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Old 09-29-2009, 12:17 PM   #1225
Eugene Church
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The Islandian Times

Monday, August 22, 2005

Tycobbian Union North Division Standings

Luxora Outfoxes Everybody, Zorros Top TU North by 7 Games
The Luxora Zorros have overtaken Blue Lake, leaped to the top and opened up a wide gap in the Tycobbian North race to a comfortable seven games with just four weeks to go. Blue Lake had a great first half and held the top spot at the All-Star game with a three-game edge, but the Blue Sox have sputtered and dropped into a tie for second with the Hartsdale Hellcats. White River is still fourth in the standings, but now 11 games behind.

The preseason pick, the Oxford Red Caps, are playing better in the second half, but still trail by 15 games in fifth place. North Hills is 17 games out in sixth, followed by the Fairfax Frogs and Mahaska Haymakers, who are seventh and eighth respectively. The Frogs are 19 games back and the Haymakers are 23 games off the pace.

When you do everything well, it usually pays offs handsomely in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Guided by the sure hand of Alejandro Rodrigo, the Luxora Zorros (75-53) are the class of the TU North heading down the home stretch. The Z's have the best pitching with a 3.70 ERA and are second with a strong .275 batting average. They even compete well in home runs with 132 (4th). Seven Zorros have 10 or more roundtrippers.

The mound brigade is paced by Fernando Fernandes (12-6 2.87) and Eddie Hoffman (18-11 3.90) with a solid closer in Juan-Carlos Torriente (2-2 2.78). Luxora's top bats are LF Joel Reed (.300/24 HR/81 RBI/77 R), 2B Pancho Santa Cruz (.314/14 HR/68 RBI/103 R/22 SB) and CF Lacey Tompkins. Rookie 1B Matt Maxwell (.295/13 HR/68 RBI/77 R) has had an impressive first season, too.

Manager Cobb Tyson is not pleased with his Blue Lake Blue Sox (68-60) of late, but they still are a force in the division and deadlocked with Hartsdale for the runner-up spot, seven games out. Blue Lake can still make the playoffs, but it will be a tough task with Hartsdale, White River and late-breaking Oxford offering some strong competition.

The Blue Sox need improvement on the hill. Only Benny DeBartolo (15-9 3.37) has been effective the entire season. Neil Krogstad (6-12 4.02) and Tom Waltenbury (10-12 4.19) have faltered and been shipped to the pen by Tyson. Charley Tubbs (7-5 2.89) and rookie Carroll Wendell (8-6 2.98) have replaced them and done very well. The team ERA stands at 3.90 (3rd). Tyson needs closer Pat Grange (4-3 3.88) to return to last year's form. It has been a subpar season for Grange so far.

Blue Lake still carries some big sticks - three players have 24 or more homers. The Blue Sox have hammered 143 (3rd) out of the park this year, sparked by LF Tad Kirklin (.282/30 HR/96 RBI/83 R/16 SB), RF Fred Collins (.290/27 HR/76 RBI/88 R/24 SB) and CF Rick Hilliard (.301/24 HR/64 RBI/87 R/17 SB). As a team they are batting .258 (5th).

Skipper Zim Donner has a good all-round club in his third-place Hartsdale Hellcats (68-60). They hit well with a .270 BA (4th), have smacked 117 homers (5th) and have registered a 3.89 ERA (2nd). The Hellcats also are the best defensively with a .980 fielding percentage.

Mark Sakelaris (15-7 3.28) and Ben Manderson (13-8 3.47) are Donner's top twirlers and he has two of the best batters in the IPA. SS Jud Turchin (.355/22 HR/95 RBI/93 R/17 SB) and 1B Mac Faulkner (.349/28 HR/107 RBI/93 R) have been sensational. CF Mark Garzelli (.292/10 HR/60 RBI/76 R/21 SB) has blossomed in his rookie year.

John Randison has put together an awesome attack in White River (64-64) and is challenging for a playoff spot in the TU North. The Rascals are fourth in the standings, 11 games back of leading Luxora, but just four games off the pace of Blue Lake and Hartsdale. High-scoring White River has blistered the ball at a .282 pace (1st), pounded 161 homers (2nd) and piled up 702 runs (2nd), but they have also been ripped for a lot of runs. Randison's rotation has a combined 4.65 team ERA (8th), one of the worst in the IPA. Only Dante Langlais (11-9 3.71) and Mick Cronyn (12-13 3.87) have kept the Rascals in the game with any consistency.

And what a scary line-up card - the Rascals have nothing but strong bats. Topping the list are rookie LF Lee Taryn (.299/28 HR/107 RBI/82 R), CF Hal Hoover (.354/23 HR/90 RBI/92 R/20 SB), 1B Bryan Dickerson (.292/27 HR/90 RBI/80 R), SS Matt DeMarsche (.349/7 HR/53 RBI/49 R), 2B Riley Cloy (.259/26 HR/77 RBI/94 R/16 SB) and 3B Rupert Doan (.289/19 HR/54 RBI/97 R/20 SB).

Campy Roy's Oxford Red Caps (60-68) were the darlings of the baseball experts going into this season, but it hasn't come to fruition. The Red Caps flopped in April and May and were a horrendous seventh at midseason, 13 games behind in the race. Oxford can score runs, but its pitching leaves a lot to be desired with a 4.63 ERA (8th). Roy's prime pitchers, Bomber Belinsky (11-10 5.29) and Nicky Nicholson (8-19 4.02) have been battered this year and now have been relegated to lesser roles in the rotation. Mark Bright (7-3 4.05) and Dan Sisler (5-1 3.86) have taken their places. Although, the club has played somewhat better in the second half, it's quite likely the Red Caps will missed the postseason playoffs for the first time in its history. Eight games may be too much to make up in the last month of the season.

But ah... how Oxford can hit the ball - 176 home runs (1st), .274 batting average (3rd) and 710 runs scored (1st). Roy has a modern day murderers' row with 3B Joe Courtney (.315/36 HR/101 RBI/94 R), CF Ike Plunkett (.323/39 HR/87 RBI/111 R) and 1B Kenny Jablonski (.322/19 HR/82 RBI/86 R) in his batting order.

North Hills (58-70), Fairfax (56-72) and Mahaska (52-76) are just playing out the season. The Hawks are sixth, 17 games off the pace, the Frogs are seventh and 19 games out and the Haymakers are last and trail by 23 games.

Not a whole lot of talent on the bottom-rung ball clubs. Pitcher Leland Clinkscales (10-10 3.08) has pitched well for manager Hub Carlson at North Hill and 2B Jimmy Ryland (.307/11 HR/54 RBI/98 R) has hit well.

No one is having a good year for Harry Buckley in Fairfax. His 22-game winner from last year, Barrett Carruthers, has done decently, but fallen to a 13-15 mark with a fair 3.63 ERA.

Rusty Tanussa in Mahaska has several players to praise. One of them may be the best pitcher in the IPA. Boomerang Hines has gone an amazing 21-7 with a scintillating 2.13 ERA for a bad, last-place ball club. 1B Miles Shufford has put up some solid numbers with 30 roundtrippers and 92 RBIs. Shufford is batting .270.

How is it all going to end in the Tycobbian North in 2005? It's almost a given that Luxora will wear the regular season crown. The other playoff slot will go to Hartsdale. The Hellcat hurlers should enable them to fight off the pitching-poor Blue Lake Blue Sox and White River Rascals.
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