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Eugene Church · 06-09-2009, 05:28 PM

The Islandian Times

March 1, 2004

Ancona Needs a Lot of Improvement
There is nowhere for the Ancona Red Elephants to go but upward. Things can't get any worse than last place in the TU South for the last two seasons. Manager Manny Mickens has suffered from a lack of pitching and hitting. This season his Red Elephants may be a little better, but not a lot better. The outlook is for a low finish again.

Pitcher Carl Costas, obtained last season from Elnora, got a new lease on life. The All-Stars had stuck him in the bullpen and he was the forgotten man. In late June Costas was traded for 3B Dimitri Vrotsos in a good trade for both teams. A crafty lefthander, Costas responded with a 10-5 record in the second half of the year, completing the year at 13-7 with a fine 3.27 ERA. The trade was even better for Elnora as they picked up a power hitter that is capable of hitting 30 homers a season and only gave up a little-used pitcher.

Mickens is excited about his 18-year-old rookie left fielder Louie DiMucci, a much-heralded slugger, who is expected to contend for the rookie of the year award and be a potent force in his first season. According to BNN analysts DiMucci is expected to hit .300, hit 25 homers and drive in 100 runs. Mickens said the hype is similar to when he was a high school phenom making his debut in the industrial league. Mickens said, "It took me a year to adjust to the higher caliber of play and the high expectations placed on me. My first season was quite an ordeal. I will try not to put any added pressure on Louie. I just want him to play ball and do the best he can. He will be given time to adjust from high school to pro ball. We do not expect him to be a miracle worker. We just want him to make us a better ball club... and he will... given time."

Ancona will improve only if two new hurlers can come in and make an impact on the mound staff. RHPs Yannis Vardakis and Ernie Harrell are slated to split starts with the vet George Agelakos (12-21 4.04) as the number four man in the rotation. Mickens is hoping for improvement from #2 starter Lenny Ameche (10-9 3.42) and #3 starter Nikon Maragos (2-3 2.80), who was a middle reliever last year.

06-09-2009, 05:28 PM	#994
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,704 Blog Entries: 1	The Islandian Times March 1, 2004 Ancona Needs a Lot of Improvement There is nowhere for the Ancona Red Elephants to go but upward. Things can't get any worse than last place in the TU South for the last two seasons. Manager Manny Mickens has suffered from a lack of pitching and hitting. This season his Red Elephants may be a little better, but not a lot better. The outlook is for a low finish again. Pitcher Carl Costas, obtained last season from Elnora, got a new lease on life. The All-Stars had stuck him in the bullpen and he was the forgotten man. In late June Costas was traded for 3B Dimitri Vrotsos in a good trade for both teams. A crafty lefthander, Costas responded with a 10-5 record in the second half of the year, completing the year at 13-7 with a fine 3.27 ERA. The trade was even better for Elnora as they picked up a power hitter that is capable of hitting 30 homers a season and only gave up a little-used pitcher. Mickens is excited about his 18-year-old rookie left fielder Louie DiMucci, a much-heralded slugger, who is expected to contend for the rookie of the year award and be a potent force in his first season. According to BNN analysts DiMucci is expected to hit .300, hit 25 homers and drive in 100 runs. Mickens said the hype is similar to when he was a high school phenom making his debut in the industrial league. Mickens said, "It took me a year to adjust to the higher caliber of play and the high expectations placed on me. My first season was quite an ordeal. I will try not to put any added pressure on Louie. I just want him to play ball and do the best he can. He will be given time to adjust from high school to pro ball. We do not expect him to be a miracle worker. We just want him to make us a better ball club... and he will... given time." Ancona will improve only if two new hurlers can come in and make an impact on the mound staff. RHPs Yannis Vardakis and Ernie Harrell are slated to split starts with the vet George Agelakos (12-21 4.04) as the number four man in the rotation. Mickens is hoping for improvement from #2 starter Lenny Ameche (10-9 3.42) and #3 starter Nikon Maragos (2-3 2.80), who was a middle reliever last year. Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-09-2009 at 05:42 PM.