[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2056

FAVORED RED CAPS UP IN TU NORTH
The sporting press predicted the Oxford Red Caps would handily win the Tycobbian North Division this year and the Red Caps started off in fine fashion with a 16-10 record in the first month of action... the defending division champ and Pro Cup finalist, White River began a little sluggish with only a 13-13 mark and are tied with Luxora and North Hills for the runner-up spot in the standings... Oxford is forecast to take the title by a good margin... the Red Caps are clearly the best team in the TU North... the Mahaska Haymakers, White River Rascals and Luxora Zorros were only given outside chances at winning the flag this year... Oxford is the odds-on favorite in the race.

The Oxford Red Caps (16-10) have played well the last few years... they captured the Tycobbian North pennants in '52 and '53, came in third in '54 and were a very close second last year, beaten in a single-game playoff... but you have to go back to 2007 for the only Pro Cup title Oxford has won... the first place Red Caps played very well in April and look to be improved at the plate and on the hill... they batted .275 (7th), scored 137 runs (5th), hit 33 out of the park (3rd) and chalked up a fine 3.31 ERA (10th)... C Giles Gilliam (.397/6 HR/18 RBI/11 R) is having a breakout year in his fifth season with the club... three veterans stars LF Ozzy Ackerman (.303/6 HR/17 RBI/12 R), RF Wade McGrew (.328/3 HR/14 RBI/8 R/1 SB) and CF Dwayne Wagner (.253/4 HR/15 RBI/15 R) are still reliable threats... SS Roger Bajon (.318/0 HR/7 RBI/11 R) has also started the season off well... rookie 3B Roland Latimer (.243/4 HR/10 RBI/9 R/1 SB) has also shown some power... Oxford has four pretty fair starters in their rotation with two solid vets Rudy Mellancamp (3-2/4.15) and Lou Ellison (4-2/3.91), along with the youngsters Maury Statler (4-2/1.82) and R. C. Russell (2-2/3.33)... the Red Cap relievers could be better... could hurt them in the postseason playoffs... Oxford is the cream of the crop in the TU North... it's their division to lose.

What's going on in White River (13-13) this year?... hitting is much better, but their vaunted pitching staff is down... the second place Rascals have won the TU North flag the last two years and six times in the past eight seasons, mainly with their mound corps... scoring runs has always been a challenge, especially in the postseason... the starters are doing fine with Noel Woods (4-2/2.15), Butch Slattery (3-1/3.18), Ronald Doss (1-1/3.65) and ace Nicky Palmer (1-2/3.70)... but the bullpen is a completely different story... drastic improvement is needed there... star CF Pudge Tate (.278/4 HR/21 RBI/16 R/6 SB) and youthful 1B Fred Kraft (.250/6 HR/16 RBI/9 R) are very reliable run producers... they are also getting some help from LF Elton Bellfort (.286/3 HR/11 RBI/8 R), RF Jed Small (.281/3 HR/9 RBI/8 R), 2B Freddie Bannon (.329/0 HR/6 RBI/10 R), 3B Cliff Remington (.270/3 HR/10 RBI/10 R) and SS Joey Rutigliano (.352/0 HR/4 RBI/6 R/2 SB)... this hasn't been the case in prior years... don't think White River can beat Oxford this year... second place may be the best they can achieve.

The Luxora Zorros were rated slightly better than White River in the preseason prognostications... these two clubs will probably fight it out for the runner-up spot in the Tycobbian North this year... at the end of the first month, they, along with upstart and lightly-regarded North Hills, all finished with identical 13-13 record.

It's been years since Luxora (13-13) won the pennant... almost 25 years ago... the Zorros have never won a Pro Cup... the Z's have much better pitching this year so far with a 3.29 ERA (8th)... the major shortcoming with the club is scoring runs... they rank 20th with a .250 BA, 25th with 104 runs and 21st in homers with only 19... all of the starting foursome are solid with youngsters Juliano Machado (4-0/2.56), Mack McKitrick (3-2/3.03) and Paolo De Freitas (1-4/3.24)... ancient 39-year-old Mack Wellman (2-4/2.88) is doing quit well, too, despite the losing record... but the Luxora bullpen is suspect and needs help... 1B Wade Tibbs (.322/5 HR/19 RBI/13 R/1 SB) and LF Odis Easter (.295/3 HR/11 RBI/13 R/5 SB) are dependable bats, along with CF Vito Angeletti (.250/3 HR/15 RBI/9 R/4 SB) and SS Emmett Cusack (.213/4 HR/11 RBI/10 R/1 SB)... 24-year-old Tibbs looks like a blossoming star... the Zorros will contend for second place.

The North Hills Hawks (13-13) have been hovering around the .500 mark for the past three-four years... however, the baseball experts placed them in seventh place this year in the TU North, falling way below .500 in the standings, though they are pretty much the same average ballclub... they are batting .264 (13th) with just 109 runs (21st) and only 13 roundtrippers (30th)... North Hills has a good bullpen, rated 5th in the league with a 1.91 ERA, but weak in the starter department with a poor 4.42 ERA (27th)... starters Zip Harben (4-3/2.77), Johnny Kristoff (2-1/2.45) and Thad Vachon (3-2/4.35) could use a little help... DeWitt Dobkins (0-1/1.69/4 saves/5 G) is the bullpen leader... heading up the modest North Hills attack are LF Clifton Mahaffey (.322/2 HR/23 RBI/14 R/6 SB), 3B Sam Dunstone (.333/0 HR/8 RBI/17 R/2 SB), SS Pat Johnston (.333/0 HR/11 RBI/11 R/4 SB) and CF Curt Wilkins (.300/1 HR/11 RBI/8 R/2 SB)... young 24-year-old Dicky Dorland (.238/2 HR/9 RBI/18 R/3 SB) has taken over first base and has impressed this year... many think the Hawks are still a pretty fair team and will still finish around .500 and wind up fourth or fifth in the Tycobbian North.

Just like the last two years the Hartsdale Hellcats (12-14) are in fifth place again this season... the last division crowns came about a decade ago in '46 and '47... the Hellcats won their only Pro Cup in '46... they been on the decline since the '52 season, dipping to 8th place in '53 and settling in the middle of the TU North since then... just an average club... they don't hit well with a .244 BA (25th), average scoring with 119 runs (15th), but the Hellcats have some power with 29 homers (8th)... they are just so-so on the hill with a 3.92 ERA (22nd)... the starters are fair, led by Bradley Barr (2-3/3.21), Chet Salsbury (3-2/3.65) and Christopher Wolfe (3-1/4.23)... need a #4 badly... in the pen Roy Krieger (2-2/3.12/4 saves/9 G) is a solid closer... and Steve Owens (2-0/1.89/1 save/14 G) has really stepped it up this year in long relief... SS Gene McKennon (.304/2 HR/8 RBI/14 R) is the only .300-hitting regular... 1B Oscar Blackwood (.259/5 HR/18 RBI/13 R/1 SB) is the top RBI guy... other contributors are CF Leon Croyle (.284/2 HR/12 RBI/11 R/3 SB), 3B Al Wakefield (.244/5 HR/14 RBI/12 R/1 SB) and 2B Smokey Nix (.226/2 HR/12 RBI/10 R/1 SB)... Hartsdale will wind up anywhere from fourth to sixth this season... no higher.

The Mahaska Haymakers (10-16) are off to a bad start in 2056... since coming in second two years in a row in '51 and '52, they have been stuck in sixth or seventh place the last three seasons with identical 66-88 marks... the media was optimistic for Mahaska going into this year because of better pitching... they were picked to challenge for second place with White River and Luxora, but it hasn't happen so far... after the first month of the season the Haymakers are still stuck in the sixth spot in the TU North... pitching is much better than 2055, ranked 7th with an impressive 3.27 ERA... but the offense has slumbered... Mahaska is hitting only .253 (19th), scored just 89 runs (28th) and hit only 13 home runs (30th-tied)... no real big threats... C Dee Fagan (.308/0 HR/6 RBI/11 R) and CF Dub Forrester (.302/1 HR/5 RBI/14 R/3 SB) top the team in batting average... 35-year-old veteran 1B Roger Lewis (.247/5 HR/16 RBI/9 R) leads in homers and RBIs... another productive batter is SS Elvis Gifford (.275/2 HR/16 RBI/15 R/2 SB)... he is tied with Lewis for the RBI lead with 16, too... the four starters Morrie Dalman (2-4/2.12), Seth Scully (1-4/2.66), Pip Cordice (3-2/3.63) and Marty Mobley (3-5/3.74) have given the Haymakers quality starts and deserve better records, but the run support just isn't there... the weak bullpen hasn't helped out much, either... it's too early to give up on Mahaska... the pitchers could help them sneak into the first division... fourth place at best.

Fairfax and Blue Lake were picked to be tailenders by the preseason poll and that's where they are after one month of play in the TU North... already 7 games back of first place Oxford and tied for last place.

The Fairfax Frogs (9-17) were supposed to be the better of the two teams, forecast to end up sixth in the standings... the Frogs hit very well with a .270 BA (10th), score well with 125 runs (11th) and they have fair home-run power with 21 (19th-tied), but they stink on the mound with a whoppingly high 5.10 team ERA (31st)...only La Claire is worse in the entire IPA with a disasterous 5.31 ERA (32nd)... Ken Wallington (4-2/2.86) and Shaun O'Riley (3-3/3.66) are the only quality arms on the Fairfax staff... the Frogs have a bunch of pretty good hitters in 16-year veteran C/1B Scott Courtney (.300/3 HR/16 RBI/12 R/1 SB), still a solid hitter at age 34... plus 19-year-old rookie speedster LF Wyatt Clausen (.314/3 HR/12 RBI/16 R/11 SB), CF Paddy Fenroy (.310/0 HR/8 RBI/16 R/7 SB), C/1B Mike Mitchell (.299/1 HR/13 RBI/13 R) and 1B Sammy Monroe (.315/3 HR/12 RBI/6 R/1 SB)... as good as the offense is, the pitching is just as bad... Fairfax is in for another long season... the Frogs are headed for an eighth straight year near the bottom of the Tycobbian South Division... it's been 28 years since they made the Pro Cup playoffs... the club has never won the Pro Cup.

Blue Lake (9-17) had a dismal and awful April and is tied for last place with Fairfax... the Blue Sox are mediocre in offense and on the mound... they seem to be headed for their eighth consecutive losing season... it's been 27 years since they won the Tycobbian North flag... that's was the same year that the Blue Sox hauled in their one and only Pro Cup trophy in 2030... but Blue Lake does have a one very talented player... 20-year-old phenom C Daryl Monaghan (.462/0 HR/17 RBI/17 R/5 SB), only playing in his second season in the IPA, is hitting an astounding .462 in the first month of play... the rest of the lineup is just average with the likes of 35-year-old veteran RF Johnny Harding (.333/1 HR/8 RBI/6 R), 3B Billy Blue (.300/1 HR/9 RBI/11 R) and 1B Tommy Augustine (.284/2 HR/12 RBI/5 R)... the only quality starter is 23-year-old Weldon Nettleton (4-2/3.23), who is off to a good year, especially for a bottom-tier team... 36-year-old Dirk Sinclair (1-4/3.38) also gives the Blue Sox some quality starts... Bobby Nobles (0-0/2.76/11 G) and Jay Christon (0-1/1.69/6 G) have done well in the bullpen... it looks like the baseball critics are right... Blue Lake is destined for the TU North basement.

TYCOBBIAN NORTH STANDINGS