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Eugene Church · 12-03-2011, 12:22 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 19, 2028

2028 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Sun Sox Snatch Pennant From Ninjas
The defending IPA Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox really proved their mettle by catching the Ginza Ninjas on the final day of the regular season, then won the Tycobbian South flag in a single-game playoff, bombing the Ninjas 11-5... in a colossal collapse Ginza was only 5-12 in the final weeks of the season, while Southport was a scorching 14-3... the Ninjas blew a huge lead in September... they were up by 8 games over the Sun Sox... third place went to Summerland and Colchester, who were 4 and a half game back of Southport.

Manager Charley Oscar's Southport Sun Sox (87-68) possessed a potent offense with a .275 BA (5th), 790 runs scored (4th) and 180 homers (14th), but only average pitching with a 4.14 team ERA (16th)...the Sun Sox top guns were All-Star RF Lorne Evans, who had a great year with 55 home runs, 120 RBIs and an IPA-leading 165 runs... Evans batted .325 and walked 133 times... 1B Kyle Ross also lent a hand with 32 roundtrippers, 122 RBIs and scored 91 times, while hitting at a .296 pace... C Luis Alvarado added a .308 BA, 18 homers and 89 runs batted in... injuries were a problem for Oscar... he lost starter Dan Pascioni (10-11/3.65) for the season in July and 2B Sam Cousins in late August for the year... Cousins hit .329 with 9 home runs, 56 RBIs and 54 runs... CF Rick Cabrini (.301/13/49/91) also went out for over 20 games, but will be back for the playoffs... Ronnie Galus was the main man on the mound with a 23-13 mark and a 3.36 ERA... Al Laclair was 19-14, but saw his ERA soar to 4.97 this year... spot number three will probably go to Bob Bundy, who was 8-2 with a 2.67 ERA after being moved in from the bullpen to the starting rotation in June... closer Joel Shepard saved 21 games, while posting a 5-4 record and a fine 2.61 ERA.

The runner-up Ginza Ninjas (86-69) played very well the entire season except for September... manager Huroko Uchiyama had four All-Stars, led by Cotton Cornwall (.323/35/111/112), SS Russ Van Kleek (.304/16/83/83), 2B Howard Winston (.312/18/77/84) and C Crash Davis (.303/12/65/66)... 1B Johnny O'Rorke didn't make the All-Stars, but put up some fine numbers with a .296 BA, 35 home runs, 110 RBIs and 95 runs scored... as a team Ginza batted .286 (1st), scored 798 runs (3rd) with 161 homers (17th)... on the hill the Ninjas were pretty fair with a 3.94 team ERA (8th), sparked by 23-year-old Ryuji Kaneko with a 17-12 record and a 2.98 ERA and 24-year-old Hollis Pace ((19-13/3.08)... 27-year-old ace Daniel Ferguson had a disappointing season with a 13-17 record and lofty 4.81 ERA... in seven years Ferguson has put up a rock-solid 3.02 ERA with a 103-88 record... Ferguson won 20 games in three of his first four seasons, but has had a losing record the last two years.

It was a rebound year for skipper Will Hackett and his Summerland Sunsets (82-72) as they tied with Colchester for third place, trailing Southport by 4 and a half games... Last year the Sunsets were stuck in the basement... Clive Coxford (14-7/3.78) and Scotty Ellison (18-13/2.91) were the top pitchers, while 1B Mandu Purula had a career year with a .354 BA, 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 93 runs... SS Gregg Proctor contributed 26 home runs and 101 RBIs, but hit only .250 for average... RF Stefan Noon slapped 26 out of the park and drove in 85, while batting .268.

The Colchester Elites (82-72) were up with the leaders for most of the year and wound up deadlocked for the third spot in the TU South... Mike Kierkegard (20-10/3.05) was manager Uncle Robbie Wilbertson's number one hurler... and Brandy Snow (18-17/4.23) also pitched well at times... but it was the Elite bats that carried the day, headed up by the IPA co-home run leader Jim Lewellen, who blasted 56 home runs, knocked in 142, scored 138 times with a .279 BA... Loco Dillinger of Waleska also drilled 56 home runs to top the Ruthlandian Union... RF Cleve Belton (.283/31/97/81), 1B Steve Burns (.315/17/88) and CF Carlos Manuel (.282/22/48/108) also chipped in run support.

Given a little more pitching, the San Alejo Montaneros (78-76) could have been a serious contender for the TU South crown... manager Alberto Herrera's club came in fifth this season, 8 and a half games out... the Monties were second best in scoring with 808 runs and batted a solid .268 (9th) with 197 homers (6th-tied)... but on the hill they were horrendous with a 4.51 team ERA (27th)... the only reliable arm was John Kaltenbach with a 20-16 record and a 3.84 ERA... 3B Bubby Blackwell had an impressive season with a .355 BA (2nd), 12 home runs, 90 RBIs and 95 runs... 36-year-old late bloomer 1B Ramon Escabedo was a standout, too, with 39 roundtrippers, 116 RBIs, 106 runs and a .288 BA... longtime star CF Warren Love collected 37 homers, 109 RBIs and scored 84 times with a .310 BA.

The three remaining clubs were out of the running... sixth place Turon (73-81) was only 4 games behind at the All-Star break, but went on the fritz in the second half and tumbled 13 and a half games off the pace... it's been 9 years since Whitey Richburn's once-powerful Typhoons have made the playoffs... at the plate All-Star 1B Michael Page stood out with a sparkling .350 BA, 39 home runs, 95 RBIs and 83 runs, leading the team in all four categories... 3B Grant Odom was also productive with a .305 BA, 5 homers, 62 RBIs and 83 runs... on the hill Sal Quattrone led the way with a 20-14 mark and a 3.88 ERA... finally at age 39 IPA icon and all-time wins leader Nicky Engstrom showed signs of his 19 years as he suffered his first losing season with a 13-22 record... Engstrom also saw his ERA jumped to 4.27... lifetime Engstrom is now 384-209 with a 2.39 ERA.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (69-85) and Arroyo Grande Suns pulled up the rear in last place, 17 and a half games out of first... The Hurricanes missed the playoffs for the 13th straight season... manager Flipper Bird needs a lot of help on the mound and at the plate... his best performers were CF Dan Isenberg (.300/22/82/88) and pitcher Randy Burns (11-11/3.88)... not much talent after them.

For the first time in 10 seasons Cyclone Cobb finished lower than third place in the standings and it was quite a jolt, all the way to the cellar... the Arroyo Grande Suns (69-85) had horrible pitching with a 4.70 ERA (29th), but they still can sting the ball... the Suns went deep 217 times, ranking second to High Mesa's 257 total and seventh in scoring with 768 runs... the Suns still hit for power, but not much for average... All-Star C Gary Troxell led with 42 homers and 110 RBIs, but hit only .221... 1B Rusty Vizcarra had 37 roundtrippers and 122 RBIs with a .274 BA... LF Rod Jacobs slugged 30 home runs, scored 109 times, batted in 57 runs, while hitting .236... 2B Andy Pearson hit 25 homers with 98 RBIs and 100 runs and a .270 mark... RF Johnny Eichhorn had 29 dingers, 67 RBIs and a .273 BA... Cobb's only decent pitcher was Chico Huerta (15-9/3.56), who chalked up his best season, but was injured in late August.

12-03-2011, 12:22 AM	#2863
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,900	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 19, 2028 2028 Tycobbian South Final Recap Sun Sox Snatch Pennant From Ninjas The defending IPA Pro Cup champion Southport Sun Sox really proved their mettle by catching the Ginza Ninjas on the final day of the regular season, then won the Tycobbian South flag in a single-game playoff, bombing the Ninjas 11-5... in a colossal collapse Ginza was only 5-12 in the final weeks of the season, while Southport was a scorching 14-3... the Ninjas blew a huge lead in September... they were up by 8 games over the Sun Sox... third place went to Summerland and Colchester, who were 4 and a half game back of Southport. Manager Charley Oscar's Southport Sun Sox (87-68) possessed a potent offense with a .275 BA (5th), 790 runs scored (4th) and 180 homers (14th), but only average pitching with a 4.14 team ERA (16th)...the Sun Sox top guns were All-Star RF Lorne Evans, who had a great year with 55 home runs, 120 RBIs and an IPA-leading 165 runs... Evans batted .325 and walked 133 times... 1B Kyle Ross also lent a hand with 32 roundtrippers, 122 RBIs and scored 91 times, while hitting at a .296 pace... C Luis Alvarado added a .308 BA, 18 homers and 89 runs batted in... injuries were a problem for Oscar... he lost starter Dan Pascioni (10-11/3.65) for the season in July and 2B Sam Cousins in late August for the year... Cousins hit .329 with 9 home runs, 56 RBIs and 54 runs... CF Rick Cabrini (.301/13/49/91) also went out for over 20 games, but will be back for the playoffs... Ronnie Galus was the main man on the mound with a 23-13 mark and a 3.36 ERA... Al Laclair was 19-14, but saw his ERA soar to 4.97 this year... spot number three will probably go to Bob Bundy, who was 8-2 with a 2.67 ERA after being moved in from the bullpen to the starting rotation in June... closer Joel Shepard saved 21 games, while posting a 5-4 record and a fine 2.61 ERA. The runner-up Ginza Ninjas (86-69) played very well the entire season except for September... manager Huroko Uchiyama had four All-Stars, led by Cotton Cornwall (.323/35/111/112), SS Russ Van Kleek (.304/16/83/83), 2B Howard Winston (.312/18/77/84) and C Crash Davis (.303/12/65/66)... 1B Johnny O'Rorke didn't make the All-Stars, but put up some fine numbers with a .296 BA, 35 home runs, 110 RBIs and 95 runs scored... as a team Ginza batted .286 (1st), scored 798 runs (3rd) with 161 homers (17th)... on the hill the Ninjas were pretty fair with a 3.94 team ERA (8th), sparked by 23-year-old Ryuji Kaneko with a 17-12 record and a 2.98 ERA and 24-year-old Hollis Pace ((19-13/3.08)... 27-year-old ace Daniel Ferguson had a disappointing season with a 13-17 record and lofty 4.81 ERA... in seven years Ferguson has put up a rock-solid 3.02 ERA with a 103-88 record... Ferguson won 20 games in three of his first four seasons, but has had a losing record the last two years. It was a rebound year for skipper Will Hackett and his Summerland Sunsets (82-72) as they tied with Colchester for third place, trailing Southport by 4 and a half games... Last year the Sunsets were stuck in the basement... Clive Coxford (14-7/3.78) and Scotty Ellison (18-13/2.91) were the top pitchers, while 1B Mandu Purula had a career year with a .354 BA, 30 homers, 100 RBIs and 93 runs... SS Gregg Proctor contributed 26 home runs and 101 RBIs, but hit only .250 for average... RF Stefan Noon slapped 26 out of the park and drove in 85, while batting .268. The Colchester Elites (82-72) were up with the leaders for most of the year and wound up deadlocked for the third spot in the TU South... Mike Kierkegard (20-10/3.05) was manager Uncle Robbie Wilbertson's number one hurler... and Brandy Snow (18-17/4.23) also pitched well at times... but it was the Elite bats that carried the day, headed up by the IPA co-home run leader Jim Lewellen, who blasted 56 home runs, knocked in 142, scored 138 times with a .279 BA... Loco Dillinger of Waleska also drilled 56 home runs to top the Ruthlandian Union... RF Cleve Belton (.283/31/97/81), 1B Steve Burns (.315/17/88) and CF Carlos Manuel (.282/22/48/108) also chipped in run support. Given a little more pitching, the San Alejo Montaneros (78-76) could have been a serious contender for the TU South crown... manager Alberto Herrera's club came in fifth this season, 8 and a half games out... the Monties were second best in scoring with 808 runs and batted a solid .268 (9th) with 197 homers (6th-tied)... but on the hill they were horrendous with a 4.51 team ERA (27th)... the only reliable arm was John Kaltenbach with a 20-16 record and a 3.84 ERA... 3B Bubby Blackwell had an impressive season with a .355 BA (2nd), 12 home runs, 90 RBIs and 95 runs... 36-year-old late bloomer 1B Ramon Escabedo was a standout, too, with 39 roundtrippers, 116 RBIs, 106 runs and a .288 BA... longtime star CF Warren Love collected 37 homers, 109 RBIs and scored 84 times with a .310 BA. The three remaining clubs were out of the running... sixth place Turon (73-81) was only 4 games behind at the All-Star break, but went on the fritz in the second half and tumbled 13 and a half games off the pace... it's been 9 years since Whitey Richburn's once-powerful Typhoons have made the playoffs... at the plate All-Star 1B Michael Page stood out with a sparkling .350 BA, 39 home runs, 95 RBIs and 83 runs, leading the team in all four categories... 3B Grant Odom was also productive with a .305 BA, 5 homers, 62 RBIs and 83 runs... on the hill Sal Quattrone led the way with a 20-14 mark and a 3.88 ERA... finally at age 39 IPA icon and all-time wins leader Nicky Engstrom showed signs of his 19 years as he suffered his first losing season with a 13-22 record... Engstrom also saw his ERA jumped to 4.27... lifetime Engstrom is now 384-209 with a 2.39 ERA. The Cape Coral Hurricanes (69-85) and Arroyo Grande Suns pulled up the rear in last place, 17 and a half games out of first... The Hurricanes missed the playoffs for the 13th straight season... manager Flipper Bird needs a lot of help on the mound and at the plate... his best performers were CF Dan Isenberg (.300/22/82/88) and pitcher Randy Burns (11-11/3.88)... not much talent after them. For the first time in 10 seasons Cyclone Cobb finished lower than third place in the standings and it was quite a jolt, all the way to the cellar... the Arroyo Grande Suns (69-85) had horrible pitching with a 4.70 ERA (29th), but they still can sting the ball... the Suns went deep 217 times, ranking second to High Mesa's 257 total and seventh in scoring with 768 runs... the Suns still hit for power, but not much for average... All-Star C Gary Troxell led with 42 homers and 110 RBIs, but hit only .221... 1B Rusty Vizcarra had 37 roundtrippers and 122 RBIs with a .274 BA... LF Rod Jacobs slugged 30 home runs, scored 109 times, batted in 57 runs, while hitting .236... 2B Andy Pearson hit 25 homers with 98 RBIs and 100 runs and a .270 mark... RF Johnny Eichhorn had 29 dingers, 67 RBIs and a .273 BA... Cobb's only decent pitcher was Chico Huerta (15-9/3.56), who chalked up his best season, but was injured in late August.