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Eugene Church · 04-07-2011, 02:06 AM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

2022 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Battle Rages In RU West, Rovers, V's And Roosters Duel
The defending Pro Cup champion Sligo Rovers ran away with the Ruthlandian West by 14 games last season, but not this year. The Volusia Vigilantes and Middlefield Roosters are taking them to task this year. The Rovers are still the top dog with a 2-game lead over Volusia, 4 ahead of Middlefield and 6 over the fourth-place Forest City Lumberjacks. The Colfax Blasters are fifth and 8 games behind the Rovers. Sligo is even better than last year, but so are the V's, Roosters, Lumberjacks and Blasters. It should make for a season-long battle in perhaps the strongest division in the IPA.

Eddie Keys has tremendous pitching in Sligo (45-24) with a splendid 2.72 team ERA (2nd)... his starters are superb, but the relievers are severely lacking with a 6.68 ERA (32nd)... All-Star ace Les Patterson (8-3 1.45) has been super and leads the IPA in ERA... All-Star Ralph Odakota (11-5 2.43), Sam Tate (8-5 2.34) and Luka Abromowitz (9-4 3.20) have been very impressive, too... leading the Rover bats are All-Star 3B Manny Alou (.303 BA/11 HR), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.292 BA/11 HR) and LF Biff Blauer (.314 BA/3 HR)... rookie whiz 2B Garlin Delk (.289 BA/2 HR) has added a great glove and good bat.

The Volusia Vigilates (43-26) are hitting the cover off the ball with the likes of CF Joe DeLucca (.364 BA/9 HR), the RU leading hitter, C Ishmael Gomez (.332 BA/12 HR) and 1B Rafael Garza (.344 BA/1 HR)... SS Vince Wilson (.296 BA/7 HR) and LF Carlos Quintana (.272 BA/11 HR) are no slouches at the plate, either... All-Star Sixto Moreno (11-3 2.46), Rio Lobo (10-3 2.76) and Kent Elam (10-3 4.19) are the main pitchers... The V's are second with a strong .272 BA and third in scoring.

Bailey Norcross is in his second year as skipper of the Middlefield Roosters (41-28)... the Roosters were sixth last year because they lacked hitting... this year Norcross has a solid core of hitters, led by All-Star Allen Stewart (.326 BA/24 HR), who is tied for the IPA home run lead with Sugar Valley's Randall Hawson and Hillsboro's great rookie D'Andrew Gregory... other run producers are CF Tom Daniels (.301 BA/10 HR), RF Chuck Larkin (.280 BA/10 HR), C Rod Buckley (.326 BA/9 HR) and LF Vic Ivarsson (.284 BA/11 HR)... the Middlefield mount staff is solid, too, with Frank Dean (9-6 2.75) and Joe Schneider (7-6 3.26)... the Roosters are a fine all-around ball club with a .272 BA (5th), sixth in scoring and second in power with 96 roundtrippers (2nd)... on the hill, they are fifth with a 3.35 team ERA.

Rob Jackson has his Forest City Lumberjacks (39-30) bats booming again, up 20 points from last year's seventh-place finish... Forest City is 6 games off the pace in fourth place in the RU West... the 'Jacks top the RU with a .278 mark, tied with powerful Ozarka of the Tycobbian Union... but they only have average pitching with a 3.95 team ERA (20th)... the Forest City attack is paced by star 1B Andy Doiron (.311 BA/11 HR), 2B Stan Tipton (.359 BA/8 HR) and Rusty Hood (.335 BA/11 HR)... Jackson's son, rookie 2B Robert Jackson, Jr., has been a pleasant surprise, hitting .283 with 4 homers and doing a good job with the glove... on the hill Stephen Phillips (12-2 3.60) has been truly outstanding in his third year... long-time vet Tommy Zenon (9-3 3.30) is still solid at age 38 and rookie Norm Dawson (8-6 3.37) has given the Lumberjacks some quality starts this season... Forest City is in a tough division, but they are holding their own so far.

Since winning 7 RU West pennants in 9 years during the period 2008-2016, Clem Rogers and his Colfax Blasters (37-32) have been shackled in the second division... however, this year they are playing better than .500, but are still in the fifth spot in the standings with four fine teams ahead of them... Colfax is 8 games back and still in the hunt in theory, but not in reality... the Blasters just do not have the talent to seriously contend this season... 29-year-old Cliff James (10-1 2.86) is the only leftover from the glory years when Rogers had Ilya Szabo and Jimmy Joe Cartner to man the mound... After 19 years in the IPA, Szabo retired this year with a 327-210 record at age 42 and Cartner in 2019 with a 210-153 mark in 12 seasons... Colfax has Matt Pedersen (2-4) in the bullpen with 16 saves and a great 1.78 ERA in 26 games... rookie Glen Smith (.317 BA/11 HR) is the top hitter, along with 1B Doug Kirkwood (.318 BA/10 HR), veterans C Joe Alexander (.288 BA/8 HR) and LF Billy Garrett (.311 BA/9 HR).

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (32-37) continue to decline... after winning four pennants in a row from 2017-2020, Ryan Noland's team slipped to third last year and now to sixth, 13 games out... Junior Noland (8-8 3.64), Don Chaney (6-9 4.24) and Joe Anderson (5-8 4.14) are not the pitchers they were a few seasons ago... but 3B Paul Shelton (.280 BA/17 HR), CF Tiger Noland (.317 BA/4 HR), LF Rob Barton (.300 BA/3 HR) and 1B Don Timmons (.319 BA/7 HR) can still put runs on the scoreboard... the Snappers just don't have the pitching of the good old days... one huge plus this year is rookie phenom Angelo Nardone with 15 homers and a .332 batting average.

After two seasons in fourth place, the Stoner Stars (31-38) have dipped down to seventh place and trail by 14 games... skipper Benny Stern has quality pitching with two fine starters in Kirk Robbins (8-4 3.25) and Billy Chapel (8-7 3.76)... and an excellent closer in Lou Neuman (1-5), who has racked up 14 saves and an extraordinary 0.65 ERA... but the Stars are only average offensively in spite of All-Star LF Mike Jaffe (.353 BA/14 HR) being in the top five hitters... 3B Kendall Smith (.312 BA/0 HR) and CF Kevin Fisher (.304 BA/7 HR) are also productive hitters, but with no punch.

Manager Robbie Brooks guided the Fort Benton Defenders (30-39) to three successive first-division finishes from 2017-2019, but since have plunged to the bottom... the Defenders are eighth this season 15 games behind in the standings... Fort Benton is old... at 42 Tucker Dawes (6-7 4.05) is Brooks' best hurler... his best hitter is 41-year-old 2B Bobby Ritter (.322 BA/4 HR), now in his 22nd year... CF Ryan Smith (.276 BA/12 HR) and RF Joe Darwall (.286 BA/11 HR) supply the longballs.

RU West Outlook: Sligo is a super team and should prevail in the RU West and go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs with a good chance to repeat as IPA champs... Strong Volusia and Middlefield will give chase and stay close to the Rovers, but not win... Forest City is talented, too, and could be in the running for second place, along with Colfax... it should be an exciting second half in the RU West with the title going to Sligo.

04-07-2011, 02:06 AM	#2446
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,068	*The Islandian Times* Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2022 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap Battle Rages In RU West, Rovers, V's And Roosters Duel The defending Pro Cup champion Sligo Rovers ran away with the Ruthlandian West by 14 games last season, but not this year. The Volusia Vigilantes and Middlefield Roosters are taking them to task this year. The Rovers are still the top dog with a 2-game lead over Volusia, 4 ahead of Middlefield and 6 over the fourth-place Forest City Lumberjacks. The Colfax Blasters are fifth and 8 games behind the Rovers. Sligo is even better than last year, but so are the V's, Roosters, Lumberjacks and Blasters. It should make for a season-long battle in perhaps the strongest division in the IPA. Eddie Keys has tremendous pitching in Sligo (45-24) with a splendid 2.72 team ERA (2nd)... his starters are superb, but the relievers are severely lacking with a 6.68 ERA (32nd)... All-Star ace Les Patterson (8-3 1.45) has been super and leads the IPA in ERA... All-Star Ralph Odakota (11-5 2.43), Sam Tate (8-5 2.34) and Luka Abromowitz (9-4 3.20) have been very impressive, too... leading the Rover bats are All-Star 3B Manny Alou (.303 BA/11 HR), 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.292 BA/11 HR) and LF Biff Blauer (.314 BA/3 HR)... rookie whiz 2B Garlin Delk (.289 BA/2 HR) has added a great glove and good bat. The Volusia Vigilates (43-26) are hitting the cover off the ball with the likes of CF Joe DeLucca (.364 BA/9 HR), the RU leading hitter, C Ishmael Gomez (.332 BA/12 HR) and 1B Rafael Garza (.344 BA/1 HR)... SS Vince Wilson (.296 BA/7 HR) and LF Carlos Quintana (.272 BA/11 HR) are no slouches at the plate, either... All-Star Sixto Moreno (11-3 2.46), Rio Lobo (10-3 2.76) and Kent Elam (10-3 4.19) are the main pitchers... The V's are second with a strong .272 BA and third in scoring. Bailey Norcross is in his second year as skipper of the Middlefield Roosters (41-28)... the Roosters were sixth last year because they lacked hitting... this year Norcross has a solid core of hitters, led by All-Star Allen Stewart (.326 BA/24 HR), who is tied for the IPA home run lead with Sugar Valley's Randall Hawson and Hillsboro's great rookie D'Andrew Gregory... other run producers are CF Tom Daniels (.301 BA/10 HR), RF Chuck Larkin (.280 BA/10 HR), C Rod Buckley (.326 BA/9 HR) and LF Vic Ivarsson (.284 BA/11 HR)... the Middlefield mount staff is solid, too, with Frank Dean (9-6 2.75) and Joe Schneider (7-6 3.26)... the Roosters are a fine all-around ball club with a .272 BA (5th), sixth in scoring and second in power with 96 roundtrippers (2nd)... on the hill, they are fifth with a 3.35 team ERA. Rob Jackson has his Forest City Lumberjacks (39-30) bats booming again, up 20 points from last year's seventh-place finish... Forest City is 6 games off the pace in fourth place in the RU West... the 'Jacks top the RU with a .278 mark, tied with powerful Ozarka of the Tycobbian Union... but they only have average pitching with a 3.95 team ERA (20th)... the Forest City attack is paced by star 1B Andy Doiron (.311 BA/11 HR), 2B Stan Tipton (.359 BA/8 HR) and Rusty Hood (.335 BA/11 HR)... Jackson's son, rookie 2B Robert Jackson, Jr., has been a pleasant surprise, hitting .283 with 4 homers and doing a good job with the glove... on the hill Stephen Phillips (12-2 3.60) has been truly outstanding in his third year... long-time vet Tommy Zenon (9-3 3.30) is still solid at age 38 and rookie Norm Dawson (8-6 3.37) has given the Lumberjacks some quality starts this season... Forest City is in a tough division, but they are holding their own so far. Since winning 7 RU West pennants in 9 years during the period 2008-2016, Clem Rogers and his Colfax Blasters (37-32) have been shackled in the second division... however, this year they are playing better than .500, but are still in the fifth spot in the standings with four fine teams ahead of them... Colfax is 8 games back and still in the hunt in theory, but not in reality... the Blasters just do not have the talent to seriously contend this season... 29-year-old Cliff James (10-1 2.86) is the only leftover from the glory years when Rogers had Ilya Szabo and Jimmy Joe Cartner to man the mound... After 19 years in the IPA, Szabo retired this year with a 327-210 record at age 42 and Cartner in 2019 with a 210-153 mark in 12 seasons... Colfax has Matt Pedersen (2-4) in the bullpen with 16 saves and a great 1.78 ERA in 26 games... rookie Glen Smith (.317 BA/11 HR) is the top hitter, along with 1B Doug Kirkwood (.318 BA/10 HR), veterans C Joe Alexander (.288 BA/8 HR) and LF Billy Garrett (.311 BA/9 HR). The Rocky Rapids Snappers (32-37) continue to decline... after winning four pennants in a row from 2017-2020, Ryan Noland's team slipped to third last year and now to sixth, 13 games out... Junior Noland (8-8 3.64), Don Chaney (6-9 4.24) and Joe Anderson (5-8 4.14) are not the pitchers they were a few seasons ago... but 3B Paul Shelton (.280 BA/17 HR), CF Tiger Noland (.317 BA/4 HR), LF Rob Barton (.300 BA/3 HR) and 1B Don Timmons (.319 BA/7 HR) can still put runs on the scoreboard... the Snappers just don't have the pitching of the good old days... one huge plus this year is rookie phenom Angelo Nardone with 15 homers and a .332 batting average. After two seasons in fourth place, the Stoner Stars (31-38) have dipped down to seventh place and trail by 14 games... skipper Benny Stern has quality pitching with two fine starters in Kirk Robbins (8-4 3.25) and Billy Chapel (8-7 3.76)... and an excellent closer in Lou Neuman (1-5), who has racked up 14 saves and an extraordinary 0.65 ERA... but the Stars are only average offensively in spite of All-Star LF Mike Jaffe (.353 BA/14 HR) being in the top five hitters... 3B Kendall Smith (.312 BA/0 HR) and CF Kevin Fisher (.304 BA/7 HR) are also productive hitters, but with no punch. Manager Robbie Brooks guided the Fort Benton Defenders (30-39) to three successive first-division finishes from 2017-2019, but since have plunged to the bottom... the Defenders are eighth this season 15 games behind in the standings... Fort Benton is old... at 42 Tucker Dawes (6-7 4.05) is Brooks' best hurler... his best hitter is 41-year-old 2B Bobby Ritter (.322 BA/4 HR), now in his 22nd year... CF Ryan Smith (.276 BA/12 HR) and RF Joe Darwall (.286 BA/11 HR) supply the longballs. RU West Outlook: Sligo is a super team and should prevail in the RU West and go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs with a good chance to repeat as IPA champs... Strong Volusia and Middlefield will give chase and stay close to the Rovers, but not win... Forest City is talented, too, and could be in the running for second place, along with Colfax... it should be an exciting second half in the RU West with the title going to Sligo.