POLLSTERS PICK OXFORD AGAIN IN TU NORTH
For the last decade and more the Tycobbian North Division has been the personal playground of the Oxford Red Caps... the Oxonians have prevailed with 6 pennants in the last 8 years and 8 division crowns in the last 13 seasons... stay out of the sandbox, the Red Caps are going to win it again... it's play time again in the TU North... as per the pollsters, for the 6th time in the last 7 seasons, Oxford will be victorious in the TU North... as usual, they will be harassed by their main nemesis, the Mahaska Haymakers, the number-two choice to win the pennant... North Hills is rated the third-most likely to take the TU North flag... while Hartsdale is the fourth pick.
2065 Tycobbian North Preseason Poll
1st Place: Oxford Red Caps
The Red Caps have been to the postseason playoffs 13 times in their history and hauled in two Pro Cups (2007, 2061)... last season Blue Lake, North Hills and Mahaska were their biggest obstacles, but Oxford outdid them by 6 games, 7 games and 8 games... the Red Caps are a good, all-around club with solid hitting and solid pitching... the Oxonian attack is led by two superstars, 1B Buddy Blackford (.272 BA, 45 HR, 122 RBI, 108 R) and RF Showboat Lynn (.286 BA, 32 HR, 107 RBI, 92 R/7 SB)... rookie 3B Brian Bunyan did well in spring training and won a spot on the roster... Blackford and Lynn could use a little help... Oxford could use increased run production from 2B Scott Schneider (.256 BA, 11 HR, 63 RBI, 72 R, 9 SB), 3B Andrew Pearson (.275 BA, 6 HR, 45 RBI, 55 R, 1 SB) and CF Phil Cahoon (.222 BA, 15 HR, 53 RBI, 58 R, 11 SB)... top starters are Rico Alessi (14-6, 3.04 ERA), Pat McFarlane (14-4, 3.12 ERA), Meldon Eddington (12-5, 2.63 ERA), Maury Statler (11-10, 3.97 ERA) and Nigel Channing (10-13, 3.30 ERA)... the bullpen is stocked fairly well with Sandy Stevenson (5-10, 3.00 ERA, 11 saves, 51 games) and Chucker Pitts (15-12, 3.83 ERA, 11 saves, 55 games)... newcomer David Dade looked good in the spring and will start the season in the starting rotation... as long as Blackford, Lynn, Alessi and McFarlane are doing well, the Oxford Red Caps will be in the thick of the pennant chase and team to contend with.
2nd Place: Mahaska Haymakers (7 GB)
For the last five seasons the Haymakers have been in the hunt for the TU North flag... last year they wound up in fourth place, 8 games out of first... they may be as good as the Red Caps except they don't have IPA legends like Blackford and Lynn... Mahaska has only made the playoffs 4 times... the last pennants came in 2026 and 2028... they are still seeking their first Pro Cup trophy... Mahaska made the Pro Cup Finals in '26, but lost a 4-game sweep to Valmara... the Haymakers have a good starting rotation with Cubby Darville (16-8, 2.56 ERA), Marty Mobley (11-8, 3.07 ERA), Sookie Langdon (8-5, 2.80 ERA), Luke Grantham (11-10, 3.47 ERA) and Ace Monroe (3-2, 3.12 ERA)... however, the relief corps really needs some new blood... closer Charlie Blaylock (9-15, 4.35 ERA, 20 saves, 80 games) and Allen Penn (7-8, 5.17 ERA, 1 save, 30 games) are not the answer... offense-wise, the Haymakers can hit... top-to-bottom in the batting order they are pretty good with the likes of 3B Lenny Neagle (.308 BA, 17 HR, 91 RBI, 69 R, 10 SB), 2B Elvis Gilford (.317 BA, 17 HR, 75 RBI, 96 R, 11 SB), CF Brendan Coomer (.280 BA, 2 HR, 56 RBI, 80 R, 8 SB), 1B Timothy Honor (.279 BA, 16 HR, 69 RBI, 76 R, 10 SB), LF Patrick Boatman (.280 BA, 10 HR, 62 RBI, 73 R, 7 SB), RF Lyle Drago (.259 BA, 12 HR, 68 RBI, 67 R, 9 SB) and C Stefano Mastrisciano (.272 BA, 14 HR, 59 RBi, 59 R, 1 SB)... actually, Mahaska is better than Oxford with the bats, even with the IPA icons, Buddy Blackford and Showboat Lynn... they are more consistently good throughout the lineup... bullpen help is the critical key to their catching up with the Red Caps.
3rd Place: North Hills Hawks (8 GB)
The Hawks hung close on the heels of Oxford for most of last year, winding up in the third spot in the TU North standings and 7 games back... they possess solid pitching, but lack offense... Hal Christy (12-10, 2.08 ERA) and Eddy Salem (12-10, 3.11 ERA) are fine starters... other quality arms are Cy Swindell (13-10, 3.10 ERA, 4 saves, 39 games), Bert Uhrichs (8-11, 3.31 ERA) and Aurelio Barriento (8-5, 3.50 ERA)... Lew Luxton (12-13, 3.37 ERA, 19 saves, 80 games) is an effective closer... the key to the season may be new hurlers, Ken Claypoole, Phil Danson and Jimmy Conway... but none particularly stood out in spring training... lack of run support hinders the Hawks... there are no big threats in the North Hills batting order... CF Gil Arthur (.299 BA, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 72 R, 25 SB) is a reliable bat and splendid defender and he gets a little help from RF Denny Darby (.283 BA, 7 HR, 59 RBI, 75 R, 25 SB) and 1B Victor Bates (.287 BA, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 46 R)... but the team is really short on longball power with no help in sight... looking back at the Hawks' heritage, they are one of the most fabled team in IPA history... they really were a dynasty from 2034 to 2045 with 11 TU North flags in 12 years, including 4 Pro Cups ('34, '36, '38, '41)... they also came close to winning a fifth in 2043... but the well has been pretty dry since... North Hills is not likely to win the pennant this season... offense is too weak... and there are too many question marks on the hill... not likely to overtake Oxford and Mahaska.
4th Place: Hartsdale Hellcats (11 GB)
Everybody is wondering what happened to the Hellcats?... in '63 they were King of the Hill in IPA circles and in startling fashion won the Pro Cup to many people's surprise and delight... but the bats died last year and Hartsdale dipped to below .500 (74-80) and came in fifth, trailing Oxford by 14 games... everybody had an off-year and the Hellcats tumbled in the standings... they are pretty much the same team... but it looks like more of the same in '65... the Hartsdale lineup is filled with lots of lackluster batters... the best of the lot is SS Walt Ivy (.274 BA, 15 HR, 70 RBI, 76 R, 29 SB), CF Leon Croyle (.278 BA, 18 HR, 60 RBI, 98 R, 17 SB) and 3B Cooter Eldridge (.270 BA, 13 HR, 59 RBI, 67 R, 20 SB)... only ace starter Phil Baylor (15-10, 2.67 ERA) had a 2063-type season... the rest of the mound corps had down seasons... the bats have to come back alive and the pitchers, too, for the Hellcats to be a contender... except for the glory season of '63, Hartsdale has not been very good for the last 20 years... most of their 10 postseason appearances came prior to 2047... the Hellcats have won the Pro Cup twice, 2046 and 2063.
5th Place: White River Rascals (14 GB)
For the last 8 years the Rascals have been a bad ballclub in the bottom rung of the TU North, finishing in 8th and last place the last three seasons, featuring the worst pitching and the worst offense in the division... better mound work might move White River up in the standings this year... it doesn't look like the bats are any better... Chad Widmer (10-13, 3.08) is the most effective starter... Juliano Machado (9-15, 3.32 ERA) and Noel Woods (9-14, 4.02 ERA) are fairly decent... the Rascals are solid in the bullpen with former starter Robby Ralston (14-6, 3.21 ERA, 3 saves, 44 games) taking over the closing role... the offense is not very good with the top run producers being LF Bing Cooley (.277 BA, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 67 RBI, 8 SB), CF Mack Hamblen (.267 BA, 11 HR, 60 RBI, 69 R, 9 SB) and 1B Clarence Desaix (.260 BA, 19 HR, 60 RBI, 63 R)... White River could finish anywhere from 5th to 8th... no higher.
6th Place: Fairfax Frogs (16 GB)
The last two decades have not been good for the Frogs... they have had just second-rate seasons for the most part... Fairfax did have a good three-year stretch from '58 to '60, but have since gone into decline, winding up near the bottom of the TU North each season... the Frogs came in 7th last year, 17 GB... Fairfax has only made the postseason playoffs 8 times in the team history... the last pennants came in '32 and '33... the Frogs have never come close to winning the IPA Pro Cup... currently, they have good contact hitters, but no superstuds or stars in the lineup... and the mound staff is poor, the worst in the division... only Ron Custer (15-8, 3.22 ERA) is a solid starter... Fairfax has a very good closer in Val Jackson (11-15, 2.99 ERA, 23 saves, 96 games), too... but nothing else on the hill... however, the Frogs have some good sticks like RF Rory Sutcliffe (.305 BA, 21 HR, 86 RBI, 72 R, 5 SB), LF Ron Travis (.324 BA, 19 HR, 62 RBI, 67 R, 13 SB) and CF Wyatt Clausen (.288 BA, 11 HR, 64 RBI, 76 R, 8 SB)... the outlook is not good again this season... bottom half of the TU North is the best Fairfax can do this year according to the pollsters.
7th Place: Blue Lake Schooners (20 GB)
The Schooners have played well the last 6 seasons with 5 third-place finishes and one second-place finish... Blue Lake has given pennant-winners Hartsdale and Oxford a tough time the last two years... last year the Schooners came in second, just 6 games behind the Red Caps... Blue Lake has a poor history in the IPA with just three playoff appearances... the last one was long ago in 2030... but that was a great season... the then-Blue Sox won the their only Pro Cup... last year the Schooners did it with good hitting and average pitching... budding superstar LF Amos Hunnicutt (.262 BA, 38 HR, 126 RBI, 92 R, 14 SB) is a solid threat in the lineup... CF Steve Shueler (.307 BA, 4 HR, 60 RBI, 106 R, 34 SB) is a good all-round bat and Gold Glover... 2B Billy Southward (.288 BA, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 92 R, 12 SB) is also a productive hitter... so is star C Daryl Monaghan (.257 BA, 16 HR, 81 RBI, 63 R, 15 SB)... Blue Lake has a fine starter in Marty Graves (10-4, 2.81 ERA)... they need improvement from Bobby Layne (14-9, 3.50 ERA), Dwight Combs (12-7, 3.45 ERA) and Frisco Francis (10-12, 4.00 ERA) to stay near the top of the TU North... also great improvement is needed in the bullpen... they are not very good... last year's closer Eddie Lucas (10-14, 4.27 ERA, 11 saves, 64 games) was just mediocre at best... the Blue Lake Schooners don't look like a 7th-place club... they could wind up as high as the 4th spot in the TU North standings.
8th Place: Luxora Zorros (26 GB)
It's been 6 years since the Z's had a good team... they snagged the TU North flag in '58, but have been second-rate since... the current crop of Zorros can tag the ball, but the pitching is not very good... the pollsters have not been impressed with this year's roster... the forecast is for 8th place in the TU North... last year Luxora was 6th and trailed by 16 games... 12 times the Zorros have made the playoffs, most of them coming in the first 20 years of the IPA... Luxora has never won a Pro Cup trophy and has never come close... never made it as far as the Pro Cup Finals... not likely to do it in 2065, either... their poor postseason record should remain intact... the Z's hit and score well with a solid core of hitters like LF Donald Wren (.331 BA, 21 HR, 80 RBI, 81 R, 5 SB), RF Marvin Harrelson (.307 BA, 14 HR, 69 RBI, 92 R, 11 SB), star C Francisco Queiro (.289 BA, 23 HR, 77 RBI, 62 R), SS Felipe Alvares (.275 BA, 7 HR, 64 RBI, 72 R, 10 SB), CF Matty Mandell (.265 BA, 7 HR, 64 RBI, 53 R, 14 SB) and 1B Wayne Tibbs (.312 BA, 14 HR, 65 RBI, 49 R)... Luxora has three fair starters in Roman Montalvo (12-9, 3.11 ERA), Enrique Escalantes (11-10, 3.55 ERA) and Pablo Morales (12-12, 3.73 ERA) and a good closer Bartolo Baptista (12-13, 3.07 ERA, 20 saves, 86 games), but the overall staff is inadequate... Luxora will battle White River and Fairfax for sixth place... that may be the best any of those also-rans can do this season.
2064 Tycobbian North Final Standings
