Tycobbian Union
WIDE-OPEN RACE IN TU NORTH WITH 7 CLUBS IN THE HUNT
No telling whose going to end up claiming the Tycobbian North division crown this year. No one is really standing out. 7 clubs are in the hunt. Only last place Fairfax is out of the running. Thus far, the low-rated Blue Lake Blue Caps have blossomed into a contender. Blue Lake is surprisingly in the top spot with a 4-game margin over defending champ Hartsdale at midyear, 4 and a half games up on preseason favorite White River and 6 games better than fourth place Mahaska. It is a very tight race, Oxford and North Hills are lurking just 7 games out in 5th place. And even lightly-regarded Luxora is hanging in at 8 and a half games. The Zorros played poorly the first two months with marks of 12-12 and 8-19, but sizzled in June (17-9). If they keep playing well they will be a real challenger in the race. They have plenty of time to move up in the standings in the second half of the season. The first place Blue Caps started slowly (11-12), but really picked up the pace in May (17-11) and June (17-9). the runner-up Hellcats had two good months, April (16-7) and May (17-10), but they slumped badly in June (8-19). Last year's division winner, the third place Rascals got out of the starting gate in the opening month poorly (11-12), did not do well in May (12-15), but burned it up in June (17-9) and played like a true champ. The fourth place Haymakers scorched up the standings the first month (16-9), but have been mediocre since, going 10-16 and 13-13 the last two months. Mahaska does not appear to be a pennant contender. Neither does Red Bluff. The Red Sox had losing records in two of the three months so far. It's the teams playing well now that will be in the chase in the second half and make a run for the pennant. North Hills only had a good May (15-11), but countered that with losing months early in the season. It's going to be another long also-ran season for the Hawks. And it looks like a really good race down-to-wire -- a diamond fan's delight. There's nothing better than a photo-finish involving three or four teams. It don't no better than that.
TU SOUTH 2-TEAM AFFAIR BETWEEN FAVORED SUNSETS AND PERENNIAL RIVAL SUNS
For the last five seasons the Arroyo Grande Suns have been a proverbial thorn in the side of the Tycobbian South powerhouse, the Summerland Sunsets. This year the Suns are being a real pain. This season the Sunsets were given carte blanche by the baseball prognosticators to capture their fifth consecutive division crown by double-digit figures. Whoa! Hold on! Not so fast says their recent perennial rival, the rising Suns. At the halfway point in the season it is still a very tight race. Summerland has only a half-game edge over Arroyo Grande. The Suns leaped out to a 5-game lead in the first month over the Sunsets, but Summerland has slowly edged back into the top spot in the standings. The Sunsets went 13-12 in April, improving to 17-9 in May and even better in June to 19-8, while the Suns have chalked up a record of 18-7, 15-11 and 15-11 over the first three months of the season. Both clubs are playing well and there are no signs that Arroyo Grande is going to fade off into the sunset (yep, pun intended). They have had three good months of baseball, too. The Suns are hungry --- the last postseason appearance was in 1980. None of the other teams are likely contenders, but third place Ginza is just 7 games off the pace and fourth place Cape Coral is 7 and a half-game out. They both are within striking distance to make a run with a standout second half -- but that is not likely. The Ninjas and Hurricanes just simply don't have the pitching to make the playoffs --- they don't have the bats to do it, too. Forget the rest of the TU South. Colchester, Turon, Southport and San Alejo will battle to see who can stay out of the division cellar. Comparing Summerland and Arroyo Grande. Both of them are solid clubs. The Suns have better pitching this season, something they have lacked in the last few seasons. That is why they are really pushing the Sunsets this year. For the first time in years Summerland has a serious rival for the TU South title. It should be a great race. Sunsets beware! --- if the Suns' hurlers hold up in the second half --- Summerland string of pennants is in jeopardy and may come to an end. Whoever is victorious will be serious contender for the 2092 Pro Cup Trophy. Both teams have what it takes to win. It may come down to who is the best head-to-head. If it means anything --- The Sunsets are 7-5 with the Suns. So far, even the season series is close, too.
TU EAST PRESEASON CHOICES SOUTH FORK AND OZARKA LIVING UP TO THEIR BILLINGS
It's just a two-team race in the Tycobbian East. The preseason pundits said the South Fork Stallions or the Ozarka Naturals could take the flag this season. The Stallions have won the last three pennants and four in the previous six years, dominating the division. The Nats' last playoff appearance was 2088. They came in fifth place last year --- a whopping 34 games behind. Apparently, the baseball analysts and SABR soothsayers, scribes and scribblers sense a decline in the Stallions' mound corps and a great improvement on the part of the Naturals. On paper South Fork is still the supreme team in the division because of their potent offense. Whatever the case may be, both clubs are playing well and consistently over the first three months. The Stallions have posted monthly totals of 16-9, 18-8 and 14-13, while the Nats put up marks of 16-7, 13-15 and 16-11. The series season is tied at 6 wins apiece. At midyear the Stallions have a 3-game edge on the Naturals. However, South Fork's starting rotation has really declined from previous seasons, dropping from 3.23 last year to 3.85 this year. This has given Ozarka a chance to compete at least for half the season. Let's see what happens in the second half. The rest of the TU East look like also-rans. East Point is in third place, 7 and a half game behind. Midway is in the fourth spot, 9 and a half out. Neither are likely to contend. Red Bluff and Tuckanarra were expected to be contenders, but both have flopped and fallen far behind. The forecast is for South Fork to prevail in the TU East, but not like last year when they ran away with the pennant by 21 games over the second place Tucks. Whoever wins the TU East, they will probably not get past the first round in the playoffs.
IPA DYNASTY TEAM LA CLAIRE HEADED FOR 6TH STRAIGHT TU WEST TITLE AND 3RD STRAIGHT PRO CUP
The current king of IPA baseball is the La Claire Lynx. They are on the verge of becoming a dynasty team should they do a three-peat, winning their third straight Pro Cup. So far, so good in 2092 halfway through the season with a pretty fair 5 and a half-game lead over the second place Kenwood Wildcats, 6 and a half better than the third place Rolling Hills Racers and 8 and a half games up on the fourth place Denton City Redbirds. The Lynx began slowly with a 12-13 mark in the opening month, soared like a champ to 22-5 in May and posted a solid 17-9 last month. The runner-up Wildcats have been consistent going 14-11 and 17-10 the first two months, but they cooled down a little bit to 14-13 in June. In the third spot in the standings is Rolling Hills, perennial pennant contenders with 10 Pro Cups. The Racers have gone 12-10, 16-12 and 16-12 this season. The Redbirds are running fourth. They have been hot-and-cold with a slow start at 13-11 and 11-16 in April and May, then shooting up to 18-9 in June. La Claire's great strength is its starting pitching, by far the best in the IPA with a 2.40 ERA. Their three rivals have better than average pitching, but they give up more than a run per game more than the Lynx. La Claire and Kenwood have much better HR power than Rolling Hills and Denton City. The Wildcats, Racers and Redbirds hit better than the Lynx, but La Claire still scores well with timely hitting and homers. When all is said and done the Lynx will win the Tycobbian West by a comfortable margin, proceed to the postseason playoffs with a good shot at their record-tying third Pro Cup, equaling the all-time great feat of the Far Mountain team of 2010-2012. Nobody in the TU West is going to beat a team as good as La Claire this season. Nope, ain't gonna happen... no way that's gonna happen!
