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Eugene Church · 02-26-2011, 10:43 PM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

2021 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap

AG Suns In 6-team Battle In TU South
There's a real good race on going down south in the Tycobbian South with six clubs in the swing of things, all playing over .500 baseball and all within 6 games of each other. Defending champ Arroyo Grande has a one-game lead over second place Southport at the All-Star game. Turon and revitalized San Alejo are two games back and tied for third. The Ginza Ninjas are a close fifth and only 3 games off the pace. Colchester is sixth and 6 games out.

Offense and firepower are fueling the first place Arroyo Grande Suns as usual and manager Cyclone Cobb has sufficient pitching to keep the club high in the standings... the Suns are 9th with a .265 BA, 5th in scoring and 2nd with 101 home runs... on the hill they are 15th with a 4.02 team ERA... keep in mind Capet Stadium is quite short down the lines and in the power alleys... All-Star pitcher Sixto Zamora (13-5 2.71) is the ace of the staff and is enjoying a remarkable season... closer Jason Patrick (0-3 2.95) has posted 16 saves thus far... Cobb's eyes light up when does the line-up card with the likes of All-Star Andy Pearson (.339/16 HR), All-Star C Gary Troxell (.298/20 HR), RF Buddy Bechtel (.289/17 HR), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.284/9 HR) and CF Johnny Whittier (.249/16 HR)... the Suns need good second halves from veteran starters Ernie Matthews (9-6 4.29) and Earl O'Reilly (7-7 4.34)... 27-year-old rookie Cesar De Leon has just been signed and will take over the number four slot in the rotation... De Leon comes highly-regarded by the scouts and could be another vital element in the pennant equation... if one of these pitcher step it up and help Zamora, the Suns will win in a breeze.

This is the year the Southport Sun Sox fans have been waiting almost 20 years for - a year where the Sun Sox are in serious contention for the TU South... they last made the Pro Cup playoffs in 2002... skipper Charley Oscar has good pitching with a 3.46 team ERA (4th) and good power with 88 roundtrippers (5th), average hitting with a .261 BA (15th) and fairly good scoring (11th-tied)... 22-year-old Al Laclair (10-6 2.71) and 36-year-old Bob Montgomery (7-5 2.77) give him two aces on the mound... and Southport has a good man in the bullpen in 24-year-old Rob Ricks (3-5 2.89), who has saved 10 games... the Sun Sox need improved second halves out of the other two starters 40-year-old Keith Callahan (5-1 4.22) and Tippy Ridgeway (7-6 4.14) to overtake Arroyo Grande... top bats are RF Wayne Rutledge (.302/15 HR), 2B Skippy Jones (.284/15 HR) and CF Mickey Little (.326/9 HR).

Whitey Richburn's Turon Typhoons are showing signs of aging, but they still can compete... they are tied with surprising San Alejo for third place and are just two games out of first place... Turon is a well-balance club with a 3.81 team ERA (10th) and a .264 team BA (10th)... the Typhoons have hit 77 homers (7th-tied) and are 7th in scoring... Heading up Richburn's rotation is superstar Nicky Engstrom (12-5 1.95), who made the All-Stars for the 8th time in his 11-year career and passed the 250-win milestone... the 32-year right-hander is now 251-107 lifetime in the IPA with an outrageously-low 2.20 ERA... vets Shane Farmer (4-9 4.54) and Ted Farentino (7-5 5.53) will have to be much better in the second half for Turon to overcome Arroyo Grande and Southport... at the plate Richburn relies on 1B Clyde Kingsford (.292/21 HR), RF Dominick DiCaprio (.278/14 HR), CF Mac McCurnan (.258/10 HR) and SS Alan Hansen (.335/0 HR)... Kingsford, DiCaprio and McCurnan are all 35, while Hansen is 40.

One of the best stories in the IPA this year is the revamped San Alejo Montaneros, who for the last 7 years have dwelt deep in the TU South dungeon - the cellar... however, a new manager Alberto Herrera and an infusion of youth has paid off with a sizzling season at the halfway mark... Herrera took over for Marcellino Zunigo this season... Herrera labored for 17 years on the hill for the Montaneros, finishing his career with a 203-250 record, but with a fine 3.30 ERA... He sparked San Alejo to two back-to-back pennants in 2002 and 2003 and retired in 2018... the Montaneros have not made the postseason for the last 14 years... San Alejo has fine pitching with a 3.45 team ERA (3rd)... its bullpen is the best in the league with a 2.14 ERA, led by closer Florencio Cortez (0-2) with 13 saves and a superlative 1.27 ERA... Herrera's top starters are Trini Corona (9-4 3.05) and rookie Jaime Miranda (10-6 4.17)... Cesar Valdes (5-1 2.70) has looked especially good since taking over the number four spot in May... the San Alejo bats have been productive, too... RF Lou Browning (.312/10 HR), LF Warren Love (.260/18 HR), 2B Tom Patton (.292/8 HR) and 1B Zach Kallis (.314/4 HR) are capable of putting runs on the scoreboard... We don't expect to see the Montaneros fade in the second half... they look like the real McCoy, a solid pennant contender.

This has been a remarkable season for Huroko Uchiyama's Ginza Ninjas... they have been without the heart-and-soul of the team, the superb C Crash Davis, who went down with a back injury late last year and will miss almost all of this year... Davis is an 8-time All-Star with a .330 career BA and has averaged 30 homers and 100 RBIs a year... Davis could be back in September... yet, the Ninjas have hung in the race, trailing by only 3 games in fifth place... Home-run power and two quality starters are the reason... Ginza is 4th with 89 home runs and 9th in scoring, paced by CF Augie Vitanza (.302/20 HR), All-Star RF Jack Vorland (.313/11 HR), SS Ralph Hart (.262/13 HR) and 1B Johnny O'Rourke (.313/10 HR)... the team ERA is only 4.25 (24th), but starters Joji Azuma (13-5 2.94) and Julian Gilcrist (10-5 3.94) are doing quite well... the bullpen has been horrible this season... newly-signed closer Yutaka Yoshida will try to turn things around in the second half... fifth place may be the best the Ninjas can do this year without Davis... Ginza has too many question marks to challenge this season... Boy, what a difference Davis would have made.

The sixth place Colchester Elites under manager Uncle Robbie Wilbertson are 3 games over .500 and are still within striking distance of first, only 6 games back... however, the Elites are playing above their talent and will not be a threat to take the TU South this year... Colchester pitching is pretty fair with a 3.65 ERA (7th), but they are only average in the offensive department with a .257 BA (20th) with only 62 homers (18th)... Wilbertson's best arms belong to Jess Carpenter (11-6 3.57) and Tommy Tuckman (7-3 3.79)... his best performers in the batter's box are RF Robby Purdom (.308/9 HR), 2B George Alford (.292/12 HR), 1B James McCall (.320/6 HR) and LF Douglas Tilford (.319/5 HR).

Seventh place belongs to the Summerland Sunsets... Will Hackett's club is 14 games behind Arroyo Grande... the Sunsets hit well for average with a .270 team BA (5th), but have difficulty scoring (16th-tied) with only 42 long-balls (30th)... starting pitching is bad with a 4.64 ERA, but quite good in the bullpen with a 3.10 (7th)... 41-year-old Denny Coulon (10-5 3.54) and Sparky DeWey (9-9 3.66) lead the starters and Leon Mullin (1-2 1.74) is the best of the relievers... Coulon is 323-294 in 20 years in the IPA and has put up an excellent 2.87 ERA lifetime... 2B Stefan De Graaf (.330/2 HR) heads up the hitters, along with RF Brady Gilbert (.309/4 HR), LF Claus Kaas (.291/8 HR) and SS Ed Demming (.290/3 HR).

For the fifth year in a row, once powerful Cape Coral is bound for another second-division finish... the Hurricanes are in last place and 17 games behind... Huggy Miller has horrible hitting (.228 BA) and bad pitching (4.44 ERA)... in fact, it's the worst in the team's history... the all-time IPA leader in victories Cody Burg is only 8-8 this season with a mediocre 4.36, but he is the team's best... overall in 20 seasons Burg is 358-257 with a great 2.77 ERA... CF Derek Ryckman tops the team, but only has 9 homers and a .252 batting average.

02-26-2011, 10:43 PM	#2382
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,944	The Islandian Times Tuesday, June 22, 2021 2021 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap AG Suns In 6-team Battle In TU South There's a real good race on going down south in the Tycobbian South with six clubs in the swing of things, all playing over .500 baseball and all within 6 games of each other. Defending champ Arroyo Grande has a one-game lead over second place Southport at the All-Star game. Turon and revitalized San Alejo are two games back and tied for third. The Ginza Ninjas are a close fifth and only 3 games off the pace. Colchester is sixth and 6 games out. Offense and firepower are fueling the first place Arroyo Grande Suns as usual and manager Cyclone Cobb has sufficient pitching to keep the club high in the standings... the Suns are 9th with a .265 BA, 5th in scoring and 2nd with 101 home runs... on the hill they are 15th with a 4.02 team ERA... keep in mind Capet Stadium is quite short down the lines and in the power alleys... All-Star pitcher Sixto Zamora (13-5 2.71) is the ace of the staff and is enjoying a remarkable season... closer Jason Patrick (0-3 2.95) has posted 16 saves thus far... Cobb's eyes light up when does the line-up card with the likes of All-Star Andy Pearson (.339/16 HR), All-Star C Gary Troxell (.298/20 HR), RF Buddy Bechtel (.289/17 HR), LF Eduardo Villanueva (.284/9 HR) and CF Johnny Whittier (.249/16 HR)... the Suns need good second halves from veteran starters Ernie Matthews (9-6 4.29) and Earl O'Reilly (7-7 4.34)... 27-year-old rookie Cesar De Leon has just been signed and will take over the number four slot in the rotation... De Leon comes highly-regarded by the scouts and could be another vital element in the pennant equation... if one of these pitcher step it up and help Zamora, the Suns will win in a breeze. This is the year the Southport Sun Sox fans have been waiting almost 20 years for - a year where the Sun Sox are in serious contention for the TU South... they last made the Pro Cup playoffs in 2002... skipper Charley Oscar has good pitching with a 3.46 team ERA (4th) and good power with 88 roundtrippers (5th), average hitting with a .261 BA (15th) and fairly good scoring (11th-tied)... 22-year-old Al Laclair (10-6 2.71) and 36-year-old Bob Montgomery (7-5 2.77) give him two aces on the mound... and Southport has a good man in the bullpen in 24-year-old Rob Ricks (3-5 2.89), who has saved 10 games... the Sun Sox need improved second halves out of the other two starters 40-year-old Keith Callahan (5-1 4.22) and Tippy Ridgeway (7-6 4.14) to overtake Arroyo Grande... top bats are RF Wayne Rutledge (.302/15 HR), 2B Skippy Jones (.284/15 HR) and CF Mickey Little (.326/9 HR). Whitey Richburn's Turon Typhoons are showing signs of aging, but they still can compete... they are tied with surprising San Alejo for third place and are just two games out of first place... Turon is a well-balance club with a 3.81 team ERA (10th) and a .264 team BA (10th)... the Typhoons have hit 77 homers (7th-tied) and are 7th in scoring... Heading up Richburn's rotation is superstar Nicky Engstrom (12-5 1.95), who made the All-Stars for the 8th time in his 11-year career and passed the 250-win milestone... the 32-year right-hander is now 251-107 lifetime in the IPA with an outrageously-low 2.20 ERA... vets Shane Farmer (4-9 4.54) and Ted Farentino (7-5 5.53) will have to be much better in the second half for Turon to overcome Arroyo Grande and Southport... at the plate Richburn relies on 1B Clyde Kingsford (.292/21 HR), RF Dominick DiCaprio (.278/14 HR), CF Mac McCurnan (.258/10 HR) and SS Alan Hansen (.335/0 HR)... Kingsford, DiCaprio and McCurnan are all 35, while Hansen is 40. One of the best stories in the IPA this year is the revamped San Alejo Montaneros, who for the last 7 years have dwelt deep in the TU South dungeon - the cellar... however, a new manager Alberto Herrera and an infusion of youth has paid off with a sizzling season at the halfway mark... Herrera took over for Marcellino Zunigo this season... Herrera labored for 17 years on the hill for the Montaneros, finishing his career with a 203-250 record, but with a fine 3.30 ERA... He sparked San Alejo to two back-to-back pennants in 2002 and 2003 and retired in 2018... the Montaneros have not made the postseason for the last 14 years... San Alejo has fine pitching with a 3.45 team ERA (3rd)... its bullpen is the best in the league with a 2.14 ERA, led by closer Florencio Cortez (0-2) with 13 saves and a superlative 1.27 ERA... Herrera's top starters are Trini Corona (9-4 3.05) and rookie Jaime Miranda (10-6 4.17)... Cesar Valdes (5-1 2.70) has looked especially good since taking over the number four spot in May... the San Alejo bats have been productive, too... RF Lou Browning (.312/10 HR), LF Warren Love (.260/18 HR), 2B Tom Patton (.292/8 HR) and 1B Zach Kallis (.314/4 HR) are capable of putting runs on the scoreboard... We don't expect to see the Montaneros fade in the second half... they look like the real McCoy, a solid pennant contender. This has been a remarkable season for Huroko Uchiyama's Ginza Ninjas... they have been without the heart-and-soul of the team, the superb C Crash Davis, who went down with a back injury late last year and will miss almost all of this year... Davis is an 8-time All-Star with a .330 career BA and has averaged 30 homers and 100 RBIs a year... Davis could be back in September... yet, the Ninjas have hung in the race, trailing by only 3 games in fifth place... Home-run power and two quality starters are the reason... Ginza is 4th with 89 home runs and 9th in scoring, paced by CF Augie Vitanza (.302/20 HR), All-Star RF Jack Vorland (.313/11 HR), SS Ralph Hart (.262/13 HR) and 1B Johnny O'Rourke (.313/10 HR)... the team ERA is only 4.25 (24th), but starters Joji Azuma (13-5 2.94) and Julian Gilcrist (10-5 3.94) are doing quite well... the bullpen has been horrible this season... newly-signed closer Yutaka Yoshida will try to turn things around in the second half... fifth place may be the best the Ninjas can do this year without Davis... Ginza has too many question marks to challenge this season... Boy, what a difference Davis would have made. The sixth place Colchester Elites under manager Uncle Robbie Wilbertson are 3 games over .500 and are still within striking distance of first, only 6 games back... however, the Elites are playing above their talent and will not be a threat to take the TU South this year... Colchester pitching is pretty fair with a 3.65 ERA (7th), but they are only average in the offensive department with a .257 BA (20th) with only 62 homers (18th)... Wilbertson's best arms belong to Jess Carpenter (11-6 3.57) and Tommy Tuckman (7-3 3.79)... his best performers in the batter's box are RF Robby Purdom (.308/9 HR), 2B George Alford (.292/12 HR), 1B James McCall (.320/6 HR) and LF Douglas Tilford (.319/5 HR). Seventh place belongs to the Summerland Sunsets... Will Hackett's club is 14 games behind Arroyo Grande... the Sunsets hit well for average with a .270 team BA (5th), but have difficulty scoring (16th-tied) with only 42 long-balls (30th)... starting pitching is bad with a 4.64 ERA, but quite good in the bullpen with a 3.10 (7th)... 41-year-old Denny Coulon (10-5 3.54) and Sparky DeWey (9-9 3.66) lead the starters and Leon Mullin (1-2 1.74) is the best of the relievers... Coulon is 323-294 in 20 years in the IPA and has put up an excellent 2.87 ERA lifetime... 2B Stefan De Graaf (.330/2 HR) heads up the hitters, along with RF Brady Gilbert (.309/4 HR), LF Claus Kaas (.291/8 HR) and SS Ed Demming (.290/3 HR). For the fifth year in a row, once powerful Cape Coral is bound for another second-division finish... the Hurricanes are in last place and 17 games behind... Huggy Miller has horrible hitting (.228 BA) and bad pitching (4.44 ERA)... in fact, it's the worst in the team's history... the all-time IPA leader in victories Cody Burg is only 8-8 this season with a mediocre 4.36, but he is the team's best... overall in 20 seasons Burg is 358-257 with a great 2.77 ERA... CF Derek Ryckman tops the team, but only has 9 homers and a .252 batting average.