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Eugene Church · 07-20-2011, 01:58 AM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 24, 2025

2025 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

Rascals First In TU North, Frogs 2 Out
The White River Rascals have won 2 of the last 3 Tycobbian North pennants and could be headed for another one this season, but they have three other contenders that will have a say in the matter. Fairfax is second, just 2 games out, while Hartsdale is third and 5 behind and Oxford is in the fourth spot, trailing by 7 games.

The defending division champion White River (44-29) began slowly in April, but has turned it on since... Ron Hendrix (10-6 2.61) and Paul Sandini (9-8 2.22) are Mick Cronyn's prime starters and All-Star 1B Marty Blake (.347 BA/9 HR/47 RBI/46 R), LF Jim Abrams (.312 BA/5 HR/46 RBI/30 R) and 3B Sammy Tucker (.292 BA/2 HR/31 RBI/41 R) lead the Rascals attack... they are hitting .266 as a team (6th) and are tied for fifth in scoring... Cronyn mound staff is solid with a 3.08 ERA (6th)... Cronyn's club handles the glove well with a .976 FA (8th-tied)... the Rascals are the cream of the crop in the TU North and a solid, all-around team.

Pitching and defense are the strong points for the second place Fairfax Frogs (42-31)... they are the IPA's best defenders with a strong .980 fielding percentage... the Frog hurlers are seventh in the TU with a fine 3.07 team ERA, paced by All-Star Kevin Meeks (11-4 1.95) and veteran Ken Hill (10-7 2.94)... Manny Hunsinger (0-2) is doing quite a job in the bullpen with 18 saves and a standout 1.19 ERA... Hunsinger tops the TU in saves and is tied for second in the IPA, just one behind leader Joel Sheppard of Stoner... manager Dane Wesner could use more offense... CF Alton Dale (.340 BA/8 HR/30 RBI/41 R) and 3B Sandy Coburn (.289 BA/1 HR/20 RBI/41 R) are his most productive bats.

Year after year Zim Donner keeps his Hartsdale Hellcats (39-34) near the top, almost always in the first division with an occasional pennant... Hartsdale has won three times, but the last was in 2014... the Hellcats are third this year, but nothing more than an average club... All-Star 1B Johnny Scott is Donner's top player with 15 homers, 50 RBIs, 56 runs and a .344 BA... other reliable hitters are SS Jed Turchin (.279 BA/6 HR/31 RBI/40 R), C Derek Yurek (.272 BA/9 HR/42 RBI/31 R) and CF Ken Wessel (.254 BA/6 HR/41 RBI/35 R)... Hartsdale's best starters are 24-year-old Bill Vessels (10-6 3.55) and 41-year-old Bobo Boisseau (9-9 3.55)... Tommy Klein (2-2) is doing very well in the closing role with 16 saves and a super 1.23 ERA.

The Oxford Red Caps (37-36) made a real run last year and fell one game short of White River... this year was supposed to the "the" year... however, it hasn't panned out that way... manager Mack Spencer is just barely over .500 and is 7 games off the pace of White River... last season's Rookie of the Year and 22-game winner Carmine Scalise is back on track with an 11-5 mark and a 3.37 ERA and closer Arnie Bradshaw (0-2) has piled up 16 saves and an impressive 1.83 ERA... All-Star LF Dennis Hartwig is having another great year, his third in the IPA, with a .367 batting average, tops in the TU and runner-up in the IPA to rookie Lloyd Kelly of San Dimas with an amazing .413 BA... Hartwig has 13 HRs, 52 RBIs and 55 runs... SS Tom Perry has chipped in with a .287 BA, 6 HR and 37 runs batted in... the Red Caps play well defensively with a .976 FA (5th-tied).

The North Hills Hawks (32-41) were in the TU North basement last year, but have climbed up to the fifth spot at mid-season, but 12 games out... manager Masaichi Okawa doesn't have a lot of talent... his best performers are a trio of dependable starters: Kerry Hoffman (10-5 3.53), Valeri Kalinnikov (8-7 3.70) and Riley Simpson (8-8 3.79)... no one on the line-up card is much of a threat.

Rusty Tanussa's Mahaska Haymakers (31-42) are a second-division team in sixth place in the standings, 13 games back of White River... 21-year-old right-hander Sammy Kafelnikov is a blossoming star... he made the All-Star team with a 10-6 record and an excellent 2.33 ERA... 29-year-old Arno Vainmaa is 9-7 with a 3.70 ERA in his 10th season... All-Star C Bucky O'Brian sparks the offense with a .353 batting average, 10 homers, 43 RBIs and 40 runs... RF Travis Tuttle and 1B Paul Davies are also strong with the bats... Tuttle has 13 homers, 38 RBIs and a .302 BA, while Davies sports a .325 mark with 2 roundtrippers and 26 runs batted in.

The other two teams in the TU North are pathetic... the Blue Lake Blue Sox (22-51) are seventh and already 22 games behind... manager Cobb Tyson is almost destitute... he has no pitcher of any note... and very few batters... the Blue Sox are near the bottom in everything... 3B Sal Avallone is a plus with a .311 average, but only 2 home runs, 22 RBIs and 25 runs.

The Luxora Zorros (17-56) could be headed for the worst season in IPA history... in 2019 the North Hills Hawks could only manage a 47-107 record... the Z's are on pace to lose more than that... manager Cristo Viamonte only has two decent players: All-Star 2B Julio Canseco (.320 BA/0 HR/23 RBI/31 R) and C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.280 BA/11 HR/33 RBI/41 R).

TU North Outlook:
White River has the experience and the talent to handily win its third TU West division title in a row and fourth in five years... Fairfax is up-and-coming, but not quite on par with the Rascals... Hartsdale will wind up in third place... the Hellcats don't have the pitching or hitting to contend for the pennant... ditto for Oxford, who will come in fourth, followed by Mahaska in fifth place... the Haymakers have better pitching than the North Hills Hawks... North Hills will be number six... Blue Lake will be seventh and poor Luxora just might be headed for 110 losses and is a cinch for last place.

07-20-2011, 01:58 AM	#2634
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,915	*The Islandian Times* Tuesday, June 24, 2025 2025 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap Rascals First In TU North, Frogs 2 Out The White River Rascals have won 2 of the last 3 Tycobbian North pennants and could be headed for another one this season, but they have three other contenders that will have a say in the matter. Fairfax is second, just 2 games out, while Hartsdale is third and 5 behind and Oxford is in the fourth spot, trailing by 7 games. The defending division champion White River (44-29) began slowly in April, but has turned it on since... Ron Hendrix (10-6 2.61) and Paul Sandini (9-8 2.22) are Mick Cronyn's prime starters and All-Star 1B Marty Blake (.347 BA/9 HR/47 RBI/46 R), LF Jim Abrams (.312 BA/5 HR/46 RBI/30 R) and 3B Sammy Tucker (.292 BA/2 HR/31 RBI/41 R) lead the Rascals attack... they are hitting .266 as a team (6th) and are tied for fifth in scoring... Cronyn mound staff is solid with a 3.08 ERA (6th)... Cronyn's club handles the glove well with a .976 FA (8th-tied)... the Rascals are the cream of the crop in the TU North and a solid, all-around team. Pitching and defense are the strong points for the second place Fairfax Frogs (42-31)... they are the IPA's best defenders with a strong .980 fielding percentage... the Frog hurlers are seventh in the TU with a fine 3.07 team ERA, paced by All-Star Kevin Meeks (11-4 1.95) and veteran Ken Hill (10-7 2.94)... Manny Hunsinger (0-2) is doing quite a job in the bullpen with 18 saves and a standout 1.19 ERA... Hunsinger tops the TU in saves and is tied for second in the IPA, just one behind leader Joel Sheppard of Stoner... manager Dane Wesner could use more offense... CF Alton Dale (.340 BA/8 HR/30 RBI/41 R) and 3B Sandy Coburn (.289 BA/1 HR/20 RBI/41 R) are his most productive bats. Year after year Zim Donner keeps his Hartsdale Hellcats (39-34) near the top, almost always in the first division with an occasional pennant... Hartsdale has won three times, but the last was in 2014... the Hellcats are third this year, but nothing more than an average club... All-Star 1B Johnny Scott is Donner's top player with 15 homers, 50 RBIs, 56 runs and a .344 BA... other reliable hitters are SS Jed Turchin (.279 BA/6 HR/31 RBI/40 R), C Derek Yurek (.272 BA/9 HR/42 RBI/31 R) and CF Ken Wessel (.254 BA/6 HR/41 RBI/35 R)... Hartsdale's best starters are 24-year-old Bill Vessels (10-6 3.55) and 41-year-old Bobo Boisseau (9-9 3.55)... Tommy Klein (2-2) is doing very well in the closing role with 16 saves and a super 1.23 ERA. The Oxford Red Caps (37-36) made a real run last year and fell one game short of White River... this year was supposed to the "the" year... however, it hasn't panned out that way... manager Mack Spencer is just barely over .500 and is 7 games off the pace of White River... last season's Rookie of the Year and 22-game winner Carmine Scalise is back on track with an 11-5 mark and a 3.37 ERA and closer Arnie Bradshaw (0-2) has piled up 16 saves and an impressive 1.83 ERA... All-Star LF Dennis Hartwig is having another great year, his third in the IPA, with a .367 batting average, tops in the TU and runner-up in the IPA to rookie Lloyd Kelly of San Dimas with an amazing .413 BA... Hartwig has 13 HRs, 52 RBIs and 55 runs... SS Tom Perry has chipped in with a .287 BA, 6 HR and 37 runs batted in... the Red Caps play well defensively with a .976 FA (5th-tied). The North Hills Hawks (32-41) were in the TU North basement last year, but have climbed up to the fifth spot at mid-season, but 12 games out... manager Masaichi Okawa doesn't have a lot of talent... his best performers are a trio of dependable starters: Kerry Hoffman (10-5 3.53), Valeri Kalinnikov (8-7 3.70) and Riley Simpson (8-8 3.79)... no one on the line-up card is much of a threat. Rusty Tanussa's Mahaska Haymakers (31-42) are a second-division team in sixth place in the standings, 13 games back of White River... 21-year-old right-hander Sammy Kafelnikov is a blossoming star... he made the All-Star team with a 10-6 record and an excellent 2.33 ERA... 29-year-old Arno Vainmaa is 9-7 with a 3.70 ERA in his 10th season... All-Star C Bucky O'Brian sparks the offense with a .353 batting average, 10 homers, 43 RBIs and 40 runs... RF Travis Tuttle and 1B Paul Davies are also strong with the bats... Tuttle has 13 homers, 38 RBIs and a .302 BA, while Davies sports a .325 mark with 2 roundtrippers and 26 runs batted in. The other two teams in the TU North are pathetic... the Blue Lake Blue Sox (22-51) are seventh and already 22 games behind... manager Cobb Tyson is almost destitute... he has no pitcher of any note... and very few batters... the Blue Sox are near the bottom in everything... 3B Sal Avallone is a plus with a .311 average, but only 2 home runs, 22 RBIs and 25 runs. The Luxora Zorros (17-56) could be headed for the worst season in IPA history... in 2019 the North Hills Hawks could only manage a 47-107 record... the Z's are on pace to lose more than that... manager Cristo Viamonte only has two decent players: All-Star 2B Julio Canseco (.320 BA/0 HR/23 RBI/31 R) and C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.280 BA/11 HR/33 RBI/41 R). TU North Outlook: White River has the experience and the talent to handily win its third TU West division title in a row and fourth in five years... Fairfax is up-and-coming, but not quite on par with the Rascals... Hartsdale will wind up in third place... the Hellcats don't have the pitching or hitting to contend for the pennant... ditto for Oxford, who will come in fourth, followed by Mahaska in fifth place... the Haymakers have better pitching than the North Hills Hawks... North Hills will be number six... Blue Lake will be seventh and poor Luxora just might be headed for 110 losses and is a cinch for last place.