Ec's north island recreation league

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, July 18, 1953

SOUTH ISLAND SUDDEN DEATH SUNDAY
Two Island baseball champions will be crowned Sunday afternoon in the South Island First League and the South Island Second League sudden-death playoff games... it will be the St. Dominic Saints (13-7) going up against the Guedon Gators (13-7) at Guedon Stadium for the SIFL title and the Meraux Tigers (12-8) tangling with the Bar Harbor Acadians (12-8) for the SISL trophy.

[Eugene Church]

*

[Eugene Church]

Monday, July 20, 1953

JACKS BACK IN NORTH ISLAND SECOND DIVISION
In the playoff game to decide the fate of Dutton and Jackson next season, it was the Coyotes who were triumphant... Dutton whipped the Jackalopes 6-3 and will remain in the North Island First Division, while Jackson will be relegated to the North Island Second Division... the fourth place Coyotes wound up with a 10-11 mark this year, while the fifth place Jacks were 9-12... Jackson and last place Wafford (7-13) will be demoted to the NI Second Division.

[Eugene Church]

GATORS AND TIGERS GOBBLE UP SOUTH ISLAND PENNANTS IN SUDDEN-DEATH BATTLES
It was also sudden-death Sunday in the South Island leagues... the season-long struggle between the two best squads in the South Island First League continued into the tense showdown between the Guedon Gators and the St. Dominic Saints... they squared off for 10 innings and Guedon eked past the Saints 4-3 in 10 innings for the league crown.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

TIGERS TAME CAJUNS IN PLAYOFF FOR SISD TITLE
In the South Island Second Division title playoff game, it was the Meraux Tigers that prevailed over the Bar Harbor Acadians... the Tigers took the pennant with a 6-4 triumph over the Cajuns with a three-run rally in the ninth frame... now Meraux and Bar Harbor will join the South Island First League next year... the Tigers and Acadians will be promoted there next season.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

That puts a good wrap on the 1953 Islands baseball leagues.

I will recap each team's season and then get busy with the creation of rookies for the 1954 year.

I'm considering cutting the teams down from 24 to 16... it will make it a little easier to administer and play.

Not sure I will do this... EC gets too attached to my fictional teams... it is hard to remove them.

I also have to make sure I can do this with no repercussions or bad side effects from the normal functioning of the game.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, July 27, 1953

NY YANKS WIN FIRST NORTH ISLAND FIRST DIVISION FLAG
In their fourth year in the North Island First Division the New Yerby Yankees put it all together and captured its first league title... they didn't look particularly good winning it, but they won it fair and square by two games over the defending champion Joliet Green Giants... the Yanks jumped off to a fast start, while the Green Giants stumbled in the first month of the season and never could catch up.

1st Place: New Yerby Yankees (13-7)
In its team history, the Yanks came in second in 1950 (18-12) and fourth the next two seasons (9-11 and 10-10)... this year New Yerby prevailed with steady pitching, good defense and timely hitting... Andy Breland (7-5, 3.23 ERA) and John Metz (1-1, 2.61 ERA, 10 games) were the prime pitchers... and the Yankees were fortunate to have a good bullpen, too... they topped the NIFL with a fine 3.13 ERA... New Yerby didn't hit a lick with a poor .236 BA, the worst in the league, but they managed to get score runs as well as anybody, led by center fielder Davy Holcomb (.353/2 HR/12 RBI/12 R/8 SB), left fielder Rex Markham (.294/1 HR/11 RBI/9 R/1 SB), catcher Adam Hadley (.283/2 HR/9 RBI/10 R/1 SB) and shortstop Matt Maloney (.260/0 HR/6 RBI/12 R/4 SB)... cleanup man and right fielder Billy Welch (.176/4 HR/15 RBI/15 R/2 SB) didn't make a lot of contact, but he drove in valuable runs... second baseman Don Schlitz (.319/0 HR/6 RBI/7 R/1 SB) solidified the infield once he took over early in the year... third baseman Sonny Malinowski (.184/1 HR/9 RBI/11 R/0 SB) also helped the defense and provided some valuable runs with his bat.

2nd Place (tied): Joliet Green Giants (11-9) (2 GB)
Runner-up Joliet has been one of the top teams in the Island leagues with two pennants in its four seasons... they were in the NI Second Division for the first two seasons, winding up fourth (15-15) and first (15-5)... promoted in 1952 to the NI First Division, they won it (15-5)... pitching was the Green Giants nemesis this season... their ace Grant Mosher had two standout seasons in '51 and '52, but slumped badly this year and lost his starting spot... Mosher was 25-6 in his good years, but he was 0-4 this year... luckily Mario Vespucci (9-3/3.27 ERA) came to his rescue and did well, but because of its slow start, Joliet just couldn't catch New Yerby... Joliet had pretty good pitching, good offense and scoring and played well on defense... the Green Giants were sparked at the plate by catcher Tim Lytle (.324/4 HR/18 RBI/12 R/0 SB), first baseman Nick Pierce (.286/3 HR/18 RBI/14 R/3 SB), shortstop Erik Berman (.355/1 HR/11 RBI/12 R/3 SB) and center fielder Zach McDonald (.300/0 HR/15 RBI/14 R/8 SB).

2nd Place (tied): Stockdale Mustangs (11-9) (2GB)
The Stockdale Mustangs have been up-and-down in the Island leagues... they started off in the top league in 1950 and 1951, wound up fourth (14-16) and fifth (7-13)... Stockdale was relegated to the NI Second Division in 1952 and they won league pennant (14-7) and got promoted back to NI First Division... the Mustangs finished third this year... Stockdale plays lousy defense and they need to find a consistent and reliable starter... the offense is sufficient... top hitters are first baseman Andy Kessler (.388/5 HR/19 RBI/14 R/0 SB), second baseman Kasey Clark (.338/1 HR/11 RBI/17 R/2 SB), left fielder Ben Wasco (.280/4 HR/17 RBI/14 R/0 SB), center fielder Charley Blackburn (.278/2 HR/4 RBI/20 R/9 SB) and shortstop Jake Marshall (.253/2 HR/12 RBI/12 R/1 SB)... the most reliable hurlers are Raymond Koch (6-5/3.47 ERA) and Glenn Farnsworth (3-2/3.09 ERA).

4th Place: Dutton Coyotes (10-11) (3.5 GB)
Dutton has done well overall... they began by winning the pennant in the North Island Second Division in 1950 (20-10) and got moved up to the NI First Division... the Coyotes proceeded to win its second straight title (13-7), but have since slumped to second place in 1952 (11-9) and to the fourth spot in the standings this year (10-11)... they just barely avoided being demoted back to the NI Second Division by winning a sudden-death playoff with the Jackson Jackalopes... Dutton has the best offense in the league, but also has the worst defense and subpar pitching... the Coyotes average almost 6 runs a game, but the opposition does even better... heading up a potent attack are left fielder Kurt Krieger (.380/4 HR/17 RBI/13 R/0 SB), right fielder Coy Baker (.325/3 HR/18 RBI/16 R/4 SB), catcher Jack Puckett (.286/4 HR/13 RBI/12 R/6 SB), first baseman Mike Sawyer (.268/6 HR/13 RBI/12 R/2 SB), third baseman Dante Martorelli (.290/3 HR/11 RBI/16 R/0 SB) and second baseman Tuck Thompson (.250/1 HR/14 RBI/16 R/10 SB)... Dutton tried 5 different starters, but none of them found any steady success... Bertie Bartlett (4-2/3.31 ERA) had the best record, but most of his success was out of the bullpen... ditto for Nick Walters (3-4/4.33 ERA) and Stuart Johnson (2-3/4.44 ERA)... the starters posted an awful 4.98 ERA, but when the same pitchers came in from the bullpen, strangely, they registered a strong 2.45 ERA... go figure those figures.

5th Place: Jackson Jackalopes (9-12) (4.5 GB)
This was the worst season the Jacks have ever had... in 1950 they came in second in the North Island Second Divison (17-13) and were promoted to the NI First Division... Jackson also ended up second in 1951 (14-6), losing the pennant by just one game to Dutton (15-5)... but they have tumbled the last two years, winding up third in 1952 (10-10) and falling to 9-12 and fifth place this year... now the Jackalopes are headed back to the NI Second Division... Jackson plays the best defense in the league, but has no home-run power... got outscored by the opposition and has ineffective pitching... Jalen McCoy (8-8/3.45 ERA) is a good starter, but the bullpen is terrible... last-inning collapses are the rule for the Jacks... the bullpen has a 5.22 ERA... first baseman Tommy Warner (.396/1 HR/10 RBI/7 R/0 SB) excelled at the plate, but it was midseason before he became the starter... catcher Doug Collings (.308/0 HR/9 RBI/12 R/0 SB), right fielder Billy Mann (.307/2 HR/8 RBI/14 R/5 SB), shortstop Edward Nolan (.286/1 HR/10 RBI, 11 R/6 SB) and third baseman Irv Keller (.256/3 HR/13 RBI/14 R/1 SB) are productive batters, too... left fielder Craig Scott (.226/0 HR/17 RBI/7 R/6 SB) drives in runs, but doesn't hit for average.

6th Place: Wafford Eagles (7-13) (6 GB)
Wafford has trouble competing in the North Island First Division, but did thrive in its second season in the NI Second Division... the Eagles were 5th in 1950 (12-18), relegated in 1951 and came in last (5-15), but righted itself and finished a close second in 1952 (13-8) to champion Stockdale (14-7)... but Wafford bombed this year, falling to last place (7-13) and will once again be headed to the NI Second Division... the Eagles are just a bad ballclub with lousy hitting and lousy pitching... the defense is decent... Wafford has three good ballplayers: catcher Chase Hibbard (.417/2 HR/11 RBI/11 R/0 SB), first baseman Frankie Lentini (.347/3 HR/15 RBI/9 R/0 SB) and center fielder Manny Velasco (.311/2 HR/9 RBI/15 R/1 SB) and little else... Hibbard topped the league with a .417 BA... the Eagles' most effective hurler was Denny Fitzgerald (1-3/3.05 ERA), but he was lost in mid April with a leg injury... Fitzgerald kept the games close while he was in there... but the rest of the staff were horrendous... Ron Myles (5-8/4.83 ERA) was the best of the lot.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, July 27, 1953

BOBCATS BLISTER, BLITZ AND BOMB EVERYBODY IN NI SECOND DIVISION
No doubt about it, the Theodore Bobcats were the best team in the North Island Second Division... Theodore easily dominated the other five clubs, besting them by 3 games... the rest of the league will not miss the Bobcat bombers, who will be elevated to the North Island First Division, along with second place Union Heights... Kofa started off like gangbusters and led at the end of March, but then the Kings went into season-long skid and wound up in the fifth spot in the standings... the Hackers stayed right with the Bobcats through June, but then fell out of contention.

1st Place: Theodore Bobcats (14-6)
This was Theodore's best season by far... they have been in the North Island Second Division for four years... the Bobcats were last in 1950 (10-20), third in 1951 (12-8) and slipped to fourth in 1952 (9-11)... offensively this season, the Bobcats totally dominated the NISD, batting .313 for the year... no one in the league was close to Theodore in scoring runs... they averaged 7 runs a game... 7 of the regulars batted over .300, paced by the league-leading batter, second baseman Justin Hines (.405/2 HR/18 RBI/17 R/2 SB)... other potent bats included right fielder Ivan Orsak (.392, 3 HR, 19 RBI/17 R/2 SB), first sacker Bobby Brunow (.326/6 HR/22 RBI/19 R/5 SB), left fielder Hank Waldvogel (.333/3 HR/15 RBI/22 R/11 SB), shortstop Elliott James (.370/0 HR/13 RBI/21 R/12 SB) and third baseman Sidney Kimball (.313/2 HR/13 RBI/10 R/1 SB)... Theodore lost its center fielder Caleb Carson (.269/2 HR/8 RBI/16 R/13 SB) for a month due to a concussion, but his replacement, Tommy Collins (.357/0 HR/6 RBI/7 R/2 SB) more than did the job and kept his spot in the lineup the rest of the season... on the mound the Bobcats got a solid job from Walter Johnson (11-2/3.02 ERA)... the Bobcats' only shortcoming was defense... they were dead last in the NISD with a poor .939 fielding average... this will hurt them in the NIFL next season... this will Theodore's first crack at the big boys in the North Island premier league.

2nd Place: Union Heights Hackers (11-9) (3 GB)
The Hackers played the first two years in the NI First, winding up in third place (16-14) in '50... but falling to the cellar in '51 (5-15) and got relegated to the NI Second... they have held their own, ending up third in '52 (11-9) and second this season (11-9)... now Union Heights will return to the Island's top tier... the Hackers have always had good pitching, but have been notoriously bad at the plate... combined with good defense, Union Heights has been competitive most seasons... the mound mainstays this year were Eddie Beal (6-5/3.15 ERA/15 games) and Tony Giarusso (3-2/3.09 ERA/9 games) as starters... and Morgan Powell (1-1/2.03 ERA/10 games) out of the bullpen... woefully weak in hitting, the Hackers live up to their names... they have no one hitting .300 in the batting order... center fielder Greg Banning (.295/2 HR/9 RBI/15 R/14 SB) is the top bat with some help from left fielder Adrian Bryant (.260/2 HR/11 RBI/15 R/10 SB), second baseman Joey Madera (.260/7 HR/12 RBI/14 R/7 SB) and first baseman Rich Davis (.270/2 HR/13 RBI/9 R/0 SB)... Madera topped the NI Second with 7 roundtrippers.

3rd Place (tied): Kinston Firebirds (10-10) (4 GB)
The Firebirds have been stuck in the NI Second for all four years... they have been a .500 club twice... that's the best they have been able to do... 3rd place in 1950 (15-15)... 4th place in 1951 (7-13)... 5th place in 1952 (8-12)... Kinston did not have much offense this year, but had fairly good pitching... Anton Groezinger (4-3/3.48 ERA/12 games) got the most starts and the most innings... however, it was Mick Morrison (3-2/2.50 ERA/10 games) that was the most effective... Ryan Ray (3-1/3.32 ERA/7 games) also performed well... only catcher Dan Dusenberry (.337/2 HR/12 RBI/17 R/7 SB) and shortstop Danny Brown (.319/0 HR/10 RBI/14 R/9 SB) were reliable threats... the rest of the lineup was dismal... all of them hit below .234... the defense was subpar, too.

3rd Place (tied): West Chester Comets (10-10) (4 GB)
This was the best season the Comets have enjoyed, all of them in the North Island Second Division... they were 5th in '50 (13-17)... 5th again in '51 (7-13)... and even worse in '52, coming in dead last (6-14)... West Chester has never had any pitching... nor have they scored many runs... Cloyd Benton (7-7/3.46 ERA/15 games) was a fairly steady starter, but got no help from the bad bullpen (6.83 ERA)... next to Theodore, the Comets were the second-best team at scoring runs, led by first baseman Lynn Burgess (.350/0 HR/10 RBI/14 R/19 SB), second baseman Tom Carroll (.321/4 HR/14 RBI/16 R/11 SB), catcher Tim Marko (.284/3 HR/13 RBI/10 R/5 SB), left fielder Chris Cavaliere (.265/0 HR/12 RBI/13 R/2 SB) and shortstop Chris Cox (.300/1 HR/7 RBI/11 R/13 SB)... West Chester is just average in the field.

5th Place: Kofa Kings (8-12) (6 GB)
The Kings won the NI First pennant in 1950 (20-10), but have slipped badly since... they had great pitching that year led by Jeff Davis (14-4/1.97), but they have not been the same since, falling to third place in 1951 (10-10)... and the fifth spot the last two seasons... 7-13 in 1951 and 8-12 this year... Kofa began the this season 4-0 in March, but flopped after that great start... now they will be relegated to the NI Second Division... the Kings are terrible at the plate and just average on the hill... with the gloves they play well... pitcher Cody Doll (5-9/2.99 ERA/18 games) is a pretty reliable starter, but he has poor batting support and a pretty bad bullpen (4.69 ERA)... second baseman Bobby Seals (.282/2 HR/12 RBI/9 R/1 SB), first baseman Angelo Cantarella (.277/5 HR/13 RBI/12 R/0 SB) and third baseman Adam Morris (.271/1 HR/8 RBI/7 R/2 SB) are only fair hitters at best.

6th Place: Avalon Oldtimers (7-13) (7 GB)
The Oldtimers do not have a good history... they have finished last in three of their four seasons in Island baseball... Avalon started in the NI First in 1950 and did terrible (10-20)... last place... they were relegated to the NI Second... and lo and behold, the Oldtimers came alive and came in second in 1951 (14-6)... a good offense and good pitching can do wonders for a team... pitchers Dan May (7-3/3.13 ERA/14 games) and Kirk Kaufman (7-3/2.14 ERA/14 games) starred that season... the offense and the pitching vanished and Avalon has been last for the last two years... 7-13 in both 1952 and 1953... Nick Brewer (6-7/3.84 ERA/16 games) is the main starter this year... Kaufman (1-1/5.47 ERA/9 games) and May (0-2/3.92 ERA/12 games) have not been the same pitchers since '51... the pitching is now mediocre... so is the offense and defense... not a lot of good to say about Avalon... however, left fielder Skyler Johnson (.386/0 HR/11 RBI/12 R/12 SB) is a pretty fair hitter and he gets some help from catcher Bobby Bannister (.328/0 HR/7 RBI/11 R/3 SB) and second baseman Curtis Kahl (.291/0 HR/12 RBI/11 R/5 SB).

[Eugene Church]

Monday, July 27, 1953

GATORS GOBBLE UP SOUTH ISLAND FIRST LEAGUE FLAG
Two old rivals from the South Island Second League moved up this year to the South Island First League and it was the same old song, but a different verse... last year St. Dominic edged out the Guedon Gators for the pennant, but this year Guedon exacted a little revenge and snatched it from the Saints in a season-long battle that ended in a sudden-death playoff... the Gators edged the Saints 4-3 in 10 inning for the league crown.

In the early season the Opelousas Lions leaped to the top of the standings and led until May (7-2), but the Lions swooned badly in May and June (1-8) and fell out of contention and wound up in third place... Guedon and St. Dominic played steady ball throughout the year and replaced the Lions by June 1st... last year's SIFL champion Labadieville stumbled out of the gate (3-6) and finished fourth this year in a disappointing season... Guedon won it with better hitting and solid pitching... St. Dominic did not hit very well at all and it's pitching staff had a down year... none of the teams in the SIFL play good defense... they are all mediocre with the gloves.

1st Place: Guedon Gators (14-7)
In Guedon's first two years in Island baseball, they were second in the SI Second in 1952 (11-9) and won it this year (14-7) after being promoted to the SI First... pitcher Chris Charlet (11-2/2.74 ERA/13 starts) was the key this year... he made the difference in the race... another prime reason was the Gators' batting order was chocked full of solid hitters with the likes of left fielder Jean-Claude Jolissaint (.388/1 HR/19 RBI/14 R/0 SB), second baseman Anthony Stassi (.345/1 HR/20 RBI/14 R/2 SB), right fielder George Thomas (.323/1 HR/12 RBI/25 R/17 SB), center fielder Charley Comeaux (.282/3 HR/16 RBI/14 R/7 SB) and third baseman Jimmy Donahue (.288/1 HR/13 RBI/8 R/5 SB)... they easily topped the SIFL with a .286 team BA.

2nd Place: St. Dominic Saints (13-8) (1 GB)
The Saints could stay with the Gators on the mound, but not at the plate... they hit only .232 this year, but scored well because they easily led the league in steals with 70... St. Dominic needs better hitters... still they have done well with a pennant in 1952 (12-8) and came in a close second in 1953 (13-8)... they could have won the pennant outright on the last day of the regular season, but they were upended by the last place Des Allemands Eagles... pitcher Paul Amiss (8-6/3.12 ERA/19 starts) was the pivotal player, but he did not do as well this year as in the pennant-winning season... Amiss had a brilliant year in '52 with a 9-4 record and a splendid 1.78 ERA... also St. Dominic sorely missed its fine shortstop Mickey Retif, who only played 6 games at the tail end of season due to an injury... Retif hit .354 in '52 with 15 RBIs, but wasn't the same this year in the batter's box or in the field, ending up with a pitiful .040 batting average (1 hit in 25 ABs)... the Saints only had three players to carry the offensive load: star center fielder Bobby Taylor (.413/5 HR/22 R/32 R/23 SB), second baseman Connie Ryan (.299/2 HR/11 RBI/19 R/16 SB) and rookie shortstop Johnny Kitchens (.282/0 HR/18 RBI/15 R/7 SB)... Kitchens filled in very well for the injured Retif.

3rd Place: Opelousas Lions (10-10) (3.5 GB)
The Lions have played two seasons in the SI First, winding up third both times... 11-9 in '52 and 10-10 this year... after a quick 7-2 getaway in March and April, the Lions lapsed badly and didn't win a game in May (0-5)... lousy pitching was their problem... they tried 6 different hurlers, none of them successful in the least... Raymond Colbert (5-2/4.90 ERA/9 starts) was the best of the worst... the starters posted a disasterous 6.02 ERA... Opelousas didn't exactly hit the cover off the ball, batting a poor .238... top hitters were catcher Adrien Duval (.317/1 HR/14 RBI/13 R/0 SB), center fielder Jozef Zelazny (.294/15 RBI/15 R/14 SB) and left fielder Leon Rousseau (.294/16 RBI/2 HR/11 R/1 SB)... the Lions have a lot of holes to fill to complete with Guedon and St. Dominic.

4th Place: Labadieville Pelicans (9-11) (4.5 GB)
the Pels went from the proverbial penthouse to the outhouse in '53... they ran away with the South Island First last year (15-5), but fell to 9-11 this year... terrible pitching will do it every time (5.29 ERA)... 1952 star starter David Bosley with a 10-3 record and a 3.40 ERA, slipped to 1-4 and a whopping 9.33 in 1953... 'nuff said... Jean-Claude Moreau (5-3/4.06 ERA/10 starts) righted the ship somewhat at midseason, but it was too late... Moreau is still not the answer... Labadieville will have to perform much better on the hill to compete with Guedon and St. Dominic... however, the Pelicans can still bang the ball, led by center fielder Leon Renoir (.333/8 HR/24 RBI/18 R/12 SB), the SIFL leader in homers and runs batted in... also helping out immensely were rookie shortstop Gator Davidson (.333/6 HR/17 RBI/20 R/9 SB) and second baseman Raphael Fournier (.387/3 HR/17 RBI/9 R/2 SB)... the Pelicans led the league with 25 roundtrippers.

5th Place: Claiborne Cardinals (8-12) (5.5 GB)
The Cards are headed for the South Island Second League... they will be relegated along with last place Des Allemands (7-13) next season... Claiborne had a winning year last year (11-9) and finished in a three-way tie for the second spot in the standings... poor pitching played the biggest part in their fall from grace (4.59 ERA)... Tyree Trahan (3-5/3.48 ERA/9 starts) and rookie Artie Shaw (3-3/5.79 ERA/5 starts) were the best of the lot... the Cardinal offense was pretty good, paced by third baseman Bill Belliveau (.329/3 HR/20 RBI/13 R/0 SB), first baseman Andre Dumas (.295/5 HR/16 RBI/16 R/1 SB) and center fielder Luke Arceneaux (.282/3 HR/13 RBI/16 R/11 SB)... also helping the cause were second baseman Adam Clement (.306/12 RBI/11 R/5 SB), right fielder Jeremy DeLosier (.237/4 HR/13 RBI/14 R/2 SB) and left fielder Benjamin Pardue (.250/1 HR/15 RBI/14 R/9 SB)... Claiborne wound up second in homers with 21.

6th Place: Des Allemands Eagles (7-13) (6.5 GB)
The Eagles had some good pitching in 1952 and tied for second place (11-9), but it dropped off this year and they tumbled to last place (7-13)... the club will be demoted to the South Island Second League... the bats also declined this season... the Eagles were pathetic at the plate with a league-worst .220 batting average, led by mininal efforts of center fielder Kurt Fischer (.273/2 HR/11 RBI/11 R/1 SB), rookie left fielder Carl Dailey (.265/3 HR/15 RBI/11 R/0 SB), right fielder Hans Hildebrandt (.247/3 HR/16 RBI/12 RBI/10 SB), rookie shortstop Dickie Hammond (.247/4 HR/9 RBI/18 R/4 SB) and catcher Dieter Heinberg (.256/2 HR/9 RBI/12 R/7 SB)... starter Otto Ostwinkle (4-6/3.21 ERA/11 starts) was the the most effective, but not as good as he was in 1952, when he was 8-7 with a fine 2.60 ERA.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, July 27, 1953

TIGERS TAME CAJUNS, TAKE SI SECOND TITLE
Three teams played tag with each other in the South Island Second League vying with each other to see who would be promoted to the South Island First League next season... at season's end the Meraux Tigers tamed the Bar Harbor Acadians 6-4 in a single-game showdown for the league title... both clubs won spots in the South Island premier league... the third place Delacroix Cubs ran a good race but couldn't stay with the Tigers and Acadians in the last few weekends of the season.

Delacroix started well in March and April (6-3)... Meraux hung close (5-4)... but Bar Harbor lagged behind (4-5)... the Tigers (7-2) and Cajuns (6-3) got hot in May and June, while the Cubs cooled off considerably (4-5)... down-the-home stretch Meraux and Bar Harbor took charge and fended off Delacroix.

1st Place: Meraux Tigers (13-8)
It was a turnaround season for Meraux... in '52 they were tied for last place (9-11) in a closely-bunched race... the Tigers' rise probably was greatly helped by the promotion of the two best teams, St. Dominic and Guedon, a pair of classy ballclubs... reliable pitching by Mario Michelli (9-3/3.24 ERA/14 starts) played a big part, too... Meraux is not a good hitting team, but they do hit with power, tied with Delacroix with 20 home runs... the Tigers won the pennant despite having a dismal defense (.933 FA), nearly the worst in the league... top run producers were second baseman Jackson Maxwell (.304/2 HR/15 RBI/12 R/5 SB), third baseman Buddy Brodnax (.272/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R/0 SB), center fielder Johnny Morton (.265/2 HR/9 RBI/13 R/9 SB), right fielder Boyd Benson (.265/2 HR/8 RBI/14 R/5 SB) and first baseman Clinton Theriot (.232/4 HR/14 RBI/16 R/0 SB)... not an impressive batting order, but it is sufficient to compete in the weak South Island Second League.

2nd Place: Bar Harbor Acadians (12-9) (1 GB)
Being dropped from the SI First League was a blessing for the Cajuns... they were dead last with a pathetic 5-15 mark in '52... but lo and behold, they came in second this year... Bar Harbor got a lot better pitching this year with the addition of rookie Andrew Moneypenny (6-2/3.24 ERA/14 starts)... lack of a good bullpen hurts the Cajuns... the Acadians also play good defense, the best in the league... but they don't hit very well, finishing last in the stats... most of the team's in the SISL are in the same boat offensively... it is a pretty even league... fortunately the Cajuns have three threats in the lineup, sparked by left fielder Duke Rabouin (.264/4 HR/24 RBI/19 R/14 SB), who led the league in runs batted in... two other solid bats are right fielder Pierre Marquette (.303/3 HR/18 RBI/19 R/7 SB) and center fielder Alex Korda (.272/3 HR/15 RBI/14 R/0 SB)... second baseman Jimmy Armstrong (.280/1 HR/7 RBI/21 R/18 SB) is a plus, too.

3rd Place: Delacroix Cubs (11-9) (1.5 GB)
On paper the Cubs are the best team in the league... they outhit everybody (.269)... lead in longballs (20)... are among the best defenders (.958 FA)... and Raymond Foret (6-3/3.86 ERA/12 starts) and Armand St. Pierre (3-2/3.61 ERA/6 starts) give them two decent starters... and the offense has some sock with left fielder James Ellison (.329/4 HR/19 RBI/17 R/4 SB), shortstop Doug Juban (.358 BA/4 HR/15 RBI/19 R/1 SB), CF Clarence Chaisson (.372 BA/3 HR/13 RBI/20 R/16 SB), second baseman Lyle Barnes (.300/1 HR/15 RBI/8 R/3 SB) and third baseman Rufus Chauvin (.292/1 HR/11 RBI/10 R/0 SB)... they look like the class of the SISL, but they wound up in the third spot in the standings in '53... the Cubs were in the same spot in '52 (10-10) with just about the same ball team.

4th Place: Mystic Mariners (9-11) (3.5 GB)
The Mariners have the worst pitching staff in the SI Second... play average defense... and rank near the bottom in scoring runs... in '52 they were in the SI First League and came in fifth (7-13) and were shipped down to the lesser league... their most reliable batters are shortstop Colin O'Shea (.341/2 HR/13 RBI/11 R/0 SB), right fielder Paddy Murphy (.276/5 HR/15 RBI/11 R/4 SB) and left fielder Todd Jeansonne (.308/0 HR/9 RBI/18 R/14 SB)... other contributors are second baseman Sean Fitzgerald (.260/2 HR/17 RBI/10 R/4 SB), rookie center fielder Ethan Adcock (.260/1 HR/5 RBI/14 R/6 SB) and first baseman Stan Skrnich (.237/2 HR/12 HR/11 R/10 SB)... neither of its starters Liam McLoughlin (5-8/4.84 ERA/11 starts) and Duffy Riordan (2-2/4.80 ERA/7 starts) did very well.

5th Place (tied): Chitamaca Moccasins (8-12) (4.5 GB)
The Moccasins have been near the bottom of the South Island Second League both seasons... they were 9-11 and fourth in '52... the Mocs are average scoring runs... have good power... fairly decent pitching... and the worst defense in the league... Travis Jumonville (4-4/3.46 ERA/9 starts) and Bill Donovan (3-3/3.68 ERA/8 starts) did most of the pitching... heading up the Chitamaca attack was third baseman Remi Jarreau (.162/8 HR/20 HR/11 R/0 SB)... he didn't hit for much average, but topped the SISL in homers and ranked high in runs batted in... other runs producers are second baseman Allen Toussaint (.329/1 HR/14 RBI/15 RBI/11 SB), first baseman Washa Ducioux (.307/1 HR/13 RBI/17 R/1 SB), center fielder Adam Derouen (.280/1 HR/10 RBI/18 R/18 SB) and right fielder Matt Briscoe (.276/2 HR/12 RBI/14 R/3 SB).

5th Place (tied): Bayou Bleu Blues (8-12) (4.5 GB)
The Blues have been at the bottom of the barrel both years in the South Island Second League... 9-11 in '52 and 8-12 this year... not a very impressive team... bad offense, but good power... fair starters... and lousy defense... Carmine DeGrazio (4-7/3.57 ERA/10 starts) and Barrett Bienvenu (4-2/3.61 ERA/6 starts) are the main starters... not a single .300 hitter in the lineup... left fielder Luc Desselle (.250/4 HR/20 RBI/9 R/3 SB) is the biggest threat in the batting order... he gets some help from center fielder Germaine Clemenceau (.273/4 HR/12 RBI/18 R/5 SB), third baseman Zip Zimmerman (.288/1 HR/8 RBI/13 R/9 SB) and second baseman Hank Hudlow (.267/1 HR/10 RBI/8 R/0 SB).

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, August 1, 1953

NORTH ISLAND DIVISIONS HONOR 1953 MVPS AND GOLD GLOVERS
Year four has come and gone in the North Island First and Second Divisions... the leagues honored the Most Valuable Players and Golden Glove winners... New Yerby's fine center fielder Dave Holcomb nabbed the North Island First Division Most Valuable Player trophy and Theodore shortstop Elliott James was named the North Island Second Division MVP.

HOLCOMB LED YANKEES TO FIRST NIRL FIRST DIVISION FLAG, SNAGS MVP TROPHY
At age 25 Dave Holcomb batted .353 for the year, played in all 20 games with 30 hits, 4 doubles, 2 homers, drove in 12 runs, scored 12 times and he stole 8 bases... he had the fifth-best batting average in the league... Holcomb also played very well in the outfield with a .985 fielding percentage... he was an important cog in the New Yerby's first-ever pennant-winning season... the Yankees finished the year with a 13-7 record, 2 games better than runners-up Joliet and Stockdale with 11-9 marks.

The Joliet Green Giants had three of their players picked for the 1953 NIRL First Division Golden Glove Team.



NIRL First Division League Leaderboard
Wafford's Chase Hibbard was the top hitter in the NIRL First League with a .417 BA.
Andy Kessler of Stockdale socked the most hits with 31.
It was Charley Blackburn scoring the most runs... he scored 20 for Stockdale.
Coy Baker of Dutton had the most doubles with 7.
4 players, John Diamond (Jackson), Sonny Malinowski (New Yerby), Billy Mann (Jackson) and Edward Nolan (Jackson) topped the NIRL First with 2 triples.
The home-run leader was Mike Sawyer of Dutton with 6.
Andy Kessler drove in the most runs with 19.
The top base stealer was Tuck Thompson of Dutton with 10.
Leading the league with bases on balls was Joliet's Tim Lytle with 16.
Posting the most victories in the NIRL First Division was Mario Vespucci of the Joliet Green Giants... he went 9-3 this season with a 3.27 ERA.
The best ERA belonged to John Metz of the New Yerby Yankees with a 2.61 ERA.
And the strikeout king was Jalen McCoy of the Jackson Jackalopes with 141.

[Eugene Church]

BOBCATS' JAMES ACCLAIMED STANDOUT PLAYER FOR '53 IN NIRL SECOND DIVISION
The outstanding player in the North Island Second Division in 1953 was Theodore shortstop Elliott James... he sparked the pennant-winning Bobcats to a 14-6 record with a .370 batting average, which was the fourth-best in the league... the 25-year-old James cracked 30 hits in 20 games with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 13 runs batted in, scored 21 runs and stole 12 bases... he finished second in runs, fourth in hits and fifth in stolen bases... that's why James was named the 1953 North Island Second Division Most Valuable Player.

The Union Heights Hackers led the NIRL Second Division Golden Glove Team with four players selected.



North Island Second Division Leaderboard

Clarence Chaisson batted .372 for the Delacroix Cubs and topped the NIRL Second League at the plate.
Getting the most base hits was Ivan Orsak with 38 for the Theodore Bobcats.
Hank Waldvogel (Theodore) was first with 22 runs
Justin Hines of Theodore got 9 two-baggers.
Hank Waldvogel belted 3 triples to lead the league.
Joey Madera of Union Heights slammed 7 homers out of the park for the home-run title.
Bobby Brunow of Theodore led the league with 22 runs batted in.
West Chester's Lynn Burgess stole the most bases with 19.
The most walks went to Elliott James of Theodore with 16.
The top pitcher was Walter Johnson of Theodore with 11 wins and only 2 defeats... he registered a 3.02 ERA.
Union Heights' Morgan Powell (1-1) topped the league with a 2.03 ERA.
And Cody Doll of Kofa struck out the most batters with 103.

[Eugene Church]

I have revamped the North Island and South Island Leagues... dropped from 24 teams to 16 to make it easier to administer and also easier to get familiar with the players, too.

I will have four leagues... the North Island Premier League and its secondary league, the North Island Elite League... will relegate and promote one team from each league each year... will also have the South Island Supreme League and the South Island Primary League... same plans for promotion and relegation... the Primary League will be the secondary league to the Supreme League.

It will be quite a bit of graphics work to do... I have to get new league logos... it's doubtful I will be able to get a good graphics guy to do them... I may try to get txranger to do them, but he has not be very active lately on the Graphics Forum... he really does nice work... I will probably have to do them myself, which is not good... I am very limited in what I can do... also will have to rework one team's jerseys... Avalon will get a new nickname... using the Oldtimers was a mistake, I think... haven't decided on the new nickname.

Hope you like the new setup.

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, August 1, 1953

SOUTH ISLAND BASEBALL AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The South Island First and Second Leagues put the finishing touches on the 1953 season with the awarding of the Most Valuable Player and Golden Glove trophies... the top players were Bobby Taylor of the St. Dominic Saints in the SI First League and Duke Rabouin of the Bar Harbor Acadians in the SI Second League.

SAINTS' TAYLOR VOTED MVP IN SIFL
St. Dominic's superb center fielder Bobby Taylor was acclaimed the 1953 South Island First League Most Valuable Player... Taylor was a dynamo racing like wildfires through the league... the 23-year-old Taylor topped the league with a .413 batting average, 32 runs and 23 stolen bases, while coming in second with 22 RBIs and third in roundtrippers with 5... despite his great season the Saints came up one game short of winning the pennant, falling to the Guedon Gators in a sudden-death playoff game.





South Island Second League Leaderboard

Bobby Taylor (St. Dominic) led the league in hitting with a .413 BA
Bobby Taylor (St. Dominic), Jean-Luc Jolissaint (Labadieville) and George Thomas (Guedon) had the most hits 31
Bobby Taylor (St. Dominic) was first with 32 runs
Anthony Stassi (Guedon) was tops with 9 doubles
Anthony Stassi (Guedon), Bobby Landry (Labadieville) and Adrien Duval (Opelousas) had the most triples with 2 each
Leon Renoir (Labadieville) had the most homers 8
Leon Renoir (Labadieville) also was first with 24 runs batted in
Bobby Taylor (St. Dominic) stole 23 bases
Anthony Balotelli (Opelousas) led the league with 18 walks
Chris Charlet (Guedon) posted the most wins with 11... he was 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA
Chris Charlet (Guedon) also had the best ERA at 2.74
Paul Amiss (St. Dominic) struck out 104 batters

[Eugene Church]

CAJUN RABOUIN CHOSEN SI SECOND MVP
The top player award in the South Island Second League went to the Bar Harbor Acadians' left fielder Duke Rabouin... the 33-year-old star propelled the Cajuns to a close second-place finish... the Acadians were beaten out for the league crown by the Meraux Tigers by a scant one-game margin... so close, yet so far away... Rabouin topped the league with 24 runs batted in... in 20 games he batted .264 with 4 homers, 4 doubles, 19 runs and 6 stolen bases.

Bar Harbor led the SISL Golden Glove squad with 5 top defenders.





South Island Second League Leaderboard

The batting champion was Clarence Chaisson (Delacroix) with a .372 BA
Clarence Chaisson (Delacroix) also collected the most hits with 32
Jimmy Armstrong (Bar Harbor) led the league with 21 runs scored
Buddy Brodnax (Meraux) and Hank Hudlow (Bayou Bleu) each socked 7 doubles
Buddy Brodnax (Meraux) and Adam Derouen (Chitamaca) were tops with 2 triple apiece
Remi Jarreau (Chitamaca) easily led with 8 home runs
Duke Rabouin (Bar Harbor) drove in the most runs with 24
Jimmy Armstrong (Bar Harbor) and Adam Derouen (Chitamaca) tied with 18 stolen bases each
James Ellison (Delacroix) was best at getting on base with 16 walks
Mario Michelli (Meraux) had the most victories, finishing up with a 9-3 mark and a 3.24 ERA
Mario Michelli (Meraux) and Andrew Moneypenny (Bar Harbor) had the best ERAs in the league at 3.24
and Mario Michelli (Meraux) tops all pitchers with 86 Ks

[Eugene Church]

That's it!
The 1953 season is history... time to get ready for the new season.

The next thing I will work on is the new rookies coming into the Island leagues... each team will get 3 new rookies... they will be created as free agents in a random fashion and randomly assigned to the teams.

I will also purge the teams' reserved rosters of players that have not performed well.

[Eugene Church]

Sorry, been working on the Islandian Pro Alliance and creating new music CDs...really enjoyming my new CDs... I now have 322 CD (each 80 minutes long)... I have over 7400 songs in my library...have been neglecting the Island leagues, so I got busy today.

I did the North Island Premier League this morning... should finish the other three leagues this afternoon... getting ready to play spring training.

It won't be long until the 1954 seasons get underway.

[Eugene Church]

All 16 teams have been updated with new rookies... I also cleaned out the rosters of unproductive players, including the aging ones.

Changes have been made in the league structures... I deleted 8 teams... now only have 16 teams... each league will have four teams with one promoted or demoted each year.

I did this to make it easier to administer and also so I can get more immersed in the four leagues.

The North Island First Division is now the North island Premier League.
The North Island Second Division is now the North Island Elite League.
The South Island First League is now the South Island Supreme League.
The South Island Second League is now the South Island Primary League.

I made new logos for the league name changes... I'm fairly well pleased with them... only one of them is really good... it's the South Island logo made by txranger... I altered his a little, but kept his brilliant design for the most part... he created the logo I will use for the South Island Supreme League.

The league name changes will make it more consistent in my league coverage.

The fourth-place teams in the NI Premier and the SI Supreme will be relegated to the NI Elite at season's end... while the NI Elite League and the SI Primary will promoted the first-place team each season.

The Avalon Oldtimers will rebrand... that was a bad choice of nicknames that I made... they will become the Avalon Valiants, named for the Prince Valiant comic strip and King Arthur legend.

I will have to make new logos, jerseys and caps for the Valiants... hope I can get txranger or some other good graphics guys to do them for me... in the beginning I will have to do it... don't think I will get it done on the OOTP Graphics Forum... it's tough to get a custom request done these days... and also I am really picky about what I use in my leagues... I am very hard to please... that the main reason, I have gone to low and Lawn Loaf's threads for my teams... I don't get to pick the names of my teams, but they both do excellent work.