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Eugene Church · 03-07-2013, 10:16 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2035

Tucks Win TU East Again, 3rd Time In 4 Years
Once again the Tuckanarra Blue Jays made a mockery of the Tycobbian East... for the second season in a row they easily disposed of everybody in sight, capturing the division by 12 games over second-place Ozarka, 17 better than South Fork and 18 in front of the Midway Wolves and East Point Panthers, who deadlocked in fourth place... in the club's illustrious history the Tucks will be making their 14th postseason appearance... four times the Blue Jays have reached the Pro Cup Finals and twice they were Islandian champions... Tuckanarra won its Pro Cups in back-to-back years 2023 and 2024. This year the Blue Jays finished second to San Alejo for the most wins in the Tycobbian Union... the Montaneros captured 100 victories and the Tucks racked up 97.

Tuckanarra skipper Carlton "Lefty" Stevens piloted his club to a first-division berth for the 13th consecutive year... the Blue Jays are a talented bunch with strong pitching and a strong offense... it's only defensively that they are just an average ball club... the Tucks had three 20-game winners in All-Star Bobby Reid (20-12/2.49), Rudy Rosario (20-12/3.16) and Junior Bristow (22-11/2.51)... Rosario was certainly worth his big contract... he came over from Colfax of the Ruthlandian Union through free agency... rounding out one of the best foursome in the IPA was Jeff Buttram (14-11/3.42)... the bullpen was solid, too, led by James Warner (3-6/2.47/20 saves)... Stevens' batting order was chocked full of hitters, too, paced by IPA icon and All-Star LF Lorne Evans (.277/39/125/109), All-Star RF Spade Weldon (.306/16/82/90), 1B Josh George (.252/26/96/78), CF Pancho Villa (.288/22/93/71) and SS Eddie Darby (.304/6/55/76)... Tuckanarra will have to face Chicopee again in the first round of the Pro Cup playoffs... the Braves put them away in 5 games last postseason... however 20-game winner Rosario will be a big addition this year... it should be quite a series.

The Ozarka Naturals came in a very distant second to Tuckanarra for the second straight season... manager Frank Kiffen has a good hitting squad and very good defensively, but comes up a little short in pitching after Kiffen lost his top hurler Glen Jenkins (15-6/3.03) the last two months of the season to injury... Stan Carey (11-9/3.64) was the most effective after Jenkins... Ozarka put runs on the scoreboard just about as good as Tuckanarra... Kiffin had some good bats in RF Bob Banachak (.330/16/61/83), CF Lonnie Gillespie (.294/10/61/98), SS Nick Nova (.319/11/67/91) and LF Reggie Davidson (.256/22/58/87).

Duroche "Lips" Leon turned the South Fork Stallions around this year with much-improved pitching and some pop at the plate after two dismal seasons near the bottom... knuckle-balling newcomer Yancy Garrett (20-13/2.51) was outstanding... the 35-year-old free agent from Turon (TU) had the best season by far of his 13-year IPA career... a reliever for most of his career, he turned to the flutterball this year to salvage his career... overall Garrett is just 54-52 with a 3.25 ERA... he was 12-16 with a sky-high 4.86 ERA in his only other season as a starter in 2032 at Waleska, where he spent his first 11 years... Alex Gillespie (19-14/3.46) was the Stallions' biggest winner... he improved from 12-20 last year... Denny Sorvino (14-15/3.35) was also a quality arm... Nicky Palermo (11-10/2.97/11 saves) did turns effectively in the bullpen and as a spot starter... South Fork is no great shakes in the batter's box except in going long... they ranked 8th in the TU with 176 homers... Leon's top bats were CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.281/29/96/71), SS Elton Jacoby (.280/22/76/84) and 3B Aron Nixon (.274/19/62/80).

Manager Cochise Chandler only has an average team in Midway... they were tied for fourth in the standings along with East Point... the Wolves have some good starters, but the bullpen is pathetic... Midway's top moundsman was 35-year-old veteran star Bobby Dorignac (19-13/2.95), who is one of the IPA all-time greats with a 281-188 record and a brilliant 2.78 ERA in his 13 seasons... free agent Freddi Hahn (14-6/2.96/11 saves) did quite well as the early-season closer and second-half starter... Hahn was with Waleska of the Ruthlandian Union last season... John Anderson (12-3/3.64) and Carey Snead (10-19/3.78) are dependable starters, too... the Wolves need offense to contend... CF Yancey Tanner led the club with a .316 BA and 80 runs... RF Bennett Cardwell topped the team with 81 RBIs, but batted just .248 with 17 roundtrippers... 1B Mel Quinn paced them in homers with 19, but hitting just .206 for average.

The East Point Panthers, managed by Karol Zodoka, won pennants in 2031 and 2033 and were picked to win again this season in The Islandian Times preseason poll... Zodoka had a strong staff, good power and scoring with adequate defense... Dixie Brooks (15-12/2.62), Johnny Moore (19-11/2.98), Burton Cook (11-10/3.41) and Frank Blair (13-14/3.85) are a pretty fair rotation... the reliable bats were veteran star and All-Star 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.272/39/126/96), RF Ed Milsted (.323/21/53/73), LF Ricky Arnold (.285/8/60/84) and SS Greg Stone (.282/17/66/66)... but 1B Jaxon Shatner (.226/25/86/71) and C Chris Cardinale (..237/16/62/78) had sub-par seasons.

For the ninth year in a row the High Mesa Cowboys wound up in the second division of the TU East with a sixth-place finish... the Cowpokes won the Pro Cup in 2002 and made the playoffs the next year, but haven't graced the postseason since... manager Rolf Kellgren has a decent pitching staff and a fair offense... Virgil Hasper (19-12/3.73) was the biggest winner, followed by Ronald Schmitt (13-11/3.86)... rookie RF Clay Johnson sparked the offense with 42 homers, 98 RBIs, 83 runs and a .284 BA... 28-year-old free agent from Southport (TU) C John Paul chipped in with 28 HRs, 63 RBIs and 76 runs, while batting .258... Kellgren had nobody else to boast about.

It's been a long time since the Red Bluff Red Sox made the Pro Cup playoffs... you have to go way back to 2009 for their most recent appearance, but the Red Sox do have a Pro Cup in its trophy case, winning it in 2004... skipper Jim Shaubert saw his club wind up deep in the second division... his Red Sox have finished seventh in three of the last four seasons... his club doesn't hit for much of an average, but they can good deep... the Red Sox clouted 186 out of the park and ranked 4th overall in the Tycobbian Union... pitching-wise they are pretty bad, ranking 30th... team batting leaders were All-Star CF Ike Sweetwater (.289/24/68/92), All-Star C Allie Blackwell (.283/11/50/53) and veteran 1B Garris Aiken (.241/23/78/74)... Aiken missed a third of the season with an injury... Tony DeFazio led the mound corps with a 15-14 mark and a 3.46 ERA.

The Hillsboro Blazers endured another last-place finish under manager Andy Jefferson... the Blazers have never been in the playoffs in their history... the Blazers are terrible at bat, ranking 63rd in the IPA with a .233 team BA... only White River of the TU North is worse with a .232 mark... on the hill they are just a little better, ranking 23rd with a 3.87 ERA... Hillsboro is average with the gloves... Jefferson has three decent starters in Eddie Brasher (19-16/3.44), Carmine Scalise (12-15/3.44) and Ralph Quick (10-18/3.42)... all suffer from a lack of run support... offensive leaders are 3B Marty O'Reilly (.253/27/87/67), rookie LF Jurrien Bellini (.247/27/81/83) and CF Benny Kegel (.288/22/65/54).

03-07-2013, 10:16 PM	#3456
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,940	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 18, 2035 Tucks Win TU East Again, 3rd Time In 4 Years Once again the Tuckanarra Blue Jays made a mockery of the Tycobbian East... for the second season in a row they easily disposed of everybody in sight, capturing the division by 12 games over second-place Ozarka, 17 better than South Fork and 18 in front of the Midway Wolves and East Point Panthers, who deadlocked in fourth place... in the club's illustrious history the Tucks will be making their 14th postseason appearance... four times the Blue Jays have reached the Pro Cup Finals and twice they were Islandian champions... Tuckanarra won its Pro Cups in back-to-back years 2023 and 2024. This year the Blue Jays finished second to San Alejo for the most wins in the Tycobbian Union... the Montaneros captured 100 victories and the Tucks racked up 97. Tuckanarra skipper Carlton "Lefty" Stevens piloted his club to a first-division berth for the 13th consecutive year... the Blue Jays are a talented bunch with strong pitching and a strong offense... it's only defensively that they are just an average ball club... the Tucks had three 20-game winners in All-Star Bobby Reid (20-12/2.49), Rudy Rosario (20-12/3.16) and Junior Bristow (22-11/2.51)... Rosario was certainly worth his big contract... he came over from Colfax of the Ruthlandian Union through free agency... rounding out one of the best foursome in the IPA was Jeff Buttram (14-11/3.42)... the bullpen was solid, too, led by James Warner (3-6/2.47/20 saves)... Stevens' batting order was chocked full of hitters, too, paced by IPA icon and All-Star LF Lorne Evans (.277/39/125/109), All-Star RF Spade Weldon (.306/16/82/90), 1B Josh George (.252/26/96/78), CF Pancho Villa (.288/22/93/71) and SS Eddie Darby (.304/6/55/76)... Tuckanarra will have to face Chicopee again in the first round of the Pro Cup playoffs... the Braves put them away in 5 games last postseason... however 20-game winner Rosario will be a big addition this year... it should be quite a series. The Ozarka Naturals came in a very distant second to Tuckanarra for the second straight season... manager Frank Kiffen has a good hitting squad and very good defensively, but comes up a little short in pitching after Kiffen lost his top hurler Glen Jenkins (15-6/3.03) the last two months of the season to injury... Stan Carey (11-9/3.64) was the most effective after Jenkins... Ozarka put runs on the scoreboard just about as good as Tuckanarra... Kiffin had some good bats in RF Bob Banachak (.330/16/61/83), CF Lonnie Gillespie (.294/10/61/98), SS Nick Nova (.319/11/67/91) and LF Reggie Davidson (.256/22/58/87). Duroche "Lips" Leon turned the South Fork Stallions around this year with much-improved pitching and some pop at the plate after two dismal seasons near the bottom... knuckle-balling newcomer Yancy Garrett (20-13/2.51) was outstanding... the 35-year-old free agent from Turon (TU) had the best season by far of his 13-year IPA career... a reliever for most of his career, he turned to the flutterball this year to salvage his career... overall Garrett is just 54-52 with a 3.25 ERA... he was 12-16 with a sky-high 4.86 ERA in his only other season as a starter in 2032 at Waleska, where he spent his first 11 years... Alex Gillespie (19-14/3.46) was the Stallions' biggest winner... he improved from 12-20 last year... Denny Sorvino (14-15/3.35) was also a quality arm... Nicky Palermo (11-10/2.97/11 saves) did turns effectively in the bullpen and as a spot starter... South Fork is no great shakes in the batter's box except in going long... they ranked 8th in the TU with 176 homers... Leon's top bats were CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.281/29/96/71), SS Elton Jacoby (.280/22/76/84) and 3B Aron Nixon (.274/19/62/80). Manager Cochise Chandler only has an average team in Midway... they were tied for fourth in the standings along with East Point... the Wolves have some good starters, but the bullpen is pathetic... Midway's top moundsman was 35-year-old veteran star Bobby Dorignac (19-13/2.95), who is one of the IPA all-time greats with a 281-188 record and a brilliant 2.78 ERA in his 13 seasons... free agent Freddi Hahn (14-6/2.96/11 saves) did quite well as the early-season closer and second-half starter... Hahn was with Waleska of the Ruthlandian Union last season... John Anderson (12-3/3.64) and Carey Snead (10-19/3.78) are dependable starters, too... the Wolves need offense to contend... CF Yancey Tanner led the club with a .316 BA and 80 runs... RF Bennett Cardwell topped the team with 81 RBIs, but batted just .248 with 17 roundtrippers... 1B Mel Quinn paced them in homers with 19, but hitting just .206 for average. The East Point Panthers, managed by Karol Zodoka, won pennants in 2031 and 2033 and were picked to win again this season in The Islandian Times preseason poll... Zodoka had a strong staff, good power and scoring with adequate defense... Dixie Brooks (15-12/2.62), Johnny Moore (19-11/2.98), Burton Cook (11-10/3.41) and Frank Blair (13-14/3.85) are a pretty fair rotation... the reliable bats were veteran star and All-Star 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.272/39/126/96), RF Ed Milsted (.323/21/53/73), LF Ricky Arnold (.285/8/60/84) and SS Greg Stone (.282/17/66/66)... but 1B Jaxon Shatner (.226/25/86/71) and C Chris Cardinale (..237/16/62/78) had sub-par seasons. For the ninth year in a row the High Mesa Cowboys wound up in the second division of the TU East with a sixth-place finish... the Cowpokes won the Pro Cup in 2002 and made the playoffs the next year, but haven't graced the postseason since... manager Rolf Kellgren has a decent pitching staff and a fair offense... Virgil Hasper (19-12/3.73) was the biggest winner, followed by Ronald Schmitt (13-11/3.86)... rookie RF Clay Johnson sparked the offense with 42 homers, 98 RBIs, 83 runs and a .284 BA... 28-year-old free agent from Southport (TU) C John Paul chipped in with 28 HRs, 63 RBIs and 76 runs, while batting .258... Kellgren had nobody else to boast about. It's been a long time since the Red Bluff Red Sox made the Pro Cup playoffs... you have to go way back to 2009 for their most recent appearance, but the Red Sox do have a Pro Cup in its trophy case, winning it in 2004... skipper Jim Shaubert saw his club wind up deep in the second division... his Red Sox have finished seventh in three of the last four seasons... his club doesn't hit for much of an average, but they can good deep... the Red Sox clouted 186 out of the park and ranked 4th overall in the Tycobbian Union... pitching-wise they are pretty bad, ranking 30th... team batting leaders were All-Star CF Ike Sweetwater (.289/24/68/92), All-Star C Allie Blackwell (.283/11/50/53) and veteran 1B Garris Aiken (.241/23/78/74)... Aiken missed a third of the season with an injury... Tony DeFazio led the mound corps with a 15-14 mark and a 3.46 ERA. The Hillsboro Blazers endured another last-place finish under manager Andy Jefferson... the Blazers have never been in the playoffs in their history... the Blazers are terrible at bat, ranking 63rd in the IPA with a .233 team BA... only White River of the TU North is worse with a .232 mark... on the hill they are just a little better, ranking 23rd with a 3.87 ERA... Hillsboro is average with the gloves... Jefferson has three decent starters in Eddie Brasher (19-16/3.44), Carmine Scalise (12-15/3.44) and Ralph Quick (10-18/3.42)... all suffer from a lack of run support... offensive leaders are 3B Marty O'Reilly (.253/27/87/67), rookie LF Jurrien Bellini (.247/27/81/83) and CF Benny Kegel (.288/22/65/54). Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-07-2013 at 10:32 PM.