Saturday, May 7, 2061
'CANES VAN DALEN CHOSEN FOR IPA HALL OF FAME
The Islandian baseball community and adoring public today welcomed to the exclusive IPA club, the Hall of Fame, a new left fielder by the name of Rikky Van Dalen, a hitter par excellence... his election was announced today by the Baseball Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association... Rikky could swing a bat with the best of them... his induction ceremony will be held at the Islandian Pro Alliance Winter Meeting this fall.
Van Dalen told BNN in an interview, "I remember thinking to myself after I had had a couple of good years that if I keep doing this, maybe I just might make it to the Hall of Fame... the dream became a reality today and I must say this is a very proud day."
Over his career Van Dalen batted .315 and collected 2985 hits, 434 home runs and 1497 RBIs... he played in 2343 games and retired from baseball at age 38... Van Dalen led the Tycobbian Union three times in batting average... he batted .371 in 2042, .358 in 2044 and .352 in 2046... he also led the league with 200 or more hits in four seasons... his best years came as a member of the Cape Coral Hurricanes, whose hat he will wear at his induction ceremony... in spite of Van Dalen success, the 'Canes only made the playoffs one time... he was a 5-time All-Star and captured both the Tycobbian Union Golden Bat and Most Valuable Player trophies in 2042.
His former manager Flipper Bird told reporters, "The big thing about Rikky is that he could hit any pitch... I don't mean only strikes... he could hit a ball off his ankles or off his ear."
