Ec's north island recreation league

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 9, 1952

STD SAINTS TIE GATORS FOR SISL LEAD
Everybody is still in the hunt for the South Island Second League pennant... it really is getting close to crunch time in the tightly-crunched league... the Meraux Tigers created quite a tangle by upsetting the league-leading Guedon Gators 10-6... this enabled St. Dominic to move up into a tie for the top spot... the Saints whipped Delacroix 6-1... and the Bayou Bleu Blues stayed close in the race with a 9-6 victory over last place Chitamaca.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Saturday, June 14, 1952

ISLANDS STRETCH DRIVE REPORT
The North Island and South Island leagues are getting down to the wire for the 1952 season... five games are left to be played... Joliet is looking quite jolly in the North Island First Division with a three-game lead... but it's a logjam in the NI Second Division with a four-team showdown... over in the South Island First League Labadieville is looking good with a two-game edge... and in the SI Second League Guedon and St. Dominic are the main contenders for that league crown.

JOLIET LOOKS LIKE A CINCH IN NI FIRST
Joliet (11-4) looks like a cinch to prevail in the NI First Division, up by three games over second place New Yerby (8-7)... pitching is the dominant factor in the league... it's the pitchers that are key... right now Joliet's Grant Mosher is head-and-shoulders above what New Yerby has... no one has taken charge for the Yankees... they are still searching for a consistent starter... they are resting their pennant hopes on young Jon Cunningham with a 2-0 record and a 1.96 ERA in his two starts and six appearances... Mosher on the other hand is 10-4 with a 1.98 ERA... the Green Giants are the top team in hitting (.251 BA), pitching (2.24 ERA) and fielding (.970)... it is not likely anyone can catch them this late in the season... heading up the Joliet attack are a solid core of hitters like Zach McDonald (.313), Clancy Dupepe (.375), Nelson Bennett (.348) and Bradley Stinson (.304)... New Yerby can match them fairly well with Sonny Malinowski (.308), Rex Markham (.406), Jimmy Brown (.327) and Andy Breland (.359)... but the Yanks can't match the Green Giants on the hill (3.38 ERA), nor defensively (.934 FA)... however, New Yerby has outscored Joliet slightly 70 runs to 64... the Yankees will get two chances to go head-to-head with Joliet... if they can sweep the two games, they might have a chance to catch the Green Giants.

Four teams are in danger of being relegated to the NI Second Division... right now, it looks like Kofa and Avalon will be the two clubs demoted... it appears that Dutton and Jackson may avoid that fate.

UH HACKERS, WAFFORD MAY MOVE UP TO NI FIRST
My goodness gracious, what a pennant race in the North Island Second Division... four clubs are deadlocked for the top spot... Union Heights, Wafford, Theodore and Stockdale are all atop the standings with 9-6 marks... it's going to be some kind of a stretch drive -- a heck of a finish.

And just who will reign supreme in the NIRL Second?... Stockdale and Theodore have the best offense... the Mustangs lead the league with 82 runs with the Bobcats second with 75... Union Heights hits the most homers with 15, followed by Stockdale with 11... Stockdale sports the best batting average at .282 with Wafford second at .278 and Theodore third with a .277 BA... Union Heights has the best pitching by far (2.80 ERA)... Stockale is a distant second (3.37 ERA)... Wafford has the top defense with a .970 FA... the Hackers are second with a .965 FA.

Fine pitching by Eddie Beal (9-5, 2.41 ERA), home-run power throughout the batting order and good defense sounds like a winner for the Union Heights Hackers... and in case Beal gets tired or has a bad day, good relief is in the bullpen courtesy of Daniel Morgado (0-0, 0.93 ERA)... Beal is also a force in the batter's box with a .370 BA.

All of the challengers have been playing well in recent weeks... Wafford (8-2), Union Heights (6-4), Theodore (6-4) and Stockdale (6-4)... the Eagles may give the Hackers the most trouble... Wafford has a very reliable starter in Ron Myles (8-3, 2.73 ERA)... a good offense paced by Manny Velasco (.397), Alex Fielding (.344), Chase Hibbard (.333) and Eddie Dixon (.292), but not much power with only 3 homers this season... plus the Eagles are the best defensively... Wafford is playing well heading into crunch time... just might be the best team.

Since taking over the starting role, Walter Johnson (4-2, 1.96 ERA) has turned the season around for the Theodore Bobcats... the bats are good with the league's top hitter, Sidney Kimball (.469), coupled with Ivan Orsak (.350), Bobby Brunow (.298), Justin Hines (.286) and Matt Johnson (.286)... defense is Theodore's thorn in the flesh (.944 FA)... the Bobcats will probably come in third in the NISD.

Stockdale looks like it will wind up in fourth place... the offense is solid with Ben Wasko (.356), Charley Blackburn (.338), Kasey Clark (.298), Patrick King (.298) and Andy Kessler (.273)... they can go deep... but pitching is not on par with the other contenders... Sarge York (7-5, 3.25) is adequate, but not much more... in addition the Stockdale defense is subpar (.951 FA).

The other two clubs are just playing out the season... neither Kinston, nor West Chester has any pitching or offense... they are just bad ballclubs.

PELS AND LIONS TUSSLE DOWN THE STRETCH IN SI FIRST LEAGUE
Over in the South Island First League the Labadieville Pelicans and the Opelousas Lions are the hottest teams... the Pels have won 7 in a row and are 9-1 in the last 10 games... the Lions are on a 3-game winning streak and have posted a 7-3 record in the last 10 games... they will clash twice in the final weeks head-to-head... Labadieville looks like a solid favorite... third place Des Allemands (8-7) and Claiborne (7-8) are just too far back to have much of a chance for the pennant... Mystic (5-10) and Bar Harbor (5-10) are headed for relegation to the SISL next season.

Labadieville easily tops the league with a .270 batting average, 21 homers and 90 runs... Opelousas can't compete with those numbers... the Lions are batting .254 with only 7 roundtrippers and 73 runs... Des Allemands has the best pitching with a 2.30 ERA... and the Claiborne Cardinals play the best defense with a .967 FA.

Labadieville is just average with the gloves (.951 FA)... just average on the mound (3.54 ERA)... but they can put runs on the scoreboard... the big guns are A. J. Tuohy (.359) and Gaston Belanger (.344)... both are near the top in the league with 15 RBIs... Belanger is tops with 7 homers, Tuohy has 5... and Leon Renoir (.194) also has 5 home runs and 10 RBIs...Philippe Voiselle (.259) has driven in 11 runs... on the hill David Bosley is just average with a 7-2 mark and 3.31 ERA... should he falter, the relief corps can do the job (3.09 ERA).

Opelousas is not quite on par with Labadieville, but they are a fairly good ballclub with good scoring with 73 runs (4th) and .254 BA (2nd)... but short on firepower with only 7 roundtrippers (6th)... Raymond Colbert (8-4, 3.19 ERA) has won three in a row, but has not been as effective as earlier in the season... the Lions' offense has helped him a lot recently... the pitching is second best in the league with a 3.41 ERA... the bullpen is pretty good with Donnelle Cartier (0-1, 2.45 ERA, 8 games)... Opelousas stands tall in the batter's box with Jozef Zelazny (.323), Leon Rousseau (.313), Alain Roche (.371), Pete Larkin (.276) and Adrien Duval (.264)... Rousseau is the homer and RBI guy with 3 home runs and 13 ribbies... Opelousas should hold on to second place at season's end.

Des Allemands only has a slim chance to garner the SIFL crown... third place seems most likely... their stats look better than than record... the Eagles have scored 76 runs (2nd), hit 12 out of the park (2nd), lead the league with an impressive 2.30 ERA, but they don't hit much for average... Des Allemands is batting a lowly .236 (5th)... defensively they are better-than-average with a .957 FA (2nd)... the top pitcher is Otto Ostwinkle (7-6, 2.35)... he has really suffered from unearned runs this year... he has lost quite a few well-pitched games... the Eagles have three fine hitters in Hans Hildebrandt (.313), Dieter Heinberg (.323) and Oskar Seewald (.304)... Seewald is tied for first place in the league in RBIs with Duke Rabouin of Bar Harbor, both with 17... Heinberg is number three with 16... Seewald and Hildebrandt are tied for the team lead with 4 dingers apiece... this talented trio pretty much carry the offensive load for the team.

The Claiborne Cardinals will more than likely wind up fourth in the SIFL standings... the Cards are just a run-of-mill ball team... the best thing about them is their defense... tops in the league with a .967 FA... the top batting performers are Roy Ducote (.360), Benjamin Pardue (.288), Luke Arceneaux (.305) and Bill Belliveau (.293)... Pardue and Arceneaux have 3 home runs... Pardue has 15 RBIs, Ducote 11 and Belliveau 9... the only decent pitcher is Robby Duplessis (4-5, 3.13 ERA)... the team ERA is a mediocre 4.07 (4th)... the Cardinals should avoid relegation to the SISL... those infamous honors will probably go to the Mystic Mariners and the Bar Harbor Acadians.

SAINTS FAVORED OVER GATORS IN SI SECOND
In the South Island Second League the Guedon Gators (9-6) and the St. Dominic Saints (9-6) will be moving up in class next year... they should be promoted upward to the SIFL... however, the race is still in doubt... five teams are still in the running... Meraux (7-8), Delacroix (7-8) and Bayou Bleu (7-8) are technically contenders, but it's highly unlikely any of them are capable of catching the two co-leaders.

The SISL is the highest scoring league in the Islands... Guedon tops all teams with 103 runs (1st) and 21 home runs (1st)... St. Dominic is number one with a .296 BA (1st) with Guedon runner-up at .284 (2nd)... the Saints are the best pitching team with a 2.08 ERA (1st), followed at a distance by the Gators with a 3.97 ERA... Delacroix is the best defensively with a .965 FA (1st).

The nod for the best team in the SISL goes to the St. Dominic Saints because of its standout pitching, anchored by the tandem duo of Paul Amiss (7-2, 174 ERA) and Gerry McClure (2-4, 2.37 ERA)... offense is the Saints' problem... they have scored only 77 runs (4th)... they have no power... only 4 homers (6th) this year... plus St. Dominic is 5th with a poor .946 FA... still the pitching will probably get them the pennant... they will be no worse than second place... the Saints are playing better than Guedon the last few weeks... St. Dominic has won its last five games, while the Gators have bit the dust the last three times out... so momentum is swinging towards the Saints down the stretch... St. Dominic's top bat is Connie Ryan (.413), the top BA in the SISL... other top hitters are Paul Amiss (.341), Mickey Retif (.311), Don Gonczi (.305) and Lester Duhe (.393)... everyone in the batting order is a pretty good contact hitter... the Saints just don't go deep and they have to manufacture runs... they lead the league with 41 stolen bases.

Guedon's problem of late has been its mound staff... after a good start Chris Charlet (6-4, 3.30 ERA) has tapered off badly and lost his last three outings... none of the other three hurlers have done the job... the Gators will have to sink or swim with Charlet down the stretch... Guedon's strength is its offense, highlighted by Anthony Stassi (.353), Winky Biggio (.340), Mike Rogers (.339), George Thomas (.318) and Charley Comeaux (.310)... throughout the batting order the Gators hit with power and score runs... Comeaux leads with 5 homers and 15 RBIs... Biggio has socked 3 homers and batted in 12 runs... Thomas has 3 HRs and 11 RBIs... Rogers has 1 home run and 10 RBIs... Stassi has 3 HRs and 10 RBIs... and Maurice Melancon (.204) has 3 HRs and 8 ribbies... but it will be Charlet, who holds the key to victory.

As far as the other teams, they are all fairly equal... they can all score runs, but the pitching is lousy... give the edge to Meraux... the Tigers have better hitters with Clinton Theriot (.383), Ike Barbier (.333), Steven Pascal (.313), Jackson Maxwell (.313) and Buddy Brodnax (.279)... Brodnax has four homers and Theriot has three this season... Theriot leads with 14 RBIs, followed by Brodnax with 13 and Barbier with 12... Mario Michelli (3-4, 3.88 ERA) and Felix Goudeau (2-3, 4.00 ERA) are just so-so on the mound... the Meraux Tigers have the best chance to finish third in the SISL.

Give fourth place to the Delacroix Cubs... they have better offense than Bayou Bleu... and they are much better defensively with a .965 FA (1st)... Rufus Chauvin (.305), Doug Juban (.286) and Bobby Bridges (.254) are slightly better at driving runs... Chauvin has homered 5 times... Clem Robin (3-6, 4.34 ERA) has been the prime starter, but he has faltered in recent outings... Frankie Accardo (2-1, 4.17 ERA) may be the main starter the rest of the season.

The Bayou Bleu Blues have scored only 71 runs (6th), last in the league... have hit a poor .231 for average (5th)... but have pretty good power with 16 HRs (3rd-tied)... Luc Desselle (.313) leads the SISL with 7 roundtrippers and is second with 16 RBIs... Germaine Clemenceau (.351) and Marcel Boudreaux (.333) are solid bats, too... they are the only productive hitters in the lineup... Randall Robicheaux (4-0, 4.01 ERA) had taken over the starting chores of late and done a decent job, but has profitted from good run support... all four pitchers are mediocre at best.

The Chitamaca Moccasins will probably wind up in the SISL cellar... pathetic pitching is the reason... the Mocs' mound corps has a 6.07 ERA... 'nuff said... they will give all of their hurlers a start the rest of the year... sadly, Bill Donovan (4-3, 5.88 ERA) has been the most effective starter... batting-wise, they are not so much either... Chitamaca has a .230 BA (6th), but have sent 18 soaring out of the ballpark (2nd)... top run producers are Allen Toussaint (.381), Adam Derouen (.284), Remi Jarreau (.263) and Washa Ducioux (.260)... Matt Briscoe (.228) leads the team with 4 homers and 12 RBIs.

[Eugene Church]

Here are new versions of the maps of North Island and South Island done brilliantly by Sizeman21.
He added the team logos and the league logos to the maps.

Many thanks to him for the maps that he has done so well.

Maps of North Island Leagues

[Eugene Church]

Maps of South Island Leagues.

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 16, 1952

JOLIET'S LEAD CUT TO 2 BY NEW YERBY
The Joliet Green Giants' huge lead was cut down to size this weekend by the second place New Yerby Yankees in the North Island Recreational League First Division standings... the Yanks won the showdown on the road, overpowering the Green Giants 11-7 in 11 innings and cut it to just two games with four games left on the schedule... in other league action the Dutton Coyotes climbed up into the third spot with a nip-and-tuck win over the Jackson Jackalopes 5-4... and the Kofa Kings trimmed the Avalon Oldtimers in another close contest 5-4.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 16, 1952

UNION HEIGHTS, STOCKDALE CO-LEADERS IN NISD
The four-team jam-up has been cut in half... Union Heights and Stockdale won this past weekend, while Wafford and Theodore suffered losses... the Hackers and Mustangs are now 10-6 and one game ahead of the Eagles and Bobcats, who are 9-7.
Union Heights whipped last place West Chester in a tight duel 6-4... Stockdale drummed Theodore 9-4... and fifth place Kinston upset Wafford 11-6.

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

Monday, June 16, 1952

PELS HAVE HUGE LEAD IN SI FIRST LEAGUE
The first place Labadieville Pelicans(12-4) are redhot and flying high in the South Island First League with 8 straight victories and a huge 3-game lead over second place Opelousas (9-7)... it will be very tough for the Lions to catch them in the last month of the season... this past weekend the Pels' winning streak was in dire jeopardy, but they rallied in the last of the ninth to edge the Lions 7-6 to keep it going... Claiborne (8-8) moved into a third-place tie with Des Allemands (8-8) with a 7-5 victory... and Mystic (6-10) got out of last place with a 5-4 win over the Bar Harbor Acadians (5-11).

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]

[Eugene Church]