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Eugene Church · 10-30-2012, 10:07 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2034

2034 Tycobbian North Preseason Poll

RANK/TEAM (LAST YEAR)
1. White River Rascals (5th)
2. Fairfax Frogs (1st)
3. Oxford Red Caps (4th)
4. North Hills Hawks (6th)
5. Blue Lake Blue Sox (8th)
6. Luxora Zorros (3rd)
7. Mahaska Haymakers (7th)
8. Hartsdale Hellcats (2nd)

NH Hawks Bolt To The Top In TU North
The forecast called for a two-team tussle between White River and Fairfax. So far it hasn't transpired that way. The North Hills Hawks weren't high on too many lists in the Tycobbian North pennant chase, but they have been an eye-opener in the early going, running off a sparkling 18-8 record in April. Last season's champion Fairfax is right on the Hawks' tail with a 17-9 mark, along with the Oxford Reds, tied for the second spot in the standings. The critics' choice in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason poll, the White River Rascals, are nestled in fourth place at 16-10, only two games back. Fifth place Hartsdale (14-12) is four games out of first, followed by Luxora (13-13) in sixth place, Mahaska (12-14) seventh and Blue Lake (10-16) is last in the division and 8 games off the pace.

It's been years since North Hills made the Pro Cup playoffs, last participating in 2016... manager Todd Simons has them going in an amazing reversal from last season when the Hawks wound up sixth... batting is up 25 points over a season ago and the team ERA has dropped almost a run a game... North Hills is hitting a very hefty .287 (2nd) and has registered a brilliant 2.63 ERA (1st)... only Wynnamac of the RU East has a better team ERA (2.36)... the Hawks rotation consists of Jeff Owens (6-1/2.67), Tony Mack (3-1/1.77), Terry Costanza (3-1/2.15) and David Michael (4-3/3.19)... Simons has a string of good hitters in his batting order, sparked by C/IF Mikhail Romanovsky (.383), 3B Dean O'Donnell (.330), LF Adam Thurgood (.324), C Joe King (.329) and 1B Skippy Shearer (.291)... Thurgood has 8 homers and 20 RBIs this year... time will tell if the Hawks can sustain such an impressive start.

Last year Dane Wesner's Fairfax Frogs dominated the TU North and won it by 20 games... the Frogs have captured it two years running and have a strong shot at adding a third straight to their laurels... however in the season's first month the Frogs' hitting and pitching is not as good as last year... they lead the TU in scoring, have a .278 BA and a mediocre 4.13 ERA, despite signing free agents Jay Barajas (4-3/3.67) from San Dimas and Manny Mateo (3-1/4.15) from Ranford... only Mac Flowers (2-0/2.25) is performing well... last year's ace and 23-game winner Dudley Dickens (1-3/6.25) has been dismal this year... but the bats are solid again this year with 2B John Velasco (.301), 3B Jim McDermott (.296), CF Michael Hudson (.283), LF Max Lebowitz (.279) and RF Eric Kusek (.265).

The Oxford Red Caps, guided by Cameron Kamara, were rated the third-best team in the preseason by the sportswriters and media... the Red Caps have lived up to it in the initial going... last year they finished a distant fourth... it's been almost 30 years since the club made it into the playoffs... in 2007 Oxford won its first and only Pro Cup... Kamara has a powerhouse at the plate... the Red Caps and Bayview top the IPA with 42 homers... Oxford ranks high in the TU in scoring runs (5th)... his pitching is not on par with his hitters... the team ERA is 4.00 (20th)... the lineup is power-packed with vet 1B Kerry Sterling (.298/7 HR), rookie 2B Alonso Norris (.313/6 HR), CF Crusher Derringer (.264/6 HR) and rookie 3B Boyd Olsen (.278/6 HR)... C John Fitzpatrick (.326) leads the team in batting average... Kelly Morton (4-1/2.58) and Mario Lopez (4-2/2.63) have stood out as starters, along with reliever Kurt Jelesko (4-0/0.51/2 saves).

The preseason pick White River Rascals are hanging close in fourth place, just 2 games back... Mick Cronyn's club has floundered in the second division for four of the last five years... this could be a year of revival... the Rascals are long on the hill with a 2.90 team ERA (5th), can go deep with 38 homers (3rd tied) and score (7th tied)... they should be a serious challenger for the TU North flag... Paul Sartini (4-0/1.52) heads up a potent staff of veterans... free agent from High Mesa Emil Kaltenborn (3-2/2.57), Gregg Moore (4-1/2.81) and Kenny Nikas (1-4/3.78) are the other quality starters... Nikas has won 46 games in the last two seasons and won the Tycobbian MVP honor in 2032... leading the way in the power department are platooners at 1B Davey Sloan with 7 homers and Allan Ferris with 5, 3B Koora Nawajuk with 5 and CF Clive Kenyon with 4... top batters are 3B Dan Zalewski (.327), Sloan (.304), Ferris (.295) and free agent 2B Derek Kristensen (.283) from Rolling Hills... RF Hal Littleton (.324) was re-signed as a free agent after spending 2031-2033 in the Ruthlandian Union... Littleton was with the Rascals his first 11 seasons in the league.

The Hartsdale Hellcats last won the TU North pennant in 2029... since then it has been all down hill except for a remarkable rise to second last year... predictions were another flip-flop to the cellar again this year, but it has yet to happen... the Hellcats are riding high in fifth place, but they are just 4 games out of first... skipper Kendry Moulton has better-than-average hitting and pitching with a .274 BA (10th) and a 3.44 ERA (11th)... the Hellcats are 16th in run scoring with 120 and 10th in roundtrippers with 30... the veteran mound staff consists of Lou Chylak (3-3/3.12), Erik Isenhart (2-1/1.52), Wayne Dawson (1-2/2.87) and Hank Cooke (4-3/4.99)... the most productive hitters have been 3B Duffy Day (.344/5 HR), CF Joe McGarrett (.310/8 HR). C Don Pontros (.273/4 HR), rookie SS Robinson Alomar (.262/4 HR) and 3B Giancarlo Orlandini (.263/4 HR)... rookie 3B Wilfred Byers (.385) and free agent LF Tom Gildersleeve (.357) from Summerland have also done very well when in the lineup... the critics might be wrong about Hartsdale... they have not played like a last-place club this season... time will tell.

Under manager Lacey Tompkins the Luxora Zorros have wound up in the TU North first division for the last 6 seasons... the Z's won the pennant in 2031... Tompkins doesn't think they are a sixth-place club as forecast in the preseason poll... with a 3.29 team ERA (7th) pitching has been good and will get better when ace Benny DeVito returns in June... DeVito will miss the first two months with an ankle injury... DeVito is 121-104 and a fine 3.15 ERA in 8 seasons with Luxora... Kent Halloran (2-3/1.94) has been Tompkins' best starter... closer Fernando Sanches (4-0/2.21/6 saves) has been outstanding this year and is tied with Cape Coral's Travis Arthur for the IPA lead in saves... however, the Zorros are in bad shape at the plate with a pathetic .235 BA (31st)... it's a wonder they have broken even at 13-13 this year... vet 1B Gerry Hathaway is the club leader with 17 RBIs and 6 HRs, but is batting only .211, about a 100 points under his .306 career average... LF Forest Orr with a .283 BA, 3 homers and 12 RBIs and RF Buster Landry with a .284 mark, 3 homers and 12 runs have also lent a hand to the offense... the Luxora lineup will have to perk up quite a lot to end up in the first division this season.

Four of the last five years the Mahaska Haymakers have languished in the second division of the TU North... manager Rusty Lanussa's last success was pennants in 2026 and 2028... the Haymakers are in seventh place this year at 12-14 and 6 games behind first place North Hills... Lanussa has average hitting (.266) and pitching (3.72 ERA) with pitiful power, only 12 homers (31st)... his bullpen is atrocious with a 5.64 ERA (31st)... Mahaska has been picked for seventh place this season, but last looks more like it... Mark Pennington (3-2/3.13), Greg Douglas (3-2/3.00) and Carl Dreux (2-3/2.59) are capable starters... at the plate the Haymakers most reliable batters has been rookie 3B Gunnar Norheim (.364), C Ronald Reid (.371) and 1B Lyndon Washington (.345)... the rest of the batting order is hitting .250 or less.

In a remarkable season, the Blue Lake Blue Sox unexpectedly captured the 2030 Pro Cup... manager Rick Hilliard did it with wonderful pitching... this year pitching is almost non-existent with a 4.89 ERA (29th)... the Blue Sox are batting fairly well with a .270 BA (12th) and scores pretty well with 124 runs (10th tied), but woeful with 22 home runs (21st) and a poor bullpen with a 5.40 ERA (29th)... since the golden year of 2030 Blue Lake has slipped to third, seventh and eighth place... the Blue Sox ranked fifth in the preseason poll... are currently in last place, but could climb a little higher in the final standings... star pitchers Dallas Casey (2-4/5.29) and Frankie Quinn (3-4/4.92) are having tough years... Casey might be showing his age at 36... Quinn came over from Fort Benton of the Ruthlandian Union and has had a difficult adjustment period... Casey was 15-9 with an impressive 2.50 ERA and 17-12 with a 2.68 ERA the last two seasons... Quinn was 133-99 in 7 seasons with a career 3.01 ERA in Fort Benton... three sparkling rookies have been at the forefront for the Blue Sox this year: CF Jack Ryan tops the IPA with a .418 BA with 3 HRs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs... 2B James Hamilton is hitting .337 with 8 RBIs and 15 runs scored... and RF Greg Robinson has 8 homers, 26 RBIs and 17 runs, while batting .268... Blue Lake signed free agent LF Jojo Davis from Beechwood in the RU... the 35-year-old Davis is a career .329 hitter in his 13 seasons in the IPA... thus far Davis is hitting at a .290 clip for the Blue Sox.

10-30-2012, 10:07 PM	#3321
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,944	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Monday, May 1, 2034 2034 Tycobbian North Preseason Poll RANK/TEAM (LAST YEAR) 1. White River Rascals (5th) 2. Fairfax Frogs (1st) 3. Oxford Red Caps (4th) 4. North Hills Hawks (6th) 5. Blue Lake Blue Sox (8th) 6. Luxora Zorros (3rd) 7. Mahaska Haymakers (7th) 8. Hartsdale Hellcats (2nd) NH Hawks Bolt To The Top In TU North The forecast called for a two-team tussle between White River and Fairfax. So far it hasn't transpired that way. The North Hills Hawks weren't high on too many lists in the Tycobbian North pennant chase, but they have been an eye-opener in the early going, running off a sparkling 18-8 record in April. Last season's champion Fairfax is right on the Hawks' tail with a 17-9 mark, along with the Oxford Reds, tied for the second spot in the standings. The critics' choice in THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason poll, the White River Rascals, are nestled in fourth place at 16-10, only two games back. Fifth place Hartsdale (14-12) is four games out of first, followed by Luxora (13-13) in sixth place, Mahaska (12-14) seventh and Blue Lake (10-16) is last in the division and 8 games off the pace. It's been years since North Hills made the Pro Cup playoffs, last participating in 2016... manager Todd Simons has them going in an amazing reversal from last season when the Hawks wound up sixth... batting is up 25 points over a season ago and the team ERA has dropped almost a run a game... North Hills is hitting a very hefty .287 (2nd) and has registered a brilliant 2.63 ERA (1st)... only Wynnamac of the RU East has a better team ERA (2.36)... the Hawks rotation consists of Jeff Owens (6-1/2.67), Tony Mack (3-1/1.77), Terry Costanza (3-1/2.15) and David Michael (4-3/3.19)... Simons has a string of good hitters in his batting order, sparked by C/IF Mikhail Romanovsky (.383), 3B Dean O'Donnell (.330), LF Adam Thurgood (.324), C Joe King (.329) and 1B Skippy Shearer (.291)... Thurgood has 8 homers and 20 RBIs this year... time will tell if the Hawks can sustain such an impressive start. Last year Dane Wesner's Fairfax Frogs dominated the TU North and won it by 20 games... the Frogs have captured it two years running and have a strong shot at adding a third straight to their laurels... however in the season's first month the Frogs' hitting and pitching is not as good as last year... they lead the TU in scoring, have a .278 BA and a mediocre 4.13 ERA, despite signing free agents Jay Barajas (4-3/3.67) from San Dimas and Manny Mateo (3-1/4.15) from Ranford... only Mac Flowers (2-0/2.25) is performing well... last year's ace and 23-game winner Dudley Dickens (1-3/6.25) has been dismal this year... but the bats are solid again this year with 2B John Velasco (.301), 3B Jim McDermott (.296), CF Michael Hudson (.283), LF Max Lebowitz (.279) and RF Eric Kusek (.265). The Oxford Red Caps, guided by Cameron Kamara, were rated the third-best team in the preseason by the sportswriters and media... the Red Caps have lived up to it in the initial going... last year they finished a distant fourth... it's been almost 30 years since the club made it into the playoffs... in 2007 Oxford won its first and only Pro Cup... Kamara has a powerhouse at the plate... the Red Caps and Bayview top the IPA with 42 homers... Oxford ranks high in the TU in scoring runs (5th)... his pitching is not on par with his hitters... the team ERA is 4.00 (20th)... the lineup is power-packed with vet 1B Kerry Sterling (.298/7 HR), rookie 2B Alonso Norris (.313/6 HR), CF Crusher Derringer (.264/6 HR) and rookie 3B Boyd Olsen (.278/6 HR)... C John Fitzpatrick (.326) leads the team in batting average... Kelly Morton (4-1/2.58) and Mario Lopez (4-2/2.63) have stood out as starters, along with reliever Kurt Jelesko (4-0/0.51/2 saves). The preseason pick White River Rascals are hanging close in fourth place, just 2 games back... Mick Cronyn's club has floundered in the second division for four of the last five years... this could be a year of revival... the Rascals are long on the hill with a 2.90 team ERA (5th), can go deep with 38 homers (3rd tied) and score (7th tied)... they should be a serious challenger for the TU North flag... Paul Sartini (4-0/1.52) heads up a potent staff of veterans... free agent from High Mesa Emil Kaltenborn (3-2/2.57), Gregg Moore (4-1/2.81) and Kenny Nikas (1-4/3.78) are the other quality starters... Nikas has won 46 games in the last two seasons and won the Tycobbian MVP honor in 2032... leading the way in the power department are platooners at 1B Davey Sloan with 7 homers and Allan Ferris with 5, 3B Koora Nawajuk with 5 and CF Clive Kenyon with 4... top batters are 3B Dan Zalewski (.327), Sloan (.304), Ferris (.295) and free agent 2B Derek Kristensen (.283) from Rolling Hills... RF Hal Littleton (.324) was re-signed as a free agent after spending 2031-2033 in the Ruthlandian Union... Littleton was with the Rascals his first 11 seasons in the league. The Hartsdale Hellcats last won the TU North pennant in 2029... since then it has been all down hill except for a remarkable rise to second last year... predictions were another flip-flop to the cellar again this year, but it has yet to happen... the Hellcats are riding high in fifth place, but they are just 4 games out of first... skipper Kendry Moulton has better-than-average hitting and pitching with a .274 BA (10th) and a 3.44 ERA (11th)... the Hellcats are 16th in run scoring with 120 and 10th in roundtrippers with 30... the veteran mound staff consists of Lou Chylak (3-3/3.12), Erik Isenhart (2-1/1.52), Wayne Dawson (1-2/2.87) and Hank Cooke (4-3/4.99)... the most productive hitters have been 3B Duffy Day (.344/5 HR), CF Joe McGarrett (.310/8 HR). C Don Pontros (.273/4 HR), rookie SS Robinson Alomar (.262/4 HR) and 3B Giancarlo Orlandini (.263/4 HR)... rookie 3B Wilfred Byers (.385) and free agent LF Tom Gildersleeve (.357) from Summerland have also done very well when in the lineup... the critics might be wrong about Hartsdale... they have not played like a last-place club this season... time will tell. Under manager Lacey Tompkins the Luxora Zorros have wound up in the TU North first division for the last 6 seasons... the Z's won the pennant in 2031... Tompkins doesn't think they are a sixth-place club as forecast in the preseason poll... with a 3.29 team ERA (7th) pitching has been good and will get better when ace Benny DeVito returns in June... DeVito will miss the first two months with an ankle injury... DeVito is 121-104 and a fine 3.15 ERA in 8 seasons with Luxora... Kent Halloran (2-3/1.94) has been Tompkins' best starter... closer Fernando Sanches (4-0/2.21/6 saves) has been outstanding this year and is tied with Cape Coral's Travis Arthur for the IPA lead in saves... however, the Zorros are in bad shape at the plate with a pathetic .235 BA (31st)... it's a wonder they have broken even at 13-13 this year... vet 1B Gerry Hathaway is the club leader with 17 RBIs and 6 HRs, but is batting only .211, about a 100 points under his .306 career average... LF Forest Orr with a .283 BA, 3 homers and 12 RBIs and RF Buster Landry with a .284 mark, 3 homers and 12 runs have also lent a hand to the offense... the Luxora lineup will have to perk up quite a lot to end up in the first division this season. Four of the last five years the Mahaska Haymakers have languished in the second division of the TU North... manager Rusty Lanussa's last success was pennants in 2026 and 2028... the Haymakers are in seventh place this year at 12-14 and 6 games behind first place North Hills... Lanussa has average hitting (.266) and pitching (3.72 ERA) with pitiful power, only 12 homers (31st)... his bullpen is atrocious with a 5.64 ERA (31st)... Mahaska has been picked for seventh place this season, but last looks more like it... Mark Pennington (3-2/3.13), Greg Douglas (3-2/3.00) and Carl Dreux (2-3/2.59) are capable starters... at the plate the Haymakers most reliable batters has been rookie 3B Gunnar Norheim (.364), C Ronald Reid (.371) and 1B Lyndon Washington (.345)... the rest of the batting order is hitting .250 or less. In a remarkable season, the Blue Lake Blue Sox unexpectedly captured the 2030 Pro Cup... manager Rick Hilliard did it with wonderful pitching... this year pitching is almost non-existent with a 4.89 ERA (29th)... the Blue Sox are batting fairly well with a .270 BA (12th) and scores pretty well with 124 runs (10th tied), but woeful with 22 home runs (21st) and a poor bullpen with a 5.40 ERA (29th)... since the golden year of 2030 Blue Lake has slipped to third, seventh and eighth place... the Blue Sox ranked fifth in the preseason poll... are currently in last place, but could climb a little higher in the final standings... star pitchers Dallas Casey (2-4/5.29) and Frankie Quinn (3-4/4.92) are having tough years... Casey might be showing his age at 36... Quinn came over from Fort Benton of the Ruthlandian Union and has had a difficult adjustment period... Casey was 15-9 with an impressive 2.50 ERA and 17-12 with a 2.68 ERA the last two seasons... Quinn was 133-99 in 7 seasons with a career 3.01 ERA in Fort Benton... three sparkling rookies have been at the forefront for the Blue Sox this year: CF Jack Ryan tops the IPA with a .418 BA with 3 HRs, 17 RBIs and 19 runs... 2B James Hamilton is hitting .337 with 8 RBIs and 15 runs scored... and RF Greg Robinson has 8 homers, 26 RBIs and 17 runs, while batting .268... Blue Lake signed free agent LF Jojo Davis from Beechwood in the RU... the 35-year-old Davis is a career .329 hitter in his 13 seasons in the IPA... thus far Davis is hitting at a .290 clip for the Blue Sox.