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

Eugene Church · 07-24-2010, 02:30 PM

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

DC Redbirds Win Close TU West
Denton City had a close race in the crowded Tycobbian West, but the Redbirds regained the crown after a missing out last year. Denton City fought off spunky Chicopee by 2 games, Kenwood by 3 and the defending champ Arlon Champions by 4 games. It was the Redbirds 5th title in 6 years. Last season they dipped to fourth place, but were only 4.5 games away from winning it.

Team Rankings

Batting Average
1. Denton City .267
1. La Claire .267
3. Bayview .262
4. Kenwood .261

Home Runs
1. Bayview 194
2. La Claire 171
3. Bay St. Clair 168
4. Denton City 164

Runs
1. Bayview 761
2. Denton City 759
3. La Claire 746
4. Rolling Hills 705

ERA
1. Chicopee 3.44
2. Denton City 3.90
3. Arlon 3.92
4. Kenwood 4.01

Fielding Average
1. Arlon .979
1. Kenwood .979
3. Bay St. Clair .976
3. Chicopee .976

Manager Ford Whiteman has had great success in Denton City (83-71) with a well-rounded ballclub. He usually has above-average pitching and hitting, a good formula for winning. The Redbirds have racked up 6 pennants so far. 2013 was another fine season with a rookie the key element. 22-year-old rookie right-hander Jeff Russell crafted a sensational 21-9 record with a 2.90 ERA to almost single-handedly lead them to the title. Without Russell the team would have been in trouble. Long-time star Mila Mohoski was only 16-18 this season with a 3.49 ERA. Mohoski has been 224-154 in his 12 years in the IPA and has four 20-win seasons. Good hitting also played an important part. Whiteman's top bats were veterans RF Lavon Gooch (.317/23/97/80), 1B Mick Abbott (.263/20/96/77) and LF Rod MacCormack (.291/23/70/82), along with rookie C Pete Gibbs (.300/16/69/84).

The second-place Chicopee Braves (81-73) made a late-season charge with an 11-3 record in September and almost caught Denton City. Chicopee has never made the postseason in its 12-year history. They have come very close the last two seasons, falling short by 1.5 games in 2012 and 2 games this year. Manager Harry Fleetfoot has crafted a fine mound staff consisting of solid veterans like Desmond Quartermain (20-12 2.21), Tommy Ruffin (17-9 3.06) and Bill Branch (12-8 3.46). Closer Rich Taylor also sparkled in relief with 30 saves and a 7-5 record and 3.23 ERA. The Braves big shortcoming was its offense. They hit only .256 as a team and had difficulty scoring. Fleetfoot's best producers were C Ivan Burkholder (.288/28/92/81) and RF Matty McDermott (.308/8/57/86/32 SB), who hasn't a fulltime spot on four other teams in the last seven years. Fleetfoot gave him a shot at right field and McDermott did the job in the field, on the basepaths and with the bat. A better attack would have given the Braves the title hands down.

The Kenwood Wildcats (80-74) contended with Denton City the entire year, but flopped badly in September with a 3-11 mark and dipped to third place, 4 games off the pace. Manager Aaron Hankins has really come close to winning the last three seasons, finishing second in 2011 and 2012. Last year Kenwood missed out on the pennant in a single-game playoff loss to champion Arlon. The Wildcats lost a heartbreaking 6-5 game. Hankins' strength is three effective starters, headed up by Todd Combs (18-16 3.20), Sammy Shaw (18-15 3.15) and Denny Yarrow (16-13 4.06). Kenwood suffered from a lack of offense like Chicopee. What little it had came from 1B Duncan Renwick (.289/10/49/88/34 SB) and RF Jimmy Brewer (.301/20/75/63).

Defending champion Arlon (79-75) couldn't hit either and wound up in fourth and 4 games back. The Champs batted an atrocious .241 this season and ranked last in the IPA. Pitchers Armando Cruz (16-12 3.22) and Johnny Rabelais (6-6 1.82) carried the club. Rabelais saved 39 games to set a new IPA record. Skipper Gary Louis' top bats were only so-so. Solid LF Rocco Belasario had another good season with 27 homers, 104 runs, 89 RBIs, 47 stolen bases, while batting .289. RF Chucky Gilton had an off-year with a mediocre .264 mark, but did hit 19 out of the park, batted in 83 and scored 60.

At the top of the TU West second division were the Bayview Vikings (76-78). Manager Walter Johanssen has a strong batting order, but is lacking on the mound, mainly in the bullpen. The offensive leaders for the power-hitting Viks are 3B Karl Benson (.303/31/99/91), SS Dan Conroy (.286/22/84/81), RF Tommy Riddle (.260/23/81/95) and LF Russ Murphy (.273/24/72/60). Alltogether the team clubbed 194 roundtrippers and were tops in the division and 3rd best in the TU. Downtown Plaza Stadium is a tough place to pitch - it is a hitter's ballpark. However, Johanssen has some quality arms in Norm Roy (17-15 3.94), Rick Pritchard (17-14 4.15) and Manny Tettelbach (16-18 3.74). Closer Neil Hilton is the best in the bullpen by far. He was 4-5 on the year with 26 saves and a good 3.08 ERA.

It's been 8 long years since the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (71-83) had a taste of the postseason. Manager Guy Rondre guided them to a poor sixth spot in the standings, 12 games out of first. His top performers are talented veteran 1B Gerry Fields, who has one of his best years with a .323 batting average, 41 homers and 114 RBIs, SS Jimmy Sawyer (.295/26/85/73), 3B Ryan Sanders (.306/17/65/86) and rookie 2B Bud Walker (.287/4/40/92/30 SB).

The La Claire Lynx (66-88) have never made the postseason in its 13-year history and have been in the second division 10 times. 2013 was a usual season for the seventh-place Lynx, 17 games off the pace. Rip Calkin's ballclub had some potent hitters, led by the gifted CF Zeppy Deshotel, who batted .350 with 44 home runs, 125 RBIs, stole 41 bases and scored 112 times in marvelous season. Deshotel is 30-years-old and has a career .312 batting average in his 9 seasons with the Lynx. Deshotel should top the 1000-mark milestone in RBIs and runs in the coming year. He had plenty of support from rookie 3B Flash Devlin (.325/26/94/113/17 SB), SS Bob Steitz (.302/14/67/101/19 SB) and RF Taro Nakanishi, who slammed 32 into the stands, drove in 105 runs, but batted only .237. Calkin has a few good pitchers, led by Nick Pilsner (16-9 3.79) and long-time vet Doug Lyons (12-13 3.48), who is still a quality pitcher at age 39 and 13 years in the league. Lyons is 171-163 in his career.

The Rolling Hills Reds (65-89) has another bad year and ended up in the cellar for the second year in a row. Manager Matty Christianson's club trailed by 18 games. Not much to say about the Reds. Terrible pitching and poor hitting says it all. Christianson's top players were 3B Clay Hoffman (.293/30/110/73) and CF Donnie Lewis (.318/15/74/106/32 SB), both very reliable and consistent ballplayers. The Reds top pitcher was their steady closer Barney Kearns, who notched 28 saves with a 6-5 mark and great 2.26 ERA in 56 game appearances. Rolling Hills fans were excited this year as they drafted one of the top prospects in the Islands, power pitcher Nuke LaLoosh, who had dominated batters in high school and college. However, it was a tough freshman year for him. LaLoosh had his moments. He fanned 187 in 211 innings, but was only 11-17 with a 5.16 ERA. Another rookie, the unsung Sal Jordan, was the Reds best starter as he compiled a 12-12 record with a 3.83 ERA. Mid Towne Baseball Grounds, Rolling Hills ballfield, is a good place to hit for average, but tough to hit homers in. The outfielders have a lot of ground to cover.

07-24-2010, 02:30 PM	#1830
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,944	The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 17, 2013 DC Redbirds Win Close TU West Denton City had a close race in the crowded Tycobbian West, but the Redbirds regained the crown after a missing out last year. Denton City fought off spunky Chicopee by 2 games, Kenwood by 3 and the defending champ Arlon Champions by 4 games. It was the Redbirds 5th title in 6 years. Last season they dipped to fourth place, but were only 4.5 games away from winning it. Team Rankings Batting Average 1. Denton City .267 1. La Claire .267 3. Bayview .262 4. Kenwood .261 Home Runs 1. Bayview 194 2. La Claire 171 3. Bay St. Clair 168 4. Denton City 164 Runs 1. Bayview 761 2. Denton City 759 3. La Claire 746 4. Rolling Hills 705 ERA 1. Chicopee 3.44 2. Denton City 3.90 3. Arlon 3.92 4. Kenwood 4.01 Fielding Average 1. Arlon .979 1. Kenwood .979 3. Bay St. Clair .976 3. Chicopee .976 Manager Ford Whiteman has had great success in Denton City (83-71) with a well-rounded ballclub. He usually has above-average pitching and hitting, a good formula for winning. The Redbirds have racked up 6 pennants so far. 2013 was another fine season with a rookie the key element. 22-year-old rookie right-hander Jeff Russell crafted a sensational 21-9 record with a 2.90 ERA to almost single-handedly lead them to the title. Without Russell the team would have been in trouble. Long-time star Mila Mohoski was only 16-18 this season with a 3.49 ERA. Mohoski has been 224-154 in his 12 years in the IPA and has four 20-win seasons. Good hitting also played an important part. Whiteman's top bats were veterans RF Lavon Gooch (.317/23/97/80), 1B Mick Abbott (.263/20/96/77) and LF Rod MacCormack (.291/23/70/82), along with rookie C Pete Gibbs (.300/16/69/84). The second-place Chicopee Braves (81-73) made a late-season charge with an 11-3 record in September and almost caught Denton City. Chicopee has never made the postseason in its 12-year history. They have come very close the last two seasons, falling short by 1.5 games in 2012 and 2 games this year. Manager Harry Fleetfoot has crafted a fine mound staff consisting of solid veterans like Desmond Quartermain (20-12 2.21), Tommy Ruffin (17-9 3.06) and Bill Branch (12-8 3.46). Closer Rich Taylor also sparkled in relief with 30 saves and a 7-5 record and 3.23 ERA. The Braves big shortcoming was its offense. They hit only .256 as a team and had difficulty scoring. Fleetfoot's best producers were C Ivan Burkholder (.288/28/92/81) and RF Matty McDermott (.308/8/57/86/32 SB), who hasn't a fulltime spot on four other teams in the last seven years. Fleetfoot gave him a shot at right field and McDermott did the job in the field, on the basepaths and with the bat. A better attack would have given the Braves the title hands down. The Kenwood Wildcats (80-74) contended with Denton City the entire year, but flopped badly in September with a 3-11 mark and dipped to third place, 4 games off the pace. Manager Aaron Hankins has really come close to winning the last three seasons, finishing second in 2011 and 2012. Last year Kenwood missed out on the pennant in a single-game playoff loss to champion Arlon. The Wildcats lost a heartbreaking 6-5 game. Hankins' strength is three effective starters, headed up by Todd Combs (18-16 3.20), Sammy Shaw (18-15 3.15) and Denny Yarrow (16-13 4.06). Kenwood suffered from a lack of offense like Chicopee. What little it had came from 1B Duncan Renwick (.289/10/49/88/34 SB) and RF Jimmy Brewer (.301/20/75/63). Defending champion Arlon (79-75) couldn't hit either and wound up in fourth and 4 games back. The Champs batted an atrocious .241 this season and ranked last in the IPA. Pitchers Armando Cruz (16-12 3.22) and Johnny Rabelais (6-6 1.82) carried the club. Rabelais saved 39 games to set a new IPA record. Skipper Gary Louis' top bats were only so-so. Solid LF Rocco Belasario had another good season with 27 homers, 104 runs, 89 RBIs, 47 stolen bases, while batting .289. RF Chucky Gilton had an off-year with a mediocre .264 mark, but did hit 19 out of the park, batted in 83 and scored 60. At the top of the TU West second division were the Bayview Vikings (76-78). Manager Walter Johanssen has a strong batting order, but is lacking on the mound, mainly in the bullpen. The offensive leaders for the power-hitting Viks are 3B Karl Benson (.303/31/99/91), SS Dan Conroy (.286/22/84/81), RF Tommy Riddle (.260/23/81/95) and LF Russ Murphy (.273/24/72/60). Alltogether the team clubbed 194 roundtrippers and were tops in the division and 3rd best in the TU. Downtown Plaza Stadium is a tough place to pitch - it is a hitter's ballpark. However, Johanssen has some quality arms in Norm Roy (17-15 3.94), Rick Pritchard (17-14 4.15) and Manny Tettelbach (16-18 3.74). Closer Neil Hilton is the best in the bullpen by far. He was 4-5 on the year with 26 saves and a good 3.08 ERA. It's been 8 long years since the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (71-83) had a taste of the postseason. Manager Guy Rondre guided them to a poor sixth spot in the standings, 12 games out of first. His top performers are talented veteran 1B Gerry Fields, who has one of his best years with a .323 batting average, 41 homers and 114 RBIs, SS Jimmy Sawyer (.295/26/85/73), 3B Ryan Sanders (.306/17/65/86) and rookie 2B Bud Walker (.287/4/40/92/30 SB). The La Claire Lynx (66-88) have never made the postseason in its 13-year history and have been in the second division 10 times. 2013 was a usual season for the seventh-place Lynx, 17 games off the pace. Rip Calkin's ballclub had some potent hitters, led by the gifted CF Zeppy Deshotel, who batted .350 with 44 home runs, 125 RBIs, stole 41 bases and scored 112 times in marvelous season. Deshotel is 30-years-old and has a career .312 batting average in his 9 seasons with the Lynx. Deshotel should top the 1000-mark milestone in RBIs and runs in the coming year. He had plenty of support from rookie 3B Flash Devlin (.325/26/94/113/17 SB), SS Bob Steitz (.302/14/67/101/19 SB) and RF Taro Nakanishi, who slammed 32 into the stands, drove in 105 runs, but batted only .237. Calkin has a few good pitchers, led by Nick Pilsner (16-9 3.79) and long-time vet Doug Lyons (12-13 3.48), who is still a quality pitcher at age 39 and 13 years in the league. Lyons is 171-163 in his career. The Rolling Hills Reds (65-89) has another bad year and ended up in the cellar for the second year in a row. Manager Matty Christianson's club trailed by 18 games. Not much to say about the Reds. Terrible pitching and poor hitting says it all. Christianson's top players were 3B Clay Hoffman (.293/30/110/73) and CF Donnie Lewis (.318/15/74/106/32 SB), both very reliable and consistent ballplayers. The Reds top pitcher was their steady closer Barney Kearns, who notched 28 saves with a 6-5 mark and great 2.26 ERA in 56 game appearances. Rolling Hills fans were excited this year as they drafted one of the top prospects in the Islands, power pitcher Nuke LaLoosh, who had dominated batters in high school and college. However, it was a tough freshman year for him. LaLoosh had his moments. He fanned 187 in 211 innings, but was only 11-17 with a 5.16 ERA. Another rookie, the unsung Sal Jordan, was the Reds best starter as he compiled a 12-12 record with a 3.83 ERA. Mid Towne Baseball Grounds, Rolling Hills ballfield, is a good place to hit for average, but tough to hit homers in. The outfielders have a lot of ground to cover.