ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 12th, 2033

2033 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

EP Evens Pro Cup 5-4 In 15 Innings
In another extra-inning thriller East Point outlasted Elnora 5-4 in 15 innings to even up the IPA Pro Cup Finals at two games apiece... pinchhitter Lee Wade (.400) hit a two-out walk-off single off Stan Kivas to score Jaxon Shatner (.185) from third base for the game-winner at Armed Forces Park in East Point... it was the Panthers second-straight home win in the series... game five will also be there.

Dixie Brooks and the Panthers had control of the game 4-1 after 8 frames... Brooks struck out 11 and only allowed 1 unearned run, but his bullpen let him down... Stephen Edwards blew the save when he was clipped for RF Pettis Pentleton's 3-run salvo in the top of the ninth... Pentleton's fourth playoff roundtripper knotted it up at 4-4 and forced the overtime... Edwards settled (0-2/3.92/2 saves) down and shut out the All-Stars the tenth through the thirteenth... Elnora's Lucien Vashon (2-1/3.48) was nailed with the loss, but he was outstanding as he only gave up 3 hits and one run in 6 innings... Vashon departed after Shatner led off the final frame with a base hit... All-Star starter Jeremy Sellers (2-0/2.28) went 8 innings and was tagged for 4 runs on 9 hits.

The teams tied with 13 hits each... SS Bob O'Brian (.471) collected 3 hits to spark the Panthers... RF Steve Stroud (.344) and 3B Lanny Lansberry (.218) pitched 2 hits each... Elnora was led by 3B Danny Bierhoff (.324) with 3 hits... three players RF Pettis Pentleton (.338), CF Travis Glass (.254) and 1B Matt Boyd (.254) cracked a pair of hits apiece.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 13, 2033

2033 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Elnora Takes Pro Cup Lead, Pfeffer Wins 3-2
A stellar performance by unbeaten Freddy Pfeffer put the slightly-favored Elnora All-Stars up three games to two over tough East Point in the best-of-seven IPA Pro Cup Series... Pfeffer (6-0/2.94) went all the way and stopped the Panthers 3-2 on 4 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 8 and walking only 2... the only damage was solo homers by 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.271) in the first and 1B Jaxon Shatner (.191) in the seventh... it was Tanaka's fourth home run in the postseason and Shatner's sixth.

The All-Stars scored in the first three frames to pin the defeat on Frank Blair (2-3/4.03)... Blair blanked them from the fourth through the eighth, yielding 3 runs total on 9 hits with 6 Ks and 2 bases on balls... CF Travis Glass' (.258) hit drove in a run in the first frame... LF Clint Thomas (.237) got run number two in on a sac fly in the second... and 1B Matt Boyd (.258) got the final run across with an RBI single in the third.

Elnora is now within one victory of its first Pro Cup crown in its 33-year history... East Point needs to rally and take the final two games to claim its first-ever Pro Cup... manager Leon Carter will probably send 26-year-old portsider Jose Robles to the hill tomorrow afternoon at State Fair Park in Elnora... Robles compiled a 12-5 mark this season with a 2.88 ERA... skipper Karol Zodoka has given the call to 27-year righty Jack Bolden... Bolden was 19-13 during the regular season with a solid 3.25 ERA... in the playoffs he is 1-1 in 4 starts with a 3.86 ERA... Bolden stopped the All-Stars and Robles 3-2 in game two of the series... in 4 playoff starts Robles is 1-3 with a 4.36 ERA... East Point doesn't hit lefties very well... that's why Carter will likely go with Robles... however, there is an outside chance the starter will be right-hander Paul Martina, who has an 0-2 mark in the postseason with a strong 2.45 ERA... Martina has appeared in 5 games and made one start... in the regular year Martina was 13-11 with a fine 2.94 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 14, 2033

2033 IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Panthers Down All-Stars 5-1, Force Game 7
After six games it's all even between the Elnora All-Stars and the East Point Panthers in the IPA Pro Cup Finals... each team has captured 3 games... on the road at State Fair Park the Panthers forced a seventh game with a 5-1 decision over the All-Stars behind some quality pitching by Jack Bolden and J. D. McDermott... Bolden started and spotted the Panthers a 4-1 lead after 5 innings... Bolden allowed 7 hits, fanned 3 and walked one... McDermott relieved him and hurled one-hit ball over the final 4 frames to garner his first save of the playoffs... Bolden (2-1/3.55) notched the victory... Paul Martina (0-3/2.70) was the loser... he went the distance, gave up 5 runs, 3 of them earned, and 10 hits.

Both clubs scored in the first inning... East Point CF Sean Flynn (.343) doubled and went to third on LF Steve Stroud's (.333) single and was driven in by 1B Jaxon Shatner's sac fly... Elnora came right back and tied it on a lead-off single by LF Clint Thomas (.250), who stole second and rode home on CF Travis Glass' (.258) RBI single... the Panthers snapped the tie with 3 runs in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.270) and Jaxon Shatner (.211)... Shatner moved to third on a groundout and scored on an error by 1B Matt Boyd (.277)... pitcher Jack Bolden (.333) batted in the third run with a single... in the seventh East Point padded its lead to 5-1 on LF Ed Milsted's (.259) deep sacrifice fly.

The Panther attack was led by Flynn, Stroud, Shatner and SS Al Christopher (.278) with 2 hits each... Tanaka scored twice and Shatner had 2 runs batted in... Clint Thomas and Matt Boyd had 2 hits apiece for the All-Stars.

Game seven will be tomorrow afternoon also in Elnora... it should be quite a Pro Cup finale with 20-game winners Dixie Brooks (23-7/1.76) and Jeremy Sellers (22-12/2.81) on the mound... the Panthers' Brooks is a brilliant 5-0 with a 1.22 ERA in 7 playoff starts this season, while Sellers is 2-0 in 6 postseason starts for the All-Stars with an excellent 2.30 ERA... in game one of the Pro Cup Finals Sellers left with 3-1 lead after 8 innings over Brooks... neither got the decision as Elnora won 6-5 in 14 innings... they went at it again in game four... this time Brooks departed with a 4-1 edge going into the ninth, but his bullpen blew it... however, East Point pulled it out 5-4 in 15 innings.

Elnora is 7-2 at State Fair Park in the playoffs and East Point is 5-4 on the road... the All-Stars have the home-park advantage and Sellers is a southpaw... the Panthers have a tougher time against lefties with a 20-18 record in the regular season... they are 68-48 against right-handers... East Point's top five hitters are left-handed... Elnora is only 14-12 against southpaws and 79-49 against righties... the only problem is the Panthers have no left-handed starters and only one portsider in the bullpen.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 15, 2033

IPA Pro Cup Final Series
(best-of-seven)

Elnora Mauls Panthers 12-7, IPA Champ
After 32 years of frustration, the Elnora All-Stars have finally won the IPA Pro Cup... they mauled the East Point Panthers 12-7 at home in the seventh and deciding game to haul in their first championship trophy... the All-Stars made shambles of the Panther pitchers, blasting them for 15 hits... they shot out to a 5-run first-inning lead, then pretty much finished off East Point with 4 more in the sixth after the Panthers mounted a comeback and cut the lead to 6-4.

RF Pettis Pentleton had a double and a triple among his hits and ignited the All-Stars with 3 hits and 4 RBIs... he also scored 2 runs... 1B Matt Boyd (.271) slapped a 2-run double... three All-Stars had 2 hits each: 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.289), 3B Danny Bierhoff (.337), SS Bobby Greb (.314) and C Cannon Johnson (.211)... all the regulars scored at least one run with LF Clint Thomas (.241) and Cannon Johnson scoring a pair of runs.

The expected duel between 20-game winners Dixie Brooks and Jeremy Sellers never materialized... Brooks (5-1/1.71) was the loser as he was slammed for 5 runs right off the bat in the opening inning... Brooks went out for a pinchhitter in the fifth after being tagged for 5 runs and 5 hits... Elnora continued to pound 4 other Panther pitchers, none of them were effective... Sellers (3-0/2.19) picked up the win... he worked 6 innings, permitted 4 runs on 6 hits... 3 Elnora errors cost him 3 unearned runs... Sellers was up 10-4 when he was lifted for a pinchhitter in the sixth.

The elated Elnora skipper Leon Carter beaming ear-to-ear cited his two fine starters Freddy Pfeffer (6-0/2.94) and Jeremy Sellers (3-0/2.19) as the chief ingredients in the team's success this season... Carter also praised all of his regulars as a solid bunch of hitters, who did their part, too... RF Pettis Pentleton topped the club with a .369 BA in the playoffs with 4 homers, 18 RBIs and 19 runs scored... 3B Danny Bierhoff hit .337 and drove in 14 runs... 2B Akihiro Samurakami batted .289 and scored 16 runs... LF Clint Thomas helped the offense by scoring 14 runs... light-hitting SS Bobby Greb hit 4 homers, batted .314 and drove in 11 runs in a surprisingly strong offensive performance... Greb has hit only 100 homers in his 14 seasons in the IPA with a career .256 BA.

East Point manager Karol Zodoka congratulated the All-Stars, saying, "We were simply outgunned in the series, especially in today's game... Elnora got clutch hitting when they needed it most... they made my very good pitching staff look quite ordinary at times... Elnora is as good a hitting team that we have faced this season... Pfeffer and Sellers are two outstanding pitchers, too." The Panthers top producers at the plate were 1B Jaxon Shatner (.224 BA) with 7 homers and 15 RBIs, 2B Tetsu Tanaka (.282 BA) with 4 homers, 12 RBIs and 14 runs, RF Steve Stroud (.316 BA) with 2 homers, 8 RBIs and 12 runs and CF Sean Flynn (.320) with 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 9 runs... pitcher Dixie Brooks was the only effective starter in the postseason... Brooks was 5-1 with a superb 1.71 ERA... his only bad start was in game seven of the Pro Cup... Brooks will probably never forget the 5-run first inning... Brooks told reporters, "You don't get many chances to win a Pro Cup ring. You have to take advantage of it when given the opportunity. We really missed one today."

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, October 16, 2033

Pro Cup MVP Goes To Elnora's Pentleton
It's all over but the shouting in Elnora after the All-Stars knocked off the East Point Panthers for their first-ever IPA Pro Cup. The All-Stars whipped the Panthers in a hard-fought seven-game series, highlighted by the play of right fielder Pettis Pentleton and pitcher Freddy Pfeffer. Both players were vital in Elnora's championship run. The Islandian Times announced today that Pentleton was selected as this year's outstanding player in the Pro Cup Finals. Pentleton was chosen the Pro Cup Most Valuable Player in a poll of scribes and sportscasters throughout the Islands. The 27-year-old outfielder won the honor in a close vote over his teammate Pfeffer.

Pentleton played in 19 postseason games and chalked up 31 hits in 84 at-bats for a .369 batting average. The talented Pentleton collected 6 doubles, 4 home runs, 18 RBIs and scored 19 runs to lead the All-Stars to the title. In the 12-7 victory in game seven Pentleton socked 3 hits and drove in 4 runs. For the year Pentleton had a .319 BA with 15 homers, 90 runs batted in and scored 85 times, while playing in 150 games. Lifetime in 7 IPA seasons Pentleton sports a .329 average.

Pfeffer was unbeaten in 6 starts in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs. He won half of Elnora's playoff victories. The All-Stars were 12-7 overall in the postseason. Pfeffer was a perfect 6-0 with a sparkling 2.94 ERA and 4 complete games. During the regular season he posted an impressive 21-8 mark and a 2.96 ERA. Pfeffer has carded a fine 130-73 record in 7 years with the All-Stars.

[Eugene Church]

I'm working on the Awards.

Should post them tomorrow.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 17, 2033

Dillinger Wins 5th RU Golden Bat
For the fifth time in the last six years Waleska's superstar slugger Loco Dillinger has claimed the Ruthlandian Union Golden Bat Award. The Westerners left fielder posted a .316 batting average in 148 games with 188 hits, 44 homers, 137 RBIs and 97 runs scored. The 33-year-old Dillinger topped the RU in roundtrippers and runs batted in. Career-wise the 8-time All-Star is a .319 hitter with 401 home runs in his 11 seasons. While Dillinger had a fine season, Waleska (73-81) slipped into the second division and wound up a dismal fifth in the RU South. The Westerners were second in 2032.

Eastshore's star center fielder Scotty Lagrange finished a distant second to Dillinger in The Islandian Times poll. Lagrange batted .322 with 32 homers, 93 RBIs and 105 runs in 133 games. He is 26-years-old and has twice been honored as an All-Star and Golden Glover. Lagrange has posted a .300 mark in his seven seasons with the Elegants, who were 81-73 and came in tied for fifth the hotly-contested RU East.

Winding up third in the Golden Bat balloting was the RU batting champion Kelvin Cassidy, third baseman for the Rocky Rapids Snappers. Cassidy, just 23, compiled a .344 BA in 136 games with 34 homers, 90 RBIs and 83 runs. He was one bright spot in the Snappers (71-83) disappointing seventh-place finish in the RU West.

TU Gold Bat To Elites Lewellen, Edges Evans
Colchester center fielder Jim Lewellen's terrific season deprived Southport's Lorne Evans of his fifth Golden Bat Award. Lewellen paced the IPA with 54 roundtrippers and 138 RBIs, while putting up a .288 batting average in 148 games. In 10 seasons with the Elites, Lewellen has clouted 350 home runs, driven in 973 runs and chalked up a .275 average. Lewellan is 29 years of age. Colchester (70-84) had its seven-year string of first-division finishes snapped this season with a seventh-place spot in the TU South. The last time that happened was in 2025.

Lorne Evans had his usual good year for the Southport Sun Sox with 51 homers, 110 runs batted in and 119 runs scored, but it wasn't good enough to whip Lewellen. Evans batted .281 and played in 148 games. For the first time since 2024 the Sun Sox (73-81) plummeted down to the second division in the TU South and ended up in fifth place.

La Claire's standout shortstop Jarred O'Neal trailed in the balloting and was the third-highest votegetter. O'Neal notched a .310 BA with 36 homers, 116 RBIs and scored 109 runs to spark the Lynx (86-68) to the TU West title.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, October 18, 2033

Brooks Cops TU Gold Arm 2 Years In A Row
East Point right hander Dixie Brooks did what few pitchers in the Tycobbian Union have done - the 27-year-old Brooks has won the prestigious Golden Arm Award for past two seasons in a row. Only the great Cory Burg of the Cape Coral Hurricanes accomplished that feat in 2004 and 2005. Four hurlers in the Ruthlandian Union have that claim to fame in the IPA. Charley Boyer (Rocky Rapids) did it in 2004 and 2005, Ilya Szabo (Colfax) did it twice, 2010 and 2011 and again in 2014 and 2015, Duncan Welch (Crystal Lake) won it back-to-back in 2019 and 2020 and Les Patterson (Sligo) captured the honor in 2021 and 2022.

Dixie Brooks paced the East Point Panthers (88-66) to their second TU East crown in the last three seasons with a splendid 23-7 record and he led the IPA with a super-low 1.72 ERA. Brooks tossed 6 shutouts, posted 20 complete games and fanned 221 batters in his 318 innings. Lifetime the Panther ace is 136-90 with a superb 2.87 ERA in seven years.

The runner-up in The Islandian Times poll was La Claire's fireballer Pat Kovacs with a great 22-8 mark, 2.06 ERA, 10 complete games, 211 Ks and 3 shutouts. The Lynx (86-68) were the best team in the TU West. Number three in the vote was Freddi Rossi of the Summerland Sunsets. Rossi was very instrumental in the Sunsets (83-71) winning the TU South this year with a 22-12 season and a strong 2.09 ERA, 3 shutouts and 15 complete games.

'Cats Gillespie Grabs RU Golden Arm
J. J. Gillespie of the Cold Creek Catamounts (85-69) really blossomed this season with a 22-8 record, leading his team to a third-place finish in the RU East. For his outstanding season Gillespie was honored with the Ruthlandian Golden Arm Award, symbolic of the best pitcher in the league. The 28-year-old righty topped the IPA with 7 shutouts, while striking out 230 in 323 innings, pitching 17 complete games and registering a 2.03 ERA, which was the best in the RU. In his 5-year career in the IPA Gillespie is 51-28 with a terrific 2.42 ERA. He has only been a starter the last two seasons.

Marston's Pat Brown, only 22 years old, chalked up a fine 22-11 record in his second season and came in second in The Islandian Times Golden Arm competition. Brown had an unbelieveable 27 complete games with a 2.23 ERA, 226 strikeouts and 2 shutouts for a sixth-place club. The Nine were 76-78 for the year. Third in the voting was Bobby Reid, a teammate of Gillespie at Cold Creek. Reid was 21-10 with a 2.30 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, October 19, 2033

Crushers Stanek RU Top Rookie
Three rookies battled for the 2033 Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year Award with the honor going to Crystal Lake's fine frosh catcher Stan Stanek. He edged out Sugar Valley center fielder Bobby Gamble and Crystal Lake closer Eddie Lane in a poll conducted by The Islandian Times.

Stanek, age 27, sparked the Crystal Lake Crushers (81-73) to fourth place in the RU East race. Stanek posted a .340 batting average, second best to Rocky Rapids third basement Kelvin Cassidy, who led the league with a .344 BA. This season's top rookie walloped 28 homers, batted in 105 runs and scored 89 runs in 130 games.

Gamble hit .292 for the fourth-place Sugar Valley Rattlers (81-73) with 28 roundtrippers, 96 RBIs and 113 runs in 142 games. Lane appeared 74 times in relief for Crystal Lake with an 8-4 mark, 25 saves and a 2.65 ERA. Lane tied Johnny Duncan of Belle Plaine for the Ruthlandian Union lead in games and saves. Duncan was 11-7 with a 2.03 ERA. Only the Tycobbian Union's Don Sawyer of Bay St. Clair and Bud Foster of Denton City were better in the IPA. Sawyer had 26 saves for the Bucs and Foster paced the Redbirds with 77 appearances.

Hawks' Thurgood Best TU Rookie
It was a two-man race for the Tycobbian Rookie of the Year trophy. North Hills' Adam Thurgood outpolled Mahaska right hander Greg Douglas in The Islandian Times balloting. East Point catcher Chris Cardinale came in third.

North Hills 22-year-old left fielder, Thurgood, smacked 33 out of the park, collected 104 runs batted in and 80 runs, while participating in 143 games and batting .276 for average for the fifth-place Hawks (76-78). Douglas, age 25, was 19-10 for the seventh-place Haymakers (70-84), finishing with a 3.02 ERA. 26-year-old Cardinale batted only .266, but knocked 23 home runs and drove in 85 runs in 129 games for the division-winning Panthers (88-66).

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, October 20, 2033

CC's Gillespie Heralded As RU MVP
Cold Creek's J. J. Gillespie and Bobby Reid led the Catamounts to a fine season with a third-place spot in the RU East standings. The two impressive hurlers ran one-two in The Islandian Times poll for the Ruthlandian Most Valuable Player Award. Gillespie led the balloting, followed by Reid and Elnora's ace Freddi Pfeffer.

Gillespie fashioned a 22-8 record with a league-leading 2.03 ERA and 7 shutouts. The 28-year-old right-hander was also named the best pitcher in the RU and took home the Golden Arm honor, too.

Cold Creek teammate Reid put up some strong stats as well with a 21-10 mark and a 2.30 ERA. The third-highest votegetter Pfeffer led the Elnora All-Stars to their third consecutive RU East crown with a 21-8 record and a 2.96 ERA.

EP's Brooks Wins TU MVP
What a big year for Dixie Brooks of the pennant-winning East Point Panthers of the Tycobbian East! The masterful 27-year-old right-hander wound up the 2033 season in a blaze of glory. Not only did he win the Tycobbian Golden Arm for the second successive year, Brooks also captured the much-coveted TU Most Valuable Award trophy with a 23-7 record and a superb 1.72 ERA. He and Fairfax's Dudley Dickens tied for the most wins in the IPA, while Brooks easily topped all pitchers in the IPA with a super-low ERA.

Brooks had to beat out two fine hitters for the MVP Award. La Claire's gifted shortstop Jarred O'Neal came in second in the voting. O'Neal led the Lynx to the TU West title with a .310 BA, 36 homers, 116 RBIs and 109 runs, while playing in 148 contests. Fairfax's fancy center fielder Eric Kusek had a marvelous season, too, with a .332 BA, 13 home runs, 83 RBIs and 108 runs scored. Kusek also stole 38 bases, played in 147 games and sparked the Frogs to the RU North championship.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, October 21, 2033

RU Awards Golden Gloves
On the defensive side of the game pitchers usually get the glory, but the best pitchers know their success many times also hinges on the gloves behind them. The St. John Crusaders topped all comers with three players being honored as superior defenders. Eastshore and Grand City had two players make the squad. The defensive dream team in the Ruthlandian Union for 2033 has been announced and the Golden Glove Award trophies will be presented to these outstanding fielders:

Pitcher: Koy Clampett (Eastshore Elegants) (15-13/3.60/1.000 FA)
Catcher: Floyd Randolph (Valmara Vipers) (.232/15/73/54) (.994 FA/6 PB/39.2% RTO)
First Baseman: Mikk Kruk (Valka Blackhawks) (.321/21/85/106) (.992 FA)
Second Baseman: Byron Johannsen (St. John Crusaders) (.294/7/78/81) (.986 FA)
Third Baseman: Norm Murdoch (St. John Crusaders) (.294/6/86/49) (.970 FA)
Shortstop: Hal Burton (St. John Crusaders) (.238/1/42/97) (.974 FA)
Left Fielder: Wes Marlowe (Grand City Cybercats) (.259/30/85/77) (.978 FA/2 Assists/304 PO)
Center Fielder: Scotty Lagrange (Eastshore Elegants) (.322/32/93/105) (.993/7 Assists/411 PO)
Right Fielder: Thomas Hall (Grand City Cybercats) (.281/28/93/88) (.989 FA/8 Assist/346 PO)

Randolph, Johannsen and Lagrange each won their second Golden Gloves, while the rest were first-time winners.

Gold Gloves Given Out By TU
Great defenders make the hard plays and are the unsung heroes in the baseball world. Home-run hitters and fireballing pitchers seem to get most of the glory. These defensive wizards will collect their 2033 Tycobbian Union Golden Glove Award at ceremonies this weekend:

Pitcher: Dixie Brooks (East Point Panthers) (23-7/1.72/.988 FA)
Catcher: Arnie Murphy (White River Rascals) (.256/13/56/45) (.999 FA/5 PB/54.2% RTO)
First Baseman: Phillip Stafford (Hillsboro Blazers) (.282/25/102/81) (.996 FA)
Second Baseman: Chuck Claymont (Southport Sun Sox) .268/3/34/52) (.979 FA)
Third Baseman: Billy Christianson (Rolling Hills Reds) (.310/15/81/71) (.976 FA)
Shortstop: James Couch (Ozarka Naturals) (.287/17/86/93) (.975 FA)
Left Fielder: Charley Kota (Chicopee Braves) (.333/22/74/110) (1.000 FA/9 Assists/358 PO)
Center Fielder: Jim Lewellen (Colchester Elites) (.288/54/138/119) (.994 FA/6 Assists/368 PO)
Right Fielder: Eamon O'Toole (Summerland Sunsets) (.289/12/56/73) (.985 FA/18 Assists/245 PO)

Billy Christianson captured his third Golden Glove and Dixie Brooks and James Couch became double winners of the coveted award. Eamon O'Toole was the only rookie named to the Golden Glovers this year.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, October 22, 2033

Muskies' Torregrossa Best Skipper In RU
There were strong candidates in abundance in The Islandian Times Ruthlandian Union Manager of the Year Award this season. Five skippers got support in the poll. In the final tabulation the winner was Dave Torregrossa of the Belle Plaine Musketeers. Also in the running were St. John's Clayton Luck, Elnora's Leon Carter, Sligo's Eddie Keys and LaGrange's Quincy Peterson.

Dave Torregrossa took the honor by leading Belle Plaine to a second-place finish to Elnora in the RU East. His Muskies pushed the powerful All-Stars most of the season and wound up 5 games off the pace with an 88-66 record, markedly improved over last year's 70-84 sixth-place standing. This was the first time Torregrossa received the best-manager award. Torregrossa was a journeyman utility infielder for 13 years in the IPA with a career .287 batting average.

Clayton Luck was the runner-up in the balloting. He sparked the St. John Crusaders to their fifth division title in the club's history. The Crusaders bounced up from third to first in the RU South with an 87-67 mark, an improvement over the previous year's 76-78.

Leon Carter, the Manager of the Year in 2031 and 2032, had a tough act to follow. His Elnora All-Stars led the IPA with 105 wins last year. Still Carter kept his All-Stars at the top of the heap in the RU East with a strong 93-61 mark. It's the third straight season Elnora took the pennant on the way to the team's first IPA Pro Cup championship. This year Carter's All-Stars defeated the East Point Panthers in a stirring seven-game series for the Island crown.

Eddie Keys did an impressive job with the Sligo Rovers as they rebounded from a poor last-place finish in 2032 with a 61-93 record to a pennant-winning 79-76 record in the tightly-bunched RU West. His Rovers polished off Fort Benton in a playoff game for the division crown. Keys was fourth in the voting.

Quincy Peterson guided the LaGrange Sports to another impressive season. The Sports captured the RU North for the second year in a row with a 91-63 record, which was almost identical to 92-62 in 2032. Peterson ended up fifth in the vote.

Frogs' Wesner Again TU Pilot of the Year
For the second time in the last five seasons, Fairfax's Dane Wesner has been selected the Tycobbian Union Manager of the Year. Wesner also was named best skipper in 2029. It was a hotly-contest race with seven managers receiving votes in The Islandian Times annual poll.

Wesner led the Fairfax Frogs to the best record in the IPA this season with 102 victories. They easily won the TU North by a whopping 20 games. The Frogs topped the division for the second year in a row. Last year Fairfax finished with a sparkling 95-59 record. Wesner was a Hall of Fame outfielder for the Frogs with a career .311 batting average and 452 homers in his 19 IPA seasons. He was inducted into the IPA Hall of Fame in 2029.

Kendry Moulton came in number two in the balloting. His Hartsdale Hellcats rose up from the cellar in 2032 to second place in the RU North. The Hellcats improved from 61-93 to 82-72 this season.

Third in the straw vote was Will Hackett, who piloted the Summerland Sunsets to their first pennant in almost 3 decades. The Sunsets climbed from seventh to the top spot in the TU South, rising up from a dismal 64-90 mark to 83-71. Hackett fended off the Turon Typhoons and Ginza Ninjas in a tight three-team battle. Summerland outlasted the Typhoons by a one game and the Ninjas by 4.

Also receiving support in the Manager of the Year poll were La Claire's Zeppy Deshotel, the winner in the TU West, Kenwood's Aaron Hankins, whose Wildcats went from seventh to second in the TU West, Karol Zodoka of the East Point Panthers and Andy Jefferson of the Hillsboro Blazers. The Panthers moved up from third to first in the TU East and the Blazers went from sixth to second in the TU North.

[Eugene Church]

That finishes off 2033. I will soon begin work on next year's rosters.

Sorry for not posting much lately... been watching real baseball.

I like the Cardinals a lot, but wish Washington would win the World Series.
It's a shame they didn't save Strasburg for the playoffs.

If not the Nationals, some of the underdogs would be nice - Oakland, Detroit, Cincinnati or Baltimore. I just hope somebody beats the Yankees.
Anybody would be great except for the Yankees.

[Eugene Church]

The computer crashed today and wiped out all I had done on the rosters.
I had done 38 of the 64 teams. I lost about 20 teams' roster changes today and will have to redo them.

This has happened before whenever I am reworking rosters. I need to close out the game about every 5 teams and I can avert this happening. The most I will lose is 5 teams.

I just lost a day's work today.

I'll get back on it tomorrow. I should start the 34th IPA season in about a week.

[Eugene Church]

36 of the 64 rosters have been updated.

That's about 3 days' work.

It won't be long until season 34 begins.

[Eugene Church]

Finished updating the rosters today.

I will report on the new season 2034 tomorrow (Monday)

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
May 1, 2034

Ruthlandian North Preseason Poll

Ranking/Team (Last Year)
1. Far Mountain Redhawks (2nd)
2. Kilkenny Cats (4th tied)
3. LaGrange Sports (1st)
4. Ranford Bulls (3rd)
5. Glasco Athletics (4th tied)
6. Ancona Red Elephants (8th)
7. Valmara Vipers (6th)
8. Taranto Tars (7th)

Favored FM Redhawks Led By 3 In RU North
Pre-season favorite Far Mountain (17-9) opened up a 3-game lead in the first month of the Ruthlandian North over second-place Glasco (14-12), 5 ahead of third-place Ranford (12-14) and 7 up on defending champ LaGrange (10-16) in fourth-place in the standings... the rest of the league is closely bunched with Valmara (9-17), Taranto (9-17) and Kilkenny (9-17) all tied for fifth and Ancona (8-18) in the basement... the Kilkenny Cats and LaGrange Sports were forecast to give the Redhawks the most competition this season.

Far Mountain has strong hitting (.280 BA) and pitching (2.70 ERA) under the leadership of manager Don Nichols... Vets Jakob Wagner (4-2/2.05), Frankie Moreland (4-1/2.41), Keith Griggs (5-2/2.55) and Jeff Cooper (2-2/4.04) lead the mound staff... Paul Zimmer (2-1/2.70/2 saves) heads up the bullpen... at the plate it's rookie OF Jeffrey Karkinos (.340), 3B Axel Bauer (.337), SS Artie Morton (.328) and rookie Wes Wernstedt (.299) pacing the attack.

Despite poor starting pitching (4.26 ERA), the Glasco Athletics, piloted by Barry McCord, have managed to power their way to the runner-up spot with an IPA-leading 38 homers in April... SS Greg Stone hit 6 in the month, followed by Dennis Kaiser and rookies Gilbert Forbes and Taylor Hampshire with 5 each... the A's were rated the fifth-best club in The Islandian Times preseason poll.

Skipper Rick Fargnoli's third-place Ranford Bulls have very good pitching with a 3.22 team ERA, but is pathetic with the bats, hitting only .229... pitchers Chad Cummings (4-3/2.25), Jimmy Collins (.3-1/3.40) and Rube Satcher (3-4/3.11) top the team starters, along with Joah Satcher (1-1/2.70) and Frank Yosarian (0-0/1.13) in the bullpen.... the Bulls ranked fourth in the preseason poll... vet 1B Elton Graff is the only productive hitter with a .310 average, 6 homers and 21 RBIs.

In LaGrange, skipper Quincy Peterson is in desparate need of a bullpen... he has high-quality starters in vets Walt Thurber (3-2/2.32), Ryan Janssen (4-2/3.10) and Mike York (0-1/2.97), but the relievers are awful with a 6.57 ERA... the Sports are only average at the plate with a .267 BA... best bats are LF Russell Watkins with a .350 BA, 11 homers and 21 RBIs, 2B Whitlow Stokes with a .308 BA and RF Anton Hymel with a .293 mark.

Rusty Denicola's Kilkenny Cats had a bad April, but is expected to contend with Far Mountain... the Cats didn't do much right in the early going despite the addition of free agent 3B Leevi Viru from Valka, a career .323 hitter and 6-time All-Star... Viri sparked the limited offense with 5 homers and 21 RBIs, while batting .283... C Bailey Wooten (.339), 1B Luis Cisneros (.323) and 2B Thomas Rutherford (.306) topped the team in average... ace Dave Whitaker fared poorly with an 0-6 record and a lofty 6.71 ERA... vets Fred Doyle (3-2/2.05) and Ike Phelps (2-2/3.25) were the best starters... rookie relievers Andy Mayfield (1-0/0.00) and Dave Stratford (1-0/0.00) looked good in the early going.

After 33 years at the helm Ancona manager Manny Mickens called it a career this season and turned the reins over to Kenny Willard, who starred for the Red Elephants for most of his standout 19 seasons... Willard batted .301 lifetime with 441 HRs and was a 6-time All-Star and 6-time Gold Glover... in 2022 Willard was the Ruthlandian MVP... Willard inherited a weak ballclub that ranks near the bottom in almost everything... his best player is free agent LF Floyd McClellan, who came over from Forest City... the 12-year vet has 6 homers, 19 RBIs and is batting at a .278 pace.

After finishing sixth last year, Valmara manager Jet Kazmarek drastically revised his roster, adding 10 rookies to the squad... the Vipers have dominated the RU North the last 15 years with 8 pennants... vet J. B. Boutin (3-2/2.93) and rookie Janek Zoldak (4-3/2.97) are the only decent pitchers... ace Garry Gronek (0-6/6.65) has flopped miserably so far... keystone partners SS Pat Kaluza (.294) and 2B Miroslav Ciszek (.329) are Valmara's best hitters... star LF Benny Hooper (.235) has struggled with his average, but is productive, along with C Ted Jarzinski (.261)... Hooper has 3 homers and 13 RBIs, while Jarzinski had 5 roundtrippers and 14 RBIs.

Taranto manager Denny Radke got an abrupt heave-ho recently and was replaced by Augie Marshall, who retired in April after 21 seasons... Marshall played his first 10 years with the Tars and was a superstar slugger with 504 RBIs and a .287 BA... Marshall's first game will be May 1st and it looks like it's going to be a long first year for him... the Tars have little talent and rank poorly in the team stats... rookie flamethrower Fast Eddy Romano has stood out in relief so far with a 1-1 record, 3 saves and an impressive 2.94 ERA in 11 games... starters Rex Perrilloux (2-2/2.92) and rookie Sal Mongelli (3-2/3.75) show promise... 17-year vet 2B Greg Murphy (.301) and CF Alonzo Venacio (.305) are the only reliable bats.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2034

2034 Preseason Poll
Rank/Team (Last Year)

1. Claxton Diamonds (6th)
2. Grand City Cybercats (2nd)
3. San Dimas Rancheros (3rd)
4. Waleska Westerners (5th)
5. Belair Beach Sunbirds (7th tied)
6. St. John Crusaders (1st)
7. Crystal Lake Crushers (4th)
8. Valka Blackhawks (7th tied)

Blackhawks Surprise Leader In RU South
The booming bats of the Valka Blackhawks have new manager Eddie Lasky beaming from ear-to-ear in his first month of the season... To the surprise of almost everybody, Valka has run up a super 16-10 record and is tied for first with Crystal Lake, another Cinderella club... both the Blackhawks and the Crushers were picked near the bottom of the Ruthlandian South this year in The Islandian Times Preseason Poll... last year's division winner St. John (14-12) is right up there with them and trails by just 2 games... this year's favorite Claxton is in a fourth-place deadlock with San Dimas and Belair Beach, all 4 games back of the leaders with 12-14 marks... Waleska (11-15) and Grand City (11-15) are tied for last place, but are just 5 games out of first place. The RU South is still wide open with all 8 clubs still in contention.

Lasky took over from Ron Landauer in Valka and he has the Blackhawks running and gunning with a .285 team batting average and they are the top-scoring club in the IPA... pitching, however, is another story with a substandard 4.26 ERA... Lasky was a solid hurler for the Blackhawks for the first 10 years of his 17-year career... overall he was 248-213 with 3.54 ERA... he was a Golden Arm winner in 2023 with the Bay St. Clair Buccaneers, winding up with a super 25-8 record and a 2.79 ERA... and Lasky captured 3 Golden Gloves... nine Blackhawks sport .300 averages with 3B Ed Metzinger leading at .370, followed by C Benny Douglas (.333), RF Doug Whitehouse (.333), rookie 1B Bobby Scott (.324), RF Kenny Mitzusaka (.323), rookie C Marti Kallasmaa (.310), 1B Mikk Kukk (.306), LF Luukas Palli (.301) and CF Ted Sabonis (.300)... two others are near .300: SS Olari Ojastu (.298) and LF Peetrus Raag (.293)... the top Valka pitchers are Rick Beasley (1-1/3.32) and Nicky Palermo (3-1/3.32).

Crystal Lake, under the tutelage of Herman "Baby" George, is ripping the ball, too, with a .281 batting mark, but is not quite up to snuff on the hill with a lackluster 3.97 ERA... the bullpen is especially bad with a sky-high 5.54 ERA... starters Denny Mills (4-2/2.78), Arnie Cason (2-2/3.72) and T. D. Burnham (3-2/3.99) are quality arms... Eddie Lane (2-1/1.23) is again handling bullpen chores well, but there is no one after him... 19-year-old phenom RF Paul Dillon has blistered IPA pitchers for a .376 average in his rookie year... Denton City free agent 1B Big Sam Takota has been a great addition with a .333 average, 8 homers and 25 RBIs... 2B Mackie Cummings is batting .355 and driven in 19 runs.

Third-place St. John has great pitching with a 2.90 team ERA, but has trouble scoring runs (27th) and has almost no power with just 8 home runs (32nd)... veteran starters Jeremy Kirk (4-1/1.38) and Larry Urban (4-3/2.83) top the Crusader staff... 1B Johnny Zahn (.370) and rookie RF Gerry Sives (.353) are the most potent bats... manager Clayton Luck also have several other dependable hitters in CF Tony Kreskas (.319), LF Bobby Joe Daniel (.290) and 3B Norm Murdoch (.264)... St. John lost its best pitcher to free agency when Zack Dowdle signed with San Dimas... he was 19-13 last season.

Dixie Baker's Claxton Diamonds were the number-one choice to win the RU South this season, but they have stumble a little bit out of the gate and are 2 games under .500 in the first month, tied with San Dimas and Belair Beach for the fourth spot in the standings, but just 4 games off the pace... Claxton is just playing average ball with a .271 team BA (10th) and a 3.68 ERA (13th)... Tommy Brothers has been brilliant with a 5-0 mark and a superb 1.00 ERA in 5 starts... Sam Nathan has been tough with a strong 2.52 ERA, but is just 1-5 in his 6 starts... Baker's best run producers have been RF Ivan Krause (.301) with 7 HRs and 18 RBIs, C Jaan Hoogendoorn (.359), 2B Jonas Weiss (.323), 3B Gen Langenhoven (.289) and CF Ken Brennan (.280).

According to the baseball pronosticators, skipper Wesley Pate has a contender with his San Dimas Rancheros... but they haven't played like one thus far... his pitching has skyrocketed from 3.56 to a poor 4.37 this year... the relief corps has been quite bad with a 5.95 ERA... the only thing the Rancheros do well is hit with power... they have gone deep 30 times (5th)... San Dimas has some fine hitters, but just not enough of them... SS Glendon Pratt (.379), star 1B Mick Langston (.328), CF Klaus Stordahl (.326) and C Arved Tarand (.306)... 8-year veteran Langston was signed as a free agent... previously he starred for Grand City... the Rancheros also acquired pitcher Zack Dowdle... he has held his own with a 2-3 record and a 3.29 ERA in 6 starts... Dowdle is 89-58 lifetime in 13 seasons with a very impressive 2.74 ERA... another free agent Gregg Hughes has been Pate's top pitcher with a 5-1 mark and 3.07 ERA in 7 starts... Hughes (127-109) was a solid pitcher for the Hillsboro Blazers of the Tycobbian East for 11 years.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds have a new manager... Slim Mosley has replaced Little Jake Bungarooba, who had little success in his tenure... Mosley had a fine 18-year career from 2001 to 2018 with the Sunbirds, compiling a 254-192 record with a solid 3.34 ERA... they made the playoffs 7 times when he played and won 5 pennants... Belair Beach is an average club, but they can hit the long ball... the Sunbirds have chalked up 31 this season and are ranked 3rd in the RU, led by CF Bobby Meusel with 8 home runs, 21 RBIs and a .310 batting average... 3B Johnny Wofford is hitting .329 with 18 RBIs... 1B Vander Heggen (.348) and RF Pat Webb (.304) are quality bats, too... Stefan Zeeman (3-2/2.10) and rookie Kerstan Mak (2-0/3.09) are Mosley's top twirlers.

The great Roy Hobbs is now the skipper of the Waleska Westerners... the IPA icon and superstar will replace McGraw Johnson, who decided to retire after 33 years... however, Johnson will remain as general manager... Johnson won the IPA Pro Cup in 2028 and made the playoffs only four times with three division flags... Hobbs had a spectacular career with a .345 BA, 587 homers and 3793 hits... he is second all-time to Phil Gravelli's 4260 hits, second to Jet Kazmarek's .350 BA and fifth to Jack Elliott's 848 homers... Hobbs was a 15-time All-Star, 7-time Golden Bat winner, twice a Golden Glover and won the RU Most Valuable Player Award in 2026 and 2030... Waleska hits and scores pretty well, but lacks good pitching... the Westerners are currently tied with Grand City for seventh and last place in the RU South... the baseball gurus chose them fourth in the pennant race... vets LF Loco Dillinger (.318), 1B Glenn Childress (.287) and 3B Monty McMurtry (.292) are the team's best bats with help from rookie SS Roger Hobbs (.305), the 19-year-old son of the skipper... Waleska's best mound performers are vet Terry Richards (2-3/2.30) and rookie Tucker Wilton (3-3/2.43)... the Westerners are rebuilding with 9 rookies this season... fourth place may too tough for Hobbs to reach this year.

Grand City was expected to challenge Claxton for the division title this season, but so far the Cybercats have floundered, yet are just 5 games back in the pennant race... last season they came in third... manager Wade Joslin has average hitting (.257 BA) with decent power (27 HRs) and average pitching (3.86 ERA), but he has a terrible bullpen with a 7.05 ERA (32nd)... starters Herb Stewart (2-3/2.31), Norm Dawson (2-1/1.96) and Mason Dodd (1-1/2.81) have been very effective, but have suffered from a lack of run support... CF Thomas Hall (.284) and SS Teddy Grantham (.293) tops the Cybercats with 6 homers and 14 RBIs apiece... 2B Dave Sulligent has the best BA on the squad at .324.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian East Preseason Prediction

Rank/Team (Last Year)
1. Wynnamac Sundowners (4th)
2. Cold Creek Catamounts (3rd)
3. Eastshore Elegants (6th)
4. Sugar Valley Rattlers (5th)
5. Elnora All-Stars (1st) 2033 Pro Cup Champion
6. Beechwood Bobcats (8th)
7. Belle Plaine Musketeers (2nd)
8. Marston Nine (7th)

RU East Full Of Winners, Wynnies On Top
The Ruthlandian East has more teams over .500 than the other three divisions combined... There are only 6 teams above .500 in the RU North, South and West... The RU East is power-packed with winning clubs, led by first place Wynnamac (18-8)... four teams, Sugar Valley (17-9), Marston (17-9), Eastshore (17-9) and Cold Creek (17-9) are tied for second, just one game back... the other three, defending division winner Elnora (15-11), Belle Plaine (15-11) and Beechwood (15-11) are deadlocked in sixth place and trail by only 3 games... it was almost the same last season when six clubs wound up above the .500 mark.

The top team, the Wynnamac Sundowners, have splendid pitching with an IPA-leading 2.36 ERA... Matt Donnelly's rotation is paced by Killara Bardo (6-1/1.33), Jason Meeks (3-2/2.15), Jeremy Vincent (4-3/2.83), Nick Tarkovsky (1-1/2.05) and Pancho Romero (3-1/3.25)... the Wynnies only possess modest hitting, topped by LF Allen Dundee with a .327 BA, 4 homers and 22 RBIs.

The Cold Creek Catamounts are primed for a run at the pennant for the first time in over two decades... manager Scoop Lemieux's CC 'Cats are batting .293 (1st) and have very good pitching with a 3.14 ERA (5th)... the most reliable bats are LF Walt Babin (.385), 1B Steve Daniels (.368), 2B Morten Jonassen (.344), rookie SS Jeremy Hall (.319) and CF Guy St. Laurent (.291)... Daniels and St. Laurent lead the team with 6 home runs each... Daniels has 26 RBIs and St. Laurent 18... Peter Heller (5-1/2.35), J. J. Gillespie (4-3/2.67) and George Bailey (5-2/2.69) are the main moundsmen... Gillespie was last year's RU MVP and Golden Arm winner... the best bullpen man is Eddie Brasher (1-0/1.74/4 saves) in 7 relief appearances.

The last time Danny Church's Marston Nine competed was in 2029 when they won the division crown... Church has a fine offense with a .290 BA and a good mound corps with a 3.20 ERA... leading the attack at the plate are RF Warren Cleveland (.379), skipper's son SS Johnny Church (.360), 1B Marco Ameche (.314) and LF Ken Armstrong (.313)... Cleveland has 6 roundtrippers and 23 RBIs... Pat Brown is the ace with a 5-1 record and a 2.37 ERA, followed by rookie Kris Delaney with a 5-0 mark and a 3.33 ERA.

Statistically it's not a good season for the defending IPA Pro Cup champion Elnora All-Stars, skippered by Leon Carter... his All-Stars are batting .263 (19th) and are only average in power and scoring... on the mound the squad has compiled a pretty fair 3.54 ERA (11th)... the team numbers are down from .280 and 3.05 since last year... still the All-Stars are just 3 games off the pace... Jeremy Sellers (4-2/3.64), Jesus Robles (2-1/3.60), Freddy Pfeffer (2-1/4.35) and Paul Martina (2-3/3.93) have got to get it going to equal last year's great season... Elnora's best hitters have been 2B Akihiro Samurakami (.388), LF Clint Thomas (.296) and 1B Matt Boyd (.299)... RF Travis Glass has put up a poor .242 mark, but has been productive with 7 homers and 18 RBIs... free agent acquisition SS James Couch has struggled thus far with a .261 average... he is 38 years old and has spent his first 19 seasons with Ozarka in the TU East... Couch made the All-Star team 9 times and has won two Golden Gloves... he is a career .308 hitter.

Killer Brewster's Eastshore Elegants are in a four-way tie for second place... the Elegants are near the top in team batting with a .298 average (2nd) and on the hill with a 3.09 ERA (4th)... RF Neil Richard (.413) and 1B Glenn Fields (.410) are over the .400 mark, while superstar CF Scotty Lagrange has belted 9 homers and is hitting .353... the top hurlers are Koy Clampett (5-2/2.75), Ramon Contreras (5-1/2.88) and Don Klingenberg (3-1/3.07)... Brewster suffered a huge loss in 20-game winner Ryan Ledbetter, who left for Chicopee in the offseason.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers lost its star starter Aron Libertini at age 27 due to a series of bad arm injuries that ended his impressive career... in his five seasons Libertini was 93-65, twice winning 20 games... the Rattlers play in a small ballpark, but the pitching staff has done well... rookie Rod Price is 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA, Eddie Petre is 3-1 with a 3.44 ERA and Ron Navarro 2-2 with 2.61 ERA... batting-wise CF Bobby Gamble lead the way with 5 homers, 23 RBIs and a 3.94 BA, which is second best in the RU to Eastshore's Neil Richard at .413... 1B Mike Mickelson is hitting .319 and RF Carlo Velucci sports a .294 batting mark with 6 home runs.

Manager Dave Torregrossa brought the Belle Plaine Musketeers back into prominence last season as they finished second to Elnora in the RU East and were much improved over 2032... the Muskies can score runs (5th) and have pretty good pitching, ranking 8th with a 3.41 team ERA... Benny Lucas (5-0/2.89) and rookie Leon Lacombe (3-0/3.33) have stood out so far, but need some help from veterans Johnny Davenport (0-2/3.19) and Rocket Richard (2-4 /3.72)... Johnny Duncan (3-2/2.40/4 saves) heads up the bullpen... RF Noel Martin (.306/5/25), 1B Carl Bentley (.368/5/12), LF Shelby Glasscock (.281/5/19) and C Derek Roman (.281/4/16) have been very reliable with help from CF Harry Tashina, who has scored 26 runs and batted .261.

The Beechwood Bobcats have chalked up only average numbers with a .266 BA (14th) and a 3.67 ERA (12th), but under manager Bret George they have a fine 15-11 record and are just 3 games back of leading Wynnamac... Ken Arby (4-1/2.75) and Neil Palmer (4-2/2.58) top the twirlers... 1B Kelly Hardison (.321/1/11), C Keith Meredith (.308/4/16), RF Howie Baldwin (.276/4/160 and LF Herb Douglas (.274/0/14/16) are the most dependable bats.

[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, May 1, 2034

2034 Ruthlandian West Preseason Poll

RANK/TEAM (LAST SEASON)
1. Colfax Blasters (3rd tied)
2. Fort Benton Defenders (2nd)
3. Forest City Lumberjacks (6th)
4. Stoner Stars (3rd tied)
5. Sligo Rovers (1st)
6. Middlefield Roosters (5th)
7. Volusia Vigilantes (8th)
8. Rocky Rapids Snappers (7th)

Vigilantes Surprise Leader In RU West
In the first month of the season the downtrodden Volusia Vigilantes(15-11) have gone from the outhouse to the penthouse in the Ruthlandian West. Last year they finished dead last, but this year they are the surprising leader with a slight one-game edge over second place Stoner (14-12). In THE ISLANDIAN TIMES preseason poll the V's were selected seventh in the rankings, but they have not played like a bottom-rung team. Forest City (13-13) is in the third spot, just two games back with Middlefield (11-15) four games out in fourth. The remaining clubs are all tied for fifth place with identical 10-16 marks and trail by five games. Sligo, Rocky Rapids, Fort Benton and Colfax are all in the second division. Colfax was the preseason favorite with Fort Benton forecast for the runner-up spot.

Manager Alfonso Feliz and his Volusia Vigilantes have not graced the postseason since 2007... the V's have turned it around with a blistering .300 team batting average, second-best in the IPA to Kenwood's .301 mark in the Tycobbian Union... this is in spite of losing capable CF Vasco Aguilar (.289 career BA) to Sligo in free agency... Feliz's pitching has taken a turn for the best, too, with a 3.72 ERA, much improved over last year's 4.21... Volusia's top hitters are CF Stan Kovalchuk (.403), 1B Ernie Pryor (.363), LF Ernesto Andujar (.344), 2B Carl Kendall (.316), vet RF Sonny Oliver (.313) and rookie 3B Antonio Diaz (.302)... Diaz has 6 homers and 24 RBIs to top the attack... rookie Tubby Tarkanian (.265) had solidified the catching with excellent defense and a good bat... anchoring the Vigilantes mound corps are starters Tommy Smith (5-1/1.45), Marv Webb (4-2/2.01) and Rio Lobo (1-0/2.74)... Feliz has got to get better results from his bullpen to remain in the pennant chase... a 4.58 ERA will not cut it.

The second place Stoner Stars have been a quality club for sometime under skipper Benny Stern... they have been a first-division team in six of the last seven seasons and won the RU West flag in 2029... four fine hitters are carrying the club: free agent sensation LF Felix Jobin (.370) from Belle Plaine, CF Don Cain (.360), vet 1B Fletch Fowler (.353) and RF George Shepherd (.284)... Shepherd (.288 BA lifetime) was a free-agent signee, who played 7 years for Eastshore... pitching is the Stars' problem with a high 4.27 ERA (26th).

The third place Forest City Lumberjacks have not been contenders in seven of the last eight years... manager Joe Judlin's 'Jacks came in third in 2029... they haven't made the Pro Cup playoffs since 2013... last year the team was sixth in the standings, but was selected to finish third this year... Judlin has good starters (3.17 ERA), but not much in the bullpen (5.87 ERA) or at the plate (.246 BA)... four vets lead the mound staff: Jimmy Willard (4-1/3.40), Judson Davis (3-1/3.06), Jerry Watford (2-3/1.93) and Rich Barstow (4-3/4.18)... 2B Jerry Rembert has sizzled with a .373 BA and has gotten help from rookie C Bob Brisdon (.258) with 6 homers and 16 RBIs and LF Chuck Kramer (.289) with 13 RBIs... Rembert was acquired in a trade with Valmara.

For the last four years the Middlefield Roosters have wallowed in the second division... it's been seven seasons since they made the postseason... not a lot is expected this year... the Roosters were chosen to come in sixth in the preseason poll... skipper Bailey Norcross is getting better hitting this season with a .264 BA, up from .243 last year... as usual Middlefield with its small ballpark is among the leaders in homers with 31 so far (3rd tied)... pitching is average with a 3.73 team ERA... top bats are 2B Paul Coker (.314) with 10 homers and 18 RBIs, SS Kenny Johnston (.284) with 18 RBIs and rookie 3B Colt Chadwick (.337) with 11 RBIs... Judd Hampton (2-2/3.19) and Ron Sinclair (2-4/3.00) are the best arms.

Last year's RU West champ Sligo is in a 4-way tie for fifth this year, five games behind Volusia and just a game from last place... the baseball scribes are not impressed with the Rovers and have slotted them for fifth in the preseason analysis... manager Eddie Keys' club hits homers, ranked second in the RU with 33, but doesn't do much else very well... free agent from San Dimas Kyell Rindahl was a good find with a .325 BA, 8 HRs and 18 RBIs... so was CF Vasco Aguilar from Volusia with a .267 BA, 4 HRs and 10 RBIs... on the hill Mark Smith (4-3/2.13) and Ricky Cooke (3-2/3.40) have been the best pitchers... solid pitchers from last year Lou Page (14-11) and Flapper Bird (15-17) have not been resigned... and Earl Perkins (15-14) signed with Glasco... Page and Bird would be good additions to the rotation.

The Colfax Blasters were one of the darlings of the press in the preseason... Ilya Szabo's boys were the choice to take the RU West division, but thus far, it hasn't happened... good pitching (3.47 ERA) with good power (28 homers) and poor batting average (.236 BA) hasn't done the job... Colfax was tied for third last season... Rudy Rosario (2-4/2.19), Randell Perkins (2-2/3.00) and Milton Garnett (3-2/3.15) are still quality pitchers, but they get very little run support... the team BA is down 28 points from last year's .264... 1B/3B Lou Wilhoit (.294) is one of the few dependable batters with 5 homers and 16 RBIs... platooners 3B Benny Reier (.333) and LF Hal Granders (.309) are hitting for average in limited roles... other regulars are batting .240 or less... Colfax still has a lot of games to repair the damage and challenge for the pennant... the season is far from done.

Fort Benton has also had a miserable April... after almost winning the pennant last year, the Defenders were ranked number two in the RU West preseason poll... Sligo won the flag in a one-game playoff... Fort Benton has never played in the postseason... this might just be their year... however, nothing has gone right for manager Robbie Brooks... a 28-point drop in BA (.240) and a 1.25 rise in ERA (4.67) has had a devastating effect on the team... free agent signee from Valmara 2B Alec Leclerc (.294) and rookie CF Chuck Sears (.274) are the only decent bats in the lineup... 18-game winner Augie Marquis (3-4/4.72) has struggled... a turnaround is still possible for the Defenders, but the nine rookies will have to produce better than they have in the first month.

There's not much optimism in Rocky Rapids... last year Junior Noland's club finished seventh in the RU West race... this year they were picked last in the preseason poll... so far the prognosticators appeared to have been right on the money... the Snappers have lousy pitching (4.66 ERA) with a pretty fair offense... they are batting .270 (11th) with 30 homers (5th)... leading the attack are last season's batting champ 3B Kelvin Cassidy (.322) and 2B Rod Cook (.310)... on the mound rookie Ed Ayers (3-1/3.41) had led the staff, along with reliever John Young (1-0/1.64/4 saves)... not much talent otherwise.