[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 21, 2054

SUPER ROOSTERS COP 6TH STRAIGHT PENNANT
It was another monster season for the mighty Middlefield Roosters (104-50)... they copped the Ruthlandian West Division for the sixth straight season and eighth time in the last decade... the Roosters ruled the roost the entire season, leading by 13 games at midyear... at season's end the Sligo Rovers (93-61) ran second to them, cutting the margin to 11 games... third place went to the Rocky Rapids Snappers (78-76), 26 GB... finishing in the fourth spot was the Stoner Stars (76-78), 29 games behind.

1. MIDDLEFIELD ROOSTERS (104-50)... Middlefield has had super seasons the last three years, winning 106, 99 and 104 games... 18 times the Roosters have made the playoffs... twice they came home with the Pro Cup trophies... Middlefield whipped the East Point Panthers in 2052 and the Denton City Redbirds in 2005... now they have high hopes that they will add to their totals this year and bring home a third IPA crown... the Roosters also made the Pro Cup Finals in 2025 and 2047, but lost out to the South Fork Stallions and the Southport Sun Sox.

Long-time skipper Ricky Tinker is still at the helm... Middlefield has a lot going for it, including four All-Stars... this season they hit .279 (5th), cracked 189 home runs (2nd) and led the IPA with 933 runs (1st)... and on the hill they are better-than-average with a 3.75 ERA (15th), which is very good for playing in a high-octane enviroment like cozy Middlefield Park with its short fences.

The Roosters possess a high-powered arsenal with All-Star CF Johnny Wyatt (.277/41 HR/131 RBI/108 R/10 SB), RF Trip Agarn (.322/36 HR/116 RBI/94 R/11 SB), All-Star SS Stan Radzikowski (.289/29 HR/100 RBI/116 R/10 SB) and RF Skyler Hanson (.318/3 HR/65 RBI/114 R/11 SB)... Middlefield has a good mound staff, too, anchored by 34-year-old All-Star James Long (24-5/2.36), 40-year-old All-Star Hollis Dale (21-10/3.97) and 33-year-old Scott Cole (12-9/3.36)... the bullpen is well-takened care of with the likes of 33-year-old Norm Coventry (9-5/2.44/16 saves/60 G) and 33-year-old Yazzy Yastrzewski (6-0/1.66/9 saves/45 G).

Outlook: Middlefield is a very potent ball club and will probably be one of the favorites for the Pro Cup trophy this year... however, it is an aging pitching corps and might not be around too many more seasons... Tinker needs to be refreshing his hurlers... a lot of them are over 33 and probably headed for decline and eventually retirement.

2. Sligo Rovers (93-61) (11 GB)... manager Les Patterson and his Rovers got even better this season over last year, but still were the runner-up team... they were also second to powerful Middlefield in '53 with a 90-64 mark and 9 GB... they know the Ruthlandian West is a tough place to play for the last 14-15 years... the Roosters have dominated it.

Sligo's skipper Les Patterson is a Hall-of-Famer, elected in 2034 after an ilustrious career with the Rovers... Patterson starred for 17 years (2017-2033), posting an 306-230 record with a super 2.79 ERA... as you might expect the Rovers have pretty good pitching with him as their mentor and guide... Patterson was a 7-time All-Star and twice won the coveted Ruthlandian Golden Arm Award (2021, 2022)... in '21 he led Sligo to its only Pro Cup trophy, when they defeated the White River in five games... Patterson was the Co-MVP in the Pro Cup Series, going 4-2 with a 2.09 ERA in 6 postseason starts... he was 23-8 in the regular season with a terrific 2.03 ERA and was named the best pitcher in the league.

Sligo has appeared in the playoffs on nine occasions... but not recently... it's been almost 15 years since the Rovers won the RU West pennant... 2040 was the most recent... except for the last two seasons, Sligo has been just a fair-to-middling club... they had a losing record in nine of those years... the current batch of Rovers has very strong pitching, headed up by Mickey Walsh (23-11/2.36), Mitch Taylor (20-11/2.41), Judah Carmack (16-8/3.10) and Bruce Belden (17-11/3.45)... they may be as good as a starting foursome as anyone in the IPA... they were first in the Ruthlandian Union with a very fine 2.96 ERA... the bullpen is a good one, too, led by closer Tiger Snodgrass (.5-7/2.79/20 saves/43 G)... the Rover relievers were rated first in the RU with a 2.54 ERA... scoring runs is Sligo's shortcoming... they rank only 22nd in runs scored with 651 runs... nowhere near what you need to whip mighty Middlefield... the offensive club leaders only have modest numbers: CF Merle Bliss (.294/20 HR/76 RBI/95 R/18 SB), SS Clancy Beaufort (.285/17 HR/69 RBI/73 R/4 SB) and C Manuelo Andreu (.266/19 HR/63 RBI/49 R).

Outlook: the future is good for manager Les Patterson... his fine mound staff is mostly under 25 with the oldest just 30-years-old... same thing for the position players... the Sligo Rovers are the heir-apparent to the aging Middlefield Roosters... look out if Patterson gets a few good hitters.

3. Rocky Rapids Snappers (78-76) (26 GB)... manager Junior Noland came in a very distant third this year after posting 87-67 in '52 and 84-70 in '53... his wonderful pitching corps has gone into decline... going from 2.66 ERA two seasons ago to 3.04 last year and to 3.41 this year... Noland himself was a solid starter for most of his 11 seasons with the Snappers... he went 169-144 with a 3.46 ERA... Rocky Rapids doesn't have much of an offense... they scored only 631 runs (27th), but did have some long-ball power with 150 homers (8th)... All-Star Clay Callaghan (20-12/2.47) is the Snappers' ace... 38-year-old superstar Jamie Taylor (304-218/2.55) went down in May and was lost in May for the season... that was a huge loss for Noland... 20-game winner in '53, Sammy Sterling dipped to 14-16 with a 3.99 ERA this year... Noland has a strong bullpen with a 2.64 ERA (2nd)... top relievers are Chucky Coxson (4-6/2.96/12 saves/41 G), Yoshi Kojima (5-1/1.57/3 saves/31 G) and Rance Donnelly (2-4/1.49/7 saves/29 G)... the Snappers' best offensive performers were newcomer 1B Deke Lundy (.306/29 HR/62 RBI/59 R), star 3B Marty Featherstone (.261/19 HR/69 RBI/76 R/2 SB), All-Star SS Craig Minton (.289/3 HR/51 RBI/63 R/12 SB) and C Pat Stennett (.268/20 HR/82 RBI/54 R)... Lundy was obtained in a trade with the Sugar Valley Rattlers for three players including pitcher Elvis Bonham (17-15/3.28)... it looks like a good trade for both clubs... the Snappers got some good home-run power and the Rattlers got a solid starter.

Rocky Rapids has gone to the postseason only six times in its history... the last division flags came in '46 and '44... the Snappers picked up their only Pro Cup trophy in 2019... in an amazing run they went 12-0 and beat Ozarka in the Finals... Junior Noland (20-12/3.08) was the number two starter on that club... he went 3-0 in the playoffs with a startling 0.67 ERA... that's the only time the Snappers played for the IPA crown.

Outlook: Rocky Rapids is not in the class of Middlefield and Sligo yet, but they are a young club that could blossom in the coming seasons... they should be a good bet for third or fourth place the next few years... who knows, in five years they might be right up near the top battling the Roosters and the Rovers for the pennant... but not yet.

4. Stoner Stars (75-79) (29 GB)... the Stars are guided by a former Stoner first sacker Fletch Fowler... he was a steady ballplayer from 2023 to 2037)... Fowler batted .293 lifetime with 219 homers and 1030 RBIs... never an All-Star or award winner... his current team is just a middle-of-the-pack ballclub... fairly good pitching with a 3.86 ERA (13th), but not much offensively with only 642 runs scored (24th)... the Stars wound up under .500 this season... they were fifth two seasons ago with a 75-79 mark and seventh last year with 72-82... it's been 25 years since their last pennant (2029)... only three appearances in the postseason... Stoner made the Pro Cup Finals twice, but lost them both... the Oxford Red Caps topped them in 2007 in five games... and the Rolling Hills Reds got the best of them in a four-game sweep in 2029... Fletch Fowler was the top run producer that year with a .288 BA, 16 homers and 75 RBIs.

The current Stoner edition consists of three quality starters: Rip Martin (11-8/2.80), Stan Ulmer (18-14/3.88) and Kade Crow (17-13/3.74)... the Stars' best reliever is Jake Warrick (4-4/3.76/17 saves/32 G)... heading up a mediocre batting order are SS Mac Lord (.398/6 HR/64 RBI/85 R/7 SB), CF Grayson Lancaster (.276/16 HR/66 RBI/69 R) and LF Steve Brunson (.285/16 HR/74 RBI/58 R/6 SB).

Outlook: Stoner is just an average ballclub struggling to reach the .500 mark and the first division... it's a young team... only one player is over 30... SS Mac Lord is 33... not expected to challenge the top teams in the RU West anytime soon.

5. Volusia Vigilantes (73-81) (31 GB)... the V's are skippered by Tubby Tarkanian... he was a journeyman catcher for 21 years from 2034 to 2054... he retired as player at midyear this season... Tarkanian was a .262 career batter with 166 homers and 800 RBIs... the Vigilantes have played in the postseason nine times... the last division flag came in '43, over a decade ago... Volusia won the first ever Pro Cup in 2001, sweeping the Ginza Ninjas in four games... the V's also made the Pro Cup Finals in 2006 and fell to the powerful Turon Typhoons in six games.

Two seasons ago the club came in a respectable fourth with an 82-72 record, but they slipped to 76-78 and fifth place in '53... this year's batch of Vigilantes are still stuck in the fifth spot in the standings... Volusia has modest pitching with a 3.77 ERA (16th) and bad batting... the V's only hit .254 (28th) with only 624 runs (29th) and 89 homers (30th)... not number to get you very high in the standings... Tarkanian has three reliable starters in Cloyd Queen (15-17/3.25), Casmiro Ramires (15-19/3.46) and Mateus Branco (13-15/3.49)... and Dan Hunt (7-5/2.83/20 saves/57 G) is a dandy in the bullpen... Volusia has very little in the batter's box... sad to say, 3B Teddy Cornelius (.283/12 HR/69 RBI/89 R/4 SB) and RF Rupert Myles (.263/15 HR/57 RBI/71 R/5 SB) are Tarkanian's top hitters.

Outlook: The Vigilantes are a young club, but the future doesn't look so good... just not much talent... the V's are destined for more finishes in the second division of the Ruthlandian West.

6. Forest City Firebirds (71-83)... since winning the RU West crown in '49, it's been slow decline... the Firebirds finished sixth this year under manager Rich Barstow, who toiled for 19 seasons in the IPA, 17 of them with the Lumberjacks/Firebirds... twice he won 20 games... his overall record was 260-295 with a fair 3.79 ERA... Forest City only has average scoring and average pitching, but they do hit with some power with 136 homers (11th)... the team batting average is .255 (26th) with 679 runs (18th)... the team ERA is 3.93 (19th)... 20-year-old Mike Fryar (13-8/3.65) is the top pitcher with help from 34-year-old vets Omar Cordero (14-16/4.10) and Rusty Howard (10-19/4.22)... Craig Hurley (16-19/4.11) rounds out the starting rotation... Tim Varnado (4-6/1.98/26 saves/60 G) is a standout in the bullpen... CF Randy Snow (.267/19 HR/77 RBI/82 R/12 SB) is the Firebirds' most productive batter... other contributors are RF Dedrick Crone (.246/30 HR/75 RBI/67 R/6 SB), LF Buddy Bessent (.280/18 HR/59 RBI/60 R), SS Ziggy Regan (.281/6 HR/51 RBI/74 r/7 SB), 2B John Foley (.285/3 HR/45 RBI/68 R/7 SB), 1B Curly Burgess (.274/16 HR/54 RBI/51 R) and C Dan Brownmiller (.240/14 HR/70 RBI/58 R/13 SB).

Historically Forest City has made only five playoff appearances and has never won a Pro Cup... three times the Firebirds have been eliminated in the the first round, twice they lost in second-round action... never come close to a Pro Cup trophy.

Outlook: Forest City is just a mediocre to so-so team... just might have to get used to being a losing club for a few years or so... Barstow doesn't have a lot of talent overall.

7. Colfax Blasters (70-84) (34 GB)... Mitch Fullerton is in charge of the club... he was a fine catcher with the team for 19 years, hitting .294 with 300 roundtrippers and 1244 RBIs... twice an All-Star ('32, '36)... it's been 12 seasons since the Blasters won the RU West... nine of those years they posted losing records... in '52 they were 64-90 (7th)... in '53 they were 75-79 (6th)... and worst this season... Fullerton has a good offense... the Blasters scored 733 runs (8th), hit .264 (15th) with 137 home runs (10th), but the pitching is atrocious with a lofty 4.49 ERA (31st)... Colfax is led at the plate by RF Stan Kovalenko (.292/13 HR/62 RBI/122 R/25 SB), 1B Nicky Yorke (.301/27 HR/113 RBI/88 R), C Darrell Dillon (.287/18 HR/99 RBI/73 R), 3B Nigel Colvin (.298/12 HR/59 R/82 R) and LF Robb Maddux (.284/15 HR/65 RBI/67 R/6 SB)... rookie pitcher Quince Blakeley (13-4/2.90) came on like gangbusters... he joined the team at midseason and racked a bunch of wins in the second half of the season... not much on the mound after him... Keith Himmel (14-15/4.10) is solid at times and shaky at other times... and Red McCallum (2-4/2.80/14 saves/37) is a pretty good reliever.

Outlook: Colfax is doomed to in the depths of the division for the time being... needs some influx of talent.

8. Fort Benton Defenders (62-82) (42 GB)... the club has come in dead last for the last three years... nine times in 13 seasons they have been in the Ruthlandian West Division basement... the Defenders haven't had a winning season in 13 years... might be the worst franchise in IPA history... Fort Benton has only made the playoffs one time... that was in 2037... and they quickly lost in the first round.

One of the few standouts in Fort Benton history is manager Augie Marquis, who labored for 21 years with the club from 2025 to 2045... he was 368-300 in his career with a fine 3.22 ERA... won the Golden Arm in 2039 with a 24-12 mark and an impressive 2.28 ERA... five times he won 20 or more games... inspite of his 300 losses Marquis should be in the IPA Hall of Fame... Marquis doesn't have anyone of his caliber on the staff... Zeke Yoder (16-16/3.65) is his best and only reliable starter... Yoder came over in a trade with St. John for talented Golden Glove CF Freddie Woodruff (.317/10 HR/72 RBI/104 R/16 SB)... it was a good deal for both clubs... (Dave Llewellyn (12-13/4.25) shows signs of being a quality starter at times... the Defenders have a pretty good closer in Darius Kimberly (8-8/3.09/17 saves/52 G)... Fort Benton has a few good bats, but nothing overwhelming... Marquis' best hitters are CF Teddy Keyes (.339/3 HR/57 RBI/87 R/47 SB), 2B Murph Eldard (.315/10 HR/83 RBI/70 R/4 SB) and All-Star 3B Eamon Hopper (.303/10 HR/69 RBI/65 R/6 SB).

Outlook: pretty dismal for manager Augie Marquis... he's got a much tougher job in rebuilding the Defenders than he did when was on the mound... Fort Benton had some talent in those days... but not now.