ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

[Eugene Church]

2016 Season coming up soon.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Sunday, June 19, 2016

IPA All-Star Game Wednesday In Taranto, Stars Announced
The 16th Annual IPA All-Star Game is set for Taranto this Wednesday afternoon pitting the best of the Ruthlandian Union and the best of the Tycobbian Union. It will be played at the little "boom box", the Palazzo di Sport, where home runs fly out with much regularity. The two leagues announced their stars today. Tycobbian holds a wide lead in the series 11-4 and has won the last three years. Ozarka, Ginza and North Hills each had three players picked for the Tycobbian stars, while Taranto, Volusia, Rocky Rapids, Sugar Valley and Far Mountain in Ruthlandian had two players apiece.

2016 Ruthlandian All-Stars

SP I. Szabo (CFX) 7 times (10-6)
SP G. Hersh (VOL) 3 times (10-4)
SP V. Vasylenko (VLM) first time (13-6)
SP B. Ray (BEE) first time (10-3)
SP D. Chaney (RR) 3 times (10-5)
SP J. Meeks (WYN) first time (10-4)
MR T. Zenon (FC) first time (10-0)
CL D. Osborn (FTB) first time (5-4 14 saves)
CL W. Murrell (SV) first time (3-2 16 saves)
C H. Bethel (RR) 10 times (.322 BA)
C L. Carter (ELN) 4 times (.390 BA)
C H. Stevenson (SV) 8 times (.313 BA)
1B P. Gravelli (CL) 9 times (.374 BA)
1B M. Luzzatti (CLX) 8 times (.331 BA)
1B R. Armstrong (SD) 5 times (.319 BA)
2B G. Garner (ETS) first time (.337 BA)
2B J. Whitehurst (KIL) first time (.323 BA)
3B M. McAllister (FM) first time (.271 BA)
3B J. Slavin (GC ) 2 times (.324 BA)
SS L. Sullivan (GLS) 2 times (.293 BA)
SS V. Wilson (VOL) 2 times (.351 BA)
LF A. Kennedy (TAR) 3 times (.337 BA)
LF K. Willard (ANC) first time (.325 BA)
LF J. Judlin (FC) 2 times (.280 BA)
CF R. Woodward (MAR) first time (.319 BA)
CF R. Hobbs (WLK) 3 times (.357 BA)
CF J. DeLucca (VOL) 3 times (.354 BA)
RF R. Rich (GC ) first time (.380 BA)
RF A. Marshall (TAR) 4 times (.325 BA)

The Tycobbian Union All-Stars will feature these players:

SP H. Turi (BAY) first time (13-1)
SP R. Salisbury (CC) first time (13-4)
SP B. Osterman (OZK) 2 times (12-3)
SP T. Ruffin (CHI) 2 times (8-5)
SP B. Coates (BSC) first time (13-3)
SP L. Dozier (NH) first time (13-3)
SP S. Swensen (SF)first time (13-2)
SP C. Trebek (GIN) first time (11-6)
CL K. Harimoto (GIN) first time (3-1 17 saves)
C P. Gibbs (DC) 2 times (.325 BA)
C J. Kucks (BL) first time (.325 BA)
C C. Davis (GIN) 4 times (.351 BA)
C T. Simons (NH) 4 times (.347 BA)
1B J. Elliott (HM) 4 times (.370 BA)
1B C. Kingsford (TUR) 4 times (.341 BA)
1B M. Blake (WR) first time (.342 BA)
1B H. Roscoe (CCH) 4 times (.360 BA)
2B T. Chadwick (OZK) 6 times (.291 BA)
2B L. Moon (CC) first time (.309 BA)
3B A. Dumas (OZK) first time (.365 BA)
3B K. Benson (BAY) 4 times (.344 BA)
3B F. Devlin (LC) 2 times (.336 BA)
SS A. Pearson (AG) 3 times (.361 BA)
SS J. Turchin (HAR) 6 times (.348 BA)
LF D. Krueger (BAY) 3 times (.312 BA)
LF Z. Deshotel (LC) 7 times (.329 BA)
CF R. Michael (SF) 2 times (.392 BA)
CF J. Olson (EP) first time (.296 BA)
RF B. Bechtel (AG) 2 times (.298 BA)
RF B. Blackburn (NH) first time (.352 BA)
RF D. Nordhagen (LUX) first time (.305 BA)

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, June 22, 2016

2016 IPA All-Star Game At The Palazzo di Sport in Taranto

TU Stars Bombard RU Stars 9-5 In 16th All-Star Game
Not much of a contest as the Tycobbian All-Stars blasted the Ruthlandian All-Stars 9-5 at Taranto's Palazzo di Sport... Tycobbian ran up an 8-0 lead before the Ruthlandian bats came alive too late in the eighth... It was the TU Stars fourth triumph in a row and gave them a huge 12-4 advantage in the series... LF Davey Krueger (Bayview) copped the MVP award by scoring twice and driving in 3 runs... Tycobbia had a slight edge in total hits 11-10... 2B Todd Chadwick (Ozarka) had a two-run homer for the winners and 2B Lonnie Moon (Cape Coral) also went deep with a solo shot... RF Ricky Rich (Grand City) led Ruthlandia with 3-for-3 and 2 RBIs... Benny Osterman (Ozarka) got the win with 2 scoreless frames in the 4th and 5th, while starter Tommy Zenon (Forest City) suffered the defeat... Tycobbia got to him for 2 runs in the opening inning.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian North Final Standings and Team Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

FM Redhawks Back On Top, Edge Tars
2015 was an "off-year" for Far Mountain - they finished second to the Pro Cup champion Taranto Tars - but this season the Redhawks regrouped, recharged and captured their seventh RU North pennant in eight years, topping Taranto by 3 games. Kilkenny was third, 7 games back. No other team was close.

Far Mountain Redhawks (89-65) were paced by All-Star SS Don Nichols (.324/27/104/121) and CF Jonas Boehm (.322/22/98/93)... however manager Alex Groveland's strong point was his pitching staff, led by 39-year-old Robby Kelly (18-8 3.82) and 24-year-old Woody Crawford (20-14 3.12)... the Redhawks play good defense with a healthy .976 FA... offensively they are only average with a .260 average (17th), but Far Mountain was 9th in scoring... look for the Redhawks to be a serious contender for the Pro Cup trophy in this year's playoffs.

Tommaso Lazzorda was disappointed that the Taranto Tars (86-68) will not get a chance to defend its IPA title... the Tars still hit the dickens out of the ball with 216 homers (1st), still have good starters and still play good defense, but they just couldn't beat Far Mountain... Taranto led the RU with a .277 BA, had decent pitching considering they play in a very small stadium and are good defensively with a .977 FA... Vito Incardona (21-11 2.83) had a brilliant season... former closer Angelo Zinacola (19-6 3.70) made a good transition to starting... and Chazzie DeBartolo (16-11 4.18) had a good season, too... at bat it was All-Stars LF Arnie Kennedy (.324/37/107/114) and RF Augie Marshall (.313/39/122/95) that led the way with help from 2B Ed Miles (.288/23/99/116).

The Kilkenny Cats (82-72) are a good ball club, but can't match the bats of Far Mountain and Taranto... skipper Kieran McKenna has two strong starters in Sidney McFarland (20-15 2.36) and Kyle Ferguson (19-13 3.15)... but only one good hitter in 1B Monty Edwards (.294/13/103/71).

The LaGrange Sports (76-78) wound up in fourth place and trailed by 13 games... Foxy Jimison has two quality starters: vets Pablo Orantes (18-14 3.10) and Denny Kristensen (17-14 3.30)... and two quality bats in future HOF'er LF Quincy Peterson (.272/22/94/98) and RF Joel Reed (.299/24/114/79)... both are getting up in age and tapering off in offensive numbers... at 39 and 37, both have over 1000 RBIs and 1000 runs lifetime... the Sports are a bad fielding team with a .967 FA.

Page Satcher's Ranford Bulls (75-79) improved a bit over last year and came in fifth in the RU North, 14 games off the pace... Ranford's top hurlers were Val Hudson (20-14 3.40) and Charlie Aston (17-15 3.67)... the Bulls were wretched at the plate with a .247 (25th) batting average... bad defense, too, with a .968 FA.

The Ancona Red Elephants (73-81) were the darlings of the league at mid-season... Manny Mickens actually had them in first place, but they swooned in the second half and fell 16 games behind and into the sixth spot in the standings... standouts were rookie Clete Dukas (17-15 3.54) and veteran reliever John Sharpe (5-6 2.90) on the mound... Sharpe posted 23 saves... and All-Star LF Kenny Willard (.332/43/117/111), who had a career season... and LF Louie DiMucci (.302/25/81/87), who started strong, but fell off in the second half.

It was not a good year for manager J. Jackson Samuel in Valmara (69-85)... the Vipers finished seventh, 20 games out... they were terrible at the plate with .241 mark (32nd)... however All-Star Vanya Vasylenko (20-13 2.94) had a remarkable season on the hill... and rookie closer Frank Favazzo (3-1 1.99) stood out and showed potential with 16 saves after taking over the spot at mid-year.

The Glasco Athletics (64-90) slumped badly and wound up 25 games behind and in the cellar... McDuffie Hughes is accustomed to being a first-division team... it's the first time the A's have finished last in the RU North... his best performers were starter Nick DeVille (17-15 3.64), reliever Jack Hatcher (2-2 2.81) with 22 saves and All-Star SS Lee Sullivan (.281/22/88/80).

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian South Final Standings and Team Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

BB Sunbirds Runaway With RU South
The Belair Beach Sunbirds made shambles of the Ruthlandian South this season and ran away with it. Marty Pedroza's Sunbirds nabbed their third pennant in five years and fifth in history. Finishing far out of the running were second place Waleska, 17 games behind, third place San Dimas, 19 games back and fourth place Valka 19 games out. The rest of the RU feast on the South division. Only division winner Belair Beach had a winning record.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (87-67) do everything fairly well... hit .265 (11th), score sufficiently (18th), have a quality 3.68 team ERA (12th) and field well with a .976 FA... Groot Tenbrook (4-3 2.52) handles the closing role well with 34 saves (3rd)... Denny Whitaker (18-16 3.71) paced the starters with help from rookie left-hander Rik Flippen (12-7 3.55)... offensive leaders were 1B Derek Krohn (.258/25/103/62) and C Little Jake Bungarooba (.323/10/63/88)... Belair Beach will have a tough time in the Pro Cup playoffs against powerhouses Far Mountain and Eastshore.

The runner-up Waleska Westerners (70-84) have two outstanding players and little else... at age 23 All-Star CF Roy Hobbs (.348/45/120/124) is already as good as anybody in the IPA and 34-year-old RF Kippy Doyle (.315/27/108/70) is a possible Hall-of-Famer with 13 years in the IPA and a career .301 batting average... Doyle is a 4-time All-Star... with Hobbs and Doyle carrying the load, the Westerners hit .269 (3rd), but don't score well, ranking 21st in the RU... pitching-wise manager McGraw Johnson's mound staff is just average with a 3.90 ERA (19th).

The third place San Dimas Rancheros (68-86) are pathetic in pitching with a 4.66 ERA (32nd)... that's skipper Paco Banderos' main dilemma... his best players are All-Star 1B Ron Armstrong (.287/23/77/86) and RF Norm Owens (.289/24/95/90)... the 38-year-old Armstrong is a 5-time All-Star with over 1400 RBIs and 364 homers in his 16 seasons in the IPA... he should be considered for the Hall-of-Fame upon retirement.

Fourth in the standings were the Valka Blackhawks (67-87), guided by Jaan Kurus... like most of the teams in the TU South, the Blackhawks did not hit well (.246) and were only average on the hill with a 3.88 ERA (17th) and in the field with a .972 FA... Valka has quality starters that go deep in the game, headed by work horse Eddie Lasky (19-17 3.35), Arno Vainmaa (15-16 3.59) and Ivo Jaanson (13-17 3.77)... CF Alyosha Vyshnyakov is the top batter with 32 home runs and 92 runs batted in, but hit only .240 and struck out 142 times.

Last year's division winner Claxton (66-88) dipped to fifth this season, 21 games off the pace... Stacy Engel's Diamonds do well at plate with a .264 BA and 174 homers (3rd)... they score well, ranking 5th... but don't have much pitching with a lofty 4.51 team ERA (30th)... not too good defensively, either, with a poor .968 FA... Claxton's top performer is future HOF-er and All-Star Mike Luzzatti (.335/38/112/108)... the 11-year great has made the All-Star team 8 times... 23-year-old RF K. C. Moerdijk (.278/31/78/128) provided power and 44 stolen bases (4th-tied)... on the mound 40-year-old Alex Vanzetti (12-6 3.79) was Engel's most reliable arm.

Not much to say about the remaining clubs in the RU South... all they had were a few standouts... the Crystal Lake wound up far back in the race, tied for sixth with Grand City, both 25 games behind champion Belair Beach... pulling up the rear were the hapless St. John Crusaders, 27 games out.

Crystal Lake (62-92) is managed by Herman "Baby" George... his top players are 38-year-old pitcher Rocky Trahan (17-13 3.62) and position players All-Star 1B Phil Gravelli (.357/43/142/98) and young RF Chip Fiske (.324/4/39/94)... Gravelli made the All-Star club for his 9th time and is a shoo-in for the IPA Hall-of-Fame... the 32-year-old Gravelli led the IPA with 142 RBIs and had one of his better seasons... he is the IPA lifetime leader with 544 homers and 1763 RBIs and carries a .320 career batting average.

The Grand City Cybercats (62-92) did not fare well in 2016, but Torry Joseph does have two fine performers in All-Star RF Ricky Rich (.340/21/92/93) and All-Star 3B Jud Slavin (.304/12/77/85)... Rich is only 24, while Slavin is just 22... the Cybercats are poor at everything in the game except on defense, where they are top-notch with an excellent .978 FA.

The St. John Crusaders (60-94) with Willie Dickens at the helm have very little talent... 3B Vinny Sardisco (.301/19/70/79) is his best batter and 13-year vet Teddy Garson (11-21 3.94) is the best pitcher.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian East Final Standings and Team Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Elegants Surprise In RU East
It's been 14 long years since the Eastshore fans had anything to cheer about. That's when the team last made the playoffs. Their Elegants surprised them and the entire league by sweeping to the top of the Ruthlandian East this season to win their first ever division pennant. Eastshore whipped the Beachwood Bobcats by 5 games, Sugar Valley by 11 games and last year's champ, the Marston Nine by 13 games.

Outstanding pitching, strong offense and an big influx of talented rookies are the primary reasons Eastshore (96-58) won more games than anyone in the RU this year and rose up from a fourth-place finish in 2015... Manager Killer Brewster's mound corps chalked up an excellent 3.22 team ERA (3rd), sparked by the terrific 35-year-old rookie Danny Siegfried (26-8 2.25), who tied for the IPA lead in total victories with another rookie, Bayview's Harald Turi... the Elegants had four fine starters with three 20-game winners... Eddie Lance (20-9 3.38) and Al Froelich (20-15 3.63) were the other two... Melvin Key (16-14 3.64) gave Brewster a quality fourth starter... first-year man Jack Wilson was a strong closer, too, with a microscopic 1.09 ERA in 53 appearances, 32 saves and a 5-5 record... and it didn't stop there - Eastshore can score... they ranked second in scoring, fifth in homers with 155 and seventh with a .267 team batting average... top hitters were three rookies, All-Star 2B Gerry Garner (.300/26/97/79), CF Larry Lowe (.283/13/60/102) and 3B George Alford (.266/23/94/75)... Eastshore's only weakness is its lousy .967 FA... Nonetheless, the Elegants are primed for a good run at the IPA Pro Cup title and will give Far Mountain, Belair Beach and Colfax some stiff competition for the Ruthlandian crown.

The Beechwood Bobcats (91-63) had a fine season under skipper Bret George, but didn't possess the talent Eastshore had... they ran a good second to Eastshore with good hitting, pitching and fielding... the Bobcats batted .259 (19th), scored well (8th) and had good power (7th in HRs) and played solid defense with a .975 FA... All-Star rookie Billy Ray posted a sensational 21-8 mark with a 2.37 ERA... 16-year vet Terry Kuznetsov (14-14 3.19) was George's number two starter... his number 3 and 4 starters were Troy Neitzel (18-12 4.06) and Knucks Nomellini (16-12 4.44) struggled at times and had high ERAs... Bobcat bats saved their butts quite a few times... Beechwood's best bats were star CF Vic Valenti (.304/34/102/103), last year's RU MVP... 1B Ray Slater (.290/14/72/98) and veteran 38-year-old SS Rolf Kellgren (.270/9/49/101).

Gibby Bobkins' Sugar Valley Rattlers (85-69) have been terrible the last four seasons, languishing near the bottom in seventh and eight place... this year they had some bite in their rattle and climbed up to the third spot in the RU East standings... Bobkins has three quality starters in Ed Clavell (18-16 3.02), Connie Ehrlichmann (15-8 3.48) and Nick Moore (16-14 3.51)... and an All-Star closer Woody Murrell (7-4 1.57), who had a standout year with 35 saves, tied with Dan Stevens of Wynnamac for the IPA lead... top hitters were future Hall-of-Famer C Hal Stevenson (.296/27/91/98), who made the All-Star squad for the 8th time and may wind up with over 500 career homers... and steady RF Kent Swain (.290/22/102/82).

The Marston Nine (83-71) won the RU East the previous two years, but slumped to the fourth place this season... still a good club, but just not as good as the Eastshore and Beechwood... veteran pitchers Dennis Townsend (12-16 4.04) and Hunk Sweitzer (8-16 5.66) just didn't produce as in the past... closer Bobby Daniel was good but inconsistent... Daniel posted a 2.48 ERA and 27 saves, but lost 10 games with only 3 wins... manager Johnny Walters did have two 20-game winners in vet Roberto Conception (20-9 3.02) and 20-year-old rookie Ronnie Flynn (22-11 3.19)... at the plate All-Star CF Russ Woodward (.333/45/120/101) and 3B Jimmy Holman (.282/24/89/76) led the way... Marston is still very good on defense with a .976 FA.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (76-78) ended up 20 games off the pace and in fifth place under the direction of Matt Donnelly... the club has adequate offense, but needs improved pitching and better defense to contend... the Sundowner defense is near the bottom with a very poor .966 FA... top hurlers are All-Star Jerry Meeks (20-12 2.91) and 39-year-old Skeets Hobart (14-8 3.42)... top hitters are legendary star LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.319/32/107/101), still a threat at age 38... Burkhalter has over 1600 RBIs in his 16 IPA seasons... and 40-year-old CF Clive Farnham (.297/21/87/86).

Since its last pennant in 2012, T. Kelly Holmes' Cold Creek Catamounts (75-79) have slipped into mediocrity... this season they tied for sixth with Elnora, trailing by 21 games... Cold Creek needs better pitching and hitting to challenge in the RU East... however, Holmes does have some talented, but aging players in pitchers Marc Matherne (21-14 3.69) and Payton Saunders (16-13 3.67) and position players CF Trip Holmes (.305/28/96/93), RF Emile Stosha (.319/18/77/92) and 1B Terry Sauer (.292/17/97/75)... Trip Holmes and Stosha had been fine hitters for many years... Holmes is a tremendous glove man and an all-around bonafide star, who might sneak into the IPA Hall-of-Fame... in his 15 seasons Holmes has batted .286 with 350 roundtrippers, scored 1489 runs and batted in 1304 runs.

Zoggy White's Elnora All-Stars (75-79) tumbled down to a sixth-place tie this season... lack of pitching and home run power are the main shortcomings... it's hard to compete with a 4.11 ERA (25th) and 111 home runs (26th)... White's team does handle the gloves well with a .976 FA... but Elnora has one of the best players in the IPA in All-Star C Leon Carter, who racked up a .354 BA with 28 homers, 110 RBIs and scored 100 runs... Carter has made the All-Star team all four years he has played in the IPA... 34-year-old RF Lloyd Voss is a strong contact hitter with two league batting crowns... Voss hit .315 this year with 10 home runs, 67 RBIs and 97 runs... Career-wise Voss is batting at a lofty .338 clip in his 11 IPA seasons.

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (62-92) had another dismal year under manager Boo Ladrieux, winding up in the RU East basement and a very distant 34 games behind pennant winner Eastshore... the Muskies have average pitching, but crummy hitting... Belle Plaine batted only .245 (27th) with only 97 home runs (31st)... nowhere near what you need to be a contender in the IPA... Ladrieux's only bright spots are his 23-year-old rookie closer Fabian Moreau (2-6 2.49), who saved 26 games and 24-year-old SS Scott Hammill (.311/19/71/73), who had made the RU All-Star team twice in his four years in the league.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian West Final Standings and Team Batting Stats

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

Nothing New, Colfax Wins RU West Again
It's old hat in the Ruthlandian West, the Colfax Blasters claimed their 7th division flag in the last 9 years, but it wasn't easy. Runner-up Rocky Rapids held a 3-game lead with 3 games to go, but lost all 3 games and allowed Colfax to catch them on the final day of the season. The Blasters won their final 3 games, then beat the Snappers 6-0 in a one-game playoff for the division crown. Volusia was a very close third, just 1.5 games off the pace. The Vigilantes took its final 4 games, but needed Colfax to stumble to force a 3-way playoff, which didn't happen. The Forest City Lumberjacks finished fourth, 5.5 games behind Colfax. The RU West is the strongest division in the IPA with five top-level teams. Even fifth-place Fort Benton was 14 games over the .500 mark.

Clem Rogers' Colfax Blasters (93-62) won again with super pitching... his mound staff compiled a sensational 2.92 team ERA, the best in the IPA... rookie Cliff James (18-5 2.17) was his ace... vets Rodger Wright (18-15 2.98) and Jimmy Joe Cartner ( 17-12 3.09) could have easily won 20 games with better run support... Colfax won despite losing its ace hurler Ilya Szabo (10-6 2.07) due to back injury in mid-June... Szabo will not be back this year... offense is a big hurdle for the Blasters, who batted a lowly .243 (30th)... Rogers' best batters are CF Ryan Raines (.292/22/101/94) and 2B Ilya Ivanchuk (.292/8/55/111)... other contributors are LF Tony Tanaka (.263/16/61/111) and C Joe Alexander (.222/30/95/78)... in the past few seasons Colfax has not been able to overcome better-hitting teams in the Pro Cup playoffs... could be the same outcome this year.

For the past four seasons the Rocky Rapids Snappers (92-63) have strongly contended for the RU West title, but lost out each time... this was the year for Ryan Noland's ball club, but it wasn't to be... the Snappers went into a fatal tailspin, winning just 2 of the last 10 games, while Colfax was 7-3 down the stretch... Noland has a rock-solid team with excellent hitting and fine pitching, but dismal defense... the Snappers committed 75 more errors during the season than Colfax... Rocky Rapids has a poor .966 FA to Colfax's .973 FA... the top Snappers at the plate were All-Star LF Scott Camden (.292/51/133/123), All-Star C Hank Bethel (.325/29/98/91), 3B Paul Shelton (.287/30/103/85) and SS Cooter Bermudez (.280/5/54/101)... Camden had great season and led the RU with 51 homers... Bethel made the All-Star team for a record 10th time... closer Earl Pitts (9-3 2.49) had an excellent year with 32 saves... All-Star Don Chaney (19-12 2.82) was also outstanding... Norrie Wickham (17-11 3.69) and Junior Noland (16-16 3.50) were solid starters, too.

Just like Rocky Rapids, the Volusia Vigilantes (91-63) have also been in the thick of things the last four seasons with nothing to show for it... Alfonso Feliz has a fine ball club with standout pitching and good hitting... The V's compiled a 3.09 team ERA (2nd), were fourth in scoring and had a .273 batting average (2nd)... heading up the pitching rotation were All-Star Gerry Hersh (18-11 2.79), Todd Wolfe (21-12 2.82) and Tanner Jacobs (18-14 3.61), along with closer Mark Carey (4-3 1.71), who saved 15 games... Feliz lost his 2015 ace Alejandro Rio (5-4 4.00) in mid-May for the season... Rio was 16-5 last year... topping the hitters were All-Star SS Vince Wilson (.335/31/120/111), All-Star CF Joe DeLucca (.377/36/110/146) and 1B Rafael Garza (.318/6/46/91)... DeLucca had a marvelous year and led the IPA with a .377 BA and 146 runs.

The Forest City Lumberjacks (84-70) were right up there with the three leaders until they collapsed in September with a 4-13 record... They lost All-Star rookie pitcher Tommy Zenon (13-3 2.63) for the season due to an arm injury in mid-July... Rob Jackson's Lumberjacks wound up fourth and 5.5 games off the pace... Power hitting and good pitching paved the way... the 'Jacks were fourth with a 3.29 ERA and sixth with 153 roundtrippers... 12-year-vet Ernie Hill (22-11 2.98) led the staff with his best season ever... 15-year vet Al Thibaut (19-12 2.77) also posted his best season... 22-year-old closer Andy Velasco (4-6 2.01) was quite stingy as the closer... Velasco had 19 saves... All-Star LF Joe Judlin (.276/32/95/89) and RF Sonny Harrison (.252/30/80/63) were the Lumberjacks best run producers, along with 1B Andy Doiron (.280/13/79/84) and CF Luc St. Germain (.282/16/70/91).

Manager Robbie Brooks has a quality team in Fort Benton (84-70) that finished fifth in the standings, but only 8.5 games behind leading Colfax... the Defenders hit .268 (4th), but had trouble scoring (12th) with only 110 home runs (27th)... Brooks' pitching was a little better than average with a 3.64 ERA (10th)... Cal Walger (15-15 3.14) was his best starter and All-Star David Osborn (9-9 2.47) led his bullpen with 26 saves... CF Ryan Smith (.299/21/90/84), LF Forest Cummings (.287/19/96/53) and 1B Stretch Stookey (.319/13/74/91) sparked the offense.

Even the the sixth-place Middlefield Roosters and Sligo Rovers almost played .500 ball in a very tough division... Both teams were 17.5 games out of first... Middlefield (75-79) hit well with a .268 BA (6th), but lacked scoring with only 118 homers (18th), despite playing in a small stadium... skipper Smitty Michaels' best bats belonged to 1B Ricky Tinker (.315/18/89/99), RF Cecil Clark (.305/24/86/80) and SS Jim Rose (.301/14/66/88)... rookie CF Chuck Larkin led the squad with 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in, but batted only .251... Overall, the Roosters rotation fared poorly with a 4.47 team ERA (29th), but did have some quality arms... starters Buddy Kennedy (16-10 4.14) and Frank Dean (17-16 3.75) both had much better ERA's on the road, away from the short fences at Middlefield Park.

The Sligo Rovers (75-79) had four quality starters, but not much of a bullpen or offense... Eddie Keys's club chalked up a 3.69 ERA (13th), but hit only .245 (28th)... Sligo had two fine starters in veteran Jasper LaForge (23-11 2.81) and Luka Abromowitz (17-16 3.35)... LaForge won 20 games for the 7th time in his 16 IPA seasons... He is only 34 and has a shot at 300 victories before he retires... LaForge is 268-191 in his career... CF Chris Michel (.321/20/70/109) and 3B Manny Alou (.255/37/100/86) were the Rovers biggest run producers.

Statistically the Stoner Stars (69-85) were an average team, but record-wise they ended up in the cellar, 23.5 games back of first place Colfax... the Stars batted .265 (12th) and registered a 3.84 ERA (16th)... but they do have several very talented players in pitcher Billy Chapel (17-14 2.83) and LF Mike Jaffe (.330/31/101/96)... 28-year-old 1B Robert Dunbar (.328/22/73/73) could be a budding star that's about to bloom.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian North Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian North Final Recap

NH Hawks Fly High In TU North
The high-flying North Hills Hawks made it look easy in the Tycobbian North this season, romping to an 11-game dominance over second-place White River. Fairfax and Hartsfield deadlocked for third and trailed by 16 games. The Blue Lake Blue Sox were fourth, 17 games off the pace. In a surprising fall from grace, last year's pennant-winning Mahaska Haymakers slipped to eighth place this season.

Hub Carlson guided his North Hills Hawks (92-62) to a second division title in the last five years... Greatly improved both on the mound and in the batter's box, the Hawks rose up from seventh place in a remarkable turnaround... Carlson's staff was led by 38-year-old vet Lou Dozier (20-13 2.78), who made the All-Star team for the first time in his 14 seasons, rookie Lenny Black (18-11 3.19) and Chris Ziroff (14-14 3.23)... rookie Ben Garland was a huge plus in the bullpen with an 8-1 record, 25 saves and an ultra-low 1.67 ERA... at the plate 1B Rob Pearson (.262/20/90/65), All-Star C Todd Simons (.308/16/72/75), All-Star RF Brodie Blackburn (.297/13/65/80) and CF Jay Luna (.280/13/81/87) provided adequate offense... North Hills is good with the gloves with a .975 FA.

The White River Rascals (81-73) directed by John Randison were a modestly-talented team, average in most aspects of the game except for defense... the Rascals had a poor .968 FA... yet they had enough to finish a distant second... closer Hank Stanley had a grand season with 32 saves, superb 1.99 ERA and a 2-5 won-lost mark... starter Milt Roberts was the top starter at 17-17 and a 3.08 ERA... 22-year-old All-Star 1B Marty Blake in his fourth season had a monstrous year with a .355 BA, 46 homers, 135 RBIs and 117 runs scored... RF Johnny Stratton chipped in some good numbers with a .286 BA, 26 HR, 92 RBIs and 95 runs.

The rest of the clubs in the TU North were under .500... the Fairfax Frogs (76-78) tied for third in the standings... lousy hitting held the Frogs back... Harry Buckley's boys only hit .249 (29th)... his top hitters were vets 1B Chancey Quibedeaux (.303/19/81/87) and RF Dane Wesner (.280/22/82/74)... Wesner hasn't been the same player since missing the 2014 season with a bad shoulder... Wesner was a superstud, six-time All-Star and two-time Golden Bat winner before the injury... the Frogs have a good starting rotation in Ken Hill (18-13 2.67), Kaz Hayagawa (16-16 3.87) and Dan Hunt (15-15 3.93), along with an excellent closer in Floyd Burnett, who posted 33 saves with a superlative 1.33 ERA and a 4-2 record.

Zim Donner steered the Hartsdale Hellcats (76-78) to a sub-par season, but they did wind up in the first division, tied for the third spot... the Hellcats have good power and good scoring, but lack pitching... Tony Lane topped the twirlers with a 16-13 record and a 3.92 ERA... top bats were star 1B Tom Brabant (.327/33/115/92), a 5-time All-Star and future HOF candidate, a career .320 hitter in his 11 seasons... reliable 3B Kendry Moulton (.284/25/103/74) and All-Star SS Jud Turchin (.317/17/80/103), who both have been standout players over the years... Turchin has made the All-Star team 6 times and Moulton 3 times.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox (75-79) were in the fifth spot in the TU North, 17 games behind winning North Hills... Cobb Tyson's club improved from last place last year... the Blue Sox had a solid mound corps led by Nick Walker (16-15 3.27) and reliever Tony Reed (5-5 1.84)... Reed had an outstanding season and wound up with a sensational 1.84 ERA... not a lot of pop in the Blue Lake bats... All-Star C Justin Kucks (.287/22/100/72) was the best, followed by 14-year-veteran CF Rick Hilliard (.264/22/82/92).

Tied for sixth place were the Luxora Zorros (68-85) and Oxford Red Caps... The Zorros had average pitching (3.81 ERA), terrible offense (.249 BA) and good gloves (.976 FA)... southpaw Octavio Mercado (15-12 3.04) stood out on the hill, while All-Star Dickie Nordhagen (.295/11/75/80) led the team at bat, but slumped badly in the second half of the season.

Oxford (69-85) took quite a tumble from second place to a tie for sixth this season... manager Campy Roy had average bats with a .263 BA (14th), fine fielding with a .977 FA and a bad 4.65 team ERA (32nd)... none of the Red Cap starters were especially good... but rookie closer Arnie Bradshaw excelled with a 5-5 mark, 2.81 ERA and 30 saves... 12-year vet at 1B Eddy Dowler (.325/20/98/90) had another good solid year at the plate.

Last year's TU North champ. the Mahaska Haymakers (68-86), dropped sharply in the standings, falling to last place and 24 games out of the race... Rusty Tanussa's pitchers just didn't produce this year... but he did have two capable starters in All-Star Joey Wallace, the 23-year-old portsider, who had another fine year with a 19-12 record and a strong 2.66 ERA... and 35-year-old vet Johnny Picou, who was 16-15 with a 3.05 ERA... Mahaska has a lackluster attack as well... C Bucky O'Brian (.306/20/84/69) and All-Star 2B Garrett Glisson (.298/3/47/67) were the Blue Sox best batters.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian South Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Typhoons Late Surge Overtake Hurricanes
Turon trailed Cape Coral most of the season by 6 games or more, but the Typhoons surged past the Hurricanes with a terrific 23-5 record in August to go ahead by 3 games. Turon built it up to 5 games in September then held off Cape Coral's closing rush, which was too little, too late. The Hurricanes shaved the lead down to 2 games with two remaining, but the Typhoons won them both and took the Tycobbian South by 2 games. Ginza and Southport wound up tied for third, 12 games back.

Whitey Richburn won the division crown for the 8th time in 11 seasons... The Turon Typhoons (92-62) are a well-balanced club with good bats (.272 BA-4th) and strong pitching (3.13 ERA- 2nd), decent power (139 HR-16th) and average defense (.973 FA)... Richburn has a solid rotation with Nicky Engstrom, Ted Farentino, James Stuart and Jeb Pickett... the 27-year-old Engstrom (21-7 2.02), the IPA ERA leader, won 20 games for the 7th straight season, while 35-year-old Farentino (21-13 2.59) has found new life in Turon after laboring for 6 frustrating years in Hillsboro... Stuart (15-10 3.48) and Pickett (15-12 3.95) were Richburn's three and four starters... closer Merle Studebaker (4-5) notched 32 saves and a 3.15 ERA to head up a solid bullpen... All-Star superstar Clyde Kingsford (.326/46/141/119) remains one of the best players in the IPA at age 30... CF Mack McCurnan (.282/22/98/101), RF Jack Brown (.286/20/97/78) and LF Andy Porter (.289/21/86/63), all veterans give Turon a strong outfield.

Most of the year it looked like defending champion Cape Coral (90-64) was headed for its second successive division crown season, but the Hurricanes got blown away by Turon torrid August... still Huggy Miller has a fine ball club with a .273 BA (4th), 783 runs (3rd), fairly good pitching with a 3.81 ERA (16th) and standout defense with a .979 FA... strikeout king Cody Burg (20-13 2.74) had another standout season... Burg leads the IPA in wins with a 290-177 record and also with over 3900 strikeouts... Burg led the TU for the 13th time in Ks with 298... it was also the best in the IPA... second-year starter Ray Salisbury (21-11 3.04) made the All-Star team and won 20 games again... number three starter Zane Robinson (18-9 3.66) had his best year in a lackluster career... 16-year veteran 3B Flipper Bird (.299/20/70/124) had his best season in 10 years... All-Star 2B Lonnie Moon (.289/18/85/92) had his best year in a while... 1B Avery Womack (.321/15/83/67) topped the 'Canes in BA... and CF Derek Ryckman (.254/14/82/100) hit productively and fielded brilliantly with no errors in the outfield.

The Ginza Ninjas (80-74) and Southport Sun Sox tied for the third spot in the TU South standings and finished 12 games off the pace... skipper Huroko Uchiyama's top performers were All-Star pitchers Carl Trebek (19-17 3.36) and Kakuzo Harimoto (3-5 3.10)... both tailed off in the second half of the season, when the Ninjas fell well back of the top two teams... Harimoto wound up with 29 saves... superstar C Crash Davis carried the club with a .367 BA, 34 home runs, 104 RBIs and 116 runs scored... helped out by CF Jack Vorland (.277/24/95/86) and 1B Hiroji Fujikawa (.286/9/81/97).

Southport (80-74), managed by Charley Oscar, got better pitching and moved up from sixth place to a third-place tie and the first division, playing over .500 baseball for the first time since its only playoff season in 2002... Wilcy Lord (17-10 3.12) and rookie Bob Montgomery (18-15 2.93) paced the Sun Sox mound staff, aided greatly by closer Danny Fontaine (2-3), who registered 24 saves with an excellent 1.81 ERA... LF Walt Muller was the top batter with a .289 mark, 25 homers and 94 RBIs.

The Summerland Sunsets (76-78) came in fifth, 16 games away from first place Turon... Will Hackett's club hit poorly with a .246 BA (27th), had only 124 homers (22th), were fairly good in the hill with a 3.54 team ERA (11th), but they stood out with one of the best bullpens in the IPA with a 2.74 ERA... The Sunset relievers led the TU... closer Leon Mullin compiled a 6-4 record with 27 saves and an impressive 2.29 ERA... rubber-armed vet Denny Coulon (18-16 2.82) was Summerland's top starter... Coulon has posted a 259-217 mark with an outstanding 2.92 ERA in his 16 years in the league... CF Jim Garrison (.310/26/82/99) and 3B John Reynaud (.281/20/71/96) led the batters.

Uncle Robbie Wilbertson's Colchester Elites (72-82) ended up near the bottom again for the second consecutive season... they came in sixth, 20 games out in the pennant race... Wilbertson doesn't have a lot of talent except for All-Star 1B Harlan Roscoe (.314/28/82/83) and even he had deflated numbers this year, despite a good first half showing... Roscoe could be slowing down at age 36 and 15 years in the IPA... the Elites hit only .257 (18th) with 114 homers (13th), ranking 18th in scoring... on the mound the team ERA stood at a mediocre 4.14 (24th)... best starter was Shannon Hayden (14-16 3.29)... closer Don Richard (5-9) had 27 saves and a strong 2.37 ERA.

In 2015, the Arroyo Grande Suns (71-83) unexpectedly popped up from 7th to 3rd in TU South, but this year came back down to earth and back into 7th place again, trailing by 21 games... Jean-Luc Marchand's charges, playing in hitter-friendly Capet Stadium, hit the ball well with a .265 BA (12th), scored well (12th) and went deep very well with 196 roundtrippers (3rd), but need help in the pitching department, which chalked up a poor 4.14 team ERA (23rd)... however, the Suns do possess a good starting foursome in 24-year-old Ray Reed (15-14 3.42), 26-year-old Ernie Mathews (16-20 3.87), and two oldtimers, 40-year-old Aydan Havilland (15-15 3.90) and 37-year-old Miguel Aguilera (13-17 4.04)... at the plate the Suns really shine with All-Star RF Buddy Bechnel (.313/46/92/122), All-Star SS Andy Pearson (.359/27/90/100) and 1B Sherm Miles (.302/28/96/71).

For the third season in a row the hapless San Alejo Montaneros (60-94) found themselves in the TU South basement, 32 games behind... manager Lando Peceda has an atrocious team with a pathetic .225 BA (32nd) and a bad 4.42 team ERA (29th)... 22-year-old closer Robby Franks was Peceda's only talent... Franks was 5-1 with 13 saves and a great 1.92 ERA... 23-year-old starter Iggy Cobos (11-20 3.47) gave the Montaneros a lot of quality innings and deserved a better fate... it would really be embarrassing to list San Alejo's top hitters, so I won't.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian East Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Overwhelms TU East Again
For the second year in a row and fifth time in the last 7 years, the Ozarka Naturals have claimed the Tycobbian East pennant. Ozarka zapped everybody in the league and rang up 105 victories to easily take the division title by 16 games over the High Mesa Cowboys, 17 games over the South Fork Stallions and 24 games better than the Midway Wolves. The Nats were not challenged this year like last year. Tuckanarra went into the tank this season and plunged from second place to seventh place. The Blue Jays fought Ozarka tooth-and-nail in 2015 before being edged out by 3 games.

It was hard to improve on 99 wins last year, but Ozarka (105-49) did it by being the best in hitting with a super .287 BA, scoring with 818 runs and pitching with a strong 3.09 ERA... the Nats were also second in fielding with a fine .977 FA... Joe Mac Carney's club racked up 105 wins this season... no one was close to them... the Nats featured four quality starters in their youthful rotation, sparked by All-Star Benny Ostermann (25-6 2.58), Wayne Gates (24-13 2.82) and Eddie Roberts (15-5 3.00), along with Dennis Purcell (17-7 3.60)... no one is older than 28 and should be around for years to come, which is bad news for the league... on the hill or in the batter's box Ozarka really dazzles... All-Star 3B Andre Dumas (.359/45/123/114) was even better than his colossal rookie season last year... and he had plenty of support from 1B Benny Rousseau (.316/34/99/84), All-Star 2B Todd Chadwick (.301/19/92/99) and C Frank Kiffin (.320/14/66/91)... Look for Ozarka to go far in the Pro Cup playoffs... the Naturals will likely be favored to take it all this year.

Ozarka had no competition this season in the division... runner-up High Mesa (89-65) was a distant 16 games off the pace... Frisky Franks' Cowpokes play in a home run paradise Queen Ranch Stadium and pile up lots of runs and homers, but also surrenders a lot of them... High Mesa went deep 244 times to lead the IPA and batted .267 (7th)... its pitching staff recorded a sky-high 4.41 ERA (28th)... it needs to be around the 4.00 mark for the Cowboys to challenge for the division crown... High Mesa has two solid starters... young 23-year-old Frankie Walsh (21-10 3.59) has been quite impressive in his first two seasons... 14-year vet Kent Wells (13-7 4.04) is still hanging in there at 37... on the offensive side of the ledger sheets the Cowboys have four batters with 30 or more roundtrippers... now in his fourth year splendid All-Star 1B Jack Elliott (.367/53/130/133) continues to put up massive numbers... other strong contributors are LF Danny Nash (.297/30/91/88), RF Darrel Alston (.266/31/83/81) and 3B Wild Deer Etchimin (.268/31/82/89)... High Mesa is the best fielding club in the IPA with an excellent .979 FA... the Cowboys and Cape Coral are tied for the top spot in fielding.

The South Fork Stallions (88-66) came in third in the TU East under manager Duroche "Lips" Leon, 17 games back... the Hosses coupled good hitting and pitching... they put up a .277 BA (2nd) and a good 3.48 team ERA (8th)... the Stallions climbed up from sixth place in 2015... top pitchers include newcomer Sean Swensen (22-10 2.83), obtained in a trade with Valmara in the pre-season and Blackie Terranova (17-13 3.06)... Swensen was an All-Star... top batters are All-Star CF Robby Michael (.355/25/100/80), 1B Joe Peters (.329/30/100/103), RF Terry Goudeau (.261/24/94/85) and 2B Gabe Barksdale (.263/19/93/68).

Cochise Chandler brought his Midway Wolves (81-73) in the first division for the sixth season in a row... the Wolves wound up 24 games out in fourth place in the standings... two fine starters Sherm Jarvis (24-13 3.26) and Motega Wolf (17-16 3.01) carried the team... both suffered from the lack of offense... Midway batted only .250 (23rd), but did slam 198 home runs (2nd)... the Wolves were ranked only 15th in runs scored however... closer Dom Vilaggio (0-4) saved 30 games and compiled an outrageously low 0.70 ERA... at the plate Chandler's best bats belonged to 1B Gerry Jordan (.274/38/109/92) and CF Johnny Lee (.273/25/80/94).

The Hillsboro Blazers (75-79) have never made the playoffs in their IPA history... in fact, Arky Spanderson's club has never had a winning season... but Hillsboro climbed up out of the cellar and ran fifth this year, 30 games behind in the standings... the Blazers have power with 178 homers (5th) and a couple of quality arms... Pat Buettner (21-13 3.32) had a sensational season considering he has to pitch in tiny Hanford Stadium... Tom Edgar (17-14 2.99) was an even tougher pitcher, but didn't get good run support... 1B Andy Jefferson carried the club with 40 homers and 93 RBIs, but batted only .268 for average.

The sixth spot went to Mack Connery's Red Bluff Red Sox (74-80), who wound up 31 games out of first place... the Red Sox's top performers were superstar 1B Tommy Klegg (.306/36/132/96), who had another very productive year at age 37... and two starters: John Dougherty (17-19 3.14) and Grady Daggs (15-15 3.56)... overall Red Bluff was mediocre in batting and pitching, but very good with a .977 FA.

It was a woeful year for Carlton "Lefty" Stevens and his Tuckanarra Blue Jays (71-83), who sunk near the bottom of the TU East and finished a very disappointing seventh, 34 games behind division-winning Ozarka... The Blue Jays were runners-up in the previous two seasons... What caused the bottom to drop out, no one is quite sure... brilliant fielder and lead-off man CF Earl O'Brien retired at 39 at the top of his game... O'Brien really could cover the ground in center field and had a career .996 FA... that was one reason with the rest of the blame going to the pitching staff which just did not perform as well this season... Titus Bristow (16-21) lost a lot of games due to poor run support... he was as good as ever with a sparkling 2.79 ERA... Roy Spence was 16-3 last year and 18-17 this year... his ERA also rose up from 2.65 to 3.60 this season... Yuka Nawajuk (16-12 3.51) had his usual steady season... closer Stephen Eubarinja (1-3) saved 19 games, but didn't get as many save opportunities as usual... Eubarinja posted a very fine 1.72 ERA... Stevens still has quality bats in his line-up with 1B Erik Vayda (.294/16/107/76), RF Danny Redd (.346/69/96) and SS Rocky Fuqua (.310/12/56/95).

The East Point Panthers (59-95) had another horrendous season under Griff Clarke... they finished last for the fifth time in the last seven seasons... Clarke doesn't have a lot of pitching and not a lot of hitting... the Panthers compiled a 4.60 team ERA (31st)... its bullpen is even worse with a 5.26 ERA (31st)... they batted .260 (16th) this year with 141 homers (15th), but didn't score well, ranking 25th... East Point does have some talent... on the hill Bingo Long (10-22 4.04) and Erke Tonisson (12-18 3.80) are capable hurlers, but in need of more run support... the Panthers usually reliable hard-hitting 2B Jesse Goodwin tailed off considerably at age 41... the five-time All-Star dipped to .256 at the plate with only 23 home runs and 84 RBIs.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian West Final Standings and Team Batting Statistics

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Tuesday, September 20, 2016

2016 Tycobbian West Final Recap

Bayview Wins TU West, But Blows Huge Lead
"Too close for comfort" said manager Walter Johanssen when the Bayview Vikings finally clinched the Tycobbian West flag. The Viks were 17 games up on second-place Bay St. Clair going into the last six weeks of the season, but held off the defending division champs by a scant 3 games. The Buccaneers went 32-17 down the stretch, while Bayview slumped badly to 18-27. Rolling Hills was way back in third place, 17 games behind in the race. Fourth-place Kenwood was 21 games off the pace.

Bayview (95-59) combined good pitching and good hitting to knock off Bay St. Clair... the Viks could score and had a good starting four... rookie All-Star Harald Turi (26-4 2.19) had an amazing debut in the IPA... and Turi had plenty of help from vets Norm Roy (19-10 3.90) and Rick Pritchard (18-15 3.27)... number four starter Don Griggs (11-6 3.19) contributed, too... but it was the Bayview bats that made the difference in the pennant race... a line-up with All-Star 3B Karl Benson (.337/40/138/90), All-Star LF Davey Krueger (.299/43/105/102), RF Tommy Riddle (.272/36/112/98), 1B Stan Haddix (.321/18/54/89) and 2B Tommy Shore (.289/6/51/112) is hard to beat.

The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (92-62) waited too late to make their move and couldn't quite catch the Vikings... last year's TU West winner and Pro Cup finalist just didn't have the hitting to beat Bayview... Guy Rondre's Bucs were much improved over last year's club, mainly on the mound, but still didn't repeat... Rondre's veteran rotation consists of All-Star Benny Coates (24-10 2.97), Duke DeVree (18-12 3.07), Chris Van Arden (15-12 3.43) and Bobby Joe Belvin (16-9 3.60)... Bay St. Clair's top batters were 1B Gerry Fields (.300/43/120/87), CF Todd Bryant (.252/25/89/105) and 2B Bud Walker (.287/3/53/99).

Manager Matty Christianson got good mileage out of the Rolling Hills Reds (78-76) this season, boosting them from seventh place to a third-place spot, but 17 games out... Christianson had good pitching with a 3.44 team ERA (6th), but weak bats... the Reds batted only .247 (25th) and ranked 19th in runs... Sal Jordan (15-18 2.87) was the top pitcher, but didn't get good run support like rookie Fred O'Neil (17-12 3.20) and vet Ernie Watkins (17-12 4.05)... closer Alfonso Gonzales (4-5 2.47) led a strong bullpen with 28 saves... top hitters were 3B Clay Hoffman (.290/33/107/79), LF Donnie Lewis (.322/6/63/93) and 1B Michael Griffin, who slugged 29 homers, drove in 97 runs, but batted only .236 for average.

The Kenwood Wildcats (74-80) under the guidance of Aaron Hankins won the IPA Pro Cup two seasons ago, but has seen its offense go south since and the club has dropped in the standings down to fourth place, 21 games back of Bayview... the Wildcats hit only .246 (26th) with only 99 homers (30th)... Kenwood pitching is not what it was in the title season, either... Hankins' hill corps put up a 3.73 ERA (14th), paced by Sammy Shaw (17-13 3.47), Connie Gavagan (16-16 3.65) and Sol Yakis (14-11 3.65)... 37-year-old LF Dennis Riley (.280/25/89/68) was the only dependable hitting in the batting order.

The Chicopee Braves (68-86) dropped from a strong second in 2015 to a distant fifth-place finish in 2016, trailing by 27 games... Harry Fleetwood's Braves were inept at the plate with a .239 mark (31st) and also ranked near the bottom in scoring and homers... on the mound they were fairly good with a 3.50 team ERA (10th)... All-Star Tommy Ruffin (18-13 3.11) and Scotty Simmons (16-13 3.68) led the club in victories, but vet Desmond Quartermain (11-16 2.97) was the ace, a victim many times of an impotent offense... reliable C Ivan Burkholder (.290/24/88/80) again led the Chicopee hitters.

The La Claire Lynx (65-89) can put runs on the scoreboard, but not enough to outscore the opposition... skipper Rip Calkin's ball club hit .274 (3rd) with 170 roundtrippers (6th) and finished tied for 5th in scoring, yet came in sixth, 30 games in back of the division winner... the pitching staff compiled a poor 4.58 ERA (30th)... only vet Andy Murray (15-15 3.62) could get anyone out with regularity... gifted All-Star and future HOF-er LF Zeppy Deshotel (.355/33/126/112) put up career numbers to spark the attack with much help from All-Star 3B Flash Devlin (.331/41/122/128) and RF Taro Nakanishi (.267/27/113/71)... 33-year-old Deshotel is a 7-time All-Star and a lifetime .311 hitter in his 12 seasons... Devlin is 23 years of age, a lifetime .325 batter and has made the All-Star squad twice in his four seasons.

Times have gotten hard for Gary Louis' Arlon Champions (62-92) since winning the TU West title in 2012... this season the Champs sank down to seventh place and 33 games out... they were a very close third last year... basically Arlon is just a bad ball team with a .242 BA (30th), 115 HRs (25th) and a 4.37 team ERA (27th)... vets Armando Cruz (14-19 3.82) and Happy McManus (14-20 3.83) are the Champs best chuckers... 31-year-old LF Rocco Belasario (.321/28/85/104) is still a solid, all-around performer after 12 years... Belasario has made the All-Star team 5 times and has 4 gold gloves.

The glory days have disappeared for the Denton City Redbirds (61-93)... they have 6 pennants flying in the wind at Douglas Denton Field... manager Ford Whiteman hoisted the last one in 2013 and the Redbirds have fallen into mediocrity ever since... this season they posted their worst record ever, by far, and fell down to the cellar, 34 games behind... no longer does Denton City have potent bats and strong pitching... the Redbirds are near the bottom with a .245 BA (28th), just 95 home runs (31st), 31st in scoring and just passable with a 3.96 team ERA (21st)... toss in lousy defense, too, with a .968 FA... the only thing Whiteman has to smile about is his pitching star and clear-cut Hall-of-Famer Mila Mohoski... the 37-year-old splendid southpaw was only 15-15 this year, but he chalked up a fine 2.93 ERA... Lifetime Mohoski is 281-191 with a 3.04 ERA... he is also 16-11 with a 3.07 ERA in the postseason.

[Eugene Church]

The Islandian Times
Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Pro Cup Begins Tomorrow, FM Redhawks Favored
It's Pro Cup time in the Islands - the time when all the best teams go head-to-head on the diamonds until only one is left - the number one pro baseball team in Islandia. The playoffs start tomorrow afternoon at four sites.

In the Ruthlandian Union Elite 8 Series the Far Mountain Redhawks will be home hosting the Belair Beach Sunbirds and the Colfax Blasters travel to play the Eastshore Elegants. The Redhawks had the best record against the other division winners in regular season match-ups with a 10-8 record, Colfax was 8-7, Eastshore 7-8 and Belair Beach was 5-7.

In the Tycobbian Union Ozarka Naturals will be entertaining the Bayview Vikings and the Turon Typhoons will be on the road against the North Hills Hawks. During the season Ozarka posted the best overall mark against the other three challengers. The Nats were 10-7, Bayview 9-8, North Hills 8-9 and Turon 7-10.

In the annual Pro Cup poll conducted by The Islandian Times, the nod goes to Far Mountain of the Ruthlandian Union to emerge the Pro Cup champion this year. Overall Ruthlandia has an 8-7 edge over Tycobbia in the yearly competition. The Redhawks (89-65) have a veteran team that has been there before and won three Pro Cups, more than any other club.

Ozarka (105-49) was rated the best team in the Tycobbian Union. The Naturals won 105 games this season, the most in the IPA.

The Turon Typhoons (92-62) were third in the poll. They have won two Pro Cups in their history and are back with a solid team again.

The Eastshore Elegants (96-58) topped everybody in the RU in victories and are rated the fourth-best team in the playoffs. They are returning to the postseason after a 13-year absence with a well-balanced club that can do everything well.

Picked fifth in the balloting were the Bayview Vikings (95-59). The Viks have not been to the playoffs since 2007.

Coming in sixth in the vote were the Belair Beach Sunbirds (87-67), an experienced team that lost out to Pro Cup champion Kenwood just two years ago.

The Colfax Blasters (93-62) were picked the seventh-best in the balloting and are the only other team with a Pro Cup title. They won it in 2010 over Turon. Colfax has the best pitching in the IPA, but haven't done well in the postseason lately because of weak hitting. Same thing this year. The Blasters are not likely to challenge for the title.

The North Hills Hawks (92-62) were ranked last in the poll and the least likely to nab the Pro Cup this year. North Hills hasn't had much playoff success in its history. It shows only one playoff appearance in 2012. The experts say the Hawks are a good club, but don't have the overall talent of the other teams.

The baseball analysts have spoken, now it's up to teams and the players to decide the 2016 Pro Cup champion. Naturally games are not won in the paper, they are won on the field.