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reds1 · 04-06-2025, 12:03 AM

Babe Ruth Award

For Matthew Floyd, all his perseverance has paid off. Since the 1951-52 season, Wellington’s 30-year old leftfielder has fallen short of the Eastern League’s top hitter’s prize. He has finished 4th in the voting twice, third once and was runner-up last season. Add in a frustrating 1953-54 season that was cut short due to a broken elbow and you can understand the need for perseverance. But Floyd was finally rewarded for an outstanding performance this past season, earning his first Babe Ruth Award. He picked up 12 of 16 first place votes.

Here are the top three vote-getters:

1st: Matthew Floyd (.334/.413/.585, 25-2B, 37 HR, 102 RBI, 73 BB, 12 SB, 176 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.5 RC/27, 8.2 WAR)

2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old LF Rod Dennis (.326/.410/.594, 32-2B, 35 HR, 107 RBI, 76 BB, 176 OPS+, 185 wRC+, 9.3 RC/27, 5.8 WAR)

3rd: 32-year old CF Raymond Williams (.327/.406/.589, 27-2B, 33 HR, 95 RBI, 72 BB, 8 SB, 168 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.6 RC/27, 7.5 WAR). Williams (330) now sits just 3 home runs behind the all-time career leader Stuart Bentham (333).

Floyd led the Eastern League in HR (37), WAR (8.2), Hits (189), Runs (120), Total Bases (331) and OPS+ (176). He finished second in another 6 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 1 category (highlighted in bold).

Dennis led the circuit in RBI (107), SLG (.594), OPS (1.004), EBH (69-tied), ISO (.268), WPA (6.43) and wOBA (.439). He finished second in another 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others.

Williams finished first in EBH (69 – tied with Rod Dennis) and RC/27 (9.6). He finished second in another 4 categories and in the Top 5 in 9 others.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Satchel Paige Award

Like Matthew Floyd, Stiofan Micklethwait has been a perennial candidate for a top prize, in this case, as the top pitcher in the Eastern League. Since the 1953-54 season, he as finished 4th, 3rd (twice) and 2nd for the Satchel Paige Award. When he received the second-most votes in 1955-56, he finished right behind his teammate, Logan Belsey. Last year, Micklethwait endured what was an off-season for him and finished 7th in the voting. But this year he came roaring back and enjoyed perhaps the greatest season ever by a pitcher in the United Leagues. He set a new single season record in ERA (1.839; surpassing Arthur Bence’s 1946-47 mark of 1.929) and from what I can tell, set a new high water mark in ERA+ with 205 for pitchers who pitched a minimum of 200 IP in a season. That surpasses David Cooling’s performance in 1940-41, when he set the previous record of 200 ERA+. That performance earned him his first Satchel Paige Award, where he picked up all 16 first-place votes.

Here are the top three vote-getters:

1st: Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (25-6, 1.84 ERA, 279.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, .246 BABIP, 2.37 FIP, 9.7 WAR, 205 ERA+)

2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old RHP Logan Belsey (18-12, 2.51 ERA, 286.1 IP, 1.06 WHIP, .286 BABIP, 2.11 FIP, 11.3 WAR, 150 ERA+)

3rd: Cobourg’s 24-year old RHP Albert Johnson (21-10, 2.60 ERA, 280.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, .266 BABIP, 3.22 FIP, 6.2 WAR, 148 ERA+)

Micklethwait led the East in ERA (1.84), W (25), CG (24 – tied), BB/9 (1.9), WHIP (0.99), ERA+ (205), rWAR (11.7), OAVG (.211) WINP (.806), QS (28). He finished second in 6 other categories and in the Top 5 in a further 1. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold).

Belsey led the Eastern League in WAR (11.3), CG (24 – tied with Micklethwait), SHO (7), K (266), K/BB (4.2), K/9 (8.4), FIP (2.11). He finished second in 5 other categories and in the Top 5 in 3 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold).

Belsey set new single season marks in K (266, surpassing his own mark of 231 set last season), K/9 (8.36; surpassing Larry Kovnats 1955-56 mark of 7.66) and Pitching WAR (11.29; surpassing Neil Guerin’s 1937-38 mark of 10.09).

Johnson finished second in two categories and in the Top 5 in 8 others.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Rookie of the Year Award

An impressive inaugural campaign by 23-year old RF Kosaku Fukushima (.281/.330/.431, 32-2B, 8-3B, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 30 BB, 8 SB, 108 OPS+, 117 wRC+, 1.9 WAR) won him top rookie honours in the East this season. The 14th-overall draft pick from 1956-57 entered this season rated No. 26th among all prospects and becomes the third Rookie of the Year honoree for the Stratford Barons.

Following him in the voting were:

2nd: Brunswick’s 21-year old LHP Randy Goodwin (8-7, 2 SV, 3.12 ERA, 144.0 IP, 1.25 WHIP, .267 BABIP, 3.67 FIP, 1.8 WAR, 123 ERA+)

3rd: Braeland City’s 24-year old C Ronald Kingsley (.259/.339/.351, 20-2B, 1-3B, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 48 BB, 88 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR)

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Babe Ruth Award

In 1952-53, Sam Tite made his first appearance in the Western League Babe Ruth Award voting tally, where he earned a solitary vote and finished 15th overall. But with the exception of the 1955-56 season that was plagued by injuries, he has never finished lower than 3rd. Last year, he finished behind only Aidan Thirkettle, who won his fourth consecutive Award. But this year the voters reversed the order and rewarded the 28-year old Canadian with his first Babe Ruth Award. Tite was simply outstanding, setting new single season records in SLG (.7045; surpassing Aidan Thirkettle’s mark of .6860 set last season) and HR (59; surpassing 49 set by himself and Matthew Floyd last season).

Tite led the West (and the entire United Leagues for that matter) in 12 categories: HR (59), RBI (144), SLG (.704), OPS (1.128), WAR (10.3), TB (379), EBH (84), ISO (.377), OPS+ (208), WPA (8.80), wOBA (.488) and RC/27 Outs (11.3). He finished second in 4 other categories and in the Top 5 in 2 others.

Here are the top three vote-getters:

1st: Cambria’s 28-year old RF Sam Tite (.327/.423/.704, 24-2B, 59 HR, 144 RBI, 87 BB, 7 SB, 208 OPS+, 219 wRC+, 11.3 RC/27, 10.3 WAR)

2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.310/.424/.667, 27-2B, 6-3B, 47 HR, 130 RBI, 93 BB, 9 SB, 200 OPS+, 207 wRC+, 11.0 RC/27, 9.9 WAR)

3rd: Sherburn’s 26-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.309/.413/.538, 25-2B, 14-3B, 25 HR, 96 RBI, 99 BB, 156 OPS+, 171 wRC+, 8.3 RC/27, 7.8 WAR)

Thirkettle led the West in OBP (.424) and tied with Leon Albrecht in Runs (117). He finished second in 12 categories and in the Top 5 in 1 other (AVG).

Albrecht led the West in Runs (117 – tied with Aidan Thirkettle), Triples (14) and BB (99). He finished in the Top 5 in a whopping 17 categories. He led the entire United Leagues in 2 categories (highlighted in bold).

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Satchel Paige Award

It was another dominant season on the mound for the Trolley’s ace. 22-year old LHP Bart Ohara (24-5, 2.35 ERA, 294.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, .253 BABIP, 2.45 FIP, 160 ERA+, 9.8 WAR), the top-ranked pitcher in the ULB, won his second consecutive WL Satchel Paige Award. He swept all first-place votes for the second straight season as well.

If anything, Ohara was even more dominant this season. He led the West in 17 categories: ERA (2.35), Wins (24), WAR (9.8), IP (294.2), CG (22), SHO (8), K (244.0), K/BB (3.9), K/9 IP (7.5), WHIP (0.98), FIP (2.45), ERA+ (160), rWAR (10.6), BABIP (.244), Opp AVG (.211), WINP (.828) and QS (25 – tied). He led the entire United Leagues in 5 categories (highlighted in bold). He finished in the Top 5 in 2 other pitching categories.

Finishing behind Ohara in voting for the second consecutive year were:

2nd: Sherburn’s 34-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (20-10, 3.01 ERA, 272.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, .259 BABIP, 3.00 FIP, 128 ERA+, 6.9 WAR)

3rd: Pulberry’s 37-year old RHP Robin Medellin (20-10, 2.80 ERA, 254.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, .244 BABIP, 3.47 FIP, 134 ERA+, 4.4 WAR)

Chapa finished second in 5 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 10.

Medellin led the West in BABIP (.244). He finished second in 3 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 4 categories.

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Rookie of the Year Award

RHP Kenete Yuri (13-12, 2.72 ERA, 241.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .276 BABIP, 3.14 FIP, 138 ERA+, 5.3 WAR), who was drafted second overall by the Fort Richmond Generals in 1956-57 and was rated the No. 1 prospect, did not disappoint when he was promoted to the majors this season. Building on his impressive Triple-A season last year where he led the Generals’ top farm club, the Marleton Scouts, to a Kings Cup championship, the 24-year old American Samoan was promoted to the majors in mid-October and quickly entrenched himself as Fort Richmond’s ace. He went on to win a Rookie of the Month honour and two Pitcher of the Month honours this season. He now adds a Rookie of the Year Award to his mantlepiece.

Finishing behind Yuri were:

2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old 2B Yoshimi Sekozawa (.263/.355/.391, 11-2B, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 45 BB, 109 OPS+, 119 wRC+, 2.8 WAR)

3rd: Cambria’s 25-year old C Mick Clark (.285/.339/.360, 17-2B, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 36 BB, 94 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR)

Voting Results:

Previous Winners:

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Manager of the Year Award

After 17 years serving as a bench coach for four different clubs, Daryl Rowde (96-58, .623) finally got his chance at helming a major league club in the United Leagues. All that experience paid off as the 56-year old rookie led the Queensland Eagles to first place and their first Eastern League Pennant in 11 years. The Eagles improved by 10 games over last season where they finished 5th and 10.5 games back of first. Their 96 victories are the most in a season in team history and marks the first time they reached the 90-win mark. He is locked up for the next two seasons and is reportedly well liked in the clubhouse.

It was business as usual for the Pulberry Trolleys as they won their third consecutive United Cup and reached the 100 win mark for the first time in team history. The talent and depth found on this squad is no secret, but neither is their manager, 52-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1198-962, .554) who wins his fourth consecutive Manager of the Year Award. That surpasses the three in a row Ben Houchens won with the Kingston Pelicans from 1942 to 1944. Ichikawa now sits just one back of Houchens for the most Manager of the Year Awards, who has won five overall.

And it appears he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Immediately following the conclusion of the season, the 52-year old Japanese native was awarded with a new 5-year contract that nearly doubles his previous salary and makes him the highest paid manager in the United Leagues ($41,000 – Stratford’s Xavier Ahernfeld is next at $34,000). No surprise, considering the success he has brought to Pulberry and the fact that he is beloved by the players (i.e. none of the players have a ‘poor relationship’ with him).

Previous Winners:

04-06-2025, 12:03 AM	#841
reds1 Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Winnipeg Posts: 3,919	Babe Ruth Award For Matthew Floyd, all his perseverance has paid off. Since the 1951-52 season, Wellington’s 30-year old leftfielder has fallen short of the Eastern League’s top hitter’s prize. He has finished 4th in the voting twice, third once and was runner-up last season. Add in a frustrating 1953-54 season that was cut short due to a broken elbow and you can understand the need for perseverance. But Floyd was finally rewarded for an outstanding performance this past season, earning his first Babe Ruth Award. He picked up 12 of 16 first place votes. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Matthew Floyd (.334/.413/.585, 25-2B, 37 HR, 102 RBI, 73 BB, 12 SB, 176 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.5 RC/27, 8.2 WAR) 2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old LF Rod Dennis (.326/.410/.594, 32-2B, 35 HR, 107 RBI, 76 BB, 176 OPS+, 185 wRC+, 9.3 RC/27, 5.8 WAR) 3rd: 32-year old CF Raymond Williams (.327/.406/.589, 27-2B, 33 HR, 95 RBI, 72 BB, 8 SB, 168 OPS+, 182 wRC+, 9.6 RC/27, 7.5 WAR). Williams (330) now sits just 3 home runs behind the all-time career leader Stuart Bentham (333). Floyd led the Eastern League in HR (37), WAR (8.2), Hits (189), Runs (120), Total Bases (331) and OPS+ (176). He finished second in another 6 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 1 category (highlighted in bold). Dennis led the circuit in RBI (107), SLG (.594), OPS (1.004), EBH (69-tied), ISO (.268), WPA (6.43) and wOBA (.439). He finished second in another 2 categories and in the Top 5 in 7 others. Williams finished first in EBH (69 – tied with Rod Dennis) and RC/27 (9.6). He finished second in another 4 categories and in the Top 5 in 9 others. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Satchel Paige Award Like Matthew Floyd, Stiofan Micklethwait has been a perennial candidate for a top prize, in this case, as the top pitcher in the Eastern League. Since the 1953-54 season, he as finished 4th, 3rd (twice) and 2nd for the Satchel Paige Award. When he received the second-most votes in 1955-56, he finished right behind his teammate, Logan Belsey. Last year, Micklethwait endured what was an off-season for him and finished 7th in the voting. But this year he came roaring back and enjoyed perhaps the greatest season ever by a pitcher in the United Leagues. He set a new single season record in ERA (1.839; surpassing Arthur Bence’s 1946-47 mark of 1.929) and from what I can tell, set a new high water mark in ERA+ with 205 for pitchers who pitched a minimum of 200 IP in a season. That surpasses David Cooling’s performance in 1940-41, when he set the previous record of 200 ERA+. That performance earned him his first Satchel Paige Award, where he picked up all 16 first-place votes. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Queensland’s 30-year old RHP Stiofan Micklethwait (25-6, 1.84 ERA, 279.0 IP, 0.99 WHIP, .246 BABIP, 2.37 FIP, 9.7 WAR, 205 ERA+) 2nd: Queensland’s 32-year old RHP Logan Belsey (18-12, 2.51 ERA, 286.1 IP, 1.06 WHIP, .286 BABIP, 2.11 FIP, 11.3 WAR, 150 ERA+) 3rd: Cobourg’s 24-year old RHP Albert Johnson (21-10, 2.60 ERA, 280.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, .266 BABIP, 3.22 FIP, 6.2 WAR, 148 ERA+) Micklethwait led the East in ERA (1.84), W (25), CG (24 – tied), BB/9 (1.9), WHIP (0.99), ERA+ (205), rWAR (11.7), OAVG (.211) WINP (.806), QS (28). He finished second in 6 other categories and in the Top 5 in a further 1. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold). Belsey led the Eastern League in WAR (11.3), CG (24 – tied with Micklethwait), SHO (7), K (266), K/BB (4.2), K/9 (8.4), FIP (2.11). He finished second in 5 other categories and in the Top 5 in 3 others. He led the entire United Leagues in 6 categories (highlighted in bold). Belsey set new single season marks in K (266, surpassing his own mark of 231 set last season), K/9 (8.36; surpassing Larry Kovnats 1955-56 mark of 7.66) and Pitching WAR (11.29; surpassing Neil Guerin’s 1937-38 mark of 10.09). Johnson finished second in two categories and in the Top 5 in 8 others. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Rookie of the Year Award An impressive inaugural campaign by 23-year old RF Kosaku Fukushima (.281/.330/.431, 32-2B, 8-3B, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 30 BB, 8 SB, 108 OPS+, 117 wRC+, 1.9 WAR) won him top rookie honours in the East this season. The 14th-overall draft pick from 1956-57 entered this season rated No. 26th among all prospects and becomes the third Rookie of the Year honoree for the Stratford Barons. Following him in the voting were: 2nd: Brunswick’s 21-year old LHP Randy Goodwin (8-7, 2 SV, 3.12 ERA, 144.0 IP, 1.25 WHIP, .267 BABIP, 3.67 FIP, 1.8 WAR, 123 ERA+) 3rd: Braeland City’s 24-year old C Ronald Kingsley (.259/.339/.351, 20-2B, 1-3B, 5 HR, 37 RBI, 48 BB, 88 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR) Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Babe Ruth Award In 1952-53, Sam Tite made his first appearance in the Western League Babe Ruth Award voting tally, where he earned a solitary vote and finished 15th overall. But with the exception of the 1955-56 season that was plagued by injuries, he has never finished lower than 3rd. Last year, he finished behind only Aidan Thirkettle, who won his fourth consecutive Award. But this year the voters reversed the order and rewarded the 28-year old Canadian with his first Babe Ruth Award. Tite was simply outstanding, setting new single season records in SLG (.7045; surpassing Aidan Thirkettle’s mark of .6860 set last season) and HR (59; surpassing 49 set by himself and Matthew Floyd last season). Tite led the West (and the entire United Leagues for that matter) in 12 categories: HR (59), RBI (144), SLG (.704), OPS (1.128), WAR (10.3), TB (379), EBH (84), ISO (.377), OPS+ (208), WPA (8.80), wOBA (.488) and RC/27 Outs (11.3). He finished second in 4 other categories and in the Top 5 in 2 others. Here are the top three vote-getters: 1st: Cambria’s 28-year old RF Sam Tite (.327/.423/.704, 24-2B, 59 HR, 144 RBI, 87 BB, 7 SB, 208 OPS+, 219 wRC+, 11.3 RC/27, 10.3 WAR) 2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old LF Aidan Thirkettle (.310/.424/.667, 27-2B, 6-3B, 47 HR, 130 RBI, 93 BB, 9 SB, 200 OPS+, 207 wRC+, 11.0 RC/27, 9.9 WAR) 3rd: Sherburn’s 26-year old CF Leon Albrecht (.309/.413/.538, 25-2B, 14-3B, 25 HR, 96 RBI, 99 BB, 156 OPS+, 171 wRC+, 8.3 RC/27, 7.8 WAR) Thirkettle led the West in OBP (.424) and tied with Leon Albrecht in Runs (117). He finished second in 12 categories and in the Top 5 in 1 other (AVG). Albrecht led the West in Runs (117 – tied with Aidan Thirkettle), Triples (14) and BB (99). He finished in the Top 5 in a whopping 17 categories. He led the entire United Leagues in 2 categories (highlighted in bold). Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Satchel Paige Award It was another dominant season on the mound for the Trolley’s ace. 22-year old LHP Bart Ohara (24-5, 2.35 ERA, 294.2 IP, 0.98 WHIP, .253 BABIP, 2.45 FIP, 160 ERA+, 9.8 WAR), the top-ranked pitcher in the ULB, won his second consecutive WL Satchel Paige Award. He swept all first-place votes for the second straight season as well. If anything, Ohara was even more dominant this season. He led the West in 17 categories: ERA (2.35), Wins (24), WAR (9.8), IP (294.2), CG (22), SHO (8), K (244.0), K/BB (3.9), K/9 IP (7.5), WHIP (0.98), FIP (2.45), ERA+ (160), rWAR (10.6), BABIP (.244), Opp AVG (.211), WINP (.828) and QS (25 – tied). He led the entire United Leagues in 5 categories (highlighted in bold). He finished in the Top 5 in 2 other pitching categories. Finishing behind Ohara in voting for the second consecutive year were: 2nd: Sherburn’s 34-year old RHP Jesús Chapa (20-10, 3.01 ERA, 272.0 IP, 1.13 WHIP, .259 BABIP, 3.00 FIP, 128 ERA+, 6.9 WAR) 3rd: Pulberry’s 37-year old RHP Robin Medellin (20-10, 2.80 ERA, 254.1 IP, 1.16 WHIP, .244 BABIP, 3.47 FIP, 134 ERA+, 4.4 WAR) Chapa finished second in 5 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 10. Medellin led the West in BABIP (.244). He finished second in 3 categories and in the Top 5 in a further 4 categories. Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Rookie of the Year Award RHP Kenete Yuri (13-12, 2.72 ERA, 241.2 IP, 1.30 WHIP, .276 BABIP, 3.14 FIP, 138 ERA+, 5.3 WAR), who was drafted second overall by the Fort Richmond Generals in 1956-57 and was rated the No. 1 prospect, did not disappoint when he was promoted to the majors this season. Building on his impressive Triple-A season last year where he led the Generals’ top farm club, the Marleton Scouts, to a Kings Cup championship, the 24-year old American Samoan was promoted to the majors in mid-October and quickly entrenched himself as Fort Richmond’s ace. He went on to win a Rookie of the Month honour and two Pitcher of the Month honours this season. He now adds a Rookie of the Year Award to his mantlepiece. Finishing behind Yuri were: 2nd: Pulberry’s 29-year old 2B Yoshimi Sekozawa (.263/.355/.391, 11-2B, 8 HR, 46 RBI, 45 BB, 109 OPS+, 119 wRC+, 2.8 WAR) 3rd: Cambria’s 25-year old C Mick Clark (.285/.339/.360, 17-2B, 4 HR, 42 RBI, 36 BB, 94 OPS+, 101 wRC+, 2.1 WAR) Voting Results: Previous Winners: -------- Manager of the Year Award After 17 years serving as a bench coach for four different clubs, Daryl Rowde (96-58, .623) finally got his chance at helming a major league club in the United Leagues. All that experience paid off as the 56-year old rookie led the Queensland Eagles to first place and their first Eastern League Pennant in 11 years. The Eagles improved by 10 games over last season where they finished 5th and 10.5 games back of first. Their 96 victories are the most in a season in team history and marks the first time they reached the 90-win mark. He is locked up for the next two seasons and is reportedly well liked in the clubhouse. It was business as usual for the Pulberry Trolleys as they won their third consecutive United Cup and reached the 100 win mark for the first time in team history. The talent and depth found on this squad is no secret, but neither is their manager, 52-year old Ryo Ichikawa (1198-962, .554) who wins his fourth consecutive Manager of the Year Award. That surpasses the three in a row Ben Houchens won with the Kingston Pelicans from 1942 to 1944. Ichikawa now sits just one back of Houchens for the most Manager of the Year Awards, who has won five overall. And it appears he won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Immediately following the conclusion of the season, the 52-year old Japanese native was awarded with a new 5-year contract that nearly doubles his previous salary and makes him the highest paid manager in the United Leagues ($41,000 – Stratford’s Xavier Ahernfeld is next at $34,000). No surprise, considering the success he has brought to Pulberry and the fact that he is beloved by the players (i.e. none of the players have a ‘poor relationship’ with him). Previous Winners: __________________ United Leagues of Braeland