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Old 11-05-2010, 04:12 PM   #2101
Eugene Church
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Tuesday, June 20, 2017

2017 Ruthlandian East Mid-Season Recap

Elegants Too Strong, 12 Games Up At Mid-Year
Last year's Pro Cup champs, the Eastshore Elegants are taking up where they left off last season. Nobody can compete with them. The Elegants have soared to a huge 12-game lead at the All-Star Game and should coast to a second straight RU East pennant with a strong chance to win the Pro Cup again. Beechwood and Cold Creek are tied for second, followed by Elnora, 18 games behind. Marston, Sugar Valley and Wynnamac are deadlocked for fifth and trail by 19. Poor Belle Plaine pulls up the rear and is 23 games off the pace.

Manager Killer Brewster's Eastshore Elegants (53-20) are overpoweringly good with super pitching (2.80 team ERA) and solid hitting (.275 BA)... not great defensively (.970 FA), but it doesn't seem to matter... last year's RU MVP and All-Star Danny Siegfried (10-4), Eddie Lance (12-4), All-Star Melvin Key (12-4) and Al Froelich (10-3) form the best foursome in the IPA and All-Star closer Jack Wilson (1-1) is as good as it gets in the bullpen with 15 saves and a 0.92 ERA... Eastshore has a solid line-up led by LF Todd Sheppard (.348/14 HR), RF Stan Cuccinello (.312/14 HR), CF Larry Lowe (.289/5 HR) 2B Gerry Garner (.274/11) and SS Gil Lantz (.280/8).

The Beechwood Bobcats (41-32) are knotted up with the Cold Creek Catamounts for second place in the RU East... Bret George is in charge in Beechwood... he has three fine starters in All-Star Terry Kuznetsov (13-4), Knucks Nomellini (11-5) and Billy Ray (8-8)... best Bobcat bats are All-Star CF Vic Valenti (.354/16 HR), SS Rolf Kellgren (.318/4 HR) and LF Ryan Ray (.273/14 HR)... and the Bobcats play very good defense with a .978 FA... George has the second-best club in the RU East.

Cold Creek (41-32) has a new manager... CF Trip Holmes took over for his granddaddy this season as a playing manager... Holmes (.290/12 HR) is still quite a ballplayer at age 38... the Catamounts get by with offense and poor pitching... All-Star RF Emile Stosha (.316/17 HR) and LF Charlie Blankenship (.333/12) head up a potent attack... it might be tough for Cold Creek to stay with Beechwood unless Holmes can find some pitchers.

The Elnora All-Stars (35-38) also have a new skipper in Sam Malone... Elnora is in fourth place, but headed nowhere... Malone has bad pitching, but good hitting, led by RF Lloyd Voss (.332/8 HR), 1B Michael Griffin (.292/14 HR) and C Leon Carter (.280/11 HR).

Marston, Sugar Valley and Wynnamac are tied for fifth in the standings, 19 games off the pace... Johnny Walters doesn't have much pitching this season in Marston (34-39), but he does have two good vets in CF Russ Woodward (.307/16 HR) and 3B Jimmy Holman (.254/14).

Manager Gibby Bobkins' Sugar Valley Rattlers (34-39) can score runs well, but can't stop the opposition... a 5.03 team ERA will just not cut it... two All-Stars Glenn Christian (.294/14 HR) and C Hal Stevenson (.336/15 HR) led the Rattler bats... Stevenson is a 9-time All-Star.

The Wynnamac Sundowners (34-39) are a mediocre team, but do have a fine starter in Jerry Meeks (11-6) and a good closer In Cal Crawford (2-1), who has 13 saves and a 1.85 ERA... some quality bats, too, topped by RF Joey Eaton (.320/16 HR), CF Clive Farham (.286/16) and long-time star LF Big Hoss Burkhalter (.280/11 HR).

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (30-43) are still at the bottom of the division... owner Boo Ladrieux fired himself and gave the job to former pitching star Lou Dozier, who just retired last year... Dozier did not inherit much in the way of talent except for veteran twirler Brad Anderson (9-6) and SS Scott Hammill (.310/12 HR)... Dozier has a lot of work to do to get the Muskies competitive.

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-05-2010 at 11:21 PM.
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Old 11-05-2010, 09:34 PM   #2102
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2017 Ruthlandian West Mid-Season Recap

RU West Strong, 6 Teams Contend
The Ruthlandian West is one of the strongest divisions in the IPA with 6 quality ball clubs playing over .500 ball. Rocky Rapids is atop of the standings with a 2-game edge over the Volusia Vigilantes, 6 over third place Sligo and Stoner, 8 up on fifth place Fort Benton and 9 games ahead of defending champion Colfax.

Ryan Noland, skipper of the Rocky Rapids Snappers (47-26), has come close the last four years and this year could be the year... the Snappers are quite good with four All-Stars, a .267 team BA (10th) and a 3.34 team ERA (6th)... sparking the pitching corps are All-Star Don Chaney (11-3) and Norrie Wickham (10-5), along with bullpen ace Earl Pitts (2-2), who has chalked up 17 saves with a 2.03 ERA... top bats include 11-time All-Star C Hank Bethel (.333/12 HR) and All-Star 2B Paul Shelton (.307/14 HR).

As good as Rocky Rapids looks, the Volusia Vigilantes (45-28) look even better... the V's have finished no worse than 3 games out of first place the last 5 seasons... manager Alfonso Feliz has them poised to finally get back to the playoffs after a 12-year drought... Volusia has top-notched hitting with a .270 BA (7th) and great pitching with a 3.03 ERA (2nd)... vets Alejandro Rio (12-4) and Gerry Hersh (10-4) lead a strong mound staff... at the plate two All-Stars head up the batting order... CF Joe DeLucca (.329/17) and SS Vince Wilson (.319/18 HR) are two of the best in the IPA... also helping out are 1B Rafael Garza (.310/6 HR) and rookie C Ismael Gomez (.296/10 HR).

Skipper Eddie Keys has the Sligo Rovers (41-32) on the rise and tied for third place with another club that's moving up in the standings, the Stoner Stars... Sligo was seventh in 2016 and Stoner was last... Sligo has three solid starters in Jasper LaForge (11-3), Luka Abromowitz (9-6) and rookie Lee Patterson (8-7)... Keys has some quality bats in RF Clell Renshaw (.310/18) and 3B Manny Alou (.313/15 HR).

Long-time catcher Benny Stern is now the manager of the Stoner Stars (41-32), replacing Willie Dickens... Stern played 14 seasons with the club and finished with a .288 BA, 278 homers and 1129 RBIs and retired at the end of last season...the Stars are tied for third and are 6 games behind division-leading Rocky Rapids... Strong pitching has helped the team turnaround... the staff has compiled a 3.32 ERA (5th)... the team is hitting .270 (8th), but has trouble scoring, ranking 23rd... Billy Chapel (11-6) and Don Patterson (8-4) lead the rotation... LF Mike Jaffe (.321/13 HR) and 1B Robert Dunbar (.313/10 HR) are the best batters.

Fifth place belongs to the Fort Benton Defenders (39-34)... they trail by 6 games... Robbie Brooks has a winning team for the fifth year in a row, led by a solid pitching rotation that has posted a 3.35 ERA (7th)... All-Star Cal Walger (12-4), Tucker Dawes (6-6) and Vic Kessler (8-5) are the staff leaders... at the plate the Defenders score well (5th), but do it without any firepower... they have only 36 homers (31st)... Brooks' best bats are 1B Stretch Stookey (.316/5 HR), 2B Pete Duvalier (.305/1 HR), rookie RF Joe Darwall (.318/6 HR) and C Jeff DeSaix (.313/7 HR).

Clem Rogers and his Colfax Blasters (38-35) are experiencing a down year after winning the last three RU West pennants... they have dipped to sixth place and are 9 games back, mainly because of inept hitting... the team is batting only .241 (30th) and is 24th in scoring... Colfax still has a strong set of starters in Cliff James (9-4 2.78), Jimmy Joe Cartner (9-6 2.92), Ilya Szabo (6-11 2.93) and Rodger Wright (5-7 3.05), but they get very little run support... Rogers only has one productive bat: All-Star 3B Mike Janocko (.321/12 HR).

The Forest City Lumberjacks (34-39) are in the seventh spot in the standings, 13 games off the pace of leading Rocky Rapids... dismal pitching is manager Robby Jackson's dilemma... the club has a poor 4.08 team ERA (21st)... hitting is alright with a .264 mark (14th), but the 'Jacks have difficulty putting runs on the scoreboard (19th) despite 84 homers (4th)... the biggest plus Jackson has is his All-Star closer Andy Velasco (2-1) with 18 saves and a microscopic 1.32 ERA... most of the runs come from this foursome: CF Luc St. Germain (.312/12 HR), C George Arnick (.327/10 HR), 1B Andy Doiron (.291/10 HR) and star LF Joe Judlin (.303/19 HR).

Smitty Michaels and his Middlefield Roosters (32-41) continue to languish deep in the RU West bottom rung... the Roosters haven't made the playoffs in 11 long-suffering seasons... this year they are again locked in the cellar with no way of escaping... Middlefield is 15 games out of first... Michaels' club hit well for average with a great .287 mark (1st), have some power with 74 home runs (11th) and score well (6th), but are not much when it comes to mound work... the Rooster staff has compiled a 4.36 team ERA (27th)... a lot of that is due to the small dimensions of homer-haven Middlefield Park... Michaels does have some talent with two All-Stars: 1B Ricky Tinker (.334/11 HR) and rookie LF Vic Ivarsson (.333/15 HR)... SS Jim Rose (.321/9 HR) and CF Chuck Larkin (.303/17 HR) have put up good numbers, too.
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Old 11-06-2010, 08:57 PM   #2103
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2017 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

Haymakers Make Hay In TU North, Up By 4
At the mid-summer break, the Mahaska Haymakers enjoy a 4-game edge over second place Blue Lake in the Tycobbian North race. Luxora is third, trailing by 6 and Fairfax is fourth, 8 games to the rear. In the second division, Hartsdale and Oxford are tied for fifth, 9 games off the pace. White River and North Hills have plunged from the top last season to the bottom this year. The Rascals are in seventh place, 10 games behind. White River finished second in 2016. Last year's pennant winner North Hills has gone from first to worst, 12 games out.

Mahaska (41-32) benefits from playing in the weakest division in the TU. Only two teams have their heads above the .500 mark... skipper Rusty Tanussa's Haymakers have seesawed from first to last and back again in the last year and a half... Mahaska is only an average club with a .264 BA (15th) and a 3.69 team ERA (11th)... Tanussa's pitching has recovered from last season with All-Star Joey Wallace (9-4) and Yuri Dozhenko (11-7) leading the revival... All-Star C Bucky O'Brian (.329/15 HR) is the Haymakers only dependable bat.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox (37-36) are second to Mahaska, 4 games back... they both are very similar teams... the Sox are hitting .260 (17th) with little scoring power and a 3.64 ERA (10th)... Cobb Tyson's best pitchers are Nick Walker (8-7) and Kip Day (7-6)... top bats are veteran CF Rick Hilliard (.306/13 HR) and 2B Herb Blair (.323/5 HR).

The Luxora Zorros (35-38) have a new manager in Cristo Viamonte, who played for them from 2002 to 2006... the Z's have sneaked up into third place, 6 games behind the Haymakers... Viamonte's team is terribly inept at the plate, batting only .236 (31st)... on the hill the staff has compiled a decent 3.69 ERA (12th)... rookie Tiago Torres (8-8) and Octavio Mercado (5-5) are Luxora's most reliable hurlers... rookie RF Jon Stafford (.274/19 HR) is just about the only bat.

The fourth-place Fairfax Frogs (33-40) are 8 games away from first... Harry Buckley's boys are not much at bat, like most of the TU North... the Frogs are hitting just .239 (30th) and really have trouble scoring (30th)... RF Dane Wesner (.260/8 HR) is Buckley's best... pitcher Ken Hill is having a great year, but has nothing to show for it because of the poor run support... Hill is only 9-8 with a fine 2.26 ERA.

Zim Donner's Hartsdale Hellcats (32-41) are playing like pussy cats again this year, tied for the fifth spot in the TU North with Oxford... Mediocre batting and pitching are the culprits... the Hellcats are hitting only .252 (24th) and carry a 4.26 ERA (27th)... Donner does have two fine players in All-Star SS Jud Turchin (.337/11 HR) and 1B Tom Brabant (.285/18 HR)... Turchin is a 7-time all-star and Brabant has made it 5 times... both are 36 years old.

Campy Roy is not a happy camper... his Oxford Red Caps (32-41) are in fifth place, but not playing well at all, like most of the teams in the division... the Red Caps have horrendous pitching with a sky-high 4.95 ERA (31st), while batting a modest .258 (20th)... neither is a recipe for success in the IPA... Oxford only has one notable player in All-Star 1B Eddy Dowler, who is hitting a lofty .367, third in the league with 13 homers... Dowler is a 38-year-old veteran with 13 years in the IPA and is a career .304 hitter.

Manager John Randison at White River (31-42) saw his pitching go to pot and soar to 4.75 (29th) this year, causing the Rascals to plummet from second to seventh... White River is the best hitting team in the TU North with a .270 batting mark (7th)... All-Star 1B Marty Blake is sporting a .358 BA and leads the IPA with 30 homers and is on pace to challenge the IPA season record, held by High Mesa's Jack Elliott, who slammed 61 out of the park in 2013... LF Johnny Stratton (.307/9 HR) is also a solid contributor.

It's been a roller coaster ride for Hub Carlson and the North Hills Hawks (29-44) over the last six seasons... the Hawks went from first to sixth, second to seventh and now first to last... this season they are in the cellar, 12 games behind first place Mahaska... there's not much good to say about the Hawks... they are hitting .259 (18th) with a lousy 4.89 ERA (30th)... 1B Lou Hooper (.325/6 HR) and 3B Billy Patterson (.307/6 HR) are Carlson's best players.

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-06-2010 at 10:57 PM.
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Old 11-08-2010, 12:33 AM   #2104
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2017 Tycobbian North Mid-Season Recap

TU South 6-Team Race, Colchester Leader
There won't be a two-team battle this season between perennial powers Turon and Cape Coral. It could be as many a six clubs in the fray in the Tycobbian South. At the All-Star hiatus Colchester and Arroyo Grande have surged to the forefront above Turon and Cape Coral. Colchester is on top by 4 games over runners-up Arroyo Grande and Cape Coral, with Turon and Summerland in the fourth spot, standing close by and only 5 games off the pace. The Ginza Ninjas are sixth and 6 games back with Southport ranking seventh, 11 out, followed by last-place San Alejo, 18 games out.

After several down seasons, the first-place Colchester Elites (43-30) have been energized by several rookies this year... Uncle Robbie Wilbertson has lifted them up from also-ran status to serious pennant contender... Colchester hits very well with a .275 BA (3rd) and does a fine job on the mound with a 3.77 ERA (15th)... rookie starters Jon McGinn (11-4) and Don Green (11-5) give the Elites two excellent starters... All-Star closer Don Richard (4-1) has chalked up 19 saves and posted an excellent 1.06 ERA... Wilbertson has 5 fine hitters, including four .300 batters... sparked by All-Star SS Patsy Bates (.332/3 HR), rookie 3B Rod Newton (.331/2 HR), 2B Johnny Robinson (.302/0 HR) and RF Robby Purdom (.301/9 HR)... all-time great 1B Harlan Roscoe (.297/14) still wields a big stick in the batting order after 16 years in the IPA... 37-year-old Roscoe has 469 homers, 1614 RBIs and a lifetime .314 batting average. Colchester looks like they are in it for the long haul and will challenge for the TU South flag... they are too well-rounded to fade out in the second half of the year.

Journeyman infielder Cyclone Cobb has taken over as skipper this season and has the Arroyo Grande Suns (39-34) playing quite well... they are tied with Cape Coral for second and are only 4 games behind in the race... Two rookie hurlers have really helped the Suns rise in the standings... Jacques Valmont (9-1 2.90) has been a very pleasant surprise, along with closer Jason Patrick (2-2), who has registered 12 saves with a superb 1.59 ERA... another rookie Earl O'Reilly (3-3 2.68) has just been added to the starting rotation... if he comes through, the Suns could give be a very serious contender in the TU South... leading the Arroyo Grande attack are All-Star SS Andy Pearson (.310/11 HR), RF Buddy Brechtel (.289/11 HR) and rookie C Gary Troxell (.265/16 HR).

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (39-34) are not as strong as they have been in recent years... Huggy Miller's hill corps is not as sound as the last two seasons... He has seen the team ERA jump up to 4.04 (22nd)... Ray Salisbury is only 8-8 with a 5.31 ERA, after winning 20 games in each of his first two seasons... veteran Cody Burg (8-8 3.39) has not been as sharp as usual... 35-year-old Burg is the all-time wins leader in the IPA with 298 victories... luckily the 'Canes Zane Robinson (11-4 2.54) is having a career year... Cape Coral doesn't hit with power (28th), but does hit for average with a .265 BA (13th), paced by four .300 hitters, including All-Star 2B Lonnie Moon (.309/11), CF Derek Ryckman (.316/8 HR), rookie 1B Dick Walker (.310/6 HR) and C Bernie Finka (.303/7 HR)... veteran 3B Flipper Bird (.284/5 HR) is also having a good year... the Hurricanes still are one of the better defensive teams in the TU South with a .976 FA.

The Summerland Sunsets (38-35) and Turon Typhoons are deadlocked for fourth place, 5 games out in the standings... manager Will Hackett depends heavily on his pitching staff... the Sunsets have a fine starting foursome in vets Denny Coulon (8-7 2.78), Pat Dreux (7-7 3.49), Mark Falzone (7-7 3.25) and young Ryan McGhee (5-5 2.86), coupled with a strong reliever Leon Mullin (6-2), who has notched 10 saves and a splendid 1.24 ERA... Hackett has two strong bats in rookie All-Star Vann Kelter (.310/17 HR) and vet CF Jim Garrison (.323/15 HR)... one or two more quality hitters are needed for Summerland to make a serious pennant bid... as a team the Sunsets are batting .257 (21st), rank 24th in scoring with 70 homers (12th).

The Turon Typhoons (38-35) are one of the most successful franchises in the IPA with 8 pennants and 3 Pro Cups, tied with the Far Mountain Redhawks of the Ruthlandian Union... since 2006 Whitey Richburn's club has finished no lower than second... therefore this season has been a disappointment so far with a tie for fourth... Turon's trouble is a ballooning team ERA, which has risen from 3.13 last year to 3.88 (17th) this season... Ted Farentino, who was so good last season with a 21-13 record and a 2.59 ERA has slumped drastically to 5-10 and 5.63... long-time ace Nicky Engstrom (8-6) is in danger of missing 20 victories for the first time in his 8 great seasons, despite a brilliant 1.70 ERA, tops in both the TU and RU... rookie Shane Farmer (13-5 3.60) has been a great additon to the staff... closer Merle Studebaker (1-2) is having a crackerjack year with 13 saves and a terrific 1.67 ERA... if Richburn can find another dependable starter, the Typhoons will be near the top... they hit well and can put runs on the scoreboard... Turon has a .271 BA (6th), are 6th in runs and 9th in homers with 75... top bats are CF Mac McCurnan (.302/19 HR), 1B Clyde Kingsford (.271/18 HR), who is having a sub-par season for him, RF Jack Brown (.304/8 HR) and LF Andy Porter (.304/8 HR)... Look out, if Kingsford goes on a second-half rampage... forecasters are predicting the Typhoons could be dangerous in the pennant hunt.

The sixth-place Ginza Ninjas (37-36) are still within striking distance, trailing by just 6 games at mid-season... Huroko Uchiyama's Ninjas hit well with a .270 mark (8th), 71 roundtrippers (1th), rated 14th in run scoring and 23rd with a poor 4.11 ERA... All-Star hurler Joji Azuma (11-6 2.28) tops the staff... bullpen leader is Kakuzo Harimoto (4-3 3.6)) with 14 saves... All-Star C Crash Davis (.329/13 HR), RF Jack Vorland (.293/9 HR) and LF Jeff Elliott (.320/3 HR) are Ginza's top guns... the Ninjas handle the gloves well with a .976 FA.

The Southport Sun Sox (32-41) are seventh and 11 games behind and not likely to get any better this season... the Sun Sox are a little better than average with a .268 BA (9th), 16th in runs and 15th in homers with 67... pitching-wise they have compiled a 3.69 team ERA (13th)... Charley Oscar best players are few in number... All-Star Bob Montgomery (9-6 2.03) has been outstanding... as well as CF Walt Muller, who has had a fine sophomore season with a .341 BA and 13 homers.

It's beginning to look like the hopeless San Alejo Montaneros (25-48) are headed for another last-place finish, the fourth successive season it's happened... new manager Marcellino Zuniga hasn't managed much of a change in the club... the Monties have no hitting and not much pitching... they bat only .236 (32nd), have trouble scoring (32nd) and possess a bad 4.22 team ERA (24th)... the only bright light on the club is pitcher Jock Giacomo (9-6 3.21).

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-14-2010 at 11:03 PM.
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Old 11-09-2010, 01:43 AM   #2105
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2017 Tycobbian East Mid-Season Recap

Ozarka On Top In Tight TU East
Playing in one of the strongest divisions in the IPA, the Ozarka Naturals have quite a challenge this season in the Tycobbian East from quite a few teams. The Nats squeezed out a game lead over second place South Fork at All-Star time. Tuckanarra is third, just 2 games out with Midway fourth and 5 games off the pace. High Mesa is in the fifth spot and trails by 7 games, followed by number six Hillsboro, 8 games back. The seventh spot belongs to the Red Bluff Red Sox, who are 10 games behind and the East Point Panthers are in the basement, behind by 18 games .

Ozarka (47-26) is itching to win its third consecutive TU East flag and get back to the Pro Cup playoffs, but this time around the Nats have some stiff competition from 5 teams... manager Joe Mac Carney has a standout club again this year with great hitting and solid pitching... the Naturals are pounding the ball at a .287 clip (1st), are second in scoring, third in homers with 92 and possess a 3.42 ERA (4th)... he has an outstanding group of starters, led by All-Star Benny Osterman (15-3 2.51), Eddie Roberts (10-3 3.59) and Wayne Gates (9-3 3.36)... Ozarka has the hitters, too, with All-Star 3B Andre Dumas (.315/18 HR), C Frank Kiffen (.364/3 HR) and RF Ken Mayberry (.325/3 HR)... the Nats are one of the top teams in the IPA and are the favorite to take this year's TU East crown.

The South Fork Stallions (46-27) are right on the tail of the Nats, separated by only a game... Duroche "Lips" Leon features three impressive starters in All-Star Sean Swensen (12-6 1.96), All-Star Blackie Terranova (13-4 2.40) and Jason Graham (10-6 3.36)... the Stallions has another All-Star chucker in the bullpen... Woody Price (3-3) has saved 17 games with a splendid 1.61 ERA... South Fork is batting .267 (11th), but can't compete with Ozarka's power and scoring... Leon's best bats are CF Robby Michael (.386/9 HR), who leads the entire IPA in batting average and is headed for a career year... 1B Joe Peters (.293) is the power man with 14 roundtrippers... the Stallions need a fourth starter to seriously contend with Ozarka.

The Blue Jays are back... Tuckanarra (45-28) slipped to seventh last year, but have climbed back near the top with super pitching, just 2 games off the lead... the Blue Jays are the best in the TU with a sensational 2.99 team ERA... Carlton "Lefty" Stevens has a formidable rotation with Titus Bristow (7-6 2.18), Yuka Nawajuk (9-5 2.96) and Roy Spence (7-4 2.85), all sporting ERAs under 3.00... Billy Boy Hawks (3-1 2.00) has just been added as the number four man in the rotation... offense is Stevens' biggest worry... Tuckanarra has little power with only 48 homers (30th), but has a respectable .262 BA (15th)... the Blue Jays best batters are All-Star RF Danny Redd (.348/8 HR) and CF Dan Hill (.272/16 HR)... another bat or two would do wonders for Tuckanarra in the pennant chase.

The Midway Wolves (42-31) are running a strong fourth and are within 5 games of first... manager Cochise Chandler's club is hitting .268 (10th) with 93 home runs (3rd) and is fourth in scoring runs... pitching is his weak point with a poor 4.23 team ERA, but Motega Wolf (15-2 2.40) is having a superlative year... at the plate the Wolves are paced by All-Star CF Johnny Lee (.317/18 HR), SS Rob Gigler (.335/11 HR) and 3B Gerry Jordan (.284/10 HR)... Midway doesn't have the talent to challenge Ozarka, South Fork and Tuckanarra... fourth place might be the best the Wolves can do.

The fifth-place High Mesa Cowboys (40-33) always have good hitting, but this season Frisky Franks has improved pitching with a 3.76 team ERA (14th)... in fact, it's the best the Cowpokes have ever had... leading the way is a 20-year-old southpaw Scotty Snyder (8-4 2.83) and veteran Frank Walsh (8-7 3.62)... Usually the Cowboys win the pennant when they post a team ERA under 4.00 in the tiny Queen Ranch Stadium... there's no worry offensively... High Mesa is batting .275 (5th) with 108 home runs (1st) and third in scoring... All-Star 1B Jack Elliott (.365/28 HR) is the premier hitting star in the IPA and he is helped by RF Darrel Alston (.307/21 HR), 2B Wild Deer Etchimin (.299/14 HR) and SS Stephen Andrews (.316/4 HR).

New skipper Rawhide Marshall has got the Hillsboro Blazers (39-34) playing the best ball they have ever played... much-improved pitching is the key... the sixth-place Blazers mound corps are headed by starters Pat Buettner (9-7 3.09), Tom Edgar (7-6 2.68) and Yank Yoland (8-7 3.52)... with a lot of help from closer Randy Love (2-2) with 14 saves and a strong 2.42 ERA... however, Hillsboro is hitting only .245 (28th), but has 80 homers (8th)... scoring runs is a problem for Marshall... his only reliable bats are 1B Andy Jefferson (.275/17 HR) and CF Bob Graham (.289/5 HR).

It shows you the strength of a division when the seventh-place club is one game over .500 mark... the Red Bluff Red Sox (37-36) also have a new skipper in Bucky Frizzell, who played five seasons with the team in the early years of the IPA... the Red Sox do it with the bats with a .275 batting average (4th) and 85 roundtrippers (6th)... they are tied for 9th in scoring runs... but Red Bluff is hopeless on the hill with a 4.51 team ERA (28th)... All-Star rookie RF Ron van Riebe (.341/13 HR) and super 13-year vet Tommy Klegg (.264/24 HR) lead the attack... durable veterans John Dougherty (9-8 3.80) and Grady Daggs (8-7 3.73) head up the mound staff... the Red Sox do handle defense well with a terrific .984 FA, the best in the IPA.

The East Point Panthers (29-44) haven't had a winning season since 2008... and it's not likely new manager Rex Sokolov will change that this year... the Panthers are deep in the cellar and are 18 games behind leading Ozarka... East Point can't hit or pitch... the Panthers carry a .252 BA (25th), have 54 homers (28th-tied) and don't score many runs (21st)... and the pitching is terrible with a 5.06 team ERA (32nd)... CF Sozi Akiyama (.280/8 HR) and 1B Gil Rayfor (.317/1 HR) are the Panthers most productive hitters... and Bingo Long (6-9 4.17) is the top pitcher.

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-09-2010 at 01:54 AM.
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Old 11-09-2010, 10:34 PM   #2106
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2017 Tycobbian West Mid-Season Recap

BSC Bucs In A Breeze, Big Lead In TU West
It's not much of a pennant race at the halfway mark in the Tycobbian West this season. The Bay St. Clair Buccaneers have put an 8-game distance between them and second-place Bayview, last year's winner. They are the only two clubs over .500 in the division. Rolling Hills is third and trails by 11 games. LaClaire is fourth and 13 games back. Second-division teams are fifth-place Denton City, 14 games off the pace, followed by Chicopee in sixth, 15 games back, Arlon is next-to-last and 16 games out and Kenwood is last, 17 games behind Bay St. Clair.

The Bay St. Clair (47-26) bats are really booming this year with a .286 BA (2nd)... The Buccaneers put a lot of runs on the scoreboard and led the league in scoring... they were seventh in homers with 81... manager Guy Rondre has a wealth of four .300 hitters: All-Star 2B Bud Walker is topping the club with a .382 BA and has 10 homers... All-Star LF Bruno DiPirro (.340/3 HR), SS Jimmy Sawyer (.325/6 HR) and RF Alejandro Feliciano (.331/5 HR) are quite productive, too, along with 1B Gerry Fields, who cracked the 400-homer mark recently... Fields has 19 this season and is batting .278... the Bucs are doing well despite the loss of 24-game winner Benny Coates to injury for two months this season... Coates (3-1 3.54) is back and ready for the final half of the year... top pitchers so far are Chris Van Arden (12-4 3.41), Duke DeVree (8-3 3.78) and Hal Meissner (6-3 2.80)... as a team Bay St. Clair has 4.00 ERA (21st), but they can win with that as long as they keep up with the offense... Coates' return will greatly help the club... the Bucs are impressive with the gloves, too, posting a .978 FA.

The difference between last year and this year has been pitching for the second-place Bayview Vikings (39-34)... the team ERA has risen up from 3.41 to 3.89 (18th), mainly due to Norm Roy's slump... Roy was 19-10 last year and only 2-8 so far this season... he has seen his ERA shoot up from 3.90 to 4.52 this season... Last year's Rookie of the Year, Golden Arm and MVP winner Harald Turi (10-7 2.10) is still a very tough pitcher and made the All-Stars, but he has lost almost twice as many as last year, when he was 26-4... Vets Rick Prichard (9-4 3.24) and Georgie Fambreau (7-4 3.68) have been steady and solid this year for manager Walter Johanssen... Bayview doesn't have a good closer, either... the Viks batted .267 (12th) with 92 homers (3rd) and were fifth in scoring... Bayview's batting order is full of fine batters with no weak sisters... 1 to 8 Johanssen is blessed, led by 3B Karl Benson (.285/18 HR), RF Tommy Riddle (.297/16 HR), 1B Stan Haddix (.282/15 HR), LF Davey Krueger (.293/15 HR) and 2B Tommy Shore (.307/5 HR)... the Vikings played good defense, too, with a .975 FA... it's not likely Bayview can catch the Buccaneers this season, but they should definitely hold on to the runner-up spot... none of the other teams in the TU West are strong enough to overtake them.

The Rolling Hills Reds (36-37) are in third place and skippered by Matty Christianson... He has four quality starters that have chalked up a good 3.57 ERA (7th), along with a good closer Alfonso Gonzales (1-2), who has registered 16 saves with a 3.20 ERA... the Reds rotation consists of Sal Jordan (7-12 2.61), who had pitched very well, but suffered from a lack of runs, as well as James Elliott (9-6 3.89), Fred O'Neil (8-6 3.86) and Johnny Ringo (8-5 3.55)... Reliable 3B Clay Hoffman (.291/20 HR) is Christianson's only dependable bat... Rolling Hills is batting only .248 (27th) and ranks low in runs scored and home runs.

Rip Calkin has guided the LaClaire Lynx (34-39) to the fourth spot in the standings at the All-Star break... the Lynx are 13 games behind... Calkin has fairly good pitching with a 3.78 ERA (16th), paced by 38-year-old vet Bernie Halsey with a 10-2 record and a 3.13 ERA... rookie closer Ralf Hartwig (2-2) had made a great impression with a 2.01 ERA and 9 saves since taking over the role... LaClaire doesn't do well offensively with a poor .250 BA (26th), but they are 9th in runs scored and hit 69 homers (13th)... Calkin has two All-Stars: 3B Flash Devlin (.330/16 HR) and LF Zeppy Deshotel (.308/13 HR)... RF Taro Nakanishi (.259) has supplied the power with 18 homers.

The fifth-place Denton City Redbirds (33-40) are only average hitters with a .258 team BA (19th) and even worse in scoring (27th)... not much power either with only 54 roundtrippers (26th-tied)... manager Ford Whiteman's only quality hitter is 1B Maury Duncan (.319/19 HR)... not much on the mound as the club has compiled a mediocre 4.24 ERA (26th)... all-time star hurler Mila Mohoski (8-8 3.25) is slowing down a little at age 37, but is closing in on 300 victories... Mohoski needs 8 more to reach that historic milestone... rookie closer Rich Hopkins (2-1) has done his job well, too... Hopkins has saved 13 games and fashioned a standout 1.50 ERA.

The sixth-place Chicopee Braves (32-41) are 15 games behind first-place Bay St. Clair... manager Cochise Chandler just doesn't have a lot of talent in Chicopee... the Braves are batting only .257 (22nd) with only 37 home runs (32nd)... on the hill they are only average with a 3.93 team ERA (19th)... top performers are long-time ace Desmond Quartermain (7-7 3.07) and All-Star C Ivan Burkholder (.312/14 HR).

The Arlon Champions (31-42) have slowly sunk in the TU West standings since winning the pennant in 2012... Gary Louis' club is 16 games back in the pennant hunt... the Champs have four capable starters in Terry Nuxhall (9-3 4.05), Armando Cruz (7-8 3.53), Charley Gordon (5-11 3.32) and Happy McManus (6-12 3.73), but they get little in run support... Arlon is batting only .242 (29th) and are ranked low in homers (29th) and runs support (31st)... but Louis does have a standout relief corps, headed up by closer Ross Birchford (3-1) with 12 saves and a 2.25 ERA... All-Star LF Rocco Belasario (.315/12 HR) and CF Chucky Gilton (.318/5 HR) carry the offensive load.

The Kenwood Wildcats (30-43) under skipper Aaron Hankins won the TU West flag and the IPA Pro Cup in 2014, but have plunged downward since... this year they have dropped to rock bottom - last place, 17 games off the lead... poor hitting has plagued the Wildcats for the past 3 years... it is just tough to win in the IPA when your team batting average is .255 (23rd), you are ranked 23rd in scoring, have only 62 homers (19th) and your team ERA is 3.61 (9th)... Hankins does have three starters off that championship club, but the present squad doesn't hit like the champs... top pitchers are Connie Gavagan (7-10 3.31), Sammy Shaw (7-9 3.19) and Rick Brickell (8-8 3.60)... 2B Duncan Renwick (.302/5 HR) and LF Dennis Riley (.254/15 HR) are Hankins' only bats.

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-16-2010 at 09:31 PM.
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Old 11-10-2010, 11:42 PM   #2107
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Wednesday, June 21, 2017

2017 IPA All-Star Game at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore

TU Stars Win 4-3 On Belasario's 11th Inning HR
Tycobbia's dominance in IPA All-Star Game competition continued with its fourth triumph in a row... at Kraft Stadium in Eastshore, LF Rocco Belasario (Arlon) smacked an 11th-inning homer off Earl Pitts (Rocky Rapids) to give the Tycobbian All-Stars a 4-3 victory over the Ruthlandian All-Stars... Tycobbia has won 13 of the 17 games so far... Woody Price (South Fork) notched the win with 2 scoreless innings... Price retired all 6 men he faced, striking out 2 of them... the TU Stars got 9 hits to 6 for the RU Stars... Ruthlandia took the lead 2-0 in the opening frame on RBIs by RF Augie Marshall (Taranto) and CF Joe DeLucca (Volusia), only to have Tycobbia come back in the fourth with 3 runs on SS Jud Turchin's (Hartsdale) 2-run smash and an RBI single by RF Danny Redd (Tuckanarra)... it remained 3-2 until the top of the ninth when Ruthlandian 1B Phil Gravelli (Crystal Lake) doubled and came in to score on a two-base error by 3B Andre Dumas (Ozarka)... that evened the score at 3-all and sent the game into overtime... Belasario was named the game's MVP.
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Old 11-11-2010, 10:14 PM   #2108
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Thursday, September 21, 2017

2017 Ruthlandian North Final Recap

Valmara Victor In RU North, Ancona 2nd, Favored Far Mountain 3rd
In a jolting turn of events, Valmara rose up from the dregs of the Ruthlandian North to take its first flag in 12 years. The Vipers under the leadership of new manager Jet Kazmarek climbed up from 7th place with the strong pitching of 34-year-old rookie Tad Janicki (20-14), vet Vanya Vasylenko (20-11) and Kolya Romanov (17-17) and closer Frank Fanuzzo (5-6), who racked up 24 saves. Valmara held back second-place Ancona by 3 games and last year's winner Far Mountain by 4 games. Kilkenny and Taranto wound up tied for fourth and trailed by 6.

At the plate the Vipers (84-70) were paced by rookie 1B Tyler Ferguson (.305/9 HR)), RF Lou Gdowski (.305/12 HR) and LF Stan Czerwinski (.281/7 HR).

The runner-up Ancona Red Elephants (81-73) with Manny Mickens at the helm, jumped up from 6th place with the help of Clete Dukas (22-13) and relief ace John Sharpe (1-5), who registered 30 saves and a 2.42 ERA... LF Kenny Willard (.335) led the bats with 32 homers and 119 RBIs.

Far Mountain (80-74), which has dominated the RU North scene for the last nine years is showing signs of age and dipped to a third-place tie with Kilkenny... manager Alex Groveland only had two quality starters: Woody Crawford (18-15) and Bryan Frazier (17-14)... at 41 Robby Kelly (6-8) slumped badly this season and was relegated to the bullpen... SS Don Nichols (.340/24 HR) had a brilliant season and led the offense, along with RF Jonas Boehm (.292/13 HR)), 3B Mackie McAllister (.273/25 HR) and newcomer Tony Tanaka (.272/18), obtained in a trade in July from Colfax.

The Kilkenny Cats (80-74) were just 4 games back... Kieran McKenna's Cats had two solid starters in Justin Eckhardt (16-10) and Kyle Ferguson (22-11)... 23-year-old rookie Doug Foster (2-2) did well as the closer with 21 saves and a 2.23 ERA... CF Kevin McPhail prospered this year with a .312 average, 9 homers and 90 RBIs.

If you could win with bats alone, fifth-place Taranto (78-76) would have taken the crown easily with its .279 BA (2nd), 913 runs (1st) and 224 HR (1st), but you need some pitching to go along with it... poor Tommaso Lazzorda didn't have it this season... the team ERA was a whopping 4.86 (32nd), last in the RU... the Tars best twirler was Anthony Zinacola (19-10 4.80)... but Taranto had the offense, sparked by SS Aron Aiello (.327/16 HR), RF Augie Marshall (.301/37 HR) and LF Arnie Kennedy (.305/31 HR), 3B Wayne Pounders (.272/35 HR) and 2B Eddy Miles (.291/18 HR)... Miles easily led the RU with 140 runs scored.

The sixth-place Glasco Athletics (73-81) finished 11 games out in the race under new skipper Ike Plunkett... his top performers were Davy McAdams (12-9 3.74) and LF Tony Piel (.321/14 HR).

In seventh place 15 games behind were the Ranford Bulls (72-82), guided by new manager Rick Fargnoli... the Bulls did not hit much at all with a .248 BA (30th) and only had average pitching with a 3.82 team ERA (15th)... Leading the staff were starter Archie Young (10-6 2.62) and closer Neil Walton (5-4 2.61), who logged 23 saves...both of them are 27... 3B Vic Scalzi is a fine ballplayer... Scalzi batted .313, hit 28 roundtrippers and drove in 94 runs.

The LaGrange Sports (66-88) got a new skipper, but it didn't make much difference...Otto Kronvath ended up in the cellar, 18 games off the pace... Denny Kristensen (19-16 4.12) was the best pitcher, while future HOF-er LF Quincy Peterson is still posting impressive numbers at age 40 and 17 seasons in the IPA... Peterson hit .291 with 31 home runs, 94 RBIs and scored 91 times.
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Old 11-12-2010, 12:39 AM   #2109
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Thursday, September 21, 2017

2017 Ruthlandian South Final Recap

Blackhawks Prevail In Tight 4-Team Race
The Valka Blackhawks held off three clubs in the last week of the Ruthlandian South. Valka edged Crystal Lake by one game, Claxton by 2 and St. John by 5 games. Last season's champ, the Belair Beach Sunbirds fell to fifth this year, 9 games to the rear.

First-year manager Andrei Kokk used two fine starters and some long-ball sluggers to propel his Valka Blackhawks (80-74) to the pennant... 25-year-old Eddy Lasky was 18-12 with a 3.52 ERA and 23-year-old Arno Vainmaa was 20-19 with a 3.99 ERA... 2B Aino Vaba sparked the Blackhawks with a .313 BA and 19 homers... hit-or-miss LF Kurt Jankauskas racked up 35 homers, but hit only .225, while free-swinging RF Alyosha Vishnyakov went deep 29 times and hit only .235 for the year... Vaba topped the team with 92 RBIs, Jankauskas had 89 and Vishnyakov 82.

The Crystal Lake Crushers (79-75) suffered a serious loss of one of its primary starters for the last two months of the season... Duncan Welsh (12-5 2.31) was out from late June to the last week of the season... the Crushers came out one win short... ace Ralph McCullough (25-11 2.67) had a standout year, but couldn't do it all by himself... manager Herman "Baby" George almost snatched a pennant with some fine hitting from RF Chip Fiske, who topped the IPA with a .379 mark... Fiske scored 102 runs, batted in 82 runs and drilled 12 homers... the legendary 1B Phil Gravelli chipped in with a .318 BA, 27 home runs and 113 RBIs and 2B Herb Buck tallied 112 runs, hit .271 and had 7 homers and 46 RBIs.

Hitting was the name of the game for the Claxton Diamonds (78-76), who came in third, but just 2 games behind... Stacy Engel's club sported a .275 BA (4th) and put lots of runs in the scoring column with 192 homers (2nd)... it was a different story on the mound, where the staff had a 4.44 ERA (28th)... the Diamonds best batters were one of the best threesome in the entire IPA... superstud 1B Mike Luzzatti (.315) had 41 homers, 110 RBIs and scored 99 runs... super rookie George McKay (.312) pounded 36 out of the park, batted in 120 and scored 101 times... and RF K. C. Moerdijk (.277) belted 41 roundtrippers, scored 120 and batted in 110... Engel's top pitchers were starters Tom Dahl (14-11 4.26) and Bobby Banner (12-10 4.11), as well as closer Tony Haverkamp with 23 saves, a 2.80 ERA and an 8-5 mark.

Skipper Dickie Billings got the St. John Crusaders (75-79) going this year and cleared out of the doldrums in the cellar... the Crusaders jumped from the outhouse to inside plumbing, a fourth-place finish, only 5 games back... maybe the penthouse next year... closer Will Baxter (6-4) had a sensational season with 25 saves and a super-fine 1.20 ERA... two journeyman vets Teddy Garson (17-17 3.39) and Glynn Morgan (20-13 3.63) were quality arms for the Crusaders... a .252 team batting average (27th) just did not supply enough runs... Billings best bats belonged to his fine young 3B Vinny Sardisco (.314/20 HR/84 RBI) and aging 1B Jessie Price (.277/10 HR/56 RBI/105)... at 38 Price has his best season ever.

The Belair Beach Sunbirds (71-83) tumbled in the standings down to fifth and 9 games out, after controlling the division with 3 pennants in the last seven years... faulty hitting cost Marty Pedroza and his club... the Sunbirds ranked near the bottom in most offensive categories and batted only .252 (26th)...15-year veteran C Little Jake Bungarooba is Pedroza's only reliable bat... he hit .317 with 7 homers, 68 RBIs and 87 runs... the Sunbirds were hurt by the loss of starter Rip Flippen for 7 weeks... Flippen was 12-8 with a impressive 2.90 in 29 starts... Denny Whitaker put up a 17-15 record with a 3.11 ERA... an inadequate bullpen was also costly to Belair Beach... the Sunbirds posted a 3.84 ERA in its relief corps.

It's been a little better year for new skipper Wade Joslin and his Grand City Cybercats (69-85), who wound up sixth in the RU South, trailing by 11 games... closer Ralph Teague (6-3) led the club with 22 saves and a very low 1.41 ERA... rookie starter Rusty Eisenbaum registered an 18-16 record with 3.58 ERA to head up the rotation... RF Ricky Rich had an awesome year with a .347 BA, 16 homers, 90 RBIs and 96 runs scored.

Paco Banderos saw the San Dimas Rancheros (62-92) lose the most games ever in its IPA history, winding up 18 off the lead in seventh place... 38-year-old Toivo Jarvi led the staff with a 16-16 mark and a 3.95 ERA... He was obtained this season from Valka... the top bat was steady RF Norm Owens with a .276 batting average, 22 roundtrippers and 92 RBIs... 2B Hank Maddox added 16 home runs, 87 RBIs and a .304 BA.

McGraw Johnson's Waleska Westerners (57-97) had their worst season in history... dropping from second place to the basement, 23 games off the pace... Despite having one of the best all-around offensive player in the IPA, the Westerners are one of the worst when it comes to scoring... Waleska's pitching corps is not so good, either... Superstar CF Roy Hobbs is a lifetime .360 hitter in his 5 seasons... this year Hobbs had another steller season with a .372 BA, second-best in the Ruthlandian Union, with 42 home runs, 117 runs batted in and 116 runs scored... also lending some support was 2B DePaul Labat, who hit .270 with 13 homers, 112 runs and 45 RBIs.

Last edited by Eugene Church; 11-12-2010 at 12:44 AM.
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Old 11-12-2010, 05:31 PM   #2110
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Ruthlandian East Final Recap

Elegants Win 2nd RU East In A Breeze
Nobody slowed the Eastshore Elegants down again this season in the Ruthlandian East. The defending Pro Cup titlist made it look even easier with a 10-game victory margin over second place Beechwood. The Marston Nine were in the third spot, 13 games off the pace. Elnora was fourth and trailed by 19. Cold Creek was at the top of the second division in fifth place, 20 games out, followed by Sugar Valley in sixth and 31 games back. Belle Plaine wound up 35 games behind in seventh place and Wynnamac finished dead last, 39 games behind pennant winner Eastshore.

The Eastshore Elegants (98-56) led the RU with 96 wins last year and improved on it by two games this year... Killer Brewster has quite a ball club, ranked in the top 3 in most categories... the Elegants hit .282 (1st) with 859 runs (2nd) and 189 home runs (3rd)... pitching-wise his staff compiled a 3.28 ERA (2nd)... defense is the only shortcoming with a .971 FA... Eastshore won the flag despite losing its best pitcher Danny Siegfried (15-5 2.13) in early August due to injury... Brewster still had Eddie Lasky (23-11), Melvin Key (19-12) and Al Froelich (17-9)... Brewster has more good bats than he can squeeze on to the line-up card... heading up the batting order is 2B Gerry Garner (.300/37/96/98), LF Stan Cuccinello (.328/26/89/88), RF Larry Lowe (.304/6/59/95) and SS Gil Lantz (.302/20/74/86).

For the third year in succession, the Beechwood Bobcats (86-66) were the bridesmaid again... Bret George can compete with Eastshore on the mound, but not at the plate... Terry Kuznetsov (23-12), Knucks Nomellini (22-11) and Billy Ray (17-12) are a quality threesome... in the bullpen Jeff Lyons (8-6) did an outstanding job with 31 saves and a 2.35 ERA... the Bobcats are excellent on defense with a .979 FA... CF Vic Valenti (.346/27/95/112) is an elite hitter, but needs more help... 1B Roy Slater (.282/11/66/89), SS Rolf Kellgren (.291/9 HR/65/88) and LF Ryan Ray (.262/22/83/70) are the best of the rest.

Marston (85-69) is another quality club in the RU East... the Nine wound up third... top pitchers are Adam Ford (12-7), Anson Thomas (17-14) and Roberto Concepcion (13-12)... Bobby Daniel (5-4 2.50) did a fine job as closer with 33 saves... top batters are CF Russ Woodward (.318/35/106/101), 3B Jimmy Holman (.300/34/104/90) and RF Richie Mazzone (.280/10/39/101)... Marston plays good defense with a .976 FA.

The Elnora All-Stars (79-75) got a new manager and Sam Malone improved them from seventh to fourth, but a distant 19 games behind the leader... Elnora hits and scores well (.273 BA), but needs more pitching (4.30 ERA)... Lou Horn (17-12 3.12) is the ace... best bats 1B Michael Griffin (.274/26/104/94), RF Lloyd Voss (.317/17/70/80), C Lou Carter (.299/29/96/93) and CF Floyd Roberts (.246/28/95/99)... Elnora is good defensively with a .975 FA.

The fifth-place Cold Creek Catamounts (78-76) had a winning season under first-year playing manager Trip Holmes... Holmes (.277/17/89/73) and RF Emile Stosha (.312/24/92/112) carry the club offensively, while 41-year-old pitcher Russell Thurber (17-10 3.99) seems to get better with age... bullpen specialist Shannon Robinson (4-8 2.45) picked up 35 saves this season.

The rest of the RU East are run-of-the-mill teams... the Sugar Valley Rattlers (67-87) can hit (.268 BA), but can't pitch (4.62 ERA)... skipper Gibby Bobkins does have three ballplayers: IPA legend C Hal Stevenson (.338/31/102/99), SS Glenn Christian (.276/21/100/71) and RF Kent Swain (.303/14/79/91).

The Belle Plaine Musketeers (63-91) don't hit (.248 BA) or pitch (4.20 ERA)... new manager Lou Dozier didn't make any headway in his initial season... Brad Anderson (16-16 4.01) is his best pitcher... and skilled SS Scott Hammill (.319/24/90/99) could play for anybody.

Pulling up in the caboose are the Wynnamac Sundowners (59-95), who endured a lousy season for the third straight year... in fact it was the Sundowners worst season ever... Matt Donnelly only has three winning seasons at the helm and one playoff appearance... they don't hit well (.244 BA) and are mediocre on the mound (4.18 ERA)... but Wynnamac has one of the top pitchers in the IPA in portsider Jerry Meeks (22-12 2.85)... winning over 20 games for a last-place team speaks volumes about his talent... CF Clive Farham (.292/20/83/79) lead the team in hitting... long-time star Big Hoss Burkhalter struggled this year at 40... Burkhalter led the club with 27 homers, but batted a lowly .245.
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Old 11-12-2010, 08:53 PM   #2111
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Ruthlandian West Final Recap

RR Snappers Best in the West
The best team in the best division in the Ruthlandian Union is the Rocky Rapids Snappers. They won the RU West this season by 7 games over Fort Benton and Volusia. In the fourth spot were the Stoner Stars, 10 games behind. The fifth spot went to the Sligo Rovers, who trailed by 12 and sixth went to the defending champion Colfax Blasters, 17 games off the pace. Colfax had won the pennant the last three seasons. All of the top six clubs finished well above .500 this year. Rounding out the division were seventh-place Forest City and basement-dwelling Middlefield. The Lumberjacks ended up 26 games out and the Roosters were 35 games back in the race.

Rocky Rapids (97-57) had the second-most victories in the RU... manager Ryan Noland finally ended four years of frustration... the Snappers were close all four years, but failed to make the playoffs each time... Noland has strong pitching (3.27 ERA) and adequate offense (.272 BA)... Don Chaney (26-7) had another super season and topped the RU with a 2.05 ERA... Junior Noland (22-11 3.17), Ryan's oldest son, won 20 games for the second time in his 5-year career... Noland also has his youngest son, 21-year-old Tiger Noland, on the squad... Tiger hit .312 as a parttime rookie outfielder... Milt Baker (4-2) was brilliant in the closing role with 17 saves and an astronomically-low 0.78 ERA... Baker was so good, the regular closer Earl Pitts (3-5 2.50) was move to middle relief in mid-season... Pitts was no slouch with 19 saves... 2B Paul Shelton (.327/33/131/95) and IPA legend C Hank Bethel (.327/25/108/90) paced the team offensively... Look for the Snappers to make their presence known in the Pro Cup playoffs - Rocky Rapids' time may have come.

The Volusia Vigilantes (90-64) are a good ball club in a very strong division... the V's tied with Fort Benton for the runner-up position... manager Alfonso Feliz has solid starters and a great relief corps, along with solid bats... top players are starters Alejandro Rio (22-11 3.66)) and Gerry Hersh (18-11 3.60)... Mark Carey (2-2) is the closer... Carey saved 18 games and has a 1.47 ERA... CF Joe DeLucca (.339/34/121/117), SS Vince Wilson (.303/33/117/100) and 1B Rafael Garza (.307/11/72/95) head up the batting order.

Skipper Robby Brooks has made steady progress the past few seasons... his Fort Benton Defenders (90-64) had their best season ever and are a well-balanced team... the Defenders handle the bats well (.272 BA), but don't hit with power (30th)... on the hill they compiled a 3.40 ERA (5th) and have the best defensive team in the RU West with a .975 FA... Brooks' starting foursome rivals the best in the IPA with Vic Kessler (19-11 2.91), Tucker Dawes (18-11 3.11), Cal Walger (18-13 3.42) and rookie Pete Varisco (17-10 3.84)... coupled with a fine closer David Osborn (8-5 2.50), who posted 23 saves... Fort Benton has a good group of consistent contact hitters, led by 1B Stretch Stookey (.324/17/82/99), RF Joe Darwall (.294/20/101/75), C Jeff DeSaix (.299/12/94/61), SS Pete Duvalier (.310/4/67/80) and CF Ryan Smith (.265/16/77/97).

The Stoner Stars (87-67) improved their pitching and climbed up out of the cellar to fourth place in the RU West... under the guidance of new skipper Benny Stern, a former catcher, the Stars lowered the team ERA to 3.44 (7th)... Stern has a good starting four in Billy Chapel (22-13 3.11), Don Patterson (16-7 3.34), Charley Norton (14-20 3.29) and Tony Dundee (17-13 4.05)... Stoner's best bats are LF Mike Jaffe (.322/29/98/96) and 1B Robert Dunbar (.335/17/74/77)... to really challenge the division's big boys, the Stars need more hitting... the Stars batted .267 this season (16th), ranked 16th in runs and 25th in homers.

Eddie Keys had a turnaround season with the Sligo Rovers (85-69), who wound up in the fifth spot in the RU West standings, after a seventh-place finish in 2016... better offense lifted the Rovers up in the standings... they hit .266 (14th) with 161 roundtrippers (5th) and ranked 8th in run scoring... on the hill they were decent with a 3.75 team ERA (13th)... Keys' top players were RF Clell Renshaw (.305/27/80/101), SS Vic Carlin (.248/27/102/90) and CF Chris Michel (.276/15/51/91)... on the mound it was Les Patterson (20-14 2.62) leading the way... backed up by Luka Abromowitz (18-12 3.61) and Jasper LaForge (19-14 4.12).

Clem Rogers and the Colfax Blasters (80-74) have won 7 pennants in the last 9 years, dominating the RU West with excellent pitching, but not this year... they fell to sixth place after winning the last three years... Rogers saw his team ERA rise up to 3.50 (8th) from an IPA-leading 2.92 the year before... youngster Cliff James (16-12 3.31) and veterans Ilya Szabo (15-19 3.23), Jimmy Joe Cartner (18-13 3.97) and Rodger Wright (10-14 3.45) all saw their ERAs take a significant hike... Colfax batting was pretty much like in the past and only sufficient, so the blame goes to the pitching staff for the decline... C Joe Alexander led the hitters with 26 homers and 112 RBIs, but hit only .258... 3B Mike Janocko (.273/26 HR/97 RBI) gave him some offensive support.

The Forest City Lumberjacks (71-83) dropped to seventh this season... mainly because of mediocre hitting (.264 BA) and pitching (4.06 ERA)... however, Robby Jackson's Lumberjacks did hit 159 home runs (6th)... his best bats were his rock-solid and reliable LF Joe Judlin (.292/30/92/98), who chalked up another good year at age 35... other productive hitters were 1B Andy Doiron (.292/24/93/84), CF Luc St. Germain (.305/21/76/91) and C George Arnick (.316/20/64/76)... closer Andy Velasco (7-4) got credit for 31 saves and posted a 2.56 ERA... vet Al Thibaut suffered through a 13-24 season, but had an acceptable 3.78 ERA.

The Middlefield Roosters (62-92) finished last again, the fourth time in the last seven seasons it happened... they wound up 35 games out of first place... the only thing the Roosters do well is hit the ball... they batted .278 (3rd) with 169 homers (4th), but were only 9th in scoring... in the pitching department they were woeful with a 4.43 team ERA (27th)... manager Smitty Michaels has some talent... remarkable rookie Vic Ivarsson, who batted .343 with 29 roundtrippers and 101 RBIs, topped the team in average... CF Chuck Larkin socked 40 homers, drove in 124 runs and scored 98 times... 1B Ricky Tinker also had a fine season with a .304 BA, 20 home runs, 98 RBIs and scored 96 runs.
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Old 11-13-2010, 09:35 PM   #2112
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Tycobbian North Final Recap

Luxora Ends Drought In TU North
It's been a long time coming, but it finally came after nine years. The Luxora Zorros closed strongly in the Tycobbian North and prevailed by 6 games over the Mahaska Haymakers. The Z's trailed them by 6 games at All-Star time. Luxora was the only team in the weak TU North to have a winning record. Fairfax was third and 9 games off the pace with White River in fourth place, 10 games back. Blue Lake was at the top the second-division teams in the fifth spot. The Blue Sox were 12 games behind the Zorros. 17 games out and deadlocked for sixth were the Hartsdale Hellcats and Oxford Red Caps. Last year's titleholder North Hills did a complete about-face and finished in last place.

Rookie manager Cristo Viamonte brought home the pennant in his first season. Luxora (82-72) did it with pitching almost entirely... the Zorros have the second-best team ERA with a strong 3.27 ERA... and are the best fielders in the division with a .977 percentage... the Z's were atrocous at the plate, hitting only .240 (31st)... top pitchers were standout rookie Tiago Torres (20-14 2.87), a 20-game winner in his first year... Both Pepe Pachino (16-15 3.45) and 38-year-old vet Elio Laurente (16-16 3.95) were consistent starters... in the bullpen Jay Brewer (2-6) had 31 saves with a 2.67 ERA... Viamonte had only two decent bats in RF Jon Stafford (.273/34/108) and C Jim Thorpe Chandler (.274/24/85).

The second-place Mahaska Haymakers (76-78) were 2 games under .500... Rusty Tanussa only has an average club with a .261 BA (15th) and a 3.91 team ERA (21st)... they were below par with a .970 FA... Joey Wallace (17-14 2.97) and Yuri Dozhenko (19-14 3.60) carried the Haymakers... Mahaska has only one quality hitter... that was C Bucky O'Brian, who batted .297 with 25 homers, 97 RBI and 84 runs scored.

Harry Buckley's third-place Fairfax Frogs (73-81) hit only .247 (29th) with a 3.60 ERA (10th)... Ken Hill (19-15 2.45) had a standout season, but no one else did.

The White River Rascals (72-82) with John Randison at the helm had the best offense in the TU North with a .273 BA (5th), but had little pitching, compiling a 4.46 ERA (29th)... super 1B Marty Blake led the bats with another great season... Blake hit .329 with 46 homers, 135 RBIs and scored 125 runs... 2B Vinny Ulrich chipped in a .327 BA with 13 home runs, 84 RBIs and scored 81 runs... RF Johnny Stratton (.293/16/83/90) had a productive year, too... Joe Hudson (19-12) was the ace, but had a lofty 4.45 ERA... closer Hank Stanley notched 31 saves with a 2.45 ERA, but was a lowly 2-7 for the year.

The Blue Lake Blue Sox (70-84) started off strongly and led the league until June, then went to pieces and wound up fifth... Cobb Tyson's club has limited talent... closer Tony Reed (5-2) excelled with 24 saves and a splendid 1.85 ERA, while 35-year-old CF Rick Hilliard had another solid season with 32 roundtrippers, 92 runs batted in, scored 95 times and hit a healthy .306.

Skipper Zim Donner in Hartsdale (65-89) had a solid core of hitters with power, but nothing on the hill... they tied with Oxford for sixth in the standings... the Hellcats went deep 163 times (8th), but were 27th with a 4.29 ERA... SS Jud Turchin (.330/27/87/114) is one of the all-time greats in the IPA at age 37... Turchin is a lifetime .310 hitter with over 300 homers... 36-year-old 1B Tom Brabant (.295/32/98/86) is another future HOF'er with a .316 career batting average, over 400 home runs and 1200 RBIs... slick-fielding 3B Kendry Moulton (.299/24/88/78) has over 300 roundtrippers and 1100 RBIs to go with his career .298 average... LF Woody Crow added in 17 home runs and 86 RBIs to go with his .281 BA... give the Hellcats a few good pitchers and they can win in the weak TU North.

The Oxford Red Caps (65-89) and manager Campy Roy had nothing much to brag about this season with a tie for sixth... average hitting (.255 BA) and bad pitching (4.54 ERA) are not a good formula for success... young closer Arnie Bradshaw (2-3) collected 28 saves and posted a fine 2.13 ERA... and 38-year-old veteran 1B Eddy Dowler was the only batter of note with a .341 BA, 17 homers and 82 RBIs.

After having a pennant-winning season in 2016, Hub Carlson's pitching went south in North Hills (64-90) and the Hawks plunged deep into the cellar with a terrible 4.62 ERA (31st)... Carlson's pitching corps racked a fine 3.41 team ERA last year... the hitting also took the year off with drop from .267 to .256 (17th)... 1B Lou Hooper was the only player to have a decent year... Hooper batted .328 with 13 home runs and 60 RBIs to lead the team.
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Old 11-15-2010, 01:18 AM   #2113
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Tycobbian South Final Recap

Another TU South Title For Turon
For the 9th time in the last 12 years, the Turon Typhoons have nabbed the Tycobbian South title. They did it with a second-half surge, going 49-32 after the All-Star Game to overtake the Colchester Elites, who had a 5-game edge at mid-year. Whitey Richburn's club won the flag by 5 games over Colchester and Ginza, which tied for the runner-up spot. Long-time rival Cape Coral was fourth and 8 games out. The Arroyo Grande Suns finished fifth, trailing by 9. Summerland was 14 games behind and sixth with Southport seventh and 17 games off the pace. Last place went to San Alejo. The Montaneros were eighth for the fourth consecutive season, way back by 27 games.

The Turon Typhoons (87-67) got better pitching in the last half of the year and turned the season around... Ace Nicky Engstrom was 8-6 at mid-season and wound up 21-10 with 2.20 ERA... it was the eighth time Engstrom has won 20 games... Engstrom has never failed to be a 20-game winner in his 8 seasons in the IPA... rookie Shane Farmer (24-11 3.66) was solid all year long and Ted Farentino recovered in the final half by going 9-5 to end up 14-15 for the year... closer Merle Studebaker (4-6) did his job with 26 saves and a very strong 1.27 ERA... 1B Clyde Kingsford (.286/37/121/109), who struggled some the first half, put on a charge to lead the second-half surge, along with trusty CF Mac McCurnan (.297/37/118/119)... Turon has a fine bench of platoon players... Richburn has his sights set on a fourth Pro Cup... the Typhoons will be in the thick of battle this postseason... they are finally playing good baseball.

Uncle Robbie Wilbertson kept his Colchester Elites (82-72) in the race until the last 10 games of the season, when they folded and went 3-7, while Turon was winning 8 of 10... starters Jon McGinn (19-11 3.07) and Shannon Hayden (16-11 3.08), along with closer Don Richard (6-10) kept them neck-and-neck with the Typhoons until the late stages... Richard posted a 2.30 ERA with 32 saves... at the plate 1B Harlan Roscoe led the club with 29 homers and 82 RBIs, but hit only .271, the worst of his career... Roscoe is a lifetime .312 hitter.

The Ginza Ninjas (82-72) are a fundamentally-sound ball club under manager Huroko Uchiyama... the Ninjas tied Colchester for second place... two veteran starters paced the team... Joji Azuma was 19-15 with a 2.41 ERA, but faltered late in the season... Azuma was 5-8 over the last two months... Carl Trebek was 16-13 with a 3.67 ERA... Uchiyama got a good job from relief specialist Kakuzo Harimoto (8-7 2.51), who saved 30 games... star C Crash Davis led the team with a .332 BA... he was second with 30 homers and 88 RBIs... 1B Ralph Hart (.254 BA) led with 31 home runs and 94 RBIs... RF Jack Vorland hit .285 with 17 homers and 93 runs batted in.

The Cape Coral Hurricanes (79-75) dropped back in the standings to fourth place due to sub-par hitting and pitching... Marty Pedroza's crew were not on-par with the teams above them... Cody Burg, the winningest pitching in IPA history, went over the 300 mark with a 20-14 record... Burg has put up a brilliant 310-191 record in his 17 seasons... Ray Salisbury, a 20-game winner in each of his first two seasons, fell to a disappointing 13-15 with a 5.52 ERA this year... closer Bobby Maas notched 30 saves with a 2.47 ERA, but was only 3-7 in the won-lost column... 2B Lonnie Moon (.294/21/109) and CF Derek Ryckman (.254/22/93) were the 'Canes most productive bats.

First-year skipper Cyclone Cobb brought the Arroyo Grande Suns (78-76) in over .500 and a fifth-place finish, 9 games out... the Suns faded in the tough second half... they stayed in the race because of home-run power... the Suns slammed 200 for the year, sparked by 22-year-old phenom C Gary Troxell (.277 BA) with 39 homers and 105 RBIs... however, Arroyo Grande's top player is its outstanding SS Andy Pearson, who batted .335 with 27 roundtrippers, 100 RBIs and 104 runs scored, while playing brilliantly on defense... third-year starter Ray Reed (19-13 3.58) was the ace of the mound staff... Cobb needs more quality arms to make his Suns a serious contender in the TU South.

The Summerland Sunsets (73-81) were 14 games out of first in sixth place this season... manager Will Hackett has some talent, but not enough of it... Denny Coulon is one of the better pitchers in the IPA, but only has a 274-235 record, in spite of an outstanding 2.93 career ERA... Coulon topped the club with a 15-18 mark with a 3.01 ERA... closer Leon Muller was 7-4 with a fine 2.13 ERA and 21 saves... offensively veteran star CF Jim Garrison (.326/36/112) and sensational rookie RF Vann Kelter (.298/34/107) carry the load.

The seventh-place Southport Sun Sox (70-84) were 17 games behind Turon... manager Charley Oscar has decent pitching and hitting, but has trouble in the runs department... CF Walt Muller is the best bat in the line-up with a .300 average and 25 homers, but with only 81 RBIs, followed by 2B Skippy Jones with 27 homers, but only 68 RBIs and a .248 BA, and by RF Wayne Rutledge with 23 roundtrippers, but just 68 RBIs and a .257 BA.

For the fourth year in a row the San Alejo Montaneros (60-94) have been mired in the cellar... new manager Marcellino Zuniga had the same fate of the previous manager - terrible hitting and pathetic pitching... the Monties batted only .233 for the season, ranked 64th in the IPA... no team is worse... LF Lou Roche is the best hitter with a .289 mark, 9 homers and 47 RBIs, followed by 1B Dominique Poirot with a .277 BA, 14 homers and 53 RBIs... top pitcher is second-year man Jock Giacomo (16-19 3.57).
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Old 11-15-2010, 11:27 PM   #2114
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Tycobbian East Final Recap

Ozarka Outlasts Tuckanarra In TU East
The Ozarka Naturals were the best team in the best division in the IPA this year. It was Ozarka's 3rd straight flag and 6th in the last 8 seasons. The Nats had a year-long struggle with the second-place Tuckanarra Blue Jays, but managed to come out ahead by a 2-game margin for the pennant. It had been a tightly-bunch race halfway through the season, but all the contenders fell by the wayside in the second half. South Fork had its finest year and came in third, 7 games off the pace. Perennial loser Hillsboro and Midway tied for fourth place, trailing by 13 games. High Mesa and Red Bluff were in a sixth-place tie and were 14 games behind. This season 7 teams played .500 or better in the TU East. Only last place East Point had a losing record. The Panthers were 40 games behind champion Ozarka.

Joe Mac Carney's heavy-hitting Ozarka Naturals (97-57) registered the second-highest victory total in the IPA this year behind only Eastshore's 98... Rocky Rapids also racked up 97 wins... Ozarka had an awesome club with an IPA record-setting .295 batting average... the old mark of .292 was set by the LaGrange Sports in 2008... Carney could start six .300 hitters, led by 3B Andre Dumas (.328/38/115), 1B Benny Rousseau (.275/46/116) and C Frank Kiffin (.354/10/76)... the Nats unloaded 200 home runs (3rd) and led the TU in runs scored... Benny Osterman (25-8 2.43) topped the mound staff... Eddie Roberts (20-8 4.04) also notched 20 wins... Unfortunately the Nats lost pitcher Wayne Gates in August... Gates will miss the playoffs... he compiled a strong 15-6 mark with a 3.19 ERA.

The Tuckanarra Blue Jays (95-59) stayed right on the heels of Ozarka with strong pitching... they led the TU with a standout 3.23 ERA, paced by starters Titus Bristow (15-15 2.44), Yuka Nawajuk (21-11 3.12) and Roy Spence (15-11 3.88)... closer extraordinaire Stephen Eubarinja (11-7) copped 29 saves and posted an excellent 2.08 ERA... RF Danny Redd (.348/12/63/75) led the club at the plate, but went out with an injured foot in July and missed the last six weeks of the season, a critical loss for manager Carlton "Lefty" Stevens... 1B Erik Vayda (.311/12/109) and CF Dan Hill (.274/31/113) also had very productive years.

Lips Leon guided his South Fork Stallions (90-64) to the best record in in their history, but sadly only good enough for third place... the Stallions had solid bats and solid pitching... hill standouts were 20-game winners Sean Swensen (20-12 2.67) and Blackie Terranova (25-10 2.80)... closer Woody Price (6-7) fashioned 30 saves with an outstanding 1.85 ERA... vet 1B Joe Peters had a massive season with 36 homers and 121 RBIs, while CF Robby Michel led the club with a .348 BA and 102 runs.

The Hillsboro Blazers (84-70) and Midway Wolves wound up tied for fourth and 13 games off the pace... the Blazers didn't have the hitting like Ozarka and Tuckanarra, but manager Rawhide Marshall won a team-best 84 games with a fine foursome of starters with a 3.28 ERA (1st) and some good home run power... Pat Buettner (18-14 3.20), Tom Edgar (16-13 2.72), Yank Yoland (17-12 3.72) and rookie Chris Dean (13-10 3.24) were one of the best starting rotation in the IPA... the Blazers also had a good closer in Randy Love (7-6), who totaled 32 saves with an impressive 2.45 ERA... Hillsboro poled 175 homers (6th), sparked by the bats of 2B Matt Lalonde (.314/24/96), LF Raphael Semmes (.246/33/85) and 1B Andy Jefferson (.276/32/83).

Cochise Chandler of the Midway Wolves (84-70) parlayed decent pitching and firepower to finish tied for fourth... Motega Wolf (20-14 2.61) excelled on the hill, while CF Johnny Lee (.325/34/97/107) was the wolves best bat... SS Rob Gigler (.307) slammed 23 out of the park and batted in 74 runs... 3B Gerry Jordan hit .282 with 26 homers and 88 RBIs... overall Midway hammered 207 home runs (2nd).

The High Mesa Cowboys (83-71) and Red Bluff Red Sox were way over .500, but had the sixth-best record in the TU East... they both finished 14 games out of first... because of the coziness of home field Queen Ranch Stadium, High Mesa ranked high in offense with 225 roundtrippers (1st), a .274 BA (3rd) and was fourth in scoring... Triple Crown-winning 1B Jack Elliott was the big stick again with an IPA-leading 56 homers, 149 RBIs and a .360 BA... Elliott also led the IPA with 141 runs... he was aided by 2B Wild Deer Etchimin (.304/27/74/110) and RF Darrel Alston (.268/33/80)... surprisingly the Cowboys had some fine pitching, too... from Ronald Ward (10-7 3.12), rookie Scotty Snyder (15-13 3.42) and Frankie Walsh (17-15 3.76).

Red Bluff (83-71) got a new manager this season in Bucky Frizzell... three vets were the keys to a fine year... two starters Grady Daggs (21-12 2.97) and John Dougherty (19-13 2.86) gave the Red Sox superlative outings... in the bullpen Ted Goetz (5-5) provided 34 saves and chalked up a 2.66 ERA... rookie RF Ron van Riebe (.320/27/92/86) and 3B Jose Aguilar (.285/23/78/99) led Red Bluff at the plate... Frizzell suffered a big loss in clean-up man Tommy Klegg (.279 BA), who missed the last third of the season, but still had 36 homers and 91 RBIs... the Red Sox were seventh in homers with 172.

Bad times continued for the East Point Panthers (57-97)... they were last for the 5th time in the last six seasons... SS Gil Rayfor was manager Rex Sobolov's best batsman with a .301 average and 77 RBIs and 42-year-old 2B Jesse Goodwin had the most home runs with 24 and the most RBIs with 91, while batting .267.
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Old 11-16-2010, 11:54 PM   #2115
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Thursday, September 23, 2017

2017 Tycobbian West Final Recap

BSC Bucs Rally Past Bayview In TU West
Bay St. Clair breezed to a sizeable 8-game lead in the Tycobbian West at mid-season and just managed to hold off the rebounding Bayview Vikings in the final half of the regular season. In fact, the Viks overtook the Buccaneers in August and held a one-game lead going into the final three weeks of the season. However, Bay St. Clair emerged from the second-half stupor just in time and took charge again, finally putting Bayview aside by 4 games to take the TU West pennant for the second time in the last three years. The Vikings won it last year.

The rest of the division was never in the race. Only third-place Rolling Hills broke even among the remaining six teams. The Reds wound up 14 games off the pace. Arlon and LaClaire came in fourth and trailed by 16. Sixth place went to the Kenwood Wildcats, who were 20 games behind in the standings. Chicopee was 21 out and in seventh place with Denton City winding up last and 24 games back.

Manager Guy Rondre righted the ship at just the right time... his Bay St. Clair Buccaneers (91-63) went 11-5 in September to pull out the pennant... Bayview slumped to 6-10 at the wrong time and fell to second place... the return of the injured Benny Coates was crucial... Coates was 15-5 in the second half and went 18-6 overall... Chris Van Arden was 19-12 for the Bucs... But it was the hitters that brought home the bacon with a .276 BA (2nd)... BSC was third in scoring... top bats were 2B Bud Walker (.348/13/90/125), CF Todd Bryant (.266/18/105/92), 1B Gerry Fields (.280/25/93) and LF Bruno DiPirro (.335/7/73/85)... the Bucs were second to Kenwood in fielding, .977 FA to .978 FA... Bayview had a solid .976 FA.

The Bayview Vikings (87-67) really packed some punch... they hit .272 (6th), were fifth with 184 homers and fifth in scoring... manager Walter Johanssen's batting order was power-laden with 3B Karl Benson (.300/44/106/107), RF Tommy Riddle (.286/32/93/91), LF Davey Krueger (.299/32/85/85) and 1B Stan Haddix (.309/26/93/95) leading the attack... Bayview was only average on the mound with a 3.87 team ERA (20th)... Last year's all-everything Harald Turu was human this season with an 18-18 record, but still possessing a stout 2.79 ERA... a year ago Turi was the TU MVP with a spectacular 26-4 record and a 2.19 ERA... Rick Prichard had the best record with a 19-9 mark and a 3.80 ERA... Johanssen could have used a closer... nobody he tried did the job.

Third-place Rolling Hills (77-77) had good pitching under the guidance of Matty Christianson, but poor offense... Sal Jordan (19-18 2.75) should have easily topped the 20-win mark... ditto for James Elliott (19-16 3.38)... Alfonso Gonzales (2-3) stood out in the bullpen with 28 saves and a 2.42 ERA... top bats on the club belonged to 3B Clay Hoffman (.327), who carried the club offensively with 38 homers and 120 RBIs... 8-year vet CF Donnie Lewis batted .308 and scored 93 runs.

Fourth in the standings were the Arlon Champions (75-79) and the La Claire Lynx... 16 games from first place... the Champs have decent pitching, but no bats... Armando Cruz (17-15 3.45) and Happy McManus (18-18 3.55) were skipper Gary Louis' most capable hurlers... in the bullpen was a gem in Ross Birchford with a 7-2 mark, 29 saves and a strong 2.31 ERA... at the plate Arlon's only reliable bats were 13-year vet LF Rocco Belasario (.315/29/91/120) and CF Chucky Gilton (.333/13/93/73)... Gilton is a 3-time gold glover and Belasario has made the All-Stars 6 times and has 4 gold gloves.

The La Claire Lynx (75-79) were piloted by Rip Calkin... he has three very fine players in pitcher Bernie Halsey (21-9 2.97), 3B Flash Devlin (.356/36/133/114) and RF Zeppy Deshotel (.311/18/97/93)... rookie Ralf Hartwig led the relief corps with a 6-7 mark, 23 saves and a 2.44 ERA.

Aaron Hankins in Kenwood (71-83) came in sixth because of a shortage of good bats... his Wildcats batted only .248 (28th) and ranked near the bottom in all offensive categories... Kenwood does possess some decent pitchers in Connie Gavagan (18-16 2.87) and freshman closer Glenn Kennedy, who chalked up 27 saves with a remarkable 1.68 ERA.

The Chicopee Braves (70-84) and Harry Fleetfoot had to endure another mediocre season deep in the TU West second division and 21 games back in the race... the Braves have fair pitching with a 3.57 team ERA (9th), led by two top-notch twirlers in vets Tommy Ruffin and Desmond Quatermain... Ruffin was 17-9 with a 2.95 ERA and Quartermain finished 15-17 with a fine 2.80 ERA... C Ivan Burkholder was the only reliable bat... he batted .300 with 27 homers, 81 runs batted in and scored 93 times.

The once-proud Denton City Redbirds (67-87) again ended up in the TU West basement for the second year in a row... manager Ford Whiteman is not used to this... he has won 6 flags in his 16 seasons here... Whiteman's pitching is not what it was in the glory years... his renown ace Mila Mohoski (16-17 3.68), now 38, is showing signs that his best years are behind him... 16-year vet Mohoski has a 297-208 career record with a 3.08 ERA... rookie closer Rich Hopkins (5-5) did well with 24 saves and a 2.60 ERA... Pete Gibbs is one of the better defensive catchers around and has a decent bat, too... Gibbs batted .297 and drove in 69 runs to top the team... offense is non-existent... the Redbirds batted .255 (20th) with only 97 homers (31st) and ranked 28th in runs scored.
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Old 11-17-2010, 11:45 PM   #2116
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Friday, September 24, 2017

Eastshore and Ozarka Touted Favorites In Pro Cup '17
If the baseball forecasters are right, it will be the Eastshore Elegants and the Ozarka Naturals again going head-to-head for the 2017 Pro Cup in a repeat of last year's finals. Eastshore is the defending Pro Cup champ, who raced through the RU North with a 98-56 season record, the best in the IPA. Likewise, Ozarka piled up the most victories in the Tycobbian Union with a 97-57 mark. Both clubs feature high-powered offense and good pitching. In The Islandian Times annual Pro Cup poll the Elegants were favored to beat the Nats in the Pro Cup finals. Rocky Rapids, Turon and Bay St. Clair got some support in the balloting.

Rocky Rapids is expected to give Eastshore the biggest fight in the Ruthlandian Union. They will play each other in first round action in the RU Elite 8 Series, which gets underway tomorrow. Valka and Valmara are slated in the other RU Elite 8 series. Neither are given much chance in the playoffs.

Ozarka will have two big tests against Bay St. Clair and Turon, two highly-touted clubs. The Naturals will face the Buccaneers in Tycobbian first round action. Turon goes up against Luxora in the other affair. Luxora is rated the weakest team among the four and is not expected to create much of a stir in the postseason.

Best Record: Eastshore (98-56)
Best Hitting: Ozarka .295 BA (1st)
Best Power: Ozarka 200 HR (3rd-tied)
Best Scoring: Ozarka 868 runs (1st)
Best Team ERA: Rocky Rapids 3.27 ERA (2nd)
Best Starters: Eastshore 3.13 ERA (1st)
Best Bullpen: Luxora 3.33 ERA (8th)
Best Defense: Valmara .979 FA (2nd-tied)

Power Ratings:
1. Eastshore
2. Ozarka
3. Rocky Rapids
4. Turon
5. Bay St. Clair
6. Luxora
7. Valka
8. Valmara

Last edited by Eugene Church; 04-28-2022 at 06:32 PM.
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Old 11-17-2010, 11:56 PM   #2117
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2017 Ruthlandian Union Final Batting Statistics
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Old 11-17-2010, 11:58 PM   #2118
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Old 11-18-2010, 12:00 AM   #2119
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Old 11-18-2010, 12:03 AM   #2120
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Friday, September 24, 2017

2017 Tycobbian Union Final Pitching Statistics
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