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Eugene Church · 02-23-2011, 09:01 PM

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, June 22, 2021

2021 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

Sligo Dominates In RU West
At the 2021 halfway mark, no one in the Ruthlandian Union can match up to the dominant Sligo Rovers. The All-Star-ladened Rovers ran up a 7-game lead over second place Middlefield, 9 over third place Colfax and 11 over the Stoner Stars in fourth place. The Rocky Rapids Snappers, the division champs for the last four years, have slipped to 5th this season, 12 games back. It's quite likely that the pennant race is over in the RU West. Everyone else is just playing for second place at best. This division just might be the strongest division in the IPA. It has 8 good teams in it. 5 clubs are .500 or better... Last place Fort Benton is only 5 games under the .500 mark.

Eddie Keys' Sligo Rovers have rung up a 50-23 record, the best in the RU and second best in the IPA behind Ozarka's 53-20 mark in the Tycobbian Union... it's easy to dominant when your team has 6 All-Stars, sports a .274 BA (3rd), is second in scoring, 6th in homers and first with a splendid 2.69 ERA... Poor defense (.966 FA/29th) is the only flaw Sligo has... Keys has two All-Star hurlers in Les Patterson (14-2 1.74) and Luka Abromowitz (10-2 2.01)... together with Ralph Odakota (9-5 2.85) and Sam Tate (7-4 3.21), they form the best rotation in the IPA... closer Lenny Ciaccio (5-2) is tough in the bullpen with 11 saves and a 2.73 ERA... the Rover hitters may be even better that the pitching staff with All-Star 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.320/15 HR), All-Star Manny Alou (.304/9 HR), All-Star rookie LF Biff Bauer (.322/7 HR), All-Star SS Vic Carlin (.270/10 HR), C Sherman Albert (.295/10 HR), RF Clell Renshaw (.290/8 HR) and CF Chris Michel (.289/7 HR)... Sligo should win the RU West in a cake walk this year and be in the running to capture the Pro Cup... Eddie Keys has a powerhouse.

The Middlefield Roosters have been pretty hapless the last few years, ending up in the cellar the last two years and 5 times in the last 8 seasons... not so this year... the old manager Smitty Michaels is gone and has been replaced by Bailey Norcross... the Roosters have a lot to crow about in a turn-around season... They are in second place with very good power and solid pitching... Middlefield starters are rated 4th with a 3.35 ERA, in spite of playing in a small homer haven... the club is second with 90 home runs and 7th in scoring... Norcross has a young pitching staff, most of them are 25 and younger... most of the position players are under 30... Middlefield could be good for quite some time... Frank Dean (10-4 2.82) is the top Rooster... rookie Norm Phillips (7-3 2.90) and Dicky Damato (9-7 3.02) are very good number three and four... Middlefield's ace Joe Schneider (7-9 4.55) is having an off-year so far... if he gets going, the Roosters could give Sligo a run for their money... batting leaders are All-Star 1B Allan Stewart (.306/21), RF Chuck Larkin (.302/16 HR) and CF Tom Daniels (.256/16 HR).

Clem Rogers had worked out his pitching problems in Colfax this year and has the Blasters back on the right track after 5 down years... his mound corps has compiled a fine 3.51 team ERA (11th) and his club is hitting .264 (7th) with decent power (74 HR/5th) and scoring (9th)... IPA all-time great Ilya Szabo (12-5 2.85) is his top arm... the 42-year-old Szabo made the All-Star team for the 9th time this season and looks like the old Szabo... for his career Szabo is 321-198 in 18 seasons with a 2.54 ERA... James Elliott (10-7 4.13) and Cliff James (9-8 3.01) are also in the starting rotation... Matt Pedersen (1-1 1.77) has looked good with 11 saves in the closing role... Colfax's top bats are 1B Doug Kirkwood (.335/11 HR), LF Billy Garrett (.270/18 HR), C Joe Alexander (.303/11 HR) and 3B Mike Janocko (.271/11 HR).

The fourth place Stoner Stars, guided by Benny Stern, are a good, quality team with good pitching (3.44 ERA/8th) and adequate hitting (.256 BA/11th) and scoring (8th)... but terrible fielding (.963 FA/32nd)... Stoner has three quality pitchers in its starting rotation with Billy Chapel (10-7 3.32), Charley Norton (8-5 3.26) and Don Patterson (10-4 3.64)... the top batters are 1B Robert Dunbar (.299/17), rookie CF Kevin Fisher (.302/3) and rookie 3B Kendall Smith (.349/4 HR)... the Stars standout LF Mike Jaffe has missed most of the season with a fractured foot, but is now recovered and back in the line-up... Jaffe appeared in only 4 games this season with a .308 BA... Jaffe is a lifetime .323 hitter and will be a welcome addition to the Stoner batting order.

Ryan Noland's Rocky Rapids Snappers are no longer the elite team and perennial pennant winner in the RU West, they have become just an average ball club and dropped to fifth place... the team ERA is 3.61 (15th), the team BA is .253 (16th), the team is tied for 21st in scoring, but the Snappers do have some power with 72 homers (8th)... All-Star Don Chaney (11-7 2.47) is still a very strong starter, but Joe Anderson (8-6 4.00) and Junior Noland (4-7 3.17) don't put up the wins they used to... closer Milt Baker (1-3) still does his job with 19 saves and a 2.64 ERA... at the plate only All-Star 3B Paul Shelton (.281/15 HR), CF Tiger Noland (.322/6 HR) and LF Rob Barton (.288/8 HR) have put up good numbers... 1B Don Timmons (.214/5 HR), CF Carl Johnson (.204/8 HR) and C Hank Bethel (.249/4 HR) all have had terrible seasons this year, way off their career averages.

Manager Rob Jackson is still in charge of the Forest City Lumberjacks, mainly because he is the team owner... the 'Jacks are usually bad four out of every five years with only one playoff appearance in 15 years... poor hitting (.243/28th) and average pitching (3.84/22nd) just won't make it in this tough division... Jackson does have the best defense in the RU West with a .975 FA, good enough to tied for 4th in the RU... the Lumberjacks are tied for sixth in the standings with Volusia, 15 games out... on the hill Stephen Phillips (8-4 2.71) is having a fine year, along with Tommy Zenon (10-6 3.52)... in the batter's box 3B Rusty Hood (.297/10 HR) and CF Luc St. Germain (.293/6 HR) are Jackson's best run producers... two veterans 1B Andy Doiron (.258/5 HR) and LF Joe Judlin (.257/6 HR) haven't produced this year.

The Volusia Vigilantes, historically one of the most successful franchises in the IPA with a 1733-1416 overall record and a .550 winning percentage, have fallen on hard times this season and dropped to seventh place and 3 games below the break-even point... this rarely happens to the Volusia.. last season the V's almost took the pennant, but fell a game short to Rocky Rapids in a heart-breaking finish... skipper Alfonso Feliz still has good pitching staff with a 3.23 team ERA (4th), but falls short with the bats (.255/12th) and in scoring (15th)... his starting threesome of Sixto Moreno (6-10 2.86), Billy Blair (5-6 3.23) and vet 200-game winner Gerry Hersh (8-9 3.62) are having their troubles this year, a lot of it due to poor run support... last year's Rookie of the Year LF Carlos Quintana has missed a month because of injury and has struggled with a .264 BA and 8 homers... vets C Ishmael Gomez (.236/9 HR) and 1B Rafael Garza (.264/6 HR) are having off-years... All-Star SS Vince Wilson (.319/10 HR) and CF Joe DeLucca (.324/11 HR) have carried the club offensively... if the ball club hits better in the second half, the Vigilantes could rise up as high as third place.

The Fort Benton Defenders may be in last place and 16 games behind, but they are a pretty fair team nonetheless and only 5 games away from a break-even record... Robbie Brooks is still at the helm... the Defenders are batting .261 (8th), but have no power... they have hit only 30 homers (32nd) and are ranked 19th in run production... pitching-wise Fort Benton has a fair 3.64 team ERA (17th), but really stands out in the relief department with a 2.11 ERA (2nd)... Vic Kessler (8-7 3.59) and Dan Bailey (8-8 3.56) are Brooks' best pitchers... and vets Ryan Smith (.278/4 HR) and 1B Zach Vidrine (.288/9 HR) are his best batters.

02-23-2011, 09:01 PM	#2380
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,911	*The Islandian Times* Tuesday, June 22, 2021 2021 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap Sligo Dominates In RU West At the 2021 halfway mark, no one in the Ruthlandian Union can match up to the dominant Sligo Rovers. The All-Star-ladened Rovers ran up a 7-game lead over second place Middlefield, 9 over third place Colfax and 11 over the Stoner Stars in fourth place. The Rocky Rapids Snappers, the division champs for the last four years, have slipped to 5th this season, 12 games back. It's quite likely that the pennant race is over in the RU West. Everyone else is just playing for second place at best. This division just might be the strongest division in the IPA. It has 8 good teams in it. 5 clubs are .500 or better... Last place Fort Benton is only 5 games under the .500 mark. Eddie Keys' Sligo Rovers have rung up a 50-23 record, the best in the RU and second best in the IPA behind Ozarka's 53-20 mark in the Tycobbian Union... it's easy to dominant when your team has 6 All-Stars, sports a .274 BA (3rd), is second in scoring, 6th in homers and first with a splendid 2.69 ERA... Poor defense (.966 FA/29th) is the only flaw Sligo has... Keys has two All-Star hurlers in Les Patterson (14-2 1.74) and Luka Abromowitz (10-2 2.01)... together with Ralph Odakota (9-5 2.85) and Sam Tate (7-4 3.21), they form the best rotation in the IPA... closer Lenny Ciaccio (5-2) is tough in the bullpen with 11 saves and a 2.73 ERA... the Rover hitters may be even better that the pitching staff with All-Star 1B Johnny Lee Harder (.320/15 HR), All-Star Manny Alou (.304/9 HR), All-Star rookie LF Biff Bauer (.322/7 HR), All-Star SS Vic Carlin (.270/10 HR), C Sherman Albert (.295/10 HR), RF Clell Renshaw (.290/8 HR) and CF Chris Michel (.289/7 HR)... Sligo should win the RU West in a cake walk this year and be in the running to capture the Pro Cup... Eddie Keys has a powerhouse. The Middlefield Roosters have been pretty hapless the last few years, ending up in the cellar the last two years and 5 times in the last 8 seasons... not so this year... the old manager Smitty Michaels is gone and has been replaced by Bailey Norcross... the Roosters have a lot to crow about in a turn-around season... They are in second place with very good power and solid pitching... Middlefield starters are rated 4th with a 3.35 ERA, in spite of playing in a small homer haven... the club is second with 90 home runs and 7th in scoring... Norcross has a young pitching staff, most of them are 25 and younger... most of the position players are under 30... Middlefield could be good for quite some time... Frank Dean (10-4 2.82) is the top Rooster... rookie Norm Phillips (7-3 2.90) and Dicky Damato (9-7 3.02) are very good number three and four... Middlefield's ace Joe Schneider (7-9 4.55) is having an off-year so far... if he gets going, the Roosters could give Sligo a run for their money... batting leaders are All-Star 1B Allan Stewart (.306/21), RF Chuck Larkin (.302/16 HR) and CF Tom Daniels (.256/16 HR). Clem Rogers had worked out his pitching problems in Colfax this year and has the Blasters back on the right track after 5 down years... his mound corps has compiled a fine 3.51 team ERA (11th) and his club is hitting .264 (7th) with decent power (74 HR/5th) and scoring (9th)... IPA all-time great Ilya Szabo (12-5 2.85) is his top arm... the 42-year-old Szabo made the All-Star team for the 9th time this season and looks like the old Szabo... for his career Szabo is 321-198 in 18 seasons with a 2.54 ERA... James Elliott (10-7 4.13) and Cliff James (9-8 3.01) are also in the starting rotation... Matt Pedersen (1-1 1.77) has looked good with 11 saves in the closing role... Colfax's top bats are 1B Doug Kirkwood (.335/11 HR), LF Billy Garrett (.270/18 HR), C Joe Alexander (.303/11 HR) and 3B Mike Janocko (.271/11 HR). The fourth place Stoner Stars, guided by Benny Stern, are a good, quality team with good pitching (3.44 ERA/8th) and adequate hitting (.256 BA/11th) and scoring (8th)... but terrible fielding (.963 FA/32nd)... Stoner has three quality pitchers in its starting rotation with Billy Chapel (10-7 3.32), Charley Norton (8-5 3.26) and Don Patterson (10-4 3.64)... the top batters are 1B Robert Dunbar (.299/17), rookie CF Kevin Fisher (.302/3) and rookie 3B Kendall Smith (.349/4 HR)... the Stars standout LF Mike Jaffe has missed most of the season with a fractured foot, but is now recovered and back in the line-up... Jaffe appeared in only 4 games this season with a .308 BA... Jaffe is a lifetime .323 hitter and will be a welcome addition to the Stoner batting order. Ryan Noland's Rocky Rapids Snappers are no longer the elite team and perennial pennant winner in the RU West, they have become just an average ball club and dropped to fifth place... the team ERA is 3.61 (15th), the team BA is .253 (16th), the team is tied for 21st in scoring, but the Snappers do have some power with 72 homers (8th)... All-Star Don Chaney (11-7 2.47) is still a very strong starter, but Joe Anderson (8-6 4.00) and Junior Noland (4-7 3.17) don't put up the wins they used to... closer Milt Baker (1-3) still does his job with 19 saves and a 2.64 ERA... at the plate only All-Star 3B Paul Shelton (.281/15 HR), CF Tiger Noland (.322/6 HR) and LF Rob Barton (.288/8 HR) have put up good numbers... 1B Don Timmons (.214/5 HR), CF Carl Johnson (.204/8 HR) and C Hank Bethel (.249/4 HR) all have had terrible seasons this year, way off their career averages. Manager Rob Jackson is still in charge of the Forest City Lumberjacks, mainly because he is the team owner... the 'Jacks are usually bad four out of every five years with only one playoff appearance in 15 years... poor hitting (.243/28th) and average pitching (3.84/22nd) just won't make it in this tough division... Jackson does have the best defense in the RU West with a .975 FA, good enough to tied for 4th in the RU... the Lumberjacks are tied for sixth in the standings with Volusia, 15 games out... on the hill Stephen Phillips (8-4 2.71) is having a fine year, along with Tommy Zenon (10-6 3.52)... in the batter's box 3B Rusty Hood (.297/10 HR) and CF Luc St. Germain (.293/6 HR) are Jackson's best run producers... two veterans 1B Andy Doiron (.258/5 HR) and LF Joe Judlin (.257/6 HR) haven't produced this year. The Volusia Vigilantes, historically one of the most successful franchises in the IPA with a 1733-1416 overall record and a .550 winning percentage, have fallen on hard times this season and dropped to seventh place and 3 games below the break-even point... this rarely happens to the Volusia.. last season the V's almost took the pennant, but fell a game short to Rocky Rapids in a heart-breaking finish... skipper Alfonso Feliz still has good pitching staff with a 3.23 team ERA (4th), but falls short with the bats (.255/12th) and in scoring (15th)... his starting threesome of Sixto Moreno (6-10 2.86), Billy Blair (5-6 3.23) and vet 200-game winner Gerry Hersh (8-9 3.62) are having their troubles this year, a lot of it due to poor run support... last year's Rookie of the Year LF Carlos Quintana has missed a month because of injury and has struggled with a .264 BA and 8 homers... vets C Ishmael Gomez (.236/9 HR) and 1B Rafael Garza (.264/6 HR) are having off-years... All-Star SS Vince Wilson (.319/10 HR) and CF Joe DeLucca (.324/11 HR) have carried the club offensively... if the ball club hits better in the second half, the Vigilantes could rise up as high as third place. The Fort Benton Defenders may be in last place and 16 games behind, but they are a pretty fair team nonetheless and only 5 games away from a break-even record... Robbie Brooks is still at the helm... the Defenders are batting .261 (8th), but have no power... they have hit only 30 homers (32nd) and are ranked 19th in run production... pitching-wise Fort Benton has a fair 3.64 team ERA (17th), but really stands out in the relief department with a 2.11 ERA (2nd)... Vic Kessler (8-7 3.59) and Dan Bailey (8-8 3.56) are Brooks' best pitchers... and vets Ryan Smith (.278/4 HR) and 1B Zach Vidrine (.288/9 HR) are his best batters.