ZORROS PICK OF THE PACK IN THE TU NORTH
The outlook for the Tycobbian North Division is topsy-turvy... the main pennant contenders in the last decade have been downgraded to second-class status by the baseball gurus... rampant roster changes abounded this season in the IPA... the Oxford Red Caps with 9 TU North division flags and a Pro Cup Trophy in the last 18 years and nothing worse than three 3rd place finishes are forecast for 6th place (73-81) with a losing record... Hartsdale with 3 pennants and a Pro Cup in the last 8 seasons comes in no better than 5th place (76-78) and below the .500 mark... last year's TU North champ Blue Lake (63-91) is predicted to tumble all the way to last place... certainly not a good way to build on last year's success... the pollsters are picking the run-of-mill clubs to do well this year... the Luxora Zorros (93-61) are favored by a goodly amount to nab their first division crown since 2058 ... the Z's were 7th last year... the Mahaska Haymakers (84-70) are picked to perk up and climb up in the standings, perhaps as high as the second spot... the Farmers last made hay in 2052 when they came close to winning the pennant, missing out by one single, solitary game... you have to go back over 40 years since Mahaska last made the playoffs, way back there in 2028... the North Hills Hawks, mediocity personified for over 3 decades, might finish as high as 3rd and just a bit over the .500 mark (79-75)... middle-of-the-road White River (77-77) most likely will wind up in the middle of the road.
SUN SOX SET TO SHINE BRIGHTLY AGAIN IN THE TU SOUTH
Sunshine always seems to be in radiant abundance in Southport... the last time the Sun Sox had a bad season was in 2041, when they went 67-87 and came in 7th... since that dastardly day Southport has captured 14 TU South pennants and 4 Pro Cup trophies... they are rarely out of contention in the pennant race... the baseball prognosticators have made them a solid favorite in 2070... only the Turon Typhoons (91-63) are expected to rival Southport (98-56) this season... all of the other six clubs in the TU South will be far behind in the rear view mirror... the Sun Sox are expected to prevail for the 5th time in 6 years in the Tycobbian South Division... Southport is also highly-touted to win their 5th Pro Cup... only Red Bluff (102-52) and Rolling Hills (96-58) are rated that high by the Boys of Summer pollsters, pundits and prognosticators.
RED SOX READY TO ROCK AND ROLL AND RELOAD IN THE TU EAST
It is unbelievable how the Red Bluff Red Sox collapsed last year and blew an 8-game lead in the last month of the season and lost the Tycobbian East title to the South Fork Stallions... that the bad news... that was last season... 2070 is a new year and as always hope springs eternal, especially on the sport pages... like Bing Crosby, Maxine, Patti and Laverne, you've got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative (an old ditty from the 1940s for you young 'uns)... here's some good news... apparently all is forgotten... the baseball pollsters have forgiven the Red Sox for their sudden dismal decline and September disaster... they have made Red Bluff the overwhelming choice to whip everything in sight in the TU East this season in a runaway reminiscent of the Rolling Hills Racers in the TU West... that forecast seems to be out of line and off the mark... on paper, the Red Sox do not look that much improved over last season... it is really hard to see such a drastic change in one season... however, High Mesa, South Fork, Tuckanarra, Midway and Hillsboro dropped a lot of aging veterans, cleaned house and added a lot of rambuncious rookies this year... around the IPA many clubs made a lot of personnel changes... if Red Bluff can play like they did in the first half of the season last year for the whole season, they could return to form and dominate the TU East... the Red Sox were 12 and a half games up at the All-Star break last season... sho 'nuff could happen... but not likely.
"OLD" RACERS JUST KEEP ON ROLLIN' ALONG IN TU WEST
Just like Old Man River the Rolling Hills Racers just keep right on rollin' along... they are once again the odds-on favorite to win the Tycobbian West Division and probably the top pick to take another Pro Cup trophy... the Racers will be gunning for their 11th straight TU West title, their second straight Pro Cup and their 5th IPA crown in the last 10 years and 8th Pro Cup overall... but one must note a word of caution in the preseason predictions... Rolling Hills is rolling along in years, too... Jimmy Brandini, their rock-solid and reliable right fielder, has retired at age 35 and three other Pro Cup stalwarts, shortstop Jameson Mulbert is 38, third baseman Teddy Stonich is 35 and left fielder Jean-Luc Roubique is 34... time eventually takes its toll... will it be this year for the Racers?... the baseball pollsters and pundits say no... Rolling Hills (96-58) still has it and they will again be the top dog in the TU West by a good margin... their only competition will come primarily from the La Claire Lynx (88-66) with the Bayview Vikings (84-70) also in the mix... the Racers still have the best-hitting team in the Islandian Pro Alliance... and their pitching - it used to be their postseason problem - is now much-improved... Rolling Hills is still a very potent ballclub and might stay that way a year or so more... however, keep an eye on those three aging superstars... if they still hit with authority, the Racers will be fine this year... if not, Rolling Hills may have a some serious competition for the TU West title for the first time in a decade.
