been the bullpen that has played a big role in the club's success. Closer Doc Rutledge (4-1 2.38) and Mike McCabe (1-1 1.17) have stood out in relief. Far Mountain is last with a .246 batting average and last in runs with 118. They are lucky to be playing .500 ball with such a poor offense. However, the Redhawks are third with 28 roundtrippers. Third baseman Johnny Strickland (.233) is the team leader with 8 homers and 17 RBIs. Other contributors are first baseman Royce Benson (.309) with 18 runs and 9 stolen bases, second baseman Shirai Kobayashi (.300), left fielder Gerald Davis (.295) with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs and catcher Dave Davis (.292) with 3 homers and 14 RBIs. Defensively Far Mountain is last in the division with a very poor .971 fielding average. To climb in the standings, Groveland needs improvement from half of his mound corps, better hitting and stronger defense. Pulling up the rear in the RU North are Elnora and Volusia. They are tied for last place. Zoggy White is at the helm of the Elnora All-Stars (14-18). His ballclub has plenty of firepower with a .270 batting average and 151 runs scored, both lead the division. The All-Stars are also second with 29 homers. White has six quality hitters: second baseman Gil Foster (.390) with 5 home runs, 20 RBIs and 21 runs, right fielder Art Atkins (.348), 3 homers, 10 RBIs and 19 runs, shortstop Johnny Zumwalt (.342) with 5 RBIs and 10 runs in just 15 starts, left fielder Quincy Peterson (.282) with 4 roundtrippers, 19 RBIs and 20 runs, third baseman Richie Franklin (.274) with 3 homers, 17 RBIs and 13 runs and catcher Todd Simons (.270) 14 RBIs and 22 runs. On the mound the All-Stars are in the fifth spot with a 4.22 ERA. They have a good nucleus with starters Carl Costas (1-5 3.14), Ted Gray (1-2 3.40), Sean Sykes (5-1 4.05) and Troy Hudson (3-1 4.08). Bullpen specialist Wally Tidwell (0-2 2.55) has done a fine job for White. It is the other four on the staff that have to pick up the slack. So far they have been pitiful with over 5.00 ERAs. Elnora is only average on defense with a .979 fielding average. Better pitching would do wonders for the Elnora All-Stars. The last place Volusia Vigilantes (14-18) are managed by Alfonso Feliz. The V's have decent hitting and fine fielding. They have put up a .262 team batting average, second in the division, and are second with a .981 fielding average. But pitching is almost nonexistent with a 4.50 ERA and last in the division. Feliz's best batters are shortstop Scooter Perez (.356) with 22 runs and 12 stolen bases from the lead-off spot, catcher Jo-Jo Nunez (.333) with 12 RBIs and 10 runs, center fielder Alex Luna (.306) with 13 RBIs, 16 runs and 5 stolen bases, left fielder Jesus Arroyo (.272) with 13 RBIs and 16 runs and first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.230) with 5 homers, 19 RBIs and 19 runs scored. The Vigilante pitching corps has four quality pitchers in relief ace, Ricky Moreno (3-0 1.84) and starters Raul Sandoval (4-3 2.58), Hank Massey (2-4 3.13) and Lenny Collins (2-2 4.28). Pitching seems to be the name of the game in the Ruthlandian Union North Division. And that is what Alfonso Feliz and Volusia desparately need. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-13-2008 at 11:45 PM.