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

Eugene Church · 04-09-2011, 06:21 PM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 21, 2022

2022 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap

Ninjas Lead 4-Team Tussle In TU South
The Ginza Ninjas have never won the Tycobbian South in its 22-year existence, but this season they are thinking seriously about winning it. At mid-season Ginza has a narrow 2-game edge over the tough Arroyo Grande Suns, who have won the pennant the past two seasons. The always-strong Turon Typhoons are also lurking close by, just 5 games back in third place with the Colchester Elites 7 games off the pace in fourth place. In reality, it's only a three-team chase as the Elites simply don't hit well enough to stay up with the big boys.

Last season Ginza (44-25) ran a great race, especially playing without its superstar All-Star C Crash Davis, who missed over 100 games in 2021 with an injury... this year Davis has come back with a vengence and has led the Ninjas to a great first half with a .335 BA, 13 homers and 52 RBIs... but Davis is not doing it alone... He has a lot of help from 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.368 BA/16 HR) and the fine rookie RF Kenji Yamamura (.292 BA/14 HR)... O'Rorke has the top batting average in the IPA this year... Manager Huroko Uchiyama also has sensational pitching with a 2.92 team ERA (2nd)... heading up the rotation is Yutaka Yoshida (10-2 2.18), 14-year vet Joji Azuma (9-6 3.26) and rookie Ron Koehler (8-6 2.91)... Ginza also has a good number-four man in 43-year-old Julian Gilchrist (5-3 3.39), who just moved into the starting rotation in May... the bullpen is top-notch, too, headed up by All-Star closer Kakuzo Harimoto (4-1), who has registered 16 saves and compiled a standout 2.30 ERA... Uchiyama and his Ninjas have a tough task to dethrone Arroyo Grande, but they seem to be capable of knocking them off this year. It should be quite a race.

Manager Cyclone Cobb has the defending TU South champion Arroyo Grande Suns (42-27) near the top, in spite of losing star SS Andy Pearson (.321 BA/7 HR) in May with a knee injury... Pearson hopes to be back in July for the stretch run... the Suns do it with a high-powered offense... they are second with a .275 batting average, first in scoring and number two in homers with 88... Cobb's pitching is better-than-average with a 3.60 team ERA (11th)... top hitters include phenomenal rookie 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.292 BA/22 HR), who has burst on the scene with an IPA-leading 69 RBIs, All-Star LF Eduardo Villanueva (.332 B/11 HR), C Gary Troxell (.302 BA/12 HR) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.298 BA/15 HR)... Arroyo Grande has two stud starters in Sixto Zamora (10-5 2.63) and Ernie Matthews (9-5 2.92), along with talented closer Jason Patrick (3-3), who has saved 12 games and posted an excellent 1.66 ERA... no one is counting the Suns out... even without Pearson, they are a very gifted and strong club.

With 11 pennants and 4 Pro Cups, the Turon Typhoons (39-30) are never very far from the top of the Tycobbian South... this year they are third, but only 5 games out... Whitey Richburn has quite a ball club with strong pitching and hitting... the Typhoons are third in batting with a .272 mark, fifth in homers with 78 and sixth in scoring... on the hill the team ERA is 3.29 (7th)... Richburn's batting order is chocked full of fine hitters, topped by icon All-Star 1B Clyde Kingsford (.360 BA/18 HR), All-Star CF Mac McCurnan (.321 BA/11 HR), RF Dominick DiCaprio (.308 BA/11 HR) and 2B Marv Ferguson (.305 Ba/10 HR)... Turon's top twirlers are the legendary Nicky Engstrom (10-5 2.42), who made the All-Star team for the 9th time this year and has won 20 games in 10 of his 11 seasons... 41-year-old Ted Farentino (8-3 3.13) just keep on rolling along and racking up wins... Farentino went over 300 victories this year... Bobby Byrd (7-7 3.43) is also a quality pitcher... in the bullpen Turon still has Merle Studebaker (2-4), who has racked up 11 saves and put up an exceptional 1.50 ERA... Richburn needs another starter to step it up to the next level for the Typhoons to overtake Ginza and Arroyo Grande... Byrd and Bryan Wilkerson (7-7 4.57) will be crucial to their success.

The fourth-place Colchester Elites (37-32) haven't won the TU South since 2007 and it is not likely to change this season... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson has the pitching to compete, but not the bats... the Elites have a 3.32 team ERA (8th), but are batting only .255 (19th), 27th in scoring and 30th in homers with just 46... Colchester is also the best fielding team in the division with a fine .977 FA, tied for 5th in the league... top pitchers are Brian Britt (9-6 2.82), Jess Carpenter (7-6 2.78) and Tommy Tuckman (3.26)... the leading hitters are LF Douglas Tilford (.314 BA/10 HR) and 1B James McCall (.318 BA/9 HR)... journeyman Tilford has played in Colchester for 22 years with a lifetime .290 BA.

There is a 3-way tie for fifth place between San Alejo, Southport and Summerland, all are 10 games out... San Alejo (34-35) broke an 8-year string of last-place finishes last season with a four-place finish and 20 games over .500... the Montaneros are now back to being mediocre... last season's rookie sensation Jaime Miranda has flopped this year with a 6-8 mark and dismal 4.69 ERA... last season he was 19-10 with a 3.96 ERA... skipper Alberto Herrera's only strong starter is All-Star Trini Corona (10-3 2.58)... LF Warren Love (.309 BA/21 HR) and C Paul Bailey (.309 BA/10 HR) are his only dependable bats.

The Southport Sun Sox (34-35) won 90 games and came in second last year, but Charley Oscar's team has been a big disappointment in 2022... the Sun Sox are tied with San Alejo for the fifth spot in the standings, 10 games behind... Oscar's pitching is even better than last year's with a sparkling 3.05 ERA (3rd), but the scoring is way down, ranked 31st... Bob Montgomery (10-5 2.57) and Al Laclair (6-8 2.57) are excellent starters... and Rob Ricks (3-2) is a strong closer with 11 saves and a super-low 0.67 ERA... at the plate only Wayne Rutledge (.318 BA/7 HR) carry much of a batting average... all of the other regulars are .280 or less.

The Summerland Sunsets (34-35), guided by Will Hackett, have three quality starters in Steve Aaron (8-6 3.14), Denny Coulon (8-6 3.62) and Vince van Gogh (5-5 3.54), along with bullpen ace Leon Mullin (2-3) with 15 saves and a 2.93 ERA... Coulon is 42 and in his 22nd season... career-wise he has won 336 games and also lost 312 with a strong 2.92 ERA... but the Sunsets almost have no hitting... RF Brady Gilbert is the best of the lot by far with a .335 BA and 6 home runs... Summerland is last in the league with just 44 roundtrippers.

It's been 5 years since the Cape Coral Hurricanes (33-36) managed to finish in the first division... manager Huggy Miller's lads are batting a pathetic .236 (31st), while on the mound they are fairly good with a 3.67 team ERA (14th)... after winding up seventh the last three seasons, the Hurricanes have now slipped a notch into the cellar, 11 games back... at age 40 long-time ace Cody Burg retired leaving a big void in the rotation... in his 21 seasons Burg won more games and struck out more than anyone in IPA history... Lifetime Burg was 369-264 with a remarkable 2.79 ERA and 5250 strikeouts... but Miller has three youngsters in his pitching corps that are showing good promise: starters Karl Zenger (7-3 1.92), Ruben Kalkman (6-3 3.62) and closer Mike Rinaldi (3-0) with 9 saves and a great 0.73 ERA... rookie RF Bill James is the only bat with a .287 average, 6 homers, 40 runs and 22 RBIs... not much after him.

Tycobbian South Outlook: Probably just a two-team race between the current leader Ginza and defending champ Arroyo Grande with the nod to the Ninjas because of better overall pitching... Turon has the hitting, but falls short with only two quality starters... the Typhoons will come out third with Colchester fourth... the Elites are not at the same level as the top 3.

04-09-2011, 06:21 PM	#2448
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,068	*The Islandian Times* Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2022 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap Ninjas Lead 4-Team Tussle In TU South The Ginza Ninjas have never won the Tycobbian South in its 22-year existence, but this season they are thinking seriously about winning it. At mid-season Ginza has a narrow 2-game edge over the tough Arroyo Grande Suns, who have won the pennant the past two seasons. The always-strong Turon Typhoons are also lurking close by, just 5 games back in third place with the Colchester Elites 7 games off the pace in fourth place. In reality, it's only a three-team chase as the Elites simply don't hit well enough to stay up with the big boys. Last season Ginza (44-25) ran a great race, especially playing without its superstar All-Star C Crash Davis, who missed over 100 games in 2021 with an injury... this year Davis has come back with a vengence and has led the Ninjas to a great first half with a .335 BA, 13 homers and 52 RBIs... but Davis is not doing it alone... He has a lot of help from 1B Johnny O'Rorke (.368 BA/16 HR) and the fine rookie RF Kenji Yamamura (.292 BA/14 HR)... O'Rorke has the top batting average in the IPA this year... Manager Huroko Uchiyama also has sensational pitching with a 2.92 team ERA (2nd)... heading up the rotation is Yutaka Yoshida (10-2 2.18), 14-year vet Joji Azuma (9-6 3.26) and rookie Ron Koehler (8-6 2.91)... Ginza also has a good number-four man in 43-year-old Julian Gilchrist (5-3 3.39), who just moved into the starting rotation in May... the bullpen is top-notch, too, headed up by All-Star closer Kakuzo Harimoto (4-1), who has registered 16 saves and compiled a standout 2.30 ERA... Uchiyama and his Ninjas have a tough task to dethrone Arroyo Grande, but they seem to be capable of knocking them off this year. It should be quite a race. Manager Cyclone Cobb has the defending TU South champion Arroyo Grande Suns (42-27) near the top, in spite of losing star SS Andy Pearson (.321 BA/7 HR) in May with a knee injury... Pearson hopes to be back in July for the stretch run... the Suns do it with a high-powered offense... they are second with a .275 batting average, first in scoring and number two in homers with 88... Cobb's pitching is better-than-average with a 3.60 team ERA (11th)... top hitters include phenomenal rookie 1B Rusty Vizcarra (.292 BA/22 HR), who has burst on the scene with an IPA-leading 69 RBIs, All-Star LF Eduardo Villanueva (.332 B/11 HR), C Gary Troxell (.302 BA/12 HR) and RF Buddy Bechtel (.298 BA/15 HR)... Arroyo Grande has two stud starters in Sixto Zamora (10-5 2.63) and Ernie Matthews (9-5 2.92), along with talented closer Jason Patrick (3-3), who has saved 12 games and posted an excellent 1.66 ERA... no one is counting the Suns out... even without Pearson, they are a very gifted and strong club. With 11 pennants and 4 Pro Cups, the Turon Typhoons (39-30) are never very far from the top of the Tycobbian South... this year they are third, but only 5 games out... Whitey Richburn has quite a ball club with strong pitching and hitting... the Typhoons are third in batting with a .272 mark, fifth in homers with 78 and sixth in scoring... on the hill the team ERA is 3.29 (7th)... Richburn's batting order is chocked full of fine hitters, topped by icon All-Star 1B Clyde Kingsford (.360 BA/18 HR), All-Star CF Mac McCurnan (.321 BA/11 HR), RF Dominick DiCaprio (.308 BA/11 HR) and 2B Marv Ferguson (.305 Ba/10 HR)... Turon's top twirlers are the legendary Nicky Engstrom (10-5 2.42), who made the All-Star team for the 9th time this year and has won 20 games in 10 of his 11 seasons... 41-year-old Ted Farentino (8-3 3.13) just keep on rolling along and racking up wins... Farentino went over 300 victories this year... Bobby Byrd (7-7 3.43) is also a quality pitcher... in the bullpen Turon still has Merle Studebaker (2-4), who has racked up 11 saves and put up an exceptional 1.50 ERA... Richburn needs another starter to step it up to the next level for the Typhoons to overtake Ginza and Arroyo Grande... Byrd and Bryan Wilkerson (7-7 4.57) will be crucial to their success. The fourth-place Colchester Elites (37-32) haven't won the TU South since 2007 and it is not likely to change this season... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson has the pitching to compete, but not the bats... the Elites have a 3.32 team ERA (8th), but are batting only .255 (19th), 27th in scoring and 30th in homers with just 46... Colchester is also the best fielding team in the division with a fine .977 FA, tied for 5th in the league... top pitchers are Brian Britt (9-6 2.82), Jess Carpenter (7-6 2.78) and Tommy Tuckman (3.26)... the leading hitters are LF Douglas Tilford (.314 BA/10 HR) and 1B James McCall (.318 BA/9 HR)... journeyman Tilford has played in Colchester for 22 years with a lifetime .290 BA. There is a 3-way tie for fifth place between San Alejo, Southport and Summerland, all are 10 games out... San Alejo (34-35) broke an 8-year string of last-place finishes last season with a four-place finish and 20 games over .500... the Montaneros are now back to being mediocre... last season's rookie sensation Jaime Miranda has flopped this year with a 6-8 mark and dismal 4.69 ERA... last season he was 19-10 with a 3.96 ERA... skipper Alberto Herrera's only strong starter is All-Star Trini Corona (10-3 2.58)... LF Warren Love (.309 BA/21 HR) and C Paul Bailey (.309 BA/10 HR) are his only dependable bats. The Southport Sun Sox (34-35) won 90 games and came in second last year, but Charley Oscar's team has been a big disappointment in 2022... the Sun Sox are tied with San Alejo for the fifth spot in the standings, 10 games behind... Oscar's pitching is even better than last year's with a sparkling 3.05 ERA (3rd), but the scoring is way down, ranked 31st... Bob Montgomery (10-5 2.57) and Al Laclair (6-8 2.57) are excellent starters... and Rob Ricks (3-2) is a strong closer with 11 saves and a super-low 0.67 ERA... at the plate only Wayne Rutledge (.318 BA/7 HR) carry much of a batting average... all of the other regulars are .280 or less. The Summerland Sunsets (34-35), guided by Will Hackett, have three quality starters in Steve Aaron (8-6 3.14), Denny Coulon (8-6 3.62) and Vince van Gogh (5-5 3.54), along with bullpen ace Leon Mullin (2-3) with 15 saves and a 2.93 ERA... Coulon is 42 and in his 22nd season... career-wise he has won 336 games and also lost 312 with a strong 2.92 ERA... but the Sunsets almost have no hitting... RF Brady Gilbert is the best of the lot by far with a .335 BA and 6 home runs... Summerland is last in the league with just 44 roundtrippers. It's been 5 years since the Cape Coral Hurricanes (33-36) managed to finish in the first division... manager Huggy Miller's lads are batting a pathetic .236 (31st), while on the mound they are fairly good with a 3.67 team ERA (14th)... after winding up seventh the last three seasons, the Hurricanes have now slipped a notch into the cellar, 11 games back... at age 40 long-time ace Cody Burg retired leaving a big void in the rotation... in his 21 seasons Burg won more games and struck out more than anyone in IPA history... Lifetime Burg was 369-264 with a remarkable 2.79 ERA and 5250 strikeouts... but Miller has three youngsters in his pitching corps that are showing good promise: starters Karl Zenger (7-3 1.92), Ruben Kalkman (6-3 3.62) and closer Mike Rinaldi (3-0) with 9 saves and a great 0.73 ERA... rookie RF Bill James is the only bat with a .287 average, 6 homers, 40 runs and 22 RBIs... not much after him. *Tycobbian South Outlook:* Probably just a two-team race between the current leader Ginza and defending champ Arroyo Grande with the nod to the Ninjas because of better overall pitching... Turon has the hitting, but falls short with only two quality starters... the Typhoons will come out third with Colchester fourth... the Elites are not at the same level as the top 3.