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Eugene Church · 04-25-2009, 12:40 AM

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Bayview and Rolling Hills TU West Co-Leaders

In the Tycobbian Union West the Bayview Vikings (45-28) and the Rolling Hills Reds (45-28) are locked in a first-place tie at the mid-season point. There is also a tie for third place between Bay St. Clair (40-33) and Denton City (40-33). The Buccaneers and Redbirds trail by five games. The rest of the teams are pretty much out of the playoff hunt as fifth place Chicopee (30-43) is 15 games behind. The sixth spot in the standings belong to the Arlon Champions (29-44), 16 games off the pace, followed by seventh place Kenwood (26-47) and the eighth place La Claire Lynx (25-48).

The high-scoring Bayview Vikings are a solid ballclub in all respects with four All-Stars on the squad, the most of any IPA team. Bayview leads the TU in scoring. They are the best-hitting team in the IPA with a lofty .293 average (1st). The Vikings have good power with 76 homers (6th) and good pitching with a 3.63 ERA (8th). In the field Bayview does well with a .975 FA (9th-tied). Manager Walter Johanssen has fine veteran nucleus in his starting rotation with All-Star Jerry Harrison (10-5 2.99), Paul Hood (11-5 3.73) and Adrian Strom (10-3 4.39). In the bullpen Terry Banks (1-3 2.95) has rung up 10 saves this season. Not only do the Vikings hit well and pitch well, they run very well. They have stolen 147 bases and easily top the IPA. The closest team to them are Volusia of the RU and Oxford of the TU, both with 107 thefts.

What a line-up Johanssen has with three All-Stars in his batting order. He's the envy of the league with C Hank Bethel (.340/15 HR/61 RBI/48 R), 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.368/9 HR/46 RBI/62 R/19 SB) and CF Phil Kanaan (.350/12 HR/40 R/53 R/28 SB) all swinging strong bats. Quibedeaux leads the Tycobbian Union with a .368 average and is tied for the lead in runs scored with Rolf Kellgren of High Mesa with 62.

Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills has a quality team, equal in most ways to Bayview. The Reds might not hit for as high as average as the Vikings, but do alright with a fine .279 mark (5th) with 69 home runs (10th). They are a tad better with a 3.57 ERA (7th) and are very good with the glove. The Reds have a .979 FA (2nd-tied). Christianson has a solid core of hurlers in starters Roger Davidson (9-7 3.29), Keith Greenwood (8-5 3.35), Hoyt Paulsen (7-2 2.65), Johnny McBee (5-1 3.93) and Hondo Anoki (10-4 3.90). Rolling Hills will have a new closer for the rest of the season in Stephen Faccaro (1-0 2.76), who has done well in middle relief and will now take over closing chores. Rolling Hills has productive hitters in LF Big Boy Charisa (.313/10 HR/46 RBI/47 R/6 SB), RF Theron Latigo (.286/12 HR/43 RBI/38 R/7 SB), SS Jamie Meade (.313/8 HR/38 RBI/38 R/5 SB) and 2B Cal Lennox (.315/1 HR/30 RBI/46 R/21 SB). The Reds also have CF Willie Mays Nixon (.232/15 HR/57 RBI/50 R/8 SB). He doesn't hit for average, but he does drive in a lot of runs and tops the club in home runs.

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are piloted by Guy Rondre, who won the pennant last year in the Tycobbian Union West Division and has them in a third place tie at the All-Star break. Rondre's Bucs depends on his starting rotation as their meal ticket. His moundsmen have chalked up a 3.92 ERA (17th) this season. Denny Coulon (9-6 3.14), Duke DeVree (9-7 3.41), Sean Lawrence (4-1 2.85) and Duncan McFalls (8-7 3.86) have been steady and consistent. The Buccaneers have added two newcomers to the roster. One will be a spot starter, while one will be long relief. Norm Gross (1-0 3.45) will take over at the closer spot, a sore point in the first half. Bay St. Clair's best batters have been CF Wayne Latham (.321/3 HR/39 RBI/46 R/15 SB), 2B Tony Mann (.338/5 HR/35 RBI/42 R/8 SB), C Jake Singleton (.310/3 HR/31 RBI/32 R), 3B Ed Albrecht (.291/12 HR/52 RBI/47 R/8 SB) and 1B George Lyons (.291/13 HR/48 RBI/35 R).

Last season the Denton City Redbirds finished in a tie for last plate, but this year they have surged up to a third place under Ford Whiteman, one of the great lefties in the industrial leagues. The Redbirds turnaround centers on strong pitching, paced by Bob Coleman (10-2 3.48), Joe Hoffman (7-7 3.62), Daniel Fitzmorris (4-4 3.38) and closer Bubba Lear (3-0 2.77). Whiteman's staff has carved a nice 3.70 ERA (12th). On the hitting side of the ledger, the Redbirds have compiled a .274 average (11th) with 61 roundtrippers (18th). Defensively the team has put up a very good .978 fielding mark (5th). At the plate 2B Glen Throckmorton (.289/10 HR/44 RBI), C Howard Lombard (.277/13 HR/36 RBI) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.300/6 HR/35 RBI/51 R/40 SB) have been Denton City's best bats.

The Chicopee Braves under the leadership of Harry Fleetfoot are in fifth place in the TU West standings, 15 games back. They have a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do it. The Braves don't have a lot of hitting, power or pitching. Fleetwood's squad is hitting only .267 (19th) with only 53 homers (23-tied), 4.32 ERA (24th) and a .973 fielding percentage (17th-tied). Numbers that don't put much fear in the opposition. Warren Paul (8-7 3.55) and Smiley Ayawamat (4-3 2.88) have been Chicopee best pitchers with LF Big Stick Takala (.353/11 HR/40 RBI/40 R), SS Ben McClendon (.300/4 HR/39 RBI/30 R), C Skinny Kisecawchuk (.301/11 HR/32 RBI/31 R) and 1B Patrick Patamon (.307/7 HR/28 RBI/30 R) being the most productive batters.

The Arlon Champions are sixth in the TU West, guided by Gary Louis, the great first baseman of years gone by in amateur circles. It has been a long season for Louis as the Champs are just a mediocre ballclub in all categories. They are hitting only .260 (27th), have only 54 home runs (22nd) with a dismal 4.45 ERA (26th) and a pathetic .969 FA (28th). LF Matt Merrill (.315/13 HR/56 RBI/51 R) is a class player, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. 2B Karl Detwiler (.282/3 HR/20 RBI/45 R/10 SB) and RF Ian Carmack (.293/9 HR/38 RBI) are steady performers. The Champions have one standout starter in Kurt DeHaan (10-4 3.14), but little else. Louis has switched Connie Gavagan (0-3 2.60) back to a starting role and he has added three new pitchers. Andre Masson will be his closer, while Hubie Croft and Stanley Ross will split the number four starter's slot.

Aaron Hankins, manager of the Kenwood Wildcats, has seen his 'Cats tumbled from second last year to seventh place this season, a distant 19 games behind. Kenwood hits well with a .277 mark (7th), has collected 72 home runs (9th), but have soared to an outrageous 5.16 ERA. At the All-Star hiatus Hankins imported 7 new pitchers to try and change their direction. Only Peter Brenneman (5-9 3.26) and Freddy Sheppard (0-0 4.38) remain from the staff that started the season. The Wildcats are only an average fielding club with a .974 FA (15th-tied). Hankins' top performers are SS Ned Chamberlain (.313/9 HR/35 RBI/43 R/8 SB) and 2B Denholm Carruthers (.321/3 HR/33 RBI/32 R), both .300 hitters. Power is provided by RF Aydan Winthrop (.277/12 HR/48 RBI), C Georgy Stevens (.280/12 HR/43 RBI) and 1B Terrence Ross (.277/14 HR/38 RBI).

Not a good season for the La Claire Lynx, managed by Rip Calkin, the famed shortstop, known for almost never missing a game, in addition to being a fine hitter and gloveman in the company leagues. This year is even worse than last year when the Lynx were last. They are already 20 games behind in the race. The team batting average is .267 (22nd), team ERA is 4.46 (27th) and team fielding percentage is .972 (23rd). 1B Kenny Jablonski (.313/6 HR/32 RBI) and CF Lucky Collins (.285/6 HR/41 RBI/37 R/11 SB) are La Claire's top hitters, while Munoto Kishata (5-12 4.57) and George Gentry (6-8 5.12) are Calkin's best hurlers. It is quite apparent that Calkin needs better talent.

Tycobbian Union West Division Outlook:

It is fairly obvious that the four playoff teams in the TU West this season will be Bayview, Rolling Hills, Bay St. Claire and Denton City. They are far and away superior to the other four clubs in the division. At year's end the Bayview Vikings will prevail and take the division title with Rolling Hills taking the number two spot. The Vikings are one of the better teams in the IPA and will be one of the favorites to go all the way and battle for the Islandian Pro Cup. The Reds are a good ballclub, too, and will put up quite a challenge. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers will end up third, followed by the Denton City Redbirds. Both teams have good pitching, but can't put up runs like the top two clubs. None of the other teams will be able to make up enough ground to compete for a playoff spot. Those have already been pretty much decided at mid-year. Chicopee is the best of the also-rans and will take the fifth spot. The Braves have better hitting and better pitching than the bottom three teams. Arlon will finish sixth as they have better pitching than Kenwood and La Claire, who have neither pitching, nor hitting and will battle it out for seventh place. The Wildcats power will keep them ahead of the feeble Lynx.

04-25-2009, 12:40 AM	#886
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,944	The Islandian Times Wednesday, June 25, 2003 Bayview and Rolling Hills TU West Co-Leaders In the Tycobbian Union West the Bayview Vikings (45-28) and the Rolling Hills Reds (45-28) are locked in a first-place tie at the mid-season point. There is also a tie for third place between Bay St. Clair (40-33) and Denton City (40-33). The Buccaneers and Redbirds trail by five games. The rest of the teams are pretty much out of the playoff hunt as fifth place Chicopee (30-43) is 15 games behind. The sixth spot in the standings belong to the Arlon Champions (29-44), 16 games off the pace, followed by seventh place Kenwood (26-47) and the eighth place La Claire Lynx (25-48). The high-scoring Bayview Vikings are a solid ballclub in all respects with four All-Stars on the squad, the most of any IPA team. Bayview leads the TU in scoring. They are the best-hitting team in the IPA with a lofty .293 average (1st). The Vikings have good power with 76 homers (6th) and good pitching with a 3.63 ERA (8th). In the field Bayview does well with a .975 FA (9th-tied). Manager Walter Johanssen has fine veteran nucleus in his starting rotation with All-Star Jerry Harrison (10-5 2.99), Paul Hood (11-5 3.73) and Adrian Strom (10-3 4.39). In the bullpen Terry Banks (1-3 2.95) has rung up 10 saves this season. Not only do the Vikings hit well and pitch well, they run very well. They have stolen 147 bases and easily top the IPA. The closest team to them are Volusia of the RU and Oxford of the TU, both with 107 thefts. What a line-up Johanssen has with three All-Stars in his batting order. He's the envy of the league with C Hank Bethel (.340/15 HR/61 RBI/48 R), 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.368/9 HR/46 RBI/62 R/19 SB) and CF Phil Kanaan (.350/12 HR/40 R/53 R/28 SB) all swinging strong bats. Quibedeaux leads the Tycobbian Union with a .368 average and is tied for the lead in runs scored with Rolf Kellgren of High Mesa with 62. Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills has a quality team, equal in most ways to Bayview. The Reds might not hit for as high as average as the Vikings, but do alright with a fine .279 mark (5th) with 69 home runs (10th). They are a tad better with a 3.57 ERA (7th) and are very good with the glove. The Reds have a .979 FA (2nd-tied). Christianson has a solid core of hurlers in starters Roger Davidson (9-7 3.29), Keith Greenwood (8-5 3.35), Hoyt Paulsen (7-2 2.65), Johnny McBee (5-1 3.93) and Hondo Anoki (10-4 3.90). Rolling Hills will have a new closer for the rest of the season in Stephen Faccaro (1-0 2.76), who has done well in middle relief and will now take over closing chores. Rolling Hills has productive hitters in LF Big Boy Charisa (.313/10 HR/46 RBI/47 R/6 SB), RF Theron Latigo (.286/12 HR/43 RBI/38 R/7 SB), SS Jamie Meade (.313/8 HR/38 RBI/38 R/5 SB) and 2B Cal Lennox (.315/1 HR/30 RBI/46 R/21 SB). The Reds also have CF Willie Mays Nixon (.232/15 HR/57 RBI/50 R/8 SB). He doesn't hit for average, but he does drive in a lot of runs and tops the club in home runs. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are piloted by Guy Rondre, who won the pennant last year in the Tycobbian Union West Division and has them in a third place tie at the All-Star break. Rondre's Bucs depends on his starting rotation as their meal ticket. His moundsmen have chalked up a 3.92 ERA (17th) this season. Denny Coulon (9-6 3.14), Duke DeVree (9-7 3.41), Sean Lawrence (4-1 2.85) and Duncan McFalls (8-7 3.86) have been steady and consistent. The Buccaneers have added two newcomers to the roster. One will be a spot starter, while one will be long relief. Norm Gross (1-0 3.45) will take over at the closer spot, a sore point in the first half. Bay St. Clair's best batters have been CF Wayne Latham (.321/3 HR/39 RBI/46 R/15 SB), 2B Tony Mann (.338/5 HR/35 RBI/42 R/8 SB), C Jake Singleton (.310/3 HR/31 RBI/32 R), 3B Ed Albrecht (.291/12 HR/52 RBI/47 R/8 SB) and 1B George Lyons (.291/13 HR/48 RBI/35 R). Last season the Denton City Redbirds finished in a tie for last plate, but this year they have surged up to a third place under Ford Whiteman, one of the great lefties in the industrial leagues. The Redbirds turnaround centers on strong pitching, paced by Bob Coleman (10-2 3.48), Joe Hoffman (7-7 3.62), Daniel Fitzmorris (4-4 3.38) and closer Bubba Lear (3-0 2.77). Whiteman's staff has carved a nice 3.70 ERA (12th). On the hitting side of the ledger, the Redbirds have compiled a .274 average (11th) with 61 roundtrippers (18th). Defensively the team has put up a very good .978 fielding mark (5th). At the plate 2B Glen Throckmorton (.289/10 HR/44 RBI), C Howard Lombard (.277/13 HR/36 RBI) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.300/6 HR/35 RBI/51 R/40 SB) have been Denton City's best bats. The Chicopee Braves under the leadership of Harry Fleetfoot are in fifth place in the TU West standings, 15 games back. They have a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do it. The Braves don't have a lot of hitting, power or pitching. Fleetwood's squad is hitting only .267 (19th) with only 53 homers (23-tied), 4.32 ERA (24th) and a .973 fielding percentage (17th-tied). Numbers that don't put much fear in the opposition. Warren Paul (8-7 3.55) and Smiley Ayawamat (4-3 2.88) have been Chicopee best pitchers with LF Big Stick Takala (.353/11 HR/40 RBI/40 R), SS Ben McClendon (.300/4 HR/39 RBI/30 R), C Skinny Kisecawchuk (.301/11 HR/32 RBI/31 R) and 1B Patrick Patamon (.307/7 HR/28 RBI/30 R) being the most productive batters. The Arlon Champions are sixth in the TU West, guided by Gary Louis, the great first baseman of years gone by in amateur circles. It has been a long season for Louis as the Champs are just a mediocre ballclub in all categories. They are hitting only .260 (27th), have only 54 home runs (22nd) with a dismal 4.45 ERA (26th) and a pathetic .969 FA (28th). LF Matt Merrill (.315/13 HR/56 RBI/51 R) is a class player, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. 2B Karl Detwiler (.282/3 HR/20 RBI/45 R/10 SB) and RF Ian Carmack (.293/9 HR/38 RBI) are steady performers. The Champions have one standout starter in Kurt DeHaan (10-4 3.14), but little else. Louis has switched Connie Gavagan (0-3 2.60) back to a starting role and he has added three new pitchers. Andre Masson will be his closer, while Hubie Croft and Stanley Ross will split the number four starter's slot. Aaron Hankins, manager of the Kenwood Wildcats, has seen his 'Cats tumbled from second last year to seventh place this season, a distant 19 games behind. Kenwood hits well with a .277 mark (7th), has collected 72 home runs (9th), but have soared to an outrageous 5.16 ERA. At the All-Star hiatus Hankins imported 7 new pitchers to try and change their direction. Only Peter Brenneman (5-9 3.26) and Freddy Sheppard (0-0 4.38) remain from the staff that started the season. The Wildcats are only an average fielding club with a .974 FA (15th-tied). Hankins' top performers are SS Ned Chamberlain (.313/9 HR/35 RBI/43 R/8 SB) and 2B Denholm Carruthers (.321/3 HR/33 RBI/32 R), both .300 hitters. Power is provided by RF Aydan Winthrop (.277/12 HR/48 RBI), C Georgy Stevens (.280/12 HR/43 RBI) and 1B Terrence Ross (.277/14 HR/38 RBI). Not a good season for the La Claire Lynx, managed by Rip Calkin, the famed shortstop, known for almost never missing a game, in addition to being a fine hitter and gloveman in the company leagues. This year is even worse than last year when the Lynx were last. They are already 20 games behind in the race. The team batting average is .267 (22nd), team ERA is 4.46 (27th) and team fielding percentage is .972 (23rd). 1B Kenny Jablonski (.313/6 HR/32 RBI) and CF Lucky Collins (.285/6 HR/41 RBI/37 R/11 SB) are La Claire's top hitters, while Munoto Kishata (5-12 4.57) and George Gentry (6-8 5.12) are Calkin's best hurlers. It is quite apparent that Calkin needs better talent. Tycobbian Union West Division Outlook: It is fairly obvious that the four playoff teams in the TU West this season will be Bayview, Rolling Hills, Bay St. Claire and Denton City. They are far and away superior to the other four clubs in the division. At year's end the Bayview Vikings will prevail and take the division title with Rolling Hills taking the number two spot. The Vikings are one of the better teams in the IPA and will be one of the favorites to go all the way and battle for the Islandian Pro Cup. The Reds are a good ballclub, too, and will put up quite a challenge. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers will end up third, followed by the Denton City Redbirds. Both teams have good pitching, but can't put up runs like the top two clubs. None of the other teams will be able to make up enough ground to compete for a playoff spot. Those have already been pretty much decided at mid-year. Chicopee is the best of the also-rans and will take the fifth spot. The Braves have better hitting and better pitching than the bottom three teams. Arlon will finish sixth as they have better pitching than Kenwood and La Claire, who have neither pitching, nor hitting and will battle it out for seventh place. The Wildcats power will keep them ahead of the feeble Lynx. Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-27-2009 at 07:51 PM.