ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Ruthlandian Union North Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

FM Redhawks Cop 6th Straight Flag
The defending IPA Pro Cup titlist, the Far Mountain Redhawks, won more games than any team in the IPA this year and they have chalked up their sixth straight Ruthlandian North flag. Now Far Mountain will aim for its fourth Pro Cup in a row. Manager Alex Groveland's Redhawks topped heavy-hitting Taranto by 6 games this season. High-scoring Glasco finished 7 games off the pace in third place. It was not an easy task to subdue such powerful clubs.

As long as Far Mountain (96-58) has Boomerang Hines (22-11 2.41), Robby Kelly (21-10 2.56) and Woody Crawford (22-10 2.66) in its starting rotation and 3B Duane Parsons (.314/25/110) and SS Don Nichols (.307/19/92) in the batting order, they will be tough to beat... Superb starters make the difference... The Redhawks staff is ranked fifth overall in the RU with a 3.38 ERA... coupled with an adequate offense, this make Far Mountain a formidable foe... the Redhawks batted .269 (7th), but are not a big-scoring club.

Tommaso Lazzorda had his Taranto Tars (90-64) charged up all season long as they stayed close to the Redhawks with a high-scoring, high-powered attack that led the league in homers (234) and runs (897)... As a team the Tars batted .274 (3rd) and were sparked by RF Augie Marshall (.327/49/146), who led the RU in homers and RBIs, 2B Ed Miles (.310/28/113/134), who led the RU in runs scored with 134, and SS Aron Aiello (.314/25/91/87)... Taranto plays in the Palazzo di Sport, one of the smallest ballparks in the IPA... A 4.09 team ERA (23rd) is not bad there. Top pitchers are Vito Incardona (13-7 4.48) and Angelo Zinacola (17-8 4.27)... A weak September (7-13) ended the Tars hopes to catch Far Mountain.

The Glasco Athletics (89-65) hovered fairly close to Far Mountain most of the year and ended up in third place... and they had to do it without their ace pitcher Nicky Perrier (1-1 0.56), who went out early in April and was lost for the season... With Perrier, Glasco is a much stronger club...He won 20 games in each of his first three seasons... McDuffie Hughes has the offense, but needs more pitching to compete with the Redhawks... A 3.91 team ERA just will not cut it in the IPA... The A's stayed in the running with a fine offense, led by SS Lee Sullivan (.298/18/105/89) and LF Tony Piel (.309/20/93/115)... The Athletics were second in scoring to Taranto with 823 runs... Glasco's best mound performers were Felipe Branco (15-6 3.22), Davey McAdams (21-9 3.89), Nick Deville (22-12 4.14) and Closer Jack Hatcher (1-2 1.07) with 26 saves.

The Kilkenny Cats (84-70) and the LaGrange Sports fared well in 2014 and tied for the fourth spot, 12 games back... It's tough to compete in a division with such a dynasty as Far Mountain... Kilkenny manager Kieran McKenna has a well-balanced team that hit .265 (9th) with a solid 3.51 team ERA (7th)... top performers are starters Kyle Ferguson (24-8 2.09) and Sidney McFarland (16-11 3.25)... the Cats best bats were 1B Monty Edwards (.283/20/92) and 3B Johnny Madigan (.305/1/45/103), who also stole 44 bases and walked 103 times... Kilkenney suffered a severe setback when its best player CF Kevin McPhail (.270/5/48/64) was lost the last third of the season and missed over 50 games.

The LaGrange Sports (84-70) are a little better-than-average team with decent batting and pitching... Foxy Jimison's club hit .264 and posted a 3.71 ERA... his best producers were Denny Kristensen (25-9 3.03), who topped 20 games for the second time in his 9-year career... Pablo Orantes (19-17 3.45)... closer extraordinaire Andre Dupas (1-3 1.83), who saved 37 games, the second-best number in the RU... and three quality position players in IPA all-time great LF Quincy Peterson (.275/30/113/95), still going strong at age 37... Peterson has 388 homers, 1343 RBIs and 1377 runs scored in his illustrious 14-year career... 1B Bill Nance (.267/18/104) and CF Elijah Dillon (.292/4/51/109).

Sixth in the standings were the Ancona Red Elephants (72-82), piloted by Manny Mickens... Ancona wound up way back, 24 games behind leading Far Mountain... Mickens' best personnel were closer John Sharpe (6-5 2.85), who saved 27 games, and his outstanding young LF Kenny Willard (.307/32/103/98).

You can't accomplish much with lousy hitting and mediocre pitching... that pretty much describes J. Jackson Samuel's Valmara Vipers (62-92)... the seventh place Vipers hit only .245 (30th) and registered a 4.06 ERA (22nd) and ended up 34 games out of first... veteran Vanya Vasylenko (16-18 2.97) and Sean Swensen (16-19 3.25) both pitched well, but lost more games than they won, due to the poor run support... CF Stan Czerzinski (.297/7/59/86/30 SB) was Valmara's best bat.

It was another terrible season for manager Page Satcher and his Ranford Bulls (58-96), who came close to losing 100 games in another cellar-dwelling year, trailing pennant-winning Far Mountain by 38 games... just not very much talent in Ranford... the best of the lot is 10-year vet 1B Billy Massengale with 20 homers, 86 RBIs and 82 runs scored with a .254 batting average... Satcher doesn't have a pitcher worthy of mention.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Ruthlandian Union South Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

BB Sunbirds Runaway Winner In RU South
Solid pitching, excellent defense and good scoring put the Belair Beach Sunbirds way over the top in the Ruthlandian South this season with 95 victories, second to Far Mountain's 96. Marty Pedroza's Birds easily ran away with the division, beating runner-up Waleska by 20 games, third place Crystal Lake by 21 and fourth place San Dimas, St. John and Valka by 23. Only Colfax has ever won a pennant by a bigger margin. The Blasters won by 25 games in 2010 when they set an IPA record with 107 victories. San Alejo holds the Tycobbian record. The Montaneros were victorious 102 times in 2002 and captured the TU South by 19 games. Belair Beach will find out very quickly how good they are this season. Their Pro Cup Elite 8 opponent is the powerful Far Mountain Redhawks, who will be seeking their fourth successive Pro Cup.

This was the second pennant in three years for the Sunbirds... They led at the halfway mark by 6 games, but stretched it out to 20 games by season's end... Belair Beach (95-59) possesses three steady and consistent starters... Heading up Pedroza's rotation are Denny Whitaker (21-15 3.32), Nasty Naymick (19-11 3.21) and Wally Green (19-5 3.67)... closer Groot Tenbrook tops the bullpen with a 5-5 mark, 2.75 ERA and 37 saves, second best total in the league... at the plate the Sunbirds are led by CF Tom Bennett (.283/12/56/103/46 SB), LF Ron Dizon (.256/27/91/80) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.261/12/81/86)... no great offense, but it's sufficient... Belair Beach carries a modest .263 batting average (14th) into the Pro Cup playoffs, but the Sunbirds are fifth in scoring with 778 runs... on the mound they have put up a 3.63 ERA (8th),which is far better than any other divisional foes... Defensively Pedroza's crew is tied for third in the RU with a very good .977 mark... St. John's is the top fielding team in the IPA with a standout .981 FA.

The second place Waleska Westerners (75-79) put lots of runs on the scoreboard, a total of 780 (4th), with a .279 BA (2nd)... McGraw Johnson just couldn't match Belair Beach's mound staff...the Westerners were 20th with a 4.03 ERA... they did find a fine new pitcher in 23-year-old rookie Jerry Chambers, who went 9-5 with a strong 2.45 ERA over the last two months of the season... Johnson's line-up card was filled with .300 hitters... leading the way was the sensational sophomore Roy Hobbs, who hit .357 (2nd) with 38 roundtrippers (3rd), 131 RBIs (2nd) and 124 runs scored (2nd)... RF Kippy Doyle batted .323 with 23 homers, 91 RBIs and scored 84 times... LF Harold Setser stood out with 26 home runs, 93 RBIs and scored 82 runs, while batting .280... 3B Grant Betzer (.304/5/36/102/20SB) and 1B DePaul Labat (.278/10/68/107/53 SB) got on base alot and were driven in by the big bats.

The Crystal Lake Crushers (74-80) came in third and trailed by 21 games... Baby George had 3 bonafide performers in closer Jeff Jernigan (6-5 1.44), who notched 34 saves... all-time great 1B Phil Gravelli (.335/39/123), who had another wonderful year and he's only 30 years old... the 8-time All-Star has totaled 476 home runs and 1516 RBIs in his 14 years in the IPA... Gravelli has played the most games (2092) and tops the IPA career list in long balls and runs batted in... second-year RF Chip Fiske (.306/7/76/94/37 SB) is off to a good start in the IPA with another good season.

Three clubs deadlocked for fourth in the RU South standings... San Dimas, St. John and Valka were 23 games off the pace... The San Dimas Rancheros (72-82) were mediocre in most categories with a .256 BA (24th) and a 4.03 ERA (21st), but they did stand out with 153 homers (7th)... skipper Paco Banderos' top batters were RF Norm Owens (.265/19/104) and 1B Ron Armstrong (.291/22/83/87)... top hurler was Rudy Nasquez (18-10 4.03)...The St. John Crusaders (72-82) are totally lacking in offense with a very poor .235 BA (32nd), only 593 runs (32nd) and 105 roundtrippers (30th), but they play super defense with an IPA-leading .981 fielding percentage... the only thing that saves the Crusaders are two capable starters... 9-year vet Denny Copeland (17-9 2.94) had his best year ever and Teddy Garson (12-10 3.28) gave manager Dickie Billings a quality second starter... LF Gerry Carmody (.281/11/60/60) had the club's best batting stats... The only success the Valka Blackhawks (72-42) had this season was going deep 166 times (3rd)... The Blackhawks were weak with a .241 BA (31st)... not much on the mound either with a 4.19 ERA (27th)... Eddie Lasky (16-16 3.56) and Erke Tonisson (16-16 3.76) were two solid starters for manager Jaan Kurus... LF Kurt Jankauska (.280/38/106/97/34 SB) is Valka's one bright spot in the line-up.

After a strong run of first and second place finishes from 2009 to 2012, Stacy Engel's Claxton Diamonds (74-80) have plunged near the bottom into seventh place, 27 games out... Charlie Murphy (17-17 3.19) and closer George Ferguson (5-7 2.59) are quality arms... Ferguson saved 24 games this season... 9-year star Mike Luzzatti (.314/35/98/103) had another prosperous year, he just doesn't have any help... Luzzatti should go over the 1000 mark in RBIs and runs next season... the talented star has collected 325 homers in his career and sports a .316 batting average.

For the fourth time in the last five seasons the Grand City Cybercats (64-90) find themselves in last place again, 31 games behind flag winner Belair Beach... Manager Torry Joseph has just three capable performers... Closer Paul McBride (1-2) excelled with a very impressive 1.00 ERA and 25 saves, while RF Ricky Rich led the team with a .320 BA, 16 homers, 61 RBIs and 84 runs... 1B Dominic Carbonetti topped the team with 25 home runs and 82 RBIs, but batted only .257.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Ruthlandian Union East Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Marston Winner In RU East, BP Muskies 2nd
It has been over a decade coming, but the Marston Nine finally claimed another Ruthlandian East pennant with a 4-game edge over the Belle Plaine Musketeers. Last year's winner, the Wynnamac Sundowners, fell to third and 9 games back. The Cold Creek Catamounts came in fourth and trailed by 12 games. Marston first pennant came in 2001, the first year of the Islandian Pro Alliance.

Manager Johnny Walters has a good club that does most things well, especially hitting... The Marston Nine (87-67) topped the the league with a .279 batting average with 142 homers (10th) and 744 runs (9th)... On the hill they had a sufficient 3.66 ERA (9th)... Defensively Marston is better-than-average with a .975 fielding percentage... The Nine perked up its attack in the second half of the season and pulled away from the pack after the All-Star game... From first to last was only a 7-game spread at mid-season... Leading the way were 3B Jimmy Holman (.337/33/120/93), CF Russ Woodward (.317/23/91/91), LF James Yardley (.294/30/91/94), RF Richie Mazzone (.306/18/72/102) and 1B Pat Farris (.347/11/64/64)... Walters had two fine starters and a good closer, too... 34-year-old Hunk Sweitzer (22-5 2.91) had a marvelous year... Up until this season he had been just a journeyman pitcher with a losing 90-104 record during his 13 years in the league... Sweitzer was a huge factor in Marston's success... 38-year-old Zippy Hodge (20-17 3.08) was solid and dependable as the number two man in the rotation... Young 23-year-old Bobby Daniel (5-6 2.67) had a fine year as the team's closer with 30 saves.

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (83-71) remained in the race until the last week of the season when they faltered and fell 4 games short... Boo Ladrieux's Muskies held a slight lead going into September, but slumped to 8-12, while Marston went 13-7... Belle Plaine's offense was its biggest problem... lack of firepower cost them... The Musketeers hit only 86 homers (32nd) and ranked last in the RU and 63rd in the IPA... Only San Alejo of the TU South hit fewer with 79 clouts... Ladrieux had a trio of quality starters in Jorge Bonilla (17-10 3.00), Tony Pariseau (15-11 3.16) and Tony Saroyan (9-5 2.57)... closer Denny Reynaud saved 28 games with a 3.29 ERA and a poor 7-12 record... the Muskies best bats were LF Hugh Berryhill (.281/1/55/92), RF Travis Bowen (.258/26/79), SS Scott Hammill (.275/14/87) and 3B Warren McDaniel (.258/19/84)... no big sticks there.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (78-76) took the RU East flag last year, but this year suffered a decline in pitching and finished 9 games behind Marston... Matt Donnelly's club could hit with a .265 BA (7th), 146 roundtrippers (8th) and 752 runs scored (7th)... but its pitching corps posted 3.87 ERA (15th), way down from a sparkling 3.26 the previous season... Donnelly's top bats belonged to LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.320/31/96/95), RF Joey Eaton (.328/32/88/98) and CF Clive Farnham (.297/21/85/83)... the 36-year-old Burkhalter is headed for the Hall of Fame after his playing days are over... the 14-year vet has hit 380 homers, driven in 1401 and scored 1231 times in his career with a .289 batting average... 28-year-old pitching star Jerry Meeks, who last year was voted the RU MVP because of his great 22-6 record with a strong 2.47 ERA, dipped to 16-14 with a 3.11 ERA this year... Lenny Ward (16-15 3.32) was number two in the rotation.

The fourth-place Cold Creek Catamounts (75-79) were the best team in the league over the last two months with a 32-16 mark, yet manager T. Kelly Holmes' crew still wound up 12 games off the pace... Payton Saunders (20-14 3.41) and Russell Thurber (15-11 3.93) led the mound staff, while the best batters were 1B Terry Sauer (.319/21/100/84), CF Trip Holmes (.300/22/95/88/28 SB) and RF Emile Stosha (.306/72/117/36 SB).

For the first time in five seasons the Beechwood Bobcats (73-81) failed to make the first division... They ended up in fifth place and 14 games behind... Bret George, the skipper, saw his team's ERA fall from a fine 3.41 to a poor 4.17... 37-year-old Terry Kuznetsov (17-12 2.88) was the Bobcats best... Vet Dek Jumonville felt a sharp drop-off with a 10-20 record and a 4.32 ERA, also at age 37... second-year stud CF Vic Valenti (.342/30/104/107/20 SB) had standout season... 39-year-old RF Clifton Czabo (.308/12/75/87/14 SB) and 34-year-old SS Rolf Kellgren (.288/8/68/95) showed they can still do the job well... Czabo has played 13 seasons with a lifetime .303 average... Kellgren has played 13 years and posted a solid .287 mark.

The critics loved the Elnora All-Stars (72-82) chances of winning the RU East at mid-season, but Zoggy White's crew fizzled and came in sixth instead, 15 games out... They lost All-Star C Leon Carter (.303/18/59/71) for the last 50 games and the pitching did not come through... ace Taylor Gibbs (13-14 3.28) came up far short of his 21-11 record in 2013... Elnora batted .263 (13th), scored decently with 735 runs (11th) and hit 135 out of the park (17th)... The All-Stars pitching was a little better-than-average with a 3.67 team ERA... White had a good defensive team with a .977 FA (3rd-tied)... Stevie Howard (13-10 3.14) was White's most dependable pitcher... at bat his best were the RU-leading hitter RF Lloyd Voss, who won his second batting title with a .362 mark... Voss had 16 homers, 97 RBIs and scored 87 runs... CF Denny Sawyer (.293/27/77) also chipped in some offense.

The lackluster seventh place Eastshore Elegants (65-89) missed the playoffs for their 11th year in a row... Manager Killer Brewster has limited talent... his best pitcher was Al Froelich (15-13 3.29)... his best bats were LF Stan Cuccinello (.331/27/108/82), who is good enough to play for anybody... Cuccinello is also a strong defender with a great arm... 3B Bob Leach showed some power with 22 home runs and 90 RBIs, but batted just .248.

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (61-93) have enjoyed much success in the IPA with 5 division crowns, but not much lately... skipper Gibson Bobkins has seen his club finish near the bottom the past three seasons... this year was the worst - the Rattlers were dead last and 26 games behind first place Marston... Terrible pitching is at the core of the Bobkins' problem... Sugar Valley is by far the worst team in the IPA with a 5.06 team ERA... the Rattlers only decent hurlers are Matt Van Rensberg (17-10 4.00) and closer Woody Murrell (8-9 2.53) with 24 saves... However, Van Rensberg did most of his pitching with Belle Plaine this season... He was only 3-5 with a 5.90 ERA after being traded in late July... that shows what a difference a small ballpark can do to a pitcher... Farmers Memorial Park is only 310 down the lines and 385 in center... it's a home run heaven... but not for the Rattlers... home and away they hit only 147 out (9th) this year, while allowing 237 (32nd)... 6-time All-Star C Hal Stevenson (.281/34/106/84) had another fine season with some help from LF Austen Conover (.312/4/56/82/56 SB)... Conover led the RU for the seventh time with 56 stolen bases.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Ruthlandian Union West Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Colfax Back, Tops RU West
Clem Rogers and his Colfax Blasters rebounded from a sixth-place finish last year to the top spot in the Ruthlandian West, which wasn't as bad as it sounds as they were just 4 games away from the top spot. Playing in one of the strongest IPA divisions, the Blasters outfought two standout teams to take their 5th pennant in the last 7 years. Rocky Rapids and Volusia ran second to them and wound up 3 games back. The Sligo Rovers came in fourth in the standings, but were 13 games off the pace.

Dominant pitching gives the Colfax Blasters (94-60) a big edge over its competitors... No team in the IPA approaches Colfax's 2.87 ERA (1st)... Rogers has two of the best hurlers in the IPA in Ilya Szabo (23-8 1.75) and Jimmy Joe Cartner (25-8 2.56)... it's the third time in the last four years that Szabo had led the RU in ERA... Szabo is 220-110 in his 12 seasons, while Cartner is 142-77 in 7 years... Roger Wright (16-13 3.41) and Dennis Kretzmeier (13-13 3.53) gives Rogers quality number three and four starters... contending clubs usually only have two and sometimes three capable starters... Colfax wins with pitching and pretty good power... The Blasters hit .260 (19th), but have 155 homers (6th)... at the plate they are paced by 5-time All-Star CF Ryan Raines (.294/22/77/84), RF Paul Coniglio (.293/17/72/66), 2B Ivan Ivanchuk (.306/15/72/88) and LF Tony Tanaka (.265/18/67/100)... C Joe Alexander (.225/23/89) doesn't hit for average, but has good punch and drives in runs.

The Rocky Rapids Snappers (91-63) with famed pitcher Ryan Noland at the helm has a good mound corps, but not an elite one like Colfax... Offensively the Snappers are only ordinary like Colfax with a .262 BA (16th) and 140 home runs (12th-tied)... His Snappers posted a good 3.32 ERA (3rd) with Don Chaney (25-8 2.89) and closer Earl Pitts (4-4 1.81) leading the way... starter #2 23-year-old Junior Noland, the senior Noland's son, had a very fine season in his second year with a 19-14 mark and a 3.21 ERA... like his dad his velocity is in the 97-99 MPH range... Starter #3 Ernie Watkins (21-10 3.56) had a revival year at age 34, by far his best since he set the IPA record with 28 victories in 2006... Ben Mashburn (13-15 3.89) gives Noland a decent #4 starter... Pitts in the bullpen had a splendid season with 38 saves, number one in the IPA... Rocky Rapids best bats are LF Scott Camden (.293/26/96/92), C Hank Bethel (.286/25/92), SS Cooter Bermudez (.295/1/44/92), CF Carl Johnson (.284/20/69/86) and 3B Paul Shelton (.252/27/93/78).

The Volusia Vigilantes (91-63) are a carbon copy of Rocky Rapids with solid pitching and adequate hitting... Manager Alfonso Feliz's team ERA is 3.36 (4th) and the club hit .266 (6th) with modest power, 118 homers (23rd)... Gerry Hersh (17-12 3.24) led the staff with help from Tanner Jacobs (13-10 3.52), who came over from Beechwood of the RU East in a July trade and went 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA for the V's... 40-year-old Hank Mosley (14-11 3.79) was a reliable #3 man in the rotation... duo closers Paul Zenger (3-5 1.83) and Marty Rutigliano (7-6 2.72) had 32 saves between them with Rutigliano having 18 and Zenger 14... Sophomore CF Joe DeLucca (.310/28/105/107) surpassed his rookie numbers with another fine season... 1B Rafael Garza (.334/10/73/55) and long-time RF Briscoe Crowder (.319/9/61/78) both had typical years.

The highly-rated Sligo Rovers (81-73) flopped in September with a dismal 5-15 record to fall back to fourth place in the RU West, 13 games behind leading Colfax... At mid-season many forecast a Sligo pennant... Eddie Keys' club can score, but needs improvement on the hill... The Rovers batted .262 (16th), hit 158 out of the park (5th), stole 190 bases (1st) and scored 812 runs (3rd), but compiled a lofty 3.97 ERA (18th)... leading the line-up were IPA all-time great LF Fred Collins (.313/19/89/106/20 SB) in his 14th year and a shoo-in for the HOF... CF Chris Michel (.313/18/73/98/38)... 2B Hollis Waldrup (.267/22/71/111/56 SB)... and RF Clell Renshaw (.306/12/69/108/14 SB)... Sligo ace Vinnie Rastelli (20-8 3.25) won twenty games for the third time in his five-year career... Rastelli is just 22 years old... He is Keys only stud on the staff... others in the rotation are Luka Abromowitz (15-13 3.86), Jasper LaForge (13-13 3.84) and Dix Edenborough (13-16 4.34)... it was a down season for Edenborough, who in his 11-year career is 135-90 with a 3.47 ERA.

On the rise the last couple of years, the Fort Benton Defenders (78-76) missed out on the pennant by one game in 2013... this season they ended up 5th and 16 games back... the Defenders just don't have the hosses to complete year-in and year-out... just average .259 (22nd) at the plate and better-than-average on the mound with a 3.43 team ERA (6th)... skipper Robbie Brooks has a great relief corps with a 2.65 ERA (2nd) led by David Osborn (3-3 1.15) with 29 saves... 10-year vet Tucker Dawes had a career year with a 21-15 mark and an impressive 2.59 ERA... but Ivan Gloeckner, so impressive last year with a 19-6 mark, slumped to 17-16 this season... Brooks has no real blockbusters at bat, but a few good ones... LF Forest Cummings (.274/27/101/85) led the team with some support from CF Ryan Smith (.295/28/76/106) and second-year 1B Stretch Stookey (.301/13/67/91).

Manager Willie Dickens won the RU West pennant in 2007, but it's been all downhill since for the Stoner Stars (73-81)... This year the sixth palce Stars finished in the second division for the seventh successive season and trailed by 21 games... They hit fairly well with a .265 BA (11th) and have good power with 177 homers (2nd), but are weak on the hill with a mediocre 4.17 ERA (25th)... Dickens' top players are LF Mike Jaffe, a second-year player, was outstanding with a .352 BA, 38 roundtrippers, 104 RBIs and 108 runs scored... 1B Robert Dunbar has a break out season with a .320 batting average, 25 home runs, 91 RBIs and 87 runs... 22-year-old Billy Chapel (13-17 3.18) and 23-year-old Don Patterson (17-14 4.32) show good potential, especially Chapel, who won 20 games as a rookie.

The Middlefield Roosters (68-87), managed by Smitty Michaels, had another hapless year and wound up in seventh place, 21 games out... The Roosters have some pop with 160 homers (4th) and a .265 team BA (10th), but don't score well with only 701 runs (21st)... pitching-wise they are a bad 4.14 as far as ERA (24th)... 10-year vet 2B Jim Rose (.285/29/92/96) is Middlefield's best player... 13-year vet RF Cecil Clark (.283/28/86/82) is a sound player, too... 12-year journeyman Danny Stewart (15-16 3.60) was Micheals' best pitcher.

It was a disasterous year for the Forest City Lumberjacks (67-87), who have been on a roller coaster ride the last three seasons... Rob Jackson's 'Jacks have gone from seventh to a surprising first to a jolting last... pitching, scoring and home runs were down this year... ace Paul Crews went from 19-9 and 2.38 to 9-20 and 3.41... Knucks Nomellini went from 17-16 to 10-14 and was traded to Beechwood at the trade deadline... Al Thibaut was 16-14 and 2.83 last year and 15-18 and 2.99 this year, but still had an excellent ERA... 10-year man Ernie Hill has his best season with a 14-7 mark and a 3.24 ERA... Forest City's best performer was 10-year vet LF Joe Judlin, who stood out with 37 homers, 106 RBIs and a .308 BA... Also adding some offense were CF Joe Callaway (.278/25/69/87) and 1B Andy Doiron (.305/9/61/81).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Tycobbian Union North Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Hellcats Win Wild 5-Team Finish, Edges NH Hawks In Playoff
It was a year-long 5-team struggle in the tight Tycobbian North this season that went down to the last week of the season and even down to the last day. The Hartsdale Hellcats finally decided it with an 8-6 triumph over the North Hills Hawks. The Hellcats had to overcome a fifth-inning 5-1 deficit to take the title in a one-game playoff. North Hills came in second, losing by 1 game, while Mahaska was third, trailing by 1.5 games. Blue Lake and Oxford came in tied for fourth and were just 2.5 games from the top. The final 10 days were crucial with Hartsdale going 7-3, North Hills 6-4, Mahaska 4-6, and Blue Lake and Oxford winding up at 5-5 each. Defending champion Fairfax sunk to sixth place in the standings, mainly due to the critical loss of superstar outfielder Dane Wesner, who was injured in the first week of the season and missed the rest of the year.

The Hartsdale Hellcats (84-71) used improved pitching to climb from last place to first place this year... Ronnie Jernigan came out of nowhere to post a 21-10 season to lead manager Zim Donner's squad to the pennant... closer Ben Clermont was also an important cog with 29 saves, 2.68 ERA and 5-5 record... top bats were 9-year veteran 1B Tom Brabant (.333/36/116/101), one of the top sluggers in IPA history with 301 homers and a .319 lifetime battery average... Hartsdale had 6 regulars with 20 or more home runs and was third in the league with 191 total... other top hitters were 3B Kendry Moulton (.302/34/101/96), SS Jud Turchin (.318/29/83/102), RF Mack Faulkner (.294/24/76/94), LF Woody Crow (.287/23/85/98) and CF Del Darby (.232/21/58/96).

Better pitching also moved the North Hills Hawks (83-72) up from sixth place in 2013... Ronnie Kerensky (19-12 3.67) had a career year at 38... Nick Pugochov (11-5 3.52) and vet Lou Dozier (14-13 3.60) gave manager Hub Carlson two more credible starters... Offensive leaders were 1B Rob Pearson (.296/27/103/86) and vet C Todd Simons (.288/20/91/89).

Rudy Tanussa has a solid ball club in Mahaska (82-72) with good pitching and hitting... Johnny Picou (10-2 3.05), Johnny Spears (16-16 3.35) and Joey Wallace (17-14 3.37) gave the Haymakers a trio of quality starters... 1B Johnny Carducci (.290/28/116/78), C Bucky O'Brian (.322/29/113/89) and LF Dalton Leeds (.302/19/89/90) supplied the power and the runs.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox (81-73) tied for the fourth spot with Oxford... Cobb Tyson's crew survives on its pitching... the Blue Sox registered a fine 3.37 ERA (3rd) and were paced by 24-year-old Nick Walker with a 20-10 mark in his fourth season... vets Justin Eckhardt (18-16 2.90), Dan Whitfield (18-15 3.64) and Neil Krogstad (14-18 4.19) rounded out the rotation... Tyson's top batters were CF Rick Hilliard (.279/26/93/88) and C Justin Kucks (.276/25/91/71).

The Oxford Red Caps (81-73) came in tied for fourth under skipper Campy Roy... the Red Caps have power with 170 roundtrippers (8th), while batting .263 (13th)... on the mound Roy suffers in his bullpen with a lousy 4.81 ERA... but Oxford has two fine starters in Emerson Carnell (19-12 2.57) and Del Anderson (16-12 3.23)... 37-year-old Carnell had his best season... The Red Caps batted .263 (13th) and hit 170 out of the park (8th), sparked by 1B Eddy Dowler (.318/26/93/93) and 42-year-old 3B Cameron Kamara (.293/23/63/91)... all the regulars hit 10 or more homers.

Superstar Dane Wesner showed just how much one key player means to a team... with him the Fairfax Frogs (74-80) won the TU North flag last year, without him they sunk to sixth place and 9.5 games behind winning Hartsdale... Wesner injured his shoulder in early April and only batted 21 times in 7 games... the Frog attack lost a .341 career hitter, who averages over 100 RBIs and 35 homers a season... for the year Fairfax hit only .242 (32nd) and scored 624 runs (31st)... manager Harry Buckley still had good pitching with a 3.61 team ERA, headed up by Ken Hill (20-14 2.76) and Steve Aaron (16-14 3.53)... long-time star 1B Chancey Quibedeaux was the top producer with 20 home runs, 75 RBIs and 87 runs, but batted only .274, a sub-par season for the classy first sacker.

Faulty pitching caused Alejandro Rodrigo's Luxora Zorros (73-81) to fall from second in 2013 to seventh this season... The Z's wound up 10.5 games out with a 4.12 team ERA (26th)... 12-year-vet Anthony Glaser (13-10 3.79) and 13-year vet Elio Laurente (16-15 3.89) were Luxora top arms, along with closer Connie Jahnke, who had 20 saves and a 2.47 ERA, but logged a poor 4-8 record... Rodrigo's batting order did well with solid plate performances by LF Gene Watson (.306/23/106/80), 3B Pablo Santa Cruz (.333/12/87/106), 1B Billy Whitney (.332/6/51/101) and RF Dickie Nordhagen (.272/16/110/91)...as a club the Zorros put up a .263 BA (14th), but hit only 109 four-baggers (31st).

It was another poor year for the White River Rascals (62-92) and manager John Randison... In fact it is the worst they have ever had... the Rascals won just 63 games in back-to-back seasons in 2006-7... they have never been in the playoffs in 13 IPA seasons... Both hitting and pitching is about average with a .260 BA (20th) and a 3.92 ERA (18th)... Joe Hudson (19-16 4.26) and sophomore 1B Marty Blake are Randison top players... Blake looks like the makings of a great player... He ripped 41 homers, batted .329 and drove in 106 runs in just his second year.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Tycobbian Union South Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Turon Typhoons Swamp TU South Again, Win 7th Flag
What a storied history the Turon Typhoons have in the Islandian Pro Alliance. This season Turon captured its 7th Tycobbian South pennant by swamping all its opposition and winning by 11 games over the second place Colchester Elites and Ginza Ninjas. Southport came in fourth and trailed by 16 games. Manager Whitey Richburn's Typhoons made the Pro Cup playoffs for the 9th time and will now seek its fourth Pro Cup. Turon won it all in 2003, 2006 and 2009. They also came very close to winning a fourth crown in 2010, but lost to Colfax after taking a three-games-to-one lead.

The Turon Typhoons (93-61) didn't play well in the first half with sub-par hitting and pitching, but they were just two games behind leading Ginza at the All-Star break... Then the Typhoons got it all together and easily outpaced all comers... Turon is the top-scoring club in the TU with 803 runs (1st)... they hit .268 (6th) with 150 homers (15th) and have a fine pitching staff with a 3.41 ERA... 1B Clyde Kingsford (.311/37/129/112) and CF Mac McCurnan (.292/28/114/109) are double dynamite in the line-up... and Nicky Engstrom may just be the best pitcher ever in the IPA... He's only 25 years old and has won at least 20 games in each of his five seasons and has a superb 2.22 ERA... This year Engstrom paced Turon with a 24-10 mark and a 2.44 ERA... Richburn also has two other solid starters in James Stuart (19-11 3.77) and Jacques Lemaire (17-8 3.64)... and when Richburn has to go to the bullpen he has an excellent closer... Merle Studebaker saved 29 games and posted a 4-3 record and a ridiculously-low 1.00 ERA.

The second place Ginza Ninjas (82-72) and Colchester Elites finished 11 games off the pace and couldn't stay with Turon in the second half of the year when the Typhoons kicked it up a notch... Still it was a good season for both runner-ups... Ginza, skippered by Huroko Uchiyama, featured good starting pitching, headed up by Joji Azuma (19-11 2.71) and Carl Trebek (19-9 2.70)... C Crash Davis topped the Ninja hitters with 34 homers, 92 RBIs, 96 runs and a strong .344 BA... CF Chazzie Lombardo chipped in with a .295 BA, 22 home runs, 72 RBIs and scored 87 runs.

The Colchester Elites (82-72) with Uncle Robbie Wilbertson at the helm had good power with 175 homers (7th) and a .266 BA (9th) with two fine hitters in 1B Harlan Roscoe (.318/32/109/87) and C Tommy Booker (.285/27/94/89)... 33-year-old Timmy Brooks, whose best years were 10 years ago in Forest City, had a rebirth this year with a 20-15 mark and a 3.40 ERA... closer Don Richard (4-5) also stood out with 28 saves and an excellent 2.22 ERA.

Fourth place went to the Southport Sun Sox (77-77), who wound up 16 games back in the race... Charley Oscar has three good starters in his rotation... Neil Howell (16-14 2.70) is a high quality hurler, who is much better than his record shows... Howell is hampered by poor run support... vet Keith Callahan (15-13 3.53) and Tippy Ridgeway (15-9 3.97) are Southport number two and three pitchers... RF Big Stick Takala (.299/25/87) is Oscar's top bat with some help from 1B Bill McCann (.252/25/78).

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (74-80) slumped from second to fifth this season, ending up 19 games behind Turon... The 'Canes were only 3 games back at the halfway point, but they soon faded back in the pack with spotty hitting and pitching... Manager Marty Pedroza had several bright spots... Cody Burg (25-12 2.41) is still going strong after 14 years in the IPA... Burg is the all-time leader with 252 wins and over 3300 strikeouts... He has won 20 games 6 times and led the TU in strikeouts 11 times... Cape Coral top hitters were LF Rich Osolinsky (.352/16/79) and 1B Avery Womack (.328/9/56).

The sixth-place Summerland Sunsets (68-86) suffered from a lack of offense, hitting only .247 (29th), but did slug 151 homers (15th)... Manager Will Hackett's only offensive threat was his fine 23-years-old CF Jim Garrison, who pounded out 36 roundtrippers with 81 RBIs and 94 runs scored and batted .289... Denny Coulon (16-17 2.96) is still a classy pitcher at age 34 and deserved a better record... in the bullpen Frank Gerber (5-5) was the ace with a 2.87 ERA and 25 saves.

Manager Jean-Luc Marchand and his Arroyo Grande Suns (66-88) have never had a winning record, nor made the playoffs, however they always manage to hit homers and score runs... The Suns went deep 182 times (5th) and sported a .270 BA (4th), sparked by the TU's top batter SS Andy Pearson, who hit at a .344 clip with 30 homers, 104 RBIs and 101 runs and by 1B Sherm Miles with 39 home runs, 108 RBIs, 89 runs and a .282 average... on the hill Marchand's mound staff could manage only a 4.53 team ERA (28th).

It was another long year for Lando Peceda and the San Alejo Montaneros (61-93) as they rounded out the campaign in last place, 32 games off the pace with little or no offense and pitching... The Montaneros hit only 79 homers (32nd) and registered a very poor 4.60 ERA (30th)... 1B Dominique Poirot was the one bright spot with a .334 BA, 15 homers and 74 RBIs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Tycobbian Union East Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Midway Staves Off Tucks in TU East
The Midway Wolves got hot as the weather in July and August to outlast favored Tuckanarra in the Tycobbian East pennant chase by 4 games. This was the Wolves first division title and will be their first postseason appearance ever. Midway has never made the playoffs in its 13-year IPA history. Third place went to the high-powered High Mesa Cowboys, who were 9 games behind with fourth going to the Red Bluff Red Sox, who trailed by 11 games.

Cochise Chandler's Midway Wolves (94-60) have excellent pitching, very good power and adequate scoring... They unexpectedly overtook the defending division champs Tuckanarra shortly after the All-Star game and never relinquished it, although the Blue Jays did make one last ditch run after it was pretty much too late to catch the Wolves... It's hard to beat a team with a 3.23 ERA (1st), 191 homers (1st), four good starters in its rotation and a super bullpen... Chandler's four starters were Motega Wolf (20-11 2.86), Sherm Jarvis (21-13 2.96), Johnny Parker (12-9 2.87) and Mark Bright (14-13 3.92)... Closer Dom Vilaggio (8-6 1.93) had 34 saves and lots of help from middle reliever Lloyd Tatote (6-0 2.33)... CF Johnny Lee topped the hitters with a .328 average, 32 homers, 84 RBIs and 99 runs... LF Dylan Stevenson has a solid season with a .299 BA, 25 roundtrippers, 92 RBIs and 100 runs scored.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (90-64) have nothing to be ashamed of... they played like champs, but came up 4 games short... Midway just played better... Manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens had a strong mound corps with a 3.39 ERA (4th)... His top twirlers were Titus Bristow (17-10 2.60), Delaney Elliott (19-14 3.08), Yuka Nawajuk (19-8 3.32) and Roy Spence (15-10 3.48)... Stevens has a very reliable bullpen, too... closer Stephen Eubarinja slipped some with a 4-8 mark, but chalked up 29 saves with a 2.37 ERA... Bristow did miss the last month of the season with a back injury... He was a crucial loss... Batting-wise Tuckanarra was the best in the TU with a .278 mark and third in scoring... Tucks top bats were RF Danny Redd (.335/16/93/108), CF Earl O'Brien (.307/19/97/136) and 1B Erik Vayda (.299/15/117/85)... the Blue Jays were also good with the gloves with a standout .978 FA (3rd-tied).

The third place High Mesa Cowboys (85-69) of Frisky Franks had another good season, but they were 9 games off the pace... The Cowpokes are blessed with a tremendous young player... 1B Jack Elliott has been a big part of the team's success the last two years... Elliott broke the IPA home run mark last year with 61 and won every major award... It was a tough year to follow, but he came through with a .341 BA, 52 homers, 141 RBIs and scored 129 runs... Elliott missed out on the Triple Crown by just 2 points... Arroyo Grande SS Andy Pearson edged him out for the bat title with a .344 average... Elliott topped the TU in homers and RBIs... RF Darrel Alston (.260/33/84) and SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.298/22/83/80) also helped out at the plate... on the hill High Mesa had a fair group of starters, considering that have to pitch in Queen Ranch Stadium, the smallest park in the IPA... Overall the team ERA was a skyhigh 4.69 (31st)... Franks rotation consisted of Kent Wells (19-17 3.48), Johnny Falcon (18-12 4.59) and John Rainer (17-11 4.98)... Closer Ed Galiano saved 34 games with a 3.13 ERA and a 4-8 record.

In Red Bluff (83-71), Mack Connery needs more scoring and another starter or two to really challenge for the TU East flag... The Red Sox were fourth this year and were 11 games behind first place Midway... Jim Melanakos at age 38 won 20 games for the third time in his solid career (181-139)... Melanakos was 21-9 this season with a 3.05 ERA... Dependable John Dougherty put up an 18-16 mark with a 3.67 ERA... Lifetime Dougherty is 184-155... Red Bluff has some crackerjack bats in 1B Tommy Klegg (.275/45/126/97), LF Bryan Wessels (.291/27/74/111) and SS Jose Aguilar (.286/20/69/104)... Klegg ran into the hot days of summer and cooled off... He had 32 homers at mid-year and ended up with 45... in all the Red Sox walloped 166 out of the park and ranked 11th... Connery has one of the best fielding squads in the IPA with a .981 FA (1st-tied).

It was a second consecutive fifth-place finish for the Ozarka Naturals (82-72)... Joe Mac Carney's club had won three pennants in a row in 2010-2012... This year they ran 12 games behind in the race... The Nats still have talent on the team with 3B Nathan Ferrell (.309/29/108/109), 2B Todd Chadwick (.280/27/113/113) and LF Vic Weinstein (.310/22/74/118)... Carney needs help on the hill... He has some workhorses in Dana Channing (21-10 3.99), Phil Britt (17-12 3.97), Wally Haren (16-13 3.97) and Eddie Roberts (13-18 3.89)... 25-year-old Roberts is 66-45 in his four seasons, but had a down year this year.

The South Fork Stallions (72-82) have been sixth for two seasons in a row after two years as the runner-up to Tuckanarra... Pitching and lack of hitting has been the main issues for manager Deloche "Lips" Leon... He's still waiting for Blackie Terranova to regained some of the form when Terranova led the club to the Pro Cup finals in 2012 with a brilliant 25-6 season and a great 2.56 ERA... Terranova won the TU MVP and Golden Arm awards that year... this year Terranova was 15-19 with a 3.49 ERA... Bill Branch was the best Stallion starter with a 17-16 mark and 3.19 ERA... Spot starter and reliever Steffi Croetzer was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA... at the plate CF Robby Michael (.323/22/89/85) and 1B Joe Peters (.291/23/79/75) led the way.

Still no postseason, no first division and no winning season for the seventh place Hillsboro Blazers (68-86) and skipper Arky Sanderson... It's been that way for 13 seasons now with no end in sight... They were 26 games out this year... The Blazers hit only .246 (31st) and were last in scoring... on the mound Sanderson's staff is average with a 3.83 ERA (14th)... 24-year-old Pat Buettner (15-19 3.51) and 27-year-old Tom Edgar (12-22 3.31) give Hillsboro hope for better years in the future... Second year 1B Andy Jefferson (.304/31/93) shows good promise, too.

The East Point Panthers (54-100) were the worst team in the IPA this season... They ended up 40 games out of first place... They don't hit very well except for home runs, which is courtesy of a small ballpark... The Panthers pounded 168 out (9th), but batted only .254 (26th)... manager Griff Clarke has even worse pitching with a 4.97 ERA (32nd)... top bats are 2B Jesse Goodwin (.281/40/99/95), CF Joey Olson (.273/23/90/75) and 39-year-old LF Karl Dietz (.245/30/71/65)... best on the mound is 21-year-old Bingo Long, who dipped to 11-22 in his sophomore season with a 4.00 ERA, down from 17-14 and 2.65 a year ago in a great rookie season.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

2014 Tycobbian Union West Final Standings and Team Batting

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Kenwood Best In the TU West
Going into September the Tycobbian West was up for grabs with four clubs battling for the pennant. The front-running Kenwood Wildcats staved off determined efforts by the Denton City Redbirds, Arlon Champions and Chicopee Braves. Kenwood nipped defending champion Denton City by a 2-game margin with Arlon and Chicopee tied for third and 5 games off the pace. The Wildcats almost blew a good lead with a bad 11-17 record in August. But they finished strong with a 12-8 in September for their first division title ever in the team's 13-year history.

The Kenwood Wildcats (86-78) had a fine all-around season under manager Aaron Hankins... They hit very well with a .270 BA (2nd), scored adequately with 131 homers (23rd), had a superb mound corps with a 3.32 ERA (2nd) and were good with the gloves with a .979 FA (2nd)... but that what it took to hold off a very talented Denton City club... Hankins has three impressive starters with Connie Gavagan (18-13 3.05), Sammy Shaw (18-12 2.59) and Tank Tucker (9-3 2.76)... Todd Combs (14-19 3.46) also gave the Wildcats a fourth quality pitcher, although he has a sub-par year... Kenwood featured the best bullpen in the TU with a super 2.45 ERA (1st), led by Sol Yakis (10-2 2.99) and closer Rick Brickell with 24 saves and a 2.66 ERA, but only a 3-7 record... RF Dennis Riley (.320/19/87/62) and 3B Brad Walker (.290/14/78/86) were the top bats, but had offensive help from four other steady hitters.

Runner-up Denton City (84-70) had a chance to overtake Kenwood in August, but couldn't take advantage of it... The Redbirds could only break even with a 14-14 mark and came up 2 games short at season's end... starter Jeff Russell missed the last six weeks with a bad knee... Ford Whiteman has been short on pitching the last several seasons... DC posted an average 3.90 ERA (16th), but did hit solidly with a .263 BA (12th) and 177 homers (6th)... Mila Mohoski (21-10 3.20) was the ace of the mound staff, but didn't have much help... Russell (15-9 3.97) saw his numbers dip drastically in his second year... Russell was 21-9 with a 2.90 ERA in his rookie year... The Redbirds had four steady sluggers with C Pete Gibbs (.308/29/93/60), RF Lavon Gooch (.291/25/90/98), LF Rod MacCormack (.273/30/89/114) and 3B Jay Petit (.303/25/81/73).

The Arlon Champions (81-73) and Chicopee Braves tied for third place and trailed the Wildcats by 5 games... Skipper Gary Louis had very little offense with a .254 BA and only 123 home runs (26th)... on the hill the Champs registered only a 4.00 ERA (20th), but Louis had a solid bullpen with a 3.31 ERA (7th)... in fact his relievers carried Arlon this season... closer Johnny Rabelais racked up 32 saves with a 3-2 record, while compiling a brilliant 1.44 ERA... middle relievers Ross Birchford (8-4 2.36) and Wayne Haun (3-1 2.95) were excellent, too... starter Happy McManus (19-13 4.06) was Louis' top starter... vet Armando Cruz (15-16 3.37) suffered from lack of scoring, but pitched well... 10-year veteran LF Rocco Belasario topped the team with a .310 mark, 29 roundtrippers, 87 RBIs and 117 runs scored, along with 59 stolen bases, which led the entire IPA.

Skipper Harry Fleetfoot of the Chicopee Braves (81-73) gives most of the credit for the third-place finish to starters Tommy Ruffin (21-11 2.85) and Desmond Quartermain (17-19 2.46)... Quartermain really suffered because of low-run support... it cost Ruffin some wins, too... Overall the Braves tallied a 3.42 team ERA (6th), but hit just .256 (25th) with only 118 homers (30th)... C Ivan Burkholder (.278/22/65) was the best of the lot offensively.

The fifth place Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (77-77) crumbled at crunch time in September with a poor 7-13 record and wound up 9 games back in the race... Not much offense to speak of... The Bucs went deep just 127 times (24th) and batted only .263 (15th) as a team with a 4.12 ERA (28th)... Manager Guy Rondre's best pitcher was Lloyd Weber (19-16 4.01) and his best bats belong to 1B Gerry Fields (.289/24/99), CF Todd Bryant (.282/27/90/102) and second-base whiz Bud Walker, who hit .307 with 7 home runs, 50 RBIs and 105 runs in a very good sophomore season.

Matty Christianson had his Rolling Hills Reds (75-79) really rolling, especially in the first half of the season, but they conked out in the hot days of summer, eventually ending up in the sixth spot in the TU West final standings, 11 games behind... The Reds featured good power with 168 homers (9th-tied) and average bats with a .261 mark... On the hill Rolling Hills compiled a 3.95 ERA (19th) with only one strong starter in Sal Jordan, who improved from a 12-12 mark in his rookie season to 18-13 this year with a standout 2.93 ERA... At the plate Christianson's crew were sparked by 3B Clay Hoffman with a .330 BA, 27 HRs and 82 runs batted in and CF Donnie Lewis with a .331 mark, 9 homers, 66 RBIs and 105 runs... SS Michael Griffin (.250/31/92/79) and RF Manuel Leon (.282/27/87/76) were also good sticks, too.

Tiny Downtown Plaza Stadium continues to give fits to pitchers with its short fences... The Bayview Vikings (67-87) smashed 227 out of the park, the second-best number behind High Mesa's 234, but still finished seventh and 19 games back with a terrible 4.57 team ERA... Walter Johanssen's top performers were long-time star RF Tommy Riddle (.293/46/119/110), fine second-year LF Davey Krueger (.298/39/94/87), slick-fielding sophomore 2B Tommy Shore (.315/19/62/103) and standout 3B Karl Benson (.292/24/90/79)... on the mound Rick Pritchard (15-16 3.54) and Norm Roy (16-17 3.54) were steady and consistent starters.

For the fifth year in the row the La Claire Lynx (63-91) have played below .500 baseball... Rip Calkin's club wound up deep in the cellar 23 games off the pace... The Lynx hit only .248 (28th) with 153 homers (13th), while chalking up a dismal 4.32 ERA (27th)... 40-year-old Doug Lyons had a remarkable season with a 15-12 record and 2.68 ERA... 3B Flash Devlin batted at .323 level to lead the club... Devlin smacked 23 homers, scored 87 times and drove across 82 in a good second year for him.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Triple Crown Award to Cape Coral Ace
Cody Burg of the Cape Coral Hurricanes made history today in the IPA. Burg is the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown. The 32-year-old right-hander led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Burg put up a 25-12 record, an ERA of 2.41, struck out 288 batters and walked only 54 in 310 innings this season. He started 39 times, tossed 12 complete games and held opposing clubs to a .218 average. Without a doubt Burg is the odds-on favorite to capture the Golden Arm Award this year.

Burg, the Hurricanes workhorse and 14-year vet, has led the TU in strikeouts 11 times and ERA 5 times, but this is his first season to top it in victories.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2014

2014 Islandian Pro Alliance Final Individual Statistics

2014 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

2014 Ruthlandian Union Final Pitching Statistics

[Eugene Church]

2014 Tycobbian Union Final Batting Statistics