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

Eugene Church · 08-21-2010, 05:36 PM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Midway Staves Off Tucks in TU East
The Midway Wolves got hot as the weather in July and August to outlast favored Tuckanarra in the Tycobbian East pennant chase by 4 games. This was the Wolves first division title and will be their first postseason appearance ever. Midway has never made the playoffs in its 13-year IPA history. Third place went to the high-powered High Mesa Cowboys, who were 9 games behind with fourth going to the Red Bluff Red Sox, who trailed by 11 games.

Cochise Chandler's Midway Wolves (94-60) have excellent pitching, very good power and adequate scoring... They unexpectedly overtook the defending division champs Tuckanarra shortly after the All-Star game and never relinquished it, although the Blue Jays did make one last ditch run after it was pretty much too late to catch the Wolves... It's hard to beat a team with a 3.23 ERA (1st), 191 homers (1st), four good starters in its rotation and a super bullpen... Chandler's four starters were Motega Wolf (20-11 2.86), Sherm Jarvis (21-13 2.96), Johnny Parker (12-9 2.87) and Mark Bright (14-13 3.92)... Closer Dom Vilaggio (8-6 1.93) had 34 saves and lots of help from middle reliever Lloyd Tatote (6-0 2.33)... CF Johnny Lee topped the hitters with a .328 average, 32 homers, 84 RBIs and 99 runs... LF Dylan Stevenson has a solid season with a .299 BA, 25 roundtrippers, 92 RBIs and 100 runs scored.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (90-64) have nothing to be ashamed of... they played like champs, but came up 4 games short... Midway just played better... Manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens had a strong mound corps with a 3.39 ERA (4th)... His top twirlers were Titus Bristow (17-10 2.60), Delaney Elliott (19-14 3.08), Yuka Nawajuk (19-8 3.32) and Roy Spence (15-10 3.48)... Stevens has a very reliable bullpen, too... closer Stephen Eubarinja slipped some with a 4-8 mark, but chalked up 29 saves with a 2.37 ERA... Bristow did miss the last month of the season with a back injury... He was a crucial loss... Batting-wise Tuckanarra was the best in the TU with a .278 mark and third in scoring... Tucks top bats were RF Danny Redd (.335/16/93/108), CF Earl O'Brien (.307/19/97/136) and 1B Erik Vayda (.299/15/117/85)... the Blue Jays were also good with the gloves with a standout .978 FA (3rd-tied).

The third place High Mesa Cowboys (85-69) of Frisky Franks had another good season, but they were 9 games off the pace... The Cowpokes are blessed with a tremendous young player... 1B Jack Elliott has been a big part of the team's success the last two years... Elliott broke the IPA home run mark last year with 61 and won every major award... It was a tough year to follow, but he came through with a .341 BA, 52 homers, 141 RBIs and scored 129 runs... Elliott missed out on the Triple Crown by just 2 points... Arroyo Grande SS Andy Pearson edged him out for the bat title with a .344 average... Elliott topped the TU in homers and RBIs... RF Darrel Alston (.260/33/84) and SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.298/22/83/80) also helped out at the plate... on the hill High Mesa had a fair group of starters, considering that have to pitch in Queen Ranch Stadium, the smallest park in the IPA... Overall the team ERA was a skyhigh 4.69 (31st)... Franks rotation consisted of Kent Wells (19-17 3.48), Johnny Falcon (18-12 4.59) and John Rainer (17-11 4.98)... Closer Ed Galiano saved 34 games with a 3.13 ERA and a 4-8 record.

In Red Bluff (83-71), Mack Connery needs more scoring and another starter or two to really challenge for the TU East flag... The Red Sox were fourth this year and were 11 games behind first place Midway... Jim Melanakos at age 38 won 20 games for the third time in his solid career (181-139)... Melanakos was 21-9 this season with a 3.05 ERA... Dependable John Dougherty put up an 18-16 mark with a 3.67 ERA... Lifetime Dougherty is 184-155... Red Bluff has some crackerjack bats in 1B Tommy Klegg (.275/45/126/97), LF Bryan Wessels (.291/27/74/111) and SS Jose Aguilar (.286/20/69/104)... Klegg ran into the hot days of summer and cooled off... He had 32 homers at mid-year and ended up with 45... in all the Red Sox walloped 166 out of the park and ranked 11th... Connery has one of the best fielding squads in the IPA with a .981 FA (1st-tied).

It was a second consecutive fifth-place finish for the Ozarka Naturals (82-72)... Joe Mac Carney's club had won three pennants in a row in 2010-2012... This year they ran 12 games behind in the race... The Nats still have talent on the team with 3B Nathan Ferrell (.309/29/108/109), 2B Todd Chadwick (.280/27/113/113) and LF Vic Weinstein (.310/22/74/118)... Carney needs help on the hill... He has some workhorses in Dana Channing (21-10 3.99), Phil Britt (17-12 3.97), Wally Haren (16-13 3.97) and Eddie Roberts (13-18 3.89)... 25-year-old Roberts is 66-45 in his four seasons, but had a down year this year.

The South Fork Stallions (72-82) have been sixth for two seasons in a row after two years as the runner-up to Tuckanarra... Pitching and lack of hitting has been the main issues for manager Deloche "Lips" Leon... He's still waiting for Blackie Terranova to regained some of the form when Terranova led the club to the Pro Cup finals in 2012 with a brilliant 25-6 season and a great 2.56 ERA... Terranova won the TU MVP and Golden Arm awards that year... this year Terranova was 15-19 with a 3.49 ERA... Bill Branch was the best Stallion starter with a 17-16 mark and 3.19 ERA... Spot starter and reliever Steffi Croetzer was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA... at the plate CF Robby Michael (.323/22/89/85) and 1B Joe Peters (.291/23/79/75) led the way.

Still no postseason, no first division and no winning season for the seventh place Hillsboro Blazers (68-86) and skipper Arky Sanderson... It's been that way for 13 seasons now with no end in sight... They were 26 games out this year... The Blazers hit only .246 (31st) and were last in scoring... on the mound Sanderson's staff is average with a 3.83 ERA (14th)... 24-year-old Pat Buettner (15-19 3.51) and 27-year-old Tom Edgar (12-22 3.31) give Hillsboro hope for better years in the future... Second year 1B Andy Jefferson (.304/31/93) shows good promise, too.

The East Point Panthers (54-100) were the worst team in the IPA this season... They ended up 40 games out of first place... They don't hit very well except for home runs, which is courtesy of a small ballpark... The Panthers pounded 168 out (9th), but batted only .254 (26th)... manager Griff Clarke has even worse pitching with a 4.97 ERA (32nd)... top bats are 2B Jesse Goodwin (.281/40/99/95), CF Joey Olson (.273/23/90/75) and 39-year-old LF Karl Dietz (.245/30/71/65)... best on the mound is 21-year-old Bingo Long, who dipped to 11-22 in his sophomore season with a 4.00 ERA, down from 17-14 and 2.65 a year ago in a great rookie season.

08-21-2010, 05:36 PM	#1914
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,804 Blog Entries: 1	The Islandian Times Tuesday, September 23, 2014 Midway Staves Off Tucks in TU East The Midway Wolves got hot as the weather in July and August to outlast favored Tuckanarra in the Tycobbian East pennant chase by 4 games. This was the Wolves first division title and will be their first postseason appearance ever. Midway has never made the playoffs in its 13-year IPA history. Third place went to the high-powered High Mesa Cowboys, who were 9 games behind with fourth going to the Red Bluff Red Sox, who trailed by 11 games. Cochise Chandler's Midway Wolves (94-60) have excellent pitching, very good power and adequate scoring... They unexpectedly overtook the defending division champs Tuckanarra shortly after the All-Star game and never relinquished it, although the Blue Jays did make one last ditch run after it was pretty much too late to catch the Wolves... It's hard to beat a team with a 3.23 ERA (1st), 191 homers (1st), four good starters in its rotation and a super bullpen... Chandler's four starters were Motega Wolf (20-11 2.86), Sherm Jarvis (21-13 2.96), Johnny Parker (12-9 2.87) and Mark Bright (14-13 3.92)... Closer Dom Vilaggio (8-6 1.93) had 34 saves and lots of help from middle reliever Lloyd Tatote (6-0 2.33)... CF Johnny Lee topped the hitters with a .328 average, 32 homers, 84 RBIs and 99 runs... LF Dylan Stevenson has a solid season with a .299 BA, 25 roundtrippers, 92 RBIs and 100 runs scored. The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (90-64) have nothing to be ashamed of... they played like champs, but came up 4 games short... Midway just played better... Manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens had a strong mound corps with a 3.39 ERA (4th)... His top twirlers were Titus Bristow (17-10 2.60), Delaney Elliott (19-14 3.08), Yuka Nawajuk (19-8 3.32) and Roy Spence (15-10 3.48)... Stevens has a very reliable bullpen, too... closer Stephen Eubarinja slipped some with a 4-8 mark, but chalked up 29 saves with a 2.37 ERA... Bristow did miss the last month of the season with a back injury... He was a crucial loss... Batting-wise Tuckanarra was the best in the TU with a .278 mark and third in scoring... Tucks top bats were RF Danny Redd (.335/16/93/108), CF Earl O'Brien (.307/19/97/136) and 1B Erik Vayda (.299/15/117/85)... the Blue Jays were also good with the gloves with a standout .978 FA (3rd-tied). The third place High Mesa Cowboys (85-69) of Frisky Franks had another good season, but they were 9 games off the pace... The Cowpokes are blessed with a tremendous young player... 1B Jack Elliott has been a big part of the team's success the last two years... Elliott broke the IPA home run mark last year with 61 and won every major award... It was a tough year to follow, but he came through with a .341 BA, 52 homers, 141 RBIs and scored 129 runs... Elliott missed out on the Triple Crown by just 2 points... Arroyo Grande SS Andy Pearson edged him out for the bat title with a .344 average... Elliott topped the TU in homers and RBIs... RF Darrel Alston (.260/33/84) and SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.298/22/83/80) also helped out at the plate... on the hill High Mesa had a fair group of starters, considering that have to pitch in Queen Ranch Stadium, the smallest park in the IPA... Overall the team ERA was a skyhigh 4.69 (31st)... Franks rotation consisted of Kent Wells (19-17 3.48), Johnny Falcon (18-12 4.59) and John Rainer (17-11 4.98)... Closer Ed Galiano saved 34 games with a 3.13 ERA and a 4-8 record. In Red Bluff (83-71), Mack Connery needs more scoring and another starter or two to really challenge for the TU East flag... The Red Sox were fourth this year and were 11 games behind first place Midway... Jim Melanakos at age 38 won 20 games for the third time in his solid career (181-139)... Melanakos was 21-9 this season with a 3.05 ERA... Dependable John Dougherty put up an 18-16 mark with a 3.67 ERA... Lifetime Dougherty is 184-155... Red Bluff has some crackerjack bats in 1B Tommy Klegg (.275/45/126/97), LF Bryan Wessels (.291/27/74/111) and SS Jose Aguilar (.286/20/69/104)... Klegg ran into the hot days of summer and cooled off... He had 32 homers at mid-year and ended up with 45... in all the Red Sox walloped 166 out of the park and ranked 11th... Connery has one of the best fielding squads in the IPA with a .981 FA (1st-tied). It was a second consecutive fifth-place finish for the Ozarka Naturals (82-72)... Joe Mac Carney's club had won three pennants in a row in 2010-2012... This year they ran 12 games behind in the race... The Nats still have talent on the team with 3B Nathan Ferrell (.309/29/108/109), 2B Todd Chadwick (.280/27/113/113) and LF Vic Weinstein (.310/22/74/118)... Carney needs help on the hill... He has some workhorses in Dana Channing (21-10 3.99), Phil Britt (17-12 3.97), Wally Haren (16-13 3.97) and Eddie Roberts (13-18 3.89)... 25-year-old Roberts is 66-45 in his four seasons, but had a down year this year. The South Fork Stallions (72-82) have been sixth for two seasons in a row after two years as the runner-up to Tuckanarra... Pitching and lack of hitting has been the main issues for manager Deloche "Lips" Leon... He's still waiting for Blackie Terranova to regained some of the form when Terranova led the club to the Pro Cup finals in 2012 with a brilliant 25-6 season and a great 2.56 ERA... Terranova won the TU MVP and Golden Arm awards that year... this year Terranova was 15-19 with a 3.49 ERA... Bill Branch was the best Stallion starter with a 17-16 mark and 3.19 ERA... Spot starter and reliever Steffi Croetzer was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA... at the plate CF Robby Michael (.323/22/89/85) and 1B Joe Peters (.291/23/79/75) led the way. Still no postseason, no first division and no winning season for the seventh place Hillsboro Blazers (68-86) and skipper Arky Sanderson... It's been that way for 13 seasons now with no end in sight... They were 26 games out this year... The Blazers hit only .246 (31st) and were last in scoring... on the mound Sanderson's staff is average with a 3.83 ERA (14th)... 24-year-old Pat Buettner (15-19 3.51) and 27-year-old Tom Edgar (12-22 3.31) give Hillsboro hope for better years in the future... Second year 1B Andy Jefferson (.304/31/93) shows good promise, too. The East Point Panthers (54-100) were the worst team in the IPA this season... They ended up 40 games out of first place... They don't hit very well except for home runs, which is courtesy of a small ballpark... The Panthers pounded 168 out (9th), but batted only .254 (26th)... manager Griff Clarke has even worse pitching with a 4.97 ERA (32nd)... top bats are 2B Jesse Goodwin (.281/40/99/95), CF Joey Olson (.273/23/90/75) and 39-year-old LF Karl Dietz (.245/30/71/65)... best on the mound is 21-year-old Bingo Long, who dipped to 11-22 in his sophomore season with a 4.00 ERA, down from 17-14 and 2.65 a year ago in a great rookie season.