[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2057

DEFENDERS DETHRONE ROOSTERS IN RU WEST
The 21-year-old drought is finally over in Fort Benton... in a dream season beyond belief the Defenders won the Ruthlandian West for the first time since 2037... to do it they had to dethrone the current IPA champion Middlefield Roosters... to gain a precious spot in the IPA postseason the Defenders had to put an end to the Roosters' 8-year title run... Fort Benton (87-67) had to fend off as many as six challengers at various times during the campaign... they outlasted the runner-up Sligo Rovers (84-70) by 3 games... third place Middlefield (83-71) by 4... with fourth place Volusia (78-76) and Forest City (78-76) and sixth place Stoner (76-78) always lurking fairly close by... heading into September the Defenders were tied with the Roosters for the top spot with the Rovers only 3 games off the pace... Fort Benton went 9-6 down-the-stretch, while the Roosters tumbled to 5-10 and missed out on their 9th consecutive RU West crown and the shot at back-to-back Pro Cup trophies... the Rovers closed well with a 9-6 mark, but failed to catch Fort Benton.

1ST PLACE: FORT BENTON DEFENDERS (87-67)
Last Year: (77-77) (18 GB) (Fourth Place)
Two Years Ago: (74-80) (31 GB) (5th Place)
Last Postseason: 2037 (No Pro Cups) (2 Pennants)
Manager Augie Marquis entered the season with optimism despite being picked sixth by the media in the preseason poll... it turned out to be a dream season for him... unfortunately the Defenders lost their ace All-Star hurler Zeke Yoder (20-10/2.74) in August for the rest of the year... Fort Benton will head into the Pro Cup playoffs with a much weaker rotation... but Marquis still has two other All-Stars in rookie Kip Drumm and Charlie Bondy, along with a solid core of hitters... with Yoder the Defenders would have been in the hunt for the Ruthlandian title and perhaps, even a shot at the much-desired Pro Cup trophy... not likely now.

Team Stats: .281 BA (2nd), 709 runs (13th), 90 HR (31st), 3.75 ERA (11th), .977 FA (average)

Top Pitchers: injured All-Star Zeke Yoder (20-10/2.74), Noel Blissard (19-12/4.01), Gil Hicks (17-16/3.88)... Yoder's replacement in the starting rotation, Ruben Betros (3-1/3.16) did well in his four starts in August, but he has just been a mediocre performer with a 48-71 record and 4.36 ERA in his four seasons in the IPA with three teams... the bullpen is just fair-to-middling with closer Randy Rinehart (5-4/3.09 ERA/24 saves/45 G).

Top Batters: All-Star RF Charlie Bondy (.319/12 HR/81 RBI/80 R), All-Star CF Kip Drumm (.315/7 HR/65 RBI/92 R/15 SB), 1B Mel Lightfoot (.334/17 HR/81 RBI/56 R), LF Teddy Keyes (.298/1 HR/48 RBI/83 R/22 SB) and 3B Eamon Hooper (.284/12 HR/78 RBI/65 R/6 SB).

2nd Place: Sligo Rovers (84-70) (3 GB)
Last Year: (89-75) (6 GB) (2nd Place)
Two Years Ago: (84-70) (21 GB) (2nd Place)
Last Postseason: 2040 (1 Pro Cup - 2021) (9 Pennants)
Manager Fletch Fowler has a solid ballclub in Sligo... for the fifth straight year they wound up second... they just always play second fiddle to the Middlefield Roosters... he has the best mound corps in the Ruthlandian Union, very good defense, but only a modest offense.

Team Stats: .258 BA (20th), 660 runs (23rd), 111 HR (28th), 3.22 ERA (1st), .980 (excellent)

Top Pitchers: Mickey Walsh (16-14/3.32), Jacky Harshman (17-18/3.09), Judah Carmack (14-7/3.37 ERA/5 saves/38 G)... Tiger Snodgrass (16-4/2.65 ERA/13 saves/40 G) and Mitch Taylor (11-11/3.38 ERA/8 saves) have been used both as starters and in the closing role... Carmack has worked the pen, too... top to bottom, a good staff.

Top Batters: SS Clancy Beaufort (.284/26 HR/88 RBI/86 R/5 SB), LF Josh Brolin (.263/17 HR/69 RBI/75 R/8 SB), CF Merle Bliss (.265/11 HR/71 RBI/63 R/12 SB) and 2B Dallas Patton (.305/3 HR/54 RBI/89 R/13 SB) are all solid ballplayers... 1B Cliff Hawthorne (.233/18 HR/71 RBI/79 R/11 SB) has some pop and potential, but doesn't hit much for average.

3rd Place: Middlefield Roosters (83-71) (4 GB)
Last Year: (95-59) (1st Place)
Two Years Ago: (105-49) (1st Place)
Last Postseason: 2056 (3 Pro Cups - 2005, 2052, 2056) (20 Pennants)
Rooster skipper Rinky Tinker has let age catch up with him... management told him at the end of the season to youth-er-nize the Roosters by next year... 6 past-their-prime veterans have seen the writing on the wall and retired... lots of newcomers are headed for Middlefield for next season... but the pitching staff is still old... James Long is 37, Yazzy Yastrzemski 36, Norm Coventry 36, Scott Cole 36, but they are all still solid pitchers... Long is the IPA all-time wins leader with a 405-227 mark and a superb 2.64 lifetime ERA... should he retire when he won 24 games this year?

Team Stats: .253 BA (28th), 781 runs (3rd), 168 HR (5th), 3.95 ERA (18th), .979 FA (good)

Top Pitchers: starters All-Star James Long (24-10/2.62), Scott Cole (16-15/4.10) and Cal West (9-7/3.98) need some help in the rotation... 21-year-old Rick Goldman (12-14/4.66) slumped badly in his second season, after a fantastic rookie year with a 20-3 mark... the bullpen is in good hands with Norm Coventry (2-2/1.86 ERA/23 saves/36 G) and Yazzy Yastrzewski (4-5/2.28 ERA/5 saves/34 G).

Top Batters: LF Trip Agarn (.300/26 HR/101 RBI/71 R/6 SB), the Ruthlandian MVP for the '55 and '56 seasons, is only 29 and as good as ever... but it was a subpar year for most of the Roosters at the plate... the best of the rest was SS Stan Radzikowski (.249/24 HR/83 RBI/94 R/6 SB), CF Johnny Wyatt (.257/21 HR/67 RBI/55 R/2 SB), 3B Donnie Hix (.264/14 HR/64 RBI/99 R/1 SB) and C Harry Woodfox (.240/20 HR/68 RBI/83 R/3 SB)... notice no one hit for much of an average.

4th Place (tied): Volusia Vigilantes (78-76) (9 GB)
Last Year: (69-85) (26 GB) (6th Place)
Two Years Ago: (62-92) (43 GB) (8th Place)
Last Postseason: 2043 (1 Pro Cup - 2001) (9 Pennants)
Long-time catcher Tubby Tarkanian (.262 BA/166 HR/800 RBI) is at the helm of the V's... in his third season he has them moving in the right direction after a tough first two seasons near the bottom of the division.

Team Stats: .259 BA (18th), 621 runs (30th-tied), 83 HR (32nd), 3.63 ERA (8th), .978 FA (average)

Top Pitchers: Lonny Rinehart (19-18/2.99), Reynaldo Medrano (19-9/3.44), Cloyd Queen (18-13/3.86) and Philip Duron (12-18/4.05)... a pretty good starting foursome... and closer Dan Hunt (3-3/0.88 ERA/24 saves/34 G) is one of the IPA's best... pitching is one of Volusia's biggest pluses... they would really be something if they had any kind of offense.

Top Batters: not much to boast about at all... best of the lot would be LF Johnnie Dalrymple (.318/1 HR/34 RBI/67 R/9 SB), C Carlos Silva (.297/8 HR/43 RBI/55 r) and RF Bandy Barnwell (.299/2 HR/44 RBI/53 R)... young 1B Lando Vila (.320/10 HR/37 RBI/29 R/2 SB) hit very well when he took over first base in early August... 10 homers in 44 games is pretty darn good... looking to see what he can do in a full season next year.

4th Place (tied): Forest City Firebirds (78-76) (9 GB)
Last Year: (65-89) (30 GB) (8th Place)
Two Years Ago: (76-78) (29 GB) (4th Place)
Last Postseason: 2048 (No Pro Cups) (5 Pennants)
Manager Rich Barstow (260-295/3.79 ERA) knows what it's like to labor on a lackluster second-division club... he spent 18 years on the mound with the Firebirds (2027-2044)... Barstow took over the team in '47 and won the pennant in '48... he's had his ups and downs since, but has kept his job... right now the Firebirds are headed in the right direction with pretty fair hitting, scoring and pitching, however, the defense is not so good.

Team Stats: .269 BA (9th), 700 runs (15th), 140 HR (16th), 3.83 ERA (14th), .974 FA (poor)

Top Pitchers: Cale Ballantine (18-10/3.75) and Dale Madison (15-15/3.67) are reliable starters, but could use some help... the bullpen is one of the better in the IPA with a 2.91 ERA (6th), sparked by Tim Varnado (5-4/2.08 ERA/30 saves/47 G), second in saves in the IPA, topped only by Denton City closer Burnell Kelley with 37.

Top Batters: CF Randy Snow (.321/25 HR/98 RBI/72 R/9 SB), SS Ziggy Regan (.293/8 HR/50 RBI/102 R/10 SB), RF Kenny Bostick (.315/5 HR/52 RBI/71 R/15 SB)... LF Buddy Bessent (.259/29 HR/65 RBI/57 R/1 SB) topped the team in dingers... another solid bat and another solid pitcher could put Forest City in pennant contention... RF Dedrick Crone (.288/16 HR/46 RBI/31 R/1 SB) just might be that bat... he hit 16 out of the park after joining the team in July.

6th Place (tied): Stoner Stars (76-78) (11 GB)
Last Year: (81-73) (14 GB) (3rd Place)
Two Years Ago: (83-71) (22 GB) (3rd Place)
Last Postseason: 2029 (No Pro Cups) (3 Pennants)
The Stars are skippered by Fletch Fowler (.293/219 HR/1030 RBI), who had a solid 15-year-career at first base 2023-2037... his club only has average hitting, good pitching, not much power, average scoring and average defense... Fowler had them in the first division for a couple of years... and almost made it this year, too... missing out by just a few games.

Team Stats: .257 BA/671 runs (19th), 113 HR (27th), 3.73 ERA (9th), .977 FA (average)

Top Pitchers: good group of starters, led by Jake Warrick (13-7/2.90), Ivan Kieczko (15-12/3.81), Alberto Temozos (15-12/3.58) and Al Raver 915-18/3.20)... nobody worth mentioning in the lackluster bullpen.

Top Batters: only three decent hitters, paced by RF Tyler Stoddard (.286/25 HR/76 RBI/67 R), C Jean St. Julien (.286/23 HR/69 RBI/72 R) and SS Mac Lord (.265/3 HR/68 RBI/77 R/6 SB)... rumor is Lord will retire at age 36 after 13 seasons, half of them with the Stars... an average defender, he batted .288 in his career with 96 roundtrippers and 775 RBI.

6th Place (tied): Rocky Rapids Snappers (76-78) (11 GB)
Last Year: (71-83) (24 GB) (5th Place)
Two Years Ago: (72-82) (33 GB) (6th Place)
Last Postseason: 2046 (1 Pro Cup - 2019) (6 Pennants)
Former pitcher Junior Noland (169-144/3.46) manages the Snappers... he starred on the Pro Cup champion of 2019... he was 20-11 that year and a perfect 3-0 in the playoffs with a splendid 0.67 ERA... his family owns the ballclub... this year Noland almost made the RU West first division with a good performance down-the-stretch... missed by 2 games... Rocky Rapids has good starters, a good closer, but comes up short in scoring runs... only average with the gloves.

Team Stats: .251 BA (30th), 637 runs (26th), 139 HR (17th), 3.50 ERA (4th), .976 FA (average)

Top Pitchers: Noland has a quality starting four in Clay Callaghan (17-14/2.45), Lance Obermueller (16-11/3.88), Kip Golden (16-13/3.59) and Sammy Sterling (13-14/3.52)... with good closer Yoshi Kojima (3-4/2.58 ERA/19 saves/42 G).

Top Batters: the only quality bats are 1B Deke Lundy (.297/29 HR/106 RBI/69 R), LF Corey McGee (.260/17 HR/75 RBI/93 R/10 SB) and RF Joe Clarkson (.289/19 HR/65 RBI/56 R/1 SB)

8th Place: Colfax Blasters (70-84) (17 GB)
Last Year: (69-85) (26 GB) (7th Place)
Two Years Ago: (70-84) (35 GB) (7th Place)
Last Postseason: 2042 (1 Pro Cup - 2010) (13 Pennants)
Ex-Colfax hurler Jorden Krogstad took the reins this year and turned in a losing record for the 8th successive season... Krogstad was 148-162 with a 4.00 ERA in 13 years with the Blasters... he retired in '54... Colfax has fair hitting and scoring and poor pitching... but is not far out the RU West first division... a couple of good ballplayers could get them there.

Team Stats: .262 BA (14th), 666 runs (21st), 144 HR (13th), 4.33 ERA (30th), .975 FA (fair)

Top Pitchers: Alan Schmitt (14-7/3.32) and Terry Dubrovnik (13-15/3.82) are the only effective starters and the bullpen is not too hot either.

Top Batters: topping the offense is the big bat of 1B Nicky Yorke (.328/29 HR/100 RBI/82 R) with help from CF Stan Kovalenko (.278/11 HR/47 RBI/101 R/11 SB), LF Emile Schwarz (.274/20 HR/75 RBI/63 R/4 SB) and All-Star SS Gordy Bidenwald (.275/17 HR/76 RBI/63 R/7 SB)

******************* May 1st Standings ******************************* July 1st Standings *******************