[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, June 22, 2056

GREAT RACES IN THE IPA
The fans are having a ball in the Islandian Pro Alliance in 2056... the division races are tight as twin Texas fiddles... seven of the eight divisions are hotly-contested... and look like they will go down-to-wire... only the Middlefield Roosters are dominating their division at the All-Star break... the rest have ding-dong battles going on.

Here we go around the Islands and world of baseball in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the Ruthlandian North the Far Mountain Redhawks (45-28) are defying the pollsters, who picked them for last place, even though they won the pennant last season... the Redhawks have a three-game edge on Taranto (42-31), five better than third place Valmara (40-33) and nine games up on Ranford (36-37) and LaGrange (36-37).

RU North Division Outlook: Far Mountain (45-28) has great pitching with Eldon Bittner (10-6/2.69), Benny Van (10-8/2.69) and Stan Smith (8-4/3.08)... plus a superb bullpen with Brian Townsend (2-2/1.13/14 saves/21 G)... so do the Taranto Tars (42-31) with Freddy De Angelis (10-3/3.01), Valerio Rossi (10-5/3.00) and Chris Gallo (9-7/3.15)... it will come down to these two clubs... no one else seem to be in the running... it was close between the Redhawks and Tars last year... only three games separating them... ditto this year... too close to call... the Tars' top hitters are LF Dominick Sanna (.255/15/35/37/3 SB), RF Lenny Buisson (.310/13/29/35/1 SB), CF Renzo Caruso (.240/16/31/31/7 SB) and C Niccolo Parisi (.259/9/35/26)... leading Far Mountain will be 1B Luke Hazlett (.303/6/28/40/3 SB), CF Ox Gless (.294/6/36/38/12 SB) and 2B Mylon Towner (.290/4/21/29/5 SB).

It is one heck of a battle going in the Ruthlandian South... the seventh place team, Belair Beach (36-37) is just four games back of first place Waleska (40-33) and San Dimas (40-33)... in between you have third place St. John (39-34) and last year's division champ Grand City (39-34) just one game off the pace... in the fifth spot are Valka (38-35) and Crystal Lake (38-35), just two games behind... it's a wide-open race with almost everybody in it... the Grand City Cybercats were the darlings of the preseason pickers with the Waleska Westerners and Crystal Lake Skippers on their heels.

RU South Division Outlook: Grand City (39-34) is this year's favorite and the best-balanced club... they look to be the best of the lot... but not by much... lots of pennant contenders in this so-so division...the Cybercats' pitching is solid with Jozef Chojnaki (9-6/3.08), Glen Smitherman (4-1/2.73) and Fred Barrow (5-4/2.47)... even better if Steve Shirley (2-0/1.13/12 saves/20 G) can transition to a starter after dominating in the bullpen... at the plate they are solid with LF Dave Durocher (.292/10/38/36/5 SB), 1B Vince Kinston (.340/9/33/33), 3B Zane Faulkner (.335/1/23/30) and RF Rocky Valverdi (.308/6/20/29/6 SB).

Just like last year Waleska (40-33) will hang close to the Cybercats... the Westerners have good pitching and good hitting, too... led by some reliable bats such as CF Boomer Barnes (.288/9/52/41/4 SB), 3B Hershel Briggs (.294/5/29/35), vet 2B Richie Fry (.338/3/33/34), RF Zip McHan (.325/2/16/18), SS Tris Chrisman (.312/1/11/19/3 SB)... plus C Cubby Nash (.249/6/35/38) can drive in runs... on the hill veteran Lou Carlson (9-6/4.24) is the ace with help of Rory Beecroft (8-7/2.77), Bret Shockley (10-6/2.67) and Dub Dwight (6-4/3.68/4 saves/21 G)... the bullpen is their downfall... not very good.

San Dimas' (40-33) mound staff will keep them in the race with Tyler Tydings (10-7/2.65) and Tomas Olmeda (9-5/3.68)... there is no better closer in the IPA than All-Star Kenny Robinson (1-1/0.61/18 saves/25 G)... however, the Rancheros are suspect at the plate... RF Gilberto Gallardo (.307/14/44/39) and 1B Joaquin Vargas (.301/7/24/17) are the club leaders... they will need more offense to win the division.

The St. John Crusaders (39-34) can score with 2B Jimmy Upchurch (.325/7/35/42/8 SB), All-Star C Tuffy Palmieri (.326/5/28/36) and 3B Ozwaldo Romero (.326/11/48/33)... and they have some quality starters in Whitlow Cornwell (10-2/2.84) and Teddy de Grom (7-9/3.88)... Teddy Howell (4-4/3.90) is a decent #3... but the bullpen is lacking except for closer Mark Faber (5-4/2.88/9 saves/23 G).

The Valka Blackhawks (38-35) won the RU South in '54... were third last year... and they are still a pretty good ball club... Clark Harrington (9-4/3.15), Aavo Keskkula (8-5/2.41), Norbert Borden (8-4/3.87/1 save/20 G) and Arvi Tamm (4-2/2.75) give them capable starters, but the bullpen falls short... the Blackhawk bats are good with All-Star SS Olev Tarvas (.353/3/34/44/13 SB), 3B Corey Belk (.281/2/32/37/7 SB), 1B Jess Evans (.281/10/43/25) and RF Mel Shadwell (.267/7/35/38/5 SB).

The Crystal Lake Skippers (38-35) are another well-rounded team and could cause some trouble with pitchers like Ozzie McLendon (10-5/2.29), Merle Pitts (9-7/2.29) and Robin Norborne (6-4/4.05)... and Josh Crosby (3-5/2.06/17 saves/33 G) is a stalwart in the bullpen... in the batter's box standouts are All-Star RF Zippy Coburn (.334/13/45/47/6 SB), SS Bama Quade (.285/1/16/47/16 SB) and 3B Jasper Shackleford (.294/9/46/32)... another productive hitter is 1B Gib Conlan (.239/10/41/44), but he doesn't hit for much of an average.

Not likely to be in the hunt for the pennant at season's end, Belair Beach (36-37) still has some quality players like All-Star LF Curtis Cochran (.369/5/36/38/10 SB), C Johnny Samarin (.264/4/25/21) and 3B Mark Hawkins (.270/33/28), but not enough to really contend for the division flag... however, the staff is pretty fair with starters Tom Wilder (7-5/3.08), Chris Malbrough (6-5/2.99) and Glen Long (7-8/3.86), along with bullpen ace Kyle Gibson (6-2/1.57/10 saves/28 G).

The big surprise of the Ruthlandian East is the Eastshore Cotton Kings (44-29)... at mid-year they are two games ahead of last year's Pro Cup champion Wynnamac (42-31)... the third place Marston Nine (39-34) and fourth place Sugar Valley Rattlers (38-35) are playing good ball, too... the remainder of the teams will be just also-rans, not real contenders... just mediocre clubs trying to get out of the second division and make a little progress toward respectability.

RU East Division Outlook: the Cotton Kings (44-29) could be the real thing this year... they did well in '54 winding up a fairly close third to division winner Wynnamac (42-31) and runner-up Marston (39-34), but they tanked it last year, sinking to sixth place... now the Cotton Pickers have turned it around and are back in the chase... strong pitching and solid scoring will do it every time... just take a gander at this starting rotation: All-Star Dain Moore (11-6/2.35), Sam Carmon (11-5/2.80) and Bebe Kinney (8-6/2.98)... the bullpen is just adequate, led by closer Malcolm Tansbury (3-2/2.79/12 saves/22 G)... offensively Eastshore can do the job, too... top producers are All-Star 3B Ian Kelehan (.324/10/38/43/8 SB), CF Elton Woody (.283/8/36/48/7 SB) and C Tony Brunetti (.286/7/40/24/1 SB).

Reigning Pro Cup titlist, Wynnamac (42-31), is still a top-notch team, but the starters have not performed as well as they usually do... Pro Cup MVP George Medworth (6-7/4.49) in particular has been slow to round into shape... they also lost one of their top batsmen in 1B Enos Benham (.314/7/44/35) for a month with an injury... still you know the Macs will be near the top when it's all over... they were the preseason pick again and should win their fourth consecutive division title, but it might be tough... Eastshore and Marston are both solid contenders... the Sundowners have a bunch of good hitters, but they lack home-run power... yet they still rank fourth in the league in scoring (367 runs)... the pitching is up a little bit in ERA... 36-year-old Sammy Hayes (6-10/2.71) is still the ace... Garan Parula (10-1/3.80) has not pitched as well as his record shows... he's gotten far more run support than Hayes... James Duncan (5-3/3.75) is still a reliable starter... so is Dion Delgiorno (5-4/3.71) and Simon Northcott (3-1/2.39)... the bullpen is still impressive with closer Tike Collazo (1-2/0.39/15 saves/24 G) and Duncan Heathershaw (4-0/2.67/22 G)... heading up the Macs' attack are 2B Phil McLemore (.323/4/32/49/7 SB), 1B Snooky Bartels (.328/5/28/27), 3B Marvin Hayes (.273/6/38/29/2 SB), SS Whiz Ivie (.295/2/23/39/11 SB) and CF Claude Garmon (.256/7/20/41/14 SB).

The third place Marston Nine (39-34) are a quality team with very good hitting (.280 BA/3rd)), but just average scoring (321 runs-17th)... average on the hill, too... the Nine have placed second in four of the last five years... third in '53... top hurlers are starters Mark Henley (9-4/2.36), Toby Claypool (6-4/3.32) and Lance McElveen (9-8/3.75)... in the bullpen Robert Tringle (2-2/0.83/16 saves/28 G) is super solid... sparking the offense are 1B Jarrod Crutchfield (.335/10/46/28), 3B Andy Kirk (.337/0/27/33/4 SB), RF Luke Cranshaw (.331/4/34/44/7 SB), LF Joe Duplantis (.321/6/25/19/1 SB) and 2B Damien D'Amboise (.295/2/32/44/17 SB)... yet, Marston will come in third at best this season.

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (32-41) were picked third in the preseason polls, but they have fizzled so far, languishing in the second division in the sixth spot... the Muskies are just average on the hill and in their lineup, but they do possess some talented ballplayers like starters Ike Alister (10-8/3.17), Joe-Joe Bouvier (7-5/3.35) and Al McKeown (4-7/3.14) and regulars All-Star 1B Chuck Gregory (.299/22/55/52), C Eliott Somers (.306/8/31/39) and LF Andy Williams (.311/4/28/35/5 SB).

The Elnora All-Stars (31-42) were selected the fourth-best squad in the RU East, but at midseason they are wallowing in seventh place... the All-Stars are one of the best offensive teams with a .280 BA (2nd), they can score runs with 321 (3rd) and hit homers with 72 (9th), but the pitching is lousy with a 4.43 ERA (30th)... 'nuff said... forget about winning the pennant this year... Elnora's top bats belong to LF Donald Ray Mooney (.280/13/37/25/1 SB), 1B Gus Abreu (.321/5/31/36/2 SB), C Kuro Ishihara (.304/6/25/31), CF Keith Colburn (.335/2/22/28/12 SB), RF Radley Lunsford (.299/6/26/29/2 SB), SS Denny Rhymes (.302/2/24/25/2 SB), RF Robb Norwood (.307/3/16/21/2 SB), 3B Dickie DeBusshere (.281/3/22/26/3 SB) and SS Lee Carnahan (.266/6/34/19/1 SB)... the All-Stars have more good hitters than they can play... maybe it's time to trade some of them for quality pitching, which they desparately need... Elnora only has two quality pitchers on its staff: starters Matt Mackowiak (9-7/3.61) and Jerry Bertrand (6-7/3.81)

For the past decade the Beechwood Blues (26-47) have been stuck in the RU East second division... that's 10 straight losing seasons... they were last in '55 and they are last at the halfway point this year... Beechwood has had very little success in the IPA, appearing in the postseason only three times... 2027 was the most recent... not very likely this year, either... never won a Pro Cup... this season the Blues have horrible pitching with a 4.99 ERA (32nd)... not much offense with only 286 runs (30th) and a .258 BA (20th)... average power with 55 HRs (21st-tied)... Cordell Eddins (6-7/4.26) is the only decent starter... bullpen is bad, too... not a lot of hitters in the Blues' lineup... second-year 3B Erik Coulter (.322/3/28/40/6 SB) is a very fine player... RF Jay Jay Ring (.275/8/31/21) and RF Phil Orbach (.327/4/17/16) may have potential... yes, things are bleak in Beechwood.

RU West Division Outlook: Middlefield, Middlefield and Middlefield... the powerful Roosters have won the division crown seven straight seasons and it's almost a foregone conclusion they will make it eight this year... at midseason Middlefield (51-22) is already 12 games ahead of its closest competitor, the runner-up Colfax Blasters (39-34)... and 13 games in front of third place Stoner (38-35) and Sligo (38-35)... in the preseason poll the Roosters were picked to rout the division again and they are doing it.

Middlefield (51-22) will be one of the favorites for the Pro Cup title this year... just like they have been for most of the last decade... the Roosters really rule the regular season, but they have flopped in the postseason the last three seasons... but they didn't in 2052 when they won it all -- the whole shebang... 19 times Middlefield has made the playoffs and they have also won the Pro Cup twice... the first came in 2005... this season the Roosters have the best record in the IPA... they are batting .270 (10th) with 426 runs (1st) and have walloped 82 out of the park (4th)... and the Rooster rotation is the best it's been in recent years with a 3.38 ERA (5th)... anchoring the fine pitching corps is one of the IPA all-time greats, All-Star James Long (11-4/1.96)... in his career he is 372-212 with an excellent 2.65 ERA... the 35-year-old Long is just 19 wins short of the all-time mark held by Frankie Quinn (391-297), who starred for Fort Benton and Blue Lake... this year Long has gotten unexpected help from rookie phenom, All-Star Rick Goldman (16-1/3.45) and Scott Cole (8-4/3.30)... Middlefield needs a solid #4 starter... Hollis Dale, a 17-year vet and 246-game winner, has decided to retire at age 41... he is only 7-8 this year with a 4.44 ERA and thought he was hurting the club... especially their Pro Cup aspirations... Dale has been a 20-game winner for the previous four seasons... the Rooster bullpen is still outstanding, manned by vets Norm Coventry (0-0/0.42/11 saves/18 G) and Yazzy Yastrzemski (4-1/2.55/6 saves/18 G)... Middlefield's batting order is chocked full of productive hitters, paced by RF Trip Agarn (.271/21/52/51 R/3 SB), CF Johnny Wyatt (.293/12/48/31/2 SB), SS Stan Radzikowski (.267/7/39/48/5 SB), 3B Donnie Hix (.293/6/34/48 R), 2B Natty Colclough (.247/9/36/22 R) and C Johnny McDonald (.317/2/31/21 R)... plus a bench that is stocked with talented bats, too.

It looks as if the only race in the RU West this year will be for second place... 4-5 clubs could be in this battle... Colfax (39-34) was the seventh-ranked team in the preseason poll, but is unexpectedly in second place right now... can the Blasters hold up?... probably not... the pitching just isn't there with a very poor 4.45 team ERA (31st)... but Colfax can clobber the baseball with a .279 BA (4th), 372 runs (2nd) and 78 HR (5th-tied)... four regulars made the All-Star team: 1B Nicky Yorke (.299/16/48/48), C Darrell Dillon (.288/7/46/33), 3B Nigel Colvin (.303/12/35/48) and CF Stan Kovalenko (.307/4/44/52/10 SB)... other solid hitters are 2B Lon Downer (.301/6/34/35), RF Robb Maddux (.297/6/26/19/3 SB) and LF Emile Schwarz (.343/6/16/20)... Colfax only has two fairly reliable starters: Keith Himmel (7-4/3.77) and Larry McDuffie (9-2/3.85)... and there is absolutely nothing in the bullpen.

The most-likely runner-up should be the Sligo Rovers (38-35)... they have wound up second the last three seasons, but never really close to Middlefield... the Rovers have good pitching with a 3.33 ERA (4th), but are only mediocre at the plate with a .262 BA (16th), 308 runs (23rd) and just 49 homers (25th-tied)... All-Star Mickey Walsh (10-8/2.58) tops the rotation, but has solid help from Judah Carmack (7-5/2.57) and decent help from Jacky Harshman (7-9/3.42)... the bullpen is weak except for Tiger Snodgrass (4-2/2.76/10 saves/21 G)... the top bats for Sligo are RF Scooter Pugh (.349/6/36/39/7 SB), CF Merle Bliss (.318/7/28/42/12 SB) and 1B Cliff Hawthorne (.284/6/38/24/2 SB)... SS Clancy Beaufort (.236/9/33/27/2 SB) and LF Josh Brolin (.252/8/33/27/5 SB) have been good power and RBI guys, but haven't hit for much of an average... in the team history the Rovers have made the postseason playoffs just 9 times, but not in the last 15 years... the most recent pennant came in 2040... Sligo won its only Pro Cup long ago in 2021.

The Stoner Stars (38-35) are deadlocked with Sligo for the third spot in the standings... they came in third a year ago...the Stars possess a good offense with a .276 BA (6th), 328 runs (12th-tied) and 63 homers (10th)... and average pitching with a 3.70 ERA (17th)... last year's RU Golden Bat and Rookie of the Year, 1B Tyler Stoddard (.264/7/41/42) is down a bit from last year's, but still is doing well... he is getting good bat support from SS Mac Lord (.304/4/26/31/6 SB), 3B Lance Andre (.303/4/32/29) and LF Tommy Boutwell (.314/7/21/23/2 SB)... in a platoon role LF Anton Schindler (.377/5/15/30/4 SB) has really blistered the ball... plus C Jean St. Julien (.243/10/37/24) and RF Sonny Sikes (.263/9/28/25/2 SB) have shown some good power... Al Raver (11-6/2.85) is the top man in a pretty good starting rotation, aided by Brad Squires (7-7/2.83) and Donald Gilpin (6-6/3.59)... rookie Ivan Kleczko (7-8/4.00) has also given them some quality starts... the bullpen has been a sore point this season... Kleczko will be given a shot at closing... the Stars have a very poor history in the IPA with only 3 postseason appearances... no pennant for almost 3 decades... and Stoner has never won a Pro Cup trophy.

In the fifth spot in the RU West this season are the perennial also-ran Fort Benton Defenders (35-38), one of the worst franchises in IPA history with only one division flag in over five decades of play... that's was 2037... they were much improved last year and finished fifth... the offense was good last year and the pitching was, too... both are down a tad this year... team BA is .276 (7th), 328 runs (12th-tied)... zilch power with only 30 HR (32nd)... team ERA is 3.83 (21st)... bullpen is excellent with 1.88 ERA (1st)... good core of batters with All-Star CF Teddy Keyes (.320/1/35/43/14 SB), 3B Lucien Lindsey (.302/7/27/38/18 SB), 2B Steven Hornblower (.283/5/42/34/6 SB) and SS Sandy Harling (.300/1/34/26/5 SB)... ace Zeke Yoder (7-6/4.07), a 20-game winner last year, is off to a slow start... has good support from Dave Llewellyn (7-5/2.82) and some quality starts from Gil Hicks (6-11/3.80)... bullpen standouts are Darius Kimberly (4-0/1.76/2 saves/20 G) and Randy Rinehart (3-3/2.43/12 saves/26 G)... the pollsters picked Fort Benton to wind up fifth this season.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (33-40) were sixth last year, picked to end up sixth this season and... guess what?... they are currently in sixth place in the RU West... it's been over 10 years since the Snappers graced the playoffs, which they have appeared in just 6 times... the last pennants came in '44 and '46... Rocky Rapids did win a Pro Cup back in 2019... this season the Snappers are not hitting at all... just 277 runs scored (31st-tied) with a .257 BA (21st) and 60 home runs (17th)... no real threats in the batting order... just a lot of so-so hitters like 1B Deke Lundy (.287/8/25/25), CF Gary Grable (.305/5/21/24/4 SB), SS Kenny Gillespie (.248/7/32/25/1 SB), 2B Charles Stradley (.253/4/26/35/10 SB), RF Jamey Murton (.252/6/25/31/1 SB) and LF Joe Clarkson (.247/6/27/28)... the mound staff is good with a 3.55 ERA (12th), led by starters Clay Callaghan (7-9/3.20), Kip Golden (8-7/3.38) and Lance Obermueller (5-5/4.03)... the bullpen is just OK with closer Rance Donnelly (5-4/2.81/12 saves/25 G), the best of the lot by far.

The only claim to fame for the Volusia Vigillantes (31-42) -- they were the very first Pro Cup champion in history... yep, the V's captured the trophy in 2001... but the interceding years have not been so kind... Volusia has made the postseason playoffs only 9 times... 6 of which came in the first 6 seasons... the last RU West pennant came in 2043... they have had only two winning seasons in the last 12... last year the Vigillantes were dead last... the preseason poll picked them for the cellar again this year... right now they are in the seventh spot in the standings... the V's are just an average club offensively with a .270 BA (11th), 323 runs (16th), but lack power... only 40 roundtrippers (30th)... the pitching corps is lackluster with a 3.92 ERA (24th) with pretty fair starters in Lonny Rinehart (10-8/2.99), Casimiro Ramires (6-8/3.78) and Cloyd Queen (7-10/3.78)... the bullpen is totally worthless with a pathetic 4.83 ERA (32nd)... Volusia has mainly contact hitters except for CF Rupert Myles (.308/10/22/31/3 SB), tops with 10 homers... the best of the rest are 3B Teddy Cornelius (.291/3/20/48/1 SB), 1B Kees Tenbrook (.309/3/29/33/10 SB), RF Ellie Hudgins (.330/4/25/30/5 SB) and LF Flash Nash (.305/4/23.24/2 SB).

The last place Forest City Firebirds (27-46) don't have a lot to boast about in its franchise history... only 5 postseason appearances... with no Pro Cup titles... '48 was its only pennant in four decades... the Firebirds were 4th last season, almost a winning season (76-78)... the baseball experts touted them for fifth this year, but the offense has slumped in the first half of the season... they are batting only .248 (31st), scored 277 runs (31st-tied), but have 62 homers (11th)... pitching is mediocre at best with a 3.83 ERA (20th)... CF Randy Snow (.300/16/41/42/2 SB) is a solid and reliable hitter, but he's all they have... 1B Edward Pierson (.244/11/31/25) also occasionally goes deep... on the hill Cale Ballantine (9-7/3.75) is the best of the lot... Omar Cordero (4-10/3.93) and Ben Drummond (6-10/3.52) also help out sometimes with a quality start.