LOS ANGELES (AP) - Last week Los Angeles Riots starter Bill Pulsipher, who is having a career year, dueled 10 innings against Bombay Elephants starter Jim Palmer before receiving a no decision as his relief earned a loss. Well that was last week and this is this week as this time around Pulsipher, again going 10 innings versus Bombay ace Jim Palmer earns a victory as the Riot offense erupted for 9 runs in the top of the 11th inning!

Pulsipher began this season in the bullpen after having a subpar campaign last season, but moved into a starting role once again in part to his success in the middle relief role he was in and the loss of ace Greg Maddux. In his 13 starts Pulsipher has 12 quality starts and his opponents have been able to do very little against him with only a .308 slugging percentage. Pulsipher has pitched in 26 games in all this season, 13 in relief and 13 starts. He is currently 10-2 with a 2.04 earned run average in 115.0 innings pitched.

With the steady arm of Pulsipher this season, the return of veteran Tom Glavine from the DL, the continued success of veteran Zanjan Hamadan, and the emergence of youngster Jefferey D'Amico, the Riots have been able to survive the loss of All-Star Ace Greg Maddux.

D'Amico, who is now in his sixth big league season, is making the most of his first shot at being a regular in the pitching staff. After showing vast improvement in his fastball and slider manager Rodney King decided to let him have his shot in the rotation and he has had nothing but success so far into this season. Although he has the highest slugging percentage allowed of any of the regular pitchers, D'Amico currently leads the team in victories with 12 and has only walked 8 batters. Zanjan Hamadan has steadily turned himself into one of the most consistent pitchers throughout the entire Weaver League. Used primarily as a reliever for a few seasons with the Baghdad Scuds (now the Atlanta Rebels) Hamadan was dealt to the Canberra Politicians in a move made before the current ownership took over and moved the franchise to Los Angeles and renamed them the Riots. Hamadan was then thrust into a starting role by Rodney King and has flourished by winning 20 games in two of the last three seasons and 18 in the other.

Looking ahead to next season the Riots have a few lingering questions to answer. Such as what are they going to do with Todd Hundley? The slugging catcher is mired in a subpar season and they have Jose Valentin, 25, who seems prepared to take over a fulltime job after slugging 20 homeruns in his rookie season 4 years ago. They also have that aging pitching duo of Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux. While Maddux, 36, started the season on a roll he ruptured his bicep tendon in his throwing arm almost two months ago and has yet to make any improvement despite having multiple operations trying to repair the damage done. Glavine is still muffling batters with his amazing changeup but is also becoming a victim of fathertime as he is now also 36 years old. Ozzie Thornton, 34, had his amazing season the year he was acquired in 2002 but has not produced regularly since then. Then there is Mark Gubicza, who at 38 years of age won't seem to go away. The team has not traded him because nobody wants to give much for a pitcher of his age, but everytime there is an injury or another pitcher is demoted from their position, Gubicza is right there to plug holes and does so quite well. He even filled the closers role in the teams' championship season when no one else could produce from there. The team has D'Amico who will likely be the staff anchor for at least the next ten years and Pulsipher still at only 27 years of age but after that most of the teams pitchers are on the wrong side of 30. There is much hope that Nick Wessinger, this years first round draft pick, can turn into a quality 3rd starter to go behind D'Amico and Pulsipher down the road a few years.

Then there is the offense where everyone seems to be on the wrong side of thirty besides 25 year olds Ron Wright and Jose Valentin. Wright was the Riots top prospect for years before finally coming into his own and flourishing last season. This year he has been made into the leadoff hitter after Qual Vero continues his futility since the clubs move to Los Angeles and the veteran Ubaila Khidr's inability to produce from that spot. No matter what this club's age is right now, though, they will likely muscle their way to the top of Lockwood for at least five more seasons if the current club stays together.