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THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, October 19, 2054
IPA TABS TOP TWIRLERS FOR '54
There's a little bit of difference between the IPA Golden Arm winners... one is a fireballer and the other is a junkballer... but they also have a lot in common... they both were selected as the top pitchers in the Ruthlandian and Tycobbian Unions... heat-throwing James Long of the Middlefield Roosters collected the RU Golden Arm Award, while powder-puff tossing Ty Coffee of the Arlon Champions picked up the TU Golden Arm trophy... it was Long second time to claim the honor... he also took it in 2050... Coffee is a first-time honoree... both of them had very strong competition.
ROOSTERS LONG CAPTURES 2ND GOLD ARM TROPHY
James Long has been around for years at age 34... he is a 16-year veteran... an 8-time All-Star... and has won 20 or more games 11 times in his legendary career... Long is already assured of induction in the IPA Hall of Fame with a magnificent 336-200 record and a great 2.66 ERA... and the short, stocky right-hander is still going strong, claiming his second Golden Arm Award... Long also won it in 2050... he chalked up a superb 24-5 mark this season with 2.36 ERA... Long was tied for the most victories and came in second in ERA... and easily led the entire IPA with 8 shutouts... it was a very successful year individually... plus his Roosters also racked up their sixth consecutive Ruthlandian West Division title... Long tossed 309 innings and fanned 189 batters... and made the RU All-Stars.
However, it was not a cakewalk for Long... another old-timer almost beat him out for this year's Golden Arm... 17-year vet Ralph Hawk of the Ranford Bulls also won 24 games and topped the Ruthlandian Union with a superb 1.98 ERA... at age 36, Hawk shows no sign of slowing down... this is the third time he led the RU in ERA... a hard-throwing southpaw, Hawk was 24-10 for the second place Bulls in the RU North Division... he fanned 208 batters in 305 innings with two shutouts... Hawk is headed for the IPA Hall of Fame, too... lifetime he has a remarkable 317-168 record with a standout 2.40 ERA... Hawk made the RU Stars for the sixth time this season... and has won three RU Golden Arm trophies ('48, '49, '51).
8-year Sligo star, Mickey Walsh, came in a fairly close third the Golden Arm voting... winding up with an impressive 23-11 mark and a 2.36 ERA for the second place Rovers in the RU West... in 314 innings, the knuckleballer whiffed 217 batters and fired three shutouts... Walsh won the Golden Arm last year... in his career the 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 167-116 record with a standout 2.41 ERA, one of the all-time best career ERAs in IPA history.
CHAMPS COFFEE BEST HURLER IN TYCOBBIA
The 2054 Tycobbian Golden Arm winner, Ty Coffee, hasn't been around very long, but he certainly reached the top pretty quickly... in only his third year with the Arlon Champions, Coffee soared to 27 wins, tops in the IPA... he only lost 9 games this year and sparked his team to the Tycobbian West title... Coffee is a finesse guy with great command and control... he registered a fine 2.72 ERA... his 27 victories helped him edge out a legendary star Matt Bell of San Alejo (23-11) and the youthful Arnie McGill (25-7) of the Pro Cup-winning Midway Wolves.
Matt Bell is a legend in his 16 seasons with the San Alejo Montaneros... three times he has been named the Tycobbian Golden Arm ('45, '47, '49)... and he came very close to a fourth one this year, but wound up second to Coffee... a power pitcher even at age 35, Bell put up a strong 23-11 mark with a brilliant 2.19 ERA, struck out 240 batters in his 312 innings, all for a sixth-place club... overall he is 347-185 with a splendid 2.38 ERA, sixth-best in IPA history.
Another youngster, 25-year-old righty, Arnie McGill, wound up third in the Tycobbian Golden Arm competition... he came into his own after two so-so years with the powerful Midway Wolves... this year McGill came out of nowhere to record a 25-7 record with a terrific 2.20 ERA (3rd) for the pennant-winning Wolves... McGill did it with great stuff... he is not an overpowering hurler... he was only 8-5 in his first two years, used mainly in relief.
* JAMES LONG * TY COFFEE *
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