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Eugene Church · 10-19-2008, 07:35 PM

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, July 24, 2001

Around the IPA
Tycobbian Union - West Division

The Arlon Champions have taken a turn for the better this month with a 14-10 record in July and have climbed to within two games of second place and 8 games of first place. Manager Gary Louis' crew is now tied with Blue Lake for the third spot in the TU West. Arlon's strength lies in its mound corps. The Champs have the best team ERA with a strong 3.51 ERA. However, they are fifth in batting with a .255 mark, but are near the top with 88 homers, second to Fairfax's 90.

Closer Jeff Nieman (7-5 1.54) has been phenomenal in 29 games with a microscopic ERA and 6 saves. In the starting rotation All-Star Craig Smith (11-7 3.22) has been the top twirler for Louis. Ace Howe (7-9 3.38) and Woody Fitzgerald (6-6 3.72) have pitched well. Ray Hunt (5-9 4.01) had good outings until recently and in now relegated to the bullpen. But he is dependable. Connie Gavagan, Arlon's newest starter, just joined the club a month ago and sparkled from the beginning, tossing two shutouts. In his two losses, he was beaten 2-1 and 4-0. Skipper Louis sees a good future for his budding 19-year-old righthander.

Rod Kelley (5-2 3.75) has been the Champions main long reliever and he has done a capable job in 33 games. The other two reliever spots have gone to 19-year old Kurt DeHaan (2-0 4.94) and 20-year-old Tony Zanetti (0-0 3.38), who have been added to the roster in the last month. Zanetti is scheduled to be used as a spot starter as well, mainly for second games of doubleheaders. So far, the youth movement has paid off for manager Gary Louis.

Scoring runs is a major problem for the Champions and they will have to make a marked improvement there for them to become a contender in the division. All-Star left fielder Matt Merrill (.315/18 D/7 T/17 HR/56 RBI/57 R/12 SB) and center fielder Jerry Keller (.290/22 D/4 T/14 HR/71 RBI/53 R/8 SB) have led the Arlon attack with a little help from second baseman Kurt Detwiler (.309/21 D/2 T/5 HR/34 RBI/59 R/9 SB), shortstop Bama Hartley (.269/13 D 1 T/7 HR/34 RBI/42 R) and right fielder Andy Pettorini (.333/10 D/4 T/4 HR/20 RBI/29 R). It is hard for Merrill and Keller to carry the ballclub. They need help. The Champs recently traded for good-hitting third baseman, Bubba Tate (.333/10 D/2 T/5 HR/34 RBI/15 R). They got him from Bay St. Clair in return for Hal Meissner (1-1 4.05), a 17-year-old pitcher. Tate is 33. If he could can supply and an occasional longball, hit for high average and drive in runs, he could be the catalyst to make the Champions a contender and move them up in the standings.

Defensively Arlon is solid at most positions. The Champions are tied for second with a .978 fielding percentage. Catcher Smoke Zakharov (.996) is excellent, first baseman Brad Ray (.990) is solid, second baseman Detwiler (.973) is good and shortstop Hartley (.983) is excellent. In the outfield, Merrill (1.000), Keller (.982) and Pettorini (.982) play their positions well. Third base is the only weak link.

Arlon needs a better-hitting catcher and first baseman. They are woefully weak at both positions. Good pitching may not be enough to jump ahead of second place Bayview and challenge Fairfax. The Vikings hitting makes them superior to the Champs. But Arlon might be able to stave off Blue Lake and hold on to third place. They have better pitching than the Blue Sox.

A third-place finish is the forecast for the Arlon Champions.

10-19-2008, 07:35 PM	#505
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,047	The Islandian Times Tuesday, July 24, 2001 Around the IPA Tycobbian Union - West Division The Arlon Champions have taken a turn for the better this month with a 14-10 record in July and have climbed to within two games of second place and 8 games of first place. Manager Gary Louis' crew is now tied with Blue Lake for the third spot in the TU West. Arlon's strength lies in its mound corps. The Champs have the best team ERA with a strong 3.51 ERA. However, they are fifth in batting with a .255 mark, but are near the top with 88 homers, second to Fairfax's 90. Closer Jeff Nieman (7-5 1.54) has been phenomenal in 29 games with a microscopic ERA and 6 saves. In the starting rotation All-Star Craig Smith (11-7 3.22) has been the top twirler for Louis. Ace Howe (7-9 3.38) and Woody Fitzgerald (6-6 3.72) have pitched well. Ray Hunt (5-9 4.01) had good outings until recently and in now relegated to the bullpen. But he is dependable. Connie Gavagan, Arlon's newest starter, just joined the club a month ago and sparkled from the beginning, tossing two shutouts. In his two losses, he was beaten 2-1 and 4-0. Skipper Louis sees a good future for his budding 19-year-old righthander. Rod Kelley (5-2 3.75) has been the Champions main long reliever and he has done a capable job in 33 games. The other two reliever spots have gone to 19-year old Kurt DeHaan (2-0 4.94) and 20-year-old Tony Zanetti (0-0 3.38), who have been added to the roster in the last month. Zanetti is scheduled to be used as a spot starter as well, mainly for second games of doubleheaders. So far, the youth movement has paid off for manager Gary Louis. Scoring runs is a major problem for the Champions and they will have to make a marked improvement there for them to become a contender in the division. All-Star left fielder Matt Merrill (.315/18 D/7 T/17 HR/56 RBI/57 R/12 SB) and center fielder Jerry Keller (.290/22 D/4 T/14 HR/71 RBI/53 R/8 SB) have led the Arlon attack with a little help from second baseman Kurt Detwiler (.309/21 D/2 T/5 HR/34 RBI/59 R/9 SB), shortstop Bama Hartley (.269/13 D 1 T/7 HR/34 RBI/42 R) and right fielder Andy Pettorini (.333/10 D/4 T/4 HR/20 RBI/29 R). It is hard for Merrill and Keller to carry the ballclub. They need help. The Champs recently traded for good-hitting third baseman, Bubba Tate (.333/10 D/2 T/5 HR/34 RBI/15 R). They got him from Bay St. Clair in return for Hal Meissner (1-1 4.05), a 17-year-old pitcher. Tate is 33. If he could can supply and an occasional longball, hit for high average and drive in runs, he could be the catalyst to make the Champions a contender and move them up in the standings. Defensively Arlon is solid at most positions. The Champions are tied for second with a .978 fielding percentage. Catcher Smoke Zakharov (.996) is excellent, first baseman Brad Ray (.990) is solid, second baseman Detwiler (.973) is good and shortstop Hartley (.983) is excellent. In the outfield, Merrill (1.000), Keller (.982) and Pettorini (.982) play their positions well. Third base is the only weak link. Arlon needs a better-hitting catcher and first baseman. They are woefully weak at both positions. Good pitching may not be enough to jump ahead of second place Bayview and challenge Fairfax. The Vikings hitting makes them superior to the Champs. But Arlon might be able to stave off Blue Lake and hold on to third place. They have better pitching than the Blue Sox. A third-place finish is the forecast for the Arlon Champions. Last edited by Eugene Church; 10-19-2008 at 07:56 PM.