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Eugene Church · 05-28-2009, 09:49 PM

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 5, 2003

IPA Pro Cup Series Starts Today in Turon

The Islandian Pro Cup Playoffs began with 32 teams and has now been pared down to just two - the powerful Valmara Vipers of the Ruthlandian Union and the surprising Turon Typhoons of the Tycobbian Union. The Vipers, piloted by J. Jackson Samuel, were one of the favorites when the process began, while Turon was just expected to be an also-ran. Valmara won the RU North with a splendid 95-59 record. Only San Alejo won more games with a 96-58 mark in the Tycobbian Union South Division. The Typhoons under manager Ashton "Whitey" Richburn finished in a tie for second place with an 84-70 record. They were 12 games behind the champion Montaneros.

Both managers are glad to see a best-of-five series. They agreed the longer series will favor the better team. Viper manager J. Jackson Samuel said, "The best team doesn't always win in a short best-of-three playoff. I'm hoping next year the IPA will adopt a new playoff policy and make it best-of-five in the early rounds and best-of-seven in the Pro Cup Series. There's a lot of sentiment to move in that direction."

Turon had the tougher task as it had to dispose of Bayview and San Alejo, two division winners, and a very strong Oxford club to claim its slot in the Pro Cup Series. In its postseason quest Valmara had to whip the strong Elnora All-Stars, a division winner, along with Far Mountain and Middlefield.

In the finals, it will be Turon with good pitching and solid defense going up against the power and hitting of Valmara. The Typhoons have had outstanding mound work in the playoffs. Its pitching corps has stopped three of the best hitting teams in the IPA. Will it be enough to get by the potent Valmara Vipers?

How do the two clubs shape up in comparison?
Batting Average: Valmara (.267) Turon (.264)
Runs: Valmara (781) Turon (680)
Home Runs: Valmara (158) Turon (116)
ERA: Valmara (3.43) Turon (3.43)
Home Runs Allowed: Valmara (105) Turon (107)
Field Percentage: Turon (.973) Valmara (.971)
Double Plays: Valmara (161) Turon (146)
Home Record: Valmara (52-25) Turon (47-30)
Away Record: Valmara (43-34) Turon (37-40)
RHP: Valmara (73-43) Turon (49-51)
LHP: Turon (35-19) Valmara (22-16)

On paper, you have have to give the Vipers a decided edge. The Typhoons will be the underdogs as they have been through out the playoffs. That hasn't stopped them yet. Maybe good pitching and good defense does beat good hitting.

Checking out the line-ups:
C: Turon... Trace Crittenden gets the edge over Yoshi Motsuzaki with better power (25 HR to 16) and better defense (.987 to .976 and 31.9% RTO to 28.8%)... Motsuzaki (.282 BA to .261 BA)... Crittenden made the All-Star team in 2002... Motsuzaki was an All-Star in 2001. In the playoffs Motsuzuki is batting .340, scored 11 times and stolen five bases.

1B: Turon... Boots Dubois is a better hitter and better gloveman than Masaichi Okawa... Dubois (.317, 15 HR, 86 RBI, 94 R, 21 SB, .997 FA) to Okawa (.248, 20 HR, 88 RBI, .989 FA)... Dubois was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2002... However, Okawa is hitting .381 in the playoffs with 18 RBIs... Dubois was the Typhoon only .300 batter during the regular campaign.

2B: Valmara... Floyd Vinson (.299 BA, 7 HR, 99 RBI, .971 FA)... Ronnie Mikkelsen (.276 BA, 16 HR, 82 RBI, .976 FA)... Vinson leads the Vipers with a .390 BA in the playoffs.

3B: Even... Valmara's Zoran Belakov (.239 BA, 17 HR, .923 FA)... Turon's Ernie Fletcher (.262 BA, 13 HR, .937 FA)... Fletcher tops the Typhoons with 9 RBIs in the postseason... Belakov has 6.

SS: Valmara... slight edge to Steve Androwski (.271 BA, 20 HR, .961)... over John-Paul Trevenot (.286 BA, 7 HR, .966 FA)... Androwski is batting .326 with 12 RBIs in the postseason.

LF: Valmara... decided edge with Jet Kazmarek (.358 BA, 14 HR, 91 RBI, 117 R, 102 SB, .964 FA, 9 Assists)... over Joe Wheeler (.281 BA, 14 HR, 66 RBI, .947 FA, 9 Assists)... Kazmarek hit a record .428 in 2002... RU MVP and Golden Bat in 2002... set SB mark with 102 this year and 10 thus far in the playoffs... Kazmarek has scored 12 runs.

CF: Valmara... big edge with Jan Szymanski (.262 BA, 28 HR, 80 RBI, 93 R, .979, 5 Assists)... over the Turon tandem Lance Ambrose (.287 BA, 6 HR, .977 FA 2 Assists) and Denny Wilcox (.272 BA, 3 HR, .983 FA, 2 Assists)... Ambrose leads the Typhoons with a .321 average in the playoffs.

RF: Valmara... Val Krol (.288 BA, 17 HR, 79 RBI, .983 FA, 14 Assists)... George Farley (.238 BA, 18 HR, 66 RBI, .972, 15 Assists).

Starters: Turon... Jeb Pickett (17-7 2.64) and James Longstreet (5-4 2.95) get the slight nod over All-Star Danny Blauser (23-11 2.93) and Andre Trepanier (16-13 3.16)... Turon's Scotty Boswell (15-16 3.47) and Valmara's Zarek Zalewski (9-3 3.94) are pretty even in the third starter role. All are righthanders except for Blauser. The Typhoon hitters prefer southpaws, while the Vipers do really well against righthanders.

In the postseason Longstreet (3-0 1.03) and Boswell (3-0 2.86) have excelled, while Pickett (0-2 3.80) has struggled. Blauser (3-0 3.26) and Zalewski (3-0 3.65) have done very well with Trapanier (0-3 3.27) doing well, but not winning.

Bullpen: Even... Typhoon closer Mac Yokum (4-7 2.67) and Viper closer Yanni Wlodarczyk (9-3 2.90) had excellent regular seasons... In the postseason Yokum (0-0 0.00) has been brilliant with 3 saves and has not allowed a run in 9 innings, while Wlodarczyk (2-0 0.79) has been outstanding with 3 saves and two victories.

The experts are going by the book and have overwhelmingly chosen Valmara to capture the Islandian Pro Cup this season to join the previous winners, the Volusia Vigilantes of the Tycobbian Union in 2001 and last year's winner, the High Mesa Cowboys.

Turon skipper Whitey Richburn told BNN, "All I can tell you is me and my little puny boys will be there... play our butts off... and hopefully make all of the experts wrong. You know they have been wrong before. They have yet to pick us in a series this season, but we are still alive and kicking and just three wins away from the Island title. I like my ballclub and I like my chances. We will have to beat a fine team to take the championship, but we already have beaten three fine teams... and we think we can beat another one this time around."
3B020B
Valmara manager J. Jackson Samuel gave his succinct assessment of the series, "If we continue to hit, we will win." The Viper line-up has five hitting over .300 with Vinson leading with a .390 mark. Okawa has a .381 average, Motsuzuki .340, Androwski .326 and Jet Kazmarek at .304. Right behind them are Szymanski and Krol, both batting .295.

05-28-2009, 09:49 PM	#977
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,868	The Islandian Times Sunday, October 5, 2003 IPA Pro Cup Series Starts Today in Turon The Islandian Pro Cup Playoffs began with 32 teams and has now been pared down to just two - the powerful Valmara Vipers of the Ruthlandian Union and the surprising Turon Typhoons of the Tycobbian Union. The Vipers, piloted by J. Jackson Samuel, were one of the favorites when the process began, while Turon was just expected to be an also-ran. Valmara won the RU North with a splendid 95-59 record. Only San Alejo won more games with a 96-58 mark in the Tycobbian Union South Division. The Typhoons under manager Ashton "Whitey" Richburn finished in a tie for second place with an 84-70 record. They were 12 games behind the champion Montaneros. Both managers are glad to see a best-of-five series. They agreed the longer series will favor the better team. Viper manager J. Jackson Samuel said, "The best team doesn't always win in a short best-of-three playoff. I'm hoping next year the IPA will adopt a new playoff policy and make it best-of-five in the early rounds and best-of-seven in the Pro Cup Series. There's a lot of sentiment to move in that direction." Turon had the tougher task as it had to dispose of Bayview and San Alejo, two division winners, and a very strong Oxford club to claim its slot in the Pro Cup Series. In its postseason quest Valmara had to whip the strong Elnora All-Stars, a division winner, along with Far Mountain and Middlefield. In the finals, it will be Turon with good pitching and solid defense going up against the power and hitting of Valmara. The Typhoons have had outstanding mound work in the playoffs. Its pitching corps has stopped three of the best hitting teams in the IPA. Will it be enough to get by the potent Valmara Vipers? How do the two clubs shape up in comparison? Batting Average: Valmara (.267) Turon (.264) Runs: Valmara (781) Turon (680) Home Runs: Valmara (158) Turon (116) ERA: Valmara (3.43) Turon (3.43) Home Runs Allowed: Valmara (105) Turon (107) Field Percentage: Turon (.973) Valmara (.971) Double Plays: Valmara (161) Turon (146) Home Record: Valmara (52-25) Turon (47-30) Away Record: Valmara (43-34) Turon (37-40) RHP: Valmara (73-43) Turon (49-51) LHP: Turon (35-19) Valmara (22-16) On paper, you have have to give the Vipers a decided edge. The Typhoons will be the underdogs as they have been through out the playoffs. That hasn't stopped them yet. Maybe good pitching and good defense does beat good hitting. Checking out the line-ups: C: Turon... Trace Crittenden gets the edge over Yoshi Motsuzaki with better power (25 HR to 16) and better defense (.987 to .976 and 31.9% RTO to 28.8%)... Motsuzaki (.282 BA to .261 BA)... Crittenden made the All-Star team in 2002... Motsuzaki was an All-Star in 2001. In the playoffs Motsuzuki is batting .340, scored 11 times and stolen five bases. 1B: Turon... Boots Dubois is a better hitter and better gloveman than Masaichi Okawa... Dubois (.317, 15 HR, 86 RBI, 94 R, 21 SB, .997 FA) to Okawa (.248, 20 HR, 88 RBI, .989 FA)... Dubois was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2002... However, Okawa is hitting .381 in the playoffs with 18 RBIs... Dubois was the Typhoon only .300 batter during the regular campaign. 2B: Valmara... Floyd Vinson (.299 BA, 7 HR, 99 RBI, .971 FA)... Ronnie Mikkelsen (.276 BA, 16 HR, 82 RBI, .976 FA)... Vinson leads the Vipers with a .390 BA in the playoffs. 3B: Even... Valmara's Zoran Belakov (.239 BA, 17 HR, .923 FA)... Turon's Ernie Fletcher (.262 BA, 13 HR, .937 FA)... Fletcher tops the Typhoons with 9 RBIs in the postseason... Belakov has 6. SS: Valmara... slight edge to Steve Androwski (.271 BA, 20 HR, .961)... over John-Paul Trevenot (.286 BA, 7 HR, .966 FA)... Androwski is batting .326 with 12 RBIs in the postseason. LF: Valmara... decided edge with Jet Kazmarek (.358 BA, 14 HR, 91 RBI, 117 R, 102 SB, .964 FA, 9 Assists)... over Joe Wheeler (.281 BA, 14 HR, 66 RBI, .947 FA, 9 Assists)... Kazmarek hit a record .428 in 2002... RU MVP and Golden Bat in 2002... set SB mark with 102 this year and 10 thus far in the playoffs... Kazmarek has scored 12 runs. CF: Valmara... big edge with Jan Szymanski (.262 BA, 28 HR, 80 RBI, 93 R, .979, 5 Assists)... over the Turon tandem Lance Ambrose (.287 BA, 6 HR, .977 FA 2 Assists) and Denny Wilcox (.272 BA, 3 HR, .983 FA, 2 Assists)... Ambrose leads the Typhoons with a .321 average in the playoffs. RF: Valmara... Val Krol (.288 BA, 17 HR, 79 RBI, .983 FA, 14 Assists)... George Farley (.238 BA, 18 HR, 66 RBI, .972, 15 Assists). Starters: Turon... Jeb Pickett (17-7 2.64) and James Longstreet (5-4 2.95) get the slight nod over All-Star Danny Blauser (23-11 2.93) and Andre Trepanier (16-13 3.16)... Turon's Scotty Boswell (15-16 3.47) and Valmara's Zarek Zalewski (9-3 3.94) are pretty even in the third starter role. All are righthanders except for Blauser. The Typhoon hitters prefer southpaws, while the Vipers do really well against righthanders. In the postseason Longstreet (3-0 1.03) and Boswell (3-0 2.86) have excelled, while Pickett (0-2 3.80) has struggled. Blauser (3-0 3.26) and Zalewski (3-0 3.65) have done very well with Trapanier (0-3 3.27) doing well, but not winning. Bullpen: Even... Typhoon closer Mac Yokum (4-7 2.67) and Viper closer Yanni Wlodarczyk (9-3 2.90) had excellent regular seasons... In the postseason Yokum (0-0 0.00) has been brilliant with 3 saves and has not allowed a run in 9 innings, while Wlodarczyk (2-0 0.79) has been outstanding with 3 saves and two victories. The experts are going by the book and have overwhelmingly chosen Valmara to capture the Islandian Pro Cup this season to join the previous winners, the Volusia Vigilantes of the Tycobbian Union in 2001 and last year's winner, the High Mesa Cowboys. Turon skipper Whitey Richburn told BNN, "All I can tell you is me and my little puny boys will be there... play our butts off... and hopefully make all of the experts wrong. You know they have been wrong before. They have yet to pick us in a series this season, but we are still alive and kicking and just three wins away from the Island title. I like my ballclub and I like my chances. We will have to beat a fine team to take the championship, but we already have beaten three fine teams... and we think we can beat another one this time around." 3B020B Valmara manager J. Jackson Samuel gave his succinct assessment of the series, "If we continue to hit, we will win." The Viper line-up has five hitting over .300 with Vinson leading with a .390 mark. Okawa has a .381 average, Motsuzuki .340, Androwski .326 and Jet Kazmarek at .304. Right behind them are Szymanski and Krol, both batting .295. Last edited by Eugene Church; 03-01-2022 at 09:01 PM.