Thursday, April 7, 2062
BOYS OF SUMMER ARE BACK!
Fall has come and gone... winter, too... Rogers Hornsby has been standing at his window for months now, longingly waiting for the spring... so has EC... now is the glorious time of the year... Spring has blossomed once again and there is life in this world... once again the smell of fresh green grass is in the air all across Islandia… the green mansions and glorious cathedrals are in their radiant beauty once again... well-manicured and pristine... and the Boys of Summer are back!
The Islandian Pro Alliance will begin its 62nd season tomorrow all across the Islands... the Oxford Red Caps are poised to defend their coveted title of Pro Cup champion... they would like nothing better than to cop back-to-back IPA championships... but there are 63 other ballclubs with similar dreams... most of the dreams are just that... only the eight division winners will get a shot at making their dreams come true... winning the prestigious Pro Cup prize come next October.
Let's take a quick trip around the IPA and get a preview of this season... here is how the fabled pollsters and baseball gurus are forecasting this new season.
Ruthlandian North:
Despite its flop in the postseason last year, last year's division winner Valmara is still the powerhouse in the RU North with its potent attack and subpar pitching... once again the Glasco Foxhounds will be nipping at the Vipers' heels in a close race... there is an outside chance Ranford and Far Mountain could get into the race... LaGrange could be in it, too... Taranto, Kilkenny and Ancona will have to wait until next year... it looks like a two-team tussle once again in the RU North.
Ruthlandian South:
Should be a five-team race among defending champ St. John, Claxton, San Dimas, Waleska and Valka... the Crusaders are a well-balanced club with a solid offense and very good pitching... the team that rise above the others will be the ones with the best rookie impact... newcomers often separate their clubs from the pack... St. John will be gunning for its third pennant in a row and fourth in six years... Crystal Lake and Belair Beach might get as high as sixth place... looks like listless Grand City is destined for last place again in the RU South.
Ruthlandian East:
This is an easy choice... the rich just got richer... Wynnamac has added fine rookie power to its already solid core of players... nobody challenged the Macs last year and it doesn't look anybody is on the horizon to knock them off of their perennial pedestal... three straight pennants and seven in 10 seasons... the Marston Nine and the Eastshore Cotton Kings will battle for second place... that's the best thing anyone can do in the Wynnamac-dominated RU East... the other four teams will fight it out for the third spot... hopeless Belle Plaine will hope it doesn't set a new IPA mark for losses... last year they tied the 2051 Bayview Vikings of the TU West for the all-time worst record... the Musketeers lost 109 games.
RU West:
Volusia is still the best in the Ruthlandian West... for the last five years they have been top dog... the Vigilantes are the choice to win its third division flag in a row... Sligo hassled the V's last season... in fact in the last decade the Rovers have been the overall best team... 7 times in the last 9 years they have wound up second... twice they won it (2059, 2060)... it would be poetic justice for them to capture the flag... Sligo will be a serious contender again this year... contesting for the third spot in the RU West will be Rocky Rapids, Stoner and Middlefield... the other three, Fort Benton, Colfax and Forest City will be trying to stay out of the basement.
Tycobbian North:
No doubt about it, the Oxford Red Caps are an excellent club... they will be shooting for their fourth straight division crown in the TU North... the 7th in 10 years... Mahaska is touted to be the second-best team in the division... with Blue Lake a distant third... the other five teams will be playing for spot number four in the standings... any of them could be cellar dwellers, too.
Tycobbian South:
This division could have one of the closer races with several teams in the mix... the reigning division winner Turon will have to fend off pesky Arroyo Grande again... the Typhoons just barely beat them by just a single game last year... could be more of the same this year... in fact, it could develop into a four-team logjam in the TU South... Summerland with its fine pitching and good all-around Southport could sneak up on the other two contenders... Ginza could make it five, if the Karate Kids return to the form of '59 and '60... no hope for the other hopeless squads, San Alejo, Colchester and Cape Coral... Turon has captured the Tycobbian West crown six times in the last 9 years.
Tycobbian East:
Here's another good race... Midway won it last year with some stiff competition from Tuckanarra and South Fork... the Middies will be seeking a 7th flag in the last 10 seasons... they won it last season in a close race with the Tiger Cats and the Stallions... expect more of the same... and also add the up-and-coming High Mesa Mustangs into the free-for-all... and don't forget the Red Bluff Red Sox... they could also be right up near the top, too... the TU East division also-rans, Hillsboro, East Point and Ozarka will be fighting for sixth place at best.
Tycobbian West:
Rolling Hills is again the cream of the crop in this division... they will very likely win it for the fourth consecutive season... they just might win another Pro Cup like they did two years ago... they almost did it last year until they ran in to the current Pro Cup titleholder in the IPA, the robust Oxford Red Caps, and were beaten in a very tense seven-game duel... don't think anyone will challenge the Racers this year... the best of the rest would be Denton City, Kenwood and Bayview... they will contest for the runner position... pulling up the rear in the TU West will be La Claire, Chicopee, Arlon and Bay St. Clair.
IPA Pro Cup Forecast:
Bottom line, who's going to bring home the cherished 2062 Pro Cup trophy this year?... Rolling Hills is the first choice... defending IPA champ Oxford is a close second... Wynnamac is always in the running... the Sundowners are the third choice by the pollsters... last year's Pro Cup finalist, Volusia, is ranked fourth-best... followed by four clubs with feeble hopes, Midway, St. John, Valmara and Turon.
Hey, you know what EC should do... get Markus and the crew to run a thousand simulations of the Island Pro Alliance and let me know... I could come back and then correct the errors of my ways.
