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Eugene Church · 07-10-2009, 06:21 PM

The Islandian Times

Thursday, June 24, 2004

Bayview Best In TU West, Vikings Have 4-Game Lead Over Rolling Hills Reds
What a season it has been for the Bayview Vikings. They were the number one choice to take the division flag and they are proving their meddle. Walter Johanssen's Vikings have a 4-game bulge at the season's halfway point in the Tycobbian Union West over the Rolling Hills Reds, 7 games over third place Denton City and 10 up on fourth place Bay St. Clair.

The standings remarkably mirrors the BNN preseason poll. The only deviation is Bay St. Clair is fourth and La Claire is fifth. They flipped-flopped in the poll. Otherwise the pollsters were perfect in their picks.

The Bayview Vikings (47-26) are the defending champs in the TU West with the second-best record in the IPA. Only Oxford of the TU North have won more games. Johanssen's Viks dominate the division offensively with a .271 batting average, 72 homers and 375 runs. Pitching-wise they hold their own, ranking third with a 3.49 ERA. However, Bayview is last in fielding with a .972 FA.

Johanssen says he has the best job in the IPA. "I got four All-Stars, who make my job a breeze. Who couldn't win with the players I have." Bayview's success is sparked by 2-time All-Star CF Phil Kanaan (.316/13 HR/52 RBI/64 R/15 SB), 2-time All-Star C Hank Bethel (.313/16 HR/49 RBI/35 R), 3B James Scott (.316/5 HR/42 RBI), 2-time All-Star 2B Alan Hansen (.310/0 HR/21 RBI/66 R/23 SB) and RF Karl Yashin (.270/9 HR/38 RBI).

Johanssen, himself a great HOF pitcher in amateur circles, has forged a good pitching staff, too. 3-time All-Star Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) is having a career year thus far. Other solid starters are Frank Wells (8-3 3.38) and rookie Georgie Fambreau (4-0 3.09). Bayview is on top of the division despite Adrian Strom's (5-9 5.13) dire troubles. Strom was 24-5 last season with a 3.44 ERA. He has been shipped to the bullpen to sort things out. In the bullpen is closer Terry Banks (7-4 3.08) with 13 saves and 40 relief appearances.

Another great HOF pitcher, Matty Christianson, is in charge of the Rolling Hills Reds (43-32). Christianson has his club running neck-and-neck with torrid Bayview and he is doing it with a blend of fine pitching and good hitting.

The Reds have the best starting rotation in the division. It has compiled a strong 3.20 ERA and ranks number one in that category. All-Star Keith Greenwood (11-2 2.65) has been superb this season with some help from Hoyt Paulsen (5-0 2.73), Pete Brenneman (4-3 2.14) and Roger Davidson (7-7 3.31). Christianson has excellent middle relievers and an adequate closer in LHP Stephen Faccaro (5-8 3.55), who has 14 saves and has made 38 relief appearances. Spearheading the Reds attack are RF Theron Latigo (.292/10 HR/58 RBI/42 R/11SB), 1B Eddy Dowler (.302/8 HR/30 RBI/44 R) and CF Willie Mays Nixon (.258/7 HR/37 RBI/42 R/13 SB)

Ford Whiteman has the Denton City Redbirds (40-33) in the running for a playoff spot in the TU West. The Redbirds are seven games behind Bayview, but only three games away from the second place Reds. Whiteman's main strength is his offense. Denton City is third in batting with a .261 team average, second in roundtrippers with 67 and third in runs scored with 346. Leading the Redbirds attack is their sensational All-Star 1B Rod MacCormack (.335/15 HR/58 RBI/51 R), hard-hitting 3B Jay Petit (.347/8 HR/47 RBI) and solid RF Lavon Gooch (.281/13 HR/42 RBI/52 R).

On the hill Whiteman could use some help as Denton City is a little below average with a 3.88 team ERA (7th). Whiteman has three fairly good starters in Gino Carmazzo (8-5 3.32), Roger Ramsey (7-2 3.52) and LHP James Darbonne (4-3 3.25). The Redbirds have an excellent closer in LHP Bubba Lear (3-2 2.29) with 13 saves in 36 games. Former mainstays of his staff, Bob Coleman (7-10 5.69) and Joe Hoffman (7-7 4.46) have been sent to the bullpen in hopes of getting straightened out. Burton McGarrick (2-2 2.19) and LHP Daniel Fitzmorris (0-0 3.21) will take their spots in the starting rotation and will be crucial to Denton City's playoff aspirations. McGarrick and Fitzmorris pitched well in middle relief in the first half of the season. Together they made 43 game appearances. McGarrick made 5 starts and 22 relief appearances, while Fitzmorris relieved in 16 games.

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (37-36) don't appear to have the talent to compete with the top three teams in the division. The Bucs are number two in batting with a .265 average, but that is misleading. They are 5th in runs scored with 317 and last in home runs with only 34. Manager Guy Rondre's team is also fifth in pitching with a 3.68 ERA.

Bay St. Clair's best batters are contact hitters with not much power. Topping the
Buccaneers are 3B Eddie Albrecht (.305/9 HR/46 RBI/41 R), C Jake Singleton (.331/1 HR/37 RBI) and LF Stan Denton (.353/0 HR/29 RBI/36 R).

Rondre has an All-Star hurler in Denny Coulon (13-5 2.27), who is tied for the most victories in the IPA with Bayview's Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) and Forest City's Timmy Brooks (13-5 2.55). Coulon has the fifth-best ERA. Duncan McFalls (7-6 3.36) has done a credible job in the rotation, while southpaw Norm Gross (3-3 1.91) seems to have found his niche in the bullpen. The Buc closer has 13 saves and a fantastic 1.91 ERA in 34 appearances.

Rip Calkin's La Claire Lynx (36-37) have made good strides this season and have almost reached the .500 mark. But they are a fourth or fifth place team at best. Calkin's club suffers from a lack of hitting and power. They are sixth with a .254 BA, seventh in home runs with just 39 and next-to-last in runs with only 284. One of his hopes for the future, shortstop Kevin English, has been a gigantic failure. English, an All-Star in 2003 for Arroyo Grande, has batted a Mendoza-like .201 so far this year for the Lynx. English batted .319 last season.

Thank goodness Calkin has two very strong starters in All-Star Jim Melanakos (10-3 2.52) and Munoto Kishata (10-7 3.09). They give La Claire a fighting chance in each series. Melanakos came from Oxford in a 3-for-1 trade for 1B Kenny Jablonski in April. One of the other players, 1B Lavon England (.299/4 HR/26 RBI/37 R/19 SB) has performed well offensively and defensively (.993 FA). So it has been a great trade for Calkin.

At the plate RF Lucky Collins (.282/8 HR/41 RBI/43 R/12 SB) and 2B Dirk Lindahl (.303/4 HR/25 RBI/24 R) have been the Lynx's top performers.

Not much good to say about the sixth place Kenwood Wildcats (34-39). Seventh in hitting (.245), sixth in homers (46) and last in pitching (4.48 ERA). Statistically they are the worst in the division.

It sure must be tough on manager Aaron Hankins, one of the greatest home run hitter in industrial league history. Hammerin' Hankins hit more homers than anyone in the amateur leagues. But they are not any help at all to him now. Hankins used hit more homers in a week than his team does in a month. His best batters are CF Teddy Mays (.308/9 HR/35 RBI/36 R/11 SB), SS Ned Chamberlain (.297/4 HR/26 RBI/32 R/10 SB) and LF Sassy Garfield (.250/7 HR/43 RBI/36 R/13 SB). Quite pale compared to the top teams in the TU West.

Not any better in the pitching department, either. The Wildcats have a good closer in Aydan Havilland (3-3 3.09) with 14 saves in 36 games. They have only one decent starter in Pedro Acosta (4-5 3.41). Beyond that, Hankins has two inconsistent lefties, Johnny McBee (9-8 4.31) and Lou Phillips (7-6 4.25). Kenwood is doing what a lot of teams are doing at the mid-point in the year, sign pitcher in wholesale numbers. Hankins just added three new rookies to his roster.

This season the seventh place Chicopee Braves (33-40) are an improved ballclub, mainly due to it solid pitching corps. The Braves are ranked second with a 3.47 team ERA, topped only by Rolling Hills with a splendid 3.20 ERA. However, mananger Harry Fleetfoot's batting order is woefully inadequate. Chicopee is averaging .260 (4th-tied), has 60 homers (4th), but is last in runs with just 277. Not a recipe for success. But the Braves can run and catch the ball and lead the TU West with a .978 FA.

Fleetfoot's top hitters are 1B Patrick Patamon (.263/6 HR/36 RBI), RF Orville Butler (.246/14 HR/33 RBI) and SS Ben McClendon (.286/8 HR/31 RBI).

Chicopee has two quality starters in Alan Goodwin (7-6 3.17) and Little Jake Liwanu (6-5 3.20). Fleetfoot has a standout closer in Desmond Quartermain (3-1 2.70), who has made 35 appearances with 11 saves. With its excellent pitching, the Braves could sneak past La Claire and definitely surpass Kenwood in the second half.

The last place Arlon Champions (30-43) are similar to Chicopee. The Champs have pretty fair pitching, ranked fourth with a 3.56 ERA, but absolutely no offense. Skipper Gary Louis' team is batting a dreadful .230, 63rd out of the 64 clubs in the IPA. Only the Eastshore Elegants (.229) of the RU East are worse.

You are in trouble when the best hitter you have on your roster is batting just .274. Arlon's top batters are LF Matt Merrill (.274/10 HR/33 RBI/41 R), CF Steve Barnett (.273/8 HR/31 RBI/45 R) and C Smoke Zakharov (.252/10 Hr/43 RBI).

Louis' top twirlers are rookie Jose Gonzales (6-5 2.47) and bullpen ace Stanley Ross (5-5 2.79), who has 6 saves in 32 games.

07-10-2009, 06:21 PM	#1110
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,877	The Islandian Times Thursday, June 24, 2004 Bayview Best In TU West, Vikings Have 4-Game Lead Over Rolling Hills Reds What a season it has been for the Bayview Vikings. They were the number one choice to take the division flag and they are proving their meddle. Walter Johanssen's Vikings have a 4-game bulge at the season's halfway point in the Tycobbian Union West over the Rolling Hills Reds, 7 games over third place Denton City and 10 up on fourth place Bay St. Clair. The standings remarkably mirrors the BNN preseason poll. The only deviation is Bay St. Clair is fourth and La Claire is fifth. They flipped-flopped in the poll. Otherwise the pollsters were perfect in their picks. The Bayview Vikings (47-26) are the defending champs in the TU West with the second-best record in the IPA. Only Oxford of the TU North have won more games. Johanssen's Viks dominate the division offensively with a .271 batting average, 72 homers and 375 runs. Pitching-wise they hold their own, ranking third with a 3.49 ERA. However, Bayview is last in fielding with a .972 FA. Johanssen says he has the best job in the IPA. "I got four All-Stars, who make my job a breeze. Who couldn't win with the players I have." Bayview's success is sparked by 2-time All-Star CF Phil Kanaan (.316/13 HR/52 RBI/64 R/15 SB), 2-time All-Star C Hank Bethel (.313/16 HR/49 RBI/35 R), 3B James Scott (.316/5 HR/42 RBI), 2-time All-Star 2B Alan Hansen (.310/0 HR/21 RBI/66 R/23 SB) and RF Karl Yashin (.270/9 HR/38 RBI). Johanssen, himself a great HOF pitcher in amateur circles, has forged a good pitching staff, too. 3-time All-Star Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) is having a career year thus far. Other solid starters are Frank Wells (8-3 3.38) and rookie Georgie Fambreau (4-0 3.09). Bayview is on top of the division despite Adrian Strom's (5-9 5.13) dire troubles. Strom was 24-5 last season with a 3.44 ERA. He has been shipped to the bullpen to sort things out. In the bullpen is closer Terry Banks (7-4 3.08) with 13 saves and 40 relief appearances. Another great HOF pitcher, Matty Christianson, is in charge of the Rolling Hills Reds (43-32). Christianson has his club running neck-and-neck with torrid Bayview and he is doing it with a blend of fine pitching and good hitting. The Reds have the best starting rotation in the division. It has compiled a strong 3.20 ERA and ranks number one in that category. All-Star Keith Greenwood (11-2 2.65) has been superb this season with some help from Hoyt Paulsen (5-0 2.73), Pete Brenneman (4-3 2.14) and Roger Davidson (7-7 3.31). Christianson has excellent middle relievers and an adequate closer in LHP Stephen Faccaro (5-8 3.55), who has 14 saves and has made 38 relief appearances. Spearheading the Reds attack are RF Theron Latigo (.292/10 HR/58 RBI/42 R/11SB), 1B Eddy Dowler (.302/8 HR/30 RBI/44 R) and CF Willie Mays Nixon (.258/7 HR/37 RBI/42 R/13 SB) Ford Whiteman has the Denton City Redbirds (40-33) in the running for a playoff spot in the TU West. The Redbirds are seven games behind Bayview, but only three games away from the second place Reds. Whiteman's main strength is his offense. Denton City is third in batting with a .261 team average, second in roundtrippers with 67 and third in runs scored with 346. Leading the Redbirds attack is their sensational All-Star 1B Rod MacCormack (.335/15 HR/58 RBI/51 R), hard-hitting 3B Jay Petit (.347/8 HR/47 RBI) and solid RF Lavon Gooch (.281/13 HR/42 RBI/52 R). On the hill Whiteman could use some help as Denton City is a little below average with a 3.88 team ERA (7th). Whiteman has three fairly good starters in Gino Carmazzo (8-5 3.32), Roger Ramsey (7-2 3.52) and LHP James Darbonne (4-3 3.25). The Redbirds have an excellent closer in LHP Bubba Lear (3-2 2.29) with 13 saves in 36 games. Former mainstays of his staff, Bob Coleman (7-10 5.69) and Joe Hoffman (7-7 4.46) have been sent to the bullpen in hopes of getting straightened out. Burton McGarrick (2-2 2.19) and LHP Daniel Fitzmorris (0-0 3.21) will take their spots in the starting rotation and will be crucial to Denton City's playoff aspirations. McGarrick and Fitzmorris pitched well in middle relief in the first half of the season. Together they made 43 game appearances. McGarrick made 5 starts and 22 relief appearances, while Fitzmorris relieved in 16 games. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (37-36) don't appear to have the talent to compete with the top three teams in the division. The Bucs are number two in batting with a .265 average, but that is misleading. They are 5th in runs scored with 317 and last in home runs with only 34. Manager Guy Rondre's team is also fifth in pitching with a 3.68 ERA. Bay St. Clair's best batters are contact hitters with not much power. Topping the Buccaneers are 3B Eddie Albrecht (.305/9 HR/46 RBI/41 R), C Jake Singleton (.331/1 HR/37 RBI) and LF Stan Denton (.353/0 HR/29 RBI/36 R). Rondre has an All-Star hurler in Denny Coulon (13-5 2.27), who is tied for the most victories in the IPA with Bayview's Jerry Harrison (13-4 2.83) and Forest City's Timmy Brooks (13-5 2.55). Coulon has the fifth-best ERA. Duncan McFalls (7-6 3.36) has done a credible job in the rotation, while southpaw Norm Gross (3-3 1.91) seems to have found his niche in the bullpen. The Buc closer has 13 saves and a fantastic 1.91 ERA in 34 appearances. Rip Calkin's La Claire Lynx (36-37) have made good strides this season and have almost reached the .500 mark. But they are a fourth or fifth place team at best. Calkin's club suffers from a lack of hitting and power. They are sixth with a .254 BA, seventh in home runs with just 39 and next-to-last in runs with only 284. One of his hopes for the future, shortstop Kevin English, has been a gigantic failure. English, an All-Star in 2003 for Arroyo Grande, has batted a Mendoza-like .201 so far this year for the Lynx. English batted .319 last season. Thank goodness Calkin has two very strong starters in All-Star Jim Melanakos (10-3 2.52) and Munoto Kishata (10-7 3.09). They give La Claire a fighting chance in each series. Melanakos came from Oxford in a 3-for-1 trade for 1B Kenny Jablonski in April. One of the other players, 1B Lavon England (.299/4 HR/26 RBI/37 R/19 SB) has performed well offensively and defensively (.993 FA). So it has been a great trade for Calkin. At the plate RF Lucky Collins (.282/8 HR/41 RBI/43 R/12 SB) and 2B Dirk Lindahl (.303/4 HR/25 RBI/24 R) have been the Lynx's top performers. Not much good to say about the sixth place Kenwood Wildcats (34-39). Seventh in hitting (.245), sixth in homers (46) and last in pitching (4.48 ERA). Statistically they are the worst in the division. It sure must be tough on manager Aaron Hankins, one of the greatest home run hitter in industrial league history. Hammerin' Hankins hit more homers than anyone in the amateur leagues. But they are not any help at all to him now. Hankins used hit more homers in a week than his team does in a month. His best batters are CF Teddy Mays (.308/9 HR/35 RBI/36 R/11 SB), SS Ned Chamberlain (.297/4 HR/26 RBI/32 R/10 SB) and LF Sassy Garfield (.250/7 HR/43 RBI/36 R/13 SB). Quite pale compared to the top teams in the TU West. Not any better in the pitching department, either. The Wildcats have a good closer in Aydan Havilland (3-3 3.09) with 14 saves in 36 games. They have only one decent starter in Pedro Acosta (4-5 3.41). Beyond that, Hankins has two inconsistent lefties, Johnny McBee (9-8 4.31) and Lou Phillips (7-6 4.25). Kenwood is doing what a lot of teams are doing at the mid-point in the year, sign pitcher in wholesale numbers. Hankins just added three new rookies to his roster. This season the seventh place Chicopee Braves (33-40) are an improved ballclub, mainly due to it solid pitching corps. The Braves are ranked second with a 3.47 team ERA, topped only by Rolling Hills with a splendid 3.20 ERA. However, mananger Harry Fleetfoot's batting order is woefully inadequate. Chicopee is averaging .260 (4th-tied), has 60 homers (4th), but is last in runs with just 277. Not a recipe for success. But the Braves can run and catch the ball and lead the TU West with a .978 FA. Fleetfoot's top hitters are 1B Patrick Patamon (.263/6 HR/36 RBI), RF Orville Butler (.246/14 HR/33 RBI) and SS Ben McClendon (.286/8 HR/31 RBI). Chicopee has two quality starters in Alan Goodwin (7-6 3.17) and Little Jake Liwanu (6-5 3.20). Fleetfoot has a standout closer in Desmond Quartermain (3-1 2.70), who has made 35 appearances with 11 saves. With its excellent pitching, the Braves could sneak past La Claire and definitely surpass Kenwood in the second half. The last place Arlon Champions (30-43) are similar to Chicopee. The Champs have pretty fair pitching, ranked fourth with a 3.56 ERA, but absolutely no offense. Skipper Gary Louis' team is batting a dreadful .230, 63rd out of the 64 clubs in the IPA. Only the Eastshore Elegants (.229) of the RU East are worse. You are in trouble when the best hitter you have on your roster is batting just .274. Arlon's top batters are LF Matt Merrill (.274/10 HR/33 RBI/41 R), CF Steve Barnett (.273/8 HR/31 RBI/45 R) and C Smoke Zakharov (.252/10 Hr/43 RBI). Louis' top twirlers are rookie Jose Gonzales (6-5 2.47) and bullpen ace Stanley Ross (5-5 2.79), who has 6 saves in 32 games. Last edited by Eugene Church; 07-11-2009 at 03:56 PM.