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Eugene Church · 06-26-2010, 07:11 PM

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 17, 2012

2012 Tycobbian West Final Recap

Arlon Triumphs In TU West, Takes 6-Team Tussle
Going into the last two weeks of the Tycobbian West, six teams were tightly bunched with a chance to take the crown. The Arlon Champions survived by edging the Kenwood Wildcats 5-4 in 10 innings in a one-game playoff and copped the title by one game. The Chicopee Braves were only 1.5 games back in the third spot. There was a 3-way tie for fourth place between Bay St. Clair, Bayview and Denton City, all only 4.5 games off the pace. In seventh place were the Luxora Zorros, 7.5 games behind with last place going to the Rolling Hills Reds, who finished 11.5 games out.

No one can explain it, but for the last few seasons the Arlon Champs (82-73) only play well in even years... Manager Gary Louis jumped his club from sixth to first with some solid pitching to capture his second TU West title... the first came in 2006... they trailed Bay St. Clair by 4 games at the halfway mark... Arlon caught fire and past them with a great September... The Champs sported the best staff in the division with a 3.49 team ERA (8th) and the second-best defense with a good .976 FA... Offensively Arlon was not so good with a .249 BA (25th)... The Champs solid starting rotation consisted of Hubie Croft (19-1 3.78), All-Star Armando Cruz (16-16 2.99) and Happy McManus (10-7 2.89) as the top 3... Louis' bullpen was outstanding with closer Johnny Rabelais (5-5 1.28), who notched 38 saves, which tied Coorain Janama of Tuckanarra for the most in IPA history... Janama set the mark in 2008... Arlon had three capable batters in LF Rocco Belasario (.278/28/85/94), RF Chucky Gilton (.287/27/87/84) and CF Charley Turner (.285/7/51/98).

The runner-up Kenwood Wildcats (81-74) of Aaron Hankins fell short by one game and a couple of runs... The Wildcats came on strong in August and September and caught up with Arlon, but were edged out in the decisive playoff game... Kenwood was pretty much like Arlon with good pitching and poor offense... Hankins' hurlers put up a credible 3.64 ERA (15th) with a weak .245 BA (30th)... Defensively the Wildcats were good with a .976 mark... Hankins had a solid core of starters, led by All-Star Todd Combs (19-14 2.26), Nick DeVille (14-13 3.79) and Denny Yarrow (19-15 4.04)... in the bullpen closer Fred Kimball (6-8 2.65) did a fine job with 31 saves... Most of Kenwood's offensive punch was supplied by RF Jimmy Brewer (.253/24/70/71), LF Dennis Riley (.257/19/66/56), 2B Paul Lassak (.286/18/53/72) and CF Dayton Walker (.301/2/44/54).

The third-place Chicopee Braves (80-74) came within an eyelash of the top spot in the TU West standings this season, just 1.5 games behind... Skipper Harry Blackfoot possessed good pitching with a 3.59 team ERA (13th), but could have used some better bats... The Braves batted only .253 (20th) with 136 roundtrippers (17th - tied)... Chicopee's top performers were pitcher Des Quartermain (22-12 2.84) and C Ivan Burkholder (.301/28/101/80)... 1B Robby Maynard (.313/13/61/49) started strong and made the All-Star team, but chilled off in the hot months of the season... Maynard led the league with a .381 mark at midseason, but dipped to .313 by year's end.

Three clubs were tied for fourth place, only 4.5 games back in the race... Bay St. Clair, Bayview and Denton City all registered 77-77 seasons... The Bucs stumbled down the stretch after leading at midseason... Both the Vikings and the Redbirds had good second halves... Bay St. Clair is piloted by Guy Rondre... The Buccaneers hit well with a .264 batting average, scored well with 736 runs (7th), but are dreadful when it comes to pitching... They had a 4.12 ERA (24th)... at the plate 2B Jimmy Sawyer (.290/22/101/102), All-Star LF Bruno DiPirro (.318/15/81/99) and 1B Gerry Fields (.262/26/94/76) led the way... All-Star SS Kelly Wright (.280/12/80/63) peaked at mid-year... Rondre's top twirlers were Duke DeVree (15-13 3.33), Norm Gross (16-13 4.02), Dean Dailey (16-13 3.91) and closer Sean Lawrence (7-8 2.29) with 20 saved games.

Walter Johanssen had a bunch of bombers in Bayview... The Vikings exploded for 202 homers to lead the entire IPA, but didn't have the pitching to go with it... The mound corps registered a mediocre 4.12 team ERA (24th)... Rookie Rick Pritchard (10-3 3.38) joined the team in June and sparkled thereafter... Norm Roy (15-15 4.01), Manny Tettelbach (15-19 3.53) and Tony Vardaman (16-16 4.30) were inconsistent starters... However Johanssen had 7 players with 17 or more home runs, sparked by RF Russ Murphy (.297/33/92/103), All-Star 3B Karl Benson (.309/23/92/86), All-Star CF Tommy Riddle (.286/23/86/85), 1B Mickey Quinn (.230/33/82/70), LF Kelton Carpenter (.307/29/69/59), SS Dan Conroy (.298/21/61/86) and C Joe Lootah (.275/17/54/58).

Denton City, which had won the TU West the last four years, had a very disappointing first half and floundered way under .500 and were next-to-last in the division... Very poor pitching cost the Redbirds another possible division crown... Ford Whiteman's staff could only manage a 4.18 ERA (25th)... last year it was a fine 3.42 ERA... But Whiteman had the bats with an impressive .276 BA (3rd) and 172 home runs (5th)... his Redbirds topped the TU with 813 runs (1st)... Denton City's attack were paced by All-Star 3B Jay Petit (.316/31/106/101), 1B Mick Abbott (.263/19/88/94), RF Ted Wagner (.284/26/85/70), SS Trevor Tomlinson (.285/18/73/96) and CF Rod MacCormack (.281/78/99)... on the hill the great Mila Mohoski was 17-16 with a solid 3.05 ERA, while Roger Ramsey posted a 20-8 mark with a 3.64 ERA... Mohoski has won 208 games in his 11-year career... He and Cody Burg of Cape Coral are tied for the most career IPA victories.

For the 12th consecutive year the La Claire Lynx will miss the playoffs... Rip Calkin's club ran a good race this year and had four All-Stars, but still wound up seventh, but just 7.5 games out... The Lynx have decent hitting with a .262 average (10th), but come up short with a 4.11 ERA (23rd)... All-Star Rick Novronski (21-15 3.39) was the club ace with help from Bernie Halsey (18-12 3.80)... top bats belonged to All-Star LF Zeppy Deshotel (.281/26/101/98), All-Star 2B Dale Pace (.302/13/46/84) and 3B Luis Marquez (.301/14/87/82)... C Maka Bardinda (.266/12/62/47) also made the All-Star squad.

The Rolling Hills Reds (70-84) have not made the playoffs since their first two IPA seasons in 2002 and 2003... This year Matty Christianson's Reds ended up in the basement, 11.5 games behind pennant-winning Arlon... Rolling Hills has mediocre hitting and pitching... they compiled a .254 BA (21st) with a 3.94 ERA (19th)... Mound leaders were Toshiharu Ito (19-16 3.60) and Clem Boutte (14-19 3.30)... in the batter's box it was CF Donnie Lewis (.300/5/64/83), SS Bobby Farias (.252/13/83/88) and 3B Clay Hoffman (.274/24/78/68) putting up the best numbers.

06-26-2010, 07:11 PM	#1760
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,894	The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 17, 2012 2012 Tycobbian West Final Recap Arlon Triumphs In TU West, Takes 6-Team Tussle Going into the last two weeks of the Tycobbian West, six teams were tightly bunched with a chance to take the crown. The Arlon Champions survived by edging the Kenwood Wildcats 5-4 in 10 innings in a one-game playoff and copped the title by one game. The Chicopee Braves were only 1.5 games back in the third spot. There was a 3-way tie for fourth place between Bay St. Clair, Bayview and Denton City, all only 4.5 games off the pace. In seventh place were the Luxora Zorros, 7.5 games behind with last place going to the Rolling Hills Reds, who finished 11.5 games out. No one can explain it, but for the last few seasons the Arlon Champs (82-73) only play well in even years... Manager Gary Louis jumped his club from sixth to first with some solid pitching to capture his second TU West title... the first came in 2006... they trailed Bay St. Clair by 4 games at the halfway mark... Arlon caught fire and past them with a great September... The Champs sported the best staff in the division with a 3.49 team ERA (8th) and the second-best defense with a good .976 FA... Offensively Arlon was not so good with a .249 BA (25th)... The Champs solid starting rotation consisted of Hubie Croft (19-1 3.78), All-Star Armando Cruz (16-16 2.99) and Happy McManus (10-7 2.89) as the top 3... Louis' bullpen was outstanding with closer Johnny Rabelais (5-5 1.28), who notched 38 saves, which tied Coorain Janama of Tuckanarra for the most in IPA history... Janama set the mark in 2008... Arlon had three capable batters in LF Rocco Belasario (.278/28/85/94), RF Chucky Gilton (.287/27/87/84) and CF Charley Turner (.285/7/51/98). The runner-up Kenwood Wildcats (81-74) of Aaron Hankins fell short by one game and a couple of runs... The Wildcats came on strong in August and September and caught up with Arlon, but were edged out in the decisive playoff game... Kenwood was pretty much like Arlon with good pitching and poor offense... Hankins' hurlers put up a credible 3.64 ERA (15th) with a weak .245 BA (30th)... Defensively the Wildcats were good with a .976 mark... Hankins had a solid core of starters, led by All-Star Todd Combs (19-14 2.26), Nick DeVille (14-13 3.79) and Denny Yarrow (19-15 4.04)... in the bullpen closer Fred Kimball (6-8 2.65) did a fine job with 31 saves... Most of Kenwood's offensive punch was supplied by RF Jimmy Brewer (.253/24/70/71), LF Dennis Riley (.257/19/66/56), 2B Paul Lassak (.286/18/53/72) and CF Dayton Walker (.301/2/44/54). The third-place Chicopee Braves (80-74) came within an eyelash of the top spot in the TU West standings this season, just 1.5 games behind... Skipper Harry Blackfoot possessed good pitching with a 3.59 team ERA (13th), but could have used some better bats... The Braves batted only .253 (20th) with 136 roundtrippers (17th - tied)... Chicopee's top performers were pitcher Des Quartermain (22-12 2.84) and C Ivan Burkholder (.301/28/101/80)... 1B Robby Maynard (.313/13/61/49) started strong and made the All-Star team, but chilled off in the hot months of the season... Maynard led the league with a .381 mark at midseason, but dipped to .313 by year's end. Three clubs were tied for fourth place, only 4.5 games back in the race... Bay St. Clair, Bayview and Denton City all registered 77-77 seasons... The Bucs stumbled down the stretch after leading at midseason... Both the Vikings and the Redbirds had good second halves... Bay St. Clair is piloted by Guy Rondre... The Buccaneers hit well with a .264 batting average, scored well with 736 runs (7th), but are dreadful when it comes to pitching... They had a 4.12 ERA (24th)... at the plate 2B Jimmy Sawyer (.290/22/101/102), All-Star LF Bruno DiPirro (.318/15/81/99) and 1B Gerry Fields (.262/26/94/76) led the way... All-Star SS Kelly Wright (.280/12/80/63) peaked at mid-year... Rondre's top twirlers were Duke DeVree (15-13 3.33), Norm Gross (16-13 4.02), Dean Dailey (16-13 3.91) and closer Sean Lawrence (7-8 2.29) with 20 saved games. Walter Johanssen had a bunch of bombers in Bayview... The Vikings exploded for 202 homers to lead the entire IPA, but didn't have the pitching to go with it... The mound corps registered a mediocre 4.12 team ERA (24th)... Rookie Rick Pritchard (10-3 3.38) joined the team in June and sparkled thereafter... Norm Roy (15-15 4.01), Manny Tettelbach (15-19 3.53) and Tony Vardaman (16-16 4.30) were inconsistent starters... However Johanssen had 7 players with 17 or more home runs, sparked by RF Russ Murphy (.297/33/92/103), All-Star 3B Karl Benson (.309/23/92/86), All-Star CF Tommy Riddle (.286/23/86/85), 1B Mickey Quinn (.230/33/82/70), LF Kelton Carpenter (.307/29/69/59), SS Dan Conroy (.298/21/61/86) and C Joe Lootah (.275/17/54/58). Denton City, which had won the TU West the last four years, had a very disappointing first half and floundered way under .500 and were next-to-last in the division... Very poor pitching cost the Redbirds another possible division crown... Ford Whiteman's staff could only manage a 4.18 ERA (25th)... last year it was a fine 3.42 ERA... But Whiteman had the bats with an impressive .276 BA (3rd) and 172 home runs (5th)... his Redbirds topped the TU with 813 runs (1st)... Denton City's attack were paced by All-Star 3B Jay Petit (.316/31/106/101), 1B Mick Abbott (.263/19/88/94), RF Ted Wagner (.284/26/85/70), SS Trevor Tomlinson (.285/18/73/96) and CF Rod MacCormack (.281/78/99)... on the hill the great Mila Mohoski was 17-16 with a solid 3.05 ERA, while Roger Ramsey posted a 20-8 mark with a 3.64 ERA... Mohoski has won 208 games in his 11-year career... He and Cody Burg of Cape Coral are tied for the most career IPA victories. For the 12th consecutive year the La Claire Lynx will miss the playoffs... Rip Calkin's club ran a good race this year and had four All-Stars, but still wound up seventh, but just 7.5 games out... The Lynx have decent hitting with a .262 average (10th), but come up short with a 4.11 ERA (23rd)... All-Star Rick Novronski (21-15 3.39) was the club ace with help from Bernie Halsey (18-12 3.80)... top bats belonged to All-Star LF Zeppy Deshotel (.281/26/101/98), All-Star 2B Dale Pace (.302/13/46/84) and 3B Luis Marquez (.301/14/87/82)... C Maka Bardinda (.266/12/62/47) also made the All-Star squad. The Rolling Hills Reds (70-84) have not made the playoffs since their first two IPA seasons in 2002 and 2003... This year Matty Christianson's Reds ended up in the basement, 11.5 games behind pennant-winning Arlon... Rolling Hills has mediocre hitting and pitching... they compiled a .254 BA (21st) with a 3.94 ERA (19th)... Mound leaders were Toshiharu Ito (19-16 3.60) and Clem Boutte (14-19 3.30)... in the batter's box it was CF Donnie Lewis (.300/5/64/83), SS Bobby Farias (.252/13/83/88) and 3B Clay Hoffman (.274/24/78/68) putting up the best numbers.