OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - ISLANDIAN PRO ALLIANCE (RUTHLANDIA and TYCOBBIA BASEBALL UNIONS)

Eugene Church · 01-11-2010, 01:25 PM

The Islandian Times

Saturday, September 27, 2008

IPA Second Season Starts Today

It's prime time – the postseason - the playoffs. The Islandian Pro Cup Series gets underway today with the Elite 8 playoffs – the eight division winners will now battle each other for Island supremacy in professional baseball. In the Ruthlandian Union the Wynnamac Sundowners will travel to Colfax to play the Blasters and the San Dimas Rancheros will tangle with the Sports in LaGrange. Over in the Tycobbian Union Turon will host Luxora and East Point will entertain Denton City.

The Turon Typhoons are the only previous Pro Cup winners in the postseason playoffs. The Typhoons won in 2003 and 2006. The only other team with finals experience is Denton City in 2005, but the Redbirds were beaten by the Middlefield Roosters. Wynnamac and LaGrange are making the playoffs for the first time in their histories.

Colfax is favored in the Ruthlandian Union and Turon in the Tycobbian Union. Most Island baseball experts are forecasting a Blaster-Typhoon Pro Cup final. Both teams have a good blend of pitching and hitting with good home-run power, ingredients needed to take the title. Look for Turon's Pro Cup experience to give them the advantage against Colfax. The Typhoons are the favorites to take their third Island championship.

Wynnamac-Colfax:
Based on season records Colfax (100-54) would seem to be an overwhelming favorite... the Clem Rogers' Blasters are only the third team in IPA history to win 100 games, while Matt Donnelly's Sundowners (84-70) just barely squirmed into the postseason by a game... Colfax looks to have a decided advantage with two 20-game winners in Ilya Szabo (23-7 2.64) and Jasper LaForge (23-8 2.84)... #3 starter Vito Incardona (16-7 3.35) is also a very capable starter... however Wynnamac's Lefty Paddison (17-12 3.22) and Skeets Hobart (19-13 3.84) are quality pitchers, too... Wynnamac could surprise with an all-star studded line-up that includes Big Hoss Burkhalter (20 HR), Nate Cockroft (22 HR), Dalton Leeds (19 HR), Mark Buchanan (26 HR) and J. L. Lawrence (16 HR)... they might be able to match the potent Colfax attack that features Paul Coniglio (28 HR), Ryan Raines (26 HR), Mike Janocko (25 HR), Kurt Vecchio (20 HR) and Tino Leonetti (9 HR/.327 BA)... Colfax was 4-5 against the other division champs in the regular season and 1-2 against Wynnamac... surprisingly the Sundowners had the best record during the season against the playoff contenders... Wynnamac was 8-4.
Outlook: Pitching will win it for Colfax, but the Blasters will be tested by the Sundowners.

San Dimas-LaGrange:
The LaGrange Sports (88-66) should dominate this series with its bats that hit a record-breaking .295 this season and slugged 178 homers, plus scored 861 runs... The Sports have modest pitching with Jay-Jay DeJarnette (17-8 3.62) and Dave Webb (18-16 3.93), but that's all they need against most clubs... the Rancheros will need heroic performances from their two old pros, Ray Watson (19-12 3.94) and Carl Schmitz (14-16 4.00) to stave off early elimination... Manager Foxy Jimison just has too much offense from Otto Kronvath (33 HR), Quincy Peterson (37 HR) Bill Nilsen (27 HR), Brad Walker (11 HR), Karl Perret (16 HR), Dale Scoville (19 HR) and Jerry Lee Presley (14 HR)... in addition LaGrange's bench is loaded with other fine hitters... Paco Banderos only has a couple of good hitters in Ron Armstrong (27 HR) and Wesley Pate (12 HR/.330 BA)... The Sports were 5-7 against the other division winners and went 2-1 against the Rancheros.
Outlook: LaGrange is a much superior team and will win in six games or less.

Luxora-Turon:
This could be quite a series between two very evenly match teams... the Typhoons (92-62) are favored over the Zorros (85-69), but not by much... in the regular season they split six games... the winner of this series will probably win the TU and represent the league in the Pro Cup finals... both have much better pitching than East Point and Denton City... Turon's Anthony Nardone (21-11 2.54), Scotty Boswell (17-10 3.54) and Freddi Spiegel (7-1 3.03) form a formidable rotation... career-wise Boswell is 7-1 in the playoffs and Spiegel is 4-1... the Zorros Antonio Anaya (21-9 3.54) and Elio Laurente (17-14 3.41) don't quite match up... however Z's manager Alejandro Rodrigo has an edge in the bullpen over Whitey Richburn with Ricardo Topez (8-5 2.14) and 32 saves... in the batting department, it's pretty much a draw...Mac McCurnan (22 HR), Andy Porter (18 HR), Johnny Carducci (20 HR), Raphael Semmes (21 HR) and Andy Hansen (108 R/.284 BA) are playoff-proven and will lead Turon, while Bob Haviland (36 HR), Joel Reed (22 HR), Pablo Santa Cruz (.292 BA/110 R) and Bobby Bayas (.292 BA/88 R) are Luxora's top bats and should hold their own... Turon has the better defense .975 FA to .970 FA... Both clubs did well in head-to-head competition with all the postseason clubs... Turon was 8-4 and Luxora was 11-7.
Outlook: Turon has playoff experience, better pitching and much better fielding... should win in six or seven games and go on to win its third Pro Cup.

East Point-Denton City:
Will home runs outdo pitching, defense and postseason experience?... Griff Clarke of East Point (85-69) has the firepower, while Ford Whiteman of Denton City (86-70) has the arms, experience and the gloves... Can two old vets Smokey Joe Carter (19-14 3.69) and Tommy Ruffin (20-11 3.11) give the Panthers enough pitching?... Will Mila Mohoski (18-14 2.62), Hank Taylor (13-8 4.32) and Kenyon MacKenzie (14-14 3.56) give the Redbirds the edge, especially when Mohoski is 8-2 in the postseason and Taylor is 4-1... East Point has only one pitcher who has pitched a playoff game and Carter only worked one game and lost it... Will the Panthers Jesse Goodwin (35 HR), George Barnes (23 HR) and Karl Dietz (22 HR) be able to go deep often enough to outscore the Redbirds Mick Abbott(18 HR), Rod MacCormack (19 HR), Jay Petit (17 HR)and Trevor Tomlinson (108 R)?... Denton City has a big edge in defense with a .976 FA to just .970 for East Point... the Redbirds took two of three games from the Panthers in the regular season... Both clubs were 4-8 overall against all the playoff participants.
Outlook: Experience, pitching and solid hitting combined with better defense gives a close series to Denton City.

01-11-2010, 01:25 PM	#1464
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 35,940	The Islandian Times Saturday, September 27, 2008 IPA Second Season Starts Today It's prime time – the postseason - the playoffs. The Islandian Pro Cup Series gets underway today with the Elite 8 playoffs – the eight division winners will now battle each other for Island supremacy in professional baseball. In the Ruthlandian Union the Wynnamac Sundowners will travel to Colfax to play the Blasters and the San Dimas Rancheros will tangle with the Sports in LaGrange. Over in the Tycobbian Union Turon will host Luxora and East Point will entertain Denton City. The Turon Typhoons are the only previous Pro Cup winners in the postseason playoffs. The Typhoons won in 2003 and 2006. The only other team with finals experience is Denton City in 2005, but the Redbirds were beaten by the Middlefield Roosters. Wynnamac and LaGrange are making the playoffs for the first time in their histories. Colfax is favored in the Ruthlandian Union and Turon in the Tycobbian Union. Most Island baseball experts are forecasting a Blaster-Typhoon Pro Cup final. Both teams have a good blend of pitching and hitting with good home-run power, ingredients needed to take the title. Look for Turon's Pro Cup experience to give them the advantage against Colfax. The Typhoons are the favorites to take their third Island championship. Wynnamac-Colfax: Based on season records Colfax (100-54) would seem to be an overwhelming favorite... the Clem Rogers' Blasters are only the third team in IPA history to win 100 games, while Matt Donnelly's Sundowners (84-70) just barely squirmed into the postseason by a game... Colfax looks to have a decided advantage with two 20-game winners in Ilya Szabo (23-7 2.64) and Jasper LaForge (23-8 2.84)... #3 starter Vito Incardona (16-7 3.35) is also a very capable starter... however Wynnamac's Lefty Paddison (17-12 3.22) and Skeets Hobart (19-13 3.84) are quality pitchers, too... Wynnamac could surprise with an all-star studded line-up that includes Big Hoss Burkhalter (20 HR), Nate Cockroft (22 HR), Dalton Leeds (19 HR), Mark Buchanan (26 HR) and J. L. Lawrence (16 HR)... they might be able to match the potent Colfax attack that features Paul Coniglio (28 HR), Ryan Raines (26 HR), Mike Janocko (25 HR), Kurt Vecchio (20 HR) and Tino Leonetti (9 HR/.327 BA)... Colfax was 4-5 against the other division champs in the regular season and 1-2 against Wynnamac... surprisingly the Sundowners had the best record during the season against the playoff contenders... Wynnamac was 8-4. Outlook: Pitching will win it for Colfax, but the Blasters will be tested by the Sundowners. San Dimas-LaGrange: The LaGrange Sports (88-66) should dominate this series with its bats that hit a record-breaking .295 this season and slugged 178 homers, plus scored 861 runs... The Sports have modest pitching with Jay-Jay DeJarnette (17-8 3.62) and Dave Webb (18-16 3.93), but that's all they need against most clubs... the Rancheros will need heroic performances from their two old pros, Ray Watson (19-12 3.94) and Carl Schmitz (14-16 4.00) to stave off early elimination... Manager Foxy Jimison just has too much offense from Otto Kronvath (33 HR), Quincy Peterson (37 HR) Bill Nilsen (27 HR), Brad Walker (11 HR), Karl Perret (16 HR), Dale Scoville (19 HR) and Jerry Lee Presley (14 HR)... in addition LaGrange's bench is loaded with other fine hitters... Paco Banderos only has a couple of good hitters in Ron Armstrong (27 HR) and Wesley Pate (12 HR/.330 BA)... The Sports were 5-7 against the other division winners and went 2-1 against the Rancheros. Outlook: LaGrange is a much superior team and will win in six games or less. Luxora-Turon: This could be quite a series between two very evenly match teams... the Typhoons (92-62) are favored over the Zorros (85-69), but not by much... in the regular season they split six games... the winner of this series will probably win the TU and represent the league in the Pro Cup finals... both have much better pitching than East Point and Denton City... Turon's Anthony Nardone (21-11 2.54), Scotty Boswell (17-10 3.54) and Freddi Spiegel (7-1 3.03) form a formidable rotation... career-wise Boswell is 7-1 in the playoffs and Spiegel is 4-1... the Zorros Antonio Anaya (21-9 3.54) and Elio Laurente (17-14 3.41) don't quite match up... however Z's manager Alejandro Rodrigo has an edge in the bullpen over Whitey Richburn with Ricardo Topez (8-5 2.14) and 32 saves... in the batting department, it's pretty much a draw...Mac McCurnan (22 HR), Andy Porter (18 HR), Johnny Carducci (20 HR), Raphael Semmes (21 HR) and Andy Hansen (108 R/.284 BA) are playoff-proven and will lead Turon, while Bob Haviland (36 HR), Joel Reed (22 HR), Pablo Santa Cruz (.292 BA/110 R) and Bobby Bayas (.292 BA/88 R) are Luxora's top bats and should hold their own... Turon has the better defense .975 FA to .970 FA... Both clubs did well in head-to-head competition with all the postseason clubs... Turon was 8-4 and Luxora was 11-7. Outlook: Turon has playoff experience, better pitching and much better fielding... should win in six or seven games and go on to win its third Pro Cup. East Point-Denton City: Will home runs outdo pitching, defense and postseason experience?... Griff Clarke of East Point (85-69) has the firepower, while Ford Whiteman of Denton City (86-70) has the arms, experience and the gloves... Can two old vets Smokey Joe Carter (19-14 3.69) and Tommy Ruffin (20-11 3.11) give the Panthers enough pitching?... Will Mila Mohoski (18-14 2.62), Hank Taylor (13-8 4.32) and Kenyon MacKenzie (14-14 3.56) give the Redbirds the edge, especially when Mohoski is 8-2 in the postseason and Taylor is 4-1... East Point has only one pitcher who has pitched a playoff game and Carter only worked one game and lost it... Will the Panthers Jesse Goodwin (35 HR), George Barnes (23 HR) and Karl Dietz (22 HR) be able to go deep often enough to outscore the Redbirds Mick Abbott(18 HR), Rod MacCormack (19 HR), Jay Petit (17 HR)and Trevor Tomlinson (108 R)?... Denton City has a big edge in defense with a .976 FA to just .970 for East Point... the Redbirds took two of three games from the Panthers in the regular season... Both clubs were 4-8 overall against all the playoff participants. Outlook: Experience, pitching and solid hitting combined with better defense gives a close series to Denton City. Last edited by Eugene Church; 01-13-2010 at 07:13 PM.