[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, May 1, 2054

WMACS LEAD RU EAST LOGJAM
The Wynnamac Sundowners (15-9) have won the Ruthlandian East Division the last two seasons and are a heavy favorite to win it again... but this year, at least in the early stages, they have quite a few challengers... the Sundowners are currently tied with the unheralded Eastshore Cotton Kings (15-9) for first place with the Sugar Valley Rattlers (14-10) hissing at their heels in the second spot in the standings... and the fourth place Marston Nine (12-12) are also jamming up things tightly... even the fifth place clubs, Elnora (11-13) and Beechwood (11-13), are bunched near the leaders, only four games back.

Hall of Famer hurler Jerry Meeks (313-214/2.93) is in charge of the Wynnamac Sundowners (15-9) and he has them rolling along quite well as they have been for the last decade or so... great pitching usually makes a club a contender in the IPA... Meeks is almost always in the top four teams and has captured four division titles since 2042... only once in its history has Wynnamac brought home a Pro Cup title... that was in 2008... the Sundowners have made the postseason 9 times.

The WMACs depend on the mound staff for success... they are solid as usual this year with a 3.23 ERA (8th), anchored by starters James Duncan (4-0/2.78), George Medworth (3-1/2.81), Simon Northcott (4-2/3.72) and Sammy Hayes (1.-3/3.68)... and Meeks' bullpen is in good hands with Garan Parula (3-2/2.05/2 saves/10 G)... the Sundowners hit well for average with .285 (2nd), but they are only 12th in scoring runs... top guns are RF Charley Bristol (.429 BA/4 HR/16 RBI/16 R), C Jethro Bibbs (.353/2/14/13), 2B Wiz Ivie (.326/0/11/14/4 SB) and 1B Enos Benham (.321/3/11/11).

What has gotten into the Eastshore Cotton Kings (15-9)?... they have been mired in the second division for the last seven seasons... haven't won a pennant since 2034... came in dead last the last two years... and this year the Cotton Kings were picked to finish near the bottom the RU East... but lo and behold, at the end of April they are right up there at the top of the standings tied for the top spot with powerhouse Wynnamac... good pitching does make a difference... manager Scotty Lagrange (.295 BA/451 HR), a Hall of Fame player, has fashioned a good staff led by Malcolm Tansbury (4-1/0.59) and Ted Weiss (3-1/2.91) and veteran closer Trent Niven (3-0/1.76/3 saves/8 G)... the team ERA is 3.41 (11th)... much improved over last year's 4.32 ERA... the bats are just average with a .256 BA (19th)... the Cotton Kings only have so-so batters... the best of the lot are LF Ryne Moncriffe (.293 BA/4 HR/13 RBI/10 R) and 2B Ross Haley (.273/1/12/11/2 SB)... not the kind of offense that wins division titles... and certainly won't win a Pro Cup... Eastshore has made the postseason on 7 occasions and won two IPA crowns... in 2016 and 2017.

Manager Bobby Gamble and his second place Sugar Valley Rattlers (14-10) were the rage of the RU East from 2038 to 2051, winning 8 division flags and one Pro Cup (2045)... they have appeared in the playoffs 18 times... but for the last two seasons they were just average (77-77) and just plain bad (68-86)... terrible pitching (4.42 ERA) tumbled them to 7th place last year... the offense and home-run power are still there... .267 BA (14th) and 27 HR (2nd-tied)... and the pitching has shown some improvement, led by starter Elvis Bonham (3-2/2.96) and closer Chris Cozart (3-0/3.09/1 save/5 G)... Bonham, Cozart, along with 1B Shiloh Harris (.283 BA/4 HR/13 RBI/7 R) were obtained in a huge swap with Rocky Rapids for star 1B Deke Lundy (.356/3/12/7)... so far, the trade looks good for both teams... sparking the Rattler attack are Harris, talented 3B Tuck Alstott (.320/6/17/24/10 SB) and 37-year-old superstar LF Carl Ramsey (.366/6/15/16/4 SB).

The Marston Nine (12-12) came in third last season (75-79) and were slotted for the same spot in the preseason polls... they are currently in fourth place... the Nine is skippered by Russ Woodward, a great all-around star outfielder, who will be inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame at the All-Star Game this year... Woodward was a 9-time All-Star and a 6-time Gold Glover, batting .315 lifetime with 621 homers... he has piloted Marston to three straight first-division finishes... it's been 6 years since the club won a pennant... only 7 times in its history have they made the postseason playoffs and the Nine has never won the Pro Cup.

Woodward made a big move in the offseason, trading 5 players to High Mesa for star LF Joe Duplantis (.303 BA/6 HR/13 RBI/13 R/4 SB)... to bolster the offense he gave up a solid starter in Snooky Knaup (17-20/3.05) and four young position players with potential for the slugger, who last year hit .310 with 41 roundtrippers and 102 RBIs... so far the trade favors Marston as Knaup (3-3/5.11) has struggled in the Tycobbian Union... High Mesa was trying to get better pitching... Marston pitching is worse this year, but they are scoring more runs, ranking 3rd in the RU with 121 runs and 9th in homers with 22... C Boomer Merritt (.342 BA/4 HR/12 RI/14 R) is a solid tandem with Duplantis.

Former IPA star pitcher Stan Kivas (237-203/3.45 ERA) is the head man for the fifth place Elnora All-Stars (11-13)... they were a distant second (78-76) in the standings last year to division champ Wynnamac (89-65)... wound up third in 2052 (83-71/12 GB)... the All-Stars were rated the second-best team in the RU East in the preseason picks... 9 times Elnora has made the postseason and won their only IPA crown in 2033... and have no playoff appearances since 2035... the pitching is just average with a 3.85 ERA (16th), but the club can hit (.280 BA/5th) and score runs (117 R/9th)... 2B Mickey Wilbur (.397 BA/4 HR/20 RBI/15 R), LF Robb Norwood (.400/4/16/9) and 1B Gus Abreu (.389/4/14/21) generate most of the offense... Billy Ehrenreich (3-3/3.20) and Slim Harding (3-3/2.61) are solid starters... but there isn't much quality after them... the bullpen is just plain bad (5.33 ERA).

The fifth place Beechwood Blues (11-13) have been stuck in the second-division doldrums for almost a decade now... one of the worst franchises in the IPA with only three postseason appearances... 2027 was the last pennant... never won a Pro Cup... never even come close... picked to end up last this season... manager Maury Patterson (267-190/3.04) was a fine pitcher, who rarely played with a good team behind him... currently the team is absolutely awful at the plate, batting a horrible .225 (32nd)... the Blues are the worst hitting team in the Islands... but Patterson has a good pitching corps with a 3.46 ERA (12th)... Lenny Medford (2-3/2.70) and Vonnelle Byrnes (2-2/2.95) are very capable starters and the Beechwood bullpen might be the best in the IPA with a 1.82 ERA... Owen Greenacre (2-1/2.16/3 saves/11 G) is the closer... CF Rod McClellan (.309 BA/5 HR/22 RBI/11 R) is the only reliable threat in the line-up... he has absolutely no help offensively.

The seventh place Belle Plaine Musketeers (10-14) tried to jump start the club in the offseason with a major trade... manager Slick Hammill gave up superstar slugger Lenny Buisson, a .333 career hitter with 307 homers... last year he drove in 135 runs, hit 52 homers and batted at a .326 clip... Taranto traded two young pitchers, Jaron Montague (14-4/3.31) and Raphael Palmieri (4-1/1.52/19 G), along with OF Cody Losby (.336 BA/19 HR/45 RBI/49 R/70 G)... Losby (.338/2 HR/9 RBI/9 R) is doing well with his new club, while Montague (1-3/4.35) and Palmieri (1-3/5.03) have struggled... so has Buisson (.243 BA/4 HR/9 RBI/10 R).

The Musketeers have a horrible history in the IPA... just one postseason appearance long, long ago and way, way back in 2009... Hammill has a mediocre ballclub, but if the newcomers perform to their potential, it may prove to be a profitable swap... but the fans really miss their beloved Buisson, who gave them something to cheer about for 6 glorious seasons.

Belle Plaine has two quality starters in Joe-Joe Bouvier (2-1/1.58) and Al McKeown (2-3/4.21)... should Montague and Palmieri prove to be effective, Hammill has him a good starting four... the Muskies' offense is led by CF Lyle Cuthbert (.346 BA/4 HR/14 RBI/10 R/2 SB), 1B Chuck Gregory (.250/5/19/14), RF Cody Losby (.338 BA/2 HR/9 RBI/9 R), 2B Royce Hill (.345/2/4/11) and LF Andy Williams (.268/1/8/11/2 SB).

The last place Cold Creek Catamounts (8-16) are on a three-year losing streak... and it looks like it will increase to four... despite having a great Hall of Fame pitcher as manager, the Cold Creekers have lousy pitching with a 5.27 ERA... J. J. Gillespie was a 5-time Golden Arm winner and 3-time Ruthlandian MVP, posting a 294-170 career record with a terrific 2.46 ERA, but it doesn't seem to help his pitching staff... strangely, the Catamounts are good hitters with a strong .284 BA (4th), 117 runs (9th-tied) and 21 HR (10th-tied)... Gillespie's batting order is chocked full of fine batsmen like superstar Joe Cochrane (.326 BA/5 HR/14 RBI/10 R), 1B Bobby Dundee (.354/4/14/19), CF Jimmy Lange (.337/2/12/17/5 SB), 3B Gene Winston (.295/2/8/16) and RF Mel Parnell (.309/1/12/16)... Cold Creek doesn't have a quality pitcher, but veteran Jimmy Engels (4-1/4.47) occasionally will give you a good outing... it's going to be a long season for Cold Creek.