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

Eugene Church · 04-11-2014, 12:24 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, July 1, 2045

North Hills has again taken charge of the Tycobbian North Division... the Hawks have won the pennant 10 times in the last 11 years and look like the team to win this year... at midseason they are 4 games up on an unlikely challenger, the Oxford Red Caps, who haven't grace the playoffs in almost four decades... two dark horses Blue Lake and Hartsdale are still in the running... the Blue Sox are just 5 games back in third place... and the Hellcats are within striking distance, only 6 games off the pace... both have been strong contenders in the last few seasons.

North Hills wasn't effected much by the player boycott in April and May... only two regulars Ric Hamilton (.326/5/16/17) and Timmy Stevens (.261/3/12/11) were missing from the lineup... the Hawks still have strong pitching and solid bats... veterans Tony Mack (10-8/2.58), David Michael (11-9/3.49) and Kyle Oliver (9-6/3.57) head up an effective starting rotation and superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.286/22/62/52) and reliable 3B Jim McDermott (.294/10/50/49) lead a good core of hitters.

For the last seven years Oxford has been near the bottom or on bottom of the TU North... this year they have improved both at the plate and on the hill... Tekkan Nishikawa (10-4/3.25) and Rudy Mellancamp (12-7/2.94) have been terrific this year, along with C Glen Lee (.347/8/32/38) and 2B Yoshi Sugawara (.330/10/46/33)... the Red Caps may not be a flash in the pan and may be around for the long haul.

Blue Lake's strong points are its starters... veteran Frankie Quinn (11-5/1.78) is still a very capable starter at 39 and has gotten help from Greg Mortimer (12-6/2.89) in his fourth year with the club... offensive leaders are 3B Rick Bridges (.289/16/59/49), RF Johnny Harding (.303/10/37/41) and CF Raddy Pajak (.272/11/41/55).

Hartsdale is not the same club as the past few seasons... the only strong starter has been Perry Givens (11-4/2.86)... it's been a tough first half for ace Gil Younger (8-10/4.31), who notched 23 wins last year... but closer Alfonso Cervera (4-3/1.20/11 saves) is still quite a force in the bullpen... RF Emilian Burgess (.306/11/29/57) and 1B John Ford (.293/18/48/38) have been the best bats... scoring is down for the Hellcats this year.

Southport is a remarkable story in the Tycobbian South this year... in spite of losing three-fourths of their vaunted starting rotation to the April-May boycott, the defending Pro Cup champion has chalked up 50 victories and are atop the division... but they are only one game in front of San Alejo, 3 games better than third place Cape Coral and 5 ahead of Summerland in fourth place in the standings... it's going to be quite a tussle in the TU South.

Southport starters Billy Hoover (6-0/2.39), Johnny Swanson (4-1/2.98) and Brandon Forbes (3-3/3.12) are back in the swing of thing after sitting out the first two months of the season... Cade Brockton was the only starter from last year and he did very well with an 11-6 mark and 3.46 ERA... little-known Tiger Tartaglia saved the day for the Sun Sox with a 9-4 record and an excellent 2.97 ERA... sadly, there was no room on the superb staff when the boycotters retured... the strong bullpen has been intact the whole year... only two regulars participated in the boycott: 3B Craig Glennon (.375/6/23/16) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.272/6/18/17)... upon their reture they added some good punch to the batting order in June... sparking the Sun Sox attack thus far are LF Chris Jones (.333/6/33/51), Pro Cup MVP CF Barney Lewis (.245/16/51/55) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.297/4/30/52).

San Alejo has been a contender most years since 2032... the pitching has been superb in the first half with an IPA best 2.75 ERA, anchored by Matt Bell (13-6/1.59) and Will McKinney (12-3/2.52)... the Monties' offense suffered the first half without boycotting slugger RF Paulo Teixeira, who hit .304 in June with 6 homers, 17 RBIs and scored 19 runs... C Filipe Zamora (.284/14/55/41) and 1B Sal McAllister (.306/6/26/40) took up some of the slack of the missing Teixeira.

Always potent offensively, the Cape Coral Hurricanes came on strong with very good pitching in the first half, paced by Benton McCall (14-4/2.26)... at the plate the club leaders were LF Rikky Van Dalen (.312/19/53/64), RF William Snyder (.318/10/32/34), 3B Kent Mantle (.266/13/45/34) and SS Scotty Jackson (.303/13/46/39)... two regulars CF Maxi Tselika (.296/2/8/12) and 1B Stan Ferguson (.284/6/17/12) will be pluses in the second-half pennant run.

Summerland with its great pitching is hanging close, just 5 games behind... the Sunsets' starting foursome is darn good with Jayson Hallstrom (11-5/1.92), Dutch De Boer (13-6/2.59), Jacob Gillen (6-6/2.87) and Billy King (7-6/3.20)... the team ERA is an excellent 2.80, second in the IPA to San Alejo's 2.75 ERA... as per usual the Sunsets could use some good hitters... RF Rick Mayes (.293/14/50/37), LF Tony Vargas (.312/2.37/41) and CF Antonio Vasquez (.288/4/28/40) provide most of the run production.

Don't count fifth place Ginza out... with such a good offense and two quality starters, the Ninjas could make some noise in the second half of the season... they are only 7 games out of first... add boycotter 3B Jiro Yamamura (.374/1/14/28) to the rest of the wrecking crew and you've got a dynamite attack... leading the way so far are superstar Sogo Takagi (.325/17/59/66), SS Sam Essex (.324/20/62/53), RF Ichiro Kazumi (.298/10/45/46) and 1B Vic Booker (.287/12/38/38)... the Ninjas have two capable starters in Carlos Del Toro (14-4/3.17) and T. C. Gallimore (9-7/3.29).

Current division champ Red Bluff is on a pace to set a new home-run record in the IPA... they already have 151 and the league mark is 260 by Arroyo Grande in 2005... the Red Sox did this without CF Ike Sweetwater (.273/5/10/11) and LF Jesse Shaw (.302/6/11/11), who missed April and May due to the boycott... LF David Kelso also has a solid chance to smash the HR record of 65 by Bayview's Jerry Culpepper in 2040... Kelso already had 37 this season... Kelso is hitting .297 with 76 RBIs and 54 runs scored... other longball contributors are 1B Josh Stevens (.253/31/54/53) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.286/19/46/45)... and George Reynolds (12-7/2.85), Mickey Rosen (8-3/3.11) and Jud Cox (7-9/2.87) give Red Bluff a strong staff, too... the Red Sox will be tough to beat in the TU East.

High Mesa is in second place and trails by just a single game, but the Cowboys don't seem to have the hosses to do the Red Sox in... even with the addition of slugger LF Clay Johnston (.270/10/21/20) in June, the Cowpokes can't match the Red Sox... High Mesa's top bats are 2B Randy Sweetland (.313/2/2054), 3B Wes McGovern (.281/13/42/45) and SS Clifford Coleman (.264/16/46/35)... Lucius Quarles (8-6/1.50) can't carry the pitching load all by himself.

The South Fork Stallions are given the best chance to take a shot at Red Bluff... the Stallions won three straight pennants from 2041 to 2043 and finished second to the Red Sox last year, losing out by a scant two games... they were seriously handicapped by the lost of two major starters Jay Murphy and Big Murph McAlister due to the player boycott... their return could be crucial in the pennant chase... McAlister came back like a ball of fire in June and posted a 4-1 record with a 3.57 ERA, but Murphy stumbled to an 0-5 mark and a 3.46 ERA... rookie standout Labron Holt has been the top starter this season with a 6-6 record and a 3.37 ERA... offense has always been South Fork's main problem... only 2B Elton Jacoby (.277/16/54/50) and SS Pete Arnold (.298/4/26/51) are reliable hitters.

Denton City is rocking and rolling in the Tycobbian West with an 8-game bulge over Rolling Hills and Chicopee with defending division titleholder Kenwood and Bayview 9 games out... the Redbirds did it with some impressive pitching from Harry Elliott (11-6/2.83), Jimmy Ellerbee (8-4/2.65) and Mel Coley (8-4/3.20)... missing from the rotation for the first two months was ace Francisco Salcido... he came back in June and went 3-3 with a strong 2.80 ERA... the offense is woeful... superstud 1B Wayman Stetson still has to carry the load... he has been the Tycobbian Golden Bat winner for the last two seasons... this year Stetson has 19 homers, 52 RBIs and has scored 43 runs, while batting .285... his only help has come from LF Frankie Montgomery with a .304 BA, 8 roundtrippers, 48 RBIs and 40 runs... boycotter OF Pete Doyle will add some punch to the lineup... he returned in June, but batted only .245 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs.

Last year's division champ Kenwood suffered the loss of two fine hurlers due to the April-May player boycott... Rusty Bradford and Freddy Gooch missed 33 starts between them by sitting out the first two months of the season... Gooch did extremely well his first month back with a 3-0 mark and a great 1.08 ERA in his three starts... Bradford has had it rocky with a 2-4 record and a very lofty 6.17 ERA... Tommy Carter has not had a good season with a horrendous 4-12 record, but does have a respectable 3.70 ERA... should the mound corps shift it into high gear, the Wildcats could make it uncomfortable for Denton City... Clyde Myers had an outstanding first half with a 12-6 record and an impressive 2.36 ERA... Kenwood was also missing superstar C Corky DiNozzo due to the player boycott... two other solid performers also didn't play the first two months, CF Warren Vickers and 1B Bert Richter... DiNozzo (.348/6/15/15) and Richter (.358/6/18/12) flourished upon their return to the club in June... Vickers also did pretty well with a .280 BA, 2 homers and 15 runs scored.

04-11-2014, 12:24 AM	#4134
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,082	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Saturday, July 1, 2045 North Hills has again taken charge of the Tycobbian North Division... the Hawks have won the pennant 10 times in the last 11 years and look like the team to win this year... at midseason they are 4 games up on an unlikely challenger, the Oxford Red Caps, who haven't grace the playoffs in almost four decades... two dark horses Blue Lake and Hartsdale are still in the running... the Blue Sox are just 5 games back in third place... and the Hellcats are within striking distance, only 6 games off the pace... both have been strong contenders in the last few seasons. North Hills wasn't effected much by the player boycott in April and May... only two regulars Ric Hamilton (.326/5/16/17) and Timmy Stevens (.261/3/12/11) were missing from the lineup... the Hawks still have strong pitching and solid bats... veterans Tony Mack (10-8/2.58), David Michael (11-9/3.49) and Kyle Oliver (9-6/3.57) head up an effective starting rotation and superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.286/22/62/52) and reliable 3B Jim McDermott (.294/10/50/49) lead a good core of hitters. For the last seven years Oxford has been near the bottom or on bottom of the TU North... this year they have improved both at the plate and on the hill... Tekkan Nishikawa (10-4/3.25) and Rudy Mellancamp (12-7/2.94) have been terrific this year, along with C Glen Lee (.347/8/32/38) and 2B Yoshi Sugawara (.330/10/46/33)... the Red Caps may not be a flash in the pan and may be around for the long haul. Blue Lake's strong points are its starters... veteran Frankie Quinn (11-5/1.78) is still a very capable starter at 39 and has gotten help from Greg Mortimer (12-6/2.89) in his fourth year with the club... offensive leaders are 3B Rick Bridges (.289/16/59/49), RF Johnny Harding (.303/10/37/41) and CF Raddy Pajak (.272/11/41/55). Hartsdale is not the same club as the past few seasons... the only strong starter has been Perry Givens (11-4/2.86)... it's been a tough first half for ace Gil Younger (8-10/4.31), who notched 23 wins last year... but closer Alfonso Cervera (4-3/1.20/11 saves) is still quite a force in the bullpen... RF Emilian Burgess (.306/11/29/57) and 1B John Ford (.293/18/48/38) have been the best bats... scoring is down for the Hellcats this year. Southport is a remarkable story in the Tycobbian South this year... in spite of losing three-fourths of their vaunted starting rotation to the April-May boycott, the defending Pro Cup champion has chalked up 50 victories and are atop the division... but they are only one game in front of San Alejo, 3 games better than third place Cape Coral and 5 ahead of Summerland in fourth place in the standings... it's going to be quite a tussle in the TU South. Southport starters Billy Hoover (6-0/2.39), Johnny Swanson (4-1/2.98) and Brandon Forbes (3-3/3.12) are back in the swing of thing after sitting out the first two months of the season... Cade Brockton was the only starter from last year and he did very well with an 11-6 mark and 3.46 ERA... little-known Tiger Tartaglia saved the day for the Sun Sox with a 9-4 record and an excellent 2.97 ERA... sadly, there was no room on the superb staff when the boycotters retured... the strong bullpen has been intact the whole year... only two regulars participated in the boycott: 3B Craig Glennon (.375/6/23/16) and 1B Eddy Douglas (.272/6/18/17)... upon their reture they added some good punch to the batting order in June... sparking the Sun Sox attack thus far are LF Chris Jones (.333/6/33/51), Pro Cup MVP CF Barney Lewis (.245/16/51/55) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.297/4/30/52). San Alejo has been a contender most years since 2032... the pitching has been superb in the first half with an IPA best 2.75 ERA, anchored by Matt Bell (13-6/1.59) and Will McKinney (12-3/2.52)... the Monties' offense suffered the first half without boycotting slugger RF Paulo Teixeira, who hit .304 in June with 6 homers, 17 RBIs and scored 19 runs... C Filipe Zamora (.284/14/55/41) and 1B Sal McAllister (.306/6/26/40) took up some of the slack of the missing Teixeira. Always potent offensively, the Cape Coral Hurricanes came on strong with very good pitching in the first half, paced by Benton McCall (14-4/2.26)... at the plate the club leaders were LF Rikky Van Dalen (.312/19/53/64), RF William Snyder (.318/10/32/34), 3B Kent Mantle (.266/13/45/34) and SS Scotty Jackson (.303/13/46/39)... two regulars CF Maxi Tselika (.296/2/8/12) and 1B Stan Ferguson (.284/6/17/12) will be pluses in the second-half pennant run. Summerland with its great pitching is hanging close, just 5 games behind... the Sunsets' starting foursome is darn good with Jayson Hallstrom (11-5/1.92), Dutch De Boer (13-6/2.59), Jacob Gillen (6-6/2.87) and Billy King (7-6/3.20)... the team ERA is an excellent 2.80, second in the IPA to San Alejo's 2.75 ERA... as per usual the Sunsets could use some good hitters... RF Rick Mayes (.293/14/50/37), LF Tony Vargas (.312/2.37/41) and CF Antonio Vasquez (.288/4/28/40) provide most of the run production. Don't count fifth place Ginza out... with such a good offense and two quality starters, the Ninjas could make some noise in the second half of the season... they are only 7 games out of first... add boycotter 3B Jiro Yamamura (.374/1/14/28) to the rest of the wrecking crew and you've got a dynamite attack... leading the way so far are superstar Sogo Takagi (.325/17/59/66), SS Sam Essex (.324/20/62/53), RF Ichiro Kazumi (.298/10/45/46) and 1B Vic Booker (.287/12/38/38)... the Ninjas have two capable starters in Carlos Del Toro (14-4/3.17) and T. C. Gallimore (9-7/3.29). Current division champ Red Bluff is on a pace to set a new home-run record in the IPA... they already have 151 and the league mark is 260 by Arroyo Grande in 2005... the Red Sox did this without CF Ike Sweetwater (.273/5/10/11) and LF Jesse Shaw (.302/6/11/11), who missed April and May due to the boycott... LF David Kelso also has a solid chance to smash the HR record of 65 by Bayview's Jerry Culpepper in 2040... Kelso already had 37 this season... Kelso is hitting .297 with 76 RBIs and 54 runs scored... other longball contributors are 1B Josh Stevens (.253/31/54/53) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.286/19/46/45)... and George Reynolds (12-7/2.85), Mickey Rosen (8-3/3.11) and Jud Cox (7-9/2.87) give Red Bluff a strong staff, too... the Red Sox will be tough to beat in the TU East. High Mesa is in second place and trails by just a single game, but the Cowboys don't seem to have the hosses to do the Red Sox in... even with the addition of slugger LF Clay Johnston (.270/10/21/20) in June, the Cowpokes can't match the Red Sox... High Mesa's top bats are 2B Randy Sweetland (.313/2/2054), 3B Wes McGovern (.281/13/42/45) and SS Clifford Coleman (.264/16/46/35)... Lucius Quarles (8-6/1.50) can't carry the pitching load all by himself. The South Fork Stallions are given the best chance to take a shot at Red Bluff... the Stallions won three straight pennants from 2041 to 2043 and finished second to the Red Sox last year, losing out by a scant two games... they were seriously handicapped by the lost of two major starters Jay Murphy and Big Murph McAlister due to the player boycott... their return could be crucial in the pennant chase... McAlister came back like a ball of fire in June and posted a 4-1 record with a 3.57 ERA, but Murphy stumbled to an 0-5 mark and a 3.46 ERA... rookie standout Labron Holt has been the top starter this season with a 6-6 record and a 3.37 ERA... offense has always been South Fork's main problem... only 2B Elton Jacoby (.277/16/54/50) and SS Pete Arnold (.298/4/26/51) are reliable hitters. Denton City is rocking and rolling in the Tycobbian West with an 8-game bulge over Rolling Hills and Chicopee with defending division titleholder Kenwood and Bayview 9 games out... the Redbirds did it with some impressive pitching from Harry Elliott (11-6/2.83), Jimmy Ellerbee (8-4/2.65) and Mel Coley (8-4/3.20)... missing from the rotation for the first two months was ace Francisco Salcido... he came back in June and went 3-3 with a strong 2.80 ERA... the offense is woeful... superstud 1B Wayman Stetson still has to carry the load... he has been the Tycobbian Golden Bat winner for the last two seasons... this year Stetson has 19 homers, 52 RBIs and has scored 43 runs, while batting .285... his only help has come from LF Frankie Montgomery with a .304 BA, 8 roundtrippers, 48 RBIs and 40 runs... boycotter OF Pete Doyle will add some punch to the lineup... he returned in June, but batted only .245 with 3 homers and 9 RBIs. Last year's division champ Kenwood suffered the loss of two fine hurlers due to the April-May player boycott... Rusty Bradford and Freddy Gooch missed 33 starts between them by sitting out the first two months of the season... Gooch did extremely well his first month back with a 3-0 mark and a great 1.08 ERA in his three starts... Bradford has had it rocky with a 2-4 record and a very lofty 6.17 ERA... Tommy Carter has not had a good season with a horrendous 4-12 record, but does have a respectable 3.70 ERA... should the mound corps shift it into high gear, the Wildcats could make it uncomfortable for Denton City... Clyde Myers had an outstanding first half with a 12-6 record and an impressive 2.36 ERA... Kenwood was also missing superstar C Corky DiNozzo due to the player boycott... two other solid performers also didn't play the first two months, CF Warren Vickers and 1B Bert Richter... DiNozzo (.348/6/15/15) and Richter (.358/6/18/12) flourished upon their return to the club in June... Vickers also did pretty well with a .280 BA, 2 homers and 15 runs scored.