[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 17, 2041

ROOSTERS CROW LOUDLY IN RU WEST
Until this year the Middlefield fans haven't had much to crow about since the pennant-winning 2026 season... this year the Roosters crowed quite loudly by winning the Ruthlandian West Division... Middlefield climbed up from fifth place last year to take the top spot this season... they fought off Forest City and Rocky Rapids in the first half and Colfax in the second half... in the final standings the Roosters whipped the Blasters by three games, the Snappers by eight and fourth place Fort Benton by 10 games... Middlefield thinks this could be a Pro Cup year for them... they won their only Pro Cup in 2008 and last appeared in the Finals in 2025 when they were beaten by South Fork in an exciting seven-game series.

1. Middlefield (90-64): they were fifth last year, 8 games back... this year the Roosters used good pitching and the home-run ball to take the division crown... considering the small ballpark they play in, they posted a pretty fair 3.59 ERA (9th) and led the RU with 228 HRs (1st)... two All-Stars CF Alejandro Doninguez (.292/40/115/103) and C Brad Alexander (.254/36/95/53) led the way with help from RF Wes Stanley (.285/38/96/80), LF Norman Antonioni (.262/29/58/98) and SS Kenny Johnston (.266/12/73/87)... on the hill it was All-Star Larry Wheelhouse (22-9/3.08) and James Long (19-18/2.74)... the other two starters Harry Morgan (18-9/4.61) and Hollis Dale (16-15/4.45) benefited from great run support... and Ray Owens (6-7/2.64/24 saves) was solid as usual in the bullpen... Owens tied Far Mountain rookie Amos Tandy (7-11/2.98/24 saves) for the most saves in the RU and was runner-up in the IPA to Les Dennis (5-5/1.32/26 saves) of White River.

2. Colfax (87-67) (3 GB): this was the fourth time in the last seven seasons the Blasters strongly contended for the division title and fell short... they have also won it three times since 2032... Colfax won its only Pro Cup in 2010... they have good power with 160 HRs (8th-tied) and can score (762 runs-8th) with average pitching (3.88 ERA-16th)... and average defensively with a .971 FA... the main men on the mound were Ron Paige (22-14/3.33) and Nilos Andris (19-14/3.87)... Bobby Porter (15-14/4/15) and Ray Maxon (16-16/4.60) were fair number three and four in the rotation... All-Star Jack Scanlon (10-6/2.20/21 saves) had a fine season... leading the attack were All-Star LF Chet Penn (.346/27/117/91), 3B Kristian McEly (.289/34/112/80) and All-Star 1B Ernie Kidd (.278/28/95/89).

3. Rocky Rapids (82-72) (8 GB): the Snappers have been a first-division club for the last three seasons, but haven't made the playoffs for two decades... the Snappers have one Pro Cup, won in 2019... they have good pitching with a 3.55 ERA (8th) and average hitting with a .264 BA (20th), 149 HRs (14th) and 712 runs (18th)... Rocky Rapids has a solid rotation with two 20-game winners in All-Star Jamie Taylor (23-12/2.75) and 40-year-old Janek Zoldak (21-17/3.44), along with Buster Noland (16-13/3.84) and Dirk Halstad (11-9/3/45) in the other two slots... 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.320/4/56/96) and SS Marty Featherstone (.281/24/91/77) are the only good bats.

4. Fort Benton (80-74) (10 GB): the Defenders were serious contenders for most of the last decade, but slipped to seventh in 2040 with a 67-87 mark... they have only made the playoffs once in history in 2037... they hit very well with a .279 BA (3rd), ranked 7th in scoring with 771 runs, but have little power, only 109 HRs (31st-tied)... pitiful pitching with a 4.32 ERA (27th)... 1B Oscar Pendleton (.359/15/81/85) had the best season in his career with a .359 BA... 3B Mitch Hamilton (.283/10/83/99) led the club in RBIs and runs... LF Kelly Chamberlain (.246/19/64/66) was the home-run leader... RF Cayman Crittenden (.273/18/73/72) had a decent year, too... vets Augie Marquis (22-9/3.74) and Jordy Raeburn (15-13/3.24) were the only reliable pitchers... 35-year-old Marquis passed the 300-win milestone and now has 308 victories in his 17 seasons... he has 226 losses and a lifetime 3.12 ERA... Marquis looks like a cinch for the IPA Hall of Fame.

5. Sligo (78-76) (12 GB): after winning the division in 2039 and 2040, the Rovers dropped to fifth this season, but did have a winning record... tied with Forest City for fifth... Sligo won its only Pro Cup in 2020... they have good pitching with a 3.44 ERA (4th), but rank near the bottom in batting with a .257 BA (27th)... heading up the hill corps were Scotty Price (19-14/2.36), Randall Steele (17-12/3.21) and Bill Walker (12-16/3.24/11 saves)... Tom Pierson was 17-13, but posted a 4.23 ERA... most productive bats were 1B Denny Simmons with a .341 BA, 17 HRs, 76 RBIs and 100 runs... CF Joe McGarrett with a .305 BA, 23 HRs, 92 RBIs and 87 runs... and 2B Neil Mitchell with a .261 BA, 16 HRs, 82 RBIs and 81 runs.

5. Forest City (78-76) (12 GB)... the Lumberjacks had a winning record for the first time since 2037... not much success in the IPA with only four playoff appearances... the last time was in 2013... got off to a great start this year with a fantastic 45-28 record at midseason, the second best mark to Middlefield's 46-27... but it didn't last... the 'Jacks flopped badly in the final half with a 33-48 record and fell to a fifth-place tie... they had a good offense and fine pitching... .270 BA (11th), 727 runs (16th) and 160 HRs (8th-tied) with a 3.42 ERA (3rd)... the mound staff was led by Walter Gibbons (19-16/2.68), Rich Barstow (20-15/3.72) and Rusty Howard (15-13/2.89)... All-Star 2B Kelly Hardison had a super season with a .331 BA, 33 HRs, 110 RBIs and 98 runs... CF Carlo Velucci batted .293 with 106 runs, 11 HRs and 69 RBIs... and veteran star 3B Jarrod O'Neal had another solid season, his 16th, with 27 HRs, 78 RBIs, 75 runs and a .270 BA.

7. Volusia (72-82) (18 GB): after coming within a game of the pennant two years ago, the Vigilantes have fallen back in the pack... they won pennants in 2034 and 2035... but that was after a 25-year postseason drought... the V's do have a Pro Cup... they won the first one in 2001... Volusia also reached the Pro Cup Finals in 2006, but lost to Turon... just a run-of-the-mill club... they have a fair group of starters with Andrew Arryn (12-11/3.35), Skeeter Milham (14-19/3.28), Drew Selby (15-18/3.74) and Raul Navarro (17-14/4.16)... top batsmen are RF Lonny Womack with a .294 BA, 28 HRs, 93 RBIs and 87 runs... CF Cazzi Carvalho with a .291 BA, 14 HRs, 62 RBIs, 89 runs and 36 SBs... 3B Duane Blayney with a .276 BA, 24 HRs, 65 RBIs and 77 runs... and Kris Wilson with a .287 BA, 19 HRs, 77 RBIs and 76 runs.

8. Stoner (71-83) (19 GB): after a short, one-year run in the RU West first division, the Stars returned to their old haunts and wound up in the basement... they were a surprising third last year after six straight seasons in the second division... Stoner has never won a Pro Cup and it's been 13 years since it made the postseason playoffs... the Stars have bad offense and decent pitching... Jimmy Ellerbee (13-19/3.18), Michael Keller (15-21/3.61), Billy Horton (12-13/3.90) and Sammy Slater (13-13/4.28) are so-so starters... C Barney Swindell (.324/31/98/66) is a strong bat... and 1B Don Cain (.290/13/63/88) and CF Jason Garrett (.294/8/54/89) are quality hitters.