ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Tycobbian Union South Division Mid-Season Standings

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Turon First in TU South, Cape Coral and San Alejo Trail by 3 Games

Halfway through the season the Turon Typhoons (46-27) are leading the IPA Tycobbian Union South by three games over second place Cape Coral (43-30) and San Alejo (43-30). Close behind are the fourth-place Summerland Sunsets (42-31), who are only four games behind the Typhoons. In fifth place 9 games behind are the Colchester Elites (37-36). Sixth place belongs to the Ginza Ninjas (36-37), 10 games back. The other two teams are out of the running for everything this year. There will no pennant or playoffs this year for the seventh place Southport Sun Sox (26-47) and last place Arroyo Grande Suns (24-49), two of the worst teams in the IPA.

Ashton "Whitey" Richburn's Turon Typhoons are one of the better teams in the IPA. They have excelled with strong pitching and good hitting... Turon tops the TU with an outstanding 3.06 ERA (1st) and are batting .278 (6th) with 53 home runs (23rd-tied)... their only weak point is defense with a .973 FA (17th-tied)... Richburn's mound staff is led by All-Star Scotty Boswell (10-5 2.81), Jacques Lemaire (10-7 3.49), Keir McNamara (9-4 3.33) and Jeb Pickett (6-2 2.45)... closer Mac Yokum (2-3 3.12) has done a good job with 17 saves... The Typhoons boast a bevy of fine pitchers, including the bullpen... LF Joe Wheeler (.324/7 HR/43 RBI), 1B Boots Dubois (.306/5 HR/41 RBI), RF George Farley (.287/10 HR/35 RBI/46 R/12 SB) and C Trace Crittenden (.237/10 HR/49 RBI) provide the bulk of Turon's offense.

But Turon has some very good competition from Cape Coral and last year's division champ, the San Alejo Montaneros... Manager Huggy Miller's Hurricanes swing some of the best bats around... They are hitting at a .285 pace (3rd) with 62 homers (17th), spearheaded by 2B Hoshi Sato (.344/9 HR/40 RBI/42 R/8 SB), All-Star C Fats Dalton (.332/6 HR/50 RBI/33 R) and CF Edmundo Montano (.319/3 HR/45 RBI/37 R)... On the hill Cape Coral has compiled a 3.66 ERA (11th)... Miller's best arms are All-Star Cody Burg (9-5 1.97) and Jeff Salow (11-6 3.51)... Burg sports the lowest ERA in the Tycobbian Union with a 1.97 ERA.

Last season's finalist in the IPA Pro Cup Series was the San Alejo Montaneros and manager Lando Peceda has them right back in the thick of things, tied for second place, but only 3 games out. Peceda's ballclub can hit, but its pitching is suspect. The Montaneros have gone deep 89 times (2nd) this season and carry a lofty .282 batting average (4th)... but pitching is another story... San Alejo is only average with a 4.03 ERA (19th)... They have three good starters in Alberto Herrera (10-6 3.13), Ernie Arredondo (8-8 3.84) and Victorio Valarde (5-3 2.75), but Arredono is way off his 25-win pace of last year... Peceda dropped four pitchers at the All-Star break... A 17-game winner from last year Jaime Serrano (8-8 5.37) and closer Tino Elardo (2-5 5.17) have been replaced, along with relievers Gilberto De Paz (0-0 6.20) and Mateus Salinas (0-0 4.42)... The newcomers will make or break the Montaneros season... Peceda has six .300 hitters he can put in the line-up, paced by a pair of All-Stars 3B Paolo Huerta (.320/17 HR/62 RBI/54 R) and LF Bernie Valente (.331/13 HR/49 RBI/59 R/10 SB)... Huerta is number two in the TU with 62 runs batted in... rookie C Bobby Lafferty (.310/14 HR/54 RBI/35 R) and CF Vidal Munos (.300 9 HR/49 RBI/41 R) are tough outs in the batting order, too.

Fourth in the TU South standings are the Summerland Sunsets, skippered by Will Hackett... Solid pitching and defense are the Sunsets main strengths... Hackett's hill corps has compiled a fine 3.33 ERA (3rd) this season and has a .976 FA (7th-tied)... and they can produce some runs with a .273 team batting average (12th), but fall far short in the long ball category with only 45 (30th) for the year... Summerland has four impressive starters in Duncan Cade (9-2 2.60), Katsuyuki Nagashima (6-2 2.54), Paul Felkner (8-9 2.99) and Byron Hastings (7-0 3.17)... Bobby Winwood (3-4 2.83) has been sufficient in the closer role with 14 saves, but there are some question marks surrounding the rest of the mound crew... Hackett has added two new hurlers to the staff, one will be a spot starter, the other long relief... The Sunsets best batters are CF Stacey Zacker (.296/12 HR/50 RBI/47 R/10 SB), rookie RF Derek Visser (.302/8 HR/45 RBI/42 R), 2B Tucker Hill (.345/1 HR/26 RBI/45 R/8 SB) and rookie 1B Karl Van Kooten (.310/8 HR/34 RBI/39 R).

Manager Robbie Wilbertson has some talent on his Colchester Elites with three All-Stars, second best in the IPA, but otherwise they are only an average team... The Elites finished last season in second place, but have not been able to duplicate that success this year... They have fallen down to fifth place and trail by 9 games... Colchester is batting .273 (15th) with 61 roundtrippers (18th-tied)... lousy on defense with a poor .966 mark (31st)... while the mound staff features a 3.71 ERA (13th), headed by All-Star Dennis Pendarvis (9-5 2.22), Mark D'Allessandro (5-1 2.99), Barry Henry (5-8 3.03) and Ray Beckham (9-8 3.71)... At mid-season Wilbertson replaced one-third of his staff and will have a new closer for the second half of the year... All-Star 1B Roscoe Harlan (.345/7 HR/56 RBI/38 R) and All-Star LF Tom Berella (.329/4 HR/29 RBI/60 R/38 SB) provide much of the punch in the Elites batting order with some good help from 3B Niles Stanton (.290/19 HR/47 RBI/41 R).

The Ginza Ninjas are in the sixth spot in the TU South, 10 games out of first place... Manager Huroko Uchiyama's charges were a power in the first IPA season when there were only 24 teams... The Ninjas finished second in the regular season and were the runner-up for the IPA Pro Cup, losing out to the Volusia Vigilantes of the Ruthlandian Union in 2001... However, now they are just an average ball team... They hit good for average (.276-9th) with little power (43 HR-31st)... Ginza has a 3.90 ERA (16th) and a .973 FA (17th-tied)... Carl Trebek (8-8 3.02) and Alec Sasek (4-2 3.20) are his best pitchers with 1B Kenshin Yamamoto (.341/10 HR/41 RBI/31 R) and 2B Ken Mack (.319/1 HR/22 RBI/35 R) his only good sticks... A second-division finish is very likely for the Ginza Ninjas.

The Southport Sun Sox and Arroyo Grande Suns have had awful seasons thus far... Both clubs have cleaned house at mid-season in hopes of at least getting a look at some new talent... Southport is in seventh place, 20 games off the pace... manager Charley Oscar has added four new pitchers to his rotation, two of them will be starters... The Sun Sox are not a very good team... they carry a .269 batting average (20th), have hit 68 homers (11th), but have a terrible 4.87 ERA (30th) and a very poor .964 FA (32nd)... Oscar has some quality hitters in 3B James Bagwell (.346/12 HR/43 RBI/34 R), CF Rich Crowley (.317/9 HR/49 RBI/41 R/7 SB), LF Angelo Lombardi (.309/9 HR/45 RBI/44 R) and 1B Pat Mystryk (.295/12 HR/39 RBI/39 R)... Only his closer is worth mentioning... Neil Humphrey (1-3 2.98) has sparkled with 12 saves... Southport will finish no higher than seventh this season.

Manager Jean-Luc Marchand of the inept Arroyo Grande Suns had a fire sale at the All-Star break... The Suns have 8 new players, 4 pitchers and 4 position players...They are last in the division and are 22 games behind... Arroyo Grande doesn't do anything well... They are hitting a pathetically-low .244 (32nd), the worst of any team in the IPA... with 68 home runs (11th)... The Suns have a sky-high 5.34 ERA (32nd), again the worst in the league... with a .972 FA (23rd-tied)... not much to brag about there... But they do have an All-Star in SS Kevin English (.333/4 HR/23 RBI/34 R/9 SB), a good hitter for average and a great fielder with a .994 fielding percentage.

Tycobbian Union South Division Outlook:
It's going to be a close race in the TU South, a four-team struggle... Turon will win it and get the top seed in the playoffs, followed by Summerland, who will move up in the standings because of its strong starting pitching... Cape Coral will end up in third place with San Alejo fourth, Colchester fifth, Ginza sixth, Southport seventh and Arroyo Grande in the cellar.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Tycobbian Union East Division Mid-Season Standings

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Still a Wide Open Race in the TU East, South Fork Has 2-Game Edge

Only 7 games separate the best from the worst in the Tycobbian Union East. At the All-Star break the South Fork Stallions are the leader in the closest race in the Islandian Pro Alliance. The Stallions (40-33) have a 2-game lead over the runner-up High Mesa Cowboys (38-35) and Red Bluff Red Sox (38-35). Lurking only 4 games back are three more teams, the East Point Panthers (36-37), Midway Wolves (36-37) and Ozarka Naturals (36-37), all tied for fourth. Tuckanarra is seventh (35-38), only 5 games behind with basement-dwelling Hillsboro just 7 games off the pace. The closedly-bunched TU East is still wide open with every team still very much in the running for the four playoff spots.

The man in charge of the South Fork Stallions is the fiesty firebrand, Deroche "Lips" Leon. He told BNN, "Nobody outhustles the Stallions and we fight tooth-and-nail to win a ballgame. We do what it takes to win. That what separates the men from the boys in this league." Leon is right when you look at the team's stats. It must be the intangibles that make the difference. South Fork is only an average-hitting team with a .273 BA (13th) with only 41 homers (32nd), which is the tied for worst in the IPA. On the hill Leon's hurlers have chalked up a 4.16 ERA (22nd) and fielding-wise his Stallions have a .973 FA (17th-tied). Not a whole lot to brag about there. But as Leon told the press, "We don't have any All-Stars. We don't care about stats. We just want to kick butts and win ballgames."

South Fork does have some pretty fair hitters in 1B Keith Burke (.320/9 HR/59 RBI/41 R), LF Art Atkins (.323/4 HR/30 RBI/46 R), rookie RF Sam Shirley (.308/4 HR/26RBI/42 R) and SS Rick Tsoukalis (.309/2 HR/35 RBI/25 R/8 SB). They don't hit with power, but they can manufacture runs when they need them. On the mound Leon depends on his veteran starters Flint Battle (8-7 4.02), Glenn Turnbull (8-5 4.19) and his start closer Ken Marsh (5-1 2.15), who has nailed down 12 saves on the season. The Stallions have an experienced staff, which Leon thinks will come in handy at Pro Cup time. "They ain't flashy, but they get the job done."

The High Mesa Cowboys are the defending champions in the Islandian Pro Alliance and have at the helm Frisky Franks, who depends on his bats for success and he has a bunch of them. His top hitters are All-Star SS Rolf Kellgren (.307/10 HR/38RBI/62 R/15 SB), 2B Ed Grenberg (.353/9 HR/52 RBI/55 R/8 SB), LF Adam Zitek (.278/15 HR/51 RBI/45 R), RF Kenny Edelstein (.329/9 HR/42 RBI/41 R), C Johnny Fessler (.309/4 HR/41 RBI/50 R/20 SB) and 1B Babe Holloman (.267/12 HR/47 RBI). As a team the Cowboys are batting .276 (10th) with 83 homers (5th). In the pitching department, High Mesa has registered a 4.10 team ERA (20th). Manager Franks has some solid starters that have to pitch in a bandbox where homers are a dime a dozen. Franks has a good starting rotation with vets John Owens (9-5 3.34), Joey Popovich (7-5 3.29) and Donnie Rinaldi (4-4 2.55). In an effort to bolster his mound corps, Franks signed three new pitchers. High Mesa's season could hinge on these three new acquisitions, especially his new closer, Ken Edgar.

The Red Bluff Red Sox were near the bottom last season in a tough division. This year Mack Connery's crew has surged up with the top dogs. The Red Sox hit homers and pitch well in a hit-heavy division. As a team they have hit 84 roundtrippers (4th) and sport a 3.85 ERA (15th), which happens to be the best in the TU East. Connery has a strong staff, headed by starters Mila Mohoski (8-6 3.90) and Frank Baudoin (7-2 2.39). They have quite a task playing in the small confines of Red Bluff Park, one of the smaller venues in the IPA. Red Bluff's only All-Star is its fine closer John Daugherty (3-1 1.50), who has impressed with 12 saves this season. In major moves at mid-year Connery promoted John-Michael Trimble (1-0 2.08) andn Leonard Urban (3-1 3.25) from middle relief to starting roles. The Red Sox carry a .260 batting average at the All-Star break and get most of their offense from 1B Bucky Frizzell (.302/12 HR/54 RBI/43 R), LF Tony Blundell (.308/11 HR/43 RBI/57 R/14 SB), SS Brooks Cole (.293/7 HR/37 RBI/42 R) and C Virgil Carpenter (.277/12 HR/38 R).

Despite having pitching problems, skipper Griff Clarke has the East Point Panthers hanging close in the pennant chase, only four games out. Clarke depends on a few good men to get by on the mound and at the plate. Hitting is where the Panthers excel, led by two All-Stars, 2B Karol Zadoka (.286/19 HR/54 RBI/52 R/8 SB) and 3B Rex Sokolov (.294/19 HR/50 RBI/45 R) and SS Keith Wasik (.319/4 HR/28 RBI/23 R/9 SB). The Panthers have a .260 average (29th) and have whacked 73 homers (7th). Clarke also has some gifted hurlers in Charlie Hale (6-6 3.89), Jack Black (5-2 4.02) and hardluck Bill Glasscock (4-11 3.71). To move up in the standings, East Point needs its two new pitching acquisitions to come in and pick up the slack and improve on the team's lousy 4.59 ERA (29th). Clarke especially needs good work from his new closer Jarred Robillard. He also needs Carl Thompson to return to his 2001 form when he was one of the best pitchers in the IPA with a 17-14 mark and a 2.98 ERA for a poor Belair Beach ballclub. One big plus for East Point is defense. The Panthers are number one with a sparkling .981 fielding percentage (1st).

Cochise Chandler has his Midway Wolves still in the fight at mid-season in spite of pitching woes. They are just four games behind and in a three-way tie for fourth. Statisically the Wolves are just an average team in the Tycobbian Union, hitting .270 (17th) with 64 home runs (13th). His top batters are All-Star center fielder Johnny Gillespie (.329/12 HR/50 RBI/52 R/14 SB), 1B Skinny Skah (.313/9 HR/48 RBI/37 R), 2B Little John Yuma (.335/7 HR/36 RBI/44 R/6 SB) and RF Archie Greene (.280/10 HR/27 RBI/44 R/4 SB). On the hill Chandler's hurlers have chalked up a poor 4.50 ERA (28th). He has one excellent starter in Phil Northeimer (7-2 2.13) and a pretty solid one in Nosyt Sani (9-8 3.89). In the bullpen is closer Brook Millham (4-3 3.48), who has done a steady job with nine saves. The Wolves will have five new pitchers to finish out the year. Defensively Midway has a .974 FA (15th-tied).

It seems the TU East is full of average teams with pitching problems. Add the Ozark Naturals of manager Joe Mac Carney to the list. They are also tied for the fourth spot in the standings and trail by just four games. The Nats are carrying a solid .276 batting average (8th), but are weak in the power department with only 51 homers (26th-tied). Carney's mound crew has run up a 4.30 ERA (23rd) and his team is fielding at a .975 clip (9th-tied). Shouldering most of his offense are SS Duffy Douglas (.321/7 HR/44 RBI/48 R/10 SB) and CF Kermit Wiggins (.343/1 HR/32 RBI/48 R/29 SB). Ozarka has three dependable starters in Pat Schwartz (9-4 4.00), Sid Hyder (7-4 3.91) and Alex DiMaggio (6-7 3.38). Like many other teams in need of pitching the Naturals have added four newcomers to their staff. Tony Didriksen (1-1 3.56), a journeyman starter and reliever over the past three seasons will now get a shot at closer.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays are guided by Carlton Stevens and find themselves in seventh place, but only five games off the pace. The Blues Jays are batting at a .270 pace (18th) and have hit just 64 roundtrippers (13th-tied), led by two All-Stars CF Monty Draycott (.282/15 HR/58 RBI/48 R/11 SB) and 2B Owen MacArthur (.367/2 HR/18 RBI/51 R/13 SB). C Clint Hardesty (.331/6 HR/45 RBI/30 R) and 1B Charley Schofield (.290/13 HR/36 RBI/50 R) have been valuable contributors, too. Stevens' pitching corps has registered a 3.76 ERA (14th), headed by Niles Applewhite (8-3 3.39), Coorain Janama (7-7 3.85), Harold Blankenship (6-6 4.11) and Titus Bristow (3-3 2.71). Tuckanarra kept its roster pretty much intact, but Stevens did revamp his line-up and will go with a new center fielder, third baseman and shortstop. The Blue Jays only play average defense with a .973 FA (17th-tied).

Though Arky Spanderson's Hillsboro Blazers are in the basement, they are only seven games behind the leading South Fork Stallions and only three games away from a playoff spot. So Spanderson still feels they have a chance to make some noise in the division. The Blazer manager is optimistic about the second half of the season. He thinks he has improved his starting rotation by promoting several good middle relievers. In the first half of the year Hillsboro put up a poor 4.42 ERA, which may not be as bad as it looks, considering the bandbox they play in. Spanderson's starting foursome will be Ronnie Greinke (9-5 3.94), Mike Larsen (4-2 2.27), Ed Dupard (0-0 2.91) and Cooper Rankin (0-1 3.62). The Blazers have also added four new pitchers to handle the bullpen.

One thing Hillsboro does well is hit the ball, especially the long ball. Helped by the short fences, they have gone deep 115 times (1st) to outdistance everybody in the IPA. As far as batting average the Blazers have hit .273 (14th). Topping the potent line-up are rookie 1B Sloan Shatner (.327/20 HR/55 RBI/52 R), 2B Tommy Emrick (.336/15 HR/51 RBI/56 R), SS Jerry Pontros (.302/15 HR/35 RBI/57 R/5 SB), CF Arnie Greco (.300/10 HR/30 RBI/48 R/9 SB), LF Kevin Baker (.256/16 HR/43 RBI/48 R/6 SB) and RF Rawhide Marshall (.238/14 HR/46 RBI/47 R). Seven regulars had double-digit homers. They are well on their way to setting a new IPA home run record. East Point holds the record with 198 in 2002. On the defensive side of the field Hillsboro is about average with a .973 mark (17th-tied).

Tycobbian Union East Division Outlook:

The quick answer to who's going to win the flag in the Tycobbian Union East this season is whoever gets the most help from the new roster additions and there are many of them. Especially important will be the new closers. Five of the eight clubs will have a new arm in the position. South Fork is in the driver's seat at the All-Star break, but has been in a tight tussle with just about all of the teams in the evenly-matched division. The Stallions are given the edge to take the pennant, mainly because they are a known quality with the fewest roster changes. High Mesa is picked number two because of their outstanding hitting and and three good starters. The Cowboys and the Stallions are the class of the division. If High Mesa gets a good closer, they will win the division. Red Bluff has the best pitching of the other six clubs and will end up in the third spot. The Red Sox can sock the ball, too. Fourth place goes to Tuckanarra, which has a good starting rotation. East Point will come in fifth. The Panthers have decent starters like Ozarka, but hit much better than the Naturals. Give Ozarka a sixth-place finish. The Midway Wolves will be pushed down to the seventh slot in the standings, leaving last place to the heavy-hitting Hillsboro Blazers, who could surprise everybody and take off in the second half and win a playoff spot. But they really have too many question marks to seriously consider that as a likely outcome.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Tycobbian Union West Division Mid-Season Standings

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

Bayview and Rolling Hills TU West Co-Leaders

In the Tycobbian Union West the Bayview Vikings (45-28) and the Rolling Hills Reds (45-28) are locked in a first-place tie at the mid-season point. There is also a tie for third place between Bay St. Clair (40-33) and Denton City (40-33). The Buccaneers and Redbirds trail by five games. The rest of the teams are pretty much out of the playoff hunt as fifth place Chicopee (30-43) is 15 games behind. The sixth spot in the standings belong to the Arlon Champions (29-44), 16 games off the pace, followed by seventh place Kenwood (26-47) and the eighth place La Claire Lynx (25-48).

The high-scoring Bayview Vikings are a solid ballclub in all respects with four All-Stars on the squad, the most of any IPA team. Bayview leads the TU in scoring. They are the best-hitting team in the IPA with a lofty .293 average (1st). The Vikings have good power with 76 homers (6th) and good pitching with a 3.63 ERA (8th). In the field Bayview does well with a .975 FA (9th-tied). Manager Walter Johanssen has fine veteran nucleus in his starting rotation with All-Star Jerry Harrison (10-5 2.99), Paul Hood (11-5 3.73) and Adrian Strom (10-3 4.39). In the bullpen Terry Banks (1-3 2.95) has rung up 10 saves this season. Not only do the Vikings hit well and pitch well, they run very well. They have stolen 147 bases and easily top the IPA. The closest team to them are Volusia of the RU and Oxford of the TU, both with 107 thefts.

What a line-up Johanssen has with three All-Stars in his batting order. He's the envy of the league with C Hank Bethel (.340/15 HR/61 RBI/48 R), 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.368/9 HR/46 RBI/62 R/19 SB) and CF Phil Kanaan (.350/12 HR/40 R/53 R/28 SB) all swinging strong bats. Quibedeaux leads the Tycobbian Union with a .368 average and is tied for the lead in runs scored with Rolf Kellgren of High Mesa with 62.

Matty Christianson of Rolling Hills has a quality team, equal in most ways to Bayview. The Reds might not hit for as high as average as the Vikings, but do alright with a fine .279 mark (5th) with 69 home runs (10th). They are a tad better with a 3.57 ERA (7th) and are very good with the glove. The Reds have a .979 FA (2nd-tied). Christianson has a solid core of hurlers in starters Roger Davidson (9-7 3.29), Keith Greenwood (8-5 3.35), Hoyt Paulsen (7-2 2.65), Johnny McBee (5-1 3.93) and Hondo Anoki (10-4 3.90). Rolling Hills will have a new closer for the rest of the season in Stephen Faccaro (1-0 2.76), who has done well in middle relief and will now take over closing chores. Rolling Hills has productive hitters in LF Big Boy Charisa (.313/10 HR/46 RBI/47 R/6 SB), RF Theron Latigo (.286/12 HR/43 RBI/38 R/7 SB), SS Jamie Meade (.313/8 HR/38 RBI/38 R/5 SB) and 2B Cal Lennox (.315/1 HR/30 RBI/46 R/21 SB). The Reds also have CF Willie Mays Nixon (.232/15 HR/57 RBI/50 R/8 SB). He doesn't hit for average, but he does drive in a lot of runs and tops the club in home runs.

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers are piloted by Guy Rondre, who won the pennant last year in the Tycobbian Union West Division and has them in a third place tie at the All-Star break. Rondre's Bucs depends on his starting rotation as their meal ticket. His moundsmen have chalked up a 3.92 ERA (17th) this season. Denny Coulon (9-6 3.14), Duke DeVree (9-7 3.41), Sean Lawrence (4-1 2.85) and Duncan McFalls (8-7 3.86) have been steady and consistent. The Buccaneers have added two newcomers to the roster. One will be a spot starter, while one will be long relief. Norm Gross (1-0 3.45) will take over at the closer spot, a sore point in the first half. Bay St. Clair's best batters have been CF Wayne Latham (.321/3 HR/39 RBI/46 R/15 SB), 2B Tony Mann (.338/5 HR/35 RBI/42 R/8 SB), C Jake Singleton (.310/3 HR/31 RBI/32 R), 3B Ed Albrecht (.291/12 HR/52 RBI/47 R/8 SB) and 1B George Lyons (.291/13 HR/48 RBI/35 R).

Last season the Denton City Redbirds finished in a tie for last plate, but this year they have surged up to a third place under Ford Whiteman, one of the great lefties in the industrial leagues. The Redbirds turnaround centers on strong pitching, paced by Bob Coleman (10-2 3.48), Joe Hoffman (7-7 3.62), Daniel Fitzmorris (4-4 3.38) and closer Bubba Lear (3-0 2.77). Whiteman's staff has carved a nice 3.70 ERA (12th). On the hitting side of the ledger, the Redbirds have compiled a .274 average (11th) with 61 roundtrippers (18th). Defensively the team has put up a very good .978 fielding mark (5th). At the plate 2B Glen Throckmorton (.289/10 HR/44 RBI), C Howard Lombard (.277/13 HR/36 RBI) and SS Trevor Tomlinson (.300/6 HR/35 RBI/51 R/40 SB) have been Denton City's best bats.

The Chicopee Braves under the leadership of Harry Fleetfoot are in fifth place in the TU West standings, 15 games back. They have a lot of ground to make up and not much time to do it. The Braves don't have a lot of hitting, power or pitching. Fleetwood's squad is hitting only .267 (19th) with only 53 homers (23-tied), 4.32 ERA (24th) and a .973 fielding percentage (17th-tied). Numbers that don't put much fear in the opposition. Warren Paul (8-7 3.55) and Smiley Ayawamat (4-3 2.88) have been Chicopee best pitchers with LF Big Stick Takala (.353/11 HR/40 RBI/40 R), SS Ben McClendon (.300/4 HR/39 RBI/30 R), C Skinny Kisecawchuk (.301/11 HR/32 RBI/31 R) and 1B Patrick Patamon (.307/7 HR/28 RBI/30 R) being the most productive batters.

The Arlon Champions are sixth in the TU West, guided by Gary Louis, the great first baseman of years gone by in amateur circles. It has been a long season for Louis as the Champs are just a mediocre ballclub in all categories. They are hitting only .260 (27th), have only 54 home runs (22nd) with a dismal 4.45 ERA (26th) and a pathetic .969 FA (28th). LF Matt Merrill (.315/13 HR/56 RBI/51 R) is a class player, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner. 2B Karl Detwiler (.282/3 HR/20 RBI/45 R/10 SB) and RF Ian Carmack (.293/9 HR/38 RBI) are steady performers. The Champions have one standout starter in Kurt DeHaan (10-4 3.14), but little else. Louis has switched Connie Gavagan (0-3 2.60) back to a starting role and he has added three new pitchers. Andre Masson will be his closer, while Hubie Croft and Stanley Ross will split the number four starter's slot.

Aaron Hankins, manager of the Kenwood Wildcats, has seen his 'Cats tumbled from second last year to seventh place this season, a distant 19 games behind. Kenwood hits well with a .277 mark (7th), has collected 72 home runs (9th), but have soared to an outrageous 5.16 ERA. At the All-Star hiatus Hankins imported 7 new pitchers to try and change their direction. Only Peter Brenneman (5-9 3.26) and Freddy Sheppard (0-0 4.38) remain from the staff that started the season. The Wildcats are only an average fielding club with a .974 FA (15th-tied). Hankins' top performers are SS Ned Chamberlain (.313/9 HR/35 RBI/43 R/8 SB) and 2B Denholm Carruthers (.321/3 HR/33 RBI/32 R), both .300 hitters. Power is provided by RF Aydan Winthrop (.277/12 HR/48 RBI), C Georgy Stevens (.280/12 HR/43 RBI) and 1B Terrence Ross (.277/14 HR/38 RBI).

Not a good season for the La Claire Lynx, managed by Rip Calkin, the famed shortstop, known for almost never missing a game, in addition to being a fine hitter and gloveman in the company leagues. This year is even worse than last year when the Lynx were last. They are already 20 games behind in the race. The team batting average is .267 (22nd), team ERA is 4.46 (27th) and team fielding percentage is .972 (23rd). 1B Kenny Jablonski (.313/6 HR/32 RBI) and CF Lucky Collins (.285/6 HR/41 RBI/37 R/11 SB) are La Claire's top hitters, while Munoto Kishata (5-12 4.57) and George Gentry (6-8 5.12) are Calkin's best hurlers. It is quite apparent that Calkin needs better talent.

Tycobbian Union West Division Outlook:

It is fairly obvious that the four playoff teams in the TU West this season will be Bayview, Rolling Hills, Bay St. Claire and Denton City. They are far and away superior to the other four clubs in the division. At year's end the Bayview Vikings will prevail and take the division title with Rolling Hills taking the number two spot. The Vikings are one of the better teams in the IPA and will be one of the favorites to go all the way and battle for the Islandian Pro Cup. The Reds are a good ballclub, too, and will put up quite a challenge. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers will end up third, followed by the Denton City Redbirds. Both teams have good pitching, but can't put up runs like the top two clubs. None of the other teams will be able to make up enough ground to compete for a playoff spot. Those have already been pretty much decided at mid-year. Chicopee is the best of the also-rans and will take the fifth spot. The Braves have better hitting and better pitching than the bottom three teams. Arlon will finish sixth as they have better pitching than Kenwood and La Claire, who have neither pitching, nor hitting and will battle it out for seventh place. The Wildcats power will keep them ahead of the feeble Lynx.

[Eugene Church]

It took me nine days to give the mid-season summary. Boy, it's a lot of work, but it's worth it as I get a fairly good idea of the teams and players by doing it. If I didn't summarize it here, I would not enjoy the league. While this is not as good as playing out and reporting each game, this is a pretty good compromise. Plus I can revamp the pitching rotations and the line-ups and depth charts based on the players' stats. Also I remove the bad performers from the rosters and replace them with new players. I think I am going to work some trades, too.

I will post the league leaderboards next, followed by the All-Star teams and then play the All-Star Game.
After that I will sim the last half of the season, summarize it and then play the playoffs and report on each game.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, June 26, 2003

Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Batting Leaderboard

Batting AVG
S. Dixon MAR .369
P. Gravelli BB .342
K. Pitzer KIL .342
J. Butler FC .340
P. Farris MAR .339

Runs
F. Bird SV 60
L. Windham GLS 59
T. Blaser TAR 58
J. Carducci CCR 58
J. Butler FC 56

Hits
S. Dixon MAR 106
P. Gravelli BB 101
J. Butler FC 100
D. Nichols MAR 99
R. Gilbert ELN 96

Doubles
J. Mendez BP 29
M. Smith GLS 28
A. Salazar VOL 26
I. Small FTB 26
Z. Byorvik GLS 24

Triples
S. Perez VOL 13
T. Holmes CCR 9
S. Camden RR 8
C. Daigrepont CCR 8
S. Helmke GC 8

Home Runs
T. Giacone TAR 26
D. Zuccaro TAR 24
T. Blaser TAR 20
T. DeWitt MDF 20
P. Gravelli BB 20

Runs Batted In
D. Zuccaro TAR 66
T. Giacone TAR 65
P. Gravelli BB 65
C. Hill FC 64
S. Dixon MAR 63

Stolen Bases
C. Cobb SD 55
J. Kazmarek VLM 47
G. Longmire STJ 38
H. Waldrup SLI 37
E. Chase STO 32

Bases-On-Balls
D. Cole CFX 58
L. Windham GLS 58
J. Carducci CCR 52
P. Giles ELN 52
W. Joslin GC 52

Hit-By-Pitch
C. Clark MDF 11
M. Sheehan ETS 11
B. Brandon CFX 10
T. Hecht RR 10
S. Cameron FM 8

Strikeouts
M. Jauvert LAG 82
B. Burkhalter WLK 77
D. Hollister WYN 76
R. Dizon ETS 72
V. Iacoboni ETS 70

Sacrifice Flies
A. Ludlow MDF 9
R. Russell SD 9
S. Redford SLI 8
J. Moyer CCR 7
J. John RAN 6

Ruthlandian Union Mid-Season Pitching Leaderboard

ERA
E. Gunderson WLK 1.70
J. Bevis MDF 1.94
A. Nardone TAR 2.32
S. Carter WLK 2.37
R. Kelly FM 2.40

Wins
J. Bevis MDF 14
H. Dye ELN 13
C. Bernhoffer RAN 12
D. Blauser VLM 12
J. LaForge CFX 12

Saves
M. Fields FTB 19
E. Thorsen STJ 17
K. Schaefer STO 16
D. Webb MDF 16
W. Cadbury BEE 15

Games Pitched
P. Hancock CCR 45
R. Trahan CL 42
S. Savakis ANC 40
B. Karu VLK 39
D. Webb MDF 39

Complete Games
M. Amato VOL 9
T. Brooks FC 9
C. Bernhoffer RAN 8
L. Dozier BP 8
S. Elliott FM 8

Shutouts
C. Bernhoffer RAN 3
Z. Simon STJ 3
M. Amato VOL 2
D. Bixler SV 2
T. Chambers RAN 2

Innings Pitched
R. Kelly FM 153
L. Dozier BP 151
C. Schmitz VOL 149
T. Brooks FC 148
B. Kennedy WLK 147

Strikeouts
T. Kuznetsov CLX 142
A. Nardone TAR 134
C. Browne WYN 129
T. Gibbs ELN 128
B. Mashburn RR 114

Opponents AVG
E. Gunderson WLK .208
J. Bevis MDF .209
T. Kuznetsov CLX .212
C. Gilder KIL .218
C. Bernhoffer RAN .220

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, June 27, 2003

Tycobbian Union Mid-Season Batting Leaderboard

Batting AVG
C. Quibedeaux BAY .368
O. MacArthur TUC .367
B. Takala CHI .352
E. Granberg HM .352
P. Kanaan BAY .350

Runs
R. Kellgren HM 62
C. Quibedeaux BAY 62
T. Barella CCH 60
J. Courtney OXF 60
M. Faulkner HAR 59

Hits
K. Wiggins OZK 108
C. Quibedeaux BAY 103
O. MacArthur TUC 102
E. Granberg HM 101
M. Faulkner HAR 99

Doubles
T. Gilbert NH 29
D. Douglas OZK 26
J. Gillespie MDW 26
K. Bennett BL 24
H. Roscoe CCH 24

Triples
E. Granberg HM 11
T. Barella CCH 8
K. Detwiler ARL 8
D. Douglas OZK 8
T. Hill SUM 8

Home Runs
J. Courtney OXF 22
G. Vincent FFX 21
S. Shatner HIL 20
R. Sokolov EP 19
N. Stanton CCH 19

Runs Batted In
M. Faulkner HAR 66
P. Huerta SA 62
H. Bethel BAY 61
K. Burke SF 59
J. Courtney OXF 58

Stolen Bases
A. Conover OXF 45
T. Tomlinson DC 40
T. Barella CCH 38
B. Echevarria FFX 29
L. England OXF 29

Bases-On-Balls
P. Vizquel LUX 58
J. Courtney OXF 52
B. Dubois TUR 52
P. Huerta SA 52
A. Hansen BAY 49

Hit-By-Pitch
M. Zuniga SA 14
R. Vina LUX 13
M. O'Malley TUR 9
D. Allgood TUC 8
T. Barella CCH 8

Strikeouts
D. Brunet AG 84
T. Drenner EP 80
K. Schmidt NH 79
B. Holloman HM 77
C. Moon BSC 74

Sacrifice Flies
H. Bethel BAY 8
L. Ambrose TUR 7
C. Land DC 7
C. Parmenter FFX 7
L. Tompkins LUX 7

Tycobbianian Union Mid-Season Pitching Leaderboard

ERA
C. Burg CC 1.97
P. Northeimer MDW 2.13
S. Ballard NH 2.18
D. Pendarvis CCH 2.22
N. Nicholson OXF 2.31

Wins
G. Kostro HAR 13
D. Phillips OXF 12
P. Hood BAY 11
J. Salow CC 11
T. Vaitkus HAR 11

Saves
M. Yokum TUR 17
A. Lundgren BSC 15
G. Hersh GIN 14
D. Quartermain CHI 14
P. Waterhouse DC 14

Games Pitched
J. Colbert EP 42
T. Bristow TUC 41
P. Waterhouse DC 40
D. Quartermain CHI 39
L. Ray OZK 39

Complete Games
B. Hines MAH 12
J. Hoffman DC 10
T. Vaitkus HAR 10
K. DeHaan ARL 9
C. Burg CC 8

Shutouts
J. Harrison BAY 4
J. Owens HM 3
T. Tovares LUX 3
T. Archer CC 2
H. Blankenship TUC 2

Innings Pitched
T. Vaitkus HAR 156
C. Burg CC 155
C. Trebek GIN 149
P. Felkner SUM 144
S. Boswell TUR 144

Strikeouts
C. Trebek GIN 142
D. DeVree BSC 134
C. Burg CC 122
B. Beaulieu WR 119
P. Hood BAY 118

Opponents AVG
H. Paulsen RH .202
S. Ballard NH .207
A. Stevens LUX .210
D. DeVree BSC .214
P. Northeimer MDW .221

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, June 28, 2003

IPA 2003 All-Stars Announced, Bayview Has 4 All-Stars, Marston 3
The All-Stars are in a clash by themselves. The star performers from the Ruthlandian Union and Tycobbian Union will soon do battle in the 2003 Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game. It's an annual diamond spectacular that takes place at the midpoint of the season. Two superb ballclubs taking each other on in the All-Star Classic to determine the best league for this year. The talented stars are playing for league pride. Each roster is filled with standout performers. The Bayview Vikings had four All-Star selections to lead the Tycobbian Union, while the Marston Nine topped the Ruthlandian Union with three participants.

The Ruthlandian Union All-Stars feature these players:

SP Jackie Lee Bevis (MDF) (14-1 1.82)
SP Chris Bernhoffer (RAN) (12-3 2.27)
SP Danny Blauser (VLM) (12-3 2.48)
SP Harry Dye (ELN) (13-3 3.16)
SP Anthony Nardone (TAR) (10-4 2.47)
SP Slim Mosley (BB) (11-4 2.48)
SP Lance Moore (BEE) (11-4 2.46)
CL Booger Burchfield (MAR) (3-1 1.57 12 SV)
CL Zippy Hodge (SD) (6-2 1.58 12 SV)
C Slingshot McFall (SV) (.261/5 HR/28 RBI/32 R/.995 FA/55% RTO)
C Todd Simons (ELN) (.297/3 HR/34 RBI/25 R/.991 FA/47% RTO)
1B Dennis Cole (CFX) (.270/12 HR/42 RBI/42 R/.997 FA)
1B Phil Gravelli (BB) (.333/20 HR/62 RBI/51 R/.992 FA)
2B Johnny Fenroy (RAN) (.289/4 HR/31 RBI/28 R/.989 FA)
2B Gil Foster (ELN) (.344/11 HR/43 RBI/39 R/.983 FA)
3B Neely Keeton (CFX) (.304/14 HR/58 RBI/42 R/.967 FA)
3B Yoshihide Nishida (WLK) (.271/7 HR/50 RBI/44 R/.963 FA)
SS Flipper Bird (SV) (.301/10 HR/39 RBI/60 R/14 SB/.976 FA)
SS Don Nichols (MAR) (.331/6 HR/34 RBI/52 R/25 SB/.968 FA)
LF Sam Dixon (MAR) (.380/12 HR/62 RBI/35 R/1.000 FA)
LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (WLK) (.281/15 HR/52 RBI/47 R/.992 FA)
CF Ty DeWitt (MDF) (.290/20 HR/60 RBI/51 R/.981 FA)
CF Kirk Pitzer (KIL) (.342/12 HR/43 RBI/48 R/27 SB/.989 FA)
RF Chuck Hill (FC) (.312/12 HR/61 RBI/45 R/.981 FA)
RF Dominic Zuccaro (TAR) (.335/23 HR/61 RBI/52 R/.978 FA)

On the Tycobbian Union All-Stars roster will be:

SP Scotty Boswell (TUR) (9-5 2.77)
SP Cody Burg (CC) (9-4 1.89)
SP Jerry Harrison (BAY) (10-5 2.65)
SP Gus Kostro (HAR) (13-3 2.80)
SP Dennis Pendarvis (CCH) (9-5 2.22)
SP Robby Meredith (FFX) (9-3 2.59)
SP Dan Phillips (OXF) (12-5 3.31)
SP Tal Vaitkus (HAR) (10-3 2.50)
CL John Dougherty (RB) (3-1 1.62 11 SV)
C Hank Bethel (BAY) (.340/15 HR/57 RBI/47 R/.982 FA/35% RTO)
C Fats Dalton (CC) (.326/6 HR/49 RBI/32 R/.988 FA/38% RTO)
1B Chancey Quibedeaux (BAY) (.371/8 HR/41 RBI/58 R/16 SB/.989 FA)
1B Harlan Roscoe (CCH) (.351/7 HR/54 RBI/38 R/.990 FA)
2B Owen MacArthur (TUC) (.375/2 HR/18 RBI/49 R/13 SB/.971 FA)
2B Karol Zodoka (EP) (.290/18 HR/51 RBI/50 R/8 SB/.988 FA)
3B Paolo Huerta (SA) (.327/17 HR/61 RBI/53 R/.938 FA)
3B Rex Sokolov (EP) (.294/19 HR/50 RBI/43 R/.952 FA)
SS Kevin English (AG) (.332/4 HR/21 RBI/34 R/9 SB/.993 FA)
SS Rolf Kellgren (HM) (.319/10 HR/38 RBI/61 R/14 SB/.980 FA)
LF Tom Barella (CCH) (.332/4 HR/28 RBI/56 R/36 SB/.974 FA)
LF Bernie Valente (SA) (.328/13 HR/48 RBI/58 R/10 SB/.984 FA)
CF Johnny Gillespie (MDW) (.327/12 HR/48 RBI/50 R/14 SB/.970 FA)
CF Phil Kanaan (BAY) (.343/11 HR/37 RBI/49 R/27 SB/.992 FA)
RF Monty Draycott (TUC) (.280/13 HR/56 RBI/44 R/11 SB/.980 FA)
RF G. Vincent (FFX) (.304/21 HR/54 RBI/44 R/.979 FA)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, June 29, 2003

Tycobbia Blanks Ruthlandia 2-0 In 2003 All-Star Game
For the second year in a row, the Tycobbian Union All-Stars shut out the Ruthlandian Union All-Stars in the third annual Islandian Pro Alliance All-Star Game. The TU Stars took a 2-0 victory at Midway's Joe Wolf Stadium in front of almost 8,000 cheering fans. All the scoring came in the third inning when winning pitcher Tal Vaitkus (Hartsdale) nailed a Danny Blauser (Valmara) fastball and sent it soaring into the woods behind the outfield fence for the first run of the game... run number two came on on doubles by first baseman Chancey Quibedeaux (Bayview) and second sacker Karol Zadoka (East Point). Blauser (Valmara) suffered the defeat.

Vaitkus was voted the game's most valuable player... Tycobbia's mound corps struck out five and walked three, while allowing seven hits... Ruthlandia got strong pitching, too... Tycobbia only got six hits in all, while fanning five times and walking twice... First baseman Phil Gravelli (Belair Beach) led all hitters with two singles in his two at-bats.

Frisky Franks of the High Mesa Cowboys was the winning manager, while Zoggy White of Elnora took the loss... Franks' club played splendid defense and turned four double plays... Tycobbia used 8 pitchers in the game, while Ruthlandian worked 7 hurlers in all... Only three players did not get into the game... All three were pitchers that had to be saved in case of extra innings.

Last year Tycobbian won the IPA All-Star Game 6-0 at Marston's Legends Field. In the 2001 inaugural game at the Frog Pond in Fairfax, Ruthlandia scored four runs in the ninth to stun Tycobbia 5-4... Tycobbia leads in the series two games to one.

[Eugene Church]

The 2003 Ruthlandian Union North Division Final Standings

Monday, September 22, 2003

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 22, 2003

Valmara Vipers Victorious in the RU North, Ranford Bulls Second

The Valmara Vipers (95-59) are the regular season champions of the Ruthlandian Union North. Skipper J. Jackson Samuel's fine ballclub played strong and steady the entire season to top the runner-up Ranford Bulls (92-62) by three games. The Bulls under manager Page Satcher stayed right with Valmara the entire season, but couldn't quite catch them. When the Vipers slipped to 10-10 in September, Ranford could do nothing more than match them with the same record. The third place Far Mountain Redhawks (87-67) under Alex Groveland started off like a ball of fire with a sizzling 36-15 record in April and May, but they cooled off and fizzled the rest of the season with a 51-52 mark, finishing up eight games off the pace. McDuffie Hughes' Glasco Athletics (84-70) were in fourth place and took the final playoff slot. The A's started off poorly with a 22-29 record the first two months. However, they were a different ballteam with an excellent 62-41 mark over the final four months of the campaign. The Athletics trailed the pennant winners by 11 games overall. Valmara will now meet Glasco in the first round of the IPA Pro Cup Series, while Ranford will battle Far Mountain. The first three rounds are best-of-three series and will get underway today. The IPA Pro Cup Series finals are best-of-five games. The team with the best seasonal record in each match-up with be given the home field advantage.

Manager Tommaso Lazzorda brought his high-scoring, homer-happy Taranto Tars (80-74) in fifth, 15 games back. Lazzorda's Tars played well most of the season, but slumped below .500 in July and August to 26-31 and this cost them a playoff spot. The sixth place Kilkenny Cats (70-84) started the season well and were 44-33 (4th place) and just six games back at the All-Star break, but Kieran McKenna's crew went into the tank at 26-51 the rest of the year. The Cats were in the sixth spot in the final standings, 25 games behind the leader. The LaGrange Sports (68-86) were piloted by Foxy Jimison to a seventh place finish, 27 games out. And coming in dead last again this year, the hapless Ancona Red Elephants (58-96), managed by Manny Mickens. Ancona was a very distant 37 games behind the division-winning Valmara Vipers.

[Eugene Church]

The 2003 Ruthlandian Union South Division Final Standings

Monday, September 22, 2003

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 22, 2003

St. John Crusaders Triumph in RU South - Sunbirds, Westerners and Blackhawks Also Make Playoffs.

Manager Dickie Billings' St. John Crusaders (89-65) went from worst to first this year in the Ruthlandian Union South. Last Year the Crusaders had a dreadful season and ended up in the basement. However, this year they captured the regular season crown by four games over second place Belair Beach (85-69). Waleska (83-71), skippered by McGraw Johnson, came in third and was six games out of first. The Valka Blackhawks (75-79), led by Jaan Kuurus, sneaked into fourth place and the playoffs on the last day of the season, just barely squeaking by Stacy Engel's Claxton Diamonds (74-80).

St. John closed out the season with a bang, compiling a 33-15 mark during August and September to surpass everybody. The Sunbirds did well under the guidance of Marty Pedroza with a 28-20 record the final two months of the season, but it wasn't good enough to hold off the Crusaders. The Westerners fell back in the pack with a 25-23 in those two months. Valka surged to 29-19 during the same period, but had too much ground to make up, but the Blackhawks slip into the playoffs.

Fifth place Claxton fell to the wayside with a 24-24 mark late in the season. The San Dimas Rancheros (71-83) with Paco Banderos at the helm faltered badly, going into a 13-35 funk to fall out of the first division down to the sixth spot and 18 games off the pace. Torry Joseph's Grand City Cybercats (67-87) closed out the year in seventh place and 22 games out, while the Crystal Lake Crushers (65-89) pulled the rear, 24 games back. It was the second consecutive poor season for Herman "Baby' George's ballclub.

The Islandian Pro Alliance playoffs are slated to begin today. Regular season winner St. John will open up on the road against the fourth place Valka Blackhawks and second place Belair Beach and third place Waleska will meet at Westerner Field. Lower seeds will get the first game at home and the higher seeds will get the home field advantage with two games at home if the series go to three games.

[Eugene Church]

The 2003 Ruthlandian Union East Division Final Standings

Monday, September 22, 2003

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 22, 2003

Elnora Takes RU East Crown - Sugar Valley, Marston, Eastshore Playoff Bound

The Elnora All-Stars (88-66) were on top of the RU East most of the season, but they had to withstand a late recovery by the second place Sugar Valley Rattlers (85-69), who made it close in the last weeks of the season. Zoggy White's All-Stars went 13-7 in the last month to fight off Gibson Bobkins' Rattlers. Sugar Valley mounted a strong comeback with a 35-13 mark in August and September. By the first of September they trailed by only five games. Sugar Valley closed out the year 15-5, but could only cut Elnora's lead down to three games. The third spot went to the Marston Nine (77-77) of manager Johnny Walters, who played very well in the first half, but tumbled badly with a 34-43 record in the last half to end the season 11 games behind. Fourth place Eastshore (75-79) ran hot and cold all year long, but had several great months to outdistance the Beechwood Bobcats (70-84) and Belle Plaine Musketeers (70-84), who deadlocked for fifth place. The Elegants, directed by Killer Brewster, were 20-8 in May and 17-11 in August. Neither Beechwood, nor Belle Plaine could come close to such fine performances and finished 18 games in back of Elnora and 5 games behind Eastshore. Matt Donnelly's Wynnamac Sundowners (66-88) suffered through another bad year and placed seventh in the division, 22 games off the pace. Rounding out the RU East in last place were the Cold Creek Catamounts (62-92), headed by T. Kelly Holmes.

The first round action in the IPA Pro Cup playoffs will pit first place Elnora traveling to fourth place Eastshore in the first of a best-of-three series and third place Marston entertaining second place Sugar Valley at Legends Field. The series will start today.

[Eugene Church]

The 2003 Ruthlandian Union West Division Final Standings

Monday, September 22, 2003

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 22, 2003

Big Second Half Gives Volusia RU West Flag - Roosters, Blasters and Lumberjacks in Playoffs

It looks like the Volusia Vigilantes (88-66) are back. The V's won the first-ever IPA Pro Cup in 2001 and this could be the year to add to their laurels. Skipper Alfonso Feliz has outstanding pitching and won the Ruthlandian West flag by three games over the second place Middlefield Roosters (85-69), one of the top hitting club in the IPA. The Vigilantes had an outstanding second half with a sparkling 48-29 record to catch up to and surpass the three teams that were ahead of them at mid-year. Middlefield was only 39-38 over the last three months, while third place Colfax (81-73) posted a 38-39 mark and end up seven games behind Volusia. Forest City (80-74) put up a 37-40 ledger sheet to finish fourth and claim the final playoff slot. The 'Jacks wrapped up their season eight games in back of the Vigilantes. The Blasters are tutored by Clem Rogers and Rob Jackson is in charge of the Lumberjacks.

Holding forth in fifth place were the Sligo Rovers (78-76), who trailed by 10 games. The number six club in the race were the Stoner Stars (74-80), followed by Rocky Rapids (72-82) in seventh place and Fort Benton (70-84) in last place. Eddie Keys is the Rovers field director, Willie Dickens is Stoner's head man and Robbie Brooks manages the Defenders.

In first round IPA Pro Cup playoff games, Volusia is top-seeded and will play fourth-seeded Forest City at the 'Jacks home field in game one with game two and three at the Jailhouse in Volusia. In the other division playoff contest it will be the number two seed Middlefield Roosters engaging the third-seeded Colfax Blasters on the road at Mountain View Stadium. All IPA Pro Cup playoff series are best-two-out-of-three in round one, the Elite 8 and Final 4. The championship series is best-three-out-of-five.

[Eugene Church]

The 2003 Tycobbian Union North Division Final Standings

Monday, September 22, 2003