ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) - Page 202

Eugene Church · 02-21-2014, 06:03 PM

The Kilkenny Cats have fallen on hard times after winning the pennant two years ago... they dropped to fifth last year and plunged to seventh this season... 92-62 in 2042 to 77-77 (7 GB) to 63-91 (30 GB)... the Cats have only one division flag to show in 43 years in the IPA with no Pro Cups.

KILKENNY: 7th Place

Eugene Church · 02-21-2014, 06:10 PM

The Ancona Red Elephants wound up in last place in the RU North for the fourth successive season... they were 72-82 in 2043 (12 GB), but tumbled badly to 56-98 (37 GB) this season... Ancona has made the postseason five times in its history and has yet to win a Pro Cup... 2022 was the last postseason appearance.

ANCONA: 8th Place

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 04:37 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 19, 2044

CRUSHERS SURVIVE STRETCH DRIVE
For the second year in a row Crystal Lake is the best team in the Ruthlandian South Division... the Crushers got off to a great start, had a good lead at mid-season, then had to fend off several contenders down the stretch... Crystal Lake nudged out two fast-closing clubs, Waleska by 2 games and St. John by 3 games... Claxton bombed out in late summer and finished fourth, trailing by 5 games... the San Dimas Rancheros faded in the last two months and slipped 7 games back and came in fifth.

Crystal Lake didn't have much power with 123 HRs (26th), but they could put runs on the scoreboard with a .281 BA (2nd) and 780 runs (6th)... pitching was adequate with a 3.90 ERA (17th)... defense just average (.972 FA)... the Crushers have racked up 9 pennants in their history and won two Pro Cups (2020 and 2022)... they have won three division flags in the last 5 years.

CRYSTAL LAKE: 1st Place

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 04:58 PM

Waleska played poorly the first half of the season, 4 games under .500, but caught fire in the last three months and almost caught Crystal Lake, losing out by just 2 games... Waleska has had winning records for 11 straight seasons... the Westerners have played well in the last decade with three pennants and two Pro Cup trophies... overall they have won three Pro Cups (2028, 2037, 2039) and made 7 postseason appearances... Waleska had solid pitching this season with a 3.55 ERA (9th), but lack scoring with only 679 runs (26th)... the Westerners have four quality starters.

36-year-old ace Terry Richards chalked up his 300th victory this season... he is 300-209 in his 17 seasons with a fine 3.10 ERA, all with the Westerners... in the postseason his record is 9-4 in 17 starts with a 3.29 ERA.

WALESKA: 2nd Place (2 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 05:23 PM

St. John ran a good race for most of the season, hanging close to Crystal Lake, but never could catch them... the Crusaders have good contact hitters with a .278 BA (4th), fairly good scoring with 711 runs (13th-tied), average power with 137 HRs (16th) and good pitching with a 3.67 ERA (12th)... improved this year from sixth and 18 GB to 82-72 and only 3 games behind... last pennant was just two years ago... the Crusaders have made the playoffs on 7 occasions, but don't have a Pro Cup yet.

28-year-old LF Roberto Campos led the IPA with a .359 BA and was 10th in hits with 202... 25-year-old 1B Tab Allison led the IPA with 47 doubles, was 5th in hits with 206 and tied for sixth with 34 SBs... he batted .310 for the season... 35-year-old superstar RF Nicky Farrugia had another fine year with a .326 BA, 35 HRs, 102 RBIs and 103 runs... Farrugia is a career .322 batter with 321 homers in 11 seasons... at age 31 long-time ace Jeremy Kirk won 20 games for the sixth time in his impressive career, winding up 21-8 with a 3.44 ERA... in his 13 seasons with the club he is 233-159 with a solid 3.11 lifetime ERA.

ST. JOHN: 3rd Place (3 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 05:46 PM

A bad start and a bad August cost the Claxton Diamonds dearly this year... they still managed to stay close, losing out to Crystal Lake by just 5 games... they possess good hitting and good pitching... The Diamonds moved up from fifth to fourth in the standings, going from 72-82 (16 GB) to 80-74... 10 times they have appeared in the playoffs, but have never won a Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2038.

Superstar 1B Jojo DeLucca and star RF Foxy Fuchs carry most of the offensive load... at 29 DeLucca is a .316 career hitter with 302 homers in 10 years... at age 33 Fuchs has 285 HRs in his 10 seasons with a solid .289 BA... at age 29 Steven Ellison really blossomed this year in his third season with a 20-7 mark and a 2.99 ERA.

CLAXTON: 4th Place (5 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 05:57 PM

The fifth-place San Dimas Rancheros are just a fair ballclub with good power... they were near the top of the heap as late as August, but slumped badly down the stretch, winding up 7 games out of first at 78-76... last year they came in fourth with an 80-74 record and 8 games behind... the Rancheros last won the RU South in 2041... overall they have made the playoffs four times, but have yet to claim a Pro Cup.

SAN DIMAS: 5th Place (7 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 06:15 PM

Grand City is just a mediocre team with a poor history... no Pro Cup crowns... and only three playoffs appearances... the last one was years ago in 2030.

at 29, star 1B Benny Hull pretty much carried the club with a .302 BA, 46 homers and 118 RBIs... he tied for fourth in the IPA in home runs and was ninth in the RU in RBIs... lifetime Hull has batted .296 with 292 homers in 11 seasons... old reliable LF Bobby Meusel had a good year at age 37 with a .303 BA, 22 HRs and 78 RBIs... he came over in a trade after 16 years with the Belair Beach Sunbirds... Meusel has hit .296 in his career with 257 roundtrippers, 942 RBIs, scored 1026 runs and stolen 339 bases... 23-year-old bullpen specialist Donald Denision really came of age in his fourth season in the IPA with an 11-7 record, 2.43 ERA and 15 saves in 69 relief appearances.

GRAND CITY: 6th Place (15 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 06:36 PM

For the 16th year in a row the Valka Blackhawks finished in the RU South second division... they were seventh last year with a 66-88 mark (22 GB) and 69-85 (16 GB) this year... the Blackhawks have appeared only four times in the Pro Cup playoffs and have never won the Pro Cup.

However, the Blackhawks have two very fine ballplayers in superstar 1B Bobby Scott and superstar CF Kenny Mitzusaka... at 34, Scott posted a .308 BA with 36 HRs, 86 RBIs and scored 102 runs... in 11 years he has slammed 318 HRs with a sparkling .320 BA... at 30, Mitzusaka was even better with a .326 BA, 33 HRs and 135 RBIs... he was the number-two man in the entire IPA this season... career-wise Mitzusaka sports a .316 BA with 279 HRs and 1149 RBIs in his 12 seasons with Valka... after three lackluster years starter Matvey Kazak had a break-out year at age 26 with an 18-9 record and a 3.55 ERA.

VALKA: 7th Place (16 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-23-2014, 06:56 PM

At 58-96 the Belair Beach Sunbirds were one of the worst teams in the IPA, finishing 27 games out... they tied with the Mahaska Haymakers of the Tycobbian North Division for the second-worst records in the IPA... only Ancona of the RU North was worse with 56 victories... this is the sixth time in eight seasons the Sunbirds have wound up in the cellar... last year they were 22 GB with a 66-88 mark... Belair Beach started off well in the IPA and made the playoffs 7 times in the league's first 17 seasons, but they haven't graced the postseason since 2016 and haven't every won a Pro Cup title... but they did come close one time, losing out to Kenwood in the 2014 Pro Cup Finals in seven games.

Sunbird pitching is atrocious with a 4.69 ERA (31st), but they do have a few decent bats in 5-time All-Star and superstar 3B Jason Butler, who batted .310 with 36 HRs and 111 RBIs... and young 24-year-old CF Norm Ellis, who hit 33 out of the park and drove in 89 runs with a .275 BA... at age 31, Butler is a lifetime .302 batter with 385 homers in his 10 seasons with 1076 RBIs.

BELAIR BEACH: 8th Place (27 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-24-2014, 08:37 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 20, 2044

SUNDOWNERS SURVIVE 3-TEAM TIE IN RU EAST
Four teams tussled back-and-forth throughout the year for supremacy in the rugged Ruthlandian East Division with Wynnamac finally hauling in the pennant in a three-way playoff... the Sundowners slammed defending champ Sugar Valley 13-7 in the playoff opener and then won the title with a 7-3 triumph over Elnora... Wynnamac whipped the Rattlers and All-Stars by one and a half games... Cold Creek was also in the running, winding up just 3 games back in fourth place... all of the first division clubs won 94 or more games.

This was the Sundowners second RU East division title in the last three seasons... they led the Ruthlandian Union with 98 victories, second best to Southport of the Tycobbian South, who notched 104 wins to top the IPA... last year they were fourth, but only 4 games off the pace... the Sundowners have racked up one Pro Cup, but it came years ago in 2008.

Wynnamac is a well-balanced team that does everything pretty well and it will be a potent force in the Pro Cup playoffs... .271 BA (7th), 800 runs (4th), 153 HRs (11th) and a 3.25 ERA (2nd)... two 20-game winners head a quality mound staff: Jimmy Willard (24-10/2.93) and Sammy Hayes (22-12/3.54)... with help from Shirai Nakamura (19-17/3.29) and Geoff Hobart (15-5/3.76)... the bullpen standout is Johnny Mitchell (9-5/1.67/12 saves)... Willard was a godsend this year... at 37 the journeyman hurler tied for fourth in the IPA with 24 wins... only three Tycobbian twirlers Jay Murphy (27-8/2.59) of South Fork, Tommy Carter (26-8/2.47) of Kenwood and Johnny Swanson (25-10/2.61) of Southport were better... Willard (182-198/3.91) has seriously considered retirement the last few seasons because of mediocre performance... the top bat for the Sundowners was superstar RF Nioka Inkamara with a .321 BA, 40 homers, 131 RBIs and 114 runs scored... he was third in the IPA in RBIs and tied for sixth in scoring runs... ranked sixth in the RU with 40 homers... other fine run producers were CF Darrell Donnelly (.312/23/104/98), 1B Jack Pope (.294/19/91/94) and 3B Duane Hudson (.292/5/57/96).

WYNNAMAC: 1st Place

Eugene Church · 02-24-2014, 09:15 PM

Last year's division winner Sugar Valley went into September in the lead, but slumped down the stretch and then lost it in the playoff... the Rattlers are also a fine, all-around team... they improved from 87-67 in 2043 to 96-59 this year, but didn't win... Sugar Valley has made the postseason 12 times in its history, but has not won a Pro Cup yet, the Rattlers, however, were finalists twice in 2004 and 2024.

The Rattlers were tremendous offensively with a .279 BA (3rd), 851 runs (1st) and 236 HRs (1st) and led the IPA in scoring and homers... everyone in the starting lineup has at least 15 HRs... and they had good pitching, too, with a 3.53 ERA (8th)... plus solid defense as well with a .975 FA... superman LF Bobby Gamble had another colossal year with a .348 BA, 43 homers, 106 RBIs and 133 runs, ranking fifth in the IPA in batting, eighth in doubles (39) and HRs (43) and topped the league in scoring runs... other top guns were CF Carl Ramsey (.291/44/131/116)... Ramsey was third in RBIs in the IPA and seventh in homers... 1B James Milton (.312/29/119/68)... and SS Roger Hobbs (.300/29/73/117)... 300-game winner Jeremy Blanchard (20-11/3.31) was the ace at age 39... he now has a 312-255 record in his 18 seasons with the club... Blanchard has won 20 games the last three years and has done it six times in his career... lifetime his ERA is 3.36... other leading starters were Christopher Dunsberry (20-12/3.67) and Joe Snow (17-8/3.67)... hard-luck Davey Brennan (13-17/2.99) was the most effective starter with an ERA under 3.00, which is hard to do in hitter friendly Farmers Memorial Park... spot starter/reliever Domenico Renterias won 20 games in that role, going 20-12 in 75 appearances and 12 starts with 18 saves, but posted a 4.18 ERA.

SUGAR VALLEY: 2nd Place (tied) (1.5 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-24-2014, 09:38 PM

The Elnora All-Stars had a marvelous season, too, winning 96 games... they came close last year as well, finishing third, only 3 games out of first... the All-Stars have picked up 9 postseason appearances with one Pro Cup (2033)... they were finalists in 2002 and 2035.

Elnora just had the misfortune of playing in the strongest division in the IPA... four of the clubs had 90 or more victories... they ranked near the top in all categories with a .281 BA (1st), 811 runs (2nd), 173 HRs (6th) and 3.22 ERA (1st)... leading at the plate were RF Prston Davies (.306/24/91/89), C Cannon Johnson (.286/32/114/87), LF Enos Conrad (.324/20/67/99), CF Clive Kenyon (.324/14/63/105) and 3B Joey Hagburn (.317/19/81/80)... top moundsmen were Stan Kivas (21-14/2.11), who was third in the RU in ERA, Dan Pitts (19-13/3.35), Rick Lowe (17-10/3.91) and Slim Harding (17-13/3.77)... reliever Jamie Pananga (13-4/1.87/14 saves) really excelled in the bullpen.

ELNORA: 2nd Place (tied) (1.5 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-24-2014, 10:20 PM

For the 13th consecutive year Cold Creek wound up in the first division of the RU East... the Catamounts were a very close runner-up last season with an 86-68 record, beaten out by one game by Sugar Valley... ironically, they improved to 94-60 and fell to fourth place, just 3 games behind... Cold Creek was only a game away from the division lead going into the final three weeks, but faltered in the stretch drive... the Catamounts have not yet won the Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2041.

Pitching is the name of the game in Cold Creek... the starters compiled a 3.26 ERA (2nd) led by superstar J. J. Gillespie (21-15/2.68) and Sammy Wright (24-8/2.96)... Wright ranked fourth in the IPA in wins... Gillespie won 20 games for the 10th time in his career... he is 288-155 in his 16 seasons in the IPA... the 39-year-old hurler has the second-best ERA in league history at 2.37... only Johnny Duncan is better at 2.31... the other two starters Rob Hutchins (19-13/3.35) and Joey Baker (13-10/3.96) also did well... top reliever was Riku Takahashi (11-3/3.30/18 saves)... the Catamounts were not much at the plate... the most reliable hitters were SS Joe Cochrane (.299/20/100/86), RF Jimmy Howell (.303/3/64/92) and CF Ken Brennan (.305/7/49/84).

COLD CREEK: 4th Place (3 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-25-2014, 01:38 PM

The Beechwood Bobcats finished with a winning record, but were never really in the pennant chase... they came in fifth, 17 games behind... last season they were sixth and 11 games back... so 2044 was a slight improvement, going from 76-78 to 80-74... the Bobcats have never won a Pro Cup and only have made the playoffs three times... the last time was in 2027.

The Bobcats have a solid core of hitters and score well with good power... they clouted 196 roundtrippers (3rd) and scored 756 runs (9th)... pitching is questionable... 1B Corky Callahan (.280) topped the club with 32 HRs and 107 RBIs... SS Mel Smith had the best BA at .314... and 2B Mike Matthews scored the most runs with 98 and stole the most bases with 37... other heavy hitters were 40-year-old 3B Leonard Mason (.278) with 31 homers and 90 RBIs and RF Eddy Wilson (.280) with 29 HRs and 89 RBIs... Jimmy Herman was the only good starter with a 19-13 record and an impressive 2.81 ERA... heading up the bullpen were Freddy Manale (6-4/2.42/9 saves) and D. W. Downs (4-4/2.42/5 saves).

BEECHWOOD: 5th Place (17 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-25-2014, 02:00 PM

Eastshore digressed this year, dropping from fifth place 83-71 (4 GB) to 71-83 (26 GB) and sixth... the Elegants have captured two Pro Cups (2016 and 2017), but have only made the postseason 7 times, most recently in 2034.

The Elegants have decent pitching, but little in the batting order... 40-year-old Koy Clampett (15-14/4.26), Malcolm Tansbury (12-13/3.37) and Tommy Brown (14-16/3.90) are just average starters... however, Jody Friday (12-8/2.04/15 saves) is a stud in the bullpen... at age 38, SS Johnny Petrak (.323/28/124/76) is still one of the IPA's premier players with a .316 career average, an 8-time All-Star and a Gold Glover... Petrak was 9th in the IPA this year in RBIs... RF Troy McFarland (.261) topped the team with 30 homers and 108 RBIs... and LF Bevan Shuler (.289) was the IPA SB leader with 47... he hit 25 out of the park and led the club with 119 runs.

EASTSHORE: 6th Place (26 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-25-2014, 03:31 PM

The Belle Plaine Musketeers have a pathetic history in the IPA... they have made the postseason only once and that was way back in 2009... the Muskies have been stuck in seventh place the last two years... they were 65-89 (22 GB) last year and 69-85 (28 GB) this season... the hitting is impressive, while the pitching is among the all-time worst in the IPA... the team ERA is an atrocious 5.30 (32nd)... bat-wise the Muskies sport a .275 BA (5th), scored 786 runs (5th) and knocked 136 HRs (17th)... 39-year-old RF Noel Martin had a career year with a .354 BA, third in the IPA, collected 202 hits (3rd) and led the club with 35 homers and 122 RBIs... 3B Bobby Greer (.320) and 2B Ted Macy (.305) were the other .300 hitters on the club.... 28-year-old star CF Boo Boudreaux had a down year for him... still he hit 23 HRS, drove in 84 runs and scored 94, but hit only .272, some 30 points off his lifetime .308 BA... 4-time Gold Glove C Ted Jarzinski is still doing the job at age 40... Jarzinski batted .274 with 16 homers and 91 RBIs and is still one of the best defensive catchers in the IPA.

BELLE PLAINE: 7th Place (28 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-25-2014, 03:47 PM

For the sixth successive season the Marston Nine were in the RU East second division... three of those seasons they were housed in the cellar... that's where they have been the last two years... 62-92 (25 GB) last year... and 67-87 (30 GB) this year... Marston has never won a Pro Cup and has only made 6 playoff appearances, the most recent years ago in 2028.

Val Farnsworth (19-14/4.01) is the only dependable starter... the only reliable bats are CF Charley Gilmore, who batted .353, the fourth highest BA in the IPA... and 2B Gary Armitage (.276), the club leader in homers with 24, RBIs with 94 and SBs with 33 (8th best in the IPA)... he and Gilmore tied club lead for the most runs with 99... other quality bats were SS Stan Mila (.287/21/89/68) and 3B Philip DeWey (.291/21/82/64).

MARSTON: 8th Place (30 GB)

Eugene Church · 02-26-2014, 06:45 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 19, 2044

RR SNAPPERS SNATCH RU WEST
Preseason pick Rocky Rapids lived up to its billing and won the Ruthlandian West Division for the first time in 24 years... in a season-long duel the Snappers held off the Middlefield Roosters and Forest City Lumberjacks, finishing 5 games in front of them... fourth place went to the Stoner Stars, who trailed by 10 games... defending division champ Volusia came in fifth and 11 games back.

Rocky Rapids has steadily improved over the last six seasons, coming in fourth twice, moving up to third the next three years and then rising up to the top spot in the RU West this season... the Snappers were 79-75 (13 GB) in 2043, upping their record to 85-69 this year... they have only appeared in the postseason four times in their history... the last time was in 2020... but the Snappers have won a Pro Cup (2019).

They have pretty good pitching with a 3.60 ERA (10th) and can score runs... Rocky Rapids ranked 8th in scoring with 770 runs... they only have average power with 132 HRs (18th-tied)... the Snappers have two excellent starters in Jamie Taylor (21-12/3.01) and Randy Peters (19-14/3.00)... and a good closer in Steve Owens (10-9/2.74/10 saves)... three players provide most of the offense: 2B Marty Featherstone (.300/30/107/100), C Carney Kirkpatrick (.298/12/77/77) and 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.295/5/52/85)... the baseball prognosticators don't expect much out of the Snappers in the Pro Cup playoffs.

ROCKY RAPIDS: 1st Place

Eugene Church · 02-26-2014, 07:25 PM

Middlefield has one IPA title in its history... that was in back in 2005... 10 times the Roosters have made the playoffs, but not too often in the last 20 years... only once in 2041... playing in a hitter's ballpark, they are not known for their pitching, but this has not been the case in recent years... especially this year with a 3.33 team ERA (3rd)... as usual the Roosters are among the leaders in longballs with 211 (2nd).

The Middlefield mound corps is paced by James Long (21-13/2.09), who has the second best ERA in the Ruthlandian Union and is ranked fifth in the IPA with a brilliant 2.09 ERA... other quality starters are Hollis Dale (10-5/3.21) and tough-luck Carroll Collier (11-14/2.94)... the bullpen ace is Ray Owens (3-5/2.29/17 saves)... the Rooster batting order has three 30-homer hitters in CF Norman Antonioni (.253/38/76/92), RF Sidney Conner (.280/36/109/82) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.274/35/114/97).

MIDDLEFIELD: 2nd Place (tied) (5 GB)

02-21-2014, 06:03 PM	#4021
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Kilkenny Cats have fallen on hard times after winning the pennant two years ago... they dropped to fifth last year and plunged to seventh this season... 92-62 in 2042 to 77-77 (7 GB) to 63-91 (30 GB)... the Cats have only one division flag to show in 43 years in the IPA with no Pro Cups. KILKENNY: 7th Place Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-22-2014 at 05:28 PM.

02-21-2014, 06:10 PM	#4022
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Ancona Red Elephants wound up in last place in the RU North for the fourth successive season... they were 72-82 in 2043 (12 GB), but tumbled badly to 56-98 (37 GB) this season... Ancona has made the postseason five times in its history and has yet to win a Pro Cup... 2022 was the last postseason appearance. ANCONA: 8th Place Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-22-2014 at 05:36 PM.

02-23-2014, 04:37 PM	#4023
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 19, 2044 CRUSHERS SURVIVE STRETCH DRIVE For the second year in a row Crystal Lake is the best team in the Ruthlandian South Division... the Crushers got off to a great start, had a good lead at mid-season, then had to fend off several contenders down the stretch... Crystal Lake nudged out two fast-closing clubs, Waleska by 2 games and St. John by 3 games... Claxton bombed out in late summer and finished fourth, trailing by 5 games... the San Dimas Rancheros faded in the last two months and slipped 7 games back and came in fifth. Crystal Lake didn't have much power with 123 HRs (26th), but they could put runs on the scoreboard with a .281 BA (2nd) and 780 runs (6th)... pitching was adequate with a 3.90 ERA (17th)... defense just average (.972 FA)... the Crushers have racked up 9 pennants in their history and won two Pro Cups (2020 and 2022)... they have won three division flags in the last 5 years. CRYSTAL LAKE: 1st Place Attached Images

02-23-2014, 04:58 PM	#4024
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Waleska played poorly the first half of the season, 4 games under .500, but caught fire in the last three months and almost caught Crystal Lake, losing out by just 2 games... Waleska has had winning records for 11 straight seasons... the Westerners have played well in the last decade with three pennants and two Pro Cup trophies... overall they have won three Pro Cups (2028, 2037, 2039) and made 7 postseason appearances... Waleska had solid pitching this season with a 3.55 ERA (9th), but lack scoring with only 679 runs (26th)... the Westerners have four quality starters. 36-year-old ace Terry Richards chalked up his 300th victory this season... he is 300-209 in his 17 seasons with a fine 3.10 ERA, all with the Westerners... in the postseason his record is 9-4 in 17 starts with a 3.29 ERA. WALESKA: 2nd Place (2 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 07:00 PM.

02-23-2014, 05:23 PM	#4025
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	St. John ran a good race for most of the season, hanging close to Crystal Lake, but never could catch them... the Crusaders have good contact hitters with a .278 BA (4th), fairly good scoring with 711 runs (13th-tied), average power with 137 HRs (16th) and good pitching with a 3.67 ERA (12th)... improved this year from sixth and 18 GB to 82-72 and only 3 games behind... last pennant was just two years ago... the Crusaders have made the playoffs on 7 occasions, but don't have a Pro Cup yet. 28-year-old LF Roberto Campos led the IPA with a .359 BA and was 10th in hits with 202... 25-year-old 1B Tab Allison led the IPA with 47 doubles, was 5th in hits with 206 and tied for sixth with 34 SBs... he batted .310 for the season... 35-year-old superstar RF Nicky Farrugia had another fine year with a .326 BA, 35 HRs, 102 RBIs and 103 runs... Farrugia is a career .322 batter with 321 homers in 11 seasons... at age 31 long-time ace Jeremy Kirk won 20 games for the sixth time in his impressive career, winding up 21-8 with a 3.44 ERA... in his 13 seasons with the club he is 233-159 with a solid 3.11 lifetime ERA. ST. JOHN: 3rd Place (3 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:59 PM.

02-23-2014, 05:46 PM	#4026
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	A bad start and a bad August cost the Claxton Diamonds dearly this year... they still managed to stay close, losing out to Crystal Lake by just 5 games... they possess good hitting and good pitching... The Diamonds moved up from fifth to fourth in the standings, going from 72-82 (16 GB) to 80-74... 10 times they have appeared in the playoffs, but have never won a Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2038. Superstar 1B Jojo DeLucca and star RF Foxy Fuchs carry most of the offensive load... at 29 DeLucca is a .316 career hitter with 302 homers in 10 years... at age 33 Fuchs has 285 HRs in his 10 seasons with a solid .289 BA... at age 29 Steven Ellison really blossomed this year in his third season with a 20-7 mark and a 2.99 ERA. CLAXTON: 4th Place (5 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:59 PM.

02-23-2014, 05:57 PM	#4027
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The fifth-place San Dimas Rancheros are just a fair ballclub with good power... they were near the top of the heap as late as August, but slumped badly down the stretch, winding up 7 games out of first at 78-76... last year they came in fourth with an 80-74 record and 8 games behind... the Rancheros last won the RU South in 2041... overall they have made the playoffs four times, but have yet to claim a Pro Cup. SAN DIMAS: 5th Place (7 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:59 PM.

02-23-2014, 06:15 PM	#4028
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Grand City is just a mediocre team with a poor history... no Pro Cup crowns... and only three playoffs appearances... the last one was years ago in 2030. at 29, star 1B Benny Hull pretty much carried the club with a .302 BA, 46 homers and 118 RBIs... he tied for fourth in the IPA in home runs and was ninth in the RU in RBIs... lifetime Hull has batted .296 with 292 homers in 11 seasons... old reliable LF Bobby Meusel had a good year at age 37 with a .303 BA, 22 HRs and 78 RBIs... he came over in a trade after 16 years with the Belair Beach Sunbirds... Meusel has hit .296 in his career with 257 roundtrippers, 942 RBIs, scored 1026 runs and stolen 339 bases... 23-year-old bullpen specialist Donald Denision really came of age in his fourth season in the IPA with an 11-7 record, 2.43 ERA and 15 saves in 69 relief appearances. GRAND CITY: 6th Place (15 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:58 PM.

02-23-2014, 06:36 PM	#4029
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	For the 16th year in a row the Valka Blackhawks finished in the RU South second division... they were seventh last year with a 66-88 mark (22 GB) and 69-85 (16 GB) this year... the Blackhawks have appeared only four times in the Pro Cup playoffs and have never won the Pro Cup. However, the Blackhawks have two very fine ballplayers in superstar 1B Bobby Scott and superstar CF Kenny Mitzusaka... at 34, Scott posted a .308 BA with 36 HRs, 86 RBIs and scored 102 runs... in 11 years he has slammed 318 HRs with a sparkling .320 BA... at 30, Mitzusaka was even better with a .326 BA, 33 HRs and 135 RBIs... he was the number-two man in the entire IPA this season... career-wise Mitzusaka sports a .316 BA with 279 HRs and 1149 RBIs in his 12 seasons with Valka... after three lackluster years starter Matvey Kazak had a break-out year at age 26 with an 18-9 record and a 3.55 ERA. VALKA: 7th Place (16 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:58 PM.

02-23-2014, 06:56 PM	#4030
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	At 58-96 the Belair Beach Sunbirds were one of the worst teams in the IPA, finishing 27 games out... they tied with the Mahaska Haymakers of the Tycobbian North Division for the second-worst records in the IPA... only Ancona of the RU North was worse with 56 victories... this is the sixth time in eight seasons the Sunbirds have wound up in the cellar... last year they were 22 GB with a 66-88 mark... Belair Beach started off well in the IPA and made the playoffs 7 times in the league's first 17 seasons, but they haven't graced the postseason since 2016 and haven't every won a Pro Cup title... but they did come close one time, losing out to Kenwood in the 2014 Pro Cup Finals in seven games. Sunbird pitching is atrocious with a 4.69 ERA (31st), but they do have a few decent bats in 5-time All-Star and superstar 3B Jason Butler, who batted .310 with 36 HRs and 111 RBIs... and young 24-year-old CF Norm Ellis, who hit 33 out of the park and drove in 89 runs with a .275 BA... at age 31, Butler is a lifetime .302 batter with 385 homers in his 10 seasons with 1076 RBIs. BELAIR BEACH: 8th Place (27 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-23-2014 at 06:57 PM.

02-24-2014, 08:37 PM	#4031
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, September 20, 2044 SUNDOWNERS SURVIVE 3-TEAM TIE IN RU EAST Four teams tussled back-and-forth throughout the year for supremacy in the rugged Ruthlandian East Division with Wynnamac finally hauling in the pennant in a three-way playoff... the Sundowners slammed defending champ Sugar Valley 13-7 in the playoff opener and then won the title with a 7-3 triumph over Elnora... Wynnamac whipped the Rattlers and All-Stars by one and a half games... Cold Creek was also in the running, winding up just 3 games back in fourth place... all of the first division clubs won 94 or more games. This was the Sundowners second RU East division title in the last three seasons... they led the Ruthlandian Union with 98 victories, second best to Southport of the Tycobbian South, who notched 104 wins to top the IPA... last year they were fourth, but only 4 games off the pace... the Sundowners have racked up one Pro Cup, but it came years ago in 2008. Wynnamac is a well-balanced team that does everything pretty well and it will be a potent force in the Pro Cup playoffs... .271 BA (7th), 800 runs (4th), 153 HRs (11th) and a 3.25 ERA (2nd)... two 20-game winners head a quality mound staff: Jimmy Willard (24-10/2.93) and Sammy Hayes (22-12/3.54)... with help from Shirai Nakamura (19-17/3.29) and Geoff Hobart (15-5/3.76)... the bullpen standout is Johnny Mitchell (9-5/1.67/12 saves)... Willard was a godsend this year... at 37 the journeyman hurler tied for fourth in the IPA with 24 wins... only three Tycobbian twirlers Jay Murphy (27-8/2.59) of South Fork, Tommy Carter (26-8/2.47) of Kenwood and Johnny Swanson (25-10/2.61) of Southport were better... Willard (182-198/3.91) has seriously considered retirement the last few seasons because of mediocre performance... the top bat for the Sundowners was superstar RF Nioka Inkamara with a .321 BA, 40 homers, 131 RBIs and 114 runs scored... he was third in the IPA in RBIs and tied for sixth in scoring runs... ranked sixth in the RU with 40 homers... other fine run producers were CF Darrell Donnelly (.312/23/104/98), 1B Jack Pope (.294/19/91/94) and 3B Duane Hudson (.292/5/57/96). WYNNAMAC: 1st Place Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-24-2014 at 10:20 PM.

02-24-2014, 09:15 PM	#4032
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Last year's division winner Sugar Valley went into September in the lead, but slumped down the stretch and then lost it in the playoff... the Rattlers are also a fine, all-around team... they improved from 87-67 in 2043 to 96-59 this year, but didn't win... Sugar Valley has made the postseason 12 times in its history, but has not won a Pro Cup yet, the Rattlers, however, were finalists twice in 2004 and 2024. The Rattlers were tremendous offensively with a .279 BA (3rd), 851 runs (1st) and 236 HRs (1st) and led the IPA in scoring and homers... everyone in the starting lineup has at least 15 HRs... and they had good pitching, too, with a 3.53 ERA (8th)... plus solid defense as well with a .975 FA... superman LF Bobby Gamble had another colossal year with a .348 BA, 43 homers, 106 RBIs and 133 runs, ranking fifth in the IPA in batting, eighth in doubles (39) and HRs (43) and topped the league in scoring runs... other top guns were CF Carl Ramsey (.291/44/131/116)... Ramsey was third in RBIs in the IPA and seventh in homers... 1B James Milton (.312/29/119/68)... and SS Roger Hobbs (.300/29/73/117)... 300-game winner Jeremy Blanchard (20-11/3.31) was the ace at age 39... he now has a 312-255 record in his 18 seasons with the club... Blanchard has won 20 games the last three years and has done it six times in his career... lifetime his ERA is 3.36... other leading starters were Christopher Dunsberry (20-12/3.67) and Joe Snow (17-8/3.67)... hard-luck Davey Brennan (13-17/2.99) was the most effective starter with an ERA under 3.00, which is hard to do in hitter friendly Farmers Memorial Park... spot starter/reliever Domenico Renterias won 20 games in that role, going 20-12 in 75 appearances and 12 starts with 18 saves, but posted a 4.18 ERA. SUGAR VALLEY: 2nd Place (tied) (1.5 GB) Attached Images

02-24-2014, 09:38 PM	#4033
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Elnora All-Stars had a marvelous season, too, winning 96 games... they came close last year as well, finishing third, only 3 games out of first... the All-Stars have picked up 9 postseason appearances with one Pro Cup (2033)... they were finalists in 2002 and 2035. Elnora just had the misfortune of playing in the strongest division in the IPA... four of the clubs had 90 or more victories... they ranked near the top in all categories with a .281 BA (1st), 811 runs (2nd), 173 HRs (6th) and 3.22 ERA (1st)... leading at the plate were RF Prston Davies (.306/24/91/89), C Cannon Johnson (.286/32/114/87), LF Enos Conrad (.324/20/67/99), CF Clive Kenyon (.324/14/63/105) and 3B Joey Hagburn (.317/19/81/80)... top moundsmen were Stan Kivas (21-14/2.11), who was third in the RU in ERA, Dan Pitts (19-13/3.35), Rick Lowe (17-10/3.91) and Slim Harding (17-13/3.77)... reliever Jamie Pananga (13-4/1.87/14 saves) really excelled in the bullpen. ELNORA: 2nd Place (tied) (1.5 GB) Attached Images

02-24-2014, 10:20 PM	#4034
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	For the 13th consecutive year Cold Creek wound up in the first division of the RU East... the Catamounts were a very close runner-up last season with an 86-68 record, beaten out by one game by Sugar Valley... ironically, they improved to 94-60 and fell to fourth place, just 3 games behind... Cold Creek was only a game away from the division lead going into the final three weeks, but faltered in the stretch drive... the Catamounts have not yet won the Pro Cup... the last pennant came in 2041. Pitching is the name of the game in Cold Creek... the starters compiled a 3.26 ERA (2nd) led by superstar J. J. Gillespie (21-15/2.68) and Sammy Wright (24-8/2.96)... Wright ranked fourth in the IPA in wins... Gillespie won 20 games for the 10th time in his career... he is 288-155 in his 16 seasons in the IPA... the 39-year-old hurler has the second-best ERA in league history at 2.37... only Johnny Duncan is better at 2.31... the other two starters Rob Hutchins (19-13/3.35) and Joey Baker (13-10/3.96) also did well... top reliever was Riku Takahashi (11-3/3.30/18 saves)... the Catamounts were not much at the plate... the most reliable hitters were SS Joe Cochrane (.299/20/100/86), RF Jimmy Howell (.303/3/64/92) and CF Ken Brennan (.305/7/49/84). COLD CREEK: 4th Place (3 GB) Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-25-2014 at 03:55 PM.

02-25-2014, 01:38 PM	#4035
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Beechwood Bobcats finished with a winning record, but were never really in the pennant chase... they came in fifth, 17 games behind... last season they were sixth and 11 games back... so 2044 was a slight improvement, going from 76-78 to 80-74... the Bobcats have never won a Pro Cup and only have made the playoffs three times... the last time was in 2027. The Bobcats have a solid core of hitters and score well with good power... they clouted 196 roundtrippers (3rd) and scored 756 runs (9th)... pitching is questionable... 1B Corky Callahan (.280) topped the club with 32 HRs and 107 RBIs... SS Mel Smith had the best BA at .314... and 2B Mike Matthews scored the most runs with 98 and stole the most bases with 37... other heavy hitters were 40-year-old 3B Leonard Mason (.278) with 31 homers and 90 RBIs and RF Eddy Wilson (.280) with 29 HRs and 89 RBIs... Jimmy Herman was the only good starter with a 19-13 record and an impressive 2.81 ERA... heading up the bullpen were Freddy Manale (6-4/2.42/9 saves) and D. W. Downs (4-4/2.42/5 saves). BEECHWOOD: 5th Place (17 GB) Attached Images

02-25-2014, 02:00 PM	#4036
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Eastshore digressed this year, dropping from fifth place 83-71 (4 GB) to 71-83 (26 GB) and sixth... the Elegants have captured two Pro Cups (2016 and 2017), but have only made the postseason 7 times, most recently in 2034. The Elegants have decent pitching, but little in the batting order... 40-year-old Koy Clampett (15-14/4.26), Malcolm Tansbury (12-13/3.37) and Tommy Brown (14-16/3.90) are just average starters... however, Jody Friday (12-8/2.04/15 saves) is a stud in the bullpen... at age 38, SS Johnny Petrak (.323/28/124/76) is still one of the IPA's premier players with a .316 career average, an 8-time All-Star and a Gold Glover... Petrak was 9th in the IPA this year in RBIs... RF Troy McFarland (.261) topped the team with 30 homers and 108 RBIs... and LF Bevan Shuler (.289) was the IPA SB leader with 47... he hit 25 out of the park and led the club with 119 runs. EASTSHORE: 6th Place (26 GB) Attached Images

02-25-2014, 03:31 PM	#4037
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	The Belle Plaine Musketeers have a pathetic history in the IPA... they have made the postseason only once and that was way back in 2009... the Muskies have been stuck in seventh place the last two years... they were 65-89 (22 GB) last year and 69-85 (28 GB) this season... the hitting is impressive, while the pitching is among the all-time worst in the IPA... the team ERA is an atrocious 5.30 (32nd)... bat-wise the Muskies sport a .275 BA (5th), scored 786 runs (5th) and knocked 136 HRs (17th)... 39-year-old RF Noel Martin had a career year with a .354 BA, third in the IPA, collected 202 hits (3rd) and led the club with 35 homers and 122 RBIs... 3B Bobby Greer (.320) and 2B Ted Macy (.305) were the other .300 hitters on the club.... 28-year-old star CF Boo Boudreaux had a down year for him... still he hit 23 HRS, drove in 84 runs and scored 94, but hit only .272, some 30 points off his lifetime .308 BA... 4-time Gold Glove C Ted Jarzinski is still doing the job at age 40... Jarzinski batted .274 with 16 homers and 91 RBIs and is still one of the best defensive catchers in the IPA. BELLE PLAINE: 7th Place (28 GB) Attached Images

02-25-2014, 03:47 PM	#4038
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	For the sixth successive season the Marston Nine were in the RU East second division... three of those seasons they were housed in the cellar... that's where they have been the last two years... 62-92 (25 GB) last year... and 67-87 (30 GB) this year... Marston has never won a Pro Cup and has only made 6 playoff appearances, the most recent years ago in 2028. Val Farnsworth (19-14/4.01) is the only dependable starter... the only reliable bats are CF Charley Gilmore, who batted .353, the fourth highest BA in the IPA... and 2B Gary Armitage (.276), the club leader in homers with 24, RBIs with 94 and SBs with 33 (8th best in the IPA)... he and Gilmore tied club lead for the most runs with 99... other quality bats were SS Stan Mila (.287/21/89/68) and 3B Philip DeWey (.291/21/82/64). MARSTON: 8th Place (30 GB) Attached Images

02-26-2014, 06:45 PM	#4039
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 19, 2044 RR SNAPPERS SNATCH RU WEST Preseason pick Rocky Rapids lived up to its billing and won the Ruthlandian West Division for the first time in 24 years... in a season-long duel the Snappers held off the Middlefield Roosters and Forest City Lumberjacks, finishing 5 games in front of them... fourth place went to the Stoner Stars, who trailed by 10 games... defending division champ Volusia came in fifth and 11 games back. Rocky Rapids has steadily improved over the last six seasons, coming in fourth twice, moving up to third the next three years and then rising up to the top spot in the RU West this season... the Snappers were 79-75 (13 GB) in 2043, upping their record to 85-69 this year... they have only appeared in the postseason four times in their history... the last time was in 2020... but the Snappers have won a Pro Cup (2019). They have pretty good pitching with a 3.60 ERA (10th) and can score runs... Rocky Rapids ranked 8th in scoring with 770 runs... they only have average power with 132 HRs (18th-tied)... the Snappers have two excellent starters in Jamie Taylor (21-12/3.01) and Randy Peters (19-14/3.00)... and a good closer in Steve Owens (10-9/2.74/10 saves)... three players provide most of the offense: 2B Marty Featherstone (.300/30/107/100), C Carney Kirkpatrick (.298/12/77/77) and 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.295/5/52/85)... the baseball prognosticators don't expect much out of the Snappers in the Pro Cup playoffs. ROCKY RAPIDS: 1st Place Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-26-2014 at 09:54 PM.

02-26-2014, 07:25 PM	#4040
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,695 Blog Entries: 1	Middlefield has one IPA title in its history... that was in back in 2005... 10 times the Roosters have made the playoffs, but not too often in the last 20 years... only once in 2041... playing in a hitter's ballpark, they are not known for their pitching, but this has not been the case in recent years... especially this year with a 3.33 team ERA (3rd)... as usual the Roosters are among the leaders in longballs with 211 (2nd). The Middlefield mound corps is paced by James Long (21-13/2.09), who has the second best ERA in the Ruthlandian Union and is ranked fifth in the IPA with a brilliant 2.09 ERA... other quality starters are Hollis Dale (10-5/3.21) and tough-luck Carroll Collier (11-14/2.94)... the bullpen ace is Ray Owens (3-5/2.29/17 saves)... the Rooster batting order has three 30-homer hitters in CF Norman Antonioni (.253/38/76/92), RF Sidney Conner (.280/36/109/82) and LF Alejandro Dominguez (.274/35/114/97). MIDDLEFIELD: 2nd Place (tied) (5 GB) Attached Images