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Eugene Church · 07-06-2009, 05:42 PM

The Islandian Times

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Roosters and Rovers Tied For First In RU West At All-Star Game
The Sligo Rovers have surged out of nowhere to make a serious challenge in the Ruthlandian Union West pennant chase. The Rovers with Eddie Keys in charge are tied with the Middlefield Roosters at the All-Star break.

Middlefield, Volusia, Colfax and Forest City were all rated higher than Sligo in the BNN preseason poll. The Rovers were ranked as the fifth-best club. However, great pitching can do wonders for a team. The Sligo starters and relievers have really excelled this season with an overall 2.97 ERA. In addition Keys crew has the best team batting average (.264).

Still Smitty Michaels Middlefield Roosters (45-28) have stayed right with the Rovers. The Roosters also have an elite mound corps (3.25 ERA) with All-Star LHP Jamie Hicks (9-6 2.47), LHP Denny Yarrow (10-4 3.71), Ross Jacobs (6-2 2.42), Don Shaw (5-2 3.06), Joshua Jackson (8-6 3.26) and closer Dave Webb (4-1 3.12), who has a league high 14 saves in 33 appearances.

While several Roosters are suffering subpar seasons, nonetheless Michaels team has been able to put enough runs on the board to more than get by. They lead the division in scoring (348 runs) and in homers (80), both by wide margins. All-Star RF Bailey Norcross (.308/18 HR/42 RBI/54 R/21 SB) leads the way, helped out by LF Cecil Clark (.294/11 HR/33 R/40 R) and rookie 2B Timmy Gage (.266/5 HR/30 RBI/44 R). Middlefield needs CF Ty DeWitt (.232/15 HR/54 RBI/44 R), 1B Allen Ludlow (.221/11 HR/43 RBI) and 3B Lowell Satterwhite (.261/7 HR/22 RBI) to pick it up in the second half.

The Sligo Rovers (45-28) staff has been magnificent in the first half of the season, sparked by Vern Vidmar (10-5 2.95), Jake Beneke (8-4 2.70), Al Bukowski (3.72), Colin McGrath (6-7 2.70) and closer Razzy Raziano (9-3 2.57) with 14 saves and 34 game appearances.

Keys' key hitters are LF Lefty Roberts (.292/16 HR/47 RBI/42 R), 3B Rusty Ellis (.313/2 HR/27 RBI/45 R/17 SB), 2B Jeff Richey (.317/3 HR/27 RBI/39 R/14 SB), RF Danny O'Shea (.270/9 HR/34 RBI/34 R) and SS Hollis Waldrup (.317/5 HR/21 RBI/33 R/17 SB), who has filled in for the injured Jack Wozniak. Key has a tough decision to make as Wozniak is scheduled to come off the DL in a week. Wozniak is a much better fielder than Waldrup. The Rovers have really missed the big bat of 1B Shane Redford, who hit .341 last year and is down to a paltry .248 thus far this year.

The preseason favorite, the Volusia Vigilantes (39-34), are holding down the third spot in the RU West, even with the Stoner Stars. Skipper Alfonso Feliz is shackled by a lack of home run power, a chronic problem for the V's. In spite of this, his team has stayed close and trail by 6 games. Feliz's pitching is still top quality, but not as deep as he would like in the starting rotation.

Heading up the Volusia staff is the outstanding southpaw Carl Schmitz (11-5 2.15). Slick and steady lefthander Raul Sandoval (8-9 3.06) has pitched better than his record indicates, while Ricky Moreno (8-6 4.13) is having a down year. Feliz will move rookie Todd Wolfe (1-0 1.71) and Tommy Betanzos (1-1 3.10) into the #4 spot in the rotation in effort to get more consistency there. Hank Massey (4-3 6.48) and LHP Lenny Collins (2-4 4.55) have fallen flat in that role. As always, closer Hernando Espaderos (3-3 2.89) continues to do his job well in the bullpen. Espaderos has 14 saves and has been in 31 games.

Offensively the Vigilantes top bats are LF Briscoe Crowder (.281/5 HR/43 RBI/45 R/12 SB), SS Scooter Perez (.303/2 HR/16 RBI/54 R/32 SB), CF Ryan Raines (.283/7 HR/36 RBI/34 R/20 SB) and newly-acquired catcher Charlie Hardesty (.254/6 HR/46 RBI). Hardesty came in a trade during the offseason from Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian Union. While not hitting for average, Hardesty leads the club in RBIs. Feliz is abandoning his platoon experiment at first base and is returning Francisco Abreu (.287/5 HR/21 RBI) back to full-time. Ruben De Andres has hit only .211 with no homers splitting time with Abreu.

The Stoner Stars (39-34) were expected to be an improved team this season and have done better than the forecast fifth in the preseason poll. Manager Willie Dickens ballclub is playing better than their stats show. Batting-wise the Stars are only average (.254) and pitching-wise are below average (3.90 ERA). Defensively they are a little below average (.971). Yet they are tied for third place at the halfway mark in the season, 5 games over .500. Ironically, the Stars have no stars, but must be doing something right. Unfortunately Dickens lost his top pitcher Dwight Ruckman for 6-7 weeks with a rotator problem. This could ruin Stoner's season. It is a huge loss.

Dickens has completely restructured his mound staff. The Stars will depend on Dave Pierre (4-1 2.28), Kelly Schaefer (1-0 2.33), newly-signed rookie Lynn Woodcock and rookie Jay Whatley (3-4 3.96) to take up the slack for Ruckman (8-6 3.64). In the bullpen Stoner is blessed with LHP Tony Hatch (5-2 2.61), a standout closer with a TU-leading 16 saves. Hatch has made 35 relief appearances.

Dickens' offense is paced by All-Star C Benny Stern (.305/14 HR/53 RBI), SS Yancy Bellows (.288/2 HR/30 RBI/41 R), RF Dutch Rheinecker (.267/11 HR/38 RBI) and CF Rob Preiss (.272/4 HR/16 RBI/40 R). LF Jalen Nolte (.221/12 HR/40) has not played up to expectations this year. He will have to step it up, if Stoner expects to remain high in the standings.

The Forest City Lumberjacks (36-37) are in the fifth spot in the RU West standings, 9 games behind, about where they were predicted to be. Manager Rob Jackson is stymied by lousy pitching (4.21 ERA) with no real help in sight. Only a great season by All-Star pitcher Timmy Brooks (13-5 2.55) has kept the 'Jacks from falling totally out of the race. Brooks is tied with Denny Coulon (13-5 2.27) of Bay St. Clair and Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) of Bayview for the most victories in the IPA. Look for the Lumberjacks to take a big fall this season.

At bat Jackson's team is only average (.259 BA). Pacing Forest City is All-Star SS Bill Nilsen (.303/15 HR/62 RBI/53 R), RF Chuck Hill (.267/8 HR/40 RBI), CF Ryan Morse (.301/5 HR/28 RBI/45 R), 1B J. T. Edmonds (.283/6 HR/33 RBI) and part-time LF Dave Jagger (.333/5 HR/24 RBI/27 R) in 55 games. Jagger will take over full-time in left field.

Pitching for the Rocky Rapids Snappers (35-38) has been abysmal this season. The Snappers are sixth in the standings, 10 games back. Manager Ryan Noland is lucky his team is not deep in the cellar, considering its 4.33 ERA, just about the worst in the entire IPA. Only the Kenwood Wildcats (4.48 ERA) and Blue Lake Blue Sox (4.48 ERA) of the Tyrobbian Union rank lower.

Even normally-reliable pitchers like Kirk Beckmann (8-6 4.05) and Ben Mashburn (7-8 4.18) have fallen on hard times and have ERAs above 4.00. Noland revamped his pitching rotation by signing three free agents. One will be his closer, while the other two will be #5 starters. The newcomers will make or break the Snappers season.

At the plate the Snappers can hold their own in the division with a .258 batting average (5th) and 338 runs scored (2nd). 1B Stan Haddix (.333/5 HR/51 RBI/41 R) is having an outstanding year and made the All-Star team. SS Cooter Bermudez (.319/4 HR/25 RBI/42 R/14 SB), picked up in a trade with San Alejo, has been superb at bat and in the field. CF Terry Hecht (.294/6 HR/27 RBI/45 R/14 SB) has wielded a good bat and glove, too. Rocky Rapids leads the TU with a .982 fielding percentage, third-best in the IPA. Only South Fork (.984) and Fairfax (.983) of the Tycobbian Union are better.

It has not been a happy season for the Colfax Blasters (34-39) and manager Clem Rogers. The preseason experts rated the Blasters the number three team in the RU West. At the midpoint in the year they are nowhere near that. Colfax is resting in seventh place, 11 games off the pace. However, a good second half would make it possible to finish as high as third. The Blasters are only 5 games behind Stoner and Volusia, but they are not likely to overtake them. Rogers' team is better than they have looked in the first half of the year.

Rogers has solid starters in LHP Harry Manning (9-5 2.88), Jasper LaForge (7-8 3.04) and Flash Guidry (6-3 3.26). He just needs to find a fourth starter. In the bullpen Colfax has one of the best in the IPA in Daric Jacoby (5-5 1.95). Rogers' middle relief corps needs to improve to move up in the race. Fair would be the best rating you could give them this season.

Colfax has been adequate with the bats, sparked by All-Star 1B Dennis Cole (.286/14 HR/42 RI/51 R), 3B Neely Keeton (.270/8 HR/33 RBI/39 R) and rookie CF Lujan Malanowski (.275/3 HR/39 RBI/43 R).

Last and just about the least in the IPA are the hapless Fort Benton Defenders (29-44). Not a whole lot of good things to say about Robbie Brooks ballclub. The Defenders are in last place, 16 games out of first and headed nowhere. This could be the third straight year in the cellar for them.

Brooks' best pitchers are rookie Armando Vega (6-5 3.94), Leroy Hill (3-3 2.93) and his closer Tom Chiarra (3-2 3.31) with 10 saves in 31 relief appearances.

Fort Benton doesn't boast many good hitters. The best it has to offer is C Irvin Small (.258/14 HR/40 RBI), LF Carl McCord (.271/8 HR/31 RBI/41 R/11 SB) and 3B Bill Mingan (.284/4 HR/29 RBI).

07-06-2009, 05:42 PM	#1102
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	The Islandian Times Wednesday, June 23, 2004 Roosters and Rovers Tied For First In RU West At All-Star Game The Sligo Rovers have surged out of nowhere to make a serious challenge in the Ruthlandian Union West pennant chase. The Rovers with Eddie Keys in charge are tied with the Middlefield Roosters at the All-Star break. Middlefield, Volusia, Colfax and Forest City were all rated higher than Sligo in the BNN preseason poll. The Rovers were ranked as the fifth-best club. However, great pitching can do wonders for a team. The Sligo starters and relievers have really excelled this season with an overall 2.97 ERA. In addition Keys crew has the best team batting average (.264). Still Smitty Michaels Middlefield Roosters (45-28) have stayed right with the Rovers. The Roosters also have an elite mound corps (3.25 ERA) with All-Star LHP Jamie Hicks (9-6 2.47), LHP Denny Yarrow (10-4 3.71), Ross Jacobs (6-2 2.42), Don Shaw (5-2 3.06), Joshua Jackson (8-6 3.26) and closer Dave Webb (4-1 3.12), who has a league high 14 saves in 33 appearances. While several Roosters are suffering subpar seasons, nonetheless Michaels team has been able to put enough runs on the board to more than get by. They lead the division in scoring (348 runs) and in homers (80), both by wide margins. All-Star RF Bailey Norcross (.308/18 HR/42 RBI/54 R/21 SB) leads the way, helped out by LF Cecil Clark (.294/11 HR/33 R/40 R) and rookie 2B Timmy Gage (.266/5 HR/30 RBI/44 R). Middlefield needs CF Ty DeWitt (.232/15 HR/54 RBI/44 R), 1B Allen Ludlow (.221/11 HR/43 RBI) and 3B Lowell Satterwhite (.261/7 HR/22 RBI) to pick it up in the second half. The Sligo Rovers (45-28) staff has been magnificent in the first half of the season, sparked by Vern Vidmar (10-5 2.95), Jake Beneke (8-4 2.70), Al Bukowski (3.72), Colin McGrath (6-7 2.70) and closer Razzy Raziano (9-3 2.57) with 14 saves and 34 game appearances. Keys' key hitters are LF Lefty Roberts (.292/16 HR/47 RBI/42 R), 3B Rusty Ellis (.313/2 HR/27 RBI/45 R/17 SB), 2B Jeff Richey (.317/3 HR/27 RBI/39 R/14 SB), RF Danny O'Shea (.270/9 HR/34 RBI/34 R) and SS Hollis Waldrup (.317/5 HR/21 RBI/33 R/17 SB), who has filled in for the injured Jack Wozniak. Key has a tough decision to make as Wozniak is scheduled to come off the DL in a week. Wozniak is a much better fielder than Waldrup. The Rovers have really missed the big bat of 1B Shane Redford, who hit .341 last year and is down to a paltry .248 thus far this year. The preseason favorite, the Volusia Vigilantes (39-34), are holding down the third spot in the RU West, even with the Stoner Stars. Skipper Alfonso Feliz is shackled by a lack of home run power, a chronic problem for the V's. In spite of this, his team has stayed close and trail by 6 games. Feliz's pitching is still top quality, but not as deep as he would like in the starting rotation. Heading up the Volusia staff is the outstanding southpaw Carl Schmitz (11-5 2.15). Slick and steady lefthander Raul Sandoval (8-9 3.06) has pitched better than his record indicates, while Ricky Moreno (8-6 4.13) is having a down year. Feliz will move rookie Todd Wolfe (1-0 1.71) and Tommy Betanzos (1-1 3.10) into the #4 spot in the rotation in effort to get more consistency there. Hank Massey (4-3 6.48) and LHP Lenny Collins (2-4 4.55) have fallen flat in that role. As always, closer Hernando Espaderos (3-3 2.89) continues to do his job well in the bullpen. Espaderos has 14 saves and has been in 31 games. Offensively the Vigilantes top bats are LF Briscoe Crowder (.281/5 HR/43 RBI/45 R/12 SB), SS Scooter Perez (.303/2 HR/16 RBI/54 R/32 SB), CF Ryan Raines (.283/7 HR/36 RBI/34 R/20 SB) and newly-acquired catcher Charlie Hardesty (.254/6 HR/46 RBI). Hardesty came in a trade during the offseason from Tuckanarra of the Tycobbian Union. While not hitting for average, Hardesty leads the club in RBIs. Feliz is abandoning his platoon experiment at first base and is returning Francisco Abreu (.287/5 HR/21 RBI) back to full-time. Ruben De Andres has hit only .211 with no homers splitting time with Abreu. The Stoner Stars (39-34) were expected to be an improved team this season and have done better than the forecast fifth in the preseason poll. Manager Willie Dickens ballclub is playing better than their stats show. Batting-wise the Stars are only average (.254) and pitching-wise are below average (3.90 ERA). Defensively they are a little below average (.971). Yet they are tied for third place at the halfway mark in the season, 5 games over .500. Ironically, the Stars have no stars, but must be doing something right. Unfortunately Dickens lost his top pitcher Dwight Ruckman for 6-7 weeks with a rotator problem. This could ruin Stoner's season. It is a huge loss. Dickens has completely restructured his mound staff. The Stars will depend on Dave Pierre (4-1 2.28), Kelly Schaefer (1-0 2.33), newly-signed rookie Lynn Woodcock and rookie Jay Whatley (3-4 3.96) to take up the slack for Ruckman (8-6 3.64). In the bullpen Stoner is blessed with LHP Tony Hatch (5-2 2.61), a standout closer with a TU-leading 16 saves. Hatch has made 35 relief appearances. Dickens' offense is paced by All-Star C Benny Stern (.305/14 HR/53 RBI), SS Yancy Bellows (.288/2 HR/30 RBI/41 R), RF Dutch Rheinecker (.267/11 HR/38 RBI) and CF Rob Preiss (.272/4 HR/16 RBI/40 R). LF Jalen Nolte (.221/12 HR/40) has not played up to expectations this year. He will have to step it up, if Stoner expects to remain high in the standings. The Forest City Lumberjacks (36-37) are in the fifth spot in the RU West standings, 9 games behind, about where they were predicted to be. Manager Rob Jackson is stymied by lousy pitching (4.21 ERA) with no real help in sight. Only a great season by All-Star pitcher Timmy Brooks (13-5 2.55) has kept the 'Jacks from falling totally out of the race. Brooks is tied with Denny Coulon (13-5 2.27) of Bay St. Clair and Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) of Bayview for the most victories in the IPA. Look for the Lumberjacks to take a big fall this season. At bat Jackson's team is only average (.259 BA). Pacing Forest City is All-Star SS Bill Nilsen (.303/15 HR/62 RBI/53 R), RF Chuck Hill (.267/8 HR/40 RBI), CF Ryan Morse (.301/5 HR/28 RBI/45 R), 1B J. T. Edmonds (.283/6 HR/33 RBI) and part-time LF Dave Jagger (.333/5 HR/24 RBI/27 R) in 55 games. Jagger will take over full-time in left field. Pitching for the Rocky Rapids Snappers (35-38) has been abysmal this season. The Snappers are sixth in the standings, 10 games back. Manager Ryan Noland is lucky his team is not deep in the cellar, considering its 4.33 ERA, just about the worst in the entire IPA. Only the Kenwood Wildcats (4.48 ERA) and Blue Lake Blue Sox (4.48 ERA) of the Tyrobbian Union rank lower. Even normally-reliable pitchers like Kirk Beckmann (8-6 4.05) and Ben Mashburn (7-8 4.18) have fallen on hard times and have ERAs above 4.00. Noland revamped his pitching rotation by signing three free agents. One will be his closer, while the other two will be #5 starters. The newcomers will make or break the Snappers season. At the plate the Snappers can hold their own in the division with a .258 batting average (5th) and 338 runs scored (2nd). 1B Stan Haddix (.333/5 HR/51 RBI/41 R) is having an outstanding year and made the All-Star team. SS Cooter Bermudez (.319/4 HR/25 RBI/42 R/14 SB), picked up in a trade with San Alejo, has been superb at bat and in the field. CF Terry Hecht (.294/6 HR/27 RBI/45 R/14 SB) has wielded a good bat and glove, too. Rocky Rapids leads the TU with a .982 fielding percentage, third-best in the IPA. Only South Fork (.984) and Fairfax (.983) of the Tycobbian Union are better. It has not been a happy season for the Colfax Blasters (34-39) and manager Clem Rogers. The preseason experts rated the Blasters the number three team in the RU West. At the midpoint in the year they are nowhere near that. Colfax is resting in seventh place, 11 games off the pace. However, a good second half would make it possible to finish as high as third. The Blasters are only 5 games behind Stoner and Volusia, but they are not likely to overtake them. Rogers' team is better than they have looked in the first half of the year. Rogers has solid starters in LHP Harry Manning (9-5 2.88), Jasper LaForge (7-8 3.04) and Flash Guidry (6-3 3.26). He just needs to find a fourth starter. In the bullpen Colfax has one of the best in the IPA in Daric Jacoby (5-5 1.95). Rogers' middle relief corps needs to improve to move up in the race. Fair would be the best rating you could give them this season. Colfax has been adequate with the bats, sparked by All-Star 1B Dennis Cole (.286/14 HR/42 RI/51 R), 3B Neely Keeton (.270/8 HR/33 RBI/39 R) and rookie CF Lujan Malanowski (.275/3 HR/39 RBI/43 R). Last and just about the least in the IPA are the hapless Fort Benton Defenders (29-44). Not a whole lot of good things to say about Robbie Brooks ballclub. The Defenders are in last place, 16 games out of first and headed nowhere. This could be the third straight year in the cellar for them. Brooks' best pitchers are rookie Armando Vega (6-5 3.94), Leroy Hill (3-3 2.93) and his closer Tom Chiarra (3-2 3.31) with 10 saves in 31 relief appearances. Fort Benton doesn't boast many good hitters. The best it has to offer is C Irvin Small (.258/14 HR/40 RBI), LF Carl McCord (.271/8 HR/31 RBI/41 R/11 SB) and 3B Bill Mingan (.284/4 HR/29 RBI).