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Eugene Church · 06-02-2010, 10:32 PM

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 15, 2012

2012 Ruthlandian South Mid-Season Recap

BB Sunbirds RU South Leader, Top Claxton By 4 Games
Halfway through the season Marty Pedroza's Belair Beach Sunbirds have pitched themselves into first place in the Ruthlandian South. They have a 4-game edge over the defending champs, the Claxton Diamonds, who have dominated the division in recent years. Also in the pennant race are the San Dimas Rancheros. Paco Banderos' ballclub is in third place, only 5 games back.

Belair Beach has supplanted Claxton with three impressive starters and a solid closer. The Sunbirds have compiled a 3.28 team ERA (4th) with Pete Krohn (9-2 3.08), Slim Mosley (8-6 2.87) and Jeff Nieman (7-7 2.49) leading the way. Closer Groot Tenbrook (4-6 3.03) has also saved 15 games. The Belair Beach batsmen are doing their part, too, with a .265 batting average (4th) and 74 homers (4th). 3B Zippy Parks (.308/9 HR) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.292/8) are Pedroza's top hitters.

Stacy Engel still has a very potent club in Claxton. His Diamonds are third with a strong .276 team batting average, second in scoring with 367 runs and third with 82 home runs. Claxton also has a solid pitching staff with a very good 3.46 ERA (7th). 1B Mike Luzzatti (.368/19 HR), RF Helmut Graczyk (.329/11 HR) and 2B Paco Benitez (.302 BA) head up the offense, while Alex Vanzetti (7-2 1.83) and Charlie Murphy (8-8 3.04) are Engel's prime pitchers.

San Dimas is nearby in third place, just 5 games out of first. Two good starters in Bobby Prince (10-5 2.45) and Carl Schmitz (12-4 3.03) are making life easy for skipper Paco Banderos, along with a standout bullpen. Closer Raul Marroquin (1-2 1.32) has been almost untouchable this season and has racked up 17 saves. However San Dimas just can't compete with Belair Beach and Claxton at the plate. The Rancheros are hitting only .245 (25th) and have scored only 272 runs (30th). Banderos only has one reliable bat in 1B Ron Armstrong (.283/10 HR). Look for it to be a two-team race between the Sunbirds and the Diamonds at season's end.

None of the other teams in the RU South are capable of challenging the top three teams. Crystal Lake and Waleska are currently tied for fourth place, but are 9 games off the pace. Both clubs are very similar, but Waleska is a better hitting team with an excellent .279 batting average (1st). Crystal Lake is batting only .247 as a team, but the Crushers are productive. They have scored 328 times (12th) and are tied with the Westerners in that category. Both clubs have decent power with Crystal Lake going deep 66 times (10th) and Waleska clouting 63 out of the park (14th). On the mound the Westerners have a slight edge with a 3.92 ERA (18th) to the Crushers 3.94 (20th).

Top performers for Herman "Baby" George at Crystal Lake are 1B Phil Gravelli (.307/22 HR) and 2B Nelson Tolliver (.297/8 HR). George's best pitchers are Rocky Trahan (5-5 3.68) and Dennis Vukovich (6-6 4.12). Waleska's McGraw Johnson is blessed with some very prolific batters. In fact, he has four .300 hitters and two more very close to it. Topping the Westerner line-up are RF Kippy Doyle (.290/16 HR), CF Hal Setser (.319/14 HR), LF Johnny Stratton (.305/7 HR), 3B Grant Betzer (.324/4 HR), 2B DePaul Lebat (.303/6 HR) and 1B Nat Mayakovsky (.298/6 HR). Johnson also has two effective starters in Lenny Milazzo (6-4 2.36) and Wilson Whitmore (6-6 3.11) and a sensational closer in Sherman Mooney (3-2 1.93), who had posted 13 saves.

The Valka Blackhawks may be in sixth place in the standings and trailing by 11 games, but they have one of the most exciting players in the IPA. Rookie LF Kurt Jankauskas is setting the league on fire with 27 homers, 66 RBIs and 66 runs. Jankauskas tops the IPA in all three categories. The Blackhawk rookie is on pace to break the home run record that stands at 54, set by Karol Zodoka of East Point in 2002. Overall Valka is a little above the league average with a .264 team batting average (13th) with 63 homers (14th). The Blackhawks are 17th in runs scored with 320. Manager Jaan Kurus has a mediocre mound staff with a 4.04 team ERA (22nd). Jankauskas gets some offensive support from 2B Mike Nordmann (.302/12 HR). Valka's best arms are starter Erke Tonisson (10-4 3.67) and closer Vinko Markovic (1-3 2.67).

The Grand City Cybercats and the St. John Crusaders pull up the rear in a last-place tie and 13 games out. Neither club has much to brag about. Both hit terribly with the Crusaders at .249 (24th) and the Cybercats at .248 (27th). St. John has the better pitching corps and has registered a pretty good 3.66 ERA (9th), while Grand City has been atrocious with a 4.45 ERA (29th).

Torry Joseph's top performers in Grand City are few in number. Closer Paul McBride (1-2) has been terrific with 12 saves and a 1.47 ERA. CF Jimmy Tremayne (.326/7 HR) tops his batting order. Dickie Billings in St. John has one fine pitcher in Pat Tarnovsky (9-6 2.97) and three fair hitters in 2B Tony Borcellino (.284/14 HR), RF Clayton Luck (.291/7 HR) and 3B Vinny Sardisco (.283/8 HR).

06-02-2010, 10:32 PM	#1723
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,699 Blog Entries: 1	The Islandian Times Friday, June 15, 2012 2012 Ruthlandian South Mid-Season Recap BB Sunbirds RU South Leader, Top Claxton By 4 Games Halfway through the season Marty Pedroza's Belair Beach Sunbirds have pitched themselves into first place in the Ruthlandian South. They have a 4-game edge over the defending champs, the Claxton Diamonds, who have dominated the division in recent years. Also in the pennant race are the San Dimas Rancheros. Paco Banderos' ballclub is in third place, only 5 games back. Belair Beach has supplanted Claxton with three impressive starters and a solid closer. The Sunbirds have compiled a 3.28 team ERA (4th) with Pete Krohn (9-2 3.08), Slim Mosley (8-6 2.87) and Jeff Nieman (7-7 2.49) leading the way. Closer Groot Tenbrook (4-6 3.03) has also saved 15 games. The Belair Beach batsmen are doing their part, too, with a .265 batting average (4th) and 74 homers (4th). 3B Zippy Parks (.308/9 HR) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.292/8) are Pedroza's top hitters. Stacy Engel still has a very potent club in Claxton. His Diamonds are third with a strong .276 team batting average, second in scoring with 367 runs and third with 82 home runs. Claxton also has a solid pitching staff with a very good 3.46 ERA (7th). 1B Mike Luzzatti (.368/19 HR), RF Helmut Graczyk (.329/11 HR) and 2B Paco Benitez (.302 BA) head up the offense, while Alex Vanzetti (7-2 1.83) and Charlie Murphy (8-8 3.04) are Engel's prime pitchers. San Dimas is nearby in third place, just 5 games out of first. Two good starters in Bobby Prince (10-5 2.45) and Carl Schmitz (12-4 3.03) are making life easy for skipper Paco Banderos, along with a standout bullpen. Closer Raul Marroquin (1-2 1.32) has been almost untouchable this season and has racked up 17 saves. However San Dimas just can't compete with Belair Beach and Claxton at the plate. The Rancheros are hitting only .245 (25th) and have scored only 272 runs (30th). Banderos only has one reliable bat in 1B Ron Armstrong (.283/10 HR). Look for it to be a two-team race between the Sunbirds and the Diamonds at season's end. None of the other teams in the RU South are capable of challenging the top three teams. Crystal Lake and Waleska are currently tied for fourth place, but are 9 games off the pace. Both clubs are very similar, but Waleska is a better hitting team with an excellent .279 batting average (1st). Crystal Lake is batting only .247 as a team, but the Crushers are productive. They have scored 328 times (12th) and are tied with the Westerners in that category. Both clubs have decent power with Crystal Lake going deep 66 times (10th) and Waleska clouting 63 out of the park (14th). On the mound the Westerners have a slight edge with a 3.92 ERA (18th) to the Crushers 3.94 (20th). Top performers for Herman "Baby" George at Crystal Lake are 1B Phil Gravelli (.307/22 HR) and 2B Nelson Tolliver (.297/8 HR). George's best pitchers are Rocky Trahan (5-5 3.68) and Dennis Vukovich (6-6 4.12). Waleska's McGraw Johnson is blessed with some very prolific batters. In fact, he has four .300 hitters and two more very close to it. Topping the Westerner line-up are RF Kippy Doyle (.290/16 HR), CF Hal Setser (.319/14 HR), LF Johnny Stratton (.305/7 HR), 3B Grant Betzer (.324/4 HR), 2B DePaul Lebat (.303/6 HR) and 1B Nat Mayakovsky (.298/6 HR). Johnson also has two effective starters in Lenny Milazzo (6-4 2.36) and Wilson Whitmore (6-6 3.11) and a sensational closer in Sherman Mooney (3-2 1.93), who had posted 13 saves. The Valka Blackhawks may be in sixth place in the standings and trailing by 11 games, but they have one of the most exciting players in the IPA. Rookie LF Kurt Jankauskas is setting the league on fire with 27 homers, 66 RBIs and 66 runs. Jankauskas tops the IPA in all three categories. The Blackhawk rookie is on pace to break the home run record that stands at 54, set by Karol Zodoka of East Point in 2002. Overall Valka is a little above the league average with a .264 team batting average (13th) with 63 homers (14th). The Blackhawks are 17th in runs scored with 320. Manager Jaan Kurus has a mediocre mound staff with a 4.04 team ERA (22nd). Jankauskas gets some offensive support from 2B Mike Nordmann (.302/12 HR). Valka's best arms are starter Erke Tonisson (10-4 3.67) and closer Vinko Markovic (1-3 2.67). The Grand City Cybercats and the St. John Crusaders pull up the rear in a last-place tie and 13 games out. Neither club has much to brag about. Both hit terribly with the Crusaders at .249 (24th) and the Cybercats at .248 (27th). St. John has the better pitching corps and has registered a pretty good 3.66 ERA (9th), while Grand City has been atrocious with a 4.45 ERA (29th). Torry Joseph's top performers in Grand City are few in number. Closer Paul McBride (1-2) has been terrific with 12 saves and a 1.47 ERA. CF Jimmy Tremayne (.326/7 HR) tops his batting order. Dickie Billings in St. John has one fine pitcher in Pat Tarnovsky (9-6 2.97) and three fair hitters in 2B Tony Borcellino (.284/14 HR), RF Clayton Luck (.291/7 HR) and 3B Vinny Sardisco (.283/8 HR). Last edited by Eugene Church; 06-02-2010 at 10:37 PM.