[Eugene Church]

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, August 1, 2047

TYCOBBIAN UNION JULY RECAP

HELLCATS HAVE SLIGHT LEAD IN TU NORTH
Defending Pro Cup champion Hartsdale (63-48) is still having trouble shaking the unheralded White River Rascals (61-50) in the Tycobbian North. The Hellcats are still slightly ahead and raised it to two games over the Rascals at the end of July. Hartsdale was ony 15-13 for the month, but picked up a game over White River, which went 14-14. Third place Blue Lake (56-55) dropped further back with a poor 12-16 mark. The Blue Sox, the number two choice in the preseason, are now seven games back in the pennant race. The North Hills Hawks (55-56) are in fourth place and trail by eight games. Last month the Hawks were even at 14-14. Blue Lake was supposed to be Hartsdale's toughest foe for the TU North flag, but so far it's been the number-seven pick White River.

Hartsdale is trying to repeat as division champ, but hasn't had the pitching of a year ago, when they won the Pro Cup... the offense is down some, too... All-Star Perry Givens (17-5/2.73) and Dave Payne (15-8/3.08) are leading the way... last year's 28-game winner and TU MVP Gil Younger (12-13/3.48) has struggled this year... Kippy Wilhelm, a 20-game winner last season, is terrible this year with a 4-8 record and an astronomical 6.53 ERA... the bullpen is bad except for Alfonso Cervera (7-3/1.78/13 saves)... the Hellcat offense is still quite capable with the likes of RF Emilian Burgess (.268/21/72/65), 3B Greg Melton (.289/17/64/60), CF Darrell Nesbitt (.282/12/38/84) and 1B John Ford (.260/16/59/50)... rookie C Kenton Carmichael (.255/21/48/47) has added some punch to the line-up with 21 home runs... right now Hartsdale would have trouble in the playoffs against possible rivals Red Bluff and Southport.

Second place White River has been mired in the second division the last three seasons... the Rascals are still looking for the first Pro Cup... the last pennant came years ago in 2027... so the fans are really excited this year and rightly so... it's August and the Rascals are still putting a lot of pressure on favored Hartsdale... they have pretty fair pitching with Nicky Palmer (13-10/2.54), Jade Garner (12-8/3.79) and Trenton Anderson (11-8/3.70)... Clem Warren's (8-11/2.74) record doesn't show it, but he has been a quality starter and tough to beat... All-Star LF Billy Joe Hickman is the offense with a .329 BA, 34 HRs, 90 RBIs and 76 runs... at 29 this is his best year ever... OF Russell Anderson is batting .327 BA and has 5 HRs, 33 RBIs and 46 runs... 2B Warren McKenzie has contributed some with 15 homers and 55 RBIs, but is batting only .248... although they are only two games out, it's not likely the Rascals can overtake the Hellcats... White River is just abysmal at the plate.

Blue Lake is just barely over .500 and doesn't appear to be a challenger this year... overall the Blue Sox are just an average club... Sal Mays (15-12/2.98) and Greg Mortimer (12-10/2.82) are two solid starters... ace Van Johnson (11-11/4.22) is having a down year... he was 21-11 last year... veteran Razzy Richmond (4-4/2.40/16 saves) is the only good reliever... Richmond is still a solid closer... the Blue Sox have some steady hitters, but no standouts... they are led by SS Rick Bridges (.278/23/60/52), 1B Mel Morrison (.269/20/55/56), RF Johnny Harding (.252/16/45/56) and All-Star C Juan Luis Barcelona (.268/8/46/54).

North Hills is in fourth place... the hitting is good, but the great pitching of the past decade, which produced four Pro Cup crowns and 11 pennants, is gone... the Hawks are just a run-of-the-mill team... superstar RF Adam Thurgood (.316/28/76/72) missed most of last season with an injury, but is back and doing quite well at age 36... other capable batters are aging vets: 35-year-old 2B Tommy Vavas (.286/18/52/67) and 36-year-old 3B Ric Hamilton (.287/14/57/45)... LF Ryan Webbe, age 23, is adding some youthful punch to the line-up... it's time for the Hawks to rebuilt... 34-year-old ace Tony Mack (17-8/2.42) is as good as ever on the mound, but has little help except for rookie Flash Easley (8-4/3.48/1 save)... the bullpen is one of the worst in the IPA with an atrocious 5.23 ERA (32nd).

None of the second division squads are expected to compete for the flag this year... but the teams do have a few standout players: All-Star pitcher Rudy Mellancamp (14-12/1.88) for the sixth place Oxford Red Caps... All-Star closer Terry Sawyer (11-8/2.37/13 saves) and 2B John Velasco (.318/20/83/65), who is playing remarkably well at 41 for the sixth place Fairfax Frogs... leading Luxora are vets RF Emil Pasek (.339/15/36/69) and 1B Joel Poche (.302/19/77/61)... last place Mahaska has no one worth mentioning.

SUN SOX STILL SHINING IN TU SOUTH
The favored Southport Sun Sox (69-42) are still playing solid ball in the Tycobbian South and have good leads over their main challengers... they were OK in July with a 15-13 record. San Alejo (63-48), picked to be a distant second to the Sun Sox, is living up to expectations. The Montaneros are running in second place and six games behind Southport after going 16-12 for the month. Third place Ginza (60-51) and Cape Coral (60-51) are going in opposite directions. The Ninjas were 16-12, but the Hurricanes were only 12-16. Both of them are 10 games behind first place Southport. Last season's division champ Summerland (52-59) hasn't played well at all and is tied for seventh, 17 games off the pace.

Southport is a well-balanced club with good pitching, hitting and defense... top hurlers are All-Star Billy Hoover (16-10/1.68) and Johnny Swanson (14-8/3.35)... All-Star closer Hal Combs (8-6/2.66/18 saves) leads the IPA with 18 saves... CF Barney Lewis is only hitting .259, but tops the club with 34 homers, 78 RBIs and 61 runs... All-Star C Vasilis Vlachos has the best BA at .298 with 18 roundtrippers and 64 runs... other offensive providers are 1B Eddy Douglas (.287/19/52/48) and 3B Craig Glennon (.235/18/64/57)... the Sun Sox are not a glitzy team, but they are a good one... should do well in the postseason.

It's been 10 years since San Alejo won the TU South... the Monties are always in the hunt, but always come up short... that's what it looks like this year, too... the Montaneros don't seem to have the hitting to overtake the Sun Sox... All-Star CF Paolo Teixeira (.326/33/85/87) can't win the pennant by himself... the only help he gets is from LF Royce Grantham (.264/17/61/55), but that's not enough... in addition to Teixeira, the main strength of the club comes from two superstar All-Stars Matt Bell (18-4/1.49) and Will McKinney (17-7/2.77)... Bell leads the IPA with a 1.49 ERA... San Alejo really needs a season turnaround from number three starter Benny Buckmaster, who won 20 games last year... Buckmaster is only 7-16 this year... if he got hot in the final six weeks, it would be enough to catch leading Southport.

The Ginza Ninjas can score, but they are suspect on the hill... for the last six seasons they have been entrenched in the secord division of the TU South... the Ninjas haven't won a pennant since 2031... not likely this year either... superstar All-Star RF Sogo Takagi is the franchise player with a .341 BA, 30 doubles, 8 triples, 36 HRs, 89 RBIs and 89 runs, all team highs... Takagi gets a little help from 3B Sam Essex (.258/20/77/57) and rookie standout SS Kuzuki Tamura (.303/6/43/50).... pitching is only modest with starters T. C. Gallimore (15-8/3.85), Charley Waskins (16-10/4.06) and Tokuji Takahara (12-10/4.18)... Timmy Hickens (4-2/2.78/15 saves) is still a reliable closer.

July was a costly month for Cape Coral... it cost them a fair shot at first place... nine games are a lot of ground to make up in the final weeks of the season... the Hurricanes can blister the ball, but lack pitching... Benton McCall (16-8/2.89) is the only topnotch hurler... the best teams usually have three solid starters... the powerhouses feature four... Vernon Marks (14-10/4.13) and Tony Magee (11-6/4.04) are the best of the other starters... the Hurricane attack is sparked by five .300 hitters: star All-Star 1B Stan Ferguson (.353/28/83/65), star All-Star RF William Snyder (.305/13/77/72), superstar All-Star LF Rikky Van Dalen (.315/17/61/68), rookie sensation CF Teddy Plimpton (.321/15/61/67) and LF Max Tselika (.319/22/70/58)... Van Dalen was out the whole month with a broken rib... a very costly injury... he should be back for the stretch run.

The top performers for the rest of the teams: Turon's All-Star 2B C. C. Kingsford (.324/28/79/74), All-Star 3B Al Salisbury (.309/21/57/83) and telented RF Guido Gervasio (.278/25/79/57)... Summerland's superstar starter Jayson Hallstrom (14-9/2.21) and fine 2B Alex Abbotson (.286/32/90/76)... Colchester's only decent player is 3B Jasper Mathews (.289/18/72/54)... Arroyo Grande's best is starter Enrique Lopez (12-14/2.97).

RED SOX UP BY 3 OVER TUCKS IN TU EAST
The Red Bluff Red Sox (74-37) and the Tuckanarra Blue Jays (71-40) are still going at it hot-and heavy in the Tycobbian East... both were a sizzling 18-10 in July... the Red Sox remained up by three games in the race... third place High Mesa (62-49) went 16-12 for the month, but is a distant 12 games out... fourth place Hillsboro (56-55) was 14-14 and is now 18 games out of first place... it should be a thrilling finish in the TU East between two of the best teams in the IPA... Red Bluff is tops in victories with 74, two better than Far Mountain in the Ruthlandian North and three ahead of Tuckanarra.

The Red Sox have robust pitching and excellent scoring... they are first with a 2.91 ERA, first in homers with 182 and third in scoring runs with 546... should they outlast the Blue Jays, Red Bluff will be one of the favorites for the Pro Cup... the Red Sox have three excellent starters in All-Star Jud Cox (17-7/1.62), George Reynolds (18-5/2.61) and Mickey Rosen (14-10/2.98)... heading up the bullpen is Sonny Wheat (3-4/2.12/14 saves)... number four starter Carson Jamara (14-4/3.95) has also contributed some quality starts, too... the top gun is superstar All-Star RF David Kelso (.313/39/86/72), who is tied for third in the IPA in homers with 39... he and Denton City's Wayman Stetson are 7 behind the leader, Jerry Culpepper of Bayview, who has 46... High Mesa's Johnny Tallis is second with 43... 3B Fran Blanchard (.249) has 30 homers, 73 RBis and has scored 65 runs... 1B Josh Stevens (.272) has hit 27 out of the park with 54 RBIs and 61 runs... and CF Ike Sweewater (.287) has 21 roundtrippers, 61 RBIs and scored 51 runs.

Actually, Tuckanarra has a better team BA than Red Bluff... the Blue Jays are batting .272 (2nd) to .254 (18th) for the Red Sox... but Red Bluff has a huge edge in power, 182 homers (1st) to only 96 (25th) for the Tucks... on the mound it's a draw... the Tucks have a 2.99 team ERA (2nd)... the Red Sox have a 2.91 team ERA (1st)... the two clubs are also even in scoring... 538 runs (7th) for the Tucks and 546 for the Red Sox (3rd)... Tuckanarra has a strong starting foursome in Ozzie Leslie (15-7/2.54), Dickie Pittman (11-8/2.73), Gary Oliver (9-3/2.88) and Yarran Nawajuk (17-8/3.30)... and Jack Rogers (9-3/2.08/15 saves) is a crackerjack closer... the Blue Jays can match the Red Sox on the hill, but not at the plate... they hit for average, but don't often go deep... All-Star 1B Rodger Parsons is the club leader with 147 hits, .340 BA, 23 doubles, 15 homers and 78 RBIs... he is tied with Jimmy Markovich for the most runs with 70... 3B Niles Tasby is batting .316 with 13 HRS, 49 RBIs and 38 runs... and Markovich is hitting .264 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs... those number pale when compared to the Red Sox's big four... the Tucks have what it takes to push Red Bluff to the limit... they could win it.

High Mesa has solid pitching, but is only average at the plate... Lucius Quarles (14-7/2.26) and Lloyd Armstrong (11-8/2.21) are young and talented pitchers... 1B Johnny Tallis doesn't hit much for average, but drive in runs in bunches... lifetime he bats only .254... Tallis carries the whole Cowpoke offense with 43 homers and 121 RBIs, both are second in the IPA to Bayview's Jerry Culpepper, who leads with 46 HRs and 123 RBIs... vet SS Clifford Coleman has power, but doesn't hit for much average... he has 26 homers and 73 RBIs with a .233 BA.

Hillsboro's top players are starters Steve Cooper (14-11/2.67) and Jamie Lee Bradley (12-9/3.28)... the Blazers are just one game above the .500 mark... no great shakes offensively, but they do have a little power... LF Jurrien Bellini is tops with 37 homers, 69 RBIs and 81 runs, but is batting only .240... 1B Ernie Moxley has 21 homers, 55 RBIs and 48 runs, but is hitting just .253 for average... and CF Rick Willis has 19 roundtrippers with 60 RBIs and 69 runs, while batting a lowly .249.

Here are the best players on the Tycobbian East also-rans... South Fork is paced by veteran starters Jay Murphy (13-9/2.67) and Chris Sorensen (15-11/3.45)... Charlie Chase (17-8/3.27) is a solid starter for Midway and CF Hector Pena (.305/9/49/74) and LF Justin Morrison (.320/12/57/62) show promise as hitters... East Point has only mediocre players at best with no standouts... 3B Artie Clayton (.269) is a modest IPA hitter with some power... he leads Ozarka with 29 homers and 66 RBIs.

KENWOOD TAKES CHARGE IN TU WEST
It's still a three-club race in the Tycobbian West, but defending champ Kenwood (63-48) made a pretty positive statement by rolling to a red-hot 20-8 record this month to take charge with a four-game lead over last month's leader Arlon (59-52)... they did it without their best hitter and superstar All-Star C Corky DiNozzo, who is lost for the season... the Champions' 15-13 mark couldn't keep them in first place... another club to watch is the fast-closing Rolling Hills Reds (58-53) in third place... they started off with two terrible months (21-36), but have been the best team in the division in June (18-8) and July (19-9)... the Reds are only five games back of first place Kenwood... fourth place Bayview (54-57) had its worst month of the season at 11-17 and has fallen out of contention.

It's been tougher than forecast for Kenwood this season... the experts predicted the Wildcats would wrap up the Tycobbian West early and have a comfortable lead by now... they have won five of the last six pennants... Kenwood is a good all-round team... but received a severe jolt with the rotator injury to DiNozzo, who is batting .300 with a club high 25 homers and 66 RBIs... he and 2B Country Crowder are just about the whole offense... Crowder leads the IPA with a .370 BA and 167 hits... he has scored 62 runs and driven in 37... Tommy Carter (14-9/2.40) is the staff leader in wins and ERA... Rusty Bradford (12-9/3.27) has gotten better as the season progressed... he got off to a sluggish start... Bradford led the club last year with 22 victories... Freddy Gooch (10-8/3.33) is also a quality starter... Gregg Campbell, a 19-game winner last year, has struggled this season with a 13-11 mark with a 4.07 ERA... he needs to turn it up a notch down the stretch... the Wildcats' relief corps is a good one with Mike Jones (6-3/1.91/5 saves) and Elian Verjano (6-5/2.52 8 saves)... good pitching is even more important now after the loss of DiNozzo.

Arlon is not an impressive second place team... they are only fair at the plate and on the hill... the Champions are hitting only .254 (20th) with 109 homers (18th) and don't score well, ranking 26th with 452 runs... pitching-wise they have posted a mediocre 4.02 team ERA (22nd)... yet they are still in the fight for the TU West flag... Lanny Gray (13-12/2.59) is a tough pitcher, but gets little in the way of run support... Peter Shannon (17-8/3.42) is also a quality starter... Mack Blair (4-4/3.17/14 saves) is competent in the closer spot... the offense is not much... 3B Ivan Cisneros (.292/10/41/42) has the best BA... RF Mark Cameron (.269/21/45/54) has the most homers with 21 and leads in runs scored with 54... C Nick Shafer (.258/19/62/53) is the club leader with 62 RBIs... and CF Cary Rockwell (.281/14/52/38) has been a reliable bat, too.

Third place Rolling Hills has certainly turned it around 180 degrees in the last two months and look like the best team in the division... Johnny Howard (19-6/2.83) is carry the mound corps, but will need some help from veteran Matty Christianson (8-12/3.05) and Marty Phillips (8-3/3.35/2 saves) down the stretch... they will be key, along with fourth starter Steve Adams (9-12/3.43)... the bullpen has been hot-and-cold... Benny Young (6-5/3.86/12 saves) has 12 saves, but a high ERA... the Reds have no great sticks in the batting order... the club leaders are CF Orrin Phillips (.286/23/75/65), RF Jimbo Foxx (.259/19/66/48), 1B Darwin Tard (.267/18/49/65), SS Dustin Thibodeau (.317/7/31/50) and C Kyle Edwards (.302/4/35/48).

Fourth place Bayview hits well with power, but has little else... the Vikings have a .265 team BA (7th) with 151 homers (2nd) and rank 8th in runs with 535... on the hill they are not much with a 4.15 team ERA (27th)... Leading the attack is legendary slugger and All-Star 3B Jerry Culpepper (.328/46/123/81), who is having another of his great seasons... he tops the IPA with 46 homers and 123 RBIs... four times in his fantastic career he has hit 60 or more homers... Culpepper hold the single-season mark with 66, set in 2040... so far he has hit 739 HRs, which is 110 short of Jack Elliott's all-time record of 848... Culpepper is 33 and has a few more productive years... helping out this year are All-Star SS Andreas Stokke (.283/26/74/61), LF Ivar Nilssen (.292/20/56/45) and All-Star 2B Zack Mason (.313/9/51/58)... Bobby Knudsen (13-10/2.77) is the top starter with some help from Vance Codsworth (11-7/3.91)... closer Sammy Sarver (6-9/3.32/13 saves) has been hit-and-miss, but has racked up 13 saves.

Fifth place Chicopee has good pitching, but not much else... top players are starters Johnny West (11-5/2.75) and Tom Chambers (8-7/2.77)... 1B Sam Patrick (.303/33/73/57) is hitting the longball and hitting for average.

Sixth place Denton City is only average on the mound and at the plate... Mel Coley (11-9/3.48) has been the most effective starter and Harry Elliott (12-11/3.86) sports the most wins... superstar All-Star 1B Wayman Stetson (.328/39/93/77) is having a remarkable year, but has little help in the batting order... Stetson is tied for third in homers with David Kelso, topped only by Culpepper (46) and Tallis (43).

Bay St. Clair is seventh in the standings with no noteworthy talent.

La Claire is last... closer Terry Baird is worth mentioning with 13 saves, 2.36 ERA and a 7-4 record... Bruce Kinson is a quality starter with a 10-17 record and a 3.43 ERA... none of the batting order has any merit.

TYCOBBIAN UNION STANDINGS AS OF JULY 1, 2047