2nd Place: Sligo Rovers (85-69) (7 GB)
Last Pennant: 2064
Pro Cups: 1 (2021)
Should one feel sorry for the Sligo Rovers, the eternal bridesmaid in IPA history?... 10 times in the last 13 seasons the Rovers have come in second... the other three times they were the Ruthlandian West champion... naw, ain't gonna feel bad for such a good ballclub... there is no shame in coming in second... Sligo won it last year and looks like they would go back-to-back and repeat this year... they led the tight RU West in May, June, ranked a razor-thin second in July and August to Middlefield, then took the top spot again in September, only to be outdone by a red-hot Colfax team by season's end... the Rovers have very good pitching, starting rotation and bullpen, but they don't score a lot of runs... however, the lineup is dependable from one to eight in the batting order... not great, but reliable contact hitters, combined with a little bit of power... defense is solid with a .979 FA... all Sligo needs to be a perennial Pro Cup challenger is a couple of respectable longball hitters... that would do it... actually, one might do it... till then, the Rovers will have to be happy to be a bridesmaid... and occasionally, a beautiful bride in the RU West.
