ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Tycobbina Union - East Division

Ninjas Rousakis Spins 5-hit Shutout, Tops Nats 2-0
Hard-throwing Vic Rousakis ran the Ginza Ninjas winning stretch to four games over Ozarka with a fine 5-hit shutout, beating the Naturals 2-0. The Ninjas were held to just three hits by losing pitcher Yasuyuki Nakagawa (7-6 2.70), who went the distance, struck out six and walked three. It was Rousakis' second shutout of the season. He fanned nine batters and walked four. Rousakis (.206) also helped out with his bat and doubled in the first run of the game in the third inning. Ginza got the other run when right fielder Charlie Campbell (.284) knocked in a run with a single in the sixth.

The first place Ninjas (35-28) now lead third place Ozarka (31-31) by 3.5 games.

'Canes Betencourt's HR Stuns Stallions 3-2
Flint Battle of the South Fork Stallions had a 2-0 lead in the ninth against Cape Coral and only needed three more outs to get his 9th victory -- but it didn't happen. With one down Battle hit a batter, gave up a single and then was stunned by third baseman Roberto Betencourt's (.207) three-run game-ending home run. Up until the ninth, it has been a classic 0-0 pitching duel between Battle and Wally Robinson of the Hurricanes. In fact, Robinson had a perfect game until one out in the eighth, when shortstop Bobby Riley (.256) got a single. South Fork got to Robinson for two runs on three hits in the top of the ninth with Bobby Jones (.301) driving in the first run of the game with a single. Paul Giles (.274) doubled in run number two. Robinson (9-4 2.79) only allowed four hits total and got the win on Betencourt's big blast. He walked only one in the game and struck out seven. Battle (8-6 2.58) suffered a tough loss, giving up eight hits, fanning five and issuing one walk.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (33-29) are the number two team in the RU South, only 1.5 games behind the leader. South Fork (30-33) is in fourth place and five games out of first place.

Hellcats Win 3rd Straight from Lynx 3-2 in 14
Both clubs had outstanding pitching performances. No one deserved to lose the game. Finally after 14 innings Hartsdale broke through and put an end to it. The Hellcats won it 3-2 over Luxora on pinchhitter Terry Bellino's (.353) two-out line drive single to center. That gave the victory to Gene Young (4-3 3.21), who came on in the eighth and shut out Luxora on three hits for six-plus innings. Young had 7 strikeouts and walked none in a splendid relief effort. Loser Roberto Martinez (5-2 2.06) only gave up one unearned run and four hits in six-plus frames. Starters Keith Callahan (5-6 3.34) for the Lynx and Danny Griffin (5-7 3.51) for the Hellcats did their jobs well, too. Griffin blanked Luxora on just two hits over seven innings, but tired and was lifted for a pinchhitter. Callahan permitted only two runs and four hits. Hartsdale had the edge in hits 8-7.

With its third consecutive victory Hartsdale (29-33) escaped the cellar by a single percentage point over Luxora (28-32). Both ballclubs are 5.5 games out of first.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Tycobbina Union - East Division

Fairfax Slips by Bucs 3-2
At the Frog Pond in Fairfax, the Frogs snapped a brief two-game losing string by slipping past Bay St. Clair 3-2. In the ninth catcher Marv McCoy (.354) tripled with one out and was driven in with the winning score on a single by second baseman Greg Inman (.277). Jackie Leslie started and went the first eight innings, then yielded to closer Takehide Takahashi. Leslie (10-2 3.13) allowed two runs and seven hits, while striking out five and walking nobody. Takahashi (6-1 1.45) retired the side in order for the victory. Sean Lawrence (2-7 3.99) hung tough, going the distance and giving up eight hits, but faltered in the bottom of the ninth. Lawrence (.231) even had a home run, a solo shot in the third.

The Frogs (42-20) still hold a very comfortable lead at the top of the TU West Division. Bay St. Clair (24-40) is 19 games behind them in last place.

Blue Sox Upend Viks Again
Make it three in a row for Blue Lake over Bayview. The Blue Sox rallied for three runs in the seventh at Harbor Stadium to upend the Vikings 6-5. Pinchhitter Cy Orgeron (.253) singled in a run to cut the lead to 5-4, left fielder Greg Boone's (.299) double tied it up, then center fielder Donnie Frazier (.313) won it with a ground out to second base. Mickey Dwyer (2-1 3.90) collected the win with an inning of relief in the sixth. Russ Courtney (3-2 3.60) came on in the eighth and got Blue Lake out of a serious jam with the tying run on third with only one out and left it stranded there. It was his 6th save. The Blue Sox outhit Bayview 11-10 with Boone driving in a pair of runs and catcher Seitaro Ohayashi (.196) getting two hits and scoring twice. Second baseman Andy Hansen (.358) went 3-5 for the Viks with two runs scored and an RBI and catcher Tommy Harrell (.249) was 2-5 with an RBI. Starter Frank Wells (5-4 3.72) was ineffective and got the defeat. He surrendered six runs and ten hits prior to leaving in the seventh.

Second place Bayview (34-30) dipped to nine games in back of Fairfax (42-20) and Blue Lake (27-35) is number five in the standings and trails by 15 games.

Lynx Edge Arlon 7-6 in 10th
Second place La Claire had to go 10 innings to whip third place Arlon 7-6 at Capitol Park Stadium. Third baseman Kenny Hall (.215) delivered the decisive hit with an RBI single that drove in left fielder Rich Hart with the winning run. Closer Monoto Kishata (3-4 3.21) blew the save by allowing the tying run in the eighth, but hung around and survived it to get the victory. He permitted five hits and a run in two-plus innings, but had four strikeouts. Arlon's sensational bullpen ace, Jeff Nieman (6-3 1.26) absorbed the loss, although the run that cost him the game was unearned. Lynx starter Tony Nygaard struck out 12 in just seven innings. He only gave up four hits, but was worn out and needed relief help. Nygaard was leading 6-3 when he exited. Both ballclubs rapped out 11 hits apiece with Hart (.278) and second baseman Darrell Boyce (.255) leading the La Claire lineup with home runs. Third baseman Archie Berry (.212) slammed one for the Champs.

The La Claire Lynx (32-31) are in the third place spot in the Tycobbian Union West Division and Arlon (30-33) is fourth. La Claire is 10.5 games out of first, while the Champions are 12.5 games behind.

[Eugene Church]

It's time to give a summary of each team's season thus far. We have now played two months into the season.

I will go through each team and revamp their lineups, depth charts and pitching rotations. I might also make some roster changes and sign some free agents or bring some new players in from the reserve roster.

I will also make some trades to fill in weak spots, whenever two teams can agree on a trade.

This process may take up to a week.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Wednesday, June 20, 2001

Big Series Slated in the IPA
All teams had the day off. No games were scheduled in the IPA today.

In the RU North the top four clubs will face each other in series that will open tomorrow. First place Far Mountain is hosting third place Valmara and second place Glasco is entertaining fourth place Colfax. The Vipers are only one percentage point out of second and trail Far Mountain by 2.5 games. Colfax is 2.5 games behind the first place Redhawks, while the Athletics are 3.5 games off the pace.

Over in the RU South runner-up Forest City will travel to third place Spring Valley. Forest City is two games behind the division-leading Marston Nine and the Rattlers trail by four. Marston will be out of town against the last place Belair Beach Sunbirds.

No contenders are pitted agianst each other in the TU East. The best match-up is between the first place Ginza Ninjas and fourth place South Fork. They will tangle on the Stallions home field, Jock Ewing Stadium. South Fork is five games out.

The TU West has a good series on tap, too. The Fairfax Frogs are atop of the division and will battle the second place Bayview Vikings at the Frog Pond. The Viks are looking to shave a few games off of that big nine-game Fairfax lead.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

Redhawks Prevail 4-2 Over Vipers
First place Far Mountain took the first game of the series 4-2 with the third place Valmara Vipers at Sky High Mountain. Manager Alex Groveland sent his little 5'8" righthander John Luzzatti to the mound and he held the hard-hitting Vipers to seven hits and two runs in eight innings. Groveland relieved him after the first runner got on in the top of the ninth, replacing him with Doc Rutledge, his bullpen ace. Rutledge (6-1 2.19) promptly picked up his 8th save by retiring the side in order. Luzzatti (4-4 2.90) got credit for the victory and outpitched Zarek Zalewski (8-4 1.93), the IPA ERA leader with a 1.93 ERA. Zalewski was coasting along with a 2-0 shutout, when the Redhawks suddenly erupted for three runs in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by shortstop Al Nixon (.297) two-run single and center fielder Hawk Gallagher's (.300) RBI ground out. Far Mountain outgunned Valmara 10 hits to 7 with Nixon going 3-3 and catcher Dave Davis (.373) and right fielder Tommy Sonnier (.303) collecting two hits each.

The Redhawks (37-27) are now 3.5 games in front of the Vipers (33-30). Valmara is tied with Colfax (33-30) for third place in the standings.

Guidry Beats Balfour, Colfax Nips A's 2-1
The top four clubs in the RU North are pitted against one another with second place Glasco hosting Colfax at Athletics Field. In the series opener the visiting Blasters nipped the A's 2-1 as Flash Guidry (8-5 2.54) outpitched Jesse Balfour (6-6 2.75) to slip into a third place tie in the division. Guidry, the IPA strikeout king, struck out seven in eight innings and walked only one, while giving up nine hits. Closer Walt Sellers (1-4 2.76) was called in from the bullpen by manager Clem Rogers and he nailed it down with a perfect ninth for his 7th save. Balfour also surrendered nine hits, fanned nine and walked three. He left in the eighth after allowing three singles and the winning run. Ray Cook (1-2 1.47) relieved him and got the final four outs with no trouble. But it was too late. The damage had been done. In the decisive inning, third baseman Russ Farrell singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Nick O'Neill and scored on right fielder Pat Lott's (.268) deep sacrifice fly. The Athletics took an early 1-0 lead in the second frame on Balfour's single, but Colfax quickly tied it up in the top of the third, when left fielder Blinky Brandon (.281) singled in a run.

The Blasters (33-30) are now in a third place tie with the Valmara Vipers (33-30), just one percentage point in back of second place Glasco (32-29). All three clubs are 3.5 games behind the division's top team, the Far Mountain Redhawks (37-27).

Luna's Grand Slam Wins It, V's Beat All-Stars 5-3
In a battle between also-rans, fifth place Volusia vaulted past cellar-dwelling Elnora 5-3 on a seventh-inning grand slam by center fielder Alex Luna (.252). Lefty Lenny Collins (4-4 2.99) pitched another quality game, stopping the All-Stars on seven hits and striking out nine. Carl Costas (3-8 3.62), just back from a two-week stint on the disabled list, was the loser. He was working on a fine two-hitter with a 3-1 lead until disaster struck in the seventh. Overall he allowed only four hits and went the distance. Luna's roundtripper was his 7th this season. First baseman Alejandro Salazar (.297) gave the V's the other run with a second-inning homer, his 8th of the year. Second baseman Gil Foster (.353) hit his 10th for Elnora and batted in two runs, while left fielder Jerry Cascio (267) had a pair of hits and an RBI.

The Volusia Vigilantes (31-33) are now six games off the pace and Elnora (24-41) a very distant 13.5 games behind.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

Marston Wins Longest Game Ever, Edges BB 6-5
Bayside Park in Belair Beach was the scene of the longest game in the young IPA's history. The Marston Nine and the Sunbirds battled for 23 innings, when third baseman Roland Thomas (.335) singled in center fielder Tommy Reinhold (.295) from second with the game-winning run. The final score was 6-5. It was Thomas' fifth hit in the game and came off starter turned reliever, Carl Thompson (8-7 2.55), who sustained the loss. Jorge Bonilla (1-0 4.83) was outstanding and recorded the victory. He held Belair Beach to four hits and no runs over the last six innings, fanning seven and walking one batter. Thompson worked nine innings, gave up six hits, struck out six, but walked nine. There were two homers in the game. Catcher Eddie Allen (.276) cracked one in the ninth for Marston and first baseman Paul Gravelli (.328) hit one for the Sunbirds. The Sunbirds and the Nine had a record-setting 41 hits, breaking the previous mark set on May 27 when Ginza (22) and Luxora (16) had 38 in a 14-inning game. Belair Beach outhit Marston 21-20. The two teams also struck out 32 batters for a new record. Both clubs fanned 16 batters each. The old record of 30 was held by La Claire (16) and Cape Coral (14) and occurred on May 31. Glasco and Colfax played 18 innings on May 14 with the Blasters winning 4-3.

Marston (36-26) is the top team in the RU South and leads last place Belair Beach (28-36) by nine games.

'Jacks Thump Rattlers 8-3
Second place Forest City thumped third place Sugar Valley 8-3 in the opening game of the series at Farmers Memorial Park. The Lumberjacks walloped 16 hits and were led by center fielder Ryan Morse (.345) with a perfect 5-for-5 day, three RBIs and his 8th homer. First baseman Neil Jenson also chipped in with 3 RBIs and shortstop Johnny Mack Butler (.259) had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. On the mound southpaw Herm Bahr (7-4 3.67) chunked seven strong innings, permitted only four hits and three runs, struck out six and walked two. Absorbing the loss was Rattler starter Nickie Lynn (1-3) in his second start of the season. He allowed four runs in six innings.

Forest City (35-29) kept pace with first place Marston and trail them by two games. Sugar Valley (31-31) dipped to .500 on the year and fell five games behind the leader.

Waleska Bushwhack Claxton on Chancellor's 3-Hitter
Marv Chancellor has made an abrupt about face. He started the season 1-6 with an ERA way over 6.00, but now has won his last two with a two-hitter and a three-hitter and won four of his last six. Today at Avalon Stadium in Claxton, Chancellor stopped the Diamonds on three hits and bushwhacked them 5-1. Only first baseman Ron Armstrong's (.333) first homer of the year did any damage. Chancellor (5-8 4.95) fanned five and walked just one in a very impressive performance. Left fielder Big Hoss Burkhalter (.303) provided the firepower with his 15th and 16th roundtrippers, driving in three runs. Other contributors were first baseman Freddie Shelton (.301) with two hits and his 12th home run and catcher Mac Wilkins (.208) with an RBI. Homer-prone Dennis Scott (6-6 4.46) allowed all three homers and took the loss, allowing five runs in five-plus innings.

The Westerners (31-32) are fourth in the RU South Division, 5.5 games out. Claxton (29-36) is fifth and are 8.5 games behind.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Tycobbian Union - East Division

Ito Twirls Shutout, Ginza Wins 3-0 Over SF
The Ninjas have won their last five contests. Ginza's chubby little righthander Toshiharu Ito twirled his second shutout of the season, blanking South Fork 3-0 on five hits. Ito (5-1 1.82) continued to his hot streak since being promoted from the bullpen several weeks ago. He held the Stallions to five singles, fanned three and issued four walks in his fifth start. The Ninjas supported him with 10 hits with shortstop Shinjiro Aoki (.304) and left fielder Ronnie Graf (.292) each delivering three hits. First baseman Kenshin Yamamoto (.295) pitched in with his 11th home run. Losing pitcher Booger Burchfield (3-6 3.35) went seven innings and surrendered all three runs. He has pitched well enough to win his last four starts, but only has two losses to show for them. South Fork has only scored five runs in those four games. The Stallions have dropped three games in a row.

Ginza (36-28) leads the pack in the TU East, while South Fork (30-34) is six games behind them in fifth place.

Z's Snap Losing Streak, Tame 'Canes 3-1
Playing at home at De la Vega Stadium, Luxora got a well-pitched game and tamed second place Cape Coral 3-1. Lefthander Johnny Montel (6-7 3.27) gave up only one run in seven innings, walked one and whiffed six for the win. Eddie Hoffman sat down the Hurricanes in order in the last two frames to capture his 1st save. Both clubs collected 7 hits apiece. First baseman Paul Hallenbeck (.335) tripled in the first score in the second, right fielder Pedro Vizquel (.296) homered in the fourth and pinchhitter Claudio Ordonez (.230) singled in the last one in the seventh. Cape Coral second sacker Howie Winters (.269) had two hits and plated the first run of the game in the top of the second. Katsuyuki Nagashima (4-6 2.73) lost another well-pitched ballgame, allowing seven hits in going the distance, chalking up six Ks and walking two.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (33-30) fell to 2.5 games in back of first place Ginza (36-28). Luxora (29-32) is fourth and trails by 5.5 games.

Nats End 4-Game Losing Streak, Punish 'Cats 9-5
Ozarka finally put an end to its four-game losing streak by pounding out a 9-5 road victory over Hartsdale at Pioneer Park and dished out the Hellcats first loss in three games. First baseman Floyd Snow (.236) led the 12-hit attack with four RBIs, including his 12th homer and a double with third baseman Doug Cunningham (.253) adding three hits, two runs and an RBI. Four other Nats had two hits apiece. On the hill Tony Didriksen (6-6 3.93) did his job in workman fashion, allowing five runs and seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts. A four-run sixth by Ozarka made it 7-4 and gave him some breathing room. Two more in the ninth kicked it up to 9-4 and pretty much clinched it for him. Glenn Mann (6-9 3.39) lost it for the Hellcats as he was clipped for seven runs in five-plus innings. Hartsdale third baseman Whiz Weaver (.298) boomed his 10th homer and catcher Kevin Haynie (.370) hit his first of the campaign.

Ozarka (32-31) is holding the third spot in the TU East with Hartsdale (29-34) in last place. The Naturals are 3.5 games behind and the Hellcats trail by 6.5 games.

[Eugene Church]

Islandian Pro Alliance

Thursday, June 21, 2001

Tycobbian Union - West Division

Meredith Shuts Out Viks 7-0, Frogs Win Opener
So far this season Fairfax has dominated the Tycobbian Union West. The Frogs had a nine-game bulge over second place Bayview going into the current series. After the opener, the Frogs have a ten-game lead after Robbie Meredith (9-1 2.59) fired a five-hit shutout and beat the Vikings 7-0. Meredith, a 24-year-old righthander, fanned four and walked no one. Left fielder Gator Davis (.299) led the Frogs at bat with 2-3, three RBIs and two runs scored. He banged his 14th home run. Picking up the loss was starter Adrian Strom (6-4 4.32), who was tagged for six runs in two-plus innings. He was KO'd in the four-run third. Bayview suffered its fourth consecutive defeat.

Fairfax (43-20) has commanding lead in the division with Bayview (34-31) its closest challenger and a distant ten games off the pace.

Lynx Notch 2-1 Victory Over Bucs in 10th
The fans at Shoreline Park got to witness a tight pitchers' duel, but didn't get to go home happy as La Claire beat Bay St. Clair 2-1 in ten innings. Right fielder Artie Scott (.205) was the hero for the Lynx. He led off the tenth against Ken Kazak with a double, was sacrificed to third and then scored on shortstop Dirk Lindahl's (.285) deep fly to left. Getting credit for the win was Frank Lamoreaux (6-4 2.71), who worked the first nine frames, struck out eight, walked four and gave up only six hits. Andy Murray (2-1 4.10) got the save, his first, with a scoreless tenth. Norm Gross (7-5 3.37) had an impressive start, yielding six hits and a run in nine innings for the Buccaneers. Kazak (0-3 4.32) was the losing pitcher.

The La Claire Lynx (33-31) are third in the standings, 10.5 games behind Fairfax. Bay St. Clair (24-41) is last and are 20 games out.

Blue Sox Take 4th Straight, Beat Champs 7-1
"Good hitting and good pitching are hard to beat," manager Tyson Cobb told the press after Blue Lake's fourth straight triumph. "And it's about darn time we got some of it." The crusty and testy oldtimer added, "I don't like being near the bottom of the standings. I'm gonna have to start taking names and kicking butts." The Blue Sox stroked 14 hits to easily beat Arlon 7-1 at Derby Downs, spearheaded by third baseman Timmy Smith (.317), who poled two roundtrippers and drove in four runs with his three hits. Smith has 7 homers for the season. Center fielder Donnie Frazier (.314) unloaded his 13th and had two RBIs and scored twice. Cobb got some fine pitching from big Bennie West (7-7 2.44), who is only 7-7 for the year despite an excellent 2.44 ERA. West went the distance permitting eight hits with seven Ks and a walk. Woody Fitzgerald (3-3 3.11) didn't last long and took the loss. He was sent to the showers in the third after allowing seven runs.

Blue Lake improved to 28-35 on the season and is way down in fifth place in the TU West, 15 games back, while Arlon (30-34) is in fourth and stands 13.5 games out.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

[toxicavenger74]

Amazing Dynasty.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

The Islandian Pro Alliance is the first professional baseball league in the Islands and it has just completed it first two months of play. We begin coverage today with an analysis of each of the 24 teams in the four divisions.

Ruthlandian Union - North Division

In the Ruthlandian Union North Division, the Far Mountain Redhawks (37-27) have taken over in the last month and have built up a 3.5-game lead, but have three clubs right on their tail. The Redhawks had a very good May with a 21-12 mark. The team is under the direction of famed company league player and manager, Alex Groveland, one of the finest righthanded pitcher ever in amateur circles. Thus far in June, the Redhawks are only 11-10.

Pitching is his club's strong point. Far Mountain is second in the division with a 3.54 ERA. Groveland's mound corps is solid with starters and relievers. They are all righthanders. The starting rotation is headed by Sonny Elliott (8-5 2.85) and John Luzzatti (4-4 2.90), who both have been excellent this season. Vic Vaux (5-5 3.34) and Stan Lamoreaux (4-1 4.05) have been dependable as well. In the bullpen Doc Rutledge (6-1 2.19) has been outstanding with 8 saves and 24 appearances. Mike McCabe (3-2 2.06) has been a standout in middle relief in 23 games. Vance Mitchell (4-1 3.33) has been effective in the middle innings, too.

In the offensive department the Redhawks have a .273 team batting average (2nd) and are led by catcher Dave Davis, the RU leader, with a .373 mark. Davis has 39 RBIs and 6 homers. Right fielder Tommy Sonnier is hitting .303 with 8 home runs and 34 RBIs, third baseman Johnny Stickland tops the team with 10 roundtrippers and has 36 RBIs and a .294 average, center fielder Hawk Gallagher is batting .300 with 17 stolen bases and 39 runs, first baseman Royce Benson has scored 41 runs, stolen 19 bases with a .291 mark and left fielder Gerald Davis has hit 6 home runs, stolen 22 bases and is hitting .253.

Groveland and Far Mountain has the offense to play with other teams in the division and will do well as long as the pitchers hold up. Defensively the team needs some improvement with a .972 fielding mark, last in the RU North.

There are three clubs in a virtual tie for the runner-up spot. Glasco is actually in second by one percentage point over Valmara and Colfax, but all of them are 3.5 games behind Far Mountain.

The Glasco Athletics (32-29), managed by McDuffie Hughes, had a bad May with a 13-17 record, but have perked up a little in June with a 12-9 mark so far. The A's have the best pitching corps in the RU North and lead it with a fine 3.29 ERA. But they suffer when it comes to run production and hitting, batting .264 as a team. Hughes has three lefties and one righty in his rotation. Southpaws Charles Darby (9-4 2.35) and Jesse Balfour (6-6 2.75) have been very impressive, while Bill Darby (3-3 3.88) has been dependable. The Darby boys are related. Bill is Charles' uncle, but only 3 years older at age 24. Righthander Duncan McFalls (4-0 2.22) has really sizzled since being inserted into the starting rotation about 10 days ago. In the bullpen closer Ray Cook (1-2 1.47) has been sensational in 20 appearances and has 6 saves. The main middle reliever has been Jeremiah McDonald (1-2 3.41), who has been steady in 22 games. Glasco has 10 shutouts and 18 complete games.

But hitting is another story. The Athletics are fifth in runs and last in batting (.258). Left fielder Ox Beauvais (.344) has been their stalwart with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs. The only other contributors are right fielder Jose Valenzuela (.336) with 3 homers and 39 runs, center fielder Chet Reynolds (.301) with 21 stolen bases and 37 runs scored and second baseman Barry McCord (.297) with 6 homers and 38 RBIs.

Hughes has said they are going to scour the Islands for some hitting help.

Glasco is tied for third in fielding with a .975 fielding average.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

The Colfax Blasters (33-30) were in first place a month ago, but have since lost some sizzle and are tied for third with Valmara, 3.5 games off the pace. Clem Rogers, the famed flamethrowing righthander of the amateur leagues, is the skipper. Colfax has a great May with a 19-12 record, but have slipped to 10-12 in June.

Overall the Blasters have good run production (3rd), but are hitting only .262 and ranked last. The only standout sticks are second baseman and lead-off man Tucker Hill and first baseman Dennis Cole. Hill is batting .345 with 18 doubles, 7 triples and 43 runs scored and Cole has a .305 average with power. He has 17 home runs (4th), 55 RBIs (6th) and scored 52 times (1st-tied). Center fielder Blinky Branton has scored 44 runs and compiled a .283 battting average and right fielder Pat Lott has 19 doubles, 31 RBIs with a .268 average.

Rogers needs to get Cole some help in the power department and needs stronger hitting throughout the line-up to stay in the running for the RU North title. Right fielder Ronnie Wright, one of his better hitters, went out for the season with a fractured ankle. He was hitting .318 with 10 RBIs and 9 runs scored in 18 games. Wright was a better than average outfielder.

On the hill Colfax is rated third best with a 3.68 ERA, headed by Flash Guidry and Harry Manning. Righthander Guidry is 8-5 with 114 strikeouts (1st) in 124 innings with 2.54 ERA and lefthander Harry Manning is 8-4 with a 3.16 ERA. Rogers has two decent starters in Robbie Smith (3-4 3.04) and Alex Castille (7-5 4.34), both are portsiders. The Blasters bullpen has been inconsistent, good sometimes and poor sometimes. Closer Walt Sellers has made 22 appearances and has 7 saves. He has a fine 2.76 ERA, but his won-lost record is a very poor 1-4. That's all Rogers has. He really needs to get more help from the other four pitchers on the club.

Colfax is down near the bottom in defense with a .974 fielding average, ranked fifth in the division.

Basically the Blasters are only getting production from half of their roster. Look for Rogers to make quite a few roster moves in the coming weeks.

J. Jackson Samuel is the manager of the Valmara Vipers (33-30). The Vipers did poorly in May (13-19), but have turned it around in June (12-9). Valmara has done it with the best hitting in the division, a .277 average and have outscored everybody, too. They have good balance led by left fielder Louis Sharp with a .356 average (3rd) and 44 runs scored, second baseman Fred Vinson at .333 with 32 runs, first baseman Yank Jankowski (.322), right fielder Jan Kazmarek (.287) with 44 runs, 41 RBIs and 30 SB (1st), catcher Yoshi Motsuzuki (.277) with 41 runs and 12 SB, third baseman Rickey O'Reilly (.270) with 31 RBI and center fielder Jan Szymanski (.252) with 13 HR and 59 RBI (2nd). Backup infielder Steve Kaminski is batting .342 in 15 starts, but hasn't been able to get a regular place in the line-up. Samuel has said he will either use him or try to improve the team by trading him for some pitching. The Vipers suffered a big loss in shortstop Mickey Ellefsen, who was batting .312 with 8 home runs. He went out with a torn hamstring and will miss 12 months. Ellefsen's season ended after only 32 starts.

Valmara is as bad in pitching as they are good with the bats. The Vipers are fifth with a 4.22 ERA. Only Elnora is worse at 4.70. Samuel can call on two of the best pitchers in the league, starter Zarek Zalewski (8-4 1.93) with the IPA's best ERA and closer Danny Blauser (5-1 1.80) with 4 saves in 27 games But little else, except for starter Todd Turner (6-4 4.11). The rest of the staff have 5.00-6.00 ERAs. Two good pitchers, a starter and a reliever, could do wonders for Valmara.

However, the Vipers are tops in the Ruthlandian Union North with a .981 fielding percentage.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

Skipper Alfonso Feliz is pleased with the play of his Volusia Vigilantes (31-33), who in the space of a month have turned it around. In May the V's were 15-18 and in the RU North cellar. GM Juan-Carlos De la Hoya went out and signed four new pitchers and the club has done an about-face. In June the club is 13-8, the best in the division. They trail first place Far Mountain by six games and are now in fifth place.

Pitching is Volusia's strong point. They are fourth overall with a 4.03 ERA, but this is vastly improved over the last month, when it up around 4.50. Raul Sandoval (6-6 2.77) has been Feliz's workhorse. He was just about all he had in the first six weeks of the season. Feliz now had four solid starters with the addition of Lenny Collins (4-4 2.99) from the bullpen and three new acquisitions: starters Kit Kivett (5-2 1.99) and Johnny Szwak (6-1 3.57), along with Brian King (1-0 2.87), a new middle reliever. The V's have a fine closer, too, in Ricky Moreno (3-1 2.67), who has 8 saves and 18 relief appearances.

The Vigilantes are a decent-hitting team with a .269 average (3rd-tied), but low in run production (4th). Shortstop Scooter Perez is what make the V's go. He is their lead-off man and is second in the RU with a .360 batting average, 49 runs (6th), 22 doubles (3rd), 4 homers and 27 stolen bases (2nd), first baseman Alejandro Salazar (.297) has 8 home runs, scored 37 times with 35 RBIs, left fielder Jesus Arroyo (.277) has 5 homers and 37 RBIs, center fielder Alex Luna (.252) with 7 home runs, 35 RBIs and 34 runs, catcher Jo-Jo Nunez (.304) with 4 homers and 24 RBIs and new right fielder Dan Rogers (.278) with 16 runs and 17 RBIs since becoming a regular in early May. Feliz needs some more production out of second and third base.

On defense Volusia is doing well, second in the division with a .978 fielding average. Valmara is the best with a .981 fielding percentage.

Zoggy White is the head man for the Elnora All-Stars (24-41). White was a mediocre outfielder in his playing days, but a gifted and very successful manager in the company leagues. So far, it has been a dismal season for him with a last-place club, mainly because of lousy pitching. The All-Stars mound corps had put up an astronomical 4.70 ERA. In May Elnora was 15-18, but only 6-16 in June.

Elnora's pitchers have had some good moments, but overall have been inconsistent. Carl Costas (3-8 3.62), Tyrone Gray (3-6 3.98), Troy Hudson (4-3 4.12) and Sean Sykes (6-6 5.33) are going to have to step it up for the All-Stars go escape the cellar. One bright star is Pat Savoie (2-0 1.97), who was outstanding in his first two starts after languishing in the bullpen for most of the season. He got his chance to start, when Hudson suffered a strained elbow and will be out a week or so. Closer Wally Tidwell (2-4 3.96) has struggled and has only one save. Middle relief is a problem, too. White doesn't have one dependable pitcher there. Look for White to make wholesale changes in the pitching staff in the coming weeks.

In the batter's box, Elnora is hitting for average with .269 (3rd-tied) and is second in homers, but overall not very productive in scoring runs (last). Only about half of the starters are any offensive threat. Second sacker Gil Foster is having an excellent season with a .353 batting average (4th), 10 roundtrippers, 40 runs, 36 RBIs, 46 walks (3rd) and .460 OBP (3rd). Left fielder Quincy Peterson had been a solid batter with a .290 average, 8 HR, 34 RBIs and 34 runs. Right fielder Art Atkins has a lofty .337 average, 14 RBIs and 28 runs, but missed two weeks with a sore arm. Catcher Todd Simons is hitting .291 with 18 doubles (6th) and 18 RBIs.

The All-Stars are average on defense with a .976 percentage and tied for third in the category.

The Ruthlandian Union South Division teams will be covered in the next installment of "Around the IPA"

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

Ruthlandian Union - South Division

The Marston Nine (36-26) and manager Johnny Walters are riding high on top of the Ruthlandian Union South Division and are two games in front of the Forest City Lumberjacks, five games up on Sugar Valley, 5.5 games ahead of Waleska, 8.5 games above Claxton and leading last place Belair Beach by nine games.

Marston was 6-5 in April, 17-14 in May and have really stepped it up with a 13-7 mark in June. First place Marston is doing it all right now. The Nine lead the division with a hefty .286 team batting average and are tops with a 3.55 ERA and they are third with a .978 fielding average.

Just look at this lineup:
Tommy Reinhold CF .295, 6 HR, 33 R, 28 RBI, 18 SB (7th)
Ronnie Lee LF-CF-RF .341, 17 R, 18 RBI
Ronnie Horn LF .297, 6 HR, 33 R, 25 RBI, 8 SB
Roland Thomas 3B .335, 33 R, 28 RBI
Chris Deangelo RF .280, 8 HR, 32 R, 29 RBI
Johnny Berthold 1B .250, 16 HR, 37 R, 43 RBI
Ken Green 2B .344 (10th), 7 HR, 40 R, 34 RBI
Lennie Torricelli SS .264, 4 HR, 30 R, 19 RBI
Mo Chappell C .290, 3 HR, 17 R, 23 RBI

Walters has a solid group of hitters and a very well-rounded batting order.

Marston has a fine mound staff as well, led by starters Casey Ledbetter (10-2 3.46), who leads the IPA with 10 victories, lefthander Phil Azard (6-3 2.85), Nick Pace (9-6 3.03) and Ed Vogler (3-3 3.86). In the bullpen Ken Bagby (2-3 2.82) has been very good in 22 game appearances and has 3 saves. And the Nine will even better when Bob Lowe (1-2 3.27) returns in two weeks after being on the DL. Southpaw Milt Wilson (0-3 3.54) has been dependable in long and short relief and has 4 saves. And Vinnie Gardner (0-2 3.15) has looked good in middle relief.

Manager Robbie Jackson, the former four-sport star in college and one of the finest second baseman in the company leagues, has got the Forest City Lumberjacks (35-29) playing well out of the gates in the IPA's inaugural campaign. He has an edge over Marston in head-to-head encounters, winning 12 out of 20 so far, but his downfall is a bewildering 4-10 record against last place Belair Beach. The Lumberjacks are way ahead in homers with 89. Belair Beach is a very distant second with 69. The 'Jacks are second in hitting with a .270 mark, second to Marston with a 3.64 ERA and number one in fielding with a .980 percentage. Forest City was 17-16 in May and 13-8 in June.

Jackson's lineup is not as well-balanced as Marston's. He depends mainly on four players for the bulk of his offense. One of the finest hitters in the IPA, left fielder Chuck Hill, leads the 'Jacks with a .346 batting average (7th), 19 HR (3rd), 52 runs (1st-tied), 61 RBI (1st). He is a sure-fire All-Star. Also in the running is center fielder Ryan Morse is batting .345 from the lead-off spot with 8 HRs, 51 runs, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Second baseman Jesse Wolf has been another fine run producer with a .310 average, 15 homers, 37 runs and 53 RBIs. Right fielder Benny Davis has delivered 13 homers, scored 30 times and driven in 35 runs, but is only hitting .234 on the season. Shortstop Pops Keller has played great in the field and hit a solid .298, scored 32 runs and batted in 20. First baseman J. T. Edmonds has 8 homers and 25 RBIs in 31 starts, but is hitting only .235. But Jackson keeps him in the lineup for his run production and slick fielding. The Lumberjacks could use more offense from the other two regulars.

Forest City has a sound pitching corps, spearheaded by starters Glenn Moore (7-3 2.52), lefty Herm Bahr (7-4 3.67) and Vinny Edelman (5-5 2.95). Gene Stuart (6-4 4.59) is the fourth man in the rotation and he has suffered from the gopher ball syndrome. Closer Timmy Brooks (1-2 1.78) has been tough to beat in the closer role. He has 4 saves. Long relievers Jim DiGregorio (1-1 3.00) and Nick Marceau (1-1 3.86) have been effective for Jackson. The rest of the staff, lefthanders Buddy Hutchinson (2-6 4.10) and Brian Charles (3-2 4.62), have been hit-and-miss in spot starts and relief.

The Lumberjacks need help at third base and catcher. Jackson recently installed Jesse Pearson at third base and he has done a fine job in the short-run with a .277 average and an impressive .977 fielding average. His catchers are only not much on hitting or fielding.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

In the early going it looks like the third place Sugar Valley Rattlers (31-31) are just going to be a middle of the pack ballclub. Manager Gibson Bobkins, the great righthander of the amateur and company leagues, has better than average hitting, but lacks pitching. The Rattlers were 14-17 in May and 10-11 in June. They do well against the weaker teams in the division, but can't play with Marston (2-8) and Forest City (3-6). They trail the top two clubs by five games.

Sugar Valley is a distant second to Marston (.286) with a .271 batting average, third in run production and last in home runs. Only third baseman Jorge Vargas (.348) (5th) is among the league's elite hitters. He has 15 homers, 51 RBIs (8th) and 47 runs (4th-tied). Bobkins has several very capable hitters in second baseman Rudi Oliver (.333), who has 6 homers, scored 34 times and batted in 27, center fielder Freddie Vaux (.329) with 2 home runs, 31 runs, 31 RBIs and 9 stolen bases and catcher Slingshot McFall (.335) with 3 homers, 18 runs and 19 RBIs. The Rattlers also have some better-than-average performers like left fielder Cy Bartz (.280) with 6 roundtrippers, 31 runs and 31 RBIs and shortstop Flipper Bird (.268) with 3 homers, 38 runs, 21 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.

McFall, Vaux and Bird are outstanding defenders as well. Defense is good overall in the RU South with Marston the best at .980 and Sugar Valley and Belair Beach last with a .977 fielding average.

Bobkins has only two real go-to guys on the mound. He has one of the best relievers in the IPA in Gregg Neal (5-3 1.93), who has appeared in 24 games and has 8 saves (1st-tied) and starter Ron Benson (8-6 2.87). Paul Haines (3-4 3.39) and Harvey Hines (6-4 4.02) are fairly effective starters. After this foursome, the quality drops off considerably.

Sugar Valley is several hitters and several pitchers away from contending with Marston and Forest City. It looks they are as high as they will get in the RU South Division this year.

McGraw Johnson is GM/manager for the fourth place Waleska Westerners (31-32). He is considered to be the greatest manager in the Islands amateur leagues. Johnson is known as a great innovator and baseball strategist. He was the first to platoon players and to use a specialist in the bullpen. But he has not done well so far in the first pro league. The Westerners are 5.5 games off the pace, finishing 17-15 in May, but dipping to 9-11 so far in June. Marston is their nemesis as the Westerners are only 3-10 in the season series with them.

Waleska doesn't standout in any category. They are hitting only .255 (last) and have a poor 4.18 ERA (4th). Fielding-wise the Westerners have a .978 fielding percentage (3rd-tied).

Johnson depends heavily on three players for offense. Right fielder Big Hoss Buckhalter (.303), who has 16 homers (5th-tied), scored 37 runs and driven in 59 (2nd-tied), first baseman Freddie Shelton (.301) with 12 home runs, 32 runs and 39 RBIs and third baseman Yoshihide Nishata (.271) with 21 doubles (4th), 9 homers, 48 runs (7th-tied), 35 RBIs and 10 SB. Secondary producers are left fielder Charley Williamson (.284) with 8 roundtrippers, 24 runs and 25 RBIs and second baseman Wiz Taylor (.271) with 4 home runs, 38 runs and 14 RBIs. Center fielder Rick Vaughn (.297) is platooned and has 3 homers, scored 18 times and driven in 15 runs.

Waleska has only two quality pitchers. Starter Smokey Joe Carter (9-6 2.82) has been very strong all season and is getting better with every start. Reliever Andrei Marsiske (3-1 2.76) has five saves and has just been promoted by Johnson to the closing role. He had been used mainly in long relief. The rest of the staff has not done well. The starters give up too many home runs. Gary Hill (6-4 4.73), Phil Kraft (4-6 3.87) and Marv Chancellor (5-8 4.95) have suffered greatly from longballs. Although Chancellor has looked especially good in his last two outings, both solid victories. There is nothing but mediocrity in the rest of the bullpen. Johnson is expected to make quite a few moves in the coming days to try and turn things around, both on offense and on the hill.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

The Claxton Diamonds (29-36) are piloted by the Old Perfesser, Stacy Engel, one of the most successful manager in the amateur and company league days. But Engel is finding it hard to compete in the professional world, where good managers are "dime a dozen" and good players are hard to find.

He told the press recently, "My boys are playing better lately. Some of them are fairly alert." The Old Perfesser is right on at least one point - the Diamonds are playing a little better lately. Claxton was 15-18 in May, but improved to 11-11 in the month of June. Engel's ballclub is 8.5 games behind first place Marston and is in fifth place.

The only things the Diamonds do well is hit for average and field. They are second in the division with a .273 average. But they are last in homers and fourth in runs scored.

And in pitching there is no one worse than Claxton's mound corps. The Old Perfesser's pitching staff has compiled a lowly 4.66 ERA, by far the worst in the IPA. The Diamonds are second to Marston (.980) defensively with a .979 fielding average.

Commenting on his defense Engel said, "I don't like guys who drive in two runs and give up three."

Claxton has a bunch of fine hitters with four .300 hitters in the lineup, paced by second baseman Donny McCoy, who is batting .348 (6th) with 3 homers, 25 doubles (1st), 46 runs (9th) and 36 RBIs and is a Gold Glove candidate. Right fielder Dixie Baker has a .320 average with 20 home runs (2nd), 43 runs and 56 RBIs (5th) and a solid glove man. Shortstop Bobby Ritter has a .309 batting average with 3 home runs, 32 runs scored and 21 RBIs. Ritter fields his position well. First baseman Marty McCluskey is at the .300 mark with 18 doubles (6th-tied), 6 HR, scored 28 times and batted in 28 runs. McCluskey is also a marvelous defender with great range and hands.

Engel also has some other good bats in third baseman Ken Olsen with a .296 average, 16 doubles (3rd), 6 roundtrippers, 38 runs and 35 RBIs, left fielder Winky Rush (.280) with 6 home runs, 25 runs and 29 RBIs and a good defender with a great arm, plus Wayne Wilson, who has taken over in center field. Wilson has compiled a .278 batting average with 3 homers, 21 runs and 13 RBIs in 32 starts. Wilson is a fine outfielder, covers a lot of ground and has a strong arm.

The Diamonds only pitching gems are relievers. Closer Earl Weber (4-2 2.76) with 6 saves and 22 appearances and longman Alex Vanzetti (3-1 2.08) with 2 saves in 19 games. Skipper Engel is toying with the idea of moving them both into the starting rotation and just hope for the best in the bullpen.

Claxton's present starting rotation is up-and-down with Tetsunori Nakashima (8-4 4.41), Dennis Scott (6-6 4.46) and Zach Nuxhall (4-7 4.52). Engel has been searching for a fourth starter, but hasn't found one yet. The Old Perfesser indicated changes are forthcoming in the mound staff. Don't be surprised if you see three or four new hurlers playing for the Diamonds very soon.

If Engel can find some pitching somewhere, he could still step up in the division and may get as high as third place. But he certainly is not expected to challenge first place Marston and second place Forest City.

Rounding out the Ruthlandian Union South Division are the last place Belair Beach Sunbirds (28-36) of Marty Pedrosa. Pedrosa is one of the all-time best righthanders in the Islands and has done a good job with his pitchers, but the Sunbirds have fallen on very hard times in recent weeks. They were 16-16 in May and holding their own with the top 2-3 teams, but have slumped badly in June with a 7-15 record and now have fallen nine games out.

Hitting is the culprit for Pedrosa's team. The Sunbirds are batting only .256 and ranked next-to-last. Scoring-wise they are last. But Pedrosa does have some decent pitchers. Starter Carl Thompson (8-7 2.55) has been one of the top twirlers in the division, but has suffered because of poor run support. Ken Frey (4-4 3.41) has been solid both as a reliever early in the season and now as a starter. In the bullpen Lou Zanelli (5-3 2.87) has been excellent with 25 relief appearances (1st) and 7 saves. The remaining pitchers are only adequate. Reliever Lyndon Yarbrough (0-1 4.33) in 20 games and starters Todd Wilson (4-7 4.36) and Dirk Garrett (4-6 4.48). Garrett is injured and will miss the next three weeks with a strained bicep.

Carrying the Sunbird offensive load have been three superb players: left fielder Nicky Swift with a .332 average, 25 homers (1st), 48 runs (7th-tied), 58 RBIs (4th) and 7 stolen bases, right fielder Matty McDermott, who has hit .337 with 10 home runs, 52 runs (1st-tied), 32 RBIs and 19 stolen bases (5th-tied) and first baseman Paul Gravelli with a .328 batting average, 9 roundtrippers, 15 runs and 24 RBIs. Gravelli was signed only five weeks ago and had played in only 32 games. Pedrosa does have a fine defensive shortstop in Danny Church, who has supplied some offense with a .262 average, 5 home runs, scored 32 times and plated 24 runs. Church leads in assists and has a .984 fielding average.

It is hard to win in the Ruthlandian South, when you only have three productive hitters and two solid pitchers. Pedrosa has gone on record that many roster changes will be made soon. The future is not too rosy for the Belair Beach Sunbirds. 2001 could be a very long season for them.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

Tyrobbian Union - East Division

After the first two months of the IPA's first season, the Tycobbian Union East Division has the closest race. Only 6.5 games separate the teams from top to bottom. Ginza has gotten hot in June with a 15-7 mark and moved ahead of the pack, leading second place Cape Coral by 2.5 games. Ozarka has dropped to third because of a June swoon and is 3.5 games out. In fourth place are the Luxora Zorros, who are 5.5 games off the pace. South Fork is fifth, 6 games behind and Hartsdale is last.

Pitching and defense is the name of the game for Horoto Uchiyama, the GM and field manager of the first place Ginza Ninjas (36-28). The Ninjas took off and took over the TU East when Uchiyama promoted Toshiharu Ito (5-1 1.82) into a starting role about two weeks ago. The 25-year-old righty ran off four wins and a quality no-decision in his first five starts. Ginza was already well-stocked on the mound with Kojiro Matsumoto (9-2 3.05), Vic Rousakis (8-6 3.24) and Kazuhiro Nakayama (5-8 3.03). Coupled with closer Ken Watkins (3-3 2.86), they are a potent pitching staff. Watkins has made 20 appearances and has posted 6 saves. Watkins is the only southpaw on the team.

A former starter Buddy Hart (2-3 4.10) has settled in comfortably to a long relief role. He has two saves and has given up only one run in eight innings in his first four appearances. Uchiyama said he is well-pleased with his current mound staff, but is in need of two quality middle relievers.

The Ninjas are third in the division with a 3.41 ERA with South Fork (3.23) and Luxora (3.40) ahead of them. Ginza is the top defensive club with a .980 fielding percentage.

The Ninjas top batters are first sacker Kenshin Yamamoto with a .295 average, 11 homers, 33 runs and 34 RBIs, left fielder Charlie Campbell with a .279 average, 9 home runs, 25 runs and 37 RBIs, center fielder Takashi Fujimoto with a .277 average, 9 roundtrippers, 37 runs, 34 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, and lead-off man, shortstop Shinjiro Aoki, who is batting .304 with 5 triples (3rd-tied), 42 runs scored, 22 RBIs and 24 stolen bases (1st). Third baseman Kaz Ojima (.300, 2 HR, 16 R, 21 RBI) has played and hit well in a platoon role.

Recent additions to the line-up have played a part in the recent surge. Catcher Katsuya Noguchi (.302, 3 HR, 13 R, 12 RBI), third baseman Toshiro Nomura (.300, 7 R, 8 RBI) and left fielder Ronnie Graf (.292, 18 R, 14 RBI).

Ginza has four possible Golden Glovers in catcher Howard Mitchell (.996), first baseman Yamamoto (.997), second baseman Scoop McDonald (.992) and center fielder Fujimoto (1.000).

If the Ninjas continue to play as well as they have in the first third of the season, the fans will be celebrating a division title. They look to be the class of the TU East.

Manager Huggy Miller has the best-scoring team in the division. The second place Cape Coral Hurricanes (33-30) lead in runs scored, are second with a .257 batting average (tied with Hartsdale) and are number three in homers with 58. Ozarka is the top power team with 70 roundtrippers with Hartsdale number two with 63. On the hill the Hurricanes have a very well-balanced staff and have compiled a 3.73 ERA, fourth in the division. Defense is not one of their strong points as they have a poor .972 fielding average and rank last.

Cape Coral had a so-so May with a mark of 15-16, but some line-up changes has help improve them to 12-10 in June.

Miller depends on left fielder Rod Kelly and first baseman Rodger Wooten for run production. Kelly has a .309 batting average with 12 homers, 32 runs and 38 batted in, while Wooten is hitting .283 with 12 home runs, 37 runs and 35 RBIs. Right fielder Danny Mullins (.364, 6 HR, 17 R, 20 RBI) and catcher Rick Clark (.354, 3 HR, 16 R, 13 RBI) are now starters and have certainly added some punch to the club in recent weeks. Center fielder James Middleton (.323, 23 R, 15 RBI), a fine defender and hitter, is now back after a stay on the DL. Things are looking up for Cape Coral.

Miller made some changes in his pitching rotation several weeks ago and it has been quite successful in the short term. He moved his fine southpaw closer Katsuyuki Nagashima (4-6 2.73) into the rotation and he has gone 3-2 and been just as effective. Nagashima is still used in relief occasionally between starts. He has six saves in 21 games this season.

Lefthander Wally Robinson (9-4 2.79) is the ace of the staff. The other two starters are Kaz Hayakawa (7-7 4.00) and lefty Owen Pruitt (4-5 4.03). Former middle reliever Scotty Lohmeyer (2-3 2.92) is now the closer. He throws left, has three saves and has made 14 game appearances. Another portsider Joey Martin (0-0 3.10) is now the long man in relief. He has pitched in 17 games. Cody Burg (1-1 4.10) is the short man.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes are a good ballclub and looks like they will be around for the long haul this season. They have good balanced between offense and pitching, they just need to get more sure-handed on defense. Miller may be in the market for some good gloves up the middle.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

The third place Ozarka Naturals (32-31) are managed by Joe Mac Carney, who is also the GM. Carney had the best career-winning percentage of any manager in the Islandian Amateur Alliance. So far, he is doing well in the IPA, too. The Nats have been close to the top in the first two months of the season. They had a great month of May with a 20-12 record, but have suddenly gone into the doldrums in June with a bad 8-13 mark. Blame it on Cape Coral (5-10) and Luxora (3-6), who have dominated them in the season series. Ozarka is 3.5 games behind the Ginza Ninjas in the division standings.

The Naturals live and die by the longball. They are first in hitting them with 70 home runs and third in giving them up with 58. Carney's crew is batting only .247 (5th) as a team and is last with a 4.04 ERA. Compare that to Ginza's .264 batting average and South Fork's 3.23 ERA. The Stallions are first in home runs allowed with 43 and the Ninjas are second with 48. The Nats are fourth in defense with a .975 fielding average. Ginza leads with .980.

Ozarka is powered by third baseman Doug Cunningham with 17 homers (3rd) and 53 RBIs (3rd), but is hitting only .253. First baseman Floyd Snow has 12 roundtrippers (9th), driven across 40 runs with an anemic .236 batting average, while left fielder Ronnie Patterson has hit 11 out of the park, scored 48 runs (5th), batted in 24, stolen 18 bases (4th) and is hitting .257. Carney's top average hitters are center fielder Teddy Braun (.309, 5 HR, 40 R, 22 RBI) and second baseman Darrell Boyce (.302, 6 HR, 34 R, 29 RBI).

Cunningham (.963), Braun (1.000) and Patterson (.992) are all-star caliber fielders.

Ozarka has a good set of workhorses as starters. They pitch deep into the game, many times completing them. The Naturals head the IPA with 25 complete games. They are all righthanders. The top twirler is Yasuyuki Nakagawa (7-6 2.70), followed by Luther Hatch (7-6 3.74), Ted Didriksen (6-6 3.93) and Donnie Young (4-4 3.96). In the bullpen Alex DiMaggio (6-2 1.74) has been outstanding in 18 games. He has three saves. The middle relievers are Jackie Cunningham (0-2 3.57) and newcomer Sid Hyder (0-0 0.00), who has not allowed a run in 5 innings and three appearances. Hyder is headed for a try at a starting role.

Ozarka needs baserunners on base when they hit the homers. That is one area that needs improvement, along with defense. Carney could use two more dependable hurlers, too. Roster changes are coming, so the Nats can compete better with Ginza and Cape Coral.

One of the all-time great batters in Islandia's baseball history, Alejandro Rodrigo, skippers the Luxora Zorros (29-32) and has them running fourth in the Tycobbian Union East, trailing first place Ginza by 5.5 games. The Z's had a decent May with a 16-14 record, but have plunged in June with a dismal 8-13 mark. Pitching is their forte. Luxora is second in the division with a very impressive 3.40 ERA. South Fork is number one with a brilliant 3.23 ERA. But the Zorros are batting only .255 (4th) with only 38 roundtrippers (last). The Z's are also next-to-last defensively with a poor .973 fielding average. Ginza is the best with a .980 percentage.

Rodrigo's number one pitcher is bullpen specialist Roberto Martinez (5-2 2.06). He has been superb when called upon this season and has one save in addition to five victories. Only one pitcher has an ERA over 5.00. Taken as a group, Luxora's mound corps just might be the best in the IPA. The lefthanded starters are Johnny Montel (6-7 3.27) and Francisco Fernandes (5-5 3.48), the righthanders are Keith Callahan (5-6 3.34) and Chris Pierce (5-4 3.41). The middle relievers are all righthanders. Eddie Hoffman is 0-2 with a save and a 3.45 ERA, Andy Stevens is 2-3 with a save and a 3.74 ERA and Eddie Castillo is 0-3 and 3.94 ERA. The last member of the pitching staff is southpaw reliever Luis Gomez. He is 0-1 with a 5.04 ERA in 14 appearances this year.

Most of Luxora's run production comes from just five players: catcher Eric Richter, who is hitting .350 (3rd) with 2 homers, 25 runs and 30 RBIs, first baseman Paul Hallenbeck with a .335 average, 11 home runs, 32 runs and 40 RBIs, third baseman Rico Vina with a .284 mark, 8 HR, 29 runs and 31 RBIs, right fielder Pedro Vizquel with a .296 average, 3 HR, 36 runs and 26 RBIs and center fielder Tommy Fortunato with a .258 batting average, 5 HR, 37 runs and 29 RBIs.

For the Zorros to climb in the Tycobbian Union East race, they need to improve the defense and improve the offense. They have the pitchers.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

Manager Deroche "Lips" Leon of the South Fork Stallions (30-34) has a fifth place ballclub and is 6 games behind in the standings. Leon has the best pitching in the TU East race with a sparkling 3.23 ERA, but he also has the worst hitting team, too. The Stallions are batting only .240 so far this season. But things are looking up for South Fork. The were 3-7 in April, 16-17 in May and now have improved to 11-10 in June.

Righthanders Flint Battle (8-6 2.58), Ken Olson (5-6 2.94), Booger Burchfield (3-6 3.35) and southpaw Jerry Hairston (7-3 3.55) give Leon a good starting four. In middle relief Ken Conner (3-2 2.25) and Billy Joe Gordon (0-5 2.92) have been strong. Conner will soon be switched to a starting role, moving Burchfield to spot starter and long relief. South Fork's closer Glenn Turnbull (3-2 3.30) has been fairly effective, but occasionally has struggled. Gordon, the original closer, may get his job back. Kyle Moss (0-1 4.34) is the other reliever. Jamie Kelly (1-3 5.92) hasn't done the job in spot starts and is ripe for replacement.

"As far as hitting, I don't think my guys could hit little league pitching. We are really bad. I was a lousy hitter, so I know one when I see one," Leon recently told a reporter. "I may have to part with some pitchers to get some bats. We need more balance to win in this league."

No one on the club is hitting .300. Second baseman Bob Jones has a .298 batting average, but has no power. He has only 1 homer and four doubles with 28 runs and 17 RBIs. Leon's best batters are right fielder Paul Giles and third baseman Glenn Holliday. Giles is hitting .271 with 15 home runs, has scored 38 times and batted in 41. Giles is also a fine outfielder with a strong arm. Holliday is batting only .237, but has been productive with 11 roundtrippers, 28 runs and 27 RBIs.

If you could win in the TU East with just pitching, South Fork would be right at the top. The Stallions drastically need some hitting. Otherwise it's a fourth or fifth finish is in their future.

The loquacious Lips Leon closed the interview with this quote, "I'm just thankful old nice guy Zim Donner is still in the league. I'll never finish last as long as he is still managing."

Leon and Donner have had a running battle for years. Mainly a battle of words, but this year they got into on the field and had quite a donnybrook.

Speaking of Donner, he is in charge of the last place Hartsdale Hellcats (29-34), who trail the top team by only 6.5 games. Donner was quite a hard-hitting shortstop as a youngster, but he had his career cut short by a terrible beaning that almost killed him. He recovered and remained in the game, but only as a journeyman utility infielder and eventually as a fine coach and manager.

If you could get South Fork and Hartsdale to swap the Stallions pitchers for the Hellcats and the Hellcats hitters for the Stallions pitchers, you would have two fine clubs. They each have what the other needs. Hartsdale had a bad month in May and ended up a poor 13-19, but got better in June so far with a 10-11 record.

Donner's team can hit the ball. The Hellcats are tied for second in the division with a .257 mark and are number two in homers with 63 and a close second in scoring with 281 runs. But they are next-to-last with a 3.88 ERA. Only Ozarka is worse with a 4.04 ERA. Defensively Hartsdale has a .977 fielding percentage, good enough for third in the division. First place Ginza is number one with a .980 average.

Among the regulars, second baseman Francisco Abreu is having a fine season with a .305 mark, 15 home runs (4th), 44 runs (7th) and 47 RBIs (7th). Third baseman Whiz Weaver has compiled a .298 batting average with 10 homers, 29 runs and 35 RBIs and is great with the glove. The best of the rest are left fielder Jay Luna with a .277 average, 33 runs, 22 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, shortstop Mike Burke at .276 with 20 runs and 24 RBIs, right fielder Mel Poe batting .263 with 7 roundtrippers, 24 runs and 29 RBIs and center fielder Greg Reynolds with a .246 average, 8 home runs, 33 runs, 22 RBIs and 16 stolen bases (6th-tied). Donner has a good defensive outfield and is strong at third base with Weaver, but is only fair at the other postions .

Backup shortstop Terry Bellino is hitting .353 in 20 starts and third baseman Steve Ward has a .328 mark in 12 starts. Second string catcher Kevin Haynie is batting .370 in 14 starts and could soon be the regular. Bellino may take over at short very soon as well, while Ward will be trade material. Weaver is just too good all-around at third base.

The Hellcats top hurler is Phil Kraft with an impressive 7-1 record and a 2.71 ERA. Glenn Mann (6-9 3.39) and Danny Griffin have been solid for Donner most of the time. Jim Sears (2-7 4.69) is in the fourth starter's position, but is danger of being dropped from the rotation and going back to the pen. All of them are righthanders. Gene Young has done well in the closer role with a 4-3 record, 5 saves and a 3.21 ERA in 23 game appearances. Long and short relief is only mediocre with lefty Adam Falkenbach (1-2 3.86) and Jackie Bond (2-2 4.44). Dennis Kretzmeier (0-0 5.88) and portsider Roger Graves (2-3 6.55) will not be around much longer.

The trading season should get pretty active in the coming days and Hartsdale will be one of the teams that might be willing to deal.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 22, 2001

Around the IPA

Tycobbian Union - West Division

The best team in the Islandian Pro Alliance just might be the Fairfax Frogs (43-20) of the Tycobbian Union West Division. Or they could be just the best team in a weak division. We will find out the answer to that when the playoffs get here.

Currently it is a runaway in the division as it looks like the Frogs might clinched it by the All-Star game. Not true, of course, but Fairfax is ten games up on the runner-up Bayview Vikings, 10.5 over the La Claire Lynx, 13.5 games ahead of Arlon, 15 in front of Blue Lake and 20 games better than last place Bay St. Clair.

Harry Buckley, a fine second baseman in his playing days, is the man in charge of the Frogs and he has them playing extremely well. They were 21-11 in May and ever better in June with 15-6. Fairfax can do it all - hit, pitch and catch. They are the top hitting club with a sky-high .290 team batting average and are rated high in pitching with a 3.70 ERA (2nd) and fielding with a .978 percentage (3rd-tied).

The Frogs have a great 1-2-3 punch in the lineup. Right fielder Gregg Vincent is having a monster first season in the IPA with 24 HR (1st-tied), 67 RBIs (2nd), 51 runs (2nd) with a .324 batting average. He has plenty of help, too. Third baseman Stan Cobb is hitting .349 (4th) with 21 doubles (1st), 8 homers, 51 runs (2nd-tied) and 45 RBIs (9th). Left fielder Gator Davis has 14 roundtrippers (6th-tied), 46 RBIs (8th), 36 runs scored and and has a .299 average. But it really doesn't stop there. First baseman Ernie Hutchinson is batting .287 with 19 doubles (2nd-tied), 7 triples (1st), 4 HR, 41 runs and 31 runs batted in, catcher Marv McCoy's average is .351 in 38 starts with 15 runs and 15 RBIs, shortstop Warren Lee with a .320 average, 40 runs and 24 RBIs. Even the 8th man in the order, second baseman Greg Inman is a threat, hitting .277 with 31 RBIs. Only center fielder and lead-off man Billy Echevarria has struggled with the bat. He is hitting only .237, but has scored 32 times, stolen 10 bases and played great defense. Riding the bench is utility outfielder Louie Ward with a .333 batting average, spelling the starting trio. Ward would play for just about any other team in the league. Skipper Harris has several utility infielders, who would be playing on many teams, Kris Pappas (375), Scoop Estes (.273) and Vince Cooper (.280). Fairfax has plenty of trade lure on the bench that could be used to get another starter or two. Pity the other division teams, if this happens.

With that kind of hitting, you could get by with average pitching, but Harris has two terrific starters and a sensational closer. Robbie Meredith (9-1 2.59) is second in wins and fourth in ERA and lefty Jackie Leslie (10-2 3.13) has the most wins and eight complete games. In the bullpen, none is better than southpaw Takehide Takehashi (6-1 1.45) with 8 saves (2nd) and 23 appearances.

After that Fairfax is only fair with starters Jimmy Dalton (6-5 4.61), a righthander, and a lefthander Johnny Schluessler (3-7 4.86). Middle reliever Gerry Fisher (3-1 3.38) had done a good job, but the remainder of the corps has been shaky at times: Mel Murray (5-3 4.74), southpaw Scotty Marshall (1-0 5.06) and Nicky D'Artois (0-0 6.08).

The GM and field manager for the Bayview Vikings (34-31) is Walter Johanssen, the famed flamethrower of the company leagues. He has the offense and defense, but pitiful pitching. And he works for the toughest owner to boot - Brent Steiner of Steiner Shipbuilding.

Steiner's words say it all, "Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing. Breathing first, winning next."

So far, Johanssen has managed to keep his job. He is in second place, but 10 games behind the powerful Fairfax Frogs. The Vikings had a very good May, running up a 20-14 record, but have skidded to 10-11 in June.

Bayview batters bring smiles to Johanssen's face. Especially first baseman Dwayne Coleman, who is having a colossal year with 24 homers (1st-tied), 69 RBIs (1st), 51 runs (2nd), while hitting for a .308 average. Also having fine seasons are second sacker Alan Hansen, batting .352 (2nd), 15 doubles, 54 runs (1st), 24 RBIs and 22 stolen bases (2nd) from the lead-off spot, center fielder Phil Kanaan with a .329 batting average, 15 doubles, 6 homers, 43 runs, 30 RBIs and 7 stolen bases and left fielder Glenn Burns with a .319 average, 17 doubles (7th), 5 HR, 32 runs and 44 RBIs.

Shortstop Scooter Richards is a big contributor to the Viks success with his glove and bat. He leads the league in assists and has 17 doubles (7th), 3 triples, 6 homers, scored 41 times, stolen 14 bases (8th) and driven in 30 runs, although he is hitting only .249. Since taking over right field in late May, Dean Howell has been a welcomed addition, giving the team a very solid defender, speed on the bases and a reliable hitter. Howell is batting .299 with 17 runs scored, 13 RBIs and 9 stolen bases in his 32 starts. The other two regulars have also chipped in and helped the offense. Catcher Tommy Harrell only carries a .250 batting average, but has 25 RBIs and has played excellent defense. Third baseman Bob Klostermann is hitting .251 with 21 RBIs.

Mention pitching and Johanssen shakes his head and loses the smile. But it does brighten up when he talks about lefthander Paul Hood (3-2 2.76), who recently move to the starting rotation and has had quality outings in all three of this starts. Johanssen really beams when speaking of his bullpen specialist, Buzzy Lewis (3-3 2.92), who has recorded 10 saves (1st) and has made 26 relief appearances.

The other staff members leave a lot to be desired. Charlie Andrews (5-4 4.74) has only been adequate as a starter and middle reliever. Pretty much the same for Denny Copeland (0-2 4.35). And the last two pitchers, Fred Snow (2-2 5.02) and Mike Jardoin (3-4 6.34) have had a rocky time and will probably be released in the very near future.

Overall the long haul, Bayview may not be able to hold off La Claire and Arlon, who have better pitching than the Vikings. Fourth place may be the best Bayview can hope for. There's a good chance Brent Steiner will not be happy with his first season in the IPA.