OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 05-20-2014, 11:12 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

SNAPPERS KO ROOSTERS FOR RU WEST TITLE
The Rocky Rapids Snappers (94-60) outlasted last year's Ruthlandian West winner Middlefield (89-65) down the stretch... the Roosters closed out the season with a 30-14 record the last six weeks, but the Snappers held them off by five games for their second pennant in the last three years...in the final weeks the Snappers were 27-17.

Sparked by 30-game winner Jamie Taylor's recording-setting season, Rocky Rapids opened up a 10-game margin by June and pretty much coasted home free... the Snappers were never really challenged... third place went to Forest City (82-72), 12 games off the pace and Sligo (77-77) came in fourth, trailing by 17... the Snapper fans are forecasting the club's second Pro Cup trophy... its first in 28 years when they swept the Ozarka Naturals in 2019... the baseball gurus seem to agree that Rocky Rapids will be a threat to win it all this year... the Snappers are strong on the hill and at the plate, but not too adept with the gloves (.969 FA).

1. ROCKY RAPIDS: the Snappers were led on the mound by ace Jamie Taylor (30-7/1.85), who broke the IPA all-time mark for most wins in a season with 30... Shane Farmer of Turon was 29-3 in 2018... the fantastic Taylor also topped the IPA with a 1.85 ERA, 28 complete games and shutouts with 7... Taylor got help from two other starters Buster Noland (20-11/3.00) and Robby Barnhill (19-16/3.09)... the Snappers also excelled with six .300 hitters in the batting order... 2B Marty Featherstone (.303/39/128/119) had a career year, ranking third in the IPA with 128 RBIs and number one in runs scored with 119... RF Jose Ramos (.337/14/78/96) topped the team with a .337 BA... LF Buddy Hamilton (.303/32/106/91) also swung a prolific bat, along with 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.319/6/51/118), who was second to Featherstone in the IPA with 118 runs... C Carney Kirkpatrick (.304/15/70/76) and SS Nick Nova (.337/8/50/42) also were over the .300 mark... 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.287/18/93/66) was a solid threat, too... the Snappers led the RU with a .278 BA, were second to Sugar Valley in scoring and had good power with 153 homers (7th)... pitching-wise they ranked fifth with a 3.03 team ERA... Rocky Rapids will have to get past reigning Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley in first round action... they will have the home-field advantage over the Rattlers.

2. MIDDLEFIELD: the defending RU West champion Roosters didn't get rolling until August and by then they had too much ground to make up... in the starting rotation James Long (20-9/2.17) and Chris Collier (21-12/2.23) were great 1-2 starters, but needed more help from the rest of the crew... the Roosters had good power with 200 roundtrippers (2nd), but couldn't match Rocky Rapids on the mound, nor at the plate... RF Sidney Conner (.269/42/98/89), C Johnny McDonald (.311/8/45/81) and 1B Cliff Patterson (.288/22/72/71) were the best offensive performers... CF Norman Antonioni (.244/26/78/55), SS Jimmy Beach (.235/23/65/73), LF Antonio Dominguez (.270/23/71/87) and 3B Ike Gary (.235/23/61/82) all had over 20 homers each, but didn't hit much for average.

3. FOREST CITY: the Lumberjacks posted the most wins since 2018 with 82, but still were 12 games behind in the race... the 'Jacks haven't made the postseason since 2013... and have never won the Pro Cup... the starting four were solid with Rusty Howard (21-13/2.11), John McKee (15-11/2.97), Omar Cordero (18-13/3.05) and Walker Gibbons (13-19/3.41)... Jimmy Kirkpatrick was fine in relief with an 11-10 mark, 3.01 ERA and 12 saves in 64 appearances... but the Lumberjacks didn't have much of an offense... 2B Donnie Watkins (.351/10/58/71) was the runner-up to Valmara's Ken Jensen for the Ruthlandian batting crown... Jensen edged him by less than a percentage point .35111 to .35053... other contributors were C Bob Brisdon (.296/15/68/65) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.274/22/67/55).

4. SLIGO: the Rovers have made modest improvements the last three years, going from last place in 2044 (24 GB) to seventh last year (30 GB) and up to the first division this season with a 77-77 record (17 GB)... the pitching was good this year, paced by Art Hacker (18-14/3.47), Buzz Bumgartner (16-13/3.47), Freddy Avery (18-19/3/53) and Randall Steele (15-17/3.08)... Sligo really needs help in the batter's box... veteran 3B Denny Simmons (.324/12/61/75) led the club in hits, runs and BA... 2B Andy Hewitt (.258/18/74/51) was the club leader in homers and RBIs... and 1B Albert Eaves hit .309 with 9 homers, 63 RBIs and scored 53 runs... nobody worth mentioning after those three.

5. STONER: the Stars had so-so pitching and lousy hitting... they fell from third (15 GB) last year to fifth this season (20 GB)... Earl Marley (18-13/3.59), Mel Glosterman (16-15/3.48) and Took Noonan (15-15/3.94) were the staff leaders... LF Emmett Tread was the club leader in everything... .294 BA, 26 HRs, 93 RBIs and 88 runs... other than him the Stars were pathetic at the plate.

6. VOLUSIA: after winning the RU West in 2043, the Vigilantes have fallen on hard times... they were fifth in 2044 (11 GB), fourth last season (17 GB) and slumped to sixth this year (22 GB)... Will Thompson (16-16/3.58) was the only decent starter... nobody worth mentioning in the relief corps... the offense was the best thing about the V's this year... they ranked fourth in homers with 172 and eighth in scoring with 702 runs... leading the way were star 1B Kris Wilson (.309/40/108/106), who posted career numbers, along with SS Duane Blayney (.301/26/81/81), 2B Cazzie Carvalho (.305/16/80/75), CF Derek Jorstad (.286/8/39/83) and C George Ruffino (.284/21/80/52).

7. COLFAX: the Blasters have been down in the standings since winning the pennant in 2042... going from seventh to sixth to fifth and back down to seventh this year (34 GB)... the pitching is bad and the hitting isn't much better... Jorgen Krogstad (13-21/3.93) is the only starter under 4.50 in ERA... and the bullpen is even worse... 22-year-old CF Robb Maddux (.337/19/93/102) is a budding star of the future... he wound up third behind Jensen and Watkins in the RU batting race... C Darrell Dillon led the team with 23 HRs and 94 RBIs... not a lot in the lineup except for Maddux and Dillon.

8. FORT BENTON: for the third time in five seasons the Defenders came in last (37 GB)... nothing at all to brag about on the hill... Jordy Raeburn (15-17/3.89) is the only fair pitcher in the rotation... RF Cayman Crittenden had a very good year at bat with a .333 mark, sixth in the league, with club highs in hits with 173, 21 HRs, 81 RBIs and 79 runs... C Varnell Larrimore had a pretty fair year with a .301 BA, 11 HRs, 71 RBIs and 65 runs... the rest of the lot were nothing special.

2046 Final Ruthlandian West Standings and Team Statistics

05-20-2014, 11:12 PM	#4206
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 SNAPPERS KO ROOSTERS FOR RU WEST TITLE The Rocky Rapids Snappers (94-60) outlasted last year's Ruthlandian West winner Middlefield (89-65) down the stretch... the Roosters closed out the season with a 30-14 record the last six weeks, but the Snappers held them off by five games for their second pennant in the last three years...in the final weeks the Snappers were 27-17. Sparked by 30-game winner Jamie Taylor's recording-setting season, Rocky Rapids opened up a 10-game margin by June and pretty much coasted home free... the Snappers were never really challenged... third place went to Forest City (82-72), 12 games off the pace and Sligo (77-77) came in fourth, trailing by 17... the Snapper fans are forecasting the club's second Pro Cup trophy... its first in 28 years when they swept the Ozarka Naturals in 2019... the baseball gurus seem to agree that Rocky Rapids will be a threat to win it all this year... the Snappers are strong on the hill and at the plate, but not too adept with the gloves (.969 FA). 1. ROCKY RAPIDS: the Snappers were led on the mound by ace Jamie Taylor (30-7/1.85), who broke the IPA all-time mark for most wins in a season with 30... Shane Farmer of Turon was 29-3 in 2018... the fantastic Taylor also topped the IPA with a 1.85 ERA, 28 complete games and shutouts with 7... Taylor got help from two other starters Buster Noland (20-11/3.00) and Robby Barnhill (19-16/3.09)... the Snappers also excelled with six .300 hitters in the batting order... 2B Marty Featherstone (.303/39/128/119) had a career year, ranking third in the IPA with 128 RBIs and number one in runs scored with 119... RF Jose Ramos (.337/14/78/96) topped the team with a .337 BA... LF Buddy Hamilton (.303/32/106/91) also swung a prolific bat, along with 3B Duncan Musselwhite (.319/6/51/118), who was second to Featherstone in the IPA with 118 runs... C Carney Kirkpatrick (.304/15/70/76) and SS Nick Nova (.337/8/50/42) also were over the .300 mark... 1B Masaharu Kawasaki (.287/18/93/66) was a solid threat, too... the Snappers led the RU with a .278 BA, were second to Sugar Valley in scoring and had good power with 153 homers (7th)... pitching-wise they ranked fifth with a 3.03 team ERA... Rocky Rapids will have to get past reigning Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley in first round action... they will have the home-field advantage over the Rattlers. 2. MIDDLEFIELD: the defending RU West champion Roosters didn't get rolling until August and by then they had too much ground to make up... in the starting rotation James Long (20-9/2.17) and Chris Collier (21-12/2.23) were great 1-2 starters, but needed more help from the rest of the crew... the Roosters had good power with 200 roundtrippers (2nd), but couldn't match Rocky Rapids on the mound, nor at the plate... RF Sidney Conner (.269/42/98/89), C Johnny McDonald (.311/8/45/81) and 1B Cliff Patterson (.288/22/72/71) were the best offensive performers... CF Norman Antonioni (.244/26/78/55), SS Jimmy Beach (.235/23/65/73), LF Antonio Dominguez (.270/23/71/87) and 3B Ike Gary (.235/23/61/82) all had over 20 homers each, but didn't hit much for average. 3. FOREST CITY: the Lumberjacks posted the most wins since 2018 with 82, but still were 12 games behind in the race... the 'Jacks haven't made the postseason since 2013... and have never won the Pro Cup... the starting four were solid with Rusty Howard (21-13/2.11), John McKee (15-11/2.97), Omar Cordero (18-13/3.05) and Walker Gibbons (13-19/3.41)... Jimmy Kirkpatrick was fine in relief with an 11-10 mark, 3.01 ERA and 12 saves in 64 appearances... but the Lumberjacks didn't have much of an offense... 2B Donnie Watkins (.351/10/58/71) was the runner-up to Valmara's Ken Jensen for the Ruthlandian batting crown... Jensen edged him by less than a percentage point .35111 to .35053... other contributors were C Bob Brisdon (.296/15/68/65) and 1B Pistol Pete Picard (.274/22/67/55). 4. SLIGO: the Rovers have made modest improvements the last three years, going from last place in 2044 (24 GB) to seventh last year (30 GB) and up to the first division this season with a 77-77 record (17 GB)... the pitching was good this year, paced by Art Hacker (18-14/3.47), Buzz Bumgartner (16-13/3.47), Freddy Avery (18-19/3/53) and Randall Steele (15-17/3.08)... Sligo really needs help in the batter's box... veteran 3B Denny Simmons (.324/12/61/75) led the club in hits, runs and BA... 2B Andy Hewitt (.258/18/74/51) was the club leader in homers and RBIs... and 1B Albert Eaves hit .309 with 9 homers, 63 RBIs and scored 53 runs... nobody worth mentioning after those three. 5. STONER: the Stars had so-so pitching and lousy hitting... they fell from third (15 GB) last year to fifth this season (20 GB)... Earl Marley (18-13/3.59), Mel Glosterman (16-15/3.48) and Took Noonan (15-15/3.94) were the staff leaders... LF Emmett Tread was the club leader in everything... .294 BA, 26 HRs, 93 RBIs and 88 runs... other than him the Stars were pathetic at the plate. 6. VOLUSIA: after winning the RU West in 2043, the Vigilantes have fallen on hard times... they were fifth in 2044 (11 GB), fourth last season (17 GB) and slumped to sixth this year (22 GB)... Will Thompson (16-16/3.58) was the only decent starter... nobody worth mentioning in the relief corps... the offense was the best thing about the V's this year... they ranked fourth in homers with 172 and eighth in scoring with 702 runs... leading the way were star 1B Kris Wilson (.309/40/108/106), who posted career numbers, along with SS Duane Blayney (.301/26/81/81), 2B Cazzie Carvalho (.305/16/80/75), CF Derek Jorstad (.286/8/39/83) and C George Ruffino (.284/21/80/52). 7. COLFAX: the Blasters have been down in the standings since winning the pennant in 2042... going from seventh to sixth to fifth and back down to seventh this year (34 GB)... the pitching is bad and the hitting isn't much better... Jorgen Krogstad (13-21/3.93) is the only starter under 4.50 in ERA... and the bullpen is even worse... 22-year-old CF Robb Maddux (.337/19/93/102) is a budding star of the future... he wound up third behind Jensen and Watkins in the RU batting race... C Darrell Dillon led the team with 23 HRs and 94 RBIs... not a lot in the lineup except for Maddux and Dillon. 8. FORT BENTON: for the third time in five seasons the Defenders came in last (37 GB)... nothing at all to brag about on the hill... Jordy Raeburn (15-17/3.89) is the only fair pitcher in the rotation... RF Cayman Crittenden had a very good year at bat with a .333 mark, sixth in the league, with club highs in hits with 173, 21 HRs, 81 RBIs and 79 runs... C Varnell Larrimore had a pretty fair year with a .301 BA, 11 HRs, 71 RBIs and 65 runs... the rest of the lot were nothing special. 2046 Final Ruthlandian West Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:24 PM.