[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

REDHOT RACE IN RU SOUTH
Nobody had a great month in the Ruthlandian South in April... and nobody had a really bad month, so everybody is still in the race... right now the top spot belongs Waleska (15-11) and Belair Beach (15-11), but they are only slightly ahead of the rest of the division... third place St. John (14-12) and San Dimas (14-12) are just one game off the pace... fifth in the standings are the Crystal Lake Skippers (13-13)... in the sixth spot are the Valka Blackhawks (12-14)... and tied for the cellar are last year's champ Grand City (11-15) and Claxton (11-15), but they are just four games out.

The Waleska Westerners (15-11) have three solid starters in veteran Lou Carlson (5-2/2.62), Bret Shockley (5-1/1.94) and Rory Beecroft (2-3/2.34)... this trio is pretty much carrying the club so far... the Cowpokes have no bullpen and not much offense... they have no home-run power at all and only one good hitter... SS Hershel Barnes (.365/2 HR/11 RBI/14 R) had a very good April... but he got very little help from the rest of the lineup... CF Boomer Barnes had 15 RBIs , but hit a microscopic .177 for average... Waleska will need much more offense to contend in the RU South.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (15-11) got off to a fine start in April... doing it with good pitching and a good offense... on the hill Tom Wilder (3-1/2.51), Glen Long (4-1/3.21) and ace Jeffrey Verblen (3-2/3.40) led the way... the bullpen helped out, too... at the plate it was a whole host of hitters: LF Curtis Cochran (.354/1 HR/16 RBI/17 R/6 SB), 1B Rusty Van Slyke (.333/4 HR/14 RBI/11 R), RF Nappy Kiggins (.297/4 HR/12 RBI/7 R/2 SB), SS Bobby Joe Jeffries (.292/5 HR/11 RBI/11 R) and veteran C Johnny Samarin (.289/2 HR/9 RBI/10 R)... is this a fluke?... or are the Sunbirds for real this year?... they were 5th and 6th the last two seasons... we'll let you know in June... right now they are the best-balanced team in the RU South.

The third place St. John Crusaders (14-12) can hit the ball, but they need some help on the hill... thus far, 23-year-old lefty Whitlow Cornwell (4-1/2.62) has done well this year... veteran ace Teddy de Grom (4-4/4.50) has been hot-and-cold... needs to be more consistent... most of the offense has come from three players: 2B Jimmy Upchurch (.330/4 HR/18 RBI/22 R/2 SB), star C Tuffy Palmieri (.354/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R) and 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.373/2 HR/16 RBI/9 R)... the Crusaders were seventh last year and are not supposed to be much higher... basically just a second-division ballclub.

The San Dimas Rancheros (14-12) haven't won a pennant in 15 years... they have been wallowing in the second division for the last three years... and forecast to finish seventh this season... however, they have played good ball the first month of the season... give the credit to a trio of starters Hernando Almora (3-1/3.35), Tomas Olmeda (4-2/3.57) and Tyler Tydings (3-3/3.69) and their bullpen buddies Juan Pablo Montano (0-0/2.35/11 G), Tim Tunney (1-1/2.30/10 G) and veteran closer Kenny Robinson (1-1/1.80/8 G)... the offense is just modest... could be better... the main run producer is RF Gilberto Gallardo (.308/4 HR/18 RBI/13 R)... also contributing C Yunesky Villanueva (.350/1 HR/8 RBI/9 R), SS Emilio Martinez (.299/1 HR/10 RBI/6 R/3 SB) and LF Manuel Madura (.258/1 HR/11 RBI/14 R/3 SB).

The Crystal Lake Skippers (13-13) might be on the rise... they came in a close fourth last year, only 5 games out... the last division title came in '44... the starters are above average with Merle Pitts (3-2/2.53) and Ozzy McLendon (3-1/2.59) in the top two spots... and #3 and #4 Robin Norborne (3-1/4.65) and Kenji Nakashima (1-2/4.44) give them some quality starts... the bullpen is fairly good with closer Josh Crosby (2-2/3.46/6 saves/12 G)... the offense is just average overall, led by RF Zippy Coburn (.286/4 HR/20 RBI/12 R), 1B Gib Coburn (.263/5 HR/16 RBI/13 R), SS Bama Quade (.327/0 HR/7 RBI/20 R/4 SB) and 3B Jasper Shackleford (.323/2 HR/9 RBI/14 R)... just might be a good year for Crystal Lake.

The Valka Blackhawks (12-14) won the RU South in '54 and were in the running last year, ending up 4 games out and in third place... expected to be in contention this year, too... off to a slow start in April with a 12-14 mark, good for sixth place... the Blackhawks have some good starters, lousy bullpen and a little better than average offense... heading up the mound corps are starters Norbert Borden (4-1/3.47), Clark Harrington (3-1/3.05) and Aavo Keskkula (1-3/3.18)... Arvi Tamm (1-0/1.93) is a reliable starter, too... closer Ricky Cockburn (0-2/5.06/3 saves/7 G) has struggled in the early going... has been very good the past two years... Valka best bats are 1B Jess Evans (.292/6 HR/20 RBI/13 RBI), SS Olev Tarvas (.278/2 HR/6 RBI/18 R/3 SB), RF Mel Shadwell (.255/3 HR/13 RBI/17 R/2 SB), rookie C Freddie Civik (.264/0 HR/8 RBI/13 R) and 3B Corey Belk (.253/0 HR/8 RBI/11 R/3 SB)... Blackhawks are better than they played in April.

Last year's RU South pennant winner Grand City (12-14) has stunk up the stadium this season and fallen into the cellar after the first month... pitching is awful... offense is not a lot better... 22-game winner Zac Borden is only 1-6 with an atmospheric 5.51 ERA... and Jozef Chojnaki, 13-9 last year with a 2.88 ERA, has slipped to 2-3 with a lofty 5.03 ERA this season... the offense is down, too... but the Cybercats still have some punch with 1B Vince Kinston (.362/5 HR/14 RBI/16 R), who is having one of his best seasons... 3B Zane Faulkner (.383/0 HR/6 RBI/13 R) is off to the best start of his career by far... he is right up with the league leaders with a .383 mark... RF Rocky Valverdi (.318/2/14 RBI/12 R/1 SB) is solid at bat and in the field... and so is LF David Durocher (.253/1 HR/7 RBI/11 R/2 SB)... the pitchers are going to have to turn it around, if the Cybercats expect to get back in the race... one bad month doesn't ruin a season... despite the lousy start they are only 3 games from first place... and a good winning streak could put Grand City right back in the grand position again... they are favored to take the title again.

The last place Claxton Diamonds (12-14) haven't had a winning season in six years, when they won the RU South in 2049... they wound up eighth last year... they were picked to finish last this year... and that's exactly how they have begun 2056... in spite of all that gloom, there are some exciting things about the Diamonds... they lead the RU with 38 homers and rank 8th in scoring runs... but Claxton has pitiful pitching with a 4.50 ERA... thank goodness for the bats... veteran Leon Reynolds (4-1/4.23) is the ace of the staff, but has a high ERA... along with veteran Claus Antoon (1-4/4.44)... last year Antoon was 20-12 with 3.46 ERA and Reynolds was 12-12 with a 3.70 ERA... rookies Heinrich Stolz (3-2/5.02) and Matt Goodrum (2-3/5.30) are the third and fourth starters in the rotation, but are having difficulty getting IPA batters out... the bullpen is a little better with Alvie London (0-0/2.63/10 G) and Ramon Santos (0-1/2.21/14 G)... closer Darrell Minton (1-3/6.30/3 saves/10 G) had a good season last year, but has been terrible this year... the Ruthlandian South is one of the weaker divisions in the IPA, so there's hope for all of the eight teams... it doesn't take much talent to win the pennant... but one thing is for sure, Claxton can clobber the baseball... top bats are CF Scoops Dunn (.440/4 HR/21 RBI/19 R/3 SB), 3B Dave Hanna (.364/4 HR/12 RBI/14 R/3 SB) and SS Freddi Hahn (.318/5 HR/11 RBI/11 R)... superstar 2B and playing manager Jojo DeLucca (.282/5 HR/17 RBI/11 R) and RF Bobby Bright (.282/5 HR/16 RBI/11 R) also have some punch, too... so does 1B Julius Weissmann with 7 homers and 12 RBIs, but the youngster is batting only .202 so far... DeLucca needs to get his pitching corps to do their part... then the Diamonds would certainly be in the running for the pennant.

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2066

C'CATS SURPRISE ATOP RU EAST, MACS 2ND
There's an unlikely leader in the first month of the Ruthlandian East this season... lightly-regarded Cold Creek (15-12) posted the best record in April, but the Catamounts only have a slight one-game edge on defending Pro Cup champion Wynnamac (14-11), Marston (14-11) and Eastshore (14-11)... fifth place Beechwood (13-13) is just two games out in fifth place... it's surprising because Cold Creek was picked to wind up sixth in the preseason poll... three of the others were expected to be contenders with the Wynnamac Sundowners again the favorite.

But you say, it's just one month out of six... not a lot of people are expecting Cold Creek to do it the entire season... anyway, they have the lead going into May and they did it by scoring more runs than anyone in the Ruthlandian Union or the Tycobbian Union... and they did it with very little pitching except for a solid bullpen.

Heading up the Cold Creek (15-12) attack were RF Mel Parnell (.354/3 HR/16 RBI/15 R/1 SB), 1B Bobby Dundee (.360/1 HR/5 RBI/12 R), C John Gaddison (.274/1 HR/18 RBI/14 R), 3B Sandy Ketteridge (.278/2 HR/12 RBI/16 R/3 SB) and veteran 36-year-old SS Joe Cochrane (.301/3 HR/11 RBI/15 RBI)... the Catamounts are also getting good production from 2B Milt Swallow, who has hit four out of the park and driven in 18 runs, but he is batting a lowly .204 for average... so far, Cold Creek only has one reliable starter... that would 36-year-old vet Jimmy Engels (3-1/2.64)... the other three in the starting rotation have sky-high ERAs about 5.00... but the entire bullpen has done a pretty far job... Rodger Brockhoff (1-0/0.66/8 saves/12 G) and Desmond O'Connor (3-0/2.30/14 G) have been standouts... it's not likely Cold Creek can maintain this pace, but it's a good story anyway... it's been almost 20 years since the C'Cats have won the RU East Division.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (14-12) have won the Ruthlandian East the previous seasons and are favored to make it five in a row... the hitters are doing their part in the early going, but the pitching has been a little slack... Sammy Hayes (3-3/2.84) and Garan Parula (5-1/3.54) are off to good starts, but George Medworth (2-4/5.10), the Pro Cup MVP, has been slow out of the gate, along with Dion Delgiorno (2-3/4.54)... but the bats are booming with the likes of 2B Phil McLemore (.389/2 HR/21 RBI/19 R/3 SB), SS Whiz Ivie (.370/1 HR/9 RBI/18 R/4 SB), 1B Enos Benham (.330/2 HR/17 RBI/16 R), RF Snooky Bartels (.339/3 HR/16 RBI/12 R) and RF Manny Sendejas (.341/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R)... no need to worry, the Macs will be in the thick of the pennant race again in 2056.

The Marston Nine (14-12) are tied for second with Wynnamac... for the past five years they have challenged the Sundowners and should do so again this season... thus far, the Nine are hitting the cover off the ball with a .294 BA, second best in the IPA, topped only by La Claire's .300 BA in the Tycobbian Union... Marston also has better-than-average mound work... Mark Henley (4-2/2.55), Lance McElveen (5-2/2.75) and Tris Windham (4-0/2.29) have been outstanding in the opening month of the schedule... a solid number four would really be a good addition to the rotation... some more help for closer Robert Tringle (1-1/2.31/3 saves/10 G) is also needed in the bullpen for the long haul... at the plate the Nine has a slew of solid batsmen: 2B Damien D'Amboise (.417/1 HR/14 RBI/20 R/5 SB) and 1B Jarrod Cruthfield (.403/3 HR/22 RBI/12 R) both hitting over .400... helped out by 3B Andy Kirk (.347/0 HR/14 RBI/17 R/1 SB), RF Luke Cranshaw (.323/1 HR/14 RBI/22 R/4 SB), SS Gino Mastroianni (.319/0 HR/8 RBI/12 R/4 SB) and C Boomer Merritt (.255/4 HR/18 RBI/14 R)... Marston is a serious player this year for the Ruthlandian East crown.

For much of the past decade the Eastshore Cotton Kings (14-12) have floundered in the second division... this year they have impressed a lot of the experts that think they could challenge for the first division... in the first month of the season the Cotton Kings have hung close, currently tied for the second spot in the RU East standings... improved pitching has been the key, anchored by starters Bebe Kinney (3-2/2.70), Dain Moore (3-2/3.09), Sam Carmon (3-3/3.56) and Homer Lawler (1-3/3.82)... Eastshore is a well-balanced club with good hitting and fair power, ranked fifth in scoring runs... paced by C Tony Brunetti (.328/5 HR/28 RBI/13 R/1 SB), CF Elton Woody (.309/3 HR/17 RBI/22 R/4 SB), 3B Ian Kelehan (.333/1 HR/4 RBI/17 R/5 SB), LF Wade Wyndham (.297/3 HR/14 RBI/9 R) and C Ezra Cummings (.298/2 HR/12 RBI/7 R).

For the past 10 seasons the Beechwood Blues (13-13) have been stuck deep in the second division of the RU East... they were eighth last year and chosen last again this year, but so far the Blues are a .500 club... it's been three decades since Beechwood won a pennant... they have won it only three times total in the team's IPA history... not gonna happen this year, either... the pitching is highly questionable... only two starters are doing well... Sandy Wilbur (3-0/1.78) and Corvell Eddins (2-0/2.66)... there is nothing after those two... the Blues are just an average ballclub offensively... the main run producers are RF J. J. Ring (.318/5 HR/22 RBI/13 R), 3B Erik Coulter (.337/1 HR/14 RBI/11 R/2 SB) and CF Rod McClellan (.345/1 HR/8 RBI/12 R/1 SB)... Beechwood is in fifth place currently, but won't stay there... just not enough talent yet.

Tied for sixth in the RU East standings are the Elnora All-Stars (10-16) and the Sugar Valley Rattlers (10-16)... it was a bad month for both clubs... the All-Stars are supposed to be better than that, but the Rattlers are not... Elnora was rated to wind up third or fourth this season... Sugar Valley was forecast to come in seventh.

Nothing went right for Elnora (10-16) in April... they didn't pitch or hit well... many think it was a just a slack month... once the hits start coming, the All-Stars just might climb back into the race... only SS Lee Carnahan (.418/4 HR/15 RBI/10 R/1 SB), 1B Gus Abreu (.303/2 HR/8 RBI/10 R), CF Keith Colburn (.324/0 HR/ 7 RBI/10 RBI), rookie C Kuro Ishihara (.305/2 HR/8 RBI/8 R) and LF Donald Ray Mooney (.265/4 HR/11 RBI/8 R) have had decent years... several of their other fine hitters have really struggled this year and will need to snap out of the slumps to turn the season around... the mound staff has been lackluster this season... only two starters have been fairly reliable: Matt Mackowiak (2-4/3.38) and Wade Mendenhall (2-5/4.14)... the rest have been poor to terrible.

Sugar Valley (10-16) has been on the decline for the three past years and could be headed for a fourth straight bad season... the Rattlers have some quality bats, but quality pitchers are missing... they are average offensively and mediocre on the mound... gone from the lineup is stalwart OF Carl Ramsey, who retired at age 39 this month... he swatted 487 homers and drove in 1517 runs in his 18 years, while batting .270... there are only two regulars with much playing time, SS Tuck Alstott (.275/3 HR/9 RBI/14 R/2 SB) and rookie 2B Lucky Brockton (.305/0 HR/6 RBI/9 R/5 SB)... neither are doing much damage... the rest of the players are heavily platooned... many are hitting well for average and show some signs of longball power... time will tell if they can make a dent in the standings... veteran Antonio Cedeno (3-1/2.00) and Lunus Bourque (3-3/3.02) have been solid starters this year, but there is nothing beyond them... and it gets even worse when you go to the bullpen... they have awful.

It's been a tough start this season for the Belle Plaine Musketeers (8-18)... this was totally unexpected after two good years previously... the Muskies were slated to be right up there with the leaders this season in the RU East... instead they are dead last... they lost their ace starter Ralph Palmieri (1-1/2.95)... he was 18-10 and 3.09 last year... he will be out three months... Palmieri will be sorely missed... the current rotation is fair-to-middling in 2056 with Joe-Joe Bouvier (2-0/2.82), Jaron Montague (1-0/3.47), rookie Ike Alister (2-4/3.62) and Cy Neill (2-4/4.62)... however, the bullpen is pitiful... the hitting has fallen off sharply, too, and is in need of a quick turnaround... only 1B Chuck Gregory (.290/6 HR/15 RBI/19 R), C Eliott Somers (.349/3 HR/8 RBI/16 R) and LF Andy Williams (.295/2 HR/11 RBI/10 R/3 SB) have been productive... May has got to be better for Belle Plaine, if they expect to get back into the pennant race... it can't be another month like April.