ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) - Page 149

Eugene Church · 02-07-2012, 12:29 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap

Rattlers And 'Macs Tied In RU East
The take on the Ruthlandian East pennant race is that it's a two-team affair between the Sugar Valley Rattlers and the Wynnamac Sundowners, who are deadlocked for the top spot at the All-Star break... the Rattlers have taken the divisional crown the last two seasons... now for the third year in a row the 'Macs are the team the Rattlers will have to fend off... chances are it will go down to the wire... the Eastshore Elegants and Marston Nine are third and fourth respectively, but they are not expected to challenge this year... Eastshore is 5 games behind in the race and Marston trails by 7.

Sugar Valley has excellent pitching with a 2.91 team ERA (2nd)... the starters are solid with All-Star Wes Weaver (10-2/1.72), Aron Libertini (10-6/3.25) and Jeremy Blanchard (9-7/2.40)... in the bullpen All-Star Dallas Casey (3-1/1.99/12 saves) is the main reliever... the Rattler attack is led by All-Star Johnny Doyle (.263/21/48), Silvio Salas (.24/12/33) and Tyler White (.216/11/27)... Sugar Valley doesn't hit for much average, but can go deep... the Rattlers paced the RU with 87 home runs... defense is outstanding with a .983 FA (2nd).

Wynnamac has banged its way into contention with a .272 BA (8th), rank 10th in runs and tied for 3rd with 70 homers... the 'Macs have 5 regulars with double-digit homers... batting leaders are Giles Butler (.341 BA/11 HR), Dorak Aranda (.306 BA/12 HR), All-Star Lee Leslie (.273 BA/16 HR), Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.276 BA/10 HR) and Allen Dundee (.241 BA/11 HR)... the Sundowners mound staff is a little better than average with a 3.49 team ERA (11th)... top arms are Killara Bardo (10-5/3.56), Dean Barber (9-3/3.43) and Lon Marshall (8-7/3.76)... the Sundowners are strong defenders, too, with a .978 FA.

The third-place Eastshore Elegants are an average team with a .262 BA (16th), 62 homers (12th-tied) and rank 13th in scoring... pitching-wise the Els have posted a 3.56 team ERA... they are 3 games above the .500 mark... All-Stars Cayman Kettermann (.317 BA/12 HR/55 RBI) and Larry Romney (.281 BA/6 HR/33 RBI) are the top guns with support from George Shepherd (.327 BA/6 HR/36 RBIs) and Scotty LaGrange (.268 BA/10 HR/32 RBI)... longtime pitching star Melvin Key (10-8/2.92) is still around after 17 years and still doing his job... Don Klingenberg (7-7/3.82) also had added some good starts.

Scoring is a big time problem for the fourth-place Marston Nine... they bat .269 for average (11th), have belted 62 homers (12th-tied), but rate 31st in scoring runs... the team has posted a 3.88 ERA (24th)... IPA icon and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Russ Woodward (.318 BA/9 HR), Ron Marlowe (.302 BA/6 HR) and Lonnie Trekell (.260 BA/15 HR) are Marston's best performers at the plate... on the hill it's Doug Hansack (10-4/2.92).

The Beechwood Bobcats have escaped the cellar at the mid-point in the season... they have moved up to fifth place with average pitching and hitting... the Bobcats are 8 games away from first place... Maury Patterson has stood out on the mound with a strong 2.61 ERA, but is only 6-11 for the year... Pat Webb (.288 BA/14 HR), Travis Wagner (.281 BA/8 HR) and Norm Smith (.279 BA/7 HR) are the offensive leaders.

The sixth-place Elnora All-Stars suffer from a lack of pitching with a 4.17 team ERA (30th)... they are tied with Cold Creek and are 9 games out... only starter Freddy Pfeffer (11-6/3.18) is enjoying a good season... the All-Stars have fair power with 75 home runs (3rd), but rank 17th in runs with a .262 BA (14th)... top run producers are All-Star Matt Boyd (.309 BA/10 HR), Pettis Pendleton (.333 BA/8 HR), Travis Glass (.289 BA/18 HR) and Mel Long (.298 BA/14 HR).

Perennial second-division finisher, Cold Creek is staggering along again tied for sixth and headed nowhere... the Catamounts rarely make the first division in the RU East... the last pennent came a long time ago in 2012... they have wound up seventh or eighth for the last four seasons... Cold Creek has no offense, ranking last in runs scored and near the bottom with 48 homers (27th)... pitching is respectable with a 3.51 team ERA (12th)... Eddie Brasher (10-6/2.84) and Tommy Smith (9-8/2.11) are the top performers... Steve Daniels (.285/12 HR) is one of the few dependable batters.

This year the basement-dwelling Belle Plaine Musketeers have been the biggest disappointment in the division... the Muskies are 12 games off the pace... they were third two years ago and fourth last year... Belle Plaine has no trouble putting runs on the scoreboard with a .272 BA (6th), but the pitching has gone to the pits this season with a terrible 4.49 ERA (32nd)... only Leonard James (8-5/3.96) has posted decent stats... All-Star Derek Roman (.307 BA/9 HR), Pierre Giguere (.290 BA/16 HR) and Leon Bourque (.269 BA/12 HR) have been solid run producers.

Eugene Church · 02-08-2012, 12:11 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Colfax Way Ahead In RU West
The Colfax Blasters are living up to their nickname this season and making shambles of the Ruthlandian West... the Blasters have bolted to an 8-game lead at the halfway point of the season... Sligo is a distant second, followed by Fort Benton in the third spot 11 games back... last year's division champ and Pro Cup finalist Stoner has dug themselves into a deep hole and may not be able to get out of it... the Stars are 12 games off the pace and not likely to repeat this year.

For the first time in years the Colfax Blasters have finally put it all together with great pitching and rock-solid hitting... the last pennant came in 2016... Colfax has a superlative staff with a 2.66 team ERA (1st)... three hurlers made the All-Star team: Jon Cruise (12-6/2.26), Bobby Fleetfoot (11-3/2.84) and Smoky Rogers (10-6/2.28)... Wayne Whitcomb (8-4/3.49), number four in the rotation, has done a fine job, too... at the plate they are batting .281 (5th) and rank 5th in scoring... All-Star Dino Manale (.354) tops the attack, assisted by Mike Pratt (.303), Mitch Fullerton (.310), Vic Draper (.311), Hal Granders (.317), Glen Smith (.286) and Doug Kirkwood (.295)... the Blasters are number one in wins in the IPA at the All-Star break with a strong 47-24 record.

Runner-up Sligo doesn't look good on paper, but is a plus 7 in the won-lost column... the Rovers aren't very potent with the bats, hitting only .248 (29th) and has very little power with only 45 roundtrippers (30th)... on the hill Sligo has posted a lackluster 3.81 ERA... Sligo had a quality core of starters with Earl Perkins (9-4/3.16), Terry Bailey (9-5/3.16) and Lou Page (10-7/3.75)... at age 39 longtime ace Les Patterson (2-6/5.58) is showing signs of decline... the Rovers don't have much in the batter's box with Teddy Brunet (.289 BA/11 HR), Maury Rice (.261 BA/11 HR), Biff Blauer (.290 BA/4 HR) and Howie Robertson (.282 BA/1 HR)... Sligo needs a much better offense to challenge for the RU West flag.

Third in the standings are the Fort Benton Defenders, 11 games behind red-hot Colfax... 23-year-old Frankie Quinn (10-4/2.87) tops the twirlers and is headed for another standout season... the best bats are Ronny Frick (.285 BA/12 HR), Danny Riesner (.323 BA/5 HR), Ernie O'Day (.286 BA/9 HR) and Claude St. Laurent (.301 BA/7 HR).

Last year's RU West winner, the Stoner Stars, are too good of a club to be in fourth place, 12 games out of the race... expect them to overtake Sligo and Fort Benton and wind up in second place... they won't catch Colfax... too far behind... the Stars have an abundance of bats with Neil Mooney (.348 BA), Jeff Henderson (.320 BA), Fletch Fowler (.333 BA), Kevin Fisher (.298 BA) and Norm Murdoch (.284 BA)... and Glenn Tackett (11-7/3.41) Travis Wallace (8-5/3.39) and Raul Hidalgo (9-8/3.48) are a capable rotation.

The Middlefield Roosters are in fifth place and trail by 13 games... poor hitting (.240 BA/30th) holds the club back... pitching is fine with a 3.35 team ERA (7th)... Tyrus Cobb (10-3/2.53) is a terrific pitcher... Asa Schmit (10-7/3.38) is a good one, too... Victor Parsons (.300 BA/6 HR) is the only decent threat in the batting order.

The Volusia Vigilantes are more talented than they show in the division standings... the sixth-place V's should do better in the second half and move up into the first division... Val Cameron (10-4/2.82) and Greg Moss (8-7/3.04) give them a good shot at a second-half surge... improved hitting will play a part, too... new free agent signee and All-Star Sonny Oliver (.350 BA/10 HR) could be headed for a banner season... Vasco Aguilar (.306 BA/11 HR) also racked up All-Star honors... and Dave Skoglund (.290 BA/10 HR) and Joao Rosales (.286 BA/4 HR) were productive, too.

The seventh place Rocky Rapids Snappers are still finding it hard to get their heads above water in the RU West... for the sixth consecutive season they look to finish near the bottom of the division... stats aren't very good with a .249 BA (27th) and a 3.92 team ERA (25th)... leading the Snappers lineup is Allie Blackwell (.311 BA/1 HR), Angelo Nardone (.293 BA/15 HR) and Rod Cook (.299 BA/8 HR)... Walter Noland (6-6/4.21) is the best of the lot on mound.

In 2029 the Forest City Lumberjacks were the surprise team in the RU West with a third-place finish... this season the 'Jacks have tumbled down to the basement... drop in pitching was the prime reason... Forest City forged a .255 team BA (22nd), were tied for 28th in scoring with a 4.02 team ERA (26th)... Stephen Phillips (6-6/3.12) topped the pitchers, while Jackie Jackson (.312 BA/3 HR) and Rog Clemens (.266 BA/14 HR) topped the bats.

Eugene Church · 02-08-2012, 10:10 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

Luxora Leads TU North, 4-Team Race
At the mid-season mark plenty of teams are still in the running in the Tycobbian North... in what looks like a 4-team race, Luxora has a slight one-game advantage over Blue Lake... last year's winner Hartsdale is just 2 off the pace and Fairfax is only 4 games behind.

The division-leading Luxora Zorros have improved from third to the top spot this year... a great 19-11 April got them started off well... strong pitching is the Z's forte... overall the club has chalked up a 3.21 team ERA (2nd), but has been especially strong in the bullpen with a 1.86 ERA (1st)... however the Zorros are only average in scoring runs (16th) with a .261 BA (24th)... starters Benny DeVito (8-7/2.73) and Valente Viero (9-9/2.80) are the staff leaders... the Z's have a solid batting lineup with Gerry Hathaway (.322 BA/15 HR), Leandro Silva (.291 BA/6 HR), Roger Noble (.287 BA/10 HR), Kevin Hanley (.276 BA/10 HR) and Forest Orr (.275 BA/6 HR)... Luxora seems to have staying power with a pretty well-balanced team... they should be in the thick of things at season's end.

It was long ago when the Blue Lake Blue Sox last won the TU North... it was way back in 2010... they have been close only three or four times in the intervening 20 years... they are excited about their postseason chances this season... second-place Blue Lake's three fine starters are carrying the club, sparked by All-Star Chris Landry (9-4/2.30), Doug Kirkpatrick (9-6/3.54) and Willie Taskins (8-7/3.47)... the starting rotation is one of the better ones in the league with a 3.17 ERA (2nd)... the Blue Sox fall short in the bullpen with a pathetic 5.08 ERA (31st) and in the batter's box with a poor .242 BA (32nd)... Matt Thompson (.301 BA/8 HR) and Eddie Nagen (.259 BA/14 HR) are the best of the lot... Blue Lake has too many weaknesses to stay in the race.

The Hartsdale Hellcats copped the division crown last year and almost won it in 2028, too... They are still a quality ballclub in third place, just 2 games out... the Hellcats are impressive at the plate with a .286 BA (5th) and can score runs (3rd)... on the hill they are pretty fair with a 3.53 team ERA (12th)... Hartsdale has an abundance of hitters, led by Cris Wallace (.367 BA/3 HR), All-Star Johnny Scott (.350 BA/9 HR), Lynn Lundy (.304 BA/11 HR), Durward Anderson (.288 BA/3 HR) and Fred Wasikowski (.288 BA/5 HR)... the Hellcats fall short in power... only have average starters, but impressive relievers... Hank Cooke (8-6/2.98) is the only pitcher having a good season... 2029 Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak is only 7-7 with a sky-high 4.67 ERA... the Hellcats really need him to turn it around in the second half... despite the pitching woes, Hartsdale will be in the pennant fight... they are not yet ready to surrender their crown.

The Fairfax Frogs gave Hartsdale fits last year, losing out in a single-game playoff... well, the Frogs are right back again, resting fourth in the TU North standings and trailing by 4 games... except for a poor 10-18 start Fairfax has played some good baseball, going 25-18 since... they have four reliable starters in Joey Santini (9-7/3.51), Kevin Meeks (6-7/3.67), Eric Mayes (8-8/3.82) and Ricky Woods (6-5/3.85)... as a team the Frogs have registered a 3.79 ERA (19th)... the Frogs have adequate bats with Max Lebowitz (.316 BA/6 HR), Eric Kusek (.316 BA/5 HR), John Velasco (.297 BA/9 HR) and Alton Dale (.315 BA/5 HR), but not much in the way of home-run power... they are hitting .274 (10th) with 54 home runs (25th)... improved hitting makes Fairfax a better team this year... will probably battle for the pennant with Luxora and Hartsdale.

Oxford and North Hills are each 7 games out of first place and tied for the fifth spot in the TU North... the Oxford Red Caps are looking like a second-division team for the fifth year in a row... the Red Caps last contended in 2024 and last made the playoffs in 2007... a .259 team BA (25th) and a 4.25 team ERA (26th) makes Oxford a mediocre club... they won't contend this season... best arms belong to Mario Lopez (9-8/3.44) and Kenny Gorham (7-7/3.94), both starters, and to reliever Willy Heinrich (1-1/2.23/11 saves)... the Red Caps have one star ballplayer: 26-year-old 1B Kerry Sterling, who is hitting .300 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs.

It's been 15 years since the North Hills Hawks have had a competitive team... and it will be more of the same in 2030... the fifth-place Hawks possess average hitting with a .267 BA (18th) and sorry pitching with a 4.34 team ERA (27th)... Terry Costanza (7-6/3.45) is a solid pitcher... Vince Boylan (.274 BA/14 HR) and Ronnie Guillaume (.302 BA/6 HR) are the best run producers.

Since winning the division in 2028 the Mahaska Haymakers have fallen on hard times, finishing sixth and seventh the last two seasons... the Haymakers are sitting in seventh again at mid-season and are 9 games back... however, they might beat out Oxford and North Hills for fifth place... Mahaska is batting .268 (16th) as a team with a 3.90 ERA (20th)... the Haymakers don't have much power with 52 roundtrippers (27th)... only an average club in scoring (19th)... top performers are All-Star Bucky O'Brian (.281 BA/16 HR) and Travis Tuttle (.272 BA/11 HR), along with Johnny Yevtushenko (.319 BA/7 HR) and Pasha Yablonski (.289 BA/0 HR)... 16-year vet Arno Vainmaa (7-9/3.30) is still a quality arm at age 34... lifetime Vainmaa has 270 victories and 229 losses... good second halves by Joey Meisner (6-7/3.77) and Maxim Petrosian (6-7/3.75) would help.

Four times in the last 10 years the White River Rascals won the TU North flag, but they have been stuck in the cellar the last two seasons... the Rascals aren't much with the bats (.252 BA/28th) or on the hill (4.11 ERA/24th)... and they are worse than last year... they are already 13 games out of first place... Jon French (7-7/4.38) is the only decent hurler... no one is hitting very well... batting .261 Jerry Thomas leads the club in homers with 11 and RBIs with 37... Jim Abrams tops the Rascals with a .290 mark and has hit 8 home runs... the forecast calls for another last-place finish for White River.

Eugene Church · 02-09-2012, 05:12 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap

5-Club Ruckus In TU South, 'Canes On Top
Two perennial also-rans are making some noise in the Tycobbian South this season... Cape Coral and San Alejo are challenging two of the division elite, last season winner, the Ginza Ninjas, who have won the title 3 times in 5 years and the Southport Sun Sox, who have won pennants twice in three seasons... at the All-Star hiatus the Cape Coral Hurricanes have chalked up a 3-game advantage over the runner-up San Alejo Montaneros... the 'Canes haven't contested for 15 seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2015... the Monties won pennants the first two years in the IPA (2002-2003) and haven't grace the postseason since... Southport is third and trails by 4 games... Colchester is fourth and 5 games back... defending champ Ginza is 6 games behind in fifth... the soothsayers see a 5-team dogfight before the dust settles in the TU South.

First place Cape Coral moved up to fourth and the first division last year and now are a solid contender... the Hurricanes are hitting .282 (6th), but don't possess much power... they have only 51 homers (28th) and are tied for 14th in scoring... in team ERA they are 14th with a 3.66 ERA... and strong on defense with a .979 FA... only East Point of the TU East has won more games... the Panthers are 46-25, while the Hurricanes are 44-27... Cape Coral has a bevy of good bats with Jan Krammer (.325 BA/8 HR), Steve Fitzgerald (.323 BA/7 HR), Tonio Libertore (.318/1 HR), Sandy Coburn (.304 BA/3 HR) and Dan Isenberg (.284 BA/9 HR)... on the hill Kris Bogaard (11-5/3.42) and Randy Burns (11-7/3.15) stand out... Curt Garrett (3-3/2.84/11 saves) has impressed in the bullpen.

San Alejo has come out of nowhere, climbing up from seventh in 2029 to second place this year... greatly improved pitching and greatly improved batting has done it... the Montaneros are one of the big surprises in the IPA with a 3.24 team ERA (3rd) and a .275 BA (8th) with 86 homers (2nd)... top mound performers are Johnny Brown (7-7/2.64), taken in free agency from Rolling Hills of the TU West, John Kaltenbach (7-7/3.88) and Juan Navarro (7-3/3.83)... spot starter/reliever Roland Oates (8-3/2.50) had been outstanding, too... heading up the bullpen are Clete Lawson (2-3/1.14) and Herb Stewart (3-1/1.99/10 saves)... top batters are Bubby Blackwell (.338 BA/7 HR), Mark Delaney (.314 BA/12 HR), Ramon Escabedo (.291 BA/12 HR) and Orlando Ybarra (.281 BA/14 HR)... San Alejo is a rising power with some very talented players... don't seem to be a one-year wonder.

The Southport Sun Sox won the division flags in 2027 and 2028 and came in second last year... the third place Sun Sox are still very much in the hunt, only 4 games in back of Cape Coral, featuring good bats with power, pitching and excellent defense... Southport is batting .272 (12th), ranks 11th in scoring with 327 runs and leads in home runs with 88, best in the IPA... pitching-wise the team ERA is 3.35 (4th)... defensively they have a fine .982 FA... the Sun Sox have an impressive starting foursome: Don Pascioni (8-6/3.38), Mel Underwood (8-6/3.18), Bob Bondy (9-8/3.11) and Ronnie Galus (6-3/3.21)... bullpen ace is Tomas Taviero (3-1/1.82/7 saves)... IPA superstar and All-Star Lorne Evans is having a fantastic season with a.389 BA, 30 homers, 70 RBIs and 60 runs scored... Evans could be headed for a Triple Crown... he leads the IPA in BA, RBIs, runs and homers... Evans is tied for the hits' lead with Tuckanarra's Jed Turchin... But Evans is not the whole show... he gets plenty of support from Kyle Ross (.319 BA/15 HR), Rick Cabrini (.286 BA/6 HR) and Sam Cousins (.307 BA/8 HR)... Southport is a strong contender for the TU South pennant... and maybe for the Pro Cup, too.

It's been 24 years since the Colchester Elites were in the Pro Cup playoffs... but they have been in the TU South first division the previous four seasons, almost winning the flag in 2026, 2027 and coming close in 2028... the Elites are fourth this year and just 5 games off the pace... they are the best-scoring club in the TU with 373 runs (1st), 5th in roundtrippers (82) and are hitting at a .275 clip (7th)... the Elites line-up card ranks with the best in the IPA with All-Star Steve Burns (.370 BA/15 HR), Jim Lewellan (.252 BA/20 HR), Joel Collins (.323 BA/0 HR), Carlos Manuel (.325 BA/10 HR) and All-Star Cleve Belton (.293 BA/18 HR)... Colchester is decent on the mound with a 3.69 team ERA (15th)... Mike Kierkegaard (8-4/3.11), Mac Flowers (9-5/3.38) and Mackie McGinnity (8-6/3.91) are all capable starters... only missing link is a top-notch bullpen (3.73 ERA/15th).

The Ginza Ninjas may be in fifth place and 6 games out of first, but the defending division champion will have to be reckoned with before the pennant is decided... they hit very well with a .289 BA (2nd), score well (6th) and play very good defense (.978 FA)... but they are only average with a 3.76 team ERA (18th) and lack firepower with only 56 HRs (23rd-tied)... the Ninjas are led at the plate by Taro Mori (.356 BA/2 HR), All-Star Cotton Cornwall (.326 BA/15 HR), Johnny O'Rorke (.312 BA/11 HR), Sadaharu Uchiyama (.286 BA/7 HR), Russell Van Kleek (.329 BA/4 HR) and Howard Winston (.302 BA/4 HR)... the Ninjas are missing Crash Davis, longtime catching standout... Davis signed with Kenwood of the TU West... the 36-year-old Davis (.284 BA/6 HR) was great with the pitchers and was a solid bat... Kenwood is leading its division this year... Ginza has two quality starters: Hollis Pace (6-4/3.21) and Harlan Wilson (10-5/3.12)... Ryuji Kaneko (5-3/3.35) is dependable in a spot starter/long relief role... if Ginza had one more quality starter, they would win in a breeze... still they have a shot at the pennant this year because of the strong bats.

The rest of the division are just playing out the season... Turon, Summerland and Arroyo Grande are all tied for last place, 11 games behind leading Cape Coral... the Turon Typhoons have been a hapless team for the last decade after winning 4 Pro Cups and 11 pennants from 2006 and 2019... the Typhoons have a good offense with a .287 BA (3rd) and score well (347 runs/6th tied), but have bad pitching (4.22 ERA-25th)... All-Star Michael Page (.351 BA/16 HR) and All-Star Yancy Duvicque (.366 BA/2 HR) lead the attack... Sal Quattrone (10-5/3.53) and Victor Suarez (10-6/4.24) are the top starters.

In its history Summerland has never won a pennant and has made the playoffs only one time... that was in 2005 when the Sunsets finished second and won a wild card spot... the IPA abandoned wild cards after the 2006 season... from 2001 to 2003 the top four teams in each division qualified for the Pro Cup playoffs... from 2004 to 2006 the top two clubs in each division made the postseason... Summerland has good pitching with a 3.47 team ERA (7th) with very good starters, led by All-Star Scotty Ellison (10-4/2.62), Ron McDonald (8-5/2.98) and Clive Coxford (7-8/2.38)... however the bullpen is lousy with a 4.57 ERA (27th)... the Sunsets are not much at the plate with a .261 BA (23rd)... but they do have some talented hitters in Joe DeLucca (.316 BA/10 HR), Gregg Proctor (.305 BA/12 HR), Jay Hagedorn (.315 BA/3 HR) and Mandu Purula (.291 BA/5 HR).

For ten years from 2018 to 2027 the Arroyo Grande Suns were a powerful club in the TU South, winning 4 divisional crowns and finishing no worse than third... but that is no longer the case... for the last two seasons the Suns came in 8th and 6th respectively... this year they will have to battle to avoid last place... the talent level has dropped drastically in the last few years... only IPA great and probable Hall-of-Famer Rusty Vizcarra remains... the 31-year-old Vizcarra has 23 homers, 57 RBIs and is hitting .280 to lead the attack... but he has little help except for Robbie Kiner, who is hitting .327 with 4 homers, 30 RBIs and 46 runs scored... the only dependable hurler is rookie Neil Strickland with a 7-1 mark and a 3.17 ERA... 20-game winner Cesar DeLeon has dropped to 6-9 with a 3.98 ERA this season at age 35.

Eugene Church · 02-10-2012, 10:42 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap

Panthers On The Prowl, Lead TU East
For 17 years from 2009 to 2026 the East Point Panthers were doomed to the Tycobbian East second division... but all that has changed in the last few years with two second-place finishes in 2027 and 2028 and a third place spot last season... now the Panthers are really on the prowl and ready to win it all... they have the best record at mid-season in the Tycobbian Union and second best in the IPA... East Point is 46-25 at the All-Star break, topped only by Colfax in the RU West with a 47-24 mark... the Panthers have a one-game edge on the resurgent Ozarka Naturals and a 4-game margin over last year's division champion, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... at the halfway point in the schedule there are only three teams in the hunt... fourth place South Fork is 9 games off the pace and doesn't seem to be a pennant threat.

This season first place East Point has added punch to the offense and can score runs... added in with a fine pitching staff and you have a potent ballclub... the Panthers sport a .265 BA (19th) with 84 homers (3rd) and have scored 350 runs (4th)... that combined with a 3.20 team ERA (1st) and you've got a first class contender... not only for the TU East crown, but for the Pro Cup as well... All-Star Frank Blair (10-5/2.17), All-Star Joe Foley (10-3/2.56) and Stephen Edwards (9-1/3.57) and Dixie Brooks (7-8/3.63) gives them a solid rotation... Jack Bolden (1-1/2.94/13 saves) gives them an effective closer in the bullpen... the Panthers are also talented at the plate, sparked by All-Star Tetsu Tanaka (.336 BA/19 HR), Kenko Aoki (.275 BA/20 HR), Wally Wright (.294 BA/6 HR) and Kyle Pike (.299 BA/7 HR).

Recent years have not been kind to the once-powerful Ozarka Naturals, who captured 11 pennants in 16 seasons during the glory years 2006-2021... after a dismal 8th place in 2028, they improved to 5th last year and up to second place this season, trailing by just a game... the Nats hit well with a .274 BA and scores well with 349 runs (5th)... with fairly good pitching... the staff has a 3.48 ERA (8th)... All-Star George Jenkins (.341 BA/13 HR) is the big gun, along with All-Star James Couch (.313 BA/4 HR), Byron Glenn (.286 BA/11 HR) and Lonnie Gillespie (.315 BA/1 HR)... on the hill the standouts are new free agent All-Star Sam Tate (10-3/2.91) from Tuckanarra, Stan Carey (8-5/3.34), Norm Phillips (9-4/3.71) and Brady Bell (7-6/3.66)... Ozarka may not be a flash in the pan... they have some solid ballplayers... they could give East Point and Tuckanarra a tussle this year.

With 5 TU East crowns in 7 years last year's pennant winner, the third place Tuckanarra Blue Jays, are not ready to give up the throne or throw in the towel... the Tucks don't have the stats the Panthers and Naturals have, but they still have plenty of talent with All-Star pitcher Quinn Starr (11-4/2.06) and Philip Marston (9-6/3.83) as starters and Rob Howe (6-0/0.51/3 saves) in the bullpen... the top Blue Jay bats are All-Star Jed Turchin (.356 BA/12 HR), Trevor Dowd (.319 BA/6 HR) and Ted Sabonis (.295 BA/1 HR)... superstar Lynn Starr is having a down year, but is still quite productive with 12 homers and 44 RBIs, though he is hitting only .257... a strong second half by Starr would do wonders for the Tucks' pennant hopes.

The South Fork Stallions are in fourth place in the standings and behind by 9 games... South Fork just doesn't have the hosses to take the TU East title... the Stallions are batting only .246 (31st) and are ranked last in scoring (32nd)... but they do have quality pitching with a 3.51 team ERA (10th)... Richie Raeburn (8-5/3.36) and new free agent acquisition from Crystal Lake of the RU South, Duncan Welch (6-7/2.78), are both reliable starters, but need more help from last year's 21-game winner Ozz Gatsby, who is 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA... bullpen ace Al Thompson (2-1/3.03) easily tops the IPA with 18 saves... four free agents were expected to make the Stallions into contenders, but it hasn't happened... Dean Woods (.289 BA/14 HR) from Sugar Valley in the RU East has done pretty well, while another 38-year-old signee Andy Pearson (.266 BA/4 HR) from Arroyo Grande and an 11-time All-Star is showing signs of age... Corbett Brooks (.255 BA/5 HR) came over from Red Bluff and is in the throes of a bad year... normally Woods and Brooks are 30-homer and 100-RBI guys... Patric Giles (.264 BA/11 HR) has been a reliable batsman for the club.

You have to go back to 2022 for the last time the Red Bluff Red Sox made the first division and all the way back to 2009 when they made the postseason... the Red Sox are 11 games off the pace in fifth place... they are probably headed for another second-division finish... Jack Phillips (8-4/2.56) and Trini Corona (6-4/3.78) are the most effective starters, in the batter's box it's Pat Ellis (.331 BA/9 HR), Billy Barton (.302 BA/5 HR) and newcomer Floyd McClellan (.291/BA/14 HR) from the Middlefield Roosters as a free agent are the top run producers for Red Bluff.

The Hillsboro Blazers bolted up to second place last year, but have come back to reality this year, resting in sixth place, 13 games behind... sadly the Blazers have never, ever made the postseason in the club's 29 years in the IPA... not gonna happen this year either... Hillsboro has good pitching (3.36 ERA/5th), but not much hitting (.250 BA/30th)... Gregg Hughes (5-4/2.07) and Marty Anderson (8-6/3.09) are solid starters and Duke Mahoney (2-4/2.81/12 saves) is effective in the bullpen... Bill Kelly (.290 BA/6 HR), Brian Hatcher (.296 BA/11 HR) and Biggy Washington (.265 BA/12 HR) are the only reliable bats.

Midway won the TU East pennant in 2027, but it's been a slow descent since, falling to 4th in 2028 and 2029 and now even further, down to 7th place and 19 games behind leading East Point... you have to go back to 2010 for a worse year... the crux of the Wolves problem is horrendous pitching (4.45 ERA-31st) and not a lot of offense either (.263 BA/20th), ranking 27th in runs with 285... at age 29 Bobby Dorignac (7-6/3.35) still gets the job done, but doesn't get much help on the mound or at the plate... Midway's most dependable bats are Lanky Mato (.316 BA/7 HR), Rob Gigler (.293 BA/8 HR) and Eduardo Villanueva (.298 BA/5 HR)... longtime batting leader Rusty Graves had a poor first half with a .255 mark, 9 homers and 31 runs.

During the High Mesa Cowboys' first two years of existence in the IPA, they made the playoffs both years and even won the Pro Cup in the second season in 2002, but absolutely nothing since... the Cowpokes are currently in the TU East basement and 21 games out... they also rank near the bottom in pitching (4.39 ERA/29th) and batting (.253 BA/27th)... Roger Hart is a pretty fair starter with an 8-7 record and 3.46 ERA... not much after him on the staff... Bill Andrews (.303 BA/15 HR) and Freddy Franks (.280 BA/6 HR) carry the offensive load... Jack Elliott, perhaps the greatest player in IPA history is winding down a fabulous career in serious decline... at 36 Elliott is batting just .237 with 7 homers and 16 RBIs... lifetime he is a .335 hitter and averages 45 homers and 120 RBIs a season... this may be Elliott's last season.

Eugene Church · 02-11-2012, 02:55 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

2030 Tycobbian West Mid-Season Recap

Wildcats 3 Games Up In TU West
It was a 4-team donnybrook last season in the Tycobbian West with only 2 games separating first place from fourth... it was quite a melee between Rolling Hills, Arlon, Chicopee and La Claire... this year it's a tight 3-team affair between Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills Reds, Kenwood Wildcats and Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... at the season's mid-point Kenwood holds a slim 3-game lead over the Reds and Bucs with the Denton City Redbirds in fourth, trailing by 7 games.

Since winning the TU West pennant in 2024, Kenwood has been up and down in the standings, but this year the Wildcats are playing superbly, coupling super hitting with fairly good pitching... They also have signed 3 talented free agents... Kenwood tops the IPA with a .295 BA and is ranked 2nd in scoring... not much power with only 41 home runs (31st), but really good contact hitters... the mound corps is adequate with a 3.55 team ERA (13th)... All-Star Babe Hankins (.339 BA/7 HR) heads up a strong batting order, helped out by Jan Kessinger (.323 BA/0 HR), rookie Randy Towns (.319 BA/0 HR), Hank Lunsford (.337 BA/0 HR) and All-Star Crash Davis (.284 BA/6 HR), who came over as a 36-year-old free agent from Ginza of the TU South... Davis is not quite the hitter he used to be, but still is an excellent defensive catcher and handler of pitchers... Davis is a big plus on the Wildcat roster... so is free agent Kessinger, formerly with the Sugar Valley Rattlers of the RU East... and powerhitter Warren Love (.257 BA/10 HR) from San Alejo of the TU South... Towns has made a solid impact in his freshman year, too.

Rolling Hills is coming off a great year... they won the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in its history... despite losing their top two pitchers, Errol Gaudet and Johnny Brown, the Reds are still in the pennant chase... Brown was 17-10 last year and 3-0 in the playoffs...Brown signed a big contract with San Alejo of the TU South this year and has posted an 8-7 mark with a fine 2.64 ERA... Gaudet, a 5-time 20-game winner and last year's Pro Cup MVP with a 7-0 record, will be out until August with an arm injury... Gaudet was injured in early May and is 2-2 with a 2.29 ERA this season... He could be a real difference maker in the stretch drive... the Reds have been forced to rely on the offense this year with a .286 BA (4th)... the team ERA has inflated from 3.34 in 2029 to 4.02 in 2030... Tom Pierson (6-3/2.14) and Buck Myers (9-5/4.23) have shouldered the pitching load... top batters are All-Star Tony Brinkerhoff (.337 BA/12 HR), All-Star Dusty Rogan (.303 BA/12 HR) and Derek Kristensen (.325 BA/3 HR).

After two down seasons in a row when they wound up next-to-last, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are back in contention and tied for second place... Free agents pitcher Jody Gentry from Kenwood and outfielder George McKay from Claxton in the RU South have given the team a huge lift... the Bucs feature fair to average bats with a .262 BA (21st), decent scoring capability with 324 runs (12th tied) and good pitching with a 3.49 team ERA (9th)... All-Star Gentry (10-5/2.63) seems fully recovered from rotator problems that caused him to miss most of the 2029 season... Kenwood's loss is the Bucs' gain... Kenwood would really be something if they still had a healthy Gentry in its rotation... another great addition is rookie All-Star closer Don Sawyer (2-0/0.22/14 saves), who has been simply brilliant this year... at the plate Bay St. Clair is led by Terry Adams (.316 BA/8 HR), Neil Lamont (.301 BA/11 HR), George McKay (.263 BA/12 HR), Jerry Todd (.281 BA/5 HR), Damon Klein (.305 BA/7 HR) and Fernell Peck (.306 BA/2 HR)... Klein and Peck are two more free agents added to the roster this year...

The fourth place Denton City Redbirds were an early power in the IPA with 8 playoff appearances and 6 pennants from 2002 to 2014... after that the Redbirds have pretty much wallowed in the second division... Denton City is 7 games off the pace, but not in the same league with the three primary contenders... the Redbirds are just mediocre to average as a ballclub with a .262 BA (22nd) and 3.72 ERA (16th)... Glenn Hamilton (10-5/3.10) is a standout starter, but the rest of the hurlers are just journeymen at best... Vance Diamond (.316 BA), Marvin Ferrell (.290 BA/5 HR) and Keith Ingram (.282 BA/7 HR) provide most of the offense.

Since 2023 the Bayview Vikings have been a run-of-the mill second-division club and will likely continue their ways this season... this year the fifth place Viks can hit and score with a .274 BA (11th), 334 runs (10th) and 68 roundtrippers (11th)... but they don't have the pitching to stop the opposition... the team ERA is a poor 4.37 (28th)... Daniel Shields (6-5/3.97) is the only starter with a winning record... batting-wise Bayview is paced by Wayne Kenney (.315 BA/14 HR), Roy Ricks (.292 BA/9 HR) and Todd Benson (.284 BA/3 HR).

The Chicopee Braves have been in the IPA for 29 fairly fruitless seasons... never have made the playoffs, though they have come close 5 times... nothing new this year for the Braves who are 11 games out at the All-Star Game and in sixth place in the TU West... 32-year-old Frank Mullins (8-9/3.96) is a fine starter with a career 158-123 record in his ninth season, fifth with Chicopee... Mullins deserves better... Chicopee is just a tough place to win... 25-year-old reliever Matt Reeves (0-0/1.67/12 saves) shows promise in his second season... while the Braves' team ERA (4.41/30th) is not much, at the plate they have some talent witn a .270 team BA (13th) and 77 homers (6th)... Sakima Shaman (.344 BA/8 HR), Charlie Jensen (.309 BA/13 HR), Kurt Gustavsen (.320 BA/13 HR) and Big Sam Takota (.314 BA/14 HR) can put some runs on the scoreboard.

After coming out of nowhere to win the their first pennant in 2028 and hotly contending last season, the La Claire Lynx have relapsed to the depths of the TU West again... the Lynx are 16 games back and in seventh place... they have average team stats with a .267 BA (17th) and a 3.73 team ERA (17th)... after 18 outstanding years in the IPA, future HOF-er Flash Devlin with over 500 homers and a .321 career BA, is now just a good ballplayer at age 36, but he can still hold his own... Devlin is batting .286 this season with 7 homers and 34 RBIs, down quite a bit from his 30 homers and 100 RBIs yearly... Carrol Candy (.332 BA/9 HR) is now the big gun, supported by Lonny Wright (.306 BA/8 HR), Kelly Chamberlain (.266 Ba/8 HR) and Norm Petitjean (.263 BA/10 HR)... on the mound strikeout king Pat Kovacs (7-7/2.56) is one tough customer with a 95-62 mark in his sixth season... Kovacs set the IPA strikeout record in 2028 with 391 Ks... hill talent is sparse after him.

The Arlon Champions had a string of three straight fourth-place finishes entering this season... last year they came in just 2 games behind Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills... optimism was rampant at the start of the season... however nothng has gone right... the bats are awful and the pitching is atrocious... the Champs are batting .256 (26th), rank 26th in scoring and 32nd in pitching with a 4.81 ERA... Raydon Burks (6-10/2.98) is the only starter under a 5.00 ERA... and Alan Caine (.308 BA/1 HR) is the only regular over the .300 mark... Arlon wishes the season would end at the All-Star break.

Eugene Church · 02-13-2012, 11:15 PM

Sorry for not posting the last few days.

I am working on this year's Hall of Fame inductees. Looks like it will be 7 pitchers and 4 position players.

I should announce them tomorrow.

Eugene Church · 02-15-2012, 12:38 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, June 18, 2030

IPA HOF Inducts 11 Standouts
The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame has been increased by 11 players and now totals 35 members. They will be inducted in special ceremonies at the IPA Hall of Fame in Marston. Leading the list of this year's icons is the all-time victories leader Nicky Engstrom, together with other outstanding hurlers Don Chaney, Ken Hill, Robbie Kelly, Boomerang Hines, Eddie Roberts and Archie Desmond. Position players honored are Hank Bethel, Vic Valenti, Flipper Bird and Mac McCurnan.

In his fabulous career with the Turon Typhoons Nicky Engstrom (2010-2029) sparked his club to 8 pennants and one IPA Pro Cup with a 387-218 career record with a superb 2.43 ERA. Engstrom posted the most wins and the best ERA for a starting pitcher in history. He was a 12-time All-Star and won three Golden Arm Awards (2011, 2013, 2015). In the Pro Cup playoffs Engstrom made 29 starts and compiled a 14-5 mark with a 2.18 ERA. He retired last year at age 40.

Don Chaney (2010-2028) toiled 19 years for the Rocky Rapids Snappers. During his tenure he was 317-256 with a 3.13 ERA and ranked 8th in all-time victories. Chaney played on 5 pennant winners, made the All-Star team 6 times and netted the Golden Arm in 2017. In the postseason Chaney was 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA.

Number 9 on the all-time wins list was left-hander Ken Hill (2010-2029), who played 20 years for the Fairfax Frogs and registered 313 victories and 271 losses with a 3.03 ERA. He led the Frogs to 3 pennants, was a 2-time All-Star and chalked up a 5-2 record in the postseason with a 2.99 ERA. Hill called it quits after the 2029 season at age 39.

Robbie Kelly (2001-2019) had quite a career for the Far Mountain Redhawks. He paced them to 3 Pro Cup triumphs and 10 pennants, registering a 279-196 record and a 3.23 ERA. Kelly won the Golden Arm Award in 2012 and was a 2-time All-Star. He was especially tough in the playoffs and won many crucial games for the Redhawks, who took back-to-back-to-back Pro Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Far Mountain is the only club to accomplish that feat. Kelly finished 16-10 with a 3.74 ERA in the playoffs and retired at 42 in 2019.

Southpaw Boomerang Hines (2002-2014) got a late start in the IPA, beginning his career at age 26, but he still made a dramatic impact playing with the Mahaska Haymakers for 7 years and Far Mountain his last 6 years. Hines was very good in Mahaska, but he was great for the Redhawks. Overall he was 227-151 with a fine 2.99 ERA, leading his teams to 7 postseason appearances, 3 Pro Cup victories and 6 division flags. Hines was a teammate with Kelly when Far Mountain captured three straight Island championships. Like Kelly, Hines really stood out in the playoffs with a 14-6 record and a brilliant 1.85 ERA. Hines was the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player in 2011 when he was 5-1 with a superlative 1.11 ERA. Hines won game seven in relief. He missed the 2012 Series because of injury, but returned in 2013 and finished second in the Pro Cup MVP race with 4-0 mark and a 2.05 ERA. Hines was a 2-time All-Star and retired after the 2014 season. In his last year at age 38 he was 22-11 with a 2.41 ERA.

One of the mound mainstays during Ozarka's glory years was Eddie Roberts (2011-2026), who was one of the prime reasons the Naturals won 9 pennants during his 16-year career. Lifetime Roberts compiled a 215-130 mark with a 3.45 ERA, was the 2011 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year (19-7/3.69), honored as the TU Most Valuable Player in 2012 (22-8/2.38) and made the All-Star once. Roberts is the recordholder for most postseason victories. In 33 postseason games Roberts etched a 19-7 record with a 3.69 ERA.

For the first time in history a closer has been selected to the IPA Hall of Fame. That honor went to Archie Desmond (2017-2028) of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays. Desmond recorded 268 saves with a great 2.00 ERA and a 64-40 record in 524 relief appearances. He made the All-Star team on two occasions. Desmond has the number two all-time best ERA in IPA history, topped only by Glenn Kennedy of the Kenwood Wildcats. Kennedy, also a reliever, notched a 1.99 ERA and 44-37 record and played from 2017 to 2028. Tuckanarra won 4 pennants and 2 Pro Cups while Desmond headed up the Blue Jay bullpen.

Beechwood's superlative center field Vic Valenti (2013-2029) finally called it a career at age 36 in 2029 after a splendid 17-year stint. Valenti racked up a .317 batting average and ranks sixth all-time in the IPA. He added in 500 homers, which is ninth on the all-time list, 1731 RBIs and scored 1682 runs. Valenti was a 9-time All-Star, won 3 RU Golden Bats (2015, 2020, 2025) and 6 Golden Gloves. In 2015 Valenti was acclaimed the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player. He led the league with a .383 average, hit 45 homers and batted in 120 runs. His Bobcats won three pennants while he was there. Valenti did not fare well in the postseason. He batted only .215, but had 6 home runs and 19 RBIs in 31 games.

Catcher Hank Bethel (2001-2027) played for 27 years with six teams and retired after a wonderful career at the ripe old age of 44. Bethel was a 12-time All-Star and ranked high in most offensive categories. He played in 3211 games (8th), collected 3318 hits (8th), 494 roundtrippers (10th), scored 1985 times (2nd) and hit a .288 rate. In 76 playoff games Bethel batted .270 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. He played 7 years with the Bayview Vikings and led them to the postseason 5 times with 3 pennants. For the next 15 seasons Bethel was in Rocky Rapids. During his time with the Snappers they captured one Pro Cup in 2019 and 4 pennants. His last four seasons were with Fort Benton, Glasco, Belle Plaine and San Dimas and not very productive. Bethel was just playing out the string.

One of the finer shortstops in IPA history was Flipper Bird (2001-2023). Bird made a big splash his first season by taking the 2001 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award, then he went on and got better. In 2004 Bird won both the RU MVP honor and the Golden Bat, along with a Golden Glove. Bird batted .305 that season with 30 home runs, 130 RBIs, 108 runs and 31 stolen bases. He played in 3364 games (3rd), had 3530 hits (4th) and scored 2217 runs (2nd). Lifetime Bird batted .268, was a 3-time All-Star and collected 2 Golden Gloves. Bird sparked the Sugar Valley Rattlers to 5 playoff appearances and 3 pennants in his 7 years there. For the next 14 seasons he was with the Cape Coral Hurricanes, but they only made the postseason twice. Bird finished up with two and a half years in Mahaska and retired at 43 after the 2023 season. Bird had pretty good postseason numbers with a .276 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBIs and 26 runs in 49 games. The closest Bird came to getting a Pro Cup ring was in 2004, when Sugar Valley lost to Red Bluff in the Finals. In that postseason in 18 games he chalked up 4 homers, 18 RBIs and a .301 BA.

One thing you could say about Mac McCurnan (2005-2024), the talented center fielder for the Turon Typhoons, he was a winner. But McCurnan has Hall of Fame credentials, too. Not only did the Typhoons win 11 pennants in his 20 years with the club, they also copped 3 Pro Cups and came close to winning a fourth. McCurnan was a 3-time All-Star, hit .282 in his career with 435 homers, 1651 RBIs, 1784 runs scored and had 472 stolen bases. In 144 playoff games McCurnan batted .251 with 14 homers, 78 RBIs and scored 81 runs.

Eugene Church · 02-15-2012, 11:40 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, June 19, 2030

RU Stars Win 4-3 In 9th
The Ruthlandian Stars squeezed out a 4-3 victory over the Tycobbian Stars in the 30th Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star clash played at Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... the RU won it in the last of the ninth on Wes Marlowe's (Grand City) sacrifice fly that scored Larry Romney (Eastshore) with the winning score... the win snapped Tycobbia's 2-game winning streak in the All-Star Classic... the TU Stars still have a wide 20-10 lead in the series... Lefty Frizzell (Grand City) collected the victory with a scoreless ninth with the loss going to Don Sawyer (Bay St. Clair), who came on in the ninth and didn't get anybody out... Romney led off the inning with a single... Floyd Randolph (Valmara) moved him to second when shortstop James Gooch (Ozarka) misplayed a grounder... Olari Ojastu (Valka) bunted them over to second and third... Vasco Aguilar (Volusia) was walked intentionally to load the bases... then Marlowe flied out to right to end the game when RF Babe Hankins' threw home and failed to get Romney.

Ruthlandia had the edge in hits 9 to 8 and was led by RF Sonny Oliver (Volusia) and C Les Leslie (Wynnamac) with 2 hits each... 3B Johnny Doyle (Sugar Valley), SS Olari Ojastu (Valka) and Leslie (Wynnamac) drove in the other RU runs... Tony Brinkerhoff (Rolling Hills) and CF Dusty Rogan (Rolling Hills) had solo roundtrippers for Tycobbia and James Couch tripled in the other TU run... starting pitchers Frank Blair (East Point) and Terry Richards shared the Most Valuable Player Award... Blair started for Tycobbia and retired all 6 batters he faced in the first two innings, while Richards fanned 3 in his 2 hitless innings for Ruthlandia.

Eugene Church · 02-16-2012, 06:10 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 1, 2030

No races clinched In IPA, Races close in 6 Divisions
Most of the divisions in the Islandian Pro Alliance are still going at it hot and heavy with 6 of them very much in doubt. The Colfax Blasters in the Ruthlandian West and the Ozarka Naturals in the Tycobbian East are in control and they have a good chance to clinch early.

In the RU North, Valmara is the defending titlist and has a slight edge over Ancona and LaGrange, leading the Red Elephants by 2 games and the Sports by 3. Lagrange has played the best ball the last two months and is slowly closing ground. The Sports are 35-12 over the period. However, the Vipers and Red Elephants are pretty good, too, at 32-15. This one will go down to the wire. It's hard to pick against Valmara, which has taken the pennant the last 4 years.

It's a two-team tango in the Ruthlandian South with Waleska having a slim one-game advantage over the Grand City Cybercats. The Westerners are going into the last month razor sharp after putting up a splendid 20-9 month and overtaking the Cybercats for the top spot in the standings. Grand City went into August with a 4-game lead, but faltered to 15-14. Waleska is favored to take the RU South crown.

The Ruthlandian East has developed into a battle between Wynnamac and Sugar Valley with Beechwood and Marston only having remote chances to win the flag. The Macs are 2 games in front of Rattlers heading into the final three weeks of the season. Both are playing good baseball at this point. The Bobcats are in third place, but 6 games off the pace, while the Marston Nine is 7 games out. This one's too close to call. Last year's champ Sugar Valley just might win out in the end with its superior pitching staff.

The Colfax Blasters built up a good, solid lead early in the Ruthlandian West and have seen it dissipate down to 5 games over last season's division winner Stoner and 7 games to the Sligo Rovers, Middlefield Roosters and the Fort Benton Defenders. Yet Colfax is the odds-on choice to win the pennant. The other clubs have too little time to catch the Blasters.

Over in the western half of the Islands in the Tycobbian Union, there's plenty of good pennant races. In the TU North it's down to just two teams, the Luxora Zorros and the Blue Lake Blue Sox, who are tied for the top spot going into September. Fairfax is a distant 6 games back. The Zorros took charge with a great 19-9 April, but have since leveled off a bit over the last few months. Whereas the Blue Sox have gotten better as the year progressed. Blue Lake is 34-23 in the last two months, while Luxora is 28-29. Strong pitching by the Blue Sox gives them the edge during the last few weeks of the season. Last year's division champ Hartsdale is tied for fourth this season and trails by 8 games.

In the TU South, it a 3-team catfight between first place Cape Coral, runner-up Southport and third place Colchester. The Hurricanes have a 3-game advantage over last year division-winning Sun Sox and 4 up on the hard-charging Elites. Colchester is a sizzling 37-20 over the last two months, while Cape Coral and Southport are still playing well with 33-24 records in July and August. They may be hard for the Elites to catch. It should quite a race between 3 fine teams. Southport just might overtake the Hurricanes. The Sun Sox are a tough team to beat.

The dominant team in the Tycobbian East is the Ozarka Naturals with a big 7-game bulge over second place East Point and 8 in front of defending crownbearer Tuckanarra. Heading into the stretch drive the Nats are still the best club, followed by the Tucks and Panthers. Ozarka should clinch early.

One of the surprise powers in the IPA is the Kenwood Wildcats, who have taken the TU West by storm with a high-scoring bunch of hitters and an impressive mound corps. The Wildcats are up from fifth place last season and are tied with another Cinderella club, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers that rose up from seventh in 2029. Last year's Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills is still in the hunt, just 3 games off the pace. Who will prevail? Will it be the super bats of the Wildcats, the strong pitching of the Bucs or the high-powered attack, experience and winning tradition of the Reds? My vote goes to Kenwood. The Wildcats are the best-balanced team in the hunt.

Eugene Church · 02-19-2012, 09:07 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 16, 2030

Evans And Sterling Cop IPA Batting Crowns
It's official! Lorne Evans of the Southpost Sun Sox and Sterling Hall of the Crystal Lake Crushers have claimed the 2030 batting crowns in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Evans not only won the Tycobbian Union batting title, but the 25-year-old slugger also became only the fifth player in IPA history to win the Triple Crown. Evans led the TU in batting average, RBIs and homers with a .386 batting average, 134 RBIs and 59 home runs. The other Triple Crown recipients were Jack Elliott of the High Mesa Cowboys, who accomplished it twice, in 2017 and 2021, Dane Wesner of the Fairfax Frogs in 2010 and Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers in 2002. The 27-year-old Hall batted .349 for the Crushers, finishing up the season with 44 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. Hall batted in 67 runs and scored 70 times in 119 games. Evans and Hall are first-time winners.

The runner-up to Evans was San Alejo's Bubby Blackwell, who hit .356 in 145 games with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and 98 runs scored. Third in the TU batting race was Babe Hankins at .345 with 23 roundtrippers, 109 runs batted in and 110 runs. Hankins participated in 146 games.

Valmara's Gerry Kazmarek was the number two hitter in the Ruthlandian Union behind Hall. Kazmarek batted .344 for the Vipers with 12 home runs, 69 RBIs and 82 runs in 113 games. Brad Maddox of the St. John Crusaders came in third with a .343 BA, 2 homers, 50 RBIs and 99 runs, while playing in 144 contests.

Eugene Church · 02-19-2012, 09:15 PM

2030 Tycobbian Union Final Batting Statistics

Eugene Church · 02-19-2012, 09:16 PM

2030 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Statistics

Eugene Church · 02-19-2012, 09:19 PM

2030 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting Statistics

Eugene Church · 02-19-2012, 09:19 PM

2030 Ruthlandian Union Final Pitching Statistics

Eugene Church · 02-20-2012, 09:06 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Vipers Win 5th Straight RU North Flag
It was a bitter fight to the end, but Valmara outlasted a valiant LaGrange on the last day of the season to claim its fifth RU flag in a row and seventh in the last eight years. The Sports closed fast, but fell on the final day of the season, while the Vipers were victorious, giving Valmara the title by one game... Ancona folded in the stretch and finished in third place, 5 games behind... Far Mountain wound up a distant fourth and trailed by 10 games.

Manager Jet Kazmarek has a solid ball club in Valmara (87-67), led on the hill by Teddy Lem (21-14/3.31), rookie Garry Gronek (15-10/3.38), J. B. Boutin (16-11/3.47) and Carroll Cain (15-12/3.52), plus a solid closer in Ivan Guzek (6-7/2.29/24 saves)... Kazmarek has a bevy of good bats in his son, RF Gerry Kazmarek (.344/12/69/82), CF Teddy Szymanski (.284/19/76/69), C Floyd Randolph (.268/19/94/65), LF Benny Hooper (.318/10/70/61) and Jerry Rembert (.282/21/70/80)... the Vipers won the pennant despite losing Clem Carmouche (6-3/3.92) for the season in mid-May and regulars OF Reno DeBenedetti (.302/9/62/82) and 3B Amos Gallagher (.291/6/47/61) in late August.

The LaGrange Sports (86-68) ran a fiesty race under manager Quincy Peterson, falling a scant game short... the Sports also lost a valuable pitcher Niles Wooten (4-3/3.41) in May for the season... heading up the rotation were Alex Gillespie (19-12/2.70), Ryan Janssen (19-15/3.71) and Mike York (14-12/3.17)... top bats were sluggers CF Russell Watkins (.325/36/103/103), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.315/39/100/96) and RF Randall Hawson (.268/25/83/65).

The Ancona Red Elephants (82-72) contended most of the season, but faltered down the stretch in September... skipper Manny Mickens had some capable pitching from ace Razzy Angelis (22-14/2.49), Kyros Halkias (16-15/3.66) and Lonnie Quick (12-10/3.46)... however a weak bullpen did him in... they compiled a poor 4.32 team ERA (27th)... best hitters were free agent RF Jimmy Howell (.333/5/60/74) from Blue Lake of the Tycobbian Union, 3B Koora Nawajuk (.291/13/56/84) and power man SS Todd Nasso (.246/24/82/88)... longtime star RF Kenny Willard left the team this season and signed with Glasco after 17 great years with the Red Elephants.

New manager Don Nichols only had a so-so season in his first year with the Far Mountain Redhawks (77-77), winding up 10 games back in fourth place... the Redhawks have a standout veteran on the mound... Jakob Wagner (20-11/2.41) is an good as they get in the IPA... Jeff Cooper (17-19/3.39) and Keith Griggs (13-11/3.19) do a good job as well... along with quality closer Hans Becker (5-6/2.55/19 saves)... but at the plate Far Mountain needs a lot of help when 1B Johnny Becker (.285/11/56) and LF Ryan Mizell (.257/18/88) are the best in the batting order.

After a successful second-place finish in 2029 the Kilkenny Cats (71-83) tumbled back into the second division, ending up in fifth place and 16 games off the pace in the RU North... second-year skipper Rusty Denicola saw his staff under perform after a brilliant season the year before... the team ERA went from a splendid 2.67 to 3.35... Dave Whitaker (16-11/2.54) and Dean Harris (12-9/3.12) stood out, but got no offensive support... CF Ronnie Roussel (.298/33/108/82) and 1B Garris Aiken (.283/28/75/78) provided most of the punch... Kilkenny still has not made the postseason in its 29 years in the IPA.

The long drought continued in Ranford (70-84), where the Bulls missed the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season... their last postseason appearance was in 2005... Ranford wound up sixth and 17 games back... manager Rick Fargnoli is on the hot seat this year... the Bulls boast a .282 BA (2nd), but lack power... 3B Sonny Statum (.334/5/55/102), SS Terry Kerr (.325/17/89/87) and LF Percy Whitehead (.341/7/67/66) are strong contact hitters... add in 1B Elton Graff (.287/11/72/52) and C Kyle Hunt (.294/8/71/70) and you've got a pretty fair offense... but the Bulls are short on pitching with a 4.09 team ERA (29th)... Manny Mateo (15-17/2.89) and Angelo Coppolo (19-15/3.64) were the best moundsmen.

For the eighth successive season the Glasco Athletics (67-87) are near the bottom of the division, resting in seventh place, 20 games out of first... 2003 was the A's last postseason appearance... manager Barry McCord has a fair offense (17th) with a .264 BA (18th), but is woeful on the mound with a 4.34 team ERA (31st)... C Eddy Martin (.302/19/87/54) and free agent and 38-year-old LF Kenny Willard (.281/15/63/79) are the best of the lot at the plate... the team's top hurlers Sam Gilmore (16-14/4.26) and Egan McRae (16-15/4.68) are just mediocre at best.

11 years have passed since the Taranto Tars (60-94) won the RU North... it was a dismal year for manager Denny Radke as the club posted its worst record ever and ended up 27 games behind leading Valmara... the Tars ranked last with a 4.46 team ERA (32nd) and 29th in run scoring, while batting just .250 (28th)... Paulie Pieroni (15-17/3.05) was the only effective pitcher on the squad... 1B Pat Mouton (.295/19/62/69) and 2B Greg Murphy (.285/17/52/61) led Taranto with lackluster stats... not much in the batting order after them... it was a long season for the Tars.

Eugene Church · 02-21-2012, 04:39 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

GC Cybercats Sneak By Waleska For RU South
The Grand City Cybercats came out of nowhere to sneak past powerful Waleska and defending champ Crystal Lake to capture the Ruthlandian South pennant... the C'Cats skimmed by the Westerners by game, whipped the Crushers by 6 and finished 7 ahead of the San Dimas Rancheros.

Grand City (90-64) has been stuck in the second division for the last three seasons, when they finished sixth, eighth and seventh, respectively... Grand City's last title was in 10 years ago... they have only made the playoffs twice, in 2002 and 2021... manager Wade Joslin guided them past Waleska and Crystal Lake in spite of losing three pitchers from his starting rotation... Greg Kelley (15-7/4.02) went out in early September and Charley Chisholm (11-6/2.98) suffered a season-ending injury in July... Kelley could be back for the playoffs... vet Danny Denver (3-5/4.50) was injured in Spring Training and missed 30 starts, finally returning in August, but not at his best... luckily Sammy Cagle (22-14/3.65) and Kip Day (18-15/3.19) had career seasons... they carried the team with the help of bullpen standouts Lefty Frizzell (1-2/1.14/21 saves), Ralph Teague (8-4/2.07/11 saves) and John Sheehan (7-2/2.65/2 saves)... the Cybercats also had plenty of clout in their lineup with 1B Mick Langston (.323/39/107/97), CF Thomas Hall (.317/32/93/106) and LF Wes Marlowe (.270/26/97/77) and ranked third in scoring.

For the last nine years the Waleska Westerners (89-65) have been near the top of the RU South standings, winning the division crown twice in 2024 and 2028... and skipper McGraw Johnson had his chance at the title again this year, but could only win one of the last four games... Grand City almost blew it when they were just 1-3 in the final four games... The Westerners have a potent batting order with .275 BA (5th), 148 homers (7th-tied) and topped the league in scoring with 796 runs (1st)... pitching-wise they were just average with a 3.53 team ERA (14th)... IPA super legends Roy Hobbs (.342/35/138/91) and LF Loco Dillinger (.319/42/118/119) both had monster years... Hobbs paced the IPA with 138 RBIs and Dillinger was the home-run leader and RBI leader in the Ruthlandian Union... fine young SS Yahto Sisika (.282/6/56/46) missed the last month of the season... top twirlers were Wild Bill Butler (20-13/4.01), Terry Richards (22-10/3.45) and closer Jarred Laclair (10-8/2.40/23 saves).

After leading at the All-Star break, the Crystal Lake Crushers (84-70) slowly dwindled to third place, winding up 6 games off the pace... the Crushers lived up to their name with a .287 BA (1st) and ranked second to Waleska in scoring... skipper Baby George had a decent pitching staff as far as starters, but little in the bullpen (5.13/32nd)... RF Sterling Hall (.349/5/67/70) led the RU in hitting... other top guns were CF Herm Taylor (.322/4/64/107), 2B Carl Bentley (.332/12/86/77), C Tommy Trent (.335/10/65/62), LF Ryan Ray (.259/23/92/81) and 1B Josh George (.268/20/87/101)... Crystal Lake has capable starters in Arnie Cason (20-12/2.84), T. D. Burnham (21-12/3.22) and Ben Garvik (18-14/3.95).

The fourth place San Dimas Rancheros (83-71) finished strong, ending up just 7 games back... manager Wesley Pate has very good pitching with a 3.19 team ERA (2nd), but lacks offense... the Rancheros hit just .253 (26th) and ranked low in runs (25th) and homers with only 92 (30th-tied)... heading up the mound corps were Joaquin Lima (21-10/2.49), Miguel Valdes (18-16/3.14), Shannon White (18-14/3.62) and Jay Barajas (9-3/2.43)... top run producers were CF Ramon Escobar (.307/11/87/80), 1B Joey Harris (.278/17/85/77) and 3B Gregg Mathis (.264/12/83/53)... San Dimas has not made the postseason since winning the pennant in 2008.

The St. John Crusaders (79-75) remained close until mid-season, then fizzled in the second half... the Crusaders came in fifth in the race and trailed by 11 games... manager Clayton Luck's club possessed pretty good bats with .273 BA (8th), ranked 11th in scoring and 24th in power with 106 homers... with less than average pitching with a 3.82 ERA (22nd)... sparking the Crusader attack were CF Brad Maddox (.343/2/50/99), 1B Roger Lanier (.317/15/102/91), SS Byron Johannsen (.282/11/81/93), Leon Clendennon (.309/10/69/58/ and Joey Daigrepont (.294/18/75/61)... on the hill veteran Don Baillie (20-13/3.17) and second-year man Russell Larsen (15-15/3.62) were the biggest winners... much-counted on free agent Loris Plooster, an 18-game winner for Ginza in the TU South last year, hurt his elbow in early June and was out for the year... Plooster was only 4-7 with a disappointing 4.59 ERA in his 14 starts.

The last time the Valka Blackhawks (75-79) won the pennant and made the Pro Cup playoffs was 14 seasons ago in 2017... for the second year in a row the Blackhawks have been the sixth-best team in the RU South... they wound up 15 games behind in the race this year... the Blackhawks ranked near the bottom in pitching with a 4.08 team ERA (30th), but they could score runs (5th-tied) and were rated 5th in runs and tied for fifth in homers with 150, while posting a solid .272 BA (10th)... perking up the offense were 3B Leevi Viru (.335/21/88/86), 2B Olari Ojastu (.319/18/73/95), CF Tonu Viks (.298/29/89/82), C Jaak Pajukivi (.298/18/76/61) and RF Barney Howell (.269/14/64/92)... Villem Arumaa (18-11/3.72) were the only winner on the staff.

After a third place finish last year, the Claxton Diamonds (68-86) slipped back to mediocity and seventh place, 22 games off the pace of pennant-winning Grand City... the Diamonds were tied for last place with Belair Beach... it's been 12 years since the Diamonds made the postseason playoffs... Claxton has power at the plate with 148 roundtrippers (7th-tied) and fairly good starters, but little else with a .254 BA (25th) and a 3.69 team ERA (20th)... Jack Vogel (11-18/2.90) is the most effective pitcher and Freddi Hahn (14-13/3.68) is the biggest winner... RF Ivan Krause (.279/37/84/106) and LF Jock Jumonville (.270/21/63/90) were the best bats.

Despite some stark improvements on the hill, going from a pathetic 4.79 to a respectable 3.56 ERA, the Belair Beach Sunbirds (68-86) still wound up in the cellar for the third time in four seasons... they were 22 games back in the race... Belair Beach hasn't been in the playoffs since 2016 and now have been stuck near the bottom for the last 5 years... the offense is pitiful with a .246 BA (30th) and 109 home runs (22nd), ranking near the bottom with 587 runs (31st)... 1B Kees Draeger (.296/22/83/53) and LF Pat Webb (.266/27/74/65) are the only reliable hitters that Sunbird skipper Little Jake Bungarooba has... Rob Thrasher (19-16/3.14) and Fernando Melendez (13-8/2.88) are both quality pitchers... new free agent from Ginza of the TU South, Daniel Ferguson, struggled with an 11-18 mark, but chalked up a good 3.40 ERA.

Eugene Church · 02-22-2012, 01:55 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Wynnamac Wins Battle With Sugar Valley
No one other than Wynnamac and Sugar Valley ever seriously contended in the Ruthlandian East race this season. The Sundowners pulled away in the last week of the regular season to knock off the defending division titleholder Sugar Valley by 4 games. Wynnamac was 5-2 in the showdown week, while the Rattlers were just 2-5. Third place Belle Plaine lingered deep in the second division until August, then closed out the season sizzling with a 31-12 record to end up tied with Beechwood. The Musketeers and Bobcats finished 8 games off the pace.

Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (86-68) just played steady and consistent ball throughout the season and finally prevailed to win the RU East for the fifth time in history... offense was the team's forte with a .274 team BA (7th) and good power with 159 homers (3rd)... top batters were 3B Dorak Arando (.305/24/79/82), CF Allen Dundee (.289/31/103/89), 1B Giles Butler (.310/23/74/71), C Lee Leslie (.271/25/77/68) and LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.299/21/58/59)... Burkhalter missed over 60 games because of injuries... Killara Bardo (21-13/2.85) was the ace of the mound staff... Jason Meeks (12-13/3.29) was effective, too... bullpen was suspect... could be a sore point in the Pro Cup playoffs... the Sundowners will be returning to the postseason for the first time in five years... Wynnamac last won the Pro Cup in 2008.

Firepower and strong pitching kept the Sugar Valley Rattlers (82-72) in the hunt most of the year... They led the RU with 176 home runs (1st) and with a 3.15 team ERA (1st), but the Rattlers ranked poorly in runs (28th) and batting average with a .235 mark (32nd)... 3B Johnny Doyle (.263/34/80/67), CF Tyler White (.225/28/74/86) and C Silvio Salas (.247/20/59/63) provided what little offense they had... manager Gibby Bobkins has a strong starting foursome, who deserved better run support: Wes Weaver (17-12/2.54), Aron Libertini (19-13/3.36), Chris Calsworth (14-14/3.45) and Jeremy Blanchard (17-19/2.84)... veteran Dallas Casey (6-5/1.89/21 saves) stood out in the bullpen.

Dave Torregrossa's Belle Plaine Musketeers (78-76) finally found the right combination late in the summer and closed with a rush to come in tied for third with Beechwood... the Muskies trailed by 8 games... they were last at the All-Star break, 12 games back... the offensive-minded Muskies were paced by C Derek Roman (.325/22/82/88), 1B Pierre Giguere (.280/33/98/84), RF Leon Bourque (.279/20/80/85) and SS Tyler Verret (.257/18/74/69)... Belle Plaine tied for 8th in scoring, hit 138 roundtrippers (11th) and batted .275 (6th)... but were not so good on the hill with a 3.98 team ERA (25th)... Lamont Cramer (19-16/4.21) won the most games, while Leonard James (16-10/3.75) was the most effective... Torregrossa and his Musketeers are looking forward to 2031.

Bret George just had an average team this season in Beechwood (78-76)... his Bobcats were tied for third and finished 8 games out of the running in the RU East... Beechwood was the power in the division from 2020 to 2027 with three pennants, but no more... the Bobcats still have some talent in veteran pitchers Ken Arby (14-17/3.04) and Maury Patterson (17-19/2.14)... but really suffer in the batter's box... LF Herb Douglas leads the team with a .296 average... 2B Norm Smith and CF Pat Pizarro are the club leaders with just 11 home run apiece... and 1B Ron Griffin is the top RBI guy with only 71.

The Marston Nine (76-78) have slumped to the fifth spot in the standings the last two years, winding up 10 games behind the division leader Wynnamac this season... manager Danny Church won the pennant in 2028... pitching is the problem... his only dependable starter is Doug Hansack (16-12/3.22)... longtime IPA great CF Russ Woodward (.289/24/79/79) is still a quality player at age 36, but is showing signs of decline at the plate... Woodward is a 7-time All-Star and 6-time Gold Glover with a lifetime .315 BA and over 500 homers... SS Lonnie Trekell (.281/27/83/70) led the Nine in homers and runs batted in... youngsters C Ron Marlowe (.300/18/66/62) and LF Ken Armstrong (.307/16/62/73) also played well this year.

The Eastshore Elegants (75-79) wound up sixth this season with Killer Brewster at the helm... he had the Elegants in the running up until mid-season, but they slumped badly in the second half and finished 11 games out... this is the third season in succession Eastshore has come in sixth... Brewster had capable starters with Randy Boone (12-12/2.53), Don Klingenberg (17-16/3.11) and 16-year standout Melvin Key (16-18/3.10), but the bullpen suffered... Key is 36 years old and boasts a 259-221 career record with a fine 3.13 ERA... Key has two Pro Cup rings... Eastshore's top guns were 3B Cayman Ketterman (.285/18/103/62), CF Scotty Lagrange (.272/29/89/91), SS Larry Romney (.305/13/79/78) and LF George Shepherd (.309/12/63/70)... it's been a prolonged playoff drought for the Elegants... 2019 was the last postseason appearance... it is rumored that Brewster may retire this season... the golden years of 2016-2021, when Eastshore won 2 Pro Cups and 4 pennants are long gone.

Success in the IPA has been minimal for the Cold Creek Catamounts (73-81)... they have been a habitual also-ran in the RU East for the last two decades, last winning a pennant in 2012... Cold Creek has made the playoffs only three times in its history... this year the Catamounts were in seventh place and trailed by 13 games under manager Scoop Lemieux... Cold Creek had two strong starters with Eddie Brasher (19-14/2.94) and Tommy Smith (17-17/2.76), but little else... leading the offense were 1B Steve Daniels (.289/23/83/82), LF Carl Glick (.266/19/68/92) and CF Teke Holmes (.283/11/38/79).

Skipper Leon Carter had the Elnora All-Stars (70-84) on the rise with first-division finishes in 2028 and 2029, but they relapsed this season and plunged into the basement, 16 games out of first place... it's been 8 years since the All-Stars won a pennant and made the postseason... Elnora can hit the ball with the likes of CF Travis Glass (.272/33/96/89), 1B Mel Long (.281/26/85/61), RF Pettis Pentleton (.314/24/77/91), 2B Matt Boyd (.330/13/79/77) and 3B Jeff Matthews (.276/15/70/80) in the lineup... in his starting rotation Carter has two dependable pitchers in Freddy Pfeffer (19-15/3.19) and Lucien Vashon (15-16/3.39), but the bullpen is horrendous with a 4.74 ERA (31st).

Eugene Church · 02-24-2012, 12:12 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Colfax Survives Stoner, Sligo, FTB Surges
Leading the division halfway through the season doesn't mean a lot unless you have a huge lead. Colfax topped Sligo by 8 games at the All-Star Game, Fort Benton by 11 and last year's champ Stoner by 12, then held on during those clubs' second-half surges for the Ruthlandian West title. The Blasters outlasted Stoner by 2 games, Sligo by 4 and Fort Benton by 6. Even the Middlefield Roosters made a little bit of a run and wound up 7 games off the pace, after trailing by 13 at mid-season.

Many years have come and gone since the Colfax Blasters (84-70) reigned supreme in the RU West... they won 7 flags in 9 years from 2008 to 2016, including the Pro Cup in 2010... manager Ilya Szabo was a star pitcher during that period, good enough to be inducted in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2027 with a 327-210 record and a terrific 2.57 ERA... now Szabo has garnered the club's eighth pennant... the Blasters hit the ball well, had decent starters and super relievers... C Mitch Fullerton (.338/25/87/92) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.301/19/95/72) fueled the offense with lots of help from SS Dino Manale (.300/8/67/92) and CF Hal Granders (.282/2/39/97)... Rudy Rosario (4-3/1.80/11 saves) and Norm Harbison (4-1/1.99/7 saves) were bullpen standouts, while starters Jon Cruise (19-15/3.09), Bobby Fleetfoot (16-15/3.23) and Smoky Rogers (17-18/3.16) were solid and steady... the Blasters suffered through a 19-24 record in August and September and almost blew the pennant.

Benny Stern's Stoner Stars (82-72) closed with a rush, cutting the Colfax lead from 10 games in August down to just 2... the Stars went 27-16 over the last six weeks of the season... Stern has strong bats with a .281 BA (3rd) and ranked third in scoring... starting pitching was pretty fair with Glenn Tackett (21-13/3.60), Travis Wallace (15-10/3.51), Raul Hidalgo (17-17/3.25) and Norm Dawson (11-10/3.23)... the relief corps was anchored by Darrell Geoffrey (7-6/1.97/19 saves)... Stoner's best sticks belonged to OF Marty Berrigan (.325/15/55/62), RF Neil Mooney (.329/5/48/51), 3B Jeff Henderson (.314/13/71/61), LF Kevin Fisher (.315/8/64/105), catcher P. J. Blake (.301/3/63/55), 1B Fletch Fowler (.302/15/65/58) and CF Al Rispone (.290/15/69/61)... they were all veterans of last year's Pro Cup Finals, which they lost to champ Rolling Hills.

The Sligo Rovers (80-74) went into August 8 games back and cut it to 4 games by year's end with a 23-20 mark... the Rovers don't look too good stats-wise with a .249 BA (29th), ranked 24th in runs and chalked up a 3.76 team ERA (21st), but they made a race of it... Sligo has won two flags and has finished in the top three teams for 7 years in a row... the Rovers have racked up four pennants in the last 10 seasons... and copped the Pro Cup in 2021... Earl Perkins (13-10/3.17) and Terry Bailey (18-14/3.91) led the mound staff with 1B Maury Rice (.271/28/100/83), CF Teddy Brunet (.280/23/76/78) and C Archie Shanahan (.224/13/91/51) topping the batting order.

Manager Robbie Brooks of the Fort Benton Defenders (78-76) had the fourth best offense in the RU with a .279 BA... but suffered on the hill with a 3.93 team ERA (24th)... best batters were 1B Ernie O'Day (.289/21/80/84), CF Danny Reisner (.326/12/83/88) and 2B Monty McMurtry (.308/6/53/85)... Frankie Quinn (20-11/3.00) won 20 games for the third time in his four IPA seasons and carried the club... the Defenders came in fourth and were 7 games behind pennant-winning Colfax... Fort Benton has never made the postseason in its history... the Defenders have graced the first division only 10 times in 30 seasons.

Fifth place went to the Middlefield Roosters (77-77) of Bailey Norcross... from 2023 to 2027 his Roosters ruled the roost in the RU West by winning four straight titles... since then the have missed the postseason... overall Middlefield has notched 6 division titles and the 2005 Pro Cup... the Roosters don't score a lot of runs (19th) with a .254 BA (24th), but do go deep occasionally with 146 roundtrippers (9th)... and they compiled a decent 3.51 team ERA (12th)... 1B Rusty Reese (.343/20/78/56) is the top offensive performer, aided by LF Nickie Tomasiewicz (.302/17/61/48), CF Victor Parsons (.286/7/57/77) and C Rollie Hinkle (.290/8/46/67)... OF Nick Kanellis topped the team with 23 homers, but batted just .232 for average... Norcross' starting four did a quality job, headed up by Tyrus Cobb (18-13/2.92)... Ken Crawford (10-8/2.85), Asa Schmit (17-15/3.57) and Judson Davis (14-17/3.04) were also reliable.

For six dismal years the Rocky Rapids Snappers (74-80) have lounged in the second division, finishing up sixth this year and 10 games back... for a pennant you have to go back to 2019, which wrapped up four consecutive RU West crowns... the Snappers even grabbed the 2019 Pro Cup... those are the club's only postseason appearances... starter Walter Noland (13-11/3.57) and closer John Young (3-4/1.79/10 saves) were the best hurlers for manager Junior Noland, Walter's older brother, while 1B Angelo Nardone (.315/25/83/83), 2B Rod Cook (.290/16/73/70) and RF John Charboneau (.267/16/74/85) were the top hitters.

It's been 25 years since the Volusia Vigilantes (73-81) have been in the playoffs with only one Pro Cup to show for - that was in the IPA's inaugural season in 2001... Alfonso Feliz is still at the helm after 30 years, but is thought to be stepping down after this season... Volusia made the postseason its first six seasons, but none since... the V's ended up only 11 games out in the race, but came in seventh... the Vigilantes have a pretty fair offense with a .268 BA (13th), ranked 10th in scoring, 12th in homers with 137 and a so-so 3.68 team ERA (19th)... free agent RF Sonny Oliver (.322/22/87/93) from Valmara was well worth it... CF Vasco Aguilar (.308/28/104/91) also had an excellent year... other contributors were 1B Joao Rosales (.298/14/67/69) and LF Dave Skoglund (.280/17/78/78)... Greg Moss (15-15/2.97) was an effective starter for the V's, along with Val Cameron (13-10/2.96).

After last year's surprising third place finish, the outlook was quite optimistic this season for the Forest City Lumberjacks (62-92), but skipper Joe Judlin's mound staff floundered and flopped and the team returned to the basement, the worst team in the TU West... the 'Jacks slipped 22 games behind... only Taranto of the RU North had a worse record at 60-94... the Lumberjacks have been absent from the playoffs since 2013 and have never taken the Pro Cup... Judlin's best pitcher was young Walt Wright with a 9-5 mark and a fine 3.19 ERA... Wright was signed in July... 36-year-old closer Andy Velasco (3-5/2.96/13 saves) is still a strong reliever after 17 years in the IPA... 1B Steve Burns (.341/28/76/82) is one the few productive bats in the lineup.

Eugene Church · 02-25-2012, 10:37 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2030

2030 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Blue Lake Snags TU North In Final Days
For most of the Tycobbian North season it was mainly a contest between Blue Lake and Luxora with a little bit of Fairfax mixed in. The Blue Sox captured the division flag in the last three days of the season, winning all their games to take it by 2 games over the Zorros... Luxora dropped two of the final three games and fell to second place... the Frogs came in third and trailed by 7 games... fourth place went to the Oxford Red Caps, who were 11 games off the pace.

In a turnaround season manager Rick Hilliard sparked his Blue Lake Blue Sox (85-69) to their first pennant in 20 years... Blue Lake was seventh last season... Hilliard depends almost totally on his talented mound staff that notched an excellent 3.07 team ERA... the Blue Sox standout rotation consists of Doug Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92), Derek Joubert (12-5/1.84), Chris Landry (15-13/2.88), Willie Taskins (15-16/3.24) and Billy Trakas (13-17/3.24)... the Blue Sox got a bad break as Kirkpatrick will miss most of the playoffs because of a sore arm... he was injured in early September and will miss about a month... batting is poor with a .257 BA, 115 homers (28th-tied) and only 609 runs (31st)... 3B Matt Thompson (.291/11/62/65), RF Boom-Boom Baker (.263/18/75/70) and CF Chris Halley (.316/3/53/76) are the Blue Sox best bats.

The Luxora Zorros (83-71) had their chance but flopped in the final days and lost out by 2 games... Luxora was third in 2029... the Z's hit with some power with 144 home runs (13th), batted .260 (22nd) and ranked 19th in runs with 671... manager Lacey Tompkins' Zorros thrived with a super bullpen that chalked up a 2.34 ERA (2nd)... the starters put up a 3.74 ERA (14th)... overall Luxora compiled a fairly good 3.46 team ERA (9th)... Toby White (5-3/0.96/3 saves), Kent Halloran (9-5/2.35) headed up a strong bullpen... Tommy Ellefsen (9-1/2.34) was a reliever until mid-July when he became a full-time starter... Benny DeVito (15-17/3.62) and Valente Viero (14-19/3.39) were quality pitchers, too... the Z's top run producers were 1B Gerry Hathaway (.316/29/82/75), RF Roger Noble (.282/24/77/76) and CF Kevin Hanley (.252/20/87/87).

Going into August, the Fairfax Frogs (78-76) were tied with Luxora for first place with Blue Lake just a game back... however skipper Dane Wesner's Frogs went into a 10-19 funk and dropped out of the pennant race, winding up in third place 7 games out... this was the second straight season the Frogs missed a good opportunity... last year they lost the pennant in a single-game playoff... Fairfax has a good offense with a .276 BA (7th), 121 homers (20th-tied) and were tied for 10th in scoring (709 runs)... batting leaders were LF Max Lebowitz (.317/18/86/77), SS John Velasco (.305/14/83/83), CF Eric Kusek (.322/12/57/80) and OF Alton Dale (.309/14/56/66)... the Frogs were only average on the hill with a 3.78 team ERA (18th)... Joey Santini (17-15/3.89) and Kevin Meeks (17-16/3.28) were the top starters.

In 2007 the Oxford Red Caps (74-80) won the Pro Cup... they have not been to the playoffs since... the Red Caps made a little progress this year moving into the TU North first division for the first time since 2025... manager Cameron Kamara brought his club in fourth, losing out by 11 games... Oxford has an average attack (.268 BA-13th) with mediocre pitching (4.08 ERA-26th), tied for 16th in scoring (679 runs) and ranked 15th in power with 135 home runs... standout 1B Kerry Sterling had a marvelous season with 39 homers, 109 RBIs, 90 runs and a .308 BA... LF Dennis Hartwig (.301/20/65/74) and 3B Rocky Bradford (.292/10/76/75) also were productive at the plate... the only quality arm on the staff was Kenny Gorham (18-13/3.39).

For the 14th year in a row the North Hills Hawks (73-81) failed to make the postseason... manager Todd Simons' club finished in the fifth spot in the standings, 12 games behind pennant-winning Blue Lake... the Hawks are in the bottom third as far as scoring (22nd) with only 659 runs and as far as pitching (23rd) with a 3.96 team ERA... David Michael (19-12/3.82) paced the pitchers with RF Vince Boylan (.294/21/87/76) and CF Ronnie Guillaume (.303/12/69/55) the club leaders at the plate.

Last year's TU North titleholder, the Hartsdale Hellcats (72-82), took quite a tumble to sixth place because of inept pitching... Hartsdale finished 13 games back in the race... the staff ERA rose up from a solid 3.07 last year to a disappointing 3.68 ERA (15th) this season... 22-game winner and Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak (16-16/3.73) and 18-game winner Hank Cooke (16-17/3.51) struggled this year... manager Kendry Moulton's best man was Ron Cochran (11-7/3.10), who split time as a reliever and starter... Cochran moved into the starting rotation in mid-July... the Hellcats still swing the bats well with a .271 BA (12th) and 716 runs (8th), but only went deep 115 times (28th-tied)... the top hitters were 1B Johnny Scott (.334/20/95/89), RF Cris Wallace (.332/8/52/80) and CF Fred Wasikowski (.279/15/81/86).

After garnering two pennants in 2026 and 2028, the Mahaska Haymakers (67-87) have really fallen on hard times... Rusty Tanussa's club slipped to 6th last year and down to 7th this season, 18 games back... the Haymakers have only an average offense with a .272 BA (10th), 121 homers (21st-tied) and is tied for 16th with 679 runs... on the mound the team ERA is a poor 4.01 (25th)... RF Travis Tuttle (.304/22/75/77), CF Pasha Yablonski (.300/2/48/81) and C Bucky O'Brian (.268/24/84/74) sport the best stats at the plate, while Arno Vainmaa (17-17/3.39) was the only effective starter... and closer Viktor Starvinsky (4-6/2.73/17 saves) had a pretty good season.

Another club deep in the doldrums is the White River Rascals (65-89), who settled in the cellar for the second successive season, winding up 20 games out of first, putting an end to manager Mick Cronyn's strong string of success with four pennants since 2021... average pitching (3.75 ERA/17th) and lackluster hitting (.251/28th) is the reason for the decline... the only capable hurlers were rookie starter Davey Johnson (12-7/2.10), who joined the team in June and closer Johnny Duncan (7-5/2.40/10 saves)... ace Paul Sardini (8-19/3.60) put up the worst numbers in his fine 8-year career... overall Sardini is 124-95 with a strong 2.54 ERA... 36-year-old superstar 1B Marty Blake (.299/25/84/69) is still a big threat in the batting order... there's not much in the lineup after him.

02-07-2012, 12:29 AM	#2961
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap Rattlers And 'Macs Tied In RU East The take on the Ruthlandian East pennant race is that it's a two-team affair between the Sugar Valley Rattlers and the Wynnamac Sundowners, who are deadlocked for the top spot at the All-Star break... the Rattlers have taken the divisional crown the last two seasons... now for the third year in a row the 'Macs are the team the Rattlers will have to fend off... chances are it will go down to the wire... the Eastshore Elegants and Marston Nine are third and fourth respectively, but they are not expected to challenge this year... Eastshore is 5 games behind in the race and Marston trails by 7. Sugar Valley has excellent pitching with a 2.91 team ERA (2nd)... the starters are solid with All-Star Wes Weaver (10-2/1.72), Aron Libertini (10-6/3.25) and Jeremy Blanchard (9-7/2.40)... in the bullpen All-Star Dallas Casey (3-1/1.99/12 saves) is the main reliever... the Rattler attack is led by All-Star Johnny Doyle (.263/21/48), Silvio Salas (.24/12/33) and Tyler White (.216/11/27)... Sugar Valley doesn't hit for much average, but can go deep... the Rattlers paced the RU with 87 home runs... defense is outstanding with a .983 FA (2nd). Wynnamac has banged its way into contention with a .272 BA (8th), rank 10th in runs and tied for 3rd with 70 homers... the 'Macs have 5 regulars with double-digit homers... batting leaders are Giles Butler (.341 BA/11 HR), Dorak Aranda (.306 BA/12 HR), All-Star Lee Leslie (.273 BA/16 HR), Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.276 BA/10 HR) and Allen Dundee (.241 BA/11 HR)... the Sundowners mound staff is a little better than average with a 3.49 team ERA (11th)... top arms are Killara Bardo (10-5/3.56), Dean Barber (9-3/3.43) and Lon Marshall (8-7/3.76)... the Sundowners are strong defenders, too, with a .978 FA. The third-place Eastshore Elegants are an average team with a .262 BA (16th), 62 homers (12th-tied) and rank 13th in scoring... pitching-wise the Els have posted a 3.56 team ERA... they are 3 games above the .500 mark... All-Stars Cayman Kettermann (.317 BA/12 HR/55 RBI) and Larry Romney (.281 BA/6 HR/33 RBI) are the top guns with support from George Shepherd (.327 BA/6 HR/36 RBIs) and Scotty LaGrange (.268 BA/10 HR/32 RBI)... longtime pitching star Melvin Key (10-8/2.92) is still around after 17 years and still doing his job... Don Klingenberg (7-7/3.82) also had added some good starts. Scoring is a big time problem for the fourth-place Marston Nine... they bat .269 for average (11th), have belted 62 homers (12th-tied), but rate 31st in scoring runs... the team has posted a 3.88 ERA (24th)... IPA icon and sure-fire Hall-of-Famer Russ Woodward (.318 BA/9 HR), Ron Marlowe (.302 BA/6 HR) and Lonnie Trekell (.260 BA/15 HR) are Marston's best performers at the plate... on the hill it's Doug Hansack (10-4/2.92). The Beechwood Bobcats have escaped the cellar at the mid-point in the season... they have moved up to fifth place with average pitching and hitting... the Bobcats are 8 games away from first place... Maury Patterson has stood out on the mound with a strong 2.61 ERA, but is only 6-11 for the year... Pat Webb (.288 BA/14 HR), Travis Wagner (.281 BA/8 HR) and Norm Smith (.279 BA/7 HR) are the offensive leaders. The sixth-place Elnora All-Stars suffer from a lack of pitching with a 4.17 team ERA (30th)... they are tied with Cold Creek and are 9 games out... only starter Freddy Pfeffer (11-6/3.18) is enjoying a good season... the All-Stars have fair power with 75 home runs (3rd), but rank 17th in runs with a .262 BA (14th)... top run producers are All-Star Matt Boyd (.309 BA/10 HR), Pettis Pendleton (.333 BA/8 HR), Travis Glass (.289 BA/18 HR) and Mel Long (.298 BA/14 HR). Perennial second-division finisher, Cold Creek is staggering along again tied for sixth and headed nowhere... the Catamounts rarely make the first division in the RU East... the last pennent came a long time ago in 2012... they have wound up seventh or eighth for the last four seasons... Cold Creek has no offense, ranking last in runs scored and near the bottom with 48 homers (27th)... pitching is respectable with a 3.51 team ERA (12th)... Eddie Brasher (10-6/2.84) and Tommy Smith (9-8/2.11) are the top performers... Steve Daniels (.285/12 HR) is one of the few dependable batters. This year the basement-dwelling Belle Plaine Musketeers have been the biggest disappointment in the division... the Muskies are 12 games off the pace... they were third two years ago and fourth last year... Belle Plaine has no trouble putting runs on the scoreboard with a .272 BA (6th), but the pitching has gone to the pits this season with a terrible 4.49 ERA (32nd)... only Leonard James (8-5/3.96) has posted decent stats... All-Star Derek Roman (.307 BA/9 HR), Pierre Giguere (.290 BA/16 HR) and Leon Bourque (.269 BA/12 HR) have been solid run producers. Attached Images

02-08-2012, 12:11 AM	#2962
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap Colfax Way Ahead In RU West The Colfax Blasters are living up to their nickname this season and making shambles of the Ruthlandian West... the Blasters have bolted to an 8-game lead at the halfway point of the season... Sligo is a distant second, followed by Fort Benton in the third spot 11 games back... last year's division champ and Pro Cup finalist Stoner has dug themselves into a deep hole and may not be able to get out of it... the Stars are 12 games off the pace and not likely to repeat this year. For the first time in years the Colfax Blasters have finally put it all together with great pitching and rock-solid hitting... the last pennant came in 2016... Colfax has a superlative staff with a 2.66 team ERA (1st)... three hurlers made the All-Star team: Jon Cruise (12-6/2.26), Bobby Fleetfoot (11-3/2.84) and Smoky Rogers (10-6/2.28)... Wayne Whitcomb (8-4/3.49), number four in the rotation, has done a fine job, too... at the plate they are batting .281 (5th) and rank 5th in scoring... All-Star Dino Manale (.354) tops the attack, assisted by Mike Pratt (.303), Mitch Fullerton (.310), Vic Draper (.311), Hal Granders (.317), Glen Smith (.286) and Doug Kirkwood (.295)... the Blasters are number one in wins in the IPA at the All-Star break with a strong 47-24 record. Runner-up Sligo doesn't look good on paper, but is a plus 7 in the won-lost column... the Rovers aren't very potent with the bats, hitting only .248 (29th) and has very little power with only 45 roundtrippers (30th)... on the hill Sligo has posted a lackluster 3.81 ERA... Sligo had a quality core of starters with Earl Perkins (9-4/3.16), Terry Bailey (9-5/3.16) and Lou Page (10-7/3.75)... at age 39 longtime ace Les Patterson (2-6/5.58) is showing signs of decline... the Rovers don't have much in the batter's box with Teddy Brunet (.289 BA/11 HR), Maury Rice (.261 BA/11 HR), Biff Blauer (.290 BA/4 HR) and Howie Robertson (.282 BA/1 HR)... Sligo needs a much better offense to challenge for the RU West flag. Third in the standings are the Fort Benton Defenders, 11 games behind red-hot Colfax... 23-year-old Frankie Quinn (10-4/2.87) tops the twirlers and is headed for another standout season... the best bats are Ronny Frick (.285 BA/12 HR), Danny Riesner (.323 BA/5 HR), Ernie O'Day (.286 BA/9 HR) and Claude St. Laurent (.301 BA/7 HR). Last year's RU West winner, the Stoner Stars, are too good of a club to be in fourth place, 12 games out of the race... expect them to overtake Sligo and Fort Benton and wind up in second place... they won't catch Colfax... too far behind... the Stars have an abundance of bats with Neil Mooney (.348 BA), Jeff Henderson (.320 BA), Fletch Fowler (.333 BA), Kevin Fisher (.298 BA) and Norm Murdoch (.284 BA)... and Glenn Tackett (11-7/3.41) Travis Wallace (8-5/3.39) and Raul Hidalgo (9-8/3.48) are a capable rotation. The Middlefield Roosters are in fifth place and trail by 13 games... poor hitting (.240 BA/30th) holds the club back... pitching is fine with a 3.35 team ERA (7th)... Tyrus Cobb (10-3/2.53) is a terrific pitcher... Asa Schmit (10-7/3.38) is a good one, too... Victor Parsons (.300 BA/6 HR) is the only decent threat in the batting order. The Volusia Vigilantes are more talented than they show in the division standings... the sixth-place V's should do better in the second half and move up into the first division... Val Cameron (10-4/2.82) and Greg Moss (8-7/3.04) give them a good shot at a second-half surge... improved hitting will play a part, too... new free agent signee and All-Star Sonny Oliver (.350 BA/10 HR) could be headed for a banner season... Vasco Aguilar (.306 BA/11 HR) also racked up All-Star honors... and Dave Skoglund (.290 BA/10 HR) and Joao Rosales (.286 BA/4 HR) were productive, too. The seventh place Rocky Rapids Snappers are still finding it hard to get their heads above water in the RU West... for the sixth consecutive season they look to finish near the bottom of the division... stats aren't very good with a .249 BA (27th) and a 3.92 team ERA (25th)... leading the Snappers lineup is Allie Blackwell (.311 BA/1 HR), Angelo Nardone (.293 BA/15 HR) and Rod Cook (.299 BA/8 HR)... Walter Noland (6-6/4.21) is the best of the lot on mound. In 2029 the Forest City Lumberjacks were the surprise team in the RU West with a third-place finish... this season the 'Jacks have tumbled down to the basement... drop in pitching was the prime reason... Forest City forged a .255 team BA (22nd), were tied for 28th in scoring with a 4.02 team ERA (26th)... Stephen Phillips (6-6/3.12) topped the pitchers, while Jackie Jackson (.312 BA/3 HR) and Rog Clemens (.266 BA/14 HR) topped the bats. Attached Images

02-08-2012, 10:10 PM	#2963
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap Luxora Leads TU North, 4-Team Race At the mid-season mark plenty of teams are still in the running in the Tycobbian North... in what looks like a 4-team race, Luxora has a slight one-game advantage over Blue Lake... last year's winner Hartsdale is just 2 off the pace and Fairfax is only 4 games behind. The division-leading Luxora Zorros have improved from third to the top spot this year... a great 19-11 April got them started off well... strong pitching is the Z's forte... overall the club has chalked up a 3.21 team ERA (2nd), but has been especially strong in the bullpen with a 1.86 ERA (1st)... however the Zorros are only average in scoring runs (16th) with a .261 BA (24th)... starters Benny DeVito (8-7/2.73) and Valente Viero (9-9/2.80) are the staff leaders... the Z's have a solid batting lineup with Gerry Hathaway (.322 BA/15 HR), Leandro Silva (.291 BA/6 HR), Roger Noble (.287 BA/10 HR), Kevin Hanley (.276 BA/10 HR) and Forest Orr (.275 BA/6 HR)... Luxora seems to have staying power with a pretty well-balanced team... they should be in the thick of things at season's end. It was long ago when the Blue Lake Blue Sox last won the TU North... it was way back in 2010... they have been close only three or four times in the intervening 20 years... they are excited about their postseason chances this season... second-place Blue Lake's three fine starters are carrying the club, sparked by All-Star Chris Landry (9-4/2.30), Doug Kirkpatrick (9-6/3.54) and Willie Taskins (8-7/3.47)... the starting rotation is one of the better ones in the league with a 3.17 ERA (2nd)... the Blue Sox fall short in the bullpen with a pathetic 5.08 ERA (31st) and in the batter's box with a poor .242 BA (32nd)... Matt Thompson (.301 BA/8 HR) and Eddie Nagen (.259 BA/14 HR) are the best of the lot... Blue Lake has too many weaknesses to stay in the race. The Hartsdale Hellcats copped the division crown last year and almost won it in 2028, too... They are still a quality ballclub in third place, just 2 games out... the Hellcats are impressive at the plate with a .286 BA (5th) and can score runs (3rd)... on the hill they are pretty fair with a 3.53 team ERA (12th)... Hartsdale has an abundance of hitters, led by Cris Wallace (.367 BA/3 HR), All-Star Johnny Scott (.350 BA/9 HR), Lynn Lundy (.304 BA/11 HR), Durward Anderson (.288 BA/3 HR) and Fred Wasikowski (.288 BA/5 HR)... the Hellcats fall short in power... only have average starters, but impressive relievers... Hank Cooke (8-6/2.98) is the only pitcher having a good season... 2029 Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak is only 7-7 with a sky-high 4.67 ERA... the Hellcats really need him to turn it around in the second half... despite the pitching woes, Hartsdale will be in the pennant fight... they are not yet ready to surrender their crown. The Fairfax Frogs gave Hartsdale fits last year, losing out in a single-game playoff... well, the Frogs are right back again, resting fourth in the TU North standings and trailing by 4 games... except for a poor 10-18 start Fairfax has played some good baseball, going 25-18 since... they have four reliable starters in Joey Santini (9-7/3.51), Kevin Meeks (6-7/3.67), Eric Mayes (8-8/3.82) and Ricky Woods (6-5/3.85)... as a team the Frogs have registered a 3.79 ERA (19th)... the Frogs have adequate bats with Max Lebowitz (.316 BA/6 HR), Eric Kusek (.316 BA/5 HR), John Velasco (.297 BA/9 HR) and Alton Dale (.315 BA/5 HR), but not much in the way of home-run power... they are hitting .274 (10th) with 54 home runs (25th)... improved hitting makes Fairfax a better team this year... will probably battle for the pennant with Luxora and Hartsdale. Oxford and North Hills are each 7 games out of first place and tied for the fifth spot in the TU North... the Oxford Red Caps are looking like a second-division team for the fifth year in a row... the Red Caps last contended in 2024 and last made the playoffs in 2007... a .259 team BA (25th) and a 4.25 team ERA (26th) makes Oxford a mediocre club... they won't contend this season... best arms belong to Mario Lopez (9-8/3.44) and Kenny Gorham (7-7/3.94), both starters, and to reliever Willy Heinrich (1-1/2.23/11 saves)... the Red Caps have one star ballplayer: 26-year-old 1B Kerry Sterling, who is hitting .300 with 19 homers and 53 RBIs. It's been 15 years since the North Hills Hawks have had a competitive team... and it will be more of the same in 2030... the fifth-place Hawks possess average hitting with a .267 BA (18th) and sorry pitching with a 4.34 team ERA (27th)... Terry Costanza (7-6/3.45) is a solid pitcher... Vince Boylan (.274 BA/14 HR) and Ronnie Guillaume (.302 BA/6 HR) are the best run producers. Since winning the division in 2028 the Mahaska Haymakers have fallen on hard times, finishing sixth and seventh the last two seasons... the Haymakers are sitting in seventh again at mid-season and are 9 games back... however, they might beat out Oxford and North Hills for fifth place... Mahaska is batting .268 (16th) as a team with a 3.90 ERA (20th)... the Haymakers don't have much power with 52 roundtrippers (27th)... only an average club in scoring (19th)... top performers are All-Star Bucky O'Brian (.281 BA/16 HR) and Travis Tuttle (.272 BA/11 HR), along with Johnny Yevtushenko (.319 BA/7 HR) and Pasha Yablonski (.289 BA/0 HR)... 16-year vet Arno Vainmaa (7-9/3.30) is still a quality arm at age 34... lifetime Vainmaa has 270 victories and 229 losses... good second halves by Joey Meisner (6-7/3.77) and Maxim Petrosian (6-7/3.75) would help. Four times in the last 10 years the White River Rascals won the TU North flag, but they have been stuck in the cellar the last two seasons... the Rascals aren't much with the bats (.252 BA/28th) or on the hill (4.11 ERA/24th)... and they are worse than last year... they are already 13 games out of first place... Jon French (7-7/4.38) is the only decent hurler... no one is hitting very well... batting .261 Jerry Thomas leads the club in homers with 11 and RBIs with 37... Jim Abrams tops the Rascals with a .290 mark and has hit 8 home runs... the forecast calls for another last-place finish for White River. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-25-2012 at 07:48 PM.

02-09-2012, 05:12 PM	#2964
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Tycobbian South Mid-Season Recap 5-Club Ruckus In TU South, 'Canes On Top Two perennial also-rans are making some noise in the Tycobbian South this season... Cape Coral and San Alejo are challenging two of the division elite, last season winner, the Ginza Ninjas, who have won the title 3 times in 5 years and the Southport Sun Sox, who have won pennants twice in three seasons... at the All-Star hiatus the Cape Coral Hurricanes have chalked up a 3-game advantage over the runner-up San Alejo Montaneros... the 'Canes haven't contested for 15 seasons and haven't made the playoffs since 2015... the Monties won pennants the first two years in the IPA (2002-2003) and haven't grace the postseason since... Southport is third and trails by 4 games... Colchester is fourth and 5 games back... defending champ Ginza is 6 games behind in fifth... the soothsayers see a 5-team dogfight before the dust settles in the TU South. First place Cape Coral moved up to fourth and the first division last year and now are a solid contender... the Hurricanes are hitting .282 (6th), but don't possess much power... they have only 51 homers (28th) and are tied for 14th in scoring... in team ERA they are 14th with a 3.66 ERA... and strong on defense with a .979 FA... only East Point of the TU East has won more games... the Panthers are 46-25, while the Hurricanes are 44-27... Cape Coral has a bevy of good bats with Jan Krammer (.325 BA/8 HR), Steve Fitzgerald (.323 BA/7 HR), Tonio Libertore (.318/1 HR), Sandy Coburn (.304 BA/3 HR) and Dan Isenberg (.284 BA/9 HR)... on the hill Kris Bogaard (11-5/3.42) and Randy Burns (11-7/3.15) stand out... Curt Garrett (3-3/2.84/11 saves) has impressed in the bullpen. San Alejo has come out of nowhere, climbing up from seventh in 2029 to second place this year... greatly improved pitching and greatly improved batting has done it... the Montaneros are one of the big surprises in the IPA with a 3.24 team ERA (3rd) and a .275 BA (8th) with 86 homers (2nd)... top mound performers are Johnny Brown (7-7/2.64), taken in free agency from Rolling Hills of the TU West, John Kaltenbach (7-7/3.88) and Juan Navarro (7-3/3.83)... spot starter/reliever Roland Oates (8-3/2.50) had been outstanding, too... heading up the bullpen are Clete Lawson (2-3/1.14) and Herb Stewart (3-1/1.99/10 saves)... top batters are Bubby Blackwell (.338 BA/7 HR), Mark Delaney (.314 BA/12 HR), Ramon Escabedo (.291 BA/12 HR) and Orlando Ybarra (.281 BA/14 HR)... San Alejo is a rising power with some very talented players... don't seem to be a one-year wonder. The Southport Sun Sox won the division flags in 2027 and 2028 and came in second last year... the third place Sun Sox are still very much in the hunt, only 4 games in back of Cape Coral, featuring good bats with power, pitching and excellent defense... Southport is batting .272 (12th), ranks 11th in scoring with 327 runs and leads in home runs with 88, best in the IPA... pitching-wise the team ERA is 3.35 (4th)... defensively they have a fine .982 FA... the Sun Sox have an impressive starting foursome: Don Pascioni (8-6/3.38), Mel Underwood (8-6/3.18), Bob Bondy (9-8/3.11) and Ronnie Galus (6-3/3.21)... bullpen ace is Tomas Taviero (3-1/1.82/7 saves)... IPA superstar and All-Star Lorne Evans is having a fantastic season with a.389 BA, 30 homers, 70 RBIs and 60 runs scored... Evans could be headed for a Triple Crown... he leads the IPA in BA, RBIs, runs and homers... Evans is tied for the hits' lead with Tuckanarra's Jed Turchin... But Evans is not the whole show... he gets plenty of support from Kyle Ross (.319 BA/15 HR), Rick Cabrini (.286 BA/6 HR) and Sam Cousins (.307 BA/8 HR)... Southport is a strong contender for the TU South pennant... and maybe for the Pro Cup, too. It's been 24 years since the Colchester Elites were in the Pro Cup playoffs... but they have been in the TU South first division the previous four seasons, almost winning the flag in 2026, 2027 and coming close in 2028... the Elites are fourth this year and just 5 games off the pace... they are the best-scoring club in the TU with 373 runs (1st), 5th in roundtrippers (82) and are hitting at a .275 clip (7th)... the Elites line-up card ranks with the best in the IPA with All-Star Steve Burns (.370 BA/15 HR), Jim Lewellan (.252 BA/20 HR), Joel Collins (.323 BA/0 HR), Carlos Manuel (.325 BA/10 HR) and All-Star Cleve Belton (.293 BA/18 HR)... Colchester is decent on the mound with a 3.69 team ERA (15th)... Mike Kierkegaard (8-4/3.11), Mac Flowers (9-5/3.38) and Mackie McGinnity (8-6/3.91) are all capable starters... only missing link is a top-notch bullpen (3.73 ERA/15th). The Ginza Ninjas may be in fifth place and 6 games out of first, but the defending division champion will have to be reckoned with before the pennant is decided... they hit very well with a .289 BA (2nd), score well (6th) and play very good defense (.978 FA)... but they are only average with a 3.76 team ERA (18th) and lack firepower with only 56 HRs (23rd-tied)... the Ninjas are led at the plate by Taro Mori (.356 BA/2 HR), All-Star Cotton Cornwall (.326 BA/15 HR), Johnny O'Rorke (.312 BA/11 HR), Sadaharu Uchiyama (.286 BA/7 HR), Russell Van Kleek (.329 BA/4 HR) and Howard Winston (.302 BA/4 HR)... the Ninjas are missing Crash Davis, longtime catching standout... Davis signed with Kenwood of the TU West... the 36-year-old Davis (.284 BA/6 HR) was great with the pitchers and was a solid bat... Kenwood is leading its division this year... Ginza has two quality starters: Hollis Pace (6-4/3.21) and Harlan Wilson (10-5/3.12)... Ryuji Kaneko (5-3/3.35) is dependable in a spot starter/long relief role... if Ginza had one more quality starter, they would win in a breeze... still they have a shot at the pennant this year because of the strong bats. The rest of the division are just playing out the season... Turon, Summerland and Arroyo Grande are all tied for last place, 11 games behind leading Cape Coral... the Turon Typhoons have been a hapless team for the last decade after winning 4 Pro Cups and 11 pennants from 2006 and 2019... the Typhoons have a good offense with a .287 BA (3rd) and score well (347 runs/6th tied), but have bad pitching (4.22 ERA-25th)... All-Star Michael Page (.351 BA/16 HR) and All-Star Yancy Duvicque (.366 BA/2 HR) lead the attack... Sal Quattrone (10-5/3.53) and Victor Suarez (10-6/4.24) are the top starters. In its history Summerland has never won a pennant and has made the playoffs only one time... that was in 2005 when the Sunsets finished second and won a wild card spot... the IPA abandoned wild cards after the 2006 season... from 2001 to 2003 the top four teams in each division qualified for the Pro Cup playoffs... from 2004 to 2006 the top two clubs in each division made the postseason... Summerland has good pitching with a 3.47 team ERA (7th) with very good starters, led by All-Star Scotty Ellison (10-4/2.62), Ron McDonald (8-5/2.98) and Clive Coxford (7-8/2.38)... however the bullpen is lousy with a 4.57 ERA (27th)... the Sunsets are not much at the plate with a .261 BA (23rd)... but they do have some talented hitters in Joe DeLucca (.316 BA/10 HR), Gregg Proctor (.305 BA/12 HR), Jay Hagedorn (.315 BA/3 HR) and Mandu Purula (.291 BA/5 HR). For ten years from 2018 to 2027 the Arroyo Grande Suns were a powerful club in the TU South, winning 4 divisional crowns and finishing no worse than third... but that is no longer the case... for the last two seasons the Suns came in 8th and 6th respectively... this year they will have to battle to avoid last place... the talent level has dropped drastically in the last few years... only IPA great and probable Hall-of-Famer Rusty Vizcarra remains... the 31-year-old Vizcarra has 23 homers, 57 RBIs and is hitting .280 to lead the attack... but he has little help except for Robbie Kiner, who is hitting .327 with 4 homers, 30 RBIs and 46 runs scored... the only dependable hurler is rookie Neil Strickland with a 7-1 mark and a 3.17 ERA... 20-game winner Cesar DeLeon has dropped to 6-9 with a 3.98 ERA this season at age 35. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-26-2012 at 07:20 PM.

02-10-2012, 10:42 PM	#2965
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap Panthers On The Prowl, Lead TU East For 17 years from 2009 to 2026 the East Point Panthers were doomed to the Tycobbian East second division... but all that has changed in the last few years with two second-place finishes in 2027 and 2028 and a third place spot last season... now the Panthers are really on the prowl and ready to win it all... they have the best record at mid-season in the Tycobbian Union and second best in the IPA... East Point is 46-25 at the All-Star break, topped only by Colfax in the RU West with a 47-24 mark... the Panthers have a one-game edge on the resurgent Ozarka Naturals and a 4-game margin over last year's division champion, the Tuckanarra Blue Jays... at the halfway point in the schedule there are only three teams in the hunt... fourth place South Fork is 9 games off the pace and doesn't seem to be a pennant threat. This season first place East Point has added punch to the offense and can score runs... added in with a fine pitching staff and you have a potent ballclub... the Panthers sport a .265 BA (19th) with 84 homers (3rd) and have scored 350 runs (4th)... that combined with a 3.20 team ERA (1st) and you've got a first class contender... not only for the TU East crown, but for the Pro Cup as well... All-Star Frank Blair (10-5/2.17), All-Star Joe Foley (10-3/2.56) and Stephen Edwards (9-1/3.57) and Dixie Brooks (7-8/3.63) gives them a solid rotation... Jack Bolden (1-1/2.94/13 saves) gives them an effective closer in the bullpen... the Panthers are also talented at the plate, sparked by All-Star Tetsu Tanaka (.336 BA/19 HR), Kenko Aoki (.275 BA/20 HR), Wally Wright (.294 BA/6 HR) and Kyle Pike (.299 BA/7 HR). Recent years have not been kind to the once-powerful Ozarka Naturals, who captured 11 pennants in 16 seasons during the glory years 2006-2021... after a dismal 8th place in 2028, they improved to 5th last year and up to second place this season, trailing by just a game... the Nats hit well with a .274 BA and scores well with 349 runs (5th)... with fairly good pitching... the staff has a 3.48 ERA (8th)... All-Star George Jenkins (.341 BA/13 HR) is the big gun, along with All-Star James Couch (.313 BA/4 HR), Byron Glenn (.286 BA/11 HR) and Lonnie Gillespie (.315 BA/1 HR)... on the hill the standouts are new free agent All-Star Sam Tate (10-3/2.91) from Tuckanarra, Stan Carey (8-5/3.34), Norm Phillips (9-4/3.71) and Brady Bell (7-6/3.66)... Ozarka may not be a flash in the pan... they have some solid ballplayers... they could give East Point and Tuckanarra a tussle this year. With 5 TU East crowns in 7 years last year's pennant winner, the third place Tuckanarra Blue Jays, are not ready to give up the throne or throw in the towel... the Tucks don't have the stats the Panthers and Naturals have, but they still have plenty of talent with All-Star pitcher Quinn Starr (11-4/2.06) and Philip Marston (9-6/3.83) as starters and Rob Howe (6-0/0.51/3 saves) in the bullpen... the top Blue Jay bats are All-Star Jed Turchin (.356 BA/12 HR), Trevor Dowd (.319 BA/6 HR) and Ted Sabonis (.295 BA/1 HR)... superstar Lynn Starr is having a down year, but is still quite productive with 12 homers and 44 RBIs, though he is hitting only .257... a strong second half by Starr would do wonders for the Tucks' pennant hopes. The South Fork Stallions are in fourth place in the standings and behind by 9 games... South Fork just doesn't have the hosses to take the TU East title... the Stallions are batting only .246 (31st) and are ranked last in scoring (32nd)... but they do have quality pitching with a 3.51 team ERA (10th)... Richie Raeburn (8-5/3.36) and new free agent acquisition from Crystal Lake of the RU South, Duncan Welch (6-7/2.78), are both reliable starters, but need more help from last year's 21-game winner Ozz Gatsby, who is 8-10 with a 4.00 ERA... bullpen ace Al Thompson (2-1/3.03) easily tops the IPA with 18 saves... four free agents were expected to make the Stallions into contenders, but it hasn't happened... Dean Woods (.289 BA/14 HR) from Sugar Valley in the RU East has done pretty well, while another 38-year-old signee Andy Pearson (.266 BA/4 HR) from Arroyo Grande and an 11-time All-Star is showing signs of age... Corbett Brooks (.255 BA/5 HR) came over from Red Bluff and is in the throes of a bad year... normally Woods and Brooks are 30-homer and 100-RBI guys... Patric Giles (.264 BA/11 HR) has been a reliable batsman for the club. You have to go back to 2022 for the last time the Red Bluff Red Sox made the first division and all the way back to 2009 when they made the postseason... the Red Sox are 11 games off the pace in fifth place... they are probably headed for another second-division finish... Jack Phillips (8-4/2.56) and Trini Corona (6-4/3.78) are the most effective starters, in the batter's box it's Pat Ellis (.331 BA/9 HR), Billy Barton (.302 BA/5 HR) and newcomer Floyd McClellan (.291/BA/14 HR) from the Middlefield Roosters as a free agent are the top run producers for Red Bluff. The Hillsboro Blazers bolted up to second place last year, but have come back to reality this year, resting in sixth place, 13 games behind... sadly the Blazers have never, ever made the postseason in the club's 29 years in the IPA... not gonna happen this year either... Hillsboro has good pitching (3.36 ERA/5th), but not much hitting (.250 BA/30th)... Gregg Hughes (5-4/2.07) and Marty Anderson (8-6/3.09) are solid starters and Duke Mahoney (2-4/2.81/12 saves) is effective in the bullpen... Bill Kelly (.290 BA/6 HR), Brian Hatcher (.296 BA/11 HR) and Biggy Washington (.265 BA/12 HR) are the only reliable bats. Midway won the TU East pennant in 2027, but it's been a slow descent since, falling to 4th in 2028 and 2029 and now even further, down to 7th place and 19 games behind leading East Point... you have to go back to 2010 for a worse year... the crux of the Wolves problem is horrendous pitching (4.45 ERA-31st) and not a lot of offense either (.263 BA/20th), ranking 27th in runs with 285... at age 29 Bobby Dorignac (7-6/3.35) still gets the job done, but doesn't get much help on the mound or at the plate... Midway's most dependable bats are Lanky Mato (.316 BA/7 HR), Rob Gigler (.293 BA/8 HR) and Eduardo Villanueva (.298 BA/5 HR)... longtime batting leader Rusty Graves had a poor first half with a .255 mark, 9 homers and 31 runs. During the High Mesa Cowboys' first two years of existence in the IPA, they made the playoffs both years and even won the Pro Cup in the second season in 2002, but absolutely nothing since... the Cowpokes are currently in the TU East basement and 21 games out... they also rank near the bottom in pitching (4.39 ERA/29th) and batting (.253 BA/27th)... Roger Hart is a pretty fair starter with an 8-7 record and 3.46 ERA... not much after him on the staff... Bill Andrews (.303 BA/15 HR) and Freddy Franks (.280 BA/6 HR) carry the offensive load... Jack Elliott, perhaps the greatest player in IPA history is winding down a fabulous career in serious decline... at 36 Elliott is batting just .237 with 7 homers and 16 RBIs... lifetime he is a .335 hitter and averages 45 homers and 120 RBIs a season... this may be Elliott's last season. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-29-2012 at 11:47 AM.

02-11-2012, 02:55 PM	#2966
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 2030 Tycobbian West Mid-Season Recap Wildcats 3 Games Up In TU West It was a 4-team donnybrook last season in the Tycobbian West with only 2 games separating first place from fourth... it was quite a melee between Rolling Hills, Arlon, Chicopee and La Claire... this year it's a tight 3-team affair between Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills Reds, Kenwood Wildcats and Bay St. Clair Buccaneers... at the season's mid-point Kenwood holds a slim 3-game lead over the Reds and Bucs with the Denton City Redbirds in fourth, trailing by 7 games. Since winning the TU West pennant in 2024, Kenwood has been up and down in the standings, but this year the Wildcats are playing superbly, coupling super hitting with fairly good pitching... They also have signed 3 talented free agents... Kenwood tops the IPA with a .295 BA and is ranked 2nd in scoring... not much power with only 41 home runs (31st), but really good contact hitters... the mound corps is adequate with a 3.55 team ERA (13th)... All-Star Babe Hankins (.339 BA/7 HR) heads up a strong batting order, helped out by Jan Kessinger (.323 BA/0 HR), rookie Randy Towns (.319 BA/0 HR), Hank Lunsford (.337 BA/0 HR) and All-Star Crash Davis (.284 BA/6 HR), who came over as a 36-year-old free agent from Ginza of the TU South... Davis is not quite the hitter he used to be, but still is an excellent defensive catcher and handler of pitchers... Davis is a big plus on the Wildcat roster... so is free agent Kessinger, formerly with the Sugar Valley Rattlers of the RU East... and powerhitter Warren Love (.257 BA/10 HR) from San Alejo of the TU South... Towns has made a solid impact in his freshman year, too. Rolling Hills is coming off a great year... they won the IPA Pro Cup for the first time in its history... despite losing their top two pitchers, Errol Gaudet and Johnny Brown, the Reds are still in the pennant chase... Brown was 17-10 last year and 3-0 in the playoffs...Brown signed a big contract with San Alejo of the TU South this year and has posted an 8-7 mark with a fine 2.64 ERA... Gaudet, a 5-time 20-game winner and last year's Pro Cup MVP with a 7-0 record, will be out until August with an arm injury... Gaudet was injured in early May and is 2-2 with a 2.29 ERA this season... He could be a real difference maker in the stretch drive... the Reds have been forced to rely on the offense this year with a .286 BA (4th)... the team ERA has inflated from 3.34 in 2029 to 4.02 in 2030... Tom Pierson (6-3/2.14) and Buck Myers (9-5/4.23) have shouldered the pitching load... top batters are All-Star Tony Brinkerhoff (.337 BA/12 HR), All-Star Dusty Rogan (.303 BA/12 HR) and Derek Kristensen (.325 BA/3 HR). After two down seasons in a row when they wound up next-to-last, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are back in contention and tied for second place... Free agents pitcher Jody Gentry from Kenwood and outfielder George McKay from Claxton in the RU South have given the team a huge lift... the Bucs feature fair to average bats with a .262 BA (21st), decent scoring capability with 324 runs (12th tied) and good pitching with a 3.49 team ERA (9th)... All-Star Gentry (10-5/2.63) seems fully recovered from rotator problems that caused him to miss most of the 2029 season... Kenwood's loss is the Bucs' gain... Kenwood would really be something if they still had a healthy Gentry in its rotation... another great addition is rookie All-Star closer Don Sawyer (2-0/0.22/14 saves), who has been simply brilliant this year... at the plate Bay St. Clair is led by Terry Adams (.316 BA/8 HR), Neil Lamont (.301 BA/11 HR), George McKay (.263 BA/12 HR), Jerry Todd (.281 BA/5 HR), Damon Klein (.305 BA/7 HR) and Fernell Peck (.306 BA/2 HR)... Klein and Peck are two more free agents added to the roster this year... The fourth place Denton City Redbirds were an early power in the IPA with 8 playoff appearances and 6 pennants from 2002 to 2014... after that the Redbirds have pretty much wallowed in the second division... Denton City is 7 games off the pace, but not in the same league with the three primary contenders... the Redbirds are just mediocre to average as a ballclub with a .262 BA (22nd) and 3.72 ERA (16th)... Glenn Hamilton (10-5/3.10) is a standout starter, but the rest of the hurlers are just journeymen at best... Vance Diamond (.316 BA), Marvin Ferrell (.290 BA/5 HR) and Keith Ingram (.282 BA/7 HR) provide most of the offense. Since 2023 the Bayview Vikings have been a run-of-the mill second-division club and will likely continue their ways this season... this year the fifth place Viks can hit and score with a .274 BA (11th), 334 runs (10th) and 68 roundtrippers (11th)... but they don't have the pitching to stop the opposition... the team ERA is a poor 4.37 (28th)... Daniel Shields (6-5/3.97) is the only starter with a winning record... batting-wise Bayview is paced by Wayne Kenney (.315 BA/14 HR), Roy Ricks (.292 BA/9 HR) and Todd Benson (.284 BA/3 HR). The Chicopee Braves have been in the IPA for 29 fairly fruitless seasons... never have made the playoffs, though they have come close 5 times... nothing new this year for the Braves who are 11 games out at the All-Star Game and in sixth place in the TU West... 32-year-old Frank Mullins (8-9/3.96) is a fine starter with a career 158-123 record in his ninth season, fifth with Chicopee... Mullins deserves better... Chicopee is just a tough place to win... 25-year-old reliever Matt Reeves (0-0/1.67/12 saves) shows promise in his second season... while the Braves' team ERA (4.41/30th) is not much, at the plate they have some talent witn a .270 team BA (13th) and 77 homers (6th)... Sakima Shaman (.344 BA/8 HR), Charlie Jensen (.309 BA/13 HR), Kurt Gustavsen (.320 BA/13 HR) and Big Sam Takota (.314 BA/14 HR) can put some runs on the scoreboard. After coming out of nowhere to win the their first pennant in 2028 and hotly contending last season, the La Claire Lynx have relapsed to the depths of the TU West again... the Lynx are 16 games back and in seventh place... they have average team stats with a .267 BA (17th) and a 3.73 team ERA (17th)... after 18 outstanding years in the IPA, future HOF-er Flash Devlin with over 500 homers and a .321 career BA, is now just a good ballplayer at age 36, but he can still hold his own... Devlin is batting .286 this season with 7 homers and 34 RBIs, down quite a bit from his 30 homers and 100 RBIs yearly... Carrol Candy (.332 BA/9 HR) is now the big gun, supported by Lonny Wright (.306 BA/8 HR), Kelly Chamberlain (.266 Ba/8 HR) and Norm Petitjean (.263 BA/10 HR)... on the mound strikeout king Pat Kovacs (7-7/2.56) is one tough customer with a 95-62 mark in his sixth season... Kovacs set the IPA strikeout record in 2028 with 391 Ks... hill talent is sparse after him. The Arlon Champions had a string of three straight fourth-place finishes entering this season... last year they came in just 2 games behind Pro Cup champ Rolling Hills... optimism was rampant at the start of the season... however nothng has gone right... the bats are awful and the pitching is atrocious... the Champs are batting .256 (26th), rank 26th in scoring and 32nd in pitching with a 4.81 ERA... Raydon Burks (6-10/2.98) is the only starter under a 5.00 ERA... and Alan Caine (.308 BA/1 HR) is the only regular over the .300 mark... Arlon wishes the season would end at the All-Star break. Attached Images

02-13-2012, 11:15 PM	#2967
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Sorry for not posting the last few days. I am working on this year's Hall of Fame inductees. Looks like it will be 7 pitchers and 4 position players. I should announce them tomorrow.

02-15-2012, 12:38 AM	#2968
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, June 18, 2030 IPA HOF Inducts 11 Standouts The Islandian Pro Alliance Hall of Fame has been increased by 11 players and now totals 35 members. They will be inducted in special ceremonies at the IPA Hall of Fame in Marston. Leading the list of this year's icons is the all-time victories leader Nicky Engstrom, together with other outstanding hurlers Don Chaney, Ken Hill, Robbie Kelly, Boomerang Hines, Eddie Roberts and Archie Desmond. Position players honored are Hank Bethel, Vic Valenti, Flipper Bird and Mac McCurnan. In his fabulous career with the Turon Typhoons Nicky Engstrom (2010-2029) sparked his club to 8 pennants and one IPA Pro Cup with a 387-218 career record with a superb 2.43 ERA. Engstrom posted the most wins and the best ERA for a starting pitcher in history. He was a 12-time All-Star and won three Golden Arm Awards (2011, 2013, 2015). In the Pro Cup playoffs Engstrom made 29 starts and compiled a 14-5 mark with a 2.18 ERA. He retired last year at age 40. Don Chaney (2010-2028) toiled 19 years for the Rocky Rapids Snappers. During his tenure he was 317-256 with a 3.13 ERA and ranked 8th in all-time victories. Chaney played on 5 pennant winners, made the All-Star team 6 times and netted the Golden Arm in 2017. In the postseason Chaney was 5-3 with a 3.11 ERA. Number 9 on the all-time wins list was left-hander Ken Hill (2010-2029), who played 20 years for the Fairfax Frogs and registered 313 victories and 271 losses with a 3.03 ERA. He led the Frogs to 3 pennants, was a 2-time All-Star and chalked up a 5-2 record in the postseason with a 2.99 ERA. Hill called it quits after the 2029 season at age 39. Robbie Kelly (2001-2019) had quite a career for the Far Mountain Redhawks. He paced them to 3 Pro Cup triumphs and 10 pennants, registering a 279-196 record and a 3.23 ERA. Kelly won the Golden Arm Award in 2012 and was a 2-time All-Star. He was especially tough in the playoffs and won many crucial games for the Redhawks, who took back-to-back-to-back Pro Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Far Mountain is the only club to accomplish that feat. Kelly finished 16-10 with a 3.74 ERA in the playoffs and retired at 42 in 2019. Southpaw Boomerang Hines (2002-2014) got a late start in the IPA, beginning his career at age 26, but he still made a dramatic impact playing with the Mahaska Haymakers for 7 years and Far Mountain his last 6 years. Hines was very good in Mahaska, but he was great for the Redhawks. Overall he was 227-151 with a fine 2.99 ERA, leading his teams to 7 postseason appearances, 3 Pro Cup victories and 6 division flags. Hines was a teammate with Kelly when Far Mountain captured three straight Island championships. Like Kelly, Hines really stood out in the playoffs with a 14-6 record and a brilliant 1.85 ERA. Hines was the IPA Pro Cup Most Valuable Player in 2011 when he was 5-1 with a superlative 1.11 ERA. Hines won game seven in relief. He missed the 2012 Series because of injury, but returned in 2013 and finished second in the Pro Cup MVP race with 4-0 mark and a 2.05 ERA. Hines was a 2-time All-Star and retired after the 2014 season. In his last year at age 38 he was 22-11 with a 2.41 ERA. One of the mound mainstays during Ozarka's glory years was Eddie Roberts (2011-2026), who was one of the prime reasons the Naturals won 9 pennants during his 16-year career. Lifetime Roberts compiled a 215-130 mark with a 3.45 ERA, was the 2011 Tycobbian Union Rookie of the Year (19-7/3.69), honored as the TU Most Valuable Player in 2012 (22-8/2.38) and made the All-Star once. Roberts is the recordholder for most postseason victories. In 33 postseason games Roberts etched a 19-7 record with a 3.69 ERA. For the first time in history a closer has been selected to the IPA Hall of Fame. That honor went to Archie Desmond (2017-2028) of the Tuckanarra Blue Jays. Desmond recorded 268 saves with a great 2.00 ERA and a 64-40 record in 524 relief appearances. He made the All-Star team on two occasions. Desmond has the number two all-time best ERA in IPA history, topped only by Glenn Kennedy of the Kenwood Wildcats. Kennedy, also a reliever, notched a 1.99 ERA and 44-37 record and played from 2017 to 2028. Tuckanarra won 4 pennants and 2 Pro Cups while Desmond headed up the Blue Jay bullpen. Beechwood's superlative center field Vic Valenti (2013-2029) finally called it a career at age 36 in 2029 after a splendid 17-year stint. Valenti racked up a .317 batting average and ranks sixth all-time in the IPA. He added in 500 homers, which is ninth on the all-time list, 1731 RBIs and scored 1682 runs. Valenti was a 9-time All-Star, won 3 RU Golden Bats (2015, 2020, 2025) and 6 Golden Gloves. In 2015 Valenti was acclaimed the Ruthlandian Union Most Valuable Player. He led the league with a .383 average, hit 45 homers and batted in 120 runs. His Bobcats won three pennants while he was there. Valenti did not fare well in the postseason. He batted only .215, but had 6 home runs and 19 RBIs in 31 games. Catcher Hank Bethel (2001-2027) played for 27 years with six teams and retired after a wonderful career at the ripe old age of 44. Bethel was a 12-time All-Star and ranked high in most offensive categories. He played in 3211 games (8th), collected 3318 hits (8th), 494 roundtrippers (10th), scored 1985 times (2nd) and hit a .288 rate. In 76 playoff games Bethel batted .270 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs. He played 7 years with the Bayview Vikings and led them to the postseason 5 times with 3 pennants. For the next 15 seasons Bethel was in Rocky Rapids. During his time with the Snappers they captured one Pro Cup in 2019 and 4 pennants. His last four seasons were with Fort Benton, Glasco, Belle Plaine and San Dimas and not very productive. Bethel was just playing out the string. One of the finer shortstops in IPA history was Flipper Bird (2001-2023). Bird made a big splash his first season by taking the 2001 Ruthlandian Union Rookie of the Year Award, then he went on and got better. In 2004 Bird won both the RU MVP honor and the Golden Bat, along with a Golden Glove. Bird batted .305 that season with 30 home runs, 130 RBIs, 108 runs and 31 stolen bases. He played in 3364 games (3rd), had 3530 hits (4th) and scored 2217 runs (2nd). Lifetime Bird batted .268, was a 3-time All-Star and collected 2 Golden Gloves. Bird sparked the Sugar Valley Rattlers to 5 playoff appearances and 3 pennants in his 7 years there. For the next 14 seasons he was with the Cape Coral Hurricanes, but they only made the postseason twice. Bird finished up with two and a half years in Mahaska and retired at 43 after the 2023 season. Bird had pretty good postseason numbers with a .276 BA, 7 HR, 27 RBIs and 26 runs in 49 games. The closest Bird came to getting a Pro Cup ring was in 2004, when Sugar Valley lost to Red Bluff in the Finals. In that postseason in 18 games he chalked up 4 homers, 18 RBIs and a .301 BA. One thing you could say about Mac McCurnan (2005-2024), the talented center fielder for the Turon Typhoons, he was a winner. But McCurnan has Hall of Fame credentials, too. Not only did the Typhoons win 11 pennants in his 20 years with the club, they also copped 3 Pro Cups and came close to winning a fourth. McCurnan was a 3-time All-Star, hit .282 in his career with 435 homers, 1651 RBIs, 1784 runs scored and had 472 stolen bases. In 144 playoff games McCurnan batted .251 with 14 homers, 78 RBIs and scored 81 runs. Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-15-2012 at 03:23 PM.

02-15-2012, 11:40 PM	#2969
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Wednesday, June 19, 2030 RU Stars Win 4-3 In 9th The Ruthlandian Stars squeezed out a 4-3 victory over the Tycobbian Stars in the 30th Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star clash played at Midtown Base Ball Grounds in Rolling Hills... the RU won it in the last of the ninth on Wes Marlowe's (Grand City) sacrifice fly that scored Larry Romney (Eastshore) with the winning score... the win snapped Tycobbia's 2-game winning streak in the All-Star Classic... the TU Stars still have a wide 20-10 lead in the series... Lefty Frizzell (Grand City) collected the victory with a scoreless ninth with the loss going to Don Sawyer (Bay St. Clair), who came on in the ninth and didn't get anybody out... Romney led off the inning with a single... Floyd Randolph (Valmara) moved him to second when shortstop James Gooch (Ozarka) misplayed a grounder... Olari Ojastu (Valka) bunted them over to second and third... Vasco Aguilar (Volusia) was walked intentionally to load the bases... then Marlowe flied out to right to end the game when RF Babe Hankins' threw home and failed to get Romney. Ruthlandia had the edge in hits 9 to 8 and was led by RF Sonny Oliver (Volusia) and C Les Leslie (Wynnamac) with 2 hits each... 3B Johnny Doyle (Sugar Valley), SS Olari Ojastu (Valka) and Leslie (Wynnamac) drove in the other RU runs... Tony Brinkerhoff (Rolling Hills) and CF Dusty Rogan (Rolling Hills) had solo roundtrippers for Tycobbia and James Couch tripled in the other TU run... starting pitchers Frank Blair (East Point) and Terry Richards shared the Most Valuable Player Award... Blair started for Tycobbia and retired all 6 batters he faced in the first two innings, while Richards fanned 3 in his 2 hitless innings for Ruthlandia. Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-15-2012 at 11:45 PM.

02-16-2012, 06:10 PM	#2970
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Sunday, September 1, 2030 No races clinched In IPA, Races close in 6 Divisions Most of the divisions in the Islandian Pro Alliance are still going at it hot and heavy with 6 of them very much in doubt. The Colfax Blasters in the Ruthlandian West and the Ozarka Naturals in the Tycobbian East are in control and they have a good chance to clinch early. In the RU North, Valmara is the defending titlist and has a slight edge over Ancona and LaGrange, leading the Red Elephants by 2 games and the Sports by 3. Lagrange has played the best ball the last two months and is slowly closing ground. The Sports are 35-12 over the period. However, the Vipers and Red Elephants are pretty good, too, at 32-15. This one will go down to the wire. It's hard to pick against Valmara, which has taken the pennant the last 4 years. It's a two-team tango in the Ruthlandian South with Waleska having a slim one-game advantage over the Grand City Cybercats. The Westerners are going into the last month razor sharp after putting up a splendid 20-9 month and overtaking the Cybercats for the top spot in the standings. Grand City went into August with a 4-game lead, but faltered to 15-14. Waleska is favored to take the RU South crown. The Ruthlandian East has developed into a battle between Wynnamac and Sugar Valley with Beechwood and Marston only having remote chances to win the flag. The Macs are 2 games in front of Rattlers heading into the final three weeks of the season. Both are playing good baseball at this point. The Bobcats are in third place, but 6 games off the pace, while the Marston Nine is 7 games out. This one's too close to call. Last year's champ Sugar Valley just might win out in the end with its superior pitching staff. The Colfax Blasters built up a good, solid lead early in the Ruthlandian West and have seen it dissipate down to 5 games over last season's division winner Stoner and 7 games to the Sligo Rovers, Middlefield Roosters and the Fort Benton Defenders. Yet Colfax is the odds-on choice to win the pennant. The other clubs have too little time to catch the Blasters. Over in the western half of the Islands in the Tycobbian Union, there's plenty of good pennant races. In the TU North it's down to just two teams, the Luxora Zorros and the Blue Lake Blue Sox, who are tied for the top spot going into September. Fairfax is a distant 6 games back. The Zorros took charge with a great 19-9 April, but have since leveled off a bit over the last few months. Whereas the Blue Sox have gotten better as the year progressed. Blue Lake is 34-23 in the last two months, while Luxora is 28-29. Strong pitching by the Blue Sox gives them the edge during the last few weeks of the season. Last year's division champ Hartsdale is tied for fourth this season and trails by 8 games. In the TU South, it a 3-team catfight between first place Cape Coral, runner-up Southport and third place Colchester. The Hurricanes have a 3-game advantage over last year division-winning Sun Sox and 4 up on the hard-charging Elites. Colchester is a sizzling 37-20 over the last two months, while Cape Coral and Southport are still playing well with 33-24 records in July and August. They may be hard for the Elites to catch. It should quite a race between 3 fine teams. Southport just might overtake the Hurricanes. The Sun Sox are a tough team to beat. The dominant team in the Tycobbian East is the Ozarka Naturals with a big 7-game bulge over second place East Point and 8 in front of defending crownbearer Tuckanarra. Heading into the stretch drive the Nats are still the best club, followed by the Tucks and Panthers. Ozarka should clinch early. One of the surprise powers in the IPA is the Kenwood Wildcats, who have taken the TU West by storm with a high-scoring bunch of hitters and an impressive mound corps. The Wildcats are up from fifth place last season and are tied with another Cinderella club, the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers that rose up from seventh in 2029. Last year's Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills is still in the hunt, just 3 games off the pace. Who will prevail? Will it be the super bats of the Wildcats, the strong pitching of the Bucs or the high-powered attack, experience and winning tradition of the Reds? My vote goes to Kenwood. The Wildcats are the best-balanced team in the hunt.

02-19-2012, 09:07 PM	#2971
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Monday, September 16, 2030 Evans And Sterling Cop IPA Batting Crowns It's official! Lorne Evans of the Southpost Sun Sox and Sterling Hall of the Crystal Lake Crushers have claimed the 2030 batting crowns in the Islandian Pro Alliance. Evans not only won the Tycobbian Union batting title, but the 25-year-old slugger also became only the fifth player in IPA history to win the Triple Crown. Evans led the TU in batting average, RBIs and homers with a .386 batting average, 134 RBIs and 59 home runs. The other Triple Crown recipients were Jack Elliott of the High Mesa Cowboys, who accomplished it twice, in 2017 and 2021, Dane Wesner of the Fairfax Frogs in 2010 and Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers in 2002. The 27-year-old Hall batted .349 for the Crushers, finishing up the season with 44 doubles, 2 triples and 5 home runs. Hall batted in 67 runs and scored 70 times in 119 games. Evans and Hall are first-time winners. The runner-up to Evans was San Alejo's Bubby Blackwell, who hit .356 in 145 games with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and 98 runs scored. Third in the TU batting race was Babe Hankins at .345 with 23 roundtrippers, 109 runs batted in and 110 runs. Hankins participated in 146 games. Valmara's Gerry Kazmarek was the number two hitter in the Ruthlandian Union behind Hall. Kazmarek batted .344 for the Vipers with 12 home runs, 69 RBIs and 82 runs in 113 games. Brad Maddox of the St. John Crusaders came in third with a .343 BA, 2 homers, 50 RBIs and 99 runs, while playing in 144 contests. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-03-2012 at 09:55 PM.

02-19-2012, 09:15 PM	#2972
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	2030 Tycobbian Union Final Batting Statistics Attached Images

02-19-2012, 09:16 PM	#2973
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	2030 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Statistics Attached Images

02-19-2012, 09:19 PM	#2974
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	2030 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting Statistics Attached Images

02-19-2012, 09:19 PM	#2975
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	2030 Ruthlandian Union Final Pitching Statistics Attached Images

02-20-2012, 09:06 PM	#2976
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, September 17, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian North Final Recap Vipers Win 5th Straight RU North Flag It was a bitter fight to the end, but Valmara outlasted a valiant LaGrange on the last day of the season to claim its fifth RU flag in a row and seventh in the last eight years. The Sports closed fast, but fell on the final day of the season, while the Vipers were victorious, giving Valmara the title by one game... Ancona folded in the stretch and finished in third place, 5 games behind... Far Mountain wound up a distant fourth and trailed by 10 games. Manager Jet Kazmarek has a solid ball club in Valmara (87-67), led on the hill by Teddy Lem (21-14/3.31), rookie Garry Gronek (15-10/3.38), J. B. Boutin (16-11/3.47) and Carroll Cain (15-12/3.52), plus a solid closer in Ivan Guzek (6-7/2.29/24 saves)... Kazmarek has a bevy of good bats in his son, RF Gerry Kazmarek (.344/12/69/82), CF Teddy Szymanski (.284/19/76/69), C Floyd Randolph (.268/19/94/65), LF Benny Hooper (.318/10/70/61) and Jerry Rembert (.282/21/70/80)... the Vipers won the pennant despite losing Clem Carmouche (6-3/3.92) for the season in mid-May and regulars OF Reno DeBenedetti (.302/9/62/82) and 3B Amos Gallagher (.291/6/47/61) in late August. The LaGrange Sports (86-68) ran a fiesty race under manager Quincy Peterson, falling a scant game short... the Sports also lost a valuable pitcher Niles Wooten (4-3/3.41) in May for the season... heading up the rotation were Alex Gillespie (19-12/2.70), Ryan Janssen (19-15/3.71) and Mike York (14-12/3.17)... top bats were sluggers CF Russell Watkins (.325/36/103/103), 1B Chris Charbonnier (.315/39/100/96) and RF Randall Hawson (.268/25/83/65). The Ancona Red Elephants (82-72) contended most of the season, but faltered down the stretch in September... skipper Manny Mickens had some capable pitching from ace Razzy Angelis (22-14/2.49), Kyros Halkias (16-15/3.66) and Lonnie Quick (12-10/3.46)... however a weak bullpen did him in... they compiled a poor 4.32 team ERA (27th)... best hitters were free agent RF Jimmy Howell (.333/5/60/74) from Blue Lake of the Tycobbian Union, 3B Koora Nawajuk (.291/13/56/84) and power man SS Todd Nasso (.246/24/82/88)... longtime star RF Kenny Willard left the team this season and signed with Glasco after 17 great years with the Red Elephants. New manager Don Nichols only had a so-so season in his first year with the Far Mountain Redhawks (77-77), winding up 10 games back in fourth place... the Redhawks have a standout veteran on the mound... Jakob Wagner (20-11/2.41) is an good as they get in the IPA... Jeff Cooper (17-19/3.39) and Keith Griggs (13-11/3.19) do a good job as well... along with quality closer Hans Becker (5-6/2.55/19 saves)... but at the plate Far Mountain needs a lot of help when 1B Johnny Becker (.285/11/56) and LF Ryan Mizell (.257/18/88) are the best in the batting order. After a successful second-place finish in 2029 the Kilkenny Cats (71-83) tumbled back into the second division, ending up in fifth place and 16 games off the pace in the RU North... second-year skipper Rusty Denicola saw his staff under perform after a brilliant season the year before... the team ERA went from a splendid 2.67 to 3.35... Dave Whitaker (16-11/2.54) and Dean Harris (12-9/3.12) stood out, but got no offensive support... CF Ronnie Roussel (.298/33/108/82) and 1B Garris Aiken (.283/28/75/78) provided most of the punch... Kilkenny still has not made the postseason in its 29 years in the IPA. The long drought continued in Ranford (70-84), where the Bulls missed the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season... their last postseason appearance was in 2005... Ranford wound up sixth and 17 games back... manager Rick Fargnoli is on the hot seat this year... the Bulls boast a .282 BA (2nd), but lack power... 3B Sonny Statum (.334/5/55/102), SS Terry Kerr (.325/17/89/87) and LF Percy Whitehead (.341/7/67/66) are strong contact hitters... add in 1B Elton Graff (.287/11/72/52) and C Kyle Hunt (.294/8/71/70) and you've got a pretty fair offense... but the Bulls are short on pitching with a 4.09 team ERA (29th)... Manny Mateo (15-17/2.89) and Angelo Coppolo (19-15/3.64) were the best moundsmen. For the eighth successive season the Glasco Athletics (67-87) are near the bottom of the division, resting in seventh place, 20 games out of first... 2003 was the A's last postseason appearance... manager Barry McCord has a fair offense (17th) with a .264 BA (18th), but is woeful on the mound with a 4.34 team ERA (31st)... C Eddy Martin (.302/19/87/54) and free agent and 38-year-old LF Kenny Willard (.281/15/63/79) are the best of the lot at the plate... the team's top hurlers Sam Gilmore (16-14/4.26) and Egan McRae (16-15/4.68) are just mediocre at best. 11 years have passed since the Taranto Tars (60-94) won the RU North... it was a dismal year for manager Denny Radke as the club posted its worst record ever and ended up 27 games behind leading Valmara... the Tars ranked last with a 4.46 team ERA (32nd) and 29th in run scoring, while batting just .250 (28th)... Paulie Pieroni (15-17/3.05) was the only effective pitcher on the squad... 1B Pat Mouton (.295/19/62/69) and 2B Greg Murphy (.285/17/52/61) led Taranto with lackluster stats... not much in the batting order after them... it was a long season for the Tars. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-21-2012 at 11:18 PM.

02-21-2012, 04:39 PM	#2977
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 17, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian South Final Recap GC Cybercats Sneak By Waleska For RU South The Grand City Cybercats came out of nowhere to sneak past powerful Waleska and defending champ Crystal Lake to capture the Ruthlandian South pennant... the C'Cats skimmed by the Westerners by game, whipped the Crushers by 6 and finished 7 ahead of the San Dimas Rancheros. Grand City (90-64) has been stuck in the second division for the last three seasons, when they finished sixth, eighth and seventh, respectively... Grand City's last title was in 10 years ago... they have only made the playoffs twice, in 2002 and 2021... manager Wade Joslin guided them past Waleska and Crystal Lake in spite of losing three pitchers from his starting rotation... Greg Kelley (15-7/4.02) went out in early September and Charley Chisholm (11-6/2.98) suffered a season-ending injury in July... Kelley could be back for the playoffs... vet Danny Denver (3-5/4.50) was injured in Spring Training and missed 30 starts, finally returning in August, but not at his best... luckily Sammy Cagle (22-14/3.65) and Kip Day (18-15/3.19) had career seasons... they carried the team with the help of bullpen standouts Lefty Frizzell (1-2/1.14/21 saves), Ralph Teague (8-4/2.07/11 saves) and John Sheehan (7-2/2.65/2 saves)... the Cybercats also had plenty of clout in their lineup with 1B Mick Langston (.323/39/107/97), CF Thomas Hall (.317/32/93/106) and LF Wes Marlowe (.270/26/97/77) and ranked third in scoring. For the last nine years the Waleska Westerners (89-65) have been near the top of the RU South standings, winning the division crown twice in 2024 and 2028... and skipper McGraw Johnson had his chance at the title again this year, but could only win one of the last four games... Grand City almost blew it when they were just 1-3 in the final four games... The Westerners have a potent batting order with .275 BA (5th), 148 homers (7th-tied) and topped the league in scoring with 796 runs (1st)... pitching-wise they were just average with a 3.53 team ERA (14th)... IPA super legends Roy Hobbs (.342/35/138/91) and LF Loco Dillinger (.319/42/118/119) both had monster years... Hobbs paced the IPA with 138 RBIs and Dillinger was the home-run leader and RBI leader in the Ruthlandian Union... fine young SS Yahto Sisika (.282/6/56/46) missed the last month of the season... top twirlers were Wild Bill Butler (20-13/4.01), Terry Richards (22-10/3.45) and closer Jarred Laclair (10-8/2.40/23 saves). After leading at the All-Star break, the Crystal Lake Crushers (84-70) slowly dwindled to third place, winding up 6 games off the pace... the Crushers lived up to their name with a .287 BA (1st) and ranked second to Waleska in scoring... skipper Baby George had a decent pitching staff as far as starters, but little in the bullpen (5.13/32nd)... RF Sterling Hall (.349/5/67/70) led the RU in hitting... other top guns were CF Herm Taylor (.322/4/64/107), 2B Carl Bentley (.332/12/86/77), C Tommy Trent (.335/10/65/62), LF Ryan Ray (.259/23/92/81) and 1B Josh George (.268/20/87/101)... Crystal Lake has capable starters in Arnie Cason (20-12/2.84), T. D. Burnham (21-12/3.22) and Ben Garvik (18-14/3.95). The fourth place San Dimas Rancheros (83-71) finished strong, ending up just 7 games back... manager Wesley Pate has very good pitching with a 3.19 team ERA (2nd), but lacks offense... the Rancheros hit just .253 (26th) and ranked low in runs (25th) and homers with only 92 (30th-tied)... heading up the mound corps were Joaquin Lima (21-10/2.49), Miguel Valdes (18-16/3.14), Shannon White (18-14/3.62) and Jay Barajas (9-3/2.43)... top run producers were CF Ramon Escobar (.307/11/87/80), 1B Joey Harris (.278/17/85/77) and 3B Gregg Mathis (.264/12/83/53)... San Dimas has not made the postseason since winning the pennant in 2008. The St. John Crusaders (79-75) remained close until mid-season, then fizzled in the second half... the Crusaders came in fifth in the race and trailed by 11 games... manager Clayton Luck's club possessed pretty good bats with .273 BA (8th), ranked 11th in scoring and 24th in power with 106 homers... with less than average pitching with a 3.82 ERA (22nd)... sparking the Crusader attack were CF Brad Maddox (.343/2/50/99), 1B Roger Lanier (.317/15/102/91), SS Byron Johannsen (.282/11/81/93), Leon Clendennon (.309/10/69/58/ and Joey Daigrepont (.294/18/75/61)... on the hill veteran Don Baillie (20-13/3.17) and second-year man Russell Larsen (15-15/3.62) were the biggest winners... much-counted on free agent Loris Plooster, an 18-game winner for Ginza in the TU South last year, hurt his elbow in early June and was out for the year... Plooster was only 4-7 with a disappointing 4.59 ERA in his 14 starts. The last time the Valka Blackhawks (75-79) won the pennant and made the Pro Cup playoffs was 14 seasons ago in 2017... for the second year in a row the Blackhawks have been the sixth-best team in the RU South... they wound up 15 games behind in the race this year... the Blackhawks ranked near the bottom in pitching with a 4.08 team ERA (30th), but they could score runs (5th-tied) and were rated 5th in runs and tied for fifth in homers with 150, while posting a solid .272 BA (10th)... perking up the offense were 3B Leevi Viru (.335/21/88/86), 2B Olari Ojastu (.319/18/73/95), CF Tonu Viks (.298/29/89/82), C Jaak Pajukivi (.298/18/76/61) and RF Barney Howell (.269/14/64/92)... Villem Arumaa (18-11/3.72) were the only winner on the staff. After a third place finish last year, the Claxton Diamonds (68-86) slipped back to mediocity and seventh place, 22 games off the pace of pennant-winning Grand City... the Diamonds were tied for last place with Belair Beach... it's been 12 years since the Diamonds made the postseason playoffs... Claxton has power at the plate with 148 roundtrippers (7th-tied) and fairly good starters, but little else with a .254 BA (25th) and a 3.69 team ERA (20th)... Jack Vogel (11-18/2.90) is the most effective pitcher and Freddi Hahn (14-13/3.68) is the biggest winner... RF Ivan Krause (.279/37/84/106) and LF Jock Jumonville (.270/21/63/90) were the best bats. Despite some stark improvements on the hill, going from a pathetic 4.79 to a respectable 3.56 ERA, the Belair Beach Sunbirds (68-86) still wound up in the cellar for the third time in four seasons... they were 22 games back in the race... Belair Beach hasn't been in the playoffs since 2016 and now have been stuck near the bottom for the last 5 years... the offense is pitiful with a .246 BA (30th) and 109 home runs (22nd), ranking near the bottom with 587 runs (31st)... 1B Kees Draeger (.296/22/83/53) and LF Pat Webb (.266/27/74/65) are the only reliable hitters that Sunbird skipper Little Jake Bungarooba has... Rob Thrasher (19-16/3.14) and Fernando Melendez (13-8/2.88) are both quality pitchers... new free agent from Ginza of the TU South, Daniel Ferguson, struggled with an 11-18 mark, but chalked up a good 3.40 ERA. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-21-2012 at 04:42 PM.

02-22-2012, 01:55 PM	#2978
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 17, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian East Final Recap Wynnamac Wins Battle With Sugar Valley No one other than Wynnamac and Sugar Valley ever seriously contended in the Ruthlandian East race this season. The Sundowners pulled away in the last week of the regular season to knock off the defending division titleholder Sugar Valley by 4 games. Wynnamac was 5-2 in the showdown week, while the Rattlers were just 2-5. Third place Belle Plaine lingered deep in the second division until August, then closed out the season sizzling with a 31-12 record to end up tied with Beechwood. The Musketeers and Bobcats finished 8 games off the pace. Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (86-68) just played steady and consistent ball throughout the season and finally prevailed to win the RU East for the fifth time in history... offense was the team's forte with a .274 team BA (7th) and good power with 159 homers (3rd)... top batters were 3B Dorak Arando (.305/24/79/82), CF Allen Dundee (.289/31/103/89), 1B Giles Butler (.310/23/74/71), C Lee Leslie (.271/25/77/68) and LF Lil Hoss Burkhalter (.299/21/58/59)... Burkhalter missed over 60 games because of injuries... Killara Bardo (21-13/2.85) was the ace of the mound staff... Jason Meeks (12-13/3.29) was effective, too... bullpen was suspect... could be a sore point in the Pro Cup playoffs... the Sundowners will be returning to the postseason for the first time in five years... Wynnamac last won the Pro Cup in 2008. Firepower and strong pitching kept the Sugar Valley Rattlers (82-72) in the hunt most of the year... They led the RU with 176 home runs (1st) and with a 3.15 team ERA (1st), but the Rattlers ranked poorly in runs (28th) and batting average with a .235 mark (32nd)... 3B Johnny Doyle (.263/34/80/67), CF Tyler White (.225/28/74/86) and C Silvio Salas (.247/20/59/63) provided what little offense they had... manager Gibby Bobkins has a strong starting foursome, who deserved better run support: Wes Weaver (17-12/2.54), Aron Libertini (19-13/3.36), Chris Calsworth (14-14/3.45) and Jeremy Blanchard (17-19/2.84)... veteran Dallas Casey (6-5/1.89/21 saves) stood out in the bullpen. Dave Torregrossa's Belle Plaine Musketeers (78-76) finally found the right combination late in the summer and closed with a rush to come in tied for third with Beechwood... the Muskies trailed by 8 games... they were last at the All-Star break, 12 games back... the offensive-minded Muskies were paced by C Derek Roman (.325/22/82/88), 1B Pierre Giguere (.280/33/98/84), RF Leon Bourque (.279/20/80/85) and SS Tyler Verret (.257/18/74/69)... Belle Plaine tied for 8th in scoring, hit 138 roundtrippers (11th) and batted .275 (6th)... but were not so good on the hill with a 3.98 team ERA (25th)... Lamont Cramer (19-16/4.21) won the most games, while Leonard James (16-10/3.75) was the most effective... Torregrossa and his Musketeers are looking forward to 2031. Bret George just had an average team this season in Beechwood (78-76)... his Bobcats were tied for third and finished 8 games out of the running in the RU East... Beechwood was the power in the division from 2020 to 2027 with three pennants, but no more... the Bobcats still have some talent in veteran pitchers Ken Arby (14-17/3.04) and Maury Patterson (17-19/2.14)... but really suffer in the batter's box... LF Herb Douglas leads the team with a .296 average... 2B Norm Smith and CF Pat Pizarro are the club leaders with just 11 home run apiece... and 1B Ron Griffin is the top RBI guy with only 71. The Marston Nine (76-78) have slumped to the fifth spot in the standings the last two years, winding up 10 games behind the division leader Wynnamac this season... manager Danny Church won the pennant in 2028... pitching is the problem... his only dependable starter is Doug Hansack (16-12/3.22)... longtime IPA great CF Russ Woodward (.289/24/79/79) is still a quality player at age 36, but is showing signs of decline at the plate... Woodward is a 7-time All-Star and 6-time Gold Glover with a lifetime .315 BA and over 500 homers... SS Lonnie Trekell (.281/27/83/70) led the Nine in homers and runs batted in... youngsters C Ron Marlowe (.300/18/66/62) and LF Ken Armstrong (.307/16/62/73) also played well this year. The Eastshore Elegants (75-79) wound up sixth this season with Killer Brewster at the helm... he had the Elegants in the running up until mid-season, but they slumped badly in the second half and finished 11 games out... this is the third season in succession Eastshore has come in sixth... Brewster had capable starters with Randy Boone (12-12/2.53), Don Klingenberg (17-16/3.11) and 16-year standout Melvin Key (16-18/3.10), but the bullpen suffered... Key is 36 years old and boasts a 259-221 career record with a fine 3.13 ERA... Key has two Pro Cup rings... Eastshore's top guns were 3B Cayman Ketterman (.285/18/103/62), CF Scotty Lagrange (.272/29/89/91), SS Larry Romney (.305/13/79/78) and LF George Shepherd (.309/12/63/70)... it's been a prolonged playoff drought for the Elegants... 2019 was the last postseason appearance... it is rumored that Brewster may retire this season... the golden years of 2016-2021, when Eastshore won 2 Pro Cups and 4 pennants are long gone. Success in the IPA has been minimal for the Cold Creek Catamounts (73-81)... they have been a habitual also-ran in the RU East for the last two decades, last winning a pennant in 2012... Cold Creek has made the playoffs only three times in its history... this year the Catamounts were in seventh place and trailed by 13 games under manager Scoop Lemieux... Cold Creek had two strong starters with Eddie Brasher (19-14/2.94) and Tommy Smith (17-17/2.76), but little else... leading the offense were 1B Steve Daniels (.289/23/83/82), LF Carl Glick (.266/19/68/92) and CF Teke Holmes (.283/11/38/79). Skipper Leon Carter had the Elnora All-Stars (70-84) on the rise with first-division finishes in 2028 and 2029, but they relapsed this season and plunged into the basement, 16 games out of first place... it's been 8 years since the All-Stars won a pennant and made the postseason... Elnora can hit the ball with the likes of CF Travis Glass (.272/33/96/89), 1B Mel Long (.281/26/85/61), RF Pettis Pentleton (.314/24/77/91), 2B Matt Boyd (.330/13/79/77) and 3B Jeff Matthews (.276/15/70/80) in the lineup... in his starting rotation Carter has two dependable pitchers in Freddy Pfeffer (19-15/3.19) and Lucien Vashon (15-16/3.39), but the bullpen is horrendous with a 4.74 ERA (31st). Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-22-2012 at 01:56 PM.

02-24-2012, 12:12 AM	#2979
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 17, 2030 2030 Ruthlandian West Final Recap Colfax Survives Stoner, Sligo, FTB Surges Leading the division halfway through the season doesn't mean a lot unless you have a huge lead. Colfax topped Sligo by 8 games at the All-Star Game, Fort Benton by 11 and last year's champ Stoner by 12, then held on during those clubs' second-half surges for the Ruthlandian West title. The Blasters outlasted Stoner by 2 games, Sligo by 4 and Fort Benton by 6. Even the Middlefield Roosters made a little bit of a run and wound up 7 games off the pace, after trailing by 13 at mid-season. Many years have come and gone since the Colfax Blasters (84-70) reigned supreme in the RU West... they won 7 flags in 9 years from 2008 to 2016, including the Pro Cup in 2010... manager Ilya Szabo was a star pitcher during that period, good enough to be inducted in the IPA Hall of Fame in 2027 with a 327-210 record and a terrific 2.57 ERA... now Szabo has garnered the club's eighth pennant... the Blasters hit the ball well, had decent starters and super relievers... C Mitch Fullerton (.338/25/87/92) and 1B Doug Kirkwood (.301/19/95/72) fueled the offense with lots of help from SS Dino Manale (.300/8/67/92) and CF Hal Granders (.282/2/39/97)... Rudy Rosario (4-3/1.80/11 saves) and Norm Harbison (4-1/1.99/7 saves) were bullpen standouts, while starters Jon Cruise (19-15/3.09), Bobby Fleetfoot (16-15/3.23) and Smoky Rogers (17-18/3.16) were solid and steady... the Blasters suffered through a 19-24 record in August and September and almost blew the pennant. Benny Stern's Stoner Stars (82-72) closed with a rush, cutting the Colfax lead from 10 games in August down to just 2... the Stars went 27-16 over the last six weeks of the season... Stern has strong bats with a .281 BA (3rd) and ranked third in scoring... starting pitching was pretty fair with Glenn Tackett (21-13/3.60), Travis Wallace (15-10/3.51), Raul Hidalgo (17-17/3.25) and Norm Dawson (11-10/3.23)... the relief corps was anchored by Darrell Geoffrey (7-6/1.97/19 saves)... Stoner's best sticks belonged to OF Marty Berrigan (.325/15/55/62), RF Neil Mooney (.329/5/48/51), 3B Jeff Henderson (.314/13/71/61), LF Kevin Fisher (.315/8/64/105), catcher P. J. Blake (.301/3/63/55), 1B Fletch Fowler (.302/15/65/58) and CF Al Rispone (.290/15/69/61)... they were all veterans of last year's Pro Cup Finals, which they lost to champ Rolling Hills. The Sligo Rovers (80-74) went into August 8 games back and cut it to 4 games by year's end with a 23-20 mark... the Rovers don't look too good stats-wise with a .249 BA (29th), ranked 24th in runs and chalked up a 3.76 team ERA (21st), but they made a race of it... Sligo has won two flags and has finished in the top three teams for 7 years in a row... the Rovers have racked up four pennants in the last 10 seasons... and copped the Pro Cup in 2021... Earl Perkins (13-10/3.17) and Terry Bailey (18-14/3.91) led the mound staff with 1B Maury Rice (.271/28/100/83), CF Teddy Brunet (.280/23/76/78) and C Archie Shanahan (.224/13/91/51) topping the batting order. Manager Robbie Brooks of the Fort Benton Defenders (78-76) had the fourth best offense in the RU with a .279 BA... but suffered on the hill with a 3.93 team ERA (24th)... best batters were 1B Ernie O'Day (.289/21/80/84), CF Danny Reisner (.326/12/83/88) and 2B Monty McMurtry (.308/6/53/85)... Frankie Quinn (20-11/3.00) won 20 games for the third time in his four IPA seasons and carried the club... the Defenders came in fourth and were 7 games behind pennant-winning Colfax... Fort Benton has never made the postseason in its history... the Defenders have graced the first division only 10 times in 30 seasons. Fifth place went to the Middlefield Roosters (77-77) of Bailey Norcross... from 2023 to 2027 his Roosters ruled the roost in the RU West by winning four straight titles... since then the have missed the postseason... overall Middlefield has notched 6 division titles and the 2005 Pro Cup... the Roosters don't score a lot of runs (19th) with a .254 BA (24th), but do go deep occasionally with 146 roundtrippers (9th)... and they compiled a decent 3.51 team ERA (12th)... 1B Rusty Reese (.343/20/78/56) is the top offensive performer, aided by LF Nickie Tomasiewicz (.302/17/61/48), CF Victor Parsons (.286/7/57/77) and C Rollie Hinkle (.290/8/46/67)... OF Nick Kanellis topped the team with 23 homers, but batted just .232 for average... Norcross' starting four did a quality job, headed up by Tyrus Cobb (18-13/2.92)... Ken Crawford (10-8/2.85), Asa Schmit (17-15/3.57) and Judson Davis (14-17/3.04) were also reliable. For six dismal years the Rocky Rapids Snappers (74-80) have lounged in the second division, finishing up sixth this year and 10 games back... for a pennant you have to go back to 2019, which wrapped up four consecutive RU West crowns... the Snappers even grabbed the 2019 Pro Cup... those are the club's only postseason appearances... starter Walter Noland (13-11/3.57) and closer John Young (3-4/1.79/10 saves) were the best hurlers for manager Junior Noland, Walter's older brother, while 1B Angelo Nardone (.315/25/83/83), 2B Rod Cook (.290/16/73/70) and RF John Charboneau (.267/16/74/85) were the top hitters. It's been 25 years since the Volusia Vigilantes (73-81) have been in the playoffs with only one Pro Cup to show for - that was in the IPA's inaugural season in 2001... Alfonso Feliz is still at the helm after 30 years, but is thought to be stepping down after this season... Volusia made the postseason its first six seasons, but none since... the V's ended up only 11 games out in the race, but came in seventh... the Vigilantes have a pretty fair offense with a .268 BA (13th), ranked 10th in scoring, 12th in homers with 137 and a so-so 3.68 team ERA (19th)... free agent RF Sonny Oliver (.322/22/87/93) from Valmara was well worth it... CF Vasco Aguilar (.308/28/104/91) also had an excellent year... other contributors were 1B Joao Rosales (.298/14/67/69) and LF Dave Skoglund (.280/17/78/78)... Greg Moss (15-15/2.97) was an effective starter for the V's, along with Val Cameron (13-10/2.96). After last year's surprising third place finish, the outlook was quite optimistic this season for the Forest City Lumberjacks (62-92), but skipper Joe Judlin's mound staff floundered and flopped and the team returned to the basement, the worst team in the TU West... the 'Jacks slipped 22 games behind... only Taranto of the RU North had a worse record at 60-94... the Lumberjacks have been absent from the playoffs since 2013 and have never taken the Pro Cup... Judlin's best pitcher was young Walt Wright with a 9-5 mark and a fine 3.19 ERA... Wright was signed in July... 36-year-old closer Andy Velasco (3-5/2.96/13 saves) is still a strong reliever after 17 years in the IPA... 1B Steve Burns (.341/28/76/82) is one the few productive bats in the lineup. Attached Images

02-25-2012, 10:37 PM	#2980
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	*THE ISLANDIAN TIMES* Tuesday, September 17, 2030 2030 Tycobbian North Final Recap Blue Lake Snags TU North In Final Days For most of the Tycobbian North season it was mainly a contest between Blue Lake and Luxora with a little bit of Fairfax mixed in. The Blue Sox captured the division flag in the last three days of the season, winning all their games to take it by 2 games over the Zorros... Luxora dropped two of the final three games and fell to second place... the Frogs came in third and trailed by 7 games... fourth place went to the Oxford Red Caps, who were 11 games off the pace. In a turnaround season manager Rick Hilliard sparked his Blue Lake Blue Sox (85-69) to their first pennant in 20 years... Blue Lake was seventh last season... Hilliard depends almost totally on his talented mound staff that notched an excellent 3.07 team ERA... the Blue Sox standout rotation consists of Doug Kirkpatrick (22-9/2.92), Derek Joubert (12-5/1.84), Chris Landry (15-13/2.88), Willie Taskins (15-16/3.24) and Billy Trakas (13-17/3.24)... the Blue Sox got a bad break as Kirkpatrick will miss most of the playoffs because of a sore arm... he was injured in early September and will miss about a month... batting is poor with a .257 BA, 115 homers (28th-tied) and only 609 runs (31st)... 3B Matt Thompson (.291/11/62/65), RF Boom-Boom Baker (.263/18/75/70) and CF Chris Halley (.316/3/53/76) are the Blue Sox best bats. The Luxora Zorros (83-71) had their chance but flopped in the final days and lost out by 2 games... Luxora was third in 2029... the Z's hit with some power with 144 home runs (13th), batted .260 (22nd) and ranked 19th in runs with 671... manager Lacey Tompkins' Zorros thrived with a super bullpen that chalked up a 2.34 ERA (2nd)... the starters put up a 3.74 ERA (14th)... overall Luxora compiled a fairly good 3.46 team ERA (9th)... Toby White (5-3/0.96/3 saves), Kent Halloran (9-5/2.35) headed up a strong bullpen... Tommy Ellefsen (9-1/2.34) was a reliever until mid-July when he became a full-time starter... Benny DeVito (15-17/3.62) and Valente Viero (14-19/3.39) were quality pitchers, too... the Z's top run producers were 1B Gerry Hathaway (.316/29/82/75), RF Roger Noble (.282/24/77/76) and CF Kevin Hanley (.252/20/87/87). Going into August, the Fairfax Frogs (78-76) were tied with Luxora for first place with Blue Lake just a game back... however skipper Dane Wesner's Frogs went into a 10-19 funk and dropped out of the pennant race, winding up in third place 7 games out... this was the second straight season the Frogs missed a good opportunity... last year they lost the pennant in a single-game playoff... Fairfax has a good offense with a .276 BA (7th), 121 homers (20th-tied) and were tied for 10th in scoring (709 runs)... batting leaders were LF Max Lebowitz (.317/18/86/77), SS John Velasco (.305/14/83/83), CF Eric Kusek (.322/12/57/80) and OF Alton Dale (.309/14/56/66)... the Frogs were only average on the hill with a 3.78 team ERA (18th)... Joey Santini (17-15/3.89) and Kevin Meeks (17-16/3.28) were the top starters. In 2007 the Oxford Red Caps (74-80) won the Pro Cup... they have not been to the playoffs since... the Red Caps made a little progress this year moving into the TU North first division for the first time since 2025... manager Cameron Kamara brought his club in fourth, losing out by 11 games... Oxford has an average attack (.268 BA-13th) with mediocre pitching (4.08 ERA-26th), tied for 16th in scoring (679 runs) and ranked 15th in power with 135 home runs... standout 1B Kerry Sterling had a marvelous season with 39 homers, 109 RBIs, 90 runs and a .308 BA... LF Dennis Hartwig (.301/20/65/74) and 3B Rocky Bradford (.292/10/76/75) also were productive at the plate... the only quality arm on the staff was Kenny Gorham (18-13/3.39). For the 14th year in a row the North Hills Hawks (73-81) failed to make the postseason... manager Todd Simons' club finished in the fifth spot in the standings, 12 games behind pennant-winning Blue Lake... the Hawks are in the bottom third as far as scoring (22nd) with only 659 runs and as far as pitching (23rd) with a 3.96 team ERA... David Michael (19-12/3.82) paced the pitchers with RF Vince Boylan (.294/21/87/76) and CF Ronnie Guillaume (.303/12/69/55) the club leaders at the plate. Last year's TU North titleholder, the Hartsdale Hellcats (72-82), took quite a tumble to sixth place because of inept pitching... Hartsdale finished 13 games back in the race... the staff ERA rose up from a solid 3.07 last year to a disappointing 3.68 ERA (15th) this season... 22-game winner and Golden Arm winner Lou Chylak (16-16/3.73) and 18-game winner Hank Cooke (16-17/3.51) struggled this year... manager Kendry Moulton's best man was Ron Cochran (11-7/3.10), who split time as a reliever and starter... Cochran moved into the starting rotation in mid-July... the Hellcats still swing the bats well with a .271 BA (12th) and 716 runs (8th), but only went deep 115 times (28th-tied)... the top hitters were 1B Johnny Scott (.334/20/95/89), RF Cris Wallace (.332/8/52/80) and CF Fred Wasikowski (.279/15/81/86). After garnering two pennants in 2026 and 2028, the Mahaska Haymakers (67-87) have really fallen on hard times... Rusty Tanussa's club slipped to 6th last year and down to 7th this season, 18 games back... the Haymakers have only an average offense with a .272 BA (10th), 121 homers (21st-tied) and is tied for 16th with 679 runs... on the mound the team ERA is a poor 4.01 (25th)... RF Travis Tuttle (.304/22/75/77), CF Pasha Yablonski (.300/2/48/81) and C Bucky O'Brian (.268/24/84/74) sport the best stats at the plate, while Arno Vainmaa (17-17/3.39) was the only effective starter... and closer Viktor Starvinsky (4-6/2.73/17 saves) had a pretty good season. Another club deep in the doldrums is the White River Rascals (65-89), who settled in the cellar for the second successive season, winding up 20 games out of first, putting an end to manager Mick Cronyn's strong string of success with four pennants since 2021... average pitching (3.75 ERA/17th) and lackluster hitting (.251/28th) is the reason for the decline... the only capable hurlers were rookie starter Davey Johnson (12-7/2.10), who joined the team in June and closer Johnny Duncan (7-5/2.40/10 saves)... ace Paul Sardini (8-19/3.60) put up the worst numbers in his fine 8-year career... overall Sardini is 124-95 with a strong 2.54 ERA... 36-year-old superstar 1B Marty Blake (.299/25/84/69) is still a big threat in the batting order... there's not much in the lineup after him. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-22-2012 at 04:08 PM.