[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
September 21, 2054

ARLON TAKES TU WEST IN THRILLER
The Tycobbian West Division came down to two clubs and it went down to the last days of the season to decide it... in a stirring finish the Arlon Champions (99-55) just barely held off the hard-charging Denton City Redbirds (98-56) by a single game... Denton City was the reigning TU West titlist... the Redbirds won 12 of the last 13 games and almost caught the Champions... Arlon went 8-5 down the stretch to fend off Denton City... third place went to the Kenwood Wildcats (82-72) and the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (81-73) came in fourth in the race... overall the division has some quality teams... it was a very tight four-team cluster at midseason, all within five games of each other... however the Wildcats and Bucs sputtered in the second half and fell to the wayside.

1. ARLON CHAMPIONS (99-55)... this was Arlon's seventh pennant in its history... the last one came in the Pro Cup year in 2051 when the Champs topped the Waleska Westerners in five games for the IPA title... Arlon also made the Pro Cup Finals in '39, but were beaten out by the same Westerners in six games... skipper Mark Cameron has a very impressive and well-balanced club... the Champions compiled a .262 BA (17th), clubbed 173 HR (5th-tied) and posted a solid 3.36 ERA (8th)... on the hill Ty Coffee (27-9/2.72) led the entire IPA in wins and he got good help from J. C. Hilburn (17-13/2.98), Erik Branham (17-9/3.30), Dicky Towers (12-12/3.41) and long-time star Lanny Gray (14-11/4.12)... Mack Blair (6-2/2.92/20 saves/48 G) and Clyde Burney (5-1/2.55/6 saves/34 G) anchored the bullpen... the primary offense was supplied by CF Rebel Bryce (.219/37 HR/116 RBI/97 R/13 SB), 2B Art Catlin (.303/22 HR/103 RBI/88 R/8 SB), LF P. J. Flagg (.281/22 HR/73 RBI/76 R/11 SB) and Timothy Webb (.340/9 HR/39 RBI/77 R/6 SB).

Outlook: Arlon may be a better team this year than they were in the 2051 Pro Cup season... they still have the main core of starters in Branham, Gray and Hilburn, plus the great addition of Ty Coffee, along with Dicky Towers... the offense this year is much superior to the '51 squad... there has been an impressive influx of youthful talent in the last three seasons... Bryce, Catlin, Flagg and Webb didn't join the team until 2052... manager Mark Cameron's club won 99 games this season, but they must face the current Pro Cup champion in the first round of the playoffs... Arlon may be the forgotten team in the Tycobbian Union with the likes of powerful Midway and Turon as well as the White River Rascals, but their opponents will know they have been in a series... it is highly unlikely the Arlon Champions will just roll over and play dead in the postseason playoffs... Cameron has a very good team.

2. Denton City Redbirds (98-56) (1 GB)... it's tough to win 98 games in a season and not win the division crown... that's what happened to Denton City skipper Pete Gibbs... an 8-16 mark in April killed the Redbirds' season... he also lost his mound ace, Johnny Wingate, in June... overall Denton City has made the postseason 10 times in its history... mainly in the early years of the IPA... 8 times they made the playoffs from 2003 to 2013... only twice since, in 2040 and 2053... however, despite several valiant efforts in the playoffs, the Redbirds are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy... in '04 they lost in the first round to IPA champ Red Bluff 3 games to 2... in '05 in the Pro Cup Finals the Redbirds fell 4 games to 1 to IPA champ Middlefield ... in '08 they lost in the Pro Cup Finals for the second straight year when Wynnamac whipped them in six games... in '09 Denton City was topped in the TU Finals by eventual Pro Cup champion Turon in a torrid 7-game series... and last year the Redbirds were the only playoff team to win a game against the IPA winner, the mighty Midway Wolves... DC was beaten in six games in the Tycobbian Union Finals... Midway was 12-2 in the postseason last year... in the last two rounds they swept their other two series against Turon (TU Finals) and Taranto (Pro Cup Finals).

Denton City has a topnotch team with a .274 BA (6th), 749 runs (8th), 166 HR (7th) and a very good 3.41 ERA (9th)... heading up a solid staff are Jayson Mannon (21-10/2.85) and Flash Stringfellow (19-10/3.12)... the other two in the starting rotation are dependable: Rob Hanshaw (13-7/4.17) and Howie Malcolm (11-6/4.23)... Johnny Wingate (9-5/3.01), a 21-game winner the season before, was lost in June with an arm injury... he was sorely missed down the stretch... and manager Pete Gibbs has one of the best bullpen in the IPA with All-Star closer Burnell Kelley (7-5/1.72/28 saves/59 G) and Freddy O'Neal (9-3/1.64/6 saves/39 G)... Kelley was tops in saves in the Tycobbian Union... third best in the IPA behind Trent Niven (3-8/1.87/30 saves/64 G) of Eastshore and Martin Futch (5-7/1.86/29 saves/71 G) of Ranford... the Redbirds have some hefty and reliable bats with 1B Val Anniston (.300/36 HR/92 RBI/92 R), LF Harper Catlow (.275/29 HR/78 RBI/81 R/18 SB), SS Vincent McCloud (.308/26 HR/83 RBI/104 R/11 SB) and RF Tristan Redgrave (.297/19 HR/70 RBI/69 R/8 SB).

Outlook: it's a shame that Denton City will not be in the postseason playoffs... Pete Gibbs has a fine club, which should be a serious challenger for the TU West flag for several years to come.

3. Kenwood Wildcats (82-72) (17 GB)... manager Babe Hankins had his club in serious contention at midyear... just a game behind Arlon and tied with Denton City, but they slumped badly in the late summer and slipped to the third spot in the division standings, 17 games out of first... Hankins led the Wildcats to the TU West pennant just two years ago with a 91-63 mark, but his pitching staff fell apart the next year and Kenwood stumbled in with a 70-84 record, tumbling to sixth place... now they have recovered a bit and got back on the winning side of the ledger... 10 times the Wildcats have made the playoffs and they have one Pro Cup trophy, which was won in 2014... but they have performed very well on several occasions: in '23 they lost to IPA champion Tuckanarra in 6 games in round one... in '41 and '42 Kenwood reached the Tycobbian Finals and fell to the eventual IPA titlists, the North Hills Hawks in 6 games and to the South Fork Stallions in 6 games.

The current edition of Wildcats hit very well with a .277 BA (4th), score well with 739 runs (9th), but are a quite short on power with only 101 HR (29th)... pitching-wise they are better than average with a 3.79 ERA (15th)... All-Star 1B Bralen Connally (.299/23 HR/93 RBI/94 R/2 SB), RF Chris McNeal (.273/17 HR/67 RBI/64 R/4 SB) and SS Eliot Epperson (.284/10 HR/65 RBI/51 R/6 SB) are the prime run providers... other contributors are LF William Gloucester (.346/9 HR/55 RBI/68 R/4 SB), 3B Bailey Brumley (.310/6 HR/57 RBI/42 R/7 SB) and CF Hank Hankins (.292/5 HR/39 RBI/42 R/14 SB)... on the hill Kenwood has four quality starters in Emmitt Oates (21-13/3.47), long-time ace Rusty Bradford (19-17/3.54) and two rookies Al Bryant (13-12/3.62) and Tory Reynolds (10-12/3.97)... skipper Babe Hankins could use some help in the bullpen, which is not too reliable with a 4.24 ERA (26th).

Outlook: Kenwood should remain in the first division for some time to come, but they are not in the class of Arlon and Denton City... the Wildcats are just a third or fourth place club.

4. Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (81-73) (18 GB)... for the past six seasons manager Cotton Cornwall and his Bucs have finished in the TU West first division, which is the top four teams... they were second to Denton City in '53 with an 83-71 record (6 GB)... the Buccaneers were third the previous two years ('51 and '52) and they hoisted division flags in '49 and '50... Bay St. Clair has made 11 postseason appearances, but have never won a Pro Cup trophy... they lost to IPA Pro Cup champ Taranto in 2015, beaten 4 games to 1 in the Pro Cup Finals... IPA champ Turon eliminated the Bucs in 6 games in the 2018 Tycobbian Finals... and they were defeated by Pro Cup winner, Blue Lake, in the 2030 Tycobbian Union Finals in 6 games.

Bay St. Clair's current crop has impressive pitching with a 3.36 ERA (7th)... the Buccaneers are fairly good at the plate with a .263 BA (16th), 677 runs (19th) and 125 HR (23rd-tied)... Scotty Hedwall (19-13/2.91) is the main guy in the rotation, along with Dion Hawkins (16-9/2.90), who was injured in August and missed the rest of the season... the Bucs get quality starts from Kermo Jarvi (17-16/3.86)... not a lot in the rotation otherwise... however, skipper Cornwall has a fine bullpen, one of the better ones in the IPA... they chalked up a 2.38 ERA (2nd)... his top relievers are veteran Cadillac Bogart (6-7/2.47/12 saves/55 G) and Darcey Kennedy (5-4/1.28/6 saves/38 G)... the Bucs' batting order is led by LF Jed Killick (.274/30 HR/118 RBI/84 R), RF Don Holliday (.269/25 HR/85 RBI/61 R/7 SB), SS Pip Blaylock (.264/9 HR/52 RBI/103 R/30 SB), 3B Trace Burney (.304/12 HR/63 RBI/91 R/6 SB), All-Star 2B Ike Ritter (.302/1 HR/46 RBI/68 R) and 1B Clive Caviness (.289/15 HR/64 RBI/76 R).

Outlook: The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are getting a little long in the tooth, but may hang around in the top four teams for a few more seasons... third or fourth will be the best they can do.

5. (tied) Rolling Hills Reds (72-82) (27 GB)... the Reds had a string of 8 years in the TU West first division from from '45 to '52, but have slumped to the second division the last two seasons... 7th place with a 67-87 mark (22 GB), followed by a tie for 5th this year with a 72-82 record (27 GB)... Rolling Hills last pennant came in '48, which was a Pro Cup winning year... overall the club has made the postseason playoffs 11 times and copped three Pro Cups (2029, 2031, 2048)... most of the Reds' success was from '19 to '32 ... 8 times they won the TU West pennant, winning two Pro Cups... Rolling Hills lost in '25 to the IPA champion South Fork in six games in the first round of the playoffs... they were beaten by IPA champ Southport in '27, falling in six games in the TU Finals... and they really came close in '32, beaten in seven games in the TU Finals by the eventual IPA winner San Alejo.

Rolling Hills is skippered by Billy Christenson, a Hall of Fame infielder, who played 16 of his 21 seasons with the Reds... Christenson was a 6-time All-Star and 5-time Gold Glover... his career average was .302 with 258 homers and 1446 RBIs... Christenson was voted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2049... Rolling Hills hit well for average this season and scored well, but didn't hit with power... on the hill the Reds were mediocre... the club batted .273 (8th), scored 718 runs (11th), but hit only 99 out of the park (30th-tied)... the team ERA was only 4.19 (22nd)... leading the Reds offensively this year were All-Star SS Dustin Thibodeau (.301/20 HR/92 RBI/89 R/12 SB), All-Star C Ryan Nelms (.248/18 HR/67 RBI/56 R), 1B Darwin Tard (.296/19 HR/85 RBI/81 R/12 SB), 2B Adam Hynes (.323/2 HR/54 RBI/71 R/28 SB) and CF Mike Josephson (.280/5 HR/62 RBI/83 R/14 SB)... the ace of the mound staff is 40-year-old Johnny Howard (22-13/3.79), who sparked them to the IPA crown in '48 with a flawless 5-0 record and 2.66 ERA in five starts... the others in the rotation are inconsistent, but do come up with some quality starts: Vance Dillaway (13-15/3.77), Kerry Tidland (10-10/4.22) and Rob Gates (10-16/4.13).

Outlook: not so good... many of the Rolling Hills regulars like Tard and Nelms are showing signs of wear, tear and age... it's not likely hurler Howard can keep going for many more years... the Reds need to replace them fairly quickly... without those stars, it would be tough for them to finish even as high as fifth... seventh or last would be more likely.

5. (tied) Chicopee Braves (72-82) (27 GB)... a team very similar to Rolling Hills, but with far worse pitching... the Tribe have only had two winning seasons since 2038... they came in fourth in '53 with an 80-74 mark (9 GB)... most of the time the Braves were bogged down deep in the TU West second division... the club rarely has made the playoffs... only three times in its dismal history (2033, 2034 and 2035)... never won a Pro Cup trophy, but Chicopee had a fine club at that time... the Braves lost twice to North Hills in '34 and '36 in hotly-contested six and seven-game series in the TU Finals... North Hills went on to win the IPA crowns in both years... the Hawks of that period were just about the best the IPA has ever seen... they won four Island crowns from '34 to '41... a remarkable achievement... in '35 Chicopee came very close, too, defeated by Pro Cup champion Tuckanarra in seven games in the TU Finals.

The current Chicopee manager Augie Meaux was a mainstay of the Braves during their glory years... Meaux was a solid defensive catcher for Chicopee for 16 seasons with a .265 lifetime batting average, 166 homers and 776 ribbies... the Braves hit a solid .267 (12th) this year with 732 runs (10th) and 127 roundtrippers (20th-tied)... on the hill they were totally inept and ineffective with a whopping 4.61 ERA (28th)... Meaux has a lot of reliable hitters in CF Johnny Helwig (.309/8 HR/53 RBI/66 R/6 SB), 2B Tex Whatley (.282/20 HR/76 RBI/80 R/6 SB), 1B Sam Patrick (.314/28 HR/71 RBI/81 R), 3B Derrell Stelly (.296/14 HR/64 RBI/55 R), LF Travis Ledger (.306/8 HR/62 RBI/74 R/15 SB) and RF Alex Mendes (.322/7 HR/56 RBI/61 R/15 SB)... what Meaux badly needs is some pitchers to go with them... the starters are terrible, but the bullpen is decent... the best of the lot in the rotation are Manny Spaulding (17-14/4.31) and Sharlon Barbour (17-17/4.99)... tops in the bullpen are Chipper Gilton (5-3/2.05/18 saves/43 G) and Cy Abernathey (6-5/2.44/6 saves/48 G).

Outlook: Chicopee will be a second division club for the near future... the pitching is just too bad to move up into the first division of the Tycobbian West.

7. La Claire Lynx (56-98) (43 GB)... the Lynx are not one of the most successful franchises in the IPA... they have never won a Pro Cup... La Claire has only made the playoffs four times in the team's history... 17 years have past since their last pennant in 2038... the club has had very little success in the postseason, but they did push powerful North Hills to the hilt in '38, falling in a tense seven-game series in the Tycobbian Finals... the Hawks went on to capture the Pro Cup trophy that year... the Lynx did not go very deep in the playoffs the other three appearances.

The La Claire manager is Hall of Famer Flash Devlin... he was a 13-time All-Star and was elected in 2038 after starring for the Lynx for 19 years, batting .317 lifetime with 559 homers and 1799 RBIs... Devlin has not had a lot of success as skipper... the club rose up from eighth place in '52 to third in '53 and that saved his job, but they have lapsed back in '54 and he's right back on the hot seat... the Lynx has average hitting and scoring, but totally lack pitching... they batted .272 (9th), scored 691 runs (16th) and hit 126 home runs, while posting a terrible 4.76 ERA... La Claire has a few fairly good hitters in its lineup like 2B Derek Winchester (.305/9 HR/60 RBI/87 R/20 SB), CF Whit Miley (.330/13 HR/47 RBI/60 R), SS Frisco Thorpe (.258/17 HR/77 RBI/67 R/6 SB), 1B Charlie Rodgers (.305/14 HR/49 RBI/37 R), LF Wilmer Burgess (.303/5 HR/44 RBI/65 R) and LF Kippy Born (.229/17 HR/77 RBI/40 R/4 SB)... not a lot to note on the hill... starter Jacques Guichard (13-17/3.64) and reliever Troy Pless (5-6/1.85/9 saves/39 G) are the only decent moundsmen.

Outlook: rumor is Devlin will not survive this time around... look for some changes in La Claire... the future is gloomy in La Claire regardless of who's running the show... it will be a tough task to rebuild the Lynx into a contender in the TU West.

8. Bayview Vikings (49-105) (50 GB)... it was another very bad season for the Vikings, which is nothing new for the fans... the last time the Viks won the Tycobbian West Division was long ago in 2016... 39 years ago... Bayview has participated in the postseason playoffs just six times with no Pro Cup trophies to show for it... most of their success was in the early years of the IPA... they were beaten in 2003 in the Elite 8 Series by the Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons... Bayview also lost to Pro Cup champ Red Bluff in 2004 in the Elite 8 Series... in 2006 the Vikings reached the Tycobbian Finals and fell to Pro Cup titlist Turon... also reached the TU Finals in 2007 and were whipped by Pro Cup champion Oxford.

The head of operations in Bayview is the all-time leading slugger in IPA history, Hall of Famer Jerry Culpepper... the hard-hitting infielder batted .304 in his 19-year career with 878 homers (1st) and 2170 RBIs (2nd)... he was a 15-time All-Star, 2-time MVP (2040, 2041) and 5-time winner of the Tycobbian Golden Bat Award... managing has not been as easy... Culpepper has guided the Vikings to 7th, 8th and 8th in his three seasons... this past year the Viks has mediocre hitting and absolutely atrocious pitching... they batted .254 (24th), scored 663 runs (22nd) and hit 165 homers (8th)... on the hill the Bayview staff put up a lousy 5.26 ERA (32nd), easily the worst in the entire IPA by a wide margin... only one starter, Arlo Lounsberry (7-17/4.65) had an ERA under the 5.00 mark... Herm Monday (12-22/5.25) had the most wins... the only decent pitchers were in the bullpen: closer Wayne Stewart (2-11/3.92/13 saves/63 G) and Skeets Dyess (2-2/3.83/2 saves/32 G)... Culpepper did have a few pretty good batsmen in 1B Eddie Beeman (.290/33 HR/102 RBI/79 R/6 SB), CF Noel Connors (.308/22 HR/80 RBI/89 R/23 SB), RF Vern Woodcock (.263/24 HR/83 R/56 R) and C Lou Fairhead (.263/23 HR/81 R/60 R)... the very small stadium helped the batters greatly and also tremendously hindered the mound corps stats... 380' in CF and 310' down the lines is a tough place to pitch in.

Outlook: IPA icon or not, Culpepper needs some improvement soon in Bayview... it looks like the long pennant drought will not come to an end soon for the Vikings.