Ec's north island recreation league

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, June 13, 1953

BOBCATS FAVORED IN NISD STRETCH DRIVE
With only 5 games remaining to be played this season in the North Island Recreational League Second Division the pennant race has been whittled down to just three teams... first place Theodore (10-5) is in the driver's season, but the runner-up Union Heights Hackers (9-6) and third place Kofa Kings (8-7) are still in the chase for the league title... fourth place West Chester (7-8) and fifth place Kinston (6-9) are technically still in the hunt, but they will have a difficult time catching Theodore and Union Heights... the pennant race will probably come down to the power bats of the Theodore Bobcats and the good pitching and fine defense of the Union Heights Hackers... the Kofa Kings don't have the offense to keep up with the two other contenders.

First place Theodore (10-5) just outhits everybody and then hopes to have enough pitching to hold off the opposition... the Bobcats are batting a lofty .312 as a team, led by a crackerjack lineup of Hank Waldvogel (.333), Elliot James (.361), Ivan Orsak (.425), Bobby Brunow (.309), Justin Hines (.393), Sidney Kimball (.310) and Tommy Collins (.364)... Theodore is far-and-away the top offensive machine in the NISD... no one can match them at the plate or on the scoreboard... but the Bobcat pitching is suspect... number-one starter Walter Johnson is 7-1 this season, but the 30-year-old right-hander has struggled in 3 of this last four starts... and none of the other hurlers have been able to get anyone out in relief of Johnson... Theodore also plays terrible defense with a .937 fielding average, the worst in the league... the Bobcats have made 38 errors this season... if Johnson can get the job done, Theodore will win it... if he can't, Union Heights might catch and overcome them... the Bobcats have avoided losing streaks this year and have played fairly consistently... Theodore should take 3 out of the final 5 games and take the North Island Second League pennant and get promoted back up to the premier showcase league, the NIRL First Division, along with Union Heights..

Union Heights (9-6) has good pitching with Eddie Beal (6-4, 2.82 ERA) taking care of most of the starting assignments... the Hackers have more depth on the mound than Theodore... their bullpen is solid with Morgan Powell (0-0, 0.96 ERA) and Tony Giarusso (2-1, 2.66 ERA)... however, the Union Heights' offense is questionable... the Hackers are batting a lowly .235... as a group Jimmy Brandt (.290), Greg Banning (.316), Joey Madera (.304), Adrian Bryant (.291) and Augie Peccorara (.262) are no match for the Theodore threats... but the Hackers can really handle the gloves... a big plus in the pennant race... they are easily the top defense in the league with a standout .974 fielding average... Union Heights started off slowly this season, going 2-3 in March, but since has done well with a 7-3 mark... momentum just might be with the Hackers down the stretch.

The third place Kofa Kings (8-7) began the season in grand style, going 4-1 in March, but have cooled off quite a bit since with 4 wins and 6 losses in the last 10 games... the Kings just don't put runs on the scoreboard... they are batting only .215 as a team... two players are carrying the team offensively... Angelo Cantarella (.323) and Bobby Seals (.279)... Kofa has been hampered with poor defenders... the productive hitters early in the season had too many errors... the Kings may be forced to go back to those bats to try and gain on Theodore and Union Heights... third baseman Adam Morris (.260) and right fielder Joey Mason (.159) will return to the starting lineup this Sunday... Kofa's prime starter this year has been Cody Doll (5-5, 2.77 ERA)... he has pitched quite well, but the Kings' offense has let him down... don't expect Kofa to win the pennant this year.

The West Chester Comets (7-8) are in the fourth spot in the NISD standings... they may be better than Kofa at this point in the season... the Comets started poorly with a 3-6 record in March and April... they kicked it up into high gear in May and have won 4 games out of 6 the last 6 weeks... West Chester has a fairly good offense, sparked by Tom Carroll (.356), Lynn Burgess (.339), Chris Cox (.298), Chris Cavaliere (.242) and Tim Marko (.245)... it's the pitching that plagues the Comets... Cloyd Benton (5-5, 3.61) is an alright starter, but there is no one in the bullpen... no one at all... defensively West Chester is just average (.952 FA)... the Comets just might sneak past Kofa and snatch the third spot in the standings.

Fifth place Kinston (6-9) suffers from a lack of good starters... their pitchers pitch well in relief (2.55 ERA), but not as starters (3.91 ERA)... Mick Morrison (1-1, 2.30 ERA) will be the fourth starter this season... the Firebirds don't hit very well (.231 BA)... top run producers are Dan Dusenberry (.302), Danny Brown (.279), Brad Robertson (.262) and Fernando De Leon (.242)... in addition, the Firebirds do not play good defense (.942 FA)... Kinston will not get any higher than fifth place this year.

Not much good to say about the last place Avalon Oldtimers (5-10)... they don't hit (.237 BA)... they don't score much (58 runs)... they don't pitch much (4.65 ERA)... they don't play good defense (.945 FA)... actually, there is nothing good to say about the Oldtimers, except that Skyler Johnson (.367) and Bobby Bannister (.371) are doing well at the plate... on the mound Nick Brewer (5-5, 3.96 ERA) has been the only halfway effective starter... I would say that there is a good chance that Avalon will come in dead last this season in the North Island Second Division... yep... EC says they sho 'nuff will finish sixth, y'all.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, June 13, 1953

5-TEAM TIGHT RACE IN SIFL
Steady as she goes... that's the St. Dominic Saints, the top team in the tight South Island First League... no big ups or big downs for the Saints this season... St. Dominic (10-5) has a one-game margin over the runner-up Guedon Gators (9-6) with 5 games left to play... last year's champion Labadieville (8-7) struggled for half the season, but the third place Pelicans have perked up in the last month or so... Opelousas (8-7) started off like gangbusters, but slumped badly recently... the Pels and the Lions are still in the pennant race, 2 games behind leading St. Dominic... fifth place Claiborne (7-8) only has an outside chance of garnering the pennant... last place Des Allemands (3-12) is just playing out the string and headed for the South Island Second League next season..

St. Dominic (10-5) is in the top spot in the SIFL standings, but doesn't look like a first-place team... the Saints don't hit well at all (.228 BA), yet they are tied for the league lead in scoring with 90 runs... they manufacture a lot of runs with their speed (51 SB) and occasional home run... St. Dominic's main strength looks to be its pitcher Paul Amiss (5-3, 3.42 ERA)... he usually gives them a quality start each time out... Amiss leads the league with 5 complete games and 8 quality starts... top run producers are Bobby Taylor (.411), Billy Steen (.311), Connie Ryan (.264), Johnny Kitchens (.260) and Don Gonczi (.241)... the Saints have been missing their star shortstop Mickey Retif all season due to a hand injury, but he will be back beginning this week... he hit .354 and drove in 15 runs last year... Retif could give a big boost to the offense and big boost to the stretch drive... poor defense plagues the Saints... they lead the SISL with 34 errors... Retif is also a fine defender and he will stabilize the infield... the Saints may not look good doing it, but they are on top of the SISL standings... that says a lot... St. Dominic is winning "ugly".

If anybody looks like a winner, it's the Guedon Gators (9-6)... but they are running second to St. Dominic, a game behind... the Gators have good bats, good pitching and good defense, but they are having trouble on the mound in the last month... Guedon has dropped its last three games and is just 5-5 in the last 10 games... Chris Charlet (6-1, 3.48 ERA) started the season like a ball of fire, cooled off suddenly and lost his starting spot to Adam Frey (3-2, 3.00 ERA)... after 3 poor starts Frey will now be replaced by Charlet in hopes he can re-right the ship... the Gators have a solid offense with George Thomas (.377), Jean-Claude Jollissaint (.429), Anthony Stassi (.361), Charley Comeaux (.322) and Mike Rogers (.258)... Guedon just needs a good pitcher to overtake St. Dominic... if Charlet regains his early season form, the Gators just might come back and win the pennant.

Last year's South Island First League champion, the Labadieville Pelicans (8-7), are tied with Opelousas for the third spot in the standings... Labadieville took a snooze in March and April and went 3-6 and fell far behind St. Dominic and Guedon... the Pels couldn't find a pitcher... last year's star David Bosley (10-3, 3.40 ERA) has been an awful flop this season with a 1-3 mark and a terrible 7.80 ERA... ditto for his replacement Roy Harris (3-2, 5.09 ERA)... now the number-one starter role is being filled by Jean-Claude Moreau (4-1, 3.24 ERA) and he has turned the season around... the Pelicans have won their last 4 games in a row... however, Labadieville has a lot of ground to make up... they are still 2 games behind with only 5 to play... the Pels have good hitting with real good home-run power... they lead the league with 18 roundtrippers, sparked by the bats of Raphael Fournier (.429), Gator Davidson (.344), Leon Renoir (.295) and Gaston Belanger (.279)... and the Pelicans play good defense, too... it looks like a bad start this season will cost Labadieville the SISL pennant.

The third place Opelousas Lions (8-7), a team of two seasons this year... they were really good in the early part of the season, compiling a fine 7-2 record, but the Lions have fallen on harsh times with a streak of 5 straight defeats... Opelousas has the best offense in the SIFL and the worst pitching... they are fairly good with the gloves... like the other contenders, they need a reliable man on the mound... Raymond Colbert (5-2, 4.90 ERA) and Jimmy Lindsey (0-3, 5.93 ERA) didn't do the job... and it's been turned over to Alain Roche (2-1, 6.46) to see what he can do... in his first start last week he beat Guedon 6-4... so that's a good sign... the Lions are paced at the plate by Adrien Duval (.339), Jozef Zelazny (.308), Pete Larkin (.286), Leon Rousseau (.286) and Anthony Balotelli (.289)... it's not likely Opelousas will catch the leaders... they are not playing well, not pitching well and they are just too far behind in the standings... the Lions are in jeopardy of being dropped to the SISL next year... the bottom two teams in the SIFL will be relegated... I think that is what they will be playing for... trying to avoid relegation... not winning the pennant.

The Claiborne Cardinals (7-8) are fifth in the SIFL, 3 games off the pace... not a bad team... just inconsistent... there are times when they are as good as the top four teams... then, there are times when they are not a very good team... the Cards can hit the ball, score runs, go deep at times, but they have poor starting pitchers and they play lousy defense... top hitters are Adam Clement (.346), Bill Belliveau (.310), Andre Dumas (.304), Luke Arceneaux (.290) and Jeremy DeLosier (.278)... the current starter, Artie Shaw (3-1, 3.86) has been the only decent one... Claiborne may be able to avoid relegation to the South Island Second League... they might be able to catch Opelousas by season's end.

No doubt about it, the last place Des Allemands Eagles (3-12) are long gone for relegation and the South Island Second League next year... the Eagles are sho 'nuff a bad ballclub... can't hit, can't pitch, can't field... Kurt Fischer (.306) is the only good contact hitter... Dickie Hammond (.271) and Hans Hildebrandt (.232) are lackluster bats, but they can occasionally hit one out of the park... but the rest of the lineup is mediocre at best... on the hill the starters have been miserable... only Otto Ostwinkle (2-5, 3.57) has been somewhat effective this year... he is on the injured list and day-to-day right now... it has not been a good year for the Des Allemands Eagles.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, June 13, 1953

TIGERS FAVORED OVER CUBS AND CAJUNS IN SISL
Three quarters of the South Island Second League has been played, so it's crunch time for the three main contenders, league-leading Meraux (10-5) and the two runners-up, Delacroix (8-7) and Bar Harbor (8-7), who trail by 2 games with only 5 left on the schedule... the time to win is now... the Tigers are on a roll with 5 victories in the last 6 games... the Cubs are not playing well with three consecutive defeats... however, the Acadians have triumphed in the last three games... the stretch drive is heavily slanted to favor the Meraux Tigers and their two-game edge in the pennant race.

As is the case for most clubs in Island baseball, a good, steady starter is hard to find... Meraux (10-5) has tried three different starters this season... they began the season with Mario Michelli (6-2, 3.41 ERA), who did well in the early season, but he lost his spot in mid April with several poor outings... he was first replaced by Floyd Duncan (1-3, 5.04 ERA) and then by Tim Watford (3-0, 4.97 ERA)... now, out of desperation, Michelli has been given a second chance... in his first start back last Sunday he shut out Bayou Bleu... the Tigers are pinning their hopes on the southpaw slants of Michelli to win the SISL flag... Meraux doesn't hit well for average, batting a very poor .227 this season, but they do put runs on the scoreboard, mainly with home runs... Clinton Theriot (.228), Jackson Maxwell (.303), Buddy Brodnax (.268), Ike Barbier (.250) and Johnny Morton (.295) are the most productive bats... none of the SISL teams hit the ball very well for batting average... this is an evenly-matched league competition-wise... Michelli and longballs just might win the pennant for the Tigers... also on the down side, the defense is not good at all (.936 FA)... that is the biggest shortcoming the team has.

The second place Delacroix Cubs (8-7) sizzled at the beginning of the year with a high-scoring attack, posting a fine 4-1 record in March, but they have run hot-and-cold since with a losing 4-6 mark... the Cubs are not playing well heading down the stretch... they are still the top-scoring and top-hitting club in the league, paced by Doug Juban (.361), Clarence Chaisson (.348), Lyle Barnes (.333), James Ellison (.316) and Rufus Chauvin (.291)... pitching has been fairly good with Raymond Foret (5-2, 3.54 ERA) getting most of the starts... he was very good in March, but has not done well since... Armand St. Pierre (1-1, 4.10 ERA) and Clem Robin (1-2, 4.38 ERA) have only been lackluster filling in for Foret... St. Pierre and Robin do give the Cubs a decent relief corps... defensively, Delacroix is one of the better teams with a .953 FA... Foret will make or break the season for the Cubs... they are still a longshot to win the SISL title.

Second place Bar Harbor (8-7) has caught fire recently, ringing up 3 wins in a row, mainly due to the pitching of Andrew Moneypenny (3-1, 3.86 ERA)... he has been solid and steady in his last 3 starts... if he continues to shine on the mound, the Acadians could make Meraux sweat a little bit... but like Delacroix, Bar Harbor is 2 games off the pace and that is hard to make up in 5 games... it is not likely anyone will catch the Tigers... the Cajuns are the worst hitting team in the SISL (.216)... Duke Rabouin (.235), Pierre Marquette (.317) and Alex Korda (.254) are the only reliable hitters... Rabouin tops the league with 20 RBIs... the Acadians are far and away the best fielders in the league with a .968 FA... that's a big help to Moneypenny... he is all they have on the mound... the rest of the staff are pretty bad... the bullpen has an 8.19 ERA... Bar Harbor has the best chance of returning to the South Island First League next year... they will probably beat out Delacroix for that promotion spot.

Fourth place Mystic (7-8) is just a second-rate team... the Mariners are have not been mathematically eliminated yet from the pennant race, but they are mighty close... one more loss will probably kill their flag hopes... but a good run in the stretch drive might put them close to second place and a promotion to the SIFL next year... they are in a good position to compete with Delacroix and Bar Harbor, just one game behind them... not a lot to brag about in Mystic... Colin O'Shea (.339), Todd Jeansonne (.317) and Stan Skrnich (.283) are pretty good hitters, but the Mariners are weak on the mound... Duffy Riordan (2-1, 3.19 ERA) might be the answer to their pitching woes (4.38 ERA)... he recently took over the starter role from ineffective Liam McLoughlin (3-6, 4.48 ERA), who has made most of the starts this season (9)... the Mariners are just average defenders (.946 FA)... they are 6-4 in the last 10 games and might be in the running for the promotion spot.

Fifth place Bayou Bleu (6-9) is just a mediocre ballteam that has posted a poor 1-5 record in recent weeks... but the Blues were in most of those losses due to its good pitching from Carmine DeGrazio (2-6, 3.26)... the previous number-one starter Barrett Bienvenu (4-1, 3.48) has done relatively well, too... it's their weak scoring and poor gloves (.930 FA) that are holding the Blues back... there are a few good bats in the lineup, but Germaine Clemenceaux (.246), Hank Ludlow (.315), Luc Desselle (.262) and Zip Zimmerman (.304) need some help... fifth place is about right for Bayou Bleu this year.

The Chitamaca Moccasins (6-9) lead the SISL in scoring, but they are the worst in pitching (4.73 ERA) and terrible with a .927 FA... strange as it may be, the starters are much better when they are in the bullpen... Bill Donovan (3-3, 3.68 ERA) is much better as a reliever (0.90 ERA)... so is Travis Jumonville (2-3, 4.15 ERA)... he has a 2.02 ERA when used in relief... go figure... one thing the Moccasins can do is score runs, sparked by Adam Derouen (.333), Allen Toussaint (.328), Washa Ducioux (.321), Paul Poche (.305), Matt Briscoe (.286) and even Remi Jarreau (.167)... Jarreau tops the SISL with 6 homers and is second with 16 ribbies... a good 4 or 5-game winning streak might get Chitamaca promoted to the South Island First League next year... yeah, it's possible, but highly unlikely... 4 and 5-game winning streak are rare in Island baseball leagues.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 14, 1953

YANKS' MAGIC NUMBER DOWN TO 2 IN NIRL 1ST
It was a magical weekend for the top team in the North Island Recreational League First Division... the New Yerby Yankees (11-5) roared back from defeat and topped Jackson 10-6 in 10 innings to whittle their magic number down to 2... only 4 games remain on the schedule... last year's champion Joliet (8-8) is still holding out hope... they moved up into a second-place tie with Dutton (8-8) by defeating the Stockdale Mustangs 5-2... the Coyotes outslugged Wafford 13-7 to stay in the pennant race... the Eagles are in a three-way deadlock for last place with Stockdale and Jackson, all with 7 wins and 9 losses this year..

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 14, 1953

BOBCATS STAY 1-GAME UP ON HACKERS IN NIRL 2ND
The big boonin' bats of the Theodore Bobcats kept them one game up on runner-up Union Heights Sunday afternoon in the North Island Second Division, while the solid pitching of the Union Heights Hackers helped them stay close to the Bobcats in the pennant race... the Bobcats blistered West Chester 16-6... the Hackers nicked the Avalon Oldtimers 4-3 in a 14-inning thriller... and the Kinston Firebirds burned the Kofa Kings 5-3 in a 10-inning game.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, I've been posting a lot of graphics requests on the Graphics Forum... some really good graphic designers are going to update my IPA teams with new logos, jerseys and caps.

golem64 did the first 5 teams and did a beautiful job... he is a talented guy.

I'll be sure and play games from the South Island First League on Tuesday.

[Eugene Church]

My apology... still spending time on my updating of Islandian Pro Alliance team logos, jerseys and caps.

Wow! They really are well done... the coming 2066 year will be a great season for me to play because of the new graphics.

I will do my best to play a set of game today in the Island leagues.

Sorry for the delay.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 15, 1953

SAINTS SINK PELS, GATORS WIN, TOO
The St. Dominic Saints and the Guedon Gators are running neck-and-neck in the South Island First League runs for the roses... the Saints snapped Labadieville's four-game winning streak 5-0 to remain one game up on the Gators, who chomped on the Claiborne Cardinals 7-3... and in a low-scoring affair Des Allemands squeezed past Opelousas 2-1.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 15, 1953

SISL RACE TIGHTENS, TIGERS LEAD CAJUN AND CUBS BY 1 GAME
It's a three-club race in the South Island Second League this year... with 4 games to play Meraux has a one-game margin over runners-up Bar Harbor and Delacroix... the Acadians got back into the race by edging the Tigers 6-5 in 10 innings... Delacroix had a tough time with last place Bayou Bleu, but the Cubs prevailed 5-4... in a contest between the lesser lights in the league, Chitamaca trimmed Mystic 4-2.

[Eugene Church]