ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS) - Page 211

Eugene Church · 05-17-2014, 05:06 PM

2046 Ruthlandian Batting and Pitching Leaderboards

Eugene Church · 05-17-2014, 05:10 PM

2046 Tycobbian Union Batting and Pitching Leaderboards

Eugene Church · 05-17-2014, 06:44 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

VALMARA WINS 3RD RU NORTH FLAG IN 4 YRS
After a one-year hiatus the Valmara Vipers are back in the saddle and riding high in the Ruthlandian North with a third pennant in the last four years and seeking another Pro Cup trophy... the Vipers dethroned the Glasco Athletics from the top of the heap with a strong drive down the stretch... Valmara went 30-14 the last six weeks to overcome the A's, who were 26-18... this is the 15th time in history the Vipers have made the playoffs... twice they have won the Pro Cup (2026 and 2043)... Valmara paced the Ruthlandian Union with 95 victories, which was number two in the IPA... only Hartsdale in the Tycobbian Union had more with 98.

1. VALMARA: southpaw Primo Sirak (23-8/1.96), Teddy Twardzik (24-12/2.69) and Paul Holloway (10-2/1.74/16 saves) are the Valmara staff leaders, while the offense is headed by 2B Ken Jensen (.351/7/65/93), who won the batting crown with a .351 BA... other contributors were SS Jorge Aparicio (.334/7/60/89), CF Don Ritchie (.289/4/82/95) and 1B Cain Greene (.253/22/81/68)... the Vipers may not have the depth in pitching to go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs.

2. GLASCO: finished just two games back of the Vipers... the Athletics had four fine starters in Pat Myers (20-13/2.52), Evan Walsh (19-8/2.68), Benny McDaniel (19-12/3.13) and Manny Berrera (16-13/3.38), along with Ken McLin (9-2/1.83/19 saves) in the bullpen... the A's were led at the plate by CF John Rumford (.302/12/74/74), 1B John Carlton (.278/22/70/67) and SS Joseph Baxter (.272/7/79/75).

3. RANFORD: the Bulls finished 10 GB... Noah Mannon (15-7/1.99/14 saves) started in the bullpen, but ended up a starter... ace Ralph Hawk (21-13/2.53) had another standout season... Neil Martin (16-12/3.48) was effective, too... the Ranford attack was led by LF Dale Weston (.275/36/80/94), 3B Joey Gompers (.254/23/72/93) and CF Micah McDade (.292/10/61/81).

4. LAGRANGE: the Sports were 12 games back... top bats were SS John Rodgers (.277/21/90/90), RF Robbie McGregor (.288/19/62/79), RF Charles Bacque (.296/19/65/69) and C Scott Wallace (.285/13/71/57)... top moundsmen were Arnie Ayers (20-15/2.32), Hot Dog Huxtable (15-12/4.14) and Johnny Stoneham (13-12/3.59).

4. FAR MOUNTAIN: tied with LaGrange for fourth... Ryan Kolb (20-13/2.47) and Curt Steinhauer (17-12/3.17) led the mound corps... Fernando Sanches (6-5/2.63/19 saves) was the best in the bullpen... Redhawks were not much at the plate... CF Lew Huffman (.293/16/52/45) had the best average with some help from LF Terry Crawford (.287/21/62/70) and C Joel McDaniel (.282/5/51/50).

6. KILKENNY: the Cats came in sixth and 20 games back... had just fair pitching and no offense... Jody Joss (18-14/4.04) posted the most wins... Julio Santiago (12-7/3.61), Ciaran Cullen (13-15/3.57) and Glen Caswell (14-24/3.50) were effective at times... bullpen standouts were Andy Mayfield (8-5/2.80/21 saves) and Dave Stratford (4-3/2.39/9 saves)... Mayfield was third in the IPA with 21 saves, topped only by leader Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) of Hartsdale with 24 and Fairfax's Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28) with 22... SS Sam Norman (.277) was the club leader with 19 homers, 65 RBIs and 76 runs... 1B Pat Lewis hit .306 with 13 HRs, 59 RBIs and scored 42 runs.

7. TARANTO: the Tars wound up 24 games behind... Mario Martinelli (19-16/4.57) and Bill Walker (16-14/4.77) posted winning records, but gave up a lot of homers... Taranto also hit homers, paced by 42-year-old slugger 3B Mark Delaney (.259/46/125/93), who was fourth in RBIs and fifth in homers in the IPA... Delaney is approaching 500 homers in his career... RF Derrick Damon (.308/25/81/97) and C Ryan Nelms (.273/28/78/62) also supplied some firepower.

8. ANCONA: for the sixth straight season the Red Elephants came in last, 33 games off the pace... Darlon McDugan (16-14/4.03) was the most dependable starter... and Lakota Cobos (6-6/1.83/17 saves) had a strong year in the pen... veteran star LF Eldon Aldridge (.285) had a fine year with 45 homers, 122 RBIs and 92 runs... he was sixth in the IPA in homers and seventh in RBIs... 24-year-old rookie phenom CF Jotaro Suzuki joined the team in July and put up some super numbers with a .341 BA, 15 HRs, 41 RBIs and 48 runs in 64 games... RF Walter Glenn (.308/3/58/77) and 3B Rick Richards (.297/7/72/81) had solid years, too.

Eugene Church · 05-18-2014, 10:21 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

DIAMONDS REPEAT IN RU SOUTH
Last year the Claxton Diamonds had a much easier time winning the Ruthlandian South Division by 10 games... this year came much harder as the Diamonds (85-69) were forced into a tough stretch drive with Waleska (82-72) and Valka (82-72), finally taking the crown by three games... Claxton pulled away from the Westerners in September with a 10-5 mark, while Waleska crumbled to a 6-9 in the final weeks... Valka played well with a 10-5 record, but couldn't catch the Diamonds... no other clubs in the RU South had winning records... Claxton didn't fare well in the postseason last year and was eliminated in the first round... the Diamonds are not likely to go much further this year.

1. CLAXTON: pitching carried the Diamonds this year with four solid starters in Abe Schiffman (20-12/2.96), Stan Yudash (21-17/3.43), Steven Ellison (19-15/3.28) and Gilbert Clagsdale (13-9/3.27/6 saves)... the bats were nothing special... 31-year-old superstar 1B Jojo DeLucca (266/16/105/85) was the leader again, but had a down year with a career worst .266 BA and only 16 homers... he was the RU MVP and Golden Bat winner last year... 2B Rich Emery (.266/22/81/77), LF Foxy Fuchs (.269/19/72/67) and SS Stevie Wynn (.300/9/54/54) had so-so years, too.

2. WALESKA: the Westerners had strong pitching with Roy Schaefer (14-11/2.44), Jeff Woodruff (16-13/2.95), Niles Nielsen (20-11/3.09) and Tony Haskell (17-17/3.15)... the club didn't have much offense... CF Kenny Hardy (.301/13/58/86) and 3B Pete Furness (.253/29/88/73) were the only decent performers.

2. VALKA: the Blackhawks were good on the hill, no so good at the plate... the best starters were Matvey Kazak (21-17/2.96), Ivo Lipik (17-11/3.25) and Tyrone Marte (18-12/3.61)... Miikael Arens (9-5/2.93/11 saves) was the best in the bullpen... star CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.325/24/86/87) led the team in BA, hits, homers, RBIs and runs... with some help from RF Rich Henson (.276/21/69/80), 1B Jess Evans (.280/23/66/68) and C Russell Boyd (.271/13/60/75).

4. ST. JOHN: the Crusaders finished fourth (11 GB), but had a mediocre season... the only starter that broke even was Frank Long (17-17/3.06)... the relievers were bad, too... star performers RF Nicky Farrugia (.302/20/65/57) and 3B Marty Blankenship (.275/19/46/62) are slowing down at 37 and 36 respectively... SS Herbie Gruen (.267/22/79/89) had the club lead in hits, homers, RBIs and runs... 2B Tab Allison (.259/8/62/81) was the second most productive.

5. SAN DIMAS: the Rancheros ran a good race in the first half, but tumbled badly in the second half, winding up in fifth place 13 GB... Gil Arnaud (14-16/3.45) was the most productive starter with Georgie Walker (6-6/2.49/16 saves) standing out in the bullpen... no standout sticks on the club... the best of the lot was 3B Leonard Purkey (.313/13/69/63), C Hermie Goetz (.266/10/57/81), 1B Ken Kirby (.240/25/66/65) and LF Denny Hendrix (.283/23/73/59).

6. GRAND CITY: after coming in a surprise second to Claxton last year, the Cybercats reverted to form and dipped to the second division this year, 17 games off the pace... superstar 1B Benny Hull had a career year with a .307 BA, 51 homers, 125 RBIs and 94 runs... only IPA leader Jerry Culpepper of Bayview had more homers with 52... Hull was fourth in RBIs... it was a huge chasm between Hull and the next best batter, C Iggy Van Dyck hit .259 with 22 roundtrippers and 65 RBIs... Kenny Morrow (13-20/3.13) and Jimmy Engels (15-16/3.51) were the most reliable starters... Kent Douglas (5-7/2.60/10 saves) was capable in relief.

7. BELAIR BEACH: the long drought continued for the hapless Sunbirds... for the ninth straight season they finished on the bottom or near the bottom of the RU South... six times they have been basement bound... reliever Tom Cook (10-6/2.68/16 saves) had a wonderful season... the only reliable starter was Jose Munoz (14-18/3.71)... the best bats were a pair of good ones in RF Norm Ellis (.292/32/87/82) and 3B Jason Butler (.262/29/90/85).

8. CRYSTAL LAKE: after winning two pennants in 2043 and 2044, the Crushers have sunk down deep in the division, tumbling from sixth last year (19 GB) to the cellar this year (24 GB)... reliever Josh Crosby (12-7/3.48/9 saves) is the only hurler with a winning mark... the best starter was Eddie Lane (13-21/3.61)... the most productive performers at the plate were C Del Peevy (.303/8/72/59), LF Jed Murphee (.284/6/48/68), RF Paul Dillon (.285/10/60/58) and SS Ernie Addison (.293/1/48/55).

2046 Ruthlandian South Team Statistics

Eugene Church · 05-20-2014, 12:53 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

IPA CHAMP SUGAR VALLEY BREEZES TO 3RD FLAG IN 4 YEARS
The Sugar Valley Rattlers (93-61) methodically marched to its third Ruthlandian East title in four years and will return to defend its IPA crown in the Pro Cup playoffs starting this Wednesday... although the field is fairly wide open, the experts think the Rattlers are quite capable of repeating as the best team in the Islands... they built up a 5-game edge at mid-season and then expanded it to 12 games by season's end... Eastshore (81-73) came in second with Wynnamac (80-74) and Elnora (80-74) tied for third, trailing by 13 games.

1. SUGAR VALLEY: the Rattlers are blessed with great pitching and hitting and will be one of the Pro Cup favorites in a crowd of contenders... seven of the eight playoff teams are predicted to be in the running for the Pro Cup trophy... only Claxton, the RU South representative, was left off the list... Sugar Valley was sparked by starters Antonio Cedeno (23-13/2.58), Cullen Winslow (22-10/2.59) and Joe Snow (22-7/2.95)... the bullpen is strong, too, with Christopher Dunsberry (3-4/2.51/11 saves) and Domenico Renterias (5-7/2.99/8 saves)... while the batting order is filled with powerful hitters in IPA superstar and last year's Pro Cup MVP LF Bobby Gamble (.312/37/103/104), super slugger CF Carl Ramsey (.297/41/129/113) and talented SS Roger Hobbs (.292/34/84/117)... Ramsey finished second in the IPA with 129 RBIs and seventh in scoring with 113 runs... Hobbs came in third in scoring with 117 runs... other solid contributors were 2B Richie Fry (.297/10/67/84) and 3B Kent Rasmus (.287/12/60/75)... the eight regulars in the lineup hit at least 10 homers each... the Rattlers were tops in the RU with 208 home runs... only two Tycobbian teams hit more... Red Bluff led with 252 and Turon was second with 216.

2. EASTSHORE: it was a good year for the second place Elegants... Tommy Brown (22-12/3.67) was the club leader in wins... Malcolm Tansbury (14-16/2.79) had the best ERA... and closer Jody Friday (13-4/1.88/11 saves) had a great season with 85 appearances, second to Tom Cook (10-6/2.68/16 saves) of Belair Beach, who led the IPA with 89... leading the offense were three talented players RF Todd McFarland (.283/34/112/109), LF Bevan Shuler (.294/28/90/114) and 40-year-old star 2B Johnny Petrak (.311/20/104/89)... Petrak is a .316 career hitter in his 13 IPA seasons.

3. WYNNAMAC: the Sundowners won the RU East in 2042 and 2044 and have been third the last two years (14 GB and 13 GB)... Sammy Hayes (22-14/2.39) topped the starters in victories and ERA... Ciaran Gallagher (13-7/3.46/3 saves) was a good fourth starter and long reliever... Shirai Nakamura (17-18/2.95) lost a lot of games due to poor run support... closer Johnny Mitchell (7-5/2.46/14 saves) had another impressive season... superstar RF Nioka Inkamara (.292/40/91/98) paced the club in homers and RBIs... 3B Duane Hudson (.306/4/57/91) had the most hits with 172 and the best BA... and CF Darrell Donnelly (.287/15/81/99) topped the team in scoring runs with 99.

3. ELNORA: the up-and-down All-Stars regrouped after a seventh place finish in 2045 with a tie for third this season, after winning 96 games in 2044 and tying for second... vet Stan Kivas (22-9/3.20) and Emilio Travanti (17-14/4.19) were the biggest winners among the starters... closer Jamie Patranga (6-4/2.38) was the best in the bullpen... Elnora has a high-powered attack featuring RF Preston Davies (.294/41/113/101), LF Enos Conrad (.324/16/60/85), C Cannon Johnson (.273/21/86/85), 2B Marley Macomber (.304/22/89/72) and 1B Joey Hagburn (.323/10/54/70).

5. COLD CREEK: after five pennants and 13 straight first-division finishes, the Catamounts have floundered the last two seasons, winding up fifth this year (16 GB) and sixth in 2045 (21 GB)... they no longer have the great pitching and have slipped to just an average staff with the retirement of IPA icon J. J. Gillespie, who was 294-170 with a terrific 2.46 ERA in 17 seasons... three times Gillespie was the RU MVP and five times he was acclaimed the Golden Arm... Gillespie was named to the IPA Hall of Fame this year... Sammy Wright (18-14/3.13) and Riku Takahashi (17-7/4.09) had the most wins, but Terry Owens (9-7/2.63/2 saves) and Rob Hutchins (16-17/2.71) were the most effective... Cold Creek had only two decent bats in the lineup: 3B Joe Cochrane (.312/21/91/86) and rookie 1B Bradley Brim (.303/9/72/58).

6. BEECHWOOD: this season the Bobcats dropped from second (8 GB) to sixth place (21 GB) as the both offense and the pitching failed them... 1B Corky Callahan (.283/34/95/70), 2B Mike Matthews (.287/16/77/89) and LF Clint Scott (.265/23/64/81) were the most productive batters... and 2045 Golden Arm winner Jimmy Herman (16-19/2.48) was the only effective starter, but was snake-bitten by the lack of runs.

7. MARSTON: the Nine had their first .500 season in about a decade in 2045, but slipped back from fifth place (17 GB) to seventh in the RU East standings (22 GB)... top arms in the starting rotation were Thomas Stuart (17-15/2.92) and Jean-Noel Waldron (10-10/3.48)... number one in the pen was Kiki Vuk (7-8/2.38/14 saves)... heading up the hitters were star SS Stan Mila (.291/23/89/64) and 2B Gary Armitage (.305/22/69/90).

8. BELLE PLAINE: the hopeless Musketeers came last in the division (24 GB) for the seventh time in the last 16 seasons... five of those years they were seventh... Phil Lacey (20-15/3.66) was the only capable starter... and Kurt Tandberg (9-3/3.49/15 saves) did well in the bullpen... at the plate CF Roy Myers (.322/18/66/63) and C Nuke Borg (.311/11/63/55) had the best BAs, while 1B Chuck Gregory (.278) was tops with 27 homers, 87 RBIs and 77 runs.

2046 FINAL RUTHLANDIAN EAST STANDINGS AND TEAM STATISTICS.

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

Eugene Church · 05-21-2014, 06:14 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

HELLCATS BREAK LOOSE IN TU NORTH
The pennant race in the Tycobbian North only lasted until mid-season... at that point the Hartsdale Hellcats broke loose and made a farce of the race in June and July with a 38-18 record... the Hellcats were victorious by 15 games over second place Blue Lake, 17 games better than last season's winner North Hills and 18 up on the Fairfax Frogs in the fourth spot in the standings... North Hills had totally dominated the division with 11 titles in the last 13 years... the Hellcats have never won the IPA Pro Cup, but will certainly be a factor this year in the playoffs... they seemingly have all that's needed to win this season after leading the IPA with 98 victories.

1. HARTSDALE: the Hellcats have gotten progressively better in the last four campaigns, rising up from fifth (21 GB) to third (4 GB) to second (1 GB) and finally winning the pennant this year... all four starters won 20 games... headed up by Gil Younger (28-9/2.54), Dave Payne (20-9/3.18), Perry Givens (20-9/3.43) and Kippy Wilhelm (20-16/3.63)... Younger's 28 wins was second to Jamie Taylor's IPA record-breaking 30 this year for Rocky Rapids in the RU West... closer Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14/24 saves) topped the IPA with 24 saves... the bats were quite productive, too... 1B John Ford (.268/30/100/82) and SS Robinson Alomar (.259/30/88/67) led the team with 30 homers each... 3B Greg Melton (.276/28/82/109) chipped in with 28 and was the club leader with 109 runs... the top hitter was C Frank Penn (.341/6/71/58) at .341 with RF Emilian Burgess (.316/18/79/106) second with a .316 mark... CF Darrell Nesbitt (.297/14/67/103) had a solid season, too.

2. BLUE LAKE: the Blue Sox made the TU North first division for the fifth year in a row... they improved from third to second this year position-wise, but went from 5 GB to a lofty 15 back... they scored well with good power, but slumped some on the mound... 40-year-old Frankie Quinn (16-21/4.24) managed to get within 5 games of Nicky Engstrom (387-218), the all-time IPA wins leader... Quinn is 382-284 in 20 seasons... Van Johnson (21-11/3.58) is still the ace with help from Sal Mays (18-13/3.00)... Razzy Richmond (9-5/2.72/13 saves) is still the best closer on the team with 67 appearances... he got some help in the pen this year from Kevin Nixon (5-2/2.07)... the best run producers are C Juan Luis Barcelona (.306/23/92/98), RF Johnny Harding (.281/28/85/90), 1B Mel Morrison (.305/25/86/62), LF Jack Ryan (.305/6/56/78), 2B Kinji Hashimoto (.255/20/79/73) and SS Rick Bridges (.268/22/78/63).

3. NORTH HILLS: the Hawks ran out of gas in the final weeks of the season... they were only two games behind Hartsdale going into July... the Hawks are aging... but more importantly they lost their offense when superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.317/11/41/30) went out for the season in May... RF Ryan Webbe (.309/22/75/77), 2B Tommy Vavas (.295/18/72/101), 3B Jim McDermott (.272/12/71/72) and 1B Oscar Pendleton (.303/16/62/59) did their best to take up the slack... Tony Mack (21-14/3.04) won 20 games for the sixth time in his 13 seasons... at 39 David Michael (18-18/3.84) struggled at times... Alex Peters (16-14/3.62) and Kyle Oliver (13-11/3.94) were the other starters in the rotation... the pitching corps is not what it was in the glory years when the Hawks won four Pro Cups 2034 to 2041.

4. FAIRFAX: after two seasons in sixth place, the Frogs moved up over .500 into fourth place (18 GB)... they haven't won a pennant since 2032 and 2033... and have never won a Pro Cup... Harold Dorman (19-16/2.68) had a fine season... as did closer Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28/22 saves)... Sawyer made 83 relief appearances and finished second in saves with 22... only Hartsdale's Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) with 24 was better... Fairfax hit well for average with a .281 BA, tops in the IPA, but was only average in scoring runs... star 2B John Velasco still handles the bat well at age 40... he led the team with a .316 BA, was first with 95 RBIs and second with 23 HRs and 86 runs... C Scott Courtney (.271) was the club leader with 25 homers and second with 92 RBIs... LF Brad Johnston (.298/18/79/90) scored the most runs with 90... RF Terrence Yeoman (.306/11/68/56), 3B Daniel Pierce (.300/3/62/65) and CF Trent Russell (.269/14/67/78) also helped out offensively.

5. WHITE RIVER: the Rascals moved up from seventh in 2045 (24 GB) to fifth place (21 GB) this season... improved pitching was the prime reason as the offense flopped badly... Nicky Palmer (19-12/2.81) was the most effective starter with some help from Trent Anderson (15-19/3.86) and Clem Warren (13-17/3.65)... in the bullpen Carlo Grimaldi (10-6/2.14/14 saves) really stood out in 68 appearances... star CF Billy Joe Hickman again was the offensive leader with 46 homers, 115 RBIs and 92 runs scored, but he batted only .249... 2B Warren McKenzie chipped in with 29 roundtrippers, 3B Ryan Byrd had 27 and 1B Ralph Cashman 25, but they all hit below the .250 mark.

6. OXFORD: the Red Caps have had only one winning season in the last nine... that was good for fourth place in 2045 (5 GB)... they slipped back to mediocrity this year to sixth place (25 GB)... they have some good starters in Ralph Mosby (20-12/3.28), Tekkan Nishikawa (16-16/3.13), Rudy Mellancamp (16-18/2.64) and Lou Ellison (8-13/3.13)... but lack bats... RF Kevin Carter (.275) is the only decent one with 30 homers, 96 RBIs and 84 runs.

7. LUXORA: the Zorros were second two seasons ago (4 GB), but have tumbled to fifth (16 GB) and seventh (29 GB) since... the last postseason appearance was back in 2031... the Z's have never won a Pro Cup... Joao Damaso (14-15/3.33) and Victor Spears (16-18/3.57) were the most reliable starters... 1B Joel Poche (.304/18/84/72), RF Emil Pasek (.311/15/65/80) and LF Derrek Jackson (.303/17/68/55) were the club's offensive leaders.

8. MAHASKA: the Haymakers took it on the chin again for the fourth successive season with a last place finish (38 GB)... the top starters Terry Mazurek (12-15/4.06) and Bobby Kelman (11-15/4.65) were only mediocre at best... 1B Roger Lewis (.291/34/88/74) led the club with 34 homers... C James Boswell (.230/33/89/65) was tops with 89 RBIs and was second with 33 home runs... CF Bill Whittier (.315/27/79/84) had the best BA at .315, second with 84 runs and third with 27 HRs... SS Rocco Bertara (.286/13/69/85) led the team with 85 runs.

2046 Tycobbian North Finals Standings and Team Statistics

Eugene Church · 05-22-2014, 02:57 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

SUNSETS RISE UP IN TU SOUTH
The fans witnessed a stirring stretch drive in the Tycobbian South this season with the outcome coming on the very last day of the season... the year-long leader Summerland (94-60) survived by a scant one game, while last year's division champion Southport (93-61) slipped to second place after winning the title the last four years... the third spot went to San Alejo (91-63), who was just 3 games back in the race... late-finishing Turon (89-65) closed fast, but came up five games short in fourth... the Ginza Ninjas (86-68) wound up fifth and trailed by eight games... showing the overall strength of the TU South, Cape Coral (79-75) finished sixth, but posted a winning record... Summerland had to endure a 16-inning marathon to win the division outright... they edged Oxford 8-6, while Southport succumbed to Blue Lake in a heartbreaker loss 2-1... Summerland and San Alejo fought all season long, while Southport started very poorly... the Sun Sox were 9-18 in April, falling 10 games back in last place... but they rebounded and became a factor by the end of June, when they drew within three games of first place... the three clubs went toe-to-toe from July on and even got some pressure from Ginza and Turon.

1. SUMMERLAND: the Sunsets lived and died on the mound with a truly fine rotation that easily topped the IPA with an astounding 2.62 team ERA... the staff included Jayson Hallstrom (22-10/2.15), Jacob Gillen (20-8/2.36), Dutch De Boer (19-10/2.64) and Peter Ashley (15-7/2.61/10 saves)... Billy King (12-20/3.07/6 saves) was also very good as a spot starter and reliever... 1B Kenny Douglas (.306/20/82/690, RF Rick Mayes (.270/21/60/82) and 3B Alex Abbotson (.261/20/84/85) provided most of the Sunsets' offense... the team didn't fare well at the plate (.251 BA-21st) and scored only 631 runs (25th-tied)... scoring runs may make it tough in the playoffs for Summerland, especially against clubs with firepower like Hartsdale, Kenwood and Red Bluff in the Tycobbian Union... and Sugar Valley, Rocky Rapids and Valmara of the Ruthlandian Union.

2. SOUTHPORT: the Sun Sox were led by ace Billy Hoover (22-11/2.42), Cade Brockton (23-11/3.65) and Gordon Forbes (19-13/3.16) on the hill... Hal Combs (9-7/3.29/17 saves) anchored the bullpen... the top guns were 1B Eddy Douglas (.333/32/95/84), 3B Craig Glennon (.293/29/91/86), LF Chris Jones (.302/3/56/93) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/5/73/74)... CF Barney Lewis added 24 homers and 77 RBIs, but batted only .236 for average.

3. SAN ALEJO: the Montaneros were rarely more than three games behind winning Summerland as they fought tooth-and-nail the entire season... they were paced by a strong mound staff featuring three 20-game winners in Benny Buckmaster (23-11/2.82), Matt Bell (22-9/2.04) and Will McKinney (21-12/2.18)... the fourth starter Mickey Cronyn was also good with a 13-6 mark and 3.46 ERA... the bullpen was the Monties' weakness (4.14 ERA-25th)... standing out in the batter's box were RF Paulo Teixeira (.294/29/94/76), 1B Sal McAlister (.318/11/80/91), LF Charlie Wilberforce (.311/23/85/68) and 2B Callum Gainsborough (.273/8/52/114)... San Alejo finished in the TU South first division for the tenth consecutive season, mainly in the top three spots... they last won the pennant in 2037 and have one Pro Cup trophy, won in 2032.

4. TURON: the fourth-place Typhoons snapped a bad streak this season with a first-division finish (5 GB)... they were eighth, sixth and eighth from 2043 to 2045... like Southport, Turon stumbled in April (12-15), but got better as the season progressed... offense carried the team... they were second in scoring with 779 runs with 216 HRs (2nd), but only had a 4.05 team ERA (24th)... longballs ruled the day in the Typhoons' lineup with all regulars having 13 or more homers... SS Rafer Robertson (.291/38/108/79) led with 38, 1B Nick Fisher (.328/35/108/100) had 35, RF Wallace Sonnier (.254/34/69/104) hit 34, 2B C. C. Kingsford (.284/29/80/71) totaled 29 and CF Guido Gervasio (.293/20/78/90) belted 20 out of the park... starters Izzy Beasley (22-13/3.85), Clayton Petit (17-14/4.10), Tom Fuller (13-7/3.93) and Nate Scottsdale (15-17/3.54) were so-so at best.

5. GINZA: the Ninjas were improved this season... they just play in the best division in the IPA... they have played .550 baseball the last two years but ended up in fifth place both seasons, trailing by 11 games and 8 games respectively... Ginza has an above-average attack, ranked seventh in scoring (754 runs) with 166 HRs (9th), but only average pitching (3.81 ERA-20th)... RF Ichiro Kazumi (.315/18/78/81) is the top hitter at .315... followed by 1B Jiro Yamamura (.311/8/48/115) at .311... Yamamura is the club leader with 115 runs... star CF Sogo Takagi (.303/22/87/102) is third with a .303 BA and second with 22 HRs, 87 RBIs and 102 runs... SS Sam Essex is number one with 28 homers and 97 RBIs, but batted only .235... Tokuji Takahara (19-10/2 saves/2.50) had a career year at age 31... the other starters were just fair to mediocre: Charley Waskins (15-11/4.13), T. C. Gallimore (17-11/4.64) and Carlos Del Toro (16-14/3.59)... old reliable Timmy Hitchens (11-9/3.22/21 saves) continued to lead the bullpen and racked up 21 saves in 79 appearances... Hitchens was third in the IPA in saves... topped only by Alonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) of Hartsdale with 24 and Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28) of Fairfax with 22.

6. CAPE CORAL: the Hurricanes posted first-division finishes from 2041 to 2045, but fell back to sixth this year (15 GB) in spite of its winning record... Cape Coral has never won a Pro Cup... its last pennant was in 2041... the 'Canes are potent at the plate with a .279 BA (2nd), 738 runs (9th) and 189 HRs (5th), but lackluster with a 4.10 ERA (25th)... prolific batsman and superstar LF Rikky Van Dalen, a career .320 hitter, won his third batting title with an IPA-leading .352 BA... Van Dalen was number two with 214 hits, second in the IPA to Ken Jensen, who had 217 for Valmara in the Ruthlandian Union... Van Dalen led the Ninjas with 96 RBIs, 109 runs and 23 SBs... he was second in homers with 26... star RF William Snyder led in homers with 28, while batting .322 with 94 RBIs and 87 runs... Snyder is a lifetime .325 hitter in 13 seasons with the Hurricanes... other capable bats in the lineup include 1B Stan Ferguson with a .319 BA, 27 HRs and 93 RBIs and 3B Kent Mantle with a .287 BA, 23 HRs, 57 RBIs and 77 runs... Stacy Boyle (12-7/2.62/3 saves) was the most effective starter... Vernon Marks (22-14/3.86) was the biggest winner.

7. ARROYO GRANDE: for the 13th successive season the Suns have been sequestered in the TU South second rung... this year they came in seventh (21 GB)... the Suns haven't made the postseason since way back in 2024... still no Pro Cups in the trophy room... not a lot of talent on the club... the only decent hitters were CF Kenny Wade (.280/15/39/69), LF Wilfredo Acosta (.267/19/76/66), RF Alfred Novikoff (.254/14/57/68) and SS Russ Henredon (.253/9/58/61)... Enrique Lopez (14-20/3.47), Anthony Lombardi (17-18/3.76), Fernando Campos (15-16/3.53) and Daku Goode (13-12/4.16) were only fair starters.

8. COLCHESTER: the Elites are also stuck in a rut with 10 years of frustration... 2036 was the last winning season... Colchester has made the playoffs only four times and has yet to win a Pro Cup... they came in dead last this year, winding up 35 games out of first place with no offense or pitching... Benny White (19-18/3.85) led the staff with 19 wins... with Dave Lacoste (11-18/3.40) and Dan Scott (11-19/3.57/2 saves) having the most quality starts... 3B Joey Rogers (.284/8/47/73), RF Teddy Drackley (.277/19/80/68) and 2B Jasper Matthews (.258/15/78/60) were best of the poor lot in the lineup.

2046 Tycobbian South Final Standings and Team Statistics

Eugene Church · 05-22-2014, 10:15 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

RED SOX RAMBLE TO 3RD FLAG IN A ROW
Four clubs went head-to-head for the first four months of the season in the Tycobbian East, then Red Bluff reved it up and left the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, Hillsboro Blazers and South Fork Stallions far behind... the Red Sox rolled to their third pennant in a row by going 31-13 in August and September, leaving runner-up Tuckanarra 11 games behind, third place Hillsboro 15 back and South Fork 16 games out... in the final weeks the Blazers did the best of the three with a 22-22 mark, while the Tucks were only 21-23 and the Stallions 20-24... Red Bluff is hopeful of winning its second Pro Cup with its fine pitching and home-run wallop... its only other Pro Cup came over 40 years ago in 2004.

1. RED BLUFF: the Red Sox again socked it to the rest of the league with 252 roundtrippers, easily the best in the IPA, but it was way short of the record-setting 283 they slammed in 2045... still the trio of RF David Kelso (.302/51/106/98), 1B Josh Stevens (.329/49/111/96) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.317/41/100/92) can do a lot of damage... Kelso's 51 finished second to the IPA home-run leader Jerry Culpepper (Bayview), who cracked 52... Stevens was fourth on the list with 49... and Blanchard was tenth with 41 dingers... LF Jesse Shaw also chipped in with 22 homers and a .301 BA... but it's the pitching that brings smiles to Red Sox fans... Jud Cox (26-8/1.88) had a fantastic year with 26 wins... only Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids and Gil Younger of Hartsdale outdid him... Taylor set a new IPA standard with 30 victories and Younger had 28... Cox finished third behind Taylor (1.85 ERA) and Eastshore's Jody Friday (1.88 ERA) with a brilliant 1.88 ERA... Mickey Rosen (21-13/2.89) also won 20 games... two other Red Bluff starters had solid seasons, too... George Reynolds was 16-13 with a 3.36 ERA and Jack Wallace was 13-9 with a 3.47 ERA... the bullpen was pretty bad with a 4.24 ERA (26th)... Carson Jamara (7-8/3.80/19 saves) was inconsistent, but had 19 saves.

2. TUCKANARRA: the Blue Jays ran their tremendous first-division streak to 24 years with a second place finish... but its been 8 years since the Blue Jays bagged a pennant... the last one came in 2038... the Tucks have made more playoff appearances than any other IPA team... 17 times they have made it... with three Pro Cups to their credit (2023, 2024, 2035)... the Blue Jay mound staff was led by Dickie Pittman (17-9/2.58) and Yarran Nawajuk (18-14/3.66) with veteran closer Jack Rogers having a great year in the pen with a 16-9 mark, 12 saves and a fine 2.25 ERA in 73 relief appearances... no great bats and no power in the Tucks' batting order, but some good and reliable ones: 1B Rodger Parsons (.318/9/56/57), RF Frank Mason (.317/10/58/67), 2B Ricky Vincent (.298/7/49/78), C Wally McMain (.290/14/68/50), LF Jimmy Markovich (.290/9/52/80) and CF Ben Henderson (.289/1/42/50).

3. HILLSBORO: for the 45th consecutive season the Blazers failed to make the playoffs, but it was a good year nonetheless... they came in third, but 15 games out... however, they were in flag chase until they faded in August and September... the Hillsboro ace was Jamie Lee Bradley (16-11/2.48)... they also got some quality starts from Steve Cooper (18-18/3.27), Ralph Quick (12-12/3.80) and Robby Lee Stillwell (10-13/3.23)... Bailey Bilbow (10-9/3.24/14 saves) was the best in the bullpen... the best bat in the lineup belonged to 1B Ernie Moxley (.294), the team leader with 43 HRs and 117 RBIs... he ranked seventh to Bayview's Jerry Culpepper in RBIs... Culpepper paced the IPA with 138... 2B Scotty McNeill (.303/9/86/79) topped the team with a .303 BA... 3B Todd Bennett (.273) led the club with 94 runs.

4. SOUTH FORK: the Stallions had its glory years from 2041 to 2044 with three pennants and a Pro Cup (2042)... not so good since with a sixth-place finish in 2045 (22 GB) and fourth place this year (16 GB)... the pitching is better-than-average with Chris Sorensen (19-16/3.08), Big Murph McAlister (16-12/3.82), two-time Golden Arm winner Jay Murphy (14-18/3.48), Labron Holt (13-7/3.46/1 save) and Jonas Clay (12-10/3.52)... no real sticks in the lineup... the best of the lot are SS Pete Arnold (.287/9/58/78), RF Rick Carlton (.285/11/51/52), 1B Paul Sexton (.285/12/56/47), LF Kyle Gottwald (.274/15/61/46), 2B Elton Jacoby (.273/10/49/87) and CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.261/23/83/55).

5. HIGH MESA: success came early to the Cowboys in the IPA... they made the playoffs the first two years and even won the Pro Cup in the team's first season in 2002... but since the 2003 season - nothing...zilch... no pennants... no Pro Cuos... and no postseason appearances for 44 years... the Cowpokes don't have a lot of talent... Lucius Quarles (14-15/2.71) was the Tycobbian Rookie of the Year in 2045 and has done well in his two seasons... at 39 vet Emil Nowak (15-19/3.71) can still give the club some quality starts... and young Steve Tolan (15-20/4.04) showed some potential at times... the Cowboys don't have much in the way of offense... 1B Johnny Tallis led the team with a .265 BA, 31 homers and 98 RBIs... LF Clay Johnston had 29 HRs and 82 RBIs, but batted only .227... SS Clifford Coleman was in the same boat with 24 roundtrippers, 72 RBIs and a .240 BA... ditto for 3B Wes McGovern with 21 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .246 BA.

6. MIDWAY: the Wolves haven't posted a winning season since 2039... the last playoff appearance was in 2027... they have never won a Pro Cup... the offense was good this year with a .270 BA (5th) and 726 runs (10th), but they didn't have much punch (129 HR-21st)... pitching was inept with a 4.16 ERA (27th)... CF Hector Pena (.309/14/90/104), LF Justin Morrison (.308/17/92/105), 3B Paul Butler (.297/14/79/87) and C Martin Rogers (.314/12/50/42) were solid and reliable batters... only starter Charlie Chase (18-16/3.33) and reliever Sam Lewis (9-4/2.07/11 saves) did their jobs on the hill.

7. OZARKA: the Naturals had a terrible year, coming in seventh and 38 games out of first... the only good seasons recently were 2040 when they won the pennant and 2042 when they wound up fourth (4 GB)... though the Nats have made the playoffs on 15 occasions in the club's history, they have never won a Pro Cup, but have made the Finals five times... 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2020... reliever Gene White (3-5/1.97/2 saves) was the only pitcher with good numbers... he stood out in 48 appearances... SS William Clark led the team in hits with 183 and batted .307... 3B Artie Clayton topped them with 33 HRs, 97 RBIs and 73 runs, but batted just .257... C Paul Beasley hit .308 for the best BA on the squad and added 21 roundtrippers... injury-prone 2B-SS Duffy Morrison missed about 50 games, but still hit .303 with 14 HRs, 44 RBIs and scored 60 runs at age 38.

EAST POINT: the Panthers wound up in the TU East basement for the fifth time in six seasons... the last playoff appearance was in 2039... they have never won the Pro Cup and are a perennial also-ran... the Panthers lost 104 games last year (45 GB) and 100 this year (39 GB)... they were the worst team in the IPA this season... no hitting and no pitching... Barney Benton (16-16/3.27) was the only effective pitcher... with 1B Jack Gorham, 3B Thomas Crawford, CF Wesley Garrett and RF Augie Elizondo the only decent batsmen... Gorham (.260) led the club with 31 homers and 79 RBIs... Crawford (.272) was first in runs with 71 and in doubles with 34... and Garrett (.254) topped the team with 155 hits... and Elizondo had the best batting average at just .275.

2046 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Statistics

Eugene Church · 05-25-2014, 12:56 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Monday, September 17, 2046

KENWOOD CRUISES TO 5TH FLAG IN 6 YEARS
There was only one contender in the Tycobbian West this year... that was the Kenwood Wildcats (92-62), who cruised wire-to-wire to their fifth division title in six years... the Wildcats wrapped up the West with a 12-game lead at the end of June... they just coasted in the second half of the season, beating the runner-up Arlon Champions (82-72) by 10 games... third place Rolling Hills (79-75) by 13 games and fourth place La Claire (76-78) by 16... according to the baseball experts Kenwood is a solid, all-around good ballclub and should be a force in the Pro Cup this season... it should really be a battle royal in the Tycobbian playoffs between four fairly evenly matched teams... Summerland and Hartsdale are slight favorites, but Red Bluff and Kenwood should make their presence known as well... the Ruthlandian Union will be well-represented with defending Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley leading the way and backed up by Rocky Rapids and Valmara, two strong and viable Pro Cup challengers.

1. KENWOOD: the Wildcats have plenty of talented bats and quality arms and should make some noise in the playoffs... they ranked third with a .276 BA, tied for fifth in scoring with 759 runs, hit 181 roundtrippers (7th) and registered an impressive 3.15 team ERA (4th)... superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.332/41/103/82), 2B Country Crowder (.328/2/55/90), SS Ben Daniels (.302/26/78/74) and LF Warren Vickers (.296/15/70/79) provide the punch and the offense... on the hill the standouts are Rusty Bradford (22-6/2.75/6 saves) and Tommy Carter (20-10/2.42)... number three Gregg Campbell (19-11/3.35) and number four Freddy Gooch (16-14/3.90) also provided quality starts, too... young southpaw closer Mike Jones (3-5/2.14/18 saves) also had a fine season in the bullpen... the Wildcats will be shooting for their first Pro Cup trophy since the golden year of 2014... they have an outside shot this year.

2. ARLON: the Champs moved up from fifth place (12 GB) to second this year (10 GB)... five times they have won the TU West, but don't have a Pro Cup title yet, although they came fairly close to one in 2039, when Waleska topped them in six games... they are a little better-than-average ball club... year-in and year-out left-hander Lanny Gray (22-11/2.21) is one of the better pitchers in the IPA... he got a little help from veteran starter Pat Stuyvesant (16-16/3.63) and reliever Mack Blair (10-6/2.79/20 saves), who made 77 appearances and ranked fifth in the IPA with 20 saves... RF Mark Cameron (.281/34/86/91) and C Nick Shafer (.260/20/85/56) were the prime run providers, but they didn't have a lot of help.

3. ROLLING HILLS: the Reds haven't made the postseason in 15 years, but they do have two Pro Cups in their possession, winning them in 2029 and 2031... they have good pitching and a fair offense... top arms are Johnny Howard (16-18/3.05) and Steve Adams (11-14/3.07)... both were better than their won-loss records... both suffered from lack of offensive support... Hootie Ferris came back in July after missing a year with injury and was quite effective... Ferris was 7-1 with a 2.70 in 8 starts... and Benny Young (9-6/2.85/15 saves) did a quality job in the bullpen in 75 relief assignments... star 1B Darwin Tard (.310/24/78/101) had another solid year and got some help from slugger RF Jimbo Foxx, who led the club with 30 home runs, while batting a lowly .235 and driving in 84 runs... CF Orin Phillips (.277/21/87/84) topped the team with 87 RBIs and had another solid season.

4. LA CLAIRE: after two straight seasons in the TU West cellar, the Lynx snapped out of it and climbed up to the first division and fourth place (16 GB)... they have never claimed a Pro Cup trophy and last went to the playoffs in 2038... biggest winners on the staff were Nelson Stubbs (20-14/3.62) and Bruce Kinson (20-15/4.42), but both were inconsistent at times... vet Terry Baird (8-6/2.06/17 saves) was the bullpen standout as usual... at the plate LF Hank Morton led the club with a .328 BA and 175 hits... CF Donny Griffith was tops with 20 HRs, 86 RBIs and 82 runs, batting .303... 2B Donnie Nilsson also chipped in some good offense with a .280 BA, 12 HRs, 58 RBIs and a club high 90 runs.

5. BAYVIEW: 2046 was another lackluster year for the Vikings... they came in fifth (19 GB)... the year before they were sixth (14 GB)... it's been years since they made the playoffs... the last pennant came in 2016... the Viks' trophy case contains no Pro Cups... one thing the Vikings can do is go deep and score runs... they batted .268 (6th) with 759 runs (5th-tied) and 204 HRs (3rd), but really have trouble keeping the opposing teams off the scoreboard... SS Andreas Stokke is the worst-hitting regular with a .269 BA, but he slugged 37 homers, drove in 111 runs and scored 107... super-duper superstar 3B Jerry Culpepper (.287 BA) led the IPA with 52 HRs and 138 RBIs, while scoring 100 runs... LF Ivar Nilssen also put up some hefty numbers with 31 roundtrippers, 93 RBIs and 86 runs with a .288 mark... CF Rusty Hunter hit .287 and was second on the squad with 102 runs... and the top batting average belonged to 2B Zack Mason (.325/10/44/69)... no one great on the mound... Bobby Knudsen (19-17/3.88) and Johnny Young (15-15/3.65) were the most reliable starters and biggest winners... in the bullpen Sammy Sarver (7-6/3.44/12 saves) had a pretty fair season.

6. CHICOPEE: after finishing fourth with a 77-77 season (7 G B), the Braves slipped back into the second division to sixth place (24 GB)... they have only made the postseason three times, back-to-back seasons in 2034, 2035 and 2036... no Pro Cup in the team's history... the Braves had fairly good pitching this year, but lousy bats... Paul Foster (15-13/3.47), Tony Dazzi (17-18/3.12) and Josh Dougherty (13-20/3.06) gave them some quality starts, but they suffered from bad run support.... 3B Ken Smith (.288/4/57/61) had the best BA at .288 and the most hits with 166... 1B Sam Patrick (.272/25/81/66) had the most homers with 25 and the most RBIs with 81... and CF Marty Hogart (.241/11/65/77) was the club leader with 77 runs.

7. BAY ST. CLAIR: for the 11th successive season the Buccaneers were unsuccessful and ended up in the TU West second division... for the second year in a row they wound in the next-to-last spot in the standings (24 GB)... nine times in the club's history they have made the playoffs, but not since 2030... and they have never won a Pro Cup... the Bucs did make the Pro Cup Finals one year, but lost to Taranto in 2015... the top mound performers were 22-year-old Dion Hawkins (17-10/3.58) and 27-year-old Clyde Gordon (15-16/3.54)... SS Edison Randall was the only decent bat with a .285 BA... he topped the club with 184 hits, 71 RBIs and 75 runs and was third in homers with 12... the HR leader was 1B Joel Wilkerson (.221) with 18... 3B Dan Modak (.249) was second with 17.

8. DENTON CITY: after being in the first division four years in a row, the Redbirds tumbled all the way down to the TU West basement and last place (30 GB)... it was a dismal season... in the team's early history they made the playoffs eight times in their first 12 years in the IPA... twice the Redbirds made the Pro Cup Finals, but twice they came out on the short end... Denton City was terrible at the plate and not a lot better on the hill... superstar 1B Wayman Stetson is the only talent on the team... Stetson was the club leader with a .301 BA, 186 hits, 38 homers, 84 RBIs and 80 runs... no one else approached his numbers... 28-year-old Harry Elliott (19-20/3.49) and ancient 41-year-old Francisco Salcido (13-18/3.38) were the most reliable pitchers.

2046 Tycobbian West Finals Standings and Team Statistics

Eugene Church · 05-26-2014, 01:30 AM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18

NO CLEAR FAVORITE IN IPA PLAYOFFS
With the 46th IPA postseason getting started this Wednesday afternoon, the baseball experts are in a quandary... there is no clear-cut favorite in the Pro Cup playoffs this year... the winner could come from any number of teams... in The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll, the nod went to defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley (93-61) of the Ruthlandian East with its big, high-scoring bats and capable pitching... the Rattlers can rattle the fences with the likes of playing manager and super-duper star Bobby Gamble (.312/37/103/104), superstar Carl Ramsey (.297/41/129/113) and star Roger Hobbs (.292/34/83/117)... they also have standout starters in Cullen Winslow (22-10/2.59), Joe Snow (22-7/2.95) and Antonio Cedeno (23-13/2.58)... the relief corps is strong, too, with Christopher Dunsberry (3-4/2.51/11 saves) and Domenico Renterias (5-7/2.99/8 saves)... Sugar Valley is given just a fair chance at repeating... there are just too many evenly-match teams... toss out the baseball and make your choice.

The oddsmaker chose Hartsdale (98-56) of the Tycobbian North for the number two pick, citing its IPA-leading 98 triumphs, solid starters and productive attack... heading up the Hellcats are four 20-game winners in Gil Younger (28-9/2.54), Perry Givens (20-9/3.43), Dave Payne (20-9/3.18) and Kippy Wilhelm (20-16/3.63)... Younger was the second most prolific pitcher in the IPA after 30-game winner Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids... the Hellcats can hammer the ball, too, with John Ford (30 HRs), Robinson Alomar (30 HRs), Greg Melton (28 HRs), Emilian Burgess (18 HRs) and Darrell Nesbitt (14 HRs).. they led the IPA with 806 runs and can pile up a lot of runs in a hurry with a .274 BA (4th) and 187 HRs (6th)... Frank Penn topped the team with a .341 BA with Burgess second at .316... Melton scored 109 runs, Burgess 106 and Nesbitt 103... Ford was the club leader in RBIs with 100 and Alomar had 88, Melton 82 and Burgess 79.

The number three selection in the Pro Cup Poll was the powerful Rocky Rapids Snappers (94-60)... on paper they look to be the best club in the postseason and would be a prohibitve pick to win it all should they get by Sugar Valley in the first round series... it won't be a big upset if the Snappers dethrone the Rattlers... they have the home-field advantage in the best-of-seven series... their offense is awesome and the mound corps is led by Jamie Taylor, who had a brilliant recording-setting season with 30 wins and a 1.85 ERA... often in the playoffs the key to winning is the secondary starters... number three starters play a crucial role in the postseason outcome... Buster Noland (20-11/3.00) and Robby Barnhill (19-16/3.09) will have to come through for the Snappers to go all the way... the Snappers have six .300 hitters in the starting lineup, sparked by Marty Featherstone, who had a fabulous season with 129 RBIs, 118 runs, 39 homers and a .303 BA... Featherstone led the IPA in runs and ranked third in RBIs... other solid contributors were Duncan Musselwhite (.319/6/51/118), Jose Ramos (.337/14/78/96), Buddy Hamilton (.303/32/102/91), Carney Kirkpatrick (.304/15/70/76) and Nick Nova (.337/8/50/42)... Masaharu Kawasaki also had a fine year, batting .287 with 18 roundtrippers, 83 RBIs and 66 runs scored.

Rating fourth in the voting were the Summerland Sunsets (94-60), who are unbelievable on the mound, posting an absurdly low 2.62 team ERA... they also won the toughest division in the IPA, the Tycobbian South, where six clubs had winning records... Jayson Hallstrom (22-10/2.15), Jacob Gillen (21-8/2.360, Dutch De Boer (19-10/2.64) and Pete Ashley (15-7/2.61/10 saves) are a fearsome bunch to face... however, scoring runs are a real big problem for the Sunsets, ranking 25th in scoring, while batting only .251 (21st)... the most dependable and relible batters are Kenny Douglas (.306/20/82/69), Alex Abbotson (.261/20/84/85) and Rick Mayes (.270/21/60/82)... such a lackluster offense really hurt Summerland in the poll.

The Pro Cup prognosticators chose the big bats of the Red Bluff Red Sox (93-61) fifth best in the balloting... they ripped 252 roundtrippers to again easily top the IPA, combining with a couple of highly-rated starters in Jud Cox (26-8/1.88) and Mickey Rosen (21-13/2.89) to make the Red Sox a potent force in the postseason... only Rocky Rapids' Taylor and Gil Younger of Hartsdale had more victories than Cox with 30 and 28 respectively... the Red Sox's biggest shortcoming is its question-mark bullpen, headed up by Carson Jamara (7-8/3.80/19 saves)... the biggest plus the Red Sox have is the terrific trio of David Kelso (.302/51/106/98), Josh Stevens (.329/49/111/96) and Fran Blanchard (.317/41/100/92)... they all slammed 40 or more homers and batted in over 100 runs each... Kelso was runner-up to IPA HR leader Jerry Culpepper of Bayview... Culpepper edged him out for the title 52 to 51... Stevens came in fourth with 49... and Blanchard tenth with 41.

The Valmara Vipers (95-59) paced the Ruthlandian Union with 95 wins... they are a rock-solid club with a fine pitching staff, but a suspect offense... that's why the pro pickers downgraded the Vips to number six in The Islandian Times Pro Cup preview... they have a lot of good contact hitters, but no superstuds in the lineup... Valmara still batted .277 (2nd), ranked fourth in runs with 740, but possessed little power with only 113 homers (22nd)... the Vipers top hitters were Ken Jensen (.353/7/51/65/93), Jorge Aparicio (.334/7/60/89) and Don Ritchie (.289/4.82/95)... Jensen led the RU with a .351 BA, second to Rikky Van Dalen's IPA best .352 for Cape Coral in the Tycobbian Union... Primo Sirak (24-8/1.96) and Teddy Twardzik (24-12/2.69) had really impressive seasons... and Valmara is also blessed with a great closer in Paul Holloway (10-2/1.74/16 saves)... scoring runs will be the key factor in their Pro Cup run, along with a number three starter.

The Kenwood Wildcats (92-62) are another team that looks great statistically with terrific pitching, hitting and scoring, but that didn't get a lot of respect in the poll... they were the seventh pick... the Wildcats have a good pair of starters in Rusty Bradford (22-6/2.75/6 saves) and Tommy Carter (20-10/2.42), along with a capable number three man in Gregg Campbell (19-11/3.35)...closer Mike Jones (3-5/2.14/18 saves) did very well in relief, too... and Corky DiNozzo (.332/41/103/82), 2B Country Crowder (.328/2/55/90), SS Ben Daniels (.302/26/78/74) and LF Warren Vickers (.296/15/70/79) provided a steady diet of runs... the critics are not impressed with Kenwood's overall depth on the hill and at the plate.

No one is giving the Claxton Diamonds (85-69) much support in the Pro Cup quest... they were the number eight choice in the voting... the Diamonds have a good starting four in Abe Schiffman (20-12/2.96/2 saves), Stan Yudash (21-17/3.43), Steve Ellison (19-15/3.28) and Gilbert Clagsdale (13-9/3.27/6 saves)... but don't impress offensively with a mediocre .254 BA (24th) and 112 HRs (23rd-tied)... superstar Jojo DeLucca (.266/16/105/85) had a sub-par season after winning the RU MVP and Golden Bat last year, but still drove in 105 runs... other offensive providers were Rick Emery (.266/22/81/77), Rick Clayburne (.301/4/68/77) and Roger Jackson (.269/6/43/104).

Eugene Church · 05-26-2014, 12:48 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Tuesday, September 18, 2046

BEST/WORST PLAYOFF TEAMS
For what it's worth, here's the best and the worst of the playoff teams statistically... the Pro Cup champ will probably be a blend of the two categories... defending champion Sugar Valley was the number one choice to take the title this year in The Islandian Times poll with Hartsdale second, Rocky Rapids third and Summerland fourth.

Best Record: HARTSDALE (98-56), Valmara (95-59), Summerland (94-60), Rocky Rapids (94-60)
Best Home: SUMMERLAND (54-23), Rocky Rapids (52-25), Hartsdale (52-25), Valmara (51-26), Red Bluff (51-26)
Best Road: KENWOOD (47-30), Hartsdale (46-31), Sugar Valley (46-31), Valmara (44-33)
Best BA: ROCKY RAPIDS .278 (1st), Valmara .277 (2nd), Kenwood .276 (3rd), Hartsdale .274 (4th)
Best Scoring: HARTSDALE 806 (1st), Sugar Valley 790 (1st), Rocky Rapids 786 (2nd), Kenwood 759 (5th)
Best Home Runs: RED BLUFF 252 (1ST), Sugar Valley 208 (1st), Hartsdale 187 (6th), Kenwood 181 (7th)
Best Team ERA: SUMMERLAND 2.62 (1st), Sugar Valley 2.89 (1st), Rocky Rapids 3.04 (4th), Valmara 3.11 (6th)
Best Starter ERA: SUMMERLAND 2.57 (1st), Sugar Valley 2.88 (2nd), Red Bluff 2.95 (3rd), Rocky Rapids 3.04 (4th)
Best Bullpen ERA: VALMARA 2.14 (2nd), Kenwood 2.32 (2nd), Summerland 2.88 (5th), Sugar Valley 2.97 (12th)

Worst Record: CLAXTON (85-69), Kenwood (92-62), Sugar Valley 93-61), Red Bluff (93-61)
Worst Home: CLAXTON (44-33), Valmara (44-33), Kenwood (45-32), Sugar Valley (47-30)
Worst Away: SUMMERLAND (40-37), Claxton (41-36), Rocky Rapids (42-35), Red Bluff (42-35)
Worst BA: SUMMERLAND .251 (21st), Red Bluff .257 (18th), Claxton .257 (24th), Sugar Valley .261 (15th)
Worst Scoring: SUMMERLAND 631 (25th), Claxton 698 (10th), Red Bluff 740 (8th), Valmara 740 (4th)
Worst HR: SUMMERLAND 104 (28th tied), Claxton 112 (23rd tied), Valmara 113 (22nd), Rocky Rapids 153 (7th)
Worst Team ERA: CLAXTON 3.42 (12th), Hartsdale 3.34 (6th), Red Bluff 3.16 (5th), Kenwood 3.15 (4th)
Worst Starter ERA: CLAXTON 3.32 (8th), Valmara 3.25 (7th), Hartsdale 3.24 (6th), Red Bluff 3.16 (5th)
Worst Bullpen ERA: RED BLUFF 4.26 (26th), Claxton 4.08 (28th), Hartsdale 3.96 (21st), Rocky Rapids 2.99 (13th)

Eugene Church · 05-26-2014, 02:50 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Wednesday, September 19, 2046

2046 IPA DIVISON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 1

Ruthlandian Union

SNAPPERS STUN RATTLERS 4-3 IN GAME 1
Don Carpenter cleared the bases with a game-winning triple in the last of the eighth to bring Rocky Rapids back from a 2-0 deficit in the opening game of the Ruthlandian Division Series... it was a stunning 4-2 victory as Sugar Valley's Antonio Cedeno had blanked the Snappers on two hits through seven innings... a four-run inning gave the Snappers the series' lead... 30-game winner Jamie Taylor (1-0) pitched well, holding the Rattlers to three runs on nine hits... he went the route at Snapper Stadium, struck out 7 and walked only one... Cedeno (0-1) was the loser, though none of the runs were earned... he only gave up four hits in all, but walked seven.

RF Jose Ramos led Rocky Rapids with two hits and scored a run... C Carney Kirkpatrick drove in the other Snapper score... defending Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley got its only runs on solo homers by C Delmer Campbell and pinchhitter Rod Moody... the Rattlers are the favorite to take the Pro Cup trophy with the Snappers the third choice.

SIRAK SUPERB IN 1-HITTER, VIPERS WIN OPENER 2-0
In game one at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the Vipers got a brilliant one-hitter from Primo Sirak, who tamed Claxton 2-0... SS Stevie Wynn broke up the no-hitter with a single in the top of the eighth... Sirak walked three and fanned five in a complete-game shutout... Abe Schiffman (0-1) lost a tough one as he held Valmara to just one run in his seven innings... RF Jimmy Logan snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fifth frame... SS Antos Dacko added another run in the eighth with a solo homer.

Leading the 11-hit Viper attack were 1B Ken Jensen, LF Jacek Prusak and Logan, all with two hits apiece.

Tycobbian Union

YOUNGER BLANKS SUNSETS 6-0 IN FIRST GAME
28-game winner Gil Younger fired a sharp three-hitter to trounce Summerland 6-0 in the first game of the Tycobbian Division Series played at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale... the Hellcats ripped 22-game winner Jayson Hallstrom for 10 hits and all six runs... CF Darrell Nesbitt, 3B Greg Melton and C Frank Penn socked two hits each to pace Hartsdale.

WILDCATS NOSE OUT RED SOX 3-2 IN 11TH
On the road in Red Bluff for the opening game of the TU Division Series, visiting Kenwood got sparkling pitching to nose out the Red Sox 3-2 in 11 innings... pinchhitter Keith Silver led off the last inning with a walk, stole second base and rode home on Russ Foster's RBI single... Tommy Carter started for the Wildcats and gave them eight strong innings, stopping the Red Sox on one run and seven hits... he struck out four and issued only one walk... closer Mike Jones (1-0) came on in the ninth and went the rest of the way... he blew a 2-1 lead in the ninth, but settled down and picked up the win, going three innings and allowing three hits... Jud Cox started for Red Bluff and pitched into the eighth, giving up two runs, just one earned, on 8 hits... he struck out 7 and walked one... Slick Little (0-1) was the loser and worked the final two innings.

Both clubs collected 10 hits each... Kenwood was led by 1B Bert Henrich with three hits... chipping in two apiece were LF Warren Vickers, 3B Country Crowder and CF Russ Foster... three Red Sox had two hits each: 1B Josh Stevens, RF David Kelso and CF Ike Sweetwater... Sweetwater got the game's only roundtripper when he sent the game into extra innings in the ninth.

Eugene Church · 05-26-2014, 08:31 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Thursday, September 20, 2046

2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 2

Ruthlandian Union

SNAPPERS SNATCH 2-GAME LEAD
Rocky Rapids has defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley on the ropes in the Ruthlandian Division Series... the Snappers have snatched the first two games, defeating the Rattlers 6-3 in game two at Snapper Stadium... Robby Barnhill (1-0) toyed with the Rattlers for most of the game... he shut them out 6-0 the first eight innings before being tagged for three runs in the top of the ninth... Barnhill struck out five, walked one and permitted seven hits.

Rocky Rapids racked up 13 hits and was sparked by RF Jose Ramos (.625) and SS Nick Nova (.500) with three hits each... 2B Marty Featherstone (.333) and C Carney Kirkpatrick (.429) added two hits apiece... Featherstone had a solo homer and Kirkpatrick and LF Buddy Hamilton (.200) drove a pair of runs each.

C Yoshino Okada (.250) drove in a pair of runs for the Rattlers and 1B James Milton (.286) got the other RBI... Milton and RF Jeff Harvey (.375) banged out two hits each.

Losing pitcher Cullen Winslow (0-1) was hit hard, giving up five runs and 11 hits in just 6-plus innings.

Sugar Valley will go home and try to regroup at Farmers Memorial Park for the next three games, should the series go that far.

VIPERS TAKE 2-0 LEAD, EDGE DIAMONDS 3-2
For the second straight day at home Valmara got standout pitching and rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Claxton Diamonds in game two of the RU Division Series... Teddy Twardzik (1-0) went the distance, holding Claxton to two runs on eight hits, while striking out six batters and issuing no walks... the Vipers rallied for two runs in the ninth on SS Antos Dacko's (.250) two-run single that scored CF Don Ritchie (.500) and RF Jimmy Logan (.375)... Stan Yudash (0-1) also went all the way in defeat, yielding three runs on seven hits with 6 Ks and a walk.

Ritchie (.500) led the Vipers with two hits... 3B Jorge Aparicio (.111) homered for Valmara and LF Freddy Favalori (.500) had a two-run shot for the Diamonds.

Tycobbian Union

HELLCATS SINK SUNSETS AGAIN, WIN 2ND GAME 4-2
Hartsdale got a fine performance from Kippy Wilhelm, who stymied the Summerland Sunsets 4-2 at Pioneer Park... it was the Hellcats' second win in a row in the best-of-seven Tycobbian Division Series... Hartsdale was held scoreless for the first four frames by Jacob Gillen and fell behind 2-0... the Sunsets took an early lead on 1B Kenny Douglas' (.250) first-inning clout and tacked on another run on 2B Jack Webb's (.286) triple in the second... then the Hellcats rallied for three runs in the fifth on CF Darrell Nesbitt's (.222) RBI groundout and a two-run two-bagger by RF Emilian Burgess (.571)... 3B Greg Melton's (.500) triple and pinchhitter Marty Wooten's (.000) sacrifice fly added one more run in the last of the eighth.

Wilhelm (1-0) notched 9 strikeouts, walked four, but limited the Sunsets to just four hits and two runs in his eight frames... Alfonso Cervera got the save with a perfect ninth, fanning two of the three batters... the loss went to Gillen (0-1), who worked into the eighth, giving up four runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and five walks.

Burgess was 3-for-3 to lead the Hellcats at the plate, two of them were doubles... LF Marv Shaw (.500) and 2B Myrt Breland (.250) chipped in with two hits each... Webb had two hits for the Sunsets.

WILDCATS WIN AGAIN, BRADFORD BEATS SOX 5-1
For the second game in a row the Kenwood Wildcats got a sparkling mound performance... it was Rusty Bradford this time that throttled the big bats of the Red Bluff Red Sox 5-1 on just five hits... Bradford whiffed four and walked none... SS Ben Daniels (.333) energized the Wildcats' 11-hit attack with two doubles and a homer.. 3B Country Crowder (.500) had two hits, including a solo swat... and CF Russ Foster (556) drilled three hits with a pair of doubles... LF Jesse Shaw collected three of the Red Sox's five hits.

Mickey Rosen (0-1) took the loss, tossing eight innings and surrendering four runs on nine hits... Rosen had three walks and 7 strikeouts.

Eugene Church · 05-27-2014, 09:02 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Friday, September 21, 2046

2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 3

Ruthlandian Union

SNAPPERS NEAR SWEEP, TOP RATTLERS 7-5
A change of scenery didn't do anything for the defending IPA champion Sugar Valley Rattlers... after losing two games in Rocky Rapids, the Rattlers were beaten on their home diamond 7-5 in game 3 of the Ruthlandian Division Series... one more win and the Snappers will send Sugar Valley home for the season... after falling behind 3-0 in the first frame on Carl Ramsey's three-run blast, they did the Rattlers in with a six-run explosion in the top of third, highlighted by Masaharu Kawasaki's (.083) grand slammer.

Buster Noland (1-0) got the win in an uneven performance... he gave up 5 runs on 10 hits in seven innings for the win... Steve Owens worked two scoreless innings for the save... Joe Snow (0-1) lost it for the Rattlers as he was shelled for seven runs and nine hits in his eight innings... the Rattlers were rattled in the field and committed three costly errors... three of the scores against Snow were unearned.

C Carney Kirkpatrick (.545) drilled three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Snappers and 2B Marty Featherstone (.364) pitched in with a pair of hits... Sugar Valley outhit them 11-9, paced by LF Bobby Gamble (.455) with 3-for-5 and CF Carl Ramsey (.333) with 2-for-4... and C Delmer Campbell (.250) hit his second solo homer of the series.

CLAXTON CLOBBERS VALMARA 8-1, FUCHS HOMERS TWICE
Powered by three home runs, the Claxton Diamonds broke into the win column in the Ruthlandian Division Series with Valmara... after dropping the first two games on the road in Valmara, the Diamonds clobbered the Vipers 8-1 in the friendly confines of beautiful Avalon Stadium... Foxy Fuchs slammed two out of the park and Jojo DeLucca one to lead the rout... Claxton also got a fine outing from Steve Ellison, who shut down the Vipers on one run and six hits in eight and two-thirds innings, striking out 8 and walking two batters... Eddie Dizon got the final out in the ninth... the loser was Zak Reeder (0-1)... the Diamonds got to him for eight runs in six-plus innings... Claxton broke open a 3-1 game with a five-run outburst in the last of the seventh.

Fuchs (.500) drove in three runs, scored twice and collected two hits and two walks... DeLucca (.182) was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored... 2B Rick Emery (.273) also popped two hits for the winners... RF Jimmy Logan (.364) homered for the only Viper run.

Tycobbian Union

DE BOER HURLS 2-0 GEM IN SUNSET WIN
Summerland's vaunted mound staff took it on the chin in the first two games of the Tycobbian Division Series against the Hartsdale Hellcats, but Dutch De Boer got it right... he hurled them to a 2-0 victory in game three and got the Sunsets back into the series... De Boer hurled a gem at Sunset Stadium, limiting the hard-hitting Hellcats to just four singles, while walking none and striking out five... Perry Givens (0-1) lost it, but gave a very good account of himself, giving up only two runs on six hits in seven innings.

The Sunsets got run number one in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Kenny Douglas (.333), double by Alex Abbotson (.333) and a groundout by Tony Vargas (.091)... the second run came two innings later on a solo salvo by Abbotson... Summerland got only seven hits with Douglas and Abbotson getting two each.

RED SOX SMASH WILDCATS 12-1 IN GAME 3
Held to three runs in the first two games, Red Bluff flexed its powerful muscles and boomed three homers and 15 hits in smashing Kenwood 12-1 in game three of the TU Division Series... the thorough thrashing cut the Wildcats' lead in the series to two games to one... Kenwood won the first two games on the road... Red Bluff also got an impressive start from Jack Wallace (1-0), who went all the way, stopping the Wildcats on one run and seven hits.

SS Leemond O'Donovan (.250) pounded two homers and drove in five runs while going 3-for-5... RF David Kelso (385) also went deep among his three hits, scored three runs and batted in five... two other Red Sox LF Jesse Shaw (.429) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.385) also lashed three hits apiece... Blanchard drove in a pair of runs and Shaw scored twice.

Eugene Church · 05-29-2014, 12:09 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Saturday, September 22, 2046

2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 4

Ruthlandian Union

SNAPPERS SHOCK SUGAR VALLEY WITH SWEEP
There will be a new king in IPA baseball circles - the one-year reign is over for the Sugar Valley Rattlers - they were shockingly dethroned in four games by the Rocky Rapids Snappers... for the second time in the Ruthlandian Division Series, the Snappers stunned the Rattlers 4-3 with late-inning exploits... they rallied from a 3-1 ninth-inning deficit when Jose Ramos (.438) boomed a two-run homer to knot it up at 3-3... Don Carpenter (.200) followed Ramos with a single, stole second base, advanced to third on a deep fly, then tagged up and scored the eventual winning run on another very deep drive by pinchhitter Denny Thornton... Sugar Valley also lost game one in a similar fashion... the Rattlers blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning and were beaten 4-3.

30-game winner Jamie Taylor wasn't at his best, but he had enough to finish off the Rattlers... Taylor (2-0/2.65) allowed nine hits, but only three runs in eight innings... Steve Owens worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the series... reliever Domenico Renterias (0-1) was the victim of the ninth-inning uprising and was tagged with the loss... he gave up three runs on three hits... Sugar Valley starter Antonio Cedeno staked the Rattlers to a 3-1 lead after eight innings... he was superb, stopping the Snappers on just one run and three hits, striking out five and walking one... but Renterias couldn't hold it for him.

Rocky Rapids was outhit 9 to 6 by Sugar Valley... in addition to Ramos' crucial clout, LF Buddy Hamilton (.182) also went deep in the sixth inning... LF Bobby Gamble (.438) had two hits for the Rattlers, including a solo home run, and 1B James Milton (.438) went 4 for 4.

Winning manager Hank Bethel was beaming after the game, telling reporters, "I'll take a sweep every time, but we sure didn't expect it... we got the crucial hits and they didn't... it could very easily be 2-2 at this point."

Player-manager Bobby Gamble was downcast and dismayed at the outcome saying, "This is a hard loss to take... our expectations were to win back-to-back Pro Cups... and we had a good shot at repeating... everything was a go for us...not wanting to take anything away from the Snappers - they swept us - but the series was closer than that - a few scattered hits and we could still be playing."

VIPERS ZAP DIAMONDS 6-3 BEHIND SIRAK
Primo Sirak was in prime form in game four of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Avalon Stadium in Claxton... the Valmara ace took his second straight verdict over the Diamonds, zapping them 6-3 and giving the Vipers a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series... going the distance Sirak (2-0/1.00) fanned four, walked two and held Claxton to three runs on six hits... LF Jacek Prusak (.308) led the Viper 10-hit attack with two hits and a two-run homer... 2B Ken Jensen (.353), RF Jimmy Logan (.429) and 3B Jose Vargas (.500) all added two hits apiece in the win... topping Claxton were 1B Jojo DeLucca (.214) and C Darrell Welborn (.364), each with a solo homer.

In a bad outing, Abe Schiffman (0-2/4.30) lost to the Vipers again... they battered him for six runs and 8 hits in seven-plus innings... he was behind 5-2 when he departed.

Tycobbian Union

SUNSETS LIGHT UP HELLCATS 9-4, SERIES TIED
Summerland, known for super pitching, got some mighty help at the plate with 14 hits in a 9-4 triumph over Hartsdale at Sunset Stadium to tie the Tycobbian Division Series at two games each... it was the Sunsets' second consecutive win at home after two straight losses in Hartsdale.

3B Alex Abbotson (.462) rifled three hits, scored three times and walloped a home run to spark the Sunsets... SS Mark Brenneke (.250) also helped out with three hits and two runs... LF Tony Vargas (.231) doubled and singled and drove in three runs... C Adriano Lupoli (.154) also homered, went 2-for-4, scored a run and drove in one... RF Rick Mayes (.176) put up two hits, one of them a two-bagger, and scored a run.

Hartsdale hammered 11 hits, led by RF Emilian Burgess (.375) with a three-run roundtripper in the third that put the Hellcats ahead 3-1 early... Summerland took charge with four runs in the fifth... Pete Ashley (1-0) got the victory, but had to throw a lot of pitches... he departed ahead 7-3 after seven innings... Ashley surrenedered three runs on nine hits with four walks and four Ks... Billy King worked two frames and allowed one run on two hits in the eighth... King quickly retired the Hellcats on four pitches in the ninth to seal the verdict.

After blanking the Sunsets 6-0 in the series' opener, 28-game winner Gil Younger (1-1/3.86) performed poorly in game four... the weak-hitting Sunsets slammed him for six runs and eight hits in five innings.

RED SOX ROUT WILDCATS 9-4, SERIES EVEN AT 2-2
For the second successive game, the Red Bluff batters lived up to their helfty reputations and battered the Kenwood Wildcats 9-4 to capture game four of the TU Division Series and even it up at two games apiece... the Red Sox lost the first two games at home and have rebounded on the road and gotten back in the series... Kenwood pitching mastered them 3-2 and 5-1 in the first two games.

Leading the Red Sox was superstud slugger RF David Kelso (.500) with three RBIs, three runs and three hits, including a pair of doubles... Red Bluff ripped Kenwood starter Tommy Carter (0-1/6.52) unmercifully for seven runs in the first two innings... the win went to Jud Cox (1-0/2.16), who went all the way, permitting eight hits and four funs, fanning five and giving up no walks... Cox (.429) helped his own cause with a homer and a single and scored twice... 3B Fran Blanchard (.333) doubled in two runs... LF Jesse Shaw (.421) scored twice and had a pair of hits... and CF Ike Sweetwater (.250) scored two runs.

1B Aldon Belew (.286) paced the Wildcats with two hits and two runs batted in... Belew got only home run for Kenwood... C Corky DiNozzo (.111) and 2B Country Crowder (.438) chipped in with two hits apiece.

Eugene Church · 05-29-2014, 12:27 PM

Map of Islandia

Eugene Church · 05-29-2014, 12:28 PM

Around the Town in the IPA

ROCKY RAPIDS SNAPPERS

Owner: Express Freight and Shipping Company
GM: Ryan Noland
Manager: Hank Bethel

Rocky Rapids, population near 63,000, is a river town in northwestern Ruthlandia on the banks of the vital Green River, which begins in the Appian Mountains near Far Mountain and ends in Belair Beach, almost splitting the country in half north to south. The Green River intersects with its western tributary, the Silver River, at Forest City, the Ruthlandian capital and main commercial city.

Rocky Rapids is a lumber and grain processing center and is an important transportation community. Vast quantities of timber from Far Mountain in the north are shipped through the town. It is not a fancy town, just a blue collar, middle class culture.

Rocky Rapids is also the home of the Snappers of the IPA’s RU West Division. The Snappers play at Snapper Stadium, overlooking the Green River in the downtown area, which can be seen in the background beyond the ballpark fences. The team is named the Snappers because of the financial importance of the river to the community’s economy. The Snapper was chosen because it is a tough, tenacious river inhabitant, just like the citizens of Rocky Rapids.

The fans really rock at Snapper games with team mascot, Rocky the Snapping Turtle, leading the charge. Music is played throughout the game by the rock band, Rocky Rapids Revival. They constantly rock the stadium with the classic “Rollin’ on the River” every time the Snappers mount a rally. And the seventh inning stretch is really something to hear. RRR jams out on a rock-n-roll version of the baseball classic “Take me out to the ballgame”.

Stadium concessions include crisp and tasty fried catfish taken from the river’s pure and clear waters. But absolutely no turtle soup can be found in the town, despite the request by many opposing teams fans.

The team is owned by Express Freight and Delivery Company, which has extensive railroad and river barge interests and is managed and directed by Ryan Noland, the all-time strikeout leader in company league baseball history. His father is the president of the company board of directors. Hank Bethel, a Hall-of-Fame catcher is the manager. He starred for 16 of his 27 IPA seasons with the Snappers, was a 12-time All-Star and part of the 2019 team that won the only Pro Cup in the team's history. Bethel was a career .288 hitter with 494 homers and 1985 RBIs, ranking seventh all-time.

Snapper Stadium (1940)

Capacity: 7,650

Left Field Line - 310
Left Field - 340
Left Center - 370
Center Field - 410
Right Center - 370
Right Field - 340
Right Field Line - 310

Eugene Church · 05-29-2014, 09:38 PM

THE ISLANDIAN TIMES
Sunday, September 23, 2046

2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5

Ruthlandian Union

CLAXTON STAYS ALIVE, DUMPS VIPERS 6-1 IN GAME 5
The Claxton Diamonds fought off elimination from the Ruthlandian Division Series, dumping Valmara 6-1 in game five and reducing the Vipers lead to three games to two... the Diamonds broke a 1-1 tie with a five-run eighth inning and Stan Yudash (1-1/1.62) hurled a heck of a game, holding Valmara to one run on six hits in his eight innings... Yudash whiffed seven and walked two for the win... reliever Gilbert Clagsdale retired the Vipers in order in the ninth.

Yudash and Teddy Twardzik were locked in a 1-1 battle when the Diamonds tattooed Twardzik for five runs in the last of the eighth... an error by third baseman Jose Vargas (.429) allowed the winning run and opened up the flood gates... 1B Jojo DeLucca (.278) had an RBI single... CF Bob Best (.200) tripled in a pair of runs... C Darrell Welborn (.400) doubled in another one... and RF Roger Jackson (.000) got the final one in with a sac fly.

Claxton got 10 hits in all with DeLucca, Best, Welborn and 3B Rick Clayburne (.190) getting two hits each... 2B Rick Emery (.263) batted in two runs for the Diamonds, one of them came on a solo homer in the sixth... Valmara was led by 2B Ken Jensen (.429) with three hits and CF Don Ritchie (.353) with a pair... Twardzik (1-1/3.86) suffered the defeat, going seven and one-third innings and giving up six runs on 10 hits... he fanned six and walked three in a bad outing.

Tycobbian Union

WILHELM PUTS HELLCATS ON TOP IN SERIES
Playing on the road at Sunset Stadium in Summerland, Hartsdale got another impressive performance from Kippy Wilhelm, who stopped the Sunsets 5-3 in game five of the TU Division Championship Series to give the Hellcats a one-game edge in the best-of-seven series... Wilhelm (2-0/2.12) went the distance and held Summerland to three runs on eight hits for his second victory in the series... Jayson Hallstrom (0-2/5.62) lost for the second time in the playoffs... in a mediocre outing Hallstrom was banged around for 11 hits and five runs in eight innings.

The Hellcats' main bats were 1B John Ford (.400) with four hits and three RBIs, LF Marv Shaw (.308) and RF Emilian Burgess (.350) with two runs each... and CF Darrell Nesbitt (.273) with two hits in five tries... Hartsdale opened up a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of third... Summerland cut it to 4-3 in the sixth... and the Hellcats finished the scoring with a single score in the seventh... Hallstrom (.167) drove in two runs to lead the Sunsets and 3B Alex Abbotson (.412) batted in their third score.

KENWOOD CLUBS THE RED SOX 8-5, UP BY ONE
The Kenwood Wildcats turned the tables on hot-hitting Red Bluff and did some fancy batting on their own in game five of the Tycobbian Division Series at the Olde Towne Grounds to go up by one game in the best-of-seven affair... homers by Ben Daniels and Warren Vickers paved the way for an 8-5 victory... Kenwood collected 13 hits to 12 for the Red Sox with the win going to Rusty Bradford (2-0/3.18), who weathered eight innings, 11 hits and five runs... Bradford totaled five strikeouts and walked two... Mike Jones got his first postseason save by shutting down Red Bluff in the top of the ninth... starter Mickey Rosen (0-2/6.14) was hung with the loss... he was nailed for seven runs and 11 hits in six-plus frames.

The Wildcats' offensive leaders were Daniels (.333) with two hits, two runs and three RBIs... Vickers (.333) with two hits, two runs and an RBI... three others also contributed a pair of hits apiece: 1B Bert Henrich (.529), CF Russ Foster (.333) and 3B Charley Brandenburg (.188)... Red Bluff's best bats were RF David Kelso (.435) and SS Leemond O'Donovan (.211) with two RBIs each... Kelso has 10 so far in the series... 2B Big Boy Payne (.190), 3B Fran Blanchard (.364) and C Ed Warren all chipped in with a pair of hits each.

Eugene Church · 05-29-2014, 11:15 PM

Wow !!!

I think 274 views may be a daily record for this thread.

Thanks to all of you who still follow the IPA after so much time.

05-17-2014, 05:06 PM	#4201
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	2046 Ruthlandian Batting and Pitching Leaderboards Attached Images

05-17-2014, 05:10 PM	#4202
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	2046 Tycobbian Union Batting and Pitching Leaderboards Attached Images

05-17-2014, 06:44 PM	#4203
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 VALMARA WINS 3RD RU NORTH FLAG IN 4 YRS After a one-year hiatus the Valmara Vipers are back in the saddle and riding high in the Ruthlandian North with a third pennant in the last four years and seeking another Pro Cup trophy... the Vipers dethroned the Glasco Athletics from the top of the heap with a strong drive down the stretch... Valmara went 30-14 the last six weeks to overcome the A's, who were 26-18... this is the 15th time in history the Vipers have made the playoffs... twice they have won the Pro Cup (2026 and 2043)... Valmara paced the Ruthlandian Union with 95 victories, which was number two in the IPA... only Hartsdale in the Tycobbian Union had more with 98. 1. VALMARA: southpaw Primo Sirak (23-8/1.96), Teddy Twardzik (24-12/2.69) and Paul Holloway (10-2/1.74/16 saves) are the Valmara staff leaders, while the offense is headed by 2B Ken Jensen (.351/7/65/93), who won the batting crown with a .351 BA... other contributors were SS Jorge Aparicio (.334/7/60/89), CF Don Ritchie (.289/4/82/95) and 1B Cain Greene (.253/22/81/68)... the Vipers may not have the depth in pitching to go deep into the Pro Cup playoffs. 2. GLASCO: finished just two games back of the Vipers... the Athletics had four fine starters in Pat Myers (20-13/2.52), Evan Walsh (19-8/2.68), Benny McDaniel (19-12/3.13) and Manny Berrera (16-13/3.38), along with Ken McLin (9-2/1.83/19 saves) in the bullpen... the A's were led at the plate by CF John Rumford (.302/12/74/74), 1B John Carlton (.278/22/70/67) and SS Joseph Baxter (.272/7/79/75). 3. RANFORD: the Bulls finished 10 GB... Noah Mannon (15-7/1.99/14 saves) started in the bullpen, but ended up a starter... ace Ralph Hawk (21-13/2.53) had another standout season... Neil Martin (16-12/3.48) was effective, too... the Ranford attack was led by LF Dale Weston (.275/36/80/94), 3B Joey Gompers (.254/23/72/93) and CF Micah McDade (.292/10/61/81). 4. LAGRANGE: the Sports were 12 games back... top bats were SS John Rodgers (.277/21/90/90), RF Robbie McGregor (.288/19/62/79), RF Charles Bacque (.296/19/65/69) and C Scott Wallace (.285/13/71/57)... top moundsmen were Arnie Ayers (20-15/2.32), Hot Dog Huxtable (15-12/4.14) and Johnny Stoneham (13-12/3.59). 4. FAR MOUNTAIN: tied with LaGrange for fourth... Ryan Kolb (20-13/2.47) and Curt Steinhauer (17-12/3.17) led the mound corps... Fernando Sanches (6-5/2.63/19 saves) was the best in the bullpen... Redhawks were not much at the plate... CF Lew Huffman (.293/16/52/45) had the best average with some help from LF Terry Crawford (.287/21/62/70) and C Joel McDaniel (.282/5/51/50). 6. KILKENNY: the Cats came in sixth and 20 games back... had just fair pitching and no offense... Jody Joss (18-14/4.04) posted the most wins... Julio Santiago (12-7/3.61), Ciaran Cullen (13-15/3.57) and Glen Caswell (14-24/3.50) were effective at times... bullpen standouts were Andy Mayfield (8-5/2.80/21 saves) and Dave Stratford (4-3/2.39/9 saves)... Mayfield was third in the IPA with 21 saves, topped only by leader Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) of Hartsdale with 24 and Fairfax's Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28) with 22... SS Sam Norman (.277) was the club leader with 19 homers, 65 RBIs and 76 runs... 1B Pat Lewis hit .306 with 13 HRs, 59 RBIs and scored 42 runs. 7. TARANTO: the Tars wound up 24 games behind... Mario Martinelli (19-16/4.57) and Bill Walker (16-14/4.77) posted winning records, but gave up a lot of homers... Taranto also hit homers, paced by 42-year-old slugger 3B Mark Delaney (.259/46/125/93), who was fourth in RBIs and fifth in homers in the IPA... Delaney is approaching 500 homers in his career... RF Derrick Damon (.308/25/81/97) and C Ryan Nelms (.273/28/78/62) also supplied some firepower. 8. ANCONA: for the sixth straight season the Red Elephants came in last, 33 games off the pace... Darlon McDugan (16-14/4.03) was the most dependable starter... and Lakota Cobos (6-6/1.83/17 saves) had a strong year in the pen... veteran star LF Eldon Aldridge (.285) had a fine year with 45 homers, 122 RBIs and 92 runs... he was sixth in the IPA in homers and seventh in RBIs... 24-year-old rookie phenom CF Jotaro Suzuki joined the team in July and put up some super numbers with a .341 BA, 15 HRs, 41 RBIs and 48 runs in 64 games... RF Walter Glenn (.308/3/58/77) and 3B Rick Richards (.297/7/72/81) had solid years, too. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:21 PM.

05-18-2014, 10:21 PM	#4204
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 DIAMONDS REPEAT IN RU SOUTH Last year the Claxton Diamonds had a much easier time winning the Ruthlandian South Division by 10 games... this year came much harder as the Diamonds (85-69) were forced into a tough stretch drive with Waleska (82-72) and Valka (82-72), finally taking the crown by three games... Claxton pulled away from the Westerners in September with a 10-5 mark, while Waleska crumbled to a 6-9 in the final weeks... Valka played well with a 10-5 record, but couldn't catch the Diamonds... no other clubs in the RU South had winning records... Claxton didn't fare well in the postseason last year and was eliminated in the first round... the Diamonds are not likely to go much further this year. 1. CLAXTON: pitching carried the Diamonds this year with four solid starters in Abe Schiffman (20-12/2.96), Stan Yudash (21-17/3.43), Steven Ellison (19-15/3.28) and Gilbert Clagsdale (13-9/3.27/6 saves)... the bats were nothing special... 31-year-old superstar 1B Jojo DeLucca (266/16/105/85) was the leader again, but had a down year with a career worst .266 BA and only 16 homers... he was the RU MVP and Golden Bat winner last year... 2B Rich Emery (.266/22/81/77), LF Foxy Fuchs (.269/19/72/67) and SS Stevie Wynn (.300/9/54/54) had so-so years, too. 2. WALESKA: the Westerners had strong pitching with Roy Schaefer (14-11/2.44), Jeff Woodruff (16-13/2.95), Niles Nielsen (20-11/3.09) and Tony Haskell (17-17/3.15)... the club didn't have much offense... CF Kenny Hardy (.301/13/58/86) and 3B Pete Furness (.253/29/88/73) were the only decent performers. 2. VALKA: the Blackhawks were good on the hill, no so good at the plate... the best starters were Matvey Kazak (21-17/2.96), Ivo Lipik (17-11/3.25) and Tyrone Marte (18-12/3.61)... Miikael Arens (9-5/2.93/11 saves) was the best in the bullpen... star CF Kenny Mitzusaka (.325/24/86/87) led the team in BA, hits, homers, RBIs and runs... with some help from RF Rich Henson (.276/21/69/80), 1B Jess Evans (.280/23/66/68) and C Russell Boyd (.271/13/60/75). 4. ST. JOHN: the Crusaders finished fourth (11 GB), but had a mediocre season... the only starter that broke even was Frank Long (17-17/3.06)... the relievers were bad, too... star performers RF Nicky Farrugia (.302/20/65/57) and 3B Marty Blankenship (.275/19/46/62) are slowing down at 37 and 36 respectively... SS Herbie Gruen (.267/22/79/89) had the club lead in hits, homers, RBIs and runs... 2B Tab Allison (.259/8/62/81) was the second most productive. 5. SAN DIMAS: the Rancheros ran a good race in the first half, but tumbled badly in the second half, winding up in fifth place 13 GB... Gil Arnaud (14-16/3.45) was the most productive starter with Georgie Walker (6-6/2.49/16 saves) standing out in the bullpen... no standout sticks on the club... the best of the lot was 3B Leonard Purkey (.313/13/69/63), C Hermie Goetz (.266/10/57/81), 1B Ken Kirby (.240/25/66/65) and LF Denny Hendrix (.283/23/73/59). 6. GRAND CITY: after coming in a surprise second to Claxton last year, the Cybercats reverted to form and dipped to the second division this year, 17 games off the pace... superstar 1B Benny Hull had a career year with a .307 BA, 51 homers, 125 RBIs and 94 runs... only IPA leader Jerry Culpepper of Bayview had more homers with 52... Hull was fourth in RBIs... it was a huge chasm between Hull and the next best batter, C Iggy Van Dyck hit .259 with 22 roundtrippers and 65 RBIs... Kenny Morrow (13-20/3.13) and Jimmy Engels (15-16/3.51) were the most reliable starters... Kent Douglas (5-7/2.60/10 saves) was capable in relief. 7. BELAIR BEACH: the long drought continued for the hapless Sunbirds... for the ninth straight season they finished on the bottom or near the bottom of the RU South... six times they have been basement bound... reliever Tom Cook (10-6/2.68/16 saves) had a wonderful season... the only reliable starter was Jose Munoz (14-18/3.71)... the best bats were a pair of good ones in RF Norm Ellis (.292/32/87/82) and 3B Jason Butler (.262/29/90/85). 8. CRYSTAL LAKE: after winning two pennants in 2043 and 2044, the Crushers have sunk down deep in the division, tumbling from sixth last year (19 GB) to the cellar this year (24 GB)... reliever Josh Crosby (12-7/3.48/9 saves) is the only hurler with a winning mark... the best starter was Eddie Lane (13-21/3.61)... the most productive performers at the plate were C Del Peevy (.303/8/72/59), LF Jed Murphee (.284/6/48/68), RF Paul Dillon (.285/10/60/58) and SS Ernie Addison (.293/1/48/55). 2046 Ruthlandian South Team Statistics Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:22 PM.

05-20-2014, 12:53 AM	#4205
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 IPA CHAMP SUGAR VALLEY BREEZES TO 3RD FLAG IN 4 YEARS The Sugar Valley Rattlers (93-61) methodically marched to its third Ruthlandian East title in four years and will return to defend its IPA crown in the Pro Cup playoffs starting this Wednesday... although the field is fairly wide open, the experts think the Rattlers are quite capable of repeating as the best team in the Islands... they built up a 5-game edge at mid-season and then expanded it to 12 games by season's end... Eastshore (81-73) came in second with Wynnamac (80-74) and Elnora (80-74) tied for third, trailing by 13 games. 1. SUGAR VALLEY: the Rattlers are blessed with great pitching and hitting and will be one of the Pro Cup favorites in a crowd of contenders... seven of the eight playoff teams are predicted to be in the running for the Pro Cup trophy... only Claxton, the RU South representative, was left off the list... Sugar Valley was sparked by starters Antonio Cedeno (23-13/2.58), Cullen Winslow (22-10/2.59) and Joe Snow (22-7/2.95)... the bullpen is strong, too, with Christopher Dunsberry (3-4/2.51/11 saves) and Domenico Renterias (5-7/2.99/8 saves)... while the batting order is filled with powerful hitters in IPA superstar and last year's Pro Cup MVP LF Bobby Gamble (.312/37/103/104), super slugger CF Carl Ramsey (.297/41/129/113) and talented SS Roger Hobbs (.292/34/84/117)... Ramsey finished second in the IPA with 129 RBIs and seventh in scoring with 113 runs... Hobbs came in third in scoring with 117 runs... other solid contributors were 2B Richie Fry (.297/10/67/84) and 3B Kent Rasmus (.287/12/60/75)... the eight regulars in the lineup hit at least 10 homers each... the Rattlers were tops in the RU with 208 home runs... only two Tycobbian teams hit more... Red Bluff led with 252 and Turon was second with 216. 2. EASTSHORE: it was a good year for the second place Elegants... Tommy Brown (22-12/3.67) was the club leader in wins... Malcolm Tansbury (14-16/2.79) had the best ERA... and closer Jody Friday (13-4/1.88/11 saves) had a great season with 85 appearances, second to Tom Cook (10-6/2.68/16 saves) of Belair Beach, who led the IPA with 89... leading the offense were three talented players RF Todd McFarland (.283/34/112/109), LF Bevan Shuler (.294/28/90/114) and 40-year-old star 2B Johnny Petrak (.311/20/104/89)... Petrak is a .316 career hitter in his 13 IPA seasons. 3. WYNNAMAC: the Sundowners won the RU East in 2042 and 2044 and have been third the last two years (14 GB and 13 GB)... Sammy Hayes (22-14/2.39) topped the starters in victories and ERA... Ciaran Gallagher (13-7/3.46/3 saves) was a good fourth starter and long reliever... Shirai Nakamura (17-18/2.95) lost a lot of games due to poor run support... closer Johnny Mitchell (7-5/2.46/14 saves) had another impressive season... superstar RF Nioka Inkamara (.292/40/91/98) paced the club in homers and RBIs... 3B Duane Hudson (.306/4/57/91) had the most hits with 172 and the best BA... and CF Darrell Donnelly (.287/15/81/99) topped the team in scoring runs with 99. 3. ELNORA: the up-and-down All-Stars regrouped after a seventh place finish in 2045 with a tie for third this season, after winning 96 games in 2044 and tying for second... vet Stan Kivas (22-9/3.20) and Emilio Travanti (17-14/4.19) were the biggest winners among the starters... closer Jamie Patranga (6-4/2.38) was the best in the bullpen... Elnora has a high-powered attack featuring RF Preston Davies (.294/41/113/101), LF Enos Conrad (.324/16/60/85), C Cannon Johnson (.273/21/86/85), 2B Marley Macomber (.304/22/89/72) and 1B Joey Hagburn (.323/10/54/70). 5. COLD CREEK: after five pennants and 13 straight first-division finishes, the Catamounts have floundered the last two seasons, winding up fifth this year (16 GB) and sixth in 2045 (21 GB)... they no longer have the great pitching and have slipped to just an average staff with the retirement of IPA icon J. J. Gillespie, who was 294-170 with a terrific 2.46 ERA in 17 seasons... three times Gillespie was the RU MVP and five times he was acclaimed the Golden Arm... Gillespie was named to the IPA Hall of Fame this year... Sammy Wright (18-14/3.13) and Riku Takahashi (17-7/4.09) had the most wins, but Terry Owens (9-7/2.63/2 saves) and Rob Hutchins (16-17/2.71) were the most effective... Cold Creek had only two decent bats in the lineup: 3B Joe Cochrane (.312/21/91/86) and rookie 1B Bradley Brim (.303/9/72/58). 6. BEECHWOOD: this season the Bobcats dropped from second (8 GB) to sixth place (21 GB) as the both offense and the pitching failed them... 1B Corky Callahan (.283/34/95/70), 2B Mike Matthews (.287/16/77/89) and LF Clint Scott (.265/23/64/81) were the most productive batters... and 2045 Golden Arm winner Jimmy Herman (16-19/2.48) was the only effective starter, but was snake-bitten by the lack of runs. 7. MARSTON: the Nine had their first .500 season in about a decade in 2045, but slipped back from fifth place (17 GB) to seventh in the RU East standings (22 GB)... top arms in the starting rotation were Thomas Stuart (17-15/2.92) and Jean-Noel Waldron (10-10/3.48)... number one in the pen was Kiki Vuk (7-8/2.38/14 saves)... heading up the hitters were star SS Stan Mila (.291/23/89/64) and 2B Gary Armitage (.305/22/69/90). 8. BELLE PLAINE: the hopeless Musketeers came last in the division (24 GB) for the seventh time in the last 16 seasons... five of those years they were seventh... Phil Lacey (20-15/3.66) was the only capable starter... and Kurt Tandberg (9-3/3.49/15 saves) did well in the bullpen... at the plate CF Roy Myers (.322/18/66/63) and C Nuke Borg (.311/11/63/55) had the best BAs, while 1B Chuck Gregory (.278) was tops with 27 homers, 87 RBIs and 77 runs. 2046 FINAL RUTHLANDIAN EAST STANDINGS AND TEAM STATISTICS. Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:24 PM.

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.

05-21-2014, 06:14 PM	#4207
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 HELLCATS BREAK LOOSE IN TU NORTH The pennant race in the Tycobbian North only lasted until mid-season... at that point the Hartsdale Hellcats broke loose and made a farce of the race in June and July with a 38-18 record... the Hellcats were victorious by 15 games over second place Blue Lake, 17 games better than last season's winner North Hills and 18 up on the Fairfax Frogs in the fourth spot in the standings... North Hills had totally dominated the division with 11 titles in the last 13 years... the Hellcats have never won the IPA Pro Cup, but will certainly be a factor this year in the playoffs... they seemingly have all that's needed to win this season after leading the IPA with 98 victories. 1. HARTSDALE: the Hellcats have gotten progressively better in the last four campaigns, rising up from fifth (21 GB) to third (4 GB) to second (1 GB) and finally winning the pennant this year... all four starters won 20 games... headed up by Gil Younger (28-9/2.54), Dave Payne (20-9/3.18), Perry Givens (20-9/3.43) and Kippy Wilhelm (20-16/3.63)... Younger's 28 wins was second to Jamie Taylor's IPA record-breaking 30 this year for Rocky Rapids in the RU West... closer Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14/24 saves) topped the IPA with 24 saves... the bats were quite productive, too... 1B John Ford (.268/30/100/82) and SS Robinson Alomar (.259/30/88/67) led the team with 30 homers each... 3B Greg Melton (.276/28/82/109) chipped in with 28 and was the club leader with 109 runs... the top hitter was C Frank Penn (.341/6/71/58) at .341 with RF Emilian Burgess (.316/18/79/106) second with a .316 mark... CF Darrell Nesbitt (.297/14/67/103) had a solid season, too. 2. BLUE LAKE: the Blue Sox made the TU North first division for the fifth year in a row... they improved from third to second this year position-wise, but went from 5 GB to a lofty 15 back... they scored well with good power, but slumped some on the mound... 40-year-old Frankie Quinn (16-21/4.24) managed to get within 5 games of Nicky Engstrom (387-218), the all-time IPA wins leader... Quinn is 382-284 in 20 seasons... Van Johnson (21-11/3.58) is still the ace with help from Sal Mays (18-13/3.00)... Razzy Richmond (9-5/2.72/13 saves) is still the best closer on the team with 67 appearances... he got some help in the pen this year from Kevin Nixon (5-2/2.07)... the best run producers are C Juan Luis Barcelona (.306/23/92/98), RF Johnny Harding (.281/28/85/90), 1B Mel Morrison (.305/25/86/62), LF Jack Ryan (.305/6/56/78), 2B Kinji Hashimoto (.255/20/79/73) and SS Rick Bridges (.268/22/78/63). 3. NORTH HILLS: the Hawks ran out of gas in the final weeks of the season... they were only two games behind Hartsdale going into July... the Hawks are aging... but more importantly they lost their offense when superstar LF Adam Thurgood (.317/11/41/30) went out for the season in May... RF Ryan Webbe (.309/22/75/77), 2B Tommy Vavas (.295/18/72/101), 3B Jim McDermott (.272/12/71/72) and 1B Oscar Pendleton (.303/16/62/59) did their best to take up the slack... Tony Mack (21-14/3.04) won 20 games for the sixth time in his 13 seasons... at 39 David Michael (18-18/3.84) struggled at times... Alex Peters (16-14/3.62) and Kyle Oliver (13-11/3.94) were the other starters in the rotation... the pitching corps is not what it was in the glory years when the Hawks won four Pro Cups 2034 to 2041. 4. FAIRFAX: after two seasons in sixth place, the Frogs moved up over .500 into fourth place (18 GB)... they haven't won a pennant since 2032 and 2033... and have never won a Pro Cup... Harold Dorman (19-16/2.68) had a fine season... as did closer Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28/22 saves)... Sawyer made 83 relief appearances and finished second in saves with 22... only Hartsdale's Alfonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) with 24 was better... Fairfax hit well for average with a .281 BA, tops in the IPA, but was only average in scoring runs... star 2B John Velasco still handles the bat well at age 40... he led the team with a .316 BA, was first with 95 RBIs and second with 23 HRs and 86 runs... C Scott Courtney (.271) was the club leader with 25 homers and second with 92 RBIs... LF Brad Johnston (.298/18/79/90) scored the most runs with 90... RF Terrence Yeoman (.306/11/68/56), 3B Daniel Pierce (.300/3/62/65) and CF Trent Russell (.269/14/67/78) also helped out offensively. 5. WHITE RIVER: the Rascals moved up from seventh in 2045 (24 GB) to fifth place (21 GB) this season... improved pitching was the prime reason as the offense flopped badly... Nicky Palmer (19-12/2.81) was the most effective starter with some help from Trent Anderson (15-19/3.86) and Clem Warren (13-17/3.65)... in the bullpen Carlo Grimaldi (10-6/2.14/14 saves) really stood out in 68 appearances... star CF Billy Joe Hickman again was the offensive leader with 46 homers, 115 RBIs and 92 runs scored, but he batted only .249... 2B Warren McKenzie chipped in with 29 roundtrippers, 3B Ryan Byrd had 27 and 1B Ralph Cashman 25, but they all hit below the .250 mark. 6. OXFORD: the Red Caps have had only one winning season in the last nine... that was good for fourth place in 2045 (5 GB)... they slipped back to mediocrity this year to sixth place (25 GB)... they have some good starters in Ralph Mosby (20-12/3.28), Tekkan Nishikawa (16-16/3.13), Rudy Mellancamp (16-18/2.64) and Lou Ellison (8-13/3.13)... but lack bats... RF Kevin Carter (.275) is the only decent one with 30 homers, 96 RBIs and 84 runs. 7. LUXORA: the Zorros were second two seasons ago (4 GB), but have tumbled to fifth (16 GB) and seventh (29 GB) since... the last postseason appearance was back in 2031... the Z's have never won a Pro Cup... Joao Damaso (14-15/3.33) and Victor Spears (16-18/3.57) were the most reliable starters... 1B Joel Poche (.304/18/84/72), RF Emil Pasek (.311/15/65/80) and LF Derrek Jackson (.303/17/68/55) were the club's offensive leaders. 8. MAHASKA: the Haymakers took it on the chin again for the fourth successive season with a last place finish (38 GB)... the top starters Terry Mazurek (12-15/4.06) and Bobby Kelman (11-15/4.65) were only mediocre at best... 1B Roger Lewis (.291/34/88/74) led the club with 34 homers... C James Boswell (.230/33/89/65) was tops with 89 RBIs and was second with 33 home runs... CF Bill Whittier (.315/27/79/84) had the best BA at .315, second with 84 runs and third with 27 HRs... SS Rocco Bertara (.286/13/69/85) led the team with 85 runs. 2046 Tycobbian North Finals Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:24 PM.

05-22-2014, 02:57 PM	#4208
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 SUNSETS RISE UP IN TU SOUTH The fans witnessed a stirring stretch drive in the Tycobbian South this season with the outcome coming on the very last day of the season... the year-long leader Summerland (94-60) survived by a scant one game, while last year's division champion Southport (93-61) slipped to second place after winning the title the last four years... the third spot went to San Alejo (91-63), who was just 3 games back in the race... late-finishing Turon (89-65) closed fast, but came up five games short in fourth... the Ginza Ninjas (86-68) wound up fifth and trailed by eight games... showing the overall strength of the TU South, Cape Coral (79-75) finished sixth, but posted a winning record... Summerland had to endure a 16-inning marathon to win the division outright... they edged Oxford 8-6, while Southport succumbed to Blue Lake in a heartbreaker loss 2-1... Summerland and San Alejo fought all season long, while Southport started very poorly... the Sun Sox were 9-18 in April, falling 10 games back in last place... but they rebounded and became a factor by the end of June, when they drew within three games of first place... the three clubs went toe-to-toe from July on and even got some pressure from Ginza and Turon. 1. SUMMERLAND: the Sunsets lived and died on the mound with a truly fine rotation that easily topped the IPA with an astounding 2.62 team ERA... the staff included Jayson Hallstrom (22-10/2.15), Jacob Gillen (20-8/2.36), Dutch De Boer (19-10/2.64) and Peter Ashley (15-7/2.61/10 saves)... Billy King (12-20/3.07/6 saves) was also very good as a spot starter and reliever... 1B Kenny Douglas (.306/20/82/690, RF Rick Mayes (.270/21/60/82) and 3B Alex Abbotson (.261/20/84/85) provided most of the Sunsets' offense... the team didn't fare well at the plate (.251 BA-21st) and scored only 631 runs (25th-tied)... scoring runs may make it tough in the playoffs for Summerland, especially against clubs with firepower like Hartsdale, Kenwood and Red Bluff in the Tycobbian Union... and Sugar Valley, Rocky Rapids and Valmara of the Ruthlandian Union. 2. SOUTHPORT: the Sun Sox were led by ace Billy Hoover (22-11/2.42), Cade Brockton (23-11/3.65) and Gordon Forbes (19-13/3.16) on the hill... Hal Combs (9-7/3.29/17 saves) anchored the bullpen... the top guns were 1B Eddy Douglas (.333/32/95/84), 3B Craig Glennon (.293/29/91/86), LF Chris Jones (.302/3/56/93) and SS Gonzalo Topez (.305/5/73/74)... CF Barney Lewis added 24 homers and 77 RBIs, but batted only .236 for average. 3. SAN ALEJO: the Montaneros were rarely more than three games behind winning Summerland as they fought tooth-and-nail the entire season... they were paced by a strong mound staff featuring three 20-game winners in Benny Buckmaster (23-11/2.82), Matt Bell (22-9/2.04) and Will McKinney (21-12/2.18)... the fourth starter Mickey Cronyn was also good with a 13-6 mark and 3.46 ERA... the bullpen was the Monties' weakness (4.14 ERA-25th)... standing out in the batter's box were RF Paulo Teixeira (.294/29/94/76), 1B Sal McAlister (.318/11/80/91), LF Charlie Wilberforce (.311/23/85/68) and 2B Callum Gainsborough (.273/8/52/114)... San Alejo finished in the TU South first division for the tenth consecutive season, mainly in the top three spots... they last won the pennant in 2037 and have one Pro Cup trophy, won in 2032. 4. TURON: the fourth-place Typhoons snapped a bad streak this season with a first-division finish (5 GB)... they were eighth, sixth and eighth from 2043 to 2045... like Southport, Turon stumbled in April (12-15), but got better as the season progressed... offense carried the team... they were second in scoring with 779 runs with 216 HRs (2nd), but only had a 4.05 team ERA (24th)... longballs ruled the day in the Typhoons' lineup with all regulars having 13 or more homers... SS Rafer Robertson (.291/38/108/79) led with 38, 1B Nick Fisher (.328/35/108/100) had 35, RF Wallace Sonnier (.254/34/69/104) hit 34, 2B C. C. Kingsford (.284/29/80/71) totaled 29 and CF Guido Gervasio (.293/20/78/90) belted 20 out of the park... starters Izzy Beasley (22-13/3.85), Clayton Petit (17-14/4.10), Tom Fuller (13-7/3.93) and Nate Scottsdale (15-17/3.54) were so-so at best. 5. GINZA: the Ninjas were improved this season... they just play in the best division in the IPA... they have played .550 baseball the last two years but ended up in fifth place both seasons, trailing by 11 games and 8 games respectively... Ginza has an above-average attack, ranked seventh in scoring (754 runs) with 166 HRs (9th), but only average pitching (3.81 ERA-20th)... RF Ichiro Kazumi (.315/18/78/81) is the top hitter at .315... followed by 1B Jiro Yamamura (.311/8/48/115) at .311... Yamamura is the club leader with 115 runs... star CF Sogo Takagi (.303/22/87/102) is third with a .303 BA and second with 22 HRs, 87 RBIs and 102 runs... SS Sam Essex is number one with 28 homers and 97 RBIs, but batted only .235... Tokuji Takahara (19-10/2 saves/2.50) had a career year at age 31... the other starters were just fair to mediocre: Charley Waskins (15-11/4.13), T. C. Gallimore (17-11/4.64) and Carlos Del Toro (16-14/3.59)... old reliable Timmy Hitchens (11-9/3.22/21 saves) continued to lead the bullpen and racked up 21 saves in 79 appearances... Hitchens was third in the IPA in saves... topped only by Alonso Cervera (4-2/3.14) of Hartsdale with 24 and Terry Sawyer (8-6/2.28) of Fairfax with 22. 6. CAPE CORAL: the Hurricanes posted first-division finishes from 2041 to 2045, but fell back to sixth this year (15 GB) in spite of its winning record... Cape Coral has never won a Pro Cup... its last pennant was in 2041... the 'Canes are potent at the plate with a .279 BA (2nd), 738 runs (9th) and 189 HRs (5th), but lackluster with a 4.10 ERA (25th)... prolific batsman and superstar LF Rikky Van Dalen, a career .320 hitter, won his third batting title with an IPA-leading .352 BA... Van Dalen was number two with 214 hits, second in the IPA to Ken Jensen, who had 217 for Valmara in the Ruthlandian Union... Van Dalen led the Ninjas with 96 RBIs, 109 runs and 23 SBs... he was second in homers with 26... star RF William Snyder led in homers with 28, while batting .322 with 94 RBIs and 87 runs... Snyder is a lifetime .325 hitter in 13 seasons with the Hurricanes... other capable bats in the lineup include 1B Stan Ferguson with a .319 BA, 27 HRs and 93 RBIs and 3B Kent Mantle with a .287 BA, 23 HRs, 57 RBIs and 77 runs... Stacy Boyle (12-7/2.62/3 saves) was the most effective starter... Vernon Marks (22-14/3.86) was the biggest winner. 7. ARROYO GRANDE: for the 13th successive season the Suns have been sequestered in the TU South second rung... this year they came in seventh (21 GB)... the Suns haven't made the postseason since way back in 2024... still no Pro Cups in the trophy room... not a lot of talent on the club... the only decent hitters were CF Kenny Wade (.280/15/39/69), LF Wilfredo Acosta (.267/19/76/66), RF Alfred Novikoff (.254/14/57/68) and SS Russ Henredon (.253/9/58/61)... Enrique Lopez (14-20/3.47), Anthony Lombardi (17-18/3.76), Fernando Campos (15-16/3.53) and Daku Goode (13-12/4.16) were only fair starters. 8. COLCHESTER: the Elites are also stuck in a rut with 10 years of frustration... 2036 was the last winning season... Colchester has made the playoffs only four times and has yet to win a Pro Cup... they came in dead last this year, winding up 35 games out of first place with no offense or pitching... Benny White (19-18/3.85) led the staff with 19 wins... with Dave Lacoste (11-18/3.40) and Dan Scott (11-19/3.57/2 saves) having the most quality starts... 3B Joey Rogers (.284/8/47/73), RF Teddy Drackley (.277/19/80/68) and 2B Jasper Matthews (.258/15/78/60) were best of the poor lot in the lineup. 2046 Tycobbian South Final Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-22-2014 at 03:13 PM.

05-22-2014, 10:15 PM	#4209
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 RED SOX RAMBLE TO 3RD FLAG IN A ROW Four clubs went head-to-head for the first four months of the season in the Tycobbian East, then Red Bluff reved it up and left the Tuckanarra Blue Jays, Hillsboro Blazers and South Fork Stallions far behind... the Red Sox rolled to their third pennant in a row by going 31-13 in August and September, leaving runner-up Tuckanarra 11 games behind, third place Hillsboro 15 back and South Fork 16 games out... in the final weeks the Blazers did the best of the three with a 22-22 mark, while the Tucks were only 21-23 and the Stallions 20-24... Red Bluff is hopeful of winning its second Pro Cup with its fine pitching and home-run wallop... its only other Pro Cup came over 40 years ago in 2004. 1. RED BLUFF: the Red Sox again socked it to the rest of the league with 252 roundtrippers, easily the best in the IPA, but it was way short of the record-setting 283 they slammed in 2045... still the trio of RF David Kelso (.302/51/106/98), 1B Josh Stevens (.329/49/111/96) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.317/41/100/92) can do a lot of damage... Kelso's 51 finished second to the IPA home-run leader Jerry Culpepper (Bayview), who cracked 52... Stevens was fourth on the list with 49... and Blanchard was tenth with 41 dingers... LF Jesse Shaw also chipped in with 22 homers and a .301 BA... but it's the pitching that brings smiles to Red Sox fans... Jud Cox (26-8/1.88) had a fantastic year with 26 wins... only Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids and Gil Younger of Hartsdale outdid him... Taylor set a new IPA standard with 30 victories and Younger had 28... Cox finished third behind Taylor (1.85 ERA) and Eastshore's Jody Friday (1.88 ERA) with a brilliant 1.88 ERA... Mickey Rosen (21-13/2.89) also won 20 games... two other Red Bluff starters had solid seasons, too... George Reynolds was 16-13 with a 3.36 ERA and Jack Wallace was 13-9 with a 3.47 ERA... the bullpen was pretty bad with a 4.24 ERA (26th)... Carson Jamara (7-8/3.80/19 saves) was inconsistent, but had 19 saves. 2. TUCKANARRA: the Blue Jays ran their tremendous first-division streak to 24 years with a second place finish... but its been 8 years since the Blue Jays bagged a pennant... the last one came in 2038... the Tucks have made more playoff appearances than any other IPA team... 17 times they have made it... with three Pro Cups to their credit (2023, 2024, 2035)... the Blue Jay mound staff was led by Dickie Pittman (17-9/2.58) and Yarran Nawajuk (18-14/3.66) with veteran closer Jack Rogers having a great year in the pen with a 16-9 mark, 12 saves and a fine 2.25 ERA in 73 relief appearances... no great bats and no power in the Tucks' batting order, but some good and reliable ones: 1B Rodger Parsons (.318/9/56/57), RF Frank Mason (.317/10/58/67), 2B Ricky Vincent (.298/7/49/78), C Wally McMain (.290/14/68/50), LF Jimmy Markovich (.290/9/52/80) and CF Ben Henderson (.289/1/42/50). 3. HILLSBORO: for the 45th consecutive season the Blazers failed to make the playoffs, but it was a good year nonetheless... they came in third, but 15 games out... however, they were in flag chase until they faded in August and September... the Hillsboro ace was Jamie Lee Bradley (16-11/2.48)... they also got some quality starts from Steve Cooper (18-18/3.27), Ralph Quick (12-12/3.80) and Robby Lee Stillwell (10-13/3.23)... Bailey Bilbow (10-9/3.24/14 saves) was the best in the bullpen... the best bat in the lineup belonged to 1B Ernie Moxley (.294), the team leader with 43 HRs and 117 RBIs... he ranked seventh to Bayview's Jerry Culpepper in RBIs... Culpepper paced the IPA with 138... 2B Scotty McNeill (.303/9/86/79) topped the team with a .303 BA... 3B Todd Bennett (.273) led the club with 94 runs. 4. SOUTH FORK: the Stallions had its glory years from 2041 to 2044 with three pennants and a Pro Cup (2042)... not so good since with a sixth-place finish in 2045 (22 GB) and fourth place this year (16 GB)... the pitching is better-than-average with Chris Sorensen (19-16/3.08), Big Murph McAlister (16-12/3.82), two-time Golden Arm winner Jay Murphy (14-18/3.48), Labron Holt (13-7/3.46/1 save) and Jonas Clay (12-10/3.52)... no real sticks in the lineup... the best of the lot are SS Pete Arnold (.287/9/58/78), RF Rick Carlton (.285/11/51/52), 1B Paul Sexton (.285/12/56/47), LF Kyle Gottwald (.274/15/61/46), 2B Elton Jacoby (.273/10/49/87) and CF Scotty O'Sullivan (.261/23/83/55). 5. HIGH MESA: success came early to the Cowboys in the IPA... they made the playoffs the first two years and even won the Pro Cup in the team's first season in 2002... but since the 2003 season - nothing...zilch... no pennants... no Pro Cuos... and no postseason appearances for 44 years... the Cowpokes don't have a lot of talent... Lucius Quarles (14-15/2.71) was the Tycobbian Rookie of the Year in 2045 and has done well in his two seasons... at 39 vet Emil Nowak (15-19/3.71) can still give the club some quality starts... and young Steve Tolan (15-20/4.04) showed some potential at times... the Cowboys don't have much in the way of offense... 1B Johnny Tallis led the team with a .265 BA, 31 homers and 98 RBIs... LF Clay Johnston had 29 HRs and 82 RBIs, but batted only .227... SS Clifford Coleman was in the same boat with 24 roundtrippers, 72 RBIs and a .240 BA... ditto for 3B Wes McGovern with 21 home runs, 68 RBIs and a .246 BA. 6. MIDWAY: the Wolves haven't posted a winning season since 2039... the last playoff appearance was in 2027... they have never won a Pro Cup... the offense was good this year with a .270 BA (5th) and 726 runs (10th), but they didn't have much punch (129 HR-21st)... pitching was inept with a 4.16 ERA (27th)... CF Hector Pena (.309/14/90/104), LF Justin Morrison (.308/17/92/105), 3B Paul Butler (.297/14/79/87) and C Martin Rogers (.314/12/50/42) were solid and reliable batters... only starter Charlie Chase (18-16/3.33) and reliever Sam Lewis (9-4/2.07/11 saves) did their jobs on the hill. 7. OZARKA: the Naturals had a terrible year, coming in seventh and 38 games out of first... the only good seasons recently were 2040 when they won the pennant and 2042 when they wound up fourth (4 GB)... though the Nats have made the playoffs on 15 occasions in the club's history, they have never won a Pro Cup, but have made the Finals five times... 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019 and 2020... reliever Gene White (3-5/1.97/2 saves) was the only pitcher with good numbers... he stood out in 48 appearances... SS William Clark led the team in hits with 183 and batted .307... 3B Artie Clayton topped them with 33 HRs, 97 RBIs and 73 runs, but batted just .257... C Paul Beasley hit .308 for the best BA on the squad and added 21 roundtrippers... injury-prone 2B-SS Duffy Morrison missed about 50 games, but still hit .303 with 14 HRs, 44 RBIs and scored 60 runs at age 38. EAST POINT: the Panthers wound up in the TU East basement for the fifth time in six seasons... the last playoff appearance was in 2039... they have never won the Pro Cup and are a perennial also-ran... the Panthers lost 104 games last year (45 GB) and 100 this year (39 GB)... they were the worst team in the IPA this season... no hitting and no pitching... Barney Benton (16-16/3.27) was the only effective pitcher... with 1B Jack Gorham, 3B Thomas Crawford, CF Wesley Garrett and RF Augie Elizondo the only decent batsmen... Gorham (.260) led the club with 31 homers and 79 RBIs... Crawford (.272) was first in runs with 71 and in doubles with 34... and Garrett (.254) topped the team with 155 hits... and Elizondo had the best batting average at just .275. 2046 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images

05-25-2014, 12:56 AM	#4210
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Monday, September 17, 2046 KENWOOD CRUISES TO 5TH FLAG IN 6 YEARS There was only one contender in the Tycobbian West this year... that was the Kenwood Wildcats (92-62), who cruised wire-to-wire to their fifth division title in six years... the Wildcats wrapped up the West with a 12-game lead at the end of June... they just coasted in the second half of the season, beating the runner-up Arlon Champions (82-72) by 10 games... third place Rolling Hills (79-75) by 13 games and fourth place La Claire (76-78) by 16... according to the baseball experts Kenwood is a solid, all-around good ballclub and should be a force in the Pro Cup this season... it should really be a battle royal in the Tycobbian playoffs between four fairly evenly matched teams... Summerland and Hartsdale are slight favorites, but Red Bluff and Kenwood should make their presence known as well... the Ruthlandian Union will be well-represented with defending Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley leading the way and backed up by Rocky Rapids and Valmara, two strong and viable Pro Cup challengers. 1. KENWOOD: the Wildcats have plenty of talented bats and quality arms and should make some noise in the playoffs... they ranked third with a .276 BA, tied for fifth in scoring with 759 runs, hit 181 roundtrippers (7th) and registered an impressive 3.15 team ERA (4th)... superstar C Corky DiNozzo (.332/41/103/82), 2B Country Crowder (.328/2/55/90), SS Ben Daniels (.302/26/78/74) and LF Warren Vickers (.296/15/70/79) provide the punch and the offense... on the hill the standouts are Rusty Bradford (22-6/2.75/6 saves) and Tommy Carter (20-10/2.42)... number three Gregg Campbell (19-11/3.35) and number four Freddy Gooch (16-14/3.90) also provided quality starts, too... young southpaw closer Mike Jones (3-5/2.14/18 saves) also had a fine season in the bullpen... the Wildcats will be shooting for their first Pro Cup trophy since the golden year of 2014... they have an outside shot this year. 2. ARLON: the Champs moved up from fifth place (12 GB) to second this year (10 GB)... five times they have won the TU West, but don't have a Pro Cup title yet, although they came fairly close to one in 2039, when Waleska topped them in six games... they are a little better-than-average ball club... year-in and year-out left-hander Lanny Gray (22-11/2.21) is one of the better pitchers in the IPA... he got a little help from veteran starter Pat Stuyvesant (16-16/3.63) and reliever Mack Blair (10-6/2.79/20 saves), who made 77 appearances and ranked fifth in the IPA with 20 saves... RF Mark Cameron (.281/34/86/91) and C Nick Shafer (.260/20/85/56) were the prime run providers, but they didn't have a lot of help. 3. ROLLING HILLS: the Reds haven't made the postseason in 15 years, but they do have two Pro Cups in their possession, winning them in 2029 and 2031... they have good pitching and a fair offense... top arms are Johnny Howard (16-18/3.05) and Steve Adams (11-14/3.07)... both were better than their won-loss records... both suffered from lack of offensive support... Hootie Ferris came back in July after missing a year with injury and was quite effective... Ferris was 7-1 with a 2.70 in 8 starts... and Benny Young (9-6/2.85/15 saves) did a quality job in the bullpen in 75 relief assignments... star 1B Darwin Tard (.310/24/78/101) had another solid year and got some help from slugger RF Jimbo Foxx, who led the club with 30 home runs, while batting a lowly .235 and driving in 84 runs... CF Orin Phillips (.277/21/87/84) topped the team with 87 RBIs and had another solid season. 4. LA CLAIRE: after two straight seasons in the TU West cellar, the Lynx snapped out of it and climbed up to the first division and fourth place (16 GB)... they have never claimed a Pro Cup trophy and last went to the playoffs in 2038... biggest winners on the staff were Nelson Stubbs (20-14/3.62) and Bruce Kinson (20-15/4.42), but both were inconsistent at times... vet Terry Baird (8-6/2.06/17 saves) was the bullpen standout as usual... at the plate LF Hank Morton led the club with a .328 BA and 175 hits... CF Donny Griffith was tops with 20 HRs, 86 RBIs and 82 runs, batting .303... 2B Donnie Nilsson also chipped in some good offense with a .280 BA, 12 HRs, 58 RBIs and a club high 90 runs. 5. BAYVIEW: 2046 was another lackluster year for the Vikings... they came in fifth (19 GB)... the year before they were sixth (14 GB)... it's been years since they made the playoffs... the last pennant came in 2016... the Viks' trophy case contains no Pro Cups... one thing the Vikings can do is go deep and score runs... they batted .268 (6th) with 759 runs (5th-tied) and 204 HRs (3rd), but really have trouble keeping the opposing teams off the scoreboard... SS Andreas Stokke is the worst-hitting regular with a .269 BA, but he slugged 37 homers, drove in 111 runs and scored 107... super-duper superstar 3B Jerry Culpepper (.287 BA) led the IPA with 52 HRs and 138 RBIs, while scoring 100 runs... LF Ivar Nilssen also put up some hefty numbers with 31 roundtrippers, 93 RBIs and 86 runs with a .288 mark... CF Rusty Hunter hit .287 and was second on the squad with 102 runs... and the top batting average belonged to 2B Zack Mason (.325/10/44/69)... no one great on the mound... Bobby Knudsen (19-17/3.88) and Johnny Young (15-15/3.65) were the most reliable starters and biggest winners... in the bullpen Sammy Sarver (7-6/3.44/12 saves) had a pretty fair season. 6. CHICOPEE: after finishing fourth with a 77-77 season (7 G B), the Braves slipped back into the second division to sixth place (24 GB)... they have only made the postseason three times, back-to-back seasons in 2034, 2035 and 2036... no Pro Cup in the team's history... the Braves had fairly good pitching this year, but lousy bats... Paul Foster (15-13/3.47), Tony Dazzi (17-18/3.12) and Josh Dougherty (13-20/3.06) gave them some quality starts, but they suffered from bad run support.... 3B Ken Smith (.288/4/57/61) had the best BA at .288 and the most hits with 166... 1B Sam Patrick (.272/25/81/66) had the most homers with 25 and the most RBIs with 81... and CF Marty Hogart (.241/11/65/77) was the club leader with 77 runs. 7. BAY ST. CLAIR: for the 11th successive season the Buccaneers were unsuccessful and ended up in the TU West second division... for the second year in a row they wound in the next-to-last spot in the standings (24 GB)... nine times in the club's history they have made the playoffs, but not since 2030... and they have never won a Pro Cup... the Bucs did make the Pro Cup Finals one year, but lost to Taranto in 2015... the top mound performers were 22-year-old Dion Hawkins (17-10/3.58) and 27-year-old Clyde Gordon (15-16/3.54)... SS Edison Randall was the only decent bat with a .285 BA... he topped the club with 184 hits, 71 RBIs and 75 runs and was third in homers with 12... the HR leader was 1B Joel Wilkerson (.221) with 18... 3B Dan Modak (.249) was second with 17. 8. DENTON CITY: after being in the first division four years in a row, the Redbirds tumbled all the way down to the TU West basement and last place (30 GB)... it was a dismal season... in the team's early history they made the playoffs eight times in their first 12 years in the IPA... twice the Redbirds made the Pro Cup Finals, but twice they came out on the short end... Denton City was terrible at the plate and not a lot better on the hill... superstar 1B Wayman Stetson is the only talent on the team... Stetson was the club leader with a .301 BA, 186 hits, 38 homers, 84 RBIs and 80 runs... no one else approached his numbers... 28-year-old Harry Elliott (19-20/3.49) and ancient 41-year-old Francisco Salcido (13-18/3.38) were the most reliable pitchers. 2046 Tycobbian West Finals Standings and Team Statistics Attached Images

05-26-2014, 01:30 AM	#4211
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, September 18 NO CLEAR FAVORITE IN IPA PLAYOFFS With the 46th IPA postseason getting started this Wednesday afternoon, the baseball experts are in a quandary... there is no clear-cut favorite in the Pro Cup playoffs this year... the winner could come from any number of teams... in The Islandian Times Pro Cup Poll, the nod went to defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley (93-61) of the Ruthlandian East with its big, high-scoring bats and capable pitching... the Rattlers can rattle the fences with the likes of playing manager and super-duper star Bobby Gamble (.312/37/103/104), superstar Carl Ramsey (.297/41/129/113) and star Roger Hobbs (.292/34/83/117)... they also have standout starters in Cullen Winslow (22-10/2.59), Joe Snow (22-7/2.95) and Antonio Cedeno (23-13/2.58)... the relief corps is strong, too, with Christopher Dunsberry (3-4/2.51/11 saves) and Domenico Renterias (5-7/2.99/8 saves)... Sugar Valley is given just a fair chance at repeating... there are just too many evenly-match teams... toss out the baseball and make your choice. The oddsmaker chose Hartsdale (98-56) of the Tycobbian North for the number two pick, citing its IPA-leading 98 triumphs, solid starters and productive attack... heading up the Hellcats are four 20-game winners in Gil Younger (28-9/2.54), Perry Givens (20-9/3.43), Dave Payne (20-9/3.18) and Kippy Wilhelm (20-16/3.63)... Younger was the second most prolific pitcher in the IPA after 30-game winner Jamie Taylor of Rocky Rapids... the Hellcats can hammer the ball, too, with John Ford (30 HRs), Robinson Alomar (30 HRs), Greg Melton (28 HRs), Emilian Burgess (18 HRs) and Darrell Nesbitt (14 HRs).. they led the IPA with 806 runs and can pile up a lot of runs in a hurry with a .274 BA (4th) and 187 HRs (6th)... Frank Penn topped the team with a .341 BA with Burgess second at .316... Melton scored 109 runs, Burgess 106 and Nesbitt 103... Ford was the club leader in RBIs with 100 and Alomar had 88, Melton 82 and Burgess 79. The number three selection in the Pro Cup Poll was the powerful Rocky Rapids Snappers (94-60)... on paper they look to be the best club in the postseason and would be a prohibitve pick to win it all should they get by Sugar Valley in the first round series... it won't be a big upset if the Snappers dethrone the Rattlers... they have the home-field advantage in the best-of-seven series... their offense is awesome and the mound corps is led by Jamie Taylor, who had a brilliant recording-setting season with 30 wins and a 1.85 ERA... often in the playoffs the key to winning is the secondary starters... number three starters play a crucial role in the postseason outcome... Buster Noland (20-11/3.00) and Robby Barnhill (19-16/3.09) will have to come through for the Snappers to go all the way... the Snappers have six .300 hitters in the starting lineup, sparked by Marty Featherstone, who had a fabulous season with 129 RBIs, 118 runs, 39 homers and a .303 BA... Featherstone led the IPA in runs and ranked third in RBIs... other solid contributors were Duncan Musselwhite (.319/6/51/118), Jose Ramos (.337/14/78/96), Buddy Hamilton (.303/32/102/91), Carney Kirkpatrick (.304/15/70/76) and Nick Nova (.337/8/50/42)... Masaharu Kawasaki also had a fine year, batting .287 with 18 roundtrippers, 83 RBIs and 66 runs scored. Rating fourth in the voting were the Summerland Sunsets (94-60), who are unbelievable on the mound, posting an absurdly low 2.62 team ERA... they also won the toughest division in the IPA, the Tycobbian South, where six clubs had winning records... Jayson Hallstrom (22-10/2.15), Jacob Gillen (21-8/2.360, Dutch De Boer (19-10/2.64) and Pete Ashley (15-7/2.61/10 saves) are a fearsome bunch to face... however, scoring runs are a real big problem for the Sunsets, ranking 25th in scoring, while batting only .251 (21st)... the most dependable and relible batters are Kenny Douglas (.306/20/82/69), Alex Abbotson (.261/20/84/85) and Rick Mayes (.270/21/60/82)... such a lackluster offense really hurt Summerland in the poll. The Pro Cup prognosticators chose the big bats of the Red Bluff Red Sox (93-61) fifth best in the balloting... they ripped 252 roundtrippers to again easily top the IPA, combining with a couple of highly-rated starters in Jud Cox (26-8/1.88) and Mickey Rosen (21-13/2.89) to make the Red Sox a potent force in the postseason... only Rocky Rapids' Taylor and Gil Younger of Hartsdale had more victories than Cox with 30 and 28 respectively... the Red Sox's biggest shortcoming is its question-mark bullpen, headed up by Carson Jamara (7-8/3.80/19 saves)... the biggest plus the Red Sox have is the terrific trio of David Kelso (.302/51/106/98), Josh Stevens (.329/49/111/96) and Fran Blanchard (.317/41/100/92)... they all slammed 40 or more homers and batted in over 100 runs each... Kelso was runner-up to IPA HR leader Jerry Culpepper of Bayview... Culpepper edged him out for the title 52 to 51... Stevens came in fourth with 49... and Blanchard tenth with 41. The Valmara Vipers (95-59) paced the Ruthlandian Union with 95 wins... they are a rock-solid club with a fine pitching staff, but a suspect offense... that's why the pro pickers downgraded the Vips to number six in The Islandian Times Pro Cup preview... they have a lot of good contact hitters, but no superstuds in the lineup... Valmara still batted .277 (2nd), ranked fourth in runs with 740, but possessed little power with only 113 homers (22nd)... the Vipers top hitters were Ken Jensen (.353/7/51/65/93), Jorge Aparicio (.334/7/60/89) and Don Ritchie (.289/4.82/95)... Jensen led the RU with a .351 BA, second to Rikky Van Dalen's IPA best .352 for Cape Coral in the Tycobbian Union... Primo Sirak (24-8/1.96) and Teddy Twardzik (24-12/2.69) had really impressive seasons... and Valmara is also blessed with a great closer in Paul Holloway (10-2/1.74/16 saves)... scoring runs will be the key factor in their Pro Cup run, along with a number three starter. The Kenwood Wildcats (92-62) are another team that looks great statistically with terrific pitching, hitting and scoring, but that didn't get a lot of respect in the poll... they were the seventh pick... the Wildcats have a good pair of starters in Rusty Bradford (22-6/2.75/6 saves) and Tommy Carter (20-10/2.42), along with a capable number three man in Gregg Campbell (19-11/3.35)...closer Mike Jones (3-5/2.14/18 saves) did very well in relief, too... and Corky DiNozzo (.332/41/103/82), 2B Country Crowder (.328/2/55/90), SS Ben Daniels (.302/26/78/74) and LF Warren Vickers (.296/15/70/79) provided a steady diet of runs... the critics are not impressed with Kenwood's overall depth on the hill and at the plate. No one is giving the Claxton Diamonds (85-69) much support in the Pro Cup quest... they were the number eight choice in the voting... the Diamonds have a good starting four in Abe Schiffman (20-12/2.96/2 saves), Stan Yudash (21-17/3.43), Steve Ellison (19-15/3.28) and Gilbert Clagsdale (13-9/3.27/6 saves)... but don't impress offensively with a mediocre .254 BA (24th) and 112 HRs (23rd-tied)... superstar Jojo DeLucca (.266/16/105/85) had a sub-par season after winning the RU MVP and Golden Bat last year, but still drove in 105 runs... other offensive providers were Rick Emery (.266/22/81/77), Rick Clayburne (.301/4/68/77) and Roger Jackson (.269/6/43/104). Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-26-2014 at 11:40 AM.

05-26-2014, 12:48 PM	#4212
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Tuesday, September 18, 2046 BEST/WORST PLAYOFF TEAMS For what it's worth, here's the best and the worst of the playoff teams statistically... the Pro Cup champ will probably be a blend of the two categories... defending champion Sugar Valley was the number one choice to take the title this year in The Islandian Times poll with Hartsdale second, Rocky Rapids third and Summerland fourth. Best Record: HARTSDALE (98-56), Valmara (95-59), Summerland (94-60), Rocky Rapids (94-60) Best Home: SUMMERLAND (54-23), Rocky Rapids (52-25), Hartsdale (52-25), Valmara (51-26), Red Bluff (51-26) Best Road: KENWOOD (47-30), Hartsdale (46-31), Sugar Valley (46-31), Valmara (44-33) Best BA: ROCKY RAPIDS .278 (1st), Valmara .277 (2nd), Kenwood .276 (3rd), Hartsdale .274 (4th) Best Scoring: HARTSDALE 806 (1st), Sugar Valley 790 (1st), Rocky Rapids 786 (2nd), Kenwood 759 (5th) Best Home Runs: RED BLUFF 252 (1ST), Sugar Valley 208 (1st), Hartsdale 187 (6th), Kenwood 181 (7th) Best Team ERA: SUMMERLAND 2.62 (1st), Sugar Valley 2.89 (1st), Rocky Rapids 3.04 (4th), Valmara 3.11 (6th) Best Starter ERA: SUMMERLAND 2.57 (1st), Sugar Valley 2.88 (2nd), Red Bluff 2.95 (3rd), Rocky Rapids 3.04 (4th) Best Bullpen ERA: VALMARA 2.14 (2nd), Kenwood 2.32 (2nd), Summerland 2.88 (5th), Sugar Valley 2.97 (12th) Worst Record: CLAXTON (85-69), Kenwood (92-62), Sugar Valley 93-61), Red Bluff (93-61) Worst Home: CLAXTON (44-33), Valmara (44-33), Kenwood (45-32), Sugar Valley (47-30) Worst Away: SUMMERLAND (40-37), Claxton (41-36), Rocky Rapids (42-35), Red Bluff (42-35) Worst BA: SUMMERLAND .251 (21st), Red Bluff .257 (18th), Claxton .257 (24th), Sugar Valley .261 (15th) Worst Scoring: SUMMERLAND 631 (25th), Claxton 698 (10th), Red Bluff 740 (8th), Valmara 740 (4th) Worst HR: SUMMERLAND 104 (28th tied), Claxton 112 (23rd tied), Valmara 113 (22nd), Rocky Rapids 153 (7th) Worst Team ERA: CLAXTON 3.42 (12th), Hartsdale 3.34 (6th), Red Bluff 3.16 (5th), Kenwood 3.15 (4th) Worst Starter ERA: CLAXTON 3.32 (8th), Valmara 3.25 (7th), Hartsdale 3.24 (6th), Red Bluff 3.16 (5th) Worst Bullpen ERA: RED BLUFF 4.26 (26th), Claxton 4.08 (28th), Hartsdale 3.96 (21st), Rocky Rapids 2.99 (13th)

05-26-2014, 02:50 PM	#4213
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Wednesday, September 19, 2046 2046 IPA DIVISON CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 1 Ruthlandian Union SNAPPERS STUN RATTLERS 4-3 IN GAME 1 Don Carpenter cleared the bases with a game-winning triple in the last of the eighth to bring Rocky Rapids back from a 2-0 deficit in the opening game of the Ruthlandian Division Series... it was a stunning 4-2 victory as Sugar Valley's Antonio Cedeno had blanked the Snappers on two hits through seven innings... a four-run inning gave the Snappers the series' lead... 30-game winner Jamie Taylor (1-0) pitched well, holding the Rattlers to three runs on nine hits... he went the route at Snapper Stadium, struck out 7 and walked only one... Cedeno (0-1) was the loser, though none of the runs were earned... he only gave up four hits in all, but walked seven. RF Jose Ramos led Rocky Rapids with two hits and scored a run... C Carney Kirkpatrick drove in the other Snapper score... defending Pro Cup champ Sugar Valley got its only runs on solo homers by C Delmer Campbell and pinchhitter Rod Moody... the Rattlers are the favorite to take the Pro Cup trophy with the Snappers the third choice. SIRAK SUPERB IN 1-HITTER, VIPERS WIN OPENER 2-0 In game one at War Memorial Stadium in Valmara, the Vipers got a brilliant one-hitter from Primo Sirak, who tamed Claxton 2-0... SS Stevie Wynn broke up the no-hitter with a single in the top of the eighth... Sirak walked three and fanned five in a complete-game shutout... Abe Schiffman (0-1) lost a tough one as he held Valmara to just one run in his seven innings... RF Jimmy Logan snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fifth frame... SS Antos Dacko added another run in the eighth with a solo homer. Leading the 11-hit Viper attack were 1B Ken Jensen, LF Jacek Prusak and Logan, all with two hits apiece. Tycobbian Union YOUNGER BLANKS SUNSETS 6-0 IN FIRST GAME 28-game winner Gil Younger fired a sharp three-hitter to trounce Summerland 6-0 in the first game of the Tycobbian Division Series played at Pioneer Park in Hartsdale... the Hellcats ripped 22-game winner Jayson Hallstrom for 10 hits and all six runs... CF Darrell Nesbitt, 3B Greg Melton and C Frank Penn socked two hits each to pace Hartsdale. WILDCATS NOSE OUT RED SOX 3-2 IN 11TH On the road in Red Bluff for the opening game of the TU Division Series, visiting Kenwood got sparkling pitching to nose out the Red Sox 3-2 in 11 innings... pinchhitter Keith Silver led off the last inning with a walk, stole second base and rode home on Russ Foster's RBI single... Tommy Carter started for the Wildcats and gave them eight strong innings, stopping the Red Sox on one run and seven hits... he struck out four and issued only one walk... closer Mike Jones (1-0) came on in the ninth and went the rest of the way... he blew a 2-1 lead in the ninth, but settled down and picked up the win, going three innings and allowing three hits... Jud Cox started for Red Bluff and pitched into the eighth, giving up two runs, just one earned, on 8 hits... he struck out 7 and walked one... Slick Little (0-1) was the loser and worked the final two innings. Both clubs collected 10 hits each... Kenwood was led by 1B Bert Henrich with three hits... chipping in two apiece were LF Warren Vickers, 3B Country Crowder and CF Russ Foster... three Red Sox had two hits each: 1B Josh Stevens, RF David Kelso and CF Ike Sweetwater... Sweetwater got the game's only roundtripper when he sent the game into extra innings in the ninth.

05-26-2014, 08:31 PM	#4214
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Thursday, September 20, 2046 2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 2 Ruthlandian Union SNAPPERS SNATCH 2-GAME LEAD Rocky Rapids has defending Pro Cup champion Sugar Valley on the ropes in the Ruthlandian Division Series... the Snappers have snatched the first two games, defeating the Rattlers 6-3 in game two at Snapper Stadium... Robby Barnhill (1-0) toyed with the Rattlers for most of the game... he shut them out 6-0 the first eight innings before being tagged for three runs in the top of the ninth... Barnhill struck out five, walked one and permitted seven hits. Rocky Rapids racked up 13 hits and was sparked by RF Jose Ramos (.625) and SS Nick Nova (.500) with three hits each... 2B Marty Featherstone (.333) and C Carney Kirkpatrick (.429) added two hits apiece... Featherstone had a solo homer and Kirkpatrick and LF Buddy Hamilton (.200) drove a pair of runs each. C Yoshino Okada (.250) drove in a pair of runs for the Rattlers and 1B James Milton (.286) got the other RBI... Milton and RF Jeff Harvey (.375) banged out two hits each. Losing pitcher Cullen Winslow (0-1) was hit hard, giving up five runs and 11 hits in just 6-plus innings. Sugar Valley will go home and try to regroup at Farmers Memorial Park for the next three games, should the series go that far. VIPERS TAKE 2-0 LEAD, EDGE DIAMONDS 3-2 For the second straight day at home Valmara got standout pitching and rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Claxton Diamonds in game two of the RU Division Series... Teddy Twardzik (1-0) went the distance, holding Claxton to two runs on eight hits, while striking out six batters and issuing no walks... the Vipers rallied for two runs in the ninth on SS Antos Dacko's (.250) two-run single that scored CF Don Ritchie (.500) and RF Jimmy Logan (.375)... Stan Yudash (0-1) also went all the way in defeat, yielding three runs on seven hits with 6 Ks and a walk. Ritchie (.500) led the Vipers with two hits... 3B Jorge Aparicio (.111) homered for Valmara and LF Freddy Favalori (.500) had a two-run shot for the Diamonds. Tycobbian Union HELLCATS SINK SUNSETS AGAIN, WIN 2ND GAME 4-2 Hartsdale got a fine performance from Kippy Wilhelm, who stymied the Summerland Sunsets 4-2 at Pioneer Park... it was the Hellcats' second win in a row in the best-of-seven Tycobbian Division Series... Hartsdale was held scoreless for the first four frames by Jacob Gillen and fell behind 2-0... the Sunsets took an early lead on 1B Kenny Douglas' (.250) first-inning clout and tacked on another run on 2B Jack Webb's (.286) triple in the second... then the Hellcats rallied for three runs in the fifth on CF Darrell Nesbitt's (.222) RBI groundout and a two-run two-bagger by RF Emilian Burgess (.571)... 3B Greg Melton's (.500) triple and pinchhitter Marty Wooten's (.000) sacrifice fly added one more run in the last of the eighth. Wilhelm (1-0) notched 9 strikeouts, walked four, but limited the Sunsets to just four hits and two runs in his eight frames... Alfonso Cervera got the save with a perfect ninth, fanning two of the three batters... the loss went to Gillen (0-1), who worked into the eighth, giving up four runs on nine hits with two strikeouts and five walks. Burgess was 3-for-3 to lead the Hellcats at the plate, two of them were doubles... LF Marv Shaw (.500) and 2B Myrt Breland (.250) chipped in with two hits each... Webb had two hits for the Sunsets. WILDCATS WIN AGAIN, BRADFORD BEATS SOX 5-1 For the second game in a row the Kenwood Wildcats got a sparkling mound performance... it was Rusty Bradford this time that throttled the big bats of the Red Bluff Red Sox 5-1 on just five hits... Bradford whiffed four and walked none... SS Ben Daniels (.333) energized the Wildcats' 11-hit attack with two doubles and a homer.. 3B Country Crowder (.500) had two hits, including a solo swat... and CF Russ Foster (556) drilled three hits with a pair of doubles... LF Jesse Shaw collected three of the Red Sox's five hits. Mickey Rosen (0-1) took the loss, tossing eight innings and surrendering four runs on nine hits... Rosen had three walks and 7 strikeouts.

05-27-2014, 09:02 PM	#4215
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Friday, September 21, 2046 2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 3 Ruthlandian Union SNAPPERS NEAR SWEEP, TOP RATTLERS 7-5 A change of scenery didn't do anything for the defending IPA champion Sugar Valley Rattlers... after losing two games in Rocky Rapids, the Rattlers were beaten on their home diamond 7-5 in game 3 of the Ruthlandian Division Series... one more win and the Snappers will send Sugar Valley home for the season... after falling behind 3-0 in the first frame on Carl Ramsey's three-run blast, they did the Rattlers in with a six-run explosion in the top of third, highlighted by Masaharu Kawasaki's (.083) grand slammer. Buster Noland (1-0) got the win in an uneven performance... he gave up 5 runs on 10 hits in seven innings for the win... Steve Owens worked two scoreless innings for the save... Joe Snow (0-1) lost it for the Rattlers as he was shelled for seven runs and nine hits in his eight innings... the Rattlers were rattled in the field and committed three costly errors... three of the scores against Snow were unearned. C Carney Kirkpatrick (.545) drilled three hits and drove in two runs to lead the Snappers and 2B Marty Featherstone (.364) pitched in with a pair of hits... Sugar Valley outhit them 11-9, paced by LF Bobby Gamble (.455) with 3-for-5 and CF Carl Ramsey (.333) with 2-for-4... and C Delmer Campbell (.250) hit his second solo homer of the series. CLAXTON CLOBBERS VALMARA 8-1, FUCHS HOMERS TWICE Powered by three home runs, the Claxton Diamonds broke into the win column in the Ruthlandian Division Series with Valmara... after dropping the first two games on the road in Valmara, the Diamonds clobbered the Vipers 8-1 in the friendly confines of beautiful Avalon Stadium... Foxy Fuchs slammed two out of the park and Jojo DeLucca one to lead the rout... Claxton also got a fine outing from Steve Ellison, who shut down the Vipers on one run and six hits in eight and two-thirds innings, striking out 8 and walking two batters... Eddie Dizon got the final out in the ninth... the loser was Zak Reeder (0-1)... the Diamonds got to him for eight runs in six-plus innings... Claxton broke open a 3-1 game with a five-run outburst in the last of the seventh. Fuchs (.500) drove in three runs, scored twice and collected two hits and two walks... DeLucca (.182) was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored... 2B Rick Emery (.273) also popped two hits for the winners... RF Jimmy Logan (.364) homered for the only Viper run. Tycobbian Union DE BOER HURLS 2-0 GEM IN SUNSET WIN Summerland's vaunted mound staff took it on the chin in the first two games of the Tycobbian Division Series against the Hartsdale Hellcats, but Dutch De Boer got it right... he hurled them to a 2-0 victory in game three and got the Sunsets back into the series... De Boer hurled a gem at Sunset Stadium, limiting the hard-hitting Hellcats to just four singles, while walking none and striking out five... Perry Givens (0-1) lost it, but gave a very good account of himself, giving up only two runs on six hits in seven innings. The Sunsets got run number one in the bottom of the fourth on a single by Kenny Douglas (.333), double by Alex Abbotson (.333) and a groundout by Tony Vargas (.091)... the second run came two innings later on a solo salvo by Abbotson... Summerland got only seven hits with Douglas and Abbotson getting two each. RED SOX SMASH WILDCATS 12-1 IN GAME 3 Held to three runs in the first two games, Red Bluff flexed its powerful muscles and boomed three homers and 15 hits in smashing Kenwood 12-1 in game three of the TU Division Series... the thorough thrashing cut the Wildcats' lead in the series to two games to one... Kenwood won the first two games on the road... Red Bluff also got an impressive start from Jack Wallace (1-0), who went all the way, stopping the Wildcats on one run and seven hits. SS Leemond O'Donovan (.250) pounded two homers and drove in five runs while going 3-for-5... RF David Kelso (385) also went deep among his three hits, scored three runs and batted in five... two other Red Sox LF Jesse Shaw (.429) and 3B Fran Blanchard (.385) also lashed three hits apiece... Blanchard drove in a pair of runs and Shaw scored twice.

05-29-2014, 12:09 PM	#4216
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Saturday, September 22, 2046 2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 4 Ruthlandian Union SNAPPERS SHOCK SUGAR VALLEY WITH SWEEP There will be a new king in IPA baseball circles - the one-year reign is over for the Sugar Valley Rattlers - they were shockingly dethroned in four games by the Rocky Rapids Snappers... for the second time in the Ruthlandian Division Series, the Snappers stunned the Rattlers 4-3 with late-inning exploits... they rallied from a 3-1 ninth-inning deficit when Jose Ramos (.438) boomed a two-run homer to knot it up at 3-3... Don Carpenter (.200) followed Ramos with a single, stole second base, advanced to third on a deep fly, then tagged up and scored the eventual winning run on another very deep drive by pinchhitter Denny Thornton... Sugar Valley also lost game one in a similar fashion... the Rattlers blew a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning and were beaten 4-3. 30-game winner Jamie Taylor wasn't at his best, but he had enough to finish off the Rattlers... Taylor (2-0/2.65) allowed nine hits, but only three runs in eight innings... Steve Owens worked a perfect ninth for his second save of the series... reliever Domenico Renterias (0-1) was the victim of the ninth-inning uprising and was tagged with the loss... he gave up three runs on three hits... Sugar Valley starter Antonio Cedeno staked the Rattlers to a 3-1 lead after eight innings... he was superb, stopping the Snappers on just one run and three hits, striking out five and walking one... but Renterias couldn't hold it for him. Rocky Rapids was outhit 9 to 6 by Sugar Valley... in addition to Ramos' crucial clout, LF Buddy Hamilton (.182) also went deep in the sixth inning... LF Bobby Gamble (.438) had two hits for the Rattlers, including a solo home run, and 1B James Milton (.438) went 4 for 4. Winning manager Hank Bethel was beaming after the game, telling reporters, "I'll take a sweep every time, but we sure didn't expect it... we got the crucial hits and they didn't... it could very easily be 2-2 at this point." Player-manager Bobby Gamble was downcast and dismayed at the outcome saying, "This is a hard loss to take... our expectations were to win back-to-back Pro Cups... and we had a good shot at repeating... everything was a go for us...not wanting to take anything away from the Snappers - they swept us - but the series was closer than that - a few scattered hits and we could still be playing." VIPERS ZAP DIAMONDS 6-3 BEHIND SIRAK Primo Sirak was in prime form in game four of the Ruthlandian Division Series at Avalon Stadium in Claxton... the Valmara ace took his second straight verdict over the Diamonds, zapping them 6-3 and giving the Vipers a 3-1 edge in the best-of-seven series... going the distance Sirak (2-0/1.00) fanned four, walked two and held Claxton to three runs on six hits... LF Jacek Prusak (.308) led the Viper 10-hit attack with two hits and a two-run homer... 2B Ken Jensen (.353), RF Jimmy Logan (.429) and 3B Jose Vargas (.500) all added two hits apiece in the win... topping Claxton were 1B Jojo DeLucca (.214) and C Darrell Welborn (.364), each with a solo homer. In a bad outing, Abe Schiffman (0-2/4.30) lost to the Vipers again... they battered him for six runs and 8 hits in seven-plus innings... he was behind 5-2 when he departed. Tycobbian Union SUNSETS LIGHT UP HELLCATS 9-4, SERIES TIED Summerland, known for super pitching, got some mighty help at the plate with 14 hits in a 9-4 triumph over Hartsdale at Sunset Stadium to tie the Tycobbian Division Series at two games each... it was the Sunsets' second consecutive win at home after two straight losses in Hartsdale. 3B Alex Abbotson (.462) rifled three hits, scored three times and walloped a home run to spark the Sunsets... SS Mark Brenneke (.250) also helped out with three hits and two runs... LF Tony Vargas (.231) doubled and singled and drove in three runs... C Adriano Lupoli (.154) also homered, went 2-for-4, scored a run and drove in one... RF Rick Mayes (.176) put up two hits, one of them a two-bagger, and scored a run. Hartsdale hammered 11 hits, led by RF Emilian Burgess (.375) with a three-run roundtripper in the third that put the Hellcats ahead 3-1 early... Summerland took charge with four runs in the fifth... Pete Ashley (1-0) got the victory, but had to throw a lot of pitches... he departed ahead 7-3 after seven innings... Ashley surrenedered three runs on nine hits with four walks and four Ks... Billy King worked two frames and allowed one run on two hits in the eighth... King quickly retired the Hellcats on four pitches in the ninth to seal the verdict. After blanking the Sunsets 6-0 in the series' opener, 28-game winner Gil Younger (1-1/3.86) performed poorly in game four... the weak-hitting Sunsets slammed him for six runs and eight hits in five innings. RED SOX ROUT WILDCATS 9-4, SERIES EVEN AT 2-2 For the second successive game, the Red Bluff batters lived up to their helfty reputations and battered the Kenwood Wildcats 9-4 to capture game four of the TU Division Series and even it up at two games apiece... the Red Sox lost the first two games at home and have rebounded on the road and gotten back in the series... Kenwood pitching mastered them 3-2 and 5-1 in the first two games. Leading the Red Sox was superstud slugger RF David Kelso (.500) with three RBIs, three runs and three hits, including a pair of doubles... Red Bluff ripped Kenwood starter Tommy Carter (0-1/6.52) unmercifully for seven runs in the first two innings... the win went to Jud Cox (1-0/2.16), who went all the way, permitting eight hits and four funs, fanning five and giving up no walks... Cox (.429) helped his own cause with a homer and a single and scored twice... 3B Fran Blanchard (.333) doubled in two runs... LF Jesse Shaw (.421) scored twice and had a pair of hits... and CF Ike Sweetwater (.250) scored two runs. 1B Aldon Belew (.286) paced the Wildcats with two hits and two runs batted in... Belew got only home run for Kenwood... C Corky DiNozzo (.111) and 2B Country Crowder (.438) chipped in with two hits apiece.

05-29-2014, 12:27 PM	#4217
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	Map of Islandia Attached Images

05-29-2014, 12:28 PM	#4218
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	Around the Town in the IPA ROCKY RAPIDS SNAPPERS Owner: Express Freight and Shipping Company GM: Ryan Noland Manager: Hank Bethel Rocky Rapids, population near 63,000, is a river town in northwestern Ruthlandia on the banks of the vital Green River, which begins in the Appian Mountains near Far Mountain and ends in Belair Beach, almost splitting the country in half north to south. The Green River intersects with its western tributary, the Silver River, at Forest City, the Ruthlandian capital and main commercial city. Rocky Rapids is a lumber and grain processing center and is an important transportation community. Vast quantities of timber from Far Mountain in the north are shipped through the town. It is not a fancy town, just a blue collar, middle class culture. Rocky Rapids is also the home of the Snappers of the IPA’s RU West Division. The Snappers play at Snapper Stadium, overlooking the Green River in the downtown area, which can be seen in the background beyond the ballpark fences. The team is named the Snappers because of the financial importance of the river to the community’s economy. The Snapper was chosen because it is a tough, tenacious river inhabitant, just like the citizens of Rocky Rapids. The fans really rock at Snapper games with team mascot, Rocky the Snapping Turtle, leading the charge. Music is played throughout the game by the rock band, Rocky Rapids Revival. They constantly rock the stadium with the classic “Rollin’ on the River” every time the Snappers mount a rally. And the seventh inning stretch is really something to hear. RRR jams out on a rock-n-roll version of the baseball classic “Take me out to the ballgame”. Stadium concessions include crisp and tasty fried catfish taken from the river’s pure and clear waters. But absolutely no turtle soup can be found in the town, despite the request by many opposing teams fans. The team is owned by Express Freight and Delivery Company, which has extensive railroad and river barge interests and is managed and directed by Ryan Noland, the all-time strikeout leader in company league baseball history. His father is the president of the company board of directors. Hank Bethel, a Hall-of-Fame catcher is the manager. He starred for 16 of his 27 IPA seasons with the Snappers, was a 12-time All-Star and part of the 2019 team that won the only Pro Cup in the team's history. Bethel was a career .288 hitter with 494 homers and 1985 RBIs, ranking seventh all-time. Snapper Stadium (1940) Capacity: 7,650 Left Field Line - 310 Left Field - 340 Left Center - 370 Center Field - 410 Right Center - 370 Right Field - 340 Right Field Line - 310 Attached Images Last edited by Eugene Church; 05-29-2014 at 12:31 PM.

05-29-2014, 09:38 PM	#4219
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	THE ISLANDIAN TIMES Sunday, September 23, 2046 2046 IPA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES - Game 5 Ruthlandian Union CLAXTON STAYS ALIVE, DUMPS VIPERS 6-1 IN GAME 5 The Claxton Diamonds fought off elimination from the Ruthlandian Division Series, dumping Valmara 6-1 in game five and reducing the Vipers lead to three games to two... the Diamonds broke a 1-1 tie with a five-run eighth inning and Stan Yudash (1-1/1.62) hurled a heck of a game, holding Valmara to one run on six hits in his eight innings... Yudash whiffed seven and walked two for the win... reliever Gilbert Clagsdale retired the Vipers in order in the ninth. Yudash and Teddy Twardzik were locked in a 1-1 battle when the Diamonds tattooed Twardzik for five runs in the last of the eighth... an error by third baseman Jose Vargas (.429) allowed the winning run and opened up the flood gates... 1B Jojo DeLucca (.278) had an RBI single... CF Bob Best (.200) tripled in a pair of runs... C Darrell Welborn (.400) doubled in another one... and RF Roger Jackson (.000) got the final one in with a sac fly. Claxton got 10 hits in all with DeLucca, Best, Welborn and 3B Rick Clayburne (.190) getting two hits each... 2B Rick Emery (.263) batted in two runs for the Diamonds, one of them came on a solo homer in the sixth... Valmara was led by 2B Ken Jensen (.429) with three hits and CF Don Ritchie (.353) with a pair... Twardzik (1-1/3.86) suffered the defeat, going seven and one-third innings and giving up six runs on 10 hits... he fanned six and walked three in a bad outing. Tycobbian Union WILHELM PUTS HELLCATS ON TOP IN SERIES Playing on the road at Sunset Stadium in Summerland, Hartsdale got another impressive performance from Kippy Wilhelm, who stopped the Sunsets 5-3 in game five of the TU Division Championship Series to give the Hellcats a one-game edge in the best-of-seven series... Wilhelm (2-0/2.12) went the distance and held Summerland to three runs on eight hits for his second victory in the series... Jayson Hallstrom (0-2/5.62) lost for the second time in the playoffs... in a mediocre outing Hallstrom was banged around for 11 hits and five runs in eight innings. The Hellcats' main bats were 1B John Ford (.400) with four hits and three RBIs, LF Marv Shaw (.308) and RF Emilian Burgess (.350) with two runs each... and CF Darrell Nesbitt (.273) with two hits in five tries... Hartsdale opened up a 4-1 lead with three runs in the top of third... Summerland cut it to 4-3 in the sixth... and the Hellcats finished the scoring with a single score in the seventh... Hallstrom (.167) drove in two runs to lead the Sunsets and 3B Alex Abbotson (.412) batted in their third score. KENWOOD CLUBS THE RED SOX 8-5, UP BY ONE The Kenwood Wildcats turned the tables on hot-hitting Red Bluff and did some fancy batting on their own in game five of the Tycobbian Division Series at the Olde Towne Grounds to go up by one game in the best-of-seven affair... homers by Ben Daniels and Warren Vickers paved the way for an 8-5 victory... Kenwood collected 13 hits to 12 for the Red Sox with the win going to Rusty Bradford (2-0/3.18), who weathered eight innings, 11 hits and five runs... Bradford totaled five strikeouts and walked two... Mike Jones got his first postseason save by shutting down Red Bluff in the top of the ninth... starter Mickey Rosen (0-2/6.14) was hung with the loss... he was nailed for seven runs and 11 hits in six-plus frames. The Wildcats' offensive leaders were Daniels (.333) with two hits, two runs and three RBIs... Vickers (.333) with two hits, two runs and an RBI... three others also contributed a pair of hits apiece: 1B Bert Henrich (.529), CF Russ Foster (.333) and 3B Charley Brandenburg (.188)... Red Bluff's best bats were RF David Kelso (.435) and SS Leemond O'Donovan (.211) with two RBIs each... Kelso has 10 so far in the series... 2B Big Boy Payne (.190), 3B Fran Blanchard (.364) and C Ed Warren all chipped in with a pair of hits each.

05-29-2014, 11:15 PM	#4220
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,869	Wow !!! I think 274 views may be a daily record for this thread. Thanks to all of you who still follow the IPA after so much time.