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Eugene Church · 08-05-2010, 06:28 PM

The Islandian Times
Saturday, June 21, 2014

FM On Top As Usual, 5-Game Edge Over A's And Tars At Midseason
Business as usual in the Ruthlandian Union North. Defending champ Far Mountain has a 5-game edge over the Glasco Athletics and Taranto Tars at the All-Star break. Kilkenny and LaGrange are tied for fourth and are 9 in the rear. The Redhawks are trying to win their sixth consecutive division title and a remarkable fourth Pro Cup in a row. It looks like all that stands between them and another division pennant are Glasco and Taranto. No other clubs look to be up to the challenge.

All the experts are again favoring Alex Groveland's Far Mountain (49-24) crew in the RU North. Superior pitching will be the deciding factor. Glasco and Taranto can hold their own with the bats, but the Redhawks have the edge on the mound. All-Star Robby Kelly (11-3 2.39), Boomerang Hines (12-6 2.27) and Woody Crawford (10-3 2.39) are one of the best starting rotation in the IPA. Add in three more All-Stars in the batting order and you have quite a ball club. All-Star 3B Duane Parsons is having his best year ever with a .373 batting average. The two other All-Stars are SS Don Nichols (.293/9/38/52) and C Otis Ott (.268/6/35).

Manager Tommaso Lazzorda has his high-scoring Taranto Tars (44-29) primed for a run at powerful Far Mountain. He has three All-Stars in RF Augie Marshall (.327/23/68), 2B Ed Miles (.314/18/61) and SS Aron Aiello (.324/10/43). As a team the Tars have 122 home runs so far and are on pace to challenge the IPA record. Lazzorda needs another pitcher to go with Jay Cervini (8-6 2.37) and Chazzie DeBartolo (7-3 2.42) to really challenge the Redhawks. It is unlikely Taranto can sustain its offense the whole season. They will finish second, but way behind Far Mountain.

The Glasco A's (44-29) don't have the stars, but McDuffie Hughes has a solid core of veterans that can do the job. Defensively they are tied for second in the league with a strong .978 FA. Leading his line-up is future Hall-of-Famer 41-year-old RF Ike Plunkett with a .316 batting mark, 10 homers and 38 RBIs. SS Lee Sullivan (.283/5/54) and LF Tony Piel (.307/9/42/54) are two other good sticks. Glasco has a super bullpen ace in Jack Hatcher, who has chalked up 13 saves with a ridiculousy low 0.72 ERA. Hughes is lacking in pitching. His best starter is Davy McAdams with an 8-3 record, but a 4.32 ERA. The Athletics will battle Kilkenny and LaGrange for the third spot in the RU North.

The Kilkenny Cats (40-33) and LaGrange Sports (40-33) are 9 games back and tied for fourth in the RU North at midseason. Good pitching may keep them in the running for third place. Higher finishes are not seen. Both clubs could use some firepower. LF Billy Garrett is Kieran McKenna's biggest thread with the bat, but he has only 10 homers and 38 RBIs with a .318 batting average. The Cats strong points are two quality starters. McKenna's ace is All-Star Kyle Ferguson, who is 14-4 at mid-year with an excellent 2.02 ERA, third best in the league. 40-year-old Matt DeRosa can still hold his own. He is 8-6 with a 3.07 ERA.

Foxy Jimison is the same situation at LaGrange. Not much in the way of offense with two solid starters and a great closer. Veteran starters Denny Kristensen (12-5 3.21) and Pablo Orantes (10-9 3.27) are quality arms. In the bullpen Andre Dupas (0-1 1.74) is a stalwart with 17 saves thus far. Jimison has the best chance to move up in the division because of better bats. All-Star 1B Bill Nance is having a strong season with 66 RBIs and number two in the league. Nance is hitting .295 with 9 roundtrippers. Future HOFamer 37-year-old LF Quincy Peterson has 14 home runs, 52 RBIs and 51 runs with a decent .264 average. RF Joel Reed (.287), SS Bill Nilsen (.282), 2B Dale Scoville (.319) and CF Elijah Dillon (.283) give the Sports some more capable hitters at the plate. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see LaGrange wind up in the third spot.

The other three clubs in the RU North aren't going anywhere this year. Valmara (35-38) is 14 games off the pace in sixth. Manager J. Jackson Samuel has only two bonafide players. On the hill Vanya Vasylenko with over 200 wins in his career is still quite a pitcher at age 32. This season on a bad ball club Vasylenko is 11-5 with a strong 2.80 ERA. CF Stan Czerwinski sparks the offense with a .326 batting average, 7 homers, 34 RBIs and 48 runs scored.

Seventh place belongs to the Ancona Red Elephants (34-39), who trail by 15 games. Manager Manny Mickens has a fine closer with John Sharpe in the bullpen. Sharpe has 14 saves with a 3-2 record and an impressive 2.16 ERA. Ancona has some good bats, too. All-star 1B Johnny Lee Harder is batting .322 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. Second-year man LF Kenny Willard already has gone deep 17 times, driven in 50 runs, scored 44 times, while hitting at a .296 pace. Veteran CF Lacey Tompkins, a future HOF'er with over a 1000 RBIs and 1000 runs, carries a .301 mark with 8 homers, 35 RBIs and 45 runs scored.

The hapless Ranford Bulls (32-41) are in the cellar and likely to remain there for the duration of the season. Manager Page Satcher hasn't been in contention for six long years and the drought will undoubtedly continue. Satcher just doesn't have any talent in Ranford. Pitcher Shane Hall is his best starter with a 5-7 record and a fine 2.97 ERA. Rookie closer Neil Walton looks like a star of the future. He is 4-4 with 5 saves and a superb 2.05 ERA in 17 games this year.

08-05-2010, 06:28 PM	#1882
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,875	The Islandian Times Saturday, June 21, 2014 FM On Top As Usual, 5-Game Edge Over A's And Tars At Midseason Business as usual in the Ruthlandian Union North. Defending champ Far Mountain has a 5-game edge over the Glasco Athletics and Taranto Tars at the All-Star break. Kilkenny and LaGrange are tied for fourth and are 9 in the rear. The Redhawks are trying to win their sixth consecutive division title and a remarkable fourth Pro Cup in a row. It looks like all that stands between them and another division pennant are Glasco and Taranto. No other clubs look to be up to the challenge. All the experts are again favoring Alex Groveland's Far Mountain (49-24) crew in the RU North. Superior pitching will be the deciding factor. Glasco and Taranto can hold their own with the bats, but the Redhawks have the edge on the mound. All-Star Robby Kelly (11-3 2.39), Boomerang Hines (12-6 2.27) and Woody Crawford (10-3 2.39) are one of the best starting rotation in the IPA. Add in three more All-Stars in the batting order and you have quite a ball club. All-Star 3B Duane Parsons is having his best year ever with a .373 batting average. The two other All-Stars are SS Don Nichols (.293/9/38/52) and C Otis Ott (.268/6/35). Manager Tommaso Lazzorda has his high-scoring Taranto Tars (44-29) primed for a run at powerful Far Mountain. He has three All-Stars in RF Augie Marshall (.327/23/68), 2B Ed Miles (.314/18/61) and SS Aron Aiello (.324/10/43). As a team the Tars have 122 home runs so far and are on pace to challenge the IPA record. Lazzorda needs another pitcher to go with Jay Cervini (8-6 2.37) and Chazzie DeBartolo (7-3 2.42) to really challenge the Redhawks. It is unlikely Taranto can sustain its offense the whole season. They will finish second, but way behind Far Mountain. The Glasco A's (44-29) don't have the stars, but McDuffie Hughes has a solid core of veterans that can do the job. Defensively they are tied for second in the league with a strong .978 FA. Leading his line-up is future Hall-of-Famer 41-year-old RF Ike Plunkett with a .316 batting mark, 10 homers and 38 RBIs. SS Lee Sullivan (.283/5/54) and LF Tony Piel (.307/9/42/54) are two other good sticks. Glasco has a super bullpen ace in Jack Hatcher, who has chalked up 13 saves with a ridiculousy low 0.72 ERA. Hughes is lacking in pitching. His best starter is Davy McAdams with an 8-3 record, but a 4.32 ERA. The Athletics will battle Kilkenny and LaGrange for the third spot in the RU North. The Kilkenny Cats (40-33) and LaGrange Sports (40-33) are 9 games back and tied for fourth in the RU North at midseason. Good pitching may keep them in the running for third place. Higher finishes are not seen. Both clubs could use some firepower. LF Billy Garrett is Kieran McKenna's biggest thread with the bat, but he has only 10 homers and 38 RBIs with a .318 batting average. The Cats strong points are two quality starters. McKenna's ace is All-Star Kyle Ferguson, who is 14-4 at mid-year with an excellent 2.02 ERA, third best in the league. 40-year-old Matt DeRosa can still hold his own. He is 8-6 with a 3.07 ERA. Foxy Jimison is the same situation at LaGrange. Not much in the way of offense with two solid starters and a great closer. Veteran starters Denny Kristensen (12-5 3.21) and Pablo Orantes (10-9 3.27) are quality arms. In the bullpen Andre Dupas (0-1 1.74) is a stalwart with 17 saves thus far. Jimison has the best chance to move up in the division because of better bats. All-Star 1B Bill Nance is having a strong season with 66 RBIs and number two in the league. Nance is hitting .295 with 9 roundtrippers. Future HOFamer 37-year-old LF Quincy Peterson has 14 home runs, 52 RBIs and 51 runs with a decent .264 average. RF Joel Reed (.287), SS Bill Nilsen (.282), 2B Dale Scoville (.319) and CF Elijah Dillon (.283) give the Sports some more capable hitters at the plate. It wouldn't be a big surprise to see LaGrange wind up in the third spot. The other three clubs in the RU North aren't going anywhere this year. Valmara (35-38) is 14 games off the pace in sixth. Manager J. Jackson Samuel has only two bonafide players. On the hill Vanya Vasylenko with over 200 wins in his career is still quite a pitcher at age 32. This season on a bad ball club Vasylenko is 11-5 with a strong 2.80 ERA. CF Stan Czerwinski sparks the offense with a .326 batting average, 7 homers, 34 RBIs and 48 runs scored. Seventh place belongs to the Ancona Red Elephants (34-39), who trail by 15 games. Manager Manny Mickens has a fine closer with John Sharpe in the bullpen. Sharpe has 14 saves with a 3-2 record and an impressive 2.16 ERA. Ancona has some good bats, too. All-star 1B Johnny Lee Harder is batting .322 with 15 home runs and 58 RBIs. Second-year man LF Kenny Willard already has gone deep 17 times, driven in 50 runs, scored 44 times, while hitting at a .296 pace. Veteran CF Lacey Tompkins, a future HOF'er with over a 1000 RBIs and 1000 runs, carries a .301 mark with 8 homers, 35 RBIs and 45 runs scored. The hapless Ranford Bulls (32-41) are in the cellar and likely to remain there for the duration of the season. Manager Page Satcher hasn't been in contention for six long years and the drought will undoubtedly continue. Satcher just doesn't have any talent in Ranford. Pitcher Shane Hall is his best starter with a 5-7 record and a fine 2.97 ERA. Rookie closer Neil Walton looks like a star of the future. He is 4-4 with 5 saves and a superb 2.05 ERA in 17 games this year. Last edited by Eugene Church; 08-05-2010 at 07:10 PM.