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Eugene Church · 02-27-2020, 06:51 PM

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Thursday, April 5, 2063

RED CAPS DOMINATE TU NORTH AGAIN
What comes to mind when you think of the Oxford Red Caps in the Tycobbian North Division?... "old hat", "commonplace" or maybe "here we go again"... yes, it seems the Oxford Red Caps are going to win the Tycobbian North Division again this year... just like they have for the previous four years and seven of the last 11... The Islandian Times Preseason Poll has the Oxonians winning the TU North once again and by a big margin... just like the last four years... nobody will be close... all of the other contenders will just be playing "second fiddle" to the Red Caps again... Blue Lake will come in second, followed at a distance by Fairfax and Hartsdale in the third and fourth spots... Luxora could give the Frogs and Hellcats a fight for third... White River should have sixth to themselves... North Hills and Mahaska will be trying to avoid the TU North cellar... that's the Tycobbian North pennant race in a nutshell.

The mighty Oxford Red Caps are raring to go again in the Tycobbian North... they can score runs, they hit for average and they can go deep... plus the Red Caps easily have the best pitching in the division... the latter really set them apart from the rest of the clubs... only Blue Lake has a staff anywhere close to Oxford... how about a starting rotation featuring Rico Alessi (19-7/2.60), the TU Golden Arm winner in '60 and '62 and Pat McFarlane (16-9/2.78), the TU Golden Arm winner in '61... and add in at the number three spot in the rotation Maury Statler (17-4/3.61), who has posted a very impressive 165-93 mark in his nine years with the club... this has got to be one of the best starting staffs in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the number four slot will be last year's closer Chucker Pitts (14-7/3.34 ERA/17 saves/62 games)... but the closer role has been placed in some very capable hands, Freddy Tilford (7-3/2.52 ERA/1 save/17 games)... Tilford was the 2061 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player when he was 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 8 games in the playoffs... in the Pro Cup Finals against Volusia, Tilford did not give up a single, solitary run in 10 innings and got credit for the wins in game four, five and six... so it appears all is well on the hill in Oxford... and all appears quite well, too, with the batting order that has the superstar tandem of Buddy Blackford (.323/49 HR) and Showboat Lynn (.294/41 HR)... Roland Latimer (.268/25 HR) is a quality bat, too, along with Wade Armour (.295/4 HR), Scott Schneider (.294/7 HR) and Raylan Theodore (.266/13 HR)... yes, you might say the Oxford Red Caps are loaded for bear... or maybe loaded for the Racers, the defending Tycobbian champion and defending Pro Cup champion from Rolling Hills... the Red Caps are ready, willing and able to knock the Racers off of their pedestal like they did in the '61 playoffs.

The Blue Lake Schooners have been stuck in a pretty good rut the last four seasons, finishing third each time and with a winning record... not bad for a team that had losing records for 10 years in a row... this year the Schooners are the second choice to win the pennant in the Tycobbian West by the media... it has been a long, long time since Blue Lake has been to the postseason playoffs... 2030 was the last time... but they did it right that year, they captured their one and only Pro Cup trophy... this season the Schooners have very solid pitching, pretty good run-scoring ability, but not a lot of power... Weldon Nettleton (12-12/2.73) will be the ace of the mound staff with help from Timmy Aaron (14-11/3.43) and Albert Kendrick (9-9/3.99)... two rookies Dwight Combs and Kale Ryburn will be in the starting rotation after standing out in Spring Training... Bobby Layne (8-13/3.72 ERA/11 saves/53 games) will return in the closing role... heading up the batting order is Steve Schueler (.330/2 HR), an All-Star center fielder and Golden Glove... left fielder Amos Hunnicutt (.289/24 HR) had a very fine rookie season and came in second in the Rookie of the Year voting... and Daryl Monaghan (.275/16 HR) is a 3-time All-Star catcher... Blue Lake is hoping for some breakout years from several players... the Schooners need more firepower to overtake powerhouse Oxford... but they are superior to the other six clubs in the Tycobbian North.

Four clubs will battle for third place in the TU North standings this season... the hot-hitting Fairfax Frogs are given the best chance... they can score just about as well as the Oxford, though they lack the home-run power of the Red Caps... what the Frogs lack most is pitching... they have been absolutely terrible the last two years, but help may be on the way... three rookies looked pretty good in Spring Training... keep an eye on Landon Little, Red Starcher and Tom Carney, all are slated for the bullpen in the early season... Fairfax is also hoping for some improvement in the returning starters Jazzy Dutton (16-13/4.29), Claude Elliot (11-10/3.88) and Colin Colvin (10-15/4.39)... for the sixth year in a row solid veteran Val Jackson (3-5/3.40 ERA/28 saves/46 games) will handle the closing chores... the Frogs have contact hitters galore, sparked by All-Star second baseman Butch Longman (.320/1 HR), Arlie Buckridge (.314/1 HR), Derrek Yorke (.303/9 HR) and Rory Sutcliffe (.310/12 HR)... the power guys are Ron Travis (.306/18 HR), Wyatt Clausen (.287/18 HR), Kirk Waner (.263/12 HR), Babe Gartland (.280/12 HR) and Otto Piper (.285/9 HR)... improved pitching will be the key to Fairfax's success in 2063... the Frogs' fans are long-suffering... 2033 was the last pennant and the last time the club made the playoffs... a few good pitchers could go a long way to end that suffering... give them time... 2-3 years from now Fairfax could be a serious pennant contender in the TU North.

The Hartsdale Hellcats haven't been raising much of it lately in the Tycobbian North race... they last broke even in '58... haven't had a winning season since '52... and no pennants since 2047... last year the Hellcats came in sixth, 18 games behind champ Oxford... the forecast for this year is third place or fourth place, just a little over the .500 mark... Hartsdale has decent pitching, but lacks the offense like its main competitors... they will compete with Fairfax and Luxora for the third and fourth spots in the TU North... judging from Spring Training, there's no help in scoring runs, but they might get a starter and some help in the bullpen... Colby Pickens earned a spot in the starters and Cris Knighten should be a help in the relief corps... returning hurlers are Tommy Johnson (13-10/3.10), Wallace Roscoe (17-7/3.83) and Lew Clydesdale (11-14/4.17)... the bullpen is bare... longtime closer Roy Krieger threw in the towel after a mediocre 2062... it looks like bullpen by committee for awhile... at the plate Walt Ivy (.325/9 HR) leads the way with help from Cooter Eldridge (.306/18 HR), Leon Croyle (.272/7 HR) and Nathan Ivy (.307/17 HR)... Hartsdale is just a middle-of-the-road ballclub... nothing special... will probably wind up somewhere between fourth and sixth.

The Luxora Zorros are a very similar team to Hartsdale... fair hitting and decent pitching... not a lot of longball power... the Z's are rated the fifth-best team in The Islandian Times Preseason Poll... the last good season was '58 when they nabbed the TU North flag... the Zorros have just been so-so since... rookies that showed well in the Spring are starter Benidito Dos Santos and reliever Roman Montalvo... and third baseman Armand Pryor... holdovers on the hill are Julio Machado (13-6/3.30), Howie Huntsman (14-13/3.79), Wallace MacPherson (16-12/4.28) and Terence Dupont (9-12/4.27)... in the bullpen last year closer Bartolo Baptista (10-13/4.03 ERA/22 saves/92 games) pitched a lot of games with modest success... the best bat is Donald Wren (.320/11 HR), followed by Marvin Harrelson (.292/18 HR), Odis Easter (.276/16 HR), Omar Solis (.276/16 HR), Francisco Queiro (.294/14 HR), Felipe Alvares (.279/10 HR) and Lance Lindsey (.259/10 HR)... Luxora can wind up anywhere between fourth and sixth in the TU North standings.

The White River Rascals will finish anywhere from fourth to sixth as well... they are in the same boat as Hartsdale and Luxora... fair scoring... average pitching... and not a lot of firepower... the preseason experts have place them as the sixth-best team in the division... the Rascals had a standout run from '48 to '56 with 7 TU North pennants in 9 years, but they have stumbled since, ranking near the bottom of the division... last year White River was a dismal eighth, 30 games back of Oxford... judging by the Spring, three rookies should be of help... that's center fielder Mack Hamblen, third sacker Paulie Sardini and shortstop Mack Cronyn... on the mound the Rascals have three dependable arms in Wes Chadwick (12-10/3.97), Noel Woods (9-10/3.88) and Hampton Mathews (7-11/3.89)... the bullpen is fair, headed up by Ringo Lanier (13-10/3.99 ERA/6 saves/55 games)... what little offense White River has is from Fred Kraft (.265/18 HR), Dick Robinson (.312/15 HR), Jerry Boggs (.317/2 HR), Bill Wolverton (.267/9 HR) and C. J. Chambliss (.273/8 HR)... first baseman Clarence Desaix (.350/10 HR) did well as a backup... however, the Rascals need to get him in the lineup fulltime... if the rookies come through, White River could improve in the standings this year.

The remaining teams are not very good according to the Island baseball experts... the North Hills Hawks hit very well... 294 last year, but lacked power... while the hurlers are for the most part mediocre... the Hawks are rated seventh in the preseason poll... years ago North Hills had a great team, one of the greatest in IPA history... from 2034 to 2045, the Hawks chalked up 11 Tycobbian North titles in 12 years... not only that, they captured 4 Pro Cups during that splendid era... not so any longer... they have had winning years only 5 times in the last 18 seasons... North Hills has three pretty good starters in Cy Swindell (16-10/3.37), Lance Lear (13-5/3.59) and Eddy Salem (12-10/3.83), but the bullpen is horrible... Johnny Denver (6-17/5.06 ERA/23 saves/81 games) is a poor closer, but was the best of the bad last year... two rookies Hal Christy and Ron Payton earned starting spots in this year's rotation, which should improve the relief corps... former starters Lew Luxton (12-11/3.59) and Zip Harben (3-9/4.11) will take over closer and setup roles... one thing for sure, the Hawks made a great trade in the offseason... they obtained a fine center fielder Gil Arthur (.340/10 HR) from IPA Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills... the 24-year-old Arthur got tired of being a backup outfielder and riding the bench too much and forced a trade... Arthur should certainly add some sock to the Hawks' batting order... he will join Denny Darby (.347/16 HR), Victor Bates (.329/6 HR), Jarrod Creed (.329/6 HR), Eric Passmore (.280/8 HR) and Pat Johnston (.260/4 HR)... that is a darn good lineup of hitters... if the bullpen perks up from the changes, North Hills could move up quite a bit in the TU North pennant race... the Hawks may be much better than seventh place.

What in the world has happened to the Mahaska Haymakers?... three years in a row they came in second to mighty Oxford... what has happened for them to fall to last place in the Tycobbian North?... what do the preseason pollsters know that we don't know?... looking at their mound staff, it looks like it might be better this year... rookie Charlie Blaylock had a very good Spring Training... three other newcomers, Alberto Vadilla, Ray Coryell and Ace Monroe should make them better, too... and the returning staff is fairly good with Luke Grantham (19-6/3.32), Marty Mobley (17-8/4.07), Major Jacobson (10-6/4.39) and Pip Cordice (8-7/3.78)... but they do need help in the bullpen... closer Wiley Youngblood (12-8/3.96 ERA/21 saves/70 games) was the prime guy in the bullpen and he did alright... but Cubby Darville (6-10/4.71 ERA/10 saves/44 games) slumped badly last year... batting-wise Mahaska put lots of runs on the scoreboard last year with the likes of Elvis Gilford (.317/22 HR), Brendan Coomer (.299/5 HR), Lanny Neagle (.271/20 HR), Timothy Honor (.267/18 HR), Stefano Marisciano (.264/20 HR) and Patick Boatman (.278/11 HR)... Devon Greeley (.344/10 HR) had a fine year in a platoon role... he will play fulltime in right field this season... sorry, this does not look like a bad ballclub... they will not finish last... they could be better than last year... the Haymakers will not fall from second place to last place... methinks, the baseball gurus are going to regret picking them for the TU North cellar in The Islandian Times Preseason Poll.

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

02-27-2020, 06:51 PM	#6980
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,988	Thursday, April 5, 2063 RED CAPS DOMINATE TU NORTH AGAIN What comes to mind when you think of the Oxford Red Caps in the Tycobbian North Division?... "old hat", "commonplace" or maybe "here we go again"... yes, it seems the Oxford Red Caps are going to win the Tycobbian North Division again this year... just like they have for the previous four years and seven of the last 11... The Islandian Times Preseason Poll has the Oxonians winning the TU North once again and by a big margin... just like the last four years... nobody will be close... all of the other contenders will just be playing "second fiddle" to the Red Caps again... Blue Lake will come in second, followed at a distance by Fairfax and Hartsdale in the third and fourth spots... Luxora could give the Frogs and Hellcats a fight for third... White River should have sixth to themselves... North Hills and Mahaska will be trying to avoid the TU North cellar... that's the Tycobbian North pennant race in a nutshell. The mighty Oxford Red Caps are raring to go again in the Tycobbian North... they can score runs, they hit for average and they can go deep... plus the Red Caps easily have the best pitching in the division... the latter really set them apart from the rest of the clubs... only Blue Lake has a staff anywhere close to Oxford... how about a starting rotation featuring Rico Alessi (19-7/2.60), the TU Golden Arm winner in '60 and '62 and Pat McFarlane (16-9/2.78), the TU Golden Arm winner in '61... and add in at the number three spot in the rotation Maury Statler (17-4/3.61), who has posted a very impressive 165-93 mark in his nine years with the club... this has got to be one of the best starting staffs in the Islandian Pro Alliance... in the number four slot will be last year's closer Chucker Pitts (14-7/3.34 ERA/17 saves/62 games)... but the closer role has been placed in some very capable hands, Freddy Tilford (7-3/2.52 ERA/1 save/17 games)... Tilford was the 2061 Pro Cup Most Valuable Player when he was 3-0 with a 2.11 ERA in 8 games in the playoffs... in the Pro Cup Finals against Volusia, Tilford did not give up a single, solitary run in 10 innings and got credit for the wins in game four, five and six... so it appears all is well on the hill in Oxford... and all appears quite well, too, with the batting order that has the superstar tandem of Buddy Blackford (.323/49 HR) and Showboat Lynn (.294/41 HR)... Roland Latimer (.268/25 HR) is a quality bat, too, along with Wade Armour (.295/4 HR), Scott Schneider (.294/7 HR) and Raylan Theodore (.266/13 HR)... yes, you might say the Oxford Red Caps are loaded for bear... or maybe loaded for the Racers, the defending Tycobbian champion and defending Pro Cup champion from Rolling Hills... the Red Caps are ready, willing and able to knock the Racers off of their pedestal like they did in the '61 playoffs. The Blue Lake Schooners have been stuck in a pretty good rut the last four seasons, finishing third each time and with a winning record... not bad for a team that had losing records for 10 years in a row... this year the Schooners are the second choice to win the pennant in the Tycobbian West by the media... it has been a long, long time since Blue Lake has been to the postseason playoffs... 2030 was the last time... but they did it right that year, they captured their one and only Pro Cup trophy... this season the Schooners have very solid pitching, pretty good run-scoring ability, but not a lot of power... Weldon Nettleton (12-12/2.73) will be the ace of the mound staff with help from Timmy Aaron (14-11/3.43) and Albert Kendrick (9-9/3.99)... two rookies Dwight Combs and Kale Ryburn will be in the starting rotation after standing out in Spring Training... Bobby Layne (8-13/3.72 ERA/11 saves/53 games) will return in the closing role... heading up the batting order is Steve Schueler (.330/2 HR), an All-Star center fielder and Golden Glove... left fielder Amos Hunnicutt (.289/24 HR) had a very fine rookie season and came in second in the Rookie of the Year voting... and Daryl Monaghan (.275/16 HR) is a 3-time All-Star catcher... Blue Lake is hoping for some breakout years from several players... the Schooners need more firepower to overtake powerhouse Oxford... but they are superior to the other six clubs in the Tycobbian North. Four clubs will battle for third place in the TU North standings this season... the hot-hitting Fairfax Frogs are given the best chance... they can score just about as well as the Oxford, though they lack the home-run power of the Red Caps... what the Frogs lack most is pitching... they have been absolutely terrible the last two years, but help may be on the way... three rookies looked pretty good in Spring Training... keep an eye on Landon Little, Red Starcher and Tom Carney, all are slated for the bullpen in the early season... Fairfax is also hoping for some improvement in the returning starters Jazzy Dutton (16-13/4.29), Claude Elliot (11-10/3.88) and Colin Colvin (10-15/4.39)... for the sixth year in a row solid veteran Val Jackson (3-5/3.40 ERA/28 saves/46 games) will handle the closing chores... the Frogs have contact hitters galore, sparked by All-Star second baseman Butch Longman (.320/1 HR), Arlie Buckridge (.314/1 HR), Derrek Yorke (.303/9 HR) and Rory Sutcliffe (.310/12 HR)... the power guys are Ron Travis (.306/18 HR), Wyatt Clausen (.287/18 HR), Kirk Waner (.263/12 HR), Babe Gartland (.280/12 HR) and Otto Piper (.285/9 HR)... improved pitching will be the key to Fairfax's success in 2063... the Frogs' fans are long-suffering... 2033 was the last pennant and the last time the club made the playoffs... a few good pitchers could go a long way to end that suffering... give them time... 2-3 years from now Fairfax could be a serious pennant contender in the TU North. The Hartsdale Hellcats haven't been raising much of it lately in the Tycobbian North race... they last broke even in '58... haven't had a winning season since '52... and no pennants since 2047... last year the Hellcats came in sixth, 18 games behind champ Oxford... the forecast for this year is third place or fourth place, just a little over the .500 mark... Hartsdale has decent pitching, but lacks the offense like its main competitors... they will compete with Fairfax and Luxora for the third and fourth spots in the TU North... judging from Spring Training, there's no help in scoring runs, but they might get a starter and some help in the bullpen... Colby Pickens earned a spot in the starters and Cris Knighten should be a help in the relief corps... returning hurlers are Tommy Johnson (13-10/3.10), Wallace Roscoe (17-7/3.83) and Lew Clydesdale (11-14/4.17)... the bullpen is bare... longtime closer Roy Krieger threw in the towel after a mediocre 2062... it looks like bullpen by committee for awhile... at the plate Walt Ivy (.325/9 HR) leads the way with help from Cooter Eldridge (.306/18 HR), Leon Croyle (.272/7 HR) and Nathan Ivy (.307/17 HR)... Hartsdale is just a middle-of-the-road ballclub... nothing special... will probably wind up somewhere between fourth and sixth. The Luxora Zorros are a very similar team to Hartsdale... fair hitting and decent pitching... not a lot of longball power... the Z's are rated the fifth-best team in The Islandian Times Preseason Poll... the last good season was '58 when they nabbed the TU North flag... the Zorros have just been so-so since... rookies that showed well in the Spring are starter Benidito Dos Santos and reliever Roman Montalvo... and third baseman Armand Pryor... holdovers on the hill are Julio Machado (13-6/3.30), Howie Huntsman (14-13/3.79), Wallace MacPherson (16-12/4.28) and Terence Dupont (9-12/4.27)... in the bullpen last year closer Bartolo Baptista (10-13/4.03 ERA/22 saves/92 games) pitched a lot of games with modest success... the best bat is Donald Wren (.320/11 HR), followed by Marvin Harrelson (.292/18 HR), Odis Easter (.276/16 HR), Omar Solis (.276/16 HR), Francisco Queiro (.294/14 HR), Felipe Alvares (.279/10 HR) and Lance Lindsey (.259/10 HR)... Luxora can wind up anywhere between fourth and sixth in the TU North standings. The White River Rascals will finish anywhere from fourth to sixth as well... they are in the same boat as Hartsdale and Luxora... fair scoring... average pitching... and not a lot of firepower... the preseason experts have place them as the sixth-best team in the division... the Rascals had a standout run from '48 to '56 with 7 TU North pennants in 9 years, but they have stumbled since, ranking near the bottom of the division... last year White River was a dismal eighth, 30 games back of Oxford... judging by the Spring, three rookies should be of help... that's center fielder Mack Hamblen, third sacker Paulie Sardini and shortstop Mack Cronyn... on the mound the Rascals have three dependable arms in Wes Chadwick (12-10/3.97), Noel Woods (9-10/3.88) and Hampton Mathews (7-11/3.89)... the bullpen is fair, headed up by Ringo Lanier (13-10/3.99 ERA/6 saves/55 games)... what little offense White River has is from Fred Kraft (.265/18 HR), Dick Robinson (.312/15 HR), Jerry Boggs (.317/2 HR), Bill Wolverton (.267/9 HR) and C. J. Chambliss (.273/8 HR)... first baseman Clarence Desaix (.350/10 HR) did well as a backup... however, the Rascals need to get him in the lineup fulltime... if the rookies come through, White River could improve in the standings this year. The remaining teams are not very good according to the Island baseball experts... the North Hills Hawks hit very well... 294 last year, but lacked power... while the hurlers are for the most part mediocre... the Hawks are rated seventh in the preseason poll... years ago North Hills had a great team, one of the greatest in IPA history... from 2034 to 2045, the Hawks chalked up 11 Tycobbian North titles in 12 years... not only that, they captured 4 Pro Cups during that splendid era... not so any longer... they have had winning years only 5 times in the last 18 seasons... North Hills has three pretty good starters in Cy Swindell (16-10/3.37), Lance Lear (13-5/3.59) and Eddy Salem (12-10/3.83), but the bullpen is horrible... Johnny Denver (6-17/5.06 ERA/23 saves/81 games) is a poor closer, but was the best of the bad last year... two rookies Hal Christy and Ron Payton earned starting spots in this year's rotation, which should improve the relief corps... former starters Lew Luxton (12-11/3.59) and Zip Harben (3-9/4.11) will take over closer and setup roles... one thing for sure, the Hawks made a great trade in the offseason... they obtained a fine center fielder Gil Arthur (.340/10 HR) from IPA Pro Cup champion Rolling Hills... the 24-year-old Arthur got tired of being a backup outfielder and riding the bench too much and forced a trade... Arthur should certainly add some sock to the Hawks' batting order... he will join Denny Darby (.347/16 HR), Victor Bates (.329/6 HR), Jarrod Creed (.329/6 HR), Eric Passmore (.280/8 HR) and Pat Johnston (.260/4 HR)... that is a darn good lineup of hitters... if the bullpen perks up from the changes, North Hills could move up quite a bit in the TU North pennant race... the Hawks may be much better than seventh place. What in the world has happened to the Mahaska Haymakers?... three years in a row they came in second to mighty Oxford... what has happened for them to fall to last place in the Tycobbian North?... what do the preseason pollsters know that we don't know?... looking at their mound staff, it looks like it might be better this year... rookie Charlie Blaylock had a very good Spring Training... three other newcomers, Alberto Vadilla, Ray Coryell and Ace Monroe should make them better, too... and the returning staff is fairly good with Luke Grantham (19-6/3.32), Marty Mobley (17-8/4.07), Major Jacobson (10-6/4.39) and Pip Cordice (8-7/3.78)... but they do need help in the bullpen... closer Wiley Youngblood (12-8/3.96 ERA/21 saves/70 games) was the prime guy in the bullpen and he did alright... but Cubby Darville (6-10/4.71 ERA/10 saves/44 games) slumped badly last year... batting-wise Mahaska put lots of runs on the scoreboard last year with the likes of Elvis Gilford (.317/22 HR), Brendan Coomer (.299/5 HR), Lanny Neagle (.271/20 HR), Timothy Honor (.267/18 HR), Stefano Marisciano (.264/20 HR) and Patick Boatman (.278/11 HR)... Devon Greeley (.344/10 HR) had a fine year in a platoon role... he will play fulltime in right field this season... sorry, this does not look like a bad ballclub... they will not finish last... they could be better than last year... the Haymakers will not fall from second place to last place... methinks, the baseball gurus are going to regret picking them for the TU North cellar in The Islandian Times Preseason Poll. ****************************** 2063 Preseason Prediction ********************************************** ********************************************** ***** 2062 Tycobbian North Final Standings ************************************ Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 02-28-2020 at 07:40 PM.