[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2048

RASCALS REPLACE HELLCATS IN TU NORTH
22 years have past since the White River Rascals graced the IPA Pro Cup playoffs... this year they are going... the Rascals rather easily dethroned the Hartsdale Hellcats, the division champ of the last two seasons... White River defeated them by the glossy margin of 11 games... third place went to the preseason favorite Luxora Zorros, who were 12 games back... Mahaska and Fairfax tied for fourth, trailing by 15 games.

White River last won the TU North in 2027... this will only be the Rascals' fifth postseason appearance... they have never won a Pro Cup, but hope to make a little noise this year... good starting pitching and good firepower can take you a long ways in the playoffs... White River has three fine starters heading up its rotation: All-Star Butch Slattery (20-10/2.87), All-Star Nicky Palmer (18-15/2.89) and Clem Warren (18-14/2.98)... however the bullpen is not very good... the Rascals don't hit a lot for average (.251 BA), but they have some punch... 5 regulars hit 20 or more homers, led by All-Star LF Billy Joe Hickman (.282/42/126/86) and rookie All-Star 1B Ruben Reaves (.311/35/98/118)... Hickman was tied for third in the IPA with 126 RBIs and ranked tenth with 42 HRs... Reeves was third in scoring runs with 118 for the season and hit for power with 35 homers... 2B Ryan Byrd (.227/25/72/75), rookie RF Ryne Hyland (.238/23/55/92) and C Billy Vaughan (.232/20/61/48) also chipped in with the longball on occasion, but didn't hit much for average... the Rascals will find out right away if they are Pro Cup material... they drew defending IPA champion Southport in the first round... the Sun Sox ranked second in the IPA this season with 101 wins, beaten only by Valmara of the RU North with 102... White River registered 94 wins this season.

The runner-up Hartsdale Hellcats have had a productive run the last seven seasons with three pennants and a Pro Cup trophy... they were the division winner the last two years and won the IPA crown in 2046... starting pitching let them down this year... Gil Younger (21-13/3.79) and Perry Givens (19-14/3.53) were the club's biggest winners... and All-Star reliever Alfonso Cervera (7-7/1.73/20 saves) did an impressive job in the bullpen... he was second to Belair Beach's Tom Cook, who led the IPA with 22 saves... overall the staff had declined the last two years... but the bats are still very capable of scoring runs with LF Darrell Nesbitt (.308/14/67/106, 3B Marv Shaw (.309/29/91/73), C Kenton Carmichael (.280/25/91/90), RF Emilian Burgess (.284/12/65/84), 2B Greg Melton (.268/18/72/78) and 1B John Ford (.266/21/77/64).

Luxora was the preseason choice in the TU North this year, but they got off to a slow start and never really challenged White River... the Zorros are a well-balanced ball club led on the mound by a good starting foursome in Les Liebert (18-11/3.01), Wendell Hasbro (13-8/3.15/11 saves), Joao Damaso (14-12/3.15) and Lorenzo Alonso (13-11/3.60)... at the plate the club leaders are budding talent and All-Star CF Xavier Da Nova (.300/26/95/107), 3B Tiago Chaves (.272/27/94/89), rock-solid RF Emil Pasek (.300/22/65/89), SS Eddie Burnett (.308/12/71/79) and 37-year-old player-manager 2B Joel Poche (.273/14/79/77)... rookie 1B Tuff McLendon showed well for the future... McLendon joined the team in July and tore up the IPA with a .379 BA, 10 HRs and 39 RBIs in 63 games... the future is looking bright for the Z's... good times could be coming.

The Mahaska Haymakers finally had a decent year... for the last five seasons they finished last... this year they turned it around a little bit with a winning record and a fourth-place tie with Blue Lake... the Haymakers have never won a Pro Cup and only participated in 4 postseasons... they are still far away from being a contender... Mahaska is only average in scoring and mediocre on the mound... rookie All-Star 3B Goose Fulton (.287/24/84/92) had a very solid first season... veteran SS Rocco Bertara (.329/13/48/72) topped the team in BA and did a fine job on defense... vet C James Boswell (.253/39/97/66) still tops the team in homers and RBIs and is a standout defensively... 1B Roger Lewis (.282/28/75/750) also helped out at the plate... rookie left-hander Boyd Hackman (17-6/3.38/1 save) had a strong first year... John Polk (12-9/3.69/12 saves) was a dependable starter and reliever this year.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox posted another so-so season... they haven't been to the playoffs since their only Pro Cup title in 2030... overall the Blue Sox have made the playoffs only three times in club history... not a lot to be proud of... their seven-year stretch in the first divison just barely continued this season with a fourth-place tie... Blue Lake has better-than-average hitting and power... but they are only average on the hill... the top run producers are vet 1B Mel Morrison (.290/26/97/64)... All-Star C Juan Luis Barcelona (.292/17/69/95)... vet CF Raddy Pajak (.303/11/50/78) and LF Johnny Harding (.282/22/69/80)... rookie RF Burl Baugh (.241/26/79/61) showed good power with 26 HRs in 115 games, but only hit .241 for average... the mound staff was only fair with starters Greg Mortimer (18-15/3.86), Antoine Greenleaf (17-15/3.89), rookie Dookie Denham (12-9/3.88) and vet reliever Razzy Richmond (9-8/3.06/16 saves).

The Fairfax Frogs finished even at 77-77, but wound up sixth in the standings... only 8 times have the Frogs been in the postseason playoffs with no Pro Cups to show for it... the last TU North pennant was over 15 years ago in 2033... the Frogs have solid hitters with a .275 team BA... they don't hit with power, but can manufacture runs well... the pitching is not so good... veterans stars All-Star John Velasco (.294/20/78/100) and All-Star C Scott Courtney (.333/28/99/83) are the top bats... Velasco is still quite a player at 42... they got help this year from All-Star RF Brad Johnston (.298/9/91/70), CF Trent Russell (.242/14/50/106), SS Daniel Pierce (.323/4/48/80), LF Terrence Yeoman (.289/10/74/63) and 3B K. J. Garvie (.288/14/82/59)... top mound performers were vets Harold Dorman (16-14/3.75) and Ken Perry (18-17/4.65).

Oxford came in tied for seventh and last place with North Hills this year in the standings... the Red Caps haven't won a pennant in over four decades... they last won it in 2007 and also won their only Pro Cup that same season... since then, mostly bad seasons have transpired for the faithful... Rudy Mellancamp (17-17/2.71) is a standout starter and deserves better... Lou Ellison (17-20/3.17) is a solid starter, too... Ralph Mosby (17-15/3.81) is dependable in the number three slot in the rotation... 3B Rickey Clayton (.328/21/69/81) and rookie C Terry Foster (.312/6/48/41) are the best contact hitters... Foster joined the team in June... CF Kevin Carter (.247/29/95/63) tops the team with 29 homers and 95 RBIs... vet SS Dan Zalewski (.277/12/57/87) is still a reliable hitter and very good defender.

The once-mighty North Hills Hawks have hit rock bottom... after years of great success, hard times have befallen them... the Hawks wound up last in the TU North this season... North Hills has made the playoffs 13 times and won 4 Pro Cups, most of them since 2034... mediocre bats and mediocre pitching are the culprits... the team is getting old... 36-year-old Tony Mack (16-16/3.70) is the only decent starter... and rookie reliever Carver Dillon (9-4/3.19/14 saves) did well in the bullpen... not a lot on the staff otherwise... the only decent bat in the lineup is All-Star LF Ryan Webbe (.289/33/99/86)... time has taken its toll on superstar RF Adam Thurgood (.265/10/39/26), CF Kris Anastas (.254/6/35/24) and 3B Ric Hamilton (.279/18/64/77)... they all decided to retire at the end of the season to make way for younger players... future HOF-er Thurgood enjoyed a great 16-year career in North Hills... he wound up with a .311 batting average, 506 home runs, 1613 RBis and 1338 runs... Thurgood totaled 2860 hits, was a 9-time All-Star and was the Tycobbian Rookie of the Year in 2033... he also honored with the 2038 Golden Bat trophy... Thurgood excelled in the postseason, too, with a .294 BA, 30 HRs, 79 RBIs and 82 runs in 123 postseason games... he was one of the prime reasons they won 4 Pro Cups and 11 pennants during his career... Thurgood retired at 37... rumors are abound he may come back as manager of the Hawks.

2048 Tycobbian North Division Final Standings and Team Statistics