ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian East Final Standings, Team Batting and Team Pitching

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Pulls Away From Tuckanarra, Cops Flag By 3 Games
The Tycobbian East was a four-team battle at the halfway point, but Ozarka and Tuckanarra separated from Red Bluff and South Fork in the decisive second half. The Naturals closed quite well to put away the second place Tuckanarra Blue Jays by three games. Tuckanarra faded in the last six weeks of the season. First half leader Red Bluff slipped back to third place and wound up 7 games off the pace. Fourth place South Fork fell apart in the second half and dropped 14 games back of Ozarka.

Joe Mac Carney's Ozarka Naturals (88-66) are a well-rounded ball club with a .264 team BA (10th), very good pitching with a 3.42 ERA (4th) and solid fielding with a .975 FA... the Nats offense is paced by LF Vic Weinstein (.306/20/93/100), 2B Gil Lantz (.301/11/73/63), SS Nathan Ferrell (.266/24/95/80) and 3B Todd Chadwick (.258/25/91/113)... Carney has a fine starting rotation consisting of Emile Leduc (23-12 2.87), Tyrus Yokum (21-11 2.94), Philip Britt (17-12 3.42) and Karl Kleinert (17-11 3.92).

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (85-69) are blessed with strong pitching... manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens' mound staff has put up an outstanding 3.21 ERA (2nd)... Stevens' has three fine starters in Titus Bristow (21-13 2.90), Delaney Elliott (21-14 3.34) and Nile Applewhite (16-16 3.09)... the Blue Jays have an excellent closer in rookie Reggie Ralston (6-4 2.86), who saved 35 games... Tuckanarra really falls short in the batting department with a .252 BA (24th) and doesn't have much power... Stevens' best bats are 3B Rocky Fuqua (.303/9/38/82) and LF Tony Blundell (.267/13/61/64)... it is tough compete in the IPA with such poor offense.

The powerful Red Bluff Red Sox (81-73) with four division flags and one Pro Cup slumped badly in the second half and fell back to third place, trailing Ozarka by 7 games... Mack Connery still has a good offense with a .266 BA (9th) and 151 homers (4th), but could use a little more pitching... the team only had one stopper this year in dependable John Dougherty (19-12 3.55)... Dougherty was the only full-time starter with a record over the .500 mark... the veteran Frank Beaudoin (16-21 3.31) pitched well, but wound up with a losing record... Red Sox batting leaders were 3B Tommy Klegg (.306 BA) with 44 homers and 123 RBIs, SS Jose Aguilar (.294BA) with 13 home runs, 104 runs and 76 RBIs... and LF Bryan Wessels (.299 BA) with 16 roundtrippers, 65 runs batted in and 83 runs scored.

The South Fork Stallions (74-80) continued their consecutive losing string to seven years... skipper Duroche "Lips" Leon had the Stallions only three games off the pace at mid-year, but they chilled down in the second half and spiraled downward to 14 games back in fourth place... South Fork hit for a .263 BA (11th) with 143 homers (16th) and ranked 13th with a 3.70 team ERA... Bobby Karu (17-17 3.14) and Dave Small topped the hurlers, while CF Gary Horn (.307/23/101/87), rookie 1B Joe Peters (.268/21/91/68) and RF Robby Michael (.357/12/74/81) were the Stallions best bats.

The four clubs in the second division were never in contention... the High Mesa Cowboys (71-83) hit well with a .270 BA (6th), 161 home runs (8th), but flopped on the hill with a 4.24 team ERA (27th)... manager Frisky Franks team ended up in fifth place, 17 games out... SS Wild Deer Etchimin (.294) had a career year and led the club with 34 homers and 87 RBIs... other contributors were 3B Eddie Albrecht (.306) with 16 home runs, 71 RBIs and 83 runs... RF Sookie Givens (.295) with 25 homers, 84 RBIs and 75 runs... and CF Kermit Wiggins (.288) with 83 runs scored and 50 batted in... Kent Wells had a good season on the mound with an 18-15 mark and a 3.49 ERA... Johnny Falcon went 16-15 with a 4.13 ERA... rookie reliever Ed Galiano (4-5) had 27 saves with an excellent 2.04 ERA.

For the tenth straight season the Hillsboro Blazers (68-86) wallowed in the TU East second division... Arky Spanderson's crew were sixth in the standings and 20 games off the pace... they batted .255 (20th) and hit 152 homers (12th), but chalked up a feeble 4.30 team ERA (29th)... but the future may hold good for the Blazers... Ed Dupard had a fantastic year with a 22-15 mark and a 2.93 ERA... Dupard led the Tycobbian Union with 22 complete games... only Beechwood's Dek Jumonville (23-14) was better with an IPA-best 24 complete games... at the plate two rookie outfielders Chris Barrett and CF Victor Schroeder had good seasons... Barrett dazzled with a .325 batting average, went deep 27 times, drove in 75 runs and scored 76 times in only 76 games... in 96 games Schroeder belted 22 roundtippers and batted in 8 1 runs, but only hit .246 for an average... vet 3B Bobby Bayas had a decent year with a .275 BA, 10 homers, 52 RBIs and scored 100 runs... and RF Rickey Alfonso batted .308 with 12 home runs, 67 RBIs and 79 runs.

Coming in seventh were Cochise Chandler's Midway Wolves (67-87), another perennial also-ran that has never made the postseason... the Wolves finished 21 games out of first... There's not much to cheer about in Midway except for 187 home runs (2nd)... otherwise the Wolves are bad with .250 BA (26th) and a 4.16 ERA (28th)... only Lanky Elsu (16-12 4.03) posted a winning record on the mound... but Chandler does have some offense with rookie LF Hiamovi Wolf, who exploded with 40 homers and 92 RBIs, while batting only .235... veteran 1B Don Piper hit 26 out of the park, drove in 100 and scored 100 with a .270 BA... RF Lou Sturge walloped 32 home runs, had 95 RBIs and scored 93 times... and another rookie CF Johnny Lee batted .279 with 19 roundtrippers, 57 RBIs and 81 runs.

The East Point Panthers (57-97) had their worst year ever and ended up in last place and 31 games in back of first place Ozarka... manager Griff Clarke's club can score a few runs with 155 homers (9th-tied), but they don't hit for average, finishing (15th) with a .258 batting average... pitching is almost non-existent with a 4.52 team ERA (31st)... CF Joey Olson (.283 BA) hammered 37 homers and drove in 107 runs, 2B Jesse Goodwin (.302 BA) unloaded 35 times and knocked in 96 runs... LF Cisco Perales (.294 BA) went deep 24 times and batted in 66 runs... and SS Jerry Riley hit .309 with 7 home runs, 56 RBIs and scored 81 times... East Point's top pitcher was 10-year veteran Smokey Joe Carter with an 11-19 record and a 3.99 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian West Final Standings, Team Batting and Team Pitching

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 23, 2010

2010 Tycobbian West Final Recap

DC Redbirds Dominate TU West, Nab 3rd Crown In A Row
It was a runaway in the Tycobbian West for the second successive season. The Denton City Redbirds won 100 games and once again totally dominated the division, winning by 15 games over runner-ups Arlon, Bay St. Clair and Chicopee. Last season the Redbirds romped by a 12-game spread.

Manager Ford Whiteman has a splendid ball team in almost all respects, pitching, hitting and power... The Denton City Redbirds (100-54) are average in only one area of the game... on defense they have a modest .972 FA... Whiteman's mound staff is number one in the league with a superb 3.20 team ERA, third with 185 home runs and fifth with a .273 BA... Mila Mohoski (26-11 2.54), Kimo Orlando (26-11 2.85) and Mike Danek (14-12 2.68) form a formidable starting rotation... at the plate Denton City's batting order is strong throughout... top hitters are RF Lavon Gooch (.285/32/105/105), CF Rod MacCormack (.283/22/94/94), 1B Mick Abbott (.312/26/95/96), SS Trevor Tomlinson (.289/13/40/86), 3B Jay Petit (.317/19/56/80) and LF Danny Nash (.343/17/56/62)... Nash and Petit were platoon players and Tomlinson missed two months with an injury.

For some weird reason the Arlon Champions (85-69) alternate good and bad seasons... this was the year for skipper Gary Louis' squad to be good... the Champs hit .256 (18th) with 149 home runs (15th) and had a 3.92 team ERA (21st)... nothing outstanding, but good enough to tie for second place in the standings... Armando Cruz (18-13 3.38) led the starters... and 22-year-old closer Johnny Rabelais (8-3 1.78) had a super season with 31 saves in his first full year... Arlon's best bats belong to RF Chucky Gilton (.291/19/100), LF Rocco Belasario (.289/29/91/107), 3B Jake Griffith (.286/27/95) and CF Charley Turner (.273/11/64/118)... solid performers include 2B Allen Black (.290/10/55) and 2B Miles Sheehan (.299/7/51), who split time at second base.

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (85-69) were greatly improved this year and rose up from seventh place in 2009 to a three-way tie for second... Guy Rondre's Bucs were the top hitting team with a .279 BA, but only 17th with 140 home runs and 9th in scoring... pitching-wise they were adequate with a 3.87 team ERA (20th)... Rondre's rotation has three fine starters in Duke DeVree (21-13 3.47), Norm Gross (18-12 3.25) and Hal Meissner (14-6 3.05)... Bay St.Clair has some solid sticks, too... 1B Gerry Fields (.292/33/104), LF Bruno DiPirro (.303/8/75/89), RF Todd Bryant (.282/15/82/90), CF Skeeter Hall (.287/8/54/90), 3B Ryan Sanders (.304/10/69/73) and 2B Kelly Wright (.301/13/74/69).

The Chicopee Braves (85-69) with Harry Fleetfoot at the helm wound up tied for third place in the TU West and trailed first place Denton City by 15 games... the Braves strong suit was its pitching... they have two fine starters in Tommy Ruffin (18-10 2.85) and Wayne Baxley (19-14 3.22), who helped compile an impressive 3.42 team ERA (5th)... Chicopee's main weakness was with its .251 BA (25th)... Fleetfoot's best batter was 3B Nicky Sweet, who hit .297 with 21 homers, but only 67 RBIs and 83 runs scored... LF Dutch Rheinecker had 18 roundtrippers and 68 RBIs, while batting .279.

An influx of six talented rookies improved the Rolling Hills Reds (81-73) from 8th to fifth this season... Matty Christianson's Reds batted .268 (7th) with 130 homers (21st) and chalked up a 3.83 team ERA (17th) to end up 19 games back... rookie LF Donnie Lewis (.357/5/90/86) had a special season... 9-year veteran 2B Owen MacArthur (.346/7/46/90) had another solid season... rookie 3B Clay Hoffman (.271/24/92) had a productive 112 games... ditto for rookie CF Thad Hobbs (.245/19/64) in 116 games... CF Dale Hoover (.283/17/56) in 116 games... and rookie RF Manuel Leon (.279/9/46) showed promise in 87 games... on the hill Christianson's best arms were Toshihiru Ito (16-16 3.44), Fran Tomaselli (18-11 4.24) and rookie closer Clem Boutte (9-6 2.61), who registered 20 saves.

Manager Walter Johanssen's hitting went to the wayside in 2010 and fell off by over 20 points from .281 to the .260 mark (14th)... but the sixth place Bayview Vikings (76-78) still hit the long ball with 182 overall (4th), but came in 24 games off the pace... on the hill they were fair with a 3.75 team ERA (14th)... gifted CF Tommy Riddle (.292 BA) stood out with 40 homers, 110 RBIs and 100 runs scored... 3B Karl Benson (.310/27/84/89), RF Kelton Carpenter (.286/28/74/73) and LF Russ Murphy (.256/31/98/89) all were vital run producers... Bayview's ace was Georgie Fambreau with a 20-13 record and a 3.20 ERA... Johanssen's other quality vets are Ken Fairchild (15-13 4.19), Norm Roy (16-19 3.95) and Tony Vardaman (14-20 3.68).

The Kenwood Wildcats (73-81) played well until mid-season and then floundered the second half and sunk down to the cellar along with the La Claire Lynx... Aaron Hankins has excellent overall pitching with a 3.28 team ERA (3rd), but very little offense... the Wildcats batted only .243 (30th) with just 104 home runs (30th)... on the mound Kenwood features veterans Todd Combs (21-15 2.72), Corey Brabham (16-10 3.24), Dan Phillips (11-15 3.49) and Denny Coulon (8-10 2.69)... Hankins sure could use some bats... his only decent hitter is RF Dayton Walker, who hit at a .315 clip with 10 home runs, 52 RBIs and 71 runs scored... the Wildcats have nothing but mediocrity in the batter's box after Walker.

This was to be the year that the La Claire Lynx (73-81) would roar... manager Rip Calkin's club was coming off two good seasons and seemed poised to rival Denton City... but it never happened... the Lynx slipped at the plate and also on the hill and dropped into a tie for last place in the TU West with Kenwood... La Claire batted .262 (13th) with 152 home runs (12th) with a 4.00 team ERA (24th)... Calkin has some capable pitchers in starters Ron Novronski (15-8 2.62), Fred Wright (10-9 3.11) and Doug Lyons (17-17 4.01)... in the bullpen rookie Stan Clement (2-1 1.67) could have a strong future... La Claire only quality batters are 6-year vet LF Zeppy Deshotel (.318/26/83/97) and 8-year vet 3B Luis Marquez (.274/16/84).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 24, 2010

Farris Hits .357 to Earn RU Crown
No one hit Ruthlandian Union pitching at a better clip than Marston's first baseman Pat Farris in 2010. Playing in 132 games this year's batting champ registered a .357 average with 175 hits, 42 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, 76 runs scored and 62 RBIs. It's Farris' second batting title in his 8-year career. The 27-year-old Farris led the league with a .362 mark in 2007. He is a lifetime .327 hitter.

Wesner Claims TU Bat Title, Triple Crown Winner
Fairfax's superb left fielder Dane Wesner finally won the Tycobbian Union Batting title after coming in second the last two seasons. The 25-year-old Wesner also won the Triple Crown by leading the league in batting average, homers and RBIs. In a superlative year Wesner hit .383 with 218 hits, 30 doubles, 2 triples, 46 roundtrippers, 146 RBIs and scored 107 runs, while playing in 150 games. For a career Wesner sports a lofty .339 batting average. Wesner has won three Gold Gloves and made the All-Star team three times.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 25, 2010

2010 Pro Cup Playoffs Begin Today
Some clubs have coasted to make the playoffs -- others have scrapped tooth-and-nail to get here. After a long, sometimes seemingly endless regular season, it gets down to who can win a short series -- by hook or crook, talent or luck. That's what it takes to capture the Islandian Pro Alliance championship. The top teams will vie in the Pro Cup Series starting today. The defending Pro Cup champions, the Turon Typhoons, are back again trying to take the Islandian Pro Alliance title for the unprecedented fourth time. Last year the Typhoons came back from a 3-1 deficit to snare the Pro Cup from Far Mountain in seven games. Turon also had to go seven games to whip favored Denton City in the TU Final 4.

Scribes Select Denton City-Colfax Pro Cup Finals
The Islandian Times conducted a poll of the major baseball writers in the Islands and came up with these rankings.

1. Denton City Redbirds
2. Colfax Blasters
3. Far Mountain Redhawks
4. Turon Typhoons
5. Blue Lake Blue Sox
6. Ozarka Naturals
7. Waleska Westerners
8. Sugar Valley Rattlers

Team Season Summaries:

It was a runaway in the Tycobbian West for the second successive season. The Denton City Redbirds won 100 games and once again totally dominated the division, winning by 15 games over runner-ups Arlon, Bay St. Clair and Chicopee. Last season the Redbirds romped by a 12-game spread.

Manager Ford Whiteman has a splendid ball team in almost all respects, pitching, hitting and power and they have been made the favorites to win this year's Pro Cup... The Denton City Redbirds (100-54) are average in only one area of the game... on defense they have a modest .972 FA... Whiteman's mound staff is number one in the league with a superb 3.20 team ERA, third with 185 home runs and fifth with a .273 BA... Mila Mohoski (26-11 2.54), Kimo Orlando (26-11 2.85) and Mike Danek (14-12 2.68) form a formidable starting rotation... at the plate Denton City's batting order is strong throughout... top hitters are RF Lavon Gooch (.285/32/105/105), CF Rod MacCormack (.283/22/94/94), 1B Mick Abbott (.312/26/95/96), SS Trevor Tomlinson (.289/13/40/86), 3B Jay Petit (.317/19/56/80) and LF Danny Nash (.343/17/56/62)... Nash and Petit were platoon players and Tomlinson missed two months with an injury... the Redbirds will tangle with Ozarka in the Elite 8 Series.

Colfax Blasters (107-47) of the RU West totally dominated the league and set a new IPA record with 107 wins, breaking the old mark by 5... on paper Colfax should be a cinch to win the Pro Cup, but the scribes are forecasting the winner will come from the stronger league, the Tycobbian Union... they will have to fend off a determined bunch of Far Mountain Redhawks to get a shot at the overall Island championship... the Blasters were first in batting, pitching and fielding... they hit .276, had a 3.00 ERA and a .976 fielding average... Clem Rogers had two fantastic starters... Ilya Szabo and Jimmy Joe Cartner won 54 games and lost only 8 between them... they were both 27-4... In addition Szabo carded a magnificent 1.79 ERA to lead the IPA, while Cartner compiled a 2.86 ERA... starter #3 Jasper LaForge went 19-10 with a 3.35 ERA... and it didn't stop there - in the bullpen Dallas Somerville chalked up 26 saves with a great 2.01 ERA and a 7-8 record.

The Blasters lived up to their names at bat, too... Leading the way offensively was four-time All-Star CF Ryan Raines with 28 homers, 122 RBIs, 108 runs and a .293 BA... Raines still run like the wind and plays center like a Gold Glover... He had plenty of help from LF Paul Coniglio with 30 home runs, 104 RBIs, 99 runs and a .290 BA... In 107 games RF Karl Heidelberg batted at the .311 mark with 10 homers, 50 RBIs and 90 runs scored... in 81 games 3B Mike Janocko was outstanding with a .344 average, 15 roundtrippers, 71 runs batted, while scoring 48... Colfax will meet Sugar Valley in the opening round of the playoffs.

Last year Alex Groveland took Far Mountain to the Pro Cup finals and came within a hair of winning it... many think he has a better team this season... the Redhawks routed Colfax 4-1 in the 2009 Final 4 and will be no pushovers this season, despite Colfax's monstrous 107 victories...Far Mountain (93-61) took the flag and a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs with a good all-around ball club, good hitting, pitching, power and defense...Leroy Hill (24-10 3.13) and Boomerang Hines (24-10 3.17) were a dynamic duo on the mound staff... rookie closer Erich Dumont racked up 36 saves and led the league... the Redhawks were paced at the plate by 2B Duane Parsons (.312/38/133/105)... Parsons led the RU in RBIs and tied for the home run title with Scott Camden of Rocky Rapids... other solid hitters were SS Don Nichols (.302/19/96/108), rookie CF Xavier Sosa (.322/17/72/74) and C Otis Ott (.270/26/96/79).

On paper the baseball experts never pick Turon to win the Pro Cup, but they have proved them wrong year after year... This year the gurus are singing another tune. They are rating the Typhoons as the fourth best team in deference to their three Pro titles... The Turon Typhoons (80-74) have a good core of talent and have won the TU South four times in the last five years and have taken three Pro Cups... they copped the TU South by 6 games with a .254 BA (23rd) with 122 home runs (22nd) and a 3.66 team ERA (10th)... Whitey Richburn's rotation was led by rookie star Nicky Engstrom who broke on the scene with a great 20-7 record with a very strong 2.40 ERA... veteran Freddi Speigel also stood out with a 21-10 mark and a 3.36 ERA... another very impressive newcomer was rookie Merle Studebaker (0-3), who racked up 24 saves and notched a solid 2.36 ERA... the Typhoons top hitters were 2B Alan Hansen (.295/0/28/103), CF Mac McCurnan (.279/23/85/87), 1B Johnny Carducci (.274/27/89/71) and LF Andy Porter (.279/14/70/71)... this year Turon will have to beat Blue Lake (92-64), Denton City (100-54) or Ozarka (88-66) to get a crack at its fourth Pro Cup... as in the past the Typhoons will be the underdog... they will go up against Blue Lake in the Elite 8 Series.

Blue Lake won the RU North crown in a three-team playoff with place Mahaska and Oxford... manager Cobb Tyson's pitching carried the champion Blue Lake Blue Sox (92-64) to their first division title with a 3.46 team ERA (7th)... Justin Eckhardt (24-9 2.79), Pete Henry (20-14 3.01) and Pat Grange (15-8 3.34) were his prime starters with rookie closer Tony Reed (4-6 3.88) doing impressive work with 35 saves... the Blue Sox bats were just adequate with a .252 BA (22nd) and 155 home runs (9th) and were led by RF Ted Karno with 27 homers, 90 RBIs, 89 scores, while putting up a .264 BA... 2B Loren Babcock had 20 homers, 84 RBIs and scored 99 runs, CF Rick Hilliard hit .313 with 18 roundtrippers, 68 RBIs and 89 runs and LF Vic Gelder added a .283 BA, 22 home runs and 77 runs batted in.

None of the other three teams are considered in the running for the Pro Cup. But looking back over the years, many times the experts overlooked the eventual Island champion... the baseball experts do not have a good batting average in picking the Pro Cup winners.

Ozarka won the TU East in a tough struggle with Tuckanarra by three games... Joe Mac Carney's Ozarka Naturals (88-66) are a well-rounded ball club with a .264 team BA (10th) with a 135 roundtrippers (19th), very good pitching with a 3.42 ERA (4th) and solid fielding with a .975 FA... the Nats offense is paced by LF Vic Weinstein (.306/20/93/100), 2B Gil Lantz (.301/11/73/63), SS Nathan Ferrell (.266/24/95/80) and 3B Todd Chadwick (.258/25/91/113)... Carney has a fine starting rotation consisting of Emile Leduc (23-12 2.87), Tyrus Yokum (21-11 2.94), Philip Britt (17-12 3.42) and Karl Kleinert (17-11 3.92).

McGraw Johnson finally won the RU South after the Waleska Westerners (85-69) finished third the past two seasons... Johnson has fashioned a fine club with solid pitching and excellent hitting... They posted a 3.55 team ERA (5th) and hit .267 (7th) with 135 home runs (16th)... Waleska has a rock-solid line-up with good players in each of the eight spots, sparked by RF Kippy Doyle with 26 homers and 103 RBIs, CF Harold Setser with a .325 batting average, 22 homers and 98 RBIs, LF Johnny Stratton with 14 roundtrippers, 14 home runs, 91 RBIs and a .301 BA, 3B Grant Betzer with a .318 BA and 111 runs and 1B Nat Mayakovsky with 16 homers, 89 RBIs and a .291 average... on the hill Johnson has some talent, too... Waleska starters are Wilson Whitmore (18-13 2.87), Ken Vakos (14-7 3.47), Lenny Milazzo (13-10 3.36) and Sammy Grimaldi (8-5 3.06).

The Sugar Valley Rattlers (88-66) made the biggest turnaround in the RU East in 2010 as Gibby Bobkins' boys rose up from seventh place the previous season...the Rattlers were a good blend of offense and pitching and excellent on defense with a .981 fielding percentage, tops in the league... rookie Neil Howell (17-10 3.19), Jay Washington (19-16 3.60) and Connie Ehrlichmann (18-13 led the pitching corps... with a lot of help from closer Nickie Lynn (7-7 2.49), who registerd 30 saves... After a poor first half, Charles Darby (16-11 4.44) surged in the second half with an 11-6 record that really helped make the difference... Sugar Valley bats were sufficient with C Hal Stevenson (.276/28/100/87), CF Austen Conover (.293/4/78/94) and 2B Vic Chatelain (.301/2/78/71)... 1B Val Schlagel also contributed 22 homers, scored 93 times and hit at a .293 clip.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, September 24, 2010

2010 IPA Postseason Underway At 4 Sites
The Pro Cup playoffs kicked off today with game at four locations around the Islands. Denton City of the Tycobbian Union are the favorites to take the crown this year, but the Colfax Blasters, Far Mountain Redhawks and Turon Typhoons might have something to say in the matter, too.

2010 Ruthlandian Elite 8 Series

Colfax Cops Opener 4-2 From Sugar Valley
Colfax took the opener of the Elite 8 Series with a 4-2 victory over the visiting Sugar Valley Rattlers at Mountain View Stadium... Ilya Szabo (1-0), a 27-game winner during the regular season hurled seven strong innings for the win... Szabo allowed only one run and seven hits and struck out five... Dallas Somerville worked two-thirds of an inning for the save... rookie Neil Howell (0-1) went the distance and was charged with the loss... Howell permitted four runs and nine hits... the Rattlers outhit the Blasters 10-9... there were no home runs in the game.

Waleska Powers By FM, Wins 2-0 On Homers
Two dramatic back-to-back homers in the top of the ninth gave Waleska a 2-0 decision over the home town Far Mountain Redhawks at Sky High Stadium in the opening game of their Elite 8 Series... RF Kippy Doyle and 1B Nat Mayakovsky both hit solos shots to break up Leroy Hill's one-hit shutout... There were only five hits in the game... winning pitcher Wilson Whitmore (1-0) tossed a brilliant two-hitter with four Ks and two walks... Hill (0-1) fanned six and walked three in a losing effort.

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

DC's Mohoski Mows Down Ozarka 4-1 In Opener
Denton City opened up the playoffs at home at Douglas Denton Field with an excellent outing by veteran Mila Mohoski... the Redbird ace stopped Ozarka on six hits en route to a complete-game victory... Mohoski (1-0) whiffed four and issued only one walk to stymie the Naturals in the first game of the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... Denton City banged out nine hits and were led by 1B Mick Abbott with two RBIs... RF Lavon Gooch and LF Danny Nash also knocked in a run apiece... CF Paul Noah's ninth-inning double plated the only run off of Mohoski... Tyrus Yokum (0-1) suffered the defeat... he surrendered four runs on nine hits in seven innings.

Engstrom Blanks Blue Sox 3-0, Turon Takes Game 1
Playing on the road at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake, Turon took game one of the Elite 8 Series with a 3-0 shutout victory... the Typhoons remarkable rookie Nicky Engstrom (1-0), who was 20-7 in his freshman year, blanked the Blue Sox on four hits... Justin Eckhardt (0-1) pitched well, but was tagged with the defeat... Eckhardt, a 24-game winner, gave up five hits, fanned three and walked four... Turon broke up a scoreless game with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth... C Pete Kilgour, 2B Alan Hansen and rookie RF Jack Brown each drove in a run for the winners.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 25, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Colfax Squeezes By SV 3-2, Coniglio Hits 3-Run HR
It was another close tussle in game two of the RU Elite 8 Series between Colfax and Sugar Valley... the Blasters won their second in a row to go up 2-0... LF Paul Coniglio provided the game-winning hit by going deep on a three-run homer in the third inning... that put Colfax ahead 3-1 and winning pitcher Jimmy Joe Cartner (1-0) made it stand up with some ninth-inning help from closer Dallas Somerville, who picked up his second save of the series... Cartner worked eight and one-third innings for the win... he limited the Rattlers to four hits and two runs - only one earned - struck out three and gave up no walks in a super effort... loser Jay Washington (0-1) pitched the whole game and was touched for eight hits and three runs... C Hal Stevenson and LF Kent Swain batted in Sugar Valley's runs.

FM Nips Waleska 5-4 In 11 Innings, Series Even
Wildness and shoddy fielding cost Waleska in game two of the Elite 8 Series with Far Mountain... after SS Adam Farinas homered in the top of the 11th to give the Westerners a 4-3 lead, the Redhawks rallied to win 5-4 on a bases-loaded walk and a botched ground ball by reliever Von Pearce... the defeat cost Waleska a chance to go ahead 2-0 in the best-of-seven series... Redhawk starter Boomerang Hines gave them 3-2 going into the ninth, but closer Erich Dumont could not hold it and blew the save when he gave up an RBI single to PH Alec Giroux to send the game into extra innings... Hines held Waleska to six hits and two runs in eight well-pitched innings... Hines fanned five and allowed no walks... Pearce (0-1) lost it by giving up three walks and a hit in the 11th... Mark Annensky (1-0), the third Far Mountain pitcher, got the win despite giving up Farias' roundtripper... the Redhawks got seven hits and were paced by C Otis Ott with 2-4, two RBIs and three runs scored and 2B Duane Parsons with 2-5 and two runs scored... Ott homered in the sixth to put Far Mountain up 3-2... C Mac Wilkins had three hits for the Westerners with a homer and two RBIs... Waleska got a total of eight hits in the game.

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

DC Slides Past Ozarka 4-3, Lead Series 2-0
In game two of the Elite 8 Series, the Denton City Redbirds slid past the Ozarka Naturals 4-3 to go in front two games to none... Kimo Orlando, a 26-game winner, fired eight solid innings and held the Nats to three runs on six hits... Orlando walked two and struck out five for the victory... Tom Duroncelay pitched a perfect ninth for the save... 23-game winner Emile Leduc (0-1) went the distance and sustained the loss, allowing four runs on six hits... 1B Mick Abbott got the only homer in the game... He hit it in the fifth and put Denton City ahead 4-2... 3B Todd Chadwick homered for Ozarka to give the Nats a short-lived 2-1 margin in the top of the second... Both clubs had six hits each... 1B Abbott, SS Trevor Tomlinson and LF Lavon Gooch all drove in runs for the winners... Chadwick had two hits and scored twice for the Naturals.

Blue Lake Knots Series, Edges Turon 4-3 in 14th
In a tense 14-inning duel the Blue Lake Blue Sox evened the Elite 8 Series with Turon by edging out the Typhoons 4-3 on a bases-loaded walk... 1B Ross McCaslin worked the game-winning walk off of losing pitcher Jacques Lemaire (0-1), who walked five in a two and one-third innings stint... Dan Whitfield (1-0) notched the win for the Blue Sox with three scoreless innings... both starters did well with Turon's Freddi Spiegel allowing three runs and eight hits in his nine innings with five strikeouts and two bases on balls... Pat Henry for Blue Lake hurled 10 innings and gave up three runs and seven hits with four Ks... at the plate the Blue Sox were led by CF Rick Hilliard with 3-for-6, two runs scored and an RBI and 2B Loren Babcock with 3-for-6 and an RBI... The Typhoons were paced by LF Andy Porter with 2-fo-7 and two runs batted in and 2B Alan Hansen with a pair of hits and an RBI.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, September 26, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Colfax Crushes SV Rattlers 7-2, Wins 3rd Straight
The Colfax Blaster bats came alive on the road and lashed out 15 hits to crush Sugar Valley 7-2 at Farmers Memorial Park to take a huge 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Elite 8 Series... one more Colfax victory and they will move on to the Final 4 against the winner of Far Mountain and Waleska... RF Karl Heidelberg homered and doubled among his four hits and 2B Ilya Ivanchuk homered and doubled in his three hits to spark the Blasters... Both Heidelberg and Ivanchuk batted in three runs apiece to back up Jasper LaForge's solid pitching... LaForge went the route, struck out eight, walked three, permitted eight hits and two runs... Connie Ehrlichmann (0-1) was ripped for four runs and nine hits in four-plus innings for the loss.

Vakros Fires 4-Hitter, Waleska Skims By FM 2-0
At home at Westerner Field, Waleska shut out Far Mountain for the second time in three days 2-0 on a four-hitter by Ken Vakros... the triumph gave the Westerners a 2-1 edge in the best-of-seven series... Vakros (0-1) was outstanding with five strikeouts and two walks... RF Kippy Doyle gave him all the runs he needed with a second-inning homer... 2B DePaul Lebat doubled in run number two in the seventh... losing pitcher Dave McDonald (0-1) also pitched well, permitting only two runs on six hits with four strikeout and only one walk.

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

Nats Outscore Redbirds 9-8, Cuts Lead To 2-1
The Ozarka Naturals came back to win 9-8 over Denton City after blowing an 8-3 lead after seven innings... It was Ozarka's first win in the Elite 8 Series and cut the Redbirds lead to two games to one... SS Nathan Ferrell drove in the winning run in the last of the eight with a deep sacrifice fly off closer Tom Duroncelay, who picked up the loss... Luther Hatch (1-0) got credit for the victory, but was hit hard for two runs and three hits in the Redbirds eighth-inning uprising that tied the score... Rene Gautier worked a scoreless ninth for the save... Denton City led in hits 11 to 9... both teams clubbed two homers each... the Nats 2B Gil Lantz and RF Chris Pruitt homered in the four-run sixth inning, while LF Lavon Gooch and 3B Rod MacCormack went deep for the Redbirds... Ferrell also had a two-run double and three RBIs for the winners... C Tibby Charbert drove in two runs and had two hits for Denton City... Gooch went 3-for-4 and scored three times and MacCormack drilled two hits, scored twice and batted in a pair in defeat.

Turon Outlasts Blue Lake 4-3 in 14-Inning Thriller
Playing on its home field at Typhoon Stadium, Turon outlasted Blue Lake 4-3 in 14 innings to take a 2-1 lead in their Elite 8 Series... with one out in the bottom of the 14th, Raphael Semmes walked and advanced to third on a double by C Fats Dalton... after an intentional walk to 1B Johnny Carducci, SS Roy Flanagan plated the winning score with a sac fly to center... reliever Jeb Pickett (1-0) notched the win with two superb innings in which he fanned five of the six batters he faced... The Typhoons racked up 13 Ks in all... The defeat went to Ray Davini (0-1), who surrendered one run in one and two-thirds innings... Turon had 11 hits and Blue Lake piled up 15... 1B Mickey O'Malley, RF Jimmy Tremayne and Semmes batted in runs for the Typhoons and LF Vic Gelder, SS Richie Vla and pinchhitter Ron Landauer all had RBIs for the Blue Sox.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Monday, September 27, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Szabo Hurls 1-Hitter, Colfax Sweeps SV 8-0
The Colfax Blasters roared past Sugar Valley in four straight to sweep the RU Elite 8 Series... Today at Farmers Memorial Park in Sugar Valley, Ilya Szabo was almost unhittable... He fired a superb 1-hit shutout to beat the Rattlers 8-0... Szabo (2-0 0.56) walked one and struck out five in a tremendous performance... He yielded only a single in the fifth inning to SS Johnny Smith, while the Blasters were blistering three Sugar Valley pitchers for 17 hits... RF Karl Heidelberg (.714) got four hits again today to lead the onslaught... Heidelberg drove in two runs and scored twice... 3B Mike Janocko (.333) jacked three hits and had three RBIs... CF Ryan Raines (.353) had two hits, two RBIs and scored two times... and 2B Ilya Ivanchuk (.533) collected two hits, scored twice and batted in a run... Rattler starter Neil Howell (0-2 6.43) took the loss as Colfax battered him for seven runs and a dozen hits in six innings... Colfax scored early with two in the first frame and one in the second... the Blasters really took charge with five more runs in the seventh inning.

Sugar Valley manager Gibby Bobkins told the press after the game, "Now I know what it's like to be run over by a train. Colfax can pitch and they can hit. There's a reason why they won 107 games this season."

Waleska Skims By FM 2-1, Needs One More Win
Strong pitching again stood out today at Westerner Field in Waleska as the Westerners skimmed by Far Mountain 2-1 to move up three games to one in the Elite 8 best-of-seven series... Wilson Whitmore outpitched Leroy Hill and put Waleska in position to win the series tomorrow at home... Whitmore worked eight innings, allowed just one run on eight hits, fanned five and walked four... however the victory went to reliever Ernie Harrell, who had a 1-2-3 ninth... the Westerners got the scoring underway in the opening frame... 2B DePaul Lebat (.182) led off the game with a walk, 3B Grant Betzer (.059) singled and moved him to second, then they stole third and second... CF Harold Setser (.000) got the first run in with a sacrifice fly... the Redhawks tied it up 1-all in the top of the eighth on three singles by 2B Duane Parsons (.250), 3B Keith Wasik (.154) and PH Phil Alston (.333)... Waleska wrapped up the game in the last of the ninth... with one away LF Johnny Stratton (.267) singled and then came around to score on SS Ed Chase's (.300) walk-off two-bagger... Hill (0-2 2.08) lost, but tossed an excellent game... Hill permitted only six hits and two runs... Far Mountain had eight hits to just six for the Westerners.

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

Ozarka Nats Tie Up DC Redbirds, Yokum Wins 4-1
Ozarka was in a precarious position... the Nats were down two games to one in the series to the powerful Denton City Redbirds and had to face one of the best pitchers in the IPA in game four... a loss to Mila Mohoski would put them down 3-1 in the Elite 8 Series... a lot was riding on the game and the right arm of pitcher Tyrus Yokum... the 34-year-old Yokum (1-1 3.00) responded with a terrific outing, holding the Redbirds to just two hits in a magnificent 4-1 victory... SS Trevor Tomlinson's (.286) single in the sixth and CF Rod MacCormack's (.357) base hit in the seventh was all Denton City could manage... the Redbirds tied the score at 1-1 in the fourth without the aid of a hit... Tomlinson was hit by a pitch, was bunted to second, stole third and then came across on an infield out by Lavon Gooch (.333)... Yokum went eight innings and then turned the game over to closer Luther Hatch, who sat the Redbirds down in order to seal the win... Mohoski (1-1 2.65) went all the way and took the loss as he permitted ten hits and four runs... Ozarka got the game's first run in the bottom of the third on an RBI triple by LF Vic Weinstein (.071)... got two more on Yokum's (.400) single in the fourth to take a 3-1 lead... and wound up the scoring in the eighth on SS James Flanagan's (.286) RBI single.

Blue Sox Even Series, Eckhardt Stops Turon 7-1
The Blue Lake Blue Sox and the Turon Typhoons are now tied at two games apiece in the best-of-seven TU Elite 8 Series... the game was a double whammy for Turon - they lost the game 7-1 to Blue Lake and they also lost a vital member of their pitching staff, standout rookie Nicky Engstrom had to leave after four innings because of injury... there is no word yet on the extent of the injury... reliever Jacques Lemaire (0-1 0.00) came on with the score tied at 1-1, but was tagged for four unearned runs in the sixth that put the game out of reach... the Blue Sox finished up the scoring with C Lou Blair's two-run homer in the ninth off Jeb Pickett... Justin Eckhardt (1-1 2.00) went the distance and limited the Typhoons to six hits and one run, while striking out five and issuing only one base on balls... 2B Richie Vla (.500) and Blair (.077) topped Blue Lake with two RBIs each... bad defense took it toll on Turon as they committed three errors... prior to the injury Engstrom gave up only one run and one hit in four innings with four strikeouts... Engstrom was 20-7 during the regular season with an excellent 2.40 ERA... He pitched a 3-0 shutout in game one of the playoffs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Turon Loses Engstrom For Playoffs
Turon has suffered a tremendous blow to its Pro Cup aspirations. The Typhoons have lost starting pitcher Nicky Engstrom for at least 3 months. He was hurt in a game against the Blue Lake Blue Sox yesterday and sustained a strained elbow ligament. His doctors said Engstrom will be out the rest of the Pro Cup playoffs.

Engstrom, a rookie phenom, had a sensational season with a 20-7 mark and a 2.40 ERA. In the postseason he shut out the Blue Sox 3-0 in the opening game of the Elite 8 Series.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Redhawks Remain Alive, Hines Blanks Waleska 2-0
The Far Mountain Redhawks remained alive in the RU Elite 8 Series thanks to a masterful game from Boomerang Hines, who blanked Waleska 2-0 in game 5 to stave off elimination at least for one more day... The Westerners lead the best-of-seven series three games to two... Hines (1-0 1.06) hurled a three-hit shutout, fanned four and walked just one in a very strong performance... Losing pitcher Lenny Milazzo (0-1 2.35) gave up a lot of hits, but kept Waleska close... Milazzo worked into the eighth, allowed only two runs, just one earned, struck out six and walked two in a good effort... Far Mountain SS Don Nichols (.143) drove all the runs in the game with RBI singles in the fifth and seventh frames... 2B DePaul Lebat (.333) got all three hits for Waleska.

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

DC Regains Series Lead, Orlando Whips Ozarka 5-2
Denton City busted up a tight 2-2 game in the late innings to whip Ozarka 5-2 and regained the lead in the TU Elite 8 Series at Ellie Ewing Stadium... the Redbirds are now up 3 games to 2 in the series and just one victory away for a Pro Cup Final 4 slot... manager Ford Whiteman got a fine game from Kimo Orlando (2-0 1.69), who scattered 10 hits over eight innings and surrendered two runs, only one was earned... closer Tom Duroncelay retired the Naturals in order in the ninth for his second save of the series... Denton City rapped out 12 hits and was sparked by 3B Rod MacCormack (.421) with 3-5 and three RBIs... LF Lavon Gooch (.450) with four hits and 1B Mick Abbott (.278) chipped in three... Gooch and MacCormack singled in the tie-breaking runs in the seventh to make the score 4-2... C Tibby Charbert (.250) scored from third on a wild pitch in the eighth for the final run... Emile Leduc (0-2 3.71) went the distance in defeat... 1B Al Wesner (.333) drove in Ozarka's first run and LF Vic Weinstein (.167) went deep for the other one.

Blue Lake Takes Series Lead, Henry Beats Turon 8-2
Pat Henry put Blue Lake in the driver's seat with an 8-2 triumph over Turon at Typhoon Stadium in game 5 of the TU Elite 8 Series... Henry (1-0 2.37) gave the Blue Sox a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series by shackling Turon on eight hits... Blue Lake used eight hits and six bases on balls to easily dispose of the Typhoons... Leading 3-1 going into the top of the eighth, the Blue Sox put a five spot on the scoreboard to put the game away... RF Tad Kirklin (.227) homered in the fourth and CF Rick Hilliard (.308) went deep in the sixth... Hilliard and C Lou Blair (.118) drove home two runs each to pace Blue Lake... 1B Johnny Carducci (.200) homered for Turon... loser Freddi Spiegel (0-1 5.40) had a lousy outing and was ravaged for eight runs and eight hits in seven-plus innings.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Wednesda, September 29, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series

Waleska Eliminates FM Redhawks 16-1
Waleska totally trounced Far Mountain 16-1 in game 6 of the RU Elite 8 Series to eliminate the Redhawks four games to two... the Westerners will now advance to the Final 4 and will have to take on the mighty Colfax Blasters who swept Sugar Valley... Waleska walloped 23 hits against the hapless Redhawks pitching... and got a solid mound performance from Ken Vakros (2-0 0.53), who stopped Far Mountain on five hits... Vakros (.333) even knocked a solo homer... Kippy Doyle also hit one out for his 3rd of the series... SS Ed Chase (.500) led the hit parade with a 4-for-4 day and three RBIs... 2B DePaul Lebat (.364), RF Kippy Doyle (.250) and 1B Nat Mayakovsky (.200) all cracked out three hits and batted in two runs to lead the charge... Redhawk starter Dave McDonald (0-2 5.40) only lasted two innings and was slammed for six hits and six runs.

Westerner skipper McGraw Johnson wryly told reporters, "I wished we had saved some of these runs. They certainly would come in handy against the Blasters."

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

Turon Forces 7th Game, Trims Blue Lake 6-3
The defending IPA Pro Cup champion Turon Typhoons have a history of being tough in the clutch and crawling out of holes to win in the postseason... Whitey Richburn's crew trimmed the Blue Lake Blue Sox 6-3 today to even the TU Elite 8 Series at three games each and forced a seventh and decisive game tomorrow afternoon at Harbor Stadium in Blue Lake... his 37-year-old right-hander Anthony Nardone rose to the occasion and defeated the Blue Sox... Nardone (1-0 3.12) allowed three runs on seven hits to keep the Typhoons hopes alive for another Pro Cup trophy... His teammates backed him up with a solid 12-hit attack, led by 1B Mickey O'Malley (.308) and C Pete Kilgour (.316), who each batted in a pair of runs... Trailing 1-0 in the third, Turon put three runs on the scoreboard and one in the fourth... the Blue Sox narrowed it to 4-2 in the seventh, but that was as close as they got... the Typhoons added two more in the eighth to take a 6-2 lead... Blue Lake scored one in the last of the eighth off Nardone, but youthful 20-year-old closer Merle Studebaker finished them off with a scoreless ninth... LF Vic Gelder (.273) paced Blue Lake with a homer and two runs batted in... Turon outhit the Blue Sox 12 to 8... Pat Grange (0-1 4.24) was the losing pitcher in a complete-game effort... it was not a good outing for Grange, who had control problems throughout the game and walked 8 batters.

Ozarka Powers Past DC 6-2 To Even Series at 3-3
The Ozarka Naturals used the long ball to even up the TU Elite 8 Series at 3-3... 2B Gil Lantz (.188) snapped a 2-2 tie with Denton City with an eighth-inning blast and CF Paul Noah (.333) added three more insurance runs by unloading in the ninth to defeat the Redbirds 6-2... the two clubs will meet again tomorrow afternoon at Douglas Denton Field in a seventh-game finale... Southpaw Philip Britt (1-0 4.41) hurled a standout game and held favored Denton City to two runs and eight hits... Ford Whiteman called on reliever Roger Ramsey in place of the regular starter Mike Danek, who was hit hard in the 9-8 loss in game three last Sunday... Ramsey did well except for giving up the crucial late-inning homers... Ramsey (0-1 3.00) permitted six runs on only five hits and went the distance... Noah led the Nats at the plate with four RBIs, while Denton City's SS Trevor Tomlinson (.273) had their only home run... the Redbirds had the advantage in hits 8 to 5.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Thursday, September 30, 2010

2010 Tycobbian Union Elite 8 Series

Remarkable Rally, Turon Takes Blue Lake In 7 Games
When their backs are to the wall, that seems to bring out the best in the Turon Typhoons... the defending IPA champions have made another remarkable rally, coming back from a three games to two deficit to upend the Blue Lake Blue Sox in seven games to take the Elite 8 series... Whitey Richburn's Typhoons smashed two grand slam homers and 16 hits to routed the Blue Sox 13-1 today at Harbor Stadium... going into today's contest it didn't bode well for Turon... they would have to beat 24-game winner Justin Eckhardt to advance to the TU Final 4... No problem, Turon KO'd Eckhardt (1-2 4.91) with a 7-run first inning and were well on their way to the next round... Jacques Lemaire (1-2 1.20) went the route and put up a sharp performance, stopping Blue Lake on seven hits and one run... Lemaire was the Golden Arm winner and Pro Cup MVP last year, but was only 10-9 this season with a sky-high 4.57 ERA... During the season he had lost his spot in the rotation and was relegated to the bullpen... Richburn turned to him in the seventh game and Lemaire produced like his old self when he was 24-6 in 2009 with a 4-0 postseason record... SS Mickey O'Malley (.375) and 3B John Cottrell (.240) hit the grand slammers... O'Malley had four hits and 5 RBIs and Cottrell drove in 4 runs... LF Andy Porter (.308) drove in two runs and had three hits... it will be a rematch with Denton City in the Final 4... last year Turon rallied to beat the Redbirds in seven games, then went seven games to top Far Mountain in the Pro Cup finals... The Typhoons had to come back from a 3-1 deficit to whip the Redhawks for the Islandian pro baseball title.

DC Outduels Ozarka 3-2, Mohoski Wins 7th Game
In the seventh game of the TU Elite 8 Series, Ford Whiteman had his 26-game winner Mila Mohoski on the hill for the Denton City Redbirds and Joe Mac Carney had 21-game winner Tyrus Yokum working for the Ozarka Naturals... and the fans got one heck of a game... it was a classic pitcher's duel with the Redbirds outlasting the Nats 3-2 to win the series four games to three... Mohoski (2-1 2.16) tossed a strong eight innings, giving up only one run on six hits... Mohoski departed with a 3-1 edge, giving way to closer Tom Duroncelay, who backed into his 3rd save in the series... He allowed a two-out homer to PH Al Wesner (.357) that cut the lead to 3-2... after walking a batter, Duroncelay got the last out to win the series and eliminate Ozarka from the playoffs... Yokum (1-2 3.13) pitched the entire game, yielded three runs on eight hits and fanned five Redbirds... The Nats took the lead 1-0 in the second frame on a walk to C Todd Pepper (.250), who was doubled to third by CF Paul Noah (.381)... Pepper came home on an RBI grounder by SS James Flanagan (.222)... Yokum blanked Denton City until the last of the fifth when the Redbirds jolted him for two back-to-back solo homers by 3B Jay Petit (.222) and RF Lavon Gooch (.379)... later in the same inning 2B Pat Battistella (.556) knocked in the eventual-winning run with a single to give the Redbirds a 3-1 margin... now Whiteman and Denton City take on an old nemesis in the Turon Typhoons for the Tycobbian title... the TU Final 4 is slated to begin Saturday, the day after tomorrow.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Friday, October 1, 2010

IPA Final 4 Series: Waleska vs Colfax, Turon vs Denton City
The IPA Pro Cup Series has been whittled down to four clubs. Waleska and Colfax survived in the Ruthlandian Union and Turon and Denton City made the cut in the Tycobbian Union. On paper Colfax and Denton City are the expected winners. However, rarely have the Pro Cup playoffs played out to form. Never in the nine-year IPA history has a team with the best record in the regular season won the Pro Cup.

The Colfax Blasters are heavy favorites to defeat the Waleska Westerners in the RU. Colfax set an IPA record with 107 victories this year. The Westerners were the TU South champs and posted an 85-69 mark for the year. The Blasters won four out six in the season series with Waleska.

Over in the Tycobbian Union Denton City is the choice to top Turon. The Redbirds won 100 games during the regular season, while the Typhoons were a modest 80-74. Yet in the season series between the two clubs, Turon had the advantage with four wins in six games.

Turon has captured three Pro Cups, but never had the best record in its league. The Typhoons were 8th best in 2003, 6th best in 2006 and third best in 2009. None of the other clubs have ever won the IPA title, although Denton City had made the Pro Cup finals twice. The Redbirds lost to the Middlefield Roosters in 2005 and to Wynnamac in 2008.

In a pre-tournament poll conducted by The Islandian Times, Denton City was pegged the favorite and were favored to whip Colfax in the finals.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Saturday, October 2, 2010

2010 Ruthlandian Union Final 4 Series

Waleska Whips Colfax 6-2, Whitmore Wins Opener
At Mountain High Stadium in Colfax, visiting Waleska stepped up to the plate and took the opening game of the Ruthlandian Final 4 by the score of 6-2... Wilson Whitmore throttled the favored Blasters on six hits and beat 27-game winner Ilya Szabo... The Westerners caught him on an off day and banged out 11 hits, 10 of them off Szabo (2-1 1.96), who allowed six runs in seven innings, four of them earned... CF Harold Setser paced Waleska with 3-for-5... other contributors to the offense were 3B Grant Betzer (.161), 1B Nat Mayakovsky (.241) and C Mac Wilkins ((.333), who had two hits each.

2010 Tycobbian Union Final 4 Series

Turon Outslugs DC Redbirds 9-7 In First Game
Opening up on the road at Douglas Denton Field, the underdog Turon Typhoons belted three homers and outslugged Denton City 9-7... 3B John Cottrell (.250), RF Jack Brown (.231) and SS Mickey O'Malley (.378) went deep to knock off the hometown Redbirds in the first game of the Tycobbian Final 4... O'Malley's was the clincher, a grand slam that put Turon up 9-5 in the top of the eighth... Denton City also had a pair of two-run homers from CF Rod MacCormack (.364) and 3B Jay Petit (.214)... Freddi Spiegel (1-1 4.56) got credit for the win, but it was a tough outing... Spiegel worked seven innings and gave up five runs on seven hits, but three were unearned... Spiegel trailed 5-4 until O'Malley's mighty blast... reliever Kenyon MacKenzie (0-1) lost it as he was victimized by the five-run eighth... the Typhoons were outhit 11-9 and were sparked by O'Malley and C Pete Kilgour (.321), who had two hits apiece... DC's LF Danny Nash (.417) smacked four hits, MacCormack had two hits and four RBIs, RF Lavon Gooch (.384) drilled two hits and scored twice and Petit scored three runs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Around the Towns in the IPA

COLFAX BLASTERS

Owner: Enim Dlog (Precious Metals Corporation)

GM/Manager: Clem Rogers

Colfax is found in west central Ruthlandia, population 89,000. It is a "City of Gold" situated on the scenic Silver River, which flows out of the Silver Mountains northwest of Volusia, past Colfax and then westward to the nation's capital, Forest City. It then merges with the Green River, which winds its way through the southern half of the country and ends at Belair Beach.

The town was settled during the Gold Rush of the 1850's and is still quite profitable. It is also an important coal mining center.

It is also the home of the Colfax Blasters of the Islandian Pro Alliance, who play in the Ruthlandian Baseball Union in the West Division. The team is nicknamed for the dynamite blasters, so important in mining the gold, silver, copper and coal...and also the longball hitters, therefore giving Blasters a double meaning.

Due to its great financial wealth and success, Colfaxians have a town of stunning beauty and charm. Built by the coal barons and the gold mine owners, it is filled with grand buildings and mansions, intermingled with the smokestacks that loom over the landscape. To lessen the environmental impact, quiet canals and man-made waterways flow through the town. Visitors can glide by boat along the tranquil Silver River or walk the fabled cobblestoned streets and discover a town that time has almost forgotten. You can hear its famous landmark, "The Belfry", a carillon or bells that toll every hour and has continuously for over 150 years. Colfax also boasts an opera house, concert hall, theater and a ballet company.

Colfax's Mountain View Stadium is known for its gorgeous view of the town, the Silver Mountain backdrop beyond the outfield fence and for its "Pot of Gold". It is an actual pot, five feet in diameter, located in the center field section of the ballpark, 410 feet away. Whenever a Blaster player hits a ball that ends up in the "Pot of Gold", the player and a fan each receive $5,000. The fan is chosen in a "lucky scorecard number" drawing.

At the ballpark you have hardworking and hard living miners and the white collar and managerial set...the beer set and the champagne set. Both are attended to at Mountain View Stadium. You can get anything from hot dogs to caviar at the concession stands.

The Blasters' owner is Enim Dlog, whose ancestors are from somewhere in the Baltics. It was his great-great-granddaddy, who first discovered gold in the 1850's. In fact, the new ballpark was built on the same site as the first gold mine.

The GM and Manager of the Colfax Blasters is Clem Rogers, one of the top righthanded pitchers of alltime in the industrial leagues. He is number two on the all-time strikeout list, just a few hundred behind the the strikeout king, Ryan Noland.

Mountain View Stadium (1971)

Capacity: 10,850

Dimensions:
LF Line 315
LF 345
LCF 375
CF 405
RCF 375
RF 360
RF Line 345

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Around the Towns in the IPA

WALESKA WESTERNERS

Owner: Ewing Enterprises, Jock Ewing, President

GM/Manager: McGraw Johnson

Waleska is in the southwest part of Ruthlandia near the Silver Mountains and has about 113,000 inhabitants. The town name comes from the Waleska Indian phrase meaning "I don't understand", which was the reply given by the Indians, when the White Man first encountered them and asked them who they were. The Whites mistakenly took the phrase to mean their name.

The High Plains area was settled originally by ranchers to raise purebred Hereford cattle. After the ranchers came the railroad workers to build the railroad for easy transportation of the cattle to market. This attracted many wealthy men from the eastern United States and Europe, who brought with them their impeccable social amenities, culture and high society. Many cattle barons spent their summers in Waleska and winters in Europe. They created the Waleska Social Club, a lavish club furnished on a scale equal to the finest gentleman's clubs in England.

Residents enjoyed a social life, which was unique in the western part of Ruthlandia and on par with more cultured Ruthlandian towns in the east and south. Among the earliest settlers were the ancestors of the Jock Ewing family, the owners of the Waleska Westerners of the Ruthlandian Union. The club plays in the South Division. Oil was soon discovered on the ranch lands and the rich got richer, creating a financial empire that also expanded to railroad, meat packing and processing, banking and finance.

The Ewing Family is a powerful force in the history of the Islands and its baseball development. They have three franchises in the league in Waleska, South Fork and Ozarka. How did they get so many franchises? Money and power is the answer.

The Westerners play their games at historic Westerner Stadium (circa 1902), the oldest ballpark in the Islands. The Ewings renovated it in 1980, but kept the beautiful old brick wall that runs around the entire ballpark. It was named in honor of the tough men and woman, who braved the harsh and hostile frontier environment to establish a thriving and prosperous town. One of the big events of the year is the Frontier Days celebration, a week-long event that features a world class rodeo, country music concerts and a spotlight on the good things of western life. A country band entertains the crowds at Westerner Stadium during the games, complete with steel guitar, bass fiddle and twin fiddles. What a treat to hear twin Texas fiddles play "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and see the buckaroos and their little darlings do line dances and boot-scooting boogies during the game. One of the very special treats at Westerner Stadium is the mouthwatering steak sandwiches that are grilled right in front of your eyes and noses on a huge charcoal grill. And of course, an ice cold bottle of imported Lone Star beer ("Brewed in the Heart of Texas") comes with it, too.

Westerner owner, Jock Ewing, was very instrumental in the IPA's coming to be. He and several other multi-millionaire cohorts,like shipbuilder Brent Steiner of Bayiew, Jorge Trujillo (former dictator, now exiled) of Belair Beach, and wealthy entertainers Louis "Sugar Lips" Charles of Bay St. Clair and Conway Birdie of Cape Coral, conceived, financed and tried to contrive the league in their image and control.

But with the "help and guidance" of talented baseball owners like Manny Earl of Sugar Valley, Rob Jackson of Forest City and Rip Calkin of La Claire, the latter more than held their own in the smoke-filled rooms of debate and won a great concession: they got John Banson installed as commissioner with almost absolute control of the IPA, a necessity considering the history and practices of the power mongers.

Waleska's club operations are run by the legendary McGraw Johnson, a baseball pioneer and innovator. He was the first manager to platoon players and to use a closer.

Westerner Stadium (1902)

Capacity: 12,850

Left Field Line - 355
Left Field - 375
Left Center - 410
Center Field - 385
Right Center - 410
Right Field - 375
Right Field Line - 355

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Around the Towns in the IPA

DENTON CITY REDBIRDS

Owner : The Denton Family Foundation

GM/Manager: Ford Whiteman

Denton City is a town of 64,000 located in South Tycobbia midway between Chicopee on the west coast and South Fork in the east near the slopes of the Silver Mountains.

Denton City was founded by Douglas Denton, for whom the town is named. Douglas Denton was born in 1832 in Montrose, Scotland. As a young man Denton had heard of a new country called Tycobbia and the stories he had heard made him eager to seek adventure, fame and fortune there.

He arrived in 1851 by ship across the Kelynck Ocean, landing in the Bay of St. Clair. From there he headed south towards what he had been told was mostly virgin territory. He had travelled about 4 days when he reached what he described in his journal as “It was like I had found heaven upon earth, the grass was as green as it was back home in Montrose and the air I had never smelled anything like it - it was so pure and sweet."

Denton built a small log cabin for shelter and began life in his new country as a trapper. He did quite well and prospered over the next few years. Saving the money he got from selling furs in Bay St. Clair, Denton began to buy up land grants around his log cabin. So began the small origins of Denton City.

Denton expanded his business into real estate, renting and selling to trappers and their families. At this point he decided to start the Montrose Trading Company, named after his birthplace in Scotland. The area soon became known as Scotsman’s Fields.

Shortly before his 38th birthday, Denton sold the rights to mining to the McMillan Company. Because of the mining boom, the town grew rapidly with an influx of mining families from all over Tycobbia, Scotland, Ireland and England. Douglas Denton had finally made it. He was now a wealthy man.

Two years later in 1862 Denton met and married his wife Sarah and soon expanded the family with two sons, Greer and Murdock. By now Scotsman's Fields had McMillan Mining and Steel, but also a railway line to link the town with Bay St. Clair to ship out the steel and iron ore.

In 1872 on Denton’s 50th birthday Scotsman's Fields was officially named Denton City in his honor. Denton died in 1890 at the age of 68. He had dedicated his life and his fortune to Denton City. He had built a hospital, library, concert hall and the first ballpark in town.

Just like any other small town in Tycobbia at the time, it had started to follow the new sport of Base Ball. The first team of Denton were called the Denton Miners due to the fact that the team were fielded by the miners. Many teams would come and go, teams like the Denton 9, The Denton Mutuals, Ball Club of Denton and lastly the Denton City Redbirds. One person who was always there to watch was Douglas Denton who loved the game of Base Ball. Eventually he sponsored and managed a team in the town league. He named the team the Ball Club of Denton.

The Denton City Redbirds name came about because of Sarah Denton. She would spend hours sitting in the fields with her paints and canvas, painting the beautiful scenery around Denton. She also had a passion for painting birds. One of her beautiful paintings of a cardinal was on her husband's office wall. One day a meeting was being held in his office to decide on a nickname for the Ball Club of Denton. Many names had been discussed, when all of a sudden Huck McKinney, who was captain of the club, looked up at Mrs. Denton’s painting and said “that redbird would sure look pretty on a baseball jersey”.

It wasn’t long before Douglas Denton had a wooden stadium built for the town league. The first stadium was constructed in 1880 and just called the Base Ball Field. But it soon burned down and was had to be rebuilt. This time it had covered bleachers, was built of steel and seated 500 people. Denton named the new stadium McBride Park in honor of Jack McBride, who lost his life in trying to put the fire out at the old ballpark.

It wasn’t long before baseball spread across Tycobbia and The civic pride in each town raised the competition level. In Denton City they began to combine the local teams into a town team. So the Denton Miners joined up with the Denton 9 to become the Denton Red Stockings and The Mutuals and the Ball Club of Denton became the Denton City Redbirds. Eventually all the teams combined as the Denton City Redbirds.

McBride Stadium was expanded several times over the years and finally was replaced in 1971 by a new state-of-the-art facility, funded by McMillan Steel. This time it was named Douglas Denton Stadium in honor of the town's founder and biggest baseball fan.

A day at Douglas Denton Stadium is just good old-fashioned baseball with peanuts, crackerjacks, cokes and hot dogs. And good old-fashioned baseball. The Redbirds GM and manager is Ford Whiteman, one of the best lefties in the industrial leagues. He was prominent in Denton City history for winning so many postseason games.

Douglas Denton Field (1971)

Capacity: 9,250

Dimensions:

LF Line 335
LF 355
LCF 375
CF 395
RCF 375
RF 355
RF Line 335

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Around the Towns in the IPA

TURON TYPHOONS

Owner: Anastas International Shipping

GM/Manager: Ashton “Whitey” Richburn

Turon is a seaport town of 118,000 in the Caledonia River basin on the southwestern coast of Tycobbia and its second largest population-wise. The Caledonia River terminates here after winding 500 miles from east to west from Red Bluff in the central Silver Mountains southward through Hillsboro and then flowing westward near the towns of South Fork, Denton City and Arlon. The river finally comes to an end in Turon and empties into the Kelnyck Ocean and Southern Sea.

It is a cosmopolitan town with a diversified economy and a mecca for tourists. Turon is a busy trade and distribution center with many shipping interests. Agriculture flourishes here with extensive farmlands in the Caledonia River basin. It is also a diversity of cultures and was settled in the 1840s and 1850s by French, Scottish, Irish and German settlers, who came to get away from religious intolerance and persecution. Southerners from the United States came in good numbers after the Civil War defeat. Turon became their New South, but minus the slave culture.

Turon is resplendent with beauty. Streets and boulevards lined with grand live oak trees and antebellum mansions. In the countryside are majestic plantations. Near the coast you'll find sugar-white sandy beaches. You'll find plenty of Old World in Turon, but also plenty of the Modern World, too.

The Turon Typhoons of the IPA's South Division in a very modern baseball palace, Typhoon Stadium. It is built with concrete and steel to withstand the occasional typhoon that emanates from the cold and icy waters of the Kelnyck Ocean. The old ballpark was completely destroyed twice in 1938 and 1967. The new stadium was completed in 1999 and houses the Tyrobbian Baseball Hall of Fame, a must-see for all Islandian baseball fans. It covers the entire spectrum and includes memorabilia from the amateur, college and industrial leagues.

The Typhoons really are active promoters with something going on each inning during the ballgames. All kinds of promotions, games and stunts to enliven and entertain the fans. Wild music tracks fill the stadium to rally the Typhoons and their fans. Concessions are stocked with all of the traditional ballpark delights.

Turon is owned by wealthy shipping tycoon, Onnie Anastas. His GM and Manager is Ashton “Whitey” Richburn, one of the finest defensive center fielders and lead-off men in Tycobbian baseball history.

Typhoon Stadium (1999)

Capacity: 8,010

Dimensions:
Left Field Line - 335
Left Field - 355
Left Center - 380
Center Field - 410
Right Center - 380
Right Field - 355
Right Field Line - 345