Thursday, July 20, 2084
BELAIR BEACH, HARTSDALE AND COLD CREEK LOOKING LIKE WINNERS AT MIDSEASON
It's just midseason and the Belair Beach Sunbirds already possess a 14-game lead in the Ruthlandian South. The Hartsdale Hellcats are romping past everybody in the Tycobbian North with an 8-game bulge. And the Cold Creek Raccoons are playing consistently well in the Ruthlandian East with a 6-game edge. All three teams are looking like postseason participants. The other five divisions don't look to be decided any time soon. There are a bunch of good races. A couple of defending champions are in deep trouble. Poor East Point, last year's Pro Cup champion, is dead last in the TU East and 19 games behind. Wynnamac is struggling in a tie for 6th place in the RU East, trailing by 12 games.
Ruthlandian Union Roundup
SENTIMENTAL FAVORITE JUMBOS TOP RU NORTH AT MIDYEAR
Let's take a quick trip around the Islandian Pro Alliance halfway through the season. Preseason pick LaGrange is slow out of the gate in 5th place, 10 GB. The Gators have atrocious pitching. Thus far, Ancona is the top team with a 4-game margin over second place and last year's division winner Far Mountain. Valmara is running in the third spot 6 games out and Taranto is fourth, 7 GB. The smart money is on the Far Mountain Redhawks with their good hitting and good pitching. Although the same thing could be said about the Ancona Jumbos. Sentiment is with the Jumbos, who haven't grace the playoffs since 2022. Yep, that is a mighty long time.
NO CONTEST IN RU SOUTH, BELAIR BEACH BLASTING EVERYBODY BADLY
Belair Beach has no challengers in the Ruthlandian South. Waleska, the nearest competitor is nowhere in sight and 14 games behind. 'Nuff said, the race is over. The Sunbirds are resplendent at the plate (.289 BA) and on the mound (3.31 ERA). Overall, no one compares to them. The only teams better are the Hartsdale Hellcats with .293 BA and the Mahaska Haymakers with an impressive 3.28 ERA. Folks in the know are saying it will be a Belair Beach and Hartsdale Pro Cup Series. Or it could be Belair Beach going up against the Rolling Hills Racers. Either scenario could play out.
COLD CREEK SOLID AND STEADY ALL SEASON, RACCOONS RULE RU EAST
The month of April could have been better. The Cold Creek Raccoons started off the season sluggishly at 10-11, but they then became solid and steady and rattled off three straight excellent months. In the middle of July, the Raccoons are enjoying a 6-game lead over the runner-up Marston Nine, 9 games better than Elnora in the third spot in the Ruthlandian East standings and 10 games up on fourth place Sugar Valley. Last year's division flag winner Wynnamac has slumped to a tie for 6th and is 12 games off the pace. The outlook is good for Cold Creek. It could be a good year like 2081 when the Raccoons captured the pennant. None of the possible contenders are playing especially well.
GOOD 'N' CLOSE 4-TEAM RACE IN RU WEST, ANYONE CAN WIN
It's another good race in the Ruthlandian West again this year with 4 teams in the fracas. Last year's division champion and Pro Cup finalist, Volusia, is right up in the mix, along with midseason leader Colfax, Fort Benton and Forest City. In the preseason pickings the Colfax Black Sox were a slight favorite to beat out the Vigilantes this year. Colfax is currently up by a single game over the Fort Benton Defenders, 4 games ahead of Volusia in the third spot and 6 games in front of fourth place Forest City. The V's have perked up in the last 6 weeks and just might have the momentum down the stretch. Still it's anybody's ballgame to win. The Black Sox are the hungriest team. Colfax hasn't won the RU West since 2065. Fort Benton has copped 3 of the last 7 division flags. The Cannons last won it in '81, Volusia last year in '83 and Forest City in '82. The outlook is for another fight-to-the-finish like last season. The Vigilantes beat out Middlefield by 2 games, Colfax by 4 and Sligo by 6.
Tycobbian Union Roundup
HELLCATS HAVING A HECK OF A SEASON IN TU NORTH
According to the preseason prognosticators, there was only going to be a two-team pennant race in the Tycobbian North Division. It was forecast to be a frenzied fight between perennial power Hartsdale with its 6 division crowns in the last 12 years and perpetual loser Fairfax, which has had only 3 winning seasons in the last 23 years and no postseason playoff appearance since 2033. Surprisingly the Frogs were forecast to win the title in a tense duel with the Hellcats. A two-team race was seen. Nope, it hasn't turned out that way. Hartsdale is having a marvelous season with an 8-game lead over second place Mahaska and a whopping 16 games better than Fairfax. The Hellcats are having a monstrous year with the bats, combined with a little better than average mound work. Hartsdale sports a fantastic .293 BA (1st) with 551 runs scored (1st) and a quality 3.85 ERA (9th). Mahaska is a good-hitting club with very good pitching. The Haymakers top the IPA with a 3.28 ERA, while batting .268 (12th) with 90 homers (10th) and 428 runs (10th). With its fine pitching, Mahaska could narrow the gap by season's end and make it a decent race.
CC HURRICANES AND COLCHESTER ELITES PRIMARY CONTENDERS IN TU SOUTH
'Twas going to be a 5-team free-for-all in the Tycobbian South according to the preseason predictions. Turon was favored to win, followed by Arroyo Grande, Cape Coral, Ginza and Summerland. For some unknown reason, last year's champion Colchester was given short shrift in this year's poll and picked last. So far 4 teams have made a race of it. At midyear Cape Coral is the top team, just barely ahead of defending champ Colchester, 4 games in front of Ginza and 5 games better than preseason favorite Turon. Arroyo Grande and Summerland have flopped and fallen out of the hunt. The Hurricanes with two flags in the last 3 seasons have been steady and consistent with no losing months this year. The defending champion Elites have also played well. Most likely it will come down to Cape Coral and Colchester. Both clubs can put runs on the scoreboard with their good attacks, but so can the opposition. The 'Canes and Elites don't have very much pitching. The Ninjas have some quality starters, but they can't bang with Cape Coral and Colchester. Ginza rarely has a winning season and they haven't made the playoffs since 2060. The Typhoons can go deep, have pretty good starters and an excellent closer. They could make it a 3-team battle for the TU South title. From 2070 to 2079 Turon won 8 pennants in 10 years with 2 Pro Cup Trophies in 2072 and 2078. The current Typhoons lack the pitching those teams had.
OZARKA WILL HOLD OFF SOUTH FORK AND HILLSBORO FOR TU EAST CROWN
One thing for sure, the defending division champion and the defending Pro Cup champion East Point Panthers will not repeat this season. No way can they come back from last place and 19 games back to get back into the hunt in the Tycobbian East. The pundits were on point with East Point. They were ranked the 7th-best team in the division. The Ozarka Naturals the top team this season. They put up a good fight last year before succumbing by 4 games to the Panthers. Only 2 clubs made the race last season. This year there are 3 teams in the chase. Ozarka has a good 5-game edge over runner-up Hillsboro with South Fork 6 games back. The Naturals are a well-balanced club that can score and pitch well. They nabbed the division crown in 2082 and came in a close second last year. This just might be their year. The Hillsboro Blazers have been a mediocre and lackluster club since 2067, their last postseason appearance. The Blazers are good all-around, too, with good bats, scoring and pitching. South Fork has remained fairly close all season with good hitting, pitching and power. In the preseason poll only Ozarka and South Fork were given any chance at the flag with Hillsboro picked to finish in the cellar. Lots can happen in the second half of the season, but it looks like the Naturals have the stuff to stave off the Stallions and the Blazers.
CAN RACERS TOP VIKINGS AGAIN THIS YEAR IN TU WEST?
Yeah, buddy, the Rolling Hills Racers are a rock-solid and successful franchise. The Racers have won 17 of the last 24 pennants and 8 Pro Cups during that same period of time in the Tycobbian West. Rolling Hills has amassed a record 10 Pro Cups. Yep, they are still the best in the west. Rolling Hills was a solid choice of the sportswriters and scribes to repeat again this season by a goodly margin over Denton City, Bay St. Clair and Bayview. But it hasn't been as easy as forecast. Last year's rival Bayview came back with a vengeance this season after losing out by a single, solitary, scant game. It looks like a photo finish again this year. The Vikings have a skimpy one-game lead over the Racers with 2 and a half months to go. Both contenders do it with their strong offenses and average mound corps. The Arlon Champions, Bay St. Clair Buccaneers and the Denton City Redbirds are all within striking distance. 5 games out of first place, Arlon has the hitting, but not the pitching. 6 games back in fourth place, Bay St. Clair lacks the scoring and pitching to catch the leaders. Denton City is not in the same class as the division big boys either. The Redbirds will not overtake Arlon or Bay St. Clair. Poor Bayview has not been to the postseason since 2016, Bay St. Clair since 2050, Denton City since 2050 and Arlon since 2059. It will come down to Bayview and Rolling Hills again this year. September will be sizzling in the Tycobbian West.
2084 Ruthlandian Union Midseason Leaderboards
Ruthlandian Union Midseason Standings
Ruthlandian Union Team Stats
