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reds1 · 10-14-2015, 03:13 PM

(Have I mentioned that being sick is not fun?

)

December 1, 1940

Western League: The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

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The Kingston Pelicans rolled right along in November going 18-8. Despite that impressive run, they only enjoy a 4.5 game lead over the 2nd place Cambria Cannons. Their offense is the best in the West and with the exception of their bullpen (8th – 6.14 ERA), so is their pitching.
On December 1, the Pelicans announced that they have set their team focus from ‘rebuild’ to ‘neutral’. Not only did I not realize they went through a rebuilding phase, but I’d hate to see them when they decide to focus on ‘win now’.

Top Position Player: 32-year old 1B Fergus Chitty (.330/.427/.580, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 31 R, 25 BB) is at the top of his game, as he went .344/.442/.570, 3 HR, 8-2B, 20 RBI, 15 R, 17 BB in November.

Top Pitcher: This was a little bit easier this month, as 32-year old Brady Murdy (10-1, 1.83 ERA, 0.82 WHIP) won Pitcher of the Month honours in November. It’s the fifth time in his ULB career. During the month, he pitched a 5-hit shutout against the Pulberry Trolleys and a 3-hit shutout against the Brunswick Legends. He has pitched 3 shutouts this season so far.

Key Injury: OF Chong-sik Lee (.347/.423/.500, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 15 R, 10 BB) suffered a herniated disc on November 18 in a game against the Trolleys. He expected back in a couple more days.

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Despite the injuries, the Cambria Cannons carried on in November. The defending United Cup champions put up a 16-9 record that kept them within striking distance of the red-hot Pelicans as well as maintain their hold on the wild card. But their biggest test may yet to come, as they lost their franchise player, LF Ron Westmacott, to injury, for the rest of the regular season. The Cannons’ offense held steady (2nd-3rd) in November. In another bit of good news, their pitching staff picked things up (4th in ERA) after a subpar October.

Top Position Player: CF Joe Olver (.366/.419/.535, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 27 R, 15 BB), who has shifted to left field in the wake of Ron Westmacot’s injury, had a sensational month. He won both a Batter of the Month award and a Player of the Week Award for his sterling play.

Top Pitcher: A toss-up between RHP Neil Guerin (4-5, 4.01 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) and RHP Bradley Dodson (8-2, 3.18 ERA, 1.17 WHIP). Dodson went 5-0, 2.77 ERA in 6 starts, but I’ll give the edge to Guerin, who went 3-2, 2.55 ERA, 16 K, 8 BB in 6 starts.

Key Trade: On November 25, the Cambria Cannons made a trade with the Balmoral Giants. The Cannons received 28-year old IN/OF Domenic Carmody (45/62 - .307/.349/.453, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 5 BB). In return, the Giants received 19-year old minor league OF Ron Robb (21/63) and 24-year old minor league SP Robbie MacVurich (21/26).

Knee-jerk Analysis: With the loss of Westmacott, the Cannons had some juggling to do. In Carmody, they receive an average player who was serving as a utility outfielder in Balmoral. However, he had a fine season last year and made the all-star team. He will start at 2B for Cambria, while regular 2B Aiden Smerdon will become the backup outfielder. CF Joe Olver switches to LF while OF Bert Helmer steps up to take over CF. The Cannons surrender a 4th rounder from 1939 in OF Robb and a 5th rounder from 1937 in MacVurich. Both have potential to make the majors, but nothing to get too excited about.

Key Injuries: LF Ron Westmacott (.321/.442/.603, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, 28 BB) suffered torn ankle ligaments in a game against the Downie Chiefs on November 17. He is out 4 months.

SP-RHP Willem Atkins (1-3, 4.45 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation back on November 4 while pitching against the Pulberry Trolleys. He will miss another 3 months.

RP-RHP Jason Fortenberry (0-0, 2 SV, 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) suffered acute elbow soreness while pitching back in October. He is gone 6-7 weeks.

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The Sherburn Tigers kept their head above water in November, enjoying their second consecutive winning month. But with Cambria kicking it into high gear, the Tigers find themselves falling back 3.0 games of the wild card. Sherburn maintained their performance on offense (4th) but regressed a little in pitching (6th to 7th).

Top Position Player: 30-year old LF Robin Harney (.354/.469/.448, 13-2B, 20 RBI, 35 R, 41 BB, 7 SB) has been playing some his best baseball since being traded from the Kingston Pelicans back in 1937. In November, he went .372/.487/.457, 8-2B, 8 RBI, 15 R, 22 BB.

Top Pitcher: Not a memorable month for Sherburn pitchers, but I’ll give it to RHP Myung-gu Son (5-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP), who went 2-0, 3.64 ERA, 42.0 IP, 21 K, 18 BB in 6 starts.

Key Injury: None.

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The Fort Richmond Generals saw some hopeful signs from their young players as they finished November with a winning record. Although RHP Dean Stroud (1-6, 6.30 ERA, 1.88 WHIP) continued to struggle, others like SS Steven Wormleighton (.268/.310/.394, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 33 R, 12 BB), C Danny Trowbridge (.246/.256/.349, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 12 R, 2 BB) and especially 3B Britt Wing (.280/.351/.405, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 19 R, 17 BB) saw their play pick up this past month. Thus the Generals saw a modest improvement in their batting rankings (7th from 8th) and held steady in pitching (2nd-3rd).

Top Position Player: 23-year old 3B Britt Wing, a former 2nd round pick from 1938 gave Generals’ fans cause for celebration this month. He had a terrific November at the plate, winning his first Rookie of the Month Award in the process.

Top Pitcher: Although the bullpen is rated No. 1 in the Western League, I’m going to give the nod to RHP Tristan Purss (5-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), who went 2-2, 2.25 ERA, 53.0 IP, 26 K, 7 BB in 6 starts.

Key Injuries: 26-year old utility IN/OF Copper Hawkins (.303/.343/.394, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB) was diagnosed with a torn quad suffered in a game against the Downie Chiefs on November 10. He is out for one more week.
21-year old RF Gavin Bansfield (.237/.295/.339, 6-2B, 6 RBI, 7 R, 9 BB) separated his shoulder in a game against the Cobourg Red Stockings on November 12. He is out 2-3 weeks.

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The Wolseley Unions were the 5th Western League team to enjoy a winning record in November, another positive sign that perhaps the Western teams is becoming a little more competitive (although other teams are seriously regressing – see Pulberry).
The Unions maintained the status quo, ranking 6th on offense, 2nd-3rd in pitching and 7th in starter’s ERA.

Top Position Player: 23-year old RF Nicky Willis (.319/.377/.473, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 29 R, 19 BB) was outstanding in November. He batted .341/.396/.505, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, 9 BB.

Top Pitcher: 21-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (4-3, 2.26 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), a former 1st round pick in 1937, showed his promise in November, going 3-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6 K, 17 BB in 5 starts.

Key Injury: 31-year old 3B Datu Balsalubra (.248/.313/.295, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 9 R, 10 BB) suffered shoulder tendinitis in a game back on November 29. He is out 5 more weeks.

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The Balmoral Giants struggled against the Eastern League teams in November, going just 7-20. The Giants are definitely going through some growing pains, as the offense regressed a bit to 5th overall. But it was their pitching that really sunk them, falling from 6th to 8th almost across the board. After winning Pitcher of the Month honours in October, ace LHP Dave Mapp went just 1-5, 7.75 ERA in 6 starts. Ouch.

Top Position Player: 22-year old SS Francisco Rodríguez (.297/.338/.492, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 29 R, 12 BB) had a fine month, batting .333/.352/.539, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 14 R, 3 BB.

Top Pitcher: Given the funk the rotation is in, I’ll give this to RHP Julius Hunt (1-3, 3 SV, 3.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP), who went 1-1, 3 SV, 2.25 ERA, 24.0 IP, 1 K, 7 BB.

Key Injury: None.

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The Hespeler Stars didn’t have a winning record in November, but they did improve a wee bit. Thanks to the total collapse of others around them, they even escaped the basement.
The Stars cooled off a little on offense (3rd – 4th), but maintained their pitching performance (6th). Their starters’ ERA continues to impress, ranking second in the West (4.01 ERA). But their rotation took a bit of a hit with the loss of SP- RHP Brendon De san miguel, who is gone for the season.

Top Position Player: 22-year old CF Vic Weetman (.340/.388/.490, 3 HR, 32 RBI, 33 R, 17 BB) is having a great season, but once again, LF Steven Winstanley (.345/.395/.600, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 43 R, 18 BB) gets the nod, as he went .311/.354/.491, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R, 7 BB.

Top Pitcher: RHP Freddie Ventriss (4-5, 2.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) went 2-2, 2.84 ERA, 44.1 IP, 13 K, 19 BB in 6 starts on an otherwise lackluster pitching staff.

Key Injuries: 36-year old RF Louie Maylam (.253/.330/.425, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 20 R, 19 BB) came down with knee tendinitis back on November 27. He is out for 4 weeks.

32-year old RHP Brendon De san Miguel (4-5, 3.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) was diagnosed with a torn labrum in game against the Brunswick Legends back on November 21. He will be out of action for 8 months.

42-year old RP-RHP Hyo-cheong Yu (0-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) was diagnosed with bicep tendinitis back on October 26 in a game against the Sherburn Tigers. He is gone for 8 weeks.

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In what has to be the worst monthly performance thus far in ULB history, the Pulberry Trolleys went an embarrassing 5-20 in November. That included an 11-game losing streak near the start of the month as well as a 6-game losing streak they are currently ‘enjoying’.
Predictably, the Trolleys’ pitching regressed, falling to 4th – 5th in a host of categories, but their offense completely tanked. Pulberry suffered no injuries, minor or otherwise in November, so the frontline players have no one to blame but themselves for this stretch of ineptitude.

Top Position Player: No one really stood out, but there were a few decent performances to choose from. 30-year old LF Tony Blakeney (.286/.356/.379, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 26 R, 21 BB) did OK I guess, batting .286/.327/.374, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 6 BB.

Top Pitcher: Not a lot to choose from, but LHP Quentin Teague (2-2, 4 SV, 4.78 ERA, 1.82 WHIP) was one of the few to pick up his game in November, going 1-2, 2 SV, 3.46 ERA, 13.0 IP, 6 K, 7 BB. It was that kind of month for Pulberry.

Key Injury: None.

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10-14-2015, 03:13 PM	#168
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	(Have I mentioned that being sick is not fun? ) December 1, 1940 Western League: The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly -------- The Kingston Pelicans rolled right along in November going 18-8. Despite that impressive run, they only enjoy a 4.5 game lead over the 2nd place Cambria Cannons. Their offense is the best in the West and with the exception of their bullpen (8th – 6.14 ERA), so is their pitching. On December 1, the Pelicans announced that they have set their team focus from ‘rebuild’ to ‘neutral’. Not only did I not realize they went through a rebuilding phase, but I’d hate to see them when they decide to focus on ‘win now’. *Top Position Player:* 32-year old 1B Fergus Chitty (.330/.427/.580, 9 HR, 39 RBI, 31 R, 25 BB) is at the top of his game, as he went .344/.442/.570, 3 HR, 8-2B, 20 RBI, 15 R, 17 BB in November. Top Pitcher: This was a little bit easier this month, as 32-year old Brady Murdy (10-1, 1.83 ERA, 0.82 WHIP) won Pitcher of the Month honours in November. It’s the fifth time in his ULB career. During the month, he pitched a 5-hit shutout against the Pulberry Trolleys and a 3-hit shutout against the Brunswick Legends. He has pitched 3 shutouts this season so far. *Key Injury:* OF Chong-sik Lee (.347/.423/.500, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 15 R, 10 BB) suffered a herniated disc on November 18 in a game against the Trolleys. He expected back in a couple more days. -------- Despite the injuries, the Cambria Cannons carried on in November. The defending United Cup champions put up a 16-9 record that kept them within striking distance of the red-hot Pelicans as well as maintain their hold on the wild card. But their biggest test may yet to come, as they lost their franchise player, LF Ron Westmacott, to injury, for the rest of the regular season. The Cannons’ offense held steady (2nd-3rd) in November. In another bit of good news, their pitching staff picked things up (4th in ERA) after a subpar October. *Top Position Player:* CF Joe Olver (.366/.419/.535, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 27 R, 15 BB), who has shifted to left field in the wake of Ron Westmacot’s injury, had a sensational month. He won both a Batter of the Month award and a Player of the Week Award for his sterling play. *Top Pitcher:* A toss-up between RHP Neil Guerin (4-5, 4.01 ERA, 1.41 WHIP) and RHP Bradley Dodson (8-2, 3.18 ERA, 1.17 WHIP). Dodson went 5-0, 2.77 ERA in 6 starts, but I’ll give the edge to Guerin, who went 3-2, 2.55 ERA, 16 K, 8 BB in 6 starts. *Key Trade:* On November 25, the Cambria Cannons made a trade with the Balmoral Giants. The Cannons received 28-year old IN/OF Domenic Carmody (45/62 - .307/.349/.453, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 8 R, 5 BB). In return, the Giants received 19-year old minor league OF Ron Robb (21/63) and 24-year old minor league SP Robbie MacVurich (21/26). *Knee-jerk Analysis:* With the loss of Westmacott, the Cannons had some juggling to do. In Carmody, they receive an average player who was serving as a utility outfielder in Balmoral. However, he had a fine season last year and made the all-star team. He will start at 2B for Cambria, while regular 2B Aiden Smerdon will become the backup outfielder. CF Joe Olver switches to LF while OF Bert Helmer steps up to take over CF. The Cannons surrender a 4th rounder from 1939 in OF Robb and a 5th rounder from 1937 in MacVurich. Both have potential to make the majors, but nothing to get too excited about. *Key Injuries:* LF Ron Westmacott (.321/.442/.603, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 33 R, 28 BB) suffered torn ankle ligaments in a game against the Downie Chiefs on November 17. He is out 4 months. SP-RHP Willem Atkins (1-3, 4.45 ERA, 1.59 WHIP) was diagnosed with ulnar nerve irritation back on November 4 while pitching against the Pulberry Trolleys. He will miss another 3 months. RP-RHP Jason Fortenberry (0-0, 2 SV, 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) suffered acute elbow soreness while pitching back in October. He is gone 6-7 weeks. -------- The Sherburn Tigers kept their head above water in November, enjoying their second consecutive winning month. But with Cambria kicking it into high gear, the Tigers find themselves falling back 3.0 games of the wild card. Sherburn maintained their performance on offense (4th) but regressed a little in pitching (6th to 7th). *Top Position Player:* 30-year old LF Robin Harney (.354/.469/.448, 13-2B, 20 RBI, 35 R, 41 BB, 7 SB) has been playing some his best baseball since being traded from the Kingston Pelicans back in 1937. In November, he went .372/.487/.457, 8-2B, 8 RBI, 15 R, 22 BB. *Top Pitcher:* Not a memorable month for Sherburn pitchers, but I’ll give it to RHP Myung-gu Son (5-1, 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP), who went 2-0, 3.64 ERA, 42.0 IP, 21 K, 18 BB in 6 starts. *Key Injury:* None. -------- The Fort Richmond Generals saw some hopeful signs from their young players as they finished November with a winning record. Although RHP Dean Stroud (1-6, 6.30 ERA, 1.88 WHIP) continued to struggle, others like SS Steven Wormleighton (.268/.310/.394, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 33 R, 12 BB), C Danny Trowbridge (.246/.256/.349, 1 HR, 28 RBI, 12 R, 2 BB) and especially 3B Britt Wing (.280/.351/.405, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 19 R, 17 BB) saw their play pick up this past month. Thus the Generals saw a modest improvement in their batting rankings (7th from 8th) and held steady in pitching (2nd-3rd). *Top Position Player:* 23-year old 3B Britt Wing, a former 2nd round pick from 1938 gave Generals’ fans cause for celebration this month. He had a terrific November at the plate, winning his first Rookie of the Month Award in the process. *Top Pitcher:* Although the bullpen is rated No. 1 in the Western League, I’m going to give the nod to RHP Tristan Purss (5-4, 2.97 ERA, 1.09 WHIP), who went 2-2, 2.25 ERA, 53.0 IP, 26 K, 7 BB in 6 starts. *Key Injuries:* 26-year old utility IN/OF Copper Hawkins (.303/.343/.394, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB) was diagnosed with a torn quad suffered in a game against the Downie Chiefs on November 10. He is out for one more week. 21-year old RF Gavin Bansfield (.237/.295/.339, 6-2B, 6 RBI, 7 R, 9 BB) separated his shoulder in a game against the Cobourg Red Stockings on November 12. He is out 2-3 weeks. -------- The Wolseley Unions were the 5th Western League team to enjoy a winning record in November, another positive sign that perhaps the Western teams is becoming a little more competitive (although other teams are seriously regressing – see Pulberry). The Unions maintained the status quo, ranking 6th on offense, 2nd-3rd in pitching and 7th in starter’s ERA. *Top Position Player:* 23-year old RF Nicky Willis (.319/.377/.473, 4 HR, 31 RBI, 29 R, 19 BB) was outstanding in November. He batted .341/.396/.505, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 14 R, 9 BB. *Top Pitcher:* 21-year old RHP Aaron Saunderson (4-3, 2.26 ERA, 1.35 WHIP), a former 1st round pick in 1937, showed his promise in November, going 3-1, 1.88 ERA, 28.2 IP, 1.17 WHIP, 6 K, 17 BB in 5 starts. *Key Injury:* 31-year old 3B Datu Balsalubra (.248/.313/.295, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 9 R, 10 BB) suffered shoulder tendinitis in a game back on November 29. He is out 5 more weeks. -------- The Balmoral Giants struggled against the Eastern League teams in November, going just 7-20. The Giants are definitely going through some growing pains, as the offense regressed a bit to 5th overall. But it was their pitching that really sunk them, falling from 6th to 8th almost across the board. After winning Pitcher of the Month honours in October, ace LHP Dave Mapp went just 1-5, 7.75 ERA in 6 starts. Ouch. *Top Position Player:* 22-year old SS Francisco Rodríguez (.297/.338/.492, 3 HR, 24 RBI, 29 R, 12 BB) had a fine month, batting .333/.352/.539, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 14 R, 3 BB. *Top Pitcher:* Given the funk the rotation is in, I’ll give this to RHP Julius Hunt (1-3, 3 SV, 3.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP), who went 1-1, 3 SV, 2.25 ERA, 24.0 IP, 1 K, 7 BB. *Key Injury:* None. -------- The Hespeler Stars didn’t have a winning record in November, but they did improve a wee bit. Thanks to the total collapse of others around them, they even escaped the basement. The Stars cooled off a little on offense (3rd – 4th), but maintained their pitching performance (6th). Their starters’ ERA continues to impress, ranking second in the West (4.01 ERA). But their rotation took a bit of a hit with the loss of SP- RHP Brendon De san miguel, who is gone for the season. *Top Position Player:* 22-year old CF Vic Weetman (.340/.388/.490, 3 HR, 32 RBI, 33 R, 17 BB) is having a great season, but once again, LF Steven Winstanley (.345/.395/.600, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 43 R, 18 BB) gets the nod, as he went .311/.354/.491, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 21 R, 7 BB. *Top Pitcher:* RHP Freddie Ventriss (4-5, 2.34 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) went 2-2, 2.84 ERA, 44.1 IP, 13 K, 19 BB in 6 starts on an otherwise lackluster pitching staff. *Key Injuries:* 36-year old RF Louie Maylam (.253/.330/.425, 7 HR, 30 RBI, 20 R, 19 BB) came down with knee tendinitis back on November 27. He is out for 4 weeks. 32-year old RHP Brendon De san Miguel (4-5, 3.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) was diagnosed with a torn labrum in game against the Brunswick Legends back on November 21. He will be out of action for 8 months. 42-year old RP-RHP Hyo-cheong Yu (0-1, 2.45 ERA, 1.58 WHIP) was diagnosed with bicep tendinitis back on October 26 in a game against the Sherburn Tigers. He is gone for 8 weeks. -------- In what has to be the worst monthly performance thus far in ULB history, the Pulberry Trolleys went an embarrassing 5-20 in November. That included an 11-game losing streak near the start of the month as well as a 6-game losing streak they are currently ‘enjoying’. Predictably, the Trolleys’ pitching regressed, falling to 4th – 5th in a host of categories, but their offense completely tanked. Pulberry suffered no injuries, minor or otherwise in November, so the frontline players have no one to blame but themselves for this stretch of ineptitude. *Top Position Player:* No one really stood out, but there were a few decent performances to choose from. 30-year old LF Tony Blakeney (.286/.356/.379, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 26 R, 21 BB) did OK I guess, batting .286/.327/.374, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 6 BB. *Top Pitcher:* Not a lot to choose from, but LHP Quentin Teague (2-2, 4 SV, 4.78 ERA, 1.82 WHIP) was one of the few to pick up his game in November, going 1-2, 2 SV, 3.46 ERA, 13.0 IP, 6 K, 7 BB. It was that kind of month for Pulberry. *Key Injury:* None. -------- __________________ United Leagues of Braeland Last edited by reds1; 07-03-2017 at 09:12 PM.