[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Midway Skyhigh In TU East, Surprises Favored Red Bluff and High Mesa
It has been a remarkable year for the Midway Wolves, who have soared to the top of the Tycobbian Union East ahead of highly-favored High Mesa and Red Bluff. Manager Cochise Chandler has guided Midway from a sixth place finish in 2003 to a surprising first place spot this season. Halfway through year the Wolves have a narrow one-game lead over second place Tuckanarra with third place Ozarka 4 games back and Red Bluff and High Mesa tied for fourth, 6 games off the pace. The Red Sox are the defending division champs, while the Cowboys were picked to win this season.

The Midway Wolves (42-31) have rode its number-one ranked pitching staff to the TU East lead. The Wolves have the best ERA (3.37) in the division and are much improved over last season. Mac Chaney (10-1 3.86), Nosyt Sani (7-5 2.82), Pedro Shunkaha (4-3 3.05) and closer Joe Eckermann (1-0 0.64) with 13 saves and 26 game appearances are the nucleus for this season's success.

Midway's offense has been sufficient with a .261 batting average (3rd) and 337 runs (4th), headed by 1B Don Piper (.254/10 HR/47 RBI/43 R), rookie SS Tory Bidwell (.309/6 HR/38 RBI/47 R), 2B Little John Yuma (.306/1 HR/32 RBI/45 R/11 SB) and CF Johnny Gillespie (.277/6 HR/35 RBI/40 R).

Good defense has played a part, too. Midway is tied for second with Red Bluff with an impressive .979 percentage. South Fork is the leader with a sensational .984 fielding average, tops in the entire IPA.

Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has his Tuckanarra Blue Jays (41-32) right on the tails of the Wolves, just a scant game off the pace. Mike Amato (1-0 3.86) has played a huge role since coming to the Blue Jays in a trade in the off-season with Volusia for catcher Clint Hardesty (.254/6 HR/46 RBI). Niles Applewhite (7-7 3.34) and Titus Bristow (7-9 3.23) give Stevens two more capable starters. In his bullpen rookie Mook Epperson (1-2 2.27) had stood out in the first half as a middle reliever and he will now take over as the closer.

Tuckanarra did not sneak up on anyone as the Blue Jays were predicted to be the third-best team in the division. In 2003 they finished a very close third, only 2 games behind Red Bluff and a game behind High Mesa.

The Blue Jays are batting only .250 (6th) with 65 homers (4th), but they do put a lot of runs on the scoreboard, ranking second with 339 runs. Stevens has a well-balanced line-up with some solid and productive batters in RF Monty Draycott (.266/13 HR/60 RBI/45 R/9 SB), 1B Charley Schofield (.269/13 HR/46 RBI/40 R), LF Corey Tavington (.269/11 HR/43 RBI/37 R), 2B Owen MacArthur (.292/5 HR/23 RBI/41 R/9 SB) and C Maka Bardinda (.296/4 HR/34 RBI/21 R).

The Ozarka Naturals (38-35) under Joe Mac Carney have made steady progress in its fourth year, moving up from fourth last season to third so far this year. The Nats pitching staff gets most of the credit. They have compiled the second-best team ERA (3.45) in the TU East. Carney has four very capable starters in his rotation, led by Alex DiMaggio (8-7 2.95), rookie Karl Kleinert (6-2 3.05), Dana Channing (9-5 3.69) and Pat Schwartz (7-7 3.68). Ozarka could use a stronger closer, although Dayle Claypoole (2-3 3.93) has been adequate with 11 saves in his 33 games.

Carney's ballclub has outscored everybody in the league with 362 runs, even though the Naturals are hitting just .262, second to High Mesa's .275, with only 45 homers (7th). Just about all of the players contribute to the offense, paced by CF Kermit Wiggins (.294/1 HR/31 RBI/48 R/15 SB) and SS Duffy Douglas (.279/4 HR/37 RBI/47 R). Platooners have done their part, too: RF Gus Dufrene (.291/6 HR/33 RBI/30 R) in 50 games, 3B Royce Robinson (.309/4 HR/21 RBI) in 40 games and C Richard Morley (.335/1 HR/28 RBI) in 48 games.

Frisky Franks, the skipper of the High Mesa Cowboys (36-37), has had a very disappointing season thus far. Favored in the BNN poll to win the TU East, the Cowboys have slumped to a tie for fourth with another frustrated team, the defending division champion, the Red Bluff Red Sox. High Mesa won the IPA Pro Cup just two years ago.

Franks told reporters, "Plain and simple, pitching is killing us." High Mesa is right at the bottom with a very poor 4.28 ERA. Only when John Owens (10-10 3.69), Donnie Rinaldi (6-4 4.00) and hard-luck Joey Popovich (6-13 4.03) are on the hill are the Cowboys competitive. The bullpen has been lousy this year and can't protect any leads at all. Franks has truly missed Kael Claxton. He won 14 and 15 games the last two seasons, but has been sidelined by an injury this year. Claxton will be back in the rotation after the All-Star game. Meanwhile, Franks has signed three new hurlers in hopes of turning things around in the second half of the campaign. Franks said, "If Claxton can pitch like he usually does and Popovich (6-13 4.03) can get a break or two, we can still win this thing."

One thing about it, High Mesa can still hit the ball. The Cowboys have far and away the best batting average (.275) in the division and second-best in the IPA, are comfortably ahead in home runs with 80 and are runner-up in scoring with 339 runs. Sparking the Cowboys at bat are C Jay Fessler (.338/7 HR/32 RBI/45 R/19 SB), 2B Ed Granberg (.304/9 HR/51 RBI/46 R), SS Rolf Kellgren (.356/3 HR/23 RBI/56 R/20 SB), RF Kenny Edelstein (.291/9 HR/42 RBI) and CF Lex Neville (.292/10 HR/31 RBI). And despite batting only .219, slugger LF Adam Zitek still has contributed 13 roundtrippers and 44 RBIs.

What's wrong with the Red Bluff Red Sox (36-37)? It looks like Mack Connery really misses his former second baseman Tony Borcellino and his 30 homers and 107 RBIs. He was shipped to Grand City in the RU for fleet center fielder Stan Helmke. Borcellino was traded because he hit only .237 last year. At the mid-season Borcellino is hitting .275, belted 16 home runs and batted in 51 runs, while Helmke has fizzled to a .228 batting average. Last year Helmke hit .326, stole 61 bases and scored 93 runs, while playing very good defense.

Connery told BNN, "The jury is still out on that trade. Remember Helmke is six years younger. I'll comment on the trade value in six years. OK?"

Hitting is the missing element this year in Red Bluff. In addition to losing Borcellino, 1B Bucky Frizzell is batting only .229. Plus closer John Dougherty (2-6 3.00) is having an off-year and has only 6 saves in 33 games. However, Connery has good starters in All-Star Leonard Urban (9-5 2.72) and two southpaws, Mila Mihoski (8-5 2.75) and Frank Beaudoin (7-8 3.32). He just has to get some help in middle relief and for Dougherty, Frizzell and Helmke to get back on track. That would make a world of different for Connery's team.

At the plate the Red Sox depend on LF Tony Blundell (.284/12 HR/32 RBI) and RF Kris Grabowski (.303/8 HR/29 RBI). They have pretty much carried the team this year, along with C Virgil Carpenter (.271/8 HR/31 RBI).

The East Point Panthers (35-38) are doing a little better than predicted. Skipper Griff Clarke's crew is in sixth place, but were picked for the basement in the TU East. The Panthers are only 7 games out of first. They really don't have the pitching to finish any higher. They hit with occasional power and can score. East Point has a .259 team batting average (4th), 68 homers (3rd), 324 runs (6th), but a poor 3.92 ERA (6th).

Clarke's top run producers are his old reliables, 3B Rex Sokolov (.298/13 HR/53 RBI/45 R) and All-Star 2B Karol Zadoka (.319/15 HR/45 RBI/54 R/11 SB). Rookie 1B Terry Cane (.300/5 HR/35 RBI) has lended a much-needed hand this year. Sokolov and Zadoka have carried the team by themselves for the last three seasons.

On the hill East Point depends on starters Charlie Hale (10-6 2.99), LHP Jarred Robillard (7-8 3.13) and LHP Carl Thompson (6-3 3.94). Clarke just signed three rookie hurlers for the second half of the year.

The Hillsboro Blazers (30-43) set a new IPA record for home runs last season with 201. Manager Arky Spanderson gave up some of that firepower for a standout pitcher and two solid position players. He traded SS Jerry Pontros to St. John of the Ruthlandian Union for three players: pitcher George Wilson, second baseman George Longmire and outfielder Jorge Mercado. Wilson bombed with a 3-10 mark with a skyhigh 4.98 ERA and has been released at midyear. That is the prime reason has faltered this season. Spanderson thought the trade would put them on equal footing with the division powers, but it has not worked out that way. The Blazers are in seventh place, 12 games off the pace. A good year by Wilson would have greatly improved Hillsboro standing in the division. But that didn't happen.

Spanderson's mound corps has been atrocious so far with a 4.25 ERA (7th) except for starters Ronnie Greinke (6-6 3.70) and Hap Howerton (7-4 4.07). LHP closer Frankie Coleridge (2-2 2.56) has impressed with 10 saves in 33 relief appearances. The Blazers have added three new pitchers to the staff for the last half of the season.

Hillsboro can still hit with power, but not like last year. As a team the Blazers have slumped badly from .264 to .246 this year. 1B Sloan Shatner (.235/13 HR/32 RBI) will not come close to his 2003 numbers when he hit .297 with 38 homers and 109 RBIs. Pontros' 27 home runs will be missed, too. Hillsboro is on pace to hit 60 fewer home runs.

LF Kevin Baker (.276/17 HR/52 RBI/47 R) is leading the charge this year, along with 3B Tommy Emrick (.314/10 HR/39 RBI/36 R). 2B George Longmire (.268/6 HR/38 RBI/45 R/23 SB) has contributed offensively and defensively, but CF Jorge Mercado (.259/10 HR/27 RBI/40 R) has been a disappointment.

South Fork manager Duroche "Lips" Leon just might have to find another pet phrase. "Nice guys finish last" just doesn't seem to fit anymore. It is quite likely that the Stallions will finish last in the TU East. Considering Leon's volatile disposition, no reporters had had the nerve to approach Leon about that subject this year. Maybe "bad guys finish last", too. At least this year.

The South Fork Stallions (28-45) are indeed in last place, 14 games behind. They are last in TU East in hitting with a .246 average and next-to-last in the IPA in homers with only 33. Only Volusia in the RU has fewer with 32. Leon has one bright spot on the team. The Stallions are the best defensive squad in the IPA with an outstanding .984 percentage.

The Stallions best batter is 1B Keith Burke (.257/5 HR/44 RBI). Rookie SS Marty Bolt (.280/0 HR/35 RBI) has the top average on the team. Even former All-Star Art Atkins (.260/5 HR/34 RBI) is having a dismal season. Atkins is a career .299 hitter.

In the pitching department veteran Flint Battle (7-9 2.73) has pitched very well, in spite of a losing record. Rookie Shannon Talbert (4-1 2.75) also has done well in 5 starts and 9 relief assignments. Talbert will move into a full-time starting role after the All-Star break.