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Eugene Church · 02-18-2020, 10:43 PM

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Thursday, April 5, 2063

FOXHOUNDS ARE FAVORED IN RU NORTH
Last year the Glasco Foxhounds came in near the bottom of the barrel in the Ruthlandian North race, but this year they are the pick of the litter because of three fine starting pitchers, led by standout veterans Jonathan Barnett (12-13/2.96) and Monte France(17-10/2.54) and sensational youngster Evan Acklin (11-7/2.09)... according to the experts Glasco has better pitching than last year's division champion Far Mountain... and can hit well enough to beat the Redhawks and the second place Valmara Vipers this year... Rick Farns (.301/15 HR), Aidan Gifford (.310/15 HR), Andy Rooney (.266/12 HR) and Callum Slattery (.287/8 HR) will pace the offense.

Far Mountain, Kilkenny and LaGrange will be the main challengers to Glasco with Valmara not far behind in fifth place.... the Kilkenny Cats' main strength is on the mound with three solid starters in ace Dakota Evans (15-9/2.47), Billy Joe Wooster (13-10/3.36) and Frankie Dark (11-15/3.68)... plus Butch Baird (10-8/3.15/16 saves/68 games) is a good closer... the Cats are woefully weak in firepower... they don't often go deep... the key to the season will be the four rookies on the staff... Niles Bedford (.331/9 HR) is the best hitter by far... followed by Nicky Vallas (.282/8 HR), Clyde Cooper (.290/5 HR) and Rex Parkhill (.269/1 HR).

The LaGrange Gators put up a good fight last year and came in third, just 4 games behind RU North champ Far Mountain... their pitching staff is right up there with Glasco and Kilkenny with the likes of Chucky Beckman (14-8/3.25), Spike Swearingen (11-7/3.24), Dave Loxley (12-11/3.49), Levi Coleridge (6-14/3.58) and Amos Wadsworth (8-11/4.02)... plus a solid bullpen, anchored by Trey Ladner (15-10/3.66/13 saves/81 games)... the Gators need some offense... Cleve Juban (.313/18 HR), Kris Carper (.302/9 HR) and Tony Rojas (.284/6 HR) can only do so much to put runs on the scoreboard.

The Far Mountain Redhawks have the best attack in the Ruthlandian North Division led by Ox Gless (.292/23 HR), Oskar Neumann (.343/21 HR), Curt Miley (.339/13 HR) and Luke Hazlett (.280/16 HR)... they still pack a wallop in their lineup... however, the pitching is not there anymore... all that's left is three quality starters in Derek Meijer (10-12/3.24), Benny Van (12-6/3.24) and Jeffrey Chandler (12-11/3.93)... and a fairly good closer in Howie Haywood (17-12/3.80/17 saves/81 games)... the Redhawks need help in the bullpen to make a run at the pennant again... but, don't be surprised if the Redhawks don't repeat as champ... they may be better than the experts think.

The Valmara Vipers used to hit the heck out of the ball, but had trouble getting people out... now the bats are on the decline and the pitching prowess is still slack... fifth place may be the best the Vips can do... they still have two good starters in ace Jozef Duczynski (20-10/2.26) and veteran Tony Joe Carnes (19-12/3.88), but not a lot after that in the starting rotation... they do possess a standout closer in Kris Fourcade (1-4/1.85/30 saves/42 games)... at the plate Timmy Benford (.327/21 HR), Jud Gilbride (.260/27 HR), Alek Stolarski (.285/13 HR) and Harv Shepard (.300/9 HR) are still one of the best attacks in the RU North, but not like they have been in the recent past when the Vipers won 4 pennants in 5 seasons, 2057 to 2061... Valmara has a new rookie shortstop... Junior Jensen is the son of famed Gold Glover and All-Star shortstop Ken Jensen, who starred for the Vipers from 2040 to 2056... Junior has a good glove and is a good contact hitter... he won the starting spot in Spring Training, where he batted .300 in 30 games.

The other three clubs in the RU North, the Ancona Red Elephants, Taranto Tars and Ranford Bulls, will battle for sixth place... Ancona only has two quality arms... ace Yanni Bubas (16-12/3.80) and super closer Kontos Christakis (1-3/0.53/34 saves/49 games)... the Red Elephants only have a few productive batters... Franco Briganti (.346/23 HR) is a real threat, along with Marcellus Dillaway (.315/18 HR)... Allie Bryant (.275/16 HR) is also productive with the bat and steal bases, too... Bryant led the Ruthlandian Union in thefts.

The Taranto Tars hit homers, but that's because they play in the smallest park in the IPA, the Palazzo di Sport with its 320-foot foul lines... the only bonafide batter in the lineup is superstar Lenny Buisson (.297/47 HR)... at age 37, Buisson is still going strong... he led the RU last year in longballs for the 7th time in his illustrious career... Buisson has hit 671 out of the park in his 17 years with the Tars and Belle Plaine and is a lifetime .304 hitter... he is literally a "one-man wrecking crew" and a future Hall-of-Famer... surprisingly Taranto has some pitchers that do well in the small "homer haven"... Nico Croce (14-13/2.23) had a fine year last year... and 11-year star Phil Castle (13-14/3.69)... lifetime he is 150-109 with a fine 3.01 ERA... in a phenominal year Castle was the Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year, Golden Arm and Most Valuable Player in 2052.

Last place in the RU North belongs to the Ranford Bulls... they don't do much very well... last year they finished dead last and are likely to do it again... the Bulls cleaned house in the offseason... they have 8 rookies on the team, 6 of them are hurlers... Ranford does already have some decent arms in Zeppo Perrelli (12-2/3.55), Marv Douglas (11-15/3.81) and Barney Folse (12-10/4.26)... and closer Tommy Holloway (10-13/3.74/14 saves/70 games) does a fairly good job... the Bulls have one fine hitter in Garry Galbreath (.329/18 HR), who really blossomed in his second season... two vets, Glen Chambliss (.281/17 HR) and Jedd Blodgett (.263/21 HR), still carry a big stick as well... but, basically, Ranford is a bad ballclub.

*************** 2063 Preseason Prediction ************************************************** ************************************************** ************************* 2062 Ruthlandian North Final Standings ****************

02-18-2020, 10:43 PM	#6976
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,988	, Thursday, April 5, 2063 FOXHOUNDS ARE FAVORED IN RU NORTH Last year the Glasco Foxhounds came in near the bottom of the barrel in the Ruthlandian North race, but this year they are the pick of the litter because of three fine starting pitchers, led by standout veterans Jonathan Barnett (12-13/2.96) and Monte France(17-10/2.54) and sensational youngster Evan Acklin (11-7/2.09)... according to the experts Glasco has better pitching than last year's division champion Far Mountain... and can hit well enough to beat the Redhawks and the second place Valmara Vipers this year... Rick Farns (.301/15 HR), Aidan Gifford (.310/15 HR), Andy Rooney (.266/12 HR) and Callum Slattery (.287/8 HR) will pace the offense. Far Mountain, Kilkenny and LaGrange will be the main challengers to Glasco with Valmara not far behind in fifth place.... the Kilkenny Cats' main strength is on the mound with three solid starters in ace Dakota Evans (15-9/2.47), Billy Joe Wooster (13-10/3.36) and Frankie Dark (11-15/3.68)... plus Butch Baird (10-8/3.15/16 saves/68 games) is a good closer... the Cats are woefully weak in firepower... they don't often go deep... the key to the season will be the four rookies on the staff... Niles Bedford (.331/9 HR) is the best hitter by far... followed by Nicky Vallas (.282/8 HR), Clyde Cooper (.290/5 HR) and Rex Parkhill (.269/1 HR). The LaGrange Gators put up a good fight last year and came in third, just 4 games behind RU North champ Far Mountain... their pitching staff is right up there with Glasco and Kilkenny with the likes of Chucky Beckman (14-8/3.25), Spike Swearingen (11-7/3.24), Dave Loxley (12-11/3.49), Levi Coleridge (6-14/3.58) and Amos Wadsworth (8-11/4.02)... plus a solid bullpen, anchored by Trey Ladner (15-10/3.66/13 saves/81 games)... the Gators need some offense... Cleve Juban (.313/18 HR), Kris Carper (.302/9 HR) and Tony Rojas (.284/6 HR) can only do so much to put runs on the scoreboard. The Far Mountain Redhawks have the best attack in the Ruthlandian North Division led by Ox Gless (.292/23 HR), Oskar Neumann (.343/21 HR), Curt Miley (.339/13 HR) and Luke Hazlett (.280/16 HR)... they still pack a wallop in their lineup... however, the pitching is not there anymore... all that's left is three quality starters in Derek Meijer (10-12/3.24), Benny Van (12-6/3.24) and Jeffrey Chandler (12-11/3.93)... and a fairly good closer in Howie Haywood (17-12/3.80/17 saves/81 games)... the Redhawks need help in the bullpen to make a run at the pennant again... but, don't be surprised if the Redhawks don't repeat as champ... they may be better than the experts think. The Valmara Vipers used to hit the heck out of the ball, but had trouble getting people out... now the bats are on the decline and the pitching prowess is still slack... fifth place may be the best the Vips can do... they still have two good starters in ace Jozef Duczynski (20-10/2.26) and veteran Tony Joe Carnes (19-12/3.88), but not a lot after that in the starting rotation... they do possess a standout closer in Kris Fourcade (1-4/1.85/30 saves/42 games)... at the plate Timmy Benford (.327/21 HR), Jud Gilbride (.260/27 HR), Alek Stolarski (.285/13 HR) and Harv Shepard (.300/9 HR) are still one of the best attacks in the RU North, but not like they have been in the recent past when the Vipers won 4 pennants in 5 seasons, 2057 to 2061... Valmara has a new rookie shortstop... Junior Jensen is the son of famed Gold Glover and All-Star shortstop Ken Jensen, who starred for the Vipers from 2040 to 2056... Junior has a good glove and is a good contact hitter... he won the starting spot in Spring Training, where he batted .300 in 30 games. The other three clubs in the RU North, the Ancona Red Elephants, Taranto Tars and Ranford Bulls, will battle for sixth place... Ancona only has two quality arms... ace Yanni Bubas (16-12/3.80) and super closer Kontos Christakis (1-3/0.53/34 saves/49 games)... the Red Elephants only have a few productive batters... Franco Briganti (.346/23 HR) is a real threat, along with Marcellus Dillaway (.315/18 HR)... Allie Bryant (.275/16 HR) is also productive with the bat and steal bases, too... Bryant led the Ruthlandian Union in thefts. The Taranto Tars hit homers, but that's because they play in the smallest park in the IPA, the Palazzo di Sport with its 320-foot foul lines... the only bonafide batter in the lineup is superstar Lenny Buisson (.297/47 HR)... at age 37, Buisson is still going strong... he led the RU last year in longballs for the 7th time in his illustrious career... Buisson has hit 671 out of the park in his 17 years with the Tars and Belle Plaine and is a lifetime .304 hitter... he is literally a "one-man wrecking crew" and a future Hall-of-Famer... surprisingly Taranto has some pitchers that do well in the small "homer haven"... Nico Croce (14-13/2.23) had a fine year last year... and 11-year star Phil Castle (13-14/3.69)... lifetime he is 150-109 with a fine 3.01 ERA... in a phenominal year Castle was the Ruthlandian Rookie of the Year, Golden Arm and Most Valuable Player in 2052. Last place in the RU North belongs to the Ranford Bulls... they don't do much very well... last year they finished dead last and are likely to do it again... the Bulls cleaned house in the offseason... they have 8 rookies on the team, 6 of them are hurlers... Ranford does already have some decent arms in Zeppo Perrelli (12-2/3.55), Marv Douglas (11-15/3.81) and Barney Folse (12-10/4.26)... and closer Tommy Holloway (10-13/3.74/14 saves/70 games) does a fairly good job... the Bulls have one fine hitter in Garry Galbreath (.329/18 HR), who really blossomed in his second season... two vets, Glen Chambliss (.281/17 HR) and Jedd Blodgett (.263/21 HR), still carry a big stick as well... but, basically, Ranford is a bad ballclub. ************* 2063 Preseason Prediction ********************************************** ********************************************** ********************* 2062 Ruthlandian North Final Standings ************** Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-28-2020 at 07:40 PM.