OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 01-29-2010, 10:20 PM

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Colfax Wins RU West By 2 Games Over Rocky Rapids
The Colfax Blasters racked up their second straight Ruthlandian West pennant, but they had a tough time holding off the fast-closing Rocky Rapids Snappers, who closed out the season with seven consecutive victories. Ryan Noland's Snappers closed the gap to just 2 games, but finally ran of season. Clem Rogers, the Blaster manager, has another formidable ball club that won 94 games, tied with Far Mountain for the most wins in the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Colfax (94-60) has a fantastic pitching rotation that chalked up an unbelievable 2.69 ERA, led by Ilya Szabo (22-15 2.39), Stony Blackwell (19-11 2.64), Jimmy Joe Cartner (17-13 2.53) and All-Star Jasper LaForge (23-10 3.23)... Colfax broke Cape Coral's record (2.82) for the best team ERA set in 2004... Rogers also has a capable closer Dallas Somerville (5-8 2.14), who saved 24 games... mix in a fine fielding team with a .978 FA and the Blasters are hard to score against... offensively Colfax hit for a .262 batting average with 140 home runs, which was adequate in the runs department... Leading the Blasters line-up was All-Star CF Ryan Raines (.302/26/99/99), LF Paul Coniglio (.302/27/111/96), 3B Mike Janocko (.284/19/72) and RF Karl Heidelberg (.319/17/50/72).

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (92-62) could outhit Colfax with a .268 BA and outscore them, but they couldn't match their pitching... Noland's mound corps did well with a 3.69 ERA and were paced by Pat Brown (22-8 3.48), Leland Clinkscales (13-7 3.32) and Ben Mashburn (16-10 3.59)... the Snappers also had an All-Star closer Morgan Gilman (4-7 3.38), who had 27 saves... C Hank Bethel (.311/29/101/86) sparked a solid batting order that included LF Scott Camden (.269/19/95/98), SS Cooter Bermudez (.308/6/79/95), RF Ronnie Patterson (.268/19/79/70), CF Carl Johnson (.294/18/77) and 2B Hoppy Hill (.287/0/39/92)... defensively Rocky Rapids was solid with a .976 FA.

The only problem the third-place Forest City Lumberjacks (85-69) had was playing in the same division with Colfax and Rocky Rapids... 85 wins would have won or tied in the RU South and RU East... as it was they wound up 9 games behind... manager Robbie Jackson depended on his pitching corps to get the job done... the 'Jacks compiled a good 3.61 ERA, while batting .268 with 144 home runs... Jackson best pitchers were All-Star Al Thibaut (20-13 3.28), Ernie Hill (17-16 3.43), Knucks Nomellini (16-9 3.46) and Brian Charles (18-14 3.72)... at the plate his best batters were LF Joe Judlin (.296/26/94/85), 1B Andy Doiron (.309/14/82/89) and RF Stan Maples (.288/21/75/79)... less-than-average defense with a .971 FA.

The Volusia Vigilantes (81-73) came in fourth in the RU West standings, 13 games off the pace... skipper Alfonso Feliz had his typical club... good pitching with a 3.70 ERA... excellent fielding with a .978 FA... and this year the V's are hitting better with a .269 BA and 127 homers... they just have too much competition for them in the RU West... on the hill Todd Wolfe (19-12 2.53) had a splendid year... Asa Klem (15-18 3.39) had a solid ERA, but still lost a lot of games... Alejandro Rio (16-6 3.81) responded well in his first real chance at starting in his three seasons in the IPA... Volusia could still use some hitting... its top batters were 8-year vet RF Briscoe Crowder (.326/25/87/90), who had his best season ever at age 30... SS Bobby Farias (.264/19/80/92) and 2B Mario Castro (.290/7/51/83) were the best of the rest... the Vigilantes have to hit better to climb in the standings.

The Sligo Rovers (78-76) are just a second-division ball club... they ended up over .500 and trailed in the standings by 16 games... manager Eddie Keys has little better than average pitching (3.90 ERA), hitting (.269 BA) and power (147 HR), but lousy defense with a poor .968 FA... Jordy Crockett (20-10 3.55) and Colin McGrath (17-10 3.29) carried the team... Sligo has two long-time veterans Bomber Belinsky (16-18 3.99) and Alec DiMaggio (11-19 4.10) that could turn things around if they regain their former form... both still have quite a few years left in their arms... on offense Keys has one of the better outfielders in the IPA in CF Fred Collins (.304/23/98/100)... LF Zeb Baker (.270/23/84/83) still has some punch in his bat at age 38... and SS Hollis Waldrup (.295/16/67/113), who can hit and also cover as much ground as any shortstop in the IPA... Waldrup was third-best with 538 assists, topped only by Bill Nilsen of LaGrange and Rolf Kellgren of South Fork.

Smitty Michaels' Middlefield Roosters (74-80) failed to make the playoffs for the third year in a row... the Roosters made the playoffs its first five seasons in the IPA and won the Pro Cup in 2005... Middlefield has wallowed in the second division ever since... this season the Roosters were sixth and 20 games out... Middlefield still hits the ball with abandon with a .276 BA, 204 homers and 792 runs... the Roosters are an offensive powerhouse, pitching is the thing holding them back... a 4.35 team ERA just won't do it... Johnny Bond (19-7 2.80) came over from North Hills in a trade in June and did wonders for the team... Bond may be 36, but he still has some wins in his arm... he and reliever Jared Robillard (8-6 2.74) were Michaels only strong pitchers... leading the offensive attack were All-Star LF Moose Scoggins (.308/29/108/88), who came up with a career year at age 35, his fourth season in the IPA... other threats are 2B Sammy Ragsdale (.275/31/88/100), CF Cecil Clark (.297/29/74/82), SS Jim Rose (.284/17/87/95), C Mike Kanjorsky (.294/14/60) and 1B J. D. Earnshaw (.283/18/61).

Willie Dickens won the RU West in 2007, but it has been downhill for the Stoner Stars (73-81) ever since... this season the Stars slumped to seventh place, 21 games behind the flag-winning Colfax Blasters... Dickens' team doesn't hit especially well with a .263 batting average and 134 homers... they pitch fairly well with a 3.99 ERA... All-Star Hernando Espaderos (18-13 3.05) stood out on the mound... Norman Canfield (19-15 3.94) also did well this year... not much after those two, though... SS Karol Zodoka (.315/27/84/105) still hits with authority and plays strong defense at age 34... LF Tommy Lee Hensley (.278/23/82/79) and C Benny Stern (.296/20/81/76) are capable run producers, too.

The Fort Benton Defenders (65-89) have occupied the basement six times in its eight years of existence... that is exactly where they ended up for the third season in a row and 29 games off the pace... manager Robbie Brooks has the worst hitting team in the IPA... the Defenders hit only .247 this year with just 82 home runs... Brooks has decent pitching with a 3.93 ERA and average defense with a .972 FA... Tom Waltenbury (18-14 3.27) had a magnificent year considering he played for a last-place team with almost no hitting... Brooks doesn't possess a top-flight player other than Waltenbury... 33-year-old RF Nicky Swift (.266/21/71) is his top offensive producer, but Swift's best years are behind him... LF Tommy Pfeffer (.319/22/61) and 2B Artie Vicknair (.281/12/70) are just average ballplayers.

01-29-2010, 10:20 PM	#1513
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,118	The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Colfax Wins RU West By 2 Games Over Rocky Rapids The Colfax Blasters racked up their second straight Ruthlandian West pennant, but they had a tough time holding off the fast-closing Rocky Rapids Snappers, who closed out the season with seven consecutive victories. Ryan Noland's Snappers closed the gap to just 2 games, but finally ran of season. Clem Rogers, the Blaster manager, has another formidable ball club that won 94 games, tied with Far Mountain for the most wins in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Colfax (94-60) has a fantastic pitching rotation that chalked up an unbelievable 2.69 ERA, led by Ilya Szabo (22-15 2.39), Stony Blackwell (19-11 2.64), Jimmy Joe Cartner (17-13 2.53) and All-Star Jasper LaForge (23-10 3.23)... Colfax broke Cape Coral's record (2.82) for the best team ERA set in 2004... Rogers also has a capable closer Dallas Somerville (5-8 2.14), who saved 24 games... mix in a fine fielding team with a .978 FA and the Blasters are hard to score against... offensively Colfax hit for a .262 batting average with 140 home runs, which was adequate in the runs department... Leading the Blasters line-up was All-Star CF Ryan Raines (.302/26/99/99), LF Paul Coniglio (.302/27/111/96), 3B Mike Janocko (.284/19/72) and RF Karl Heidelberg (.319/17/50/72). The Rocky Rapids Snappers (92-62) could outhit Colfax with a .268 BA and outscore them, but they couldn't match their pitching... Noland's mound corps did well with a 3.69 ERA and were paced by Pat Brown (22-8 3.48), Leland Clinkscales (13-7 3.32) and Ben Mashburn (16-10 3.59)... the Snappers also had an All-Star closer Morgan Gilman (4-7 3.38), who had 27 saves... C Hank Bethel (.311/29/101/86) sparked a solid batting order that included LF Scott Camden (.269/19/95/98), SS Cooter Bermudez (.308/6/79/95), RF Ronnie Patterson (.268/19/79/70), CF Carl Johnson (.294/18/77) and 2B Hoppy Hill (.287/0/39/92)... defensively Rocky Rapids was solid with a .976 FA. The only problem the third-place Forest City Lumberjacks (85-69) had was playing in the same division with Colfax and Rocky Rapids... 85 wins would have won or tied in the RU South and RU East... as it was they wound up 9 games behind... manager Robbie Jackson depended on his pitching corps to get the job done... the 'Jacks compiled a good 3.61 ERA, while batting .268 with 144 home runs... Jackson best pitchers were All-Star Al Thibaut (20-13 3.28), Ernie Hill (17-16 3.43), Knucks Nomellini (16-9 3.46) and Brian Charles (18-14 3.72)... at the plate his best batters were LF Joe Judlin (.296/26/94/85), 1B Andy Doiron (.309/14/82/89) and RF Stan Maples (.288/21/75/79)... less-than-average defense with a .971 FA. The Volusia Vigilantes (81-73) came in fourth in the RU West standings, 13 games off the pace... skipper Alfonso Feliz had his typical club... good pitching with a 3.70 ERA... excellent fielding with a .978 FA... and this year the V's are hitting better with a .269 BA and 127 homers... they just have too much competition for them in the RU West... on the hill Todd Wolfe (19-12 2.53) had a splendid year... Asa Klem (15-18 3.39) had a solid ERA, but still lost a lot of games... Alejandro Rio (16-6 3.81) responded well in his first real chance at starting in his three seasons in the IPA... Volusia could still use some hitting... its top batters were 8-year vet RF Briscoe Crowder (.326/25/87/90), who had his best season ever at age 30... SS Bobby Farias (.264/19/80/92) and 2B Mario Castro (.290/7/51/83) were the best of the rest... the Vigilantes have to hit better to climb in the standings. The Sligo Rovers (78-76) are just a second-division ball club... they ended up over .500 and trailed in the standings by 16 games... manager Eddie Keys has little better than average pitching (3.90 ERA), hitting (.269 BA) and power (147 HR), but lousy defense with a poor .968 FA... Jordy Crockett (20-10 3.55) and Colin McGrath (17-10 3.29) carried the team... Sligo has two long-time veterans Bomber Belinsky (16-18 3.99) and Alec DiMaggio (11-19 4.10) that could turn things around if they regain their former form... both still have quite a few years left in their arms... on offense Keys has one of the better outfielders in the IPA in CF Fred Collins (.304/23/98/100)... LF Zeb Baker (.270/23/84/83) still has some punch in his bat at age 38... and SS Hollis Waldrup (.295/16/67/113), who can hit and also cover as much ground as any shortstop in the IPA... Waldrup was third-best with 538 assists, topped only by Bill Nilsen of LaGrange and Rolf Kellgren of South Fork. Smitty Michaels' Middlefield Roosters (74-80) failed to make the playoffs for the third year in a row... the Roosters made the playoffs its first five seasons in the IPA and won the Pro Cup in 2005... Middlefield has wallowed in the second division ever since... this season the Roosters were sixth and 20 games out... Middlefield still hits the ball with abandon with a .276 BA, 204 homers and 792 runs... the Roosters are an offensive powerhouse, pitching is the thing holding them back... a 4.35 team ERA just won't do it... Johnny Bond (19-7 2.80) came over from North Hills in a trade in June and did wonders for the team... Bond may be 36, but he still has some wins in his arm... he and reliever Jared Robillard (8-6 2.74) were Michaels only strong pitchers... leading the offensive attack were All-Star LF Moose Scoggins (.308/29/108/88), who came up with a career year at age 35, his fourth season in the IPA... other threats are 2B Sammy Ragsdale (.275/31/88/100), CF Cecil Clark (.297/29/74/82), SS Jim Rose (.284/17/87/95), C Mike Kanjorsky (.294/14/60) and 1B J. D. Earnshaw (.283/18/61). Willie Dickens won the RU West in 2007, but it has been downhill for the Stoner Stars (73-81) ever since... this season the Stars slumped to seventh place, 21 games behind the flag-winning Colfax Blasters... Dickens' team doesn't hit especially well with a .263 batting average and 134 homers... they pitch fairly well with a 3.99 ERA... All-Star Hernando Espaderos (18-13 3.05) stood out on the mound... Norman Canfield (19-15 3.94) also did well this year... not much after those two, though... SS Karol Zodoka (.315/27/84/105) still hits with authority and plays strong defense at age 34... LF Tommy Lee Hensley (.278/23/82/79) and C Benny Stern (.296/20/81/76) are capable run producers, too. The Fort Benton Defenders (65-89) have occupied the basement six times in its eight years of existence... that is exactly where they ended up for the third season in a row and 29 games off the pace... manager Robbie Brooks has the worst hitting team in the IPA... the Defenders hit only .247 this year with just 82 home runs... Brooks has decent pitching with a 3.93 ERA and average defense with a .972 FA... Tom Waltenbury (18-14 3.27) had a magnificent year considering he played for a last-place team with almost no hitting... Brooks doesn't possess a top-flight player other than Waltenbury... 33-year-old RF Nicky Swift (.266/21/71) is his top offensive producer, but Swift's best years are behind him... LF Tommy Pfeffer (.319/22/61) and 2B Artie Vicknair (.281/12/70) are just average ballplayers. Last edited by Eugene Church; 01-29-2010 at 10:28 PM.